Sports Editor:
Alex Tam
alextam@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet:
San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres
7 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN2
ALEX TAM
HOLDING COURT
Strange
but good
week in
sports
Just some thoughts about what's going on
in sports globally, nationally and locally:
• Whether bicyclist Lance Armstrong is
one of the world's greatest athletes is un
questionable after he won his sixth
straight Tour De France title on Sunday.
Armstrong's streak should be considered
among the greatest achievements in
sports history.
Armstrong, 32, has encountered and
overcome so many obstacles in his life. In
1996, doctors revealed that Armstrong had
advanced testicular cancer, which spread
to his brain and lungs. He returned just
three years later to miraculously capture
the first of his six Tour De France titles.
This year, he battled accusations of us
ing performance-enhancing drugs. Arm
strong disproved those notions by show
ing he never failed a drug test. And along
the 23-day, 2,106-mile Tour De France
race, Armstrong encountered spectators by
the bike path spitting in his direction.
Now, just being the best in an athlete's
own sport is hard enough. But facing a
potentially life-taking battle, false accu
sations and adversaries who spew saliva
simply enhances his reputation as one of
the toughest, most strong-willed athletes
in history.
For anyone who believes cycling is not
a sport, try pedaling through a country for
nearly a month, faster than all the top cy
clists in the world. Cycling is one of the
truest tests of endurance in all of sports.
Name for me one other athlete in the
past 20 years who's faced as much scrutiny
and hardship as Armstrong and succeeded
as much as he has.
• Despite the Eugene Emeralds holding
the worst record in the Northwest League,
thumbs up to baseball fans around Lane
County who continue to show up and
support the Class A team.
Through this past week, the Emeralds
have the league's second-highest atten
dance, averaging more than 3,300 specta
tors per game.
Although it has been a trustrating year
offensively — the team is ranked last in the
league in batting average — the fans still
appreciate good, hard baseball and know
the players are trying their best.
• Saturday's New York Yankees and
Boston Red Sox baseball game further
showed how huge the rivalry is between
the two enemies. No matter by how many
games New York leads Boston in the
standings (7 1/2 through Sunday), the
contests are always heated.
Saturday was no different and had prac
tically everything a baseball game could
have. Drama, suspense and fighting, what
more could one ask for?
A brawl in the third inning led to the
ejection of several players, including New
York's $20 million-per-year third baseman
Alex Rodriguez.
Boston committed four errors, prompt
ing announcers to compare the quality of
Please see TAM, page 6
Eugene shortstop
Sean Kazmar (3, left)
and center fielder
Matt Thayer (1, right)
were driven in by a
home run by Lachlan
Dale (10, center) in
Eugene’s only win
during this past
week’s six-game
series with the first
place Everett Aqua
Sox. The three
players combined for
seven hits and eight
runs scored in the 16
3 victory this past
Wednesday.
Tim Bobosky
Frpplanrp Phntnoranhpr
Tim Bobosky Freelance Photographer
Eugene third baseman Lachlan Dale blasts his 10th home run of the
season during the Emeralds’ 16-3 win this past Wednesday. Catcher Colt
Morton matched Dale four innings later with his 10th home run.
The Emeralds extend their
losing streak to six games,
the longest this season
ALEX TAM
SPORTS EDITOR
A brief glimmer of the offense's po
tential was put on display by the
Eugene Emeralds.
However, that short-lived hope lasted
just one game this past week.
Eugene (13-25 overall) sits last in the
West Division of the Northwest League
and also holds the league's worst record.
The Emeralds lost Monday night to Yaki
ma 6-5 to continue their five-game los
ing streak, which is the longest of the sea
son. Eugene has lost the first three games
of the five-game series against Yakima.
Their most recent victory came on
Wednesday when the Emeralds
drubbed first-place Everett Aqua Sox 16
3 at home in front of a crowd of 3,692
at Civic Stadium.
The total runs scored matched the
highest offensive output of the season
when Eugene defeated Boise 16-1 on July
9. Unfortunately, after that game, a simi
lar trend occurred as the Emeralds lost
their next three games and five of their
subsequent six games.
"I think it's just not enough faith in
our pitchers and the pitchers don't have
faith in our hitters," Eugene's designated
hitter Tom Vincent said. "Some days we
hit and don't pitch and vice versa, but we
just have to take it from here."
Vincent has been a part of the offen
sive struggles thus far for the Emeralds.
The Australian native, who is batting
.100 with three home runs and nine
RBIs in 22 games, though, played a big
role in the 16-run onslaught that oc
curred Wednesday.
For the first time ever in his career, Vin
cent slugged a grand slam as part of a sev
en-run eighth inning. Eugene combined
for 11 runs in the seventh and eight in
nings of that game, while sending a total
of 18 batters to the plate.
Vincent, who has admitted to strug
gling with his hitting so far, said it was a
relief to finally produce on offense af
ter striking out three consecutive times
that game.
Please see EMS, page 6
Hayward plays host to Junior Olympics
Standout young athletes descend
on the University for six days of
track and field competition
ALEX TAM
SPORTS EDITOR
Young athletes from all over the country are
gathering for the largest track and field event in
Eugene's history.
A total of 5,657 athletes ranging from eight to
18 years old will compete at the 2004 USA Junior
Olympic Track & Field Championships at Hay
ward Field beginning today. More than 7,500
events will take place over six days of competi
tion, which end Sunday.
The athletes qualified for the meet after
finishing in the top three in each of their respec
tive Regional Championships. There were 16 Re
gional Championships spanning around the
country from Oregon to New England to Florida.
'This is the first time (the Junior Olympics) has
ever been held in Eugene, or Oregon for that mat
ter," co-Event Director Tom Jordan said. "We have
had the Olympic Trials, USA Championships and
NCAA Championships, so this is the last major
event that we have never hosted before."
Eugene was selected to host the meet after
beating out three other cities in 2001 at the USA
Track & Field Convention in Mobile, Ala., said
Jordan. The co-hosts of the event, the Oregon
Track Club and Track City Track Club, along
with representatives from Lane County and the
Convention & Visitors Association, made their
pitch at the convention and brought the meet
to "Tracktown, USA."
"Eugene has a reputation as a very supportive
town for track and field," Jordan said. "This is an
opportunity to show 5,657 young athletes — most
of whom have never been to the Northwest — how
supportive we can be.'Today's first day of compe
tition will kick off with the heptathlon at 8 a.m.,
while the day ends with the 1,500 meter race walk.
Two of those athletes, who will compete in the
race walk events, traveled over 3,000 miles to
compete at the Junior Olympics. Maine natives
Lauren Forgues, 16, and Matthew Forgues, 12,
are siblings and have competed in multiple Ju
nior Olympics. This is Lauren's second entrance,
and Matthew's third.
Please see OLYMPICS, page 8