Sports
Jlmer rates best aridi worst
iy Jerry Ulmer
cheering corresponds with play
description. “Holy jumping-up-
It is easy for the sports media and-down-Martha” is starting to
o sucker punch sports figures, wear thin. Colorful, just like the
ecause they know they can’t [ guy sitting behind you with the
et hit back, at least not in OSU booster cushion^ Seldom
rint. As a service to our local confused. Accounts for every
jorts figures, it’s now time to pass. Various tones of voice used
He the local sports media:
effectively.
HE BEST
3. Scott Lynn, sports anchor,
1. Steve Duin, columnist,
“KGW-TV 8”- Despite having
I The Oregonian”- The writer’s the charisma of Judge Wapner
vriter. Superbly educated, in- and the flair of the Emergency
|>rmative, clever, and often Broadcast System, easily the most
tmorous. Often disliked for informative of all the anchors.
iting the truth. Steve writes Could get a job doing conference
r an educated audience, calls for Federal Express. Can
savily cynical, his greatest really give the scores, which are
>et is his ability to see all sides updated-to-the-minute. Best
a sport. Can be counted on to highlight package this side of
provide entertaining and cable. Keeps golf and tennis in
Icessary research information, their place. Gives NHL scores.
lually in that order. Able to
4. David Kahn, sportswriter,
Ike fun at his loyalties and “The Oregonian”- Makes sure
liases. Big future, despite being the NBA rumor mill visits
a Wake Forest grad. Probably Portland, not very opinionated in
■n’t dunk.
print. Potentially another Peter
I2. Darrell Aune, “OSU sport- Vescey (New York Post). Likes to
Iister,” KEX radio- What Bill write about ex-Blazers. Excellent
honely should try to be, on top job of finding interesting anec
)f every play, the game is much dotes, even though some come
Bwer than his mouth. Crowd from “Sports Illustrated” or
taff Writer
2. Rick Metsger, sports an
chor, “KOIN-TV 6”- Some time
ago, someone at Channel 6
thought it was necessary to get in
touch with the community.
Covering 10-year old ice skaters
It’s now time to rate the and strolling at Clackamette Park
is a way to get in touch, but it is
local sports media
also very boring. And who cares
if the guy who just won on the
probowlers tour attended the
fifth grade in Beaverton? Just
give us some scores and
THE WORST
highlights, Rick. And lay off the
1. Bill Schonely, “voice of the bicycle motorcross stories. Chan
Blazers”- Schonz has been nel 6 “Sportscall” (778-6006)
around so long we don’t know epitomizes this attitude, as it fre
haw bad he really is. He must quently avoids baseball scores or
assume that all listeners are wat gives them a day late.
ching on TV, because he tells
3. Steve Jones, Blazer
everybody to watch the replay. Broadcasting- Someone should
Falls behind a lot, either that or put Steve Jones and Bill Russell
fans at Memorial Coliseum fre in a room and see if they could
quently cheer for the visiting laugh each other to death. Had
team. Leaves descriptions un a mediocre playing career,
finished for the listener to figure which is reason enough to doubt
out over a period of time; like his strategic suggestions,
half an hour. Doesn’t give the sentences wander: “Well, you
score after every hoop, and when know Steve Johnson had that
he does he doesn’t say who’s win big first quarter, and Wayne
ning, whines about the refs too Cooper sits to take the tape off
much. Always confused.
his fingers so T.R. Dunn comes
"The Sporting News.” Doesn’t
have a knockout punch, yet.
out.” Acts like he’s fed up with
his colleagues.
4. Terry Frei, columnist,
“The Oregonian”- Why did the
chicken cross the road? I don’t
know, but I do know this: Terry
Frei should go back to Denver
where he belongs. Cannot write
a story without some mention
of Denver. Terribly homesick,
loves to write about U of O
also, being ah alum. Actually
picked the Broncos to beat the
Chants.
Dishonorable mention
1. George Pasero, “The.
Oregonian’’- George, forget
about Oregon’s 0-0 tie with
USC’s “Iron Men” in 1933 at
Multnomah Stadium.
2. Blazer Broadcasting- They
always cut to the floor camera
behind the basket in the midst
of a fastbreak, causing the
viewer to lose his place. Show
replays at inopportune times,
missing important pieces of ac
tion.
3. Tauna Vandeweghe, Blazer
Broadcasting- Not even worthy
of criticism.
CAA recruiting battle tough as making final four
| Jerry Ulmer
Intributing Writer
■The closest most of us came
■the NCAA Men’s Basketball
nal Four in New Orleans
■irch 28-30 was eating Cajun
■ice Ruffles potato chips. The
■sest another west coast team
rill come to a future Final Four
fcbably would be best explain-
I by Carl Sagan.
■JNLV, seemingly the west’s
By hope for national respect,
■nt into the loser tank
lirtesy of Indiana in the
«¡finals. The Hoosiers dared
9 run with the team deemed
lai to run against. With Steve
ford and his hair popping
apers. from behind screens
it revealed USC’s look like
t another Big ten team, a mo-
tion suspected a week earlier
when Iowa raced to a huge
halftime lead on the Runnin’
Rebels. One couldn’t help but
infer that UNLV’s industrious
record (37-1) was amassed
against a sea of weak western
opponents. The Rebels cannot
attribute this loss to poor play,
as big guns, Freddie Banks and
Arman Gilliam, both made ex
cellent showings. They were just
outplayed, or more aptly put,
outcoached. The Rebels are a
very good team, but they have
many equals east of the
Rockies.
The reason the quality of play
between east and west has grown
apart over the past five years is
obvious: television. Cable TV has
brought all the eastern teams into
western living rooms. Unfor a movie be made about HIS Vegas stigma arouse suspicion. It
tunately, vice-versa is not true. “Hoosiers,” and Syracuse coach isn’t difficult to imagine Tark
The time difference makes it a bit Jim Boeheim, who would easily having a run-in with Dan Tanna
awkward for eastern viewers. To win a Bob Weiss look-a-like con in a parking garage. But the truth
watch a west coast game, a viewer test, have brilliant recruiting is he produces a team capable of
in the eastern time zone (the bulk futures ahead of them, and that competing back east, year after
of the population) would have to creates a snowball effect.
year. Las Vegas is an oasis in the
The west is in trouble, their desert. And unless western
stay up until 12:30 a.m. Thus, the
imbalance in exposure creates an best recruiter, Jerry Tarkanian of coaches find a recruiting tool,
imbalance in recruiting power. UNLV has been under NCAA UNLV will be the only oasis in
Each game is like an advertise scrutiny for many years. Tark’s the Sahara we call west coast
ment for two universities. This is godfather appearance and Las basketball.
mostly why eastern schools are
stealing growing numbers of
western recruits.
The Final Four is the biggest,
advertisement. A high school
recruit tuning in to hear Brent
Musberger’s game-show host im
itation in front of 65,000 rabid
fans is impressed, Indiana coach
Bobby Knight, who may suggest
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