DBD 3.12.10 The Newest Fantasy Sports Craze!

Womens BBall is 4th seed in Pac10 Tourney:

The California Golden Bears (17-12, 11-7 Pac-10) open up their Pac-10 Tournament action in a quarterfinal game against the Arizona State Sun Devils (17-12, 9-9 Pac-10) on Friday, March 12 at 11:00 a.m. at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. The winner will advance to play the winner of Stanford’s quarterfinal game against either Arizona or Oregon State in Saturday’s semifinal. The semifinals and the finals will be televised on Fox Sports Net (locally on Comcast Sports Net). All tournament games will have live streaming audio available through CalBears.com.

Arizona State has a pair of comeback victories over the Bears this season. Both times, Cal went into the games having won their last five games, only to have those win streaks snapped by ASU. Both games were decided in the final minute of play including the 63-61 victory on Jan. 30 in Berkeley that was decided on a buzzer-beating shot by Arizona State guard Danielle Orsillo.

Cal Opens Spring Practice:

BERKELEY – Cal conducted an energetic workout on a cool afternoon at Memorial Stadium on Thursday to kick off the team’s 15 spring football practices that will continue through April 22. The workout began with a bright sign shining down on the a group stretch and wrapped up nearly two-and-a-half hours later with a series of conditioning drills in the twilight after the sun had set on the San Francisco Bay moments earlier.

“It’s great to be out here with the guys,” said head coach Jeff Tedford when he addressed the media following practice. “They’ve worked very hard in conditioning all winter, and it’s always great to get out here on the field with them. Today’s practice was fine. It looked like the guys had a lot of energy.”

The workout was Cal’s first official team practice since the end of the 2009 season, which ended with the Bears dropping their final two games at Washington in their regular-season finale and to Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to finish with an 8-5 overall record.

“I try not to think about those last two losses because that only puts me in a bad mood,” said Tedford as he drew laughter from most of the media in attendance.

Conversely, Tedford and his players seemed to be in very good moods on Thursday.

“Everyone is pumped up, everybody is ready to go,” said TB Shane Vereen, projected to be the team’s starting tailback after Jahvid Best declared for the 2010 NFL Draft. “The anticipation has been growing and it’s good to get out here as a team and let it loose a little bit. I liked the energy that we came out here and played with today. I liked how fast everyone was playing. It was great. It’s going to be an exciting year.”

Baseball beats Rice:

HOUSTON, TEXAS – The California baseball team – behind the stellar pitching of sophomore right-hander Erik Johnson and home runs from sophomore catcher Chadd Krist, freshman third baseman Tony Renda and junior first baseman Mark Canha – upended No. 9 Rice, 8-6, Thursday night at Reckling Park in Houston. The Golden Bears improved to 8-3, while the Owls dropped to 8-6.

Johnson finished the game pitching 6.0 innings with two hits, no runs, one walk and six strikeouts. For the year he is now 3-0 and has not given up an earned run in 19.0 innings. In those 19.0 innings, Johnson has recorded 20 strikeouts with only four walks.

Cal junior right-hander Brian Diemer (2.2 innings, four hits, two runs, three walks, one strikeout) was able to earn his second save of the season when he got Chad Monzingo to line-out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

The Bears had jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Sophomore right fielder Danny Oh hit a one-out double down the right field line off Rice starter Taylor Wall (0-3, 5.2 innings, four hits, six runs, two walks, five strikeouts). Junior first baseman Canha followed with a single to third base and then Krist knocked his fifth home run of the season over the left field fence.

Cal added three more runs in the sixth inning. Junior second baseman Brian Guinn led-off the inning with a walk and was advanced to second on Oh’s sacrifice bunt. The Owls then selected to intentionally walk Krist to face freshman third baseman Tony Renda. Renda proceeded to hit his first collegiate homer – a three-run shot to left-center field.

Rice came back with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning off Cal senior right-hander Daniel Wolford (two unearned runs) to make the score, 6-4. But the Bears tallied two runs in the top of the eighth. With one out, Canha hit a homer to left field. Then with two outs, Renda hit a triple to center field and later scored on a bunt single by sophomore left fielder Chad Bunting to give Cal an 8-4 advantage.

Men’s Diving doing well:

Cal junior Thomas Henninger placed 20th on the three-meter board with a score of 268.50 Thursday, March 11, in the first day of the 2010 NCAA Zone E Diving Championships in Austin, Texas. Henninger did not qualify for the finals, which included the top 18 finishers in the morning prelims.

Henninger, from Glenside, Pa., will next compete on the one-meter board Friday at the Zone E meet. He had recently placed seventh in the three-meter board Feb. 26 at the Pac-10 Diving Championships in Federal Way, Wash. with a score of 302.45. In the one-meter board at the Pac-10s, he scored 314.65 to secure an eighth place finish.

The top divers from the Zone E Diving competition advance to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Champions, March 25-27 in Columbus, Ohio.

Womens Diving doing well too:

AUSTIN, Texas – California sophomore Molly Hayes finished 21st and freshman teammate Kelsey Heiken placed 27th in the one-meter springboard preliminary round on the first day of NCAA Zone E Qualifying Meet on Thursday at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center. Neither reached the final.

Hayes, who finished just three spots behind the last final berth, produced a score of 238.95, while Heiken had a score of 229.05.

USC’s Victoria Ishimatsu won the one-meter title with a score of 622.05.

Divers qualify for the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships through the various regional meets, which range from Zone A to Zone E.

The Zone E Meet continues tomorrow, Friday, March 11, with the three-meter springboard.

Volleyball schedules spring competiton:

BERKELEY – The California volleyball team officially opened spring practices on Thursday, March 11, head coach Rich Feller announced today (March 11). The Golden Bears have also set four spring competition dates beginning with a tournament at the Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton, Calif., hosted by University of the Pacific on Saturday, April 3. Cal will head to the capitol for the Sacramento State tournament on Saturday, April 10, at The Nest in Sacramento, Calif.

The Bears play their only head-to-head match in a scrimmage against Stanford at 7 p.m. PT on Wednesday, April 21, at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif. The team concludes spring play with a tournament at the War Memorial Gym in San Francisco on Saturday, May 1.

Cal’s spring roster features two-time All-American setter Carli Lloyd. She is flanked by outside hitter Tarah Murrey. The two were USA A2 teammates in the summer of 2009 and helped guide the Bears to their third consecutive NCAA regional final appearance last fall. Defensive specialist Meagan Schmitt is the third of three upperclassmen on the roster. Rounding out the ten-member team are six sophomores and one early-enrollee. In the middle, the Bears will have Shannon Hawari, Kat Brown and Tia Gaffen. Attacking from the opposite position is Correy Johnson; with Elly Barrett at setter and Robin Rostratter at defensive specialist. The first early-enrollee in Cal history is incoming freshman outside hitter Lauren Loerch.

http://www.formspring.me/morganbeck

Looking back, what school would you have picked besides Cal?

I didn’t really look too much into other schools. I knew I wanted to stay in California so that definitely limited my options. I think I would have stayed closer to home. I am so grateful that I got to experience a new culture and the northern part of California (which should be its own state) but I really just love home so much. USC or UCLA might have been better options for me. Plus I would have gotten to play with Jess Gysin or Nellie Spicer or some other really great girls!

What did you take at Cal? And if not playing volleyball, what would a good future job goal for you be?

I started in Mass Communications but took a semester off from Cal. This lead to my decision to major in sociology. I guess the benefit of majoring in Sociology is when looking for a job you can just say you majored in Sociology of (insert job title here).

I do however wish I thought more of what I would really want to do. I have just been so focused on volleyball I forgot about the real world and that someday I will have to get a REAL job. Ask me again in about 3 months and I will have an answer for you. I promise :)

http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/beck_morgan00.html

With so many of those teams seemingly falling off the board, California, UNLV and Utah State moved from “should be in” to “lock” status after winning their games on Thursday. And Georgia Tech was elevated to the “should be in” level after defeating North Carolina 62-58 in the ACC tournament.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bubblewatch

They also haven’t completely ruled out Arizona State, though they admit the Sun Devils’ chances are slight. Washington still has the ability to play their way into an at-large bid.

I need a couple.

I’m guessing everybody is waiting in line at a sold out Staples Center, right?

Is anyone going to start a baseball league?

The end of the Michigan-OSU game was fantastic. Michigan by 2, 2.0 seconds left, inbounds to OSU, Evan Turner hits about a 40 foot three at the buzzer to win it.

Cal women’s open thread – the game just started streaming

Can someone re-front page the CGB March Madness group on either saturday or sunday… I haven’t signed up because I don’t know what the brackets will look like until Sunday…

I can tell why nobody is posting here. We’re all over in that red hot WOMEN’S BASKETBALL THREAD!

Cal 60, ASU 50. Now all we have to do is beat Stanfurd tomorrow!

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4988772

Hey, when did Jim Rome stop being a stupid fool? He just had a bit on the Torii Hunter black players/hispanic players controversy that was completely sensible and accurate. My world has turned on its axis. I no longer know which way is up. Help!

Jeremiah Masoli pleads guilty to burgulary

They both will get 12 months probation, be ordered to serve 140 hours of community service within eight months and owe a restitution of more than $5,000 due in 10 days, according to the newspaper.

Rumors that Masoli lied to the police and Coach Chip Kelly.

In an affidavit just provided to KOIN, Eugene police officer Julie Smith said that when she interviewed Masoli the day after the incident (Jan. 25), he denied being there.
 
Smith also said she spoke with head coach Chip Kelly on Feb. 2 and he said Masoli told him (Kelly) that he wasn’t at the fraternity house on the night of the incident.

Here’s a link to the press conference if people want to watch

Summary:
-Apologizes for having to hold a press conference.
-Cases on an individual basis, he won’t render judgment until all facts are available.
-LMJ and Rob Beard pled guilty to harassment. Both suspended for opening game next year. If they follow certain guidelines, they will be eligible after this date.
-Jeremiah Masoli has been suspended for the entire season. He can redshirt if he chooses. If he follows a certain plan, he can return the next year. He will NOT play in 2010.

Could you please apologize and hug it out so the big yellow orb in the sky comes back? I just had to drive down an extra five streets to find an intersection I could cross that wouldn’t turn my car into a boat. Enough. I feel like we’re being waterboarded.