Monday, October 11, 2010

Enjoying the Ride

Hey Duck fans, if you haven't already, stop for a moment and really think about this.  How fortunate are we to have this Oregon football team so on fire and so nationally respected right now?  How cool is this?!

Now, there is a long way to go in terms of post-season hopes, and the only thing that's guaranteed right now is six wins.  Like Chip Kelly's pointed out multiple times, nobody remembers the top-5 from this time a year ago because what matters is where you're at after the last game, and a lot can (and will) happen before that.

So we (and I say we as a proud Oregon grad.  People who think media are/should be truly neutral are kidding themselves)...we can't get too far ahead of ourselves because nothing's for sure.  But the very fact that nothing's for sure is all the more reason to enjoy the hell out of what we have now.

To get to watch such an exciting and innovative offense continue to score at almost a point per minute and put up other ridiculous numbers, to get to see them respond to adversity at home and away, against both lesser opponents and very strong teams, and personally to have the privilege of interacting with the players and coaches and to play a small part in the media coverage of this team-it's just so cool.  

To drive around town and hear the national media talking Ducks and Eugene and Autzen-not just once in a while, but every time I get in the car, and while I'm arriving or leaving the stadium for and after press conferences-and to then turn on the TV and see ESPN's daily "College Football Live" mention Oregon at least once every segment...I just can't get over how cool it is to have all the talk, consistently, be on my school, the team I cover, and the very town I live in.  And the fact that a Rose Bowl berth would now be at least a slight disappointment to many...I'll say it again, that's so cool.

As a Californian who didn't even watch college football before I came here, I know I'm incredibly spoiled.  I remember being excited during my freshman year when we broke into the Top-25, and I know that for many lifelong Oregon fans it wasn't so long ago that Autzen struggled to get 30,000 fans in the stands and the Ducks were in danger of getting kicked out of the Pac-10 for being so bad.  That makes what's happening right now all that much sweeter.  I'm really happy for the longtime Ducks to get to finally experience this level of success, and for us relatively new to the U of O community, I can't believe how lucky we are to have "landed" here and be so close to the program during some revolutionary years for the program.  Because that's what this could well be, and what I really believe it is after being around the program so much over the past five and a half years as a fan, an intern with the team, and then covering them for student and community media.

Chip Kelly---The way his teams perform on the field, the way he talks on TV and during press conferences and interviews, the way his mantras rub off on his players, the way he turns fifth stringers into stars time and time again, his general outlook on everything, and the way he deals with controversy and young people's mistakes-he's just on another level, and I'd be surprised if he isn't a genius.  Not just a football one.  Like a Yale one.  Dennis Dixon almost left football for baseball before Chip took over the offense.  Later there was no more Dixon and only Justin Roper with an all-around maligned offense.  Then there was Masoli.  Then the all-around disaster at Boise State.  Then Masoli's off the field downfall and an off-season full of players getting in trouble.  Kelly, with the help of all the people he leads, turned all these "awful" situations into real long term positives.  And from couches, press boxes, and press conference rooms, I've learned a lot from Kelly about football, and more about life.  These are the reasons why I've believed for a long time that Kelly will become Oregon's winningest coach if they can keep him here long enough, and why I'm confident the Ducks have a legitimate shot at becoming a long term national contender-a powerhouse-and that is so cool.

So please, especially if you haven't sat through all the years of mediocrity, realize how lucky you are to be a Duck right now, enjoy the ride with me as much as you can, and temper your expectations and appreciation of whatever happens the rest of the season-good or great-with the reality of where this program was even just a few years ago, and where it looks like it's headed in the future.  That very well could mean appreciating a huge post-season win that much more.  It's a very special time to be a Duck, and the mere fact that we're even talking about all this is so cool.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Harrisburg holds off Creswell 14-13 for first win of season

The Eagles arrived in Creswell Thursday winless, while the hometown Bulldogs were exceeding expectations at 3-2.  But Bulldog head coach Paul Goldspink had warned that Harrisburg was better than their 0-4-1 record.  The Eagles proved Goldspink right, scoring 14 unanswered points to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter and holding on for the down-to-the-wire 14-13 victory.  (The Bulldogs were also missing several key players because of injury and illness, which caused somewhat of a domino effect in the starting line-up.)

Creswell opened the game by driving down the field methodically with their run-dominant Double Wing offense, rushing the ball 12 times in a row on their way to the endzone and a 7-0 lead.  Harrisburg responded on the kickoff return, advancing the ball to the 48 for great starting position.  The Eagles then showed the merits of their own quirky run offense--with three running backs lined up in an I in the backfield (I have no idea what it's called-if you do, let me know!)--and marched the 52 yards to tie it up at 7-7.

When Creswell got the ball back, it looked as though they couldn't be stopped, but when the Bulldogs went for it on fourth down deep in Eagle territory, Harrisburg sacked quarterback Lex Harrold for a big loss and a turnover-on-downs at the 18.  Harrisburg scored again-this time through the air (the Eagles only had one passing TD in '09) and took a one touchdown lead.

Creswell ended the half on a drive that started with just :52 left on the clock, but the Bulldogs quickly tore apart the Eagle defense on the ground to get into scoring territory, and then Harrold threw a pass into coverage in the endzone.  The pass was deflected, but not intercepted, and fell perfectly into the hands of the Bulldogs' Nick O'Connell (who scored on both a reception and an interception two weeks ago)  for the touchdown with :02 left in the half.  But the extra point was missed wide and the Eagles held the halftime lead and final margin, 14-13.

Creswell had a chance to take the lead on a time-consuming drive late in the fourth quarter, but another error in the kicking game-this time a bad snap-stifled the Bulldogs' chances and allowed Harrisburg to run out the clock and get in the win column for the first time in 2010.



Calling the game was definitely a challenging adventure for me as I never even got a starting line-up for the Eagles, and their white jerseys with silver numbers made it next to impossible to tell who was who under the lights.  The bunched offensive formations didn't make it any easier on either side of the ball in my second football broadcast ever...but luckily only one person was listening consistently!  All-in-all though, while I do have a  l    o    n     g  way to go, it was an entertaining game & challenge, and a decent second attempt at football play-by-play for me.  

Play-by-play can be a very tough industry to break into, and I don't know exactly where this will go, but I'm ok with that.  What I do know is that I'm following a longtime dream of calling football and I'm having a lot of fun, so that alone is very cool.

***Ps-If you are listening to my live broadcasts, be patient with the connection.  My wireless card is not extremely reliable out in the cuts, but it usually will reconnect if it's having problems, and I'm working on improving the connection.***

Thursday, October 7, 2010

My first experience with the Double Wing Offense: Harrisburg @ Creswell Tonight

I'll be calling Harrisburg vs Creswell in 3A PacWest action Thursday at 7 PM on Ustream, and it'll be my first time really watching, much less describing the Double-wing offense in action (Creswell runs it), so it should be an adventure!

According to DoubleWing.com, it's the "highest scoring offense in the history of football." I just gave myself a crash course on it from what little free info I could find on google, and from what I've seen, it's smash mouth football mixed with semi Chip Kelly-esque where's-the-ball?! trickeration.   It's about 9 guys at the point of attack and using angles and misdirection to create ridiculous running lanes for the ball-carriers.  Some of the base plays that youth teams use a lot in the formation remind me a little of Jacquizz Rodgers and the Oregon State run game too.

That said, it should be no surprise that Creswell runs the football...a lot.  But again, it's not just old school, three yards at a time football-there's lots of exciting, big plays and scoring-The Bulldogs are 3-2, but they're still averaging more than 26 points per game-and they were also averaging over 400 yards per game through their first four games. (I don't have team stats for their last game-a beating by the state's top 3A team.)  Creswell's Coach, Paul Goldspink, is so team-oriented that he didn't even want to give me individual stats or talk about standout players, and the double-wing fits that attitude well with so many different players touching the ball.

I don't know much about the visiting Harrisburg Eagles-they're 0-4 on the year, but Coach Goldspink stressed that they're better than their record and always play the Bulldogs tough-for 60 minutes regardless of the score, and that gives them opportunities to make things interesting that lesser-willed teams wouldn't have.  Unless they've drastically changed their offense from last year, they will run the ball a whole lot too.  The Eagles scored 15 touchdowns on the ground last year and had almost three times as many yards rushing as passing.  They threw but one touchdown pass in '09-However, when they go to their running backs through the air, it's for big gains.

Harrisburg is hurting from the loss of running back Ryan Lynch who averaged 103 yards per game last year, was second on the team in receiving, lead the defense in tackles (28) and interceptions (3), and was their primary and dominant kick/punt returner too.

The Eagles are also very young with only five seniors on the roster and 18 underclassmen (11 of them freshman), but with the PacWest's two undefeated teams still on the schedule, Harrisburg knows they need this one if they want to even have a chance at more than three wins in 2010, and I expect them to play like it.  The Eagles are also scoring 18 points per game, so I definitely expect to be entertained.

The game kicks off at 7 PM Pacific tonight, with pregame starting around 6:45 on Ustream.tv/channel/MKSports

Friday, October 1, 2010

Mini Preview: Willamette @ North Eugene-Friday at 7 PM Pacific on Ustream.tv

Not surprisingly, many high school football teams in and around Eugene have been taking after the highly successful Oregon Ducks' spread offense in recent years.  On Friday night at North Eugene High, it's a match-up of two spread em and shred em option offenses, Willamette's squad littered with youth and North's overflowing with seniors, but both looking for their first win of the season.

The talent and potential is there in abundance for both squads, but for different reasons the individuals haven't been able to put it together as a team and a complete game yet.  All is not lost though-it's still early in the league season, and the new OSAA playoff system that allows more teams a chance to "play-in" to the post-season gives both schools even more hope.

With both teams looking for a win and confidence going into tough schedules down the stretch, and with two defenses that are allowing more than 20 points per game, the high octane offenses should be making it rain touchdowns all night in a hotly contested matchup that could very well come down to the wire.

Tune into Friday Night Football on Ustream.tv/channel/MKSports 
--Pregame starts at 6:55 Pacific, kickoff at 7.--

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Willamette @ North Eugene-Live Friday @ 7 PM Pacific

Just got confirmation that I'm good to go for calling my first live game on Ustream Friday at North Eugene.  I'll update this later w/a mini game preview for all you hardcore area high school football fans.

Kickoff at 7 PM Pacific Friday, pregame around 6:55 at ustream.com/channel/MKSports

Oh, and I'm still looking for someone to help with stats & a little color commentary, so if you're interested, hit me up by email w/your phone # (That's mksports@gmail.com)

Monday, September 27, 2010

My first blog

Hi, I'm Michael!  I graduated from the University of Oregon School of Journalism & Communication with a degree in Electronic Media (broadcasting) and I'm using blogspot in conjunction w/my Ustream.tv account to help start my post-college sports journalism career.

I'll be blogging about anything and everything that strikes me in the world of sports (and maybe other subjects too), but as I'm living and working in Eugene, you can expect a local focus, and yes, a proud West Coast bias.


This Friday, I'll be calling my first live high school football game on Ustream (I'll now be doing games every Friday) in the Eugene/Springfield, Oregon area-kickoff usually around 7 PM Pacific.  
Show url: www.Ustream.tv/channel/MKSports  
Doing sports play-by-play has been a dream of mine since I started high school-Friday will be my first semi-real football broadcast, so it'll definitely be an adventure and a work in progress!


A little more about me:

I'm from the Bay Area and I'm an Oakland Raiders fan-Yes, your condolences are much appreciated.

I call Lane Titans basketball on Lane TV, and I serve as the Asst. Sports Director at KWVA 88.1 FM-the U of O's community station, where we broadcast Duck Volleyball, Softball, Soccer, and Lacrosse and have our weekly sports talk show "Quack Smack"

While I was at Oregon, I also produced and ancored the campus TV sports segment "DuckU Sports," and I was the Palestra.net Oregon reporter.  I have skills in videography, video and audio editing, lighting, and writing for broadcast and I've been fortunate to cover many big sporting events including the 2010 Rose Bowl and the 09 US Track & Field Championships, so please let me know if I could be of assistance to you/your media outlet. (In other words, I'm looking for any and all work!)

Oh, and of course: I'm 5'7," 135, I love meeting new people, trying new things, cocktails on the beach, and a good laugh.

You can reach me at MKSportsBroadcasting@gmail.com, and follow me on twitter.

Have a great day!
Mike
--Chasing dreams and "creating a life."--