Slacker post of the week....

For those of you who hang on this blog's every word, and there aren't likely too many that don't have the last name of Archibald, I must first apologize for not posting at all this week.

Between the GRE's, extra classwork and a bunch of other busy things going on I haven't posted but wanted to get this up before Super Bowl Sunday.

I also had tickets to the Blazers game tonight and the Rose City's finest put on a great show. Even with the disappointing outing from Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Rudy Fernandez and LaMarcus Aldridge were enough to get buy a pretty crippled Jazz team.


I was most impressed with point guard Sergio Rodriguez who seems to be finding his own during this Steve Blake injury. Tonight he did a pretty good job controlling the tempo of the game, making good decisions with the ball and hitting a couple of shots. He also set up Przybilla at least a couple of times and hit Fernandez for a couple of highlight reel dunks.

Still think that the Blazers are better off standing pat, or making a move for a legit starting small forward/point guard/backup power forward if they are going to do anything over the next few weeks.

I still think Richard Jefferson would be a great get for the Blazers but at this point it seems unlikely that that big of a deal would go down. I also wouldn't mind seeing a push for Rudy Gay, although it would take a ton, or David Lee.

On to Super Bowl news....

A couple of years ago, my twin little sisters were pretty good basketball players at Seaside High School and their basketball team made it to the state playoffs. I traveled with my parents to watch them play in their first round game at Junction City High School, which they won.

Then, by some OSAA scheduling miracle, the Gulls had to travel back down the I5 corridor to Roseburg to play Douglas High School.

Most of you probably know that Douglas, a small school about five miles from Roseburg, is the alma mater of Troy Polamalu, the now safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While at the game, I couldn't help but notice the insane amount of Polamalu jerseys being worn by students at the game and the similar hairstyles displayed by some of the young men.

Thru a friend I was introduced to the Douglas High School Athletic Director who was relating a story about Polamalu.

Apparently, every off-season Polamalu makes a trip back to Southern Oregon and always stops by the high school. He doesn't come to be recognized at an all-school assembly or even to make an appearance to speak to an athletic team.

He always requests that nobody in the media know about his visit and often doesn't even warn the school when he is coming. When he gets to the school, Polomalu heads straight to the Special Education classroom where he spends the day working with the high schoolers with some sort of disability. The athletic director said that he is the most gentle and caring volunteer that the school has.

Now, some of this may be urban myth, or a high school athletic director exaggerating the truth a bit. But from everything I have seen or heard of Polomalu, it could just as well be true.

My point in sharing this is that the guy, despite his big hits and aggressive nature on the field is a pretty good guy. I will be rooting for him as much as anything else on Sunday. Maybe you should too.

Basketball squads prepare for stretch run

With their mid-season "hump" game coming up this weekend against Eastern Washington both the men's and women's basketball squads are preparing for a string of games that will likely decide their post-season fates.

The men will take on Eastern Washington this weekend in the Stott Center. The Eagles are a talented squad but seem to be playing inconsistent and outside of talented transfer Benny Valentine should not be able to run with the Vikings. Here's a shot of Benny being "educated" by former Texas Tech head coach Bobby Knight.After this weekends contest the Vikings play four of their next six on the road in the most hostile environments that the Big Sky can offer in the Montana road swing and then facing Weber State and Idaho State.

If Portland State can slide through that stretch undefeated, they will solidify themselves again as the conference's toughest team and likely claim the right to host the Big Sky Tournament again.

The women also take on the Eagles on Saturday and then face the Montana schools at home next weekend. It looks like the race for the Big Sky on the women's side will come down to either Portland State and Montana.

Both squads have looked dominant up to this point in Big Sky play. If the Vikings can get take the first matchup between the two teams they obviously have the upper hand heading into the stretch run of games.

Portland State fans could have the opportunity to cheer on both teams in the Rose City as they both vie for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

On a different note, men's basketball beat writer pointed out a scheduling quirk that could keep the Vikings from hosting the Big Sky Tournament in the Rose Garden as they did last season.

The tournament, scheduled to be played during the second week of March, would have to work around the Blazers scheduled games that week on Monday and Wednesday.

It seems likely that the squad may just play earlier in the day, although that will probably screw up all the television contracts and such or that the tournament will be moved to Memorial Coliseum.

Or we could ask the Pilots if they mind sparing their gym for some championship level basketball...







Here's some food for thought links that taste way better than a student-run vegan cafe....

Statistical analysis that the Cardinals suck. Or at least, the television ratings of Cardinals games suck compared to prior seasons. Of course these numbers dwarf any other sports playoff games.

The Week in Quotes from Football Outsiders...

I think we forget that The Oregonian has some pretty talented sports writers outside of Canzano and J Quick. Here is Mike Tokito's piece on Brandon Roy getting his jersey retired at Washington last night.

On to more depressing news of the NBA, Wally Szczerbiak's big contract apparently doesn't help him find clothes for a grown man playing in the league.

In other disturbing roundball news, Chris Tomasson has a story on the potential that 2010 could be remebered not as the year of Lebron James moving to New York, but as the year of the lockout... As in NBA lockout... Yikes.

And in a sad story it looks like Jefferson County in Kentucky will be making an example of a football coach who, allegedly, pushed his football players too far during the heat of a summer practice. Here is the story.

Bowling with the Blazers: A Comparative Analysis

While Friday is a big day in the Big Sky Conference with Montana taking on Richmond for the FCS National Championship, this weekend also marks the beginning of the 20ish days of the college football postseason.

We all know that the bowls suck, everybody wants a playoff and that there are too many teams.

We also all think we can correctly predict the winners of each game, silently hoping that our predictions will give verification to the hours we spent each Saturday this fall glued to the television.

But let's be serious: Who here really knows if Florida Atlantic has what it takes to knock off Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl? (Quite the ironic title in this one, as it looks like the Motor City may be no more in a few months.)

The 68 bowl teams have been broken down into several categories based (loosely) on the players of everybody's favorite team in the Rose City- the Portland Trail Blazers. Have at it.

The Ike Diogu Bowl Teams

Diogu, like most of these bowl-bound teams, has no business playing in the big leagues. He might have had his time and place--he thrived while in college at Arizona State-- but looks outclassed and out of place on the court.

Sure he has his loyal fan following just like these teams but the group is small and even the faithful know that the result of their game does not matter.


Texas Bowl- Western Michigan vs. Rice
The best part of this matchup is that it takes place on the same night as the Holiday Bowl, widely regarded as one of the best bowl games outside of the BCS contests. How bad does it feel to be a Michigan Wolverine fan and have to watch not only Michigan State play in a bowl game, but also Central and Western Michigan go bowling while you sit in frigid Ann Arbor. Ouch.

Humanitarian Bowl- Maryland vs. Nevada
Outside of ESPN Sportscenter anchor Scott Van Pelt, I don't think there will be too many people in Boise to see this instant classic take place on the smurf turf. The Humanitarian bowl also goes down on Dec. 30, the same day as the aforementioned Texas and Holiday Bowls.

The Joel Przybilla Bowls
The White Gorilla, as Blazers fans know him, is certainly not one of the most attractive players in the league and his talents are limited to dunking the ball and playing solid defense.

But despite his limitations, Przybilla is an important piece of the Blazers rotation and fills in nicely when Greg Oden is struggling or is in the locker room replacing his dentures.

These bowl games should be just as watchable as the Prz'. You wouldn't want to reschedule your wedding to watch these games but if they help you get out of some obligatory time with the family, take advantage.

Eagle Bank Bowl- Wake Forest vs. Navy
Despite having matched up earlier this season, these two squads will face each other again in D.C. to open the Bowl Season. Both teams are disciplined and run the ball effectively.

Sun Bowl- Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh
Despite the fact that the Beavers got throttled in the Civil War and the likelihood that PAC-10 Offensive Player of the Year Jacquizz Rodgers could miss the game, Oregon State coach Mike Riley always seems to get the Beavers ready to play in Bowl Games.

Pitt came on strong to close the season. Both squads are physical and play with a chip on their shoulder- just like Przybilla. He's not from El Paso is he?

The Rudy Fernandez Bowls
Heading into the season anticipation was high for Fernandez and while he hasn't exactly dissapointed there have surely been moments of frustration for Blazers fans.

As brilliant as the Spaniard has been with his breathtaking alley-oops and streaky shooting from beyond the arc, he needs to develop one skill just like all the bowl bound squads in this division: consistency.

Chik-fil-a Bowl- LSU vs. Georgia Tech
Two good squads that struggled for moments but also had moments in the spotlight. Georgia Tech seems to be on their way up as one of the best teams in the ACC while LSU will most certainly be back in the National Title picture next season.

Holiday Bowl- Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
This one won't be pretty to watch, given the Ducks penchant for wearing hideous jersey combinations and the Cowboys' orange tradition that seems unavoidable at this point, but it should be good football.

The Ducks are coming into their own and barring a mental setback should run over Oklahoma State the same way they ran over Oregon State. The Cowboys three losses came to Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech, not a bad trio of defeats.

Las Vegas Bowl- BYU vs. Arizona
I know, BYU is a bit overrated and Arizona stinks but these two teams have a brief history of intensity: they play each other often and they recruit the same kids from the same area.

Both teams should get up for this game despite some struggles this season. BYU could struggle to contain the speed and athleticism of Arizona but the Wildcats will likely shoot themselves in the foot at some point during the game.

The Brandon Roy Bowls

You probably saw these coming, but BRoy is playing out of his mind lately and seems poised to solidify himself as an NBA All-Star again this season. He offers can't miss basketball every time he steps on the court and these three bowl games should be identified likewise.

Rose Bowl- USC vs. Penn State
Classic uniforms, great defenses, best bowl atmosphere in college football.

Poinsettia Bowl- Boise State vs. TCU
Not exactly a sleeper pick, but should be quality football and two better teams than you might think.

National Championship- Oklahoma vs. Florida
Watch Tebow run wild one last time before he starts wearing a much higher number and only running the ball on third and short.