Are you Ready for a DUCKS SPORTS OVERLOAD?

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Editorials

I know, the lack of Oregon sports since the end of March has been tough and at times-depressing. We all understand why, and agree with the cancellations last spring and the deferrals of fall sports until more about the disease and testing was known. But boy, for die-hard fans like those in this community … it has been brutal at times. We can only discuss the past so much, and we need our current fix of Our Beloved Ducks.

The news of having a football season and both men’s and women’s basketball seasons beginning in November got me to pondering about an unusual occurrence coming up due to the COVID crisis and the impact upon Oregon sports. It could be the Duck-Fan equivalent of a rare eclipse almost never seen, but cherished when actually viewed. I am referring some incredible weekends coming up in December, (just two months away) when we have Ducks Sports Overload taking place as it never has.

As you know, the football season begins November 7th and continues into December for a couple of weeks, while the basketball teams begin November 25th and jumps right into a conference schedule. Basketball schedules are not available yet, but when you consider two womens conference games in a weekend and two mens basketball conference games along with a football game? We might have five games from these winning programs in a single weekend? Whoa baby!

Would that much Oregon sports at once be the therapeutic needed to overcome such withdrawal we have all felt?

Taylor Chavez returns to drive for more points for Oregon.

We already know about the questions surrounding the football team that add to the drama and entertainment, but the basketball teams have a ton of questions to answers in a short time. Dana Altman has some key experienced players returning in the back-court such as Will Richardson to direct the offense, but the Oregon staff cleaned up on transfers coming to Eugene at all positions. The challenge is the absence of the non-conference games that are important to develop the line-ups and the team chemistry, as Altman teams mature late in the season for the tournament.

Kelly Graves has killed it on the recruiting trail with freshmen and transfers, and perhaps he needs even more time/games than the men to determine the best group of players for this upcoming season? It is possible that both teams could have very mediocre records at the end of the season, yet evolved into Sweet Sixteen or even Elite Eight teams when you consider the rosters of talent assembled by these outstanding coaches.

The entertainment factor of both basketball teams is through the roof in a weekend, and you add a football game to it?

Unbelievable.

The anticipation of waiting for a football season now became even better as we consider a bit of Christmas coming early to Oregon sports fans in December. I cannot hardly wait, can you?

“Oh how we love to ponder Our Beloved Ducks!”

Charles Fischer   (FishDuck)
Eugene, Oregon
That incredibly cool top photo of Popo Aumavae about to make a crucial sack is from Tom Corno

New 2024 FishDuck Publishing Schedule….

During the off-season the FishDuck.com publishing schedule will consist of articles on Mondays and Tuesdays. Do keep checking as new articles could be published during the week when a writer has something to say.

In mid-August of 2024, we will go back to the seven-days-a-week of articles during the football season as we did in the football season of 2023.

The Our Beloved Ducks Forum (OBD) is where we we discuss the article above and many more topics, as it is so much easier in a message board format over there.  At the free OBD forum we will be posting Oregon Sports article links, the daily Press Releases from the Athletic Department and the news coming out every day.

Our 33 rules at the free OBD Forum can be summarized to this: 1) be polite and respectful, 2) do not tell anyone what to think, feel or write, and 3) no reference of any kind to politics. Easy-peasy!

OBD Forum members….we got your back.  No Trolls Allowed!