Spring Break
The Daily Barometer Sports blog
December 28th, 2007
Ken Simonton citing…
By on December 28th, 2007
After a solid year in Canada, #35 is on the field in his letterman’s jacket. Its stunning how many more Beaver fans there are. Dare I say, home game? Thirty minutes to go, so I will follow in Lauren’s footsteps and throw out a prediction for you.
Oregon State 31 Maryland 17
December 28th, 2007
Hola from San Francisco
By on December 28th, 2007
It is now about two hours from the opening kickoff and everything is beginning to be set up and ready to go. The ball park is absolutely beautiful and the weather looks to be okay at the moment. It feels alot like Corvallis outside, but for San Francisco, it’s not too windy. It’s very interesting to see the field in football format since I have watched countless baseball games on television. The field is very crammed in, with portions of both end zones in dirt. It really looks awkward but they managed to pull it off.
The Barometer staff arrived around noon at the ball park, walking about a mile and a half through downtown. Being a Giants fan, it was amazing to walk in and look at everything in the stadium. Lots of OSU fans walking around and not many Maryland fans, which is not surprising considering the distance. Had the opportunity to go out last night and went to a nearby bar that featured all OSU fans. At times, the OSU chant was unleashed, so even in a city of almost a million people, Beaver fans voices were heard.
The players and coaches are beginning to warm up, and considering how cold it will be later, it is probably a good idea. We are in the perfect seats if the Giants were playing, but for football is a weird angle to be covering the game. It still works, and it should be a mighty good one. One thing I won’t miss from the trip is the Emerald nuts being distributed in the press box, but that’s just me. See you after the game.
December 28th, 2007
Game day
By on December 28th, 2007
We arrived at the media hotel at about 7 p.m. That’s when we tried to meet up with self-proclaimed “student media icon” Nick Lilja – a.k.a. the KBVR FM program director and Barometer columnist. We were sadly unable to find the guy, so the five of us took shelter in the second Student Media hotel room – which is on the fourth floor. It has one queen bed, there were five people – you might see the problem here.
Our hotel room has a lovely view. It is a view of a giant billboard that says “Weatherproof Garment Company” and “Weatherman Approved”. Someone also mentioned that the garments have only been approved by one weatherman, not weathermen. That is probably not a good sign. This morning, the sign in black and I am fairly certain that it was blue last night. I guess tonight will if the sign is actually magically color changing.
Last night, after we arrived and after my last blog entry we took a quick tour of the hotel and the 21 year olds spent some time in the 36 floor lounge. KBVR staff member Chris Edmonds pretty much met every beaver fan in the lounge. We haven’t yet been outside of the hotel much, but its fun to see the occasional Beaver logo-speckled fan walking the streets of San Francisco. I spotted a few just last night before we got our gear out of the van (which is safely valet parked to God-knows-where).
Today, we will venture over to AT&T Park and retrieve our press passes. I’ve never been to a bowl game, and I’ve never actually covered a football game as press. So, I’m highly nervous to be taking photos on the field. Without a Barometer photographer here we will be relying heavily on the photos taken by Beaver Photo Editor Toan Ngo. But I hope to even the score a little and take a lot of photos of Beaver fans and some on the field. Mostly, I’d like to capture perspectives of the game that fans will not be able to (that includes one shot of the stadium from the field, the players’ perspective on a sea of orange).
I need those crazy fan shots and I want to be taking background shots of my staff working. Those are fun, because this blog and the photo slideshow we have so far are all about telling Barometer readers about the bowl game and how we experienced it – as well as working on stories to find out how the fans experienced it.
My prediction for the game is a 45 to 16 Beaver win.
I think the Beavers will be scoring every quarter and will drive the University of Maryland Terrapins into the ground. We all know that beavers beat turtles. If I was playing a game of pick an animal and put it in a ring, I’d have to go with the beaver on that one.
I am excited to go talk to some Beaver fans today and survey the population a little. I want to know how many University of Maryland fans actually flew/drove/walked to San Francisco. A few members of my staff think that this will be like a home game for the Beavers and I think they are right. I think the bowl game will be an overwhelming sea of orange. And for that, I am excited.
December 28th, 2007
Roadtrip ready
By on December 28th, 2007
Flags. There were lots and lots of flags. Bowl-goers flew their colors proud as the OSU Student Media van progressed on our journey to San Francisco, Calif. for the Emerald Bowl.
The Barometer/Student Media roadtrip started early Wednesday morning when Beaver Yearbook Photo Editor Toan Ngo and I hopped into an OSU Motorpool van will all-weather tires. Before popping it into drive, I checked for tire chains.
We met just after 7 a.m. and actually hit the road at 7:30. You can blame me for holding up the bandwagon because I had to grab more camera gear.
Ngo, Barometer Sports Editor Sean McLean, Barometer Football Beat Writer Kye Johnson, KBVR FM Sportscaster Chris Edmonds and I loaded the van and trucked down to California.
The drive through Eugene and down to Medford was highly uneventful but the snowpack took a turn for the worst when we hit the second cutoff for Kalamath Falls. The mandatory chain-up zone had us stopping and digging out the tire chains.
They were located in the side compartment of the back of the van. Apparently, they are standard equipment for the OSU Motorpool vans.
A quick round of “anybody ever put chains on before?” identified me as the prime, and most experienced canididate for chain implementation. About ten minutes of laying on pavement and strapping rubber tensioners to the chains had us on our way again - at the breakneck pace of 30 miles per hour.
After about 20 miles of pass travel, we heard a louder-than-usual “kerchunk.” It was the result of wearing through our chains and breaking one of the metal teeth in their first use. After driving like that for a while, for fear of snow travel without chains, we finally gave in and pulled over to remove the chains.
Don’t worry, OSU Motorpool, we will be purchasing new chains for the trip back.
The rest of the trip was highly uneventfuly, even when we stopped at a rest stop along the way. Our cruise into San Francisco was peppered with Sean’s inability to stay in his own lane. He hit rumble strips and lane markers affectively scaring the San Fran drivers. Which is pretty hard to do, I might add.
Toan and I tried snapping photos of all the bridges and pretty buildings on our way in.
We’ve arrived in San Francisco and tomorrow the Bowl Madness will begin.
Cheers,
Lauren L. Dillard
Editor in Chief/The Daily Barometer
November 20th, 2007
Seth Tarver gets ejected
By on November 20th, 2007
It’s hard being Seth not getting thrown out playing for OSU. What’s he going to do? Who’s he running into?
So, Seth Tarver is hard after all. Real hard.
This last weekend the Beaver basketball team took part in the Top of the World tournament – or whatever it’s called. Not that it matters. It had teams like Colorado State, Alaska, and USC – Upstate. Of course the Beavers could only beat USC – Upstate but that’s another story.
The best part of the weekend came in the second half of the game against Alaska. When, during an odd couple of circumstantial plays, Seth Tarver was ejected.
Let me repeat that: Seth Tarver was ejected from a game. Here’s a guy who couldn’t be nicer. He’s a guy who would help old ladies with their groceries, cub scouts with their can food drive and a blind person with brail. He probably never even killed a fly, and if he did, he probably apologized – to the fly.
He was ejected from the game after the referee’s had spent the game, according to a source close to Tarver, hassling him for no reason. The source said that the play in question Tarver was standing still, holding his position and the opposing player fell into him. Tarver was called for the foul. It was his fifth.
That’s when Tarver, in the referee’s perspective, got furious. He pled his case and was tossed for his unruly behavior. Tossed. Kicked out. Not to return. Seth Tarver. A game in Alaska. A game that meant nothing. A game where the Beavers should have won. Seth Tarver was ejected for pleading his case to a referee on an apparent bad call.
So apparently, Seth Tarver is hard. He has a bad side. He was thrown out of a game for pleading his case. Well, here’s to a great season of Beaver basketball. Including Seth Tarver’s new bad-itude.
And by the way, the opening paragraph was my remix to Tarver’s very own rap song. That’s right, he raps too.
November 12th, 2007
WTF mates?!?!
By on November 12th, 2007
This just in Pac-10 replay officials still suck. Like a vacuum in a black hole. It’s hard to call play-by-play for a game that is so poorly officiated that my color commentator is nearly falling over the balcony in front of me.
He could have died. Really.
For those of you who don’t follow what I am talking about — get this. The Oregon State Beaver football game on Saturday was quite possible the most worthlessly officiated game in the history of officiating. The first referee to use the penalty flag back on September 17, 1948 is probably rolling in his grave.
The OSU vs. UW game went down to the wire, 29-23, no thanks to the teams on the field.
The officiating was bad, but acceptable, until Yvenson Bernard had a touchdown run taken from him like gust of wind on a bad toupee. The Beavers drove down the field and Bernard did score on a short rush with about 2:38 left. He cut through the middle of he UW defense and was caught at the two-yard line. Falling forward, Bernard held the ball out, reaching for the goal line.
He reached the ball across, hit the ground, and the ball popped loose. That’s when the hysteria ensued. Not from Yvenson Bernard, though.
He stood, motionless, in protest at the one yard line. He lay on the ground after the ball crossed the plane of the goal line. He was still while the ball rolled on the ground. Stationary while it was picked up by Washington’s Roy Lewis. He stood, but remained motionless while the ball was returned 40 yards up the field. Not moving an inch until the Oregon State defense took the field.
That’s when the call was really blown. In college football, referees are informed to let the play ride. If the ball comes out, let the play continue and let the booth overturn a play. If a team has a timeout, they can call timeout, and politely ask the booth to take another look. It’s supposed to be a “checks and balance” system.
No one told that to the booth upstairs. After the fumble return, the UW offense ran onto the field like the sidelines were on fire. Their only safe haven was in a huddle on the 33 yard line.
They got a play off. UW called a play, walked to the line, ran a cadence, and got the snap off before the booth got done picking their noses and flicking their bugars. I’d bet they never even turned to the replay screen.
Disgusting? I know! To think that Washington could get a play called after such a monumental error on the field is flooring.
Something needs to be done. Something, anything. Save the Pac-10. The officials right now couldn’t call Bert on a Sesame Street phone.
Bernard was down. The ground caused the fumble. And to be honest, he looked like he was in the endzone.
I’m floored, absolutely floored.
November 6th, 2007
Final women’s exhibition
By on November 6th, 2007
I heart Head Coach LaVonda Wagner. She guided the Beavers to a 79 – 52 win at home in front of 547 fans against Team Concept. Wagner, in her third year as head coach, got revenge on T.C. which came into Gill last season and won.
Before the game Head Coach Missy Smith for T.C. was honored. The former Beaver, Smith played at Oregon State in the early 90s. Anita Rivera was also honored before the game. Rivera played with for Oregon State and graduated just last spring.
“It was fun and exciting to be back,” Rivera said, “different though, Id rather play for Coach Wagner than against her.”
So would Julie Futch but she didn’t see any action in the game. Coach Wagner mentioned Futch was out due to an eye injury suffered earlier in the week. Rumor from some OSU women’s soccer players is it happened on Thursday.
Speaking of which, during the game I had a chance to chat with Ashley Wood, goalie, for the women’s team. She was injured earlier in the season (the morning a column was printed about her excellent play so far this season) and just underwent surgery to repair the ACL in her left knee. She says the knee is feeling better and she is on her way to recovery.
But, the game is what was important.
It was an exciting first minute of the game. Both teams combined for three fouls, two turnovers, two rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. The steal was credited to Brittney Davis, who took it coast-to-coast for an easy lay-up. That put the first points on the board. She would finish 5-for-11 with 14 points and six (count ‘em) steals.
A few possessions later, Mercedes Fox-Griffin, brought the ball up the court and took on the entire team. First started left and then cut into the lane and in between 4 defenders elevated for the jump shot.
Griffin is looking much more controlled and calm with the ball in her hands. Last season she was timid at the point but this season, so far, seems to be very stout with the ball.
Davis was fouled with 8:06 to go in the first, hit both free throws, and brought the score to 11-5. Both Davis and Griffin played great pressure defense on the ball. Coach Wagner even mentioned their great play in the press conference.
Talisa Rhea came in off the bench and added a spark with a quick rebound and assist. Unfortunately, after those two shining plays she missed four straight shots and mixed in a turnover.
“That’s not your shot.” Coach Wagner hollered from the sideline. She was pulled from the game. A lot of her shots were on target, just a little short, a little left. Freshman woes. She will get better with time and experience.
By halftime it didn’t matter, the Beavers were up ten, 36-26.
My halftime included a short interview with O.State Gymnast Tasha Smith. She wouldn’t give any hints to her floor routine.
“You’ll have to come out and see it,” Smith said. “Come to the scrimmage on November 17.”
I’ll be there. If anything is worth five minutes, it’s a Tasha Smith floor routine.
On the backside of halftime, T.C. showed up a minute late to the floor. Apparently no one gave them the two minute warning. That was to be the motto for T.C. in the second half. About a minute late.
After hitting the first two shots of the second half, they fell apart. They were a minute late on passes, a minute late on shots, a minute late on life. The Beavers opened up the second half with an 18-to-8 scoring run. They forced five turnovers, three of which were steals.
Griffin, who finished 4-for-9 with 12 points, three assists, four steals and one rebound, sat down with 4:01 left in the game to a standing ovation.
The Beavers shot 42.9 percent from the floor for the game and combined for 20 assists on 27 shots with a team total of 18 steals.
Their next game is going to be Saturday, November 10, against Cal Poly.
November 4th, 2007
Men’s first exhibition
By on November 4th, 2007
Practice speed doesn’t equal game speed. But for the Oregon State men’s basketball team, a lot can be learned during the first game. The entire Oregon State team had a great outing against Warner Pacific and came out with the victory, 78-55, over the Knights.
Had a chance to chat with Mike Parker for a few minutes during the game and he is excited for the upcoming season. Parker had just gotten into town from calling the football game in L.A. and wasn’t calling the game in Gill. He said this is an exciting team to watch. I can’t argue.
The Beavers started slow on offense but played great team defense early in the game and set the tempo throughout. The defense really got started with 15:45 left in the fist half after Josh Tarver sank two free throws to make it 8 – 3 and the Beavers switched up the line up and moved to a full court press defense.
Calvin Haynes checked in for Sean Carter, The Roc, and helped the Beavers grab a quick four points and a 9 point lead. They were playing what I like to call a sticky defense, a very tight man coverage. No room to wiggle for the Knights players.
Roeland Shaftenaar was a big part of the defense. During the game he looked strong and has really put on some mass during the off-season. The girth hasn’t changed much, but he looks much more comfortable inside and can absorb contact much better. He finished the game with seven points, six rebounds and two steals.
On offense the Beavers recovered from early sloppiness after they only led by one with 8:27 to go in the first half. They went on a 22 – 4 run to finish off the half. Carter, was apart of the sloppy play early on, he finished the first half 1-for-5 with two points and three turnovers. But got better in the second half, and would finish 6-for-15 with 14 points.
Seth Tarver was behind a lot of the offensive production with the ball and away from it. He set screens on the outside and took on two and three defenders when he had control of the ball.
The bright spot for the Beavers was Redshirt Lathen Wallace. In the first with 7:08 to play he hit a three pointer and next possession went in for a lay up between two defenders.
This kid can flat out play. In the first half, he played nine minutes. In those nine minutes he scored nine points and had four rebounds and three steals. Very aggressive on the ball, plays hard away from the ball and more importantly plays defense, he finished the game 6-for-11 with 15 points, five rebounds and five steals.
The second half was uneventful for the Beavers. Much the same. They were too much for the undersized and weaker Warner Pacific.
S.Tarver had to leave the game with 14:47 left in the second half with some cramps in his thigh to which Josh Tarver said, as he walked up the court, “He’s being a (deleted)“
Got to love brothers.
June 25th, 2007
Haystack Rock Hoopla
By on June 25th, 2007
As I sit in my suite at the Surf-something or other hotel, I watch the Beaver game. At first scoring a few runs in the first few innings and finally winning with a score of 9-3. GO BEAVERS! The Beaver baseball team won a second College World Series. OSU is only the fifth team in Rosenblatt history that has won consequtive titles. Go team. The Beavers have proven themselves, again.
Sean, Peter and Casey must have hit the road as soon as the team won, because I have yet to hear or see any posts from them. Stories and photos from the game will be posted shorty. I apologize to readers for the delay.
June 24th, 2007
Winding down to game two
By on June 24th, 2007
It’s an hour away from game time, and the nerves are starting to get worse for me. I just can’t believe they are in this position to begin with. To think OSU is just a lone win away from college baseball’s biggest prize is just incredible. From finishing in sixth place in the Pac-10 to being a game away from winning another NCAA title has become one of college baseball’s biggest stories. I’m really at a loss for words here, and I could barely talk to people about it just because I’m so in awe right now.
Beavers are finishing up batting practice at the moment and I’m enjoying watching it to some good media lounge food up in the press box. The wind isn’t too bad today and is blowing to the east. It is pretty hot out today but not as bad as it has been. Thankfully, it is nice and cool up here and my pasty skin is safe from the hot Nebraska sun. A lot of fans are in the outfield right now waiting for someone to hit one out, and bit by bit, the stadium is starting to fill up. I talked to a writer from Iowa earlier that said there were people in line waiting at noon today. Talk about excitement and devotion! Well, I have to settle down here and prepare for hopefully will be a Beaver victory. See you ladies and gentleman, after the game.
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