Kent Ninomiya California Golden Bears

Moses Loved College Football - Kent Ninomiya

2008-04-06T16:39:00.000-05:00

The world says goodbye to one of the few true legends of the silver screen. Charlton Heston was far more than a movie star. In the era of big epic films, Heston was an even bigger epic presence. He commanded the screen and your attention through the sheer power of his acting. Thousands upon thousands of extras could be buzzing around a scene but it was Heston who everyone zeroed in on. He was that kind of man. I had the privilege of meeting Charlton Heston in December 1995. The Northwestern alumnus appeared at events cheering on his team for the Rose Bowl. Although visibly pained by arthritis in his knee, Heston signed every autograph and posed for every picture he was asked for. He was still remarkably tall, chiseled, and commanding in his old age. The crowd behaved like Moses himself had just appeared before them. Of all Heston's magnificent roles, I'd have to say my favorite was his cameo in Wayne's World. I know most will scorn me for this, but let me make my case. Here we have a living legend willing to use himself as a fantastic punch line. When Mike Meyers stopped the movie to ask for a better actor for the gas station attendant, they brought in Charlton Heston to deliver a few lines. That promptly brought Wayne to tears. Talk about a better actor! They don't make movies anymore like the ones Charlton Heston used to do. They don't make movie stars like Charlton Heston anymore either. - Kent Ninomiya

Cal Rankings - Kent Ninomiya

2008-02-08T23:57:00.000-06:00

The spring semester is getting off to an exciting start for Cal athletics. The new signing class for Cal football was announced this week. Also, nine Cal sports are currently ranked in the top 10 nationally:
rugby (no. 1)
men's water polo (no. 2)
men's gymnastics (no. 4)
volleyball (no. 4)
women's swimming (no. 5)
women's water polo (no. 5)
women's tennis (no. 6)
women's basketball (no. 9)
women's golf (no. 10)

ESPN Suspends Jacobson - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-23T14:24:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Suspending TV talent for off hand remarks seems to be in vogue these days. Now it's ESPN's Dana Jacobson who is on the hot seat. The co-host of "First Take" on ESPN2 is reportedly serving a one-week suspension for comments made at a January 11 roast of ESPN Radio personalities Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. Jacobsen is said to have made vulgar comments about Notre Dame as a joke. Jacobson is a Michigan graduate who often kids Notre Dame alumnus Golic about the rivalry between the schools. Apparently it went too far. Jacobson reportedly made a number of apologies the next day to Greenberg and Golic, and issued a statement saying, "I am sorry. My remarks about Notre Dame were foolish and insensitive. I respect all religions and did not mean anything derogatory by my poorly chosen words. I also deeply regret the embarrassment I've caused ESPN and Mike and Mike." The apology wasn't good enough for ESPN.

The question I have is: would Jacobson have been suspended if the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman had not been disciplined for her comments about Tiger Woods recently. Then Golfweek ran a cover of a noose to exploit the controversy. Editor Dave Seanor got fired for approving it. It seems to be a feeding frenzy on TV talent.

I watch Dana Jacobson on a regular basis. She is a classy professional who presents herself well while doing hours of live television involving contentious debate. She was making jokes at a roast. Did she go to far? Maybe, but come on, it was a roast. A McCarthy style witch hunt is brewing in the broadcast industry where everyone is hypersensitive about what they say and intent is determined by public opinion days after the fact. We need to be careful not to lose our freedoms of expression and press by pandering to "pile on" outrage. They are just words. Let's not make them about something they're not. Kent Ninomiya

Cool Research - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-18T22:52:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - I know I usually talk about Cal football on this blog but, believe it or not, there is much more to Cal than the pig skin. There are a whole bunch of smart people there. Here is one. She is physics professor Alessandra Lanzara. Yes, physics professors can look like her. She is working on a way to make electricity virtually free and the means to store it limitless. She wants to restring the power grid with high temperature superconductors. Superconductors can transmit a current without electricity loss when chilled below a critical temperature. Power lines made of superconductors could retain wasted energy and hold it indefinitely. Pretty cool (pun intended) and it's being developed at Cal. Kent Ninomiya

Interesting link - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-16T15:20:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - I would like to recommend an interesting blog. It's by OldSchool, a guy with a good grasp on sports issues. Lately he's been addressing the Roger Clemens steroids accusation issue. Check it out! Kent Ninomiya
http://oldschool.tblog.com/

DeSean is Gone - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-16T15:20:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Cal Bear fans everywhere are devastated by the news that wide receiver DeSean Jackson is skipping his senior year to enter the NFL draft. The move is not unexpected, however we all hoped he would return to help Cal improve on this disappointing season. Jackson actually had a disappointing season himself. He was injured and inconsistent, but when he flashed his athletic brilliance it was spectacular. It all came down to his draft projection. He is rated as the number one receiver in the next draft which means he'll likely be taken high in the first round and rake in millions. His disappointing 2007 season gave Cal fans hope he would come back to improve his draft status. Since apparently his performance didn't hurt him too much he is gone. Jackson's departure reduces Cal to "rebuilding" status. There are no star receivers to take his place. Running back Justin Forsett is graduating and it's unclear who will step up as quarterback. I fear Cal's time may have passed. Kent Ninomiya

Cal All Stars - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-14T15:07:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Six California Golden Bears appear in post season all star play this year. They include Thomas DeCoud, Justin Forsett, Mike Gibson, Lavelle Hawkins, Robert Jordan, and Craig Stevens. Wide receiver Robert Jordan was the Kai (west) team's top receiver with four catches for 84 yards in Saturday's game in the 2008 Cornerstone Hula Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. Jordan scored the only touchdown of the game for his team. Safety Thomas DeCoud, running back Justin Forsett and receiver Lavelle Hawkins will play in the 59th annual Under Armour Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 26 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.. Offensive tackle Mike Gibson and tight end Craig Stevens will play in the 83rd East-West Shrine Game this Saturday, Jan. 19. Cal has had 22 players participate in the Senior Bowl, including eight since Jeff Tedford's arrival - Tully Banta-Cain and Kyle Boller (2003); Lorenzo Alexander and J.J. Arrington (2005), Ryan O'Callaghan and Marvin Philip (2006) and Daymeion Hughes and Brandon Mebane (2007). All eight remain active in the NFL. Kent Ninomiya

Mack Back - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-12T16:23:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Good news for Cal Bear fans. All American center Alex Mack will return for his senior season. This is a big deal. Considering the issues we had at the quarterback position this season, breaking in a new center would compound the problem. Center is arguably the most important position in football after the quarterback. Mack earned All-America honors from several organizations. he was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy for the nation's top center and the won the Morris Trophy in the Pac-10 for outstanding lineman. Mel Kiper named him the number 1 junior center this past season. Mack was one of just three unanimous selections to the All-Pac-10 first team and a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award. The 6-5 300-pound Mack is as smart as you would expect a Berkeley student to be. The legal studies major earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors for the second straight year and was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic First Team. He expects to get his bachelor's degree in legal studies in May and pursue graduate studies in the fall. Kent Ninomiya

Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-10T14:06:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Here's a link to a blog you might find interesting. The author seems to have a good grasp on some pressing sports issues of our time. http://oldschool.tblog.com/post/1969970957#comment_anchor

Golf Channel Controversy - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-09T03:27:00.002-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - This entry may seem out of place for this blog, but I don't have a golf blog and it is an important topic that applies to all sports. Should someone lose their job and career for saying the wrong thing? Is it right that years of unblemished service be wiped out by a single off hand comment? The answer is... it depends. Last Friday, Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman said young pro golfers trying to catch up to Tiger Woods should "lynch him in a back alley." Naturally this comment sparked outrage since Tiger Woods is part African American. The anger further intensified as Tilghman was allowed to appear on the air all day Saturday as if nothing happened. She issued an on-air apology Sunday and said he apologized directly to Tiger Woods, however she remained on the air that day. The Golf Channel issued a statement saying "we regret if any viewers were offended by Kelly's choice of words."Tiger Woods is apparently taking the high road and not making an issue out of it. Woods' agent is quotes as saying "It is a complete non-issue. Kelly and Tiger are friends. It might have been a poor choice of words, but there was absolutely no ill intent whatsoever."It is entirely reasonable to assume that Tilghman did not mean to offend anyone and is not a racist. It was most likely a slip of the tongue and she did not realize the context of the word "lynch" when she said it. So then, what should be her "punishment" if anything? The Golf Channel is obviously concentrating on intent. Since she has no ill will then it's a simple matter of apologizing. The fact that their viewer base is primarily white and not overall offended by her remark anyway also limits their motivation to dole out any punishment. To some this makes the Golf Channel seem apathetic and racist. Other groups out there are horribly offended and want Tilghman's head. It doesn't matter to them that Woods himself says he's not offended and is willing to drop the matter. They want to make an example out of Tilghman as if punishing her will stop others from making slips of the tongue in the future.I have worked in television for more than 20 years now. Many comments have passed my lips that came out differently than I intended them. When you talk for a living on live television you sometimes say stupid and inadvertently offensive things without realizing it. Is that a punishable offense? One time in San Francisco I was chatting on air with my co anchor about a man who found several stolen Oscar statues in a trash dumpster. His reward for returning them was an invitation to the Academy Awards ceremony in the next day or two. I commented that I hoped he had time to find something nice to wear since the Academy Awards are all about what people are wearing. The man happened to be African American. One viewer was greatly offended by my comment and wrote a letter accusing me of being a blatant racist. He said I claimed African Americans are too poor and stupid to dress themselves. I have quite honestly never had that thought in my life and was not thinking about the man's race at all when making the comment. I was talking about clothes. Despite this the viewer was irate. I personally expressed my regret to the viewer if my comments offended him and explained that I did not mean what he believed I did. It did not satisfy him and he continued to be angry and convinced I was a racist. Nothing I could say or do would satisfy him. He just wanted to be offended.I have also been on the other side of misspoken words. I was hired to be a primary anchor at a television station in Minneapolis and partnered with an African American woman. The general manager who hired me was a visionary. He was willing to create an all minority main anchor team in an overwhelmingly white market. When asked about this, he said when it comes to anchors it didn't matter the color of their skin or the "slant" of their eyes. Columnists and Asian American groups around the country took it upon themselves to be offended by the "slant" comment. Some called for the general manager's firing. They didn't bother to ask me if I was offended. I wasn't. I knew this man to be honorable and brave. He took a huge risk hiring me and was in no way a racist. His words came out wrong. That's all. The story diminished what should have been a hugely positive story about the landmark all minority anchor team in Minnesota. Those who were so offended missed an opportunity to focus on a positive accomplishment by being petty and negative.The bottom line here is that words are powerful, but they're just words. A sum of a person's character and accomplishments can not be reduced to a single inadvertent comment no matter what it is. If there's a pattern of offensive behavior or words, that's different. If it's a single off hand statement then it should be judged in the context under which it is said. Making a big deal about an innocent statement harms the movement for equality. If the mainstream sees minorities as over sensitive and unreasonable then they will ignore legitimate complaints. Likewise, the mainstream needs to understand that offensive comments do harm us all and use these incidents as opportunities to focus on removing them from our lexicon. There is work to do on both sides. Kent Ninomiya

Final standings - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-08T11:34:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - These are the final standings in the USA today coaches poll for the 2007 college football season. Notice how Ohio State dropped to 4th from first after being blown out. I actually think they should have fallen more. The most shocking thing is that Missouri finished 5th and Kansas finished 7th. They both won but Kansas was in a BCS bowl and Missouri wasn't. Missouri beat Kansas so they should have been. Maybe the coaches are trying to fix a wrong committed by the BCS. Sadly Cal did not make the list though they did receive 8 votes. I guess their bowl victory over Air Force impressed a few coaches. Remember when they were about to take over the number one spot from LSU? That was a long time ago. Kent Ninomiya

TEAM PTS PVS ---- --- ---
1. LSU (60) (12-2) 1,500 2
2. USC (11-2) 1,380 6
3. GEORGIA (11-2) 1,370 4
4. OHIO ST (11-2) 1,287 1
5. MISSOURI (12-2) 1,241 7
6. WEST VIRGINIA (11-2) 1,239 9
7. KANSAS (12-1) 1,217 8
8. OKLAHOMA (11-3) 1,016 3
9. VIRGINIA TECH (11-3) 979 5
10. TEXAS (10-3) 924 17
11. BOSTON COLLEGE (11-3) 898 14
12. TENNESSEE (10-4) 826 18
13. ARIZONA ST (10-3) 635 11
14. (tie) AUBURN (9-4) 624 21
14. (tie) BYU (11-2) 624 19
16. FLORIDA (9-4) 567 12
17. HAWAII (12-1) 427 10
18. ILLINOIS (9-4) 416 13
19. MICHIGAN (9-4) 413 NR
20. CINCINNATI (10-3) 376 23
21. WISCONSIN (9-4) 333 15
22. CLEMSON (9-4) 319 16
23. TEXAS TECH (9-4) 242 NR
24. OREGON (9-4) 192 NR
25. PENN ST (9-4) 127 NR
Dropped Out: No. 20 VIRGINIA, No. 22 BOISE ST, No. 24ARKANSAS, No. 25 SOUTH FLORIDA
Others Receiving Votes: OREGON ST 108, VIRGINIA 71, WAKEFOREST 53, BOISE ST 33, FRESNO ST 11, KENTUCKY 11,CALIFORNIA 8, CONNECTICUT 8, MISSISSIPPI ST 7, SOUTH FLORIDA6, TULSA 5, UCF 4, UTAH 2, ARKANSAS 1.

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2008-01-07T03:27:00.000-06:00

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Cal coaching changes - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-06T22:22:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Big news on coaching changes for the California Golden Bears. This from calbears dot com: The University of California football program has hired two new coaches, head coach Jeff Tedford announced on Sunday. Frank Cignetti, Jr., has been hired as the Golden Bears' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, while Al Simmons will join the program as its defensive backs coach.
Jim Michalczik will continue as the team's offensive line coach and will also be the Bears' assistant offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Kevin Daft, who served as the program's quarterbacks coach for the 2007 season, will move to wide receivers coach, replacing Dan Ferrigno, who has left Cal to pursue other opportunities. Graduate assistant Tosh Lupoi has been promoted to defensive line coach, replacing Ken Delgado, who has accepted a position at another school.
"The restructuring of our offensive staff enables me to focus more on program-wide head coaching duties," Tedford said. "This is not a reflection on the performance of any of the assistant coaches. It has more to do with maximizing my efficiency as a head coach."
Cignetti, who brings 19 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels to the program, joins the Bears after coaching the San Francisco 49ers' quarterbacks for the 2007 campaign.
"Frank brings a wealth of knowledge, energy and experience to our staff," Tedford said. "He has a great reputation as a top offensive mind and play-caller at both the college and NFL levels. We're excited to add his abilities to our offensive staff." Simmons, a Bay Area product, returns for his second stint on the Golden Bear staff after serving as Cal's cornerbacks coach from 1998-2000. He coached at Arizona State last season.
"We are also excited with the addition of Al Simmons," Tedford said. "Al has great experience at both the college and pro levels and he brings great knowledge of the Pac-10. He is known as a great technician and we've always respected the way his players have performed."
Prior to joining the 49ers, Cignetti worked with the University of North Carolina (offensive coordinator, 2006), Fresno State (offensive coordinator, 2002-05), New Orleans Saints (quarterbacks, 2000-01), Kansas City Chiefs (quality control, 1999), Indiana University of Pennsylvania (offensive coordinator, 1997-98; quarterbacks, 1995-98; secondary, 1993-94; receivers, 1990-92) and the University of Pittsburgh (graduate assistant, 1989).
On the collegiate level, the Pittsburgh product has been part of five bowl game staffs, with victories in four of those, including wins over Georgia Tech (2002, Silicon Valley), UCLA (2003, Silicon Valley) and Virginia (2004, MPC Computers). Cignetti also helped IUP to the Division II national championship game twice and the semifinals four times. He has also served on coaching staffs in the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine games. He was part of a division championship with the Saints in 2000.
During his four years at Fresno State, Cignetti's offenses twice finished among the nation's top 10 in scoring and third-down conversions. In 2004, the Bulldogs averaged 52.8 points per game over the final six games of the season and became just the sixth team in NCAA history to score 50 or more points in four consecutive contests.
An all-conference safety at IUP, Cignetti played for his father, Frank, Sr., who served as the head coach at IUP and West Virginia for 24 seasons. He helped the Indians to the school's first-ever appearance in a national playoff game in 1987.
After his playing career at IUP, Cignetti served as a graduate assistant at Pitt in 1989, helping the Panthers to a 9-3 record and a Sun Bowl victory over Texas A&M. He then joined his father's staff at his alma mater, serving as a positional coach for seven years before being promoted to offensive coordinator for his final two seasons.
Simmons, who replaces R. Todd Littlejohn as Cal's defensive backs coach, brings over 20 years of coaching experience to the Golden Bears' defense. He spent the last two seasons as Arizona State's cornerbacks and co-special teams coach. He had a one-year stop at San Jose State as the cornerbacks coach in 2005 after two seasons on the San Francisco 49ers staff. He has also coached at Oregon State (2001-02), Cal (1998-2000), Idaho State (1997), Montana State (1995-96), San Francisco State (1994) and Cal State Hayward (1986-93). As an undergrad, Simmons was an all-conference safety at Cal State Hayward.
During his first stint at Cal, Simmons was key in the transformation of one-time tailback Deltha O'Neal into an All-America defensive back. O'Neal was the first cornerback selected in the 2000 NFL Draft.
The Golden Bears posted their sixth straight winning season in 2007, capping the year with a come-from-behind 42-36 triumph over Air Force in the Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl. The bowl victory was the fourth for Tedford - no other Cal coach has won more than two. It is the first time in program history that Cal has advanced to five straight bowl games and the first time in over 50 years that the Bears have posted five straight winning seasons.

Little Bear's essay - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-04T13:11:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - My son wrote an essay for his 1st grade class. I think it is quite brilliant. Here it is along with a translation to adult english:

Last night I got to stay up lat. I got to wosh fotball. It wus osum. Cal won. It is my tem and Kenttuckey won. I love that becus Cal won. It was becaus tayer pos wur biger.

(Last night I got to stay up late. I got to watch football. It was awesome. Cal won. It is my team and Kentucky also won. [he likes Kentucky because there's a "Kent" in it] I love that because Cal won. It was because they're points were bigger.)

I have never been more proud as a parent. My boy is a Cal fan! Kent Ninomiya

college vs pros - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-03T00:04:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - Make no mistake. Sports is entertainment. It isn't just sports. It is entertainment. It is live entertainment. It is TV entertainment. It is the subject of movies and fictional programming. In many ways it is the purest of drama. It is more exciting than any script and more real than any reality show. It also offers us a wonderful variety of genres within every sport. Over the weekend I found myself watching several football games at the same time. I flipped back and forth from channel to channel after virtually every play. Some of the games were professional NFL match ups while some were college bowl games. When compared side by side the differences in the games are striking. The pro game is cleaner and streamlined. Defensive players make tackles, receivers run their routes, quarterbacks throw the ball where they intend to and kickers rarely miss. It's almost too sanitary and downright boring when compared to the free for all of a college game. Even a good college team gives you the feel of a playground picked squad sometimes. The ball is tossed up for grabs, fumbles and bad snaps happen at unexpected times, blocked kicks and big plays abound. I watched a team intercept the ball only to give it right back with an interception on the next play then get it back on a fumble a few plays later. No lead is safe when a high powered offense is on a roll. It's very exciting and any team can beat any other. This upset laden season proves that. Given a choice give me the college game any day. I morn the end of the season. Kent Ninomiya

Happy New Year! - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-01T22:50:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope your 2008 is fullfilling and fruitful. Let's all treat each other well and work toward peace and harmony. Kent Ninomiya

CAL WINS!!! - Kent Ninomiya

2008-01-01T00:46:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - I have to admit... when Air Force jumped to a 21 point lead in the first half I had the thought "here we go again." For most of the season Cal fans have had every optimistic thought squashed by their Jeckle and Hyde team. It didn't help that three star players, DeSean Jackson, Robert Jordan and Thomas DeCoud were benched for the first quarter for breaking team rules. It also didn't help that the Nate Longshore led offense moved the ball about as well as an ant moves a rubber tree. None of their high hopes did anything to put points on the board. Then suddenly there was a ray of hope. After one ineffective offensive series, Longshore was replaced by freshman back up Kevin Riley. Riley got a bad rep from his first game when he lost track of time and lost the game to Oregon State. It was Cal's first loss and started its downward spiral. What is forgotten from that game is the way the freshman led the team back from a huge deficit and advanced the ball with confidence. Riley showed that confidence today. Coach Tedford gave him a chance to prove himself and he never came out of the game. Riley helped put up 42 points and secure a win for Cal in the Armed Forces Bowl. That ends the season on a high note and gives Cal fans a warm fuzzy feeling that will carry them through the off season. Riley is the future of Cal football. He proved that today. Go Bears! Kent Ninomiya

The Cals - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-31T00:46:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya - My daughter is adorable. She knows I love my alma mater, the University of California. She sees me walk around with my "Cal" hat and sweatshirt. I wear them so much she identifies Cal with me. She also knows that Cal is in a big bowl game tomorrow and that her Dad is very excited about it. Since I care about the game she does too. Today she told me she hopes the "Cals" win and that she would be very mad if the "Cals" don't win. It was so cute that I didn't have the heart to tell her that the team isn't called the Cals. So for the rest of the today... and i'm sure throughout the game tomorrow... I will be cheering for the Cals to win. Go Cals!!! Kent Ninomiya

Pac 10 - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-29T00:49:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya. It's been looking kind of tough for the Pac 10 this bowl season. First UCLA gets schooled by BYU in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl. Then Arizona State is humiliated by Texas in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. Things did turn around a bit today when Oregon State outlasted Maryland in the Emerald Bowl. That leaves the Pac 10 1-2 in bowl games with three more to go. Cal takes on Air Force in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on December 31. Oregon plays South Florida in the Sun Bowl the same day. USC slaughters Illinois in the Rose Bowl on January 1. No one sane doubts USC will destroy the Illini. Cal will redeem themselves against Air Force. Oregon without Dennis Dixon has no prayer against South Florida. That will leave the Pac 10 3-3 in bowls this year. This is a best case scenario for the Pac 10 and it's still a huge disappointment for a conference that was compared to the SEC early in the season. The Pac 10 only qualified 6 teams for bowls this year instead of the usual 7. While some will point to this as proof of the Pac 10's inferiority, I say on the contrary! It only proves the parity in the Pac 10. The fact that the worst team (Stanford) could beat the best team (USC) is proof of that. Besides, the Pac 10 requires its teams to play EVERYONE else in the conference. Others round robin their opponents and fill their schedules with powder puff 1-AA schools. Top conference rivals don't play each other some years. The Pac 10 doesn't roll that way. Yeah it was a tough season for the Pac 10, but we trod a tough road. Kent Ninomiya

Armed Forces Bowl - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-27T01:38:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya. If you are headed to the Armed Forces Bowl to see Cal shoot down Air Force, here are some fact and figures you should know from ESPN:
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL: CAL vs. AIR FORCE, DEC. 31, 12:30 p.m. ET
THE BASICS�?� Stadium name: Amon G. Carter Stadium�?� Address: 2850 Stadium Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76129�?� Home team: TCU�?� Capacity: 44,008�?� Opened: 1930�?� Surface: Grass�?� Distance from downtown Fort Worth: Stadium is located 4 miles southwest of city center�?� Driving distance from Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio: 265 miles; 4 hours, 15 minutes. Driving distance to Cotton Bowl in Dallas: 35 miles; 45 minutes�?� TV: ESPN�?� Payout: $750,000
BOWL EVENT�?� Armed Forces Adventure, Dec. 30, 1 to 7 p.m. ET, Amon G. Carter StadiumTeam pep rallies and fireworks
FOOD & DRINKSouthwestern8.0 Restaurant & Bar111 East 3rd St.Fort Worth, TX 76102817-336-0880 Southwestern cuisine, steaks, seafood and pastas
Sports BarBronx Zoo Bar and Grill700 Carroll St.Fort Worth, TX 76107817-870-0008 The Bronx Zoo has an eclectic menu of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads, Tex-Mex, New York fare and full entrees.
ATTRACTIONSSundance Square201 Main St., Suite 700Fort Worth, TX 76102817-255-5700 Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth is rich in Western history and lore. The area was named for the Sundance Kid, who with his partner, Butch Cassidy, was a frequent visitor to the area, then known as Hell's Half Acre. Many of the buildings in Sundance Square date from the turn of the 20th century and have been restored. Shops and restaurants span the gamut from casual to elegant.
Billy Bob's Texas2520 Rodeo PlazaFort Worth, TX 76164 817-624-7117 Billy Bob's Texas is the world's largest honky-tonk (three acres) and has an indoor rodeo arena for professional bull riding, a huge dance floor, dozens of bar stations, as well as restaurants, arcade games, a "Wall of Fame" with celebrity handprints and a general store. In addition to hosting almost every major country music star, four movies have been filmed here. Artist Kevin Fowler highlights the New Year's Eve festivities at Billy Bob's.

Merry Christmas Everyone! - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-25T15:14:00.000-06:00

Since I can't send a Christmas card to everyone, i'd like to use this blog to hand out my best wishes to all of you this holiday season. Thank you all for your support and interest. May you have a happy and fruitful new year as well! Take care, Kent Ninomiya

Christmas message - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-24T19:29:00.001-06:00

Kent Ninomiya. I'd like to pause and take a moment to reflect on this holiday season. As I get older I gain a greater understanding of the importance of Christmas as a family experience. Young adults tend to discard the ritual of family gatherings and togetherness for independence. However, once new children enter the equation the holiday regains it's place. Christmas is all about the children and how their faces light up when they open their gifts. That look is the parents' gift. There are also important lessons in Christmas. Delayed gratification is perhaps the most torturous of the lessons for kids. Waiting to open gifts is both painful and rewarding for them. Gratitude is another lesson. That's a tough one. With the bounty of gifts before them it's hard for children to think about others. They just want the presents. It's the parent's job to link the two together. It's not always an easy task. Of course the most important lesson of all is family. The act of doing everything together is what Christmas is all about. So enjoy the holiday everyone! Merry Christmas! Kent Ninomiya.

Bowl madness - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-23T22:49:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya. We are just 6 games into the 32 bowl extravaganza but so far they've all been beauties. Did you see Navy vs Utah? All predictions were that Utah would blow out Navy. It turned out to be close all the way with Utah ultimately winning by 3 points. After the game the refs admitted they blew a call that would have given Navy the ball at the end of the game and probably would have changed the result. You have to feel bad for Navy. Did you see tonight's Boise State vs East Carolina game? Heavily favored Boise was down 17 points twice in the game but scrapped their way back to a late game tie only to lose by a last second field goal. No one predicted that. It's football at its finest. Boise State specializes in hold your breath down to the wire games. Remember last year against Oklahoma? Let's hope the rest of the bowl games this year are as exciting. Kent Ninomiya

18 glorious days - Kent Ninomiya

2007-12-20T15:45:00.000-06:00

Kent Ninomiya. The college bowl season kicks off tonight. 32 glorious games between now and January 7th. It doesn't matter that teams we don't care about are playing. It doesn't matter that teams with a mere .500 record got in. It doesn't matter that players we never heard of fill the field. It's all about the competition. No matter what player, which team or what-cha-ma-call-it bowl it is... everyone there wants to win it. Every game is on a national stage and it is the only chance for glory for many of the college players. If you ignore the sleazy NCAA business dealings it took to get the teams to the bowls... it is competition at its purist. Don't bother me for the next 18 days, I'll be busy watching.
Kent Ninomiya