Baseball: Ducks debut in national poll at No. 18 as Beavers fall from rankings

Oregon baseball: Ducks debut in national poll at No. 18 as Beavers fall from rankings | OregonLive.com.

The Oregon Ducks deserve a lot of credit for putting together a team that is legit in only its second year back.

Oregon State won’t be down for long, so I expect two baseball clubs from Oregon making visits to Omaha in the coming years.

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 USC student manager Stan Holt fired for technical foul

First the Oregon Ducks’ student section known as the Pit Crew fired him, and then he was actually fired from the USC basketball team.

USC basketball student manager Stan Holt got himself in to some hot water Saturday night as the Oregon Ducks hosted the USC Trojans in what was a close game. With the Trojans down by two points and just over four minutes to play one of the referees rushed to the scorers table to called a technical foul — on Holt.

Weird, right? Yeah, I know.

Holt apparently had been on the referee’s case and some obscenities were said. Soon after the technical foul Holt was nowhere to be found on the team’s bench.

The Pit Crew began chanting, “you’re fired.” And they were right.

USC was very much in the game at the point of the technical, but then the Ducks went on a 10-0 run and the game was in hand for Oregon as they went on to win 67-57.

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 Civil War win more than just Roses for Ducks

Now that the dust has started to settle here is yet another Civil War article. But this isn’t the typical Ducks beating Beavers story.

We all know by now that the Oregon Ducks have beaten the Oregon State Beavers by the final score of 37-33 for the 2009 Civil War. And yes, the Ducks are the Pac-10 champions and will face Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

This game has become an instant classic. But it’s more than that.

Just a few short years ago, who would have thought we’d be talking about the importance of the Civil War for both teams? Who knew it would some day be deciding the Pac-10 championship, which team from the state of Oregon heads to the Rose Bowl, or become a classic for the ages. The 113 edition of the in-state rivalry will be one we tell our kids and grand kids about.

This Civil War was also about more than just football.

First, you have former head coach and current Oregon AD Mike Bellotti. He helped raise Oregon to the current level of recognition and play that they’re at right now. Yet, he never had the opportunity to make it to the Rose Bowl as head coach. Bellotti didn’t take over the head coaching position until after the 1994 season. It was that 1994 team that made it to the Grand Daddy of Them All playing on January 2, 1995.

For 14 season Mike Bellotti coached the Oregon Ducks. He had ups and downs (mostly ups) during his tenure and in 2001 his team went 11-1 — barely missing out on a chance to play for the National Championship. The Ducks were the Pac-10 champs that season, but back then they didn’t play all four BCS bowls plus a National Championship game like they do now. Instead, they played three of the BCS bowls with the fourth being the National Championship. And that year the Rose Bowl was designated for the National Championship game. So, the Ducks went to the Fiesta Bowl where they smoked Colorado 38-16.

Fast forward to the 2009 season. In March of 2009 Bellotti officially stepped down as head coach and became the AD. Chip Kelly took over as the head coach and led the team to a 10-2 record, Pac-10 championship and Rose Bowl berth. Bellotti gets sandwiched in between Oregon’s visit to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.

Then there’s LeGarrette Blount. Before the season he was being talked about as a Heisman Trophy candidate and NFL prospect. And there was no reason to think otherwise. Then, on September 3rd, on a nationally televised ESPN Thursday night game, it all went wrong for Blount — and it could have been disastrous for the entire team as well.

After Oregon’s loss to Boise State Blount punched one of the Broncos players. He went berserk and scuffled with teammates and then wanted to unload on Boise State fans who taunted him (one actually slapped Blount) as coaches and players tried to get Blount off the field. Chip Kelly suspended Blount for the remaining of the season.

Or did he.

You see, it would have been easy for LeGarrette Blount to quit, walk away from Oregon football and from school. All he had to do was get with a personal trainer and begin working hard for a shot at the NFL. But he didn’t. Blount stayed in school. He worked with the scout team helping prepare his teammates for upcoming opponents. He also spoke to several people who helped keep him on the straight path. He spoke to the likes of Tony Dungy, Kermit Washington and Jon Gruden among others. All while thinking he would never play on game day for the Ducks.

But then, on October 2nd something happened. Head coach Chip Kelly held a press-conference telling everyone he would be willing to let Blount rejoin the team if certain academic, football and human “ladders” were achieved by the running back. Oh man, did many come down hard on Chip Kelly –including some Ducks fans. They’d say things like, “he went back on his word,” or “how can anyone trust what he says,” and “what’s this teaching Blount.”

Listen, I believe Chip Kelly when he says lifting LeGarrette Blount’s suspension has nothing to do with football. I believe him when he says he wanted Blount to actually believe he would be suspended for the remainder of the season and that he wanted to see how Blount would react thinking he had no reason to be a part of Oregon — for football or academics. I mean seriously, it would have been so easy for Blount to bail and leave Oregon behind. But he didn’t. He faced his wrongs and I believe is trying to do right.

Sure, Blount has an awful lot to lose with the NFL and all. But does it really matter why someone makes the effort to change for the better? It seems to be the more important issue is if they’ve actually made the change that lasts a lifetime.

Getting Blount into the Civil War game surely ignited a spark in the team and the Oregon crowd. He was able to make the best of it and even scored a touchdown. But you know what? Although that touchdown will never erase what was done on September 3rd, it can now be what may be a final impression for his Oregon football career. And that has to go a long way in helping him out in the future as a person.

Maybe, just maybe, down the road people won’t immediately or only remember Blount as the guy who punched a Boise State player. Maybe they’ll remember Blount as the guy who faced adversity, turned his life around and sparked one of the greatest Civil War wins in Oregon history.

I’m hopeful LeGarrette Blount will play in the Rose Bowl — if even for one play. But if not, I’ll always remember his final game as a Duck.

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 Civil War for the Roses – Pac-10 Blog – ESPN

ESPN.com’s Ted Miller writes up a really nice story about this year’s Civil War. So I won’t even begin to write up one of my own. Instead, I’ll pass this one along to you!

Civil War for the Roses – Pac-10 Blog – ESPN.

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 My Sportsman: Chip Kelly – 2009 Sportsman of the Year – SI.com

Sports Illustrated writer Ian Thomsen thinks Oregon coach Chip Kelly is deserved of the 2009 Sportsman of the Year award.

With all that he’s endured throughout the season and his work with LeGarrette Blount, I would have to say Kelly isn’t such a bad choice.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly is my Sportsman of Year choice – 2009 Sportsman of the Year – SI.com.

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