Bad Dogs

Deadspin linked to this series of articles in the Seattle Times detailing the litany of felonies committed by the 2000 UW football team. Normally, I wouldn't read a four part series about anything that goes on at the University of Washington, but this is the team that trounced my alma matter in the 2001 Rose Bowl in front of my very eyes, so I figured I'd check it out. I thought I was cynical enough that another story about athletes behaving badly and getting special treatment from the authorities wouldn't surprise me, but these stories are something else. I don't know if I should feel worse that Purdue lost to these reprobates, or if I can at least take some pride in the fact that Purdue didn't have to stoop to such a low level to make it to the Rose Bowl (at least, until the West Lafayette Journal and Courier uncovers evidence that Drew Brees killed a hooker in his dorm room).

I must say that although at least some of the UW players were severely lacking in class and basic human decency, it didn't seem to extend to their fans. I traveled to and from the Rose Bowl that year from my base camp in Long Beach using only my legs and southern California public transit, believe it or not. I was riding a long-distance city bus from Pasadena into downtown LA after the game and it was one of most pleasant bus rides I've ever had. Most of the people on the bus were Purdue and UW fans coming back from the game, but the mood was very civil. I wound up chatting with some UW fans who were sitting near me. Meanwhile, the driver was giving everyone a free tour of LA, pointing out which movies were filmed in front of various sites as we made our way towards downtown.