DBD 9.16.09 Obnoxious Fanbases

From Okanes’s Tuesday night report.

Fellow linebacker D.J. Holt said the team came out "lackadaisacal" on the road last season.

"We kind of got off track going away," Holt said. "We really weren’t as focused. We’re going to be more ready this time. It’s a hostile environment so you can’t come out lackadaisacal. You have to come out like it’s a home game; treat it like a home game."

Speaking of Holt, he’s the first Cal player I’ve heard definitively say that he felt like he wasn’t rested enough going into the Maryland game last year.

"That was definitely a big factor," he said. "When we played Maryland last year, I was tired out there, kind of sluggish. They jumped on us fast, and we really weren’t ready until the fourth quarter. It was too late to come back. I felt like I didn’t have that much sleep."

Because of new DCs at Maryland & Minny.

The film room has not been kind to Cal’s football team so far this season.

For the second time in three games, the Bears are preparing for an opponent with a new defensive coordinator. It happened in the season opener against Maryland and is taking place again as Cal gets ready to visit Minnesota on Saturday.

Just like the opener against the Terrapins, when the Bears tried to figure out the tendencies of new defensive coordinator Don Brown, Cal is in the position of preparing for a defense without much film to study. The Gophers have played just two games under new co-defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.

LINK

Despite his inconsistency against the Eagles, Giorgio Tavecchio will continue to handle kickoff duties.

“We’ve got to get him comfortable and consistent,” Tedford said. "You see a kick down to the two-yard line and then one to the 15.

“Hopefully the more we do it, the more success he has, the more he feels comfortable and confident in the game.”

Uhh, just read it: http://www.fabsugar.com/4882281

It has been a seven-year problem. For all of the sweeping changes Tedford has made in revitalizing the Cal program, his teams rarely have played up to standards on the road since 2002.

He’s 35-9 in Berkeley and 19-20 as a visitor. His squads have scored five fewer points and allowed three more on the road on average, often the difference between a win and a loss, and sometimes the difference between a BCS bowl and an afterthought ranking.

Read more

Needs to come spend some time here in the land of # 7. Our most obnoxious fans aren’t even close to what is here. Not. Even. Close.

Field Hockey heads to East Coast:

This Week
Following a 2-0 start to the season, the California field hockey team has lost its last two contests. The Golden Bears will leave California for the first time in 2009, heading to the East Coast for three matches. Cal (2-2, 0-1 NorPac Conference) opens the road trip at American on Friday, Sept. 18, at noon (PT), then faces Delaware on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. (PT) and finishes the trip on Monday, Sept. 21, at Maryland at noon (PT).

Bears Lose to Tigers in Final Minute
In the final minute of regulation, Pacific scored the game-winning goal and defeated Cal, 2-1, last Saturday in the NorPac conference opener at Pacific. Junior Natalie Nurnberg recorded the Golden Bears’ goal.
After the Tigers tallied the game’s first score in the ninth minute, Nurnberg tied the match at one just before halftime. Nurnberg dribbled up the right baseline and beat the keeper to the far right corner. She led all players with three shots. The goal was also her third of the season, and she leads the Bears in that category.
The match remained tied until the final minute of regulation when Pacific’s Katy Mcdonough tallied the gamewinner. Mcdonough received a pass down the left side after a corner and took a shot three yards from the goal.

A Look at American, Delaware and Maryland
Defending NCAA-champion Maryland is a perfect 7-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. Nicole Murraco leads the Terrapins with nine goals, while Katie O’Donnell has eight. As a team, Maryland has scored 40 goals, which ranks No. 1 among all NCAA teams. American is currently 3-2 after two wins last weekend over Towson and Penn State. In five games played thus far, American has scored 19 goals. Delaware’s Casey Howard leads her squad in scoring, with eight goals in five matches. Delaware is currently 3-2 this season.

New coach for Women’s Tennis:

BERKELEY – Former California women’s tennis standout Renata Kolbovic will join the Golden Bears as an assistant coach, head coach Amanda Augustus announced today (Sept. 15). Kolbovic was officially hired on Sept. 1 and comes to Berkeley by way of Tennis Canada and Tennis British Columbia where she served as a junior travel coach.

“Renata brings a wealth of experience to our program both as a player and as a coach,” said Augustus. “Her time with Tennis Canada, the national team and on the WTA tour is invaluable and will greatly enhance the level of coaching we have here at Cal. Her arrival puts us in a great position to continue to pursue our goals as individual players and as a team.”

During her time with Tennis Canada (2005-08), Kolbovic traveled to Europe for junior ITF events with the U12 boys and girls teams. She also helped coach the Tennis B.C. U16 and U18 boys and girls squads to appearances at the Canadian junior national championships.

Prior to her work with Tennis Canada, Kolbovic was the women’s tennis assistant coach at Washington from 2002-04 where she helped guide the Huskies to a No. 4 ranking and appearances in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship semifinals and the 2004 NCAA team championship quarterfinal. Kolbovic has also served as an assistant pro at the Jericho Tennis Club in Vancouver, B.C. where she worked with various high-performance junior and adult programs.

As a player, Kolbovic made a name for herself in just one semester at Cal. She won her first singles tournament at the Arizona State Invitational and teamed up with Augustus to win the doubles title at the same tourney. A week later, the tandem shocked the collegiate tennis world and became the first qualifier to win the All-American Championship doubles title. They were also the first pair of freshmen ever to claim the All-American doubles crown.

Womens golf gets 2nd at tourney:

The California Golden Bears women’s golf team placed second at the season-opening Golfweek Conference Challenge, finishing one stroke behind tournament-champion Pepperdine. Cal had moved into first place after Pia Halbig birdied 15. Pepperdine slid past Cal on the final three holes, finishing with the one stroke advantage. The Bears finished ahead of 16 other schools in the tournament that featured 18 teams from 18 different conferences. Cal, representing the Pac-10, finished with a one-stroke advantage over the third place finisher, the Southern Conference’s Chattanooga.

“We had four good looks at the hole for birdie on 18,” said Head Coach Nancy McDaniel. “None of them fell for us. Sometimes, it just doesn’t drop. Today was one of those days.”

The Bears steadily improved with each round of play at the 6,135 yard par-72 Desert Course at the Primm Valley Resort. They finished the first day in fifth place with a round of 300, the second round in second place after scoring 292, and then shaved another two strokes in the third round for a 290.

“I was very proud of how the team set themselves up to contend at the end,” said McDaniel. “They played so consistently and just really played well throughout the tournament.”

Halbig was again the top golfer for the Bears. She finished the third round with a one-under 71. She finished the tournament tied for third place after shooting even par over the 52 holes. Diane Kwon also finished in the top-ten, tying for sixth place with a +3 219, posting identical one-over 73’s in each of her rounds. Kwon got off to a very hot start in the third round, firing an eagle on the par-4 second hole, the only eagle of the tournament for a Cal player.

“I was extremely impressed with the consistency of Diane’s play” said McDaniel. She was solid and level all the way through. It was especially nice to see since these are the first three rounds she has played this month. She had been sidelined with an ankle injury and hadn’t been able to play a full round until this tournament."

Mens Soccer takes on USF/SCU:

This Week
Seventh-ranked California (3-1-0) plays a pair of West Coast Conference opponents this week, taking on San Francisco (2-1-0) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Dons’ Negoesco Stadium and hosting Santa Clara (2-2-0) at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley.

The Golden Bears are ranked No. 7 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll and No. 8 in the current Soccer America magazine poll.

Scouting the No. 7/8 (NSCAA/Soccer America) Golden Bears
Cal is on a two-game winning streak after winning both of its games in the 13th annual Cal Legacy Classic. After collecting a total of three goals and three assists against George Washington (4-0 win) and Cal Poly (3-1 win), junior forward Andrew Wiedeman leads the Bears in points (11), goals (4) and game-winning goals (2). He also ranks second on the team with three assists.

Junior midfielder Hector Jimenez, who tallied one goal and two assists through two games against GW and Cal Poly, paces the Bears with five assists and ranks second on the team with seven points. Cal sophomore goalkeeper David Bingham has a 0.76 goals-against average after starting every match this season.

Wiedeman Watch
Andrew Wiedeman, a 2008 All-American, collected five honors for his strong play in the Cal Legacy Classic, including Pac-10 Player of the Week, Cal’s Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week and spots on national teams of the week selected by Soccer America, College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer. Also this season, the San Ramon, Calif., product is on the Watch List for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy. He earned spots on Soccer America’s and College Soccer News’ 2009 preseason All-America teams.

VBall set for Pac10/WCC challenge:

BERKELEY – The Golden Bears look to extend their three-match winning streak as Cal plays host to Saint Mary’s College and San Francisco in the Pac-10/WCC Challenge this weekend. The Bears’ 3-1 victory over the Gaels in the Nevada Invitational remains the only loss for a Saint Mary’s squad that has since won six straight matches. The Dons have reeled off three straight wins of their own and enter the weekend as winners of four of their last six. Outside hitter Hana Cutura tacked up another impressive performance in her last two outings to garner MVP honors at the Molten/Hilton Garden Inn Classic. Cutura was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow seniors Mindi Wiley and Kristen Kathan as well as junior setter Carli Lloyd. The four team captains hope to lead the Bears to some much-needed momentum with Pac-10 conference matches looming just around the corner.

THE FACTS: The No. 13-ranked California volleyball team (5-3) hosts Saint Mary’s College (7-1) and San Francisco (5-5) in the Pac-10/WCC Challenge this weekend (Sept. 18-19) at Haas Pavilion. The Golden Bears and the Gaels will clash first in a rematch of an Aug. 29 bout that Cal won in four sets. Cal and Saint Mary’s take the court for a 7 p.m. match on Friday, Sept. 18 before the Bears take on the Dons in a 7 p.m. match on Saturday, Sept. 19. USF will take on Stanford on Sept. 18 and SMC will head to Palo Alto on Sept. 19 as the teams trade places to complete the Bay-Area Pac-10/WCC Challenge. Live statistics via Gametracker and live streaming video are available via links at CalBears.com.

LAST WEEK: The Bears hosted Eastern Washington and San Jose State in the Molten/Hilton Garden Inn Classic at Haas Pavilion and claimed 3-0 and 3-1 victories respectively on successive nights. Senior outside hitter Hana Cutura led Cal with 13 kills (6e, 36att, .194) against the Eagles and was flanked by senior middle hitter Mindi Wiley who posted a .688 attack percentage with 12 kills (1e, 16att). As a team, the Bears logged a .320 attack rate on 100 attacks (46k, 14e) against Eastern Washington. Cutura returned for another big match against the Spartans as she led the way with 17 kills (4e, 42att, .310). Cal got offensive contribution from many players against San Jose State but did a number on the Spartan attack by holding it to just 32 kills on 133 attacks (32e) and a .000 attack percentage. Cutura, Wiley, senior libero Kristen Kathan and junior setter Carli Lloyd were each named to the all-tournament team.

Kwotes from Tedford/Riley press conference:

Jeff Tedford
On the team’s approach to its first road game of the season following a 1-4 road record in 2008
“No different than ever. I think the teams we played on the road had something to do with us struggling on the road. Playing USC and Oregon State on the road, those are good football teams. We don’t ever do anything really different. We went to Oregon last year and beat a good Oregon team at their place, so we’re not going to do anything different as far as preparation’s concerned. We are going to travel there, because of the time of game, on Thursday and see what that’s all about, but really it’s only changing our schedule by about three hours on Thursday as far as that’s concerned.”

On when the decision was made, and why, to the travel to Minnesota on Thursday
“This summer, as we were thinking about things – kind of sit down, put together a timeline on what it would be, what a day would look like, what the schedule would look like – and felt like, we’ll see. You don’t have anything to compare it to unless you try it. Our emphasis has really been, fly in there, practice, do the same thing we do at the hotel, get up and play, and that’s it. That’s what we’ve always done. There’s going to be more time now. Maybe if we feel rushed because it’s an early morning game or something like that, but the body clock and chemistry, as far as an early game, I don’t think had anything to do with it. I still don’t. But maybe it’s the rush of getting there and hurrying up, and going and going and going, and not having any time to just relax for a second. We’ll see. I don’t want to be hard-headed about it. We’ll do it, and then we’ll have something to compare it to and figure out which way is the best.”

On Minnesota’s leading receiver, Eric Decker
“Good player, big, physical player. Really strong to the ball, great range, great hands, competes hard for the football, can run. Really good player.”

On whether the defensive game plan will give Syd’Quan Thompson the primary assignment on Decker
“I haven’t got that far yet. Coach Gregory will, I’m sure, come up with a plan that way depending on whether you’re in zone or man. We’re not just going to do one thing – we never do. It’s just a matter of what coverages we have going on.”

Rubbish article.

I think this list was discussed before, and my response was basically: “replace Clemson with Texas and you have a list of the top 10 most successful programs with the most visible fan bases in college football.” The more you hear from a group of people, the more annoying they’ll become.

Also:

Raise your hand if you’re counting the days ’til the NCAA hammers the Trojans with sanctions so bad that Tommy Trojan falls on his sword and takes that mind-numbing band and those spoiled “V”-fingered fans with him. Forcing Traveler to listen to “Conquest” 50 times a Saturday should qualify as animal cruelty. Someone call PETA. – Lisa Horne

Other than mentioning her annoyance with the V for victory thing, she never actually explains why USC fans are annoying. The article is already pretty cookie cutter – now she’s not even justifying her rankings. LAME

As for Cal, it’s all about visibility. Nobody complains about ASU, Arizona, WSU or Stanford fans because they hardly hear from them. I’m sure nobody gave a damn about Cal fans back during the Holmoecaust. Now we’re good again and people have reasons to start complaining.

Fan base bashing is one of the lowest forms of internet arguments. Half the time it’s a lame attempt to make a loss seem better. “Well, we lost to that team, but at least our fans aren’t a bunch of classless thugs!” Which ignores similar behavior in their own fanbase.

Any time a team gets a fanbase beyond alums (i.e. any time a team is successful and ranked) their are going to be asshats who do stupid things.

looks like Randall Carroll and 3 others (including a starting CB) got suspended for the KSt game. Perhaps not getting Carroll is a blessing? I heard he couldn’t come to Cal because of academics. He couldn’t get into the College of Chemistry. Whatev.

Yet another article on road blues/travel times.

I wish it were Saturday!!!

I saw a commercial yesterday for a Tucker Max movie. WTH?

Fun note from Ted Miller:

Tennessee has an interim president named Jan Simek.

Simek sat down with the editorial board with the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

He talked about UCLA’s win over Tennessee on Saturday.

He talked about Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin’s conduct and tendency to perhaps talk more than he should.

Then he said this:

“Lane comes from the Pac-10, which in many respects is the epitome of great academics and great athletics, as this past weekend showed on several different levels, including to us. When we lost to UCLA, we lost to a better academic institution, too.”

Odds are that will go down smooth in Westwood. Not so much in Knoxville.

Raiders fans from both LA and the East Bay make both fanbases look bad. The cores of each fanbase are both great, knowledgeable, and respectful. The recent bandwagons for both are full of assholes who know nothing about CFB and are more interested in thuggin’ “their” colors than anything. UCLA has this problem as well when they are playing well.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Crabtree-offer-reduced-by-49ers?urn=nfl,189570

Jeff (Norther Cali)
Do you think California has a shot at getting over the USC hurdle this year

Ivan Maisel (2:43 PM)
Sure. I think Cal is better. I think USC is not as good and the game is in Berkeley.

Ivan Maisel (2:43 PM)
We’ll know a lot more in the next few weeks, of course.

Shame On LA Times: Newspaper Posts Racially Charged “Line Up” Photos Of UCLA Football Players

Star-divide

Three paragraphs back, I asked you to take “race” out of you interpretation of the pictures.

Unfortunately, in our society we have not reached a point where we are, in fact, race neutral.

Instead of moving us farther down the egalitarian path, the election of our first Black President has made more visible some of the latent racial hatred that we have yet to eliminate.

I do not play the race card lightly. Read my body of work here. And, know my life. I have never used race or difference as a way of justifying disparate treatment.

But, at the same time, I have to question why the Slimes chose to present these four Black athletes in this “line-up” manner when they have NEVER done it before with the white athletes at sc.Or here. Or anywhere. Do you recall a similar picture gallery of the sc players who posted and maintained that hateful website?

They chose to give the pictures an interpretation that does not fit the story.

How can I say that?

Because, no one knows what the story is. No one accept CRN, the coaches, the team and the AD. The alleged offenses have never been made public. What little we know is that there are no public reports of criminal activity. That CRN acted quickly and decisively. And, that those of the four who have spoken out have taken responsibility for what they did.