WiseKwacker

Sorry. Former teacher here. Ticonderoga makes--in my humble opinion--the best pencils around. Several years, my team of teachers specified Ticonderoga pencils specifically on the school supply list for parents as we were sick of seeing kids bring in cheap pencils with leads that were not centered. You'd watch a kid sharpen and sharpen an inferior pencil down to nothing, trying to get a point without a portion of wood on the tip.

New rallying cry heard at Duck baseball games: "TICONDEROGA, baby!!"

Just letting you know, Darren. I got a call from Tinker Hatfield this morning. He ain't laughing.

Hat off to Dante and Couisnard. What an incredible run for the two seniors. Boy, was I wrong about Dante early this season. What I'd seen from him throughout his career to that point was a guy with a marvelous body who made many successful plays around the basket despite poor hands and bad footwork. Boy, did he prove me wrong. In retrospect, I'm guessing that he was just not fully in shape after having so many injuries throughout his first four years as a Duck. As I watched him outplay guys like UCLA's Bona and Arizona's Ballo, I wonder why Dante's not on anybody's NBA mock draft as a second round pick. On rebounding and defense alone, the guy's better than almost every backup big man on NBA rosters, IMO. What can you say about Couisnard? He had a lull in performance near the end of the regular season, but, once the PAC12 tournament started, he's really turned it on. Like Dante, I can't imagine that there's not a place for him on an NBA roster (see Jaime Jaquez). While his three-point shot is a bit inconsistent, his ability to take his man to the hoop and "bully" the ball into the hoop is truly remarkable. I think his game will translate well at the next level. Beyond those two, though, the moment seemed too big for the rest of the guys on the offensive end of the floor last night. Defensively, Tracy is a tenacious defender. I hope he returns next year. Shelstad has had an up-and-down season as a scorer, but he's a willing defender, a solid foul shooter, and provides excellent ball handling at the point. By way of comparison, I think his freshman season has easily been better that Pritchard's. He should be much improved next year. Hopefully, Evans will return next season. He needs to learn to play faster and add some muscle. He's got tremendous up side. Rigsby gives you decent minutes off the bench; nothing more. And, Oquendo will likely transfer out. He was constantly in Altman's "doghouse" for poor defensive play, and his offense was basically limited to explosive drives to the hoop with his right-hand dribble. For me, the key loss of the season was Barthelemy. During the first half of the season, he seemed a bit lost on the bench. At times, he even seemed to be sulking on the bench--presumably because he'd been supplanted by Shelstad as the lead point guard. Then, when Shelstad hit the "freshman wall" a bit during the middle of the season, Barthelemy came off the bench with a couple of really good games where he helped close out wins. At the end of the season, I think he would have made a tremendous difference as a tested, capable sixth man. As to Bittle, Cook and Zarzuela, I don't think you can say the team missed their contributions since none of them played more than a few minutes all season. I really hope Cook decides to return next year as Bittle has indicated he will. This season has again demonstrated what has made Altman such a successful coach--particularly in the late season--over the years. He is a defensive coaching genius. His multiple defensive schemes are extremely effective, but it typically takes his players a good part of the season to work out how to play together within that system of near constant switches. When he gets a group that can also play together on the offensive end, it's golden. Can't wait for next year.

That was a helluva game. I've watched several SMU games on TV this season--two of them vs. Gonzaga. I felt, going into this game, that they were tournament darkhorses. While, I'd seen half of GCU's WAC tournament win over UT Arlington, I assumed they benefitted from playing against inferior competition. WRONG! This team is very impressive, making up for an overall lack of size in the front court with some incredible leapers--including one ex-Duck, Lok Wur. One thing that caused me to smile a bit during the game came after one of the analysts wondered aloud: "How did Lok Wur not get any playing time at Oregon?" This came after a made three-pointer and an impressive blocked shot at the other end of the floor. Then, as the Lopes were trying to close out the win, we saw Wur jack up an ill-advised three-point shot and then lose his man on an inbounds play, resulting in an open three-point basket. I thought to myself, "Yep, I remember that guy." I imagine he must've driven Altman nuts at times.

I've always found The Wave to be an irritant when I'm in attendance. It has nothing to do with the action of the game, and I guess that I end up feeling a bit manipulated into standing up, raising my arms and giving a random yell just to be part of the crowd. To what end? My favorite Wave moment came years ago when The Wave was at its most popular point. I was watching a game on TV when the crowd began The Wave. The game analyst began throwing out a couple of claimants (including U of W) as the originator of The Wave. Al Michaels, who was calling play-by-play for the game quipped, "To me, a more important question than when The Wave started is, when will it end?" No doubt, I spit out a mouthful of beer as I laughed at that one.

I'm totally with you on this up to the point where you wonder if Altman "has any idea how to make this all work." I believe he does, but that doesn't mean he's going to get this team there. For me, the "problem" is Dante. How, you may ask, is an all-PAC12 center a problem? Well, he's definitely a good player who has improved by leaps and bounds over his years as a Duck. Close to the hoop with the ball in his hands, he's developed an excellent touch coupled with very good footwork, making him almost unstoppable. In addition, he's a very good rebounder, something the Ducks were lacking when he was out. Defensively, he gives the Ducks somebody in the paint that limits opponents' willingness to take the ball inside on offense. He's a good--not great--defender. HOWEVER, Dante has bad hands. Somehow, he was only given three turnovers in the Arizona game. Seems to me, there were quite a few more balls bouncing off his hands than that. Maybe some of those turnovers were given to teammates attempting to pass to him with a bounce pass that he clearly couldn't handle. While Dante's shooting has improved greatly, he's still not a guy you want to see shooting jumpers from 10-15 feet out. Too many times, the offense ran the clock down to the last few seconds with Dante holding the ball beyond the foul line. Not his fault, but not good. I also think that I've seen enough of the Dante/Bittle combo. Their games don't complement one another, or, more specifically, Dante's presence in the post hampers Bittle's game. In my view, it's not a coincidence that Bittle began to blossom last season in the last few games when Dante was out. Frankly, I think Bittle's upside is greater than Dante's. I don't think we'll see that, though, until next season when Dante has moved on. In the meantime, I'd like to see Bittle playing with the second unit, and see Evans--who is really coming into his own the past few games--moved into the starting lineup. Evans is more of a power forward than Bittle, who I'd like to see playing in the paint more often. Having said all that, I think the Ducks can figure this out with more practice time. They've got to figure out how to regain the ball movement they had when the two big men were out. And, losing Barthelemy will hurt. Five or six games ago, he was hardly playing and looked like he was sulking a bit on the bench. Then, as Shelstad hit the freshman wall, Barthelemy really found a groove with increased playing time. For the first time in his Duck career, he began resembling the player we saw in a Colorado uniform. Now, it's on Shelstad to figure it out and adjust to the adjustments his opponents have made to his game. This week will tell us a lot. While both USC and UCLA boast talented teams, neither has played particularly well this season. Both games are winnable for the Ducks.

Really pullin' for Ty to realize his potential. Seems like this could be a great fit for him.

Since seeing him play in the Les Schwab Invitational last season--where he absolutely out-played Bronny James--I've been singing the praises of Jackson Shelstad. The asset I most frequently note about his talent is his exceptional quickness. (And, many BB fans of my vintage well remember John Wooden preaching that in basketball players, quickness is far more important than speed.) Anyway, watching the game last night, where at least the 4th different broadcast team called a Ducks' game, I was struck by Don MacLean's description of what makes Shelstad take your breath away at times during a game: his "burst." Looking back at the best Duck basketball teams of the past, the ones that come to mind all had an exceptional point guard (Ridnour, A. Brooks, Pritchard, Brandon) running the show. Much as I liked and admired Will Richardson, his style of point guard play didn't routinely result in open shots for teammates. I think the culprit there was his lack of quickness or "burst." This year, despite the potentially crippling loss of two exceptional big men, the Ducks are playing winning basketball. Shelstad is a huge part of that. And, clearly, Altman realizes that as Shelstad rarely comes out of the game. Looking forward to what Mookie Cook will contribute down the road, too.

Yeah, I sure never wanted to play on a team coached by my dad back in the day. Of course, my dad knew nothing about football and never had any desire to be a coach. Come to think of it, I was severely lacking in football "skills," so it really didn't matter.

That game was pretty, pretty...BAD. Watching Ryan Day's face on the sideline when their QB fumbled in the waning seconds of the game was pretty funny, though. And, then, his mid-field post-game meeting with Drinkwitz was classic: a quick handshake, no discernable comments, and a quick turn with a genuinely scary scowl plastered on his face. Wouldn't want to be in the OSU locker room after that game.

Scoreboard!

Our current dog, a rescued "street dog from L.A.," is Tubby. She's an eight-pound chihuahua mixed with something with long legs. Definitely the chihuahua personality, i.e., she lives to know where my wife is AT ALL TIMES. I'm the only other person on Earth that she tolerates. As depicted below, she ferociously guards her toy box even when dressed as Santa's little helper. (She IS a great walker, though.)

We've had several dogs and cats over the years, but our Italian greyhound, Zip, was my favorite. He passed about 12 years ago.

I agree. For those who persist with the "Dan Lanning has a Kalen DeBoer problem" narrative, I always counter with "Dan Lanning had a Michael Penix problem." For me, Penix is the second coming of Kenny Stabler, and may well develop into a better pro than The Snake. As a lifelong Husky hater, it pains me to admit that I actually enjoyed--no, appreciated--watching him loft those pinpoint deep passes to his receivers. And, having Odunze as a target didn't hurt any. So, I, too, don't see the Huskies being able to maintain their offensive efficiency next year without these two incredible weapons--no matter WHO they replace them with.

My two cents: I was as critical of Ty Thompson during the 2022 season as anyone. My overriding impression of TT then was that ever-present deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised this season to see what I thought was vast improvement in his on-field play, coupled with a little less of that previous glazed look. That's a tribute to his work ethic, I think. So, I wish him nothing but the best and I would LOVE to read about him lighting it up with some other team next year. He certainly has the physical tools to do so. After watching some FCS quarterfinal games Friday and Saturday, I think it would be great to see Ty go to a team at that level and really dominate. As to all the comments above debating whether or not Ty ever had a "fair" chance to show his skillset on the field for the Ducks, I'm of the opinion that he definitely DID have the chance. Furthermore, with regard to those above who worry about the Ducks' ability to attract top-rated H.S. quarterbacks to the program in the future, I think they're not really reading where college football has already gone. To understand my point here, I suggest a look at the articles about this year's Heisman Trophy finalists. Three of the four Heisman finalists this year (including OBD's Bo Nix) were transfers; all three were quarterbacks. In addition, previous winners Williams, Mayfield, Murray, and Burrow were all transfer QBs. Thus, I see teams like the Ducks, who have designs on making the CFP every year, predominantly using other teams to develop young quarterbacks in game action and then plucking the best of those out of the transfer portal. In doing so, they avoid the uncertainty of allowing an inexperienced QB prospect to develop on the field while (potentially) losing games. Certainly, every top team will continue to look for that high school phenom like Caleb Williams and Justin Herbert, who can come in and take the field immediately with top-level performance. But, realistically, those guys are an absolute rarity. So, what are the prospects for a guy like Austin Novosad? Well, he continues to work on his game in practice as the #2 QB. And, in the event, that the #1 QB goes down to injury, he gets his on-field playing time with the first team. If that never happens, he too will likely transfer to another school in a couple of years. Not necessarily sad; just the new reality of college football where quarterbacks are concerned.

Yeah, half interested in today's action, I turned on the TV and did my customary quick scan of the major sports channels. Lo and behold, stumbled upon the second of the Ducks vs Wolverines basketball game. What a doozy! Ducks win in overtime on a clutch three-pointer by Jackson Shelstad as time expires. Not particularly proud of patting myself on the back, but I--after seeing this kid play in last year's Les Schwab Tournament--I proclaimed on this site that this kid is going to be a great player. The kid needs work on his shooting, but his passing and on-ball defense are already outstanding. And, the kid wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. He's going to be better than our beloved Payton Pritchard if he stays for a full four years. For me, it's hard to take your eyes off him when he's on the court. He just glides around the court like a cat, ready to pounce. (Helped take a little bit of the sting out of last night's disappointment.)

Frankly, I've come to the conclusion that it's basically a personality thing. When faced with an undesirable outcome, some respond by asking how they can learn from the failure; how they can change the outcome in a positive direction the next time. Others tend to respond with anger, blame and excuses. Not sure you can change that in adults.

Thanks for that, Charles. Too bad you have to keep writing similar things OVER and OVER. A couple of thoughts this morning in the wake of a difficult Friday evening: I am like Ryan Robertson (see article) in that I watch Duck games on television in a room by myself. Similarly, I don't want to be around other people while watching the game. While being in a crowded stadium can certainly be electric at times, I find that being around fans--specifically some fellow Duck fans--can significantly detract from my enjoyment of the game. Among my chief complaints in that regard are the fans who angrily blame the refs for every thing that happens negatively for OBD. In looking back at the three most recent games against the Huskies, I make the following assessment: 1) last year, despite the fact that the Duck defense seemed to have no answer for the Penix passing attack, the Ducks would've won if Bo hadn't become injured mid-game; 2) in Seattle, the Ducks should've won if they hadn't shot themselves in the foot; and 3) in Vegas last night, the Huskies deserved to win as they dominated the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense. In looking at this season, sure, I'm disappointed it didn't end with an invitation to the CFP. But, I'm excited about the future. The defense made HUGE strides this year. And, despite my worries about a dropoff in offensive creativity with the departure of Kenny Dillingham, the offense actually improved this season. Recruiting is going very well. And, despite the naysayers, I think Dan Lanning is slowly but surely becoming a better game coach. The only blame I will throw out there is in the direction of the d*mned oddsmakers who put the Ducks at 9.5-point favorites for last night's game. I have no doubt that college kids on both teams read that stuff. Kinda looked to me like OBD ran onto the field believing that while the Huskies did not.

Personally, I don't fault Lanning for being aggressive and going for it on fourth down routinely. I'm glad he does that, and, in most cases, against most teams, it pays off. My problem with those situations is the staff's play calls. Last year, Bo's legs were a "secret weapon" early in the year on such plays; then, after his injury, they weren't. But, I was also heartened last year to see Kenny Dillingham occasionally incorporate the quick slant-in pass as a weapon in crucial short-yardage situations. (For years, I've lamented the fact that the Ducks have NOT included that play in their playbook while watching Mike Leach's Cougars routinely punish us with it.) Where has the 5-7 yard slant-in pass play gone this year? I think it's much less likely a receiver gets knocked out of the play on those quick-hitting routes than was the case in two of the three crucial fourth-down plays the team ran yesterday. As far as I'm concerned, DL's approach and the mentality it represents is great. Just develop and run better plays.

Fond memories of big Russ. As Howard Cosell dubbed him, Russ Francis was "all world." RIP

I think George should just take a tip from good old Matt Foley, motivational speaker:

The Chipster is just one of those guys who knows he's the smartest guy in the room on a regular basis. That's why he's never shy about sharing his opinions. I think he's absolutely right about how things should be divvied up in the college sports world. And, we may well end up with a system like the one Chip describes. It'll just take about 5-6 years to get there, most likely. Once again, Chip Kelly is just about 5 years ahead of everybody else in his thinking. (Man, I sure loved it when he was the Ducks' coach...)

What bugs me is constantly hearing (over many years) that the PAC-12/PAC-10/PAC-8 Conference is the BEST because its institutions have the highest academic standards among all the conferences. And, the PAC wouldn't THINK of adding certain schools because they aren't high-level research institutions. Well, this is about sports. And, the PAC is getting pilfered. Time for the PAC-9 presidents' group to wake up. Seems to me that the Arizona schools and Utah are ripe targets for plucking by other conferences. So, will we end up with the PAC-6? Ugh! The original conference alignments were set up along obvious geographical lines. To me, that still makes sense. From my perspective, college football has singlehandedly ruined college sports. I certainly don't see all this realignment stuff happening over men's basketball; and, certainly, not over any other intercollegiate sport. For me, a really sad aspect of all this realignment stuff is that instead of just rooting for the Ducks to win each week, I'll spend time rooting for USC, UCLA and Colorado to get their butts kicked. And, frankly, I don't need that level of negativity in my life.

Yeah, I wondered about that when the Powells left Oregon. I see the Huskies also have two ex-Duck distance runners on their T & fricken coaching staff (Kwiatkowski and Prakel). Hopefully, Schumacher will get the program on the upswing quickly. It's tough to watch the NCAA distance races (even the preliminary rounds) and only see an occasional Duck entered.