Since I missed out on tickets yesterday I may be having to get creative to watch the Beavs in the Super Regional. I still have one more shot tommorrow since there are some tix being released from Stanford. But barring that, I'm gonna have to get creative.
Oregon State Daily Barometer Online - Some baseball fans find creative ways to watch
Today five more Beavers were drafted by major league baseball teams.
Five More OSU Players Picked On Day Two Of MLB Draft - Official Site of Oregon State Athletics
Here's the list:
Round 19, #566: Tyler Graham, San Francisco Giants
Round 19, #584: Chris Kunda, New York Yankees
Round 28, #837: Shea McFeely, Arizona Diamondbacks (Same place as Dallas Buck)
Round 41, #1246: Mitch Canham, St. Louis Cardinals
Round 48, #1435: Jon Koller, New York Mets
Wow. That's a lot of players. My guess is that Canham stays. He could have a breakout type year next year and get drafted on the first day perhaps.
Good luck to all of the drafted Beavs!
On a different note, Mike Parker is blogging. It may not be a full "blog" but it's close. Check it out here:
Behind the Mike
Through 17 rounds in the MLB draft.
Major League Baseball : Events : 2006 Draft
Here's the Beavers who have been drafted so far:
Round 3, #86: Dallas Buck, Arizona Diamondbacks
Round 3, #92: Cole Gillespie, Milwaukee Brewers
Round 5, #160: Kevin Gunderson, Atlanta Braves
Round 7, #202: Jonah Nickerson, Detroit Tigers
Not sure about our incoming freshman yet, the draft tracker sure is hard to navigate...
Oh well, there goes the big three. We now need a new generation of stud pitchers to come in and help dominate the pac-10! The good news is that it's less likely that a junior hitter drafted now will go pro (Canham, Sanchi, Lissman, etc).
Another great regional for the Beaver baseball team. It mirrored last season in many ways. A tough first game with last inning heroics. Then a pretty easy rest of the way.
Hopefully the super regional is a nice 2 game sweep and back to the CWS!
Tickets go on sale this morning at 8:30!
Go Beavs!
Ah man. Great comeback, but being the visiting team just made it too tough to win. The worst is that the Beaver Online video went out in about the 7th inning after the restart. I was able to listen to the end on the radio, but there was a ton of static.
The Beavs looked a little nervous, but I think that the nerves will be gone for game two. Hopefully they can pull out a win. Someone has to break the CWS jinx!
No. 7 Softball Drops 3-2 Extra Inning Heartbreaker To No. 2 Arizona In Women's College World Series - Official Site of Oregon State Athletics
The Beaver softball is on a mission this year. That comeback against Cal was awesome. I came back from the memorial day and had all kinds of good Beaver news! Beavs finally break through to the Softball CWS and the baseball team is hosting another regional!
The game is televised this morning so get those TiVos going!
Cambria Miranda And Brianne McGowan Earn Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America Honors
Making its inaugural appearance in the NCAA Women’s College World Series, No. 7 seeded Oregon State will face No. 2 seeded Arizona in Thursday’s first round contest. Game-time is scheduled for 10 a.m. PDT and will be televised on ESPN2.
For those who haven't seen the new Reser stadium sculpture since last football season, here's a photo I found on Flickr. This is how it looks at night (without the Reser lights on).
Reser Stadium - Football Glow on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Also, for those interested, here's some of the negative feedback about the sculpture.
The first published editorial on the new face of the football sculpture in front of OSU
Probably no Super-regional this time, but hosting another regional is huge!
OSU Finishes Regular Season No. 8 In USA Today/ESPN Poll - Official Site of Oregon State Athletics
Get those tickets today!
I love finding this stuff. Here's another Flickr photo stream with some great Beaver football photos:
BrittElizabeth's photostream
Here's some more I found a week ago:
A huge collection of OSU Beavers football photos on Flickr
Congrats to the Beaver softball team for winning the Corvallis regional and moving on to the Super Regional!
Huge weekend for the Beaver baseball team after scoring 10 runs or more three straight games to sweep the WSU Cougars. Only one win away from a second consecutive Pac-10 championship. A series win against the Bruins would probably make the Beavers a lock for a regional.
Here are some random articles that appeared over the last few days that I thought were interesting:
Sprague shortshop is a fielder of dreams - StatesmanJournal.com
Beavers come calling for Morales - LA Daily News
Yliniemi assigned to AFL2 team - StatesmanJournal.com
I found another Beaver photo stream on Flickr. This one is a motherload with 1200 beaver pics. Great close-ups of the players and even some nostalga with some photos from 2002.
Thanks Greg Keene for these great pics!
Flickr: Photos from gregkeene
Somehow missed this one:
OSU Softball Regional Games Live on Radio - Official Site of Oregon State Athletics
Oregon State's NCAA Softball Regional games will be carried live on radio in the greater Corvallis area on KTHH 990 AM (Clear Channel)
It's only one game, but the Beavers look like they may be ready for another late season run. After a little lineup tweak by coach Casey they Beavs have been hitting much better. We need Mitch Canham back and driving in runs for us and it looks like he might be ready to start doing that again after 5 RBI and a HR against WSU. I hope this trend continues becasue the Beavs need a strong finish so that they can peak in the CWS instead on the regional this year.
Buck, Canham power OSU, 16-1 - Corvallis Gazette-Times
The first game result for the Beavs softball team seems eerily similar to the baseball team last season. The first game was a struggle and they need some late inning heroics to pull it out. Well, this was a similar game for the softball team as they needed to manufacture a run in their last at bat to win 2-1 over Nevada. Hopefully now they we continue to mirror the 2005 baseball regional and beat Baylor by about 10 runs.
OSU rallies past Nevada - StatesmanJournal.com
“I’m really excited to get the first win coming out for regionals be-cause the years before we always lost the first game,” said McGowan, who tossed a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts. “So getting the first win is huge for our team.”
For those interested in listening to some of the other games at the Corvallis softball regional, check out the PSU website. Looks like they are streaming the games for free. Could be good to know if PSU plays OSU later in the tournament.
GoViks.com - Live Audio Broadcast
You can also get the Beavers games on OSUBeavers.com if you are a subscriber.
Well, the posts are going to get further and further apart as we head into summer. Between moving and my summer trip to Europe, I'll do my best. I'll be back strong for football season.
Here's some info on the Softball team that I found. They are hosting an NCAA regional this weekend and if they win they will host the super regional as well. This year they could be setup for their best shot at the College Softball World Series ever.
First game is against Nevada on Friday. Go Beavs!
Softball nabs No. 7 seed, will host regional
The Beavers have a 20-14 overall record in their seven previous trips to the Regional Tournament and have reached the championship game on five occasions (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005) before being eliminated. OSU is the only Pac-10 school never to have gone to the World Series.
Last year, the Beavers were shipped across the country after claiming a share of the Pac-10 title, but ace Brianne McGowan's squad gets to stay in Corvallis this year, thanks in part to the success of nearby Portland State. With two tournament teams representing different conferences coming out of Oregon, awarding the regional to Oregon State was both practical and overdue. This will be the eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Beavers, but it's the first time they'll be playing at home.
[...]
I'm also looking forward to the potential Pac-10 punch of California vs. Oregon State. The Beavers and Bears have met three times this year; Thorson shut out Oregon State twice, but the Beavers made the necessary strides and swiped a 4-2 win the third time around at home in Corvallis. These teams are not strangers; they have no secret weapons to release. They will each need some scrappy strategy to advance.
[...]
5A. Which eight teams will reach Oklahoma City?
Buckheit: UCLA, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia, Oregon State and Arizona.
Hays: UCLA, Michigan, Alabama, Northwestern, Texas, Georgia, Cal, and Arizona.
Whoa, I missed this ESPN article on OSU Softball and it's rise on the national scene. Great profile of the team and has to be an amazing recruiting tool for Kirk Walker.
ESPN.com - NCAA - Hays: McGowan missing gem on Oregon State's roster
The main reason I chose Oregon State was that I loved it when I took my trip here," McGowan said about her choice. "The team was amazing, and the town seemed like a great place to spend four years. And it turns out I was right."
[...]
Despite not having any of the 12 best individual batting averages among Pac-10 players, the Beavers are the conference's best hitting team with a .313 collective average. And they aren't all singles. Only UCLA and Arizona State have more home runs, and only Washington has more doubles.
Paced most of the season by 5-foot-1 sparkplug Mia Longfellow (hitting .364 with 15 extra-base hits), the Beavers have survived the typically tough transition to a steady diet of Pac-10 pitching thanks in large part to McGowan's pitching and sophomore Cambria Miranda's hitting.
As a freshman, Miranda led the team with a .324 average last spring, but that number hid a .175 average in conference play. But like any great hitter, Miranda made adjustments and is hitting .361 with five home runs in 11 conference games this season.
[...]
Softball country is what you make of it.
And these days, the Beavers have made quite a bit of it in Corvallis.
For those interested in how the rest of the Pac-10 teams did this spring, here is ESPN's view (written by Seattle writer Ted Miller).
ESPN.com - NCF - Pac-10 team-by-team spring guide
Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State had two glaring -- glaring -- deficiencies last season: pass defense and quarterback Matt Moore. Both appear improved after spring practices concluded. Moore -- who tossed 19 interceptions with only 11 touchdowns -- appears to have a far better grasp of the offense. His life also should be easier because he's surrounded by an experienced offense, including tailback Yvenson Bernard, five returning starters on the offensive line and a solid if unspectacular receiving corps that has been fortified by the return from injury of tight end Joe Newton.
The secondary produced the nation's worst pass defense a year ago, yielding 300 yards per game and 31 touchdowns passes. It showed some spunk this spring. It also should benefit from improved play on the defensive line. The Beavers produced just 22 sacks, tied for last in the Pac-10. That lack of pressure didn't help the secondary. Spring showed that there appears to be capable depth on the line, with tackles Pernell Booth, Curtis Coker, Naymon Frank and Ben Siegert as well as ends Joe Lemma, Joe Rudulph, Dorian Smith and Jeff Van Orsow making it appear an eight-man rotation is possible.
The #5 ranked Beavers are starting to get more National publicity lately. Here's a new article previewing this weekend's matchup with UW and spotlighting tonight's pitching duel:
BaseballAmerica.com: College: College Weekend Preview: May 5-7
Beaver baseball looks like it setting up the pitching staff of the future for next year and are taking them from UW's back yard. That's what I like to see.
On Campus | PortlandTribune.com
"Oregon State has signed four JC baseball players out of Washington, including three from the state’s top-ranked team, Lower Columbia — pitchers D.J. Lidyard and Kyle Foster and shortstop Drew George.
The Beavers also will regain the services of pitcher Josh Keller, who played for them a year ago but was sent to Lower Columbia to get more innings. Keller is 6-0 with an 0.90 ERA. The 6-4, 235-pound righty from Cleveland High, who redshirted at OSU last year, allowed two hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk in a 7-0 win over Grays Harbor on Sunday.
Lidyard, a 6-3, 230-pound right-hander, is 6-2 with a 1.76 ERA. “D.J. tops out at about 95 mph,” says L-C coach Kelly Smith, an assistant for Jack Dunn at Portland State from 1984 to ‘90. “It’s a tossup who is No. 1 for us, Josh or D.J. They’ve both been outstanding.”
The other JC signee is Columbia Basin first/third baseman Steve Marquardt."
I hope Keith sticks at Buffalo. He could be a great special teams guy for a year while he learns, then maybe gets in there in spot situations as an OLB. He could be an awesome 3rd down LB for sure.
Buffalo News - Long wait puts chip on shoulder of fourth-round pick
"When you're a late-round draft pick, it never hurts to do a little bit of everything. Keith Ellison's versatility may earn him a spot on the Bills' roster.
The Bills took the Oregon State star in the sixth round because of his ability to play all three linebacker spots.
'You like it when you get a guy at this point in the draft that can give you a lot of help in different ways,' said Bills scout Brad Forsythe. 'He's going to be able to do that with no problem mentally.'
Versatility is nothing new to Ellison. He played quarterback, linebacker and safety in high school. He played exclusively at strong safety in junior college before making the switch to outside linebacker after transferring to Oregon State.
He adapted very well to the new position, recording 251/2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 23 games with the Beavers.
'Starting at safety helped me to play outside linebacker,' he said. 'I was able to play out in space and I was able to cover running backs and tight ends. Just the experience of playing safety I think it's going to translate well to the skills I need at linebacker.' "
Hey, I remember there was a Beaver fan who was inventing something like this a few years ago. Not sure if this is the same guy or if someone beat him to the punch, but it's a cool gadget regardless.
So what is it?
DelayPlayRadio lets you sync FM audio with cable or satellite sports broadcasts - Engadget
Well, basically it lets you manually delay a radio broadcast to sync to exactly with a TV broadcast. So now you can listen to Mike and Jim instead of some less knowledgeable nation broadcasters.
Pretty cool.
Here's the product website: DelayPlay. It's not cheap and I have no idea if it works, but hey if it's REALLY important to sync radio with TV, then maybe it's for you.
Well, the spring game was interesting. No one was amazing, but at least the guys who are supposed to be leading the team next year looked good. The D overall was pretty good too. The passing game sure had trouble getting going, so hopefully that's a good sign (for the secondary).
Joe Newton, Sabby, Wheat-Brown, and Marcel Love all had good days. Matt Moore looked decent and is very mobile after knee surgery. Dorian Smith was getting in the backfield a lot, but not really getting to the QB. However, sacks were hard to recognize because the QBs couldn't be touched. The linebackers looked good and I think we will have no problem at that position.
Gundy had a good day, but he was playing against mainly walk-ons towards the end. Canfield didn't look like he's ready to start, but definitely has some good tools.
All of the RBs looked pretty good. Polk played a ton and looked good. Fuller looked good early, but didn't play much after the 1st quarter (why?). And a walk-on from Bend, Stewart, had a really good day.
There were some interesting quotes from the GT on the game:
Defense rules the spring
“I think this spring our defense as a whole stepped it up,” defensive end Jeff Van Orsow said. “We’re starting to get back to where we were, on top of the Pac-10 (in defense).”
...
“Their intensity has so much to do with the way they played,” quarterback Matt Moore said of the entire defense. “The secondary is playing awesome, and they are going to be one of the best next year.”
Going into the summer, the Beavers must develop the receivers. The players know it, so they plan to spend extra time working out on their own.
“It was hard all spring because we were missing Sammie and Anthony,” Moore said. “It’s a long summer. If we can do it last year, with working with me for a first time, and now the experience we have working together, we’ll be fine.”
If this happens, I'm gonna hurl.
Apparently, the story about Reggie Bush's family not paying rent at a nice house in LA may have some positive ramifications for the Ducks (Bush's family never paid rent - FanBlogs).
Why? Well, one of the possible penalties is having USC forfeit all games Bush played in (Bush investigation could lead to USC forfeits - FanBlogs). Yikes. That would mean...Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! That would mean that officially the Ducks would have had an undefeated regular season and, thus, win the Pac-10 title. Yuck. (Oregon Ducks: Undefeated 2005 Pac10 champs? - FanBlogs)
Anything but that!
It's spring game day and that means looking ahead to next season. MDG posted a nice list of all the Pac-10 schedules for 2006. Check it out here:
mdg CFB: Pac 10 Schedules
Oregon State
9-2-06 EASTERN WASHINGTON
9-9-06 at Boise State
9-23-06 IDAHO
9-30-06 CALIFORNIA
10-7-06 WASHINGTON STATE
10-14-06 at Washington
10-21-06 at Arizona
10-28-06 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
11-4-06 ARIZONA STATE
11-11-06 at UCLA
11-18-06 at Stanford
11-25-06 OREGON
12-2-06 at Hawai'i
It's too early for predictions, but he has us going 6-6. That, my friends, would not be acceptable.
Anyone else notice that the story about Matt Moore in today's Oregonian (What a difference a year makes) had a HUGE photo of Ryan Gunderson. Yep, pretty sure that Moore doesn't wear #10. Oops.
Oh, I guess some people did notice.
Here's the blog about it from Buker:
Behind the Beavers Beat
Then I pick up the O. off my front porch, and I've got a horrible flashback: please God, not again. Tell me we haven't mis-identified another OSU football picture.
Tell me we haven't told readers that Ryan Gunderson is Matt Moore. Again.
"Dad, maybe somebody at your office really likes Ryan Gunderson,'' my son says helpfully.
Hey, I like Ryan Gunderson, too. His parents live in my neighborhood.
But c'mon, he doesn't look like Matt Moore, and a jersey with No. 10 should not be mistaken for a jersey with No. 8. (If it will help the copy editors any, here is a mugshot of Moore without his helmet on taken from his freshman year at UCLA.)
Here's a great blog post from Paul Buker (I think) on the Oregonian's Behind the Beavers Beat blog.
He talks about how ridiculous it is that Mike Hass seems to be slipping in the draft to maybe not even first day material. That's just plain ridiculous. Just watch the tapes! He has made more amazing catches at OSU in the last 3 years than I've seen ever.
Mike is going to make some GM that picks him in the 3rd round look like a genius. Especially when he becomes the next Steve Largent.
OregonLive.com: Behind The Beavers Beat
I've been covering football for 38 years. ... Hass will be a good NFL WR. .. what I see is a kid who is a hellacious downfield blocker, much like the Steelers' Hines Ward. ... he's a kid with a mean streak who won't have any problems handling the physicality of the NFL. ... and as for his ability to go up in a crowd and come down with the ball?
Aw man, I cannot wait for this weekend. It's going to be a Beaver Sports-fest for me. I'll start the weekend off with some baseball, then move to football, and maybe finish up with a little softball.
The baseball team is rolling. I'll ignore that loss to UP on Tuesday since they went back to form tonight with the 3-0 shutout win. Dallas dominating again.
It's spring been feeling a lot like summer lately which must mean it's time for some Spring Football. I like the fact that they are going back to two competitive teams.
For those who want something to listen to it sounds like KEJO (1240) is broadcasting the game and will have some cool interviews and sideline stuff. Might want to bring a portable radio. Of course, that will be GREAT for those tailgating the scrimmage.
Spring Game Saturday -- Ticket Information Included
The game can be heard live over KEJO (1240 AM) in the mid-Willamette Valley and KKNX (840 AM) in Eugene. The game will also be broadcast – live audio/video – through Beaver Nation Online. The broadcast group will include Mike Parker (BSN), Jim Wilson (BSN), Steve Preece (FSN and BSN), Bob Akamian (FSN), Javier Cervantes (KWBY) and FSN's Todd Mansfield and Cathy Marshall patrolling the sidelines. Marshall and Mansfield will be interviewing Head Coach Mike Riley and others during the actual game
I was cut off for Beaver Sports this weekend (last weekend to ski/board at Mt. Bachelor) and missed how the beavs were doing against Cal. There's nothing better than coming home and seeing the sweep.
OSU Completes Baseball Sweep At Cal With 9-7 Win
The baseball team is finally putting it all together. Perfect timing too. Just in time for the stretch run. At 28-9 overall and 9-3 in the Pac-10 they are poised to make another great post-season run!
I'm happy to see Chris Kunda rebound from last year and be hitting so strong. One of the better stories on the team this year. Of course Cole Gillespie is doing awesome. That guy is just plain hot.
We've got a ton of home games coming up this week with Portland again on Tuesday, then New Mexico and Cal Poly on Thursday - Sunday. Sweet! The weather is perfect. Time to watch some baseball!
If you haven't driven by Reser Stadium in a while then you haven't seen the latest changes to the football sculpture out front. There are now glowing X's and O's on the outside. During the day, the glass reflects the sun and changes color depending on what angle you look at it. At night, there are lights inside each X and O that also change color depending on what angle you look at it (I'll try to get some pics next week).
Well, I kinda like that concept and don't mind the sculpture too much. But, I've had family members with less than glowing assessments of the thing. And even though I like the cool glowing features, it isn't completely ascetically pleasing.
Here's what the Darrin Crescenzi wrote in the Barometer:
Oregon State Daily Barometer Online - At Reser, a glowing orb of humiliation
Somehow, I don’t think the reaction will be positive. This statue, the icing on the our new half-stadium cake, will prove more than groan-worthy enough for Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon to devote five minutes to it on “Pardon the Interruption.” It is groan-worthy enough to get five minutes on “Sportscenter” or “Around the Horn” or “The Best Damn Sports Show, Period.”
Nothing about OSU earns that much television time. The statue is just groan-worthy enough to become what our university is famous for.
Isn’t it really strange how nobody on campus is talking about this monstrosity yet? It’s just like the rest of America’s stance on the South; it’s far too depressing to think about, so we just pretend it doesn’t exist.
I’m an art major with a high tolerance for stupidity. I get Pollock’s drip paintings. I get Rothko’s fields of color. I get Barrett Newman’s “zips” and Serra’s “Tilted Arc” and Duchamp’s “Fountain.”
But I don’t get a giant glowing football. The thing looks like John Madden had an epileptic fit while holding an erector set and a pack of Highlighter™ brand highlighters.
OK, so could the OSU athletic marketing dept. have done a worse job promoting the NCAA National Championships to Beaver fans? What I want to know is how come I hadn't heard that the Beavers made it to the NCAA Championships for the first time in 3 or 4 years? That normally wouldn't bother me, except the championships are in Corvallis!
So I'm gonna go cheer on the Beaver gymnastics ladies tonight and think to myself what a wasted opportunity the OSU marketing dept. since Gill probably won't be close to sold out.
On another note, I think its a bad move to start charging for softball, soccer, etc. They had great crowds supporting the teams the last few years when it was free. Now the crowds will be probably 50% as big and they're going to get an extra $7000 / year in gate revenues. Great. I hope that money goes a long way. Because you're losing goodwill from within the community. The only people who really go to those games for the "olympic" sports are parents, high schoolers in the area, and Corvallis/local residents. Maybe it won't affect attendance. But my guess is that it will. Anyways, I thought it was very cool when they made all of those events free a few years ago. Now I'm disappointed that they would take it back just to make enough money to pay for one in state scholarship. Maybe.
I'll stop ranting before I get to billboards, radio, and promotion of the Beaver brand.
So I went to the spring scrimmage today and was fairly impressed with some of the younger guys. It's hard to know without allowing sacks and real tackling what's really happening, but a few of guys impressed me.
Derek Doggett and Patrick Fuller look bigger to me. I think they hit the weight room hard in the offseason. Patrick might be a bit of a sleeper (oops, I just had my fantasy baseball draft last weekend). He looked bigger and better than last year. He made a couple of really good runs. Hitting the hole fast.
Sammy Straughter was pretty vocal. And he looked good. I think he will be the next good possession type receiver. I think he's fast too, but he can catch.
Other than that, Matt Moore looked like he throwing well. Canfield looked good too. It was great to see Joe Newton out there again.
I'm going to try to get a few pics from Saturday's scrimmage.
I just heard an interview with Steve Coury, Lake Oswego HS football coach, about Gabe Miller and his ruptured achilles tendon. Great interview by Mike Parker.
To summarize, he said that the surgery went well. The doctor said it had kept some of it's structure. Steve said he thought the injury was about a 6 on a 1 to 10 scale. Also, he said that the injury should take about 9 months to be fully recovered.
The Jason Fyda saga continues. He left a comment on an old story from Sept. 22 of last year. If you're interested, check out his side of the story here:
Jason's OSU Beavers Blog: Article on former Beaver Jason Fyda
I got this list on FAQs from the Beaver E-Clips newsletter that comes out every week or so. Just thought it had a ton of good info so I reposted it here.
This special edition of Beaver Eclips is being sent in response to requests from many Alumni Association members for more information about the university's decision to limit acrobatic stunting by its cheerleaders. Here is a statement released Monday afternoon by Luanne M. Lawrence, Vice President, University Advancement:
"Over the last week the media and Internet sources have reported changes to the Oregon State University cheerleading program. Unfortunately, much of the information has been misinterpreted or has been incorrect. With this e-mail, we would like to bring clarity to what is emerging through the Athletics Department in regard to OSU cheerleading.
"Nationally, colleges and universities are looking at safety concerns stemming from cheerleading stunts. According to the NCAA, cheerleading is the second-most "catastrophic injury-" prone activity. This year’s NCAA basketball championships barred stunting and reflect concern that has grown even more significantly as high visibility accidents, such as the recent Southern Illinois incident, brings to light the dangers of stunting. In the PAC-10, universities such as USC, Cal and UCLA have joined others like Nebraska and Duke in banning stunting during athletic activities. OSU is one of a number of programs across the country to examine the safety and support we provide to our students who participate in this high-risk activity.
"Next year’s athletic events will still be supported by a cheerleading team and by a dance team. The only difference is that the stunting will be eliminated. To counter some of the misinformation, OSU has developed an FAQ that follows."
Oregon State University
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Cheerleading
April 7, 2006 – To help clarify any misunderstanding and/or misinformation
regarding cheerleading at Oregon State University and to update the public with regard to recent decisions, the OSU Dept. of Intercollegiate Athletics offers the following information:
Q: What is happening with cheerleading?
A: Contrary to erroneous media reports and internet gossip, Oregon State University is not discontinuing its cheerleading program. It is only eliminating the high-risk stunts such as pyramids and basket tosses.
Q: Will Oregon State be the only university that doesn't’t do cheerleading stunts?
A: A growing number of universities do not permit stunting by their cheerleaders for safety reasons, such as USC, Cal, UCLA, Nebraska and Duke. Other universities, conferences, and the NCAA are considering making similar changes.
Q: What is going to be the same?
A: Everything will remain the same for Oregon State cheerleaders with the exception of high-risk stunts. Cheerleaders will continue to lead the crowd in chants, help build fan enthusiasm, encourage crowd noise and create a fun, exciting environment at Beaver athletic events.
Q: Will the cheerleaders’ uniforms look any different?
A: No, the uniforms will remain the same.
Q: Will OSU’s cheerleaders continue to perform at all the same events, including road games?
A: Yes, they will.
Q: What is the concern about potential cheerleader injuries?
A: According to the NCAA, cheerleading is the second-most “catastrophic injury”-prone activity behind football. A study released in January’s issue of Pediatrics showed that cheerleading injuries across the country doubled from 1990 to 2002 for ages 5-18, mostly due to stunts, with a total of nearly 23,000 injuries in 2002. A 2003 article in the American Journal of Sports Medicine stated that cheerleader injuries were five times more common in college than high school.
Q: How will this move help OSU’s athletics department and its varsity teams?
A: Stunting requires a great deal of practice time and competes with men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball for time in Gill Coliseum and reduces the available time for our varsity athletes to do individual workouts. The athletics department will be better able to use its resources and practice windows to benefit its varsity teams. Stunting results in a higher injury rate per participant than our varsity sports. By cutting out stunts, cheerleader injuries will be reduced, and OSU’s training staff will be able to better serve our varsity athletes.
Q: Was this a financial decision?
A: No, cheerleading will continue to be funded at the same level.
Q: Does any of this affect Benny Beaver, the band or the basketball dance team?
A: No, those activities will continue as they always have.
Q: How can I try out for the new cheerleading squad?
A: Tryouts will be announced in the next few weeks, and information will be posted at http://www.osubeavers.com.
An interesting note popped up in Kerry Eggers column in the Portland Tribune the other day about Dennis Erickson. Hey, it's sort of football related.
David Stern gives PAM the business | PortlandTribune.com
In a recent interview with the Seattle Post-IntelligencerÂ’s Jim Moore, new Idaho football coach Dennis Erickson was asked about leaving Oregon State for the San Francisco 49ers.
“I still can’t figure out why I did that,” Erickson said. “That was a brain-dead move right there.”
Are Beaver fans still bitter about him leaving?
Erickson: “The only person who should be bitter is me, for being stupid enough to leave.”
Frankly, IÂ’m surprised Oregon State has beaten Oregon in the Northwest Dodge Dealers Civil War series for the second straight year.
Points are awarded for head-to-head competition in every sport. The Beavers are ahead 10-5 with two remaining points available in softball play, despite the Ducks receiving two points for their football victory.
Oregon, which surrendered the Civil War series 12-5 in 2004-05, has the higher profile and larger athletic department budget. The Ducks shouldnÂ’t be losing to their archrival as often as they have the past two years.
Whew! Just got back from a whirlwind week in Texas. First thing I noticed is that the OSU baseball team seems to have picked it up again, sweeping USU and beating Pacific before dropping a game to SF.
Texas Pan-American is in town for a weekend series and a few seats are available tomorrow morning. Only about 400 though so get down there and get your tickets!
Official Site of Oregon State Athletics - Tickets For OSU Series Vs. Texas-Pan American To Go On Sale
Next weekend Arizona is in town and that could be a very tough ticket to get.
Not much going on in Beaverland these days. Just waiting for spring football and taking in a few baseball games.
Here's a feel good tid-bit about Beaver football as things have been plesantly quiet this spring...
Albany Democrat-Herald - A truer look at OSU players
Terri Burr of Lebanon had an experience last weekend that sheds more light on football players at Oregon State than any number of second-hand stories in the news.
She wrote to Mike Riley, the coach, and sent me a copy of her letter.
On Sunday she took her 8-year-old nephew, Gus, who was staying with her and her husband that weekend, to a football clinic on the OSU campus sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany and Corvallis.
“I can’t tell you how impressed I was with the players who participated in the clinic,” wrote Terri, a lifelong mid-valley resident and OSU alumna (Class of 1989) who works as a shipping coordinator for Pennington Seed. “The fact that they were willing to spend an entire Sunday afternoon with a bunch of grade school kids was surprising and impressive by itself. When I saw how they interacted with the kids and actually seemed to be enjoying it, I was completely blown away.”
She added this vignette: “Right before the huddle at the end of the clinic, one little boy appeared to be lost and was crying. One of the players saw that the boy was having a hard time and stuck by his side until the boy found his dad — for five or 10 minutes. That player went out of his way to help that little boy.”
The players also did the kids other favors, such as posing with pictures and signing their footballs.
Terri Burr’s conclusion: “With the media constantly bombarding us with negative images, I think that sometimes we lose sight of how fortunate we are to have so many admirable student-athletes in our midst.”
The Beaver bats went cold Sunday night and they dropped the final game of the series against USC. The pitching was pretty good, but only a solo homer by Mitch Canham prevented the shutout.
So they're 1-2 in the Pac-10 and 12-7 overall. A bit of a slow start, but the hitting and pitching hasn't been quite as dominant as it was last year.
Check out the box score here:
Official Site of Oregon State Athletics - Home
After going 6-23 last year, the Beaver basketball women completed an impressive turnaround season by going to the WNIT and going 1-1. They ended up 16-15 with essentially the same team as last year. That's a great job by the players and new coach LaVonda Wagner to step up and give it all. Next year may be a bit of a rebuilding year, but there's a lot of talent coming in so they have a chance to match this year or perhaps do one better.
Women's Basketball Season Ends Against Wyoming, 67-49
“I’m proud of our seniors – they gave everything they could to this program,” said first-year head coach LaVonda Wagner. “They worked hard to turn things around from last year and leave a legacy here.”
Brooks Hatch wrote a good article last week on the success of walk-on players on the Men's basketball team. I'd argue that the football team has maybe a slight edge in the walk-on department over the basketball team, but maybe that's just in the last few years.
Albany Democrat-Herald - Walk-on success at OSU
What makes a good walk-on?
Basketball talent, some upside, and generally in-state or alumni ties, Anderson said. They must be willing to commit and be willing to work as hard as possible, with no guarantee of playing time or other immediate rewards. A sense of teamwork and loyalty, and the maturity to realize that your biggest contribution might be pushing a scholarship player in practice rather than a game-winning basket or important rebound or assist.
In the midst of the disappointing season by the men's hoops team, the women stepped up and improved drastically under first year head coach LaVonda Wagner. With essentially the same team as last season that went 1-17 in the Pac-10 the Beaver women pulled out a winning record to go 15-14 and have a chance at a WNIT berth.
Way to go Beavs!
Statesman Journal -
The only college basketball team from Oregon still in contention for a postseason berth, Oregon State's women's team, will find out today if it will be in the 40-team WNIT field.
[...]
Oregon State is still alive because of a 15-14 overall record. Two years ago, the Beavers had the same record and reached the WNIT. OSU has submitted a bid to host a first-round game. The team was the only winning Division I team in Oregon this season.
Here's a couple of local articles on the recent Men's Hoops season. The Oregonian one is a very good read.
The Oregonian - Beavers still on the outside looking in
"Going to the NCAA Tournament is by all means the ultimate," Beavers coach Jay John said. "That's the next step for this program, without any question. The step after that is doing it two years in a row. And after that, it's being a regular participant and not a fly-by-night.
[...]
He had little success attracting local talent his first two seasons but has done better recently, first landing Jesuit's Josh Tarver as part of his 2004-05 recruiting class and getting commitments for next season from Jesuit's Seth Tarver and Jefferson's Lathen Wallace, two of the top high school seniors in Oregon.
"Those three kids coming in, maybe they could be the guys who help turn the corner for us and get the program back to where it used to be," said Charlie Sitton, who chose Oregon State as one of the nation's top recruits out of McMinnville in 1980.
[...]
Josh Tarver, a redshirt and next season's projected starting point guard, said the Beavers' NCAA Tournament drought was a nonfactor in his decision to play for Oregon State.
"That didn't bother me at all," said Tarver, who also has a brother on the OSU football team. "I knew the type of players that we had coming in and that we could change things around. It just inspired me that much more to bring Oregon State back to what it was.
"I like the program. I get to stay home and . . . that was probably the main reason I chose to come here."
[...]
Athletic director Bob De Carolis said the Beavers have spent between $1 million and $1.5 million in renovations inside Gill Coliseum, including a remodeled locker room for men's basketball before next season.
De Carolis also hopes to raise $30 million to $35 million the next five years to go toward a new medical-treatment facility, an academic center, a 2,500-seat annex to house wrestling and volleyball, and a complete exterior makeover of Gill, including new windows, doors and paint.
[...]
"Any time you come into a program that's down, you're going to face obstacles," said Lute Olson, the Arizona coach and John's former boss. "And the only way you beat those obstacles is by working as hard as Jay and his staff do.
"The one advantage he has is that Oregon turns out some good high school basketball players. I think they'll overcome (their recent past). You can't expect it to happen right away."
While a 13-18 overall record and a tie for eighth place in the Pac-10 is a step back from last year's 17-15 campaign, which included a fifth-place conference finish and the school's first postseason appearance (National Invitation Tournament) since the 1989-90 season, John remains optimistic.
"We took a program that had no life when I got here, and brought it to a point where it has a winning record (last season), finished fifth in the conference and a whole series of things that hadn't been done in years," said John, who completed his fourth season.
"There isn't anyone who can convince me that if we don't endure the injuries that we did, that we would have had another winning season and been in some position to contend for postseason play."
John said the program has not developed enough depth to offset a key injury, much less the loss of three starters.
[...]
"I feel very good about it," Cuic said of OSU's future. "The guys we have coming in are fresh, they're energetic, they want to prove themselves, and in the right system, they're going to flourish."
[...]
"I feel it's better than when we came," said Hurd, a Houston native who was John's first recruit. "You look at the circumstances (this season), there's a lot of things that had nothing to do with the coaches. Next year when people see the new team here and guys are healthy, then you'll see the product."
THE GOOD NEWS: Sophomore Sasa Cuic, a 6-10 forward from Croatia, confirmed several weeks ago he will return to school next year rather than sign with a European club. Sophomore forward Marcel Jones also showed excellent growth during the season, and junior center Kyle Jeffers played his best game of the season in the Pac-10 tournament win over Arizona State.
Hey, a 20 game winning streak is dang impressive. The softball team took the success from last year and is trying to do one better. Nice job ladies.
Let's hope some of the success of the women at OSU starts to rub off on the guys :).
Official Site of Oregon State Athletics - No. 8 Softball Pounds No. 22 DePaul, 10-3
Wow. That was a pleasant surprise. The Beavs stormed back against ASU last night and beat the Sun Devils even though Cuic, DeWitz, and Hurd were all on the bench with major injuries. That was an impressive win. Granted, ASU has their own problems but they had a full squad the whole game and couldn't beat the Beavs who were severely undersized. Awesome Beavs. Nice job coach John.
Jeffers had a huge game again. And his shot in close range is the best it's been in his career. He scored a career high 20 points and was really the only go to guy except for Chris Stephens. Chris is still in his slump, but at least he is still hitting the 15-17 foot shots. He was big last night too. And look who is contributing again...Jason Fontenet. Good for him. Three huge 3's for him last night when no one else could hit a 3 to save their life.
Game this afternoon at 2:30! Can the Beavers cinderella story continue?
Corvallis Gazette-Times - Beavers rally to stun ASU
“I’m very proud of our guys and their fight,” coach Jay John said. “We have been a banged-up team. We lost Sasa Cuic four minutes into the game and he has been playing great for us.
“And the guys hung in there. There were a couple times in the first half and in the second half where it could have been over.”
...
“I thought I had to shoot the ball more,” Jeffers said. “Sasa is a good offensive player and someone had to pick up the slack
For those interested in where all the in state talent went in this recent recruiting season, check out this OregonLive.com page which is keeping updated quite nicely. It's even got most of the recent walk-ons listed.
OregonLive.com: Recruiting
Looks like most of the walk-ons are heading to OSU over Oregon. I love that. Plus, the out of state walk-ons look like they may be hidden gems this season. If all the key players qualify, this will have to be one of the best OSU football recruiting classes ever.
Plus, the final in-state D1-A score: OSU 5 players - Oregon 2. With the way the recent past has been the Beavers could be "Oregon's Team" before too long.
Well, all Beaver nation needs now is a homebrew vodcaster (video-podcast). The first podcaster has officially appeared. At Tailflapper.com you can get a mini sports radio show with interviews and everything. No player/coaches interviews yet, but it's starting off prety good so far.
Check it out:
Tailflapper.com - Beaver Podcasts, Blogs and More
Nice win Beavs. It was like two seasoned fighters who didn't want to go down. And Jeffers was THE MAN tonight. Two steals on their point guard (4 total)? Gettin' on the floor all night? Three blocks? Finally finishing in the paint in the second half? Jeffers deserves the game ball for this one. If he can get healthy and find a better soft touch inside, he could be a surprise next season. His inside moves are so much better than the last couple of seasons. Now he needs to finish consistently.
The refs sure "let them play" tonight. Jordan Kent was holding Cuic every time down the floor. I seriously don't think the Beavs are physical enough on defense. That's the difference between their 'D' and their opponents. They need to force the officials hand and see what kind of game will be called. Disrupt the other teams flow by just being more physical.
Good win Beavs. They need to work really hard in the off-season to bounce back next year. Hopefully they can finally take out ASU and end the season on an OK note in the Pac-10 tourney.
Beavers Win Civil War, 65-62
The power is starting to come back. A two home run game. Mitch Canham and Darwin Barney looked great. Plus, home runs or not they are scoring runs. Nice game by the Beavs.
The game was vid-casted too! That rocked.
Game 2 today at 1pm!
Game recap:
Official Site of Oregon State Athletics - OSU Wins Baseball Home-Opener, 13-4
Reminder: home opener today a 3:00 pm. Broadcast on 1240 KEJO (Corvallis/Albany), 1360 KUIK (Portland), and OSUBeavers.com.
Bill Rowe has been a pleasant surprise this season. He's hitting over .400 and leads the team in RBI. So far, he has made everyone forget about Andy Jenkins. Once his power stroke comes around he will be a big fan favorite. He hit 14 HRs at Ashland HS as a senior and 10 HRs in his junior year. So he should break out here soon.
The GT has a great profile article on the new Beaver firstbasemen.
Corvallis Gazette-Times - Finally at home
The senior transfer from UC Santa Barbara has already compiled some impressive reviews. Heading into today’s 3 p.m. home opener with Nevada at Goss Stadium, the personable 6-foot-3, 230-pound lefty is hitting a gaudy .412, with eight extra-base hits and eight RBI in only 34 at-bats.
Looks like the Beavers history with walk-ons is paying dividends. An all-state kicker and two huge defensive tackles. Nice.
Schools: No money for more aid | PortlandTribune.com
Among the players who have accepted invitations from Oregon State to walk on when the Beavers begin training camp in August are Clackamas High kicker Justin Kahut, a second-team all-state choice who will redshirt and be the heir-apparent to Alexis Serna, and defensive tackles Mikel Camus (6-2, 300, Olympia, Wash.) and Nicholas Papapa (6-3, 295, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska).
This is the weekend we've been waiting for. The opening home weekend for Beaver Baseball. Looks like there are still about 400 tickets available for each game. They go on sale at 8:30am Friday morning. More info here: OSUBeavers.com - Approximately 400 Tickets Remain For Each Baseball Game Vs. Nevada.
In other developments, it looks like coach Pat Casey is going back to his bookend rotation with the #1 and #2 starters pitching Friday and Sunday. So the rotation will look something like: Buck, Maxwell/Stutes, and Nickerson. I like that rotation a lot because it takes some pressure off of the Saturday pitcher. It will be interesting to see if Maxwell or Stutes starts on Saturday. More info. on the series: The Barometer - Baseball has first home stand
The last bit of good news is that the games will now be broadcast over KEJO 1240 in the Corvallis/Albany area and Mike Parker will be back calling the games. KUIK 1360 did a great thing by picking up the first month of games, but in the valley we were out of luck unless we were near a computer.
Here's the official release on the series:
OSUBeavers.com - OSU Set For Baseball Home-Opener Against Nevada
Gillespie leads not just the Beavers, but also the Pacific-10, in batting with a .472 average (0 home runs, 5 runs batted in) and he’s second in the conference in on-base percentage at .579 and tied for third in stolen bases with six. Two other Beavers are in the top 10 in batting in the conference, with first baseman Bill Rowe sixth at .412 (0 homers, 8 RBIs) and third baseman Shea McFeely seventh at .405 (0 homers, 7 RBIs); Rowe’s on-base percentage of .512 ranks fourth in the conference and McFeely’s mark of .479 is 10thThat's some hot starts. I think Cole should hit second instead of 5th. He seems to like the top of the order and I think he'd really keep the offense moving. Bill Rowe looks like he may step in nicely for Andy Jenkins. If Darwin Barney, Mitch Canham, and Tyler Graham can get rolling the Beavs may get back to last year's form in a hurry.
Lamar Hurd has written another great article about his struggle to get healthy before his senior season slips away. A great read.
I'm feel bad for Lamar. I truly believe that he was going to breakout this season. OK, he wasn't going to score 20 a game, but his shot looked much better this season and he was just more aggressive offensively than he had ever been. Plus, he made everyone else better and really helped a ton on defense.
Well, it's been a good run Lamar. Thanks for being a great person and a great Beaver. Good luck in the future.
Lamar Hurd - The Barometer - One game before it’s Goodbye to Gill Coliseum
I told him that I want to suit up on Saturday and go through all my team’s pre-game warm-ups and get a chance to get back on the court at least one more time. He said he would definitely start me, but here’s how my minutes will be determined: If before the game I’m moving well enough to play at a high level, then he’ll play me for an extended period of time.At least we will get to cheer him on the court one last time.
This means that I have to be moving and feeling absolutely great. But his main concern is that I don’t re-injure myself. Therefore, if I am not able to move well enough to play for an extended period of time, he’ll play me for only one minute... literally, one minute. And that one minute could be a bit generous. So it could be for an extremely short time, but I will definitely be able to play on Saturday.
I remember linking to a story earlier in the year that mentioned Marcel Jones past as a model, an extra, and a commercial actor, but this article goes quite a bit deeper into that part of Marcel's past.
Check it out here:
Corvallis Gazette-Times - No longer an extra
He said it was a little nerve-wracking when he first started, but his dad was by his side to give him hints and pointers to make it through the dozens of sessions.
“You’ve got to have a certain confidence about you,” Jones said. “You’ve got to just go in there and act like you can actually do it and not be timid. He told me that acting is a lot of pausing. There’s a lot of pausing involved in acting and taking time and making sure you pronounce every single word and not slur your words together.”
Jones was on Disney’s “Even Stevens” and “Smart Guy” and UPN’s “One on One.” He also worked on the movies “Princess Diaries,” “Beautiful” and “Big Momma’s House.”
He met stars such as Daniel Stern, Mandy Moore and Tahj Mowry and other Hollywood elite, such as producer/director/actor/writer Garry Marshall.
The Beavers chances of beating the Ducks took a hit this week when it was announced that Nick DeWitz will end his season to undergo surgery on his shoulder. This adds to the Beavers injury woes as it looks like Lamar Hurd won't be ready to contribute by this weekend. Good thing Cuic is hot and Jason Fontenet has regained his form.
The Register-Guard - OSU seniors may miss last waltz
What I don't understand about most of the articles that I've seen is that they say that Jeffers and Cuic are the only big men left after DeWitz's injury. They talk about Michael Johnson and Marcel Jones filling in, but that's it. Hello? What happened to Liam Hughes? He has to get some PT. I mean come on, he's good for at least 10 minutes of banging inside with Ivan Johnson. Maybe he'll surprise you. Don't write him off yet cause we're gonna need him next season.
So, what do you say coach John? How about showcasing Liam a bit and seeing if he can be a contributor?
College Football News is on the ball early with some fairly obvious early looks at the Pac-10 teams. However, it's kind of nice to read about the other teams since we generally don't follow them as heavily. Here's what they said about the Beavers:
Spring Preview 2006 - Pac 10:
"Oregon State
Spring practice starts: April 3
Spring Game: April 29
The big spring question is ... Will Oregon State ever have a quarterback who doesn't throw a bazillion interceptions? After the Derek Anderson era it would be hard to imagine a quarterback could throw more interceptions, but Matt Moore managed to throw 19 picks with only 11 touchdown passes. Yeah, six of those interceptions came against Arizona in bad conditions, but four of his touchdown passes came against Portland State in the opener. At some point, the Beavers must get more efficient production out of the passing game and not just throw for a ton of yards.
The most important position to watch is ... Linebacker. Trent Brey and Keith Ellison formed the best linebacking tandem no one knew about, and now their 215 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss from last year are gone. Oregon State has been a bit of a linebacker factory over the years, but replacing these two won't be easy.
Spring attitude... It might not take too much tweaking to be really good. The pass defense can't be any worse than last year when it finished 117th in the nation, the team finished last in the Pac 10 in passing efficiency, and 115th in the country in turnover margin. Even so, the Beavers went 5-6 with bad losses to Arizona and Stanford by a total of five points. Considering they get so many returning starters on both sides of the ball, it shouldn't be too hard to improve enough to become a bowl team again. "
With the combine going on the last weekend, here's a couple of articles on Mike Hass relating to the draft.
Buccaneers - Spotlight on the Draft: Mike Hass
The Oregonian - 40-yard time not of Hass' essence
Tenths of seconds are a big deal at the NFL Scouting Combine, but Mike Hass' agent questions how important they are to the big picture.
The wide receiver from Oregon State ran two relatively slow 40-yard-dash times -- 4.61 and 4.62 seconds, unofficially -- Sunday at the combine.
According to agent Scott Smith, Hass showed off his hands and his route-running ability, and he reportedly wowed the 15 NFL teams that interviewed him during the four-day combine at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
For those who might be interested, here's an article on Gary Payton who is a member of the Miami Heat.
ContraCostaTimes.com - No. 17: Gary Payton
From Skyline, Payton moved on to Oregon State, developing into a collegiate star under longtime Beavers coach Ralph Miller. At OSU, he blossomed into a point guard who combined a scorer's mentality with the ability to set up others for easy points.
But it was Payton's defense that really left an impression, earning him a self-explanatory nickname: "The Glove."
"He was an intimidating defender," former Cal coach Lou Campanelli said. "He could really take your point guard and essentially take him out of the offense. He had great instincts, great hands."
Cliff Kirkpatrick and Brooks Hatch have a nice little blog going. Yesterday they posted that CB Aaron Miller has left the team as well as a punter, Jake Harry.
Here's the details from their blog:
Gazette-Times OSU Blog - Football notes
The Oregon State football team recently put out an updated roster, and there are two names missing. Cornerback Aaron Miller and punter Jake Harry are gone.
Miller was a junior college transfer who played on special teams last season. He didn't pick up the coverage system fast enough to make an impact on defense, and wasn't happy with his playing time.
Harry was a walk-on who came here to be groomed to take over for Sam Paulescu. When the Beavers signed Roseburg's Kyle Loomis, Harry's long-term prospects didnÂ’t look good.
The only punters working out with the team this spring is walk-on Jon Strowbridge, a Corvallis High alum, and place-kicker Alexis Serna. Serna has been working on punting for emergency.
In scheduling news, the OSU-Wisconsin dates have been set. The Beavers play there on Sept. 10, 2011. The Badgers come to Corvallis on Aug. 31, 2013.
The Beaver baseball team had a tough time down in Malibu this weekend. The pitching and hitting didn't quite mesh after the first game was called to due to rain. However, I don't think it's a major issue. Pepperdine has 4 more games under their belt. Plus, OSU out-hit the Waves in the first two games by a ton. Just not enough timely hitting and too many walks by the OSU pitchers led to their downfall. They will bounce back.
No. 6 OSU Wins One, Loses One In Baseball
Baseball Drops Third Game of Series at Pepperdine
The hoops team ran into some Huskies who were just on FIRE. Roy could not be stopped and everyone was hitting 3's. Bobby Jones? Jensen? Yea, pretty much 75% of their possisions ended in a score. Hopefully one of the new 6-5 guard/forwards coming in next season can turn out to be like Brandon Roy. We need to simply get more athletic to win consistently in the Pac-10.
Meanwhile, the softball team is going off on offense. They are now in the midst of an 8 game winning streak and look like they are on a mission. With scores like 8-7, 5-0, 6-2, and 15-7 I'd say their offense is clicking.
I love to read a story like this. Opposing fans getting booted out of the grandstands so that OSU students can get a place back in the grandstands. That should bring some life into the grandstands and keep the games lively. And all it took was a little peaceful protests by the OSU students. Now that's a cause worth fighting for :).
Corvallis Gazette-Times :. OSU students can sit in Goss grandstands
Looks like Lamar is moonlighting as a journalist while recovering from his tendon tear. First Andy Darkins, now Lamar Hurd. Who's gonna step up from the baseball team?
Oregon State Daily Barometer Online - Injury opens new doors
So, anyway, I just had my third MRI on Valentine’s Day before spending the remainder of the day with the love of my life (I love you Danielle), and hopefully the results will show that my once-torn tendon is completely re-attached. If that’s the case, it will then be up to me to strengthen the area enough to be able to play again. How long that will take ... who knows? But I’ll keep you posted.
Good hard fought win for the Beavs tonight. Generally, the Beavs played good tough defense and on offense they took what Wazzu was giving them.
Sasa Cuic looked strong again. He's hitting his 3's, but the most impressive part of his game is how he's stepped it up inside. He is the guy on the team that presents some serious matchup problems for the other team. That's good to finally have. Next year he could be very good as the go to guy (crosses fingers).
Jeffers, Jones, and DeWitz all had strong games I felt. Man, Casey has a ton of poise. He does a nice job of looking inside to guys posting up and tries to get the ball to the guys where they can do something with it. Also, I think Jeffers could have a break-out season next year. He's got some really good, strong moves inside but just needs to finish with a little more touch inside. He could have a great year next year if he seriously works on his shooting.
Well, on to the Dogs and maybe a bright spot to the end of the season.
More baseball on the radio this weekend. The Beavers will get a good early season test by playing at Pepperdine in LA. Pepperdine is generally very good. And yes, it will be broadcast on the radio again (sweet!).
No. 6 OSU Visits No. 14 Pepperdine For Baseball Series
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17
No. 6 Oregon State at No. 14 Pepperdine; 2 p.m.
(Radio live on KUIK-AM 1360 in Portland area; live audio and live statistics on www.osubeavers.com)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18
No. 6 Oregon State at No. 14 Pepperdine; 1 p.m.
(Radio live on KUIK-AM 1360 in Portland area; live audio and live statistics on www.osubeavers.com)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19
No. 6 Oregon State at No. 14 Pepperdine; 1 p.m.
(Radio live on KUIK-AM 1360 in Portland area; live audio and live statistics on www.osubeavers.com)
OSU will need to bring it's 'A' game on Thursday because the Cougs are getting a major boost with Derrick Low coming back. He was great as a freshman last season and I'm sure it will give WSU an emotional boost. Hopefully the Beavs will be ready to win.
Corvallis Gazette-Times -
The sophomore point guard broke his right foot in practice on Jan. 3, and missed eight games. He came off the bench to play eight minutes in a loss to No. 15 UCLA, and then started in a win over Southern California.
Low scored five points, had three assists and two rebounds in 28 minutes against the Trojans. His presence for an extended time was more important than the numbers he put up.
“Now that he’s back, I’m sure there’s a level of energy that is back,” OSU coach Jay John said. “It’s a great lift, no question about it. He’s a talented player.”
Nice job Jason. Way to suck it up and not give up on your senior season and the team. I'm hoping Jason can provide the leadership that Wes Washington was saying the team needed. If we could get a mini winning streak going it would sure help up come tournament time and going into next season.
The Oregonian - Fontenet's return energizes Beavers
"I want to finish the year strong," Fontenet said. "I'm not known as a quitter. Whatever happens, if I don't play or if I do, I'm going to come out and work hard in practice to get the other guys ready.
{...}
"Energy is an extremely attractive quality, because energy is contagious," John said. "So if people are bringing energy, then there's a decent chance that someone else will jump in with that. It was a good thing to see from Jason."
Looks like the game is being viewed almost as a rivalry game in Hawaii. There's a lot of subplots to this Hawaii game. Coach Cavanaugh leaving UH for OSU last year. The Jeremy Perry saga. OSU recruiting so heavily in Hawaii. June Jones being from Portland.
These two articles pretty much cover it all:
Warriors will host Oregon St. in football - The Honolulu Advertiser
Oregon State and UH have been intense recruiting competitors in the past three years The rivalry boiled in 2004, when the state's top high school offensive lineman, Jeremy Perry of Kahuku High, signed with UH but did not submit his letter of intent. Instead, he ended up committing to OSU.
What's more, Mike Cavanaugh, who coached the offensive line during Jones' first six years as UH head coach, is now the Beavers' line coach.
Warriors assistant Mike Cavanaugh -- a highly-regarded offensive line coach -- left Manoa after six seasons last year to join the Beavers staff. Cavanaugh and two other former UH coaches, Mark Banker and Greg Newhouse, helped a recruiting effort that netted six signed letters-of-intent from the islands two weeks ago.
The prospects join four others from Hawaii on the veteran roster, including sophomore center Jeremy Perry from Kahuku. UH and Oregon State were engaged in an intense competition to land Perry.
{...}
Jones is from Portland, Ore., about an hour's drive from Corvallis. The game at Oregon State will be the first time he coaches a college game in his home state.
Stumbled across this article from Florida about Mike Hass, Fred Biletnikoff, and the official awards show that just happened in Florida:
Tallahassee Democrat - A Biletnikoff kind of guy
''I've been with the Raiders for a hundred years, and we love the underdog,'' said Biletnikoff, an NFL Hall of Famer who now serves as Oakland's wide-receivers coach. ''Mike is a guy who proved that a kid doesn't have to have a scholarship . . . What he's accomplished is unbelievable.''
Looks like the speculation has come true, the Beavs are going to Hawaii! The trip should be great for recruiting and a cool way for the players on the team from the islands to have their family watch them play.
The game will be on Dec. 2nd, 2006. Plenty of time to plan a little vacation, eh?
University of Hawai'i - Oregon State Added to 2006 Warrior Football Schedule
The all-time series between Hawai`i and Oregon State is tied at 3-3. The last time the teams met was on Dec. 25, 1999, when Hawai`i defeated the Beavers, 23-17, in the Jeep Oahu Bowl at Aloha Stadium.
“We think it’s great that we’re adding this game against Hawaii,” OSU Coach Mike Riley said. “It’ll be a real treat to bring all of our Hawaiian players home for a game. It’s an important recruiting area for us, so it’s great to go and play a game there and let everyone in Hawaii see our football team in person.”
Anyone else feel like spring is here? It was sunny all weekend and baseball was on the radio. That felt good after 60 consective days of rain (or so). The baseball team played well too. They almost completed the comeback on Sunday to sweep the weekend, but Gundy wasn't in mid-season form and lost the lead. I still like the way they played over the weekend and the way they battled.
In case you missed it, there was a nice article in the Sunday Oregonian about Jacoby Ellsbury and his journey through the Red Sox organization.
Ellsbury looks for future in ghosts of Fenway past
The men's hoops team continues to struggle. I sure hope Cuic stays around for one more season. He's been the best player on the team this year in the Pac-10 season. He would provide a ton of stability to a young team next year and might get a shot at the NBA if he can continue to improve the way he has.
Maybe the team will finish strong with one more upset against UW. That would help get the bad taste out of everyone's mouth from this season.
The women's sports had a good weekend as the softball team rebounded nicely from 2 opening day losses to win the next 3. Also, the women's basketball team is improving nicely as they had a weekend split.
Go Beavs!
Right now (2pm Friday) the OSU Beavers baseball team is playing Nevada in an Arizona tournament. You can listen on KUIK 1360 AM in Portland and on the internet at OSUBeavers.com.
You will need a subscription to listen on the internet, but it's only $5 a month for audio or $80/year for all audio and video offered by OSUBeavers.com.
Check it out!
FYI, there's a new entry to the Beaver blogging world. The Corvallis Gazette-Times beat writer Cliff Kirkpatrick has gotten into the act.
Check it out:
Cliff Kirkpatrick's Beaver Blog
The big news in Beaver Nation is that former Beavers coach Dennis Erickson has been hired at the University of Idaho. Why is this big news? Because we are playing Idaho for the next three seasons. If Dennis lasts that long we may have another NW rival to worry about. However, I wonder if the power in Idaho will now shift from BSU to UI? Hmm...
Congrats to Dennis!
Sports - The Idaho Statesman - Always Idaho
Vandal Nation got a six-espresso jolt Wednesday when the University of Idaho introduced Dennis Erickson as its new head football coach.
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"Well," Erickson replied, "I'll take you to the next level."
That certainly is the hope of Vandal Nation. They closed Wednesday's news conference in the school's new weight room with a rendition of the Idaho fight song.
The Oregon State baseball team's most anticipated season ever is about to get underway in Arizona tomorrow. Friday's game will be broadcast in Portland on KUIK 1360.
Man, I hope the Beavers can come close to living up to expectations. We Beaver fans have had some tough seasons this year. It all falls on the shoulders of the baseball / softball teams to finish the year strong and make us feel good about the Beavers again.
Video of Pat Casey previewing the season!
Corvallis Gazette-Times - Beavers looking for repeat
The Oregonian - Diamond draw
The Oregonian - On the diamond
Statesman Journal - Beavers strive for encore performance
The Barometer - Baseball season opens in Arizona
But the Beavers’ lineup returns senior second baseman Ryan Gipson (.330 batting average, 1 homer, 22 runs batted in, 9 stolen bases), senior third baseman Shea McFeely (.319, 5, 41), junior outfielder Tyler Graham (.307, 0, 24, 21 stolen bases), junior outfielder Mike Lissman (.284, 1, 30), sophomore shortstop Darwin Barney (.301, 2, 44) and sophomore catcher Mitch Canham (.325, 8, 39).
Barney was the Pac-10’s Freshman of the Year in 2005 and earned Freshman All-America honors, while Gipson, McFeely and Graham earned all-conference honorable mention.
Canham now has a year of experience behind the plate after starting his OSU career at first base. He’s joined by sophomores Casey Priseman (.241, 0, 3) and Erik Ammon (.255, 0, 16 at Hawai’i).
Depending on the situation, first base could go to junior Cole Gillespie (.319, 0, 18), senior Bill Rowe (.235, 3, 39 at California-Santa Barbara) or Canham. McFeely could move across the diamond at times to get sophomore Lonnie Lechelt (.125, 2, 5) in the lineup.
The Beavers are solid up the middle with Barney at shortstop and Gipson or senior Chris Kunda (.242, 1, 10), an outstanding defensive player, at second base. Gipson took over the starting role early in 2005 and went on to lead the Pac-10 in on-base percentage.
Lechelt and freshman Brett Casey (.667 in an injury-shortened season at Crescent Valley HS) could back up second, short or third.
In the outfield, Graham will move from left to center and likely inherit the leadoff spot in the batting order, as well. Candidates to flank him include Lissman, Gillespie, senior Geoff Wagner (.220, 1, 6), junior Scott Santschi (.391, 1, 37 at CC of Spokane), and freshmen Koa Kahalohoe (.553 at Durango HS) and John Wallace (.390, 5 homers at Reno HS).
The Portland Tribune had a good article spotlighting three of the new Beavers football recruits: James Dockery, Gabe Miller, and Gerard Lee.
3 recruits nurture OSU’s hopes | PortlandTribune.com
“I liked the campus atmosphere in Corvallis and the coaches,” he says. “Every coach is going to be nice to you during the recruiting process, but there was something about (the OSU coaches) that was different. No matter what coach I work with up there, I feel I can get along with. I like coach (Mike) Riley’s style — quiet and reserved. He’s an uptempo coach and a cool guy, somebody I can trust.”
Dockery says he feels more natural at receiver, “because that’s where my heart is, but I have a knack for making interceptions. I really don’t care where I play. Wherever I can be of the most help.”
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“The opportunity to play (at Oregon State) was a little better,” he says. “The offense fits me well. And I’ve gotten close to the coaches down there. They offered me during the spring game last year, so we’ve developed a relationship.”
It didn’t hurt that for the first time in his five years as a head coach, Riley pulled his entire staff off the road and brought them to Miller for a home visit two weeks before signing day.
“I knew coach (Nigel) Burton was coming, but then they all showed up at my door — very unexpected, and pretty cool,” Miller says.
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Lee, 21, signed with Oklahoma out of high school in New Orleans but didn’t qualify academically. After a short stay at Grambling — he didn’t play — he returned to New Orleans and spent most of two years working out and working with his father, a carpenter. After two years away from football, he played last fall at Scottsdale Community College, where he registered 73 tackles and 8.5 sacks in nine games and was named all-conference.
I'm hoping that Jason and Jay work out whatever is going on. I like Fontenet and I was fairly surprised that he didn't play against Stanford on Saturday. I like Brett Casey and Wes Washington has showed promise, but Jason is a Senior and has a whole lot more experience than those guys. He seems like a leader and has confidence as well. I think he would help the team more than Brett Casey would at this point.
Of course, if coach John is already taking a look at the future then maybe playing Wes and Brett is OK. But we needed that win against Stanford. I'm not sure he put the best players on the floor. I'm not privy to all that goes on, so there may be a reason that the fans don't know about.
Here's the story:
Corvallis Gazette-Times - Fontenet not with Beavers
Well, I'm not sure anyone would have guessed that our road record would be better than our home record this season. I suppose that's not difficult when you've only won 1 home game. In a guard oriented league, we don't have a player who can take the game into their hands and not let the Beavs lose.
Cuic is looking good. I hope he stays here through his entire career. I think he has a shot at the NBA if he improves each season as much as he has from last season to this season. Also, Wesley Washington could be a special player for the Beavs before his time is done. He is so active all the time and is a huge lift on defense.
Now is the time to start seeing signs for next season. What underclassmen will contribute and enable the team to have a winning record next season? We'll find out over these next few weeks. And if things gel late, who knows, maybe the Beavs will make a run in the Pac-10 tournament. They certainly have the talent to do it.
Well, it starts tonight. Either the Beavers will give Beaver nation hope or they will force them to start looking towards the baseball season. The men's basketball team MUST win one game this weekend. Two would be a huge shot in the arm. A record of 5-6 is a whole lot better than 3-6. And 3-8 is probably the beginning of the end of all hope for a winning record. It's going to be tough, but they must find a way to win.
Go Beavs!
Yea, we've read the stories in the newspaper today and maybe that didn't leave you completely satisfied. Well, check out the "Behind the Beavers Beat" blog by the Oregonian beat writers Jim Beseda and Paul Buker. They've got some more info that didn't get printed and it's a good read.
OregonLive.com: Behind The Beavers Beat
The 2006 college football season has offically started! The Beavers have recieved 30 commitments from high school and junior college players and now generally know what team they will have going into 2006.
First, we pretty much kept everyone who committed early. We did lose Alex Fa'agai and Alfred Rowe, but from what I understand they were still thinking. We did get one surprise in Danzel Issac and a few of the soft verbals we were concerned about came through and stuck with their commitments. The only guy I wish we would have nabbed is Straiten, the burner WR out of SFCC. We'll be OK at WR though. We got a few in this class and have some good ones already in the program.
Here's the list:
Offical Commit List
Keo Camat LB Portland, OR
Brady Camp TE Gresham, OR
Howard Croom TE Long Beach, CA
James Dockery DB Palm Desert, CA
Coye Francies DB Sacramento, CA
Geoff Garner OL Mesa, AZ
Joe Halahuni TE Orting, WA
Tom Hansen LB Sacramento, CA
Mitchel Hunt DT Tempe, AZ
Danzel Issac LB Thatcher, AZ
Casey Kjos ATH Middletown, OH
Kaulin Krebs QB Kahuku, HI
Keaton Kristick LB Phoenix, AZ
Joey La Rocque LB Valencia, CA
Gerard Lee DT Scottsdale, AZ
Alex Linnenkohl OL Olympia, WA
Mana Lolotai LB Honolulu, HI
Kyle Loomis K Roseburg, OR
Gabe Miller LB Lake Oswego, OR
Mau Nomani OL Tigard, OR
Timi Oshinowo OL Naperville, IL
Ryan Pohl OL Honolulu, HI
Clinton Polk RB Scottsdale, AZ
John Reese TE Upland, CA
Dwight Roberson LB Ventura, CA
Keith Robertson DE Los Altos Hills, CA
Dorian Smith DE Palm Desert, CA
Suaesi Tuimaunei DB Kahuku, HI
Devin Unga ATH Kahuku, HI
Kevin Unga LB Kahuku, HI
The Register-Guard already has an article about the OSU Beavers class up online:
Decision day for UO, OSU: Beavers: Oregon State makes a strong push for defensive players
