Thunder Rolls in the Sunday Morning Sidewalk
At Scott Reed's new/old website, Duck Sports Central, he continues his Sunday column, a personal essay on life and football. This week he writes:
"As the thunder rolled around me, I couldn’t help but think about Oregon’s recruiting journey this spring and early summer. For months, the Ducks had been circling some of the most talented prospects in the country, vying for a spot at the table with college football’s true heavyweights. Every time Oregon made a finalist list or earned a top visit, it felt like the dark clouds were gathering on the horizon, the air charged with anticipation."
One player who will bring that thunder is new offensive tackle Tommy Tofi, the four-star from Archbishop Riordan in San Francisco who committed Wednesday.
😎😎😎 pic.twitter.com/WGfuPzrI03
— Tommy Tofi (@TommyTofi) April 18, 2024
Tofi, 6-6, 335, has the footwork and agility to become a top offensive lineman in an Oregon program known for developing them.
After 27 straight winning seasons, Dana Altman knows basketball success is simple
"Confidence is preparation," Altman says. "You've got to get in the gym."
“You have to get in the gym. Confidence is preparation. If you’re not prepared, you’re not going to be confident.” - Oregon Head Coach, Dana Altman
— Players Era (@Players_Era) July 2, 2025
(Via @QuackVideo 🎥)
pic.twitter.com/XUsL2nWQ2h
Celebrating the 25 Greatest Ducks since 2000
With just over two weeks until Big Ten Media Days and about three weeks until the start of practice, Ducks Wire's Zachary Neel begins a series on the Top 25 since 2000 at Oregon football.
He places creative, determined Bucky Irving at No. 25.
Neel writes, "Irving was one of the biggest revelations of the 2024 NFL season, bursting onto the scene with the Buccaneers and taking over as the lead running back in Tampa Bay. He finished his rookie season with 207 rushes for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns, plus 47 catches for 392 yards."
Irving's success, in turn, became a big reason why Makhi Hughes picked the Ducks after entering the portal.
Ryne Nelson blossoms as the pitching ace for the Diamondbacks
On a struggling baseball team hovering just under .500, former Duck Ryne Nelson, a 6-3 righthander from Henderson, Nevada, has been a revelation for Arizona. Since the All-Star break last year he's been their most reliable starting pitcher.
Ryne Nelson has quietly been the Diamondbacks’ best starting pitcher over the past calendar year
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 5, 2025
21 GS
8-2 W-L
3.07 ERA (leads team)
0.98 WHIP (leads team)
23.86% K% (leads team)
2.1 fWAR (T-team lead)
Arizona has needed all the help they can get, and Nelson’s done just that pic.twitter.com/KOjgmM8eH3
A funny trivia note about Nelson is that he owns a 1.000 batting average as a big leaguer. Back in March his team scored eight runs in the eighth inning in a 10-6 win over the Cubs and ran out of position players, so Nelson came in to pinch hit with runners on first and second.
Pitchers haven't batted in the National League since 2022, but with the score at 7-6 the D-Backs needed some insurance. A double steal moved the runners into scoring position.
Nelson told David Brandt of the Associated Press, “Once they got to second and third, I was like, ‘All right, I kind of have a job to do now. It’s not just for fun anymore. There are some runs to drive in, so I just tried to get the foot down and the bat on the ball.”
With the infield in he hit a bouncing ball up the middle, through for a base hit, taking second on a throw to the plate, making his lifetime stat line as a major league hitter one-for-one with two RBI. Standing on second he shot an imaginary jump shot to the delight of his teammates.
At Oregon Nelson earned first team All-Pac-12 honors as a pitcher in 2019 after starting his Duck career at third base as a freshman in 2017.