California Golden Blogs, a California Golden Bears community

Cal Baseball supporters have rallied together to help keep the Athletic Department from cutting the sports, and they're halfway to their goal for this year. Make your pledge, join the Facebook group, and click the link above for more information! "Our coordinated plan is as follows: Raise $12.5 million to reinstate all 5 programs for a period of 4 years: Raise $10 million in pledges by January 1, 2011 Raise $2.5 million in pledges by January 1, 2012 Note that as of November 17, 2010, we have already received commitments approaching $5 million. With this great start, our $10 million goal is well within reach. By January 1, 2013, each program will complete a strategic business plan to achieve long-term financial sustainability. For the Baseball Program, this plan will be built on fiscal accountability, cost control, and revenue generation from as-yet untapped sources, to ensure that we do not face this threat again."

Michael Silver discusses his reactions to the "disaster" of Cal Rugby's relegation, his unwavering support of Title IX, and why Cal Rugby is the ultimate representative of UC Berkeley. Thanks to Save Cal Varsity Rugby for the link.

Click on the title of this fanshot or here to read the Daily Cal story regarding cuts to the athletic department. Essentially, Cal is cutting baseball, men's and women's gymnastics, and women's lacrosse. Further, men's rugby will be re-categorized in a way that allows it to still be a campus sport. Here is the official press release. Here is the most important part, of course: The campus will honor existing scholarship commitments for those student athletes whose teams have been eliminated, and the campus will support students wishing to transfer to other schools to compete. According to an FAQ released with Birgeneau's letter, "a total of 163 out of 814 student-athletes are directly impacted � baseball (38), men's gymnastics (19), women's gymnastics (15), women's lacrosse (30) and men's rugby (61)." The total number of intercollegiate teams at UC Berkeley is now reduced from 29 to 24. The removal of these teams will allow the campus to save $4 million in the first year and put the department in a better position to control its costs moving forward, according to Birgeneau.

Cal wins 42-0. This quote is awesome: Harvard finally gets it deep into Cal territory with a minute left; Cal's linout at the 15 goes nowhere, and doesn't have to. Mercifully the clock runs out.