CBD Journal with Tommy Richards (Washington State)

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By: Tommy Richards
Learning the Terminology

Stater code number one: The Staters are bigger than yourself. Staters are the group of dudes that come together collectively in the town of Pullman, Washington, determined to master whatever is thrown their way. We take pride in this name; thirty-five of us as one.

In order to get an inside look at the baseball team at Washington State University, one has to know the language we use. The way we communicate with each other is just another defining characteristic of how we go about our business.

Being a stater tops the list, as we are in constant pursuit of doing the name justice.

From the top, we have the universal “no money”sign, which started as our last shoulder stretch and made its way into a frontline of our symbolic gestures. Hit a double? Give the dugout the no money, just so the other guys know they got smacked by a blue-collar team with something to prove.

Snake is the commonly used adjective to describe someone looking to get something that isn’t theirs. Take six hacks in a round of five, we got a snake. Hit the pitcher’s rhythm and swipe third…snake.

There is something special about Pullman, Washington, and all of the athletes on this campus couldn’t agree more. All of us here in the athletic department think we’ve got the best gig of anyone on campus, that we experience things just a little better than the average muggle (i.e., any student outside of the athletic department—the term originated from the Harry Potter series and is used to describe people who do not have the wizardry powers). Bohler Athletic Department or Hogwarts School of Witchcraft? I like where I’m at.

Swag: Something that all staters commit to. If you don’t know what that is, come watch a game.

The clubhouse is the off-campus home of the Cougs. Four of us teammates live here and have turned the place over to the rest of our family for any of their needs; it’s currently infested with mice, but that is a work in progress. This term is going to be drastically changed for the squad next year, as a luxurious clubhouse is under the works at the field, but for now, it is our place.

Peter is the team dog that is on watch over the clubhouse (don’t tell our landlord), and probably on attack against some mice as we speak. He has the shortest memory of any of the staters and somehow gets the most girls, too.

We have a strict Coug-ish rule that some of the newcomers have a hard time adjusting to. Coug-ish is any piece of Cougar apparel that was issued to the team and can pile up quickly. The rule is that at no point can anyone be wearing three pieces of Coug-ish at a single time (and yes, the backpack does count as one); staters shouldn’t have to tell people they are on the baseball team.

And finally, the Sheriff. When you hear this term, you have to know that we are talking about our guy Stetson Olsen. That’s right, Stetson—like the cowboy hat. The Sheriff is straight out of a John Wayne western, though his red hair makes it hard for his sensitive skin to leather up, but I see it happening in the near future.

Now, let’s talk more about the future of this blog. My plan is to gather input from the fellas on the team and see if there is anything they would like me to share. This could get pretty redundant if I take an hour out of my week and simply spit out a journal entry. I will organize their thoughts and allow them a look over (to see if they want any changes made), and we’ll move on from there.

Personally, I have never been a big blog guy; don’t see the need for any unwanted self-disclosure. However, I saw this as an exciting opportunity and swallowed my pride to head this up. I won’t be posting it on my Facebook, nor will I give in and create a Twitter account.

That being said, whoever stumbles across this, I hope it keeps you coming back as we journey through this new season together.

Cute salutation…doubtful.

Tommy Richards