WINNEMUCCA - As I think of what to write for my column this week, not one major issue is on my mind, so here are just a few musings that I am thinking about.
• Last week the NIAA agreed to move the state wrestling championships to Primm on the Nevada/California border. Apparently, the NIAA couldn't find a place in Las Vegas that was affordable and the resort town was the last hope instead of moving it to different high schools in Las Vegas.
The tournament will be held on just one day to accommodate travel for the schools in Clark County.
Now I know a majority of the schools are located in Las Vegas.
However, did they think about the travel of Lowry, Spring Creek and Elko, three of the most northern and eastern teams that have wrestling programs?
Primm is just about 45 to 50 miles from Las Vegas - man, that is one long trip for them. If you MapQuest the trip from Winnemucca to Primm, it's a meager 557 miles. Maybe I can send my hotel and gas receipts to the NIAA. It will be nice to have the state championship in Winnemucca in 2015, if that still happens.
Primm is one of the few places I have not been to in my travels throughout Nevada and southern California (Needles). The Needles trip is for another column and another day. All I will say is that it was 115 degrees and 30 mph winds in May. Welcome to hell.
Well, I guess I can take my golf clubs with me and set up a tee time and figure out if I want to stay at Buffalo Bill's or Whiskey Pete's.
• In that same meeting last week, the NIAA approved a motion to make all coaches in northern Nevada submit scores to MaxPreps, so the site can be the official tracker of standings.
Trying to find the correct standings throughout northern Nevada is a nightmare. A group of us writers around the area feed each other Division North I-A scores after games so records can be kept accurately.
A number of teams at Lowry use the site and there are some that don't. It will be interesting now that the NIAA will mandate every team must report scores of their respective games or suffer some kind of sanctions.
This will be helpful in the lower divisions in Nevada, when trying to find scores and standings of Division IV volleyball or basketball in the north is impossible. It's bad when the NIAA has to call you to confirm the standings.
• If you are fan of low scoring games, this MLB postseason is the one for you. There have been three 1-0 games in this year, the latest coming on Tuesday with Boston defeating Detroit.
The days of the 12-10 games are over with all of the drug testing being done in baseball. Yeah, sure it was nice while it lasted, but I enjoy a good old-fashioned pitching duel. One mistake will cost you a game and possibly the series.
As this goes to press St. Louis holds a 3-2 lead in the series over Los Angeles, while Boston and Detroit are tied. St. Louis is a great baseball town and that pains me to say as I am a Cubs fan. However, I am thinking executives at MLB are hoping for a Los Angeles and Boston World Series. East Coast versus West Coast would be magic for ratings.
• Nevada makes the trip up to Boise State on Saturday, a series that has been a lopsided one in the past 11 years. The only Wolf Pack win in that time was a big one in 2010. The Broncos, ranked No. 3 at the time had hopes of playing in the national championship. However, two missed field goals and a 17-point comeback by Nevada ended a 24-game win streak by the Broncos.
Nevada enters this year's contest with a new coach and a 3-2, record, while Boise State has suffered two losses of its own.
The Broncos are 21.5 point favorites on Saturday night and if I was a gambling man, and I am, I might have to take Boise State. Nevada is not a good road team and has already made trips to UCLA, Florida State and San Diego State.
• This past Tuesday marked the 10th anniversary of the Steve Bartman game for all us Cubs fans. I still remember that fateful night when Chicago was up 3-0 in game six and going to the World Series.
I got a phone call from my brother in the seventh inning, congratulating me on Chicago making the World Series. Well, as you may know it all went wrong in the eighth inning.
A little pop fly floated near the stands, as Moises Alou tried to catch the ball. A man in turtleneck sweater and head phones knocks the ball away on the play.
It was all downhill from there. Alex Gonzalez (no not the Yankees third baseman) committed an error that would have gotten the Cubs out of the inning. Instead, eight runs scored, Miami won game six and seven and beat the Yankees in the World Series.
As I recall, I climbed in my truck, drove to I don't know where and cried my eyes out. Yeah, I am still not over it.
Humboldt Sun sports editor Tony Erquiaga can be reached via email at t.erquiaga@winnemuccapublishing.net.
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