Greg Oden, Nick Cody, and Good Stuff to Read
— As soon as word came that Greg Oden likely was out for the season, I pounded out a column for Sunday’s paper. I would love to share it with a link, but our search engine at Columbian.com has me pulling out my hair. Or at least it would if I had any. Heck, I’ll just post the entire column here on the blog.
Anyway, you can’t help but feel for Oden.
— In Tuesday’s paper, we had a column about Nick Cody, a Hockinson grad who is headed to the Rose Bowl. Cody is a redshirt freshman offensive lineman at Oregon, and has played in nine games this year. Whether he’s in the game or on the sideline, Cody finds inspiration in the memory of his father.
In addition to having a bright football future ahead of him, Cody is a thoughtful, intelligent, well-spoken young man. He received honorable mention on the academic all-Pac-10 team. Still, you might have to question the intelligence of anybody who is a journalism major.
— Brian T. Smith had a nice profile of Curt Warner. It’s not every day you have a local businessman/coach/parent get inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
— Paul Valencia had a column on Heritage quarterback Garrett Grayson and the recruiting process. It included this interesting anecdote:
A couple weeks ago, Grayson spotted an envelope that had not been opened. It was postmarked in July. Turned out, it was not just a “how-ya-doin?” letter. It was a scholarship offer from Idaho State.
“I’ve never talked to them,” Grayson said, incredulously.
His coach at Heritage, Nate Becksted, couldn’t believe it, either. Most scholarship offers are via phone conversations or home visits or campus visits. But a letter? Without any other contact? Crazy.
“They never called. They never followed up,” Becksted said.
Memo to Idaho State: Um, this recruiting thing? You’re doing it wrong.
