Ducks Gone Wild

Emily at Maui Brewing Company
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

The 2010 off-season has , without a doubt, proven already to be the most embarrassing 6 weeks or so in the history of the program. I am not sure whether it is coincidence, recruiting players with questionable backgrounds or a lack of discipline but the national media has caught wind of the story and made Oregon out to look like Miami West. One has to to think that if LaGarette Blount doesn't throw that punch back in Boise in September that the criminal accusations against James and Masoli are news only in Oregon rather than in the college football world and the the DUI by Kiko Alonso is only known about in Eugene. In cases like this I think that perception is reality for all outsiders and the perception unfortunately is that Oregon is a school that recruits thugs and questionable guys in order to win big. Can the Ducks turn this thing around? If LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli never play another down at Oregon (I believe this will be the case) I still think the Ducks can go out and win 8-10 games next year but they probably won't be the favorites to win the Pac 10. One thing about Chip Kelly that I have noticed is that he is not the great media communicator that Bellotti was. You will never see Chip in a future career as a TV broadcaster while Mike is perfect for the job. I think now everyone is in waiting mode to see if the grand jury thinks a case should precede against Masoli and how the James case folds out as well. The starting backfield of Oregon may well have a completely different look when the Ducks play New Mexico in September than most folks would have figured just a few weeks ago.

My Plan

Waving Flag
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

People are talking about Colorado and Utah. People are talking about BYU. People are talking about San Diego State and people are talking about Boise. I say forget them all. The two schools that make the most sense for the Pac 10 to be the Pac 12 are Texas and Oklahoma. If the Big 10 adds Missouri or Nebraska or even Iowa State dominoes will start to fall around the country. The Pac 10 will need to act boldly or to stand pat. Getting Texas and Oklahoma is bold action. I think getting Colorado and Utah is amiable but anything less than that (San Diego State, UNLV, Boise) is a downgrade. It should be an interesting 18 months or so while this conference affiliation business shakes out.

Lake Oswego Barn

Lake Oswego Barn
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

This barn I find to be very unique not because of what is shown in this picture but what you can't see. It seems like it would be taken in a rural area but in fact it is taken in an area that is full of high rent suburban office parks in Lake Oswego. Lake Oswego is an inner ring suburb of Portland that houses the office I work in. I uploaded this one yesterday and tweaked the sky just a bit to increase the blue as well as doing some cropping. Any opinions on the picture?

Welcome New Ducks!

Boise State vs Oregon
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

Congrats to all the players who signed LOI's with Oregon today. I wish you all the best in your careers as both players and students at the University of Oregon! Nice job by Chip and the staff in his first year as being the head coach.

Portland Tiltshift

Portland Tiltshift
Originally uploaded by pete4ducks.

On Flickr I came across this neat little program called Tiltshift Maker. tiltshiftmaker.com/ Basically it makes your photos look like they are miniatures and reminds me a bit of Mister Roger's Neighborhood. I took the original photo I used here at the Portland City Grill before the Manu Chao show in 2007.