95 Comments

That photo, at the top, must have been taken no later than 2010 near Sections K and KK.

Expand full comment

I looked at the photo and for a second felt nostalgic for the old wooden seats. What the hell is wrong with me?

Expand full comment
author

Same. There was a certain charm in the stadium's well worn patina

Expand full comment

Nothing that a 9-3 (or better) season wouldn't cure. We haven't had a season better than 8-5 since the renovation (2015 under Sonny Dykes with an Armed Forces Bowl win and 2019 under Justin Wilcox with a Redbox Bowl win). Cal is a cumulative 52-75 from 2012 through 2022 including 2-1 in bowl games. In a similar length stretch, Cal was 82-57 under Jeff Tedford (with one overlapping season, 2012).

Expand full comment

Now I know how other people feel when I toss out depressing stats about Cal football. (I assume someone will reply to this by asking: are there any other kind of stats about Cal football?)

Expand full comment

Advanced depressing stats. (Its a new thing, pioneered to meet the Berzerkly circumstance.)

Expand full comment
author

What turned out to be much more expensive than you thought?

Expand full comment

Home remodeling

Expand full comment

Larry Scott.

Expand full comment

Justin Wilcox

Expand full comment

Raising children.

Expand full comment

Marriage

Expand full comment

i hear that the divorce part is even more expensive ...

Expand full comment

Surprisingly, for us, that was relatively painless.

Expand full comment

generally buying wood for DIY projects. you would think it would be a lot cheaper, but after you pay ad put in the effort and buy all the tools it is usually more than just buying the thing.

of course, you cant put a price on the FUN you have putting it together.

Expand full comment

Airbnb for the Cal/UW game. Somehow I missed a $150 cleaning fee. And JimmyChitwood found hair in the shower.

Expand full comment

Still a perfectly solid enough AirBnB…but the cleaning detail absolutely was not there, making the $150 a bit steep.

Expand full comment
Sep 26, 2023·edited Sep 26, 2023

As a party of 6 with 3 dogs, we went to a cabin in Sonoma County on Father's Day weekend for two nights. It was nice enough, but the cleaning was not at all deep. I spent a portion of the day on Friday washing plates, utensils, and pots and pans because the level of cleanliness was...cursory. For instance, a pot we intended to use had been previously used for pasta. You could see the outline of the pasta from the residual on the bottom and sides of the pot. There were other examples. I really wonder about the cleaning crews employed at this vacation rental. And their cleaning fee was $250, I think.

Expand full comment

Yeah the condo itself was nice. The owner said she would contact the cleaning company. Didn't offer any money back though.

Expand full comment

my trip ended up being luckily cheaper. the Graduate hotel lost or messed up my reservation somehow. they luckily found it in the end but felt very bad for the hassle. so the comped 2 out of 4 night and free valet parking for both HAG and I.

Expand full comment
author

FAULT

Expand full comment

It seems to me that my parents generation was fixated on finding someone to blame, other than oneself. In my own adult life, I moved from that point of view, to finding a solution to the problem, and finding fault was less important.

Expand full comment

N-n-n-n-n-n-nobody's ___ but mine. (1976)

one of my favorite Zeppelin songs, especially the end

Expand full comment

IV was their last great album.

Expand full comment

Hayward

Expand full comment
author

The kid suffered a compound fracture, too. Nasty.

Expand full comment
author

DBD STREET JOURNAL

Expand full comment

Bond markets in a quandary. Yields are up, prices sink. Not-so-hot for capital preservation.

https://www.barrons.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-0926223/card/stock-futures-fall-amid-surge-in-bond-yields-CbQMJovjzRJ9pxqqXL6e

Expand full comment
author

Tinder, a subsidiary of IAC, has launched a $499/month premium tier. There aren't many added features - just cache that someone is thirsty enough to burn up that much money.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/25/tinder-snobs-can-now-pay-499-per-month-to-be-matched-with-the-most-sought-after-profiles/

Expand full comment
author

DBD AV CLUB

Expand full comment
author

History of the World Part 2. (Hulu, 1/19 WNB). Unfunny. Turned it off after about 15 minutes. A complete dud.

Expand full comment

omg i thought it was great

Expand full comment
author

PRO

Expand full comment
author

Hey World! Are you ready for championship Korfball? It's like Dutch netball and was a demonstration sport in the 1920 and 1928 Olympics.

https://twitter.com/korfball/status/1706641645947510989

Expand full comment
author

[ESPN] Trevor Siemian to sign with Jets as a sign of no confidence in Zach Wilson

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38497338/source-jets-sign-veteran-free-agent-qb-trevor-siemian

Expand full comment
author
Sep 26, 2023·edited Sep 26, 2023Author

Giants beat Pads 2-1 on a Logan Webb's complete game as the two teams wrestle to push each other into official Wild Card elimination

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401473360

Expand full comment
author
Sep 26, 2023·edited Sep 26, 2023Author

Bengals beat the Rams 19-16 at home as Joe Burrow returns from injury

https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401547441

Expand full comment
author

Eagles tame the Bucs 25-11 even though Hurts tosses 2 INTS. 1 INT indirectly turned into a safety the next play.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401547440

Expand full comment
author

OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

Expand full comment
Sep 26, 2023·edited Sep 26, 2023

Sen. Bob Menendez faced rapidly growing calls from Senate colleagues to resign Tuesday, including from his fellow New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker, after he vowed to return to Washington despite facing a federal indictment alleging that he and his wife accepted bribes in exchange for exerting his political influence.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/26/menendez-senate-democrats-resign/

COMMENT: New Jersey Democrats could put the bite on Menendez. They need to recruit and fund a primary challenger. The seat belongs to the people of New Jersey, not Menendez.

EDIT: Congressman Andy Kim (representing the NJ 3rd District) announced he will run against Senator Menendez in 2024.

Expand full comment
author

Cassidy Hutchison denies Matt Gaetz's claim that he dated her. I mean, that should be obvious because she's not a minor.

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/i-never-dated-matt-gaetz-cassidy-hutchinson-denies-republicans-claim-says-i-have-much-higher-standards-in-men/

Expand full comment
author

ELSEHWERE IN COLLEGE

Expand full comment
author

ICYMI: This is how Oregon's mascot entered the stadium. Puddles started sauntering in coolly wearing a white cowboy hat, sunglasses, and giant chains, but he later lost his head

https://twitter.com/haydenherrera/status/1705668657781833980

Expand full comment
author

Winless teams in the FBS:

Sam Houston (inaugural FBS season), UConn, Buffalo, Nevada

Expand full comment
author

Ashton Hayes - who started the season as an "or" starter at the beginning of the year has only had 30 carries in four games. Keleki Latu has caught 10 passes this season after catching 6 against Texas State and is second on the team in receptions, fourth in yards.

Expand full comment
author

Nevada has a chance to go winless this year despite playing New Mexico, FCS Idaho, Hawaii, and Utah State.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2440/nevada-wolf-pack

Expand full comment

Jay Norvell left that program in ruins.

Expand full comment

He isn’t doing great at CSU. I’m starting to think Jay isn’t a very good HC.

Expand full comment

Still, he beat Wilcox and would be an upgrade

Expand full comment
author

Undefeated teams:

Duke, L'ville, Miami, FSU, UNC, Syracuse, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Liberty, Air Force, Fresno State, USC, Oregon, Utah, Washington, WSU, Georgia, Kentucky, MIssouri, Georgia State, James Madison, Marshall

Expand full comment
author

K-State MBB HC Jerome Tang gets a 7 year extension. TIL: His father is half African, half Chinese. His mother is Indian.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38491633/kansas-state-signs-coach-jerome-tang-new-7-year-deal

Expand full comment

WaPo had a blurb about the extension and the surname caught my attention. But I didn't go the next step to check out his background.

Expand full comment
author
Sep 26, 2023·edited Sep 26, 2023Author

Reminder: Iowa OC Brian Ferentz, the son of HC, Kirk Ferentz - has a contract that has a goal of 25 points (regardless of who scores them) and 7 victories. If he gets them, he gets a $112.5k bonus, a new 2-year contract renewal, and a raise. For reference 25 points per game was about average for 2022. Iowa's remaining schedule is so weak that they could achieve that goal and go to a bowl game despite being terrible on offense as evident by their 76 yards against Penn State.

Expand full comment

Wilcox must be excited about the possibility of hiring Brian Ferentz as his next OC.

Expand full comment
author

That kind of auto-renewing clause can be a special kind of cancer (just ask Oregon State fans about Mike Riley's contract)

Expand full comment
author

Iowa's remaining schedule is super weak. A case in point, they are 11.5 point favorites against Michigan State. The over/under is a ridiculously low 36.5. Iowa could win 10 games because of the incredibly weak Big X and because they don't play Michigan, Ohio State, or Maryland.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2294/iowa-hawkeyes

Expand full comment
author

CAL

Expand full comment

Luckhurst has finally been benched.

Expand full comment

Three games too late

Expand full comment
author

That's the right call. He needs a couple games off to try to get his head straight after missing those two PATs

Expand full comment

And all those FGs

Expand full comment

And PATs, he missed 3

Expand full comment

Had to happen.

Expand full comment

On this day in 1924 in Memorial Stadium the Golden Bears defeated Santa Clara, 13-7 in the first non-Big Game played at Memorial Stadium (the stadium had opened with the annual clash against the Lobsterbacks the previous November). Cal would go on to post their fifth consecutive unbeaten season going 8-0-2. Over the course of the five years the Bears were 44-0-4.

DBD celebrates 100 years of football in Strawberry Canyon with this daily feature appearing throughout the football season.

Expand full comment

Go Bears!!!

Expand full comment

We must beat A-state to have any chance at a minor bowl.

Expand full comment
author

If we lose to ASU we're having a 2- maybe 3-win season

Expand full comment

Wilcox can not survive a 2 or 3 win season.

Expand full comment

Should he survive a 4 win season? 4 wins seems like a best case scenario this year.

Expand full comment

He should not, but given his buyout, he will

Expand full comment

Yup. And attendance will almost assuredly tank.

Expand full comment

Eek! No please!

Expand full comment
author

QB Jaden Rashada is injured and will be out. Second string QB Trenton Borguet is injured and will be out. We will be facing old ND foe Drew Pyne, who has some lingering hamstring injuries so won't be super mobile. If Pyne can't go, Jacob Connover is the final QB on the roster - who went 6-19 for 89 yards and 2 INTs against Fresno State. I think ASU outperformed against USC and Cal will have a rebound game against a non-elite foe.

Expand full comment
author

Correction: ASU also has a walk-on QB.

That being said, ASU has a very good receiver group, an angry running RB Skattebo, a defense comparable to Cal's, and a reliable kicker named Dario Longhetto. Cal is a 12 point favorite.

Expand full comment

Skattebo was talking a lot of shit through the third quarter. Perhaps because he's nursing an injury, Pyne seemed to get rattled by garden variety sacks / botched passes.

Expand full comment

Can we have Ragle and Longhetto back?

Expand full comment
author

I expect Cal to win, but it's going to be infuriating when Ragle's special teams unit outperforms ours

Expand full comment