Washington State

Three-quarters of the 50 states have at least one commercial winery, but only a few have a bona-fide wine "industry."California, of course, has a huge wine industry that dates back more than a century. So, on a lesser scale, does New York, although much of its production is hardly the kind designed to appeal to selective palates.The rest of America's wine-producing states, with one exception, have what you could charitably call "mini-industries" -- clusters of tiny "farm wineries" that have more economic significance as tourist draws than as employers or producers.

Washington State is barely on anyone's radar when it comes to college football, so fans on the East Coast might not be following what has transpired in Mike Leach's first season in Pullman. It has a striking resemblance to Randy Edsall's first season in College Park.  After a 2-1 start - including a win over Football Championship Subdivision power Eastern Washington - the Cougars are in free fall, having lost their last seven games, and they've gone winless in the Pac-12 Conference.

PASADENA, Calif. - Washington State has a lame-duck coach and a slightly gimpy quarterback, and the Cougars say they will be hobbled by neither. What they do have is a small advantage of familiarity. Washington State (10-2), making its fourth Rose Bowl appearance and second since 1998, plays at the grand old colossus against conference rival UCLA every other year. Three weeks ago, quarterback Jason Gesser limped onto this field in a leg brace and lit up the Bruins for a 48-27 victory that sealed a Pac-10 co-title.

Annapolis Middle School teacher Beth Foster trumpets the importance of STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — programs for all students, convinced that science and math disciplines aren't, as she puts it, "just for brainiacs. " The school's science department chair said her convictions were bolstered by her work on a research project during a recent fellowship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Foster was one of just 20 teachers nationwide selected to work with a team of scientists in a fellowship that offers practical applications for STEM instruction.

As far as you can get from Florida and still be in the continental United States, another election recount will begin next week: Washington state's Senate race, decided yesterday when the remaining absentee ballots put Democratic challenger Maria Cantwell over the top, will go to an automatic recount as state law requires in all close contests. But don't expect any Florida- esque turmoil from these quintessentially mellow Westerners, who by a 1,953-vote margin ousted longtime Sen. Slade Gorton in favor of Cantwell, a dot-com millionaire.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Coppin State rallied from an 11-point deficit late in the second half but came up short, losing, 57-55, to Washington State in the first round of the San Juan Shootout yesterday.Stephen Stewart hit one of two free throws with 1:49 remaining to cap a 10-2 Coppin run, cutting Washington State's lead to 55-52. Isaac Fontaine hit a free throw with 11 seconds left and Mark Hendrickson added another to put the Cougars up, 57-52.Sidney Goodman's three-pointer with three seconds left cut it to 57-55, but Washington State's Tony Harris ran out the clock.

Alan Cox Position: Punter College: Washington State Who he is: This rookie free agent was a two-year standout at Washington State after transferring from Snow (Utah) Junior College. He compiled 2,628 yards on 64 punts and averaged 41.1 yards a punt as a senior. His longest punt was 62 yards, and he kicked 15 inside the 20-yard line. He also had seven punts of 50 yards or longer as a junior. Favorite football moment: "When I was at Washington State, we were at the Sun Bowl and playing Purdue just this last winter, and I got the opportunity to pick up the snap and run the ball and pick up a first down.

Initiative campaigns are as close as this country gets to direct democracy. That lends special interest to the game of analyzing the results, especially when the ballot questions center on controversial issues like those facing Washington state voters earlier this week. Two of those measures -- strict term limits on elected officials and a measure that would, for the first time, legalize a physician's active assistance in dying -- were sharp challenges to the status quo in politics and health care.

An explosive cover story in this week's Sports Illustrated details how former NFL agent Josh Luchs paid more than 30 players during their college careers from 1990-96 in an attempt to sign them as clients. Luchs names dozens of NFL players he paid off, lists a few who refused his money and details the tactics used by agents both dirty and clean. Luchs claims he paid Ryan Leaf more than $10,000 his final two seasons at Washington State and paid first-round picks Jamir Miller of UCLA and Chris Mims of Tennessee.

When I saw on SI's Hot Clicks this afternoon that there was a new trick shot video floating out in the blogosphere, I rolled my eyes. Then I squinted to read the summary and saw that the video came from a long snapper, so I had to click the link. It was worth it. Kudos to Washington State long snapper Zach Enyeart for having a sense of humor about his oft-overlooked role and putting together a pretty entertaining trick shot video. It also helps that the soundtrack is "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant and that Enyeart seems legitimately stoked after every successful snap.

The Orioles continue to have interest in recently released first baseman Lyle Overbay, who is expected to make his decision on his next team soon. According to an industry source, the Orioles inquired about Overbay last week while he was still with the Arizona Diamondbacks and have made their interest known again after he was released Monday. Several other teams are reportedly courting the 35-year-old Washington state native, including the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds.

The Rev. William James Lee, the former president of St. Mary's Seminary & University, died of dementia Feb. 19 at St. Martin's Home in Catonsville. He was 89. Born in Wooster, Ohio, he was a graduate of the old St. Charles College in Catonsville and St. Mary's Seminary. He also studied theology at the Catholic University of America, where he received a master's degree and a doctorate in economics. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1946 in Ohio. He joined the Society of St. Sulpice in 1949 and held posts in California, Washington state and the District of Columbia before returning to Baltimore.

SEATTLE — Mike Leach had just gotten the Texas Tech coaching job in 1999 when he and an assistant coach flew from Lubbock down to Odessa to recruit a decorated receiver named Roy Williams. "Amazing-looking kid," said Manny Matsakis, the former assistant. They told him they'd throw the ball all over the place at Texas Tech, and at the end, they told him, "Before we're done, we're going to beat Texas. " Of course, Williams went on to a prolific career at Texas. But on a November night in 2002, Tech beat the Longhorns 42-38, and afterward, Williams met Matsakis at midfield and shook his hand.

Oklahoma State got its statement win. Critics of the Cowboys had questioned whether they were worthy of playing for the national championship. Their 44-10 win over Oklahoma proved they are ready for the big time. LSU's defense is really, really good. Looking disinterested for most of the first half, the Tigers relied on a huge punt return by Tyrann Mathieu, then forced three Georgia turnovers in the second half, including a Morris Claiborne interception return for a touchdown, to cruise to a 42-10 win. The Big Ten title game was a rousing success.

When is OK for you, at a college game, to boo your home team's starting quarterback for the simple act of entering a game? The correct answer is "never," but that didn't stop UCLA's unfaithful Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. Kevin Prince was forced into the thick of the Washington State plot only because starter Richard Brehaut broke his leg. Prince, last ridiculed after three first-quarter interceptions against Texas, was greeted with derision before even being allowed the chance to throw another pick — which he quickly did. The song, remember, says be true to "your" school.

When I saw on SI's Hot Clicks this afternoon that there was a new trick shot video floating out in the blogosphere, I rolled my eyes. Then I squinted to read the summary and saw that the video came from a long snapper, so I had to click the link. It was worth it. Kudos to Washington State long snapper Zach Enyeart for having a sense of humor about his oft-overlooked role and putting together a pretty entertaining trick shot video. It also helps that the soundtrack is "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant and that Enyeart seems legitimately stoked after every successful snap.

WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor temporarily stopped doctors in Washington state yesterday from helping any terminally ill patients there end their lives by suicide.In a brief order, O'Connor blocked a federal appeals court ruling from taking effect last night. Without the justice's action, the lower court's decision would have immediately nullified a Washington state law that makes "assisted suicide" a crime.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in March, by an 8-3 vote, that patients who are so ill that they will not recover have a constitutional right, if they are mentally competent, "to hasten their own deaths" with the aid of a doctor.

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court declined yesterday to hear cases from New York and Washington state on whether states violate the federal Voting Rights Act when they refuse to let felons vote. But with 48 states, all except Maine and Vermont, disenfranchising millions of people who have been convicted of crimes, the issue remains alive in the lower courts, and the justices' action did not rule out accepting a future case. The Voting Rights Act prohibits states from applying any "voting qualification or prerequisite" in a manner that has a racially discriminatory effect.

Well, that was a weird week. Eighteen of the teams in last week's rankings suffered at least one loss. Records through Sunday (last week's ranking) 1. Ohio State 22-0 (1): The Buckeyes squeaked by Northwestern to remain on top. 2. Kansas 20-1 (6): Fans rallied behind forward Thomas Robinson, grieving the death of his mother. 3. Texas 18-3 (8): The Longhorns are playing more consistently than anyone right now. 4. Pittsburgh 20-2 (2): The Panthers got burned by Notre Dame, then almost lost to Rutgers.

Hey, it really wasn't that hard: Auburn beat South Carolina, which beat Alabama. So Auburn is No. 8 this week, followed by South Carolina and Alabama. Oregon State defeated Arizona, so it moves ahead of 'Zona, which stays ahead of Iowa. OK, time for lunch. Boise State, our No. 1 since Day 1, could be No. 1 in Sunday's first Bowl Championship Series standings, which at least temporarily would halt the hate mail to my Idaho in-box. Note to 'Bama fans bemoaning steep drop to No. 10: In 2003, LSU rallied from No. 12 in the first BCS standings to win the national title.