February 2021 TAC Minutes - TAC Minutes Serving Tacoma and Pierce County Since 1942 - Tacoma Athletic Commission

TAC Minutes
                          Serving Tacoma and Pierce County Since 1942

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     February 2021 TAC Minutes
       Twenty-seven members of the TAC and their guest joined the
       Zoom Meeting on Thursday, February 11, 2021. After a brief
       introduction from President Jim Merritt, Gary Larson, Lakes
       Athletic Director and new member of the TAC led us in the
       pledge of allegiance.    After a few short sports stories from
       Frank Colarusso and Joe Kaiser, Marc Blau introduced Bill
       Krueger to speak. Bill entertained members for 40 minutes with
       stories about his career, the state of Major League Baseball,
       the Mariners, and how Major League baseball has changed the
       baseball over the years.

President Jim Merritt opened the meeting
with a greeting on a snowy day in Tacoma.
The School Connector banner hung on his
wall as new Member Gary Larson, Athletic
Director from Lakes High School, led the
group in the pledge of allegiance. Gary spoke
briefly about his background and the
challenges to getting fall sports started in
February. Several past T.A.C. presidents were
in attendance at the meeting. Wayne
Thronson 1979; Aaron Pointer, 1987; Willie
Stewart 1989; Tony Anderson 2002, 2003,
2004, and Sandy Snider 2019, 20 introduced
themselves. New member Frank Dacca
introduced himself. He said, "He and Jim are
almost brothers," Frank had a long career in
Pierce County as an attorney and judge.

Jim finished the committee reports by thanking Pat Garlock for stepping
up to chair the Membership Committee. He will organize the committee to
help us regrow the T.A.C. membership. The second committee is the
School Connector committee chaired by Aaron Roetcisoender. Aaron's
committee will connect T.A.C. members to individual schools. The goal is
to get information to schools about the Athlete of the Year program and
all programs run and sponsored by the T.A.C. Sandy Snider agreed to be
the invited committee chair. She will work to fill the vice-president's
position that are opened.

The Executive Committee plans to establish an online directory through
an organizational software program. The information will be password
protected, and every member would have login capabilities. The
newsletter and other information of the organization will be under the
umbrella of the software program. The goal is to improve the flow of work
for the Executive Secretary and to vastly improve the current
communication model.

  Next TAC Regular Meeting is on Thursday, March 11, 2021 @ Noon

              Marc Blau secured Eric Nusbaum to Speak

Marc Blau introduced Bill Krueger
Marc Blau introduced Bill Krueger. Marc reported that the broadcast Frank
described in Japanese is on the Clay Huntington website through the
Sports Museum. Marc said this is Bill's third time speaking at the T.A.C.
Bill's connection to Tacoma goes back to 1971 when his Colt League team
played in a tournament Sprinker. Bill returned to Tacoma with the Tigers
for a small part of the 1984, 1985, and 1986 seasons. In "84," he played
with Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire in "85," and Walt Weiss in "86. In 1995
he played with the Rainiers briefly. Alex Rodriquez played for the Rainiers
that year, and Ken Griffey Jr. did a one-game rehab appearance in
Tacoma. Bill's impressive major league record was 68 wins and 66 losses.
Most know Bill today for his outstanding analysis on Root sports for the
Mariners.

Bill said he was proud to pitch for both the Tigers and the Rainiers. He
loved pitching at Cheney Stadium. It was a pitcher-friendly park, and the
mound was always in excellent condition, unlike Albuquerque, where the
small stadium was a hitter's dream. Bill said. "We are on the cusp of
baseball starting." Last year, MLB played 60 games. It was a truncated
season, but the shortened scheduled got the cream to rise to the top.
Baseball is excellent entertainment, but without fans in the stands, it was
not the same. Baseball is heading spring training, but no one knows when
games will start. Owners want to play 154 games, and they will pay the
players for 162 games. They want to hold the start of the season for a few
weeks with the current infection cases in Florida and Arizona high. They
hope by delaying it will give them a better chance of completing the
season with fans in the stands. The owners offered an expanded playoff
format and universal "D.H." The Player’s Association responded simply
with an unqualified "No." We know there will be a 26-player roster and 17
doubleheaders if needed. Players Association doesn't want to give any
chips away since they will be negotiating a new contract in a year. Bill
believes that inner league play has not been good for baseball.

When you have the magic of two independent leagues with no inner
league play, the World Series was more exciting. Bill was a position player
before he became a pitcher. He loved to hit. Today, if a kid has a great
arm, they take the bat out of his hands at an early age. Today, pitchers
can't hit, so the universal "D.H." will become permanent. It will expand
the rosters to 26. The playoffs should be either 16 or 14 teams. Fourteen
teams should eliminate a team playing less than .500, and they need to
make it harder for the wild-card teams to advance.

More Krueger

Bill said he is a terrible traditionalist. Bill spoke about Major League baseball
deadening the ball. Bill worked for a company that developed a pitching
machine that could throw accurate pitches every time in the batting cage.
The funny thing was that Major League baseballs were not accurate enough
to use in the device. They had to go to Baden sports to make a ball with
tighter tolerances. Major league baseball tells you they have a legal
description for a baseball, but there is considerable leeway in baseball
construction. There are various factors made in making a baseball –
diameter, weight, height of seam – they have been tapping into this for a
long time. They make the baseballs in the jungles of Haiti or Panama and not
in a glass building in St. Louis. According to Bill, "They have been monkeying
with the baseballs for years." Last few years, the baseballs had no seams.
Now they will be adding and raising the seams. They want to "retard” the
all-or-nothing baseball we have been watching for the past few years. Bill
believes this will be good for baseball. In recent years, pitchers are taught
to throw high in the strike zone. What you get is a strikeout, strikeout, home
run, and walk. The purity of baseball of hitting to opposite fields, hitting line
drives, and sacrificing a batter to move a runner to the next base is almost
gone. Earlier in Bill's career, when he was with the Dodgers, Sandy Koufax
took him aside and told me that to be a successful pitcher in Major Leagues,
he had to learn how to pitch low and away. Bill said, "We are not getting
enough balls into play. Batters learn to get stronger and to change their
launch angles." The result means more home runs and more strikeouts.
Currently, Clubs pay for home runs. With the deadening of the ball, they will
need to pay for all fields hitting. Bill is hopeful that the changes will force
baseball leadership to focus on what has made baseball great over the
years. When asked who his favorite manager to play for and Bill responded,
Tom Kelly. Kelly coached the Minnasota Twins to two World Series
Championships.

Bill spent 15 minutes talking about the upcoming Mariners season. The
Mariners have some young and talented players who are a few years away
from being outstanding players. He predicts the Astros to win the Western
division and the Mariners to finish fourth.

I am working on the audio portion of Bill’s talk, but I am running into some
technical issues.

                                       Guest

Pat Garlock,Membership Committee Chair introduced Tom Glasgow, Gaylen Masters and
Herb Taylor as guest.

Committee Reports and other News
Willie Stewart gave a brief update on the Athlete of the Year Committee. Willie chairs the
14-person committee. The committee's mission is to choose the best Athlete of the year for
each season in every W.I.A.A. sponsored sport. The first official contests take place this
weekend. A unique thing happened this weekend with Gig Harbor and Peninsula High
Schools. They are 3A schools, but because of travel and safety concerns with COVID, they
will play a 4A schedule this year. Willie asked Gary Larson, Athletic Director, to discuss
some of the required precautions for students to return to play. Gary reported the South
Puget Sound League decided not to have any fans. Schools will follow a 200-person cap rule
per football game, including officials, chain gang, clock operator, media, etc. Home teams
get 120 attendees and visiting teams 80. Lakes played Mount Tahoma on Friday night,
where both teams must provide a roster in advance. Everyone attending the game had to
check-in and have their temperature taken. All screenings occur before Lakes departs
from the bus. Athletes and coaches will be checked at the game. If your name is not on the
list, you don't get to enter. Locker rooms will not be used, and the sanitization of the ball
and other equipment will occur on almost every play. Athletes will wear masks that touch
the Athlete's nose and mouth.

Marc Blau updated the group that the Tribute to Champions was going to be on May 10.
Recently, Marc sent a survey to the 125 inductees to determine if the May 10 date still
worked. Marc reported that the Tribute to Champions would be moved to August 9 or
August 23. The prevailing opinion is that if May 10 date was used, only about 200 guests
could attend because restrictions and inductees felt the August date provided more time
for people to get vaccinated. Also, travel would be safer. Currently, 750 tickets have been
sold. If things don't improve by August, then the event will probably be held virtually. No
one wants to do it virtually.

Marc explained that officials at games have to follow some exciting processes. Referees
must wear masks; there is no coin flip and no changing of sides in volleyball.

Marc finished by encouraging everyone to go to the Clay Huntington Broadcast Center to
listen to some of Bill Swartz's broadcast and to read his bio. Tom Glasgow, who attended
the meeting on Thursday, has some clips from his broadcast in the Huntington Center. Bill
was the speaker from last month.

Thanks to Mark Mininger, who secured Bill Swartz as our January guest speaker, it
allowed many of us to learn so much, perhaps more about his fine broadcasting career than
we knew. It was pretty evident, following his appearance, he belonged in the Clay
Huntington Broadcast Center along with the other many outstanding broadcasters in our
community's history.

Thanks to Gary Brooks for preparing an excellent biographical profile about Bill and
thanks to Bill himself for selecting some outstanding broadcasts during his career, we
invite you to check out our most recent addition to the Sports Museum's Broadcast Centre
—Bill Swartz.

https://www.db.tacomasportsmuseum.com/hall-of-fame-detail.php?id=812

Sports Stories
Before Bill Kreuger spoke Frank Colarusso and Joe Kaiser told a sports story. Frank
told a story about a day at Cheney Stadium. Bob Robertson allowed Don Hill to
announce an inning. Bob was outside the radio booth while Don announced the
entire inning in Japanese. Bob, a mild manner man, was livid. When the inning
ended, Bob charged the booth, Ron Zolo turned to Frank and said, "Be a good sport
always, and always be a good sport." There was great laughter after this story

Joe Kaiser from the Bay area and a graduate from Curtis spoke. He is a Husky and
works for ESPN. Joe never coached in Tacoma, but he remembers the South Puget
Sound League fondly. Joe grew up near Sparks stadium. When he was seven years
old, his family lived between Puyallup High School and Sparks Stadium. The
Puyallup players, including Billy Joe Holbert, walk through his yard to get to practice.
The purple helmets streaming through his yard made him a sports fan for life.

Tony Anderson shared a story about a youth baseball team he took to Japan in 2009.
Tony had a player from Bellarmine who was a good solid player but a great team
ambassador. During game one, he was 4 for 5. After three games, he was 14 out of
15. Best tournament ever. The Japanese players, especially the pitchers, were great.
In Japan, they play baseball year-round.

Dave Lawson gave a short story about Bill Kreuger and playing basketball in
Bellevue.

Eric Nusbaum to Speak in March. His book Stealing Home with be the focus
                              off his talk.

                                Recent Twitter Post

                                There was a time when the Pacific Coast League
                                was being considered as a possible third major
                                league to join the NL and AL. Ted Williams, the
                                DiMaggios. The Hollywood Stars. Sunday
                                doubleheaders. So much great history. Now it's
                                gone. What a sad day for baseball.

  The TAC Executive Committee thanks all
    members for their great support of the
      organization during the pandemic.

                    Thank you!!!!

TNT Articles on High School sports
          What’s high school football look like during a pandemic? Gig Harbor, Curtis offer first glimpse

BY JON MANLEY

For the first time in over 400 days, high school football teams in the South Sound
faced off against players from other schools on Friday.

Most of the exhibition games around the area were cancelled Friday because of snow,
but a few still took place, including Curtis playing Gig Harbor High School in a
jamboree game at Roy Anderson Field late afternoon.

There they were: The Vikings and the Tides competing with each other on a snow-covered
field, kicking off the season in the middle of February. Completely normal.

“It feels great to be back out here,” said Gig Harbor defensive end Jake Jennings. “We
miss our fans. But just being out here with the team, playing against an opponent is
really great. I feel like a kid again. … Playing in the snow, we all loved it. It was
snowing yesterday for the first time, when we had practice. It was actually like a
dream for us. We’ve always imagined playing in the snow, pretending we’re in the NFL.
So it kind of felt like that a little bit.”

The snow wasn’t the only major change from a normal season. While an end is in sight
for the coronavirus pandemic, we’re not out of the woods just yet. Players, coaches
and everyone in attendance had to abide by mandatory COVID-19 precautionary measures
before, during and after the contest.

Everyone in the stadium had to wear a mask at all times. Players wore masks inside
their helmets, and weren’t permitted to take their helmets off. No fans were allowed
inside the stadium. When players were on the sideline, they had to be spaced at least
two yards apart.

When the Curtis team arrived at the field on buses, they got dressed into their game
uniforms and pads on the sideline, distanced from each other. Locker rooms were closed
to the teams, as they will be all season. It took Curtis freshman quarterback Rocco
Coch back to his youth football days.

“It’s just like being little kids again, just being out here,” he said. “There’s no
locker room. You’re just getting ready on the spot. … It’s great. Just being back with
all the teammates, it’s fun. It was my first varsity game, so I was excited and a
little nervous. But it was good.”

Gig Harbor coach George Fairhart said the players have taken the guidelines in
stride.

“That’s what we have to do,” he said. “We’ve been flexible, we adapt, we adjust.
Every time there’s a chance, we say, that’s what we have to do to play and we do it.
So we’ve been very flexible and adaptable and we’ll continue to do that, because
there’s probably more changes coming.”

As for the game itself, each varsity offense had a set number of plays, starting at
the 50-yard line and advancing as far as possible. Gig Harbor scored three
touchdowns, and kept Curtis out of the end zone. But score wasn’t kept. There were no
kickoffs or punts. Some players who were slightly banged up, but otherwise would have
made a go of it on a normal game night, sat out. The game didn’t count in the
standings, but the players were just happy to be back competing again, jumping around
and celebrating with teammates after big plays.

“They just want to play,” Fairhart said. “They want to play so much. They had fun
with their friends. They don’t even get to see people, besides football right now.
We’re still in remote school. So it’s a good social thing for the kids. I still think
football is educational, there’s a lot of value of learning to work together and
things like that. It’s mental and emotional health, they get to be with their peers,
interact and play. It’s all good.”

Jennings said they take the precautions seriously. They’re not just going through the
motions.

“Obviously, things that are going on are pretty serious,” he said. “I’m just happy we
get to play. Our team will do anything to stay safe for our community. I’m very happy
that our community trusts us to play and trusts that we’ll be safe.”

After the game, players from both teams lined up across the field from each other, at
least 20 yards apart. In lieu of a customary post-game handshake line, they all waved
to each other. Call it a COVID-19 “good game.”

Next Friday, games will count for real. When the lights come on, the small annoyances
of taking precautions will be the last thing on anyone’s mind. Because after so long
waiting on the sidelines, everyone will be ready to get this show on the road.

“At first, (the precautions are) difficult,” Jennings said. “You just man up to it
and get through it, just focus on the game and it disappears.”

 Please Volunteer to Support the TAC. The organization needs a first and
 second vice-president. Thank you for considering volunteering for these
                          important positions.

High school football season preview: 3A Pierce County League

High school sports have returned, with traditional fall sports now underway in February. The News
Tribune is previewing different high school football leagues around the area as games approach.
Various leagues in the South Sound are holding jamboree games beginning Friday, Feb. 12. For most
leagues in the area, official league games begin Friday, Feb. 19. Up first in the preview series: The
Class 3A Pierce County League.

3A PIERCE COUNTY LEAGUE

WHO’S THE FAVORITE?

Lincoln, which won the league in 2019 and advanced all the way to the Class 3A state semifinal
game, becoming the first Tacoma Public School to reach that stage since the Marcus Trufant-led
Wilson Rams in 1998. The Abes lose highly-touted recruit Julien Simon (enrolling early at USC), as
well as quarterback Caden Filer and running back Abner Sio-Fetaui to graduation.

But Lincoln is reloading with plenty of young talent, including sophomore quarterback Gabarri
Johnson, who already holds multiple Power Five offers, despite not having started a game at
quarterback at the high school level. 6-foot-5 sophomore defensive end Jayden Wayne is already a
national recruit and junior tight end Chance Bogan, who transferred from Wilson, is a UW commit.
Lincoln also has strong line play on both sides of the ball. 6-foot-5, 340-pound sophomore tackle
Tapuloa Tusi already has a Florida Atlantic offer. Junior Tuaoa Tauiliili was a first-team all-league
selection on the defensive line in 2019. Expect a reload, not a rebuild.

COULD ANYONE BE A SURPRISE CONTENDER?

It’d be hard to call Lakes a surprise contender, considering the Lancers just won the 3A PCL title in
2018. Longtime Lakes coach Dave Miller consistently has his teams in the Top 10 in the state. But
Lincoln came away with a 42-21 win over Lakes in 2019and are again the favorite this season. Junior
Devon Nofoa-Masoe, Lakes’ most dynamic, versatile player and a member of The News Tribune’s
2019 All-Area team, tore his ACL in the offseason and will miss the season. Still, there’s plenty to like
on this roster. Senior quarterback Justin Brennan has a year of starting experience under his belt,
and senior Jaedon Hall figures to be one of the area’s top two-way players this season at receiver and
safety. 6-foot-4, 320-pound junior offensive tackle Jorden Manu could be the next big recruit from
Lakes.

Could Spanaway Lake make a run at the league title? With Bethel gone to the 4A SPSL, the pecking
order is less clear in the PCL. The Sentinels have some talent: Sophomore corner Jasiah Wagoner has
multiple Pac-12 offers and junior safety KeeKee McQueen is another dynamic player. But Spanaway
Lake went 0-3 last season against the league’s top teams in Lincoln, Lakes and Bethel. If Spanaway
Lake is going to be a contender, the Sentinels will have to prove it.

Puget Sound Football

TACOMA, Washington – It wasn't pretty, but it was worth the wait. The Puget Sound football
team beat Pacific Lutheran, 28-20, in the Loggers' first game of the 2020-21 year Saturday
afternoon.
The Loggers (1-0, 1-0 NWC) committed four turnovers, but Duncan Varela helped carry Puget
Sound to victory. The senior running back reached the end zone three times – twice on the
ground and once on a reception. In all, Varela ran for 132 yards on 35 carries.
Jack Bonicatto led all players in receiving yards with 108 on six catches, and Murdock
Rutledge threw for 214 yards.
Varela's first touchdown was a nine-yard catch to the left side, tying the game 7-7 late in the
second quarter. The Lutes (0-1, 0-1 NWC) answered back just two minutes later and took a
14-7 lead into halftime.
Puget Sound looked like a different football team in the second half. The Loggers' opening
drive in the third quarter went 83 yards in 15 plays and took nearly eight minutes off the clock.
The outstanding drive concluded with a two-yard rushing score by Varela.
Silas Washington's one-yard touchdown score gave the Loggers a 21-14 lead early in the
fourth quarter. An 11-yard completion to Bonicatto on fourth down was a crucial play leading
up to the go-ahead score.
With just over one minute left in the game, Varela punched in his third touchdown from five
yards out. Puget Sound has now won three consecutive games against Pacific Lutheran.
Dating back to the 2019 season, the Loggers have won seven consecutive home games.
Puget Sound's season is scheduled to continue at Whitworth Saturday, Feb. 13.

SPOKANE, Washington – Duncan Varela continued to run well, and Anthony Ball hauled in a
45-yard touchdown reception, but the Puget Sound football team lost at Whitworth, 53-6,
Saturday afternoon.
Varela, last week's Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week for offense, made the
best of his 10 carries against Whitworth by totaling 59 yards. In the Loggers' 28-20 win over
Pacific Lutheran last week, Varela ran for 132 yards.
Ezekiel Sayavong was relentless on the defensive line, accounting for all three of Puget
Sound's sacks. As a team, Whitworth recorded only two sacks.
Puget Sound's lone score of the game against the Pirates came in the third quarter. The
seventh play of Puget Sound's touchdown drive was a 45-yard bomb from Murdock Rutledge
to Ball.
Puget Sound nearly scored late in the first quarter. Austin Knight caught 50-yard pass from
Rutledge, but at Whiworth's three-yard line a Pirates defender forced the ball loose into the
end zone for a touchback.
Puget Sound has a bye next week before playing at Pacific Lutheran, Feb. 27.

Pacific Lutheran Spotlight
TACOMA, Wash. - Pacific Lutheran University football student-athlete Chase Rhinelander has made and
           impact on the program since he first set foot on campus four years ago.

            The six-man blocking sled is a piece of equipment used by football
teams to practice both offensive and defensive blocking. During a drill in his
freshman year, Rhinelander broke the sled.

              A Kuliouou, Hawaii native, Rhinelander's favorite memory from his time
in PLU football is also from his freshman season. The Lutes played George Fox
University, a nationally ranked team, and held them to three points in a 13-3 road
win in Newberg.

            "The energy of that game was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It
was so much fun," Rhinelander said.

            Throughout the following seasons, Rhinelander grew close to his
teammates and coaches. He is grateful for the bonds created and lessons learned
through PLU football. Rhinelander considers himself privileged to have had coaches
that supported him both on and off the field and believed in his ability to be
successful.

             "The coaches always stress the importance of professional and personal
development which I truly appreciated. Everything from how we treat people to how
to be responsible for your own actions and being a representative of a group larger
than yourself," Rhinelander said. "I also believe that athletics has taught me how to
deal with adversity and to be an advocate for positive change."

              On the gridiron, Rhinelander has racked up 77 tackles in his career,
including 5.5 TFLs, and three forced fumbles.

             "Chase is one of those teammates that everyone gravitates towards
because he's so compassionate and puts everyone else first," said Head Coach Brant
McAdams.

             "He holds very high expectations for himself and the team around him
and amidst all of the serious moments, you'll most definitely get a smile. His
influence helps the people around him get the work done while having fun."

              Rhinelander was also a member of the Hawaii club and the Fellowship
for Christian Athletes. When not at practice Rhinelander enjoyed going on adventures
with his teammates, including a memorable road trip to Canada.

             Rhinelander will graduate with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology
and minors in Biology and Business. He plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical or
Counseling Psychology or a PsyD in Clinical Psychology. Rhinelander hopes to one
day operate a therapy practice back home in Hawaii working with youth and
adolescents.

NWAC Grants Waiver for the 2020-21 Year
The Executive Board of the Northwest Athletic Conference recently
approved a blanket eligibility waiver for 2020-2021. The decision
means that students will not be charged a year of eligibility,
regardless of whether they participate in their sport this year, or
not. Read the entire story from the NWAC here.

"With the uncertainty of whether sports will be allowed to move
forward at Pierce, and across the NWAC, knowing our students will
not lose a year of athletic eligibility helps to relieve a bit of the
concern regarding our current national and global situation with the
COVID-19 pandemic," stated Raider Athletic Director, Duncan
Stevenson. "Our hope is that conditions in Pierce County, and
across the state, improve to the point we can safely return our
students to practice activities in January, and begin preparing for
the Winter/Spring 2021 NWAC sports seasons."