Out of pure laziness, I have yet to post my photos from Big Game 2006.  Doing a recap at this point wouldn’t serve much purpose, but we did win.  Yay!  Also, anybody who is paying attention might notice I skipped UCLA.  I, unfortunately, had to leave that game at half and didn’t get many good photos. 

 

And the most important part of that game (the Jackson return and DeCoud block) can be viewed here. 

 

As for Big Game, I didn’t really get any good game photos, bc they put the Young Alum section in the upper echelon of the GoldZone.  So, we were way up there.  But after the game ended, people started to stream onto the field.  It took me like 20 minutes to wait for all the old people in front of me to make their way down before I could get there.   

 

As clearly seen, I was very late to the party.  God knows what I missed.  But I was able to get close to some of the players.   Here’s the first chunk of photos from the field.

 

 Zach Follett:

 

 

 

 

 The OTHER #10, Desmond Bishop:

 

 

More to come, including Byron Storer being carried off the field and DeSean.   

According to ESPN.com, my super-secret-all-of-a-sudden-not-so-secret 2004 Olympic crush, Natalie Coughlin, has outdone herself yet again.  I really do not know too much about swimming (though I did do swim team up until I was like 6), but I do know that its great when Natalie does well.  Reflects well upon Cal and makes it more likely they will print a photo of her somewhere in the news.

 

Please print a photo of her somewhere in the news!

 

GO BEARS! 

 

 

Part I

 

Lynch is a real friendly and polite person.  He would always thank you after getting a drink.  He would always make sure that you knew he really meant it too.  He’d look you right in the eye, say thank you and give you a slight nod of approval.  Lynch is also has a lot of character.  He is a little goofy, and has fun, but also is serious too.  You can tell that Marshawn is really modest.  He never brags and is very supportive of all the runningbacks that are waiting in his shadow.  Money, Tex, and Mo-Deuce are really good friends. 

The players treat you well - none of them are mean.  Some go out of their way to know your name, thank you, and talk to you and some don’t.  To some players you’re just a waterboy, but others will befriend you.  Interestingly, the freshmen are all pretty friendly and courteous.

Yes, I’ve seen the movie Waterboy.  I used to laugh so hard watching that movie that I’d cry.  I really don’t think much about becoming a football player.  I’ve pretty much accepted the facts that I don’t really have the body frame to put on enough muscle and that I’d have to improve my 40 time by about a second to even keep up with the slowest of the ball handlers.  If somehow I did play in a college football game, after a touchdown I’d give the ball to the offensive linemen so they could spike it, do CPR on it like Ocho-Cinco, or do a T.O. with the Sharpie.  The OL doesn’t get enough respect for what they do. 

I can through a decent spiral.  I haven’t thrown in a while though.  I do secretly wish I had Reed’s quick release, and Riley’s RPMs though.  As for throwing the football from the 50 on my knees through the goalposts… I’d be just happy to throw the ball 50 yards. 

Hahaha.  That cart that Lynch drove is the very cart that I used every day to haul coolers and equipment around!  A lot of players would take the cart and ghost ride the whip but I never did. 

I was always the type of person that wanted to be one of those lesser known players who was good but not a marquee player.  I guess I’m not one for the limelight.  Right now though I’m a big fan of Ed Reed (Safety on the Ravens) and Adalius Thomas (Linebacker for the Patriots).  As you can see I’m a defensive person.  I think offensive players showboat too much.  As for Cal Football alumni, I’m a big fan of Nnamdi Asomugha (Cornerback for the Raiders) and Kyle Boller (Quarterback for the Ravens).  Nnamdi was a sleeper, and I like Boller for always being a class act despite taking crap for all the losses in the Holmoe years.

Part IV : Expectations 

Hey, I’m back.  After leaving off my discussion of Ben Braun and his basketball program a few weeks ago, I’m back with one final installment.  In summarizing many of my earlier points, I’d like to draw a few comparisons to other coaches with similar track records, to see if we can glean anything new.

Braun’s programs, while flawed, have achieved marked success.  He is certainly an improvement on past head coaches, and while his record does not stand up to the best in the game (or even the best coaches at Cal), it’s got its merits.  He’s one of those coaches in the middle ground; not good enough that we definitely want to keep him, but not bad enough that we definitely want to fire him.  His situation reminds me of another coach Cal football fans may be familiar with…

Glen Mason was, until recently, the head football coach at Minnesota.  Previously, he had been the head coach at Kansas, a perennially hapless program that he had helped to turn around.  Starting at Minnesota in 1997, a school without a winning record since 1990, Mason got Minnesota to play winning football again.  He posted a 64-57 record in 10 seasons, and played in bowl games in 7 of the last 8 years.  As you can see by the above link (several years old on the Minnesota website), Mason was largely lauded for his efforts.  In fact, without him, it is highly unlikely that Minnesota would have gotten the momentum necessary to build a new, on-campus stadium (scheduled to open in 2009, when Cal visits) and move out of the horrid Metrodome.

However, during his tenure, Mason never posted a Big 10 record better than 5-3.  His teams were never really in the hunt for the conference championship, and his teams never played in a bowl better than the Sun.  He had one 10-win season, in 2003, but the prevailing sentiment in the last couple years was that Mason, while a good coach, had taken the Golden Gophers as far as he could, and a new coach was needed to get Minnesota over the hump into the national elite.  Sounds like Braun’s situation, no?

This past December, Minnesota choked away a 31-point lead in the Insight Bowl to lose to Texas Tech, 44-41, in overtime.  This embarrassing collapse proved to be the final straw, and Mason was fired shortly afterwards.  While his firing drew shock and criticism from the national media, not many familiar with the Gophers’ program were surprised.  A year from now, this could be Braun’s fate.

In today’s ‘what-have-you-done-for-me-lately’ sports scene, today’s savior is tomorrow’s no-good bum.  Was Minnesota right to unceremoniously dump Mason?  Were its standards too high, or had Mason proven his unworthiness by failing to build on earlier successes?  This is the dilemma the Braun situation is currently posing.

When deciding whether to retain a head coach, an athletic director typically asks themselves, ‘Have they done enough to warrant keeping them on?’  A better question, though much harder to answer, would be, ‘Will they do enough in the future to warrant keeping them on?’  While it’s impossible to know exactly how the Bears will do next year or 5 years down the road, what I did do is look for coaches with a comparable first 10 years.  Now, the sample size is small, because coaches are fired or leave for better jobs so often, and I didn’t include small schools where the pressure and resources are far less, but tried to find an answer to the following question: ‘Are there any coaches that plodded along with moderate success for about 10 years at the same school (a few winning seasons, a few tourney appearances), and then after a while, the light turned on, and the coach became much more successful after that?  I was able to find two.

The first is Jim Boeheim of Syracuse.  In 1976 Roy Danforth, the previous Syracuse coach, left for another school, and when a coaching search didn’t turn up anything, the 32-year-old Boeheim, an assistant of Danforth and former player, was promoted.  This was hardly a barren program, as Syracuse had made the Final Four as recently as 1975.  However, while Syracuse made 8 of the next 10 tournaments, winning 20 games in most of those seasons, at the end of the 1986 season, Boeheim’s career tournament record stood at 7-8, with the Orange never winning more than one tournament game over that span.

In his 11th season, however, Boeheim’s program went to another level, making the national title game (which it lost to Indiana).  In the years to follow, Syracuse would make 8 more Sweet 16s and 2 more national title games, finally winning it all in 2003 with freshman sensation Carmelo Anthony.

An even better example?  Stanford’s Mike Montgomery.  After 8 years at Montana, Monty took over a Stanford program in 1986 that had one NCAA appearance *ever* (a National Championship over Dartmouth in 1942).  Stanford made its second tourney appearance in 1989; the next year, although falling short of the NCAAs, it won the NIT.  Stanford finally won a tournament game in 1995, its first in 43 years.  Two years later, in Montgomery’s 11th season at Stanford, the Cardinal finally made it back to the Sweet 16.  Given their moribund history, Stanford was understandably patient with Monty’s program, and their patience paid off.  The next year, Monty’s 12th, Stanford made the Final Four, and they didn’t miss the tournament again until last year, after Montgomery had left for the NBA.

These two examples do give me some hope that perhaps Ben Braun’s career at Cal could follow the same trend.  It may not be likely, but it’s certainly possible.  There would probably be more examples, but so few coaches stay at a school long enough to find out.  They either leave for a better job or the unemployment office.  I find it a bit disappointing that of the 73 BCS-conference basketball schools, only 8 have employed the same coach for the last 11 years.  The pursuit of excellence is admirable, but this kind of pressure and turnover can’t be having positive effects on the 19- and 20-year-olds who are supposedly getting ‘an education’.  I can only hope that when these sorts of coaching decisions are made, somebody at least considers the student-athletes involved.

OK, that’s it.  I’ve said my piece.  Here’s hoping Braun’s 12th season will make us all forget we ever thought of firing him.

And by vampire, I mean hydrotechnician. And by hydrotechnician, I mean waterboy. Yeah, I don’t know why the Cal The Football Team calls its waterboys "hydrotechnicians."  Perhaps it is for the same reason that Cal The Educational Institution calls its TAs GSIs.  So they can pay them less?  Makes about as much sense as calling them Vampires.

 

The point is, one of our friends just happens to be the "hydrotech" for the Cal football team.  And he was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.  He wanted to remain anonymous for a variety of reasons.  To quote Jon-Luc (better than James T, count it!), "Make It So."

 

Hydrotech is short for Hydrotechnician.  Basically, it’s just a fancy word for a waterboy.  I suppose that they gave us this name just so we would sound a little more official. 

The job primarily involves setting up the field with 10-gallon coolers prior to practice, carrying the water bottle caddies throughout practice, and cleaning all the coolers and bottles after practice. 

Why a waterboy (sorry, hydrotechnician)?
[Are you asking why I took this job?]
I took this job because it sounded like fun.  During my senior year I was looking for a part time job and logged onto the caljobs website to look for openings.  I originally thought I would land a job at one of the libraries or something.  But then my girlfriend said she had heard about a job pertaining to the football team.  I’m a big football fan so naturally I became really intrigued about obtaining a student job that involved football.  When I found out that there were hydrotech openings, I eagerly applied and took the job even though there were other openings that paid more money. 

The best part of the job is the fact that I am around football.  I love football.  I love at the practices.  What football fan wouldn’t want to watch some football and get paid to do it!

The worst part of the job are the early practices.  Occasionally there are some extremely early practice sessions.  If I recall correctly, there were a few practices at 5 or 6 am.  I just remember going to sleep at around 10 or 11 pm - which is a lot earlier than I am used to - and getting up around 4 am to eat breakfast and walk all the way up campus to the stadium.

 
Tedford is god-like.  When he talks, everyone stops and listens.  It’s obvious that he takes his job very seriously.  He always pays attention to the small things.  Nothing goes unnoticed.  While Tedford is very serious, he does have a lighter side too.  You can tell he cares about the players not just as players, but as people.  Tedford can also be intimidating too.  Within the Cal Football there is an obvious chain of command.  Tedford is at top and everyone fears his disapproval.  A lot of people would get very stressed out over making sure everything went as planned or everything was set up correctly.

 

Coming soon, Part II.  With an inside look at Player-Waterboy relations and an actual Waterboy’s view on Adam Sandler’s comedic opus (worse than Dirty Work tho, count it!) "Waterboy."  Stay tuned!  GO BEARS!

I watched a lot of basketball this weekend; a lot more than I thought I would.  Some thoughts:

- The Cal women’s team fought valiantly Sunday morning, clawing back from a deficit as large as 11 to take a couple of small leads.  However, without much of an outside game, they just didn’t have enough to win their first tournament game since 1993.

- Regarding the women’s game, if you’re down by 1 with 7.5 seconds left, you can’t take 7 seconds to foul.  You just can’t.

- I don’t watch that much women’s basketball, but it sure seems like there were a lot less fouls called Sunday morning.  Lenient refs?  Clean, lady-like basketball?  Women’s game not as physical?  I couldn’t say.

- I’d just like to point out that the coach of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team is named ‘Muffet McGraw’.  Insert your own dirty joke here.

- OK, back to the men’s basketball tourney.  Overall, pretty boring, not like the upset-fest that ruined my bracket last year.  All the 1-seeds survived, and the highest remaining seed is 7th-seeded UNLV, which took out a Wisconsin team that looked terrible all weekend.

- The Pac-10 gets 3 teams into the Sweet 16, which makes me happy.  Only the SEC got as many into the second weekend.  Not quite who I thought we’d see, though.  Yeah, UCLA and Oregon looked good to get through, but Wazzu fell to a dangerous Vandy in double-overtime.  Instead, USC got past Kevin Durant and Texas to their second regional final since 1979.

- In a matchup between Texas and USC, who was a Bear fan supposed to root for?  Ugh.  Begrudgingly, I went with USC.  Here’s why:
* Pac-10 pride
* I don’t hate the ‘SC basketball team as much as the football team (especially now that Henry Bibby is gone)
* Hard to root against a team playing in memory of a fallen teammate (point guard Ryan Francis was shot last year before the season started)

- If you don’t have an HDTV and can possibly afford one, go out and get one before the Final Four.  You’ll thank yourself later, and you’ll never want to go back.

Who knew?  Certainly not I.  Alas, before you can bask in this knowledge and partake in one of their tournament games (thereby making them that much better than our men’s team), you should probably know that they were bounced today.  Thanks for showing up, ladies!  You got next.  Next year.  Yeah.

 

Well, "unfortunately," I was unable to make it to the naked hippie photo yesterday.  I was too busy valuing my sanity.  If you were like me and managed to steer clear of that meat market, well, we are all in luck.  The Chronicle has a front page (at least online front page) article about it.

 

As to why they have a story so high on their front page about the world’s most unique protest?  Well, I think we can all take a guess at that.  Oh, The Chronicle.  Will you ever print anything that positive about the Stadium Upgrade project?  

So, here is the article. 

 

And they have photos, too!  Now, because I’m nowhere near as cruel as Xerxes, I will refrain from posting them here.  But they are in the article up there, if you are a particularly hardy soul.  

 

Some excerpts:

 

"About a hundred curious onlookers gathered as the activists stripped down, and some broke out cameras and even camcorders to record the event for posterity or other reasons. A few burly young men wore clothing emblazoned with the words "Stanford Rugby." The team lost to Cal Saturday, 83-0.

"Don’t say we’re from Stanford," one player joked, using his hand to cover the Stanford logo on his shirt. "We’ll be blamed if anything goes wrong.""

 

HELL YEAH YOU WILL!  I’m working overtime to figure out how to blame Stanford for the whole enchilada already.  This just made that job a whole lot easier.  Good to see we beat Stanford in rugby, too. 

 

 

 

""This is an activity I am proud to support and honored to be part of," said Debbie Moore, a co-founder of Berkeley’s nude theater troupe X-plicit Players. She said she has been arrested dozens of times and faced trial seven times for public nudity. "Besides, I never turn down a chance to take off my clothes.""

 

 

I need to meet this woman.  PS Don’t tell my wife.  Hmmm, perhaps posting this on a public blog read by at least one other person (thanks, Seth!) is not the smartest way to go.

 

 

 

And this man, the photographer, actually sent us a moderately sarcastic email the other night, "thanking" us for spreading word of the event.  He finished up by reminding us how "grateful" he was.  Maybe it was not sarcastic, because I was actually positive about his non-naked hippie photos (and I do think they are very cool).  But I get the feeling it wasn’t totally on the level.

 

So, to recap:

 

You are welcome, Jack Gescheidt! 

 

That is the closest we will ever see to Tedford (PBUH) smiling, I think.  Well, he has a lot of reasons to smile, because word from the RallyComm grapevine is that the Regents approved his contract!  There was an article in the Chron the other day with all the information about his contract for the upcoming vote (which has now taken place).  Here it is. 

Apparently, during the voting procedure, one of the Regents interrupted to yell "GO BEARS!" Now, if only we can convince an Alameda  County Judge to do the same.   And I don’t mean Carlos Ynostroza! 

 

The point is that if this rumor is true that Tedford’s Contract is good to go through 2013, then this is great news.  But the only true way to ensure he can’t bolt is if we get this athletic center built.  Then, I think the restrictions on his departure grow. 

 

Also, why is Nike paying like 90% of his salary?   

 

Whatever.  Today is a day to celebrate!

 

 

Hope you had a fun time.  See ya next year!  Mayhaps they suffered from "Just Happy To Be There" syndrome or Mayhaps they weren’t all that good (they did lose to us at home, afterall).  Either way, I’m happy with this outcome.  They made it to the Tourney, so that 6 Pac10 teams made it.  Go Westcoast Pride!  And they got embarassed.  Go Bears!  Win-win!

 

Also, Drexel fans can be happy.  They went ballistic when their team did not make it and the "Fraudinal" were Public Enemy Number One.  Given how poorly Drexel did in the NIT, it seems doubtful they would have done any better had they made the tournament.  Right below genuine success and victory, nothing feels better than indignant outrage and anger being vindicated.  It probably feels a lot better than the crushing disappointment that Stanford fans are feeling now (and Drexel alums such as my uncle and cousin would most likely feel had they made the tournament).  Really, a win-win for everybody!  

 

Except for Stanford!  Nah nah nah nah!  Nah nah nah nah!  Hey hey hey,  GOOD BYE!

 

GO BEARS! 

…but without Cal, I somehow don’t really care.

I mean, I care as a sports fan.  I love the thrill of the underdog upset, the nerve-wracking pressure of the single-elimation tournament, the cinderella celebration of victory by teams I’ve never heard of (oh, come on, like you’d heard of George Mason before last March…)

Still, since Cal has been effectively out of the hunt for weeks now (with only a brief glimmer of hope last Thursday night), this whole tournament kinda snuck up on me.  I didn’t watch Selection Sunday.  In fact, I haven’t filled out a single bracket this year for the first time in many years.  I’ll root for the Pac-10 teams (I wasn’t sure if I’d root for Stanford this year, but since the tournament’s about a half hour old and the Cardinal are already down by 20, I guess it’s a moot point), and of course root for the major upset (No. 13 Davidson (who?) is giving No. 4 Maryland all it can handle right now…), and I suppose I’ll watch the Final Four regardless, but maybe not.  I just haven’t been that into college basketball this season, and consequently, I hardly know who any of the players are.

I suppose I’m more of a Cal / Pac-10 fan than a college basketball fan, and that’s probably healthy.  Last year at this time, I got almost zero work done, instead watching the scores tick by on ESPN’s scoreboard page.  I mean, as someone who blogs about college sports, I already obsess about this stuff far too much, so I suppose tempering my enthusiasm somewhat lets me still lead a somewhat normal life (something I’m sure my fiancée appreciates).  College football only overtakes my Saturdays; getting into college basketball overtakes one’s entire winter.  Maybe next year.

(God, Stanford is getting embarrassed.  44-16 Louisville, and the first half isn’t over.  Should I revel in it?)

<Update 2:35pm> This tournament sucks so far.  Every higher seed has won so far, only 1 game (BC-Texas Tech) has been decided by less than 10 points, and that game by 9, and in the only game on right now, Vandy is up 43-14 on George Washington.  If you’re bored (like me), go read Bill Simmons’ running diary.  Hilarious, and much easier than actually watching the games. 

For anybody who might be in the area to check out the Cal-Stanford rugby game this Saturday at 1, be forewarned: You may go blind.

 

Because Runnie Dub and his merry band of Al Gore wannabes have decided to punk the visually paired everywhere by having a giant naked photo this Saturday from 10-12.  I kid you not.  Here is info on it from their own website.  

 

Join Famous Tree Photographer for Unclothed Oak Grove Photo Portrait

 

SATURDAY MARCH 17th 10am to Noon

 

Take part in a historic photographic event!

 

Noted photographer Jack Gescheidt is coming to the

Memorial Oak Grove in Berkeley to create a photograph

for the the TreeSpirit Project.

(http://www.treespiritproject.com) 

 

 

 

Gescheidt’s photographs celebrate the connection between human beings and trees through graceful portraits of unclothed people among trees.  We are honored that the Memorial Grove has been chosen to be included in the project,  the photographer wants to create perhaps his largest portrait ever with scores of participants.

 

 
Below is a personal invitation from the photographer with more information:

 

Saturday March 17th 10am -Noon

 

St. Patrick’s Day morning—don’t just dress in green,

BE GREEN by joining us in a TreeSpirit photo. 

 

All tree lovers are welcomed to participate in this peaceful photographic celebration. The experience is designed to gather you, our nature-loving neighbors to remind everyone watching through the news media that these trees are vital members of our healthy human community. We humans are a part of nature.

 

 

 

These trees provide peaceful sanctuary in a busy city, for us and numerous other plant, bird and insect species too. 

 

Together we will create a TreeSpirit photograph—naked humans in communion with trees—depicting our interdependence with trees in general, and with this specific grove of native oak trees threatened by state plans to uproot them. 

 

All ages and sizes and shapes and physical ability of human are welcomed and appreciated. The photo will show the world our willingness to be vulnerable, and the great power in our vulnerability. Please spread the word, forward this email, tell and invite your family and friends. (Invite whom you imagine to be your enemies, too.) We expect HUNDREDS of participants to attend, showing the world our reverence for nature by posing nude safely, peacefully, tenderly for a few minutes among these trees. 

 

 

Join us for a powerful community experience, to make a lasting artwork, support the brave souls who have saved these trees for 3 months so far, and let your body be counted among those who will bravely, lovingly come forward on behalf of trees. 

 

Please save the date, save this email, and share it with your friends

 

DETAILS: 

 

• Each participant will be asked to sign in (just name and email) so the final photograph, with hundreds of naked and vulnerable and peaceful humans in communion with these trees, may be displayed in the TreeSpirit Project series. Visit www.TreeSpiritProject.com to see numerous examples of the kind of anonymous group photograph planned for this event. In return, each participant will receive a digital photograph of the final gathering, emailed to you, a work of art starring you, your friends, and the hundreds of fellow tree and nature lovers we expect. 

 

* To repeat: All ages and sizes and shapes and physical ability of human are welcomed and appreciated. 

• Wear warm, comfortable clothing you’ll enjoy lying down in, and to be toasty warm before disrobing. Bring a thermos of hot liquid to warm up afterwards. Bring rain gear if it’s overcast. 

• The photograph will be made in heat or in the cold, rain or shine. No tree climbing skill is necessary. 

• Allow 2 hours time, from 10am until 12noon for the gathering, although the actual time spent unclothed will be only about 15 minutes. 

 

 

• We anticipate no interference from police officers, themselves valuable members of our community, as we will be peaceful, respectful and mindful. We look forward to creating a living artwork open to all who feel drawn. Come if you are curious but uncertain, participate if it feels right to do so. 

• We ask that you be respectful of the participants’ privacy despite the public nature of this event and behave accordingly with recording devices. As a community we can, with a unified intention, ensure safety and respect for all participants. 

 

• A map of the oak grove’s location is here: 

 

http://www.saveoaks.com/SaveOaks/Find%20The%20Grove.html

 

• TRANSPORTATION/PARKING: 

 

We strongly encourage using public transportation and carpooling as parking is limited. The Memorial Oak Grove is an approximately 10-minute walk from the downtown Berkeley BART Station. From the downtown BART station walk East through campus or along Bancroft Avenue until you reach Piedmont Avenue, the oak grove is on Piedmont Avenue next to Memorial Football Stadium, which is between Bancroft Avenue and the Greek Theatre. 

 

There is some 2-hour street parking, between Bancroft Ave. and Dwight Way. There are usually UC Berkeley pay parking lots available on Piedmont Ave. just north of the oak grove next to Maxwell Field and on Bancroft south of College Ave., if no special sports event fills them. (Cost is $3-5 for 2 hours). More info on parking is available at 

http://pt.berkeley.edu/parking/public-visitors/index.html 

There are also buses that run from the BART station to near the Memorial Oak Grove. 

 

• Questions? Email TreeSpirit Project photographer Jack Gescheidt: jack@treespiritproject.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don’t value your eyesight, here is the link to his Tree Spirit Website with other photos as he plans to do this Saturday.

 

Yknow, looking at his non-naked hippy tree photos, he actually has some cool ones.  Nonetheless, I’m not so sure that this one is going to be one for the ages.  I was there just the other week, I’m don’t trust the hygiene of the subjects for this photo. 

 

And do you wanna see Runnie Dub naked?  

 

So, yeah, if you are going to be checking out the Homecoming Rugby game (which should be fun) and happen to be wandering on up past the oak grove, try not to open your eyes, smell, or in anyway allow your senses to interact with the outside world.