Addicted To Quack - All Posts

Miracle Wolf Fundraiser Ending Today

2013-05-23T16:00:05Z

Today is the last day to contribute to the Miracle Wolf Fundrasier. So far we have already raised over $3000, but I think we can still do better. I know there are a bunch of people that bid on auction items that weren't able to win, so my plea is that if you were willing to give at least a small amount to the OI foundation for some Duck memorabilia, than I'm sure you're willing to donate cash.

And because this is the last day, I'm going to run one last contest. I'll give one last T-shirt to the person that donates the most to the Fundraiser today only.

So please, give a little or give a lot, I think we can get to $3600 if everyone who hasn't yet donates just chips in a little more. Let's make this the best Fundraiser yet, and thank you to everyone that contributed already.

Donate at the link below:

http://www.gofundme.com/miracle-wolf

Quack Fix: The Notice of Allegations Surfaces

2013-05-23T13:47:42Z

It's still one more day until Friday. Here is some Quack to help pull you through:

The biggest news, or lack thereof, is that Oregon's notice of allegations was made public via a public records request. There is nothing surprising here--its the exact same set of charges that Oregon was willing to plea to in a summary disposition. The question seems to be how hard the NCAA will look at a 'repeat violator' clause stemming from the J.J. Arrington incident in 2004.
Oregon track and field will be at the NCAA West Preliminaries this week in Austin.
Ken Goe profiles mid-distance runner Elijah Greer.
FishDuck revisits the 2007 Michigan game.
Damyean Dotson has accepted a tryout to the Team USA U19 team.
Finally, if you didn't catch yesterday's ATQ Podcast with Dan Rubenstein of SB Nation and the Solid Verbal, do so today.

GO DUCKS!

ATQ Podcast -- Dan Rubenstein of the Solid Verbal

2013-05-22T18:04:22Z

After a few weeks off, the ATQ Podcast returns. With me away, you are treated to 50 minutes of college football talk with Matt Daddy and Dan Rubenstein of the Solid Verbal. You mix ATQ and the Solid Verbal, and get hardcore college football talk in the middle of May. What more could you want?

As always, you can listen via the embedded audio, or visit the ATQ page on Talkshoe to download or subscribe.

Quack Fix: Rainout, Mahalak, Track Regionals

2013-05-22T14:13:23Z

Unfortunately for the Ducks, they didn't get another crack at the Beavers yesterday. The final (non-conference) game of the season series was cancelled due to rain, and won't be rescheduled. This leaves the Ducks and Beavers tied at two apiece for the season, though OSU's dominance in the last two games definitely leaves a bit of a bitter taste for Duck fans. Without another win against OSU, it'll be very difficult for Oregon to get a super regional, though they will almost definitely host a regional in the NCAA tournament.
Oregon 2014 QB commit Morgan Mahalak was present at the San Francisco Elite 11 camp for high school QBs. Though Mahalak is only a three-star, he earned some praise from SBNation's Bud Elliot. Sounds like he'll be a great fit at Oregon. FishDuck has a bit more on Mahalak in their latest recruiting roundup.
Oregon Track & Field is headed to Austin for the NCAA regionals, and that means that once again the discussion turns to, "hey, wait second, why do these even matter?" Oregon coach Robert Johnson refused to get sucked into that discussion, unlike previous coach Vin Lananna. As there are no team or individual winners in the regional, the Ducks will simply need to get by so they can compete at the highest level in Eugene in a couple weeks.
Curtis Anderson has an article in today's Register Guard on UO runners Molly Grabill and Chris Brewer, who were lucky to live through an auto accident created when someone threw a rock off an overpass. The rock broke through the windshield and knocked Grabill (who was driving) unconscious.While Grabill is still unable to compete, Brewer will be competing in the 1,500m in Austin.

To end this on a slightly more encouraging note, I'll leave you with this video, you've probably already seen, that was making the rounds yesterday.

Quack Fix: A final Civil War matchup and Ducks miss out on Memphis transfer

2013-05-21T13:42:35Z

Not a lot of news out there this morning, but here's what I could scrounge up:

The baseball team gets one final shot at Oregon State tonight in Corvallis in a non-conference matchup. While this game won't count in the Pac-12 standings, the Ducks are two games back after dropping the last two over the weekent to the Beavers. Oregon will finish up the regular season with a road series against Utah this weekend.
Over at the Pac-12 blog, Ted Miller presents five things the conference (and some of its members) need to do in the final 100 days before the 2013 season begins. Resolving Oregon's NCAA case comes in a #1.
In the latest ranking by Baseball America, Oregon slipped down to #11 while the Beavers rose two spots to #4. UCLA (#8) and ASU (#19) are the two other Pac-12 schools inside the top-25.
Memphis transfer Tarik Black has decided to play his final season at Kansas. Black had been considering Oregon along with Duke, Ohio State and Georgetown and had been rumored to be favoring the Ducks a few weeks ago.
Shortstop J.J. Altobelli was one of fourteen named to the latest watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation's top shortstop. The sernior is hitting .283 with 23 RBI and 30 runs scored in 55 starts, along with a .981 fielding percentage.
In his latest track & field notebook, Ken Goe has a segment on Parker Stinson, who will be returning home to Austin this week as Oregon competes in the NCAA West Regional. Stinson will compete in the 10K and 5K and is seeded as the 3rd and 4th seed, respectively.

Go Ducks!

Quack Fix: Civil War Fail, Softball Advances, Miracle Wolf Fundraiser Ending Soon

2013-05-20T07:00:03Z

Well, the weekend started out well, but that was a terrible way to finish. The Beavers took the series on Sunday, and unless something crazy happens this week, they took the conference and most likely a National Seed too.
The Lady Diamond Ducks had a much better weekend as they moved on to the Super Regional and will host Nebraska starting Saturday. Jessica Moore is looking dominant once again as the Ducks are trying to make it back-to-back trips to the Women's College World Series.
Kyle Long got paid. Really happy for him and excited to see what he can do with the Bears.
Guess we won't be having another F5 party this year. The Men's Golf team came just 2 strokes shy of making their 26th NCAA Championships.

Finally, the initial round of Miracle Wolf auction items ended this weekend and so far we've raised over $2500 total towards the cause. The remaining cache of Benzduck loot will be ending this morning, so make sure to get your bids in as soon as possible. We'll leave the donation site open for a couple more days, so if you didn't win the item you wanted, please feel free to go over there and make a contribution.

Thanks again to everyone that has donated, bid and contributed so far.

Three things I learned about Oregon Ducks Athletics this week

2013-05-20T01:00:06Z

That Oregon is still the "Little Brother" in baseball.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team is good, really good. Unfortunately, Oregon State is an elite team playing elite baseball going into the postseason. On retrospect, the Ducks' win on Friday looks more like the bully letting the little kid take the first shot, only to then move onto the expected swirlies. Anything can happen in the playoffs but this was a stark reminder how far ahead Oregon State's baseball program is nationally.

As a Ducks' fan, it's great to be in the conversation of potential national title contenders but that conversation was shortened quite a bit this weekend.

The Autzen Stadium North Side Renovation project includes a new fan tradition.

I love the new pathways, trees, and general landscaping installation going on at the north side of Autzen Stadium. I'm not a fan of the apparent new student tradition of pounding in 6-foot stakes to commemorate the game, win or loss. I don't want to come out and see other teams' colors present at Autzen Stadium.

Sure, we're winning a lot at home now but do you really want to walk by the north side and see a memorial to a giant home losing streak with colors from all over the Pac-12 and beyond? I'll do without this "tradition", thank you very much. It's bad enough actually losing at home. I don't need a special reminder of previous losses as I'm leaving to go drink my postgame depression drink.

The Pac-12 Network finds more value in showing reruns of Women's Basketball rather than live Softball postseason games.

I'm a fan of the Pac-12 Network. I think they've been a great option for showcasing sports for schools in the Pac-12, especially in the fall and winter. As we've moved into the Spring, live events have become a lot more scarce. Very little track, almost no softball, some baseball but mostly replays.

I understand that Spring and Summer sports don't do as well as the Fall and Winter sports, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. The Pac-12 is elite in many of the Spring sports and we can't get these on the so-called Pac-12 Network? This is a travesty.

Oregon Ducks Baseball Vs. Oregon State Beavers Game Three Recap: Beavers Slam Ducks to Take Series

2013-05-19T22:51:31Z

With control of the league title on the line, the Ducks and Beavers took the field in what amounted to a laugher after just three innings. The Beavers were able to capitalize on Duck errors early and a 5 run second inning featuring a Grand Slam from Michael Conforto; which gave him 4 of his 6 RBIS, to put the game out of reach. The Ducks would have their chances but superb individual efforts by the Oregon State defense would keep the Ducks from mounting much of a comeback. The Beavers hit the ball all over the yard, totaling 17 hits and chasing starter Jake Reed from the game in the third. Coach Horton summed up the game in simple terms, "We got whooped there's no question about it. I didn't ike the personality with which we tried to respond either... I felt like we were in a street fight, closing our eyes and trying to throw blows instead of throwing blows exactly at a target we want to hit."

Oregon State was able to capitalize early on a Duck mistake, lead-off batter Tyler Smith slapped a chopper up the third base line which Ryan Hambright tried to barehand but threw away allowing Smith to second. Michael Conforto's RBI single would give the Beavs the early 1-0 lead after one. Errors would rear their ugly head again in the second when Reed airmailed a throw to first on a bunt attempt and this one would hurt more than the last one. After a controversial call, in which should have resulted in an out, Michael Conforto took Jake Reed over the right field fence with a grand slam to give the Beavers a 6-0 lead. "We threw him the kitchen sink today, and he hit everything pretty hard when it mattered," added Horton about facing Conforto.

The Ducks would load the bases in the second but with two outs, JJ Altobelli's gap shot to right center would be reeled in with a diving catch by Max Gordon to keep the slate clean for Weltzer and the Beavers. An RBI single by Tyler Smith would extend the lead to 7-0 for the visitors and chase Jake Reed from the game after just 2.2 IP.

Oregon would score their first run since the third inning Friday much in part to an error allowing lead-off batter Mitchell Tolman to get to second. Scott Heineman singled him in to cut a run off the lead making it 7-1 after 4. The Ducks would strike again in the fifth using a lead-off double from Shaun Chase and then a ground rule double from Tyler Baumgartner to plate the run, but with runners on the corners, Ryon Healy would ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the fifth.

By the time Dylan Davis' hit and run plated Andy Peterson in the 8th, fans were already starting the trip home. Jimmie Sherfy came on in the eighth but was not effective as OSU put four more runs on the board. Oregon State would add one more in the ninth before retiring the Ducks in order to wrap up the game and series.

It's a hard thing to say, but they're the best team in the conference. Sometimes, you have to call it like you see it," Said coach Horton "We have a chance to win the series with the Beavers, but it's not the series we were pointing at." The Ducks have an off day tomorrow before making the trip up to Corvallis for a nonconference game before their final conference series in Salt Lake City. The series win puts OSU in great position to win the conference with only one series remaining and gives them the 2 game lead over Oregon and the tiebreaker. "We can't conclude the season with this game, we have got to learn from it and move forward," added Healy post game.