“I’m not bad. I’m no Joe Morgan,
but I’m pretty good for a white guy. ”
Pete Rose, comparing his speed to that of the
hall-of-fame second baseman, who is black
■ In my opinion
CLAiTON JONES
SEVENTH INNING STRETCH
A tutorial
in talking
trash, the
right way
Gaining a mental edge in sports is almost as
important as having a physical edge on an
opponent.
Like Yogi Berra said, “Baseball is 90 percent
mental, and the other half is physical.”
Well, something like that.
A few tactics athletes use to gain a mental
edge are trash-talking and taunting. Getting
into another player’s head is something that
can come in handy.
Take basketball for instance.
When a player is on and he knows it, it’s
good to let an opponent know that “he can’t
guard you,” or to ask him, “Are you even
trying?” or to tell him, “All game baby! ”
Gary Payton is a notorious trash-talker, and
opposing players’ frustration seems to keep
them more concerned about getting back at
Payton than winning the game.
Unbeknownst to many, Michael Jordan was
a big talker on the court. But unlike most, he
backed it up.
I’m not a big fan of taunting in the NBA,
especially after dunking on someone. It’s two
points. Big deal. Run to the other end of the
court and play some defense.
Granted, a lot of taunting comes from those
“AND 1” tapes and tours with those fancy
basketball tricks, where style is of the utmost
importance and quality of play is a little less
of a priority.
Football is a good sport in which to talk
some trash. I love to see Brett Favre get in the
face of a big lineman after being knocked
down and let him know he can’t be hurt.
But I would definitely choose smaller guys
to anger if I were him.
There is one sport in which excessive trash
talking doesn’t have a place: baseball.
Why would a hitter want to taunt a pitch
er? I see these guys flip their bats, undo their
batting gloves and/or just stand there when
they’ve hit a home run.
Act like you’ve hit one before.
If I’m them, I really don’t want to get on the
bad side of a pitcher who can throw the ball
90-plus mph — potentially ending me with a
pitch to the cranium.
Another thing hitters do is get hit with a
pitch and stare at the pitcher. As a former
pitcher, I can tell hitters something: No
matter how much you stare at a pitcher, you
aren’t going to keep the pitcher from
throwing inside.
Also, I can’t stand seeing hitters yell at a
pitcher and wait for their teammates to get on
the field before they charge. Just go, but if you
do, don’t pull a Robin Ventura — be aware of
who you are charging. That man chose
the wrong pitcher to mess with, and Nolan
Ryan gave him the old-school headlock and
noogie move.
But if you are going to talk trash, here are
some rules:
1) Don’t trash-talk or taunt if the opponent
is significantly ahead in the contest.
JONES, page 12
■ Outdoor recreation
Courtesy
Oregon student Noah Smith hasn’t let his shattered spinal column and bruised spinal cord, the result of a car wreck that left him paralyzed, stop him from getting back
to some of his favorite outdoor activities, such as canoeing.
Back to TV,ci t // rc?
More than two and a half years after an automobile accident left him
paralyzed, Noah Smith is getting back to doing the things he loves
BY ASHLEY GRIFFIN
OUTDOOR RECREATION REPORTER
On Dec. 1,2002, an airborne tire hit for
mer University student Noah Smith’s
car and caused quite a wreck. He sus
tained extensive injuries so great that after
ward he couldn’t participate in his favorite
outdoor activities, such as hiking, swimming,
camping or working at the University’s
Outdoor Program and the Northwest Youth
Corps, based in Eugene.
“My favorite thing to do was work for
Northwest Youth Corps in the summer time;
building trails, hiking all over the Northwest
and working with high school kids and
teaching them about the outdoors,” Smith
said. “With the OP, 1 enjoyed going on trips
with fellow University students and just
being around people that appreciated
the outdoors.”
The accident shattered his spinal column
and bruised his spinal cord, causing paralysis.
Still, Smith was not ready to give up his love
of the outdoors. Ever the determined individ
ual, the 22-year-old soon made plans for the
future that didn’t include sitting still.
After a recovery period at Sacred Heart
Medical Center, Smith moved to a rehabilita
tion center called Project Walk. The center
has an intensive program for people who
have suffered spinal cord injuries. At the cen
ter, Smith works at his physical therapy two
hours per day, three days per week. He also
does therapy at home for two hours every
day he isn’t in therapy to increase his ability
to do the activities of days past.
“I felt that as long as I was in a wheelchair,
outdoor activities would not be unavailable to
me,” he said. “In the acute stages I couldn’t
bear to think about never doing them again, so
I just set my sights on walking again.”
All his major muscle groups are now
working due to his dedication and what
some might call a miracle. He can only go
short distances in therapy but continues to
work at walking every day.
The real miracle is that Smith didn’t stop
with his efforts to walk. Always an outdoor
enthusiast and someone bitten by the travel
bug, Smith traveled to Kenya and South
Africa after high school and had plans to
visit Chile through the University before he
was injured.
Smith continues to pursue his dreams of
travel, although the destinations aren’t as dis
tant. Smith’s therapists directed him to a pro
gram affiliated with the Rehab Institute of
Chicago called “Moving Mountains” that helps
get individuals back into the outdoors.
“The trip in Chicago was a real turning
point in my recovery,” he said. “It wasn’t
until I layed down in my tent that first night
that i realized how
much I’d needed to
be outdoors.”
He added that the
trip provided a needed
break from his gruel
ing ana monotonous renab.
Various outdoor enthusiasts helped Smith
and his fellow travelers participate in adapted
versions of rock climbing, biking and kayak
ing at the Mississippi Palisades campsite in
Illinois. The most rewarding activity for
Smith was the rock climbing.
“It is adapted so that I am part of a pulley
system. To get up the rock I have to do chin
ups while someone belays me from below ... I
finally made it to the top, the sun was setting
over the Mississippi but still high enough to
beat down on my face,” he said. “The first
year of my injury, I had someone with me at
all times. This was the first and one of only a
few times that I was alone. It was the first time
in six months of being injured that I felt like a
human being again.”
Many of Smith’s family and friends see his
perseverance and willingness to try new and
challenging activities as part of accomplishing
his life goals.
“I think he is very passionate about getting
his life back on track and accomplishing all the
goals in life that he has set for himself,” said
Joshua Johnson, a friend who shared a thera
pist with Smith at an ERIC therapy center in
Chicago two years ago.
In April, Smith traveled to San Diego to
reach another life goal with a nonprofit organ
ization called Team Thor USA: paragliding. His
friend and massage therapist, Mistie Jung, wit
nessed the event and was amazed at Smith’s
ability to try new things.
“He wasn’t nervous at all. In fact he was
quite the opposite, as I was the one who was
anxious,” she said. “I was and am still inspired
by his courage and willingness to soar off the
edge of a cliff. ”
Smith has also taken trips that focus on ar
?as other than the outdoors. In March, he
flew to Washington,
D.C., to lobby for the
passage of the
Christopher Reeve
Paralysis Act that
would allocate feder
al funds for spinal cord research.
“I’m pushing for advancements in science
to cure paralysis,” he said. “There are current
ly many promising advances being made to
wards a cure for paralysis, but politics and
funding are holding them back."
In each area of his life, Smith is pressing for
ward and proving that one individual can beat
the odds and accomplish life goals.
“My family and friends were very support
ive and always encouraged me to pursue
whatever I could dream,” Smith said. “I dream
of someday walking the trails that 1 worked on
before my injury. ”
ashleygriffin@dailyemerald. com
READ MORE ONLINE^
For more information about Smith or the Christopher Reeve
Paralysis Act, visit Noahsmith.org and umte2fightparalysis.org.