The Beavers(17) are favored by three over the Ducks(23) in the biggest Civil War game I can recall. OSU can lock up a trip to the Rose Bowl for a rematch with Penn State(8) with a win over UO. You probably already knew that. Here are some things you might not have known about the Civil War rivalry. Local goalkeeping monolith and University of Oregon alumni Dave Cudo has made an interesting wager with Chris Provencher, the pub manager at CSP. If the Ducks win this Saturday, Chris will change the "O" in "Cudo Investment Services" found over both indoor goal mouths at CSP, to a Ducks "O". But if the Beavers are triumphant, a proud Beavers style "O" will adorn both goals. Even though Dave is a Ducks fan, I still like having him in the net and investing with his Raymond James office in Corvallis. 
In 1999 the Northwest Dodge Dealers Civil War Series was created to determine the top bragging rights in Oregon across all sports. Each match up with Oregon in football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, cross-country and soccer count towards the series winner. Both schools are currently deadlocked at 4-4-1.
In women's soccer, the Beavers trail behind the Ducks with 4-8-4 record. UO does not support a men's soccer program. Here are the results of each Civil War between the soccer programs.
Soccer Civil War History:
I think "Cudo" looks great with an orange "O". What about you?
Thanksgiving is the season to be thankful. So here is a list of things I am thankful for from a soccer perspective.
1. Noon pick-up soccer at OSU
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I get to break up my work day with some exercise and touches on the ball at the regular noon game. Experts agree that a mid-day workout can can have a number of benefits including increased energy and focus in the office.
2. Corvallis Sports Park
I've been pretty critical of CSP recently but that doesn't change the fact that CSP's existence makes my life much more enjoyable.
3. Corvallis Parks and Recreation Outdoor Soccer League
Although the league is rather modest, it gives me a chance each fall to play outdoor soccer matches without leaving the city limits.
4. Corvallis AYSO
While a number of local youth soccer organizations have faded away, AYSO in Corvallis remains a healthy grass roots organization. I like knowing that my baby daughters will have an affordable place to play soccer in Corvallis in a few years.
5. Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV
I have never in my life been able to consume so much soccer on television. I could do without the 7:00 AM kick off times though.
6. Oregon State University Beavers Soccer
Not only do I get to watch NCAA Div I soccer matches live, but admission is free.
7. Blogger
Without Blogger I would just be boring my in-laws to sleep with this list over a turkey full of tryptophan.
8. Benton County Health Department
Annually, the Benton County Health Department organizes the only outdoor soccer tournament for adults held in Corvallis.
9. My teammates
Another group I am often critical of, but playing soccer by myself just isn't as fun.
10. My wife
Who enjoys playing soccer herself and allows me to gluttonously indulge my soccer obsession.
Did I miss anything? What are you thankful for?
I consider the Corvallis Sports Park to be a city treasure. My wife and I both count playing indoor soccer as a favorite activity and it is not uncommon for us to spend two or three nights a week there playing soccer or just meeting with friends. I've enjoyed CSP for the past decade and I look forward to enjoying many more years there with my family. The Corvallis Sports Park is a significant and enriching part of my life.
The story I am going to share here is about my recent experience with the park. I wish I could say this experience has been positive. It has not. I am not sharing this story because I want to burn the business down or point any fingers. I have used the names of people only that are key to the story and have well known positions of authority.
I want the Sports Park to thrive so that my little girls, my wife, my friends and I can continue to enjoy the business in the future. I am sharing this story to facilitate a change at CSP for the better. What happened to my team and how we were treated by the Corvallis Sports Park was not acceptable. I hope that this story helps CSP reevaluate their business policies and refocus on providing an exceptional level of service to its patrons.
I have tried to keep it brief. I think this is very important and if you are a Corvallis Sports Park customer I hope that you read and consider my story.
On Monday, November 10th my friend and team manager Elias went to the Sports Park to register his team called El Sol de Mexico. Elias was reluctant to to play the park's top team like Bruno and Wrecked-Em so his intention was to register the team for the second highest men's division. The Corvallis Sports Park staff communicated to Elias that there would not be a Premier division. This would make the Upper Intermediate division the second highest men's division available. So Elias paid his $150 deposit and signed the registration form for Men's Upper Intermediate.
Later that week Elias received an email confirmation from CSP indicating that he was signed up for the Men's Competitive division. Elias replied by email stating that his team should be signed up for Upper Intermediate.
On Friday, November 14th while looking over the teams for next season on the CSP website I saw that there was a Premier division. This meant that El Sol de Mexico was registered for the third highest division at the Corvallis Sports Park. It should be noted that the El Sol de Mexico players are far too skilled and competitive for the Upper Intermediate league. It is my opinion that the team is a Premier division quality team. I shared this with Elias and he went to CSP after work that same day to try to move the team into the Competitive division.
Elias was told by the CSP staff that a reschedule was not possible. I do not know if any attempt was made by CSP to understand why Elias was seeking a division move. That night Elias requested that he be contacted by the CSP managers, Blake or Megan regarding the situation.
On Saturday Megan contacted Elias and pointed out to him that his registration form and email indicated that he wanted to be in the Upper Intermediate division. And that his signature was on the form. The Corvallis Sports Park would not take responsibility for providing incorrect information that mislead Elias' decision.
I spoke with Elias on Sunday and he felt that the situation was his fault and that there was nothing that could be done. I asked Elias to let me try to help. I left a message with the Sports Park that I urgently needed to be contacted my management.
That afternoon I spoke with Blake by phone. He opened the conversation by pointing out that CSP would not reschedule and that they would refund our team deposit. This spoke volumes to me about my value as a customer. I asked if the Sports Park would take responsibility for providing Elias with misleading information. In brief, Blake stated that it was not CSP's fault that Elias did not know there would be a Premier division. Essentially denying that Elias had even been misinformed. Either Elias was misinformed, dillusional or lying.
Blake stated that Elias should have known that there would be a Premier division because he has been playing at CSP for years. I could see how Elias was made to feel that it was his fault. I asked Blake if he would feel foolish if the staff person who told Elias there would not be a Premier division told him so personally. The conversation quickly but civilly ended.
Even as I write this I wonder if a little flag started waving somewhere. Blake called Elias. At first he remained adamant about denying any responsibility. Then Elias told him who had inadvertently misled him in the first place. It was his own niece. Blake changed his tune as I imagine he considered the difficulty of maintaining plausible deniability. He told Elias that he would see what he could do and for a time Elias and I were both hopeful.
This afternoon we received word that despite being a full week away the start of next season, CSP would not reschedule. Instead they would receive a $150 team discount and remain in the Men's Upper Intermediate division.
Consider if you ordered a decaf latte and received a caffeinated latte. Would you expect a discount on your decaf or would you expect the correct latte to be made for you? Perhaps this analogy is not quite precise. What if you were told that decaf organic coffee was not available by your barista so you order a caffeinated organic blend. When your friend sits next to you and tells you that she is drinking a wonderful decaf organic coffee what would you expect of your barista?
It could be argued that it only takes a few minuted to make new latte so the resolution is low cost. But a latte might cost two hundred times less than a soccer team at CSP. At $650 a team for eight weeks I think it is very reasonable to expect a higher level of attention. Jeff Merten, a health benefits specialist and co-founder of the Corvallis Sports Park stated that if one of his agents mistakenly lead a client to enroll in an undesired policy that he would make sure the client understood the correct information and be allowed to enroll in the desired policy.
I wonder how the El Sol de Mexico restaurant would handle this kind of situation? Actually I know how. They brought my wife a new plate at no charge and apologized for the error even though my wife had told the waiter that she was happy with the order they brought to her. El Sol won us over that day.
I believe that CSP should do nothing less than take responsibility for the mistake and reschedule El Sol de Mexico into the Competitive division.
CSP has provided me with good service in the past. I am appreciative that the business has reinvested in new field turf and lights that enhance my playing experience. The pub has added new items to its menu to provide more attractive choices for me and other customers. I think our soccer community deserves exceptional service all of the time.
Am I expecting too much? What do you think? Do you have a story of your own?
Team registration for the upcoming indoor soccer season at the Corvallis Sports Park is over. But for you soccer bullies there still might be some time for you to do the right thing and enter the correct league. Need to think it over? Here is a single word to consider.challenging
(chal⋅leng⋅ing)
–adjective
1. offering a challenge; testing one's ability, endurance, etc: a challenging course; a challenging game.
2. stimulating, interesting, and thought-provoking: a challenging suggestion.
3. provocative; intriguing: a challenging smile. 
I'm really glad to see that there are a number of teams that are challenging themselves and moving up a division. I have a big "Yay!" for those teams and a loud "Boo!" for the soccer bullies.
Coed Rec
Boo: Outdoor Was Too Hard (apparently coed intermediate is too hard too)
Boo: Mr. Beaches
Yay: Glory Daze
Coed Intermediate Lower
Yay: Mojo
Yay: The Rookies
Coed Intermediate Upper
Yay: The Septopus
Yay: Rabbits (moving up at just 4-2)
Yay: Big Football Dynamite
Yay: Radical Effects (also moving up at 4-2)
Women's Intermediate
Boo: Mummies (MILB. mothers I like to boo)
Men's Competitive
Yay: Bruno (moving up despite the merry-go-round roster)
Yay: Wrecked-Em (where they belong but still a good example)
My Favorite Team Names:
Big Football Dynamite, FC Absoludicrous, Balls of Destiny (not related to San Fernando Valley produced film of the same name), CB4 (related to the Chris Rock film of the same name)
What do you think of the divisions at CSP? Are the teams generally the same level or does the wide range of levels reduce the overall playing experience? Why do some teams refuse to move up a league? Please share your comments with us.
Between November 10-16 SoccerPro.com is giving a away free replica jerseys. All you have to do is submit a trivia question (and answer) about your favorite team. It takes about one minute to do.
A new winner will be drawn at random each day. Your can submit any type of trivia you like. Quote: You can share anything - the biggest, most unheard of, most commonly known, most outrageous, most obscure, or greatest fact about your team.
Submit your trivia question:
http://www.soccerpro.com/replica-soccer-jerseys-giveaway.php
Remember to confirm your chance to win by email after you submit your trivia.
I love Corvallis and Team USA so my my trivia question was:
"What former player for Oregon West, a youth club based in Corvallis has earned a cap for the United States senior national team?" Do you know the answer?
Go submit your trivia and good luck!
My office got the new 2009 catalog for Despair, Inc. These two seemed appropriate...
At first glance SoccerPro.com looks like just another online store to purchase soccer equipment from. But they have an outside-the-box approach to their business that involves more than just drop-shipping shoes.
Soccerpro.com is building a soccer community and promoting the game through new web technologies such as their blog at http://soccerprose.com/, and the Goalmouth Scramble podcast which covers a popular free online soccer management game called SoccerManager. They have also created a charity called SoccerGrow which encourages their customer base to become involved in soccer related philanthropy.
Their unique business approach seems similar to Zappos.com to me. I had the opportunity to listen to the Chairman of Zappos.com speak recently at SpeakerLunch in Corvallis. Soccerpro.com has an innovative vision and it will be interesting to see where they go in the future.
Check out my soccer show buyer's guide.
I recently received a new pair of outdoor soccer cleats from SoccerPro.com. My shoe of choice was the Puma King Exec I FG, a higher end model designed for firm ground outdoor use. Here is a description of my selection process and my product review after a few games.
Why I wear Puma
I have exclusively worn Puma (and occasionally Adidas) for over ten years. That is because I believe those two brands manufacture soccer shoes that are more narrow in the instep. I like the snug fit around the middle of my foot without making my toes suffer. I wear an 8.5 in Puma and they haven't let me down with an irregular size yet which allows me to confidently order Puma soccer shoes online without trying them on.
Kangaroo leather
I love kangaroo leather. It just feels like the hide of a soft and furry animal. Uh-oh, will that get me in trouble with PETA? The benefit is a shoe that feels like a second skin right out of the box. The trade off is that kangaroo leather won't last as long as normal shoe leather or the high end synthetic uppers that are coming out now. Taking good care of your cleats can help extend their life though.
Blade style cleats
I was originally skeptical of bladed cleats but they have become my preference over the classic round studs. This is based on a more regular playing surface for handling the ball with the soles of my feet rather than any advantage in terms of traction. This isn't an overall big deal for me but all things being equal I like the bladed style cleats.
Puma King Exec I FG product review
At the time of writing this model is marked down to $100 at SoccerPro.com from the normal retail price of $125-$135. $100 sounds steep for a pair of cleats, but if your shoes last a year it works out to a little over $8 a month.
My first thought when I opened the box was that new shoe smell is awesome. When I got around to pulling my nose out of my shoes I next noticed their appearance. The simple design is a relief. Silver with one black strip on the outside, one black Puma on the inside and small black tongue. I really dislike the gaudy designs and color schemes that have been coming out lately.
Between the asymmetrical lacing and the kangaroo (K-leather) these shoes fit great. I like my soccer cleats tight around the instep but with a snug yet comfortable toe box. The Puma King Exec I FG model feels perfect. I didn't expect any trouble with "new shoe" blisters and after four matches I haven't experienced any discomfort at all. They are listed at 9.4 oz which is pretty light for shoe with a natural leather upper.
I've played with them in dry conditions and mildly wet conditions. The cleat pattern is designed for performance rather than comfort. Four blades on the heel and eight up front with just one in the center. Generally for traction on natural grass, less is more.
Am I happy with them so far? Absolutely. Would I recommend them? If it is within your budget and you are looking for a high performance shoe that won't punish your feet, the Puma King Exec I FG is a great soccer shoe for dry and mildly wet natural surfaces and artificial turf grass fields (the kind with synthetic grass blades and rubber aggregate).
SoccerPro.com 
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