While some Oregon fans are frustrated at the prospect of giving up a 2024 home game against Texas Tech for a road game against the Beavers instead, many across the great state are just relieved that this storied rivalry that dates back to 1894 will continue, keeping alive the lifeblood of college football in the area.
On Wednesday night, ESPN’s leading anchor Scott Van Pelt reacted to the report from Canzano in his “One Big Thing” segment on ESPN, applauding the efforts made by both Oregon and Oregon State in preserving this rivalry game that represents so much of what makes college football great.
“The Civil War, like the Apple Cup, is a game that college football simply has to have,” Van Pelt said. “For all that is abandoned in the name of progress and profit, rivalries — true generations-old battles — must be maintained, or the lifeblood of what makes this sport spectacular evaporates.”
The game between the two will occur in Week 3 of the 2024 season, on September 14th. On that date, Oregon was originally scheduled to play Boise State at home, which was preluded by a home game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on September 7th.
Thanks to some scheduling help from those two teams, Texas Tech will now play Washington State on September 7th, while the Ducks move their game vs. Boise State to that week.
“As Canzano wrote, ‘It took work.’ And to that, I would say that the things in life worth having and keeping mostly do,” Van Pelt continued. “So the Civil War continues, and those who did the work behind the scenes to ensure it will, I salute you. From all the way on the other side of the country, a guy who has never seen that game in person and almost certainly never will, it makes me smile to know that the people to whom this game matters more than it should will get to continue to enjoy it. It’s worth the work required to preserve it for generations to come.”
As someone who grew up an Oregon Ducks fan and someone who has experienced the ups and downs of the Civil War since I was a child, I am thrilled that the game is continuing into the future. While the scheduling may be tough, and fans upset about losing a home game are justified, the end result of continuing one of the most historic rivalries in the nation makes it all worth it.
Here’s why he’s not hosting in Week 5 on Monday Night Football.
If you’re watching Monday Night Countdownbefore the Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders and notice that Scott Van Pelt isn’t hosting, there’s a good reason for that.
As Van Pelt tweeted on Monday, he “woke up to zero voice at all. Just gone.” Of course, this happens to broadcasters on occasion, and it stinks when it happens.
So he’ll be out for the broadcast, with Joe Buck and Michelle Beisner-Buck taking over the show before kickoff.
“Very frustrating to put everyone in this spot,” he added in his tweet. “Hopefully back at it soon.”
Get well soon, SVP!
So, we played another fun edition of will Scott’s voice quit before the show ends last night. Unfortunately, I woke up to zero voice at all. Just gone. As a result, no trip to Vegas for Monday Night Countdown or @SportsCenter. @Buck and @MichelleBeisner will be fantastic…
I’ve often wondered just how broadcasters are able to keep their voices so strong when they have to speak on air for hours and hours, then have to repeat that so many times a year.
But, voices go out, sometimes for no reason at all. That appeared to be what happened to Scott Van Pelt on Wednesday night when he hosted the late edition of SportsCenter.
As you’ll see below, so many people noted SVP struggling on the air, something he acknowledged right up front before tweeting and apologizing about the “bizarre deal” of how his voice just stopped working.
What a bizarre deal. Voice just kinda stopped working….while attempting to host a show. Not ideal, to say the least. Apologies for that mess.
Scott Van Pelt anchoring SportsCenter while losing his voice is still more entertaining and informative than 95 percent of other shows sports television has to offer pic.twitter.com/xtKHGO9UjM
Scott Van Pelt anchored SportsCenter tonight while losing his voice. It’s allergy season. Flu season. But he fought like a champ. pic.twitter.com/oRrC04sRNY
Often times, the internet isn’t great at picking up on a joke. But even Joe Buck had reason to be surprised that the irony was lost amongst some viewers who thought he actually had a beef with his new ESPN colleague Scott Van Pelt.
Buck and Troy Aikman joined ESPN this season to add much-needed credibility to the Monday Night Football booth. After the conclusion of each MNF game, Buck and Aikman would do a live interview with Van Pelt for the late edition of SportsCenter. While the live hit with SVP is almost always lighthearted, some fans evidently thought Buck was upset following the Week 16 Chargers-Colts broadcast.
— sports announcers with no context (@nocontxtanncr) December 27, 2022
Buck jokingly took issue with Van Pelt only having one question for him. It was all clearly in jest, but it was enough to have Buck address the exchange following Monday’s Cowboys-Bucs NFC Wild Card matchup.
Scott Van Pelt and Joe Buck couldn't say goodbye without addressing rumors of their feud pic.twitter.com/hjzSVVN64B
“First of all, a couple weeks ago, you and I had a thing. We’re always playing around, you were the only guy I knew at ESPN before I came there, so let’s just put that to bed. And secondly, it’s been a great first year at ESPN.”
Aikman even kept the joke going by saying he was glad that the two were talking again before offering his thoughts on the Cowboys win. Classic Troy — always playing peacekeeper.
Fans did enjoy that exchange — even if the first “feud” was obviously a joke.
ESPN’s golf broadcast team reacts to Scott Scheffler admitting he ‘cried like a baby’ ahead of the final round of the Masters.
Scottie Scheffler’s victory at the Masters was a watershed moment for the 25-year-old Texan who reached World No. 1 in March. But perhaps the most memorable moment of the week happened away from the course before Scheffler reached the first tee on Sunday and it wasn’t disclosed until he shared it with the world during his winner’s press conference.
“I cried like a baby this morning,” he said. “I was so stressed out. I didn’t know what to do. I was sitting there telling (wife) Meredith, ‘I don’t think I’m ready for this. I’m not ready, I don’t feel like I’m ready for this kind of stuff, and I just felt overwhelmed.’ She told me, ‘Who are you to say that you are not ready? Who am I to say that I know what’s best for my life?’ And so what we talked about is that God is in control and that the Lord is leading me; and if today is my time, it’s my time. And if I shot 82 today, you know, somehow I was going to use it for His glory. Gosh, it was a long morning. It was long.”
Scottie Scheffler celebrates with his wife Meredith Scudder after winning the Masters golf tournament. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)
Scheffler went on to shoot 71 that afternoon and claim his first major. He’ll be one of the favorites at the 104th PGA Championship next week at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Speaking on a media conference call, ESPN analysts Curtis Strange and Andy North and ESPN lead anchor Scott Van Pelt discussed Scheffler’s brutal honesty and what it reveals about a player who seemed cool, calm and collected in ripping off his first four wins over a span of six starts.
“That’s an honesty we don’t get very often. That, to me, was shocking that anybody admitted that that’s where they were. In today’s world of mental health and people understanding how important maybe letting those feelings be known,” said North, who has served as ESPN’s main golf analyst for nearly 30 years. “I thought it was quite amazing, but initially it was a little bit shocking that, whoa, in the old days, no one would ever admit to that. But I think that’s the beauty of so many of the younger players and athletes and people who are focusing on how important it is to have serious discussions about how you feel.”
“My first reaction is wow, why would you say something like that?” Strange said. “I’m not going to say I ever cried in the morning and almost was overcome with emotion, but I spent a long time in the bathroom more than once. Is that the same difference?”
Strange broke into laughter.
“Why would you say that?” Van Pelt interjected. “You’ve got a problem with a guy sharing his emotions? You’re telling people that you were on a toilet? No one wants to hear that.”
More laughter ensued.
“I thought it was awesome, Curtis, because here’s a guy that he has such a maturity that belies his age, and his outward, what he projects is that nothing fazes him,” Van Pelt said. “But here he is on that morning, and I think it’s that epiphany, that holy bleep moment. I’m in the last group, and I’m No. 1 in the world, and I’m supposed to win. Well, what if I don’t? Or am I really ready to do all this?”
“He was in Butler Cabin on Friday night,” Van Pelt continued, “and I asked him, I said, ‘Look, when you won in Phoenix and you won in Bay Hill, match play is different, but you weren’t leading.’ There’s a weight that comes with leading. I said, ‘I’m not trying to sell you on it’s bad to be up five on Friday. Of course it’s not. But now there’s expectation, and everyone’s looking at you.’
“It seems like come Sunday morning that weight landed firmly in his lap. I thought it was just fantastic that he shared how heavy it was. Then how did he respond? There he was in the Green Jacket. I just thought it gave you context that a guy who hadn’t shared with us much that he felt those things, and here he shared it with the world. Maybe it’s easier to do that when you’re wearing the jacket because now you can be truly honest about it. I thought it was really cool.”
It was certainly a revelation no one saw coming from Scheffler.
The relationship between dog and human family is like nothing else.
And this week, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt captured it in the best but most moving way.
Van Pelt took nearly six minutes of his edition of SportsCenter to talk about the passing of his dog Otis, who sat behind him whenever the host wrote anything or was on Zoom interviews. He eulogized Otis beautifully but also captured the love between dog and family, particularly for his.
“Simply by his presence,” Van Pelt said, “he has been a joyous and loving constant every single day of our lives.”
Watch the whole thing, although I will warn you that if you have lost a dog recently or ever, it may be tough to watch:
The golf world is abuzz with anticipation that Tiger Woods could play at the Masters next week for the first time since being involved in a single-car crash.
ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt was texting with a PGA Tour pro on Tuesday and joked that if Tiger Woods plays in the Masters next week the rest of the field could play in the nude and no one would know that they were even there.
“I’m kidding, obviously,” said Van Pelt, who will host ESPN’s coverage of the first two rounds of the Masters from Augusta National, April.
The golf world – nay, the sports world – is abuzz with anticipation that Woods could play for the first time since being involved in a single-car crash last February that could have ended his life and nearly required his right leg to be amputated. Woods flew in his private plane to Augusta, Ga., on Tuesday along with son Charlie, and reportedly played 18 holes.
“It changes everything,” Van Pelt conceded, of the coverage of the first men’s major of the year. “He’s the singular player in the sport. There’s people tracking his plane yesterday like it’s an SEC (conference) coaching search, and just the idea of him going up there and what’s going on and is he going to try, and if he plays, then that becomes its own lane of coverage. It’s Tiger. We all know what he is and what he represents, and if he’s going to try to play after what happened and the car accident – by the way, fellas, it’s not just him playing a tournament, it’s him playing the Masters Tournament. It would be quite something from a coverage standpoint.”
Tiger Woods plays a shot on the first hole during the second round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 13, 2020, in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Speculation is running rampant that Woods will play for the first time since competing in the PNC Championship in December, a two-man scramble with his son. That was contested on a flat Florida course in which he was allowed to ride in a cart. Augusta National, in contrast, is considered the toughest walk on Tour. In multiple interviews during the Genesis Invitational in February, Woods dismissed any talk that he could return as early as April for the Masters and conceded that his recovery was proceeding slower than he expected. But there he was in Augusta, spending the day testing his surgically-repaired leg that had a rod inserted into his right tibia to determine if he can walk the hilly terrain.
“I’m so excited that he looks like he’s putting forth an effort to think about it and test his body. Is he going to play? We have no idea. But it looks like he’s testing himself, and that is a good thing, and how else would you test yourself other than to go walk and play and get up there and play some practice rounds and see if you can walk the golf course, see how the leg holds up, see how the game is,” Strange said. “When you practice and walk and work out at home, it’s a different animal than when you get to the site and walk the golf course, which is the hardest walk in golf, Augusta National, and walk the golf course and put yourself in that element and that atmosphere, and I applaud him for trying because he’s got to start somewhere if he’s going to play again.”
When Van Pelt noted that how Tiger felt when he woke up after playing Augusta National likely is more relevant in the decision-making process for Woods than how he felt during the round on Tuesday, ESPN analyst Andy North weighed in.
“Can he even get out of bed this morning?” North wondered. “Because it’s one thing to do it that one day, but to do it four days in a row, on this golf course – I struggled on this golf course all the time walking around, and what he’s gone through, I think it’s marvelous that he’s giving it his best effort.”
Woods is a five-time winner at the Masters, and claimed his 15th Masters title when he came from behind on the back nine to don the Green Jacket once more in 2019. Woods last played in the Masters in November 2020, when he made a 10 on the 12thhole in the final round, his highest score on any hole during his career. He rebounded to birdie five of the last six holes.
“Having known him as long as we have, the thought that he went down to his place in Florida and grinded his butt off to give himself a chance doesn’t surprise me, and it shouldn’t,” Van Pelt said. “I long ago stopped trying to define what a successful week would look like for this dude.
“Now, you can roll your eyes at ‘I only compete if I think I can win’ and should a 46-year-old man play on a compromised leg, and let’s not forget a fused back, should he think he should win? Well, no, not reasonably, but it isn’t reasonable that a guy with a fused back in 2019 beat all those guys that he beat. I’m not putting any limits on him if he’s able to play. But I’m very surprised based on what I thought I knew that the possibility not a week out exists that he could play.”
“To be in this position where people are actually talking about this guy might actually play in the Masters, I think that’s amazing,” North added.
“He likes challenges, doesn’t he?” Strange said rhetorically. “This is certainly going to be a challenge. I look forward to it. I hope he plays. It’ll certainly be an exciting week.”
One ESPN host questions how real the injury to Derek Stingley Jr is.
Derek Stingly Jr was brought up as a topic of conversation on Tuesday, and not in a positive light, according to The Daily Advertiser.
In a discussion surrounding the name, image, and likeness of college athletes, two big names were brought up. Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler and Stingley Jr. On the “SVPod”, ESPN host Scott Van Pelt questioned the legitimacy of Stingley’s injury that has sidelined him for an indefinite amount of time.
“I start to wonder: How long are these deals worth?” Coughlin said. “Because it can’t be good pub if you’re pushing a company, and you went from Heisman frontrunner to getting benched. And the other one with Stingley, I don’t see him playing another game for LSU. And you talk about the hype he had.”
“Because he got injured,” Van Pelt interjected. “Because he got injured, allegedly.”
“That’s what they said,” Coughlin said. “That’s what they said.”
“People listening, you see Steve’s reaction, it’s like, ‘Eh,'” Van Pelt said. “Well, I mean look that LSU thing’s gone off the rails. Which in a fascinating way, you look at LSU’s schedule, and it’s like: Wow, is Ed Orgeron really going to go from — we won a title to they run him. Look at their schedule. It could happen.”
Based on what is going on down in Baton Rouge, why stop there with that level of accusation. Why not question Eli Ricks or Kayshon Boutte? I think the injury situation for the Tigers is absolutely awful. To think there is any lack of validity to it is just another piece of evidence that you could look at in a negative light for head coach Ed Orgeron.
For a player to use an injury as an excuse not to play with how things have looked is pretty damning. However, when Stingley went down with that nagging camp injury, the team was 2-1 and would improve to 3-1 after the Mississippi State game.
Personally, I don’t question the injuries of either Eli Ricks or Derek Stingley Jr. Both players missed time during fall camp for injuries, and quite frankly, they just haven’t looked the same this year. I would just chalk it up to a bad season and some unfortunate bad luck when it comes to your best players on the team.
LSU will host the Florida Gators on Saturday, kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. CDT.
ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, Curtis Strange and Andy North on Tiger Woods’ absence, Dustin Johnson’s defense and stories from the Masters shop.
Curtis Strange remembers a quiet atmosphere while walking the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club last fall.
“It was completely different from start to finish,” said the two-time major champion and ESPN golf analyst about the November Masters, won by Dustin Johnson. “When we went on air and the red light came on, we tried to act as normal as possible, and I think we did a good job because it was the start of the Masters, but it was different.”
It’s difficult to remember what “normal” life was before the COVID-19 pandemic. From a golf perspective, fans are getting a bit of a refresher with the build up to next week’s Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
“Without patrons, it lost a lot of its soul, there’s no question about that,” said ESPN’s golf and SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt. “I do think it will feel far more familiar and ‘normal’ this next week, even as so many things we typically do won’t.”
As the first men’s major championship of the season returns to its spring position on the schedule, Strange, Van Pelt and Andy North joined a group of reporters on a conference call to preview the event and discuss what changes they expect to see in this year’s tournament compared to the fall.
Tiger and DJ
You can’t talk about, or even think about, Augusta National or the Masters for long without the 2019 champion, Tiger Woods, coming up.
The five-time Masters champ is still recovering — now at home — from a February car crash near Los Angeles after hosting the Genesis Invitational. Woods’ fractures from the crash are on the upper and lower parts of both the fibula and tibia, where a rod was inserted to stabilize the area. Screws and pins were used to treat other injuries in the ankle and foot, while doctors sliced muscle in the area to relieve pressure and swelling in the area (a safeguard against infection).
“I think (at Augusta), more than any other place they play, you think of Tiger. So much of his career sprang through that lens. From that bookend in ’97 hugging his father to ’19 hugging his children in essentially the same spot. You can’t help but think about him,” said Van Pelt. “I think because he’s won there and Tuesday with the Champions Dinner, you get together with that very small group and trade the stories and what have you, that his presence will be sorely missed.”
The conversation moved from the 2019 to the 2020 champion, Dustin Johnson, and his chances of defending his title just five months later.
“There’s not much that bothers him,” said Strange. “As I was talking to Butch Harmon yesterday, he said, ‘You know, he hasn’t played great the last three times out, no worry. No worries at all.’”
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The Masters shop
Entering the Masters shop and leaving with a loaded bag is a rite of passage for anyone who’s been lucky enough to take a trip down Magnolia Lane.
North, a two-time major winner who’s best finish at Augusta was a T-12 in 1979, said he doesn’t go in the shop, “but my wife sure does.”
“Every year she comes back with more stuff than I can even imagine,” said North with a laugh. “But it is pretty cool. That logo is a pretty darn famous logo. From a gift standpoint, if you’re giving that to somebody, they usually appreciate it.”
Strange’s oldest son and daughter-in-law are in town this week, and he’s refusing to even look at his credit card statement. Van Pelt once left an entire bag of gear in an overheard compartment of an airplane. Everybody’s got a story from the shop.
“You just think you’ve got to be done. Who else could I need something for? Then every year, you’re like, ‘that’s a handsome quarter zip. Mom kind of likes that visor,’” explained Van Pelt, who spent $200-plus on ball markers to give away to friends and family.
“It’s every year. It’s a tradition unlike any other.”
Professional golfer Justin Thomas went to Alabama.
So when Thomas appeared on “SportsCenter” with Van Pelt the night that the NCAA Tournament bracket was chosen, Van Pelt noted that Maryland and Alabama could play in the second round. The two joked about a wager on the potential game that involved Thomas’ $2.7 million purse for winning The Players Championship.
Alabama and Maryland ended up meeting Monday night in the round of 32. Alabama won comfortably, 96-77.
Van Pelt tweeted Monday night during the game, “I’m going to owe @JustinThomas34 2.7”
They settled on something more reasonable — lunch at The Masters.
Thomas replied to Van Pelt on Tuesday, “:) it’s ok. The win was enough for me. Buy me lunch at @TheMasters we’ll call it even.”
The Masters is scheduled to take place April 8-11.
Van Pelt discussed the wager on his podcast “SVPod” on Tuesday.
“I appreciate him allowing me to wiggle off the hook there,” Van Pelt said. “I sent him a text that said, ‘Hey man, do you take checks?’ And he said, ‘I just hope we can keep it going.'”
Van Pelt then compared Alabama’s dominating win against Maryland to professional golf and the tough task of following up a great performance with another one.
“You see somebody shoot 64 in a round on Thursday, one of the hardest things on the PGA Tour to do is shoot another great score the next day,” Van Pelt said. “Same person, same course. Why don’t you, why can’t you go shoot a great score the next day. Nobody has a really great explanation for it.
“Now in basketball, clearly, playing Maryland and playing UCLA, it’s a different team,” Van Pelt added. “But you’re the same team, and so, why would you maybe not shoot it as well the next game. Well, because sports are odd. This tournament is a one-off. You get 40 minutes on the clock. What can you do with those 40 minutes?”
Alabama is scheduled to face UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Sunday, March 28 at 7:15 p.m. ET.
