I am not as optimistic about Kennard as I am with Carroll. I am not sure what the protocol is here, so I’m not going to delve into rumors. Suffice to say, while Cal is still in the picture, I would say our chances decreased after his SC trip. Carroll on the other hand has already got a taste of SC and THEN decided to start looking elsewhere.

Any word on whether the #1 wide receiver in the country, Reuben Randle, actually visited Cal this past week?

BELLYRUBS4ALL!

Great DbD.

This would be a huge signing, undoubtedly Cal’s biggest defensive signing in the Tedford era. He’s so good, I’d implore danzig to create a video of Cal’s 2008 3-4 to showcase the rising defensive juggernaut he’d be joining. Hell, I’ll help him produce it.

I’d be happy to make this vid. If you’re my producer, then you need to give me some info about the plays to include and in which order.

1) Quarter and game time during which each play starts (and the game of course)
2) Where to insert title cards and what they should say
3) If I should pause and highlight a specific player
4) Music/no music, if so what music etc.

No 5 best team:

5. 1956-57.
   Team’s record: 21-5.
   Achievements: PCC champion, NCAA tournament.
   Record vs. Stanford: 2-0.
   Record vs. UCLA: 1-1.
   Coach: Pete Newell.
   Top players: F Larry Friend (18.9 ppg), G Earl Robinson (12.1 ppg), C Duane Asplund (11.4 ppg).
   Bottom line: In his third season, Newell wins his first PCC title and gets the Bears into the second round of the NCAA tournament, losing 50-46 to a post-Bill Russell team from USF. Losses also include to top-ranked Kansas with Wilt Chamberlain and to UCLA _ the last time Newell is defeated by John Wooden

Number 6 best team:

6. 1985-86.
   Team’s record: 19-10.
   Achievements: Places third in Pac-10 after 10 straight second-division conference finishes. Beats UCLA 75-67 at Harmon Gym to end a 52-game losing streak to the Bruins.
   Record vs. Stanford: 2-0.
   Record vs. UCLA: 1-1.
   Coach: Lou Campanelli.
   Top players: Kevin Johnson (15.6 ppg, 6.0 apg), Leonard Taylor (11.9 ppg), Dave Butler (11.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg).
   Bottom line: If Jason Kidd transforms Cal basketball seven years later, it’s Campanelli who shakes the program out of 25 years of lethargy. In his debut season, he promises the Golden Bears will be competitive and that Harmon Gym will become a hot ticket, and he delivers on both counts. The win over UCLA is one of the great emotional high points in Cal sports history, and leaves grown men crying in the grandstands.

Coach M Musings by Okanes:

This is a significant loss for the Bears. Not only is MIchalczik a very well-respected offensive line coach, he’s been Jeff Tedford’s sidekick in offensive game planning ever since he’s been at Cal. It’s a hit in terms of stability and continuity for the program.

Tedford is going to look around him next season and see an offensive staff of coaches who mostly haven’t been around here very long.

More on Mack Draddy:

–Mack (On returning for his senior season and watching the O-line get hit by injuries): "It’s been a challenge. Part of the reason I came back was to develop myself as a player. I wanted to come back and try to get better myself. Having to help other people, it was a leadership role. It takes a lot of energy. You’re dog tired and you’re trying to fix your own things. You have to remember you can help other people, too. I had to remember to watch other people and make sure to say something if I saw something. They are good guys and they take coaching well, which makes it easier. if they were more difficult, I probably would have just stopped. They’re really good guys."

–Cal coach Jeff Tedford (on Mack’s reaction when they announced him as the winner): "I think he was shocked. He did a real nice job. He got up there and gave a real short but meaningful acceptance speech. The smile on his face was awesome."

Ryan Anderson has big night:

Two nights after shooting 1-for-9 from the field against the Chicago Bulls, former Cal star Ryan Anderson scored an NBA career-high 21 points, helping the New Jersey Nets to a 94-87 win over the Toronto Raptors. Anderson also had nine rebounds.

"It feels good to bounce back from a game where I may not have shot the ball as well as I know I can," Anderson told reporters.

Tribute to Pete Newell:

LOS ANGELES — Nearly seven decades after Pete Newell graduated from Loyola Marymount, more than 100 of his family members, former players and friends gathered at the Jesuit University on Monday morning to celebrate his legacy.

Newell, a Hall of Famer who was the first coach to guide a team to the NIT and NCAA championship and an Olympic gold medal, died on Nov. 17 at the age of 93.

Former Los Angeles Lakers player and general manager Jerry West was one of those who spoke of Newell’s ability to touch the lives of others and the impact he made on basketball from college to the NBA and the women’s game.

West, a 14-time All-Star whose silhouette is the model for the league’s logo, paused several times to contain his emotion and grief over the loss of Newell, who was the Lakers general manager from 1972-76.

Tedford says Cal will keep its 3-4 defensive alignment indefinitely.

Tedford reiterated this week that Cal will stay with the 3-4 defense, which has propelled the unit from the middle of the conference pack to one of the Pac-10’s best. He can’t speak about specific prospects until the Feb. 4 national signing day, but Tedford talked about the importance of staying in the 3-4.

“You have to,” he said. “You cannot bounce around. You have to recruit to a system. Your numbers just kind of go into a tailspin if you start switching back and forth.”

Ted Miller reviews Cal’s season.

It’s hard, as a fan, to understand all of this. H.S. phenoms are flaky and we don’t know how good they are against their competetion. Ragnarok has a helluva post a few months ago on recruiting. Instead of the stars and the hype, he looks for this:

Given this, here’s what I look for in a recruiting class:

- Does Cal get most (if not all) of the best talent in northern California, where “best” is defined as those Tedford deigned to offer a scholarship to.

- Who else do these recruits have scholarships from? San Jose State? (Meh) Oregon? (Good) USC? (Great!)

- Does Cal get recruits from across the country to want to come play for Cal? If so, this would indicate that our national profile has been raised and Tedford has a wider possible area over which to cast his recruiting net.

- Does this class address all of the glaring needs of the current team with players ready to compete for a starting job (i.e. junior transfers or absolute stud freshmen, hopefully who have already enrolled in the Spring)?

- Does this class add to position depth across the board, anticipating injury problems and glaring needs that might come up in a year or two?

- Does the class hold together well, avoiding last-minute defections as kids go back on their verbal commitment to sign with another school? (In general, I’m not a fan of kids who make a commitment before they’ve actually made up their minds. I think it speaks to a lack of character.)

good stuff from the old school blogsome address.

a little dated, but good stuff here:

13. OT Sam DeMartinis, Cal – One of the nation’s most recruited tackles in 2007, DeMartinis will begin his climb up the Bear depth chart this spring. Technically sound and well above average as a pass protector, he has an incredible upside in Berkeley, especially as he adds more muscle to a 6-6 frame that can comfortably handle the extra weight.

8. WR Michael Calvin, Cal – There’s an APB out for quality pass catchers around Strawberry Canyon, great news for young and restless players, such as Calvin. A 6-3 flyer with 4.5 speed, he really turned heads on the scout team, preparing to fill the void left by the departures of DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins, and Robert Jordan.

4. LB D.J. Holt, Cal – It’s only a matter of time before Holt is a very important part of the Bear defense. A stacked deck at the position means he might have to wait until 2009 to start, but he has the athletic ability and pass rushing instincts to be a factor on the second unit and special teams this year. A defensive end in high school, he’s only going to get better after learning the nuances of playing middle linebacker.

So, these guys didn’t exactly star this year…but doesn’t mean they can’t next year. Calvin got hurt, but still has huge upside. Holt saw PT and will hopefully excel next year. DeMartinis? Anyone know why he didn’t see the field since we were Team Get our Tackle’s Injured this year?

link

I think the jacket of my suit got caught on the arm-rests of my chair, and now I have a small tear on the jacket right next to the pocket.

Can this be fixed at a tailor? Damnit, and it’s a nice suit too. #%U*)#%)@*#

link

Of 4,814 Division I men’s basketball players in 2006-07, there were 19 Asian Americans (including Pacific Islanders and ethnically mixed), according to the most recent NCAA Student-Athlete Race and Ethnicity Report. That’s 0.4 percent.

Offensive Player of the Year: Cal TB Jahvid Best. Gave him the edge over Stanford’s Toby Gerhart based on his performance down the stretch, which included 236 all-pupose yards and three touchdowns in Big Game and 847 yards (or whatever it was) against Washington.


Defensive Player of the Year: SJSU DT Jarron Gilbert. He had 22 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks as a tackle. A first-day NFL draft pick and one of the best defensive tackles to come through the area this decade.

Freshman of the Year: Stanford DE Tom Keiser. Had six sacks despite playing part time. Reminds me a bit of ex-Cal star Ryan Riddle.

Newcomer of the Year: Cal WR Verran Tucker. JC transfer who missed the first three games and didn’t find his groove until Arizona (Oct. 18) but still finished with 20 receptions.

***Offense

QB: Cal’s Kevin Riley. The best of a substandard group. Was 7-2 as a starter and threw 14 TDs against 6 INTs. Should never have lost his starting job in the first place.
RB: Cal’s Jahvid Best. A game-breaker of the first order. Averaged 8.0 yards per carry and 183.5 all-purpose yards per game.
RB: Stanford’s Toby Gerhart. Nobody in the area was more valuable to his team than Gerhart was to Stanford. He punished defenses and carried the Cardinal (15 TDs, 95 ypg).
WR: Cal’s Verran Tucker. Averaged 14.4 ypc and gets the edge over teammate Nyan Boateng, who had a bevy of drops early in the season.
WR: SJSU’s David Richmond. Had 72 catches (31 more than anyone else in the area) for an offense that was highly flawed.
TE: Cal’s Cameron Jordan. Led all Bay Area pass catchers with 8 touchdowns. Imagine what his numbers could be with an elite QB.
OT: Stanford’s Ben Muth. Big part of Stanford’s rugged ground game and a first-team all-league pick.
OG: Cal’s Noris Malele. Played through injury the way tough-as-granite seniors are supposed to play through injury.
C: Cal’s Alex Mack: If not the best center in area history, he’s in the conversation.
OG: Stanford’s Alex Fletcher. Clearly one of the top-five OL but plays the same position as Mack, so I moved him. (Fletcher started every game at guard in ‘07.)
OT: Stanford’s Chris Marinelli. Finished at guard but played the first half of the season at tackle. Deserved a spot and I needed an OT.

* Defense

(Note: I included four linebackers because the position was loaded and because one of the teams plays with four LBs as its base defense.)

DE: SJSU’s Carl Ihenacho. Had 18.5 tackles-for-loss despite playing the last month with a cast on his thumb.
DE: Stanford’s Erik Lorig. Cardinal was so deep on the DL, it was tough for anyone to stand out. But Lorig was probably the best of the bunch.
DT: SJSU’s Jarron Gilbert. Spent as much time in the backfield as opposing quarterbacks. Unblockable in one-on-one situations.
DT: Cal’s Tyson Alualu. Flush with deserving ends and needing a tackle, I moved Alualu. (Also considered: Cal’s Cameron Jordan.)
LB: Cal’s Zack Follett. Took advantage of Cal’s 3-4 to become an edge-rusher extraordinaire (19 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks). A close second to Gilbert for defensive POY.
LB: SJSU’s Justin Cole. 240 pounds of havoc.
LB: Stanford’s Pat Maynor. Was Stanford’s defensive MVP, and I’m not sure anyone was close.
LB: Cal’s Worrell Williams. After an underachieving ‘07, he made an impact on the field and in the lockerroom.
CB: Cal’s Syd’Quan Thompson. Dominated play from the corner, which ain’t easy.
CB: SJSU’s Chris Owens. Slightly better season than CB-mate Coye Francies; they formed the area’s best tandem.
S: Stanford’s Bo McNally. Solid year at the weakest defensive position.
S: SJSU’s Duke Ihenacho. Even better than 5 INTs, he had 2 Pick Sixes.

* Special Teams

P: Cal’s Bryan Anger. It only seemed like every punt went for 70 yards.
PK: Stanford’s Aaron Zagory. Was 10-of-11 from inside 40, which is what you want from possessions that end in/near the red zone.
KOR: SJSU’s Brandon Rutley. Thought about Best for this spot but Rutley returned twice as many kicks and only averaged 2 fewer yards.
PR: Cal’s Syd’Quan Thompson. No contest.
ST: Stanford’s Wopamo Osaisai. With his speed, Stanford essentially had 12 players on coverage.

I love how he uses SJSU stats against inferior competition as the basis of his argument. Follet can finish runner up in the Pac-10 but he can’t finish number one in the Bay Area? Anger & Schwartz are Freshman All Americans, but they can’t win the Freshman of the Year?

http://www.athleticsnation.com/2008/12/16/694872/all-done-talking-about-raf

Furcal turns down the most money and longest year deal to go to a team/area he likes.

Croz and his ~.650 OPS is more depressing than Kevin Riley’s HiBalls.

Life magazine has digitized their image archive and made available through Google image search. If you’re into photography, it’s a great way to waste time at work. Some cool shots of Berkeley from back in the day.

Found this one searching for “University of California”

Rishi, do you have those links to the bowl game ratings wherin you were able to compare ratings btwn 1.1 games and the HBowl?

Why did I walk to get lunch in this damn weather?! #*@%)@#

From EDSBS, Mel Kiper Jr, on Draft Prospects

Percy Harvin, Florida. Percy Harvin’s definitely a difference maker, the kind of gamechanger and factorback who makes things happen. His explosiveness after the run is explosive. Not many guys like that around. I project him as a 3rd round pick for the Baltimore Ravens at punter, since his speed and lack of durability put him in that Reggie Bush, ostrich-with-a-helmet-and-women’s-panties-on kind of thing. You ever noticed how popcorn makes you thirsty? Me neither.

Pro Bowl Rosters Out.

Nnamdi and Tony G made it. Congrats to them!

Note that Mario Williams did and yet Bush didn’t. Ha!

Mack Draddy holdin it down for Cal.

THIRD TEAM
Center — Alex Mack, senior, California.

This is encouraging. Miami’s MVP is its kicker.

Bosher placekicks, punts and kicks off. A semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award for the nation’s best place-kicker, Bosher led the Hurricanes in scoring with 89 points (second-highest scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference).

The next highest Hurricane scorer was tailback Graig Cooper, who earned Miami’s ‘’Most Versatile Player’’ award at the Westin Colonnade in Coral Gables.

Bosher has hit 17 of his 19 field-goal attempts and all 38 extra-point attempts. He was 2 for 3 on kicks of 50 yards or longer. He also had eight tackles, more than 22 players who had at least one.

Miami’s players look forward to visiting that place with that bridge…that big bridge, you know.

UM quarterback Jacory Harris said he went to Southern California in high school for the Elite 11 Camp but has never been to San Francisco.

’’I’ve heard so many things about San Francisco,‘’ Harris said. ``What’s that bridge called? That big old bridge? And there’s something called Fisherman’s something. It’s just going to be a fun experience.

``I feel like I play better [for] road games, anyway. It’s a business/vacation trip. We want to go out there and have fun, but once Dec. 27 comes around, it’s a business trip. We want to help establish some momentum for next year.’’

Defensive tackle Marcus Forston said he heard that San Francisco ``is a nice town, a place a lot of people want to go for vacation.’’

I’ve discovered treason by Addicted To Quack!