In case you missed Wilcox Over The Top: Jack Youngblood, Ric Flair, & The Dead, you can read it here.

Jay, here.

Every superhero has a beginning. In the comic book world, they’re called origin stories. And you’ve seen them play out on the big screen in “Superman: The Movie”, “Batman Begins”, and “Blankman”.

I don’t think “Sea Bass” was ever a superhero. Although, he did fly a couple of times. And I don’t know if he was ever in a comic. But I know Josh Wilcox has been accused of being a comic on several occasions.

This is Sea Bass’s origin story.

Wilcox Over The Top, Part Deux: Sea Bass Begins

By Josh Wilcox
DSN Contributor

Unlike many, my passion for Pro Wrestling never faded into the background. In fact, it actually got stronger once I got to college. I finally had cable, could buy the PPV’s, and I became more educated on the business without my mom thinking it was a phase. I would wager a case of Lucky Lager that she would still bet that I am not out of that phase.

Starting with my sophomore year, the Rose Bowl year, I started to get a little press. However, the thing that ended up coming up most in a lot of these interviews was my passion for Metallica and Pro Wrestling. I don’t know, but I guess it helped some guys write more than a paragraph about me, because really I am not that interesting. There was actually a WWF show down in L.A. during the Rose Bowl week, but we had some event we had to attend. Needless to say, that was a burr in my saddle. Maybe I took it out on Penn State.

My junior year I named Oregon’s tight ends Chris Anderson, Blake Spence, Jed Weaver, and myself, the “4 Horsemen”. We were a pack. If you messed with one of us, you got all of us, just like the original 4 Horsemen from the NWA (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Ole Anderson). Spence didn’t really get it, but the other three did. Then again, Blake was probably thinking about surfing or something else. Once during daily doubles the training staff took an ad from USA today promoting Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair and put my picture over Ric Flair and pasted it up around the treatment facility. So the poster was me vs. Hogan. It was a good rib. For the record, I would have beat the Hulkster, because I was saying my prayers and eating my vitamins.

After I wrapped up my playing career at the U of O and my Minnesota Vikings linebacker experiment did not work out, what was I to do? How about what I always wanted to do? What I told coaches at the NFL combine what I wanted to do. I was going to attempt wrestling. I was young and hungry. And why the hell not? I told everyone I wanted to do it. Now I had to back up my big mouth.

Before I signed with Minnesota in 1997, I met Matt Borne who was the first “Doink the Clown” in the WWF, now WWE. He is the son of Northwest Legend Tough Tony Borne and was helping with the revival of Portland Wrestling in the state of Oregon. So, we decided that it would get done. My debut match was on November 1, 1997 in a flea market in Portland. Luckily, or because of my planning, take your pick, there was no Oregon game on that day. That gave ample time for my friends and family to come watch. Over 800 people showed up and saw me defeat Bruiser Brian Cox with a Flying Body Press off of the top turnbuckle, for the 1-2-3! I recently saw a tape of this and in terms of wrestling standards, I would give this a rating of -1 on a 10 point scale. I did not really know what I was doing, but it ended up looking okay for what it was. Wrestling purists agreed and mentioned that for something that received so much press, it should have been better. But it put butts in the seats! And that equals a bigger paycheck!

But what name to use? Joshquatch? The NW Duck? The All-American? I needed a name. For that, I had help from the media. It seems this quest to name me struck a chord with a short round news caster who I happen to know, and had a good relationship with. So his suggestion of “Sea Bass”, based on the character in the movie ‘Dumb and Dumber”, a scruffy guy sitting in the back of a diner with a mesh hat took off like a wild fire in southern California. “The Duck Homer”, Joe Giansante, deserves credit for starting the “Sea Bass” name, which has stuck to me like groupies at a Molly Hatchet/Bad Company concert. I have yet to put it on my business cards though.

After the show in Portland, we had shows in Roseburg, La Pine, Bend, Coos Bay, and Eugene. The one in Eugene was great and so much fun. My outfit: bad acid wash jeans I stole from my dad’s work clothes pile, a yellow Oregon football belt, hiking boots, and cut-off sleeved Oregon t-shirt fit perfectly with the “Sea Bass” moniker. I ended up teaming with Brian Cox, the guy I defeated in my first match, and we won the Tag Team Titles. But then he turned on me, hit me with the belt, and power bombed me! They had to stretcher me out. I did not know if I would survive.

Due to my concussions and neck problems, I was scared I would need a neckeoctomy, a complex neck surgery which could have put me out for months. Luckily, ice and free beers cured it. Also, a fan entered the ring trying to help me from an attack early in the show, which I was grateful for. But one of the guys punted his skull with his size 13. So, I would suggest never trying to jump the rail and entering the ring. I won the heavyweight title in La Pine in a tournament, but lost it a few weeks later when I got hit with a trash-can behind the ref’s back in Roseburg. I can say now I do not have the fondest of memories of the Roseburg county fairgrounds, but mainly because I was staring at the lights flat on my back, not because of a bad experience at the Monster Truck Shows.

I can tell you that the people in this profession do not get the credit they deserve. If you like it, if you hate it, if you think it’s fake, whatever, just know these people are out there putting their bodies on the line for entertainment, and they do get hurt. If you do not like it, turn the channel; don’t comment on it. It would be like me commenting on American Idol. It is not my up of tea and I don’t watch it, but I won’t call it stupid or anything like that. I just turn the channel, or let the wife watch it. Enjoy things for what they are. And wrestling to me is fun and entertaining! I guess I still am a kid at heart.

In the end I was a Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion and the Heavyweight champion. Granted, I have never been in a Wrestlemaina. But I got to follow through on a dream and this helped pave the way for me to appear on ECW, train with Dory Funk Jr, and eventually get a WWE contract. I am pretty sure that the visions of me jumping off a turnbuckle in a flea market are not stuck in the minds of my parents like the Rose Bowl; they were always supportive unless I did something real stupid, and often times talked about not using the Wilcox name. Guess “Sea Bass” will have to do. I don’t know maybe I should be “Lucky”.

Hold on I have to go, somebody just bought “Sea Bass” and the fellas a round of boiler makers…

Jay, here.

With the NFL Scouting Combines starting today, I had some questions for former Tennessee Titan Linebacker Peter Sirmon regarding the experience. Sounds like a whole lotta of fun in Indianapolis.

4|4 with Peter Sirmon: Combines Are A Meat Market

By Peter Sirmon
DSN Contributor

Every year around this time we start talking about the Combine. Who has hurt their stock or who has come out of nowhere to be this years Combine All-Star? The Combine first began as a cost effective and time efficient way to get all the players the teams wanted to visit with in one place over several days. The NFL scouting departments will submit names of players that they want to see and if enough teams want to see a player then they are issued a formal invitation to attend the Combine. I believe there are roughly 300 players invited annually. The most important purpose of the Combine is for the teams to administer the physicals.

The NFL is not a very trusting group of men. So, each and every team does there own physicals because there is no consensus on how to evaluate old or current injuries the player might have. Each player will receive a grade determined by the doctor’s examinations. That health grade will stick with them during the entire draft process. Also, if a team wants to order any x-rays, MRI’s, C-T scans, or any other diagnostic tests the player is sent to the hospital and the appropriate tests are done. Can you say a waiting line from hell???

1. What should players expect to find at the NFL Scouting Combines?

The NFL combine is the ultimate meat market. I imagine it is hard for women to parade around the swimming pool in their bikinis, just because there isn’t much cloth to work with. This is the man’s bikini time. You are issued combine clothing with your position in capitalized letters and a number. The weigh-in is the most disturbing event of the week. Every player is in tight grey shorts, nothing more. You file through the cattle line and when you get to the front they measure your height, weight, arm span, and hand size. They then yell out all the numbers to a crowd of several hundred. At this point you might as well not even have a head because no one is looking any higher than the shoulders. The line will take at least 30 minutes to get through. Believe me when I say that is a long time to suck your gut in and look as buff as possible. Then you are asked to pose for the video camera, where they ask you to look straight ahead then do a side and back view. Eventually they will edit the videos with your measurements and produce a video of you, so when they talk about you at team headquarters they have a visual to help them know whom they are talking about.

2. Is there anything surprising about the Combines?

The most surprising moments at the combine is to witness some of the athletic freaks that are out there in the world. The position groups are broken down into sub groups of 10-12 to make the drills go faster. Brian Urlacher worked out in my group and I would have paid just to watch him work out. He was an NFL 6’4”, not your high school basketball program 6”4”. While he was doing the long and short shuttle (agility tests) he kept ripping up the RCA Dome turf. He was to big and fast for the turf to stay sewn together. At that moment I was wondering what I was getting myself into. You have to see some of these men in the flesh or at field level to truly understand how incredible they are physically.

3. What determines a player’s success at the Combines?

Preparation is the most vital component to success at the Combine. Working out with a coach who has been through it is very important. The combine doesn’t go at a fast pace. As an athlete you want to warm up and get testing. It could take up to three hours to go through the different test and drills they administer. Mentally you need to understand that going in and not freak out when the 40-yard dash is the last thing you do and you warmed up over two hours ago.

4. What’s the #1 thing the NFL scouts are looking for in Indianapolis?

An area that is overlooked by the public is that these teams want to see how a player handles himself during this stressful time. Does he get uptight, moody, or even quit? This could be your only interaction with the teams that will ultimately employ you. Speaking confidently, showing up to your interviews on time, and giving intelligent answers are a few sure ways to make a good impression of your future bosses.

Jay, here.

Well, I think I’ve learned a lesson: don’t mention “Sea Bass” and not expect a response from “Sea Bass”.

Here’s Josh.

Wilcox Over The Top: Jack Youngblood, Ric Flair, & The Dead

By Josh Wilcox
DSN Contributor

While spending some relaxing time down in Phoenix, taking in all of the Super Bowl activities and the PGA, I was going to update you on the entire goings on down there. But it would have made no sense and I can not remember that much of it, anyway. Damn Budweiser family. I guess I had too much fun. Is that possible?

However, one morning I was lucky enough to accompany, more like taxi, my father and Jack Youngblood to a Gridiron Greats golf tournament. There I sat down and ate some breakfast with those two and Dick Butkus. Here I am sitting with three of the toughest people ever to play the game, and all I can do is sit back and realize that is why I played the game. Not very easy when your hung over by the way. All the stories they were telling, laughing about other players, and more. Those three guys are not only Hall of Fame football players, but guys you want on your side in life; they are Hall of Fame people. Someday some people will realize it is not about stats and contracts but about the relationships and memories.

Another reason there were no updates, was due to the fact my media credentials did not get to me on time. I worked diligently with Duck Sports News on getting media passes, but at the end of the day a Hooters napkin with DSN written in lipstick did not get me through the final gate. And I thought I was a journalist.

Last week there was an article about a smackdown at the U of O on DSN. Finally, I thought, a real journalistic website writing about a sport which does not get the credit it deserves (Frankly, my favorite sport behind football, and maybe beer pong.):Pro Wrestling!

I was duped; it was all about the current athletic department versus faculty debate. Crap! Got all excited for nothing. But then a 10 watt light bulb went off in my head and I decided to use my journalistic expertise and my past experiences to touch on the subject.

I have always been a fan of Pro Wrestling. Why? The athleticism, the story telling, the characters. It was cool. Those guys were bad, tough, and mean. They were beating the crap out of each other. Wrestling Superstars, Portland Wrestling, Saturday Night’s Main Events, and Jim Crockett on TBS. I can vividly remember going to friend’s houses to watch those, and staying up late trying to make sure I could see my heroes triumph.

These are examples of memories that just wont leave me no matter how many brain cells I have killed through out my life playing football: living in Amsterdam, New Orleans, San Diego, LA, going to a few Metallica concerts, a Grateful Dead show at Autzen, and attending the U of O. Going to the Lane County Fair Grounds and watching Buddy Rose vs. Billy Jack Haynes, driving to Portland to see the big Don Owen mega event when the Road Warriors beat the Russians, Nikita and Ivan Koloff in a cage match. Going to Fred Meyer and getting Pro Wrestling Illustrated, begging my parents to let me go to Wrestlemaina 2 closed circuit TV, the scaffold match between the Road Warriors and Midnight Express on TBS, Magnum TA and Baby Doll, the AWA on ESPN, and Ric Flair telling everyone “to be the man you have to beat the man”. And this is just the start.

In fact the night Rich Brooks made his home visit to our house when I was getting recruited, I was watching wrestling until he showed up. I found it on the old KEVU UHF channel from the Eugene area. Not bad with rabbit ears, tin foil, and no cable.

Check back tomorrow for Wilcox Over The Top: Part Deux.

Here’s a look the Spring Schedules for each team in the conference, as well as their first opponent of 2008 and their toughest non-league game next year.

Jay, here.

Man, I thought I had stepped into yesterday.

My wife and I were walking to the Oregon-Washington State Men’s Basketball game this evening and I could have sworn I was hallucinating. Considering I’m not a huge fan of mescaline or LSD, I knew there had to be some explanation for what I was seeing drive away from Mac Court on University Street.

And what I saw made me wonder if it was 2008, or 1968.

Were my eyes playing a joke on me? Or did I just see Ken Kesey’s Further bus?

“Give Peace A Chance.”

It was indeed the Further bus, but there were no merry pranksters there. Instead, the “Save Wrestling” campaign had a great notion to protest the termination of the Unversity of Oregon’s Wrestling program in front of Mac Court prior to the Oregon-Washington State game.

“Hey, hey…Ho, ho…Wrestling does not have to go!”

I know wrestling supporters want a further inquiry into the reason for the cancellation of the the program. But I don’t think they’re going to get it. Unfortunately for wrestling, I think this is the last go round.

I will say this, though, I love the out-of-the-Demon-Box thinking.

Wrestling ‘07-’08: A Strange and Terrible Saga

On a night that saw one Oregon team lose, I think another Oregon team won. But I’m afraid it’s only for a night. Too soon the Wrestling program will wish that it was 1968, instead of 2008, with another forty good years ahead of them.

For all of your Duck Sport News in just ‘One Click’, check out DuckSportsNews.com.

Jay, here.

You win at Mac Court for the first since 1995. So, how do you celebrate this momentous victory?

Does anyone have any U.S. Dollars?

You go to DQ, of course! (More specifically, you go to the Dairy Queen at the corner of Willakenzie and Coburg Road in Eugene. How did they get there? An “Experience Oregon” bus. Yes, yes they did.)

“We don’t have any of these fancy type of restaurants in Pullman.”

For the second time this evening, I needed my point-and-shoot camera and did not have it with me. Luckily my wife’s cell phone takes OK pictures. Well, I guess these will just have to do.

Every single WSU player used their full :35 to order. It took forever. (Derrick Low is the player profiled in the center foreground.)

How did I mourn this loss?

I went to DQ with my wife and the in-laws (I don’t know my mother-in-law anymore. She felt compelled to congratulate Kyle Weaver on the way out. Actually, what made it kind of annoying was the fact that Weaver was really gracious, smiled, and thanked my mother-in-law.). I had a chicken strip basket with Honey Mustard sauce and a Diet Pepsi.

You?

For all of your Duck Sport News in just ‘One Click’, check out DuckSportsNews.com. 

Pacman, here, in the hizzy [Link].

Over the last couple of days of great weather, Ryan and I have been talking about the curious lack of columns by a one Mr. John Canzano of The Oregonian [Link] concerning Oregon basketball.

The only known photo in existence of John Canzano and Ernie.

Don’t get me wrong. Considering Lil’ John’s past columns regarding Oregon basketball, we’re not necessarily looking forward to anymore from him in the future. We’ve just been a bit perplexed as to their absence.

Kool-Aid John, do you like writing about University of Oregon athletics?

Well, speak of the Devil. His ears must have been burning because he’s made an appearance.

Sort of.

Yesterday, Canzano wrote a column about basketball that referenced the University of Oregon, but it was not about University of Oregon basketball [Link]. In his column, Canzano declares that Trailblazer forward Darius Miles’ most productive days are behind him. I’m not going to pretend that I have full knowledge of all the baggage these two bring to the table, but I think it might put Britney Spears to shame [Link]. But what wouldn’t put Britney Spears to shame is Darius Miles patronizing gentlemen’s clubs, according to Canzano.

[Don't Shoot The Messenger DSN Disclaimer: The information that follow is not a secret. Even though The Oregonian considers DSN a competitor to the point that they blackballed us from advertising with them, they have quite a few readers. Those readers, in addition to Ducks and Beavers fans, are all over this topic in the comments and forum sections of numerous websites.]

However, Canzano’s declaration that Miles’ career is over is not what’s getting the attention. Well, it seems that there was a singular Double-D who was in attendance at this particular strip club as a part of Miles’ entourage.

Miles and the members of his entourage, which included former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dennis Dixon, spent the night moving between three stages, removing the bands and tossing the stacks in the air, sending a shower of loose bills fluttering down on the dancers.

Lil’ John Canzano made it rain. And it was a piddle. [Link]

Now, I’m not going to moralize on the nature of strip clubs. Although, I will say that I do not frequent those establishments and I would encourage others to do the same. I will also say that I don’t think Dennis Dixon is making the same kind of smart decisions off the field that he made on the field.

But here’s what I am going to moralize on: Mr. Canzano, how is that relevant to your column?

The bottomline is that it’s not. The only point that information served was to add a little pop (in the face of the U of O) to a column that otherwise lacked sizzle. I’m not much of a Blazers fan, but I do know that Darius Miles does not have much of a future in the NBA. Tell me something I didn’t know. Even though I did not know that about Dennis Dixon, would that column have been any different if that detail had been edited out? I don’t think so.

“Can’t rain all the time…” is one of my favorite lines from The Crow [Link]. So, in these days of great Oregon weather, I’ve got one question: Scarecrow, are you writing for The Oregonian or TMZ.com?

As of today Joe Lunardi on ESPN’s Bracketology has Oregon as one of the last four teams in the tournament. The Ducks are projected as a 12-seed playing Butler in Denver.

For all of your Duck Sport News in just ‘One Click’, check out DuckSportsNews.com.

Jay, here.

Admittedly, I’m a bit sheepish about posting this entry. But it’s just too funny.

However, I have to give credit where credit is due. This blog entry came from a discussion on one of the eDuck forums.

First, let’s start with the good news.

But let me preface this by saying that Oregon State University is a fine academic institution. I have two sisters-in-law who graduated from OSU. There’s a third sister-in-law who is planning on attending OSU in the Fall. And one of the members of the Duck Sports News team is married to an OSU grad.

Yesterday, USA Today named OSU student Tari Tan as a Second Team All-USA College All-Star. Here’s what USA Today had to say about Tari’s academic achievement:

Tari Tan, Oregon State University; home, Salem, Ore.; major, biochemistry/biophysics; research on role of prolactin in rams’ sexual preference.

Congratulations, Tari. That’s a very fine achievement. (I would just like to point out that the University of Oregon did not have a student receive such an honor.)

So, what’s the ba-a-a-d news?

Out of all of the institutions of higher education in the United States of America, Tari had to be honored for studying rams’ sexual preference at an institution known for an incident involving a member of the football team abducting a sheep used in the study of homosexuality in sheep.

I remember listening to The Jim Rome Show several years ago and hearing about this incident. It struck me as so funny at the time, I nearly wrecked my car trying call a friend to see if he had heard about this episode. Unfortunately for OSU, this story came on the tar heels of several other OSU football players also being legally-challenged.

Tari, well done on your academic achievement at OSU…not that there is anything wrong with that.