Here in the Bay, we get Saints-Falcons right now and Dallas-SD later.  I guess the Raiders are blacked out again.  Niners play tomorrow night.  Use this thread to discuss all the action.  GO BEARS (Cal, that is!). 

Hana is the best hitter in the country, but can she beat PSU alone?

GO BEARS!  The VBall team is red hot right now!  They just defeated Baylor to make the NCAA Regional Final.  Elite 8!

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The ninth-seeded California volleyball team (21-10, 11-7 Pac-10) defeated Baylor (24-10, 11-9 Big 12) in three sets (26-24, 25-20, 25-17) on Friday, Dec. 11, at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship Gainesville Regional semifinal. The Golden Bears will advance to the NCAA regional championship match for the third consecutive year where they will face either top-seeded and No. 1-ranked defending champion Penn State (34-0, 20-0 Big Ten) or host No. 14 Florida (25-5, 16-4 SEC). Cal will take the court for the regional final in a 4 p.m. ET match on Saturday, Dec. 12, to be aired live by ESPNU. Please check local listings for availability.

Cal was led by senior outside hitter Hana Cutura's match-high 18 kills (6e, 40att, .300) and senior middle hitter Mindi Wiley's nine kills (2e, 17att, .412) and match-high five blocks (one solo). Sophomore outside hitter Tarah Murrey added eight kills in an efficient performance (1e, 15att, .467) that included six digs. Junior setter Carli Lloyd dished out 38 assists and added three kills (0e, 9att, .333) and eight digs with freshman opposite hitter Correy Johnson as the beneficiary of six of those assists. Johnson finished with six kills (1e, 13att, .385) as Cal logged a .330 attack percentage with 47 kills (13e, 103att) in the match.

Cal now faces Penn State in the Regional Final.  It is a place they've been before:

Cal faced a top-seeded and top-ranked Penn State team in the 2008 NCAA University Park Regional championship where it fell in three sets. The Nittany Lions have since extended their winning streak to 98 consecutive victories. In 2007, Cal took on defending NCAA champion Nebraska at a neutral site in the Wisconsin Regional and dethroned the Cornhuskers in a three-set sweep. Only Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and Texas have also made the NCAA regional final in each of the past two seasons.

Ya, Penn State is good.  98 consecutive victories good.  This..........will be tough.  PSU is led by coach Russ Rose:

As his team scrimmaged a few courts over, Rose, the Penn State women's volleyball coach, stopped in front of three wooden containers, rolled one aside and boxed himself in near the corner of the gym.

"Welcome to my office," he said.

The moment was classic Rose: humble and down to earth, but delivered with a wit as sharp as his team's record 98-game winning streak, which began in 2007 and has produced two consecutive NCAA championships.

It is the longest NCAA Division I winning streak in women's sports history, and the second longest of all time behind Miami's 137 straight match wins in men's tennis. He recently passed John Wooden's 88-game win streak in men's basketball at UCLA from 1971-74 and North Carolina's 92-game win streak in women's soccer from 1990-94.

"We've been fortunate that we've been on a hot streak as of late," said Rose, 56, who has 997 career wins and has coached here for the last 31 years, 13 shy of Joe Paterno's 44. He's turned down both professional and collegiate jobs in favor of sticking around Happy Valley. (And yes, he does have a real office.)

The game starts at 1 PM PST and is televised on ESPNU.

PRD will stream this match
http://www.justin.tv/prd74_2

After the jump, Danzig has provided us with some more in depth analysis that is unremarkably good.  I say unremarkably, because his analysis is always top notch and it is no different here.  So, read that, comment below, and GO BEARS!

Continue reading this post »

Sick show tonight.  I can't make it, because its a Thursday night, but for those who live in the City and dont have early mornings tomorrow, I suggest you go.

It's SpaceHeater plays Rahsaan Roland Kirk.  Here is more information:

via www.sfjazz.org

SFJazz has a new series wherein modern musicians reinterpret the work of previous icons.  And they've picked some great musicians here.  Firstly, Rahsaan Roland Kirk is a legend.  An icon.  A personal inspiration to me.  He could play up to 3 saxes at once!  Unbelievable.  He was remarkably creative.  Always pushing the boundaries, always creating.  Fresh, fresh, fresh.  He himself was not adverse to reinterpreting the music of others.  Here he is playing "Say A Little Prayer" (the first few minutes is him talking, which he was wont to do):

He could play a myriad of instruments.  His fluting was the direct inspiration for Jethro Tull's fluting, which led to a lot of anger and resentment by Kirk, who felt they had gotten rich based off his technique.  Here he is fluting LoverMan:

And this guy is going to be reinterpreted by SpaceHeater's Blast Furnace.  They do a good mixture of instrumental jazz with electronica.  It should be good.  I'm having trouble finding a quality video here for them. The songs I love of theirs do not appear to be on YouTube.  Blech.

The show is at 9 at Amnesia in the Mission.  Find the info here on this Google Map. So, go if you can!  Support local musicians!  Support SFJazz!  Its only $5!  What do you have to lose?

Mens BBall beats Pacific:

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) - Patrick Christopher had game-high totals of 22 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday night to lead California to a 79-54 victory over Pacific.

The Stockton Showcase turned into a showcase for Cal's shooters as the Bears shot 53 percent in the first Division I basketball game played at Stockton Arena. The crowd of 8,704 was the largest ever for a Pacific home game.

Jerome Randle had 15 points and six assists for the Bears (6-3), who took command early in the first half and extended their lead throughout the game.

The Golden Bears wasted no time in taking a stranglehold on the game, taking a 10-point lead seven minutes into the contest. Christopher helped Cal gain that early lead when he connected on the first five shots that he took. Sophomore center Max Zhang helped out, as well, swishing two outside shots. Randle scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half.

The Bears never let the Tigers get back in the game. Cal went into the locker room at the half with a 14-point lead.

There are so many times I want to quit this blog.  I ask myself is it worth it?  Are risking many Hydrotech Face Punchings worth it?  But the amazing community we have here usually inspires me to the do all the work.  And working on the Report Card post is usually one of my most favorite posts to put together.  Seeing what all you people have written is always a lot of fun. 

Fun was not the word that came to mind doing the Report Card post this time.  You guys certainly know how to express your opinion and, well, given how the game went, I'm sure you can imagine what went on.  If you like positive, optimistic things like daisies riding unicorns and ponies snuggling with rainbows, I suggest you read NO further.  But if you like pessimistic things and are full of self-loathing, well, then you are a Cal fan and probably added something to this Report Card.  You may read on.

I think PolarBear91 hits the right note here in his "overall" thought:

Worst. Episode. Ever.

Tough to disagree, Mr. Bear91.  Tough to disagree.

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More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

about 1 month ago: California's Theo Robertson looks to pass away from Chico State's Dario Sims, foreground, and Jason Conrad, back, during the first half of an NCAA college exhibition basketball game Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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Tonight is the Cal-Pacific Men's Basketball game.  Here is the broadcast information:

California Golden Bears (5-3) at Pacific Tigers (6-1)
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 7:00 p.m. (PT), Stockton Arena, Stockton, Calif.
Radio: KFRC 1550 AM TV: Big West TV

This is apparently a free audio feed.

Yes, BigWest TV.  What is BigWestTV?  Avi knows, because Avi knows all.  Oh Omnipresent Avinash, tell us how to follow tonight's game?

The only way to watch tonight's game is by subscribing to  http://www.bigwest.org/tv/  I've heard the service is kinda wonky though, so you might want to post links to the audio stream for everyone else (http://www.kfrc.com/).

Jagdip Dhillon of RecordNet takes a closer look at the game from a Pacific angle:

Thomason said his team is better on defense and more athletically equipped to guard Cal's excellent backcourt, which features point guard Jerome Randle (20 points and five assists) and Patrick Christopher (14.8 points and five rebounds). The duo combined for 42 points last year against Pacific, so Demetrece Young and Joe Ford will have to find a way to slow them down.

Christopher said zone defenses have been Cal's weakness this season.

"We aren't playing our best basketball, because some of our guys have been injured," Christopher said. "Teams have been zoning us, and trying to figure that out is something we've been trying to do as a team."

Thomason has used an attacking 3-2 zone with Ford up top at times this season, but he said the Tigers would have to guard Cal one-on-one for long stretches to be competitive.

Montgomery, who spent 18 seasons at Stanford and is in his second year at Cal, said Pacific will present a well-coached challenge for his team.

"They're not going to back off at all," Montgomery said at his weekly news conference Monday. "It's a big game for them to get a Pac-10 school in Stockton. We're going to have to be ready to play."

Continue reading this post »

via laughingsquid.com

"I pity the fool who don’t phone home"

How am I just hearing of this (via CalBandGreat) in 2009 and not like whenever Al Gore initially invented the introwebs?  This shoulda been one of the first things he worked on.  That and crushing the dreams of small business owners everywhere with onerous environmental regulations.

Men's BBall to take on Pacific:

California Golden Bears (5-3) at Pacific Tigers (6-1)
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 7:00 p.m. (PT), Stockton Arena, Stockton, Calif.
Radio: KFRC 1550 AM TV: Big West TV

 

Still trying to get its starters fully healthy, California stays local this week facing Pacific in Stockton. The Golden Bears are coming off of an 82-63 victory against Iowa State last Saturday. Cal and Pacific tip off on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Stockton Arena.

Senior guard Patrick Christopher and sophomore forward Omondi Amoke each tallied double-doubles - the second and third of the season for Cal. It was the third time in the last four games that Amoke has paced the Bears on the boards. For Christopher, it was his second 20-point outing of the season, and he tied his career high with 11 rebounds. He is 16th on the all-time scoring chart with 1,272 points. He is tied for 10th on Cal's list for career three-pointers with 122.

Senior guard Jerome Randle boasted 18 points against the Cyclones. Randle now has 1,345 career points and is 13th all-time in school history. Randle is three three-pointers away from second on Cal's all-time three-point list. He currently has 180. Randle is also fourth on Cal's all-time assist list with 414. He remains Cal's leading scorer, averaging 20.1 ppg - fifth best in the Pac-10.

Sophomore guard Jorge Gutierrez came up two points shy of tying his personal best against Iowa State. He finished the game with 12 points, and tied his season high in rebounds with four.

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

It's only awkward if we let it be awkward, Alex.

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Cal Goldenboy and facial hair enthusiast Aaron Rodgers is oonce again back in the national spotlight.  On Monday Night Football on ESPN at 8:30 PM EST/5:30 PM PST, he takes on the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense.  

Acme Packing Company breaks it down.

QB Aaron Rodgers vs. the Ravens pass D. Based on the yardage rankings, this looks like a matchup that would favor Rodgers. But the Ravens have held opposing QBs to a rating of 79.0, with 12 TDs (12th fewest) and 12 INTs (7th most). Their pass defense is currently ranked No. 5 overall by Football Outsiders, which would be the best pass defense he's faced so far this season. Though they have lost both starting CB Fabian Washington (torn ACL) and star pass rusher LB Terrell Suggs (torn MCL) in recent weeks. Those injuries are similar to what the Packers have gone through, except LB Aaron Kampman is gone for the season and Suggs should return later this month. In their 2 games without Suggs, who has 3.5 of their 21 sacks on the season, the Ravens were without a sack against the Colts or Steelers, which should help the struggling o-line avoid any disaster. This is a tough matchup for Rodgers, but he's been good to outstanding in every game this season and I wouldn't bet against him.

Use this thread to discuss the game and Aaron Rodger's maturation as a quality NFL quarterback.  Make us proud, Aaron!  Make us proud!  GO BEARS! 

PS The contents of this thread should, in no way, reflect any interest in my part on a Green Bay victory.  I fully retain my hatred from the 1990s, but have made an exception for Aaron Rodgers.  Go Rodgers and Go Ravens!

Tons of action this weekend, so use this Fanpost to discuss all the NFL action in Week 13.

Use this thread to discuss all the Cal-UW 12.5.09 Fourth Quarter action.  Last regular season in game open thread.  Last regular season CGB Insta-poll.  I feel like we are sharing a moment here.  Don't forget to vote in the CGB Insta-poll.  GO BEARS!