SUNDAY DUCKS by Tannen

First & foremost, a very, Merry Christmas. The anal, self centered knuckleheads drive me nuts. December 25th is Christmas. Period. You wish a Merry Christmas for your friends, co-workers and the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who celebrate. If you don't, that's your right, but it's not about you. On May 15th, I will make a big deal out of my wife's birthday. It's not a slight for those of you born on one of the other 364 days of the year.
I believe one of the reasons Oregon football has risen to the stature it now holds is it's become a viable path to the NFL. I took the time to see how the former Ducks are doing at the professional level. I won't get into each guy, but for those who care, this is for you.
Let's begin with Jairus Byrd. Left early for the pros and was a 2nd round pick by the Bills. Was wise enough to acknowledge the scouts who felt he'd be better off as a safety instead of a cover corner. All he's done is lead the league in interceptions with 9. Too bad it's happening in relative obscurity in Buffalo.
Pat Chung was a guy who looked like he belonged in the Pac 10 about an hour into his Oregon career. He went in round 2 last draft to the Patriots. Began as a special teams demon, then morphed into a regular rotation in their secondary. Making a nice contribution for a team who looks playoff bound.
Maurice Morris was a terrific young guy who had a great quality about him. Played the 1st seven seasons as a supplemental back to guys like Shaun Alexander in Seattle and got to the Super Bowl following the 2005 season. Moved to Detroit this year because he's obviously did something wrong in a former life. Had a career high 126 yards including a 64 yard TD romp last Sunday.
Nick Reed is another Oregon rookie. He's with the Seahawks. Exploded onto the scene and overwhelmed the coaches with his motor, attitude and ability to wreak havoc on special teams at first, then earned a roster spot by excelling on the defensive line. One of the easiest guys to root for.
I'll catch you up on the trio of Panthers(Jonathan Stewart, Dante Rosario & Geoff Schwarz), Dennis Dixon, Kellen Clemens and the others when we rally the troops for SportsTalk at 3 today.
I'm also going to need a first hand report on last nite's game at Mac Court which was surprisingly close between the Ducks and Idaho State. I stayed home to watch the Vegas Bowl. What an idiot!
E-mail me at stevetannen@live.com if you want in on our drawing for Ducks Hoop tickets for Monday's game against Arkansas Pine Bluff, their final tilt before Pac 10 play begins one the 1st day of 2010!

SENSATIONAL STATISTICAL SUNDAY by ST

Living in a university town I get fans who tell me they much prefer the college game to the NFL. Certainly your right, but yesterday(SUN) was pro football at it's finest. Here is what was accomplished between 10am & 4:45pm. Steelers 37 Packers 36. The first ever game that ended in that exact score and the league began play in 1920. In the game, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 383 yards and 3 TD's. His counterpart, Ben Roethlisberger beat him in yardage by 120, for a franchise record 503! The game ended on the final play when Big Ben hit Mike Wallace for the TD. UNREAL! We also witnessed the 3rd most prolific single game rushing performance ever as the Brown's Jerome Harrison piled up 286 on the ground as Cleveland beat KC. In the same game, Harrison's teammate Josh Cribbs returned 2 kicks for touchdowns. 100 and 103 yards, just the 2nd time in history that's happened. He also broke the career kick return for a score mark with 8. Normally the 154 yard rushing by the Chief's Jamaal Charles would have been noteworthy or the 331 yards passing by QB Matt Cassell. All this & I've only hit on 2 games. In the Houston victory versus the Lambs, Matt Shaub lit the St Looey secondary up for 367, with robo receiver Andre Johnson hauling in 9 for just a shade under 200 yards. Arizona was leading Detroit 17-nil in the 3rd quarter on the Lions 20 yard line when Kurt Warner was picked off by Louis Delmas at the goal line. He took it 100 yards for a TD! How about former Duck Maurice Morris busting loose for a 64 yard touchdown run. Miami's quarterback, Chad Henne had almost 350 throwing it in their damaging loss to Tennessee. Numbers, numbers and more numbers. It was a fantasy geeks delight. Then we had another incredible finish. This one from San Diego. The Bengals, playing with heavy hearts dealing with the death of teammate Chris Henry during the week, gutted it out. Carson Palmer took his team 80 yards for a game tying field goal with :52 left but that was enough as Bolt QB Phillip Rivers hit throws of 11, 20 then a monster 15 yard out to Michael Floyd to the Cincy 35 with :07 left. Nate Kaeding absolutely drilled the 52 yard field goal that clinched the AFC west & pretty much assured the Chargers of a 1st round bye and the #2 seed in the playoffs. Not enough drama & entertainment? Okay, how about Raiders 20 Broncos 19. Jamarcus Russell, Oakland's top overall draft pick in 2007, has been so awful he had been dropped to 3rd string. New starter Bruce Gradkowski tore his knee up last week so this week, the new starter was Charlie Frye. He went down in the 4th quarter. Enter Russell who throws the game winning TD pass to Chaz Shillens with about a half minute left in regulation. I'm still too ticked to even discuss the idiot Jet defense shutting down Atlanta for 58 1/2 minutes before Matt Ryan hit Tony Gonzalez with the game winner with 1 1/2 minutes left in the game. That was the downside of my Sunday. Okay, for a killer golf prize. 18 holes at 4 layouts. Elkhorn Valley, Hidden Valley, Middlefield and Springfield Country Club. Get in the drawing by emailing the correct answer to stevetannen@live.com
I mentioned earlier that former Wazzou Coug Jerome Harrison rolled up 286 on the ground against the Chiefs. That was the 3rd best single game total in NFL history. Who had the other two and how many yards did they rush for??? Good Luck.
We'll also discuss a very, very nice win & performance by the Oregon Men hoopers Saturday night at Mac Court.

HOOPS AND FOOTBALL by st

Tomorrow night at Mac Court the Oregon men square off with Oakland. They turned in a solid performance in beating Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday despite the continued absence of Tajuan Porter. The Grizzlies play out of the Summit League and in recent years have put together some nice teams and won 23 games last season. They play a heck of an out of conference schedule which this year has included Memphis, Kansas, Wisconsin and Michigan State. After this visit to Eugene, they'll head for Syracuse. This is a good test to see how much Oregon has improved since the bad outing at Missouri. I'm a believer that this Duck team is much more talented and deep compared with last season's disaster. Look for the coaches to continue to experiment with different lineups so they can have a better gauge of how they want to run things once Pac 10 play begins in the New Year.
With the Colts rallying to beat Jacksonville last night, playoff doors have been opened. The Jags are now on the outside looking in at 7 & 7 a game behind the Ravens, Jets & Dolphins. Intriguing game between Tennessee and Miami. The Titans, once and 0 & 6 laughing stock, have rallied behind Vince Young and the remarkable running of Chris Johnson to sneak into the picture at 6 & 7. Johnson reminds me of Barry Sanders or Reggie Bush at USC. When the ball is in his hands, you must watch. He will have to average 161 yards per game over the final 3 to break Eric Dickerson's single season rushing mark of 2105 set a quarter century ago with the Los Angeles Rams. We also get a nice Saturday night game on the NFL Network with Dallas in the Big Easy to try to not only derail the Saint's perfect season, but maintain their wild card lead. The Cowboys have been a horrifying December team and it's been well documented. I expect a heavy duty dose of Marion Barber because if New Orleans has a weakness, it's stopping the run. Enjoy the weekend! Go Ducks. Go Jets.

THIS MIGHT BE COLD BUT.....by Tannen

I'm beyond livid over some of the coverage surrounding the death of Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry. Some media outlets using terms like shocking. Really? For openers, sad or tragic are far more applicable. Stunning or surprising don't even remotely come into play. The guy's entire adult life in the spotlight since being called an embarassment to the West Virginia program by then coach Rich Rodriguez has been about his inability to live within the rules of decency. He was arrested 5 times in just over a 3 year period beginning with his entry into the NFL in 2005. Did you read the 9-1-1 tapes released and learn how he suffered the injuries that would kill him? Ran out of the house after his fiance. Jumped into the back of the pickup truck she was driving away in. Wasn't wearing a shirt. Was banging on the back of the cab like a crazy man, then fell out and killed himself. I hear Cincy coach Marvin Lewis, President Mike Brown and some players talking about how he turned his life around and it's a total crock of B.S. I've had people in my life like Henry. It's like the next confrontation or argument is their freaking life's blood and it's dispicable. You have to walk on eggs, watch every comment you make for fear of setting these a-holes off. Anger, fighting and just a basic disprespect for anything, any situation or anyone but their own petty, pathetic temper. Sorry to be so cruel, but if one person out there sees themselves and actually takes the step of growing up and getting help, it might be worth it.
Okay, let's give a way another $50 gift certificate to Roaring Rapids Pizza on Franklin in Eugene. Good stuff! E-mail your correct answer to get in the drawing to stevetannen@live.com
Chad Ochocinco Johnson is the Bengal's career leader for catches with 677. But among Cincy receivers with at least 200 catches, who has the highest yards per catch average? Good luck!

DAY OFF? DAY OFF? DAY OFF? by ST

No SportsTalk today as we bring you the smooth melodies of Terry Jonz calling the Oregon Women's hoop team at Georgia Tech. New guy Paul Westhead has really got things buzzing with his off the charts push it pace. Enjoy the game.
Lot of talk the past 24 hours among baseball fans about the best 1-2 punch in the game with Roy Halladay landing in Philly, Cliff Lee to Seattle and John Lackey signing with the Bosox. I'm getting a tad tired of all the stats being regurgitated in defense of a particular choice. Numbers only tell a part of the story. I don't care if a pitcher eats up the Royals or Padres in July to pad his resume. Let me see the guy lockdown the Philadelphia lineup in the heat of a September pennant race. The Sabermetrics is getting a bit annoying. My question is simple. Heading into the 2010 season. What combo would you prefer at the head of your rotation. I'll take the gamers. Give me Chris Carpenter & Adam Wainright of the Cardinals in the NL and Josh Beckett and Lackey of the Boston's in the American League. It's also interesting how the World Champion Yankees don't really qualify. You might also consider Seattle's Cliff Lee & Felix Hernandez, Cole Hamels & Halladay of the Phillies, Tim Lincecum & Matt Cain of the Giants(though Cain's era doubled in September). We will address this in more detail when we rally the troops for the Thursday edition of SportsTalk. Enjoy!

ALL AMERICANS, TIGER, HOT STOVE & MORE

They've announced the AP All-American team for 2009. Colt McCoy was 1st tm @ QB with Tim Tebow 2nd & Boise State's Kellen Moore 3rd. Whatever! No quarterback in the land had a BETTER season than Moore. I think he has a real shot at walking away with the 2010 Heisman. 39 TD's vs just 3 interceptions and the highest rating of anyone. How about a pair of brothers being honored? James Rodgers of Oregon State is a 2nd team all purpose player with Jacquizz a 3rd team running back. Offensive lineman Mike and Maurkice Pouncey of Florida were both second teamers. Pretty cool stuff.
How about a doctor in Canada who has a direct connection to Tiger Woods getting popped with human growth hormone and Actovegin, a drug illegal in the U.S that's extracted from calf's blood. The name you'll hear is Dr. Anthony Galea. Also treated Dara Torres the remarkable American swimmer who has raised many a furrowed brow by continuing to knock them dead into her 40's. I heard Colin Cowerd this morning and he made an excellent point. High level athletes have lost the benefit of the doubt. Innocent until proven guilty still exists in courtrooms, but not the sporting court of public opinion. Not when the best of the best have repeatedly failed in this area. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
I'm loving all this Hot Stove activity. Cliff Lee to Seattle giving them a sweet 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Felix Hernandez. I think the Red Sox made a nice moving if the John Lackey deal goes through. Signing Mike Cameron to play left is questionable. He's a walking strikeout machine which goes against their Sabremetrics theory, but he's a heck of a glove. The Phillies landing Roy Halladay is brilliant. I believe he will be a master in the lesser hitting National League after spending a chunk of his starts facing Boston & New York in the American League East.
Okay, let's give away some loot. I have a $50 gift certificate to Roaring Rapids Pizza. Take a break from the holiday rush and visit them on Franklin in Eugene. E-mail your correct answer to stevetannen@live.com and get in the drawing. I'll announce the winner late in the 5 o'clock hour of today's show.
Jamie Moyer and Randy Johnson are the winningest starting pitchers in Seattle Mariner history. Both are lefties. Which righty has won the most games in franchise history? Good Luck!

MIXED BAG AT THE PIT by ST

I attended Oregon's loss to St. Mary's in men's hoops on Saturday afternoon and came away with mixed reviews. Certainly the offense was hurt by the absence of Tajuan Porter with a bum ankle. We're so used to this team launching a bunch of 3's but they were just 2 of 5 from downtown and Drew Wiley hit one at the buzzer that did not impact the outcome of the game. While Joevan Caetron joined TP on the sidelines, it's key to note the Gaels were without their starting point guard Wayne Hunter. This St. Mary's team can really shoot and made some clutch 3-pointers at crunch time and were a perfect 10 of 10 from the line with the game still in doubt. The Ducks were weak from the free throw stripe, hitting just 12 of 21. The offense is at best a work in progress and at times the ball movement is a bit frustrating as they dished out a mere 6 assists for the contest. That said, there was some upside and the Gaels are a pretty good team. Juco transfer Malcolm Armstead looks like the best point guard the program has had since Aaron Brooks was drafted into the NBA. True freshman Jamil Wilson will get there but he's experiencing growing pains you'd expect from a newbie and at times seems a tad overwhelmed. Another true frosh, E.J Singler has game and along with Armstead was Oregon's best player. In the post game, the coach said they have to work hard to get better and that's a dead on, accurate statement. The Pac-10 is not as cutthroat as we're used to so with 4 non-league games left before the opener at Wazzou, they can heal up, make progress and hopefully make some kind of splash to create optimism heading into the new arena next autumn.
I know much is being made of Phil Knight coming out in support of Tiger Woods saying Nike is sticking with Eldrick as an endorser. Look, I've lost all respect for Woods as a man. He has no credibility because he presented a complete lie. Was messing around on his wife while she was pregnant with his two children. No way around it, he's a pig. That said, Nike golf is now a significant force in the golf equipment world. We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. It doesn't exist without Tiger Woods. Golfers, think about it. Before 1997 how many of you played a ball, used irons or woods with the swoosh on them. We all used Calloway, Taylor Made, Titleist, Ping and the like. Now I see a ton of Nike in your bags. It's unreasonable for this company to turn their back on Woods now, despite his dispicable behavior. This is the classic case of the lesser of various evils. He didn't kill anyone, no abuse of Ellin is suspected and physical harm is not a factor. Nike can not ignore what Tiger has done for their product. Period.