Weekly Sportscamp - September 8

-According to the Portland Trail Blazers, Jeff Pendergraph is going to need hip surgery and will miss most of the 2009-10 season. Please feel free to use obligatory "I was sure the first Blazer with hip surgery would've been Greg Oden" joke here.

Now, if they had just drafted David Pendergraft instead, they might have avoided all of this.

-If you would've asked me for the most random football-related headline heading into this season, I never would have come up with anything as crazy as "Shawne Merriman attacks Tila Tequila." Seriously, you couldn't have picked two more random people to be listed in a domestic dispute.

Although this is starting to make me think that her reality show where she searches for love was all a sham. I didn't see Merriman as a contestant...

-Every once in a while, Kevin O'Brien manages to sneak some Internet time and post something new about the San Francisco Giants at "Remember '51." This week it's about Giants' closer Brian Wilson (who, in addition to holding down the 9th inning for SF, also wrote some great songs for the Beach Boys).

-A reminder by the Gonzaga Bulletin's Zach Stratton that, at Gonzaga, there are other successful sports besides men's basketball, and they should be supported with the same fervor. Amen. Women's basketball, baseball, and both soccer teams have consistently been at the top of the WCC for years, so they deserve to play in front of packed crowds, too.

-What's creepier, Jay Mariotti calling the sunshine at a USC game "orgasmic" or Alex Trebek looking at three Teen Jeopardy contestants and remarking "so young ... so young..."? (true story)

-At a speech in Philadelphia, Michael Vick told high school students to avoid peer pressure. He "warned against the dangers of peer pressure and offered himself as a cautionary tale of what can happen when someone is a follower instead of a leader."

It's a wonderful sentiment, until you remember that Vick was convicted of "organizing" and bankrolling the dogfighting ring. Usually the guy who organizes something is the leader, not a follower.

Vick said: "I was influenced by so many people when I should have been a leader, not a follower."

Mike, you were the leader. Don't blame peer pressure, blame yourself.

Oudin shows why we love sports

She's toppled one big name after another at the U.S. Open, and she's only 17 years old. She's battled back from losing early sets and has shown the intelligence, strength and fortitude to make improbably comebacks, continuing the most unlikely story of this whole tournament. In doing so, she's become the darling of the tennis world, and has the entire country rooting for her.

In short, Melanie Oudin is the best story in sports.

She's been the little tennis player that could; defeating Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova, and Nadia Petrova in the last three matches. And through it all, the girl from Georgia has kept fans riveted with her outstanding play, her Cinderella run, and a personality that goes from fiery during the match to bubbly after each win.

In a U.S. Open where the big name, seeded players are dropping like flies, Oudin has been the spark that has kept fans coming. And why not: here is a player who is charismatic, determined, and - frankly - a good tennis player. The fact that she's doing all of this despite all the odds against it just makes her story even more special.

Sports fans are suckers for underdogs. We cheered when Y.E. Yang defeated Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship. We enjoyed seeing the New York Giants put an end to the New England Patriots' perfect season in the Super Bowl. But Oudin is different; watching her play pulls you in more than anything else ever could. She's just a 17-year-old girl out there by herself, playing her heart out, with no one to rely on but herself. You can see her emotions and feel her determination. You watch in anticipation each time the ball is served, and get caught up in her reaction to every point. And when she finally does win the match, and explodes into a huge smile, you can't help but smile with her.

There's an innocence about Oudin that is making people connect with her. She's not a big name, doesn't have large-scale endorsements, and was virtually unknown until recently. She smiles and cheers when she wins, even acting shocked afterward while searching for words to describe her improbable run. When she says to the fans "thank you so much for cheering for me!" you know how much all of this means to her. She's just your average teenage girl who happens to be beating the best tennis players in the world, and it's like rooting for your sister or your daughter every time she takes the court.

She's on a roll, and fans are finding themselves rolling along with her.

Because in Melanie Oudin, fans are seeing all of the great things that sports can bring. There are many underdog stories out there, but only the best underdogs can make people so emotionally invested. Oudin's run is reminding us of the joy of watching an unknown succeed on talent, will and moxie, despite overwhelming odds. We can relate to her. We're inspired by the heart she has shown and the excitement she's displayed along with it.

We watch sports in order to see people succeed because of hard work and perseverance. It shows us that sometimes heart and willpower can triumph in the face of a seemingly impossible situation. Watching this excited young talent Oudin appreciate the significance of her success makes you pull for her even more.

Oudin is now in the quarterfinals, and there will be plenty of challenges ahead if she wants to continue her storybook run through the U.S. Open. There will be tougher, more seasoned opponents who won't want to lose to a 17-year-old, and the road will only be harder from here on out. But still, you can't help but feel like Oudin could pull it off, even if all logic says it won't happen. That's the beauty of her success: Watching Oudin's run, it makes you believe that anything is possible.

Get the hell off my air!

Imagine having a conversation with your friends about sports. Maybe you guys are hanging out at a bar, having a good time, and enjoying the debate back and forth. Nothing gets too heated, because you all know how each other thinks anyway, so you enjoy the company and take part in the banter.

Then, another random bar patron butts into the conversation, completely unannounced. You don't know him, you've never met him, but something you guys have said completely set him off.

"Man, the only good team in the PAC-10 is USC. Trojans, baby! Wooo!"

You look around at your buddies, wondering how this douchebag got involved. "Yeah, cool man. Whatever..."

These type of people are regular callers to sports talk radio.

No one cares what they think, and 99 percent of the time what they have to say isn't at all original or relevant. Yet, for some reason, these people feel compelled to make their voices heard over the airways of sports radio.

The truth is, nobody cares, guys.

Callers are an overabundant annoyance in an already annoying medium. Sports talk radio is basically one show after the other in which the host or hosts sit there and spew their opinions on the world of sports. Sometimes they're entertaining, sometimes they're obnoxious, sometimes they just stir up unnecessary controversy. But its a medium that has its followers, and people love to hear about sports.

When the hosts open up the phone lines, however, is when things get unbearable. People call in, and are often more misinformed than the hosts, and a whole lot less interesting or charismatic. As soon as the host says "let's go to the phones" it makes you want to switch stations, just to avoid the rambling, unoriginal thoughts that are about to fill the airwaves. The warning lights go on in your head, as you hear yet another caller begin by saying "Yeah, um, listen, about this whole Brett Favre thing ... I think it's really stupid, and um ... he should stay retired." It's embarrassing for me as a listener, hearing how bad these callers are. And yet, they're a staple of the show, often on for large chunks of time!

After listening to enough sports talk, you begin to notice that there are three types of callers, each of whom clutter the airwaves in their own unique way:

The Nervous Guy - Maybe he actually had something important to say when he dialed the phone number, but we'll never know. As he is put on hold, his heart is pounding so fast he can't think straight, and by the time he is put on the air, the sudden realization has rendered coherent thought impossible for him. So he stumbles through a sentence or two, utters a lot of "um's", takes too long to get to his point and doesn't add anything to the conversation. The host usually responds with shorts pause "... OK thanks caller," and moves on quickly.

The Pranksters - These are the same type of people who laugh at their own jokes. They'll call in, pretending to be a real caller, wait until they're on the air, and then try to say something like "I have a huge penis" before they get cut off by the annoyed host. Then they laugh their asses off with their buddies before taking another hit off the bong.

The Lifers - These guys truly believe that their calls are a regular part of the programming schedule. They're usually unemployed, allowing them to spend their entire day listening to the show and waiting for the right moment to call in. Lacking any sort of social life or real friends to talk sports with, these guys calls into the show every day - sometimes more than once - to give his thoughts on the day's sports news. Sometimes they will even give themselves clever nicknames so that they can be easily identified, things like "Kool-Aid Guy" or "Mike from up North." Deep down inside, these people think that they're friends with these hosts they've never met, the same way that World of Warcraft players think that they're best friends with their guild of elves.

Sports talk radio is driven by talk, so taking callers kills time and makes things easier on the host. But in the end, the callers seem unnecessary.

Listeners are tuning in to listen to the opinions of the host, not the ramblings of Joe From The Beach. Callers usually only get about a minute to speak, which doesn't leave a lot of time to give an informed opinion. And the callers are never used to spark or continue a conversation, only to fill time before the next commercial break. We'll get a little stuttering from the Nervous Guy, an attempted joke from a Prankster (who always manages to get past the screeners) and the expected daily call from the Lifer, and by the end of it, the host thinks "another day down, let's do it all again tomorrow."

Does anyone remember a time where a caller made everyone stop and say "I never thought of that?" Of course not, because in a medium that is driven by 24/7 talk, all of the angles of a particular issue have already been addressed by the host, leaving callers to only be able to repeat the same things over and over. Anyone who actually has anything interesting to say has the good sense to bring it up with their friends, instead of wasting their time for 30 seconds on the radio.

Just because you posses the ability to call in to a sports radio show doesn't mean you posses the ability to be intelligent or entertaining. If you don't have anything original to say, then it's best for all of us if you don't say anything at all.

What a difference a day makes

Remember all of that excitement yesterday about the Oregon Ducks opening the college football season on national TV?

It seems like a long time ago, after last night's game.

The Ducks had the entire country watching them as they kicked off the college football season, and the game went in the worst possible way. I'm not just talking about a pathetic, uninspired loss to Boise State - although that was sufficiently embarrassing to Duck-faithful - because a simple loss would've only meant that fans across the country would ignore the Ducks. "Oh, they're not very good. Let's just forget about them." Just losing to Boise State would only lead to apathy and obscurity.

But Murphy's law decided to kick in. Whatever could've gone wrong, did.

Zero points and zero first downs in the first half. It was so pathetic, even Lou Holtz and was slurring jokes about the Ducks at halftime on ESPN. But as if the poor performance on the field wasn't enough, the post game was even worse.

Ducks' running back LeGarrette Blount, who had promised an "ass-whooping" before the game, suckerpunched a Bronco player in the face as the teams left the field. Yes, the Boise State player was taunting Blount and even smacked his shoulder pads, but Blount went too far and reacted like a pissed off little kid. He punched the player in the face when he wasn't looking, and then had to be restrained from going after fans as he was pulled kicking and screaming off the field by teammates and coaches.

What should have been apathy and obscurity after the game turned into a feeling of disgust. Now, instead of being ignored by fans and the media, Oregon is still in the spotlight, only this time it is for Blount's punch and poor sportsmanship. The punch is being replayed non-stop on TV, sports columnists are calling for Blount to be kicked off the team, and Oregon is being used as an example of the poor sportsmanship in college football.

The eyes are still on Oregon, but in a worse way than anyone had anticipated.

For an entire state of fans that had put their hearts into that opening game, this is the most embarrassing situation they could've endured. The Ducks disrespected the entire state of Oregon in front of a national TV audience with their performance and their actions. And it's not going to be easily forgotten.

Blount needs to be dealt with, whether that's by suspending him or kicking him off the team. His actions embarrassed himself, his team, his university, and his state. I know he was emotional after the loss, and that the Bronco player was taunting him. But you can't punch him in the face on national TV; no good could've come of that. You yell back, you shove him, you do anything except land a right jab on the guy's chin. And with multiple ESPN cameras on the incident, it meant that the replays on national television and the Internet won't end. Oregon has no choice but to discipline Blount severely, if only to save face nationally. They need to send a message that Blount's childish actions do not belong on that team and at that school.

But I fear that the damage has already been done. Every ounce of excitement that had surrounded the Ducks from fans and media has now been replaced by disgust and embarrassment. While yesterday fans couldn't wait until the Ducks opened the season, now those same fans are looking for a hole to crawl into and hide. In a span of less than 24 hours, all the feelings about the Ducks season have taken a complete 180. To lose like the Ducks did was bad enough. To have a player turn your team into a national punchline is even worse.

Yesterday, I said that deep down, we were all Ducks. Today, there's not a speck of green in sight.

Today, Oregon has its Ducks in a row

Apparently something big is happening today, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Let's head to Facebook and see what my friends are saying.

"For the first time in seven years I'm thinking of rooting for the Ducks."

"Big day today ... LET'S GO DUCKS!!!"

"Ducks by two scores at least."

"Ducks will run wild on the blue turf."

"I love the Ducks!"

"It's about time; I've been having withdrawls. Go Ducks!"

"DUCKS."

Oh.

Yes, The Oregon Ducks take the field today to open the college football season, when they take on Boise State on the Smurf Turf. And right now, as the hours tick away before the game, the hype is reaching a fever pitch.

Radio stations have been talking Ducks all week. The Oregonian put out a special College football preview section today that rivals the one they make for the Blazers. Fans across the state are pumped for the game, to see how well Oregon plays on the national stage, to see if the Ducks can get revenge on the Broncos after the loss at Autzen, and to finally see Oregon football take the field again.

The suspense is terrible ... I hope it'll last.

College football in the state of Oregon has always drawn fans to one side or the other. You're either with the Ducks or the Beavers (and no, Portland State, you aren't in the picture. But isn't it adorable that you have a football team just like a real school!). Because of this division, rooting for both teams is strictly not allowed, and no Duck or Beaver fan would be caught dead rooting for their in-state rival.

But today, with this Oregon matchup, you're starting to sense something different. Although no Oregon State fan will ever admit it, they're feeling a little excited inside for tonight's Ducks game, too.

It's because the excitement for this game tonight is sweeping across the entire state. A college football team from the state of Oregon is headlining the start of college football season by playing on national TV. People across the country, looking for their college football fix on opening night, will tune in and watch the Oregon Ducks play. This is big, and Beavers fans are getting wrapped up in it, too.

Sports teams in the state of Oregon have always suffered from Small-State Syndrome. It's not a big market, and therefore fans feel like their teams don't get the credit they deserve when things are going well. The USCs and Notre Dames of the college football world will always get the attention and publicity, while teams like the Ducks and Beavers, even if they are at the top of the PAC-10 and beating those big-time programs, don't get that same level of nationwide notoriety. Beavers and Ducks hate each other, but they both feel like they get the short end of the stick because of their location in "Orah-Gone."

So to see one of the state of Oregon's teams headline college football opening night is something that electrifies the entire state, from Portland to Eugene to Medford, and yes, even to Corvallis. A team from Oregon will have the eyes of viewers from across the country on them tonight, which means the entire state of Oregon is gaining attention as well. The state is excited to see one of its teams in prime position to flourish on the national stage.

Naturally, Beavers fans won't ever admit this, and I don't blame them. But inside, part of them understands that tonight isn't about school rivalry. There will be time for that tomorrow and in the coming months. Tonight, though, is about the state of Oregon being at the forefront of the college football world. The Ducks carry the support of the entire state with them into Boise tonight.

The rivalries will always remain, as they should, but when one team from Oregon gets the national spotlight, they find support from all over the state, even in the hearts of their rivals. The same thing happened last season when Oregon State defeated USC - even Duck fans couldn't help but smile that a power program was taken down by a team from Oregon.

A win is expected for the Ducks, and therefore won't give any more national cred to the U of O program, but a dominant showing in a win gets the name "Oregon" into the minds of college football fans across the country tomorrow. If that happens, you can't help but think of the other programs in the state, too.

There will be bigger matchups, and better games this season. Tonight, the excitement felt around the state isn't for the matchup against a team from the WAC, it's for the return of college football, with a team from Oregon leading the charge.

Tomorrow, Oregon and Oregon State can go back to hating each other. But tonight, as Oregon takes the field and rings in a new year of college football, deep down inside, we're all Ducks.