Washington Waddler

Lying as leverage? You can make a strong case based on the evidence that some programs make deals and sign agreements with the intention of breaking them solely in order to gain an advantage on those who keep them.

No way you can say the Bruins are ever conceding, but putting in a freshman reliever with a 4.72 era with the stable they’ve got?

As yet being too new and untried a concept, one can only assume that the law of averages still apply, and that there is the other side of the coin yet to exert itself. Without agreed to conference game contracts, going it alone would seem to require those universities to negotiate each game separately with those they wish to play, and the more an Ohio State would stand to make, the more they’d have to shell out - above and beyond the old formula. No free lunch.

As online watering holes go, only FishDuck captured the cerebral excitment, enthusiasm, unique meaning and true spirit that is Oregon sports, which is what drew so many of us to it. Thanks for the memories, and here’s to the future of the forum!

Did the Vet euthanize or just neuter?

Never fun being the one who has to figure out how to get the bottleneck unplugged. Appreciated by all.

On the other hand, what has ultimately proven to be the NCAA’s loss of traction and undoing is making these arbitrary ‘lines in the sand’ stands that run head on into the court’s interpretation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Saying when and when not a player can utilize their legal right to negotiate an NIL contract seems to go in one direction: to court, and where the NCAA ultimately loses.

Saw a video once of a kangaroo slam dunk. Why not?

Yes! And, why stop at four year schools? Invite all the community colleges! Heck, we won’t even need a regular season anymore! October thru March Madness!

And good to see the pitching staff coming together for the stretch run.

Nice to see the drawing of the new practice facility wall on MLK Blvd using the old imported Chinese block basalt wall as a base for the ‘eye-popping O’ wall under consideration. Can’t remember a speculated cost for Knight to bring those tons of rock across the Pacific, but it certainly pales by comparison to the on-going construction. But, it was big for those times

Question - missing from the original drawings is the structure with the curved facade to the left of the domed practice facility shown in the latest construction photos. Assuming that view is of the west end, does anyone know what that add-on is about?

As a rule, the only spring games that leave you impressed with the OL is when you have five returning starters that have been together for a minimum of two years. Otherwise, it’s just feast time for unleashed D linemen. When it didn’t matter because no one else but us were paying any attention to Oregon spring games, coaches could open up the play book. With all eyes onboard, boring has become the new normal. Can’t ever remember feeling this good about our QB room - top to bottom - nor its promise for the future. Portal can change all that in the time it takes to write a check ( or tap a transfer), but right now - wow

And what’s not said is how he’s the type of athlete who will excel under the tutelage of our unparalleled training facilities and the M.M. Sports Performance Center.

Gotta be impressed with how Florer prepared his young stable’s inning by inning control of the Beavis bats. Mike Parker’s lack of enthusiasm when reacting to Lauaki’s 7th inning 2 score double was music to my ears!

What were the Trojan faithful saying about the color of grass in Eugene?

Talent wasn’t the decisive issue in Oregon’s sweep of Washington. What was, was the steadying influence of our six seniors to their one.

If you got enough free Beavis breakfast sandwiches to pay back what they stole from us in the PAC 12, and you stacked them up, how far would that reach?

Not to beat a dead horse (that's been pummeled so many times before it’s become unrecognizable - I’ve certainly done my share!), but that’s the reason we now call college football ‘NFL Jr.’ Media $$ is a one-way professional road that utterly lacks for imagination. It just wants more. It’s nostalgic now to look back on those ancient days when one of the rites of bringing in the new year was to allow the best to celebrate it with us on January 1 bowl games. Just celebrate, and leave The Who’s #1 nonsense to the media to squabble over. Gone with the wind.

And that is what it’s all about, and the reason why sub500 teams make the playoffs - fans in the stands for as long as they can keep them there help pay those obscene contracts.

And beat the Huskies!

I tend to agree with Jon that the final decision on any new scheduling format would eventually run through the media. Without the NFL’s owners’ parity demand, CF income is driven by market size, and ‘survival of the fittest’ match-ups, both of which the media lusts after. The degree to which those weekly $$ forces are lessened by any new arrangement would be resisted by ESPN, Fox, etc.

Good to see both Grein hitting her stride, and Ma’ake finding her groove again in time for the mutts. Go Ducks!

Putting ducks on a frozen pond usually means one thing: migration.

The Michigan model of ‘Win Now’ not only requires a fat transfer wallet, but also suggests coaching may now be moving away from player development, and towards utilizing the already formed skill-sets of veteran top talent into more or less straight forward offensive and defensive schemes that focus on advantageous match-ups. It’s one-on-one at both ends of the floor with a vengeance. For Dana, this model represents a big shift away from what has been his strengths: recruiting good to excellent high school talent that he can then gradually shape into ‘his team’ over the course of a season. Where Dana exemplifies the college value of teaching, Dusty May has brought off-the-shelf pro moneyball squarely into the NCAA limelight.