California Golden Blogs

Cal Women vs. UC Davis: NIT Game Thread

2010-03-18T01:30:16Z

Time: 7:00 PM PST
TV: None
Radio: Calbears.com radio
Streams: Calbears.com stream
Injuries: Alexis Gray-Lawson - day to day with a sprained neck

The story of this game will be 1) What level of effort will Cal put forth playing in the second tier of the post-season and 2) How much (if at all) will Alexis Gray-Lawson play, and how effective will she be if she does.

UC Davis (21-10, 12-4) is a solid if unspectacular team. In the non-conference they lost to both Stanford and Washington St., but they did beat a solid St.Mary's team and they rarely get blown out. They won the Big West regular season title, but fell in their conference tournament to UC Riverside and had to settle for the automatic NIT bid. Swish Appeal did a nice profile back in November that will give you a good idea of what the Aggies can do.

UC Davis is led by Paige Mintum and Heidi Heintz, who are 1 and 2 in points and rebound for the Aggies. UC Davis relies on depth to win games - nobody averages more than 13 points, 5 rebounds or 3 assists per game. Davis doesn't have much size, so it seems likely that Cal should be able to control the block throughout. Like any good mid-major program, UC Davis puts up plenty of threes - 28% of their field goals come from behind the arc. If Cal can play good perimeter defense it seems exceedingly unlikely that UC Davis can compete with Cal's size and athleticism. But the NIT isn't the most unpredictable tournament for nothing. The Bears won't win without trying. The seniors may be disappointed, but you would hope they would be motivated to end their careers on a high note. And the freshmen need all the experience they can get. Let's hope that's enough motivation for them.

Go Bears!

Golden Nuggets: The Next Level for Jamal and Theo

2010-03-18T00:00:26Z

Theo Robertson has spent much of his career in the shadows of Randle and PC, but his consistency and commitment have earned him much-deserved praise from his coaches and teammates. NBA scouts have noticed him too...

He knows he's overlooked, but he also knows that in the end, it won't matter. For Robertson, talent isn't measured by how many interviews he gets or the cheers he elicits. His play will be the thing that takes him to next level.

That's why Robertson spends almost eight hours a day in the offseason working on his game. It's why he doesn't concern himself with the number of shots he gets or how many awards he collects.

"My goal was to come here and win and become a better basketball player," Robertson says. "I'll get an opportunity hopefully when my career is over to showcase what I can do, but even then, I don't know how that would change who I am. I'd still be a guy that would come in, and help a team win in whatever capacity they needed me to do that."

Jamal Boykin firmly believes that his brother Ruben was a catalyst to his success in basketball, as their childhood competitions led him to strive for consistent improvement. Now a solid player in Italy, Ruben's success has led teams to express interest in Jamal.

It's eight o'clock in the evening somewhere in Allen Fieldhouse, the historic arena at Kansas, and Ruben is on his feet as Cal takes on the top-ranked Jayhawks. He's processing sights and sounds of a basketball game that's unfolding in front of him -- he flew in from Italy last December to watch the game -- cheering loudly enough that Jamal can hear him over the capacity crowd. His ticket is a portal into the world of his younger brother.

He follows the 6-foot-8 forward with love and loyalty, watching as Jamal racks up 15 points and 15 rebounds.

"That just meant the world," Jamal says. "He's always been my biggest fan."

Because of Ruben, European clubs are fond of him as well.

"Every team that he's played on has shown interest in me," says Jamal. "Because of how great he is as a person, and what he brings to the table, they figure, 'If there's another kid with his genes, then we could take him, too.'"

After the jump JO gives us an update from practice three, Uncle Ted interviews Tedford, Genyk talks about working with Cal's kickers, Amoke gets suspended indefinitely, and various important writers/figures post their brackets--including Obama who picked against Cal.

Cal Football

JO gives us an update from spring practice number three as well as an explanation of why his coverage of practice has been lackluster so far. Practice has focused on the underclassmen so far and Tedford says cornerbacks Steve Williams and Vachel Samuels, defensive linemen Keni Kaufusi and DeAndre Coleman, RB Dasarte Yarnway, and LB Chris Little have all been impressive so far.
Jeff Genyk talks about how his years of head coaching experience have improved his decision-making abilities. Tedford says Genyk has a strong background with punters and kickers, which should become evident as practice goes on. For now, Genyk is working on mental toughness to keep the kickers from becoming too focused on mistakes such as missing a field goal.
Ted Miller has a two-part interview with Jeff Tedford. (Part I, Part II). Tedford discusses the annual quarterback battle, what went wrong in 2009, the change in defensive philosophy, and which players to watch in spring.

Cal Basketball

Amoke has been suspended indefinitely for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Dealing with Louisville's twin towers of Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings just become much more intimidating...
A look at the 10 best NCAA tournament moments on Bay Area soil features Cal games from 1958, 1959, and 1960.
Pat Forde looks at best-case/worst-case for NCAA tourney teams. Cal's best case has them advancing to the Elite Eight and worst case has them ending the season with a disappointing loss, not unlike football, leading Cal fans to ponder what could have been.
Adam Duritz sent Faraudo an email about seeding, tough losses, and more.
Gregg Doyel of CBSSports has the top storylines of the South bracket, several of them featuring Cal.
Faraudo posts his bracket. He has Cal defeating Louisville but losing to Duke. Ultimately he has Kentucky defeating Ohio St for the championship. President Obama picks a Louisville win over Cal in his bracket.

What Does Omondi Amoke's Suspension Mean For The Golden Bears?

2010-03-17T21:58:08Z

More photos » Mark J. Terrill - AP

Is Omondi Amoke done as a Golden Bear?

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First, let's briefly touch on the Omondi Amoke suspension. If the rumored accusations are true of "stolen laptops, Ipods, and phones" (HT FrankCohen), then his career at Cal is probably over. Too bad. He really had a chance to be an integral part of this Golden Bear team going forward, and it's really disappointing when an athlete screws up an opportunity most of us would dream of. (Of course if it's false and the crime is less severe, all apologies to Amoke, and we will hope he redeems himself for this suspension in the years to come.)

As for our team, it almost ensures this is the last weekend we watch our seniors play. Amoke didn't have many polished skills this season, but what he does well we need for both games--rebounding. We need boards, especially against a Louisville team that's one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country and one of the poorest in the defensive boards. Amoke's hustle on the glass could have definitely been used; now Boykin is going to probably have to fight down on the block by himself.

And then we get Duke, which is a better rebounding version of Louisville. Great.

We might have the shooters and just enough inside to pull off an upset of Louisville, but we'd pretty much have to run Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, Theo Robertson and Jamal Boykin into the ground. Then in all likelihood our season would end against the Dukies, if the Cardinals don't take care of business Friday. We just don't have the depth to pull off a six man rotation two games straight against the top competition.

These Golden Bears had the perfect storm last year of health and now our luck has regressed back to the mean; this year we've rarely played whole. Harper Kamp got injured. Robertson got injured. Jorge Gutierrez got injured. Markhuri Sanders-Frison is playing with a bad back. Max Zhang's lung collapsed. Christopher has been playing through pain. Randle is getting knocked up every few games. And now this. It's been a much tougher road this season. It's amazing this team won a conference championship and nearly won a conference tournament, so we'd better appreciate the little things this team does this weekend before the curtain comes down.

Kudos to Monty for sticking up and enforcing team rules. Hopefully his team can pull one more miracle in Jacksonville.

Q+A with Card Chronicles

2010-03-17T19:00:51Z

More photos » Kevin Rivoli - AP

about 1 month ago: Louisville's Edgar Sosa, center, is fouled by Syracuse's Andy Rautins, right, as Syracuse's Brandon Triche defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Syracuse, N.Y., Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010. Louisville won 66-60. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

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We have a very large game against Louisville coming up this Friday evening. Avinash took an initial look at the Cardinals and then Ragnarok and Avinash dropped some more red hot fire on us.

For today, however, we wanted to go straight to the source. So, we dialed up Card Chronicle, SBN's Louisville Cardinals blog. They have all the answers to our Louisville-related questions. After the jump, check out their answers to our questions. And feel free in the comments to provide your own thoughts about some of our questions. How will Cal deal with Samardo Samuels inside? How will Cal's 3 point sharpshooters do against UofL? GO BEARS!

1. Are you as confident that Louisville will beat Cal as all of the college basketball media seems to be? Why or why not?

I'm not confident in this team's ability to do anything outside of show up. No one who has followed Louisville for the past four months should feel any sense of optimism or pessimism heading into any contest from this point on. All you can really do is watch.

That being the case, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little happy to see Cal's name pop up next to the Cards given U of L's recent tournament success against Pac-10 teams and the relative strength, or lack thereof, of the conference this season.

2. Louisville beat Syracuse twice, while Cal got destroyed by them the only time they played. What did Louisville do to Syracuse in both those games that led to the wins?

Syracuse is a good matchup for Louisville because they play nothing but zone, making the Cardinals' lack of quickness and playmakers almost a non-issue. The Orange also lack a quality ballhandler which enabled U of L's pressure - which has been largely ineffective this year - to rack up a handful of garbage points off turnovers.

There's also the fact that Syracuse had been cruising for weeks before the first Louisville game and was in desperate need of a wake-up call. And in the second meeting (the last game ever played at Freedom Hall and U of L's Senior Day) I'm not sure that anyone in the country could have beaten the Cardinals.

3. Cal has had a weak inside presence at times this year. What is the state of Louisville's inside game? What players should Cal fans watch for in the paint?

Samardo Samuels was the USA Today National Player of the Year coming out of high school and probably the most heralded recruit Rick Pitino has brought to Louisville. His career at U of L, though, has been a bit of a disappointment.

Samuels is skilled; he can knock down the 15-footer, is excellent with the right-hand hook and is an above-average free-throw shooter for his size, but he's not a great defender and has displayed little-to-no desire to rebound. He scored 36 points against a Luke Harangody-less Notre Dame, but since then has averaged just 11 points and turned the ball over 23 times with just three assists while dealing with constant double teams.

Fellow sophomore Terrence Jennings starts at the four, but will spend the majority of the game subbing in and out for Samuels at the five. He's the far more athletic of the two and he's a terrific shot-blocker, but his offensive game hasn't come around quite as much as many were predicting before the season.

4. Cal relies heavily on its 3 point sharpshooters. Apparently, Louisville's 3 point defense is not its strong suit. What do you expect Louisville to do defensively to try to slow Cal's 3 point shooting?

Louisville has been atrocious at defending the three, meaning that if the Bears are hitting from deep it could be a short tournament for us.

I wouldn't expect Louisville to try anything they haven't already. Pitino has had this team mix up its defenses throughout the season, and he generally ends up going with whatever is working best in a particular game.

U of L playing more man than it has recently is a solid bet since Cal does shoot the ball so well from outside and doesn't have the types of players who are going to kill the Cards off the bounce.

5. We've been hearing a lot about how Louisville swept Syracuse, but you guys managed to lose 12 other games. What happened in those losses? In specific, the losses to Charlotte, Western Carolina, and St. John's. What are Louisville's weaknesses?

Three guards (Jerry Smith, Preston Knowles and Peyton Siva) were injured for the Charlotte and Western Carolina games, although it's probably more accurate to chalk those losses up to being the product of a head coach whose recent teams have been notoriously slow starters than anything else.

The St. John's loss is less explicable. Seemingly out-of-nowhere Louisville appeared completely inept and totally un-motivated. Naturally, they beat Syracuse at Syracuse three days later.

This is what we're working with.

6. BONUS QUESTION! Why is it Louaville and not Louis Ville?

We simply don't respect the way the French pronounce anything. There's also a Versailles in Kentucky which is pronounced Ver-Sales.

Bring your friend Pierre over for dinner and I'll tell him how much I enjoyed walking through the Loovrey.

7. How much is Louisville going to win by? How much is Louisville not going to win by should they lose?

Louisville will win or lose by either less than six or more than 17. Anything in between is an impossibility.

8. In the incredibly disappointing chance that Cal loses, how far do you think Louisville will advance in the tourney?

Louisville actually matches up fairly favorably with Duke, but after seeing what we've seen from this team in the past few months it'd be foolish to give a straight-faced prediction of advancing past the first weekend.

If Louisville gets by Cal, they'll fight valiantly but fall to Duke.

BREAKING - Omondi Amoke Suspended Indefinitely - Not Travelling to Jacksonville

2010-03-17T18:09:24Z

BREAKING - Omondi Amoke Suspended Indefinitely - Not Travelling to Jacksonville

"Cal starting forward Omondi Amoke has been suspended indefinitely for violation of undisclosed team rules and is not expected to play Friday..."

Gotta consider this a dealbreaker for Cal. No way we have the depth now to defend Louisville's threats inside with only Zhang and Sanders-Frison.

A closer look at Chip Kelly's response to the actions of Jeremiah Masoli, LeGarrette Blount, and LaMichael James

2010-03-17T10:00:20Z

More photos » Chris Pietsch - AP

5 days ago: Former University of Oregon wide receiver Garrett Embry, left, and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, right, appear in a Lane County Circuit Court to plead guilty to a misdemeanor burglary charge Friday March 12, 2010 in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch, Pool)

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HydroTech: When I heard that Masoli was going to be charged with burglary, I immediately became highly interested in his punishment from head coach Chip Kelly. The reason is probably obvious. Jeremiah Masoli is Oregon's starting QB and the player that is crucial for making their tricky shotgun read-option offense run smoothly. Without him, Oregon's chances at repeating last year's success will undoubtedly be hampered -- and by a lot. So does Chip Kelly spare Masoli from a multi-game suspension for the team's sake? Or does Chip Kelly ignore his team's chance at winning games and dole out punishment for one of his player's misbehavior regardless of the effect it will have on the Oregon Football team's chances of winning games? That's an interesting question.

During last season, LeGarette Blount was essentially suspended for about 8-10 games for his famous punch to the face (Blount sat out an entire 10 games, but if I recall correctly he resumed practices with the team after about 8 games or so). If a punch to the face will get a players suspended for about 8-10 games, then what does a felony get? I think the punishment for committing a felony has to be proportional to the punch in the face. So which ever one is worse, should get more punishment time.

Briefly, here are some of my initial thoughts:

(1) Masoli getting suspended for the entire year is probably about right. His crime is a felony. The fact that the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor (in his exchange for his guilty plea) should have no bearing on his punishment, and his punishment should still reflect that the crime was a felony.

(2) If a punching in the face warrants an 8 game suspension or so then felony burglary ought to be punished with more than 8 game suspension. The reasoning there being that a felony burglary charge is worse than punching someone in the face.

(3) Does the fact that Jeremiah Masoli lied to Chip Kelly about his involvement in the burglary matter? Should that have an impact on his punishment? In my opinion, it should. However, the biggest factor in determining his punishment is still his crime committed.

TwistNHook, what say you? Please enlighten my lay self with some lawyer talk.

TwistNHook: All very interesting thoughts, Hydro.

The first is your comment about Masoli being suspended for the year being about right independent of the guilty plea. It is perhaps true or perhaps an apocryphal story, but people speak of Bobby Bowden "praying for a misdemeanor." This was no misdemeanor. This was premeditated. But what was it that Masoli, in specific, did? Let's take a look at what Masoli did and compare and contrast that with what LaMichael James and LeGarrette Blount did.

I. Jeremiah Masoli - Burglary In The Second Degree

via images.athlonsports.com

First up, Masoli, who entered a fraternity house for the purpose of misappropriating some items there.

Fraternity member Max Wolfard filed a report with police alleging that the players took two MacBook Pro computers -- one valued by its owner at $2,000, the other by its owner at $1,500 -- and a $900 guitar from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house at 812 E. 14th Ave. in Eugene early Sunday.

Wolfard, a 20-year-old sophomore from Portland, is adamant he has correctly identified the players, whom he encountered upon entering the house.

"The minute I stepped on the staircase I said to myself, 'Wow, Masoli and Embry are in our house right now," Wolfard told The Oregonian on Sunday afternoon. "Masoli has a very distinctive face, very distinctive facial hair -- not to mention I see him on TV all the time."

Wolfard said he didn't think anything of Masoli and Embry's presence at first given that he'd seen them at the fraternity house before. But when they started to act "suspicious" -- and appeared to be hiding something -- he demanded to know what they were doing, he said. Wolfard said it was then that he noticed Embry was carrying what appeared to be Wolfard's digital projector, which he says is valued at $560.

Wolfard said the two players then ran out the back door. Wolfard said Masoli fled north and Embry cut west toward Alder Street and then ran through alleys as Wolfard chased him. Blocks later, Wolfard says, Embry stopped running, handed him the projector and said, "You've got it back, now you better get out of here."

Wolfard, who said there was no evidence of forced entry at the fraternity house, returned to find his room unlocked and his guitar and computer missing. He then called police.

Max Iantorno, 20, a sophomore and fellow SAE member, arrived at the fraternity house soon afterward to also find the door to his room open and his laptop missing.

My understanding is that Masoli and Embry went to this fraternity house late at night for the sole purpose of obtaining this property. When confronted, they fled, and then returned some of the property.

Masoli was charged with Burglary in the Second Degree. I am not an Oregon state criminal attorney, but I believe Oregon Revised Statute 164.215 is the statute that he violated:

Except as otherwise provided in ORS 164.255 (Criminal trespass in the first degree), a person commits the crime of burglary in the second degree if the person enters or remains unlawfully in a building with intent to commit a crime therein.

(2) Burglary in the second degree is a Class C felony. [1971 c.743 §136; 1993 c.680 §24]

A few thoughts here.

1. Apparently, if Masoli had attempted to take the items in question from an empty field, it would not have been burglary. You have to enter or remain unlawfully in a building.

2. Masoli committed the crime the moment he walked through the apparently unlocked door.

He did not plea to stealing or theft or anything like that. He pled to burglary, which is a Class C Felony. And that was knocked down to a misdemeanor, I believe, pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute Section 161.570. I might be reading this wrong, but I think that is what section 2 of that code section states.

161.570 Felony treated as misdemeanor. (1) As used in this section, "nonperson felony" has the meaning given that term in the rules of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.

(2) A district attorney may elect to treat a Class C nonperson felony or a violation of ORS 475.840 (3)(a), 475.854, 475.864 (2) or 475.874 as a Class A misdemeanor. The election must be made by the district attorney orally or in writing at the time of the first appearance of the defendant. If a district attorney elects to treat a Class C felony or a violation of ORS 475.840 (3)(a), 475.854, 475.864 (2) or 475.874 as a Class A misdemeanor under this subsection, the court shall amend the accusatory instrument to reflect the charged offense as a Class A misdemeanor.

Note that he was only charged with entering a building with intent to commit a crime and not the actual crime itself. This way it could be bumped down to a lower level. Why? Perhaps due to evidence problems that would have made it difficult to prove theft? Not sure. I'll spare you the closer look at Theft since it was never charged.

Both Burglary In The Second Degree and Theft are Class C Felonies. What is the punishment for an Oregon Class C Felony? Pursuant to Oregon Penal Code Section 161.605, it is 5 years.

     161.605 Maximum prison terms for felonies. The maximum term of an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for a felony is as follows:

      (1) For a Class A felony, 20 years.

      (2) For a Class B felony, 10 years.

      (3) For a Class C felony, 5 years.

      (4) For an unclassified felony as provided in the statute defining the crime. [1971 c.743 §74]

And what is the punishment for a Class A Misdemeanor. Pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute 161.615, it is 1 year:

Sentences for misdemeanors shall be for a definite term. The court shall fix the term of imprisonment within the following maximum limitations:

(1) For a Class A misdemeanor, 1 year.

(2) For a Class B misdemeanor, 6 months.

(3) For a Class C misdemeanor, 30 days.

What was the Court's eventually punishment? According to this ESPN article from friend of the blog Ted Miller, there was no jail time:

Both were sentenced to 12 months of probation and 140 hours of community service. Together they must also pay $5,000 restitution.

Again, I am not an Oregon criminal attorney, so I am not fully sure as to why they went with solely burglary as compared to solely theft or a combination thereof. Perhaps you can only bump one felony down to a misdemeanor. Perhaps there were some evidence problems surrounding theft, while burglary was easier to prove and had the same end result of the Class C Felony bumpable to a misdemeanor.

The DA knocks it down to a misdemeanor, but the reality is this IS a felony. It should be treated with the same level of seriousness, no matter what deal they cut with the football superstar.

HydroTech: So Masoli could have been charged with both theft and burglary? You're the lawyer here so correct me if I'm wrong but that seems a little redundant. That's like charging a murderer for assault, battery, attempted murder, and murder ... for a murder. In other words (and correct me if I'm wrong here), it seems like the criminal should only get charged for the most heinous crime committed, rather than all the other underlying crimes also committed to attain that heinous crime unless those other underlying crimes are separate crimes in themselves. Thus, it seems to me that the crime that Masoli intended to commit upon entering the frat house was theft, which creates a more heinous crime committed -- burglary, and that's what he should solely be charged with.

But I do agree with you, Mr. TwistNHook, that Masoli's crime should be treated with the seriousness that he was charged with, and not with the subsequent charge after the deal. How Masoli pleads, and any resulting deal that is cut for his plea, does not change the fact that the crime he has committed was determined by the Oregon legislature to be a felony.

TwistNHook: Now, let's take a look at what LeGarrette Blount did.

II. LeGarrette Blount - Battery

via offsideswithfletcher.files.wordpress.com

The first thing to remember is that Blount committed his crime in the state of Idaho. Again, I am not an Idaho attorney. He committed a battery.

Definition from Section 18-903:

18-903. BATTERY DEFINED. A battery is any:

(a) Willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of
another; or

(b) Actual, intentional and unlawful touching or striking of another
person against the will of the other; or

(c) Unlawfully and intentionally causing bodily harm to an individual.

And the punishment for Battery? Idaho Code Section 18-904:

  18-904.  BATTERY -- PUNISHMENT. Battery is punishable by a fine not

exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail
not to exceed six (6) months, or both unless the victim is pregnant and this

fact is known to the batterer, in which case the punishment is by a fine not
exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail

not to exceed one (1) year, or both.

The formatting on this is a bit weird (damn you, Idaho-based internet!), so allow me to recap. Blount caused bodily harm through force. There was no deadly weapon or any such thing, so it is not aggravated. You can be punished by a $1,000.00 fine and imprisonment not to exceed 6 months. This is pretty cut and dry. There was never any Court proceeding. Blount got suspended for 8 games by Chip Kelly. Let's take a look at LaMichael James' situation.

III. LaMichael James - Harassment

via norcalvol.files.wordpress.com

The first thing to look at is the Sentencing Memo found here. When most people hear domestic violence, they think the worst immediately. However, let's take a moment to read the facts and interpret them in the light most favorable to James (because we're nice guys like that).

Girl goes to James house. Girl finds other girl and no James. Girl, for reasons we will not assume, becomes agitated and will not leave. Other girl apparently contacts James, who drives to the house.

At this point, the sentencing memo is vague, but it notes that James "physically removed" the victim from the entryway to his house and that he was holding onto her arm. So, he apparently grabbed her arm with an unclear amount of strength and tried to walk her away from the house. She grabbed his clothing angrily, breaking his necklace. He grabbed the collar of her shirt and tried to walk/push her to the car. She got into the car and turned it off. He then tried to pull her out of the car. She had the keys to the car and started to run away, he ran after her, caught her and then fell, together, in mulch. He took the keys from her and then they calmed down.

This is certainly a complicated situation. It appears to be a heated exchange where both parties physically grabbed the other. Of course, James is a physically strong human being whose grasp could probably cause quite a bit of damage. In the heat of the moment, he clearly made some mistakes, no denying that.

The sentencing memo notes that the police were legally required to arrest James pursuant to the Oregon Family Abuse Prevention Act. Pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute 133.055, they had a duty to do so:

..[W]hen a peace officer responds to an incident of domestic disturbance and has probable cause to believe that an assault has occurred between family or household members, as defined in ORS 107.705 (Definitions for ORS 107.700 to 107.735), or to believe that one such person has placed the other in fear of imminent serious physical injury, the officer shall arrest and take into custody the alleged assailant or potential assailant.

Pursuant to the Sentencing Memo, this was apparently a tad bit of overkill. The 2nd paragraph on the 2nd page notes that, although the Abuse Act has saved many lives, it is also common to modify the charges once further investigation has been done. That is exactly what happened here. This ESPN article has the story:

James, who set a Pac-10 freshman record with more than 1,500 yards rushing last season, originally faced five misdemeanor charges, including strangulation, harassment and assault. All but one harassment charge were dropped.

So, what is harassment? Pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute Section 166.065, harassment is:

A person commits the crime of harassment if the person intentionally:

(a) Harasses or annoys another person by:

(A) Subjecting such other person to offensive physical contact;

Also note that:

(3) Harassment is a Class B misdemeanor.

So, essentially, James pled to subjecting the victim to offensive physical contact. It is not battery, which requires bodily damage, or even assault, which requires attempted bodily damage, but merely offensive physical contact. Illegal touching as it were. There is much more that constitutes harassment, but that is what is relevant to this particular case.

We already saw the punishment for a Class B Misdemeanor is up to 6 months in jail. What is the potential fine? Pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute 161.635:

A sentence to pay a fine for a misdemeanor shall be a sentence to pay an amount, fixed by the court, not exceeding:

(a) $6,250 for a Class A misdemeanor.

(b) $2,500 for a Class B misdemeanor.

(c) $1,250 for a Class C misdemeanor.

So, the punishment for harassment is a fine of up to $2,500 and up to 6 months in jail. Pursuant to James' plea deal, he will apparently get no fine, have 10 days of jail (which are waived due to overcrowding) and 24 months probation.

IV. There are two separate ways to look at the punishment.

James had a crime of up to six months in jail. Blount had a crime of up to one year. Masoli, up to 5. So, you could argue that Masoli's crime was 5x worse than Blounts and 10x worse than James, although that is a fast and loose interpretation of things. His punishment, however, will not be 5x worse. An argument could be that Masoli got away easier.

Especially considering that I think there are 2 main reasons why what Masoli did was worse than Blount and James:

1. Blount's crime and James' were certainly idiotic, but it was a foolish mistake made in the heat of passion after being taunted by the BSU player or in a heated altercation with his girlfriend. Masoli's crime was in cold blood with premeditation. I don't want to justify Blount's actions or James' actions, but Masoli's were UNBELIEVABLY more avoidable.

2. Masoli lied to Chip Kelly and the police about it. Blount apparently showed immediately remorse and worked incredibly hard to get himself out of Kelly's doghouse. James' also apologized immediately for his actions. Masoli, however, deceived his coach and law enforcement for a lengthy period of time.

Of course, the counter argument would be that James' punishment was incredibly light. Blount's crime was, using our poor metric, twice as bad as James' crime. Blount got 8 games suspension. James got 1. Should James have gotten 4 games?

Or should we look at it from James' angle. If 6 months potential jail time is 1 game, then maybe Masoli should have gotten 10 games instead of 13 Should Blount have gotten 4 instead of 8?

Well, I think you have to make a delineation on how you are looking at the sentences. The first way is to look at the suspensions as a means to obtain justice for the victims. There, Masoli's punishment might have been too harsh compared to James' punishment.

However, if you are looking at the suspensions as a means to punish the accused for the damage they did to Oregon, then things make a little more sense. James' crime is nothing compared Blount's and Masoli's. Blount did his crime on national television with a viewing audience of millions. Masoli, even if nobody was physically harmed from his actions, deceived his own coach, breaching trust. James committed his crime on a street with a viewing audience of potentially one to two people. Blount's crime, while 2x worse under our metric was infinity times worse under the damage done directly to the Oregon program. Masoli's crime, while non-violent, threatened to harm the very success of the team itself. That is our next discussion.

HydroTech: Although I do believe that Masoli's punishment is fair, I also agree that he did get off easier than he could have. If punching in the face will get you suspended for 8 games or so, and if a class C felony is 5X worse than a punch to the face, then Masoli could easily have been suspended for up to 40 games. In other words, Masoli's career as a college football player would be over because he doesn't have enough eligibility left to sit out 40 games.

Even if Masoli had been kicked off of the team, I would not think such a punishment to be overly harsh. His crime is a felony. Felonies are serious crimes. Other college football head coaches have not trended towards keeping felony players on scholarship. I can't really think of any coaches who have kept players on the team after committing a felony (I have a bad memory so perhaps someone can refresh my memory). No matter how much rehabilitation Chip Kelly hopes to impart upon Jeremiah Masoli over the next year of his suspension, I'm not sure that committing felony deserves such a chance at rehabilitation. But Chip Kelly seems to think otherwise -- and he might have a point.

V. Chip Kelly's job is not to get justice for the victims of the crimes, but instead protect and promote Oregon football.

via buckeyebanter.com

TwistNHook: I agree that the biggest factor should be the crime committed, but, on the same wavelength, Chip Kelly is not a cop. It is not his job to punish Masoli for the damage he did to the fraternity brothers. That is the cops job. It is Chip Kelly's job to protect and promote Oregon football, which means showing that they will not tolerate criminality, but also working to rehabilitate the fallen players.

HydroTech: In many other cultures, drug users are not punished for their acts, but are rehabilitated. In other words, instead of being sent to the penitentiary to punch out some license plates, drug users get sent off to swank rehab centers for massages, meditation, and group therapy (slight exaggeration there!). The reasoning being that punishment is less likely to induce a person to change than education, therapy, and persuasion.

Chip Kelly seems to be following this approach himself. This seems to indicate that Chip Kelly's belief that he is a parental figure to his players, rather than merely a college football head coach. By hoping to rehabilitate his players, Chip Kelly is hoping to turn them into productive and honest citizens. This goal is not one that a person typically thinks of when they think "college football head coach." If a head coach was truly acting in the best interests of his football team, then he'd probably just kick the player off the team to open up the scholarship spot and bring in someone else who can play and not break local laws. Chip Kelly did the opposite. He kept on scholarship an at-risk player. He's taking a chance. He's putting the rehabilitation of a player ahead of the football team. It's a noble effort and an effort which demonstrates how the duties of college football head coaches have changed. Nowadays they're not just about winning games, but helping their players mature and grow into responsible human beings.

Jeff Tedford has always made it known that one of his duties as a college football head coach is to mold his players into mature and responsible citizens. He has cultivated a "family" atmosphere and probably considers himself to be a bit of a father to all his players. However, he hasn't always taken the rehabilitative approach when confronted with player misconduct. When a Cal player committed an armed robbery, that player was kicked off the team. Was this the right approach? Or perhaps the severity of that crime justified not giving that player a chance at rehabilitation with the team?

TwistNHook notes that Chip Kelly's job is to punish the offending player that the player has done unto the team. That may be true. But it's also Chip Kelly's job to protect the team from further damage from that player. An argument could be made that by keeping Masoli on the team that he will continue to do harm by his continued presence. He will be a distraction. His continued presence on the team may be a divisive issue among the players. He will be a felony criminal wearing an Oregon football jersey. That is not an image that most college football coaches would like to bear.

In fact, a coach's stance on how to handle felony-committing players is probably tied directly to whether they are risk adverse or risk seeking. Tedford has always been a fairly risk adverse coach. He might see the potential harm of keeping a felony player on scholarship to rehabilitate as greater than the potential rewards (a rehabilitated player, and the positive publicity) . Kelly, on the other hand, seems to be more of a risk seeker. He sees the potential reward of rehabilitation as worth the risk of keeping a felony player on scholarship.

TwistNHook: In my view, it is Kelly's job to punish Masoli for the damage that Masoli did to the team. That might be a controversial view, but I think that is the real reason why you see the disparities between James' and Blount's punishments and Masoli's. James apologized, admitted his mistake. Masoli did not.

Trust is, BY FAR, the most important part of any organization. Ever. Whether you are talking about the team of people here at CGB or the Oregon football team, you need to trust that the other people working alongside you are people you can rely upon. Chip Kelly now knows (perhaps not for the first time) that he cannot rely upon Masoli. That is a pretty massive breach of trust. In a sport heavily dependent on team chemistry and reliance upon all the various moving parts, an argument could be made that the lying was MUCH worse than the actual crime (which was entering a building with intent to steal).

The problems with Masoli could also hurt recruiting. Oregon is obviously a big recruiting powerhouse, but they also compete with many other great schools in fierce recruiting battles. At a recent alumni event, Cal running backs coach Ron Gould noted one of the keys to recruiting:

He (Coach Gould) discussed what goes into the recruitment of some players. He said you have to focus on the decision maker, which is the mother 90% of the time.

"Cal Running back coach Ron Gould"

Recruiting obviously doesn't take place in a vacuum. Family members, such as mothers, are key components to the decision making process. Responsible adults are not going to be too keen on letting their children go to a school where it seems as if the inmates run the asylum. This is already starting for Oregon as recruiting superstar solarise has noted:

One of the top players on the West Coast this recruiting cycle is Auburn, Wash., standout Danny Shelton, who’s picking up more offers and being recognized as a must-have prospect in the 2011 class.

Shelton’s latest offer is from UCLA and the Bruins join California, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State and Idaho on his list. The offer from UCLA is big, Shelton said, and it will be strongly considered as the process continues into his senior season.

Shelton said Oregon was his favorite school but he’s recently cooled on the Ducks because of their recent spate of off-the-field problems.

By punishing Masoli here, Chip Kelly sends a message to the recruits and parents of recruits everywhere: We WILL run a clean ship here at Oregon. We will NOT tolerate this. So, the punishment for Masoli is again due to the damage Masoli is doing to the team by potentially hurting recruiting. A football coach cannot be everywhere to babysit his players. Sometimes they might do something criminal. Sometimes, it might be on national TV in front of millions. Other times, it might be late at night in front of just one fraternity brother. Either way, it can have major negative effects on the team independent of any negative effects on the victims. I don't believe that it is Chip Kelly's responsibility to get justice for the victims of the crimes, but to do everything in his power to protect Oregon football. If these players committed the crimes and there were no victims and nobody knew except for Chip Kelly, I am not sure we see these levels of punishments or even punishments at all.

Although there might be a short term value to not suspending Masoli (i.e. he plays) and others, it sends the wrong message and could have long term consequences that are worse, including potential loss of recruits who could be as good or even better than Masoli/James et al.

VI. Conclusion

Honestly, this is a very complicated situation. Chip Kelly has been put in a very awkward position and is doing his best to try to deal with some frustrating events. I do not envy his job here. He had one player commit a moderately violent crime with nobody watching and gave what I view to be a light punishment. He had one commit a fairly violent crime with the entire world watching and gave a pretty fair punishment. Then, he had one player commit a completely non-violent crime with nobody watching and gave what could be viewed as a lighter punishment when compared to Blount's punishment. However, when compared to James' punishment, handed down at the same time, it could be argued that Masoli's punishment was overly harsh. If James' punishment is 1 game, then perhaps Masoli should only have a 8-10 game suspension instead of the 12-13 game suspension.

However, Masoli's damage to the team was remarkably larger than James'. He lied to his coach. He proved he is untrustworthy. So, the punishment is less in line with the damage done to the victims and more in line with the damage done to the team. I think Chip Kelly handled this situation admirably. Hopefully, he has to deal with this much more often. HydroTech, any last thoughts?

HydroTech: I think I will refrain from punching you in the face from now on. I don't want to burn up the rest of my eligibility!

What do you, the readers think? Did Chip Kelly take the right actions? What is Chip Kelly's role in this matter?

Poll

What are your thoughts?

Cal Basketball Caption Contest: Pac-10 Tournament Edition

2010-03-17T02:00:19Z

We forgot to do a caption contest last weekend. The previous two weeks we've done it, we ended up winning out that weekend. Blame Saturday's loss and all national woes (like the Great Pacific Waste Patch) on me.

For your viewing pleasure, a double dip this week! Label your captions as Caption 1 and Caption 2 and put them in their own separate comments (i.e. if you have a caption for both posts, use your first comment for Caption 1 and then your second for Caption 2. That way we can use the 'most recs system properly as a way to reward the best captions). Winners to be announced next week.

Photo 1 (This is Randle's ball)

Photo 2 (Amoke happy, Boykin fierce)

Previous caption contest's winner is FrankCohen with 4 recs!

"Patrick Christopher and Jamal Boykin enjoy the Fruit of their labor"

Golden Nuggets: Should the NCAA Keep Teams Closer to Home?

2010-03-17T00:00:26Z

Cam Inman says the NCAA needs to be more focused on preventing teams from traveling excessively during early rounds of the tournament.

When colleges are slashing staff and hiking tuition, the NCAA Tournament should keep teams closer to home. It would cut down on travel costs (which go on the NCAA's tab), and it would liven up arenas with more fans who have a rooting interest beyond their office pools.

"We'd love to have all of the teams stay as regionally close as possible," Dan Guerrero, chair of the NCAA Division I men's basketball committee, said on a Monday conference call. "But if you did that, you'd really be manipulating the seed lines."

Seed lines? We're talking about seed lines? Outside of the top three or four seeds — whom the committee has become quite adept at identifying and preserving— the tournament serves as an early-round crapshoot every March.

We need more than so-called upsets (see: No. 12-over-No. 5, No. 11-over-No. 6). We need more of a local touch.

Would it be so sacrilegious to make Cal a No. 6 seed in San Jose instead of the No. 8 status it'll take into Jacksonville (Fla.) on Friday night against Louisville?

Would Saint Mary's be offended if, instead of going as a No. 10 seed to Providence (R.I.), it received a No. 11 mark and a Thursday night date in San Jose?

San Diego State is an 11th seed, and UC Santa Barbara a 15th, and those automatic qualifiers (by virtue of winning their conference tournaments) certainly could have fit in San Jose. Instead, such spots feature No. 11 Washington (vs. No. 6 Marquette) and No. 14 Montana (vs. No. 3 New Mexico).

Non-California-grown teams also are having to dart cross country. Why? To fulfill the NCAA's motto: Play basketball, see the country at 30,000 feet, text your relatives back home, watch us collect television revenues at your fans' expense.

"I've always felt the people who support you, the parents of the kids, should be in a position to see their team play," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said in a Monday conference call. "When you move a team 3,000 miles, it makes it more difficult for everybody. I never thought that was right."

After the jump Calvin talks more about his knee, Wilner and Ratto give opposite takes on Cal's bracket matchups, former Cal coach Todd Bozeman gives some insight on playing Louisville, and more.

Cal Football

JO has more from Calvin. Calvin talks about the struggles of recovering mentally from a torn ACL.

Cal Basketball

Despite being three seeds lower, Washington drew a much better first and potentially second-round matchup, according to Wilner. Ratto, however, says Cal drew a fair bracket and should be pleased that they could face teams like Texas A+M, Purdue, or Siena if they get past Louisville and Duke.
Former Cal coach Todd Bozeman talks about playing Louisville. His Morgan St team lost 90-81 at Louisville in November. To be successful against Louisville, Cal has to avoid turning the ball over while keeping fresh legs against Louisville's tough, physical style of play.
The Cal-Louisville matchup pits together two of college basketball's future hall-of-fame coaches, Monty and Rick Pitino. Pitino calls Cal one of the more underrated teams in the country, due to the perceived weakness of the Pac-10. Pitino is happy his team made it into the NCAA tournament, as he wasn't sure his team would be here this time last month.
Randle was named one of the nation's 26 finalists for the John Wooden Award, given to the nation's best player.

Women's Week in Review: Sharp Elbows and Sore Necks

2010-03-16T19:00:47Z

Rachelle Federico looking to stir up some trouble! Thanks to Craig Bennett at 112575 Media for the photos

View full size photo »

In an unusually eventful week, Cal defeated Arizona St. in one of their most impressive, complete efforts of the season. The Bears played excellent offense and defense while managing to exorcise some demons from the regular season. They then followed that with another lackluster loss to Stanford to finish the Pac-10 portion of their season and suffered a frightening, though ultimately minor, injury to Alexis Gray-Lawson in the process.

The bad news is that the Bears were unable to make an improbable run into the NCAA tournament. The good news is that Cal will be hosting at least one game in the women's NIT starting...TOMORROW! If you just can't wait til Friday to get your fix of University of California post-season basketball, show up at Haas at 7:00 on Wednesday night and let UC Davis know that they're in Bear Territory!

Cal 60, Arizona St. 50

In two prior losses to Arizona St., the Cal women played well enough to win. But Danielle Orsillo was able to make the plays down the stretch while Cal couldn't. This time around, the Bears played too well in every phase of the game to lose. In the regular season, Cal was outrebounded 42-29 and 42-31. In the tourney the Bears pulled down 41 to ASU's 29. In the regular season Orsillo went for 20 and 17. In the tourney she only went for 7. The Bears improved in a number of ways to finally knock off ASU. But what was really exciting for me to see was the team effort the Bears made to take down the Sun Devils:

This season, Cal hasn't been the best passing team. The Bears have recorded assists on 45.9% of their field goals, compared to 55.8% for their opponents - and the Bears play excellent defense. A number of Bears are capable of creating their own shot or beating their opponents off the dribble, particularly Alexis Gray-Lawson and DeNesha Stallworth. But Cal rarely creates points with crisp or creative passing. So I was thrilled to watch Cal record 15 assists on 22 field goals (68.2%) and 9 assists on their 12 second half field goals. Cal only scored 60 points in part because the game was slow paced and in part because Cal only had an average shooting night, but it was easily the best ball movement I've seen from Cal all season.

Perhaps my excitement should be tempered, as 8 of the 15 assists were recorded by Alexis Gray-Lawson and Natasha Vital, who will be taking their skills elsewhere soon. Additionally, Cal will be integrating three more freshmen into the rotation next year and may face the same growing pains they faced this year. But four different freshmen contributed assists and I couldn't help but get the sense that the team was benefiting from a slowly developed cohesion that will hopefully pay dividends in the future.

Cal also played excellent team defense, holding ASU to an eFG of 34.2 % and collected 11 steals. Five different Bears recorded a steal and no Sun Devil recorded more than 8 points. A particularly inspired sequence saw Cal hold ASU to just four points over 10 minutes of play late in the second half that sealed the game. The result of this team offense and defense? A 24-11 run over the last 12 minutes of the game to bridge a small deficit and open up the game. Victory!

I would be remiss if I didn't briefly discuss Rachelle Federico's shocking ejection from the game late in the first half. Rachelle is one of the smaller players on the court and would be the last player you'd ever expect to get mixed up in anything that would lead to an ejection. I was turned away from my computer when Rachelle's elbow connected with Danielle Orsillo's head. The refs went to the monitor to review the play for a few minutes before ejecting Mooch, and I wasn't pleased. Apparently this ref is the exact same ref who threw Jayne Appel out of the game for an equally unintentional elbow earlier in the year, so at least the Pac-10 is consistent in their lameness.

Thanks to Craig Bennett and Swish Appeal we have spectacular time lapse photography of the incident. You can decide for yourself:

This is the picture closest to when Federico's elbow connects. Note that her eyes are closed and the ball is between her face and Orsillo.

Note that Federico isn't even looking at Orsillo

Still not looking at Orsillo

I'm pretty sure the whole time Mooch was looking for somebody to pass to since Orsillo had been guarding her so closely.

"What? I got called for a foul?" Also, the reactions from the Cal bench are funny.

I guess I can't prove it, but I see nothing in any of these pictures indicating intent to hit Orsillo, even as a game strategy of creating space. Nobody has accused Mooch of that either. The only conclusion i can reach is that the Pac-10 has some sort of asinine rule about elbows and automatic ejections. I guess it's dangerous to put another judgment call into the hands of people who stole a game from the Washington St. men earlier this year for a stupid bench violation and left a prone Alexis Gray-Lawson on the court while play continued last Saturday. But if players are getting thrown out of games for unintentional contact, something needs to change. This is really no different than two players colliding in the paint or a hard foul to break up an easy layup. Luckily the free throws and ejection didn't cost Cal the game.

Cal vs. Stanford

I'll be honest - with Cal losing by double digits and the Cal men vs. Washington set to tip off, I abandoned the game. I couldn't handle watching Cal get slowly strangled by the Stanford boa constrictor again. Every problem Cal was having in their 2nd game against Stanford was evident again. Nobody could stop Ogwumike (who can?), the Stanford defense wasn't allowing open shots, and Cal missed the few they did get. Luckily, I didn't have the misfortune of watching a second star Cal athlete get immobilized for a head injury in the same academic year. Calbear81 and C&R have already covered the confusing and potentially dangerous referring decision that occurred after the injury, so I don't have to rehash it. I'm just thankful that the ultimate result of the scary incident is a sore neck that puts Lexi day-to-day for the WNIT.

Thoughts on the NCAA tournament

Admitedly, this was a down year for the Pac-10. Apart from Stanford and Oregon this conference is filled with freshmen and sophomores who, while talented, lack the experience to create a true power conference. Still, I found the results of the selection committee distressing because they again showed that they were entirely unimpressed with Pac-10 basketball. It happened last year when Cal was given a 4 seed with UConn looming in the 3rd round when Cal spent most of the year ranked in the top 10 and actually beat eventual final four participant Stanford. It happened that year when they gave Stanford a 2 seed despite a 17-1 conference record and only four losses, all on the road, to top 15 opponents.

It happened again when UCLA was given an 8 seed despite a 15-3 conference record, and when USC was snubbed despite 4 wins over teams in the tournament, including one over Fresno St., which was one of the last at-large selections. I mean, a team with a sub .500 record in conference (North Carolina) made the tournament! If you can finish 6-8 in your conference and make the tournament, why even have a regular season?!? I won't shed many tears for USC, because they had chances throughout the year to improve their position and stay off the bubble. But UCLA deserved better than a potential 2nd round date with nearly undefeated Nebraska. This always concerns me as a Cal fan because I'm afraid of what happened to a great Cal team in 2009 may happen again.

What's Next: Cal (11-7, 18-13) vs. UC Davis (12-4, 21-10)

UC Davis took the regular season Big West title but fell in the conference championship title game to UC Riverside. Their best win was probably on the road against St. Marys, and they've lost to Stanford by 25 and WSU by 10. This is a game that Cal should win, particularly at home. But a number of factors could be in play, including Cal's desire to play in the NIT in the first place and Alexis Gray-Lawson's injury status. I hope the Bears take the NIT seriously because it could be a valuable experience and they are potentially the most talented team in the field. Let's see how deep into March we can play!

A Look at the Louisville Cardinals, And How Cal Matches Up With Them

2010-03-16T10:00:31Z

More photos » Michael Conroy - AP

Edgar Sosa diagrams the Cardinals master plan to stop Jerome Randle.

Browse more photos »

I'm going to go ahead and be honest here; while many of us at CGB complained that the national media was dismissive of Cal, not knowing anything about our team except that "the Pac-10 sucks", I'll freely admit that I didn't know the first thing about the Bears' opening-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament, the Louisville Cardinals, until the brackets were announced on Sunday. Of course, not wanting to go into Friday night's matchup completely in the dark, I decided to do a little digging; here's what I found (with a few assists from Avi).

The first thing that jumped out at me about Louisville was how many three point shots this team jacked up. They attempted 758 shots from beyond the arc this year, almost 24 per game, making just over a third of them. Nearly 32% of their points come from long range, so if shots aren't falling, it's going to be tough for Louisville. In contrast, the Bears attempted just 582 threes this year, about 18 per game, but managed to make over 37% of them, which still accounted for only a quarter of Cal's points, a more balanced offense.

Avinash: One reason Louisville jacks up a lot of 3s is due to the way they play defense. The full court press Pitino likes to run relies heavily on extensive defensive effort to get turnovers, which leads to easy points. Thus the big strategy is to build big leads by easy points or lots fo 3s. The 3 point shots also provide the easiest way for defenders to scramble back on a missed shot, although the propensity of misses does leave them vulnerable to a good executing halfcourt team or a team of athletes that can handle the pressure. If the Cardinals make their 3s or we don't guard against them, game over, if they don't or we force them out of their comfort zone, we can take them.

via graphics8.nytimes.com

I do not want this to be the way our season ends.

ragnarok: 6' 2" senior point guard Edgar Sosa leads the charge in this regard, making 38% of the team-high 172 long-range shots he attempted. However, six other Cardinals attempted between 19 and 42 shots this year, with 6' 5" senior Reginald Delk the only one to make more than 40%, and that's not counting little-used sophomore guard Kyle Kuric, who came off the bench to score a career-high 22-points, including 4-4 shooting from three, in Louisville's most recent upset of #1 Syracuse. (Pitino might have Boeheim's number -- Louisville has beaten the Orange six straight times now.)

Avi: My guess to the Syracuse struggles is this is due to the lack of ball handlers to handle the press defense, and Louisville practically relies on those threes, so they shoot lights out against the zones Syracuse puts up there. A quick look at Troy Nunes is An Absolute Magician confirms that.

And Pitino might have Boeheim's number. As well as the number of Tony Delk's mother.*

One of the trouble spots for Cal has been their scrambling perimeter defense that ended with a wide open shooter nailing a 3. That strategy cost them against Washington on Saturday. Safe to say that if Patrick Christopher, Jorge Gutierrez (who I'm guessing gets a lot of Sosa when he's in) and Theo Robertson let their man by them, there will be too much scrambling and too many wide open looks for Louisville to knock down. Randle will struggle keeping Sosa in front of him, but if he can funnel him into the help defense he'll have done his job well. It'll be key for these guys to stay with their men and guard the outside as much as possible. Too many wide open looks at three for a team that lives by them is a death knell.

via graphics8.nytimes.com

Unless Obama is taking the shot, we need to see hands in people's faces.

ragnarok: If the Cardinals are looking for some inside scoring, however, they're going to look to 6' 9" sophomore Samardo Samuels. He leads the team in points (15.3 per game), rebounds (7.0), and minutes (just 29.2 -- no player averages more than 30 minutes per game), and at 260 lbs., he looks to be a load down low. The Bears can probably only hope to contain Samuels, who not only shoots better than 50% (ok, so he's right next to the basket for most of those shots), but according to kenpom.com, is ranked 33rd nationally in drawing fouls, at 6.8 per 40 minutes. Max Zhang would be a terrible matchup for this type of player, but Cal might have to send him out there if Markhuri Sanders-Frison and Omondi Amoke can't stay out of foul trouble trying to guard this guy. Samuels has also drawn plenty of NBA interest; here's a few quotes from what a talent evaluator had to say about him last summer:

Samuels is another freshman that really struggled in the limelight -- his 3-point performance against Michigan State exposed what are likely to be his struggles as a pro. An undersized power forward without great athleticism, he plays below the rim for the most part. Put him on the floor with a tough front line like Michigan State's and he falls apart. Samuels needs to return to Louisville and prove to scouts that, despite his lack of size and explosion, he can get it done in the paint.

Samuels has certainly picked up his game since then, and while a 36-point outburst in a 2OT victory over Notre Dame certainly hints at domination, he hasn't topped 14 points in any of the seven games since then. He does have five double-doubles on the year, however.

One thing you won't see Samuels do is block a lot of shots; his vertical game is limited (it takes a lot to get 260 lbs. up in the air -- just ask Markhuri), and he blocked just 36 shots on the year -- the same number as Zhang in three times the minutes. 6' 10" sophomore forward Terrence Jennings has 4 more blocks on the year in less than half the minutes, and is the only real shot-blocking threat on this team -- good news for Jerome Randle, who can get stuffed by athletic leapers as he attempts to take the ball to the rim.

Samuels also mirrors the whole team in that he's a monster on the offensive glass, but surprisingly pedestrian on the defensive end. 6' 8" forward Jared Swopshire is actually the team's leading defensive rebounder, and nobody else besides those two have more than 70 defensive rebounds (four Bears top 90 defensive rebounds, and Jamal Boykin has more than 70 offensive boards).

According to kenpom's rebounding rates, the Cardinals are in the Top 20 in the country in terms of offensive rebounding, but ranked below 300 on the defensive end (again, the Bears are in the Top 100 in both categories).

Avi: This could mean good things for Boykin, Robertson and Amoke (especially Amoke) on the offensive end. On the other side, Christopher, Boykin and Amoke will be asked to do a lot. In fact I feel this could be the most underrated part of the game--Cal needs to win the boards battle and keep Louisville off the glass, preventing multiple opportunities at 3s. When you force a team to take a 3, these guys need to make sure they're in position to box out, grab what they've got, and get going.

via www.collegehoopsnet.com

Stick your butt out guys!

ragnarok: Overall, this looks to me like an offensive-minded game, one that could turn into a shootout, and whichever team musters up the will to play a little defense will probably come out on top. Both teams like to play at up-tempo but not lightning-quick paces, so both will be in their comfort zone in that regard.

Defensively, the Bears probably can't expect to shut down Samuels, but if they can limit his damage and keep him off the offensive glass, it'll probably be enough. I do worry that the Bears will fail to get out on open shooters and give up some damage from long range, and one possible reason for Louisville's great offensive rebounding rate is that long shots take big bounces when the miss and may tend to get back to the offensive team at a greater rate, so limiting those opportunities will be key.

On the offensive end, Cal will almost certainly see a good amount of zone, and the key there for the Bears is patience; taking the open three when it's there is one thing, but if Cal is settling for the outside shot a third of the time or more, they could be in real trouble.

Avinash: Again, Cal's struggles with a true halfcourt zone are overrated--UCLA and Arizona State can attest. We attacked and attacked and attacked. The problem has come with disruption of the point guard, particularly Randle, which is why the Beavers have always enjoyed success against Cal--the 1-3-1 with Tarver throws Randle into a funk and he can never get into the flow. Louisville tends to run a 3-2 matchup zone, which I'll try and explain how it can hurt and help us later in the week.

ragnarok: Finally, a look at Louisville's schedule reveals a couple things. First, Cal continues to get slammed for not beating anyone in the non-conference season, but Louisville played exactly two road games during their non-conference season, and they lost both of them (like the Bears, against good competition -- at Kentucky and at UNLV). Their best non-con win is over Arkansas to open the season on a neutral court, but Arkansas finished 14-18 and has now completed their season -- it's a win comparable to Iowa State, and not nearly as good as the Bears' best win over Murray state. Really, Louisville's main argument for being in the tournament (and it's a good one!) is a season sweep of Syracuse; outside of that, they beat three tournament teams -- Notre Dame in 2OT, Morgan State and East Tennessee State, all at home. (For comparison, the Bears beat three tournament teams -- Murray State, UC Santa Barbara, and Washington, all at home). Louisville certainly benefited from playing in a much, much better conference, which afforded them many more opportunities to pick up good wins, and they did take advantage. One final note: Louisville has won just four road games all season, two of them at Providence and DePaul, neither of whom has won a game since late January, so one wonders how well this team will play away from Freedom Hall.

Avi: Finally, to end the serious, here's a picture of a bear.

*Note: The Rick Pitino-Ms. Delk story is a work of fiction. In case you are totally dense. This is after all the Internet.

Allen Crabbe #23 and Richard Solomon #21 Highlights. Cal BBall future looks bright!

2010-03-16T02:19:57Z

Allen Crabbe #23 and Richard Solomon #21 Highlights. Cal BBall future looks bright!

Reminder: Join the CGB Tournament Pick'em Challenge and Fantasy Baseball League!

2010-03-16T01:10:12Z

In case you missed it the first time, we have a CGB Bracket Challenge set up over at Yahoo. You'll need a Yahoo ID first, so to sign up:

1. Click here
2. Join league
3. Group #13453
4. Password "gobears"

We've also set up a fantasy baseball league this year at Yahoo. Once again, you'll need a Yahoo ID. To join that:

1. Click here
2. Join Custom
3. League #482530
4. Password "gobears"

Comments or questions? Have at it below.

Golden Nuggets: "We'll Be Prepared This Time Around"

2010-03-16T00:00:29Z

Monty, PC, Amoke, Randle, and Boykin talked about the NCAA tournament during yesterday's press conference. Here's a sample of what Boykin had to say.

On potential facing your old team at Duke

"I do still talk to some of the guys. One thing I really don't want to do is have that be the focus. The focus is Louisville. So just taking one game at a time, the focus is Louisville."

On Louisville beating Syracuse twice this season and Syracuse beating Cal

"Well, we didn't have Theo [Robertson] that game and Syracuse is very unique in that they play a zone, so we could have really used Theo that game but I feel very confident in the fact that we had a very tough preseason. We've played with Kansas, the number-one overall seed, and you know, we battled with them throughout the whole game. It was still a game with about four minutes to go, so we know what it looks like as far as playing the big-time teams and we're not intimidated. We're confident in our abilities and we're excited for the challenge."

On whether he was worried that Cal might not make the tournament

"Well we can't control what a lot of people are saying. We just feel very fortunate that we are in the tournament and at this point it's just about preparing as best we can. We want to represent the Pac-10 as best we can. I feel we're a strong conference and we hope that our team, along with Washington, can represent the Pac-10 the best as we can."

On creating a legacy at Cal

"Without question I feel like we've already built a legacy this year and it's sad but at the end of the day you're only as good as your last game. A lot of times you're remembered for how you finished. We want to make sure that we finish strong. Whether it's in a win or a loss, we played our hardest, we gave our best effort, we prepared the best, we had all the best intentions, we were focused, we executed on offense, we knew the game plan, we got the right amount of sleep, we recovered our bodies well. All the little things, all the big things, we want to make sure that we do this week from here on out so at the end of the day we will know, we will leave no doubt that we gave it everything we had. "

On last year's experience in the NCAA Tournament

"Last year, I know I definitely had some moments like, `Wow, we're in the NCAA Tournament.' We were so happy about that, but this year, that was the expectation all year long would be that we would play in the NCAA Tournament. Not that we took it for granted, but I feel that you have a different swagger to yourself when you know you're going to play all year. I think the experience of going there and maybe not playing up to our best, for whatever reason, whether it be jitters or adjusting to playing in a bigger dome, whatever it may be, we've seen it. We're a senior group. We know it. And we'll be prepared this time around."

After the jump the seniors talk about a nerve-wracking selection day, Alexis Gray-Lawson leaves the hospital and heads back home, baseball puts up a fight against another highly ranked team, and more.

Cal Basketball

As the last bracket announced, the Bears were a bit nervous as the selection show went on. Randle had to leave the room a few times to calm himself down. PC said the suspense was killing him but that he found it enjoying.
Last year earning a spot in the NCAA tournament was a big accomplishment for Cal. This year the seniors are much more focused on advancing in the tournament and not getting caught up in the excitement of merely being there.
After a frightening fall, Alexis Gray-Lawson left the hospital and has returned to the Bay Area. Her tests came back negative and she will continue to be evaluated by the Cal medical staff. She is day-to-day and will likely be available for Cal's opening round matchup in the WNIT.

Cal Sports Weekend Recap

Taking a 52-0 lead into halftime, rugby cruised to a 97-12 win over Chico State. Cal won 72-3 in the reserve match.
No. 11 men's tennis defeated no. 51 Rice, 7-4.
Baseball split its four-game series with no. 9 Rice.
No. 14 softball swept UC Davis.
No. 3 women's water polo went undefeated in the Aztec Invitational. They defeated Marist 11-0, Maryland 14-1, no. 14 San Diego St 10-4, and no. 20 Princeton 13-4.
Alysia Johnson won a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Qatar.
With a score of 190.650, women's gymnastics finished third at the Tri-Meet hosted by UC Davis.

Cal Baseball Splits Series With #9 Rice

2010-03-12T04:19:50Z

Sunday: Cal Falls to Rice 7-4, Splits 4 Game Series

In the series finale, Cal came up just short against the Owls and settled for a split of the weekend's four game series in Houston. Perhaps tired from all the bat swinging in the Saturday BP session, both teams went homerless and combined for only three extra base hits in the game. Junior Danny Oh was the offensive sparkplug for the day, scoring Cal's first two runs as he was drilled in the first and fourth innings by Rice starting pitcher (and future all-name team material) Boogie Anagnostou. In the fourth Mark Canha moved Oh up with a single and the runners scored on successive sacrifice flies by 3B Tony Renda and RF Jimmy Bosco.

Pac-10 pitcher of the week Kevin Miller started for the Bears and pitched well through the first six innings, scattering 6 Rice hits and 4 walks, allowing four runs and striking out 3. He still could not stop Rice's bipedal organic baseball playing construct, 3B Anthony Rendon, who put Rice on the board by walking, stealing second (first of two steals on the day), and scoring on a single by C Craig Manuel who drove in two runs with his three hits in the game.

Cal tied the game in the seventh with their only two extra base hits of the game, a triple by Bosco followed by a double by SS Michael Semien. Austin Booker was then hit by a pitch from Rice reliever Doug Simmons who had just entered to replace Anagnostou, but ball magnet and favorite target Oh was unable (or reluctant) to repeat his previous success and grounded out to end the inning.

Cal suffered a pitching breakdown for the second straight game, although most of the victims had escaped damage in the great Saturday massacre. Miller got the hook after allowing two singles and a walk to begin the top of the seventh, and Joe Kurrasch celebrated his second appearance in as many games with two wild pitches and two walks in his 2/3 of an inning, one an intentional pass to Rendon who then stole second and advanced on a wild pitch but was stranded at third when Brian Diemer entered, striking out pinch hitter Diego Seastrunk (another candidate for the all-name team) and getting CF Steven Sultzbaugh on a grounder to Renda to escape the inning.

Matt Evanoff came on to pitch a clean 8th for the Bears and striking out two, unfortunately an inning too late. Rice's Mark Haynes came on to close the game, and allowed only two Cal baserunners, one a single by Semien and allowing Renda to reach on a wild third strike, in his two innings of work.

Despite the pitching breakdowns, especially in the bullpen, the Bears held their own on the road against one of the top college ballclubs in the nation. Over the last two weekends Cal played nearly .500 ball against two of the top 20 teams in the country, and with continued solid performances from their starters, good hitting at the top of their order especially from Canha and Krist, and avoiding the mistakes that cost them games against Arkansas, the Bears might have attracted national attention that might prove valuable later in the spring when postseason selections are made.

The Bears return to Evans Diamond on Wednesday to host the Houston Cougars, who are coming off a three game sweep of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and will be making a stop at Benedetti Diamond to play USF on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier this month Houston beat the then-#3 Texas Longhorns, so Cal has one more serious test before traveling to play Cal Poly themselves next weekend.

Saturday: Cal beats #9 Rice, 7-2 (through five innings)

In the Saturday game, Cal again stunned Rice with strong starting pitching and powerful offense, controlling the field through five innings. Sophomore starter Dixon Anderson held the Owls to two runs on five hits and five walks while striking out four. Cal sluggers Mark Canha and Chadd Krist each drove in runs in the first, Krist with his third double in two games. SS Michael Semien hit a two run homer in the second, and freshman CF Darrel Mathews was gunned down at home trying to score on a double by Brian Guinn. Cal scored again in the third when Canha launched HIS third double in two games and Chad Bunting singled him home, chasing Rice starter Tony Cingrani for Tyler Duffey. Bunting ended up stranded at third as Cal left the bases loaded, which would prove totally unimportant later in the game. Cal sneaked in another run in the fourth when Guinn singled, moved to second on a bunt by RF slugger Danny Oh, scampered to third on a passed ball, and scored on a Canha single (his third hit in as many at bats).

Cal's bats were finally silenced in the 6th inning by Duffey, at which point the Houston Astros split squad arrived to don Rice uniforms and take matters into their own hands.

Or perhaps a giant asteroid crashed into Reckling Park at this point. Records are spotty, and eyewitness accounts vary. Wait, here's a copy of the game log...

Rice 6th - Petrini to p for Anderson. Manuel flied out to cf. Comerota tripled to right center. Ratterree
walked. Fuda walked; Ratterree advanced to second. Wolford to p for Petrini. Hague doubled down the
lf line, 2 RBI; Fuda advanced to third; Ratterree scored; Comerota scored. Rendon intentionally walked. 
Mozingo hit by pitch, RBI; Rendon advanced to second; Hague advanced to third; Fuda scored. Kurrasch
to p for Wolford. Rathjen to dh for McDowell. Rathjen reached on a fielder's choice, RBI; Mozingo out
at second ss to 2b; Rendon advanced to third; Hague scored. Sultzbaugh singled through the left
side, RBI; Rathjen advanced to second; Rendon scored. Manuel reached on an error by rf, advanced 
to second; Sultzbaugh scored, unearned; Rathjen scored, unearned. Comerota singled up the middle; 
Manuel advanced to third. Ratterree doubled to right center, 2 RBI; Comerota scored, unearned; Manuel 
scored, unearned. Lowden to p for Kurrasch. Fuda singled to left field, RBI; Ratterree scored, unearned.
Hague walked; Fuda advanced to second. Rendon singled down the rf line, RBI; Hague advanced to 
third; Fuda scored, team unearned. Mozingo singled, RBI; Rendon advanced to second, advanced to 
third on an error by cf; Hague scored, team unearned. Rathjen grounded out to 3b. 
12 runs, 8 hits, 2 errors, 2 LOB.

Note the end of that paragraph: Rice STRANDED TWO MORE RUNNERS! They could have still been batting when Daylight Savings Time began. The organist was playing fugue as the Cal pitchers entered. Don't forget to tip your servers.

Each of the Cal relievers gave up more than one run in a third of an inning and surely wishes to forget the trip to beautiful Houston, but senior hurler Daniel Wolford most of all. He didn't record an out on Saturday (ERA=infinity) and only managed to retire one Rice batter in his appearance on Thursday night, facing a total of nine Rice batters and allowing 7 runs on 4 walks. Casual fans should note, however, that this kind of performance is very important to the team. His work in these two games allowed coach Esquer to rest closer Brian Diemer after his 2.2 innings worked on Thursday night, leaving him fresh to save a close game on Sunday. Probably not a consolation to Mr. Wolford on the flight home from Houston but very important over the course of the season and critical to Cal's chances to win the 4 game series.

Only down by a touchdown at this point, their ears ringing from the aluminum racket in the previous inning, the Bears pulled within laughing distance at 14-8 on a homer from 3B Tony Renda. Unfortunately, the pitchers' duel continued as Rice added two field goals in each of the eighth and ninth innings. Cal sophomore pitchers Stephen Pistoresi and Matt Flemer earn the Iron Oski for each lasting an inning in spite of the onslaught by the batting machines from the Rice University robotics lab. Facing 9 and 11 batters, respectively, these two saved Cal position players (and starters from prior and succeeding games) from having to toss batting practice and risk arm and shoulder injuries to get through the rest of the game.

Cal managed three more runs in the ninth on a RBI double from Chad Bunting and subsequent homer by pinch hitter Mitch Delfino. The rally fell just short, unfortunately, and the Bears lost this squeaker 26-11.

NASA mainframe computers are still processing the complex algorithms required to analyze the Rice batters' totals, but early results show 3B Anthony Rendon continuing his red-hot performance through the series, blasting two homers in a 3 for 5 day (with two walks besides, once intentionally in the fateful 6th inning that probably held down Rice's scoring even more than they did). Baseball nerds that read through this whole thread will note that makes 4 home runs in three games for Rendon, whose season line is now .348/.583/.783, hopefully earning him four sliders in the dirt in every at bat on Sunday.

You can follow whatever Cal pitchers can haul themselves out of the whirlpool in the final game today at 11 AM PDT via Rice Baseball Multimedia. Those of you missing the game live today (as I will) can catch it via gametracker; the Cal Baseball site seems to leave the gametracker link up longer than does the Rice site, so those of you intending to ingest medicinal substances before watching the colorful sprites prance around should look there... as of 8AM PDT the gametracker from last night is still available. You may wish to close all other applications before the digital Rice batters recreate the 6th inning.

Friday Night: Cal beats the formerly #9 Rice, 6-4

As the Goldenbloggers crowded around their televisions to watch the branch campus' basketball team fight valiantly against all odds on their "neutral" court to hold off the Pac-10 champion squad, the Cal baseball team won their third straight game, sinking Rice 6-4 and guaranteeing at least a split of the four-game series.

Things started off slowly as the Bears tried to bunt their way on base and made a variety of weak popouts, with Rice taking the early lead with a single and double in the home half of the second off freshman lefty Justin Jones. That was all they would get through the first five innings, as Jones scattered a hit and a walk over the next three and SS Michael Semien, 2B Brian Guinn, and 1B Mark Canha turned double plays to strand runners in the third and fifth innings.

Meanwhile, the Bears erased Rice's early lead in the top of the fourth when Rice starter Jared Rogers walked Guinn and allowed a single to Austin Booker, who proceeded to double-steal their way into scoring position. With two out, Canha blasted one of his two doubles of the evening to clear the bases. Mashing C Chadd Krist followed by launching the first of HIS two doubles of the evening to drive in Canha.

Cal added another run in the fifth via singles from freshmen Jimmy Bosco and Darrel Mathews and an error and sloppy defense by Rice, hanging a run on Abe Gonzales, the second Rice pitcher to appear in the game. A variety of singles and bunts in the sixth pushed Booker across to give Cal a 5-1 lead as Gonzales gave way to Mark Haynes, the Owls' third pitcher of the evening.

Rice's morose crowd began to awaken from their slumber when 3B Anthony Rendon hit his second homer in as many nights in the sixth, but soon nodded off again as Jones retired the next 5 Owl batters with ease. Guinn reclaimed that run all by himself in the top of the 8th, tripling to right and scoring on a wild pitch. Booker followed with a single, bringing forth lefty Holt McNair (surely destined for greatness with a name like that) from the busy Rice bullpen, and he held the Bears the rest of the way. Rice added an unearned run in the 8th on a walk and wild pitch from Jones, and Rice SS Rick Hague gave the sullen Owls backers one more chance to cheer in the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot.

Jones got the final two outs easily, heading for the showers having struck out 5, walked 4 and allowing only 6 hits, guaranteeing at least a split of the 4 game series for the Bears and resting the rest of the pitching staff for the weekend games.

After a few hours sleep and enjoying all the luxury and glamour Houston has to offer of a Friday night, the bloodshot and jet-lagged Bears will take the field again tomorrow at 12 PM PST before coping with the switch to daylight savings time with an 11 AM PDT start on Sunday morning.

You can follow the action via Rice Baseball Multimedia. The audio feed is very good, and Rice's announcer is pretty professional (and I assume paid accordingly- not a student) although quite a homer. The video stream apparently requires some kind of paid membership to CBSSports.com, or perhaps enterprising EECS alums and students know some technological wizardry to work around such impediments. Finally, if (like me) you can't catch the live feed tomorrow use the gametracker and let the bouncing icons replay the game for you at your leisure.

Thursday Night: Cal Baseball beats #9 Rice, 8-6

While most of you watched the postseason pretournament basketball tournament, the Bears clobbered the #9 Rice Owls 8-6 on their home field. The game was all Bears through 6, on three run homers from C Chadd Krist and 3B Tony Renda while Erik Johnson held Rice to two hits and a walk while striking out 6!

Cal, perhaps feeling guilty for treating their hosts so poorly, let Rice climb back into the game in the 7th. The Owls put up 4 runs off only one hit (and three walks) from Roseville senior Daniel Wolford in the 6 batters he faced and Brian Diemer, who came on with the bases loaded (allowing two of those runners to score) and went the rest of the way.

Junior slugger Mark Canha added a solo shot in the 8th, his second homer in as many games, and Renda tripled and scored on a squeeze by Chad Bunting (yes, delicious irony).

Rice 3B Anthony Rendon answered with his own homer in the bottom of the inning, and things got interesting for Diemer and the Bears in the last of the ninth. After getting the first batter, Rice got two singles and a walk to load the bases for Rendon (again). Diemer walked Rendon, perhaps not the worst choice tonight. Fortunately, Chad Mozingo then hit into a 4-3-6 double play, Guinn-Canha-Semien to finish the Owls. Diemer was credited with a save, striking out 7 and walking 6 in his 2.2 innings.

The rematch is tomorrow at 4:30 PM PST (yes, another night game for those hard-partyin' Houstonians).

Here's the link again to Rice's page where you can find the audio/video feeds during the game, and a gametracker (highly recommended for its animated, color-coded Fisher-Price figures hopping about) during and after the game: Rice Baseball Multimedia.

Taking On The Real Cardinals: Cal vs. Louisville Breakdown of Absolutely Nothing

2010-03-15T10:49:41Z

There'll be plenty of time for meaningful, interesting analysis, but today we focus on the superficial, the nonsense, the stuff that means absolutely nothing. Perhaps some of this means something. Perhaps none of it means nothing. But you will be sure interested in these surface details the whole way through!

Sunshine level: Louisville fans win this going away. Cal fans seem like they'd be relatively happy with just squeaking through with this one and going the distance with Duke. Cardinals are already dreaming of shocking Duke, the establishment, and hitting up the Final Four. Chatter from their SBN site goes something like this.

I swear

I keep looking at our region and I’m trying to be really objective. I swear I am! And I’m telling you, if we find a way to win the first weekend games (BIG IF!), I can see us in the Final Four. Don’t laugh! Pitino is very very good when he knows the opponent well, and he never loses in the Sweet Sixteen. It’s the Elite Eight that trips him up. And we will likely face a Big East team there if we make it that far. OK, I’m seeing through rose-colored glasses, but this is not a tough bracket for this team! Not nearly as tough as just about any other region would have been with the same 9-seed.

by CardsFanTX on Mar 14, 2010 7:26 PM PDT

I agree 100% CardsFanTX....... I think its a combination of things that could set us up for a deep tourney run

For one I feel like we got a good draw……The teams in our path are nothing were not used to night in and night out playing in the nations best conference….Two I think you will see a maximum effort from everyone knowing everythings on the line….Three we will be well rested and fresh even though I know they’ve probably been going hard in practice preparing for the tourney…And four ….. this year we will be the hunter not the hunted like last year when we had that #1 overall target on our back….Being that no one is really talking about us this year I feel that takes away alot off pressure and allows the players to play loose and relaxed which wasn’t the case last year with all the final four talk…

by TRUCARDFAN on Mar 14, 2010 8:39 PM PDT

That "no one is really talking about us deal" isn't quite true TRUCARDFAN. Actually, most of ESPN's expert pundits have you in the second round already. The New York Times says your 'upset' of us is the easiest to pick. Dickie V's already furiously drooling over another Pitino-Coach K rematch and has already eliminated us from his East Coast addled mind. You're going to give Duke a hell of a fight because the Pac-10 only exists as a placeholder for the BEST TEAMS FROM THE BEST BASKETBALL CONFERENCE IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY to bowl over.

I mean, our guys sound real ready to pack it in.

"A year ago we lost our edge a little bit," Montgomery said. "The accomplishment of getting there overshadowed (our desire to succeed).

"Now I think the notion of these kids is, 'We're going to get in there and win.' We've determined who we are."

...

"Time has been really flying by," Jerome Randle said. "I know these are going to be the last games of my college career. The next game really could be the last game. I don't want it to be over. I'm not ready for that."

"We're not intimidated and we're confident in our abilities," Jamal Boykin said.

...

"Knowing it could be your last game," Patrick Christopher said, "you definitely have to be ready to bring the passion.

So don't disembowel us too badly!

Location: Sucks. As a former resident of Florida, Jacksonville is one of the worst cities in America, and it's a terrible fate for the Pac-10 champion to travel 3000 miles cross-country to do battle with likely only a token Bears audience in attendance. I'd like to be wrong, but it's JACKSONVILLE. Not Miami, not Orlando, not even freaking Tampa! You could sell a lot of young students and alum on those sites, but Jacksonville? They might as well have played the game in the middle of the swamp.

Fun fact: Jacksonville is the largest city in America by size due to city and county consolidation. Fun fact #2: Jacksonville's own Duval County has the state's largest murder rate ten years running, probably as a result of living in Jacksonville. Fun fact #3: Their NFL Jaguars team didn't sell out a single game last season until the 13-0 Colts came to town. Los Angeles, anyone? Fun fact #4: The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is the only reason to visit Jacksonville, and even that isn't that great...because it's in Jacksonville.

via blogs.ajc.com

Welcome to Jacksonville, where the best place to be is not there.

Cal fans, if you're going, here is your itinerary: (1) Check into hotel Friday, preferably as late as possible. (2) Watch game. (3) If we win, go to Orlando and enjoy Theme Park X on Saturday with the kids or your friends, come back to hotel late Saturday night. Or if you're old, enjoy the millions of golf courses. If you're a student, hit the beaches. Just LEAVE JACKSONVILLE. (4) Come back Sunday and enjoy game. Checkout from hotel and bring your bags to the arena. (5) Once games are over or Cal's season ends, cheer for them. When they leave court, find airport and leave.

Louisville will certainly have more fans in attendance, as will Duke. Hopefully the awfulness of that remote Florida city will repel all visitors and Cal and Louisville will be playing in front of five hundred people (or at the very least a neutral crowd) on Friday night. Hopefully not too many Cardinals end up in this foresaken land and we don't end up playing one of those "semi-away" games we were treated to against Syracuse. And hopefully no one gets hurt.

Time: Better. Although Cal isn't going to enjoy the trip East, they shouldn't get screwed the way the football team did by their 9 am sojourn to Maryland. They've gotten the best possible draw--the last games of the first round, on Friday night around 6:45 PM PST. That should give them plenty of time to rest and recover from their trip cross-country. There've been plenty of times when Pac-10 teams have had to travel cross country to play East Coast teams at early awful times and gotten drilled. It's generally a distinctly unfair advantage to be going that far, but Cal will be playing their games at a later time than some of their Thursday night tipoffs at Haas Pavilion.

Louisville, despite their intrinsic location advantage, has struggled in night games (3-6 since January), which I'm sure has plenty of correlation to nothing.

Mascot:

via slog.cstv.com

Wow, look, a real actual Cardinal. Hey, one college knows how to do it right!

Well they have a really big advantage here...over the Farm. Oski could eat this thing.

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

Or ride up to it at ten miles per hour and punch it in the face.

Fight song: I'll let you band people decide this. It sounds like music for a Korean War newsreel.

Dancers:

via www.hottestgirlsofcheerleading.com

Even odds that these girls are lining stripper poles ~~in two years~~ ~~in two months~~ now.

Best coaching quote:

"We want to establish some sense of normalcy, if we can use that word, in these peoples' lives."

~Mike Montgomery

"Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they're going to be gray and old."

~Rick Pitino

Pitino wins for humor, and his inability to relate to the city of Boston and a sticky-as-hell quote that lives on among many sports journalists. Monty surprisingly doesn't have many interesting quotes, at least none available on the Internets. Although the Golden Bear coach does have the advantage of not being extorted by his former lover.

(And Gregg Doyel wins for being an everlasting douche to Greg Oden. Well, for that and many, many other things.)

Best alumni in the NBA: Cal currently has at least four players in the NBA, as does Louisville. Jason Kidd's still doing his thing and Leon Powe's back in action. The Cardinals have Francisco Garcia for the Sacramento Kings, who has 10 points every now and then, and Terrence Williams, who's averaging double digits in March on a seven win Nets team. Slight advantage to Cal here.

Funniest player on the team. Like most things with our Bears, they can only be funny together.

Sorry Bears, but Edgar Sosa might have all of them beat for originality.

College commercial: Lots of things could beat our commercial. Those Old Spice ads. Miller Lite ads. The Warriors. Let's see what Louisville came up with...

Wait. Was that the whole commercial???

Ownage of conference's other schools in tournament games that quite possibly have no relation to the one being played Friday. Card Chronicle's on top of it.

4) Louisville 93, 1) Washington 79 (2005)
6) Louisville 78, 11) Stanford 58 (2007)
1) Louisville 103, 12) Arizona 64 (2009)

Extrapolating from that data, looks like the final score will be Louisville 91, Cal 66. Sweet, my Friday night just oppened up!

Corporate whoring: Cal gets a lot of their equipment from Nike, and many teams around the country have at least complimented us on our fine uniforms. But Louisville takes the cake--their football stadium is called the Louisville Papa John's Stadium. It's a good thing they have three fully staffed first aid centers and a trauma center inside the stadium, because their cholesterol-rising cheese is sure to send many of their fans into cardiac arrest.

via kneedeepinthehoopla.files.wordpress.com

Better ingredients, better pizza, better emergency response, Papa John's!

California Draws #8 Seed in South Region, to Play Louisville in Jacksonville on Friday

2010-03-14T22:45:17Z

Game is at 9:45 PM EST/6:45 PM PST. Can't ask for anything better timewise.

If Cal were to somehow pull it out, our second round opponent would be Duke. The Cardinals will be a tough first round opponent though, and probably should be one of the most competitive games this upcoming week. Some quick notes:

Brief look at Louisville's kenpom stats

LINK

Like Cal they have an efficient offense (#20) and an iffy defense (#77). On offense they’re good at offensive rebounding. On defense they’re good at forcing turnovers. Conversely, they’re bad at preventing offensive rebounds and they foul too much. Also, their offense turns the ball over too much.

Louisville

The reason why I am scared of them is because the team has proven that they can beat the best team in the country not once but twice. They beat Syracuse twice. They are definitely tested. They played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Edgar Sosa is as dangerous as it gets if you ask me. If he’s on, it’s over. Rick Pitino is a fantastic head coach and even more so in the tournament. Samardo Samuels can be a load inside. Reginald Delk can really shoot it. Their biggest flaw is probably just inconsistency, but they are definitely capable of beating anyone.

Louisville plays up tempo and they pressure the ball. Christopher and Theo are not great ball handlers. There is only one Randle, and he can make some turnover mistakes when going mach 10. In the past, Pitino has had a lot of depth, and in a fast game, depth matters, because they just keep running fresh legs at you. Eventually you wear down and die at the end of the game.

Further, Louisville comes from the Big East, the best basketball conference by a long shot. The Big East is known for its big size and physical play. Meanwhile, Cal is undersized and prone to getting beat up inside.

Lastly, Pitino is a well experienced coach.

Those are 3 reasons to fear.

That said, Louisville’s tempo might play to our advantage. If our shooters are able to get into a groove, they can shoot till the cows come home. Lots of shots allow you to get into a groove. Few shots (Oregon State) makes it hard.

I don’t know Louisville’s current squad, but just knowing what they usually put out there, it would be a good program win.

I think Duke does not have the bruisers they have had in the past, and that’s our biggest weakness. Teams that can roll size and more size at us are the biggest concern.

ESPN2 Bracketology Show Just Talked About Cal vs. Louisville

It’s a roundtable format with several analysts. The highlights of the discussion:

Fran Fraschilla:
This is a tough draw for Louisville because Rick Pitino has had to play “mostly zone” because he “knows his team can’t play man to man.” And it’s a bad combination with Cal, because Fraschilla says Cal has the shooters to beat the zone. (He mentioned Randle, Christopher, and Robertson specifically.)

Len Elmore:
Impressed by the fact that Louisville beat Syracuse twice. Even though Louisville has trouble playing man to man, he’s seen Louisville switch up from zone and man to man, then go back to zone. The multiple defenses have confused some teams during the season. Thinks Pitino might come up with some “wrinkles” to compensate for his team’s shortcomings in man to man defense.

Mark Gottfried:
Mentioned that he did the Cal game vs. Murray State last November when “Murray State was one possession away from tying the game.” He likes the fact that Cal has 4 seniors and acknolwedged that Cal has great shooters. But he also said we have a glaring weakness on the inside: we have no consistent post presence to get baskets down low. Might be a problem for us.

Not sure who said these things, but one of the analysts called us “a poor man’s Villanova.”

Don't forget to sign up for for the CGB March Madness Pool. Here is the full bracket. GO BEARS!

Big thanks to norcalnick and Ohio Bear for these tips, Rated-R Superstar and concordtom for their thoughts. Substantive preview coming tomorrow.

Poll

Your thoughts on Selection Sunday.

Golden Nuggets: 2010 Is A Blank Slate for Michael Calvin

2010-03-15T01:00:30Z

After suffering from turf toe and then tearing his ACL during 2008, Michael Calvin has struggled to live up to the potential he displayed in high school and on the scout team. As one of only four receivers on the team, he knows he needs to take advantage of every opportunity to become a starter again.

"I feel like I have to seize the opportunity," Calvin said. "This spring ball is going to make or break me. I just have to come out here and compete."

Verran Tucker and Nyan Boateng have exhausted their eligibility, and Charles Satchell has moved from wide receiver to safety. That leaves Calvin, Marvin Jones, Jeremy Ross and Alex Lagemann as the only scholarship receivers left. The Bears signed five wide receivers in February and will welcome them to Berkeley in the fall.

Cal coach Jeff Tedford said the incoming group of receivers will compete for immediate playing time, but their inexperience makes them an obvious uncertainty. That's why now, more than ever, Calvin must prove he has finally overcome the hangover of his torn anterior cruciate ligament in the fall of 2008.

"Hopefully, he can stay healthy and play all through the spring," Tedford said. "There's no question he should be in the (rotation) when fall comes."

Calvin was an All-American receiver at San Lorenzo High and showed enormous promise as a scout team player in 2007. But a sprained toe limited him during the early stages of 2008 before his season came to an abrupt end when he tore the ACL in his right knee while running a post-corner route during practice.

Calvin was healthy for most of last season but said he never regained full confidence in his knee. It was a mental block that contributed to his getting buried on the depth chart. He caught just one pass for 9 yards.

Calvin suffered some swelling in his knee near the end of last season and underwent arthroscopic surgery about five weeks ago to have it cleaned up. He said he feels completely healthy again and is ready to move forward.

"You have to put it out of your mind. If you don't, you're going to come out here and second-guess yourself," Calvin said. "You're going to second-guess your technique and you're going to second-guess everything you do on the football field. I personally can't afford it. I have a spot to work for."

Calvin said he still feels like he can do everything on the field that he could before his knee injury; it has just been a matter of getting past the mental barriers. To that end, Calvin has gone to a clean slate this fall, turning in his No. 84 for No. 11. He hopes to start playing like a more famous No. 11 in the NFL — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

After the jump Cal loses a thriller to Washington then draws a first-round matchup against Louisville in Jacksonville, FL, women's bball likely ended its season with a loss to Stanford, football hires a pair of assistants, and more.

Cal Football

Former NFL players Akili Smith and Ronnie Bradford have joined the team as offensive and defensive assistants, respectively. Smith played for Tedford's offense at Oregon and Bradford was a defensive assistant at Kansas City under Pendergast's defense.

Cal Basketball

8th-seeded Cal will head out to Jacksonville, FL to play 9th-seed Louisville on Friday.
Faraudo follows the back-and-forth game, full of lead changes and runs. Cal doesn't have time to dwell on the loss to Washington and Boykin says the team's confidence is still very high.
During the post-game press conference Monty said playing three games in three nights appeared to catch up with his team, as they looked physically and mentally tired.
Women's basketball fell 64-44 to Stanford and lost Alexis Gray-Lawson to a neck injury. Boyle visited Lexi after the game and said she's in good spirits but a little sore.

Selection Sunday Open Thread

2010-03-14T21:29:17Z

Show's at 3 PM PST/6 PM EST on CBS. Analysis following on ESPN at 4 PM PST/7 PM EST. No more talk and predictions. It's time to dance. Don't forget to sign up for for the CGB March Madness Pool. GO BEARS!

The Seeding Debate: Where Do The Golden Bears Deserve to End Up?

2010-03-14T12:59:25Z

More photos » Mark J. Terrill - AP

Jamal Boykin and the Golden Bears will be pondering all Sunday where they'll end up in the Dance.

Browse more photos »

Cal is in. A lot of people will gripe and moan about it, but they are in. Winning the Pac-10 put them in. Winning the first two games of the tournament made it even clearer they deserved to be in. Winning seven of their final eight in the conference play to clinch their first undisputed Pac-10 title in 50 years put them so far in. Yet for some reason we seem to have to keep on justifying ourselves to the rest of the country. Crazy.

The fact that we're even discussing this is due to the spewing hatefest coming from the rest of the country, which is quick to disparage the Pac-10 for not being a land of Kevin Loves and Brandon Roys this season (Hey, rest of country, word of advice: Other than the top three, you're not that great either.). This group includes Jerry Palm of CollegeRPI and CBSSports.com who no longer has us as a lock (WTF?), Rivals taking us out of the lock category, the CBS jokefest at the Pac-10 tournament final halftime show which had the Cal/UDub loser as the first one out (UDub, maybe; Cal???), some of the morons on the ESPN shows including Dukie shill Jay Williams (who believed MIGHTY RHODE ISLAND has a better resume than Cal), etc. etc. I normally try to be objective about this nonsense, but the idea that Cal has somehow moved back to bubble territory after losing by 4 points in a highly contested Pac-10 title game is becoming a joke. Thankfully, reasonable people are on the NCAA Selection Committee, and the Bears will be traveling somewhere this Thursday or Friday.*

*For your health and sanity, root for Kentucky and Ohio State to win today. Then you can certainly breathe easy.

So let's focus on tournament seeding, and the arguments for giving Cal a poor seeding and the counterarguments for giving Cal a fair one.

Argument for seeding Cal low: Cal is 1-6 against top competition.

Counterargument: Let's revise this. Cal is 0-4 against four of the TOP TEN team in the countries (#1 Kansas, #3 Syracuse, #5 Ohio State, #8 New Mexico), and three of those losses were without Theo Robertson, who was basically a fourth of their offense. I see people giving Ohio State credit all the time for losing games against Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin without Evan Turner. Do we not get the same benefit of the doubt for being competitive in what amounted to huge road games against teams being considered for #1, #2 and #3 seeds in the tourney?

From this, the Bears have also played the hardest OOC schedule of any major conference team. They've played six conference winners (Kansas, Syracuse, Ohio State, New Mexico, Murray St., UCSB) and gone 2-4 (include Ivy League's 2nd place Princeton and it's 3-4). The Bears deserve to be rewarded for these quality wins. They've beaten several teams in the tournament, even if they're not the greatest in the world.

Argument for seeding Cal low: The Pac-10 sucks. It's no better than a midmajor and only deserves one bid.

Counterargument: The conference might be down, but it's not horribly down to the point that other conferences have bypassed it. The Pac-10 might be the worst of the sixth major conferences, but it's still way ahead of any of the midmajors according to Pomeroy.

The next nearest conference, the Mountain West, is in all likelihood sending four teams (New Mexico, BYU, UNLV, SDSU). The next nearest, the Atlantic Ten, is sending three (Richmond, Xavier, Temple). Are those conferences that much more deserving or superior in their resumes that they deserve two or three more teams than the Pac-10? Sure, the Lobos, Cougars and Rebels earned bonus points from facing off against each other, but Cal did have two pretty good squads in Washington and Arizona State they faced off with.

Speaking of which...

Argument for seeding Cal low: Even if the Bears had no luck against good teams, they have not faced real competition in over two months.

Counterargument: This isn't something California can realistically control. The Bears have only had one bad loss this season (UCLA at home), and one "somewhat bad loss that can be explained because we don't matchup well against that team at all" (Oregon State). Other than that, Cal has either taken care of business or lost a few close ones to good teams at the wire--Washington, Arizona and USC were all games the Bears could've won in the final seconds. And despite the fact they've played bad teams, they haven't struggled against many of them, they've won 11 of their 15 conference victories by double digits.

The SEC has generally not had good teams the past few years and is the fifth best conference--they're still sending three teams at the least (Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, maybe Mississippi State). We're not that far behind the SEC in terms of quality. It's hard to see us being two teams worse.

Finally, keep this in mind--a big conference has always sent at least one at-large team in the history of the tournament. There would be no precedent for this kind of omission. None.

Bracket forecasts:

Every participant in the Bracket Project has Cal in, and their predictions aggregate to the (gulp) dreaded 8th seed.

Brackets of notice (i.e. brackets to really consider, ponder, or point and laugh at):

ESPN's Joe Lunardi (who is generally right on who gets in but not terribly accurate as who gets in where) has Cal as a 7 seed in Buffalo facing Georgia Tech (hey it's just like last year!), with West Virginia the likely 2nd round opponent. Not a terrible bracket, probably one of the nicest ones for Cal. Even if it's in Buffalo.

SBN's Blogging the Bracket's Saturday outlook had Cal as an 8th seed in Jacksonville facing Utah State, with Duke looming in the second round. Again, I don't hate this.

Jerry Palm of CollegeRPI and CBSSports also has Cal in Jacksonville with Duke looming in the second round. Only we're a 10th seed facing Oklahoma State and Duke is a 2nd seed. Yeesh.

Our biggest supporters are RealTimeRPI, which I believe are the only bracketologists to give California a 6th seed (in this case in New Orleans against UTEP). That's to be followed by Georgetown-Ohio winner. Even though this is the most respect we've gotten so far, this is probably the worst of the first week brackets I've seen. I'm not really interested in taking on the Hoyas right now, and UTEP is a dangerous team...

Rivals has Cal as a 10 seed facing Marquette. I have no feelings about this.

Oh, but I do have strong feelings about this one. Andy Glockner must really hate us, because he has Cal as a 12 seed in a rematch with Maryland in Spokane (at least it's better than Oklahoma City). Then if we somehow scrape ourselves past Vazquez, a faceoff with the Purdue-Murray State winner. Yuck. I don't care how badly Purdue played Saturday, I want no part of them that early.

Our biggest detractor is something called The Bracket Board, who hands us a 12 seed. TBB has us in Spokane against 5th seed Tennessee, with the winner to take on Michigan State-Murray State. Maybe getting hated on isn't the worst thing after all--these are pretty good first week draws.

.There are plenty of places Cal can end up this upcoming week. The only question left is "will we like what we get?"

Cal's Ruggers Skunk Chico State 97-12

2010-03-14T07:00:37Z

Cal rugby coach Jack Clark sometimes likes to mix things up. In Saturday’s match against Chico State, Clark bumped senior James Bailes forward from his usual fullback position to flyhalf.

The moved paid off handsomely. By halftime, the #1-ranked Bears had racked up a 52-0 shutout against the Wildcats, giving Clark the scoring cushion needed to relieve some of his seniors. Freshman forwards were rotated in at the interval to gain some valuable match experience.

No. 8 Tyler Colin, sub’ed in at the 50th minute, took no time to score two tries for the Bears, joining freshman center Jared Braun and junior scrumhalf Connor Ring in the two-touchdown club.

Sophomore fullback Anthony Lombardo landed behind the tryline four times while five other Bears each contributed a try to the scoring fest.

Chico State managed to put together two tries in the second half, converting one, while the Bears piled on the points to come away with a 97-12 victory. A reserve-side match followed, ending 72-3 in Cal’s favor.

The win is Cal’s 19th for the season overall and the fourth win against its NorCal opponents. The Bears return to Witter Rugby Field next Saturday for a final league match against #3-ranked St. Mary’s. The outcome of that match will determine if Cal or St. Mary’s wins a “bye” into the national collegiate Round of 16 as the #2 seed.

Cal’s playing like it has something to prove. The ruggers are ahead of last season’s pace both offensively and defensively. To date, the Bears outscore their opponents 15-to-1; last year at this time, Cal’s ratio was less than 10-to-1. In 2009, the Bears scored an average 61 points per game and allowed six points. This year, Cal’s run up an average score of 66 points per game while allowing only four.

Conversions, which contributed 17% of Cal’s points last year, were booted with 51% accuracy at this time last season. Now they’re scored 71% of the time and make up nearly 21% of the Bears' point total.

In other NorCal action, St. Mary’s felled Sacramento State 38-15 while #11 UC-Davis defeated Stanford 34-7. In Utah, #2 BYU took down Colorado 52-7, bringing the Cougars’ record to 10-1 with two more “friendlies” to be played before the nationals.