Year’s 10 biggest sports stories

1. BlazerMania

“The electrified crowd, packed around the stage like they were watching a rock band, showed their belief with thunderous applause as head coach Nate McMillan, team leaders Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, and other team members thanked the crowd and charged the fans with optimistic predictions.”

— Brian Hendrickson, former Columbian Blazers beat writer, published April 17, writing about the Blazers’ playoff pep rally at Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square.

BlazerMania, a contagious fit of fandom that spread from the other side of the river well into Clark County, returned to the region in force. Brandon Roy went to his second consecutive NBA All-Star game. LaMarcus Aldridge stepped up his game to become the team’s No. 2 guy. And, after the season, both were rewarded with long-term deals to remain in a Portland uniform for years.

The team excelled, winning 54 games last season and tying Denver for the Northwest Division crown.

Playoff time arrived, and the Blazers, for the first time since 2003, were still playing. Considering the franchise went to the playoffs 21 consecutive years before that drought, well, it’s easy to see why fans were so ecstatic about the team.

Sure, the playoff run did not last long. Houston beat the Blazers in the first round.

But BlazerMania was back. And that was a good start to the rebirth of a proud franchise.

1. BlazerDepression

“Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden went down. The Rose Garden became silent. And the Blazers’ once promising season was delivered a major, unexpected blow.”

— Brian T. Smith, Columbian Blazers beat writer, published Dec. 6

The picture that was published in The Columbian, as well as on ESPN.com and Yahoo Sports, showed the abnormality. Something serious. Oden fractured the patella is his left knee. His season was done.

It is the second season-ending knee injury Oden has suffered since the Blazers drafted him first in 2007. And with any injury to a big man with this franchise, it automatically became the talking point of this season. Voices filled with panic from fans on the radio talk shows, comparing Oden to Sam Bowie, the player the Blazers took instead of Michael Jordan in 1984.

At the same time, Oden’s injury is only one of many setbacks for this team as it opened the 2009-10 season. Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw, and Rudy Fernandez are all injured. Then, just a couple weeks after Oden’s season ended, his replacement in the starting lineup, crowd favorite Joel Przybilla, went down with a season-ending knee injury of his own.

On top of all this was the news that team owner Paul Allen is battling cancer.

All in all, a difficult end to 2009, a calendar year that started on such a high.

1. Semifinals times two

“They battled each other all the way back in Week 1. …

“Now, here we are, approaching Week 13 of the football season. Both teams are still alive in the playoffs, with Skyview in the state 4A semifinals and Union in the 3A semis. Both teams have been showing off their November intensity against their opponents in recent weeks.

“And both are rooting for each other.”

— Paul Valencia, Columbian reporter, published Nov. 25

Union expected to make it to the state semifinals this season, and so did just about every football fan out there.

Skyview expected to make the state semifinals, too, only the players, coaches and their fans were the only ones who saw it coming.

Southwest Washington high school football is not exactly the hotbed of the sport in the state. But in 2009, two teams displayed greatness, from Week 1 through Week 13.

Both nearly made it to Week 14, as well. Union lost to state power Bellevue 19-13 in a defensive battle. Skyview lost an offensive clash, 46-41 to Ferris in Spokane.

And all of Clark County could pick a side. East side or West side. Or they could just root for both, representing Vancouver all the way to the final four.

1. Huskies rejuvenated

“It was euphoria. Delirium. And as a wave of fans rushed down from the stands and swarmed the field, a sea of swaying purple and gold formed in the middle of Husky Stadium. The game was over: Washington 16, No. 3 Southern California 13.”

— Brian T. Smith, Columbian reporter, published Sept. 20.

A year removed from an embarrassing 0-12 record, the Huskies brought the buzz back to Husky Stadium. Washington, under new coach Steve Sarkisian, was no longer an easy win on the schedule for the Pac-10 powerhouses.

Case in point: The win over USC.

The Huskies were briefly ranked in the Top 25 — remember, they also almost beat Louisiana State — before inconsistent play led to an inconsistent 5-7 mark.

But after 0-12, 5-7 looked pretty good.

The Huskies have their bark back, thanks to Sark.

1. Columbia River’s athletic success

“It wasn’t good enough for the Columbia River Chieftains to just win the biggest game in school history. They had to add some drama.

“They had to make it legendary.

“The Chieftains recovered from a disastrous final minute of regulation to come back in overtime to beat Bellevue in the semifinals of the Class 3A state high school boys basketball tournament Friday night at the Tacoma Dome.”

— Paul Valencia, Columbian reporter, published March 14.

“There would be no settling.

“After fighting its way into the Class 3A state championship match, the Columbia River girls soccer team was determined not to let negative emotions slip in and deny it something special.

“So, for the second day in a row, the Chieftains ignored doubt — and doubters — and claimed the ultimate prize.”

— Paul Danzer, Columbian reporter, published Nov. 22

Hardly anyone outside of Clark County gave the Columbia River boys basketball team much of a chance at state in 2009. Oh, the Chieftains made for a fine high school basketball team. But Columbia River was not a state power by any means. But they were money in Tacoma for three consecutive nights, winning their way to the state championship game.

The Chieftains ended up losing in that final game, settling for a program-best second-place trophy. And they became the first big school from Vancouver to play for a state boys basketball championship since Evergreen won it all in 1995.

Then this fall, the River girls soccer team took an even more impressive ride through the playoffs. The Chieftains, who finished third in the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League, finished the season on a 10-0-1 run, culminating in a state championship — a shootout win over Mercer Island.

That’s a fantastic calender year for the Chieftains.

1. Northwest basketball

“Ken Bone got the phone call he had been waiting for Thursday morning, but Steven Bjornstad let the suspense build as long as he could with his new coach.

“Bjornstad, a two-time all-state forward from Columbia River High School, called Bone to accept a basketball scholarship at Washington State.”

— Howie Stalwick, contributing writer for The Columbian, published July 3.

Another wild ride for college basketball in the state. Washington won the Pac-10’s regular season title. Gonzaga made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. And then, coach Ken Bone left Portland State for Washington State. And in the middle of all this, Columbia River’s big man, Steven Bjornstad, asked out of his letter of intent to Nevada, then signed with the Cougars.

1. Griffey, trades highlight M’s year

“Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to return to the Seattle Mariners.

“ ‘He’s coming home. … I can’t begin to tell you how ecstatic we are. He is, too,’ Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said in confirming the deal.”

— Gregg Bell, Associated Press writer, published Feb. 19

“It’s aces galore in Seattle.”

— Gregg Bell, AP writer, published Dec. 17

The Mariners welcomed Griffey back to Seattle, then they ended up with a winning record, going 85-77 while making their fans believe again. This offseason has been good to the team, as well. Cliff Lee was traded to Seattle, a gift to wrap up the 2009 year with thoughts of Felix Hernandez and Lee leading the pitching staff in 2010. Oh, and Ken Griffey decided he wanted to play another year. So he will be back in 2010, too.

The mojo is back.

1. Lots of fish

“The biggest run of spring chinook salmon — almost a half million — since before construction of Bonneville Dam is forecast to enter the Columbia River in 2010.

“State, federal and tribal biologists announced Thursday they are predicting an upper Columbia run of 470,000 spring chinook, arguably the finest-eating salmon in the world and the fish that fuels angling frenzy from the ocean to Idaho.

“The fish begin entering the Columbia in serious numbers in March.”

—Allen Thomas, Columbian outdoors writer, published Dec. 11.

The biggest outdoors story in 2009 will play itself out in 2010. A record 80,000 jack spring chinook salmon returned to the Columbia River in 2009, roughly four times the previous high.

Fish fanatics know jacks are 3-year-old chinook and tend to forecast the next year’s run of adult 4-year-olds.

State, federal and tribal biologists spent weeks working on a forecast for 2010, finally settling on a predicted record-high 470,000. Forecasts for other spring chinook streams, including Oregon’s Willamette River, are improved, too.

1. Seahawks woes

“The Seahawks took the field in one of the league’s most legendary stadiums Sunday, and put on a nearly historic performance.

“Historically awful that is, requiring a record book to show just how bad Seattle’s 48-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field truly was.”

— Danny O’Neil, Seattle Times, published Dec. 28

Where have you gone, Walter Jones? And Mike Holmgren is not walking through that door, folks. A year after going 4-12 in Holmgren’s final season as coach, new coach Jim Mora has the team at 5-10. But of those 10 losses, nine have come by double-digts.

And the Seahawks do not have a general manager nor a president right now. And without some leadership, it is difficult to be optimistic for 2010.

1. Warner makes College Hall of Fame

“Life is more stable now for Curt Warner.

“He no longer has to fight for yards, plow through lines and shake off defenders. And Warner’s life now consists more of offering deals than it does dealing out hits.

“But from 1980-90, Warner was one of the top running backs in college football and the NFL.

“And today, he is one of 18 members of the 2009 class of the College Football Hall of Fame whose accomplishments will be celebrated during a National Football Foundation press conference at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York.

— Brian T. Smith, published Dec. 8

Warner is a longtime Clark County resident, owner of a car dealership, and just happened to be one of the best NFL running backs during his playing days with the Seattle Seahawks. Before then, he shined at Penn State. Now he is an assistant coach with the Camas Papermakers. And now, he is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.