Jay, here.

Duck Sports News debuted today on The Writer’s Block with George Schroeder and Justin Myers on Eugene’s ESPN Radio 1320 “The Score”. Actually, it was my debut on The Writer’s Block.  Ryan might make an appearance on there in the future.  But that’s probably going to take some doing.

I want to thank George, Justin, and Tony for having me on as a special guest.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to make regular weekly appearances (Wednesdays).  If that happens, will I be less special and more regular?   One can only hope.

Here’s what we talked about on today’s show:

- The origins of Duck Sports News

- Where Duck Sports News is headed

- Lessons learned from breaking the Jonathan Stewart story

- What are the most popular stories on DSN?

You can listen to my appearance on The Writer’s Block here.

Next week, we’ll start taking a look at the week’s most popular stories on DSN.

You can catch The Writer’s Block weekdays 2:00pm-3:00pm on KSCR 1320 AM and 6:00 pm-7:00pm on KUGN 590 AM.

Jay, here.

Almost a month ago, FOX News aired a story on a University of Oregon program to provide sensitivity training for Eugene residents in anticipation of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.

Take a look.

Politically incorrect? Overly sensitive?

Well, if you’re overly sensitive about politically incorrect parodies (spoofs seem to be in vogue right now), you might want to stear clear of this suggested sensitivity training video. What’s a parody? It’s a work that mocks an original piece of work. But that’s not important right now.

If you thought Barbara Billingsley talking jive in “Airplane!” was funny, check this out.

Jay, here.

Well, Duck Sports News kind of had a “Larry, Daryl & Daryl” situation here for the last couple of weeks.

See, there was our friend Jerry and his publication, Ducks Illustrated. But Ducks Illustrated, the publication, is located on the internet at DuckUniverse.com, not DucksIllustrated.com.

Just recently, however, our friend Matt came along and started a blog at DucksIllustrated.com. And it was causing a little confusion for some visitors to Duck Sports News. But being the good sport that he is, Matt has decided move and rename his blog, Ducks Attack.

Now that is cleared up, I want to clear something else up, as well.  The series finale for “Newhart” was the best ever.  No doubt.  And that doesn’t make me old.  It just means that I watched television for old people when I was really young and impressionable.

UPDATE: Well, it looks like Wieden + Kennedy might have had something to do with this campaign. Why would W+K’s lips be sealed if they weren’t involved? Thanks to the Wieden + Kennedy Studio blog for the link (Oregon graduates…Duck fans…makes sense.). And thanks for the links to the spoofs, which can be found below.

Jay, here.

Considering the ties-that-bind relationship the University of Oregon has with Nike (and their relationship with the advertising agency, and Oregon grads, Wieden + Kennedy, although there is no proof of their involvement), I wanted to call attention to this phenomenal piece of viral marketing.

“Real or Fake? Kobe Bryant jumps over Aston Martin”

Is it real or fake? Are you kidding? It’s fake. Real good marketing for Nike’s Hyperdunks, but fake. He shows off his Nike gear and shoes before he pulls this PR stunt. Got to be fake. Also, while I think it’s a real jump, the stunt is a fake of the Criss Angel type. Probably an optical illusion. The car’s real. The jump is real. But Kobe’s jump probably happens just out of the path of the Astin Martin.

Nice job Kobe, Nike, and Astin Martin. Got me doing your job.

Here are the spoofs:

Get all your sports news on the Oregon Ducks at DuckSportsNews.com.
Innappropriate comment? Let us know.

Jay, here.

Over the past forty-eight hours, the University of Oregon’s Athletics Department has been blitzed by the media concerning the relationship between the University and Phil Knight, highlighting the tension between athletics and academics.

In The Register-Guard on Saturday, there were two stories concerning gifts made to the university by Mr. Knight. “UO agrees to donor’s strict guidelines for athletic center” addresses the strings attached to the construction, donation, and operation of the new Academic Learning Center for Student Athletes. And “Rules changed after prior UO project caught officials by surprise” details the new rules for major work on university property instituted after the 2006 Casanova Center remodeling project.

On Sunday morning, ESPN profiled the influence of Mr. Knight on the university on “Outside the Lines”.

The end of one of The Register-Guard’s articles sums up this conflict pretty well. Terry Ruprecht, campus academic facilities officer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said this:

“It rankles me to no end that somehow athletics manages to bring in these wealthy donors that build these palaces for the athletics folks,” Illinois’ Ruprecht said. “We’ve got huge portions of this institution going wanting, and yet the athletics people get all this money. It really is aggravating.”

Ruprecht’s comments have me asking two questions. Well, there is a third one. But I’ll save that one for later.

1. Is the University of Oregon better or worse off because of Phil and Penny Knight’s donations?

2. If Phil and Penny Knight could not make donations to the University of Oregon Athletics Department, would those donations go towards academic programs?

They’re simple questions.

You might want to complicate the answers. But there’s no need to. There are very simple, easy, and right answers. Don’t over-think these questions.

Let’s look at the first question. The correct answer is that the University of Oregon is better off because of the Knights’ gifts. If you don’t think it is (You’re kidding, right?), try to imagine the University of Oregon experience without those donations? Not pretty.

Now, onto the second question. And I love this question. I’ve known several people to pose this question to academic-types at the university and they’ve gotten it wrong every single time.

I’ve got two dollars I want to donate to the University of Oregon Athletics Department. But University of Oregon faculty members want to curb athletics excess. In their infinite wisdom, the university adopts a rule that donors can only donate one dollar to athletics and one dollar to academics. I donate my dollar to athletics, but I’ve still got an extra dollar that I intended to donate to the university and the Athletics Department. Since I can’t donate any more to athletics, am I going to donate that remaining dollar to an academic program on campus? The answer is…No. If I wanted to donate to an academic program, I would have donated to an academic program at the very beginning. Just because I don’t, or can’t, donate to athletics, does not mean that I will donate to academic programs.

So, this leads me to back to Mr. Ruprecht’s comments:

“It rankles me to no end that somehow athletics manages to bring in these wealthy donors that build these palaces for the athletics folks…”

In that “rankling”, it seems to me that faculty at the University of Oregon would prefer donors not donate to athletics if those donations are not at least equaled in their giving to academic programs. Basically, if they can’t get those donor dollars, they don’t want anyone getting them.

And that has me asking my third, and final, question.

3. Why is the percentage of athletic donations increasing in relation to colleges’ overall donations?

Oregon faculty, it seems to me that’s a you problem, not an athletics department problem. And instead of blitzing each other, you might want to remember that you play for the same team.

Jay, here.

A couple of weeks ago, a thread (”DuckD’s In-Depth Pre-Spring Depth Chart”) from one of the eDuck message boards came across my desk here at Duck Sports News and caught my attention.

So, I decided to shoot an email to DuckD to see I could share his analysis with other Duck fans through Duck Sports News. Upon completing his preview, he was more than happy to email his entire entry (Thank you, DuckD).

Instead of publishing the entire entry here, I’ve decided to break it up into more bite-size parts over the course of several days. Here’s a look at the schedule:

Offense
Friday, March 21st: Quarterback
Saturday, March 22nd: Running Back
Sunday, March 23rd: Wide Receiver
Monday, March 24th: Tight End, Half Back
Tuesday, March 25th: Offensive Line

Defense
Wednesday, March 26th: Defensive End
Today: Defensive Tackle
Friday, March 28th: Linebacker
Saturday, March 29th: Cornerback
Sunday, March 30th: Safety

Here’s DuckD’s preview of Defensive Tackles:

DuckD’s Spring Preview: DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Probable Starter: Cole Linehan sr., Ra’Shon Harris sr.
Depth: Tonio Celotto so., Simi Toeaina jr.
Incoming: Justin Thompson jr., Blake Ferras jr.

Analysis: Cole Linehan will step into one of the starting tackle spots this year. Cole has been a solid contributor the past 3 years, really seeming ready to take a starting spot in his sophomore year before breaking his foot against ASU. In his senior year he should continue to be his consistent self and help hold the middle for the Ducks.

The other starting spot will go to Sonny Harris, though I have a feeling that both starters will be pushed by the reserves this year. Sonny has shown flashes of being a terrific player, and finally started to show some consistency toward the end of last year sharing defensive player of the game for his performance against UCLA (45 snaps, 4 tackles, 3 unassisted, 2 tackles for loss). Sonny has the size (6′5″ 321) to really be a force in the middle if he can improve upon last years performance.

Tonio Celotto was terrific as a true freshman last year, when not slowed by nagging injuries. He collected 16 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, and we all know DTs don’t tend to get a lot of tackles in our system. He is very strong, and if he can keep bulking up while maintaining his speed, he will be a stud on the line. I expect him to push for a lot of playing time and should be nipping at the starters heels.

Simi Toeaina needs to get a fire lit under his ***. He has good size at 6′4″ 308, and reportedly when properly motivated has made plays in practice. He really needs to figure out how to start translating that to game time and to do it with more consistency.

Justin Thompson has all the credentials to make a serious impact this fall. Unfortunately he won’t be here for spring ball, which would really help give him a jump start on cracking the starting line up, but I would be very surprised if he isn’t a major part of the rotation this fall. He kind of reminds me of a bigger Jeremy Gibbs (hopefully minus the occasional brain-farts resulting in stupid penalties) but with more skills. Gibbs had a pretty good impact his first fall, and I expect a little more out of JT. He has even mentioned that he might play some DE. From Thompson’s bio (I particularly like the TFL, sacks,forced fumbles, and batted down passes numbers): Thompson missed two games last year due to injury, but still ended up with 52 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, blocked field goal, safety, five forced fumbles, three recoveries and eight batted down passes. Thompson earned unanimous conference honors, was first team all-California and earned some all-American consideration.

Blake Ferras will reportedly be here for spring ball, and I’m excited to see what we’ve got with him. He has very good measurables (6′5″ 285) and listed as having great speed for a DT (4.8). I haven’t seen any video of him, but he almost signed with Wisconsin which bodes well of his abilities. I would expect him to help provide some decent depth this fall.

Tomorrow: LINEBACKER

Jay, here.

I don’t quite know how I stumble upon stuff like this on television.

Well, in this case I do: my wife called my attention to it.

And, in some ways, I wish she had not. And I’m not sure Eugene residents are going to appreciate the attention, either.

Honestly, I don’t know what to say here. So, I’ll let FOX News’ Brit Hume and Dan Springer (with some help from Lane County Commissioner Bobby Green and the Eugene Chamber of Commerce’s David Hauser) take it from here with a story (“Too Politically Correct?”) on Eugene’s unique preparations for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.

FOX News’ Too Politically Correct?

So, DSN visitors, who’s stereotyping who here?

Is sensitivity training for Eugene residents necessary before the Olympic Trials?

Should FOX News undergo some cultural competency training of their own(Dan, the “Eugene Hotel” is not a hotel.)?

Or am I the only one being overly senstive here?

React and Duckcuss. But, please, do it sensitively.

Jay, here.

A couple of weeks ago, a thread (”DuckD’s In-Depth Pre-Spring Depth Chart”) from one of the eDuck message boards came across my desk here at Duck Sports News and caught my attention.

So, I decided to shoot an email to DuckD to see I could share his analysis with other Duck fans through Duck Sports News. Upon completing his preview, he was more than happy to email his entire entry (Thank you, DuckD).

Instead of publishing the entire entry here, I’ve decided to break it up into more bite-size parts over the course of several days. Here’s a look at the schedule:

Offense
Friday, March 21st: Quarterback
Saturday, March 22nd: Running Back
Sunday, March 23rd: Wide Receiver
Monday, March 24th: Tight End, Half Back
Tuesday, March 25th: Offensive Line

Defense
Wednesday, March 26th: Defensive End
Thursday, March 27th: Defensive Tackle
Friday, March 28th: Linebacker
Saturday, March 29th: Cornerback
Sunday, March 30th: Safety

Here’s DuckD’s preview of Defensive Ends:

DuckD’s Spring Preview: DEFENSIVE END

Photography courtesy of Oregon Duckcast Network & Cameron Resnick.

Probable Starter: Nick Reed sr., Will Tukuafu jr.
Depth: Kenny Rowe so., Brandon Bair so., Dominic Glover fr., John Laidet fr., Michael Speed sr., Michael DiVincenzo jr.
Incoming: None.

Analysis: Nick Reed was 1st Team All Pac-10 as well as 2nd Team All-American (SI.com) after a junior season where he gathered 60 tackles (22.5 for loss) and 12 sacks. He was a terror as a junior and should only be better as a senior. His motor never stops. He’s quick off the ball, and he has improved every year as a run stopper. He also was named to ESPN the Magazine’s Academic All-America first team with a 3.39 GPA. All around great Duck.

The play of Will Tukuafu as a sophomore is one thing that helped Reed last fall, and I think his likely improvement in his second season of play will make the two of them one of the most feared duos in the Pac-10 (if not nation) next year. Tukuafu made an immediate impact last fall, even playing DT in some pass coverages. Having terrific size (6′4″ 280) and good speed, Tukuafu is a great combination of pass rusher and run stopper. The talented combination of Reed and Tukuafu will help with the transition of 2 new full time starters at DT.

Kenny Rowe was a pass rushing terror as a true freshman, accumulating 5 sacks in his first fall of action. He produced in big game situations, recording a sack at The Big House as well as in the Sun Bowl. The biggest thing Rowe needs is just to get bigger and stronger. He played last fall at only 6′3″ 215 and will need to bulk up considerably in order to garner more playing time, otherwise he will mostly be a passing down specialist.

Brandon Bair has a lot of ability and just needs more refining of technique and game experience. He is outstanding as a punt/field goal blocker and solid in run support. He has terrific size at 6′7″ 250 and could put on more weight without losing a step.

Dominic Glover spent last fall redshirting, trying to gain more knowledge of the the position as well as add to his 6′5″ 230lbs frame. He will be one to keep an eye on to see how much he has improved and how much of an impact he can make in the fall.

Michael Speed may or may not play DE this year. I have included him with the DEs because, unless he gets considerably bigger and stronger, this is the position where he is capable of making the most impact. He has terrific technique and uses his hands well. He could be a solid run support DE.

John Laidet was recently switched from TE to DE. It will be interesting to watch his development, as many were unsure of his placement on offense due to most of his high school acclaim coming from the defensive side of the ball. I say, if DE is where his natural talents lie, this is a great move. He will have an opportunity to play his way into the rotation this year.

I add Michael DiVincenzo into this mix for one reason: that glorious interception for a TD in the Sun Bowl against South Florida. How incredible it must have been for a walk on player, who probably had very faint hopes to even get in for 1 play in the bowl game, to not only play a good amount but to make such a dramatic play and get all that praise afterward from his teammates. It is awesome to see hard work get paid off in such a beautiful way. Way to go, Michael!

Tomorrow: DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Jay, here.

A couple of weeks ago, a thread (”DuckD’s In-Depth Pre-Spring Depth Chart”) from one of the eDuck message boards came across my desk here at Duck Sports News and caught my attention.

So, I decided to shoot an email to DuckD to see I could share his analysis with other Duck fans through Duck Sports News. Upon completing his preview, he was more than happy to email his entire entry (Thank you, DuckD).

Instead of publishing the entire entry here, I’ve decided to break it up into more bite-size parts over the course of several days. Here’s a look at the schedule:

Offense
Friday, March 21st: Quarterback
Saturday, March 22nd: Running Back
Sunday, March 23rd: Wide Receiver
Monday, March 24th: Tight End, Half Back
Tuesday, March 25th: Offensive Line

Defense
Wednesday, March 26th: Defensive End
Thursday, March 27th: Defensive Tackle
Friday, March 28th: Linebacker
Saturday, March 29th: Cornerback
Sunday, March 30th: Safety

Here’s DuckD’s preview of the Wide Receiver position:

DuckD’s Spring Preview: WIDE RECEIVER

Probable Starter: Jaison Williams sr., Derrick Jones jr., Jeffrey Maehl so.
Depth: Drew Davis so., Jamere Holland so., Terence Scott sr., Aaron Pflugrad so.
Incoming: Ellis Krout jr., Blake Cantu fr., Dion Jordan fr., Garrett Embry fr.

Analysis: Jaison, Jaison, Jaison… If he can pull a Dixon and gain some confidence/consistency for his senior season, I can honestly say that it is entirely possible that he could win the Belitnikoff Award this fall. His size and speed are such a freakish combination that just about anything is possible for J-Will if he can improve upon the mental aspect of the game. Here’s hoping he can put it all together for a season we will all remember for a long, long time.
Jones is a burner, pure and simple. The main issue with Derrick is his commitment to staying out of the doghouse by doing everything that is required of him, and it might not hurt if he stuck around this summer to work out with the rest of his teammates. With Derrick’s mostly off-field issues of the past year, I have to feel that he is walking a pretty thin rope right now. If he can get his head on straight, he has enormous potential on the field. He could make a huge impact at WR as well as in the return game.

Maehl was damn near remarkable last fall. He came in as a true freshman, gained a spot in the rotation at free safety (accumulating 14 tackles including 1 for loss), and then gets switched to WR where he wound up starting (and caught 9 balls for 118 yards and 1 TD, as well as gaining 34 yards on 3 rushing plays). He also showed outstanding hands, getting absolutely drilled against 0S(U) while making the catch. Not only making the catch, but then hopping up and jumping around excitedly as if he hadn’t even been touched! Also doesn’t hurt that he scored a TD against the Beavers. Maehl is going to be very difficult to keep off the field, regardless of if he stays on offense or if he goes back to defense. And either way he is going to be great.

Davis, I think, is poised to make a big push for a starting spot this year. He has a great combination of size, speed, hands, and ability. He didn’t see the field much last year, but that was more due to the extraordinary talents of J-Will and the solid blocking and all-around game of Garren Strong, than the lack of his own ability. Davis will be a solid contributor at the very least this fall.

Jamere Holland will finally get an opportunity to show what he can do this spring and fall. He has been working out with the guys and gaining knowledge of the system. Like Jones, he has outstanding speed. Will be interesting to see how willing a blocker he is and how he handles crossing routes, as well as possibly being a runner on option plays. Massive potential with Holland.

Scott had the “misfortune” of being a true team player last fall. Set to redshirt, he was called upon later in the year due to the injuries at WR thus burning his redshirt year. He only caught 2 balls for 4 yards while reportedly battling his own injury issues, but that is not remotely indicative of the talent that this young man possesses. He looked like a big-play waiting to happen last fall in practices. He has excellent speed and should, like many of the WR, make a push for a starting spot this spring and fall.

Aaron Pflugrad (PFLU!) reminds me a lot of Keenan Howry. Unlike Howry, I think he’s going to have his work cut out for him to gain a starting role but he should be a very solid role player with his terrific hands and excellent route running abilities. You can never have too many guys that can get open and make the clutch catch for the first down!
Ellis Krout is a JC transfer that I honestly know almost zero about. I know that he has good size (6′4″ 190) and reportedly has great speed. I hope that he’s here for spring ball, but I haven’t even heard if he’ll be here for spring or not.

Blake Cantu seems, on film, to be a bigger, faster version of Pflugrad. He runs solid routes, has great hands, and even played in a spread offense in high school so he already has some familiarity with the style. You can never have too many guys that can get open and make the clutch catch for the first down!

Dion Jordan will get tried out at WR first. There is a chance, down the line, that he may be moved to TE/HB, but I like the idea of him at WR. He has great size at 6′6″ 215, and decent speed (4.6). He is reportedly a great (and willing) blocker which will really help him see the field early for us. We need WR who can block in order to get the most effectiveness from the running game in the spread. He could be a great redzone weapon with his size, athleticism, and hands.

Garrett Embry is an intriguing prospect. Initially recruited as a potential safety, he exploded at WR as a senior and really seems to have a lot of potential at the position. Has a great physicality about him, though he will need to work on his speed to get the most of his talents. He has potentially the highest ceiling of this years recruiting class.

Tomorrow: TIGHT END, HALF BACK

Jay, here.

I’ve known Andy Papendieck for most of my life. While I wouldn’t say I know Mr. Papendieck really well, I do know three things about him. He’s a man of faith. He’s a tough basketball player. And he loves the Ducks. Even though this article in today’s Register-Guard might be considered off-topic by some, it’s close enough for me.

It’s Easter. It’s March Madness. And he’s a Duck fan. Good enough.

Click here to check out “Basketball behind bars” in today’s Register-Guard.