WEEKEND BLUEPRINT by ST

Here we go again. With Oregon front and center in the BCS title hunt, here are the games that matter, the point spread, the TV network(if available) and I even through in some other thoughts.
Ducks -7, over/under is 71, at USC, 5pm, ABC/KEZI Local. FYI...Justin and I will bring you our KUGN pre-game starting at 2pm at Sam's Place on Wilson Street in West Eugene. Woo Hoo!
Auburn is in Oxford taking part in the Stolen Laptop Bowl with Ole Miss. 3pm, ESPN2, War Eagles -7, over/under is 61.
Don't waste all that much time searching for the 8pm game with TCU visiting sin city to play 1 & 6 UNLV. Horned Froggies a 35 point road chalk, over/under at 54 1/2, not on standard local TV.
Michigan State looms unbeaten in the Big 10 with a tough trip to Kinnick Stadium to play once beaten Iowa. This one rolls at 12:30, ABC/KEZI Local. Sparty - 6 1/2, over/under is 50 1/2.
As far as the Pac-10, Arizona @ UCLA on Fox Sports Net, 12:30 with the Cats -9 1/2, over/under is 49 1/2.
The Oregon State/Cal game is set for 12:40 on Fox College Sports, which is on Comcast channels 413-415, you'll have to check your satellite service. Beavs -3, over/under is 53.
Stanford at Washington is the 4 o'clock game on Versus. Cardinal laying 7 1/2 with an over/under of 63.
For NFL fans, KLSR Fox has a double header starting with Packers @Jets 10am followed by Seahawks @ Raiders.
KVAL has Broncos at Niners from Wembley Stadium in London. That's at 10am.
The Sunday nighter on NBC/KMTR is Steelers @ Saints with Texans at Indy set for Monday night on ESPN.

MOMENTS THAT MATTER by ST

One of my favorite things about sports are the subtleties. If you check out a box score and see a football game that ends 37-21 you sense the winner dominated. Say it was 14-14 in the 2nd quarter with the victor backed up to their own end zone, 2nd and goal from the 3. Fumble, returned 98 for a TD. 3rd quarter. 21-14. Losing team misses a wide open receiver and has to punt. Center snaps the ball over the punter's head at the 14 yard line. Difference in the game. Last night in game one of the World Series, it's the 4th inning, tied at 2, Rangers at bat. Ian Kinsler hits a slow roller to 2nd and beats it out for a leadoff hit. The problem is the hurried throw from Freddy Sanchez appears to be wild so Kinsler rounds 1st thinking second base is his. Giant's 1st baseman Aubrey Huff makes a diving stop and easily tags Kinsler out. After a Benji Molina groundout, first baseman Mitch Moreland rips a two out double. Who knows what might have happened? What did go down was San Fran unloaded for 6 runs in the 5th inning on their way to an 11-7 game one win. The subtleties.
I read that Barry Bonds wants to return to baseball as a hitting coach. Can't imagine it happens unless he takes the Mark McGwire route and admits what everyone knows about his juicing. Guess we'll have to wait for the legalities to run it's course. Even though he's an arrogant, smug, self important jerk, I'd be first on line to hear what he has to say about hitting.
The Blazers have popped out of the gate with a couple of wins. No question, their victims(Suns & Clippers) are not good teams. I'll bet the ranch neither makes the playoffs. Doesn't matter. Teams with aspirations dust the weak and compete with the elite. I mentioned on yesterday's show how much I like Wes Matthews, one of their off season acquisitions. Was not drafted out of Marquette and spent his rookie year with Utah. Just got better and better. Averaged 9 points for the season, but that number was jacked the final 6 weeks to about 13, then 13.5 in the playoffs. Guy is terrific. Can nail the 3 and is an excellent foul shooter at around 82%. Did not have a great game last night, but mark my words, Portland fans are gonna love this guy. Great balance on offense at LA, and watch how frequently this team outrebounds their opponent.
LeMichael James was on Dan Patrick this morning. We will play the interview on today's show. Time to be determined.

APPEASEMENT POLICY by ST

I need to thank Jack Zellner, my 8th grade history teacher for the following. We learned about the Allied "Appeasement Policy" during World War II. They let Hitler and Germany take small countries in the hope he'd stop and not attempt to rule earth. Didn't work so well. I'd like to apply that theory to some idiots in the sports media. The trouble is I'll need a substantial enforcement organization which could get costly, but trust me, it will be worth it. The minute a talking head went on the air today to discuss the problems of the Miami Heat, they'd have been tranquilized and carted away, never to be seen again. Really? One game, at the home of a team who won the conference last season and nearly won the whole shooting match. Has everyone become Skip Bayless? Stop the madness. Remember in the 1st Godfather movie? Clemenza is talking with Michael Corleone about an impending conflict with the Tattaglia's and Barzini family and says "they should have stopped Hitler at Munich". It's not as dramatic, but you get my point. These discussions should not be allowed to progress for even an instant. It belittles us all.
Very excited about the start of the World Series. I like the Giants. Better starting pitching. Rangers have a very nice rotation, but really one dominator in the guy who gets the ball for game one, Cliff Lee. San Fran seems on a mission. With 4 games in the Bay Area the Texas defense will take a hit with Vlade Guerrero having to play the outfield. After 52 years on the West Coast, Frisco finally celebrates a title. Giants in 6!
Lot more on Oregon/USC and the whole football scene during the shows the next couple of days. How do you not love this time of year as a sports fan? Like putting a Cadillac in your nose, it's just impossible!

EXPERTS, HEXPERTS, THE JOKER LAUGHS by ST

In the information age, I always get a kick of those who paint themselves as 'insiders' or 'experts'. Prior to both the NFL and College football seasons we heard from some of the national prognosticators and in no uncertain terms were told what to expect. Jake Locker was a Heisman candidate and had the inside track to the #1 pick in the draft. The Vikings and Cowboys were absolutely NFC contenders. Then a few weeks ago, in baseball, the Yankees and Phillies were favored to repeat as AL & NL pennant winners. Well done on all fronts.
The Locker call is just plain stupid. How these clowns earn a living covering college football should be reviewed by a government panel on fraud. The NFL calls had merit, but it was the adamant nature of those predictions that got me. Really? It's a lock a 40+ year old quarterback would be able to slide through the rigors of that league, especially without taking part in training camp and pretty much showing he had limited desire to return. As for the Cowboys, they're going to the Super Bowl based on....wait for it....wait for it....I'm still waiting for it. They beat the Vikings in the wild card round following the 1996 season. Didn't win their next playoff game till last winter's wild card round before getting blasted in the next round, 34-3. Super Bowl? Yeah Right! I like to make the occasional bet, and will hang out on a limb from time to time, but it's week to week, based on facts not hype. Do these yo yo's who are so far off it's embarassing, ever go on the air or a blog or a column and admit the mistake? I'm still waiting.

DON'T SWEAT THE FACTS by ST

Everyone relax. Auburn is ranked ahead of the Ducks in the BCS because they deserve it. Through no fault of their own, Oregon has beaten a half dozen total garbage teams. Stanford is the long quality opponent. I'd bet that no one beyond the Cardinal that the U of O has beaten will even make a bowl game this season. That said, the Tigers have already defeated three teams who were ranked 12th or higher at the time of the game. Another, Mississippi State is already bowl eligible and in the Top 25. Clemson is 4 & 3 and even Kentucky is playing .500 ball at 4 & 4 and likely to make the post season. To their detriment, AU has Chattanooga left on their schedule which will provide a negative hit while the Ducks will charm those computers from this point forward. I have no doubt if Oregon wins out they'll play for the national title.
Did you read about current Tampa Bay tight end Jerramy Stevens the former Husky? What a piece of dirt. As a high school senior he and another student beat a 17-year old with a bat and stomping on his face. Kid had to eat through a straw for 6 months. Got off with a plea deal. When at Washington, was arrested for sexual assault with witnesses basically claiming the woman was drugged. Despite multiple witnesses, King County prosecutors failed to file rape charges. His arrest over the weekend for posession of weed with intent to sell is his 5th involving either reckless driving, DUII, or drug related offenses. He's spent a total of 3 days in jail. You do the math.
We'll get to the World Series matchup that no one will watch, but true baseball fans or jonesing for cause it's going to be a dandy. Also on tap, more atrocious officiating in the NFL.

TOLD YA by ST

For weeks I've been harping on ignoring that goofy win by UCLA at Texas. The Bruins flat out stink. The Longhorns gift wrapped that game with ineptitude, plus the fact UT is a shell of it's Colt McCoy led self. Look instead at their 3 Pac-10 losses. 35-nothing to Stanford. 35-7 to Cal. The Thursday massacre in Eugene. That's a combined score of 130-20. They're one of the worst passing teams you will ever see. The final statistics are misleading because of their 159 yards through the air, 76 came in garbage time in the 4th quarter.
As for the Ducks, the beginning to end, top to bottom domination was a season high point. I know folks are offering comparisons between Darron Thomas and Dennis Dixon. Feel free, but Thomas as a sophomore is playing like D.D as a senior. Huge difference. This guy was radar locked from the 1st throw of the game, a 24 yarder to David Paulson. The offensive balance displayed by Oregon was frightening with 312 via the air and 270 on the ground.
Way too much talk about LeMichael James not having an explosive evening as far as impressing Heisman voters. Really? 123 yards and 2 TD's on a national stage in an eye popping win as the #1 team in the country sounds pretty good to me. He's front and center in this race.
No question the price of poker gets jacked a week from Saturday in Troy. This Trojan team is at least the equal to Stanford as far as offensive firepower. They do it all. It's just that USC's defense has trouble with a good offense. Hawaii piled up 588 yards of total offense, 536 for the Huskies and Stanford rolled up 478. I'm thinking Oregon is superior to all 3. They have some speed and talent on that side of the ball, but play undisciplined and are suspect to big plays. Once again, if the Ducks can limit the mistakes and missed tackles, they should have the edge.
Today we will again go over all the Saturday games that impact the Duck's chase for the dream, as well as a bunch of NFL and thoughts on MLB's playoffs. Playoffs?

REAL PIZAZZ AND NO PIZAZZ by ST

Heard Colin Cowerd on the radio this morning talking about this Yankees/Rangers series and the blatant differences in the teams. Texas is a bundle of energy and charsima pursuing another first in franchise history. I'm an old enough fan of the Yanks to have seen Mantle play in person, but I can't help but enjoy what the Rangers bring to the table. New York is like the stodgy old corporate suits who have made their money and rather than have that spirit or snap, are invested in the low return, guaranteed funds. Texas is still out there searching for value funds hoping for that huge payout, attacking each day with passion. The Yankees are freaking boring to watch. The Rangers are electrifying. That Elvis Andrus kid they have at shortstop is terrific. He's only 22 and landed in Texas at the trade deadline in 2007 as part of the deal that sent Mark Teixeria to the Braves. Their young reliever Derek Holland came in and saved the day with 3 2/3rds innings of scoreless work. I can go on, but this is a no brainer. I know the suits at Fox will have a minor aneurysm but the best World Series would be Giants/Rangers from a baseball point of view. Fresh blood. Great stories.
I read that Steeler's linebacker James Harrison is considering retirement because he was fined 75-grand for a blatant late hit which has caused the NFL to mandate possible suspensions for illegal, violent cracks. Right! Not buying that one bit. The players at all levels simply have to be re-trained to never, ever aim for the opposing players head. There will always be vicious tackles, it's the nature of the beast. That said, we're not turning the game into flag football, just taking information about the long term, devastating effects of concussions and the like and trying to make it safer. It's not a big deal, but some drama queens are trying to paint that picture.