With the sudden, untimely punch-to-the-face that was Dave Niehaus' death, I have spent a good portion of my Veterans' Day listening to highlights on the radio, watching YouTube clips and remembering the voice that was second only to my father's as the soundtrack in my childhood.  I don't cry.  Not at funerals, not at movies, not when I get hurt.  But I cried today.  By myself.  Nobody saw me.  Sure, Dave was losing it a bit at the end.  He would get really excited about a hit that would turn out to be a can-of-corn.  He wouldn't really know if a ball was high, low or outside.  Sometimes he seemed to digress about something nobody seemed to follow.  But he still "painted the picture", as I have heard a million times today.

I bring this up because I have found myself hoping, wishing, dreaming that our beloved Bob Robertson ... BobRob ... might just retire.  We have railed against he and Walden in game thread after game thread.  Some of us have even started listening to the opposing teams broadcast.  Sure, he's old.  Sure, he can't really seem to describe a play.  Sure, he can barely get a word in edgewise with Walden's "Yeehawwing", but he does, from time-to-time, "paint the picture." 

Perhaps I feel guilty.  I suppose a sudden death can do that, but whatever the cause, I want to remind everyone that BobRob is ours.  He might not be a hall of famer, but he is my Cougar football and I can't actually imagine a radio broadcast without him.

Last time we played UW, I went to Sport Bar and Grill in Fisher Plaza to watch the game and had a pretty good time ... minus the second half.  I just thought I might take a flier and see if anyone was interested in making it a bit of a Cougar viewing party.  Last time there were definitely more Good Guys than bad guys.  Just thought I might throw it out there.  I will have my CouGear on ... See you there?

I understand Sterk's worries, but the university as a whole is very strong. In fact, in past years the academic and facilities side of the school has been called a cash cow in the sense that they often have more money then the can spend in a fiscal year. Most of the money comes in the form donations earmarked for specific departments. Granted, with the financial situation our nation and school is in right now, I would be surprised to hear WSU called a cash cow, but anyone who was in school between 1995 and 2005 can remember the amount of construction that sometimes seemed to consume various corners of the school.

Here is the dilemma, I suppose. Do you, as a fan or alumni, want more money directed to athletics, or would you prefer the academic/research and campus facility standards to continually increase. There is a fine line to tiptoe as an alumnus or alumna.

One thing I tell my friends, family, co-workers and students is that they can make fun of my Cougar athletics all they want, but do not ridicule my education. I made the most of my education and believe it was every bit as quality as any other Pac-10 schools because of what I put into it.

I would hate for my education to somehow appear devalued, but I would also hate to be a fan of any WSU team playing the WAC.

And that is just the way it is.

- Ian Furness

I would wear that if it was on a t-shirt and that sounds like the plan.  I think it's something that we all must embrace and appreciate and understand.  Will we be able to make everyone understand that "Pullman is Pullman" is a good thing?  No.  But we will all know.  We thought our former coach understood, we hope our next coach will understand, but the most important thing is that we all understand.

When I was 4 years old, I was in the Northgate Mall parking lot with my dad as we listen to the final moments of that year's Apple Cup.  I asked my dad if we were winning and he replied as he turned of the radio, "We are never winning."  That should have been my clue.  That should have been the writing on the wall that being a WSU fan was going to be painful, heart-wrenching suffering. 14 years later I applied to one university - The Washington State University - and enrolled without ever seeing the campus.  My parents, both graduates, never took me to Pullman, but I knew that was where I wanted to go to school.  I have never regretted my decision, and I don't regret it today.  I have learned more about myself and more about life from my experience as a Coug than anyone or anything.

But I'm still hurt.  I'm still surprised.  I still want to throw my computer against the ground.  I'm not just angry at Tony Bennett - I'm still angry at Mike Price.  I'm not angry that they left necessarily, but angry that they have confirmed, once and for all, that WSU will always be stepping stone.  No coach will ever stay.  Paul Wulff will not stay if he can put together a few good seasons.  The next basketball coach will not stay if he can string together a few good seasons.  The women's soccer coach left for Arizona State after leading the Cougs to the NCAA tournament.

I feel like quitting.  That was the purpose of a conversation I had with my brother-in-law who graduated from UCLA.  I asked him if I could root for the Bruins.  I almost registered on their fan site this afternoon, but deep down, I know that I am a Coug.  The coaches will come and go.  The players may de-commit.  But we will always be fans. 

At least we have each other and for that I am thankful.  I am thankful that you are my brothers and sisters.  I might not know you and I might never meet you, but we are a family and I won't give that up for anything, ever.  Not even Tony Bennett.