While we are all hoping for a season for the ages, just for sake of discussion, I thought I might throw out a little Donnie Downer perspective. I am looking at the schedule from three perspectives. The first, if the sky HAS fallen…we lost to the Beavers. If the sky IS falling…we lose to Boise State. If there are dark …
Oregon Fans…Consider “What If…”
What if… With expectations higher than I suspect any of us can remember as OBD get ready to open the season, I thought it might be worth looking at just how improbable this run has been from “…the worst of times,” to what is now perhaps, “…the best of times” with the grass now being “…damn green.” Mr. FishDuck took time …
Oh My! Oregon WBB: It Couldn’t Get Any Worse?
Well, now we have NO Chance…or Grace, or Kennedy or Priscilla. (My granddaughter gets credit for that opening NO Chance line.) Just when I was getting ready to write a piece that I was going to headline, “In Defense of Coach Graves,” another mass exodus of players hits. For those of you who have read any of my three-part series …
What Coulda (Shoulda) Been…and With the WORST Timing
Having grown up Catholic, I am well-schooled in the fine art of self-flagellation. (Full disclosure…I considered wearing a hairshirt. I know, I know. Think how I feel.) My latest iteration of this pursuit is following all the former Duck women basketball players who have transferred out of the program and who are now playing on teams that qualified for The …
Please: End the Wave at Autzen
Okay, as issues go, this really isn’t a biggie. I know that. Furthermore, I apologize in advance for momentarily hijacking the OBD forum to rant about one of my own personal pet peeves. When I pulled Mr. FishDuck away from his research into whether his current web browser is brave safe, then he certainly agreed that this was one of …
From a Former Midwesterner: The Fun B1G Road Games
As a transplanted Iowa Hawkeye, I thought it might be fun to pass along a few thoughts (irreverent ones, perhaps) on some of OBD future opponents from the Midwest and beyond. I was able to pull Mr. FishDuck from his fun with roobet crash game to hear his enthusiasm about our upcoming B1G games, and meeting their fans. Starting with …
‘If You’re Scared Your Coach is Leaving…’
I want to take a moment to make sure everyone realizes just how special Coach Dan Lanning’s response was to the speculation of him taking the opening at Alabama for the HC job replacing Nick Saban. We all know what standard operating procedure is here for coaches and athletic programs; no immediate response. Then words to the effect of, “…I …
Oregon Football 2023: My Two ‘Grain of Sand’ Moments
“To see the World in a grain of sand and Heaven in a flower” William Blake I admit to not being at such an exalted state of enlightenment as to be able “To see the World in a grain of sand” as the Romantic poet William Blake suggests. However, I do enjoy noticing those moments where the micro reveals the …
Christmas Came Early for Me This Year…
Christmas came early for me this year–thanks to Our Beloved Ducks. That six-game win-streak between those two bad-bookend losses was as good a run as I have experienced in my nearly 50 years of watching Duck football. It reminded me of the first two years of Chip Kelly and The Blurrrr Offense. I do not remember a more dominant run …
Coach Graves…You ‘Thought We Played Well?’
Yesterday we looked at the background of Oregon Womens Basketball and what brought us up to this moment. So that brings us to the case at hand. Oregon Women’s Head Basketball Coach, Kelly Graves. He was 66-26 in his three years at St. Mary’s. (CA.) He then completely turned around the Gonzaga program and it became a national powerhouse. He won …
Ducks WBB: ‘Is the System Blinking Red?’
There are losses and then, well, there are losses. As a fan of Oregon Women’s basketball, I have had concerns for some time now per the health of the program. But losing to the Portland Pilots? By 91-60? I can be pretty doom-and-gloom, but I wasn’t ready for that one. About all you can say is props to the Pilots. …