By Jay Jones, July 2, 2008

On Tuesday, The Oregonian’s John Canzano talked to former Register-Guard and current Oregonian photographer Tom Boyd on his sports talk radio show, The Bald Faced Truth, about capturing “The Finish” (joining “The Pick” & “The Catch”) of the men’s 800 meters on Monday of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.

Here’s the link to the audio. Canzano’s conversation with Tom is about halfway through the hour.

And here’s a slideshow from The Oregonian.

I’ve met and talked to Tom on several occasions. In addition to being a very good photographer, he’s a nice guy, too. During Canzano’s conversation with Tom, John asked him if there is any artistry to taking these photographs. At that point, I kind of had to chuckle. Not because it was necessarily a bad (or insulting) question. But because of what I saw at an Oregon men’s basketball game a couple of years ago. Along with with his digital cameras, Tom was also lugging a Rolleiflex-like camera.

A Rollieflex at a colege basketball game in 2006? That’s an artist.

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By Jay Jones, June 24, 2008

A couple of weeks ago, Portland’s The Fan (1080 AM) had Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen on the Isaac & Big Suke show.

Here are a few of the things they talked about:

- Misconceptions about the job of the Pac-10 Commissioner

- ESPN vs. Fox Sports Network

- Pac-10 bowl affiliations

- Pac-10 expansion

- Biggest accomplishments

- Chances of a Plus-1, football playoff

- Selecting the next Pac-10 commissioner

You can listen to the interview below.

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By Matt Prehm, June 18, 2008
Special to Duck Sports News

Over the past few years football recruiting has grown in popularity to the point that websites such as Rivals.com and Scout.com have become million dollar industries, helping football fanatics get through the large portion of the year that football is not played.

Fans are becoming more and more concerned with winning the “second season” of football, recruiting season. Coaching staffs across America are trying to land as many top flight recruits as possible, but also have to now deal with recruiting websites’ rankings and their school’s fan’s opinions of whether they are bringing in good talent.

Some coaches have been hard-core recruiters who tend to never sleep and are out recruiting nonstop. Pete Carroll at USC and Nick Saban at Alabama come to mind when you think of coaches who bend the rules as far as they can to snag that next top recruit.

Then there’s coaching staffs like Mike Bellotti’s at Oregon, who don’t obviously try to find loop holes into any rule they can think of such as taking part in the “bump” recruiting tactic in which the coach might “conveniently” bump into a star recruit at his high school while visiting a high school coach.

Before the news out of the L.A. Times involving the Oregon staff pulling a scholarship offer for committed safety/linebacker Xavier Ramos, the Ducks were considered respectable. Oregon’s football staff had been known as a school that followed the rules and were considered to be a very respectful staff by recruits and their families.

The recent comments from Xavier Ramos’ head coach, Todd Therrien at St. Bonaventure, regarding the Oregon staff has created a large cause of concern. Therrien is so furious with Oregon assistant Coach Steve Greatwood that he said Ducks representatives will no longer be welcome on campus. “I don’t want to see anyone from Oregon,” he said Monday.

With that news coming out of the L.A. Times, Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti was granted permission from the NCAA to release a statement on the matter.

Bellotti claimed the fault lay in a communication breakdown by the coaches. They simply accepted commitments from two players when only one scholarship was available at the position.

It is standard practice when a staff fills up a position of need to inform all other recruits that had been offered that scholarship their offer isn’t available anymore. However, rarely does this happen when two kids looking for the same spot commit around the same time. Even more scarce is the fact it happened this early in the recruiting process.

It’s a lose-lose situation for all parties involved in my eyes, as the Duck Staff now seems to have a black eye when it comes to recruiting even if it was a simple breakdown in communication between the coaches and the recruits. Ramos seemed set on a school and was going to get a free education but now must find a new opportunity.

However, the actions taken by Ramos’ head coach are raising eyebrows. Why go out and slam the Oregon program like this? It’s still very early in the recruiting process and there is plenty of time for Ramos to find another school that will offer him a scholarship.

The situation of another St. Bonaventure player from last year’s class who did not qualify to play at Tulsa also raises some concern. It is strange there have been miscommunication issues regarding players’ loss of scholarship with Therrien in the last two months.

Lastly, why does a school have to stick with an offer this early in the recruiting process?

Is it fair to schools that have commitments from players who then learn the player decided to go elsewhere a few months later? Why should a school keep its scholarships tied up to one player when that same player can leave the school out to dry a few months later? This situation goes both ways.

I bet we don’t know the entire story on this situation yet and until then I will continue my support for the coaches and the Duck staff. Their track record over the past decade outshines this one unfortunate incident.

There can be no doubt, though: things will be interesting as this story unfolds.

By Jay Jones, June 9, 2008

Ducks Sports News.  Fair and balanced.

What a second.  I’m thinking of something else.

Regardless, I would like to think we try to be fair and balanced.  And I hope everyone involved with Oregon wrestling feels that way.  For the most part, I feel like they have treated Duck Sports News pretty well.  I could be wrong.  We don’t catch everything.  But I feel like I’m on good terms with a number of people who support Oregon wrestling, even though we disagree about some aspects of this situation.

So, in the name of fairness, he’s a little something from Oregon wrestling supporters.

Although, I couldn’t resist the temptation to sprinkle a few thoughts throughout the piece

Seven Great Myths Regarding the Elimination of University of Oregon Wrestling

June 9, 2008

We, as members of the University of Oregon wrestling family-team members, coaches, family, and friends-filed suit Friday to prevent the university from dropping wrestling as an intercollegiate sport. We have bound themselves together for this purpose as the Oregon Chapter of Equity in Athletics, whose national arm is engaged in litigation against several universities to oppose elimination of various men’s and women’s sports.

We issue this fact sheet in conjunction with today’s news release. After nearly one year of fruitless negotiation, our differences will now be resolved in court. We consider ourselves to be loyal Ducks, but in this instance we need court intervention to settle our formal dispute with the university. Here is our argument for the court of public opinion.

Myth 1: Because Oregon wanted a baseball team, it had to drop wrestling. Wrestling was unavoidably a victim of Title IX.

That was the reason Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny gave at the July 13, 2007 press conference. The Athletic Department changed its story after correspondence between the university and attorneys who represent wrestling advocacy groups: Save Oregon Wrestling, Equity in Athletics, and the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Neal Zoumbouklos, Special Assistant to the Athletic Director, told two interviewers earlier this year that Title IX was not a factor in dropping wrestling.

• Daily Emerald article of Feb. 27, 2008

• Ducks Illustrated article of Mar. 6, 2008

For a detailed explanation of why Title IX does not mandate the suspension of Oregon wrestling, and in fact compels the university to keep the sport, see:

• NWCA Letter of Jan. 25, 200

• EIA-Oregon Letter of Apr. 21, 2008

Two prominent members of the Oregon news media, Dwight Jaynes of the Portland Tribune and Matt Smith of Portland’s KPTV, questioned Title IX as a legitimate reason for the University of Oregon’s decision to eliminate wrestling in this video:

The Agenda

[Jay: Title IX makes my head hurt.  If you were to draw a schematic of all these issues, it would probably look like a electrical plans.  And I'm not an electrical engineer.  So, I want to avoid these issues as much as possible, but I do have a question:

Where would the Oregon's wrestling team's case be if Zoomer had not made these comments?  Did anyone else at the UO echo his statements?  Was he speaking for the UO?  Or did Zoomer misspeak?

Myth 2: Oregon wrestling has no place to practice or hold matches.

Two years ago, the Athletic Department remodeled the state-of-the-art wrestling practice facility in the Casanova Center into a glitzy athletic treatment center that primarily benefits the football team. Rachael Bachman's recent Oregonian article recounts several controversial details of this remodeling project, but does not mention the room's prior function. At the time of their eviction, former Athletic Director Bill Moos promised wrestlers that they would be accommodated in a new practice facility that would be built as part of the proposed basketball arena. But when the plans for that building were published, no wrestling room was included. Save Oregon Wrestling discusses that broken promise in the video:

Sacred Ground, Broken Trust

Shortly after being evicted from the Casanova Center, Duck wrestlers found another practice facility, a larger room in Esslinger Hall, which adjoins McArthur Court, where the team competes in dual matches and tournaments. For most of its 55 seasons as an intercollegiate sport, Oregon wrestling has practiced in a facility owned by the Department of Physical Education and Recreation. We now continue that tradition.

Regarding a place to compete, McArthur Court will accommodate Oregon basketball and volleyball teams at least through the 2010 season. Plans for the new basketball area do not include dressing rooms for the wrestling team, a deliberate decision by the Athletic Department.

If we are successful in this litigation, we believe the court will direct the university to provide adequate facilities for wrestling.

[Jay: This really isn't an issue for me.]

Myth 3: Poor attendance at Oregon wrestling matches makes it the prime candidate for cutting among UO varsity sports. Oregon wrestling does not have a dedicated fan base.

Oregon wrestling finished third among the seven UO non-revenue sports for which the athletic department reported attendance figures for the 2007-08 academic year.

Source: Attendance figures compiled from box scores derived from the go.Ducks.com web site.

Note: The men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, and men’s and women’s cross country teams do not charge admission nor do they report attendance figures.

The 4,380 fans who attended the National Wrestling Coaches’ All-Star meet on Nov. 19, 2007 at McArthur Court represented the largest paid attendance at any UO sporting event other than football, men’s basketball, or track during the 2007-08 season.

Stated another way, there are three major sports at the University of Oregon: football, basketball, and track. Wrestling leads the remaining sports in attendance. Wrestling draws more fans than volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, softball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s tennis.

[Jay: Again, this really isn't an issue for me, either.]

Myth 4: Wrestling is a dying sport.

Tell that to the 4,762 Oregonians who competed in high school wrestling during the 2006-07 academic year, the latest data available. That made wrestling the third most popular winter sport in Oregon high schools, ranking behind only boys and girls basketball. Of the 250 high schools that furnished winter sports participation to the Oregon School Activities Association, one-quarter reported more wrestlers than boys basketball players, and more than three-quarters had students who wrestled.

OSAA Winter Sport	Number of Participants
Boys Basketball	7,019
Girls Basketball	5,974
Wrestling	4,762
Girls Cheer	2,428
Girls Swimming	2,173
Girls Dance	1,763
Boys Swimming	1,622

Source: Participation survey numbers compiled by the Oregon Schools Activity Association.

Although indeed the last twenty years have not been kind to intercollegiate wrestling on the Division I level, high school wrestling has grown markedly both in Oregon and across the United States. Nationally, over the past ten years, some 23,127 more high school students wrestled and 1,561 additional schools adopted wrestling as a sport-according to the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations.

We believe a state-supported university should have an obligation to provide athletic scholarships and participation opportunities for its native sons and daughters.

Some 70% of the UO’s varsity wrestlers, averaged over the past three years, graduated from Oregon high schools. Only one other Duck athletic team, women’s cross-country, draws at least 50% of its participants from in-state students.

Save Oregon wrestling discusses this fact in its video:

Oregon’s Team

Oregonians on UO Athletic Teams, 2004-07

Source: Team rosters as found on the GoDucks.com web site.

[Jay: On a DI NCAA level, wrestling is a dying sport.  Unfortunately for wrestling, as it grows at the high school level, that is not translating to the intercollegiate level.]

Myth 5: The Pacific-10 Conference does not support wrestling.

Pacific-10 Conference wrestling competition pits ten western universities that are dedicated to both academic and athletic excellence. For the past 20 years, six schools that compete in different conferences in other sports have joined Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona State, and Stanford in dual meets and tournament wrestling competition. This arrangement allows the top three finishers in each weight class at the conference tournament, plus several “wild cards,” to qualify for the NCAA Division I wrestling championships.

Several of these guest schools boast academic reputations that match or exceed the typical Pac-10 member. For example, the University of California at Davis ranked 42nd nationally in undergraduate education in the latest U.S. News rankings of major research universities. (The University of Oregon ranked 112^th.) Cal Poly of San Luis Obispo finished No. 4 nationally in rankings of undergraduate engineering programs.

For two decades, this arrangement has never posed a problem for the University of Oregon. We suspect this objection has surfaced as part of an effort to cobble together alternative reasons for dropping UO wrestling, after the athletic department had to abandon its original Title IX rationale.

[Jay: This is the Pac-10 in name only.  Cal Poly?  UC Davis?  Only four (soon to be three, almost two) traditional Pac-10 schools?]

Myth 6. Wrestling backers do not donate to the athletic department.

Duck Athletic Fund donors who restrict their gifts to fund specific sports are penalized in comparison to those who make unrestricted contributions. Sport-specific donations earn fewer points toward donor privileges such as parking and game seating.

Thus, wrestling backers who that donated to the DAF in the past usually didn’t specify a sport. Now they’ll donate like those baseball boosters did for many years. They didn’t give a dime from 1981 until July of 2007.

By the way, Save Oregon Wrestling has received pledges and cash donations of approximately $3 million since that latter day. Not one dime of it is going to the DAF!

[Jay: I haven't heard this myth.  But if they think it's out there, OK.]

Myth 7: Oregon can’t afford to maintain a wrestling team.

In a January interview with the Portland Journal, Pat Kilkenny referred to the wrestling program as “fiscally disciplined.” Indeed, no Duck team takes a more miserly approach to finances. Our budget is approximately $650,000 and 70% of our scholarships fund in-state tuition. Our favorite mode of travel is a 15-passenger van.

Nevertheless, we can understand the athletic department’s monetary concerns, in that Mr. Kilkenny’s original estimate for the annual baseball budget, as stated during his July 13, 2007 news conference, was slightly in excess of $800,000. One month later, he hired a head coach for $400,000, and then that budget began swell to a more realistic $1.3 to $1.5 million. We fully comprehend the need for renewed fiscal discipline within the department, now that the original $7 million estimate for the new baseball stadium has been proven to be optimistically low.

By this time, we also assume that Mr. Kilkenny knows that no college baseball program makes a profit. Even LSU loses money these days.

Nevertheless, we would be delighted to see baseball come back to Oregon, provided its return were not predicated upon our demise. To demonstrate our resolve, we’ve committed to raising the entire wrestling budge through donations, and eventually to endow the sport-so that wrestling no longer feeds at the football and men’s basketball trough, as do 15 of the 17 varsity sports at the UO.

Arizona State just did that. Two weeks after the Sun Devils announced the elimination of three non-revenue sports, wrestling boosters in Tempe reversed part of that decision with pledges to raise $8 million. Of course, ASU’s athletic director realized such a sum wouldn’t appear immediately. She accepted the donors’ pledges and set a realistic timetable for funding the endowment.

That’s all we’ve asked for the past year, as we struggled to raise nearly $3 million despite constant discouragement from the Duck athletic department. Mr. Kilkenny was quoted several times expressing his doubts that we could raise enough money to survive. But he never stated a figure. Understandably, it’s hard to raise money for a hopeless cause, which is what one assumes when the athletic director says we won’t be back. Donors are not willing to part with their money under those circumstances. Nevertheless, we have substantial pledges.

We believe that, if given a reasonable target and assurances of survival if that goal were met, we’d succeed in endowing the wrestling program.

We’re asking the courts to extend our existence as a Duck sport long enough to do that and ask our fellow Ducks to understand our motives.

Go Ducks!

The University of Oregon Wrestling Family

Jay, here.  I believe Oregon could afford to keep wrestling if they wanted to.  But they have decided not to.

And that brings me to the question that all of this comes down to: can Oregon simply decide to eliminate a sport?

Let’s say there were procedures for eliminating a sport that the UO did not follow.  OK.  What would’ve happened if Oregon did follow those procedures and still eliminated wrestling?  Could that still happen?  Could Judge Norblad impose an injunction and rule that the UO did not follow proper procedure?  Doesn’t that mean that all the UO has to do is go back, go through the proper channels, and eliminate wrestling anyway?

If that’s not possible, then this case strikes at the heart of athletic departments being autonomous.  And that has big, national implications.

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By Jay Jones, June 9, 2008

Did you really think the only trials in Oregon’s future were of the Olympic variety?

On Friday, members of the University of Oregon’s wrestling team filed a suit in the Oregon Circuit Court for Marion County seeking to prevent the University from dropping wrestling. Circuit Judge Albin W. Norblad will hear the case.

And is anyone surprised by this?

While I am not surprised by this development, it is a little unexpected at the same time. As dichotomous as that answer is, I’m equally dichotomous in answering some of my own questions regarding this case. Usually, that’s called dissociative identity disorder. But for the purposes of this blog (and the endless discussion to follow), we’ll just call this:

Top 10 Grappling Questions & Answers

1. What does the case say about the Oregon wrestling team?

Oregon wrestling is desperate. And in their desperation, they have resorted to litigation. This is their last, best (and I believe, worst) hope to save Oregon wrestling. But what does this say about the character of Oregon wrestling? On this blog (and elsewhere on the nets), wrestling supporters have championed wrestling as a “character” sport. But is being litigious a “character” thing to do?

If the Oregon wrestling team believes they’ve been grievously and unjustly wronged (and I believe they have been treated unfairly), then legal action might be their only recourse. Do I have to run down a list of recent dramatic legal movies featuring a triumphant underdog? Erin Brockovich. The Rainmaker. Legally Blonde. (This brings up a good point, why isn’t the Oregon wrestling team viewed as a sympathetic underdog? Shoot. Even my answers beget more questions.) Who doesn’t root for the single mom or young lawyer against the big, bad, evil corporation? I know I do.

But to play Devil’s Advocate, this move could also be seen as a “win at all costs” move, not exactly what wrestlers are supposedly known for. While they don’t know the word “quit”, the Oregon wrestling team might get to know the word “backlash” pretty well. For most Duck fans, I believe this move will be viewed upon as a kamikaze like maneuver: the Oregon wrestling team knows they’re going down and they are going to take down as many at the University as they can.

2. What is the Oregon wrestling team’s end game?

What do they want? On the one hand, the Oregon wrestling team’s ultimate goal is reinstatement. Nothing short of that. But on the Red Right Hand, their goal might be to inflict as damage as possible on their way out. And I don’t think that’s going to sit well with Duck fans.

What would it mean for the program if they were to be reinstated under these conditions? How would they be received on campus? Within the Athletic Department? Sure, the program would be back on campus. And some would applaud it as a strike against the out-of-control Casanova Center. But wouldn’t the program kind of be viewed as that kid you don’t like who’s at your birthday party because your mom told his mom it was OK from him to come?

3. What does “discovery” and “discoverable” mean in this case?

Through this lawsuit, the Oregon Wrestling team hopes to discover the University of Oregon’s administrative machinations behind the reasons for cutting wrestling - what were the real reasons for cutting wrestling. However, as they open up this process, they are also going to open themselves up to legal exposure, as well. And do they really want to do that? What I mean is, are there some aspects of the Oregon wrestling program that would be better left “undiscovered”? I certainly hope they’ve chewed on that for a bit. Because if Oregon wrestling believes the University of Oregon to be as unjust of an institution as they claim it to be, doesn’t Oregon wrestling have to know that the University (and their attorneys) are going to go after them with everything they’ve got?

4. Is there a possibility for a settlement?

I don’t believe there is in this case. The Oregon wrestling team wants the sport reinstated. What would there be to settle? What would that look like? Partial reinstatement?

Yes. What do I mean by that? Well, I don’t mean this as a settlement solution. But what would happen if the University of Oregon preemptively reinstates wrestling at a life-support level? Are there minimal levels for athletic programs? Is one scholarship good? Can you have a minimal budget? Limits on team numbers? Would one scholarship severely impact Title IX? What would that do to this case? Oregon would have reinstated wrestling. It might not be what the Oregon wrestling team wants, but it’s reinstated. Then, what are we talking about: challenging University of Oregon Athletic Department administrative decisions in court every time? Let’s say the Athletic Department decides to cut a men’s tennis scholarship and limit the number of walk-ons to the team. Do they take the department to court? I don’t think so.

5. Why file the suit in Marion County? Why not Lane County?

The answer to this question could be of a technical nature. Since the Oregon wrestling team is suing state employees, the suit might have to be filed in Salem. I don’t know. Or does the Oregon wrestling team consider Marion county to be more sympathetic to their case? If the answer to this question is not of a technical or procedural nature, then there has to be some advantage Oregon wrestling is trying to gain by filing this case in that court.

[If you're an attorney and would like to anonymously answer this question, please contact us.]

6. Why Circuit Court Judge Albin W. Norblad?

Again, the selection of Judge Norblad could be of a procedural nature. He might have of simply been assigned this case. And, again, I don’t know. But I don’t think it works that way. So, there has to be some advantage to Oregon wrestling. According to his Wikipedia entry, he is known for controversial and unpopular decisions, in addition to being disciplined by the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability.

[If you're an attorney and would like to anonymously answer this question, please contact us.]

7. What are the implications of an injunction for Oregon baseball?

In the past, supporters of Oregon wrestling have stated that this is not a “wrestling vs. baseball” issue. with this case, however, that’s exactly what it has become. What if Judge Norblad grants a temporary injunction against eliminating wrestling? On the surface, an injunction would simply mean that during the period of the injunction, the Oregon wrestling team would remain at the University of Oregon. During the period, I don’t think anything would happen with baseball. That train is rolling and gaining steam. However, what would a decision in favor of the Oregon wrestling team mean for the future of Oregon baseball? If Title IX compliance is a key legal argument in this case (I’m not saying it is), how could both baseball and wrestling remain on campus? They might not. And then you’re looking at a potential lawsuit from the baseball folks. Or…

8. What are the implications of an injunction for women’s sports at Oregon?

If somehow the Oregon wrestling team could pull this case out of their…well, you know…the big winner on campus could be women’s sports. Assuming wrestling and baseball were to remain at Oregon in a Title IX world, the Athletic Department would be put in the position of having to add another women’s sports.

[As a side note, I know opinion varies on the implications of Title IX. Oregon could be in compliance and not in compliance, all at the same time. However, once it gets in the courts, all of that is up for interpretation. And who knows what that means.]

9. What will be the public perception of the Oregon wrestling team now?

Not good, I’m afraid. The reality is that most Duck fans don’t care about wrestling. Duck fans mostly care about football and men’s basketball. Now, that doesn’t negate wrestling as a sport. It just means that in the court of public opinion, a majority of Duck fans are indifferent, like they are about many other sports on campus. And I think most wrestling supporters would acknowledge that. However, what that also means is that when the Oregon Wrestling team resorts to a lawsuit, it does not endear them in the hearts of Duck fans. And in this case, taking legal action will quickly move wrestling from a sport of indifference to derision, in the minds of Duck fans.

10. What’s the best solution for the Oregon wrestling team?

The best solution for the Oregon’s wrestling team is to drop this lawsuit and pursue the club sport route for a few years. As wrestling gets dropped from more and more colleges and universities, the club numbers continue to grow. It’s not the NCAA, but it’s on campus. And with the money Save Oregon Wrestling has raised, they could nicely fund a club sports team.

The U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials are only a few weeks away. With those trials, we know when they will start, and when they will end. And we’ll also know that while only a few will make it on the team, there won’t be any losers at Hayward Field.

In this case, who knows how long it will go on. But one thing is for certain: no one, and I mean one, is going to emerge a winner in this case.

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Jay, here.

Just got back from the Kevin Costner & Modern West concert this evening at the Hult Center.

It’s late. I’m tired. So, let’s cut to the chase.

Here are some answers to a few of the questions you might be asking yourself.

What?
An Evening with Kevin Costner & Modern West, presented by the U of O Baseball Program.

Where?
Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center - 7th & Willamette, Eugene, Oregon.

When?
Friday May 30, 2008 & Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 8:00pm.

Why?
Kevin Costner & Modern West are presenting these benefit concerts for the University of Oregon’s new baseball program (in support of Mr. Costner’s good friend, U of O baseball coach George Horton).

Who?
Well, not as many in the audience as I think the U of O was expecting. There was no one in the balcony and only a smattering of people at the mezzanine level. The orchestra level was relatively full. But I’m guessing the Silva was only at about 45% capacity. And Mr. Costner took note of the disappointing turnout, inviting people to come on down and sit in the empty seats.

How?
I received a comp ticket. But tickets are $60 and $70. $25 for students. Although, I just heard that the price of the tickets might have been dropped down to $45.

What should you expect at the concert on Saturday?
This is just a guess. But if it’s anything like Friday’s performance, here’s how it will go:

The show starts with a montage of clips from Kevin Costner’s films. As those clips finish up, Mr. Costner makes his entrance at the back of the orchestra level. And if you can get a seat on the aisle, you have a 50-50 shot at shaking his hand as he makes his way to the stage. As soon as he gets on stage, he performs for about two hours straight. In between songs, he interacts with the crowd a little bit and explains where the songs came from. At the end of the concert, the bands comes back for two more songs.

Take your camera. People were snapping pictures all over the place.

How was it?
It was OK. Mr. Costner and the band are clearly talented individuals. But it was difficult getting into country-like songs I’ve never heard before (and Mr. Costner acknowledged this fact to by pointing out that some of the songs were new to them and all of them were new for us). They performed all original songs, except for one. And the Silva Concert Hall does not encourage people to stand up in its setup. Although, I think the energy level was expected given the number of people in attendance.

It was also very surreal. I was watching Kevin Costner give a music concert in Eugene, Oregon to benefit U of O baseball. That’s a lot to take in.

What were the highlights of the show?
There were two highlights. About half-way through the show, Mr. Costner invited people to come up on stage and dance. About 10-15 attractive women between the ages of 40 and 55 (Sorry, if you were younger. Blame it on the fog.) got up there to dance with Kevin and the band…and one guy. And he was hilarious. Worth the price of admission alone. Which for me, was nothing. But if I had paid $75 for my ticket, that would have made it worth it. Very funny stuff.

The second highlight was a low point, as well. Towards the end of the show, some woman tossed her red underwear on stage. When did Kevin Costner become Tom Jones? Expected, but I was really hoping the crowd would disappoint me.

Unfortunately, I don’t think there is any kind of guaranty of these happening Saturday night.

Should you go?
If you view this concert as an opportunity to see a movie star and support the U of O baseball program, then you should probably go. But if you’re expecting a great music concert and are not interested in the baseball program, you might want to save your money.

What’s the bottom-line?
The bottom-line is that Kevin Costner seems like a very talented and personable performer who was doing a solid for a good friend.

Did you go the concert? If you did, what did you think?

While we’ve got Kevin Costner on the brain, here’s my list of Top 10 Kevin Costner films:

Top 10 Kevin Costner Films

10. No Way Out
One of the more unexpected endings of all-time. It’s no Keizer Soze, but it’s still good.

9. Revenge
Tony Scott directs one of the best revenge movies ever. The best being the 2002 version of The Count of Monte Cristo (directed by Waterworld’s Kevin Reynolds).

8.Wyatt Earp
Even though Tombstone is more entertaining, Dennis Quad should have been nominated for an Academy Award for his take on John Henry “Doc” Holliday.

7. A Perfect World
One of Kevin Costner’s best performances with Clint Eastwood’s deft direction.

6. JFK
Forget the history. This is an education in film-making techniques.

5. Open Range
The best gun fight in movie history. And it’s all in the sound design.

4. Field of Dreams
The most unrealistic portrayal of a sports culture ever put on film.

3. Bull Durham
The most realistic portrayal of a sports culture ever put on film.

2. Dances With Wolves
An epic Western and Civil War period piece with a non-traditional portrayal of Native Americans.

1. The Untouchables
Brian DePalma’s best directorial effort. A David Mamet script. Sean Connery’s Academy Award-winning performance. Ennio Morricone’s masterful score. Robert Deniro as Al Capone. And Kevin Costner at the beginning of his rise to fame as an American movie icon.

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[Update: If you're just seeing this blog entry for the first time, there have been a couple of developments concerning this situation.  The recruit in question, Dewitt Stuckey, will not be facing charges.  And I have changed my position on this matter, too.  Instead of a threshold of being arrested and charged with a felony as grounds for revoking a scholarship, I've raised, or lowered, that standard to being indicted on felony charges.  And that change in position can be directly attributable to the discussion on this blog.  Who says good things can't happen on blogs?  - Jay, DSN]

Jay, here.

Yesterday, The Oregonian’s John Canzano addressed the legal issues surrounding Oregon recruit Dewitt Stuckey on his sports talk radio show, The Bald Faced Truth.

Here’s the link to the audio. It’s about half-way through the audio file. In addition to his commentary, Canzano also talks to a Stockton Record reporter familiar with the situation.

As an editorial note, I’m a hard-liner on stuff like this. Regardless of innocence or guilt, any recruit arrested for a felony should have their scholarship immediately revoked. There is no upside to a “second chance”. Maybe on the football field. Maybe. But is it worth it? Probably not.

However, there is an upside for establishing a precedent that the University of Oregon will not willingly welcome student-athletes who put themselves in the position to be arrested for a felony, or felonies. Once they get to campus, that’s a different story. They’re there, and Oregon is stuck with them. But knowingly awarding a scholarship to a student-athlete facing a felony is completely unacceptable.

Considering Oregon’s PR problem of the “appearance of impropriety” on several issues, this should be a no-brainer. Actually, I would advocate that Mr. Brand make this a stipulation across the NCAA board.

Is there a path for a “second chance”? Sure. And that begins with two steps. First, an institution has to establish itself as intolerant of this type of behavior. Second, the student-athlete in question would have to attend a community college for a probationary year.

Too draconian?

In the third hour of Canzano’s show, he talks to former Duck, Terrell Brandon.

Here’s the link to that interview. That’s a just a couple of minutes into the hour.

Only one editorial note: he has a son graduating from high school next year!

I’m old.

No, not really. That just makes me feel old.

Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
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Jay, here.

I’m a little late to the party with this one. Fashionably late. And I can consume only so much media. But I’m late, nevertheless.

A little over a week ago, University of Oregon Athletics Directory Pat Kilkenny was on The Morning Sports Page with Kenny & Katy on 95.5 FM “The Game” in Portland.

In the course of their conversation, Kenny, Katy, and Mr. Kilkenny covered a cavalcade of curious content. Try saying that three times fast!

Here are the highlights:

- Competitive Cheerleading/Team Stunts & Gymnastics

- Parking situation at Autzen Stadium for football games

- Basketball arena update

- ESPN story on Phil Knight and Pat Kilkenny

- Balancing the job the media attention as Athletics Director

- Phil Knight’s influence at the University of Oregon

- How does the job as AD match up against previous jobs?

And here’s the link to the entire interview.

Even though baseball wasn’t really covered in the interview, I might as well bring it up. Why? Because I think all of you wrestling fans out there are going to tee up Mr. Kilkenny’s responses and swing for the fences.

I’m almost tempted to write up a generic wrestling response myself because I can see the comments already.

So, wrestling fans, do I need to set up a separate comments page just for you guys? Or is there enough space here?

Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
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The New York Post just did a story on Phil Knight a few days ago and his cashing in his stocks for Nike and making 1.05 billion dollars in little over a month.

The 70-year-old Nike founder has done hundreds of separate stock sales since mid-April, collecting $1.05 billion - well ahead of his $780 million cash-out of shares in 2007. That’s the year he placed 14th in Vanity Fair’s ranking of windfalls made by the rich from selling stock or family empires.

With that new cash flow going to Knight’s bank accounts will Oregon see even more money come their way?

What will the critics of the University taking the money say about this?

Times are going to sure get interesting in the future with all the building going on on campus. Knight has made mention multiple times he would like the UO to have an indoor track and field facility and he would do everything in his power to get one. Well I am sure 1 Billion can go a long ways to getting that built.

Theres lots of options for Knight to donate to when it comes to sports but I am sure the UO will also see a nice spike in money donated to the academic side as well. Dorms are needed to be refurbished and even rebuilt along with more updating on some of the older school buildings.

Matt

Ducks Sports News Blogger

Ducks Attack Editor

[UPDATE, 5/5/2008, 10:00 pm: If you'd like to hear John Canzano, Rachel Bachman, and Brent Hunsberger talk about this series, just click here. You'll need to go about halfway through the MP3 to hear this segment.  Is it worth it?  Yeah, it's worth it.  And it's worth it alone to hear Canzano explain why he thinks academics has suffered because of Phil Knight's donations to Oregon athletics.  Do I need to explain why that's preposterous?  Well,  OK.  It's preposterous because while academics is suffering, athletics would be suffering just as much without Phil Knight's donations.  And that seems to be John Canzano's idea of a "healthy relationship". Also, see if you can catch the swipe at The Register-Guard.  And if you want to listen to the second hour, just click here.]

Jay, here.

On a cool Saturday evening, a rather curious news item came across our desks here at Duck Sports News: an interview The Register-Guard had conducted with Phil Knight intended for publication on Sunday.

The headline read, “KNIGHT HOLDS COURT”.

As the first line in the story states, Phil Knight wanted to talk.

But I asked myself, “Why?”

Why would Phil Knight want to talk? Why The Register-Guard? Why now?

After reading the article, the interview struck me as a public relations move. That’s not a bad thing. It just seemed like Mr. Knight was trying to get out ahead of something. He was feeling the heat. But what had happened?

Well, we found out what that something was Sunday in The Oregonian. Why would Phil Knight want to talk to Ron Bellamy and The Register-Guard? Because he wasn’t talking to anyone at The Oregonian.

And, honestly, I can’t blame him.

In case you missed it, here’s a brief recap of The Oregonian’s stories on Phil Knight, Nike, and the University of Oregon.

“Statement from Phil Knight”

Recap: The Oregonian requested an interview with Phil Knight, but he declined and issued a short statement.

Bottom-line: The Knights have been successful and wanted to give back to the University of Oregon through their gifts.

“Band out of step with Nike’s offbeat uniforms“

Recap: The band uniforms designed five years ago by Nike through a gift from the Knights were ill-suited for a marching band.

Bottom-line: If this story had been a television show on Spike or on the old FOX, it might have been called, “When Good Donations Go Bad”. OK. We get it. The uniforms were terrible. And they still are. I’m not even sure what Oregon has now is a uniform in any traditional sense. We all know that. But the story starts off, “Five year ago…”. In terms of relevance, that might as well have been, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.”

“Knight’s access to UO sports is a fan’s dream”

Recap: As Oregon’s top donor, Phil Knight enjoys rare access to University of Oregon athletics.

Bottom-line: Duh. Reading like a laundry list of the privileges Phil Knight enjoys at the University of Oregon, the tone of the story makes you think he’s done something wrong. When in fact, he hasn’t. While this article notes that NCAA rules restrict booster contact with recruits, the writers paint a picture that Phil Knight is exploiting the gray area of boosters’ access to players or coaches.

“The biggest man on campus”

Recap: Phil Knight’s financial influence has transformed University of Oregon athletics.

Bottom-line: When printed out, this story is seven pages long. So, I’m not going to get into a point-by-point critique of the article. I’ll leave that up to the message boards. But as many have already stated on those very same boards, “What’s new here?’. As far as I can tell, not a whole lot.

“UO ‘gets’ Knight — he just gets”

Recap: John Canzano opines that the problem with the Phil Knight-Oregon dynamic is not Phil Knight’s fault, but a failure on the part of the University of Oregon’s administration.

Bottom-line: Canzano’s take is that Phil Knight has acted like a petulant child at times and should have been told “no” on several occasions.

Truthfully, it would be great to have the time, and the resources, to analyze all of these pieces. But I’m not really inclined to do that. And I think you would be completely disinterested in reading anything close to that. Plus, what would be point?

And that’s the bottom-line for all of these stories: what’s the point? More specifically, what’s the problem The Oregonian is investigating? There’s got to be a problem they’re trying to address, right? If there is, I’m not sure The Oregonian could easily summarize the singular problem they are investigating.

Before I go any further, I want to explain why I’m referring to The Oregonian as a monolithic entity. Even though my friends in the print media deny a groupthink mentality exists in the newsrooms of large newspapers, I’ve been around enough broadcast newsrooms to know that it does exist in the media. And maybe the term “groupthink” is too evocative of a mob, or even zombie-like, mentality. Perhaps, a more appropriate word would be “culture”.

I think there is a decidedly anti-University of Oregon, anti-Phil Knight, anti-Nike “culture” that exists at The Oregonian. Just as I think there is a pro-University of Oregon culture that exists at The Register-Guard. I also think that FOX News is more conservative and CNN is more liberal. To deny the existence of “cultures” within any of these entities is to deny the obvious, and the very human.

So, why does The Oregonian’s culture have a problem with the Knight-Oregon relationship. I don’t think you have to look any further than John Canzano’s most recent blog and the comments that follow.

In the comments, Wheaton4prez makes a simple request:

Please, somebody be specific and state what they think the loss or crime is here. It’s starting to sound like a spooky, fire-side story meant to scare children.

As he does on occasion, Canzano responds:

Thanks for the post. If you’re a Ducks’ fan you may love what Knight has done for the university, but it’s risky business because the university has given up control and sacrificed academics for athletics. Employees are in tough positions… nobody in green can criticize Knight… a donor has influence over personnel matters… and Knight’s building are being approved outside a university planning process. This is all problematic. Just take the guy’s donations, and keep your autonomy, and if he can’t live with that, don’t take it.

Again, I could go through this tidy summation of Canzano’s beef with the Phil Knight-Oregon alliance and address each one of his points. But I’m not going to do that either. However, Insominduck did a nice job of addressing at least one of Canzano’s points in another comment:

Since Phil has been involved as a high level donor the following have occurred (most due to his generosity)

New Law School
New Library
New Business School
$15 million to create endowed chairs and professorships
New Practice Facility
New Training Facility
New Student Center for Athletes
Remodeled Autzen
New Basketball Arena coming
not to mention other donations he’s made that aren’t public

What I want to address is Canzano’s very last line:

Just take the guy’s donations, and keep your autonomy, and if he can’t live with that, don’t take it.

Where would Oregon be without Phil Knight’s donations? Just look to one of The Oregonian’s articles:

“I’d hate to see where that school would be without his support and without the growth that they have demonstrated over the last decade,” said David Carter, a USC sports business professor and consultant. “They’re certainly among the elite nationally. Without that input, they would conceivably be an also-ran.

As Canzano notes, where have all of the Knights’ donations gotten the U of O? Not very far. Actually, on par with Oregon State. So, again, where would Oregon be without those donations?

Wherever Oregon would be, I think John Canzano would prefer Oregon was there with their autonomy intact, without the donations.

That’s great, John. Where would that leave Oregonians, the University of Oregon, Ducks fans, students, and the athletes? Better or worse off? Without a doubt, they all would be worse off. But they would have their autonomy. And that’s worth it, John? Really? And is that really the solution to the perceived problem of Phil Knight and Oregon? Don’t take the money?

If Phil Knight’s influence is a problem, what’s the alternative? I think it’s pretty clear. The alternative is that the University denies Phil Knight’s requests and he denies Oregon his donations.

While I think Phil Knight could live with an autonomous Oregon, I don’t think Oregon could survive being autonomous from Phil Knight. Then, I ask, who would have the heat on them?

And that, Duck fans, would be truly problematic.

If you would like to look at The Oregonian’s Cold War lead-up to this past weekend’s Hot War against Phil Knight, take a look at these stories. However, this is not an exhaustive list. This does not include all of John Canzano or Steve Duin’s columns and blogs.

April 26 | UO plans underground parking for new arena

April 16 | Favored companies new to the game

March 22 | UO seeks fast track for builder of arena

Feb. 24 | Goodbye, MacCourt; hello, questions and higher ticket prices

Feb. 23 | Legislature approves UO arena

Feb. 22 | Legislative committee approves UO basketball arena project

Feb. 21 | Arena finds support in Salem

Feb. 18 | Analyst: UO arena will drain long-term fund but should still get OK

Feb. 17 | Panel to hear public on arena

Feb. 15 | UO arena’s big jump: ticket prices

Feb. 14 | Steve Duin: Obsessive secrecy in Duckville

Feb. 13 | UO’s $12 million offer

Feb. 13 | USC’s all-cash arena

Feb. 9 | UO arena key to $100 million gift

Feb. 9 | ‘Buried’ report sees less revenue

Feb. 4 | UO sports arena: Creative financing or a dubious IOU?

Jan. 23 | Oregon arena idea includes ode to Mac Court

Jan. 22 | New-look arena

Jan. 22 | A misdirection of Oregon’s priorities (commentary)

Jan. 18 | State finance hearing or sports talk radio? (commentary)

Jan. 18 | UO arena closer to final OK

Jan. 17 | Proposed UO arena: Get out the checkbook

Jan. 13 | Steve Duin: Risk, rewards and Oregon’s new arena

Jan. 10 | Arena wouldn’t use academic funds, UO says

Jan. 9 | UO arena projections criticized

Dec. 18, 2007 | Prices, fees for new UO arena cited in report

Nov. 28, 2007 | Oregon swaps suites for feeling