Beginning To Smell Roses, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. We are three days away from the long anticipated Rose Bowl Game between the Ducks and the Badgers. It's been about three weeks since either team has played, and both are very hungry for a Rose Bowl title. The game lacks nothing in the running game, having Montee Ball with 38 touchdowns on the year (hopefully it stays that way) and LaMichael James leading the nation with 149.6 rush yards per game. A lot is being made of the size of the Wisconsin o-line compared to Oregon's d-line. Not only are they big, they are very strong, but they don't block the same as the Ducks offense does. They don't have to pull and block next level like our guys do, but with a punishing back like Montee Ball, they don't have to. I think if our guys can bring the speed, the size differential will be a non-factor. One aspect of the game I think a lot of people are overlooking is the quarterback play from both teams. Darron Thomas and Russell Wilson have both had exceptional years under center, but whoever can limit the mistakes the most on January 2nd will take home the roses. Not to any one's surprise, the Ducks have unveiled their new uniforms for the Rose Bowl, and if they play as good as they will look, it will be a very enjoyable game in for Duck fans in my opinion. The keys to the game are to neutralize Montee Ball and Russell Wilson in the redzone, and ware the Badger defense down with both our tempo, and physicality. If we can do that, it should be enough to get the Ducks their first Rose Bowl title since 1917. Prediction -- Ducks 42 Badgers 34

Heisman winner RG3 showed us all why he took home the hardware, last night in the Alamo Bowl. if you missed it, it was quite the shootout to say the least. The game set the bowl record for most points scored in regulation with 123. Baylor won 67-56 and Griffen went 24 for 33 with nearly 300 yards. The Bears were trailing Washington 42 - 24 early in the third quarter, but once the offense started to click... Boy did it click. It seemed like either the Huskies or the Bears would be scoring every 30 seconds, but when it was all said and done, Baylor ran away with it. It was arguably the best game this bowl season and both teams played fantastic. RG3 is set to announce his decision to either enter the draft or stay in school sometime within the next week.

Various Thoughts, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. Yesterday Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley made his decision to stay in Southern California for his senior season. It didn't come as much a surprise seeing that the USC band was at the Press Conference. This is a guy who was a Trojan fan growing up and always wanted to play quarterback for USC. Even though Christmas came early in Southern Cal, the news isn't so fine and dandy for Duck fans. Now that the sanctions have been lifted, the Trojans are now eligible for the Pac-12 Championship Game and a bowl birth starting next season. I think from a personal standpoint, he made a good choice by coming back. Next season he should be the golden boy in the draft and he's only going to get better. You have to figure that he will certainly be in the Heisman discussion in the upcoming year.

A lot has been made of the decision to play Ben Roethlisberger last Monday against the 49ers. They were playing for a #2 seed and a first round bye, and Roethlisberger gave them their best shot at it. Also, it didn't help that he was playing against San Francisco's best defense in the NFL. Through 14 games this season, the Niners haven't given up a rushing touchdown for the first time in history. Big Ben is still questionable for tomorrow against the Rams, but I believe they can beat St. Louis with Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon, and they don't need Roethlisberger under center.

With the Colts winning two straight games, the campaign for Luck is now wide open. The Colts, Rams, and Vikings all are sitting at two wins apiece. If Indianapolis loses next week in Jacksonville, they get the first pick in the draft. It's obvious that Andrew Luck is going to be the first quarterback taken and RG3 still hasn't decided whether or not to enter the draft. Kellen Moore isn't getting talked about to much but I think he could be very effective at the next level. i wasn't a big fan of Moore in college, but after watching the Maaco Bowl last night, I realized he looks fairly equipped for the NFL.

2 WRONGS AND NO RIGHT? by ST

So Ohio State gets clipped with a 1 year bowl ban and loses 3 scholarships per year for 3 years. USC's penalty was much harsher. The lesson? Don't go toe to toe with the NCAA like former Trojan A.D Mike Garrett. His comment that the only reason the Boys from Troy were being pursued was "jealousy". Apparently did not sit well. I think what was doled out to SC was a total joke. We still don't have any idea what the coaches or administration knew about Reggie Bush, an agent and free housing. We know exactly what Jim Tressell was aware of when he deliberately used ineligible players. What the Buckeyes got hit with seems okay. Held up against the Trojans it seems light. But the NCAA blew it with Southern Cal.
A lot is being made about the Steelers playing a dinged up Ben Roethlisberger last night in that really bad loss at Frisco. Really? With Baltimore losing Sunday night the division lead and a shot at a first round bye was at stake. If you're franchise horse can go he goes, period! Should they have started Mark Malone or maybe Bubby Brister? This is one of those made for 24/7 talk radio debates that is beyond stupid. Cue Herm Edwards "you play to win the game" sound file. No brainer. And by the way, since when does that franchise not do the 100% right thing? Idiots!

Tebow Time, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. After starting 1-4 and seemingly out of the playoff picture, the Denver Broncos decided to give Tim Tebow the starting nod. For the first couple of weeks, you could just tell that John Elway and John Fox weren't very fond of Tebow. Since getting the nod, Tebow has gone 7-1 and six of his seven wins have been decided by 7 or less. The only game that the Broncos won by more than seven, they were tied with the Raiders going into the fourth and Tebow led them to score 14 in the final fifteen minutes. Appropriately, the fourth quarter has now been coined "Tebow Time," but as far as the other three quarters it is an entirely different story. Tebow has the worst QBR in the league in the first three quarters, but the best in the final fifteen... Some things just can't be explained. For all those people who still don't believe, get this stat. Since becoming a starter, nobody has thrown for more yards in the fourth except for Eli Manning. It doesn't get any easier for Tebow and the Broncos this week, taking on the New England Patriots on Sunday. Not sure if they can continue their magic, but one thing is for sure... It's Tebow Time!

The College Football bowl season begins tomorrow, and it is just the beginning of what is sure to be a great year for bowl games. Great non-BCS games like the Cotton Bowl with Kansas State vs. Arkansas, and the Alamo Bowl with Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin and Baylor take on the Washington Huskies. But we are all looking ahead to the match up on January 2nd in what will be LaMichael James' final game in a Duck uniform. The Ducks are favorites by six as the losers of the last two Rose Bowls square off. Arguably, the two best running backs in the nation go head to head in Montee Ball and LaMichael James, and it's going to be a heck of a game in Pasadena.

THIS MOVE MEANS??? by ST

Just read the Blazers landed free agent 2 guard Jamal Crawford. You always like your team dipping into the talent pool to upgrade the quality of the franchise, but I wonder. Has Portland taken up residence in NBA purgatory? No way this team wins 30 or less games to land in the lottery but do you seriously consider them a viable threat to even make the West Finals or win a round in the playoffs? FYI...that hasn't happened since they sent Utah packing in 5 games prior to losing the Western Conference Finals in 7 to LA in 2000. It's tough to tell a passionate fan base we're throwing in the towel and rebuilding, but is the goal to win an NBA title or not?
I'm hearing a ton of polls and analysis over the Chris Paul to the Clippers move and does it shift the power in the city of LA? It's possible the Clips could finish high
er in the standings, but you truly throwing down your cash on one of the most laughable franchises in the history of professional American sports? Blake Griffin looks terrific but has won nothing, and I realize his opportunity has been one year. I like Paul's game but after 6 full seasons in the league, he's advanced past the first round of the playoffs once. Great that the "other" LA team is generating excitement and tickets are getting sold by the bushel, but I'm taking a wait and see if that's okay?
I did not watch, but saw the preview of Barbara Walters interviews with the 10 most intriguing people of 2011. I love DJ, but how did Derek Jeter land on that list?? 1st Yankee to 3-thousand hits? Then of course "The Kardashians" to prove the nature of this farce and put the fast plummeting IQ and taste of America on display.

PICK A SQUARE by ST

You hear owners, GM's and others in a position of authority use the phrase "back to square one". Believe me, it never follows a run to the finals or a championship. It's always on the heels of a major disaster related to taking a step back. If in fact the Trailblazers are trading Gerald Wallace they land at the proverbial square one. It's staggering to think a couple weeks back when the lockout was settled we talked Blazers on the show. The consensus was if a few pieces fell into place with no true power in the West, there existed many reasons for optimism. Then Brandon Roy retired, Greg Oden suffered his annual setback, LeMarcus Aldridge was diagnosed with a heart problem and now this. A three team deal that would force the departure of Wallace brings 2 first round draft picks and frees up much cap room for a pretty solid free agent crop following this season. The harsh reality is Portland is now locked in NBA hell. They have no chance of contending for a title and look too strong to be a lottery team. I really like GW but it's time to accept facts and try to build the ultimate winner.
Reports have surfaced that Arizona State has hired Todd Graham of Pitt to be their new football coach. Matt Hinton who blogs for Yahoo! says he informed the Panthers of his decision to leave via text message. Can't wait to share his history and credibility on the big programs later today. What a bozo!

YOU HAVE NO SAY by ST

I love that that Steelers James Harrison has come out in support of...himself. Lays a monster cheap shot on Colt McCoy, gets a game suspension and cries about it. This would be like Billy the Kid arrested robbing a bank and not getting why law enforcement is throwing the book at him. Like with Ryan Braun and the guys who fail drug tests in baseball, the benefit of the doubt no longer exists. The punk patrol like Rasheed Wallace, Harrison and the others never see themselves in an honest light. It's always the refs, the media, some other element at work out to screw them. Here's an idea from the late King of Pop. Start with the man in the mirror!
I forgot to mention how pleased I was the Heisman voters gave the award to Robert Griffin III. 4-thousand yards, hit 72% of his throws, top rated QB in the land, 36 TD's versus just 6 picks and Baylor beat both Texas and Oklahoma. Oh by the way, he also ran for 8 touchdowns.
The MLB Players union is telling us not to rush to judgement on Ryan Braun. Too late! Speaking of a stunner, John Rocker, one of the great bigot scumbags of our time, says he did roids during his time with the Braves. Nah! Never would have guessed such an insightful, under control fellow would partake in such an activity. The hysterical catch? He's trying to sell a book. He did say one thing I agree with. He'd like to have the current Rocker(37 yrs old), go back and punch the 23 year old Rocker. Better idea. Let's hold a raffle and all the winners get to punch Rocker in the face! Sounds fun.

BEYOND THE HYPE by ST

The focus of the nation has been another Tim Tebow comeback leading the Broncos to victory. If you did not watch most of that game, do me a personal favor and shut up. Tebow lands maybe 3rd on the list of important stories from Sunday's win. Bear defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli leads off as a gutless moron. They ate Tim Terrific up all day then decided to back off and let him throw to open receivers. Next we have a total yutz like Marion Barber. He takes a handoff, on the lead, versus a team with no timeouts left and after things bog down, runs out of bounds. No way to tell if a veteran will place head firmly up butt, but I'll also call out the combo of offensive coordinator Mike Martz & head coach Lovie Smith. Who ever is responsible for decided whether to take a knee or run basic plays. With 2 minutes left it's 2nd down. Taking that knee twice then punting when you incorporate the time it takes to set the ball and the play clock means this. Denver gets the ball at their own 20 at best with maybe 20 seconds left. Because Barber has a football IQ the equal of Ryan Leaf they get triple that amount of time. In a way, this game had nothing to do with the Broncos.
Save that, it was the best Sunday of the season by far. Tune in today and find out why I'm willing to make this statement.
Lot made of the end of the Xavier/Cincy game. What a disgrace. Blind haymakers. Punks. All the stuff that turns people off about college basketball. Tu Holloway, Muskateer senior, said it was because the Bearcats had 'disrespected' them mostly via twitter. WHAT? But causing a black eye for your sport, university and community, that's respectful? Cincinnati's Yancy Gates got a 6 game suspension for cold cocking Xavier's Kenny Frease. Way, way, way too lenient. He misses half the Big East season and the post season if I'm calling the shots. Gutless lowlife!
As far as Ryan Braun, the at least temporarily disgraced NL MVP who popped for performance enhancing drugs, I hope his adamant claim of innocence is accurrate. I don't believe him for one millisecond. The benefit of the doubt ship has long sailed for Major League Baseball players in this situation. Very disappointing.

Big Deals, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell, guest blogging for Steve today. When I woke up Thursday morning and turned on the TV, I was shocked to see that Albert Pujols is an Angel, but when I saw the price they got him for, I was left speechless. 254 million over 10 years for someone who is 32 years old (as far as we know). The Cardinals offered him 220 million but once they heard about the Angels offer, they decided that he wasn't worth it. One thing I thought of was how the Giants did the same thing with Bonds a while back, and how they didn't have much money to spend on other guys. Then it comes out that they signed pitcher CJ Wilson from the Rangers, and now it looks like they will be the new favorites in the AL West... When I heard that Chris Paul was going to the Lakers with Gasol to Houston and Lamar Odem along with some other players to the Hornets, it seemed as if this was the biggest trade day in sports. David Stern stopped the deal right in its tracks and rejected the offer. I didn't really get it because it looks like the deal would benefit each team in the deal. The Lakers, Rockets, and Hornets are appealing the decision by Stern. My gut feeling is that the trade will go through and Chris Paul will be a Laker.

Tomorrow, the Heisman Trophy winner will be announced and there is no clear cut winner like there was last season with Cam Newton. Coming into the season, Andrew Luck was the golden boy for the Heisman, but people like Robert Griffen III and Monte Ball have made there case. I think Luck should still come away with it but RG3 and Trent Richardson has definitely made it tough on voters. Griffen won the Davey O' Brian Award for the best quarterback in college football and the Doak Walker went to Alabamas Trent Richardson... One thing is for sure, it will be a close race for college footballs most prestigious honor.

TIME FAILS TO HEAL by ST

Was watching Monday Night Football exactly 31 years ago this evening at our family home in Wayne, New Jersey. Was sitting on my parents bed with my dad catching the action between the Dolphins and Patriots. As rivals of the Jets, this was a pretty big game in the AFC East race even though New York stunk. Remember, on the East Coast the game began at 9pm so this was now getting into the late night hours. My sister, 15 years old at the time, used to sleep with her clock/radio on and our favorite music station, WPLJ on low. She came into where we were kind of bleary eyed and said something that made no sense. John Lennon had been shot. What? Why? In 1980 we'd seen the assassination of Kennedy, one of Manson's crackpots, Squeaky Fromme had taken a shot at President Ford but those horrors seemed a part of the political scene. Lennon was the man who preached peace. Then coming out of a break, Howard Cosell informed America of the horror that took place outside Lennon's residence, The Dakota in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Some lowlife wanna be loser with the traditional 3 name moniker took his life. Gotta admit 31 years later, my anger remains. RIP John!

RIGHTING A WRONG AND IT'S OKAY by ST

First let me say I have no issue with LSU & Bama vying for the natty. I don't want to hear from Oklahoma State or Stanford in particular. They had their chances, like the Ducks back in 2001 to remove doubt from the debate. Cowboys beat Iowa State or the Cardinal handle Oregon and they're in. Period. Boise State & Houston are the only other 1 loss teams. Under the assumption LSU is the best team in the land, then the Crimson Tide have the most forgivable loss. The system stinks, but it's all we have and under these rules, this is the no brainer battle for the BCS championship.
I'm pleased the Golden Era committee has elected the late Ron Santo to the Hall of Fame. It's a beautiful thing. It also doesn't undo the disgraceful performance of the Baseball Writers who snubbed the Cub 3B for more than 3 decades while inviting less deserving candidates like Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, Bill Mazeroski and a few others. Evaluating Santo takes time and brains which eliminates most self righteous writers. It's similar to evaluating the Oregon defense. When he was hitting 31 or 32 homers he was among the league leaders. The NL in those days had Hall of Fame arms on every staff like Koufax, Marichal, Gibson, Seaver, Steve Carlton or Warren Spahn and they pitched every 4th day. He made 9 all star games and was a 5 time gold glove winner. Led the league in walks 4 times, was 2nd in ribby's 3 times and even led the NL in triples in 1964. You want durable? From 1962 thru and including 1969 he played at least 160 games. Then you throw in his contribution to the game as a Cubbie broadcaster and it's a disgrace it took this long and he won't be around to revel in his deserved adoration!

Game Day, by Casey Mitchell

Today is the day of the first Pac-12 Championship Game, and it will be played at none other than Autzen Stadium. It will most likely be a one sided affair, but there is a litlle sense of urgency playing for the Rose Bowl. As you all know, this will be Rick Nuheisel's final game as a Bruin. If I was a UCLA fan, I wouldn't think this was a good decision. I think that the players and team should be focusing on playing for the Rose Bowl, but now this is just a big distraction. Unless a huge upset happens, we will be going to Pasadena, and either playing Wisconsin or Michigan State. A big question coming into the game is how LaMichael James' elbow will be feeling after he hurt his other elbow against the Beavers last week. So far this season, James has 1427 yards on the ground, but keep in mind that he missed two games due to injury. Darron Thomas has been playing better as of late, and Kenjon Barner is really stepping it up. I think this game will be ours from the get go, and we will be playing on January 2nd in Pasadena. Prediction -- Ducks 59 Bruins 17.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? by ST

Not sure I get the local, regional and national horror over UCLA representing the South Division in the first Pac 12 title game. It's certainly not a feather in the cap of the league, but what would you have Commissioner Larry Scott do? We all knew the rules coming in, they've been followed and that's the deal. I'm not a Pac 12 fan. I'm about my team, and in the case of the NCAA hoop tournament, my bracket. I don't necessarily root for or against conference teams in bowl games or against other areas of the country. That said, if the Ducks dust the Bruins, it's forgotten and you have an elite team representing the Pac 12 in the Rose Bowl. Sometimes a basketball team wins their post season league tournament with a .500 record. Then they get buried in the 1st round by North Carolina and it's over. Last year in the NFL the stinking Seahawks went 7 & 9 and made the playoffs. It happens. In 2008 the 4 best teams in the ACC all lost 3 conference games. What the heck is that? Would you rather have top to bottom mediocrity or a trio of powerhouses that show off excellence. Last year UConn got the Big East BCS bowl birth with 4 losses! Granted, some of these cases are not as extreme as UCLA but it's the way things played out. On today's shows I'll throw out a scenario that hopefully will further this argument. Speak with you then!

Civil War, by Casey Mitchell

The Ducks loss last Saturday is the kind of loss that makes it fun to be a college football fan. It's not like the NFL where you can lose the last 6 games of the season, and still have playoff aspirations. Matt Barkley was looking like Joe Montana, and there were some calls at the end of the game that I disagreed with, but hey, it's hard to question the coaching of Chip Kelly. However, Oregon's season is in no way a lost cause. We have a big Civil War game coming up tomorrow, and if we can get by that, we will be playing for roses in the first ever Pac-12 Championship Game. The Ducks should be able to handle the Beavs for the fourth straight time. This is also the fourth straight Civil War with BCS implications. Oregon State standing at 3-8 overall is considering this game, their bowl game. They haven't beat us since the 2007 season, and they would love to knock us out of the Rose Bowl the way we did to them in 2008. I think that they will hang with us for a quarter or so, but we will pull away with it. Prediction -- Ducks 52 Beavers 27.

I would just like to reiterate that I am a guest blogger, and my thoughts and opinions do not reflect Steve's thoughts or opinions. I think that Joe Paterno deserved the punishments, but it is a shame that this is what he will be remembered for.

On another note, the MLB has slated some new rules to the game. Starting next season, there will be one more Wild Cared team, and they will have a one game playoff to see who advances to the Division Series. Also in 2013, the Houston Astros will be added to the AL West, and interleague will be played everyday like the AFC and NFC do it in football. I like the new rules, I have been waiting for the Astros to move for a while, and I like the idea of another Wild Card team and the one game playoff.

FACTUALLY SPEAKING by ST

Can't believe how many on a national level are expressing their doubt over the selection of the Tiger's Justin Verlander as AL M.V.P. Aside from bought and paid for politicians, the Baseball Writer's Association of America are the most arrogant, dismissive pickleheads I follow. There is no formula to gauge value. No slide rule or over the top Sabre-metrics. It's freaking baseball not splitting the atom. Without Verlander Detroit falls out of the race early and never gets a whiff of the post season. I love the decision!
Monday night football began with the Jets & Browns back in September of 1970. I can honestly say last night's game between the Patriots & Chiefs cost me the least amount of time ever. I maybe checked in three times. Giants & Saints this coming Monday will warrant my attention.
With the NBA bozos ripping the season away, I may refind my NHL roots. From the early 1970's through my relocating to Eugene in 1990, hockey was well up my list. My buds & I hit the Garden(Rangers), Nassau Colesium(Isles) or then Byrne Arena(Devils) at least 12-15 times a year. Here in the Valley I've switched up passions and those nights on frozen pond have been replaced by various forms of Pac 10/12 action. With no pro hoops, might be time to get on board with the NHL.
We will be taking your legendary Civil War moments the next 2 days on the big programs. Interesting that in the more modern era, Oregon State has not successfully played the role of spoiler. Their big win in 2000 was huge for them as it led to a BCS birth. In 1994, 2001, and last season the Ducks won. Only Oregon has entered the contest with no shot at a conference title or major bowl bid and cost their rival. That was 2008. Food for thought.

IMPERFECTION CONTINUES TO RULE by ST

And then there was one, well 2. LSU and Houston remain the lone unbeatens at the FBS level. The Cougs are 8th in the BCS and need 6 teams to lose in order to qualify for the title game. But once again we learned to take nothing for granted. It's been questioned who suffered to worst loss this weekend, Oklahoma State, Oregon or Oklahoma. Really? It's not obvious that the Cowboys who held fate in their hands was most damaging. The Ducks and Sooners would have needed to play scoreboard or hack a few computers. OSU just had to beat Iowa State, who'd never beaten a team ranked in the top 5 then Oklahoma and pack for the natty.
Really impressed with the Oregon fans I've heard from since the post game and via text and email. With the heartbreaking defeat in the rear view mirror, lot of credit to USC, a solid understanding of all this team has accomplished and still can.
From the it's okay to disagree file, I'm not on board with the lack of timeouts on the fateful drive to end the USC call. Here's my angle. If the game is tied and you have the defense on their heels, maybe just roll. Trailing I take nothing for granted. Time is to be treasured. 2 plays. Both Rahsaan Vaughn and Kenyon Barner made 9 yards meaning the clock continued to run. Gotta call time outs in each of those situations. From my chair. Once again the Civil War has monster implications. Beavs get to play spoiler like the Ducks did in 2008.

Back In The Hunt, by Casey Mitchell

Well, it's taken a little longer than I thought, but the Ducks have worked their way back into the National Title hunt after their big win over Sanford last week. If we want to stay in the Natty race, we have to take care of business this week vs. the Trojans at home. USC has a very explosive offense, averaging almost 400 total yards per game, but the Ducks defense has been playing lights out as of late. LaMichael James has diffidently worked himself back into the Heisman discussion. He has put up some very impressive numbers considering he missed two games due to his elbow injury. The only thing that worries me, is that it seems that Darron Thomas isn't playing to his full potential this year, but that's just my opinion. This year, Thomas has thrown for 1704 yards and 22 touchdowns, but he has thrown 5 picks. If the Ducks defense can continue to play the way they have been playing, we should be able to take care of business this week. Prediction -- Ducks 42 Trojans 28.

The Denver Broncos went from 1-4 and dead in the AFC West with Kyle Orton, but ever since they converted to Tim Tebow, they have gone 4-1 and right in the midst of the Playoff race. At the beginning, no one thought that he could make it as a pro, but with the option offense, Tebow had a statement game this Thursday vs. the Jets, who have a very good defense but if there's one thing Tim Tebow knows how to do... It's win.

MIDWEEK by ST

I've seen a few polls about the Packers and their shot to repeat as Super Bowl champ. A reason I like their chance is simple. They're in. I've said for years that in MLB and the NFL, it's huge just to qualify. Then you get hot and win the whole thing. Green Bay's offense is frightening. They won and in essence add a horse like TE Jermichael Finley who was hurt during last winter's run. Jordy Nelson has joined Greg Jennings to form a killer 1-2 punch with James Jones a more than capable 3. James Starks & Ryan Grant are a very potent combo running it and Aaron Rodgers has now pulled alongside Brady as thee man at QB. On defense Desmond Bishop went from special teams demon and rotation guy at linebacker to a beast. Had more than 100 tackles last year and is on pace for about 135 or 140 in 2011. 2nd year man Morgan Burnett has emerged at safety and even though he just broke his hand, the kid from Georgia Tech is a stud. What I love about this team put together by Ted Thompson is no one else is loaded up with more of their "own" draft picks. These guys are Packers. They have an excellent shot of become the 1st Green Bay team to win back to back Super Bowls since the Lombardi group won the 1st two! Just wanted to focus on something positive. Enjoy your Wednesday.

CORRECTION by ST

Got a comment from Friday's blog. For clarification that was our "guest" blog and not my opinion. I apologize for any confusion. I've been pretty clear I think Joe Paterno is completely culpable in any vile acts committed by Jerry Sandusky since finding out what a pig he is as early as 1998. I was also disgusted by NBC & Bob Costas for giving that pedophile air time last night. Are they that desperate for TV ratings? I had to turn it off. He really needed to think about his answer to "are you attracted to young boys"? This guy is a classic predator. Charming, dishonest, selfish and dangerous. I do not understand why he's not behind bars! That's all for today!

MONDAY THOUGHTS by ST

Rather than continue to rail against all the Penn State slimebags, I'm just going to take solace knowing their level of humiliation will only grow and get further exposed as this whole nightmare warrants further investigation and reveals more shame!
I've heard from folks who were a tad surprised the Ducks are a 15 point favorite for this USC game. I figured it would be about 12. USC's 2 best games were forcing OT versus Stanford and this past Saturday when they punished the Dawgs. Both were in Troy. Now they come here. Monte Kiffin has been the Trojan defensive coordinator the past 2 years. He's an NFL guy and the Oregon offense has torn him apart. In 2009 it was 613 yards and 47 points in a route. Last season Southern Cal surrendered 599 yards and 53 points. What have you seen that makes you think 2011 will be much different? Me either.
The NBA players union has rejected the latest offer and it's likely the union will next disband. At times it seems I've favored the owners in this dispute but it's not like when I favor the Yankees over the Red Sox. I'm like 51% for the owners and 49% for the players. They both make me puke with their egos and selfish nature, but the owners are dug in. I think the game & league need a financial restructuring. I'll miss the NBA for sure, but with football into college hoops and hockey into baseball, I'll get over it.

Gameday, by Casey Mitchell

If the Ducks want to have any shot of making the Natty again, we need to take care of business this weekend in Palo Alto. Even if another National Championship shot isn't in the card this year, this is still a huge game regarding the Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl appearance. From what I saw last week, it looks like Darron Thomas is getting back into his regular self, but still needs to work out a few kinks. Last week at Washington LMJ had 25 carries for 156 yards, which already put him over the 1000 yard mark for this season. As you all know, Stanford has the best QB in the game in Andrew Luck, but that doesn't mean we can't contain him! So far this season Luck has thrown for 2424 yard with 26 touchdowns and only 5 picks. That's pretty darn good.... Heisman good. But when I was watching him against the Beavs last week, he started out a little shaky and was having a little trouble with his accuracy. I'm telling you, if the Beavers could have gotten some good calls and some breaks to go there way, that ballgame could have went either way. So I think if the Ducks can get it rolling at the beginning, we'll come out with a W. Prediction -- Ducks 34 Stanford 28.

When I turned on Sports Center on Wednesday evening, I was shocked to see that Joe Paterno had been fired. I mean, I knew that there was going to be consequences for what had happened, but I didn't think anything would happen to Jo-Pa. At first I didn't agree with the decision, but then I got to thinking that this incident is something way bigger than sports, and something had to be done. It's just a shame that Paterno's legacy will be tarnished by this horrible chain of events.

3 DAYS 3 IDIOTS by ST

I'm really proud of the callers, texters, and emailers the past 3 days. We only averaged one complete and total moron per day. The 1st had the audacity to act as if the players getting prepped to play Nebraska should get priority. Really? Over innocent children raped? Then some yo yo said they're tired of Joe Paterno getting vilified. Dude, that's what happens to VILLIANS! Supposed men who sit idly by while kids are getting molested are evil. No excuses. Then the topper to close yesterday's(wed) show. Some rocket scientist felt it was time to grandstand about sexual predators getting young women pregnant while Planned Parenthood allows them to get secret abortions. Aside from the trio of dummies I think you all should take a bow for your heart, passion and intelligence. Thanks!
That's all I have today except to say "The pedophile protecting king is dead"!!

THE PASSING OF SMOKIN JOE by ST

Beyond the disgust decent people should feel over the Penn State horror, I was able to muster up some sadness over the passing of Joe Frazier. I was an Ali guy, but loved Frazier. The brawler from Philly with the devastating left hook could end a fight in the blink of an eye. Ali had the bicycle. Frazier had the tank. Ali was all over the ring. Joe just moved forward and was willing to take, 2 or 3 or 4 to get his licks in. Though the 3 bouts with Ali were legendary, I'll never forget one of Joe's worst moments. January 22nd, 1973. It was a Friday night. Frazier had defended the title he'd taken in the first Ali fight twice. There was talk of a rematch. As an afterthought Joe was taking on a well known but lightly regarded fighter named George Foreman. Big George had won the gold medal for America in Mexico City in 1978. Famously he waved little American flags in his corner after the victory. Talk about another time. That fight with Foreman was on free TV on Metromedia Channel 5 in the New York City area. My parents were out for the night with friends. My little sister was at my aunt & uncles in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. I was home alone watching the fight. Three words from announcer Howard Cosell ring enternally. "Down Goes Frazier". The loss to Foreman set up the 2nd Ali fight for the right to face George for the title. Ali nearly kayoed Frazier in the 2nd round, but ended up taking a unanimous decision. Then we got the "Rumble in the Jungle" where Muhammad stunned Foreman via the "rope a dope". That brings us to "The Thrilla in Manilla". Frazier/Ali III. Those two guys nearly killed each other. Two incredible warriors whose lives were inseparable. Sadly Ali would be diagnosed with Parkinson's. Frazier died at 67 in hospice care of liver cancer. They ignited sports fans over that incredible period from the first fight on March 8th, 1971 until the finale on the 1st of October in 1975. RIP Smokin Joe.

MONDAY THOUGHTS by ST

By now the horror at Penn State has made the rounds. The story. Long time Joe Paterno defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky arrested and charged with multiple counts of child-sex allegations. Already the athletic director Tim Curley and senior vice president Gary Schultz are out for lying to a grand jury and failing to notify authorities when they got wind of these disgusting misdeeds. It's also alleged Paterno was told about an incident involving a 10 year old boy and told Curley. That's it? He reported the incident and failed to follow up. I'm not saying JoPa should be arrested, but if he was made aware and didn't follow up, call the cops and grab Sandusky by his throat and demand an explanation, he should be fired today, NOW!
Not to be mean, but anyone who thinks Alabama deserves a rematch is a moron. They had their shot, at home, and blew it. Unless everyone else with zero or one losses gets defeated from this point forward, the Tide is out of the natty picture from my chair.
Now that I got all that off my chest, it was close to a perfect weekend for me! Ducks beat the Dawgs in the Land of Satan. Jets win. Giants win. Patriots lose because the Giants beat them! Wanted to end this blog on a happy note!

Quackin' Out Loud, by Casey Mitchell

With Oregon's win over WSU last week, the Ducks face a true road test this weekend at Washington. It's going to be a night time game and that Stadium will be hopping with thousands of screaming Husky fans. A lot of people have been talking about the quarterback controversy with Darron Thomas and Bryan Bennet. Listen, my thoughts are that it's possible that Chip wasn't even planning on playing DT the whole game, but Thomas didn't have his best game so he decided to give Bennet some more snaps. Thomas led us to a National Title shot last year, and I think he's our guy. But so far with Bennet, I like what I see for the future. The Huskies have really improved over the last few years, they are 6-2 overall and 5-0 at home. This could really be tough game for the Ducks, but I think In the end, we will prevail. Prediction -- Ducks 48 Huskies 31.

This week in the NFL, Ndamukong Suh met with Roger Goodell to discuss penalties and fines going against him. When I saw this I was thinking that maybe this could be a new thing in the League that could help with the rules. I know that Suh kind of has a reputation as a dirty player, but instead of tweeting how much he hates the rules, he dealt with it like a real man and talked face to face, and I heard it was a successful meeting. I think that all of these rules in the NFL are getting out of hand. Like the whole continuation rule for catching a ball in the end zone. If you catch the ball and have two feet in with full possession, it should be a catch. It should be interesting to see if there are as many late hit calls on Suh in weeks to come

It Was In The Cards, by Casey Mitchell

After one of the best Game 6's of all-time, Texas just couldn't hang with the Cardinals. When I was watching Game 6, I was already planning on writing about how the Rangers would be the new World Champions, but once Hamilton hit the 2 run bomb in the top of the 10th I was thinking there was no way that the Cards would be able be able to come back, and the series would be over. It's pretty cool that David Freese, a fan of St. Louis since he was a kid, was able to be the hero once again with his walk off homer. The former Eugene Emerald also set a record with 21 RBI in a single Postseason. I didn't get a chance to watch game 7, because me and my football team were to busy capturing a League Title for the first time since '03. But I saw the highlights, and it seemed that Texas was just demoralized from what happened in Game 6, and Carpenter was straight dealing... Deadly combo for the new World Champions

I guess some people just never learn.... First he gets caught speeding at 118 while smoking weed, then he gives the Ducks a 15 yard penalty before the game even starts, commits a stupid safety, and now he's back to his old speedy ways! Oh Cliff, what are we going to do with you and your antics? Don't get me wrong, I think he is one of our best defensive players, but at some point you just gotta say enough is enough. Chip Kelly tried to cut him some slack, but he could just never get out of Kelly's doghouse. It looks that the saga of Cliff Harris is going to continue all the way from "We goin' to the Natty" to "We smoked it all..."

THINKING OUT LOUD by ST

So if Cliff Harris has a valid driver's license and updated proof of insurance, why didn't he have a valid driver's license and updated proof of insurance. For those who've contacted me with stories of how everyone does this, I ask...REALLY? Is there a more boring, idiotic defense than the cliche of "if little Johnny jumped off the bridge"? There is a reason we have character issues and cross examinations as part of the legal process. History. Harris has given us no reason to believe anything he says. If he provides the proper documentation, I'll admit my error, but I'm wagering he should not have been behind the wheel. The arrogance of not buckling up is beyond discussion.
Observing the limited information Duck players offer, I'm thinking Chip Kelly would be an equally successful CIA Spy trainer. His specialty would be "Dealing with Interrogation". If caught, his guys would give up nothing and frustrate their captors to the point where THEY surrender information.
So no one showed up at the individual workout Terrell Owens held in California yesterday. Stunning! Over the hill, pain in the neck and coming off major knee surgery and turns 38 on Pearl Harbor Day. If he gets a snap in the NFL ever again, beer & burgers on me!
Who decides the careers fit the bio in my junk mail. Am I really qualified to become an Ultrasound Technician or X-Ray tech? Is my credit so bad that only Premier Bank will consider me for plastic? Truth is my wife and I have a credit rating over 800. Maybe these people need another gig!

REALLY? 25 YEARS? Awesome! By ST

So I'm at a place in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey called the "Wander on Inn". It's Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Place is pretty packed as after all, a New York team is in the series. Boston has the 3 games to 2 edge. Roger Clemens on the hill for the Bosox opposed by the Mets tough lefty Bobby Ojeda. Lot's of people forget that the Rocket left as the pitcher of record on the plus side. Would have had the World Series clinching win. A sac fly by Gary Carter tied it in the home 8th. The 9th was scoreless, ironically Mookie Wilson was called on to bunt with Ray Knight aboard and reached via an error. In the 10th, Dave Henderson led off with a homer off Rick Aguilera and all hopes looked dashed when another run got pushed across on a Marty Barrett single. I think you know what happened in the bottom half. After Barrett's single I left. Cursed a blue streak and insisted I'd never watch those (be creative) celebrate a series win on NY turf. I decided to throw the radio on and after the 1st two Mets made out Gary Carter singled. So did Kevin Mitchell. I pulled over into some kind of warehouse lot to hear the Ray Knight at bat. His knock to center made it a 1 run game. Pitching change. I made it easily back to the bar for history. Confession. I had to check the baseball reference site to verify a fact or two, but yes 25 years later I can nearly recite the magic or tragic in the air, depending on your angle. Still keeps me warm and smiling after all these years!

NEW HEAD SHOP by ST

One of my favorite stand up comedy routines is from around 1990, Dennis Leary "No Cure For Cancer". He jokes that the Jackson's are so out of whack as a family they give each other new heads for Christmas. I'll need to know where they do their shopping because mine exploded twice over the weekend. First was on our post game show after Oregon dropped the Buffs. A caller felt it was time for a change at quarterback. Thomas out. Bryan Bennett in. Baboom! Then yesterday the bloggers and comment section supporting Tim Tebow as a top notch NFL quarterback. FYI....each guy, Bennett and Tebow guided their teams to wins over arguably a team who is the worst at that particular level. No question, Colorado is in there with Indiana, Kansas and Boston College as the doormats of those leagues who have a conference title game with the winner gaining a BCS bowl birth. Tebow and the Broncos needed a late TD, onsides kick and 52 yard field goal to keep the crappy Dolphins winless. Bottom line? People are nuts!
This week, don't let anyone tell you Washington State is good. They're improved from a point that they're not an embarassment to division one football. Their lone Pac 12 win is Colorado. The other two victories are against 1 & 5 UNLV and Big Sky doormat Idaho State. The Cougs still stink!
How about Albert Pujols hitting 3 jacks in a Series game the other day? Joins a very petite list with Ruth and Reggie to do that in the Fall Classic. Texas/St. Louis has been great baseball, too bad no one cares. Chris Carpenter throws against CJ Wilson in Game 5 tonight. Wilson was all over the place in the opener with 6 walks in the 3-2 loss. 2 runners who reached via the free pass played a role in the limited scoring. The winner in that game was Carpenter who pretty much made one bad pitch that catcher Mike Napoli cracked for a 2 run homer.

Various Thoughts, by Casey Mitchell

I always love this time of the year when we got NFL, College Football, and the MLB Playoffs really heating up. To be honest, I could really care less about this whole NBA lockout dilemma considering no one plays defense until April. Earlier tonight, Texas tied up the series at 1-1 in a comeback win in the ninth inning. Coming into the series, most people thought this would be a series full of offense and excitement, but so far it's been a good ol' fashion National League contest. I think St. Louis is still riding on there adrenaline from coming back from 10.5 back in August. Texas is still looking for their first Championship in history, but I don't think they will be getting it this year. Who would have thought that the premiere match up in week 6 of the NFL would have been the Lions and the 49ers? Well, I have been waiting for a long time to see my Niners not only be competitive, but in my opinion, one of the best teams in the league. Even though it was over shadowed by the controversial handshake between Schwartz and Harbaugh, it was actually a really good, hard fought game. Quarterback issues also shared the headlines this week in the NFL. Christian Ponder replaced Donovan McNabb, the Raiders traded some killer draft picks for Carson Palmer, and John Beck is now the Redskins starting QB. The one quarterback story I am the most excited to see is the Tebow in Denver saga. I am one of the people who thinks Tebow is a great player, and this week he will be playing in Miami where he won both a State title and a National Championship in his career. Say what you want about the guy, but one thing you can't argue is that he know how to win.

FADING, FADING, FADING by ST

Last night the Cardinals edged the Rangers to take the opener of the Fall Classic. Game was televised on Fox. Smallest audience to view game 1 of the World Series since 1987. The average age of the viewer tuning in was 54. As a 51 year old I know my kids and their friends could not care less unless their team is in it. Many years ago the decision was made to put all World Series games into prime time on the East Coast and have it end in prime time on the West Coast. That meant a couple of generations of kids could not stay up to watch. Did the powers that be really think time would stop and they wouldn't have to pay the piper for this short sighted decision? When my generation was younger we would storm off the school bus to watch the playoffs and world series when games were played in the afternoon. It was part of our sporting DNA. Unless something dramatic happens calling baseball our national past time will be about nostalgia rather than facts. The unfortunate part is the actual games have been terrific all playoffs long. The bullpens and timely or clutch hitting has been the story. Cardinal starter Chris Carpenter went 6 strong and once again Tony LaRussa's bullpen shut the door in a 1 run game with Jason Motte chucking a 1-2-3 ninth. The St. Louis closer coming out of spring was Ryan Franklin, a reason I picked Milwaukee to win the Central. After 21 appearances and an era over 8 he was released. Fernando Salas was next. He did pretty well but in late August LaRussa and Dave Duncan decided Mott was their guy. Converted his 1st save on August 28th against the Pirates. And despite a couple of blowup games in September, they stuck with him as their playoff guy. He's been perfect. 8 games, 9 innings, 1 hit, no runs, 5 of 5 in save situations. Brilliant. Too bad millions of sports fans are missing it!

STILL GOING THERE? by ST

From goofballs like Hank Williams Jr playing the Hitler card to the recent rant by Bryant Gumble on HBO, I'm consistently amazed at folks who go to those extremes for attention. So disagreeing with a politician makes him the equal of a psycho mass murderer who was so sure of his virtue he took his own life before facing the music. Gumble pretty much said NBA commissioner David Stern acted like a plantation owner. Obviously that makes the players slaves. I see the similarities. After all, slaves had about the same lifestyle. The NBA MINIMUM salary is 473 thousand dollars a year. If a slave looked at a white woman in an improper manner they'd likely be killed. In 1831 Nat Turner led a slave rebellion. Prior to being hanged, he was skinned alive. I'm curious as to the feelings of people of color on issues like this. Descendants of slaves who had no say in their lives should be up in arms, protesting HBO. I get using vicious or even offending terms, but when called for. Comparisions to the vile and dispicable do not apply here. Very disappointed in Gumble. Of course the biggest laugh is his characterization of Stern as arrogant. Something about a kettle and a tea pot!

FAR TOO MINIMAL OUTCRY by ST

Things happen in sports that just aggravate me. I'm sure you feel the same. Rarely does something just tear your heart out. Tough losses don't count. 2 teams play a million times a day, it's gonna happen. I can't get past this completely unecessary death of Indy Car racer Dan Weldon. Monday morning quarterbacks who have things figured out 24 after the final gun are as annoying and pathetic as it gets. In this case they all deserve a big smack in the head with a tire iron. Officials from the circuit and Las Vegas Motor Speedway should be subject to an all out inquiry. I get the danger these guys face every time they rev it up. I also get they trust various manufacturers and those who run their sport to look out for their safety. I heard NASCAR dominator Jimmie Johnson talk about these open wheel cars hitting 225 mph on that style of oval lending itself to send cars airborne, thus eliminating any semblance of control. Unfortunately we're hearing most of this in the aftermath as a wife with her baby boys aged 2 and 6 months lost the most important person in their lives! I don't know much about racing, but I do know this sucks. I also know if in any way not holding this event at that venue needed more serious consideration then someone needs to be crucified to prevent further horror!

At What Cost, by Casey Mitchell

Oregon picked up their 15th straight conference victory as the Ducks took care of the visiting Bears on Thursday night in their retro-inspired unis. At the end of the night it wasn't about the big win, but all eyes were on LaMichael and what everyone thought was a broken arm. When ESPN showed the replay, I had to look away because it was just so grusome and I didn't think he would be back anytime soon. But after the game James said that he doesn't work well with medicine and he will do his best to come back ASAP! Come to find out that he experienced the same injury in high school and came back to lead his team to a state title. However, we are blessed with our running backs with Kenjon Barner and the Black Mamba. I've always thought that if LMJ had never been around, Barner would be one of the elite running backs in the country. I think even if James is out next week, we can still manage with Barner and Thomas.

As far as high school football goes, I really needed this bye week to realize what our team, the McKenzie Eagles, did last week. I am a starting Right Guard and D-End on the Eagles, and was part of our biggest win this season. We beat the Lowell Red Devils, for the first time since 2005, by a score of 88-80 last Friday night. Our quarterback, Will Totten, broke an Oregon record for most TD's thrown in a single game with 10 touchdowns and over 500 yards passing along with 117 yards on the ground. the 168 point affair broke the record for most combined points in a game, and Lowell's 80 points broke the Oregon record by most points by a losing team. We are now 4-1 and 2-0 in league looking ahead to Mapleton next week.

PATHETIC by ST

Brett Farve appeared on an Atlanta station and said Packer QB Aaron Rodgers should have won a Super Bowl sooner. Aside from scum like Vick and other felons and lowlifes, I'd have to say Farve has dropped on my scale to as low as it gets. He's nothing more than a sad little boy who craves attention and can barely survive without it. He's obviously jealous and bitter that within a few months of his retirement, he's become completely irrelevant. Rodgers took over after Farve blew the season with a stupid pick versus the Giants in the 2007 playoffs. In 2008, Aaron's 1st season running the show, the Pack had one of the worst defenses in the NFC, giving up more points than anyone in the division. The next season Rodgers took Green Bay to the playoffs rolling up 45 points and throwing for more than 400 yards but the defense got torched at Arizona for 51 points. They won it all the next year. How much of a complete and total moron is Farve? I should also point out that he was on 790 The Zone in Atlanta where you can find a couple of the biggest Vick apologists in the idiots who host that 2 Live Stews show so I shouldn't be totally surprised.
Can you imagine the fine line in sports? AJ Burnett walks the bases loaded in the 1st inning. Gives up a missile into the left centerfield gap that should have scored 3 runs. Curtis Granderson makes an incredible play to keep Detroit off the board. Burnett somehow gets thru nearly 6 innings allowing just a run while the Yanks batter the Tiger staff and win the game. So suddenly AJ is gutty, a gamer? Please. They should cut him today and feel lucky.
I'm going to cause quite a scene in the Autzen press box tomorrow night. I'm hoping the Ducks blow Cal out so I can focus on game 5 from the South Bronx. I assume they get TBS on their cable system?

HOW ARE AMERICANS NOT INSULTED? by ST

I'm confused about this whole Hank Williams Jr controversy. ESPN pulled his long time Monday Night Football Theme last night because earlier on Fox News Hank compared President Obama to Hitler. Unfortunately in our nation, left versus right trumps right versus wrong. Regardless of your disgust for the current administration(I voted for the prez but am pissed), that connection is disgusting. Regardless of your feelings towards Jewish people, gays, the handicapped or non-Aryans, as Americans how can you justify this? Research reveals about 184-thousand U.S soldiers died in the European theater and Atlantic during World War II. I'm thinking Hitler had a role there. Many of us have relatives(my uncle served in Patton's 3rd Army) who sacrificed. Obviously this doesn't account for those wounded or scarred for life. For the record, those who called Bush/Cheyney similar, hateful, ignorant names were equally pathetic. We are not a nation on the right path and no one side is clean in this mess.
I know it's not exactly lighting up our area, but from that final day of the regular season to what we've witnessed in the 1st round of the playoffs, the baseball has been terrific. Just enough runs and clutch pitching to make most of the games go down to the wire. Pennant Fever, Catch It!
The NBA negotiations have deteriorated to the point where Commissioner David Stern isn't ruling out starting the season late, like 1999. The sad part is no one is even approaching the idea of the season beginning on time. As someone who likes to talk odds, I'm thinking 80-20% against any NBA hoops at all until next Autumn.

JUST ADMIT IT by ST

Remember the end court scene in "My Cousin Vinny"? Joe Pesci's lawyer character is cross examining the so-called auto expert after his girlfriend(Marisa Tomei) explained how his client's car could not possibly have been the one at the scene of the crime. The expert is reluctant to admit the truth. People just hate copping to being wrong. This, despite it being a sign of strength, not weakness. That Cowerd fella on this station has that problem, especially with Cowboy QB Tony Romo. Keeps defending him despite the fact the guy is 31 and has ONE playoff win. Keeps throwing around excuses like Peyton Manning and Brett Farve have each one just one Super Bowl. Forgets to mention they've both been to another and played in multpile conference title games. It's a completely stupid comparison. Again, Romo is 31! The success comes when?? Romo has pretty much blown 2 game of the 4 he's played this year.
Listening to Dan Patrick this morning. Apparently at Game Day the ESPN goons would not allow a picture of him to be shown on camera at Madison this past Saturday. ESPN has kind of become the snotty high school girls. They act all arrogant and superior, but deep inside those insecurities fester because they know they're not! They'd prefer not to invite the smart, decent looking girls to the party because they know their limited appeal will be exposed. ESPN used to set the standard, but they've lost it! I find their actions borderline embarassing and unprofessional. Plus they shove a cheating sleaze bag like Lou Holtz down our throats!

Bye Week, by Casey Mitchell

After the convincing win over the Wildcats in the Ducks first ever Pac-12 game, Oregon fans can just sit back and enjoy the bye week. I thought last week was a great conference opener from LMJ breaking the Duck single game rushing record to our defense stepping up in the clutch. There isn't many things that make me happier than seeing Mike Stoops on the hot seat this early in the season. It made me realize how lucky we are to have a coach like Chip when I see Stoops on the sideline constantly crying and yelling on every play. If he doesn't get a win today against USC, he may need to get his resume' ready.... Sitting at #9 in the AP Top 25, the Ducks have a good chance of leaping two spots to #7 without even playing. The games that could decide where we will end up is the match up between the 7th ranked Wisconsin Badgers and the 8th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. I take the Huskers in that game by at least 10 points. Another big game to watch is the Florida / Alabama game. The two teams have combined for 3 National Titles in the past 5 years. I think the Crimson Tide will trip up this year, but it won't be this week. I'm taking Bama by 17.

Now that the playoffs have started, I'm sure that everyone has forgotten about Boston's historic collapse... NOT! Even if the Sox would have survived and made the playoffs, I'm not so sure they would have gotten past the first round. There pitching in September was just plain horrendous. I mean, they had two quality starts in the whole month! Now that it's over, Terry Francona has officially been fired as the Bosox Manager. Even if he didn't deserve to be fired, somebody had to pay for this one.

IDIOTS AND OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS by ST

In a poll on today's Dan Patrick show they asked which team you'd have preferred to root for this season the Red Sox or the Orioles. I almost fell over when 60% voted for Baltimore. Are you kidding me?? On Memorial Day the Birds were playing around .500 ball and just 4 1/2 behind in the East. By July 4th, 13 1/2 behind, pretty much dead in the water, but just 2 weeks later they're toast, 19 1/2 back. Season over! So 60% of people who are supposed to be sports fans actually like no shot? I don't buy it! Same poll, after letting a few days pass, it's gotta be 95% Bosox.
By the way, does anyone have the art of losing mastered quite like the Red Sox from an historical point of view? We've seen collapses and horrifying losses from half court heaves to hail mary's, but no one does it quite like them Bosox!
Interesting question to ponder for Duck football fans. What are your thoughts on the wide receivers? We knew coming in there were big shoes to fill with the departures of Jeff Maehl and D.J Davis. Most felt the burden would start with Lavasier Tuinei and Josh Huff then a bunch of unprovens had to capitalize on opportunity. Have they? Will they? Or, with the innovative offensive minds running the show, will they simply distribute the ball to pass catchers who don't necessarily carry the title "wide out"? Look forward to your thoughts.

MAKE NOTE DUCK FANS by ST

Sometimes folks can be dismissive. Because of where my passions and loyalities lie when the subject of the Red Sox or perhaps Huskies surfaces, some who listen think I'm just rattling the cage. It's been the case as I love rivalries and good old theraputic sports hate. It doesn't mean that when I offer up an honest opinion you shouldn't listen. I've been harping for years that an element of those who are 'suddenly' huge Bosox supporters have set the bar at it's lowest point for fanaticism that I can recall. There are people who couldn't tell you the difference between a splitter and a curve that act like they were there when Yaz won the Triple Crown in 67 or still feel the pain of the 1978 collapse. It's the single biggest bandwagon in my 40+ years following sports and it's not even close. These clown have become arrogant, entitled and just because they've experienced a championship or two now consider it a birthright. You hear them burning up the Beantown airwaves with a flood of negativity, completely missing the point that they can still make the playoffs. Sound familiar? I'm calling out Oregon fans because you are following the same path. For years Red Sox fans detested the Yankees and their supporters who in their opinion had no appreciation for the consistent success that was enjoyed. 20 years ago Duck fans singled out Washington fans for many of the same traits they now put on display on a national level. Nothing worse than becoming what you despise. Be careful Oregon fans!
Lot of talk about Michael Vick and his treatment by defenders and officials. Gotta put aside your personal feelings and I'm nauseated by his mere existence much less knowing he still plays in the NFL. That said, he got hurt on a play that should have drawn a flag on tackle Chris Canty. His complaint he isn't protected like other quarterbacks is pure sour grapes. He doesn't act like other QB's. When he leaves the pocket, it's not in a protective mode. He's like a back carring the rock or a receiver on an end around. He's looking to make yards and not slide like just about every other quarterback we've seen since Steve Young retired. Defenders can not take a chance he's gonna pull it down and keep running. The guy is unique and must be defended differently.

MONDAY THOUGHTS by ST

I'd love to see Denard Robinson transfer from Michigan to Notre Dame. Then we'd have the most overhyped, overrated player on the most overhyped, overrated team. Heck of a talent and a terrific runner, but he's an awful passer. They will never win big with this guy.
Does Arizona football ever come up big? Still the only team never to win the conference and play in the Rose Bowl. Any supporter of that program is crazy if they think Mike Stoops will put an end to that. He's a freaking clown act at this time and a mega-buffoon! His antics are downright disturbing. Seriously, would you send your child to play and learn from him at such a critical point in their life? That Cat defense is not good, particularly up front where they lost 3 via the NFL draft.
What a night for LeMichael James. Not only set some individual program records but has begun the climb up the historic conference charts. Charles White of USC is the leader well up ahead. With his 288 yard show in Tucson, LMJ now stands at 3890 with 8 games remaining this season, plus perhaps a Pac 12 title game and obviously a bowl game. I don't anticipate James being a Duck next year but a Sunday player. LeMike is now 6th on the all time league rushing list. Next in the cross hairs is Washington's Nap Kaufman at just over 41-hundred yards.
Hard to believe we have just tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday left in the MLB regular season. Right now I'm leaning towards Justin Verlander and Jacoby Ellsbury for AL MVP. I think Ryan Braun has it locked in the NL. The Cy Young awards should also be no brainers with Verlander and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.
Michael Vick was whining after yesterday's loss to the Giants. Says the refs don't afford him the same protection as other QB's. He doesn't run like anyone else at the postion. He never slides and has to be treated as a running back or other out of pocket ball carrier. Plus he lacks the size of Ben Roethlisberger or Jay Cutler who take some serious hits but are built to handle the pounding. Plus...well, you know!

BROKEN DEAL by ST

Did my memory fail? Don't you recall after the 9-1-1 attacks there was a kind of unwritten deal in the sports media that we'd stop referring to ballplayers as brave or courageous for what they do on the field? Emergency responders were properly lauded. Then we went to war and it became more emphatic that soldiers showed real courage, not a QB standing in the pocket. Single moms and dads who bust their tails on a daily basis to raise children can be considered courageous. If I hear another knucklehead use that term in reference to Cowboy QB Tony Romo, I'm gonna lose it! The guy is tough, I'll give him that, but he's paid handsomely to be a football player. It's fun. It's entertaining. It's not life and death.
You guys hear the injury faking has now graduated to the next level? Now an uproar exists in the NFL for defensive player going down to hault an up tempo offense. Where have I heard this before? I'll be interested to see if the leauge issues some kind of mandate. Already today on national radio there are calls for keeping an "injured" guy out for at least that series.
Lot of talk about possible concerns regarding the Duck defense. I wouldn't use the term "concern" because I never felt the 2011 edition would measure up to last year's group this early in the season. I think the talent is there, but like the offensive line, it's gonna take time for guys to grow into and succeed in new roles with so much talent gone, in particular up front and at the linebacker position. We will learn much this week against the top passing attack Oregon will have faced to date by far in Tucson.

A DIFFERENT SWEET 16 by ST

With football and baseball's pennant chase, my desire to watch golf these days is barely existent. I did throw an eye at what Lexi Thompson accomplished in Alabama on Sunday. She became the youngest ever to win an LPGA event taking the Navistar Classic. This was a pretty good field with elite players like Paula Creamer, Angela Stanford, Stacey Lewis and other's among the tour's Top 10 money winners. She's 16 years old. I loved her quote saying she'd dreamed of this her entire life. That's like an hour and a half. Brilliant!
As for the Duck romp, this was a lock. No one got hurt. I'm constantly amazed by fans who boo a program like Missouri State as they come out of the runway. Really? Treating the Bears as if they're a century long rival? The offense appears to be coming along with the line starting to gel which is nice. Defensively some have expressed concerns over yards, but as discussed last season and in recent years, it's difficult to gauge teams like Oregon. Texas Tech and others who push the pace so hard on offense leaving the "D" out there an inordinate amount of plays and time. I'll stick with wins and losses.
This time of year I gauge the weekend using certain variables, some constant while others just present themselves. Ducks and Jets win. Check! Yankees extended their lead in the AL East on the reeling Red Sox. Check. Huskies lose? Check. Darn, Notre Dame won. Still I'll grade out my happiness rating with an "A". Lot of NFL and the college picture to hit you up with when we roll with Crunchtime & SportsTalk this afternoon. Have a good one.

THANKS WARREN by ST

Just heard Warren Sapp on the Dan Patrick show. They were discussing the issues surrounding his beloved UUUUU, those Miami Hurricaines who are playing the Violations Bowl this weekend against Ohio State. Sapp made a great point. ESPN forces a dunderhead like Lou Holtz on us. As a coach had sanctions levied against him at Minnesota, Arkansas and South Carolina but somehow sidestepped punishment despite a book written about his cheating at Notre Dame. Then they take the moral highground. What a freaking joke! Count me a member of the Warren Sapp fan club from this point forward.
Missoui State is taking a $440,000.00 haul for making the trip to Eugene. Back in 1979 my buddy's mom paid me $20 bucks and filled my tank with gas to pick up her son from Scranton University before Thanksgiving weekend. It was about a 5 1/2 hour round trip. I think the Bears are getting a much better deal.
Word from the coach is Josh Huff and Kenyon Barner took part in practice. Great news. Still doesn't mean they'll play. With some serious new talent, let's not forget how important having those 2 at full strength will be once conference play begins. Both guys bring an awful lot to the table and were important pieces to reaching the Natty last year. Sometimes fans get a bit enamored with the new toy and take some of the others they've enjoyed for granted.

WISH HE WAS SOMEONE ELSE by ST

For many years we laughed at his antics. Viewed as perhaps the greatest right handed hitter in the American League since Joe Dimaggio, when he stepped outside logic say taking a quick whiz during a pitching change behind the Green Monster it was only Manny being Manny. Then the Mitchell Report came around, baseball started testing for performance enhancing drugs and suddenly he wasn't cute or quirky. Manny Ramirez was nothing short of a liar and a cheat. Multiple times. More than anyone. To a point where rather than accept a substantial suspension, he quit. Now word comes down he was arrested for domestic violence. Allegedly slapped his wife so hard she hit her head hard on their bed's headboard. She called 9-1-1 fearing the situation would get more dangerous. He was released from the clink this afternoon and ordered by the judge in the case not to contact his wife. Another dirt bag who will join Bonds, Rodriguez, Sosa, Clemens and McGwire with legendary statistics, but who will never, ever get a whiff of the Hall of Fame.
I've been hearing some commentators downplay the 517 yard, 4 touchdown performance of Tom Brady last night. The logic appears to be it was against the Dolphins so is it really a big deal. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? It's an NFL defense. The guy was magnificent.
During the lockout, I don't recall one so called expert saying the league will become even more pass happy. We heard about the offense perhaps having an edge over the defense, but not this. Yes, it's week one, but I see a touch of college with teams just spreading the field and slinging it all over the yard to the open man. It's why New England is such a threat to post an elite record. They have a QB who can shoot it out with anyone.
Enjoy your Tuesday.

A BETTER WORLD by ST

The heck with national security, the economy or healthcare. Oregon won big and that's all that matters right? No more imbeciles throwing up "Fire Chip Kelly" websites. We no longer have to hear about SEC superiority or how easy it is to figure the Duck offense with lot's of prep time. It's all kisses, autographs and sunglasses. They're in the top 15 with another bunny on the schedule. The joke is, the U of O can possibly sneak back into the top 10 for the start of conference play.
As a player, getting a real kick out of how that USC/Utah game ended and what it meant to the betting line. Trojans were anywhere between a 7 1/2 and 9 1/2 point favorite. It's 17-14 Southern Cal with the Utes lining up for the tying field goal on the final play. SC blocks it and returns it for a TD but get flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when the sideline empties onto the field to celebrate. The game temporarily goes in the books as a 3 point Trojan win. Utah backers cash their tickets, game over! Or is it? About 2 hours later the Pac 12 announces that with the game over, the penalty should not have been allowed, the points are good, 23-14 final. Nevada and the illegal books around the country are thrown into turmoil. What if you ripped up that winning ticket? Those who already got their dough certainly are not giving it back. Officials estimate about half a mil was wagered legally but probably 10 times that with bookies around the country. Hysterical!
I guess you have to go back to 1996 to find Oregon State football in such a hopeless state. They'd gone 2 & 9 under Jerry Pettibone and handed the reigns to Mike Riley who brought some hope into 1997. This could get ugly because they don't have the patsy to guarantee a win as their other out of conference game is against a pretty solid BYU team. They have the bye before revving it up against UCLA. This is easily Coach Riley's most difficult situation since he returned from the NFL in 2003. Gonna be rough.

Back in the Saddle, by Casey Mitchell

I don't know about you guys, but it's been pretty tough for me for the last week watching Sports Center and hearing about how Oregon could have just been overrated or how we just can't win a big game. We now have Kiko Alonso back at linebacker this week after he was suspended for an alcohol-related offense in late May. Oregon is also welcoming back cornerback and kick-returner, Cliff Harris. The way this season is shaping out is reminding me alot of 2009, with a big loss on a national stage, and tomorrows trap game against Nevada like Purdue in 2009. I think that James will break out tomorrow for a big game and DT will only throw half the attempts he threw last week. Oregon doesn't have to have a great game to win, we just need to be able to manage the game and not waste any opportunities. But when you turn the ball over 4 times in your own territory, it's gonna be tough to win a ball game any day of the week. Prediction -- Ducks 42 Wolfpack 24.

Terrelle Pryor, who is supposed to be suspended the first five games of the year, is appealing the ban. His former coach, Jim Tressel, is suspended for 7 games as the Colts gameday advisor. Only one thing is different.... Tressel can still secretly give Indianapolis advice, but it would be pretty darn tough for Pryor to sneak into the game without anyone realizing. If Pryor gets his appeal passed, wouldn't you think that Tressel could get back into the league. Regardless of what people are saying, getting back Tressel wouldn't be even in the same realm of importance to a football team as getting back Terrelle.

THE TRUE DEFINITION OF THAT "P" WORD by ST

Sometimes a talented young player is tagged with POTENTIAL and it follows them for their entire career. The news of that horrifying plane crash which took the lives of just about the entire Russian hockey team reminded me of another frequently used "p" word, perspective. Folks up in arms because the Ducks lost to LSU, ripping on the coaches, the scheme and all things whiny, spoiled fans dwell on now seem even more petty in the wake of this tragedy. I really hate to fly and when news like this hits, I see the logic of John Madden even more. It's nitpicky for sure, but I was listening to that Cowerd fella working out this morning when the news hit and some names came to light of those who perished. One was Pavol Demitra who played for about a decade and a half in the NHL, scored 300 goals and was a 3 time all star. Cowerd claimed he'd never heard of him though P.D's career ended the season before last. Look, if you spent your entire career in Seattle, Eugene or another non-NHL town, fine. But this goofball has been national for many years now. Just proves he might be the least knowledgeable host of that kind of a show, maybe ever. If it's not the major story, program or franchise, he's got nothing. Makes me even more pleased to know the Cowboys will fall on their face because C.C picked them to have a great season. It was just over 10 years ago 10 people involved with the Oklahoma City basketball team perished in a crash. Makes you feel like you have no problems.

BECOMING WHAT YOU HATE by ST

When I arrived in Eugene during the spring of 1990, I got to speaking with lot's of Oregon football fans. The program was on the rise after that 1st bowl appearance in the 89 Independence Bowl and excitement surrounded that year as Bill Musgrave was a senior. We know how things have progressed since. One common belief among fans was a contempt for those who supported Washington and Notre Dame. Arrogant. Entitled. A sense that having a successful, high level football program was a birthright rather than something earned or enjoyed. Well congratulations as a chunk of Duck fans have become just that. Pick a percentage. If this became a program that won their 8 or 9 games a season how many of those 59-thousand that pack Autzen would disappear and get back to spending Saturday's like they did prior to Oregon joining the nation's elite? I'd say 20% is not an unreasonable call. History shows that following strikes, dips in success and status altering conditions, about 1 in 5 jump off the bandwagon.
Way too much over analysis from the LSU loss. Tigers scored 5 touchdowns. One drive began on their side of the field. Any defense will wear down under those circumstance. Darron Thomas was not sharp and his receivers did not make one above average catch to bail him out. I don't care what the coaches or certain players said, not having Cliff Harris was a factor, especially in the punt return game. I thought Grassu, the new center, held up well but an experienced guy like Darrion Weems was off. In essence, Oregon simply did not put their best foot forward, yet had a shot with 7 1/2 minutes left and the ball. This team remains the favorite to win the Pac 12 and they should be. Don't get nuts over the Stanford route as that San Jose State team might be one of the 2-3 worst at the D1 level. Nevada did not play last week and will be a sacrificial lamb, then Missouri State follows. Those will be back to back romps heading into a bye. Everyone relax!

The Quack is Back, by Casey Mitchell

Well it's official, we're only one day away from one of the biggest college football openers in years. All of the hype surrounding the off the field issues by both teams have really overshadowed the actual game on Saturday. It's now clear that Jordan Jefferson is not going to play in the game, but it's been said that his backup, Jarrett Lee, is just as good as Jefferson. They say that the only reason he wasn't already starting is because of his accuracy. In his 3 year career with the Tigers, he has thrown 17 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Makes you think that if we had Cliff Harris for this game, we could really make him pay for a poor mistake. I think that one of the keys to the game is whether or not Darron Thomas can make good decisions when push comes to shove. The Ducks offense saw a tough SEC rush defense last year in the Natty when Auburn held them to only 75 yard on the ground. However, I think that we can manage LSU's defense a little better then we did Auburn's. On the other hand, Oregon's defense will really be tested, only returning 2 of their starting front seven from last year against a very physical Tigers rushing attack. Any way you slice it, it's going to be a great season opener that sets the tone for the rest of the year. Prediction-- Ducks 38 Tigers 34.

Panthers Rookie, Cam Newton, was named the starter after Carolina's loss to the Steelers. Newton was in on one drive and threw his first NFL touchdown pass and also had a 19 yard run. The Panthers ended this preseason at 1-3 and it seems to me that this will probably be another rebuilding year for Carolina. In baseball news, Justin Verlander is really making a case for an MVP run. He is now 20-5 with an ERA at 2.30, and also leads the league in strikeouts. Even when the Detroit Tigers have been struggling this year, Verlander has gone out and gave them a great performance every fifth day. He hasn't lost a game since mid July and went 5-0 in the Dog Days of August. If he continues to pitch this way, it will be hard for the voters to overlook him and all of is success.

EXCUSE ME?? by ST

Do people actually pay attention? Does the word oblivious register? Did all those lemmings really follow their idiot leaders off a cliff? I'm saying no, no and yes. Have been listening to lot's of NFL talk and it's amazing how many people are talking about the Detroit Lions and the playoffs. Yes, for certain, cue up Jim Mora! It's the Freaking Lions. The Lions! Name another franchise who incites laughter aside from maybe the LA Clippers of the NBA like these clowns. Whoops, they did have a winning record as recently as 2000. Their last playoff victory was 20 years ago. The first Bush was still in the White House. I get that the NFL is the turnaround league and with the salary cap, the lockout and other factors, the odd can become routine. But Detroit? Matt Stafford missed 13 games last year. The year before as a rookie a mere 6. Guy is made of balsa wood until proven otherwise. Lot of assuming going on for those supporting the Motowners. Whoops, I did forget they're 3 & 0 in the exhibition season because that has true meaning. Stafford was even talking crap after beating the Patriots over the weekend. He says they're not making mistakes. Dude! Your franchise is a mistake. I'm thinking they're 1 & 3 before they host the Bears on October 10th. Now I'm actually rooting against them.
Tiger Woods used to dictate policy. When's he teeing off? Whose he playing with? Is he even playing in this tournament? Now in the wake of his personal plummet he'll play the Frys.com Open a bit south of his old stomping grounds at Stanford in early October. He's gotta get out there for sure and I'd be the first to applaud this decision, but it just goes to show where he is as we speak.
It's game week. It's a beautiful thing. Love this time of year!

Football News, by Casey Mitchell

With the NFL regular season approaching, all eyes are on Peyton Manning and his neck injury. As most of you know, this off season, Peyton had his second neck surgery in two years. This year it isn't recovering as well as 2010. He is yet to play in a preseason game so far while last year he played in 3 of the 4 games. Having uncertainty about who will be the Colts starter in Week 1, with the youngster Curtis Painter not being able to produce, Indianapolis picked up veteran quarterback Kerry Collins. Collins retired during the off season but came out of retirement to be a potential backup to one of the best QBs in the league. Other veteran quarterbacks who were being considered by the Colts were Jake Delhomme and Marc Bulger Manning's streak of 227 consecutive starts, which is the 2nd longest streak in history, is in serious jeopardy. In his 12 year career he has never missed a start. The two time Pro-Bowler, Collins, isn't expected to carry the team to the playoffs. He just needs to manage a couple of games and keep the Colts focused until Manning comes back who I personally think is going to be the starter in Week 1 against the Texans in Houston. As all football fans know, Peyton Manning is a great quarterback whether you like him or not, and it would be a big loss to the Colts if he has to sit out for a couple of weeks.

LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson is under serious investigation involving a bar fight that injured for people. The reason this is becoming such a big deal in Oregon is because the Ducks play the Tigers in just a little over a week for the season opener. I know Duck fans have mixed emotions about who they want to play against, whether it's their best team (with Jordan Jefferson at QB) so we can prove to the nation that we're back or if we want a weaker LSU offense for an easier win. All I know is that if they are missing their star offensive player or not, we are still missing Cliff Harris, and that is still a big deal any way you slice it. One of the biggest College Football games this season could be tainted by bad choices of student athletes making stupid decisions.

SO IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE MONEY? by ST

Just finished a piece online about Angel's ace Jered Weaver signing a 5 year, 85 million dollar contract extension. He'd be a free agent after next season(2012). He's one of the games elite starters. Lead the AL in strikeouts last year and has the top ERA in the league thus far in 2011. He earned a total of about 1.2 mil his first 3 seasons in the majors after the Angels made him the 12th overall selection of the 2004 draft. In 2010 he pulled in about 4.3 million which got bumped to 7.4 million. He went against the advice of his agent Scott Boras who felt in the open market he might command somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 million bucks. Gotta love Weaver's reply. "If 85 million is not enough to take care of my family and other generations of families, then I'm pretty stupid, but how much money to you really need in life?". Reminds me of what Charlie Sheen's character asked Gordon Gecco in "Wall Street". Along the lines of how many yachts can you waterski behind?? Good stuff.
Are we really still talking about Tim Tebow and his spot in the Denver quarterback rotation? Since when do we give this much coverage to a 3rd stringer? We are aware that "other" quarterbacks have had to sit or not get a chance to play because their coaches felt another player was more capable and gave his club a better chance to win? What a crock!
You don't have to be Knute Rockne to get that if Peyton Manning is out for any period of time the Colts are dead, the NFL's version of a lottery team. Though I stand corrected because they did sign Kerry Collins as a back-up. Question? What the heck has Indy been doing the past decade? You really go into a season with so little faith in your QB depth chart you have to go for a retired player the minute the status of your starter is in doubt? Gotta fill Curtis Painter of Purdue, Dan Orlovsky(UConn) and Mike Hartline(undrafted fr Kentucky) with loads of confidence. Very odd situation for a very successful franchise.

A Week in Sports, by Casey Mitchell

Preseason Rankings

In the latest college football rankings Oregon is ranked 3rd, only behind the Oklahoma Sooners and Alabama. We are in good position for a shot at the Natty but a few things will have to go our way. Oklahoma faces two top 25 teams in weeks 2 and 3 against #6 Florida State and #21 Missouri and Alabama is in the best conference in college football so I'm sure they'll slip up. Everybody is looking forward to the opening game against LSU on September 3rd. However, that won't be our only big test this season. We face Stanford in Palo Alto on November 7th and it will most likely have Division Championship implications, and you can't forget about USC and the always dangerous Civil War Game on November 26th. With the college football season inching closer, it's time for Duck fans to start getting excited.

Dominance

Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander picked up his MLB best 19th win lat night over Tampa Bay. Verlander gave up 1 run in 7 innings of work while striking out 8 batters. The Cy Young front runner has been lights out this season at 19-5 with a 2.28 ERA, and has won 8 of his last 10 decisions. Verlander has led his team to a commanding 5.5 game lead in the Central over Chicago and Cleveland. He also leads the League in strikeouts and is second in ERA behind Jared Weaver. If he can keep this up for the Tigers, watch out for them in the postseason

MORON AWARD CANDIDATES by ST

The baseball season began with a near fatal beating of a fan at a Dodgers/Giants game in LA. This past weekend it was a shooting at a Niners/Raiders game in San Fran. In that game, another victim surfaced after getting beaten in the bathroom. Some feel alcohol is a factor and perhaps it's time to limit or "dry" out stadiums during sporting events. I'm a pretty big party guy and love to have a frosty, cocktail or glass of vino but don't tailgate and really never have. Obviously the past 3 years doing the pre & post game for the Ducks it wasn't possible but I was always confused about getting so lit you could barely remember the actual game. It happened to me once, the Stanford home game back in 95. I woke Sunday morning in a bit of a fog, remembered Oregon had lost, but was fuzzy on the details. I decided I was a total idiot to spend all that cash on tickets then forget about the main reason I was there. I can't imagine it will ever happend but I'd love to see a total ban on booze at all sporting events, or a very, very high tech minimum. Maybe a ticket could be broken into 3 segments. One gets you in and the other two mean 2 drinks. Easy question. The dumb ass drunk screaming obscenities, slurring their words and driving home after enhances the game how?? That clown is in a contest with the moron yelling "get in the hole" on every golf shot and a few other as the most worthless losers who attend ballgames. We will conduct a survey on Crunchtime & Sportstalk this afternoon.
Might be some serious problems for LSU as a quartet of players involved in that bar room brawl have hired a lawyer before they tell their side of the story to the cops. The focal point is starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Two of the other 3 have never seen the field. Back up offensive lineman Chris Davenport saw minimal action as a redshirt last season on the defensive side of the ball. FYI. By the way, if reports are true and these rocket scientists got into a fight because they were blocking a parking lot exit and someone beeped their horn, then they're in the mix for biggest moron of the week.

Off the Field Issues, by Casey Mitchell

The U

I'm sure by now all of you have heard about the recent allegations surrounding the Miami Hurricane football program. Former Miami booster, Nevin Shapiro, who is now serving 20 years in prison claims he treated over 72 players to prostitutes, cars, money and other gifts from 2002 to 2010. Worst case scenario would be the death penalty. The only occasion the NCAA has given out a death penalty was to the SMU program. I don't think the punishment will be that harsh because the NCAA told SMU to stop giving players money, and what do ya know? They kept paying the players. Another big reason why this is such an issue is because they went through 5 coaches in the span of the reported improper benefits. The NCAA has said that all of the punishments have been laid out on the table, and Miami could receive any punishment possible. I don't think this problem will be going away any time soon.

Eligible

We could see Terrelle Pryor playing for another team in a matter of days. The NFL declared Pryor eligible for the Supplemental Draft, but he must sit the first five regular season games. The Draft was originally scheduled for the 17th but it will now take place on August 22nd. Pryor can play in the Preseason as soon as he is drafted and signs with his new team. One thing I'm sure that has Terrelle Pryor thinking of is that a QB hasn't been taken in a Supplemental Draft since 1992. But with all of the hype surrounding this decision by the NFL, I think he will be drafted. Pryor was suspended by the NCAA for accepting improper benefits, but compared to this Hurricane scandal, what Pryor did was just a dot on the radar screen

MIAMI MIGHT BE "NEXT ONE" by ST

Let's take a trip back in time. Elementary school. It's getting close to Christmas or summer break, the class is getting restless and the teacher's patience is severely tested. Finally, Ms. Maschio loses it. The next one who steps out of line is going to be sorry. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Miami. The UUUUUUUU! Big time football programs have been running amok, breaking rules, thumbing their noses at the powers that be. USC got popped. Ohio State. North Carolina as well. You sense Mark Emmert and the big wigs sitting in their mahogany offices saying, "who's next"? Now they get a scandal that appears to be gift wrapped. No he said she said but documented violations that likely can't be denied. This is their chance to change the game. If the Caines don't get the death penalty, it should be close. Most of the horses have been out for a while, but that doesn't mean you don't shut the barn door to keep those left behind and send the proverbial message.
Eli Manning says he's in Tom Brady's class as far as elite quarterback. Some would spend time and effort rolling through numbers, won/loss records or various ratings. Not me. Dear Eli, NO YOUR NOT!
9 days ago I wrote there were 13 teams in the respective pennant races. It's now 12. The Cardinals have dropped out. They've allowed the Pirates to wreck their shot. The Brewers are gonna win that division. They have a 7 game lead. Their pitching will not let them collapse especially against a St. Looey team who lacks in many areas. RedBird fans can now start growing those worry lines about the fate of Albert Pujols who is a free agent when the regular season ends.

The World of Sports, by Casey Mitchell

600 Club

Last years player who was chasing 600 was Alex Rodriguez, and it was all eyes on him for a couple of weeks, but Jim Thome had very little hype surrounding his pursuit. Coming into the game on Monday Thome had 598 homers on his record but in back-to-back at bats in the 6th and 7th innings, Thome became the 8th player to reach 600 home runs, and he reminded everybody why he is still a huge threat in baseball. He propelled his team to a 9-6 victory over the division leading Tigers. This season, Thome is batting .256 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. The Twinkies however, are 10.5 games back sitting at 14 games under .500 with only about 40 games left in the year. For fans who watched Thome get #600, it was a great night for Minnesota baseball. You have to figure that this is going to be his last season in the majors, but you never know.

QB Competition

This Preseason in already to heat up in the battle for a starting job. A lot of teams are still uncertain who their number one guy will be this September. Carolina is still evaluating Jimmy Clausen and Cam Newton. I watched the Panther game last weekend and they both had their bright spots, but Cam Newton seemed a little uneasy in the pocket and Clausen was having trouble making the right decisions. Another team that is in a tight race is the San Francisco 49ers. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said Alex Smith is the front runner but Colin Kapernick is right on his tail. Daunte Culpepper has been working out with the team for a about a week. Since being drafted 1st overall in 2005, Alex Smith has been a disappointment but he has gone through 3 different offensive coordinators. It will be interesting to see who will be starting for who on opening week.

MID AUGUST IS A BEAUTIFUL THING by ST

Just about 40 games left in baseball's regular season, Ducks/LSU is 3 weeks from Saturday, great PGA Championship this weekend and the NFL is kicking into high gear. It's the time of the year where you feel the sports gods really love us.
I know the needle moves more with Tiger in there, but I didn't give him a 2nd thought on Saturday or Sunday as I focused on the guys who actually made it to the weekend. What more can you saw about the pressure of trying to finish a slam event late Sunday. Jason Dufner had played 15 thru 18 on Thursday thru Saturday in 3 under par with no bogeys. On Sunday he bogeyed 15, 16 and 17 before managing a par on 18 to force the playoff he'd lose to Keegan Bradley. Bradley, by the by, is the nephew of LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley who won the career Grand Slam as a player. This was the kid's 1st major and now of course the knuckleheads will try to figure out when he's going to catch Jack as the greatest player ever like they did with Rory.
Usually when a story is scrolling and making the rounds, I'm all over it as I think it could surface as a topic for either Crunch Time or SportsTalk but if you heard me late Friday, I wasn't buying on the Texas A & M to the SEC. We might not be aware, but A & M/Texas is one of the great rivalries in all of sports. It's Lone Star State big. Was kind of surprised this had the legs it did. Much ado about nothing. ZZZZZZ! Enjoy your Monday.

GAMES ON by ST

I'm sure giving my web surfing talents and connectivity a workout. Right now I have the PGA on the TV, Dan Patrick on the studio monitor and 3 different internet windows open. I've actually been reviewing night one of the NFL exhibition season. I look forward to sharing what I've learned about the Arizona receiving corps, Raven's Oline, and what to make of Denver.
I heard Stephen A Smith sitting in for Colin Cowherd this morning. Could the guy have any less knowledge and still thrive in this business. Was making a point about Ryan Mallet, the back up QB to Tom Brady in New England. Said don't get too excited about his performance because once upon a time Matt Cassel stepped in for an injured Brady, played well and we haven't heard from him in years. WHAT!!! The guy was the starter for the Chiefs last season and took them to the playoffs. Smith should stick to screaming his uninformed opinion about hoops. What a joke.
As New York closer Mariano Rivera has struggled this week with 3 consecutive awful performances I've been asked what this means. Easiest question ever. He's suddenly mortal or slipping and they're dead in the water for 2011. Yanks win 2 ways. Bash you into submission with their lumber or get to Mo to shut the door in the 9th. There is no plan B. They have just 5 complete games because the starting is shaky.
It's been just 3 holes but Tiger looks like his troubles are not going away but he will for the weekend. Bunker off the tee on #1 but he makes a save. Then on #3 he's sitting mid-fairway with an 8 iron and has to make a testy 4 footer for par. He's even, but has to go low, like 66 to make the cut. It's 11:38 am right now, let's see how the prediction turns out.

Back From The City, by Casey Mitchell

Arrived back from San Francisco last night and I am proud to say the Giants have never lost on my birthday while I'm in the park. Madison Bumgarner threw 7 spectacular shutout innings and the Giant offense erupted for nine hits and six runs. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a Brian Wilson save opportunity, but hey, I'll take a 6-0 win any day of the week. While watching the game, fans also kept an eye on the out of town scoreboard. When we saw the Astros leading the D-Backs 7-1 we were pretty excited, but Arizona clawed there way back into the game and ended up winning 11-8. I guess you can never rely on Houston for helping you out. The Pirates ended up taking the series, and due to San Francisco's latest struggles they are now half a game back in the West. If the Giants want to get take a hold of this race, they need to heat up on this road trip against the Marlins, Braves and Astros. With the Middle of August here, and Preseason closer than ever, next week will be covering the upcoming NFL season and of course Duck Football right around the bend.