Quack Attack is Back Jack

It has not been a well kept secret that Hard Knox Sports is an Oregon Ducks fan even from across the country. All the professional level jokes about Joey Harrington and Kellen Clemens can be easily ignored. There will always be the excuse, "If Dennis Dixon did not tear his ACL in 2007 they would be at least Pac-10 Champs."

This year did not look like a great year for the Ducks though. Boise State embarrasses them on the Blue Turf, LeGarrette Blount suspended for the year after a cheap shot, a squeak by Purdue. But today gave a big reason for all fans to Yell-O as the Ducks destroyed the California Golden Bears 42-3 in front of the Autzen Zoo.

Everything looked good from the defense shutting down Heisman hopeful Jahvid Best to just 55 yards, Jeremiah Masoli and Ed Dickson linked telepathically for 148 yards and three touchdowns, and those amazing throwback uniforms.

Between this win and snapping Utah's 16 game win streak the week before the sky is the limit for the Ducks. Cal is temporarily out of the picture, USC is once again not the invincible force they were supposed to be, and the sexy sleeper that was Oregon State became a flop. The Pac-10 is up for grabs.

The Ducks do have challenges in the next three weeks with UCLA and Washington, who defeated USC. After that it is a Halloween night in the Autzen Zoo against USC. With the way the team has looked after the last two weeks, Chip Kelly will not have any reason to give any more fans their money back. Look for celebrations in many different colored jerseys in Eugene.

What a Drag

After a yearlong wait stemming from a monsoon and other complications that ruined the event last year, Hard Knox Sports finally got the chance to attend the IHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

Held over the course of a three-day weekend, the Amalie Motor Oil New England Nations showcase the top drivers in the International Hotrod Racing Association.

The event is a must see for all fans. The New England Dragway provides fans more then just racing. Fans are able to just go through the pits and talk to the drivers and crewmembers (as long as they are not trying to drive their car. That is frowned upon).

The owners of the New England Dragway set up the perfect weekend for race fans. Nothing could ruin this weekend.

Almost.

Mother Nature decided to be a cranky old lady, and make this journal a tough one to write. Not even Mother Nature can stop hard Knox Sports though.

Friday

5:30 p.m.: Stuck in traffic on 495 with a little rain. Not a good start to this weekend, but that is ok it just means the week has nowhere to go but up….hopefully.

6:20 p.m.: Heavy traffic finally comes to an end just past Haverhill. This has to be a sign of good things to come.

6:45 p.m.: finally off of the highway and just a right turn away from reaching the New England Dragway.

6:52 p.m.: Apparently the GPS location of New England Dragway Corp. does not lead tot the dragway. Curse you Tom Tom.

7:03 p.m.: Now at the New England Dragway. Now the best weekend ever can begin. Already off to a good start by talking to a cool older man named Bob from South Carolina about everything from soup to nuts.

7:20 p.m.: talking to shareholder Doug Adams, the rest of the events for the night were called off due to rain, but racing would resume Saturday morning. Adams is one of those men who know everything that goes on at the track. If he says there will be racing, then there will be racing. Saturday calls for only a few showers. No problem, this great weekend can begin tomorrow.

11:30 a.m.: The thought of racing, and a few drinks to go with it, encourage sleep. More to talk about tomorrow.

Saturday

9:00 am. Woken up by the sound of track dryers. That has to be a good sign. Drying the track means cars are about to get on.

9:17 a.m. Not so fast my friends. Rain picks up again. Blow Dryers outright leave.

9:28 a.m. Doug is spotted with a disgusted look on his face. That is never a good sign. He informs everyone in the camping area there is a large band of rain coming. This will cause more delays.

9:29 a.m.: Trying to stay optimistic. It is supposed to be the best weekend.

10:00 a.m.: An announcement was made. Rain should stop in a couple hours and racing should be a go by about 2:30. Whew. Not to kill time until then.

10:45 a.m.: To kill time took a road trip with others around the area. Viewing lovely scenic New Hampshire.

11:06 a.m.: Trying to find a restaurant, and ended up taking a wrong turn at a nudist colony. Could not make this up. Dave wanted to explore more, but it seems logical that a nudist colony is not much of a party site in a cold rain storm. A side note that Dave was in the bag at this point.

11:52 a.m.: A shameless promotion to Newick’s Seafood in Dover, NH. Amazing food, cheap beer, and a check error in the customer favor made it the best seafood experience in sometime.

2:12 p.m.: After lunch, and an alcohol run, news spread that another rain continued delaying racing a little longer. Might as well take advantage of this newly acquired beer.

4:30 p.m.: The wait for more racing lead to an announcement that racing was postponed again until tomorrow due to another band of rain. Even with no racing still chances at having fun.

4:40 p.m.: Took advantage to go down to the pits and talk to the drivers, and receive free merchandise from sponsors. The New England Dragway knows how to treat fans, and make them feel like priority number one.

4:55 p.m.: The great part about IHRA racing is the drivers and crew members always look forward to talking to fans, and keeping them updated. Top Fuel driver Bruce Litton’s crew held a makeshift press conference describing how they prepare for the race when they had no chance to qualify.

5:20 p.m.: Sponsors keep promotions and contests going to let the fans know they are not forgotten. Even with no racing at NED fans still have plenty to do. Always an important feature mentioned in future columns.

8:30 a.m.: After waking up from an alcohol induced sleep that also caused a huge gap in this journal, a new joy was found as there were blue skies.

9:30 a.m.: Engines fired up for racing within the hour. Those who wait are rewarded….with amazing racing.

10:30 a.m.: First race underway. It was everything that could be dreamed of. A redneck discovery of Christmas.

10:37 a.m.: One of the cars loses a tire, and hits the wall. While this will normally get the crowds going crazy and loving every minute it does cause another delay, which just reminds all fans of what they just went through this weekend. No big deal. Back to racing in a few moments.

12:07 p.m.: Another delay due to an injury in the pits, and a lack of another ambulance. Even the slightest delay gets fans a tad fidgety.

12:20 p.m.: A bit of an interesting sight. Snowmobile drag racing on an asphalt surface. Basically racers going 150 miles per hour on a snowmobile with no snow underneath. Try and figure that one out physics dept.

12:33 p.m.: The main event. Top Fuel Racing. A division where 300 miles per hour will not guarantee any driver one of the fastest eight times.

Despite Mother Nature being a cranky old puss for most of the weekend, The New England Dragway and IHRA Nationals were a great time. Much applause goes out to the owners, and crew members who did everything they could to keep the fans into the event.

If the weekend was that successful with minimal racing, it can only mean one of the most exciting events when the weather conditions are ideal.

Aged to Perfection

In the sports world 40 has become the new 30. In a profession where 30 means over the hill and 40 means it is time to go many athletes are not willing to accept that rocking chair and retirement home just yet. Others want to prove that after many years in retirement they can still be an important part of any team.

Doing this caused many fans to think that these athletes are tarnishing their legacy by holding on to long. The Brett Favre saga for the past two years is perfect example. Bouncing back and forth between never wanting to play again, and coming out of retirement to play with a new team put a sour taste in the mouths of many who worshipped the ground that Favre used to walk on.

Fans now are replacing memories of great accomplishments Favre made with the headaches cause by Favre retiring every other month. The only thing Favre has been sure about in the past two years is that he is comfortable in his Wrangler jeans.

Another elderly quarterback talking comeback is Jeff George. The number one overall pick of 1990 announced wanting to return despite not playing in an NFL game since 2001. It seems tough to believe that the 41 year old can make a team now, but could do nothing better then be cut from a practice squad for the past eight years. Perhaps an eight year vacation will give him a fresh arm. If George is smart he will stay on the couch because only he and journalist Jason Whitlock believe he has a chance back in the NFL.

Over on the diamond another retiree has been on a mission to prove not only he can come out of retirement, but be as effective as ever. Pedro Martinez wants to show the baseball world that just because he has not been able to stay healthy for an entire season this decade does not mean that he should call it quits.

Despite shoulder and elbow problems Pedro still wants to prove that he can do it, and is getting a chance with the Phillies because of his decent stint with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The only problem for Pedro this year has not been father time, but Mother Nature, with two games rain delayed so far.

One of the more interesting stories involving a crafty veteran is Theo Fleury. Now 41 years old Fleury announced that he is clean, sober, and looking to play in the NHL for the first time since the 2002-2003 season. As if a 41 year old hockey player is not tough to sell, it did not get any easier when Claude Lemieux made the same attempt last year with the San Jose Sharks and scored one point in 19 games. It is also tough to believe Fleury is sober seeing how he made this announcement several times during his career.

Fleury has shown success as an owner of a concrete sealing business, and the partial owner of the Calgary Hitmen with Brett Hart and Joe Sakic. Fleury would be better off to follow the recent steps of Assistant General Manager Mark Messier and look into hockey from the executive standpoint.

Give them credit, these old athletes are tough, and are not just willing to be cast aside. But sometimes desire is just not enough to make any veteran athlete the same as they were in their prime. Just wait until Charles Barkley decides he wants to play basketball again.

Fury continues to dominate at home

The story of home sweet home continued to be true for the Fury as they defeated the Metro West Colonials 35-6 Saturday afternoon at Leicester Community Field. The win gives the Fury four straight wins at home. At Community Field the Fury are 3-0 this season and averaging 37 points a game.

The Fury made up for having minimal time on offense the week before against the Outlaws. The Fury posted 28 points in the first half to put the game out of reach for Metro West.

"I was very proud of the way that we played in the first half." Said Head Coach Chris Chambers. We were a little sloppy in the second half, but we did build a big lead early and showed our strength."

After missing entire quarters the previous week, Ryan Minns made up for lost time and a game without a passing touchdown with four passing touchdowns against the Colonials. The only problem for Minns was Colonials defensive back Brandon Lovelace who scored Metro West's lone touchdown Saturday.

One of Minns main targets was Matt McRae. McRae recorded 69 yards receiving including two touchdown receptions. Along with two touchdowns by McRae the other touchdowns through the air came from Willie Bates in the third quarter, and Fran Collins on a close sideline catch in the second quarter.

The running game proved to be just as effective as the passing game. The offensive line created holes for the core of running backs to get through with ease against the Colonials.

While the offense was making up for lost time from their game last week, the defense proved that even with the amount of time on the field last week there were no signs of let down.

For the second time at home this season the Fury defense hold their opponent without an offensive touchdown. The other game was the home opener against Weymouth.

The front seven of the Fury got through the offensive line of the Colonials with ease causing pressure and several sacks by Torry Rovinelli, Harry Ingels, Adam Ingels, and Jesse Atocha. Atocha also recorded in interception against Metro West. The highlight of the defense was the sleeper hold tackle made by Cookie Smith to end the first half.

"The way that we played defensively was spectacular," said Chambers. "We got turnovers, got the ball back to our offense frequently, and that was what we were looking for."

The Fury looks to finish the regular season at home with an undefeated record at home against the North Shore Generals on September 19. Before that the Fury next take on the Middletown Spartans at Middletown on August 29.

Mass Fury vs. CT. Gamblers

Milton Smith is carried off the field after returning an interception for the game winning touchdown against the Gamblers.


It was a story that was fit for a Sports Movie. Al Michaels could almost be heard asking if everyone believed in miracles.

After enduring many issues over the course of the first half, the Mass Fury hit the jackpot in the fourth quarter and overtime and walked off winners over the Connecticut Gamblers 20-14 in overtime at Plainfield, CT.

In the first half the Fury came out with plenty of aggression, the only problem was it was not all channeled at the Gamblers. Issues with questionable calls from questionable referees lead to high tension between players on the sideline. Between the Gamblers, the referees, and themselves it was like taking on three card sharks at a poker table.

"We are going to see calls from referees that we do not agree with sometimes," said Coach Chris Chambers. "We still have to find a way to work around them, and I think we did that in the second half today."

Despite the turmoil the Fury found themselves down by only 14. One of those touchdowns off a lucky pass that was tipped by Eugene Miller. The Fury were nowhere near out of this game.

The second half showed the classic tale of two different teams as the Fury came out with a vengeance. They were united and focused all there energy on the Gamblers and the score.

After a scoreless third quarter the Fury made a statement with a 23 yard Touchdown reception by Fran Collins off a perfect ball from Ryan Minns. The PAT by John Carpenter cut the lead in half 14-7.

The Fury had one last chance to tie the game up with less then a minute left. A 21 yard pass by Minns to Eugene Miller in the endzone looked as if it may have been broken up. But the football gods returned the favor to Eugene from the earlier tipped pass. The ball landed on Miller's chest in the end zone for a touchdown. Another PAT by Carpenter tied the game 14-14 with nine seconds left.

"That was a tale of two different teams," said Chambers. "It was a rough three and a half quarters, but I think we saw what this team can do when they are together."

The Fury proved they were not just going to accept a moral victory against the Gamblers. They wanted to hit the jackpot.

In overtime Cedrick Crawford proved to be the ace up the Fury's sleeve. His 33 yards rushing in overtime set the Fury up for a Field Goal attempt by Carpenter. Carpenter's kick looked like a game winner, perfectly down the line, but was inches too short.

This did not mean the Fury busted out against the Gamblers though. They were able to cash in a victory on the Gambler's first drive. An interception by Milton Smith lead to a walk off win for the Fury. They overcame the odds to put up a score of 20-14 that even blackjack would not be able to beat.

It was a lesson to all who watched. No matter what the situation is or how bad it looks, never say that it is over. As long as this team is together, anything is possible.

The Fury next play the Outlaws on Saturday Aug 15 at Leicester Community Field. Another chance to see if the Fury can wi

Even Colleges make Stupid Decisions

After a week long hiatus due to a broken computer Hard Knox Sports is back. Sorry to keep all waiting but this hiatus produced great topics.

Regarding the previous post on the Oregon Duck new uniforms many debates were created regarding whether or not those are the worst. After many debates, arguments, and shoving matches it became obvious this topic had to be broken up into several leagues. Today starts with college football.

Hard Knox Sports presents the ten worst college football jerseys ever. For the record Oregon is just too good to be on here.

10.) The Florida Gators Orange Shoulder-They may be champs now, but they were chumps in these jerseys. The University of Florida looks like they ran out of blue fabric to make all their jerseys so they settled on using spare orange pieces of orange fabric to finish a jersey. Not even Tim Tebow can make these good.

9.) Oregon State "bib" jerseys-People complain about Oregon University but at least they did not have horrible random areas of color like the bibs on Oregon State. Unless the nickname of the team is the Rugrats no one should look like they are wearing a bib on the football field.

8.) Notre Dame alternate-The Irish green uniform should be a classic for the Fighting Irish, but it never is. Maybe it is that the jersey seems to go along with big losses. No matter what the jerseys leave Irish fans wanting to upchuck something of a similar color.

7.) Minnesota M shoulders-The Golden Gophers laid a golden egg with these duds. It looks like a heartrate that should be flatlined. The only bright spot of these is it got me to ignore these golden beauties.

6. tie) Cal and West Virginia yellow jerseys-Speaking of Golden. Both teams have a decent blue jersey and choose to wear these cheery canary yellow alternates. Especially Cal. If you are the golden bears, wear gold...not sun yellow.

5.) Clemson-No matter how many ways they wear their uniforms, Clemson can not find a good way to mix orange and purple. Orange helmets with purple pants and jerseys, all orange with purple outlines, nothing fits. It is like comparing grapes to oranges, just too different.

4.) Syracuse-Another jersey with a case of identity crisis. Is it supposed to be old time kind of look, or a new age version. Either way it is just plain awful, like the performance of the Orange. When I see this all I think is road construction on 495.

3.) Idaho-While the jersey may not be that bad, they need to be high up on the list for the idea of a butt logo. All jokes are far too easy to make on this one. Hard Knox Sports will leave it at this. Gives their opponents an easy target to kick when they lose horribly.

2.) Florida A&M-Terrible on so many different levels. The only thing orange goes with less than purple is pea soup/puke green. The FAMU spread out across the jersey looks like a horrible attempt to try to spell famous on their chest. Poor spelling or not these jerseys are some famously bad ones.

1.) Iowa State-Rated worst jerseys not just because they look bad, but they are a horrible attempt at ripping of the football jerseys at USC. the excessive amount of stripes and gold MC Hammer pants should make the Trojans want to beat the Cyclones by 50 every year on week one in college football. The only way Iowa State could be worse is if they kept the idea to replace the helmets with facepaint and a red wig. Of course that idea was already taken.

That is all for now. Stay tuned for the next list of horrible sports jerseys.

Jersey Boys

The University of Oregon revealed their latest trendy uniforms for the upcoming football season. For those who sighed in relief that they were finally toning down their jerseys....guess again.

The Ducks will be using five different jerseys, four different pairs of pants, and four yes four different helmets.

They just could not be like other teams and have just one helmet. They decided the white and awful yellow helmet they used along with the traditional green was not enough. They nixed the less then mellow yellow helmets with a black helmet, and the retro looks like no one has a color TV style of gray and silver.

The new silver helmet to this look is a story by itself is it tries to create a somewhat chain linked look. It is either chain link or static like. static fits better with the black and white TV joke above.

The other big change is that the Ducks are not unique enough with the diamond plated shoulder pads. The only way to stand out even more is to replace the diamond look with the new winged shoulders.

Whether you love them or hate them Oregon does do a good job at getting the sports masses to talk about their look. while other teams just have outright awful looking uniforms (more on this topic another post) Oregon can be awful yet creative at the same time.