The main reason I’m calling this a must win season for the Beavers is the Rodgers’ Brothers. They are both great college football players that, for lack of a better term, “make plays.” It’s not often that a school like Oregon State can hit back-to-back home runs in recruiting and bring in players as good as Quizz and James. They just don’t get as many chances as say a USC that brings in 20 blue chippers every year. With James running out of eligibility and Quizz certainly leaving for the NFL now is the time for the Beavers to get it done.

To help those two play makers out are 13 additional returning starters. The defense will be respectable at worst, very good at best. The O-line should be much improved. Mike Riley is a good coach. They have the same Pac-10 schedule that Oregon had last year (5 home games including USC and the Civil War) It all sets up perfectly for the Beavers except for the pesky position of QB. It really is a shame that Lyle Moevao got screwed by the NCAA. I’m not sure what a 6th year of eligibility is for if not for a guy who only played one play? With Moevao the Beavers would be the easy favorites. With Katz they are a question mark. It’s good they are playing two tough games to start the year because Katz will have to grow up fast. All indications are the kid has a lot of talent. If he can quickly catch on to the speed of the game the Beavers will be in great shape.

And Beaver Nation better hope he does because if you don’t make it this year, when will you ever make it?

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In case you missed it, Oregon was tabbed by the media as the favorite to win the Pac-10 this year. Though, some knucklehead actually picked the Ducks to finish 9th. Yeah, seriously. Honestly, I am slightly surprised Oregon was tabbed as the fav after all the junk that went on in the off season. But when you think about it, who would you make #1? With Kiffin taking over for Carroll, there are more than enough reasons to have doubts about the Men of Probation. The Beavers? Puhleeze… Wake me up when Mike Riley loses less than 4 games in a season (it’s never happened), if he found a way to lose 5 games last year with the 1st team selections of Canfield, Quizz, James and Paea, I don’t know if he’ll ever do it.

After those three teams, you are kind of reaching if you pick anyone else. So maybe the Ducks being tabbed #1 is more a reflection of the mediocrity of the conference (or parity if I’m being nice) than it is a sign that Oregon is just that good?

Check out the SI piece on Jeremiah Masoli? It’s a good read, and interesting one. I honestly thought that the first time Masoli spoke to a major media outlet (and you just knew it was coming) it would come off as though it were penned by a jilted lover. Nothing but deflections, and acidic barbs thrown in the direction of Chip Kelly and the University of Oregon. It was certainly filled with denials, but no harsh words in regards to the UofO. My one quibble with it was that I never really got the tone that it trying to have. Was it trying to paint Masoli was an innocent that was at the wrong place at the wrong time, or as a contrite student athlete? The thing that really stuck out to me is that Masoli lied. A bunch. And to a lot of people, on multiple occasions. I know the world isn’t exactly like an episode of the Brady Bunch, but like Bobby learned, it’s the lie that is often worse than the initial actions.

It’s clear that there will never be a consistent story about the goings on that particular night, but the story has now been told in the fullest form it probably ever will. Thus, the end of it, and the end of Masoli and any attachment to Oregon.

When one door closes, another one opens. With the door on Masoli closed and on the heels of the media vote today, it appears another door may be opening — and it leads to a second straight trip to Pasadena.

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The Astros dealt Oswalt and cash to the two-time NL champions for pitcher J.A. Happ and two speedy prospects, outfielder Anthony Gose and shortstop Jonathan Villar.

Oswalt is 143-82 with a 3.24 ERA in 10 seasons with the Astros. He is due about $5.33 million the rest of this season from his $15 million salary and is owed $16 million in 2011. Oswalt’s contract has a $16 million club option for 2012 with a $2 million buyout.

The Astros seemed set to send about $11 million to the Phillies as part of the deal.

Meerkat Loving Life

I’m posting this right now since I assume Meerkat is blackout drunk running around the city of Portland naked in celebration of getting Oswalt, and also so you can have non biased view on how big this pickup was. I am not Phillies fan, in fact if you go back to our preseason selections I was the only one to not choose the Phils to win the division and chose the Braves. Well after today even with the Braves 3.5 games up I am finally admitting that the Phils will win the division (Of course barring Oswalt or Halladay getting hurt). I really like the Braves team, I think they have a good rotation and a well rounded lineup and they will fight the Phils till the end, but when you have a team with 2 pitchers like Oswalt and Halladay in the end you just can’t over come that. They compete every start they make, they go deep into ball games to help save arms in the pen, and they take all the pressure going out there as the ace that now pitchers like Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick can start with no pressure on them that they have to throw great to get the win that day. And they are pretty good pitchers on top of that. Throw all that together with a lineup (when healthy) that is as good as they come and you got the outline for a World Series team.

So have a few more beers Meerkat and enjoy the day that the Phillies became relevant again.

PS…Did anyone see that kid Domonic Brown debut for the Phils. The kid is legit and someone in the outfield might not be getting their spot back.

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“Some unfortunate things happened,” Pitino said. “She opened up my pants.”

“Did you have sex that night?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Ford asked. 

“Yes, very briefly,” Pitino answered.

Oh Rick, bangin’ a waitress after hours must be a rough life.  How unfortunate that a former model ‘opened your pants.’  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1,000 times – if you’re famous, going to cheat, and going to do so in public, the least you can do is get your monies worth.  ‘Very briefly’ had sex?  Rick, let me introduce you to fellow legendary coach, with legendary hair, and now enough stamina to go all night, Jimmy Johnson: 

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According to Joe Schad, it is a lock that Jeremiah Masoli ends up in Oxford.

Good for him.

Now, as I listened to Steve Tannen grumble about this today and openly root for an injury to Masoli, I more than took pause. I mean, come one, sure he messed up, but hoping for broken bones? Grow up Steven, grow up.

Look as much as people talk about wanting a player with an education and having upstanding citizens on the UO team, the bottom line is winning, period.  And clearly Houston Nutt cares more about winning than Chip Kelly…

Message board moralists and the likes will grouse over Nutt’s decision to take in the “troubled” Masoli, but I say celebrate it. For one, it gives the Jeremessiah a clean start, and it gives me a reason to not fall asleep during an SEC game, not involving Florida (sorry, but even Alabama last year was boring as heck).

Even though I am like kind of morally opposed to the Ole Miss mascot (because, you know, that whole slavery thing wasn’t a great idea) I will rocking the sh!t out of that Masoli #8 uni next year at Autzen.

Here is to second chances, Houston Nutt, Duck Sports News, Pegasus Pizza and the Jeremessiah saving thou from sin…

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PS – I’ll vote thumbs up on any comment that’s half as good as this one.

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Between the Thunder, and now the Falcons, I am getting sick and tired of these mutha fuckin teams stealing the Blazers mutha fuckin slogan.

Now, time for the real Rise Up!

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From the Knoxville News Sentinel:

Running back Bryce Brown has left the University of Tennessee without leaving any closure behind.

“Bryce left town without a face-to-face request (with UT coach Derek Dooley) for a transfer,” a school official told the News Sentinel on Tuesday evening. “There’s still no news on where he wants to go.” [...]

“I said (earlier) that I was open to Bryce coming back on the condition that he wanted to unpack his bags and put his heart into this program,” Dooley said. “I fully expect Bryce not to be on our team.

“The reason it has continued on is because Bryce has not come to me, looked me in the eye and said I want a release to so-and-so school. At some point, that’s got to happen.”

This is only slightly topical because A) the Ducks play the Vols in September, and this is a blow to the depth chart, and B) Brown was the much-hyped recruit that many felt was going to land in Eugene until Lane Violation swooped in at the last moment.

As for the first point,meh. Oregon is just flat out better than Tennessee, so no biggie.

The second point though, did Oregon dodge a bullet there? Remember back when Brown was still undecided as to who would get his services. He was a top 10 overall recruit, and number one running back. In other words, a big time get. Fans were already comparing him to J-Stew in Chip’s spread, and had visions of titles dancing in their head. A little over the top? Sure, but that’s what recruiting is.

Brown chooses UT, and for the second straight year some Duck fans felt spurned by one of the nations top recruits. For those wondering, it was Terrelle Pryor the year before that eventually committed elsewhere (geez, I wonder why Kelly was so high on getting that guy…).

It’s funny how these things end up working out. I mean, would anybody trade Bryce Brown for LaMichael James right now? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

With Brown heading elsewhere it left a spot open for another RB this year. In case you haven’t heard, the Ducks picked up a pretty good one in Lache Seastrunk. Seastrunk was tagged as the #2 overall recruit in the nation by MaxPreps Tom Lemming.

Safe to say that the Oregon program isn’t exactly suffering right now at the running back position.

Now the mercurial Brown appears to be headed to Manhattan to join his brother at Kansas State.

Best of luck in your future endeavors, Mr. Brown, and for Duck fans everywhere–thanks for choosing the Vols back in March of 2009.

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