Washington Waddler

That’s life in a sports top-heavy town like Seattle. That sucking sound the Washington Athletics Dept. never can keep from hearing? The finite wallet contents of average fans being magnetized by whoever the latest new kid in town happens to be; right now, probably the Kraken.

Yet again (since we all seem to need reminding of this on a regular basis), it’s not the dazzle of media stars that matter, but the relationship between high school student athletes and mentoring assistant coaches.

By comparison, it’s important to point out that of the four pitchers used by ORU in game three, not one was a freshman. There starting nine was composed of six seniors and three juniors. Experience - having been there before - is the best remedy for pressure situations. While it hurts to not be going to Omaha, what our frosh pitchers went through was priceless - developmental gold.

Guess I’m just a traditionalist. Always thought it stood for Florists’ Transworld Delivery. That said, I did come across another definition for the acronym: Fronto Temporal Disorder. Among the possible symptoms are, “ . . . unusual behavior, emotional problems . . .” So, whenever you hear (or read) a rodent fan uttering those three letters, the considerate thing to do is call them an ambulance. They may be suffering from Duck Envy which can lead to FTD.

Agreed. So many "hate Oregon more than they love Oregon State." So, any further questions as to why it’s called the Civil War, and always will be?

Yeah, sure, all at the same time they’re sticking pins in their Duck voodoo dolls.

From the Golden Flashes to the Golden Eagles. I recall that ‘Done Deal’ mood at the Kent State Super Regional fueled by all those first-timers there to just celebrate another Duck victory in the national spotlight. Wipe the smiles off your faces newbies. This is going to be a war. Make no mistake about it. ORU is for real.

A conflict of interest, in this case, would seem to focus on a possible influential narrowing of athletes’ choices to one destination, and not the products they wear. Phil Knight and Nike spread the wealth wherever they perceive a benefit may exist for the company’s products, which are worn by too many colleges to ever tie Nike and Phil specifically to Oregon.

Don’t know why , but somehow it seemed appropriate that the timing cycle for ads accompanying my read said,“Drain Issues? We can help”

When I draw-up a scheme, the O’s always beat the X’s.

I was just thinking PAC 12, but Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount should be added to that LA area shutout.

Only UCLA not advancing, and what a shocker that was. USC remains soft on softball.

Gratifying to see Ariel realizing as a Duck the same power she always displayed at Marist. On to the Supers!

It’s not just anybody who can find a Duck article in a haystack. Thoughts and prayers with you and your husband, and hope to see you back soon.

Interesting comparison to Marcus, but more information on Moga needed. What made MM so lethal wasn’t just his speed and accuracy, but the instinctive timing and presence he brought to his pocket choices. Eyes in the back of your head are a gift.

Hey, at least it’s not ‘bow down to Bowdoin’. Count your blessings.

Because the teams split the talent evenly, it just has me chomping at the bit to see what we can unleash on both sides of the ball come fall.

You may be right. But, I believe the jury is still out concerning the eventual effect on programs of treating and trading college level players like commodity market acquisitions. There may be a reaction to this as yet somewhere down the road. Is it wise to put all your eggs into the basket that says you can simply buy success? Not sure.

The greatest carnage created by the transfer portal appears to be in transitional NIL-focused programs with head coaches in their 1st and 2nd years. Both Lanning and Sanders have the mandate, means and the vision-driven will to recreate their programs in their own image. I don’t think you see this same level of student wreckage in other high-powered programs with more settled coaching situations. Transfers occur both in and out, but they are not trying to rebuild an image of themselves which hopefully allows college ‘coaching’ to still happen in the development of potential. Because the transfer portal has such a dramatic effect on program situations like those currently at Oregon and Colorado, perhaps the rules committee might want to revisit how the student part of the equation can be dealt with more fairly. For me, the primary purpose of a university is still to help develop young adult, whether athlete or not. The mad rush to leave behind the concept of player development in order to just win is contrary to that promise. If you’re that afraid of being left behind, perhaps the NFL is a better fit for your longings?

Always sound advice not to shoot the messenger. Especially when his is bigger than yours is!

This whole process is like watching jockeys ‘jockeying’ for position through the turns before they have to commit down the home stretch. You can’t blame every conference for wanting what’s best for themselves. Reality has yet settle the matter.

Ty is a real head-scratcher. Not because lots of players don’t need time to gain confidence, but because it is so rare to see at his position. As a group, QBs are the alphas - the leaders - on any team. Talent aside, they are drawn to the position because of that inherent characteristic. That’s what makes him so hard to understand. He’s probably as puzzled by this lack as the rest of us. But, I have to admire his determination to solve this issue. Like his cheering section, he knows he needs to start saying I can, and stop saying I can’t.

Smith is proving to me that he can transition from being an edge reliant, underdog mentality type coach into being a targeted program that continues to be successful. Deboer hasn’t gotten there yet.

Thought and action; cause and effect, are like the two sides of a coin: something like a marriage of opposites. You can’t allow one to get the upper hand on the other, or nothing seems to work right. Balancing scheme and execution is probably the most significant (and hidden) challenge facing any coach. Do that right, and everything seems to run smoothly. Let one get more important than the other, and you’re always scratching your head trying to figure what’s gone wrong. That’s why I think it’s important to understand who Stein’s comments were really directed at: his players. That’s his audience; not us. Oregon is undergoing a culture change based upon Lanning’s introduction of the Georgia ‘de-recruitment’ process. That’s a big installment requiring a tad more emphasis on the players’ responsibilities right now. It will eventually even out with scheme, but right now it’s all about getting in people’s’ faces.

Not sure why it’s so acceptable these days for some to cross the line between woofing at a rival school and taunting a fellow competitor by either demeaning them or exulting in their defeat. I can enjoy the student section chant of, “start your tractors” at the end of a C***l War game victory over the Beavers because I know the same fate of being made fun of is awaiting us somewhere down the line. I may be weary of hearing it’s open season on ducks, but I get it. I accept it. That’s Tradition. What I don’t get and will never accept is the infantile, insulting behavior of both Clark and Reese and any other present day athletes who’ve forgotten how to just play the game and leave the woofing to the fans.