DBD 2.22.10 Breaking News! Berkelium dismissed from the CGB program

Renew your season tickets tomorrow:

BERKELEY – Cal football fans will be able to renew their football season tickets for the 2010 season beginning this Monday, February 22, at 9 a.m. PT. Please call the Athletic Ticket Office at (800) GO BEARS or visit CalBears.com to renew your season tickets beginning Monday.

The Golden Bears will play seven home games at Memorial Stadium in 2010, with visits from Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, UC Davis, UCLA and Washington. Season tickets will also be available to new customers on Monday.

As Cal football prepares for its final season in the current Memorial Stadium and is finalizing the plan for 2011, it is important to emphasize how important it is to continue to renew your season tickets. Cal fans that renew their season tickets and maintain their donation levels will have access to the best possible season ticket seat locations when Cal football returns to the upgraded Memorial Stadium in 2012.

Instructions including your customer number and PIN will be sent to current season ticket holders in your renewal mailer and a renewal reminder email to be sent to you on the morning of Monday, February 22. If you have any questions, please call the Athletic Ticket Office at (800) GO BEARS or visit CalBears.com. The renewal deadline is Thursday, April 8.

for poking fun at the misfortune of others

Womens BBall beats Oregon:

The California Golden Bears finished their regular-season sweep of the Oregon schools with a 79-73 victory over the Oregon Ducks . DeNesha Stallworth and Gennifer Brandon each had a double double for the Bears.

Cal got off to a blistering start in the first half, hitting six of their first seven field goal attempts to take a 17-9 lead with freshman guard Layshia Clarendon scoring seven points in the first four minutes of the game. The first half was also a series of scoring runs with Oregon going on an 8-0 run to tie the game, 17-17. Cal answered with an 11-0 run, fueled by five points from freshman forward DeNesha Stallworth, to go up 28-17. Oregon then mounted a 9-0 run to pull within two, 28-26. Cal scored seven straight points, with freshman forward Gennifer Brandon scoring four straight, to build back a cushion of nine points, 35-26. The Ducks pulled within three, 40-37, with a minute and a half left in the period, but Stallworth closed out the period with a jumper and a pair of freethrows to give Cal a 44-37 lead. Stallworth made sure Cal kept the seven point advantage going into the break, smacking down a shot attempt by Oregon’s Micaela Cocks with a second left in the period.

After Oregon pulled within three, 52-49, five and a half minutes into the second half, Cal built another cushion with a putback by Talia Caldwell followed by an and-one three point play by Alexis Gray-Lawson to make it a 57-49 game. Oregon chipped away at the lead, coming back to within a point, 58-57 with 11:03 remaining. After two full minutes when neither team could find a way to score, Oregon took their first lead of the game on a pair of freethrows, holding a 59-58 advantage. After three ties and three lead changes, DeNesha Stallworth hit a jumper in the paint to give Cal a 68-67 lead. After an Oregon three-point attempt circled the rim and popped back out, Alexis Gray-Lawson hit from long range to give Cal a 71-67 lead with 2:25 left in the game.

Mens Tennis beats Stanford:

STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 27-ranked California men’s tennis team (7-1) shocked rival No. 8 Stanford (6-2) in a come-from-behind 4-3 victory on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium in Stanford, Calif. Down, 3-1, the Golden Bears won three straight singles matches and snapped a four-match losing streak to the Cardinal’s as No. 111-ranked freshman Christoffer Konigsfeldt completed his three-set victory over No. 34 Alex Clayton at the second singles court.

Konigsfeldt surrendered a hard-fought 7-6 set to Clayton in the first but stiffened up to get a 6-4 win in the second before he found himself in a heated three-all third set. Konigsfeldt broke the Stanford serve to go up, 5-3, but Clayton responded to break the Cal serve and pulled within one game at 5-4. Serving in the 10th game, Clayton fell behind the count, 40-30, as he sent a ball into the net. Konigsfeldt stepped into the next Clayton serve to force his Stanford counterpart to miss his shot and seal the win for the Bears.

The Cardinal claimed the doubles point as it won at the top court, 8-4. The No. 2-ranked duo of Bradley Klahn and Ryan Thacher were deadlocked in a four-all tie with No. 33 junior Jonathan Dahan and Pedro Zerbini before Stanford came away with the final four games. Earlier, Stanford got an 8-4 win at the third court as Matt Kandath and Denis Lin defeated junior Bozhidar Katsarov and freshman Riki McLachlan. Konigsfeldt and sophomore Nick Andrews christened their newly bestowed No. 22 ranking by defeating No. 26 Clayton and Richard Wire, 8-6 at the second court.

The Cardinal won the first singles match and went up, 2-0, as Thacher took a 6-3, 6-0 win over No. 78 Dahan at the third court. Cal got on the board as Andrews completed his 6-3, 6-4 win against Wire at No. 4 singles. But Stanford responded and took a 3-1 lead in the match when Greg Hirshman ended McLachlan’s six-match singles winning streak with a 6-3, 6-3 win on court six.

Baseball crushes Southern Utah:

BERKELEY, CALIF. – Dominating both offensively and defensively, the California baseball team shut out Southern Utah, 22-0 and 10-0, Saturday (Feb. 20) in a doubleheader at Evans Diamond. The Golden Bears improved to 3-0 on the year after also holding the Thunderbirds scoreless (14-0) Friday. In all, David Esquer’s squad outscored Southern Utah, 46-0, with a .449 team batting average (57-for-127), including 19 doubles, two triples and three home runs. On the mound, Cal had 30 strikeouts and only three walks.

The Bears had great performances on the mound Saturday, first by freshman left-hander Justin Jones (7.0 innings, seven hits, no runs, one walk, nine strikeouts) in his college debut, and then by sophomore right-hander Dixon Anderson in game two (7.0 innings, four hits, no walks, eight strikeouts). Offensively, sophomore outfielder Chad Bunting hit a three-run homer and finished with five RBI in game one; while Brian Guinn, Tony Renda, Krist and Devin Rodriguez had three hits apiece in game two.

“I don’t think I have ever seen three shutouts in a row,” said Cal coach David Esquer. “Both our pitching and hitting was excellent. It was obviously a very good weekend for us.”

The Bears next host UC Davis on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 1:30 p.m. at Evans Diamond. Cal then enters the Cal State Bakersfield Tournament, Feb. 26-28. The Bears open the tournament Friday, Feb. 26 at 11 a.m. versus Central Michigan. Cal then battles Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. before taking on host Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.

Cal beats Oregon:

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -Jerome Randle and Theo Robertson each scored 16 points as California defeated Oregon 64-49 Saturday.

Randle and Robertson combined for 11 points and three 3-pointers during a 15-4 run for the Golden Bears (18-9, 10-5) in the opening minutes of the second half that turned Cal’s one-point halftime lead into a 39-27 advantage.

In just five minutes of work, Max Zhang gave Cal a huge boost off the bench, posting eight points, including going 4-for-5 from the free throw line and a rebound and a block. He was also a clean 2-for-2 from the field.

Cal led for the entire game. Oregon kept it close in the first half, as Cal could never get its lead into double digits. The 15-4 second-half run did the Ducks in.

Three Bears reached double figures, with Patrick Christopher posting 10 points to go with Randle and Robertson’s 16. Jamal Boykin once again led the way on the boards for Cal, notching a game-high 10 rebounds.

Jeremy Jacob scored 14 to lead the last-place Ducks (12-14, 4-10), who lost their fifth straight and for the 10th time in 12 games.

The Bears lead the Pac-10 by one game over Arizona State, which plays Sunday, with three to play.

Mens Gymnastics gets 3rd place:

OAKLAND, Calif. – The California men’s gymnastics team finished third out of all teams and second out of the collegiate squads at the annual Pacific Coast Classic. The meet, which featured a team of Japanese all-stars as well as four other college teams, took place Saturday evening at the Oakland Convention Center and saw the Bears improve to 3-5 overall.

“We’re getting better but we’re not close to having our whole team together just yet,” Cal head coach Barry Weiner noted after the meet. “Having said that, the guys who competed tonight showed a lot of heart.”

Kyle Bunthuwong took first in the all-around with a 90.500 ahead of Stanford’s Tim Gentry (second, 88.500) and Bear teammate Glen Ishino (third, 86.850).

The Bears set 2010 season team highs on five of the six events – floor (57.300), rings (57.700), vault (63.050), p-bars (59.050) and h-bar (58.100) – as well as in their overall score of 349.450. The 63.050 tied the program’s all-time best (according for FIG scoring) on vault.

Cal won parallel bars with a 59.050, well above the Japanese (second, 57.200) and Stanford (third, 56.700). Cal took second on vault and third on floor, pommel and rings.

Bunthuwong won p-bars with his 15.500 and took second on pommel horse with a season best 14.800. His scores on vault (15.900), p-bars (15.500) and in the all-around (90.500) were new season as well as career highs (according to FIG scoring).

Ishino’s highest event finishes came on p-bars, where he took fourth with a 14.700, and h-bar, also fourth with a 14.900.

Competing in his second meet as a Golden Bear after becoming eligible, Dennis Mannhart was sixth in the all-around with an 85.650, taking fifth on parallel bars with a 14.550.

Softball beats Georgia Tech:

LAS VEGAS – The No. 11/12 California softball team upset its first higher-ranked team this season with a 4-1 victory against No. 9/10 Georgia Tech on Sunday morning. After five innings of scoreless play, junior Valerie Arioto cracked the game out with a three-run homer to put the Golden Bears (7-3) ahead of the Yellow Jackets (8-1).

The Bears did not get a hit until the top of the fourth when Arioto singled to left center. It was not until the sixth inning when both squads’ bats came alive. California’s Shannon Thomas got the inning started with a lead-off single through the right side off the first pitch of the inning. Next up, Lindsey Ziegenhirt waited through two strikes and then two balls before singling up the middle.

Jace Williams then reached on a fielder’s choice after Ga. Tech got Ziegnehirt out at second. With Thomas now on third and Williams at first, Arioto stepped up to the plate. After two balls and then fouling one off, Arioto teed off with a homer to center field to give the Bears a 3-0 lead.

Successfully denying the Yellow Jacket attack in the bottom of the sixth, the Bears returned to the batter’s box to try their hands at scoring again.

With two outs and Thomas at first off a single, Williams earned a seven-pitch walk to move Thomas to second. It was then Arioto’s turn to walk to load the bases and bring up Frani Echavarria. The pitcher’s second pitch hit Echavarria to give her a free walk to first and score Thomas, distancing the Bears, 4-0.

With a team-high two hits in the bottom of the seventh, Ga. Tech avoided the shutout. The Yellow Jackets began the inning with a walk by Caitlin Jordan, who was replaced by pinch-runner Shannon Bear. Bear went to second on a single to third by Christy Jones and then to third on a fly out by Jen Yee.

Mens Swimming loses to Stanford:

STANFORD, CALIF. – The No. 4-ranked California men’s swimming and diving team (5-2, 2-2 Pac-10) narrowly fell to No. 2-ranked Stanford, 123.5-119.5, in the Big Meet Saturday, Feb. 20, at Avery Aquatic Center. Going into the final event, the 400 free relay, Cal trailed Stanford by only nine points after senior Sean Mahoney’s close win over John Criste in the 200 breaststroke (1:59.73-2:00.28). In the 400 free relay, the Cardinal had led through most of the race until the Golden Bears’ Nathan Adrian pulled Cal ahead for good on the anchor leg (2:55.26 sophomore Martin Liivamagi, senior Peter Davis, junior Josh Daniels, Adrian), placing the outcome of the meet in the race for third place, where Stanford topped the Bears (3:01.80-3:02.27) for the dual meet win.

The Bears had several strong performances during the day. Cal captured the opening race, the 400 medley, behind junior Guy Barnea, junior Damir Dugonjic, freshman Tom Shields and junior Graeme Moore (3:10.74). The Bears also had two victories by junior standout Adrian, who won the 50 free in an NCAA A standard time of 19.34, and the 100 free in 42.91. Teammate Moore gave Cal a 1-2 finish in the 100 free with a mark of 43.71.

Womens Water Polo falls to UCLA:

BERKELEY, CALIF. – The No.3-ranked California women’s water polo team was upset by No. 4 UCLA 7-6 in the final home match of the season. Golden Bears sophomore Emily Csikos led all scorers with five, giving the Calgary, Alberta native a team-high 36 goals on the year. Cal falls to 10-2 on the season, losing their first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match of the season. This was also the Bears’ first home loss of the year, finishing 7-1 at Spieker Aquatics Complex.

Csikos scored the first goal of the game halfway through the first quarter, giving Cal an early 1-0 lead. The Bruins quickly responded with a goal by Grace Reynolds less than a minute later. The Bears were able to retake the lead in the final seconds of the opening period on Csikos’s second goal.

UCLA’s Brooke Martin tied the game in the first minute of the second quarter. Cal senior Camille Hewko put her team back in front with 5:37 remaining in the half. The Bruins were able to even the score before halftime on Martin’s second goal of the period.

Csikos added two more goals for the Bears in the third quarter to take a 5-3 lead with 2:55 remaining. However, UCLA’s Priscilla Orozco cut the Cal lead to one before the final period.

Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Priscilla Orozco scored her second goal of the match to knot the score at five apiece. With 5:18 remaining in the game, her sister, Sarah Orozco, broke the tie to give the Bruins a 6-5 advantage. Kelly Easterday padded UCLA’s lead with a goal at the 4:13 mark. Csikos added her fifth goal of the match on a penalty shot with 57 seconds left to cut the Bruins’ lead to 7-6. The Bears defense was able to hold UCLA on their next possession, giving Cal one final chance to send the game to overtime. With less than ten seconds remaining, the Bears attempted one last shot that hit the edge of the goal, preserving the win for the Bruins.

Rugby beats UC Davis:

DAVIS, Calif. – Against an aggressive Aggies side on a UC Davis field brimming with fans that included many California faithful from the Sacramento Valley, the Golden Bears scored six tries in the first half and finished with 11, including four from winger Nicholas Maloney and a pair from prop Eric Strack, to win 78-6 on Saturday.

The Bears could not look past the undefeated Aggies with British Columbia coming to town next Wednesday and Cal’s starting XV acquitted itself well, with players like forwards James Besser, Eric Fry and Danny Barrett and backs Andrew Mase, Colin Hawley, Blaine Scully and James Bailes given the day off.

Derek Asbun also did not start but was called into duty when Zack Klaas suffered a cut to the head in the 22nd minute

On a day when the rain held off, Cal limited its turnovers, took chances when they materialized and played efficient rugby. UC Davis earned its points on two penalty kicks, one in each half, but for the most part, the Bears stayed on the right side of U.S. referee Paul Bretz’s whistle.

In the reserve-grade match, Cal defeated UC Davis, 109-3.

The Bears (16-0) return home to host the University of British Columbia on Witter Rugby Field in the first meeting of the two-match series known as the “World Cup” on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 3:30 p.m.

I apologized, okay? Now I just have to incur a mild slap on the wrist and Coach TnH will reinstate me, right? I’ll be back to work in no time.

Freakin’ Armenians. Armenia isn’t even a real country!

When I joined the team it was explicitly promised that there were no rules: That I could BUI til the cows come home, and that I could accept as much money from prominent blog boosters as I wanted. Now you’re telling me I can’t BUI anymore, and that there never were any rich blog boosters?!? Man, if Berkelium97 didn’t have my back I’d be gone so fast.

Cal led through first 2 rounds before faltering on final day

WAHIAWA, HI – Cal shot a two-over par 290 on the final day of action at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate on Friday to fall out of the lead and finish tied for third with a three-day team score of 848 (-16). UNLV and Texas A&M both passed the Golden Bears and tied for the top spot after 54 holes of regulation golf with 28-under par scores of 836. UNLV won the team title on the first playoff hole.

“There was a pretty good script here, unfortunately a couple of other teams wrote the ending and they didn’t include us,” said head coach Steve Desimone. “We played a fairly substantial role in that by obviously not being very sharp today. But hats off to UNLV and Texas A&M today. They just played lights out, and we weren’t able to match it. It’s as simple as that.”

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (after 3 of 3 days/3 of 3 rounds/54 of 54 holes)
*1T. UNLV 279-283-274 – 836 (-28)
1T. Texas A&M 285-275-276 – 836 (-28)
3T. BYU 286-277-285 – 848 (-16)
3T. Cal 278-280-290 – 848 (-16)
5. New Mexico 294-277-282 – 853 (-11)
6. Arizona 287-281-286 – 854 (-10)
7. Fresno State 286-287-282 – 855 (-9)
7. SMU 278-292-285 – 855 (-9)
9. Nevada 281-291-294 – 866 (2)
10. Denver 298-294-283 – 875 (11)
11. UC Santa Barbara 290-299-290 – 879 (15)
12. UTEP 293-301-294 – 888 (28)
13. Hawai’i 293-297-302 – 892 (28)
14. Hawai’i Pacific 300-300-305 – 905 (41)
15. BYU-Hawai’i 308-305-309 – 922 (+58)
*won on first playoff hole

FINAL CAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (after 3 of 3 days/3 of 3 rounds/54 of 54 holes)
6T. Eric Mina 68-70-71 – 209 (-7)
9T. Stephen Hale 65-71-74 – 210 (-6)
18T. Chad Vivolo 76-66-72 – 214 (-2)
29T. Brandon Hagy 71-73-73 – 217 (1)
65T. Evan Derian 74-75-76 – 225 (9)

Examiner of Penderclast:

Just 11 days after being hired by the Oakland Raiders to be one of their defensive assistants, Clancy Pendergast has again changed job titles and teams. California announced the hiring of Clancy Pendergast as their defensive coordinator, replacing the departed Bob Gregory.

Replacing Gregory after just two days of the Golden Bears’ “national search” begins to shed a little more light on Gregory’s departure, but could raise questions on Cal’s choice to replace him. Pendergast, in a span of a year, has been fired twice as a defensive coordinator—once by the Arizona Cardinals after their Super Bowl loss, and once by the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of this last season.

In 2009, as defensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, his defense ranked 30th out of 32 teams while allowing 388.2 yards per game. His defense allowed 26.5 points per game, ranking the Chiefs 29th in the NFL.

California……10-5……18-9
 Arizona St…….9-5……19-8
 USC……8-6……16-10
 Washington……8-7……18-9
 Arizona……7-7……13-13
 UCLA……7-7……12-14
 Stanford……7-8……13-14
 Oregon St…….6-8……12-14
 Washington St…….6-9……16-11
 Oregon……4-10……12-14

Hey I didn’t see you mention that Avinash got arrested for Domestic Violence against TwistNHook. TwistNHook isn’t upset though and thinks Avinash is a really nice guy.