DBD 7.29.10 USA! USA!

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PASADENA – Cal head coach Jeff Tedford and preseason honorable mention All-American Mike Mohamed will participate in the West Coast Pac-10 Media Day at the historic Rose Bowl this Thursday, July 29. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. PT and will be streamed live on Pac-10.org, with Tedford and Mohamed appearing on stage at 10:45 a.m. PT.

Each Pac-10 institution will be represented by its head football coach and a leading returning student-athlete, who will be given the opportunity to address media members from around the country. In addition, Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott will be on hand to speak to the media.

Fans can take part and submit questions for the Pac-10 head coaches and players in attendance via the Pac10 Twitter account (twitter.com/pac10). Questions may be submitted any time leading up to the event or on the day itself. The best questions will be selected and asked by the webcast’s host, Steve Physioc, who will be calling Pac-10 football games this season on Fox Sports Net.

The Media Day webcast will begin at 9 a.m. PT with Steve Physioc and proceed with the following schedule:

9:30 a.m. – Introduction from Dave Hirsch
9:35 a.m. – Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott
9:45 a.m. – Washington State (head coach Paul Wulff/DE Kevin Kooyman)
10:00 a.m. – Arizona State (head coach Dennis Erickson/PK Thomas Weber
10:15 a.m. – UCLA (head coach Rick Neuheisel/FS Rahim Moore)
10:30 a.m. – Washington (head coach Steve Sarkisian/LB Mason Foster)
10:45 a.m. – California (head coach Jeff Tedford/LB Mike Mohamed)
11:00 a.m. – Break
11:15 a.m. – USC (head coach Lane Kiffin/QB Matt Barkley)
11:30 a.m. – Stanford (head coach Jim Harbaugh/LB/FB Owen Marecic)
11:45 a.m. – Oregon State (head coach Mike Riley/RB Jacquizz Rodgers)
Noon – Arizona (head coach Mike Stoops/QB Nick Foles)
12:15 p.m. – Oregon (head coach Chip Kelly/DT Brandon Bair)

Or you could just follow our live coverage on the front page!

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BERKELEY – The 2010 Cal football season-opener against UC Davis will kick off at 1 p.m. from Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 4, and be televised live by Comcast SportsNet California.

The announcement brings the total of scheduled television broadcasts on the Golden Bears’ 2010 slate to five, with additional game times and television information for other contests expected to be announced at later dates.

Cal has national telecasts scheduled for four other games with the complete current 2010 television schedule below.

Day, Date – Opponent – Time (TV)
Sat., Sept. 4 – vs. UC Davis – 1 p.m. (Comcast SportsNet California)
Sat., Sept. 11 – vs. Colorado – 12:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net)
Fri., Sept. 17 – at Nevada – 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sat., Oct. 16 – at USC – 12:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net)
Sat., Nov. 20 – vs. Stanford – 12:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net)

The Bears have had 38 of 39 games televised live over the past three seasons prior to 2010, with 44 of their last 45 contests overall and a total of 86 games televised during Jeff Tedford’s first eight seasons as head coach.

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BERKELEY – The track & field coaches association has recognized eight women on Cal’s track & field team for their achievements in the classroom, naming them to the 2010 Division I All-Academic squad. Those receiving the honor are: Michelle Davis, Alison Greggor, Deborah Maier, Kristen Meister, Linda Oseso, Theresa Raub, Chelsea Reilly and Allison Stokke.

A record total of 551 student-athletes representing 150 institutions compose the group national group, which is coordinated by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. To qualify, student-athletes must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either the NCAA Division I Indoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard or participated in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships (including preliminary rounds) in their respective event.

Golden Bears on the USTFCCA Women’s All-Academic Team
Michelle Davis – 3.607 GPA, nutritional science major
Alison Greggor – 3.755 GPA, psychology and Spanish double major
Deborah Maier – 3.808 GPA, political science major
Kristen Meister – 3.743 GPA, history major
Linda Oseso – 3.285 GPA, interdisciplinary studies major
Theresa Raub – 3.635 GPA, geography major
Chelsea Reilly – 3.581 GPA, English major
Allison Stokke – 3.303 GPA, sociology major

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A league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that McClain signed a five-year deal worth $40 million that included $23 million guaranteed.

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With McClain’s signing, Oakland has gotten all nine of its draft picks under contract. The Raiders traditionally have done a good job getting their top picks into camp on time with the exception of JaMarcus Russell’s lengthy holdout in 2007 that lasted until the start of the regular season.

Darrius Heyward-Bey missed the morning session on the first day a year ago before signing a deal that guaranteed him at least $23.5 million.

That Heyward-Bey pick looks better every year, doesn’t it?

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WASHINGTON — With pressure mounting on the federal government to find new revenues, Congress is considering legalizing, and taxing, an activity it banned just four years ago: Internet gambling.

On Wednesday, the House Financial Services Committee approved a bill that would effectively legalize online poker and other nonsports betting, overturning a 2006 federal ban that critics say merely drove Web-based casinos offshore.

The bill would direct the Treasury Department to license and regulate Internet gambling operations, while a companion measure, pending before another committee, would allow the Internal Revenue Service to tax such businesses. Winnings by individuals would also be taxed, as regular gambling winnings are now. The taxes could yield as much as $42 billion for the government over 10 years, supporters said.

NinersNation looks at Antonio Gates new deal as it relates to Vernon Davis:

Now Antonio Gates has been productive for longer than Vernon Davis but I think it’s safe to assume that if VD has even close to the same kind of year in 2010 that he did in 2009 we’ll be locking him up fast. He’s younger, more talented and has more upside to his career so there’s no reason we can’t pay him more.

My guess it’ll be six years $45 million. with $25 million guaranteed. We’ve talked about this before, back when Celek extended and when we extended Patrick Willis and I think this is the most realistic figure, however I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see a 7 year deal worth close to $50 million.

Silver And Black Pride looks at training camp for Raiders:

Is it fair to call this the first day of the season? It kinda feels like it. Training camp and consequently the Raiders assault on the ’10 season is underway. With Mr. McClain signing last night it means all hands will be on deck for the first day of non-contact practices.

That’s right, the team that lost two days of OTA’s for having too much contact when it wasn’t allowed is going to go exclusively non-contact for the first four days that it is allowed. Seems like they could have switched that up a bit. Cable Guy is sold on the positives of this approach. Here is what he had to say:

Silver Screen And Roll recaps 2009-2010 for Shanwow, Shannon Brown:

This is the next piece in our series of Player Report Cards, in which we evaluate and assign a grade to the performance of each member of the 2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers. Next in line is Shannon Brown, a.k.a Shanwow (commonly solely referred to as ‘that guy’ in phrases such as ‘HOW THE HELL DID THAT GUY DO THAT!?!?!?’).

Our season review now lands on Shannon Brown, our team’s de-facto Sixth Man (if we argue that Lamar Odom wass for all effects and purposes, a starter during the previous two playoff runs).

Chancaellor gives grants to local community:

As part of an ongoing effort to strengthen ties between UC Berkeley and the local community, campus officials awarded $225,000 in grants to various city projects Friday, the majority of which are aimed at assisting local public school students.

The Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund’s nine-member advisory board awarded more than half of this year’s funds to Berkeley youth programs after a two-month review application process. Other programs awarded grants include those improving students relationships with local Greek organization residents, making safety improvements throughout the city and encouraging energy saving practices.

Seven of the 15 recipients are education programs that submitted some of the strongest proposals this year, according to Caleb Dardick, director of the UC Berkeley Local Government and Community Relations office and chair of the board.

Will no longer play Minnesota:

“We are extremely disappointed that the series with Texas will not take place,” said Minnesota Director of Athletics Joel Maturi. “Our institution, student-athletes and fans were very excited about having a nationally respected program like Texas on our schedule. However there are complex rights issues in play that are beyond our control. It’s unfortunate that a mutually acceptable resolution could not be found that would have allowed the games to be played.”

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204971445

At first, I thought it would have to do with both the Big-10 and Big-12 adding a ninth conference game, but actually:

The UT spokesman said issues arose over Big Ten restrictions for Texas to use game footage on its coaching shows and BEVOD cable channel.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/longhorns/entries/2010/07/28/minnesota_serie.html?cxntfid=blogs_bevo_beat

Daily Cal looks at FAFSA verification:

While focus is often placed on simplifying the Federal Application for Student Aid, not enough attention has been paid to the lengthy and convoluted procedure following the application process, which leaves potentially eligible students without aid, according to a recently released report.

The July Institute for College Access and Success report points to the FAFSA verification process as a major problem, placing a burden on students as well as colleges. This process requires students to resubmit or send in additional information if their application has inconsistencies, estimations, omissions or if the student is selected at random.

In an attempt to simplify the FAFSA procedures and provide greater access to students, the federal government eliminated 26 questions from the form and restructured the website in January, but the report states that this kind of emphasis ignores other post-application issues.

Daily Cal talks about loss of Reel Love:

Over the last decade, the omnipresent Internet has essentially eradicated the necessity of the human element from our day-to-day lives. Today we talk online, we shop online, we even go to school online; and if we want someone to read us a bedtime story, well, there’s an app for that.

As we continue to glean more and more of our goods and entertainment from the Internet, stores selling books and movies have witnessed a dramatic drop in their customer bases.

Last week Berkeley lost one of it’s most beloved hubs of community life: After 13 years the renowned Berkeley video rental store, Reel Video has closed its doors.

Daily Cal looks at Wild Australia at Oakland Zoo:

hen I was a child growing up in the East Bay, my mother took me there frequently to see the giraffes and – my favorites – the squirrel monkeys. Nearby Oakland was a foreign place – glamorous San Francisco was much more familiar – and yet I liked its zoo better; I remembered wondering at the apparent comfort with which the big bears lay on so much concrete in their enclosures at the San Francisco Zoo.

If Oakland and San Francisco are any indication, zoos don’t change much. And when they do, it happens one exhibit at a time. The new exhibition at the Oakland Zoo is a notable improvement, providing plenty of what zoo animals typically, and sometimes egregiously, lack: Space.

Cal has new position for protecting electronic security:

In response to increasing concerns about the security of UC Berkeley’s computerized information, Ann Geyer was appointed the campus’s first-ever Chief Information Privacy and Security Officer on July 14 – the only position of its kind in the UC system outside of a medical or health services capacity.

Geyer was chosen out of a nationwide pool of applicants by a search committee headed by Liz Marsh, IT program manager for the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Geyer will be replacing Ryan Means, who held the interim position for the last six months.

Former Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli is expected to be admitted to one of three graduate programs at the University of Mississippi, which should make him eligible to play as early as this season, a source told ESPN’s Joe Schad.

Masoli would have to walk on at Ole Miss as he would not be granted a scholarship, the source said. But Masoli, a good student, would be eligible to possibly receive a reduced tuition cost.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5418941

On a personal note, I usually don’t jealous of athletes having easier academic qualifications and such, but ending with a masters degree because of football and breaking the law seems a bit extreme.

Comparing the new Pac-12 teams to beers

Cal gets to be Anchor Steam. “Very well thought of in the Bay Area…Almost unheard of anywhere else.”

Its video of Neuheisal and Kiffykins, but at the end, they talk about Tedford challenging the coaches to a qb competition. 8 of the 10 coaches are former QBs, and Kiffin puts his money on Harbaugh. Neuheisal says, if it doesn’t involve running, he’d do well.

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac10/post?id=11276

Am I the only one here who gets annoyed by mass texts? Texting is a completely valid form of communication, but is it really that difficult to personalize texts or limit your communication pipeline to a few people?

Mass texting is fine when organizing events (e.g. “Hey, I’m hosting a barbeque on Sunday, come stop by”) or trying to figure out plans (e.g. “I’m trying to plan another Vegas trip, you in?”), but beyond that, calm down.

Mass texting out your entire contacts list “omg I’m so drunk” or “I just met Akon” is just a cry for attention. Text a couple people, sure, or if you really care, update your twitter or facebook status. Hell, I knew a chick that used to mass text out “I miss u” just for the attention she’d get from the responses.

What is happening to our generation?!

[Comment From atomsareenough atomsareenough: ]
So… nothing’s happened yet, I take it?

From the media-day live feed.

Thought I’d quote it here so we can acknowledge the wedding night joke.

As we all know, drinking is good for you. But they’re finding out it is REALLY good for you.

Moderate drinking has been linked to a variety of health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. According to a new study, drinking alcohol may also ease the pain of — and lower the risk of developing — rheumatoid arthritis, a potentially crippling autoimmune disorder.

Big articvle on Masoli in SI:

Jeremiah Masoli is asking you to open your mind, to consider the possibility that, regardless of what you’ve read or heard, he is not a thug. That would be an easier sell, of course, if he hadn’t spent nearly three months in a juvenile facility in 2005 for robbery; if he hadn’t pled guilty in March of this year to burglarizing a fraternity house; if his career as the starting quarterback — and a potential Heisman contender — at Oregon hadn’t ended last month after police found him driving with marijuana in his car.

But here’s the thing with Masoli: there are always extenuating circumstances. Less than 48 hours after Oregon coach Chip Kelly kicked him off the team, Masoli is sitting in the living room of his parents’ cramped row house in Daly City, Calif., a working-class suburb of San Francisco, trying to explain those circumstances. His hair, once a flowing mane, is trimmed short, befitting a young man eager to rebuild his image. The dual-threat quarterback who specialized in mystifying ball fakes is wrestling nervously with a throw pillow as he asks those who have judged him to look beyond his police record and consider his personal account of the events that led to his downfall — an account that brings to light a number of previously unknown details, many of them backed up by police and court records, eyewitness accounts, and other sources.

Hey, China is playing. YOU NEED TO GO CHEER ON MAX ZHANG!

IMG to become bigger player in campus athletics (this affects Cal, though I don’t know how…)

The company announced Wednesday it has agreed to acquire ISP Sports, which has been one of IMG’s primary competitors for the right to represent major-college athletics programs in corporate sponsorsorship and local radio and TV deals.
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ISP’s client list includes Alabama, Notre Dame (for football), Georgia, Arizona State, Auburn, California, Duke, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, UCLA, Virginia Tech and Washington.

Open thread & Liveblog with all the relevant Tweets.

winning entry is pretty funny:

Winner, hoopster1688: Barnes: “Look at Mitch Kupchak. Now look at me. Now Mitch again. Now back at me. Look deep into my eyes. Im the small forward who could have played in Toronto, but im not in Toronto. Whats that in your hand, now its in my hands. its that Matt Barnes(notes) Raptors’ jersey. The Jersey is now the Lakers.”
Kupchak: “doot dee doot doot doo dee doot doo”

Link: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Create-a-caption-Dell-Demps-is-quite-quizzical?urn=nba-259055

Eddie House signs with the Heat

 House was one of the best shooters remaining on the free agent market and had received more lucrative offers from other teams.

But the chance to play a key role in the Heat’s rotation and compete for a championship alongside Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh was too much to turn down.

House will receive about $2.8 million over two seasons, which is the veterans’ exception. There is a player option in the second season.

This is a good pickup, methinks.

Uncle Ted w/ some notes from Media Day

Wulff said RB James Montgomery has been running around. “We anticipate he will make a recovery and will be able to play.” But not in tip-top shape yet.

Tedford and Mohamed at the podium. Come over to the open thread!

Teford: Whiteside will “probably” grayshirt [YO]

"It looks like he’ll probably grayshirt. We still don’t have the final evaluation (from the NCAA)," Tedford said.

SF Soup Co is carrying Cheddar Cheese and Beer soup today. It is probably one of the best soups ever.

Warning, it does carry 470 calories, so tread carefully. But it’s so rare that it’s worth it. Sadly, they had to roll it out the day before Vegas :(

Keenan Allen, Marvin Jones, Alex Lagemann battle for something other than #1 on the wide receiver list. Check out this piece on SBN Bay Area.

I was looking at the Renault UK website and they sell a car intended for use by families called the Dynamique TomTom dCi 160 FAP. Finally some honesty about people’s sex lives after they procreate.

I’m off to the Dub Cee to sign the loan docs a big refi on CRE property. Man, what an ordeal it was this time.

So how was the wedding? Anything fun happen? Guests behaving badly?