Tickets, Coach, and Expansion

Since the Beavers were crowned National Champions for a second consecutive year not a lot has happened around Corvallis (Beavers wise). But a few things have been notable so I thought I'd blog my thoughts.

* OSU replaced Dan Spencer who left to go to Texas Tech with Pat Bailey from George Fox University.

Sounds like he's a great guy who will fit right in at Oregon State. He wants to help the players succeed and he wants to win. Perfect. And John Croy played for him!

Philomath resident John Croy played on Bailey’s first West Linn team in 1985 and assisted on Bailey’s 1994 and 1995 Lions’ teams, which advanced to the Elite Eight and championship game of the state 4A tournament, respectively.

“When I played for Pat he always had an extreme passion for playing the game the right way,” said Croy, now a Corvallis businessman and Little League coach. “When I came back and coached with him, he was the same” but had progressed as a coach and teacher.

“The stuff we were teaching in 1995 was way ahead of what he taught us in 1985. He was a student of the game to an extreme. He spends a lot of his spare time thinking, ‘How can I teach baseball better?’ and that’s what makes him so good.

“He relates to the players so well, they love him. And it’s not because he’s a softy, because he’s not. He demands that players do things (the right) way, and guys come ready and willing to give their best for him.”

Nice quote John!

* Goss stadium is expanding, but we already knew that. Go check out the artist renderings: link.

* OSU is starting single game ticket sales on Monday (7/16) at 8:30am. No Civil War this year so I'm not sure how big the rush will be, but you've got to get in the stadium to check out that JumboTron! Plus, there's a good deal on a 3-pack for $105 for 3 games.

To participate fans must select one game from each group listed below:
Group 1: Utah (Aug. 30) or Idaho State (Sept. 15)
Group 2: Arizona (Oct. 6) or Stanford (Oct. 27)
Group 3: UCLA (Sept. 29) or Washington (Nov. 10).
Single-game tickets may be purchased in person at Gill Coliseum or by phone at 1-800-GO-BEAVS starting July 30. Ticket office hours are weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Beavers begin practice Aug. 3 and open the season Aug. 30 against Utah.

* The basketball team has a new recruit from North Carolina. He looks to be an athletic, defensive big man with suspect offensive abilities. He should help with big, athletic teams on the defensive end.