Sound Off.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Bad endorsement

Supporters who suggest Oregon football recruit Rodney Woods is being offered a scholarship so that he can further his education can espouse any belief they want. But make no mistake, Woods will be in Eugene on a full ride - with what would have been more than two years left of his original felony probation agreement - to pursue his dream of playing big-time football.

When you boil down all the justifications, arguments, emotion and fact-spinning concerning this issue, there is one brightly gleaming nugget on which we can be certain: A man guilty of an assault that is inextricably linked to another man's brutal death, for which he repeatedly refuses to accept even partial responsibility, received special consideration and attention because he is also a talented athlete and may help improve a team's win-loss record.

That's an incredibly irresponsible and sad circumstance for society, and especially a university, to endorse.

PAT MALACH

Hillsboro

Insensitive coach

Let me get this straight. Mike Bellotti would rather have people judge him, or his football program, or Rodney Woods himself, on what he does the next couple of years, and not just on the football field.

I guess that doesn't include violent conduct at a party. I certainly hope the young man rehabilitates himself, and never forgets the pain he helped bring Christopher O'Leary's family. By all means, "let him get on with his life." O'Leary certainly can't.

Is it OK to judge Bellotti on colossal insensitivity? Or would that just "prolong the pain?" That would indeed be "very unfortunate for everyone involved." Wouldn't want that.

It seems that justice, even the appearance of it, is meaningless in the coach's dictionary. What a great time to be a Duck fan.

AMY ADAMS 

Eugene

Lukes are a treat

My curiosity finally was satisfied at Mac Court. Long ago, I used to see every game. Until the home finale against UCLA, I'd not seen a game in two years, so had missed seeing the two Lukes. What a treat they are, and what a fine team Ernie has put together.

This is the worst UCLA team I've seen since my first Oregon game in 1976.

To the credit of the Ducks, they did not let the UCLA ineptness drag down their performance level. Defense was outstanding and marksmanship impressive.

What amazes me is how the big players share a fine three-point touch with those on the perimeter. More than 60 years ago, Oregon coach Hobby Hobson urged use of the three-point play. He'd be astounded to see today's accuracy from that distance. Now he'd urge: Move the three-point circle back another two or three feet.

GEORGE BERES

Eugene

Rankings mean little

In response to William Jackson's letter from March 2 on mediocre recruiting:

Recruiting rankings are some of the most subjective journalistic junk published in America. They mean absolutely nothing! Furthermore, so-called recruiting experts are simply self-titled talking heads who make their living running about interviewing 17-year-olds and opining about where they are likely to (hopefully) attend college next year.

As any knowledgeable college football fan will tell you, the only rankings that truly matter are those fashioned after a fun-filled bowl season, and even those are subjective.

For example, it might surprise you to find out that the 1997 recruiting class, which included none other than perhaps the greatest football player in UO history, Joey Harrington, and the best team (2001) in UO history, was ranked a lowly sixth in Pac-10 recruiting by CBS SportsLine.

Yep, we were clearly behind such powerhouses as USC, UCLA, Stanford, UW and Cal.

Here's a great quote, "John Robinson and staff once again dominated recruiting on the West Coast while capturing the No. 1 spot in the Pac-10 and landed sixth nationally behind FSU, PSU, Tennessee, Florida and Michigan."

Yet, all of those teams, with the exception of Stanford, lost to our Ducks in 2001 on the field, where it counts. Even more interesting is the fact that Robinson, being such a fine recruiter and such a lousy coach, has spent the last few years down here in Las Vegas with that other West Coast powerhouse, UNLV, where he's now a lousy recruiter, too.

MIKE CAVANAUGH

Las Vegas

Stop billboards

I am an enthusiastic Duck fan, but I feel that displaying pictures of our athletes on billboards and tall buildings outside our state is disturbing and an embarrassment. I feel it shows an arrogance coming from an athletic department that is otherwise first class. My vote is to cease and desist this policy.

KEN HILLYER

Eugene

Lousy referees

I watched the ASU-Oregon game on TV and you can't beat a team when the refs are as bad as they were in that game as the fouls were so lopsided.

They showed three charging fouls against Oregon and the replays show that in all three cases the defensive man was moving, so you can take away 12 points and the score would be even. How can you be such poor refs? They should be barred from Pac-10 play.

Coach Ernie Kent, in my opinion you should not chew out your players during a game in front of the players' friends and fans. There is too much stress during the game, and being yelled at only adds to the stress. Holler and chew them during practice and at halftime in the locker room.

FRANK GRECO

Junction City

Anything can happen

Some notes from a local Jayhawk on the season at hand:

Seems like yesterday I took my son to his first Jayhawk game in Portland, only to see our beloved 'Hawks fall to the fired-up Ducks. As we left the Blazers' barn, some Duck fans were generous in their moment of glory. I told them I hoped that we'd meet again in March. At the time, I wasn't sure the Jayhawks would be doing so well entering the third season, March Madness. But the Jayhawks came through with another Big 12 title in a very tough conference this year.

But what happened to the Ducks?

They looked like they could be a top 10 team all year the way they played in December.

It's one thing to get up for one big game with revenge as a motivator and another to play that way every night. I hope that the Ducks can regroup and have another great run in the NCAAs, as I'll gladly cheer for them as my second-favorite team. That's the great thing about March Madness, as long as you get in the tournament, anything can happen. The 1988 Jayhawks were decided underdogs that championship year, entering the tournament with something like 11 losses.

Just win six games in a row and you are national champions ... so, go Ducks!

SCOTT MacWILLIAMS

Eugene

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