Isports
Clackamas Print 7
Wednesday,. March 14, 2007
Softball set to succeed
Frank Jordan
The Clackamas Print
The 2007 version of the Clackamas
Cougar softball team has jumped out
to a 3-0 record to open the season
after winning three games at the Blue
Mountain Invitational in Pendleton
last weekend.
The Cougars, led by first-year Head
Coach Jessica Farnsworth, return five
players from last year’s NWAACC
runner-up team, including Southern
Division All-Stars Janelie Cristofaro,
Katie King and Cotie Howard. Along
with Jessica Schell and Heather
Rightley, all five returning sopho
mores hope to take the Cougars back
to the NWAACC tournament in May.
The Cougars have recruited some
strong freshmen to help out, including
pitcher Renee Santos, a right-handed
hurler from St. Mary’s Academy in
Portland. Santos picked up two victo
ries in Pendleton, throwing shutouts
in both starts. Cristofaro got her first
win of the year on Saturday, holding
Shoreline CC to threa earned runs on
five hits in an 11-3f Clackamas vic
tory.
Farnsworth, taking over the head
coaching reins from longtime coach
Paul Fiskum, played college soft-
ball at Clackamas, and was twice
honored as a first-team all-star and
also was selected to an All-American
team in 2000. Farnsworth trans
ferred to Western Oregon University,
where she received all-league honors.
She graduated from WOU in 2002
with a Communications Degree and
coached at Central High School in
Independence for three seasons.
Fiskum enters his 20th season on
the Cougar softball coaching staff,
during that time coaching the Cougars
to eight NWAACC championships and
eight division titles.
The Cougars’ next game is Fri.,
March 16 with a game against
Concordia College at Delta Park in
north Portland. The Cougars’ home
opener is April 3 against Clark College
at 3 p.m. on the Cougar Softball dia
mond behind Randall Hall.
Baseball results:
March 3 @ Centralia CC: W 12-3
March 4 @ Grays Harbor College: W 8-3, W 9-5
March 10 vs. Linfield JV: Rain out
Mike Sutilice
I Sports Editor
The Good:
Internet Photo
In her first year as head coach of the
Cougar softball team, Farnsworth has
her girls off to a 3-0 start.
Track and field highlights:
March 10
Men:
Kenjamine Jackson: 100 meter dash - 1st place
Joe Gobel: High jump - 1st place
Upcoming home schedule:
March 20 vs. Olympic College, noon.
March 23 vs. Wenatche Valley College, noon.
March 24 vs. Treasure Valley CC, noon.
March 31 vs. Mt. Hood CC, noon. (DH)
Mike Simmons: Javelin throw- 1st place
Women:
Stephanie Dittmar: 100 meter dash - 2nd place
Meaghan Durand: High jump - 1st place
Jeeni Schantin: Javelin throw - 1st place
All-Star festivities held at Clackamas
The 2006-07 men’s
Southern Region All-
Star team huddles
during a timeout. The
Cougars’ starting five
of Maurice Ross, Nick
Eldridge, David Cernin,
Steven Vaughan and
Brian Freeman were
all voted to play in
the
game,
which
took place Sunday.
NWAACC tournament
MVP Freeman chose
to sit out the contest
in order to allow his
body to rest after tak
ing a beating in thé
postseason. He repre
sented the team as an
honorary head coach.
The South lost the
game to the East All
Stars by a final score
of 118-98.
The Ducks basketball team is
peaking at just the right time. Oregon
was awarded the number three seed
in the Midwest Region of the NCAA
Tourney after finishing the regular
season with three straight wins and
dominating the Pac-10 Tournament
Another reason for hope is that
the team will play its first two con
tests in Spokane, Wash.; staying in
the Pacific Northwest will allow
the Quack Attack to have a seem
ingly formidable home-court advan
tage, not that they should need it as
they open tournament play versus
the University of Wally Szczerbiak
(Miami of Ohio).
If the Ducks are hitting their out
side shots, they can beat anyone, any
where. Kou need to look no further
than this one glaring statistic: Oregon
was the only team in the NCAA this
season to beat three top-10 ranked
opponents, their win on the road vs.
Georgetown not even withstanding.
With determined play from 51-
conference guards Aaron Brooks, the
tiny Tajuan Porter and the re-emerg
ing Bryce Taylor, the Ducks redly
just need strong performances by
their “post” players, Maarty Leunen,
Malik Hairston and the scrappy fresh
man Joevan Catron.
March Madness begins tomor
row; get your brackets filled out and
prepare to lode foolish!
The Bad:
Swih Cash might be tiie worst
excuse for a NBA “analyst” I’ve ever
seen. Why ESPN decided to hire
her caito their Fastbreak segment, 1
will never understand. Actually, that’s
a lie; I’m sure it’s simply because
she’s a woman. Cash may play in
the WNBA, but that doesn’t mean
she has any business talking NBA
basketball. All she ever does is inter
ject stupid one-liners in between dia
tribes contributed by actual intelligent
sports broadcasters.
In other news, the University of
Illinois recently sent their longtime
mascot, Chief Illiniwek, to the big
casino in the sky. Native American
activists have been complaining that
the University’s representation of the
chief is “demeaning” and done in
poor taste. Personally, I think that’s
outrageous. The mascot has been a
part of die team and at the forefront
of sporting events since the 1920s; to
abolish his presence after all this time
is simply ridiculous.
Some time ago, idiots made a big
deal about the Pledge of Allegiance
being recited in schools because of
the mentioning of God. I guarantee
you those same people don’t have a
problem handling money that has “In
God We Trust” printed on it.
I’m contemplating a new career
as a misanthrope. Yes, this means I
probably hate you.
The Ugly:
Lorenzo Mata, the UCLA junior
center. Other heinous things of note
include but are not limited to: Kobe
Bryant throwing ‘bows at anyone
in a fifty-foot radius, Ron Artest’s
rap sheet and, lastly, the Green Bay
Packers are considering trading for
Randy Moss. Another quality wide-
out for the incumbent QB Brett Favre
would be ideal, but Moss can only
contaminate the young crop of play
ers that the Pack is currently groom
ing. Especially after pretending to
“moon” the fans at Lambeau in the
past, tiie people who own the fran
chise aren’t likely to welcome the
troubled wide receiver with open
arms, or an open checkbook for that