During a very difficult 2021, it was a very good first year
Sports Kerry Eggers Sports Kerry Eggers

During a very difficult 2021, it was a very good first year

A first full year is in the books for kerryeggers.com after my retirement after 45 years in the newspaper in April 2020.

First, thanks to all of you for being subscribers. I appreciate all the feedback we have received, both as responses to be published on the website and others of a personal nature.

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Tinkle begins work with ‘deep roster’ as Oregon State basketball prepares for 2021-22 campaign
Sports Kerry Eggers Sports Kerry Eggers

Tinkle begins work with ‘deep roster’ as Oregon State basketball prepares for 2021-22 campaign

Once a college athletic program climbs a mountain, the trek doesn’t end. In some cases, it is only getting started.

That’s what Wayne Tinkle hopes is happening with Oregon State basketball.

Tinkle, soon to begin his eighth season at the OSU helm, will be coming in off the glow of a remarkable late-season run that saw the Beavers reach the Elite Eight in March.

After starting the regular season 11-10, Oregon State reeled off nine victories in 11 games — including three straight to rule the Pac-12 post-season tournament and subsequent wins over Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Loyola Chicago in the NCAA Tournament — before finally being eliminated 67-61 by Houston a step from the Final Four.

The Beavers, who claimed the first Pac-12 Tournament title in program history, became the second No. 12 seed ever to reach the Elite Eight in their first trip there since 1982. They finished the season ranked 20th in the final Coaches’ Poll, the first time they have been ranked in any poll since March 1990, when they were No. 22 in the Associated Press rankings. At 20-13, it marked the second time since 1990 the Beavers have reached 20 wins.

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Offering a final salute to the legacy of Bud Ossey: ‘He went out on top’
Sports Kerry Eggers Sports Kerry Eggers

Offering a final salute to the legacy of Bud Ossey: ‘He went out on top’

I thought Bud Ossey would live forever.

I don’t really mean that, of course. Forever isn’t in the cards for anybody.

But after 101 very solid years on the planet, with his health reasonably stable and his intestinal fortitude beyond mortal levels, I figured those who called him friends — and there were so many of us — would be lucky enough to have him around for at least a couple of more years.

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On Aldridge’s retirement, the Trail Blazers’ lot in life, Tinkle’s contract, OSU women’s hoops, Transfer portal, Duck and Beaver baseball and other things on my mind …
Kerry Eggers Kerry Eggers

On Aldridge’s retirement, the Trail Blazers’ lot in life, Tinkle’s contract, OSU women’s hoops, Transfer portal, Duck and Beaver baseball and other things on my mind …

Some (relatively) quick hitters about subjects on my mind in the sporting world …

• Item: LaMarcus Aldridge retires after 15 NBA seasons after experiencing a heart irregularity.

• Comment: Aldridge had played five games with Brooklyn after a buyout by San Antonio and signing as a free agent with the Nets. He had played well, starting and scoring 22 points in 23 minutes in a blowout win over New Orleans.

But after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during the Nets’ game against the Lakers last Saturday and some complications the following day, Aldridge chose to call it a career.

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Cool Hand Luke, the ultimate underdog: ‘We like shocking people’
Sports Kerry Eggers Sports Kerry Eggers

Cool Hand Luke, the ultimate underdog: ‘We like shocking people’

If anyone on Oregon State’s basketball roster can identify with the underdog, it’s Jared Lucas.

After scoring points at a prodigious rate — almost beyond comprehension — in four years at Los Altos High in Hacienda Heights, Calif., the sharpshooting guard was largely overlooked by Pac-12 schools.

When the media forecast OSU to finish 12th in the Pac-12 before the season, Lucas developed a chip on his shoulder the size of the Rock of Gibraltar.

“Cool Hand Luke” was as big a reason as any why the Beavers came from nowhere to claim the Pac-12 Tournament

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The new guys look good as Beavers open 2020-21 slate with win over Bears
Sports Kerry Eggers Sports Kerry Eggers

The new guys look good as Beavers open 2020-21 slate with win over Bears

I liked a lot of what I saw Wednesday night in our first look at Oregon State in the post-Tres Tinkle era, a 71-63 non-conference win over California in a mostly empty Gill Coliseum.

A few observations …

• Coach Wayne Tinkle unveiled most of the recruiting class he has been so excited about, and the newcomers not only didn’t disappoint, they shined.

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How would Beaver teams of the early ’80s and ’19-20 compare? There’s really no comparison
Sports Jim Wilson Sports Jim Wilson

How would Beaver teams of the early ’80s and ’19-20 compare? There’s really no comparison

Has anybody seen the website WhatIfSports.com? It is an interactive site that allows users to select sports teams from different eras and pit them against each other in a computer simulated game. It is an intriguing concept -- having players and teams from different eras compete as if they were in their respective primes.

I’m not sure how a computer decides whether Dr. J can rise over Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it certainly sparks debate.

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