Week 7 Pac 10 Rankings

1. Oregon- Big game against the Mutts before what could be an epic battle with SUC. The Ducks will roll.

2. USC- Last time USC lost to OS in LA the president of United States was Dwight D. Eisenhower. I am officially going on record as saying the next time the Beavers beat SUC in LA, the president will not be Barack Obama.

3. Oregon State- See above

4. Arizona- The Wildcats should cruise against the Bruins.

5. Cal- In their first two conference games they scored a combined 6 points. In the third game they scored 45.

6. ASU- The Sun Devils still riding high from the victory over the mutts travel Palo Alto for an epic battle with Stanford and a possible Hawaii Bowl bid on the line.

7. Stanford- Is it just me or is Toby Gerhart a 12th year senior.

8. Washington- Washington's fight song is titled "Bow Down to Washington". By the end of the day Saturday the mutts will be bowing down to Oregon.

9. UCLA- Maybe one of these years UCLA will catch up to their crosstown rival. Probably not anytime soon.

10. WSU- I think the Pac 10 should just drop the coogs and be the Pac 9.

Week 6 Pac 10 Rankings

1. Oregon- No Masoli, no problem. The Ducks rolled UCLA and now have a much needed bye week.

2. USC- The Trojans have not lost to Notre Dame since 2001. I do not expect that trend to change.

3. Oregon State- The Beavers are a hot team heading into the bye week. The Trojans are next on 10-24.

4. Washington- A fluke victory (it was not an interception, the ball hit the ground!!!) puts the mutts in the number 4 sport.

5. Arizona- Even though it was a bad call on the interception the loss to the Mutts is on the coaches.

6. Cal- In two Pac-10 game the Bears have a total of 6 points. Nice offense Dudwig.

7. Stanford- The Cardinal had me fooled for awhile, their loss against OSU exposed them as frauds.

8. UCLA- The Bruins went from leading 3-0 to trailing 14-3 in about 30 seconds on Saturday.

9. ASU- The Sun Devils will beat the Mutts.

10. WSU- Duh

Week 5 Pac 10 Rankings

1. Oregon- Seriously if there's one more knee injury I'm going to scream.

2. USC- All seems to be right again in LA after the Trojans routed Cal.

3. Stanford- Nerds can play football.

4. Arizona- I still don't think the Wildcats are that good but they earn the four spot this week.

5. Washington- I hate the huskies but they got jobbed by the refs on Saturday.

6. UCLA- Kevin Prince returns this week. It won't help.

7. Oregon State- The Beavers are getting way too much love love for beating ASU.

8. ASU- It doesn't look like the Erickson magic will work this time.

9. Cal- The bears have scored 6 points over the last two weeks. That Andy Ludwig is quite offensive genius.

10. WSU- Paul Wulff is an idiot and I'll leave it at that.

Week 4 Pac 10 Rankings

1. Oregon- Was anybody expecting that they would destroy Cal?

2. USC- The Trojans looked unimpressive against the lowly Cougars.

3. Stanford- I not not completely sold on the Cardinal. So far they have accomplished what most schools in the Pac 10 have done in recent years, a sweep of the Washington schools.

4. ASU- I am not a fan of moral victories but the Sun Devils gave Georgia all they could handle.

5. UCLA- The Bruins are 3-0 but I am not convinced.

6. Cal- I was not the only happy Duck fan when Cal hired Andy Dudwig err Ludwig.

7. Arizona- They did beat Oregon State.

8. Washington- One thing was made clear last weeked. The Huskies are not back.

9. OSU- Congrats on losing back to back home games.

10. WSU- Only at WSU is a 21 point loss considered a moral victory.

Week 3 Pac-10 rankings

1. Cal- The Bears stay at the top will be a short one.

2. Oregon- I saw something that I haven't seen in years from the Ducks, Defense.

3. UCLA- The Bruins are 3-0 but I still don't know what to make of them.

4. Washington- This is the highest that I have had the Huskies ranked in the 3 years that i have been doing these rankings.

5. Stanford- Stanford and Washing will battle it out for first in the Pac 10 on Saturday.

6. ASU- The Sun Devils are 2-0 with victories over powerhouses Idaho State and Louisiana-Monroe.

7. OS- Way to go Beavs. Your biggest Non-Conference home game in years.

8. Arizona- The Mildcats could be in trouble this year.

9. WSU- I kind of feel sorry for the Cougs.

10. SUC- For being the first team for losing to Washington since 11-17-07 the Trojans get the last spot.

Week 2 Pac 10 Rankings

1. SUC- It was a struggle at times but the Trojans got it done against tOSU.
2. Cal- The Bears struggled for a bit but in the end destroyed powerhouse Eastern Washington.
3. UCLA- A nice road win for the Bruins but they face major problems ahead with the loss of their QB.
4. OS- The Beavs needed a late field goal to beat UNLV.
5. Oregon- The Ducks finally got the offense moving, 6 1/2 quarters into the season.
6. ASU- They looked ok in the one game they've played. Of course that was against Idaho State.
7. Arizona- The Mildacats have looked unimpressive so far in two games.
8. Stanford- Nice choke job against Wake Forest.
9. Washington- I thought about giving the Huskies more love for finally winning a game, but it was only Idaho.
10. WSU- The Cougars are terrible.

Week 1 Pac 10 Rankings

1. SUC- Looked good in their opener. Look for the Trojans to roll tOSU on Saturday.

2. Cal- Sorry Beaver fans but the best running back in the Pac 10 Jahvid Best.

3. Stanford- Looked good against WSU, bu I think everybody will look good against the cougs.

4. OS- The Beavs looked ok but they were playing Portland State.

5. ASU- Impressive victory over the mighty Bengals of Idaho State.

6. UCLA- Pretty unimpressive victory against San Diego State.

7. Arizona- Defense looked good but the offense had their struggles.

8. Washington- The Huskies look to be improved but there's no such thing as a moral victory.

9. WSU- I fully expect the Cougs to take their rightful place at the bottom of my rankings next week.

10. Oregon- At least the Punter was good.

2009 Pac 10 Predictions

1. Oregon- Yeah I said it!!!! This is the year that SUC finally gets unseated at the top of the Pac 10 It will happen and it will be the Ducks that end their reign.

2. SUC- Second place will still get them to a BCS Bowl.

3. Cal- A solid but unspectacular year lies ahead for the bears.

4. ASU- A decent year lies ahead for the devils. Vegas is cold in December.

5. OS- Questions on D, at QB and a drop in production from Quizz will lead to a disappointing year for the Beavers.

6. Stanford- The Cardinal will improve and possibly sneak into a Bowl game.

7. UCLA- The Bruins are still a year away.

8. Arizona- The Mildcats will fail to improve upon last years Vegas Bowl victory. It could be the end of the Mike Stoops era.

9. Washington- The dawgs will do better last year. They certainly can't be worse than 0-12.

10. WSU- The Cougs are bad.

So long old friend............

Thursday September 3 will mark the end era in Eugene. The Single A Eugene Emeralds will play their final game in Civic Stadium before moving to the brand new PK Park near Autzen Stadium. Civic was built in 1938 and has been home of Emeralds since 1969. While there might be a little bit of sadness to see the old stadium go it is a move that should have happened years ago in my opinion. Despite my feelings on the stadium itself I do have many memories of the place.

Over the years I have attended many games at Civic. I've seen players who would go on to great major league careers and some who never made out of Eugene. I have many fond memories dating back to my early childhood. My family used to head to the ballpark several times each year. During those games I wander the ballpark trying to get foul balls. After games I would often wander the stadium collecting plastic cups and the mini batting helmets that they served ice cream in. Looking back I can't believe that my mother let me do that.

One of the long standing promotions at Civic was the Prince Puckler's Sunday throw. Each game kids are selected to try to throw a ball through a hole and win free ice cream from Prince Pucklers. Now days they let kids stand something like three feet away and give them a tennis ball to throw. Even if they miss the still get free Ice Cream. When I had the opportunity to do as a kid I had to stand about 20 feet back and throw a real baseball and I got absolutely nothing when I missed.

One of my favorite activities as a kid was trying to get autographs. I remember passing up an opportunity to get an autograph from someone playing for Bellingham Mariners named Ken Griffey JR. My reasoning was that I didn't feel like waiting in line and I didn't think he would ever be as good as his dad, oops. The one Autograph I did wait in line for was from a pitcher was supposed to be the next Nolan Ryan. I waited for 45 minutes and when I finally got it I was the happiest kid in the stadium. When he made it big this was going be worth a lot of money. I think it's safe that Todd Van Popple was not next Nolan Ryan.

The happy memories are great but the bottom line is that the old stadium needs to go. The stadium is in disrepair and it lacks many of the things necessary to be a viable stadium for minor league baseball. The cost to make the stadium viable is just too great and nobody has the money to pay for it.

On Thursday September 3 prior to watching my Ducks play Boise State I will make one final trip to Civic Stadium to watch the Emeralds play. For some it will probably be an emotional day, but not for me.

A look back at my 2008 Pac 10 preseason rankings

Before I publish my annual Pac 10 preseason rankings I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my 2008 preseason ranking. So here they are with the expert analysis that you've come to expect from Dennis' Daily Rant.

1. SUC- The Trojans are just too good
Bingo, Bango, Bongo with the exception of one bad night in Corvallis the Trojans were the class of the Pac 10 in 2008.


2. Oregon- No Costa, No problem! Roper (Maybe Masoli) and the Ducks will shine in 2008.
Again I was right on. The Ducks were 3-0 before Roper got hurt and Masoli took the job over. After a few bumps in the road the Ducks finished strong winning their final four games. Including a 65-38 victory over OS.


3. ASU- Look for a big year out of Judy Carpenter and the Sun Devils but it won't get them any farther than El Paso.
I was wrong.

4. OS(U)- Tough choice on Thursday night. OS(U)-Stanford or Barack Obama's convention speech.
For the record I choe the Beavers over Obama's convention speech and they didn't dissapoint. They help up their of my prediction below.

5. Cal- Another mediocre year for the Bears.
To quote Dennis Green "the Bears are who we thought they were"


6. Arizona- Mike Stoopid and the Mildcats finally go Bowling.
They finished one spot higher than I predicted, but they did go bowling.

7. UCLA- The Bruins will struggle in 2008 but watch out for them in 2009.
They finished one spot lower than I predicted, but again I think I was pretty close on this one. as for the second part of the prediction we'll see.

8. Washington- The Dawgs will improve but not enough to save Ty Willingham's job.
I was wrong they didn't improve, but instead got worse.


9. Stanford- Watch out for my week one upset. Stanford will beat OS(U)
I ranked them way too low, but I was right on with my prediction.

10. WSU- The Cougs will go for perfection in the Pac 10 but might just blow in the Apple Cup.
The Coogs were terrible, but the puppies were worse.


Overall a pretty good effort. We'll see how my 2009 rankings turn out .

I just want my dang sunglasses!!!!!!

This saga of my sunglasses began on a Saturday in June, June 13 to be exact. I walked into Rainbow Optics, a local eye wear store to inquire about a pair of prescription sunglasses. I settled on the Oakley Flak Jackets XLJ's much like the pair above. After crunching the numbers and figuring out how much my insurance would cover I decided to think about.

Two weeks later I went back and placed my order. I settled on a custom design with a green frame and yellow Oakley logos. I was told they would be ready in about ten days. That meant I would receive my sunglasses around July 7. I left the store happy and was looking forward to receiving my sunglasses.

I didn't hear from them in the ten days I was told. I decided to give them two weeks before I called. On Monday July 13 just as I was about to call them my phone rang. Great I thought, my sunglasses were ready! Instead of being told they were ready I was told they were on backorder and it would be another week or two. Backorder? Why did it take two weeks to tell me something they should have told me in two days? I voice my displeasure but decided to be patient and just wait for my sunglasses to get here.

Two weeks passed and I decided to call and see where my sunglasses were. After two phone calls I was told that they would be shipped overnight on August 1, meaning that they would be ready for pickup on Monday August 3. Once again I voiced my displeasure but this time I wasn't so nice about it.

That brings us to today August 4. After not hearing anthything I decided to call again. After two calls I was told they were being made and they would be shipped in 3-5 days. This time I was furious. Not wanting to say something I would later regret I decided to just act pleasanty pissed off. Tomorrow I will call again, not to yell at someone but to cut a deal. I know it's probably unrealistic to expect them to eat eat my entire out of pocket expense of $135 but that's what I'm going to ask for. If they don't counter with something close to that I will walk away entirely and stick them with a pair lenses with my prescription that have allready been made and they will also lose a long time customer.

The Declaration of Independence

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Happy Independence Day

On this day 233 years ago the Second Continental Congress approved the Lee Resolution declaring that the the 13 colonies be Independent of British Empire. It was two days later that the document formally announcing this action was approved. On July 3, 1776 John Adams wrote the following to to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

I guess John was a couple days off on his prediction.

Memories from a great day

Back in training

After a week off from running it was time to get back in the saddle. I woke up Saturday morning with the plan to run 10 miles. After about three I realized 10 wasn't a possibility so I turn around and went home. A six mile run was good enough for me. No it's time to get back into full fledged training because marathon seven is only 16 weeks away. In between now and then I have two races planned, the annual Butte to Butte 10k on July 4 and the Coburg Run in the Country Half Marathon on July 19.

Marathon Madness Part 6

Saturday I set to accomplish something that I have done five times before, finish a marathon. The day started at 5:28 AM. I woke up two minutes before my alarm was set to go off. As I do before every marathon I took a shower to help wake me up. My racing attire consisted of black Nike dri-fit shorts, my lucky blue Nike dri-fit shirt , my most comfortable pair of running socks, a pair of size 13 Nike Structure Triax 12 running shoes and a Timex Ironman watch. After getting dressed and putting my black Oregon Duck pullover on, I sat down to enjoy my tradional pre-race breakfast. The breakfast consisted of oatmeal with brown sugar, vanilla yogurt, black coffee and water. After a quick bathroom break it was time to head to start line.

Near the start Carrie and I met with our parents and walked the rest of the way to the start line. After some pictures and a quick goodbye kiss from Carrie it was go time. At 7:07 AM the start gun sounded. As usual the first mile was slow due to it being crowded and slower runners not starting towards the back. At the mile one marker there was an annoying guy yelling "looking good only 25 miles left". Every Marathon that I've run there has been someone doing that and every time I've wanted to punch that person in the face. At mile two I was finally able to settle into to my pace.

Everything was going great until my stomach started growling at about mile four. I knew that I was going to eventually need a bathroom break. The first port-a-potty was still two miles away. At this time I happened to be running right by my hotel. Instead of waiting until the port-a-potty I made the decesision to run off the course and up to my hotel room to use the bathroom. The whole ordeal cost me about me about three minutes but I considered it well worth it.

After the bathroom break I settled back into to my stride. I made small talk with several runners along the way. As I passed the halfway point I was feeling great. My time at 13.1 miles was about 1:56 which if I maintained that I would finish safely under my goal of 4 hours. Everything was great until mile 18 when I realized I couldn't hold my pace. Instead of trying to push myself I settled into a slower pace. By mile 20 my buffer was gone and I knew 4 hours was out of the question.

For the last 6 miles I adjusted my goal. I wanted to finish under my last marathon time of 4:12. I started counting down the miles as I always do. At mile 22 I knew that I would easily finish under 4:12. The last 4 miles were painful but it was a good pain. As I passed the 26 mile sign a big smile crossed my face. I sprinted the last .2 miles and as I crossed the finish line I through my arms up in the air. My time was 4:06:45, not my best time but certainly not my worst.

After making my way through the recovery area I met up with my wife and enjoyed a few quality minutes with her. Then it was time to sit down and enjoy a couple adult beverages courtesy of one the fine sponsors of the event, Rogue Ales. As I sat down and drank my cold beer a smile crossed my faced as I had just done something for the sixth time that only .1% of the world's population have ever done once, run a marathon.

I'm back!!!

After a three and a half month layoff I'm happy to announce that I am re-entering the world of blogging. I 'm not sure how long it will last or how often it will be but I do pledge to update on a semi-frequent basis.

A Letter to Pat Kilkenny

Dear Mr. Kilkenny,

Fire Ernie!!!!


Sincerely,

Dennis M. Cook
President, CEO and Master Blogger
dennisdailyrant.com

I will blog again soon

I'm just not sure when

Fourth Annual DCS Championship

USC 27
Florida 24

Congratulations to the USC Trojans on their third DCS championship in Four years.