Mens soccer hosts SoCal:

This Week
No. 20/25 California (8-5-0 overall, 2-3-0 Pac-10) plays No. 2 UCLA (8-1-2, 3-0-2) and San Diego State (4-4-4, 1-2-2) for the second straight week. The Golden Bears host the Bruins at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, and the Aztecs at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Edwards Stadium. Cal will honor its five seniors as part of Senior Day prior to the San Diego State match, the final regular-season home game for forward Jeff Cosgriff, goalkeeper Patrick Fry, defender Imaan Kerchgani, defender Evan Sassano and defender Jacob Wilson.

The Bears are ranked No. 20 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll and are tied for No. 25 in the Soccer America poll.

Scouting the Golden Bears
Cal is on a two-game losing streak after dropping road games to UCLA, 1-0, on Oct. 16 in Los Angeles and to San Diego State, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 18 in San Diego. Junior defender A.J. Soares converted an 89th-minute penalty kick that forced the SDSU game to overtime for Cal’s lone goal on the trip.

Junior forward Andrew Wiedeman continues to lead the Bears in goals (10), points (23) and game-winning goals (5). He has three assists. Nationally, he ranks ninth in goals per game (0.77) and is tied for 11th in points per game (1.77). Wiedeman leads the Pac-10 Conference in points, goals and goals per game, and he ranks second in points per game.

Jeff Cosgriff ranks second for Cal in points (16), goals (6) and assists (4). Junior midfielder Hector Jimenez (1 goal, 8 assists) paces Cal in assists and ranks third in points (10). Jimenez ranks seventh in the nation in assists per game (0.62) and leads the Pac-10 in assists and assists per game.

As a team, Cal ranks 14th in scoring offense (2.0 goals per game) nationally and leads the Pac-10 in goals (26), goals per game and corner kicks (76).

Cal sophomore goalkeeper David Bingham, who made eight saves last week against UCLA, has compiled a 0.94 goals-against average in 11 starts.

Bears freshman midfielder Chris Ortega is the brother of SDSU midfielder Daniel Ortega.

Cal mens gymnastics alum McNeill finishes 7th at All-Around at World Championships:

LONDON – Five-time NCAA individual champion Tim McNeill concluded his competition at the World Championships with a seventh-place finish in the all-around and taking fifth on pommel horse. The World Championships took place from Oct. 13-19 at the O2 in England.

In the all-around finals, McNeill hit all six of his routines and finished with an 87.150. He started with a solid floor routine, posting a 14.500. He did well on his pommel horse routine, which included the full Kehr, and received a 15.000.

On rings, McNeill scored a 14.325 for his routine that included a tucked double-double dismount. McNeill’s Yurchenko double full on vault scored a 15.300. His parallel bars routine, which is packed with difficulty, yielded a 14.200. Finishing on high bar, his routine that included a Yamawaki release and a tucked double-double dismount received a 13.825.

“I’m pretty excited (about finishing in the top 10),” McNeill said. “I really tried not to think about my ranking or standing against the rest of the field, but it is pretty impossible to blank that out, and I think that did get to me a little bit. Parallel bars gave me a chance (to move up in the rankings), and if I could change one thing, it would be to go back and redo that routine. Overall, I gave it my best, and I put everything out there. That’s all I can ask of myself. I still have the pommel horse final so have to get back to work.”

On pommel horse, McNeill was the highest American finisher with a 15.150. McNeill executed a clean routine that included the full Kehr. Zhang Hongtao of China won the title with a 16.200.

Field hockey heads to Stanford:

This Week
With one week left in the regular season, the California field hockey team hopes to head into the postseason on a three-game winning streak. After defeating Pacific, 4-1, last Sunday, the Golden Bears (5-9, 3-1, NorPac Conference) head to No. 12 Stanford and UC Davis this week. Cal faces Stanford on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. and UC Davis on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.

Magill and Spellman Earn All-Conference Honors
Sophomore Erin Magill and freshman Laura Spellman won NorPac Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively. As a team, these are Cal’s sixth and seventh conference weekly awards this season. Magill recorded her first defensive save of 2009 against Miami of Ohio last Friday. In addition, she secured her second assist of the campaign, setting up the Bears’ lone goal against the RedHawks.
Spellman recorded a goal and an assist in Cal’s 4-1 win over Pacific last Sunday. She assisted on the game-winning goal and added some insurance later in the period. Those three points were the first of her collegiate career.

Mens water polo player named Co-Player of te week:

WOODLAND, CALIF. – University of California sophomore goalie Wil Toppen has been named the Oct. 19 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Mikasa Player of the Week, it was announced by MPSF commissioner Al Beaird. Toppen, who is the second Golden Bear in as many weeks to be selected for the league’s weekly award, shared his first career MPSF player of the week honor with USC sophomore goalie Joel Dennerley.

Toppen, a 6-0, 185-pounder from Camarillo, Calif., was solid in No. 2-ranked Cal’s 7-6 MPSF league win Oct. 16 before a packed house at No. 4-ranked UCLA, recording nine saves with two steals. The six goals Toppen allowed was five less than the Bruins’ scoring average on the season. The young goalie has taken over Cal’s (13-4, 1-1) starting duties, recording 82 saves in 11 matches.

The week before, Bear junior center Zack White was the Oct. 12 MPSF Co-Player of the Week, helping Cal to a runner-up finish at the UCI Invitational, scoring eight goals (four in each match) in victories over Loyola Marymount (9-8) and then-No. 1-ranked and previously unbeaten Stanford (10-8). White also had nine ejections earned in three of the tournament matches.

Toppen and White join sophomore attacker Cory Nasoff as the Bears’ MPSF Player of the Week selections this season. Nasoff was the Sept. 8 MPSF Co-POW after helping Cal to a 4-0 start at the Navy Open in Annapolis, Md., scoring 11 goals in matches against Iona, Navy and Bucknell.

So the person featured in this DBD got mind numbingly drunk, went to jail, and we won in L.A. for the first time in 10 years. In order to appease the juju and be successful the next time we play in L.A., does this mean he has to do the Jack + Jager = Jail equation all over again?

I’m trying to wrap my mind around how drunk you have to be to go inside the Rose Bowl and look around, yet not be able to figure out where the Cal section is.

Miller forecast’s the Holiday Bowl in our future.

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/4266/second-half-outlook-california

This was a great story, and well-written. Good insight into the life of a criminal, if only a criminal for a few hours. I feel like I got jail-fucked just reading it, fortunately I was able to get jail-fucked vicariously thru the author ;-)

Heh damn that sucks. Cool story but for his sake ya hope that arrest isn’t on his record.

So, Twist, how did it feel to enjoy life for the time it took you to write this DBD?

Passing out in the bathroom is a crime?!? I don’t ever want to be legal!

Rec’d.
One of the best stories ever told in the history of story telling… and bathroom passing outness.

IEeBear has an interesting story on Cal hoops.

It’s great to be young. That kind of reminds me of back when the Fremont Experience just opened in Vegas. Though I imagine the Pasadena drunk tank is much more friendly than downtown Vegas …

In about a week’s time, I will most likely be able to tell you what the Austin drunk tank is like.

No, really.

How was this not front page news?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/47/189787648_b8754a816a.jpg

LOS ANGELES – Natalie Coughlin won’t be going for the gold on “Dancing with the Stars.”

The Olympic swimmer and her professional partner, Alec Mazo, were eliminated Tuesday from ABC’s popular dancing competition. The pair received a total score of 22 out of 30 from the show’s judges for their paso doble Monday. After viewer votes were combined with the judges’ scores, the 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist was eliminated from the show.

“I guess I didn’t show it, how much I loved it,” said Coughlin, “but I really did, and I’m sorry.”

Before Coughlin’s dismissal, the show’s 16 professional dancers honored the late Michael Jackson with a performance fusing classic ballroom and Latin styles set to “I Want You Back,” “Man In The Mirror” and “Thriller.” Jackson family members including Katherine, La Toya and Jermaine Jackson watched the tribute from the front row in the ballroom.

“He’s just an inspiration to all of us,” said professional dancer Mark Ballas.

The nine remaining celebrity contestants competing for the “Dancing with the Stars” mirrorball trophy are entertainer Donny Osmond, actress Melissa Joan Hart, model Joanna Krupa, professional snowboarder Louie Vito, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, singers Mya and Aaron Carter and TV personalities Mark Dacascos and Kelly Osbourne.

when he came in we yelled, “Fresh Fish!” He one-upped us though, by declaring, “I’m gonna fuck all of you!” All four of us were instantly prison pals.

rofl

Does anybody actually believe this story is about Twist’s “friend”? Anybody?

Which sport will he take over next?

Hope we never have an awkward situation like that.

John Turner’s comments, posted under his screen name, said: “Get rid of Yow. And you might have a chance on being decent in football and basketball. Shes [sic] the absolute worst and will destroy your program! TRUST ME!”

Nothing compared to the firestorm at Ohio State.

As of this morning, an astonishing 47 percent of respondents in a Columbus Dispatch online poll (unscientific, of course) voted “Yes” to the question “Should Ohio State make a change at quarterback?” despite Pryor’s obvious talent and 13-4 record as a starter. And Dispatch reporter Ken Gordon went out of his way to calculate the impact of Pryor’s turnovers in each game this season, and doesn’t pull any punches for the sophomore’s benefit, beginning with the headline:

Pryor TOs the difference between 5-2 and 7-0?
[…]
Pryor has accounted for 11 turnovers: 8 interceptions and 3 lost fumbles (out of 8 fumbles overall). Opponents have converted those turnovers into 30 points.
[…]
… I determined that Pryor’s turnovers prevented OSU from scoring at least 3 points [in the three-point loss to USC], and maybe as many as 18.

Add those together, and you have a total turnover cost of between 33 and 48 points. It could also be argued that his turnovers made the difference in both of OSU’s losses.

Notre Dame fans want the school to stop paying attention to academics and focus on the fact that it is a football factory:

What Notre Dame Administration and Faculty don’t understand is that football NOT academics made the University of Notre Dame what it is today. The fact of the matter is that 90% of the people that want to come to ND, and spend money at ND, and care about ND do so because of some tie to our football
program.

http://www.chuckweis.com/boycott.html

Let the drumbeats begin. (I give this a 1% chance of happening.)

The upheaval in the top 10 has already led some observers to seek alternate routes to a more palatable championship matchup — i.e. one involving schools that have been there before — which so far has led them to one conclusion if Texas (heaven forbid) happens to bite the dust: How about an all-SEC championship? We’re not there (yet) with the national media, but the homers are already abuzz with the prospect of turning the Rose Bowl into the world’s largest deer stand. CBS Sports’ Gary Danielson implied as much with his SEC-riffic championship hierarchy during the Florida-LSU game earlier this month, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tony Barnhart, holding his nose at the sight of Boise-Cincy-Iowa at 4-5-6 in the BCS, suggested Monday that he’s getting the itch for a title game that doubled as SEC Championship West:

1. There CAN be an Alabama-Florida rematch for the national championship. Last week I said that if Alabama and Florida were undefeated, ranked 1-2 and played a close SEC championship game, there would not be a rematch for the BCS title.
[…]
But after seeing the first set of BCS standings on Sunday, I think it is now possible if No. 3 Texas loses at some point. That’s because there is a huge gap in the BCS average between No. 2 Alabama (.9526) and No. 4 Boise State (.8083) and No. 5 Cincinnati (.7870). …
Secondly, I can’t remember when we’ve had this much of a competitive gap between the top two teams in the standings and the rest of the Top 10. Example: If you’re a voter in one of the polls, do you put a 12-0 Iowa into the big game over a 12-1 SEC team that just lost a close game to the No. 1 or No. 2 team in the nation?

Considering Iowa would have to beat Arizona (a computer favorite this week), Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State, Big Ten fans have your answer: “Yes. Yes you do.”

LINK

Starting next fall, UC Berkeley will admit hundreds of additional out-of-state residents and international students instead of Californians as a way to make up for state budget cuts.

Chancellor Robert Birgeneau said Tuesday that his campus will be admitting as many as 600 fewer “unfunded” California students a year to offset a 20 percent cut from Sacramento. Those slots will instead go to out-of-staters.

The problem is that the state picks up much of the university’s cost of educating California students – only it’s not paying for as many students as it used to. Nonresidents, on the other hand, pay their own, higher tuitions that actually cover UC’s cost of educating them.

Birgeneau said he understands that people will be angry that Berkeley will be freezing out Californians in favor of students from elsewhere. But, he said, “that upset needs to be directed to Sacramento.”

LINK

Patrick Andrew Libby, 22, is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility after he was found shortly after 7:30 a.m. in Concord.

A citizen reported seeing Libby near the Olivera Crossing Shopping Center on Port Chicago Highway and called police, said Concord police Corp. James Carroll.

Officer Melanie Kaiser and others spotted Libby, who ran away but gave up soon after as a police K-9 arrived, authorities said. The handcuffs he had on from the night before weren’t on him, authorities said.

Concord police brought him back to jail.

At about 8:35 p.m. Tuesday, Libby was taken to the jail by a Brentwood police officer who had arrested him on suspicion of statutory rape and oral copulation with a minor, said Jimmy Lee, sheriff’s spokesman.

Libby was still handcuffed when he bolted from the officer and ran out of the jail’s sally-port, a secure area directly outside the jail, just as a gate was closing, Lee said.

“He did not escape the jail facility,” Lee said. “He escaped from police custody.”

Police tracked Libby from the jail on Ward Street to the area near the Tesoro Refinery in Pacheco, several miles east of the jail. Libby stole a car but ran away on foot when a security guard prevented him from leaving, Lee said.

Dude made it to Concord and had no handcuffs on. Wow. Loved that last quote by Lee.

I still don’t know what’s his worst crime is, adultery with a psycho or trading Jason Bay and signing Bobby Bonilla and Mo Vaughn.