Going into the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday afternoon, it looked like the San Francisco Giants’ defensive miscues would cost them dearly in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers. Then Christian Yelich made an uglier defensive error than any of them to hand the Giants an improbable 6-5 win.
Down to their final few outs, the Athletics found a way to come back in the series finale against the Rangers, scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Texas and walk off for the first time this year.
California men's tennis veterans Carl Emil Overbeck and Theo Dean collected All-ACC honors Thursday, the conference announced, with Overbeck named to the singles first team and the pair of Dean and Overbeck claiming doubles third-team honors.
Mao Mushika and Jessica Alsola became the first California women's tennis players to earn All-ACC honors Thursday, when the conference named Mushika to the singles second team and tabbed Alsola for the singles third team. The Golden Bear duo was also named to the All-ACC Second Team in doubles.
HUNTINGTON BEACH- The fourth-seeded California beach volleyball team split a pair of matches at the inaugural MPSF Championship on Thursday in Huntington Beach. The Golden Bears (27-8) suffered their first loss of the double-elimination tournament to No. 1 UCLA 3-0 before bouncing back to defeat No. 5 seed Grand Canyon 3-0.
The No. 9 California women's rowing team will look for a repeat of last year's success when it faces No. 3 Washington in a battle for the Simpson Cup, which will take place on Saturday at the Montlake Cut in Seattle. The Golden Bears are hoping to retain the Simpson Cup, given to the winner of the varsity eight race, after sweeping the dual races in 2024.
Several distance runners from the California track & field team will make an appearance at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field on Friday evening, competing in the men's and women's 800m and men's 1500m at the Payton Jordan Invitational to close out the month of April.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – California put itself in position at the ACC Men's Golf Championship with a 1-under-par 287 in the first round Thursday at The Club at Olde Stone.
The Golden Bears (-1) ended the first 18 holes in sixth place and were one of six teams to shoot under par, joining clubhouse leader Virginia (-10), Louisville (-7), reigning conference champion North Carolina (-5), SMU (-4) and Wake Forest (-2).
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.
not a big bite ... younger child brought home a tray of "2 bite cupcakes" from some school fundraiser. that was my morning treat w/ my morning cortado.
i am not sure why they were $30, but i guess the fundraiser nature of it makes it ok
This morning was plenty cool. I walked to Downtown Berkeley BART this morning from home (about 1 mile), and the cool weather was actually nice. Weather was warm a week or two ago. I'd like that to return.
I wouldn't want to walk in the morning with the sun in my eyes, either. I have the advantage of being shielded by trees as I walk down Spruce Street. Once I get to Hearst Ave. I am shielded by the height of apartment buildings and academic buildings on the north side of campus.
This morning, I took a picture of University Hall in the process of being demolished on the west side of Oxford Street between University Ave and Addison Street. Here's a link to an article in Berkeleyside on plans for that space -
Cal plans to build ‘innovation zone’ with 2 big lab buildings in downtown Berkeley
Four UC-owned buildings, including two city landmarks, would be knocked down to make way for the research complex.
EDIT: I'm guessing sunrise coming earlier and losing cloud cover makes it more likely you'll have to fight the sun in your eyes as we advance towards summer. Or so I gather from your comments. This is why hats with broad brims are a good thing.
i read all these amazing reviews about how great season 2 was and how Andor is this critically acclaimed Star Wars spin-off. i was underwhelmed by episode 1. that being said the first 3 episodes were released at once and i only watched the first.
overall, i agree it is a great series w/ amazing characters and storyline.
California’s license plates are running out of numbers.
For the first time in nearly half a century, the California Department of Motor Vehicles is preparing to roll out a new alphanumeric configuration for standard passenger vehicle plates, a quiet but striking milestone in the state’s automotive history.
“The current 9-series configuration, which will end with 9ZZZ999, is projected to end sometime in 2026,” a spokesperson for the agency confirmed Thursday.
That sequence, in place since 1980, follows a familiar pattern to millions of Californians: one number, followed by three letters, and three final numbers (e.g., 1ABC234).
The next generation of license plates will flip that structure on its head, moving to a “Numeral Numeral Numeral Alpha Alpha Alpha Numeral” format — such as 000AAA0.
COMMENT: The DMV is leaving 17,576,000 possible combinations unused. Every combination from 0AAA000 to 0ZZZ999 will be unused. But, as per the article, the DMV will start with 000AAA0 and move through that set of combinations which, presumably, will end with 999ZZZ0 before moving to the next series which will start with 000AAA1.
In the 1960s license plates were yellow on a black background and the series ran from AAA000 (presumably) to ZZZ999. DMV ran out of combinations in 1969 or 1970.
The next license plate sequence was yellow on blue and the combinations ran from 000AAA to 999ZZZ. I remember that this was the standard license plate configuration through most of the 70s.
The next sequence was also yellow on blue, but the combinations were 1AAA000 through 1ZZZ999, then on to 2AAA000 through 2ZZZ999, and so on up to the current 9 series.
The license plate background became white with navy blue letters and a block CALIFORNIA in red, probably starting with the 2 series. Probably starting with the 3 series, the block CALIFORNIA became a script California, though not based on the UC script California.
In SD next week for work. Flying to ATL on the Fri redeye with No 3 to visit No 2. Going to a Dodgers/Braves game, along with the CFB HOF. Then I go to Paris on Tues to visit No 1 for a week. He'll be in Aix-En-Provence so I'll immediately hop on the TGV to go down there until the weekend, then hang in Paris for a few days. Then fly to NYC to visit HSB for about 5 days. So gone for 3 weeks.
Not mine, but my son and daughter-in-law will be flying to London (Heathrow) today before flying on to Rome tomorrow. This is the start of their long-planned and delayed honeymoon; they were married last June. They will spend two weeks in Italy before returning home.
They won't land at Rome's airport until mid-afternoon on Saturday, so I think they'll miss most of the congestion associated with Pope Francis' funeral.
Two weeks from now the missus and I are going to London, Oxford, a town called Sedbergh in Northern England and Scotland. Haven't been to Scotland in decades. Seeing a premier league match in London as I do most every year.
Wow I have very similar plans! Flying to London on May 8, two weeks in Haltwhistle in the North, and a week in the highlands. I plan on catching a cricket match in Carlisle (my first live cricket). Here's what I'll be up to near Haltwhistle:
a friend of mine is going to CDMX for about a week and on the list of things to do are see some wrestling, lucha libre, and do some architectural tour of some old buildings.
this is the 2nd time in a short while i am hearing of lucha libre (SGBear was the first). i didnt appreciate how much of a cultural phenomenon it was.
sadly, i do not have any plans to be in Mexico anytime soon ..
Anyone here applying for the Pope job? I'm going to send my resume. It's a long shot me not being Catholic and all but who knows, maybe a rabid Cal football fan is just what the cardinals are looking for (though now that I think about it I can't imagine why).
LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE
Boba-fest is not a bounty hunter from the Star Wars universe
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/bay-areas-largest-boba-festival-celebration-to-take-place-steps-from-uc-berkeley-campus/
PRO
Niners gamble on a high-ceiling injury-prone edge
https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/mykel-williams-2025-draft-11th-pick/1845119/
Sounds like another Bosa. I predict the 49ers DL is going to be hit and miss for the next 3 to 4 years.
NFL Draft: Nobody wants to take a gamble on Shadeur
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44844500/shedeur-sanders-not-selected-first-round-nfl-draft
Sanders sitting there with a Steelers cap on and then not getting picked by the Steelers was pretty funny.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6308041/2025/04/25/steelers-shedeur-sanders-derrick-harmon-nfl-draft/
Also, this...
https://x.com/ComplexSports/status/1914849036957294715
Giants win game of defensive gaffes when Brewers make the last one (6-5)
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2025/4/24/24415973/giants-win-game-defensive-gaffes-when-brewers-make-last-one
Going into the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday afternoon, it looked like the San Francisco Giants’ defensive miscues would cost them dearly in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers. Then Christian Yelich made an uglier defensive error than any of them to hand the Giants an improbable 6-5 win.
OKC comes back from 30 down to beat the Grizz (OKC up 3-0)
Clippers beat the Nuggets 117-83 (Clips up 2-1)
Knicks beat the Pistons 118-116 (Knicks up 2-1)
Walk off! A’s beat Rangers in series finale 4-3
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2025/4/24/24416038/walk-off-as-beat-rangers-in-series-finale-4-3
Down to their final few outs, the Athletics found a way to come back in the series finale against the Rangers, scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Texas and walk off for the first time this year.
Dodgers lose the off-day
CAL
Cal vs UCLA in MBB at Chase next year.
https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1915788567860723989
[MTEN] Overbeck, Dean Named All-ACC
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/24/mens-tennis-overbeck-dean-named-all-acc.aspx
California men's tennis veterans Carl Emil Overbeck and Theo Dean collected All-ACC honors Thursday, the conference announced, with Overbeck named to the singles first team and the pair of Dean and Overbeck claiming doubles third-team honors.
[WTEN] Mushika, Alsola Named To All-ACC Teams
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/24/womens-tennis-mushika-alsola-named-to-all-acc-teams.aspx
Mao Mushika and Jessica Alsola became the first California women's tennis players to earn All-ACC honors Thursday, when the conference named Mushika to the singles second team and tabbed Alsola for the singles third team. The Golden Bear duo was also named to the All-ACC Second Team in doubles.
[BVB] Cal Advances To Final Day Of MPSF Championship
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/24/beach-volleyball-cal-advances-to-final-day-of-mpsf-championship.aspx
HUNTINGTON BEACH- The fourth-seeded California beach volleyball team split a pair of matches at the inaugural MPSF Championship on Thursday in Huntington Beach. The Golden Bears (27-8) suffered their first loss of the double-elimination tournament to No. 1 UCLA 3-0 before bouncing back to defeat No. 5 seed Grand Canyon 3-0.
I forgot that I’d read that this is on the Big 10 network. By time I checked, Cal was eliminated by SC 3-2.
[WROW] No. 9 Cal Looks To Retain Simpson Cup
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/24/womens-rowing-no-9-cal-looks-to-retain-simpson-cup.aspx
The No. 9 California women's rowing team will look for a repeat of last year's success when it faces No. 3 Washington in a battle for the Simpson Cup, which will take place on Saturday at the Montlake Cut in Seattle. The Golden Bears are hoping to retain the Simpson Cup, given to the winner of the varsity eight race, after sweeping the dual races in 2024.
[T&F] Distance Squad Heads To The Farm For Payton Jordan Invitational
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/24/track-field-distance-squad-heads-to-the-farm-for-payton-jordan-invitational.aspx
Several distance runners from the California track & field team will make an appearance at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field on Friday evening, competing in the men's and women's 800m and men's 1500m at the Payton Jordan Invitational to close out the month of April.
[MGOLF] Bears In Mix After 18 Holes At ACC Championship
https://calbears.com/news/2025/4/24/mens-golf-bears-in-mix-after-18-holes-at-acc-championship.aspx
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – California put itself in position at the ACC Men's Golf Championship with a 1-under-par 287 in the first round Thursday at The Club at Olde Stone.
The Golden Bears (-1) ended the first 18 holes in sixth place and were one of six teams to shoot under par, joining clubhouse leader Virginia (-10), Louisville (-7), reigning conference champion North Carolina (-5), SMU (-4) and Wake Forest (-2).
[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.
Go Bears!!!
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
Big Bite
Every pizza is personal-sized if you try hard enough
not a big bite ... younger child brought home a tray of "2 bite cupcakes" from some school fundraiser. that was my morning treat w/ my morning cortado.
i am not sure why they were $30, but i guess the fundraiser nature of it makes it ok
POLITICS
DOJ nows says they don't need warrants to get into your house
https://dailyboulder.com/ice-can-now-enter-your-home-without-a-warrant-to-find-migrants-doj-memo-says/
A month ago, UC Berkeley wouldn't give up the name of a pro-Gaza protestor... https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/04/22/uc-berkeley-the-us-capital-of-free-speech-stands-firm-against-trump_6740504_4.html
Today, Donald Trump ordered an investigation of UC Berkeley
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-25/trump-launches-probe-into-uc-berkeley-over-foreign-funding
AG Bondi says she will prosecute any and all judges who dares disagree with Donald Trump
She has ordered the arrest of a third judge
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/fbi-arrests-judge-wisconsin-ag-pam-bondi-directs-new-threats-judiciary-rcna203061
George Santos has been sentenced to seven years in prison. Can we not hear about him for awhile? https://abcnews.go.com/US/george-santos-sentencing-federal-fraud-case/story?id=121126792
What a dipstick. He's not sorry for his crimes. He's sorry he got caught.
WEATHER
Quite warm, overcast, and muggy enough where one thinks "it's going to rain pretty soon".
Been unseasonably cold in Berkeley. Cloudy all day. It's been a chilly Spring so far. Could have done with a bit more rain though.
Cloudy
The sky is gray and white and cloudy
Sometimes I think it's hanging down on me
And it's a hitchhike a hundred miles
I'm a ragamuffin child
Pointed finger painted smile
I left my shadow waiting down the road for me a while
Cloudy
My thoughts are scattered and they're cloudy
They have no borders, no boundaries
They echo and they swell
From Tolstoy to Tinker Bell
Down from Berkeley to Carmel
Got some pictures in my pocket and a lot of time to kill
Hey, sunshine
I haven't seen you in a long time
Why don't you show your face and bend my mind?
These clouds stick to the sky
Like a floating question, why?
And they linger there to die
They don't know where they are going, and, my friend, neither do I
Seconded.
This morning was plenty cool. I walked to Downtown Berkeley BART this morning from home (about 1 mile), and the cool weather was actually nice. Weather was warm a week or two ago. I'd like that to return.
My walk to work takes me by the BART station. The school is practically across the street.
I have a fondness for cool, foggy mornings. Hate to walk to work with the sun in my eyes.
I wouldn't want to walk in the morning with the sun in my eyes, either. I have the advantage of being shielded by trees as I walk down Spruce Street. Once I get to Hearst Ave. I am shielded by the height of apartment buildings and academic buildings on the north side of campus.
This morning, I took a picture of University Hall in the process of being demolished on the west side of Oxford Street between University Ave and Addison Street. Here's a link to an article in Berkeleyside on plans for that space -
Cal plans to build ‘innovation zone’ with 2 big lab buildings in downtown Berkeley
Four UC-owned buildings, including two city landmarks, would be knocked down to make way for the research complex.
https://www.berkeleyside.org/2023/10/31/uc-berkeley-develop-new-innovation-zone-downtown
EDIT: I'm guessing sunrise coming earlier and losing cloud cover makes it more likely you'll have to fight the sun in your eyes as we advance towards summer. Or so I gather from your comments. This is why hats with broad brims are a good thing.
Not the best time of year for walking to work but I've managed to find shady streets.
gorgeous, sunny, 70 deg, perfect spring weather in NYC area today.
i need to do a little back patio clean up stuff since i am going to try to grill/cook/entertain on Sat.
DBD AV CLUB
Andor (Star Wars/Disney) ... season 2 episode 1.
i read all these amazing reviews about how great season 2 was and how Andor is this critically acclaimed Star Wars spin-off. i was underwhelmed by episode 1. that being said the first 3 episodes were released at once and i only watched the first.
overall, i agree it is a great series w/ amazing characters and storyline.
spoiler alert .. no baby yoda in the this one, the cutest thing is a square little droid.
California is nearly out of license plate numbers. Here’s what the DMV is doing next
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/california-new-license-plate-format-20293230.php
California’s license plates are running out of numbers.
For the first time in nearly half a century, the California Department of Motor Vehicles is preparing to roll out a new alphanumeric configuration for standard passenger vehicle plates, a quiet but striking milestone in the state’s automotive history.
“The current 9-series configuration, which will end with 9ZZZ999, is projected to end sometime in 2026,” a spokesperson for the agency confirmed Thursday.
That sequence, in place since 1980, follows a familiar pattern to millions of Californians: one number, followed by three letters, and three final numbers (e.g., 1ABC234).
The next generation of license plates will flip that structure on its head, moving to a “Numeral Numeral Numeral Alpha Alpha Alpha Numeral” format — such as 000AAA0.
COMMENT: The DMV is leaving 17,576,000 possible combinations unused. Every combination from 0AAA000 to 0ZZZ999 will be unused. But, as per the article, the DMV will start with 000AAA0 and move through that set of combinations which, presumably, will end with 999ZZZ0 before moving to the next series which will start with 000AAA1.
In the 1960s license plates were yellow on a black background and the series ran from AAA000 (presumably) to ZZZ999. DMV ran out of combinations in 1969 or 1970.
The next license plate sequence was yellow on blue and the combinations ran from 000AAA to 999ZZZ. I remember that this was the standard license plate configuration through most of the 70s.
The next sequence was also yellow on blue, but the combinations were 1AAA000 through 1ZZZ999, then on to 2AAA000 through 2ZZZ999, and so on up to the current 9 series.
The license plate background became white with navy blue letters and a block CALIFORNIA in red, probably starting with the 2 series. Probably starting with the 3 series, the block CALIFORNIA became a script California, though not based on the UC script California.
The best was the mid 80s white California with the sunrise. I need to come up with a good Cal plate and then get the yellow on black.
I had totally forgotten about that plate. It was a nice plate. I haven't seen those plates in a loooooooong time.
travel plans?
In SD next week for work. Flying to ATL on the Fri redeye with No 3 to visit No 2. Going to a Dodgers/Braves game, along with the CFB HOF. Then I go to Paris on Tues to visit No 1 for a week. He'll be in Aix-En-Provence so I'll immediately hop on the TGV to go down there until the weekend, then hang in Paris for a few days. Then fly to NYC to visit HSB for about 5 days. So gone for 3 weeks.
Several great Cal things in the College Football HOF- enjoy!
Not mine, but my son and daughter-in-law will be flying to London (Heathrow) today before flying on to Rome tomorrow. This is the start of their long-planned and delayed honeymoon; they were married last June. They will spend two weeks in Italy before returning home.
They won't land at Rome's airport until mid-afternoon on Saturday, so I think they'll miss most of the congestion associated with Pope Francis' funeral.
Two weeks from now the missus and I are going to London, Oxford, a town called Sedbergh in Northern England and Scotland. Haven't been to Scotland in decades. Seeing a premier league match in London as I do most every year.
Wow I have very similar plans! Flying to London on May 8, two weeks in Haltwhistle in the North, and a week in the highlands. I plan on catching a cricket match in Carlisle (my first live cricket). Here's what I'll be up to near Haltwhistle:
https://romanarmymuseum.com/magnafort/magna-dig-diary-2025/
That looks great, we'll actually be near there, maybe we can make it.
a friend of mine is going to CDMX for about a week and on the list of things to do are see some wrestling, lucha libre, and do some architectural tour of some old buildings.
this is the 2nd time in a short while i am hearing of lucha libre (SGBear was the first). i didnt appreciate how much of a cultural phenomenon it was.
sadly, i do not have any plans to be in Mexico anytime soon ..
Anyone here applying for the Pope job? I'm going to send my resume. It's a long shot me not being Catholic and all but who knows, maybe a rabid Cal football fan is just what the cardinals are looking for (though now that I think about it I can't imagine why).
I've applied. I've attached a cover letter of my key papal positions, which include:
#1. Be excellent to one another
#2. God is Love
#3. Dont be a dick
Wish me luck.
I don't think they'd like my key papal positions either.
They go against every Catholic Church tenet.