HydroTech: Alright, I know it’s been a tough October and November, and we’re all a little down and emotionally drained, but let’s do the last one of the season…

BIG GAME is a BIG GAME.  It’s for a bowl game.  Pretty much.  Right Rags? 

BIG GAME will be competitive, although it really shouldn’t be.  If the team ever needed a reason to get up for Big Game other than the fact that it’s Big Game, it’s because I predict this game to be very close.  Much closer than any of us would like.  I liken Stanfurd’s year, to ours in 2002.  Tedford’s ‘02 team played balls to the wall.  I expect Harbaugh’s team to play the same way.  Balls to the wall.  No lookin’ back.  No regrets.  Playin’ like there is no tomorrow.  Playin’ to win.  They’ll take gambles.  They’ll play with heart.  They’ll put up a fight.  And they just very well might steal the ax back from us. 

Tedford said that he will push the starters hard during the BYE week instead of resting the starters and giving reps to the blue-shirts (Cal equivalent of a red-shirt) and the freshmen.  I like this.  It’s clear the starters don’t need rest so much as they need reps to remember the basics.  On defense that means gap assignments, block shedding, and tackling.  On offense we need to see concentration on the snap counts, looking the ball into your hands, dropback footwork, and stepping up into the pocket. 

Has there been any year since Tedford has been here, post 2002, when the possibility of losing the ax seemed extremely real?  Maybe 2003?  2006 was a close game but I don’t think most of us thought it was very possible we would get beat. 

I hope we’re mad.  I hope we have a passion, direction, purpose, and drive when we take the field.  I want to destroy Stanfurd and that Harbaugh dude.  Like, 2004 kind of destroyed them.  41-6 kind of destroyed them.  We’re capable of it.  So let’s get our act together and do it.

Ragnarok:  Thanks for the pep talk, Hydro.  When Lou Holtz finally becomes completely incomprehensible (what?  that happened 5 years ago!), ESPN should totally hire you to replace him.

YellowFever: Lou Holtz somehow manages to always sound like he’s eating a bowl of oatmeal as he talks.  I’m not sure how he pulls it off.  Can it really be just because he’s old?  Who knows.

I just hope that no one calls for Tedford’s firing if we lose the Axe.  It’d be a shame, but it would be a sign of the times.  In 2002, we were happy just to have made it to 7-5 in Boller’s last year.  Now 7-5 or 6-6 is grounds for dismissal?  Give the man a mulligan.  Hasn’t he earned at least that much goodwill?

This isn’t to say I won’t be inconsolable if we do lose the Axe.  (Triple negative, yes!)  But let’s keep some perspective here.

HydroTech: I agree, YellowFever.  Even if we lose Big Game, I don’t think Tedford needs to go.  All good coaches have a few bad games and even a few bad seasons sprinkled in here in and there.  Just look at Bobby Bowden and Joe Pa. 

What Tedford has done for Cal is amazing.  He may not be the best college football head coach, but he’s certainly very good.  But most importantly he’s the right man for the job.  He has the right mentality that is so rare in college football head coaches: dedication.  I think it’s quite obvious that Tedford isn’t going to leave Cal for a more prestigious job unless there is a big falling out and the new facilities aren’t built.  Tedford has a rare dedication to the program, and especially the players.  He’s a guy that does things right.  When I worked for the team, things were done right.  No cheating, no shortcuts.  Just hard work and honesty.  I like that.  As you know there are many college football head coaches who aren’t as ethical and are very willing to do whatever it takes (legal and illegal) to win.  Maybe I don’t have a killer instinct, but I’d rather do things right and have it be harder and take longer than cheating. 

Anyways, for Big Game, I want to see us ram the ball down the Furd’s throat.  They’re giving up a whopping 450 yards per game on defense.  There is no reason why we shouldn’t e able to rack up just as much yardage on them through land and by air. 

• I’m sure no one else saw this last night either, but for one brief shining moment, Dallas was Mr. Rodgers’ Neighborhood.  It looks like Rodgers could get more burn for at least another week, given how Favre’s injuries sound.
• Marshawn!  With a blog!  And he’s been watching a lot of Ron Simmons.  Should we replace Longshore’s blog on our sidebar with Marshawn’s?  Do I even need to ask the question?
• In this time of coaching turmoil, here’s a look at our Lord and Savior’s contract.  Apparently this isn’t the most recent version, as you can see from the December 2001 date on the contract, but it’s fun to read.  And you can see Tedford’s signature!
• A fun look back at The Play on it’s 25th anniversary, though it’s not like there aren’t recaps of The Play every year anyway.
• Feldman picks!  28-10.  He also notes that Tedford is 5-0 against Stanford, covering the spread in four of those five games.  Can anyone remember off the top of their head the one game where the Bears didn’t cover?  I’d look it up, but…you know.
• Some Cal and Stanford alum gets his panties in a bunch over a "new low" that really isn’t new.  Way to pay attention.  I commented on the article at the bottom, too.
• Patrick Cowan is scheduled to start against the Trojans this Saturday.  Yeah, that’s thet ticket.  Does anything sum up Dorrell more than the fact that the Bruins are basically either going to the Rose Bowl, or no bowl at all?
• Todd McShay has Alex Mack as the center on his "dream team offense."  Note the absence of THA1.
• USC is talking about possibly moving to the Rose Bowl.  I don’t know about you, but that would seem pretty lame.
• Hey, Bill Doba got fired?  I hadn’t noticed.  But now there’s news that both Cal coordinators are on the list of potential replacements.  And would you even miss either, given how the season has gone?
• From last week, Stewart Mandel lays into our Bears pretty good here (with more on the next page).  I wouldn’t go so far as to say the team has quit on its coach, because it’s hard to say that when the defense wasn’t spectacular to begin with and the team was close in the final stages of more than a few games.
• Your basketball notes: Ryan Anderson had a pretty good game this week and now leads the conference in scoring.  Meanwhile, some team down south is ranked #1 in the country.  Also, Lute Olson’s back.
• Thomas DeCoud and Justin Forsett have been invited to the East-West Shrine Game after this year, and man, our Bears are last in the conference in sacks.  It sounds like there’s still some uncertainty over who will be starting this Saturday’s game at QB for the Furd.
• Mike Gibson has also been invited to the East-West Shrine Game, and Lavelle Hawkins has been invited to the Senior Bowl.
• For the last time this year, get your picks in.

Throughout history, there have been great moments.  The invention of the wheel.  The first slicing of bread.  The birth of Marshawn.  What all of these moments have in common is that no one was around to record them.

Fortunately, when this blog was first conceived of, one year ago today, my AIM program was around to archive the conversation.  And so, to celebrate the one-year blogiversary of the California Golden Blogs, we present, uncut and unedited, the rambling conversation between TwistNHook and myself that started it all.

Wait.  Actually, that’s a lie.  The conversation appearing below is both ‘cut’ and ‘edited’.  First of all, I replaced our names and screennames with our blog handles.  Also, believe it or not, there was even more random and irrelevant asides that were deleted because they weren’t interesting.  Finally, our conversation occasionally refers to another Cal blog, which shall remain nameless, in a less than flattering light.  Thus, I’ve replaced all references to them with [Oski Talk].  Why them?  Well, first of all, I actually rather like their blog, and I suppose the publicity couldn’t hurt them.  Second of all, they’ve only been around since September, so we couldn’t possibly have been referring to them.  Unless we were prescient.  Which we are.  But not about this.

Anyway, it’s our first blogiversary!  Celebrate good times, baby!  Enjoy!

<edit> After some hard work, TwistNHook found the actual video of Marshawn being born here! </edit>

——-

12:20:08 PM TwistNHook: Do you comment on [Oski Talk]?
12:21:06 PM Ragnarok: i sure as heck know that you do
12:21:47 PM TwistNHook: I made a comment last night
12:21:52 PM TwistNHook: and somebody seemed to figure out it as me
12:22:14 PM TwistNHook: and I thought you might have some knowledge who it is
12:22:23 PM TwistNHook: its a good site
12:22:29 PM TwistNHook: but makes me think that basically anybody could blog about Cal
12:22:29 PM Ragnarok: yeah, I have a feeling I know this person
12:22:35 PM TwistNHook: how did you know it was me?
12:22:42 PM TwistNHook: its clear that you know this person
12:22:49 PM TwistNHook: bc they are in the band class of 2000
12:22:57 PM TwistNHook: and "tailgated with 20 people"
12:23:03 PM Ragnarok: yup
12:23:07 PM TwistNHook: so, either its you
12:23:09 PM TwistNHook: or somebody I know
12:23:19 PM TwistNHook: moreover, how did you figure out that I had commented there?
12:23:26 PM Ragnarok: well, you sig was the same as the your away message from yesterday
12:23:33 PM TwistNHook: touche
12:23:36 PM TwistNHook: actually
12:23:39 PM TwistNHook: thats not my sig
12:23:47 PM Ragnarok: oh, nevermind
12:23:48 PM TwistNHook: my sig is "Marshawn, DeSean, Lashaun, one of them doesnt belong"
12:23:50 PM Ragnarok: the line before the sig
12:23:54 PM TwistNHook: nonetheless, I did use that line there
12:24:05 PM Ragnarok: and the screenname was a dead giveaway for you
12:24:10 PM TwistNHook: thats odd
12:24:14 PM TwistNHook: I figured that nobody would really know
12:24:23 PM TwistNHook: I was thinking of doing somethign more band-oriented
12:24:25 PM TwistNHook: or Theta Chi
12:24:33 PM TwistNHook: or the classic "SweetJesusFunk"
12:24:46 PM Ragnarok: I just used the same damn random name I always use
12:24:56 PM TwistNHook: at first I thought it might be you
12:25:00 PM TwistNHook: but you know my AIM name
12:25:08 PM TwistNHook: and easily could have sent that through IM
12:25:09 PM TwistNHook: moreover
12:25:14 PM TwistNHook: you have yet to actually tell me its you
12:25:20 PM TwistNHook: thought Ive basically asked you straight up like twice already
12:25:22 PM Ragnarok: well, it was me
12:25:27 PM TwistNHook: you suck at everything!
12:25:32 PM Ragnarok: yes
12:25:43 PM Ragnarok: including following your instructions
12:25:46 PM TwistNHook: Why ragnarok?
12:25:52 PM TwistNHook: following my instructions?
12:25:59 PM Ragnarok: it’s from norse mythology
12:25:59 PM TwistNHook: moreover, whats the deal with airline peanuts
12:26:03 PM TwistNHook: I know what ragnarok is
12:26:10 PM TwistNHook: its like the apocalypse
12:26:16 PM TwistNHook: except afterwards they all go to Valhalla
12:26:19 PM Ragnarok: something like that, but a little different
12:26:23 PM TwistNHook: the great drinking hall in the sky, but since I don’t drink, my perfect Norse heaven would be the Great Marshawn Injury Cart Ghostride in the sky.
12:26:26 PM Ragnarok: well, it’s norse, as I am
12:26:28 PM TwistNHook: and Loki runs around all happy or something
12:26:30 PM TwistNHook: you arent norse
12:26:34 PM TwistNHook: YOUR FAMILY CAME ON THE MAYFLOWER
12:26:41 PM TwistNHook: OR AT THE VERY LEAST YOU WERE STANDBY FOR THE MAYFLOWER, IF ONLY SOME SEATS HAD OPENED UP ON THE MAYFLOWER
12:26:43 PM Ragnarok: and it’s also obscure enough that I can get it on all but the most crowded forums
12:26:54 PM TwistNHook: WASP
12:26:59 PM Ragnarok: I am not
12:27:04 PM Ragnarok: WAS, maybe
12:27:13 PM Ragnarok: although I am clearly a mutt
12:27:20 PM Ragnarok: my name is obviously norse
12:27:32 PM TwistNHook: no it isnt
12:27:41 PM TwistNHook: if it was norse, youd be like "[Ragnarok] The Red"
12:27:47 PM TwistNHook: "[Ragnarok] Thor"
12:27:49 PM TwistNHook: "[Ragnarok] Loki"
12:27:59 PM TwistNHook: your name is like Norwegian or something
12:28:13 PM Ragnarok: yes
12:28:16 PM Ragnarok: that is correct
12:28:37 PM TwistNHook: Norse isnt Norwegian
12:30:14 PM Ragnarok: you continue to redefine "idiot"
12:30:39 PM Ragnarok: anyway, lunchtime for [Ragnarok] the norseman
12:30:41 PM Ragnarok: laters
12:30:42 PM TwistNHook: dude
12:30:44 PM TwistNHook: we should start a cal blog
12:30:46 PM TwistNHook: ok, have fun
12:30:47 PM TwistNHook: go bears

12:57:52 PM TwistNHook: IM me as soon as you get back in from lunch
12:57:52 PM Ragnarok (Autoreply): lunching *munch munch*

1:48:28 PM Ragnarok: back from lunch
1:48:33 PM TwistNHook: good
1:48:35 PM TwistNHook: alright
1:48:37 PM TwistNHook: check this out:
1:48:37 PM TwistNHook: http://goldenblogs.blogsome.com/
1:49:05 PM Ragnarok: interesting
1:49:10 PM TwistNHook: ok
1:49:11 PM Ragnarok: you starting a blog?
1:49:12 PM TwistNHook: [Yellow Fever] is in
1:49:14 PM TwistNHook: no
1:49:17 PM TwistNHook: we are starting a blog
1:49:18 PM TwistNHook: reading [Oski Talk]
1:49:24 PM TwistNHook: makes me realize that ANYBODY can do this
1:49:29 PM TwistNHook: they dont have any inside info
1:49:32 PM TwistNHook: and are mostly idiots
1:49:38 PM TwistNHook: so, all we have to go is commentate
1:49:41 PM TwistNHook: we are passionate Cal fans
1:49:48 PM TwistNHook: we know as much as the next guy
1:50:01 PM Ragnarok: true, except I think the next guy knows quite a bit more than you do
1:51:22 PM Ragnarok: what I like about that blog, as opposed to most others, is

— scene missing, to protect the sensibilities of [Oski Talk] –

1:51:43 PM TwistNHook: we can still comment there
1:51:48 PM TwistNHook: nothing wrong with that
1:52:01 PM TwistNHook: are you saying you want nothing to do with this and you hate [Yellow Fever] with the passion a thousand burning suns?
1:52:26 PM Ragnarok: well, the first part of that sentence has nothing to do with the truth contained in the second
1:52:38 PM TwistNHook: LOLLERBLADES!

— a long discussion ensues, with Ragnarok getting his username and password set up, and he and Twist fumble like idiots in their attempts to make some very basic changes to the blog, including the photo at the top –

2:57:27 PM TwistNHook: tell me if thisll work
3:03:58 PM TwistNHook: well
3:04:00 PM TwistNHook: I was able to remove it
3:04:04 PM TwistNHook: the other photo
3:04:19 PM TwistNHook: this is the code
3:04:46 PM TwistNHook: <img src=’/images/Frontpage1.jpg’ alt=’FrontPage’ />
3:04:52 PM TwistNHook: I put it in where it says Masthead
3:04:58 PM TwistNHook: and the building photo went bye bye
3:07:30 PM TwistNHook: I DID IT
3:07:31 PM TwistNHook: I DID IT
3:07:32 PM TwistNHook: YAY
3:07:34 PM TwistNHook: I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CODING, THE PRACTICE OF LAW, AND THE EASIEST WAY TO A WOMAN’S HEART
3:07:36 PM TwistNHook: BUT I DID IT
3:07:38 PM TwistNHook: CHECK IT OUT
3:11:54 PM Ragnarok: very nice
3:12:02 PM TwistNHook: very niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice
3:12:04 PM TwistNHook: high fiiiiiiiiiiive
3:12:13 PM Ragnarok: chat five?
3:12:34 PM TwistNHook: whats that?
3:12:48 PM Ragnarok: the IM version of a high five, i suppose
3:12:55 PM TwistNHook: fair enough
3:12:55 PM Ragnarok: i’ve been watching too much ‘Scrubs’
3:12:58 PM TwistNHook: hahah
3:13:03 PM TwistNHook: what a terrible show
3:13:05 PM TwistNHook: it could be SO funny
3:13:09 PM TwistNHook: but they ALWAYS have to have a moral
3:13:34 PM Ragnarok: yeah
3:13:45 PM Ragnarok: they’ve even made fun of that in an episode or two
3:13:50 PM TwistNHook: really?
3:13:52 PM TwistNHook: good for them
3:13:54 PM TwistNHook: just like South Park

— we then discuss who else is going to join our blog.  both GoBeers and DHampton are discussed, but neither sticks with the blog –

3:41:52 PM TwistNHook: [swear word]
3:41:54 PM TwistNHook: we are playing A+M
3:41:55 PM TwistNHook: GODDAMN IT
3:42:00 PM TwistNHook: WE ARE THE 2ND BEST TEAM IN THE PAC10
3:42:06 PM TwistNHook: AND WE CANT EVEN DRAW A GOOD BIG 12 TEAM
3:42:10 PM Ragnarok: they still have more wins than us
3:42:14 PM Ragnarok: and they beat texas
3:42:48 PM TwistNHook: just like we should have!
3:42:49 PM TwistNHook: goddamn it
3:42:50 PM TwistNHook: I hate my life, why must I be the only person ever in the history of the world to suffer like this??  Why???

— the Warriors are discussed.  Remember, this was before it was trendy to root for the Dubs –

3:54:39 PM TwistNHook: Im very excited
3:54:44 PM TwistNHook: you should make an introductory post
3:56:05 PM Ragnarok: perhaps i will
3:56:12 PM Ragnarok: depends on how much work i get done
3:56:21 PM TwistNHook: yes, well, you dont have to do it RIGHT ONW
3:56:23 PM TwistNHook: but Im just saying
3:56:28 PM TwistNHook: at some point in the future
3:56:41 PM Ragnarok: is it blasphemy to bring up cal basketball before big game?
3:56:52 PM Ragnarok: kinda important game tonight
3:57:14 PM TwistNHook: it is an important game
3:57:18 PM TwistNHook: why dont you post about it
3:59:40 PM Ragnarok: perhaps i will

— more technical crap.  also, Ragnarok actually gets some work done –

4:11:37 PM TwistNHook: I put an introduction in on my post
4:14:14 PM Ragnarok: nice
4:43:28 PM TwistNHook: yo gotta run to the post office
4:43:41 PM Ragnarok: I do?
4:43:45 PM TwistNHook: I do
4:43:45 PM Ragnarok: ah, clever
4:43:50 PM TwistNHook: I see
4:43:53 PM TwistNHook: comma fault
4:43:58 PM TwistNHook: yo, gotta run to the post office
4:44:03 PM TwistNHook: not you gotta run to the post office
4:44:06 PM Ragnarok: indeed, you gotta get your grammar together on this one
4:44:15 PM TwistNHook: dont forget to post bout the b-ball game tonight
4:44:16 PM TwistNHook: GO BEARS!

When we started this blog on November 29, 2006, it was with no fanfare and little ambition.  I don’t know about about TwistNHook or Yellow Fever, but I had no idea that this blog would ever turn into something that someone besides myself would read.

Yet, here we are, one year later, and this post is the 526th on our site.  Not only that, but we have 1,219 comments on this site as well, less than half of which are by the bloggers who post here!  Heck, I’ve even been asked to do internet radio shows because of this site.  It has been a success beyond anything I thought could happen.

With that in mind, I thought that our first blogiversary would be an apt time to go back through our archives and look back at what we consider to be our best posts.  The ones that show uncommon insight, or merely make us laugh out loud.  Basically, the posts that convinced people not directly related to us to keep coming back our blog.

Additionally, because we know that these posts often can get lost in our archives, we’ve created a new page, ‘Best of the Golden Blogs’, which will be permanently linked to from the right sidebar over there.  If you’ve only been reading our site for a short time, check out what you’ve been missing!

Anyway, I now present a compilation of our favorite posts from our first year of blogging:

TwistNHook

Photo Blogging
Friends Forever!!!!!!!!!!!

Words.Cannot.Describe - The 2007 Cal Football FanFest
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

Well, *that* Sucked
Part I | Part II

The Odious Machine
Part I | Part II | Part III

 

Other Stuff
Never Forgive! Never Forget!
Dear Santa…
Blast From The Past!
The Bronze Medalists!
Stay Ironic, California
Why
Dynasties Do Happen
Trying Times
Running On Empty
It’s In! It’s In!
Why I Hate USC

Ragnarok

Ben Braun - Should He Stay Or Should He Go?
Intro | Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

Ragnarok’s Top 8 Pac-10 Road Trips
#8 WSU | #7 OSU | #6 USC | #5 Arizona | #4 ASU | #3 UCLA | #2 Oregon | #1 Washington

Death By Turnover
Part I | Part II

Golden Bear Classic? I Am Jack’s Utter Disinterest
Pac-10 Bowl Tie-Ins : Why So Terrible?
The Bay Area Road Trip
I Hate Los Angeles
I Like Trees Too, You Know
Clearly, The Fanbase Is Agitated

Yellow Fever

Bowl Game Blowout!
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI

Interlude
Marshawn Speaks, You Listen
Fun With The Madden 08 Nickname Generator
Of Mikes And Men - And Stewart Mandel Commandments
The Tedford Effect
Cal Football Academic Standards < UCLA Football Academic Standards?
You Ask, I Answer

HydroTech

The Tennessee Debacle: Out-played or Out-coached?
Part I | Part II | Part III | Coda : Audibles and Options

The 2006 Holiday Bowl: A Model of Perfection?
Part I | Part II | Part III

Signal Stealing
Cal vs. Tennessee Film Study
Cal @ Oregon Analysis
True Blue Parents

Multiple Authors

Our Brush With Greatness

Our Interview w/ the man who would become HydroTech
Part I | Part II

Interview with a Mic-Something (Kate Troesher, the Mic Chick)
Part I | Part II | Part III

Other Authors

I Be-Levy
Five Stages Of Grief
Moving On, In 1200 Words

Alright, I’m gonna do a very brief and shallow scouting analysis of Stanfurd.  I’m sort of a busy guy this time of the year for academic reasons, so I can’t do lots.  Nor do I have a ton of tape to work with either.  In fact, for this scouting analysis the only game I looked at was Stanfurd versus Notre Dame.  So bear with me.  This will be fast and furious.  But if you want some sort of "preview" at what you might see on Saturday, then I think I can provide that since I haven’t seen anything else out there.

Here we go…

 

The Stanfurd offense:
*A quick note: Notre Dame plays the 3-4 occasionally.  Stanfurd’s tendencies which they showed in this game might have been in response to ND’s 3-4 and might not use the same tendencies or strategies against us.

*Furd offense uses mostly 21 personnel sets (2 backs and 1 TE), and some 22 (2 backs and 2 TEs).  They use their freshman FB (#48 - I think) a lot like an H-Back.  He’ll be in motion a lot - going from one side to the other or into the backfield.  Furds like to play their TE off the LOS a lot too.  When the TE is off the LOS it looks like they’ll run most of the time BUT NOT always.  And even when they put the TE on the LOS it ISN’T always indicative of a pass.  Putting your TE off the LOS means your WRs are on the LOS as split ends meaning they have less room to beat the jams.

*Furd will use shotgun for the two minute drill and possibly in obvious passing downs needing a mile for the first down.  They used 11 personnel (1 back 1 TE) in shotty.

*When run blocking, it’ll usually be a zone blocking scheme.  The OL will pretty much shift in one direction and catch the D in the wash.  Our backside defenders will have to maintain their backside containment and discipline so the Furd RB doesn’t cutback and get outside of our outside containment.

*That Pritchard dude can kinda run.  He’s not a big threat but he can scramble for a few if needed.  Furd also ran a QB naked boot keeper play against Notre Lame.  If we get too aggressive attacking their zone blocking and don’t keep backside containment, Harbaugh might throw this play at us.  

*They max protect on occasion like we do.  

*And when Harbaugh puts up a big green laminated paper that means 21 personnel (two backs and one tight end).  That’ll include their TE #84, and their FB who is sort of an H-back. 

 

The Stanfurd Defense:
*Their base defense is the regular 4-3 like us. 

*Their CBs play man coverage A LOT.  Their CBs will press very frequently too, especially CB #2.  Their CBs also play inside leverage (typical).  I think JT will take advantage of the tendency to play man coverage possibly by "picking" with twin-WR formations, or deep routes, or double move routes. 

*Their safeties don’t seem too concerned about playing deep coverage.  Seemed like they were more concerned with the run against Notre Dame.  Many times they’d get sucked up by the PA and the CBs are alone on islands.  I don’t think they can be like that against us.  If they are, well, I think JT will try to take advantage of that.

*Note: Furd’s tendencies to play man coverage, and press frequently might only be in response to ND putting one WR on each side of the formation.  ND didn’t use "twin" WR formations at all.  We use "twins" quite a bit.  I’m not sure how Furd will respond if we do that.  So keep in mind that these CB tendencies I stated above are for when we don’t use "twin" formations with 21 personnel.  

*For all you Gregory haters out there, when Stanfurd is defending a 3rd and a mile, they’re not afraid to rush 3.  

*Furd isn’t afraid to blitz a LB or two on non-3rd downs.  They’ll often try and mask their plays too by showing blitz but not blitzing, as well as showing blitz and blitzing, as well as blitzing when not showing anything.  

 

Random stuff:
*Furd uses honor/achievement stickers now.  I don’t remember them using that in previous years.  Must be a Harbaugh thing.  I don’t like them because I think it promotes individualism and "me" attitude (as in "give the ball to me more often so I can get more stickers and be cool").

*ND ran "the play" (sort-of) against the Furd to end the first half.  Furd threw a hail mary from ND’s 40 yardline or so.  It was intercepted, and after 4 laterals or so, ND scored.  But there was a personal foul flag during the play so it didn’t count.  That’s a shame. 

Let’s get this over with.

• Jumpin’ Jim Harbaugh says he’s staying at Stanford.  I’m not exactly surprised; given his comments about Michigan being a football factory and lack of emphasis on academics, I doubt he would have been seriously considered anyway.
• Jim Caple (it might not be my place to judge, but he looks like the quintessential couch potato/loser) puts Cal/Stanford as the number two rivalry in college football.  Of course.
• Somewhat surprisingly, Stanford has the 39th ranked recruiting class in the country.  I wonder how they pulled that off.  Oh wait, they have the number 1 punter in the country.  That’s going to come in handy.
• This might be somewhat interesting, an analysis on Stanford’s Scout.com website of NCAA graduation rates.  The news won’t shock you much, but because of its lag (it only measures recent graduates, and as such any recent improvement in the past one or two years is not reflected) it backs up Jim Harbaugh’s comments more than it does our own.
• An article on the San Jose Mercury News about how the Big Game has lost its luster…not only in terms of national significance, but between Cal and Stanford alums as well.  The conclusion?  In order for it to matter again, Stanford has to get better.
• Stanford’s long-time radio guy is hanging it up after the Big Game.  Not that I expect anyone reading this to know who the guy is, but it’s always news when a long-time broadcaster retires.  I guess.
• Notes for Saturday - 750 tickets are available (see the bottom of the article), T.C. Ostrander is again in a QB controversy (there’s gotta be some kind of joke here) as he has been for the past five years, the ever-injured Rulon Davis is questionable, Jahvid Best is out, and DeSean is questionable.
• And here’s a nice, innocuous preview.

And here we are, one final week to go.  Who wants to see the current Pac-10 standings?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Well, here they are anyway:

Pac-10 Standings

Team	Wins	Losses
USC	6	2
Arizona State	6	2
Oregon	5	3
Oregon State	5	3
UCLA	5	3
Arizona	4	4
California	3	5
Washington State	3	6
Stanford	2	6
Washington	2	7

Yup, a Big Game win coupled with an Arizona loss moves us into a tie for 6th place.  Stellar!

More importantly, however, a Big Game win gives Cal a winning record, which has a significant impact on our bowl chances.  I’ve already talked about this extensively, so I won’t bore you by rehashing myself.  Here’s our current bowl odds, updated after last weekend’s action:

Emerald - 33% - Your ‘favorites win out’ scenario.  Think SBC Park is chilly in July?  Try a 5pm start on December 28th!

Las Vegas - 35% - If the Pac-10 fails to get two teams in the BCS, a Big Game win should send us here, although I think we still get the Emerald.

Armed Forces - 16% - As long as Arizona loses, we can’t fall further than here.  Whoo.

No Bowl - 16% - I think if we lose the Big Game and Arizona beats ASU, the Armed Forces Bowl will probably choose Arizona.  Not only are they closer, but their fans will actually be happy to go to a 6th-place bowl game.  Ah, I remember the days of dreaming of ‘any bowl’.  They seem like good times now, but they were probably pretty terrible.

Here’s my projected Pac-10 bowl destinations:

Rose - USC
Fiesta - Arizona State
Holiday - Oregon State
Sun - Oregon
Emerald - Cal
Las Vegas - UCLA
Armed Forces - Some non-Pac-10 team

Of course, this means that I’m predicting wins by Cal, USC, and ASU this weekend.  I’m also predicting that Oregon State defeats a suddenly hapless Oregon in the Civil War, thereby finishing with a stronger record that the Ducks and getting an invite to the Holiday Bowl.

What is still definitely in doubt is whether the Sun Devils will garner a second BCS invitation for the conference.  Currently, they sit at 13th in the BCS standings, which makes them eligible for an at-large bid, although it is by no means certain that they’ll receive one.  Here’s the current BCS standings:

BCS Standings

Place	Team	Next Game
1	Missouri	v. Oklahoma
2	West Virginia	v. Pittsburgh
3	Ohio State	– Finished –
4	Georgia	– Finished –
5	Kansas	– Finished –
6	Virginia Tech	v. Boston College
7	LSU	v. Tennessee
8	USC	v. UCLA
9	Oklahoma	v. Missouri
10	Florida	– Finished –
11	Boston College	v. Virginia Tech
12	Hawai’i	v. Washington
13	Arizona State	v. Arizona
14	Tennessee	v. LSU
15	Illinois	– Finished –
16	Clemson	– Finished –
17	Oregon	v. Oregon State
18	Wisconsin	– Finished –

We’ll assume for the sake of this exercise that both USC and ASU win this weekend, which is the only way the Pac-10 will garner two BCS bids.  That sends USC to the Rose Bowl.  Ohio State and West Virginia have already won their respective conferences, so they will get automatic bids as well, though their destination is not yet certain.  The SEC, ACC, and Big XII will all hold conference championships on Saturday, so there’s 3 more bids right there.  Georgia is done playing and currently sits at number 4 in the BCS, which as we all know from the Cal-Texas debacle three years ago (otherwise known as the Mack Brown whine-a-thon) means they get an automatic BCS bid as well.  Finally, Hawai’i current sits at number 12, so assuming they beat Washington and don’t fall in the standings, they’ll get an auto-bid too.

Of course, the limit of 2 bids per conference also comes into play.  With Georgia getting into a BCS game, Florida and the loser of the SEC Title Game are shut out of the BCS.  The Big XII is affected as well, as only one team can be chosen between Kansas and the loser of its championship game.

I fully expect West Virginia to handle Pittsburgh at home in the Backyard Brawl on Saturday.  However, it would not surprise me if any of the three major championship games went either way.  Really, though, the Big XII championship game is the one that everything else hinges on.

If Missouri wins, this is my guess at the BCS matchups:

NCG - Missouri v West Virginia
Sugar - SEC Champ v Hawaii
Orange - ACC Champ v Georgia
Rose - USC v Ohio State
Fiesta - Arizona State v Kansas

Because of its Big XII ties, I think the Fiesta would rather enjoy a Big XII replacement team, and if Missouri beats Oklahoma on Saturday, it won’t be the Sooners.  However, Oklahoma IS favored, and they did beat Missouri already this year.  Here’s my guess if Oklahoma makes it a double over Mizzou:

NCG - West Virginia v Ohio State
Sugar - SEC Champ v Hawaii
Orange - ACC Champ v Georgia
Rose - USC v Illinois
Fiesta - Oklahoma v Arizona State

This scenario is a bit trickier.  There’s no guarantee that Illinois even moves into the top 14 to become eligible, but I think they only need either a Tennessee or Boston College loss to move up, and odds are, one of those things happens.  There’s also no guarantee that the Rose Bowl would take the Illini as a replacement Big 10 team, although the Rose does love their Big 10-Pac 10 tradition.  One other thing to note is that even if Kansas moves into the top 4 with a Missouri loss, they still wouldn’t be guaranteed a BCS bid, because Georgia, up to No. 3, would still be in front of them, and only one team can be guaranteed a bid in such a manner.

Also worth noting:  in both scenarios outlined above, Hawai’i ended up in the Sugar Bowl.  Why?  Because the Sugar Bowl has last pick this year.  The various at-large spots are filled on a rotating basis, with the BCS bowls picking in reverse order of how recently they hosted the National Championship Game.  Since the Sugar Bowl is hosting this year, they get last pick of the at-large teams, which probably means that if Hawai’i gets an automatic BCS bid, the Sugar will be stuck with them.  Remember, as exciting as last year’s Boise State-Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl was, it was also the 3rd-least watched BCS game ever, surpassed only by last year’s Louisville-Wake Forest Orange Bowl and 2005’s Utah-Pittsburgh Fiesta Bowl.  Non-traditional teams make for crappy ratings, and the BCS Bowls that get to pick before the Sugar all know it.

First off, I want to prematurely congratulate Riesi, who, after getting a solid 11 of 16 picks right last weekend, now holds a fairly commanding 3-point lead in the Golden Blogs Yahoo! College Football Pick ‘Em Challenge.  There’s only one weekend left, and this last week doesn’t feature a full slate of games, so there’s only 9 games to pick.  The Valiant Carpetbaggers, TwistNHook, Nonplussed, Josh in Portland, and I all have outside shots at making a dramatic comeback, but this contest is Riesi’s to lose.

Now, on to the business at hand.  Here’s the poll for the week:

The California Golden Blogs Top-25

RankTeamDelta

1	Missouri	3
2	West Virginia	1
3	LSU	2
4	Kansas	2
5	Ohio State	—
6	Georgia	3
7	Oklahoma	1
8	Southern Cal	2
9	Virginia Tech	2
10	Florida	1
11	Hawaii	8
12	Boston College	2
13	Arizona State	7
14	Illinois	1
15	Clemson	3
16	Tennessee	7
17	Virginia	1
18	Wisconsin	3
19	Boise State	4
20	Oregon	3
21	Auburn	5
22	Cincinnati	4
23	Brigham Young	2
24	Texas	12
25	Texas Tech	1

Honestly, I don’t know who is the #1 team in the land anymore; maybe it really is Missouri, but odds are it’s someone else.  Still, that was a mighty impressive performance last Saturday night, and Kansas didn’t come off looking too bad, either.  If their kicker doesn’t miss those two first-half field goals, that game goes to overtime, and Kansas sure had the momentum going their way.

You could actually make a decent case for LSU still being #1.  No one has more impressive wins, and their two losses both came in the third overtime.  Should they have lost to Arkansas at home?  No, but lots of NFL teams are going to fall victim to Darren McFadden’s awesomeness (some might say "Marshawn-ness") soon enough.

Ohio State doesn’t play, and thus doesn’t move.  Michigan, on the other hand, sits at home and drops out of our poll, which I like to think is merely a correction for our mistaken inclusion of them last week.

Yeah, OK Hawai’i, I get it.  You’re good.  Congrats.  With by far the most extreme home-road split in college football, beating Boise on the Islands isn’t quite as impressive as they would like it to be.  Still, I’d like to see them in a BCS bowl; whether you think they’ve earned it or not, it would be a shame if they took on some Conference USA chump in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl.  I want to see them get a shot at one of the big boys, something Hawai’i schedule-maker just couldn’t get done.

Finally, Oregon.  Some voters try and rank teams based on their résumé, sort of how the NCAA basketball committee might seed teams; they’re looking at who you played, who you beat, and where you beat them.  Based on résumé alone, Oregon still deserves a place in the top 25.  However, as anyone who’s seen their last two games is painfully aware, the Ducks, as currently constituted, are no longer a top 25 team.  Without Dixon (and the numerous other players they’ve lost to injury), this team is nowhere near as good as they were less than a month ago, and they’ll struggle to win whatever bowl game they’re fortunate enough to be invited to.

 

BIG GAME WEEK!

NOTE:  I added another list below.  As for what "Get The Red Out" is, if you bring a red shirt out to Sproul, they’ll give you a free Big Game shirt. 

I think for a few years, some of the newer fans didn’t quite deal with Big Game Week the same way as pre-2002ers did.  Stanford was terrible, Cal was dominant.  Well, this year, only 50% of that is still true.  Stanford IS terrible!  But Cal might not be much better.  We’ll have a lot more about this week (as it is important not only in Cal history, but also our own) during the week.  

We felt it might be prudent to see a schedule of Big Game Rallies and events for the week.  Try to make it out to a few to cheer on the team.  Some of these might be public, some might be private.  At least one might have already taken place!

 

Monday, November 26

 

Cable Car Rally

10:00 AM

Location: Drop off at Ghirardelli Square, Pick up at Union Square

 

Tuesday, November 26

3 & Out at Pauley Ballroom for CAA

11:45 AM

Unlimited

 

PG& E Luncheon

77 Beale Street, San Francisco

12:00 PM

 

Big Sail

St. Francis Yacht Club – Marina, San Francisco, CA

1:00 PM

Rossmoor

Walnut Creek

4:30 P.M.

Night Rally

8:30 PM @ BOWLES HALL

Wednesday, November 27

Guardsmen SHB – Battle of the Bands!

950 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA

11:30 A.M.

 

Titration!

11:30

 

Berkeley Rotary Club

Hs. Lordship’s restaurant, Berkeley

12:00

Momo’s

Mom’s Restaurant, San Francisco

7:15 P.M.

Lamorinda SHB

3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette

6:00 PM

Thursday, November 28

SF Grid Club / SF Chronicle – BOB

Powell & California, Chronicle – 5^th & Mission

12:00 AM

 

 

Oakland Rotary Club

1736 Franklin Street, Oakland

12:15

Tree Chopping Rally on Sproul

12:00

KIPP -  Bayview Academy – MINI

1060 Key Ave. SF CA 94124

4:00

Friday, November 29

Berkeley Breakfast Club – BOB
7:00 A.M.

 

Day East Bay Bus

            1. Saylor & Hill (11:30) – 1999 Harrison Street, Oakland

            2. Claremont (11:55) - 5295 Broadway Terrace Oakland , California

            3. Trader Vic’s (12:40 ) - 9 Anchor Dr, Emeryville

Day City Bus

            1. Italian American Club 1:00 PM - 

            2. Schroeder’s Lunch 2:00 PM – 240 Front Street, SF

 

Alumni House 3 & Out

12:40 PM

 

Night City Bus

            1. Washbag – 1707 Powell St.

            2. Royal Exchange/Schroeder’s – 301 Sacramento St.

 

Night East Bay Bus

            1. (7-9) Silver Dragon Restaurant - 835 Webster Street

            2. (7:15 – 7:30) Orinda Country Club – 315 Camino Sobrante, Orinda

            3. Pyramid

 

Bonfire Rally

 

 

This is the schedule from the point of view of the band.  There might be some other pep rallies and whatnot out there, but these are the ones the band will be sending a contingent to.  As mentioned earlier, some might not be open to the public.  But there are some out there you can attend and have a great time.  I am DEFINITELY gonna try to be at Royal Exchange again this year.  Always a fun time out.

Also, Ed Orgeron was just fired from Ole Miss.  I just finished the book Meat Market, which details his abilities as a recruiter.  It basically lauds him for being a great recruiter and DLine coach.  Hmmmm, if only there was a team out there with a void at DLine.  If only.  This might be just a pipe dream, but that could be a great match, if he came back to the West Coast (he coached at USC) to coach at Cal.  

GO BEARS!  BEAT THE CARDINAL!  KEEP THE AXE! 

 

Edit:  Here is another list with some of the same events, but also some new ones.  

Monday, November 26:  Cable Car Rally in San Francisco
	
Tuesday, November 27:  "Big Sail" at the St. Francis Yacht Club, 1pm.

"Get the Red Out" t-shirt exchange, Sproul Plaza, 12noon. 

Rossmoor Big Game Rally, 5pm.   Night Rally @ Bowles Hall, 9pm.
	
Wednesday, November 28:  Guardsmen Lunch at the Fairmont Hotel in SF,

11:30am.  "Get the Red Out" t-shirt exchange, Sproul Plaza, 12noon.

Laugh Your Axe Off, 155 Dwinelle Hall, 8pm.
	
Thursday, November 29:  Tree Chopping Rally on Upper Sproul, 12noon.

"Get the Red Out" t-shirt exchange, Sproul Plaza, 12noon.
	
Friday, November 30:  various reunion luncheons, Schroeder’s bar in

SF, 12noon.  Bonfire Rally @ Greek Theatre, 7pm.
	
Saturday, December 1:  Big Game at 4pm!  CAA Tailgate starts at 1:30pm

in Frost Amphitheatre (www.alumni.berkeley.edu/tailgates)

Watching the Kentucky/Tennessee game yesterday brought to light a loophole in the NCAA rules.  Here’s what happened:

*Tennessee has the ball first and is intercepted in overtime. 
*Kentucky plays conservatively and sets up a field goal to win the game.  Kentucky’s FG attempt is blocked.  The ball goes backwards and is live.  If Tennessee recovers and returns it to the opposite endzone they’ll score 2 points and win the game. 
*Tennessee CB freshman Eric Berry recovers the ball and appears to have a lane while sweeping right across the grain of defenders.  There appears to only be one defender with an angle to stop him.  To ensure the tackle, the Kentucky defender grabs Berry by the facemask and drags him down.  It is a blatant, and flagrant, illegal tackle done to ensure the tackle isn’t missed.  Flags fly.

But the catch is this: it’s overtime.  Teams are supposed to get the ball on the 25 yard line regardless of DEFENSIVE penalties that occur DURING the last play of the last overtime after the original offensive team has lost possession of the ball. 

Okay, that was a little confusing.  Let me try to clear that up.  

When Kentucky was kicking the field goal, they are the original offensive team.  When the FG attempt is blocked and Tennessee recovers, Tennessee becomes the offense and Kentucky becomes the defense.  The original offensive team (Kentucky) has lost possession of the ball.  Any penalties committed by Kentucky during the moments of the game when Tennessee (the original defense team, and now the offensive team) has the ball ARE NOT ENFORCED!

Yes, that’s a fact. 

On that play, where Eric Berry was blatantly and flagrantly illegally tackled, flags were thrown.  But what happened?  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  

Kentucky was on offense first in the next overtime and got the ball at the 25 yardline just as they are supposed to per NCAA overtime rules… despite the fact that one of their players resulted to an illegal, potentially life ending tackle to stop the ball carrier in the very last play of the last overtime.  

Here’s the ESPN play-by-play.   Scroll down to overtime when the score is 38-38.  You’ll see that Kentucky’s FG is blocked, and then in the next overtime they get the ball on the 25 yardline without any penalty.  SI’s play-by-play shows the same thing (I checked just to make sure one of them just didn’t make a mistake). 

So what’s the significance of this loophole?  Well, honestly, not much.  It just means that when teams lose possession of the ball in overtime, they can freely commit flagrant penalties without fear of penalty (actual penalty, not just getting flagged).  It may not seem that powerful, but it sort of is.  Just like what happened in the Kentucky/Tennessee game: a game saving illegal tackle… is essentially LEGAL!  

Normally, the game cannot end on a defensive penalty, but that rule does not apply in overtime when the original offensive team loses possession of the ball.  So it’s quite unfair to Tennessee to have to go to another overtime when Kentucky got away with an illegal tackle to save the game and wasn’t punished.  

I think this loophole should be patched up by the following rule: if such events were to happen, then there should be a "half the distance to the goalline" penalty from the spot of the foul, or a "move the ball to the 1 yard line" penalty (such as Pass interference in the endzone with NFL rules), AND the current offensive team gets ONE last free play to score via field goal or touchdown.  I know, I know.  Those are HUGE big time penalties.  And it definitely seems unfair, but what are the other alternatives?  A do-over?  Keep the same players on the field where they last were at the time of the penalty, and just let the play re-start as if the illegal game saving tackle didn’t happen???  Umm… no. 

The fact is, Tennessee should have gotten some sort of remedy for that illegal game saving tackle.  It was definitely possible that if it weren’t for that illegal tackle that Eric Berry would have scored and won the game (I know Tennessee won anyways, but that’s off-topic).  Instead, Tennessee gets screwed out of that illegal tackle.  What if Tennessee had LOST the game in the next overtime?  It certainly would be unfair that they lost and didn’t get any sort of remedy for the illegal tackle.   

If anything, when Kentucky got the ball on offense for the next overtime, the rules should have evaluated the 15 yard personal foul penalty then.  Thus, Kentucky should have gotten the ball at the 40 yardline instead of the 25 yardline.  But the problem with this remedy is that penalty enforcement should occur IN THE SAME OVERTIME, and be relative to WHERE the foul happens and not in the next overtime (that’s why my two suggested remedies are superior although VERY heavy penalties).  But nope.  Didn’t happen.  Illegal tackles go unpunished in overtime after the defense gains possession of the ball.  Loophole.  Feel free to maliciously, flagrantly, and blatantly facemask tackle to save the game because nothing happens!  Woo!!!

Everyone loves bowl scenarios!  Reader Michael Pang writes in:

Hi,

Love the blog.  Been a devoted reader ever since I stumbled across it some time ago.

Regarding the bowl scenarios, I had found the rule regarding a 7-5 versus 6-6 team, but you guys amended it already.

One thing to point out - Oregon State went to the Sun Bowl last year.  If the Pac-10 gets 2 teams in the BCS, then Oregon State is the likely conference #4 (assuming the three leaders UO, ASU, & USC win out). What are the odds the Sun Bowl will take OSU again?

Anyway, another scenario to gum up the works…

–Michael

The answer to your question, Michael, is that the odds of the Sun taking OSU again are not good — if the Sun has a choice about the matter.  However, I’m not entirely convinced that they will.

In general, bowls don’t like to take the same team in consecutive years.  There are exceptions, such as Las Vegas’ hosting BYU both of the last two years — and they might get them again this year.  Why the Mormons like Sin City so much, I couldn’t begin to tell you, but fans of most teams tend to sour on vacationing in the same spot every year.  Some bowls even have provisions allowing them to pass over a team in the standings if that team went to the same bowl the year before, though I don’t know that any of those bowls are ones with Pac-10 tie-ins.

So what ARE the selection procedures the Sun Bowl has to use?  Well, besides the NCAA rules we discussed the other day (all teams with winning records must be taken before a 6-6 team can be considered), I’m not entirely sure.  The Pac-10 doesn’t publish any current guidelines; the most recent were those included in the 2005 Pac-10 Media Guide, found here.  The Sun Bowl procedures given are similar to those for all the other non-BCS bowls:

After the Pac-10 champion to the Fiesta Bowl (or BCS Championship Game) and a second Pac-10 team to the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, the Vitalis Sun Bowl receives the highest remaining team in the Pac-10 standings.  If there is a tie for that position, the Vitalis Sun Bowl has the right to select from between or among the tied teams.

If we assume that these rules are still in place today (and this website seems to think so, though it’s hosted on Geocities, so I’d take it with a grain of salt), then in the scenario outlined by Michael above, Oregon State would be alone in 4th place, and with 2 Pac-10 teams in the BCS, they would be the only available selection for the Sun Bowl.  Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rules had changed; if that were the case, and the Sun didn’t want Oregon State again, Cal would likely (assuming they win Big Game) be the only other viable candidate.

And what do the ‘experts’ at ESPN think?  Mark Schlabach has Oregon State in the Sun and Cal in the Emerald, but Ivan Maisel puts Cal in the Sun and relegates Oregon State to the Emerald.  Does Maisel know something I don’t?  Perhaps.  I mean, that Stanford education has got to be good for something, right?

Anyway, my take is that if the Sun has a choice, they probably don’t take Oregon State again, but I’m skeptical that they’ll have that choice.

 

"Don’t bother searching, I already did.  And this Horn Of Plenty doesn’t have a single DLineman in it." 

During the rough times of this season, it can be difficult to remember how far we have come and all the things we are thankful for.  If only there was an uniquely American holiday that helped focus people on all the things they are thankful for.  Instead all we have is a holiday that celebrates all the cut rate electronics they want so bad they’d trample innocent people.  That’s tomorrow.  But before Kohl’s opens at 4 A.M. (I’m just leaving to set up camp outside), we here at the California Golden Blogs thought we could perhaps make a list of all the things we are thankful for.  And who knows, maybe this whole thankful thing will catch on. 

I even have a name for it I thought up.  Thingstaken.  Just like Indigenous Peoples Day.  But with Pie!  Delicious, delicious pie.  And moderately less genocide.  But mostly pie. 

 

TwistNHook:  Here’s a list of things I am thankful for, in no particular order:

1.  Jeff Tedford
2.  Marshawn Lynch
3.  Seeing friends at the Cal games
4.  Jeff Tedford
5.  Memorial Stadium
6.  Amazing gameday weather
7.  Jeff Tedford
8.  Marshawn Lynch

Ragnarok:  I’m thankful for Steve Gladstone, for hiring a relatively unknown Jeff Tedford to be Cal’s football coach.

I’m also thankful that DeVon Hardin decided to come back for his senior year.

Finally, I’m thankful each and every time that I go to Memorial Stadium and an earthquake doesn’t cause it to collapse on me.  However, I’m decidedly not thankful for the City of Berkeley’s continued fight over the University’s efforts to improve seismic safety in the Stadium.

HydroTech:  I am thankful for Tedford, Ron Gould, and Jim Michalczik. 

If you guys are thankful for Marshawn Lynch, you also have to be thankful for Robert Jordan.  Those two were pretty much a package deal, and without both of them we would have gotten neither. 

I am also thankful for Brandon Mebane and Daymeion Hughes.  Those guys were also package deals and believed in Tedford enough to be a part of his first true recruiting class. 

TwistNHook:  Wait, I got more.  I’m thankful for that moment that the sun drops below the top of Memorial Stadium and I can see the game again.  That’s always nice. 

I’m thankful for lazy Saturday afternoons just sitting around for hours on end in anticipation. 

I’m thankful for UCLA 2000, Big Game 02, USC 03, Washington 06. 

And most importantly, I’m thankful for Jeff Tedford!

Yellow Fever:  I’m thankful for something resembling expectations of our basketball team.  But only slightly, because I still maintain it was perversely fun to root for our Bears when they were busy going 1-10.

I’m thankful we have a consistent running game, because building a consistent passing game isn’t as easy as Mike Leach makes it look.  (And he doesn’t have a rushing defense, so there!)

I’m thankful for the handful of Bears games that I was able to see on national television courtesy of Versus and FSN.  Although I’m not sure how thankful I am that I was able to see Kevin Riley’s ill-fated scramble.

And I’m thankful that Jeff Tedford is our head coach, because the alternative could be a lot, lot, worse.

Ragnarok:  Finally, I’m thankful that no matter what happens in all the other Cal sports, there’s always Rugby season to look forward to!

TwistNHook:  If only I knew the rules to rugby and could follow it. 

HydroTech:  Oh, I’m thankful for Aaron Rodgers.  Some day, when that grandpa of a QB #4 in Green Bay retires, Mr. Rodgers will rule the neighborhood and show the world that he’s pretty darn good.

TwistNHook:  And I’m thankful that the Niners passed him up to take Alex Smi………………..oh god……….

 

What are you thankful for? GO BEARS!