Mick Challenge: A Worthy Cause And a Friend Worth Remembering
By Jim Wilson
Mickey Riley passed away in 2011 at 51 after a six-year battle with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Shortly thereafter, a group of close friends established the Mickey Riley Foundation, aimed at keeping the name of the former Oregon State baseball standout alive through scholarships, activities and events.
As a foundation board member, I have found that endeavor to be one of my life’s most rewarding experiences. Mickey was a great Beaver and even better friend to a ton of people.
“Mick had a great ability to make friends,” says Jack Riley, Mickey’s father and the coach who won 613 games in 22 seasons as Oregon State’s baseball coach, second only to Pat Casey in the program’s 115-year history.
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.