"Some quotes to ponder..."

Some quotes to ponder from 2005

By BOB WELCH
The Register-Guard

And now — some of the more memorable quotes of 2005:

• “The gloves are off.” – Land mogul John Musumeci, reacting to a statement from Eugene City Councilor Bonny Bettman cautioning utility officials that the city doesn’t favor a mixed-use style development at the Eugene Water & Electric Board site as proposed by Musumeci’s company.

• “We do not intend to be denied the future we intend to evolve into.” – Roy Orr, McKenzie-Willamette CEO on locating a new hospital somewhere in Eugene.

• “There was a little vomiting going on, a couple of girls getting propped up by their boyfriends, that kind of thing. … It was just kids having a good time.” – Tom Burke, supervisor at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Seattle, after the University of Washington’s “Playa’s Ball,” a dance for student-athletes and dates, ended 90 minutes early after some attendees had to be taken away in ambulances because of excessive alcohol consumption.

• “Every new art has been hated. I bet there was somebody there that said, ‘I hate these cave paintings!’ ” – artist Matthew Ritchie, who’s been commissioned to create public art for the new federal courthouse.

• “There’s a lot of those of anarctics here. Hippie people.” – A Eugene cab driver, apparently describing anarchists.

• “He was reading street signs at age 2.” – Sara Brandt, on son, Sam, a 13-year-old Eugene boy who finished third in the National Geographic Bee.

• “McCall wet his pants and backed off.” – Ex-University of Oregon archivist Keith Richard on the reaction of Oregon’s governor after the late Robert Clark insisted on not bringing in the National Guard to quell anti-Vietnam rioting when Clark was UO president in the early ’70s.

• “I do feel good about the logic.” – Former UO offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, now at Utah, on his play calling after the Utes failed to score on three tries from the 1-yard line in a loss to Colorado State – all runs up the middle.

• “We think they’re brilliant.” – Mike Flanigan Jr., president of Oregon Mainline, the prime contractor for the Interstate 105 project, on how well-behaved motorists were during construction.

• “We had to decide for 11,000 other kids, so I think we all took it pretty seriously.” – Springfield High School sophomore Joey Talermo-Silence, one of eight students who taste-tested pizza for the Springfield School District.

• “I just take them in and put them in the recycle bin.” – Former UO quarterback Joey Harrington, about Detroit newspapers full of anti-Joey sentiments, and reflecting his environmentally conscious roots.

• “I always thought of Bill as that surfer who would pick the biggest wave and ride it better than anyone else.” – Barbara Bowerman, on husband Bill, the ex-UO track coach, father of jogging and designer of the waffle-bottom running shoe.

• “Do you have any life at all?” – Question posed to Steve Hackstadt, a Eugene man who established a Web site about the dead whale the Highway Division exploded in 1970.

• “They’re not evil people. It’s not that they’re trying to do something bad.” – Mark Snyder, city of Eugene’s urban forester, on people who top their trees.

• “The message … lost in all this is ‘God bless the troops.’ ” – Gary Swindler, who created some controversy when, during the Springfield Christmas Parade, he dressed as an unauthorized Santa Claus in sunglasses and rode in a makeshift tank turret.

• “Would you want me yelling the f-word at your sons?” – Jennifer Haliksi to a Cougar fan who was swearing at her son, ex-Sheldon and current Washington State quarterback Alex Brink, during the Cal-Cougar game in Berkeley, Calif.

• “What’s it going to be? You can’t just let it stay like that.” – Co-worker about my crew cut gone bad.

• “We haven’t had word of Keiko the whale for a couple of years now. Does he still require ‘handling’ and feeding, or is he pretty much on his own now?” – Reader’s e-mail regarding the whale who died in December 2003.