Miss October by Steve T

The title is not related to any kind of beauty pagent. It's just that my favorite month of the year is ending and it will be missed. I'm huge on March Madness & there might not be 2 better days than the Thursday & Friday to start the Big Dance. That said, for sustained sports brilliance, nothing approaches October for my money. As it begins baseball's regular season winds down and evolves into the playoffs. College football teams have started to form their personality with big out of conference games and suddenly it's the cutthroat nature of league play. The NFL is well underway working it's way from the first few weeks as teams see how those draft picks, off season moves and injuries impact their fortunes. Then as Halloween arrives, it's halfway through the year and the value of the games skyrockets. We also get the beginning of both the NHL & NBA seasons. More importantly than all this nonsense, Steve's birthday is October 4th. Am I missing something? Is there a greater sports month all year? Let us know your thoughts.

CHECKING OUT THE CHAMPS by Steve T

How rare is it for a fan to see a world or national champion in person? I was thinking about the trip my wife & I took to Florida in April. We made our way to the Trop to see Yankees/Rays. Obviously at the time, if someone told us we were seeing the future AL champs, I would have assumed they meant the guys in pinstripes.
As Oregon fans we saw USC at Autzen on September 24th, 2005 when they were defending their BCS title. On October 17th, 1992, Washington was here after grabbing a share of the national title in 91. Loyalists who followed Ernie Kent & his Elite 8 crew to St. Louis in late March of 2007 got an up close & personal look at the eventual Dance winning Gators of Florida. Speaking of, Coach Kent's first team welcomed Arizona to The Pit on February 21st of 1998, less than a year after Lute Olson captured his lone crown in Tucson. Two years earlier UCLA came to Mac Court in early March after taking their first title since the Wooden Era. It's not a common occurance if you don't live in a city that has pro sports where you get to see each team in your arena or stadium at least once a year. Let's talk. Would you go out of your way to get a look at the champs?

REWIND TO EVALUATE by Steve T

On yesterday's show we posed the question and you provided some interesting answers via e-mail and on air. Here's your chance if you missed to fill in the blank today.
If, just prior to Nate Costa's season ending injury in late August you were posed the following scenario, how would you conclude the statement at the end. You're told that in game 8 at Arizona State, that Jeremiah Masoli would lead the team in both rushing and passing. Chris Harper would lead the team in receiving. Finish this thought: "In that game Oregon will _______________". Look forward to it. My guess is not many would tack on "put up 54 points to win in a romp to bump the record to 6 & 2, maintain a share of the Pac-10 lead and jump back into the national rankings".
My thoughts on Bud Selig & MLB's Game 5 World Series mess. The game never should have been started, but once the first pitch is thrown, do everything possible to get the game in. Both teams are playing in the same weather so as long as it's deemed safe, try to go the full 9. I agree Selig is a knucklehead for not pulling the plug before things got started.
I was really impressed with Tennessee last night in their win against the Colts. It bumps their lead in the AFC South to an astronomic 4 games with only 9 left. Terrific game plan to limit the passing damage of Peyton Manning and have Kerry Collins throw on 1st & 2nd down to keep him out of those dangerous situations. Even when we saw a few 3rd & longs, KC came through exceptionally well without a single turnover. Catch ya in a bit on the big show.

MONDAY'S THOUGHTS by Steve T

We can move on with our lives. With a few posts, calls & e-mails it's been determined we need no Fantasy Football segment on SportsTalk. I thank you all profusely cause I had no desire.
Can we refer to college football as a season of fluctuation when it comes to fan expectations. Oregon heads into the ASU game with lot's of folks playing wait and see. Each game on the remaining schedule was deemed both "winnable" and "loseable". Suddenly in the wake of a top notch Duck performance talk of the Rose or Holiday Bowl has resurfaced. If it had been a defeat in the desert, the gloom and doom would dominate. I remain cautiously optimistic with the understanding Cal represents a significant upgrade in the quality of opponent. At the core, the key to Saturday's thumping was a great game plan, a healthy team and save a few we'll discuss on today's show, limited mistakes. Saturday's game in Berkeley is a 12:30 start with live TV on ABC. I was moderately surprised to see Oregon leap from getting a total of 8 votes in the "also ran" section of the national rankings to 23rd in the AP rankings and 24th in the BCS poll. The Golden Bears, who busted open a close game with UCLA by posting 24 fourth quarter points, sit 27th in the AP poll.
Looks like I was way, way off in evaluating this World Series. Philly got a gutty performance in Game 3 from their 45 year old starter Jamie Moyer to take the 2-1 advantage. Then in Sunday's tilt, the bats finally exploded. They'd been anemic with runners in scoring position and runners on base in general before the flood gates opened. Now with their ace, Cole Hamels on the hill tonight(Mon), it could be celebration time in the city so often frustrated by their beloved teams. For the record, their last championship was the DR. J led Sixers a quarter century ago. Hard to believe that a franchise that began in 1883 has but one title, in 1980.
Lot of NFL and college football today & ready or not, the NBA season begins tomorrow.

FANTASY FOOTBALL by Steve T

Just heard an interview on ESPN with a so-called Fantasy expert. I don't think such an animal exists. All the information is out there & I think most of us are just as capable of making a quality call on who to start, drop, ect.
What are your thoughts & should we have a fantasy segment on Friday??

Steve and Rob talk Sun Devils

THE FALL CLASSIC by Stevie T

I know we sit in Pac 10 country and a place a would NOT consider a baseball hotbed. That may change over time with the return of Oregon baseball, but for now our national past time can't hold a candle to football and hoops in these parts. That said, we have a ton of baseball fans who are passionate and this is the World Series. If Tampa beats Cole Hamels and Philly in game one this evening, I can't see this thing going more than 5 games. Ironically the Game 1 starters, Hamels and the Ray's Scotty Kazmir, were picked 2 slots apart in the middle of the first round of the 2002 amateur draft. Needless to say, expectations were high. The catch is that Hamels is with the organization that understood what they had. Kazmir was taken by the Mets then hijacked by Tampa when New York was transitioning from the end of the Steve Phillips as GM era into the current regime run by Omar Minaya. The Rays gave up a schlub in Victor Zambrano. The deal was made at the trade deadline in late July of the 2004 season. Zambrano was out of baseball by early in the 2007 season. Kazmir fronts a World Series rotation.
Game 2 is a toss up pitching wise with Brett Meyers for the Phils dueling with James Shields. I can not see a circumstance under which the Rays don't demolish Jamie Moyer in Game 3. My logic harkens back to the Tim Wakefield start for the Sox in the Boston/Tampa series. The better line-ups, which obviously you face in the post season, don't fall prey to junk. They work the count, see as many pitches as possible, then tee off on knuckle balls and the crap Moyer throws.
Each team is excellent defensively and has a running game. No team stole more bases than the Rays while Philly had the highest success rate of steals and only swiped 6 fewer bases than Tampa.
I know there is talk of a very low rated TV audience, but for fans who will actually be tuning in, who cares. Everyone I know named Steve Tannen who loves baseball and hosts a SportsTalk show in Eugene will be riveted. Enjoy it and remember, AM 1320 The Score will carry all the action.

Congrats go to Don...

Nolan finally out, but will it help?

ESPN.com reported today that "barring a dramatic change of course" Mike Nolan will be fired as the San Francisco 49ers' head coach after the team's game with Seattle this Sunday. Well Niner brass, what exactly would a dramatic change of course be? Say Nolan's team goes out and destroys the Seachickens - like they probably will do. What happens then? The guy is the face and stable force of the organization right now. He took over the team after you essentially got rid of all of its talent and drafted an over hyped quarterback. Seven wins out of a team like that is an accomplishment. You let Jeff Garcia go because TO wouldn't shut up, then let TO go; you dropped Julian Peterson because you didn't want to pay him; You disassembled the offensive line and the defense; then, in a desperate attempt at appealing to the fans who had been griping for a decade about how you don't want to spend money, you overpaid for a corner and a backup quarterback who played three good games (two of them, really). The decisions you left up to Nolan haven't been bad. He drafted Patrick Willis, Joe Staley and Manny Lawson; he hired Mike Singletary, Mike Martz and developed Frank Gore into an elite NFL running back. He developed the defense into one that can compete, after years of being a laughing stock. It's kinda hard to argue that Nolan is a bad coach. What head coach can win games in the NFL without a capable quarterback? You can have all of the overpaid talent in the world, but if you don't have a field general, you can't win as a head coach. He has gotten every bit out of his talent and supported himself with coaches who do the same. Ironic that one of those coaches might unseat him.
-Alex

I HATE BECAUSE I CARE by Steve T

Isn't it amazing how aggravated and frustrated we get over silly things like a game we're watching on TV. I've been a real Duck fan for about 15 years. The first few years(I arrived in 1990) were about learning the subtle differences between rooting for a college and pro outfit. I tend to get a bit more nasty towards the guy making 2.5 mil a year who fails to execute the fundamentals. Considering I've been to a few hundred Yankee games, at least 100 Oregon football games, hundreds of Knicks games, no one owns a bigger piece of my sports ulcer than the New York Jets. The loss to the hapless Raiders yesterday moved high up the list of contests that forced me to be creative in combining explatives. For today's show and this blog, please list some of the most anguish filled games you've witnessed and specify if it's either in person or on the tube. Certainly the loss at Autzen to Stanford in 2001 that cost the Ducks their 23 game home win streak and eventually a shot at Miami and the National Title is on many of our lists. Think about it and tune in at 3.
Hail the Tampa Bay Rays. And not just because I have a sizeable bet at generous odds for them to win all the marbles. Okay, that's a huge reason. The key is baseball. This team excells at baseball. They're a 5 tool threat. I really like this Phillies team because they're pretty solid in all aspects, but it just seems that the team who can win a tough division like the AL East then take out the champs and plays in the superiour league can handle anything. We'll see and I can't wait.

Steve And The Radio Host Formerly Known As Idol

MUSICAL DIGRESSION by Steve T

Since it's a Friday and a bye week for the Ducks, it's time for a traditional SportsTalk digression. Chatted yesterday about how insulting it is that crap like Bryan Adams, Journey and some of the other weenie groups are considered Rock & Roll. It's time to list our favorite albums by decade and your 5 most pathetic artists. Here's some food for thought. You can e-mail me you suggestions if you prefer not to post.
ST's Lame List(subject to alteration)
Journey, Boston, REO Speedwagon, Journey, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi
ST's masterpiece albums:
1960's: Beatles/White Album, Hendrix Experience, Stones/Beggars Banquet, Zepplin I & II, Doors/Strange Days, Who/Tommy & My Generation, Dylan/Blonde on Blonde, Creedence/
1970's: Led Zep/Physical Graffiti & Houses of the Holy, Creedence/Cosmos Factory, Who/Who's Next, Aerosmith/Toys in the Attic, Pretenders/Self Titled, Elvis Costello/My Aim is True, Police/Outlandos D'amour & Regatta de Blanc, Van Halen I, Jethro Tull/Aqualung & Songs from the Wood, Alman Bros/Live at the Fillmore, Clapton/Slowhand, Neil Young/After the Gold Rush, David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust, Pink Floyd/Dark Side of the Moon, Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Ramones/Rocket to Russia, Sex Pistols/Never Mind the Bullocks, Stevie Wonder/Songs in the Key of Life, Boz Scaggs/Silk Degrees....OH WHO THE HELL AM I KIDDING...THERE ARE A MILLION FROM THIS DECADE
1980's: Pretenders/Learning to Crawl, Police/Ghost in the Machine & Syncronicity, Stones/Tatoo You.....
1990'S: Nirvana/Nevermind

TAMMY SAID JOEY LIKES ELLEN by Steve T

Reading and hearing about Brett Farve calling Cowboy QB Tony Romo after it was announced he's out a month with a pinkie injury and telling him if he can play, he should. Seriously? This is sports news? How far removed is this from passing notes in homeroom? Brett might like jeans that are tough, but he apparently has a fondness for gossip and piling up cell phone minutes. I guess the right thing to do is just ignore this crap, but without the ability to publicly vent, I'm a step away from a freaking aneurysm(I googled the spelling so don't). Okay, I'm better.
No one will cop to their penchant for being wrong when it comes to picking football games. Baseball is a different story. If you've paid attention recently, I've been taking people deep. Nailed Wakefield and the Bosox getting punished on Tuesday. Had Philly with Cole Hamels wrapping the LA series last night. Gotta say my online betting account is as high as it's been since I sent it home on the Giants over Pats in the last Super Bowl. I'm leaning towards Dice-kay and the Sox sending this thing back to St. Pete, but not yet. Have to decide if Scotty Kazmir will rebound, focus and handle this Boston line-up. Stay tuned.
Speaking of gambling. My dad and his buddies used to call games that looked obvious a "trick bag". You look at Green Bay hosting the Colts. Indy punished a really good Ravens defense last week as Manning heals up and gets back in synch with a revitalized Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and their outstanding #3, Anthony Gonzalez and that stud TE Dallas Clark. The Pack have beaten no one and are struggling stopping the pass. The betting line opened with Indy just a point, but has grown to 2 1/2. Perhaps it's because top back Joseph Addai is out with a hammy or the fact the game is at Lambeau. Either way it looks too good. Your thoughts?? Go Rays!

BLOWOUTS.....GET OVER IT! by Steve T

Lot of talk locally & nationally in recent weeks about teams ahead by a bunch rolling up the score and pouring it on if you will. With about 2 minutes remaining, USC called a timeout. On the next play, back-up QB Mitch Mustain checked off and hit a bomb to David Ausberry for a 59 yard score that pushed the final from 37-10 to 44-10. In last weeks wipeout of Washington State, Oregon State had a relatively cozy 59-13 edge halfway through the 4th quarter. Back-up Sean Canfield, seeing his first action of the season, hit Damola Adiniji from 39-yards out bumping the number on the board to 66. Some have expressed outrage over the lack of sportsmanship displayed by Pete Carroll or Mike Riley. Here's my question. Who asked you? It's no one elses business outside those in uniform or the coaching staff. Rubbing it in the opponents face comes with pitfalls. Reputations can suffer, or more importantly, when the cyclical nature of the sport rears it's head, that team you destroyed might show no mercy when they have you down. Here's another thought. That head coach you're humiliating might some day be in a position of power and have a job opening you might be interested in. Think that resume finds it's way to the call-back pile or the recycling bin? Here's a novel concept for the team on the short end of the score. Make a stop. Prevent them from scoring at will all day long. I think it shows questionable character to kick college aged kids when their down like that, but the winning team has to do what it deems best to get better and prepare for the rest of the games. It doesn't have to answer for it's actions immediately, but possibly down the road. Your thoughts??

Darn Rules! By Steve Tannen

I guess I just have a problem with authority. Not that big on rules thus not a big fan of most refs, officials or umpires. Was watching Dallas/Arizona this week and that bloody "Tuck Rule" surfaced. We know the origin. 2001 playoff game between the Patriots & Raiders. Big moment. 4th quarter. Charles Woodson blitzes off the edge, sacks Tom Brady, fumble recovered by Oakland. Game over. Then the idiot zebras got involved and we learn what the tuck rule is. If the QB is attempting to bring the ball back in an attempt to keep ahold of it rather than pass, it's considered an incompletion. It's complete and total garbage, but the rule. I'm also against the "ground can't cause a fumble" rule as well. My point is this. Guy is running with the ball and in trying to elude a tackler, leaps or dives and upon hitting the turf, loses the ball. Guess what? The ground just caused the fumble. These instances don't surface all that often, but each circumstance seems a tad anal to me and from a football point of view, if you lose the ball, it's a freaking fumble! Your thoughts?
As for tonight's game 4 in the ALCS between the Rays & Red Sox. I think lot's of folks are way off about Boston starter Tim Wakefield. Sure, over the course of his career and the regular season he's had great moments with that knuckleball. Fact remains he's been terrible in the POST season as a starter since they first broke the curse in 2004. His 3 starts have resulted in more than a run an inning and he's only made it TO the 5th inning once. The reason is simple. In the playoff you're facing a better hitting team who understand the value of patience and seeing a bunch of pitches before hacking at that flutterer. Tampa has played long ball in taking the last two games, but primarily work the count and show good selection at the plate. The Sox might win, but I'm thinking it has to be via the slugfest. We'll chat on Sportstalk coming up in about 10 minutes.

Steve's Dad Calls In

In case you missed it ...

Now that I know a little bit about sound file editing, I'm going to make an effort to post all of Steve's interviews and interesting calls on here as a supplement to his show.
-Alex

POETIC HATRED by Steve Tannen

My dad taught me that it's wrong to hate. He's lived almost all his life in New Jersey and doesn't have to watch Pac-10 refs in hoops & football week in and week out. It's crude, but these guys really suck. The pass interference call on Jairus Byrd in the end zone late in the 3rd quarter in the UCLA game was a new low even for these clowns. Yes, these knuckleheads should be outfitted by Barnum & Baily instead of Nike or whoever provides those stripes. I have no issue with a zebra who blows a tough call that could be reversed on review. This call was a complete and total fabrication. To make matters worse, it was late. A conspiracy theorist would assume the referee had the Bruins and the 17 points. I don't buy that because that would mean these morons had an excuse for their ineptitude. I simply think they're bloody awful at their jobs. Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen was at the game and while he might have been napping at the time after a nice, hot cup of tea, perhaps this will demonstrate how pathetic things have gotten. Let's put it this way, I thought things bottomed out with the horrifying way the Oklahoma game went 2 years ago. Just goes to show that we should never asume things can't get worse.
That said, I have no idea what to make of the Ducks. UCLA isn't good, but Oregon beat them. Looking around the country, it's getting tough to just lock in a win against almost anyone because parity has spread like bad stocks. I look forward to your thoughts when we rally in a bit for SportsTalk.

Update on UCLA Reciever Terrence Austin

UCLA said "he was fitted for a neck collar, placed on a board and transported from the field to RiverBend Hospital. While on the field, he was conscious and able to move his arms and legs.
Tests at the hospital were negative. He was diagnosed with a neck strain and a mild concussion and released from the hospital in time to fly home to Los Angeles with the UCLA football team late Saturday night.
Thank God! We've seen enough of that in Autzen, frankly.

Did everyone else see Joe Montana on the sideline last night? Yes, I know we were all occupied with Dennis Dixon, but my second favorite QB of all-time (behind Steve Young) was on the Oregon sideline last night during the first half. I know one of his sons walked on at Notre Dame, and his son Nick is a junior QB at vaunted Oaks Christian in LA. That leaves one wondering what team he was in town on a trip with. You have to think Oregon because he was on the Ducks sideline, but you never know. I did notice he and his wife talking with Kilkenny for a while, so ... Ducks, maybe? When waiting in line to take the bus home after the U-Dub game, a Washington escort (booster) was with four recruits in line with me. I know, right! Way to go all out and take your recruits on public transportation; beside the point.
-Alex

If this wasn't made by a Beavers fan ...

But my God is it funny!
-Alex

Excited about basketball

When Rudy Fernandez bounced a pass through a Sacramento King's legs to LaMarcus Aldridge for a huge stuff, basketball thrust itself back into my brain like it hadn't since the late 90s. When was the last time you were really excited about the NBA, or the Blazers for that matter? Well, other than last season before Oden's surgery. Finally the Blazers have a team we Oregonians can embrace! No more jailblazers, no more weed in tinfoil, no more freakin' Zach Randolph! The team has class, a ton of talent, and a big man who can bang with the best of 'em. Any Blazer fan who wasn't excited when he or she saw Fernandez dunk over Dwight Howard in the Olympics (note video at the bottom of the post) when he was playing for Spain was either crazy or blind, but if that was the case, he or she wouldn't have seen it anyways. I'm not sure if you all noticed it, but there was an interesting picture being painted in the Rose Garden last night. On one side there were Oden and Fernandez, the two newcomers for Portland, playing quiet, yet powerful ball and finally bringing Portland back into the spotlight as a team that does it the right way. On the other side was Sacramento, a team that just traded away Ron Artest after several years of distractions and problems. Average Joe/Jill Blazer fan almost feels bad for the Kings because he or she knows how the team's fans feel. So, Kings fan, Blazer fan has a message: be strong, keep the faith, but don't stop loving, or you'll go the way of Supersonics fan.
A lot of credit goes to Kevin Pritchard for stepping in and making the right moves to create a cohesive team with good people who won't clash. I know we're only a few games in to the preseason, but boy is this a team I want to back.
-Alex

Some UCLA Links

Ken Goe of the Oregonian wrote an extremely interesting story about his relationship with UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel.

The Orange County Register discusses the road-game woes of UCLA this season and the concern caused by its first road test since the team's 59-0 loss to BYU.

A GREAT, GREAT MONDAY by Steve Tannen

Wow! What a start to the week. Just as you catch your breath from the college & NFL action over the weekend, it's time for 3 tremendous events on a Monday. It begins with the improbable run to the American League Championship Series by the Rays. Very ironic that I've been to Florida about 100 times since I was 12(1972), yet never travelled to the western part of the Sunshine State until this April. Got to spend some time reading and listening about this upstart team. Some guys in the media I spoke with were ultra sincere in their belief this was not going to be the typical doormat this franchise was known for. Upon arriving at The Score in late April I passed along what I'd learned about their young, talented front 5, solid defense and this young buck, 3rd baseman Evan Longoria. It's been a joy to watch, even at the expense of my beloved Yankees. My wife & I even got to see Yankees/Rays at the Trop in St. Pete. I don't have to tell you who I'm rooting for in this series with the Red Sox.
I'm a huge admirer of both managers from the ALDS between California & Boston, but think each guy bricked huge last night. Sox skipper Terry Francona elected to allow Justin Masterson to pitch to Torri Hunter with Mark Texiera and Vlade Guerrero on base in that 8th inning with a 2-zip lead. Masterson had walked both guys after getting ahead 0-2 then uncorked a wild pitch to put the duet in scoring position. If his closer Jonathan Papelbon was available as he'd said pre-game, what's the major difference between a 4 out or 3 out save? Rare bad move by a heck of a manager. Then Mike Scocia, perhaps the finest manager in baseball decides to take a shot at a squeeze play with the game tied at 2 in the 9th. That's a gutty call in mid-July, not so much with the season on the line. Erick Aybar was up with Reggie Willits on 3rd with one out. It wasn't even close and Bosox catcher Jason Varitek tagged out Willits before Aybar grounded weakly to first to end the threat. With a guy on third and a young pitcher in Manny Delcarmen on, why take that risk? You eliminate the chance of an error, wild pitch, passed ball or base knock to get that run in. Surprisingly brutal by Scocia.
In the Vikings thrilling 30-27 win over the Saints in MNF you had a special teams coach check his brain at the gate. Reggie Bush had already returned a punt for a touchdown, and by a shoelace(thanks Idol) almost had another. So with the game tied early in the 4th quarter, Minny special teams co-ordinator Paul Ferraro decides it's okay to punt at Bush again. The result was a 64-yard TD. What a chucklehead. Of course he got bailed out with the win, but how he has a job this morning is a stunner.
Ton to get to on the big show today. Look forward to your input.

Rick Neuheisel Press Conference - Oregon Week

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS by Steve Tannen

Okay, before it's forgotten and what's been said & written is accepted as fact, we need some clarification. The USC victory on Saturday is not the ass-whipping many are describing. If not for a blockhead and lazy play the final 1:51 of the first half, things might have been different. I'll be the first to admit, the Trojans could have roared from the locker room up 7 points, marched for a score and dominated the rest of the way. But it was 17-10 with SC backed up to near their own goal line and they were going to run out the clock. After a dive into the line for some reason Jerome Boyd shelved his brain and committed a useless, harmful personal foul. It pushed the ball to their 23, they decided to run the offense and kicked a field goal. Still 20-10 after 2 quarters is not a game-set-match circumstance. Then with :40 remaining before halftime Jeremiah Masoli hits Jaison Williams with a quick throw but JWill fumbles. Hey it happens! What made me cringe was with the ball on the turf, JW doesn't dive on the ground to get the rock, but gives a half-hearted 'bend over'. USC corner Josh Pinkard throws himself at the ball like a guy trying to rescue his family from a grenade. Guess who recovered? The TD on the next play pretty much meant game over. When you play elite teams, the effort must be unyielding both physically and mentally and those 2 Ducks threw in the towel.
How about Vanderbilt beating Auburn to remain unbeaten? It's a beautiful thing. The Commodores are academically to the SEC what Stanford is to the Pac-10. They don't even have an athletic department.
From the NFL it was way too much fun to watch the Giants just stomp the Seahawks. Seattle has injury issues but anyone who sells short the quality of this NYG offense is making a huge mistake.
We'll get into the horror that has become the 08 Cubs and the rest of the World Series chase on SportsTalk today.

Article about the passing of Milt Davis

The Other Steve called in tonight and mentioned an article by Register Guard Sports Editor Ron Bellamy about the passing of former Baltimore Colts cornerback Milt Davis.
Here's the link.

Roper Negative For Mono, Won't Travel

The Register Guard's Rob Moseley reports via his blog that Oregon quarterback Justin Roper tested negative for Mononucleosis, but won't travel with the team to LA because he didn't practice this week. Eddie Pleasant, on the other hand, will suit up.

Roper Has Mono. Wish Come True?

The Oregonian is reporting today that Oregon QB Justin Roper, who is still battling sickness and a sprained knee this week, might have mono, and that Jeremiah Masoli will get the start at USC on Saturday. It also appears, from numerous reports, that Rey Maualuga won't be on the field either.

Something To Think About The Next Time You Boo Your Team

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh doesn't need any help recruiting -- he might haul in the Pac-10's No. 2 class behind USC on Feb. 4 -- but he got some help from an interesting place according to this story: Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.

Quarterback recruit Josh Nunes was attending the Vols game against Florida. At the time, he was committed to Tennessee.

But that wasn't a good day for the Vols. They got whipped by Florida and their fans rained down boos on them as they left the field.

And a few days later, Nunes decided to look elsewhere.

And that elsewhere is Stanford (Note: Nunes insists in the story that he didn't change his mind because of the boos).

Something to think about for fans eager to boo 18- to 23-year-old college students.

Injury Updates and Pete Carroll's True Feelings About Bellotti

Adam Rose from All Things Trojan (the LA Times Blog) updates some Trojan injuries. The words up to the video are all his. The video shows some foul language, so be prepared accordingly.

Rey Maualuga -- Official word is that he has a knee sprain. What does that mean? Good question. About.com says that's "not a terribly useful diagnosis" because it tells you nothing about which ligament is hurt and how badly it's hurt. Worst case? UCLA fullback Trevor Theriot suffered a "knee sprain" in practice this week and his season is over. Maualuga will be evaluated further and we'll know more in a few days.

Brian Cushing -- USC's other All-American linebacker broke a bone in his hand. This guy can't catch a break, so to speak.

Zack Heberer -- Another reason for Trojans to hate Corvallis ... turf toe.

Taylor Mays -- Suffered from a bruised chest, causing him to cough up blood during the game.

Mark Sanchez -- You saw him limping. I saw him limping. But he kept playing after that scramble and didn't show any ill effects. A USC spokesman says he's fine.

Nick Reed is a semi-finalist for the 2008 Draddy Trophy. The Draddy is an award given to a football player for excellence on and off the field. Each player is nominated by his respective school and Reed was chosen by Oregon. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2008 National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Draddy winner, who will receive a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship, will be announced at the NFF’s Annual Awards Dinner on December 9 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Dennis Dixon was Oregon's nominee last year.

The LA Times has stories about what Trojan players have had to deal with this week on campus, the Oregon quarterbacks' problems (yawn), and the ramifications of Saturday's game for the Trojan's BSC hopes.