SB Nation User Blog: skywaker9

I Love My Ducks (Civil War Intro Video)

skywaker9 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:51:43 -0000

I Love My Ducks (Civil War Intro Video)

Dixon's last TD of his Oregon career and his first rushing TD of his NFL career. Oregon...

skywaker9 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:41:09 -0000

Dixon's last TD of his Oregon career and his first rushing TD of his NFL career. Oregon eye candy.

Oregon Arizona highlights, ENJOY!

skywaker9 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:14:38 -0000

Oregon Arizona highlights, ENJOY!

Rudy Fernandez stumps for SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) in this PSA.

skywaker9 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:22:14 -0000

Rudy Fernandez stumps for SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) in this PSA.

Former UO President, Current NCAA President Myles Brand Dies at 67

skywaker9 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:00:57 -0000

The Oregonian is reporting that former UO President, current NCAA President, Myles Brand has died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 67. My thoughts and the Oregonian's article are below:

Link: Myles Brand, former Oregon president who went on to transform NCAA, dies at 67

Key Quote: Myles Brand championed the most substantive academic reform in the
NCAA's history, embraced issues of diversity and preached the proper integration
of athletics into university operations. But the philosopher and former
University of Oregon president might be best remembered for firing volatile
basketball coach Bob Knight while president of Indiana University.

Brand died today after an eight-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 67.

With a background more intellectual than athletic, Brand became the first
sitting university president to lead the NCAA.

His biggest coup was the NCAA's 2005 adoption of an unprecedented academic
reform package that punished teams that lag academically. Though some complained
about its effectiveness or potential for abuse, the NCAA's Academic Progress
Rate gradually improved as more athletes met benchmarks.

It is far too early to say what impact Brand will have on the NCAA in the long-term but here are my quick thoughts:

1. He did bring back some modicum of academics to revenue sports, albeit in a way that still shields major universities from harm (very few schools from the BIg 6 conferences are every penalized).

2. He helped bring a lot of financial balance to the NCAA, or transparency at least. That should help college sports for a long time.

3. He failed to fix the NCAA's biggest problem, which is its selective enforcement of its rules against bigger schools (see the Reggie Bush situation with USC as an example).

4. I was in the Midwest (attending Grinnell College in IA) when he fired Knight. He really had no choice but certainly did not deserve the vitriol that followed.

RIP Myles, once a Duck, always a Duck.

Blount Broke my Heart, He is Dead to Me

skywaker9 — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:02:42 -0000

This scene from the Godfather sums up how i feel about Blount right now:

He is dead to me.

I have supported Oregon for as long as I can remember. Through those years, we have had some issues with players from time to time and have taken on some questionable characters (O. Smith for one) but I have NEVER been as angry at a player as I am right now.

I won't abandon Oregon if he doesn't go (although I think he will) but I can tell you that all those hours I spend watching the games, on this blog, traveling to and from Eugene, will seem to be rather less important to me if he is still on the team.

There is NEVER an excuse for punching a player like that. A true competitor deals with the loss, bad as it may be, and moves on. If that weren't enough, going after the fans just makes it worse.

Look when Oregon lost to Arizona two years ago I was sad/angry as was the team but did any of them pull this stuff, no. We are Oregon and we are better than that.

Oregon proud but no longer proud of Blount.

Brandon Roy to be on Trail Blazers Courtside TONIGHT at 6 PM!

skywaker9 — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:04:29 -0000

Brandon Roy to be on Trail Blazers Courtside TONIGHT at 6 PM!

From Blazers.com "Tonight's show features Trail Blazers Guard Brandon Roy as he talks about the offseason and his recent signing of his extension with the team, plus team strength and conditioning coach, Bobby Medina."

The above link will go to a live feed at 6 PM.

First Observations on the Blazers Schedule

skywaker9 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:20:52 -0000

The following is my first observations on the Blazers schedule for the next season. The full schedule is available at: Blazers.com (Click on the link).

By the Numbers

Home Opener: 10/27 vs. Houston.

Road Opener: 10/31 at Houston.

Number of TNT games slated: 6.

Number of ESPN games slated: 10.

Number of ABC games slated: 1 (at Lakers in April).

Longest Road Trip: 5 (Twice, MEM-MIN-NOLA, CHA and ATL in November and NJ-TOR-CHI-MN-MEM in February/March).

Longest Home Stand: 5 (MEM-LAL-CLE-MIL-ORL in January).

Number of back to backs: 19.

My thoughts by quarter of the season:

1st Quarter-As with last year, the Blazers start out strong early with five of their first six against playoff teams from last year. However, they then go into a reasonable stretch for most of November/December in which they should be able to build some wins.

2nd Quarter-Virtually without question the toughest part of the schedule, with all the big Eastern teams and a mammoth home-stand featuring the Fake Show, Cleveland and Orlando.

3rd Quarter-Reasonable schedule. Some tough stretches in there, including a mammoth stretch of three games with the Jazz back to back with the Spurs followed by our other Faker home game.

4th Quarter-Strong but finishes relatively weak. With the exception of games against Dallas and the Lakers, if the Blazers are in good shape for home court at this point they should be golden as they close with a fairly easy stretch.

My Top Game of each Month-

October (tie)-Vs/At Houston-Key to getting the season off on the right foot.

November-Vs. San Antonio 11/6-A key test against a likely rival for home court.

December-Vs. Denver-12/25-Its the Chirstmas game between the two teams likely to fight for the NW Division crown.

January-Vs. Cleveland-1/10-We got swept by them last year. If we want to join the elite, beating the Cavs would be a good start.

February-Vs. Fakers-2/6-Do you really need to know why this is a key game? Its the Lakers dude.

March-At Denver-3/7-Another key game in what is likely to be a close division race.

April-At Fakers-4/11-Our only Faker road game this year and a chance to make a statement before the playoffs.

Let me know what you think and GO BLAZERS!

Canzano swings and misses on Blazers fans, shows he really doesn't get us

skywaker9 — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:51:13 -0000

Canzano's latest column is another loser, talking about how we should all evaluate the Blazers on a year by year basis like they are a business. Well I don't know about you but I've been a Blazers fan from birth and I'll be one until I die. While its more fun to do so when they are winning, I didn't stop cheering when they were losing.

Read more of this article below and at this link (http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2009/07/how_about_a_oneyear_deal_for_b.html#preview)

Canzano writes:

The Blazers were wonderful on the court last season. And the front office has had a couple of promising years. Things have been improved, and you've rewarded the organization. But then they raised ticket prices and turned stingy with the franchise superstar. Maybe this offseason is just trying to tell you to tread lightly.

I'm certain the Blazers would love to lock you up for a lifetime contract today. They'd love to count on your dollars and sweat forever. And maybe some of you have already decided you're all in. But I heard from a lot of people this week who might feel more comfortable putting the organization on a series of one-year rolling contracts, and I can't say I blame them.

Well, what John is describing is bandwagon fans, not real fans. See, I keep the Blazers accountable, as do all of us here but I don't do it because I won't be a fan of them if they don't do what I want . Instead, I keep them accountable BECAUSE I love them, because they are my team, my first sports love. No matter how much I may root for other teams, in other sports, I realize, especially when they lose because of how badly it hurts, that I am more of a Blazers fan, far more, than I could ever be of any other team. Although I might put on yellow and green for the Ducks, or green and black for the Vikings, or any other colors, at my heart I bleed scarlet and black.

I guess, in the end, Canzano doesn't even really get Blazers fans. I could be wrong but I don't think so? Is your love of this team a series of "One Year Contracts"? Why or why not? I welcome your thoughts.

Pistons Fire Head Coach Michael Curry

skywaker9 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:18:13 -0000

Pistons Fire Head Coach Michael Curry

"Hours before the start of NBA free agency, Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars made a splash of a different sort Tuesday, firing coach Michael Curry after just one season amid ongoing concerns about Curry's command of the locker room and fears that keeping him could hamper Detroit's offseason business.

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that the Pistons -- projected to have more spending money than any team in the league when the market opens for business at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday -- had been contemplating the move for weeks after Curry's rocky debut season, and decided to go ahead with the change, in part to help maintain their position as the team with the most free-agent ammunition this summer.

After making what he described as a "difficult" decision," Dumars told ESPN.com Tuesday afternoon: "As we have continued to go through this transition, it has become clear that we needed a more experienced coach to help guide us through this period."