Sun Bowl Daze: Spawn Of Satan 3 Pitt 0

(And as CBS Sportsline has it, a SNOREFEST ).


Listening to part of this on the radio today was excruciating (20 punts, five third downs converted, a total of 451 yards of offense), and none of my b..v.r coworkers were especially thrilled with the manner in which the victory was achieved, but hey, a win is a win is a win, and one in a bowl game is always welcome, especially in Corvallis.


I figured the OSU defense would step up after their embarrassment in the Civil War (and they did), but the Pitt quarterback was positively anemic in the passing game; the relative tie in the running game was eclipsed by the relatively superior passing game of the b..v.rs that gave them the edge in field position, enough so that a late second quarter field goal held up for the rest of the game.



No Rodgers brothers were certainly the reason for the lack of offense on the b..v.r side, but from all accounts I've come across, this was one of the most mind-numbing displays of football to have been aired in a long, long while. It was bad enough to listen to on the radio, my sympathies to those who actually had to watch the damn thing.

Oregon 42 Oklahoma State 31: What A Holiday!

Nice come from behind victory for Oregon against a determined Oklahoma State team in a typical high-scoring Holiday Bowl affair.


The Ducks found themselves trailing after the first quarter 17-7 (that was the halftime score as well) due to the combination of standout OSU receiver Dez Bryant and a Cowboy defense eager to make a name for itself against a standout offensive team from another conference. Bryant was everything that he was touted as, and he wound up catching a bowl record 13 passes (for 167 yards and the games first touchdown), while the defense showed enough skill to disrupt the timing of Oregon's offensive line and stall most of their first half drives.



Oregon's first touchdown came on another long spectacular Jeremiah Johnson run, 76 yards (another bowl record) down the Duck sideline, more props must be given to receiver Jaison Williams for his downfield blocking, he took out two different defenders that sprung Johnson for the last leg of the touchdown run. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli also was running interference on the play and slowed the progress of one Cowboy just enough, though he was rewarded for that effort by being knocked on his backside.


Masoli took the game into his own hands in the third quarter (let's face it, it had a lot to do with his feet as well) and ran for three touchdowns. The first was set up by a spectacular half opening kick-off return from Walter Thurmond III that set the Ducks up inside the OSU five yard line.


The second touchdown is the one that most people will probably recall from this game, a 41 yard dash that went through and over the Cowboy defense, his blasting of hapless safety Quinton Moore was the stuff of YouTube videos, and that score gave the Ducks their first lead of the game at 21-17.


Masoli's third touchdown run (toward the end of the quarter, and a reply to an Oklahoma State touchdown that allowed the Cowboys to reclaim the lead) was a "relatively" easy 17 yard attempt that fooled the defense; I'm not sure that many Cowboys knew who had the ball until Masoli was almost in the end zone.


Oklahoma State replied on their next drive with another touchdown to go on top again, however, by this point, Bryant was lost for further game use resulting from an earlier leg injury, and quarterback Zac Robinson was continually getting blasted by an Oregon defense that had started to reassert itself physically since the beginning of the second quarter. That combination was a factor in the ineffectiveness in their offensive output for the rest of the game.


Duck receiver Williams made an excellent catch to give the Ducks the lead back for good, and tailback LaGarrette Blount capped the game off with an astounding 29 yard run, one in which he leap-frogged a diving Moore and shrugged off a couple of more Cowboy defenders in the last part of the run. A note must be paid to the Cowboy defense, on the previous Oregon possession, the Ducks had a first and goal inside the five, and were turned back repeatedly until the Ducks turned it over on downs; the Cowboys certainly still had the will to win the game, but the injuries for them on the offensive side limited their capacity to go out and do it.



Too tired to speculate as if this was Mike Belotti's last game as Oregon head coach (for the record, I say one more year) but it was certainly a nice cap to a good football year...........and it's going to be weird next year to see that people like Nick Reed, Max Unger and Patrick Chung won't be playing, and how hard it will be to replace them. Then I remember, I can still recall worrying about how the Ducks were ever going to get a running back as good as Latin Berry again. Based on the evidence from the last (near)twenty years, I'd speculate that I shouldn't worry about things like that ever again. Let's go Ducks!!!!






ESPN RECAP , STILLWATER RECAP , REGISTER GUARD RECAP

WBA 2 Spurs 0 & Clint Dempsey's Bookend Goals Deny Chelski Three Points

A miserable day in the West Midlands for Spurs, falling to bottom dwellers West Bromwich Albion on two late goals in the last ten minutes. Spurs played most of the match with 10 men, after Benoit Assou-Ekotto was sent off in the 35th minute for a rash challenge. This match was on FSC on replay, but after following it via gametracker, there was really no reason to watch it at all.



Much better was the result Fulham got from playing Chelsea at Craven Cottage, two goals from Clint Dempsey were on either side of two goals from Frank Lampard as the Cottagers proved their resilience at home yet again this season, where they've lost just one match so far.



Dempsey's first goal came in the tenth minute off of a free kick, a ball that he chested neatly and delivered into the back of the net with his right foot at point blank range in front of the goal. He celebrated that goal by ENJOYING A COLD ONE FOR HIS WORK right in front of the Chelsea fans, and there were a number of them who were less than pleased with this action. His second goal came off of a corner kick in the dying moments of regulation, a perfect header toward the undefended left corner post that momentarily paralyzed the Chelsea defenders in the net.








DEMPSEY'S FIRST GOAL



DEMPSEY'S SECOND GOAL


FULHAM/CHELSEA MATCH REPORT



FULHAM/CHELSEA VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS


BAGGIES/SPURS MATCH REPORT

MLB Network Here On Jan. 1st

Got the notice via the cable box last week that the MLB NETWORK will debut on New Year's Day, channel 419, at 3 p.m. PST. Glancing through the schedule that they've lined up for the first month, it's safe to say that I won't have the channel on continuously, at least for that time frame.


It's great to note that they have already stated that they don't WANT TO BE 'BASEBALL CLASSIC' but given that there's still a long time before spring training opens, the 'classic content' that is lined up involves some teams and World Series that I'd just as soon not revisit any time soon. Those teams would include the Red Sox, Phillies and Cardinals. About the only time I saw the Mets mentioned was on a replay of game seven from the 2006 NLCS, so one can figure out why that would be. Shows on the 69 and 86 Mets can't get aired soon enough.



However, the channel is airing the Ken Burns series that originally ran on PBS, which I haven't seen in a long, long time; the timing is just right to get reacquainted with that program. In addition, the big draw for me concerning the modern game will be the Hot Stove Live show as the place to get my daily fix on issues related to player transactions.


They've also announced plans to televise 26 games during the regular season (I think I read in one of their myriad pieces regard the channel debut that these would be on Thursday night; I wonder if the blackout issues that prevent a good number of Saturday day games from being televised on the ExtraInnings package will come into play in this relationship).



We'll sign off with an article from MLB.com, THE TOP 10 REASONS TO WATCH MLB NETWORK. (Your mileage may vary, of course.)

Dock Ellis, R.I.P.

A remembrance of former major league pitcher Dock Ellis, who passed away from liver disease today at age 63. Of course, one of the first items people associated with Ellis is his claim that he pitched a no-hitter in the major leagues whilst under the influence of LSD. Reading the ESPN bio just now, I'd forgotten that he was the pitcher who gave up the monster home run to Reggie Jackson in the 1971 All-Star game in Detroit, a blast to right field that hit the lights. It's one of my earliest baseball memories. And while I have always been a Mets fan, I'd always had a healthy respect for the Pirates teams back then, easy to do with players like Willie Stargell, Manny Sanguillen and Roberto Clemente on the team.



ESPN STORY

Oh Joy, A Week Plus Of Wintry Weather Has Arrived

Good news for the kids and those who are able to stay at home, bad news for those who have to drive in the stuff for a living.


After being shown the videos of the snow in Portland all day Sunday, the icy wonder finally arrived in full force here in the mid-valley early Sunday evening, and with this snow lying on top of some of the melted snow and rain from earlier in the day, it certainly made for some hazardous driving conditions in this area all day long.



I actually walked to work today, a 15 minute task that presented no great obstacle. I was also wondering if we were going to be able to get our Eugene route on the road for the day.


The roads here were pretty slick, but at least they showed signs of having been worked on, down in Eugene, particularly on Coburg Road heading south and most of 99W heading north towards Junction City from the Beltline, it certainly looked as if most of the road was simply packed snow and ice. It took me about 40 plus minutes to get from Jerry's Home Improvement to the north end of Junction City in the afternoon. The Coburg route, which I undertook just before noon, was a nervy game of keeping far enough back and letting the guy in front of you work out his traction problems. I have no explanation of why Coburg Road south was so packed of snow and ice north of Cal Young Road, but on a hunch, based partly on being tired of using the curbs as bumpers to steer myself back onto the main road, I headed over to Oakway Road and found the path to downtown Eugene a bit easier to navigate.


Pearl Street wasn't too bad, but both westbound 18th and 11th streets had their moments of icy patches in the early afternoon, luckily the traffic was light enough so that give the traffic that was out the room to move fairly easily. Eastbound on the Beltline to 99W was no picnic though, and after reports of the westbound lanes of the highway being close, that traffic had barely begun to have proceeded on that path when I passed it close to 2 p.m.



I was a bit worn out by the time I had made it home, but for some reason, 99W north of Harrisburg was clear of snow and ice for substantial stretches at a time, and between Halsey and Shedd, it was possible to hit 50 mph. That all changed of course once I hit the city limits but it was still a damn sight better than crawling through Eugene traffic.


Here's the STORY about the upcoming weather prospects, and the picture above was taken earlier today shortly after 10 a.m. just south of Shedd looking west. It's not too often we get to see those hills so clearly defined.

Spurs 0 Man United 0: Gomes The Hero

Not a bad result at all, but ideally this would have been a 1-0 match won by Spurs, the winning score being an own goal from Dimitar Berbatov just so that he could be serenaded one more time in song from the White Hart Lane faithful.


Things didn't look promising for the home side, with captain and defender Ledley King missing the match, and with Jonathan Woodgate being forced out with an injury just 10 minutes in, to be replaced by Tom Huddlestone. With those big departures in the Spurs defense combined with the erratic play from goalie Heurelho Gomes, fans were rightly nervous about how the defense would hold up against Carlos Tevez and Berbatov (Wayne Rooney sat this one out).


Man United certainly were the more determined team, holding on to the ball for long stretches of the game and garnering a large number of corner kicks, but the combination of the make-shift Spurs defense and some inspired play by Gomes kept the visitors off of the scoreboard.


Spurs did not just bunker down and forget about the offensive end of play in an effort to salvage a point, there were a number of fine opportunities throughout the game that kept the Red Devils honest, and goalie Edwin van der Sar had his chances to shine in goal as well.



Play of the game had to be Gomes swatting away a free-kick from Ryan Giggs at the very end of regulation time, a curling shot that looked to be a certain goal. For Gomes, there were fewer punched balls (the best being one that denied Berbatov a goal in the first half, a low cross in the box was deftly knocked away before the sliding Bulgarian could get his foot on the ball) and some clean catches of missed shots. Gomes failed once in awhile getting the ball to his side cleanly, but at least the Man United offense had to start up near midfield rather than in front of the goal on those occasions.



Berbatov was booed relentlessly on his every touch of the ball and at several times found himself missing clear shots on goal by a matter of inches, to the delight of the home crowd.



Once again, a fair enough result for a highly entertaining match that never lacked from excitement, any point these days, especially against one of the big four is certainly welcome. Come on you Spurs!



BBC, GUARDIAN , SOCCERNET

Themed Holiday Trees

No, it's not Halloween anymore, it's a couple of weeks before Christmas.......and my mother has decided to deck out her "seasonal" tree in one corner of her house with orange lights and a string of Oregon State lights. (She'll decorate the tree throughout the year with seasonal/current holiday ornaments.) Now, come Christmas eve, instead of waiting for Santa Claus, the thought that the Great Pumpkin will likely soon appear before us is going through my mind at the moment.

Beverly Garland, R.I.P.

Farewell to an actress who best dominated a cheesy sci-fi flick as best she could: the role Beverly Garland played in the film of It Conquered The World was a splendid bit of going against the grain of depending on a man for resolvement of problems. While the character Beverly played may not have actually killed the creature from the film herself, she clearly was the catalyst for getting it killed in the end. The episode guide of Mystery Science Theater 3000 puts it best.



Married to an idiot, she realizes it and takes matters into her own hand. She finds the Venusian pickle and delivers a dressing down that had to leave the poor creature more than a little abashed. Unfortunately she's then eaten, but she goes down shooting, probably praying she'll get stuck in the bastard's throat and choke him.

In certain respects it's a ridiculous scene. Yet she delivers her lecture with the strongest commitment you could ever hope for. In that moment she is a woman enraged at a pickle.


Can't say that I recall her work on My Three Sons, but her stellar work on the film that provided the fodder for one of the greatest MST3K episodes of all time should not be unacknowledged.



LA TIMES OBIT

Preaching To The Converted: 'Emotional Instability' Of Beaver Fans

An article from the G-T detailing the less savoury aspects of last Saturday's Civil War game. No surprise from these quarters living near and amongst them.



G-T STORY

2008 Civil War Highlight Video

Better than 'the pick' cause this lasted the whole damn game....he he he! Just wish they could've got a shot of the crowd leaving the game early.

Oregon 65 Oregon State 38 : Rose Bowl Hopes Trampled Underfoot

Okay, there is still a slim chance the Beavers could go the granddaddy of them all if somehow the UCLA Bruins find a way to defeat USC this coming weekend, but the pummeling that the Oregon Ducks gave the Beavers yesterday was about as sweet as it gets.



Consider some of the staggering numbers: 694 yards of total offense for the Ducks, an average of over 10 yards per play, 385 yards rushing against one of the top defenses in the country, with Jeremiah Johnson getting over 200 yards of that total in the first half alone. 12 completed passes for 309 yards, including a terrifically defended effort on a pass from freshman Darron Thomas that set up one Duck score.


The name of the game was breaks, and all of them went Oregon's way. A blown interception attempt on the second Duck drive, a couple of Beaver drives into the red zone that ended with just a field goal or no points at all in addition to some athletic offensive plays that certainly took the wind out of the Beaver defense in situations when they were defending well, the best example of that would certainly have to be the pass that Jeremiah Masoli made as he was going out of bounds early in the fourth quarter, finding tight end Ed Dickson for a spectacular 45 yard gain. This play was made even sweeter by the blocking of receiver Jaison Williams, who took out two Beavers at the same time in the play. I have to say that this play will certainly be ranked in my top ten Duck plays of all time.


Sure, there was a lot to nitpick about: abysmal third down defense, especially in the first half, some shoddy kick off and coverage efforts, and a ton of penalties. But, a Civil War victory is always something to appreciate, one that is made immeasurably better by severely damaging their hopes for a Rose Bowl appearance.



It was great driving around town early this morning to buy the papers, it certainly seemed to be that only Duck fans were about, we all waved, signaled, and honked our horns to each other at the recognition.



I do feel sorry for a large number of Beaver fans, the good kind who can keep the rivalry in its proper perspective, but for the large number of "beaver" "nation" "citizens" around here, it will be smiles and laughter all the way round for a long, long time to come. Plus spontaneous rounds of singing the chorus of Dead Flowers by the Rolling Stones. Get yer ya-yas out indeed!



REGISTER-GUARD , GAZETTE TIMES , ESPN


Let's Go Ducks!

Don't Do That, Can't You Read The Sign?

Helpful hints in a Hyderabad (India) restaurant. I just wonder what happened before to cause the owners to act to put up such warnings. The link to the original posts are HERE .

Will The Beavers Beat Arizona?

Being a little bleary from an all-day viewing extravaganza (some excellent EPL action in which Chelsea/Newcastle and Aston Villa/Man United both drew 0-0, as did Liverpool/Fulham, while Arsenal got thrashed 3-0 to Man City.......ha ha ha....along with some college gridiron action as the Buckeyes got on track to steamroll Michigan with a strong second half, Notre Dame loses to Syracuse on a late touchdown and the Cougars beat Washington in 2OT 16-13 as the Dawgs coug-it to let a late lead slip away to finish the season winless at 0-12), it is time to take a break and save a little time to concentrate on the Texas Tech at Oklahoma game starting in a little over an hour. The question remains is whether or not the Rodents will beat the Arizona Wildcats down in Tucson in a game that starts in a few minutes. We've taken the liberty to ask the always reliable Magic 8-Ball "will the Beavers win?" The highly scientific results speak for themselves, and for added support, BEAR DOWN ARIZONA.......BEAR DOWN RED AND BLUE!



7 p.m. edit: Congrats to the Beavs on a thrilling come from behind victory, my Beaver brother in Los Angeles is very very happy, but he knows next week will be a challenge indeed. In other related news, the aforementioned magic eight ball has been "decommissioned" in replace of a newer one that will give a more accurate forecast. :P

Wallace And Gromit New Short Update

Just noticed the interview with W+G creator Nick Park in today's Guardian, updating the story announced a little bit over a year ago about how Park preferred making short films as opposed to making feature Hollywood pictures. No word yet as to when this new short will show up on these shores, but I will certainly be on the lookout for it.


The pic is a still from the new short entitled A Matter of Loaf and Death , which finds the duo the proprietors of a bakery. A couple of more small details can be found HERE ; the notion that the short has been hailed as "life affirming" (noted in the article) is something that gives me a bit of cheer in these dark days.

The Taleban On WHYS

So today the BBC's WORLD HAVE YOUR SAY aired a Taleban spokesman answering questions from a number of listeners around the world concerning a number of issues, the feeling I got from listening to the answers reminded me of the feeling I got sitting in the theaters watching the last episode of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Return Of The King, when the assembled armies of the West gathered before the gates of Mordor in their final effort to buy time for Frodo and Samwise to accomplish their task. The Mouth of Sauron then makes his appearance to deliver his empty lies to those gathered before him in the darkland.


In both instances I found myself not able to believe a single word that either of them said, with the vague promises of "we'll see what happens when we're in power" from the Taleban spokesman regarding Afghanistan issues as a prelude to really strike back at those who do not agree with their world views. ( Have to say I did not listen to the whole show, I did have to get out of the truck to do my work, so I'll be checking out the podcast from the whole show this weekend.)



WORLD HAVE YOUR SAY BLOG



Coincidence or not? Now playing on Winamp as I write this, it's Born With A Tail by the Supersuckers.

Man City 1 Spurs 2: Resurgence Continues

Quite a nice come-from-behind victory for Harry Redknapp and Spurs today as they overcome an early goal from Robinho goal to claim the three points behind two Darren Bent goals at the City of Manchester Stadium.



Followed this one by gametracker early on, knowing that there'd be a replay on FSC at 1:30 p.m., but the recent Spurs renaissance had me glued to the computer early this morning (okay, I would've been doing that even if they hadn't been taking points lately!).


This really was a bit of an oddity of a game, given that there were three red cards handed out and that there wasn't any nasty stuff going on between the two sides from what I could see, it's just that the precedent of what was going to be allowed was set early on and after that there could be no deviation.


Robinho got his goal in the 16th minute on a rebound shot, but City's Gelson Fernandes received two yellows in the first 26 minutes, leaving the home side with 10 men for the balance of the match.........until much later. Spurs leveled just a couple of minutes later when Richard Dunne made an error on a clearance, allowing Bent enough space and time to race forward to drive the ball past a jumble of City defenders and goalie Joe Hart.


Bent got his second goal and gave Spurs a deserved lead in the 64th minute, but City managed a couple of attempts on goal that Heurelho Gomes did well to deflect, particularly shots from Stephen Ireland and Robinho that were impressive in their own right. I must say that the uneasiness I'd felt earlier this season watching Gomes wasn't to be found today.


Dunne got sent off in the 83rd minute for a tackle on David Bentley, leaving City with just nine, but Spurs didn't capitalize on that advantage, and just a few minutes later, the game was reduced to 10 on 9 when Benoit Assou-Ekotto for Spurs was given the red card for a hard tackle on Pablo Zabaleta.


At the end of the day, Spurs were certainly deserving of all three points, Luka Modric in particular being active on the front end of things early on in establishing offensive movement.


Up next Saturday is a visit to Craven Cottage and Fulham, who were victors over a hapless Newcastle side as well today 2-1; it should be a good battle between two London clubs that deserve to stay in the EPL. Come on you Spurs!!!






BBC , GUARDIAN

Oregon 35 Stanford 28: Rally In The Rain

First things first: I don't think I was as soggy at the end of the 2001 Civil War as I was at the end of this game; my Timberland boots didn't offer nearly enough protection as I thought they might, and my socks were a sodden mess by the end of the day. By the time the third quarter rolled around, I might as well have been wearing shorts instead of pants for the amount of moisture that article of clothing had absorbed by then. By the end of the game, I certainly felt as if I had taken a three hour shower in my clothes, I could not wait to get to get to my car and change my clothes.


At any rate, it was , umm, an interesting game to say the least in terms of sloppy play and turnovers, with Oregon doing providing most of those with more continuing adventures of playing football in a driving rainstorm, the lessons from last week in Berkeley not completely learned it seems.


The final score might show that it seemed like the Ducks tallied five touchdowns and Stanford scored four, with all extra points made, but the Ducks actually got four, two from LaGarrete Blount, including the game winner with six seconds left, while Stanford made three. Field goals, missed two point conversions and a safety where the ball was hiked out of the back of the endzone were the reasons for the score ending as it did.



Oregon lost the ball on fumbles four times, the reason that Stanford had possession of the ball for nearly 40 minutes. The Duck defense did a pretty good job in limiting the amount of damage in such short field situations (special teams did them no favors in that regard either a couple of times).


The Ducks ran the ball very, very well (307 yards total) and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli did better in the passing game than in his last couple of games(not good enough for a vocal minority though, more on that later) to complement that aspect enough to keep Stanford off-balance. Oregon also had Morgan Flint take over the field goal and extra point duties from Matt Evenson, and Flint did well, though his two attempts, both successful, were from 37 and 26 yards. We'll see later if he is able to take on the 50+ yard attempts that Evenson had a good percentage making. Evenson did play as the kicker on kickoffs, and had a so-so day, having one kick go out of bound and short kicking another to the ten yard line. That kick led to a return to midfield and set up the first Stanford touchdown.


Jeremiah Johnson had another great day running the ball, and the second Duck touchdown came via a spectacular 41-yard run late in the first quarter where he refused to hit the ground after being corralled by a couple of Stanford tacklers. He finished the game with 135 yards on 15 carries (Blount had 90 yards on 10 carries for the game).


Masoli did a better job in not being so 'run-happy' in the pocket and looking for receivers quicker; unfortunately for him, on a few wide open attempts, he threw the ball a few yards into the ground in front of the receiver, earning a chorus of disgruntlement from the aformentioned vocal minority. (In my section, 13, none of the people around me were booing, they were just a bit exasperated by the growing process going on in front of our eyes; we certainly don't forget that with the running part of his game, Masoli has done a lot to make his case for playing time. Also, where in the world would Oregon be if Masoli hadn't wanted to come play at Oregon? The kid is playing his heart out there and to boo him for a bad play is not something I'd ever do; I'm know damn well he feels bad for his erratic play at times).


I thought the defense did a good job on getting pressure on the Stanford quarterbacks, but gave up too many third and long situations that helped the Cardinal get back in the game after trailing 17-3 (the Duck fumbles after that helped keep the Cardinal in it). The worst aspect of the defense was letting Anthony Kimble get a ton of yards up the middle, but for the most part the defense did not let the big play beat them. It did, however, get suckered badly on a fake field goal early on in the second half, when holder Bo McNally took the snap and ran uncontested eight yards up the middle to tie the score at 17.


It had briefly crossed my mind in the first quarter to watch part of the second half from the Moshofsky center ( I wasn't feeling particularly well to begin the day with at any rate), but I found myself rooted to my seat watching the ebb and flow of the dynamics of the game grab hold of my senses and keep me nailed there, the end result being the wet mess I ended up in (I'm no worse for the wear and tear, thankfully, I'd kicked myself today had I left). Arizona is up next Saturday in the last home game of the year, there's nothing I'd like better than to give one of the Stoops brothers something to cry about. Let's go Ducks!!!!






REGISTER-GUARD , ESPN

Obama Not Perfect: He's A Hammer!

In the avalanche of information about Barack Obama from the last couple of years, I somehow missed this bit of info that the half-sister of the President-elect, who lives in England, is a fan of West Ham. With the news of his election this past Tuesday, the club have now offered him the chance to visit the grounds of the club whenever he makes his first trip to Britain.


Maybe he can somehow manage to view the movie Green Street Hooligans and get Osama bin Laden over to watch Arsenal at a London derby in East London, take out the bin Laden crew with some help from the ICF, and many wrongs in the world might be suddenly righted. In a similar vein of reality stretching, it's been announced that I've become engaged to Yamila Diaz Rahi.


In other Obama-related news, there is touchingly now a craze in Kenya, the land of Obama's father, for parents of newborns to name their children either Barack or Michelle, after Obama's wife, in the wake of Obama's historic win.



OBAMA THE HAMMER , NAMES

Spurs 2 Liverpool 1: Stand By Your Jamie Carragher

So what if the final score doesn't tell the tale of the game? The only thing that matters is the final score, and on a soaking wet night in north London, Spurs had two go into the net for them, whilst the visiting scousers were limited to just one. Even though Spurs were outplayed for large stretches of the match, they got their goals when they needed them most against the league leaders.


Liverpool got on the board early, and fairly easily, in just the third minute as Dirk Kuyt slipped in a close shot amidst a loose Spurs defense and just like that, all of the momentum that had been created in the past week with the win versus Bolton and the dramatic tie against the Arse had been subdued.



It's no secret that Spurs hardly ever challenged to score in the first half, but more than held their own on the defensive end, sometimes by good fortune, to keep the score at 0-1.



Things improved in the second half in terms of offensive movement for Spurs in the second half, but it took an own goal from Liverpool's Jamie Carragher (his third that he's scored for Spurs) to get Spurs level at the 70 minute mark. From that point on, belief that the three points were there for the taking grew amongst Spurs fans and players, and Spurs certainly were the more aggressive team over the last quarter of the match.


It took a shot from Roman Pavlyuchenko on a cross from Darren Bent at the beginning of extra time to give Spurs the lead, causing much enthusiasm amongst the faithful crowd who had endured a long wet night in London, whilst Liverpool certainly looked a bit shellshocked from that point on. After a bit more than four minutes, the final whistle sounded and the Spurs fans rejoiced about their new found luck that has coincided with the appointment of Harry Redknapp, seeing that Spurs have grabbed seven out of a possible nine points to lift themselves off the bottom of the table.



Always pleased to use the "pic" of "scousers" above, twas a great win today. Come on you Spurs!



BBC , GUARDIAN

The Joys Of Fandom: The Arse Vs. Spurs

Got to love the enthusiasm that these two chaps exhibit as the commentators for Fanzone for their respective teams in Wednesday's north London derby between the gooners and Spurs. Here are the video highlights of the two watching the action. Yelps of joy, screams of gibberish, badge kissing.....and topless nudity...it's all there. Well done Spurs man, way to actually get on those arse girls! :laugh:





YOU BEAUTY!

Selita Ebanks

What a lovely vision for the November model in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar. I'd buy whatever it is she's selling. Might be a tough month to concentrate on my writing and spelling rather than staring at her as O ho dnpiy ,u eptl@/

Arsenal 4 Spurs 4 :Shut Up Cesc

Given the nature of a possibly drunken Cesc Fabregas quote in which he replied that current EPL strugglers Tottenham might be lucky to earn a point off the Arsenal ladies team, it was very nice to see the good guys rally to produce two goals in the last four minutes to earn a vital 4-4 draw at the Emirates, shocking gooners the world over.

The quote from Fabregas: "They would do really well. I`m sure they would get a point!" Looks like they did Cesc, I suppose you'll be donning a skirt for the rematch later this season at White Hart Lane, in hopes of getting another point, eh?



Ex-gooner David Bentley (pictured above in post match glory) scored a lovely goal to open proceedings, lofting a ball from 35 yards over the stretched arms of Manuel Almunia, who wound up letting the ball into the net after attempting to knock it over the top (doubtless Jens Lehman would've made the play!)


The play after that for the most past favoured the home side, and ended in a 1-1 draw at the close of the half. Arsenal put two past the always creaky Spurs defense in the beginning stages of the second half, Darren Bent managed to get one in in the 67th minute, but Robert Van Persie immediately replied to give Arsenal the 4-2 lead with just over a half hour left.


Jermaine Jenas pulled one back for Spurs in the 89th minute, and Aaron Lennon knocked in a rebound from fellow Spur Luka Modric in the dying moments of extra time to give Spurs the much needed point. Arsenal may have played better overall for longer stretches of the game, but not when it mattered most, and Spurs made them pay for it, although once again Arsene Wenger continued to bemoan the "inexperienced" nature of his side when it comes to the heat of contested matches. Umm, okay, AW, whatever you say.

With such a rally, Harry Redknapp has certainly demonstrated a new belief in the players for Spurs: play hard and just see what happens. Much as I liked Juande Ramos, I don't thin this comeback would've been possible under him. At any rate, Liverpool visits White Hart Lane this Saturday (thankfully I'll be able to watch this one live), so we'll continue to see what the resurgence under Harry truly means. Come On You Spurs!!!!





CESC: HEY LADIES




BBC , SOCCERNET , GUARDIAN.

Spurs 2 Bolton 0: Spurs Win As Ramos Is Sacked

Plenty of time for fans to sort out who is more to blame for the woeful start Spurs have gone through, with Chairman Daniel Levy and Director of Football Damien Comolli getting a lot of heat for questionable transfer practices, and for coach Juande Ramos, whose playing formations and game substitutions brought puzzlement to many Spurs fans.
The news broke just after midnight on Saturday that Comolli, Ramos along with assistant coaches Gus Poyet and Marcos Alvarez were relieved of their positions by Levy just hours before Sunday's home match against Bolton. Even more stunning was the announcement that Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp was to be appointed as the new manager, a real whirlwind of news that contrasted starkly to insignificant things such as replacement strikers for the departed likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.


Harry made it to North London in time for the game, though he did not select the starting lineup, development coach Clive Allen took responsibility for that matter. The game was a vital one that Spurs needed maximum points from, with looming matches at Arsenal and home to Liverpool this coming week providing stern tests as to the true impact of Redknapp on the underachieving side.


I only caught bits and pieces of the match online, but what I saw looked pretty good on the offensive side of things, in combination with the 'hold your breath' antics of the defensive backline and goalie Heurelho Gomes that usually raise one's blood pressure.



Roman Pavlyuchenko scored his first EPL goal in the 17th minute on a lovely cross from David Bentley to give Spurs their first lead of the season. Darren Bent scored the other on a second half penalty kick to seal the win, the first of the season for the team.

As noted above, we'll see how the team reacts to the upcoming difficult matches this week, but for the next couple of days, the arrival of Redknapp has certainly given Spurs and their fans some breathing room. Come On You Spurs!



BBC , SOCCERNET , GUARDIAN REPORT ON RAMOS & REDKNAPP

Signs At Work: What Else Are You Gonna Do?

.........at the local roadside bar? Just don't break all of the commandments in one night, tiger.

Stoke City 2 Spurs 1: Screaming Awful Bloody Mess

All four of the adjectives above were useful in describing parts of what happened at the Britannia Stadium Sunday, a match in which Spurs continued to founder at inopportune times.


After an opening period of 15 minutes where the two teams sorted themselves out, Spurs found themselves in hot water when Gareth Bale drew a straight red card for cutting down Tom Soares in the penalty area, and Danny Higginbotham knocked in the penalty shot to give the home side a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. Spur goalie Gomes did correctly guess the position of the shot, but failed to slow down the ball as it entered to his left by the post. Of course, the red card on Bale meant an immediate ejection, so Spurs were left to play 10 men for the rest of the match.


Things for Spurs turned around soon after, typified by their good fortune by being a tad bit offside, but not being penalized, as Darren Bent leveled the score just a few minutes later. For the rest of the half, Spurs were indeed the better team on the pitch, moving the ball around nicely and getting a couple of decent shots on goal, all of them being from a distance however, giving their keeper Thomas Sorensen good looks at the shots.


Rory Delap knocked in a beautiful (and well-defended) cross from the right to give Stoke the lead again, and it was at this point that the home side played as if they knew had the man advantage on the pitch. Spurs efforts to score in the second half were similar to the ones in the first half, with nothing particularly close near the goal.

Micheal Dawson made a bookend for Spurs in the red card department by receiving one for a studs-up tackle on the shin of Mamady Sidibe in extra time, and with Spurs having trouble scoring goals with 11 men most of the season, the task of getting one in the final 4 minutes or so was daunting indeed.


As for the adjectives, screaming could have been used for the grimace on Gomes near the end of the first half after a collision on a Stoke corner, but I couldn't quite tell what might have happened to produce such a reaction; after a visit from the physio, he remained in the game and finished strong.


Awful is the word to describe what happened to Spurs defender Vedran Corluka midway through the second half in a collison with Gomes, taking a knee to the head and knocking the defender to the ground, where he remained motionless for several minutes. Corluka was given an oxygen mask and carted off the field, but apparently not immediately taken to the hospital, as the commentator noted that his condition was not of a very serious nature.


Bloody is the fate of Sorenson, the Stoke goalie, after an accidental collision with Alan Hutton left him with his fluid streaming down his face, the injury time for both players were the reasons that there were 11 minutes of extra time, a figure not often seen.


The mess Spurs now find themselves in is dead bottom of the table, with just two points from their first eight games, with fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United coming up in the very near future. How much further Spurs can sink remains to be seen, but for now, the view isn't a very good one.



BBC REPORT , GUARDIAN REPORT

Oregon 31 UCLA 24:Bizarro Night At Autzen

An underwhelming performance by the Ducks over a determined UCLA team was the end product of Saturday night's encounter in Eugene. For almost the entire game, the Ducks had the lead and held the Bruins at arms length, but could never quite put the visitors away until game's end.


Some of the "bizarro" aspects of the game: Duck quarterback Jeremiah Masoli rushed for 170 yards on 24 carries to lead the Ducks offensive attack. On the other side of the coin, he connected on just 5 of 19 passes for 42 yards (24 coming on one touchdown pass, 11 on another) for one of the most woeful passing efforts seen at Autzen in a long while. Of course, it didn't help matters when a number of balls he threw were dropped by the receivers, but the lack of consistency in developing drives certainly worked to the advantage of the UCLA defense.


It wasn't just Ducks on the offensive side unable to catch a thrown ball, it seemed like there were at least 5 opportunities there for Duck defenders to thwart UCLA drives, only to let the ball slip through their hands, almost as if they couldn't quite believe that Bruin quarterback Kevin Craft would've thrown the ball straight to them.


More worryingly, the Ducks missed their first two field goal efforts (Matt Evenson made his third) on seemingly convertible kicks, although it seemed to me that the snap on the first one was low.


Bruin coach Rick Neuheisel, seeming to know that he was outmanned for this game, called for a review on the spot of the ball very early on, which he subsequently lost and was charged a time out for, and then attempted an onside kickoff early in the third quarter after the Bruins had scored their first touchdown to cut the Duck lead to 14-7. An offside ruling negated the Bruin recovery of the ball, which lead to a short field for the Ducks to score their third touchdown of the game that made the score 21 to 7.


The Bruins cut the lead to 21 to 14 on their next drive after an interception of a Craft pass in the endzone by Jairus Byrd was nullified and Byrd was given a pass interference penalty instead, replays to the contrary notwithstanding much to the displeasure of Duck fans watching the scoreboard; Kahlil Bell, who had been helped off the field earlier, ran the ball from the two yard line near the end of the third quarter.


Things turned really awkward on the next Bruin possession near the beginning of the fourth quarter; a deflected Craft pass off of Terrence Austin landed in the hands of Byrd, a hit from T.J. Ward on Austin, who was leaping to catch a high Craft pass, created the opportunity for Byrd to make the play. Quite unfortunately, Austin landed awkwardly on his head and laid on the turf for a few mintues, although in the immediate minutes after the hit, he was able to make movements in a significant fashion, it was the hope of those watching that the stillness of his movements once the trainers had arrived were purely of a cautionary measure.


At almost the same time, from my location on the north side in section 13, from the corner of my eye I noticed some activity across the field from me as a couple of bodies were in motion falling down toward the field. A fight between a couple of Duck fans resulted in an unfortunate incident where the two of them spilled over a sideline barrier and one of them landed on his neck apparently; that man was subsequently carted off the field in a brace while the other man was carted off by the police. The combination of events took about 13 minutes as the Autzen crowd, still rightly upset by the blown call at the end of the third quarter, descended into an eerie silence, at first from the fervent hope that Austin was not seriously injured, and secondly trying to figure out what was happening behind the Bruin bench.


As odd as it may sound, in all of my years as a season ticker holder on the north side, I had never really noticed that section of the stadium before, and about half an hour before, for the first time, I had noticed some people running along the length of the barriers behind the vistors bench and wondered aloud why they were allowed to do so, the barriers being at least six feet above the field level below.


The Ducks got a field goal out of this exchange to give themselves a two-score lead, which would prove to be the decisive factor in this game. The teams exchanged punts for most of the rest of the fourth quarter, until LaGarrette Blound broke a tackle and ran down the right sideline for 69 yards to give the Ducks a 31-17 lead with three minutes to go in the game; some lazy defending by the Ducks in the remaining time allowed the Bruins to score their last touchdown, and a final onside kickoff by UCLA was recovered by the Ducks to seal the victory.




ESPN

Signs At Work

Seen at a local ramen joint, a reminder that gyoza babies need their beauty rest.

Here Comes The Rain

Looks like the first significant weather system of the fall will roll into Oregon this weekend, giving us some needed rainfall. Let's hope the owner of this unfortunately damaged vehicle I chanced upon earlier today will find a suitable place to park to keep the temporary repairs for this sun roof in working order. This pic was taken after we had some scattered showers over the area today.

Oregon 63 Washington State 14

Not a whole lot to say about this one, as some early Cougar turnovers were quickly cashed in for Duck touchdowns, and Oregon quickly found itself with a 21-0 lead with about 6 and half minutes left in the first quarter. The rest of the game for the Ducks, given the woeful offensive attack of the Cougars this season, consisted mainly of running, running, an occasional pass, and yet more running of the ball, while the defense was seeking to rebound from last weeks loss to Boise State.



The good part of running the ball so much (53 times for 346 yards, yet no Duck broke the 100 yard mark) is that the game passed quickly, as there was really no doubting the outcome of this one, even after the nice drives led by Cougar freshman quarterback Marshall Lobbestael at the end of the first quarter, which resulted in a missed field goal, and their first drive in the second, which lasted almost 7 minutes and resulted in their first touch down. The Oregon defense buckled down at that point, and the rest of the Cougar drives, save the last one of the game which led to their other touchdown in the waning moments of the game, were limited in terms of number of plays ran and yards gained. Lobbestael was also picked off on successive drives by Walter Thurmond III in this time frame.



USC in Los Angeles is next, on ABC this coming Saturday night. How the Trojans react to having been dominated by Oregon State and whether or not they take their frustrations out on Oregon will be played out on national television. Let's Go Ducks!





R-G STORY , P-I STORY , ESPN RECAP

Portsmouth 2 Spurs 0: Another Mishap From The Mish-Mash Team

You Don't Know What You're Doing!. That's what Spurs coach Juande Ramos heard today as Spurs put on another lackluster performance. Since having won the Carling Cup last year, Spurs have compiled a record of 3 wins, 9 losses, and 7 ties, with a current winless streak of 7 games dating back to the last match of last season.



Jermaine Defoe scored on a penalty in the first half, and Peter Crouch quickly knocked back a missed shot that rebounded into the area in front of the goal before any Spur could react. Give Defoe credit, he said he didn't celebrate his goal because he still appreciated the Spurs fans whilst he toiled at White Hart Lane.



Next up is the away leg of the UEFA Cup, Thursday at Wisla Krakow, Spurs having won the first match 2-1 earlier this month. After that, on Sunday, Hull will pay visit to White Hart Lane, fresh off of their shock dispatch of Arsenal, 1-2 at the Emirates. Pass the bottle quickly please if Spurs lose these two critical games.




BBC


SOCCERNET

Well Worth Anybody's 75 Dollars: Beavers 27 USC 21

(Unless you're a fan of the Trojans, I suppose!). Can't say that I watched the first half of last night's contest at Reser, but that's because I was splitting my time watching three baseball games instead: the Twins comeback against the White Sox, the Pirates/Brewers tilt, which featured a walk off grand slam by the Brewers Ryan Braun, and the Mets comeback against the Cubs 7-6. All of those games ended within 15 minutes of each other, though of course I spent more time on the Mets game. For the record, the winning single hit by Carlos Beltran happened just a minute after the third Beaver touchdown in the first half, because by that time my Beaver brother, who lives in Southern California, had begun texting me about the incredible happenings in Corvallis.


Whilst I have no particular love for the Beavers or many of their fans, the sight of Trojan head coach Pete Carroll befuddled on the sidelines helpless to stop the other side is one that had me laughing out loud. From what I watched in the second half, when the Trojans earnestly began to rally from the 21-0 halftime deficit, they had a very difficult time trying to get a hold of of freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who had no problems getting a sizable number of yards on first down running straight up the field for continual short yardage situations. In addition, the Beaver defense stymied the Trojans for a good portion of the game by making things uncomfortable for Trojan quarterback Mark Sanchez, who statistically had a good game but was undone by way too many ineffectual 3 and out drives that failed to balance the time consuming drives that the Beavers used to establish their lead.



Way to go Beavers for a great exhibition of team football, it's nice to see the underdog pull out a decisive win against the favoured opponent, and I certainly don't begrudge the fans rushing the field at the end, it was a big, big win that was well deserved. What this means in the context of this season is anybody's guess, who knows how this team will respond next week away from Reser against a tough Utah team is something that we'll all know more about by next Sunday. As for what happened Thursday, it was an enjoyable 'perfect storm' of an underdog team at home thinking that it could beat the top dog strongly encouraged by its rabid fans.



ESPN RECAP

Spurs 0 Wigan 0

More silly knees-bent running about that amounts to nothing particularly inspiring or organized; the replay on FSC this afternoon was just the tonic to aid me at nap time........I'm sorry to say.





SOCCERNET REPORT



'FORGETTABLE' BBC REPORT

Boise State 37 Oregon 32

The Ducks couldn't overcome a determined Boise State team, watching the visitors grab a 24-6 halftime lead, which was expanded to 37-13 by the end of the third quarter. A strong rally led by true freshman Darron Thomas fell just short in an exciting but tough game that left me with a headache from yelling so much in that critical fourth quarter.



Seeing as how I brought my 14-year old nephew from Corvallis to the game, I was happy to forgo my perch on the 30 yard line in section 13 for some corner tickets in section five next to the students (view above).




I am not under the illusion that Oregon deserved to win this game, the Broncos certainly executed their game plan much better than the Ducks did. Special kudos to redshirt freshman Kellen Moore for keeping his composure, standing tall and spreading the ball around to a number of receivers (including the third string tight end) who often times found themselves wide open. That was one of the biggest factors of the game for me, the strength of the Bronco passing game and the relative lack of pressure that the front seven of the Ducks could bring upon the young quarterback. Even when they did, as I recall a couple of times, Moore would throw the ball to the spot where the receiver was supposed to be just as he was about to be hit, and the receiver would make the catch just as the play was drawn up. The lack of success running the ball with Ian Johnson did not faze Boise State at all as they continued to throw the ball all over the field, especially in the decisive second and third quarters as they built up their insurmountable lead.



The bad news for the Ducks is that they could have been in a position to win the game if all aspects of the game had been functioning "normally (yes, I know, that's why they play the games, mistakes and injuries are part of the game, etc. etc. etc. ). A couple of missed field goals, some botched extra point attempts and some woeful punting, including one of three yards that set up an early Bronco touchdown, were the visible signs of inadequacy from the kicking game. Of course, the lack of being able to defend the pass was where the defense came up short. All of this was compounded by the lack of ability to throw the ball in the first half and keep the Ducks in the game by a reasonable score before the issue was truly well out of hand.


Part of the issue from the last aspect was due to starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli being knocked early on by a blatant late (and cheap) hit from Bronco safety Ellis Powers, who led with the helmet in his effort to knock the Duck quarterback to the ground. Masoli got right back up and continued to play for a bit, but soon exhibited signs of a concussion and was forced to the sidelines. Another freshman, Chris Harper, continued to struggle with his passing, failing to complete any of his three passes save the two that were intercepted by the Broncos. The Ducks, though they ran the ball quite well against their opponents, had just a meager 27 passing yards at the half, a staggering number when considering how significant the pass has been to offenses here at Oregon. This lack of balance of offense is what led the Ducks to play Thomas in the second half, who for the record went 13 for 25 and 210 yards with three TD's and one interception, though it must be said that even as a freshman he threw a couple of ill-advised passes in which was fortunate not to have been picked off.



The other play which has to be mentioned is the late hit (and ejection) of Boise State's Jeron Johnson on Oregon's last touchdown drive, another blatant hit which led to his immediate ejection as he leveled an Oregon receiver (it was on the other end of the field, I couldn't see who ) well before the ball was in the area.



In the end, it was a disappointing loss to be sure, but it's not the end of the world, except perhaps in the macho-posturing world of internet tough guy message boards about whose conference is better, etc., but I'm glad to say that I was proud to have stayed to the end ( in my view, I honestly didn't see that many people leaving at the end of the third quarter); the kids on the field have practiced hard all week, and the least I can do is offer them my support...........even if I was a dizzy as Masoli at the end of the game. At any rate, the Washington State Cougars are next up...........let's go Ducks!!!!!



R-G STORY



ESPN RECAP

Spurs 1 Aston Villa 2: Pressure Drop

Did not watch this one, as I had to work, but Spurs continue their early season blunder run with a woeful home performance to leave them bottom of the league with just one point in four games, and also the only team who has failed to have won a match this season.


Spurs fell behind just five minutes into the game, and on a second Villa goal just after the start of the second half. Darren Bent got one back in the 87th minute, but as with Alex Rodriquez, these stats come at a time in the game when it really doesn't matter anymore.



The only "bright" spots in all of the fandom reports I've read is that this is still a young team that's barely played together for a very short amount of time, and the future is still bright once all of the players chosen by coach Juande Ramos have been fully integrated in his system. It can't get any worse at this point, though, could it? Let's hope we don't find out the answer in the Championship next year. *sigh*







The harsh but fair reads are as follows: GUARDIAN ; SOCCERNET ; BBC.

Richard Wright R.I.P.

The death from cancer of Pink Floyd's keyboardist Richard Wright came as a bit of a shock to most fans around the world today. Many, many thanks are due to him for his contributions to Pink Floyd, count me as one of those fans grateful enough for the four members to have put aside their personal grievances enough to have a successful reunion show at Live 8 back in 2005. See you at the great gig in the sky, Richard! :(



BBC OBIT

Oregon 32 Purdue 26 2OT: Crazy, Crazy, Crazy

Games that play out like this one are very hard to watch at home, but the Ducks rallied from a 20-3 first half deficit to force the Boilermakers to overtime. Once there, the Oregon defense stymied the Purdue attack as it had done for most of the last three quarters of the game, and LaGarrette Blount ran in for a three-yard touchdown to give the Ducks the hard fought victory.



The Ducks found themselves in a hole quickly as Kory Sheets ran 80 yards down the right sideline, in front of the Purdue bench, for the score. The second Purdue touchdown came via the oddity of a receiving team failing to cover a kick off after a score; the swirling wind had the kick falling at the Oregon 22 yard line, whereupon it was recovered by Purdue. The touchdown that soon followed at the beginning of the second quarter gave the home side that 20-3 lead, and it became apparent that a lot of hard work was going to be necessary if the Ducks wanted the win.



After that, the Ducks defense played very well indeed, limiting the yards that Purdue could manage, but the Ducks offense sputtered for the most part, with a number of dropped passes killing potential scoring drives. (Purdue receivers had a case of the "dropsies" as well). There were a number of turnovers as well that ended drives, with Oregon unfortunately leading in that stat at 4-3.


It took a spectacular 87 yard punt return by Jairus Byrd toward the end of the third quarter to spark the Ducks, drawing them to 20-13. On their next possession, Blount had a 72 yard run that set up the tying touchdown at the end of the quarter, and Duck fans all across the country were wondering just what crazy thing would happen next. All that did happen was that the teams traded a field goal with each other, although Purdue's Chris Summers did miss a 44 yard attempt into the wind as time wound down to send the game into overtime.



The bad news is that quarterback Justin Roper had suffered a partially torn medial collateral ligament toward the end of regulation time, and it seems he's likely to miss 2-4 weeks at a minimum. Boise State is up this Saturday at Autzen, and I have no doubt that the Broncos would like nothing better than to notch a road victory at a Pac-10 stadium to make their season, the Oregon coaching ties by some of the Bronco staff notwithstanding. I'll be on hand once again to cheer the team on, this time with my nephew from Corvallis, who became a Duck fan just because he couldn't stand the Beaver fans in his town.



R-G STORY


ESPN RECAP



One of the drawbacks to attending Duck games is that, with the travel times factored in, I tend to miss a number of interesting matchups. I started Saturday viewing Cal at Maryland, watching the Bears SLEEPWALK FOR MUCH OF THE GAME, then some of OKLAHOMA'S SLAUGHTER OF WASHINGTON, to be topped off with a liberal dose of OHIO STATE V. USC, and the tense finishes of ARIZONA AT NEW MEXICO and upset of UNLV OVER ARIZONA STATE, as the Rebels blocked a potential tying field goal in overtime to seal the unlikely win. The pained look of Dennis Erickson on the sidelines as the reality of what had just happened was priceless indeed. Oh yeah, there were look-ins at the intriguing WISCONSIN AT FRESNO STATE late game as well, with the Bulldogs giving the visiting Badgers all that they could handle. There was some baseball viewing in there as well, but by the end of the day, I had grown a bit weary from watching all of those games. I was glad that I don't really watch the NFL on Sunday though; I do need some time on the weekend to get something done.

Newcastle 1 Hull 2

Watched this bizarro match in the first of a long line of sporting events Saturday (it's nice once in a while to stay home and do absolutely nothing). With the protestations from the home-side Toon Army about the actions of OWNER MIKE ASHLEY before the game, those actions seemed to have affected what happened on the pitch, as newly promoted Hull definitely earned the victory in front of the stunned home crowd.


Hull got two goals from Marlon King ten minutes apart from the half time break, the first a penalty shot as the Magpies basically fluttered about with no real direction or drive for the game, and it was only when newcomer Xisco knocked back a missed shot with 10 minutes left that Newcastle (both the team and its fans) showed any real life as the possibility of salvaging a point seemed like a realistic one. The Hull defense became disorganized and was battered around for a few more minutes at that point, but rallied sufficiently to quell the meager attack of the home side.


Still trying to work out if the Newcastle fans were more disappointed post match with this one or from the FA Cup match with Stoke earlier this year.




BBC REPORT



ASHLEY'S SUNDAY STATEMENT ABOUT SELLING THE CLUB

Ahh, The Peaceful Life Merseyside: Robbie Keane Robbed

(to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine")



You are a scouser,
An ugly scouser,
You're only happy,
on giro day,
your mum's out thieving,
your dad's drug-dealing,
so please dont take,
my hubcaps,
away.




Ex-Spurs player Robbie Keane becomes the seventh Liverpool player to have been burgled whilst playing on international duty, a lovely statistic that I'm sure won't be mentioned when tapping up other contract-bound players to head to Anfield.




STORY

A Step Beyond 'Beaver Shooting In El Paso

Reading Jim Bouton's behind the scenes baseball book Ball Four at a young age in the early 70's taught me, amongst other things, that others may be looking at you in a way that you're unaware of. Add a few cameras in our world today where just about everything is surveilled and reviewed and the chances of your actions being recorded for posterity have been greatly increased. Such as with the loving couple watching the Texas/UTEP game in El Paso last Saturday night, on a hill outside the stadium. I just wonder what the cameramen at ESPN were looking for when they caught this action.

Oregon 44 Washington 10

Always interesting to have a conference game open the season schedule, and the fact that the opponent was border rival Washington made for an added level of excitement in Eugene on Saturday night.


The Ducks took an early 14-0 lead on two quick scores in the first quarter, but the Huskies eventually responded with a couple of second quarter drives to net 10 points, enough to give the home fans enough pause to wonder if they could manage to find a way to combat the talents of Husky quarterback Jake Locker. The score at the end of the first half wound up being 14-10.

The Ducks defense responded to the challenges of defending a mobile quarterback by sending more men to rush and harass him, leaving the Duck secondary to defend the inexperienced Husky receiving corp in single coverage for the most part( a note must be made here that Washington moved the ball most effectively when Locker was able to complete his passes, I was a bit surprised when I found out that all but one of Washington's completed passes went to wide receivers; perhaps more quick screens to the running back (Chris Polk, in this case) might have alleviated some of the defensive pressure.


Speaking of Polk, and the Washington offense in general, I do believe that almost all of their possessions started with a run straight up the middle, and every possession wound up being a second and long situation, not an ideal place for an inexperienced team to find itself in for too long.


Field position played a big part in helping the Ducks establish defensive dominance in the second half, with a couple of kicks from the special teams resulting in starting Husky field postion starting from inside the 20 yard line. This helped the shuttle of Duck quarterbacks get some game experience (starter Justin Roper got a concussion at some point in the first half, and subs Jeremiah Masoli and Chris Harper did some nice things moving the ball in various capacities, the former with his quick release on a couple of ball, particularly the touchdown pass to Jaison Williams that solidified the Duck lead at 30-10 early in the fourth quarter, and the latter with his running ability, he showed some nice moves and smarts in moving the ball around the field and was rewarded with his first collegiate touchdown near the end of the game, though he did not throw a pass in the game.



Other things that struck me sitting in the stands: Duck defensive end Nick Reed seemed to be playing with a bee in his bonnet early on, yapping at Locker after the Husky quarterback misfired on his first attempt of the game, and for getting the first penalty of the game, by anticipating the snap on another play and knocking the Husky lineman on his butt, drawing the ire of the teammates of the visitors.


Jaison Williams did a very good catching the ball, the only one I recall him dropping was the one where he was cited for ineligible touching early on in the fourth quarter.........only after he had run across the field in the first place to help out a scrambling Masoli.


The hits from T.J. Ward in the second half were certainly noticed by a number of fans.


Their were no balls thrown toward tight end Ed Dickson, not sure if that had more to do with the change in quarterbacks or in the scheme of the offense.


Jeremiah Johnson had a terrific game running the ball, he looked as good as ever, and the way that JC transfer LeGarrette Blount moved the scrum forward to achieve yet another crucial first down helped to put the loss of Jonathan Stewart in the back of the minds of most fans.



The scrambling ability of Locker drew grudging admiration from some Duck fans, but it soon became apparent that without consistent help from both aspects of the offensive game, chances of a comeback were practically non-existant at best, though wide receiver D'Andre Goodwin and tight end Kavario Middleton proved to be a handful at the times when Washington closed in on the Ducks.


In the end, it was a good victory over a bitter rival on a surprisingly chilly August evening, and most Duck fans I encountered afterward were saying that it was just one step in the first of many. With a date in Eugene against Utah State next Saturday, it will certainly be the road game at Purdue on September 13th where the Ducks find out exactly where they stand.


BTW, the new video screen in the stadium; it's too bad that the audio system sounded like crap; I couldn't even hear a word of the J.Stew/Dennis Dixon alumni commercial.



R-G STORY



P-I STORY

Chelsea 1 Spurs 1: Up From The Bottom Of The Table

Certainly not a bad way to earn the first point of the year, a well-deserved draw from all accounts, aided by a bit of luck for the Spurs goal and some more luck (and good goal tending) to hold the Blues to one goal.


I will admit that I got into the house just a couple of hours before the match started here on Pacific time in the early morning and did not follow this one live at any time, so it was a thrill to see that Spurs had finally showed some spirit for an extended length of time. The highlights I did see showed that Juliano Belletti's goal in the 27th minute off of a corner kick was well-taken, but it was Darren Bent's sneaky move off of a misplace Frank Lampard kick that tied the match at 1 just before the end of the first half that began to justify the big price tag Spurs paid for him in the first place.



Still no concrete news on the imminent transfer of the Big Sulk (Dimitar Berbatov) to Manure, and Berbs once again did not travel with the team and suit up for the match, but the longer the SAF and the Red Twats wait for someone they think they can just buy to help them is very good news for the rest of the EPL (and football in general). FTR!




SPURS VIEW



SCOLARI VIEW OF MATCH



SOCCERNET MATCH REPORT

Kevin Duckworth, R.I.P.

Sad news today with the REPORT of the passing of former Portland Trail Blazer center Kevin Duckworth at the Oregon coast Monday night.




Duckworth came to Portland from the San Antonio Spurs in December of 1986, in perhaps one of the greatest trades in Blazer history, a trade in which the Blazers sent the very disgruntled rookie Walter Berry in return. (The subject of Berry in Portland is worthy of a post in its own).


Local TV stations have been replaying one of Duck's greatest moments, returning to play with a broken hand in game seven of a 1990 playoff series with the Spurs ( it was sad to see Drazen Petrovic in those highlights as well), and the local radio shows have been filled with callers retelling stories of their encounters with the big man, the conclusion easily being drawn that we will all miss him not only for being a key cog in those great Blazer teams around the turn of the 90's but for his role in the community, qualities that were sorely lacking just a few short years later with the rise of the Jail Blazers.


Thanks for the great memories Kevin, you will certainly never be forgotten in these parts and, as I'm sure is being done all over the Northwest, one of your Dairy Queen glasses will be used to toast your memory.



KATU STORY



TRUE HOOP MEMORY

Spurs 1 Sunderland 2: A Black Day With The Black Cats

Not a good day by any means today for Spurs fans. Straight off the top, we're greeted by the news that coach Juande Ramos had left the disgruntled striker Dimitar Berbatov off of the team roster today "BECAUSE HE WILL NOT BE GOOD FOR THE DRESSING ROOM".



Follow up that bit of distressing news (inevitable though it may be to some) with the performance today in the season opener at White Hart Lane. The first half wasn't actually too bad, but there was precious little in the way of organized offensive efforts, especially with the home side playing just one striker (Darren Bent) up front; Spurs may have had a number of corner kicks in the half, but there was never a feeling that any connection with a team member was going to happen, the ball was always either going to get knocked away harmlessly or sail over everybody's head.



Sunderland were a bit unlucky not to have taken a first half lead at about the 30 minute mark, when ex-Spur Steed Malbranque took a low-flying shot from about 25 yards; luckily for the slowly reacting Heurelho Gomes, the shot hit the goal post and Spurs were able to defend against any possible rebounds in the action afterward.



Spurs defender Gareth Bale nearly headed a corner in just after the start of the second half, but it was Sunderland's Kieran Richardson who got the first goal of the game in the 55th minute. The White Hart Lane crowd certainly became palpably nervous at that point, given the meager offensive spark shown by Spurs in the new regular season, and seeing that the goal they were credited with was actually an own goal from Boro, the sense that Spurs were ever going to mount a comeback was a very fleeting one at best.


Just after the goal, substitutes Tom Huddlestone and Giovanni Dos Santos did their best to liven up the Spurs attack once they were adjusted to the game, and the team work was rewarded with a Jermaine Jenas goal in the 73rd minute off of some nice footwork after a blocked shot. However, Djibril Cisse created some space in the Spurs back line to knock home the game winner late, creating more frustration for the home team and their fans, who took the chance at the final whistle to voice their displeasure very loudly.



Even a rare Fulham victory versus ARSENAL gave little consolation, and as if things couldn't get any worse, next up is a match at bitter rivals Chelsea next Saturday, to be compounded by the ongoing Berbatov drama. Oh joy......I can hardly wait......unless a lot of soul searching is done in the next week (combined with any form of sorcery you might wish to name).......my birthday next Saturday is bound to get off to a very lousy start.




SPURS REPORT