182 Comments

DBD Weekend

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Heading up to Tahoe to ski. No 3 was here Sat and ended up testing positive after negative tests on Thurs and Fri. So he stayed here until Tues and quarantined for the most part. His symptoms were gone by Mon/Tues. So far no symptoms and two negative tests so heading up. I've got my friend's cabin to myself so I'm OK as long as I test negative.

Have to decide whether or not to ski on Sun since there is a report of 18" on Sun and I don't think my TSX can handle that.

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most of the snow seems overnight on Sat. and then continuing into Sun.

so Sun = powder day!!

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I've got to see how that goes. Don't think my TSX can do much if there's a lot of snow. Although it's probably more an issue with the small streets by the cabin since I assume they'll plow at Northstar and truckee

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I watched the Chicago one get built in real time. Really cool to see the process.

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Age yourself with a store that no longer exists

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Oh, Big Boy’s, as to which I note that I was in Palo Alto recently and there was a restaurant off University that had a Big Boy statue out, I guess as like kitsch

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Borders (amongst other non-Amazon bookstore casualties)

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That was the ultimate big fish eating smaller fish than getting eaten by bigger fish situation tho. They put so many little shops out of business

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Fry’s Electronics

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The Portage Street one in Palo Alto was awesome...and you never knew what nerdy entrepreneur you were going to run into...

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The Diamond Center

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Feb 2, 2023·edited Feb 2, 2023

YES! Paul was an f-ing LEGEND! Tho I'm a Giants fan, he and George Zimmer lead the dream new Oakland A's ownership group.

https://youtu.be/7O84dpaJu3c

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I remember seeing George Zimmer outside the Oakland Arena before a Billy Joel concert. I think someone yelled asking if he was wearing a Men's Warehouse suit.

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I remember always feeling bad for those women who had to carry Paul around in this ad.

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Totally! They don’t look like they’re having a ton of fun!

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Cala Foods

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Pick 'N Save.

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Rather Ripped (On Hearst & Euclid) - absolutely loved that shop, had new good stuff, but ALSO used, and illegal, not for sale albums - I was able to buy many at around $2 - I stopped there and checked it out nearly every single day, but maybe only would buy 1 record / week.

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Limited Too

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I will go with Mervyn’s since KMart still has 3 stores left.

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The Ice House, Montclair.

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the classical-music-only Tower Records on Telegraph.

it was next to Good Earth (i think) that was an oddly name stereo store. unless i am totally misremembering.

i didnt really learn to appreciate western classical music until i got to Cal. since i had some extra $$ from the job, i would treat myself to a CD or 2 from Tower Records once a month.

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Feb 2, 2023·edited Feb 2, 2023

I lived at Bay & Hyde, across from Russian Hill park, for law school…would hit up the Tower Records on the corner of Columbus & Bay at least once a week. I remember waiting in line some early a.m.’s for Bridge School Benefit tickets…

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Was it Good Earth? I thought there was an Uncle Ralph's there, though maybe that was down the street. I think I used to buy Maxell tapes there.

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Your comment reminds me of Whole Earth Access. Their Berkeley store was on Ashby at 7th St. There were also stores in Marin County (San Rafael?) and in San Francisco.

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I loved that store. So many different things in different buildings.

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Ski Hut

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Tri-City in Fremont. That place was enormous.

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Any Mountain

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Consumers Cooperative of Berkeley, Inc., aka the Co-op.

Three locations that I can remember -

1550 Shattuck Ave (at Cedar St.) - now an Andronico's location. This was the location my mom shopped at most often when we lived in Berkeley. It was here, according to my mother, that I spoke my first complete sentence.

1414 University Ave (at Acton St.) - now a Target. The annual Christmas tree sale was in the parking lot at this location.

3000 Telegraph Ave (between Ashby Ave and Webster St.) - now a Whole Foods.

My grandmother's member number was 4 digits and started with 8. My mom's member number was 23660. That number is embedded in my memory.

There was also a Twin Pines Federal Credit Union across Shattuck Ave from that location.

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Junior and senior year of high school I worked in the co-op bookshops at Shattuck and Telegraph (don't think the University Avenue store had one). Our families and virtually every other Finnish-Americans we knew were members. Berkeley Finns helped found the co-op.

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I remember driving past the one on Telegraph and Ashby.

I think the one on University was an Andronicos in the early 90s.

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You are correct, sir!

Andronico's was at its most expansive in the 1990s. The original Berkeley location was near the top of Solano Ave. They also had a Telegraph Ave location (between Carleton and Derby Sts., now a CVS Pharmacy). Andronico's also was in SF.

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I used to go to the Telegraph Andronico's all the time because it was the closest supermarket to my apartment. I vaguely remember people referring to it by the business that was there before, "Stop and Go" or something.

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Maybe it was Shop and Go? That was an old phrase associated with Andronico's. I understand it dates back to the 1930s.

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Yes that's the one!

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Was the Andronicos in SF over by the mall off 19th ave? Or maybe that was a Petrinis.

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There is still an Andronicos a few blocks off 19th, just a bit south of GG park.

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Bill Andronico was an econ major with me and graduated in 1980 or thereabouts. A basketball player who could start for the Bears today. ==

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Circuit City

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JB's Big Boy (still two in Utah, but gone everywhere else)

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Music Plus, where I camped out as a teen to buy concert tickets

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Groundhog

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Meanwhile, in Quebec, there's that awkward moment when you try to wake the groundhog up to do the ceremony and you find out he's dead and have to announce it to the crowd.

https://twitter.com/sarahleavittcbc/status/1621139698608640001

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Feb 2, 2023·edited Feb 2, 2023

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning meaning 6 more weeks of winter.

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At first, I didn't do the math on what 6 more weeks of winter weather meant. And it's never really clear what an "early spring" means. But 6 more weeks of winter weather means that spring comes on or about March 15, which is at least 6 days before the official end of winter at the Vernal Equinox.

So, tell me, aren't they just different ways of stating the same thing?

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Look, when you live in a place that could still give you snow in May, you really want spring to come early.

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I remember a couple of May snowstorms in Saratoga Springs…those were some real eye openers.

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Day, starring Bill Murray.

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F-ing Ned Ryerson.....BING

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Ned Ryerson was played by Stephen Toblowsky. Toblowsky was in a band called "Cast of Thousands" in 1971. He played guitar, along with fellow bandmate Stevie Ray Vaughn.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=L_9o6MvOz-Y

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Fantastic character actor.

Loved him in Sneakers.

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TIL: Punxsutawney Phil is immortal, but his wife isn't.

https://www.groundhog.org/phil-faq

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Bee Cave Bob > Punxsutawney Phil

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Montreal

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Canadians. Used to be a hockey powerhouse. Still have nearly twice as many Stanley Cups (24) as their closest pursuer, and as many as the next 2 combined.

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Mmmmm sweet bagels.

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Expos were robbed during the strike shorten season of 1994. If baseball does expand, they should go to Montreal and bring the Expos back.

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I remember walking up at an early season game and getting a seat about ten rows behind home for not very much money. Can't remember what year it was but not many folks at the game.

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I appreciate that even though they moved to DC and became the Nationals, I still occasionally see folks with Expos gear in the DC/MD area

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There were some good “Montreal Expos 2019 WS Champs” shirts

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or let the Rays split time there. That would be interesting if MLB let them do that.

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Tampa players probably not exactly looking forward to 120 road games a year!

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I was really hoping that would play out.

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Florida sucks, they should just move outright

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Exactly this. Fuck Florida, especially Tampa.

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I planned Newellbany's Bachelor Party weekend...started with a day at the races at Saratoga, followed by a night out which, for those not familiar, is a great little town. We then drove north on 87 to Montreal for a somewhat debaucherous evening...

The province of Quebec hasn't been the same since...

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Please expand further on the evening in Montreal. For research purposes.

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There were visits to the type of establishment hag references below….I also learned just how many of our buddies were categorically NOT shot drinkers…

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I had a co-worker that used to go there when in Albany for work. Strip clubs are a whole level above in the US is how he described it.

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Never went to any strip club, but they sure had some great restaurants for food.

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What else is there to do in Montreal then?

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Feb 2, 2023·edited Feb 2, 2023

Schwartz's Deli ... is better than Katz's in NYC.

known for Montreal-style smoked meat which is like pastrami but better - tender juicy fatty .. all the good things.

served on rye bread w/ mustard.

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Beautiful city. It was super humid when I went in June.

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I went there a couple times for work trips just before covid and always found it to be an enjoyable, reasonably priced (at least, flying from the mid-Atlantic where it's a 90-minute direct flight) trip. It's a quirky, historical city with a Western European vibe: lots of great parks and a wide variety of restaurants. I didn't care for poutine, though.

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It is cool - like 50% a Euro

City and 50% a N American one

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Throw in some poutine and you have yourself a deal!

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i LOVE poutine. but even if you dont there is great food in Montreal of all varieties.

the Mile End district has lots of great choices

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The #1 restaurant on TripAdvisor for Montreal doesn't exist

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-fake-restaurant-tripadvisor-1.6733629

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A song with "star" in the lyrics

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“Hey Big Star” Kishi Bashi

https://youtu.be/_Dc4IlAcnVs

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"Stardog Champion" - Mother Love Bone

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Drive My Car - The Beatles

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Dark Star.

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Dope Show - Marilyn Manson

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Nicki Minaj - Starships

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Shooting Star...Bad Company

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Fireball XL5 theme song

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“When The Stars Begin to Fall” by Tomahawk

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"Shining Star" Earth, Wind & Fire

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"Starfuckers, Inc." Nine Inch Nails

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Star 69, REM

Starman, David Bowie

Video Killed the Radio Star, the Buggles

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Video Killed the Radio Star - I did not know that, but know the song - odd.

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First video aired on MTV!

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Never matched that - 100% only listened to that song on KALX

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"Lucky Star" by Madonna

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Food that masquerades as something healthy

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Yogurt (though I still eat a lot)

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Grits

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Brown rice

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Corn

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dark chocolate protein bars

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Granola bars.

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Cream of Wheat

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Oatmeal

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various milk alternatives (at least, those with 25g of added sugars per serving)

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All milk actually

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lettuce, perhaps the most inefficient way to transport water after open canals through the central valley

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And as a Monterey native, the Salinas valley! Is big there

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She blinded me with...

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Discovery of ancient Egyptian embalming workshop reveals new techniques and technology

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/01/africa/ancient-egypt-mummy-embalming-workshop-scn/index.html

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Coward

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ly Lion.

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Courage, the ______ly Dog

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Noel

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something you did against your will or unwitting did

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Become a Cal football/basketball fan. Not so much I did it against my will, it was more unwittingly.

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Run a quarter mile. And later, a full, 4 lap mile. Someone for some reason thought those distances were applicable to everyone, even those of us who never ran further than the length of a football field or around the bases at once, ever, in any other context.

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Did you guys ever do the beer mile at Cal? That was some serious endurance. I did not barf, at least!!!

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Feb 2, 2023·edited Feb 2, 2023

90 feet is also an arbitrary distance, but it is the most commonly run distance in all of sport. Or so said Spencer Tracy in Woman of the Year.

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Playing youth soccer the ball ticked off my foot diagonally when I kicked it and it went into our goal. I actually scored a goal for the opposing team.

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It was our Del Mar team (garbed in blue and gold actually) against Leucadia in the north county playoffs.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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US Rep. Ruben Gallego (D, AZ-27) announces his candidacy to unseat Synema

https://twitter.com/RubenGallego/status/1617507452198469636

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PRO

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Verlander and Alcantara awarded their Cy Young awards for being the most valuble [sic] pitchers in the AL and NL.

https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1619696199799537667

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Kazuyoshi Miura on loan to second-division Portuguese team on loan from Yokohama FC. The catch: he turns 56 this month. Man, I'd love to have legs that look that good at 56.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64488275

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what's the big deal. he turns 56 this month? I turned 56 last year. I could do this if I were as young as he is! ;-)

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I can't wait to turn 56 and be as healthy as he is! And here I thought my body was just going to keep cooking up decays du jour.

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I'm assuming that "he" is Miura, not me ;-)

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Whichever of you is healthier

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oh...so that'd be him :-(

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When I grew up in Japan, there were two superstars that everyone recognized. Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuyoshi Miura. Miura was the face of the newly formed J-League, went on to play in Serie A, and led the country to its first ever World Cup appearance in 1998. However the country went in shock when he was left out of the final roster and to this day, he's still playing so that he can play in a World Cup game.

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well now I feel even more old and useless

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DBD AV Club

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"Night Court" NBC 5/19...I've given it 4 episodes now and this week's did it for me. I'm done. I tried, but it's just dumb.

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We tried to give it a shot this week too, and thought "meh". Then watched our first ever viewing of American Auto and it was so much better than Night Court, made our Night Court evaluation turn to "lame garbage".

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Elsewhere in college

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About one-third of Liberty's WSWIM team was home schooled.

https://www.liberty.edu/flames/swimming-diving/roster/

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CAL

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Go Bears!!!

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Looks like Cal got a PWO PK. Sailer Kicking has him as the #6 Kicker in their program. 5 stars out of 6.

https://twitter.com/mateen_bhaghani/status/1620936181684011008

https://chrissailerkicking.com/player-rankings/profile?player=11763

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[MSOC] Name any of the top eight men for career goals at Cal (scored, not included assists)?

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I'm not sure I can even name a men's soccer player.

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I know one. Carrasco, Alex Morgan's husband.

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Speaking of Alex Morgan, she's in a new commercial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGlzoMDa2CA

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Even Alex Morgan can't convince me to buy Michelob ultra

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A few outlets rate the Bears' class of recruits 12th in the Pac12. I tend to think this is inaccurate. One even claims we didn't sign a QB! Yes, ASU got Jaden Rashada but who knows what the future holds. For me, I am pretty excited about Sam V's potential...

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Our HS recruiting has cratered. Luckily the portal exist but even taking that into account, our lack of HS recruiting is concerning.

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Someone wrote that we don't have that many outgoing seniors so didn't have as many spots to offer (at least before the portal opened). The extra covid year is still causing a backlog. So the portal was extremely important this year.

But we're not setting the recruiting world on fire even taking that into account.

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Cal lost more to the portal than to running out of eligibility, and coupled with the holes that already existed, a number of transfers with some experience were needed, vs hs recruits most of which will need more development time than the Bears can afford currently.

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3 seasons of mostly struggling will do that to you.

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Rashada went to ASU?

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His Dad played at ASU under Bruce Snyder. The curse of Bockrath lingers.

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I wonder if his dad grew up in the Bay and was one of the Snyder Cal recruits that decommitted after Snyder left.

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Feb 2, 2023·edited Feb 2, 2023

Ya.

They bowl this year, thanks to 8 home games...8!!!

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Many of these rankings don't account for additions via the transfer portal, so they're even less reliable than they were in the past. That said, falling behind the likes of Wazzu and Arizona is disappointing.

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247 ranks us 10th overall in the PAC which includes HS and transfers

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That’s pretty accurate.

A lot riding on the shoulders and legs of Sammy Jax the Fifth…..

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