Sports Editor:
Jesse Thomas
jessethomas@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, June 24,2003
Oregon Dally Emerald
Best bet
Philadelphia at Atlanta
7:05 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN2
Jesse Thomas
Go the distance
Tiger's not
slumping,
LeBron's
too hyped
Well, I'm back.
I haven't come to you in more than a
month. I know, I missed you too.
Last time I wrote a column, I was
preaching about how the San Antonio
Spurs would win the NBA Championship.
Old news. And after my drought — 34
days later — the sports world has endured
its usual gossip and flying rumors. With as
much turmoil as a new episode of "Sex
and the City," our society has become en
gulfed with rumor and speculation.
And I am not here to start any new
hearsay.* Instead,* ! will simply-try and
* clear up the craziness that has surround
ed sports fans and reporters alike in
my absence.
First things first: The Buick Classic
ended Sunday afternoon, and Jonathan
Kaye won the event by eagling on a play
off hole against John Rollins. Chances
are you have never even heard of these
two before the event.
What you may have heard is that Tiger
Woods finished the event 13th overall and
hasn't won a PGA Tour Tournament since
the end of March. Prior to that date, Tiger
had won three of the four tournaments he
played from Feb. 16 through March 23.
In a period of four months, Tiger has
gone from a golf God to a golf dud. And
the question Tiger has been asked in every
press conference since March: "Are you in
a slump?"
Tiger answers the question as he
should, with a mere sigh and a look of,
"You have to be kidding me." The man
has been demoted from Superman to a
status that most players would still con
sider great play.
For Tiger, it's a slump. But Tiger isn't in a
slump. He never was. He was just playing
on a mortal level rather than that of the
heavens. You have to be kidding me.
You're telling me that the man who
ranks number one in the world and is
fourth on the money list this season —
only because he has played in at least three
fewer tournaments than the people ahead
of him — is in a slump.
Tiger still leads the all-time money list
by nearly $ 13 million. In case you're won
dering, that's a lot. I'm not telling you that
Tiger will bounce back and win three
more tournaments; I am telling you he is
not in a slump.
It merely proves that Tiger is a man, not
a machine, and he's a mortal like all the
rest of us.
Secondly, the NBA Draft is upon us and
could soon change the life of certain fran
chises forever. Or so they say.
The fact is that the LeBron James cover
Turn to Thomas, page 12
Ducks close championship run at USAs
Redshirt senior Becky Hoiliday will meet the world’s best in
Paris after finishing in a tie for third at the USA Championships
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
Becky Holliday propelled herself further into national stardom
Saturday at the USA Track and Field Championships.
After a school record and an NCAA championship, Holliday
took her skills to Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field to face
off with the nation's best in the pole vault.
The Sparks, Nev., native finished in a tie for third at 14 feet 3
1/4 inches, earning the final position on the U.S. squad for the
World Championships, which is scheduled at the end of August
in Paris.
Holliday opened the afternoon with first-attempt clearances at
her first three opening heights of 13-1 1/2, 13-7 1/4 and
13-11 1/4.
The redshirt senior then pulled out a little luck as she brushed
the bar on her final height on the way down — but the bar stayed
on the pegs.
"This was hard to prepare for coming in," Holliday said. "Every
thing this year was geared toward NCAAs, so having to deal with
all that preparation and emotion, you're due for a letdown.
"I tried coming in as relaxed as possible with no pressure and
expectations, but I didn't feel my best."
Overall, the top spot went to world record holder Stacy Dragila
of Nike, who won in a final height of 14-9. The event featured low
heights due to strong crosswinds that changed direction, plagu
ing most vaulters.
In other action, All-America throwers Adam Kriz and Elisa
Crumley wrapped up top-20 finishes in Friday's hammer throw
and javelin competition.
Kriz finished 18th with a mark of 202-9, nearly 20 feet shy of
his personal best (221-3), which he made at the Pacific-10 Con
ference Championships.
The Toledo native made his third NCAA appearance just a week
before finishing fifth (220-2) and earning his first All
American honor.
Crumley concluded her sophomore season with a mark of
133-3, finishing 15th overall in the javelin. Crumley ended a
year that was slowed by shoulder surgery last fall, forcing her
Turn to USA, page 10
Geoff Thumer Media services
Oregon freshman Eric Mitchum took third in Sunday's final of the 110-meter hurdles at the USAs.
UO scores dual top-20 NCAA finishes
Oregon concluded its collegiate season at the
NCAA Championships where the Ducks saw
their first women’s champion since 1996
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
The Oregon men's and women's track teams hit
and overcame a few milestones in the NCAA
Championships, which finished June 14 at Hor
net Stadium in Sacramento, Calif.
From the first NCAA women's champion since
1996 to the first top 20 finish from both sides in
more than a decade — and the retirement of a
head coach of 27 years — this year's nationals had
a little bit of everything.
On the men's side, Oregon had four competi
tors finish in the top five, along with six earning
All-American honors among 13 men.
Junior Jason Hartmann kicked it off for Ore
gon's men in the second day of action with a
fourth-place finish in the 10,000 meters. After en
tering the meet seeded 11th, Hartmann finished
in 28 minutes 31 seconds, a 20-second season best
and a near 15-second personal best
"I felt really good coming in and just tried to
compete as smart as I could," Hartmann said.
"Among the three NCAA races, this had to be the
most rewarding because it was the best field top
to bottom."
Also on the track, junior Sarnie Parker overcame
two false starts to finish fifth in the 100-meter dash
with a time of 10.41.
In men's field action, former NCAA champion
John Stiegeler finished fourth in the javelin after
launching a 13-foot 3-inch season best (241-5).
Stiegeler ended his Oregon career after entering
Turn to NCAA, page 12
Ems win third straight against Dust Devils
The Eugene Emeralds win three straight against the Tri-City
Dust Devils, giving the Ems a 5-1 start to their season
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
The Emeralds continued to have their way Monday evening
against the Tri-City Dust Devils as Eugene improved its winning
streak to three games in as many nights.
After stumping the Dust Devils 4-0 Sunday evening, the Ems
took the field at Civic Stadium in front of 1,958 fans and contin
ued the five-game series with strong pitching and solid offense in
the 2-1 win.
The Ems got the game off to a quick start as they opened up
against Tri-City with three speedy outs. In the bottom of the first,
Ems left fielder Jeff Leise was quickly thrown out at first, but sec
ond baseman Peter Ramos was next up to bat and would not be
denied as easily.
Ramos went to first base after being walked and then quickly
stole second as first baseman Fernando Valenzuela was at the
plate. The Ems ended the inning leading 1-0 as Ramos eventually
scored off an error by the Tri-City catcher as he lost the ball be
hind the plate."The bottom line is the guys are playing well,"
Manager Roy Howell said. "You get pitching and defense, as you
Turn to Emeralds, page 10
Jessica Waters Emerald
Shortstop Alex Garcia wrapped up the Eugene Emeralds’ batting lineup Monday night, helping the
Ems to their third straight win in as many games against Tri-City.