Hey ’Cats. This week I thought I’d take a break from football and shift the focus to my other love: the Portland Trail Blazers. After all, with a bye week for Linfield this weekend, what else am I going to write about?
I digress. This week, I want to talk about one of the (formerly) most beloved Blazers, a player who flexed his immense potential for one shining season, then fell victim to injury, became grouchy about playing time and now sits languishing in basketball hell awaiting a trade. I’m referring to Rudy Fernandez.
In Rudy’s rookie season, he became an instant Portland celebrity. Before he even began playing, a contingent of fans, including dozens of high school students who dumped class, mobbed the Portland airport to greet the new superstar.
He shattered the rookie record for 3-pointers in a single season; he electrified the Rose Garden with thundering dunks and alley-oops to fellow Spaniard Sergio Rodriguez; heck, he was even in the NBA all-star weekend’s slam dunk contest. Rudy was a celebrity, a hero to Portlanders.
When he was fouled hard by Trevor Ariza at home against the Lakers, I was scared that the fans at the Garden might charge onto the court and take the offending player by force.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
This summer, Rudy requested a trade. It was apparent by the end of the season that he wasn’t happy with his minutes or his role in Nate McMillan’s
schematic. He said he wasn’t being given the number of minutes that someone of his ability deserves.
Rookie general manager What’s-His-Name (I refuse to acknowledge him by name until the season starts; in K.P. I will forever trust) said he would shop the guard, who was now popularly being referred to as “disgruntled” by the media.
Fair enough. I have no problem with players requesting a trade when they’re unhappy, so long as they’re civil about it and stay fair to the organization that they still call home. Portland fans bemoaned his possible loss, but life carried on.
Then things got ugly. Rudy demanded a trade. He told coach McMillan to shove it, told the Blazers to shove it, and his agent basically told the team that Rudy would refuse to play a single minute for the team if he wasn’t traded right away. He threatened to walk out on his contract and go to Spain. But here’s my favorite part: His agent, one of those mucky-muck Hollywood types, said that if the Blazers didn’t start listening to his demands, that their fare with other international players might start slipping.
I think, Mr. Agent, that perhaps Rudy ought to pull his head out from where the sun doesn’t shine before the rest of the NBA ships him back to Spain with a one-way ticket. Requesting a trade is a completely normal action for an unhappy NBA player, but trashing their current franchise to do it not only makes them look terrible to the media but also makes their options with other teams plummet.
General Manager What’s-His-Name is still shopping Rudy but hasn’t found a trade that works yet. I don’t think one will ever come based on that and the fact that Rudy rejected a possible trade to the New Orleans Hornets recently.
There is just no way to make this guy happy. Maybe it’s a language barrier thing; I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m hurt, on a very personal level, by Rudy’s actions this summer. I, like the rest of Portland, loved him from the moment he arrived. In only one season, there were legions of screaming women of all ages at every home (and road) contest for the Blazers, and he was by far the flashiest player to watch; nobody ever knew what he was going to do.
Now he spurns us for more playing time. Does he even realize the crap storm he’s causing in the city and organization? Does he realize that this franchise is only a few years removed from the Jail Blazers era? His actions call to mind the antics of Bonzi, Mighty Mouse and Sheed, and you better believe every Blazers fan is now connecting the dots between the two.
Well, Mr. Fernandez, I say fie to thee and good riddance. This city has taken enough basketball abuse and we don’t need your skinny butt to stink up our bench any longer. I agree with a recent column by Oregonian sports writer John Canzano: Rudy should rot until we can find a trade we like. He has earned nothing less.
Chris Forrer/Freelancer
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

In the week following Oregon State’s 21-30 loss to No. 4 Texas Christian University and again after the
now-No. 5 Ducks’ 48-13 victory over Tennessee last weekend, I’ve seen nonstop hate pour from the Beaver
faithful around me.
The Ducks, these fans say, aren’t legit; they don’t deserve their ranking; heck, they even say the Beavers
are the better team.
Somehow, despite their own team getting soundly beaten by a much better opponent (sort of…more on
that later), these ignorant folks have the stones to call out the Ducks as being the worse team of the two.
Now wait just a sheep-stealing minute. What? Man am I sick of fans, players and coaches running their
mouths when they don’t have the stats or skill to back it up. Maybe I’m just touchy after hearing so many of
Rex Ryan’s baseless Super Bowl predictions for his team which is led by a quarterback that couldn’t even
slide without being taught by a major-league baseball coach. Or maybe I’m just incredibly partisan, seeing
as I’ve bled yellow and green since I was old enough to say, “Go Ducks!”
But in any case, let’s compare and contrast these two teams for a second.
Let’s begin on defense, shall we? The Ducks delivered a shutout in their season opener in the ever-
raucous Autzen Stadium. In their second game, on the road in a stadium that seats more than 100,000
people and is one of college football’s most difficult venues, they shut out Tennessee in the second half.
This is a team that has the potential to finish in the top half of its division in the SEC, mind you. The Ducks
amassed six turnovers in those two games and gave up only 13 total points.
The Beavers got beat on a neutral field. They gave up 453 yards of offense and 30 points while only
collecting two turnovers. “But Chris,” I can hear the OSU fans cry, “our game was against a team ranked
fourth in the country! That’s not even comparable!”
Yeah, OK, the team ranked fourth in the country … that plays in the Mountain West Conference. How can
you not go undefeated every season when you have even half a decent team and you get to play Southern
Methodist and San Diego State every year? Got to watch out for Colorado State; they could spring a big
upset any year now! Sorry, let me get a mop for all the sarcasm dripping from my mouth right now.
What about offense? In case you missed it, “Beaver Believers,” if you look up “offense” in the
dictionary, Chip Kelly’s name is the first definition. The Ducks have put up 1,167 yards of offense in
their first two games. You could maybe hit those numbers in two contests if you were playing a video
game with cheat codes on. The Beavers, meanwhile, mustered only 255 yards against Texas Christian.
“But Chris,” the critics cry out again, “we’re breaking in a rookie quarterback this year! That isn’t fair to
say!”
Um, two words for you: Darron Thomas. You know, that Oregon quarterback who made his first start this
season? Yeah, he’s passed for 422 yards and four touchdowns with only one interception so far. The rookie
argument doesn’t hold water when you remember both teams are starting fresh boys under center.
Oh, and Ryan Katz, the OSU quarterback? He was last seen blowing a snap count with the game on
the line against TCU and failing to stop the football from rolling into the end zone for a safety. Whoopsie!
But all of this ignores an important, obvious issue that OSU has this year. Here’s what I’ve been building
to thus far — the reason why I think the Beavers are a sinking ship this season and why the Ducks are a
total lock to blow out the Civil War in Corvallis this year: All the teams have to do to stop OSU is to stop
Jacquizz Rodgers. The Beavers are the most one-dimensional offensive team in the Pac-10; with an
untested quarterback under the gun and not taking charge like Sean Canfield did last year, Quizz is the
workhorse. Sure, his brother James Rodgers is a boss and without question and should be first team All-
Pac 10 this year, but he has to catch passes from Katz to get those yards and scores. The Horned Frogs
smothered Quizz and the OSU running game, allowing them only 73 yards on the ground, and forced the
Beavers to beat them in the air. They didn’t.
Conversely, look at the Ducks. LaMichael James is our No. 1 back. Last season, he smashed the rookie
rushing record in the Pac-10 that Quizz set a year prior. This season, with James out for the first game, our
No. 2 back Kenjon Barner
scored five touchdowns and amassed 225 all-purpose yards. The Ducks are so stacked on offense that
our fourth-string quarterback, Daryle Hawkins, was running in touchdowns against New Mexico’s first-string
defense in the season opener. Translation: Watch out OSU. The hurt is coming, and it’s coming fast. Dec. 4
probably seems like it’s too soon already.
Prediction time! Considering Oregon’s conference schedule will present only two true tests, the first
hosting Stanford with the red-hot Andrew Luck under center, and the second on the road against USC, I’m
betting Oregon walks into Reser Stadium in December with a 10-1 or 11-0 record and will likely be ranked in
the Top 3.
OSU, which goes on the road against No. 3 Boise State, No. 24 Arizona and No. 19 Stanford and hosts
No. 18 USC, will probably be a four-or-five loss team by then. My projected final score? 48-14, Ducks. Get
your handkerchiefs and comfort food ready, Beaver fans: This one’s gonna be ugly.

Chris Forrer/Freelancer
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Hey ’Cats. Seeing as this is my first column for the Review, I was hoping to spend it writing about the best football team on

Earth (the Oregon Ducks, of course). But recent developments with a certain Duck alumnus directed my interest toward the NFL.

I recently developed an interest in professional football after years of avoiding what my mother once called the “overpaid sissies”

that populate the league. (She has since reformed her opinions, NFL loyal, so no hate mail directed at my dear mother.) But I digress.

I’ve been loosely monitoring former Duck Dennis Dixon since he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers a few years back. Last

season, I cheered for him in his first NFL start (an overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which he played admirably), and this week

he was named the Steelers’ starter for the first four games of the season.

After a little more digging into what enabled his sudden ascension, I stumbled on “Big Ben” Roethlisberger’s suspension and

immediately knew what I had to write about.

As the NFL loyal know, “Big Ben” was suspended for 4-6 games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after he was accused of

raping a 20-year-old college student during the summer. The accuser claimed Roethlisberger asked the young woman, a worker at a

resort the player was staying at, to check on his TV, which he claimed wasn’t working. He then proceeded to kiss her forcefully, undress

her and force her to have sex with him.

After a quick stint in court, the charges were dropped by the student, who didn’t want to attract too much attention to herself. Shortly

following, the suspension was handed down, and last week it was reduced from six games to four.

In this reporter’s opinion, it wasn’t enough. He shouldn’t ever be allowed to throw a football again.

But let me back up for a second before the handful of Steelers faithful on campus start firebombing my bedroom. While everybody

knows about this incident and it’s still decorating the ESPN.com home page months after it’s occurrence, there is a staggering lack of

any mention of the first time “Big Ben” was accused of rape. That’s right, NFL fans: “Big Ben” can’t keep his “Little Ben” in his pants.

In 2006, he was accused of rape by a similar-aged student in Tahoe. He went to court and the charges were dropped. Sound

familiar?

On the subject of the more recent charge and subsequent suspension: I can’t blame Goodell for reducing it. As a close friend of

mine pointed out, he wasn’t convicted, so the league couldn’t have justified losing one of its top moneymakers for the full length of the

suspension. What I blame, in this case are the media and the U.S. justice system.

The media want “Big Ben,” and the media are going to get him, even if it means the power of celebrity yet again deludes the

workings of the U.S. justice system. How many times have we seen celebrities dodge major convictions? OJ did it; MJ did it; and now

Roethelisberger has done it, twice.

And that’s not all. After the second rape accusation last summer, dozens of teammates came forward with testimonies about his

terrible locker-room attitude, his hugely inflated ego and his lack of any sort of responsibility. “Big Ben plays for Big Ben” was the

overwhelming message that poured from the Steelers camp.

“Big Ben” has got a very, very big head, because he knows the people want to see him. He knows that he’s a celebrity, and he

knows that he can get away with whatever he wants. Do you see the writing on the wall yet, folks?

Mike Tomlin does. This week he wouldn’t confirm with the media that Roethelisberger will get his starting job back when he returns. I

couldn’t agree more; Dixon is young, talented, has tremendous upside and, unlike “Big Ben,”is a team player. That’s why I think it’s time

to let the clock strike 12 on “Big Ben” and let Dixon take over this Steelers team.

Chris Forrer/Freelancer
Chris can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Close your eyes and picture a sports fan. Not just any sports fan, but a die-hard aficionado, one who lives and breathes sports.

Are your eyes closed?

Of course they’re not; you’re still reading this. But that’s okay, because if you are like the rest of the world, I already know the exact image you would have pictured. It was a man, on a couch or at a stadium, beer in hand, clad in either a jersey or no shirt at all, rocking body paint in the colors of his favorite team. If you need help conjuring up this image, try typing, “sports fan” into Google. Can you guess what nine out of the first 10 image results are of? I can.

But times change, and we, as sports fans, are changing with it. A statistical revolution is among us. Just 10 years ago, measures of achievement were self-explanatory: touchdowns, home runs, points scored. Nowadays, it seems like a new formula is being popularized every day. Quick, what are TS%, UZR and PER? If you answered, true shooting percentage, ultimate zone rating and player efficiency rating, then congratulations, you just made Bill James and John Hollinger smile.

Not everyone is on the statistical bandwagon. Angels center fielder Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove winner who prides himself on his defense, took offense last year when he was told his range graded out to below average on the UZR scale. And while Hollinger may believe he has come up with far more telling measures of performance than the basic stats found on the back of basketball cards, it is still points, rebounds and assists that earn players All-Star votes and fat contracts.

Still, these new stats can be beneficial for players and fans alike — as long as they are taken with a grain of salt. No statistic, however complex, can accurately predict the future.

The 2009 Seattle Mariners were outscored by 52 runs during the season. According to Bill James’ Pythagorean Expectation for Winning Percentage, their record should have been 75-87. The Mariners turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year, going 85-77. Just this week, the Washington Wizards defied the odds by winning the NBA Draft Lottery, despite having just a 10.3 percent chance of doing so. The smile on the team owner Irene Pollin’s face when she found out her team had lucked out was unforgettable.

In a way, having an understanding of statistical probabilities makes it appear that much more magical when they are defied. Luck will always play a big part in the world of sports, and no new statistic will ever change that. But someday we may want to update our typical sports fan’s image — perhaps replace the jersey with a pocket protector or the beer with a calculator.

I’m just kidding about the calculator part. Stay passionate, sports fans.

Alex Harkaway

Freelancer
Alex Harkaway can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

The Seattle Mariners’ recent eight-game losing streak revealed a rather large flaw in any team that is built on pitching, defense and team chemistry: None of the above scores runs.

The team’s inability to produce during that skid (Seattle averaged a paltry 1.5 runs per game) ruined several strong pitching performances and left fans wondering what it would take to get the team to put some runs on the board. (The answer, it turns out, was to play against the Baltimore Orioles.)

With the team sitting in last place and the offense lacking any punch whatsoever, fingers are pointing at one hitter in particular — Ken Griffey Jr.

Even if you don’t believe the reports circulating that the 40-year-old designated hitter fell asleep in the clubhouse during a game last week, the fact is a .200 batting average and five RBIs from Griffey are not going to cut it. On a team that values defense over power production from every spot in the field, the designated hitter position cannot be given to a player who can no longer hit. The Mariners simply cannot afford to continue to generate such little offense from their DH.

Unfortunately, Seattle’s options to improve the offense would appear limited. Its leading home run hitter in AAA Tacoma is batting just .190, preventing any likelihood of a call-up. The only decent hitter left on the free agent market, Jermaine Dye, managed a meager .179 average in 60 games after the all-star break last year. After Dye, the only other notable slugger available is Barry Bonds; not the most appealing option.

Furthermore, no teams seem to be interested in trading any key players this early in the season.

“No one is selling. Everyone wants to sit tight and see what their club looks like,” Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said last week. Teams out of the playoff race often deal away veteran players for prospects near mid-season but rarely engage in such trades in May. These teams do not want to concede their seasons so early and risk angering their fans. Teams will certainly be willing to engage in trade talks with the Mariners come June, but by then, Seattle could find itself too far out of the race.

The Mariners have one asset that could shake up the entire league’s trading situation: Cliff Lee. The southpaw, with a Cy Young award and World Series appearance already under his belt, is set to hit free agency this winter. With the Mariners’ chances of affording his services long-term not promising, the team could look to shop Lee now in exchange for an impact hitter or two. Losing Lee, one of the finest pitchers in the game, would be a tough blow to the pitching staff, but improving the offense needs to be its top priority. The Mariners have scored the fewest runs in the league, a dubious feat that they also arrived at last year. In lieu of addressing the offense this past offseason, Zduriencik instead made splashy moves to add even more pitching and defense. Now is his chance to atone for that mistake and acquire the big hitter his team sorely needs.

Then again, Seattle could always play it conservative, make no moves and hope that its bats wake up. I wouldn’t recommend it, though. Waking up can be a hard thing to do. Just ask Griffey.

Alex Harkaway

Freelancer

Alex Harkaway can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

“Teams will certainly be willing to engage in trade talks with the Mariners come June, but by then, Seattle could find itself too far out of the race.”

Question: What happens when a Hall of Fame-bound first baseman in the prime of his career with a Gold Glove, a World Series ring and three MVP awards to his credit hits the free agent market?
Answer: No one knows. It’s never happened before. But with Albert Pujols’ current deal set to expire after the 2011 season, all eyes will be on his contract negotiations.
When Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard signed a 5-year, $125 million extension this week, it raised plenty of questions. Chief among them is this: If Howard is worth $25 million per year, then how much is Pujols worth?
“$50 million a year, at least,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I don’t know how you pay a guy like Pujols. He’s the best.”
Cox is right — Pujols is the best player in the game. No one else can match his hitting, fielding and competitiveness. He is the total package. His career statistics read like a Guinness Book of World Records. But not only would a $50 million-per-year deal shatter the previous MLB record for salary, it would almost double the $27.5 million-per-year wage Alex Rodriguez is averaging in his current 10-year deal.
To put $50 million in a new light, it would take a sports writer with a $40,000 annual salary 1,250 years to match it.
Realistically, there is only one team that would ever contemplate throwing that kind of money at a single player. Of course, that team is the Yankees. However, with Mark Teixeira entrenched at first base, an offer from New York seems unlikely. Could this allow a surprise team to sign away the game’s best player?
Don’t count on it. Pujols has stressed his desire to win and was quoted last year saying, “Money is not everything; it’s better to have a competitive team that can go to the postseason.” The Cardinals have made the playoffs in six of Albert’s nine seasons and are expected to get back there again this year. Pujols will be hardpressed to find a suitor who can match that success.
The 2011 offseason may seem to be a long way away, but it has the chance to reshape the economics of the game.
Could the St. Louis Cardinals, a team in a mid-market city, dish out more money for a player than the Yankees ever have?
When that player is Pujols, the Cardinals may have to. In the next few years, Pujols will continue to break records.
The next record he claims may have nothing to do with home runs, averages or RBIs; it might just be about the dollar bills.

Alex Harkaway
Freelancer Alex Harkaway can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

When Brandon Roy left Portland’s game against the Lakers in the second quarter with a knee injury, he did not collapse onto the floor, he was not screaming in pain and no trainers were required to carry him off the court.
His foot-tangle with Ron Artest was nowhere near horrific enough to become an instant YouTube sensation, á la Greg Oden’s or Joel Pryzbilla’s injuries. Yet, if early reports about Roy’s status are true, this “sprained knee” (his words) will be far more devastating to the Blazers than any injury they have had to deal with this season — it will cost them their best player at the time they’ll need him most: the playoffs.
The Blazers could open postseason play as early as April 17. Roy’s injury, which ESPN labeled as a torn meniscus, will require surgery. But since there is no risk of making it worse, Roy is hopeful he will be able to put off the surgery until the offseason and play through the pain.
“I want to play,” he told reporters April 12. “It’s the playoffs.”
He plans on testing the knee April 16. Until then, Blazer fans are faced with a daunting question: Can the team survive a playoff series without him?
In 16 games without Roy this year, the team is 8-8. Conversely, with him in the lineup, they are 42-23. No surprise there. By digging a little deeper, we can see exactly where the team misses Roy the most: at the offensive end.
The Blazers have averaged about 99 points per game with Roy on the floor this year, as opposed to a little more than 94 points per game with him sitting out. While Portland’s first-round opponent could still be any one of four teams, each of them (Dallas, Denver, Utah and Phoenix) is a prolific offensive squad, meaning if the Blazers are going to keep up, someone is going to have to pick up the slack. But who?
The easy answer is LaMarcus Aldridge. As the team’s second-leading scorer, he is the natural alternative to take over as the go-to guy in Roy’s absence. But Aldridge lacks Roy’s killer instinct, as well as his scoring credentials. Roy carried the team on his back last year against Houston, scoring 42 points to earn a Game 2 win. Aldridge has never scored 40 in a game; he has only cleared 30 twice all season, and Portland lost both games.
Coach Nate McMillan has stated that if Roy is unable to play, Rudy Fernandez will start in his place during the playoffs. While Rudy may be a fan favorite, he cannot be counted on to pick up the scoring slack, either. Fernandez has averaged just 8.7 points per game in contests without Roy, a number barely above his average for the season.
The player that is going to have to step up is Martell Webster. Webster has been so hot and cold this year, you could mistake him for Katy Perry. But he has played his best basketball in Roy’s absence, averaging 13.1 points per game (as opposed to 8.2 per game with Roy). Webster is the owner of one of the league’s prettiest jumpers, and he is one of the few Blazers capable of creating his own shot. A confident Webster would give the Blazers someone to knock down shots and keep the team in the ballgame. He’ll certainly need some help from the Millers and Cambys of the roster, but Webster may hold the key to any Blazer playoff run.
With luck, Roy will grit it out and give the Blazers another inspiring playoff performance. However, the way injuries have gone for the team this year, Portland would be wise to have Webster and company ready to lead the way.

Alex Harkaway
FreelancerAlex Harkaway can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

My father once told me, “Every year around now there’s Passover, Easter and Opening Day. I always know which one I’ll be celebrating.” Religious allegiances aside, baseball’s first act makes a compelling case for holiday status. Don’t believe me? Allow me to elaborate.
10:09 a.m.: I leap out of bed, skip into my living room and flip on the TV. The Cardinals are playing the Reds. As the reception flickers and comes to life, I cross my fingers, hoping to get a glimpse of an Albert Pujols at bat before I leave for my first class.
The Cards’ No. 2 hitter strikes out, and up comes Pujols. Three pitches go by. I pour my morning orange juice without taking my eyes off the reigning MVP.
Then, on the fourth pitch, a swing and a drive. Back to the track, to the fence and beyond. Home run, Pujols! There is no way I’m going to my class now — I’m hooked. That, and I have to scrub about eight ounces of orange juice from my couch.
12:25 p.m.: The Indians are hitting against the White Sox, and the batter hits a sharp line drive up the middle. The Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle, kicks at the ball, deflecting it toward first base and into foul ground. He chases after it, and with the batter bearing down and almost to first base, Buehrle snatches the ball with his glove and flips it, without looking, between his legs to the first baseman for the out. Amazing. If Jackie Chan is still making kung-fu movies, he should call up
Buehrle.
1:30 p.m.: I am in class and about as happy to be there as a terrorist is at the sight of Jack Bauer. Somewhere around this time, Jason Heyward, the next superstar, began his big-league career by jacking a monster home run. In the past month, I have heard baseball experts compare Heyward to Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron. That’s three of the top players of all time. He’s the Lebron of baseball. He’s played one game and already has a highlight-worthy homer to his credit. But I missed it because I was in class. If this isn’t a good enough reason to make baseball a holiday, I don’t know what is.
10:11 p.m.: The Mariners win their opener in the ninth inning thanks to a go-ahead hit by some person named Casey Kotchman. After the game, I Googled “Casey Kotchman” to figure out who the heck he is.
Google gave me the following three results: A Myspace layouts salesperson, a first baseman who drove in a grand total of seven runs with Boston last year and a softball player from the College of Charleston who lists Italian as her favorite food. You know what? I’m not sure which is the one who delivered that winning hit. My money’s on the softball player. Never bet against Italian food.
I learned something this Monday: From the homers, the close games, the beautiful defensive plays and the fatherly advice, Opening Day deserves to be a holiday. Next year, I welcome all of you to celebrate.

Alex Harkaway
Freelancer Alex Harkaway can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

The 2010 Division III baseball season is officially underway, and 25 programs are ranked as the nation’s elite.
The University of St. Thomas, the 2009 national championship runner-up, sits atop the current poll posted by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The Tommies opened up their season with two wins against the College of Scholastica, the defending national champions.
However, trouble lurks ahead for these two programs as the season progresses. I’m not talking about Midwestern schools that always seem to sneak into the top 10. I’m talking about two teams that have the potential to climb the polls faster than the decline of North Carolina basketball, and they hail from the Northwest Conference.
Pacific Lutheran University and Linfield College have finished at or within the top three of the conference since 2004. NWC coaches predicted the No. 14 Lutes to win the 2010 conference crown, while Linfield, which just fell out of the top 25, was projected to take second place.
Both programs are highly touted in the Northwest, and why not?
PLU opened the season with eight consecutive wins, during which it toppled then-No. 20 California Lutheran University, and the Lutes now hold an 11-2 record.
The Lute lineup provides conference-leading production in batting average (.359) and hits per game (13.31). With players such as sophomore infielder Ryan Frost, who is batting a solid .429, and senior pitcher Trey Watt, who leads the league with 23 strikeouts, PLU can’t go wrong.
The Linfield offense isn’t too shabby, either, as it sits atop almost every major offensive category in the NWC. The ’Cats’ all-around play shows in runs scored (114), hits (177), RBIs (107) and stolen bases (33).
Seniors shortstop Kelson Brown and first baseman Rhett Fenton lead the offensive attack with batting averages of .475 and .431, respectively. Brown also leads the conference with 49 total bases and 20 runs scored. The Wildcat pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.5 and leads the NWC with 105 strikeouts.
Now compare these numbers to those of St. Thomas and Scholastica. Although the Tommies have only played two games, they have compiled a .302 batting average and nine runs scored. At this pace, the Lutes alone would outscore the No. 1 program by more than 52 runs.
Scholastica ranks No. 25 in the nation with a 2-2 record, plating 27 runs and holding a .282 batting average with 31 hits. Fast-forward the Saints’ season 11 games, and they will be outscored and outhit by three runs and more than 60 hits, respectively.
It’s not only that PLU and Linfield are winning; they’re dominating. The Lutes have averaged four runs per game more than their opponents, while Linfield has outscored teams 114-80.
The best part about all of this: It’s only the fourth week of the season. The Lutes and ’Cats are still tying up loose ends, which is not only a problem for the NWC, but for the nation, as well.
Keep an eye on these two programs. We could be seeing one of them holding up some national championship hardware in June.

Grant Lucas
Sports editor Grant Lucas can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman went on record a few months ago casting his doubts as to whether he will continue to send NHL players to the Winter Olympics. He questioned, among other things, the appeal that Olympics in foreign markets would have for American fans and if pausing his sport’s season in order to participate in the Games is worth it. Mr. Bettman, I hope you were watching the gold medal game.
In what was arguably one of the most memorable hockey games ever played, Team Canada, with the support of thousands of rabid fans, defeated Team USA in overtime, 3-2.
It was a smashing hit, with more than 27 million viewers in the U.S. alone.
The game featured a frantic last-minute equalizer by the Americans to force overtime and a game-winner scored by the NHL’s crown jewel, Sidney Crosby.
Rest assured, the audience did not come away disappointed. Zach Parise’s game-tying goal with
fewer than 30 seconds to play demonstrated why hockey boasts the most exciting last minute in sports.
In one-goal games, the trailing team pulls its goalie for an extra attacker with about a minute to go, and chaos ensues. As the seconds ticked down in Vancouver, Team USA barraged Canada’s goalie, Roberto Luongo, with a flurry of shots.
Fans were at the edge of their seats; unlike football and basketball, hockey’s final minute does not feature a series of time-outs or fouls. The action is non-stop, and this game gave 27 million people a reason to watch more hockey.
The end of the game was good for the NHL, too, even if the Americans didn’t win. Sports are defined by their stars, and since Wayne Gretzky’s retirement,
hockey has struggled to find one. At its best, a sport boasts a star that transcends the game and gives even casual fans a reason to watch.
Now, hockey has Crosby, who not only is a national hero in Canada but could become a villain in the eyes of heartbroken American fans. Love him or hate him (those of you close to me know I am choosing the latter), Crosby has become a household name. This could not have happened without his participation in the Olympics.
The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia, several time zones away from the NHL’s prime markets. Bettman has questioned the value that his league would get from sending its stars to a place that would not allow NHL fans to be able to watch the games live in prime time.
However, if hockey four years from now is anything like the game on display Feb. 28, the fans will find a way to watch. The Vancouver Olympics were a blessing for the sport.
Your move, commissioner.

Alex Harkaway
Freelancer Alex Harkaway can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com