Teamwork a running joke? Nope

Q: My running friends try to tell me that cross-country is a "team sport." To me, it just looks like people running through the woods like a bear was chasing them. Where's all this great teamwork?

A: There is more of a team aspect to it than you think. The big deal in cross-country is not to let your teammates down by having a crummy race. In cross-country, as in golf, low score wins. For example, finish third and you have earned three points for your team. Run a bad race and your team's score balloons. Run to your potential and not only do you score well, you also "displace" the other school's runners — give them worse scores by finishing ahead of them.

Cross-country teams have seven runners and the top five score. There is a saying that cross-country is "just like poker — you have to have five good cards." The two runners who don't score can be useful in "displacing" runners from the other schools. In the event of a scoring tie, the tiebreaker is which team's No. 6 runner finished highest.

Q: Josh Karp, Bothell '98, was the No. 6 overall pick in the June baseball draft and finally signed last week with the Montreal Expos for a reported bonus of $2.6 million (U.S. funds). He had been a standout at UCLA. Didn't his dad play pro baseball, too?

A: Yes. Joe Karp, Bothell '64, played at WSU and 4-1/2 years in the Kansas City organization, reaching Class AAA San Jose. Like his son, Joe was a right-handed pitcher. He later was head basketball coach at Kelso High School and head baseball coach at Walla Walla. He entered scouting and has worked for the Mariners, Kansas City, Texas and Chicago White Sox.

Q: Who are graduates of Washington high-school football who have started — and are not just on the roster — of out-of-state Division I-A college teams?

A: With the help of Ron Siegel, who tracks state high-school recruits as a hobby, here's a list:

Air Force — OL Dustin Pendry (Sehome) and RB Tom Heir (Redmond). Arizona — QB Jason Johnson (Rogers-Puyallup). Arizona State — FB Mike Karney (Kentwood). Army — OL Alex Moore (Newport). Boise State — DB Wes Nurse (Decatur); WR Jay Swillie (Bellarmine), LB LaGary Mitchell (Renton). Brigham Young — LB Justin Ena (Shelton), WR Mike Rigell (Lakes) and OT Jason Scukanec (Mountain View-Vancouver).

Colorado — DE Tyler Brayton (Pasco) and OT Victor Rogers (Decatur). Hawaii — DL Mike Iosua (Interlake). Idaho — DL Wil Beck (Central Valley-Spokane), CB Ed Rankin (Decatur), KR Orlando Winston (Garfield), WR Josh Jelmberg (Richland), FB Kevin O'Connell (Gonzaga-Spokane), K Keith Stamps (Mead); OG Jason Cobb (Kennewick), C Matt Martinez (Wenatchee); QB Brian Lindgren (DeSales-Walla Walla) and RB Anthony Tenner (Olympic-Silverdale).

Nevada — WR Nate Burleson (O'Dea); DL Chris Barry (Franklin Pierce). Oregon — LB Garrett Graham (Central Valley-Spokane). Oregon State — P Carl Tobey (Adna). Stanford — TE Brett Pierce (Columbia River), WR Teyo Johnson (Mariner High School through his junior year). UNLV — S Chameion Sutton (Franklin). Utah — Garrett Smith (Washington-Parkland).

Craig Smith can be reached via voice-mail (206-464-8279), snail mail (Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111), or e-mail (csmith@seattletimes.com.)