SPORTS Fans in 1981 would’ve killed for a 3-3 record FROM THE SIDELINES BY DAVE CHARBONNEAU T ( ho Ducks suck ll seems those three words ure becoming somewhat popular here on campus. I'm not going to tread through the muck and mire the Ducks have gone through this year because it has already been well-documented and maybe even over-documented The quarterback situation, the injuries, the turnovers. Ilill Musgrave. tin; lost dreams of .1 third straight howl game ap pearance. All of these subjects have boon milked dry by the press, the coaches and the fans Everyono with an Interest in the Ducks is simply spoiled Two straight bowl game ap pearances and seven straight years of money quarterbacks Chris Miller and Musgrave have raised the expectations of Duck fans Oregon is currently 3-3 over all and 1-2 in Paeific-10 Confer ence play. Duck fans need to realize something: It could he, and has been, a lot worse for the Oregon foot ball program. Take these exam ples. 1981: The Ducks defeat per onnial power Pacific and, of course. Oregon Stale to finish 2-9 on the year 1982 The Ducks win their fi nal two games of the season over Arizona and, of course, Oregon State The goalposts come down at Aut/.en when the Ducks lie Notre Dame midway through the season, (Sounds like something that would hap pen in Corvallis.) They finish 2 8-1 ' 1,988: The Ducks start the season by winning six of their iirst seven games, hut'end up losing their final five games, in eluding a loss to (gulp) Oregon State, There are some who are pim dering the possib.lltv of a loss to Oregon State this year, fait it s better to just ileal with that situation when it arises Mv point here is had this been 198 1 or 1982 and we were playing the type ol Ifloliiall we are playing this year, Duck fans would be out of control with excitement It's kind of ironic that the one thing the Ducks were "demand ing" last sear is the tiling that has made this season so hard to stomach for Duck fans That thing is respect Oregon earned respei t List year and was a respei ted team at tile beginning of tins season However, three losses very embarrassing losses to boot have shocked Duck followers and may have cost the Due ks a little of the respect they once had. As for the future of the foot ball program, imagine this lust think if Oregon got bool ed from the I’m - It) Wouldn't It he great to he an Independent and have yearly schedules which included Miami, Michi gan and Notre Dame If you think the Ducks' record is hell ish now Kven : "tier, think of how great it w . uld he to get dumped from the Pa; -10 and drop dim n to Division :l Oregon could he a powerhoi. ,md win numer ous 'championships, not to mention feeling the rush of de fouling teams like Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and starting up an Intense main with Portland Stale. In case you haven't noticed 1 can only think ol one word to describe these two hypothetical futures for lie Ducks lame (no pun intended) Right now, the Due ks are an average Pur-10 football team They are far ft. n being the best and lar from being the worst, which is a lot more than I can say for our friends about 11) miles to the north. I say this tie cause it wasn't ton long ago that ()reg >n m l () ■ ...;cin Stale were often mentioned in the same Blazers look good at exhibition game By Jake Berg Emerald Sports Editor CORVALLIS — After a pre-season whipping of the Seattle SuporSonics Sunday night, normally brash Portland Trail Blazer guard Danny Aingo was fur from bragging about his or the team's performance "This is an exhibition game, you know," said Ainge. who led all scorers with lf> points on four three-pointers. "Who cares? You try to do the best you cun do while you’re on the floor, but the end result doesn't matter ” il may not have mattered to Adige, hut a sold out Gill Goli scum crowd ol 10,500 would have disagreed Main came to see the return of Somes guard Gary Payton, a former Oregon State basketball star, but more Blazer Inns were in attendance Sunday night titan Heaver bat k ers. The Blazers' popularity is so high following two very suc cessful seasons that Payton was even booed whilu shooting free throws and was cheered w hen he missed the first one. Gary Payton booed at (.ill Coliseum, better known as Payton's Plat.i! In his Oregon Si,ill! days? Welcome in Bla/.ermuniu. (.'ary .xpeetatiuns am again very h .;h of the Blazers this year The team earned the best regu lar season mark in the NBA last vrar hut tailed to reach tho NBA finals as they had donu tho previous season "Wo grew from last year's ex perience,-' Portland center Wayne Cooper said "Wo un derstand what we are capable of doing.” Turn to BLAZERS, Pago 8 TIIE ULTIMATE LUNCH SPECIAL: A.Y.C.E. PIZZA IAll YOU CAN FAT] & SALAD BAR That's Right! /Ml YOU Can Possibly EAT Of The best l*lzza Tills Side Of Anywliere. Ilns SALAD BAR: • Cauilfiowrr • 2»n*i oil much rtiorr • Krrah Fruit • Kmltoiini • C *A Utjr ( iwmr TRACK TOWN PIZZA 1809 Franklin Blvd. • Eugene. Oregon • 484-2799 Breath when tl came to football If nothing oltio, Oregon has separated itself from tin? Deu vers (iranleil. this isn't a big step and is a gross understate mont of the progress Oregon has made over the last 10 years It does, however, prove my point The Dm ks could he in a lot worse shape than they are in right now But they'd Better heat the Beavers IXnr Chnrboiwmu is u sports reporter for the llmerald > land Caning Rush & American Wicker Repair 746-2046 k.i!hUvn l yn» h, u*tur Cascade Caning Co. Spring fit *M. ( Hv^un • V «3#o and Nintendo ftntili • VCR s m3 eccejsonas • Erarydly dtycount Alto: Wollt System Tanning Open 11 11 daily 1888 Franklin Blvd (Otl ViMWd no