Charles Fischer

Hayward....you are just 'killing-it" with your Memes...you make me laugh, but it does not distract from your points.

Flawed to you, but I know the fellow and this is what he believes and thinks that there could be a group that agrees with him. Let me relate back 30 years ago....you cannot imagine the number of Husky fans that would look at me with disgust and disdain when I suggested we had a rivalry. "You can only have a rivalry Charles, when both sides are winning their share and the Ducks are not in our league." You see--David was just espousing the Duck version of what I heard from Huskies years ago...

On this site--as long as people do not attack each other--any opinion is fine. In fact it is the only safe place to post an "end-of-the-spectrum" view, or be a Husky fan because people still have to be nice to you. I personally disagree with his premise, not just because I think there will always be a rivalry, but because most of us WANT the rivalry. We LOVE to HATE our rival and it does add drama, entertainment and at times--great fun. You have to admit that a winning percentage of only 55% since Don James retired is a surprising number to most of us. Thanks for posting, and I will change your avatar to something that is NOT an Oregon helmet. (I gave it to you assuming you were an Oregon fan)

But let that happen to Oregon....and down to No. 9 for you!

You know...I don't think Smith would leave. I think he would get a raise and stay; the amount of slack he would given in Corvallis--is so different than Seattle--whew!

I cannot decide whether to say "sweet," to what you wrote or "Ha!"

Now THAT....is GREAT writing! 100% agree.

Interesting article about what they say about Cristobal, and Lake. I was also left amused thinking about their comments toward the future of Wilcox, as what they suggest is QUITE plausible IMHO.

I really think we need to give coaching credit where due....to the Huskies. They clearly scouted that play, (an RPO I believe) and as we began to run it--the LB knew what was coming and jumped it the way Kenny Wheaton had scouted their pass plays and jumped it.

Cool! Hope we can show them a winning game!

(Press Release from Oregon Athletics) EUGENE, Ore. — Playing against a projected conference titlist coming off an NCAA Tournament berth, Oregon dominated its season opener from start to finish Tuesday in Matthew Knight Arena, beating Idaho State, 91-34. The No. 10 Ducks got 18 points from Sedona Prince and 14 apiece from Nyara Sabally and Maddie Scherr to beat the Bengals, the returning Big Sky champs who are preseason favorites to win that conference again this season. "Tonight was a blast," Prince said. "We were a little nervous going in, to be honest. They're strong, competitive — they're just tough. We knew if we didn't come out ready, especially on the defensive side, it could have been a close game. But we were so ready and prepared." How It Happened: Sabally got the scoring started right off the bat, with eight points during Oregon's 13-0 run to open the game. Idaho State went scoreless until making two free throws with 5:39 left in the opening quarter, and the Bengals didn't hit their first field goal until there was 2:41 left in the period. By that point Oregon had built a 21-2 lead that included a beautifully executed pick-and-roll between Scherr and Prince, and back-to-back field goals off the bench by Chanaya Pinto. "Right from the get-go, I thought defensively we were on point," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "Offensively we wanted to get the ball inside early and often, and we did that. And then it just started to snowball a bit. I thought this was a complete game; we played both ends of the floor well. I was proud of the team." The second period opened with a basket by Phillipina Kyei and a three-pointer from Sydney Parrish, before Scherr sliced through the defense for a basket that made it 34-7. After a bucket from Prince, Scherr hit a three and then pulled up for a another three-pointer for a 42-9 lead. The Ducks led 50-20 at halftime. The second half featured more contributions from the likes of Kyei, Kylee Watson and Taylor Bigby. The Ducks led 72-29 after three quarters and kept up the pace to finish the game with their largest lead all night, 57 points. The half was marred by an injury to Sabally, who had to be helped off the court in the third, but Graves said afterward, "I think she's going to be OK." Who Stood Out: Prince scored her 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting, and Sabally was 6-of-9 from the floor while adding four rebounds and a blocked shot. Scherr filled it up with five assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block, along with four turnovers as she handled the bulk of the ballhandling with fellow guards Te-Hina Paopao and Endyia Rogers sidelined by injuries. "She's one of our best leaders, on and off the court," Prince said of Scherr. "So I'm really proud of her." Kyei finished with six points and 10 rebounds in just 13 minutes. Starting wings Parrish and Ahlise Hurst combined for 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and six steals with two blocked shots. What It Means: The Ducks were on alert entering Tuesday's game given Idaho State's pedigree and projection for this season, but came away with a dominant performance. "I think this team can go very, very far," Prince said. "And I hope we proved that to everyone in the country tonight." Up Next: The Ducks host Dixie State on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Such incompetence at hiring by the AD across all Washington sports makes me very grateful for Rob Mullens...regardless of some major mistakes with Helfrich and Taggart--he has really hired well across the board in his other major decisions. It is another example of how Oregon is smarter than Washington...

Mike, my photographer at the game called me at halftime and was apologizing in advance for upcoming bad pictures from the game. He said, "with the huge gusts of wind and pouring rain....at times it is raining sideways, and I cannot keep my camera lens dry." 1) I would say that was extraordinary conditions and 2) without a bogus penalty the score would have been 31-16, which would have reflected more dominance on such a terrible weather day, and 3) any time....ANY TEAM, whether the coach is Chip Kelly or Mario Cristobal who rushes for 324 yards in that weather against an opponent that knows it is coming--did-one-heck-of-a-job.

If we end up that way--we have no choice, but it is kinda boring to play a team twice in a season, and it is VERY hard to beat a great team twice.

Good to see, as this is crucial for Oregon's season. Kelly Graves has Optimistic Outlook for Nyara Sabally after Knee Injury in Season-Opener by Don Smalley of Ducks Wire

Some very good points made in this article and the quote that bothers me the most...."the Ducks, despite a win at OSU, could be on the outside." College Football Playoff Ranking Reaction: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Ross Dellenger of SI The committee is sending mixed messages on the importance of head-to-head results.

My pleasure Santa Rosa Duck, as you are also one of the Core-from-Before that we just have to be hearing from! If any of you are reading this, and cannot get into the site with complications due to being registered before, the old FishDuck comments, your password auto-fill....contact me and I can help you get in. I have been successful every time! So email me and I'll get you going! charles@fishduck.com

As a fan who is "Greybeard-age," I will never forget the tormenting of those times, and the subsequent joy. No matter the records--this will always be the biggest game of the year for me. Besides, we have a dozen victories to go, to even up the historical record between the two teams. When the Huskies start winning again--their fans will be insufferable, and winning this border-war is the only thing that will shut them up. Now with that said...David brought up some great points in his article that is handy for later, so THANKS!

Quackanadian! One of the "Core" from before, and so great to see you. And we always need a "lead-off hitter" in the early morning (EST) to get things rolling. I've missed your takes on things, and I am delighted to welcome you back! And I agree with you; I believe this will be high scoring with Oregon winning by three....and the only question is...can Oregon score enough?

(Press Release from Oregon Athletics) EUGENE, Ore. — Will Richardson had 20 points to lead four scorers in double figures as the Oregon men's basketball team opened its season Tuesday with an 83-66 victory over Texas Southern at Matthew Knight Arena. Six players made their UO debuts in the game, including three starters. The Ducks got off to a slow start offensively but led 36-26 at halftime thanks to stout defense, before the game opened up in the second half. "We weren't hitting shots (early), but our energy was good," UO coach Dana Altman said. "… I thought we made pretty good plays for each other; only had eight turnovers. Did a good job from the free-throw line. So some really good positives there — other than letting them shoot 51 percent and score 40 points in that second half." How It Happened: Jacob Young, the younger brother of Oregon's former Pac-12 player of the year Joseph Young, hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the season for the Ducks. He added another moments later to cap a 13-4 run to open the game by Oregon.file:///C:/Users/CHARLE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif From there the Ducks went cold, making just two of their next 23 field-goal attempts. The game was played with 7,037 in attendance, and Eric Williams Jr. said playing in front of a crowd for the first time since spring 2020 might have played a factor in the shooting slump. "It's been a minute since I've seen fans," Williams said. "I think I just had first-game jitters, honestly. I think we'll be fine moving forward. "(But) it feels good. Going into games last year felt more like a scrimmage. Now it feels like you're playing for something." Oregon shot just 32.4 percent in the first half, but made six three-pointers and held Texas Southern to 39.1 percent shooting to lead 36-26. In the second half the Ducks shot 48.4 percent and made another six three-pointers, enough offense to survive the increased output by the visitors. De'Vion Harmon and Quincy Guerrier, two of the new faces in the starting line, made back-to-back threes early in the second half for a 44-28 lead. A three-pointer by Williams and a dunk by Franck Kepnang pushed the UO lead to 54-35, and Rivaldo Soares completed a three-point play for the Ducks' biggest lead of the night, 63-40.file:///C:/Users/CHARLE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif Who Stood Out: Richardson had 20 points with four three-pointers, Harmon added 15 points and Young scored 14. Guerrier finished with eight points and 12 rebounds, and Soares had 10 points with five rebounds. What It Means: The Ducks and Tigers met for the fourth time in five years, and Tuesday's win was Oregon's most comfortable of the series. Oregon won 74-68 in 2017 and 84-78 in 2019, while Texas Southern won the 2018 matchup, 89-84. "We're going to be a work in progress through December," Altman said. "But I like the depth of this team. I like the guys — I think if they become a cohesive unit defensively and offensively, that we can have a good team." Up Next: The Ducks host Southern Methodist in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network).

Think of how every college team's fans would love to be in our spot, save two. And yes...it could change soon, thus why I've got to dive in and savor it while I can.

The nastiest among them declared that, "You will NEVER stay at No. 4." You are right, as we are now No. 3!

It feels like we're being set up for a major.... (read below and then YOU finish the word) REACTION: Twitter Reacts to Ducks, Head-to-Head Controversy in Latest CFP Standings by Zachary Neel of Duck Wire

No sweat. I really appreciate people posting articles for everyone else and this will happen on occasion. It is a GREAT problem to have!

I do not share everyone's optimism. I see this as a close high-scoring game...