In January of 1967 the band Buffalo Springfield released the song of the above title with the opening lyric “There’s somethin’ happen’ here”.   It was completely unrelated to sports and would grow into an iconic anti-Vietnam anthem, but let’s consider it for our purposes.  What’s happening in Oregon athletics right now is unprecedented for the university and I don’t think it’s even close.   We open with what’s concluded recently.  Felicia Mulkey guided the Acrobatics & Tumbling to a 2nd consecutive National Title & if you’ve never seen these girls do their thing, save the snickering.  The lacrosse team ran through the conference unbeaten, then won the league tournament and the right to host an NCAA play-in game.  A couple of Saturdays ago I was at Pape Field as they battled Navy.  This was one of the most amazing college atmospheres I’ve witnessed.  Just being there for the National Anthem with members of the Naval Academy in our midst was enough to produce massive goose bumps.  The game itself was riveting.  The Middies pulled ahead by four only to have Oregon respond to take the lead.  Then after falling behind by three, the Ducks responded to grab the edge with about 13 ½ minutes left in the match.  It would head for overtime with Navy holding off a last second rush to advance 10-9.  The program is in incredibly capable hands with Jen Larsen Beck guiding the way. As for what’s taking place as we speak.  More than 7-thousand witnessed the ongoing domination of Oregon Track & Field at Hayward Field.  What I find astonishing is be it X or Y chromosome the level of excellence is unyielding as the women captured their 4th consecutive Pac title while the guys made it 6 in a row.  It’s also critical to understand the caliber of this league.  From year to year we debate the strength of the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, etc. in football and men’s hoops and where this conference ranks.   From the rankings to the championship trophies to the contribution filling Olympic rosters, the league is a production line.  What Vin Lananna and his amazing staff have created here is getting into that area usually reserved for names like Wooden, Summitt or Stengel.   I spoke with Coach Lananna last week and we conceded if you took the time to go through the individual accomplishments on both sides it would have to be stretched into a 6-part HBO documentary.  For sanity sakes and space constraints let’s leave it at well done, congratulations and best of luck at the NCAA West Preliminaries.   This brings us to the diamond and a couple of sweet stories.  One must admire the resiliency of Mike White’s softballers.  The big 3-game set with hard hitting UCLA began with a whimper as the Bruins blanked them 10-nothing.  Rather than hang their heads, the girls responded by clamping down defensively working in concert with timely hitting.  Junior arm Jessica Moore chucked a 2-hitter to even the series, followed by the offense cracking a trio of homers en route to the 8-2 victory that clinched 3rd place in the Pac 12.  A little over a month ago Oregon lost one of their most important players for the season when Courtney Ceo tore up her knee.  Rather than play the tough break card, the team knuckled down and picked up the slack.  Their reward??  They get to host a regional at Howe Field for the first time in the history of program history.   I honestly don’t even know where to begin with baseball.  I get Oregon’s resources, fan base and all the attributes that exist for building the foundation for success.  Yet again I must play the conference card.  It’s not like they joined the Horizon League and in 4 years finally caught up to Youngstown State.  And yes, I realize that last sentence was a tad condescending but seriously this is freaking USC, Arizona State, 2-time natty winning Oregon State they’re competing with!   Certainly beyond the initial decision to bring the sport back, the A+ get was George Horton.  I’d draw a parallel of landing him to construct the program like getting Tom Izzo or Roy Williams during their last men’s basketball coaching search.  To those who follow college baseball closely, he’s a household name and the perfect guy to have at the helm.  They seem to have that similar “Win The Day” mentality that works fairly well for another Duck team.   I’m just nuts for fundamentals in baseball and this team pitches, catches, hits with 2 outs and just executes really well which over a long season provides substantial rewards.  As of this writing, I’ll say they get to host an NCAA regional barring a massive alien abduction.  They finish the deal and capture the Pac-12 regular season title and we’re talking a lock.  So in closing, a final line from the title song “everybody look what’s going down” cause it’s pretty amazing.  Editor’s Note: Also, “For What It’s Worth,” DI writer Larry Thompson cited that same song a few weeks ago in his article about UO Baseball. Great minds do think alike?