Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NHL Stanley Cup Finals:
Calgary vs. Tampa Bay
5 p.m., ABC
Monday, June 7, 2004
Hank Hager
Behind the dish
1 11 never
forget the
things IVe
witnessed
When I was six years old, 1 was intro
duced to baseball by my father and the rest
of my family.
A couple years later, football and basket
ball followed. When I was 10, hockey be
came mainstream for me, not just a Cana
dian sport anymore.
For years, I grew up watching those
sports and those sports alone.
1 could name the entire starting lineup
for the 1989 San Francisco Giants. When
ever Larry Bird and Michael Jordan
squared off, you could bet I'd be in front
of the television.
I always loved watching Joe Montana
and Steve Young throw tight spirals for the
49ers, and Pat Falloon (I know, no one's
ever heard of him) skate on the Cow
Palace rink in 1991 before the Sharks for
mally moved to San Jose.
The love of those sports grew and even
tually I became a fan of all teams; I just
wanted to watch a baseball game, whether
or not that actually involved going to the
Kingdome. That place was downright
scary.
Then I came here.
I uprooted to Eugene, visited McArthur
Court, Autzen Stadium and Hayward Field
and began to realize what 1 was missing.
1 was missing just how great it can be to
watch and cover games played by people
my own age. To turn around while in the
stands and see the 6,000-plus students
screaming at the top of their lungs, hoping,
just hoping, that doing so can propel Ore
gon to a win.
To see the love those students — and
even most fans in general — show toward
a school is absolutely breathtaking and
certainly a sight to see in a time when,
quite frankly, athletes and the sports they
play are getting less and less respect.
I've been fortunate for these past three
years to be able to get away from the crowd
and watch from afar. While it was always
great to be in the middle of everything, this
past year especially has been a breath of
fresh air.
I've seen how fans and students alike
can rally around a football team that has
just lost four of its past five games. I've seen
how the leader of that team has evolved
from a more reserved personality to an ag
gressive, let's-get-it-done mentality.
I've seen one of the best players in Ore
gon basketball history play in the 1,000th
game at McArthur Court. Then I watched^
him play in New York and saw just how
vulnerable athletes can be sometimes.
I've seen the Pit shake — twice. Both
times against teams most will never see
again. We're talking Colorado and George
Mason.
During finals week.
1 know, I know. I never thought the
whole building could shake like that.
Wow.
Best of all, I've seen people, athletes and
fans alike, talk about Oregon sports as
Turn to HAGER, page 13A
And the award goes to...
We Emerald sports staffhands out its yearly Emmies to the best in Oregon athletics
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
This year's over already?
OK, so it may have ended quickly, but we've all seen things
that made us cheer, smile, cry and remember what it used to be
like.
Well, it's time for the fifth-annual Emmies.
I know, 1 know. After five years, we still couldn't come up with
a better name. But this one just seems to fit.
We honor the best in Oregon athletics during the 2003-04 sea
sons.
It wasn't the greatest year for Oregon teams, but then again, it
was far from the worst. From the Sun Bowl to Tallahassee, Fla.,
regional, the NIT to tennis in Oxford, Miss., Oregon teams sur
prised and impressed us.
Most Entertaining Female: Sarah Mason.
This was really a hard choice this year.
OK, maybe not so much. But even though Mason played for a
team that didn't quite live up to its potential, she displayed plen
ty of fireworks for the fans in the stands at McArthur Court.
Mason not only is the future of Oregon volleyball, but its pres
ent. And she's going to be a sophomore next year.
Most Entertaining Male: Andre Joseph.
We honored Joseph with the Best Interview award in 2003,
and much to our amazement, he didn't come close to qualify
ing himself with the honor again. But you know what, we really
don't care because when someone like Joseph steps onto to
McArthur Court floor, you can't help but have fun watching him.
Joseph defined intensity. Whether that was from beyond the
three-point line or defending the opposition's best, he had this
look about him: you're not going to get past me, oh no.
Imagine what it would have been like had he started at Ore
gon as a freshman instead of transferring his junior year.
Biggest Heart: Kevin Mitchell.
The award this year proves that the biggest hearts don't have
to necessarily belong to the biggest people.
Mitchell was listed as a hearty 5-foot-11 in the 2003 Oregon
media guide. Despite his size and lack of natural ability, there was
never anybody else on the field who gave it his all, tried harder or
just generally had as much fun. He was always someone who was
frank and honest with the media. Mitchell was a gentle football
giant in the truest sense of the word.
He spent five years with Oregon. Those years were five of some
of the better ones of any linebacker to pass through Autzen Sta
dium.
Best Interview: Sarah Malone.
We've had athletes in the past make up words. We've had ath
letes talk until their lips turned blue. And we've had athletes so
brash, so cocky, no words can put them into context.
And then there's Sarah Malone. Whether you want to talk
bowling or her favorite — and we use that word loosely — op
ponent at Southern California, Malone was there to chat.
Oh, she wasn't always terribly afraid to poke fun at teammates,
either. Adam Jenkins was the lucky one in May.
"I can kick his butt at throwing arrows and he hates that," Mal
one said. "We hadn't thrown them since we were in college, so
we went and bought a few and came out and threw them and I
Turn to EMMIES, page 11A
( ofcEGOnN
tmeraia
Luke Jackson earned MVP honors this year, while having the best performance in the best game of
the season. He could be a first-round selection in the NBA Draft later this month.
Austin-bound Ducks looking for wins
The Oregon men’s team
sends several underdogs
to Austin to compete at the
national championships
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
As one reads over the list of Ore
gon men heading to the NCAA Na
tional Championships next week,
several names were expected.
MEN'S
TRACK
To m my
Skipper en
ters the
year's final
- meet with
the top pole
vault mark in the country — 18
feet, 10 1/4 inches — after a phe
nomenal freshman campaign.
Sophomore Eric Mitchum and
his two sub-13.60 second times in
the 110-hurdles goes ranked third
in the country.
An even closer look at the list,
however, will reveal some names
that don't seem so familiar. In fact,
one may have no idea who Teddy
Davis, Paul Etter, A.K. Ikwuakor or
Gabriel LeMay are. Don't be mis
taken, though, each of these ath
letes is capable of a performance in
Austin, Texas, that could have them
well-known by meet's end.
Until the NCAA West Regional
Qualifier 10 days ago, the thought
of Davis getting a chance to com
pete at nationals seemed far
fetched. The sophomore high
jumper from White Salmon, Wash.,
hadn't cleared 7 feet since the first
meet of his freshman year and was
struggling with his technique.
Assistant coach Bill Lawson
talked to Davis about changing
his technique from a speed ap
proach to a power approach be
fore regionals, and the switch paid
off. Davis cleared a personal best
Turn to MEN, page 13A
Seven Oregon women will
compete at the NCAA
Championships beginning
Wednesday in Texas
By Alex Tam
Sports Reporter
The ultimate goal for seven
members of the Oregon women's
track and field team has finally ar
rived.
All of the
training
and hard
work put in
all season
long will
pay off at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor
Track and Field Championships in
Austin, Texas.
Despite four of the women mak
ing their debut at the national
championships, the Ducks are con
fident and unnerved going into the
biggest stage of college track and
field.
Emily Enders, a freshman pole
vaulter, makes her first appearance
and continues her impressive first
campaign at Oregon. The Sno
homish, Wash, native secured an
automatic invite at the NCAA West
Regional Qualifier after placing
fifth with her second-highest mark
ever (13 feet, 1 3/4 inches). Enders,
who is ranked 20th nationally, also
was voted the team's newcomer of
the year this past week.
"It's amazing, and it was one of
my goals at the beginning of the
season," Enders said. " 1 knew that
it was pretty much 50/50 chance of
making it. As (NCAAs) got closer, 1
felt it was more of a possibility. It
feels great and I'm really excited."
Redshirt junior Bree Fuqua also
debuts at NCAAs in her first season
at Oregon after transferring from
Wisconsin. Fuqua, a shot putter,
Turn to WOMEN, page 13A