Too long. Didn’t read.

Willie Tuitama gets an “extreme” DUI.

Urban Meyer says that if a woman attacks one of his players and his player hits the woman in self-defense, that player is off the team.

I chose the NCAA (basketball tournament) but NBA Playoffs is 1a to NCAA’s 1. I love basketball.

All eyes on QB Riley at Cal spring practice

California won nine games last season, but quarterback issues crept up throughout the season – to the point that regular starter Kevin Riley was benched for the Emerald Bowl against Miami.

Riley appears to have the quarterback job to himself this spring, but he needs to show more consistency. The highest priority for Cal is to find three new starting linebackers for its 3-4 defense.

Tom Dienhart (worst journalist ever) ranks all Pac-10 coaches

4. Jeff Tedford, California
Can you even remember who coached Cal before Tedford? [Ed note: UGH] Tedford single-handedly has made Golden Bears football matter, forging a 59-30 record in seven seasons. Even more important to Cal fans, Tedford is 6-1 vs. Stanford. Before he arrived, the Bears had lost seven “Big Games” [Ed note: Why is it in quotes? Because you don’t believe it to be a big game? If you’re quoting the title, then put the “s” outside the quotation marks] in a row to the Cardinal. To cement his status, though, Tedford must deliver a Pac-10 crown. [Ed note: And to cement his status, Pete Carrol must win at least five more national championships] (Oh, the coach before Tedford: Tom Holmoe, who’s now the athletic director at BYU.)

Basketball to take on USC:

California Golden Bears (22-9, 11-7) vs. USC Trojans (18-12, 9-9)
Thursday, March 12, 6 p.m. PT, Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Radio: KYOU (1550 AM) TV: Fox SportsNet

Entering the Pac-10 Tournament as the No. 3 seed, California (22-9, 11-7) faces No. 6 seed USC in first-round contest on Thursday. The Golden Bears and the Trojans split the season series, with each team winning at home. The last time they met back on Feb. 26 in Berkeley, the game went to overtime before Cal emerged victorious. Cal and USC square off at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Last weekend’s contests were memorable games for both juniors Jerome Randle and Theo Roberston. Randle swished a career-high 31 points at Arizona and followed that performance with 24 points last Saturday at Arizona State. Robertson collected a personal best of 24 points and one of his treys was the 100th of his career against the Wildcats, while he scored 19 points two days later against the Sun Devils.

In his first year as head coach, Mike Montgomery coached Cal to a third-place conference first, after it was projected to come in eighth in the preseason poll. Montgomery also got the Bears into the Top 25 earlier this season for the first time since 2003.

Randle and PC named all Pac10:

BERKELEY – Junior guards Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher have been named to the first-team all-conference squad, the Pac-10 announced Monday. It is the first time either student-athlete has received this honor.

This is the 14th time in school history that Cal has had multiple first-team all-conference selections. The last time this occurred was in 2006 when Leon Powe and Ayinde Ubaka received the honors.

Among the players’ accomplishments this season, they each scored the 1,000th point of their collegiate careers in the same game on Feb. 5 vs. Washington. Randle currently ranks 25th on the all-time scoring list with 1,152 points and Christopher is 27th with 1,028 points.

On March 5, Randle scored a career-best 31 points at Arizona and drilled eight three-pointers, which was one away from the school record for the most in a game. He has 15 20-point efforts on the season and is tied for first in the conference in assists, averaging 5.0 per game. He leads the team in scoring with 18.4 ppg, third best in the conference.

Monty Quotes:

BERKELEY – California head coach Mike Montgomery spoke with Bay Area media at his weekly press conference on March 9. The Golden Bears travel to Los Angeles to face USC Thursday in the Pac-10 Tournament.

On the First-Team All-Pac 10 selections for Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher:
Well, it was really competitive. Look at all 15 guys, it’s pretty impressive. It’s nice recognition for a job well done. I think there’s a couple other kids that could have got recognized from our team, but didn’t. If you look at the second team, with [Taj] Gibson, [Daniel] Hackett, [Josh] Shipp and [Nic] Wise, in particular — it’s a pretty impressive group. It’s a tribute to the job they did throughout the year.

On the upcoming Pac-10 Tournament:
It’s an opportunity to win a tournament. It’s quite a difficult task because you have to play three straight nights, when you never have to do that in any other circumstance. So, the league as balanced as it is this year, there isn’t any game that’s not going to be fairly well contested, I wouldn’t think. It’s going to be a tough tournament for whoever wins it. Everybody has one now because of the advent of TV and the dollars that are generated. So, it’s what it is. It’s tough. You’re going to have to have some depth to go into that thing and win it because it’s going to be hard for anybody that can’t go 8, 9, 10 deep; it’s going to be tough on them playing three straight nights to win it.

Put Deposit Down For 2009-2010 Season Tix

Link for Deposit above.

baseball loses to Oklahoma:

NORMAN, OKLA. – Junior center fielder Brett Jackson led-off the game with a home run and sophomore first baseman Mark Canha also homered in the first inning. Both players hit home runs in the ninth inning as well, but that was about the highlight for the Golden Bears as the California baseball team (8-5) lost, 9-6, Monday at No. 15-ranked Oklahoma (13-3).

After Cal scored its two runs in the top of the first, the Sooners came back with two runs in the bottom of the first off of Bear sophomore right-hander Kevin Miller (0-1), who ended up throwing 6.0 innings with seven hits, five runs, two walks and seven strikeouts. Oklahoma jumped out to a 5-2 lead by scoring a run in the second inning and two runs in the third inning. Cal got within 5-3 in the top of the fourth inning on back-to-back doubles by junior catcher Dylan Tonneson and freshman left fielder Danny Oh off of Sooner starter J.R. Robinson (4.1 innings, seven hits, three runs, one walk, two strikeouts).

Interview with elizabeth Layton:

BERKELEY – The Cal Lutheran Tournament gave California junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Layton a chance to get back in the pool after spending the first part of the 2009 season on sidelines with an arm injury. The Newport Beach, Calif., native earned three saves in the second half in the 16-2 dismantling of Villanova on March 6 and had five saves in one quarter of work against Redlands, allowing just two goals over the weekend. CalBears.com chatted with Layton and found out a little more about her, including her team nickname.

CalBears.com: When are you happiest?
EL: “On the beach, anywhere.”

CalBears.com: Your grandpa, Robert Worrell, competed in football and rugby at Cal. Did that influence your decision to come here?
EL: “The fact that my grandpa is a Cal alum definitely influenced my decision. I wanted to be able to share this experience with him. Both my parents went to UCLA, so I thought I’d change it up. It has always been really important to me to make him proud, and I hope I have.”

CalBears.com: What made you choose to major in English? What’s the best part about your major?
EL: “When I came to Cal, I actually had no direction towards what I wanted to study. I chose English because I thought it would be a great base for many different career opportunities in the future. I also was greatly influenced by my amazing English teacher in high school who had such a passion for it. It definitely was inspiring.”

Interview with Bryan Del Castillo:

BERKELEY – With a healthy Bryan del Castillo, the No. 2 California men’s gymnastics team is an even more powerful force with which to be reckoned. Del Castillo was the 2006 junior national champion, but has been limited by injuries. This year, del Castillo has competed in four different meets, and has notched four new career highs over the course of the season. CalBears.com recently talked with del Castillo to learn more about his life inside and outside of the gym.

CalBears.com: What has surprised you most about college?
BDC: “How smart and hard working everybody is. The students and the student-athletes are all very intelligent and work hard to be the best.”

CalBears.com: What is one skill you would like to have that you don’t already possess?
BDC: “I would like to learn how to cook. I love good food and it would be nice to know how to make it.”

CalBears.com: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
BDC: “At the moment, when people leave their dirty dishes in the sink!”

CalBears.com: What is your favorite food that someone in your family makes? What’s great about it?
BDC: “Mochi with soy sauce and sugar. It has been a favorite of mine since I was about six. My grandmother always has it ready for me when I come over.”

CalBears.com: Who are the most influential people in your life?
BDC: “My parents and girlfriend, Alex Leggitt. They are always there for me and help me when I need it.”

D-Wade is the awesome.

Like the kind you get from spilling boiling water on your hand?

Srsly?

Funny comment on Deadspin. Make sure to scroll up and read the post first.

NHL playoffs are phenomenal. NCAA is a close second (more like 1A, really), and nothing else comes close.

Dump away with the usual hub-hub, but only AFTER you give an answer. Otherwise you will be punished with a link to an addicting flash game.

I did not read this before I voted. Can I retract my vote?

Ted Miller previews QBs, says Cal is in “good shape.” For some reason he thinks Washington is in “great shape” with Locker running a pro-style offense.

California: Everyone knows Kevin Riley needs to be more consistent, Riley included. But he played fairly well last year — 14 touchdowns vs. six interceptions — and there’s no reason to believe that won’t be better in 2009. And, if he’s not, the scuttlebutt on sophomore Brock Mansion is positive.

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=921959

It says all the normal things … but its still nice to hear people say nice things about Best.

Where’s cricket on the options?

guys…I’m not a big fan of the money-grabbing Pac10 Conference Tournament. I think it gets shittier teams in the dance when teams like St Mary’s have to pray to Bak Bak in order to possibly make it. I’d rather see that then the Pac10’s 6th place team (or something like that).

Dont forge tto sign up for Tourney Challenge!

LINK

I thought you should know that I have discovered the male equivalent to Jennifer Love Hewitt — a guy that most women find attractive, but when guys hear any girl say it, they get seriously pissed off. Brace yourself … it’s Luke Walton. Go ahead, test the theory with your male and female friends, but I think you will find the same results.

Well, let’s take a look.

Guys, are you angry?

Here

YO previews secondary. He lists DJ Campbell as a possible surprise and Mark Anthony as a the one to watch out for.

Two more years of Alex Smith.

There’s a link to the full video if you click past here.

We were cautioned before doing the video interview that Gutierrez has been reluctant to talk to the media, that he is a private, even shy, person. We chose, therefore, to make this as comfortable an experience as possible, an easy-going get-acquainted conversation. What was gratifying, then, was his willingness to speak frankly about his feelings, motivations, and insights into what his experience in the United States has been (very tough) and the Cal experience (lots of pressure) so far. He spoke candidly about how much he misses Mexico and his family – how close he came to quitting, and how it was the help of friends – teammates, coaches, old acquaintances – both here and elsewhere – that helped him stay on track.

Quietly, with just a bit of a smile, he says, “I’m still here.”

I love this tagline, BTW.

Rishi rocks NinersNation!

I was reading an article over at cnnsi, and they said Cal’s spring practice starts today. Is that true? I thought it was pushed back a few days?

I uploaded a book for you… it’s a textbook called Modern Banking:
http://www.filedropper.com/modernbanking

I found it helpful for the historical sections that addresses past recessions…. I’m guessing that comes up a lot with your clients. Skim through chapters 5, 7 and 8. Also helped me understand bank failures.

Ted Miller previews DEs, says Cal is in “great shape.”

California: Cal welcomes back underrated end Tyson Alualu, second-team All-Pac-10 in 2008, and rising star Cameron Jordan, a junior. They combined for 22 tackles for loss last year in the Bears’ 3-4 defense. There’s also solid, young depth behind them in sophomore Trevor Guyton and junior Keith Browner.

http://www.calbears.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/cal/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/09QuickFacts

I would say that NBA basketball is best at determining a champion while NCAA basketball is the most exciting.

Although if we’re actually considering soccer/futbol major European leagues do it right – 38 games in England, home and away against every team, most points takes the cup. Just like the Pac-10 basketball regular season, but longer and more challenging.

YO: Slocum gets kicked off by Tedford for violating team rules.

ESPN INSIDER ARTICLE ON CAL SHOT SELECTION

s the Cal Bears prepare for their Pac-10 tournament opener against USC on Thursday, they can look back at an overacheiving regular season that has them sitting solidly as a No. 7 seed in Joe Lunardi’s most recent Bracketology.

Sure Shots

Cal led the nation in three-point shooting, in part because they showed excellent shot selection.
Team 3-point pct. (rank) 2-point pct. (rank) 3PA/FGA
California 44.5% (1) 50.4% (87) 25.8% (314)
NCAA average 34.3% 48.0% 33.1%

The Bears were by far the best 3-point shooting team in the nation this season, connecting 43.8 percent of its shots from beyond the arc, almost 10 percent better than NCAA average. But they don’t fire away on every possession. In fact, only 25 percent of their shots were 3s, which is the 314th lowest ratio in the nation.

At first glance, the solution for this 22-9 team seems simple: Shoot more 3s, score more points. But will that strategy boost it deep into the tournament?

RESUME

Cal played solid basketball against the top teams in the nation. The Golden Bears were 4-5 against the RPI top 50, defeating likely tournament teams in Utah, UNLV, Arizona State and Washington (twice). Cal’s two worst losses both came at the hands of Pac-10 rival Oregon State, which knocked the Bears off by four points in Berkeley and 11 in Corvallis.

YOU’RE GOOD AT THAT, BUT …

Sometimes your strongest attribute can be your biggest flaw. The Bears are shooting an astounding 43.8 percent from 3-point range, tops in the nation. But the more 3s they shoot, the more likely they are to lose.

You know when announcers say good shooters will “shoot through” their slumps? Well, that’s what the Bears try to do. But when they do, the only thing they shoot through is their own foot.

When the Golden Bears don’t play well, they shoot more 3s, and shoot them poorly (34 percent). When they play well, they settle into an offense that shoots five fewer 3s per game (13.1) and they make almost 50 percent behind the arc. Instead of hoisting up 3-pointers, they drive to the basket and draw five more free throws per game.
Good choices, bad choices

When Cal falls behind, it shoots more 3-pointers, but much less effectively.
Category 3-point pct. 3PA/game FG pct. FGA/game FT pct. FTA/game
Wins (22) .493 13.1 .520 55.18 .752 20.3
Losses (9) .338 17.8 4.18 56.67 .758 15.56

But here’s why shot selection matters so much: Win or lose, Cal will roughly get 55 shots a game. That’s because it doesn’t give the ball away (43rd in TO/possession) and rarely gets the ball stolen away (7.7 times a game, 16th in the nation). But this solid ball control is negated by a lax defense — the Bears only get a steal on 7.2 percent of defensive possessions (ranked 327). That means their opponents will get a similar number of shots as them.

In short, Cal needs to shoot better than its opponents, and that has to do with shot selection. This season, when the Bears shoot better than the other team, they were 18-1.

Alvin Chang is a contributor to ESPN Insider.