Oregon Daily Emerald
Wednesday, February 9, 2005
“It’s really a shame (former Dodgers pitcher Orel)
Hershiser had to resort to cheating to win. It
tarnishes his legacy, if you ask me. ”
Former MLB all-star Jose Canseco in his new book, accusing Hershiser of scuffing balls
■ In my opinion
BRIAN SMITH
LEFTY SPECIALIST
Canseco will
be 'Juiced'
after release
of new book
How’s the Fat Tuesday hangover?
I hope you all got your sins and transgres
sions (and beads) out of the way last night,
because it is now to time to celebrate the
Day of Ashes.
Or in simpler terms...
The season of Lent has come around yet
again, and in tribute I thought I would do
my part and repent for something in the
world of sports.
I thought this might be tough. I don’t re
ally have anything to feel guilty about, ex
cept maybe the fact that I think curling is a
cool sport.
But this idea of repentance got a whole lot
easier after yesterday.
So here it goes.
I repent ever, I mean, ever giving any credit
to Jose Canseco and the fact that he was a
Major League Baseball player.
Reason(s): Where do I start?
How ‘bout we start with the book. What
book, you ask?
“Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids,
Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big” — set
to be released on Monday.
Valentine’s Day, no less.
Last week, the word got out that in his
book, Canseco wrote that he personally in
jected steroids into fellow Bash Brother
Mark McGuire.
Through ESPN, we (the world) were
blessed with some of the Robert Frost-esque
musings and observations of a Bash Broth
er’s years in the Major Leagues before the
book’s release.
Mind you, these are just specific sec
tions, but still I think the words speak
for themselves.
According to Canseco, former Dodger
pitcher Orel Hershiser scuffed the ball in the
1988 World Series, causing both the Bash
Brothers to get one hit apiece the entire series.
“They didn’t want a bunch of Latin and
black players like me and (Dave Stewart) and
(Dave Henderson) winning the World Series,”
Canseco writes. “It’s a real shame Hershiser
had to resort to cheating to win, though. It tar
nishes his legacy, if you ask me.”
Cheating tarnishes legacies?
That sounds like first-hand knowledge to
me. Know what I mean, Canseco?
(As a note: Canseco went 0 for 8 in the two
games that Hershiser pitched in. In the other
three, he went 1 for 11.)
Clearly, Hershiser pitched all five
games. Clearly.
Canseco goes on to say that Cincinnati
threw the 1990 World Series against the
Reds — hitting 1 for 12 during the four
game sweep — so that his buddy Pete Rose
could collect on his bets.
Boy, that legacy is just getting better by
the moment.
Wait, wait, I can keep going.
Canseco gives himself some credit for sav
ing baseball after the 1994 labor strike.
“People like to credit Cal Ripken for
SMITH, page 10A
■ Outdoor recreation
Ashley Griffin | Outdoor sports reporter
Located on the west side of the butte is one of Skinner Butte Park's biggest draws, The Columns. This area
provides some of the best outdoor urban climbing.
Skinner Butte boasts outdoor
recreation activities to supplant
lackluster winter sport terrains
BY ASHLEY GRIFFIN
OUTDOOR RECREATION REPORTER
Mt. Bachelor has 56 inches of snow, Mt.
Hood Meadows has 34 inches at the base
and 58 inches mid-mountain and Hoodoo
describes their runs as “lots of bare areas
with some new snow.” The forecast for a big
winter snowfall doesn’t look promising.
For many of Eugene’s winter recreation
enthusiasts, the lack of snow has caused
a case of cabin fever. To beat the blues,
many have tried seeking new activities at a
local venue. That something new could
be found at Skinner Butte Park, a 100 acre
property just across the train tracks above
downtown Eugene.
With the clear skies and high temperatures
of late, the activities at Skinner Butte provide
many outdoor recreation opportunities for
students. The park features baseball and
softball areas, a community garden, picnic
tables, a playground with slides and swings,
a climbing area, and numerous walking and
hiking paths.
A popular park attraction is the overlook
area where people can stand on this summit
and view the entire city, including the Uni
versity neighborhood and many downtown
landmarks. The Three Sisters and the
Willamette river are also visible , making it
possible to capture the town and surround
ing environment with one quick click of a
camera shutter.
“It gives you this great overview of the
community to get the lay of the land and
check things out,” said Robin Hostick, a
landscape architect for the City of Eugene
Parks and Open Space Division.
The park has about four miles of trails,
some branching directly off the summit.
Most aren’t very challenging or lengthy but
provide a nice walk in nature. Some trails
are paved and lined with moss-covered
rocks and ferns; others are dirt and go deep
er into the woods. Wooden stairs aid hikers
in steep areas.
Arguably the biggest draw of Skinner
Butte is an area known as The Columns. Lo
cated on the west side of the butte, it has be
come a well-known public climbing area.
Best of all, it’s free. Left over from a basalt
quarry that operated between the early
1890s and 1930s, The Columns provide su
perb outdoor urban climbing.
Lo Williams, a student at Oregon State
University, drove to Eugene to check out REI
and The Columns. She started climbing a
year ago and was able to adapt to her ideal
route on the rocks. The difficulty of routes in
creases from left to right, making The
Columns a good place for both experienced
and inexperienced climbers.
Kim Haase, an Oregon student who works
at the Crux Rock Climbing Gym in Eugene,
said it is a good place to train and learn how
to use rock-climbing gear.
“It’s a gym for crack climbers,” she said,
explaining that places like The Columns of
fer a more realistic experience for climbing
than gyms do.
The Columns get busy when the sun
is out, so now is a perfect time for gear-laden
climbers to acquaint themselves with
the structure.
Dedicated in 1914, Skinner Butte has been
providing recreation opportunities for many
years and is one of Eugene’s oldest and most
diverse parks.
“One thing it offers is a sense of Eugene’s
past,” Hostick said. “It’s not the city’s oldest
park, but it is the second oldest. It has been a
center of activity and recreation for the city
for decades.”
Whether students are looking for hiking,
climbing, history or a spectacular view, Skin
ner Butte is worth the five-minute drive from
campus. Why not make it a complete out
door experience and hop on a bike to get rid
of that cabin fever?
ashleygriffin@dailyemerald.com
■ Club Sports
Discipline
leads Club
hockey to
double win
After sweeping its series against
Western Washington, Oregon
improved its record to 18-4-2
BY LUKE ANDREWS
FREELANCE REPORTER
Discipline has been a recurring theme of the
Oregon Club hockey team’s season so far.
This weekend was a perfect example.
On the road against Western Washington, the
Ducks committed fewer than 10 combined
penalties in back-to-back victories. In each of
its four losses, however, Oregon has been more
frequently penalized.
“We are trying to stress discipline, especially
heading into the Pac-8 Tournament,” Captain
Mike Tornabene said. “We can win a game on
discipline alone.”
In the first of two games against the Vikings,
Oregon committed only three penalties — com
pared with Western Washington’s 11 — as the
Ducks cruised to a commanding 11-2 victory.
Oregon then swept the series a night later,
winning 9-1. Once again, the Ducks’ penalties
were few and far between, which led to the
convincing victory.
“They were a really physical team and
kept trying to draw us into fights,” Tornabene
said. “But we were really disciplined and
out-skated them.”
With the two wins, Oregon’s record im
proved to 18-4-2.
The Ducks conclude the regular season this
weekend at home against the Boise State
Broncos then will travel to Berkeley, Calif., for
the Pac-8 Tournament on Feb. 18.
Leary takes first in fencing
The Oregon Club fencing team had an impres
sive showing this weekend at the Grand Open
in Beaverton.
Joe Leary took home first place in the
CLUB, page 10A
IN BRIEF
Third baseman suffers elbow
injury during Oregon's 5-0 win
After a promising start to her Oregon career,
Joanna Gail will have to wait to contribute
more to the Duck softball team.
The freshman third baseman is out indefi
nitely after dislocating her left elbow during
Oregon’s 5-0 win against Jacksonville last Sat
urday. Gail began her college career going 2 for
3 with a double, a grand slam and six RBIs in
the Ducks’ 14-0 season-opening win against In
diana Purdue Fort Wayne.
“Obviously we are very disappointed by this
injury,” Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen
said. “The good thing is that we do have great
depth this season, and this will provide an op
portunity for others to step up, and I know we
will fill that role until Joanna’s return. ”
Gail, who played for Team Greece in the 2004
summer Olympics, is expected to return at some
point during the season. Senior Ashley Richards
started all 63 games at third base for the Ducks
last season and could move from catcher to third
base to replace Gail. Freshman Kristi Jorgensen
replaced Gail in the Jacksonville game and start
ed at third in the final three games of the Hawaii
Paradise Classic.
— Oregon Media Services