Danielle Hickey Photo Editor
Dee-Dee Wheeler and No. 24 Arizona have a half-game lead over No. 11 Stanford.
RICE
continued from page 7A
plausible, are not a case for bowling
as a sport. The best case for bowling
as a sport is simply the abundance
of healthy competition.
The point that makes the worst
case? If you aren't willing to put in the
extra money, you have to rent shoes.
Spray can-cleaned shoes aside,
bowling is just another one of those
quasi-sports, and whether you're
willing to call it a sport depends on
your own view.
Bowling is one of the many qua
si-sports that isn't really a sport, es
pecially if you subscribe to George
Carlin's school of thought.
I agree with Carlin's opinion
that baseball, basketball and foot
ball are the only real sports. While
there are other sports, those are the
three motherships.
Hockey is a weird combination of
basketball and boxing on ice. Tennis
is just frustrating to watch. Golf? If you
try to tell me that hitting a ball, watch
ing it fly and then chasing it down the
lawn is a sport, well... I guess I just
don't understand the draw.
Bowling is one of those cult-type
sports. You either love it or you hate it
If you love it and you have the time
and the money, you probably belong
to a league, or two. If you hate it you
probably grew up in a small town
where the only thing open past 6 p.m.
was the bowling alley.
The simple act of bowling is re
freshing, though. Running clears
some people's heads; for others, it's
driving. Bowling is also one of
those great cleansing activities.
Even if you go just to have fun with
a friend or five, focusing on trying
to throw a ball down a lane and hit
pins at the end of it definitely
makes you concentrate.
It's not as serious as golf or as
non-stop as basketball, but bowling
has its positives that outweigh the
negatives. Even if the local alley is
the only thing open as late as IHOP.
The league aspect of bowling is
frightening — some people take it
way too seriously — but at least it
makes for some good throwback
shirts at the local Goodwill. On the
other hand, bowling is a nice work
out for those inactive folks who hate
to run and lift weights.
Bowling is only a sport in the
sense that there is a ball, you're be
ing active and there's a purpose: to
knock down the pins.
Although that machine at the end
of the alley always wants to set them
up again.
Contact the senior sports reporter
at mindirice@dailyemerald.coni.
Her views do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
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Find fun stuff in the ODE Classifieds: Comics, your daily horoscope, and. of course, the crossword.
Hi°Pacln2°n3 take* had
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Stanford was upset from the
top of the Pac-10 with losses
to both Arizona and Arizona
State over the weekend
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
For the first time in the 2003-04
women's basketball season, Stan
ford is not atop the Pacific-10 Con
ference standings.
The No. 11 Cardinal (17-5 overall,
10-3 Pac-10) were swept in Arizona for
the first time in 17 years. It started with
an 88-83 loss to the No. 24 Wildcats
and ended with a 73-53 loss at the
hands of Arizona State.
"(Stanford senior) Nicole Powell
had a look on her face that said 'Oh
no, what's happening?'" Arizona State
forward Emily Westerberg told the
Stanford Daily. "That's when we
knew. They had a look in their eyes —
they were scared."
The Sun Devils worked the numbers
in their favor Saturday. The Cardinal
committed 11 turnovers, shot less than
16.2 percent from the field and was out
rebounded 28-25 in the second half.
It was quite a different picture in the
first half. For 20 minutes, Stanford
played like Thursday's loss never hap
pened. With a 28-18 lead going into the
break, the Cardinal seemed to have re
turned to form.
"Our second half was an absolute
meltdown," Stanford head coach Tara
VanDerveer told the Stanford Daily.
"There didn't seem to be anything that
we did right."
The meltdown and the sweep by the
Arizona programs was what Van
Derveer called a "crossroads" in the
Cardinal's season. Saturday's loss also
changed her somewhat optimistic tune
from Thursday.
"All you are racing for is seeding in
the Pac-10 Tournament," VanDerveer
had said after Thursday's loss. "Our
tournament has created a mbber match
for the season. We (Arizona-Stanford)
will play again."
The Pac-10 final standings lay the
groundwork for the Pac-10 Confer
ence in San Jose, Calif., the first week
end in March. All 10 conference pro
grams are included in the
tournament, with the top six teams
not playing until the second day.
With a half-game lead over Stan
ford in the conference, the Wildcats
host the Oregon schools and make
two more road trips — to Southern
California and UCLA and Washing
ton and Washington State — to close
out their conference season.
"We are a good home court team,"
Arizona guard Dee-Dee Wheeler said
Thursday. "We wanted the win at home
to keep the top spot in the Pac-10."
Powell adds more records
With 15 rebounds in Saturday's
loss, Powell became the sixth player in
conference history to score 1,800
points and grab 1,000 rebounds in
her Pac-10 career.
"We expected Nicole Powell to be a
great player," Arizona's Shawntinice
Polk said Thursday. "She didn't have
the best first half, but she really showed
her stuff the second half."
Powell had 10 rebounds Thursday.
She is now No. 12 all-time in the Pac
10 with 1,837 points. She is also No. 5
on the all-time rebounds list with 1,011.
The ranked fall
Stanford, the sole Pac-10 team
ranked in either Top 25 poll last week,
dropped from No. 7 to No. 11 in both
the ESPN/USA Today and AP polls re
leased Monday.
Arizona moved up to No. 24 in the
AP poll and received votes but missed
the top 25 in the ESPN/USA Today
poll. Arizona State received votes in
both polls. USC received votes in the
ESPN/USA Today poll.
Player of the Week
Polk, a sophomore for the Wild
cats, earned her second Pac-10 Player
of the Week award Monday for her
play during Arizona's home sweep of
California and Stanford.
Polk averaged 18 points, 16.5 re
bounds and 4.5 blocks during the two
games for her ninth and 10th double
doubles of the season.
Contact the senior sports reporter
at mindirice@daityemerald.com.
COMEDIC
continued from page 7A
in the Pacific-10 Conference and
also receive a good education.
"I wanted to play Pac-10 tennis,"
said Nagle, an exercise and move
ment science major.
Nagle got her chance to play in
the Pac-10 and contributed to one of
Oregon's biggest wins in the history
of the program against national
powerhouse Arizona last year. Her
match decided the tiebreaker and
the outcome of the dual contest, and
Nagle eventually came back to win
and help Oregon to its first road win
in Tucson.
The list of accomplishments con
tinues to grow for Nagle as each
doubles and singles win inches her
up the Oregon women's tennis
records. She already is in the top 10
in career singles victories and career
doubles victories. Nagle is also fifth
in most Division I season victories,
third in doubles season victories and
second in career Division I victories
at Oregon.
Nagle said she has seen herself
grow, not only as a player, but as a
person. Being around eight women
all year long for the past four years
has helped develop her into who
she is right now.
"I've come a long way," Nagle
said. "I am a lot more mature of a
player. I've learned a lot more about
my game and my style of play. I've
also become a lot more outgoing."
Oregon head coach Nils Schyllan
der said her maturity helped her
earn her status as captain this year
on a team on the rise.
"She is definitely the leader,"
Schyllander said. "A lot of her team
mates look up to her and she has
had a positive effect on a lot of the
other players. I Ier shoes will be very
hard to fill. She is a great athlete and
she is the glue that is keeping this
team together."
Away from the tennis courts, Nagle
enjoys bowling and prides herself on
scoring 140 in one game, which in
cluded a turkey. However, she has
trouble finding any bowling partners.
"I like to go bowling but nobody
ever wants to go bowling (with
me)," Nagle said.
The Oregon senior also enjoys
watching comedians and comedies
on television.
"Chris Rock is really funny and
most of those guys on Comedy Cen
tral, "she said.
Nevertheless, Nagle leaves behind
her comedic drive when she steps
out onto the tennis court, where it is
all business.
Alex Tam is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.
CLOSE
continued from page 7 A
Don't tell the Ducks that.
"For those people who talk about the
Pac-10 Conference being down, it sure is
funny that I sweat it out every single
weekend," Oregon head coach Ernie
Kent said. "We're in a dogfight in every
single game Unfortunately, those peo
ple have a false perception because this
conference is just knotted up right now
where anybody can beat anybody with
the exception of Stanford, which seems
to be playing on another level as a team."
The basic RPI formula is based 25
percent on winning percentage, 50 per
cent on opposing team's average win
ning percentage and 25 percent on op
ponent's average winning percentage.
Sound like a lot? Well, it is, but it has
determined that the Adantic Coast Con
ference is the best in the nation. The Pac
10 is sandwiched by the Adantic 10
Conference (eighth) and the Western
Athledc Conference.
"1 don't diink the Pac-10 is down,"
Oregon forward Mitch Platt said. "I
think those other conferences are just
way up. They've got some great teams
on the East Coast. I think everyone is
playing it tough in the Pac-10 and just
because people are beafing people, it
doesn't make us any less."
Contact the sports ed itor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
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