Well, there's not a lot of news out there this morning. But, on the bright side, only 58 more days until football! Enjoy.
- In a lighter piece (perhaps in response to hate mail generated by his ranking of the top 30 modern Pac-10 coaches?), Nick Daschel ranks the conference's fight songs. Daschel does employ retired Oregonian reporter Norm Maves, Jr. "Mighty Oregon" comes in at #3.
- Jon Wilner runs down the top conference football teams from this decade. With USC teams claiming 6 of the top 12 spots, Oreogn is the only other school appearing twice on the list, with the 2001 team coming in at #6.
- On the national schene, Mark Schlabach offering up his preseason top 25. Oregon checks in at #11. Non-conference opponents Boise State (#14) and Utah (#23) also appear,
- In the weekly roundup of summer baseball, which includes somee brief notes by Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League All-Stars Antony Kreitz and Kenny Bartz. The ODE also has a piece on the Oregon players taking part in summer leagues. One of the most important benefits for many of the Oregon players might simply be the opportunity to play on a winning team again after what can best be described as a long first season at Oregon.
- Sports Illustrated has named track commit Jordan Hasay the girl athlete of the year. Over her dominating high school career, Hasay has begun to learn the nuances of her sport, including an appearance in the finals of last year's Olympic Trials in the 1,500 m. I am looking forward to seeing what should be a remarkable career as a collegiate athlete.
- The Register-Guard has an editorial piece on new UO president Richard Lariviere, which includes the author's thoughts on how Lariviere's background might influence his presidency. Lariviere also offers up some thoughts on Phil Knight and the athletic department. But, one of the more interesting topics was that of the "loyalty tax" he feels that faculty are paying by electing to stay at Oregon despite the UO being ranked dead last among the 60 AAU institutions in faculty salary.