Ripped from the headlines, along with a piece of Mike Riley's heart

From the headlines at Duck Sports Now: 

Forbes magazine says "Cost of living stipends for athletes are just, but cheating will continue."  A pessimistic view, but almost certainly true.

From recruitocosm.com "More street agent backpedaling by Oregon."  The Duck athletic office has been pretty consistent through this whole deal.  The use of services and agents is widespread, and Oregon isn't any more or less guilty than a host of other schools, including first-game opponent and SEC power LSU.  Reform the system.  Singling out one school at a time as a scapegoat does nothing.

George Schroeder's most recent column is a candid interview with Mike Riley, "Mike Riley's task: Direct Beavers' rebound and catch up with the Ducks."  Beavers need an infusion of talent and cash.   Right now their upside is three competitive years out of ten.  Maybe the new conference media agreement will stabilize the picture financially.  They need a star to build the team around ( Ryan Katz? Markus Wheaton?) and a handful of those diamond-in-the-rough linebackers and linemen they used to develop.