Drake

It’s not really true gambling, if you can afford it….lol Therefore, I really only bet on sports if I happen to be at an actual casino with a sports book. I was a financial advisor, and have seen the damage that it can have on people that don’t understand how math works.

The receiver room loses depth and experience, but not a huge drop in potential talent. We will replace a top receiver with 5*, or 4* receiver with less experience, but a high ceiling in potential. If I was a receiver I would be excited about the newest opportunity. This is what these guys should thrive on…the question should be…who wants to step up and be the next 800 to 1,000 yard guy?

It is becoming more difficult for casual fans to root for their teams when they have no chance to compete in the NIL arena. Honestly, I feel that we are lucky that Oregon has a current seat at the table. Having legislators rescue college football…hmmm…no comment, since I risk being banned from the website.

Sports tests physical and mental limits. How frustrating to work out all year, play good ball during the season, and then get derailed in the off season by a serious injury. One of those “ agony of defeat” personal moments. The Ducks will miss him, and I wish him well during his rehab from this injury.

Is anybody expecting him to carry the entire team on his back all year? Tough to have a QB with 5 years of experience every year. Moore throws a good ball, and the question of most younger QB’s is whether they can read defensive sets, and remember defensive tendencies during a game. In the words of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, don’t think, just do. We will find out if he can play ball at this level soon enough.

Newer book that just came out that is worthwhile. Available in hardback, or Kindle on Amazon. Grew up in North Bend, and was in 4 th grade when Prefontaine broke the high school 2 mile record. A friend of my parents told us to go watch Prefontaine at a Marshfield track meet, so I can say that I saw him dominate an event as a senior before most knew of him. Beloved, and missed by all sports fans of that era.

Phil Knight picked Rosemary St Clair, who was previously a Vice President in Nike Women’s division, to run division street which is Oregon’s NIL collective. With Phil Knight’s goal of a football Championship, I have to think they have a handle on a recruiting strategy. There are two distinct approaches to recruiting. One is “buying” high school talent, and the other is using the transfer portal. While an all out bidding war stacking high school talent could get the job done, there are only so many playing minutes available. Using both is the way to get the job done. MLB has proven that you can “buy a title”, and they always use the draft and free agency to give themselves a shot. While the highest payroll doesn’t win every year, many years they get deep into the playoffs. A little luck, and a lot of talent will give us a shot at a title.

Conference Championship games become like the last game of the season in the NFL. Teams that clinched a spot in the playoffs may rest players, while others may still need the win. I agree a conference championship game is devalued in the BIG, or SEC. In most years, a third seeded Big, or SEC team, will be better than the ACC, or BIG 12 champion. Tough to create a perfect playoff system.

What helped make this an epic ending was the importance of the game. The Rose Bowl was on the line for both teams. We had to beat Arizona….just to get a chance to crush the hopes of the Rodents bid to go to the Rose Bowl. Which led to another epic ending…..the War for the Roses.

I like the analysis. Solid OL play takes numerous reps together and game action to really gel. Defense will always shine early against a newer OL. However, having the DL guys that require double teams, and that requires the a QB to check out of plays makes our defense formidable. Our defensive front should be high level, and with solid DB play they will be very tough against most teams.

Maybe a tornado warning could be added. Not exactly fan friendly weather for baseball.

The long-term outlook looks bleak for D1 non-revenue sports. AD’s are forced to compete in the free-for-all for talent in football and basketball to generate fan interest. The ‘arms race” for talent, along with the higher costs of the maintenance on athletic facilities for the revenue sports, takes money that once could be used for the non-revenue sports. Without fundamental changes from lawmakers, how many college sports programs will survive?

All it took for Oregon to bring back baseball was for the Beavers to win back to back championships in 06 and 07. Oregon fielded a team in 2009 after dismantling the program in the early 80’s. If Oregon, UCLA, or usc were to win a championship in baseball, I would expect other schools (alumni) in the conference would get their AD’s on the phone and start asking questions about how to improve their teams. Baseball in the BIG relies on other revenue sports to pay the bills. Alumni support dictates whether programs receive enough money to improve.

The best analogy I can think of is golf. Pitching, or playing golf at a high level requires precise mechanics, and mental toughness. If your timing is slightly off things go south quickly, and a mental lapse can be costly. Throw in the weather factor, add some bad luck, and you have can easily have a bad round, or bad inning. A swing/pitching coach will help players achieve higher levels, but can also help players with their mental approach when they are in a slump. College players in both sports are one step from being professional players. So we are watching the top non-professional players. It can be a very fine line between those who go on to have a professional career, and those who don’t.

I think it is difficult to judge QBs when personnel are divided between two different offenses. It takes time for a starting QB to get in sync with the starters, much less players that will probably be on the sidelines most games. To me, It looks like our defense will be formidable, and the offense will need game time to gel. As far as slipping on the turf, I think some players are amped up and trying to defy physics. These guys are strong and fast, and want to show they belong. With more playing time those slips will diminish.

Since you have some Grease tracks…here is a heavy metal spin on Grease. I saw these guys in Portland about 20+ years ago at an album release party.

It will never be on my playlist, but arguably more people have danced to this tune at sporting events, conventions, and almost any other place music has been played…lol

I live in the Portland Metro area, and while a sport is easier for me to attend, I don’t think any of the teams should be obligated to play, or practice in Portland. There are times when the university needs to gain alumni support, and I fully support the idea of events being staged from time to time. However, I am not going to attend a practice, and most facilities in the Portland area don’t allow significant attendance, other than basketball, or perhaps soccer.

Retiring numbers seems appropriate in professional sports where players may play for the same team for 10 to 20 years. Not enough numbers to retire after 3 to 4 years in college.

Kiara Romero won the 2023 US Junior Girls championship. She enrolled at Oregon in 2023 , and as a freshman set the single season scoring record for Oregon at 70.84 in 31 rounds. She just turned 19 years old. She may very well be someone we see do very well at the next level.

Not too sure what donors want to fork over big money for someone who quits on a team. At some point the kid needs to earn his money, and make the decision that he wants to be a leader. Right now he is simply a quitter. Read an article that stated that an in conference transfer during the spring requires he sit out a season. So, high probability he ends up in the BIG, or ACC.

I don’t understand why the now fractured Mountain West, and PAC can’t come to terms with reality, and unite together for survival. Geographically, and economically it makes too much sense. There are obviously attorneys involved, and they thrive on creating conflict. Conflict simply means more billable hours they can charge to their respective “clients”. In the end, who are the real winners? It has the appearance that the winners will be the law firm that racks up the most billing hours.

Obstinate leadership is the only term that comes to mind. Stealing money that they didn’t earn apparently was legal, but really just allows them to keep the lights on for awhile. They need to have a long term plan that increases sports revenue, or decrease expenses. The solution may mean cutting the number of sports programs they offer. Joining the BIG 12 makes more sense than the slow demise they are currently facing. Their players certainly are not loving what they are hearing from their coaches and administrators.

We all know that our current staff has recruited talent at an unprecedented level. In the short time they have been in Eugene they already have players that are on NFL rosters that they recruited via the transfer portal. The young guns they recruited in the first year are just now eligible for the NFL draft. If you take into account redshirt players, some of the first year high school talent recruited by DL’s staff, still have a couple year’s of eligibility. I would expect NFL teams to acquire quite a few players on the current roster, or committed for 2026.