The long-awaited spring game is quickly approaching. Not only will it be the beginning of the Mark Helfrich era, it will also be a great opportunity for incoming players along with second-year players who may not have played much last season to come in and prove that they belong on this team. Coach Aliotti is one of the biggest advocates for the spring game and had two reasons pertaining to why he likes this time of year so much.

“You get to see the younger guys, where they have come from last year as freshman or guys that didn’t play that much see how much they have advanced in their knowledge of the game and then how they play,” said Coach Aliotti at practice. “You get to put in schemes and try things with what I call the ‘non-consequence offense and defense.’ If someone throws a touchdown pass, oh well, you move onto the next play; plus, you don’t have to game plan for games, which is nice,” he added.

“If I get De’Anthony, he’s not coming out,” said Coach Aliotti jokingly.

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Oregon baseball took on UCLA in a three-game series at PK Park over the weekend. The Ducks struggled mightily in the first two contests, losing both 1-0 and amassing five errors in the process.

Oregon woke up in the final game on Scott Heineman’s three-RBI triple in the fifth inning, winning 5-3. Here is a full recap.

Mark Helfrich starts a new era in Oregon football, as will Chip Kelly in his NFL debut with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelly will have an uphill battle as he attempts to rebuild a 4-12 team from last season, and it will all start with their decision of who they will draft with the No. 4 pick this Thursday night. Quarterback Geno Smith is a name that continues to pop up on the Eagles’ radar, but with Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Dennis Dixon, there is no telling what the Eagles will do with their top five pick.

Here is a breakdown of the situation in Philly from The Associated Press.

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The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and while teams are fighting to stay alive, awards for the regular season are beginning to pour out as well. Among the first awarded was J.R. Smith of the New York Knicks, who won the Sixth Man Award according to a league source. Smith led all bench players in the league with an 18.1 points per game average and really improved as a player on both ends of the floor. As the Knicks pursue an NBA title, Smith will be the key and has proven so far that he is up to the challenge as his team leads the Boston Celtics 1-0 in their series matchup.