Washington Waddler

Glad to see at least a handful of states trying to address this issue; however, this one for me has to land squarely on the doorstep of the parents. I know it’s a different issue and circumstances, but something about this made me think of the Todd Marinovich story and how a parent’s influence (or lack of influence) can channel a kid down a rabbit hole that can exclude or greatly limit all the other very important things that need developing at that age. The excuse will always be the child prodigy - ‘the special talent’. But for every Carr or Marinovich, how many will there be that are left at the bottom of that rabbit hole without a ladder?

Lost in the rush to crown MC as the next great Hurricane head coach has been any attempt to compare him to those who set the bar. Other than in recruiting, has he exhibited any of the tactical gifts or abilities to shift gears and create on the run that marked the careers of Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmie Johnson and even Dennis Erickson? From what I remember, when things got tough for Mari, he didn’t get going, he’d hit his ceiling and call a time out. Rather than showing the adaptive creativity that always marks great coaching, you could sum-up MC’s coaching abilities from the directions on the back of a shampoo bottle: ‘wash, rinse, repeat’.

Dual meets were a big part of our tradition that seem to have disappeared. Miss the excitement of those against the Bruins and Cougars. That old fan-focused kind of event has given way to a more calculated, season long development of talent seeking to peak for the PAC12’s and NCAA. It’s still great, but I do miss those rivalries.

The great mystery is what have the Saudis really bought? Only time will tell.

Is that Seven McGee?

Thanks, went well with the morning coffee!

Like it says, from a Ute’s perspective. The only real purpose here is to scratch that itch that always wants to say other teams are good only because they have some of our locals.

Pretty sure we all have mixed feelings about any player who pulls the plug. In the case of Johnson, it’s not revisionist to acknowledge at the same time both his talent level and his past history of putting himself before everything else, including coaches and team mates. Altman has always been a ‘project’ guy who is willing to gamble he can get the best out of elite talent. Hasn’t always worked, but often enough to keep him trying.

Talented but seems guided by me first fickleness - can be a disruptive influence in the locker room. Probably for the best.

It’s difficult to say how much Mariu’s game day interference with his OC ‘s game plan played with AB’s confidence and trust in what they’d worked on, but Nix’s focus would certainly benefit by a lack of that stressful uncertainty.

Yes, something about those Euro poverty cars. Army uncle brought me back a 1949 Volkswagen Beetle following his post WWII tour. 36 HP - I swear the engine said Singer on it.

Does this mean we can’t say Fuskies anymore?

Duck’s NIL wait-and-see stance looks like the right path, if for no other reason than to watch how the QB bidding war plays out among the booster gambling addicts. QBs may prove to be ‘the canary in the coal mine’ when it comes to NIL dollars once a few of those high priced high schoolers have washed out. In the mean time, our current strategy of keeping a close eye on QB portal activity while searching for that diamond in the rough looks like the right choice.

While the toothless state of the NCAA certainly gives the impression of relinquishing any responsibility for the governing of college sports, I wouldn’t drop the entire blame on them. For me, it’s just another reason for SCOTUS to revisit their hasty decision to effectively remove the ‘student’ part from the ‘student-athlete’ equation.

Near the top of my all-time favorite games to be at: thank you Jeremiah and Legarrette!

A helmet should suggest what you think of yourself - what’s going on inside that helmet? So, if you like surprises, enjoy turning heads and embracing change, you’re going to like ours. If, on the other hand, you like things to be predictable, conservatively unimaginative and to always remain the same, you’ll like the blue bloods. Tradition is a funny animal.

Seems a toss up when both teams have closers like these two do.

If you can say veteran portal transfers are more system-opportunity focused than on position coaches, and recruits tend towards the opposite, then the Lanning era has already demonstrated what an advantage it has over the MariU era. New recruits notwithstanding, there is just a higher degree of trust out there in what DL and assistants will produce on the field than MC ever achieved.

Agree with HD. Payton’s success could help put the ‘student’ back into the student-athlete equation.

Love it! No quit in Kelly - bring it on!

In this new world of college football, portal moves among veteran players can almost feel like free agency or power trades in the pros where a guy gone stale can get a new lease on life. I feel like there’s something of that in Bo’s move to the Ducks. Sure hope so!

My guess is Dana will play him in a shooting role rather than at point. He just doesn’t have that driven, dominant personality that wants to take over the game. Situations can bring it out in him, but he needs to be able to bring that every game from within himself, and he’s just never shown that. He’s still a great player and real asset - just not at point.

I’m not. People like that get the Gulag they’ve earned.

At least with BB, jumping on the tournament bandwagon seems to have been a perception thing based on dance success coming off their tourneys for both the Big East and ACC.

It’s hard to tell if the pooches are headed up or headed down when their head is stuck in the toilet.