Oregon Daily Emerald
Thesday, October 26, 2004
“I would rather die in an abandoned
building, by myself and my family not
know anything, than play for him. ”
Former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe on New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin
BRIAN SMITH
LEFTY SPECIALIST
An accurate
prediction
salvages lack
of creativity
I am worried.
This is the third week in a row that I don’t
know what to write about.
And furthermore, I’m having problems open
ing a column.
So as soon as I decide on a topic, I have one
hell of a time starting to write about it.
I sit in class and think about it. I lay awake
thinking about it.
I have meditated.
I have deliberated.
I have spent the last three hours mentally pon
tificating (really) the merits and overall worthi
ness of the past weekend’s sports stories for the
necessity of filling 18 inches in today’s paper.
I am close to admitting I have a problem
choosing a topic for a column, and I am cur
rently looking for a sponsor.
This process should be simple. So many
sports, so many topics. But in turn, that is the
problem.
I need inspiration.
1 have consulted the Great Foam Football of the
Sports Desk for advice and wisdom many times
already this year and it has been gracious enough
not to notice my blatant abuse of its power.
I have used the plastic yellow novelty golf
club (which came out of a Subway kid’s meal)
that also floats around our department to help
weed out the ideas that float around my brain.
I read ESPN.com.
I skim blogs. Fan sites.
The newspaper.
Magazines.
Pick fellow writers’ brains.
All this, and most of the time 1 still don’t have
an idea.
I should be writing about Oregon sports, but
what else can be said?
I should write a column that is full of com
plete thoughts and deep ideas, but that would
require, on my part for one, complete thoughts
and deep ideas.
And now part of my time consists of search
ing various other columns by sportswriters, just
to make sure I am writing a truly original one.
The process goes a little something like this.
Me: Maybe I should write a column on the
Bowl Championship Series and the ongoing
computer flaws.
Google search says: Half the sportswriters in
America have written the same column.
Okay.
Me: How bout the Chicago Cubs choking
away the National League wildcard?
Google search says: Jay Mariotti of the Chicago
Sun-Times already beat you to the punch, idiot.
Fine.
Me: What about the Red Sox? They’re hot.
They’re news.
Google search says: You (two straight
columns) and every other sportswriter in Amer
ica (countless columns) as well as the entire
population of the state of Massachusetts.
Damn it.
This process is tiresome at best and some
thing akin to debating whether squirrel fishing
is a sport, at its worst. By the way, it isn’t and
never, ever will it be a sport.
And worse, 1 still don’t have an idea.
SMITH, page 10
A-- ■; ; ;V-r
Danielle Hickey | Photo editor
Bryce Taylor (4) defends fellow freshman Malik Hairston during Oregon's scrimmage at McArthur Court
Monday. The Ducks play their first exhibition game Nov. 7 against Trinity Western, also at McArthur Court.
■ Men's basketball
Ducks put
on show in
intrasquad
scrimmage
Oregon newcomers provided fans
with a glimpse of the future,
including a pre-game dunk show
BY JON ROETMAN
SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
If Monday’s intrasquad scrimmage was a sign
of things to come, the Oregon men’s basketball
team has a bright future ahead.
The Ducks showed off their size and athletic
ability for the 2,635 fans in attendance at
McArthur Court and even put on a dunk show
during warm-ups.
The Ducks were split into two seven-man
squads, one wearing green and one wearing yel
low. Certain athletes switched teams during two
20-minute periods and what equated to an 11
minute third period.
Both teams played an up-tempo style of
basketball and made relatively few mistakes for
having only one week of practice under their
belts.
“I thought for seven days of practice ... I was
extremely pleased with what we were able to
accomplish,” head coach Ernie Kent said.
“We’re going to be big and we’re going to be
fast. This is the most athletic team that’s ever
been here. We shoot the ball extremely well. It’s
just going to be us having an opportunity to
fine-tune some things and obviously, we have
plenty of time to do that.”
Freshman guard Bryce Taylor led all scorers
with 26 points on 9 of 14 shooting. The Encino,
Calif., native brought the crowd to its feet in the
second period with a two-handed jam over red
shirt freshman center Ray Schafer.
BASKETBALL, page 10
■ Club Sports
Ducks sweep Stanford, still undefeated
Oregon improves to 4-0 with two wins against
the Cardinal during its series this weekend
BY BEAU HASTES
FREELANCE REPORTER
Oregon’s Club hockey team
dominated the ice this weekend
at the Lane County Ice Arena
during its opening Pacific-8 Con
ference game. The Ducks, who
finished 8-14 last season, im
proved to 4-0 on the year and 2-0
in the conference by manhan
dling Stanford 15-0 Friday and
10-1 Saturday.
“Our goal is to win the Pac-8,”
first-year Oregon head coach
Scott McCallum said.
Stanford brought only eight
players for the trip, making an ac
curate assessment of the Ducks
progress almost impossible.
“It was tough to gauge,” Mc
Callum said, but noted that
next week’s games against
Washington should be “a way
better matchup.”
Oregon outshot the Cardinal
106-25 over the two games, wear
ing down a Cardinal team that
only had two reserve players.
Mike Tornabene, a fifth-year
senior center for the Ducks, led
Oregon offensively throughout
the weekend, registering three
assists in the first game and post
ing a hat trick in the second.
“We’ve got such a good team,”
Tornabene said. “The speed of
the team is unbelievable.”
Tornabene, playing his fifth
season for the club, noted the
importance of the reorganization
of the hockey team.
After last season, the club
hired McCallum and assistant
coach Darren Dunbar to head
the team and the Ducks became
more focused on commitment
and structure.
“The desire of everyone to get
better” plays a huge part in the
turnaround, Tornabene said.
The Ducks had 40 people try
out and had the luxury of keep
ing the best 25 players.
“Everyone’s dedicated,” said
Joe Fagliano, a fifth-year goalie for
the Ducks. Fagliano, a geography
Tim Bobosky | Photographer
Club hockey defenseman Mike Boggs (3) attempts a shot in the Ducks’ 15-0 victory
against Stanford Friday. Boggs also scored two goals in Saturday's win.
major trom Hillsboro, had a 14-save
shutout against the Cardinal Friday.
“This year we’ve got a good
shot at winning the 1-5 Cup,”
said Fagliano.
The Cup, an award given to the
winner of Oregon’s four-game
HOCKEY, page 10