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