Bad news, Bears. We have lost another standout player from our 2010 recruiting class. Cecil Whiteside has been dismissed from the team.

Cal sophomore linebacker Cecil Whiteside has been dismissed from the football team for unspecific violation of team rules.

— CalBearsBANG (@CalBearsBANG) May 24, 2012

We'll have more details when we hear them.

After dominating the trenches in spring camp, senior Defensive Tackle Kendrick Payne was gracious enough to consent to a sidelines interview. Just in case the audio isn't clear (it was loud on the sidelines), here's a written transcript:

CGB: What's it like working with the new position coach, Coach Howard?

KP: It's cool. Definitely a good guy. Lots of hand technique. I'm really liking the fact that he has a lot of NFL experience. Especially with this being my last year. He's helping me focus on some things that I need to be successful at the next level. It's definitely going to pay dividends.

CGB: You've gotten over your shoulder issues?

KP: Definitely. Really been focusing lately on taking care of my body.

CGB: You had a chance to come in under the old strength and conditioning coach, how is it difference with Blasquez and how he approaches things?

KP: Really no difference with strength and conditioning stuff. It's all the same. But you could tell last year, (Blasquez) he really loves what he does. He definitely keeps on guys. There are some days where you're not into it and need some extra motivation. And he never lets you take it off. You can definitely tell how we're moving and how we're looking. He's definitely been good.

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Last week, I finally (and probably belatedly) gave up the ghost that Cal might have a shot at the playoffs. The numbers, negatively influenced by Cal’s weird post-elimination-no-just-foolin’-we’re-not-eliminated-will-you-still-play-us schedule, said that the Bears were toast. As a result, all I wanted was to annoy UCLA and Stanford.

I doubt Bruin fans are crying many tears, what with their inevitable home regional to look forward to. But Cal’s Sunday afternoon win did put a major dent in UCLA’s Pac-12 title chances, as they’re now two games back of Oregon with three to play rather than just one game back.

But the win went a bit beyond petty revenge. I’ve been on record as saying that Chadd Krist was just as important as Tony Renda last year, and then he went got drafted in the 13th round of the MLB draft and elected to come back anyway. If anybody deserved to be the player involved in every Cal rally, and to finish his home career with a home run, it was him.

Krist’s senior day was the most spectacular, but every graduate stepped up. Chad Bunting had a key RBI single in Cal’s game winning 8th inning rally. Danny Oh went 2-5. And Joey Donofrio worked around a few hits to pitch two innings and finish off the game with a strike out. Four of Cal’s six seniors (and every senior that participated in the game) had themselves a game.

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TwistNHook: Heading into Sunday's games, Cal softball was a strange position. Not only were they the visiting team at their own ballpark, but they were on the ropes. Their opponent, Arkansas, had the advantage. As the NCAA Regionals are double elimination, Cal had to beat Arkansas twice in a handful of hours to move on to the Super Regional. Since Arkansas had beaten Cal on Saturday, it was Cal with the sole loss, not Arkansas.

So, first, Cal took on Arkansas at 5 PM. If Arkansas won, Arkansas moved on to take on UDub. If Cal won, then Arkansas took on Cal another time in a winner moves on match. But first things first:

The 5 PM game. It was a gorgeous day in Berkland on May 20, 2012. Is there anything better than a warm spring day with the green of the grass and what would eventually be two dominant Cal wins????

More photos and discussion of the games after the jump. GO BEARS!

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So on May 18th, my son and I had an opportunity to tour the New-old Memorial Stadium to see the progress and some of the cool new features within. We showed up at 4:00 PM, since there is a skeleton crew only from 4:30 - 6:00PM, and a brief window to tour an active 24-hour construction site. After the jump, many, many more photos.

(click on photos to embiggen)

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Kenwick Thompson headed deep into the heart of Texas (well, okay, it's like a half-hour from Dallas, but whatever) and landed a potential gem at inside linebacker.

#Cal has received a commitment from Mansfield, Texas linebacker Chad Whitener.

— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) May 22, 2012

Interestingly, Cal only offered a week or so ago! But it appeared he visited this weekend and liked what he saw. To receive a commitment that quickly is pretty sweet.

Whitener's offer list won't stand out, but he had been hearing from a lot of other schools that might have offered down the line like Arkansas and Texas A&M. Best to get him now while he's still under the radar before the big boys start offering. He's considered one of the top 100 recruits in Texas by 24/7 and the 35th best inside linebacker overall in this class.

Recruitocosm picked up some crucial numbers in an interview they did with Whitener: 6'1"/6'2", 240 pounds, 4.62 40 time, 325 bench, 305 power clean, 430 squat are his measurables. He also had 198 tackles, 2 picks, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 sacks, averaging about 14 tackles a game. Production y'all.

Anyway, the video (which you can see after the jump) tells all. Welcome Chad!

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The Oregon-USC game will have Pac-12 and possibly national championship implications. It is clearly the most important game for both teams. The Ducks' second most important game, however, is a trip to Memorial Stadium, a place where they have struggled against the Bears over the years.

So, let's do this: Where is Oregon's second most important game? Figuring that out requires a couple of things. First, it has to be on the road, which eliminates Washington and Stanford. The Ducks have lost just six games under Chip Kelly, and only one was in Autzen Stadium. Second, it has to be a team that has given the Ducks some trouble and has the potential to do that again. For extra credit, it would help if this road game against a team that gives the Ducks some trouble could be played immediately after the Ducks game at USC.

Well, lookie here: At California on Nov. 10.

Oregon has lost three of its last four games in Berkeley. It's lone victory -- a 15-13 thriller in 2010 -- was the lone nailbiter in the Ducks unbeaten regular season. Cal also has the size and athleticism on defense to give the Ducks offense some trouble.

And, of course, there's that beloved sportswriter construct: "The Letdown Game." That's when a team wins a huge, emotional showdown only to show up flat the following weekend and faceplant. What I really cherish about that cliché is the thought of bringing it up to Kelly in advance of the game. He loves stuff like that.

After the jump Jorge Gutierrez continues to work out for his suitors and softball books a ticket to the Super Regional.

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Back when I was just a wee college student, I spent my summers working at the Strawberry Canyon athletic complex. Many warm summer days were spent herding cute children from the pool to the softball field and back again. So I'm pretty familiar with Levine-Fricke field and the surrounding environs.

But when I arrived on Saturday, nothing looked familiar. Of course, the construction around Memorial Stadium wasn't surprising, but it was still different. But even that wasn't as jarring as the amount of activity going on around the usually quiet mouth of Strawberry Canyon. Generators hummed as they provided power for lights, concessions and NCAA officials. Booths were everywhere. Cal even set up valet parking, jamming as many cars as possible into a parking lot made even tinier by the huge temporary left field bleachers. It was a facility transformed, and I was impressed with the planning the athletic department put into the event.

But the most impressive addition? The bathrooms:

No, honest. These things were amazing. They may look modest on the outside, but the inside contained immaculate wood tiled floors, a fancy tiled sink and solid, thick wood doors. It's the fanciest temporary restroom I've ever used, and I hearby officially nominate them for the Loo of the Year award.

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