On the plus side, he’ll make some kick-ass heavy metal albums.

Is this Bartholomew?

“This commercial is apparently an advertisement showing how Nisshinbo cares about global warming and the environment.”

Also, Rasputin`.

“One woman confessed that the first time she made love to him her orgasm was so violent that she fainted. Perhaps his potency as a lover also had a physical explanation. Rasputin’s assassin and alleged homosexual lover, Felix Yusopov, claimed that his prowess was explained by a large wart strategically situated on his penis, which was of exceptional size.”

Yankees OF Nady to have Tommy John surgery

NEW YORK —Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady will have ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow after re-injuring it during a minor league rehab game.

The Yankees announced Wednesday that Nady’s second Tommy John operation will be done July 8. Nady also had the surgery in 2001.

"I’m extremely disappointed for him because we thought we were going to get him back this month," manager Joe Girardi said. "He’ll be back. Your heart goes out to him because it’s a lot to deal with.

The injury could also cost Nady a considerable amount of money because he can become a free agent after the season.

Arizona: Where Cal’s Rose Bowl dreams go to die.

I don’t care if the round table was made up content. That shit was funny.

Bartholomew seems so cuddly until he starts tearing your eyes out. Same with Rodgers.

Also, Rodgers has the ironic facial hair to drink PBR. So, its all good!

new field hockey coach same as the old field hockey coach:

BERKELEY – Jennifer Vinnitti has returned to California as an assistant coach for the 2009 season, as announced today by head coach Shellie Onstead. This will be the sixth season at Cal for Vinnitti, who left following the 2002 campaign.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have Jennifer back,” Onstead said. “There’s going to be really no training curve needed, so we can really just hit the ground running.”

Prior to returning to Cal, Vinnitti began her own Marketing & Graphic Design company, JLV Consulting, served as the director of marketing at New England Construction and was the head coach of the Wheeler School in Providence, R.I. A former standout player at Plymouth State, Vinnitti coached at Cal in 1997-98 and in 2000-02. After her first stop with the Golden Bears, she served as the assistant coach at Boston University in 1999.

At Plymouth State, Vinnitti was a starting defender for the Panthers, earning Division III All-American honors in 1995 and 1996. The captain of her ’96 squad, Vinnitti was also selected to the Division III All-Star team. She led her team to the NCAA Tournament in 1993 and 1994.

Madame Butterfly goes into US Olympic HoF:

BERKELEY – California swimming legend and three-time Olympic gold medalist Mary T. Meagher, who competed as a Golden Bear from 1983-87, will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame later this summer, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday. Dubbed “Madame Butterfly” during her competitive years, Meagher held the long-course world records in the 100-meter butterfly (57.93) for 18 years (1981-99) and in the 200-meter butterfly (2:05.96) for 19 years (1981-2000).

The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2009 consists of nine individuals and one team. To read the full USOC press release that includes bios of the inductees, please click here.

A six-time NCAA champion for Cal, Meagher is a member of both the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame.

Meagher claimed three gold medals in her Olympic debut in 1984, when she swept the butterfly events in Olympic-record times and competed on the gold medal-winning 4×100-meter medley relay. At the 1988 Olympic Games, she added two more medals to her collection, winning silver as a member of the 4×100-meter medley relay and claiming bronze in the 200-meter fly. Additionally, Meagher was considered a medal-threat in 1980, but she did not compete due to the U.S. Olympic boycott.

Her success was not limited to the Olympic stage. Meagher is a 24-time U.S. national champion, and she captured several medals at the World Championships in 1982 and 1986, including a pair of individual titles. Additionally, she medaled at both the Pan American Games and the Pan Pacific Championships.

Meagher enrolled at Cal in the fall of 1982 and won NCAA championships each of her four years with the Bears. She took 1984 off from school to concentrate on the Olympics. Meagher also won the Honda Sports Award for swimming in 1985 and 1987 and was selected the winner of the 1987 Honda Broderick Cup, given annually to the nation’s top female collegiate athlete.

Godlen Bears to compete in summer competitions:

BERKELEY – With athletes and coaches participating in basketball, swimming and water polo, the University of California will be well represented at the 25th World University Games, which run July 1-12 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The Golden Bears will have a significant presence in men’s water polo, where the U.S. squad is led by Cal head coach Kirk Everist. He has four Bears on his roster in Trent Calder, Zac Monsees, Mike Sample and Zach White. Team USA will be in Group D along with Hungary, Japan and Poland. The first match will be July 2 with the medal games on July 12.

Senior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson has earned a spot on the U.S. women’s basketball team, and the Americans are paired in Group A with Serbia, France and Great Britain.

Women’s water polo freshman Emily Csikos will be a key factor for Team Canada at the games.

In men’s swimming, the Bears to look for are Will Copeland and Sean Mahoney on the U.S. squad, as well as international competitors Guy Barnea (Israel), Nick Ferrif (New Zealand), and Damir Dugonjic and Jernej Godec (Slovenia).

Cal women swimmers in the pool in Serbia will be Madison Kennedy, Lauren Rogers and Amanda Sims for Team USA, Hannah Wilson for Hong Kong and Sara Isakovic for Slovenia.

Approximately 9,000 athletes from 140 countries will compete in 15 sports and 208 disciplines during the games. Additional information, including complete schedules and results, can be found on the World University Games website.

Alex Gray-Lawson, flag-bearer:

BELGRADE, SERBIA -

California Golden Bear senior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson was elected by the 2009 USA World University Games Team delegation to represent the United States of America as the USA’s flag bearer for the 2009 World University Games. Gray-Lawson, whose father was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, carried the United States flag and led the U.S. delegation into Opening Ceremonies, which included 88 different countries, on Wednesday night.

“For me it’s a day-to-day process, trying to stay focused, understanding the importance of being one of the oldest in my family, trying to carry on the legacy of my dad,” said Gray-Lawson, the third of nine siblings who range from 11 to 26 years old. “He’s pretty happy right now. He’s his old self and as long as I’m making him happy by being here, I’m going to do it. I talked to him yesterday and I told him I get to carry the flag. He’s so excited for me. I’m glad to see him happy.”

“My dad taught me how to play basketball. He was my high school coach. He’s at every game. He’s definitely been a big support in my life, he and my mom. Me, being close with my dad, I can talk to him about pretty much anything. I’ve always had a close relationship with him and my mom. I’m probably the most spoiled out of all the kids.”

women’s soccer player with U23 USA team:

BERKELEY – California sophomore defender/midfielder Megan Jesolva will make her way across the pond with the United States Under-23 National Team. The Americans will play two matches against the English U-23s on July 3 and 7.

The matches against England will both be played at the Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, one of the UK’s national sports centers, which is located about 30 minutes west of London.

The U.S. U-23s are undefeated so far this year with an 8-0-1 overall record and 2-0-1 in international matches, defeating the Norwegian and England U-23s this past March and tying the full national team of Northern Ireland in May.

PS Great DBD, Holmoephobe.

Women’s golfers smart!

BERKELEY – Pia Halbig and Shannon Yocum were named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar team.The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50 and student-athletes must have competed in at least 50% (Division I) of the college’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year.

Pia Halbig, who just finished her sophomore season at Cal, earned the honor for the first time. She was a second team Pac-10 All-Academic selection in Conference honors announced earlier this year.

Graduated senior Shannon Yocum, a first team Pac-10 All-Academic honoree, is the first California Golden Bear women’s golf team member to be a four-time NGCA All-American Scholar. Three players (Eden Anderson 1997-99, Nicole Bolter 1998-2000 and Anne Walker 2000-02) have been three-time recipients of the honor, but Yocum is the first to earn the award four years.

Dont forget to vote in the CGB Meme Invitational. Voting continues in the Sweet16 Brock Mansion Party Yacht Regional. PARTY YACTH!

Vote here

and

here

I, for one, welcome our new ant overlords. As a trusted internet personality, I can be instrumental in rounding people up to toil in your underground salt mines.

A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered.

Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same inter-related colony, and will refuse to fight one another.

The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination.

What’s more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together.

STOP HELPING THE ANTS, PEOPLE! STOP HELPING THE ANTS!!!

Great news for Rishi! Somebody tell him when he awakens from his 5 day stupor.

n what many are calling “India’s Stonewall”, the New Delhi High Court on Thursday decriminalized homosexual intercourse between consenting adults, by striking down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This law labels gay sex to be an “unnatural offense”, punishable with up to ten years in prison.

Drafted in 1860, this Colonial-era law was brought into effect by the British, and was in line with similar anti-homosexuality legislation passed in England at the time. In the past decade, gay rights activists and lawyers have strived hard to abrogate Section 377, calling it “inhuman”, and as the Naz Foundation, which filed the petition to abolition 377 in 2001 argued, a violation of constitutional rights to privacy and equality.

I think UCLA or Minn will be the big trap game. We’re @UCLA and that itself does’t make me wholly optimistic about the matchup.

Is no one else worried that Washington will be a trap game? I find it difficult to write them off, given all the changes going on there, it’s a home game for them, and the fact that it’s the season-closer. Is last year really as much of an indicator for the kind of season they’ll likely have, even with a new coaching staff and a healthy Locker?

I’m looking for a video recorder for my pc. I’d like something that I can route my cable connection through so I can record programs to my hard drive. Do you know what PRD74 uses when he records the Cal games? Any suggestions?

So I’m sitting here in Union Station, Chicago, waiting to board The Empire Builder train to overnight to Glacier National Park, and I’m reading a roundtable with a large bear contributing “Wraaaaaagh”, which causes me to giggle, and people look at me kinda funny. I had also linked over to the “Aaron Rodgers is the F-ing Man” article from yesterday’s DBD, and up pops a NSFW and also NSFUnionStation picture of a near nekkid lady. So people around me are probably thinking “who is this inappropriate tool wearing a Cal shirt?” And Mrs. CALumbus Bear asks “is this what you do all day at work?” I have no salient response. Other than “damn straight.”

N. Korea didn’t learn the first time

Don’t forget they launched a long range missle on 4-July last year too.

THEY’RE ALL TRAPS I TELL YOU!

The Gainesville Sun ranks Cal at 19th going into the 2009 season.

Strength: As is often the case in Berkeley, the Bears should have no problem running the ball. Cal has had seven straight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. Expect the tradition to continue for coach Jeff Tedford with dynamic running back Jahvid Best, who averaged 8.1 yards per carry last year as a sophomore. Senior cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson leads an experienced secondary that should give opposing offenses headaches.

Weakness: Most of the defense remains intact, but Cal may not have enough quality linebackers to run a 3-4 defense after losing three to graduation (Zack Follett, Worrell Williams and Anthony Felder). With Nate Longshore gone, quarterback Kevin Riley will need to improve to keep the Bears from becoming too predictable on offense. Riley completed just over half of his passes last season and will need consistency from his wide receivers to turn around Cal’s passing game. Nyan Boateng, a Florida transfer, is the top returning receiver with 439 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year. The Bears’ offensive line lost some leadership with the graduation of center Alex Mack. Junior Chris Guarnero will have big shoes to fill.

HolmoePhobe, your DBD was very entertaining. I just have one problem with it and the subsequent thread. All the negativity. I hear so much about how Cal sports are all about heartbreak, and we will always be let down. The old blues always say to never be optimistic, because it will just hurt more. They say that 2007 was nothing, and Cal football is forever doomed. Everyone here is talking about which game we are going to blow. This disgusts me. I am a new blue. I have not had to live through years of heartbreak. I wasn’t alive during the Holmoecaust, where a cornerback was our offense. So you may dismiss what I have to say, but at least listen. Why aren’t you guys optimistic? Times are great in Berkeley! We have a team ranked top 20 in the preseason! My dad’s favorite thing to tell me as I was being weened on Cal sports was: The point of Cal sports is to break your heart. I feel that this constant fear of failure is an awful attitude to take. Why do you guys always have to be so down about our team? We are currently going through one of the best eras of Cal football ever (not the best, but one of them). There will probably be a time in the future when we are back to being a doormat. SO!?!?!? Enjoy what we are going through now! Can’t we all just relish in the position we are at right now, instead of talking about what games we are going to blow when we are 2 months away from the season? Can’t we talk about the greatness of Jahvid Best, Syd’Quan Thompson, and Bryan Anger instead of talking about how the team will fuck up and make us sad? In the future, you will all regret not enjoying this time more. Everyone is always busy looking over their shoulder.

Sorry for my rambling, but the main point is I just want some more positive energy here. We will have a very good team. We are going to have a banner year for recruits. Times are great for this program. I think with all the horrible things the world is going through right now, we should stop and enjoy the wonder that is Cal football.

Wilner’s Pac 10 All-Decade Team

**** SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB Carson Palmer, USC
RB DeShaun Foster, UCLA
RB Marshawn Lynch, Cal
WR Mike Hass, Oregon State
WR Dwayne Jarrett, USC
TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
OL Jacob Rogers, USC
OL Kwame Harris, Stanford
OL Calvin Armstrong, Washington State
OL Max Unger, Oregon
C Marvin Philip, Cal
AP DeSean Jackson, Cal
K Alex Serna, Oregon State

Defense

DL: Sedrick Ellis, USC
DL: Brandon Mebane, Cal
DL: Rien Long, Washington State
DL: Kenechi Udeze, USC
LB: Will Derting, Washington State
LB: Keith Rivers, USC
LB: Matt Grootegoed, USC
DB: Patrick Chung, Oregon
DB: Darnell Bing, USC
DB: Dennis Weathersby, Oregon State
DB: Daymeion Hughes, Cal
P: Nate Fikse, UCLA

**** FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB Matt Leinart, USC
RB Reggie Bush, USC
RB Steven Jackson, Oregon State
WR Reggie Williams, Washington
WR Derek Hagan, Arizona State
TE Marcedes Lewis. UCLA
OL Sam Baker, USC
OL Ryan O’Callaghan, Cal
OL Adam Snyder, Oregon
OL Ryan Kalil, USC
C Alex Mack, Cal
AP Maurice Drew, UCLA
K Justin Medlock, UCLA

Defense

DL: Terrell Suggs, ASU
DL: Shaun Cody, USC
DL: Mike Patterson, USC
DL: Haloti Ngata, Oregon
LB: Lance Briggs, Arizona
LB: Richard Seigler, Oregon State
LB: Rey Maualuga, USC
DB: Troy Polamalu, USC
DB: Ricky Manning, UCLA
DB: Taylor Mays, USC
DB: Antoine Cason, Arizona
P: Tom Malone, USC

Furd fan response in comment section:

phillaak23 says:
July 1st, 2009 at 8:48 am
Lynch over Toby Gerhart??!? Wilner, you are starting to show your biases.

hhahhahhhhaaa, classic!

The Raptors are said to be aggressively pursuing free agent David Lee, while Hedo Turkoglu is rumored to consider Toronto his No. 1 destination.

With Memphis taking agreeing to terms with Zach Randolph Wednesday, Lee is hoping to get a big offer from Toronto or Okalhoma City. If they don’t come through, he could just return to New York. Turkoglu’s first choice is said to be Toronto, but it looks like the Blazers are showing more interest than the Raptors.

The Cavaliers are aggressively pursuing unrestricted free agents Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza, and it sounds promising that they could land at least one, if not both of them.

LeBron James had a recruitment conversation with Artest late on Tuesday, while Ariza is unhappy with the Lakers initial offer, and is said to be ready to bolt. While the signing of Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t guarantee the Cavaliers will win the East next season, adding Artest and Ariza would likely make the Cavs the overwhelming favorite to win it all. However, coming up with a financial plan to afford both players may take some creativity on the part of Cleveland.

Owner Wyc Grousbeck, general manager Danny Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers and star Kevin Garnett are all heading to Michigan on Thursday to meet with free agent Rasheed Wallace.

It’s possible that Ray Allen and Paul Pierce may also be on board for the trip. Maybe Jeff Van Gundy is driving the RV, Zach Galifianakis will bring some Skittles and there will be cameras, as this sounds like it could be highly entertaining video.

Restricted free agent swingman Josh Childress is meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks as he is considering a return to the NBA.

If the Bucks (or another team) make him a “reasonable” offer, ($5.8 million or below), the Hawks are expected to match it. Childress would then have to opt out of his contract in Greece, but it is starting to look like there’s a decent chance that Childress could return to the NBA and the Hawks.

The Celtics are said to have offered Rasheed Wallace a two-year contract for their full mid-level exemption, which is $5.8 million.

He’s also entertaining potential offers from San Antonio and Cleveland, so this situation could be far from a resolution.

Ricky Rubio will remain in Spain to play for his DKV Joventut team for the remaining two years of his contract rather than try to move to the NBA this season.

The paper also says Rubio plans to withdraw his contract lawsuit against the team. This is a very fluid situation and information could change on a daily basis, but it really looks like Rubio may finish out his contract in Spain rather than play for the Wolves.

Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said Thursday that the team has not had any contact with free agents Allen Iverson or Rasheed Wallace.

Higgins said the team is interested in signing Brandon Bass or Antonio McDyess, but that’s not likely since they’re over the cap and can’t offer much money. “Iverson to Charlotte” rumors are rampant, but the fact they’ve yet to have contact could mean that match is not likely.

The Bobcats did not renew their team option on guard Sean Singletary, making him an unrestricted free agent.

He might have trouble sticking in the league and isn’t expected to have any fantasy value if he is able to hang on.

The Mavericks have made a contract offer to Marcin Gortat and will now wait to see if the Magic will match it.

No details on money or length, but if it is a substantial offer, the Magic may have a tough time matching it, even though they have said they intend on doing so with any offer he receives. Stay tuned: Houston’s “e-mail your love for Gortat” campaign seemed to work, but wasn’t enough to persuade the big man to sign with Houston.

The Rockets have scheduled a meeting with Lakers free agent Trevor Ariza.

Ariza apparently wants out of Los Angeles and appears to simply be looking for the biggest contract he can get. There’s still a chance he could wind up with the Lakers, but there’s probably a better chance that if he plays in Staples Center next year, it will be for the Clippers.

The Heat have contacted free agents Ron Artest and Allen Iverson in hopes of getting one of them on board.

The Heat probably wouldn’t make either player an offer of more than one year, but could also explore sign-and-trade possibilities.

One option, Rated-R Superstar, is just to post a link to True Hoop or some other rumor section at ESPN.

The Knicks will try to use their $5.7 million mid-level exception on Grant Hill, who accepted an invitation to New York Monday for a recruiting visit.

“Hill’s a class act,” Mike D’Antoni said Wednesday. “He didn’t miss a game last year. I think he’s one of the best free agents out there.”

The Pistons waived Fabricio Oberto on Wednesday afternoon.

Oberto would have to wait a league-mandated 20 days to re-sign with the Spurs, though their interest is unclear.

Allen Iverson has made it known through his representatives that he is interested in signing with the Memphis Grizzlies, according to multiple sources.

The Grizzlies front office is said to be internally weighing the pros and cons of possibly adding Iverson to the team’s youth movement.

The Celtics want to bring Glen Davis back for the 2009-10 season, but they will have competition.

Detroit and Memphis, two teams with cap space, both are expected to court Davis over the next month.

‘67 Marquez has another ’89 scrapbook post up at AN (replete with actual scanned in newspaper clippings). Good stuff, but depressing nonetheless.

It’s not all about the NBA and NHL right now.

The A’s signed three 16-year-old players from Venezuela on the first day of the international signing period, including highly regarded shortstop Wilfredo Solano.

The team also signed Wilman “Junior” Martinez, a third baseman, and outfielder Alfred Sosa. The players will report to the team’s facility in La Victoria, Dominican Republic.

Oakland might sign more players, particularly from the Dominican Republic, once the initial signing period is over. The A’s themselves might have driven up prices in the Dominican this summer after signing right-hander Michael Ynoa and giving him a record $4.25 million bonus last year.

$400,000 in student loan debt?

It’s more complicated than that, but still. Shit.

So, I was doing a little research for a possible post, and I came across a name that I don’t recall ever hearing before. Which surprises me, because I’ve apparently seen him play. Does the name ‘Eric Holtfreter’ mean anything to any of you? Just curious to see whether my lack of recognition is unusual or not.

Here’s some other free agency news that doesn’t involve international MLB signings, the NBA or the NHL.

Free agent linebacker Willie McGinest wants to return to the Patriots, but there have been no formal talks between the two sides.

The Patriots may not want McGinest back at this point in his career. He’ll probably garner interest from some teams later in the summer, but for now the Patriots don’t seem interested.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets met with Trevor Ariza in Las Vegas on Thursday and are expected to offer a multi-year deal at the mid-level exception.

The deal would not preclude Houston from also keeping Ron Artest, according to sources.

Rollonubears, it looks like the Pacers won’t be getting Marcin Gortat.

The Mavericks are expected to sign Marcin Gortat to an offer sheet on Wednesday, which the Magic will have seven days to match if they want to keep the big man.

Dallas is reportedly offering him their full mid-level exception — which could be for five years starting at about $5.6 million. If the offer is for five years, there’s a decent chance the Magic will choose not to match it due to the luxury tax penalties that would follow. And after also losing Tony Battie and Hedo Turkoglu, the Magic could be pretty thin in the front court.

Rodgers doesn’t really have a beard…those are more muttonchops….

Can you list for me every starting fullback in the Tedford Era?

I have – Manderino, Storer, WillT…

Who were the others?

It’s all over.

Rockets unrestricted free agent swingman Ron Artest says that he is going to sign with the Lakers.

CBS’s Ken Berger offers no details, but says they are coming. Artest is a huge coup for the Lakers if the news is true, as they could then afford to lose Trevor Ariza and/or Lamar Odom to free agency.

I made the post for all of the off-season news in the NBA, so I won’t be posting them in the DBD posts from now on.

Went golfing. I have an awful awful awful slicing problem. I nearly killed another group of golfers with a tee shot. I yelled fore, but they didn’t hear. They were quite annoyed (rightfully so, I admit). Then I had to go over there and get my ball back. It was…. awkward…

By the way, the Artest deal is worth $32 million over five years.

Followed Rags’ advice, fanpost on Cal basketball is up.