Washington Waddler

Many of there ‘Ins’ are so similar in stature to those on there list of ‘Outs’ as to make you wonder why one is and another isn’t. Personal bias? Interesting that Washington State doesn’t even earn an honorable mention.

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you . . . from ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling Right now it’s hard to tell if any action we would take would be headed in the right direction, or - if like Icarus - headed into the sun. Sometimes patience is the key.

The thing about ground zero swear words is they lack imagination, and are just plain lazy thinking. When you don’t want to take the time to find words that express strong emotions, that’s where you go. They’re the default for the dumb and dumber.

Whether CalBear’s idea (which is brilliant!) gained traction now or not, the eventual reality of travel cost over runs for in the red revenue sports and the back lash that would incur when subjected to being cut would create a regional bond that would bring us back to CalBear’s idea anyway, so why not do it from the get go?

Good, dispassionate analysis Mike. I to think we all need to - at last - come to terms with these realities, and still know we’ll always love our Ducks and the game(s) they play, regardless of what the future brings. As you point out, the big business $$ part of CFB has always resided mainly east (and slightly west) of the Mississippi. That’s to be expected since that’s where the vast majority of major universities are, and the origins of our sport reside.mm But, despite all that eastern power, the one thing that they didn’t own - couldn’t buy - was the image residing at the pinnacle of our sport: the double edged sword of the mythical, voted-on national title, and the one game the entire nation looked to to represent the best our sport had to offer - The Rose Bowl. It drove them crazy. It made the east feel slighted and disrespected. Envy and discontent simmered just below the surface. Desire and greed are ugly task masters. Just ask Saudi Arabia and pro golfers. And, the rest is history. The eastern, media-driven frenzy for a ‘real’ national champion coupled with the advent of cable tv opened the door to whorehouse operations like ESPN to gobble-up that desire and turn it into stock options leading to the BCS and what came after that knocked the Rose Bowl from its perch and allowed $$ to be the only determinate in the bowl-go-round. But, as you point out, it had always been there. Regionalism is real. Its what you identify with. It’s what drove the east to where things are right now. The west is a region without at present a sports identity we can all gather around. But it’s still our region and our identity. The thing about money is it follows desire. Only time will tell what our eventual fate will be.

Wish-washy SouCal chameleons. You can never paint over who you really are. Regional identity in football is the bottom line.

In spite of all the contributing factors, the significant difference between SB and AB last year was that SB upped his game and AB didn’t.

Crocodile tears. Saban was doing what he always does - stall and confuse with a media smoke screen in order to buy some time to get up to speed with the latest innovation.

Could be one of the reasons recruits are delaying their verbals is the wait and see game on what the portal will do.

Three things could contribute to an improved offense, or a returned offense or whatever you want to call it: 1) consistent accuracy from our quarterback without which Dilly’s schemes are neutralized. 2) the emergence of a reliable running back in the mold of CJ (which was why MC had any offense at all), and 3) no more panic and confusion coming from the head coach.

Trap games usually work on the basis of being caught either looking ahead or being caught in a let down. I don’t see looking ahead as an issue with either Stanford or Colorado, but tough, hard wins over BYU and UCLA could make prepping for WSU and Cal a real challenge. It will be interesting to see how our new coaching staff game faces.

Before the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex was built, T&F athletes were given meal compensation because the previous training table operation was to small to manage anything but team-oriented sports. As I remember from my days as a T&F volunteer, most of the athletes felt that what their compensation could purchase compared poorly with what was provided by the training table. At the H-D, this problem has disappeared because they’ve room to accommodate individual traffic.

To be a successful, technique-driven underdog depends to some degree on a fan base that sees themselves in that light, and supports that image since at least half the games will be played in front of them. Being the little engine that could is embraced in Fresno, to a great degree in Berkley, and probably in Indianapolis. And, any FCS playing an FBS is always that. I’m not sure DeBoer will ever see that kind of support at the mistake on the lake where delusions of grandeur bloom eternal.

Agree. With no intention of revisiting any political issues, it smacks of Bill Clinton trying to own the word ‘is’.

It’s unfortunate that camp success doesn’t always translate into game day success.

The difference for Kelly between recruiting to Gonzaga and Oregon has had, over the years, the appearance of having had to learn on the run how to incorporate and accommodate players into his system in terms of talent and temperament. It has been like watching a live experiment in how to adjust to the next level. The solidity of 3* players surrounding a core star that drove his Bulldog teams to multiple league championships and into 1st round NCAA games has given way to teams dominated by top 50 high school stars - with some divas - not accustomed to supporting roles or coming off the bench. Learning that he could no longer take for granted a team-oriented mentality has changed not only his roster by the disgruntled or home sick departures, but his own perceptions of what recruiting now requires to create the team atmosphere that will once again lead to success. It’s ironic that his greatest Duck success also led to the wrong impression as to what the future would require. The Sabrina years mirrored how his shooter-dominated teams at Gonzaga could group around a core player who carried the load. But, how often do you hit the lottery? Recruiting now demands mirroring what most final four teams all have: greater team speed with equal strength between post and perimeter players. His decision to go with a smaller roster should ease ego issues with more court time for all. It’s been a fascinating journey thus far, and it ain’t over by a long shot, but I trust Kelly to eventually get to where we all want our Ducks to get.

Adios Hurryin Hugh

I’ve always sorta liked Missagain.

About as likely as it is for Axel to purchase anything purple.

Don’t really care where any Manning goes or what they do so long as they are all permanently banned from doing TV ads.

Started to have my doubts when he lost Andy and Maurica Powell to the Huskies. No question they were looking and deserved a move up the ladder, but might have stayed had they been offered the right incentives. All they’ve done since is to turn a miserable T&F program into winners.

Even a Fuskie whose unbelievably fortunate enough to have some sense of humor can’t help but see the dim witted idiocy of having a mascot that enjoys being chained together with it’s snout up another one’s a**.

I guess what I’ve never understood about the seed pods need to distinguish themselves with the article ‘the’ is that there isn’t any other Ohio State in Ohio other than themselves that they need to distinguish themselves from.

Football hurts too much not to get some enjoyment out of it. There’s always going to be those on every team with agendas, whether it’s as a platform to the pros or more NILS $ or whatever. Those people kill the joy and always will. It’s left to the rest of us as players and fans to remember: let’s have some fun! What’s really funny is you can’t take that too seriously.

I think it’s easy to forget sometimes that before there was an internet and social media forums, these type of interactions were all done either face to face or on the phone where the other person could react immediately to strong opinions. And, you usually had to face the music, whether with a fist or a tongue lashing. Trolls seem to be a part of the human race that wants there cake and eat it to - the type that break windows and then run away. Responsibility for themselves is not their strong suit. They like to hide in their bedroom after they’ve made a mess. Like little kids, they giggle about the chaos they can create. All social media forums are to one degree or another an experiment in human behavior. In very basic term, there are two types with many shades of grey in between: those that exist to be a platform for utterly unfettered and uncontrolled emotional outbursts, and those that seek common ground and awareness of how we affect one another. I think we all know which one Charles is striving to create.