Mickey Mantle's Liver

Barack Obama and the Civil War - The Beavers MUST win

OK, for those of you not from Oregon and who may have stumbled on this post randomly, we are talking about the annual football game against Oregon State University and the University of Zero Oregon for the right to live in the state of Oregon.  Don't get your panties in a wad over this post, please.

It strikes me that Duck fan has a real conflict with the upcoming Civil War game.  I don't think it is much of a stretch to state that the overwhelming number of Duck fans are followers of Obama and subscribe to Obama's economic philosophy of "spreading the wwealth".  In terms of the PAC-10, and the Civil War, application of Obama's "spreading the wealth" economic policies means that Oregon State University must win the Civil War, and here is why.

Right now, every team in the PAC-10 is guaranteed to get $450,000 as a share of the payout for one PAC-10 team participating in a BCS Bowl game.  Because the PAC-10 is a BCS conference, the PAC-10 is guaranteed to have at least one team in a BCS game, which means that each team (even the crappy ones like Washington and Washington State), will get $450,000.

If the PAC-10 were to send twoteams to BCS bowl games, the amount of money each team in the PAC-10 would receive would be doubled - or $900,000.

It is a foregone conclusion that the Trojans of SUC will be in a BCS bowl game.  But, if the Beavers beat the Ducks in the Civil War this weekend, then the PAC-10 will send TWOteams to the BCS, which means more money for all of the schools in the conference.

Also consider that the Ducks' bowl position is pretty well set between either the Holiday Bowl or the Vegas Bowl.  The Ducks will get paid for going to either of those bowls.  Plus, don't forget the Ducks have plenty of money from their "Uncle Phil" (Phil Knight, that is).  The bottom line is, the Ducks have plenty of money, they can afford to spread the wealth.

It would be very George Bush/Dick Cheney/Karl Rove/Halliburton of the Ducks to try and win the Civil War this weekend.  How dare they deprive the other PAC-10 schools of the extra money that comes along with having another team in the BCS!  The Obama economic policy - which Duck fans faithfully adhere to - demands that the Ducks lose the Civil War in order to spread the wealth.  Obama the Messiah demands nothing less!

So for you Duck fans who also supported NoBama, I trust that you are not being hypocritical, and you are rooting for Oregon State to win the Civil War in order to "spread the wealth".  That is the way Obama would want it to be.

Thanks to the Arizona Daily Star online edition for this minute-by-minute recap of the last 20 minutes of the Beavers victory in Tucson:

7:33 p.m.: Kahut misses a PAT that would have tied the game. The 48,503 fans inside Arizona Stadium erupt.

Kahut pushes the kick left of the upright, just his second missed point-after of the season. Instantly, Arizona's strategy changes: Rather than try to drive to win the game, the Wildcats choose to preserve a one-point lead and run the clock.

"I wish he had made the extra point because they would have played us differently," UA offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said afterward.

 

7:36 p.m.: The Wildcats return the ensuing kickoff and take over on Oregon State's 25-yard line.

● Keola Antolin runs up the middle on first down, gaining 2 yards. Oregon State takes its first timeout.

● Willie Tuitama drops back to pass, tucks and is sacked for a 1-yard loss. The clock runs.

● On third-and-nine, Tuitama runs again. This time, he steps up in the pocket, darts right and gains 10 yards — and a first down.

The Arizona Stadium crowd responds with cheers, thinking the Wildcats have iced the game. About 3 minutes remain on the clock.

● On first-and-10 from the 36, Antolin takes a run left for 2 yards. Oregon State calls its second timeout.

● On second-and-eight from Arizona's 38, the UA runs its "big" set with Rob Gronkowski and Chris Gronkowski blocking. Antolin is stuffed for no gain.

Oregon State takes its final timeout with 2:17 remaining.

● On third-and-eight, the UA runs a "flip" run play to Antolin.

The Wildcats tailback runs toward the sideline, cuts upfield — and is tackled 2 yards short. The clock runs under 2 minutes.

● Arizona takes a timeout with 1 second remaining on the play clock. Keenyn Crier then unloads a punt through the back of the end zone. Oregon State takes over with 1:19 remaining.

 

7:44 p.m.: Oregon State takes over at its own 20-yard line, trailing by 1 point.

● On first-and-10, quarterback Sean Canfield rolls left and finds Jeremy Francis for a 20-yard completion. Francis stays in bounds. The clock runs.

● On first-and-10 from Oregon's 40, Canfield finds Francis over the middle again for a 6-yard gain. Francis takes two steps then flips the ball to the sideline where James Rodgers catches it and steps out of bounds at Oregon's 46, stopping the clock with 58 seconds remaining.

Kahut begins warming up on the sideline.

● On second-and-four from Oregon's 46, Canfield calls a play — "Yo Wing Stat Brown Stab" — designed to get the Beavers inside Arizona's red zone. Asked to explain the play afterward, Canfield said the play means "down to the 3-yard line."

Canfield lines up under center, drops and sees wide receiver Sammie Stroughter streaking down the left hash. Stroughter beats Devin Ross, catches the ball at the 10 and stumbles to Arizona's 7 for a 47-yard gain.

"They ran a play-action wheel play and got behind out containment on the pass to Stroughter," UA coach Mike Stoops said.

The clock runs. Arizona finally calls a timeout with 39 seconds remaining.

 

7:49 pm: Facing first-and-goal from Arizona's 7, the Beavers run the clock.

Ryan McCants takes it 4 yards to the Wildcats' 3. Arizona calls its third and final timeout with 31 seconds remaining.

● On second-and-goal from the 3, Canfield runs to the middle of the field and takes a knee. The clock runs. Canfield then spikes the ball with 4 seconds left, setting up a Kahut's field goal.

The quarterback said he was confident his kicker would nail the short attempt.

"He's a great young kicker," Canfield said.

 

7:53 p.m.: Oregon State snapper Marcus Perry connects with holder Taylor Kavanaugh, who puts the ball down, laces out, at Kahut's feet.

Kahut kicks and connects. The field goal sails directly through the uprights and over the protective screen. Kahut shakes hands with Kavanaugh just before the surging Beavers' bench, led by Darrell Catchings and Victor Butler mobs him. Kahut is carried off the field.

 

"I felt confident going out there because I really didn't think me missing the PAT was how it was going to go down," Kahut said. "As a kicker, you want to be in that situation. I was either going to be a hero or a zero, and tonight I guess I was a little bit of both."

Mayne Street, Episode #2

OK, this one is funnier than Episode #1.....

Makes me hungry for a roast beef sandwich....

Mayne Street, Episode #1

I don't care who you are, this is pretty funny.

I have watched all three episodes, and they are pretty good.  Stayed tuned here for more of Mayne Street.

That game wasn't much fun....but at least we won. On to Arizona......

Every time we win a game in an "ugly" way, I have to remind myself that it wasn't too long ago that Beaver Nation would take a win any way we could get it.  It was just 10 years ago that the Beavers were 5-6 and suffering through our 28th straight losing season.  Only 10 years ago......

But, 10 years lat er, Beaver Nation is somewhat spoiled because we now have some room to complain about a win as not being "pretty" enough.  Yesterday's game certainly falls in that category - it was ugly and not much fun.  The bottom line is that we would have blown out Cal had we not made a number of mistakes such as Moevao's interception, that stupid facemask call on Brady Camp that negated a 30 yard run by Quizz, and the half-dozen or so missed tackles by the defense.

The Beavers' Defense and Offsensive Line deserves the credit for the win yesterday.  I don't know what the opposite of getting the game ball is (that is, the reward for the player who contributed the least to the outcome of the game), but I think The Smile earned it.  The Smile looked rusty, and a little gun-shy.  If we make the same mistakes, and The Smile plays the same way, against Arizona, Beaver Nation can say bye-bye to their Rose Bowl hopes.

So now we are off to Tuscon to play the Wildcats, who scored 45 points last week against Faber College and still lost.  What scares me is that the Wildcats scored 45 points, but I have reserved optimism for the fact that the Wildcats' defense (supposedly the strength of the team) gave up 55 points to Faber College.

One win at a time.  But this one is on the road.  Nervous?  Yes.  But I am sure Coach Riley will have the team read to go on Saturday.

Statistics to consider for the Cal game.......

I know, I know.....the Beavers are three games away from a trip to the Rose Bowl.  Keep in mind, though, that those three games are against teams with a combined record of 19-9.  Also, all three of those teams are going to bowl games this year.  In other words, this is the tough part of our schedule.

The UCLA win was great.  I am glad that Coach Riley got the "UCLA Monkey" off of his back.  The win was great for another reason, as well.  After the game, three-star cornerback Sean Martin from Corona's Santiago High committed to the Beavers next year.  Martin chose Oregon State over Minnesota, Arizona State, UCLA and UNLV.  Certainly OSU's dominant defensive performance was the final straw that cemented Martin's decision.

The win was great because it was a road-win in a stadium the Beavers don't do well in.  The win was great because it marks the first time since 2000 that the Beavers have swept the Los Angeles schools, which will definitely help our recruiting.  Finally, the win was great because it was our sixth win of the season, making the Beavers bowl eligible for the 8th time in the last 10 years.

But now we have three tough games, beginning with Cal.  I thought the best comparison between the teams is to examine the team's performances against common opponents: USC, UCLA, ASU and WSU.

Cal averaged 33.5 points per game against these opponents, 5 points less than the Beavers 38.5 average.  The Beavers averaged 218.8 yards passing per game, 68 more yards per game than the Bears averaged.  The Beavers rushing offense averaged 202.3 yards per game, 20 yards more than Cal's average of 182.3 rushing yards per game.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Beavers also outshine the Bears.  The Beavers give up 178 yards passing per game, while the Bears give up 187.5 yards passing per game.  The Bears allowed 79 yards on the ground per game, the Beavers allowed 66.3 yards per game.  The only statistic where the Bears are better than the Beavers is in points allowed - the Bears allowed 13.5 points against the 4 common opponents, the Beavers allowed 16.3 points.

Against the four common opponents, the Beavers are 4-0, while the Bears are 3-1 (only loss was to UCLA).  In truth, these statistics demonstrate one thing - the Beavers and the Bears are two evenly matched teams on both sides of the ball.  The edge only goes to the Beavers because the game is being played in Corvallis.  However, recent history has demonstrated exactly how little home field advantage means in this game (Beavers won in Berkeley in 2007, Bears won in Corvallis in 2006).

Just some food for thought this week, Beaver Nation.

When will the PAC-10 hire REAL officials? OSU vs. ASU redux

OK, I have to remind myself that it is bad karma to complain about a Beavers win.  Only 10 years ago, ANY win was a good win, no matter how we got the win - even with the help of the officials.  I understand that.  I am glad we got the win, and I think the Beavers played a pretty solid game yesterday.  Of course, if they play against UCLA the way they played against ASU, Beaver Nation can kiss their Rose Bowl hopes good bye.

But there is one thing that makes me mad that is recurring more and more in PAC-10 games - the horrendous officiating.  I mean, the officiating is bordering on the absurd.  The most recent example was the phantom call against JaQuizz Rodgers on third-and-four late in the game, where Quizz was still motoring, moving forward, broke free from the pile (no whistle had blown) and eventually Quizz was tackled at the one-yard line.

Inexplicably, the Referees decided that Quizz's forward momentum had been stopped, when it was clear to everyone - and I mean everyone - that Quizz was still moving forward and the play was still alive.  Everyone, except of course the Referees.  Take a look at the replay, it is pretty clear.

What is especially tough to swallow is that the phantom whistle made the down Fourth and one.  Riley decided to kick the field goal, which Kahut missed.  The Sun Devils then took the ball down the field and scored a touchdown, but missed on the two-point conversion.  Had the refs made the right call, none of that would have happened.  The refs craptacular call nearly lost the game for the Beavers.

Of course, Tom Hansen (PAC-10 Commissioner) isn't going to do anything about the blown calls.  He never does, which makes me even angrier, because Hansen is sending the message to PAC-10 fans that amateur officiating is the standard in the PAC-10.  Officials that make calls like the calls made against Quizz should (at the very least) be publicly reprimanded, so PAC-10 fans know that the PAC-10 (and Hansen) expect professionalism on the field.

Ouchy!

OK, this one is gonna hurt.

I play in two fantasy football leagues.  Anyone who has played in a fantasy football league is familiar with the nickname fantasy football players have for Fred Taylor of the Jacksonville Jaguars - "Fragile" Fred Taylor.  Taylor earned that nickname because he is always getting hurt and being placed on injured reserve, where he can do a fantasy football team absolutely no good.

I am starting to wonder if the NBA's version of "Fragile" Fred is the Portland Trailblazers' own Greg Oden.

Since being drafted #1 overall in 2007, Oden has logged 13 minutes of actual game time.  He has 5 rebounds, two turnovers, two personal fouls and is a 0% shooter from both the field and the free throw line.  By the way, he has yet to score a point in an NBA game.  He also has had tonsilitis. microfracture surgery, a twisted ankle, and now a sprained foot (which will keep him out 2 to 4 weeks -- which means 4 weeks cause the Blazers don't want to rush things, you know).

Think about this for a moment, Oden has as many injuries (4) as he has shots from the field (4).  And by the way, don't forget that in Oden's only season at Ohio State University, Oden missed a lot of time because of an injury to his right wrist.

Face it, the guy is injury prone.

And he looked really, really bad the other night, to boot.  He looked slow, uncoordinated, and like a rookie who had never been to an NBA game in his life.  Tuesday night was not the kind of debut that Oden and Blazer fans were hping for, quite the opposite.  It was everything we were hoping would not happen.  But it did.

And Oden got injured.

I was - and remain - a BIG proponent of Oden.  When the Blazers were holding the #1 overall pick in 2007, readers of The Liver will recall that I was loudly calling for the Blazers to draft Oden.  I am still glad they did.

But now it is time for all of us Blazer fans to admit that which we were hoping was not the case - Oden's career and performance is going to be seriously limited by injuries.

Thank God we have Pryzbilla.

The Blazers' Season Starts Today

OK, I cannot remember the last time I have been this excited for the NBA seasons to start.  Probably the last time I have been this excited was in the early 1990s, when the Blazers made a couple of appearances in the NBA Finals.

How can a Blazer fan not be excited?  First, these guys are good guys.  Not just good basketball players, but fine citizens.  They represent the franchise and the city of Portland well.  Second, they are good players: young stars like Brandon Roy and LeMarcus Aldridge are exciting to watch and deliver on the floor.  Third, the obvious: Greg Oden's debut tonight against the Lakers.  Finally, the guy Blazermaniacs have waited a year-and-a-half to get on the court and shore up the middle with finally get that chance.  Let's hope he stays healthy and provides an imposing presence in the middle.

The only thing that sucks about this season is the fact that the Blazers play in the Western Conference.  The Western Conference is easily the best conference in the NBA, which will make it even more difficult for the Blazers to get themselves into the playoffs.  According to Sports Illustrated, the Blazers will pick up 9 games in the win column over last year's result - that would mean the Blazers would reach the magical 50-win plateau.

I think the Blazers will win 83 games.  Yes, 83 games.  I know there is only 82 games in a season, but the Blazers will get credit for another win based upon style points......

Ok, I am just being silly.  But I do expect this team to be much better than last year, and equally exciting.  The one thing about the off-season that no one is focusing on is the addition of Rudy Fernandez to the roster.  In the preseason, Rudy has looked great and every bit as good as advertised. 

There are two questions that remain unanswered going into the season.  First, what kind of defense is this team going to play?  Coach Nate is an excellent teacher of team defense, and to be sure, the team's defense picked up last year (which is reflected in the team's 10-game improvement from the year before).  But the defense last year wasn't where it needed to be.  I am sure that in the future Oden is going to be a defensive force to be reckoned with, but as a rookie, I am not so sure.  I will certainly be focusing on the defensive performance of the Blazers in the first few games.

The other question that needs to be answered is the Blazers shooting.  If you ask me (which you haven't), offensively the Blazers' biggest hole has been outside shooting.  Not so much three-pointers, but those 15 to 20 foot jump shots that a team needs to hit in order to open things up on the inside, where Oden could then do most of his damage.  Good shooting means more Oden, which means more wins.

I fully expect the Blazers to win 50 games.  Once again, Kevin Pritchard has done a materful job not just putting this team together, but keeping this team together (Channing Frye, anyone?).  You know the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Go Blazers!

Craig Robinson and his brother-in-law on ESPN Outside the Lines

OK, so I am a Republican.  But this is a sports blog and this is a pretty cool interview/story about Craig Robinson (OSU Men's Basketball Coach) and his brother-in-law.  Some guy named Barack.