Ducks Attack Message Board Forum

nogerO wrote:

Bigwaved wrote:The team seems to have been made up of a bunch of quitters under White.

Might explain CWS collapses...

https://www.ducksports.com/sports/20190 ... -of-change


Rumors of a dress code and religious overtones under Lombardi’s leadership were present, but players made it clear that none of them left the program because of new rules.

Rather, being told they were “not good enough” and had to change their approach to win a national championship — the only feat that eluded the program under White’s otherwise dominant run — turned off a faction of the locker room, according to some of the players who were contacted.
“We got compared to Oklahoma a lot,” one player said. “We were proud of our accomplishments.”

I would side with the players on that, as I don’t consider the CWS defeats a “collapse” like some of our fans do.

Thurston wrote:I would side with the players on that, as I don’t consider the CWS defeats a “collapse” like some of our fans do.

It would be one thing if they had been a team that fought its way through the Regionals and Super Regionals on the road, and their fan base was thrilled for the experience, and if somehow their team was to do it again the next season it would be incredible.
But this was Oregon, winner of the top Women's Softball conference numerous times, host of the Super Regionals, a fixture in the top 5 throughout the seasons; great pitching, and powerful offenses, until it came to the CWS, where year after year, the team did not resemble at all the one that played during the season. I don't know how else to describe it except, "collapse".

Every decent coach I ever knew expected their players to learn to FINISH... Didn't mean they always would, but certainly there was an expectation that it was the goal.

It's not just the players to blame for failure to win... At least an equal amount of blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff, especially when the team has a substantial contingent of top level talent, such as Oregon did over the last several seasons.

Merganzer wrote:

Thurston wrote:I would side with the players on that, as I don’t consider the CWS defeats a “collapse” like some of our fans do.

It would be one thing if they had been a team that fought its way through the Regionals and Super Regionals on the road, and their fan base was thrilled for the experience, and if somehow their team was to do it again the next season it would be incredible.
But this was Oregon, winner of the top Women's Softball conference numerous times, host of the Super Regionals, a fixture in the top 5 throughout the seasons; great pitching, and powerful offenses, until it came to the CWS, where year after year, the team did not resemble at all the one that played during the season. I don't know how else to describe it except, "collapse".

That's certainly within your right to do so. I look at it as eight more-or-less equal teams in terms of talent/coaching going at it, and 7 of those teams aren't going to leave happy. IMO almost nobody resembles their regular season self in the CWS, their aren't any clearly inferior teams to run-rule. I think this past season is a great example of the absolute chaos and unpredictability of OKC: This was Florida State's 10th CWS appearance yet only their first title, and nobody pegged them as the front runner going in. Aside from a few of those stupidly talented Gator teams from 2014 and 2015, it almost always comes down to which individual pitcher is hottest and which team catches the most breaks.

Thurston wrote:

Merganzer wrote:

Thurston wrote:I would side with the players on that, as I don’t consider the CWS defeats a “collapse” like some of our fans do.

It would be one thing if they had been a team that fought its way through the Regionals and Super Regionals on the road, and their fan base was thrilled for the experience, and if somehow their team was to do it again the next season it would be incredible.
But this was Oregon, winner of the top Women's Softball conference numerous times, host of the Super Regionals, a fixture in the top 5 throughout the seasons; great pitching, and powerful offenses, until it came to the CWS, where year after year, the team did not resemble at all the one that played during the season. I don't know how else to describe it except, "collapse".

That's certainly within your right to do so. I look at it as eight more-or-less equal teams in terms of talent/coaching going at it, and 7 of those teams aren't going to leave happy. IMO almost nobody resembles their regular season self in the CWS, their aren't any clearly inferior teams to run-rule. I think this past season is a great example of the absolute chaos and unpredictability of OKC: This was Florida State's 10th CWS appearance yet only their first title, and nobody pegged them as the front runner going in. Aside from a few of those stupidly talented Gator teams from 2014 and 2015, it almost always comes down to which individual pitcher is hottest and which team catches the most breaks.

Yeah all the teams are good by that point, but Oregon seemed to be systematically bad in the WCWS. If it is all about breaks and sheer randomness, then at some point in past 6 years Oregon should have lit it up, but no, they under-performed each year. A few more years of that and half the Oregon softball fans will have scratched holes in their head...

That's fine. I'm not really out to change anyone's mind. I just view the CWS appearances as more of a "that's the way the cookie crumbles" thing. I think we finished 3rd in 2014 and 2017 so I would disagree that we've been "systematically bad" in OKC, but I digress.

Thurston wrote:That's fine. I'm not really out to change anyone's mind. I just view the CWS appearances as more of a "that's the way the cookie crumbles" thing. I think we finished 3rd in 2014 and 2017 so I would disagree that we've been "systematically bad" in OKC, but I digress.

Criticism of White is hilarious to me. He essentially turned Oregon into USC football of the West and Lombardi has over night torn down all the prestige that HE raised by himself. Seriously, Oregon classes were filled with blue chip All-Americans, team USA performers - two times getting the #1 overall recruit. This was a team with top 5 national talent on the roster she had in October. She let NINE of them get away. How is it possible to not blame Lombardi? How is it possible to apologize for her inept handling of the coaching change? Give me one Matt Ulmer and I guarantee you this team stays together and is competing for a WS spot next year. Guaranteed. Lombardi IS the problem.

Can someone please show me how to not see someone's posts?

pudgejeff wrote:Can someone please show me how to not see someone's posts?

Nevermind, found it.

Baseball America has done an article on Oregon softball, with them talking to Maggie Balint about why she and the others decided to transfer. It basically comes down to a lack of trust within the athletic department and program after White left, leading to a bad attitude within the program that had grown large over the summer. About the main thing wrong Lombardi did to lose Balint's trust was saying she'd get a catcher but that catcher, McGowan, may now not be eligible this season, likely because she transferred from an in-conference school. Much of her complaints feel like someone who just didn't like not having White here anymore.

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Also based on the comments to said story, it looks like all of White's players are defending it and then attacking people who question it. Latest person to do this was Miranda Elish, who went after Sydney Romero (current OU player and sister of Ducks GA Sierra Romero) for trying to correct some wrong information and then got all the former Ducks to like her posts. At this point, it just feels like a clique and it wouldn't surprise me if the latest three who transferred end up with White.

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Balint continues to pile on Romero by responding to Elish's earlier post. The more she talks and likes tweets that are basically nothing but bashing of the AD and Lombardi, the more I'm glad she and the others left since it seems they view only White's version of the program as the true Oregon team.

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This is beginning to resemble one of those 80's movies that went straight to video tape. It's already unsettling how the players would throw in, "Always A Duck" at the end of their message announcing that they in fact are choosing to not be a Duck; now we get, "No matter who we are playing for. The Real Oregon softball will have each other's backs"

The actual Oregon softball team will be in Eugene, playing at, "The Jane"

If you look at Twitter, it's basically turned into competing Oregon vs Oklahoma and remaining player vs departing player battles. Anything that supports Lombardi gets tons of likes from Oklahoma players and fans while anything that is critical of Oregon post-White gets tons of likes from his former players and Oregon fans not liking the change. You also see it in the posts from remaining players and departing players. Anything a remaining player posts that's positive about the program or moving forward gets liked by those still here and fans supportive of the program no matter what while anything the departing players post defending themselves or White gets liked by those who left and those who are clearly White supporters. It's pettiness from both sides that is kinda splitting the Oregon fanbase into factions but I'd say the former players aren't helping things move forward, especially Miranda Elish and now Balint with their backhanded likes and comments about the program.

Balint full out called Lombardi a liar, and the main reason she left.