Mount Hood

Idiot of the week

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Laremy Tunsil had a bad week. In a manner of minutes, the NFL prospect watched Screen Shot 2016-05-01 at 8.55.58 PMmillions of dollars blow away in a cloud of smoke, literally and figuratively.

Tunsil, a highly touted offensive lineman from Ole Miss, arrived at the NFL draft on April 28, expecting to hear his name called in the top six picks. However, just minutes before the draft was set to commence, a video surfaced on his social media account allegedly showing Tunsil smoking a substance out of a gas mask bong.

According to Tunsil’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, the video posted to Tunsil’s social media account was the work of a hacker.

The incriminating video made NFL teams hesitant to select the 6’ 5”, 305 pounder, and Tunsil’s draft stock plummeted. Tunsil was finally selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 13th pick; a fall from grace which ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter says cost Tunsil $7 million by falling seven spots in the draft.

Then in an even more bizarre twist, an image was posted on Tunsil’s Instagram account showing an alleged conversation between Tunsil and Ole Miss assistant athletic director, John Miller, about paying the electric bills and rent of Tunsil’s mother. Sexton also claimed that a hacker was behind the leak.

As an aspiring professional athlete, Tunsil should have taken better care on what he puts on his social media account, whether set on private or not. Sure, almost everyone has at least one skeleton in their closet, but Tunsil should have realized that every single one of his actions would be scrutinized under a microscope.

It is safe to assume that Tunsil is regretting that $7 million bong rip.
Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Blazers nip the Clip

Screen Shot 2016-05-01 at 8.55.46 PM

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

When the Portland Trail Blazers were down 0-2 in their best of seven first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, all hope seemed to be lost. The young Blazer squad appeared to be outmatched and seemed to lack the weapons to defeat the Clippers in four out of their final five games of the Western Conference series.

While many fans and sports analysts considered the series all but over, the underdog Blazers saw it as an opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong yet again. History was also against the Blazers, as only two out of 53 squads since 2009 have ever come back from a 0-2 deficit.

In their first two games against the Clippers in Los Angeles, the Blazers were absolutely dominated in every facet of the game, losing both games by at least 20 points. After going down 0-2, the Blazers hoped that they could feed off the energy from the Rose City crowd and make the series interesting, and that they did.

In game three, Portland came out with a sense of urgency and defeated the Clippers 96-88.

Then in game four, the Blazers took care of business and came away victorious with an assist from Clipper’s All-Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who both had to leave the game with season-ending injuries. Paul fractured his hand and Griffin re-aggravated a quad injury that has plagued him all season long.

With the freak injuries to the Clippers’ best two players, Portland went from underdog to the favorite overnight. Being a favorite was an unfamiliar position for the Blazers who have embraced the underdog role all season long, which left many sports analysts wondering how each team would respond.

In game five back in L.A., the Clippers started the game with great energy, and outplayed the Blazers in the first half. However, the Clips ran out of gas and the Blazers took advantage and won the game 108-98.

With the advantage now going to the Blazers, Portland had a chance to finish off the fledgling Clippers back on their home court. Led by point guard Damian Lillard’s 28 points, the Blazers squeaked out a 106-103 victory taking the series 4-2, and the entire city of Portland celebrated as confetti fell from the ceiling of the Moda Center.

The Blazers will now play the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Golden State will be without their best player, Stephen Curry, who went out with a sprained knee in game four of the first round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. Curry could come back as soon as May 9.

Portland has already defied expectations for the season. Although they are underdogs going into their matchup with Golden State, they are right where they want to be, so don’t be surprised if they find a way to shock the world yet again.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU.

Streaking Wolves earn playoff spot

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports editor

It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. With a record that teetered near the .500 mark all season, Western’s softball team pulled together a string of victories at the end of the season, and was the first team in the conference to clinch a prized spot in the GNAC Championships.

The playoff-bound Wolves finished the last of their regular season matchups in blistering fashion with three double headers in three consecutive days. Out of the six games played, Western finished with five victories and only one loss.

The first double header was on April 19, when the Wolves hosted the Beacons of Northwest Christian University.

Junior catcher Mercedes Green was the hero of the first game, belting two home runs. Green’s first homer came in the sixth inning which evened the score at 2-2. With neither team able to score in regulation, the game went into extra innings.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Green stepped up to the plate and worked the count to her favor with three balls and one strike. On the next pitch, Green belted a shot to left field which bounced off the wall and careened out of the park to give the Wolves the 3-2 victory.

The Beacons looked for revenge in second matchup of the day, but the Wolves’ pitching was extraordinary. Between three Western pitchers (junior Sammi Cadwallader, senior Stephanie Morgan, and freshman Haley Favian) the Wolves pitched their first no-hitter in 14 years and easily defeated the Beacons 6-0.

Western looked to continue to ride their momentum from their two emotional victories when the Wolves hosted Concordia University on the following day. The Wolves had extra pressure to produce victories because the games marked the last home games of the season and the last home games for the team’s seniors.

In game one, Green continued right where she left off the day before, batting a perfect three for three. Junior Emma Alfonso had two hits and two RBI’s, and the Wolves went on to defeat the Cavaliers by a score of 4-3.

In the second matchup of the day and the score even at 1-1 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, junior infielder Kelsie Gardner had a chance to be the hero when she stepped up to the plate. Gardner hit a ground ball up the middle which brought the go-ahead run home and gave the Wolves the 2-1 lead.

Then on Thursday, Western traveled to Portland for a double header rematch against the Cavaliers. In game one, the Wolves scored in a flurry late in the game and came away with a 4-2 victory. The second game of the day however, went in the Cavaliers’ favor as they blanked the Wolves 5-0.

Western’s late season streak propelled them up in the standings and they currently sit in the third spot in the conference. With the five victories, the Wolves clinched a spot in the GNAC Tournament which is set to begin on April 28. Check www.wouwolves.com for the time and opponent.

Who is the better team?

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Prior to this year’s NBA season, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls were considered to be the greatest team in NBA history. Led by Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman, the Bulls dominated the league and set the benchmark in regular season wins, finishing the season with the record of 73-9.

Most sports analysts considered the Bull’s record to be unbreakable, but the unfathomable has happened: the Golden State Warriors bested the Bull’s record by one game and put the team at the top of the record books.

The Warriors’ record is an incredible achievement especially in the current NBA landscape; however, many sports analysts still believe that the 95-96 Bulls would get the nod as the best of all-time. So, which team is better, Stephen Curry’s Warriors or Jordan’s Bulls?

Starting lineups:

1995-96 Bulls

Position Starting 5 PTS RB AST
SF Scottie Pippen 19.4 6.9 5.9
PF Dennis Rodman 5.5 15.6 2.5
C Luke Longley 9.1 5.1 1.9
PG Ron Harper 7.4 2.7 2.6
SG Michael Jordan 30.4 6.6 4.3

 

2015-16 Warriors

Position Starting 5 PTS RB AST
SF Harrison Barnes 11.7 4.9 1.8
PF Draymond Green 14.0 9.5 7.4
C Andrew Bogut 5.4 7.0 2.3
PG Stephen Curry 30.1 5.4 6.7
SG Klay Thompson 22.1 3.8 2.1

 

The statistics of both teams’ starters are almost identical. Jordan led the Bulls in scoring with 30.4 points per game, and the Warriors were led by last year’s MVP, Curry, who averaged 30.1 points per game.

Pippen and Clay Thompson, the second best players of two teams, both averaged near the 20 point mark per game. Golden State had four out of five starters averaging double figures in scoring, whereas the Bulls only had Jordan and Pippen.

The rebounding edge would go to the Bulls, but the Warriors would have the edge in assists.

Overall, the Bulls have the better starting lineup because, well, they had the greatest player of all-time in Jordan.

Winner: Bulls

Bench:

Bull’s Key Rotation Players: Steve Kerr (8.4 PPG), Tony Kukoc (13.1 PPG), Jack Haley (5.0 PPG).

Warriors’ Key Rotation Players: Marreese Speights (7.1 PPG), Shaun Livingston (6.3 PPG), Andre Iguodala (7.0 PPG), Festus Ezeli (7.0 PPG).

There is no denying how much of an impact the bench players had on the Bull’s record setting season. Kerr and Kukoc were often in the end of games when the game was on the line. Both of the role players seemed to come off the bench and hit huge shots when it mattered, but beyond the duo, the Bulls lacked depth.

The Warriors bench is loaded. Iguodala and Livingston were both key starters on other teams before coming to the Warriors. The Warriors bench has come in and played meaningful minutes in games were starters got bit by the injury bug.

Winner: Warriors

Coach:

Kerr, the Warriors head coach, can boast about being on both record setting teams. When he was hired on as the head coach before the start of last year’s NBA season, many sports analysts were left scratching their heads when the Warrior’s front office fired Mark Jackson after a highly successful season.

Kerr took over and lead the Warriors to the Championship in his first year at the helm. Follow that up with beating the record of his former team and no one can deny his ability to lead.

The Bull’s head coach of the 1995-96 season was Phil Jackson. Jackson is the most decorated head coach of all-time, winning 11 championships as a coach and two as a player with the New York Knicks. As a coach of the Bulls, Jackson was able to lead the Bulls to six championships.

Winner: Bulls

It is unfortunate that we will never truly know who the better team was. Although the Bulls had a better starting lineup and coach, the Warriors have better depth, but overall the deciding factor was Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson.

Overall Winner: Bulls

Trail Blazers defy expectations and clinch fifth seed in Western Conference

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Earlier this week, the Portland Trail Blazers clinched the fifth seed in the Western Conference and will play the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.

The fact that the Blazers have even made it to the playoffs is nothing short of amazing. Portland lost four out of their five starters from last year including the cornerstone of the franchise LaMarcus Aldridge. After losing Aldridge to free agency, Neil Olshey, the Blazer’s general manager, decided to rebuild the team with younger talent centered around All-Star point guard Damian Lillard.

After a complete overhaul of their roster, most sports analysts picked Portland to finish near the bottom of the conference. In a Sports Illustrated article published before the start of the season, the Blazers were projected to finish 11th in the conference out of 16 teams with a win percentage of 38.6.

The young Blazers took the early season predictions with a grain of salt, and instead of tanking the season to get a lottery pick, the squad buckled down to prove their naysayers wrong.

After a rough start to the season with a record of 11-20, the Blazers quietly grinded out a string of victories that put them into contention for a playoff spot midway through the season. However, at the top of the conference were the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs who sat comfortably in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively.

Realizing that a first round matchup between either the Spurs or the Warriors could spell a quick postseason exit, a hungry Portland squad continued climbing up the Western Conference ladder, finishing the regular season with a record of 44-38.

“With everybody writing us off … A team like us, we’re the most dangerous team [in the playoffs],” said Ed Davis in an interview with NBA.com. “You don’t really wanna play against a team with nothing to lose, just don’t care what the outcome is. That’s us. We’re gonna be that team that’s gonna fight.”

The fact is, the Blazers have exceeded all expectations, and now they are playing with house money, but the team is not going to be satisfied with a first round elimination.

“We put in our time. It’s been a long season, we believed in ourselves,” said Lillard at the post-game press conference after the Blazers defeated the Denver Nuggets to claim the No. 5 seed. “We’ve played through the tough times, we didn’t get too high off the good times, and here we are. We finally got our spot and our work still isn’t done.”

Portland Trailblazer Playoff Schedule:

Game 1: Sun. April 17 @ LA Clippers 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: Wed, April 20 @ LA Clippers 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: Sat, April 23 @ Portland 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: Mon, April 25 @ Portland 7:30 p.m.
Game 5: Wed, April 27 @ LA Clippers TBA
Game 6: Fri, April 29 @ Portland TBA
Game 7: Sun, May 1 @ LA Clippers TBA

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Magic in the month of April

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

A little over two weeks ago, Western’s baseball team found themselves in an unfamiliar position, with a record of 10-13; a few more losses would have put the Wolves in jeopardy of not finishing at the top of the GNAC. But that was then and this is now.

Fast-forward two weeks and 14 consecutive conference victories, and the Wolves are at the top of the mountain again. To say that the month of April has been good to the Wolves is an understatement; it has been tremendous.

After hitting the road for their first 27 games of the season, a six game home-stand was a welcomed change from the stress of traveling on the road.

Western opened up their six-game home series April 9 with a doubleheader against Concordia University. The Wolves easily defeated the Cavaliers 11-1 in the first matchup, and squeaked out a 5-4 victory in the second.

Senior infielder Brandon Oliver had an incredible day hitting the ball. Oliver, who is ranked in the top 15 for hitting percentage in the GNAC, finished the doubleheader with five hits, three runs, and three RBIs in nine at-bats.

Concordia looked for revenge the following day, but the Wolves played with a supreme level of confidence, and blanked the Cavaliers 10-0 in the first matchup of the doubleheader. The Wolves also came ahead victorious in the second matchup with a score of 6-3.

In the first game, junior infielder Erik Long went four-for-four with four runs batted in, while senior infielder Trevor Podratz had a pair of doubles. In the second game, Podratz hit a perfect three-for-three. Podratz leads the Wolves in hitting percentage and is ranked fifth in the GNAC with a batting average of .350.

The final two games of the Wolves’ six game home-stand pitted the red-hot Wolves against Saint Martin’s University in a doubleheader on April 13. Western jumped all over the Saints in their first matchup, winning easily by the score of 11-1. The second game was closer than the first, but the Wolves found a way to come away with the 8-4 victory.

Freshman pitcher Jacob Fricke got his first collegiate start and threw six shutout innings. Senior outfielder Cody Sullivan had seven hits for the day.

The Wolves’ next home game is on April 27 at 2 p.m. against Montana State University of Billings. The matchup against the Yellowjackets is the first game in a nine game home-stand to finish out the regular season.

Western has won the last 13 GNAC conference titles but still, the Wolves want to add more hardware to their trophy case.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Should skateboarding be included in the Olympic Games?

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Every four years, on the eve of the Summer Olympics, a question quietly spreads across the world of sports: should skateboarding be included in the Olympic Games?

Currently, skateboarding will not be featured in the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil; however, Olympic organizers have proposed adding skateboarding along with baseball/softball, karate, sports climbing, and surfing to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

The Olympic committee will deliberate and will come to a decision by August of this year. The proposal includes both men’s and women’s events in Street and Park with an envisioned 80 athletes split equally among genders.

Skateboarding’s possible inclusion in the biggest sporting event in the world has many people in the skateboarding community ecstatic.

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk thinks the addition of skateboarding to the Olympics would help to legitimize the sport and bring worldwide attention to the skateboarding industry.

“It is exciting that skateboarding could possibly be included in the Olympics,” Hawk said in an interview with TIME. “This is not only a great opportunity for our sport and the skaters, but also for the Games. It is now more important than ever to preserve the unique culture of skateboarding which makes our sport so appealing and relevant.”

Professional Polish skateboarder and founder of Exposure Skate, Amelia Brodka, sees the Olympic inclusion as an opportunity to showcase women’s athletic abilities in a sport dominated by men.

“I am excited about the idea of getting skateboarding into the Olympics,” said Brodka in an interview posted on the International Skateboarding Federation website. “If managed by the right people, this could be a lifetime opportunity to expose women’s skateboarding to a global audience and to get many more girls involved into our sport.”

Although there has been major proponents of skateboarding’s inclusion into the Olympics, there are also those who disagree. More than 5,500 self-proclaimed skateboarders have signed an online petition asking the International Olympic Committee to not include the sport in the Olympics because they consider skateboarding a lifestyle.

“Skateboarding is not a ‘sport’ and we do not want skateboarding exploited and transformed to fit into the Olympic program,” stated the online petition. “We feel that Olympic involvement will change the face of skateboarding and its individuality and freedoms forever.”

It is yet to be seen whether skateboarding will be added to the Olympics in 2020, but one thing is clear; either way, not everyone is going to be happy.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportwou

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