Grambling won the post-game as well. We brought my brother (UCLA band) and my nephew (HS band at the time, went on to Int’l Drum Corps) to that game. Game was secondary, great time was had by all.
UOP had a hotshot quarterback, Troy Kopp, who kept them in the game in the first quarter. But somewhere in the middle of the first half, Cal separated itself from UOP and began to build a lead. By the end of the first half, Cal had scored six TDs and had added a 2XP to one of them.
Cal came out in the 2nd half and the 2nd stringers started the 2nd half. That offensive group also scored six TDs and added a 2XP to one of the TDs. Also, the 9th TD was the last TD to be celebrated with a cannon charge. When the 10th TD happened, there was a pause and a realization that there would be no cannon blast. So, some fans on the East Side improvised with a "BOOM!" after that and the subsequent 2 TDs. Rally Comm had saved a charge for the end of the game.
This was the first game of the 1991 season. Mrs Slug was at the San Mateo Jazz Fest with her parents. The next morning, I took the Sunday paper with me. When my MIL (Class of '55) asked me how the game was, I showed her the Sports section headline - Cal destroys Pacific, 86-24, or something like that. She had a good laugh.
This is brought about because the more that I think of it, the more I think that I'll accelerate my retirement. The DBD isn't hard to do, but I want the freedom to go wherever, whenever and not have the responsibility of having to post silly pictures and pithy polls every business day.
For those of you who have a bit of second language skills - even from school - how would you rate your accent on a 19-point scale? 0 = GW Bush, 19 = sounds like a native
Growing up bilingual (English and Finnish) as I did has meant that when learning a new language I've been better at accent reduction (something I've taught in English). I've dabbled in French and speak passable Spanish and pretty good Italian and natives comment on how good my accent is. Might well be different if I ever tackled an Asian language.
Mathieu van der Poel was not a popular man at the 2025 Paris-Roubaix race. Spectators hit him in the face with a bottle, threw liquids at him, and spat on him. The bottle thrower has been identified and arrested.
The 2023 world road champion cyclist had a plastic bottle launched at his face roughly 20.5 miles (33 kilometers) from the end of Paris-Roubaix race, which takes place near the Belgian border. The Belgian-born Dutchman went on to win the event.
“It’s not normal. It was a full bottle, it’s maybe half a kilogram (one pound) and I rode 50 kph (about 31 mph). It was like a stone hitting my face,” van der Poel said after Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, per Reuters.
“This is just not acceptable. If they spit or throw beer, it’s also unacceptable, but that’s a different story. This is really something we have to take legal action against,” the cyclist – who is the only man to win world championships in three disciplines (cyclo-cross, gravel and road) – added.
---
i, for one, dont understand this idea of not liking a competitor to the point of wanting to do them harm or hoping for injury.
i appreciate that it might feel hopeless as a fan if the Yankees or the LeBron's are always winning. however that fact that they are good is what makes beating them worth it.
Years ago in Boston, I was biking much slower than that, maybe 20 mph, when a car moving in the opposite direction threw an egg and hit me in the gut. The relative velocity difference meant that egg hit me at an equivalent of 50+ mph. No permanent damage but it hurt like heck.
Please enjoy this two part photo-series of the English dressing up and having a sophisticated afternoon of spectating horse racing at the Grand National at Aintree.
Trivia: Mike Sirotka was the break-out pitcher who had two great seasons in a row, enough to be the currency to trade for David Wells. However, Sirotka's shoulder was destroyed and he would never play again. Sirotka's other claim to fame is that he gave up the only hit that Garth Brooks ever got in the majors. Brooks went 1 for 22. Yes, that Garth Brooks.
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116, securing the seventh seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors first Play-In Tournament victory ensured they would reach the playoffs and avoid a win-or-go-home matchup against the Sacramento Kings or Dallas mavericks later in the week. While the Dubs have arguably had more rotation iterations than any other postseason bound team, with their backs against the wall, it was the obvious answers who delivered: Jimmy Butler III and Steph Curry.
the post game discussion said he really struggles against Memphis since they have 2 7 footers in the lane. If he doesn't get run against Houston then he's gone.
The A’s started their six-game road trip on the right foot Tuesday night in Chicago, beating the White Sox 12-3 and taking the victory on Jackie Robinson Day. What a way to open the road trip.
There are a lot of baseball games in a season. So it only stands to reason that there will be a lot of storylines in those games. Some of them are wonky, absurd, or otherwise hard to fathom. It’s like parallel universes: get enough silly little worlds together and some of them are bound to make you blink repeatedly.
The Dodgers have their first series win since their opening homestand, as they defeated the Colorado Rockies by a final score of 6-2 on Jackie Robinson Day.
Both teams gathered around the Jackie Robinson statue behind center field to honor his legacy. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave both teams some insight into Robinson’s character by recounting an interaction he had with the baseball pioneer.
In the middle of a trip to Europe. We got our first "Go Bears" of the trip at the Mercato Centrale in Florence this morning. It was difficult to not pull the Old Blue aside and talk about Jaydn, bit I did not want to cause major eyerolls from my wife.
The California track & field team heads south this week to compete at a pair of large-scale meets – the Mt. SAC Relays and the Bryan Clay Invitational – after a week of rest. A pair of Golden Bears – Garrett MacQuiddy and Justin Pretre – will be the lone Cal athletes to race at Cougar Stadium in Azusa on Friday, while the majority of the squad will appear from Thursday-Saturday at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut.
BERKELEY– The California baseball team began a five-game home stand at Stu Gordon Stadium on Tuesday evening with a 9-2 nonconference victory over Fresno State (17-19). The Golden Bears hit four home runs including Jarren Advincula's first career grand slam, got a career-long 7.1-inning pitching performance from winning pitcher Gavin Eddy (3-2) and played errorless defense. Dominic Smaldino (2-4, R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI), Carl Schmidt (1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) and Max Handron (1-4, R, HR, RBI) also homered for the Bears.
SANTA CRUZ – California freshman Ziqin (Eric) Zhou nearly made Western Intercollegiate history with a 6-under-par 64 in the second round at Pasatiempo Golf Club on Tuesday.
The Golden Bear rookie was one stroke off the tournament's low 18-hole record of 63, accomplished by just eight golfers – including Cal alumnus Aaron Du, who did so in the first round in 2023 – in the event's 78-year history. Zhou had a new record in his sights as he was 8-under-par through 17 holes played, but carded a double bogey on No. 18 to drop back to 6 under.
BERKELEY – The California lacrosse team will conclude the 2025 season against rival Stanford on Thursday afternoon at California Memorial Stadium. The ACC contest and regular-season finale starts at 4 p.m. PT.
The Golden Bears (6-9, 0-8 ACC) will try to upend the Cardinal (12-4, 6-2) for their first conference victory of the season after coming up short in a 21-7 loss at No. 1 North Carolina last Sunday. Stanford meanwhile has won three straight ACC contests despite suffering a 14-9 loss to Denver at home last weekends.
BERKELEY – After sweeping No. 10 Syracuse and No. 11 Virginia at this past weekend's ACC Challenge at the Redwood Shores, the No. 8 California women's rowing team first varsity eight boat was named the ACC Co-Crew of the Week alongside Stanford, the conference office announced on Tuesday.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The California women's golf team competes in its first-ever ACC Championship this week at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Stroke play begins Wednesday morning and lasts three rounds, with 36 holes scheduled for Wednesday and the final 18 on Thursday. The top six teams from stroke play will advance to match play, with the top two teams advancing straight to the semifinals.
Seniors Mya Lauzon and Maddie Williams of the California women's gymnastics team are set for the NCAA Championships on Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The two Golden Bears will compete in the evening session, slated for 6 p.m. PT on ESPN2.
Lauzon will compete in the balance beam and floor exercise, while Williams will go for the uneven bars title. Both Bears will rotate with UCLA and perform their routines once the Bruins have finished their team rotation. Scores from both sessions will be used to determine the standings.
EDIT: Alameda County Vote website says, "Results will be updated every Friday after Election Night." I take that to mean the next update will not be before Friday, April 18 at 8:00 AM.
As of 9:26 PM last night, Loren Taylor holds a 1,220 vote advantage over Barabara Lee for Oakland Mayor. There are 9 total candidates in the field and this is a RCV contest. I have no idea how many ballots haven't yet been counted.
So far, the Seven Dwarfs have garnered 2,948 votes which will be doubtlessly distributed in subsequent rounds to Loren Taylor (23,362 votes) and Barbara Lee (22,142 votes).
I would expect Lee to gain more on the secondary ballot, but not sure it would be enough to catch up. A lower-turnout special election like this also probably favors the wealthier, more moderate electorate that would favor Taylor.
Regardless, it's kind of shocking for Lee that it's even this close, given that she has dominated the Congressional vote for so long in Oakland. I suspect the Joe Biden experience has given people a sense that they don't want to elect a 78-year-old anymore.
On the issue of turnout, here's what Alameda County is reporting -
Total Registration - 250,800
Election Day Reporting Turnout - 4,246 (1.69%)
Vote By Mail Reporting Turnout - 44,796 (17.86)
Total Ballots Cast - 49,042 (19.55%)
A little under 20% turnout, which is unbelievably low in my view. I would have guessed turnout would have been 30-35% given the importance of the office and the moment in Oakland's history.
Given the turnout and the vote totals reported so far, I'd say that the advantage is clearly Taylor's and Lee is hoping that she can pick up decisive numbers from 2nd place votes of the also-rans.
If I were to bet at this point, I'd say that Taylor will be elected to the unfinished portion of Sheng Thao's term. His lead (1,220) is too large given the outstanding uncounted ballots cast (590 ballots). I'm also willing to bet that the 2nd place votes break pretty much even for both candidates. Lee would have to take 2/3rds of the 2nd place votes and the outstanding ballots to just draw even with Taylor or slightly ahead.
ANALYSIS
The special election didn't have much in the way of advertising on local TV, which favored Taylor. It also showed that Lee's campaign was uninspired and performative. It seems to me that her campaign staff probably advised her to coast on her rep as the long-time US Representative representing Oakland and Berkeley. As the turnout shows, that was a huge mistake.
Age probably does have something to do with it. I also think that Ron Dellums condemned Lee's candidacy having been her predecessor in Congress and potentially her predecessor in City Hall. Dellums' one term in City Hall was known as lackluster and uninspired. Maybe Lee was up against buyer's remorse for that experiment.
Oakland has had a decidedly mixed bag of mayors, some of whom have been legislators at the state (Elihu Harris) and federal levels (Ron Dellums). One mayor, Jerry Brown, was a previous and future governor of California. His was the most active and focused term as mayor in the last 40 years. Brown is the exception that proves the rule that Oakland's mayoral candidates have been notably lackluster. In 20 years, will many remember Libby Schaaf? Schaaf was re-elected and served 8 years, but she was saddled with incompetence on City Council and incompetence among city administration. Schaaf couldn't overcome that because she didn't have vision.
It remains to be seen if Taylor has the vision and the inspiration to be a better mayor.
DBD STREET JOURNAL
Starbucks introduces dress code for barristas. Incompetence is still optional.
https://thehill.com/business/5251361-starbucks-introducing-new-dress-code-for-baristas-a-move-protested-by-some/
While in Singapore and Beijing airports, I noticed that the Asian and Middle Eastern flight attendents outfits were so much better than the US ones.
Hong Kong Mail stops all package shipments to the US because it's all too hard
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5251120-hong-kongs-postal-service-to-stop-shipping-goods-bound-for-the-us-due-to-bullying-acts/
What was your favorite Cal victory over a non-P4 team?
73-14 over Grambling in 2015. Not only were there lots and lots of Bear touchdowns but we got to see Grambling and their band.
I happen to be in town and went to the game. Their band was amazing. Let's be honest, probably half the stadium was there for the Grambling band.
By far the loudest cheers were for the halftime show.
Cal won the game, Grambling won halftime. As I recall, Grambling's band played September by Earth, Wind & Fire, among other musical selections.
Grambling's band had the whole stadium on its feet.
Grambling won the post-game as well. We brought my brother (UCLA band) and my nephew (HS band at the time, went on to Int’l Drum Corps) to that game. Game was secondary, great time was had by all.
Cal 86, Pacific 24
UOP had a hotshot quarterback, Troy Kopp, who kept them in the game in the first quarter. But somewhere in the middle of the first half, Cal separated itself from UOP and began to build a lead. By the end of the first half, Cal had scored six TDs and had added a 2XP to one of them.
Cal came out in the 2nd half and the 2nd stringers started the 2nd half. That offensive group also scored six TDs and added a 2XP to one of the TDs. Also, the 9th TD was the last TD to be celebrated with a cannon charge. When the 10th TD happened, there was a pause and a realization that there would be no cannon blast. So, some fans on the East Side improvised with a "BOOM!" after that and the subsequent 2 TDs. Rally Comm had saved a charge for the end of the game.
This was the first game of the 1991 season. Mrs Slug was at the San Mateo Jazz Fest with her parents. The next morning, I took the Sunday paper with me. When my MIL (Class of '55) asked me how the game was, I showed her the Sports section headline - Cal destroys Pacific, 86-24, or something like that. She had a good laugh.
that was the first game of our senior yr at Cal that ended w/ the Citrus Bowl. i remember people chanting and wanting us to score 100!
I remember the chant, "We want a hundred! We want a hundred!"
same, that game was glorious
I enjoyed that one as well.
DBD Logistics
Does anybody possibly want to be the heir apparent for DBD Commissioner? I am not going anywhere for now, but I might not do this forever.
This is for succession planning purposes because the alternative is that the DBD ceases to exist simply for the want of asking a question.
This is brought about because the more that I think of it, the more I think that I'll accelerate my retirement. The DBD isn't hard to do, but I want the freedom to go wherever, whenever and not have the responsibility of having to post silly pictures and pithy polls every business day.
maybe we get a rotation of people that do it for a month at a time .. happy to be one of them.
we appreciate that you keep us entertained every day and that it takes some work. it does seem daunting to become "heir apparent"
I would volunteer to help out as well.
For those of you who have a bit of second language skills - even from school - how would you rate your accent on a 19-point scale? 0 = GW Bush, 19 = sounds like a native
my Bengali accent is probably 15. the main problem is that my vocab is at 4th grade level so you can tell that i am not all that proficient at it.
My Mandarin accent is probably an 8? People can understand me in Taiwan and China so not bad I guess.
My Italian accent is maybe an 11. My French accent is probably a 4.
Growing up bilingual (English and Finnish) as I did has meant that when learning a new language I've been better at accent reduction (something I've taught in English). I've dabbled in French and speak passable Spanish and pretty good Italian and natives comment on how good my accent is. Might well be different if I ever tackled an Asian language.
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE
The elephants at the San Diego zoo protected their two calves from an earthquake
https://www.yahoo.com/news/elephants-san-diego-zoo-huddle-002946878.html
Elephants are so smart, AND so situationally aware. Love them.
DATA
my favorite is Worf, Data is a close second in terms favorite TNG characters.
Being stolen on a vast scale.
PRO
Aaron Judge? Pete Alonso? No. Look who the MLB RBI leader is.
https://www.mlb.com/stats/rbi
May he remain the leader for the rest of the season.
and the HR leader is on the A's!!
> Tyler Soderstrom
going to Mets vs Cardinals this Sunday. first game of the season for me ..
That's unexpected. But a good surprise, nonetheless.
Just a bit outside
https://x.com/LASIKdotcom/status/1911962392986063248
There was one like that in the Dodgers game yesterday. Maybe not quite that off the plate, but still bad.
Mathieu van der Poel was not a popular man at the 2025 Paris-Roubaix race. Spectators hit him in the face with a bottle, threw liquids at him, and spat on him. The bottle thrower has been identified and arrested.
glad they found the guy. in an interview van der Poel descirbed it as "attempted manslaughter"
https://www.cnn.com/sport/mathieu-van-der-poel-cyclist-spt-intl/index.html
The 2023 world road champion cyclist had a plastic bottle launched at his face roughly 20.5 miles (33 kilometers) from the end of Paris-Roubaix race, which takes place near the Belgian border. The Belgian-born Dutchman went on to win the event.
“It’s not normal. It was a full bottle, it’s maybe half a kilogram (one pound) and I rode 50 kph (about 31 mph). It was like a stone hitting my face,” van der Poel said after Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, per Reuters.
“This is just not acceptable. If they spit or throw beer, it’s also unacceptable, but that’s a different story. This is really something we have to take legal action against,” the cyclist – who is the only man to win world championships in three disciplines (cyclo-cross, gravel and road) – added.
---
i, for one, dont understand this idea of not liking a competitor to the point of wanting to do them harm or hoping for injury.
i appreciate that it might feel hopeless as a fan if the Yankees or the LeBron's are always winning. however that fact that they are good is what makes beating them worth it.
Years ago in Boston, I was biking much slower than that, maybe 20 mph, when a car moving in the opposite direction threw an egg and hit me in the gut. The relative velocity difference meant that egg hit me at an equivalent of 50+ mph. No permanent damage but it hurt like heck.
Trae Young - who went to Oklahoma - is a little piss baby
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/44693020/trae-young-takes-frustration-refs-gets-tossed-loss
Please enjoy this two part photo-series of the English dressing up and having a sophisticated afternoon of spectating horse racing at the Grand National at Aintree.
https://defector.com/please-enjoy-these-photos-of-drunk-people-at-an-english-horse-race
https://defector.com/please-enjoy-these-photos-of-drunk-people-at-an-english-horse-race-2
Dodger Stadium announced for 2028 Olympic site: arrive at the 4th inning, leave at the 7th to beat traffic.
https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers-stadium-officially-serve-venue-2028-summer-olympics
Trivia: Mike Sirotka was the break-out pitcher who had two great seasons in a row, enough to be the currency to trade for David Wells. However, Sirotka's shoulder was destroyed and he would never play again. Sirotka's other claim to fame is that he gave up the only hit that Garth Brooks ever got in the majors. Brooks went 1 for 22. Yes, that Garth Brooks.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sirotmi01.shtml
*The flower of young British adulthood.*
W's make playoffs. Jimmy Butler scores 38, Curry scores 37, and Memphis loses after they cant get ball inbounds at the end.
W's were up 20, stayed mostly ahead, fell behind by a point or two and regained their poise in the final minutes to get the win.
i suppose it will be an uphill battle vs Houston. maybe the only hope for the W's is that they have more experience ..
Finally get to see playoff Jimmy.
Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III carry Warriors to 121-116 victory over Grizzlies
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2025/4/15/24409520/nba-playoffs-warriors-defeat-grizzlies-steph-curry-jimmy-butler-draymond-green-ja-morant
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116, securing the seventh seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors first Play-In Tournament victory ensured they would reach the playoffs and avoid a win-or-go-home matchup against the Sacramento Kings or Dallas mavericks later in the week. While the Dubs have arguably had more rotation iterations than any other postseason bound team, with their backs against the wall, it was the obvious answers who delivered: Jimmy Butler III and Steph Curry.
still no Kuminga .. it is not even clear what happened, right?
Obviously he's fallen in Kerr's doghouse. Not sure if it's truly justified, as I do feel like he should get some run against these larger opponents.
the post game discussion said he really struggles against Memphis since they have 2 7 footers in the lane. If he doesn't get run against Houston then he's gone.
it was clear that the Ws have no real big people. those 7 footers were just walking around wherever they wanted
Athletics dominate White Sox on Jackie Robinson Day (12-3)
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2025/4/15/24409475/athletics-dominate-white-sox-on-jackie-robinson-day
The A’s started their six-game road trip on the right foot Tuesday night in Chicago, beating the White Sox 12-3 and taking the victory on Jackie Robinson Day. What a way to open the road trip.
Cal alum Andrew Vaughn homered for the ChiSox, if I’m not mistaken.
Bryce Harper’s homer carries Phillies past Giants
A 6-4 loss, and a tied series.
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2025/4/15/24409332/giants-phillies-scores-recap-justin-verlander-bryce-harper-jesus-luzardo-casey-schmitt
There are a lot of baseball games in a season. So it only stands to reason that there will be a lot of storylines in those games. Some of them are wonky, absurd, or otherwise hard to fathom. It’s like parallel universes: get enough silly little worlds together and some of them are bound to make you blink repeatedly.
Dodgers take series from Rockies with 6-2 victory
https://www.truebluela.com/2025/4/15/24409427/dodgers-rockies-game-recap
The Dodgers have their first series win since their opening homestand, as they defeated the Colorado Rockies by a final score of 6-2 on Jackie Robinson Day.
Both teams gathered around the Jackie Robinson statue behind center field to honor his legacy. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave both teams some insight into Robinson’s character by recounting an interaction he had with the baseball pioneer.
CAL
In the middle of a trip to Europe. We got our first "Go Bears" of the trip at the Mercato Centrale in Florence this morning. It was difficult to not pull the Old Blue aside and talk about Jaydn, bit I did not want to cause major eyerolls from my wife.
Go Bears!!!
Coach Julian Griffin. What did you say to those boys? We went from a great RB room to none.
The JET is in the portal. We have no running backs.
https://x.com/RivalsPortal/status/1912578573581377855
Welp. Air Raid it is, then.
We lost our two best receivers from last season.
https://i.imgur.com/iFkJEU3.gif
Myokolas Alekna is one of the greatest Cal student-atheletes of all time. He broke the world record for discus again on Sunday. Twice.
https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/mykolas-alekna-discus-world-record-7556m-ramona
Fire Knowlton Forever.
[T&F] Bears To Compete at Mt. SAC Relays, Bryan Clay Invitational
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/15/track-field-bears-to-compete-at-mt-sac-relays-bryan-clay-invitational.aspx
The California track & field team heads south this week to compete at a pair of large-scale meets – the Mt. SAC Relays and the Bryan Clay Invitational – after a week of rest. A pair of Golden Bears – Garrett MacQuiddy and Justin Pretre – will be the lone Cal athletes to race at Cougar Stadium in Azusa on Friday, while the majority of the squad will appear from Thursday-Saturday at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut.
[BASE] Cal Plays Well In All Phases, Beats Fresno State
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/15/baseball-cal-plays-well-in-all-phases-beats-fresno-state.aspx
BERKELEY– The California baseball team began a five-game home stand at Stu Gordon Stadium on Tuesday evening with a 9-2 nonconference victory over Fresno State (17-19). The Golden Bears hit four home runs including Jarren Advincula's first career grand slam, got a career-long 7.1-inning pitching performance from winning pitcher Gavin Eddy (3-2) and played errorless defense. Dominic Smaldino (2-4, R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI), Carl Schmidt (1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) and Max Handron (1-4, R, HR, RBI) also homered for the Bears.
[SB] Cal Sweeps Saint Mary’s In Doubleheader
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/15/softball-cal-sweeps-saint-marys-in-doubleheader.aspx
MORAGA, Calif. – The California softball (29-14) earned a doubleheader sweep against Saint Mary's (19-20) on Tuesday at Cottrell Field.
[MGOLF] Zhou Nearly Breaks Western Intercollegiate Record
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/15/mens-golf-zhou-nearly-breaks-western-intercollegiate-record.aspx
SANTA CRUZ – California freshman Ziqin (Eric) Zhou nearly made Western Intercollegiate history with a 6-under-par 64 in the second round at Pasatiempo Golf Club on Tuesday.
The Golden Bear rookie was one stroke off the tournament's low 18-hole record of 63, accomplished by just eight golfers – including Cal alumnus Aaron Du, who did so in the first round in 2023 – in the event's 78-year history. Zhou had a new record in his sights as he was 8-under-par through 17 holes played, but carded a double bogey on No. 18 to drop back to 6 under.
[LAX] Cal Hosts Stanford In Season Finale
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/15/lacrosse-cal-hosts-stanford-in-season-finale.aspx
BERKELEY – The California lacrosse team will conclude the 2025 season against rival Stanford on Thursday afternoon at California Memorial Stadium. The ACC contest and regular-season finale starts at 4 p.m. PT.
The Golden Bears (6-9, 0-8 ACC) will try to upend the Cardinal (12-4, 6-2) for their first conference victory of the season after coming up short in a 21-7 loss at No. 1 North Carolina last Sunday. Stanford meanwhile has won three straight ACC contests despite suffering a 14-9 loss to Denver at home last weekends.
[WROW] Cal V8+ Named ACC Co-Crew Of The Week
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/15/womens-rowing-cal-v8-named-acc-co-crew-of-the-week.aspx
BERKELEY – After sweeping No. 10 Syracuse and No. 11 Virginia at this past weekend's ACC Challenge at the Redwood Shores, the No. 8 California women's rowing team first varsity eight boat was named the ACC Co-Crew of the Week alongside Stanford, the conference office announced on Tuesday.
[WGOLF] Bears Set For First ACC Championship
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/15/womens-golf-bears-set-for-first-acc-championship.aspx
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The California women's golf team competes in its first-ever ACC Championship this week at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Stroke play begins Wednesday morning and lasts three rounds, with 36 holes scheduled for Wednesday and the final 18 on Thursday. The top six teams from stroke play will advance to match play, with the top two teams advancing straight to the semifinals.
[WGYM] Lauzon, Williams Head To NCAA Championships
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/15/womens-gymnastics-lauzon-williams-set-for-ncaa-championships.aspx
Seniors Mya Lauzon and Maddie Williams of the California women's gymnastics team are set for the NCAA Championships on Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The two Golden Bears will compete in the evening session, slated for 6 p.m. PT on ESPN2.
Lauzon will compete in the balance beam and floor exercise, while Williams will go for the uneven bars title. Both Bears will rotate with UCLA and perform their routines once the Bruins have finished their team rotation. Scores from both sessions will be used to determine the standings.
POLITICS
EDIT: Alameda County Vote website says, "Results will be updated every Friday after Election Night." I take that to mean the next update will not be before Friday, April 18 at 8:00 AM.
As of 9:26 PM last night, Loren Taylor holds a 1,220 vote advantage over Barabara Lee for Oakland Mayor. There are 9 total candidates in the field and this is a RCV contest. I have no idea how many ballots haven't yet been counted.
So far, the Seven Dwarfs have garnered 2,948 votes which will be doubtlessly distributed in subsequent rounds to Loren Taylor (23,362 votes) and Barbara Lee (22,142 votes).
I would expect Lee to gain more on the secondary ballot, but not sure it would be enough to catch up. A lower-turnout special election like this also probably favors the wealthier, more moderate electorate that would favor Taylor.
Regardless, it's kind of shocking for Lee that it's even this close, given that she has dominated the Congressional vote for so long in Oakland. I suspect the Joe Biden experience has given people a sense that they don't want to elect a 78-year-old anymore.
On the issue of turnout, here's what Alameda County is reporting -
Total Registration - 250,800
Election Day Reporting Turnout - 4,246 (1.69%)
Vote By Mail Reporting Turnout - 44,796 (17.86)
Total Ballots Cast - 49,042 (19.55%)
A little under 20% turnout, which is unbelievably low in my view. I would have guessed turnout would have been 30-35% given the importance of the office and the moment in Oakland's history.
Given the turnout and the vote totals reported so far, I'd say that the advantage is clearly Taylor's and Lee is hoping that she can pick up decisive numbers from 2nd place votes of the also-rans.
If I were to bet at this point, I'd say that Taylor will be elected to the unfinished portion of Sheng Thao's term. His lead (1,220) is too large given the outstanding uncounted ballots cast (590 ballots). I'm also willing to bet that the 2nd place votes break pretty much even for both candidates. Lee would have to take 2/3rds of the 2nd place votes and the outstanding ballots to just draw even with Taylor or slightly ahead.
ANALYSIS
The special election didn't have much in the way of advertising on local TV, which favored Taylor. It also showed that Lee's campaign was uninspired and performative. It seems to me that her campaign staff probably advised her to coast on her rep as the long-time US Representative representing Oakland and Berkeley. As the turnout shows, that was a huge mistake.
Age probably does have something to do with it. I also think that Ron Dellums condemned Lee's candidacy having been her predecessor in Congress and potentially her predecessor in City Hall. Dellums' one term in City Hall was known as lackluster and uninspired. Maybe Lee was up against buyer's remorse for that experiment.
Oakland has had a decidedly mixed bag of mayors, some of whom have been legislators at the state (Elihu Harris) and federal levels (Ron Dellums). One mayor, Jerry Brown, was a previous and future governor of California. His was the most active and focused term as mayor in the last 40 years. Brown is the exception that proves the rule that Oakland's mayoral candidates have been notably lackluster. In 20 years, will many remember Libby Schaaf? Schaaf was re-elected and served 8 years, but she was saddled with incompetence on City Council and incompetence among city administration. Schaaf couldn't overcome that because she didn't have vision.
It remains to be seen if Taylor has the vision and the inspiration to be a better mayor.
DBD AV CLUB
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
Oklahoma can go suck eggs
Just a bit outside
https://x.com/CalebLang22/status/1911424887572300208
So Angel Hernandez is umping college ball, who knew.
Travis Hunter does not help his draft prospects by being a little piss baby
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44685958/travis-hunter-quit-football-play-ways