IN THE PAST FEW YEARS THE BEAVERS HAVE BEEN LIKE AN INTERNET STOCK, WAY UP ONE WEEK THEN DOWN THE NEXT WEEK.

THEY ALMOST UPSET L-S-U A FEW YEARS AGO AND THEN WHO CAN FORGET THE EMBARSSING LOSSES TO BOISE STATE A COUPLE TIMES AND ALSO TO CAL.

BUT IN THE LAST MONTH THE BEAVERS HAVE REALLY BECOME CONSISTENT AND THAT'S ALL THAT FANS CAN EXPECT FROM A FOOTBALL TEAM.

I DON'T KNOW IF THE GUYS KNEW MIKE RILEY'S JOB MAY HAVE BEEN IN JEPARDY OR THAT IT'S TAKEN THIS LONG FOR THE PLAYERS TO GET ON THE SAME PAGE.

EITHER WAY THERE'S A LOT OF ORANGE SHIRTS BEING WORN THESE DAYS.

AND TO QUOTE MIKE RILEY HIP HIP HOORAY.

Posted by at 5:36 PM | Permalink

DETROIT TIGERS PITCHER KENNY ROGERS IS A MAGICIAN.

NOW YOU SEE THE PINE TAR ON MY HAND NOW YOU DON'T.

DID ROGERS HONESTLY THINK THAT WITH FOX HAVING 28 CAMERAS AT THE GAME NO ONE WAS GOING TO NOTICE THAT BIG STAIN ON HIS PITCHING HAND ?

IT'S OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE WHAT ROGERS WAS DOING. CARDINALS PLAYERS EVEN THOUGHT THE BALL WAS ACTING FUNNY IN THE FIRST INNING.

BUT ON THE BIGGEST STAGE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PULLED OFF ITS BIGGEST GAFF.

THE UMPIRES TOLD ROGERS TO CLEAN HIS HAND AND EVERYTHING WAS HUNKY DORY.

COULD YOU IMAGINE A PITCHER BEING THROWN OUT OF A WORLD SERIES GAME FOR HAVING PINE TAR ON HIS HAND ?

THAT WOULD BE A BIG STAIN ON THE FACE OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AND OBVIOUSLY NO ONE IN A POSITION OF AUTHORITY WANTED TO DO IT.

RP
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you tuned in to watch Sports Sunday last night and didn't see it, your eyes weren't deceiving you.

The NFL doesn't like to go head to head with the World Series. So there was no Sunday Night NBC Football Game. Therefore, Sports Sunday was off.

We'll be back next Sunday night after the Dallas-Carolina game. We will have interviews with both Mike Dunleavy Jr and Best Selling Author Mitch Albom.

See you then.

Ron
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 5:26 PM | Permalink

IT IS SURPRISING IN THIS DAY AND AGE TO HAVE NOT ONLY ONE BUT TWO COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES IN THE SAME WEEKEND NOT ON LIVE TELEVSION.

THIS WEEKEND NEITHER OREGON OR OREGON STATE IS ON LIVE T-V.

I UNDERSTAND IF, FROM TIME TO TIME, A BLAZERS GAME ISN'T ON T-V THEY PLAY 82 GAMES.

THE SAME FOR THE MARINERS.

IF THEY DON'T SHOW ALL 162 I'M FINE WITH THAT.

BUT WHEN COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS PLAY ONLY 12 GAMES EVERY GAME SHOULD FIND ITS WAY TO A T-V SET. IT SHOULD BE A PRIORITY FOR THE PAC 10 OR THE UNIVERSITIES TO LET THEIR FANS SEE ALL THEIR GAMES LIVE.

IT'S 2006.

SOMEONE NEEDS TO TELL THESE HIGHER-UPS THAT TECHNOLOGY IS A PRETTY AMAZING THING THESE DAYS.

PEOPLE CAN TIVO PIVO ALL THEY WANT. BUT WATCHING A DUCKS OR BEAVERS GAME "LIVE" SHOULD BE MUST SEE T-V.

RP
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mike Dunleavy is one of the smartest people out there. I'm not only talking about x's and o's on the basketball court. I'm talking about in life.

When he coached the Blazers he had a regular spot on our Sports Sunday show. Mike was always on time, gracious, and really funny off-camera. Besides that his knowledge of basketball is off the charts.

I don't know how he's invested his money, but I'm guessing he is a very wealthy man. He would have been a very successful stockbroker if he wanted to continue doing that.

Back in 1985 it looked like Dunleavy was done as a player and working as a broker in New york when Don Nelson called him to play. Dunleavy went on to play in the final 17 games of the season.

I bring Dunleavy up because he is now apparently pulling a lot of the strings with the Clippers. Keep in mind he is not a dumb man. He wouldn't have taken the Clippers job if he didn't get a committment from Donald Sterling that the Clippers would spend money to bring in free agents and keep the ones they have. He mentioned that to me in an interview in the last couple years.

So according to this article in the LA Times Dunleavy is really taking things over in L.A. and good for him for doing so.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-clippers18oct18,1,6732228.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports

Bill Parcells once said something to the effect that if he was going to do the cooking he also wanted to help do the shopping.

It tlooks like Dunleavy is doing a little bit of both in Clipper-Land.

Ron
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I don't know if Beaver fans are back on the Mike Riley bandwagon or not after the big win at Washington. All I know is that Oregon State fans need to be realistic about who and what they are. This isn't a program that has the money or the reputation to bring in a big name coach. Butch Davis isn't calling Bob DeCarolis if Riley is ever let go.

Riley has 3 years and 2.7 million dollars left on his contract. Do you honestly think OSU has the money to buy Riley out and then pay a million bucks for a coach, because that is what it would take to bring in someone of stature.

Are 28 point losses acceptable against Boise State and Cal in the first month of the season ?

Absolutely not.

But you can't judge a movie during the first half hour. Let's see what happens the rest of the season.

If the Beavers win at Arizona and then stun the Trojans. What then ? Do Beaver fans eat crow for Thanksgiving Dinner ?

I know the stats with Riley. I've seen some realy ugly losses (see Cal this year and 2 years ago and also Louisville last year).

But remember when Ducks fans were calling for Bellotti's head after Oregon lost to Wake Forest in the Seattle Bowl ?

Do you really think they want anyone else roaming their sidelines now ?

Look what has happened to Dan Hawkins. C'mon Beaver fans you remember him. Alot of you wanted Hawkins instead of Riley. I've been told that Hawkins demanded the world when OSU contacted him.

He is now 1-6 at Colorado.

Let's see how this season plays out before we judge Riley. Our society is so into "instant gratification and instant results" we forget that good things come to those who wait. So let's wait before we rush to judgement.

Your comments are always welcome.

Ron
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We've got a great show on tap this Sunday night. It will air right after the Oakland-Denver game. We've been starting around 8:30. The hope is that the Raiders give them a game and people stick around until the end and then stay around for Sports Sunday.

We will have a one on one interview with Blazers rookie Brandon Roy. I think people will really be impressed with how he comes across. I don't know if people realize this but he conisidered turning pro after high school. I asked him about that as well as the pressure people are already putting on him to be Rookie of the Year.

Brian Berger will be a live guest. Brian has a national sports talk show called "Sports Business Radio". It is on Sirius Satellite Radio. We will talk about the Blazers hiring Mike Golub to the post of Vice President of Business Operations. While this may not mean a lot to the average fan Brian will explain what it might mean to the organization as a whole. We'll also talk about Cory Lidle's death and how this can have implications on player's contracts in the future. I'll also try to get some info on the future of Brian Grant. Berger is a long time confidant of Grant going back to the days that the Rasta Monsta was a Blazer. Grant has had 7 surgeries on his knees and is contemplating retirement.

See you Sunday night.

Ron
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 8:12 PM | Permalink

Clipped this little tidbit from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Just great information on preparing for a job interview. I haven't gotten every job I have interviewed for, but then again who has. But if you've gotten to the interview part of the job search you definitely need to separate yourself from the others. This is how to do it.

Coaching the Coach

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis says in his new book "No Excuses" that he prepared vigorously for any interviews for head coaching jobs that might have come his way.

Weis said his agent, Bob LaMonte,helped him before he interviewed with Notre Dame. LaMonte represents a number of coaches, many with ties to the Packers: Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, Jon Gruden and MikeSherman."Bob gives you a whole book to study on the interview process, then goes over all of the material with you," Weis writes. "He believes that within the first 10 minutes you have to be able to tell people conducting the interview who you are, what made you who you are, and what you stand for. Bob put me through hours and hours of mock interviews. After that, I felt well-schooled going into an interview. I was ready."

The interview with Notre Dame went well, Weis said.

The former New England Patriots offensive coordinator was hired as the 28th head coach of the Irish in December 2004.

RP
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 6:11 PM | Permalink

I've received a number of e mails regarding my previous blog entry. It has also been linked on http://www.oregonmediainsiders.com

First off, this wasn't a story with our national security at stake.

I have "broken" enough stories to know when to go with something and when not to.

Secondly, reporters hold stories for a variety of reasons. Most importantly to make sure they are 100 percent accurate. But for other reasons as well.

The TV business is about relationships as much as what the product looks like when it hits the air. I spend approximately 8 minutes a day on television and I put in 8 hour days. What does that tell you ? I treasure those people I who I trust completely and who trust me. They know who they are.

For those people who also think this was me patting myself on the back, not quite.

One of the reasons this blog was created was to give people a "behind the scenes" look at the TV business. That's what I tried to do.

RP
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

People may be wondering how members of the media "break" stories. I can't speak for anyone else. But for myself it's all about relationships and trust. If someone trusts you with information they will give it to you knowing you will never betray them.

I never have and never will.

That brings us to today's announcement (there really wasn't an announcement), but more of an acknowledgement that Steve Patterson was shedding the "interim" title on the General's Manager job and Kevin Pritchard was being bumped up to Assistant GM from Director of Player Personnel.

Personally, I want to get a story first and get it right.

I will err on the side of caution instead of trying to "beat" the competition. Too many good journalists have gotten burned trying to be first, and in return have gotten stories wrong.

It's your credibility, and your new organization's credibility on the line.

That brings us to today.

I have known that Patterson was losing his interim title and that Pritchard's title was also changing. A source gave me very detailed information. It was information I could have gone with last week and as it turns out I would have been 100 percent correct.

However, I wanted to be in a position to get comments from the people involved, and that wasn't going to happen until today.

So when the news broke tonight I was right there with Steve Patterson and Kevin Pritchard. I got separate interviews with them, and also went live from Adidas where the team was having a radio event.

No other media outlet in town was at Adidas and able to get these interviews.

So there's a little glimpse behind the curtain as to how our business (at least my business) works.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Ron
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

THERE ARE CERTAIN TRENDS IN LIFE THAT ARE VERY DISTURBING.

WHEN YOUR DOG USES YOUR LIVING ROOM CARPET AS ITS PERSONAL RESTROOM OR HOW ABOUT WHEN YOUR WIFE TELLS YOU SHE MET A REALLY NEAT GUY NAMED FELIPE AT WORK.

BUT THERE'S ALSO AN INTERESTING TREND COMING OUT OF CORVALLIS THAT BEAVER FANS SHOULD BE AWARE OF.

THE BEAVERS HAVE LOST 5 OF THEIR LAST 6 "PAC-10" GAMES AND THEIR POINT TOTAL IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE .

IT WAS A SIX POINT LOSS AGAINST THE COUGS THIS PAST WEEKEND... 13 AGAINST CAL... IN THE CIVIL WAR LAST YEAR JUST 14... IN A WIN AGAINST WASHINGTON THEY SCORED 18... 27 IN A LOSS AGAINST ARIZONA... AND 28 WHEN THEY LOST TO U-C-L-A LAST OCTOBER.

vs WSU 6-13 LOSS
vs CAL 13-41 LOSS
vs OR 14-56 LOSS
vs WA 18-10 WIN
vs AZ 27-29 LOSS
vs UCLA 28-51 LOSS

MATT MOORE SHOULD BE GETTING BETTER NOT WORSE. YVENSON BERNARD, ANTHONY WHEAT-BROWN, AND THAT OFFENSIVE LINE SHOULD ALSO BE IMPROVING.TIGHT END JOE NEWTON IS BACK... BUT THE NUMBERS SHOW.

THERE'S THE NUMBERS... YOU BE THE JUDGE

RP
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

NBA teams hit the practice court for the first time today. Reading articles and columns from all over the country it's amusing to hear players and coaches say this or that guy is in "great shape".

Is that news ?

I think it would be news if a player walked onto the court with a Twinkie in each hand.

These guys get paid to stay in shape. It's part of the job description. They hire personal trainers, chefs, and dieticians. I've been to an NBA player's house on an ordinary day and I saw a chef there making this player lunch.

Now it's time to go off the board.

When the Blazers do this can someone please call me boss and tell him it would be a good idea if Ron went too.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/9703329

This couple isn't on the scale of Oscar and Felix. But it is a little strange

http://www.tmz.com/2006/10/03/ivanka-dont-ask-about-lance/

Finally... Rasheed Wallace's comments on the departure of Ben Wallace.

"There's going to be positives and negatives about him being gone," he said. "As a friend I'm happy for him, because he got what he wanted, he got his cheese."

Say cheese.

Time to go to work.

Your comments are always welcome.

RP
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 8:19 PM | Permalink

I have been to eight Blazers Media Days. Every one has been pretty much the same. It may sound exciting. But it's not.

My favorite was a couple years back when Ruben Patterson went off on former Blazers General Manager John Nash. It was Ruben standing on a podium for about 20 minutes just letting off steam. Every sentence out of his mouth was tv, newspaper, and radio gold.

Today, not so much.

I showed up, walked around, saw some of the players, and spoke with a couple.

I also spent a couple minutes with Kevin Pritchard. He's really excited about the season.

There are some guys like are really likable. Joel Przybilla is terrific. Brandon Roy is a stud. Martell is a jewel.

It's a solid group of guys that people can really root for.

But the two best players are Darius Miles and Zach Randolph.

I won't go through their history in the league and their history with the team, but something has to give.

They either have to turn into all stars, angels, or both.

I just don't see Nate McMillan going through another season like he did a year ago with these two.

I don't know how it will end, but let's hope it all works out for the best.

RP
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 10:34 PM | Permalink

Before the season started some of the Oregon State football players
said that the beavers were going to surprise people

So far they have.

Surprisng in the fact that they have no business being on the
field with teams in the top 25.

I knew the beavs would be inexperienced. I didn't think they would be inept.

You can pad the win column all you want by playing the Eastern Washingtons and Idahos of the world.

But what happens when you line up against the big
boys.

So far o-s-u has proven to be no match.

I think beavers fans would be alright if their team put up a fight but these guys are
wimpering like puppies.

Close losses are fine that shows there is progress.

But 28 point blowouts to Boise State and then to Cal.

That's bordering on pathetic

RP
RPivo@kgw.com

Posted by at 7:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)