Questions for Northern Nevada

RENO -- It didn't seem too long ago that I was driving, sans snow tires or chains, on U.S. Highway 395 from Reno to Carson City. The November snow was pelting my Nissan Maxima, which can be scary for a 23-year-old from Arizona who has never driven in snow before.

Skidding and sliding down Washoe Hill I began to think, which is also scary. If I have to go through this to cover a high school football game in November, what's it going to be like covering a basketball game in December? Or January? Or, as I would later find out, a baseball game in April?

That was the question I asked myself a few months after accepting a sports writer job at the Nevada Appeal. Now nearly three years after that frightful commute, I'm still asking those types of questions.

In short, there's never been a dull moment during my time in wacky Northern Nevada. That's what made it hard staying here for the past 38 months. And that's what made it even harder when deciding to leave. But hopefully to your dislike, but probably most likely to your delight, I'm leaving. I've accepted a job at The Columbian in Vancouver, Wash., a larger paper outside of Portland, Ore. And now that I'm leaving, I have some other questions.

--How inept is Washoe County? It voted to build three new schools, which in turn killed the athletic programs at Sparks, Hug and Wooster, three of the oldest schools in the state.

--When is Carson High going to win a Northern 4A championship in either football or boys basketball? I've never seen a school so much bigger than the others in its region and never dominate--even for one season. But with the trio of Shane Quilling, Ron McNutt and Bruce Barnes, that trend shouldn't last much longer.

--I haven't done the proper research, nor do I plan to, but has Carson City produced, per capita, the most baseball players to reach the major leagues in the country? And Darrell Rasner will soon be added to an already impressive list.

--When are people going to realize that minor league sports can't work in Reno? Even with decent interest fans don't fill stadiums/arenas for University of Nevada athletics. How can they expect to do so for a team nobody cares about?

--When is the Reno-Tahoe Open going to get some real players? If names aren't printed on the golfer's bags I have no idea who they are.

--What's the most fascinating thing about sports in Nevada? You can bet on them.

--What's the most frustrating thing about sports in Nevada? You can bet on them, which means not many people actually care about going out to games and being a sports fan.

--What's the worst city in Nevada? Las Vegas. It's the most soulless city in the United States. And this comes from somebody who moved here from the Phoenix area.

--What's the most overrated sporting event in Nevada? The Tahoe Celebrity Golf Championship. It's not really golf, it's not really a championship, and they're not really celebrities.

--What's the coolest sporting event in Northern Nevada? The District I Little League Tournament because kids care when they win and care even more when they lose.

--What's the worst thing about Nevada? There are no trees.

--What's the best thing about Nevada? The people.

--What is Jeremy Evans' email address? Yeah right.

Jeremy Evans is a sports writer for the Nevada Appeal.