SB Nation User Blog: dvieira

Media Wednesday - Indoctrinating the Youth

dvieira — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:21:33 -0000

We here at ATQ feel that it's very important to start kids on Quack at a very early age. For this week's Media Wednesday, we wanted to give you a view into our Quack for Toddlers program. If you're interested in our showcase for the Junior Quack Club, make sure you click the jump.

The Junior Quack Club

End of the Pat Kilkenny Era

dvieira — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:34:37 -0000

Mike Bellotti will be officially taking over as Athletic Director for the University of Oregon on Wednesday and with that, the Pat Kilkenny Era will be officially over. He didn't even want the job initially, so much so that he tried to lure former UO Football Coach Rich Brooks into taking it. Here we are in 2009, 3 years have gone by with Kilkenny at the helm. Let's take a look at some of the notable efforts during his time.

Landed a $100 million donation from Nike co-founder Phil Knight to construct what would become Matthew Knight Arena

Getting this donation broke down the dam that was holding back the new arena project for years. You can't argue with friends talking friends into spending a bunch of money and that's just what Pat did to Phil. Today, construction is underway for the new arena and whether or not you buy into the politics of how the financing came about, the project is still creating jobs for Eugene and the surrounding areas during a time when unemployment is very high. I wonder about how much money basketball will bring in with the new arena but having a mid-sized stadium in the middle of the state is good for a lot more than just Ducks Basketball Games.

Revived the baseball program after a 28 year absence

I'm not a baseball guy at all. That being said, I gave it my best to follow Oregon Duck Baseball. This was a victory for people that have a lot more invested in the sport than I do. How this plays out long term will be interesting but I take issue with a number of items surrounding baseball's return. First off, the claim by Kilkenny that Oregon State national championships in 2006 and 2007 played no role in bringing baseball back. Right. Sure. Although I buy the argument that college baseball will be a bigger deal in a few years than it is right now, making the claim that baseball coming back at this time is completely unrelated to their national championships and Phil Knight's donation to keep Pat Casey at OSU just isn't believable. Second, what's up with the shady deal of adding in the Eugene Emerald revenue into the projected budget when you don't even have a deal in place for them to play at PK Park? For the Ems, they either need to pony up major cash to revitalize Civic Stadium, pump about $2 million into PK Park to make it minor league baseball compatible or move the team. Counting on this money, when you are already over-budget because of the hiring of George Horton, is funky.

Dropped the wrestling program

Wrestling was never going to make the kind of money that other sports were. Even if you roll with the whole "Oregon's tradition is that there is no tradition!" argument that football uses, then wrestling was definitely on the chopping block. I understand Title IX and the importance of it but this whole situation could have been handled a lot better. I view this as a big black eye on Kilkenny where members of the wrestling team even tried to sue the University in efforts to keep the program alive.

Added Team Stunts & Gymnastics (competitive cheer, whatever it is being called these days)

I like gymnastics. I think those that participate in the sport are amazing athletes. What I don't like is that given how much attention baseball has received in a short amount time versus how much Stunts has been given, you can tell right away that Stunts was added strictly for bare bones of Title IX compliance. All of the resources being pumped into baseball, a new facility, marketing effort. Baseball hit the ground running. Team Stunts? Not even competing yet. Will we see them in 2009? Supposedly they have 29 members of the team but no updates on goducks.com since March. Given how wrestling was dropped and how little attention Stunts has been given, the addition of baseball gets a mixed review from me.

Secured a multimedia rights deal with IMG College worth $67 million over 10 years

New video board! IMG College is a huge player in multimedia rights across the country, having deals with tons of colleges and universities. The revenue from the deal is double what the University was receiving before...jumping from $2.15 million to over $5 million a year. Not too bad.

Setting up a new standard of athletic excellence

One of the main features present in the athletic department over the past few years has been this notion of "consistently being in the top tier of the conference", no matter what sport you belong to. I'm all for raising the bar high and I like this focus on winning but I didn't see how the decision to keep Ernie Kent fits into this model. I'm a big supporter of Ernie but he hasn't fit this new mantra laid out by PK. While other coaches get ousted after seasons of non-compliance, Ernie Kent remains. The excuse given? Basketball doesn't have the facilities and advantages that other sports have. What? That didn't stop Bev Smith from getting fired. With Mike Bellotti taking over, will he continue this "win or die" metric that has been established or will he seek to put his own stamp on things.

It's hard to shoehorn in all of the events that took place during the Pat Kilkenny Era but the simple truth of the matter is that Oregon has a higher profile on the national stage than ever before. Revenues coming into the athletic department have grown and facilities have been improved. Mike Bellotti will have some big shoes to fill. I'm just forced to wonder if we are in a position to determine what Pat Kilkenny's legacy will be. He has been here for 3 years. He won't be AD when the majority of the decisions he made fully blossom. Bellotti might be in the driver's seat but he also might be the one to clean up the horse manure left in the barn.

Media Wednesday - It's Politically Correct To Hate on Oregon's Uniforms...I Like Them!

dvieira — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:39:05 -0000

We began our yearly makeover yesterday with the announcement of a new set of uniforms for the 2009 season. I'm probably in the minority of Duck fans who just likes all Oregon fashions. I don't care if it has wings, diamond plating, flames, monster trucks, transformers symbols, references to the movie Scarface, I want it all if it has something to do with Oregon. Even though most in the media, and even my fellow members of Duck Nation, are quick to pass negative judgement on these new uniforms, there is one man at ESPN that refuses to give in to this temptation. I give you a clip from November 2008, the week of the Arizona game. A black helmet was sent to the ESPN studios, proving to be an indicator of things to come.

"Who else's uniforms do people talk about these days?"

Media Wednesday - 18 Years to Go Before Michigan Football Players' Wives Run Off With Drummers

dvieira — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:51:31 -0000

This week's video for Media Wednesday takes us back to 2007. Oregon had a big game coming up against Michigan in the Big House. The Wolverines had just experienced the worst loss in the history of their program but little did they know they would get a pregame pep talk from a most interesting source. Oh, one more thing. Make sure to stick around for "Top Plays" immediately following the opening segment. Some of you may have some fond memories of #5 in that list.

Fact or Fiction: Football has more value to the University of Oregon than Track and Field

dvieira — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:14:31 -0000

In the words of Bobby Flay, are you ready for a throwdown? I have to admit, I had the idea for this particular question while listening to Jay Jones on The Writer's Block, a sports talk radio show weekdays in Eugene from 8-10am. Make sure you check it out if you're in the area.

The popularity of College Football has been growing by leaps in bounds over the last 2 decades, developing athletic departments into financial juggernauts. At the UO, football makes up 70% of the budget for the athetlic department. Even though football is enjoying a surge in popularity, it wasn't always that way. 20 years ago, Oregon Football had endured losing season after losing season. By contrast, Oregon Track has been there for decades, giving rise to Olympic athletes and developing Eugene into a national and international player. That brings us to today's Fact or Fiction question.

Fact or Fiction: Football has more value to the University of Oregon than Track and Field.

The knee jerk reaction most fans might have would be "Yes! Football is much better than silly old Track!". What did the ATQ editors have to say about it? Click the jump to find out

JConant > FACT

Football is more valuable. It's pretty much a slam dunk, assuming you measure "value" in financial terms. Beyond the money, however, track & field at Oregon carries significant weight.

Football is the ultimate high profile college sport. It entails great expense but also generates great revenue. Beyond booster and fan contributions, ticket sales, conference bowl money, food and beverage contracts and television agreements, the university picks up substantial money from advertising to 70,000 people six or seven times each season via programs, stadium signage, apparel and gift items. Track has fewer events, smaller audiences and less general interest, which together equal a substantially lesser marketing opportunity.

All that said, track & field is a major ingredient in the brand identity recipe at Oregon. It has been for decades. Need proof? Consider that the university for more than a year has been working to secure a federal trademark on the phrases "Track Town" and "Track Town U.S.A". When Oregon track (indoor, outdoor, cross country) is at the top of its game, as it was this season, it is embraced as a major sport by the Oregon community and local fan base. Oregon probably is one of only a handful of schools where that happens. Without question, track & field is more uniquely U-of-O than football, which is popular to the point of near-religious status in many parts of the country. That uniqueness alone makes the track program highly valuable.

If faced with a hypothetical scenario where you had to cut one program or the other, either decision would be a disaster. But when you talk about value to the University of Oregon, the discussion starts and ends with a couple facts that I pulled from Ben Schorzman's May 27 article in the Daily Emerald. In 2007-08 the school made $24.5 million on football (also $5.6 million on men's basketball). After covering $56.3 million in expenses the athletic department netted only $300,000, and only then after $1.2 million was received from the Oregon Lottery. Track & field has enormous value at Oregon beyond the simple dollars and cents.Take football away from the UO athletic budget, however, and you'd be left with nothing but an intramural program and club sports.

jtlight > FACT

While I think that track is very important to the University and the city of Eugene, the football program adds more value to the school. Financially, there is simply no comparison. It is on the back of the football team that the athletic department is able to break even.

While the track program at Oregon will always have an elevated place at Oregon and in the community, it simply cannot compete with the popularity of football, in Oregon or throughout the country. When the football team does well, many people throughout the country know about it. When the track team does well, only a small amount of people know about it.

Track and Field is great for the school, and I'm glad it's coming back into focus, but it just can't compete with football.

dvieira > FICTION

Football is the more popular sport... check. Football brings in more revenue.. check. Football has a greater following.. check. Football represents tradition at Oregon....nope. There is no debate on how much more popular college football is in the United States. Fall Saturdays bring out the tailgates, the parties, and crazy television coverage from morning to night. Even with all of that going against it, Track at Oregon has one thing that football just can't compete with. Tradition. In football, what do you think of when you think of tradition? You think of schools like USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and Notre Dame. We Oregon fans can claim to be among those but we always circle back to the excuse of "Our tradition is one of reinventing ourselves". Track and Field is the one sport that puts Oregon above all other schools in the country, where we can claim to have tradition on our side and a long history of winning. Oregon has won 16 total National Championships in the history of the school. 15 of those National Championships are either in Track and Field or Cross Country. The top traditional powers in college football? Notre Dame leads the way with 12, followed by Alabama at 11 and USC with 10. When people think of Track, they think of Eugene and the University of Oregon.

The facilities also support the history and traditional value that Track represents to Oregon. Hayward Field has played host to huge events with national and international renown. The US Track and Field Olympic Trials have been held there 1972, 1976, 1980 and again in 2008, making it the only site to host three consecutive trials. For the 2012 Olympics in London, look for Hayward to get some pub for that year's trials. Autzen Stadium can cite hosting a U2 concert and several Grateful Dead events, nowhere near what Hayward as done. Without the reputation and tradition of Track at Oregon, none of events of international interest wouldn't be in Eugene.

Don't get me wrong, football has a unique place in Oregon history but it has no where close to the tradition of excellence that Track has. Eugene isn't called "Football USA" and there is a big reason for that. Football can't compete with what Track has done for the community of Eugene and the University of Oregon. The success of the last 20 years in football makes it easy for us as fans to latch on to the glory and marketing of the pigskin, but Track is the foundation on which all of Oregon tradition is built. Financially, football may be bringing in the bacon but college athletics is supposed to be more than just giant sacks with dollar signs on them and that's where Track delivers, not just in tradition, but in international acclaim and the funding that it brings into the community.

Poll

Football has more value to the University of Oregon than Track and Field.

Fact

225 votes

Fiction

95 votes

320 votes | Poll has closed

Fact or Fiction: USC will win the Pac-10 Championship in Football in 2009

dvieira — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:48:11 -0000

The USC Trojans...Pac-10 Champions in football. Everyone outside of LA is hoping and praying that the dynasty will end. Every year, a few brave souls venture out of their caves to pick against the Trojans and proceed to get flogged repeatedly by their Troy oppressors. Will 2009 be any different? Probably not but that doesn't mean the ATQ Editors couldn't get together and take a stab at this week's Fact or Fiction question.

Fact or Fiction: USC will win the Pac-10 Championship in Football in 2009

Was anyone willing to step out of their mother's basement and pick against the Trojans winning the Pac-10 Championship? Check it out after the jump. Just remember, sometimes living in your mother's basement can help prevent pain, suffering, and from spending money on rent. It isn't always bad.

PaulSF > FACT

Listen, I hate the the Trojans just as much as the next guy, and maybe more. But let's face it: USC has been the team to beat every year for nearly a decade. Since being hired in 2000, Pete Carroll has not only brought the program back to glory after two relatively subpar decades, he's taken the Trojans to new heights. USC has finished with at least a share of the Pac-10 title every season for seven straight, and four of those seven were outright titles.

Everyone's been talking about how USC is due for a down year in 2009, and I think it's definitely a possibility. But we need to put "down year" into perspective. After sharing the Pac-10 title with ASU in 2007, followed by a win over Illinois in the Rose Bowl, a record seven Trojans were taken on the first day of the 2008 NFL Draft, and four of them were first-rounders. But despite having lost so many players to the NFL, USC came back and won the conference title outright in 2008. The Trojans have proved they have prolific talent (14 first-round picks since 2000), and are likely to be atop the conference standings again in 2009.

Bottom line: In the past seven seasons, a down year means not winning the Pac-10 title outright and/or not winning a national championship. If I'm a betting man, I'm putting my money on USC to at least share the title again in 2009. But here's to hoping they don't.

JConant > FACT

USC will be Pac-10 champs in 2009. I do think there's a remote possibility they may share that title with a 1-loss Cal or 1-loss Oregon, because I don't think any team will get through the conference schedule unscathed.

Why will USC repeat, again? Because this program has a near endless supply of NFL-quality talent and because Pete Carrol - like him or not - is a genius motivator who uses competition among 2- and 3-deep talent to get the utmost performance and effort from those who are lucky enough to hold a prestigious starting spot. Skill position talent is unquestionable. The entire offensive line, including a couple key reserves, returns. Aaron Corp doesn't have to win games on his own, just manage the offense. There is no reason to believe the Trojans defense will be anything but really good if not great.

Reloading is the norm at USC. If the towel boy quits during the off season, I'd bet on F-you Pete to have an able replacement ready to fill the spot. That's just what the USC program is all about right now. Until someone knocks them off their pedestal, the Trojans have to be the favorite to win the Pac-10.

jtlight > FACT

Simply put, USC has more talent than any other team in the nation. While they have some question marks, and may be a little worse than last year, they are still a better team than any other in the conference.

They simply have too much talent and experience. Their two-deep on the offensive line is simply staggering to look at. They are deeper than any team in the country, in talent and experience, and it's not close. They have some of the most talented skill position players in the country, who perform year after year. At QB, they have Aaron Corp, who didn't make mistakes during the spring. And offensively, that's pretty much all they need.

Defensively, they have arguably the best player in the nation in Taylor Mays. He makes their entire defense better. They have experience on the D-line, and though the linebackers are inexperienced, they were better than expected in the spring, which should scare the hell out of all the Pac-10. Again, this is a unit that has performed for the past 7 years, without fail, no matter who is coming back.

While USC may have some question marks, there really is no reason to think they won't succeed. USC may lose a non-conference game and a random Pac-10 game due to that inexperience, especially at QB, but they should still win the Pac-10, either outright, or with a tiebreaker.

dvieira > FICTION

We know the stats of USC in the Pete Carroll era. Every year they reload with NFL talent and continue their dominance in the Pac-10. I'm here to tell you that you can throw out all the stats you want about USC being a dynasty, the team to beat, whatever you want. This year will be different and I'll tell you why. They've lost the competitive fire. They're too used to winning games and its cost the Trojans a game or two each year since the Curse of Vince Young befell USC during the 2005-06 National Championship game. In 2006, the Trojans fall to Oregon State in Corvallis. In 2007, USC lost to Oregon and then fell to Stanford in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the program. In 2008, Oregon State gets them again.

Fast forward to 2009. Sure, some would have you think that USC is just deep and having to replace everyone is no big deal. Pete Carroll didn't want to lose Mark Sanchez to the NFL for another year but people seem to gloss over that as just Pete being Pete. There is a reason why he wanted Sanchez back next season and it had everything to do with experience. The Trojans have key games on the road, playing at Ohio State in the second game of their season, playing at Cal in a night game and then coming to Autzen on Halloween in what could be an absolutely crazed fanbase under the lights. Even though Oregon State hasn't done well at Southern Cal, they may have finally found a formula for slaying the giant. USC desperately needs experience and they may not get it in time to notch a few losses.

USC has strong potential to lose as many as 3 games in the Pac-10 this year. 2 of which, Cal and Oregon, are played on the road. Throw in one bad loss on the account of the Curse of Vince Young and you could see a Trojan team at 8-4. Oregon has all of their tough Pac-10 games at home this year. Cal is in the same boat with the exception of having to play Oregon at Autzen. Either of those two teams have a good shot...strike that....GREAT shot at unseating USC with Oregon State being a potential darkhorse team in that category.

Poll

USC will win the Pac-10 Championship in Football in 2009

Fact

139 votes

Fiction

268 votes

407 votes | Poll has closed

Media Wednesday - A Surprise Appearance by the Oregon Duck

dvieira — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:28:35 -0000

This week's Media Wednesday takes us back to the 2007 Oregon vs. Cal game at Autzen Stadium. It was #6 vs. #11 in the nation, a national stage and ESPN's College Gameday was there in full force. The fans had come out before the sun had even come up, helping to fill the backdrop with Autzen Stadium looking on. The Gameday guys weren't going to pick the Oregon/Cal game until much later in the broadcast but that didn't stop The Duck from making a memorable appearence, causing Herbie to break up laughing.

A little off topic but this is Ernie in the off-season. Unfortunately, he had to undergo off-season...

dvieira — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:18:52 -0000

A little off topic but this is Ernie in the off-season. Unfortunately, he had to undergo off-season surgery to repair a gland on his butt and as a result, he has to wear a cone. He is expected back playing with the team in 1-2 weeks.

He had a rough year last year but we are expecting big things from him in the fall. The ferret agility trials are coming up and he's going to be ready...not to mention fall camp for the Ducks!

Media Wednesday - ESPN Follows the 2002 NCAA Tournament Team

dvieira — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:01:13 -0000

In this edition of Media Wednesday, we go back to the year 2002 where the Men's Basketball Team won the Pac-10 Championship outright and went on to reach the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament. During the tournament, ESPN went "Behind the Scenes" with the Ducks to showcase the players and coaches as they prepared for matchups with Montana and Texas. Part 1 deals mainly with the preparation for the Montana game. Part 2, after the jump, showcases Texas and some interesting tidbits with Luke Ridnour as he prepared for finals during the tournament.

This is part 2 of ESPN's coverage of the Oregon Ducks during the 2002 NCAA Tournament

Nice butt huggers. This almost reminds me of the "bra look" from Oregon State circa 2007

dvieira — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:07:36 -0000

Nice butt huggers. This almost reminds me of the "bra look" from Oregon State circa 2007