Good Time of Year

Opening the Oregonian today led to a surprising and welcome sight. Actual sports news and thoughts that were relevant to sports fans. I can only take so much on fishing and brief stories from around the baseball world. With football underway and the Blazers training camp nearing, things are looking up in Oregon.

All I ask of the Mariners is to keep me interested until August so they can then turn it over to football...which they've done.

So a quick look at the Oregonian reveals that John Canzano thinks Mike Bellotti has been skating by which I agree with to some degree.

I think it a big time school, Bellotti would have been forced to clean out his desk the day after the arse kicking administered by BYU in the Vegas Bowl, but being the Dean of the Pac-10 gives you a little bit of leeway. Trouble is, since the Fiesta Bowl, arguably Oregon's crowning moment under Bellotti, the team has really been average. For all the money and resources they pour into the program, they haven't necessarily been re-paid with wins. According to the boys at Coaches Hot Seat, Bellotti is behind Mike Riley, Bill Doba, Karl Dorrell, Mike Stoops and Jeff Tedford in cost per win ranking. Not sure what significance that holds, but I think Canzano presents a few valid points on Bellotti.

I would counter that Oregon would be wise to not fall into the never-ending trap of hiring and firing coaches. Getting into that cycle is difficult for programs to get out of and Oregon, despite it's money and resources is probably still a second tier gig (if not lower) nationally. There will always be somewhere higher for a young coach to go. Bellotti was once courted by Notre Dame and Ohio State but stayed with Oregon. That kind of loyalty needs to be re-paid in my mind.

Of course had he gone, Jeff Tedford might have been named coach...nevermind.

------------------------------------UPDATE-----------------------------------------
SI's Stewart Mandel has an interesting idea about Bellotti in this article. He claims, and I think he's spot on, that Phil Knight will have a lot to do with Bellotti's job security. As a huge fan and bigtime booster, I'm sure he'll make his opinion known if things don't improve soon. And Phil's opinion is pretty important in Eugene.


There is another school in Oregon (other than Oregon and Oregon State) and it's Portland State, that urban school in the Big Sky Conference. Previously irrelevant until the arrival of Jerry Glanville, who immediately brought in some style and panache to the program. Tim Walsh was a great man and a good coach, but cmon, it's Jerry Glanville!

Taking a page from the Ducks down the road, Portland State has broken out it's own terrible uniforms. Glanville has some funny comments about the uniforms in this article. I think that Glanville will be a well-liked addition to the sports fraternity in Oregon. Besides, I think he will win at Portland State and bringing Mouse Davis home from Hawaii was a major major coup. Look for PSU to become a good Big Sky team and look further for Oregon and Oregon State to decline to play the Viks in a few years.

Now comes word out of Corvallis of an imminent quarterback battle for the Beavers. Perhaps Riley didn't want to play Canfield last year because he just wasn't that good. I don't know, but the majority of Beaver fans wanted Matt Moore out but the oft maligned senior rebounded to have a pretty good year and left on a high note. Now, Canfield is neck and neck with Lyle Moevao for the QB job.

Oregon State is the only Pac-10 needing to break in a new QB. Optimism is high in Corvallis with several returnees including RB Yvenson Bernard. But the Beavs will roll out an unproven quarterback this fall and that QB will surely cost them a game or two. Canfield has supposedly been the golden child since he first set foot on campus. Moevao has been more of an unknown but has grown on players, coaches and the media.

My guess is that Canfield starts but Moevao gets some playing time and eventually becomes Oregon State's next Jonathan Smith.

In Blazer news, the organization announced a couple of 10 game packages for those unwilling (like me) to fork over the big bucks for season tickets. One of the packages includes a "big game package" which includes teams like Phoenix, San Antonio, Detroit and the like. I guess the question is, would you rather see Portland win or see a good team and maybe lose?

Finally, back to the Ducks. It seams that Oregon is seeking to play Boise State in in China in 2009. Calling it "very Oregon", UO director of football operations says "you like to be on the edge. You like to be the first." Oregon was also the first team on the West Coast to add an indoor practice facility. Also the first team to add a space-age locker-room with a door that opens up and down instead of like those normal wimpy doors other teams have. Unfortunately, they were also the first to have uniforms like this.

However, like the Mo Center I think a game in China is an amazing idea. Yes, China is the new frontier for US sports, everyone is trying to capture that market and the enormous population. But this will be an incredible experience for the Duck players, coaches and staffers. It may also help recruiting if players think they'll have a chance to visit some far off land on the university's dime. I mean China is no Pullman but it's close.