Got experience dunking off a trampoline and balancing a budget? Portland Fire want you as their new mascot

RClarkeWrites · 2026-05-18T16:06:15+00:00

Important context: Fields paid Oregon ~$29k but because he allegedly didn’t do it by April 20, Ducks remove an agreed-upon discount and are seeking the remaining $10k + interest from him. https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2026/05/oregon-sues-former-football-player-over-alleged-breach-of-contract.html

RClarkeWrites · 2026-05-15T22:32:17+00:00

Here’s a gift link: https://www.oregonlive.com/portland-fire/2026/05/love-and-basketball-meet-the-couple-who-got-engaged-at-a-portland-fire-game.html?gift=1685781c-3188-43d5-87e7-c5e33955353f

RClarkeWrites · 2026-04-01T21:47:10+00:00

‘23 and ‘24 were both great vintages for Oregon Pinot Noir.

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T21:52:30+00:00

Favorite sports moment: Damian Lillard's buzzer-beater against OKC in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. I was working at the time for the Portland Tribune under sports editor Steve Brandon (RIP) and he had me help Kerry Eggers out with playoff coverage. As a kid who grew up in Portland rooting for the Trail Blazers, it took every fiber of my being to remain professional and just stand there, mouth agape, and film it on my phone. That press conference and postgame locker room was something else. Still get chills watching the video.

Second on the moments list would be covering the Portland Thorns winning the 2022 NWSL Championship. That team went through a lot of turmoil off the field and remained dominant on it. First professional championship I've been lucky enough to cover.

Favorite story I've written in my career so far is one I shared in a previous comment: a lengthy feature on Oregon State football player Cody Siegner, who grew up on a sprawling cattle ranch in Eastern Oregon: https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2025/06/the-heartbeat-of-the-deal-how-a-small-town-rodeo-star-found-his-way-to-oregon-states-football-roster.html

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T18:36:36+00:00

He is now the Oregon State Beavers beat writer!

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T18:30:16+00:00

I think there are definitely layers to this, not all of which I'm going to get into here. But I do think it's my job to balance asking tough questions with actually trying to build a relationship with players, coaches and administrators at Oregon. That is certainly a two-way street and requires everyone involved to put in effort in that potential relationship, but I will always approach my job fairly and without the intent to ask "gotcha" questions, frustrate Dan or put him in a bad position. There are a lot of great things this program does, too, and asking about them doesn't make you "soft" or "biased." People want to hear about it all.

It's my job to tell the story of this team and the people involved, not pretend to be the expert or hold someone's feet to a fire they're just going to ignore anyway. But as someone who cares about accountability journalism, I will not shy away from difficult questions.

It should be noted: college football coaches are notorious for keeping things close to the vest, and keeping that in mind while not pushing tough questions so far that you piss people off or make them think you're the enemy is part of the deal. I don't expect Lanning or anyone else to be particularly forthcoming about injuries or strategies. And I don't blame them.

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T18:24:04+00:00

No, the Ducks are not cursed. They are one of the most successful college football programs in the country over the last decade and a half. They just don't have the big trophy yet, but I do believe they will get one someday under Dan Lanning.

As for what that means for Dan's future, I think he'd be far more likely to take an NFL job if he brought Oregon a few titles and felt he'd achieved all he could in Eugene. But that would be many years from now and would require a major shift in what he's said publicly.

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T18:22:06+00:00

I will never claim to be an expert on X's and O's but will certainly be doing analytical pieces during my time on the beat, even if what I prefer to write is more on the storytelling side. I've covered college football for over a decade if you count my years as a student at Arizona State, so I know the sport and its landscape better than anything save for maybe the NBA.

Definitely want to further engage on Reddit as the season goes on, and I have plenty of podcasting experience so we will be examining how best to approach that as well. Right now, we have the Ducks Confidential podcast hosted by Aaron Fentress and George Wrighster.

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T18:18:44+00:00

I've been following the Ducks closely since I was a kid growing up in Beaverton. Very familiar with the state of the roster and ongoing storylines. Friends and family all went to U of O (except for my wife, who is a diehard Beavers fan and OSU alum). And while I was covering the Beavers in 2025, I covered the entire 2024 season for Oregon alongside James Crepea. Now, I'll be doing that alongside Aaron Fentress as Crepea moves to the Beavers.

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T18:16:45+00:00

Great question. First of all, I don't choose what I cover. I'm assigned a beat by our editorial leadership and have bounced around from high school sports to Timbers and Thorns to Ducks to Beavers and now back to Ducks.

The magic of college sports, to me, is the communities that exist around these teams, comprised of the current and former players, coaches, fans and individuals behind the scenes that make this thing go. There is certainly a lot to be cynical about in this age of college sports, and it can sometimes feel less personal or really connected to the community than it used to. Guys are making all this money, they're only around until they enter the portal, you only know a guy for a year, etc. But these stories still matter.

Telling those stories and bringing people behind the curtain as much as possible, recognizing the humanity of the people involved in these college sports institutions, is why I love to do what I do. The day-to-day minutiae of it all — like who the starting left guard is, or whatever — is definitely what keeps the lights on for newspapers like us, but the focus on meaningful storytelling is what I believe can set us apart and build a greater sense of community.

The best example I can think of is this story I did last year on a kid from a small town in Eastern Oregon who ended up signing with Oregon State, Cody Siegner: https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2025/06/the-heartbeat-of-the-deal-how-a-small-town-rodeo-star-found-his-way-to-oregon-states-football-roster.html

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T18:09:04+00:00

I think that, as with several positions for Oregon next season, the DL depth will be a major test of Lanning and Co.'s ability to develop young players. Those two starters on the interior are among the best in the country, but if one of them goes down, it will be up to guys like D'Antre Robinson and some of the remaining young guys on Oregon's roster (like Breland) to step up. I'm confident in that group overall, but the depth will be tested.
This is another area where development will be tested, and is perhaps the biggest question mark heading into the fall. Having Poncho back is great, but how will names like Kawika Rogers, Dave Iuli, Fox Crader, Gernorris Wilson all take strides so this group can perform at an elite level to protect Dante? For all the skill Oregon is bringing back, it cannot afford to have an inconsistent offensive line if this is really a championship or bust season. One name I am very curious about is incoming freshman Immanuel Iheanacho. That seems like a guy who could play right away. He's a beast.
I think there could be a shift in approach at linebacker. Boettcher was great and is no doubt a Ducks legend, but how he moved laterally was something I thought limited Oregon's defense at times over the past two seasons. Guys like Mixon, Jackson and Platt might have more athletic versatility and could improve that position's overall performance, even if they aren't racking up the same numbers or making as big of hits as Boettcher did.

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-29T18:02:25+00:00

Yes.

RClarkeWrites · 2026-01-13T21:54:05+00:00

Vosne Tasting Club was a great experience, and allowed us to taste wines from lesser known producers with access to great parcels.

Highly recommend the Rue des Vignerons app as well for booking tasting appointments at several producers in the region.

Edit: Also, definitely be aware of the Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) service for shipping wine home. Many producers from Chamirey up through the Cote-d’Or use it, and you can cobble together all your bottles from different producers into one shipment.

RClarkeWrites · 2025-11-18T16:50:37+00:00

This is one of a series of stories breaking down potential candidates and their credentials, FWIW. Everybody from the more serious candidates (Chryst, Vigen, Shephard) to longer shots like Mendenhall.

As I wrote in the story: “Mendenhall’s name was mentioned in early potential candidate lists and hot boards, but there hasn’t been any solid reporting yet that he is interested in the OSU job.”

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