Forty-five years ago, almost to the day, the UCLA Bruins came into Oregon and were beaten twice. It was such a shocking result that Sports Illustrated put it on their cover under that exact title: UCLA’s Lost Weekend. The Oregon men had one this weekend, and the women almost — almost — had one of their own. The men fell …
Upon Further Review: Re-Branding the Pac-12
From the Pac-12’s “Taj Mahal Palace” in San Francisco, large-living Larry “Spendthrift” Scott has reached out to me to seek my advice on how to re-brand the conference. No surprise, as this is completely consistent with Scott’s other cogent business decisions. He just sent a big check to my consulting firm, better known as “JJ’s Crystal Ball Enterprises” (JJCBE). Apparently, he forgot …
Dana Altman and the Island of Misfit Ducks
At first, no one wanted Rudolph. I mean, c’mon, a red-nosed reindeer? So he and his buddy, an elf with aspirations to be a damn dentist, escaped to the “Island of Misfit Toys,” where they team up with a “Charlie-In-The-Box,” a non-returning boomerang and others to find their “misfit mojo.” Combining their complementary skill sets, they defeat the evil Toy …
Chip Kelly’s Success at Oregon Was a Flash in the Pan
In 2013, Chip Kelly walked away from Oregon football, but as it turns out, he probably should have walked away from football altogether. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but if posterity was of the utmost importance to Kelly, had he just walked away from it all, he could have become the Jim Morrison of college football — a few …
Oregon Women’s Basketball Playing Like Nation’s Best. Oregon Men … Playing
Oregon’s women’s team continued its great season on Friday against Oregon State in front of a sold-out crowd. (The men? Not so much.) Sabrina Ionescu is playing like the National Player of the Year. The pick and roll with Ruthy Hebard has become devastating. Teams have to pick their poison with those two and a waiting Satou Sabally and Erin Boley …
Oregon in the Pac-12: Time to FLEE FOR OUR LIVES?
“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “to talk of many things. Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax, of cabbages … and Kings.” Alice In Wonderland Apparently, Arizona State (ASU) President, Michael M. Crow heard the call of the Walrus. (The Walrus, by the way, was the symbol of death for many Norse cultures and also for the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” …
FishDuck.com Liberals and Conservatives: Where are we GOING?
This article is about liberals and conservatives, but we won’t be discussing politics. Instead, we’ll be pondering all the different types of people that come to this site. We have readers in both political parties in varying degrees of intensity, as well as quite a cross-section of ages. I received a phone call from an 11-year-old in Brooklyn recently, and …
Where Will the Ducks Turn to Replace Leavitt?
One of the most complicated coach/coordinator pairings in the country has lasted for only a season. The news that 247 Sports reported on Wednesday was confirmed in a press release from Oregon on Thursday: defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt and the Ducks have “mutually reached an agreement to part ways.” The timing may have been unexpected, but few thought that Leavitt would stay …
Oregon Ducks: Entitlement Is a Four-Letter Word, Stifling Success!
We live in an “Entitlement Era.” There are clear reasons why Oregon’s football team is mediocre and its basketball team is under-performing. A MAJOR reason why they are not the best that they could be is a profligate persistent problem of throwing $$$ at athletics to achieve championships. Thanks, Uncle Phil, and other big donors, for the lavish contributions. How is that working …
Oregon Women Nation’s Best? Men Stay Alive for NCAA Berth
First the Oregon women. Wow, I didn’t see that coming! Oregon just destroyed Stanford, busting the three-decade losing streak at Maples Pavilion to pieces. Let’s talk about why they’re so dangerous right now. It’s not just Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard; Satou Sabally and Erin Boley are starting to play like All-Americans. Does Boley ever miss when she gets her feet …
Two and Three Star Players: The Foundation of Oregon Football
In 1999, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young retired from the San Francisco 49ers. In 2000, the 49ers went 6-10 under coach Steve Mariucci and headed into the offseason trying to improve the team. General manager Bill Walsh and Mariucci felt they needed a quarterback, and on draft day, two of the most successful minds in the NFL went into …
Can the Ducks Go From the Hunter to the Hunted?
People say that pressure makes diamonds. Fans of Oregon football hope that’s the case in 2019. After a couple of years flying under the radar, the Ducks are firmly back in the national picture. They stunned the country with their blistering recruiting performance, locking in a top-10 class for the first time in program history. And they were the talk …












