Live chat at noon, plus some links
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN -- It was so nice outside yesterday, I almost thought about thinking about going for a jog. Then I wrote for three hours and ate a McChicken instead. Ah, well. At least that means we have links.
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In case you missed the title, here's another reminder that we'll be live-chatting at noon today. We'll try to keep the conversation spring-football related, but we'll talk a little basketball, too. Hopefully, we won't have any technical difficulties and we can get rolling right at 12 p.m. Stop by, if you get the chance. ... Our story for today's newspaper focuses on the journey back to the Pac-12 for kicker Mike Bowlin, who is expected to handle WSU's kickoff and punting duties this season. We also have a report from practice on the blog. ... Brian Floyd has a practice recap over at CougCenter. ... The Seattle Times updates the saga of Ryan Leaf, who can now be held in jail for up to 30 days while awaiting the decision of Texas prosecutors in regards to his probation there.
Elsewhere around the Pac-12 ... In a move that surprised nobody, Washington's Tony Wroten declared for the NBA draft on Tuesday. Steve Kelley has some thoughts in this column. ... Cal returned to practice after a week off for spring break. It's all in the family in Berkeley. ... A Stanford linebacker considered turning pro before deciding to return to school. ... Colorado added a graduate assistant with a familiar name in Boulder. ... UCLA coach Jim Mora already knows how important it is to beat USC. The Bruins are picking up the pace. ... Some USC players are putting in time for a good cause. ... The Trojans are believed to be the leading candidate to land Skyline High star quarterback Max Browne. ... A kid named Shabazz is a "must" get for the Bruins basketball team. ... Jon Hays keeps a positive attitude for Utah. ... Oregon State began spring practices on Tuesday with a much more intense Mike Riley. ... Oregon began its super, double-secret spring practices on Tuesday, with running back Kenjon Barner ready to claim his throne. ... Good column from George Schroeder about Oregon's uniform-changing ways spreading across the nation. ... Interesting bit here from Ted Miller about which Pac-12 teams return their "brains" this season. WSU is one of them.
As for our wildcard item ... The Mariners continued their quest to alienate each and every one of their few remaining fans by sending a strongly worded letter to city leaders voicing their concerns about the possibility of a new sports arena being constructed in SoDo. Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln wrote that in the team's view, the proposed location "simply does not work." Kind of like most things about that franchise.
All for now. Remember to stop by at noon for our live chat. Until then ...
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple