2002 leaves us with memories.

Byline: Bob Welch / The Register-Guard

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series about 2002. Today, a collection of miscellanea that begs to be remembered.

Best sign that even though most sports broadcasters now pronounce "Oregon" correctly, the East Coast still doesn't pay much attention to us: An ESPN representative flew out from New York for business at the University of Oregon, got a cab at Portland International Airport and was in downtown Portland before realizing that UO is actually in Eugene, not in Portland, as she'd thought.

Most stunning Northwest revelation: The family of a Centralia, Wash., man who claimed to have seen Bigfoot in 1958 revealed, upon his death, that the sighting was a hoax. A nephew said he still has the carved-alder "Bigfoot" feet that his uncle, Ray Wallace, used to make footprints that triggered much of the "Bigfoot lives" phenomenon.

This, of course, proves what many of us have thought all along: You can't trust your relatives to keep a secret, especially if you die.

Best replacement sign: The Eugene Airport finally quit welcoming people to the "center of the Southern Willamette Valley" and now welcomes them to the "gateway to Western Oregon." It doesn't have the "sea-to-ski" zing that I prefer, but, hey, we're at least a step closer to flying first class.

Question for my monthly Q&A column that came from the highest-ranking public official: Stan Biles, mayor of Olympia, wrote recently to say: "Every winter, Hickory Farms sells vast volumes of its 'Summer Sausage' at the mall. So, what is 'Summer Sausage' and why do they sell so much in the winter? Where can we buy 'Winter Sausage'?"

Things a little quiet in Olympia these days, Stan? (Don't worry, we'll get you an answer in the January installment.)

The strangest three reasons offered for the downward slide of the Oregon football team, most heard on KUGN's post-game shows: The introduction of a second mascot, "RoboDuck." (Record in the five games preceding his arrival: 4-1. After his arrival: 1-4.) The removal of the American flags from the players' helmets. And a lack of alcohol-fueled fans in the new expanded stadium. The latter leads to ...

The oddest e-mail response to any column I wrote, in this case a column about drunken fans at Autzen Stadium: "Loud, obnoxious fans have been a trademark of the stadium and the reason it has been such a feared place for opponents. This last season with the stadium expansion there was an influx of new fans who were like these people in your article sickened by the drinking in and around the stadium. Why do people drink? It is to turn up the volume. I don't agree that people should yell obscenities out load (sic) around women and children but I do think drinking helps people get load (sic) on 3rd and 5!!!"

Since when do you have to be drunk to be, uh, "load"?

Best example of stepping up to the plate when others wouldn't: After years of grumbling from Seattle Mariners fans about no Eugene station airing the team's games, KEED radio, which offers Christian programming, inked a multiyear deal with the organization to do just that. And after funding for the Easter Seals Pool dried up, a group of participants dug into their own pockets to keep the facility open until a permanent solution can be found.

Best new "space" in Eugene whose emergence got lost amid expanded football stadiums and new libraries: The Oakway Center courtyard, where diners last summer ate to the sounds of live music outside The Oakway Wine & Deli and Chapala Mexican Restaurant. Meanwhile, white lights in oak trees splashed the nook with a summer festiveness that said: "This is Oregon?"

Best juxtaposition of health and sickness: At the Butte to Butte road race in July, runners were slogging up the Donald Street hill when a neighbor along the route popped open a box of doughnuts for the masses. The high-fat bricks were gone in 60 seconds, swooped up by eat-and-run racers.

Worst new invention whose news release came across my desk: The "Wizzer Sportsman Urinary System," a patented device for males who frequent the outdoors and don't want to take the time to find a tree or bush. The $29.95 system includes catheter, hose and leakproof collection bag.

Speaking of going to the bathroom, the best mistake I made in a column: My reference to Autzen Stadium's increased number of bathroom stalls, which I wrote helped bring about "potty parody." I meant, of course, "parity," though this fall proved that even that word is incorrect.

Unlike decades before, when women's lines were far longer than the men's, the men are now the ones waiting in long lines - at least under the new stands.

Hey, guys, can I interest you in a Wizzer?

Tuesday: The top local stories that made news in 2002 - from my sardonic perspective. Bob Welch can be reached by calling 338-2354 or by e-mail at [e-mail].