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Everything posted by Washington Waddler
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Yes. It sort of reminds one of the feeding frenzy of opinions among weather analysts prior to landfall of a hurricane.
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Yeah, we’ll all miss him. He was more than a Celtic; he was an example to us all on how to not only play the game, but to live your life. RIP Bill.
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Whoa! Big Track Recruit...
Washington Waddler replied to Charles Fischer's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
Right out of the gate, what a recruiting statement to make by the new coach! Go Ducks! -
USC Killed Previous PAC-12 Expansion Efforts
Washington Waddler replied to lownslowav8r's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
Sorry, we’re not allowed to talk about pol*tics. -
Three Reasons Why Oregon & Washington Need Each Other
Washington Waddler replied to Smith72's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
It had it’s moments, but I never was much of a fan of ‘The Odd Couple’. -
All this seems to do is move us closer to proving that baseball remains America’s pastime; at least as the default structural model for team sports. Some evolving form of the NFL as the Big Dance with the SEC and B1G in the AAA role followed by lesser FBS and FCS conferences filling out the AA and A leagues seems to be as predestined as USC and UCLA trying to run away from Oregon. I dunno. It would appear that bi-lateral dualism is what we unavoidably are: the beauty of multi-faceted college sport reduced to two sides: American and National. If and when, once pay for play becomes a settled, contractural reality, they’ll work out the details that provide some descending, reimbursement NIL-based pyramid structure ending with a federally mandated non-revenue/Title IX stipend that keeps those ‘other sports’ afloat. I know it sounds like sour grapes, but when I read how Warren gloats that there’s two types of people in the world regarding change, it makes me think of all those decades it took the Big 10 to implement the PAC’s offensive strategy. Change is never fun when you’re the one having to do it. Well, it’s not a done deal, but the clock sure seems to be ticking.
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At this point, this whole CFB conference muscle-flexing orchestrated by ESPN and Fox feels like a pale imitation of a Wall Street merger/acquisition/take-over scenario being played out in a sandbox by rank amateurs. These are not companies being snatched up; it is the manipulation of cultural, educational traditions and kids. Both are worth infinitely more than dollars and cents. At this point, as Jordan pointed out in his article, all they are doing is creating uncertain futures and ulcers. There is a bigger picture. Play their game. Make the survival responses you must to the impulsive power plays by puppet conferences as the media giants pull there strings. Hopefully, in a few years, we may all find out if the bottom line of media corporations is where we want to park these things we love. Business as usual is not the future I would choose for them.
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Bennett Williams--Oregon’s 2022 All-Pac-12 Safety
Washington Waddler replied to FishDuck Article's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
Great contribution(s) DNC! For me, the stats just confirm what the eyes sense. He’s just got a presence back there that the good ones have. -
QB Preview Heading into Fall Camp
Washington Waddler replied to Babyjesus615's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
Right now I’d give Butterfield the edge simply because he is use to being viewed as someone who must earn whatever he gets. That helps develop mental focus, flexibility and maturity, all of which have been fuzzy fields for Ty because of being hamstrung as the heir apparent. He can grow out of that, but it demands losing any idea of being the chosen one. De-recruit. -
Excellent take Darren. Appreciate the dispassionate effort which I find exceedingly hard to muster, especially when it comes to the Trojans. But I’ll grit my teeth, and give it a try. What I see that USC’s move has done is to psychologically infuse the program with a complete sense of renewal by shedding the skin of a stalled and stale past, and replacing that with a shiny new sense of anticipation and eager excitement for an as yet to be written adventure free of PAC 12 chains. You couldn’t script a Hollywood ending any better; like watching Richard Dreyfuss departing earth by waving good-bye to all his old friends as he steps into the unknown embraced by all his new ones. How long this type of mental up-grade is good for is anyone’s guess. Usually, it’s success dependent. Admittedly, my take is highly subjective, a bit tongue-in-cheek, and more interested in what creates momentum than the nuts and bolts of a program’s foundation. But - when evaluating Troyland - never underestimate the power of positive thinking. Make-overs are as much a daily past time as trying to remember your latest mantra. One cautionary note: in regards to how quickly USC will ascend to the promised land; their leap resembles that of Nebraska, who - like the Trojans - were growing desperate to regain their glory days, and feeling stale and stuck in a P5 conference they perceived as beginning to flat line. Since moving to the B1G, Nebraska has gone 40-43 for 8th place, and that’s without the additional baggage of a greater time zone challenge or being perceived as a traditional Rose Bowl enemy.
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Agree. But, it helps us to better see the real playing field. It’s a defining issue because it’s devisive. How you view it all depends on which side of the fence your on. For fans, it would dramatically and tragically alter what we love. But, for those playing the game - in addition to a college education - it could turn college football into a AAA minor league system that pays the majority of players for 4 or 5 years who will never see the big show. I seriously doubt that is what players have always secretly wanted, but it sure seems to be on their radar these days.
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San Diego State Seen As Essential to Pac-12
Washington Waddler replied to Smith72's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
USC doesn’t seem to know it yet, but their heart and identity died when they decided money and running away from regional competition was more important than tradition and passionate rivalry. They are now not much more than a recommended acquisition absorbed by an avaricious corporation looking to add to their bottom line. Who and what they will become now is anybody’s guess. Not being that attractive has thus far allowed us to escape that fate. May we continue to be so lucky. There’s no guarantees that SDSU or FSU, or any other potential candidates for PAC membership will make that leap, or even help create the conference that we all want by them doing so. But, I’d rather take that chance, and go that route, than end up being bought like some commodity. When you think money and playing it safe are the point, you’re already dead. You just don’t know it. College football is a funny combination of business and passion. It is certainly all about trying to become the very best. But, you ascend to that by allowing your passion to fuel the engine, not the money. Nike and Uncle Phil didn’t board the train because the Ducks were a blue chip purchase; they did it because they saw the passion, belief and emerging identity of something they wanted to be a part of. It may be scary, but the unknown is not necessarily a bad place to be. It’s kind of exciting to hold on to who you are, even when the going gets tough. Better than selling yourself. -
Can QB Development Improve Under Dillingham?
Washington Waddler replied to Smith72's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
Stars can blind some players from ever understanding what it’s really all about. No other player on the Ducks could benefit more from Lanning’s ‘de-recruitment’ philosophy than Ty. -
Miami Removing the 'Turnover Chain' Ahead of 2022 Season
Washington Waddler replied to Annie's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
Chain of fools -
USC: 'Is This Heaven?'...'No, it's IOWA'
Washington Waddler replied to Charles Fischer's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
My apologies to Meredith Wilson, but his ‘Iowa Stubborn’ lyrics from “The Music Man” - when imagining what a Trojan will be up against - pretty much sum-up what USC has in store for themselves: And we’re so God stubborn We can stand touchin’ noses For a week at a time And never see eye-to-eye Culture shock for the terminally laid-back? Yo Dude, chill! -
The conundrum that USC faces in the mirror every day is you can never catch up to your past. They are like that privileged, neighborhood kid whose daddy buys him the best basketball, and builds him a backyard court where he plays all by himself. And, when he invites his friends over to show them how much better he has become than them, but they don’t understand this by beating him, he pouts, and taking his ball, goes in the house. Like that kid, USC doesn’t seem to understand anymore how to deal in reality as they go chasing after their dreams of the past. All that’s happened is their neighborhood friends have gotten bigger.
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News alert: UCLA responds to Gov Newsom’s request by having Bill Walton hold a press conference at which he promises to, “share the wealth” with all Caly student-athletes and the UC Berkeley student body by giving free bong hits and skateboards to all. As a parting gesture aimed at those who fail to grasp the nature and generosity of this offering, Bill offered up the last two lines from the final verse of ‘California Soul’ as way of explanation: So just gimme, yeah, just gimme yeah Oh, it’s all a trend
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What’s interesting to consider is the trust cable tv corporations are putting in the consistency of traditional, regional tv viewing habits as they lay waste to the very fabric on which those habits are based. If traditional viewing habits falter in the wake of conference realignments, have ESPN and Fox miscalculated the direction in which those tv $$ are going as streaming emerges as a stronger option?Probably not since most homes will most likely fall in line with where ever they sense the ‘winners’ will be. But some viewing resistance based on disillusionment might be expected, tossing a wrench in their almighty plans. Programs like Oregon with a well-established cross-over audience would benefit from such a scenario.
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Transfer Portal Restrictions Pending
Washington Waddler replied to McDuck's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
Anything that helps limit the nature of impulsive portal moves is good. -
Is This the Next Logical Step for Conferences?
Washington Waddler replied to Kurt Rambis's topic in Our Beloved Ducks
Interesting question. In other words, can the growing power of national cable tv $$ eventually assume control of university athletic policy, and thereby completely undermine and remove whatever is left of conference regional traditions? You could certainly argue that is the direction in which things are headed.