Lots of quack this morning, so let's get right to it:
- In a shocking announcement, Dontae Williams has requested and received a release from his scholarship agreement, and intends to transfer. Neither Chip Kelly nor Williams have spoken about the reasons for transfer, but with Oregon signing two running backs this year and LMJ coming back, there will be quite the competition to see the playing field, and that seems to be the likely reason for the transfer. After last season's articles, Williams seemed the least likely of the two freshman two transfer, and this has caught many people off guard. No matter the reasons, good luck to Dontae. I'm bummed that we won't get to watch him run as a Duck, but hope he finds a place where he can be happy and succeed.
- Oregon is preparing for the Civil War, but Dana Altman isn't happy, calling the Ducks not ready after a couple less than stellar practices. In more unfortunate news, Jeremy Jacob did not practice as he's still battling a knee injury. KVAL has more comments from Altman and company after practice.
- One of the big keys to Oregon's surge this season is Garrett Sim, who is the subject of a Ron Bellamy article. Sim started out rough this season, and was the subject of much debate around here, but has proven his doubters wrong, and is shooting at an incredible rate in the Pac-10 season. Sim has made the most of getting a second chance with Altman, and his comfort in the new system is showing.
- George Schroeder's article this morning is on the ongoing investigation into Oregon basketball and the Michael Dunigan situation. Oregon has refused to release any information to the public beyond the initial 127 word statement. As a public institution, this type of refusal makes me uneasy, not because I think anything significant will happen, but because of the precedence this sets.
- Oregon baseball starts tonight in Hawaii, and one of the big questions on the season will be the performance at catcher by Jack Marder, a converted infielder. Marder will look to replace Eddie Rodriguez, one of Oregon's leaders last season. Marder was very important to Oregon's success last season, playing wherever he was needed, and will continue that this season. The other big question for the Ducks this season will be batting, which was greatly improved last season, but still not championship caliber. The Ducks sound like they'll be fine, though will be a bit right-handed heavy.
- Where the Ducks won't have questions is at the top of the rotation. Ace Tyler Anderson, who was just named to the Golden Spikes Watch List, will start his third straight opener tonight. He had a 2.98 ERA last year, and improvement will go a long way to help the Ducks reach their goals this season.
That's all the quack for now. If you find any more, leave it in the comments. GO DUCKS!