The only thing bugging me right now is that it's a shame more fans aren't into baseball.

Oh, and for those who missed it, Sean Martin has been suspended indefinitely.

Enjoyed this comment by Jack so much I found it worthy of its own post.

The Oregon schools and Idaho (and Montana?) left the league in 1959 because of the pay for play scandal. Only Stanford re-formed the league with those schools right off the bat because they had nobody else to form with when the league started up again. OSU was actually the premier athletic school on the West Coast during that period with the first Heisman west of the Mississippi and a Final Four run. The league tried for more than a couple years to woo us back into the fold of a league that began in Portland. The stigma of the scandal and the schools involved was enough to keep us at bay for a good three or four years more than we should have stayed away. And I’m not sure that culture ever really abated at UW or USC. They just got better at hiding it.

We’re talking a scandal that made SMU look like patty-cakes.

It’s a fascinating period in fact. Wazzu came back in 1962 because UW was stuck in the scandal-ridden group of four (UW, Cal, UCLA and USC). And Wazzu and UW are joined at the hip for all intents and purposes. OSU wasn’t going to return because the group of four felt that Nikegon was responsible for the scandal turning those four upside down. Oregon was caught in 1951 doing the same thing, and they insisted that the conference look at the rest of the league because they claimed “but everyone else is doing it.”

And Stanford was constantly arguing that UCLA should be expelled and OSU included instead since UCLA was the worst of them all.

But OSU would not return without UO. So the league finally gave in and buried the hatchet for a new start. I know some USC alums of that era who tell me that OSU’s Rose Bowl in 1965 was a gift apparently tied to this whole agreement.

That was just a shady period in the league. If not for regional ties, the Pac might have a vastly different make-up today.

Tier 1 (aka The teams that matter)

USC

Oregon

Tier 2

Cal

Stanford

UCLA

Washington

Tier 3

Utah

Arizona State

Arizona

Tier 4

Oregon State

Washington State

Colorado

Let's admit something: despite a Pac-12 network that will telecast various sports, this is a football contract. It's the only sport that makes money.

My opinion is the Beavs, Cougars, and Buffaloes contribute little to the current TV deal, yet they profit immensely from it. In this era of "anti-entitlement" politics and "everyone should do their fair share", why are the Beavers receiving 22+ million per year? Further, how long before the teams who are carrying their weight realize they're subsidizing OSU, WSU, CO and balk? The OSU athletic department better get serious, or they're going to start hearing it from fan bases other than their own.

Who is Matt Fielding?
What bats are the Beavs using?
Where was Conforto for the first three games?
Was Montgomery’s fielding so wonderful that he deserved the starts in RF?
Was Dunn’s at SS?
Does Jake look like a C? His lines look like he’s decent, but working too hard and affecting his bat. Back to 3B or 2B with him? Maybe SS?
Is Barnes a good lead-off? His lines look good. So why isn’t Jake at the two hole protecting him with Keyes, Conforto, Davis and Danny in the three, four, five and six?
Are the frosh really liabilities in the OF? It looks like Barnes should move to CF with Conforto in LF and Davis in RF. That’s looking like a solid offensive OF, but are there no gloves for these kids?
Can Dunatov play C? Jk… but a thought?
What happened to our middle defense?

Couple notes:

Beaver's defense has been surprisingly bad. There's a reason Keyes DH'd last year, and he's still a liability in the field this year. Tyler Smith needs to play infield, whether it be 2B or 3B. Michael Conforto has been surprisingly absent the first three games. If he can't play the field adequately, then that is a big offensive loss. Beavs have been scoring some runs because Santa Barbara has no pitching, but against good teams they're going to need a couple middle of the lineup guys. I was figuring on Davis and Conforto providing that, but so far it hasn't panned out that way.

While the results have been good to date, there is reason for concern. Keep an eye on the defense and middle of the lineup the next two days. Finally, I question Pat Casey's call to bring in Fielding yesterday. Rodriguez pitched a strong inning. Why not leave him in there? If Casey was willing to go to Bryant after Fielding imploded, why not go to him before? I mean, I know the answer–he was hoping to rest Bryant. But it was clear Fielding was imploding, and the move should have come one or two batters sooner. On the flipside, in game 2, Casey managed the 8th and 9th inning like a pro, having Boyd move to 1B so he could return to pitch. Considering the downside is losing the DH, and Boyd is a very good hitter, I thought the move was what we would call in chess "a brilliancy". It semi made up for the Matt Fielding disaster.

Website says I can't buy tickets, but I'm going to try to get in somehow. If I do, I'll try to get some action shots.

Go Beavs.

1. Joey Matthews CF
2. Kavin Keyes 3B
3. Jake Rodriguez C
4. Danny Hayes 1B
5. Michael Conforto RF
6. Dylan Davis DH
7. Ryan Dunn SS
8. Ryan Barnes LF
9. Tyler Smith 2B

Versus lefties, he can do something like this:

1. Joey Matthews CF
2. Kavin Keyes DH
3. Jake Rodriguez 3B
4. Dylan Davis 1B
5. Michael Conforto RF
6. Ryan Dunn SS
7. Ryan Gorton C
8. Ryan Barnes LF
9. Tyler Smith 2B

Matthews is a guy I'm not real high on, but he's got decent speed, and is probably the best option in CF. We'll probably see a lot of Max Gordon, too. I love Conforto's potential, and I actually like Dylan Davis more as a hitter (DH, hopefully he can play some 1B) than pitcher, even though I believe he was signed as a pitcher. What stands out, as in years past, is the lack of OBP, particularly at the top of the order. Team speed also is below par. Very pesky, versatile lineup, though. The other weakness is inexperience; it's the downside of running a top 25 program. The draft kills your squad, and the teams are always young–plain and simple.

On the mound, I'd love to see this:

1. Scott Schultz
2. Matt Boyd
3. Jace Fry

But I have a feeling we'll see this:

1. Ben Wetzler
2. Jace Fry
3. Carlos Rodriguez/Riley Wilkerson

If Adam Duke were healthy, he'd probably get a look in the rotation. As it stands, he'll probably be eased into relief work. Fry will likely miss the first week or two, so maybe Casey will put Schultz in there for a while, but he seems to prefer him in long relief for whatever reason, and he likes Boyd at the end of games, despite Boyd (and myself) believing he'd be better off as a starter.

A lot of nice arms in the pen, but outside the usual suspects, they're young. Riley Wilkerson could mature into a RH setup man or situational matchup at some point. Same for Carlos Rodriguez as a lefty. Upperclassmen Cole Baylis and Adam Duke could make moves, too, once healthy. And Dan Child pitched to a 1.06 ERA (42 innings) in summer ball. Let’s add him to the bullpen mix.

Overall, this is a good squad, but also incomplete. The strengths are defense (notably up the middle with Dunn/Smith), good arms, a pesky lineup, and versatility. The weaknesses are inexperience (i.e. freshman/JCs who will have large roles), lack of OBP and SLG (though newcomers Davis and Conforto could provide that), and average team speed. Expect the usual station to station baseball and small ball.

Is the top 25 ranking justified? If the youth performs from the start and improves by conference play, then probably. I'd personally rank this team around 35th best in the nation, with reassessment possible after seeing them in-person this weekend.

Wow. Good get.