We have it!  It's ours!  I didn't see it on the field.  Nobody did.  They apparently whisked it away pretty quickly into the scrum.  Oh well.  At least I got to stand next to Anthony Felder.  Hiyo!

If you are new to the whole Cal thing and want to know why we are fighting over an axe, here is some information:

The Theft of the Axe

The game itself was played at 16th Street and Folsom in San Francisco. Head Stanford yell leader, Billy Erb (whose nephew Charles would go on to play for Cal's Wonder Teams), brought the Axe with him. After every good Stanford play, Erb and the other yell leaders would use the axe to chop up some blue and gold ribbon, and then gleefully parade the axe in front of the Cal bleachers, shouting the Axe Yell. Needless to say, this upset the Cal fans, and convinced two separate groups that they should attempt to steal this annoying instrument.

Anyway, the effort of Stanford's yell leaders did not came to fruition as the Bears won the game 9-7. As fate would have it, the Cal section was the closest to the exit of the field, and so one group of planners decided to wait for the Axe. When it arrived, an "old-fashioned brawl" (or small riot, depending on the account) ensued as the Cal men jumped the Stanfordites with the Axe. At this point, the second group of Cal men jumped into the fray. The Axe was taken by Cal at the cost of a black eye, a torn suit, and a cut finger. Paul Castelhun '00, who lived only blocks away, was given the Axe and took off as fast he could. Unfortunately, he was slowed down because he was wearing a heavy overcoat, so the axe had to be taken by someone else.

At the same time, a squad of police arrived, and Jack McGee '99, succeeded in confusing the police by trying to convince them that some Stanford students were attempting to steal a California Axe. The Sergeant in charge, Michael Josephy Conboy decided "They are college byes. Let them foight it out."

The Axe was passed on to Cal sprinter Billy Drum '00, who took the Axe along a winding route through the City. At one point, Drum accidently handed the Axe to two Stanford men who pretended to be Cal men, but he and some other Cal men helped retrieve the Axe from the two pretenders after chasing them for two blocks. Eventually the Axe reached a butcher shop at Scott and Oak streets where the Cal men were able to saw the handle off. The Axe and handle were then given to Clint Miller '00, who stuffed the Axe under his overcoat and put the handle down his pants leg. On the way to the Ferry Building, Miller stopped at a Chinese hardware store on Clay St. to make the handle easier to hide.

At the ferry building, the police were searching all UC men taking the ferry to Berkeley. Miller kept the axe as close to his skin as possible, buttoned up his coat and overcoat, and looked quite innocent as he waved goodbye to the Cal men while grabbing the arm of an old girlfriend that he saw was in line to board the ferry to Oakland (some legnds say that the girlfriend was a guy in drag, others say that the girlfriend hid the Axe under her skirt--neither are true). Jimmy Hopper '98 noticed what Miller was doing, bought Miller a ticket to Oakland, and handed the ticket to Miller just in time to board the ferry.

That night, the Axe was stored in the safe of Morris the Photographer, and the next night, under the pillow of Al Lean, the trainer of the baseball team. Then, on Monday April 17th, the baseball team plus the men who helped steal the Axe, elected Loll Pringle as the "Custodian of the Axe", and the first Axe rally was held on the Cal campus.

The Axe was then moved to the Chi Phi house where a few days later, several Stanford students raided the house, but did not find the Axe, which was hidden in a space behind a sliding door. After this incident, the Axe was moved to one of the top floors of the Klaus Spreckels building at 3rd and Market in downtown San Francisco, under the care of Clint Miller.

BTW, when they say "Class of 99" they mean 1899.  Not 1999.  Moreover, I really hope that that madcap dash through the streets of San Francisco was done in super fast mode with Yakaty Sax playing in the background.  And I really hope that all the guys in the 1800s had carnival barker mustaches.  I really really really hope that Danzig has video of this, too. Go Danzig!

Mens bball to take on North Carolina A and T:

California hosts North Carolina A&T in the second round of the Global Sports Classic Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Haas Pavilion to conclude its opening four-game homestand to start the 2008-09 campaign.

The Golden Bears, who play four of their next five games on the road, next travel to Las Vegas for the final two contests of the Global Sports Classic. Cal will face UNLV at 5 p.m. Friday, then meet either Florida State or Cincinnati Saturday.

So far, the Bears are 3-0 on the young season, with all three victories coming by at least 12 points. Despite losing F Ryan Anderson and his Pac-10-leading 21.1 ppg to the NBA last June, Cal is pouring in 80.0 ppg and shooting 56.6 percent from the floor.

The Bears nearly set a school record in their 85-58 rout of Texas-Pan American last Thursday, falling just short of the mark of 68.5 percent. For the game, Cal was 36-53 from the field after making a remarkable 76.0 percent of its attempts in the second half (19-25).

As a result, the Bears are third in the country in field goal percentage, trailing only Wake Forest (57.9%) and Arizona State (57.5%) through Saturday's action

Womens bball upsets Rutgers and with 2 players out of the lineup!

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -Alexis Gray-Lawson hustled all over the court on the way to 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists and No. 7 California pulled off the biggest home victory of fourth-year coach Joanne Boyle's tenure with a 66-52 upset of third-ranked Rutgers on Friday night.

Ashley Walker added 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Golden Bears (3-0) won their 32nd straight non-conference game in Haas Pavilion, pushing the tempo for the entire 40 minutes against the sluggish Scarlet Knights (2-1). This was Cal's most notable victory since winning at rival and then-eighth-ranked Stanford 72-57 on Feb. 4, 2007.

Once the final buzzer sounded, Cal's players gathered at midcourt for a group embrace.

"Just a great game," Boyle said. "I'm so proud of the kids. ... We've talked, this year in particular, about finishing, finishing big games. That was the theme. I was telling them how proud I am of them and thinking ahead, 'Where could we be in March?'"

Of Rutgers' highly touted freshman class, April Sykes was the only one who did much, scoring 16 of her 18 points in the second half for cold-shooting Rutgers. Epiphanny Prince, who led the team in scoring in the first two games as the Scarlet Knights averaged 84.5 points, was held to 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting and limited because of foul trouble.

Trailing 30-20, Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer subbed for all five of her starters only about 2 1/2 minutes into the second half and Cal answered with a 9-2 spurt to go ahead by 18, 40-22. Kia Vaughn approached Stringer to go back into the game and the intense coach then said something to the starters and sent them back in with 15:24 remaining - but Cal's run to start the half still wound up at 22-2.

Vaughn began the game guarding Walker, who was coming off a 27-point, 17-rebound performance against Nevada on Sunday. Walker still found ways to stay involved in the offense and didn't force things when swarmed by defenders.

VBall takes down USC:

BERKELEY - The No. 7-ranked California volleyball team (22-5, 12-4 Pac-10) honored its seniors tonight with a 3-1 drubbing of No. 10 USC (18-10, 9-8 Pac-10), 18-25, 30-28, 25-17, 25-6, at Haas Pavilion. With the win, the Golden Bears matched their highest total for conference victories in program history with two matches left on the schedule. Junior outside hitter Hana Cutura paced a Cal attack that recorded a .632 attack rate in the fourth set as she put down 22 kills to lead all players (5e, 40att, .425), and logged her 10th double-double of the season by contributing 10 digs.

The Bears avenged a 3-2 loss to USC suffered on Oct. 25 by putting up 14.5 blocks in the final three sets, outpacing the Trojans 15.5-9.0. Cal attacked at a .313 rate, getting 61 kills on 134 attempts and erring just 19 times. The Bears also forced the Women of Troy into a tough time at the net as USC attacked at a .113 rate, getting 44 kills (28e, 142att). Cal astounded onlookers as it blasted 12 kills to the floor on 19 attempts without a single error to log a .632 attack rate in the fourth set. On the other side of the net, USC earned its six points all on kills but came away with a negative .152 attack percentage (11e, 33att).

Sophomore setter Carli Lloyd helped steer the Bears in the right direction, and logged her 10th double-double of the season with 49 assists and 12 digs. She also had three kills (1e, 4att, .500) and five blocks. Following Cutura's lead, the outside hitters all did their share as senior Am'ra Solomon posted 10 kills with just two errors (26att, .308) and got up for six blocks (one solo). Freshman outside Tarah Murrey enjoyed another efficient night as she had 14 kills with just three errors (27att) and attacked at a .407 rate. Junior middle hitter Mindi Wiley tied for the team-lead with six blocks (one solo) and had seven kills (2e, 17att, .294). Senior middle Kat Reilly also had six blocks and contributed four kills (2e, 10att, .200). The Women of Troy were led by senior outside hitter Jessica Gysin, who had 13 kills and 10 digs on the night but attacked at a .114 rate (8e, 44att). USC freshman middle blocker Lauren Williams had a strong night out with 11 kills (1e, 22att, .455) but it was not enough for the Trojans.

Cal was seemingly unstoppable in the fourth set, ripping wide a 5-0 lead to force a USC timeout. Of the five Cal points, three came on blocks, and one on a kill by Murrey. Out of the timeout, the Bear attack only got stronger as it pulled out to a 10-3 lead on two consecutive attack errors by USC outside hitters. The seven-point lead wouldn't hold for long as the Bears continued the onslaught, claiming the next 11 points to go up 21-3. Two kills by Reilly pushed the lead to 23-5 before Murrey's shot served up set point at 24-5. One more kill by USC's junior setter Taylor Carico would be all the Trojans could manage as Cal sealed the deal with the final point. The Bears were unconscionable in the final set, routing the Trojans 25-6, and going without error.

Water polo beats Pacific:

In an emotion-filled day at Chris Kjeldsen Pool, the No. 4 ranked Cal Golden Bears defeated the Pacific Tigers, 10-7, to close out the regular season. With the win Cal finishes the regular season with a 18-7 record overall and 4-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF).

The first period of play proved to be a defensive battle for both squads, as more than five minutes passed without a score. Cal broke through first on a score at the 2:42 mark by Brian Dudley. Pacific did not allow another score in the period, and the quarter ended with the Tigers, trailing 1-0.

The Tigers came out energized to start the second quarter as senior Philip Berolzheimer won the sprint right out of the gate to give Pacific the early momentum. Despite the sprint win, it was Cal which got on the board first in the period on a Spencer Warden goal at the 6:49 mark. Pacific refused to let the Bears take control as Grant Hollis answered back for Pacific only 11 seconds later to cut the lead to 2-1. However, Cal's Warden found the net again for his second of the quarter with 4:24 left to play in the half. Cal continued their run as Zach White followed suit and scored his first of the contest at the 3:36 point, to give Cal a 4-1 lead late in the first half.

Not wanting to back down, Pacific rallied as senior William Milcovich scored his first goal to bring the Tigers within two, down 4-2. A late five-meter penalty shot by Frank Reynolds put the Bears up 5-2, with 0:12 to play in the half. Time expired and the Tigers headed to half, in the hunt with the Bears.

The second half of play began with the Cal offense continuing its first half drive, as Luka Saponjic scored for the Bears to put them on top 6-2, early in the quarter. Milcovich again answered the call for Pacific as he netted his second of the game to cut the lead 6-3. Cal scored one more from Thomas Pearson, and Pacific again matched in the quarter with a goal from sophomore Hector Lam Jr. at the 4:21 mark, to make it 7-4. Several minutes passed with both defenses rising to the top. Neither team could score, and both squads struggled to find open shots. With 0:31 remaining in the quarter Trent Calder scored one more for the Bears to give them an 8-4 lead heading into the fourth and final period.

Watch the XC NCAA Championships LIVE!

Womens swimming wins invitational:

College Station - The sixth-ranked California women's swimming team completed the three day Art Adamson Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M with 1,024 points - most in the ten-team field on Sunday.

"I thought our girls did a real great job today and I was real pleased with the way we finished the meet," said head coach Teri McKeever. "We had a couple of pool records and were really good across the board in the 200 fly and several other events."

Senior Dana Vollmer nearly achieved a personal best in the 100-yard freestyle final when she placed second with an NCAA B time of 48.51 (her personal best is a 48.65 set last season), while teammate Madison Kennedy came in third with a time of 48.81 - nearly establishing a new personal best (48.33). Hannah Wilson tied Michigan's Margaret Kelly for fifth place with an NCAA B cut of 49.33 as well.

Alexandra Ellis had her best performance of the season in the 200-yard breaststroke, placing second with an NCAA B time of 2:13.81. Freshman Kirstyn Colonias also had her best time of the season in the 200 breast with a seventh-place time of 2:20.40.

Mens water polo loses Big Splash:

BERKELEY - Sophomore utility man Brian Dudley scored off of a nice assist from senior captain Trent Calder with 53 seconds left in the match, but it was too little, too late as the No. 4-ranked Cal men's water polo team lost to No. 3 Stanford, 9-8, in The Big Splash Saturday at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Golden Bears dropped to 17-7 overall and 3-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while the Cardinal improved to 22-4 and 6-2 in MPSF play.

Junior Drac Wigo scored the key goal for Stanford with 1:21 left in the match that gave the Cardinal a 9-7 advantage. Cal freshman standout Ivan Rackov had tied the match, 7-7, at the beginning of the fourth period when he nailed a long shot past Cardinal goalie Jimmie Sandman. But Peter Sefton gave Stanford an 8-7 lead with 4:32 left in the fourth period when he was able to gather in the ball and score when a shot deflected off of Cal goalie Jacob McIntosh's arms. From there, Drac Wigo's third goal of the match proved to be the match-winner as the Cardinal were able to run out the clock after Dudley's score.

Drac Wigo paced Stanford with three goals and Alex Pulido had two goals in the third period for the Cardinal. Cal was paced by Calder's three goals and Rackov notched two goals. Both Sandman and McIntosh finished with nine saves at the goal.

VBall beats UCLA:

The No. 7-ranked California volleyball team (21-5, 11-4 Pac-10) defeated No. 9 UCLA (18-9, 8-8 Pac-10) in a five-set thriller (17-25, 26-24, 27-25, 26-28, 15-13) today at Haas Pavilion. With the victory, the Golden Bears swept the season series with the Bruins for the first time in school history and now own a three-match winning streak against UCLA. Cal was led by junior outside hitter Hana Cutura's season-high 26 kills and career-high 68 attacks (10e, .235) as she notched her ninth double-double of the year by adding 13 digs. Cutura also led the Bears in blocks with four (two solo).

Freshman outside hitter Tarah Murrey enjoyed the best match of her young career as she poured in a career-high 21 kills and 50 attacks (12e, .180) and logged a double-double of her own with a career-high 19 digs. Murrey also put up two solo blocks on the night. Sophomore setter Carli Lloyd was the target of the UCLA attack but held her ground as she matched a career-high with 18 digs and took home her ninth double-double of the season by leading all players with 57 assists. The Bears attacked at a .164 rate (the lowest in a victory this season) by notching 70 kills on a season-high 201 attacks (37e). Cal also recorded a season high in digs with 87. The Bruins managed just a .144 attack percentage, getting 63 kills on 202 attacks (34e).

Mens soccer beats USF in NCAA Tournament:

BERKELEY - The No. 9 California men's soccer team defeated San Francisco, 3-0, in the first round of the NCAA College Cup on Friday afternoon at Edwards Stadium. The Golden Bears (11-3-5) advance to the second round and will take on UC Santa Barbara. Cal had goals from sophomores Andrew Wiedeman and Demitrius Omphroy, and senior Chris Deal.

 

After surviving a couple of scoring opportunities by USF (9-10-2), the Bears got on the scoreboard in the 35th minute when Deal booted in a rebound after Wiedeman's shot was saved by the USF keeper. Deal led all players in shots with four, two of which were on goal.

 

Just over four minutes later, Omphroy scored Cal's second goal. After dribbling in on USF's keeper Jeremy Coupe, Omphroy dodged the diving Coupe and was able to find the back of the net.

 

Wiedeman put the match out of reach with his score in the 85th minute. Sophomore Scot Van Buskirk tallied the assist on the goal.

Cal student scores goal in FIFA U-20 to win game:

BERKELEY - Cal women's soccer sophomore forward Alex Morgan scored the game-winning goal in the U.S. Under-20 National Team's 3-0 victory over France on Thursday morning at Estadio Nelson Oryuzan in Chillan, Chile.

"The goal felt awesome," Morgan said. "The most important thing was that the goal really lifted our team and raised our energy level. It was a great feeling."

Morgan had a chance to score in the first two minutes when she turned a half-chance into a near goal, cranking a shot off the left post from a difficult angle just inside the penalty area. Morgan scored the Americans' first goal in the 64th minute when her thumping volley beat the French goalkeeper from 10 yards.

After a 0-0 draw between Argentina and China in the first game of the doubleheader, the U.S. now sits in first place in Group B with three points. The Americans will take on Argentina for their second match in Chillan on Saturday, Nov. 22 live on ESPN360.com at 10 a.m. ET before traveling to Temuco to face China on Tuesday, Nov. 26 in a match that can be seen live on ESPNU at 2 p.m. ET.

Article on Tedford's career so far at Cal:

The quarter isn't over, but progress reports are in. Looks like another smiley face for Jeff Tedford.

He's had better report cards, no doubt. On the other hand, he has met the ambitious standards we have come to expect during his seven seasons as Cal's football coach — a winning record, a bowl bid and a big win in the Big Game.

It's a good life, if not idyllic. The Bears were not listed in Sunday's Associated Press poll and they are 1-2 against ranked opponents this season. While those are nits ripe for the picking, they are footnotes to the big-picture view of the work Tedford has done at Cal.

Since he arrived here in 2002, the Bears have:

Won 57 games, second among Pac-10 teams to USC's 79.

Played in five bowl games going on six, second only to USC's six going on seven.

Won four bowl games, second only to USC's five.

Earned three top-3 finishes in the Pac-10, second only to USC's six.

Gone 6-1 in the Big Game.

Article on Carolina A + T game:

BERKELEY — No, it's not that North Carolina team, not the top-ranked Tar Heels, who are coming to town tonight.

But the North Carolina A&T squad that visits Haas Pavilion may pose some challenges the Golden Bears haven't seen in their first three games.

"We're playing a pretty good A&T team that's legit,'' said Mike Montgomery, hoping to become the first Cal coach in 48 years to start 4-0 in his debut season at Berkeley.

A&T, picked by the coaches to finish eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, is 2-2, with wins over the U.S. Merchant Marines and Talladega.

But the Aggies showed signs of being a threat Saturday night in a 71-58 loss to Nevada-Las Vegas. They led 45-44 with just under 12 minutes left and finished the game with a 36-31 rebounding edge.

CoCoTimes slideshow of Big Game!

Okanes Big Game notes:

–Jahvid Best’s career-best 201-yard performance gives him 1,083 yards rushing this season, making it the seventh straight year — in other words, every year Jeff Tedford has been at Cal — that the Bears have had a 1,000-yard rusher.

–For the record, Best is credited with 14 receiving yards — not rushing — on the hook-and-ladder play with Verran Tucker.

–Cal just installed that hook-and-ladder play on Thursday and only practiced it a few times. Quarterback Kevin Riley said it was because they noticed on film that Stanford’s corners really rush to the inside on those inside screens. That’s exactly what happened on the play.

–Bryan Anger’s 76-yard punt was the fourth-longest in school history. His 60.2 average for the day easily set a new Cal record, beating Andrew Larson’s previous best of 55.8 set last year against Oregon State.

Dump away!  Go Bears!