Sports
Oregon Daily Emerald
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
“1 don’t know what cheating is. I don’t believe
steroids can help your eye-hand coordination. ”
Barry Bonds when asked if he thinks using steroids is cheating
■ In my opinion
BRIAN SMITH
LEFTY SPECIALIST
A look at the
Mariners'
shaky past,
brightfuture
I am a diehard Seattle Mariners fan. Go ahead
and laugh.
Done?
I realize that Seattle isn’t one of the most presti
gious clubs in the majors — no championship
trophies, only four playoff appearances and no
league championships — but then again, the
franchise has been around for less than 30 years.
I also realize that up until 1995 (and even
during most of 1995) the Mariners were
laughable at best.
They played in an arcade-style stadium and
ran out a not-so-arcade-style brand of base
ball, finishing over .500 only twice before the
1995 season.
But that’s okay because I was there with them.
I remember Harold Reynolds and Alvin Davis
(though barely, I was six), and even though I
might not remember Jim Presley or Ken Phelps, I
was there.
I have never pledged allegiance to any other
team, I was never a fair-weather fan of the Red
Sox or whoever was hot at the time. The King
dome was my Mecca, and I still make the pilgrim
age up 1-5 every summer.
So the last 10 years have been pretty good for
me, with some exceptions.
I was there (skipping class) for Luis Sojo’s
bases-loaded double that hid under the bench in
the dugout in 1995 during the one-game playoff
against the California Angels.
I was there for the sweep of the Chicago White
Sox in the 2000 American League Division Series.
I was there in 2001, when the Mariners came
back from a 2-0 deficit against the Cleveland Indi
ans to win the American League Division Series.
And lastly, I was there in 1995 (yelling
“Refuse to Lose!”) when Ken Griffey Jr. hit five
home runs — three at Yankee Stadium — in the
Mariners’ 3-2 series win against the Yankees
(the only time they have beat New York in
the playoffs.)
And yes, I was there last year when the
Mariners went 63-99, put anyone and everyone
on the mound and couldn’t figure out how to hit
the ball out of Safeco Field. Even their defense,
normally the best in the league, fell to the middle
of the pack last season.
Ever seen those cartoons where the car falls
apart into hundreds of pieces at once? That’s
what happened.
So now in 2005,1 am back for my Mariners,
and after an offseason of being a pessimistic
naysayer, I can’t wait for April 4 when the
Minnesota Twins come to Safeco Field for the
season opener.
The Mariners addressed their biggest problem
of being the lowest scoring team in the American
League. Seattle was the only team not to score
700 runs last year, 249 behind the league-leading
Red Sox.
I thought the offseason signings of Adrian Bel
tre and Richie Sexson were sketchy at first, but
now that I have thought about it, bringing in a 25
year-old player who led the majors in home runs
last year and a guy who has the potential to hit
SMITH, page 6A
UH
Danielle Hickey | Photo editor
Oregon cheerleaders, seen here at Autzen Stadium this fall, raised over $ 10,000 to travel to Las Vegas and compete in the USA National Championships.
Cheer team nabs first at nationals
Justin Ruffier and Brittany Willis also won third place for Oregon
in the College Partner Stunt Division at the Las Vegas competition
RV RPAII FASTFS
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
T\vo-and-a-half minutes.
For most people, that equates to about 200
heartbeats. In the time it takes to microwave
a bag of popcorn or find your car keys, the
Oregon cheer team, along with seven other
finalists from across the country, had one
shot to make its 2004-05 season either a star
tling success or a mediocre mishap. This
short period of time was the only chance to
validate practices at 7 a.m., aching backs
and rebuilt knees.
“It’s only two-and-a-half minutes to prove
your entire season,” Dan Cotton, a veteran
member of the Oregon squad, said. “It’s not
like football where you get extra plays.”
The Ducks pulled it off. Cotton and 24 other
members of Oregon’s cheerleading team made
quality use of their limited stage time and took
home first place at the United Spirit Associa
tion Collegiate Nationals in Large Co-Ed Show
Cheer Division on Feb. 6 and 7 at the Cash
man Center in Las Vegas.
Amidst the glitz and glam of Sin City, the
Duck cheer squad accomplished a goal that
was set after last year’s non-placing finish at
the same event.
“We thought that this isn’t so tough,” said
llth-year head coach Laraine Raish, describ
ing the Oregon attitude after a third-place fin
ish in 2003. The Ducks came face to face with
reality when they failed to make the second
day finals the following year. After the disap
pointing showing, the Oregon squad vowed to
return to Vegas with a vengeance.
“First place is won at practice, you just go
to the competition to pick (the trophy) up,”
Cotton said of Oregon’s attitude that was
adopted in pursuit of excellence.
Cotton, Eric Arola, Brittany Willis, Ryan
Long, Jamie Fryback and Richie Houdek
threw conventional wisdom aside and began
CHEER, page 6A
■ Outdoor recreation
Fishing FIY
on the 1 Li
The Metolius River, located close to Black Butte,
provides a peaceful setting for an uncommon sport
BY ASHLEY GRIFFIN
OUTDOOR RECREATION REPORTER
Fly fishing may seem like a
sport most appropriate for
people such as the rugged
characters of the movie “A River
Runs Through It,” but hidden
within Oregon’s diverse land
scape runs a river that challenges
this sentiment. The Metolius Riv
er mimics the natural scenes
from the aforementioned movie
while providing a fly-fishing op
portunity in Oregon.
The 28.6-mile Metolius River is
located near Camp Sherman, just
outside Black Butte Ranch. While
I
the two-hour drive from Eugene is
a bit lengthy, it is worth the dis
tance to explore and fish at one of
the largest spring-fed rivers in the
United States.
Junior Aaron Brent-Fulps, the
coordinator of Club Sports fly
fishing , said the Metolius pro
vides some of the best trout fish
ing in Oregon.
“It’s a short, swift river, real
cold and real fast,” he said. “Since
it is real clear and cold, it’s a good
area for trout.”
One of the river’s main draws is
its pristine environment. It is a
forested run in Central Oregon
Senior Chase Gauthier holds a bull trout during a recent fly-fishing trip to the Metolius
River. The river is two hours from Eugene, just outside Black Butte Ranch.
lined by Ponderosa Pine, Red Cedar
and Lodgepole Pine trees.
“It’s one of the best fly-fishing
rivers in Oregon because of the
scenery,” Brent-Fulps said.
Unlike other local rivers, he said
the Metolius is not heavily popu
lated, which adds to the solitude of
the sport and can improve chances
of catching a decent-sized trout.
When picking a location,
Brent-Fulps said it is important
for people to study their destina
tions thoroughly.
“If you haven’t been, it’s a sport
where there’s a lot you need to
know ... what’s hatching, what’s
FLY FISHING, page 6A