Welcome to the Daily Bear Dump (DBD) - a community space where one can talk about anything, so long as it complies with community policies. Since I started doing the needful, I put at least one theme to the DBD - the theory being that Cal fans are erudite and can seemlessly BS about pretty much anything.
Today’s themes are:
Helmets, Little league, Tie games, mercy etiquette for blowouts, protective gear, sweet potatoes
France is in the midst of rolling out a second booster for over-80s only --they announced this last week. Last month, they changed their entrance requirements to require a (single) booster for those whose second shot was more than 9 months ago.
I have not heard a peep about requiring a fourth shot for entrance, which would be an odd thing to require since they're not offering fourth shots in their own country except for the super-wrinklies.
Researchers from around the country and world can apply to come use the facility where I work. They and our staff have had to navigate a tricky path during the time when we required two vaccines, but some countries only gave you one vaccine if you had had COVID.
The current policy is that masks are optional regardless of vaccination status, which is also tricky!
Ukraine destroys large Russian vessel through unknown means, launches successful counterattacks against Russian positions. Also, through lack of availability of critical parts due to the sanctions, Russia will not be able to maintain manufacturing of tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Wife and I finished 'The Gilded Age' last night. Decent escapist eyecandy, with an exceptional cast. I love watching Christine Baranski in any crabby/snarky role she can get.
Football shoulder pads have evolved some, but they're pretty much the same design over the past 50 years. Yet linemen play has evolved a lot. Defensive linemen know to attack an o-lineman's shoulder because there's a convenient lever/handle there due to the shoulder cowling. Why aren't there shoulder pads designed for o-linemen than eliminate that handle?
I've almost perfected my sweet potato cube cooking technique. I'll cube an SP into about 1 cm³, toss with oil & salt. Preheat an airfyer for 3 minute and cook at about 350 until toasted with edges getting dark brown - which is about 10 minutes, shaking the tray a couple times in between to stir up the cubes . The sweet spot for caramelizing sugar is about 350 degrees. Sweet potatoes and butternut squash cooked near this temperature for a decent time convert from starchy tubers into jammy, candy-like nuggets - like the sweetness of a raisin.
I forgot to add that I use Garnet sweet potatoes. I've tried yams and they stay starchy/tasteless. Purple Japanese sweet potatoes turn TOO sugary - like pixie stix sweet.
As a basketball ref, I've seen most programs know when to dial it back. But not always. The most obvious example is a very good full court press team, playing against an inferior team that has no clue on how to break a press. It deflates the losing team pretty quick, and give no real learning opportunities to the winning team. One lopsided game was 48-0 at the half. Most teams I've seen in this spot start the second half calling off the press, practice their zone play, and give backups a plenty of play. Not this one team. They were still pressing and keeping the starters in. My ref partner and I started blowing our whistles the second the defense came up to press, calling "blocking" or "push" on the defense. After 4 in a row, the coach finally got it, and pulled his team back.
In the beauty pageant that is college football, sometimes you shouldn't show mercy. (See: California v. Southern Miss 2004)
And there should never be mercy against your rivals. Who would want Cal to take a knee instead of punching it in for one more TD in the Big Game?
I also poo-poo most of the unwritten rules of baseball. Like, even with a big lead in the late innings, you should feel free to swing away. You get paid based on stats. Maybe don't try to steal a base, though.
I guess what I'm saying is that mercy etiquette is mostly for little league.
Yes, softball does have a mercy rule. It is based on the 10 run rule, although I'm not certain of the earliest inning of enforcement (it's often the 4th inning).
In football, ties are a legit outcome. Ties should be the standard in the regular season at both the college and NFL levels if only for injury mitigation and prevention.
If you're going to change the rules on kickoffs because it's the most dangerous play in the game (which both the NCAA and the NFL have done), you also ought to give a hard look at playing additional snaps beyond regulation and how it impacts injuries. Reduce the risk - allow games to end in a tie in the regular season.
Overtime should exist only in playoffs or bowl games for college and playoffs for the NFL.
HSB, were you active in the Chess scene at Cal in your time in the early 90's? We most likely crossed paths if you were. I ran the majority of the SUPERB events from 91-93, and organized other Chess activities.
There is little separation, but there are also clear tiers, marked mainly by consistency. When Hikaru was at his peak, he could beat anyone, but was also susceptible to multiple bad games in a row and finishing in the middle of the pack. Carlsen, Aronion, Caruana (my top tier right now), they never seem to have bad streaks or multiple games. I compare top level Chess to top level golf. The truly great ones NEVER have 2 bad outcomes in a row. Yes, occasionally someone can win in a weekend, but sustaining that over several weeks/months is what separate them.
He's interesting. He helped usher in this current "chess is cool" period where other eSports stars are playing Chess along with their primary games. Are you following other games via youtube?
No. I don't know how his games popped up on youtube for me. I watched a couple where it looked like he was in outdoor seating at a cafe or coffee shop. Maybe he was playing younger kids or older people. Can't remember.
Coach Aristotle Thompson and his loving wife Sarah have four kids. One of his kids, Bryson, has had severe epilepsy since he was 4 and remains uncontrolled today. Helmets are generally not covered by insurance, so the Thompsons started Helmets4Helmets - a foundation to get helmets for kids who need them. Coach Thompson has a full time job as a coach/recruiter. And then has another job as a father of 4 + husband. And then has another job on top of it doing this. Show Coach Thompson you care by dropping a few bucks to his charity.
i flipped over on my road bike a couple years ago, broke a bunch of ribs and collarbone and almost certainly had a concussion since i had a 5-10 memory gap.
still unclear what caused me to flip over, it is was a mini-dehydration event or a road hazard like a big pothole or drainage thingy.
since then i have been riding w/ a Garmin watch w/ a "accident detection" feature that will text my favorite people if stop moving in a sudden way. some helmets have this tech built in these days as well.
the funny thing is that it mostly goes off when i smack the net cord w/ my tennis racquet in disgust ...
I never wore helmets since I don't fall skiing, biking, skating, or anything like that. I'm sure I have a massive case of bias that distorts my perception of risk, but... *shrug*.
MASSIVE case of bias, and I say this as someone who for years road my 10 speed at +/- 50 mph down Claremont Canyon with only my flowing locks to protect my noggin until my wife bought me a helmet.
I dunno. This smells like they're trying really hard to pretend like they're better than everyone else, but they ain't. We've seen that movie before with them.
Living in PA right now, I get bombarded with Dr Oz ads constantly. Both the ones by him about how he's a political outsider and also the ones by his GOP opponent about how he's a Hollywood liberal elite. Nothing yet on how he's just a quack.
Apparently they are considered Special Government Employees, which the Act says may not be a candidate for nomination or election to public office in a partisan election.
I love watching him play. Sometimes when he gets the ball and decides to drive it reminds me of Jaylen Brown at Cal. Once Kuminga figures it all out he's going to be a beast.
That '89 team was a fave. They probably were never winning that series, the A's were stacked with a top heavy rotation and the Juicers...but it probably would've been more competitive without the Quake...getting Stew and Moore back to back with the 10 day layoff hurt.
The A's were clearly better, but then again they were also better than the Dodgers in '88 and the Reds in '90 but lost those World Series anyway.
I think the '89 Giants didn't have the kind of power pitching to shut down the A's hitters like those other teams did, though. They had finesse, veteran types that relied on good defense and Roger Craig creating the right matchups. That kind of team can get pummeled against a lineup with no holes.
Welch was solid but nowhere near as dominant in ‘89 as his 27-6 year. Storm Davis was weak, and had the worst haircut in baseball. Giants had a better staff in ‘93. A’s were better…
…which made the Trophy in 2010 all the more special…and the one in 2012…and the one in 2014…
Oh I missed reading a word and the question was pro player.
No 3 asked me this question on the drive back from Tahoe and his was Kiké Hernandez. I said maybe Chris Taylor. Although I may also go with Graterol or Dustin May. The movement they get on a 2 seamer is ridiculous.
Ygnacio Valley's Lance Blankenship for the sole reason that I caught a barehanded foul ball off him at a game on the 4th of July in 1989. Blankenship was probably the worst player on one of my favorite teams: Rickey, Steinbach, McGuire, Canseco, Lansford, Gallego, Tony Phillips, Dave Henderson, Stan Javier, Dave Parker, Walt Weiss, Luis Polona, Dave Stewart, Mike Moore, Bob Welch, Storm Davis, Curt Young, Honeycutt, Eckersley, and a journeyman who was to play his last game as a player... Billy Beane.
I have a signed Lance Blankenship MLB ball! 16 year old Newellbany (probably with Jimmy Chitwood) rode the ten speed down to Clyde's Cards on Grand Ave in Oakland where he was signing.
Except the main tattoo sig was Bellinger. The guy said he would tattoo Bellinger's sig if he signed his arm. I think Beaty was probably the next one to sign and the guy opted to do his as well.
Today in Coronavirus
i am hearing - from French neighbor - that places like France are requiring a 2nd booster (4th shot) to enter country but cant find any news about it.
it would certainly affect my summer travel plans as i am not sure how/when we will be getting a 2nd booster here in the US.
The US government hasn't even approved funding for a 4th shot for everyone yet, so that would be interesting.
France is in the midst of rolling out a second booster for over-80s only --they announced this last week. Last month, they changed their entrance requirements to require a (single) booster for those whose second shot was more than 9 months ago.
I have not heard a peep about requiring a fourth shot for entrance, which would be an odd thing to require since they're not offering fourth shots in their own country except for the super-wrinklies.
super wrinklies...ha! (we'll need to pin this for when we're all older!)
Researchers from around the country and world can apply to come use the facility where I work. They and our staff have had to navigate a tricky path during the time when we required two vaccines, but some countries only gave you one vaccine if you had had COVID.
The current policy is that masks are optional regardless of vaccination status, which is also tricky!
what if i just stick my arm with a syringe that has the vaccine in it, but don't depress it - and then wait at the door to see if I need it or not?
Ukraine/Russia
UK, Sweden, and Germany have respectively committed to 6k, 5k, and 2k more anti-tank weapons for Ukraine.
Ukraine destroys large Russian vessel through unknown means, launches successful counterattacks against Russian positions. Also, through lack of availability of critical parts due to the sanctions, Russia will not be able to maintain manufacturing of tanks and armored personnel carriers.
cool >>> unknown means
Zelensky asks the free world to demonstrate against the war today - one month into the war
https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1506819956968595457
DBD AV Club
Also finished the 2nd season of Cheer - such a weird subculture.
Wife and I finished 'The Gilded Age' last night. Decent escapist eyecandy, with an exceptional cast. I love watching Christine Baranski in any crabby/snarky role she can get.
She was fantastic. I wish George Russell was a Cal grad...we'd have serious NIL deals.
I share your -- is it appreciation or lust? -- for her.
She was nice and all, but if you're asking me, I would have gone for Mrs. Russell
That’s who we are referring to ;-)
And it is probably a little of both, OD!
And who I am in deep smit….
I've been smitten since season 2 of The Sinner...she was great.
Started "The Other Ones" pretty funny cringe-worthy comedy. Episode 3 of Winning was back on form after a meandering episode 2.
is that the "I wanna marry you at recess" show? if so, it was good.
Yup
it's very good. S3 (I think it is) isn't so great, but it's very bingeworthy.
Yes, going off of my faulty memory.
is lance the sister's ex or the manager/mom's beau?
Started Severance on Hulu...interesting. Will watch ep. # 2.
sounds like a tough thing to do...it being on ATV+ and all ;-)
Takes a few eps to get going, but yeah, E6 was intense! (@terence)
the most recent episode really cranks it up
Protective gear
Football shoulder pads have evolved some, but they're pretty much the same design over the past 50 years. Yet linemen play has evolved a lot. Defensive linemen know to attack an o-lineman's shoulder because there's a convenient lever/handle there due to the shoulder cowling. Why aren't there shoulder pads designed for o-linemen than eliminate that handle?
I think they have evolved. They are much lighter and smaller today than they were in the 80s and 90s.
I like how knee pads have almost disappeared in the NFL.
Hip and butt pads have been gone for a long time.
Yeah, watch any game from the 90s and the shoulder pads are super bulky.
Sweet potato
I do not like them on Thanksgiving,
I do not like them baked,
I do not like them in a pie,
I cannot lie.
have you tried them with a fox?
have you tried them in a box?
you may like them, you will see
you may like them in a tree!
I got a bunch for free,
Which I ate at brunch,
I even had the leftovers for lunch,
It only confirmed my hunch,
That I do not like them much.
Well boys, what it looks like we have here is an old-fashioned Seuss-off
I've almost perfected my sweet potato cube cooking technique. I'll cube an SP into about 1 cm³, toss with oil & salt. Preheat an airfyer for 3 minute and cook at about 350 until toasted with edges getting dark brown - which is about 10 minutes, shaking the tray a couple times in between to stir up the cubes . The sweet spot for caramelizing sugar is about 350 degrees. Sweet potatoes and butternut squash cooked near this temperature for a decent time convert from starchy tubers into jammy, candy-like nuggets - like the sweetness of a raisin.
I forgot to add that I use Garnet sweet potatoes. I've tried yams and they stay starchy/tasteless. Purple Japanese sweet potatoes turn TOO sugary - like pixie stix sweet.
will have to try this. i generally end up w/ a mushy mess that reinforces my dislike for them
Is it the mushy texture that's a turn off for you?
i think so. tastes like baby food. perfectly good flavor, just mushy texture.
The Pie Hole makes a delicious sweet potato pie
Mercy etiquette
As a basketball ref, I've seen most programs know when to dial it back. But not always. The most obvious example is a very good full court press team, playing against an inferior team that has no clue on how to break a press. It deflates the losing team pretty quick, and give no real learning opportunities to the winning team. One lopsided game was 48-0 at the half. Most teams I've seen in this spot start the second half calling off the press, practice their zone play, and give backups a plenty of play. Not this one team. They were still pressing and keeping the starters in. My ref partner and I started blowing our whistles the second the defense came up to press, calling "blocking" or "push" on the defense. After 4 in a row, the coach finally got it, and pulled his team back.
In the beauty pageant that is college football, sometimes you shouldn't show mercy. (See: California v. Southern Miss 2004)
And there should never be mercy against your rivals. Who would want Cal to take a knee instead of punching it in for one more TD in the Big Game?
I also poo-poo most of the unwritten rules of baseball. Like, even with a big lead in the late innings, you should feel free to swing away. You get paid based on stats. Maybe don't try to steal a base, though.
I guess what I'm saying is that mercy etiquette is mostly for little league.
Don't they have it for college softball?
Yes, softball does have a mercy rule. It is based on the 10 run rule, although I'm not certain of the earliest inning of enforcement (it's often the 4th inning).
The NCAA rule is now 8 run lead with the losing side batted at least 5 times (so 5 innings)
chess .. there is a clear point of resignation when one side realizes they are beat. but it might take the weaker player longer to realize it
i guess against Deep Blue or AlphaGo you should resign right away!
Tie games
In football, ties are a legit outcome. Ties should be the standard in the regular season at both the college and NFL levels if only for injury mitigation and prevention.
If you're going to change the rules on kickoffs because it's the most dangerous play in the game (which both the NCAA and the NFL have done), you also ought to give a hard look at playing additional snaps beyond regulation and how it impacts injuries. Reduce the risk - allow games to end in a tie in the regular season.
Overtime should exist only in playoffs or bowl games for college and playoffs for the NFL.
another chess post .. there is very little separation among the top players these days.
a typical championship match ends tied 6-6 and decided by several rounds of speed chess
>> rapid chess was used as a tie-breaker; Carlsen won three consecutive games to retain his title and became four-time world champion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship_2018
HSB, were you active in the Chess scene at Cal in your time in the early 90's? We most likely crossed paths if you were. I ran the majority of the SUPERB events from 91-93, and organized other Chess activities.
no. i am just one of those people who really like it and wish i had taken chess more seriously.
i might have gone to a few Go events at the faculty club when i first learned how to play.
I am pretty good at Go, better than I am at chess.
There is little separation, but there are also clear tiers, marked mainly by consistency. When Hikaru was at his peak, he could beat anyone, but was also susceptible to multiple bad games in a row and finishing in the middle of the pack. Carlsen, Aronion, Caruana (my top tier right now), they never seem to have bad streaks or multiple games. I compare top level Chess to top level golf. The truly great ones NEVER have 2 bad outcomes in a row. Yes, occasionally someone can win in a weekend, but sustaining that over several weeks/months is what separate them.
I don't know why, but somehow my youtube feed had some Hikaru videos.
He's interesting. He helped usher in this current "chess is cool" period where other eSports stars are playing Chess along with their primary games. Are you following other games via youtube?
No. I don't know how his games popped up on youtube for me. I watched a couple where it looked like he was in outdoor seating at a cafe or coffee shop. Maybe he was playing younger kids or older people. Can't remember.
Never liked them in 99% of cases.
I never minded them. Could make for interesting decisions at the end of games, also added another element to standings.
I'd love a tie by USMNT tonight!
And that's what we got, although, we easily could have won.
Helmets
FB Lucas Gingold vs. DB Jordan Morgan
https://twitter.com/CamWorrell/status/316792175105024001
Coach Aristotle Thompson and his loving wife Sarah have four kids. One of his kids, Bryson, has had severe epilepsy since he was 4 and remains uncontrolled today. Helmets are generally not covered by insurance, so the Thompsons started Helmets4Helmets - a foundation to get helmets for kids who need them. Coach Thompson has a full time job as a coach/recruiter. And then has another job as a father of 4 + husband. And then has another job on top of it doing this. Show Coach Thompson you care by dropping a few bucks to his charity.
helmets4helmets.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8irdEz9-nA&t=11s
I wear a helmet whenever I play professional football. It's de rigueur.
"In the Spring, we'd make meat helmets." -- Dr. Evil
save lives ..
i flipped over on my road bike a couple years ago, broke a bunch of ribs and collarbone and almost certainly had a concussion since i had a 5-10 memory gap.
still unclear what caused me to flip over, it is was a mini-dehydration event or a road hazard like a big pothole or drainage thingy.
since then i have been riding w/ a Garmin watch w/ a "accident detection" feature that will text my favorite people if stop moving in a sudden way. some helmets have this tech built in these days as well.
the funny thing is that it mostly goes off when i smack the net cord w/ my tennis racquet in disgust ...
Last 2 I bought were ski helmets. One for myself in Jan and another for No 3 a couple of weeks ago.
i have fallen hard while skiing a couple times and been grateful for the ski helmet but never anything really concerning
I never wore helmets since I don't fall skiing, biking, skating, or anything like that. I'm sure I have a massive case of bias that distorts my perception of risk, but... *shrug*.
MASSIVE case of bias, and I say this as someone who for years road my 10 speed at +/- 50 mph down Claremont Canyon with only my flowing locks to protect my noggin until my wife bought me a helmet.
I never wore one in college while blasting down Hearst. I did have one for when I rode fire trails. yeah that makes sense...
I use a helmet for snowboarding and cycling.
Schmidt
Elsewhere in college
Penn State announces launch of name, image and likeness collective to support athletes
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/penn-state-announces-launch-of-name-image-and-likeness-collective-to-support-athletes/
I dunno. This smells like they're trying really hard to pretend like they're better than everyone else, but they ain't. We've seen that movie before with them.
Pretend they're better than everyone else? Penn St? Naaaaahhhhh......
Political stuff
Ron Perlman not happy with a couple Republican senators.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ron-perlman-leads-ted-cruz-backlash-with-foul-mouthed-tirade-over-ketanji-brown-jackson-questioning/ar-AAVqVe7?ocid=msedgntp
Biden fires Dr. Oz. Frankly, I'm surprised DNC didn't clear house ASAP of all the Trump appointees. Apropos: Louis DeJoy is still Postmaster General.
https://twitter.com/DrOz/status/1506747209966133252
Living in PA right now, I get bombarded with Dr Oz ads constantly. Both the ones by him about how he's a political outsider and also the ones by his GOP opponent about how he's a Hollywood liberal elite. Nothing yet on how he's just a quack.
Herschel Walker out too. WH says you can't be on a board and be a candidate for office.
Hatch Act violation. But they should be fired regardless because they're dumb/nuts.
Since they are (were) unpaid members on an advisory board does the Hatch Act apply to them? Agree they should be fired regardless.
Apparently they are considered Special Government Employees, which the Act says may not be a candidate for nomination or election to public office in a partisan election.
https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/sge-guide-for-doi-ethics-rules-final-09.15.20-1.pdf
On the extra upside, Biden is nominating Jose Andres and Elena Delle Donne to replace them. Nice upgrade for sure.
Thanks. Hopefully this is their category so they can't push back too hard if/when fired. And yes to the replacements. Jose Andres is one of my heroes.
Let's get rid of DeJoy. Dr. Oz is insane.
Why Trump is Losing his Grip on the GOP
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/03/24/trump-losing-gop-00019941
Not an unreasonable analysis, except that it doesn't account for the media support that Trump has (since he's good for ratings).
Marsha Blackburn quotes the Constitution*
https://twitter.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1506772336812429319
* - not the Constitution
PRO
MVS signs $30/3 year contract with Chiefs. WTF he is not worth that much money.
Warriors beat best team in east w/o Curry, Thompson. Draymond
i only caught the last half of the 4th Q, but Poole was putting on a good show.
if only they could all play well together ...
Looks like everyone's shooting got hot at the same time. Nice win for the backups!
Kuminga athletic as hell.
I love watching him play. Sometimes when he gets the ball and decides to drive it reminds me of Jaylen Brown at Cal. Once Kuminga figures it all out he's going to be a beast.
And that tornado drive by Wiggins at the end there was great.
John Stockton is... uh... doing something to his legacy.
https://sports.yahoo.com/john-stockton-claims-list-hundreds-200913392.html
He said the same thing a couple months ago. Since the number he cites hasn't changed, maybe people have stopped dying from the vaccine.
45 seconds to address a 5 foot putt. And since it's here, you know what happens next...
https://twitter.com/TheGolfDivoTee/status/1506664523511521282
Spectators should start counting like the did with Giannis shooting a FT last year.
Who is your favorite non-star pro player - past or present?
Tom Rathman and Jon Ritchie. I love good fullback play.
those guys were good
Jose Uuuuuuuribe!
Ooh-Reebay...Ooh-Reebay...
That '89 team was a fave. They probably were never winning that series, the A's were stacked with a top heavy rotation and the Juicers...but it probably would've been more competitive without the Quake...getting Stew and Moore back to back with the 10 day layoff hurt.
The A's were clearly better, but then again they were also better than the Dodgers in '88 and the Reds in '90 but lost those World Series anyway.
I think the '89 Giants didn't have the kind of power pitching to shut down the A's hitters like those other teams did, though. They had finesse, veteran types that relied on good defense and Roger Craig creating the right matchups. That kind of team can get pummeled against a lineup with no holes.
Hey Sy, meant to ask you...what was YOUR favorite World Series championship season this century? Newellbany didn't have an answer for me...
;-)
2010. Never better than the first time.
Nah. Even if you couldn't go back to Stew and Moore, third in the rotation was Bob Welsh, who was soon to be a 27-game winner and a Cy Young.
And let's not forget that the Giants were able to turn to their 1 and 2 starters, also. The A's were just better.
Welch was solid but nowhere near as dominant in ‘89 as his 27-6 year. Storm Davis was weak, and had the worst haircut in baseball. Giants had a better staff in ‘93. A’s were better…
…which made the Trophy in 2010 all the more special…and the one in 2012…and the one in 2014…
Lots better, never trailed in any game.
Marcus Camby. Kinda borderline star/non-star.
Brian Grant of Blazers. Ron Mercer of Celtics and Theo Ratliff who was a block machine.
Bob Chandler of the early 80s Oakland Raiders, for some reason. I loved that dude.
Oh I missed reading a word and the question was pro player.
No 3 asked me this question on the drive back from Tahoe and his was Kiké Hernandez. I said maybe Chris Taylor. Although I may also go with Graterol or Dustin May. The movement they get on a 2 seamer is ridiculous.
Robby Thompson
He did make one All-Star Game!
Chuck Hayes (Houston Rockets), Kike Hernandez (LA Dodgers), Tim Ream (Fulham)
Kike had a real solid first year in BOS as an everyday player. Look for continued improvement.
For the Dubs: Larry Smith
Ultimate lunch pail guy. He couldn't make a layup, but he'd pull down about 20 boards and D-up Moses Malone. His fans wore hard hats in appreciation.
For the A's: Hendu
That dude put a smile on everybody's face.
I've gotten a fair number of batting practice balls, but the only during the game ball I have is a foul ball he hit.
Ygnacio Valley's Lance Blankenship for the sole reason that I caught a barehanded foul ball off him at a game on the 4th of July in 1989. Blankenship was probably the worst player on one of my favorite teams: Rickey, Steinbach, McGuire, Canseco, Lansford, Gallego, Tony Phillips, Dave Henderson, Stan Javier, Dave Parker, Walt Weiss, Luis Polona, Dave Stewart, Mike Moore, Bob Welch, Storm Davis, Curt Young, Honeycutt, Eckersley, and a journeyman who was to play his last game as a player... Billy Beane.
I have a signed Lance Blankenship MLB ball! 16 year old Newellbany (probably with Jimmy Chitwood) rode the ten speed down to Clyde's Cards on Grand Ave in Oakland where he was signing.
Jeremey Affeldt, Robbie Thompson, Charlie Johnson (Cal, Warriors), William 'Bar None' Floyd.
Kurt Rambis and AC Green for the '80s Lakers.
AC was at least borderline star. Showtime was a collection of stars that worked.
True that, Rambis was 6 hard fouls in horn rims.
Stacey Augmon aka Plastic Man.
loved the way he played defense and it was fun on ESPN when they would show him dunk w/ the extra long arms.
For whatever reason I was a fan of Aliki Jones for Cal BB in the early 90s.
he was good. but never went pro, right?
Good: Division 1 basketball player, sure.
Good within Division 1 basketball players? Not in the least.
No, I think he was mainly a bench player. maybe 5-10 min a night.
For one dude in LA, it was Matt Beaty
https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1506736829466390535
Except the main tattoo sig was Bellinger. The guy said he would tattoo Bellinger's sig if he signed his arm. I think Beaty was probably the next one to sign and the guy opted to do his as well.
Unvaccinated area man allowed to return to work, burn sage, and spout flat earth stuff as vaccination requirements get eased.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33580008/sources-increasing-hope-new-york-city-vaccine-mandate-rolled-back-soon
CAL
today is decision day for HS seniors apparently
Go Bears!
Go Bears!!!
Ugh. Why can't we catch a break.