SB Nation User Blog: ragnarok

DBD 090625 - Readers or Lurkers?

ragnarok — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:04:18 -0000

The other day, SierraBear, a reader and very infrequent commentator, left a rather interesting comment:

As a regular reader of the CGB and a very occasional poster (I try only to post when I have something of value to say that has not already been said) – I hate the term “Lurker” I’m a daggone reader… period. I’ll say something if it need sayin’! My primary interest is in learning occasionally valuable and generally esoteric information about Cal sports (except when Hydrotech posts – I always learn new and amazingly insightful stuff from his posts – I invested a few years in coaching frosh football at the HS level and used to think of myself as a knowledgable insider until I began reading Hydros analyses).

I prefer to think of my kind as massively intelligent and profoundly thoughtful observers who enjoy the veritable cornucopia of opinions and innane sarcasm that is the heart and soul of the CGB (used every big word I could think of).

When I stopped to think about it, I realized that SierraBear really had a point there; the term 'lurker' does have some creepy, almost stalker-ish connotations that don't really apply to frequent readers of this site who rarely, if ever, comment. Merriam-Webster's first two definitions of 'lurk' certainly aren't kind:

1 a: to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose b: to move furtively or inconspicuously c: to persist in staying
2 a: to be concealed but capable of being discovered ; specifically : to constitute a latent threat b: to lie hidden

The third definition, however, is more benign:

3: to read messages on an Internet discussion forum (as a newsgroup or chat room) without contributing

Wikipedia notes that lurking can be viewed either positively or negatively, depending on the forum's character:

The term dates back to the mid-1980s. Bulletin board systems (BBS) were often accessed by a single phone line (frequently in someone's home), there was an expectation that all who used a bulletin board would contribute to its content by uploading files and posting comments. Lurkers were viewed negatively, and might be barred from access by the sysop, if they did not contribute anything but kept the phone line tied up for extended periods.

By contrast, many modern Internet communities advise newbies to lurk for some time to get a feel for the specific culture and etiquette of the community, lest they make an inappropriate or redundant comment, ask a Frequently Asked Question, or incite a flame war. This leads to the tongue-in-cheek command to "lurk more", often intentionally misspelled as "lurk moar". The verb to "de-lurk" means to start contributing actively to a community having been a lurker previously. Lurking in terms of a forum makes sense because the forum is there to educate.

Irrespective of this more positive definition of lurker, an interesting question occurred to me on this topic: does it even make sense to refer to our less-particapatory readers as lurkers?

See, the prevalent metaphor operating on newsgroups, forums and chat rooms is one of a conversation between a number of participants. Take a typical chat room conversation. Now, imagine that you're actually in a room having that conversation face-to-face with those same people. Ignoring for a second the fact that all those people you thought were chicks are actually dudes, this translates pretty well. Of course, where do those people fit in who are reading this conversation, but not actively participating? They are in the room also, but they're hanging out on the edges of the room, eavesdropping on a conversation that they're not a part of. In terms of this metaphor, it's pretty easy to see how users would come up with the somewhat creepy term 'lurkers' to denote those who were sitting around, listening in on their conversations.

However, the typical blog doesn't really work like that. For the most part, it's an "I talk, you listen" sort of situation, a one-way conversation in which the readers are not expected to participate. Instead of a conversation in a room somewhere, a blogger can be seen as something closer to a lecturer on a stage, with the readers being the mostly silent audience. Yes, some interaction takes place in the comments section, but it's usually short and on-topic, with participation optional but certainly not expected, much like a Q+A session following the lecture.

Of course, the blogging platform here at SBN is industry-leading, and its comments section is amazing. Interaction between readers, sans blogger, is exceedingly high here, to the point where the Q+A session metaphor breaks down. A more accurate picture might be illustrated thus: the blog posts are lectures to an audience, and the comments section is a post-lecture mixer. Readers may choose to attend the post-lecture mixer (read the comments section) or not, and if they attend, it's not seen as odd if they listen in and don't participate (after all, the cold cuts provided are quite tasty). But what of the Daily Bear Bump? Now we strip the lecture metaphor down to the level of a talking point offered for attendees' consideration, and the subsequent mixer is pretty much all that is left.

So, with operating metaphors such as these, I don't really believe that 'lurker' is a term that really applies to readers who choose not to comment. We can call them readers, and us bloggers may refer to them as our 'audience', but to suggest that they 'lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose' unnecessarily denigrates them, and I for one won't have it.

I appreciate all of our readers, and moreover, at many other blogs and forums I would be considered a 'lurker' myself. My one request to those readers who don't normally comment: if you do find that us Marshawnthusiasts are catering to a small cadre of commentators, and ignoring what you're looking for in a Cal Blog, please do let us know before you decide we're not worth reading and walk away. It's the only way we can improve..

And now (finally! why won't he shut up?), on to the links:

Jahvid Best Live Chat Today!

BERKELEY - Cal Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best will chat on the Bear Talk blog this Thursday, June 25 (1:30 p.m., PT). Cal football beat writer Jonathan Okanes of the Contra Costa Times will moderate the live chat in which Best will answer selected questions from fans.

Poll

What say you?

Cal Senior Martin Maric wins NCAA Discus Title

ragnarok — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:59:27 -0000

Cal Senior Martin Maric wins NCAA Discus Title

Senior Martin Maric won the 2009 NCAA title in the men's discus Saturday in the final day of the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Saturday's performance caps off a tremendous finish to Maric's collegiate career. The 2008 Croatian Olympian ends his senior campaign with a national and a regional championship.

Maric posted a mark of 196-3 (59.82m) to win the title. He won the competition on his last throw, moving from third to first. Arizona State's Ryan Whiting came in second with a throw of 196-2. For the second straight year, Maric has earned All-America honors.

Cal CF Brett Jackson a 1st-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs

ragnarok — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:20:54 -0000

Cal CF Brett Jackson a 1st-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs

University of California junior center fielder Brett Jackson became the fourth-highest draft pick in Golden Bear baseball history when he was selected in the first round by the Chicago Cubs, and was the 31st pick overall, during the opening day of the 2009 Major League First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday, June 9. Jackson is the third first-round pick for the Golden Bears since 2000 under head coach David Esquer.

The Toughest Places To Play Out West

ragnarok — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:54:08 -0000

Last week, Ted Miller ran a post ranking the toughest venues to play in the Pac-10, along with some brief exposition on why he rated the various stadiums where he did. It's a good list, and while I don't know that I would have come up with the same order if I started with a blank piece of paper, I can't really quibble too much with his choices. He certainly knows what he's talking about.

Rankings like this, however, are always rather subjective; a quality such as "toughest to play in" is a difficult thing to quantify. There are certainly a number of factors that may come into play in devising such a ranking: crowd noise level (both from the crowd's size/rowdiness and the inherent acoustics of the stadium), likelihood/severity of inclement weather, length/difficult of travel, and of course, the quality of the home team. I ranked each category on a scale of 1-10, except travel, which seemed less important, so I only ranked it from 1-5. Then I simply added up the points to see what I got. Here's how it shook out:

Autzen Stadium (Oregon)
Noise Level : 10 - I can't honestly say if Autzen Stadium is the loudest place I've ever been, because Tennessee's Neyland Stadium was also pretty freaking loud. It's certainly the loudest place on the West Coast, however. Everyone says this, but you should go experience it for yourself.
Inclement Weather : 5 - They say that "It Never Rains In Autzen Stadium." I don't know what they're talking about, but it sure can't be actual rain, which I've experienced the last two times I visited Eugene. Not the most hideous of conditions, but cold and precipitation can often make for an uninviting visit for Pac-10 teams.
Travel : 3 - Although not an awful trek, it's a decent drive down from Portland, unless you feel like trying to fly into Eugene itself.
Quality of the Opponent : 8 - The Ducks have been very good for quite some time.
Overall : 26 - A heck of a homefield advantage for a heck of a team. A tough, tough visit.

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC)
Noise Level : 8 - Bowls make for the loudest stadiums, as do huge crowds of fans with no NFL team to root for. 'SC has both of these. However, the LA Coliseum does have a number of seats that can't really be filled in a football configuration, and this does have a dampening effect on the noise levels.
Inclement Weather : 1 - It can get pretty hot here in September, but it's a dry, Los Angeles heat. Rather pleasant, really.
Travel : 2 - Fighting LA traffic to get to the stadium may not be fun, but otherwise, this is an easy place to get to.
Quality of the Opponent : 10 - The Trojans consistently field one of the Top 5 teams in the country. There's no one tougher on the West Coast right now.
Overall : 21 - Does Sunny and 72° make up for getting 40 points scored on your defense?

Oh, sure, the weather's nice. Still a very intimidating place to play.

California Memorial Stadium (Cal)
Noise Level : 8 - A big bowl with lots of rowdy fans; this place can get pretty darn loud.
Inclement Weather : 3 - Outside of the occasional rainstorm, it's rarely too hot or too cold in Strawberry Canyon. A couple of torrential downpours the last two years certainly keep this rating from getting too low, however.
Travel : 2 - Nowhere to park, but otherwise easy access from two major international airports.
Quality of the Opponent : 8 - Under Jeff Tedford, Cal is a virtual lock to at least flirt with the Top 25.
Overall : 21 - Although I've yet to see any of the opposing locker room at other stadiums, I can't imagine any that are worse that those at Memorial Stadium. Most high schools would be ashamed of these facilities.

Reser Stadium (Oregon State)
Noise Level : 6 - Surprisingly loud, given the relatively small stadium - my guess is the artificial turf helps with this.
Inclement Weather : 5 - Like Autzen, there are nice days here. There are also not-so-nice days. On the not-so-nice days, you can still at least say, "At least I'm not in Pullman, WA."
Travel : 3 - Closer to Portland than Eugene, and not an awfully long drive from there.
Quality of the Opponent : 7 - Oregon State may not attract the highest-profile recruits, but Mike Riley can coach 'em up with the best of 'em.
Overall : 21 - This high of a rating will probably surprise people, which is what Oregon State has been doing for quite some time.

Husky Stadium (Washington)
Noise Level : 9 - Maybe it's the rabid crowds they used to draw, or maybe the opposing grandstands really served to amplify sound, but this place used to get LOUD! Perhaps not Autzen loud, but still quite imposing for the visitors.
Inclement Weather : 5 - Sure, it rains all the time in Seattle, but it rarely rains too heavily. Coastal waters keep the temperature relatively mild as well. Still no fun in November/December.
Travel : 1 - Easy access from Sea/Tac.
Quality of the Opponent : 2 - Am I being generous here? Jake Locker's gotta be worth at least a point, don't you think? Is ditching Ty worth a second?
Overall : 17 - If the Huskies were to field a quality team again, this road trip would be well worth fearing. Yeah, I'm giving the Huskies a bit of credit for the noise they used to generate, but that noise may certainly come back some day soon.

Martin Stadium (Washington State)
Noise Level : 4 - A small, open stadium, Martin Stadium kinda feels more like a mid-major field.
Inclement Weather : 7 - The Bears have been lucky to get this road trip out of the way early the last couple times; there's a reason that UW and WSU are the only Pac-10 schools not to push back their rivalry game to create more BYEs. Probably the most frigid spot in the Pac-10.
Travel : 4 - A flight to Spokane followed by a lengthy bus ride does not exactly say 'refreshing', now does it?
Quality of the Opponent : 1 - This team almost HAS to get better, simply because there's nowhere to go but up. For now, it's basically a gimmie win for most of the other Pac-10 teams.
Overall : 16 - Pullman will always be a rather tough place to play a football game, even if the victory is all but assured.

Sun Devil Stadium (Arizona State)
Noise Level : 7 - It can get loud in what was, until recently, an NFL stadium. It sure helps if they can fill all of those seats, however.
Inclement Weather : 3 - Extreme desert temperatures are about all you'll encounter in Arizona; the heat might get to you during the day, and it can get cold at night. Beyond that, though, there's nothing to worry about.
Travel : 1 - A short bus trip from the Phoenix airport gets you here. No problem at all.
Quality of the Opponent : 5 - Given a few more years, Dennis Erickson could make the Sun Devils scary-good. Not sure they're there yet, though.
Overall : 16 - If you can stand the heat, a trip to ASU isn't so bad at all -- and the student body sure is nice to look at.

Rose Bowl (UCLA)
Noise Level : 7 - Classic bowl stadiums are my favorite: nowhere for the sound to travel.
Inclement Weather : 1 - Like the LA Coliseum, the weather is going to be an afterthought. It will be a nice day for football; count on it.
Travel : 2 - A bit of a drive from the airport through LA traffic, but otherwise not a problem.
Quality of the Opponent : 5 - There are too many good football prospects in the Los Angeles area for UCLA to stay bad; even the dastardly Karl Dorrell couldn't ensure that.
Overall : 15 - Why hasn't Cal been able to win here since 1999? I can't figure it out.

Arizona Stadium (Arizona)
Noise Level : 5 - A medium-size, open-end stadium. Not exactly quiet, but not terribly loud either.
Inclement Weather : 3 - Like Tempe, the only thing to watch out for is the heat.
Travel : 2 - Tucson can be a long flight from some Pac-10 schools, and that's if you can get a direct flight, which you may not be able to.
Quality of the Opponent : 5 - The Wildcats can be a dangerous, if not yet consistently good, opponent.
Overall : 15 - There's really nothing remarkable about Arizona Stadium -- except that there are bats in residence.

Warning signs of bats include guano, utility belts, and protruding plastic nipples.

Stanford Stadium (Stanford)
Noise Level : 3 - Perhaps shrinking the number of seats and enclosing the stadium will help Stanford down the road, but only if fans actually start showing up.
Inclement Weather : 3 - Sometimes rainy, sometimes cold, more often the warm and sunny California that we all know and love from TV.
Travel : 1 - A nice drive down 101 from SFO to The Farm. Nothing to worry about.
Quality of the Opponent : 5 - The fightin' Harbaughs may not be the deepest, most talented bunch, but an enthusiasm unknown to mankind fuels a surprisingly tough out.
Overall : 12 - Better football (and better fans) could make this a more formidable place to play. For now? Not so much.

Overall, my rankings do look a lot like Ted Miller's. It seems that I rank the Washington schools as tougher places to play, as I seem to put more weight on inclement weather than Ted does (admittedly, cruddy weather does affect the home team as well; the thought is that they've been practicing in that weather and are used to it), but I think we have more agreement than differences. You can also see how the rankings might change should teams get better (or worse) in the future.

So what do you think? Agree with me? Am I totally off base on one of these stadiums? Do I have the criteria all wrong?

Cal Coaches Tour 2009 - Pleasant Hill Report Part I

ragnarok — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:55:44 -0000

ragnarok: Last year, Cal Athletics debuted the Coaches Tour, a series of meet&greet/Q&A sessions with Football Head Coach Jeff Tedford, Basketball Head Coach Mike Montgomery, Athletic Director Sandy Barbour, and perhaps a guest appearance by another coach or two. We were there last year, and as you'd expect from such a winning formula (Tedford + Monty + Sandy + free BBQ = AWESOME!), we had a great time, and learned some interesting tidbits as well.

Thus, when the 2009 Tour dates were announced, it was a no-brainer that the CGB crew would make it out to at least one of these dates. Let me tell you, we were not disappointed. The BBQ was just as tasty and Monty's wit was just as sharp as last year. Here's how things went down:

TwistNHook: I got there at about 4:45PM. Before Tedford!

The place was packed, but that was just because they didn't let people in early. So, a huge line formed in a smallish area. I think there were fewer people there this year. Most likely due to the fact that it cost 20 bucks as compared to zero last year.

But it was STILL really popular. Hell, it was so popular that opposing coaches were showing up:

Plus, they had a free DVD of the 2008 highlights. Is it up online on YouTube or something? We're working to get it up there. I might mail it off to Danzig's celestial kingdom for him to get it up.

Hydro and I quickly ran over to grab some food. Hot dogs. Slider-style burgers. Soon, we were joined by Calnet and PaleoDan. Then, Rags showed up with AndBears and OskiWeeWee not too far behind. While people were milling about, Sandy Barbour got up on stage to announce that Cal Women's Tennis had defeated Notre Dame to go to the National Finals against Duke. Well, that's good! She was leaving the next morning at 6 AM to fly out to Texas to watch it. Whenever a Cal sport is going for a National Title, she is there. That's the sign of a great AD!

ragnarok: It's the sign of a great athletic program that our teams are playing for national championships so that Sandy has the opportunity to fly out and see them. If memory serves me, didn't she leave the morning after last year's event to go see a team compete for a National Title? Was that also Women's Tennis?

TwistNHook: Given my extreme lack of women's tennis knowledge, I'll defer to you on that question.

In any case, they had a side mock-up of the planned Memorial Stadium renovations for the West Side of the bowl:

ragnarok: Yeah, and they also had some demo models of the new seats that they're going to be installing in these premium donor sections of the west side. I copped a squat in one of them, and let me tell you, they are swanky!

TwistNHook: Then, it was time for the speeches to begin. First, it was announced that somebody had brought their silver Lexus to the valet but accidentally taken their keys. Monty joked that it couldn't have been him, because he isn't paid well enough to own a Lexus. Remember this story for later!

Sandy was back up to give an overall picture of Cal sports:

Things are good, it would seem. She went through all the different sports and many of them are doing well. Swimming kicking butt. Track doing great. Crew winning left and right. Some other assistant coaches were there, such as Jay John (who may or may not be the evil twin version of Supreme Court Justice John Jay) and this one girl who I swear I went to high school with.

Sandy noted that every sport hit the mark in the APR. That the graduation numbers are doing great. She said that Cal was just one of 11 schools in the country to play in both a bowl game, and in both the men's and women's NCAA tournaments, and of those 11, just 2 finished in the top 10 in the NACTA Director's Cup: Cal and Texas. Big, big, BIG cheers for that. Sandy is a very personable speaker. She is funny. She gave credit where credit was due. She joked about how she didn't have to talk about judges and injunctions and trees anymore. BIG cheer for that! Hallellujah!

ragnarok: One other interesting item that Sandy mentioned was that while Football and Men's Basketball are still the two big revenue sports that fund the rest of Cal Athletics, Women's Basketball is getting close to turning a profit, too! The team will be young next year, but with a large (7 member) recruiting class that is ranked anywhere from 1st to 3rd nationally, they are going to be very, very talented, and the future of Cal Women's Basketball is bright indeed.

TwistNHook: The first coach to speak was the Women's Swimming Coach, Teri McKeever:

Women's Swimming, if you weren't aware, won the National Championship this year. Here is a video of them celebrating, including inducing Sandy to jump into the pool with them.

Coach McKeever made it sound like the National Title was very unexpected. Like she just looked up before the final race and realized "Wow, we are winning." Apparently, the National Championship came down to the final race when Cal was just a point or so ahead of Georgia. But noted superstar Dana Vollmer lead the team to victory! Coach McKeever spoke about how she almost ruined the championship with some sort of coaching move. To be honest, my knowledge of swimming was not sufficient that I could follow completely. I think she raced some people in the semis that nearly didn't get Cal to the finals, but I'm not entirely sure. She seemed very humble.

It was noted that she swam at USC. As a family of McKeevers that swam at USC. They offered her a job to coach their team. But she turned it down to stay at Cal. Now, that's impressive!

ragnarok: Yeah, Sandy Barbour has not only done a great job hiring new coaches at Cal, but she's been very successful at retaining the successful coaches that we already have on staff. Keeping Tedford and Joanne Boyle when other schools came calling was obviously huge, but it looks like keeping McKeever away from her alma mater was another big coup.

TwistNHook: Next up was Coach Tedford. Last year he spoke last. I wonder why they switched him with Coach Montgomery. Perhaps because Coach Tedford, while an engaging speaker, tends to give the coachy answers as compared to Montgomery, who shoots from the hip. Then again, Coach Tedford did make fun of Monty a bit:

Coach Tedford praised his athletes for their academics. He noted that they are the #2 Pac-10 team for the APR and had the most All Academic players in the Pac-10.

In specific, he said that Alex Mack was one of his favorite players, especially for the academics. He said that they were very excited when Alex Mack won the Draddy award (the academic Heisman). He actually made a slight reveal when he said he was very happy Mack returned for his senior season, partially because Mack would help repair some chemistry that had "fizzled" the year before. Nothing new, but interesting to hear Coach Tedford himself admit it.

He started to talk about individual players. Jahvid had a nice and productive spring. Riley also had a nice spring. As did Beau Sweeney. Mansion, he said, really "stepped it up." He said he'll name a starter as he gets closer to Fall Camp.

He spoke highly of Bryan Anger, which produced a big cheer. He joked how concerned he was that people were cheering for the punter!

Then, he started to complement us. Yay for us! He said 3 out of the last 5 seasons, Cal has been undefeated at home. We've only lost, IIRC, to OSU and USC over the past half decade at home. So, that's pretty impressive.

HydroTech: Woah, woah, woah, slow down there, Twist. Give somebody else a chance to talk. You are missing a lot of stuff. Like when Tedford said Miami had a lot of tradition and that upon seeing the Miami players before the game he said they were "good looking guys" and the Bears were in for a "long night."

He spoke on next year's schedule, too. Tedford said this year the schedule is more in our favor although still a difficult schedule. He mentioned the fact that we'll get USC early this year and how they are changing QBs.

Further, Tedford expressed his pride in Alex Mack for winning the Draddy award and for coming back for all the right reasons. Tedford said that throughout spring ball he was hoping to sustain no injuries. Tedford said there is a lot of noise outside of his office. And he was happy that it wasn't people banging drums or yelling.

ragnarok: Yeah, the sound of heavy machinery must be a beautiful sound for him to hear. Compared to last year's event, Tedford just seemed so relieved to finally be moving forward on the SAHPC, to not have any more hippies in trees, and to finally be able to really sell recruits on the future, and not just on dreams on paper. He also was quite relieved that his team made it through Spring Ball relatively unscathed (I think Tad Smith was the only major injury sustained, and Tad is expected to be ready to play come Fall Camp.

Anyway, we've got a lot more to talk about at this event, including Mike Montgomery's speech, the Q+A session, and some great tidbits from the end of the event. We'll continue in Part II soon.

What A Year It's Been!

ragnarok — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:40:41 -0000

Image via blogs.psychologytoday.com

Wow, I can't believe it's been a whole year. One year since the California Golden Blogs moved over to SportsBlogs Nation, and this community really began to take off. 9 great wins and 4 devastating losses for our football team, a surprise NCAA tournament appearance for our men's basketball team, a first-ever Sweet 16 appearance for our women's basketball team, and one epic battle to remove the hippies from the trees and finally break ground on the Student Athlete High Performance Center.

I can say with absoulte certainty that when TwistNHook, Yellow Fever and I started this blog 2 1/2 years ago, none of us ever thought this blog would get this big. In our first month of posting on Blogsome, we had a grand total of 30 comments left, almost all of them by the site authors. After a year on SBN, we now have 709 registered users who have collectively posted 590 FanPosts, 401 FanShots, and over 126,000 comments (yeah, and only 16,000 of those comments are by TwistNHook!). In our first month, we probably had something like 200 visits (again, almost all by the site authors). After a year on SBN? Over 410,000 visits and over 1.1 million page views! Even TwistNHook can't refresh his browser that often!

While blogging was fun when no one was reading us, it's a whole lot more rewarding thanks to this great community that we've got. It truly makes stopping by every day a joy, and motivates me to write during those times that I don't really feel like it. To all the CGB members out there who bring us praise, criticism, and inanity: thank you thank you thank you. And to those lurkers who simply stop by every day or week or whenever to read our stuff, you too are appreciated, so thank you too.

Anyway, to celebrate our first anniversary at www.californiagoldenblogs.com, I've compiled a list of some of our best work from the past year; if you've found our site only recently, click after the jump to check out some of the writing that, I think, has caused this blog to be so well-trafficked.

HydroTech
Coaches Tour 2008 : San Francisco Report
The A-11 Offense
LOUD NOISES!
A Day At Golden Gate Fields
Looking Back at USC vs. Cal : Predictable Playcalling?
Why Does Cal Use The Screen Pass?
Spring Football Quick Hitters

CBKWit
Elite Twelve
Cal vs. MSU : A Second Look
Cal Beats Arizona - In Basketball!
Holy Balls Wow
Basketball Is Simply Awesome
The More Things Change...

TwistNHook
Cal Coaches Tour 5.19.08
Do We Hate UCLA, Or What?
Brandon Morrow Run-In
Real Americans Hate USC
It's Big Game Week, Bears
Meet The Schneider

Yellow Fever
Ask Yellow Fever I II III IV V VI VII
Welcome To Eagles Training Camp
Welcome To The Kiki Awards

ragnarok
New Rules For College Football, 2008
How To React To A Blowout
Second-Guessing Tedford : How Soon To Onside Kick
College Football Rules Curiousities Part I | Part II
Did Cal Run Up The Score On UCLA?
Soapbox Moment : The Following Teams Didn't Deserve Bowl Bids
Bears Outlast Huskies In 3OT Instant Classic
Bears Find Their Shooting Touch, Complete Husky Sweep
A Total College Football Reorganization
The Cal Bears Don't Depend On The Three-Point Shot
A Tough Loss To Stomach
The Pac-10 Basketball Tournament
Cal vs. Maryland : What When Wrong?
I Paid For Nine Innings; The Last Three Were Free!
Looking For Honest Employment

Avinash
Coach Tedford The Playcaller Part I | Part II
Should The Pac-10 End Round-Robin Scheduling?
Should The Pac-10 Get Better Television Deals?

Battle For The Oaks
Yes, But Could They Palm The Basketball?
Battle For The Oaks : Hippies Strike Back
How Much Is Memorial Stadium Worth?
More From The Sacred Grove
An Open Letter To The San Francisco Chronicle
Through The Eye Of A Needle
Mr. CBKWit Goes To Berkeley Part I | Part II
Heath Ledger's The Volker Is An Agent Of Anarchy
It's Going Down! (Open Threads) I II III
Thank Yous
No Longer Climbing Trees Nor Punching Hippes

Interviews
Inside The Phoenix Five
Gary Tyrrell, Stanford Trombonist
Jonathan Okanes
Tom Schneider
DancingDoc, Cal Dance Team Member
Dennis Gates
Kevin Morsony of TBIOOTF, Daily Cal

Game Film Analysis
Tedford's Evolution Of The Offense Part III | Part IV
Armed Forces Bowl Review Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII
Know Thy Enemy : Michigan State
Reviewing Cal @ Maryland : What Happened To Cal's Running Game?
Cal @ Maryland : Cignetti Calls Up A Cool Play
Nate Longshore Doing A Peyton Manning?
Looking Back At Arizona State : Pursuit Angles
Looking Back At USC : Illegal Formation? & Penalties
Looking Back At Arizona : Cal's Cover Zero Gives Up A Touchdown

Remembering The Seniors
Nate Longshore
Alex Mack
Will Ta'ufo'ou
Jordan Kay
Anthony Felder
Rulon Davis
Tom Schneider
Cameron Morrah
Worrell Williams

DBD 2009.04.29 - The Recession Hits Home

ragnarok — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:16:35 -0000

Yeah, I'm writing the Daily Bear Dump today. Why? Well, for today at least, I've got something to say, and all the time I want to say it.

See, for much of this current recession, the whole 'economy is in the crapper' idea has been more of a 'theoretical' idea than a grim reality. With the stock market tanking late last year, I went out an bought an X-Box. With millions losing their jobs every month, I continued to collect a steady paycheck every two weeks. Housing market crashed? Well, my own personal housing situation remained quite stable. I even went out and splurged on a motorcycle back in January. In fact, I considered it a small point of pride to be able to continue propping up our sagging economy. Well, that time has come to a close.

Now, don't worry, I still have a job. I just have a little less job than I did last week. My hours are cut back to 7 hour days, 4 days per week. I'm still getting by, but with the recession now hitting me personally, the belt-tightening begins in earnest today. That's not to say that I've been lucky enough not to know other people who've been hurt by the recession before now, or self-centered enough that I haven't really noticed. Of course when family or friends are set back by the economy, I'm going to feel it, and in direct proportion to how close those people are to me. But at least when I have work, I can concentrate on that; it's when I'm home on a Wednesday, to no particular purpose, then I really have time to...think about things...

Now, I'm not looking to host a pity party or anything. Far from it. I simply thought it was interesting that with all of the 'doom and gloom' news items that we hear every day, stories of widespread economic weakness seem to continue to miss the point. We each feel the economy in a very personal way; for those still with jobs, it's hard to understand how hard it is for those on unemployment, and for those who've barely begun to save for their retirement decades down the road, it's difficult to relate to those about to face a looming retirement with only a portion of what they thought they had.

So how does this affect you, the CGB readers? Actually, it should affect you quite positively. Today will be the first of my weekly unpaid days off, taken for the foreseeable future. What to do with the time off? Perhaps I should update my résumé? Probably, I'll spend more time with my family, and get to all those errands and chores I've been putting off. Most definitely, I'll be spending more time blogging, working on all those blogging projects I've been putting off. Hooray for CGB!

Or, at the very least, now I've got plenty of time to catch up on Battlestar Galactica. Don't tell me what happens!

And, now, let's do the links. I'll start us off:

Men's Tennis Receives School-Record 10th-Straight NCAA Bid

The No. 40-ranked California men's tennis team (11-10, 2-4 Pac-10) received its school-record 10th-consecutive bid to the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships today and learned that it will face No. 17-ranked Pepperdine (19-9) in a first round match at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 8. The Golden Bears will take on the Waves in one of two first-round matches hosted by No. 9-ranked Stanford at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal (18-5, 3-3 Pac-10) draws Sacramento State (19-6) at 2 p.m. later that day. The winners will face off in a second-round match set to start at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.

CGB Spring Game Meetup

ragnarok — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:20:04 -0000

CGB Spring Game Meetup

Hey everyone, just a quick reminder of our CGB meetup at the Cal Football Spring Game tomorrow. 11:30, 'round section G or GG. We'll have signs. Feel free to hang out, or just stop by and say 'hi' for a few minutes. Should be good times.

CGB Spring Game Meetup

ragnarok — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:28:29 -0000

Hey everyone, this Saturday is Cal Football's Spring Game! Missing Cal Football? This'll be the closest you'll get until August. Not sure if you want to go? Oh, like you've got something better to do. Not sure what's going on here? Check out our [partially redacted] coverage from last year, and even some brief coverage from two years ago. Still not convinced? Would a free hot dog interest you?

From the Athletic Department website:

BERKELEY - Golden Bear fans are invited out to Memorial Stadium to watch the Cal football team's final spring scrimmage on Saturday, April 18 as part of the annual Cal Day. Admission is free and the practice will get underway at 12 noon. The event is sponsored by Peterson Tractor.

Evergood Sausage will give away hot dogs to the first 1,200 fans, while concession and souvenir stands will be open throughout the day.

With a large crowd expected on campus for Cal Day, parking will be at a premium and fans are encouraged to arrive early or take public transportation. Recommended lots include Underhill (College at Channing), Foothill (Gayley at Hearst), Boalt Hall (Gayley Road) and Bancroft (Bancroft below College). Gates to Memorial Stadium will open at 11 a.m.

In addition, fans should note that several gates to the stadium have closed due to construction of the Student-Athlete High Performance Center and that they will need to enter through the North Gate next to Maxwell Family Field.

The scrimmage will conclude Cal's schedule of 18 spring practice sessions, with the Golden Bears resuming their team workouts in August in preparation for the 2009 campaign.

And, if you make it out to the Spring Game, you'll also get a chance to meet up with other CGB denizens. Twist and I are planning on being near the top of section G or GG at around 11:30am on Saturday, and we'll have a couple of small-ish but obvious signs (seen here). If you're going to be coming out to the Spring Game, come by and say 'Hi'. Just a lurker around here? You should still feel welcome to come out and say 'What's up?'. Are you an Athletic Department official, trying to make sure no one takes photos that Jeff Tedford wouldn't approve of? Come on over and say 'Hey'.

What I'm trying to say is we're having a Spring Game meetup near the top of Section G or GG. Wanna know what TwistNHook is like in person? There's only one way to find out.

Poll

Are you going to the Spring Game, and do you have any interest in meeting up with other CGB people?

Yeah, I'll be at the Spring Game, and I'll definitely hang out.

12 votes

I'll be at the Spring Game for sure, and I'll try and stop by.

5 votes

I might be at the Spring Game; I may or may not stop by.

0 votes

I'm going to the Spring Game, but I'm not sure I want to meet you people in real life.

2 votes

I'm super-lame and not attending the Spring Game, so I'll have to catch up with you people later.

16 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

Looking For Honest Employment

ragnarok — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:34:22 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

As it turns out, Tony Bennett would much rather be over at the University of Virginia. Who would have guessed? (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Browse more photos »

For several years now, Washington State University has been blessed with something it has often lacked throughout its history; an exciting, contending basketball team, led by a successful head coach who not only won games, but was coveted by other, less successful schools. Some might say that Tony Bennett was too successful, as he has now been lured away from the Palouse by big money from the University of Virginia. For a fantastic perspective on the situation, I refer you to Nuss from CougCenter, who whips through the five stages of grief in under 750 words. Some selected highlights:

Tony Bennett is just like every other coach.

And Washington State always will be a place where successful coaches come to build a resume and move on.

There's really no other way to explain what happened today. We gave Tony everything he asked for -- and even some things he didn't -- and it still wasn't enough to keep a guy we wanted to keep, a guy who professed wanting to be here. We thought we could escape our history, convincing ourselves this was a different era in Cougar athletics as we bought Tony's schtick hook, line and sinker.

Yes, he lied to us, but it's our fault for believing him. You might find that language harsh or too strong, but he's the one who said all those things about Pullman, about Sterk, about the program ... and then bolted today with only a short players' meeting. Those were his words, not ours.

We've all heard this story before; it's one of the most tired storylines in college sports. The knee-jerk response might be to demonize Tony Bennett for using WSU and lying to everyone about his intentions, or to bemoan the slanted college athletics playing field where big money (and the donors who provide it) rules everything, but I have another, broader target.

What particularly struck me about this story was that while it is an unfortunate situation for many of those involved (the players who came to Wazzu to play for Bennett, the administration that worked hard to support and stand behind him, the fans who believed Bennett when he said he was in it for the long haul), there is no one person who can really be labeled an 'antagonist' here. Everybody involved acted in their own best interest; indeed, I will argue that if Tony Bennett misled the Washington State Basketball family about his long-term intentions, it was because it was in both his and their immediate interest that he do so.

For the vast majority of us, our work agreement with our employer is a temporary one; at some point, we will have outgrown the job, it will be time to move on, a better opportunity will come along, et cetera. Everyone understands this, and no one expects a lifetime commitment. To ask 99.9% of us if we still intended to hold the same job we have today five or seven years from now, and to moreover expect some sort of commitment as such, would be frankly quite absurd. The honest answer from those of us who have yet to attain our dream job is almost always "Not likely -- hopefully I'll have been promoted/moved up by then," or, at the least, "Maybe, unless something better comes along."

But college head coaches aren't allowed to give the honest answer. The system won't allow for it. A successful coach who says that he's 'happy where he is' and 'isn't looking for another job right now' all but but posts his résumé in newspapers across America. An honest, plausible 'out' just isn't good enough, as opposing college coaches will invariably use this as evidence against that coach when speaking to potential recruits. Hitting up donors for the funds to build a fancy new training facility? They'll want to know that they're giving to a winning team, now and in the future, and if a coach is less than 100% committed for the long haul, that pitch becomes that much more difficult.

So what's a head coach to do in this morally hazardous situation? If you tell the truth (that you're committed for now, and if a better job comes along next year, well, you'll see how much money they pile at your feet), you do yourself and your employer a disservice. You seem somewhat noncommittal, even perhaps disloyal. You hurt the program, making recruiting and fundraising both needlessly tougher. The truth serves neither interest. So you lie, and the only ones who believe you are the young and the naïve, and no one else is surprised when you jump for greener pastures two years from now. A regrettable situation, but it doesn't have to be that way.

The real cause of this situation is the savior-like importance put on a successful head coach, to the virtual exclusion of just about everything else that goes on at a successful Division I program. Assistant coaches, facilities, academics, alumni connections; these are all paid lip service, but without the genius head coach, they are virtually worthless. It is a tenuous situation, one that makes ADs across the country squirm in their seats.

Why do we let this happen? Why do we allow the fortunes of our beloved sporting programs to rest with one person? If Harvard or MIT were to steal away the head of one of our highly successful academic departments, would anyone panic that the program would then slide into mediocrity? No, of course not. It would be a blow, sure, but plenty of highly-prized professors would remain, as would the world class facilities and the extensive and valuable alumni network. A search committee would look for a suitable replacement, and someone plenty capable would be found. Perhaps the program would suffer a slight dip, but no more than that.

The key here is to build a program, and sell that to recruits, fans, and donors. Sell the assistant coaches and the academics and the facilities and the location and all those other things that won't change a bit should a pile of money lure away the head man. But don't just say it, build that reality. Build a wider foundation so that even if that dreaded day of "I'm truly grateful for the opportunity I've had here, but it's time for me to move on to bigger challenges" comes, it won't spell disaster so much as a minor speed bump.

And when coaches sell their program, they don't have to say that they're committed to it forever. They can actually tell the truth! "I love it here now, and while I'm not looking for other jobs, if I do ever leave, this program has so much going for it, it will go right on winning long after I'm gone." Not an easy place to get to, but a truthful one. One that players will appreciate even after the coach they signed to play for has left for greener pastures.

A great example of this is the Boise State football program. In 2006, Chris Petersen led the Broncos to a perfect 12-0 record and a berth in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, where they knocked off heavily-favored Oklahoma. But Petersen wasn't a program-changing savior. While a good head coach, Petersen built Boise's success off the groundwork laid by his predecessors: the three previous head coaches at Boise are all guys I'm sure you've heard of: Houston Nutt (went on to success at Arkansas, now at Ole Miss), Dirk Koetter (had some success at Arizona State), and Dan Hawkins (now at Colorado). Additionally, both Hawkins and Petersen were Boise assistants that were promoted to the top job after the head man left, and Boise's dominance of the WAC didn't skip a beat in either case. However talented a coach Chris Petersen might be, does anyone honestly think Boise will immediately fall into football obscurity should Petersen leave for more money somewhere else?

Of course, it will always remain in the best interest of college head coaches to promote themselves as program-changing saviors; how else could they begin to justify their exorbitant salaries, often becoming a university's highest-paid employee? Building a strong program and a lasting legacy may also fall under the coaches' purview, but sharing the credit probably won't. This is why at least some of the program-building responsibility must necessarily fall to the Athletic Director and other university officials. As controlling and ego-centric as some college head coaches can be, the AD must ensure that the program could survive the loss of the head man. Some have already begun doing this, paying top assistants to stay and be head-coaches-in-waiting, though it is often only the richest, most successful schools who can afford this, and most of the head-coaches-in-waiting that I can think of are waiting for the Head Coach to retire, not to leave for more money.

Maybe it's just me, but I find lying and hypocrisy to be a much bigger sins than forthrightly chasing one's money-grubbing self-interest. If a coach wants to leave for what he considers a better job, that's his right, but he best have prepared his players for that eventuality. I would hope that the members of Washington State's basketball team are just as excited and proud to be there as there were three weeks ago, when Tony Bennett was still their head coach, as they are now, and would further hope that their decision regarding which college to attend rested on much more than the presence of one man. I wish them the best of luck in the future -- except against my Cal Bears, of course, when I hope they fail and fail miserably.

Maybe it's part of growing up to have one's illusions shattered by those you thought you could trust, but I'd just as soon as the players affected, as well as all of us fans, would wait and become jaded by politicians instead.