JOLLY HOLIDAY THOUGHTS by Stevie T

My wife and I are spending the weekend at the Oregon Coast in Newport. It's about 45 degrees, windy & raining. Just returned from breakfast to catch some of this West Virginia/North Carolina game. Not what you'd call a defensive struggle. Heels up 23-21 with 4 minutes still left in the half. Really wish I'd taken the over in this one. I'm thinking the Champs Sports Bowl between Wisconsin and Florida State may turn into a cliche. Big, lumbering Badgers against the youth and quickness of the Noles. I'm sure many in Madison will point out with PJ Hill, they're packing some speed. As much as Wisky has underachieved all year, no reason to buy into their capability, even with the 6 1/2 points.
I think Miami will have a really tough time slowing down Cal and all their firepower, especially back Javid Best who has gone bonkers his last 2 games with 200+ in the Stanford romp and over 300 on the ground against the Huskies. Of course UW mailed it in and has become perhaps the biggest disgrace in Pac 10 history. How can a once prominent program bottom out like this? We've seen the mighty dip a bit like USC or Miami but the fall was from National Title contender to 5 or 6 wins, not the tank job we've seen in Seattle. Gotta thank Ricky Neuheisel and former bubblehead AD Barbara Hedges for getting the ball rolling in the wrong direction. Jim Lambright(not too bright) did well to allow the negative slide.
Really looking forward to the Holiday Bowl. Was stunned to see that 80% of those who voted on ESPN picked the Cowboys to win. Thought it would be more like 50/50 as this is really an even game. I'm guessing most around the country are buying into the superiority of the Big 12. We'll see.
Hope you all had a safe, fun Christmas and for those celebrating Hanakah, enjoy the last few days of the festival of lights. If you are on the Frank Costanza band wagon, it was a joyous "Festivus for the rest of us"!

OH BROTHER! by Steve Tannen

Contest time, courtesy of our friends at Widmer Brothers. E-mail the correct answer to the following questions to
steve@1320thescore.com and win a nice prize packet from Widmer. We'll have a drawing on Monday and announce & e-mail the winners.
Name the 2 pitchers(yes brothers) who won a League Championship Series MVP in helping their team eventually win that year's World Series. Hints: It took place in the late 1990's & one was in the AL, the other in the NL where he also won the WS MVP.

SOUND OFF! by Steve T

Okay, the final entry in today's "Sound Off" section of the local paper set me off. A woman from Springfield chastised the Guard for it's vicious attack on Oregon State after the Civil War romp. She took offense to the headline "UO'S RUNAWAY OFFENSE CRUSHES OSU'S ROSE BOWL DREAMS"! Are you kidding me? This is over sensitive, p/c completely run amok. The words the editor chose to scream what happened on that football field were dead on. The offense was like a runaway freight train going downhill on an oiled track. It did crush the Beav's Rose Bowl dream. I'm thinking we could come up with an alternative, more gentle headline. Chime in with your thoughts or send me an e-mail at steve@1320thescore.com
Here's my first entry: "FOOTBALL SQUAD FROM EUGENE GAINS VICTORY WHERE EVERYONE GOT TO PLAY AND MAKE NICE"! YUUUUCKKKK!

No dirt?

photo by Brian Davies/The Register-Guard


This story by Ron Bellamy at The Guard discusses the new baseball stadium at the UO, PK Park. Now I know we're in the northwest and it will rain 75 percent of the time, but TURF INSTEAD OF DIRT!? WHAT!? One of the fondest, if not painful, memories of playing baseball in high school was going home dirty and sore after sliding and diving in the mud and dirt. It's what makes northwest baseball unique. I'm not saying that officials should ignore the elephant in the room; and I'm sure it will save the university money in stadium upkeep; and I know that OSU has turf and it works fine for it; but c'mon, it's baseball. Did I just kill my argument? Stupid brain! They do have the option to put clay in place of the orange turf, which as an Oregon fan seems like a no-brainer, but it sounds like the turf is gonna be there most of the time. And to that, I say: lame!
-Alex

TIRED OF THE BC-MESS? GET OVER IT! by ST

It's officially time for everyone, fans, players, coaches, media members and whoever else you can think of to stop whining about how the BCS picks teams to play in it's major bowl games. Last month's announcement that ESPN would televise those games through the 2014 season did not carry a provision that a new system was part of the deal. I'd guess we'd have a shot at implementing the playoff many want as part of the next contract that will be negotiated after a National Champ is crowned in January of 2014. Plus I have news for you. One team. Auburn in 2004 has the lone legitimate gripe about getting robbed of their shot at the title since the BCS was first implemented in 1998. What? Didn't Oregon get screwed in 2001? USC in 2003? Not really. From where I sit, the Ducks certainly deserved to play Miami instead of that slow, one dimensional Nebraska team that got spanked 37-14. Oregon has no one to blame but themselves. The loss against Stanford put things in the hands of the voters and computers. A victory over the Cardinal and they're in that game, period! In 2003, the Trojans lost in triple overtime at Cal 34-31, ran the table, then had to sit by as the system sent LSU & Oklahoma to the Sugar Bowl for all the marbles. Both the Sooners and Tigers had one loss as well. USC beats Cal, they're in. The fact remains that in the now 11 years of the BCS no team from a BCS conference has gone unbeaten and been denied their national title shot. Except Auburn in 2004. Despite a 12 & 0 regular season, the Fighting Tigers settled for a Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech. Think they would have given USC a better game than Oklahoma who got thrashed 55-19? The problems is people like to whine & complain rather than take a good hard look and the facts and obvious solutions. With parity now firmly entrenched, and everyone playing a 12 game regular season, the likelihood of ending up with one, much less three unbeatens leading up to Bowl season is slim. But the bottom line is any team who loses a game, has only themselves to blame if their goals come up short. Look forward to your thoughts on this.

SPORTSTALK GIVE-A-WAY by US

Okay, a few weeks ago we had a great talk with Ivan Maisel about his great new book, The Maisel Report. The focus is the most underrated & overrated coaches, players, traditions and teams in college football. It's an awesome piece of work and something I think you'll enjoy. For today's blog, just give it a read and then e-mail me your predictions on the following. Give me the winner & final score!
My e-mail address is steve@1320thescore.com
Alabama & Florida in the SEC Title game
Oklahoma & Missouri in the Big 12 Title game
Cowboys & Steelers in NFL football
The tiebreaker?
Total Points scored in the Monday Night Football game between the Carolina Panthers
& Tampa Bay Bucs. We'll give away 2 copies of the book.
Enjoy!

Press Conference Highlights

My favorite is the first Kelly quote ... Because it's Oregon indeed! Enjoy!
-Alex

I HATE BRITNEY by Stevie T

Expect a masterful Tannen rant on SportsTalk today(Wed). What is the fascination with Britney Spears? She was on the cover of my wife's Glamour, Rolling Stone, in today's paper about including the Northwest on her annoying tour. Hate to be vile, but the only way you'd get me to see one of her shows is with a nice, cozy place in the rafters for me and a hired marksman and his scoped rifle. What a no talent, sleaze hack piece of white trash and for some reason lot's of idiots around the world are enamored with her. I guess the logic is "if this loser can make it, so can I". Look forward to your thoughts on this.
Do you remember 2 rookie quarterbacks making this big of a positive splash in the same season like we're witnessing with Joe Flacco of the Ravens and the Falcons Matt Ryan. They each posess that poise and intelligent decision making, plus they're improving each week.
Good test for Oregon tonight at Utah. They have a rock solid big fella in center Luke Nevill. Major challenge for our 1st year pivot man, Mike Dunnigan. Plus they play pretty disciplined ball. Serious effort will be needed to beat this team, but if they pull it off, major confidence builder. Important early season ballgame for the young ducklings.
Has it been quiet on the baseball free agent front or what? Not one big name has made a move. The owners meeting is coming up and I'd imagine lot's of action will follow for guys like Sabbathia, Derek Lowe, Manny and Mark Texiera. We will light up the hot stove tonight. Enjoy your Wednesday.

So, about that Rose Bowl ...

PHOTO by Alex

How nice does that second place spot in the Pac-10 look after THIS season? Bellotti should be Pac-10 coach of the year. It was really nice to see players like Blount buy in to the Civil War tradition and get as pumped, if not more, than the fans who grew up with it. I saw him stomping many a rose after the game. It was a tremendous way to go out for the amazing group of seniors Oregon has. Think about it. Chung and Unger basically played four entire seasons for the Ducks. They will be missed, but boy did they leave a legacy! Damn that win feels nice.
-Alex

PROGRESSIVE GREED by Steve T

By now everyone whose had cable, a vcr or dvd knows the legendary line spoken by the Michael Douglas character Gordon Gecco in the movie "Wall Street" about greed being good. It's debatable but I must admit my level grew in geometric proportions during Oregon's Civil War romp. The culmination came when Brandon Bair recovered that late Oregon State fumble. I'm screaming for him to take it in so the point total would surpass 70. Then I'm thinking if he goes down and the offense can gain a mere 3 more yards they get past 700 yards. The joke is most Duck fans would have signed their name in blood before kickoff just to be guaranteed any kind of victory. As things moved along I found myself wanting more and more. Okay, greed IS good! Well at least it can be fun. We will talk about this season, where it began and how we landed here.
Most humorous moment of the weekend came late in the Carolina win at Green Bay. Panther back Deangelo Williams had scored on his 4th 1-yard TD run to give them the lead for good. He spotted a couple of Panther fans in the first row at Lambeau Field and attempted to flip them the football. A Packer fan in row two would have none of it and swatted the ball back onto the field. This was the ultimate anti-Lambeau Leap.
One of the most moronic issues surfaced last week. After throwing for more than 400 yards in back to back games, some suggested Matt Cassell be the new and future Patriot's quarterback and they should consider trading Tom Brady. I can't emphasize how idiotic this is/was simply in writing so you'll have to tune in for a potentially classic ST rant!
Texas and Oklahoma finished with identical records. Texas beat Oklahoma. Oklahoma is ranked ahead of the Longhorns in the BCS formula. The NCAA suits are right. We don't need a playoff. This makes perfect sense.
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

THOUGHTS FROM A ROCKET SCIENTIST by ST

Do we really need to concern ourselves with the NBA free agent class that will sign new blockbuster deals the season AFTER next? Just because Lebron James was in New York last night they're talking in the future sense. In a previous life before cable, satellite and the internet, the Big Apple exposure could mean more bucks and attention. Do these morons with nothing better to discuss not recall Michael Jordan or see Peyton Manning doing every other ad? Don't get me wrong, there is nothing like the NY media coverage with a dozen daily papers, not to mention TV & radio, but it's not a necessary destination any longer for mega dollars and commercial opportunities.
If I hear another Duck fan saying it might be better if the Beavs win the Civil War to get 2 Pac-10 teams in a BCS bowl I'm finding a nice cozy bell tower. Are you freaking kidding me? How can you call yourself a fan of a team then even consider the bright side if they lose. This is the joy of backing a football or hockey team. You gear up for the huge rivalry game with everything on the line and hope your guys demolish the other bozos.
I've always enjoyed Dan Patrick but now he's graduated to another level in my book. On today's show they were discussing the worst musical groups ever and he threw Journey into the ring. Said if he had to listen to that lame ass crap you'd have to hide shoelaces. Perhaps on SportsTalk we need to roll through that list of unacceptable bands who should face the musical guillotine.
Have a happy holiday.

It's the most wonderful time ...

This is an outstanding list put together by The Oregonian of Civil War moments that have helped to spark the flame of rivalry and trash-talkery. Let us know which one you voted for, and if you have any of your own.

I remember I went to Parker Stadium when I was a kid ('96, I think) and the stuffed animal guy (gotta be a Ducks fan to know who I'm talking about) was doing his thing when an OSU drunkie went after him. Long story short, the drunkie was arrested, the stuffed animal guy did his duty, and the Ducks won. THAT was a good day.

I was also in Reser two years ago for the first of the Matt Evensen Civil War losses with my buddy Joe in his 40-yard-line seats. After Evensen kicked the ball low and it bounced off a Beaver helmet, bedlam ensued and Joe and I decided to hit the Reser turf for the hell of it. When in Beirut, right? Sure, why not? Of course, I'm decked out in my Duck Store poncho and Oregon hat when we do it, so I was naive not to expect trouble. Joe and I are on the field for a good 30 seconds when OSU drunkie's son runs by and snatches the hat off my head. I'll repeat that. HE SNATCHES THE HAT OFF MY HEAD! Instinct told me to chase, so I did. I catch up to OSU drunkie's son and grab him to get my hat back. I succeeded because, let's face it, he's OSU drunkie's son: too think to drunk right. Well, when I do this a large Samoan OSU fan - not drunk, thank god - thinks that me and the bumbling orange wonder were fighting and grabs me, ready to start swinging. I can handle my own in most situations, but this was not one of those I would include in that most category. Thankfully cooler heads prevailed and Joe quickly intervened to explain what happened, or my bone structure might be a little different today. Oh, and OSU drunkie's son, let's call him OSUDS (O-suds), ran off into the rainy Reser night never to be seen again. Ya know, like Bigfoot, or Yvensen Bernard.

And hey for God's sake, check out this game-by-game history of the Civil War. Yay research departments!
-Alex

GOOD STUFF, BAD STUFF, WE HAVE OUR SHARE by ST

Really looking forward to our 5:05 chat today(Thur) with Ivan Maisel of ESPN. He has a terrific new book out called "The Maisel Report". He lists the most underrated and overrated coaches, players, stadiums, traditions, ect in college football. It's a fans dream and you'll be pretty happy with his thoughts on both Oregon & Oregon State.
The 2 stories that jump off the page from the NFL are Chad Johnson & Edgerrin James. Chad has been suspended for tonight's game with the Steelers for a violation of team rules. Apparently he got into an altercation with an assistant or maybe even head coach Marvin Lewis. Let's get one thing straight. When guys like Ocho Cinco or Terrell Owens are on good teams and getting the ball and things are well, they're tolerable. But like spoiled, immature brats, when things sour or the spotlight isn't shining on them, they'll draw attention to themselves via temper tantrums and other negative acts of hysteric you get from narcissistic morons.
As for James, he's requested to be traded or released from the Arizona Cardinals. This is another selfish putz. Why would a veteran player on the back side of his career want to leave a team who is locked into making the post season? His carries have decreased as the team is leaning on rookie Tim Hightower of Richmond, but he's got to understand what a key role a back-up plays in the NFL. He's never averaged more than 3.8 yards a pop during his 3 season with Arizona so it's not like they're sitting Ladanian Tomlinson! You'd think a quality pro would love the chance to be with a winner. If he thinks some club is out there waiting with big bucks and a vacancy for a big time feature back, he's lost touch with reality.
No show on Friday as we bring you Duck Women's Hoops, so have a fun weekend.

SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR??? by ST

Was listening to Dan Patrick today & the subject of Sports Person of the Year surfaced. Interesting topic. I scanned through the usual areas. Baseball? Forget it as no one really had that legendary performance. Hoops? Celtics did the team thing as did 08 National Champion Kansas. NHL. Sid Crosby took the Penguins to the NHL Finals but hockey is still transitioning back to a league based on skill & scoring but the numbers aren't there yet. NFL? No one is having that statistical explosion while winning. College Football? Hmmmm. I'd seriously take a look at perhaps that rare combo like we've seen with Tim Duncan & David Robinson. If Texas Tech plays for the National Championship after rolling through the best conference in football how about their duet of QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree? The numbers are off the charts and they will have led that program to unprecedented heights. Gotta take a good hard look at Michael Phelps who re-wrote the swimming record books with his performance at the Summer Olympics. What about the U.S Ryder Cup team? Heavy underdog that finally ended the European stronghold on that international event. Certainly NASCAR's Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson warrants a look, but Carl Edwards had more wins, won more money and had more top 5 finishes. His accomplishment of tying Cale Yarborough with 3 consecutive driver's titles is outstanding, but this is a 2008 thing. Your thoughts?

REALITY CHECK by Steve T

Just wanted to run a few items past the knuckleheads who claim to be supporters of the University of Oregon football program. Notice I've stopped calling those who boo and don't get what Mike Bellotti has accomplished here fans because they're not.
The Ducks are 8 & 3 heading into the Civil War with at least a trip to the Holiday Bowl on the line. This is the 113th season of U of O football. Here is the list. 1948, 1959, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2007. In just 7 other years have the Green & Yellow or black or silver or whatever entered the Civil War with at least 8 victories. The 1928 team won 9 games but played Oregon State in week 7. This team has been booed, dissed, called mediocre and other negative monikers. The bottom line is Duck football has been in the same or a better position as they prepared for the season finale all of 8 times. Figure it out.
How similar have the seasons of Oregon & Oregon State been thus far. Each has a pretty lopsided defeat at the hands of a team pretty much ticketed for a BCS bowl. USC over Oregon, Penn State beating OSU. Both have lost to a team poised to be a BCS bowl buster. Beavs falling to #7 Utah with the Ducks coming up light to #9 Boise State. Each has a conference loss that makes you want to put your fist through the television. The messy turnoverfest at Cal by Oregon with Oregon State seeing their comback at Stanford end with Darrell Catchings version of the idiotic 'reach'. Lot to chat about on this Monday including more incompetence from the NFL refs and some embarassing performances at both the pro & college level.

FINAL BOOING THOUGHTS by Steve T

Okay, you'll have to check out today's segment on SportsTalk about the current most dominating teams on the American sports scene. It will prove once and for all why those booing the Ducks at home are complete and total idiots. For openers, on Writer's Bloc this morning George's first caller(Jeff), said he's a student, was booing then etched his place in yo-yo history by saying he'd boycotted the show. The key is he claimed a refusal to listen over the weekend. Note to genius. Writer's Bloc is not on Saturday & Sunday. It speaks to the clueless nature of certain fans who make conclusions based on nothing related to the facts.
Looks like Greg Oden will be in the Blazer lineup for the 2nd time ever tonight at Miami. This team got a very sweet win at Orlando against a really good Magic team who had won 4 straight home games. Don't expect a massive, immediate impact from the big fella. He will be brought along slowly but eventually I expect a serious contribution, especially with his board work, effort and interior defense.
Was more than a bit surprised that Joe Torre did not win the NL Manager of the year. He ran 4th behind the winner, Lou Pinella of the Cubs, Philly's Charlie Manuel and the Marlins Freddi Gonzalez. After a closer look, this entire quartet did a very strong job guiding their club through a long season. I'll elaborate on the big show today. No brainer for Joe Maddon of the Rays in the AL. Can't believe some imbecile writer spent a first place vote on Ron Gardenhire of the Twins. Great manager, but this year was all about the league's perennial doormat making that quantum leap to contender. That clown should have his vote taken away.

DEEPEST THOUGHTS by Steve T

I'll concede just about everything in football to the coaches and players. They simply know more than a radio guy or fan. The lone exception is time management. This is a numbers thing and too many who get paid in that profession are inept. Pay me 60-70 grand a year and your team will utilize the clock with precise efficiency that would make Einstein proud. What happened in the final minute of last night's Cardinal/Niner game was embarassing and unprofessional. Frisco had the ball 1st and goal from the AZ 15 with :52 seconds left and were able to run just 3 more plays. That is unacceptable and completely on the coaching staff. For the record, I could care less. Didn't have a bet. Not a Cardinal or San Fran fan in case you thought a Bush Administration like agenda was at work.
I was quite pleased to see Tim Lincecum of the Giants to win the NL Cy Young Award. It just adds to my theory that baseball is great again. No more juiced up middle infielders hitting 35 homers. We have defense, base running, strategy and great pitching. Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks had a nice season and more wins but he stunk down the stretch during the heat of a pennant race. The bottom line is Tim was the best pitcher in the league. Brilliant. Tomorrow we'll learn that Joe Maddon of the Rays and Joe Torre of the Dodgers are their respective league's Manager's of the Year. Can't imagine it going any other way.
Read that former NFL linebacker Lavar Arrington took some shots at Joe Gibbs and Daniel Snyder, his ex coach and owner of the Redskins. Lavar is no longer in the league and out of the spotlight. He was the #3 pick in the whole draft out of Penn State and his career can best be described as "underachieving". Why anyone would give a crap about anything he has to say is beyond me. Heaven's knows I love ESPN but still can't grasp their love for gossip and garbage like this. The guy is old news and insignificant.
Look forward to a bunch of NFL & NBA talk on SportsTalk as the Blazers keep on keeping on.

Stanford Highlights

"He got booed, but after third-and-8, 60,000 people clapping. That's how things work, fans are going to be fans, and players know that." -Terence Scott

"He's a very, very resilient kid. Things don't really bother him. I like that, you can get on him, he likes to be coached hard. It's not that he's easy-going, not at all, but he doesn't let mistakes affect him. I don't think he listens to critics, and that's a very admirable quality to have. ... With the (QB) history you have here, you're always going to be compared to guys you have before, but that's a good thing." -Chip Kelly

OH THE MISERY! By Stevie T

In case you missed what Bob Clark of the R Guard wrote in yesterday's(Tue) paper about Washington State's unprecendented level of ineptitude, I'll share. They've surrendered 172 consecutive points. Since returning an interception for a TD against the Beavs on October 11th, it's been a massacre that would have made Custer wince. The math works out to 24 touchdowns and a couple of field goals versus OSU for the final 2 quarters then wipeouts at the hands of USC and Stanford. 8 different teams in the ACC haven't given up that many points all year. I could not find another team in the 6 BCS leagues who are within 100 points of what they've coughed up in those last 10 quarters. This is pathetic. Bill Doba took over a program that have risen from the ashes and become a significant player in the Pac 10 from Mike Price. What the heck happened in Pullman? Is Doba and the people he surrounded himself with the most incompetent buffoons in the history of college football? Here's my question. We've all followed sports for a very long time. Is this Wazzou group as bad as you've seen? I defy anyone to come up with a team that's absolutely worse. Jump in with your thoughts.

TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK UP ROCKY TOP by ST

I know many are still grasping the magnitude of the Cal defeat as far as making the Rose Bowl. Sure it's a mathematical possibility, but please! The announced departure of Phil Fulmer at Tennessee is really huge news. He was about as entrenched on the job as anyone in Division 1 football. Certainly guys like JoPa at Penn State or Florida State's Bobby Bowden have been on the gig longer, but not many are "more" synonymous with their school. I'll buy Pete Carrol, Mac Brown, Bob Stoops or maybe even Jim Tressell, but it's a really short list. His lifetime record with the Vols is 147-45. The winning percentage is the best among coaches with at least 10 years running the same program. Gotta think if he doesn't have job security, who does? This season has been a horror show with UT sinking to 1 & 5 in the SEC and in those defeats against Florida(their biggest rival), Auburn, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina, they've managed a measly total of 45 points. There seems to be a feeling of stagnation in Knoxville. The move makes sense, but certainly stands as a shining example of the volatility of that profession. Look forward as always to your thoughts on SportsTalk.

Calm Down, Take A Deep Breath ... So I Can Yell by Alex

I've been reading and hearing a lot of comments lately from people calling for Oregon's coaches' jobs because the team has been underachieving a bit and has made a lot of mistakes. I normally dismiss what people have to say when they preface it with "Bellotti can't take us to the next level," or "it's Allioti's fault that the D gives up yards," but those comments have been so frequent recently that I'm getting really tired of it. These are the same coaches who brought the program to where it is today and who had the team in national title contention twice in the last 10 years, which is way more than most schools in the country and certainly the Pac-10 can boast. I think if there's anyone to blame in the way the Ducks have played the past couple of weeks, it's Chip Kelly. Is he an infallible character who can do no wrong? Last I checked, the reason Oregon has struggled recently is its inability to move the football. And I'm not saying that it IS Kelly's fault. Oregon has three underclassmen quarterbacks right now. At the most important position on the field, the team has the least experience. To people who are calling for Darron Thomas: are you really ready to start an 18-year-old after one quarter of solid football? Remember, he played against Washington State and was ineffective against backups. not just backups, Washington State backups. If you are ready to go with a true freshman at the most important position on the field, you had better be ready to lose at least two more games this season. Boy, how long would Bellotti last (in your eyes) if he actually made that move and we lost? And don’t use the future argument. What coach, at 6-3, ever put in a freshman QB to gain experience for next year? I’ll tell ya, a coach who gets fired. -Alex

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.

I Guess The Paid Guys Shouldn't Do It, But What About The Kids?

ESPN.com is reporting that New York Jets safety Eric Smith is suspended for one game and fined $50,000 for his hit on Arizona Cardinals wideout Anquan Boldin, in which he led with his helmet and hit Boldin in the head, leaving him unconscious. It was a hit very similar to the one Boise State safety Jeron Johnson laid upon Ed Dickson two weeks ago. Kinda makes you think about whether or not suspensions should be given to college athletes as well.
-Alex

Upsets And The Jets On Fire

Looks like Favre wasn't the only thing on fire in the Meadowlands. There's some strong language on there, so rid your computer room of the little ones before watching.

Last Saturday's upsets got me thinking. Were any of these games truly upsets, or were they creations of the fanatical college football media? So much preseason hype was thrust onto the L.A. schools and Georgia that it put them onto a pedestal they - UCLA, certainly - weren't capable of staying on. UCLA was a bad team before its QBs were hurt and it beat an over-hyped Tennessee with its third-stringer running the show. Florida is the same Florida it was last year; Tim Tebow still makes mistakes and still can't carry a team to an undefeated season by himself, much like Knowshon Moreno. It's the same thing every year: over-hyped players create over-hyped teams that get into conference play and lose to teams that know them like a book - read OSU/USC, or Stanford/USC. There is too much talent on any team in the country to write them off in any game. Sure, the Pac-10 was hurt by its play out of conference, but non-conference games ONLY matter when determining the BSC standings. Last time I checked, the winner of the Pac-10 still goes to the Rose Bowl, second place still goes to the Holiday, and so-on and so forth. As far as the Ducks are concerned, a USC loss to OSU meant a lot more than its own loss to Boise State. Obviously no team wants to lose, but in terms of winning the Pac-10 title - which, other than the fleeting dreams of a national title, is the ultimate goal - a USC loss in conference sets Oregon up with a realistic opportunity to snag the title. And IF, IF, IF Oregon does win out, and doesn't worry about what happens around it, a national title might not be out of the question as well. Just a thought, not a prediction, so don't get crazy!

And by the way, anyone who says anything about SEC superiority and Ole Miss in the same sentence has already blown his or her credibility on college football, so don't bother going any further than that. Not sure what the numbers are, but if the west coast ratings for the national college football TV shows are slumping, that might be a reason for it. You're dumb, so stop talking.

I added some radio highlights from Saturday's game onto the player at the bottom of the page, so look down there and listen away.
-Alex

What did we learn from Saturday?

(AP Photo/Dean Hare)

Absolutely nothing if you've been paying attention to college football since forever! One would think that after last season - one that featured a weekly dose of top-5 teams losing - people would lose the attitude that one in-conference loss means you're out of the national title picture. Pac-10 teams lost some out of conference games and USC lost to OSU. So what?! Florida just lost to a TERRIBLE Ol' Miss team at home. Wisconsin just lost to an even worse Michigan team. Georgia just got blown out by Alabama. So what?! Teams get upset in this day-and-age of college football, it's just the way that the landscape is. Legit athletes who want a chance to start for four seasons are going to the Mountain West, WAC and Big Ten (just kidding) to get that opportunity and it's starting to show on the field. It says a lot to the point some people are making on the legitimacy of preseason polls.

I was probably one of the only people I talked to after the OSU win over USC who wasn't shocked at the outcome. Why? Mark Sanchez is still Mark Sanchez, isn't he? The same guy who threw 2 INTs against Oregon last season, right? The defense that people were so high on is filled with the same guys from last season, minus Sedrick Ellis, right?. All that game showed me was how terrible Ohio State is without Beanie Wells. The Beavs ran the ball at will against the Trojans - something Oregon should pay attention to - with the same exact offense they've been running since Mike Reilly came back, and with the exact same type of running back. The Quizz show looked an awful lot like the Yv show - and the Ken Simonton show, for that matter - when you think about it, didn't it?

A lot has been made nationally this season about the "fall of the Pac-10." While I acknowledge that the Washington schools are as bad as they've ever been, hopefully this weekend will calm everybody down, so they can start using the other half of their brains - you know, the half that has logic - and realize that the reality of college football nowadays is that the difference between #5 and #35 isn't a lot, and the only thing that really matters is who steps up and plays on any given day. I know that's expecting a lot from the likes of Lou Holtz, Mark Mays and Jesse Palmer, but I can hope. Hopefully Herbie can speak some sense to them because it's really hard to believe that these supposed college football experts are THAT out-of-touch.

Wish list aside, it was a pretty good couple of days. The Ducks stayed atop the Pac-10 standings and didn't injure a QB, USC was exposed, UCLA lost, The Huskies lost, and the SEC beat itself up. That, my friends, is a good college football weekend.
-Alex

Jerry Thompson From Ducks Illustrated

Here's Steve's interview with Jerry Thompson from Ducks Illustrated from 9/25/08

Check the bottom of this page for a playlist of all of our clip posts on the blog.
-Alex

What a night!

I'm accepting thanks from Beav fans who know the special "Tannen" touch. I mentioned how I could not see OSU keeping the game against USC close & that I dropped the remaining cash($36) from my online account on the Boys from Troy and laid the 26 points. At least it wasn't one of those aggravating, down to the last second, gambling defeats. I was toast by halftime. It's amazing how I can sing the praises of Mike Riley, his staff and that program, yet fall prey to this invincibility aura that surrounded this Southern Cal team. One factor I failed to consider was how the Trojans would react if Oregon State took their power punch then countered with an even more severe blow. Those guys just ran it down their throats and the defense put enough heat on Mark Sanchez to keep him from truly finding a comfort zone & groove. Seriously, how did this team lose to Stanford. I guess the SC guys were wondering the same thing last October!
I really gave my remote trigger finger a workout last night. While I had the OSU upset on, I was switching between a trio of terrific pennant fever games as the Mets snuck by the Cubs, the Brewers got a walk off grand slam to stay tied with New York for the wild card and the Twins finished off a sweep of the White Sox in 10 innings to take the AL Central lead. We head into the weekend with the Phillies just a game ahead of the Mets in the NL East plus the aforementioned items. This time of the year is a beautiful thing.
As far as the Oregon football players involved in that bad accident following a street racing incident, well it's really disappointing. I'm hesitant to use harsh words like "idiot" or "jerk" when dealing with a college aged young man, but Eddie Pleasant is an "idiot" and a "jerk" for putting the lives of his teammates and innocent folks on the roadways at risk. Sorry, but from my chair he's done for at least the season. This isn't cracking a cold one at a frat party, this is life and death. He could have killed a young mom and her baby.

As it turns out...

... the friend in the car accident was Jamere Holland. According to Rob Moseley, Holland and Pleasant won't make the trip to Pullman, and freshmen Dewitt Stuckey and Josh Kaddu will burn their redshirt years and probably play on Saturday. Pleasant needed 75 stitches and Darron Thomas, who was sitting in the passenger seat, left with a bruised elbow. Moseley also reports that Justin Roper and Marvin Johnson won't travel with the team.

Thursday Links

The Register Guard's Jack Moran broke a story this morning about a car accident involving Darron Thomas, Eddie Pleasant and a friend. According to the report, Pleasant, the driver, allegedly was racing someone on Gateway and lost control into oncoming traffic. Pleasant, along with the passenger in car they crashed into were taken to the new hospital in Springfield. According to Moran's story, everyone involved has since been released from the hospital. Thomas was never hospitalized.

On a lighter note, The Guard's Rob Moseley did a profile on Sonny Harris, and Adam Jude did a story on the emergence of LeGarrette Blount.

John Hunt of The Oregonian reported the return of WT3 to practice on Wednesday, making him eligible in Bellotti's eyes to play Saturday - Thursday is his cutoff day that a player must practice by to be able to play that week. However, he also noted that Justin Roper was not in pads and probably won't play.

Ty Hildenbrandt of SI.com breaks down the Oregon QB injuries since October of last season.

Crossing state lines brings us to the Seattle Times and Bud Withers, who explores the devastating QB problems the Cougars are having - and, yes, devastating is the right word for a fractured vertebrae and a broken bone in a back.

Also, Steve had some questions earlier in the week about redshirt eligibility rules. Here's a link to the NCAA's official rules and guidelines. And here's the definition of what a Grayshirt is - it's something I've always wondered about too.

And here's all you would ever need to know about Steve's new best friend Colin Cowherd. Looks like he graduated from Eastern Washington and spent most of his career in the Northwest, with a short stint as a TV anchor in Florida.

This one is for Hockey Todd.

According to Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross of The San Francisco Chronicle, those tree-sitters in Berkeley are going to lose a lot more than just the trees. Here's one of the weirder stories I've seen about marketing to rivals. Really UCLA? Fresno State coach Pat Hill made we at Sports Talk like him a little more. And an Ad UCLA put out this week you have to see to believe. I think I just found my new wallpaper.
-Alex

Steve's Interview with Chris Hoff

Steve catches up with Chris Hoff from the Oregon Classic.

REALLY? NOW?

Was on the exercise bike this morning when I learned the NY Giants had suspended their stud receiver Plaxico Burress for conduct detrimental to the team. Turns out it was insubordination. Are you freaking kidding? The man is the go to guy on the world champions who are undefeated heading into a bye. Then I started thinking about wide receivers and if they, as a group, are perhaps the most self centered, narcisssistic athletes we follow. Chad Johnson, Terrel Owens, Keyshawn, Randy Moss, and on and on. We've had Joe Horn with the cell phone and of course most return men who invented the legendary celebration dances like Billy White Shoes Johnson, were receivers by trade. Help me here. Are they the poster boys for the "look at me" ballplayers?
Let's move to baseball. Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. In last night's Philly loss to Atlanta Pat Burrell, a vet, committed a dunderhead move. He'd just doubled home Ryan Howard to make it a 3-2 game in the 6th inning. There were no outs with the tying run at 2nd. The next hitter, Shane Victorino hits a grounder to the left side & Burrell takes off on contact and is nailed at 3rd. Genius!
The Met's Johan Santana showed what it means to be an ace and assume that role of stopper. Threw a season high 125 pitches in going the distance to beat the Cubs. He was not to be denied. Went to his skipper, Jerry Manuel and said he was willing to throw a high number. Love that.
Tonight on Sportstalk beyond the Ducks, Beavs/USC & all the good football stuff, my thoughts on the end of the Yankee playoff streak. Trust me, it's more than Arod's fault.

God I Love Jerry Allen

And if you don't, you're a communist.

Joey shot me some audio clips from Saturday. Enjoy.
-Alex

EMBARASSING OMISSION by Steve Tannen

Quick final thought on the last game at Yankee Stadium. It's been mentioned on today's(Tue)Dan Patrick show. The failure to acknowledge Joe Torre who took them to the playoffs each season during his 12 year tenure which included 4 world championships and a total of 6 trips to the series is disgusting. It's typical of the pettiness and downside of the Steinbrenner era. This was Hank, not George but shows the apple ain't fallin far from the egomaniacal tree. Not mentioning Clemens is a different deal as he's got that Bonds, Sosa, Big Mac taint. He still should have been part of the festivities, but Joe should have been a no brainer.
How about Oregon State coming out of the bye smack into USC! I'll give the Beavs credit as last year, on the heels of the huge upset in 2006, they hung around and "ONLY" lost 24-3. The OSU defense limited the Trojans to less than 300 total yards, but offensively, the managed a mere 176 yards including an anemic 85 throwing it. I'm guessing SC would prefer to blast them big time in front of the Orange & Black faithful. The Boys from Troy played Virginia, took a week off, wiped out Ohio State, then got another week off. Beware!
Huge final midweek series from the Twin Cities with Minny hosting the Chisox needing a sweep of the 3 game set to pull a half game in front of that Central Division. Too bad we don't get any of these divisional match-ups anywhere else the rest of the way. Philly, Mets, & Dodgers just have to win and not worry what's happening elsewhere as they have the inside track to the East, Wild Card & West.

In Case You Missed It...

This one is for Dave from the homers in the booth...

Some NFL Thoughts

Miami proved several things last weekend with their win against New England. The spread can work in the NFL, at least against New England. Those who ranted all off-season about how the spread will never work in the NFL and how it's ruining college football (Mel Kiper) were proven wrong by Ronnie Brown's 5 TDs. Also...

New England is terrible on defense. It's time to face the truth Patriots fans: the defense is not good enough to be leaned on for wins. No Tom Brady means no Super Bowl. If you haven't come to terms with that, now is the time.

Did anyone else think, during the Stealers' loss to Phili in which Roethlisberger ran, or attempted to run, for his life from the Phili pass rush, that Dennis Dixon would have given them a better chance in that situation? Me too.

Now that he's treating his Type 1 Diabetes, Jay Cutler is an elite NFL QB. Last season, Cutler was dealing with blood sugar issues that left him weak in body and mind. Since his diagnoses in the Spring, Cutler regained 30 pounds and his arm strength and decision making are second to none this season. Anyone interested on what he has to go through, check out this website. Also, Haloti Ngata has a foundation that funds research on the disease.

Full disclosure: I'm a huge Niner fan, so excuse this next one. Mike Martz and JT O'Sullivan are the second coming! Well, technically they're the third. OK, but seriously, Martz's offense, along with the weapons that Niner management brought in this off-season, are starting to mold in very nice ways. I'm not crazy. I know very well that the Niners won't make the playoffs, but a guy has his dreams. That's mine, and Disney taught me that sometimes they come true.

-Alex The Intern

TAKING SOLACE by Steve Tannen

Gotta admit to having reached the point in my life(nearly 48) where I set records for putting tough losses by my team behind me. Then I take a look back & get a better evaluation. I think people who carry defeats as if they played a role or live vicariously through sports teams are putzes or Raider fans. I don't see the Boise State game as this disaster and shocking outcome. Don't forget their QB, Kellen Moore is their highly touted recruit from Prosser, Washington has been THE GUY through spring, all of summer camp and obviously, right now. They have a great stable of experienced, quality pass catchers and a dynamite back in Ian Johnson. Oregon, in essence went with their 4th & 5th stringers at quarterback. Tell me that didn't give the Broncos an edge. I'll also cop to the BSU offensive braintrust concocting a brilliant game plan executed to perfection by their outstanding redshirt QB. No question they outfoxed the UO defense and defensive coaches. It happens.
I'd like to thank the good people at Michigan State, Arizona & the Miami Dolphins for putting a smile on my face by defeating teams I detest or in the case of AZ, a person I think is garbage(take that Weasel).
Some have been surprised I was glued to my TV for the Yankee Stadium finale. I blew off all the pre-game and most of the game until it got late. Wanted to see manager Joe Girardi pull Jeter late and let the NY fans shower him with their respect and appreciation. The end and some of the aftermath was cool. Tonight I'll share some of my favorite moments & memories of the big ballyard in the South Bronx. Would love to hear your angle as well.

Observations from Saturday

Boise State travels well: my paying job is as a delivery driver, and driving around Friday I couldn't help but notice the amount of orange and blue around Eugene. It could have just been those colors, but those who made the 8-hour drive from Idaho sure scattered a good amount of Autzen too.

Oregon fans aren't as bad as the national media make them out to be: messages around different blogs and callers to the post-game radio show confirmed what most Oregon fans already know: that Duck fans are classy, except when the Huskies are involved.

Chip Kelly's job is harder than yours: towards the end of the third quarter on Saturday, as frustrated as you - me included - thought you were with the offense's ineptitude, Chip Kelly had to be that times ten. And the conflict that must have been going on in his head on whether or not to burn Darron Thomas's redshirt year must have been WWIII. And what will he do when Roper is healthy, or Costa for that matter? Obviously Thomas's play next week will have a huge impact on who will be Oregon's QB the rest of the season, but what is Kelly supposed to do if Thomas throws for 300 yards and 4 TDs against the Cougars, which is something he could conceivably do?

Boise State's offense was a clinic: who plays quarterback might not be the biggest problem as Pac-10 play resumes next week. Boise State completely dictated what Oregon did defensively for most of the game. They shifted and motioned, which created mismatches that led to most of their scores and big plays. Oregon's defense looked confused and constantly a step behind Boise State. Hopefully for Oregon, the Broncos didn't make a blueprint for how to attack the Ducks' D.

Thurmond III might have been missed more than Roper: and not the way you might think. Thurmond had over 100 tackles last season and had been used as both a corner and safety in different situations this season. Thurmond III not being out there had to change the way Nick Aliotti called the game on defense.

Oregon can't live by its running game alone: the Ducks proved on Saturday that even the best running offense in the country can't run against nine guys in the box. Chris Harper in an amazing athlete, but if he can't throw the ball, he shouldn't be on the field more than 10 plays per game. The Broncos knew he couldn't and wouldn't throw, so they stacked the box, blitzed like crazy and made Oregon's offense ineffective.

With the QB situation as it is, Thomas makes sense: Thomas has been around the offense longer than both of the other QBs from Saturday. This situation is the reason Thomas showed up for Spring term last year - side note, he was in my J201 class and showed up to nearly every session. You could see his confidence in the pocket. He stood in, went through his progressions and slung darts. He might not be as fast as Harper, but he is strong, athletic and has a cannon for an arm. Masoli and/or Roper MIGHT be the better fit for this season, but Thomas looked too good to ignore.

LeGarrette Blount's TD run was the best I've ever seen in person: his run in the first quarter on which he hurdled a pile, juked a guy, and stiff-armed through a tackle beat out a run I saw when I went to a game between the 49ers and Lions in which Barry Sanders made one of his ridiculous 50-yard runs for a TD on Monday Night Football.

Thank God we play the Cougs: nuff said.


Photo stolen from the AP

-Alex The Intern

Some Oregon/Boise State Links For A Thursday

The Idaho Statesman has a short story on how Patrick Chung and Boise State running back Ian Johnson have a history despite never meeting.

Boise St. sophomore safety Jeron Johnson, seen here laying the thunder to Idaho State's quarterback, says that Oregon's team speed wont be a problem for his team on Saturday.

The Idaho Press-Tribune brings up a common theme this season for Oregon opponents, as well as what redshirt freshman Kellen Moore will be up against this weekend.

Here's a preview of the game (as if you needed it) by Blu-Turf.com's Brett Huston.

Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandell comments on the Oregon "quarterback curse."

ESPN.com Pac-10 blogger Ted Miller writes that Oregon is (and should be) a little afraid of Boise St.

The Oregonian has a story on the trickeration that might be afoot this weekend with two teams that are notorious in that fashion. It also has a how-to guide with video evidence of what-to and what not-to do.

The Register Guard's Rob Moseley has a story on freshman Chris Harper's history as a quarterback and what he still needs to work on if he plans to become the primary signal caller at Oregon. Curtis Anderson grilled Saturday's assumed starter Jeremiah Masoli about his Samoan heritage, how he ended up at Oregon, and his thoughts on the quarterback situation he's in.



-Alex The Intern

INJURED QB'S

Okay, I'd be completely remiss in not chiming in on the supposed rash of Oregon quarterbacks getting hurt. For those who say it's the style of offense I say hooey. Costa got hurt twice in practice, Dixon's injury went unnoticed by anyone because it was non-contact and Kellen Clemens happened at Arizona in 2005 during a pretty standard drop back to throw situation.
Certainly having a QB in this spread might expose them a bit more, but what about the teams who lived with the triple option or variations for decades. In many cases the goal of the play is for the quarterback to hang onto the ball until the last possible moment & actually draw contact.
I don't remember a rash of injuries to trigger men at Nebraska, Oklahoma or the old Southwest Conference in general. UCLA had guys dropping like flies last season, similar to Oregon and they didn't even run the spread. What's the explanation there? I'm not big on pinpointing a cause for every circumstance. As simple as it sounds, stuff happens. During his rookie year Mickey Mantle tore up his knee stepping on a drain in right center field. Should they have stopped watering the outfield?? Last season Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter got sacked 55 times, not to mention the hits he took on the scramble or after just releasing a throw. By the way, I just stopped to read George Schroeder's article and he even mentioned the UCLA situation. Tough breaks having Roper join the list of dinged up Ducks at the position, no question, but from my chair it's just that, tough breaks.