The Slipper Fits

Zags squeak by Gaels

2009-02-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

The TSF has been on hiatus due to emotional trauma resulting from a manic Zags' season of soaring heights and pitifully desperate lows, and a team mired in a confidence and identity crisis.

The Zags are fresh off the heels of a near meltdown in Moraga, luckily winning in spite of horrific free-throw shooting. They basically choked, and are beyond fortunate to remain undefeated in the WCC. TSF argues, and many will likely disagree, that with a healthy Patty Mills, the Gaels would have taken both games. The Gaels' inside combo of Sanham (the Gaels' incumbent douche /slash/ turd) and Simpson dominate the Zags on the boards, and when they have a healthy Mills, they easily match the Zags talent and crush them in hustle points. To give the Bulldogs credit, they did manage to pull out a tough one on the road over a great team, in spite of the fact they got absolutely embarrassed by Memphis on national television on Sunday.

The tragedy of the Zags failures against Memphis are too great to discuss and their successes against St. Mary's (injured Patty Mills), San Diego (injured Brandon Johnson) and Portland (best player a Raivio) are too meek to mention. The Zags have a long way to go if they want to make it deep into the tourney. Their confidence is rattled, and none of the WCC teams are going to provide the kind of game that gives the Zags the confidence that they can finish off good teams.

Perhaps the most frustrating /slash/ enraging thing about this season, is that for the first time ever, no one is questioning the Zags talent. It's their heart and confidence that is in question, and that goes against the very definition of what it means to be a Zag. TSF could get into some specifics like Austin's ever present pouty-face and Pargo's utter lack of confidence, but TSF thinks that there isn't merit in pointing out individual performances when this is a team game we're talking about. Therefore the changes that need to be made, need to come from the ground up, the team as a whole needs to refocus, retool and redefine themselves. That's no short order, but the Zags have the talent and discipline to pull it off. Let's just hope they can get it together by March.

Go Zags.

...And We're Back

2009-01-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

The Zags obliterated their opponent in each of the last four games by an average of 30.7 points. Not much to comment on other than the Bulldogs have regained their confidence by beating up on a series of really crappy teams (SCU, USF, Pepperdine, and LMU). The Zags are starting to shoot the ball really well (weird how that happens when you are getting wide-open looks), and are starting to come together as a team (meaning that Pargo has begun to realize that he has teammates down the stretch).

The Zags take on their hated rival St. Mary's on Thursday, which will be their first true conference test. Brought to TSF's attention was the following comment that St. Mary's biggest turdbag, Omar Samhan, posted on a fellow Zags blog:

"Just remember that you have to wake up, eat, and sleep, everyday in the worst f@#king part of our country. Spokane f@#king washington, whatever inspired you to go to that school honestly makes you a terrible person, your gym sucks, your chicks are ugly, and worst of all you have to live in spokane. suck one"

While clearly Samhan deserves a severe and thorough beating, I'm not convinced he is going to get his comeuppance from either Heytvelt or Foster. Neither guy can deliver the UFC-style pummeling that this guy has coming, so I guess we'll have to wait until Sacre is healthy. TSF, for one, is tired of seeing Sacre on the bench, beating up on the redshirt who looks like he should be the team's trainer. It is therefore upon the Kennel Club to humiliate, demean and destroy that heaping pile of douche baggery. It shouldn't be that hard, the guy is a complete toolish moron.

Go Zags.

Zags Battle Broncos

2009-01-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

The Zags are in for a slugfest tonight as they duke it out with Santa Clara in the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Broncos play the Zags tough, and are a better team than their record suggests. Big John Bryant is a formidable foe, and one that has made Heytvelt look like McLovin in previous match ups. The Bulldogs are going to have to play tough D, limit good looks from beyond the arc, and crash the boards like never before. Look for Will Foster to get some quality PT tonight as he will undoubtedly be put on Bryant duty, and while he is not a physical match for Big John, he will disrupt his shots and hopefully snag a few boards.

Go Zags.

Zags Punish Pilots

2009-01-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

You see....this is what was supposed to happen to Portland State as well, instead...well...you know what happened.

This was a yawner of a game, with the Zags holding the Pilots to their second lowest point total (50) of the season. That's right...their second lowest....they scored 43 in a victory (really...?) over Air Force.

The Zags spread the ball around pretty well...blah blah blah. Not to under-sell the glory of the Zags victory Saturday, but TSF is looking forward to the match up with Shrek and the Santa Clara Broncos . I'm guessing the reason behind previous link was because someone clearly mistook him for an ogre.

Go Zags

Here's To Eating Crow

2009-01-07T23:24:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought you couldn't get any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!

There was a moment there, Wednesday night in Knoxville, where it looked like the heartless, pants-dumping version of Zags showed up again. By about 12 minutes into the game, the Zags had fully showcased their every flaw, bricking their way to a double digit deficit. The Slipper Fits was cursing the Zags every way to East Sprague. Except, surprisingly, of all people, Matt Bouldin, who basically carried the Zags single-handledly back into the game. Bouldin had the kind of game that everyone has been hoping for /slash/ expecting of him. He took control of the game when no one else would or could. The Zags, without question, owe the game to Bouldin. And Will Foster. Foster big-boy'd the Vols when Josh clearly couldn't. Foster came up HUGE with a number of crucial blocks and rebounds. Well, come to think of it, Matt couldn't have done it without Steven or Austin. Steven Gray is the truth. His play was inspiring, and restored TSF's hope for these confidence-starved Bulldogs. Austin Daye played well in the second half, and finally looked like he wanted the ball. He gets pushed around and completely burned on defense, but he picks up a lot of (cheap) blocks and is the offensive threat. He just needs to start taking the ball to the hole like a man, getting fouled and shooting 20 free throws a night like Adam. That is how he is going to take over games, and hopefully he'll stick around another year to learn how to do just that.

At their worst Wednesday the Zags were horrible, but at their best they played really, really well. If the Vols hadn't imploded, however, TSF isn't sure the Zags could have pulled out that game, particularly given their awful, awful first half. Things certainly were not looking good when Tatum was doing his best Dominguez impression. The Zags did, however, turn things around and manage to pick up a huge road win, in spite of TSF's certainty they were going to choke.

Pargo is clearly at an all time low, confidence wise, so TSF, rather than point out his many, many mistakes, is going to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust that he is going to turn things around. To give him credit, TSF was impressed with his play down the stretch. He didn't try to take the game over by himself, instead giving the reins to the red-hot Bouldin.

While the Zags have every reason to be proud of their solid victory in Knoxville, snapping the Vols 37-game home win streak, they still have a lot of work to do. For starters, free throws. The Zags were beyond abysmal from the charity stripe, pitiful really. Had they even shot Shaq numbers from the line, they wouldn't have had to put the Vols away in overtime. TSF believes that the Zags are going to turn that around after they've had a few conference games to get them used to watching the ball go through the net. The other thing the Zags have to improve on, immediately, is rebounding. You can't expect to win games consistently when you get beat on the boards night after night. If they can turn around these two aspects of their game the Zags will be a different team, a team that not many others can compete with.

Go Zags.

Doesn't Get Much Crappier Than This

2009-01-05T10:52:00.000-08:00

Despite The Slipper Fits' vow of silence in response to the Zags heartless play...we're back...and with tons to complain about. First of all, the Zags have dropped 4 of 5, three of which came to unranked teams, one of which basically came at the hands of high school team. The Zags have every reason to be ashamed of themselves. If they had gone the distance in each of their losses and just got unlucky in the end, it would be an entirely different story altogether. But that's not what happened now is it? Instead, the Zags deserved to lose because they played without heart or composure. They botched each game down the stretch. TSF has been pretty hard on Jeremy, but he has given us every reason to be. He has been playing like a freshman down the stretch--turning the ball over, committing stupid fouls, and chucking up shots that he couldn't even make in practice. The problem is that he plays great for about 32 minutes of each game--looking to dish, driving to the bucket for easy looks, tomahawk dunking in transition--and then he starts to try to take over the game. In so doing, he puts the blinders on and fails in his one and only responsibility: GET AUSTIN THE BALL.

TSF gets furious when Few starts talking about how the Zags don't have a game winner like they did with Morrison because they do, and his name is Austin Daye. Get him the ball. Please. Instead Jeremy has been trying to take the game on his shoulders, with catastrophic results. Perhaps it's because he doesn't want to be upstaged by a sophomore in this year's draft. Whatever the reason, Jeremy needs to step up his play. And in a hurry, or the Zags, currently ranked 37th, might, gasp, not even make the tournament. St. Mary's is a much better team right now, and absent clinching the WCC tourney, the Zags are no shoe-in for the dance.

Bottom-line: The Zags suck. The get out-rebounded every game. They are constantly missing free throws and literally can't buy a bucket from 3. Micah is a wuss, disappointment; Heytvelt is the worst player the Zags have ever had (when factoring in all the hype); Bouldin is rattled and only shows up part-time; Austin isn't getting the looks he needs and whines every time he gets bumped; and Pargo is the least clutch player EVER. The only good things the Zags have going for them are Gray and Goodson, and sadly, that's not saying much.

Tennessee is a much better team than they were when we stole one from them in Florida. If the Zags play like they did against Utah, look for the Vols to win this game by 15. If the Zags can somehow regain their confidence and start playing with a little heart, they just might steal another win. Sadly, maybe for the first time ever, TSF is not hopeful for a Zags win.

Please send in your comments and concerns as TSF is struggling to keep hope alive.

Zags Dig Out, Bury Tigers

2008-12-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

The Zags shoveled themselves out from under two feet of snow and a lousy last game to completely thunder Texas Southern in their first return to the Kennel in over a month. Texas Southern looked like the Washington Generals to the Zags Globetrotters. It was a 'kick the dog' performance from the Zags, and man did it feel good to double-up a team (84-42), even if it was just Texas Southern.

The Bulldogs are going to have to step up their game if they are going to upset #2 UCONN. The Zags have had the Huskies number in the past, but this UCONN team is their best in years. Heytvelt is going to have hands full with Thabeet, but again, if he plays like he did against Hansbrough, he can definitely get the better of this match up. The Zags are going to need HUGE performances from their role players. Micah is going to have to play lock down defense and find a way to score in double digits. Bouldin is going to have to find easy buckets for himself and create opportunities for Austin and Steven Gray. Jeremy has to redeem himself and not commit stupid mistakes. Austin needs to take this game over, Morrison-style.

The X-factor in this game is going to be the crowd. Look for this to be a tight game down the stretch with the crowd cheering the Zags to victory. The Zags really need the crowd to get fired up.

Go Zags.

Oh, yeah.....Zags Vs. Texas Southern

2008-12-18T16:58:00.000-08:00

The Slipper Fits almost forgot that the Zags were back in action tonight, partially due to grief over the loss to Zona, but mostly because the sites are set entirely on UConn. The Tigers of Texas Southern are complete garbage (0-9), so Sorenson should be able to get plenty of playing time (you can't chant Andrew Sorenson in the way you could Marty Wall, can you?). That is, of course, if the game gets played at all. Record snowfall aside, look for the Zags to pummel the Tigers.

Up next: The Battle in Seattle versus number two University of Connecticut.

Zona III, Zags nil

2008-12-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

Oh....yeah, now I remember the feeling...that feeling like all the air has been sucked out of the room. Its been awhile, but now I remember. It's that familiar feeling of disappointment, rage and utter sorrow all wrapped up in one crap sandwich that every Zag defeat conjures up for dinner.

The Zags needed this wake-up call. Arizona outplayed the Zags at virtually every level. They simply wanted it more. The Bulldogs didn't play with a sense of urgency or the killer instinct they are going to need in order to put teams away deep in the tournament. The Slipper Fits is never one to point the blame at any one player, but it's hard to ignore Jeremy's performance down the stretch. He fired up a three from John Rillie-range on a crucial possession for no reason, got whistled for traveling and turned it over several times down the stretch. Josh hit the boards, but shot horribly and got absolutely dominated by Hill. He looked like he might have caught whatever Bouldin had last game. Austin was on fire and should have shot every time down the court in the final minutes. Bouldin is stepping in to the Pendergraft role and getting a lot of right-place-at-the-right-time buckets. And speaking of gingers, the Zags didn't have an answer for Budinger or Wise for that matter.

All is not lost. Arizona is a tough team with a good coach, who coached the hell out of it tonight. The Zags needed a reality check before the Battle in Seattle, and they are lucky it came at the hands of the Wildcats and not Texas Southern. They were garbage tonight, but there is a lot of basketball yet to be played and leave it to Few to have these guys ready to take the Huskies to the mat.

Zags/Zona--Part III

2008-12-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

The 4th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs are in Phoenix today to take on the University of Arizona Wildcats. The Duel in the Desert will be just the third match-up between these programs, Gonzaga having lost the two previous meetings. Arizona, a team regularly counted among the nation's best, is coping with the loss of legendary coach Lute Olson. Gonzaga, fresh off embarrassing WSU on their home court, is looking to make it a clean sweep of the Pac-10. Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise, a trio of players as good as any three in the country, are raising Arizona's hopes of victory. The Wildcats, however, are outgunned at virtually every position. With Sacre out for 2-4 weeks with an injured foot, the resposibility for shutting down Jordan Hill in the paint is going to fall squarely on the shoulders of Heytvelt. If Josh can stay out of foul trouble and help the Zags win the battle of the boards, look for the Bulldogs to take one on Arizona's home court.

Go Zags.

Good Company

2008-12-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

Oh man.

Zags Dominate Cougs

2008-12-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

The Gonzaga Bulldogs cruised to an easy victory over the Washington State Cougars Wednesday after shaking off first half jitters. The Zags launched a full-court press to start out the second half, and quickly amassed a double digit lead. The Cougs collapsed under the weight of the Zags pressure defense and could do nothing to stop the Bulldog's offensive surge. Heytvelt was unstoppable and Pargo turned in another solid performance. Daye struggled early on but was able turn it around by the time the game was out of the Coug's reach. Bouldin was a non-factor, again, but rumor has it he had the flu and was getting fluids through an IV before the game.

Not The Cool Kind Of Cougar

2008-12-09T22:53:00.000-08:00

The Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Washington State Cougars in their crap box of a city, also known as Pullman. While the Cougs are not the same team that stole two in a row from the Zags, they are just as deserving of the beat down that is coming their way. If everything goes as planned the Zags will obliterate the Cougs in front of their drunken, cousin-kissing, Palin-loving student body. The Zags are going to have to take the aforementioned student body out of the game early. This is going to be a charged crowd, and by charged I mean drunk. If the Zags can keep the crowd out of the game, they should win easily, if not, look for this to be a tight game down the stretch.

Go Zags.

Zags (yawn) Stomp Hoosiers

2008-12-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

The Gonzaga Bulldogs rolled to another easy win over a very sucky Indiana squad despite shooting horribly from the charity stripe and behind the arc. Indiana's program was totally crippled by its former administration, which has led to the worst talent recession in decades, maybe ever. Most of the Hoosiers were walk-ons, which explains why the Zags were able to shoot so terribly and still win easily.

The only thing really worth talking about this game was Pargo's Dominique Wilkins windmill dunk. I don't think there is a doubt in anyone's mind that Pargs has the nastiest dunks in college hoops. There is no one out there who has his ability to posterize people. Huge dunks like Saturday's are one thing when they are on a fast break but quite another when they are in traffic and Pargs would not hesitate to bust out the same nasty dunk regardless of who is around.

Hoosier Daddy?

2008-12-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

The 5th-ranked Bulldogs of Gonzaga University (5-0) take on the University of Indiana Hoosiers (4-3) today in the Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The Hoosiers are fresh off a trouncing suffered at the hands of Wake Forest, and the Zags, having just been named Old Spice Champions, are looking to avenge their 2007 first round loss to the Hoosiers. This year is all about balancing the ledger and redressing past transgressions. Next up on the Zags retribution hitlist: WSU, Arizona, and Memphis. And hopefully if the tournament plays out just right, they'll have a chance to redeem the ultimate slap in the face.

Well the game isn't nationally televised, so I'll be watching it at some crappy sports bar.

Go Zags.

Zags Climb The Ranks

2008-12-02T16:02:00.000-08:00

Upon being crowned Old Spice Classic Champions, the Bulldogs rose to #5 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. While this is being celebrated on the GU boards and other, lesser Zags blogs, the news has been met with indifference here at The Slipper Fits. Personally, I am not a huge fan of being ranked so highly. I preferred the Cinderella days when we could take teams by surprise and had the nation cheering our underdog status. I miss the days when Gonzahguh was from a little town called Spokain. I miss the days when the only hard game to get a ticket to was when Steve Nash came to the Kennel. I miss the days when a loss didn't invite "Oh-ver Ray-ted" chants. I miss the days when the Zags didn't fly around like Puff Daddy in a private jet because, to paraphrase the late, great Christopher Wallace, "when you make more money, you invite upon yourself more problems that you ordinarily would not have had to deal with."

Go Zags.

Zags Spank Volunteers

2008-11-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

The Gonzaga Bulldogs proved their mettle Sunday with a solid victory over 12th ranked Tennessee to become the 2009 Old Spice Classic Champions. The Zags capitalized on better than 50% shooting from the field and a robust zone defense that forced the Vols to turn the ball over 20+ times. Steven Gray finally shook off a nasty case of the bricks and delivered a player of the game performance, nailing 4 0f 6 from behind the arc. Jeremy Pargo was named tournament MVP. Daye was a non-factor, aside from almost tipping the game in the Vols favor with a late-game intentional foul.

It's hard to be critical of the Zags after a game like tonight's--they played 35 great minutes. They did however have double digit turnovers and kind of fell apart when the Vols turned up the heat at the end. I'm concerned about the January match-up in Knoxville. Tennessee was able to keep it in reach, despite the Zags shooting the lights out. Should make for a great game.

I'm not sure which I'm more excited about, the fact that the Zags are champions or that the tournament is over and I won't have to watch any more unfunny Old Spice commercials with LL Cool J or that stupid half man half horse guy. I wonder if a young LL ever thought he would prostitute himself for pit stick?

Zags Drinking Game Update

Drink when the announcers mention:

-Mark Few's winning percentage
-Bouldin being just like another point guard out there
-Ira Brown being a throwback to the old school hard working blue collar-type Zags
-Ira Brown being a former pitcher
-Pargo putting his name into the draft, withdrawing it, and what the scouts told him

Send in your suggestions and I'll update the rules.

Volunteering Is For Suckers

2008-11-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

The Zags return today to the Milk House (worst name ever?) to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic. The two teams will meet again January 7th when they battle it out in Knoxville.

The Volunteers are tall, quick, athletic and very well coached, plus they are returning several of the players who routed the Zags in last year's Battle in Seattle. Look for today's game to be a fast paced offensive battle. The Zags are going to have to limit transition buckets and get a rebounding edge on both ends of the court if there are to emerge victorious.

Here is a Zags drinking game that a brilliant reader brought to my attention.

You drink when announcers mention:

John Stockton, Jud Heathcoat, Adam Morrison, Final Four, tough out of conference schedule, Marcy Few, drug possession, Billy Grier...

And for games on FSN: Ehlo's playing days at WSU, guys Ehlo played with, Jordan scoring on Ehlo, State of Texas, how good WSU is this year...

NOTE: If you are particularly fond of drinking or have nowhere that you need to drive, you can try taking a drink every time Ehlo says something like 'Blot Shockers' or 'sos then I's tells em...'. Like I said, if you choose to incorporate all of Ehlo's dimwitted comments, 1.) plan on barfing, 2.) make sure you have a designated driver, and 3.) don't plan on watching the second half.

Go Zags

Zags Trip Terps

2008-11-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

The Bulldogs rolled to a 22-point blowout of Maryland in the second round of the Old Spice Classic, setting up a Sunday tournament championship showdown with Tennessee. The Terps couldn't get the 3-ball to fall like they did against MSU, and the Zags, for once, took advantage of their size and got a lot of easy buckets down low.

Finally, Josh broke out of his shell and delivered a veteran performance. Hopefully this game will give him the confidence to start dominating his opponents like he did against Tyler "spaz/turd/ogre" Hansbrough. The Zags are going to need an epic performance out of him again on Sunday if they are going to keep up with the Volunteers. I've done all that I can to erase last year's match up with Tennessee from memory, but the thrashing we suffered at their hands is hard to forget. It was a 40-minute lay up drill. If the Zags play like they did today, and can get a little more out of Bouldin and a few less bricks out of Gray, they should be in pretty good shape to be crowned the Old Spice Champions.

On a side note, you gotta love watching games on ESPN. The announcers, though still complete dunces, at least have an adequate handle of English. At one point, I'm pretty sure one of the them described Dirty Vasquez as "mercurial." I would love to see Ehlo try to work that into a sentence.

Go Zags.

Zags Turn It Around In Turkey Day Triumph

2008-11-28T00:49:00.000-08:00

It was the tale of two Zags--the mediocre, rusty, brick-heaving Zags of the first 30-minutes, and the hustling, scrappy, confident Zags that put the Oklahoma State Cowbows to bed in the last 10 minutes of Thursday's match up. Out of the gates, the Bulldogs looked like I felt after 3 trips through the food line--bloated, tired and indecisive (do I go for a 4th?...I wonder if there are any more of those mini-muffins?...do I have any food on my face?).

In completely un-Zaglike fashion, the Bulldogs shot an abysmal 50% from the line. I can't think of game that they turned in a worse performance at the charity stripe. I wasn't really ever too concerned at any point throughout the game because I figured they would shake off the rust and take over. You could tell they were under control, but no one was really stepping up or trying to dominate offensively. They made some poor choices shot selection-wise, and they were pretty unlucky in terms of their shots falling, but that comes with having not played in 9 days. In the end, the Zags were able get over their constipated play and put the lock down on the Cowboys four guard attack, and I went ahead for the fourth plateful and crushed another 3 pumkin mini-muffins.

I'm still really impressed with Goodson, though he did make a couple rookie mistakes--he ran out the shot clock and couldn't get the ball in bounds on another occasion--but I guess that is to be expected. He also had a sweet pass to Ira in traffic for what amounted to the all-time biggest rim check in history. I don't know how he got up after that. I would still be laying on the court with a fractured pelvis. He did, however, go on to totally redeem himself by almost single-handedly sparking the Zags to victory.

It wasn't a very encouraging showing tonight, particularly in light of Maryland's domination of Michigan State. I'll be interested to see which of the two Zags shows up tomorrow. I'm hoping they set the tone early and that everyone plays like Ira trying to make up for getting rim checked. If the Zags can get their act together early, and play up to their capabilities, they should be able to run with the Terps, or any program for that matter.

Go Zags.

Maryland Thumps Michigan St. In Upset

2008-11-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

Maryland's senior guards lead the Terps to a double-digit victory over the 6th ranked Spartans. The winner of the Gonzaga/Oklahoma St. is going to have a highly confident Maryland team to contend with.

Go Zags.

Victory Scented Old Spice W/Your Tofurkey?

2008-11-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

The Zags roll into Orlando, Florida today to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first round of the Old Spice Classic, with tip off (6PM PST--ESPN2) coinciding with my first round of Thanksgiving food sweats.

The Cowboys are 4-0, but like the Bulldogs, they have hardly been challenged. They are athletic and like to play small ball, which could give the Zags an opportunity to showcase their depth at guard. If Heytvelt can stay out of foul trouble, he should be able to dominate the paint. What we don't need is Josh shooting a lot of 3s. Long rebounds lead to a lot of transition buckets for the shorter, quicker Cowboys. Oklahoma State is not just going to roll over, so look for this to be a tough, hard fought battle. If it's anything like their last match up, it'll come down to the buzzer. Nothing like a little nervous energy to help you digest about 4 pounds of food. My advice is to take your acid reflux medicine now.

Blame the Sonics?

2008-11-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

According the blogs:

Not all games are guaranteed to be on Fox College Sports Pacific. Our contract calls for coverage on FSN Northwest, which is a separate station from FCS. In the past some Gonzaga games have been broadcast on FCS if there is a conflict with FSN Northwest (usually because of a Sonics conflict). FSN would probably not carry a game both on FSN and FCS Pacific because they are in the same footprint. Therefore, it doesn’t necessarily surprise me that Tuesday’s game was not on FCS.

Your local cable company should be able to give you a schedule of upcoming events. If you want to be guaranteed to catch most of the games you should see if your cable provider has a package that includes FSN Northwest.

Bottom Line- No Fox Northwest, No GU Games

From what I've been able to figure out, if you live out of market, the only way to watch the games is through Direct TV or Dish with a specific sports package that has Fox Sports Northwest.

This sucks. The Zags are one of the few things in the world that have the power to either bring me absolute elation or complete and utter disappointment/anger/rage. This is a case of the latter.

Man...now I find myself wishing that I could hear Craig Ehlo's brilliant commentary more frequently. Well, then again....let's not get too carried away. Maybe watching the games on mute at some dingy sports bar may not be such a bad thing after all. That said, I will still drink the blood of whomever made the call to sell the rights to ESPN.

White-hot, seething anger

2008-11-20T10:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Zags Fan:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Gonzaga vs. Idaho basketball game on Tuesday, November 18.

It appears there was an unfortunate miscommunication in listing the game as being available on Fox College Sports. Unfortunately, Fox no longer has the right to televise Gonzaga basketball outside of the school’s home market as the university sold those rights to ESPN. Once we learned of the listings error, there was no time to correct it.

For the availability of future Gonzaga telecasts, you will need to contact the university or ESPN.

We apologize for the confusion, and we appreciate your continued support of Fox College Sports.

Good luck this season and best regards,

Scott Grogin
Senior Vice President, Communications
Fox Networks Group
310/369-4733 (O)
818/203-9849 (C)
scott.grogin@fox.com

Wow, seriously Gonzaga? Did anyone think that it might not be a good idea to take games off the air? I mean, I know we wouldn't want, I dunno, potential recruits from say, California, to be exposed to the Zags brand, right? That would be foolish. It's not like we'd want guys like Austin Daye to be able to watch the Zags play.

I'm hoping there is a business decision here that I'm not understanding, but this seems like a catastrophic F-up. Please, someone explain.

Who doesn't want to watch a 10-year old football game?

2008-11-19T10:14:00.001-08:00

Ok, well my blood pressure has finally returned to normal, so I guess I can begin to discuss last night's game.

So basically I left work early last night so that I could set my DVR to record the game, but I got stuck in traffic on the way home and didn't get to my apartment until after what would have been tip off. You notice I say 'would have been tip off.' That's because someone at Fox College Sports decided that it would be better to broadcast a 10-year old UCLA football game against Oregon St., instead of the regularly scheduled Zags game. And not just here in Los Angeles. WilburStepback up in San Francisco reported the same travesty coming through his cable box. It was a California-wide disaster. Let me begin to frame why this little programming blunder had me frothing at the mouth and screaming f-bombs at the poor customer service agents at Time Warner Cable.

So to begin with, in order to get the right sports package to be able to watch all the Gonzaga games, you have to pay for something like three different sport packages (FSN, FCS, ESPNU,ESPN2, etc.). I’m happy to do that as long as I get to see Gonzaga Basketball. So when TW Cable failed to deliver on the service they were providing (at a premium), I thought it was within my rights to call and register a complaint. And it probably would have just been a complaint if the people on the other end of the line weren't such incompetent boobs. What started out as a simple complaint turned into a full out ragefest. In the end, it really wasn't the fault of the cable provider, but since they are the one's cashing my checks each month, I felt I had fair reason to complain. If nothing else, in all honesty, I just needed to vent my all-encompassing fury on someone and the customer service agents, their supervisors, and their supervisors' supervisor came into my cross hairs. It wasn't pretty.

I guess this is a long way of saying I didn't get to watch the game, so I can't really offer any unique insights. I do have to say, hearing from a friend that they were up 47-11 at the half did a lot to contain my fiery rage.

Anyway, doesn't sound like I missed too great of a game, but all the same, I'm still a little bitter about the whole affair.

Luckily for you Ehlo, my wrath has shifted to bigger, and even dumber prey--the morons, boobs and turd sandwiches at Fox College Sports.

Out in the pasture near Pa's cow

2008-11-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

Tune in tomorrow night as the Zags take on the University of Idaho Vandals (1-1) in what will be their last home game before kicking off a 6-game road trip. The Zags are fresh off a Saturday route of the University of Montana--Billings Yellowjackets, and are looking to follow up on their spectacular second half.

Led by new coach Don Verlin, the Vandals picked up a win against The Evergreen State College--not that impressive considering half of the Geoducks showed up thinking they were there to play a game of ultimate frisbee. The Vandals followed up their big win by being blown out by 6th ranked Michigan State--no surprise there. It's hard to know what to expect from the Vandals, but you can be sure that they will be gunning for an upset of their hated rivals.

Also tune in tomorrow night for more humiliating commentary from none other than Craig "dumber than rope" Ehlo. Everytime I think he can't get any worse, his vacuous, mindless blather soars to new heights. If there was ever an adveritisment for NOT sending your kids to WAZZU, he is it. Greg Heister is no genius, but Ehlo makes him look capable of single-handedly decoding the human genome. I love Heister, if for no other reason than he makes a point each game of sharing the fact that Ehlo is from Texas and NOT Spokane. We can't have people thinking that Spokanites are a bunch of awe-shucksing, hillbillie morons, now can we? We also, as WilburStepback pointed out, can't have the voice of the Zags saying things like "block shotters."

Alright, enough Ehlo bashing--for now.

Go Zags!

Zags Bounce Back From Ugly First Half

2008-11-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

Well, the first half certainly wasn't pretty. For a minute there, I thought that Michael Hall was going to be turning in a Stephen Curry-esque performance. Luckily for the guy predicting a globetrotters-style victory, Hall cooled off and the Zags were able blow things wide open in the second half.

Saw some impressive things from the Zags, in spite of their lackluster first half performance. They were active defensively, rebounded well, and were getting the ball to Josh on the block. At one point, I was rubbing my eyes and wondering out loud if I had just seen Bouldin get a fast break dunk.

What most impressed me though was Demetri Goodson. My expectations were completely surpassed on every level. His on-ball defense, quickness and basketball IQ were truly remarkable. This kid is going to have a HUGE future at Gonzaga. It'll be interesting to see how Few uses Goodson to complement Pargo. Opposing point guards beware.

Daye had a double double, Pargo had 10 assists and Heytvelt had an impressive game in spite of the mohawk (feux-hawks...really guys?). The Zags were tough defensively and dominated the glass.

The Zags return Tuesday night at 6pm for another home game against the University of Idaho Vandals.

Here we go again (finally)

2008-11-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

On the eve of the first semi-real game of the 2008/2009 Gonzaga Basketball season (no offense Wayne St.), I have to admit, I am REAL fired up. Not (only) because I'm excited to see the Zags execute a Globetrotters-style blowout of Montana State-Billings, but rather because this lineup is one of the most promising in years, maybe ever. Pargo is back. Heytvelt is healthy. Downs, Bouldin, and Gray are as good as any three guards in the country. And turns out, Austin's wheel is going to be just fine. Say nothing of one of the deepest benches in Zag history or frosh baller Demetri Goodson who, rumor has it, is impressing one very well-known Bulldog alum with his toughness and athleticism.

The first test on the Zags customarily ambitious schedule is November 27th at the Old Spice Classic against Oklahoma State, with a potential second round match up against either Maryland or #6th ranked Michigan State (pre-season AP). And it doesn't get any easier from there. With match-ups against Indiana, Washington State, Arizona, Connecticut (#2), Utah, Tennessee (#14), and Memphis (#13)--these Bulldogs are going to have every opportunity to prove their position among the country's elite programs.

League play is going to be some of the toughest in memory. The WCC continues to improve and is known for it's well coached, hard-nosed basketball teams--and Pepperdine (take that Wave fans). St. Mary's is getting a lot of attention nationally, and San Diego's program is flourishing under the leadership of former Zag, Bill Grier. With everything that Coach Grier did to bring players to Spokane, I can only imagine--and fear--what he's capable of with sunny San Diego as his draw. And trust me, having watched the Zags play there the last 4 years, it is a draw--at least for this sun starved Spokanite. Not that Spokane isn't a draw, I'm just saying....

Last year's team spread the ball around well, and didn't rely on any one player to carry the team offensively. With 6 players capable of putting up 20+ points on any given night, the Zags' cup overfloweth. Rob Sacre is out with a foot injury, so the Bulldogs will be starting off the season on the leaner side. They aren't going to bang with anyone, but what they lack in bulk they make up for in quickness, athleticism and length. Look for the Zags to out rebound, out hustle, and out smart their opponents.

Even if it is just the Yellowjackets of Montana State-Billings, nothing could deter me from soaking up every second of the game like a shamwow. Not even Craig Ehlo's terrible, terrible commentary. And on that note I bid you good night and go Zags.