UP’s win over Washington and PSU’s win over UP have vaulted both into the upper reaches of the very early season RPI.

Portland State plays the Huskies in Seattle on December 14.  If they win and UW continues to pile up early-season victories against other opponents, the Vikings could conceivably stay in the top-50 for a while.  Especially if Washington pulls off an upset of RPI #1 Kansas, who they play Monday night.  The same holds true of the Pilots. Each Pilot victory is good news for the Vikings.

This will be fun to watch.

Do I believe he’ll offer her the position?  Yeah, I do.

But….

If he doesn’t, what a brilliant move.  He’s forced them to give up everything, willingly.  Now should they decide to run against him in 2012, he’ll have the dirt from 2000-present.  You think that might be valuable?  So do I.

I don’t believe Obama would be that cold, but I would love it if he were.

I had no idea she’d been dealing with depression.  Looking back on last season, I don’t think I ever noticed she wasn’t around.  Of course I didn’t spend a lot of time in the Metro League, either.  Anyway, I’m glad she’s doing well.  As one who’s battled depression off and on for years, I can tell you it’s not easy admitting it and it’s not easy recovering from it.

Welcome to the Winter Hawks version of that movie.  From 15 goals in three games last week to three goals in three games this week.

*Sigh*

Who exactly is going to provide DIP financing in this credit market?  No one.  Ergo, bankruptcy won’t work.

Well, it will work, but any of the Big 3 who go into it won’t survive.

Why hasn’t anyone, especially in Congress, brought up the elephant in the room?  What is the Big 3’s biggest expense?  Healthcare, right?  The UAW becomes responsible for pensions and healthcare for retirees in a couple of years, but healthcare for existing workers is killing the auto makers.  Why doesn’t the government offer to take that expense on and see if the companies can survive?

This goes back to a piece I heard on Marketplace back in the spring of 2007.  The next president’s biggest challenge will be to help corporate America get their healthcare costs under control.  The Big 3 could lead the way here on helping provide a path toward single payer healthcare.  This is a heck of an opportunity.  And just one more reason the Obama administration can’t begin soon enough.

I once heard that writers write because they can’t help themselves. For a time that was me. I wrote, I wrote some more and then, I wrote a book. I joined this club and that blog ring and this link sharing program. I loved it all. But was I writing? I came here to tell the story of an abused kid who turned out ok. I came here to tell a story about a girl who once lived in a car, turned woman, turned something. But what happens after you become a woman or “something”? After all that “becoming” what else is there? I once wrote because I couldn’t help myself. Now I look at the computer and feel consuming guilt.

I hear you, sister.  Sometimes I just look at this and wonder what the point is.

Wow.

Anyway, the place was jammed which was a good thing.  While it was definitely a home game for the Viks, there was plenty of purple in the crowd as well.

I came in looking for Portland State to wipe the floor with the Pilots.  Afterall, the boys on the bluff have been bad for a while.  But a funny thing happened on the way to an easy PSU victory.  Portland actually gave them a game.  The Pilots have some good size up front and aren’t afraid to use it.  Especially against a smaller Portland State roster.  Jack Sikma’s son Luke is among five pilots who go 6′8 or better.  Portland State only has two.

PSU made up for it with shooters, including Jeremiah Dominguez who went nuts in the second half to help bring the Vikings back from a six-point deficit.  He did it all.  Shooting.  Driving.  Dishing.  He ended up with 23 points, including 5-for-9 from behind the arc.  He’s definitely the real deal.

Portland State ended up winning the game in the last five minutes with good shooting and a couple of clutch stops.  It was a good test for both teams.  Portland looks to be improved this season, they beat Washington over the weekend.  While it’ll be difficult to get past the big three in the WCC, Gonzaga, St Mary’s, and San Diego, I could see this team sneaking up and biting a couple of folks.  The game against Nevada Thanksgiving weekend should be a good one.

A friend of mine turned me on to Paccini over on the PSU campus.  I used to deliver out of there but had never dined there.  I remedied that tonight.  What you see there is mac and cheese with shrimp and bacon.  Yes, it was as good as it sounds.

Just before training camp the organization fired 35 employees, and THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER reported that (team owner and BET founder Robert) Johnson wanted to eliminate regional radio broadcasts of the team’s games as a cost-cutting measure, a stratagem he was reportedly talked out of—in no uncertain terms—by the league office. (Johnson declined SI’s interview request.)

Could you imagine an NBA team yanking its product off the radio?  We watched the Winter Hawks do it a couple of seasons ago with disastrous effects, if only to their most ardent fans.  Nothing says cheap like ditching the local media.

HT:  Bobcats Baseline