By Joe Becker

Do you know who Jay Berwanger is? He was the number one draft pick for the Philadelphia Eagles. No, not this year...but back in 1936 during the first NFL Draft. Berwanger was also the first Heisman Trophy winner in 1935. He was from the University of Chicago.

The NFL Draft has become one of the biggest days of the year for Pro Football fans. It's fun to see where the big time college stars are going to go. I think Jonathan Stewart is going to do well with Carolina and have a terrific NFL Career...and I also feel that Pittsburgh is a good fit for Dennis Dixon.

Here's another interesting draft tid bit. The great Johnny Unitas was also drafted by the Steelers. He went in the 9th round in 1955. He was cut before he threw one NFL pass.
Unitas was playing sandlot football for six dollars a game when he was signed to the Baltimore Colts for 17-thousand dollars on a make the team basis. He not only made the team but went on to be considered by many as the greatest qb of all time.

By the way, Berwanger never played in the NFL. According to the Eagles Encyclopedia...he had a business degree and thought he could make more money in the real world. The Bears bought his signing rights for 16-thousand dollars but Berwanger wanted a two year deal for 25 grand. The Bears thought it was too much so Berwanger never played. Berwanger started his own company manufacturing rubber and plastic parts and became a wealthy man. He said he never regretted the decision.

Draft day is great...but it's just the start.

Posted by Joe Becker at 11:55 PM | Permalink

By Craig Edwards

What a fickle business the NFL is. On this day two years ago, Shaun Alexander had just become highest paid running back in history, and was talking all about a return trip to the Super Bowl.

Today, Shaun Alexander is unemployed.

The Seahawks officially cut the former MVP, two years removed from their Super Bowl run, and two years after signing him to a monster contract.

The move may surprise some fans, but was expected by football insiders. The NFL is a "what have you done for me lately?" league.

Blame injuries, a changing offensive line, or whatever you want, but Alexander ain't done much for the Seahawks of late.

In 2005, Alexander led the NFL with 1,880 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns. Compare that to his last two seasons combined, where he racked up only 1,612 yards and 12 touchdowns.

It's sad that Alexander's career in Seattle ended with such a thud, but this is how things are done in the NFL. The Hawks signed Julius Jones and TJ Duckett in free agency to revive their running game, making Alexander very expendable.

There isn't a lot of job security if you're an NFL back.

With the draft this weekend... there's talk about Darren McFadden and where he'll go. A lot of the talk is about how you can find running backs in the lower rounds and turn them into stars.

Let's not forget that Alexander himself was a low first round pick, and quickly supplanted Ricky Waters in the Seahawks backfield.

In other Seahawks news, don't be "shocked" if the Seahawks land Shockey. Word out of New York is that Seattle has entered the Jeremy Shockey sweepstakes, battling it out with the Saints to possibly trade for the Tight End.

Much like Alexander, Shockey became expendable when somebody else (Western Oregon's Kevin Boss in this case) came along.

Posted by Craig Edwards at 6:39 PM | Permalink

By Joe Becker

It was a great night at the Rose Garden. The Blazers beat the Grizzlies 113-91 to assure themselves at least a 500 record. They are 41-40 with one more at Phoenix on Wednesday.

Travis Outlaw with a pair of amazing dunks at the end capped it all off and sent the fans home waiting to see more next season.

Blazer fans are lucky, they have a young talented team of great guys to cheer for...and they are going to get even better in the years to come. Near the end of the game...with the Blazers up big....one by one the starters left to a standing ovation. It was a very nice gesture by the fans...and the team deserved it. The Blazers finished 28-13 at the Rose Garden, their best home record in six seasons..."We're just trying to bring Blazer Mania back...I think we started it this year and keep building it every year," said Blazer Forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

Yes, just imagine..opening night 2008...and Greg Oden at Center. I talked to the big man after the game tonight...and he told me, "It was very exciting knowing that the next home game I'll be playing in Hopefully."

It's been a long time coming Blazer fans, enjoy it, because from the front office down...The Blazers are Winners!

Posted by Joe Becker at 12:00 AM | Permalink

By Joe Becker

What a weekend at the Masters. Trevor Immelman leads start to finish at beats the legendary Tiger Woods by three shots. Everyone was waiting for Tiger to make a big move...but the conditions on the course were so difficult. Tiger didn't play badly....only four golfers in the field scored better in the final round. Immelman played well all week and it was his time to win.

It takes skill and sometimes a little bit of luck...and Immelman had both at the Masters. During the third round...he had his approach on the par 5 15th backup toward the water...but somehow it found a small flat spot and stopped. It probably saved him two shots. His winning margin was just three.

It's hard to say how he would have reacted if Tiger could have gotten close. It was still a very entertaining afternoon of Major Championship golf.

By the way, did you catch Lorena Ochoa. She won the LPGA Tournament by 11 shots and she did it in her home country of Mexico. Ochoa has won four of her five starts this season.

Posted by Joe Becker at 7:08 PM | Permalink

By Craig Edwards

We're about to start one of the best events in the world of sports, though it's becoming more and more of a secret in the U.S.

The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs start tonight, with four of the first round matchups dropping the puck. In all, 16 teams will battle for the right to hold one of the oldest trophies in sports. FYI, a quick wikipedia check tells me that the Stanley Cup was named for Lord Frederick Stanley, who served as Governor General of Canada back in the day. He donated the original cup as an award to Canada's top amateur hockey team.

There is nothing like playoff hockey, in which every goal seems to up the tension in a game. All that talk about getting higher seeds means nothing. It's not uncommon for an #8 to beat a #1.

Even better is a playoff game that goes to overtime. First goal wins the game, which goes until somebody scores. The tension goes up with every shot on goal.

But good luck finding these games on your TV during the week (NBC is showing weekend games). Gone are the days of playoff double headers on ESPN, replaced by who knows what on the Versus Network. Myself and many others don't get Versus. Many people that get it don't even know they do. Since returning from the lockout that killed an entire season, the NHL has... in TV terms... dropped off the proverbial sports map.

Continue reading "Don't Forget Lord Stanley" »

Posted by Craig Edwards at 5:32 PM | Permalink

By Adam Bjaranson

We all know...it's about winning games, right? And today, OSU named Craig Robinson their new head basketball coach. Nowhere to go but up, right? I'm not gonna be a critic here and judge the guy already! I know, you know, and he knows what needs to be accomplished. So, let's just let him get his feet wet, find a house to buy, learn about the valley a little more, etc. Then, we can judge him once he rolls up the sleeves and gets to work! Too many internet message boards are crucifying the guy already! Robinson may not have been OSU's first, second, or third choice.....but he sure sounded like a likable guy. And from everything I've heard from guys over on the right coast....he's a motivator! Does any team west of the Mississippi need motivating more than the Beavs right now? I'm glad Bob DeCarolis shyed away from PSU's Ken Bone too. As a Viking alum, I'm thrilled he'll be back in on the Park Blocks! As I see it, it's a "win win" for both OSU and PSU today!

Posted by at 11:49 PM | Permalink