A sad day

Terrible news from my hometown of Lafayette, LA. Tony Peloquin, a regular sports radio presence over the past 15 years and one of the more genuinely nice human beings one could have the pleasure of knowing, has died after a long battle with cancer. Tony was in his early 30s and he will be terribly missed.

R.I.P.

Ducks hold off USC

We were on the opposite side of the stadium, but this is pretty much how I remember Autzen, right after Matthew Harper's second interception to seal the deal:

Pandemonium in Autzen

What a fantastic game, and what a performance by Oregon's defense. GameDay is back in Eugene Saturday, for the Oregon-Arizona State game. As of this afternoon, the game is to be televised only regionally, the latest example of just how atrocious the Pac-10's t.v. deal is.

Update: ESPN has ridden in and saved the day. Kickoff at 3:40 local, with Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe calling the action.

Ducks at 13 in preseason coaches' poll

Oregon will certainly miss Aaron Brooks, who carried them for so much of last season. I do think Malik Hairston and, especially, Bryce Taylor will have monster years, and if they can figure out what to do with Tajuan Porter, then things might work out similarly to last year. Whatever happens they should be fun (due to assembled firepower) and frustrating (due to Ernie Kent being the coach) to watch.

Preseason Coaches' Poll

Potter walks out

I don't know if I can recall a more stunning display of petulance by an elected official:

Mayor Crybaby

He tried to shove this name change down people's throats, without adequate process or feedback from the affected community. He charged racism against anyone who dared to question the idea and, when the council decided to take a breath and slow this whole thing down, he walks out of the meeting. This is an embarrassment to the city and, certainly, to this lame duck, accomplishmentless mayor.

Giusto on the way out?

Likely due to the scope of the sheriff's office not typically overlapping with downtown protest marches, zoobombing or listening to Talk of the Nation, this baboon of a sheriff we have here in Portland has skated through scandal after scandal, remarkably intact. That all could be coming to an end, now.

Bernie the Baboon

Ratings bonanza

If I were a TV producer here in the States, I would make this happen, and I would make this happen yesterday:

Wok Racing

I would include more opportunities for audience participation and make it generally "crashier", but this is a golden concept and one that deserves the light of day here.

Another cyclist dies in Portland

There is no small amount of tension between cyclists and drivers in Portland, despite the fact that many drivers ride their bikes regularly, and vice-versa. The cycling community's bombast gets old really quick and their refusal to problem-solve, lest they see their "rights" erode is nothing short of reprehensible at this point:

Another Cyclist Dies in Portland

That's two deaths in two weeks, under almost identical circumstances, yet the people who speak for the cycling community here refuse to even consider changes to bike lane protocol at intersections. Amazing.