Oregon daily emerald., September 28, 2004, Image 13

Oregon Daily Emerald
71lesday, September 28, 2004
“I mean, the guy had a terrible strike zone
today — terrible. If the pitch is a strike, I’ll tell
you it’s a strike. But this wasn’t close. ”
Moises Alou | Chicago Cubs outfielder on home plate umpire Bill Miller
■ In my opinion
ION ROETMAN
ROUGHING THE PASSER
Owning a
fantasy has
destroyed
my reality
Fantasy football has changed my life.
Read that sentence again.
Yes, I am pathetic.
Now that my lack of a social life has
become embarrassingly evident, let me ex
plain my love for the game of numbers.
For those of you who don’t know what fan
tasy football is, a brief explanation goes some
thing like this: Leagues are formed by team
“owners,” who build their squads with NFL
players based on statistical muscle. Owners
compete with one another within the league,
with points being awarded for touchdowns,
yards, etc.
Most of the game’s excitement comes from
the money wagered between owners. Some
leagues cost nothing to join, providing simple,
friendly competition. Others, however, cost
hundreds of dollars to enter and can make the
winning owner a healthy chunk of change.
Fantasy football has been around for a
while, but I’m just getting my first taste of
the craze. I’ve had several offers to join
leagues in the past, but I always viewed the
game as something that complicated the
simple enjoyment of rooting for one’s fa
vorite team.
My stepbrother finally convinced me to
join a league on Yahoo.com, where each of
the 10 participants wagered $20 on the sea
son. In true Pete Rose fashion, I feel having a
little something on the line makes a competi
tive event more interesting. The chance to
make $200 was too much to pass up.
On the night before our league draft, 1
found myself doing Internet research on
successful fantasy owners and their strategies
for building a great squad. Winning was all I
could think about. 1 didn’t want to go to
sleep. 1 just wanted our league to get started.
On the night of the draft, I sat in front of my
laptop 20 minutes early, armed with a pair of
20-oz. Mountain Dews and the ambition to
construct the greatest fantasy football team
known to man. It was truly a sad, sad day in
my life.
Once I found out I owned the first pick in
the draft, I started posting trade offers on the
message board and acting far too excited.
Hell, 1 might as well have been an NFL coach
in a war room on draft day.
It got so bad that my stepbrother had to an
nounce to an audience that it was my first
fantasy draft and beg others to show patience
with my abundant rambling.
After drafting a team led by Kansas City
running back and fantasy god Priest Holmes,
it was time to sit back and follow each play
er’s success. After the NFL’s opening week
had passed, I realized just how fun being part
of a fantasy league was. It made me follow
every game even closer than before and study
injury reports with extreme detail.
I won my head-to-head match-up each of
the first two weeks, leading to yet another
fun aspect of fantasy football: league mes
sage boards.
Fantasy message boards are home to
ROETMAN, page 14
■ PAC-10
Siegel cools off, Sun Devils red hot
As Pac-10 play heats up,
several teams are making
adjustments after the weekend
BY CLAYTON JONES
SPORTS EDITOR
In the early stages of the Pacific-10
Conference season, certain teams are staking
claim that they will be serious contenders for
the conference title, while others are descend
ing to the bottom pile.
Siegel's streak snapped
Though senior kicker Jared Siegel broke
Oregon’s all-time scoring record Saturday, he
also snapped his streak of consecutive extra
points made at 98,10 shy of the Pac-10 record.
Siegel hadn’t missed a PAT since the 2002
season opener against Mississippi State.
In other Oregon news, defensive end Devan
Long leads the conference with 7.5 tackles for
loss this season. Linebacker Jerry Matson is
fourth with six tackles for loss. The Oregon
secondary looks like it might get Justin Phinisee
back for the Arizona State game Saturday. He
practiced in pads Monday and appeared to be
healthy. The return of Phinisee will help
cornerbacks Sam Hughes, Jackie Bates, Ryan
Gilliamand Aaron Gipson to stop the explosive
Sun Devil passing game.
Offensively, sophomore Dante Rosario scored
a touchdown in his fifth consecutive game
during Saturday’s victory against Idaho. His
4-yard run also gave Oregon its first rushing
touchdown of the season.
Arizona State's stingy D
The Sun Devils will travel to Oregon this
week as one of the hottest teams in the Pac-10.
Arizona State’s 4-0 start is its best since going
11-0 in 1996.
In the Sun Devils’ 27-18 victory over Oregon
State, it held the Beavers to minus-19 yards
rushing, and during the last two games, they
have given up a total of 25 yards on the ground.
Arizona State’s defense has also been stingy
through the air, giving up one passing
touchdown in four games. On the other side of
ball, the Sun Devils have scored 13 of their 15
offensive touchdowns through the air.
Cal returns after two weeks
California returns to action after having a bye
last week and a game against Southern
Mississippi postponed due to Hurricane Ivan
DANIELLE HICKEY | PHOTO EDITOR
Oregon cornerback Sam Hughes attempts to make a tackle in Oregon's victory on Saturday. Hughes and the rest
of the Duck secondary will benefit from the return of senior Justin Phinisee.
the previous week.
During Cal’s last eight games, it has averaged
531.6 yards and 42.7 points per game. This
season, Cal running back J.J. Arrington has car
ried the ball 16 times in each of the first two
games and has amassed 678 yards.
Cal faces Oregon State Saturday, and the
Golden Bears have lost their last five to the
Beavers, but lead the overall series 31-25.
Oregon State looks to continue
success against Cal
Oregon State has had arguably the toughest
schedule in the country, and it doesn’t get any
easier this week as it faces No. 10 California.
The Beavers are the only team to have beaten
Cal the last two years.
Quarterback Derek Anderson moved up to
eighth place in Pac-10 history in passing yards
with 8,394. Defensively for the Beavers, middle
linebacker Ttent Bray leads the conference in
solo tackles with 30 and is third in overall
tackles with 10.5 per game.
Change at the helm
Redshirt freshman Carl Bonnell will be
calling the signals for Washington on Saturday
when the Huskies travel to face Stanford.
Head coach Keith Gilbertson said they are
struggling offensively. Former starter Casey
Paus will now be the backup.
Injuries are also forcing Gilbertson to make
other changes to the offense. Washington lost
receiver Corey Williams and fullback Zach
Tliiasosopo for the season — Williams due to a
separated wrist and Tliiasosopo because of a
broken leg.
Surprising Stanford hopes
to recover from a tough loss
Stanford nearly pulled off the upset of the
year against No. 1 USC, but fell just short.
Though the Cardinal didn’t get the win, it
proved to the rest of the Pac-10 it will be a force
to be reckoned with.
Now its newly renovated offensive attack
will get to prey on a weak Washington defense.
Sophomore quarterback TTent Edwards has
led the offense, throwing seven touchdown
passes and only one interception this season.
He has led a resurgence of the Cardinal
offense as its points per game has gone up from
16.9 last season to 36.0 this season.
daytonjones@dailyemerald.com
■ Duck Soccer
Oregon works
through injuries,
tough schedule
Four of the injury-stricken Ducks' six losses have
come against 2003 NCAA tournament qualifiers
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
Oregon will continue to grind its way through one of the toughest
schedules in the country on Friday when Wyoming comes to Pape Field.
It will be the first home match in a month for the Ducks. The team’s
2004 complete schedule includes nine NCAA tournament participants
from 2003. The Ducks have already played and lost to national runner-up
Connecticut, 2002 national champion Portland, Central Connecticut State
and Utah.
“We want to develop our players by having a tough schedule,” Oregon
head coach Bill Steffan said. “We have had chances. We had chances
against UConn, and we had a chance to get it to 3-3 against Portland, but
the goal was called back due to an offsides call. ”
Oregon still has to face five more postseason qualifiers — Washington,
USC, Stanford, Arizona State, and last year’s final four qualifier UCLA —
Emerald
Junior midfielder Cristan Higa, seen here last season against UCLA, has started in 45
of the Ducks’ past 46 games. She looks to continue the trend Friday against Wyoming.
during its upcoming conference schedule.
Injury update
Slowly but surely, the Ducks are returning to full strength. A plethora of
spring injuries forced Oregon to cancel the rest of its spring season and has
left them short-handed for the early part of 2004. All but three of the Ducks
have returned — including senior defender Kelly Baird, sophomore Kaily «
Winther, redshirt sophomore Sabrina DeMonte, junior Katie Abrahamson,
junior Mele French and redshirt sophomore Andrea Valadez.
“It hasn’t given us a consistent lineup for spring or fall,” Steffan said.
SOCCER, page 14