Nevada Dawg

This is a great pickup if the Ducks can hold him. I will caution however that "the wire" in recruiting is not in July and sources I've seen think that this one is far from over. Having said that, I am much having him in the Duck camp and having to protect this asset than be on the outside looking in hoping for a later flip.

I do think that the B1G pundits do underestimate the Ducks somewhat. Lanning has done a remarkable job of putting a championship caliber roster together in a remarkably short time. But I also worry that our posters sometimes underestimate the difficulty of navigating a new league, particularly for road games in B1G stadiums. I don't have the Ducks schedule in front of me at the moment, but as a for instance, the first time we trip to Camp Randall in Madison Wisconsin could present some surprises. This is an example of a tough road venue, especially for a team that may never have been there before. As good as the Oregon team has the potential to be, I would not be shocked if we drop a B1G road game that nobody sees coming. I am not predicting such a loss, but only saying it wont shock me if such a thing occurs. Assuming the OSU game in Autzen can be considered a toss-up at this point, Oregon could drop a game on the road and the OSU game and still make the playoffs. The thing to be happiest about under this scenario, is that the season will be much longer in the 12- team playoff format, and the Ducks would now have a roster that stands a much better chance to navigating a long season successfully.

A couple $.02 worth comments. Yes, the T & F facilities in Eugene are as fine as I have seen anywhere at the University level in the U.S. I do not follow T & F closely except for Olympic years. But if memory serves me, The Ducks very often had top T & F teams. So is there anyone out there who can give m a quick synopsis on why things have fallen off? Or is my impression (and memory) totally off base?

Counterpoint (and I am not advocating here). The B1G powers that be may not be so asleep at the wheel regarding playoff locations as some of us Duck partisans might think. Sure there are domes in the East that could host games. But there are many forces in play here. The playoffs are played in December and January and fans of bowl teams have historically wanted to combine their game trips with warmer weather activities. If you are say a Michigan Wolverine or a Wisconsin Badger for example, would you rather have a mini-vacation to Miami or New Orleans or, alternatively, to Detroit or Indianapolis? My experience living in B1G country for Grad School was that the Midwesterners couldn't wait to get to warm weather sites for their games, and I suspect B1G officials know this. The travel bugaboo is obviously worse for the West Coast playoff participants. Domes for hosting games are fewer in the West, and few outdoor locations other than Southern California or Arizona are very desirable as host cities for such games. Of course on -campus games will sometimes present a challenge. I think we'll see it relatively soon but a home game in Autzen in December could present some interesting weather challenges (that most of us Duck fans would gladly "weather" if we could get in to see the contest). But I am hardly shocked that the playoffs will be a largely Southern phenomenon for the foreseeable future. Not advocating ; just sayin'. .

As a 12-year old, I saw the Giants third game at Seals Stadium in 1958. If I remember correctly, the Giants lost that one. Had the man who would have tied it on 2nd but the Giants catcher took a called strike three to end the game. Interestingly, Willie really didn't become the clear crowd favorite in 1958. I was like many fans, most of whom were old enough to know better, who expected heroics of Willie every time he strode to the plate. 12-year old me was sorely disappointed that Willie didn't homer at least once in that early game I saw. The big favorite that year was rookie Orlando Cepeda. The next year Felipe Alou and Willy McCovey became fan darlings. Because expectations for Willie Mays were unrealistically high, it took some time for him to earn his chops as the greatest Giant.

I think I mentioned this previously, but my information back then was that Georgia thought Justin had all the tools but didn't seem to like playing football very much, or at least to the intensity that would be required by Kirby Smart. My own impression of Justin, and I watched him carefully, was congruent with that assessment. I really hate to sound like I am dumping on the kid. It is certainly no crime not to have the heart for big-time football and I wish the young man all the best in whatever life path he chooses to pursue as an advocation.

I'd certainly hope that this roster will seriously contend this year and see no obvious shortcomings to prevent it. Let's hope that Lanning can impress the need to keep laser focused on weekly goals and prevent the players from dreaming too much on what could happen weeks down the road. It is not always easy to do, but I hope the players can resist the bait that Nick Saban calls "rat poison"--that is, swallowing the stories that tell them how damn good they are in favor of going out and demonstrating that fact each and every week. Just my $.02 worth on this topic.

Leading recruiting man on the Talk'n Dawgs site has been saying for a couple of months that both Gibson and Terry will be Bulldawgs.

I agree with every point you make here SoGaDawg except one; How can a Red Clay Hound ever feel sorry for a water lizard? (I know you qualified your statement with "Almost" and I do have some Gator buddies. But still....

Great player for sure. I still remember listening to the NCAA semis in maybe 1960 on the radio because it they weren't televised. If I remember correctly, three of the four teams were led by superstars, West for WVU, Elgin Baylor for Seattle. Oscar Robertson for Cincinnati and the fourth team escapes me. I wanted to say Ohio State, but that may have been too early for Jerry Lucas and John Havlichek. This was the first year I followed college basketball closely, though I'd had an attachment to Bill Russell and his great San Francisco Dons teams a little earlier. I do remember that everybody raved about Jerry West's greatness. even as a college player.

Our insiders say Ziyaire is truly a good one and didn't see this commitment coming. Lanning may have to work to hold him and great get if you can. This may be one of the guys Kirby and crew will continue to recruit till signing day however.

If your coach has taken you to successive places the Duck hardball group had never been before, my $.02 is that you have a keeper who is just getting started. Give the guy some slack and celebrate the team's accomplishments this year. Duck baseball is on the right track it seems like to me. Admittedly the meltdown was hard to watch, but baseball is a funny pastime it seems.

Boy, tthat would be a sad day indeed!

Hey, at least the Ducks game was entertaining. In Athens, Dawgs lost their opening game to N C State 18-1. Demoralization occurs quickly when you give up 11 runs in the second inning. I'll cheer both teams on tomorrow, but have to hope that the Dawgs can muster some hope for themselves. But, hey, baseball is a funny game.

The spirit I was referring to was his court enthusiasm as a college player not his post-basketball playing activities.

It seems that some of David Marsh's suppositions about Collin Gill were right on the mark. A post this morning on the best free Dawgs site Talk'n Dawgs indicated that geography did play a role in the Gill transfer and that he will likely be groomed for the Star position at Georgia. I also know that Kirby Smart likes big, hard-hitting safeties. Thanks for your insights David. I hope that Collin can be the patient sort, however, as he has a couple highly rated guys ahead of him on the Star depth chart.

Sorry if already posted but I'd add the game would be greatly improved if the spirit of Bill Walton reign over all of college basketball!

Recruiting is fluid and a couple of things I like to see (and often do see) are breakdowns on the strengths and weaknesses of various recruiting targets and information from insiders on what seems to matter with individual recruits /where Georgia stands on these criteria. I follow all recruiting reasonably closely but don't obsess about wins and losses. With big "misses" I've learned the staff usually has a fallback option that is about as talented as the "miss" is. So why worry? Speaking about learning what I can about all recruits I'll ask about redshirt freshman Collin Gill that Georgia pulled out of the portal this afternoon from Oregon. I thought he would be a practice player and probable PWO but subsequently was told he was offered a scholarship. As Georgia did not recruit him out of high school, I am assuming that Kirby talked with Dan Lanning who put in some nice words for the kid. Anybody know any more?

Yeah, I am not surprised by the survey results Charles posted. And for the fan that tends to obsess about high school recruiting and suffer angst over big "misses", paying little attention to incoming freshman saves a lot of recruiting grief. Having said that, I believe that championship teams are built from the ground up, and that this foundation is the rock on which nattys are built. Sure, a portal addition may be instrumental to helping a very good team improve their playoff stock. But overreliance of such additions, in my humble opinion, are a fool's errand when it comes to grasping brass rings. It could happen very occasionally, but not consistently.

Recruiting is a year-round obsession in Athens, GA and will likely remain that way as Kirby Smart recognizes the value of stacking blue chip classes upon each other and developing his charges to fit his system. Little secret: Dan Lanning basically believes this as well. Portal additions tend to be expensive in monetary terms and are always a risk of not being a good culture fit, no matter how talented they otherwise might be. Kirby uses the portal to shore up positions of need, but because he recruits and develops so well, those needs are not extensive. So knowing his philosophy, I am typically well aware of who the very top recruits are in the current year by mid-March and know who Georgia is all in on. And you might be surprised if you are a star gazer how many high-star guys Georgia eliminates from serious consideration for culture fit concerns. Just another perspective on recruiting but I doubt it will ever change drastically as long as Kirby remains in Athens.

Maybe you will be starting (the bans) with that Fisher dude who claims that Lanning better get out of Eugene if he knows what's good for him. He seems like he could be high on the troll quotient.

Yeah, I was just about to say that I certainly wouldn't lose any sleep about Gabriel's arm strength from reading the target article. I might worry more about the receiving core than abou tDillon's arm.

Had I been asked this question myself before seeing the article, I'd have said Georgia Oregon and Texas and would have admitted that the order was debatable. Most expect Carson Beck to soar in his second season as a starter. But it is also legit to argue that Gabriel, with multiple years of starting experience may have an edge. Time will tell, but I think Beck has a deeper pool of talented receivers than Gabriel has, which may tip the scales a bit here.

Many of you have alluded to Walton's ability to make his teammates better. So true. I remember so often that He'd go snatch a rebound ant turn immediately looking for an outlet before he even hit the ground. Man the guy could pass the rock. In my experience, only Bill Russell was as good at distributing rebounds as the big Redhead was. People rightfully cite his impressive stats, but I always thought his passing was an underappreciated aspect of his game. And I am still in a state of shock that he is no longer with us. RIP my man. By the way, Mark Bradley, the dean of sports writers for the Atlanta Constitution, published his remembrance today. The article was titled something like "I always disliked Bill Walton...and then I met him". A touching piece to be sure.

Absolutely loved the man as a player. When home for Christmas from grad school in Ohio, I would always make a trip to Westwood to watch Walton and the Bruins if I could get tickets (I always found a way in). One day in August, 1973, I was leaving Vegas for my parents home north of Bakersfield CA when I saw a guy hitching with a pack and a guitar and a sign reading "LA". It looked remarkably like Walton, so I pulled over and it was indeed him. So I told him I would be going as far as Barstow before tuning off I-15. . As we approached Barstow where I was turning, we were having such an interesting chat that I told him "Oh hell, I'll take you into Westwood" (about 3 hours out of my way) We discussed all kinds of subjects but Walton told me a story I never forgot (and later saw published in Sports Illustrated). It involved the first day of practice the previous season. Coach Wooden would not let him practice or play until he got his long hair clipped to UCLA'S standards Walton told me that he said' "Coach, its the 1970s, I can't stand to have short hair with whitewalls for gosh sakes". Now mind you, this is the reigning College Basketball Player of the Year saying he wouldn't get that haircut. He then said Coach frowned, shook his head and replied "William, I am sorry to hear that because we are really going to miss you." Walton was back and hour and a half later properly shorn to Coach's standards.