Friday, June 3, 2011

Photo Story: Aspiring Golf Professional Jake Irving

Jake Irving graduated from local West Albany High School in 2010 after finishing his high school career with a 34th place finish at the OSAA 5A Golf State Tournament.

Irving was part of the West Albany golf teams that won back-to-back state titles in 2008 and 2009 and has always had a passion for the game of golf.

After high school Irving attended Linn-Benton Community College for several terms before deciding that his real passion lay in the golf industry.

Irving is currently working for Spring Hill Country Club in Albany and practicing vigorously for summer tournaments.

Next year Irving plans to move to Arizona to pursue his dream of becoming a member of the Professional Golfers Association. 

I followed Irving for one of his short practice sessions at Trysting Tree Golf Course in Corvallis after he had already completed playing 18 holes earlier that morning already.






The aspiring golf professional stares down his final shot
on the range. Right after this shot he turned to me and
said, "Wish I could have hit 'em like this today." 6/2/2011



After completing his session on the range Irving
 then moved to the green beside the clubhouse to
 grind on his short game. 6/2/2011

After chipping Irving moved onto the green for some putting
practice. He is seen here reading a 10-footer that he hit
repeatedly. 6/2/2011

As you can see Irving sets his left
hand lower on the putter grip. This
is seen by many as unconventional,
but it works for him. 6/2/2011

This is my favorite picture that I took of Irving that day
and I just wanted to add it because I couldn't leave it off.
6/2/2011

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Building a Team in the NBA

The NBA today has conformed to the idea that a a team needs at least three stars on the team in order to win a championship and dominate the rest of the league. This got me to thinking about creating the best team in NBA history.

I think we can all agree that if we were starting a team that could consist of any players in NBA history all of us would take Michael Jordan with the number one overall pick.

Michael Jordan would be the center piece of any team. But
who would you put around him?
Courtesy of Jonathan Daniel, All-Sport
What I am curious about is who would round out your starting line-up if you were forming the greatest team of all-time.
With Jordan at the shooting guard you are still going to need a point, two forwards and a center to dominate the paint.

At point guard you want a floor general, someone who runs the offense, plays great defense, distributes with ease, and can hit clutch free-throws down the stretch. Guys that could be mentioned in this category could be Steve Nash, Bob Cousy, Isaiah Thomas, John Stockton, or Walt Frazier. My choice, though, would have to be Magic Johnson because he was a six-foot-eight-inch point guard who changed the position forever.

A small-forward needs to be able to bang down low, as well as be smooth enough to play, and defend, outside as well. Some people might pick guys like Julius Erving, Scottie Pippen, or Elgin Baylor perhaps. The most compelling argument might be for LeBron James, but he still has not proven he can win championships, though that could change very soon. In my mind you can't go with anyone else other than Larry Bird. Larry Legend won multiple championships and was one of the most clutch players in history.

At power-forward you need a player who can defend tough in the post, step out and hit a jumper or two, not be a terrible free-throw shooter, and be finesse at the same time. People might be thinking of names like Dennis Rodman, Dirk Nowitzki, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, or Bob Pettit. The best power forward for your team might be one of the quietest players ever, Tim Duncan. Duncan has twice been named NBA MVP and is known league-wide as a great teammate.

Finally at the center position you will need a skilled guy over seven feet tall who can be a dominant force in the middle and prevent easy baskets. Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Russell, and Hakeem Olajuwon would probably be the names that first jump out to you, but don't forget about the most dominant player in NBA history. Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain had everything that you could want in a center, and then some.

In the end my team would consist of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, and Wilt Chamberlain. Who would you want on your team? Leave a comment below.

Monday, May 23, 2011

NWAACC Hall of Fame Inductees: Linn-Benton

Every sport is different from one another. Basketball, football, baseball and golf have virtually no similarities between them, except one. In every sport athletes, coaches, and people associated with the sport strive to one day be inducted into their respected sport's Hall of Fame.

This past week Linn-Benton Community College announced the induction of the 1971 Men's Baseball team into the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Hall of Fame. The NWAACC will also  recognize LBCC staff member Teresa Thomas and former staff member Edwin Watson by awarding them the Outstanding Service Awards for their contributions to the Linn-Benton athletic department.

The year of 1971 marked the first year that the Roadrunners had a baseball team compete inter-collegiately. The team was led by former staff member Dick McClain and consisted of just 17 players. LB went on to rack up more than 30 wins on their way to claiming the Southern Division Oregon Community Athletic Association League Championship title. They join the 1980-81 Women's Basketball team as the only LBCC teams to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Current baseball coach Greg Hawk said of the teams induction, "We have a very rich baseball tradition here at Linn-Benton. Dick (McClain) started the Athletic programs here at LBCC and he coached the baseball team from 1971-76. I'm very proud of the history of our school and for what has played out during my years here at LBCC. We also have two NWAACC Championship teams ('88 & '91) that I have coaches that I hoped someone would nominate in the future. Dick McClain is an outstanding gentle man and a awesome coach."


Thomas was hired at Linn-Benton in 1980 by, ironically, McClain and has played a major role in athletics at LBCC for the past 30 years. She has served as LB's Women's Athletic Commissioner, participated in fundraising activities and done a stand-up job promoting Roadrunner's athletics throughout the community. During the time that the NWAACC was housed on campus at Linn-Benton Thomas served as it's secretary as well.

Watson retired in 2006 after educating for more than 36 years, including working as the LBCC vice president of Academic Affairs. Watson has been involved with Linn-Benton since 1993. He has served as the dean of the Liberal Arts and Human Performance Athletics Division. He also directed and led the Roadrunner Athletic program for more than 13 years.

The 24th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet will be held June 2 in Vancouver, Washington. The event will honor the Hall of Fame inductees, as well as the recipients of Outstanding Service Awards.


At a Glance

What: Hall of Fame Inductee
Who: 1971 LBCC Baseball team
When: June 2nd
Where: 24th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet in Vancouver, Wash.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Action/Sports Photos: "OSAA Golf Championship"

This past week the OSAA 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls Golf State Championship was held at local Trysting Tree Golf Course in Corvallis. One of the featured groups included defending state champion Lindsay Harmon of Valley Catholic and Sydney King of McKenzie.

King makes the short walk to the first tee
5/17/2011

Harmon tends the pin for King on the 17th hole.
5/17/2011

Harmon twirls the club after hitting her approach close on
the par-4 18th. 5/17/2011

Harmon taps in for par on the 9th hole,
the groups final hole of the day. 5/17/2011


King gives a fist pump after chipping in for birdie on
the final hole. 5/17/2011

King and Harmon shake hands as their round
concludes. 5/17/2011
Coach/father Dan King embraces his
daughter following her tournament.
5/17/2011

When it was all said and done Harmon finished in second place
while King, still just a sophomore finished fifth. 5/17/2011

Moore About an OSU Record Holder

Oregon State fans will forever remember September 25, 2008 as the night that the Beavers upended the number one ranked USC Trojans 27-21, but this date was also important for OSU athletics in another way.
“I was on my official visit to Oregon State when we beat USC,” Oregon State red-shirt junior golfer Alex Moore said when asked how he ended up at Oregon State, “The atmosphere was unbelievable. Seeing all the fans storm the field, I knew that this was the place I wanted to be.”

Alex, now a junior, and the rest of the Beavers squad recently returned from the Pac-10 Championship inStanford, California, finishing in eighth place and assuring them of a spot in the Tucson Regional.
Moore became just the fifth Beaver in school history to be
named All-Pac-10 First Team.
Courtesy of EthanEricksonPhoto.com

As an individual Moore had one of the best performances in Oregon State history, finishing in second place after an epic seven-hole playoff.
With the performance Moore became just the fifth Beaver to be selected to the All-Pac-10 First Team in men’s golf.
This was not the first time this year that Moore has entered his name into the OSU record books. Earlier in the spring he recorded a 63 at the Duck Invitational, the lowest single round in Beaver history.
Moore grew up in Richland, Wash. and started playing golf at just six years old when his grandfather introduced it to him.
Junior teammate Casey King said of Moore, “He is a gentleman and a scholar in everything he does.”
He attended Hanford High School in Richland where he holds the school scoring record at 70.25. In 2007, as a senior, he won the WIAAState Championship by draining a 55-foot eagle putt in a playoff.
Al, as his teammates refer to him, had a decorated junior career before he started to receive interest from many colleges. He also took visits to the University’s of Washington and Oregon before decided to become a Beaver.

As a freshman Moore red-shirted, gaining valuable experience from the upper-classmen on the team. He played steady his first two years competing in orange and black, but was able to break through this year after a successful summer in which he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship in Chambers Bay, Wash.
Outside of golf Moore says that he loves to play all other sports, especially basketball. He is a Business major, and will graduate this coming year.
Q&A  with Alex Moore
What were the factors that brought you to Oregon State?
Well the USC game was a big influence, and my mom really liked the town.
What sport do you see yourself playing if you weren’t playing golf in college?
If I wasn’t playing golf at OSU I’d definitely be playing basketball at some school somewhere. Maybe junior-college or something.
What is your best golf memory at OSU?
That playoff is easily the best memory I have as a Beaver, so far.
What are your plans after leaving Oregon State?
Well I’m going to try to turn pro and try to live out my dream of playing of the PGA Tour. I’ll probably move somewhere where it’s warm year round like Arizona.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Free Shoot Photographs

Recently I was assigned to shoot some random free photos for my photojournalism class. I chose to shoot some photos of a high school student named Evan Dirckx who was playing golf at Trysting Tree Golf Course during a beautiful Friday afternoon.

Dirckx, a high school senior, prepares to putt on the practice
green 5/13/2011

After a couple photos he became super in to
posing for the camera 4/13/2011

Dirckx's putt rolling towards the hole on the green 4/13/2011

Evan reacts to draining a long putt to beat his friend Thomas
in what turned out to be an epic match 4/13/2011

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Neighborhood Photographs

Chris Foulke is a local nutritional therapist who specializes in assessment of diet and organic body health, but this does not tell his whole story. Foulke does not live in my neighborhood, but from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. he is very much a part of my community.

Foulke uses his spare time to stand on the street
in front of the Corvallis Courthouse and protest
different things.  Foulke and his friends have been
doing this since 2001. 4/31/2011
Foulke and friends hold signs the oppose of the war. The group
in front of the courthouse and Browser's Bookstore each day.
4/31/2011

Clever signs and a flashy personality make Foulke a likeable
and enjoyable person in my neighborhood. 4/31/2011
One of Chris's signs caught my attention. His catchy signs
help make him such a great character. 4/31/2011

Monday, May 2, 2011

Moore's Record Performance Leads OSU Golf

The Oregon State Beavers men's golf team finished the Pac-10 Championship in eighth place, while Junior Alex Moore had a slightly better outing as an individual.

Moore ended the tournament in a tie for first place with Martin Trainer of Southern California, after shooting a final round even-par 70. Both players finished the tournament at 5-under and battled intensely through seven playoff holes, setting a record for playoff holes in the 52 year history of the Pac-10 Championship, according to OSUbeavers.com.

On the seventh playoff hole Moore hit a tree with his tee-shot, leading to a bogey, while Trainer was able to tap in for a routine par and one up Moore for the title.

Sophomore Nick Sherwood finished the tournament in a tie for 25th place at 8-over,Sophomore Dave Fink finished in a tie for 35th with a score of 12-over, and juniors Jonnie Motomochi and Casey King shot 21-over and 23-over, finishing in 51st and 53rd place respectively. Sophomore Jeff Petroff rounded out the Beaver scoring be recording a 25-over total and ended in a tie for 56th.

Moore's finish ranks as one of the all-time bests by an OSU golfer at the Pac-10 Championship, though a Beaver still has yet to win the title. Moore will get another shot next year when the Championship is held at Oregon State's home course, Trysting Tree. Until then he turns his focus to Regionals and, possibly, Nationals.

Video Courtesy of 

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Roadrunners Take One of Two From Rival

The Linn-Benton Roadrunners baseball team traveled to Eugene this past Saturday to play a double-header with division rival Lane Community College. LB split the two games, losing the first 3-2, and then recovery to blowout the Titans 13-0. The two games were the only ones of the week for LBCC, as poor weather prevented them from hosting Chemeketa earlier in the week.

Lane 3, Linn-Benton 2 (Game 1)

The Titans were able to overcome four errors in the first game to up-end the Roadrunners. LB scored two runs int the top of the third to take a 2-1 lead, but Lane responded by scoring runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to jump ahead for good. Sophomore pitcher Nick Phillips got the win for the Titans and LB sophomore A.J. Burke was dealt the loss to fall to 6-2 on the season.

Linn-Benton 13, Lane 0 (Game 2)

The Roadrunners were not going to go down without a fight as they came out swinging in the night cap. LB recorded 15 hits in the game, while the pitching staff held the Titans to just 4 hits. Sophomore Travis Iverson picked up the victory on the mound for LBCC to move to 3-2 on the season, while freshman pitcher Dawson Phinney was credited with loss for LCC despite striking out six batters on the day.

Coach Greg Hawk walks back to the
dugout after chatting to his pitcher
4/30/2011


With the split in Eugene the Roadrunners moved to 14-16 overall and 8-10 in the South Division of the NWAACC. Linn-Benton now sits four games back of Lane for the division's last playoff spot.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Moore's 29 Leads OSU in Second Round

Junior Alex Moore fired a back-nine 29 in the second round of the 2011 Pac-10 Championship to lead the Oregon State Beavers out of eighth place and into a tie for sixth.

Moore birdied holes 11 and 13-15 before recording an eagle on the par-5 16th en-route to the 29 on the back-nine and 65 for the round.

Sophomore Nick Sherwood shot a back-nine 31 that led to him carding a 1-under 69 in the second round. Juniors Jonnie Motomochi and Casey King came into the clubhouse with a 72 and 73 respectively, while sophomores Dave Fink and Jeff Petroff both shot 77.

Moore's 29 vaulted him into a tie for first-place after the second round with Martin Trainer of Southern California.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Oregon State Golf Tee's Off at Pac-10 Championships

The Oregon State men's golf team has completed the first round of the 2011 Pac-10 Championship in Stanford, California.

OSU is in eighth-place after firing a team total of 367, and sit 16 strokes behind first-place Oregon.

Junior Alex Moore led the Beavers in the opening round by firing a 1-over 71, followed by fellow junior Casey King and sophomore Dave Fink both shooting 3-over 73's. Junior Jonnie Motomochi and sophomore Nick Sherwood shot 75, and sophomore Jeff Petroff rounded out the OSU scoring by carding a 77.

After the first 18 holes of the championship there is a five-way tie for the individual lead that includes Matt Trainer from USC, Trent Sanders of Washington State, Jack Paton of Oregon, and Alex Kim and Gregor Main of UCLA.

The second round of the Pac-10 championship continues this afternoon.

Alex Moore fired a 71 in the opening round of the 2011 Pac-10
Championship
Courtesy of Ethan Erickson, Oregonlive.com

Moodle Miltary Man

Paul Tannahill's journey to Linn-Benton Community College was not your typical route, but that is what makes him such an interesting story. Tannahill is the LBCC Learning Systems Administrator, or as he likes to be called, "Media Technician Four."

Tannahill's path to the small community college in Albany, Oregon begins when he finished his high school education and chose to enter the military. He had some trouble at first deciding which branch of the military to go in to, but ended up choosing the Marines. As Paul puts it, "I always tend to do things the hard way."

At 19, Paul was a Military Police Officer in charge of many people who had been in the military longer than he had been alive.

Following his four years of service, Tannahill moved to Pennsylvania in 1989 where he took a job working as a fire arms training instructor. This was the time in his life when he began to develop a passion for training services.

After several years of work at the prison he moved to Oregon and began to work for a graphic design company in Corvallis. Paul had to have Tympanoplasty surgery in 1999 after blowing out his eardrum. The surgery required that a piece of his tongue be removed and used to fix his ear. After the surgery Paul realized that his speech was affected, making it very difficult to do his job.

Tannahill said of the injury the resulted in surgery, "It happened at a company, and that's a long story."

Paul got a new job as a land surveyor but quickly realized that he missed being in training services, but his speech wasn't good enough to return. He kept thinking to himself, "There has got to be a way I can get back into training that doesn't require so much speech."

For Paul ELearning was the answer to his problem. He had always like computers, so when a job, designing blackboard courses and training professors how to use them, opened up at Oregon State University he jumped at it.

After some time at OSU Tannahill took a job at Linn-Benton. At Linn-Benton Paul works entirely with Moodle, and was the man behind the creation of Webrunner. He says that soon he will be rolling out a new help desk that allows easier access for people to do things like reset their passwords.

Tannahill credits his success to a credo he learned in the Marines, "Improvise, adapt, and overcome." He has done so much for LBCC since he started here a little over three years and seems to love it.

"This is by far the best place I've ever worked and the second best job I've ever had." says Tannahill, "If I could afford to do this job for free I would because I love it that much."

News and Feature Photo: "High School Golf"

There was recently a high school golf tournament at Tokatee Golf Club in Blue River, Oregon. Several teams from all over Oregon were present, including Bandon High School, Glide High School, and Oakridge High School. Bandon won the event, followed closely by McKenzie. In the individual race Ben Lindsey from Bandon won by shooting a 79, there was then a five-way tie for second place at 83.

This overview photo shows a group of high schoolers teeing
off on the beautiful par-3 17th hole. 4/22/2011

McKenzie senior Kevin Schrack watches his par putt
intently on the 15th hole 4/22/2011

Schrack lets loose a rye smile after draining
the putt 4/22/2011

Glide's Braden Smith was one of five players
to tie for second place at the tournament
4/22/2011

Trey Harbick, a former McKenzie golfer himself, now
works in the Tokatee Pro Shop 4/22/2011



Tuesday, April 26, 2011

#1 NBA Postseason Surprise Thus Far

To this point of the NBA postseason there have been many surprises. The number one team in the West, San Antonio, is on the brink of elimination, the reigning champion Lakers are being pushed by a depleted Hornets team, Brandon Roy has already given us one of the most unbelievable comebacks in postseason history, and the Hawks are exacting revenge on a Magic team that embarrassed them in the playoffs last year.

Though each and every one of these are surprising, to say the least, none of them have the surprise factor that the Indiana Pacers have brought to the 2011 playoffs.

At 37-45 during the regular season Indiana was considered one of the worst teams to EVER make it into the NBA playoffs, and many said that it was an embarrassment that the Pacers were in the playoffs. In the Western Conference the Houston Rockets missed the playoffs despite a 43-39 record, six games better than Frank Vogel's squad.

No one really thought too hard about the Pacers making any noise in the playoffs because they were facing the Chicago Bulls who boasted the league's second best record during the regular season, the likely MVP Derrick Rose, and a great supporting cast including Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and former all-star Carlos Boozer. Whereas the Pacer's starting line-up has a combine years experience in the league of 10, and had just one player, Danny Granger, average over 13.2 points per game during the season.

Granger will have to be huge if Indiana is to pull off
the improbable upset of Chicago
Courtesy of CJ Isherwood
Fast forward a week and a half and you will find that this "David and Goliath" match up has been surprisingly even. The Bulls hold a 3-1 series lead with home court advantage, but won the first three games by a total of just 15 points, and in game four Rose injured his ankle.

The Pacers have consistently been the more aggressive, and physical team throughout the series. This lead to former Bull great Scottie Pippen calling out Chicago's team.

"The Bulls have taken too many hard fouls in this series thus far, and have yet to give one. Being one of the No. 1 defensive teams in the league, at some point you have to make a stand and I think that’s what the Bulls have to do," Pippen said  on “The Sports Reporters” on ESPN 1000 on Saturday morning.

After the game four win Indiana appears to be even more confident they can upend the East's top seed. Coach Vogel even feels confident enough in his team to make a bold prediction that, if correct, could make the Pacers the biggest surprise in NBA history.

"We feel like if we win tonight, we'll win this series," Vogel told reporters after the Tuesday morning shoot around. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Pledge to Fight Abuse

April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and hits very close to home to many people, especially from here in Linn County. In 2010 607 Linn County children were the victims of abuse or neglect, which ranked as the fifth highest rate out of 36 Oregon counties, and was double the state average. Also in Linn County there were 391 children in foster care at least once during the year.

The statistics for the state of Oregon are even more heinous as 22 children were reported to have died from abuse and neglect, eight of those kids were under the age of one year old.

Going back one year earlier to 2009 the city of Albany, alone, had 259 recorded cases of abuse or neglect of children.

On Thursday April 21, 2011 Linn-Benton Community College held a video presentation to help raise awareness and prevention of child abuse and neglect. The video was called, "Hands and Words are not for Hurting," which also happens to be the name of the project that sponsored the video's making. The project first started in Salem, Oregon and is dedicated to "...educating each person in every community about their moral and legal right to live free of abuse and violence."

Child abuse is a tragedy that "Hands are not for Hurting" confronts
Courtesy of Cassandra Clifford


The video presentation spoke repeatedly of "The Power of One". What they meant by this was the power of one single person to influence and help many. Examples of this were Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Ruby Bridges. It also spoke of the fact that one in every four teenagers is in an abusive relationship, be it emotional or physical.

Jeanette Emerson said of the presentation, "It is fantastic that people are raising awareness for this atrocity, however I feel that we need to devote more than just one month to fighting this. There is just too much hate and violence in the world to ignore it. Everyone should take this pledge."

The project focuses on getting people to take a vow to not hurt others. The vow is as stated, "I will not use my hands or words for hurting myself or others." Accompanied by the vow is drawing the outline of your hand onto a purple sheet of paper to symbolize your pledge.


"The pledge is a great way to get the community aware of the neglect and abuse that happens daily. By taking the pledge people are taking actions to prevent the child abuse and being aware that we individually have the power of peace," said LBCC student Jordy Marsh.

On Saturday April 30, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Heritage Mall will have donated shoes on display for the 300 foster children in Linn County. Anyone can go and view the display as well as take the pledge. If you are interested in donating shoes for the children the information is located in the "At a Glance".

Former English footballer Herbert Ward said it best when he said, "Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime."

At a Glance

Who: "Hands and Words are not for Hurting"
Where: Heritage Mall, Albany
When: Sat. April 30, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

NFL Mock Draft 2011 (First Round)

1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn (Carolina Panthers)
2. Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama (Denver Broncos)
3. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri (Buffalo Bills)
4.Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU (Cincinnati Bengals)
5. Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M (Arizona Cardinals)
6. A.J. Green, WR, Georgia (Cleveland Browns)
7. Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina (San Francisco 49ers)
8. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska (Tennessee Titans)
9. Tyron Smith, OT, Southern California (Dallas Cowboys)
10. J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin (Washington Redskins)
11. Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson (Houston Texans)
12. Jake Locker, QB, Washington (Minnesota Vikings)
13. Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn (Detroit Lions)
14. Julio Jones, WR, Alabama (St. Louis Rams)
15. Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri (Miami Dolphins)
16. Mike Pouncey, C, Florida (Jacksonville Jaguars)
17. Muhammed Wilkerson, DE, Temple (New England Patriots)
18. Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College (San Diego Chargers)
19. Cameron Jordan, DE, California (New York Giants)
20. Nate Solder, OT, Colorado (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
21. Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue (Kansas City Chiefs)
22. Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin (Indianapolis Colts)
23. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama (Philadelphia Eagles)
24. Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State (New Orleans Saints)
25. Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois (Seattle Seahawks)
26. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa (Baltimore Ravens)
27. Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado (Atlanta Falcons)
28. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State (New England Patriots)
29. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Notre Dame (Chicago Bears)
30. Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor (New York Jets)
31. Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA (Pittsburgh Steelers)
32. Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech (Green Bay Packers)

The 2011 NFL Draft will be Thursday April 28 at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time at Radio City Music Hall in New York and will be televised live on ESPN.

Three Reasons the Portland Blazers Will Win Game 5

1. Brandon Roy is back!
 Roy went wild on the Mavs in the fourth quarter of game 4 scoring 18 of his 24 points in the quarter and lifting the Blazers to a huge comeback. Dallas held a 23 point lead at one point during the second half but was unable to find an answer for Roy and the raucous crowd in the final quarter. If Roy puts another performance like this on the board then Portland will be heading home for game 6 with a 3-2 series lead.

2. History repeats itself
In the 2006 NBA finals the Dallas Mavericks took a 2-0 series lead over Shaquille O'Neal, Dwayne Wade, and the Miami Heat. The Heat ended up winning the series 4-2 and breaking the backs, and hearts, of the Mavs and their fans. The Mavs headed to Portland with a 2-0 series lead and is now headed back to Dallas with the series tied 2-2. Not only that but having blown a 23 point lead with 13 minutes left in game 4 the Mav's morale cannot be high.

3. Kidd's magic is gone
Jason Kidd averaged a mere eight points per game during the regular season while shooting just 36 percent from the field. However in the first two games of the series Kidd averaged 21 points per game and shot 16-25 from the field. As the series shifted to the Great Northwest Kidd's numbers dropped to 8.5 points per game and shot 6-15 from the field. If Kidd puts up average numbers rather than eye-popping numbers the Blazers will take the game.


Roy will be huge in Game 5 for the Blazers to take the series lead.
Courtesy of The Oregonian

Friday, April 22, 2011

Portrait and Mugshot: Sam Paterson (LBCC Pitcher)

Sam Paterson is a key member of the Roadrunner pitching staff and carries one of the lowest ERA's in the NWAACC.


Paterson will take his talents to Montana
State University Billings next season
4/21/2011

The stare of a pitcher
4/21/2011

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Roadrunners Baseball Report: "Turning It Around"

The Linn-Benton baseball team has hit the midpoint of their season and is in the midst of making a major turnaround from last year's disappointing season. The Roadrunners are currently in a second-place tie with rival Lane Community College for the South Division's last playoff spot.

Prior to the start of the season head coach Greg Hawk knew that this team had a great chance to make the turnaround because they returned 14 sophomores from a 2010 team that struggled to a last place finish in the South Division of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges, but gained valuable experience.

At 13-11 overall and 7-5 in the division coach Hawk feels that his team has played well but  has been just several small mistakes away from having a special season. The record shows just how far the team has come as they have already eclipsed last year's win total and are poised to make a run at the playoffs in the second half of their season.

"The guys have done well so far this season and the record might not show just how well they have done, but when we can put it all together I believe we can be very good," Hawk said.

Through the first 24 games sophomores AJ Burke and Sam Paterson have led an experienced pitching staff. Burke leads the NWAACC with five wins, and holds a 6-1 record with a 3.18 earned run average. Paterson has had a good season thus far as well putting up a 4-3 record with an eye-popping 0.98 ERA that ranks 11th in the NWAACC.

Paterson will be key on the mound as the
Roadrunners make a push for the postseason
4/21/2011


Burke might have had already provided LBCC with its individual highlight for the season when he threw a one hit shutout against Chemeketa on April 9th. Burke had a no-hitter intact through eight innings but lost it in the ninth inning. He also had an astonishing 18 strikeouts in the game.

The Roadrunners bat's have been headed by sophomore second baseman Jordan Keeker who is hitting .329 while leading the team with 27 hits, 15 runs scored, and 13 runs batted in. Freshman first baseman and designated hitter Kainoa Ahsing has contributed with a .298 batting average and ranks second on the team with 10 RBI's and third with 14 runs scored.

When asked what he thought about the team's improvement this season Sam Paterson said, "I feel like we have done pretty good so far, but we still haven't played up to our potential. We have a great group of guys and I think that some of us sophomores just need to step up and become better leaders to get us over the hump."

Next season Paterson, along with sophomore pitchers Mackie Unruh and Bobby Ragasa, will be traveling north to play baseball a NCAA Division II Montana State University Billings. For now though they are key members of a Linn-Benton baseball team in the middle of a great turnaround, and a postseason chase.









Campus Photos #2: Hot Shot Cafe

The Hot Shot Cafe is a popular place for students at Linn-Benton to relax, hang with friends, and enjoy great coffee.


David Mayotte sits behind the counter awaiting customers
4/19/2011


 

David waits and stares intently as his customer orders
4/19/2011


Mayote works his magic 4/19/2011


The finished product! Looks good! 4/19/2011


Friday, April 15, 2011

LBCC Splits Again

The Linn-Benton Roadrunners once again split a double-header Tuesday with I-5 rival Lane Community College. The split was the fifth straight for the host Roadrunners, who moved to 11-11 overall and 5-5 in the division with the win and loss.

Pitcher Sam Paterson throws the first pitch of the game 4/12/2011


Game 1: Linn-Benton 6, Lane 3

LB upended the Titans in the first game behind Kellen Sparkes bat and Sam Paterson's arm. Sparkes, a freshman from Corvallis, recorded three hits, an RBI and one run scored to ignite the Roadrunners offense. While Sparkes was leading the offense Paterson (pictured left) was doing a superb job on the mound. He struck out just three but held Lane to just three runs in seven innings of work to pick up his third win of the season.

Coach Greg Hawk said of the victory, "Sam threw well and got great relief help in the first game against Lane."


Game 2: Lane 4, Linn-Benton 0


Lane's Nick Phillips pitched a near perfect game in the night cap to lead the Titans to the win. Phillips threw a complete game one-hitter as the Roadrunners did not help themselves by committing four errors. Sophomore pitcher Mackie Unruh got the loss to fall to 0-4 on the season for LBCC.

"Phillips threw a great game and we committed too many errors to get the win in the second game," Hawk said.

The Roadrunners will be back at home to take on Mt. Hood in a double-header Saturday April 16th.