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The light is appearing at the end of the tunnel, folks.
Some years, I view the doldrums of July with dread. The summer is coveted by us sportswriters — it’s one of the few periods of the year when our friends and family can confidently include us in their weekend plans.
In less than two weeks, Big Ten Media Days will be held in Chicago. In three weeks, fall camp begins. And in less than 45 days, your Oregon Ducks will be storming through the tunnel of Autzen Stadium behind that motorcycle for the season-opener against Boise State.
The coming weeks will be filled with watch lists, season previews, predictions, heightened expectations and far too many talking heads telling you how it’s all going to go.
And some years, I’m just not ready to let go of the summer.
But I’ll tell you what: I’m ready to see how much better Dante Moore has gotten the past few months — same for Dakorien Moore, Brandon Finney Jr. and Jordon Davison. I want to see which of those standout freshmen we saw in spring, such as Tommy Tofi, start making their way up the depth chart in August.
And I really want to see whether or not, after beating them at Autzen in 2024, the Ducks can take the fight back to the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe in November.
I know. I know. That’s still four months away and I really should embrace these last couple of weeks of freedom. I didn’t camp as much as I wanted to this summer. My dog probably deserved a few more outings, and it’s not the worst thing for my health to spend a couple of months outside of the press box.
But heading into my 13th year on the Ducks beat, I’ve done this long enough to know the makings of a special season. This Oregon team certainly has the right ingredients — and now we wait to see what caliber of dish they’re crafted into.
And if that line reads a bit weird, forgive me. I watched five consecutive episodes of “Beat Bobby Flay” last weekend. Truly, football can’t get here fast enough.
We’re not all that different
OK, so it wasn’t a completeley uneventful summer — there was that whole World Cup thing.
This week on Lookout, I took a look back at my month covering the Cup, making note of the obvious differences between the tournament and the sport I cover full-time. I also saw some similarities.
The biggest thing I learned over this last month is that no matter the country, no matter the sport or how many points are scored, fans from all over the world can unite around this:
Bittle time
For those needing an Oregon basketball fix, Nate Bittle can be on your television sets this evening.
The longtime Oregon center may not have been selected in the NBA Draft last month, but he was signed earlier in July by the Toronto Raptors to an Exhibit 10 contract — a one-year minimum-salary NBA deal that is not guaranteed. It’s essentially a tryout contract, which has put Bittle on the Raptors’ roster for the NBA’s summer league in Las Vegas.
Through three games, Bittle is averaging 8.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks — including an impressive six blocks against the Celtics in his Summer League debut.
Bittle and the Raptors will face the Miami Heat at 6 p.m. today on ESPN2.
As Bittle battles for his place in the NBA, here are the six things I’ll remember about his standout career with the Oregon Ducks.
Getting the call up
Sticking on the #ProDucks, the MLB Draft was a historic one for the Oregon Ducks baseball program.
A school-record seven Ducks were selected in the first 20 rounds, with three Oregon pitchers — Cal Scolari, Miles Gosztola and Devin Bell — joining shortstop Maddox Molony, third baseman Drew Smith, outfielder Jack Brooks and second baseman Ryan Cooney as selections.
Cooney was Oregon’s top pick in the draft, going in the third round to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Oregon’s previous best for most picks in the first 20 rounds belonged to the 2023 and 2011 groups, which both had six picks.
The 2011 Oregon draft class still holds the overall program record with eight players drafted.
Oregon’s 2026 draft class makes sense: These Ducks were pretty dang good.
The traffic Report
On this week’s podcast, my co-host Justin Myers came to a revelatory conclusion after watching the last month of USA soccer:
The Americans kind of look like the Colorado Buffaloes out there.
Watch this week’s show to understand why.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“This project was about more than building a court for kids. The kindness and generosity of the community left a lasting impression and served as a reminder that the relationships we create are often the best part of the work we do.”
— Oregon women’s basketball guard Sofia Bell on her trip to the Dominican Republic with Courts for Kids.
STORIES I’m WORKING ON
I have a profile publishing Tuesday on Paige Sinicki, the former Oregon Ducks softball player who overcame breast cancer to make her professional debut earlier this month.
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Do you have story ideas or tips? Send them my way — tyson@lookoutlocal.com.
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Enjoy the World Cup final on Sunday,
Tyson
