The Bobcat Nation

As I read more posts both here and over at egriz, I see folks referring to 2005 as a rebuilding year for UM and statements like "I knew we'd be down this year".

So my questions are:

What were your expectations for UM this year?

Based on how the year progressed, would you expect anything more next year? Why?

No smack intended here. Just interested in the view from the other side.

Well, if the rumors are true, who knows, but to honestly answer your questions.

At the start of the season I saw a concern with a young offense, and an unproven run defense. Losing Ochs was tough. In a discussion board I predicted the Griz to go 8-3 with losses to Oregon, EWU and MSU. Obviously I guessed it right. Although on a side note I thought that EWU would win the conference outright. I also thought the cats would make the playoffs. I expected the Lex Hilliard show, and got it, but I thought that both Washington and/or Berquist would've provided more offense than they wound up doing. I kind of thought the Griz offense would be like the cats O when lulay was a frosh and soph, nothing fancy, but a good D, and a solid running game.

I did think the Griz would win at least 1 playoff game, but playoffs are big time pressure, and a team with young players in skill postions usually doesn't got very far.

As for next year I expect a solid defense...and thats it. Lex will probably have a similar year, but unless a new OC hired the offense will continue to struggle, so we'll just have to see on that side.

My first impressions/expectations were: A very young team... a building year. I suggested that we issue notice to the rest of the BSC, that we were taking the year off to rebuild, and that we'd see you next year.

Second impression was: Hauck is taking us on yet another crazy rollercoaster of a ride, that may - just may - end up like the year before!

Third impression was: Hauck needed to do a more realistic assessment of the OC's abilities, or it would sink us for the year.

Next year? A new "Griz"!

Prediction for next year:


I will fly to at least a few of the games instead of driving. I know the I-90 route between Seattle and Missoula better than I ever wanted to.

UMclassof2002 wrote:Prediction for next year:


I will fly to at least a few of the games instead of driving. I know the I-90 route between Seattle and Missoula better than I ever wanted to.

It wouldn't be a bad drive if you could bypass central Washington, just cut out inbetween Snoqualmie and Spokanistan, it'd be a beautiful drive then...

Re/Max Griz wrote:

UMclassof2002 wrote:Prediction for next year:


I will fly to at least a few of the games instead of driving. I know the I-90 route between Seattle and Missoula better than I ever wanted to.

It wouldn't be a bad drive if you could bypass central Washington, just cut out inbetween Snoqualmie and Spokanistan, it'd be a beautiful drive then...

I hear ya there - the only semi-interesting part is crossing the Columbia River Gorge.

Re/Max Griz wrote:

UMclassof2002 wrote:Prediction for next year:


I will fly to at least a few of the games instead of driving. I know the I-90 route between Seattle and Missoula better than I ever wanted to.

It wouldn't be a bad drive if you could bypass central Washington, just cut out inbetween Snoqualmie and Spokanistan, it'd be a beautiful drive then...

How can you make that happen? I have the same problem with getting rid of North Dakota for my drive from Minneapolis!

Once you guys figure out that little bit of physics, please let me know. I've also been unsuccessfully trying to make Nevada disappear on my drives to MT from CA for years!

Bay Area Cat wrote:Once you guys figure out that little bit of physics, please let me know. I've also been unsuccessfully trying to make Nevada disappear on my drives to MT from CA for years!

even vegas?

whitetrashgriz wrote:

Bay Area Cat wrote:Once you guys figure out that little bit of physics, please let me know. I've also been unsuccessfully trying to make Nevada disappear on my drives to MT from CA for years!

even vegas?

i am sure we can make an exception

whitetrashgriz wrote:

Bay Area Cat wrote:Once you guys figure out that little bit of physics, please let me know. I've also been unsuccessfully trying to make Nevada disappear on my drives to MT from CA for years!

even vegas?

I don't have a map handy, but I would guess that you probably don't pass through Vegas driving from San Fran to Montana, do you BAC? Reno maybe, but I think Vegas is too far south...

Grizlaw wrote:

whitetrashgriz wrote:

Bay Area Cat wrote:Once you guys figure out that little bit of physics, please let me know. I've also been unsuccessfully trying to make Nevada disappear on my drives to MT from CA for years!

even vegas?

I don't have a map handy, but I would guess that you probably don't pass through Vegas driving from San Fran to Montana, do you BAC? Reno maybe, but I think Vegas is too far south...

maybe thats the problem bac. head off-course a little to make the whole nevada experience a little more fun!

whitetrashgriz wrote:maybe thats the problem bac. head off-course a little to make the whole nevada experience a little more fun!

Or he could just find one of those Nevada "massage parlors" in the middle of the desert.

Grizlaw wrote:

whitetrashgriz wrote:maybe thats the problem bac. head off-course a little to make the whole nevada experience a little more fun!

Or he could just find one of those Nevada "massage parlors" in the middle of the desert.

BUNNY RANCH!!!! Not that I know what that is

Vegas is a bit out of the way (I go on I-80 through Reno and most of the way across the state, turning north at Wells to head to Jackpot), and although Reno isn't the worst place on earth, it is right on the CA border, which still leaves a lot of open, flat, brown, ugly dirt of Nevada left to see.

The little towns with big signs advertising the "ranches" are pretty funny, though. If only there wasn't so much ugly open space in between them.

Although I must admit that my trip up last May wasn't that bad. Nevada had received a freakishly large amount of moisture right before I was through, and the desert was actually green and quite nice. I got really lucky on the timing of that drive for the first time ever.

This is slightly off-topic, but here in New York City there is a bar on the edge of Chinatown that has the coolest name of any bar that I've ever seen. The building where it is housed is a former Chinese "massage parlor" that got shut down by the police a few years back, and now it is a somewhat trendy lounge (where, to my knowledge, prostitution does not still go on).

The name of the bar? "Happy Ending."