Oregonian Sports

The hosts of the Blazer Focused podcast‚ Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, discuss general manager Joe Cronin receiving a contract extension and agree that coach Chauncey Billups should be next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For just the second time in history, the NCAA Tournament has given us four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four, which starts Friday in San Antonio. Is that good for college sports? The Oregonian Sports Podcasts are split on the matter. Cohost Brenna Greene is on the scene for the men’s Final Four after spending the previous week at the women’s regional in Spokane. She breaks down the scene there and pre...

The hosts of the Blazer Focused podcast‚ Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, discuss the Blazers’ unexpected 127-113 win at Atlanta, Deni Avdija’s second triple-double, Toumani Camara’s chances of landing on the All-Defensive team and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The true joy of the NCAA Tournament is that it makes stars of unlikely players. And that can occur both on or off the court. One example was a clip of The Oregonian Sports Podcast hosts Bill Oram and Brenna Greene during crunch time of Oregon’s second-round loss to Arizona in Seattle. Sitting behind the national TV broadcasters, the hosts engaged in animated conversation. What were they talking ab...

The hosts of the Blazer Focused podcast‚ Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, discuss the Blazers making noise in the tight race for the final play-in berth in the Western Conference and more during the latest episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oregon men are back in the NCAA Tournament and, like last year, back in a 5-12 matchup. Unlike last year, the Ducks are the 5-seed team. Can they overpower Liberty and play for a chance to get to the second weekend in Newark? The Ducks are encountering one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. And while March Madness is defined by buzzer-beaters and threes, will the Flames act...

The hosts of the Blazer Focused podcast‚ Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, discuss the Portland Trail Blazers' fading play-in hopes, the play of Scoot Henderson and Deni Avdija, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every once in a while something so remarkable happens that it jumps past all the other very important events of the day and becomes banner news. So while the Oregon men are moving through the Big Ten tournament and two in-state women’s teams just battled for an NCAA Tournament berth, Bill Oram and Brenna Greene absolutely had to start this week’s episode of the Oregonian Sports Podcast with a thor...

The Portland Diamond Project has been kicking around ideas for so long that it may take time for some to catch up to the fact that the proposal has transformed and gained real momentum among elected officials and business leaders. Is baseball on the South Waterfront a real possibility? That’s unclear. But what’s certain is that this is an aptitude test for Portland when it comes to taking a big sw...

The hosts of the Blazer Focused podcast‚ Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, discuss the Blazers winning five out of six, what Kyrie Irving being lost for the season means for Dallas and the Blazers, the rise of Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija, plus what reaching the play-in would mean for the franchise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oregon men’s basketball team has rediscovered the spark that keyed its early season run. After an impressive come-from-behind win at No. 11 Wisconsin, the Ducks are looking more and more like a team that could make noise in the NCAA Tournament. At the center of that is their Mr. Clutch, Jackson Shelstad. On this episode of the Oregonian Sports Podcast, hosts Bill Oram and Brenna Greene discuss...

The hosts of the Blazer Focused podcast‚ Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, discuss the team's recent winning streak, chances of reaching the play-in, Shaedon Sharpe’s career night and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the Blazers announced improvements to the Moda Center video boards that will feature 7,520 square feet of LED screens and increase the existing center scoreboard by more than 50 percent. Improvements to the 30-year-old arena have been a long time coming, and with the Blazers seeking fan input on the forthcoming project Bill Oram and Brenna Greene discuss on this week’s episode of the Or...

The hosts of the Blazer Focused podcast‚ Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, discuss where the Blazers stand after losing three consecutive games entering the All-Star break and once again dealing with injuries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Blazers were one of only four teams to sit out the trade deadline, a decision that sets the stage for what should be a competitive final two months of the regular season. On this week's episode of the Oregonian Sports podcast, hosts Bill Oram and Brenna Greene break down the state of the Blazers, their chances to actually reach the play-in and how they find a star (or stars) if reaching the to...

The hosts of the Blazer Focused podcast‚ Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, discuss the team winning nine of 10 and what that means for the rebuild, Thursday’s trade deadline, coach Chauncey Billups and the future of the franchise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Blazers’ recent run of success has created something of a conundrum. They have won five of their last six games, are playing hard and delivering an entertaining style of basketball. They are also at risk of locking the franchise in the NBA’s version of no-man’s land. That’s the main topic of discussion on this week’s episode of the Oregonian Sports Podcast. Hosts Bill Oram and Brenna Greene we...

The Trail Blazers have hit a winning stride. Is that a good thing for a team that is attempting to rebuild through the draft? It seems likely the roster is headed for another second-half shutdown after the trade deadline. Plus, Brenna eats crow for her confidence that her beloved Gonzaga would have no problem at Oregon State.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Blazer Focused podcast, hosted by Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, jumps all over the latest developments surrounding the team. Scoot Henderson continues to shine. Anfernee Simons bounced back. Shaedon Sharpe lost his starting role. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oregon fans harbored hopes of watching the Ducks play in the national championship game on Monday in Atlanta. That dream was crushed about three plays into the Rose Bowl as Ohio State overwhelmed Oregon, bringing an abrupt end to one of the best seasons in program history. With the Buckeyes now in the championship game against Notre Dame after edging Texas in the Cotton Bowl, many Ducks fans may b...

The Blazer Focused podcast, hosted by Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, offers well-earned praise to Scoot Henderson for his performance against the Nets. But was it just a fluke? Also, why does Deandre Ayton coast at times, and should the Blazers regret not trading Damian Lillard to Miami for a package including Tyler Herro? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

We’ve had a week to process Oregon’s 41-21 loss to Ohio State in Pasadena. While the Ducks were badly outplayed by their opponent, the system that put them in that matchup remains a topic of much debate and scrutiny. On this week’s episode of the Oregonian Sports Podcast, hosts Bill Oram and Brenna Greene of KOIN unpack the New Year’s debacle, including whether the Ducks should consider any staffi...

The Blazer Focused podcast, hosted by Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach, examines the team's solid play lately, especially that of Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons and Deni Avdija. Plus, the trade deadline is coming up on Feb. 6. What should the Blazers do? And would we trade for Zion Williamson? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s finally time for the Grandaddy of Them All. On the eve of the Rose Bowl, co-hosts Ryan Clarke and Bill Oram preview Oregon vs. Ohio State for this special edition of Ducks Confidential. Does recency bias favor the Buckeyes, and which position groups will decide this one? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s time for another episode of Ducks Confidential, an Oregonian Sports podcast about the Oregon Ducks. In this edition, columnist Bill Oram and senior writer Joe Freeman discuss the connection between Dillon Gabriel and Marcus Mariota, the two Hawaiian-born quarterbacks who have engineered the most successful seasons in Oregon history and share a unique bond that extends beyond football. How did...