James Day of the Salem Statesman-Journal says that college athletic departments are selling out their operations to shoe companies, like Nike and adidas. He's complaining that schools are signing up with the highest bidder, while being "controlled" by the almighty dollar.
What did you expect, Jim?
Programs need money to be competitive, and shoe companies are willing to hand out the cash, in exchange for schools marketing their brand. But he thinks the price of allowing companies, like Nike, to have an impact on athletic department decisions is too high. What's wrong with that? I don't see the problem. I also disagree with Day's analogy that Nike CEO Phil Knight has too much say and influence in University of Oregon athletic department decisions.
For example, Knight and Nike have single-handedly put the Oregon Ducks on the collegiate map, in terms on donations and market-branding for the university. Without that money, many teams would have to tighten budgets and do without, rather than focus on building winning programs.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
UO fans do splits on cheer as a sport
The Eugene Register-Guard takes a look at what Duck fans think about cheerleading as a scholarship sport. Personally, I think it's great for the Athletic Department, as well as for Title IX. I think more people will be interested in competitive cheer, than say, women's lacrosse.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Canzano: Bellotti's shot on Dixon was undeserved
John Canzano is spouting off again. So Oregon head football coach Mike Bellotti decides to talk publicly about his displeasure of Dennis Dixon taking off the summer to play baseball. Big deal!
Bellotti is within his right to do so. Not exactly tactful, but he's free to speak openly about it. Dixon should pick a sport, and leave it at that. You can't improve on past mistakes when you're running away and hiding from them, like Dixon did in baseball this summer.
Here's Canzano's blog post:
*Source - The Oregonian
Anyone else find Mike Bellotti's chiding of his quarterback/outfielder Dennis Dixon in today's Oregonian to be a little misplaced and foolish?
Dixon hit .188 (12 for 64) with no home runs in 24 games with the Braves' Gulf Coast Rookie League team. He struck out 18 times, walked 14 times and had only two extra-base hits. He cut his baseball season short to be back a month early.
Dixon missed valuable summer time with Oregon's new offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, but I'm not so sure the quarterback deserved the big hit he took from his own head coach this week at the Pac-10 Conference media day.
I mean, didn't Bellotti shamelessly chase that Ducks' athletic director job while it was open during the late spring? As long as we're killing dreams, wasn't Bellotti better served focusing that time on spring practice, recruiting and 2007-season preparation after a disappointing finish to the 2006 season? Maybe it's just me, but I don't think Bellotti is in position to single out another human being for wanting to explore an opportunity.
An obviously irked Bellotti told The Oregonian's John Hunt:
"The only upside I can see is that he learned that he really loved football and his teammates. And maybe he said, 'Hey, I'm a really good football player -- I might be a better football player than I am a baseball player."
Bellotti's essentially issuing a psychological code red to a guy who struggled mightily with confidence last season down the stretch. Brilliant, coach. Brilliant. I get that Bellotti is disappointed that Dixon, a fifth-round draft pick, wasn't around during the summer. I get that Bellotti wants the rest of his Ducks' teammates to understand that if they skip out on off-season training, they'll be given the equivalent of a coaching brush-back pitch. He established all that this week.
But there's something about the way Bellotti approached this that feels wrong.
Imagine Dixon standing around after BYU pummeled Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl last Dec. going, "The only upside I can see is that coach learned he really loved the Vegas shows. And maybe he said, 'Hey, I'm a really good regular-season coach -- I might be a better regular-season coach than I am a bowl coach.'"
Bellotti is within his right to do so. Not exactly tactful, but he's free to speak openly about it. Dixon should pick a sport, and leave it at that. You can't improve on past mistakes when you're running away and hiding from them, like Dixon did in baseball this summer.
Here's Canzano's blog post:
*Source - The Oregonian
Anyone else find Mike Bellotti's chiding of his quarterback/outfielder Dennis Dixon in today's Oregonian to be a little misplaced and foolish?
Dixon hit .188 (12 for 64) with no home runs in 24 games with the Braves' Gulf Coast Rookie League team. He struck out 18 times, walked 14 times and had only two extra-base hits. He cut his baseball season short to be back a month early.
Dixon missed valuable summer time with Oregon's new offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, but I'm not so sure the quarterback deserved the big hit he took from his own head coach this week at the Pac-10 Conference media day.
I mean, didn't Bellotti shamelessly chase that Ducks' athletic director job while it was open during the late spring? As long as we're killing dreams, wasn't Bellotti better served focusing that time on spring practice, recruiting and 2007-season preparation after a disappointing finish to the 2006 season? Maybe it's just me, but I don't think Bellotti is in position to single out another human being for wanting to explore an opportunity.
An obviously irked Bellotti told The Oregonian's John Hunt:
"The only upside I can see is that he learned that he really loved football and his teammates. And maybe he said, 'Hey, I'm a really good football player -- I might be a better football player than I am a baseball player."
Bellotti's essentially issuing a psychological code red to a guy who struggled mightily with confidence last season down the stretch. Brilliant, coach. Brilliant. I get that Bellotti is disappointed that Dixon, a fifth-round draft pick, wasn't around during the summer. I get that Bellotti wants the rest of his Ducks' teammates to understand that if they skip out on off-season training, they'll be given the equivalent of a coaching brush-back pitch. He established all that this week.
But there's something about the way Bellotti approached this that feels wrong.
Imagine Dixon standing around after BYU pummeled Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl last Dec. going, "The only upside I can see is that coach learned he really loved the Vegas shows. And maybe he said, 'Hey, I'm a really good regular-season coach -- I might be a better regular-season coach than I am a bowl coach.'"
UPDATE: Dixon turns in his glove, but still takes some jabs
*Source - The Oregonian
Coaches question the Oregon quarterback's decision to play baseball this summer
JOHN HUNT The Oregonian
LOS ANGELES -- Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon will be in Eugene today after his first season as a professional baseball player ended a few days early -- welcome news to Ducks coach Mike Bellotti, who clearly was unhappy with Dixon's multisport aspirations.
"The only upside I can see is that he learned that he really loved football and his teammates," Bellotti said Thursday in Los Angeles, where the Pacific-10 Conference held its annual media day. "And maybe he said, 'Hey, I'm a really good football player -- I might be a better football player than I am a baseball player.' "
Other Pac-10 coaches questioned Dixon's decision to pursue baseball -- he was a fifth-round pick by Atlanta in this year's draft -- although he will be trying to win back the leadership of Oregon's team after losing his starting job and gaining an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
"Obviously I wouldn't be real happy about it," Washington State coach Bill Doba said. "Can he hit?"
Dixon hit .188 with no home runs and five stolen bases in 24 games for Atlanta's Gulf Coast League rookie team, although he did draw 14 walks in 64 at-bats and his .342 on-base percentage was second on the team. Then he went 0 for 5 in a brief appearance for the rookie-level team in Danville, Va.
"Well," Doba said. "He should have stayed home."
Atlanta had expected to have Dixon's services until August. Although he's coming back to Oregon early, Dixon still missed valuable practice time, bonding time and learning time. But he did take his new playbook with him to Florida and got a visit from new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
Arizona coach Mike Stoops took a deep breath when told of Dixon's decision to pursue baseball before his senior season.
"For me to really accept that, he'd have to be really established," Stoops said. "Summer is one of the most important times of the year to be a leader of the team."
Dixon will face more second-guessing beginning Aug. 6, when the Ducks open fall camp. He still enters camp as the clear No. 1 quarterback, followed by Brady Leaf and Nathan Costa, although Bellotti insists that after the first few days of camp, the depth order will be "performance-driven."
"I expect him to be ready to go. I expect him to be excited about the opportunity to change people's impressions from last year," Bellotti said. "You have a certain backlog of experience and knowledge. I really expect him to be OK. Would it have been better to be here? Absolutely."
Bellotti even joked on the podium for media day, saying that Dixon was spending his time "reading pitches instead of reading defenses."
The other Pac-10 quarterbacks -- the conference has nine who started games last season -- took part in summer workouts, and it wasn't all about passing. Washington State's Alex Brink organized a team picnic. USC's John David Booty visited with NFL star Peyton Manning.
Of course, Manning wasn't in Eugene, and the Bootys and Mannings are family friends. But for Dixon, opportunities have been won and lost as he returns for today's senior preview day.
Bellotti has made it clear that decision-making at quarterback will be a key factor to his team's success this season, and he said he plans to alleviate Dixon of some of that.
"A lot of our offense is quarterback-driven, by what he sees at the line of scrimmage," Bellotti said. "But I think we're going to add some plays that don't require decision plays. We're trying to incorporate a few more of those plays to take some pressure off."
And perhaps being away from football, even it was to play another sport without great success, serves to take pressure off Dixon, too.
"It's hard to tell a kid he can't do something -- you're only young once," Doba said. "Sometimes you have to look at the individual, even though it's a team sport. And usually that works out for the team, also."
Coaches question the Oregon quarterback's decision to play baseball this summer
JOHN HUNT The Oregonian
LOS ANGELES -- Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon will be in Eugene today after his first season as a professional baseball player ended a few days early -- welcome news to Ducks coach Mike Bellotti, who clearly was unhappy with Dixon's multisport aspirations.
"The only upside I can see is that he learned that he really loved football and his teammates," Bellotti said Thursday in Los Angeles, where the Pacific-10 Conference held its annual media day. "And maybe he said, 'Hey, I'm a really good football player -- I might be a better football player than I am a baseball player.' "
Other Pac-10 coaches questioned Dixon's decision to pursue baseball -- he was a fifth-round pick by Atlanta in this year's draft -- although he will be trying to win back the leadership of Oregon's team after losing his starting job and gaining an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
"Obviously I wouldn't be real happy about it," Washington State coach Bill Doba said. "Can he hit?"
Dixon hit .188 with no home runs and five stolen bases in 24 games for Atlanta's Gulf Coast League rookie team, although he did draw 14 walks in 64 at-bats and his .342 on-base percentage was second on the team. Then he went 0 for 5 in a brief appearance for the rookie-level team in Danville, Va.
"Well," Doba said. "He should have stayed home."
Atlanta had expected to have Dixon's services until August. Although he's coming back to Oregon early, Dixon still missed valuable practice time, bonding time and learning time. But he did take his new playbook with him to Florida and got a visit from new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
Arizona coach Mike Stoops took a deep breath when told of Dixon's decision to pursue baseball before his senior season.
"For me to really accept that, he'd have to be really established," Stoops said. "Summer is one of the most important times of the year to be a leader of the team."
Dixon will face more second-guessing beginning Aug. 6, when the Ducks open fall camp. He still enters camp as the clear No. 1 quarterback, followed by Brady Leaf and Nathan Costa, although Bellotti insists that after the first few days of camp, the depth order will be "performance-driven."
"I expect him to be ready to go. I expect him to be excited about the opportunity to change people's impressions from last year," Bellotti said. "You have a certain backlog of experience and knowledge. I really expect him to be OK. Would it have been better to be here? Absolutely."
Bellotti even joked on the podium for media day, saying that Dixon was spending his time "reading pitches instead of reading defenses."
The other Pac-10 quarterbacks -- the conference has nine who started games last season -- took part in summer workouts, and it wasn't all about passing. Washington State's Alex Brink organized a team picnic. USC's John David Booty visited with NFL star Peyton Manning.
Of course, Manning wasn't in Eugene, and the Bootys and Mannings are family friends. But for Dixon, opportunities have been won and lost as he returns for today's senior preview day.
Bellotti has made it clear that decision-making at quarterback will be a key factor to his team's success this season, and he said he plans to alleviate Dixon of some of that.
"A lot of our offense is quarterback-driven, by what he sees at the line of scrimmage," Bellotti said. "But I think we're going to add some plays that don't require decision plays. We're trying to incorporate a few more of those plays to take some pressure off."
And perhaps being away from football, even it was to play another sport without great success, serves to take pressure off Dixon, too.
"It's hard to tell a kid he can't do something -- you're only young once," Doba said. "Sometimes you have to look at the individual, even though it's a team sport. And usually that works out for the team, also."
Falcons rally around Joey Harrington (with video)
Source: AP
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - At virtually the same time Michael Vick was pleading not guilty to federal dogfighting charges in Richmond, Va., on Thursday, the Falcons opened training camp in the Atlanta suburbs with all sorts of distractions.
Protesters out front. That plane flying overhead. And Joey Harrington at quarterback instead of No. 7.
The Falcons called it the first day of moving on without their most dynamic and visible player. They held a morning meeting to let everyone air their feelings about the ugly charges against Vick, any bitterness they might feel toward him for getting into this mess, and the very real possibility that he won't play for Atlanta this season, if ever again.
Then it was time to get down to business. There's just over six weeks to go until the Sept. 9 opener at Minnesota.
"I'm not trying to fill anyone's shoes,'' said Harrington, who signed with the Falcons expecting to be Vick's backup. "Mike is one of if not the most talented player ever to play this game. There's no getting around that. He's an athletic phenomenon. My job is not to try to fill his shoes. My job is to win games.''
Instead of having one of the league's most dynamic players at that crucial position, the Falcons are forced to go with Harrington, whose career has been a huge bust since he was taken third overall in the 2002 draft.
His career record as a starter is 23-43, and he's already lost the No. 1 job in both Detroit and Miami.
"We're going to rally behind Joey,'' linebacker Keith Brooking vowed. "We're going to give him our full support and let him know we're there for him.''
Joey is saying all the right things. This is his team, and I truly hope this is Joey's breakout year, so he can show all the naysayers that he really is a good quarterback.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - At virtually the same time Michael Vick was pleading not guilty to federal dogfighting charges in Richmond, Va., on Thursday, the Falcons opened training camp in the Atlanta suburbs with all sorts of distractions.
Protesters out front. That plane flying overhead. And Joey Harrington at quarterback instead of No. 7.
The Falcons called it the first day of moving on without their most dynamic and visible player. They held a morning meeting to let everyone air their feelings about the ugly charges against Vick, any bitterness they might feel toward him for getting into this mess, and the very real possibility that he won't play for Atlanta this season, if ever again.
Then it was time to get down to business. There's just over six weeks to go until the Sept. 9 opener at Minnesota.
"I'm not trying to fill anyone's shoes,'' said Harrington, who signed with the Falcons expecting to be Vick's backup. "Mike is one of if not the most talented player ever to play this game. There's no getting around that. He's an athletic phenomenon. My job is not to try to fill his shoes. My job is to win games.''
Instead of having one of the league's most dynamic players at that crucial position, the Falcons are forced to go with Harrington, whose career has been a huge bust since he was taken third overall in the 2002 draft.
His career record as a starter is 23-43, and he's already lost the No. 1 job in both Detroit and Miami.
"We're going to rally behind Joey,'' linebacker Keith Brooking vowed. "We're going to give him our full support and let him know we're there for him.''
Joey is saying all the right things. This is his team, and I truly hope this is Joey's breakout year, so he can show all the naysayers that he really is a good quarterback.
UO's Dixon gets call-up to Danville
*Source - Eugene Register Guard
Oregon senior quarterback and minor league baseball outfielder Dennis Dixon went from last place to first with his promotion this week to the Danville Braves of the rookie Applachian League.
Located in Danville, Va., Dixon's new team is 23-10 atop the East Division. The Gulf Coast League Braves, his former club, is 8-25 in the GCL North.
Dixon, a right fielder drafted by Atlanta on the fifth round in June, batted .188 in 24 games with the GCL Braves with a double, triple and six RBIs. He stole five bases and had 18 strikeouts in 64 at-bats with 14 walks for an on-base percentage of .342.
At Danville, Dixon is hitless in nine at-bats in his first three games.
With stats like these, I don't understand how he would get called up. The only thing I can figure is that he must be amazing in the outfield. Soon, it'll be time to put down the bat, and come to the Ducks training camp.
Oregon senior quarterback and minor league baseball outfielder Dennis Dixon went from last place to first with his promotion this week to the Danville Braves of the rookie Applachian League.
Located in Danville, Va., Dixon's new team is 23-10 atop the East Division. The Gulf Coast League Braves, his former club, is 8-25 in the GCL North.
Dixon, a right fielder drafted by Atlanta on the fifth round in June, batted .188 in 24 games with the GCL Braves with a double, triple and six RBIs. He stole five bases and had 18 strikeouts in 64 at-bats with 14 walks for an on-base percentage of .342.
At Danville, Dixon is hitless in nine at-bats in his first three games.
With stats like these, I don't understand how he would get called up. The only thing I can figure is that he must be amazing in the outfield. Soon, it'll be time to put down the bat, and come to the Ducks training camp.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Will Dixon get necessary confidence from baseball?
Oregon Ducks QB Dennis Dixon, drafted earlier this year by the Atlanta Braves, is playing baseball this summer, rather than working out with his team. Brian Meehan of The Oregonian says that the experience will help Dixon gain confidence on the football field. I still don't see how that is. Dixon's confidence is already shaken after last year. And, his baseball stats aren't that impressive either: .179 batting average, with 6 RBI's in 67 at-bats in 25 games total. How will that help him again? I'm sorry Brian, it won't help him improve in football or in bonding with teammates in Eugene.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Colin Cowherd to replace Dan Patrick on ESPN?
This was posted on Oregon Media Insiders a few days ago, with the Oregonian's John Canzano suggesting that ESPN sports radio guy Colin Cowherd replace Dan Patrick. I'm all for the move, even though many listeners have a disdain for Cowherd. He's brought ratings, and he's controversial. All the makings for excellent sports radio.
Something new...
Now that I have an RSS feed of my blog, I'm going to try something new. I'm going to use this as a launching point for stories and information about Oregon teams, that will automatically direct to other sites, like FanIQ.com. Hey, at least I don't have to wonder if my thoughts will be published. I'll also have appearances from notable sports fans, like Isabel322, and my wife, Linda. Look for stuff from local and national sports news on this blog. Thanks.
Todd
Todd
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