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1-1 after six innings, and Josh Hollis looked good putting them down 1-2-3. We finally got the opposing starting pitcher out, but their reliever is no help for the Good-Guys as we got nothing.

1-1 after five innings. Highly regarded true freshman Oregon pitcher Josh Hollis takes over, and while he has taken some lumps in the earlier games--those forge the experience needed for continued innings to build his confidence. He kept Xavier scoreless as the fielding made some great plays to assist him.

1-1 after four innings. Michael Meckna gave up a hit, who then took second...who was then picked-off on a wonderful example of teamwork between Meckna and Ryan Cooney. He kept them scoreless, and is emerging as a reliable option in the Oregon bullpen. The Musketeer pitching is much better this game, and kept us handcuffed.

1-1 after three innings. Leo Uelmen looked much better than we had seen in the past, but with two outs and runners on the corners...Oregon decided to bring in Michael Meckna. Breaking in Ulemen gradually is a good idea, and he looks like another piece to build in the bullpen. Meckna gave up a hit to allow Xavier their first run, but with a huge moment with bases loaded...got the strikeout!

A long and insightful article on ESPN from a couple days ago. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/48123438/college-football-transfer-portal-tampering-how-works-crosses-line. We all know college football recruiting, contracts, and NIL are unregulated chaos right now, but the article really shines a light on the slimy realities of this 'business'. Is this really what college football fans want to cheer for on Saturdays? I know we would all answer that a little differently. Props to Dabo Swinney if he really is trying to hold the line. I feel like transfers sitting out a year would help curb a lot of this activity. Here are some excerpts: Coaches have griped for years about the out-of-control nature of tampering across college football. But this was a rarity: A head coach [Swinney] going public with precisely how his program was wronged. And not just any coach, but one with two national title rings. He laid out the story of Luke Ferrelli, a transfer linebacker from Cal who had just enrolled at his school, moved into an apartment and went through classes and workouts for a week. And then, suddenly, he bailed for more money at Ole Miss. "Right is right even if nobody does it," Swinney said. "And wrong is wrong even if everybody does it." But now that players have agents, impermissible contact has dramatically escalated. "The tampering got much more brash and blatant," one agent said. "I don't even see why schools get mad about it," one agent said. "If you don't want your kid to be tampered with, sign them to an agreement that's fair and the kid won't be looking to go elsewhere." "You almost have to tamper at times with these schools, because they don't want to pay their own players," the same agent argued. "They just don't." According to agents, the easy way to facilitate December tampering was via three-way phone calls. The agent would call the GM or coach, then add the player to the call. That way, it's the agent showing up in phone logs and not the player. Some even held these pre-portal agent meetings over FaceTime and Zoom. "They'd done three-way calls with their coaches for four different clients as early as November," the agent said. "He's up there waxing poetic about how bad tampering is, and I've been helping you tamper for a month." Swinney and other coaches have likened the renegotiation process to extortion in some cases and know they're contending with agents who could be bluffing about offers from other schools. But that's how it works when there's no data or transparency about how much college football players are earning. "Once the kid gets on campus, that s--- has got to stop," an SEC GM said. "To me, that was the cardinal sin in that situation." "He's literally in class," an agent added. "There's no way to defend it." One ACC GM felt the Ferrelli move was nowhere near as troubling as Miami swiping star quarterback Darian Mensah from Duke at the portal deadline. The Hurricanes' last-minute push to flip Mensah away from the ACC champs resulted in Duke suing the quarterback and settling for an undisclosed sum to release him from his two-year contract. "It's like they robbed a bank in broad daylight, walked out with no mask and no alarms went off," the ACC GM said with a chuckle. One month after Swinney's news conference, NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan sent a memo to member schools warning that his group has been charged with pursuing "significant penalties" for tampering violations -- including any contact between agents and coaches about players who are not in the portal. He vowed work is underway to modernize and streamline the investigative process for more expedited resolutions. "Simply put, communicating with an agent for a student-athlete who is not in the transfer portal is a tampering violation," Duncan wrote. GMs surveyed by ESPN said they haven't turned in other programs for tampering in recent years because they view it as a waste of time. It's not easy to obtain evidence and prove it like Swinney did. More importantly, staffers don't want the NCAA imaging their phones and finding proof of their own tampering efforts. "Nobody's clean -- except maybe Dabo," the Group of 5 GM said. After years of perceived investigative inaction, GMs and agents say they'll believe a reckoning is coming when they see it. "I hate to say it," one agent argued, "but the rules are a suggestion at this point." "Let's say they do penalize Ole Miss or one of these teams," an SEC GM added. "At the end of the day, it's still going to end up in a courtroom." Tampering has become so easy to do that trying to stop it might be futile. Perhaps it's wiser to confront some of the contributing factors such as fixing the calendar, regulating agents or dealing with the schools who are spending far beyond the revenue sharing cap. "It's like trying to stop a runaway train, man," an ACC GM said.

The fallout continues. The USC Trojans, depleted like Oregon with injuries, ended their season on an eight game losing streak. Is Coach Eric Musselman on the hot seat?

1-0 Ducks after two innings. Leo Uelmen has a nasty inside curve, and a deceptive changeup to compliment his fast ball. The highlight of the inning was a great low catch by Maddox Molony, and then he scrambles on the turf to get to second base to put that runner out. Double Play! Gabe Miranda got a hit through the RF shift against him, and Drew Smith was plinked. Then comes our new DH for this game RSFr. Naulivou Lauaki, another big-guy on the team at 6'5" 265 pounds...who nails one through the LF/CF gap to score Miranda. Oregon stranded two on base...

0-0 after one inning. The surprise starter is Leo Ulemen, who was a big recruit years ago, and sat out most of the last year and a half due to injuries. He gave up a double to the lead off hitter, who got to third on a wild pitch. Then...the throw from the outfield on a caught fly was overthrown to the backstop, and that was an invitation for the runner to take home. But Ulemen got to the ball in time and fired it to Brayden Jaksa, who made the tag at home for the out! He also had a strikeout on the final batter to get him through a nervous first inning unscathed. Good for him!

Everyone is welcome to join in, and I have no idea who we are starting today...

They have a link in the article to the 25 minute podcast/interview, and to hear it all gives you more perspective. For one...he is humble, and knows what an incredible opportunity he has, but he is also confident because he has called plays to two other D-1 programs before and was the voice in the booth for Will Stein. He called himself, "even-keeled and analytical" which is important in the heat of so many big moments, so many big plays needed. He was offering information and advice to Stein at every play, and Lanning listened to all of it in his headset. There were three items (below) from the interview that I thought was important that the article above did not touch upon. Booth: When asked about whether he would be on the field or in the booth this year...he hedged at first to say that they will make that decision later. But later he admitted that he has a better view above, and because he and Dante know each other so well--it was not as crucial for him to be on the field. Everytime the game cameras showing Moore on the field phone and looking at a pad with formations on it...he was talking to Mehringer. So my bet is that he will be in the booth this year. Balance: When asked his offense preferences...he firmly spoke of a Balanced Offense being crucial, and able to attack through both the ground and air. He taught tight ends how to block, so I know he loves the running game, but he also made hay with their pass catching abilities, so he loves that side of the offense as well. He emphasized determining our offense's strengths, and playing to those strengths based on the personnel, the game, and the situation. Bird-Bombs! I know that fellow Duck-Buddy Mike West and I have been clamoring for more long-balls, and Mehringer brought that up on his own and reminded everyone that it is easier to complete a 50 yard bomb, than it is to create a 50 yard explosion run. He stated that we have the players who can implement those attacks, and that he would be looking to include it more in the offense. My Reaction to That was Muted...

3,074 deals approved in Jan & Feb, while 187 weren't. 18 Nebraska players suing for over $1Mil in deals. Warehousing challenged wherein an entity is buying all future deals for the athlete. Nebraska players challenge CSC in potential precedent-settting NIL arbitration - CBS Sports

Ducks tied for 2nd with 14, 1 behind sc. "Starter" isn't defined. College football returning production 2026: Starters back for every FBS team - CBS Sports

Justin Joyner is the new Oregon State basketball coach. His wife Tracy is the Oregon Ducks womens soccer coach.

Wayne Tinkle? Perhaps they could just swap coaches...OSU's for ASU's.

Big Spring Questions for the B1G's biggest rival - https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-football-spring-2026-burning-questions-alabama/

FWIW. Returning starters in 2026. In 2025, Clemson and Penn State were among the teams with the most starters returning. 😁 This season, a team that was favored in its bowl game and came up with a B1G choke in Texas, USC, has the most returning starters. With unchecked free agency in CFB, how you picked the portal may matter more than the guys coming back. Returning production means very little if the guys returning did not produce in 2025. With 14 starters back, Oregon is in a six-way tie for 2nd place. Quite a turnaround for OBD from last season. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-returning-production-2026-returning-starters-fbs/

As bad as the Ducks season was, look no further than former PAC-12 member Arizona State. They just got pummeled by Iowa State 91-42!!! And they only scored 16 first half points. Bobby Hurley is on his way out. Who's next?

But it's the Big Ten that is cheating, right? SINebraska Football Players Preparing for Arbitration Fight...A group of Cornhuskers is challenging an important college sports body.

It Just Means Less Tax Dollars in Mississippi - SISEC’s NIL Arms Race Heats Up As Mississippi Passes New Ta...Mississippi could become the second state to pass a bill eliminating income tax on NIL money.

Please, Dan, Just Don't Do It! Oregon Ducks On SILane Kiffin’s Son Knox Kiffin Hoping To Land On Oregon’s...The Oregon Ducks have been one of the many teams that have made it a point to recruit very well at the quarterback position, as they continue to show that they

Place your B1G Tourney Bets? With difficulty getting the ball through the hoop, OBD has flown the Chicago coop. On32026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Odds: Ranking be....

Kettle meets pot. Where's a full-length mirror when you need one? Greg Sankey wants the It Just Means More folks to leave the NCAA because the NCAA isn't enforcing the rules? 😜 Ready, aim, fire at Petitti, but which commissioner is falling from grace and 1st place? BTW, Greg, Kirby Smart, and Josh Heupel want more; they want 24. YardbarkerSEC's Greg Sankey makes huge admission about breaking awa...The SEC has to feel like it's too big to fail when it comes to college football.When it comes to Greg, I hate to be fair, but he did have this to say ... On3Greg Sankey acknowledges support for SEC to make drastic.... Whatever Greg and the SEC decide to do, it will have the backing of Dabo Swinney; or, I may have Miss-typed, is that the stabbed in the back, Dabo Swinney?

I think Doug Flutie is still alive and kickin'. https://www.patriots.com/news/flutie-converts-nfl-s-first-drop-kick-in-64-years-93631

Show Matt the $$$. Will the new OC, Arthur Smith, be as good? YardbarkerOhio State makes expensive move with DC Matt PatriciaOnce thought of as a joke for his time in Detroit, Patricia's career has bounced back nicely.

I'll trust Lanning but with fingers crossed. Between the personnel on the rosters and the teams recent and projected future success, they could have any QB coach or OC they want. If Lanning believes that he has the coaches he wants, I have to believe it for now. As an outsider, it seems like they could have done better but what do I know?