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Resilience.
12/07/2011

If you're Appalachian State, Richmond or anyone on this or the other side of your bracket, what transpired Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium was your worst-case scenario.

Montana couldn't be entering their second round game in a more optimal mental state. Against the Jackrabbits, they made mistake after mistake. If this was the "bend but don't break" strategy they were a piece of paper that had been folded in half. Pushed as far as any team could possibly be pushed, they didn't cave.

Going forward, is there any chance a team could push the Griz to a point where they're willing to pack it in, to think they can't win? Absolutely not. Last year, I drove thousands of miles in a shoddy camper to watch Montana fall behind early and never mount any kind of comeback. It felt like we showed up while the team stayed in Missoula.That shouldn't happen this year.

When they weren't tripping over themselves to hand SDSU the game, the Griz were unstoppable. Marc Mariani may be the most dangerous player in the FCS and a legit NFL prospect (see: Wes Welker). This team is every bit as dangerous as last year's impressive group and possibly even better.

But let's look at what could've happened this past weekend: The Giz could've come into Washington-Grizzly stadium clicking in every facet of the game and blown out the Jackrabbits by three scores. With the teams still alive on our side of the bracket, the Griz don't need a thick coating of overconfidence.

Then again, they could've played a low-scoring close game; one where the two teams exchanged mixtakes and it came down to a kick. And how does that look? It's very possible the Griz escape not believing they are truly deserving of their 1-seed.

So what do things look like now? They won't make the same mistakes. They're confident they can move the ball and win games but not so much that they aren't aware of the fact that any potential mistakes could cost them.

Idyllic.

 

 

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Bobby Hauck does not deserve to be a head football coach
12/07/2011

Bobby Hauck has grown too big for Missoula and the University of Montana. I'm sure this is what he envisioned all along. He'd steer the program to win after win as he transformed into this larger-than-life persona. He's close, but a bit off. Bobby Hauck has put himself above the University, the students and everything an upright program should stand for. 

This recent spat with the editors of The Kaimin is just one more thing to add to his already damaging résumé. Hauck feels as though he doesn't need to comment on the fact that a few of his players may or may not have beat the hell out of a University of Montana student. Sure, that may be true, the case was never reported to authorities, but treat the students who cover you with a bit of respect and possibly even a shred of class. Reporters do not deserve to be ignored at press conferences and swore at when asking questions in other venues. 

Not only has this mistreatment of the local media been a staple of Bobby Hauck's tenure here at Montana, but so have these violent incidents.  It isn't just here either. Bobby Hauck served as the recruiting coordinator at the University of Washington and played a hand in building one of the most purely evil teams in the history of football. 

So let that be his legacy. Forget the wins, forget that mask. Yes, I know coaches are hired to win football games but it should not come at the cost of a university's pride and dignity. In my mind, the negativity, animosity and separatism that he has brought between the football program and the students who support it is not worth the wins. 

When an athletic director is thinking about hiring him and decides to Google his name to see what people think of him, let them find this. When fans consider suggesting a new coach and want to see what's out there, do not think Bobby Hauck. He will win games, but at what cost? On the field, he is a good football coach. But to the media and in other areas off of it? Certainly not.  Don't hire him.

Sidenote: Griz win.

Update: I've received a few comments on this post after the Griz beat App State to advance to Chattanooga. Before I move on, I have to say I'm impressed by anyone who has the confidence to fire off an anonymous comment two months after this was posted, and only after Bobby Hauck got the Griz to the National Championship game. Takes balls. Well done.

Let me state that I love what Hauck has done on the field. He wins games. Period. I'm a huge Montana fan and definitely a bigtime supporter of Griz football. I'm thrilled the Griz will play for a National Championship game for the second consecutive year and the only disappointment I have surrounding this week is that I won't make it to Chattanooga after I had the opportunity to make the 2,000 mile drive there from Missoula last year.

Nevertheless, I'd be extremely hesitant to hire Bobby Hauck if I were the AD of Pac 10/WAC/Big East/whatever school. Before you say "that's why you're not" let me state that it's a big risk at best and horrible disaster of "how did you not see this coming?!" proportions at worst. I've stated my opinion on the matter and this current run the Griz are on doesn't change anything. He wins games. We knew that. Some people won't agree with my opinion on things, I understand that, but I'll continue to state it. He'll get a job, I know that, and good for him when he does.

You can still see the comments for this post here and I've even posted the ones from people who actually left an email address, even though it's probably fake. At least they tried. As far as new comments, they're really not. I've heard it before and the conversation isn't changing. 

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Montana Grizzlies slip to 5th in latest FCS poll
12/07/2011

I've always been a proponent of keeping an open mind of moving teams around in the rankings based on performance, not just wins. Sure Montana looked a little bit sluggish in the first half against Western State but I would have thought a 38-0 final result would've kept the Griz where they were in the rankings. Not so.

The Griz fell from third to fifth as Villanova, who rallied to beat Temple, and Northern Iowa, who was back-to-back blocked field goals away from beating Iowa, jumped ahead of them in the polls. Also, Richmond moved to the top spot after being Duke.

Anyway, here are the complete rankings, courtesy of The Sports Network.

Sports Network's FCS College Football Poll

Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Richmond Spiders (103)	1-0	3,042	2
2. Appalachian State Mountaineers (10)	0-1	2,740	1
3. Villanova Wildcats (3)	1-0	2,705	5
4. Northern Iowa Panthers (3)	0-1	2,651	4
5. Montana Grizzlies	1-0	2,615	3
6. James Madison Dukes	0-0	2,235	6
7. William & Mary Tribe (3)	1-0	2,204	14
8. Southern Illinois Salukis	0-1	1,980	7
9. New Hampshire Wildcats	1-0	1,952	8
10. Elon Phoenix	1-0	1,846	11
11. Weber State Wildcats	0-1	1,826	9
12. Cal Poly Mustangs	0-0	1,453	12
13. Central Arkansas Bears	0-1	1,350	13
14. Wofford Terriers	0-1	1,262	10
15. South Carolina State Bulldogs (1)	1-0	1,229	16
16. McNeese State Cowboys	1-0	1,109	15
17. Massachusetts Minutemen	0-1	1,027	17
18. Eastern Washington Eagles	1-0	905	18
19. Texas State Bobcats	1-0	805	20
20. Maine Black Bears	1-0	709	19
21. South Dakota State Jackrabbits	0-0	475	22
22. Eastern Kentucky Colonels	0-1	467	23
23. Jacksonville State Gamecocks	0-1	430	21
24. Harvard Crimson	0-0	361	23
25. Holy Cross Crusaders	1-0	348	25

Others receiving votes: Georgia Southern 212, Liberty 183, Eastern Illinois 167, Delaware 158, Florida A&M 158, Furman 146, Colgate 123, Tennessee-Martin 106, Grambling 103, Western Illinois 103, Samford 87, North Dakota State 71, Alabama A&M 61, Hofstra 50, Montana State 50, Penn 48, Northern Arizona 38, Prairie View 38, Rhode Island 37, Hampton 36, Brown 33, Murray State 24, Stephen F. Austin 20, Southern 18, Gardner-Webb 17, San Diego 16, Jacksonville 14, Youngstown State 14, Southeast Missouri State 13, Southern Utah 12, Norfolk State 11, South Dakota 10, Coastal Carolina 7, Southeastern Louisiana 7, Tennessee State 7, Towson 7, Yale 7, Lafayette 6, Virginia Military 6, Chattanooga 5, Stony Brook 4, UC Davis 4, Albany 3, Jackson State 3, Central Connecticut State 2, Duquesne 2, Tennessee Tech 2.

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Montana Grizzlies beat Western State, set Wash-Griz record, continue to breath oxygen
12/07/2011

If it weren't for the fact that this were the home opener, today would've been quite the ho-hum affair. The Griz seemed to treat it that way in the first half and after a series of mistakes led Western State—who I honestly didn't know which state they were in the western part of until the game started—only 10-0 at the half.

Of course, Montana managed to put things together and ended up thumping Western State (did you know that their home stadium is really high up? Wow, thanks Phil!) by the score of 38-0 despite the ongoing quarterback competition. Greg Rachac of the Billings Gazette openly wonders if Justin Roper managed to distance of himself from Andrew Selle.

It was great to see Selle get the start today. If nothing else it was a nod to Selle for all the work he has done in the last three years backing up Cole Bergquist.

But Selle obviously had some early jitters. He missed four of his first five passes, threw an interception and missed a wide-open Jabin Sambrano on third down that would have gone for a long touchdown in the first quarter.

By contrast, Roper -- aside from a fumble in the red zone that killed a scoring chance -- played better than Selle overall. Roper looked a bit more polished.

I tend to agree, but more than anything else just wish Hauck would pick a quarterback. As the old saying goes, "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any." Or something like that. Also, how illegitimate does a team look with two quarterbacks splitting time almost evenly? I mean, does a juggernaut title contender go with quarterback by committee strategy? I don't think so.

In other news, Chase Reynolds did his thing with 100 yards on 18 carries. None of the wide receivers stood out with Mr. Touchdown Marc Mariani (Sauce!!) getting just one grab for 26 yards. But hey, the defense pitched a shutout. That's...pretty good.

The real challenges start next week with UC Davis on the road. Looking forward to it.

Hope everyone in Missoula had fun.

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Climbing Safety
12/01/2011

Every year when I renew my membership to the American Alpine Club, a little ritual takes place. I send them my money for the good deeds they do and they send me the most recent edition of “Accidents in North American Mountaineering.” The book itself is one of the good deeds. Reading it every year serves [...]

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Capt. Kirk and Climbing
12/01/2011

Ever wondered why your climber climbs? Here is the answer, courtesy of the great William Shatner. object width=”640″ height=”385″>

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Climbing, Bolting, Living
12/01/2011

We’ve done a lot of bolting in Mill Creek this year, and we’ve honed our style and apparel over many days of hanging on the wall. For whatever reason, we haven’t shot good photos of ourselves, so I thought you’d appreciate this shot of world-class climber Joe Kinder wearing his bolting suit. Loving the goggles! [...]

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Bitterroot Climbing makes Rock and Ice
12/01/2011

We will have more on this later when Rock and Ice gets its brand new issue online, but for now, suffice it so say that Montana climbing hits the big time in the new issue. In a piece by Bozeman’s Emily Stifler, Gallatin Canyon, Blodgett and Lost Horse all get a little exposure. The story sort [...]

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Rockclimbergirl Summits Rainier
12/01/2011

A Woman’s Place is on Top of Mount Rainier from Sara Lingafelter on Vimeo.

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Access Fund News
12/01/2011

Vermont’s Carcass Crag Acquired! CRAG-VT is thrilled to announce the acquisition of one of Vermont’s best sport climbing cliffs: the Carcass Crag! This winter, CRAG-VT signed a purchase and sale agreement to annex the cliff through a boundary line adjustment on their Bolton Quarry climbing area. With the support of the [...]

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Teaching, Learning, Living
12/01/2011

I picked up Olin Martin early on Saturday morning, and we headed for Mill Creek’s North Rim. As you all know, my friends Dane Scott and Ken Turley have been developing sport climbs at the North Rim for the better part of the year. They’ve been gracious enough to allow me to join forces with them, [...]

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Good News from Index
12/01/2011

Here’s some really good news, courtesy of the Access Fund, which we should all be supporting — Michael Washington Climbers Coalition pays off Access Fund Land Conservation Campaign loan for Index, returning funds to the revolving loan program The Access Fund announced today that the Washington Climbers Coalition (WCC) has paid back its [...]

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New Mill Creek Blog!
12/01/2011

Ken Turley, one of the route-developer extraordinaires at Mill Creek’s North Rim, has started a new blog. It’s called the Mill Creek Report, and you can find it here: http://millcreekreport.blogspot.com/. The North Rim, located one canyon north of Blodgett Canyon and west of Pinesdale in the gorgeous Bitterroot Valley, is a relatively new climbing area founded [...]

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Missoula’s South Avenue of old
11/30/2011

It wasn’t always a straight shot down South from the Missoula County Fairgrounds to Fort Missoula. (Come to think about it, it’s STILL not, what with the rerouting of traffic at Malfunction Junction.) Local roads sleuth Jim Habeck dug up this from the Missoula-Sentinel archives. It’s dated Oct. 28, 1930, and it begs the question [...]

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Grover Cleveland says …
11/30/2011

Feb. 22,1889 Ten days before he left office, and 100 years after George Washington became the nation’s first president, Grover Cleveland marked Washington‘s birthday by signing an act enabling Montana, South and North Dakota and Washington to be admitted to the union – if they could come up with constitutions. “These four states will therefore [...]

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Happy 129th, Ma Bell Montana
11/30/2011

Feb. 21, 1882 This was the day the first telephone exchange in Montana was installed in Butte by the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Company. The event came exactly four years after the first genuine experiment with telephones in Helena. There were 14 subscribers to the Butte system, most of them businesses. Service was not immediately [...]

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Missoula’s first ice carnival, January 1924
11/30/2011

This was in the Jan. 24, 1924, Missoulian, under the headline “1,000 At Missoula’s First Ice Carnival: Exceptional Weather Brings Out Large Crowd to Initial Rink Event” Missoula’s first skating carnival was a success. Any doubt in the matter will be settled affirmatively by the crowd of nearly one thousand that lined the circumference of [...]

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The last buffalo hunt in Montana (?)
11/30/2011

From the New York Times on Jan. 22, 1911, under the headline “Last Buffalo Hunt Now On: Michel Pablo Killing Off His Herd in Spite of Montana Authorities” CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 21 – The last act of a spectacular deal is now being enacted on the plains of the Flathead Reservation in Montana, where Michel [...]

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Montana Territorial governor received discouraging first education report on this day in 1867
11/30/2011

Oct. 29, 1867 There are eight school districts in Madison County, but as far as A.M.S. Carpenter can tell, none are open in Beaverhead County and none have even been organized in Chouteau County. In fact, Carpenter knows of only two of Montana’s 10 counties that have schools. So he has noted in a report [...]

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Heinze’s warning about Amalgamated/Standard Oil power was delivered on this day in 1903
11/30/2011

Oct. 26, 1903 This was the day F. Augustus Heinze stood on the balcony of the Butte courthouse and warned 10,000 laid-off miners: “If they crush me today they will crush you tomorrow.” Four days earlier Heinze’s nemesis, the powerful Amalgamated Copper Company, shut down all its enterprises in Montana, eventually laying off nearly four-fifths [...]

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USS Montana among warships scrapped before completion on this day in 1923
11/30/2011

Oct. 25, 1923 Construction of the USS Montana at a shipyard north of San Francisco is halted by terms of a naval arms limitation treaty. The second American war vessel to be named after the Treasure State is more than one-quarter completed. Had she and the other South Dakota-class ships finished, the Montana would have [...]

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Just one more
11/29/2011

That's it. The team that was expected to lose somewhere around three games is 60 minutes from the U's third National Championship. The CAA and whoever can talk themselves up all they want. The truth is, Appalachian State is the only team that can come close to making the argument that they're more of an FCS powerhouse. After tonight, Montana Grizzlies will have appeared in six of the past fourteen FCS National Championship games.

Now there's just one more. That's it. I'm not sure what I can say. At this point, it's on the players. We'll be bringing thousands of Griz fans, because let's face it, we're as good as they come. We're 2,100 miles away and sold out all our tickets. Richmond had to send some back. We can yell but it's on the guys now.

To conclude, this is ridiculous. I am in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it was close to a 40 hour drive from the zoo. Now let's do this. Just a single game. Let's go Cole. Chase, carry em. Mr Touchdown has this. And Colt 'The Hair' Anderson will be knocking down anyone that makes it to the secondary. I honestly don't know how to wrap this up. It's completely unbelievable. The last Griz game I attend as a student will be a National Championship game.

Ironically, the first Griz game I ever watched was a title game. As a senior in high school, shortly after deciding I'd be going to the University of Montana for school, I watched our Griz get beat on that torn up field. Today will be different. We'll be driving out of this town with championship #4.

28-17 Griz.

Follow twitter.com/colinokeefe for comments and pictures from the game and tailgates.

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Back in Chattanooga.
11/29/2011

For the second year in a row, the Montana Grizzlies knocked off an East Coast power to advance to the FCS National Championship. Every year they're discredited. The strength of their conference is picked apart while another undefeated season is scoffed at. To many, the Big Sky is the Big 10 to the SoCon's SEC. There's still one left, but Montana has proven their schedule is irrelevant. They stack up with the best and they win the big games.

Montana's level of play was questioned throughout the year. As teams ahead of them lost, the Griz didn't move up from being the 2nd or 3rd ranked team. There were even weeks when they received the most first place votes yet still were held out of that #1 spot. Obviously, there were those who felt they didn't belong. If there's anyone out there who still believes that, they're ridiculous.

Obviously, there's one more to go. Last season, the Griz were favorites heading into Chattanooga. They had knocked off CAA champion and #1 seed James Madison; only Richmond, who lost to JMU earlier in the year and finished a lowly tie for third in the conference, remained.

This year, it's different. While the Griz hold the #1 seed this time, I think many favor Villanova. The Wildcats finished the season ahead in the rankings (despite having less first-place votes) and play in one of the East Coast power conferences. Sorry to go into minutiae, but this is important.

Last year I drove from Missoula to Chattanooga in hopes of seeing Montana win a National Championship my senior year. After the effort I put in to get to the game, I felt robbed when the Griz came out as flat as I've ever seen them play. Obviously, this year has to be different.

The Griz have faced adversity before, they've been questioned. In the first round they pulled off the biggest comeback in football this year. They blew out Stephen F. Austin before facing a tough App State team. The fact that they were unseeded is deceiving, they won ten straight coming into that game and the two early season losses were without Armanti Edwards. They're a very good team. And Montana beat them.

I have no doubt Montana has the talent and coaching it takes to win the National Championship. Much like last year, that isn't the issue. Montana must come with the level of play they've shown over the last 9 quarters of football. They need that desire, effort and enthusiasm. The difference between this year and last is that, this year, they'll be there. They will not come out flat this time.

Griz play like their hair is on fire, execute on offense, fly around on defense and win a close one. 28-24 Griz.

Note: I don't think I'll be able to make it out to Kirkland in time to get a spot (which I hear would be somewhere around 3:30) so I'll be at Sluggers Sports Bar in Pioneer Square (Seattle), where I hear there will be a few Griz fans. Hope to see a decent group there. Mention this post, and be one of the first people to do so, and I'll probably buy you a beer.

Photo credit: Becky Malewitz for MontanaGrizzlies.com

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Resilience.
11/29/2011

If you're Appalachian State, Richmond or anyone on this or the other side of your bracket, what transpired Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium was your worst-case scenario.

Montana couldn't be entering their second round game in a more optimal mental state. Against the Jackrabbits, they made mistake after mistake. If this was the "bend but don't break" strategy they were a piece of paper that had been folded in half. Pushed as far as any team could possibly be pushed, they didn't cave.

Going forward, is there any chance a team could push the Griz to a point where they're willing to pack it in, to think they can't win? Absolutely not. Last year, I drove thousands of miles in a shoddy camper to watch Montana fall behind early and never mount any kind of comeback. It felt like we showed up while the team stayed in Missoula.That shouldn't happen this year.

When they weren't tripping over themselves to hand SDSU the game, the Griz were unstoppable. Marc Mariani may be the most dangerous player in the FCS and a legit NFL prospect (see: Wes Welker). This team is every bit as dangerous as last year's impressive group and possibly even better.

But let's look at what could've happened this past weekend: The Giz could've come into Washington-Grizzly stadium clicking in every facet of the game and blown out the Jackrabbits by three scores. With the teams still alive on our side of the bracket, the Griz don't need a thick coating of overconfidence.

Then again, they could've played a low-scoring close game; one where the two teams exchanged mixtakes and it came down to a kick. And how does that look? It's very possible the Griz escape not believing they are truly deserving of their 1-seed.

So what do things look like now? They won't make the same mistakes. They're confident they can move the ball and win games but not so much that they aren't aware of the fact that any potential mistakes could cost them.

Idyllic.

 

 

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Bobby Hauck does not deserve to be a head football coach
11/29/2011

Bobby Hauck has grown too big for Missoula and the University of Montana. I'm sure this is what he envisioned all along. He'd steer the program to win after win as he transformed into this larger-than-life persona. He's close, but a bit off. Bobby Hauck has put himself above the University, the students and everything an upright program should stand for. 

This recent spat with the editors of The Kaimin is just one more thing to add to his already damaging résumé. Hauck feels as though he doesn't need to comment on the fact that a few of his players may or may not have beat the hell out of a University of Montana student. Sure, that may be true, the case was never reported to authorities, but treat the students who cover you with a bit of respect and possibly even a shred of class. Reporters do not deserve to be ignored at press conferences and swore at when asking questions in other venues. 

Not only has this mistreatment of the local media been a staple of Bobby Hauck's tenure here at Montana, but so have these violent incidents.  It isn't just here either. Bobby Hauck served as the recruiting coordinator at the University of Washington and played a hand in building one of the most purely evil teams in the history of football. 

So let that be his legacy. Forget the wins, forget that mask. Yes, I know coaches are hired to win football games but it should not come at the cost of a university's pride and dignity. In my mind, the negativity, animosity and separatism that he has brought between the football program and the students who support it is not worth the wins. 

When an athletic director is thinking about hiring him and decides to Google his name to see what people think of him, let them find this. When fans consider suggesting a new coach and want to see what's out there, do not think Bobby Hauck. He will win games, but at what cost? On the field, he is a good football coach. But to the media and in other areas off of it? Certainly not.  Don't hire him.

Sidenote: Griz win.

Update: I've received a few comments on this post after the Griz beat App State to advance to Chattanooga. Before I move on, I have to say I'm impressed by anyone who has the confidence to fire off an anonymous comment two months after this was posted, and only after Bobby Hauck got the Griz to the National Championship game. Takes balls. Well done.

Let me state that I love what Hauck has done on the field. He wins games. Period. I'm a huge Montana fan and definitely a bigtime supporter of Griz football. I'm thrilled the Griz will play for a National Championship game for the second consecutive year and the only disappointment I have surrounding this week is that I won't make it to Chattanooga after I had the opportunity to make the 2,000 mile drive there from Missoula last year.

Nevertheless, I'd be extremely hesitant to hire Bobby Hauck if I were the AD of Pac 10/WAC/Big East/whatever school. Before you say "that's why you're not" let me state that it's a big risk at best and horrible disaster of "how did you not see this coming?!" proportions at worst. I've stated my opinion on the matter and this current run the Griz are on doesn't change anything. He wins games. We knew that. Some people won't agree with my opinion on things, I understand that, but I'll continue to state it. He'll get a job, I know that, and good for him when he does.

You can still see the comments for this post here and I've even posted the ones from people who actually left an email address, even though it's probably fake. At least they tried. As far as new comments, they're really not. I've heard it before and the conversation isn't changing. 

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