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Here's the blurb regarding Brundage from yesterday's Richmond Times-Dispatch:

STAYING PUT: R-Braves manager Dave Brundage removed himself from consideration for the baseball coaching job at the University of Oregon yesterday.

The Ducks are reviving their baseball program. Brundage, who lives in Portland and is well known in the state after a stellar high school career and a stellar college career at Oregon State, was interviewed by Oregon officials a few weeks ago.

Brundage said he talked with Atlanta farm director Kurt Kemp yesterday and told him he no longer was interested in the Oregon job.

"When you've been chasing a dream [of getting to the major leagues] all your life . . . I felt like it would have compromised that position," Brundage said. "No question one of the most intriguing parts was being in the state of Oregon and being with my family. But I was more concerned about compromising my position with the Atlanta Braves.

"I like what I do and I like the organization I'm with. . . . People have done me right here. The organization has done me right. Once you go back to college baseball, I think you close doors on some opportunities."
I agree. They could make him the highest paid college coach in the nation, (middle six figures at least im guessing) plus I'm sure he would be able to convince his best young anteaters to follow him to oregon.

I wouldnt be suprised if they make a regional within the first two years.

All they need is a stadium and they're set.
quote:
Originally posted by Walawala:
I'm sure he would be able to convince his best young anteaters to follow him to oregon.


I'm sure once they get a glimpse of the size of the ants that hang out on U of O's campus there will be a convoy of hungry Anteaters snaking north on I-5. Take a look at size of these two ants outside of the Center for Conflicted Gender and Animal Magnetism building...

Last edited by gotwood4sale
quote:
Could Coach Serrano last a year without baseball?? Could he Recruit all year??


Interesting 2 questions, EH. That is exactly what his predecessor ... John Savage ... did at UC Irvine before he left for a Pac-10 program. We had some friends who were recruited by Savage and it is a very diffiult 'sell' for the coach without a field. As I understand it, Savage actually took architectural renderingss of the future stadium, etc. He succeeded in getting players, but had a very young team the first season, and brought JUCO players in to help put some experience on the field.
If he (or whomever) follows the same recruiting mode as Savage at UCI when he had a "free year" without a baseball team, we can expect even more very early commitments (early Junior year).

Obviously I have no inside information...but if Nike really is helping to bankroll this reborn program with $$ I can imagine the conversation with Pat Casey (OSU coach just up the road) must have been very interesting.

Oregon's football facilities are the nicest I've seen anywhere. If anything like that kind of effort is put into the baseball program (and based on who they're talking to for a coach I'd say there's some very serious effort) then the Duck baseball program will hit the ground running at full throttle.

More opportunities for West Coast kids. I like it! Quack! Quack!
Last edited by justbaseball
I agreee with justbaseball, one of the greatest aspects of this is the new opportunity for west coast baseball players. Having another big school add a program like this changes options for some very talented players, including I would suspect, some quality juco players, at least in the early years. This will be great to watch as it develops.
Totally agree. Lots of Beavers fans are scoffing, calling the Ducks wannabes, that sort of thing. But the way I look at it: more opportunities for good players in the NW. Very good thing.

Unfortunately they will have limited scholarships the first few years, starting with about 4 and gradually phasing in to get to 11.7. That will present a recruiting challenge for sure.

The conversation with Casey must have been interesting indeed, given the resources that Phil Knight could throw at the program. Phil Knight actually is already helping fund Casey's current contract - he stepped up with some $$ to keep him from taking the Notre Dame job.

It will be interesting to see how this develops.
quote:
Originally posted by Rob Kremer:
Lots of Beavers fans are scoffing, calling the Ducks wannabes, that sort of thing.


We'll never know the answer of course, but wouldn't it be interesting to know if this effort to revitalize the Duck baseball program would have been undertaken if the Beavers had not been so successful recently? Is there a correlation?

quote:
Originally posted by Rob Kremer:
It will be interesting to see how this develops.


Yes it will Rob...

Last edited by gotwood4sale
Hope he doesn't leave. Oregon announced they would fund only 4 scholarships a year, building the program over 3 years. They also don't have a stadium. So that would not only be a year without baseball until the program starts in '09, but a LONNNNGGGG wait to build a contender while OSU continues its dominance. Yes, Oregon can throw money at him beyond UCI's ability to do so, but it wasn't enough for Vandy's coach...
quote:
Originally posted by brod:
Hope he doesn't leave. Oregon announced they would fund only 4 scholarships a year, building the program over 3 years. They also don't have a stadium. So that would not only be a year without baseball until the program starts in '09, but a LONNNNGGGG wait to build a contender while OSU continues its dominance. Yes, Oregon can throw money at him beyond UCI's ability to do so, but it wasn't enough for Vandy's coach...


You need to understand that Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt) makes more money than UCI could ever pay a baseball coach. If Dave takes the Oregon job it will be about taking care of his family for a long time. UCI is a great job but they just cannot pay what the large schools are able to pay. Dave would be able to triple his base salary and live in an area with a less expensive cost of living. This is nothing more than economics 101. Dave would have taken the Tennessee job (yes I know the BS that Mike Hamilton distributed about Dave's bachelors) if Tennessee would have been willing to pay anything close to what the average SEC coach made. Mike Hamilton just didn't want to put a large sum of money into baseball coaching salaries.
Last edited by cbg
cbg: I can count - Good coaches will always get better offers. The previous coach at UCI was John Savage, so they know how to hire coaches. But who's to say the next offer Coach Serrano gets won't be better? And I was referring to the fact that the Vandy coach previously turned down the Oregon offer despite it being for more money. The fact remains that Oregon will struggle for a while in the Pac 10 no matter who is the coach giving the funding for schollies. Long term they will be competitive. But Econ 101 does not always explain the results in the CWS or MLB.
College: Knight gives $100M to Oregon's arena cause

Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. — The University of Oregon's plan to build a new basketball arena moved a giant step forward yesterday when Nike co-founder Phil Knight, and his wife, Penny, pledged $100 million to the university, the largest philanthropic gift in school history.
The money is not targeted specifically for an arena, university officials said. Rather, it will create the Oregon Athletics Legacy Fund, which will help support all athletic programs.

But indirectly, officials said, the donation will boost the university's effort to replace aging McArthur Court with a new arena near the eastern edge of campus.

"This extraordinary gift will set Oregon athletics on a course toward certain self sufficiency and create the flexibility and financial capacity for the university to move forward with the new athletic arena," Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny said. "Now we can roll up our sleeves and get to work on making the arena a reality."

The university last year estimated it would take more than $200 million to pay for the arena once land costs are figured in. Fundraising for the project has been one of the top priorities for Kilkenny since he got the job earlier this year.
Wow! That's a lot of dough! What can the Ducks do with $100 million? I'm guessing their current baseball facility will receive some upgrades...





Field maintenance will switch from this...


...to this Easy Rider model in the green and yellow livery of the U of O.




Instead of these for bases...


...they can get the real deal. Low, low miles...one owner only.




And the dugouts...out with this style...


...and in with these...the corporate logos will have to be changed of course to something a bit more swooshy.




Here's an artist's rendition of a future glimpse of the upcoming Duck baseball squad...



Seriously...for all of the right reasons I do wish the University of Oregon well in their efforts to get baseball re-established there. The Pac-10 will indeed become the Pac-10 in baseball. The U of O is fortunate to have such generous benefactors as Phil and Penny Knight. Much success to their program.
Last edited by gotwood4sale
I have many thoughts on this possibility…..
But being the political pundit extraordinaire that is Bullwinkle….
My chops are currently closed…..and will stay blocked….for a while, maybe.

I’m going to check which way the wind is blowing,
Run it past some focal groups,
Check with pollsters and special interest groups.
Double talk on CNN

Then say and do nothing.

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