Mad Props to John Olerud, Timothy Leary, Ryan Leaf, Craig Ehlo, Edward R. Murrow, Dolph Lundgren, and some Prominent Figures in Animal Husbandry

What do all of the aforementioned people have in common?

They attended Washington State University, home of the Cougars (not the Stifler's mom-type).

I learned today that WAZZU (as its known colloquially in the sports world every few years when either its football or basketball team is somewhat relevant) has one of the coolest things going for it in the insanity that is college football culture:

Stewart: Over the years, I've watched ESPN's GameDay most Saturdays and can't help but notice one unusual thing: No matter where they are in the country, there is always someone waving a giant Washington State flag in the background. What's the deal with that? Its not as if Wazzu has been competitive year in and year out. Is this just some crazed, dedicated fan who will go anywhere no matter what?
-- Hermant Makan, Austin, Texas

The Washington State "flag relay" is actually a pretty cool little tradition. It started about five years ago. An online network of Wazzu alums around the country coordinates it so that somebody is there to wave the school's flag each week at whatever campus GameDay goes to that weekend. (Presumably, this week will mark the flag's first trip to Florida A&M.) The group raises money to pay for the flag's delivery from one person to the next each week.

What's amazing is that they're still putting in the effort even amidst this, the worst season in school history. You can read more about the origins of the tradition in this USA Today article.

That's reporting from Steward Mandel of SI.com.

This Week's Sign that the Apocalypse Is Far, Far Away

Things feel good in the wake of Obama's victory. So good that a football player from FSU (alma mater of my dear friend and chevrutah, Rabbi Joel Seltzer) - not the most academically-oriented of schools and one with a less-than-stellar reputation for the behavior of its football players - will be skipping a hugely important game to interview for a Rhodes scholarship.

As someone who fell short of even the interview phase of the process, and who would have loved the opportunity to take advantage of all the Rhodes' has to offer (though God only knows how it would have impacted my life - for better and worse), good look Myron.

SI.com All-Stars

For what it's worth, I much prefer si.com to espn.com. I prefer the layout, but mostly I feel an allegiance to a great magazine that I adore reading every week. I remember quite clearly the moment in a former romantic relationship when my then girlfriend opened up SI for the first time to see what all the fuss was about with me and sports. It didn't take her long to acknowledge - I imagine quite begrudgingly - that there was a tremendous amount of data being thrown at her in its pages. Sports, it turned out, was something a little more heavy, a little more legitimate, perhaps, than she had previously imagined.

I know Bill Simmons is great, and sometimes ESPN has good stuff, but I prefer the reporting, rhythms, and style of the SI folk, especially my two All-Stars: Peter King and Joe Posnanski. King's MMQB is the best regular read I have on the web: a phenomenal writer, writing about something he loves, and never afraid to poke fun at himself or at his topic. Posnanski is relatively new to SI, but his columns are routinely the most interesting, down-to-earth, and fun reads - perhaps he's a little-more-down-to-earth version of Frank Deford.

Currently, Posnanski has a column on Buck O'Neil, whom Posnanski has been thinking about in light of Obama's victory (though King Kaufman, at Salon, lambasts those who would compare O'Neil, Jackie Robinson, et c. to Obama in this light). King's blog/columns post around 9 a.m. (on the East Coast) Monday and Tuesday mornings - they're a must read.