No Siesta During The Fiesta

January 3, 2013 

1009 miles to the stadium

Oregon Ducks vs. Kansas State Wildcats

6:30 kickoff

Climate controlled temperature with a 0% chance of rain 

(thanks to the dome)

It's January 1st, the first day of the new year, and they say what you do today is what you will do all year. Great, Kimi and I are dressed in Duck gear drinking beer at a dive bar in the desert. So far, 2013 doesn't look any different than, well, the last eight years!

The Well Bar, the best watering hole for Ducks in the desert. 

HAPPY 2013 DUCKIES! (Let's keep it happy with a Fiesta Bowl win in two days)

As some of you more astute readers may realize, Kimi and I have had quite a few brushes with fame this season. Our celebrity hob-knobbing doesn't change today either despite being in the duckiest, diviest bar to be found in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

Just as we are about to raise a toast (again) to the Oregon Ducks, Tom Finneran and his friend stop by to say hello. Naturally, we must have a picture.

Who is Tom Finneran, you ask? 

You probably know him better as....

photo by Nate Hanson

THE DUCK NUT!!!

Clearly, the Well Bar is where the biggest fans hang.

After awhile, we head back to our hotel and get our first taste of the K-State fans. They are here in droves, packs, prides, or whatever it is you call a group of wildcats. They're nice though, and very, very excited. Their exuberance is evidenced the following day at our respective pep rallies.

Oregon's attendance? About 2000 people. 

K-State's? 25,000! But.... does their mascot arrive by sky? I highly doubt it!

Our sky-diving Duck in his parachuting gear back on solid ground. (Wait, I thought ducks knew how to fly.)

While at the pep rally, Kimi is sure she finds her new car.

I suggest just getting a hood ornament instead. 

(I'm afraid she thinks I'm serious and this will be the 2013 tailgating season addition)

Pep rallies and the Well Bar are all good and fun, but we're ready for kick-off. Finally, the day arrives. Of course, with a celebrity sighting.

Ty Burrell predicts a win!

Inside, the stadium is rowdy and filled with fans from both sides, but the Oregon fans own it. Although we're outnumbered, we are definitely not out-decibeled. Chants of "GO DUCKS" overtake the tunnels, the concession areas, and the field. You can't even hear the Kansas State fans; it's as if they have no idea what to do. Something I can say about Oregon is that we know how to be a good fan- mostly polite, mostly good sports, and always loud. 

Soon, the game starts, and if the K-state crowd was quiet before, they are silenced now.

Kimi is very excited, as is all of Duck Nation! 

We know the state of Oregon is going crazy at home. 

The game, featuring two top 10 ranked teams, is so much fun and so action-packed (with the Ducks doing most of the action!) that I don't take my camera out again. The Ducks make big play after big play to become the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Champions of 2013.

Final Score: 35-17 Ducks.

The next few days and weeks are crazy. While most of Oregon leaves the greater Phoenix area the following day, one notable stays behind... Chip Kelly. He stays to interview with a couple of different NFL teams and just when it looks like he's sure to leave the University of Oregon, news breaks that he's staying. The fans rejoice. It had been a roller coaster of a ride with different stories every minute saying Chip is leaving for Philly, for Cleveland, for the moon, wherever, but this one, this one that says he's staying gets confirmed by the U of O. 

Only, Chip isn't afraid to change his mind; it's part of what makes him a great coach, and a week later, one final story breaks. One that breaks Duck fans' hearts as it breaks on ESPN: Chip Kelly is leaving Oregon to coach the Eagles. This too is confirmed... by everyone.

The man changed the face of Duck football. He, his coaches, and  players gave us the best run in Oregon's history, and what a run it was- 4 BCS Games, including the National Championship Game, in 4 years. 

Thank you Coach Kelly!

So, that's it. The season is done and so is this blog. 

As always,

Thanks for following the Duck Tale!  

The Civil War

November 24, 2012 

80.8 miles to the stadium

Oregon State Beavers vs. Oregon Ducks

12:00 kickoff

Temperatures in the 40s with a 90% chance of rain 

("It ALWAYS rains at Reser Stadium!")

The last game of the regular season is here- The Civil War. Or, as we call it around these parts - The Uncivilized War. There's nothing civil about it. After all, a rivalry game is a different animal. Some consider it to be the most important game of the year. In college football, your record doesn't matter much if you lose this one. Bragging rights are on the line. So is the Platypus Trophy. 

UO Alumni Association

We've beaten the Beavers four years in a row now, and in that time, stolen the Rose Bowl from them twice. Last year we beat them at Autzen to secure a trip to Pasadena, and the year before that we beat them at their house for a berth to the National Championship. So yeah, these games mean something, they have a history, and the Beavers want this one. Bad. So do we. Whoever wins the 2012 Civil War gets a bid from the BCS; whoever loses is left out. Again. 

Jess, Clint, Kimi, and I head down the I-5 early Saturday morning, so early in fact, that I believe everyone on the road must be going to the game. Who else would be up and at 'em at this hour on such a rainy, dreary Saturday? We fiddle with the radio as we head south trying to keep Game Day in tune - after all, we need to hear "the picks." Sitting in the back, I don't hear much, but I'm pretty sure Corso just picked the Ducks. All I can do is hope no live animals are on set with him this week. Midgets either.

The drive is quick and easy (remember I'm in the back seat and probably dozed off for a few exits) and before we know it, we're at the exit for Corvallis, or as we nicknamed it two years ago, C-allis. Side effects of C-allis may include dizziness, sudden loss of vision, debilitating migraines, and an unexplained rash. Before visiting, talk to your doctor about the possible side effects and whether it is right for you. 

A beautiful day at the stadium!

When arrive in Reser-ville, we find that our very same parking spot from two years ago is open. It's a beautiful spot, too - right across the street from the stadium and right next to a hotel. A hotel with a bathroom to boot. Oh yeah, life is good in C-allis! 

We quickly set up camp and crack our first beers by 9:30. I know, I know, but somehow it works on Game Day! 

The rain holds off and the four of us have a great time in the parking lot. Everyone, Duck and Beaver fans alike, is in fine spirits after what has been a good year for both teams. The Ducks and Beavs both come into today's game ranked in the top 25 and at one point during the season, both were in the top 10. A good year for the Oregon teams to be sure. After today though, one will play in a coveted BCS Bowl and one will be looking at something like the Holiday Bowl. You gotta love a rivalry game that comes down to stakes like that. 

The twelve o'clock kickoff comes up fast and before we can cram our leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches down our throats, it's time for Reser. On our way in, we continue our trend of rubbing elbows with Oregon's elite...

It's good to know Kenny Wheaton's in the house, just in case, you know, we need him to score. 

However, Oregon comes out looking like they don't need any back up.

You want a piece of DAT? Are you sure?

In a sea of orange, the Green & Yellow get down to business fast. Lightning fast. 

By the end of the second quarter, the Ducks are up 20 to 10. By the end of the third, 34-17. Our offense is back and it feels good. 

So good.

All Puddles can do is sit back and watch... or maybe he's just resting up for more push-ups.

AP photo

We allow them a touchdown in the 4th, but we get a pair of scores ourselves giving us the 116th Civil War, bragging rights for the year, and at the very least, depending how some other games pan out, a bid to the Fiesta Bowl. The Beavs might as well turn on Madonna and start singing "Holiday" because it looks like that's where they're going. 

Beaver dreams dashed again. 

48-24 Ducks.

Oregon finishes the season 11 and 1 to earn the best record in the conference. We would learn later in the day that the games we needed to break our way didn't, and we would not be playing for the PAC-12 Championship, nor will we play for the Natty. Is it sad? Sure. There was so much hope, so much opportunity, but still, this was a magical season, just as Clint said way back in September, some 13 weeks ago. Throughout 12 games, we met new friends and old players. From Los Angeles to Seattle, we cheered on our Oregon Ducks with family, friends, and total strangers. We flew 4000 miles one week from the tropics to the desert to yell "Vamos Patos!" under the hot Phoenician sun. We got up at six am and stayed up til 2, depending on the time of kickoff. We became known at the Alaska Boardroom. Was it exhausting? Totally! I crashed for 12 hours straight soon after realizing the regular season was done. It took me 5 1/2 days to write this blog, not really wanting much to do with anything Duck. But I know it won't be long before I miss it - tequila with Ty and Stacey, the community Ninkasi Beer making its rounds, chicken sausages for breakfast, and of course, sitting in the stadium next to people we've sat with for years, watching our team warm up on the field, and waiting for the students to start the chant.... 

"GO!" "DUCKS!" "GO!" "DUCKS!" "GO!" "DUCKS!" 

Yeah. I'm going to miss it. How could I not? It's magical.

The 2012 Oregon Ducks

Photo by Eric Evans

KVAL Sports

Thanks for a great season! What a trip!

Every game, every stadium ~ we made it.

Almost. See you in January for one more!

Thanks for following the Duck Tale. 

Roasted Duck (hey, it's the holiday season)

November 17, 2012

106 miles to the stadium

Stanford Cardinal at Oregon Ducks

5:00 kickoff

44 degrees, a slight breeze, and a small 90% chance of rain, but "once you walk in here, it's a warm feeling and you know, IT NEVER RAINS AT AUTZEN STADIUM!"

This season, my 83 year old grandmother who lives 3000 miles away from Oregon on Long Island and has never really cared about football, has become one huge Duck fan. She calls us before the games, during the games, and sometimes, 2-3 times after the games! This season, she has stayed up past 1 o'clock in the morning on numerous occasions to finish the games (please, someone make her an east coast voter!) because she loves her Ducks. She has talked strategy, injuries, and gut-feelings with Kimi week after week. All season her gut feeling has been strongly on the Ducks' side. Today, however, she admits, "I'm neh-vous, Liser, I'm neh-vous." Her New York accent in full effect - dropping "R's" where they should be and adding them where they shouldn't. Accent or not though, this isn't what we want to hear from Grandma. 

Not at all, for this is the holiday season, and we don't have our Christmas tree yet, do you? I know the perfect one to chop too.

Except it doesn't quite go that way does it?

Perhaps there is already a sense of this in the tailgater parking lot. There is confidence, excitement, laughter, sure, but there are also whispers of how big this game is and how nervous Duck fans are feeling about it. We're favored by 20 points in Vegas, but you get the feeling this game doesn't give a sh*t about Vegas. All we can do is hope the oddsmakers are right. That, and scream our brains out whenever Stanford has the ball. 

After a few beers and some delicious food, we head to the stadium a little earlier than usual for senior day. As we step out of our friends' RV, where I've spent the entire tailgate, I realize I didn't take any pictures. In fact, I don't even have my camera. I pull out my phone, but the party is already scattered and disassembled, so I take a few shots of the parking lot instead, thinking this is a far cry from the Ashton Eaton, LaMichael James, and Puddles pictures of the last few weeks. 

Let's hope the game is more exciting than these pics!

As it turns out, the game is everything you want in football. It's thrilling, exciting, unpredictable, and ultimately, it's needing more time. A last minute play by Stanford puts the game into overtime. Autzen is nuts. My grandmother would later talk about how loud we sounded on TV, and I would have a headache for the next 12 hours from the noise. Unfortunately though, the game ends with the wrong score on the scoreboard for Duck Nation.

17-14 Stanford.

We Ducks may have gotten roasted, but we ain't toasted! As I've mentioned, this is the holiday season. All we need is a few teams to gift us with some big wins next Saturday, and we're right back in it. So, go USC, go UCLA, go Florida State, and of course, as always, forever and a day,

GO DUCKS! 

BEAT THE RODENTS!

Enjoy your Civil War Week!

(and please, don't make me write a losing blog again). 

Thanks for following the Duck Tale.

See ya next week from Corvallis.

Ducks Ruffle Cal's Feathers

November 10, 2012 

589 miles to the stadium

California Bears vs. Oregon Ducks

7:30 kickoff

46 degrees with a cold wind off the water 

California, here we come! It's Friday and time to fly South once again. 

Kimi and I get to the airport early enough for a quick stop in the Alaska Boardroom where the guy at the front desk recognizes us and doesn't even ask for ID. We're not sure if this is a good thing - having the Boardroom Concierge recognize you. Typically, it's not the kind of place "where everybody knows your name!" But then, these are atypical times. 

EVERY GAME, EVERY STADIUM.

9-0.

We tip our champagne glasses to the concierge who is also a Beaver. "Go easy on us in a couple weeks," he pleads. "Just go easy on us." 

The flight to San Francisco is a fun one. It's mostly filled with Ducks and Beavers as the Beavs play at Stanford in the early game on Saturday. Two good teams we'll face in the coming weeks. The stakes are high for everyone this late in the season, and anything can happen. My short, down to the quick nails are proof of that!

We arrive at Kimi's mom's house and enjoy a good dinner, great wine, and even better company. Later that night, we fall asleep to a Great Horned Howl hooting just outside our window. Not quite a quack, but better than a growl! 

The next day, we leave for the stadium early in the afternoon. The weather is gorgeous and Marilyn (Kimi's mom) suggests we leave time for a ride up Grizzly Peak Road for some beautiful views of Berkeley, San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Three things to note: the Golden Gate Bridge to the right, the blimp in the sky, and Memorial Coliseum straight down the ravine to where the hills meet the city.

We make it to Berkeley with plenty of time to spare before the Alumni party, so we stop by Henry's, a Duck-friendly bar, at the Hotel Durant. By chance and good luck, we run into some of our Duck friends from Oregon... Tim & Nancy! 

Did I mention Kimi's mom is a Cal Bear alum?!? Oh well, we still love her!

Tim and Nancy ask us to join their table and together we watch Texas A&M bring Old Dixie down. Alabama, the #1 team in the country, falls. Henry's erupts in cheers, hoots, and hollers because we Duck fans know. We know with a win tonight, we will move into the #1 or 2 spot in the country and control our own destiny to Miami and the National Championship Game. Go Ducks Go!

Before we know it, it's time for the next party. We bid Tim and Nancy farewell with plenty of Go Duck-goodbyes and high fives. The alumni party is outside, and already, the cold, damp air is settling into Berkeley. But the party has food, drinks, and good cheer - 3 things sure to keep a Duck warm.

I notice this banner at one of the tables and have to take a picture.

Ahem USC, you and your deflated ball/uniform changing ways might take heed.

Meanwhile, the wind picks up and the temperatures continue to drop. Kimi and Marilyn decide to take a walk. To stay warm perhaps? For something else? I stay at the table to hold our spots. Soon, I hear Marilyn say, "I'm back," and I look up to see a transformed California Bear.

"My work here is done," says Kimi.

If you've been following the Duck Tale the last couple of weeks, you know we've had our fair share of celebrity encounters. In the last two weeks alone, Kimi has had her picture taken with Ashton Eaton and LaMichael James. Well, sorry Ashton and LaMike, but tonight you are overshadowed by another celebrity. Tonight we get our picture taken with the biggest man on campus....

PUDDLES!

After the party, we make our way to our seats in the Cal section. The wind is blowing right off the water and into our laps, but the excitement in the air keeps things warm. We look around the stadium and can't believe all the Ducks that are in attendance. Kimi counts 19 Duck sections, and later we would learn, the crowd was 40% Oregon. Our best showing yet!

We would need it. California keeps it close through halftime and into the 3rd quarter. Alabama's loss is on my mind. I imagine it's on the other 40%'s minds too. Bama losing means so much to the rest of the Ducks' season, and we don't need the same fate- not by a lowly 3 and 7 team, who by all reports is in complete turmoil. Finally though, the Ducks break through and as the temperatures drop, the Oregon score rises.

One cold, but happy Duck!

By the end of the 3rd quarter, we're up 38-17. The Bears don't score again. Maybe they went into hibernation? 

Most of the Duck fans stay until the end, including these three...

FINAL SCORE: 59-17 DUCKS.

We can still be friends, right?

See ya next year, Cal! 

Thanks for following the Duck Tale.

SEE YA NEXT WEEK!

Busted Trojans

November 3, 2012 

892 miles to the stadium

University of Southern California Trojans vs. Oregon Ducks

4:00 kickoff

Temperatures in the upper 70s 

Photo by Phil Derner

Another weekend, another trip to the Alaska Airlines ticket counter. Thank you, Oregon Ducks, for helping make me an MVP Alaska Gold Member for the first time ever - 40,000 miles and counting in one year. No wonder I don't know what time zone I'm in anymore! Even this trip, one that stays along the Pacific Coast, includes a time change. At some point during the weekend, we will gain an hour. I hope it means a little more sleep because this morning, Friday morning, I could use an extra hour or two!

We arrive at the airport early with the business travelers, including one fairly famous Oregonian - Joey Harrington. As we walk past him, Kimi gives a "Go Ducks." He smiles and continues on to his gate. No "Go Ducks" back, but at least he's wearing a green shirt. We take it as a good omen for the weekend. 

We're looking for omens. The Ducks are playing USC tomorrow and everything is on the line. USC isn't the championship caliber team they were projected to be, but they still have who will likely be the #1 quarterback in the upcoming draft under center and the best receivers the Ducks will see all season. USC's defense? That's another story. Their coach? Another story still! 

KiffyKins deep in thought.

But the fun of college football is that anything can happen in any given game, despite the defense, despite the coach, and with so much at stake for both teams, everyone knows this isn't just any given game.

This is for pride, for bragging rights, for respect, and for one team, a must-win for a chance to play in Miami come January.

So yeah, Joey Harrington in his green shirt, walking across the concourse of the Portland Airport, must mean something. Something along the lines of 

WIN THE DAY.

A few hours later we land at the John Wayne Airport and are picked up by none other than Kimi's best friend, Susie, aka USC Trojan alum. Later, when we go to the bar for lunch and a beer, I find out Susie is also known as....

Each year Kimi makes sure she has her own personally-etched glass waiting for her at The Pint House. It matches the shirt perfectly, no?

The weather is beautiful in Southern California. Shorts, flip flops, a delicious dinner, and hanging by the pool make for a great Friday night, but the backdrop to the evening is tomorrow's game. How will we feel at this time tomorrow? Will the Ducks still have a chance at the Championship? Will USC do what they built their team to do - beat Oregon in the first defeat of the season? We go to sleep wondering...

We wake up wondering the same things. Later, when we arrive at the Coliseum, Kimi and Susie decide a friendly pre-game handshake is in order. May the best team win and all that....

Or maybe not!

We make our way through the campus to the Oregon Tailgate. White t-shirts that say Storm LA are everywhere. The flock has traveled to LA in high numbers. The weather is gorgeous, but a football storm is brewing. You can feel it in the electric air.

And then, another omen. Amazing Grace begins to play. Loudly. Jesus lovers, manning the different corners on campus with megaphones, play it to the masses. Sitting under the Oregon tent, it feels surreal to hear Amazing Grace 1) played so loudly and with so many verses, and 2) played on the streets of the home team's campus. I look at Kimi questioningly. She shrugs and giggles, "It's the funeral song. We're at a funeral." We start to feel just whose funeral we're at too, and it's not Oregon's. 

Yes, excitement is high. It gets even higher when Oregon's all-time leading rusher stops by the tailgate. 

Last week Kimi gets a picture with Ashton Eaton, this week, LMJ. 

Maureen & Susie too! 

Before long, we make our way into the Coliseum where we find the Duck looking LA cool. 

And not long after that, Oregon storms LA!

Big time. Nine touchdowns (the first in under a minute), 62 points, and 730 yards later, the Ducks leave the Trojans ripped in half. We make the USC fans take a picture with us anyway.

Final Score: 62-51 Ducks.

After note: The Trojans' defense stopped Oregon's offense twice on Saturday. The game clock did too. Think about that. USC and the clock halted the Ducks the same amount of times. I thought that was pretty funny! 

SEE YA NEXT WEEK FROM CAL.

Thanks for following the Duck Tale.