Years ago the NFL's iron man standard was Raiders center Jim Otto. Wearing his famous 00 jersey, Otto played 14 seasons without missing a game at football's most unheralded and unglamorous position.
Off Piste
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Enough Already: Campaign slogans and lawn signs
A run down of the highs and lows of campaign season and some tips on yard signs.
Chicago's late Mayor Richard J. Daly was famous for fracturing the English language.
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Warming Up: Gathering wood for winter
The Bend tradition of gathering autumn firewood appears to be making a comeback this year.
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Twenty-five years ago on any given autumn weekend, Century Drive would be virtually bumper-to-bumper with old pickup trucks loaded with firewood. Firewood gathering, along with the opening of hunting and fishing season was a Bend tradition.
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Bend Brews: An exercise in shameless self-promotion of my new book
Bend Brews, a new book about Bend’s beer culture, tells the stories of our area breweries.
This past winter local photographer and passionate beer lover, Andre Bartels, approached me with the idea of collaborating on a book about craft beers and the craft-brewing business in Oregon.
I immediately envisioned myself swilling every possible ale, lager and stout in the state in a short but oh so sweet project.
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All In: Addicted to ESPN's World Series of Poker
Poker may not be a sport, but it makes for some great television thanks to characters like Chris Jesus Ferguson.
It's Tuesday afternoon and when a friend calls to see if I want to meet him for a beer around six, I say I can't. That's because it's World Series of Poker night on ESPN and I'll be glued to the show from 6 until 8.
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Food on The Table: A fitting end to NeighborImpact’s fund raising campaign
NeighborImpact expands its emergency food program after an 11-month fundraising project.
It's one of those stories that won't get much press but should. It's how NeighborImpact recently completed a successful 11-month fundraising campaign to expand their emergency food program.
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Going South: Oregon big time college festivities and fandom take on an SEC look.
When did Pac-10 football fans start channeling the SEC?
First came the over-the-top pre and post-game tailgate parties. Then came those little pennants that attach to car windows and stand straight out and flap in the breeze at speeds over 10 mph declaring love for either the Ducks or Beavers.
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Ride On: Out of our way, we’re important
What with this past Saturday being what looked like the last sunny day for some period of time, a friend and I took a mountain bike ride. A ride up a trail that gets a lot of downhill traffic from riders who have been dropped off in the high-country.
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Skoal, Cheers, Prost: Drinking lite ain’t what it used to be
According to recently released beer industry figures, lite beer sales are down are whopping 9 percent while craft (microbrew) beer sales are up an equally whopping 12 percent. An easy case can be made for the fact that craft beers simply taste better and lite beers, well, they don't taste like much and as beer drinkers get more fussy — well, you get the idea.
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Election 2010: the season of spite
A guest on one of the political talk shows this past week offered: “there's nothing quite like the throw-the-bum-out energy during an election season.” How true.