The Americanized word "draft" comes from the UK "draught", which is pronounced the same way. Draft means "pull" - so a draft/draught horse pulls a plow. A draftsman pulls a pencil. A draft beer is pulled from a keg.
I was riding in an Uber with my wife nearly a decade ago. We got into a conversation with the driver that seemed straight out of the movie Stripes where the dimwitted recruit Cruiser joined the army because "I joined the army 'cause my father and my brother were in the army. I thought I'd better join before I got drafted."
The driver literally convinced his sons to join the army before they were drafted and now they were suffering in the military. We were trying to explain to him that there wasn't a draft, there was no military conflict anywhere on the horizon that would need a draft. The poor man was so dim-witted that apparently Uber driving was the limit of his mental capabilities.
on a separate note. i met a 100 yr old guy this week who flew on B-29s in WW2 as a tail gunner or a nose gunner. he said that at that time they all signed up because it was the right thing to do and that "there was no choice".
he said "no choice" not as in get drafted, rather "no choice" as in save the world or watch Hitler take over.
That's better than the uber driver the missus and I had in New York once who upon hearing we were from the San Francisco area lamented the fact that we had to be around "all those gays and lesbians." I complained to uber and they refunded us for the trip.
That's so funny, because when I've been to New York and talked to locals about being from San Francisco they were mostly really interested/impressed. Too bad you got a bad one.
To me there's nothing in U.S. sports more over-hyped and more over-analyzed than the NFL draft. I remember as a kid coming home from school, turning on the radio waiting for the sports to find out who the 49ers had drafted.
Exactly this. The NFL Draft is the height of manufactured enthusiasm. Someone told me that they were going to watch the draft on Thursday with a drink in hand and I thought, "Why?"
Every time I try to start watching the draft, I realize about an hour in: "Oh, it's mostly just people sitting around with nothing happening, isn't it?"
Football is the undisputed king of sports, and the NFL is the undisputed king of football. Finding out which team gets which potentially transformative player is intriguing and fun to many. And don't underestimate the gambling angle. With each pick, the odds of who goes where shortly thereafter can and do change.
The similarities between the two games at Wrigley Field were evident. For the second time in as many days, the Dodgers did plenty of damage against an in-form Cubs starter, only to see things come crumbling down soon after. Ultimately ending up on the losing side of a one-run affair, this time by the score of 7-6 on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.
The Golden State Warriors were unable to take control of their first-round series, losing Game 2 to the Houston Rockets 109-94. Both teams will now head to the Bay Area for Game 3 of the series with things tied up 1-1. But all eyes will be on the status of Warriors star Jimmy Butler III after he was sidelined by a scary fall on his tailbone in the first quarter.
They showed Udoka telling the Rockets to keep playing super physical. The refs can't call everything. Steph getting mugged, grabbed, and everything all night long. Not sure how he isn't super fed up with it. Don't see how the NBA thinks this is good for the league.
The annual battle between the California men's rowing team and Washington =- the longest running rowing rivalry on the West Coast - continues Saturday at the Montlake Cut in Seattle. The annual dual – which dates back to 1903 - will feature alternating races with both programs' women's teams.
BERKELEY – California senior attacker Ruby Swadling was named to the 2025 All-MPSF First Team, highlighting a group of six Golden Bears who collected all-conference accolades Thursday ahead of this weekend's MPSF Championship in Los Angeles.
Swadling, who did not play for Cal in 2024 while she trained with the Australian National Team, made a triumphant return to the collegiate game this spring, netting 51 goals across 21 games for the Bears.
— Cal and Notre Dame are meeting for the first time in 64 seasons since the teams split a pair of games in Berkeley in 1961 and the first time at Notre Dame in 84 campaigns since the Fighting Irish swept a pair of games in 1941
HUNTINGTON BEACH- The fourth-seeded California beach volleyball team defeated No. 5 seed Grand Canyon 3-1 in the first round of the inaugural MPSF Championship on Wednesday in Huntington Beach.
BERKELEY – The surging California women's golf team is headed back to the postseason as the Golden Bears received the No. 6 seed at the NCAA Gold Canyon Regional.
California football, in collaboration with the Cal Cameron Institute, Special Olympics of Northern California, and Exceptional Sports (e-sports), will host its 3rd Annual Golden Buddies Football Clinic on May 4 at California Memorial Stadium.
This free clinic will allow students ages 6-13 with and without intellectual disabilities to participate in a day of football drills and sports education stations. Participants will have the chance to connect with Golden Bear football players, who will be running drill stations, encouraging and empowering the athletes along the way.
BERKELEY – The No. 4 California women's water polo team will begin postseason play Friday afternoon against No. 14 San Jose State in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Championship. Cal (17-4) and San Jose State (13-11) are the tournament's fourth and fifth seeds, respectively, and will clash at 2:30 p.m. PT at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles.
BERKELEY – Graduate student Bjorn Seeliger of the California men's swimming & diving team has earned Academic All-American Second Team recognition, as announced by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Wednesday.
Seeliger, studying business administration with a 3.73 cumulative grade point average, becomes the second Golden Bear in program history to earn CSC Academic All-American honors for a third time, joining former Bear Ryan Murphy (2014-17). Seeliger is also a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and Pac-12 Winter Academic All-American, and was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
BERKELEY – California will compete in its first ACC Men's Golf Championship this week at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The first of three stroke-play rounds begins Thursday morning with the second and third rounds to follow on Friday and Saturday. The top eight teams from stroke play will advance to match play, starting with quarterfinals on Sunday morning.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) proposes holding [checks notes]... Congressional hearings about how 9/11 was an inside job and it was a controlled demolition. JFC, people.
DRAFT
The Americanized word "draft" comes from the UK "draught", which is pronounced the same way. Draft means "pull" - so a draft/draught horse pulls a plow. A draftsman pulls a pencil. A draft beer is pulled from a keg.
Yeah I remember reading British books as a kid (like the Narnia books) and seeing that word spelled out, and I'm like "drought?" Like a lack of water?
STRIPES
I was riding in an Uber with my wife nearly a decade ago. We got into a conversation with the driver that seemed straight out of the movie Stripes where the dimwitted recruit Cruiser joined the army because "I joined the army 'cause my father and my brother were in the army. I thought I'd better join before I got drafted."
The driver literally convinced his sons to join the army before they were drafted and now they were suffering in the military. We were trying to explain to him that there wasn't a draft, there was no military conflict anywhere on the horizon that would need a draft. The poor man was so dim-witted that apparently Uber driving was the limit of his mental capabilities.
on a separate note. i met a 100 yr old guy this week who flew on B-29s in WW2 as a tail gunner or a nose gunner. he said that at that time they all signed up because it was the right thing to do and that "there was no choice".
he said "no choice" not as in get drafted, rather "no choice" as in save the world or watch Hitler take over.
i thanked him for his service
This is an appropriate situation to use the term "oh, bless your heart"
That's better than the uber driver the missus and I had in New York once who upon hearing we were from the San Francisco area lamented the fact that we had to be around "all those gays and lesbians." I complained to uber and they refunded us for the trip.
That's so funny, because when I've been to New York and talked to locals about being from San Francisco they were mostly really interested/impressed. Too bad you got a bad one.
White -
I didn't know for a long while that Jack White was half of White Stripes.
"long while" meaning probably early 2020s.
Great movie. (15/19 WB). So many quotable lines from that movie.
"My name's Francis Sawyer, but all of you can call me Psycho. Anyone calls me Francis, I'll kill ya"
"I'm a lean, mean, fightin machine!"
Lighten up, Francis.
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE
PRO
I am surprised so many people go to the NFL Draft. Perhaps they thought they should go before they got drafted.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44832204/nfl-draft-green-bay-estimated-generate-100-million
To me there's nothing in U.S. sports more over-hyped and more over-analyzed than the NFL draft. I remember as a kid coming home from school, turning on the radio waiting for the sports to find out who the 49ers had drafted.
Exactly this. The NFL Draft is the height of manufactured enthusiasm. Someone told me that they were going to watch the draft on Thursday with a drink in hand and I thought, "Why?"
Every time I try to start watching the draft, I realize about an hour in: "Oh, it's mostly just people sitting around with nothing happening, isn't it?"
Football is the undisputed king of sports, and the NFL is the undisputed king of football. Finding out which team gets which potentially transformative player is intriguing and fun to many. And don't underestimate the gambling angle. With each pick, the odds of who goes where shortly thereafter can and do change.
I have no quarrel with your analysis. But I have four words for you to illustrate the futility of such endeavors - JaMarcus Russell, Brock Purdy.
That is all.
No one suggests all the people involved always make the soundest of decisions, no matter their intent. That's part of the entertainment value though.
That sounds vaguely like watching a demolition derby.
Fascinating.
Giants beat the BrewCrew, 4-2
Dodgers drop second straight one-run loss to the Cubs
https://www.truebluela.com/2025/4/23/24415258/dodgers-cubs-bullpen-game-loss-teoscar-hernandez
The similarities between the two games at Wrigley Field were evident. For the second time in as many days, the Dodgers did plenty of damage against an in-form Cubs starter, only to see things come crumbling down soon after. Ultimately ending up on the losing side of a one-run affair, this time by the score of 7-6 on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.
Warriors lose blowout Game 2 to Rockets, but all eyes turn to Jimmy Butler III
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2025/4/23/24415298/nba-playoffs-warriors-lose-game-2-rockets-steph-curry-jimmy-butler-iii-jalen-green
The Golden State Warriors were unable to take control of their first-round series, losing Game 2 to the Houston Rockets 109-94. Both teams will now head to the Bay Area for Game 3 of the series with things tied up 1-1. But all eyes will be on the status of Warriors star Jimmy Butler III after he was sidelined by a scary fall on his tailbone in the first quarter.
They showed Udoka telling the Rockets to keep playing super physical. The refs can't call everything. Steph getting mugged, grabbed, and everything all night long. Not sure how he isn't super fed up with it. Don't see how the NBA thinks this is good for the league.
A's beat the Rangers, 5-2.
CAL
[MROW] No. 1 Cal Heads North For Washington Dual
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/23/mens-rowing-no-1-cal-heads-north-for-washington-dual.aspx
The annual battle between the California men's rowing team and Washington =- the longest running rowing rivalry on the West Coast - continues Saturday at the Montlake Cut in Seattle. The annual dual – which dates back to 1903 - will feature alternating races with both programs' women's teams.
[WPOLO] Swadling Leads 6 Bears On All-MPSF Squads
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/24/womens-water-polo-swadling-leads-6-bears-on-all-mpsf-squads.aspx
BERKELEY – California senior attacker Ruby Swadling was named to the 2025 All-MPSF First Team, highlighting a group of six Golden Bears who collected all-conference accolades Thursday ahead of this weekend's MPSF Championship in Los Angeles.
Swadling, who did not play for Cal in 2024 while she trained with the Australian National Team, made a triumphant return to the collegiate game this spring, netting 51 goals across 21 games for the Bears.
[BASE] Cal Visits Notre Dame For Final ACC Road Series
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/23/baseball-cal-visits-notre-dame-for-final-acc-road-series.aspx
— Cal and Notre Dame are meeting for the first time in 64 seasons since the teams split a pair of games in Berkeley in 1961 and the first time at Notre Dame in 84 campaigns since the Fighting Irish swept a pair of games in 1941
[BVB] Cal Tops GCU In First Round 3-1
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/23/beach-volleyball-cal-tops-gcu-in-first-round-3-1.aspx
HUNTINGTON BEACH- The fourth-seeded California beach volleyball team defeated No. 5 seed Grand Canyon 3-1 in the first round of the inaugural MPSF Championship on Wednesday in Huntington Beach.
[WGOLF] Bears Secure Berth In NCAA Championships
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/23/bears-secure-berth-in-ncaa-womens-golf-championships.aspx
BERKELEY – The surging California women's golf team is headed back to the postseason as the Golden Bears received the No. 6 seed at the NCAA Gold Canyon Regional.
[FB] Golden Buddies Football Clinic Set For May 4
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/23/golden-buddies-football-clinic-set-for-may-4.aspx
California football, in collaboration with the Cal Cameron Institute, Special Olympics of Northern California, and Exceptional Sports (e-sports), will host its 3rd Annual Golden Buddies Football Clinic on May 4 at California Memorial Stadium.
This free clinic will allow students ages 6-13 with and without intellectual disabilities to participate in a day of football drills and sports education stations. Participants will have the chance to connect with Golden Bear football players, who will be running drill stations, encouraging and empowering the athletes along the way.
[WPOLO] Bears Head To L.A. For MPSF Championship
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/23/womens-water-polo-bears-head-to-l-a-for-mpsf-championship.aspx
BERKELEY – The No. 4 California women's water polo team will begin postseason play Friday afternoon against No. 14 San Jose State in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Championship. Cal (17-4) and San Jose State (13-11) are the tournament's fourth and fifth seeds, respectively, and will clash at 2:30 p.m. PT at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles.
[MSWIM] Seeliger Named To CSC Academic All-America Second Team
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/23/mens-swimming-diving-seeliger-named-to-csc-academic-all-american-second-team.aspx
BERKELEY – Graduate student Bjorn Seeliger of the California men's swimming & diving team has earned Academic All-American Second Team recognition, as announced by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Wednesday.
Seeliger, studying business administration with a 3.73 cumulative grade point average, becomes the second Golden Bear in program history to earn CSC Academic All-American honors for a third time, joining former Bear Ryan Murphy (2014-17). Seeliger is also a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and Pac-12 Winter Academic All-American, and was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
[MGOLF] Cal Ready For ACC Championship
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/23/mens-golf-cal-ready-for-acc-championship.aspx
BERKELEY – California will compete in its first ACC Men's Golf Championship this week at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The first of three stroke-play rounds begins Thursday morning with the second and third rounds to follow on Friday and Saturday. The top eight teams from stroke play will advance to match play, starting with quarterfinals on Sunday morning.
Go Bears!!!
POLITICS
The DEMs have ActBlue and the GOP has WinRed fundraising platforms. Trump says he's going after ActBlue
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/24/trump-to-target-actblue-in-presidential-memorandum-00307251
[GOP Senate] We want the House to be responsible for cutting trillions of dollars in programs and bear the blame
[GOP House] We want the Senate to take the blame
[A few GOP congressional members] How about we raise taxes on the rich?
[House, Senate, White House] Don't be stupid
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/23/johnson-doesnt-expect-tax-hike-on-wealthy-in-gop-budget-plan-00306708
Trump administration considers lifting key sanctions against Russia.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/23/white-house-debating-lifting-sanctions-on-russian-energy-assets-00306486
"Vladimir, STOP!"
https://apnews.com/article/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-fb61625d2dee8b1917bb3522e73c2166
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) proposes holding [checks notes]... Congressional hearings about how 9/11 was an inside job and it was a controlled demolition. JFC, people.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/ron-johnson-wants-congressional-hearing-actually-happened-911-rcna202647
Trump goes after schools and university accreditation, plus moves toward having an accreditation body run by the GOP
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/23/trump-orders-schools-colleges-funding-accreditors-00307055
Elmo apparently exits Washington DC, returns to Tesla
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/23/elon-musk-doge-trump-00306673
Trump tries to roll back the Civil Rights Act with an EO. Looks like Stephen Miller's work to me.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/restoring-equality-of-opportunity-and-meritocracy/
DBD AV CLUB
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
ESPN does a long form on Clemson's home bleacher culture for their baseball team
https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/44783926/clemson-baseball-fans-cheap-seats-rowdy-crowd-2025