Now we have the Civil War to figure out who we are and where we stand in our own league. Never mind that we had two heartbreakers and two lazy losses. It’s rival time. And nobody has a rival like Oregon State has a rival.
Sure, there are schools out there who have to put up with their younger sister school getting all the guys. And a lot of those little sisters are sluts too. But we get the one who comes with a fandom full of entitlement and a megaphone in every pot.
Or is it pot in every megaphone?
We have Ducks oozing out of every pore in our every day lives. We have to look at the toilet seat they use for a logo on the back of every other SUV on the road–SUV’s destined to never go off-road. They pump our gas. They bag our groceries. They ask us if we want more coffee. And they take our money at the local Dairy Mart.
And then there are the Ducks in our lives who didn’t even go to the school.
They’re so special that I don’t even want to talk about them. I forgive the kids who haven’t yet gone to school. But the adults who flash Ducks colors (white? grey? mauve? chartreuse?) and crow about the dominance of Duck High over all comers are just ridiculous. Some of them have never been on campus. They think parking at Alton Baker Park and walking to an event at Autzen makes one a Duck.
I guess I was a Duck when I saw the Indigo Girls open for the Dead in ’93?
I was certainly in the right state of mind.
There are some people out there who will cry and whine about me just being a hater.
But I don’t hate. That takes too much energy.
So the whine turns to cries of eternal envy.
Yeah… what I want most is have an identity of no identity. There’s nothing I want more in life than than to leave glitter wherever I go.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if the school just disappeared. My taxes would decrease instantly. I could sit on my porch and drink my coffee in peace. And we would decrease unemployement in Oregon by 80%.
I think that’s a win-win-win.
Then again, my wife graduated from the place. So it can’t be all bad.
Can it?
I should go before she reads this.
Beavs 75 – Ducks 62
I don’t understand how this team is first in the conference, other then to say altman must be a helluva coach. Cunningham should have a big game, I dont know who on that team can match up with him. I really hope we don’t see much 1-3-1, I’m sure they’ll slice it up with a week to prepare.
The one thing the Ducks have been is consistent. They’re not good. But they’re also not bad. And as inconsistent as every other Pac team has been this year, they have taken advantage of every opportunity afforded them to win games.
Wazzu played zero defense against them. USC and ASU suck rotten eggs. UCLA had a horrible second half against them. Arizona had a horrible whole game against them.
The win over Tree was a good one. Stanford has also been inconsistent, but Oregon actually did play a good game in that one.
But man! They have not been fun to watch in a lot of games this year. And their opponents have just been worse. I can’t say that they’ve been awesome from a defensive standpoint, and that’s why they make the other team look bad. They let the opponent shoot wide open shots in their comfort zone a lot. Their opponents just miss more than they make.
Think back to last year’s loss at the Rose Garden against Duke. Duke was just draining everything. But it wasn’t a bunch of forced, off-balance shots. They were just wide open looks like they were playing horse.
That’s Altman’s defense. It’s like our 1-3-1 against a skilled team. The opponent will get open looks every time time down the floor with little effort expended.
I admire your resolve here, but to think this team will win by 13 on the road, I have got to question your sensibility? I don’t think we have shown the ability to pull away, especially on the road. We have played just about every game close, so I see this being the same way, for the most part a possession or two (unless its like the UW game where one team scores the last 8-10 points in the final minutes).
you pretty much nailed this one, i was shocked at how effective the 1-3-1 was, at least with moreland in the game. oregon’s defense in the second half was awful, too. i’m still not sure who was supposed to be guarding cunningham. still an excellent win. i don’t feel great about tonight’s game, though i don’t know much about colorado’s personnel i understand that they’ve been way tougher to beat at home (sounds familiar…)
Are you nuts, 75 to 62? I just swap your predictions every week and BAM, I’m always right.
No, you’re not. But I wonder about 13 on the road too.
Well, Jack for awhile there I thought you were going to nail it. Too many stupid turnovers in the backcourt, Burton and Starks nearly gave it all away. However, finally learned how to close, still could get better at it.
Moreland didn’t look happy on the bench, and I can’t blame him, he is the reason they were able to win, before he left wit 10 minutes left they had your 13 point lead, and he didn’t play again? I thought CR did good job mixing up the defenses, but when he was in there they completely shut them down. I don’t understand why he had Burton in there and not Moreland?
JC great second half taking it to the rack. Starks had some big shots. But JC needs to learn not to give up the ball with 12 seconds left in the shot clock to Starks, because he is just going to jack up a shot. Thats on JC not Starks, he has to be more selfish at the time in the shot clock.
Great defense, lead by Moreland, and good rebounding in the second half. Roberto and Devon had some clutch defense. Great gutsy effort to hang on.
My blood pressure is rising with this team…