If you guys didn't hear, Tony Gonzalez saved a man's life!  Another man!  He's such a swell guy!  He should run for mayor.  No!  He should run for President!  No, he should run for the most prestigious position available in the entire global world:  Tony Gonzalez.

Yes, vote Tony Gonzalez for Tony Gonzalez!  It's the part he was born to play!  He's the man for the job. 

Sweet Marshawn video over at the Bills website.  Its a few months old, but this is the first I'm seeing of it.  It basically talks about how he's helping a rookie friend of his try to make the team.  I like when he says he learned a lot last year from the OGs on the team.

This news is a little old, but it can't hurt to stress that Cal got 7th place in the Director's Cup standings (the "Overall Sports" ranking). 

Below is a year-by-year look at Cal's finishes in the Directors' Cup:

17th in 1993-94
13th in 1994-95
30th in 1995-96
26th in 1996-97
19th in 1997-98
23rd in 1998-99
15th in 1999-00
12th in 2000-01
20th in 2001-02
9th in 2002-03
9th in 2003-04
15th in 2004-05
7th in 2005-06
9th in 2006-07
7th in 2007-08

Cal scored Directors' Cup points in the following sports in 2007-08:
Men's Water Polo - 1st (100)
Women's Tennis -2nd (90)
Women's Rowing - 3rd (85)
Women's Volleyball - 3rd (83)
Men's Swimming and Diving - 4th (80)
Women's Swimming and Diving - 5th (75)
Men's Gymnastics - 5th (73)
Softball - 9th (64)
Men's Cross Country - 16th (42)
Football - 26th (45)
Women's Track and Field - 22nd (51)
Women's Basketball - 17th (50)
Women's Soccer - 17th (50)
Men's Soccer - 17th (50)
Men's Tennis - 17th (50)
Women's Golf - 34th (39)
Women's Indoor Track and Field - 34th (38)
Baseball - 49th (25)
Men's Indoor Track and Field - 57th (16)
Men's Golf - 59th (14)
Men's Track and Field - 71st (0)*

*Points are awarded in a maximum of 10 men's and women's sports. Because Cal scored higher in 10 sports other than men's track & field, no points were accumulated for the 71st-place finish.

Final Director's Cup Standings
1. Stanford	1461.00
2. UCLA	         1182.00
3. Michigan	1161.50
4. Arizona State	1146.00
5. Texas	         1129.50
6. Florida	1126.75
7. California	1120.00
8. Louisiana State	1085.00
9. Penn State	1041.00
10. Georgia	1040.00

More Crew news I can't fully follow.  Sounds good to me, though!

BERKELEY - California volunteer assistant coach Luke Agnini will coach the U.S. lightweight men's four without coxswain at the 2008 FISA World Rowing Under 23 Championships slated for July 17-20 in Brandenburg, Germany, USRowing announced on Monday.

Heather Petri, the most veteran player on the US Olympic Water Polo team, went to Cal.  This is her 3rd Olympics and she has high hopes. 

Petri likens her first Olympics to being on a "speeding train and I was glued to the window, looking at whatever I could," she said. "Everything was overwhelming and kind of crazy, but now I'm finally at a place that I'm enjoying everything and getting the most out of the experience."

As the oldest player on the team, Petri has a natural leadership role, checking on players and often being the one who sets up team functions.

"I love the feeling on this team," Petri said. "This team is really cohesive, and the energy in practices you can just feel how everyone wants to do well.

"We all know it's possible, especially after the World Championships."

Petri was known as a role player before, but she has picked up her offense considerably to the point where Baker said she is playing her best water polo in her career.

Hesiman Pundit puts Cal in the "On The Cusp" section of its blog regarding football.  Ok.

Letters To The Editor:

TIME FOR A DECISION

Editors, Daily Planet:

Judge Barbara Miller issued a ruling on June 18 that was neither here nor there. The sitters are still in the trees. The university has not broken ground. The city has not taken advantage of the potential to win by responding to university efforts to negotiate an end to the standoff.

After 18 months, you'd think the judge could settle this thing. But she has repeatedly taken the maximum allowable time to make a decision at each stage of the case. Now she's asked for more information, and along with it comes another 60 days of decision-making. If her most recent ruling sends any clues, the university will ultimately prevail, leaving the city with nothing but an enormous bill from its lawyers.

Two entities are being hurt here: the university to the tune of an estimated $11 million in construction delays and the taxpayers who pay the bills. Those bills are running close to half a million dollars in city and state expenditures on legal fees.

It's time for all the involved parties to act responsibly and settle among themselves. If the past is an indicator, Judge Miller won't bring this all to an end for several more months. It's time for some courage and responsibility from all sides.

Linda Schacht

John Gage

I really hope this guy lives by the stadium and is annoyed by the lights.

TURN OUT THE LIGHTS

Editors, Daily Planet:

I know well of the oak grove tree -sit, because UC Berkeley has decided to contribute to the growing light pollution of this town. You can see the grove from miles away, just because of generator lights. And what are these lights doing? Keeping away evil spirits? Bedtime monsters? Other various creepy crawlies?

Please UC Berkeley, Turn off the lights so we can all get some rest.

John Dougherty

WIDESPREAD SUPPORT?!

Editors, Daily Planet:

Is this really about the trees? I’m perplexed that the mayor and City Council continue to support small fringe groups like the tree-sitters and Code Pink, despite the fact that the public is obviously in opposition. I live in West Berkeley and know of no one—not one single person—who supports the tree-sitters anymore. Berkleyans for Cal, a new group set up to give people like us a voice, has gathered almost 9,000 signatures. Yet the City Council is responding to the whim of a few people to continue this madness.

Why do I call this madness? Their actions are not giving us any alternative and they’re not raising awareness of a serious deforestation problem in this country. Even if they were to succeed their actions are only going to save the equivalent of someone’s backyard full of trees. Meanwhile, we can do things as a community and set an example for the country. On example of many: In concrete construction the West Coast happens to be the laughing stock of the United States. All of the lumber is here along with the tree huggers, yet California somehow refuses to embrace re-usable formwork and instead builds concrete forms out of raw lumber. These forms are subsequently damaged by stress and chemicals to the point where they can’t even be recycled. We have a second problem with the tons and tons of trees that are cut down every second and delivered to our mailboxes in the form of junk mail.

By not looking at where we have the power to make a difference we’re simply barking up the wrong tree.

Brian Webb

THE TREE-SIT SAGA

Editors, Daily Planet:

I love reading the Daily Planet—the hilarious coverage of the tree-sit saga has afforded countless hours of laughter at the delusional "progressives" who chose to make this whole thing into a "cause."

I nearly choked with mirth the other day when Martha Nicoloff called the tree-sitters "saints." No, Martha—they are turd-tossing, urine-dumping infants. And I hear that "Millipede" is on her way to Santa Barbara on outstanding warrants for theft. We sure could use more saints like her.

Katlin Moore's ludicrous commentary, "City Must Continue Lawsuit Against UC," was the topper. She claims "international" support for the tree-sit. Really? Details, please. She claims to represent "tens of thousands of Berkeley residents." Where are all those people? Certainly not protesting—more likely they’re at Berkeley Bowl or down on Fourth Street shopping like good, upscale American consumers. There is zero evidence that the actual supporters of the tree-sit number more than 100, if that many.

There is no "indisputable" evidence of any "sacred" burial grounds—only a single skeleton of undetermined ethnicity found in the 1920s. The only native "leader" calling UC's actions a "hate crime" is that unemployed loudmouth (and vandal of public property) Zachary Running Wolf, who is probably the most entertaining nutcase of all, especially when he and Ayr fight over who gets in front of the TV cameras first.

But why rely on facts and reason when lies and emotion are so much more fun?

How far Berkeley has fallen from the Golden Era of the 1960s, if this is what passes for activism these days.

They say we get the elected officials we deserve. I urge all Berkeley voters to replace Tom Bates with Running Wolf ASAP. Let the circus continue!

Michael Stephens

Richmond

Ok, not a lot of new Cal related news, but we got some stuff there.  You see anything else, let's dump away!