One morning, my youngest daughter was outside "helping" me in the garage when she began singing the One Republic song, "Apologize". The tune was very distinct and I immediately, with clarity knew the song she was singing. Then I listened more intently on what she was saying. She sang the chorus, "...it's too late to call the judge... it's too late...". I went to gently correct her by telling her the title of the song and the "call the judge" was actually "apologize", when she firmly disagreed because "that's what I heard them say". I just left it at that. My four year-old had told me what-for about a song that I knew better than she does, but yet I had to succumb to what she "heard them say". It reminds me of the T-Mobile commercial where the husband is singing in the car and his wife here's him verbalize the lyrics, "Pour some shook up Ramen". She obviously knew the real lyrics but had to call the local library for verification. How can some of us get so far off the actual words? Is there something in our head that we are subliminally thinking about and "want" to hear when we get a particular message? I understand a little bit of Spanish and have some Hispanic CD's that I enjoy. It is tough enough to try to understand the words in Spanish songs, let alone try to interpret the meaning of each line. I mean, maybe there are combinations of words put together that means something unrelated to the actual words that only a native Spanish speaker would know. For example, if someone heard the words, "making out" in a song, most Americans would know exactly what it's talking about. In Central America, I know of at least one country who describes "making out" in the literal translation, "sucking the pineapple". Song lyrics can be difficult and the degree of difficulty can change depending on the genre of music and the quality of recording.
So, what is it that we're listening to anyway? When I hear people in the media talking about the "Dumb Ducks" have gotten themselves into some trouble with recruiting and have a paper trail to prove it, do I hear the word "trouble" or the words "paper trail" and come up with my own conclusions to the rest of the story. Something about that article doesn't make sense. If Coach Chip Kelly was doing something wrong and unethical, why would he or any part of the university staff send thank you cards to prove that there was wrongdoing? Nobody in that kind of business is that stupid! What guy sends thank you's anyway? Softy! Even though I tend to lean toward Jason Whitlock's article, "Lyle's tale shows the rat he is", I should be careful not to read too much into it because Willie Lyle will be nothing but a slimy rat. Let me back-track, in case you haven't heard, University of Oregon paid a recruiting service (owned by Willie Lyle) a lump sum of $25,000 for highlight reels and tapes of several high school football players in Texas and vicinity. Recently, it has been discovered that other schools, such as California and LSU, have used Mr. Lyle for high school players' information. Mr. Whitlock describes Lyle as an attention seeker and someone who doesn't care who he hurts on his way to get fame, so Lyle has interviewed with media people and has expressed some damaging information that may ruin the lives of current Oregon football players and their future in football and may jeopardize the employment of the current head coach, just to grab some attention and make some headlines. No matter the true business deal that was made between Lyle and any university, all ties should be cut immediately from the scumbag.
One of the football players in question is 2010's national leading rusher, 2010 Doak Walker Award winner, and third place in the 2010 Heisman balloting, LaMichael James. Based on what LaMichael has accomplished the last couple years at Oregon, I can see how he can be seen as something extraordinary and a skilled athlete; however, coming out of high school with all the allegations of Oregon paying to get James, he was merely a top 3-star running back according to scout.com and a 4-star running back barely in the top 20 according to rivals.com. If Oregon was forking over that kind of dough for a superstar running back, wouldn't they have gone for one of the 5-star recruits like Darrell Scott or Jermie Calhoun? Why settle for a borderline 3/4-star athlete? That would be stupid! It doesn't make sense! How was Chip Kelly or Mike Bellotti to know that LaMichael would be a Heisman trophy candidate? Not likely! Heck! We might as well go back to the days of Jonathan Stewart to investigate why he went to Oregon; or even Haloti Ngata, what drew him to Eugene? Why would Oregon have success with any player? Of course I'm being sinacle, but I'm trying to make a point about what we hear in the media about hundreds of student athletes is often taken litteral and hardly ever questioned. I'm guilty of it as much as the next guy, so this post is more for me than anyone.
Seems that I have already mentioned LaMichael James and his accomplishments and explained his importance to the Oregon football team, I would like to make the bold statement that as good as LaMichael is, he could arguably be the third best running back on the team in the fall. LaMichael and fellow junior, Kenjon Barner fill the top two spots on the current depth chart. However, since James became the starter, Lache Seastruck came in the fall of 2010 and redshirted and DeAnthony Thomas comes to Oregon this year's fall camp. By no means am I trying to belittle the abilities and accomplishments of LaMichael James. On the contrary, I am celebrating his skills and achievements as last year's top rusher in the country and saluting his coaching staff who helped James develop his way to the Heisman race after only two years - being recruited as a "mere" 3-star running back coming out of high school. Now, those same coaches who had such success with the 3-star athlete, will have the "challenge" of coaching, additionally, two 5-star and one 4-star running backs.
Tra Carson is the incoming freshman that was rated a 4-star running back, #22 overall among all RB's in the nation. He will be the only back with his size at Oregon standing at 6'1" and weighing 218 pounds. He runs the 40 a little slower than the rest, clocking it at 4.60 seconds. It will be interesting to see where the coaches fit him in - whether as a 3rd down back or put him in more as a fullback and let him plow holes against linebackers for the smaller, shiftier backs.
The Oregon coaches have to be excited about the ex-USC commit, DeAnthony Thomas. He comes to Eugene as the #1 overall cornerback in the nation. When scout.com first listed him, he was the #1 recruit overall in all positions and was pinned as a running back. So, not only is he a 5-star, #1 overall CB, but initially the 5-star, #1 overall RB. Phil Steele has him as the #2 RB in the nation. Apparently he's suppose to be pretty good. With his skills and athleticism, CB and RB are probably not the only two positions that he could play and start at right away. It will be interesting to see where the coaches end up using him; whatever position, the opposing teams will need to know where he's at on every play - offensively AND defensively.
Another 5-star recruit who has already spent a year on Oregon's campus, Lache Seastruck, could be a household name within the next two years - if not by the end of November. He came out of high school as the #4 overall running back in the nation in 2010 and redshirted right away to give him more time with the football team to continue a Duck rushing attack that has been steady and consistent. The three other RB's that were listed ahead of Seastruck in 2010 were Malcolm Jones, Michael Dyer, and Marcus Lattimore. Lattimore (#1) and Dyer (#2) were off to the Southeastern Conference as starters and setting freshman rushing records at their appointed schools - South Carolina and Auburn, respectively. As for Jones, who knows what UCLA does with its great talent? Obviously UCLA is not getting those players on the field playing in the games. So, if Seastruck is anywhere near the talent of the South Carolina and Auburn recruits, then Oregon has another potent weapon for their offensive arsenal. It's gotta be good to be the quarterback, Darron Thomas!
I love the excitement that LaMichael brings to each offensive play that Oregon hustles to the line of scrimmage for ten seconds after the previous play had been ruled dead. He uses his speed to the outside and makes a move or two and gets past people, or he drives into the middle of the field in a huge scrum of linemen and just when you think the play is over, he pops out the other end and hits turbo to the endzone. His electrifying skills seem to be a glimpse of what the future has in store for the RB position at Oregon. If a borderline 3/4-star player can blossom into a super star at Oregon, think of the potential and possibilities that two 5-star recruits can do to the offense. This is why I think that LaMichael James could be arguably the 3rd best RB on the team in the fall and yet, all the pre-season magazines tell me that he is still the starter. If the 5-stars are as good as advertised, how many snaps will LaMichael lose to underclassmen? I'm drooling just thinking about Saturdays in the fall watching Oregon's offense with one more year of experience under Chip Kelly's blur attack.
Last year we saw LaMichael James with the bulk of the carries with his own showcase of highlight footage. In relief, Kenjon Barner showed very little decline in talent and productivity. When games were really far out of reach for their opponents, another slight drop in talent was brought in with true freshman, Josh Huff. This year, the backfield with James, Barner, and Huff could get really crowded - depending on the side of the ball Oregon puts DeAnthony and whether Tra is redshirted. There will be no surprise what Oregon's intentions will be in the fall. With all that said, because that's what the media wants us to hear about, I firmly believe that Oregon's secret weapon in the fall may come in the form of freshmen wide receivers that bring a lot of speed to the sidelines with 6'1" Devon Blackmon running a 4.43 40; the 6' junior college transfer, Rahsaan Vaughn clocking a 4.37 40; and the speedster, Tacoi Sumler standing at 5'9" and hustling the 40 at 4.33 speed! Oh, to be the offensive coordinator! To put some kind of combination of those guys on the field with some kind of combination of all those running backs on the field - at the same time - would be quite a dream job for somebody.
So, the media wants us to know about LaMichael James and Lache Seastruck and their thousands of dollars that they were given by Willie Lyle via University of Oregon to attend the U of O. It wants us to know that Chip Kelly is about to lose his job by sending thank you cards to a car salesman... oops! I mean, street agent... oops! That was Jason Whitlock's description. I mean, recruiting agent. These are a few things that the media wants the public to hear about in the plastering of sports news regarding the national champ runner-ups. At least the "scandal" occurred after the season and not during, much like that other team that played for the national championship game in January. So, if Scam... oops! Why do my fingers type such mistakes? If Cam Newton can get cleared so quickly and Terrelle Pryor can get eligibility to play in their bowl games for what they may have done (or whatever the media wants us to hear what they've done), then the Willie story should pass through like water over glass. Is what we're hearing, really what is being said? Or is what is being said, what we're really hearing? Do we just come up with our own lyrics to songs because that's what our ears put into our brains? What makes us get it wrong? I guess I thought that Shawn Cassidy was a runner when I heard him sing, "A do run, run, run... a do run, run" when all I needed to do is see the title of the song to know I was wrong. (Google it if you're too young to know who Shawn Cassidy is!) How many years went by thinking I knew that popular song?
In conclusion, I finally sat my daughter down and played the One Republic song for her. I again asked her what they were saying in the chorus. She replied again, "it's too late to call the judge... it's too late...". As the song played, I gently said the words as it was being sung and she realized that it was definitely "apologize". Phew! I got her back on track and now it's on to the next learning moment that daddy can teach his kid. Then she said to me, "They say 'apologize' first and then 'call the judge' second." How many of us are like my four year-old?
So, what is it that we're listening to anyway? When I hear people in the media talking about the "Dumb Ducks" have gotten themselves into some trouble with recruiting and have a paper trail to prove it, do I hear the word "trouble" or the words "paper trail" and come up with my own conclusions to the rest of the story. Something about that article doesn't make sense. If Coach Chip Kelly was doing something wrong and unethical, why would he or any part of the university staff send thank you cards to prove that there was wrongdoing? Nobody in that kind of business is that stupid! What guy sends thank you's anyway? Softy! Even though I tend to lean toward Jason Whitlock's article, "Lyle's tale shows the rat he is", I should be careful not to read too much into it because Willie Lyle will be nothing but a slimy rat. Let me back-track, in case you haven't heard, University of Oregon paid a recruiting service (owned by Willie Lyle) a lump sum of $25,000 for highlight reels and tapes of several high school football players in Texas and vicinity. Recently, it has been discovered that other schools, such as California and LSU, have used Mr. Lyle for high school players' information. Mr. Whitlock describes Lyle as an attention seeker and someone who doesn't care who he hurts on his way to get fame, so Lyle has interviewed with media people and has expressed some damaging information that may ruin the lives of current Oregon football players and their future in football and may jeopardize the employment of the current head coach, just to grab some attention and make some headlines. No matter the true business deal that was made between Lyle and any university, all ties should be cut immediately from the scumbag.
One of the football players in question is 2010's national leading rusher, 2010 Doak Walker Award winner, and third place in the 2010 Heisman balloting, LaMichael James. Based on what LaMichael has accomplished the last couple years at Oregon, I can see how he can be seen as something extraordinary and a skilled athlete; however, coming out of high school with all the allegations of Oregon paying to get James, he was merely a top 3-star running back according to scout.com and a 4-star running back barely in the top 20 according to rivals.com. If Oregon was forking over that kind of dough for a superstar running back, wouldn't they have gone for one of the 5-star recruits like Darrell Scott or Jermie Calhoun? Why settle for a borderline 3/4-star athlete? That would be stupid! It doesn't make sense! How was Chip Kelly or Mike Bellotti to know that LaMichael would be a Heisman trophy candidate? Not likely! Heck! We might as well go back to the days of Jonathan Stewart to investigate why he went to Oregon; or even Haloti Ngata, what drew him to Eugene? Why would Oregon have success with any player? Of course I'm being sinacle, but I'm trying to make a point about what we hear in the media about hundreds of student athletes is often taken litteral and hardly ever questioned. I'm guilty of it as much as the next guy, so this post is more for me than anyone.
Seems that I have already mentioned LaMichael James and his accomplishments and explained his importance to the Oregon football team, I would like to make the bold statement that as good as LaMichael is, he could arguably be the third best running back on the team in the fall. LaMichael and fellow junior, Kenjon Barner fill the top two spots on the current depth chart. However, since James became the starter, Lache Seastruck came in the fall of 2010 and redshirted and DeAnthony Thomas comes to Oregon this year's fall camp. By no means am I trying to belittle the abilities and accomplishments of LaMichael James. On the contrary, I am celebrating his skills and achievements as last year's top rusher in the country and saluting his coaching staff who helped James develop his way to the Heisman race after only two years - being recruited as a "mere" 3-star running back coming out of high school. Now, those same coaches who had such success with the 3-star athlete, will have the "challenge" of coaching, additionally, two 5-star and one 4-star running backs.
Tra Carson is the incoming freshman that was rated a 4-star running back, #22 overall among all RB's in the nation. He will be the only back with his size at Oregon standing at 6'1" and weighing 218 pounds. He runs the 40 a little slower than the rest, clocking it at 4.60 seconds. It will be interesting to see where the coaches fit him in - whether as a 3rd down back or put him in more as a fullback and let him plow holes against linebackers for the smaller, shiftier backs.
The Oregon coaches have to be excited about the ex-USC commit, DeAnthony Thomas. He comes to Eugene as the #1 overall cornerback in the nation. When scout.com first listed him, he was the #1 recruit overall in all positions and was pinned as a running back. So, not only is he a 5-star, #1 overall CB, but initially the 5-star, #1 overall RB. Phil Steele has him as the #2 RB in the nation. Apparently he's suppose to be pretty good. With his skills and athleticism, CB and RB are probably not the only two positions that he could play and start at right away. It will be interesting to see where the coaches end up using him; whatever position, the opposing teams will need to know where he's at on every play - offensively AND defensively.
Another 5-star recruit who has already spent a year on Oregon's campus, Lache Seastruck, could be a household name within the next two years - if not by the end of November. He came out of high school as the #4 overall running back in the nation in 2010 and redshirted right away to give him more time with the football team to continue a Duck rushing attack that has been steady and consistent. The three other RB's that were listed ahead of Seastruck in 2010 were Malcolm Jones, Michael Dyer, and Marcus Lattimore. Lattimore (#1) and Dyer (#2) were off to the Southeastern Conference as starters and setting freshman rushing records at their appointed schools - South Carolina and Auburn, respectively. As for Jones, who knows what UCLA does with its great talent? Obviously UCLA is not getting those players on the field playing in the games. So, if Seastruck is anywhere near the talent of the South Carolina and Auburn recruits, then Oregon has another potent weapon for their offensive arsenal. It's gotta be good to be the quarterback, Darron Thomas!
I love the excitement that LaMichael brings to each offensive play that Oregon hustles to the line of scrimmage for ten seconds after the previous play had been ruled dead. He uses his speed to the outside and makes a move or two and gets past people, or he drives into the middle of the field in a huge scrum of linemen and just when you think the play is over, he pops out the other end and hits turbo to the endzone. His electrifying skills seem to be a glimpse of what the future has in store for the RB position at Oregon. If a borderline 3/4-star player can blossom into a super star at Oregon, think of the potential and possibilities that two 5-star recruits can do to the offense. This is why I think that LaMichael James could be arguably the 3rd best RB on the team in the fall and yet, all the pre-season magazines tell me that he is still the starter. If the 5-stars are as good as advertised, how many snaps will LaMichael lose to underclassmen? I'm drooling just thinking about Saturdays in the fall watching Oregon's offense with one more year of experience under Chip Kelly's blur attack.
Last year we saw LaMichael James with the bulk of the carries with his own showcase of highlight footage. In relief, Kenjon Barner showed very little decline in talent and productivity. When games were really far out of reach for their opponents, another slight drop in talent was brought in with true freshman, Josh Huff. This year, the backfield with James, Barner, and Huff could get really crowded - depending on the side of the ball Oregon puts DeAnthony and whether Tra is redshirted. There will be no surprise what Oregon's intentions will be in the fall. With all that said, because that's what the media wants us to hear about, I firmly believe that Oregon's secret weapon in the fall may come in the form of freshmen wide receivers that bring a lot of speed to the sidelines with 6'1" Devon Blackmon running a 4.43 40; the 6' junior college transfer, Rahsaan Vaughn clocking a 4.37 40; and the speedster, Tacoi Sumler standing at 5'9" and hustling the 40 at 4.33 speed! Oh, to be the offensive coordinator! To put some kind of combination of those guys on the field with some kind of combination of all those running backs on the field - at the same time - would be quite a dream job for somebody.
So, the media wants us to know about LaMichael James and Lache Seastruck and their thousands of dollars that they were given by Willie Lyle via University of Oregon to attend the U of O. It wants us to know that Chip Kelly is about to lose his job by sending thank you cards to a car salesman... oops! I mean, street agent... oops! That was Jason Whitlock's description. I mean, recruiting agent. These are a few things that the media wants the public to hear about in the plastering of sports news regarding the national champ runner-ups. At least the "scandal" occurred after the season and not during, much like that other team that played for the national championship game in January. So, if Scam... oops! Why do my fingers type such mistakes? If Cam Newton can get cleared so quickly and Terrelle Pryor can get eligibility to play in their bowl games for what they may have done (or whatever the media wants us to hear what they've done), then the Willie story should pass through like water over glass. Is what we're hearing, really what is being said? Or is what is being said, what we're really hearing? Do we just come up with our own lyrics to songs because that's what our ears put into our brains? What makes us get it wrong? I guess I thought that Shawn Cassidy was a runner when I heard him sing, "A do run, run, run... a do run, run" when all I needed to do is see the title of the song to know I was wrong. (Google it if you're too young to know who Shawn Cassidy is!) How many years went by thinking I knew that popular song?
In conclusion, I finally sat my daughter down and played the One Republic song for her. I again asked her what they were saying in the chorus. She replied again, "it's too late to call the judge... it's too late...". As the song played, I gently said the words as it was being sung and she realized that it was definitely "apologize". Phew! I got her back on track and now it's on to the next learning moment that daddy can teach his kid. Then she said to me, "They say 'apologize' first and then 'call the judge' second." How many of us are like my four year-old?
