DBD 2.11.10 Scott Fujita makes Cal proud and I promise not to hide *this* post!

STORY AD BEGINS WHERE?

Mens gymnastics blog:

Feb. 10, 2010

Since I last posted, we had two more dual meets against defending national champion Stanford. Soon after our meets against Stanford, we started having practices that weren’t the easiest. The main goal of our practices recently has been to increase the number of routines that everyone does on each event. Depth is going to be extremely important down the line.

For those of you who aren’t as well-versed in gymnastics, we can put six guys up on an event and the four best scores count for our final team score on the event. The more people we can have on any event means we have a better chance of scoring higher.

In order for us to get into proper shape, hitting numerous routines is what we need. We need to be hitting those routines especially if we want to be in good contention for the national championships. We still have a couple months until NCAAs, which are held April 15-17, but we have to focus now as well.

After a few of our guys came back from Winter Cup, our next main focus is on the Gold Country Classic, which is held this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Robert Livermore Center. this year, we’re facing off against Stanford, but last year we competed in a different arena – Fort Mason’s Herbst Pavilion.

With Swiss national star Dennis Mannhart getting the chance to compete for the first time and Glen Ishino recovering from his injury during warm-ups of the first meet, our chances of doing well look good. Last year, we competed pretty well at this meet, when we beat then-No. 7 Stanford, 354.250-354.000. I’m looking forward to do the same this time around.

As for me, I’m still trying to get back in shape after having had two surgeries during the summer. It’s been a lot harder than expected with setbacks from compensation injuries and as well as starting off scrawnier that I was before college. However, I’m still optimistic about working hard and get back into shape so I can compete for this team.

Go Bears! Geri

Mens gymnastics to meet Stanford:

BERKELEY – The No. 18 California men’s gymnastics team returns to full team competition Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Gold Country Classic at the Robert Livermore Center in Livermore, Calif. The event, which features the fourth dual-meet encounter between Cal and Stanford this season, will begin at 7 p.m. The Golden Bears (0-3 overall) have had a two-week break from team competition.

For more information, please consult the event Website at http://www.goldcountryclassic.com/ or by clicking here.

Waking Up in Vegas
At last weekend’s Winter Cup Challenge, held in Las Vegas, several different Bears had a shot at making the senior national team, which is the purpose for the meet. Senior Bryan del Castillo and former Golden Bear Evan Roth advanced to Saturday’s final session, scoring high marks but not high enough to propel them onto the national squad. Junior Kyle Bunthuwong and sophomore Glen Ishino, who did not compete at the event, successfully petitioned for spots on the team. After the finals, del Castillo took eighth on pommel horse with a two-night combined score of 28.400 while Roth had tied for ninth place on rings with a cumulative tally of 28.500. In the preliminaries on Feb. 4, Eric Haeussler also competed in the same session as del Castillo, with his highest finish coming on parallel bars, where he took fifth with a 13.600, and he also tied for seventh on floor with a 13.850.

Q&A With the Golden Bears
Sophomore Michael Salipante, hailing from Wellesley, Mass., is one of the four members of the California men’s gymnastics team not from California. At last year’s NCAA Championships, Salipante scored his highest marks of the year on rings, his specialty event in his freshman campaign, in which he earned a 14.700. CalBears.com chatted with Salipante recently to discuss life inside and outside of the gym.

Womens golf finishs invitational in 11th place:

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIF. -

The No. 10 California Golden Bears women’s golf team finished their first tournament of the spring season, placing 11th at the Northrop Grumman Invitational in Rancho Palos Verdes. Playing on the 5,912 yard par-71 course at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf Club, Cal finished in 11th place in the field of 15 teams. USC, who led after each of the first two rounds, wrapped up the team title at +24.

Sophomore Joanne Lee had her lowest round of the tournament on Wednesday. She hit three birdies on the back nine to turn in a one-over 72. Lee was the top overall finisher for the Bears, ending the tournament at 10, ranking her 12th among the individuals. Newcomer Daniela Holmqvist had the second lowest round of the day for Cal. The sophomore who transferred to Cal at the beginning of the semester, shot a 77 (6) in the third round.

Sophomore Emily Childs and junior Pia Halbig ended the tournament in a tie for 44th. Lisa McCloskey of Pepperdine was the individual medalist, the only player to finish under par for the tournament at -2.

Cal flies back from Southern California and then will turn right around and compete again this weekend, teeing off at the Peg Barnard Invitational at Stanford University Saturday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, Feb. 14. Live stats for the Stanford tournament will not be available. Results from each day’s play will be posted nightly on CalBears.com.

Cal Player Scores

Q+A with softballer:

BERKELEY – As the California softball team gears up for its challenging and promising 2010 campaign, sophomore infielder Amy Bishop is quite the example of a talented student-athlete. When’s she’s not practicing with the No. 11/12 squad in the country at Levine-Fricke Field, she’s in class or volunteering her time as a member of the Cal’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. A Southern California native hailing from Glendale, Bishop has made a smooth transition into life in Berkeley. CalBears.com snagged a moment of the 5-8 righty’s time to chat about all things Amy.

CalBears.com: At Glendale High school, you also played soccer and volleyball in addition to softball. What made you choose to play softball at the collegiate level over the other sports?
Amy Bishop: I’m not a big fan of running, so soccer wouldn’t have worked out. I liked volleyball, but I wish I had started playing younger because I had a lot to learn. Softball just came the most naturally, and I felt like the mental part of the game challenged me to be a better player on the field as well as a better person off the field. Even the best players fail seven out of 10 times, so it taught me to handle losses and stay positive.

CalBears.com: You head up the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee leadership team here at Cal, what made you want to get involved with SAAC? What’s the best part of SAAC so far?
AB: I loved being part of ASB at Glendale High School, and SAAC is great because it’s like ASB, but everyone is a student-athlete like me so we all understand each other really well. What I like about SAAC is that it gives student-athletes a chance to use sports as a way to create change on campus. The best part so far has been going to Florida for the Apple Conference. The student-athletes I went with became like brothers and sisters to me in such a short time, and we thought of a ton of ways to use our image on campus to positively influence others.

Head Coaches in waiting now have to adhere to the same recruiting rules as regular head coaches.

The rule states assistants “publicly designated” as next head coach are now bound by the same recruiting rules as the current head coach. That means Muschamp can make only one off-campus visit with a prospect and it can’t be during the critical spring evaluation period of April 15-May 31. Other assistants can have multiple off-campus visits.

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/news/story?id=4903982

California
Ernest Owusu, DE, Jr: Owusu looked like a budding star early last season when he recorded two sacks and three tackles for a loss against Maryland, but that was about it for his production in 2009. Still, he combines good intelligence and speed with special power — he’s the Bears’ strongest player — and that could all come together as he fights to break into the starting lineup.

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/7867/pac-10-spring-breakout-players

Wasn’t Owusu his break out star a few years ago?

I’ll always remember Fujita for threatening to kill a fraternity brother of mine, Rags, and Twist for daring to bring a FIRE HOLMOE sign into the stadium (and having a picture of it in the Daily Cal the next day) during the last season of the Holmoecaust.

What are your preferences?

Dan Hawkins/Kevin Daft/JTO/Mike Bellotti’s UC Davis ends 49-game losing streak (basketball) to Pete Carroll’s UoP.
http://cbs5.com/sports/uc.davis.uop.2.1486836.html

The Lawrence Journal-World reports today the Big Ten has had preliminary talks with Texas about joining the league. The Big Ten announced in December that it would actively explore the possibility of expansion during the next 12-18 months, but this is the first legitimate report of discussions with another institution.

“There have been preliminary exchanges between the Big Ten and Texas,” the source told the Journal-World on Wednesday. “People will deny that, but it’s accurate.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/19526/big-ten-reportedly-talks-with-texas

The source article:

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/feb/11/big-ten-making-overtures-texas/?sports

Geographic concerns don’t carry the weight they once did because TV revenues have grown so much, and this wouldn’t be the first time Texas has considered such an odd geographic match. Before joining the Big Eight with three other schools from Texas, the Longhorns looked into joining the Pac-10.

"No one seems to recognize the genius of this suggestion, which may be evidence of its genius," DeCourcey wrote. "Everyone else seems to be thinking small and boring, but as I suggested not long after the Big Ten Network was conceived, Texas is the one program that could dramatically expand the money-making power of the league’s cable operation."

Wilner on Pac10 expansion candidates:

Utah
Expansion chances: Decent.
Comment: Utah is a large research institution and would bring the Salt Lake City TV market (No. 36 in U.S.). By my figuring of the expansion math, the Utes have to be involved.

Colorado
Expansion chances: Slim
Comment: If the Pac-10 could get CU, with its solid academic rep and the Denver TV market (No. 18), it would do it in a heartbeat. (Remember: It tried and failed in the 1990s.) But why would Colorado leave the Big 12? Maybe the Buffs are unhappy with the league’s uneven bowl revenue distribution formula: the teams that make the postseason get more than the teams that don’t. Is that a compelling enough reason? Not sure.

Boise State
Expansion chances: Just this side of zero.
Comment: A good football team is not enough to join the Pac-10, folks. Boise State doesn’t have the academic reputation, the broad-based athletic programs or the TV market (not in top 50) to satisfy the expansion requirements. As noted above, the newcomers would have to bring enough TV dollars to offset splitting the revenue pie 12 ways. The current members aren’t going to expand if it means their shares decrease.

Fresno State, San Diego State, Nevada and UNLV
Expansion chances: Zero.
Comment: For all of the reasons stated in the Boise comment, times 3.

Brigham Young
Expansion chances: Very, very … one more time: very … slim.
Comment: The Pac-10 presidents look down upon BYU academically and, although no one has said so explicitly, I get the sense that the halls of secular academia on the west coast want no part of a church-affiliated school (regardless of which church that is). And lastly … if you assume Utah is part of the expansion mix … how does BYU bring more net TV revenue for the conference? It would already have the SLC market with the Utes. It’s extremely difficult to imagine the Pac-10 bringing two new mouths but only one new trough.

Missouri
Expansion chances: Slim
Comment: Another school the Pac-10 would grab in a heartbeat because of its academic rep (very good school) and the St. Louis (No. 21) and Kansas City (No. 31) TV markets. Why would Mizzou leave the Big 12 for a conference that’s not the Big 10? I’m not sure. But if the Pac-10 could get any combination of Utah, Colorado and Mizzou, then expansion would become a reality.

I’ve found that something like 65% of fans on Ralphie Report (CU’s SBN blog) said ‘yes’ to an extended Pac10. I say that because their is some level of motivation, I’m just not exactly sure why. Perhaps they feel a new 12-Pac would be better (read: $$$) than the current Big12? Maybe they’d feel more competitive by not having to compete with Oklahoma & Texas schools, as well as a revitalized Nebraska? Maybe the lure of being associated with 4 California schools would help them athletically and academically? Not sure. I would rank them ahead of Mizzou in terms of expansion chances to the 12-Pac.

So I finally decided to get off my lazy ass and go work out after work at this gym/club that I get free membership to (a $500 value!)

I couldn’t help but be amazed by how fucking huge this place was. The equipment was all in top-shape and there were three different rooms with repeated equipment and the rooms are all bigger than the RSF. The locker rooms with it’s jacuzzis and hot tubs made me think I stumbled into a resort. Hell the parking lot had a car wash. And the basketball court has the words “Final Four” painted onto it so I’m guessing it was held there at one point. Also this was the Seattle Supersonics facility at one point.

Only problem was the fact that the place is insanely crowded. The underground parking lot has three levels and I had to park at the corner of the very last one.

But what about The Ocho?

Coach Mike Montgomery, acknowledging that it’s a benefit to be shown on the nationwide network, joked about the fact that the game is not on ESPN’s flagship station.

"The fact of the matter is we got moved to ESPN2 because it isn’t quite the matchup they may have anticipated starting the year," he said. "It’s a good thing they don’t have ESPN4."

Jeff Faraudo’s Scouting Report

The Golden Bears say there are two primary keys to disarming Washington tonight and keeping a grip on first place in the Pac-10.

"Defensive rebounding – keeping them off the glass – and transition (defense). Those are the two things I remember from last game," senior Theo Robertson said. "They really just hammered us. They’re really athletic across the board. They send a lot of guys to the glass and they play really hard. Those things are going to be keys for us."

Washington leads the Pac-10 in scoring at 81.3 points per game and eight times have scored 88 points or

more. They have games of 111 and 123 points. Won ‘em both, too.

Practical Jokes!!!

(google map link):

http://tinyurl.com/ycn2mch

5-11, 170
4.5 40
4.1 Shuttle

Although he’s just a sophomore, wideout Bryce Treggs (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco) already has one offer [AZ St] on the table and has a chance to be a national recruit in a couple of years.

Treggs had a very solid sophomore season catching 33 balls for 533 yards and three touchdowns. He has excellent speed and hands and knows the game well because his father, Brian, played receiver for Cal in the early 90s.

“I grew up watching Cal and I’ve liked them since I was a little,” Treggs said. "That’s my top school and I plan to camp there this summer. I’m also going to camp with Arizona State, Oregon, USC and I’ll be going to the Nike Camp as well.

Youtube Sophomore HLs

($)Greg Biggins, ESPN

6-7 322

“I am not going to base my decison on what he [brother Arie Kouandjio, to ’Bama] did,” Cyrus told Scout in this story. “Of course it’s a good thing he is there, but it’s not going to influence my decision. If I find another school that fits me like a glove, like Alabama did with Arie, then I will go there. With my brother going there they are going to have something no other school has—family. That being said, I love Alabama. I like Alabama a lot.”

Cal has already offered.

Bama Beat

He just has a way hotter wife than Pam…

This DBD is dead. So…anyone have anything cool planned for V-Day?

Four Day-Long Drink O’Clock: Seattle Edition.

See you kids Tuesday!

i’m going to the uw game tonight, first game all season for me. go bears!

If you think about it, its ironic that we just talked so much about recruiting and then on the same day talk about Scott Fujita, NFL linebacker.

Who arrived at Cal as a WALK-ON.. So I guess it really shows you can’t always predict how good players will be at 20 or 22 or 25 from how good they are at 18 or 19.