Back from Seattle

A friend and I, both Oregon State and life long Red Sox fans, took the train up and stayed with a friend who lives and works in Seattle, also a Beaver and Sox fan, to take in two of the three game series between the Mariners and Red Sox.

As a Red Sox fan it is pretty cool to see half of the fans in Red Sox gear, but I feel bad for Mariners fans as their home stadium is invaded.  At the end of the second game a group of Sox fans were banging on a drum outside of Safeco dancing and slapping high fives to Sox fans as they walked by.  One shop that sells Mariners gear just a few steps from the stadium had three tables outside of their shop full of Red Sox t-shirts, hats, hoodies, etc. and it was packed everytime we walked by.

The best selling t-shirts are the Ellsbury and Pedroia ones.  I really wanted to get an Ellsbury one, but they ran out.  They tried to overnight a few boxes, but couldn’t get it done.

And speaking of Ellsbury, he is in a slump, hitting .232 this month, and had a difficult series.  He finished 3 of 15 in the series, but scored two runs and had a beautiful sacrifice bunt that setup a run.

While in Seattle we went on the Underground Tour, which we heard was entertaining, but we thought it kind of sucked.  The puns got old after the 30,000th one and going down below the city and walking through old junk over and over gets old pretty fast.  But, did you know that Seattle is built on top of lots and lots of saw dust and it is still sinking to this day!?

Also took in the Experience Music Project.  I enjoyed the Northwest Passage Part.  I like Jimmy Hendrix, but don’t love him so the rest of the museum was just okay.  Loved the Science Fiction Museum – lots of weird, cool stuff.

Ate at a superb fish and chips restaurant on the west side of the Seattle, go here for a fantastic view of the city at night, called Cod and Chips.  Big, fresh pieces of fish and the best tarter sauce I have ever tasted – and I don’t even like tarter sauce.  The clam chowder was alright, but needed more clam.

Anyways, go Red Sox, crush the Evil Empire and we will be back to Beaver related posts.

Kickoff is just a little over a month away!

Auburn and Oregon State?

That’s what the Montgomery Advertiser’s Josh Moon is suggesting so Auburn fans can avoid epic clashes such as their matchup with Furman in 2009.

I did a quick search for Furman football – they are located in Greenville, South Carolina. Had an All-American running back Jerome Felton selected in the fifth round in this year’s NFL Draft. They went 6-5 last year. Their mascot is a Paladin. Their colors are purple and white. They belong to the Southern Conference a 1-AA league. They are a private school.  They are a 1-AA school.

So, I think they are equivalent to Portland State.

Auburn would be a great addition to any year’s schedule.

The Beavs are scheduled to play Portland State, at UNLV and Cinncinati in 2009, which will probably stay the same as the away game conference schedule is tough.

2010 – Louisville and Boise State are on the schedule – both at home.  Adding Auburn to the mix would make it one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

2011 – Idaho and at Wisconsin.

Auburn has multiple free dates for 2009, 2010, and 2011 so it could be worked out.

Lyle Moevao interview with the Morning Sports Page

You can download and listen to the interview at 955thegame.com or read the exclusive transcript below.

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How are you feeling about your team a few weeks from training camp?
“I am feeling great about our team – looking at all of the guys coming back and the experience that everyone has it is real good to go back to camp and see what we have to work with – all the new faces we have coming in as well – it ought to be fun.”

Heading into this fall, how do you see the quarterback position shaping up?
“It’s always fun going out and competing, especially against a good quarterback like Sean (Canfield). He is really good at going out there, executing things and breaking down film. Being in the system the last two years has really helped to sharpen my game and take it to another level. I also understand that he is recovering from a injury so I am always out there to support him and he does the same for me.”

Who do you think will emerge at running back?
“I think Ryan has been doing a great job filling in for Yvenson Bernard. He was here last year doing scout team but he was also in the film room with us on offense as well. He has been doing a great job during the off season of taking advantage of the time he has been given.

Also, Jeremy Francis, our JC transfer, came in early for spring and unfortunately had an injury during the spring. But along the way he has always been there mentally taking down notes and trying to figure out his game. As for Jacquizz a lot of things are expected of him and he is definitely excited to come out and make a difference in our offense. We have had him out here that last few days and it is always good to see him running around catching balls and stuff.

They all have different styles. Ryan is more a power back – a big dude, he is about 235, 240 right now so obviously he’s a big guy. Jacquizz is a little smaller, a little shiftier. And Jeremy he is more an all around type of guy – he can come out of the backfield and catch the ball, he can also make a few moves but at the same time he can pound it on the field.”

Throwing to Sammie Stroughter this year, exciting?
“Yeah, it definitely is. The overall feeling that he brings to the game, that emotion that he brings to the game, the passion, definitely makes it exciting for us as an offense because he can come out and make a difference for the team, but at the same time he is always there for morale support, to help out the young guys. We are definitely excited that he got a year back.”

Is Sammie back to his oldself?
“Oh yeah. He is always out there wanting to do extra stuff and I am always ready to do it with him. He always wants to run routes but at the same time he is always bringing two or three new guys. He is out there having a great time and that is what we like to see because you know that if he is having a great time then usually good things happen on the field.”

A tough early schedule, key to getting off to a good start?
“The key to getting off to a good start is coming out strong and playing our game. It shouldn’t take two games that we quote should have won end quote to get things going; to get the ball moving. We need to come out strong and keep that momentum throughout the whole season.”

Mindset going into fall camp in regards to battle with Canfield? Yours to lose?
“Going into training camp you have to feel that this is your job, no matter if you are second or first string. You have to go in thinking this is my job and no one is going to take it away from me. My mindset is to go in confident, but at the same time be in control and know the responsibilities I have and not try and step outside of my responsibilities because that is when you mess up. I am going to go into fall campe, do my job, guide the offense and continue where I left off from last year.”

Afalava needs to watch his back?

Kicked out in 2008?

If you’re an Oregon State fan, it is a vicious, bone jarring smack that Jake Locker leaned into and unfortunately was injured. If you’re a Washington Husky fan it is a cheap hit by Al Afalava who led with his helmet.

No matter what side of the fence you sit, with new NCAA rule changes going into effect this season, that type of hit, legal or not, will be penalized – which doesn’t bode well for Afalava who has a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the Pac-10.

Dave Reardon of the Star Bulletin recently penned an article about how the NCAA is going to “come down heavily on anything even resembling head-hunting.”

I am sure the majority of college football fans are all for protecting the players. I never root for a player to get injured and, once again, most fans are probably in the same boat. But the fact is football is a violent sport and injuries, freak accidents, broken bones, concussions, etc. will happen.

Just because it looks nasty, doesn’t mean it is illegal.

Will Afalava be singled out by Pac-10 refs to watch even before the season begins?

One thing I am glad about is that the Beavers play Hawaii at home – no WAC refs, although Pac-10 refs aren’t all that better.

Simonton released and other Beaver CFL news

Unfortunately former Oregon State running back Ken Simonton has been releasted by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. He will most likely retire.

Simonton spent a year and a half on the Stampeder’s roster getting just one start in the final game of the season last year carrying the ball 18 times for 114 yards and one touchdown.

Beavers currently in the CFL include Brandon Browner (Calgary Stampeders), Alexis Serna (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), and Richard Seigler (Toronto Argonauts).

Lon Stiner, the Pyramid Play and Nazis!

With the announcement of former Oregon State football coach Lon Stiner being posthumously selected to the Nebraska Chapter of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame I did a quick image search of him on the web.

Of course, I stumbled across a photo of the “Pyramid Play” which led me to a nice write up by George Edmonston Jr. on the famous play. Did you know that the Nazis used the photo as propaganda during World War II? Did you know the Beavers first used the play against the Ducks? Did you know the photo was taken in what now is PGE Park?

“What many still consider the most famous photo ever taken of a sporting event in the state of Oregon, the “Pyramid Play” was captured on film Nov. 10, 1933, by Oregon Journal staff photographer Ralph Vincent, who died at age 92 in a care center near his Lake Oswego home, March 11, 1988.

Vincent’s photo, shot at old Multnomah Stadium (now PGE Park) in Portland, shows six-foot-six Clyde Devine of Oregon State climbing the backs of two teammates in an attempt to block a punt by the University of Oregon in the 1933 Civil War game.

Almost immediately, the photo went national, appearing in the Saturday Evening Post and other eastern newspapers. Sportswriters argued the pros and cons of the controversial play for days, many labeling it a “sports trick.” It didn’t take long for the NCAA to declare the play illegal, a ruling that still stands.

During World War II, the Nazis distributed thousands of copies of the image around Europe as an example of the “brutality of American sports.” The more than 32,000 fans who saw the play unfold raved about it for months, and Vincent said many times during his life that he wasn’t aware he had photographed something special until he returned to the darkroom and processed the film. At the time he snapped the shutter on his Graflex camera, he thought he was taking a picture of a routine point-after-touchdown kick. By the way, Devine blocked the kick.”

Some other facts about Stiner’s OSU career:

• He coached 16 years in Corvallis from 1928-1948.
• Stiner started out as an assistanct to Paul Schissler in 1928 before taking over head coaching duties in 1933.
• He played right tackle at Nebraska from 1923-26.
• Stiner has the longest head coaching tenure in OSU history at 16 year with no teams fielded in the war years of 1943-44.
• He holds the record at OSU with most wins ever at 74. His overal record is 74-49-17 (.589).
• His teams won two Pineapple Bowls and the 1942 Rose Bowl, the only Rose Bowl not played in the West Coast.
• Three of his teams, 1933, 1939 and 1941 have been inducted into the OSU Athletics’ Hall of Fame.
• In becoming a member of the Nebraska Chapter’s University of Nebraska Football Hall of Fame, Stiner’s honor joins with similar awards he received from the State of Oregon in 1981 and from Oregon State University in 1990.