Life of Brian

Thoughts on Tiger and Coach Kelly

2010-02-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

I may be on the road with the Oregon Duck baseball team, but I’m not under a rock.
Even if I do feel like throwing one.
I watched Tiger Woods’ first careful toe-test of public waters live on a web stream Friday morning and a few hours later, watched Oregon football coach Chip Kelly explain, re-explain and re-explain again about how he’s handling the LaMichael James situation.
In both cases, I was thankful that 1) I am not in the opinion business and 2) I wasn’t in the audience at either press conference.
Say what you want about the intentions of both men in their attempt to be transparent amid nationwide, non-stop speculation from so-called experts and the lunatics who call sports talk radio shows. Tiger was contrived and well coached, but not very smooth or believable. Coach Kelly was as honest as he could be, despite the limits of the legal situation James is in.
Eventually, both men chastised the media. Tiger was angry over the claim that his wife had physically attacked him before the famous Thanksgiving morning slice into a fire hydrant. Coach Kelly went after those who claimed his program was out of control.
Both cases bring accountability to the fuzzy picture that developed while both men waited for the right time to respond. I think the message from both Woods and Kelly were aimed at the same target: irresponsible people who drive phone calls on radio and tv shows and sell papers by drawing conclusions that may not be true, and many times potentially harm the reputation of the targeted person.
You can do that job without breaking out the sledge hammer, but few can withstand the temptation when they hold the pen or microphone.
Accountability is the great equalizer in the media these days. Accountability is the difference between Bob in Junction City’s take on the topic when he calls the radio talk show and a credentialed member of the media who puts their name on the column or program at the end.
In Tiger’s case, he’s firing a pop gun at a really big beehive when he sternly tells the paparazzi to leave his family alone. But when Chip Kelly can look right in the eyes of the people who do sign their name to their work, the message hits home.
I doubt that everyone who claimed Chip Kelly’s program is out of control was there this morning, but for the ones who were, it may have been a learning moment for them.
This little schpiel is exactly why I am glad I don’t make my living driving phone calls on the radio. In order to make a splash and be known, talk show hosts open the lines to fickle fans who would be fired in minutes as a general manager or athletic department administrator for making quick (and unfair) judgments in situations like these. Judgments that affect the futures of a lot of people, I might add.
Writing the column or sitting on the air and talking big is a huge power trip. I’ve been there.
But the reality of the conclusion we come to hits home when the target of the opinion is sitting in front of you, well aware of what you wrote or said about him.
I know, because I’ve also been there.
That’s accountability.
I think if every single person who comes down with a hard-line-overly-harsh conclusion about another person’s ability to coach or manage their private lives had to sit down with the person they are judging, the world would be a very different place.
So would newspapers and radio talk shows.
They wouldn’t survive.
I do agree that sports columnists and radio talk shows can do or say what they want and the freedom to criticize someone’s ability to do their job is in bounds.
But living off of speculation – and creating more – is a crappy way to make a living. The people of live off that speculation and draw conclusions before they know all the facts are a step below that.
Often, all the facts are not shared with the public. So what then?
Someday I may have to host a sports talk radio program again. If I do, I will remember that at some point, I may have to explain my words to the person who was being talked about.
Because I want to be able to look guys in the eye at the end of the day, instead of sitting back, closing my eyes and pushing the button for the caller on line three.

Preparing for a New Season

2010-01-30T07:59:00.000-08:00

Baseball season is just a few days away now and I'm enjoying a free Saturday morning at home, eating pancakes and having coffee with the fam. Most of my Saturdays are occupied by some sporting event, whether involving Oregon, Roseburg or the kids.

Actually, I kind of go crazy on weekends without anything on the schedule. I need to make sure I accomplish something every day, otherwise by Sunday night, I feel like the weekend was a waste.

Very soon, though, that won't be a problem. Oregon baseball opens at Cal State Fullerton February 19th.

We're also entering another new season at the radio station.

www.541radio.com went live this weekend, giving us another major challenge to face every day. Fortunately, we have found Justin Young.

Justin may be the most overqualified, major market media personality to ever come to Roseburg. He was one of the original reporters for rivals.com, which has become the industry standard for high school recruiting. Rivals was eventually purchased by Google, and through a few turns of fate, Justin, his wife and their young family decided to move from Atlanta, Georgia to Roseburg, of all places.

Justin's wife has family ties here. Thank goodness for us.

With just a week to launch, Justin took 541radio.com from the jumbled combination of video, audio, news and sports stories, contests and pictures we had assembled and nailed it (mostly) all down in time for launch. (The launch is a story of its own...)

Additionally, Justin has brought his experience and passion for high school basketball to the Roseburg broadcasts.

It occurred to me on the drive home from Sheldon the other night that Roseburg basketball fans (and in the fall, football fans, too) may be on the verge of listening to the best one-two punch of announcers/analysts ever.

Not to take away from some of our other colormen or sideline reporters, but consider:
Justin made a living covering the most highly touted high school basketball and football recruits in the nation. (He's even working on 541radio.com's own recruiting report for Oregon athletes for signing day.)

He knows his stuff and has already added solid insight to our coverage of Roseburg Indian basketball.

We already expanded into other Douglas County towns with the High School Game of the Week on 101.1 The Score and now we've made the radio broadcasts even better.

Additionally, Justin plans on shooting video of some of our games and overlaying the play-by-play audio from the broadcast over the top for the website.

At the very least, you will be able to listen to the last moments of every game we do and soon, we will be streaming and archiving all the games we do on The Score.

We really have entered a brave, new world of media with 541radio.com.

We intend on changing the way you get news and sports in Douglas County - and thanks to guys like Justin Young, improving the quality of the news and sports, too.

Welcome Justin! I hope you and your family fall in love with this area like my family and I have.

Dog Days of Winter

2010-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

The middle of January cannot rank as the 'favorite time of the year' for very many people. I know its not mine. Basketball season is driving me to some long nights and long drives. Fortunately, I have the combination of late night mochas and the knowledge that the baseball season is less than a month away to keep me going.
Of course, having a winning team to follow helps make the basketball season better.
Here's an example of a typical day for me when my schedule includes a road game:
5:00am - At station preparing Morning Report
1:00 - Off the air
2:00 - Headed to Fremont to retrieve 6th grade daughter
2:15 - Take daughter home or drag her on errands before leaving for the game
2:45 - Headed to RHS to retreive 9th grade daughter
2:50 - Still waiting for 9th grade daughter to 'say goodbye' to 9th grade boyfriend
3:10 - Third daughter gets out of Fullerton
3:20 - At home with just enough time to hurry up and take a 15 minute power nap
3:45 - Up and heading to the station to gather gear
4:00 - Depart for game
5:30 - Arrive at game
6:00 - Interview Coach Stinnett
6:45 - On Air
9:00 - Off Air
9:15 - In station vehicle looking for dinner
9:30 - Eating dinner while driving home (hands free, of course)
10:30ish - Back at station
10:45ish - Back home

Needless to say, when the schedule shows a road game on a Tuesday night, I know Wednesday is going to be a bit foggy. And sometimes the schedule is a bit of a grind, but it seems like no matter whats going on, when the ball goes up, I'm fired up for the game.
Its nice to have some wins to call, too.

And in those moments when the road and winter seem too long, I get charged up again knowing that the first Major League Baseball pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training February 17 and the Ducks open the baseball season February 19th in LA.

New Year Recap

2010-01-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

I really want to look ahead to 2010, but I also really want to share with you about the way my New Year's Eve played out in an interesting combination of events.

On Wednesday, the 30th, I flew with the Oregon Ducks to Pullman, Washington for the Oregon/WSU men's basketball game. The Eugene airport was packed with people, but only a lucky few of us were heading north, instead of south to Pasadena.

I got to the airport ahead of the team and spent a few nervous moments until I saw them get off the bus. (I have a recurring nightmare where I am either a day early or a few hours late for trips like this.) The team travels in suits and ties and the players are not allowed to wear ipod earplugs or headphones in the airport.

After two hours at Sea-Tac, we landed at the Moscow-Pullman International Airstrip and Jiffy-Lube and got to the hotel in time for a quick clothing change and a trip to practice. I shared a room with Portland radio and TV veteran Scott Lynn. He is a very nice man with an amazing story to tell about the past year of his life.

Scott and I hung out at practice with Bob Clark from the Register-Guard.
We watched Coach Ernie Kent teach, teach and teach some more. Anyone who thinks college basketball coaches just roll the ball out on the floor and then rant and rave on the sideline during games doesn't understand how much work goes into a team. Especially a young one.

Coach Kent and I chatted a little bit about the situation with Florida football Coach Urban Meyer, who had been suffering chest pains for a few days before having a scare last week. He took a leave from the team to take care of his health concerns. Coach Kent said he and his staff work 15 or 16 hour days, too. He says he falls asleep with the DVD remote in his hand and wakes up with it, constantly reviewing game tape.

Imagine having your career in the hands of young men who sometimes have to be taught how to be coached, while maintaining good grades and staying out of trouble off the court, too. Thats a tough way to make a living. Coach Kent said the situation with Coach Meyer could happen to any coach anywhere.

After practice, Coach Kent told Scott and I that he thought the team was coming along and was growing in confidence. In the pre-game interview I asked Coach whether he thought his team's stock was rising. He said it would "if we win a couple of games". Little did we know what the weekend would hold...

I was able to get my dad, step-mom and aunt and uncle into the game. Mom and Uncle Wes grew up in Pullman and were very excited about being back at WSU. My uncle had his Cougar hat and sweatshirt on and Aunt Patti was also in crimson and gray to support the home team.
But my dad wore his Duck baseball hat and took the barbs that came with his bold fashion statement.

Just after I got on the air, I looked over at them sitting two rows behind the Oregon bench and made eye contact with my Dad. The look on his face was priceless. He and I shared the same thought. "Can you believe we're part of something this big and this much fun?"

Both of us were thinking of the number of people who would be willing to give alot to be in our shoes at that moment. I had to turn away and focus on the pre-game show to avoid the emotion that threatened to overwhelm me.

As you know, Oregon won the game in double overtime, triggering a violent and angry reaction from Cougar fans at the game. The team left for the airport after the win, but I took a scary ride in the snow with my family back to their place in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for most of the rest of the weekend.

We drove on ice and snow into Idaho, with a stop in beautiful downtown Plummer where I dodged fried chicken cordon bleu on a stick (not kidding) and settled on the relatively healthy cheesy popcorn and water. I figured if we crashed, we could ration the kernels until help arrived.

I spent my 16th wedding anniversary with my family in Cd'A while my wife celebrated with a group of Charlie Company soldiers and their families. I was jealous of her for a few moments at midnight.

Friday and Saturday were spent eating sandwiches and potato chips and watching football games (including the Rose Bawl) while playing Tripoly with my brothers, sister-in-law, aunt and uncle and parents.

Saturday afternoon we wheeled it back to the Pullman International Airstrip and Bait Shop where two fans challenged my take on the Oregon win two days earlier, claiming the referee called WSU Coach Ken Bone to apologize for the technical foul on the Cougar bench that led to the first overtime. Said it should have been a 'non-call'.

Whatever. Go get in line for the pat-down.

It took an extra hour to fly out of Pullman, which made me feel like I was in a cheap remake of the opening scenes of The Empire Strikes Back. At least planet Hoth had Princess Leah.

It wasn't until I made it back to Sea-Tac and ran into Bob Clark that I learned the Oregon basketball team didn't make it out of Hoth - uh Pullman - until Friday morning when they rode a bus six hours over the pass to Seattle and then won the game Saturday afternoon over the Huskies for a sweep!

I got home to an empty house Sunday morning at 2. My wife and kids got home Sunday afternoon and we had a nice evening together.

It was weird Sunday night when I tucked my youngest daughter in bed. It was almost like the entire adventure had never happened. In fact, Raegan thought I had just been at home the whole time she was in Portland after Christmas.

But I told her about seeing Grampa and Grandma Prawitz and how much they loved her and she turned over and went to sleep.

A perfect ending to a memorable weekend.

You Are Sitting On a Fortune, Too.

2009-12-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
If that offends you, consider the number of soldiers fighting in Iraq right now and that they are the reason we have a free country where you can believe what you want without fear of persecution.
I pray it always stays that way.

That freedom is part of my new philosophy.

I'll explain in a moment.

First, I had the chance to catch the clerk who sold Jay King the winning Megabucks ticket in a short interview for a news story. The clerk was excited that she had touched a ten million dollar winning ticket, but really bummed out that none of that money was coming to her.

It sounds like the Kings have big plans for that money, but some people are concerned they are going to blow the money and end up back like the rest of us: working to pay the bills.

Well, to that clerk, the Kings and the rest of you, remember this:
We are all sitting on a fortune.

Even if you are without a job, your spouse is overseas, you are fighting a deadly disease or are just feeling low - you have more than you know.

We all have challenges, but was also all have opportunity.
What is a fortune if not a resource that could be worth untold millions?
Your fortune is all around you - kids, family, friends and especially you.
If you are healthy and can work, and have goals for your life, go make them happen.
If you are sick or broke or beaten down by life - you still have the opportunity to inspire.
If you have children, invest in them. They are the most obvious example of a fortune worth protecting and developing.

The money the lottery doles out is only part of what makes people happy.
Often its the work that goes in to becoming successful that makes financial success so satisfying.

So instead of feeling sorry for yourself because someone else won the big prize, look around at the fortune you have already been given and consider that this Christmas.

Run the race to win the prize.

-- Brian

A Civil Christmas Weekend

2009-12-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

The Civil War game made for a good start to a busy weekend.
Kyle and I got home at about midnight Thursday, and were up at it Friday morning at about 5. The two of us collected so much sound from the game, it overwhelmed me.
Lets just say by quittin time Friday afternoon, I was ready for a break.
But there was no break.
I was asked to help emcee the Festival of Trees Gala Evening and Auction Friday night.
So after collecting all the kids from school, I had 15 minutes to take a 10 minute power nap.
Have you ever had to hurry up and fall asleep?
Thats when you know you are too busy.
The auction went well. Working with Dan Hern and Kelly Leonard and the folks at the Mercy Foundation was fun. They put on quite a show.
Needless to say, I slept in (6:45am) Saturday morning.
Then, it was on to decorating the house for Christmas.
I insist on two things: everything in the front yard must be illuminated and every light must be perfectly straight.
My wife insists on lots of things, but for this purpose, I'll stick to the big two: every shelf must be loaded with Christmas doo-dads and every box in our storage shed must be shuffled onto the back porch whether it contains Christmas items or not.
Slowly, over the weekend, our house transformed from a cluttered little house into a cluttered little Christmas house.
You'd think we were told told play the role of 'The Holiday Village' at the Festival of Lights.
Only we live on West Sherwood!
Well, my youngest daughter and I spent two days stringing lights on the house and a nice afternoon putting up: a row of lit candycanes, a lit snowman, two string of whte lights in our dogwood tree and another string of insanly large colored lights in the same tree.
That sure doesn't look like alot of work in print. But in reality, it took a schematic drawing (by an 8 year old) three extension cords, one of those electric posts you stick in the ground, a socket with two outlets on it and four bandaids to assemble.
Somehow, all of it is triggered with nothing more than the flip of the front porch switch.
Talk about your miracle season!
Sunday, I took my light stringing partner to family day at the Festival of Trees and that evening we hung our decorations on our tree. My oldest two made peanut blossom cookies and we had a nice dinner.
Deep down I know there aren't too many more years when all three girls are going to be here to do all these traditional things.
But for now, we're ready for Christmas.
Just after I reset the fuse box....

Live From Autzen Stadium!

2009-12-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

Kyle Bailey and I left the station at about 1:30. I drove after a quick trip to the house and a change of clothes (from the residue of the am tailgate party at the station) and to grab the family laptop.
We hit some traffic at Coburg off of 105, but took the flyover and beat alot of people to the parking (tailgating) lot.
We had to park on the roadway leading to Autzen because those lots were full.
A few minutes into the hike to the press box, Kyle found The Duck and even though Disney hasn't approved it, he (Kyle) insisted on having his picture taken with the mascot (Duck).

A few steps after that picture was taken, we bumped into this outdoor tv studio where people we don't know were talking on a network or a station we couldn't recognize. Hmm. Hope they had a good show...

After a quick ride up the elevator I hit the OSU radio booth.
Dressed in my green and yellow baseball pullover, I gave Ron Callan and the Beaver believers in Portland a piece of my expertice.
I told them all that Oregon will score late and win 45-40.
This morning I predicted a 45-10 win for Oregon, but I chickened out on the air.
So here's a shot of where I'm sitting in the (slowly filling) press box... The windows are closed right now and it's pretty warm in here.

So now we hang out and eat some free food (usually heavy on the protein and carbs, light on the stuff that prevents scurvy.)

I'll be posting to the blog and facebook and twitter during the game, just to see how many people might care what a guy from Roseburg Ore-gone thinks about the Civil War.

Fair and Balanced. Ha!

2009-12-02T07:05:00.000-08:00

I feel bad for Oregon State fans right now.
Since my alignment with the Oregon Ducks, Newsradio 1240 KQEN has taken on a clear green and yellow tinge.
But Roseburg is much more supportive of the Beavers.
That means every time Kyle and I talk about our favorite college athletic program, its about Oregon.
Despite that perceived problem, I hope Beaver fans understand that when OSU does something noteworthy, they will lead the sportscasts and the discussion, just as the Ducks do when there is news about Oregon.
Now that I have issued that disclaimer, I have no interest in remaining fair and balanced ahead of the Civil War on Thursday.
In fact, I have set up a trap for Tom Nelson, or Beaver Tom as his friends know him.
We'll see how many people read my blog by the way things turn out on the morning report Thursday.
You see, I will be in front of the radio station during the Civil War edition of the KQEN Morning Report.
At 8:30, I have invited Tom to the station to represent the Beavers for our morning conversation.
I have invitied Lee Paterson to represent the Ducks.
Only I also have had contact with the Oregon Duck Club.
If it works out like I hope it will, old Tom will head down here thinking he's gonna talk a little trash with Lee and we'll all have a little chuckle and that will be that.
Instead, Nelson will walk into the interview and into the face of a gaggle of rowdy Duck fans with their flags, coats, duck quacker whistles and who knows what else.
Oh the glory!
If you know Tom and you read this, you have a choice.
Tell him of my plan and give him the chance to counteract it or hold back and listen to hear how Tom reacts to being Ducked by the Oregon fans at KQEN.

Don't forget to tune in to the pregame shows on ESPN Radio The Score.
The Beavers pregame airs at 4:00 on 1490 The Score.
The Duck pregame show starts at 5:00 on 101.1 The Score.

Behind the Scenes at Autzen

2009-11-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

I always like to get my cell phone camera out after Oregon football games. I've collected some cool shots of signs from the fans and close up pics of players as they walk up the tunnel.
After the Arizona State team I turned around and took this picture, which I thought was kinda cool.

I kept the camera out later in the interview room where the media assembles to hear from Coach Kelly. This shot shows Mike Jorgenson interviewing Coach Kelly while Mike Bellotti looks on from the audience.

From where I stood, a glance to my right gave me this view of the row of video cameras where sweating and nervous photographers set up their gear. But they never ask good questions...

I actually chimed in with a few questions in a row for Coach Kelly when the Jorgy interview was over and the media could ask questions. They all wanted to know about LaGarrett Blount, but Kelly wasn't going to get into that topic, leaving the rest of the reporters with nothing else to explore I guess.

This will be an exciting week for me. In addition to a second round football playoff game for the Roseburg Indians, I get to sit in for Jerry Allen Saturday night when the Oregon basketball team visits the University of Portland. Its a 6:00 tip on the Oregon Sports Network.

Transition Time

2009-11-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

Luckily for Oregon sports fans, basketball season is about to start again soon.
With the developments of the weekend for Oregon football, fans are looking for something else to think about.
Oregon and Oregon State have gotten their exhibition games in, leaving the start of the season in earnest on Friday.
Because of a conflict in scheduling between football and basketball (UO at Arizona) I get to do the radio for Oregon at the University of Portland on the 21st.
So on Sunday, I sat in with Jerry Allen at Mac Court as the Ducks took on Lewis and Clark State in an exhibition game.
I took a bunch of pictures from my seat to give you an idea of what it looks like that close to the court.
Believe it or not, its not always the best seat in the house. But one thing about press row - it is close.

Go Ducks!

Ducks Send Trojans South

2009-11-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

I was not surprised the Ducks beat USC at all.
I am not even surprised Oregon hung all those yards on 'SC.
I wasn't surprised the fans were totally nuts and stormed the field it didn't surprise me that Kyle wound up in the middle of that human blender.
I WAS surprised at some of the decisions USC players made on the field.
There was a big opening to the right on the opening kick return and later, another clear lane that would have sparked the Trojans.
But the fans rained down on USC and so did the weather at times.
USC didn't tackle well and when Matt Barkley had open receivers, he missed them.
The whole scene so totally overwhelmed everyone and I'm pretty sure the Ducks could have beaten anyone Saturday night.
Another surprise: the calm confidence the team showed after the game.
Jeremiah Masoli cracked a few smiles and a reporter asked him about an emotional moment in the tunnel between Masoli and an old friend, but other than that, not a single player I saw was giddy (at least on the outside) about the win.
Flask back to 2000 when Joey Harrington beat Marques Tuiasosopo and the Huskies at Autzen. A straight-faced Joey told me, "I'ts not more special because it was Washington." Then his face broke into a big smile and he changed his tune, "Yes, its much bigger because it was the Huskies."
That was Joey. This is now.
These guys are cold and calculating on the field and they love to cut teams up. I mean they LOVE LIFE when things are going like they are.
For these coaches and players, days like Saturday are the REASON THEY EXIST.
And we all got to enjoy it with them.

A few Tailgate Evaluation Experimentation notes:
At about 11, I started thinking we needed to be on the road, but Kyle and I had settled on 1:30. That way, he could see his daughter's soccer game.
To the surprise of few, the media parking lot was full.
We had to park in the Chevy Chase neighborhood down the road and fortunately found an open section of curb right away.
We hiked the extra half mile in the rain and wandered through the tailgating area like a couple of lost kids.
We were, too because we could not find the Roseburg fans who invited us to their parties.
The parking lot reminded me of Woodstock, without the dancing hippies.
Mud puddles and burn barrels and people dressed like this guy:

We bailed on our plan and insisted on getting a better start in the future.
I also learned a few things about tailgate organizers.
First, if they have an awesome setup, they are fighting people off, not inviting more folks in.
Second, they aren't in it to win some prize from a couple of radio hacks.
They are in it to have something to do after arriving hours ahead of kickoff AND having a distraction in case the game turns sour.
Third, they don't care what other people think about the way thry go about their bid-ness.
In otherwords, we need to rethink the whole thing despite the amount of fun we were hoping to generate.
I guess tailgaters around here are satisfied that they already have about as much fun as they could have without our help.
And that should not be a surprise to me.

The True Story Behind the Great "Tailgation Evaluation Station" Experiment of 2009

2009-10-29T08:43:00.001-07:00

So Kyle and I were discussing our plans for driving up to Autzen Stadium for the big game on Saturday and a really crazy idea sprang to life.
In the interest of providing an accurate portrayal of exactly what happened, I will provide interested readers (like my grandchildren someday) with the real, honest and accurate historical account of just how it all went down.
It was Wednesday morning, I think. About 10:30 when Kyle came to me with this crazy look in his eye.
"I've got an idea."
Calmly, and patronizlingly I said, "Now Kyle don't go gettin us in trouble again like that one time in Curtin on the way home from Ramsey."
Kyle sat down and began to explain a scandal so totally self serving and mooch-like I had to approve.
The beauty of the scheme was that it also could be construed as a totally legit promotion for the radio station.

And now you know why we love what we do...

Kyle's idea was to somehow get to Autzen Stadium early enough to avoid the traffic jam, but late enough for all the tailgaters in the Autzen parking lot to have established the perimeters of their pre-game territory.

In otherwords, we wouldn't want to get there until the grills were hot and full of greasy processed, marinated meat.
And the drinks were nice and cold.

Kyle's deviant plan went a step further, despite my protests.
I said things like, "Hmmm." And, "I see."

Kyle got rolling. He was throwing his hands around and standing up now, sweat beading up in his forehead.
I couldn't understand everything he said because he was thinking out loud and forming up the details as I stood by just waiting for the result.
Like a kid who just put a dollar in a pop machine.

"I can write some promotional announcements...website...on air mentions...newsblocks...funny stuff...yes, yes."

The result of the idea has become a twisted public service for Duck fans who will be cavorting before (and hopefully after) the game.
We'll ask for invitations to tailgate locations around Autzen, pick one of them and stop in. Then, while we enjoy the pre-game fare, I will offer up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to the host.
(That way, there's something in it for them.)

The reason it is so brilliant is because we've come up with a great name and the potential to even expand it further in the future. (Civil War?)

"The Tailgation Evaluation Station". (Kyle again, btw.)
Maybe next time we can bring something to the party.
Other than a bunch of hooey about providing a public service when really the whole thing is a shameless ploy to benefit from someone else's hard work.

I mean, it takes years (and tons of dough) to establish a real live, entertaining, successful tailgate tradition at a place like Autzen.

But like alot of other people in this business, we often take all the glory for other people's efforts.

But we don't always get fed.

PS - Invite Kyle and I by sending an email to kqen@bciradio.com. Include your cell phone, location and menu and maybe you'll be the 'lucky winner'.

See you Saturday!

PSS - We have received at least one complaint, that I know of, from a Beaver fan who is sick of hearing us crow(!) about the Ducks on this.
I have a message for that person:

Dear Sir,

Seriously!?

Is ESPN GameDay in Corvallis?

Can UCLA even spell 'Top 25'?

Is ANYONE going to be scalping OSU UCLA tickets outside of Reser Saturday?

No, no and no.

(And I would have written the same thing if I were the voice of Oregon State Wrestling.)

Thanks for listening.

Go Ducks.

A Hero's Welcome

2009-10-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday's United Way Heroes' Breakfast was a big hit again this year.
Local volunteers get together for a few hours at the Boys and Girls Club as a fund raiser for the United Way and as a day that provides life-long memories for kids and their parents.
Oh, and for the heroes, too.

During the four hours at the B&G Club, more than 100 kids came through. They collected autographs from the likes of Shrek and Fiona, Snow White, Wonder Woman, Batman and Batgirl, Darth Vader and Mr Incredible and his daughter Violet.

Some smaller children are kinda overwhelmed and a bit shy.
Others kind of look at the heroes with suspicion and the older kids are there for the games and of course, the food. Brix 527 owner Misty and her staff cranked out awesome pancakes and sausage at no cost to the United Way.

Every once in a while, though, a kid comes through the door who is just the right age and buys into the show 100 percent.
This year, Supergirl came through the door and lit up the room with her excitement.
She exclaimed "Superman!!" when she saw him and held out her arms.

Then Wonder Woman's name echoed through the gym.

Supergirl was there for at least two hours, hitting every station and smiling the whole time. By the end of her visit, every hero really felt like one and she will never forget that day, either.

A couple of notes from the day:
Dan Bain came by to shoot some pics of the event. He sat down next to me, in my Mr Incredible suit, and we were talking about the good old days when a young man walked up with his mouth partially agog and big eyes.
He was pointing our way.
I figured he was a big Incredibles fan, but instead, the 11 year old stuttered and said, "Dan Bain!"
Just like the little kids on hand, he got to have breakfast with his hero.
It probably made Dan's day, too.

And finally, at the end of the morning, we gave away a bunch of prizes provided by PacificSource. We had video game systems, a flat panel TV and some other electronic gadgets. Each person was given a handful of tickets to put in the drawing for the item of their choice.
I took the mic and asked the crowd which prize they were hoping for.
A dad with one kid on his shoulders and three others around his legs hollered for the XBox. I told him it would be last and he was bummed out because he was so excited to win it.
After giving away all the rest of the swag, I took teh lid off the XBox container and sure enough, drew his name.
He went home happy to say the least.

I say the whole morning was...Incredible.

Duck Shots

2009-10-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to come up with some witty recap of Oregon's 52-6 win over Warshington State Saturday night, but I'm writing this in between live segments on the morning show Monday and I'm sure for wittiness, Kyle's blog will beat mine anyway.
Here are some of the shots I took during and after the game.

The flyover was cool. The best shot I could get was on DuckVision, though:

I took this shot of the final score from the field at the end. The "2:53" is the clock they run before letting the fans on the field:

On the way out, I shot this pic of Autzen at night. Kinda looks like the Death Star or Cape Canavral just before launch.

Roseburg's Fine Despite the Beaverton 'Dumpster Fire'

2009-09-24T07:45:00.001-07:00

I gotta say, Jaime Yraguen described Roseburg's loss to Beaverton perfectly when he called it 'a dumpster fire'.
You sort of want to watch it, but you know it just ain't good.
Despite that 41-20 embarrassing home loss, I think Roseburg is going to be okay.
Now, Sheldon is coming to town in two weeks for the SWC opener October 9th.
It is possible for Roseburg to up their game this week against Aloha, repair the damage suffered against Beaverton and get back to where they were mentally prior to the loss to the Beavers.
But maybe it would be better for the Indians not to go back to that mental place.
Roseburg's players might have started believing their own hype after the win over McNary. I certainly added to it last week, proclaiming that Roseburg might 'be back'.
Most of the time, teams on the rise have growing pains and I think this was one of those nights.
When I describe what happened against Beaverton, I tell people the game was like a Monday morning after a hard wild weekend when you back out of your driveway and hit the neighbor's car. Then you hit your dog, blow a tire and once at work, spill your coffee all over yourself. On the way home to change, you get stopped by a cop. And you don't have your license.
Basically, Friday night was a bad country song for Roseburg.
But those days happen and they do not necessarily reflect accurately the character or ability of the person - or in this case - team.
One more thing on this topic: Do not panic if the Indians happen to stumble against Sheldon. That game will probably be for the league title. Roseburg could go 4-1 in league and get the second place reward of a home playoff game in the first round - a victory in its own right. The only first round playoff win the Indians have had since 2002 was the last game played on grass at Finlay Field - a win in the mud over Marshfield in 2004.

One other thing, for those wondering about the change in the booth on the radio.
Robin Knebel's work schedule changed just before the start of the season.
Jaime Yraguen made himself available and despite a busy auction schedule around the state, Jaime worked a return to the radio into his life.
It takes a tremendous amount of time to do these games and the colorman and sideline guys do not get paid.
Thats why I'm very patient with new people to the games and never question someone who has to step away.
And another thing. Having Jaime back on the air with me is the closest thing to broadcasting games with my big brother. He has played for Coach Bell and his son did too, making him perfect for the gig of colorman. On top of that, he is unafraid to say what he thinks and can take any criticism people may have.
I happen to love having him back and appreciate his insight and the amount of time he gives to making 'my baby' - the broadcast - better.

Sweet Sports Weekend

2009-09-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

I remember when a busy sports weekend for me meant hours in front of the tv after calling a football game on Friday night.
Well, now a busy sports weekend still requires hours in front of the tube, but thats on Sunday.
For me, Friday night required a two hour drive to and from Keizer to watch Roseburg's 28-7 impressive win over the Celtics. Watch out for the Indians. They have the horses to be VERY good this season. You can hear the game at www.kskrthescore.com.
I got home at about 12:30 Saturday morning, but there is a little bit of a funny story to tell. After a football game, the challenge is on to find a place to eat on the way home. By 10:00 most places are closed, leaving us with little choice other than typical fast food. Friday night, Drew Heard and I stopped at the McDonald's on Market Street in Salem.
When we walked in, we ran into a couple of people we know and started a short conversation. I went to the bathroom and in the two minutes I was gone, the entire Roseburg football team pulled up in two buses.
About 100 kids and their coaches filled the lobby, the doorway and the parking lot.
Drew and I hopped in the station rig and went through the drive-up window.
We beat the entire team to the punch and got our food just before members of the throng put in their orders.

After sleeping until 7 Saturday morning, I spent a few hours working around the house until driving to Eugene for the Purdue game. I had to pay to park near Autzen and then ran to the Moshofsky Center to be on the KUGN Gameday show with Jerry and Jorgy. About half an hour into the show, technical problems shut down the rest of the 4:00 hour. We were done before we really even got started on the show.
The rest of the afternoon was spent basically following Jerry Allen around and trying to look busy in the OSN broadcast booth at Autzen. Thats hard to do in a room full of people working hard to get the game on.

After the game I sat in on the Chip Kelly postgame, where Phil Knight always hangs out and then ran into Oregon baseball Coach George Horton and former AD Pat Kilkenny who was noticebly relieved with the win and smiling about the construction of the baseball stadium.
And much like the return trip from Salem, a stop at Cottage Grove proved to be longer than anticipated.
Even at 12:30am, the drive up window lines at McDonalds and Burger King were really long. I pulled into the gas n sip there on the main drag and stood in line with about a dozen groggy Duck fans. In fact, I drank most of the coffee/energy drink standing in line just to stay upright.
You know you're tired when you are singing to a commercial on the radio - and there isn't any music in the spot...

Sunday was spent with the aforementioned hours of tv time.
I continued to work on a fairly major home improvement project with the game on and managed to catch most of the Seahawks win over St Louis.

With another game Sunday night and a Monday Night Football doubleheader, life as a sports fan is pretty good right now.

And next week, I get to do it all again.

Weekend Recap

2009-09-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

Ducks, Indians and Kitchen Remodeling, Oh My!?
A few days removed from Black Thursday, I've got a thing or two to say about the Oregon Ducks and the rest of the season:
1) I'd rather be Oregon than Oklahoma. At least our quarterback survived the Bronco debacle. Unfortunately, the Ducks may have lost safety TJ Ward to an ankle injury.
2) Few things have changed since the loss. There are plenty of opportunities to get back into the Rose Bowl. If Oregon digs in a focuses on each game instead of the prize at the end, they could find themselves back in the national picture, no matter what the BCS voters think. (BTW, they think Oregon stinks and now that won't change because many of them won't spend any more time on the Ducks.)
3) Point #2 is how it should have been anyway.

I will be part of this Saturday's Oregon Duck pregame show on KUGN live from the Moshofsky Center starting at 8am. I will be with Jerry Allen and Mike Jorgenson on that program. Yes, it is a BIG foot in the door.

I'm encouraged by the Roseburg Indians win over Gresham Friday night.
Returning players in the right places (and alot of them) combined with some quality depth may lead Roseburg back into the lime-light.
I wouldn't say Roseburg is ready for a state championship run, but how about finishing second in the SWC and getting a home playoff game.
But who would ever aim for second place?
Roseburg hosts Sheldon October 9th in what may be the league title game.

I spent the Labor Day Weekend...working.
We've all but gutted the kitchen, painting, refinishing the cabinets, replacing the trim all around and replacing some cabinets with shelving instead. New countertops went in Sunday and all my hard work paid off when Jannie loaded the shelves with her Pyrex against the light blue walls and white shelving and cabinets and squealed.
No really. She squealed.
That was all the payoff I needed.

Now, wainescoating, dozens of miter cuts and touch ups await us to make the whole thing "pop".

I am looking forward to Tuesday so I can recover from the three day weekend.

Its Official. I'm No Zebra.

2009-09-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Color me converted.
I used to think I knew what it was like to officiate a football game.
Like alot of people, I yelled at the TV and disagreed with calls on the air and off.
I have pointed out missed calls on obvious fouls and lamented what I thought were wrong calls on turnovers and catches along the sidelines.
No more.
I spent several Wednesday nights at the Douglas County Football Officials Association meetings leading up to the start of the high school football season.
It wasn't my idea. I think I must have gotten too friendly with Bruce Pettengill, whose expertise in correct officiating has driven me crazy while watching (and yelling) at Seahawk games.
Bruce is an official in Douglas County and suggested that maybe I take a turn in the stripes. Not only was this a good idea, but Bruce was also the kind of guy that could make it happen.
So, after hours of training and several seconds of carefully studying several manuals and booklets, I took the field at the South Umpqua football scrimmage.
In the parking lot before the practice game at Loghry Field I was as nervous as I can remember. It seemed like I couldn't remember the most basic rules of the game.
In otherwords, I knew eactly how those officials feel all the time.
(Just kidding. See, THATs the kind of comment that put me in this position to start with!)
Bruce gently guided me through a thousand goofy scenarios to talk me down from panic and we took the field with a bunch of helpful officials.
I got to blow my whistle and run around, spotting the ball and learning the technical aspects of the job. I even threw a flag, but I can't remember what for.
I was the line judge, then the back judge (much better) and just missed moving up to Umpire. The Ump crouches behind the linebackers and watches for holds in the middle of the line of scrimmage. That position requires agility and confidence, because several large, grunting players are literally fighting all around you.
The tight end on a drag route runs right through the area where the Umpire works.
Well, lucky for me, I never made it to the Umpire position because the scrimmage ended.
Later I learned Coach Hubbard and the Lancers had it in for me.
Once I moved to that spot, the coach was going to call for a tight end drag with the intent of making me either recognize what was happening and move out of the way - or (more likely) not see it coming and get introduced to football without pads.
Another ploy was to call a running play up the middle - another chance for the new guy to absorb some bodily harm.
In the end, I was unscathed.
And very happy with my performance.
Not a single person yelled at me.
That I know of.
Anyway, there is alot to see and react to as an official and I came away from my brush with death with a much better appreciation for the art of officiating.
Thanks, Bruce. Now go make the call.

High School Here We Come!

2009-08-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

"Yikes!"
I keep finding myself saying that.
"Yikes!"
Between the hit a family takes with registration costs for three kids in three different schools (RHS, Fremont and Fullerton) and the fact that I have a FRESHMAN AT RHS we're getting a big dose of learning at the Prawitz house.
The other day I was working on a project with TV news anchor Korenza Burris. I think we're about the same age, but she was talking all about her 18 month old daughter.
I was talking about my freshman in high school.
"Yikes!"
My freshman is tackling Marching Band at RHS. She plays the tuba. Tori is probably the skinniest tuba player around. Already the kids are calling her 'The Beast'. Kinda the way you call a bald guy 'curly' or a big person 'tiny'.
I've always heard alot about the hours the kids put in for Marching Band. Now I know.
"Yikes!"

Thoughts from a (Moderate) Half Shell Fan

2009-08-18T04:45:00.000-07:00

***Editor's note***
I'm not an 'every week at the Half Shell' kinda guy.
But this morning I made the trek to the Half Shell to get an up-front spot for Susan Tedeschi.
The thought process I experienced was kinda like Smeagol and Gollum in Lord of the Rings.
The innocent, well behaved person influenced by the evil thoughts that sneak in.

buzzzzzzz!
Uh. 3:15.
buzzzzzzz!
Hit the snooze button.
buzz!click.
Aaah.
Wait.
Its 3:15.
"They're taking your spot."
No they're not man. Sleep a little longer.
Aaahhh.
"Nope. Gotta get up."
"Gotta beat them there."
C'mon its oh-dark-30. Nobody gets up this early even for a blanket at the Half Shell....
"You set your alarm this early."
"Certainly someone else did, too."
Okay. I'm up.
"Yeeeessssssss."
Where'd I leave my sandals?
Got my shorts.
Got my shirt.
Got my hat.
Need to brush my teeth.
"No time."
Gotta get some coffee.
"No time."
To the car.
"Yeeeeesssssss."
3:22. Nobody's gonna be there.
What's that?
Another car!?
Its 3:23am!
Who are you people?
"You're driving down Harvard at 3:25am."
"Who are you?"
Good point.

Left turn to Stewart Parkway.
Left turn light's green.
Two cars are coming from the other direction.
Who are these people!?
Light stays green!!!
"Ha ha haha beat them..."
Turning right into the park now.
There's another car.
Turn signal's on.
No way!
Another person?
Anyone on the road at (check the time) 3:27 is heading to the Half Shell.
"But you beat him, too."
"Good thing you got up."
(Yeah, good thing I listened to my evil voice.)
"I heard that."

Okay, park at the pavilion or around by the bathrooms?
Everyone else is by the bathrooms.
I'll stop here.
"Gotta go gotta go gotta go."
Don't look like your hurrying.
"move move move."
Walk calmly. Its 3:30am.
Nobody gets up this early.
You'll be fine.
Your spot is fine.
"Hurry hurry hurry."
What mud? Move it.
Dodge the sprinklers.
Walk.
"Other people are ahead of you, going down the hill."
"Move faster!"
Look at them.
WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE!?
"You're here too, psycho-boy"
Shut up in there, I'm trying to find a good spot.

Okay, lots of blankets here already.
But some room up front.
There's the spot I want. But maybe I want that spot over there.
Hmmm.
I thought I wanted that spot.
Maybe it would be bet-
"JUST PUT THE BLANKET DOWN!"
Okay. Right here.
"Yeeeeessssss."
Okay. Mission Accomplished.
Back home we go.
"Both of us."
Yes.

Funny, the ride home was a lot more quiet than the trip to the park before I had my blanket in place. But every time I saw another car I heard:
"Beat them."
"Beat them too."

Ahh. Nothing like the wonderful feeling of community and togetherness the Half Shell brings.
And at the concert, too.

Susan!!

2009-08-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

I am a very big fan of blues singer Susan Tedeschi, who plays the Half Shell in Roseburg Tuesday night. For some reason, most of the people I know - including my own wife - look at me like I'm crazy when I talk about her.
I have made it clear to my wife - and most of the people I know - that my fandom has nothing to do with anything so shallow as what Susan looks like. I would understand if people - including my wife - disapproved of my level of excitement regarding her concert in Roseburg IF it was all about how 'hot' I thought Susan was.
Instead, I am a fan because of the unique combination of her incredible singing voice, her talents as a guitarist and her driving riffs and moving lyrics. She is a sincere performer who sounds like a combination of Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin.
Its funny, but when it comes to music, my wife and I are on different levels.
We both love country music and like the same groups. We also both like most of the same 80s music we listened to in high school.
But anything outside of that, its like I'm from Jupiter or something.
I really get into Van Halen and the Police and enjoy watching just about anyone performing live.
I recently recorded Rush in concert in Frankfurt on the DVR, planning to crank it up on the surround sound sometime - and to show our middle daughter Abby what a real "Rockband" looks like.
My wife deleted it.

What?!
How can she not appreciate the talent that those classic bands have, no matter what their music sounds like? Performers with authentic passion are interesting to watch, heck I even recorded Amy Winehouse live in London the other day. It wasn't about her, it was about an interesting person doing her 'thing'. I deleted it after about ten minutes - didn't like the performance.
Well, Susan is an amazing performer with authentic passion, too but for some reason, I get the sense that my wife doesn't like her and doesn't want to like her because she thinks I'm a bit over the top on this.
The same thing came from my co-workers this morning when I found out I was getting an interview with Susan Tedeschi on Inside Douglas County.
It was exciting to talk to someone I admire.
And yet, they all kind of rolled their eyes when I talked about it.
I guess I've crossed the line somewhere, but I think if people actually understood why I like her music so much, they'd cut me some slack.

Anyway, my middle and youngest daughters are excited about the concert and so am I.
I'm pretty sure I'll get to meet Susan after the concert and it will be an honor to meet someone who brings that authentic passion to what she does.

Fair Week Was A Blast!

2009-08-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

It was a busy week around here. The Douglas County Fair, The Blast's 50 year Anniversary, the dramatic conclusion to Band Camp and the continued ramp-up to back-to-school.

Just the Fair itself is enough to stop the heart of any radio person.

Like alot of businesses, we put alot of effort into the Fair.

For us, hours in the booth are compounded by live broadcasts and emceeing stage events, not to mention trying to get our own kids (and blankets) down to see all the fun.

Highlight #1: Meeting Huey Lewis:

Lowlight #1: Having to sit behind a group of teenagers who stood the through Huey's entire concert. They never looked up from their phones and one girl cried on her other friend's shoulder - no doubt the catastrophic ending to a deep and meaningful relationship.
It was so bad, the girl was crying during "Back in Time"! C'mon yo, ain't that what the Teen Zone's for!?

Highlight #2: Riding "El Nino" with my middle daughter.

Lowlight #2: Seeing my oldest daughter holding hands with a boy. More than once.

Highlight #3: Interviewing Tyler Pinch, who won Grand Champion lamb just days after losing several sheep to a lightning strike at the family ranch.

Lowlight #3: Thursday at 12:25 I still didn't know who was going to be at our booth for Inside Douglas County. (Here's a secret: I'm a little bit 'last minute' sometimes. Shhhhh)

Highlight #3A: It turned into our best show with Sam Lee saving my bacon, Drake the race promoter and Harold Phillips himself stopping by.

In addition to the Fair, it was the 50th Anniversary of the Roseburg Blast.
Monday, I spent time with Del McKay, who recited his memories from that day. Thursday, I caught up with Chuck McCallum, the owner of Chuck's Texaco, to hear his take.
Over the weekend, the News Review produced an amazing special section on the Blast, educating us all on the real-life terror of that day.

Last week, my oldest daughter, Tori, participated in a daily band camp at Fremont, leaving the two younger girls without their (free) babysitter. When Del and his wife Ginny heard that Abby and Raegan were going to fend for themselves, they insisted the girls spend the mornings at their house. Those girls fell in love with the McKays, spending time feeding the birds and squirrels in their backyard and telling stories. It was a beautiful thing to see how much fun my girls had at Del and Ginny's.

We spent Friday night at UCC to see Tori's band play some jazz in the Swanson Amphitheater. It was fun to sit outside and watch those kids belt out the jazz with the likes of Dr Jason Heald, Ross Hansen and other accomplished pickers and players.

Finally, in a weak moment, I agreed to spend the night in the backyard in our tent Saturday night. Raegan has been asking for months and this weekend provided the best opportunity to pull it off.
Two things.
1) 50 degrees, when combined with overnight dew, only one blanket and an air mattress feels like 30 degrees. I woke up at 1:23am, freezing cold. After retreiving socks, sweats and a quilt, I returned to finish out the night though my big soft bed did call my name.
2) air matresses stink.

Should be a calm week, considering the running we did last week.
School's coming very quickly. We've got haircuts and supplies to pay for and the local economy will benefit from a recent clothes shopping trip. Thank God my wife and three girls left me home for that one.

Post-Tournament (and Post-Season) Thoughts

2009-08-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Docs almost forced their way into the final day of the 2009 American Legion State Tournament in Corvallis, but in the end, the over-achieving team from Roseburg survived the bracket long enough to serve as the last big hurdle for Richey's Market to clear en route to the regional tournament.
The 2009 Roseburg American Legion Baseball Team went from appearing to expect things to be handed to them at the beginning of the season to a team that clearly understood the benefits of hard work.
In the end, this team took on the personality that every sports fan hopes to see: a team that fulfills their potential and challenges for the title.
Roseburg became a threat to the post-season plans of Medford and Corvallis.
Both teams beat the Docs, but they also had to admit that the team they saw in the tournament was far more formidable than the team they saw during the regular season.
So, who made the biggest strides?
1) Chris Case - My favorite story of the season. Case went from pitching 3 innings for Roseburg High in the spring and a surprise addition to the Docs' roster to Scott Shaver's starter in Area 4 contests. Case wasn't tremendously effective early, but Coach Shaver's confidence in him paid off when Case shut Klamath Falls down in the deciding third game of the playoffs. Case actually topped that performance with a complete game shutout against Wilson in the third game of the tournament.
Case's confidence was apparent in Corvallis, where he was relaxed and seemed to expect to have success. He bloomed right in front of us. He really went from almost total unknown to a star on this team. Who knows how those two starts change his life? In ten years he might point to this summer as a critical time of his life. I have a story like that. Maybe Chris does now, too.
2) Brandon Jackson - BJ became the most effective pitcher the Docs had this summer, but it wasn't obvious until his amazing (and risky) run through the middle of the Area 4 schedule. Brandon produced a complete game win against Grants Pass in the sweep in Roseburg, then demanded the ball for the first game against Eugene just a few days later. He was going against the advice of his own dad on that one, but produced another complete game win. Next, he wanted the ball again the next Tuesday for the doubleheader against Klamath Falls. With both his dad and Coach Shaver watching for any indication of a problem, Brandon issued his third straight complete game win, single-handedly dragging the Docs out of the cellar and back into the playoff race. He felt a little twinge in his fourth straight league start and - to his credit - shut himself down after one inning.
People can say what they want about the fact that Brandon got the ball four straight times, but he also proved what he is capable of this summer. Now if he could just get through the first inning without giving up runs in order to get 'in the zone'...
3) Cameron Newell - Cameron was a quiet contributor to the Roseburg Indians' run to the state title game and kept up his steady performance for the Docs this summer. His calm demeanor and solid work ethic made him a crucial part of this team - and has drawn the attention of some pretty prominent college coaches.
4) Bo Younker - Did Bo bloom this summer or just not realize the quality of pitching changed after the 2A/1A state championship? Younker already signed with Western Oregon and Coach Robbins must be glad, because Bo just crushed pitching this season, to the tune of nearly 50 RBIs (in 37 games). He might be the next big-time athlete in the line of Jamie Burke/Ole Sheldon/Troy Polamalu/Josh Bidwell.
5) Jared Stoffal - In the state tournament, Jared was the Docs most consistent offensive threat. He homered against Wilson and played a very solid third base (even though he's a second baseman and shortstop for Douglas). Stoffal is another quality switch-hitting opposite-field hitter who can take that approach to hitting to the next level after high school. 2009 must have been a much more enjoyable season for Jared, who looked like he struggled to get comfortable last year.

There are similar stories for other players who were critical contributors to the Docs this season, but more or less fulfilled their expected roles.
AJ Royal, Mitch Huff, Jordan Guthrie, Austin Stone, Johnny Farrington and Vince Ampi provided the heart and soul of this team. The team took on Royal's personality and loose approach, which probably drove Coach Shaver a bit batty at times, but he knew trying to force the team to change would have a been a bad idea. Mitch showed his value - and maturity - by agreeing to pitch for the Docs when things were at their worst. He deserved better than he got with a couple of late league losses, but also got the save in the clincher at Klamath Falls. He is a dedicated baseball player who is also destined for success in college. Jordan Guthrie will go to Shasta College in northern California in the fall. In college, guys like Guthrie are tested through less-than-friendly means. Guthrie is such a nice kid I hope his toughness comes out because at some point soon, he's gonna have to dig very deep to stay in the game. That doesn't mean I don't absolutely love Jordan, it only means that life gets alot more serious for athletes after they leave high school.
Austin Stone also provided the Docs with a steady hand at second. He provided a hit per game and few mistakes at second base while going about his business with pride every day.
Austin's a solid ballplayer - and a better person. I can't wait to see whats next for him.
Johnny Farrington and Vince Ampi go into the same category for me: Total Baseball Junkies.
I really hope both of these guys get the chance to play this game for a lot of years to come. Some coach somewhere is going to discover the pure talent these two guys possess - thanks to tremendous amounts of dedication to and respect for the game.
Matt Thompson was one of the Roseburg Indians who had big expectations on him coming into the summer. Despite his best efforts, Thompson never quite got over the hump, but he's going to play at Western Oregon in the fall and I think he'll be in the line of Nick Waechter and Blake Keitzman - pitchers who wind up getting some big-time attention from the big boys.
For the rest of the players - Dakota Cavens, Austin Marsh, Sky Woods, Derek Priestley, Kyle Jaukkuri and Bryson Norton - the season was a mix of hard work, dedication and sacrifice without the payoff of a big moment in the sun. Some fought injuries or sickness or struggles on the field. Others knew playing time was going to be limited, but stuck it out anyway. Docs fans appreciate you guys, too.

One more personal note from me as one season ends and football is set to begin.
Thank you to the parents and players and coaches and fans who consider me part of the team.
I was never quite good enough to be a contributing factor on a good team as a kid.
In fact, I was usually the last guy taken, the last to play and the first to be teased by other kids.
I loved the games, but wasn't particularly strong, quick or tough. I was also extremely proud to be on any team I happened to make. I was the kid who wore his jersey top to school or practice the day after they were handed out, despite the specific instructions against such a choice in apparel. I was just so happy to be identified with a team - I couldn't help myself.
Well, that same pride comes over me when people associate me so closely with a team.
Even though I'm all grown up, being part of the Roseburg teams has always been a source of great pride. Thank you for telling me you heard me say this or that and thank you for making me feel like 'part of the team'.

Brian

2009-07-29T05:05:00.001-07:00

Pre-Tournament Thoughts

2009-07-29T04:46:00.001-07:00

Well, those Docs pulled it off in Klamath Falls and now its on to the AAA American Legion State Tournament in Corvallis.

Before I get much further in this post, let me congratulate Pepsi on winning the A Championship. Micah Audiss was the MVP. Coaches say Micah was one of the kids who increased the amount of work he was willing to put in in the batting cage to get better and it paid off.
Congrats Coach Charles and the Bottlecaps!

Well, this year's AAA Tournament features a unique twist: since Medford hosts the Regional Tournament, they have an automatic bye. That means if Medford wins the Oregon title again (it would be three straight) the other finalist goes to the Regional, too.

The Docs played Medford very, very tough. A three run rally in the top of the 7th of game 1 in Roseburg prevented the Mustangs from being swept by the Docs that day and Roseburg's win in game 2 is what propelled the Docs past Grants Pass into the third spot in the standings.

In otherwords, I'm not quite ready to just hand the trophy to the Jackson County Nine, but they are the prohibitive favorites.

Salem's (hated) Withnell Dodgers won the Area 3 title this season. They won 30 games and may be the best team to take a run at the Mustangs.
The Docs were scheduled to play Withnell a couple of times this season, but things got weird there at the end and I can't even remember why they didn't play now.
The Docs could face Salem in the semis IF they get past Canby and then beat Medford.

The thing about Medford is that they just seem to rise up in the State Tournament.
Sandy Kensigner and his boys are big time competitors. Always have been.
Watching them against other teams - you can just see the big innings coming. A crucial walk is followed by a slight bobble and an error, then a guy will get hit and take his base just before another guy bangs one off the wall. You almost feel bad for the pitcher in that situation because its almost inevitable.

The Docs can do that to a team, too. But they need to do it this week and on a big stage.

If the Docs follow the typical path, they will hammer Canby on Day 1, lose to Medford on Day 2 and then scramble their way back through the bracket and either break through against whoever is still breathing or fight hard and lose a heartbreaker - just missing the final round.

I have a prediction, though. Medford takes it all and the Docs will have to beat Withnell to travel to the Regional. Will they? I'm not going to guess.

I do have one guarantee: during the tournament you'll find me at the ballpark all day long.

Btw, you can listen to the broadcasts online at http://www.kskrthescore.com/.

Since you're already online here, skip over there and tune in. I think it will be fun.

Brian

Docs Pushing Klamath to Three

2009-07-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Doc Stewarts showed everyone something win their 19-9 win over Klamath Falls Tuesday night: Every day is different in baseball.

One night after being embarrassed right out of Kiger Stadium, those Doctors got a big lift from Brandon Jackson and AJ Royal in a lopsided win of their own.

It was a great performance for the Docs, who have played better baseball at home all season and struggled mightily on the road. But now, the home games are over. If they win Wednesday, the Docs will make the state tournament in Corvallis starting on the 29th.

Personally, I hope the Docs go all the way now, because their Tuesday night win means I am going to Klamath Falls and possibly Corvallis instead of Lynden, Washington.

My wife and 10 year old daughter Abby, left this morning for the Cal Ripken Regional Softball Tournament in Lynden.
I was going to go if the Docs lost Tuesday night.
Instead, it'll be a kind of 'girls road trip' for them, but I am truly heartbroken not to be with them.

I told Abby last night that this tournament is really just the icing on the cake, that making the All-Star team was the big accomplishment and the rest is just a bonus.
My mother-in-law will also be going to support her and Abby will have a ton of fun and maybe even be able to say she's part of the best team in the Northwest if they win.

Its pretty cool to think that sports have already given two of my daughters something I never experienced: being an All-Star.

I honestly pray that the confidence the experience of sports gives my girls provide them with the confidence to accomplish anything they attempt in life.
Lessons of hard work and sacrifice learned in sports are extremely valuable. I wish more kids could understand the value of that lesson.

I am so proud of Abby for working hard to make the team after missing it the year before. She even had to learn a new position. But along the way, she earned a starting spot and actually has become one of the teams' best players.

I'll be in Klamath tonight, giving it all I've got, but part of my heart will be at a little softball field a few miles from Canada.

Hot Blog

2009-07-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

Its the Fourth of July weekend, making references to tube steaks appropriate, no?

We've been talking about high temperatures alot on the radio lately.
Here are some interesting tidbits from the record high temperature list for Roseburg from the National Weather Service...

Fourth of July weekend high temps:
July 2 - 106 in 1942
July 3 - 99 in 1967
July 4 - 97 in 1967
July 5 - 97 in 1960

And what month would you think holds the All-Time highest record high in Roseburg written history? I would have guessed August, but the record high temp is from July 20, 1946 when it reached 109 degrees.

August does hold the other hottest days ever recorded - 108 on August 8 1978 and August 16th 1977.

I've decided my high temp threshold is 82. Anything higher than that it might as well get up to 134.

Speaking of the 4th and hot weather, I'm looking forward to a kayak trip down the North Umpqua with Sam Lee and his family. My girls (including my wife, Jannie) have come to love the ride with the Lees. Afterward, its a traditional 4th of July dinner with Sam's folks at their ranch on North Bank. Potato salad, fruit salad, cookies and more. I'm barbequeing chicken.

Today my girls (led by my wife, Jannie) are going to be busy in the kitchen - almost like Thanksgiving for all the stuff they plan to make. I love it!

A Weekend At Home!?

2009-06-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

After months of weekend trips all over the place, I finagled a weekend off while the Docs went to Redding. I felt really bad about bailing on my team, but the trip to Redding was added late and with what I thought was an open weekend, I set my heart on seeing my middle daughter, Abby, tryout for softball All-Stars.
Most everyone was understanding, especially Coach Shaver and I appreciated that alot.

While the Docs were away, I had time to play a little.
Softball games, an end of the year softball party and a few 'honey-dos' kept me busy.

Then, Sunday morning I met Sam Lee for a little golf at Stewart Park. We played 18 but should've stopped after 9. Between Sam and I, we played consistent golf. The problem was, we alternated good shots. I'd have a good drive off the tee while Sam would chunk his into the trees. Then I'd hook my second shot off things like light poles in the VA or people on the walking path while Sam was snugging up to the green.

Putting was a problem for both of us. I don't think there was any 'alternating accuracy' there.
Best moment: Sam skipping his second shot on 7 off the water onto the fringe and then our third player Greg tossing Sams provisional into the water (mostly by accident).
Worst moment: The yahoos behind us hitting into us twice in a row. We were keeping up with the (slow) group in front of us, too. The first shot landed 15 feet behind one of us in the fairway and the second bounced between two of us in what the offending golfer called 'the hit of a lifetime'. Looking back toward the tee box to let the yokels know they were being jerks drew a call from the group to us saying 'why don't you guys grow up down there!'.
It had nothing to do with growing up, Mr King of Stewart Park, it had to do with etiquette.
But we bow down to your mightyness and acknowledge your golfing superiority.

Now, lets see if Sam can get that other ball back.

More Baseball, Closer to Home

2009-05-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Ducks season came to an uneventful end over the Memorial Day weekend.
The team ended its first season in 28 years on a 13 game losing streak, thanks to Arizona. The Wildcats had plenty of motivation to hammer the Ducks in the final weekend of the regular season; they still had an outside chance at the NCAA tournament.
In the end, Arizona didn't make the field of 64 - and neither did Oregon.
After the game, Coach Horton said he told the team they are now like everyone else:
0-0 in 2010.
I know several of the players from this team will move on to other places between now and the start of practice in the fall and new players will come in. But this team will always be remembered as the first under George Horton and the start of something really big.

Now, Legion Baseball starts June 7th.
In between there will be several high school baseball and softball playoff games.
Hopefully we'll have a team or two (or more) in the finals June 5th and 6th.

It used to be that the Docs season was the longest, most difficult stretch of the year for me.
So many games, so much travel and so much time away from home usually leads to a fair amount of stress. Well, compared to the Ducks season, the Docs shouldn't be too bad.
35 games - and a 5 minute drive to the ballpark for home games sounds utterly doable to me now.

And when it comes to the Docs, I think this could be a big year.
I can't wait to see some offense after the long dry spring I just went through in Eugene.
The state tournament is in Corvallis this year and the Regional is in Medford. An Oregon team might make the World Series this year.

I hope that team is the Docs.

PS - the over/under on accidental references to the Ducks on the air this summer is 10.

Brian

Give Credit Where it is Due...You!

2009-05-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

On the heels of Monday's emotional sendoff of the troops of Charlie Company, plenty of praise is coming my way. And this blog entry is about that.

The praise should be going to the great people of Douglas County.

When I heard that the deployment date had been sent, I made a few phone calls to people in law enforcement and to my soldier buddy Manny Annear to get things rolling.

After that, it was all you.

Without the love all of you have for those men and women - and their families - all the talking on the radio in the world wouldn't have done a thing.

But time and time again, patriotic people in Douglas County come forward when called upon.
Not only that, they take it to a level that few places can match.

From the turn on Airport Road next to the Armory and all the way to Harvard and I-5, cheering crowds greeted those three buses and all the rest of us in the procession with wave upon wave of love and respect.

To think that all of you stopped what you were doing for a few minutes and found a spot along the route in order to display such a simple show of support for the soldiers, means alot.

All along Edenbower, Stephens and Garden Valley, people parked, waited and then exploded.

The images that flash through my mind right now bring tears to my eyes. Bright red, white and blue flags, yellow ribbons and all the signs combined with the cheering and waving was beautiful to see.

Then, the poignent, solemn veterans along the way who stood and saluted to the troops, knowing full well that what is happening is something they fought hard to prevent. But also knowing exactly what its like to be on one of those buses...

Little kids with their parents and grandparents who hardly know whats going on will remember the feeling they had when their whole community stood up to say thank you.

The stretch through the VA was even more amazing because of all the veterans, and the doctors and nurses and staff who serve them, standing, sitting or just smiling as the buses went by.

Those memorial flags along the route added an almost magical element to the scene - and the weather was perfect! Is there anything as beautiful as the Stars and Stripes when the sun hits the flag just right? I don't think so.

Then, the kids at Fir Grove followed that up with enthusiasm and love - and those signs!!

Despite a very nicely executed traffic jam on Harvard, drivers buried hundreds of cars into the line were smiling and honking and giving the processon a 'thumbs up'.

In the end, the procession led south on to Medford. I turned around at the Fairgrounds and it hit me that they were gone.

Then, a simple two word text message from my friend Sgt Gene Thomey came in to my phone.
It hit me hard and caused me to break down for the first time that day.

'Thanks Brian'.

No, man. Thank you.

And thank you, too Douglas County.

Lets do it even bigger when those men and women come home.

2009-04-23T04:29:00.000-07:00

I'm typing this blog in between my morning chores...
Woke up at 3:30. Well, hit the snooze button at 3:30.
Got up at 3:45.

Its 4:30 now. Right now I'm ironing my clothes.
Blue button down dress shirt and yesterdays khakis.
(I like to get two days out of the pants I wear.)
Does anyone else do that, too?

4:40 now. Toaster is out and ready for three slices.
While that cooks (?) I'll get out the crunchy peanut butter and the homemade strawberry jam my mother-in-law makes.

Combine this with the instant coffee and I've got breakfast.

Whats on the plate today? I don't know what story we'll lead with this morning yet.
Whoops. Toaster popped....

4:46. At the table with the pb&j toast my coffee and this laptop.

Where was I? Oh, today's plate.
Later this morning Douglas County fire District 2 is having a gas fire training exercise the media is invited to. I think I'll go. That reminds me, DCFD 2 Battalion Chief Roger Johnson was thrilled with the response by the entire emergency response system during that crash on I-5 the other day. That might be our lead today. Depending on what else is in my in box when I get to work.

I wanted to write something about the weekend I had. First one without Duck games to call.
Got to spend some quality time with my family. Nothing like a Saturday at home to settle you down, you know?

Sprayed the weeds around the place, started the process of recovering my garden from a winter of weed growing. Mowed the lawn (twice). I love the baseball field cross-hatch look. I chopped it down on the first pass, then lowered the rear wheels one click and went 90 degrees and cut it again. (Do the outside edge last for a really clean look.)

Dumped all that grass on my new compost pile (thanks Mike!) and turned it over with the help of my still-loyal-yard-helper Raegan.

I wasn't planning on doing a garden this year, what with my schedule and all, but Jerry Allen insisted I get one in. He was adamant about it. Like - make me pinky swear I'll do it.

Thats because I have made more memories with my daughters putting in and managing our garden than almost anything else we've done together. When Jerry heard that, he kinda went crazy making sure baseball didn't end that tradition.

Well, looks like it won't.

But I learned something from all that work.

I'm so out of shape - I can't even rake.

Typing that last line hurt, too.

Well, this has to be the weirdest blog I've written yet.
But its still early.

PS Watch for a feature article on me and the Ducks in the News Review in early May. Craig Reed came to PK Park and took pictures of me doing my thing (look for lots of action shots of me talking - ooh thrilling) and then spent an hour interviewing me. Craig's a pro. I'm looking forward to the piece.

Brian

Something OTHER than a Duck Update!?

2009-04-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

First, an apology to the legions of people who wait with bated breath for each new edition of my blog. (Mostly just Kyle Bailey).

I've been busy with games and trips and stuff around the station that makes me feel way busier than I really am. Having the Duck games on my schedule is a really handy alibi and excuse for missing stuff. Its especially effective at the station, but I must admit its losing its power at home.

But I've promised not to dwell in Duck-land on this edition of the blog. Instead, let me proclaim to all (five) of you what it means to have been named the 2009 Jim Gregory Roseburg Booster of the Year.

Greg Marlar presented me with the award at the annual Booster Club Banquet last month (man it has been a long time since my last entry). He talked about what a mooch I was and lamented the fact that I had just stolen his thunder by telling the story about how Coach Horton called me 'whathisname'.

If he said nice things about me, I can't remember what he said. All I could think while Greg read the intro was how so many other people are worthy of this award.

I would like to chop this plaque into tiny pieces and give pieces to the following people:
Irene The Super Fan, who tagged up with Bessie for years of going to just about every sporting event in the county - but only if the Indians weren't playing.
To Tom Rise, whose encouragement to me included the story about he and his wife Rita tuning into Doc's games when she was too sick from chemo to come to Legion Field. He said, 'it beat crying all the time'.
To Coach Troy Thompson, who teases me about never doing regular season Roseburg baseball games and to Coach Lander, who still thinks I could do play-by-play for wrestling. (I know they do it in Prineville, but I don't know a two point take down from a three-piece meal).
To Deb Ramey, who needs to be cloned to get more stuff done.
To Russ Bolin who takes such good care of me.

I would like to thank the guys at Chuck's Texaco for filling up the vehicles with the kind of gas that gets you home every time and for Ken Sherman, Keith Pettengill, Jared Castle, Robert Reppenghagen, Kellen Walker, Jeff Bright, Jaime Yraguen, Steve Coats, Ben Tatone and Steve Salapich for riding with me to games.

Riding with me means 1) watching a man eat and drive with his knees
2) playing a pro bono Dr Phil to dissect the problems (real and imagined) I seem to get into when the vehicle reaches cruising speed.
3) the occasional foul odor that comes with weeks of eating hamburgers and quesadillas at cruising speed
4) late night returns and long rides back from disappointing losses far from home and 5)learning to love listening to Susan Tedeschi at unhealthy volume levels.

I also thank my wife Jannie for taking care of all the details of raising three girls so I can forget everything and go play on the radio. She puts up with me when I'm too high on myself and too hard on myself - which I am always either one or the other.

Honestly, so many people make Roseburg a special place. To get the kind of love I receive in return for doing what I love is truly one of the best things I have ever been a part of.

20 Down 36 to go...

2009-03-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Ducks are 9-and-11 after their first 20 games.
This weekend in Portland, the team lost three out of four.
Losing those games was a bummer, but it would have been worse to have been travelling with the team. When I ride the bus to and from games, I also have the opportunity to hear most everything Coach Horton tells the players before and after the game.
It is an honor to have that level of trust with the coaching staff because they could ask me to leave before Coach talks - if they thought I would use inappropriate stuff on the air.
I've learned the fine art of running some of the 'on the bus' stuff through the Coach in a pre-game interview or off tape, but before the games.
I enjoy talking to Coach Horton about baseball because he is always willing to sincerely answer my questions. There's alot of stuff goes on in an interview. When you know the Coach is upset about something - or sensitive to an issue - you have to come up with a diplomatic way to broach the subject. For instance, right now Oregon is struggling to find the key hit.
As the guy asking the questions, I have to make sure I address that point, but I can't just blurt out something stupid like, "Geez Coach, what's wrong with the offense?"
Instead, I think I've learned to take a 'big picture' look at things.
Rather than get too wound up with the bad things going on with a team, I am reminded (and like reminding fans) that everything in sports is temporary. Struggles today can turn into successes tomorrow. The team that can't seem to get the key hit will often times work their way out of it.
Experience has also taught me that one hit can open a can of offense because hitting in baseball seems to be contagious.
I'll be there when that key hit comes. I hope you will, too.

Also, I spent the ENTIRE weekend with legendary Jerry Allen, calling those games.
He and I will work the games together for the rest of the season.
Jerry has treated me so well, complimenting my work and teaching me a few things, too.
Its kinda hard being the student again, but this opportunity and the privledge of calling University of Oregon baseball is worth taking a step back and learning from someone like Jerry.

Email and OZone Love

2009-03-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Well I think I can say I am now in a bit of a routine when it comes to calling Duck baseball games. The team is getting to know me better and Coach Horton and the rest of the staff are getting used to being around.

One of the best things to happen this season took place over the weekend.

As some of you already know, a television feed of each home baseball game is produced on a feed that is carried on the goducks.com website. People pay a subscription fee to access the video feed and it turns out, the audio from the radio is fed with the video.

It provides fans with a real-time broadcast from home games for anyone around the world.

Midway through Friday's games, one of the directors from the OZone feed turned me on to the fact that the cameramen are listening to the radio feed. He suggested that if I mention something specific they can follow what I am saying with shots from the cameras.

So over the next few games, I paid closer attention to the video feed, which gave me a few things to talk about between pitches AND made for a more complete OZone feed.

During commercial breaks on the radio, OZone is still live. That made for an uncomfortable moment when it took them a few games before they warned me about that tiny, little insignificant fact.

Because of that continuous feed during breaks, another cool thing kind of just happened.

I invited people listening during one break to send me an email.

I received emails from six people. They ranged from Wisconsin, Las Vegas, San Diego and a few around Eugene. I heard from a former coach of KC Serna, the older sister of Tyler Anderson and from parents of players.

Over the next few games this weekend, I heard from more than a dozen fans, family and friends from the Ducks, many of whom had very flattering comments for me.

Better than that, though, I'm getting to know some of the people who hang on every pitch from miles and miles away.

One person wrote that while she was listening to the game the other day, she chewed through her fingernails. She said "Only motherless boys should pitch."

Little gems like that build relationships. Email exchanges that begin from the radio broadcast are a brand new element for me. But they add to the two things I covet most: trust and respect.

You can't buy those things, you can only earn them and they are priceless to me.

Those relationships are more important to me than wins and losses and they are the reason I love what I do.

If you would like to send me an email, go ahead! brian@bciradio.com.

General Stuff

2009-03-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Back out on the road with the Ducks, this time in Seattle.

The team rode the bus all the way here, getting in late last night. (Well, late for me - 10:30)
There are four guys from the Seattle area on the team. Most of them plan on seeing family while they are here. So do I.

I grew up in Puyallup, Washington (home of the Western Washington Fair - Do The Puyallup!)
before moving to Portland and points further south later on.
My family and I lived in Federal Way while I was with 710 KIRO (1999-2002).
I thought that would be a dream job, but it turned ugly when my wife Jannie and I operated on two totally different schedules and the girls (Tori and Abby at that time) were in school a half an hour away while Jan and I toiled in Seattle.

One time we were headed out of town on a Friday afternoon. I picked Jannie up from work early in the afternoon and we were going to get Abby from pre-school and Tori out of school. But when we got to our street, it was blocked with police tape and our neighborhood (and Tori's school) were locked down. We had to wait a couple of hours before the police declared the area safe.
It seems a bad guy had stolen a car and crashed it near our neighborhood. I guess he was on the loose and they didn't know where he was, leading to the wide area being closed off.
Once he was detained, we could get Tori and go, but that was a little too freaky for either of us.

Now we live in Roseburg, where that sort of thing NEVER happens (yeah right).

Coming into the city last night was cool. The team perked up when we cleared the last hill and Seattle came into view. Several pics of Safeco Field were snapped. I was there for the first pitch and all the ceremonial stuff prior to a 4-3 loss to the Padres (Jose Mesa walked in the winning or losing run).

One thing I don't miss is the slate gray sky here. Its depressing when the highway and the sky are the same color. That happens here from October to May.

Kinda cold and rainy today, but the Huskies have an all turf field and we'll play no matter what.

Talk to you on the radio.

On the road with the Ducks

2009-02-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

What an honor to be part of the first game of the Ducks new era.
Friday's win over St Marys was one for the ages.
Oregon fans will remember that day for alot of reasons besides the victory.
Coach Horton's pregame speech to the team on the bus was special, too.
He asked the team to play as hard as they can, represent the University and all the people who made that day possible. He didn't tell them to 'go win', he asked them to play hard and they did.
But they also won.

Saturday was not nearly as much fun.
The doubleheader was long and the Ducks lost both games, but the one thing that bothers Coach Horton most of all is the way the team warmed up Friday and Saturday.

Prior to the first game on Friday, Coach said his team had its worst infield/outfield practice since the team got back together in February. Saturday's pregame warmup was the second worst, according to coach. The results on the field will come, but they have invested so much time in the infield/outfield warmup that it should have been much much better.

Sunday, the game was rained out. Steady downpour. No chance of playing.
Too bad, the Ducks would have loved the chance to erase the taste of those losses from Saturday.

Instead of playing a game, the team went back to St Marys for a workout in a small gymnasium.
Pitchers worked with Coach Checketts while the position players listened to Coach Horton talk for about 20 minutes and then focused on bunting. Horton said St Marys beat Oregon Saturday in the infield. They bunted and fielded bunts far better than the Ducks.

I've been around baseball a long time and I have never seen details like the detail Coach Horton provides. He says the players are taking in as much as they can, but he understands if they don't get everything just yet. His goal is to give these men the tools to become successful on the field, but also in life. Good stuff.

We fly out at about 7 and should be home late Sunday night. Then, Fresno State next Friday to open PK Park. Another emotional day awaits us all.

Details Details

2009-02-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

I am about to launch into what will undoubtedly be the most difficult thing I have ever attempted to do.
In addition to managing the news content on KQEN and daily operations on The Score, I will be traveling with the Oregon Duck baseball team. Oh, and I have a wife and three kids. Two of whom are about to start softball seasons in Roseburg.
And I claim to be a detail oriented family man.
Yikes.
With the season about to start, humor me for a moment as I send out a laundry list of thank yous.
First, the ownership and management of the radio stations have been great through this whole thing. I first let GM Mike Carter and owner Pat Markham know that I was putting in for this gig in July of 2007. They probably didn't think this was going to develop into the gig it is, but they supported me and encouraged me even when they weren't sure if I could do this and still live in Roseburg.
Now that its happening, both Pat and Mike are incredibly supportive and I appreciate that more than they know because I have seen guys who moonlight without the support I have and it makes their lives miserable.

I have also seen guys attempt this without the support of their family.
Talk about miserable.
Some people trade their marriage for success in their career. I have already dodged that bullet, leaving Seattle in 2002 to return to Roseburg. My wife also wasn't sure whether I was just setting myself up for disappointment when I put in for the Duck job, but she supported me too.
Even though it also nearly put a crimp in her career plans AND has made our cozy existence here a bit more challenging. My wife understands what this means to me and I know she's proud of me, and I could not have pulled this off without her.
My girls are also excited for me, despite the loss of their dad at the softball fields. All in all, that might end up as a positive for both of them, but that sacrifice is by far the toughest thing for me in all of this.

Kyle Bailey and Bob Larson and Kenny Sherman have also been terrific. My absence during baseball puts alot of pressure on them. We'll work together to produce all the news and interviews you have come to enjoy, but the execution of all this stuff falls right on Kyle and Bob especially.

I have friends and mentors at church that will be keeping tabs on my mental state through the next four months and believe me, I will need that contact to stay sane.

I live by the theory that 20 percent effort produces 80 percent of the result. It takes the other 80 percent effort to get the last 20 percent of results. That last 20 percent is the difference between average radio and great radio.

Somehow, even when I'm on the road, that extra 20 will be my goal.

I plan on blogging from the road to let you know what its like behind the scenes with the Ducks and how things are going with the station.

I look forward to communicating with everyone - even while travelling.

Send me a note at brian@bciradio.com.

From the Chicken Suit to Duck Baseball

2009-02-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

I know, I'm getting predictable.

Its going to be a busy week for me.
Roseburg North Medford tonight.
Roseburg at South Medford Thursday night.
Duck baseball scrimmage Friday afternoon.
News all in between.

The U of O is going to test PK Park around Friday afternoon's scrimmage.
The Ducks play the Ducks at 2.
We (meaning the U of O) are going to take the opportunity to plug in all the broadcast gear and hook it up to the network. No one except for some radio station managers will hear what I do, but for your edification, here is the plan.
I'll say hello to whomever is testing their reception on the network and give them an inning or two of play-by-play. I can't wait because it'll be the first time someone is sitting in 'the seat' where the games will be broadcast and that someone is me!

I actually had an incredibly vivid image strike me one time at a Duck football game.
I was looking over the edge of Autzen during the National Anthem at the cut out in the parking lot where PK Park was being built and this picture flashed in my mind. I could see both teams lined up on the chalk lines, the American flag snapping in the breeze in centerfield and the National Anthem being played. I was standing in the broadcast booth in the ballpark with headphones on.
The scene honestly brought me to tears because I knew someone was bound to have that opportunity. I desperately hoped it would be me.

Ahem.

Anyway, can't wait for the games to start and I am looking forward to the first trip. The bus loads Thursday morning for the trip to St Mary's in Moraga, California.
I've been there before. Once with the U of Montana Lady Griz basketball team. The campus sits in a beautiful valley and is probably second to Pepperdine when it comes to Most Picturesque University Campus You'll Ever See.

Dance Chicken Dance

2009-02-03T08:26:00.001-08:00

Two hours in the chicken suit taught me an important life lesson:
Always be willing to laugh at yourself.

I did alot of that yesterday as I paid off my chicken suit bet with Jared Castle.
The look on the faces of people (especially kids) passing by is worth the minor amount of teasing that comes with dressing like a great big bird.
Kids walking by in the early hours would not make eye contact with me. Others on buses laughed and pointed, mostly with a kind of confused look on their faces.
It looked like the youngins were trying to comprehend what they were seeing and describe the scene to the adults in the car. I wish I could have heard the reaction from parents and bus drivers....

We raised almost $200 for SMART from donations. Thank you! For more on the SMART reading program, go to www.getsmartoregon.org.

Best Moment: A little kid walking to school with his parents put 31 cents in my bucket.

Worst Moment: a dog coming to be on the radio (yes, that happens around here) reacted a bit strongly when the big bright yellow chicken moved his arms. Apparently the pooch wasn't afraid of a stationary chicken, but when I moved a little, he went kinda crazy. Jared made a joke about Foghorn Leghorn and we both funnied out.

Worst Moment II: After I had shed the suit, Adam Perason from the News Review showed up for a photo op. I put the thing back on, complete with my sign "My team laid an egg in the Super Bowl" for the good of the SMART program.

"Behind the Scenes"

2009-01-30T11:22:00.000-08:00

We've been working hard to find out the details of why the Port of Coos Bay no longer has its line of credit to purchase the Coos Bay Rail Line. Bob Larson has been hard at it all week to get comments from the Port or from Umpqua Bank, but both sides are just not willing to talk publicly about what happened.

And thats understandable. To their credit (no pun intended) officials with both sides have at least spoken with us about the sensitivity of the situation, but in very vague terms and only off the record.

Even when we've had the chance to talk with Congressman DeFazio, Rep Hanna or Sen Kruse, the message is: alots going on, its just all very deep behind the scenes.

My take: Sometimes people involved in a highly sensitive situation will talk to us and tell us everything - as long as its off the record. Sometimes they don't. Its fun being in a position to hear it all. And for those of you who think reporters should never go off the record? You'd never last if that was your policy. No one would ever trust you with anything.

Speaking of working behind the scenes...

Don't be fooled by people who think its significant when a third party is asked to investigate a possible criminal case.

Douglas County DA Rick Wesenberg sent this possible interference case involving former Commissioner Kittelman to Jackson County in order to avoid conflict of interest or even the perception of conflict of interest.

Its not because he didn't think it was worthy of his attention or because there is no case.

There may not even be charges filed.

In other, more serious situations like a police shooting or harrassment case, the investigations are always done by an outside entity. That way the jury gets information from someone who does not have a working relationship with anyone involved.

Douglas County takes cases from other places all the time. Its routine.

And in regards to ending up in the news because people know who you are:
Athletes scream about this all the time. Its news when someone famous gets in any kind of trouble at all. Ask every ball player who ever got booked for DUII or domestic assault or speeding. They always say "If my last name were Smith no one would care!"

Thats exactly right. But if you are famous, everyone cares and it is news. Thats the difference between when Mickey Mantle played ball and today. Everybody cares and eyes are everywhere...

And one more thing. If you have had your license suspended and are driving without insurance and get stopped by an OSP trooper...don't try to pull a fast one and claim you don't have a name or birthdate.

The cops can figure out both of those things by the time they book you in jail.

Learning to Blog

2009-01-26T16:18:00.000-08:00

Uh-oh. It happened.
Its been a week since my last blog.
Typical, huh?
Get your blog up, go gung-ho for a week or so and then it just becomes 'another thing to do' in a busy day.
Same thing happened with my Facebook page.
I spent two hours on it one Saturday and just kind of go back once-in-a-while.
Some people apparently live every moment online.
Not me.
In fact, if I was thinking ahead a bit this weekend (big if) I would have taken pictures of two of my girls and I at the Sunrise Enterprises auction to post on this blog.
But then, it would have left photographic evidence that my 13 year old was hanging out with a bunch of people trying to figure out how much they would spend on a pallet of leftover John Deere tractor cowlings.
Not her kind of scene.
I did snag a decent desk for said daughter for $5.
I ran into John Sowell, who was excited about buying Gordon Smith's (alleged) credenza from the Capitol building for like 20 bucks.
Well, I'm sure my daughter's desk was once inhabited by a Norm Gershon staffer.

Over the weekend I also was happy to know that my dog, Dottie has found a safe, new home.
She was getting a little anxious at our house. Five people and two other smaller dogs in a 1400 square foot house is a lot of bodies and not a lot of room.
With my increasing schedule and less time to get her out, we came to the decision to find her a new home.
My family said goodbye to her a couple of weeks ago and thanks to a very gracious friend with room at his place, we were able to let her hang out at a wide open ranch until a new home could be found.

Thats where Cheryl Donahoo and the Douglas County Humane Society comes in.
I've gotten to know Cheryl over the years through interviews on the radio about all the great stuff the Humane Society does.
I called her to ask her to put feelers out for a new home for my dog and within a couple of days, we found two or three people who wanted her. Wow!
Dottie is in good hands at a house thats better than what she had here.
She was a Hall of Fame dog for us, but deserved better and thanks to Cheryl and the Humane Society I know Dottie actually is in a better place!

I wish more people would use services like those offered by Cheryl and her friends instead of turning dogs loose or putting them down.

30 Days to Oregon Baseball!

2009-01-21T05:54:00.001-08:00

I attended a meeting at the University of Oregon yesterday to nail down details of how the Duck Baseball schedule will lay out. We talked over the pre-game show, equipment needs and the plan for the broadcasts themselves.

I will be doing 15 of the first 17 games solo, including the first four in Morgana California February 20-22. (There is a Saturday doubleheader).

After we took care of those details, Jerry and I were given a tour of the new ballpark.

This is a (bad) shot of the light standard in right field as it went up yesterday.

Wow!

There will be four of these just behind the outfield wall.

The lines are down and the mounds were being installed as we watched. They use transits and lasers to make sure the distances are perfect.

This is home plate, with the batting cage in place - just waiting for the first batting practice session. Thats not real grass. Thats not actual dirt, either. Looks good, eh?
There will be alot of seating right behind home plate. That low wall (and some netting) will be all that seperates the crowd from the field.

Finally, this first season will have temporary bleachers for the fans.

This tiny pic is looking down the left field line.
That black post will hold the wire that the netting hangs on.

The scaffolds to the right are the first base stands. They go up quite high.

I guess the press facility will be up there, too.

I can't believe how fortunate I am to be part of this endeavour.

Both Jerry and I feel the same way.

After our tour, we both just had to stand there and look at the field and shake our heads at how big this is. How many times have you seen a program pop up right out of thin air?

I want the season to start tomorrow, but I'll bet these workers (and the team) would like more time to prepare.

Its gonna get here soon.

Behind the Scenes of the First Cit's Banquet

2009-01-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

Of Toilet Paper and Proud Parents....

Turnout was solid and the crowd was lively at last night's First Citizens Banquet.
It is a big honor for me to be part of the show.
Norm Gershon is a fun guy to be around, especially during his rants about losing all of his 60's ideals.

It was my idea to tackle Costco in the open, but Norm came up with the idea of bringing toilet paper.
We weren't sure if we should go there, but then Norm added Joyce to the mix and I think that whole thing came off well. My favorite moment all night was the warm applause Joyce received from the audience when she introduced herself.
She admitted to being a bit worried about the whole bit, but after it was over, I think the whole thing meant alot to her.

Somebody snagged the TP during dinner. Dangit. We were gonna have alot more fun with that gag during the rest of the program....Oh well, it's probably better that way.

If it wasn't for that scene with Joyce Morgan, my favorite moment of the night would have been when all five Future First Citizens (all girls!, btw) were standing on the podium and Norm asked their parents to stand.
Holy cow! Just thinking about that again brings the waterworks.
Those girls are all going to be successful and when I see that whole thing on DVD later, the segment with their video interviews will fire me up again!!!
Congratulations to Lauren Terry, the Future First Citizen.
Lauren also won Junior Miss last year. I also have emceed that big event and have gotten to know her a little bit. Well deserved Lauren!

Finally, congratulations to Roberta Hall and Bob Ragon.
I cannot believe Bob took time in his speech to dig me. Lifetime achievement award, thousands of people to thank and he teases me about the Ducks. Wow.

Out by 8:39! Thats gotta be a record.

And now the exciting conclusion to....

2009-01-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

You Make The Call: The Barbershop Battle!
When we left our story, Brian was squaring off with a man who had to walk past him into a barbershop where Brian thought he had already established his place in line.

Oh, Brian was on the phone.

(Yes, but I was talking to my mom.)

And hadn't actually gone inside yet.

(But I was there five minutes before him.)

When it came time for one of us to get into the chair, the fellow looked at me and asked (rather bluntly) "Did you set foot inside this barbershop before I did?"

I said I didn't come inside because I was on the phone, but that I was clearly there before him.

He said "Then logically, I should go first."

He took off his hat and sat in the chair.

By then, I had already decided that if the guy wanted to go first so badly it wasn't worth a fight.

I had already let it go.

So when he got done and paid and left (without another word to me or the barber) the fun really began.

It was fine that I wasn't ahead of the guy anymore, but this whole episode begs the question:

What did I have to do to establish my place in line to get a haircut?

Sit in the place and talk to my mom?

Walk in, check in with the barber and then step outside?

Hang up and not talk on my phone or take a call while I waited? (There were four guys waiting ahead of me)

I was clearly living in a Barbershop Etiquitte 101 class.
I expected Cosmo Kramer to appear at any moment.

He didn't.

But a couple more guys came in and sat down.
One was an older fella. The other was the deputy and is appearing in People magazine in a weight loss challenge.

Because I wanted to know what I did wrong, I presented the (fascinating) story to them.

The old timer said I was right not to have pushed it with the guy and the deputy said the other guy should have gone first. The older man agreed.

I was 0-for-2.

Since then, every single person has said he should have gone first.

Well, next time I'm in that situation, I'll do things differently.

I'll tackle anyone who walks past me while I'm on the phone.

43 Days to Baseball...Behind the Scenes of the First Citizens Banquet...You Make the Call

2009-01-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

43 Days to Baseball
The Oregon Ducks open their first baseball season in 28 years in 43 days (Feb 20 at St Mary's of California) in case anyone is counting.

Behind the Scenes of the First Citizens Banquet
I have once again been asked to host the First Citizens Banquet. In my opinion, thats as close as I will ever get to being the First Citizen, and it means almost as much to me.
Norm Gershon and I will co-emcee the big show.
What a cool night. Long, but cool.
The only thing an emcee is judged on for an event like the First Cit is: What time did everyone get out of there.
I hope everyone else's speeches are short so Norm and I look good at the end.

You Make the Call
So I finally got to my favorite (and only) barbershop for a haircut.
As I approached the door, my mom called me on my cell phone, so I stood outside and chatted with her for a few minutes. While I am talking, a fellow walks right past me, goes inside and sits down.
I finished my call, went in and sat down next to him.
Which one of us should have gotten to go first when the chair opened up?

Send me a comment and I'll post the results and later, I'll relay what happened.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

The new year started off with a bang on Monday with the swearing-in of Susan Morgan as Douglas County Commissioner.

For a guy who has had to physically force himself to walk into the Douglas County Courthouse from time to time, going through the doors this morning was remarkably easy.

From what I found inside the courthouse, it seems others had the same experience.

Light-hearted laughter greeted me as I crested the small set of stairs and turned right towards the Commissioners' meeting room.

That hasn't happened in years.

And, by the way, that is not a cheap shot at the outgoing regime.

Its a fact.

Even on days when good things happened, people were a bit reluctant to let loose.
No matter which side they happened to be on.

I remember covering the Commissioners with Joyce Morgan, Mike Winters and Doug Robertson. I remember being welcomed - and being able to get a quote from any of the three about anything.

Maybe I'm becoming jaded, but I don't think it will ever go back to the way it was.
Because it can also be a bad thing for all three Commissioners are too friendly with the press.
What if I have to request a public record from one of the current three Commissioners?
What if I have to play hardball to see if the public trust is being threatened?

I know what will happen.

I'll have complete cooperation - as long as there is nothing to hide.
And why should a county commissioner hide something? If their ideas, proposals or actions are above board, they should stand up to whatever scrutiny I can generate.

Would any of the current three commissioners have the audacity to try to pull something over on the county, deny it AND attempt to carry on as if nothing happened?

I hope not.

This is not just about the Board of Commissioners.
If anyone representing an agency I have a good working relationship with (DSCO, Roseburg Police, the DA's Office) tried to take advantage of our comraderie while pulling a fast one on the people - and I caught wind of it - I would do the same thing I have done in the past.

Shine light on it.

If the exposure kills it - or brings more scrutiny - I've done my job.

Whether we stay friends or not.

Duck Tales

2008-12-31T07:22:00.000-08:00

Calling my first Oreogn Ducks basketball game was a rush - the kind of thrill you get the first time you ride a really big roller coaster.
In fact, as the engineer was counting down to airtime, I imagined myself slowing climbing the back side of a huge, high track that would throw me over the side and straight down.
Just at the crest of the hill, I grabbed on tight and just let it roll.
It seemed to go about as fast as a thrill ride, too.

Some people say it sounded like I was actually too amped up.
They may be right, but I was aware of that pitfall and consciously worked to stay in control.
I've heard announcers who try to increase their intensity in an attempt to sell the importance of the game they are covering. The bad part of that delivery is that it often becomes forced - and not sincere.

If there is one thing I try to be on the air, its sincere.
Even sometimes to the degree that I come off unprepared or less than professional.

I would rather be myself on the air with everything I do than to be considered 'professional' and fake.

The best part of the whole experience was to find out later that my mom and dad, aunt and uncle, brother and sister-in-law in Coeuer D' Alene listened to the game and even held the phone up to my grandmother in Port Orchard, Washington. My wife's family in Portland also listened to the broadcast.

For me, thats the best part of radio. You never know who is listening - or where - and often times, the relationship between broadcaster and listener is so personal.

Happy New Year to everyone.
And Happy 15th Anniversary to my wife, Jannie.

My Duck Debut

2008-12-28T16:14:00.000-08:00

As many people know, I will be given the chance to cover the Oregon Ducks new baseball team this spring.
My first game will be at St Mary's in Moraga, California.
But that game will not be my first game for the Ducks.
Monday night, Oregon basketball hosts Long Beach State and Jerry Allen will be in San Diego for the Holiday Bowl.
That means somebody has to fill in.
And finally, that somebody is me.
Its taken four years for this to work out.

The last time the Ducks went to the Holiday Bowl, the Ducks tried to get ahold of me, but - if you can believe it - I missed the email from the Oregon Sports Network.
Instead of me, Jay Reese got the call and I had to wait for the next football/basketball conflict.

It came the next season. But the call went to Jay again.

Back in September the Ducks named me as one of the announcers for baseball.
Since I am now officially under contract with Oregon, I get my chance to say hello to Duck fans on the Oregon Sports Network.

Its really something to compare calling a college game to a high school game.
University athletic departments have fleets of staff members who compile pages and pages of notes for every game. They are called Sports Information Directors.
Their work is provided as a package of information for members of the media in order to answer any conceivable question.
Stats are just a small part of the game notes.
Storylines, trends, oddities and biographies are all included in the game notes.

In covering a high school game, the announcer is required to put together his or her own notes.
Its getting alot easier with the internet and quality websites, but it is time consuming and not always accurate.

The Ducks released the game notes for the Long Beach State game Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. I was able to go to http://www.goducks.com/, open the notes as a PDF and (even better) print the pages I need to prepare for the game.
You can do it too. Fans have access to the same information.

I have re-written both teams rosters, placing vital stats under each players name so I have instant access to the most important information.

For a high school basketball game, I get the other teams' roster at the door and get familiar with the roster as I enter into my scorebook.

Oh, thats another thing. I don't even need a scorebook for the Oregon game.
In addition to a replay video screen and live stats, those staffers in the athletic department serve as statisticians at Mac Court.

During the Duck game, I will have running stats on shooting percentage, turnovers and rebounds on a screen and a new stat sheet at every stoppage of play.

It might make me spoiled when I call my next RHS game.

To listen to Brian call the Ducks and 49ers Monday night, tune in to 101.1 fm or listen at http://www.goducks.com/.

What's the Message Here?

2008-12-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

This has been one of the most unusual Christmas Holiday seasons I can remember.
So much bad news all around.
Such good things happening for my family and I.

It feels risky even writing that. To say that outloud makes me feel like I would invite the 'jinx'.

I'm a compassionate guy. I cry at the mere suggestion of anything even remotely touching.
But it seems like I am even more 'tuned in' to the tragedies around me this year.

Blake Kreig, Ken Jones, Tony Kuhn. Layoffs, job losses, even suicides have interrupted what would otherwise be a blissful Christmas season for me.

Then, last night on the way home from the Roseburg Churchill game I stopped in Cottage Grove to grab a bite to eat.
Sitting outside the restaurant was a man in a wheelchair.
His head was down, covered by a camoflauged cap.

When my headlights shined on him, the man looked up.
I saw hollow eyes, deeply wrinkled, brown skin and a moustache badly in need of a Kleenex.
Several layers of coats and sweaters were doing a bad job of keeping him warm.
He was coughing with every breath and wiping his nose with fingerless gloves.

I approached the man without fear. I figured I'd buy him a hamburger or coffee - anything to help.

He accepted a cup of hot coffee - "5 creams and 7 sugars" - as requested.

He continued to cough. He was barely understable.
He said "Its the napalm. It got me in Vietnam. It gets worse in the cold."

I realize its possible he was trying to garner sympathy from a stranger, but I think he just wanted to talk to someone.

I told him I hoped he would get better soon as I put one foot in my car.

He asked, "Why? Why should I want to get better?"

I was stunned, but said "You gotta have hope, man."

And here is what he said.

The thing that stayed with me and motivated me to share all of this with you.

"Hope for what?"

Think about that for a second.

Hope for what?

My Sunday School education made me want to say something about God and Heaven and Christmas, but it all felt so hollow as those thoughts echoed around my head.

Hope for what?

From his perspective, what does he have to hope for?

What was I supposed to say? Tell him that 'its all gonna be okay'? 'You're gonna be fine'? 'Jesus loves you'?

How do you answer that question? Why do you have hope? What are you hopeful for?

For me, my family and my faith and my career give me hope.

But what if you don't have any of those things?

Then what?

I think I have come to understand the message that I am supposed to get out of all the things I have seen and reported on over the last few months.

Alot of people have lost something lately.

Loved ones...jobs...houses...their health.

If you have somone to love and something to live for, you still have the one thing it takes to make it through the hard times.

If you think you have it hard, be happy if you have hope.

There's a guy in a wheelchair in Cottage Grove who wishes he had some.

Behind the Scenes on a 'Snow Day'

2008-12-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Rarely is there a better day to be on the radio than on a Snow Day.
Schools report their delay and closure information, updates come in from transportation officials, the phone rings off the hook with parents and kids asking the same question:
"Do you have any school closure information?"
Radio people always want to ask, "Do you have a radio? We're repeating the list every ten minutes."
Instead, we politely provide the information they are requesting and get on to the next update.

When a big news story breaks - or the snow starts falling - people in radio get a big adrenaline rush.
Days like these are why all of us love radio.
But Snow Days are special.
Sometimes when big news hits its because something bad has happened to someone else.
There isn't any bad news downside to snow.

We remember what it is like, listening anxiously by the radio for your school to be mentioned on the laundry list of closures and delays.
On the other side of the radio, every time you hear a feature on KQEN or a song on Best Country 103, rest assured the on air staff is rushing around, getting the latest information.

And how about this one.
Have you noticed where we go to find out what other people are doing on Black Friday or to find out where the deepest snow has fallen?

Coffee Stands.

Those baristas talk to a wide (and fairly random) sampling of people every morning.
This morning, Kyle was able to judge the roads between the station and his favorite coffee stand (the Garden Valley Shopping Center Dutch Bros) when he made his run.
The barista there told him that people in Umpqua were hit with about five inches of snow.
The day after Thanksging, Bob interviewed another coffee stand employee to discover how early the people started heading out to their favorite shopping haunts.

It says two things: coffee baristas are turning into a kind of local bartender or priest - the kind of person who finds out alot of stuff about alot of people every day.
Second, someone should figure out how to make money on that fact.

Happy Snow Day!

Okay, I'm at work this morning. But I'm not happy about it!

2008-12-18T05:38:00.001-08:00

They say the snow is coming in from the north later this morning.

Really they do.

I feel like the boy who cried wolf, except I'm just crying.

And before you mock me over the insistent forecasts I gave ALL DAY, remember this:

No listener can make me feel any worse than the image in my mind of my youngest daughter's face when she wakes up and sees no snow this morning.

Well, Raegan, maybe we can go out in the yard and make a rain man, instead.

If it doesn't snow tonight...

2008-12-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

If it doesn't snow tonight (Wednesday) I am calling in sick Thursday morning.
Kyle thinks I'm joking, but I'm not.
If it doesn't snow tonight, my kids are going to disown me.
My youngest daughter keeps asking me "When's it gonna start snowing?"
Staying true to my 'reporting roots' I keep telling her "According to the Weather Service it should start snowing at 2Am."
See, they teach us to always credit the source with the information because the reporter isn't the one with the information, the reporter is reporting what the newsmakers do and say. I'm not sure that will get me off the hook with my daughter if it doesn't snow and I know it won't get me off the hook with the listeners tomorrow morning.

P.S. Kyle, I'm not kidding.

Official Launch of My First Official Blog

2008-12-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

Well, we've finally gotten around to blogging.
Why did it take so long?
We've always been sort of concerned about professing our opinions on the news when we take our news coverage so seriously.
But times they are a changin and this forum is really no different than having an open mic.
What we say here has to be fair, just like what comes to your radio.
We have to be a little bit careful about calling someone out or complaining too much, but other than that this is a great way to tell the KQEN listeners about some of the other stuff that goes on when we cover the news in Douglas County.
I look forward to exploring this new (to me) way to share more information with you.

Brian