Home Media Oregonian’s John Canzano and Danny Moran Complete Luke Heimlich Hit Piece

Oregonian’s John Canzano and Danny Moran Complete Luke Heimlich Hit Piece

By
angry
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371

When the story of Luke Heimlich broke a few days ago, I patted the Oregonian on the back and said job well done. Reporting sexual assault of a star jock, going up against a powerful institution, and talking about a prevalent yet taboo subject all seemed like noble moves on the surface.

However, as the Oregonian continued to double-down on the story at every opportunity, I began to realize this wasn’t just a “public service” announcement, but rather that they seemed to have an agenda. My opinion changed decisively on Friday, when John Canzano wrote this piece.

The problem? Canzano telling Heimlich, an adult who has no pending criminal charges, and by all accounts an adult who has been a model student since arriving on campus, what is best for his future. If Canzano was simply upset and felt the original punishment was too lenient, then writing a piece saying so would have been appropriate. But this case went through the courts and everyone got their day and/or served their time.

Take a look at Canzano’s wording:

But I do know what Heimlich should do today. Recuse himself. Sit down.

I know we’re talking about two men named John and Luke here, but these aren’t apostles, they’re laymen, and his self-righteous wording sounds eerily biblical. It was at this moment I sensed we had a virtue-signaling, self-aggrandizing, self-righteous, high-horse hit piece on our hands.

“Recuse himself”? That sounds like a demand you’d hear from a God-fearing minister 50 years ago. “Sit down” [and not pitch]? For what active crime? As widely reported, Heimlich pleaded to certain charges and served the punishment that the courts, not John Canzano, deemed appropriate. My advice for anyone upset with a verdict, yet not a direct party in said verdict: if you didn’t like the outcome, and you are truly an advocate for victims (which would be noble, if true), then take it up with your local politicians and the courts. Become a true advocate through meaningful causes that enact change. In this instance, why doesn’t John/The Oregonian donate all ad revenue generated by this sensationalized story to the victim or a social program specializing in molestation rehabilitation?

But that hasn’t happened. I’m not convinced this was ever about the victim.

If we take a closer look at John Canzano, the picture isn’t of a man who sincerely cares about victims.

  1. According to Canzano’s article, if you extrapolate National figures, there should be approximately 70 registered sex offenders on the OSU campus. How many of their victims has John reached out to for stories?
  2. The State of Oregon as a whole has 28,736 registered sex offenders. Again, how many of these victims has he reached out to?
  3. There is strong evidence, from psychologists (acknowledged by the Oregonian themselves, and also strengthened via anecdotes shared by my readers, which I will post at the end of this article), that suggest making victims relive the experience is actually worse for them. So what does John do? He supports the publication of this story on the eve Heimlich is set to pitch the biggest game of his life. The story, of course, would be picked up by National papers, placing National attention on Luke, but more importantly, on the victim Canzano claims to care about most.

So personally, I don’t see a strong advocate for victims here. In fact, his words ring hollow, and the self-righteous nature of the piece screams of a man reacting emotionally in a way that just happens to benefit his newspaper. And that’s what this was always about: the Oregonian receiving the most attention possible to drive ad revenue, while hiding behind a thin veil of morality, caring, indignation, and justice. I can’t speak for the victim, but I know if I were the victim in this case, I’d find their transparent insincerity nauseating rather than visceral. On top of that, the entire world would know I was molested. Canzano never explains how this helps the victim he claims to care about so much. Nor does he ask the victim’s mother. One would think a sincere, caring individual would follow up and ask how much his article has helped. Yet, as of today, there is no article where the mother is quoted saying how this story has helped her daughter.

In my research of John Canzano articles, he almost always takes the contrarian position in order to maximize the Oregonian’s ad revenue. Even to the point he contradicts himself continuously.

Canzano opens himself up to examples of contradiction via the firm stance he took on the issue.

Some people, myself included, don’t believe a registered sex offender has a place on a major college athletics team. I don’t believe an athlete who has committed a violent offense, including domestic violence, belongs there either. — John Canzano

Let’s see if that’s true. Nope. In 2009, Canzano wrote an article praising Oregon for letting Rodney Woods, a Duck who committed Felony Assault in a case involving murder, get a “second chance.” Clearly John believed this player, who committed a violent offense, belonged on a football team. A football team in Oregon no less. If you read the article, he seems to view it as an uplifting redemption story. In the same article, he is open to giving LeGarrette Blount a second chance as well. Why? Well, because John is being contrarian to sell newspapers, and stories of redemption sell. Later, John writes this piece, which is a feel good story about how Blount made the most of his second chance.

Again, this from the man who wrote:

I don’t believe an athlete who has committed a violent offense, including domestic violence, belongs there either. — John Canzano

And what standard does he hold coaches to? When Oregon State head coach Mike Riley swept sex abuse under the rug, Canzano didn’t call for his firing. Yet, when Oregon basketball coach Dana Altman did the same with a (alleged) rape case, Canzano called for his head. Or did he? Two years later, when the Ducks are in the Final Four under Altman, Canzano shifts his tune and calls Altman:

A terrific coach. A deeply religious man. — John Canzano

How did Altman go from being an awful human being who covered up rape to being a terrific coach who is a deeply religious man? You could say Canzano got more information and changed his mind. Fair. But there is such a long pattern (Google his opinions of Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick) of inconsistent opinions that it’s hard to believe Canzano stands for anything except writing whichever stance will drive the most clicks on any particular day. Some days, being contrarian and bashing a coach gets the most attention, and some days writing a feelgood story sells the most papers. Canzano knows when to write which, and so that’s what he does. It leads to wildly inconsistent viewpoints and just exposes the man: his moral compass has a dollar for a needle.

What Canzano did is what I would call a “virtue signaling money grab”, veiled as a moral crusade for victims. It is truly sickening. Virtue Signaling is defined as:

  1. the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one’s good character or the moral correctness of one’s position on a particular issue.

One more piece of brilliant yellow journalism must be discussed. In this piece, still riding high on his horse, Canzano states, “The warm ovation for Heimlich from the crowd of 4,000 before Oregon State’s game on Friday night was troubling. It’s the kind of stuff I’d expect from fans at Baylor or Penn State. Maybe I’m missing what that ovation was about. But I don’t think so.”

Note how distorted, self-righteous, and sensationalized his viewpoint is.

  1. John wasn’t even at the game. Fans who were actually at the game confirm what was being cheered were general introductions.
  2. John compares the situation to Baylor or Penn State, two places where the institution was actively covering up ongoing criminal activity.

I could literally go through every bullet point in that article and point out Canzano’s distorted perception and grandiose, but I won’t insult your intelligence and instead will just assume everyone can see through him at this point.

So on that note, on to Danny Moran.

Moran could, and probably is, making the argument that, “I just reported facts that I found,” which is a fair stance. But the question with Moran is how he found those facts. He claims it was during a routine background check. However, per two former Oregonian sources, background checks are not “routine” (more below).

This is the Oregonian’s official stance on why they published the story.

Danny Moran, who covers the Oregon State baseball team for The Oregonian/OregonLive, didn’t set out to tell this story when he began interviewing Heimlich in March for a profile about his success as a pitcher.

He interviewed Heimlich on three separate occasions about his baseball background and his emergence as one of the Beavers’ biggest stars.

But journalists must always follow the story where the facts lead us.

After those initial interviews had been conducted, Moran performed a routine background check – something we do on profile subjects

This leads to more questions than answers.

  1. Why do a background check after conducting three interviews?
  2. What does he mean that journalists must always follow the story where the facts lead? Luke said something that lead them to do a background check?
  3. As noted, background checks are not routine, per sources, so why was one done in his case?

It seems more likely that they had completed their three interviews with Luke, and then someone tipped them off. This would fit the timeline better and explain why they did a background check after finishing interviews with him. A comment on the Oregonian article, which I can’t verify as fact, suggests as much and read as follows:

leahyfan
Routine background check is a lie. Heimlich’s estranged mother tipped them off the night before the most important start of her son’s career. Background checks are not SOP and most Oregonian reporters questioned said they had never run one on an athlete in 20+ years of beat reporting.

In researching this article, I made direct contact with a Oregonian writer who said in 30+ years of reporting for that paper they never conducted a background check. A second Oregonian writer confirmed background checks are not routine. Today, on After the Whistle, Moran confirmed that he has been talking with the victim’s mother, and that she continues to support what the Oregonian is doing.  This is consistent with the mother working with the Oregonian to push this story.

Another piece to this story, and one that I think was completely overlooked by Moran, is the significant distinction between juvenile courts and court for adults. As a member of my site eloquently explained it:

I’m not a lawyer but I’ve discussed this issue with a good friend who is one and who has defended on each side of the equation, that is victims and perpetrators. What follows are my words but his insights.

Juvenile offenders in the state of Washington, which is what LH was, are not convicted of “crimes” and therefore have no criminal history. This is important because the Oregonian and stories derived from their reporting refer to Heimlich’s “criminal past” and his being convicted of felonious conduct. Under Washington law, as a juvenile, Heimlich was “adjudicated” (that is, a judge decided) that he had committed an offense; strictly speaking, not a crime. He was “adjudicated” under Washington’s Special Sex Defendant Disposition Alternative (SSDDA) in lieu of detention. As a condition he had to undergo extensive psycho-sexual treatment and counseling, in addition to his location filing.

Moran’s greatest fault in dealing with this story, my attorney friend continues, was not having consulted with an offender/victim professional counselor before publishing his story. Had he done so he might have had a greater sensitivity to the consequences of such publicity to both victim and perpetrator.

The bottom line from my source is this: Juvenile law is intended to both rehabilitate AND punish, ,whereas the situation involving adults (for example the Brenda Tracy story) punishment is the only outcome sought by the law. Juvenile law, on the other hand, is, by its very nature, intended to obviate the life long consequences of a criminal record in order that the perpetrator might salvage the balance of his or her life. If juvenile offenses are to precipitate adult level consequences (which the Moran/Canzano thesis argues) then why have juvenile adjudication at all? Treat every one as an adult. In my source’s opinion, the Heimlich scenario is, seemingly, a textbook case of the system working exactly as it should have (we have a young man is has re-set his course and is on a productive course in life) but it was cut short by yellow journalism of the worst sort.

Finally, the idea that the Oregonian saved the victim. It’s what initially roped me into the story and made me think they were doing the right thing. And that’s likely exactly what it was intended to do. But here is a perspective from a father who’s child was molested at the same age. Per the comment section on my blog:

Hello, I have been reading this site for years but have never posted, however I feel like I can add a different perspective to this topic. I am a father of a boy who was sexually abused by a family member when he was 5 years old., he is now 10. My son is a warrior and a survivor, he is not a victim. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of him and how courageous he was when he had to be interviewed by the police, a therapist, a forensic therapist, the DA, and a grand jury. The case went public a month after the incident occurred. I can tell you that it was awful, and having it in the public view made it worse. It was in almost every newspaper in the state of Oregon and on the local news channels. Although, our names were not mentioned, it didn’t take much to figure it out and piece it together. My five year old son lost friends because of this…other parents were afraid to have their kids play with him.

Your first instinct as a parent is to protect your kid, and that is what we did. You have no idea how you will react until you are in that situation. I felt it all…rage, embarrassment, humility, the need for revenge, confusion, hopelessness..everything. But, through it all, the one thing that remained constant was to protect him. We still deal with it, from time to time he will ask about it and thanks to Danny Moran and John Canzano, we got to deal with it again when my son asked why isn’t Luke pitching.

The moral high horse that these guys are riding are insulting. They have no clue what families go through when things like this happen. The wounds and scars are still there and we are still dealing with the aftermath involving other family members. I cannot believe that it was OK with the mom to bring this up, in a fashion like this after 6 years. That is not how you protect your child. If it was “OK” with the mom then something else is going on there. As far as giving the victim a voice…that is not Danny and John’s decision to make…it is the now 11 year old girls decision to make when she is good and ready to make that decision on her terms.

I asked my son…would you want your story in the papers and in the news? His answer…”no”. I asked him if he forgave the person that did this to him…”yes”. Does the person deserve a second chance…”yes, but not with this family.”

The most powerful thing that we have done is to forgive…I was going to see the abuser at a court hearing for the first time since it happened and I was scared. But, I forgave the abuser, and that gave me the power. However, that does not mean that the actions he did were okay, they never will be. But for me, the fear was gone and I was in control of my emotions and I started to move on. I cannot and will not speak for my son, but I know he has forgiven his abuser. I know it makes him sad when he thinks about it. I know he wishes it didn’t happen. But he is not angry and he is not scared, he just doesn’t understand why and someday he will and maybe he will share his story with the public…but that will be on his terms, not some reporter trying to tell society how to behave.

I don’t know about you, but to me that is what sincerity looks like. John Canzano and Danny Moran should take a good look at it. Maybe they can learn from their mistakes in how they handled this situation and one day get a second chance.

371 COMMENTS

  2. They are in the media business. Keyword: BUSINESS. They seem to care about fame and making a buck, consequences to others be damned. Because yes, let’s resurrect wrongdoings by minors that have already gone through the courts, especially when the victim is still a minor and perpetrator hasn’t offended since. Very responsible.

    Even better, tie them to Canzano’s high horse so he can gallop to the swamps and drag everyone through the mud. Everyone’s better for it (or at least everyone at the Oregonian’s accounting department, but who else matters, am I right?)

    /s

    Reply

    • That’s the hope. Encourage you guys to do that.
      And thanks, BeavGirl. Took a while to write, but it was a group effort in the prior thread. All the brainstorming and ideas by you guys helped.

      Reply

      • I tried to share it, my comment was deleted by olive and now comments are closed on the article. It was the one about the writer from Omaha on his radio show.

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  4. Canzano has taken the position that, when it comes to sex offenders and offenses, “[t]here’s only one side.” http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2017/06/canzano_a_deep_dive_on_why_the.html

    I hope John Canzano reads Angry’s thoughtful, detailed post to see why that’s wrong, and to understand why many people see Canzano as a hypocrite who is motivated by clicks and dollars, not by genuine concern for the victims of sex offenses.

    I hope John Canzano also reads the following long article from the New Yorker, which goes into great detail to prove that, when it comes to juvenile sex offenses and offenders, there is a LOT more to consider: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/14/when-kids-are-accused-of-sex-crimes

    Of course, all of this assumes that Canzano (and Moran) are acting in good faith here and are merely ignorant, rather than working with the mother of the victim to pursue a vendetta against Luke Heimlich and Oregon State. As Angry points out, there is good reason to question that assumption. But that’s another story….

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  5. Thumbs up!

    Here’s one other question I have on the timing. Did the writing/reporting team ever contact OSU athletic dept. about an investigation into a prominent athlete’s past (before OSU) and want to comment? I know that Moran says he did, but I find it hard to believe that a timeline that supports something over 4 weeks or more, OSU athletics would hide, knowing that this would come out at some time.

    If there was a “tip off” to the O, this would be troubling on several levels. It meant that a source would have had knowledge of past and current circumstances. It would mean that rather than inform the university, they chose to go to the press – likely to inflict maximum damage.

    Keep up the good work.

    Reply

    • “After those initial interviews had been conducted, Moran performed a routine background check – something we do on profile subjects.” – Oregonian article

      Note the word “routine”, implying it’s their standard procedure. Other sources have indicated such checks are not routine.

      If a tip-off led to the background check, the Oregonian lied. I doubt we’ve heard the end of this story.

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  7. This is so true! Canzano doesn’t care about the victims. He has an agenda to ruin an great program. I usually find that people who yell the loudest have the most to hide! He wants to be a moral compass and yet he cheated on his wife that led to his first divorce. Nice upstanding guy who definitely isn’t my moral compass! Great article!!

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  8. Here’s a recording of today’s “After the Whistle” interview of Danny Moran: http://nbc16.com/sports/after-the-whistle/after-the-whistle-reporter-who-broke-luke-heimlich-story-joins-the-show

    Moran starts talking around the 3 minute mark.

    Moran starts by saying that the story was always aimed for release around the time of the tournament, and serious work on the story began in early May.

    [Note: Moran’s account appears to differ significantly from the explanation offered by the editor of the Oregonian: “Danny Moran, who covers the Oregon State baseball team for The Oregonian/OregonLive, didn’t set out to tell this story when he began interviewing Heimlich in March for a profile about his success as a pitcher.” http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2017/06/why_we_published_the_story_abo.html%5D

    Moran says that “a lot of the month of May” was spent on phone calls to relatives, coaches, teammates, to get a better idea of who Luke Heimlich is, and how he was able to have such success this year. Then on May 18, says Moran, he ran a “quick scan of court records” that were publicly available in Oregon “just to make sure that there was nothing that we had missed, pretty much expecting not to see anything”. Moran then goes on to describe finding the citation in Oregon, getting the records from Washington state, writing up the story, and publishing it the day before the start of the super regional.

    At around the 11:35 mark, Moran talks about checking in today (June 12) with the victim’s mother. Moran says that “there is continued support from the victim’s mother” for what the Oregonian has been publishing. Moran also says that “it was Brad Schmidt who conducted that interview” with the victim’s mother.

    At around the 13:44 mark, you can see program host Travis starting to read the tweets I sent him (asking whether the mother of the victim had in fact initiated contact with the Oregonian, not vice versa). Travis addresses those tweets around the 14:05 mark. Travis says Moran answered that, and that the Oregonian “always” does background checks before publishing profile stories on athletes (a “fact” that we, of course, know to be untrue based on information from two former sportswriters at the Oregonian).

    Listen to Moran for yourself and make your own decision on whether you think Moran is telling the truth.

    Reply

    • Retweets on Twitter, and posting it in any comment section you’re in on sports sites, forums, etc.
      Please do. I’d like the Oregonian to address it.
      And thanks!

      Reply

  10. Angry,

    This is nicely done. It’s important to present a professional document. I see a few minor typos and possible rewordings. If you know a professional editor it would be a good idea to run it through them before final publish if you hadn’t planned on it.

    You hit a point on my own list of points about retroactive punishment. Luke completed what was asked. If anyone disagrees with level of, duration, and kind of punishment, fine, do your part to change what may be unjust in your own mind but to punish 5 years later is off track and harmful.

    It’s good that you’ve questioned the highly questionable tactics and motives from The Oregonian and the yet-to-be-answered (if ever) timeline of their research into Luke. Moran “reached out to family members” and “did background checks” (Jason Quick says “no” about idea of routine background checks at The Oregonian). The fact they did one when it’s not usual policy and the order by which that happened is suspicious.

    (A separate question I have is how did the PUBLIC find out AT ALL about the officer (or whomever) approaching someone at Gill Coliseum about Luke’s missing his sex offender update? I have a hard time believing that would be proactively made public without someone (say, Oregonian or the victim’s mother) causing it to become public.)

    Finally, and this is partially covered in your piece…would an article have been written if Luke was NOT in a high profile, highly public position in his life as an admired athlete and likely high draft pick. Many want to use his high profile position as THE PRIMARY REASON to take him down when that is unfair.

    Unfortunately, abuse of power is so common in all levels of society that it may be that The Oregonian will still “hold power” after your piece is brought to light because, well, who questions a newspaper and really affects change? That said, this MUST be done and I appreciate your excellent efforts.

    P.S. Most noticeable rewording suggestion I saw…third paragraph from very top, I think it would be better if you add “If Canzano was simply upset and felt the (add word “original”) punishment was too lenient…

    Thanks,
    Timber

    Reply

    • Thanks, I made the edit. If there are typos just email and let me know where. “Contact” button on the right.

      They will still hold power, but hopefully some people will think twice and see things in a new light. Maybe some will boycott the paper? I’d personally like the Oregonian to address the questions posed and do so with facts (i.e. the emails/dates/etc). The only way that will happen is if it blows up on twitter. So far, the response on twitter is good, but definitely not where the Oregonian is going to worry about it.

      Reply

  12. I’m not sure the word I’m looking for (not bittersweet), but LH was going to face “punishment’ anyway because I highly doubt he was going to pass through the MLB background checks intact, right? Could this have also been a factor in The Oregonian’s decision? They might as well profit from it now since it won’t be “their local story” once LH gets drafted and the Beavs playoff run is over.

    Reply

    • I doubt it. Teams almost always turn a blind eye if there’s not a National buzz around a player. Some teams would decline him, but IMO most wouldn’t. There are some really shady people in MLB (i.e. all the scams to get a player in from Cuba) and all pro sports.

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      • Well then, LH’s preferred career is in tatters. Independent league or overseas will be the options. Should I contact Canzano and make sure that’s ok with him?

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        • He’ll probably return to OSU and re-enter the draft next year. But, he might sue the Oregonian for defamation (they used language in describing him that wasn’t true). It will be interesting. My guess is both happen. But maybe he goes overseas.

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          • To be honest, I can’t imagine Ed Ray letting him come back. It could get ugly. I hope he sues the shit out of the Oregonian.

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          • He could sue the university then also. What rule was in place saying he can’t play baseball/attend school? Has he broken a rule since being admitted? Oregon State is not in position to give him the boot unless he misled them prior to his admission.

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          • And now you’re starting to see all the legal snafus involved here… and why Luke had to sit himself, not be forced to do it. He made the right decision. And the right decision for employees of the State of Oregon is to not comment on a juvenile court case.

            Reply

          • ” I can’t imagine Ed Ray letting him come back. It could get ugly”

            Actually, it will get very ugly if Ed Ray tries to keep Luke out.

            The US Department of Education, in it’s “Beyond the Box” guidance to Universities emphasizes a case by case approach to those who have had experience with the criminal justice system. If asked about previous felonies, it gives the applicant this guidance: “If you have been adjudicated as a juvenile delinquent or have youthful offender status, you should respond to the felony question by checking “no.”

            We don’t know if Luke was even asked the question, do we?

            At any rate, Ed Ray would also have to show that Luke is a danger to others, a position which is not supported by his history as well as, even, the studies cited in Moran’s original article where Luke was termed, “no more likely to offend than anyone on the street”.

            https://www2.ed.gov/documents/beyond-the-box/guidance.pdf

            Reply

      • That was fast. Most of the comments were negative towards the writers so that’s probably why. Might have been afraid commenters would share this post, lol.

        Reply

      • Canzano has a bad reputation for posting his flaming opinions, supported by weak facts, and then shutting down comments.

        Perhaps Canzano AND the Omaha columnist should follow the Pac 12 network’s lead and not comment when they may not have all the facts. These guys aren’t reporting so much as they are engaging in debate and opinions.

        Reply

    • Sorry, but this Shantel guy sounds like the pervert……….”lots of little girls there”. WTF???? Are all journalists immature self-righteous idiots?

      Reply

      • Canzano thinks everyone knows him now, probably due to his arrogance — but he does have three daughters (he stated so in a rebuttal in the commentary).

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      • “”This is a kid’s event. It’s young kids event. It’s an old kids event, like me. There are teenagers here. Lots of young kids. Lots of little girls. It’s just not appropriate.”

        So by that logic he’s just supposed to avoid anywhere children might potentially be? Stay at home with the curtains drawn? That’s what it sounds like to me.

        Reply

  14. Excellent! Unfortunately, Twitter only allows 140 characters. Hard to get into any meaningful dialogue or discussions with 140 characters.

    I too brought up the Nov 2009 Rodney Woods article several times , rebuttal to both Canzano’s tweets over the weekend as well to Moran’s tweets. Neither responded but my primary goal was to show the world what a sanctimonious hypocrite Canzano is/was. Aggravated murder, a felony is no different from Heimlich’s felony. They are both equally bad…one felony is not better than the other. Both are heinous. Seems like a lot of pitchforks and “let’s burn him at the stake” are what I read this weekend. If you want to read an interesting perspective, read Dwight Jaynes’ article, maybe Sat PM on CSNW?? He basically comes out and says how long do we punish Heimlich? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?? Who are we, the court of public opinion, to continue to pile on?? You don’t like the punishment, work with your local lawmakers and representatives—at this point, he had followed his court approved punishment with exception of renewing his status with Benton County. There is more to this than meets the eye. End of the day, Canzano is a self-serving hypocritical POS!!

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  15. PS—a couple ways to really get their goats:
    1–cancel your Oregonian subscription–when ask you why, tell because of Canzano and Moran
    2–listen to Canzano’s show. Make a list of all of his sponsors and advertisers. Follow up with all his sponsors, via social media (Facebook and Twitter) and let the sponsors know you will refuse to shop, buy or use their products. That will make sponsors think twice.
    3–continue to tweet and attach Angry’s thesis to everything JC or Moran tweets
    4–I would hope the athletics department but especially Baseball (Hank Hager) denies Moran access or just flat out freezes the Oregonian out. No more quotes, no more access, etc. Just work with those in the media that are OSU friendly–Kerry Eggers, et al

    Reply

    • #4 – forget the OSU-friendly or else, that just makes us like the ducks. How about freezing access to people who are not responsible with information?

      Reply

  16. Great read, man! Canzano’s hypocrisy is so obvious here. He may be implying that sex offenses don’t deserve a 2nd chance, while assault offenses do (including one where somebody died), but who in the hell does he think he is to be the “judge” that gets to make that call?

    Reply

    • Ha, even his radio show intro feature sound bytes from people who have disagreed with him over the years. One of those soundbytes(which is fake, by the way) features somebody(sounds like kenny vance) saying “Who are YOU, to judge?”

      It’s his schtick. Always has been. Many of you are outside of Portland so you’re not as exposed to his tabloid journalism the way more local audiences are. He’s always been slimy

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  17. Thank you, thank you, thank you to angry and everyone who helped put together that response to the oregonian. It isn’t clear to me if they are going to publish it as an op-ed or if people who want to read it have to access a link.

    Reply

  19. Danny Moran interviewed today by ESPN — here’s a link to the video: http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19616576

    Moran starts speaking after the 1:10 minute mark.

    Around the 1:25 mark, Moran, for the first time, identifies the exact date that the documents were received from the State of Washington (May 30)..

    Around the 2:25 mark, Moran is asked “how did you get on to this story”. Moran says “in early May” he “started to research a profile” of Luke Heimlich, “talking to family members, different coaches, teammates”. “As were in the process of writing and reporting this story, did a quick search of court records. It’s pretty standard for something, a profile of this nature, that’s talking to this many different sources, and learned of the misdemeanor citation for his failure to report.”

    Every time Moran speaks about this, the story changes in small but significant ways. In this new version, research began in “early May”, and a “quick search of court records” was done as a “pretty standard” part of the process, where “many different sources” were interviewed.

    When a story keeps changing, it raises suspicions that the true story is being withheld or covered up. That seems increasingly likely here…..

    Reply

  20. Great job Angry! You nailed it & addressed everything worth addressing. I really think Luke should lawyer up and explore what can be done. It just seems like a blatant attack against him attempt to prevent him from getting drafted. I would also like to hear Luke’s side of the story but that probably won’t happen. Once again good job, you get a 5/5 carrot rating!

    Reply

  21. Good piece of writing. I appreciate how you don’t delve into any actual defense of Luke, but rather kept the focus on pointing out JC’s shitheadedness.

    It’s a fine line.

    Reply

    • definitely a fine line but angry towed it really well….If he had just taken 1/2 a misstep I could see a bunch of trolls going the “angry is a pedo apologist” bla bla route. haven’t seen a single post like that at all (for good reason, there’s nothing like that to run with lol).

      Reply

    • Good for you, Lundeberg and Gress at the GT deserve to see it as well. How about Brandon Sprague, he has been complimentary toward Moran but may be open minded?

      Not sure I’d waste time on Horowitz.

      Reply

  23. Back to baseball – Drew is picked 31st by the Tampa Bay Rays.

    Since he went higher than projected, he must have already agreed to a deal.

    Reply

  24. there’s a way to confirm Moran’s putative sequence of events. Angry should do a public records request for Pierce County, the county that is home to Puyallup, and determine when persons in the county auditor’s office corresponded with the Oregonian. All of Moran’s emails would be securable in that fashion.

    Reply

  25. I have seen this link a couple of times on my Facebook feed and I have now also posted on my wall. Hopefully within 24-48 hours it will get viral traction.

    Reply

  26. I deleted those last posts, per request. You can edit your own posts if you register an account, ReluctantPoster. Anyone can comment without an account, but that’s the perk of making one.

    Reply

  28. Wow, I just finished reading this and was really impressed. When I was 5 years old, I was molested by my 15 year cousin and she recently passed away and her passing brought those memories back to me. I don’t think I was ever angry, but I have to admit that I always thought she was a very troubled person.

    BTW, I caught the tail end of the John Canzano show today and happened to catch that that station sponsors none other than the DolphinII which is apparently a strip club in the Portland area. Mr. Canzano doesn’t appear to have any issues with his show that happens to be sponsored by a business that exploits not only women but also men. And quite often, these strip clubs are subject to random acts of violence as well as prostitution. I wonder how Mr. Canzano feels about the radio station that he works for that promotes the exploitation of women and men and contributes to random acts of violence as well as prostitution. Hmm, maybe we should ask him?

    Reply

    • You’ve got to be f’ing kidding me. Are you serious about Dolphin II being a sponsor? Please find proof and post it here. The guy that used to run (may still run?) the Dolphin II and other local clubs was arrested for having a 15 year old girl, part of a human trafficking ring’ dancing and performing sex acts at his clubs (Including Dolphin II)
      This wasn’t very long ago. A quick google search revealed this oregonlive story on the topic. I’m sure more info wouldn’t be hard to find. Please tell me Dolphin II is sponsoring John Canzano and his station….

      http://www.oregonlive.com/beaverton/index.ssf/2015/06/trial_begins_for_man_accused_o.html

      Reply

      • Holy shit, without going into too much detail I was actually tasked with trying to locate the owner of the original Dolphin in Milwaukie, who at least at the time owned the Dolphin 2 because the company I worked for needed his signature on a real estate document. I was never able find him because it turned out he was in prison serving time for sexual assault on an employee. It’s hard to fathom that they would be a sponsor of Canzano’s show if I’m understanding this correctly?

        Reply

        • Yes, they are,a,sponsor of 750 The Game….and they advertise during Canzanos show….kind of hypocritical of the moral compass for the state of Oregon don’t you think.

          Reply

      • I van only state,that I heard the advertisement on 750 The Game during the Canzano Show. I don’t know how to confirm what I’m telling you is 100% truthful as the advertisement was talking about the new lounge and other new amenities as it sounds like the DolphinII has gone through a recent redesign or makeover of some sort. Anyway, I think they run adds on that business pretty regularly

        Reply

      • Yes, they are,a,sponsor of 750 The Game….and they advertise during Canzanos show….kind of hypocritical of the moral compass for the state of Oregon don’t you think. Check out canzano timeslot as I’ve heard the advertisement several times but paid no attention to it until today. After hearing it today, I just smiled and thought….well isn’t that just special.

        Reply

      • I just googled sponsors for 750 The Game but drew a blank. I will check their website to see if the game shows a list of sponsors….but like I said…I’ve heard the advertisement several times in the year as I used to listen to canzano nearly every day for the past few years…..I can you with 100% certainty dolphin II gets plenty of airtime on 750 The Game.

        Reply

        • Just went to the dolphin II Website too but couldn’t find any information. Listen to canzano from 1-3 tomorrow and I’m pretty sure you’ll hear the advertisement for the DolphinII. I wish I knew how to confirm via a,web link but there,isn’t anything out on the web but I guarandamntee 750 The Game runs ads for the DolphinII.

          Reply

      • You’re welcome ad I was going to post this on canzano s most recent article on oregonlive but the cowards closed down comments on his article. They’re spineless turds who apparently don’t have thick enough skin for the critical blow back on their lack of professional judgement…..

        Reply

  30. Okay…well who I think may be the mom does not appear to have custody of the child. Dad does and they live 2 states away. The mom has a Facebook page covered in sayings about betrayal and letting go of toxic people and such. But what I found of interest is that on June 6 she posted a link to Britney Spears song You Want a Piece of Me and the comment: Let the Shit Show Begin….and taking a look at her likes pages there is none other than Brenda Tracy

    Reply

      • Damn, the layers to this onion are never ending. It’s hard for me to believe that Moran would be so stupid as to use the quotes and consent of a parent who does not have custody of the victim as justification for his article.

        Reply

      • Wonder if Moron was “tipped off” by that information or he conveniently omitted it from the article. If in fact this turns out the be the case.

        Reply

    • Does it not seem like a legitimate question to ask Moran? Is the victims Mother the custodial parent? Maybe someone here with the social media accounts could ask him or word it better than I have. Yes or No answer would seem to suffice in this case.

      Reply

    • I saw that too. It’s not hard to figure out who the dad (ex husband?) is, given the family relationships. It appears the brothers and family have a close relationship.

      How would a mother lose custody of a child, if she had the leverage of “the dad is related to someone who molested my child?” I have to think there is far more to this story than is being reported. I feel sorry for many of the people involved, for different reasons. And no, that does not mean I lose sight of the fact a child was involved. Just that things aren’t always binary.

      Reply

  31. “This is a kid’s event. It’s young kids event. It’s an old kids event, like me. There are teenagers here. Lots of young kids. Lots of little girls. It’s just not appropriate.”

    Just to expand on my thoughts from earlier about this ridiculous quote………….

    Have there not been any young kids, teenagers or little girls at any or around any of the college baseball ballparks that LH has played at in the last 3 years? What about summer wood bat league ballparks?

    I understand what he’s getting at. He doesn’t care if that shit happens elsewhere. It just better not take place here in Omaha.

    Reply

    • Which is why I don’t think Luke should even travel to Omaha. At least not without a security guard. As the word spreads, it becomes less safe for him to be out in public

      Reply

      • Let people attack him if they wish, that is the criminal pursuit others will have to bear. If he wants to deal with this he needs to do it head on.

        Reply

      • I know I’m crazy, but I would love it if Pat Casey had a meltdown and said enough is enough, Luke did everything required of him by the law and there is now no law that prevents him from playing on my team.. He’s starting in Omaha, kiss my ass.

        Reply

        • Part of me does as well…………….I guess I should explain

          Look, had it been known LH was a registered sex offender while he was being recruited? I would’ve said no way, no how. Don’t want him here. But as it stands right now, he’s been here 3 years and according to those in the know been a model student athlete and citizen. I’m no expert but If he’s managed to do THAT under the radar for 3 years, I’d say he poses little to no risk of being a repeat offender.

          In which case I agree with others. Like it or not, he’s done what was required of his sentence. Or does he have to live with this stigma for the rest of his life?

          Reply

          • For sure. I’ve read rumors somewhere (was it here?) that there’s rift between Casey and Ed Ray. Casey’s postgame press conference after the Vandy game Saturday featured a response from Casey regarding Ed Ray that felt tense. I’d imagine Ray has placed a certain amount of blame on Casey for bringing this bad publicity to the school, but that’s just a guess.

            Reply

      • I can see your point on that NiceBeaver.

        I guess I am now wondering what his teammates think of him. I can certainly understand why he doesn’t want to be a distraction. Far be it from me to say (and maybe this has happened already or will) this team and coaching staff need to sit down and have an open dialogue before the plane leaves for Omaha.

        Reply

  32. I notice people on twitter have a habit of “liking” posts instead of retweeting them. A retweet helps us a lot more because it spreads the word. A like just sits there…

    Still, the article is slowly moving around on there. Someone tweeted it at Fitt and Kendell Rodgers, which was a great idea.

    Reply

  33. Angry, I have been a long long time reader. Never posted until 2-3 days ago. I doubt this goes far for you, but I’m extremely proud of you.

    Reply

    • I had that same thought that this is really just a moral argument about how people with criminal pasts are allowed to live their lives after they’ve been punished. how “good” can a perp have it after? My personal opinion is if they do their time, go through parole and continue to not fuck up there shouldn’t be a limit on their lives (other than voting rights/gun ownership, etc). While I’m not a fan of Michael Vick and think what he did was horrendous, I still think he should be allowed to play. I don’t have to like the guy and he gets to do whatever he wants after his punishment. Seems pretty fair. If we operated under a system that didn’t work like that we would just have the death penalty/life in prison sentences for everything. Perps are released for a reason and it’s not to be punished endlessly in other ways…it’s so they can go live their lives again after.

      Definitely a less tone deaf article which is nice to see.

      Reply

      • It is a moral argument, that’s why in some ways I think that Pat Casey needs to be pushed a little harder as to why LH needs to be punished again? I’m not completely buying the “distraction” to the team argument or that LH came to the decision to remove himself 100% on his own..

        Casey is being told by the administration what needs to happen so that OSU is presented nationally in the most favorable light possible. LH not playing again is the best decision for the university. I think what happens after the season is over is going to be interesting. The Moran/Canzano hit piece looks to have ended LH’s professional career, will the OSU higher ups end his college baseball career next?

        Reply

        • You’re kidding yourself if you think he’s not a huge distraction right now. Huge.

          If he pitches, I don’t watch. I can’t look at him and not think about what he did. I will take his model citizenry in recent times into consideration when I’m prepared to resolve my issues with him. But that’s a process that can take some time.

          I wonder how teammates and incoming kids who didn’t know all this feel about it. I wonder who knew about it at all. We know who needs to be notified as a matter of protocol. But I don’t think they need to inform the team…. Do they?

          Reply

          • I give minors the benefit of the doubt. Sorry, my philosophy. He has had six years to screw up again and he hasn’t. 6 years has been over 25% of his life. His teammates looked pretty relaxed and supportive during the Vanderbilt series, but yes it would be shit storm if he pitched again, but he could and I hope he does again someday soon.

            Reply

          • The timing sucks. If this would have been known at a more opportune time, we could have had a healthy discussion about it and taken a couple months to think about it and move on.

            That’s what honesty does for you. You get to tell your own story. Not pitching now because he’s a major distraction could have been avoided.

            Reply

          • And The Oregonian controlled the timing in this case. Do you believe that LH had an obligation to disclose his sex offender status when he was first recruited by OSU? I am wrestling with that one. Would this discussion even exist if he had?

            Reply

  35. I havent read down thru this thread, but want to comment on an issue like this.

    What happened to rehab of criminals? What happened to getting them on a straighter path and becoming non-criminals? Prison does a questionable job of creating non-criminals.

    Ok, here we are looking at college sports being a path to making something of your life after a juvenile crime. And some voices want to stop that? Those voices seem to want the offender to be forever labeled a criminal. What is the end result of that? It sure as hell isnt going to want him to reform. If we pursue such a course with all criminals, what we end up with is a society of criminals.

    Driving Heimlich away from the successful path he has assumed since his crime isnt going to do good. It cant. It is in short a ridicolous stance to take. I am proud of Angry, pursuing this injustice and disregard for good sense. I hope Casey will play Heimlich and give the finger to Canzano and Moran, etal. What morons.

    Reply

    • No.

      You don’t get to stop being a sex offender. You have to register as one for life.

      So stop with the “does he have to live with this his whole life” sob story.

      The answer to that question will always be yes. Every time he meets someone new and is honest about himself, he has to go through this process again. If you don’t like that sex offenders need to register for life, you can always go to lawmakers and lobby them to change that part of the law.

      Reply

      • It depends on the class of the felony. Not all offenses are createf equally. Lower class levels can be given the chance to stop registering, given they get approval from a higher level court.

        Class is not to be confused with Level.

        Reply

        • So there are gradients within the law.

          That’s fine. I’m sure contingencies have been worked into the law over time as well. But the point is that as long as you register, you are still being punished. Not being on the registry would be a huge benchmark for normalization.

          Reply

      • according to Washington state law, Heimlich could have, and might still be able to petition the court to have the registration lifted after a five year/no further offense period has passed. Indeed, given my sense of the timing of this case, I think it’s plausible to think that LH might have thought this happened by default (it doesn’t) or believed that his legal counsel had done so.

        Reply

        • A lawyer’s not going to do anything s/he’s not instructed to do by a client.

          Petitioning to be off the registry and being successful doing so would tell me that the mitigating circumstances I should never know (because it’s a friggin juvenile case) are enough to convince a judge he’s done with the legal system. That would be a huge plus in his favor (duh).

          That’s what really sucked about Danny’s article. There were extraneous facts littered throughout the piece which misled the reader. I had to backtrack more than a couple times when I had to say, “Wait, what? But you wrote above….” And now a lot of the extraneous facts are the ones trending in his narrative.

          I wonder if they thought this through. Their source may be named in open court at a later date.

          Reply

  37. The Oregonian has never been fair and balanced. It only supports the school in Eugene and does not want OSU to do well in any sport. One example is The Oregonian’s attack on Ralph Miller in 1984.

    The article by Danny Moran was written for only 2 reasons:

    1. Hurt the successful OSU baseball program.
    2. Make money.

    Reply

  38. Danny Moran says he talked to the mother of the victim. The name of the victim would not be in the court documents, so how did he get it?

    Reply

  39. Way to get both sides of the story guys! No wonder nobody reads the Oregonian anymore.

    Danny Moran calling Luke a criminal & felon (of which he is neither) might rise to the level of defamation. Also his story revealed details about the victim that could identify her, even though she’s not named. The Duggars just sued InTouch Magazine for invasion of privacy. Their lawsuit says they were “forced to relive painful memories…subject to humiliation & extreme mental anguish…forced to endure the publication of graphic descriptions about their molestation.”

    Canzano is a bully.

    Reply

  40. First, a little something about John Canzano and his wife, Anna. His wife spent a lot of time on fearmongering articles about people on the registry during her time at KATU, so these two feed off their mutual obsession with this subject. Add the fact they run a children’s charity, and you can see why these two schmucks feel their side is the only side.

    Now, there are many questions that no one ever properly answers, especially someone like Canzano.

    1. At what point does one with a criminal past get to become a productive member of society? Now, lets look at some athletes with various issues. Iron Mike Tyson (registered sex offender) got to continue a boxing career. Michael Vick got to continue a football career after his stint for animal abuse. Joe Mixon got suspended for a year from U. of Oklahoma for punching a girl at a restaurant, but is now drafted to the Cincinnati Bengals. Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault, and was suspended for a few games even after the case was dropped, with the NFL citing an off-field ethics policy. Sports have handled each person differently, but the difference here is that each incident occurred while they were players. Heimlich was not a ballplayer at the time of his incident.

    2. If a person who is forced to register as a “sex offender” cannot have a job as a pro athlete, then what can a registered citizen have as a job? I’m sure if you folks could draft me a list, I could scratch off many you’d think a registrant could get but can’t in reality. More often than not, registered citizens are welfare dependent due to being unable to get employment.

    3. If the Oregonian was just reporting the news and not engaging in a targeted campaign, why feel the need to write FOUR articles to be released minutes apart, including an apologetics piece to justify your actions? Canzano’s A-toS letter bulletpoint presentation was the SECOND justification article. And now you can add Brenda Tracy to the mix.

    I’d love to hear actual, rational responses to the questions posed.

    Reply

    • Here’s the new Brenda Tracy piece you mentioned.

      http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2017/06/brenda_tracy_lobbies_ncaa_powe.html

      It doesn’t look like The Oregonian has an issue with still describing LH as a convicted felon. Also, I like their cleverness, they say that LH was cited for failing to register (true), but no mention that it was dismissed by the court. It’s those minor details that cause me to think they really do have an agenda.

      Reply

    • 1. They can be productive given time. But that clock resets with every new acquaintance, which must be a bear of frustration. But it is what it is. Honesty comes before penance. Penance comes before retribution. Retribution comes before normalization.

      2. Your last is an interesting note. Where can I find that info? And is that for just registered citizens? Or is it those who have to check the “have you been convicted of a felony” box? I’m thinking the two are not mutually exclusive.

      3. Yes. One article stands on its merits. Five+ articles is a circular firing squad.

      Reply

      • Jack, I’ve done extensive studying of the link between the registry and unemployment. I have completed two key pieces of research. First, a survey of over 300 registered persons across the USA:

        http://www.oncefallen.com/jobsurvey2016.html

        More recently, I counted every registered person in Alabama with a job, and it turns out 57.1% of the registrant population is unemployed:

        http://reformalabama.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-unemployment-rate-for-registered.html

        Admittedly, getting an accurate depiction of unemployment rates is rather difficult because the information on unemployment of registrants is pretty sparse. The Tulsa World reported in 2011 that 40% of Tulsa’s 330+ registered citizen population was “unemployed, disabled, or retired.” Another study of DC registrants in 2013 found only 314 of the city’s 807 registrants of working age not currently attending school are employed, thus resulting in a 61.1% unemployment rate. A study conducted by Richard Tewksbury, et al., found only 37.2% of New Jersey registrants studied was employed at the time of the survey.

        My study results I’d say are on par with the other numbers so I don’t see anything that contradicts my results.

        My job and welfare study is a tad more thorough than the others. I refer to it when advising registrants on their employment options because I actually asked them what kind of jobs they had. I do know the kinds of jobs most registered citizens do have, but I want folks like Canzano to tell me what kind of jobs he thinks we should have.

        The same arguments used against Heimlich being able to play are the same ones one could argue against a large number of jobs. There aren’t many jobs where kids and/or women aren’t around, save maybe something like construction or factory work. That’s still assuming that every registrant is a threat when only a few ever reoffend. That’s not taking into account few will hire just based on stigma alone. Oregon may not do this, but 21 states DO publish employer info publicly.

        As far as being productive, that could be a relative term. If Heimlich gets his degree but ends up collecting cans and scrap metal in a “self-employed” business, then is that truly “productive”?

        Reply

  41. I wonder if LH could get a cease and desist order for all of the publications falsely labeling him as a “criminal” or “felon” or having a “criminal history”?

    Reply

  42. So…I’m retired with plenty of time on my hands. Someone get me a “Criminal Background Check” subscription with an effective search engine, along with a list of Oregonian editors and writers…and lets see how many of their staff should be exposed.

    Reply

  45. Lets see if I’ve got this straight. The Oregonian is now going to do a background check on every athlete (and assumedly every other individual) they do a story on? Oh what a slut paper they have just painted themselves into if they follow their excuse path forward.

    Reply

    • The Oregonian is going to need to lay off another sports writer or two to pay for all of those backgrounds they are now going to run to prove “retroactively” that it is their SOP.

      I know two off of the top of my head that I would recommend for the chopping block!

      Reply

  46. Has anybody asked Canzano to comment on the strip club being a sponsor of his station? Essentially, money earned while having an underage child illegally perform in their club has helped pay Camzano’s salary. He should have performed a background check on where his paycheck comes from.

    Reply

    • Has that been verified? I still find that too bizarre to be true, but who the hell knows with everything that has gone on over the past week or so!

      Reply

      • I don’t listen to that station much. Another commenter mentioned it above, but i don’t know that it has been verified by anybody else yet.
        I do know I’ve heard radio advertisements from strip clubs in the portland area before, but I can’t say with 100% certainty if it was specifically Dolphin 2 and John’s radio station. Shouldn’t be hard to figure out. Somebody ask John. He should know who his sponsors are.

        Reply

    • I find that a little more disturbing than his waffling. And it cuts two ways.

      1. You’re on a high horse made of that?
      2. I can see who your producer thinks is your core audience.

      Reply

  47. NEXT STEPS?

    1) Danny needs to be asked specifically if he spoke with the father and the victim.
    2) Since the mother is the only voice here for the victim, he needs to be asked if the victim lives with the mother FULL TIME.
    3) Continued posting of this piece, as silver has done, with the tag line “real story”
    4) Wannabeavs suggestion needs followup, it could yield info that would definitively show Danny and the Oregonian for what they are: “Angry should do a public records request for Pierce County, the county that is home to Puyallup, and determine when persons in the county auditor’s office corresponded with the Oregonian. All of Moran’s emails would be securable in that fashion.”
    Imagine that, ALL of Moran’s emails, with dates, available for use in this effort!

    Reply

  48. Hey Angry, I tweeted your piece to a fellow journalist following Moran. She actually replied so I looped you in. And yes, that fish is real but I didn’t catch it. ;-)

    Reply

  49. I hate this whole can of worms the Oregonian has opened up. Now when I look at LH I feel disgust towards him yet feel he has been victimized by the media. My feelings swing back and forth on this one except for one thing… I hate the news media that is drunk with power and full of pride without conscience. The whole thing is a tragedy but the bigger tragedy is where our news media is today in the USA. This whole thing sticks a stench and Canzano’s holier then thou article where he dictates what should be is the shit icing on the cake.

    Reply

  50. I got an email response from Eggers last night after I sent him the AB link. He says,

    “… I’ll be writing a story about this issue after interviewing several experts in the field of juvenile sexual abuse. Should be up in the next 24 hours …”

    Reply

  51. Some of the stuff you guys are posting is interesting.
    Problem for me is I don’t know the law well enough to know if I can speak to JC’s advertisers, etc, without facts. Is it fact a strip club advertises for his show? If so, where is it in writing? Google returns nothing. Also, it just shows JC is a hypocrite, which we already know, so other than being a more powerful example of that hypocrisy, I’m not sure what else it proves.

    Reply

    • I think your excellent piece has gone past the “burden of proof” in illustrating that Canzano’s opinions sway in the prevailing winds depending on what’s needed for clicks and ratings. He has no center to his values. This strip club stuff is just another brick that could be added to that foundation. It’s funnier than shit for me because as I’ve mentioned I’ve had to have past business dealings with The Dolphin and considering them for sponsorship certainly never crossed my mind!

      Reply

  52. Anyone else notice that anything Canzano or Moran post on Twitter get no response or comments?
    I noticed yesterday that JC posted some snarky “That’s something to be proud of” on Max’s award or All American Academic status. I thought to myself “you disingenuous SOB!!”—he doesn’t deserve anyone commenting on anything thing he posts about OSU, positive or negative.
    Let’s just freeze him and Moran out, except for continually adding Angry’s thesis to anything they post !!

    Reply

      • It begs the question though (unless I’m missing something) as to when this practice started as Jason Quick said “no” when asked the same type of question yesterday. I would treat anyone working at The Oregonian as a “hostile witness” at this point.

        Reply

      • I can imagine that the “standard” portion of thier operating procedure is to leave it to the discretion of the lead reporter. I highly doubt they are required to run backgrounds on everyone they interview. Also, if someone refuses an interview it might signal they have something to hide and that could trigger a background check. Just because the O doesn’t interview you doesn’t mean they can’t dig up dirt on you.

        Reply

    • “lonniemayne” defends muckracking moran in oregonian comments. I assume its a pseudonym for someone at the oregonian. (moran?)

      Reply

  53. I also feel bad for the rest of the team. An absolutely magical year for them is now being clouded over with this issue.
    OT: Any AB’s going to Omaha?

    Reply

    • I feel bad because the information could have been delayed until after the season was over. No, I won’t be going to Omaha. I have a restraining order to stay 300 miles away from Smilin’ Mike.

      Reply

  54. Someone above brought up an interesting point that i have been asking about but have not received any definitive answer on: Is the information on the victim and the victim’s family part of the record for the State of Washington? In other words, could anyone file some sort of FOIA request and get that info? And, if not, then how did Moran know who he should be talking to about this if he wasn’t tipped off?

    Reply

    • I don’t fault Moran for writing the article. My potential issues with Moran are:
      1. Is he lying about learning the info during a “routine background check” or was he tipped off?
      2. Did he sit on the story until the week before the Super Regionals and the MLB Draft?
      3. He didn’t research the charges against LH enough to know he shouldn’t be labeled a “criminal” or “felon”.
      4. He didn’t interview any experts on sexual abuse to know how the story could negatively impact the victim. At least he doesn’t mention this in his story.
      5. He’s justifying the story because he got the permission of the mother who apparently doesn’t even have full custody of the little girl.

      Somehow, giving the victim a voice is ok even if you don’t know what the victim wants to say or if they even want a voice at all.

      Reply

  56. I think there are a lot of public misconceptions regarding juvenile sex offenders and their potential for rehabilitation. The Oregonian gave it minimal consideration in their rush to sensationalize the story and hide behind the “shield” of the mother’s approval. That’s why I look forward to Kerry Egger’s piece with interest. It sounds like he explored this key component to the LH case with the detail needed.

    Reply

    • The Oregonian played on the common response to sex offenders: that you condemn them without much thought past that. The person then feels like they’re advocating for the victim and at the same time, holding on to irrational thinking that the offender will somehow disappear from society.

      Reply

      • Yep, I had this thought. Oregonian never expected there could be an outcry/backlash against THEM. Bet they figured it would be everyone freaking out about LH…haha.

        Reply

    • I’ll put one up, will take several minutes, angry can delete if he has a better idea.
      IMPORTANT……keep comments about Moran-Canzano-Luke here, otherwise it becomes difficult for folks to follow the discussion (in either place).

      EDIT: Up now.
      NEXT EDIT: Deleted per angry’s comment below.

      Reply

      • I think it’s a bad idea to do that. This thread is still getting attention on twitter and gradually spreading. Putting something above it might stop that momentum.

        If people don’t want to discuss or read about this topic, come back in a few days.

        Reply

  60. there’s a way to confirm Moran’s putative sequence of events. Angry should do a public records request for Pierce County, the county that is home to Puyallup, and determine when persons in the county auditor’s office corresponded with the Oregonian. All of Moran’s emails would be securable in that fashion.

    I feel like this is the next logical step. But I can’t seem to figure out how to do it.
    Our focus should be here.

    Reply

  62. So mom doesn’t have custody? But gave permission to run this article. Hmmm…in both my divorces ( I know, I know) I ended up with full custody of my girls. I don’t know if it’s standard or not but neither one of my exes can make any decision dealing with the daughters. She may have gotten herself in trouble…

    Reply

    • Has that been established as fact yet? Seems to be a pretty important point given Moran’s narrative that all of this has been “endorsed” by mom.

      Reply

      • It was mentioned earlier in the thread, it’s extremely important! It digs Moran’s hole deeper & mom could go to jail,If in fact dad has custody. That shit storm comment makes me think she doesn’t and somehow Luke’s got something to do with it. Like she’s trying to extract revenge. Might be stretching it, I dunno

        Reply

        • Outing the mother is only important in that it shows intent in a libel case. If they didn’t corroborate her statements, they prove to be negligible. They would have been better off not including her and keeping mum on the source. A contempt charge looks better on a reporter’s resume than does defamation or libel.

          Reply

  63. Yeah, tried to listen today but just couldn’t. He is so bad and so pompous. Actually said that allowing LH on campus shows the women at Oregon State that the University does not care about their safety. Seriously?? Right, lots of pedophilia going on at OSU, no gang rapes or acquaintance rapes or drunk frat party rapes….but the pedophilia is rampant.

    Tomorrow’s show will feature Savannah….a nice girl who works in the “Entertainment” industry. She has to work in that industry to put herself through college because all of the scholarships on dance team were given to pedophiles.

    Reply

  64. Why is it this has become a story about how Canzano treats OSU vs Oregon? WHO CARES! The guy has been a joke since the Damon Stoudamire days and has built his reputation by saying “hated by some, loved by others”- it’s in his opening intro to his show for chrissakes. This reaction by fans is exactly what Canzano wants. To have a polarizing opinion that draws more attention to his brand. Don’t be a sucker and leave him out of a story he didn’t break.

    Also…True, Altman chose not to suspend his players while an investigation was being conducted into sexual assault allegations. But let’s be real here, a rape didn’t happen. It’s irresponsible to look back on this case and suggest rape happened. This isn’t like Heimlich, where a conviction was sealed, where a confession was written in the defendant’s own words…this was a case that crumbled after the alleged victim confessed that she fabricated her story once she was presented with the very real ramifications of perjury. This wasn’t a gang rape, it was a consensual gang bang. If you can’t see the difference, I just don’t know what to tell you.

    Brandon Austin, the transfer from Providence. It was a bad look to sign him, second chance or not. But he too was never convicted of any crime and insists he was innocent. It’s why he is allowed to continue a professional career in basketball, even got a workout with the 76ers despite his questionable past.

    Heimlich raped a child. It’s delusional to suggest that the Oregonian ruined his career as the MLB does thorough background checks and it has been widely reported that many MLB teams had already known about it and were staying away.

    Heimlich is a first round talent that has been passed on for the first 9 rounds. Seriously, let that sink in when you continue to harp about the fairness and equality of second chances. It’s a kids game and when you violate a kid and it goes public, the court of public opinion should hammer you, as it has. Beavers need to cut ties with him immediately

    Reply

        • It’s fair to call it alleged rape because that wasn’t the language used during the adjudication process. It’s best to just stick to the term that was used because we don’t know what actually happened.

          Reply

    • You do sound like The Oregonian as I see no distinction between juvenile/adult in your comments. To me, having read the research, it’s a crux of the issue. To you, it may not be.

      Reply

      • Here’s a distinction for you…Washington and Oregon (the state he represents) heavily disagree on what a penalty is for a juvenile child rapist above the age of 15.

        Washington gave him 2 years of counseling.
        Oregon would give him a mandatory minimum of 6-8 years depending on the degree of the charge.

        Reply

        • Lots of “what ifs” in your counterpoint. Even if he was charged in Oregon given your alternative thesis he would still be six years into his successful rehabilitation, so he would meet that requirement. Can he move on with his life or even go play baseball somewhere? Like I said if you don’t distinguish between a juvenile’s behavior and an adult in regards to these sex crimes then there is not much to debate. Let’s get the bullets loaded for the firing squad.

          Reply

          • I feel like for some people if you don’t suggest that the offender get their balls chopped off or executed then you’re a pedo apologist and making excuses for them lol.

            Reply

        • So you’re arguing that Washington law is not sufficient in cases of sexual assault by a minor. That’s fair, but Luke Heinrich didn’t write the laws in Washington. He abided by the punishment given to him (still is and always will be). No one has the right to decide he needs more punishment beyond that. Take your fight to the Washington law makers.

          Reply

    • As others have noted it was molestation, not rape. It’s a bit of pedantry but, if there’s anywhere where you should be explicitly careful and accurate with your terms Sexual Assault cases should probably be it.

      Reply

      • The definition of rape:

        Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or OTHER FORMS OF SEXUAL PENETRATION carried out against a person without that person’s consent.

        He did that. Why sugarcoat it? It’s disgusting

        Reply

        • Unless you have the case file, you don’t know what he did or didn’t do. Rape has a common meaning that may be at odds with the legal term.

          Reply

      • Molestation is a giant umbrella term that is annoying because it’s so vague. it can include rape but not always. All we know is that there was “inappropriate sexual contact” and that’s it.

        Reply

    • I don’t see this as just a story about how Canzano treats OSU vs Oregon. I see it as concern for journalistic integrity as concisely outlined by Doozeldorf earlier. A concern for the victim as well as for how society can best treat juvenile sex offenders. A concern for how universities should vet incoming students.

      I’ve seen no one support or excuse LH’s violation of the victim. This discussion goes far beyond that.

      Reply

  65. If Heimlich’s own mother is trying to smear him to the Oregonian, you can see why he might not of had a healthy upbringing. Unfortunately, I have witnessed some examples of unhealthy parenting, which makes the case for understanding of youth offenders….

    Reply

    • It just seems like there’s something missing in all of this because the timing is just so suspect. Maybe LH said to some of these relatives that they weren’t going to see a penny of his MLB money, so they unloaded on him?

      Reply

  66. Re juvenile sex offenses in Washington state, here is some useful information from a lawyer who specializes in such cases: http://www.micheleshawlaw.com/juvenile-sex-offenses.php

    The posters on this site — and most other posters on other sites — presumably don’t know what quality of representation Luke Heimlich got during his juvenile proceedings. Sounds like outcomes can vary widely based on the quality and experience of the attorney representing the accused juvenile offender. In other words, perhaps if Luke’s family had been more affluent, and provided Luke with a better and more experienced lawyer, the outcome would have been very different for Luke (and for OSU). Or perhaps not.

    We don’t know. Neither does John Canzano or Danny Moran or Brenda Tracy. The difference is that many or most of us on this site care about the details, and about whether Luke (as well as his victim) are treated fairly in light of all the facts. In contrast, Canzano, Moran, and Tracy have their own agendas, and don’t care about these things much, or perhaps at all.

    Reply

      • The timing of the article seems like it was timed to inflict optimal damage on Heimlich’s draft prospects. I was just wondering if one could rationalize that teams would have discovered this information on their own accords.

        Reply

        • I was just wondering if one could rationalize that teams would have discovered this information on their own accords.

          You can rationalize anything you want, but it doesn’t make it true. Much more evidence that MLB (and all pro sports) are looking for reasons to ignore criminal behavior rather than punish it. They are pro 2nd (3rd, and 4th) chances, and they turn a blind eye unless it will make them look bad, like this case.

          Reply

          • I agree with you, angry.

            I’ve seen comments elsewhere that these revelations didn’t “really” hurt Heimlich because the teams would have known.

            I think someone leaked this story intentionally to hurt Heimlich, and timed it to hurt him the most with respect to the CWS and draft.

            Reply

        • After the story dropped, several teams were reported to have then dropped Luke off their draft board(Cubs for instance). This was one week before the draft. At that point, you would think they should have had their background research finished, including any background checks. Why would they wait till the final few days before the draft?

          Reply

        • I believe what my gut felt immediately when I started reading the news. And granted I was late to the story last weekend. I read from Friday morning backwards on this blog, that’s how I saw the news. And my first background thought continues, that this was timed to inflict damage on Oregon State baseball ahead of the SEC Super Regional. At first I felt bad for thinking that in light of the story. But I continue to believe this was brought up not for victims, criminal justice, etc. but to inflict damage on OSU baseball. So kudos to the team for advancing despite the forthcomings. And I will continue to have conspiracy theories of the Disney/ABC/ESPN/Nike/SEC conglomerate

          Reply

  68. My site stats show that sharing the article on Facebook rather than Twitter results in much more readership. Share it there if you have an account and are willing.

    Reply

  69. One thing that’s been bugging me about this.

    Statistically speaking, there’s about an 80% chance that Heimlich was himself a victim of sexual abuse as a child, statistics show that 80% of adolescents who molest other kids were victims themselves. My guess – he was but that’s just a guess. If Heimlich was molested, then he was systematically taught at a very young age that this kind of behavior is appropriate, this is just something that happens. Adults do this to kids, no big deal.

    So he admits guilt, does the counseling and he learns that what he did was wrong, now understands that what he was taught as a child isn’t okay.

    Now five years later, the recidivism rate is exactly the same as anyone else in the world, under 3% chance he ever does anything wrong again. The value of a person who has gone through this kind of abuse and come out the other side and has been rehabilitated is just as high as anybody else. In fact, it could be argued that it’s more admirable that he learned, despite such early teachings, that what he did is awful.

    Canzano ignores that.

    What Canzano has done is waged a war of extrajudicial punishment against a *child* for mistakes made as a *child*. Canzano thinks he’s punishing the young adult now, but he’s not. He’s saying that Heimlich’s rehabilitation as a child wasn’t enough, that he should have known better despite the clear evidence that most/all of the adults around him weren’t exactly teaching him the right things.

    That’s disgusting.

    Reply

  70. Another example of Canzano’s hypocrisy and contradicting himself: in his “Troubling case” article, his suggested “only one short-term fix” was that LH recuse himself; sit down (as AB notes in the great article above). He goes on (and on and on) that Casey could take the ball from him, or Ray could do something – but that coming from LH it “would me so much more and it would say so much more about Heimlich.” And Luke did just that…

    But then in Canzano’s next column, he says “Casey should have made the decision himself.” Wait, what?

    I think Canzono is just pissed that LH didn’t use JC’s exact wording in his statement. But just imagine the knot Canzono would have tied himself into if he had… I’m sure he would have found a way to criticize and contradict that too.

    Reply

  71. Day Two of the MLB draft is done, and Luke Heimlich did not get drafted in the first ten rounds. Luke was initially ranked in the top 50. Money for pick #50 is estimated to be in the range of $1.3 million to $1.4 million. https://www.mlb.com/draft/tracker/drafted

    Luke may get picked tomorrow, in the last day of the draft (rounds 11 – 40). A pick at the end of round ten gets approximately $130,000 (10% of the money that usually goes to pick #50). Obviously, players drafted in later rounds get less than that.

    Not suggesting that money is the key thing here. But it seems clear that the Oregonian’s intentional rush to publication has cost Luke over a million dollars right off the bat (and, of course, potentially much more down the road). And this was all foreseeable — or even perhaps actually intended — by the Oregonian.

    John Canzano, Danny Moran, and Brenda Terry may deem the loss of over a million dollars– if anything — too light a punishment for a sexual predator, and may tonight be toasting the Oregonian’s success in inflicting maximum financial and career damage on Luke. Others — myself included — may be far less comfortable with the Oregonian’s rush to publication here, and what it has done to a 21 year old who may or may not deserve to be treated this way.

    The scariest part — to me — is that the Oregonian seems to have had no hesitation at all in going after Luke Heimlich (and OSU) before learning all the facts. It’s a dangerous combination — the power to do serious harm, exercised in a hasty, reckless, or perhaps intentionally abusive, manner. Bullying seems too mild a term for it….

    Reply

    • One could not find more perfect timing to extract the maximum amount of damage to the final three weeks of LH’s college career and the prospects of his professional career. That’s just a fact. I don’t know that I buy that someone was trying to destroy OSU baseball, I think this was a hit job by relatives with an axe to grind and Danny Moran was the naive conduit. Canzano is just a fool with an opinion who jumped on the controversy like he always does.

      Reply

    • Well here is to Luke getting a libel suit going and compensating for the lost money and emotional damages, etc. He could walk away with an even better signing bonus.

      Reply

      • I noticed he still refers to LH as a “convicted felon” either it’s not a big deal legally or The Oregonian is stupid and just doesn’t care.

        Reply

    • I would suggest that Canzano take a break and figure out who sponsors his radio show before continuing with a LH story every day.

      Reply

    • “he would go to prison in Oregon. He’d go to the juvenile correctional facility. It’s a Measure 11 crime, it carries a mandatory minimum sentence. If he had been sentenced when he was 15 in Oregon, he would still be in prison finishing his sentence. That’s how significant it is.”

      Cool story bro but it happened and was adjudicated in WASHINGTON. What if it happened on Mars?!!?! what then?!!?!

      Also publishing an article with comments locked. I’m sure they just did that because they know everyone would agree with them right? Don’t bother commenting ya’ll! we know you agree ;)

      Oregonian is trash.

      Reply

  73. Heard from someone close to the program that Luke will indeed be going after the Oregonian for damages. There are a ton of layers to this story and it sounds like the Oregonian may wish they never published this story.

    Reply

  74. I think it is the initial reaction of most people to want punishment for what society deems is a horrendous act. What I question is why society doesn’t seek the best possible outcome, rather than punishment for its own sake. Hypothetically, if your daughter was molested and there existed a magic pill that would cure the molester of their perverse compulsion and ensure they never molested again. Would you, the father, request the pill or punishment? What’s the point if we, as a society, cut off our own nose to spite our face? Probably not concepts any Oregonian writer would waste time ponder on.

    Reply

  75. Regarding a lawsuit, if Luke does go that route, would a jury give him a fair trial? I have no faith in that given the subject matter and nuanced arguments that would come up.

    I was thinking about writing a short piece about the Oregonian doubling down yet again and then closing the comment section, so the narrative is now a one way street that they’re in total control over. Very odd. Worth writing?

    I also thought about writing a 2nd sub-story about Canzano’s stripper ties. Worth doing?

    Any of this have legal ramifications for me? I’m a bit worried about that and what I can or cannot say in these instances.

    Reply

  76. Tacoma is county seat of Pierce county which includes Puyallup. I wonder if there is an ab in the vicinity who wants to and has time to peruse the court records. Anything that was open to DM should be available to any citizen.

    Reply

    • Damn! My uncle lives up there but I’m not on good terms with him since after the election & his candidate lost.

      Reply

    • If someone in the Tacoma area has the time to visit the courthouse and look at the public records, here is most or all of the information that will be needed to do so (all of which, again, is available to any member of the public who asks and/or looks for it, as I did today).

      Luke’s case was prosecuted and adjudicated in Pierce County Superior Court. Case #: 128003553. The Superior Court building is located at 930 Tacoma Avenue S, Tacoma WA 98402. Full name of the juvenile offender: Luke Andrew Heimlich. Date of birth: 3 Feb 1996. Date of Arrest: 16 Apr 2012. Date of Disposition: 27 Aug 2012.

      Clerk’s office is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 – 4:30. Fees are $0.50 per document page for a non-certified copy. https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/373/Copies-Records-Access

      Reply

  77. So I have a friend who knows the family. They all believe it’s Luke’s brother that tipped off the Oregonian. Apparently there is some extremely bad blood between that brother and the rest of the family.

    Reply

    • So is the prevailing thought that Moran was tipped off and then ran the criminal background check? That would seem to make sense.

      Reply

      • The story he told is that Lule has always planned to take care of his family if/when he made it to the show…at some point and for reasons he didn’t say and I don’t know, his brother was no longer part of the plan. So when he showed up high on all the draft boards and we were headed to post season play, a call was made.

        This is all second/third hand information, so take it for what it’s worth…hearsay.

        Reply

        • People do crazy shit when they don’t get money they think they are entitled too. It’s funny, if Moran hadn’t used the “Mom says it’s ok” justification, I could have believed he was doing a fluff piece on LH and came across this information with a background check. The timing and the Mom raise all kinds of red flags.

          Reply

        • It might not have had anything to do with money though…could have easily just been for revenge? Maybe a belief (that many have shared online by now) that he “shouldn’t be allowed to play”?

          Reply

      • Here’s another point to consider.

        As I recall the timeline, Moran said he ran the initial search of Oregon public records on May 18, which disclosed the Oregon citation based on Luke’s failure to register as a sex offender in Oregon after Luke’s 21st birthday (an obligation under Oregon law that Luke may not have known about). Moran then contacted the court in Washington state to get copies of the relevant public records, which were sent to Moran by mail, and received by Moran on May 30.

        If Moran had not been tipped off regarding the details of the court case against Luke, and didn’t already know those details, one would think that Moran and the Oregonian would have been very eager to get copies of those court papers asap.

        A car trip from Portland to Tacoma takes less than 2.5 hours (straight up I-5). As noted in a prior AB post this evening, the Clerk’s Office up in Tacoma is open M-F from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and provides copies for 50 cents per page. One would think that the Oregonian could have and would have sent someone up to Tacoma the very next morning (Friday May 19) to get copies of those records and bring them back for review. Instead, the Oregonian waited until May 30 to receive those records by mail. That’s hard to understand, unless the Oregonian already knew pretty much what was in those records from another source (such as Luke’s estranged brother, or some other relative with an ax to grind).

        Reply

    • “Heimlich, who turned 21 on Feb. 3, was convicted on Aug. 27, 2012. His five-year point comes on Aug. 27 of this year. ”
      He was just about two months shy….holy crap….

      Reply

      • Another fact that makes you wonder about the revenge factor. We only have so much time left to ruin Luke’s life before the record is sealed time to call our friends at the Oregonian.

        I’m sorry, but after I read the Egger’s article, what was done to Luke is fucked up!

        Reply

    • Wow…so that is what a journalist looks like. Gather info and experts and report facts. Excellent article. I am ashamed the University made the call that he couldn’t play. This article should go to Ed Ray as well…..

      Reply

      • Yes but at that time I don’t think the university had all the facts about what was going on. It’s understandable that they made a quick decision before the game in case this turned into a Baylor type situation where people are coming out of the woodwork with stories about Luke. Obviously that’s not the case but imagine if he had pitched then Monday morning another diffrent story showed up. Sexual assault on college campuses is the latest and greatest threat according to the MSM.

        Reply

  79. So here is something I don’t get. Did LH just get convicted for a one time offense when he was 15? In listening to that loud mouth Canzano today I heard him screaming and shouting at callers about how this went on multiple times for years when victim was 4. It was even the crux of the point of the DA’s call today and how Oregon would have treated him so severely…because it went on for years. The DA even said it started when LH was 15 and JC did not correct him, he even put that in his article tonight. But then I have read the story in 3 papers up in Tacoma and puyallup and one of them said one time, victim was six. Another said 2 times, victim was 4 and 6, but he was only charged for a single time? I know, I know, still 1 time too many, but quite a different picture painted that what is being spewed down here. Also, one of those papers (star tribune) said that the mother is upset that LH seems to go unpunished while her daughter has to live with the aftermath for the rest of her life. Don’t remember mother saying that in Oregonian. Little things but facts matter. So was he just convicted for a one time single offense and JC and others are taking liberties to make it a 2 year ordeal because that sounds more egregious?

    Reply

    • Heimlich was convicted of inappropriately touching the victim in a private area., this is according to Egger’s article. No mention of frequency. In reading about juvenile defendants, although it sounds callous, the major concern is whether rape or torture were involved. Canzano’s hyperbole regarding frequency is another straw argument within the juvenile system. Almost all juveniles convicted will be rehabilitated.

      Reply

    • The Oregonian John C and Danny should be required to read Kerry Eggers story. Talk about real facts and journalism on display with real empathy for the situation at hand.

      Reply

    • Angry, I hope to hear your take on Egger’s article. It would be great if you could connect with him somehow. I think he tips his hand on how he feels about the Oregonian’s exploitation. Are you able to get him your article. There is a lot of common ground.

      Reply

      • Egger’s article was good, but for me personally I knew most of that, so it was a preaching to the choir situation. I hope people who are buying the O’s stance read it and open their mind and just realize it’s a layered, complex issue. Not black and white like the O is portraying it.

        Regarding Eggers and I…we’ve talked on email a handful or two in the past and it was always cordial. Basically whenever I had a certain type of question I’d ask him. The last time I wrote him…must have been last Fall.. we disagreed on the issue being discussed…I called him out on some things. He wasn’t happy about it. So I have no idea where we stand.

        I’ve always respected him, except when he was writing fluff about Riley. Good writer. I can reach out to him, I guess. See where we’re at.

        Reply

        • Maybe compliment him on his article, make sure he has yours. See where it takes you. I think it would be interesting to know what the Tribune would have done if they had received that information a couple of weeks ago.

          Egger’s let his friendship with Riley cloud his judgement to some degree whether he will admit it or not, but we don’t have to deal with Riley anymore!

          Reply

  81. Wait a minute. Eggers is saying the decision to sit out the Super Regional was not Luke’s but rather the University’s? Does that mean the public statement by Luke was false and forced by the University? This just keeps getting more strange.

    Reply

      • But Casey also said himself that it was Luke’s decision when he was interviewed during game 1. Looks like the University was attempting damage control but trying to give Luke the credit. If Casey leaked that info he must not be happy about it.

        Reply

      • From Egger’s story

        Was the decision not to play in last weekend’s Super Regional really that of Heimlich, as was announced to the public?

        No. Casey said it was made by university officials on Friday before the first game.

        Reply

        • In the light of Eggers’ new article, here’s an attempt to clarify the relevant part of the timeline regarding who decided that Luke would not pitch in the Super Regional,

          Thursday, June 8: Danny Moran and Brad Schmidt publish their initial hit piece, announcing Luke Heimlich’s 2012 sex offender adjudication. http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2017/06/luke_heimlich_sex_crime_surfac.html

          Friday June 9: Luke releases a statement, through his attorney, saying that he did not want to be a distraction, and that he (Luke) had asked OSU to be excused from playing “at this time”. The Oregonian, in an article by Danny Moran, reports Luke’s statement, and adds that a “team source” said “it was the pitcher’s decision”. In the same article, the Oregonian quotes Pat Casey as saying “That’s Luke’s decision…He’s a team guy and in his statement he said he didn’t want to be a distraction.” http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2017/06/luke_heimlich_releases_stateme.html

          My recollection is that Pat Casey said the same thing when asked during the ESPN telecast of Friday night’s game — stating, tersely, that it was Luke’s decision not to play.

          Monday, June 12: Pat Casey talks with Kerry Eggers. Casey tells Eggers that, in fact, it was not Luke’s decision. Instead, the decision “was made by university officials on Friday before the first game”. http://portlandtribune.com/pt/12-sports/363027-243259-a-look-at-some-issues-involving-luke-heimlich-

          So:

          On Friday, June 9, we have Pat Casey telling the Oregonian, and a national ESPN audience, that it was Luke’s decision not to play. This is confirmed by a “team source”, as well as by an official “statement” released by Luke through his attorney.

          Then, on Monday, June 12, we have Pat Casey contradicting his own statements on June 9, contradicting the statement to the Oregonian by a “team source” on June 9, and contradicting the statement that Luke himself released through his attorney on June 9.

          How can one make sense of this? Who actually made the decision that Luke would not play in the Super Regional?

          Seems most likely that Casey’s most recent statement on the subject — in Casey’s June 12 interview with Eggers — is the one to believe. It appears to have been OSU officials who decided Luke could not play in the Super Regional.

          So why did Luke, and Casey, and a “team source”, say otherwise on June 9? Was that also ordered by OSU officials? Was that instead a decision by Luke and/or Casey? Was it a consensus decision by all concerned? We don’t currently know — but my guess is we’ll find out soon.

          Reply

          • It should be added that Casey, in his interview with Eggers, may well have directly, intentionally, and publicly disobeyed his bosses (i.e., Ed Ray and/or other senior OSU officials) by revealing that it was OSU officials — not Luke — who decided that Luke could not play in the Super Regional. If so, this will probably not be taken lightly by Ed Ray et al. Stay tuned.

            Reply

        • I spoke to a friend well connected in Beaver athletics last Sat. morning about the decision making process. He said it was Ed Ray’s call.

          Reply

  82. I don’t buy the idea that someone leaked the story to the Oregonian first.

    Is the contention that the Oregonian then went fishing for some other way they could have found out the information and serendipitously found that the Corvallis Police Department had cited Luke (mistakenly) for not registering?

    Reply

    • The citation could be the lead itself. Whomever did it needs to remain anonymous in order to avoid getting caught up in the O’s future legal troubles. Just pointing at a public document is little enough to stay out of it. Moran can just claim he found it on his own.

      I wonder if Benton County will also be on the hook for this.

      Reply

  84. Look at the dates on the link to the case. The Oregonian would have had to be super lucky to run a background check literally the day after some of the relevant court dates were entered.

    Someone tipped them off.

    Reply

  85. At this point MLB was not willing to take the PR risk. Sucks for LH. My gut says Ed Ray came down on both Barnes (AD) and Casey and said something along the lines of “that kid will never,EVER play for OSU again. With the Penn St stuff, the Baylor stuff, and just recently the Michigan State stuff, he cannot risk ruining Oregon State’s national reputation and “brand”—school will always be bigger and more important than any one individual. So, essentially his pro career over before it starts and I am guessing his partial baseball scholarship will not be renewed. He has basically been hung out to dry with no support system or help from his institution or team. He needs to go after Oregonian for massive libel/defamation of character lawsuit. Imagine more than a few attorneys would take the case on.

    Reply

  86. I believe the mother tipped off the paper and wanted the story run prior to the draft. If she waited any longer, it could have been much less impactful as the draft would habe ended and OSU could habe been eliminated by Vanderbuilt. Unfortunately for the paper, she waited until the last possible moment, not leaving enough time for the paper to fully research the facts. Either way, the paper definitely used timing to do as much damage as possible. This is why there are so many points that are incorrect and straight out untrue in many cases. Because the timing was the most important thing to the paper, they settled for best effort on the facts. If this was a standard report, the paper would habe held the story to ensure the facts.
    When was the last time you saw such a divisive article This poorly researched? This was absolutely an attack more than a report.

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  87. So I have been absolutely heckling Canzano and Moran on their Twitter updates from Omaha ( saying if no one is reading or replying or responding, then they are essentially irrelevant)….I was riding Canzano last night about being a hypocrite by advertising for the Dolphin 2 during his show. He instantly private messaged me and said he took care of that issue and should be no more ads during his time slot. I said that didn’t wipe away the hypocrisy. He is very insecure and sensitive about this. Can’t understand why or how Beaver Nation came down so hard on him. So wants to “protect ” his “brand”—flat out told me so. We either go full blown Guerrilla on him and ride him or we go completely radio silent and just flat out ignore both him and Moran. Personally, I think they both “crave” the attention and completely ignoring them completely bothers them. Just don’t reply or respond. They so want and seek Beaver Nation’s approval and forgiveness on the whole LH issue. Canzano is extremely insecure!!!

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    • Nice. I haven’t read an O article since having to for this piece. Might never read that paper again…
      Thing is I’m sure they will have a Luke redemption piece at some point and everyone will read it, forgive them, etc.

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    • Keep riding him on twitter. He gets no ad revenue for that.
      Look, Luke had already gone through the process of paying for his past legal issues, and Cazano still had no moral issues with piling on and encouraging public backlash. Why should Canzano get a free pass because so he can protect his brand. Glass houses buddy…
      So, him shit for it as often as possible. Dont let him sweep it under the rug

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  88. Anyone see the article that came out today on the U of O basketball player that is under investigation for potentially raping a girl at the junior college he came from? Altman and the university may have known about it too!! Can’t wait for Canzano to get on his high moral horse and go batshit crazy on Oregon!! Think it will happen?? Never!!

    Reply

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