Sports Editor
Jesse Thomas
jessethomas@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, July 29,2003
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
Houston at Atlanta
4:35 p.m. Tuesday, TBS
Jesse Thomas
Go the distance
Gridiron
practices
bring out
true fans
It wasn't the usual Monday afternoon in
the football suite. Assistant coaches in a
hurry and Mike Bellotti's secretary pasting
message after message on the coach's door,
reminding him of countless appoint
ments. Recruits popping in and out of the
office, guides giving tours and the secretary
writing up scholarship letters.
That same Monday, it's 6:34 p.m. and
more than half of the football team gath
ers, awaiting voluntary practice in the
confines of the shade cast by one small
tree outside the Casanova Center.
Dressed in athletic shorts and sleeveless
shirts, the players do what they can to
stay cool in the 90-plus-degree weather
that has engulfed Eugene.
And among the nearly 60 athletes who
take the field, there is just one fan —
Charles Oliver. Oliver has been an Oregon
fan since 1994, and hasn't missed a home
game in more than three years. The 62
year-old who is "going on 20" only made
it to his second practice of the summer,
but for the past two years he had never
missed a summer workout.
Why attend every summer practice?
"The summer workouts are more im
portant than the fall," the former walk-on
comerback at the University of Colorado
Boulder said. "Here you see who wants to
play, who wants to work and who wants to
be the leader."
And so the questions loom: Who does
want to play for the team that wrapped
up a 7-6 record last season, the worst one
since 1996? Who wants to work for a
team that, after starting undefeated, went
1-6 to finish the season? And who wants
to be the leader of a team that has no de
fined leader amid its uncertain future?
Kellen Clemens or Jason Fife? Who will
take the wheel and drive the freight train
that is Oregon football?
Although Fife had the wheel for most
of 2002 as he tried to establish himself as
something other than "the guy who
came after Joey," he choked in the Seat
tle Bowl by throwing 1 of 10 for four
yards. We all have off-days, but it was a
bowl game nonetheless.
And on that blistering cold Monday
morning, Clemens managed 19 of 31 for
161 yards passing. A look into the future?
Probably. But it is likely that Clemens and
Fife will share the ranks of football's most
clutch position.
And Mr. Oliver is just fine with that.
"With either Jason or Kellen we can put
up 35 points a day, * he said.
At least the defensive line can look to
some good news. Oregon's newest market
ing tool in defensive tackles Igor Olshan
sky and Haloti Ngata weigh in at a com
bined 644 pounds. Opponents might
want to move out of the way.
And for Oregon's offensive line? Well,
they can at least look to experience,
with nearly three-quarters of the line
upperclassmen.
Sarnie Parker is back for one last go-around
Turn to Thomas, page 6
Sweat for success
Voluntary summer workouts
have become a critical piece
of Oregon’s fall success
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
Football is the life four days a
week for free safety Keith Lewis.
With the exception of Wednes
day Lewis is in the weight room
every afternoon, and on the
practice field by 6:30 p.m., ready
to run drills.
Lewis is one of more than 50
players who opted to take the
field for "voluntary" summer
workouts. And although they are
"voluntary" because of NCAA
regulations, the team sees
it differently.
"Everybody pretty much looks
for each other to make these
workouts," said Lewis, a senior.
"Because the chances of you
working out at home are slim
to none."
With the ever-increasingly
competitive nature of collegiate
football, teams look for any edge
they can get over the competi
tion, but mandatory summer
workouts can't be a part of any
advantage.
According to NCAA Division
I football summer workout reg
ulations, "Prospects and stu
dent athletes may not be re
quired to participate in any
summer workouts."
But for Lewis and the rest of
the Oregon football team, "vol
untary" can be interpreted as
"mandatory" to prevent a repeat
of last season's 7-6 finish, includ
ing a Seattle Bowl defeat.
"That's now where we need to
be," Lewis said, referring to the
importance of summer work
Uhl
Jessica Waters Emerald
Offensive guard Joey Forster stretches out with fellow Ducks at the beginning of Monday’s voluntary practice.
outs. "It's us not wanting to re
peat last year."
Senior offensive guard Joey
Forster agreed.
"Hie players find it mandatory
for each other," he said. "You
kind of count on the other being
there. It's something you need to
do for your team and yourself."
Just five years ago, attendance
at such workouts barely reached
15 at certain points. And in
1998 Oregon finished with a 8
4 record, but as head coach
Mike Bellotti has noticed, in
creased summer attendance has
accounted for increased season
performance.
"Our players have come to
recognize that as one of the keys
to our success," Bellotti said.
"Five years ago we started seeing
a significant increase, to up
wards of 50 players were around
for the summers, and corre
spondingly, we had some of our
best seasons. That reinforced the
idea that (summer workouts
are) a positive."
Yet Bellotti is not allowed to at
tend such voluntary workouts.
According to NCAA regula
tions, only a strength and con
ditioning coach may be present
during voluntary workouts.
That leaves Oregon's Jim Rad
cliffe, the strength coach, as the
only one to give orders.
And in some players' eyes, it's
beneficial not to have coaches
present, which they said allows
for a more relaxed atmosphere
and provides team unity.
"It's good not to have them
around," Forster said. "They are
looking for self-motivation. Be
cause when camp starts, they are
in your face and intense."
The workouts essentially
serve two purposes. They give
players the opportunity to work
out and stay in shape during the
summer to allow for physical
Turn to Football, page 6
Eugene becoming desperate for a ‘W
Jessica Waters Emerald
Left hander Sean Thompson will start Wednesday's game for the Ems
against the Everett AquaSox. Thompson is 3-1 this season.
The Ems suffer through their second
worst streak this season by dropping
four straight games against Spokane
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
The Eugene Emeralds could be in
a slump.
In a five-game series against Spokane
that began Thursday, the Ems have lost
four straight. The_
team that began the Round
season 9-1 hasn't
lost this many UP
games since a six
game drought earlier this month.
Spokane currently leads the entire
Northwest League Division standings with
a 26-13 record. Spokane (.667) has won
sue in a row and is 8-2 in its last ten games.
Prior to the series, the Ems were back
in their winning ways. Eugene headed to
Spokane on a four-game win streak
with three coming in a series sweep
against Everett.
Now the Ems are barely staying above
the .500-mark with a record of 20-19.
Monday night's results from the final
game with Spokane were not available at
press time; the Ems (.513) are otherwise 4
6 in their last ten games.
But Wednesday could allow for the
turnaround the Ems need: Eugene will
again face the Everett AquaSox at Civic Sta
dium. The two teams have already met
twice this season in three-game series' with
the Ems dominating 5-1.
The Ems' only loss against the AquaSox
came July 4 at the first meeting in Everett,
where Eugene fell 6-2.
In Wednesday's matchup, the Ems will
start left hander Sean Ihompson. Ihompson
currently leads the Ems with a 3-1 record and
ranks fifth with a 2.89 ERA I-or the AquaSox,
lefty Beau 1 lintz will take the mound.
But before the Ems can face the Aqua
Sox, they will have to heal the scars from
their second-worst drought of the season.
Ihe losing streak began Thursday night
when Spokane handed Eugene its first loss
in four games, 9-7.
Spokane's Abigail Sandoval was the
man of the night as he went 3 for 4 and
provided the game-winning hit with a sin
gle in the seventh that scored Jeremy
Cleveland. Prior to Thursday's matchup
Sandoval had knocked in 14 runs in his
last seven games with an astounding .481
batting average.
Turn to Ems, page 6