I haven't seen this discussed yet and it came up in a conversation today. I was shocked to read it. From the Champions League rulebook:

2.03 The UEFA Champions League titleholder is guaranteed a place in the group stage even if it does not qualify for the competition through its domestic championship.

If the titleholder comes from an association entitled to four places in the UEFA Champions League and qualifies for the UEFA Europa League through its domestic competitions, the lowest-ranked club of the association’s UEFA Champions League representatives is automatically transferred to the UEFA Europa League (into the latest possible round where there is a vacancy). In this case, the number of places to which the titleholder's association is entitled in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League does not change.

So... all Spurs fans out there, I realize you may feel a bit dirty rooting for the Germans to beat the English, but start holding your breath now that Bayern puts up eight for the final.

Or we could just win 3rd. That would work too.

Caution: Major Sunshine Pumping Alert.

Cal fans should be ecstatic with the Men's Basketball Team's fifth place finish in the Pac-10 this year.  But for dreamers/casual basketball fans like me, the big story is The Big Dance.  Despite their valiant efforts, the Golden Bears will likely need nothing less than a win in this year's Pac-10 Tournament to qualify for this year's expanded 69(!) team field.  

That said, I have to say I am almost giddy with optimism about our chances in the Pac-10 Tournament this year.  This is a team that is prone to going on hot streaks and has won its last four conference games.  Cal has played well above its fighting weight and generally stepped up, going back to Temple, to play winning basketball against high-quality teams this season (not named Washington).  Moreover, this Cal team hasn't been subject to the LA curse of past squads and has held itself together against the LA schools both at home and on the road.

More than that, the Pac-10 tournament lends itself perfectly to a run by this type of Cal team.  Since 2002, when the modern Pac-10 Conference Tournament was re-booted, the #1 seed has been far from a lock.  The records:

#1 Seed - 2004, 2006, 2008

#2 Seed - 2002, 2005

#3 Seed - 2010

#4 Seed - 2007

#5 Seed - 2003

#6 Seed - 2009

With the #1 seed only winning a third of the time, and 5 schools winning over a nine year period, the field always has a chance in what is often an unpredictable and exciting conference tournament.

To be clear: I would see a Cal win in the Pac-10 Tournament as a monumental upset and a crowning achievement on what has been a year filled with over-achievement and inflated expectations for the next couple of years.  It's quite likely that we'll make a quiet exit from Staples this year and take our almost-certain NIT entry with palms open.  But, that being said, I love this tournament every year - and especially this year - because it is wide open and lends itself to the improbable. 

So, I invite all of you to take a moment during your lunch break on Thursday to drink some blue Kool-Aid and join me in buying into the idea that a deep run in this year's Pac-10 Tournament starts that afternoon with a solid win over USC.

I think that it is important for the collective CGB Readers to have some cathartic fun and find a way to characterize this season and then move on to our RECORD-SETTING Cal Basketball team. 

In light of two losses on last second plays (this one with hail!) and abject collapses against California teams not coached by Rick Neuheisel, I submit this for your humble consideration and encourage you to submit your favorites.

Maybe our illustrious Marshawnthusiasts would consider judging this little reader contest?

In the last eight years, I have missed watching Cal Football (or listening by radio, in lieu of TV coverage) only once - last year, when the Big Game was on the same day as my grandmother's funeral.  This Friday will be the second game.

At sundown on September 17, Yom Kippur begins for those of the Jewish faith.  I won't bore anyone with a description of the holiday - wikipedia does it better than me anyway.  But, throughout history, there have been points where Jewish athletes - notably, Shaun Green and Sandy Koufax, to name two - have been unable to compete due to their religious commitments on this holiday.

My question is: does anyone know which Cal or Nevada players are observant Jews?  And does anyone know whether these players will sit out this week?

Just an interesting subplot going into Friday. 

With the Bar rapidly approaching, I have been doing everything I can to procrastinate.  One such time-killing trip brought me back to Black Heart Gold Pants, a great Iowa blog.  They discovered an e-business called Replay Photos which allows you to create customized pictures of band formations on your favorite football fields.

via pictures.replayphotos.com

Now, Iowa took the opportunity to have a little fun at their state rival's expense, and created some real beauties.

via pictures.replayphotos.com

Replay Photos has since taken the Iowa State option off of their website - fair play to BHGP.  And while UC Berkeley was never an option, two schools worth ridiculing are available.

Exhibit #1:

via pictures.replayphotos.com

Exhibit #2:

via pictures.replayphotos.com

via pictures.replayphotos.com

As any Cal fan knows, these pictures are clearly computer generated since the Stanfurd Band doesn't have the requisite knowledge to spell anything out on a football field.

Pitcher Tyson Ross (2008) has made the 25-man roster for the Oakland Athletics and will be pitching out of the bullpen.

3B/LF Allen Craig (2006) has made the 25-man roster for the St. Louis Cardinals and will likely be a bench player and pinch hitter.

Ross and Craig join a pretty extensive list of Cal alumni in Major League Baseball, including (in no particular order) Brandon Morrow, Geoff Blum, Brian Horwitz, Conor Jackson, Xavier Nady, and Tyler Walker, not to mention a substantial number of former Golden Bears in the minor leagues.

I always thought it was interesting/sad/maddening/frustrating/typical that Cal produced a fair number of major league players and could never parlay that kind of success into conference play and the NCAA Tournament.  But it is nice to see these guys getting some recognition and respect on such a high level.  Congrats to Tyson and Allen!

I think that's clever, but I don't quite know what it means.

From the Emerald Bowl website:

The Miami Hurricanes will face the California Golden Bears in the 2008 Emerald Bowl in a prime time, Saturday night pairing of notable East & West Coast programs.

Miami's program sure was notable, anyway.  I hear some of their former players are great rappers though.

Anyone else still happy we made a deal not to play a top-25 team in Las Vegas?

UPDATE: ESPN's Ted Miller has a couple of interesting notes on Miami...

• Miami gave up 691 yards rushing in last two games, losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina State
• Miami ranks 101st in the nation in turnover margin

I like this matchup for us, and the prime viewing time (only game on Saturday after Christmas)...

The Contra Costa Times suggests it is a possibility for some unexplained reason, and feels the need to defend him.

One notable portion of the article:

[H]ave Tedford's results lived up to his mission statement? Let's revisit his acceptance speech from nearly seven years ago:

"I have a goal and a vision," he said, "that the University of California, through hard work and dedication, can get to where we are competing for the Pac-10 championship and at a national level."

That part of it remains open to interpretation. Cal has made two legitimate runs at the conference title in Tedford's seven seasons.

I'm a bit confused... we won a share of the Pac-10 Championship in 2006 for the first time since 1975 and were ranked as high as #2 as recently as 2007, but this is open for interpretation?  Please.  Tedford has done everything he said he was going to do at Cal - and then some.  We went from bottom of the Pac-10 to an consistent challenger for the conference title.  Our recruiting is up, our program prestige is up, game attendance and TV coverage is up... what more can we get out of this guy?  Who else can we realistically expect to hire and do better?

The one thing I've always had against Tedford is his fairly rough road record, particularly in Los Angeles.  But with recent wins in Eugene, Corvallis, Pullman, Seattle, Tuscon, and Tempe, where we've had trouble in the now-distant past, it seems that we may be close to getting over this hump.

PS - why didn't we go to the Rose Bowl in 1975?  Anybody know?

In a shocking turn of events due to unprecedented economic difficulties and increased production costs, the Los Angeles Times has resorted to recycling old articles and editing the names to keep up with current events.   A friend of mine sent me a preview of tomorrow's central sports analysis article.  It seemed a little alarmist, but I thought you all might be interested in a quick peek.  The changes from the original article, found here, are in italics.

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So, I was one of several thousand Cal alums from the East Coast who descended on College Park for today's, um, match-up against Maryland.  I love this blog - long time reader, first time poster - and wanted to throw up some thoughts.

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