Cleaning Up

Ok, a few things to clean up I guess. I had planned on finishing off the saga of my Bandon Trip back on Sunday, or Monday but that didn't happen. So I am gonna take care of that. I also wanted to drop a little news on the trial I had today and lastly I wanted to make sure that everyone out there has heard what the Oregon O-Line laid down on the Jim Rome show.

Bandon Conclusion

So first things first. The conclusion to the trip to Bandon was fantastic. Four days of golf on the coast in November and no rain. I finished my match with Dad all square and frankly had to work to get that. Its not that I was playing that poorly, it was more a combination of some real bad bounces my way and that I now give him 2 shots a side (4 shots on 18 holes).

Anyway, here is a link to some of the pictures I took of Bandon Trails and Pacific Dunes. I forgot my camera the day we played Bandon Dunes.

Trial

I had another trial today, my first since the 2 days trial I talked about earlier. It went pretty well actually. I won a conviction on the DUII and lost on the Hit and Run. In all honesty though, I would take that outcome 99 out of 100 times. That makes my personal record 3-2. I am sure at some point I will stop keeping mental count of my record, but not yet. Although the facts and proceedings are public record, the case is still technically pending so I won't write anymore about it until after the sentencing. I am just still a little excited.

Oregon Football

Some of you may know, and some of you may not but Oregon has been getting a fair bit of Rome Karma and Rome love of late. In fact, counting the 3 Oregon o-lineman that went on last week thats 6 Oregon interviews in 2 weeks. None of them rocked like Jeff Kendall's though. Fan-freaking-tastic. I thought I should throw up a link just in case some of you missed it. Here is to the fat kids living the dream.



Also, here are some links to the reactions to that rant:

Rome
More Rome
More More Rome

Another Post From the Road

Another day, another round of beautiful golf. I should have some pictures up later, probably tomorrow or Monday. The weather has been perfect so far. At least as perfect as weather on the Oregon Coast is going to get in the winter.

I took good advantage of the calm winds and no rain today to fire my best round of the weekend by a good 7 shots (I shot 85 today). And frankly, I am still not putting well at all.

Also, and I am pretty excited about this, I am finally getting the chance to use the gift certificate I have for this place. So, for that I owe thanks to Dirty P (and his lady) and Snowman. (Let me say this: I have thought a long time how to deal with talking about friends etc on this blog. I considered the "First Initial Approach" but I am not a fan... I have settled [as you can clearly see] on the "strange and amusing nickname method." Please know that this is done with all possible ironic intent... also, Dirty P, get off your lazy ass and post something! Football, work, your recent trip, anything.)

Match Update:

With 18 holes left to play, the match is all square.


In other news: the Fightin' Illini rock... and I am still a sucker a good football movie.

Post from the Road

Back country roads change after the sun goes down. They change even more when the fog rolls in at night. I thought I knew that... my drive to Portland taught me otherwise.

I wasn't really thinking too hard when I left and I just jumped onto Highway 202 (runs into Highway 26 eventually...) and started driving. After a short stop at the Olney general store (can't make a long drive without some Mt. Dew, and Whoppers... well the Whoppers are optional) I just started making miles. And more miles. After a while I started to wonder where Jewell had gone. It wasn't until I hit Birkenfeld that I realized what had happened. In the dark and the fog I had missed the turn onto Highway 103. Worst was, once I realized my mistake it was just as fast to continue on through Vernonia as turn around.

Also on the list of things fog changes: Elk. So there I am driving along in the dark and the fog on a road I've never driven. When suddenly, out of nowhere, just off the road 4 huge bull elk show up. Now normally I am cool with elk. I look at them from a distance, watch the males ram each other now and again. But when you add dark fog and a touch of surprise to the equation, elk are downright frightening. And I don't mean dark, unfamiliar basement with strange sounds frightening, I mean like change your pants terrifying.

I did eventually make it to Portland, elks and fog be damned. And from there down to Bandon. I can firmly say this about golf here. No matter what anyone else tells you, walking up and down these hills with a groin pull is very very painful.

Through 36 holes I am not playing well, but not all that badly either. I won't bore you all with any kind of blow by blow, but I will say its been fun and the weather has been pretty good so far.

Match Update:

As you may know, my father and have been competing against each other for as long as I can remember. To those that have heard me talk about it, you know this is as deep and intense a rivalry as you are apt to find in the world.

Through 18 holes I was one up.
Through 36 holes I am three down.
36 holes left to play - Look for another update tomorrow.

4th Quarter

(God damn you Alabama!! ) (Now all thats left is to throw a few Seminole Chops around)

Great hit on Carpenter! He barely had a chance to cover up before that one. Good series for the Duck D. They have really stepped up again.

OK, 13 min left, you are up 19 in what may be the biggest game of the year (at least short of the bowl game). Do you a) run it into the middle of the line 3 times. Or b) stick to the offensive game plan, keep the Devils on their heels and in over pursuit and make a firm statement on national television? I think you all know my preference, lets see what they do.

Oh no!! Dixon took a stinger on the knee there!. He is up and walking off, but I think I suffered a minor coronary.

There goes the last timeout... Now I am more ok with a little more conservative offensive series. But not much. Its not like Leaf is some schmuck red-shirt freshman with no game time experience.

Great play call to start of Leaf. Love to convert here... gonna be 3^rd and long it looks like though.

Good look at Scott, ball just drifted a little. Gotta believe it would have been complete if Dixon were throwing. Syria is kicking well today. To bad he is already a Junior. It's so nice to not live in mortal fear of punting

Eleven more minutes of sold defense. Thats all he need. And not the “keep it all in front of you, let them dink and dunk defense” stay a little aggressive and trust your secondary.

Reason # 4,135 I hate these announcers. They don't even bother to understand the difference in pass interference rules between college and the NFL. The NFL has a 5 yard rule for pass interference, in college you can bump until the ball is in the air.

Great defense there. You gotta believe its 4 down territory here. And it is, Carpenter is still on the field. One more big stop could be the game.

ASU may have converted on 4 and 10 but I am proud of Aliotti. He didn't rush 3 or 4, he sent a linebacker and it nearly paid off. No reason not to play balls out in a game like this!

Picked!!! I had feeling one of those was going to come one of these plays. Would preferred a knee and a touch back, but its tough to keep your head sometimes.

Looks like Dixon will be ok. Glad to see him moving on the sideline. Also more than ok seeing them leave Leaf out there. At this point, no reason to risk Dixon any more.

Nice pass by Leaf gets it to third and manageable. On third and three, it will probably stay on the ground... and nothing gained unfortunately.

Drained a good 2 minutes off the clock though.

ASU will be going to the air here. We'll see how good Carpenter really is. Down 19 with 6 min to play. Still hoping that Aliotti doesn't get too complacent

Rushed 3 lineman on each of those. You would think Aliotti might of learned something from last week and the first 54 min of this game. You would be wrong.

Thats an ASU TD... took a whole 41 seconds off the clock. Still a two score lead, but this game is by no means over. Big question... does Dixon come back in now? Only if ASU scores again? (Also up for debate, you need 2 scores in 5:20 seconds, do you try the on-sides? [I say no, given Oregon's past history of being extremely conservative in situations like this])

Well... its a long field Oregon can use to drain the clock. Just have to do it. No three and out here. Gotta run 5-7 plays.

It is still Leaf... and they throw a short pass! Complete, and still in bounds. 2 & 8... Stewart dances, and leaves it at 3 & 7ish. ASU uses one of its last 2 timeouts. Down to 4:14... need a conversion here.

Damn it! Two good play calls, and Leaf can't keep it in bounds on the sideline route. I know its a tough throw, but you need to convert on something like that. Weight is back on the defense.... and a bad bounce costs the Ducks 20 yards on the point.

Send a blitz Aliotti! Got him!!! 7^th sack of the game and another from Reed. Exactly what I wanted to see.

Didn't want to see that long pass caught... FUMBLED!! I know he is fighting for yards, but you have to hang on to the ball. Heads up play by Glasper to get on top of it. And not try and pick it up or carry it.

That should seal the game. Not as huge as Harper's pick, but it really is just about the nail in the coffin.

Oregon closes the game with a sack... 8 on the night. Fantastic game all around.

Thats all for tonight. BC is down 7-0 at the half. Go Seminoles! Go Bobby Bowden you crazy old sonuvabitch go!

3rd Quarter

(Almost forgot to break at the quarter and post)

As I am sure you have all heard. ASU has outscored opponents 153-29 in second halves. Oregon hasn't been the strongest 2^nd half team, but I think a good part of that is that they are usually way up coming into the 3^rd.

Here we go starting the 2^nd half.

That shoulda been a free shot on Carpenter there. I can't even describe how much I would like a takeaway right now.

Great pressure on two snaps in row there, and good perseverance getting to Carpenter. One more stop now. False start... thats Autzen getting loud early in the 3^rd I love it! (Ageyman showing blitz probably helped. Time for another FG. If Oregon keeps holding ASU to FG's... even 50 yarders, Oregon will be in good shape.

Time for a good offensive series now... Starting with great field position. Stewart could have taken that to the house with a little more room.

Oregon's O-line doesn't seem to be getting off the ball as fast. When Oregon is moving the ball well (on the ground), the O-line explodes off the line and pushes the actual line of scrimmage down field. It will look like no gain until you realize all the linemen are 4 yards down field.

Williams!!! You have got to catch that ball baby... Great punt by Syria.

Good stop by the Ducks. Good penetration by the front four there. Oregon should have good field position here.

Thats what I want to see on offense. Get the ASU defense over pursuing again. Use that aggressiveness against them.

Fantastic run by Stewart! I know he should go to the NFL after this year. Its the right thing to do, but it would sure be fantastic to see him for one more year. But if I were advising him, I would have to say go to the NFL. Running back is just to vulnerable of a position. Way to easy to blow a knee or an ankle and miss your shot (or seriously risk it... reference Willis McGehee here (not that he could have come out in the 1^st round after his junior year, but you get the idea). That said... if any running back out there would come back to finish his degree (he wants to be police officer apparently) Stewart is the type.

ASU is getting its yards and all, but Oregon's front four (and the linebackers at times too) are just playing fantastic. Good pressure all day long so far. I hope Allioti doesn't pull the linebackers back as we get to the 4^th.

Fantastic hit! Here we go on the first 4^th down try of the evening. Stuffed! Oregon's defense is looking for a second statement game in a row I think. And they are making a heck of a statement.

On a side note... I know there are a lot of defensive schemes out there, and I know I don't understand Aliotti's that well. But if you are going to cover one of these games at least make some effort. It is a gap control scheme. Even the linebackers are mostly containing and funneling. In a normal defense its bad if your DB's lead in tackles, but at Oregon its fairly common. (I know this would be a point to critisize Aliotti's scheme, and I have on numerous occasions.) Even on good Oregon offenses the rover and “strong safety” (counts as a DB, plays like a linebacker) are often the top tacklers. I don't love the “bend but don't break” style, but I do like the TFL's that Allioti's defense tends to rack up. If they could stiffen up on third down (in general... doing pretty well tonight) people would think he is a genius.

Short offensive series. The Oregon defense is going to get warn down if the offense can't stay on the field longer. (Reference the long run play that just happened)

Except for the long run there (which would have been much longer if the back had just ran all out he probably would gone to the house, holding up there allowed the strong Oregon pursuit to catch him) that was a real strong defensive series.

A solid scoring drive right here would right here would go a long way to making be feel more secure in this one. Not completely secure... not against this team until the final whistle. But better.

That shoestring tackle saved at least 5 yards if not 6 points. Would it be unreasonable for Oregon to send two to New York? I never have understood why Stewart doesn't get more national press. I know he is a quite guy and doesn't interview much, but the game tape should speak for itself.

Now its Oregon burning timeouts. Only one left now if it gets close.

>_>

<_<

That was a pretty pretty pass to Davis. Dixon doesn't make that throw last year. Last year (even in the beginning of the year when he still had his confidence) he doesn't complete that.

2nd Quarter

And Oregon right back at it for the 2^nd Quarter... as is Williams. A lot of people were looking for him to have a break out game today. I wasn't so sure it wouldn't be Garren Strong... but its looking like the experts knew a little better then me on that one.

BTW if you all aren't reading Stewert Mandel's blog reports from Oregon, you should be.

Good contain on the kickoff, could have had him at the 10 though.

Good lead for the Ducks here at 21 to 3, but I really hope Oregon doesn't get complacent. ASU has made their living in the 2^nd half all year long. I don't know that I would feel comfortable until it was 4+ TD lead heading into the 4^th. Even then I would want to see Oregon do more than run straight ahead.

Speaking of running straight ahead, the ASU line is looking a bit better then I expected. I knew they could move the ball on the ground, but I wasn't expecting as good as this.

Oregon got hosed on the spot on Carpenter's scramble. Love to see Oregon take the ball away here. Though ASU burning a TO because Carpenter is sprinting to the sideline like an Pop Warner QB is almost as nice.

Damn! When Carpenter let that go, it looked like a pickable ball to me. Just nobody in position.

Another misread on the 1^st down through... Hate to see that... After an ASU TD I would really like to see a sustained drive if not a solid TD. I like the play call on 3^rd and 7, but punting the ball after an ASU TD is disappointing. I guess here's hoping for a good defensive stand.

Carpenter hasn't missed a pass yet. I know that won't keep up the whole game, but it could be telling.

Another ASU TO... only 1 left with 9 minutes in the 1^st half. It looks like the crowd is rocking today... Now for a sold defensive stop to make...

There we go... force them to 3^rd and long. A good stop here keeps them to another field goal...

Thats to FG where it probably should have been another TD the way ASU had been moving the ball.

That is a heck of a play by the ASU corner Bolden. After the inside screen its now third and longish again. Or even longer with the false start. I would love to see a 3^rd down conversion here. Not to be though... looked like Dixon forced that a little. But if he puts some air under it it might have been 6 for Oregon.

The defenses are starting to settle in. Hurts Oregon to see the starting middle linebacker go down though. I know Bacon doesn't have big tackle numbers, but he does good job Qbing the defense. (Bad sign to see him on the cart...)

Big sack from Nick Reed there! Two today, I wouldn't be surprised to see two more at least.

Time for a big stop... or for Autzen to take ASU's last time out with still 6 minutes on the clock.

Way to force the punt... good pursuit by Agyeman. I love how Oregon is flying to ball the last couple of games on defense.

Fuckity Fuck Fuck Fuck!!!(to quote a dear friend of mine...) 3^rd and 1 and a turnover on a fumble! If Oregon doesn't hang on to the ball today, its going to be tougher dog fight than Oregon is looking for. You can't keep going back to the defensive well through out this game.

I know Oregon's offense isn't a time of possession offense, but 7 minute (and growing) advantage for ASU is going to start to hurt.

Great coverage sack there. Gonna need to find a few more of those today.

Thats a flat out shitty late hit call. I have seen that move countless times and I have never seen it flagged.

Thats a good stop on 2^nd and short. Hold them again here, and the hero of the 2^nd quarter is clearly the defense. (Didn't get the stop, but they should have... Nance is slippery though)

Bad idea to run the ball there with no timeouts... took a chance at TD and turned it into a FG. Cuts the lead to less then a TD, but still I don't like the run call. Could have taken 2 shots at least.

I bet Erickson hates it more now that the kid hooked it.

Well that brings us to the half. Here is hoping that the Ducks come back out fired up and ready to go back to work. (Wow... these are running longer then I thought they would.)

Live Blogging the Duck Game - 1st Quarter

Alright, I am gonna give this live blogging the game thing a shot.

I was almost late getting set up for the game... ok, actually I was a bit late. Well, I was in the room and folding laundry, but I had forgotten to do key things like grab a Mt. Dew, and my laptop.

Anyway, I am here now. Those of you that know me may be wondering why I am not at the game (being a season ticket holder and all). I had a bit of a calendering error. I thought I had my reservations for Bandon Dunes this weekend, so I promised the tickets to P and JT. As it turns out I was confused and off by a week. They said I didn't have to give them the tickets, but last Saturday we (My father and I... Dad has the other ticket) thought we would be putting my kitchen together and such so we gave them up anyway. We are not putting the kitchen tofether but I did finish my bamboo floor. Anyway, on to the game!

Fantastic catch by Williams on the first play. I am really glad to see Oregon go to the air early. I love seeing huge ground numbers, but I am a big fan of coming out aggressive in big games. (And Williams scores..)

Ouch... I was really hoping to see more pressure on the QB. Oregon's pass defense is looking a little soft. I know Allioti loves to stop the run, and ASU does run a lot, but... if you are going to go heavy in the box you have to get better pressure on the QB.

This is starting to look like a game that could break the scoreboard.... 1^st and goal for ASU already. In other football news: I don't know why, but I feel a little dirty rooting for 'Bama. I want them to win, and I have even given a “Role Tide” or two today, but I feel almost like a little piece of me dies each time.

Great stop from the Ducks front seven. ASU really moved the ball there, its great to see them stiffen their backs a little.

ASU is really over committing up front. I know Erickson likes an aggressive defense, but against the spread you really need to stay home. This could open up a lot of good lanes for Stewert and Dixon today.

That may go as a drop in the end zone by Williams, but it looked over thrown to me. Once again, ASU over commits and gets burned on the screen. I am serious, this may become a big pattern today.

Lets look for some better defense on this set... And I think I am going to get really really tired of hearing announcers say “All ASU needs to do is take the crowd out of the game.” Its really not gonna happen this year...Well except to start the 2^nd half....damn drunks in the Mo Center...

What is with the announcers saying “Pacific Ten Conference.” I know thats the name and all, but just stop it! It doesn't make you sound better, or more articulate. You are announcing a football game and its only being broadcast in Oregon and Arizona. We all know its the Pac-10. Call it the Pac-10 and save that air for someone more useful then you!

I am coming to dislike these FSN Arizona announcers...

But I am loving the game so far... and thats the end of the 1^st Quarter... We'll see if I can keep this up for the whole game. I wouldn't be too hopeful. Its tough to not jump around and such (at least there are no fans to break.)