The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • C1

SPORTS LUI KIT News Tribune Bowl season: Stolen computers, Liberace The college football bowl season kicks off this week. Need a primer on what to watch? Read on. First bowl: Texas Christian ver- sus Northern Illinois in the Poin- settia Bowl (Tuesday in San Di- ego). Despite the presence of elec- tro-back Garrett Wolfe, the na- leading rusher, oddsmakers have established NIU as a 12- poinsettia underdog. Loudest bowl: The Louisiana State-Notre Dame Sugar Bowl matchup in the Superdome (Jan.

3 in New Orleans). It figures to get so loud inside the Bayou home away from home that Irish coach Charlie Weis, offensive co- ordinator Michael Haywood, quarterback coach Peter Vaas and signal-caller Brady Quinn will be known as Notre Four Hoarse Men. Second-loudest bowl: The Al- amo Bowl, between Texas and Iowa (Dec. 30 in San Antonio). Another inside job.

The Long- horns have more alums than the Cub Scouts, and most of the exes live in Texas. As for Iowa, it could organize a traveling party to watch coach Kirk Ferentz tie his shoes. Quietest bowl: The Interna- tional Bowl (Jan. 6 in Toronto). Not to underestimate the fervor factor inherent in any Western Michigan-Cincinnati showdown, but be difficult to engage all those Canadian fans who are con- fused when a touchback ruled a one-point rouge.

Quickest bowl: The MPC Computers Bowl (Dec. 31 in Boise). Regardless of how they perform against Nevada, the Mi- ami Hurricanes be able to get out of Boise fast enough on New Eve. By the way, giv- en the reputation for law- lessness, this be re- named the MPC Stolen Comput- ers Bowl? Strangest bowl: Louisville ver- sus Wake Forest (Jan. 2 in Miami.) At the risk of infringing on trade- mark rights, the Fox Network is actually touting this game as Orange Best bowl for hard-core foot- ball fanatics: The Motor City Bowl (Dec.

26 in Detroit). If a loved one who casually follows sports asks what game you are watching, an- swer against Tennes- JOHN MCGR ATH Grappling with their problems COW OYS FA LCO Dallas dampens playoff aspirations with a 38-28 victory against the Falcons. C3 Pro football. C3-5 College basketball. C6-8 I I I CK I LY AW Former UW player and current Knick Nate Robinson, left in photo, and J.R.

Smith are among 10 players ejected in a brawl. C10 OR GI A HI 16 AG A Derek Raivio, right, has 19 points, but the No. 16 Zags cannot match intensity in a 96-83 loss on the road. C6 Pro basketball C10-11 Weather. C14 In what became the feature match at the Rogers Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Chase Smith, left, and Julio Rodriguez, state placers from a year ago, faced off at 135 pounds.

Smith won, 1-0, one of four individual winners in the 228-216 team victory over the second-place Rams. High schools, C8 TACO I TC Dome home? Not for Sonics Sonics chairman Clay Bennett is expected to reveal potential sites for a new arena perhaps as soon as Wednesday. The only certainty? None of them will be in Tacoma. BY FRANK HUGHES The News Tribune AUBURN HILLS, MICH. Tacoma City Manager Eric A.

Anderson sent Seattle SuperSonics chairman Clay Bennett and the Professional Basketball Club a letter in October offering the Tacoma Dome as a potential site for the team in the future. In the letter, Anderson told Bennett he envisions a Dome District that could accommodate the sort of multipurpose facility that would include residential, retail and other commercial opportunities. Bennett never responded to the letter directly, in- stead forwarding it to Jim Kneeland, former press secretary for Gov. Booth Gardner whom Bennett has hired as a locally based consultant, asking Kneeland to come up with a reply. In response to an inquiry from The News Peter Callaghan, Kneeland wrote in an e-mail that Tacoma is not considered a major part of the demographic because 60 percent of its season-ticket holders reside on King Eastside and that is where the franchise is focusing its efforts to construct a new arena.

TODAY Seattle at Detroit, 3 p.m., FSN, 770-AM Sonics GameDay, C10 Please see SONICS, page C10 Please see MCGRATH, page C3 NO. 17 WA SHINGTON 105, PORTLAND STAT 73 UW wins not that bragging A week after getting picked on by someone their own size in a loss to Gonzaga the Huskies bully Portland State for an easy victory. BY DON RUIZ The News Tribune Portland State Gonzaga. And playing at home is easier than going on the road. Still, the Washington Huskies maintain that their 105-73 win against Portland State on Satur- day indicated improved play and not just a lesser challenge.

week during practice we felt that we had made progress we kind of had our fingers crossed, knocked on wood and waited to see what was going to UW coach Lorenzo Romar said. was what been wanting to see in our previous eight games: the 40 minutes of Husky basketball that we are working toward playing. I thought our defensive effort was the best that it had been all year, and I thought that was the catalyst for everything else that we Exactly one week earlier, the Huskies (8-1) had gone to Gonzaga and were slapped with their first loss of the season, 97- 77. Given a full week between games, the Huskies used their practice time to stress the area of the game they want to reclaim as their calling card. just put an emphasis on freshman center Spen- cer Hawes said.

what the program is built on. the main principle that we thrive on. (Last) week, going in playing against ourselves, we saw that we were improving. We knew that. always a good test.

And then when you can do it against another team, it shows even more Washington led from the fourth minute on. Separation came on a cluster of 3-pointers by Ryan Ap- pleby, Phil Nelson and Brandon Burmeister, and a breakaway JIM Associated Press Ryan Appleby, left, is fouled by Sean Smith of Portland State during the 105-73 victory Saturday night at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Please see HUSKIES, page C6 A 1 7 2 0 0 6 I I.