Monthly Archives: August 2012

How do I find the Pac-12 Network?

That’s the question of the day.

If you want to watch Pac-12 football this year, you better call your local cable provider and find out how to locate the Pac-12 Network.

Washington’s opener on Saturday night against San Diego State will be televised live by the Pac-12 Network (Ch. 430 on Comcast).

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times has been all over the Pac-12 Network story. He knows more about it than I do. Check out Bob’s latest blog post on the subject.

And, yes, it’s a 7:30 p.m. start time if it goes off on schedule. The 12:30 a.m. ferry ride to Bremerton will be an interesting mix of football fans and Bumbershoot festival fans.

Here’s the notes package on the UW-SDS game that was put together by the SID staff at the University of Washington.

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News of holes-in-one hoax spreads; KOMO TV to air a report Monday night

“Googly-gate” just got more interesting.

In case you haven’t followed the story, here’s the background.

While I was sipping cervasas in Mexico last week, local comedian Cris Larsen told a local Rotary Club that he’d pranked The Sun. On Thursday, Aug. 16, he left messages with reporter Jeff Graham about an incredible story that had happened that day during a fundraising golf tournament at McCormick Woods — a tournament called the Great Googly-Ball tournament. Jeff called Larsen three times to confirm details.

Larsen, who goes by the Great Cris moniker, told  great big fat lies every time. Here’s the original story that printed on Aug. 17.

We printed the story and were made to look like fools. Larsen seemed to get a big kick out of it. He still hasn’t apologized.

Moving ahead:  Jeff responded with this column after discovering that he’d been duped.  The headline in the paper said it all: Larsen’s hoax no laughing matter

Jeff was right on in all of the points he made. Yes, four aces in the same tournament should have raised a red flag, but the sources were reliable. Larsen runs a bunch of charity events and is known throughout the community and he’s been quoted often in the paper. Cucciardi ran for port commissioner and heads the Ryan Moore Golf Group, which owns McCormick Woods, The Classic in Spanaway and Oakbrook in Tacoma.

News of the hoax has spread.

Jim Romenesko talked to Kitsap Sun editor David Nelson earlier today and put up this story on his blog post.

Later in the day, KOMO TV from Seattle stopped by the newsroom to interview Nelson. They also talked to Larsen. Their report will air tonight (Monday) during the 6 o’clock hour.

I’ve got a feeling this story won’t go away for a while.

Funny thing, someone from McCormick Woods called the office earlier today to report a hole in one.

I took the information, but had to ask: “Is this legit?”

The guy at the other end of the phone said: “I was waiting for that.”

Yes, we’ll print stories about McCormick Woods, and I suppose we will continue to write stories about Larsen’s comedic adventures and events he’s involved with. The Sun’s not going to stoop to their level.

As I wrote from Mexico in the comment section online: It’s one thing to poke fun and play pranks with people on a personal level. Everyone can take a joke. But to hang someone out to dry on a professional level and get a good laugh out of it tells you something about a person’s character. This wasn’t a harmless joke. This one really crossed the line.

Just discovered that Deadspin.com also weighed in on the story. Love the last line: “Do not (blank)ing mess with the Kitsap Sun‘s golf column.”

 

 

 

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Gold medalist Nathan Adrian coming to fair, world series

I think I just broke my first story on twitter:

Just in: Olympic gold medalist #Nathan Adrian will put in appearances on Aug. 22 at main fair stage, Ruth World Series and Xtreme Bulls

Get your sharpie ready because here’s a chance to get your Nathan Adrian autograph.

Here’s the plan: 4:45 at the main stage at the Kitsap County Fair, which opens that day (a Wednesday). Then he’ll head to Gene Lobe Fields at the fairgrounds for a 5:30 p.m. stop. No doubt,  he’ll be asked to throw out the first pitch for the championship game of the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series. Then he’ll walk a couple hundred yards to Thunderbird Stadium for the Xtreme Bulls competition.

Wonder if he’s got a cowboy hat and boots?

I kidded the Babe Ruth guys about building a swimming lane from the mound to home plate for Adrian’s visit.

Pretty cool for Nathan to do this.

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Monday Musing

Links, opinions and quick hits on sunny Monday while waiting for 13-year-old Babe Ruth baseball players to invade Kitsap County. Drove by the Kitsap Fairgrounds & Events Center and Silverdale Beach Hotel earlier and things are eerily quiet. Anyway, here ya go:

Don’t know about you, but I’ve seen enough to think that rookie QB Russell Wilson just might be the real deal.  I know that it’s early, but he could bring some serious excitement to CenturyLink. And Matt Flynn looked pretty good too. T-Jack, it was nice to know ya.

Bremerton Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian was part of the closing ceremonies and is now back in the area after exploring London and, no doubt, having the time of his life. If you’re into twitter,  check out his tweets here.

Bremerton’s other Olympian, bobsledder Bree Schaaf, is training in Colorado Springs, Colo., trying to regain strength following offseason hip surgery. This is a big year for Schaaf, who needs to secure the No. 2 ride in order to solidify endorsements. If she’s driving the No. 3 sled heading in to the World Cup season prior to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, she will probably have to dig into her own pockets again to pay for training, travel and equipment expenses. Yes, it’s a cruel world sometimes for  athletes involved in fairly obscure sports. Nate Murphy of Kitsap Public Relations has created an online fundraising campaign for Bree at www.indiegogo.com/breeschaaf.

If you want to be reminded how serious folks in the south take their football, check out this $60 million, 18,000-seat high school  stadium in Allen, Texas. It’s for a high school near Dallas with an enrollment of 3,000. A far cry from the muddy bog South Kitsap plays on in the fall, huh?

State high school football players hit the practice field on Wednesday. First games are Friday, Aug. 31. Kentridge at South Kitsap is an intriguing Week 1 matchup. Former Bremerton, OC and Central Washington QB Marty Osborn runs the show at Kentridge and is considered one of the top coaches in the state. Port Orchard native Eric Canton, a former SK QB who played at Washington, will be making his head coaching debut for the Wolves. Elsewhere that night, North Kitsap, considered by many as the team to beat in the Class 2A Olympic League, visits powerhouse Archbishop Murphy in Everett, and Central Kitsap heads to Bainbridge for an all-Kitsap County affair.

I’ve been told that Waite Park, Minn., the Midwest Plains Regional 13-year-old Babe Ruth champs, played in the Cal Ripken 12-year-old World Series a year ago. That could be an advantage during the Babe Ruth World Series at the Kitsap Fairgrounds & Events Center this week. Remember, tickets are just $5 a day and it looks like the weather is going to cooperate. It would be nice to see the stands packed during the 10-day tournament.

Ichiro’s not exactly ripping it up in New York, but he’s fitting in with the Yankees. He’s hitting .265 (he was hitting .262 this season with the Mariners). It will be interesting to see how the 38-year-old performs in the postseason. Think he raises his game? Or will he go 1-for-4 with a meaningless slap single to left field?

Congratulations to Silverdale’s Erynne Lee for another top finish at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She’s been a quarterfinalist three times and a semifinalist once. Here’s hoping the Silverdale golfer can break through in 2013 or 2014, which will be her last chance before turning pro. She’s going to attempt to qualify for the Canadian Women’s Open in British Columbia before returning to UCLA for her sophomore year.

Kitsap’s PGA Tour golfer Troy Kelly is back in action this week, playing in the Wyndham Championship, which starts Thursday at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. I was in Reno for the Reno-Tahoe Open two weekends ago. I watched Kelly bomb a couple 400-yard plus drives (consider the elevation, 5,800 feet with some steep climbs on both sides) on his way to a tie for 48th. It was a Stableford format and Kelly didn’t take advantage of his length on the par 5s, but it was a lot of fun watching from outside the ropes. And did I mention the elevation? And the heat? It was 100 every day.  I thought someone was going to have to give hefty Guy Boros, Kelly’s playing partner the last day, mouth to mouth. Kelly’s currently No. 102 on the money list ($747,984) and needs to stay above 125 to keep his card for 2013. This is also the final week for players to move inside the top 125 in FedExCup points. Kelly is 117th, but starting with the No. 126 player in points (Brendan Steele) going into this week, 44 of the next 55 players in points are playing at Sedgefield. The top 125 in FedExCup points will play at The Barclays Championship the following week at Bethpage State Park in Farmington, N.Y.

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Babe Ruth World Series, Marvin, Rodeo & KAR

Summer’s winding down fast, but if you’re looking for something do, here’s a few dates to circle on your calendar:

BABE RUTH WORLD SERIES: You’ve probably heard about the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series. There’s a parade (5 p.m. downtown Poulsbo) and banquet (6:30 p.m. at Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo) on Tuesday. The 10 teams start playing on Wednesday. First game is at 9 a.m. Opening ceremonies are 6 p.m. The host Kitsap County squad plays Bryant, Ark., at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Kitsap will play the late game (7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday) throughout pool play. A $5 ticket gets you into the ball park. For $5, you can watch 20 games from Wednesday through Sunday. Single-elimination begins Monday, Aug. 20 (two games). Semifinals are Tuesday, Aug. 21 (two more games), and the championship game is Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. All fans buying a ticket to the Babe Ruth World Series championship game will also get free admission to the fair, which opens that day. You can look for complete tournament coverage starting Wednesday.  Click here to read a recent story.

Online: All games will be live streamed at prepzone.kitsapsun.com/baberuth/

Complete schedule and more info: kitsapworldseries.com

MARVIN WILLIAMS HOMECOMING: Bremerton’s NBA star, now a member of the Utah Jazz, has a busy week planned. “Bowling With Marvin” takes place Thursday from 6;30-9 p.m. at All Star Lanes. Kids 12 and under are free. A golf scramble will be held Friday (1 p.m. shotgun start) at McCormick Woods Golf Course with an auction and dinner to follow.  Marvin will be at the Kitsap Mall for the Silverdale 3 on 3 Shootout on Saturday from 2-5 p.m. to sign autographs and he’s scheduled to be back on Sunday to hand out the championship trophies. All of these events are fundraisers for the Marvin Williams Youth and Recreational Center that’s scheduled to be built in downtown Bremerton. The New Life Community Development, a subsidiary of Emmanuel Apostolic Church, is running the golf tournament.
Hard to believe Marvin’s 26 and already has seven years of NBA experience under his belt. He’s averaged 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds for his career.

THE KITSAP STAMPEDE: In past years, the Xtreme Bulls event has been on Sunday afternoon. This year, it’s kicking the Stampede off on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The PRCA rodeo has shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Aug. 23-24-25), all starting at 7 p.m.As usual, the best cowboys and some of the best stock in the rodeo business will be at Thunderbird Stadium for the Stampede, which has been nominated for national rodeo of the year in its class three times. For a fast-paced, fun night, rodeo’s tough to beat.

KITSAP ATHLETIC ROUNDTABLE: Former Washington State football coach and color analyst Jim Walden is going to be in town for the Tuesday, Aug. 28, Kitsap Athletic Roundtable meeting at The Arena Sports Bar and Grille (4111 Wheaton Way). The KAR’s about 90 percent sure that a former Washington Husky head coach will also be there, and hopes to be able to announce the name soon. Dick Baird, a former WSU player who coached at Washington, will also have a few things to say. Former UW and WSU players from the area are also being invited. With WSU opening at BYU on Aug. 30 and Washington opening at home against San Diego State on Sept. 1. Cost for the Aug. 28 meeting is $45 and includes a KAR membership and a raffle ticket for prizes that will be awarded that night. The menu will feature herb roasted chicken and roasted pork loin.

 

 

 

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Silverdale’s Lee loses in U.S. Women’s Am quarterfinals

Silverdale’s Erynne Lee, one of two Americans left in the U.S. Women’s Amateur field at the start of the day, was ousted by Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn 5 and 4 in the quarterfinals at the Cleveland Country Club on Friday. Lee fell behind on the third hole and never did get the match square after that.

Jutanugarn, the No. 3 seed, will face No. 2 seed Lydia Ko of New Zealand in the semifinals. The 16-year-old Jutanugarn successfully defended her title last week in the Junior PGA Championship. She also won the Canadian Women’s Amateur this summer and the 2011 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Jaye Marie Green of Boca Ratan, Fla.,  won and will face Nicole Zhang of Canada in the other semifinal match. Green’s now the only remaining American.

Lee, who will be a sophomore at UCLA, reached the semis in 2008 and has been to the quarterfinals the last three years. The Central Kitsap grad is an impressive 15-5 in match play at the Women’s Amateur.

Lee, 19, beat 2011 NCAA champ Austin Ernst, 20, of Seneca, S.C., 2 and 1, in the third round, and knocked off the current U.S. Junior Am champ, Minjee Lee of Australia, in the first round.

All eight quarterfinalists are exempt into the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Country Club of Charleston.


 

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UW Links: Mark McLaughlin’s stay at UW a short one

Well-traveled Mark McLaughlin is no longer part of the Univeristy of Washington basketball program. The Inglemoor guard has bounced around at a lot of schools (six), and most recently averaged 28.4 points while leading Tacoma CC to the NWAACC Championships.

Here’s the UW release:

“Mark McLaughlin has decided to leave the University of Washington to pursue other opportunities. Although he was only here for a short time, we enjoyed working with Mark and wish him the best in his future endeavors.” -Head Coach Lorenzo Romar

Coach Romar and other school officials will have no further comment at this time.

Here’s the story that published in The Sun in April when he committed to Washington.

Also

Another tough break for UW running back Deonte Cooper, who suffered the third ACL injury of his Husky career.

Art Thiel of Sportspressnw.com says it was an emotional day at Husky football practice on Wednesday. Part of it revolved around Cooper’s injury, and part of it revolved around coach Steve Sarkisian unleashing a series of f-bombs before  kicking safety Sean Parker off the field for a dumb play.

You’ll like UW tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins of Gig Harbor even more after reading this story by Gregg Bell.

UW quarterback Keith Price is bigger and stronger this year. Check out the story in the Everett Herald.

If you like college softball, you might want to mark Oct. 14 on your calendar. The Huskies will play the National Pro Fastpitch All Stars that day at Husky Softball Stadium. Danielle Lawrie is expected to pitched against the Huskies..

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Erynne Lee a win away from quarterfinals at U.S. Women’s Amateur

Silverdale’s Erynne Lee defeated Elisaberth Bernabe of Anaheim, Calif., 3 and 2, in the round of 32 at  the U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Country Club in Cleveland on Thursday morning.

Lee had four birdies and one bogey while playing a near flawless round.

The sophomore-to-be at UCLA is currently locked in a battle with Austin Ernst of Seneca, Calif., in the round of 16. The match is all square through 11 holes. If Lee wins, it’ll be the third straight year she’s advanced to the quarterfinals. The Central Kitsap grad was a semifinalist in 2008.

The Golf Channel will televise the tournament from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday.
UPDATE: Lee and Ernst are all square through 13 holes. You can follow the match here.

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