Jay, here.

Bill Harbaugh wants a piece of the Duck. And it looks like he’s putting up a little bit more of a fight than the Houston Cougar.

Yesterday, we linked to a column by Steve Duin in The Oregonian (UO Professor: Frohnmayer Needs To Build The Damn Arena, Then Retire) detailing the University of Oregon Behavioral and Experimental Economics Professor’s challenges against the administration’s supposed “culture of secrecy” in regards to the plans for the new basketball arena.

I’m not even going to attempt to explain, or even summarize, all of the issues involved in this drama worthy of the WWE. And I’m not trying to take sides here, either. But I will tell you this. While neither side looks like the good guy, one side is looking is like a bad guy. I’ll let you be the judge of that in this grudge match.

But as a follow-up to his column, Duin posted this on his blog yesterday:

“UO is only able to show such disdain for public records law because Attorney General Hardy Myers and the Department of Justice let them get away with it.”

Well, looks like that rang the ringside bell because Oregon’s very own version of Judge Mills Lane (Attorney General “I Ain’t Giving You A Laurel or A Hardy Handshake” Myers) wants a piece of this RAW WAR, too.

According to the Oregon Daily Emerald, Harbaugh received a letter from the State of Oregon’s Department of Justice about an hour after Duin posted his blog entry. Now the State is looking into Harbaugh’s allegations against the University, specifically the University of Oregon’s General Counsel Melinda Grier.

What does this all mean?

Much like a WWE wrestling match, I think the outcome has already been determined. None of this is going to stop the new basketball arena from being built.

But while the WWE wrestling matches are “fake” in outcome, the action is very much real (Right, Sea Bass?). And somebody, if not everybody, is going to get bloody.

They say blood is thicker than water. I just wish that the Donald Duck family looked more like a Disney family and less like the Vince McMahon family.

Jay, here.

Back in December, Horizon Air announced that they would be painting four of their planes in honor of Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, and Washington State. At that point, they only had this artist’s rendering of the Oregon plane:

Now, we have footage of the Oregon plane being painted. So, raise your hand if you like time-lapse footage! Raise your other hand if you can’t watch time-lapse footage without hearing “Yakety Sax” in your head! Or is that just me?

Not surprisingly, you will be able purchase new basketball arenas in the edition of the SkyMall catalog that will be featured on this plane. But I think I’ll just stick with the air purifiers from The Sharper Image.

Let’s be honest here. It’s never too early to begin breaking down the 2008 football season. Here at DSN, we’ll be taking a closer look at the upcoming season leading up to Spring Football, which starts April 1.

Today, we’ll take a look at Oregon’s schedule.

Right now, I’d say we’re looking at 8-4 (losses to: Purdue, ASU, Cal and USC). But again, it’s only February. A lot could change between now and August.

Give us your thoughts on how the Ducks will handle this schedule…

-rw

Jay, here.

When it’s fourth long, there is no one better to turn to in the NFL than former-Duck Josh Bidwell.

Am I just saying that because Josh is a friend of DSN? Yeah. But it’s true, too.

And we try to do what we can to support our friends around here. That’s why I was glad to receive a news release from Dave over at Harvest House Publishers announcing that Josh will be holding a book signing at the Moshofsky Center Duck Store in Eugene on Saturday, March 8, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

I would encourage you to go to the book signing to see Josh. How often do you get to meet an NFL All-Pro player? And while you’re there, ask him about the “Squirrel & the Power Line” story. It will change your life. It did mine.

Here’s the news release from Harvest House Publishers:

Josh Bidwell, former UO football player, cancer survivor, to sign book in Eugene

EUGENE, OREGON—February 12, 2008—Former UO football player Josh Bidwell is a cancer survivor, husband, father, an NFL All–Pro punter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a man of deep faith. In 2007 he added yet another item to his list of accomplishments: author.

Bidwell, whose autobiography When It’s Fourth and Long chronicles his journey from testicular cancer to complete recovery, will be signing copies of his book at the Moshofsky Center Duck Store in Eugene on Saturday, March 8, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm (Autzen Stadium, MLK Blvd).

“I am very excited to finally get a chance to have a book signing in Eugene for the Oregon Duck faithful who have been a great encouragement to me for so long,” says Bidwell. “I hope to get a chance to see many of the people who have expressed interest in my story.”

Bidwell was living the dream—a blossoming career in the NFL, a loving and supportive girlfriend, and recognition. The good life was coming his way… and then the Big “C” came rushing in like a special teams blitz. Cancer. Make that aggressive cancer—right where it hurts a guy the most.

In his book Bidwell shares how, at 23 years old, he felt as if he were on the top of the world. A stellar college kicking career at the University of Oregon earned him a fourth–round NFL draft pick.

But everything seemed to fall apart at the Packers’ training camp when he received a diagnosis of aggressive testicular cancer.

Now Josh shares his gripping story of overcoming adversity and eventually becoming one of the NFL’s leading punters with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is a story filled with examples of a young man’s determination, commitment, and hard work that started at an early age and resulted in achievement both on and off the field.

From his insider’s view, Josh describes what life is really like in the high–pressure world of professional sports—and how he is able to maintain a vibrant faith in an often challenging environment. He offers an inspiring tribute to those who influenced him along the way, and he provides tremendous motivation to readers who seek to overcome their own adversity.

About the Publisher:
Harvest House is among the top ten Christian publishing companies, publishing more than 160 books each year and carrying a strong backlist offering more than 700 titles. Over 100 million Harvest House books have been sold worldwide through diverse distribution channels, and additional millions have sold in over 35 different languages.

You can also read the news release on Harvest House Publishers’ website.

Jay, here.

As of yesterday, Joe Lunardi’s current Bracketology has Oregon listed as one of the last four out.

You can view the entire bracket here. 

[DSN Disclaimer: This entry is not about sports. It's about the human spirit. So, you're not going to find any basketball or recruiting information contained in this entry. However, you will be introduced to some of, if not, the bravest people in the world. And they just happen to be new Duck fans.]

Jay, here.

Ever been in need of medical attention in a remote part of Burma?

I know. It sounds a lot like, “Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?”. But it’s not a joke. A Turkish prison is a joke compared to the conditions in Burma/Myanmar.

If by chance you find yourself in need of medical treatment in a remote part Burma (Is there a place in Burma that’s not remote?), look for help from the people wearing the yellow-on-black “O” Oregon hats. They are the Barefoot Doctors of Burma. And Duck fans.

“Go Ducks!”

[Update 2/12/08, 12:32 p.m.: Joe brings up a good idea in the comments section. Instead of Barefoot Doctors, they should probably be referred to as the Duckfoot, or Webfoot, Doctors now.]

After traveling for nearly 36 hours, I returned this past Saturday from spending a week in Chiang Mai, Thailand doing some promotional work for the organization responsible for managing a number of charitable programs, including the Barefoot Doctors program.

What is a Barefoot Doctor? Well, for one, they aren’t barefoot. And they aren’t doctors. But they are community health workers (to borrow a few phrases from Dr. Paul). And probably some of the best health care providers you will find in Burma.

Once a year, a group of highly respected Burmese travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand (in some cases requiring weeks and thousands of miles of travel) to receive basic medical training that they can take back to their people in the most remote parts of Burma. Not only do they do it at great personal risk to themselves, but they look at this opportunity as an honor and a privilege.

What’s the Oregon connection? Not only is the program’s managing physician from Oregon, but so are a number of other participating medical personnel. And most of them just happen to be Duck fans, as well.

As a token of appreciation, the Barefoot Doctors routinely present gifts to the foreign training and support staff (this year, that included presenting a machete, that was neither symbolic nor ceremonial, to one of the doctors). In return, all of the Barefoot Doctors were given Oregon hats. More importantly, however, they were also given crucial medicine and medical supplies for their work.

Everyone got an Oregon hat, except for a couple of drivers. Two of the hats “disappeared” in transit. I guess there a couple of baggage handlers in Seattle (maybe not), Taipei, Bangkok, or Chiang Mai who are now Duck fans, too.

So, if you ever find yourself in real trouble in Burma and need help, don’t worry about signaling S-O-S. In this case, an “O” will do just fine.

If you would like to find out more about the Barefoot Doctors of Burma, click here or feel free to email us.

For those of you who have been intrigued by the media coverage following the Terrelle Pryor saga, here’s a look at the time line of “headlines” taken from our list at DSN.

There are those who think the media coverage of recruiting is overblown, but as Justin Meyers said on his show yesterday, the media just covers what the public desires to read about. They wouldn’t cover it if no one would read it.

Anyways, here’s a somewhat graphical look at things beginning last June, up until Signing Day.

(click on thumbnail to see larger view)

Download PDF Here: Pryor Recruiting Timeline (PDF)

Saw this breakdown of the NW schools recruiting rankings this morning on Enjoy the Enjoyment.

If you average out where Rivals and Scout ranked the Northwest teams, here’s what you get:

Washington: 18.5 (#14 Scout, #25 Rivals)
Oregon: 21.5 (#24 Scout, #19 Rivals)
Oregon St.: 56.5 (#61 Scout, #52 Rivals)
Wazzu: 81 (#75 Scout, #87 Rivals)

The thing that stands out to me, and that I can’t figure out, is how UW is ranked #14 by Scout and #25 by Rivals. I understand there’s a similar difference in OSU and WSU rankings as well, but once you get down that far, it’s understandable.

I’m not a huge believer in the star rankings, based on the fact that OSU routinely finishes in the bottom to the Pac-10 in recruiting, but finds a way to finish in the top-5. See this or this.

How in the world could those rankings be so different? What made Scout think this was a Top-15 class and Rivals only a Top-25 class? Anyone have insight on that?

In an article published yesterday in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, former Husky basketball star, Louie Nelson describes his enjoyment of playing at Mac Court back in the 1970’s:

He thrived in high-energy environments, even welcoming trips to Oregon’s McArthur Court.

“The fans were so close there they could touch you,” said Nelson, who learned this first hand. “One time I was inbounding the ball and a person had a hold of my shorts and I couldn’t run. I had to talk to the ref about that. To me, they were true fans, because it was so important to them.”

Read the full article here.

Three quick things I loved about today’s Civil War:

1. Porter has his Mojo back. 8-13 from the field (62%) and 5-8 from three-land (63%). 23 points.

2. The Ducks finally put a game away, outscoring the Beavers 22-7 in the final 8:16 of the game.

3. I loved the Pit Crew’s chant near the end of the game: “We Are Class-y”

Classic.

Alright, off to enjoy the evening.

-rw