Hooray!  We are going across the bay for the Emerald Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27th.  The California Alumni Association (CAA) in conjunction with Athletics is planning a variety of fun events for everyone to enjoy.  We hope you will join us and also help plan one of the events by taking the attached poll. 

All the info about the events, travel packages, merchandise, etc. is here:

www.alumni.berkeley.edu/bowl

I've included more information below the fold.

Most importantly, the official Cal tailgate information will be up this Friday, Dec. 12th.  Sandy Barbour will speak to the crowd, the full Cal Band will play for us, and we will eat and drink until our bellies are full!  :)

Here are some fun tidbits from the official Emerald Bowl binder that I thought you would enjoy - in no particular order:

* The Pac-10 ticket allotment is 11,500 tickets which has all been sold to football season ticket holders and big donors, and includes tickets for the band & students.  There was no limit on the number of tickets one person could buy.  Cal Athletics is currently trying to buy tickets from Miami to sell to our fans.  (Miami only got 10,000 tickets.)

* The entire Cal Marching Band is attending and will be performing a pre-game and half-time show.  Each school is allotted 6 minutes total for each of these performances.  They will be sitting in sections 136 and 137 (bleachers).  The Miami band will be in section 119.

* Both team benches are on the same sideline (east-ish).  I'm not sure if then the coaches can venture up and down the entire length of the field...

* The Pac-10 Team hotel is the San Francisco Marriott at 55 Fourth Street.  Due to another conference, the hotel is completely sold out which we all think is BS.  Our travel partner (GetTravel) has reserved rooms at the nearby Westin San Francisco Market Street (previously the Argent Hotel).  The Cal Band hotel is Hotel 480 at 480 Sutter Street.

* Miami's team hotel is the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.  Their band is at the Hilton Fisherman's Wharf.

* Cal will be the home team and wear dark jerseys.  They will also get the Giants "home" locker room.

* Each Cal football player gets a gift bag from the bowl (this is true for all bowls).  The Emerald Bowl gift bag includes: Fossil watch with bowl logo ($105), Sony noise cancelling headphones ($199), Armor Gear Rolling Sherpa ($189), and Sports Cap with bowl logo ($13).

* Cal will practice at Memorial Stadium, but will stay in San Francisco starting on Monday, Dec. 22nd.  Besides press conferences and practices, the fun things the players get to do are: 2-hour Alcatraz tour, Team Dinner at Bistro Boudin Restaurant at Fisherman's Wharf, California Pacifc Medical Center Children's Hospital visit (select players), Friday rally, & Kick-off Luncheon.  The coaches, coaches' wives, and kids have more activities as well.

Go Bears!  Whip the Hurricanes!