Sports Editor
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, March 30,2004
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NIT Final Four
Oregon v. Michigan
6 p.m., ESPN2
Hank Hager
Behind the dish
Skipper's
home on
the track,
not field
There is an age-old belief that every
American boy grows up with a glove on his
hand, one day hoping to make it to the
Major Leagues.
He practices out in the backyard, playing
catch with his father under the hot summer
sky. He skips school to stay home and listen
to the third game of the World Series.
He becomes one of the jocks at the lo
cal high school, wowing the crowds dur
ing his four years on the diamond. The kid
hopes to get picked in one of the 50
rounds of the professional draft.
If he is drafted, he hopes to strike it rich
with a big signing bonus, then heads out
to a small town with big aspirations. If not,
he dreams of getting a college scholarship
and playing the game he loves for at least
four more years.
All stereotypes, all generalizations bom
and passed on generation by generation.
Since the game was invented way back in
the mid-1800s, it has become the central
piece of American lore; his father played it,
his grandfather played it and so on.
For athletes like Oregon pole vaulter
Tommy Skipper, the stereotype doesn't fit.
The Sandy native didn't grow up playing
the game. He didn't dream of making it to
the Bigs or getting the chance to play in
front of40,000-plus fans every night.
Thing is, there are some in the game
who believe he may just have the talent.
Skipper was drafted in the 37th round
of the 2003 Major League Baseball Ama
teur Draft by San Diego. He's never picked
up a baseball, not when he was six, not
when he was 18 (he's 19 now).
Never.
"Truthfully, I don't see myself being a
baseball player or anything like that hap
pening," he said. "But it definitely was
humbling."
It takes a truly special athlete to be draft
ed by a professional organization, espe
cially out of high school.
Especially without having ever swung a
bat in a live game or standing out in right
field picking grass between pitches.
"I don't try to get too excited about any
thing, " Skipper said. "I'm very humbled that
they pursued me; they thought I might have
the talent. After that, it's an experience that I
feel fortunate to have been a part of."
Technically, the experience isn't quite
over for Skipper just yet. If the Padres feel
inclined to pursue the freshman, they have
until June — when the next draft takes
place — to sign him.
While it's unlikely he'll sign on the dot
ted line — so he said — it's not the time to
say never. San Diego hasn't really pursued
him to this point, and probably won't, fig
uring his career in track and field could go
a lot further than it would in baseball.
So, Skipper is perfectly content compet
ing for head coach Martin Smith and Ore
gon this season. He enrolled in the winter
because he wanted to ensure that he was
Turn to HAGER, page 8
Oregon faces Michigan in New York
Adam Amato Senior Photographer
Senior Jay Anderson and the Ducks face Michigan in the NIT’s Final Four today at Madison Square Garden.
The Ducks and Wolverines
square off tonight in New York
at Madison Square Garden
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
For Oregon, it's win or go home. For
Michigan, it's win or go home.
In other words, the approximate 6 p.m.
tip off between the teams at Madison
Square Garden in
MEN'S
BASKETBALL
New York begins
the second semifi
nal game of the Na
tional Invitation
Tournament.
For both the Ducks and Wolverines, the
NIT has been a welcome addition to their
season after missing out on the NCAA
Tournament. Both teams escaped three
games to make it to the East Coast. Oregon
took care of Colorado, George Mason and
Notre Dame. Michigan defeated Missouri,
Oklahoma and Hawaii en route to the fi
nal four of the postseason tournament.
"You want to make it to the NCAA so
bad because that's the Big Dance," Oregon
forward Luke Jackson said. "Everyone has
that bracket and everyone is watching that.
It's kind of the whole goal. But every team
wants to be in postseason play. We're real
excited to be in the position we are in. I
think we're able to win this thing."
Unlike years past in the NIT, this sea
son's tournament is truly one-and-done.
There is no consolation game Thursday as
there has been every season since 1983 —
and every year from 1939 to 1981 previous
to that.
The Ducks have been to tire final stages
of the NIT' two previous times. In both of
the semifinal games the Ducks have partic
ipated in, they've lost.
In 1975, it was a one-point loss to
Princeton. In 1999, it was a 16-point loss
to Pacific-10 Conference rival California.
This year, the semifinal contests take on
importance of their own.
A loss means no more chance to play on
die famous floor of Madison Square Gar
den, a building that many Oregon players
Turn to NEW YORK, page 8
Five-win week gives Ducks momentum
Oregon round success at Howe Field during
the break and is ready to dive into Pac-10 play
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
The Oregon softball team put together a 5-2 run at home
during spring break to give the Ducks some momentum for
the heart of the Pacific-10 Conference season.
Before the No. 17 Ducks (25-9 overall, 1-0 Pac-10) hit the
road to travel to California for their sec
TZ. " „ ond conference game, they face a feisty
§ '' 11 " IN Portland State team Wednesday in a
SOFTBALL doubleheader at Portland.
_ "We've got to get a little bit better for
Portland State because they're a better
ballclub than what Utah State is," Oregon head coach Kathy
Arendsen said after the Ducks split a doubleheader with Utah
State Saturday to close their week at Howe Field.
The Ducks kicked off their week with a doubleheader
against Missouri on March 21. Tiger pitcher Erin Kalka threw a
two-hit shutout in the first game against Oregon. The game
was called after six innings by the eight-run rule, with Missouri
earning the 8-0 victory.
"Our defense really snuggled," Arendsen said after the dou
bleheader. "That's really unlike us. We've been a great defen
sive team all year. It kind of seemed like we were pressing all
day, and the more we were getting ground balls, the more we
were booting them."
The Ducks committed four errors in the first game. They
picked up a win in the second game of the day despite another
four errors.
In the second game against Missouri, Oregon took an early
lead on a solo home run by Ashley Richards in the bottom of
Turn to MOMENTUM, page 8
mm
Erik R. Bishoff Photographer
Outfielder Kayleen Hudson helped Oregon to five wins in seven games last week. The No. 17 Ducks
are 25-9 this season and earned their first Pac-10 win Friday against Oregon State, 9-8. The women
will be in Portland today to take on Portland State in a doubleheader.