SB Nation User Blog: carp

DBD 11.11.09 Hang on

carp — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:42:10 -0000

As the sumatra percolates to afford legal crack, I'd thought I'd remind everyone to keep the faith. The next 2-4 games could be L's in the W/L department and I'd hate to see everyone flip their shit because of it. However, use your problem solving skills to try and come up with a potential remedy since this is, after all, an SBN blog and Blez wouldn't have it any other way. I would like to see Tedford stay at least four years after the completion of the facilities, so that he can recruit at competitively and actually develop his players. I honestly fear, however, that L's in the coming weeks could accelerate the panic button. We know it will already becoming from the Bear Insider peeps, but lets make sure it doesn't happen here. He's a great coach, and I don't think we could find better. He's working in a UC system that's lead by an evil dickhead, the faculty are cramping the athletic department's style, and his assistant coaches aren't paid competitively. You should refi and cut 'em a big check. Onto the News & World Report after The Yump

All links SFGate, SFW, and should open in a new window unless otherwise noted. Cal-related stories are in blockquotes for your rapid viewing pleasure.

Fuck those guys, and the horses they rode in on. American soldiers find half a million pounds of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in explosives (NYT).

Trash islands in your oceans (NYT). Remember that when you toss your empty Dorrito's bag on the ground.

Minnesota man assaults coworker with a backhoe:

Prosecutors charged the co-owner of a Hermantown construction company with allegedly assaulting a construction worker with a backhoe. The criminal complaint said a 48-year-old man told investigators he wanted to "nudge" the victim, but didn't want to hurt him. He also said it was a stupid thing to do.

Family of truck driver is pissed at Cal Trans. Who isn't? That's a long line. Quit looking for a handout and mourn your lost family member.

DC sniper executed. Can't believe that was 7 years ago. Wish they fired up Ol' Sparky for this one.

Yoo's attorneys seem desperate:

"Threatening executive branch lawyers with personal liability for reaching allegedly incorrect legal conclusions regarding the constitutionality of a president's wartime actions would infringe on the core war-making authority that the Constitution reserves to the political branches," said attorney Manuel Miranda.

Take a stroll through an SF beauty.

Research says I need more sleep (NYT).

Trying to understand the definition of "crazy." (NYT)

Sports

Sammy Sosa's bleaching his skin? (CBS)

The A's don't know who'll be playing 3rd next year. I don't see how this differs from other years.

Miller discusses Pac10's Round Robin (ESPN The Ocho).

Everyone misses Best:

"Jahvid is one of those guys who has a little special aura around him," offensive tackle Mike Tepper said. "He's not your T.O. (Terrell Owens). He's very humble, very quiet. When he walks into a room, he doesn't really need to say very much because everybody knows he's there. So you notice his absence."

Cal players have not seen Best since he was carted off the field at Memorial Stadium, strapped to a backboard and wearing an oxygen mask. That naturally was a disconcerting sight, and several players spoke eagerly of wanting to see Best again.

Tafur on Cal hoops:

Well, this season, turn on the lights and get out from behind the couch. Opposing teams will not be caught off guard by the Bears, thanks to their four returning senior starters, two of the best shooters in the country and a No. 13 national ranking.

"The rankings are based on a formula," Montgomery said. "If that team lost two or three players, and you didn't, then you're better. ... I like our team, but it certainly isn't as clear-cut as what would appear or what people would like it to be. ... I hope they're right."

Montgomery enjoyed last season immensely, and this one should be just as fun, with more pressure sprinkled on top. He has the conference's only two returning All-Pac-10 players in Randle and shooting guard Patrick Christopher, not to mention small forward Theo Robertson, who shot 49 percent from three-point range last season.

Bears w/ Fangs has an epic post (I posted a part of it, but you should read it all):

Cal doesn’t have the pass rushers this year
While I wrote last week that the Bears needed to be judicious about when and how to bring pressure, I did so with the understanding that we’d get killed on middle screens if we decided to send the house every play. It didn’t mean I didn’t think we needed to blitz, I just thought we had to be incredibly careful as to how we did so.

Yes, I don’t think Cal pressured Canfield nearly enough on Saturday. There were far too many instances when we were bringing just 3 or 4 pass rushers, which simply isn’t enough for a QB who had been shredding up similar defensive packages all year.

Yet, I distinctly recall Cal having much more success with this last year, despite only brining three to five pass rushers specifically. Last year, opposing offensive lines were being beaten not just by linemen, but our linebackers who excelled at shedding blocks, disguising their blitzes, and jumping the snap quickly to put adequate pressure on the QB.

While the defensive line this year has played up to par as last year, this falls more on the absence of a strong pass rusher at the LB position. I really don’t want to hear too much about our defensive line struggling, because they’ve really been the rock of this defense this year. I think we severely underestimated the losses at LB, and not having the pass rusher in Zach Follett or versatile MLB in Worrell Williams is really rearing its head in games where we aren’t seeing the success we used to when we do decide to send one or two extra linebackers or linemen.

Secondary Seconds
Many had expected Cal’s struggling secondary to have a potentially long day ahead against OSU’s potent passing attack, and well—they did. Sean Canfield was a sharp 29-39 for 342 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. Saturday marked the seventh time this season that an opposing QB has thrown for more than 200 yards against the Bears (the exceptions being Maryland and Eastern Washington), and the fourth time that a QB has gone more than 300.

While the struggles in Cal’s secondary are head shakingly perplexing, some of it might be a lot easier to digest if you accept that Cal has struggled to field its four most consistent players in the backfield for this season.

While Syd’Quan Thompson has had his momentary lapses and battles with the injury bug, he’s still played like the preseason all-conference player that he is. The issue has been Cal’s inability to find the answer at the other CB spot.

Darian Hagan has become a near afterthought after his solid sophomore season has been followed up with inconsistent play, injury, and a team suspension. The aforementioned items has sent him plummeting down the depth chart behind RS frosh Josh Hill, Chris Conte, and Bryant Nnabuife.

And while all four of these players have gotten nods at the second DB spot this season, none seem to have played with the level of consistency to make opposing QBs hesitate just a little about throwing the ball to their side of the field. In fact, their play has essentially screamed, “Open” at certain moments of the season.

Similarly, while I’m pleased with the decision to place Sean Cattouse at one of the safety positions (I think the kid might be the best natural secondary player we have next to Squid right now), Cal has also struggled in the safety position. The most recent revelation that safety Marcus Ezeff has missed practices over the last few years to finish his degree on time has partially explained why his play has essentially stagnated over the past season, if not slightly regressed. Brent Johnson has showed the ability to lay some devastating hits, but has also found himself out of position on a few key passing plays this year as well.

Bears Burned in the Middle
Cal has struggled all year to defend tight ends or receivers over the middle, and the story wasn’t any different with Joe Halahuni steamrolling the Bears for 6 catches and 128 yards. The Bears haven’t been able to find an answer at a coverage linebacker who can adequately match one-on-one with tight ends, and safeties have struggled to keep the tight ends bottled up once they’ve snuck out 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. It’s quite frustrating to see it happen time and time again, which makes you wonder if it’s a constant issue in execution (which might reflect coaching) or simply a lack of personnel.

DBD 10.29.09 If you click on this link, you better post

carp — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:02:11 -0000

Warm title, no? For the Lurkers out there, feel free to bring a link about anything interesting (Cal-related or not). Alternatively, make a joke or mock someone. In other words, participate! Onto the News and World Report:

All links SF Gate, SFW, and should open in a new window unless otherwise noted. Cal-related stories are in block quotes. Baby had to be rocked for a good 40 min so we runnin' this early bird style.

via travel.latimes.com

Why should we trust you this time: Bay Bridge may be repaired by tonight. Is it safe?

Public option? Yeah right. New bill aims to make it an option for those that don't have employer-based insurance.

Affordable housing in Walnut Creek (stop laughing).

Fox News admits they aren't fair and balanced.

RI motorist drove with man in the windshield. Think about that for a minute.

Obama meets caskets of fallen troops (LAT).

Shooter targeting SoCal synagogues (LAT).

Cell phone radiation weakens bones (LAT).

Fighting prostate cancer with facial hair (LAT).

Sex pheromones are bending the laws of attraction (ARA Lifestyle via LAT).

Enjoy poblanos this holiday season. Check out new pizzerias.

We goin' to Sizzler tonight: CA to award $230 million dollars in nonembryonic stem cell grants (NYT). Why I have to read about it in the NY Times is another issue.

Sports

Cliff Lee was carvin'. 10 K's against that lineup is quite impressive.

The LA Times notes that the top four ranked teams could all be playing in the Rose Bowl.

Kroichek on Cal-ASU:

Saturday's game at Arizona State might offer some insight. The Bears (5-2, 2-2 Pac-10) will meet an ASU team (4-3, 2-2) similarly searching for its identity, trying to determine if it will rise toward the top of the conference standings or drift toward the bottom. Plus, Cal must hit the road and play in front of a hostile crowd.

Put another way: The Bears should learn more about themselves Saturday than they did in victories over UCLA and Washington State the past two weeks.

"It'll be good to get a more quality opponent and really see what we're all about," linebacker Mike Mohamed said.

It was striking to hear Mohamed candidly wonder which Cal team will show up in Tempe. Much like fans, Mohamed sees the wide disparity between the way the Bears played in their five turbocharged wins and the way they played in their two disheartening losses.

"The biggest thing is, can we get the explosive Cal out there? The Cal that scores points early in the first quarter and then the defense shuts guys down," Mohamed said. "We've kind of seen opposite sides of Cal at times, mainly the USC and Oregon games. We're hoping to go out there, put up some points and then hold their offense."

The Bears jumped ahead early the past two games, each time scoring 35 points by halftime. That helped the defense, which knew opponents had to crank up their passing game. Cal surrendered gobs of yardage to UCLA and WSU, but only six second-half points.

Don't count on another gaudy first-half outburst Saturday. Coach Jeff Tedford likened Arizona State's defense to USC's - an ominous comparison, because the Bears managed only one field goal Oct. 3 against the Trojans.

Cal also could find itself in a close game for the first time all season.

Kawahara:
Facing an ASU defense that Tedford said is similar to USC's in its personnel and speed, then, means preparing mentally for a game in which ground gains may come in smaller increments.

"We have to educate them to that," Tedford said. "They're going to be watching tape all week long, so it's not going to be a surprise, but it's something we've got to make sure that our mindset is right -- and that our mindset is that we're playing a very difficult defense."

Wilner:

Here’s something that could play no role, a minor or a major role: The weather.

Latest forecast for Eugene on Saturday evening: 50s, breezy and rain.

Now, I realize Matt Barkley isn’t your typical freshman quarterback in any way, shape or form. But I’d be curious to know when he last played a game in the rain. Has he ever played in the rain?

And regardless of that answer, he has not played a game in the rain against a defense like Oregon’s — that, we know for sure.

(If you don’t think playing in the cold, rain and wind could be an issue for a USC quarterback who was raised in SoCal, then you didn’t hear about Mark Sanchez’s five INT performance against the Bills in the cold rain in East Rutherford a few weeks ago.)

I came out of last weekend neutral on this game. But now, after pondering the matchups and the momentum, and after seeing that weather forecast, I’m leaning green.

Feels like a Duck day.

Last week: 2-3
Season: 20-23-3
Five-star special: 4-4

All picks against the spread.
Lines taken from the Mercury News.

USC (minus-3) at OREGON: Line opened at 4.5 and has been bet down to three just about everywhere, according to vegasinsider.com. Ducks won two years ago in Eugene, by a touchdown, in similar circumstances (i.e., the best teams in the league, huge stakes). Gimme: Oregon.

CAL (minus-6.5) at ARIZONA STATE: If Cal plays well, it’ll stomp the Devils. But Cal has been known to not play very well on the road. I’ve gone back and forth on this one, but with the number under 7, the favorite feels right. Gimme: Cal

Oskitalk:

The Bears do have some issues on the team. The defensive secondary and the LBs look like they need some improvement, and the mindset of Kevin Riley is critical. That being said, these kids can improve and they will. And, regardless of what people say - it is not the schemes of the coaches that are causing these lapses. It is the execution of the field. That is the least fixable part of the game - fixable generally only through recruiting. So stop killing yourselves because the kids are not as good as you thought they were. Over time, we will get better.

Miller picks Cal:

California 27, Arizona State 20: Arizona State's defense will mostly redeem itself after its letdown at Stanford, but the Sun Devils offense will make Cal's disappointing defense look stout again.

Miller:

2. Were Arizona State's defensive numbers a mirage? Last weekend, Stanford piled up 473 yards -- 237 yards rushing -- against the Sun Devils, who entered the game ranked seventh in the nation in total defense (248 yards per game) and second vs. the run (58 yards per game). It's fair to ask if the Sun Devils' previously impressive defensive numbers were a function of the middling-to-poor offenses they faced during the early going. They can answer that question by shutting down -- or at least slowing down -- California and running back Jahvid Best.

6. Riley must be sharp in Tempe: Arizona State is going to gang up against Cal's run game, and the Sun Devils have enough talent and speed to make things hard on Best and the Bears' offensive line. That means, however, that there are going to be opportunities in the passing game. Can Cal QB Kevin Riley take advantage? He's been hot and cold much of the season. This would be a good time for some consistent execution. Of course, ASU ranks third in the nation with 13 interceptions.

Item 6 scares the crap out of me. Here's hoping he makes me eat my shorts.

DBD 10.27.09: Oh Snap!

carp — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:46:04 -0000

carp's News and World Report

All links SF Gate, SFW, and should open in a new window unless otherwise noted. Cal related stories are in blockquotes for your rapid retrieval pleasure.

Our DBD kicks things off with a doozy: Cal profs want Cal Athletics to stop subsidizing sports.

But a growing number of Cal academics are disturbed by the practice, arguing that the prestigious research university should not subsidize elite athletes at a time of soaring college costs, faculty furloughs and reduced course offerings.

The faculty, which will debate the issue at next month's Faculty Senate meeting, is not alone. Now the independent Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics - formed 20 years ago by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to raise academic standards in college sports - is turning its attention to an out-of-control "arms race" among college football programs competing to pay increasingly high coaches' salaries and other associated costs.

"The data is eye-opening and quite troubling - athletic expenditures are rising three or four times faster than academic budgets," said William "Brit" Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland. He's co-chairman of the Knight Commission, which on Monday released a survey of university presidents' views on the cost of programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the nation's 120 top college football teams.

"We're painfully aware of the global fiscal implosion and the impact it's having on academic institutions," Kirwan said. "As a result, 75 percent of presidents say we can't continue on this path."

Deficits common

Only 24 of the 120 top teams operate in the black, with deficits averaging $10 million per school, he said.

Those deficits are typically made up by loans or gifts of university funds.

This year, UC Berkeley's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics - whose football team is in the Bowl Subdivision - is projected to run a deficit of nearly $6 million, rising to $6.4 million next year.

To make ends meet, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau expects to lend the athletes more than $12 million by the end of next year from a $165 million discretionary fund of interest income, gifts and undesignated bequests, said Cal spokesman Dan Mogulof.

The athletics department itself has a budget of nearly $65 million, which it uses for everything from heating the swim team's pool to paying football coach Jeff Tedford's salary - $2.3 million last year.

No tax money goes into that budget. Mogulof said it's funded from a combination of revenue from the men's football and basketball teams, gifts, student registration fees and the chancellor's funds.

It's not enough

But the income isn't enough. For years, the athletics department has spent more than it has taken in.

"The chancellor is disturbed by these deficits and is pressing athletics to close the gap as quickly as possible," Mogulof said, noting that the terms of repayment for the current loans have not been decided.

The last time the athletes ran up a multiyear debt - owing the university $31.4 million by 2007 - the bill was forgiven, according to a written explanation of Cal's athletics budget and policies prepared in response to questions from the faculty.

Some debt-ridden academic programs have also had loans forgiven, the document says.

But Birgeneau "is fully committed to ensuring that the short-term loans will be paid back in full," Mogulof said.

Meanwhile, a group of faculty members who have dubbed themselves a Sports Grinch Club objects to the use of any university funds being spent on intercollegiate athletics.

"We ought to stop subsidizing this program," said Michael O'Hare, a professor at Cal's Goldman School of Public Policy. He and others say the loss to the school far outweighs any benefit because elite athletes generally have lower graduation rates and receive unfair benefits compared with regular students.

He said the Faculty Senate - the voice of tenured instructors in university governance - will consider a nonbinding resolution at its Nov. 5 meeting to end the subsidies.

via imgs.sfgate.com

Home prices rise for the third straight month.

Renowned Bay Area Landscape Architect Lawrence Halprin dies:

Lawrence Halprin, the Bay Area landscape architect who pushed the design of America's urban spaces in new directions over a career that spanned 60 years, died Sunday of natural causes. He was 93.

He left his mark at all scales, from the crafting of San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square in the 1960s to the transformation of the 52-acre base of Yosemite Falls that was completed in 2005.

Mr. Halprin's best-known national work is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. - a saga that began when he won a design competition in 1976 but wasn't completed until the memorial opened in 1997.

"He was the single most influential landscape architect of the postwar years," said Charles Birnbaum, president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation. "He redefined the profession's role in cities."

The article notes that he also did Greenwood Common and Sproul Plaza.

This guy loves making the walls of buildings covered with ivy .

California’s never ending water war continues, this time involving Delta water which provides water for 24 million people or two-thirds of the entire state population (including SoCal). I don’t know about you, but I’m a little skeptical the yahoos in Sacramento are going to get this right.

West Hollywood : The place for Halloween.

‘Shroom in Mendocino.

Cougar has her prey: "Age thing" doesn’t stop this San Mateo couple:

Greg Sanders was 21 and a recent transplant from St. Louis when the naturally exuberant Debra DuPree, then 35, drove up next to him on Highway 101 and started waving her hands. His truck was splashed with stickers for Dent Wizard, advertising dent repair. He thought the animated blonde was trying to get him to pull over and give her an estimate.

For runaways, sex buys survival (NYT).

Well this is depressing: Only 2% of integrated circuits used for military purposes are built in the USA. The article says that Trojan horses represent one of the most severe threats to our military (NYT).

We didn’t start the fire: CalFire possibly lit up the Santa Cruz mountains. I believe they’re typically a rag-tag unit comprised of firefighters no city or county would want coupled with prisoners.

Chronicle’s new strategy is working: Charge more, distribute less . Not to worry, I still get their news for free. Did you know a NYT regional office went up in SF and will deliver a 2-4 page long Bay Area section?

In the first of a seven part series, the NYT present skullduggery. This article is in regards to FDR and the Dakota droughts of 1936.

Cancer: Treatment and Research

In what I consider to be kick-ass news, Cal and UCSF are teaming up to understand cancer:

Scientists at UC Berkeley and UCSF have formed a research center to explore the physical principles that govern the origin and behavior of cancer cells, and how they multiply in humans.

With a five-year, $15.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, the UC researchers have formed the Physical Sciences-Oncology Center where they will seek to understand the mysterious ways that cancer - its onset and responses to radiation and chemotherapy - are subject to the laws of physics.

The NCI announced the new grant Monday and said that related centers with similar goals have been created at 11 other major universities and research centers, and that all the groups will be collaborating with each other.

Physicists, chemists, engineers and mathematicians will be linked with physicians to probe the mechanisms of the disease's many aspects. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UCSF's Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center also will be included.

"By bringing a fresh set of eyes to the study of cancer, these new centers have a great potential to advance, and sometimes challenge, accepted theories about cancer and its supportive microenvironment," said Dr. John E. Niederhuber, the NCI director. "Physical scientists think in terms of time, space, pressure, heat, and evolution in ways that we hope will lead to new understandings of the multitude of forces that govern cancer - and with that understanding, we hope to develop new and innovative methods of arresting tumor growth and metastasis."

Director of the new UC center is Berkeley research biophysicist Jan T. Liphardt, and the co-director is UCSF pathologist Thea Tlsty. Neither could be reached for comment.

If there are any undergrads or grads reading this, think about getting involved with this. What a perfect combination. Thank you stimulus money!

Cancers can vanish without treatment…but how? (NYT). Also, MD Anderson might be the best thing ever associated with Houston (NYT). I mean, it’s a helluva lot better than Bush International Airport, amirite?

Sports

Big Mac’s returning to baseball as hitting coach for Tony LaRussa's Cardinals. Read the comment section.

And the Taylor Mays/dirty player thing continues: Pac10 suspends ref for missing facemask call in USC-Oregon St game.

Wilner has an interesting piece re: the WAC and Boise St (Merc).

The human body was built for running distance (NYT).

World Series managers have different styles:

Philadelphia Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel is a 65-year-old potbellied baseball lifer who honed his instincts in minor league outposts like Colorado Springs and Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. He comes armed with data but is more likely to play a hunch, to go with his gut. His counterpart on the Yankees, Joe Girardi, is a 45-year-old workout fanatic with a degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern. As much as any manager around, he is comfortable with statistics and employs a modern approach to his job.

BWNQ has a nice Cal-Wazzu highlights post up.

BWF recaps Cal-Wazzu:

Struggling Secondary
It’s about as official as it can be: Cal’s pass defense is struggling right now. Cal’s secondary was again lit up for major yardage on Saturday, this time from true freshman Jeff Tuel. Tuel had a career day, going 28-42 for 354 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. As some comparison, check out Tuel’s numbers in previous outings:

Against ASU: 11-22, 175 yards, and 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Against USC: 14-22, 130 yards, 1 INT

Yes. Cal allowed Tuel to rack up more than double the yardage of his ASU performance. Perhaps Tuel suddenly clicked as a quarterback. Perhaps. However, it’s far more likely that he faced off against a secondary that has some major issues, as this isn’t the first time this season.

Last week, UCLA frosh QB Kevin Prince also had a career day, completing 21 of 41 for 311 yards. His previous performances had included a 13-25 for 81 yard (1 INT) game against Arizona, and a 11-23, 101 yard (1 TD) game against Tennessee.

Two weeks prior to that game, USC true frosh Matt Barkley went 20-35 for 283 yards, also his highest yardage total of the season.

In the week before that, Oregon’s Jeremiah Masoli who had just completed 45.3% of his passes for just 379 yards went ballistic on the Bears, going 21-15 for 253 yards and 3 TDs.

The list goes on: Minnesota’s Adam Weber going 21-32 for 226 yards, EWU Matt Nichol’s efficient 23-31 for 195 yards and 1 TD game, etc.

As it stands now, the Bears are ranked 9th in the conference, just ahead of WSU, in passing yards allowed per game, with 271. That’s a whole heck of a lot of yards.

Now, to be fair, opposing teams throw on the Bears…a lot. Cal has the second highest number of passes thrown at them a game, so it’s expected that teams might rack up the yards in the air. But I think it might be more indicative of opposing teams' knowledge of our vulnerablity in our secondary right now.

We’ll talk about the pass rush in a second, but it became apparent that the yardage allowed on Saturday was more on the secondary than anything else. From what I’ve been seeing over the past few weeks and from what I gathered from the broadcast, defenders missed tackles, and weren’t closing on the ball quickly enough. There are also several plays in which there was miscommunication in zone coverage, allowing receivers to get open up top. And in some instances, like the TD over Nnabuife, some players just got straight up beat in their attempt to go up and make a play on the ball.

No one will dispute Cal's secondary struggled on Saturday. Both Bob Gregory and Coach Tedford admitted as much. But you can’t dispute the numbers anymore. Allow 354 passing yards to the worst offense in the conference is bad. Allowing 300+ yards in back to back games to the conference's two worst passing offenses is ever worse. And allowing 250+ yards through the air in the last four games is enough to make you sweat. And while I do think much of it was effort and focus, the results over the season thus far suggest that Cal’s secondary is the obvious weak spot of the entire defense, and perhaps the entire team. (Thank you Captain Obvious!)

Now with Cal’s offense ability to score a great deal, and the fact that we’ve played one-dimensional offenses the past few weeks, Cal’s secondary hasn’t been enough to cost the Bears any games. But unless the issues in the secondary and defensive schemes are addressed in the next few weeks, Cal is going to be unable to keep up with some of the better offenses they will see in Arizona, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington (if Locker gets going).

Anyone else see Sean Canfield against the Trojans on Saturday night? Scary.

Pass Rush TBD
I had suggested last week that Cal’s issue in its pass defense started first and foremost in the pass rush. And in a way, we saw this validated a bit on Saturday. Cal managed just one sack in the first half, meanwhile allowing Tuel to go 15-22 for 232 yards and 2 TDs. Coincidentally, after the Bears switched to having 4 down linemen for much of the second half, the Bears racked up four additional sacks, meanwhile limited Tuel to just 122 yards on 13-20 passing.

I don’t think the players suddenly decided to try harder. Perhaps it was a renewed focus after the defensive letdown in the second quarter, but I do think that this defense may have to dial up more aggressive packages if they’re going to hold more legitimate offense to less than 20 points in upcoming games.

Kudos to the Bears’ D-Line, which has thus far been the rock of this defense this season. They’re going to continue to get additional support from their linebackers, when it comes to the pass rush though.

Jason Snell (EMFMV) has an interesting post up re: strength of schedule:

I was perusing Jeff Sagarin’s computer ratings this morning. His composite ranking places Cal 17th in the country overall, though his Predictor rating (which is more accurate, though less politically correct because it takes into account margin of victory) places them 28th.

I was more amused by the ratings of the teams Cal has played this year. Talk about three stinkers: Maryland is rated 115th overall (below a few I-AA schools), Washington State is rated 119th, and I-AA Eastern Washington is rated just one slot below the Cougars at 120th.

Cal’s other wins were over Sagarin #42 UCLA and Sagarin #59 Minnesota.

In contrast, Cal’s losses? To Sagarin #3 Oregon and Sagarin #5 USC. That’s the good news. The bad news? Cal has yet to play Sagarin #14 Arizona, Sagarin #23 Stanford, and Sagarin #24 Oregon State. In terms of the pure Predictor rating, Sagarin would predict that Cal will finish the season 9-3, with wins over Arizona, ASU, and Washington and a loss to Stanford (!). I can’t really call that an unreasonable prediction. It might even be optimistic.

2010 Cal rugby recruits

carp — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:10:59 -0000

This is a month old but I don't think it made it to the front of calbears.com. Cal rugby welcomes 2010 newcomers. Here's a few of them after the jump:

via www.rebellionrugby.com

The 128th year of Cal rugby commences in January just as the weather gets nasty.

New Yorker Seamus Kelly, a 5-11, 193-pound center, switches coasts to join the Bears for the 2010 season after a standout rugby and football career at Xavier High School in Manhattan, where he played rugby under coach Mike Tolkin, who guided Xavier to the Northeast Championship 2006-09 and the Tier B National Championship in 2007. Kelly, a two-year rugby captain and 2009 team MVP, played sevens with New York Athletic Club this past summer. His achievements on the gridiron, which earned first-team all-city marks in 2007 and '08, and first-team all-state honors in 2008, generated interest in his football talents from Holy Cross and Johns Hopkins, among others. Kelly was named ESPN's East Regional player of the week after a football game last October in which he scored seven touchdowns and had four 2-point conversions, rushing eight times for 291 yards (5 TDs), catching a 72-yard touchdown pass and going 80 yards for a score on a kickoff return for a reported 478 all-purpose yards.

via grfx.cstv.com
Of course a dude named Seamus plays rugby.

A very large lock from North Carolina:

A 6-8, 260-pound lock, Asher Thomas left Chapel Hill, N.C., to embark on his Cal journey after graduatiing from East Chapel Hill High School as a Distinguished National AP Scholar as recognized by the College Board. He enrolled at his mother's alma mater after a successful rugby career with the Chapel Hill Highlanders, the 2006-09 state champions and 2009 South Region champions under coach Robert Joseph.

The thought of getting tackled by someone of Asher's size makes me shudder.

via www.dailycal.org

I absolutely love this massive hit.

Sounds like he was a great student in an area which I presume has excellent schools and students. In the scrum, the two locks push with their heads inbetween the prop and hooker and have the flanker on their side. In lineouts, the locks are the crazy dudes in the air that jostle for the ball:

Cal loses a lineout in the national championship game vs BYU. Perhaps Asher can make an impact early?

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

via blog.dailycal.org

What's neat about rugby is that players of all shapes and sizes can be on the field at the same time. Josh Tucker's a FB/wing from the Sacramento area:

Josh Tucker is a 5-8, 184-pound fullback/wing who excelled at rugby for Christian Brothers High School for three years under coaches Sean Lyon and Bob Lutrell while also garnering collegiate interest for his achievements in football as a running back and strong safety (two-time all-league and 2009 Sierra Valley Conference MVP), soccer (Olympic Development Program U-17s) and track & field (4x100 regional qualifier). His father, Jerry, was a standout discus thrower and shot putter at Ashland University in Ohio.

The dude was on the relay team in track...he'll be fast as hell on the rugby pitch.

Cal even managed to get a recruit from Canada:

The lone international student-athlete to join the team this season is Andre Coquillard, a 6-4, 206-pound fullback from Brentwood College School in British Columbia, Canada, who attended the Cal Rugby Summer Camps in 2007 and '08. Born in Seoul, South Korea, and holder of a U.S. passport, Coquillard lived in China and Japan before enrolling at boarding school in B.C. His father, Nowell, played football at Dartmouth. Coquillard attained varsity-level recognition in soccer, basketball and rugby at Brentwood, acting as captain on the hardwood and rugby pitch. He was chosen to represent North Vancouver Island at the Provincial Rugby Championships and also played for the Cowichan Rugby Club his junior and senior years. He was his basketball team's leader in points, assists and rebounds, and the top goal-scorer for his soccer team.

Those are impressive dimensions for a rugby FB. The guess here is that he's quick, good in the kicking game, and a sure tackler - all essential qualities as the last line of defense.

via www.dailycal.org

Do your quads look like that?

DBD 10.9.09 - The Day carp jr got Dad up at 5:13 AM

carp — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:03:24 -0000

For you n00bs/lurkers, post interesting links below - related or unrelated to Cal sports - or just bring something funny, inappropriate, etc. Good talk. All links SFGate and SFW unless otherwise noted.

In shocking news, Obama wins the 2009 Peace Prize.

NASA crashes into moon (x2), no signs of water can be confrimed yet. Conspiracy theorists should have a field day with that one.

When keepin' it real goes wrong on MUNI.

Golf and rugby are now Olympic sports! I'm quite excited about the latter. I wonder who the coach will be?

That's all I got for now. Baby just dropped a deuce and upchucked at the same time. Awesome.

DBD 9.29.09 - The day ycarp told his Internet friends to focus on USC

carp — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:51:23 -0000

In a way, USC could sneak up on is if we dwell on Cal giving up after 2 TDs last Saturday.

USC, where parents can be seen patrolling around with "My daughter and my money got to USC" bumper stickers, split with the Washington schools and only beat Wazzu by 23 points. They are also injured, especially after a very serious spotter fail.

A win and Cal's right back in the thick of things. A loss and it's time to think about the Sun Bowl.

KenCraw has a Oregon OTRH podcast up.

KenCraw also has a "Evaluating Coach Tedford" post up that is a must-read.

Oskitalk is still optimistic.

Uncle Pete's confused, and that's how I like him.

Travel Tips: Aiding Terp Fans on their Trek to Berkeley

carp — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:25:58 -0000

Greetings Terp Fans! I’m a Cal fan but I come in peace, wishing only to be courteous to football fans making the trip out west for this Saturday’s Cal-Maryland. A couple of things to note:

1) I hope you’re flying into Oakland International Airport (OAK) and not San Francisco International (SFO). I say this because the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will be closed from 8 PM Thursday to 5 AM Tuesday to install a key portion of the new eastern span so that the bridge can withstand a major earthquake. As a side note, experts predict a 66% chance of a major quake (6.0 or greater) hitting within one year and Cal’s Memorial Stadium happens to have both end zones on a major fault. Hug those loved ones tight.

If you fly into Oakland, I recommend NOT using this weekend as an opportunity to explore San Francisco, Alcatraz, or the San Francisco peninsula. Try wine tasting in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, having lunch at Sam’s Café in Tiburon, hiking at Mt. Tamalpais or Mt. Diablo State Parks (heh…while they’re open!), heading down to Monterey/Carmel, or going up to Lake Tahoe. Pretty much anywhere but the city. I say this because BART can be tricky for new users and the Richmond-San Rafael, Golden Gate, and San Mateo Bridges will likely be swamped with traffic trying to get into SF.

If you’re flying into SFO, ask someone to help you take BART from SFOàBerkeley (for other options, see this piece). I strongly recommend not renting a car (once arriving to the airport) and then trying to find your way to Berkeley via long, crowded, alternate routes. BART can be taken from the Oakland Airport as well, but it requires a shuttle ride from the airport to the Oakland Coliseum station and could require an additional transfer before arriving in Berkeley. Might be best to rent a car or take an airport shuttle.

On your return flight from Oakland, security lines could be a little longer due to the travel weekend and the locals likely avoiding SFO.

2) Weather: Should be nice but initial reports from weather.com said there was a 60% chance of rain. Now it’s 0%. I think you'll be in the clear but bringing a poncho might be a good idea as it's small and lightweight.

3) If someone yells to you, "TAKE OFF THAT RED SHIRT!" I’d reply with, "No thanks but F**k Stanfurd!" It’s a Cal-Stanfurd rivalry thing, and it's not personal. It may get you a free beer and hot dog off the grill. If you don't like wearing red to away games, by all means wear blue since we're having a "blue out" for this game.

4) Spend some money. Our state needs it. Seriously.

Safe travels…and of course, Go Bears!

Pac10 #2 to get auto-bid to Alamo Bowl in 2010 season

carp — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:45:04 -0000

Pac10 #2 to get auto-bid to Alamo Bowl in 2010 season

"The Pacific-10 Conference is very excited about reaching an agreement with the Valero Alamo Bowl," Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott said. "We view it as a significant enhancement to the conference bowl lineup. San Antonio is a marvelous postseason destination and the Valero Alamo Bowl has positioned itself as one of the elite bowl games."

The Alamo Bowl is negotiating with the Big 12 to provide the other side of the matchup and is expected to have a deal in place with the conference in the next few weeks.

The Pac-10 was an original partner of the Alamo Bowl, providing teams in the bowl’s first two years of operation in 1993 and 1994. The Big Ten began its current association with the Alamo Bowl the following year.

The Alamo Bowl currently pays out $2.25 million, is played in San Antonio and, starting next year, will be on 2-Jan.

Nice job new commish Scott!

DBD 6.16.09: The DBD with No Name

carp — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:43:38 -0000

We're in the middle of the desert known as The Offseason where all the jokes and stories have dried up. I'm out of Bama FoW pics and already used my Random Hot Women from Facebook card yesterday. I've also told too many "I have a small penis" jokes that FireStarkey is starting to believe that it's true.

I suppose at this point I should cut to the news.

All links SFGate unless otherwise noted.

Some scientists think alcohol's not good for you (NYT).

Take this bible thumpers (NYT).

Swimming pools not so bug free anymore (NYT).

Good news on housing (The Big Picture).

Four horsemen of Wall St (The Big Pictrure).

Dave apologizes for his Bristol Palin joke.

"I feel that I need to do the right thing here and apologize for having told that joke," he said. "It's not your fault that it was misunderstood, it's my fault that it was misunderstood."

Letterman made several references to the issue during his monologue, introducing himself as "Dave Letterman, good will ambassador." He said he got a call from his mother earlier in the day telling him she was siding with Palin.

When he began a joke about Bernard Madoff, whom he called "the most hated man in America," he then amended that to a list of two.

"Me, Bernie Madoff," he said. "He was waaay out in front until a couple of days ago."

Mrs. Palin...your grandchild could use another paycheck.

Obama stands up for his values in front of physicians who, as I understand it, are largely Republicans (taxes, malpractice).

Sports

Former A's pitcher Mike Norris is giving back to his SF community.

Chavez needs another back surgery...career is nearing the end

Nomah still loves baseball.

Wilner's bowl lineup wishes:

No. 1
Current: Rose vs. Big Ten champ.
My choice: Rose vs. Big Ten champ
Comment: No reason to change what has worked for ages.

No. 2
Current: Holiday vs. Big 12 No. 3.
My choice: Alamo vs. Big 12 No. 3.
Comment: The Alamo currently matches the Big 12 No. 4 vs. the Big Ten No. 4/5 but is attempting to upgrade its profile and payout — it has already moved from late December to January. If it’s successful in climbing the Big 12 ladder, and if the Pac-10 could arrange to send its runner-up to San Antonio (popular city, Texas recruiting exposure, big-name foe, plenty of media exposure, a second January game), it would totally change the look and feel of the league’s postseason lineup.

No. 3
Current: Sun vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame
My choice: Holiday vs. Big 12 No. 4.
Comment: As the No. 2 bowl in the Pac-10 lineup and a non-January game, the Holiday is merely average. But it would be a strong, strong, strong No. 3, and in that slot, it could keep its December window without looking quite so yesterday. (Note: If the Alamo moves up in the Big 12 pecking order, it would presumably bump the Holiday down one notch to No. 4 from its current spot at No. 3.)

No. 4
Current: Emerald vs. ACC 5/6/7 … or Las Vegas vs. Mountain West No. 1
My choice: Emerald vs. ACC No. 5/6/7.
Comment: The Emerald matches two BCS leagues in a major league facility (AT&T Park) in a world class city (San Francisco) with a terrific ESPN broadcast window (Saturday evening). That opponent-location-exposure combination allows it to more than hold its own as a No. 4.

No. 5
Current: Emerald vs. ACC 5/6/7 … or Las Vegas vs. Mountain West No. 1
My choice: Las Vegas vs. MWC No. 1
Comment: Basically, this would eliminate the Vegas/Emerald partnership for No. 4/5 spot — just make the Emerald the permanent No. 4 and Vegas the permanent No. 5 and be done with it. Given Las Vegas’ status as a destination city, the Pac-10 should hold onto this game as long as it can.

No. 6
Current: Hawaii vs. WAC
My choice: Sun Bowl vs. Big 12/Notre Dame.
Comment: The Sun has been the Pac-10’s No. 3 bowl for years and, as such, is the greatest example of the league’s second-class lineup: Not only is it a bad matchup (recent opponents: South Florida and Pitt), it’s a bad matchup in El Paso, often on New Year’s Eve — only the most desperate Pac-10 teams/fans are excited about participating. However, as the No. 6 bowl in the Pac-10 pecking order, and without the Big East component, the Sun would be just fine. (Note: This will never happen, because the Sun has enough money to keep buying its way into a prime position in the Pac-10 lineup. Also, I’m not sure the Sun could maintain its tie with Notre Dame while dropping the Big East.)

No. 7
Current: Poinsettia vs. MWC
My choice: Poinsettia vs. MWC/WAC No. 2
Comment: The four-year-old Poinsettia is a more appealing option here than the Hawaii Bowl because it’s easier/cheaper for fans and the recruiting exposure in San Diego/Southern California trumps what Hawaii has to offer. And in my ideal world scenario, the bowl would have its choice of the non-champions from the MWC/WAC, providing a quality matchup for the Pac-10 entry.

Cal Baseball: It's Time to Join the Winner's Circle

carp — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:22:47 -0000

As a full disclaimer, I’ve enjoyed Cal baseball for about 20 years. I’ve always loved their competition, their home field (Evans Diamond), and the way they play the game. I enjoyed watching Tonis, Hill, X, and J-Willy do their thing. In many years, Cal has had 1-4 primo players on their roster but they frequently disappoint year in and year out. The frustrating thing is, Cal should be able to be a perennial Top 25 baseball team and continually be in the postseason. Herein, I will try and show that other California teams can do this and that the state is ripe with high school/juco baseball talent.

Continued after the yump.

via upload.wikimedia.org

via www.thediamondangle.com

Legendary Coach Bob Milano (’78-’99; average of 31 wins a year) was recently inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association’s HoF. During Milano’s reign Cal made 3 College World Series (CWS) appearances. During the same time span USC and Stanfurd have won the Series twice (out of 5 and 9 CWS appearances respectfully), Arizona won the Series twice (out of 4 CWS appearances) and Cal St. Fullerton won the Series three times (out of 9 CWS appearances). Even Pepperdine won it all in 1992.

X Nady was highly decorated while at Cal:

via grfx.cstv.com

Perhaps this is not too surprising considering California, Florida, and Texas are packed with primo amateur baseball talent. On the West Coast, the perennial powerhouses include USC, Stanfurd, Cal St. Fullerton, Arizona, ASU, and Long Beach St.

However, the next step down is most surprising: Oregon St. won the Series in ’06 and ’07 and Fresno St won the Series in ’08. UCLA and UC Irvine (!) have even made CWS appearances in the last 12 years. San Diego St. was the school of can’t miss prospect Steven Strasburg (drafted first overall).

Why has Oregon St. been so good and how has Oregon just recently joined the Pac10 in baseball? Part of the answer is they’re recruiting in Cal’s backyard with 16 players combined from the Golden State. We’ve either been passed or will be passed by both Oregon schools very soon.

At least 8 first round draft picks came from the state of California in the 2009 MLB draft. Out of 187 draft picks from the state of California, 68 were at the high school/juco level. These numbers are significantly higher than any other state including Texas and Florida. This state is packed with amateur talent throughout northern and southern California.

As you cans see these West Coast teams that surround Cal play highly competitive and successful baseball yet the Bears haven’t even been close to these teams in some time. Milano may have overstayed, in my opinion, and ‘furd grad David Esquer has only 2 Regional appearances in 10 years. For non-seamheads, the NCAA Regionals might sound impressive yet 64 teams make the Regionals, 16 teams advance to the Super (Duper!) Regionals, and 8 teams make the College World Series. In 2009, despite 3 draft picks in the first two rounds and 5 draft picks total, Cal finished with an RPI of 123 and a sub-500 record. For those scoring at home, that’s behind Bethune-Cookman and ahead of North Florida. Since Esquer was hired, the following teams have gone to the CWS: ASU (3), Arizona (1), Fullerton (7, winning it in 2004), Fresno St (1, winning it all in ’08), UC Irvine (1), Oregon St (3, winning it twice), San Jose St (1), USC (2), and Stanfurd (5). We're the bank-owned house on the block that currently has transients using it as a urinal.

I’m not necessarily calling for the removal of Coach Esquer, but it’s time for Cal to join the winners circle. With 5 picks in the first two rounds of the last two drafts, Cal is recruiting and developing elite players. Finding role players, aka the run-producing # 6 hitter, the lights out reliever, the # 3 starter, and the second lead off man # 9 hitter appear to be the problem. Those are the hardest to find and require getting coaches all over the West in search of guys who play balls out baseball. They can be found, but you don’t find these guys searching the Internet. They are found the old fashioned way: scouting.

One could argue that Esquer was modestly qualified to start with; he had no D1 head coaching experience and his previous gig was an assistant coaching job at Pepperdine (’96-99). He took the Pepperdine job after being an assistant at Stanfurd. To me, that sounds like he made a lateral move to an inferior team. I think it would take $350k/yr to pry Pat Casey from Oregon St (Notre Dame offered $300k). Oregon hired former Fullerton Coach George Horton to restart their varsity baseball program in 2007 for $150k/yr and another $250k in endorsements! Perhaps Fullerton’s Dave Serrano or his top assistant might be interested if the money is right.

Cal deserves to have their baseball team dominate the best spring sport. It would round out Cal’s other athletic programs and is entirely achievable given the amateur talent in the area. Grabbing a sandwich from AG Ferari’s Deli (it was better when it was Ultra Lucca’s Delicatessen) on College Ave and enjoying a game at Evans Diamond is an excellent way to spend a weekend afternoon. Cal baseball, with the A’s possibly moving to San Jose, could become the highest caliber of baseball in the East Bay. With a highly competitive program, a lot more interest will be generated.

via farm4.static.flickr.com