Friday, November 4, 2011

Friday Kahn Job (Pre-Cal Edition)


Hello Cougar Nation and members of the Ball Hating (BH) army. Hope you've had a great week.

As for us, well, its been busy, and I must admit that I don't have a lot of time today...After all, me and the fellas are packing our bags for a return to the Mothership!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, since Ben and Sutra lack confidence in themselves (L-O-S-E-R-S), they're not totally shutting this sucker down.

But I am! (or at least, I'd like to if Sutra gave me the fricking code!)

I mean, I really can't wait to get back home. That said, before we step completely away from irrelevance, I did think it appropriate to let you all know about what I think is going to happen to us this weekend.

And yes, it's NOT going to be pretty.

Yes, as was stated on the AP wire earlier today, we are going to lose Saturday's must win game against the Berkeley Bears 38-17.

Now, will that be the end of Paul Wulff?

Could be.

But, I think what it does is set the stage for Utah and UW to be the final and ultimate must-win games of Paul Wulff's tenure.

(And yes, I do think that 5-7 gets Wulff retained for another year. And the reason? Most of us thought we'd win 5 or 6 games with Jeff Tuel. So for me, winning 5 games without him would still be a hell of an accomplishment for this group.)

Now, click on the jump for the Quick Keys to the Game:


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Breaking News: Free At Last???




+++++++++++++

Hello Followers.  Hope you're having a great week.

As for me, well, as will be detailed on the Mothership on Friday, I received a bit of good news on the legal front this week.  As my Attorney, Skippy Dupree, told me late Monday:



"Pack your bags, Sutra, you and the boys are coming home!"

Of course, it took me a while to realize what he was talking about, but its fair to say that we're packing our bags!!!!!!!

Naturally, some of you may wonder about the future of Coug-A-Licious and whether or not I will be returning to blog pergatory any time soon?

And my answer: Coug-A-Licious is going "no where" anytime soon (multiple entendres intended).

So, until such time that the future gets clearer, I encourage you to follow me on twitter.com/cougsutra for the latest announcements surrounding my manic and sporadic happennings.

Also, be sure to check back on this here site on Friday as the Kahn makes his semi-detailed prediction on this weekend's must-win game against CAL, since it will not appear at another "news" source.


Until more news breaks....Go Cougs.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Dirt or Paydirt?


Hello Followers.  Hope you had a terrific weekend.

As for me, well, in spite of having nearly two inches of snow on the ground in OCTOBER, I have remained in a surprisingly good mood.

So, if you want to find out why I think that Winter has not yet arrived for Washington State Football. Then read on.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

Game Day

Hello Followers.

Well, on a day when it is scheduled to snow here in the Northeast, I thought it fitting to start your day with a picture that is equivalent to Longball's puppies and rainbows.

Could a miracle happen?  Probably not.

But, heck, on Thursday Little Sutra told me that we were going to lose 56-7.  Then, this morning, he told me that he had a dream that we lost 46-36.

And I'm starting to think that Marshall Lobster, the Offense, and Carl Winston are going to play well today.



Lets Go Cougs!

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Real Cletis (CS)

Hello Followers.  Hope you've had a great week.

Well, normally Friday is the day for the Cougla Kahn to give you his weekly picks.


But, alas, on this day, the guy is just too stinking depressed.  You see, Kahn is in a bit of a tight spot right now.  After all, on one hand, the Kahn is the greatest Paul Wulff supporter on the planet.  And, even in view of last week's game, that support has not wavered one single bit.

However, while the Kahn loves and supports Wulff to death, he absolutely HATES Chris Ball (which is why he is insisting he be called BH again).  And so, with a vaunted Oregon offense on tap for us this week, he respectfully asked me to take his place.



Of course, given that I had nothing planned for today, I was a bit taken aback by his request.  And so I said, "What should I write about then C.K, I mean, BH?"

His response?  "Write about Cletis. Its time they know who he really is."

So, if you want to know the true identity of Bart "Cletis" MacNamara--as well as my picks for this weekend's games.  Then read on.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Thursday Reading

Hello Followers. Hope your Thursday is going well.

Just wanted to pass on a story given to me yesterday by Longball over at the mothership.

Thought it important to keep this all in mind as the season unfolds.

Until later...

Go Cougs.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Redemption or Turning Point? (CS)

Happy Humpday to you, Followers. Hope you're having a great week. 

As for me, well, I've been a bit gloomy over the past few days about my Cougars current and future fortunes.  But before I got near to the point of jumping off a cliff, I became a bit contemplative.

So, if you want to check out how it is that the latest injury report may wind up being a 'good' thing for the Cougs, then read on.


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Denial (CS)


Hello Followers.  Hope your week is off a to a great start.

Not a lot of pseudo-analysis from yours truly on this bright Tuesday morn, but I did want to pass along this not-very-stunning, but nevertheless, important blurb from Sir Vincent last night:

Two other WSU players sat out Monday. Backup middle linebacker Mike Ledgerwood suffered a stinger, had a stiff neck and probably would not play this week. In his absence, Wulff said Chester Su'a will get some reps in the middle as a backup to C.J. Mizell, as would Darren Markle.

So, there you have it, true blue evidence that our extremely not-daunting 4-3 remains squarely in tact.  And for that reason, we can now all officially join our coaching staff in sticking our head in the sand, pretending that winter is not rapidly approaching.



In the meantime, count me in as a guy that will be VERY interested to see if Wulff comes to the Oregon game with a ribbon and bow around his forehead.  Because he certainly seems poised to give Chip Kelly one helluva nice (early) Christmas present:  An uncontested blow-out win before their Washington game next week.

All for now...Go Cougs...

Monday, October 24, 2011

Where Do We Go Now? (CS)



Hello Followers.  Hope you had a good post-Seattle game weekend.

As for me, well, it was kind of crazy.  Not only did I zig and zag across the country between Friday and Sunday morning, I arrived home at the compound late last night to find the Kahn running around the house yelling "BH is back! BH is back!"

So, of course, I was like, "Huh, what do you mean 'BH is back'?"

His response?  "You can now call me Ball Hater.  And I'm BBBBBAAAAAACCCKK!!!"

And with that, I knew that some semblance of balance needed to be brought to the Oregon State catastrophe.  So, if you want to check out this week's semi-(or kind of/really not) hopeful spin from blog purgatory, then read on.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Friday Kahn Job: Oregon State Edition (CS)


Hello Cougar Nation and my legion of Brigadier Generals!

Hope you've had a fantastic week.

As for me, well, its been a crazy one. I mean, it was only last week where I felt like I was finally getting my mojo back with the WSUFB blog. And then, on Sunday morning, I woke up with Sutra hovering over my bed sobbing, "Its over, its over, its over."

But, before I could go completely ballistic on his pseudo-cosmic arse, he set me up with the whole "I've got some good news, bad news" trip.

And so, in response to all that blubbering of his, I said,

"So, apart from the fact that you have now completely ruined my purpose in life, Sutra, what could possibly be the good news?"

His reply: "You will no longer be kept in a cage."

My response (almost smiling): "And the bad news?"

"We're going to a place where we will be completely and utterly irrelevant."

Now, I don't know about you all, but those words were like music to my freaking ears!

After all, no one has better defined irrelevance in the blogosphere than me!   I mean, doesn't Sutra know that NO ONE has made a career out of making irrelevant more relevant than I have??

So, if you want to read my plans to continue to rule the world of prognostication--even from blog purgatory, then read on.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Manifest Delivery (CPS)


Happy Wednesday to you, Followers.  Hope you're having a great week.

Well, today, we begin the delicate process of trying to define the title of this here "Blog".

So, if you want to begin to explore what we mean by "Cougalicious", then read on.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Lowering the Bar

Hello Followers. Hope you're having a great start to your week!

Well, today is the day where we set forth the Rules of Engagement for the Cougalicious Blog, a process better known to you and me as "lowering the bar."

So, if you want to check out how it is that I systematically plan to run this bad boy into the ground, then read on.


Sunday, October 16, 2011

Why Do Spin-Offs Fail?




Hello Followers. Hope you've had a great weekend.

Well, as you can tell from the recent set of events, its been a busy one on my end.

And so, today, we start the beginning of a new era: THE COUGALICIOUS BLOG.

The reason for this blog? The time has come to start anew.

Mind you, leaving the blog that SeanHawk and I built together with Rooster and Hooty many moons ago is not without SIGNIFICANT dissonance and sadness.

But alas, the time has come.

*****
When Sean and I started the blog--er when SEAN started the WSU Football Blog--we did so in an effort to write about Cougar football without getting in trouble at work.

And so, the blog began in earnest as a forum for eliciting e-mail-esque comments and commentary. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But then, after a year in business, the 2005 season came to pass. And, as that season began, we found ourselves at the end of a quarterback controversy: Alex Brink was named the starter over my favorite QB at the time, Josh Swogger.

So, as a protest to a decision I figured would ruin Cougar Football, I came up with the moniker, "Brinkhater." Of course, that name made Sean and Hooty so darn mad they nearly kicked me off the blog. (In fact, Hooty started a new blog: brinkhaterhater.blogspot.com)

But as the years went on, the name stuck and so did the Steven Colbert-esque schtick that went along with it.....

At the same time the Brinkhater character was emerging, Sean had become a writer at AOL--leaving me all alone at the helm of the blog. And somewhere along that time, Longball and P-Town started reading and commenting. And then when Sean returned to the blog full time, the blog really started to pick up steam.

In fact, the blog started to do so well that we actually started getting some press FROM REAL FRICKING REPORTERS!:

I mean, within a few short years, Ted Miller at ESPN.com started to link to us, Vince Grippi started to link to us regularly, Sean got us notes in the NY Times, and NBC sports, and AS importantly, Longball joined our team!

You see, not only did Longball fit all the criteria of a kindred soul (e.g. he was a total idiot!), he also was a Pullman townie. So, while Longball fit the tenor of the blog to a T, he was also actually IN TOWN to cover action live!

And for us, that was REALLY IMPORTANT because during fall camp we had a sideline reporter that could cover all the insights of the camp in ways that others couldn't (And LB, ten questions was one of the greatest things EVER!), and he also gave courtside insight during basketball season!

But alas, as this year dawned, the landscape had changed. Our page views and visits were down considerably. Our colleagues/rivals over at Cougcenter.com had gained real credentials for events and were actually at games, in the press box, and writing stories like real stinking journalists. And, of course, Longball left Pullman to start a new legacy of "Logan's Heroes."

And all of the links from the real famous people? Well, they stopped coming. And while we embarked on building this blog based largely on intrinsic motivations, the sad reality is that those external rewards wound up mattering A LOT (in fact too much), especially when you're writing about one of the most irrelevant Major College athletic programs in the country for nearly 52 weeks a year--FOR EIGHT YEARS--for no $$$$$$$.

******

And so, as we head to the question for today's post? Why do spin-offs fail? Well, ONE REASON why spin offs fail is because the main gig that they followed was already on its down-side.

So, when you look at failures like

Joanie Loves Chachi


or


The Ropers



you can surmise that those spin offs bombed because "Happy Days" had already Jumped the Shark and "Three's Company," well, was Jack Tripper ever that funny to begin with?

Of course, spin-offs also occur and fail for other reasons--such as when the "leader" of the previous franchise was unable to keep up with the needs and purposes of the company they helped to start.

And so it is with me and the WSU Football Blog: The vitality of that effort (WSUFB) depends on that blog taking a different direction--one that simply could not happen while I was still involved with it.

*********

And so "we" now head into a new chapter of blog idiocy.

Now, what can you expect from this particular blog? The answer, "Probably Not much."

But that's a post for Tuesday.

In the meantime, my best, best wishes to the WSU Football Blog--especially to the group of talented Blogfathers that I really admire--Longball, LucasCoug, Huddy, Tommy, and Adam. I am greatly looking forward to helping you and the entire Cougar blog-o-sphere exceed my point total in comments as the rest of the season unfolds.

And to Sean Hawkins, well....


Enjoy Your Week. And Go Cougs!

(Follow me, if you so dare, on twitter)