gdp's Comments

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Talking linebackers (update)

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:57:08 +0000

I've heard only snippets of Michael Doctor doing well... and nothing else about him. How are the grey shirts looking thus far?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Breaking men's track news

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:32:59 +0000

Very cool! Let's make more noise in this arena! http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/orst/sports/w...

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Another recruit

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 09:46:13 +0000

But when he carries the ball across the goal line it's one inch lower than it would be if someone 5'11" did it. Those touchdowns just don't count as much as the taller touchdowns.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: The QB search

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 19:09:47 +0000

Per angrybeavers this morning and confirmed by scout.com... Ward was offered a gray shirt by OSU and will most likely take it.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: The QB search

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 15:57:56 +0000

There's a rumor emanating from Scout message boards that TJ Ward's facebook page states that Terron Ward is a Beaver. I know that's a three-layer rumor, but is there any truth to it?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: BCS money

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:42:16 +0000

Looking at the numbers makes me wonder what in the world the Big Televen is thinking wanting to expand and have a championship game. They always get two teams in the BCS. And they get a team to the championship more than naught... with all conferences being naught. If there wasn't a rule denying a third BCS bowl game for any conference, then Penn State would have probably played in one as well. They've sacrificed tradition for their current standing, but money-wise they are set. In fact, a championship game would just decrease the chances for them to put two teams in the BCS by adding a loss to someone's record.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: BCS money

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:38:51 +0000

And then we also wouldn't have to play those pesky home and away series in basketball. Wouldn't it be nice if we never had to see UCLA, Arizona or USC play at Gill every year? I mean, they just detract from the overall legend that is OSU basketball. Don't they?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: BCS money

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:31:44 +0000

So let me get this straight. If the Pac 10 expands to 12 teams, adds a 'championship' game, forgets all this nonsense about traditional rivalries and brings crappy football to every season by maybe managing to add Sun Belt, lower tier CUSA/MAC/WAC and 1-AA opponents to our schedules... ... then we can make $1.475m per school instead of $1.77m? Wow! That sounds like a really good deal. I wonder why we haven't jumped at this bountiful opportunity already?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: More on wrestling

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:14:31 +0000

This is an interesting discussion on a deeper level than presented thus far. There are just too many distractions to the main point though. The idea is that wrestling is a tough draw for fans. It doesn't exist for the fans, and neither do a lot of other sports. But it's always nice to be known and appreciated for your endeavors no matter what you do. First, the Title IX canard is just playing into the hands of the institutions who want us to think that wrestling and other Olympic sports are not as valuable as football and basketball. There is more money, and there are more male athletes in college sports than there were in the early 70's. The problem is that all the focus has been extended to football, basketball, soccer and, to a certain extent, baseball. When Title IX starts to limit women's sports give me a call. That will be the day you know that colleges are truly strapped. They will actually be cutting monies across the board rather than shifting it around to what they deem are more important endeavors. If a family of four spends their auto budget equally amongst genders, the dad drives a $50K car, the mom drives a $35K car, sister drives a $15k car and brother is left out in the cold... then why does brother blame the females in his family? Now consider that dad's car eats more gas and costs more to insure than the two other cars combined. Brother's argument is even more silly. Imagine that argument if it held fast after his car was taken away just because dad wanted a flashier car. The MMA/evolution argument is interesting. But I think it misses the mark. Most MMA matches end up being a violent "EAT MY CROTCH!!" festival. At times I can see the draw due to the skill necessary to compete. But it really bores me 95% of the time. But that doesn't mean many others aren't drawn to it. So what makes it viable? It's strictly a marketing problem. Boxing fell off the face of the earth when they took it pay-per-view. Promoters took it away from the blue collar guy's television set, and the blue collar guy gave boxing the finger. Other Olympic sports suffered when Wide World of Sports left the weekend airwaves for infomercials. And the Midwest has youth wrestling leagues that are as popular (and less expensive) as baseball and football leagues. I still remember my junior high science teacher's recruiting speech... in class. "In my town, when you walked down the street the dogs would bark at you if you played basketball or hockey." It was true for all I know. Let's hope Les Gutches does a good job in his new position with USA Wrestling. It speaks directly to this issue, and it's funny that an OSU alum will be the one to take it head on.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Wrestling’s tough sell

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:29:02 +0000

I know some of you will contend my statement about relative successes by bringing up Dale Thomas' tenure. Track and field and wrestling have similar NCAA success over time. But this isn't a world in which almost everyone wrestles. There aren't large groups of people wrestling down the road in front of my house. I'm not aware of the two dozen or so national publications with names like Wrestler's World. The point is that, while we have had great success in wrestling on the collegiate level, the greatest test of an Olympic sport is Olympic success. And in a much much deeper talent pool Oregon State track and field has enjoyed that success.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Wrestling’s tough sell

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:58:03 +0000

In the end grappling is an art, and most people don't understand the artistry involved. Like it or don't. Unless you were one of the 667 at the meet, you apparently don't like it. But that's no reason to remove the program. There's also absolutely no excuse for OSU not to have a track and field team. Wrestling never had the success our track teams had--unless there's a wrestling move named after Les Gutches that I'm not aware of. Yet an athletic director who just had it in for the sport dumped it. And don't give me the line about 'budgetary concerns'. If that were true, then Lynn Snyder would not have simultaneously added soccer and wasted the money sunk into refurbishing our track facilities. Unforgivable Lynn. Bring back track and field because it's the right thing to do. And I think wrestling is a tough sell. Otherwise I wouldn't be posting under a title which says so and an article which backs up the title.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: USC deal done

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:26:42 +0000

I loved this pick. Imagine the entertainment watching Kiffin and Neuweasel go at each other for the next few years. On the flip side, Monte Kiffin comes with him... I think. With USC's talent, they could win every game 6-3.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: USC after Riley?

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:13:33 +0000

People! Calm down. I'm sure we'll be fine if Riley leaves, but I don't see it happening. The only people who deserve any statements from Riley are the players. And even they need to be kept in the dark for the incredible opportunity to not only garner national media attention, but to also ding a rival by stringing out the process.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Year-in-review

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:48:35 +0000

Just following up on our olympic sport initiative. A couple years back, Bob D made some noise about track and field returning. There was a hard to find website touting former successes and scorning the ridiculous decision to drop the sport as well as a donation form/number/address/etc. I believe the number at that time was $11m to construct a track facility and permanently endow the sport. I would include the women's X-country team as a success in itself, and I would like to know if we'll be able to enjoy a similar success in the near future establishment of full men's and women's teams.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: A football playoff?

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:39:50 +0000

Did someone ask if anybody actually watches NCAA b-ball before March? Or did I imagine this silliness? I now know of one person who does not. Even my 70 year old mother-in-law locks her doors and yells at the TV during her Ducks games. What planet do you live on?

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: A football playoff?

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:31:21 +0000

It's fine to have the bowl system and all it... well... used to represent. But don't pretend we're getting #1 against #2 in the BCS championship. We'll never know who the best team is this year because there is no process to determine it. There never has been in the BCS era. Someone want to tell me that Miami was the true 'National Champion' after the 2002 Rose Bowl Fiasco? Or maybe #1 USC just wasn't good enough to play against #2 LSU or #3 Oklahoma in the 2004 Sugar Bowl... but they sure seemed good enough as #1 the following year against what many thought was a far superior #2 Oklahoma. Then you have three years ago when USC's one loss meant that Michigan gets jumped by #4 Florida to go to the BCS Championship. Everyone thought Michigan and Ohio State were untouchable... then they had to play someone. Two years ago we had a two loss LSU get into the game over a one loss team who might have been as good or better. In the end, there were a number of two loss teams who could have just as easily stomped Ohio State. Then there was last year's stupidity. The only undefeated teams are just ignored for the sake of bad football and big money. The two teams that played weren't even the best one loss teams. One of them wasn't even the best one loss team in its own conference. What was that about every game during the season being important... BCS officials? And this year the undefeated teams with the (by far) toughest schedules are rewarded by getting to watch two teams who have yet to be tested by anything more than a favorable rulebook interpretation due to those same schedules. Yeah... gotta love the direction this system is headed. It's called the Coriolis Effect for those wanting to give the actual motion a name.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Pac-10 woes

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:57:31 +0000

We do that and everyone points to our schedule as an excuse not to put us in an at-large BCS bowl position. Florida, Texas, Alabama do it, and they're 'champions' despite playing NOBODY all year long. Maybe one of these teams is really that good, but we'll never know until they play someone. Just because they call it a championship doesn't mean it is. It's just another old boys' pay off. Follow the BCS money trail and you'll find a bunch of self-congratulatory, bottom feeding slouches eating their own refuse.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Pac-10 woes

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:47:11 +0000

If any Pac 10 teams played a bunch of glorified high school teams for four non-conference games then followed that with a conference schedule against a bunch of lousy offenses then it would be highlighted by everyone. Such is not the case when over-hyping the SEC or Big 12. Even if the Pac 10 fielded two undefeated teams, the only way we get two BCS games is if USC is one of them and ends up in the NC game. That's it. We're not going to get any love from the polls in any situation, so why play crappy football to try to change what can't be changed? Playing and beating winning programs is the only way we get respect. Sure we run the risk of losing since the teams we play actually have ability. But that's what champions do.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Vegas game thread

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:19:29 +0000

I was more disappointed that they did call that play. BYU was cheap and dirty all night. Why bother calling interference or personal fouls at the end of the game when you haven't called it all night? I have to think the refs were just getting sick of the Cougs' punk attitudes on the field. Kudos to the Beavs for not responding... except for LaGrone's late hit after he was held in front of God and everybody. Congrats to BYU for being the new Fresno State.

Cliff Kirkpatrick : Cliff: Final presser

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:00:01 +0000

If you're going to now go off on some rant about how evergreens, holly, mistletoe, wreaths, lights and gift exchanges never came to be a symbol of the winter solstice until Christmas was appointed incorrectly as the date of Jesus' birth... then just go away. If you want to make Christmas what it was when the Founding Fathers created America, then you would have to ban it. The whole faux outrage over some unimaginative 'war on Christmas' is just boring and pathetic. Live your life and be happy. Part of that will be hopefully cheering the Beavs on to a win tonight. Go Beavs!