Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

Oregon is seen as a top 10 team--or close to it--in most preseason prognostications. And the Ducks could end the season that way. But will they have all their challenges addressed by September 3? Beyond the darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidacy of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and the freight train running of LeGarrette Blount, all the UO evaluations have footnotes that make you wonder why the Ducks are ranked that high. After spring football, ESPN.com noted Oregon's offensive line woes: "With returning starters C.E. Kaiser and Bo Thran sitting out due to injuries, the line was green and it looked the part during spring practices. Run and pass blocking were problems. Moreover, when the injured players return, there's still a question of who will be the fifth starter and whether there will be some reshuffling of positions in the fall."

Then, when ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach was ranking the Ducks No. 11 in his preseason rankings, he seemed to be covering his tracks all the while. "Oregon must replace six players who were selected in the NFL draft, including safety Patrick Chung, cornerback Jairus Byrd and center Max Unger," noted Schlabach. "Jeremiah Masoli is back and is a threat to run or throw the ball. LeGarrette Blount has battled off-field problems and a foot injury. Three starters must be replaced on the offensive line, along with receiver Jaison Williams. Only one starting defensive lineman returns, and the losses in the secondary were heavy." Schlabach doesn't make it sound like a team that's ready to enter the opener at Boise State in midseason form.

The Boise Burn take their eight-game winning streak on the road this week--and a long road it is, with a trip to South Georgia lying ahead. With all the attention being paid to the regular season finale in Qwest Arena against Spokane July 25, this Saturday's tilt can be called a trap game for the Burn. This is no Tri-Cities, as the Wildcats out of Albany, GA, are 9-5. They'll have to contend with the Boise wave of wideouts, though. The Burn have four receivers with at least ten touchdown receptions apiece for the first time in franchise history. That's impressive by even arena football standards. Nichiren Flowers has 23 TD catches, Jerard Rabb and Jomo Wilson have 17 apiece, and the recently returned Casey Allen has 10.

The Boise Hawks just cannot assemble a three-game winning streak this season. They came close in their latest try, but didn't have enough offense to beat Vancouver yesterday, mustering only four hits in a 3-2 loss. The hottest Hawk, Logan Watkins, had two of the hits, going 2-for-4. Watkins has a six-game hitting streak during which he's batted .455. His season average is .280. There's now not a single Boise player over .300--Hak-Ju Lee leads the club at .298. The Hawks return home tonight to open an eight-game homestand, beginning with a three-game series against the Yakima Bears.

While looking at the Hawks-Canadians box scores the past five days, I noticed the name "Aliotti." How many Aliottis can there be? Anthony Aliotti is Vancouver's first baseman. His bio shows that he played at Saint Mary's College in the Bay Area, his hometown is Pittsburg (same as former Boise State quarterback Joe Aliotti, and he went to high school at De La Salle, where Joe is vice-principal. Oh--and Anthony was born in Boise in 1987. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Anthony Aliotti is the son of Joe, who led BSU to the Division I-AA national championship in 1980. Anthony, who had a two-run single yesterday, is off to a great start with the Canadians, batting .343, fifth in the Northwest League.

Kyle Radke had a somewhat quiet rookie season with the Idaho Steelheads. But, according to coach Derek Laxdal, Radke's poised for a big second campaign, as he's signed with the Steelheads for the 2009-10 season. Radke had only one goal and four assists in 54 games last season, but he did rack up 155 penalty minutes in his defenseman's role. The Steelheads have also signed forward Casey Parenteau, who comes to Idaho out of Saint Lawrence University. Laxdal thinks Parenteau may be able to crack the Steelies' top two lines. The club now has 10 players on its training camp roster.

I rode the Greenbelt last Saturday past the backside of Les Bois Park, and the scores and scores of stalls were eerily empty--a very odd sight on a toasty summer day. Today marks the mid-point of July, yet there's still a chance of racing on the track this year? Yes, if Idaho Entertainment gets its ducks in a row. It appears horsemen are going to make that difficult, though. Just get ready for a new name: Idaho Downs at Expo Idaho. Ada County has accepted the five-year, $375,000 bid of Idaho Entertainment's parent companies, Oneida Capital of California and Plainfield Racing of Connecticut. But this is probably live horse racing's last chance here.

This Day In Sports...July 15, 2005:

Considered the greatest golfer of the 20th century, Jack Nicklaus takes a final bow as he crosses the Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews. At the age of 65, Nicklaus wrapped up his final major with a birdie in the British Open, a tournament he won three times in his career. The Golden Bear won 18 majors overall.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB's Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 1350 KTIK/The Ticket. He also handles color commentary on KTVB's telecasts of Boise State football.)

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