Is There Anything WSU Can’t Blame On An Ex-Coach?

You never know. But I do.

The recent spate of behavioral indiscretions by football players has to be troubling to the authorities at Washington State, since they must now figure out how to blame it on Dennis Erickson.

Now that he’s back in the starting rotation, Scott Sanders should beat Ken Griffey Jr. to Roger Maris’ home run record.

Chess, schmess. When the geeks come up with a computer that can beat all comers in arm wrestling, then I’ll be impressed.

I think I know just what the regents of Gonzaga University are looking for in a president - but, alas, Bud Selig already has a gig.

If Tiger Woods really gave a damn, he would have been at the Jackie Robinson tribute no matter when the President got around to inviting him. But folks, Tiger ain’t no Jackie Robinson.

Irv Cross, Phyllis George’s former straight man and now the athletic director at Idaho State, was a hero to disciplinarians everywhere when he kicked five basketball players off the team after their convictions for shoplifting. Now ISU’s cross country coach has been charged with DUI. If I’m one of the disenfranchised hoopsters and Tough Love Irv doesn’t come down just as hard on the coach, I’d be getting a lawyer.

Chris Gobrecht, bailing out on Florida State after just a year to become women’s basketball coach at her alma mater, USC: “It takes an incredible amount of you to build a program from the start - you’re better off doing it at a place you have a passion for.” You know what they say - if it isn’t sex with someone you love …

By the way, is Kermit Davis still at LSU? Just checking.

Mariners reliever Josias Manzanillo cracks that he now wears his protective cup to bed and, no, it isn’t a Bobbitt joke.

Genius is in the eye of the beholder, so behold what White Sox catcher Ron Karkovice had to say about manager Terry Bevington after a recent loss: “This tops them all. This was unbelievable. We had a three-run lead going into the eighth and we lost the game. We brought a lefty in to face them when they have all those righties. Nobody understands why.” This is the same Ron Karkovice who’s hitting .169 and has the worst percentage of throwing out base stealers in the big leagues. Behold that, Ron.

NBA teams are moving to give coaches more clout the only way they know how: by throwing money at them. The ABL’s Seattle Reign, meanwhile, sent its three top players packing and kept coach Jacquie Hullah instead. Just in case you thought the women’s game was too innocent to have prima donnas.

We were thinking about starting a recall campaign to get Dolph Schayes out of the Basketball Hall of Fame just for being Danny Schayes’ dad. But then the old man went off and slugged Burnie, the Miami Heat mascot, the other night, so all is forgiven.

You wonder if George Karl’s reluctance to play Jim McIlvaine, who cost more than the Space Needle but isn’t as mobile, was due to a lack of confidence in the big guy - or a lack of respect for Wally Walker for signing him.

Let’s see. Karl admits in his book that not having Gary Payton guard Michael Jordan in the first three games of last year’s NBA Finals may have cost the Sonics their best chance to win. Now, do you think if Karl hadn’t waited until Game 5 of the just completed Houston series to stick Payton on Matt Maloney it would be the Sonics playing Utah this week?

Getting George Steinbrenner off baseball’s Executive Council is a hollow gesture unless they put George Costanza in his place.

Mary Slaney thinks her dirty drug test is the result of someone in track and field’s hierarchy holding a personal grudge against her. Let’s hope so.

Now that he’s an NBA coach, Larry Bird’s back pain is going to work its way south in a hurry.

If they don’t have to mention tearing down the Kingdome in the ballot wording for the new Seahawks stadium, then Paul Allen should have to refrain from hysterical hyperbole like, “Remember when the Kingdome roof fell in?” in his full-page newspaper ads.

Just when you think you hated everything about USC, the Trojans inducted Ron Fairly into their Hall of Fame over the weekend - keeping him off Mariners telecasts.

, DataTimes MEMO: You can contact John Blanchette by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 5509.

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