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So, what I want to know is how did Wazzu convince the P12 refs that Cal is responsible for blowing up the conference?

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I’d agree, but fact is the refs have been screwing Cal for as long as I can remember. I was a Cal baseball player for 3 years and it often happened when I played (especially against USC, at our home park) and it continues through to the present (I watch many Cal baseball games). We all talk about it constantly within the baseball bubble, and no one has the answer because it can not be proved one way or the other. It’s most likely equal parts lack of respect, lack of fear (that anyone within the Cal hierarchy is going to really take them on) and jealously (these Cal people think they’re so damn smart and have it made). It’s a puzzle with no solution.

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Great share and, yes, it's an ongoing disrespect.

We can only hope the ACC refs are not so disposed, but the Immaculate Encroachment call on us during the Notre Dame game was, I am pretty sure, ACC refs.

Maybe we need to tone down the Academic bragging and stick to sports when playing sports.

What position did you play?

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Centerfield. Sophomore year tied Fred Lynn to lead PAC 4/8 (for baseball to avoid travel coasts it was Cal, Stanford, USC and UCLA) in HRs, and led team/league in batting average senior year. We regularly beat Stanford and UCLA 4 or 5 out of 6 games, but USC always got the calls and the luck so we hardly ever beat them (even tho often leading in late innings and part if it was the bad calls combined with USC’s reputation back then as perennial winners of College World Series ( 5 years in a row…incredible). But you raise a good point. That fantom/corrupt call happened at Notre Dame because ND was playing at home AND they made sure to have ACC refs with Cal in town. The refs saw that Cal was actually dominating and as the field goal attempt by ND was clearly sailing wide left one of the refs quickly threw the off sides flag. Totally changed the momentum/the game. Conversely, Cal hierarchy is so naive as to let SEC refs come into our house to ref a game involving an SEC team (Auburn). The 1st play of the game we strip the ball on the sidelines and Sirmon returns for a TD. The SEC refs huddle and then decide that the line judge had prematurely blown his whistle (with the ball still in the field of play and nobody yet tackled) so they negate their touchdown call and after the fact decide it was only a fumble. You can’t make this stuff up! Cal should never have allowed SEC refs. If neutral refs we win the game. Cal top to bottom has to realize the problem and start speaking up and speaking out. That’s the only hope we have of ever changing this pattern or jinx or whatever u want to call it. Anyway, that’s what I’m thinking.

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I have heard Pawlawski say that Mike Leach, amongst others, have called out the bias for $C. I think there’s a fanboy effect where the starstruck officials will consciously or unconsciously call a game for a more famous “brand.” Then there’s outright payola. What’s more, there is probably an attrition rate where officials who cross or “disappoint” the big brands get more harassment and/or complaints from the bigger brands, so officials learn to call a game for the bigger brands.

Yes, I guess part of building our brand is becoming obnoxious a-holes as in the “squeaky wheel.”

Sounds like you, too, are an older one. I graduated in ‘80 and it was the PAC 8.

Did you get drafted? Joe Rudi is from my hometown, Modesto.

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Loved Joe Rudi. My sister lives in Baker, Oregon and Rudi has supported her charitable events and she speaks very highly of him. One of my favorite moments S a Cal player was the day we played the As in an exhibitione at Evans and u watched him hit 3 line drive ropes off the track stadium. Up till then I’d never seen a right handed hitter hit with such power to the opposite field. Great defensive outfielder. A key in those great As teams of mud 70s. Free agency money broke that team up. They would have dominated for years ala the Yankees.

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As recently as the late 90s, Rudi was selling real estate in Modesto. Yep, that was a great team; first pro team I ever saw. Free agency, then, like the Transfer Portal, now, changed/is changing everything.

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What do you mean by this question? Did I miss something?

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I think he was referring to the many questionable penalty calls on Cal and the many obvious non calls on Wazzu.

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gamesmanship or un-sportsmanship on that kneel down by Cal's defensive player when he couldn't get off the field in time?

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If you’re hurt you need to kneel or lay down to be considered injured for the clock/play to be stopped - I think it’s neither but instead the way the rules are setup…

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It was clear that the sideline was telling him to kneel cuz he wasn't going to get off the field in time. He immediately got up and jogged off the field (2 plays later he was back in). Sure, it was within the rules but it crushed Wazzu's drive and potential tying field goal or go ahead touchdown. Other teams have done it so nothing new, shady nevertheless.

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both?

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I went to a Diwali performance at the Kennedy Center and when I first checked the score it was 28-14 but just before the performance WSU scored late in the first. When I checked after it was 42-24 and I was feeling all right. When I checked after I got home it was 42-39 and I couldn't stand to turn the TV on but made and ate dinner. Glad they hung in.

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Today's game proved that you can't lose them all. After heartbreakers at home vs. Auburn and U$C it would have been cruel to lose this one after going up by 17 in the fourth quarter. Happy for the players, coaches and especially us long-suffering fans. It was weird and ugly but by Oski it was a win and we've seen precious few of those recently.

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The more I read about this (didn't see it because of other game) the more I can;t figure out how the Cougs didn't win, except, well, the Cougs. And the Bears aren't as good at Couging it, though it looks like they gave it a good try. But in the end, Oski disciples can forever fondly remember the last Pac-X game at Memorial for what it was, a classic WSU-Cal game; always memorable but never believable.

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Nov 12, 2023·edited Nov 12, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

This is a very Cal WSU game. The fans too were in it to the end. Glad our bowl hopes are alive for a little longer. Fewer stupid penalties, please.

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We will kick Stanford’s ass next week. Ott will run for over 200……u can take that to the bank……lol

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And fumble 3 times on the way to 200.

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Did Ott even fumble once last year? I wonder if its just unlucky or he’s more loose with the ball this year.

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Also kudos to Cade for his game-ending interception! Go Bears - Give ‘em the Axe!

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And he's only a true freshman.

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Nov 12, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

Ulaeve’s a good one.

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He is an amazing linebacker perfect for todays high speed game. Tough, strong and 4.5 speed in the 40. He will be our next All American LB

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What I want to know is why Pawlawski is not, at the least, our QB coach?

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I listen to his podcast and have been very impressed by him. Thought similarly about why he’s not coaching, but maybe his announcing and other activities is good enough for him?

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I can't imagine a scenario where he'd leave furd after 1 year to coach Cal

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That felt like a Cal-Wazzu game and we won. We'll see if we play these guys again but this was certainly representative.

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Nov 12, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

A win's a win

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Big Game next week. Take over the farm.

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Like 2003.

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Nov 12, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

We can’t even take over memorial

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its funny how i expect more of a Cal takeover at Stanford like 2021 than a better home crowd. apathy vs pure hatred

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2019 was really good too.

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Ha! That’s fair.

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The Espn2 guy was awful and not fair minded. The woman was great and objective.

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Yeah he took great pleasure in correcting her when she stated that a wsu ball carrier ran out of bounds which used to stop the clock. She suggested it was a mistake on the wsu player and he went to great lengths to tell her how wrong she was.

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I noticed this too. And how he went on and on about how the reviews were going to stand when she was pointing out that the player was down before the line to gain. He wouldn’t let it go. The two of them seemed at odds most of the game. I thought she interrupted him several times to do the play by play. Maybe it was his error in not shutting up, but I was thinking it probably didn’t make him too happy. I did think she did a good job with play by play and was very happy to see a female announcer in that role. I was thinking the sideline reporter Stormy wasn’t much of a value add.

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Beth Mowins had a perfectly cromulent game of play-by-play.

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Nov 12, 2023·edited Nov 12, 2023

We need to clone Joe Starkey at age 25

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Gawd, no.

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Haha, not a fan of Starkey?

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Never was.

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Not our prettiest game of best win! We had some amazing defensive plays and on offense at times we looks great but then we also looks absolutely terrible on a few drives while I'm glad we won and got 1 win closer to bowl eligibility I would have like to see less stupid penalties that could have cost us the game if it weren't for all the drops by the wsu wide receivers!

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Glad for the players and the coaching staff. They fought hard and deserved this win. A win is a win. Hopefully this will give our damn good players confidence to continue winning going forward. Ott is the man!!! Keep feeding him the ball. Go Bears!!

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Nov 12, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

Having a glass of red wine in celebration.

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Hell…if already had half a bottle….lol

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