DBD 3.26.10 As Real As It Gets - UFC 111 Preview

by yellow fever about 2 hours ago

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Let’s keep it this way.

(Damnit)

Go Bulls!

Yesterday, CNN ran a news story about the British Air Force intercepting some Russian bombers in British Airspace. The story was featured in the ‘world news’ category of cnn.com. This same news story appeared no where on bbc news’ website.

Review here

Still not sure I’ll bother watching it, but it does sound like it has the potential to be this year’s version of The Hangover.

Womens BBall beats Oregon, going on in the WNIT:

The California Golden Bears advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals with a 71-57 road victory against the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. DeNesha Stallworth led team with 23 points. Gennifer Brandon had 16 rebounds. The victory sends Cal to the quarterfinals of the WNIT where they will host BYU on Saturday, March 27 at 6:00 p.m. at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.

After trailing 12-6 early in the game, the Bears got their offense started with a three by senior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson. Freshman forward DeNesha Stallworth scored eight straight points giving Cal a 17-12 lead, their largest advantage of the first half. The Ducks came firing back, hitting long range shots of their own. After a tie and three lead changes later, Cal trailed by just a point, 22-21, with 7:15 left in the half, but then went ice cold from the field. Oregon built up a 12-point lead, 35-22, before Gray-Lawson ended the drought, hitting a three with just over two minutes left in the period. Cal kept the Oregon offense in check while scoring another five points of their own to go into the locker room trailing the Ducks 35-30.

Men’s Swimming NCAAs delayed by 1 day:

The 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships will be delayed by one day, due to the illness of some participants, the NCAA announced today (Thursday, March 25). The championships will now begin at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, March 26, at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and will end on Sunday, March 28.

The start of the championships was moved back to ensure the health and well-being of those participants who became ill and all student-athletes competing at the event.

Eighteen student-athletes and one coach were treated at The Ohio State University Medical Center and The Ohio State Sports Medicine Center for a possible gastrointestinal illness on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. All of the individuals are in Columbus to participate in the championships.

As of noon on Wednesday (March 24), no additional individuals involved in the championships were reported as showing signs of the illness. The championship venue and facilities have also been thoroughly examined by health officials and approved for use.

Baseball to take on ASU:

Fri., March 26 at Arizona State Packard Stadium, Tempe, Ariz. 6:30 p.m.
Sat., March 27 at Arizona State Packard Stadium, Tempe, Ariz. 6:30 p.m.
Sun., March 28 at Arizona State Packard Stadium, Tempe, Ariz. 12:30 p.m.

RADIO: KALX Radio (90.7 FM) will broadcast the March 26-28 Cal-Arizona State games. Gametracker available on www.CalBears.com.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Fans can purchase Cal baseball photos at GoldenBearSports.com, the official photographer of Cal Athletics.

BEAR NOTES: California (12-7) is opening its 2010 Pac-10 slate the toughest way possible as the Golden Bears visit No. 1-ranked (Collegiate Baseball) and undefeated Arizona State (20-0) this weekend for a three-game series at Packard Stadium. Coming into this weekend’s games, the young Cal squad is led by a pitching staff that has recorded five shutouts, the most shutouts in a single season since 1978 (7). Cal’s starting pitching rotation – sophomore right-hander Erik Johnson (3-0, 2.22 ERA, 24 Ks in 24.1 inn.), freshman left-hander Justin Jones (4-1, 2.92 ERA, 36 Ks in 40.0 inn., 2 CG) and sophomore right-hander Dixon Anderson (2-1, 3.99 ERA, 25 Ks in 29.1 inn.) – have all been involved in at least one shutout this year. Add to that list junior right-hander Kevin Miller’s gem (6.0 innings, four hits, no runs in 6-0 win) March 7 versus Arkansas that earned him Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors. Johnson was just named to the College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year Watch List. Offensively, the Bears have been paced by sophomore catcher Chadd Krist, who is batting .452 and is second in the Pac-10 in five home runs (5), doubles (10), total bases (62) and slugging percentage (.849). Cal also features sophomore left fielder Danny Oh (.341, 13 RBI), returning junior All-Pac-10 first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha (.370, team-best 23 RBI) and junior second baseman Brian Guinn (.317). Last season, Canha led the team with a .366 average, 12 home runs and 43 RBI, while Guinn is a .316 career hitter. Also bolstering the Bears is the play of sophomore shortstop Marcus Semien (.329) and freshmen starters Tony Renda (3B, .368, a triple, two home runs, seven RBI at Rice), Devin Rodriguez (DH .344), Jimmy Bosco (RF .395) and Darrel Matthews (CF .254). Semien was recently named to the watch list for College Baseball Foundation’s Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s top collegiate shortstop.

Track doing well at Multis:

BERKELEY – Junior Kevin Kuechler set a personal record in the decathlon with a score of 6,638 points to finish seventh among 11 Group A competitors at the Cal Multis Thursday at Edwards Stadium. Over the 10 events, Kuechler set or tied eight PRs, four during each afternoon of the two-day event.

Kuechler’s previous decathlon best was 5,382 set during last spring’s Pac-10 championships, where he placed 14th. At the Cal Mutlis, he had surpassed that total with two events to go.

Mark Jellison, a volunteer assistant coach for Cal who was competing unattached, led throughout the competition and finished with 7,414 points. He was followed by Jonathan Collins, also unattached, with 7,123 points and Chico State’s Jake Nelson with 6,907 points.

Kuechler set his fifth PR of the competition in Thursday’s opening event, the 110-meter hurdles, when he finished in 15.37. The time, which was fifth among the entrants, broke his previous PR of 16.11 set last spring. In addition, Cal junior Mike Morrison was sixth in 15.41.

Kuechler continued his run on PRs with a toss of 121-7 in the discus, which came on his second of three throws. Morrison only had one legal throw, but it was good enough for fourth in the field at 129-3.

In the pole vault, Kuechler cleared 13-1.50, which was more than a foot higher than his best from 2009 when he had a season-high 11-11.75. His PR in the javelin – 159-1 – came on the last of his three attempts and put him in eighth place in the event.

The final event – the 1500 meters – saw Kuechler run 5:06.70.

If Socotie does DBDs from now on, it’ll just be a CostCo shopping list.

Grab yo’ strap: Oakland marathon to go through low-income neighborhoods.

Not so of its sister city. In East Oakland, marathoners will head down Fruitvale Avenue, turn left onto Foothill Avenue and make their way toward High Street, where they will make a right turn onto International Avenue and head west to downtown for nearly 30 blocks. In West Oakland, runners will head down Seventh Street past the U.S. Postal Service center and make their way onto Mandela Parkway.

Oregon St is crazy.

No, not really, but the Beavers continue to be the most aggressive schedulers in the nation.

The school announced that it will play BYU in a home-and-home series in 2011 and 2012.

The first game will be in Corvallis on Sept. 3, 2011. The second will be in Provo, Utah on Sept. 1, 2012.

Oregon State’s nonconference schedule in 2012: at BYU, Wisconsin and Boise State.

The Beavers slate in 2011: BYU, at Wisconsin, at Hawaii. They also are looking for a 13th game — either Sept. 17 or Nov. 19 — because of the NCAA’s exemption rule that allows a team to play an additional contest over the 12 dates when traveling to Hawaii.

Texas? Maybe Alabama?

The 2011 meeting will be the tenth between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1955. Oregon State has won five of the previous nine meetings but lost to the Cougars in last December’s MAACO Bowl Las Vegas 44-20. The Beavers and BYU played six previous times in Corvallis, with the Beavers victorious four times, including a 24-19 upset win over the then No. 20 Cougars in 1977.

"I have great admiration for the BYU program and what Coach (Bronco) Mendenhall and the Cougars have accomplished," coach Mike Riley said in a statement. "I think both teams enjoyed being around each other at the Vegas Bowl last December and I know our team will look forward to these games in the future."

There are plenty of staff connections. Mendenhall was a starting safety and two-year letterman (1986-87) at Oregon State under then head coach Dave Kragthorpe. He later served as a graduate assistant coach at OSU (1989-90) and returned to the Beaver sideline as the defensive line coach (1995) and defensive coordinator (1996). In addition, BYU offensive line coach Mark Weber held the same position at OSU (1987-90).

Oregon State’s nonconference slate this fall: vs. TCU in Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 4; vs. Louisville on Sept. 18; at Boise State Sept. 25.

We’re drafting tomorrow at 10am. Currently, we have 13 teams, and aren’t allowed to draft with an odd number of teams, so we’re looking for just one more willing participant! Anyone interested?

Wilner

Action: Pac-10 commish Larry Scott tells CBSSports.com that he’s pursuing the possibility of a football championship game without expansion.
Reaction I: I’ve been wondering about this option ever since reading that the NCAA’s 12-team requirement to stage a football title game is arbitrary. It was written into the I-AA rulebook many years ago, then adopted to I-A for the SEC. But it sure doesn’t seem like it would be difficult to change, especially if it 1) satisfied the majority of FBS schools and 2) prevented the breakup of the current conference structure.
Reaction II: A football championship game without expansion would be the best-case revenue scenario for Scott: It would generate an additional $750k – 1 million for each school (based on my sense for the value of a football title game), and the league wouldn’t have to cut the pie 12 ways. And …
Reaction III: The league could split into two five-team divisions along the Zipper Plan (dividing the natural rivals) while maintaining the round-robin schedule. The Northwest schools would keep their contact with the Los Angeles market and teams and everyone would be happy.

2010 A’s commercials…not as funny as in years past, but solid nonetheless.

BART cop who helped arrest Oscar Grant gets fired. I saw a cop on BART the other day and almost shouted out, “Don’t tase me bro!” I thought better of it, on the grounds that it would likely result in me getting capped.

Lindsay Lohan hats cacti.

ROLL ON YOU………………..Gaels?

Join the gaiety tonight at 4:15.

Former Bear Tyson Ross is having a fantastic spring with the A’s

“When Tyson is on, he’s really good,” Donaldson said. "He doesn’t need his best stuff to get people out, but he can hit 93 to 97 mph and it’s not easy to pick up. He’s the best pitcher I’ve caught in the minor leagues. If he stays healthy, I know he’ll have a long tenure in the major leagues. "

The knock on Ross since the A’s drafted him in the second round in 2008 has been his mechanics. He’s tall, 6-foot-6, but he has a very short stride, which can put a lot of extra stress on the arm. That made some teams leery about him in the draft.

The A’s have worked with Ross on lengthening his stride, and he has – a bit. It still appears short in relation to his long legs, but it’s a work in progress. Still, the change seems to be helping.

“I do try to stride farther,” Ross said with a smile. "But with my mechanics, I’m not going to look like Tim Lincecum overnight.

“I’m trying to finish my pitches a lot better. That keeps the ball down, gives me better velocity. And we’ve worked on the whole mental approach, slowing myself down. I used to just get out there and throw it.”

A’s minor-league pitching instructor Gil Patterson said that Ross’ stride might be a bit longer and his extension is better, but the biggest change for Ross has been in his mental approach: Patterson thinks that Ross was trying to be a little too fine, unnecessarily.

“He throws a great sinker, a power sinker like Roy Halladay,” Patterson said. “Telling Tyson that he’s a power pitcher has helped him. He’s not a finesse guy, so he doesn’t need to have that approach.”

To go along with the sinker and Ross’ slider, Patterson has shown Ross the cutter that he’s incorporated so successfully into other pitchers’ repertoires. Andrew Bailey is a prime example. Ross also has changed the grip on his changeup, using one that Marcus McBeth showed him instead of his traditional circle change; he’s now using the new pitch far more often.

With their wealth of young pitching, the A’s can afford to bring Ross along slowly. He made a successful jump from Class-A Stockton to Double-A Midland near the end of last season, and he was particularly good in the Texas League playoffs, with a 1.46 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 121/3 innings.

“At that point, I wasn’t working on things, so I wasn’t thinking about everything,” he said. “I was just going out and competing.”

Ross might not start this season at Triple-A Sacramento, but it’s a good bet he’ll end up there. If he performs well there, he could be an option in Oakland next season, if not in September.

Get drunk/go broke at Finnegan’s Marin in Novato.

Physicians moving away from private practice (NYT):

In many ways, patients benefit from higher quality and better coordinated care, as doctors from various fields join a single organization. In such systems, patient records can pass seamlessly from doctor to specialist to hospital, helping avoid the kind of dangerous slip-ups that cost the lives of an estimated 100,000 people in this country each year.

And yet, the decline of private practices may put an end to the kind of enduring and intimate relationships between patients and doctors that have long defined medicine. A patient who chooses a doctor in private practice is more likely to see that same doctor during each office visit than a patient who chooses a doctor employed by a health system.

NYT: 31 steps to a financial tuneup. What do the CGB bankers think about this?

Read Deadspin’s Daytona Spring Break report (NSFW?)

EDSBS:

I just bought a Magic Mouse from Apple because I’m a sucker for design over utility.

Man, this thing is really really neat. Is it worth the money? Hell no. But it is cool as hell.

Tyson Alualu featured over at Niners Nation, tho he could use some help with the a better highlight reel (ieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeebear’s or danzig’s?)
http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/3/25/1390426/100-in-100-tyson-alualu-73-of-100

I’m not sure what it says about me when I like reading this stuff, but man:

Trades have been arranged because one woman is involved with two guys on the same team. That’s what happened in Dallas some years ago. And right now I know of one girl who is dating two NBA players. One makes her car payments, and the other pays her rent. They don’t know about each other, but they do share a money manager who’s writing both checks. It’s bound to blow up at some point.

I can’t WAIT until that comes out.

For $315, can you really buy hookers and blow? I mean maybe hooker and blow. Or hookers or blow. Or perhaps more likely hooker or blow.

In my neighborhood you could probably get a half dozen or so with that kind of scratch. Not that you would want to.

You should’ve gotten Heavy Rain. Great game and wonderful cast of characters and story. It’s almost like you’re playing a B-movie.

GoW III I dunno. I started playing GOW I yesterday and damn it’s hard

Not much posting today by me :(

Gotta a day long meeting… woot!

The rumor that the Golden State Warriors might move to San Francisco is recycled every few years.

But this time, it has a chance to happen.

Potential buyers of the team have asked the San Francisco Giants about building a state-of-the-art arena in Mission Bay, south of AT&T Park, sources say.

The team is on the verge of finishing an agreement that would give the Giants exclusive negotiating rights with the Port Commission to develop the parking lot behind AT&T Park. So if you want to talk about an arena in what the team is calling the Mission Rock District, you need to speak to the Giants.

The Giants have already mapped out an ambitious plan to develop the area that calls for an urban community with a pedestrian walkway and retail stores extending all the way to the bay. Their proposal even includes a 5,000- to 7,000-seat arena.

Granted, a 20,000-seat arena would be a departure from the current plans, but the land the Giants plan to develop is probably the best and only place in San Francisco for a major arena.

The Giants are militantly silent on the topic, issuing a curt “no comment” when asked about the subject.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/25/MN0C1CKLG3.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0jJ1TQG7o

quick, reveal your gambling strategies before I head out this weekend.

A bold new trade rumor passed over the usual channels on Friday afternoon. As tweeted by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, “ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli reports Oakland is willing to part with CB Nnamdi Asomugha in exchange for Donovan McNabb — but Eagles reluctant.”

I don’t know how I’d feel about that.

(440): Got a basket, some candy, 100 plastic eggs & my bunny costume. Campus will feel my wrath in 2 weeks

(via TFLN)

My fav (so Far):

The lack of respect you have for your penis baffles me. I’d rather rub my ball sack on public toilet seats than stick my dick in some of those girls.

A simple “no” would have sufficed