Ho Hum

     The 115th Civil War, was it all it could be?  NO.   The Beavs showed no signs of being able to handle the Ducks and the game became a snooze early.   Senior tight end David Paulson put on a show with 8 catches for 105 yards, good way to punctuate Senior Day at Autzen.   Paulson is another great in a string of great tight ends for the Ducks and he should be a high rounder in the NFL draft.   Sorry to lose him, but Colt Lyerla seems ready to step in and become the next great at the H back.

No brainer, this weeks Winged Zed goes to 

David Paulson

Thanks for the past 4 years!

    Now on to the inaugural Pac-12 Championship, or as we might look at it, The Toilet Bowl.   Pac-12 South "champion" UCLA comes to town with a record of 6 - 6 overall.   Oregon is an early 30 point favorite.   This would worry me if the Ducks were playing somewhere else, but not with the game at Autzen.  As per my usual disdain for Tricky Rick, I hope we annihilate, obliterate, and desecrate the Bruins.  I want the 3rd team to score on his number 1's.   I want Neuweisel to leave Eugene with a sour taste for everything Duck.  Geez, I seem to want a lot....

Have you heard the one.....

     A Duck fan goes into an establishment and sits down.   He says to the large guy next to him, "Do you wanna hear a joke about the Beavers?"   The large man says, "Before you tell me I need to tell you I'm 6'4" and weigh 225 lbs. and I'm an OSU alum, the guy next to me is 6'3" and 240 lbs., also a Beav, and the guy next to him is 6'1", weighs 210 lbs., another member of the Orange and Black.   Now do you still want to tell me that joke?"  The Duck fan says,"No, I don't want to have to explain it 3 times."

Thanks to Son-In-Law of the Coach for this material.

GO DUCKS!

Stupidity

     Or should I say Suh-pidity?   Ndamukong Suh loses his cool and stomps on an opponent in front of millions on national TV.  His version says that he was just gaining his balance.   Did he see the replay - no, maybe time to take a look - he literally kicked a man while he was down.   Tossed out of the game, facing a fine and possible suspension, he vows not to change his game.  At the time the Lions were only down by 7, but his penalty gave Green Bay a first down and led to a TD.   Time for management and the coaches to have a heart to heart with Mr. Suh and tell him he will change his game.  Known as one of the dirtiest players in the NFL, Nd needs an attitude adjustment before he is completely out of hand.

     Now for stupidity on my part.   Last year Black Friday took me to a camp out at Target to reap the reward of a 40" TV for a ridiculously low price.   This year, stores announced sales at 12 a.m. Thursday.   I had a present picked out for my youngest and waited for the proper clicking moment on Best Buy.   We all (shoppers nation-wide) thought that the sale would begin at 12 midnight EST (9 p.m. PST).   Nope, I waited until 2:30 a.m. PST to make the coveted purchase, but no joy.    I went to bed, and of course shortly after that, the sale began.   Best Buy randomly chose when to commence their sale and guarded the "secret" starting time like it was a matter of national security.   AND, I was dumb enough to stay up until the wee hours to shop their site.   Not next year, I have learn my lesson.......I hope.

     Civil War on the way.   The Beaver Believers have reveled in the misery of Duck fans over the loss to USC.  They have totally overlooked the fact that they miraculously won a game.   C'mon country cousins worry about your own problems and stop tossing cow pies our way.    When pushed by the orange and black faithful, I am reminded of old Beaver jokes, like how do you keep a beaver out of your yard - put goal posts in it.   Rip 'em a new one boys.   GO DUCKS!!!

Ducks Roasted

     Matt Barkley feasted on Duck Saturday, cooking them for 323 yards and 4 TD's.   Some may believe the game was lost as a last second field goal sailed wide.   Nope, the game was lost in the first quarter when the Duck offense failed to score.   The defense stopped USC on their first 3 possessions, long enough for Oregon to build it's usual lead, but LaMike and Company couldn't score in their first 5 series.  After that,  USC caught fire and it was all uphill for the Ducks.   After watching the opposing QB's the last two weeks, I rate Barkley ahead of Stanford's Luck.   Barkely was loud and clear on his "put up or shut up" moment, while Luck was relatively silent.

     Many of you are disappointed, but I view this loss as a mixed blessing, sure we lost, but now we don't have to hear all the "back to the championship" talk.  Maybe I am a army of one, but I really didn't believe Oregon belonged back in the big game this year.   Concentrating on winning the PAC-12 championship and playing in the Rose Bowl should have been the goal all along.   The Ducks need to win a big bowl to build momentum towards the national championship next year.   That's right, next year.   I believe we will have the pieces in place to make an earnest run in 2013. It all starts with the Civil War on Thanksgiving weekend.

     One bit of advice, if NBA players have been locked out of their own place, don't let them in ours.  Bad juju!

King of The QB's

     Aaron Rodgers is overwhelmingly the current king of NFL quarterbacks.  Announcers let you know on every offensive snap, and those who watch have to agree.   But, how did he get this way?    Was he thrown into the mix as a rookie tabbed the savior of a failing franchise?   Nope, he was able to watch and learn from the sidelines for 3 seasons before taking over as a starter.  
     Any NFL fan can think back to a top rounder coming into the league labeled the ONE.  You know, the ONE who lead the offense right to the Lombardi trophy.   But usually the case is the poor kid is thrown in behind a sub-par offensive line, is cursed with an lousy running game, and inherits receivers who couldn't catch a cold naked in a snow storm.   But because he gets paid a huge salary, his development usually consists of mini camps and pre-season camp.   Then, here you go rookie, save the day.   Uh huh, set up for failure.   It's hard to complete passes lying on your back.  After being pounded by defensive linemen, they usually find themselves as back ups on some other team and then retired to become color analysts.   For them NFL stands for Not For Long.   The silver lining, they generally retire with a vault full of money - and they deserve it.   Try standing in front of a 350 pound charging defensive linemen and then taking a shot from him.   Money well earned. 

     What has happened to my Lions??   Memo to Lion's management, while Carolina is in town this Sunday - get the deal done!!   Fairley for Jonathan Stewart and the Panthers 1st round pick in 2012.   The Panthers are too busy showcasing Scam Newton to use Stewart to his full potential.   Additionally, Carolina would love to get another over-rated player to go along with Scam.  

Tree Trimmed

  Dismantled.  That's how I would describe what Oregon did to Stanford.   The coaches concocted a near perfect game plan to take down Stanford, and the team executed it at an unbelievable level.  Sprinkle in a new extra point and you have a such an entertaining game that I'm on my 3rd viewing.  

   Improvement over the course of a season is what all programs strive for.   Oregon has definitely accomplished this since the LSU game.  The greatest improvement has been with the defensive line.  The Washington game showed what the D line could do and the Stanford game showed what they will do.  Coach Jerry Azzinaro has made this unit into a defensive force that should make the final two games very interesting for their opponents. 

The Winged Zed for UW game and the Stanford game goes to

 Coach Jerry Azzinaro and his D Linemen

Next up, the Ohio State of the West, USC.

Money, Money, Money

Pay for Play

     The NCAA is contemplating a policy where they would pay athletes $2000 a year for incidentals.   Citing the need for cash to pay for laundry, incidentals, traffic tickets... 

     Hmmm, something to think about.  On one hand they do bring in a boatload of cash to the universities - on the other hand they do receive tuition, books, room, and board.    Where will this additional money come from?   Whenever a financial decision like this one is made, somebody loses.  A personal anecdote, when Title IX was instituted, Oregon's athletic department had to come up with additional funds to shift to women's athletics.  One small way was to drop the partial tuition scholarship I was receiving as an athletic trainer.   Decisions to fund have an effect that is not always seen by the public, but is felt by the little guy, or usually someone not in the mainstream public eye.  U of O athletes receive the equivalent of approximately $20,000 per year in assistance.   Many working stiffs don't bring home that much.   My opinion - this is more than enough.  If they need an allowance, they can ask their folks.


Pay the Piper, er.. Piper to Pay?

    Prior to this year, the U of O has allowed guest groups to perform at halfttime at basketball games.  Following their performance, they were allowed to watch the game if it was not sold out.  This year, they will charge performers $12 for men's games and $3 for women's.  Wow, is the University so strapped for cash that they need to charge groups to provide them with entertainment?   Seems backwards, doesn't it?   Oh now I get it, this will help to pay the athletes their $2000...   
     I have heard there is a movement to change our mascot from the familiar Donald image to that of Scrooge McDuck to keep with the athletic department's recent outlook.