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One of my favorite things about this job is the contrast.
On Monday, I was in the press box at Seattle Stadium for the first men’s World Cup match ever held in the Pacific Northwest.
Belgium and Egypt played to a 1-1 draw. It was energetic, inspiring and completely overwhelming. You can read my log of the day, or listen to Thursday’s episode of OPB’s Think Out Loud for my account of being a fish-out-of-water American football writer attempting to cover the world’s game.
On Wednesday, I was back in Eugene, having lunch at Fifth Street Market, which had the England-Croatia game on its TVs. It was quiet and calm, with patrons watching on their lunch breaks.
When I walked downstairs to meet with newly hired Sporting Cascades FC coach Darren Sawatzky, I found him watching the match on his phone. We had a great chat for a story I’m excited to share with you all next week — an interview that was quite a bit easier than trying to navigate Monday’s interview zone with all of the Egyptian media.
It was two very different days. I enjoyed them both.
I really do love events like the World Cup — similar to the Olympics — that can bring people together, whether you’re at the epicenter of the action or on the outskirts.
I’ll be back up tomorrow for USA-Australia, and you’ll be able to read my game report here on Lookout. I’m not alone in making the trek, either.
Today on Lookout, I wrote about Nathan Reid, an Oregon baseball super fan who is looking to the U.S. Men’s National Team, of all things, for a pick-me-up.
What a time.
The repeat champ
Did you expect anything else from Aaliyah McCormick?
A year after winning the NCAA 100-meter hurdles at Hayward Field, the Oregon senior returned to the track to defend her title last week — doing so with a 12.47-second win.
“I just tell myself that there are people coming for me,” McCormick said. “That’s definitely a starter for me — ‘Oh, people want to beat me.’”
They wanted to, but they couldn’t.
A long-distance call
While McCormick dominated the hurdles, it was Oregon’s Simeon Birnbaum who backed up his trash talk with a dominating win in the men’s 1500 meters.
Oregon’s sophomore ran a 3:36.05, pulling away from the pack and celebrating with a mimed phone call down Hayward’s final stretch.
“That last lap was a dream,” Birnbaum said. “I felt incredible that entire race.”
The Oregon men finished fifth overall. Owen Murray has the full report.
Lawsuit dropped
In football news, our Jaime Adame had the latest last week in the saga between Oregon and former football player Dakoda Fields.
UO was seeking $10,000 from Fields, a former defensive back who left the team before season’s end and transferred to the University of Oklahoma. But the university dropped the lawsuit, stating that Fields “has paid, and the University has received, the remaining money owed under the Parties’ agreement. Defendant has also paid the University’s estimated attorney fees and costs for pursuing this action.”
Duck of the week
Former softball infielder Paige Sinicki
Wanted to take a moment this week to mention Paige Sinicki, who earlier this month announced she has Stage 2 breast cancer.
Sinicki, who made 211 starts at shortstop for the Ducks between 2022 and 2025, said on her Instagram that she received the diagnosis late last year.
“I choose to attack each moment with gratitude, heart, growth and grit, because I know that’s what it takes for me to beat this,” Sinicki said. “I get to write my story, and I choose to write it this way, because no struggle is big enough to take you away from what you want most. Cancer has not and will not take away from the things I love.”
That’s easy Duck of the Week material.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“That last lap was a dream.”
— Oregon sophomore runner Simeon Birnbaum
STORIES I’m WORKING ON
Look for full coverage from Team USA’s match against Australia Friday evening on Lookout.
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Make sure to take your hydration breaks,
Tyson
