University of Oregon fans - tens of thousands of them - will descend on Pasadena for the New Years Day Rose Bowl, wearing their hearts on those T-shirts that say, "I love my Ducks."

That same sentiment goes for our Linfield Wildcats, who play another NCAA playoff game today on Maxwell Field. And tonight we're all Warriors, as Amity plays for the Class 3A championship in Hillsboro.

For hundreds of millions of people worldwide, sports provide a true spice of life. From soccer to cricket, field hockey to volleyball, baseball to swimming, table tennis to volleyball and all in-between, love of competitive athletics is a human thread running through all countries.

Sports fans, in any language, understand that it's more fun to win than to lose. They all know "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat." They all know the emotional release of exploding in whoops of joy, and the sometimes annoying lesson that losing with grace is a character-building experience.

Some great stories emerged from this week's Civil War game. The most poignant involved 13-year-old Angel from Oklahoma, who suffers from cerebral palsy and severe brain damage. For some reason, unknown even to her family, Angel's eyes light up and a smile appears when the Ducks play on TV. When fans heard that story - Ducks and Beavers alike - they raised funds to bring Angel and her parents to the big game.

Another emotional Civil War story involved the redemption of Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount, who fell from grace by punching a Boise State player after Oregon's opening game loss. Oregon Coach Chip Kelley first suspended Blount for the year, then let him rejoin the team.

Thursday night, Blount got the second chance he thought might never come. His play helped stabilize the Oregon offense at a key time, and his story of redemption came full circle when, after the game, he took a single rose to his girlfriend and 2-month-old son.

Speaking of falls from grace, the media can't get enough of this week's story of infidelity by Tiger Woods. As Woods is learning, there's no stone left unturned when it comes to the human failings of sports superstars.

Sports "heroes" rise, fall and rise again. We enjoy their athletic quests, and we appreciate their sometimes tortuous role as visceral metaphor for life around us.