More (mediocre) Emerald Bowl Photos

Not that more photos are really necessary, but seeing as how the Emerald Bowl was the first Cal game for both of my two sons, I feel obliged to add a few more shots.

None of the pictures below are particularly good. This owes to crappy upper-deck seats, a less-than-professional telephoto lens (and photographer!), and slow shutter speeds in the night light. But I nonetheless got one or two shots that may at least be of passing interest.

The day started with a long train ride up from the in-laws' house in San Jose and a pre-tailgate family "lunch" at the 21st Amendment. The beers were extra good this day, which helps to further explain why my photos are less than stellar.

The fantastic 21st Amendment, on 2nd street

Well lubricated, the family and I headed off for further eating and drinking and reuniting with friends at the CAA tailgate. Along the way, we stopped for this Hallmark moment:

CalPete and family at the Emerald Bowl.

Once the game began, I was just sober enough to get a couple of shots of each team lined up in their respective "I" formations. (Note Cal's 3-man defensive front, as opposed to Miami's 4-man D-line.)

Slow shutter speed meant my photo of Verran Tucker's big pass play was blurry, although it does sort of give the impression of Jahvid-like speed. At least you can make out Oski celebrating on the sidelines in the background.

This play, of course, set up Jahvid's first touchdown run. I didn't get a shot of the play in progress, but I did get the before and after--including a nice photo of Giorgio kicking the PAT. Bravo giovane numero quaranta!

If you squint real hard, you can see Nate "Lucy Van Pelt" Longshore thinking about pulling a fake.

After that score, I grew tired of watching the game through a camera lens, which also was giving me a premature hangover headache. So I put the Nikon away, except for another moment or two to catch the Cal band and final celebrations.

While it wasn't my finest day of photography, I screamed by voice hoarse, I made my beer-tuned taste buds very happy (and my liver rather unhappy), and my wife and I finally baptised our sons into the Blue and Gold. Growing up in SoCal, our boys have come to think of we Cal folk as something of an oppressed, disrespected, and more-than-a-little-eccentric minority. To take part in such a joyful celebration of the Golden Bears--as a member of the overwhelming majority--was very refreshing, both for them and for us. There's no place like home. Go Bears!!