Blazing New & Old Trails

    As I was channel surfing I came upon a show entitled Blazers Courtside.  I wondered is this traffic court, criminal court, or just plain stupidity court.   After the recent arrest of Marcus Camby for possession, it looks like we are headed for the 21st Century version of the Jail Blazers. 

 Bumper sticker anyone?

 

    A minor apology to the officials on Saturday's Oregon game.   I said they feared flagging Arizona, when in fact they hit them with 9 calls for 91 yards.   But (of course there is a but), they need to watch the cheap shots (see my previous blog entry) and flag Stoops for unsportsmanlike conduct.  Like a child, he won't learn until he is punished.   I suppose I should stop complaining, his team reflected his lack of composure and took undisciplined penalties to aid in a couple of Oregon drives.   I know, I know, will I ever put this Stoops thing to rest?  Nope.

    Taking the Triple Crown - not horse racing, I am talking about the reality that the Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings could all make the playoffs this year.   Detroit will be "the" sports town for 2011 - 2012.   

A little early for the Lions celebration, but a guy can dream can't he?

Stoopified....not!

This game was not exactly what I expected.   The non-conference games had shown us some Duck weaknesses that I was sure Arizona would test. 
Not the case.   Kelly had the boys ready.



 


Arizona's defense stood little chance of stopping the Ducks, even when they resorted to the crawling shots on QB Darren Thomas' lower legs (anybody else notice this?).   This was a point of emphasis little more than a year ago, but the officials still seem to hesitate throwing flags at Stoop's troops or at him, for that matter.   I am now just beginning to be able to laugh at this joker, but his antics on the sidelines, honestly, make me ill.   







Stoops' defense was shredded by the
Lemon and Green, fueled by the record-setting performance of
LaMichael James. 

  

James' 288 rushing yards put him in the record books as the best single game rushing performer in Duck history, passing The Whizzanator's (Onterrio Smith) 285 yards against WSU in 2001 - sorry to open old wounds GC.

 

A no brainer, this week's Winged Zed goes to

 

LaMichael James

He's got us jumping for joy 

and his 363 all purpose yards 

puts him right back in the hunt for the Heisman!

Hooray for Haloti and other stuff

 

$61 mil over 5 years, way to go Mr. Ngata, well deserved.  By occupying most of the offensive line, Ray Lewis can roam and make tackles.   

Haloti Ngata, always a Duck

Now some other things on my mind....

 
While driving past my favorite burger place, Debs on 6th, I saw a hideous sight.   It has become a vegan restaurant.   Oh the horror!   No more grease, no more salt, no more ketchup, no more cheeseburger baskets?   I can't fathom the thought.   And to think carnivores will never be welcomed again at that wonderful old diner - too much for me to handle.

The Lions are 2 - 0 in the regular season.   The Motor City Kitties are on the roar!  Please, can we end the season now?

The Pac-16? 
Two Stoops in one conference?  
Thank goodness the conference presidents didn't go for the upsize.





Saw my first hockey game of the 2011 season last night, an exhibition between the Wings and the Pens.   My favorite time of year, college football, hockey, some NFL, and better yet no NBA cry babies!

Misery for Missouri State

  


Once, again, the Ducks did what we expected against an opponent of this caliber - score big and get the 2's and 3's some playing time. 

But the defense needs a swift kick in the butt.  It is totally unacceptable to allow the Bears a score on their first drive. The D needs to set the tone from the start, not wait until the next series.   I shudder to think what could happen should they take this tactic into the Stanford game.



  Sorry, no one to single out for a Winged Zed in this game.   Although an honorable mention to Eric Dungy for his first touchdown as a Duck and to De'Anthony Thomas for running wild in special teams.

Now on to matters of high importance to the Pac-12 Commissioner's office:

First, the ban on Duck lips at the games.  

 
The Duck lips are annoying, I admit that, and this will probably save some aggravation.   Not from opponents, but from fans in the stands who have to listen to their neighbor (usually someone who has had one too many) emit that obnoxious sound.   I guess I have to side with conference ruling on this one.

                                                    Second, the near ban on the "O" hand sign.

Are you kidding?   The Hook 'Em Horns sign has been around since I was in high school and the Gator Chomp has been a tradition for who knows how long.  The is no malicious intent in making the "O" and I have never seen one of the Ducks use it to taunt.   It is a symbol of celebration.  The Pac 12 would do better trying to get, say, Mike Stoops under control on the sidelines.   Some conference office pencil pusher (probably a Beaver alum) needs something to do, so let's nitpick something Ducky.

 

I worry that the conference (is it Pac-12 or Pac-16?) will try to regulate the amount of decibels allowed in stadiums.   Will there be a Sound Police to warn the crowd of excessive noise.   Or, perhaps, a man with a sign similar to the one they hold up at the tees in golf tournaments.   Wow, they take the fun out of everything.....

 

Snake's On A Playin'

   The Ducks rebounded as we expected, thumping Nevada in Saturday's home opener.  For me, the upside was the contributions by the rookies.   Half the time names called for carries or catches were Autzen newbies.    Receptions by Vaughn, Murphy, Dungy, and Lyerla gave us a glimpse of the future of our receivers.  Tra Carson, you know - the kid who broke LaMichael's TD record in Texas, looks to give us more of a short yardage power runner.   But, the biggest impact was by the Black Mamba, De'Athony Thomas.   His 204 all purpose yards gave us an idea why he was such a highly valued recruit - and why we are fortunate he became a Duck.   His ability to step in immediately makes us forget all about that other "marquee" running back that has left the program.

And so, with that, as I had hoped for

 this weeks Winged Zed goes to...

De'Anthony Thomas

  Mamba #6

Early September Musings

Just some thoughts about this and that....

Bad Ideas




Hey Georgia the Arena League called, they want their uniforms back.

 

This is what crash test dummies would look like if they had a football team

CFL Rules We Should Think About

1. The end zones are 20 yards long.   Who needs a goal line offense with these field dimensions (advantage to the spread).
2. The kicking team earns one point if the receiving team doesn't return a kick out of the end zone.   Gives life back to the kick return game.
3. An injured player who is attended to by a trainer on the field must sit out the next 3 plays.   Look out Arizona, fake cramps would be costly.





Crouching Tiger, Hidden Bengal

With little fanfare, the Detroit Tigers have built up a 9 1/2 game lead in the Central Division.   Justin Verlander was the majors first 20 game winner and looks to win over 25.  Could he be headed for 30?







 Trivia question: who was the last major league pitcher to win over 30 games?

Answer: Denny McClain won 31 games for Detroit in 1968, how appropriate that another Tiger has a shot.

The Sun Also Rises

A tough morning for Duck fans, but realistically we all knew this could happen.

  The Ducks had to re-load at too many key spots and, inevitably, our inexperience was our downfall.   It was apparent they needed a tune up game before taking on the likes of LSU, a New Mexico would have been nice.  But we can't change what's done, it's time to move on.  Upcoming games with Nevada and Missouri State should help the newbies before opening Pac-12 play with Arizona.  The focus has shifted a bit to the immediate goal of winning the Pac-12 North.  I'm sure the coaches had this as first priority all along, but the pressure to return to the Natty was in everyone's mind, accentuated by the magnitude of the opening game.

I would like to congratulate LSU on the win.  I have to grit my teeth to give anyone in the SEC an "atta boy", but you got it. 

 
Thankfully, there is a lot of football left to play - and I do expect the Ducks to get better.   A must with Stanford ready and waiting....





  

As for a Winged Zed this week, no one really elevated to catch my eye for the award.  My leading candidate showed some greatness, but had two costly fumbles that led to LSU scores. Keep working De'Anthony, you'll get one sooner (how about next week?) or later.

 

 
Now you should note that I could take some shots at our northern neighbors for their loss, but there is no need - it's embarrassing enough with out me rubbing it in.






  
And finally, to my literary friends, yes, I referenced Hemingway for a title.   It just seemed appropriate, since, for many Duck fans, the sun appeared to fatally set last night.

Suck it up kids, one loss doesn't kill the season.  Remember the opening loss to Boise State in 2009?  Seems like we came out smelling like a rose after that...

Y'all Ready For This?

5 p.m PST on ABC

Will Coach Corso wear the Duck Head again?

OK, I Give Up

All right, I know I said I am not really a fan of the NFL, and yet you keep seeing entries about it.   I guess it's like listening to George W., there's just so much to poke fun at. 

A Perfect Fit 
Welcome to the Raiders, Terrelle Pryor.   Long known as malcontents, cast offs, and ruffians (wait did I just use the word ruffian?), Oakland welcomed Terrelle with open arms.   Must have been his quality of character that swayed Al Davis to open the check book.

Break Time
Moving the kick off up to the 35 yard line means more time for fans to go make a sandwich.    TV goes to commercial right after the PAT, returns for the kick off (which will be a startlingly high number of touch backs) and then goes to commercial, again.    My suggestion is right after the TD, leisurely hit the 'fridge, mow the lawn, refinance your house.....and then return to pick up the next offensive series.

Undefeated
The Lions are 4 - 0 in pre-season.  

 Can we call it good and end the season now?

Worse
The Seahawks may be headed for the worst season in team history.   They have shown little in pre-season and haven't established a #1 at QB.   Tarvaris Jackson has been unimpressive, but the 'Hawks keep playing him - hoping he will eventually show up.   Big news Seattle, if he was any good, Minnesota would have kept him!  I wonder if Jim Zorn can still throw?

Second Chances

  Sure, everyone deserves a second chance.   But, geez, did Michael Vick bounce back or what?   He just signed a 100 million dollar contract with the Eagles, 40 million of it guaranteed!

 Not bad for a dog killer.

   

  Now, do I believe he deserves the second chance, uh huh.   But (again with the buts), I believe his time spent in prison was pretty cush.   I'm sure he had celebrity status and was admired by the other inmates.   What would my punishment have been?  Well, there is a story in mythology where Prometheus, as punishment for bringing fire to mortals, has his liver eaten by an eagle every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day.    How about with Vick we let a pit bull gnaw on his leg daily and have it mystically grow back to be chomped again the next day?  Seems appropriate.  OK, a bit harsh.  Maybe Vick should have to forfeit, say, 30 mill of that contract to pit bull rescue organizations.   That sounds a little more reasonable, think about it Mike....