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IS EVERYONE A HEISMAN CANDIDATE?

While the college football season winds down we wait for the answer to who is the best football player in 2014. The magic words that often doom a professional career are, “And the 2014 Heisman Trophy Award goes to….” By now you’ve heard too many coaches say they have a Heisman candidate playing for them. […]

BAD GUYS IN GOOD SPORTS

What do you ask of the people who play and coach the sports you love? Do you have an overriding idea of what they should do, or does it go sport by sport? If you look at the big picture you want athletes and coaches to conduct themselves in a similar fashion as you, given […]

BOOMERS MOVE AWAY FROM THE FOURTH ESTATE

The News? We’re Talking About The News? Print journalism shines brightest when a lowly reporter speaks truth to power. Woodward and Bernstein wrote about President Nixon and you know how that turned out. Who’s been a go-to reporter since then? Mario Lopez? Once you hit the big time in books and movies based on your […]

NIKE KNOWS WHAT WINNERS DO

They Do What Losers Don’t Do. Nike coach Alberto Salazar is a poor loser. You’ve heard the saying, “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.” Al has probably heard it, too. Is his competitive attitude a surprise? This is the runner who finished marathons, collapsed, and even received last rites. Fortunately, rumors […]

Portland: A Really Big Shoe

Why Shoe Companies Fit The Rose City. Recruiters and head hunters define success by finding the best people. If one region produces more candidates than another, that’s where the focus belongs. For example, college football teams scour the nation for their talent. California and Texas are two of the top states. Not all players stay […]

Marcus Mariota Loves Dogs

A Heisman For The Nice Man He’s from Hawaii, plays football for the University of Oregon. Mello Marcus sounds right? When it comes to Husky week, does he bring out the Mean Mariota? Does he scream at his teammates, hassle the refs, ignore his coach? No, because he’s a nice man. Boomer NW likes the […]

The Sports Difference

A recent article in The Atlantic Monthly asks how sports took over childhood. It was investigative. A recent book with a plug on PBS compares the money spent per American student and other nations, with a snide dig at our side with “four hours of football practice a day.” Both miss their mark. Here’s hoping […]

Learning To Water The Boomer Bamboo

Baby Boomers experience more enlightenment, and non-enlightenment, than any other slice of American pie. They didn’t invent religion or spiritualism. Boomers just think they improved on the one size fits all choice. The only problem was discovering one that fit them. They’ve seen more than a few. Did a friend ever show up as a Moonie in […]

Your Phil Knight Moment

Sharing a new UofO grad and a Phil Knight moment. The University of Oregon drew much attention recently for images of their new football facility. Comments ranging from “it looks like a corporate retreat,” to “why do the Ducks need this,” sprang up in response to the new buildings. Eugene locals see it as another […]

Dark Boomer Treasure And Martha Hull

A Noir Memoir And Dark Boomer Treasure. The last time I thought so hard about the alphabet was someone asking, “Who told you to write? Who said you could write?” My answer, “Dad, what’s the big deal? I know the alphabet.” I sang the alphabet song to prove it. “Son,” he said, “you’re an English […]