Bloglander

Walking past Wilson Elementary School this morning, I noticed a banner reading "RUSSELL" in large letters placed over where you'd usually see "Woodrow" on the sign above the school's front door.

As kids many, many of them in Seahawks gear, with no shortage of Russell Wilson jerseys in the mix, filed through the doors, I figured somebody had to have caught on to it, and then found this video produced by Spokane Public Schools and released yesterday.

Not only is the school celebrating the Seahawks amazing quarterback, they — prompted by what I'm going to go ahead and guess is the coolest principal on the planet, Tony Ressa — were doing the chant to a Phish song that Seahawk fans have been doing at Century Link Field all season.

Appropriately, some national media outlets have picked up on this.

Super Bowl Sunday is only a couple days away, and the entire Pacific Northwest is anxiously waiting. It's not just any Super Bowl Sunday — 2014 is Seahawk Super Bowl Sunday, which means your basic Super Bowl party won’t cut it this year. True fans will be out on the town enjoying cold beer, hot wings, comedic commercials and one intense game with their fellow 12s. We've rounded up a list of some local places that plan to offer some game day specials to help the city celebrate the day. We hope it's filled with lots of blue, beer, skittles and a Seahawk win!

North Spokane

BOILER ROOM | 6501 N. Cedar, 863-9213
Drink specials: $6 martinis, $4 house wine, $2 IPA cans, $1 PBR cans
Food specials: half-off pizza
Plus, a raffle for Seahawks prizes. 

FIELDHOUSE PIZZA & PUB | 4423 W. Wellesley, 474-1991
Drink specials: $4 specialty drinks
Food specials: $5 appetizers — pizza fries, cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers and more.
Raffle prizes during the game. Doesn't accept table reservations, so get there early.

FIVE MILE HEIGHTS PIZZA | 6409 N. Maple, 328-4764
Drink specials: $7 domestic and $9 micro pitchers, $2 pints of all beer
Food specials: half-off appetizers
Is accepting table reservations; screening the game on 7 new HD flat screens.

GARLAND THEATER | 924 W. Garland, 327-1050
Offering food and drink specials; beer and wine from Bon Bon allowed in the theater for ages 21+
Screening the game live on the big screen, doors open at 2 pm. $5 food/drink voucher (VIP seating sold out).

HOP JACK’S | 9265 N. Nevada, 465-1880
Food and drink specials: Happy hour prices during the game, 9 donuts for $5

McCLAIN'S PIZZERIA | 10208 N. Division, 368-9045
Drink specials: $4 cocktails, $8 pitchers of Bud Light
Also, pizza specials and prizes.

SHAKEY’S PIZZA RESTAURANT | 9602 N. Newport Hwy., 464-0200 
Drink specials: $10 Bud Light, Coors Light and Kokanee pitchers, $2.25 pints
Food specials: $1-off lunch buffet from 11 am-2 pm, $10 large 1-topping pizza, $5 6-piece hot wings

WEBSTER'S SALOON | 1914 N. Monroe, 474-9040
Food and drink specials: happy hour prices all day
Accepting table reservations.

Airway Heights

PAVILION AT NORTHERN QUEST (21+) | 100 N. Hayford Rd.
Live game on five 14-foot HD TVs, food and drink available for purchase.
Doors open at 2:30 pm, free admission with no assigned seating.

EPIC AT NORTHERN QUEST (21+ after 10 pm) | 100 N. Hayford Rd. 
Drink specials: $6 Seahawks-themed cocktails and beer specials
Food specials: $12 burger meal, includes a pack of Skittles; other specials offered

East Spokane

GENO’S | 1414 N. Hamilton, 368-9087
Drink specials: $2 16 oz. PBR, $2 12 oz. Rainier, $3 drafts 

RAMBLIN ROAD CRAFT BREWERY | 730 N. Columbus
Special Super Bowl menu available from the Bistro Box food truck; extended hours from noon to 8 pm.

Downtown Spokane

BING CROSBY THEATER | 901 W. Sprague, 455-7811
Live game stream on the big screen, food and drink (including beer and wine) concessions available for purchase. 
Doors open at 2 pm, $5 suggested donation to benefit Friends of the Bing. 

BORRACHO TACOS & TEQUILERIA (21+) | 211 N. Division, 822-7789
Drink specials: $5 margaritas, deals on beer
Food specials: $3 chips and queso, breakfast foods
Still accepting table reservations, see the game on 19 HD TVs

BOWLZ BITEZ & SPIRITZ (21+) | 401 W. Riverside, 321-7480
Drink specials: $5 touchdown shots, $2 Bud Light
Food specials: $10 Red Lion BBQ buffet
Also, chances to win prizes. Doors open at 2 pm.

NECTAR TASTING ROOM | 120 N. Stevens
Drink specials: 12th Man wine from Northwest Cellars
Food specials: Football-themed food flights
Also, Super Bowl commercials bingo.

NYNE (21+) | 232 W. Sprague, 474-1621
Drink specials: $3 Skittle shots, $4 Fireball, $7 Bud Light pitchers
Food specials: $10 all-you-can-eat buffet
Plus, giveaways and Fireball girls. Doors open at 1 pm

THE ONION | 302 W. Riverside, 747-3852 and 7522 N. Division, 482-6100
Drink specials: $2-off wine, $3 domestics, $4 micro pints
Food specials: Half off + $1 hot dogs, including the "12th Man Dog"

SERGIO’S MEXICAN SPORTS GRILL | 825 W. Riverside, 747-2085
Drink specials: $2 jello shots, $4 Fireball, $10 beer buckets
Food specials: $1 tacos and happy hour specials
Plus, a raffle for a big screen TV and other prizes.

THE VIKING BAR & GRILL (21+) | 1221 N. Stevens, 315-4547
Drink specials: $2 domestic bottles, $5 loaded bloody mary
Food specials: 50 cent wings during the game 
Also offering kegs and growler fills.

VOLSTEAD ACT (21+) | 12 N. Post, 808-2516
Drink specials: $5 cocktails/specialty drinks, $5 wines, half-off all beer
Food specials: Free chili dogs, popcorn, peanuts and bandito mix.

THE WAVE (21+) | 525 W. First, 747-2023
Drink specials: $1 sake every touchdown, $2 Skittle shots, $2 Bud Light pints, $8 Bud Light pitchers, free sake bombs for the loudest table

WILD DAWGS (21+) | 102 N. Howard, 255-3688
Food and drink specials: $12 for 2 hot dogs and 2 beers

Spokane Valley

BOLO'S SPORTS BAR (21+) | 116 S. Best Rd., 891-8995
Food specials: $11 all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet
Offering prizes including a night at the CdA Resort, golf and sports packages
Accepting reservations, but almost all tables booked as of this posting.

CARUSO'S | 2314 N. Argonne, 474-0254
Drink specials: $2 pints/$1 domestic pints, half-price wine
Food specials: Family special of two pizzas and four beverages for $18

DARCY'S RESTAURANT AND SPIRITS | 10502 E. Sprague, 891-0773
Drink specials: Beer and Fireball whiskey specials
Food specials: Free pizza until halftime with beverage purchase

THE REF SPORTS BAR (21+) | 14208 E. Sprague, 315-9637
Drink specials: $20 Bud Light tubes (100 oz), $2.50 Bud Light pints

South Hill

FAMOUS ED'S | 2911 E. 57th, 290-5080
Food and drink specials: drink specials offered and a pig roast
Enter a raffle to win a signed Russell Wilson jersey ($10/ticket).

North Idaho 

CAPONE'S PUB & GRILL | 751 N. Fourth, 208-667-4843
Drink specials: $2 jello shots, $2 PBR pints, $3 Bud Light pints and $10 Bud Light pitchers, specialty cocktails $4-$6.50
Food specials:

COEUR D'ALENE CASINO (21+) | Events in the Red Tail Bar, Nighthawk Lounge and Chinook Spirits, 800-523-2464
Food specials: $15 burger and burrito buffet
Drink specials: $4 bloody Marys and touchdown shots, $2.50 Bud/Bud Light bottles, $10 Bud Bucket of 5

ENOTECA (21+) | 112 E. Seltice Way, Post Falls, 208-457-9885
Hosting a Super Bowl potluck party, guests are asked to bring their favorite game day dish
Beer, wine and cocktail specials also offered.

MICKDUFF’S (21+) | Sandpoint, Idaho, 208-255-4351
Drink specials: Happy hour price on their blonde ale all day
Food specials: $2 carne asada tacos

MOSCOW ALEHOUSE | 226 W. Sixth, 208-882-2739
Drink specials: $2.50 Bloody Marys all day

SILVER MOUNTAIN RESORT | Kellogg, Idaho, 866-344-2675
Fans wearing visible Seahawks apparel get $12 off full-day lift tickets
Watch the game in Noah's Canteen and if during the second-half, a kick is returned for a touchdown, everyone in the bar with an open tab wins a season pass for 2014-15. (This actually happened last year, when Baltimore Ravens' Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff for a 108-yard touchdown.)

Other events...

SPOKANE DOWNTOWN DAIQUIRI FACTORY (21+) | 121 N. Wall, 315-5060
Hosting a Super Bowl victory party and soft opening event. More info here. 

THE YUPPY PUPPY | 9423 N. Newport Hwy, 467-8221
Okay, so no food and drink specials here, just lots of cute. On Saturday, Feb. 1, from 10 am-1 pm, local pet shot the Yuppy Puppy, along with the Spokane Humane Society, is hosting the 6th annual Puppy Bowl. Don't miss the chance to watch cute shelter puppies play some ball, and maybe even take one home for yourself. More event details here. 

A few places we checked with are already completely booked for game day, so it's probably a good idea to make plans ahead of time if you haven't already.

These are the places we know of so far that are already full: 
The Swinging Doors
Spike's Phillys and More

Know of other local Super Bowl events not on this list? We'll continue adding to it today and Friday. Send information, including specific drink/food specials and events, or updates to cheys@inlander.com. 

The Super Bowl is now only four days away — so prepare yourself for the Seahawk fervor to only increase on this blog and everywhere else.

Let's get you started with the best son in the world giving his mom tickets to the Super Bowl.

This past weekend, the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena hosted dozens of bull riders who competed for a chance to win a Wrangler Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Division event. Saturday presented many different challenges for riders, as most were bucked off their bulls. Only six riders were able to stay on their bulls for the mandatory eight seconds to earn a score. Dakota Beck, from Moses Lake, Wash., scored 179 points on Friday to win the overall event.

Deadspin’s stats-focused offshoot, called Regressing, has been mapping where NFL teams have the most support in every county in the U.S. based on the number of Facebook fans.

No surprise to fans, but the Seahawks stronghold is pretty clearly defined as the Northwest. Won’t find many friends for 49ers fans anywhere from Anchorage to Missoula, though.

You can find the maps for the previous playoffs match-ups here.

Maybe you’re not into professional football. Maybe you didn’t grow up around here. If, for whatever reason, you’ve recently become aware that today’s Seahawks game matters very, very much to people you know and love, here’s a primer on what’s at stake. (Those of you who already know what’s going on, check out our publisher’s column about the game instead.)

I personally grew up cheering for the Minnesota Vikings and haven’t cared about the NFL since Gary Anderson’s missed field goal in 1999. But this Seahawks game seems important — some people in our office won’t even say the S-word, for fear of a jinx — so I did a little research to find out why everyone’s so worked up about it.

1. The Super Bowl stakes

First, this is the NFC Championship. The winner goes on to the Super Bowl, and the loser goes home to cry until next season.

2. Being the best of the best

None of this would matter if the Seahawks and 49ers weren’t both such good teams. The two are widely considered among the best in the NFL right now, if not the best, meaning there are plenty of unaffiliated football fans across the nation excited about this game.

This will be their third matchup this season. The Seahawks won resoundingly, 29-3, in Seattle in September. But then the 49ers won, 19-17, in San Francisco in December.

3. The coaches’ rivalry

The head coaches have a history of hating each other’s guts that predates their NFL days. They became rivals when the Seahawks’ Pete Carroll was coaching a dynasty at USC and the 49ers’ Jim Harbaugh was coach at Stanford, exemplified by a notoriously unfriendly “What’s your deal?” exchange on the field back in 2009 after Stanford ran up the score in a 55-21 surprise drubbing.

Now, the coaches say they don’t hate each other. It’s just about football, they say. Uh, yeah, exactly.

4. The rivalry grows

Both coaches have loyal players, and they’ve been less reticent about the rivalry. Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman, who played for Harbaugh at Stanford and has called him a “bully,” said this week that it’s going to be intense: “I don’t know if there’s going to be handshakes after this one.”

49ers guard Alex Boone told USA Today: "I don't know anybody in here that likes anybody on the Seahawks. If you find one, you let me know.”

Harbaugh’s wife, Sarah, hasn’t been afraid to say she hates Seattle. (To be fair, she also said recently that she hates her husband’s choice of pleated khakis.)

5. The 12th Man

Fans have gotten into the trash talk hijinks, too — Seahawks fans flew a “12th Man” flag over the 49ers’ stadium in December, and 49ers fans bought billboard space near Seattle to celebrate the team’s championship history. Clear Channel Outdoor, which owns the billboards nearest the stadium in Seattle, declared it a “protected zone” where only pro-Hawks messages are allowed. And the Seahawks blocked people with California addresses from buying tickets to the NFC championship game.

But this is a matter of pride that goes beyond one season. If you've noticed nothing else about the season so far, hopefully you've seen the number "12" appearing all over the state. Seahawks fans pride themselves on being the best, which is how they got the “12th Man” moniker. They earned a world record for loudest crowd at the game on Dec. 2. Spokane’s clocktower in Riverfront Park even got to display the 12th Man banner.

5. The 2006 loss

The biggest reason this matters so much to fans may have nothing to do with San Francisco at all. The Seahawks’ most recent (and only) Super Bowl appearance was in 2006, when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10 after a string of bad calls. The Seahawks were robbed. Even the head referee admitted it years later.

The day after the loss, then-head coach Mike Holmgren famously said: “I knew it was going to be tough going up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I didn’t know we were going to have to play the guys in the striped shirts, as well.”

The Seahawks didn’t do so well in the following seasons, so fans are still hungry for a chance at redemption.

That’s surely not every reason this game matters, but you can find out more from nearest person dressed in blue and green. We’ve seen a lot of places around Spokane doing $12 specials and other deals for Seahawks fans. The Garland Theater is showing the game if you’re still looking for a free, family-friendly place to watch.

Are you still sitting your bathtub, lamenting the Zags' inexplicable loss a week ago to the University of Portland? First off, you shouldn't have electronics that close to water and secondly, get it together — it's game day. Sheesh.

After that loss, Gonzaga had the entire week off, during which they had plenty of time to come back to Spokane and think about what exactly went wrong down in the Rose City. One answer, among others, was that the Zags gave up a hell of a lot of three-pointers. Eight of them, to be exact. The Pilots shot a sizzling 57 percent from long range in a game that saw Gonzaga down by as many as 16 points during the contest. The Zags didn't play horrible (but it wasn't pretty) down in Portland, they just got beat by a team that was amped up for the game...and shot the lights out.

Now, they're heading back on the road, this time down to Malibu to play in the shoebox-sized gym on the campus of Pepperdine, who is much, much, better than preseason prognosticators expected. The Waves (not the Tide, the Tsunamis or the Swells, but the peaceful, rippling Waves) are 4-2 in conference with impressive wins over BYU, Santa Clara and San Diego (whom they beat twice). Pepperdine is led in scoring by sophomore Stacy Davis, who has 15.5 points per game, followed by Brendan Lane, a transfer from UCLA, with 15 points.

This one won't be easy, nor will the rest of the road contests in WCC play for the remainder of the season. As Coach Mark Few said earlier this week, whenever the Zags take to the road in this conference, they've got a big bullseye on their back. 

Tipoff is slated for 7 pm. If you're in Spokane, the game is on KHQ. Elsewhere in the region, you'll find it on Root Sports. 

On Saturday, they make the short trip down the Pacific Coast Highway to Loyola Marymount, where they'll face off against savvy guard Anthony Ireland and his unpredictable Lions. That game is at 1 pm and also on KHQ or Root, depending on your locale.

OUT OF THE POLL
There won't be a little number next to Gonzaga's name on your TV screen during tonight's game for the first time in a long, long while. After the loss, the Zags fell out of the AP, but are still ranked No. 24 in the USA Today coaches poll. This is the first time Gonzaga has not been listed among the AP's top 25 since January of 2011.

In terms of RPI — the metric by which you can sorta, kinda judge team's NCAA tournament worthiness — Gonzaga is still sitting pretty at 28, thanks in part to a strong nonconference performance by the rest of the WCC, making their wins worth more, and a loss like what happened in Portland less of an impact.

BELL UPDATE
Gary Bell Jr. is one of those players you don't always notice during the course of the game. He seems to score in spurts, but the Zags have surely missed the Seattle-area guard over the past few weeks while he's been out with a broken hand. In today's game notes, the team says that Bell was X-rayed earlier in the week and the healing is progressing nicely. He's currently wearing a "light brace" and is shooting at practice.

Today, Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat wrote about whether the Seahawks can help cure Seattle’s longstanding inferiority complex with San Francisco.

For more than a hundred years Seattle has played stray dog to San Francisco’s alpha. I don’t mean just in sports, though it tracks there, too. It goes back to our founding, when Bay Area ships dumped tons of dirt into our harbor from San Francisco’s regrading projects, while picking up lumber from Henry Yesler’s mill to build their fancy Victorians.

So in a way we got our start as San Francisco’s dump. We are to them as Tacoma is to us. OK, that’s too extreme. How about this: We are San Francisco’s Spokane.

Hey. Ouch. We cheer for the Seahawks, too, you know. The column isn’t really about us, but you can read the rest of it here.

The Zags are in good shape heading south to Portland tonight for their first away game of the young WCC season. They take on the University of Portland Pilots in the awesomely circular Chiles Center tonight at 8 pm. The game is on ESPNU, so if you have the sort of Cadillac cable package that offers that channel, enjoy the game at home. If not, head to your watering hole of choice for this one.

Despite all the whining from Zag Nation about injuries (that whining is totally justifiable) and the fact that the team had to play its first four conference games at home without their students (not as justifiable), Gonzaga has started conference play off amazingly. Three of the four games were 20-or-more-point blowouts. And... Sam Dower Jr. is back! Drew Barham is drilling threes while looking like an altar boy! Angel Nunez is finally playing (more on that in a bit) and dunking! The students and band and cheerleaders and all the pizzazz they bring with them return to campus next week!

As for the Pilots, they are better than expected. Yeah, they are only 1-3 in conference play (9-7 overall), but they've hung in there in all of those losses, including Saturday's 72-63 defeat at the hands of a Randy Bennett-less Saint Mary's. UP has had trouble with the Zags for, oh, going on 11 years. They haven't won since a 2003 upset in the old Kennel.

Local hardcore hoops fans will recognize one of Portland's leading scorers — senior forward Ryan Nichols. The Gonzaga Prep grad is averaging 13 points and 9.3 rebounds a game for the Pilots and will be one of the tougher challenges for the Zag big men tonight. We're planning a feature on Nichols when he returns home to face GU on Feb. 5.

NUNEZ TIME
In his four games on the court for the Zags, transfer forward Angel Nunez has lived up to the hype that preceded his arrival. Coach Few must have a plan for him because the 6-8 New York Native has played either 13 or 14 minutes in all of his appearances, the most promising being a 13-point burst against St. Mary's. With Dower back and Barham shooting well, we might not see Nunez in the starting lineup anytime soon, but look for and his high-flying ways to be an impact for the rest of the WCC.

MEANWHILE, IN THE REST OF THE WCC
The West Coast Conference's first year as a 10-team league is already looking weird. BYU is currently near the cellar with losses against LMU and Pepperdine to start the season. St. Mary's is still without their suspended coach and are playing quite coach-less as a result. And Pacific, who many — including myself — thought would be right at the top of the conference, hasn't won a game. Obviously, this bodes very well for Gonzaga, who are sitting quite pretty at the top of the heap as they head into a three-game road trip.

On another WCC note — more diehard Zag fans (probably you if you're still reading) should keep an eye on Root Sports. The regional cable sports channel has been showing a ton of WCC hoops this year in case you want to keep an eye on future Zag opponents. At 7 pm tonight, they have a live telecast of what should be an interesting Santa Clara/St. Mary's game and then they follow that up with a 9 pm tape-delayed showing of Loyola Marymount vs. San Diego. The increased visibility of this conference on TV is a good thing for the Zags, just so you know.

IN COUG NEWS...
Did anyone make it down to the Spokane Arena last night? The WSU men's squad made a trip north to give their Spokane fans a treat, taking on a very, very good No. 15 Colorado. The Cougs had a nice lead at the half, but eventually lost in overtime 71-70. It was a heartbreaker for WSU, especially considering this was coming off a loss on Saturday in which they scored only 25 points (just 7 in the first half) to Arizona. There's still some hope down in Pullman, Coug fans. Don't give up yet.

Unlike sports teams under fire for using American Indian names and stereotypes, the Spokane Indians baseball team is closely allied with the Spokane Tribe of Indians. When the team unveiled a new logo in 2006, it included an alternate version with “Spokane Indians Baseball Club” written in Salish, the tribe’s native language.

Now they’re making those ties more visible — the Salish logo will be the one featured most prominently on the team’s home uniforms this coming season. They'll make their first appearance Opening Night on June 13 and most other Friday and Saturday night games at Avista Stadium. The Salish logo has been on the uniform sleeves in previous years.

The team officially announced the change today. Indian Country Today has a detailed story about the collaboration, with comments from tribe leaders:

“The Spokane Indians baseball organization has been very respectful and very kind,” Spokane tribal chairman Rudy Peone said. “The Spokane Indians are not the Spokane Savages, not the Spokane insert-derogatory-word here. It was named specifically after us. In our last meeting, last Spring, they talked about changing their uniforms and using the Salish spelling for their team. That was received very well from us. They don’t have any imagery that would be not very flattering and we appreciate that.”

Read more here. Check out the Spokane Indians’ 2014 season schedule here.