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The University of Oregon will reinstate baseball, as well as competitive cheer, and drop wrestling. Here's some info from a UO press release:
The University of Oregon will reinstate baseball as one of its intercollegiate programs following a 26-year absence, according to an announcement Friday by the school’s Director of Athletics Pat Kilkenny.
Kilkenny said that his decision was based in part upon the financial future of the Ducks’ department of athletics as well as a growing interest in the sport on a national level and among University of Oregon constituents and alumni.
He added that an aggressive timetable for bringing back baseball on an intercollegiate basis would include the hiring of a national caliber coaching staff no later than this fall, with Oregon to resume competition during the 2008-09 season.
Oregon had remained as the only school in the Pacific-10 Conference without a baseball program since it was one of four sports eliminated following the 1980-81 season due to financial considerations. The other sports that were dropped at that time were men’s gymnastics as well as women’s golf and soccer.
Women’s golf and soccer have since been reinstated and resumed competition in 1987 and 1996, respectively.
Completing the athletics department reorganization, Kilkenny announced that the university would add the sport of varsity women’s competitive cheer and discontinue its wrestling program following the 2007-08 season.
Kilkenny emphasized that his decisions would not deter from the athletics department’s mission to remain financially self-sufficient.
It is anticipated that the baseball budget in its first year of competition would exceed $710,000, which would increase to more than $869,000 four years later when the program would grant the maximum number of allowable scholarships. The number of scholarships provided will be gradually implemented over a four-year period until the NCAA’s maximum number of 11.7 scholarships is in place for the start of the 2011-12 season.
The Pac-10 needed another doormat for it conference play. Thank you U of O.
And still the real tragedy is no baseball at PSU.
(email verified)
Fri, Jul 13, 2007 at 08:38 AM
Maybe they could cheer for the soft FB team.
HIP HIP HOORAY
(email verified)
Fri, Jul 13, 2007 at 10:48 AM
Welcome back Oregon Duck baseball. We'll see how the Beavs do with some in-state competition again. The Messiah (Casey) and company are about to be brought down to earth again! On a sincere note; My hat is off to Pat Casey and the Oregon State Beavers for contributing to the return of Oregon Baseball by showcasing a class baseball program - admired and respected by all Oregonians, including the Ducks.
(email verified)
Fri, Jul 13, 2007 at 12:13 PM
So, the new hired gun in Eugene suddenly decides they need a baseball team? This comes immediately after their arch rivals win back to back national championships.
Wow, that's some kind of leadership ... NOT!
I guess their favorite sport is still "follow the leader" at the UofO. They're pretty good at that one ... and that's about the extent of it.
(email verified)
Fri, Jul 13, 2007 at 01:39 PM
Typical "Me Too" stuff coming from Eugene. Now not only are duck "fans" bandwagon jumpers, the administration is in on the act. First it was coming up with black football uniforms, now reinstating baseball. And what is "competitive cheer"? Is that like competitive reading?
(email verified)
Fri, Jul 13, 2007 at 04:32 PM
What a joke!!!
(email verified)
Sat, Jul 14, 2007 at 02:43 AM
I'm all for it. Beaver fans don't like it because Oregon is now back on the map for baseball and will get many of the good recruits in the region. The Beavs have had a spectacular run the last couple of years, yet their fans still manage to be bitter about Oregon getting baseball back, because they know what's going to happen and they don't like it.
P.S. Joey5Picks beat the Beavers 2 out of 3 times. Ouch.
(email verified)
Sat, Jul 14, 2007 at 11:36 AM
look at all this hate from beaver fan...
enjoy what you've had because there aren't going to be any more happy days at osU.
(email verified)
Sat, Jul 14, 2007 at 01:16 PM
Great job keeping up with the Jones. But my question is what top recruit will want to play for start up program, when they could play for a respected leader and coach like Mr. Casey. It appears that without the leadership of Coach Casey and his staff the OSU program would not be at the level it is at now. Rather then worring about what they don't have the Ducks should invest their time and efforts in fixing that football program that continues to be a world class let down each season.
(email verified)
Sat, Jul 14, 2007 at 06:05 PM
this is great news u of o bringing back baseball.what i dont understand is why is a cheer team is more important than a wrestling team.i wrestled for 4 years in the late 80s and it is a very fun competetive sport.
(email verified)
Sat, Jul 14, 2007 at 07:57 PM
Why not just instate women's wrestling. The cost would be cheap (the singlets are already available) and I'm sure the fan support would be super.
(email verified)
Sun, Jul 15, 2007 at 04:09 AM
As a Beaver Grad and fan, I think this is a great move by the Ducks. My wife is a Duck and we get a great deal of satisfaction in the competition between the two great schools. The competition between the two in baseball will be awesome once the Duck program gets established.
(email verified)
Sun, Jul 15, 2007 at 04:15 AM
Lets not forget, Baseball was the first sport played at Oregon in 1877. Not a Johnny come lately. All you Delusional Beav fans are just upset you'll no longer be the only game in town... And lets face it, Oregons Money and Donor base scares you... U of O will have the finest of Facilities and coaches, and provide an alternative and competition... You guys are scared! Ha Ha Ha !!! Funny how all the Beaver fans are upset about Baseball returning to U of O... Scared of a little competition? Funny, this is a good thing for the State and the Pac 10. Yet Beaver fans can't stand it. Oh, and I highly doubt P. Knight will continue to fund a rival program. Do you think Phil would've paid to keep Casey at OSU if Oregon had a team? Does this also mean the Knights will move from Corvalis to the new state of the art Baseball facility in Eugene? You know Oregons all-in. They do nothing half way. The competition has begun and you Delusional Beaver fans just can't stand it. I can't wait.
(email verified)
Sun, Jul 15, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Hey Duck fans, win something first, then pop off.
(email verified)
Sun, Jul 15, 2007 at 02:15 PM
And Joey5Picks has had a stellar pro career. Only slightly better than Akili Smith.
No, Beaver fans aren't "scared." We just find it comical that the zeros (or are those toilet seats?) suddenly get the idea to bring back baseball because OSU is getting all the attention.
And the topper is "competitive cheer". Priceless! Only in Eugene.
(email verified)
Sun, Jul 15, 2007 at 03:54 PM
I am a Portland State (PSC then) grad and way back when, I tried out for the baseball team; I even sat on the bench while the Ducks demolished us. And I was very sad when the Ducks eliminated baseball years ago.
But this move at this time to bring back baseball is vindictive, petty, mean and full of jealousy. The Beavers over many decades have built a great program that brings glory to OSU and respect for Northwest baseball. Oregon knows that they will be competing to recruit the same Northwest players thus diluting the talent pool for OSU. Apparently they cannot stand OSU having success in any sport. How petty.
(email verified)
Sun, Jul 15, 2007 at 05:40 PM
Lets not forget, Baseball was the first sport played at Oregon in 1877. Not a Johnny come lately. All you Delusional Beav fans are just upset you'll no longer be the only game in town... And lets face it, Oregons Money and Donor base scares you... U of O will have the finest of Facilities and coaches, and provide an alternative and competition... You guys are scared! Ha Ha Ha !!! Funny how all the Beaver fans are upset about Baseball returning to U of O... Scared of a little competition? Funny, this is a good thing for the State and the Pac 10. Yet Beaver fans can't stand it. Oh, and I highly doubt P. Knight will continue to fund a rival program. Do you think Phil would've paid to keep Casey at OSU if Oregon had a team? Does this also mean the Knights will move from Corvalis to the new state of the art Baseball facility in Eugene? You know Oregons all-in. They do nothing half way. The competition has begun and you Delusional Beaver fans just can't stand it. I can't wait.
LMAO
(email verified)
Sun, Jul 15, 2007 at 11:40 PM
As a Beaver supporter, I welcome the ducks back into the PAC - 10. That being said, the timing is ridiculous, it's makes you look bad and you know it. If uo is the national power they purport themselves to be, we'll all see it on the field.
Competetive recruiting with the ducks didn't hurt OSU in wrestling, why would it in baseball?
(email verified)
Mon, Jul 16, 2007 at 01:27 AM
Would UofO reinstate the program? Just wondering.
(email verified)
Mon, Jul 16, 2007 at 04:50 AM
Although not mentioned in the article. Kilkenny began looking into bringing back the baseball program back in April. Which was long before the beavs won their second national title. As a Duck fan I do admit the timing of the announcement was poor. However to say that it brought back purely because of petty jealousy, and because the beavs have won two national titles is a bit presumptuous. Get the facts don't make assumptions.
I also find it ironic that some beav fans are constantly pointing the finger at Duck fans and claiming we are band wagon fans. This is coming from the fans who until the early part of this decade couldn't even fill half of their football stadium for the three previous decades. Mind you it was the smallest stadium in the Pac-10. Then as soon as Dennis Erickson shows up and wins a few games they show up saying "Oh, I'm a diehard beav fan", really where were you the last thirty years? Not to mention OSU baseball. Until three years ago you couldn't give away tickets to beav baseball games and now after a lot of hard work and diligence Pat Casey has built a national contender that all beaver lovers and baseball fans in Oregon should be proud of. But don't pull that bandwagon garbage beavs fans! Anyone who has lived in this state for longer than seven years knows that the worst bandwagon fans are those aligned with a university located in Corvallis. That being said anyone who calls themself a baseball fan and lives in this state should welcome back the UofO baseball program. Competition is healthy for the growth of the sport in this state.
Hats off to Pat Casey and his team for two great seasons, and also to Kilkenny for bring back baseball to THE University of Oregon.
(email verified)
Mon, Jul 16, 2007 at 07:44 AM
Gut level reaction? Just like Raising Potatoe Salad Stadium occurred right after the Autzen expansion and indoor practice field.
As for the Joey5Pick reference, just wanted to thank Jonathan1Pick for giving us back a game we tried to give away in '01. And the last college play of his career, no less. Something to remember.
(email verified)
Mon, Jul 16, 2007 at 07:56 AM
Duck fans, it will take time and great coaching for your baseball team to be competitive in the Pac-10 let alone the state of Oregon. Do you think that OSU got to the top overnight? It takes more then money to get your program competive against the likes of OSU, USC, ASU, UA, Stanford and UCLA.
UO might as well ask to play in the Big West/WCC for a few years before stepping it up with the big boys.
I don't think this will steal the Beavs thunder one bit. I really look forward to many OSU victories in the baseball Civil Wars.
I'm also really excited to see the new UO baseball uniforms. The bar was set high with the football unis, but I'm sure the boys down south have something up their sleeve.
(email verified)
Mon, Jul 16, 2007 at 09:36 AM
Well the true Beaver fans will always know that the Ducks only brought back baseball out of jealously. It is so obvious not matter how Kilwrestling will deny it.
The best part is that we will always be the National Champions for 2006 AND 2007.
Can't wait for the celebration downtown for the Ducks competitive cheer team when they bring home the title.
(email verified)
Mon, Jul 16, 2007 at 01:38 PM
That last comment was is exactly the type of idiocy that creates continued ill feeling between Ducks and beavs. Name one logical reason why Pat Kilkenny is an idiot? Because he brought back baseball to the UofO? That isn't the move of an idiot, it is a savvy business decision. Why not capitalize on the beavs success and the growing national interest?
(email verified)
Tue, Jul 17, 2007 at 05:09 AM
The bottom line is that U of O should have a baseball team. But everyone is naive to believe that wrestling was dumped for baseball; it was dumped for a non-NCAA sanctioned activity, competitive cheer - whatever that is. The numbers just don't match well enough to say wrestling was dumped for baseball. U of O’s annual wrestling budget was in the $650,000 range; while baseball will be in the $850,000 after funding a new facility (est. cost $10,000,000). Competitive cheer will have a budget in the $500-600,000 range.
Some say wrestling was dropped because of the lack of practice facilities – everyone knows wrestlers traditionally workout in the corner of some dank basement and accept the leftovers from almost every athletic department and still put more heart and effort into their sport than anyone – so no one with any brains buys that argument.
Duck fans like to point out the support provided to OSU baseball from Phil Knight, which was greatly appreciated; but they can’t seem to recall the support given to their wrestling program by OSU’s Dale Thomas of $300,000 in the early 70’s. No, Dale was not a billionaire whose company makes uniforms and shoes for the team he was supporting, he was just a great coach, teacher and supporter of wrestling at all levels in the state. Dale realized the value of U of O’s wrestling program was greater than most of its own fans or Administration did.
U of O had the opportunity to show themselves as a class act by bringing back baseball, increasing it’s support of wrestling and adding a legitimate women’s sport, such as crew, and they blew it. For a school who boasts of the great backing of Phil Knight and Pat Kilkenney they could have easily done this. Instead they have taken an alternate route that, well, feels a little smarmy.
"I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler." - Socrates.
(email verified)
Wed, Jul 18, 2007 at 05:26 AM
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Re: Oregon to bring back baseball
Bravo. Wrestling is out and cheerleading is in. Aren't there any other crap sports for girls available that we can shuffle in there? Anything thing to even the ledger, right? Even if the issue really isn't about offering legitimate, new opportunities for women to compete in athletics, but rather paying proper Title IX penance for the economic and social realities that the sporting world is eager to pay serious money to watch men play football and basketball. Hey Mary, sorry you weren't born with the right equipment. Would you like a scholarship to go tumble in formation?
"Hank H"
(email verified)
Fri, Jul 13, 2007 at 07:14 AM