Since it’s never too early for most fans to be thinking about the next Grizzly football season, I’m a little surprised there hasn’t been a certain amount of whining about Montana’s season-opening opponent, Western State of Colorado.

I can remember back in the Don Read days when people would have a cow about some of the “weak sisters” the professor would put at the beginning of his schedule. Most didn’t buy his argument that lesser opponents gave players lower on the depth chart the opportunity to see some action and be truly evaluated by their coaches.

Granted, there are always a huge number of fans who go to watch the Grizzlies play, not the opponent. But over the years there have been empty seats at some Griz football games, and they’re not all due to hunting season.

Some people have opted to take a “weak” off from the parking and traffic hassles to do whatever.

I’ve always maintained that playing a so-called lesser opponent is good for both teams.

It does provide a chance for more Griz players to get real game experience and get rid of whatever butterflies they may have.

And it gives schools like Western State a chance to “play up,” and especially to bathe in the atmosphere that is Grizzly home football.

Maybe as the opening date of Sept. 5 draws closer some grumbling will occur. And since the game will be part of Labor Day weekend, a larger number of empty seats could be evident.

Hopefully those who choose not to come will give their tickets to people who don’t get a chance to see Griz football very often, if at all.

But the true diehards will be there, and there are plenty of those to give Western State a true taste.

- Bill Schwanke

Now that outdoor track season basically is over for the University of Montana – a few Griz athletes are heading for Oklahoma for NCAA regional competition – it’s not too early to start looking at the future of the program.

Brian Schweyen was hired as director of track on an interim basis for this school year, and Courtney Babcock came on board to coach the team’s distance runners.

From all appearances the setup worked pretty smoothly, although the training regimen Babcock exposed the runners to might have been a bit of a shock to some, from what I hear.

One source told me that Schweyen, at least, would like to stay on. But because the job search conducted a year ago to replace long-time coach Tom Raunig failed to result in a true hire, it sounds as though that search either will have to resume or be started anew.

Now that Schweyen and Babcock have had a taste of working with each other, along with assistants Adam Bork and Harry Clark, it seems like one of those “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” things.

Unfortunately, because of hiring rules, it doesn’t appear that the status quo can simply be maintained. It seems likely that another search is in the offing.

If I remember correctly, there was one requirement in the job description about five years of college coaching experience. “Required” always makes me nervous because it seems that some qualified candidates could be out there who don’t meet that requirement but might very well have the ability to lead the program.

I always liked “preferred” in job description language because it doesn’t shut such people out and gives the search committee a little more flexibility.

At any rate, it will be interesting to see what transpires. The athletes need to know who their coaches will be as do recruits who have signed to attend UM starting in the fall.

If there is a way to maintain the status quo, I say go for it. If not, let’s hope the powers that be can bring a successful conclusion to the next search without taking too much time to do it.

- Bill Schwanke

I hate to argue with our sports editor, Bob Meseroll, because he’s always right.

This whole business of having different tournament formats for Big Sky Conference men’s and women’s basketball is troubling to me.

I can sort of understand the economics of it.

Women’s basketball still doesn’t draw as well as men’s, so it makes little difference if the top six go to one site for the tournament and no one shows up for the Thursday night games. They probably wouldn’t show up if the first-round games were at home sites anyway.

At least the men have some chance of drawing a crowd for those games.

But I’ve got to believe that, if the top six men’s team gathered at the home court of the regular season champ, a Thursday night crowd would be better than it currently is for the women. Presuming that more fans would mean more revenue, and realizing that the Big Sky is taking cost-cutting measures, it almost seems like it would make more sense to have six men’s teams at one site than six women’s.

If they played first-round women’s games at home sites, the schools hosting those games would generate at least some revenue rather than having to shell out more bucks for last-minute travel, staying overnight, etc. They could share some of that with the schools that come to town for the home-site games.

When the Grizzlies hosted Montana State in a quarterfinal men’s tournament game in March the crowd was decent. But who’s to say that wasn’t based more on the fact that it was against the Bobcats than on the lure of tournament play.

I guess it just gravels me that the men and women don’t play by the same rules. And that Bob’s probably right again.

Shoot, it’s probably not that big a deal. What do you think?

- Bill Schwanke

Montana Bockman died last week.

Known as Tana to his many friends and his family, Bockman played football for the Montana Grizzlies from 1956 to 1958, when Montana was in the Skyline Conference and freshman weren’t eligible to play varsity ball.

Bockman had been ill for some time. When I saw him with his wife, Carlene, at this year’s Grizzly spring game in Corvallis, he was in a wheelchair, but, as usual, seemed quite upbeat. The two of them have been mainstays in the Grizzly Scholarship Association Mission Valley Chapter from the start.

If you want to try to find something about Tana in the Griz record books, don’t bother, because he was a lineman.

Grizzly teams the three years he played were in the Skyline Conference and had three wins and 26 losses going up against the likes of Utah, Denver, Utah State, BYU, Colorado State, Wyoming and New Mexico. Nonconference foes those three years were Arizona, Idaho, San Diego and Montana State.

They lost three times to the Bobcats by a combined score of 75-32.

It was a big deal when they stunned BYU 21-13 for their only win in 1956, and took back-to-back wins over Utah State and New Mexico in 1957 between four- and three-game losing streaks.

The “star” of those ‘56-’58 teams was guard-linebacker Stan “The Ram” Renning, who earned All-American recognition despite playing on a team with just three wins in three seasons.

Like so many of his teammates in those days, Bockman was smaller than many of the linemen he played against, and the Grizzly roster was much smaller in number than those of most of their opponents.

And like so many of his teammates, Tana was just plain tough.

I remember watching Grizzly football during the 50s when the team made the transition from the Pacific Coast Conference to the Skyline. I never missed a game, even though the outcome was seldom in doubt.

Despite the fact that they seldom won, they were my heroes. Looking back now, I think that was partly because I appreciated their toughness, how they handled playing against the odds. I think it’s the reason I still tend to root for the underdog.

We even made some road games. I can recall a trip to Denver when my brother and I got to stand on the sidelines, probably in 1956. The Grizzlies lost, and a fight broke out between the teams as the game ended. My parents were frantic. Dale and I were just glad to be there and watch our heroes stand up to the enemy.

We got to know some of the players personally, probably because my dad was a charter member of the Century Club, formed in the 50s under the guidance of athletic director Jiggs Dahlberg to try to level the playing field for Grizzly teams.

Another one of the players I admired was lineman Bob McGihon, whose wife was my fourth-grade teacher at Paxson School. I thought both of them were nice, and she was pretty, too.

I still occasionally run into some of the guys who played back in those days, and to a man they talk about the camaraderie and pride Grizzly teams had then, when winning didn’t happen all that often and wasn’t expected like it is today.

I enjoy their stories, but mostly I just enjoy being around them. They remind me of a simpler time long since gone. They’re still my heroes.

One of my favorites was Montana Bockman. The toughness he showed as a football player in the 50s mostly likely helped him when his health started to slip. To the end, he was just plain tough.

Tana, you’ll always have my respect and gratitude for showing me what toughness and true teamwork are all about.

Thanks for the stories, thanks for the example, and thanks for the memories.

- Bill Schwanke

The Big Sky Conference’s switch from Thursday-Saturday games to Friday-Saturday games in men’s and women’s basketball should make things even more interesting this winter. Conditioning and depth will be even more important, especially in Saturday night games.

There’s bound to be a few more upsets on the back end of two-game road swings. Perhaps that will lure a few more fans in places that consistently struggle to fill the seats.

The change was made by league officials as a cost-cutting measure this week. At a time when other Division I schools are dropping programs, it’s nice to see the Big Sky finding other ways to be frugal.

From all appearances the Big Sky Conference track championships held in Missoula a week ago were a smashing success from a logistical point of view.

But what the meet really provided was another example of what an outstanding facility Dornblaser Field is for a large track meet, even without a huge amount of bleacher seating.

The layout, designed largely by benefactor Mark Timmons, allows fans to watch an event like the hammer throw on the infield rather than at some remote site.

Long and triple jump competitions also are convenient spectator events, as is the shot put.

Aesthetically the layout is spectacular. The one thing Dornblaser had going for it during all of its years as a combined football and track stadium was the backdrop of Mt. Sentinel. As a track stadium alone, it still has that blessing.

During the time I was at the meet I heard more than once that the facility never looked nicer. I also overheard one visiting team coach say how well run the meet was, and how outstanding the facility was.

While it’s unfortunate that most of the large high school meets that come to town find their way to Missoula County Stadium next to Big Sky High School, largely because the university was slow to upgrade Dornblaser before Timmons came along, it’s good that the university has an outstanding track facility for its own athletes to compete and train in.

Now all UM needs is an indoor facility to accommodate track and tennis. But that’s another blog.

- Bill Schwanke

The Big Sky Conference is feeling the pinch of a down economy like everything else, and is talking about ways to cut costs.

Eliminating the Football Kickoff in Park City, Utah, was a good move. While the event was a handy way for the media to deal with coaches and selected athletes, it was a bit pricey and not absolutely necessary. Perhaps, if and when things get better, they can reinstate the event in some less costly form.

Dealing with basketball scheduling – making the men and women play their league games on Friday-Saturday instead of Thursday-Saturday – has always made good sense from the standpoint not only of cost savings but less time away from the classroom for athletes.

While the NAU-Sacramento State trip is problematic and would have to remain a Thursday-Saturday thing, the overall concept makes sense in these tough times and, in fact, has always made sense.

They’ve already done it for volleyball. They should do the same for basketball.

I’ve said earlier that I think the men’s basketball league tournament should be the same as the women’s, with the top six teams meeting at the home court of the regular-season champion to determine the league’s reps at the big dance.

I’m not sure how much difference it would make in terms of cost or class time lost. I just think it’s a better format.

Whatever decisions the league makes, its first priority should be the student-athletes with the money issues fitting into the mix as needed.

I wish them luck. It’s not an easy thing.

- Bill Schwanke

It seems that the Big Sky Conference Track and Field Championships at Dornblaser Field over the weekend would have to be deemed a huge success.

But there was something that happened toward the end of the event Saturday that added a special luster to the occasion.

While athletes and fans waited for the presentation of team and individual awards, University of Montana president George Dennison made an appearance following day-long graduation ceremonies on the UM campus.

Dennison took the time to shake the hand of every graduating senior from all nine teams.

To wrap things up, he personally delivered diplomas to graduating seniors from the University of Montana.

It was something I had never seen before at such an event.

It was obvious all of the seniors were impressed, and those from UM who missed the campus ceremonies because of the championships were visibly impressed and pleased.

I don’t know whose idea it was, but it was a great one. It was a rather simple gesture, but one that was truly special.

- Bill Schwanke

University administrators will vote this week on whether to reduce the Big Sky Conference basketball tournaments from six to four teams. Here’s hoping they keep the current format for both the men’s and women’s tournaments. As much as I like covering a six-team tournament under one roof, the current format of having the men’s quarterfinal games played at campus sites provides the best atmosphere for the players. When those quarterfinals were played on the floor of the regular-season champion, you could count the number of fans in attendance in the time it took to sing the national anthem. Having the third- and fourth-seeded teams host the quarters makes for a more exciting atmosphere and rewards those teams for finishing in the top half of the league. The problem is, travel becomes quite expensive for the winners of those two games – particularly if they have to fly – because they have to purchase tickets and make room reservations on short notice. Let’s hope the league does not consider a neutral site for the tournament to overcome that problem. The Big Sky has enough trouble filling seats when the tournament is played at one of its own schools; one shudders to think of what the crowds would be like at a neutral site. With six teams making the tournament, there is still plenty of intrigue in the last couple of weeks of the regular season when teams are jockeying for position. Take two teams away from that mix and things become a lot more boring for five teams. The current format doesn’t appear to be broke, so don’t fix it.

If you know Joe Glenn, it probably won’t surprise you that he helped draw a record crowd to Wednesday night’s KPAX-TV Sports Awards Banquet at the Holiday Inn.

Resplendent in a pink blazer, jeans, cowboy boots and a white collarless buttoned shirt, Glenn started his gig by sitting down at a piano and leading the crowd of nearly 400 – already on their feet to welcome him back with a standing ovation – in the Grizzly fight song.

Then he told some stories, reflected on his two stints at the University of Montana, talked about the waiting game he’s playing with his wife, Michele, as he takes a break from football and ponders his future, and once again thanked the myriad of friends he made during his combined years in Missoula.

Unlike many who speak at such events, Joe came early and stayed late. The social hour didn’t officially start until 6 p.m., but Joe was already working the sparse crowd in the atrium by 5:30 or so.

But then his whole life is, and has been, a social hour.

When the banquet was over, rather than running off to spend time with a few of his closest buds, he hung around well after the event ended, shaking hands, signing autographs, simply making himself available to another horde of well wishers, and thoroughly enjoying himself.

Word has it he remembered the names of virtually everyone who came up to greet him.

Today I recalled the first time I met Joe when he came to Missoula with the Doane College basketball team in late 1979. I couldn’t believe somebody could be that friendly, that outgoing, that happy!

He hasn’t changed a lick since that first meeting.

I asked Missoulian sportswriter Fritz Neighbor, who interviewed Joe earlier in the week for his column, if Joe was still taking the happy drugs. Fritz said he was. Joe proved it Wednesday night.

In a world where so many things are not as they seem, Joe Glenn is exactly as he seems.

It seems a lot of people could learn a lot from Joe Glenn.