Oregon
May the Spirit of Bill Walton Reign Over Oregon Basketball | FishDuck
OK, let’s get it out of the way.
Yes; his quirky, rambling, meandering and obscure commentary during basketball telecasts could be extremely frustrating — evoking reactions ranging from cute to cursing, endearing to eye-rolling, joy to “you’ve gotta be joking,” and from a sense of comradery to cursing. And, for some, simply anger.
But, for many of us, doesn’t that sound a hell of a lot like the state we love?
So, in a sense, Bill Walton was Oregon.
I pulled Mr. FishDuck from his fun where he learned how a Fanatics Sportsbook NC Promo Code will help you maximize your potential earnings if you are adding stakes to any game. He had a number of memories about Walton, being a lifelong Oregon resident.
During telecasts Walton had an odd habit of referencing his 1977 championship Portland Trailblazers teammates. Maurice Lucas, Lionel Hollins, Johnny Davis and Larry Steele to name a few. I would assume the vast majority of the viewing audience had no idea who those players were. He was talking to a minority of us Oregon sports junkies almost as an inside joke, to which I would find myself in exasperation, responding, “Bill! Nobody knows who Dave Twardzik is!!”
And that encapsulated my general feelings toward Walton. I loved him and liked his color commentary, but sometimes he could drive me crazy.
Walton was an old hippie. He loved the Grateful Dead, riding his bike, nature, and Oregon: the state that adopted him after he brought its only professional sports championship in 1977. Walton came from Southern California, but Oregon was in his DNA. He had the good sense of putting others ahead of himself over the “me first” glamour of his native Los Angeles. This way of life served him well on the basketball court as he was one of the best passers and most unselfish players the game had ever known.
The 1977 final pitted the Trailblazers against the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers. As an egoless entity, the Blazers epitomized “team.” They played like graceful figure skaters on the hardwood where passing, off-the-ball cuts, and basketball IQ were emphasized over scoring and individual accolades. Coach Jack Ramsey would famously run practices where the ball would not touch the floor as the elegant sound of squeaking sneakers rang like Mozart in the ears of basketball purists.
In contrast, the Sixers were a motley crew of outlaws (think Jailblazers) with immense flash and talent led by the Michael Jordan of the 70s, Julius “Dr J” Irving. The Sixers were favored and had more individual talent than the Blazers, but wherein the sum of the whole was greater than that of the individual parts for the Blazers, the opposite was true of the Sixers.
In today’s era of NIL and transfers it is difficult to put together a true team as the “me first” mentality rules the day. Because of this, Dana Altman has had a difficult time putting together a true “team” the past few seasons, as the Ducks have always been at their best when they fielded a team as opposed to a group of self-directed individuals. The Luke’s (Jackson and Ridnour) under coach Ernie Kent, the 2017 Final Four team, and the Payton Pritchard era were all about team-first.
Altman is known for getting his teams to play their best toward the end of the season. Only a true team can grow together throughout the season and continually improve. At 65, and with an outstanding sophomore floor general leading the way in Jackson Shelstad, it feels as if Altman has at least one more great run of “team basketball” left in him at Oregon.
As long as he can get them to play Bill Walton basketball.
Oregon, the humble, quirky little state tucked away in the Pacific Northwest not known for its flashiness (minus uniforms) but rather for a collection of underdogs and misfits like Ken Kesey, Steve Prefontaine, and Phil Knight who rise to do great things. And that is what Oregonians relish the most.
Whether you loved or disliked Walton’s public persona, it was easy to recognize his joy, kindness, self-deprecation, and giving nature. At the very least, and above all else, you could see that Walton was a good person.
R.I.P. big man, and the piece of Oregon that passed away with you.
Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: From X
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah.
Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.
Oregon
Career criminal creep with 166 arrests, 55 convictions since 1999 sentenced to life in prison
An Oregon creep with a record-setting rap sheet cataloguing a staggering 166 arrests dating back to his teens was finally sentenced to life in prison on Friday.
Joshua Cory Nealy, 41, was slapped with the hefty life sentence without possibility for parole for a January 2023 arrest where he flashed a female clothing store employee and a security officer, according to a news release from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
The misdemeanor charge, which would usually land first-time offenders behind bars for just one year, did him in after a whopping 55 prior convictions, including seven felony charges.
Nealy was already on parole when he strolled into the Washington Square Mall in Portland and started schmoozing with a skeptical clothing store clerk.
The repeat offender sifted aimlessly through the store and collected a random assortment of clothes. He asked the female clerk for assistance while he was nude in the store’s changing room — then “opened the door fully and exposed himself to her,” the release said.
Nealy invited the woman to have sex and attempted to cajole her into the dressing room. The victim quickly flagged down a security officer, who Nealy also flashed before fleeing the store with a stolen pair of sunglasses.
Officers with the Tigard Police Department — located one town over from the mall — nabbed the registered sex offender that same day.
Before Washington County Circuit Judge Theodore Sims remanded Nealy to life in prison on Friday, his attorneys tried to argue that the repeat offender had a “compromised mental state.”
The lawyers cited a police report from Nealy’s 2007 attempted rape conviction that described how he “was using ‘crank’,” the street term for meth, “had been awake for two days and expressed his belief that his mother was the Queen of Southern England,” as reported by Oregon Live.
They also noted the defense’s sentencing memo for his first public indecency conviction, where he was apparently talking gibberish during the ordeal.
Then, the lawyers alleged that Nealy was “under the influence” during the incident at the Portland mall.
Despite their efforts, Nealy was handed the life sentence in accordance with a state statute that requires the imposition for defendants who have two prior felony sex crime convictions.
Court records obtained by Oregon Live show that Nealy still has two outstanding cases for assault and attempted assault in Washington County.
Nealy, whose criminal record dates back to when he was just 14 years old, was previously charged with attempted rape, robbery, various assaults, failure to report as a sex offender and more.
Oregon
Oregon’s 1,500-Acre Dog Park Paradise Just Outside Portland Offers Off-Leash Terrain, Trails, And River – Islands
For many dogs, a perfect day involves playing catch in a giant field, sniffing around a dense forest, and topping it all off with a swim. Just outside of Portland, Oregon, which Forbes calls one of the best cities in the U.S. for dogs, lies the Sandy River Delta, where dogs can have their perfect day. The park offers close to 1,500 acres of pure, off-leash dog bliss where the Sandy River meets the mighty Columbia. This land was once a part of the Watlala Nation and was visited by Lewis and Clark, whose team camped on the shores of the Columbia here.
Almost the entirety of the park is off-leash. The park has five trails where dogs can be off-leash, beaches, rivers, and fields that are all open to sniffing, running free, and playing catch. You’re able to hike the trails with your dog roaming along at their own pace. The trails allowing dogs off-leash range from 0.25 to 2 miles long and showcase different ecological zones in the delta. The forests are full of interesting smells for your pup, and the meadows are wide and open — perfect spots to play with other dogs that are also having their best day ever.
The Sandy River Delta is located in Troutdale, Oregon’s “Gateway to the Columbia River Gorge.” Standing in the middle of the park, looking at the views of the gorge, you’d never know that downtown Portland is 17 miles to the west.
There’s so much for you and your dog to do at the Sandy River Delta Park
The areas a dog must remain on-leash are: the parking lot, bathrooms, picnic areas, and within 100 feet of one of the park’s main treks, the Confluence Trail. If you take a route that crosses the Confluence Trail, your dog is allowed to be off-leash, as long as they don’t disturb hikers. A fenced section on the park’s eastern edge is closed to people and pets to give wildlife some peace and quiet. Other than those specified areas, your dog has plenty of acreage to explore. Just make sure your dog doesn’t dig, and please pack out their waste!
Humans have something to look forward to here, as well. The Confluence Trail runs 1.25 miles along ADA-compliant gravel leading to a bird blind designed by architect and sculptor Maya Lin. The elliptical bird blind is made of wooden slats inscribed with the name and current conservation status of the 134 different species Lewis and Clark encountered. Lin is a renowned artist whose work appears at places like Storm King Art Center, one of the largest outdoor sculpture parks in the U.S.
How to get to the Sandy River Delta Park and what’s nearby
One practical note: bring a towel for your pup. The park offers a lot of water for your dog to swim in, and the shore gets pretty muddy. The cool water is a refreshing treat for your dog in the middle of summer. You can hike to the Sandy River and a side channel of the Columbia easily. Don’t worry — the nearby forest provides free sticks to toss into the water for your dog to fetch. To get to the Sandy River Delta from wherever you are in Portland, take I-84 East. The parking lot will get full on the weekends, so get there early or go late. If the parking is full, you can park down the street at a free lot across from the river and enter through a trail.
After all this running around and sniffing, you deserve a treat, too. Portland is one of the top five foodie cities in the U.S., and that love of good food doesn’t stop at the city borders. A mile down the street from the park is the Sugarpine Drive-In, a restored gas station casually serving gourmet food and ice cream sundaes. The New York Times said the Cherries Jubilee Sundae was one of the best dishes in 2024. On the way home, stop at McMenamins’ Edgefield location — a former farm that is now home to a pet-friendly hotel, multiple bars and restaurants, a spa, a brewery, distillery, winery, golf course, and an outdoor concert venue that consistently brings in nationally touring acts.
James Denny named Sublimity in 1852 after one look at the scenery, and the view still earns it. Green farmland meets the foothills of the Cascades and the streets stay short enough that the local baker knows you by the second visit. Saint Boniface Catholic Church anchors the town with a Carpenter Gothic steeple from 1889. Silver Falls State Park sits 10 miles east and is Oregon’s largest state park, with ten waterfalls along a single loop trail and old-growth Douglas firs over 300 feet tall. Together those four things explain why Sublimity earns the friendliest-small-town title in Oregon.
Sublimity’s History In A Nutshell
Native American trails and mountain streams crisscrossed what would become Sublimity well before settler arrival. The area worked as a small trading post and then a pioneer gathering place by 1852, when a post office opened and James Denny named the town after the surrounding scenery. The first school went up in 1856, followed by Sublimity College in 1857. The town was larger then than it is now. The Civil War triggered a sharp population decline as settlers returned east to fight and many farms were abandoned. New residents brought the farms back to life by 1874. Four years later a grid was laid out across twenty blocks, and Sublimity officially incorporated in 1903.
Downtown Sublimity
Downtown holds plenty for an afternoon stroll. On South Center Street, K’s Coffee runs deep couches and good coffee for sitting and chatting. PanezaNellie Breadstick Shoppe on NE Starr Street covers baked goods including pizza slices. The Wooden Nickel on North Center Street sells homemade bread and fresh produce from local farms.
After meeting a few of the regulars in the shops, walk over to 375 SE Church Street for Saint Boniface Catholic Church. The church was built in 1889 in the Carpenter Gothic style with a 110-foot steeple, and the grounds include the historic St. Boniface cemetery on one side.
Outdoor Activities
Silver Falls State Park is the area’s outdoor answer. The park sits 10 miles east of Sublimity and is Oregon’s largest state park at around 9,200 acres. It sits in the state’s temperate rainforest zone with waterfalls and old-growth trees. A $10 day-use parking fee covers hiking trails, picnic sites, biking paths, and camping access. The Trail of Ten Falls is the headliner, a 7.2-mile loop that passes ten waterfalls. The trail stays open year-round, runs at its fullest in spring, and pulls fall foliage crowds in October.
Beyond the falls, the 6-mile Catamount Trail handles mountain biking through dense forest. Tree Climbing at Silver Falls offers guided climbs up the park’s Douglas firs, some of which top 300 feet. The campground along South Fork Silver Creek has 43 tent sites, 14 cabins, and 48 electrical sites, with ice and firewood for sale plus restrooms and showers on site. Smith Creek Village offers another stay option with cottages, cabins, and lodges plus amenities like TVs and kitchenettes.
Sublimity Events
Back in town, the calendar carries several events that double as introductions to Sublimity residents. National Night Out is one of the town’s signatures, held in partnership with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Vendors, food, and live music fill Church Park, with the event also raising awareness for community-police ties.
The other anchor event is the Night of Twinkling Lights and Tree Lighting on the first Saturday in December. The Light Parade is the headliner, with locals decorating their floats or vehicles and parading through town to City Hall, where Santa lights the town Christmas tree. The parade then moves to the fire department for photos with Santa. The next morning, people return to the fire department for the annual Candy Cane Breakfast with biscuits and gravy. The Sublimity Harvest Festival in September is the other big event, with monster trucks, pull events, an entertainment tent, and a row of vendors.
Where To Stay In Sublimity
Sublimity has a way of stretching a quick visit into a two-day stay. The Bridgeway Inn and Suites offers continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi for the overnight crowd. The Rodeway Inn and Suites is the other option, with free breakfast, Wi-Fi, a pool, and a fitness center.
Why Sublimity Earns The Name
Sublimity walks the walk on friendliness. The local baker treats you like family before pointing you to the next shop for whatever else you need. A sidewalk hello can turn into the best conversation of the week. Whether you are cheering at a monster truck event or watching Santa light the town tree, the unpretentious warmth this place runs on gets harder to find anywhere else.
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