Charles Fischer

Dan Lanning is no dummy. The Oregon Ducks’ football coach allowed media into the program’s inner sanctum on Thursday for a few minutes. It was the first time in the Lanning era that an outsider laid eyes on a live 11-on-11 spring football drill. Just the fourth practice. Only the second day in pads. Still, Lanning opened the doors for 15 plays and let media observe. The reporters noted that quarterback Ty Thompson got the first-team reps, followed transfer Bo Nix, then returner Jay Butterfield. The fan base buzzed about it. Speculation swirled about next season possibly being Thompson’s time, or at least that he’d press Nix for the starting job. Or maybe this was just Thompson taking the first reps because he’s been in Eugene a lot longer than Nix. It was a brilliant tactical move, either way. Matt Prehm @MattPrehm Should note: Ty's series with the ones ended with a low pass getting tipped at the LOS by Jackson Powers-Johnson and Bryan Addison nabbing a sweet interception and returning it for what would have been a touchdown. Nix led the offense down the field into scoring range. Matt Prehm @MattPrehm Oregon ran 11-on-11 with media in practice for about 15 plays. QB order: 1. Ty Thompson 2. Bo Nix 3. Jay Butterfield March 31st 2022 5 Retweets69 Likes Nobody on the outside knows if Thompson — a five-star recruit out of high school — really is pressing Nix for the starting job. But that brief look through the keyhole sure gave the appearance of a tight race. It was exactly what Lanning needed to do in an era where gifted young players routinely jump in the transfer portal. In the last couple of years I took note on my statewide radio show that coaches I interviewed started to craft their answers a little differently. Most notably, when I’d ask how a particular player looked in practice I got some new-era thinking. It used to be that coaches would lean into the question and talk specifically about the one player. That’s gone. Unless I drill down with follow-up questions on the specific player what I typically encounter in 2022 is a coach who is cognizant of the feelings of every player in that position group and anyone in their friend and family circle who might be listening. They now tip toe around the question. Oregon QB Ty Thompson was a five-star recruit out of high school. “I love our entire quarterback room,” coaches now often say. Or the coach will reel off a checklist of everyone at the position, making sure that nobody on the roster is left out. The transfer portal did that, folks. ---------------------------------------------------- On Friday, I spoke with UO women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves about his roster. He lost a carload of players to the transfer portal when the season ended, including three talented sophomores. Questions swirled about whether there might be something larger going on with the program but Graves assured me it was the way of the new world. Graves said: “I looked today, there are more than 900 Division I women’s basketball players in the portal — 900. The season hasn’t even finished yet. It’s tough. It’s like NBA free agency every year.” He’s right. College football and men’s basketball both had the same flurry of transfer activity. Further, I told Graves that I felt like coaches weren’t being as candid and authentic about the depth chart anymore. At least not in public-facing appearances. Not just one coach — almost all of them. There is now almost no upside and a lot of potential downside to publicly talking about what’s happening with the roster. “We’re not honest. We’re not honest with you. We’re often times not honest with our own players because we’re trying to keep them warm,” Graves said. “Gone are the days quite frankly when you could come in and hope to play a little bit as a freshman, play more as a sophomore, kind of move into the rotation and maybe start as a junior. Those days are over." “Kids are looking for what they can get right now.” I love the concept of the transfer portal. It has a place in college athletics. But I think it’s enabling the teaching of some piss-poor life lessons. The portal has become an extension of the club-sports scene, where parents move their child out of one club and jump to another because their kid didn’t get playing time or got some constructive criticism. Gone is resilience. Absent is accountability. What we have in its wake is a new-era of athletics marked by transient behaviors. Three high schools in four years? Sure. Four different club coaches in four seasons? Yup. It’s happening. Now, we’re watching college players jump in and out of the portal, seeking more playing time, a better opportunity, and sometimes the added incentive of an endorsement deal. The portal needs to stay part of college athletics, but so does common sense. I wonder if the solution is to limit the transfer portal window to a two-month period after the end of every season. College courses have an “add/drop” deadline. So should college athletics. Because what we have now is a flimsy free-for-all that makes some college programs feel like bus stops. I don’t blame Lanning one bit for letting the media into practice. I admire that he had Thompson take the first reps. He’s learned from Mario Cristobal’s sins in this way. Thompson worked hard, stuck with the program through a head coaching change and we’re told has a load of talent. He got rewarded and encouraged by Lanning. Thompson went first. It may keep him around if he ends up second.

Sewell took an official visit to Georgia, was impressed, and the Bulldog fans still remember him and wanted to know about his progress when I was on their board.

After 3 innings, there is no score, as RJ Gordon started out superb got in a bit of a jam in this last inning, that really pitched well coming out of it.

The real question is..."will it be bigger than the new Video-Screen at PK Park?"

The blitzes by Inside Linebackers in the Georgia system are PERFECT for Sewell, Bassa and Flowe!

It is a good question, and one that I'm sure many of you are wondering. It seems like every article of mine has some reference to a casino or gambling in it, and now you see it in other writer's articles as well. Am I really that big a degenerate? Before you answer that, know that I've never placed a single bet anywhere; not online, not at Vegas,...anywhere. I have vices, (like the time spent here) but gambling is not one of them. So What Are These Gambling References About? FishDuck.com is getting paid to place backlinks into articles. Why, and what is that? Companies, (usually abroad) want their new websites to be found on Google, thus their Google Rankings must go up. These new gambling site companies go to Marketing/SEO companies and pay them to raise their profile, their "SEO Juice" (Search Engine Optimization) with the Google search process. If their new site or company is linked on another site (like mine) that has excellent SEO Juice...then it helps them get found in a Google Search so much better. These links are not advertising, and not meant to generate business, they are just there to be a backlink on my site is all. So I weave them into articles like the recent example below: "I was going over FanDuel’s NFL odds for Justin Herbert‘s LA Chargers, when I started pondering about what has been stated by this new Oregon head coach and OC about the upcoming Oregon offense." Is This Lucrative? No, as I get $100.00 for the backlink. Considering that my expenses with the two sites runs over $500.00 a month, and I am trying to create a "Photographer Fund" to pay for the photographers this fall--I need all these backlink orders that I can get. Another component to this? I do not want to be out begging for donations again, as I did last year. So many of you were very generous, helping the site and now that I've found an easy way to pay the bills of the two sites--I am doing the backlinks instead. I SO APPRECIATE the 33 donors last year, as you kept us alive and helped deliver the sites to where you do not have to endure "the" phone call from the Shameless Beggar. Fortunately the other writers are being good sports and going along with links in their articles to fund the sites, but I make sure that yours-truly is referred to the degenerate gambler, not the writer. A recent example in a David Marsh article... "Mr. FishDuck and I were discussing Oregon’s new culture after I was able to pull him from his bet365 reviews on gamblingguy.com and thus came to some similar conclusions." Where Do These Backlinks Come From? All around the world; in one week I published backlinks from a company in Romania, and another on the other side of the world in Hong Kong. I get a few in Asia such as Sri Lanka or India, but most are in Europe. In fact we recently had one from Derby, England (map above) of which is not far from Sheffield, where the web developer for this forum is located. Recently I received an order for a backlink article, (this is done by email where they enquire, I send back a specs document, and then they answer if interested further) and I emailed back that it will be in my own article on Monday after the Spring Game. Below was the insertion into the analysis article I created.... "I immediately found a favorite play and had to take some time away from Captain Cooks Casino NZ to break down this “explosion” play that went for 44 yards, and share it with you." My FishDuck Friends, what was amazing is how the order came from a company located in Budapest, Hungary to be published on a site in Eugene, Oregon and the link went to a site in New Zealand! How about that for being global? These backlinks are easy to read over and ignore, and are far better for all of us than having blaring ads, pop-up windows or videos playing in the background where you have to search for the video is on the page so you can turn it off! How would like that every time you go from the front page to a post? I hate it on other sites, and thus why I have turned to this easy way to pay the bills of the two sites, FishDuck and Our Beloved Ducks forum. And I do appreciate all of you overlooking the gambling links inserted gently to pay the bills, and focusing on the actual articles written. So now you know why those sentences/links are in articles, and that I might be a degenerate, but not from gambling!

Wowsa. And this was done without the Assistant Coach that left a year ago and just recently to Omaha!

I was reading the local morning paper, (which is always a few days behind all other reporting) and was impressed with all the lauding of Oregon that DC Tosh Lupoi was doing. When asked why he left the NFL to come back to college coaching? "For myself and my family to come back to college football, a place where I could compete consistently to win a national title....a place where we could consistently coach first-round draft picks and a place where we could go into any living room and be able to express the fact that your life is going to be a great life no matter how football works out. Because of the alumni base and the connections here, and the unbelievable resources of the university. Those three things and the icing on the cake was Coach Lanning, and being part of his expertise." My Friends, does the praise for the university and team we love get any better than that? You hear this kind of thing from newly hired coaches at Oregon, but does the vision, the promise of what Oregon can be to a coach....does it come through to their satisfaction? Or is this group of coaches going to finally MAKE it happen? Something I was pondering... These coaches really believe they can win a 'Natty at Oregon....and fans are checking out of Duck football because of the NIL/Portal? We need to believe as much as our new coaches do!

Can't wait to see the new defense...

They started the season ranked pretty close to where the Ducks are now, and have left the rankings, but I believe will be in the Top 15 before the season is over. They had the No. 1 rated recruiting class and lost a few games early on (They are 16-8 and Oregon is 18-7) with those freshmen who are now performing much better. They are similar to Oregon in that they are really coming on strong and are 5-1 in the last six games. Good gosh....UCLA just won two out of three from then No. 11 Arizona, (now No. 15) and they beat UCSB mid-week, (Oregon split a four game series with UCSB) and now have their confidence. At the beginning of the season...nobody thought Oregon would come into this series as "the hunted" and the Bruins as the underdog. Considering recruiting rankings...either Oregon should not even be in the games, or Coach Waz is doing a heck of a job. (I chose the latter) **UCLA Starting Pitchers have a combined ERA of only 2.50! Whew! **UCLA is 44-50 (88%) in stolen bases this season. Whew! **UCLA's relievers have come on...since Feb. 25th have allowed one or no runs in 17 of 19 games. Yikes! **UCLA had the most players drafted of any NCAA team last year. (10) **The Ducks are second in the nation in batting average, fourth in double plays sixth in both hits and slugging percentage, 10th in double plays per game, 11th in home runs, 15th in runs per game, 17th in runs and 18th in on-base percentage. **Oregon leads the Pac-12 in six major statistical categories, including four on offense. **The Ducks lead the league in batting hits, home runs, HR/game, and slugging percentage at the plate, while also ranking second in the conference in batting average, runs, runs per game and on-base percentage. **Oregon also leads the league in total bases. **The Ducks are third in the conference in doubles. **Heading into the UCLA series, Oregon is on pace to hit 91.4 home runs during its 56-game regular-season schedule. The Ducks have hit 41 long balls in their first 25 games of the season of which already rank fifth all-time in a single season at Oregon. The 2021 team set the school record last season with 56 home runs. (Above from Oregon and UCLA Press Releases) (Watch the games on live-stream with the links on the schedule at GoDucks.com)

He's been given full disclosure! So if that kind of talent wants to work hard...

Wow. Whew! Thanks for posting the great news...

I like Jon's conferences, as we could still have some great TV matchups.

Great stuff Axel, and I believe we are seeing the dividends right now of that strategy put into place two years ago. The end result is players improving their hitting, and that is what we are seeing! If this was based on a couple of incredible recruits, or some real bloomers like Zavala or Matthews last year--I would not have the same level of optimism about the long term upside of the program. But he is turning nearly everybody into good hitters. If he can recruit some starter-stud pitchers....this could be a perennial Omaha-type program. (Gosh, it is fun to dream!)

Interesting. Thanks for the information on the Beavers, so it appears that they have great starting pitching, great defense, great hitting, but marginal relief pitching. Hmmm.

Just reading that gave me a little "lift" in my seat! If that is the culture they are creating....look out Pac-12!

What is interesting, is how no other Pac 12 teams are in the top 25, except for Oregon State who is No. 2. This means we are going to have some epic Civil War matchups!

Wowsa! Thanks for letting us know, but it is a required subscription for that article, and we only post what is free. If you could tell us more… And thanks for trying to help!

It is only on the Pac 12 channel, but I might be able to find a way to get a copy of the game to you. 😉

Fun to see this analysis, and frankly the hand-fighting between receivers and DBs always surprises me as to what both sides get away with.

If she works hard in the off-season on her three-point shot, and becoming a leader--it could help the team a ton!

More reliever action... BTW...in the live-stream yesterday--they pointed out how Oregon entered the game as the No. 1 team in the nation for hitting. I don't think that is the case now, but the point is--this team is hitting like none other you have seen!

In both the pre-game remarks and afterward....Oregon Baseball Coach Mark Wasikowski hinted that maybe Oregon is changing their attitude toward starting pitchers. While it would be ideal to have three pitchers who can go deep into a game--the Ducks don't have that. But what they do have is a STRONG Bull-Pen, and all he will ask out of a starter is two or three innings as he does most of the relievers. Oregon relievers kept the Ducks in the game yesterday when the hitting just wasn't there, and having six pitchers used in a game might become the norm for this Baseball team, since it seems to be working extremely well. You will see some pitchers only come in for an inning or an inning and a half, and turn it over to another. I guess if they don't pitch very much in a game--they can go again the next night easily enough. Great to see Caleb Sloan shake off his tough start the other day, and great to see Andrew Mosiello come in for a scoreless inning, his first pitching in 3.5 weeks as he is overcoming a back injury. So, since the strength of this Oregon team is hitting, defense and relievers--Coach Waz is going to go with that!

Mike, I think you state well the excitement that many of us are feeling, although seeing so many great quotes does get the juices going further. Thanks for the guest article!

Cool. Even if you had meant it the other way--all opinions are fine. I just have to wave my Pom-Poms once in a while....