Around this time, the start of a fresh new year, you really start to see people implement changes, whether it be in an area of their personal lives or socially.
It’s why exercise facilities are so crowded and will likely remain that way for another month.
It’s also a time for people to look back on the past year as a basis for what they’d like to change in the coming one.
I’m no different, so here are my hopes for change in sports for 2007.
To the wrestling team: If the Oregon athletics department is serious about continuing to field a competitive wrestling program, I hope soon that it begins construction of the “state-of-the-art” wrestling room. After being booted out of the Casanova Center in order to build a treatment facility, the team has since practiced in the back of the Student Recreation Center.
Coach Chuck Kearney needs and deserves better than that when he’s on the recruiting trail.
To the football and soccer teams: My hope is that both harness the terrible feeling of postseason (or lack thereof) and take that into the offseason to serve as motivation. For the soccer team, it’s to show the NCAA selection committee what a truly unjust mistake they made by not selection them for the tournament.
For Oregon football, their motivation should be never to feel again how they felt following the Las Vegas Bowl.
To those Oregon football fans: My hope is that you relax about the overall status of the football program. Yes, it was a bad season, but no, it’s not time to implement mass changes, especially with the new recruits coming to Eugene.
Remember last year, most were singing the praises of head coach Mike Bellotti and calling for the head of basketball coach Ernie Kent. My, how things have changed this season.
I know it was difficult to watch the Las Vegas Bowl and the only seemingly rational thing to do is target the head coach. But, please, replacing Bellotti certainly is not the answer so just stop already.
To the men’s basketball team: You finally got your signature win last Saturday with a monumental victory against No. 1 UCLA and maybe exorcised some of the demons that have haunted you the last two seasons as far as heartbreaking losses go.
My hope for you is renewed health and survival through the minefield that is the Pacific-10 Conference. Suddenly that trip to Washington State, where the Ducks have won the last five trips, is not a guarantee. Top to bottom this is the best conference in the country. But, with a guaranteed 16 games remaining, even an 8-8 split leaves you with a 22-9 record and definite NCAA tournament consideration. Of course, that’s looking a little too far in the future. The Arizona schools are up next.
To disloyal fans: Those of you Oregon State fans, who booed coach Mike Riley and quarterback Matt Moore to no end early in the season, please put your Sun Bowl Champion hats away. You don’t deserve to revel in victory.
To the yet-to-be named athletic director: I hope for stability. In a year when the AD was paid to resign, players quit, some joined other teams, a coach survived the hot seat, and two other coaches silently feuded, can’t we all just get along?
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