Brad Rock: Mike Leach doesn't fear a Utah Utes attack

Where do the Utes stack up on the list of ferocious Pac-12 nicknames?

Not terribly high, according to Washington State football coach Mike Leach.

In a radio interview on Seattle's 710 ESPN, co-host Jim Moore asked Leach: "In a battle to the death among Pac-12 mascots, which animal or person wins?"

Leach: "The Cougar, absolutely. Let's go through this a little bit. A cougar obviously kills a duck and a beaver. A cougar against a husky ... that's pretty well a massacre. A cardinal or whatever — I don't know exactly what — a cougar would either climb it or I wouldn't want to think of what else he'd do on it.

"Now Golden Bears could be kinda tough. I think you'd want to be a little fast and loose with them. You don't want to get caught by that bear. The Ute ... you gotta dodge some arrowheads, but I still like the Cougar. Buffalo ... I think the buffalo would be pretty tough to beat. Wildcat: Cougars are bigger than wildcats. Sun Devils, that's mythical anyway. Trojans, they may be as well. I think you gotta look out for the Bruins and the Buffalo. The Golden Bear, Bruin and Buffalo ... I think those are the tough ones."

Leach makes a point almost everyone should agree upon: The color cardinal shouldn't scare anybody.

Rock On only fears a color if he spills it on the couch.

WORD PLAY

The New York City Department of Education is considering having certain upsetting words or references removed from standardized tests.

For instance, the word "dinosaur" would be out, because it might offend creationists. Likewise, "Halloween," "birthday," "poverty" "divorce," "disease" and "dancing" are liable to make certain students uncomfortable, too.

Rock On thinks banning words is good idea — as long as it also includes a ban on the following sports terms, which make him uncomfortable: "Scrum," "Gooooooooooal!," "Diaper Dandy," "Selig" and "Metta World Peace."

COWBOYING UP

Film director James Cameron has just returned from an expedition to the deepest point in the ocean, a place in the Western Pacific he is calling "absolutely the most remote, isolated place on the planet."

Clearly, this man has never attended a football game in Laramie.

CAREER EXTENSION

Jim Caple of ESPN.com notes that Colorado pitcher Jamie Moyer, at 49 years and 4 months, is not only older than Robert Redford when he played Roy Hobbs in "The Natural" (46 when filming began), but also older than Utahn Wilford Brimley, who played manager Pop Fisher at 48.

In related news, Jason Kidd is actually older than Red Auerbach (70) when he played himself in "Amazing Grace and Chuck."

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