203 Comments

200!

Expand full comment

Remember the days when we used to count up to 1000?

Expand full comment

Or 2,000? Insane! But a lot of that was dumb slap fights. Not all, by any means.

Expand full comment

I hear it just snowed in LA

Expand full comment

I think it was The Weather Channel that had some pictures of snow in Malibu.

Expand full comment

I just saw a picture of the place that Biden stopped for bagels on his way home from church yesterday morning. I went by there in the late morning near the end of my run but didn't see any sign of him. Probably didn't miss him by much. I've never had anything from there but there is often a bunch of people and cars waiting outside for their order. Biden's now been out more than Trump was in his entire four years.

Expand full comment

Trump only went to Trump places when he was in DC.

Expand full comment

Yeah, I think he went to the steakhouse at his hotel and his golf course and that's it.

Expand full comment

I'm saying it here and now...Rogers moves to the 49ers for 2021/22 Season!

Considering he's getting close to the end of his career and reports are that he's not entirely happy in Green Bay; And, that the 49ers are in need of a QB, it's not as far-fetched as it once was.

#GoBears!

Expand full comment

It would bring me partially into the 9ers fold for at least a year.

Expand full comment

Rodgers on the Niners would be the dream scenario.

Expand full comment

Shanahan ego way too big

Expand full comment

Plenty of irony there since the 49ers could have taken him as their first round pick, back in the day.

Expand full comment

Yup, though who knows how he would have developed in the Nolan/Singletary mess.

Expand full comment

True, maybe it was good for his career.

Expand full comment

I'm sure he would have been better than Alex Smith because, well, he's better than Alex Smith. But he might not have even one Super Bowl by now.

Expand full comment

I hope not, because I'm not rooting for the 9ers. I did hear possibly Stafford.

Expand full comment

I hope not, Stafford? Hard pass.

Expand full comment

Grant Cohn’s been talking Stafford for past 2 mos...I initially was anti-Stafford, however I’ve warmed to the idea a twitch and would love to see him in Shanahan offense.

Kyle’s enormous ego would not mesh with Aaron’s similarly monstrous one...

Expand full comment

I think there will be some teams taking a hard look at their QBs. Heh...Derek Carr? I wonder if someone like Lamar Jackson will be available if the Ravens don't think he's the long term solution. He'll want a lot of money for his next contract and I'm not convinced he can lead a team to the SB. Deshaun Watson?

Expand full comment

The Niners have almost never had any Cal players since Gary Plummer, many moons ago. Treggs was on the practice squad for a moment.

Expand full comment

In the 90s they got Plummer, Doug Brien, Andre Carter, Iheanyi Uwaezuoke, Jeremy Newberry (plus poaching Mariucci as head coach). But yeah, since then it's been a bit dry.

Expand full comment

Like I said many moons ago...

Expand full comment
author

What is your favorite museum?

Expand full comment

Smithsonian. I feel like I would've liked The Hermitage in St. Peterburg better if I hadn't just been to the British the week before. I did run into a woman who worked in the same office building as I did at the snack bar.

Expand full comment

impossible to say. I have enjoyed many, and seem to enjoy the various aspects of the Smithsonian more than others. That said, I have only scratched the surface there (on trip every 20 yrs on average, doesn't do much.

The Crocker in Sacto has some very nice paintings, and some weird shit. and it's close enough to do a couple hours here and there and actually look at stuff.

Expand full comment

Rodin Museum in Paris.

Expand full comment

We loved the Rodin Museum, but the Musee D'Orsay was my favorite. Beautiful building, pretty well laid out, great view of the Seine and there were some great exhibits when we visited.

Expand full comment

The d'Orsay is great, as is the Museé du quai Branly, which features the indigenous art of all the continents not named Europe. Paris is a museum goldmine, not even counting the Louvre.

Expand full comment

We did that one as well on a whim, such a cool surprise.

Expand full comment

artist specific, definitely the Chagall museum in Nice

Expand full comment

Pergamon Museum on Museum Island in Berlin was pretty cool with the reconstructed buildings in Babylon. I usually aren't wowed by museums but that was pretty cool.

Otherwise, I'd say maybe the Blackhawk Auto Museum and the Petersen Auto Museum in LA.

Oh...Totally forgot about the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio. And for children's museums the one in Indy is the best I've ever seen.

Expand full comment
author

I really enjoyed Pergamon when I was there 1.5 years ago, despite the main Pergamon altar being under renovation (so I definitely need to return to Berlin at some point, in addition to the long list of other stuff that I couldn't fit into 3 days of sight-seeing). Similar to the British Museum, there are always talks about what should possibly be returned to the present countries where the item had been taken from.

I also really like the USAF museum in Dayton but would definitely have the Smithsonian Air and Space at Udvar-Hazy Center (the one near Dulles rather than at the Mall) over it (real space shuttle over a model one tips the scale for me). The plane that dropped the first nuclear bomb (Enola Gay at Udvar-Hazy) is also more culturally significant than the one that dropped the second nuclear bomb (Bock's Car at Dayton). Dayton does have all the past Air Force Ones though.

Expand full comment

When you walk into Udvar Hazy, it's pretty impressive to immediately see an SR-17 and then shift your focus to take in a space shuttle.

I was there once in the observation tower where they play the control tower radio over speakers - there was the sound of "urgent warnings" and it turned out that a Lufthansa 777 had decided to go onto a runway as a Saudi Air 747 was coming on final approach. Turns out 747s are surprisingly quick to change course!

Expand full comment

Heh, you sound a bit like Gen. "Buck" Turgidson

Expand full comment

oh yeah I did forget about the Air and Space Museum. That's up with the USAF museum. I haven't been to the Udvar-Hazy center. Once I flew out of Dulles but I didn't want to rush it. Hopefully one of these days I'll be back and can enjoy it.

Expand full comment

Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Expand full comment

British Museum, Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Expand full comment
author

I really, really regret not getting a guide to show me around the Egyptian Museum. I think I did the audiotape tour and it focused on such a small percent of the museum. That place was like the Louvre of dead guys... it's so big and expansive that you're gonna break at some point and can't focus anymore.

Expand full comment

the way my wife puts it about the Louvre is that "your eyes get worn out." There's only so much you can take it for sure.

Expand full comment

It's a leisurely, multi-day project, I have way more stamina than most people for this, even so, it helps to A) focus on certain periods only, B) have a nice lunch there, with an alcoholic beverage (just one) I think a total of 4 hours viewing is the max for most mortals. And take your time, linger at what really interests you, don't try to see everything, even within a focus.

Expand full comment

Same approach is necessary for The Getty (not Getty Villa) in LA. One or two buildings max per day.

Expand full comment

this is one reason why it's hard for me to rave about any one museum - because we take short "sampler pack" vacations, I have dipped into the Louvre and the British Museum and the V&A and so on, they were great (if packed) but I couldn't say I got a developed opinion. I think that's why my positive impressions are either places I've been repeatedly as a result of living in DC, or smaller more focused museums like the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. (The Paris Sewer museum was small and also pretty interesting, but we zipped through that to avoid a riot when the kids realized that we were actually standing _in_ the sewer system over flowing effluent.)

Expand full comment
author

After watching Lupin (the new French series on Netflix), I almost want to be a janitor at the Louvre for a week to take in the art works at night when it's not crowded. Even as someone who like being in crowds, I could barely stand the crowd at the Louvre (I also felt the need to see the Mona Lisa again, for the first time in 20 years) after the Leonardo exhibit 1.5 years ago).

By comparison, I got the Netherlands museum card which granted me unlimited access to most museums and was staying near it, I really enjoyed my 2nd and 3rd visits (one early morning, on right before they close) to the Rijksmuseum because it was not crowded (and I was only looking at a few key things).

Expand full comment

also, much as I like to stan for anything Dutch, there's just less to take in at the Rijksmuseum as well

Expand full comment

I just watched two episodes yesterday of Lupin!

Expand full comment

Exploratorium is pretty fantastic. such a different and novel experience. i grew up going to the old one at the Palace of Fine Arts.

the Prado - has the most ridiculous collection of Goya and Velasquez. i was unprepared for how amazing it would be.

Expand full comment

Seconded on the Prado, best power to weight ratio of the major museums I've been to; smaller museums can be nice as well, fond of the Freer in DC and the Rodin in Paris.

Expand full comment
author

As a kid, it was the California Academy of Science. I think I've been there several dozen times. As an adult, it is either the American History museum (compact, precious, well presented) or the British Museum (see the world conveniently pillaged to a single spot).

Expand full comment
author

Rank 'em: pain au chocolat, churro, black forest cake, a nap

Expand full comment

churro

pain au chocolat

nap

black forest cake

Expand full comment

1. Pain au chocolat

2. Nap (I really love naps)

3. Churro

...

...

99. Black forest cake

Expand full comment

correct answer

Expand full comment

pain au chocolat, black forest cake, a nap, don't like churros. Does anyone recall pain au chocolat on Northside? Went out of business a number of years ago.

Expand full comment
author

If it's churro con chocolate, I will have that at the top of the three foods. Nap is kind of a wildcard here, but I guess I'll almost always go for the sugar high.

Churro con chocolate

Black Forest Cake

Pan au chocolat

Churro without chocolate

Nap

Expand full comment

Most of the time I end up feeling tired after a nap. The only nap I really enjoy is on a plane, usually because I didn't sleep much the night before - so the coffee / immediate nap on the plane is both refreshing and helps with not having to pass the time.

Expand full comment
author

Yeah, I think the best naps for me have been the ones in some uncomfortable situations - like just in a cubicle at the library, out on the grass under a tree, in my office when my officemates are gone. The ones that I take while working from home in the past year, in my usual bed and sometimes for too long, have not been as refreshing as those.

Expand full comment

I didn't actually answer this; I'd take all of these, thanks.

Expand full comment

I'm having a pain au chocolat as we speak! My brother and his girlfriend went to Tartine, and I benefited.

Expand full comment

Yum

Expand full comment
author

bfc, churro, pain au chocolat, nap

Expand full comment

I like your presentation but it's hard to go wrong with any of them (except a nap, that's for emergencies only)

Expand full comment

black forest cake by a lot.

Expand full comment
author

For whatever reason and sport, which out-of-conference team do you see as Cal rival?

Expand full comment

SDSU seems to always have our number, plus the in state and CSU v. UC ties seem to fit

Expand full comment

San Diego "Stinkin'" State - Dave Barr

Expand full comment

As both a Cal and SDSU fan, I can tell you SDSU views Arizona and UCLA much more as rivals than Cal.

Expand full comment

St Mary's basketball in the battle to court Australians?

Expand full comment
author

Rugby: UBC, now and forever. Those colleges that get 23 year-olds to come to their physical therapy schools don't count.

Expand full comment
author

UBC's team has also gotten older in recent years due to the semi-pro teams that they play for the rest of their schedule. This was why Cal has kind of downgraded this rivalry and why they have sent the reserve team up to Vancouver for the last two years that the matches were played.

Expand full comment

But do pseudoscience pyramid scheme schools count?

Expand full comment

Ummm...Life University with all the guys from New Zealand doing the Haka?

Expand full comment

I'm curious if anyone on this DBD finds your username to be a personal attack...but then again, no real names :D

Expand full comment

Could also be someone who takes it as a personal compliment if being well-adjusted or domesticated is their thing

Expand full comment

True!

Expand full comment

As long as Stanford (sic) remains accredited, I'm afraid so.

Expand full comment
author

Swimming: Texas

Expand full comment
author

But just score the swimmers only and not give Texas their diving edge (which has made the difference in the team national title 2-3 occasions, all in Texas' favor of coourse, in the past decade).

Expand full comment
author

What's something that could use a little cleaning this week?

Expand full comment

The White House and the Capitol

Expand full comment

Whole house, got the kitchen done and floors done today. Will work on the rest on Wednesday. Painting a bedroom and bathroom Tu/Th this week too.

Expand full comment

My car.

Expand full comment
author

The basement. I need to get some storage shelves to help organize stuff. It's one of those "I'll wait until it's miserable outside and I don't leave the house all weekend" chores

Expand full comment

My entire condo.

Expand full comment

Our hopefully recovering democracy (although I still am having doubts)

Expand full comment
author

Sen. Portman (R-OH) announces he will retire & will not run for reelection in 2022.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/portman-senate-republicans/2021/01/25/d329d28c-5f2a-11eb-9061-07abcc1f9229_story.html

Expand full comment

This opens up the seat for Jim Jordan, which makes me want to puke.

Expand full comment

Or the Democrats

Expand full comment

Such a weird story: I mean, not weird that Trump was all in on the coup, but who he found as a co-conspirator.

"WASHINGTON — It was New Year’s Eve, but the Justice Department’s top leaders had little to celebrate as they discussed Jeffrey Clark, the acting head of the civil division, who had repeatedly pushed them to help President Donald J. Trump undo his electoral loss.

Huddled in the department’s headquarters, they noted that they had rebuked him for secretly meeting with Mr. Trump, even as the department had rebuffed the president’s outlandish requests for court filings and special counsels, according to six people with knowledge of the meeting. No official would host a news conference to say that federal fraud investigations cast the results in doubt, they told him. No one would send a letter making such claims to Georgia lawmakers.

When the meeting ended not long before midnight, Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen hoped that the matter was settled, never suspecting that his subordinate would secretly discuss the plan for the letter with Mr. Trump, and very nearly take Mr. Rosen’s job, as part of a plot with the president to wield the department’s power to try to alter the Georgia election outcome."

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/us/politics/jeffrey-clark-trump-election.html

Expand full comment

Well, Sydney Powell was a former federal prosecutor wasn't she? It's almost as if there are people working for the government who are dangerous.

Expand full comment

A “deep state” of you will?

Expand full comment
author

Sarah Huckabee Sanders running for AR governor.

https://twitter.com/SarahHuckabee/status/1353674788099780609

Expand full comment
author

"A leader with the courage to do what's right - not what's politically correct" eyeroll.gif

And I noticed that after trying to go by Sarah Sanders for a while, she's all-in on riding the Huckabee coattails again.

Expand full comment

I could a respectable path if she announces that she left the Trump administration for a particular reason, something to do with having courage.

Expand full comment

So I've been closely monitoring QAnon ever since the near start in 2017 (Hillary has already been arrested!) was the QDrop. So lately - maybe within the last two months, they've adopted a TON of Sovereign Citizen beliefs. The big one is that Grant was the last "real" US President and then the US had to incorporate as the United States of America Corporation to the City of London to pay off our civil war debts - and when Trump returns and is inaugurated as the president he will be the 19th (20th?) president on March 4th (which was the old inauguration date.

The offshoot of this is that the post civil war amendments are not part of the constitution - including ending slavery and women's voting and a whole host of other things. QAnon is now an ur-consirpiracy whereas it was once "Trump has a secret force to arrest pedophiles in the government"

Expand full comment
author

One of many things that I'm confused about is where they stand on Pedophiles. Are they just saying that to disparage their enemies and the higher-ups in the cult know the "truth"? A return to the 19th century also includes going back to a time when women are married off quite young and/or groomed in similar ways that pedophiles now would prepare their victims.

Expand full comment

their stance on pedophiles is that they're against them, but in a general sort of way, not in any way that takes children out of danger. I mean when they worship Trump as the God Emperor of the Universe, and he hangs out with Epstein, you know . . . consistency isn't their strong point.

Expand full comment

I know this is a formulation that too many people use, but I'm going to do it anyway: if you buy into Reconstruction "status quo ante," or the tools that the former slave states used to blunt Reconstruction, you really shouldn't have a place in US government. You can think it all you like but you can't be near the levers of power. One cranky old man's opinion.

Expand full comment

Take that Marjorie!

Expand full comment
author

It's sounding like one of those doomsday cults that keeps pushing back the date every time the predicted apocalypse doesn't occur.

Expand full comment

they should just go straight for the punch bowl

Expand full comment

Oh but it seems so much more, it seems to be a catch all for every conspiracy in the last 5 years. It’s basically a choose your own conspiracy cult.

Expand full comment

Today in Covid-19

Expand full comment

Newsom lifts stay-at-home order statewide:

https://abc7.com/society/watch-today-california-lifts-regional-stay-at-home-order-statewide/9997141/

Some of my very liberal friends are upset about this, but as I understand it this just returns discretion to the counties and what tier they fall into. This doesn't mean everything is open again automatically.

Expand full comment

Hoping we can resume our sailing schedule in February with our COVID measures in place (reduced capacity, masks, must stay outside on deck and hand washing/sanitizing stations). We've been on pause since Dec. 1st, but are hopeful we can re-open with this being lifted.

Expand full comment

Was anyone really following this? I’ve seen so many restaurants and other business down here in San Diego that are open with people inside and outside eating or shopping. It seems like everyone has given up on the stay at home order.

Expand full comment

There's a reason the numbers for NorCal are a lot better than the southlands.

Expand full comment

Because fewer people live in Northern California and it is more rural.

Expand full comment

Just Bay Area alone has done better than L.A.

Expand full comment

True and the only reason I can think of is that LA has about 3 million more people, lower income population, more manual/essential worker type jobs that require people to go into work, toxic individualism?

Expand full comment

At least in the Bay Area those that tried to stay open were fined. I know there was at least 1 on Danville, I think, that publicized that they were going to stay open and got fined.

Expand full comment

I am not sure what San Diego is doing in terms of enforcement and fines. I would hope they are giving out fines.

Expand full comment

So they just stepped up a bunch of procedures that haven't been in place since like August - temp checks at my office building, mask wearing went up from like 50% to 90% just on visibility on my commute to the office. My gym now requires you to show a green health code, as do shopping malls. If you leave Shanghai for Chinese New Year, which the government is actively discouraging, you will need a negative covid test to come back.

The reason? we have 9 (now 11) new cases in the span of a week. If you're wondering how covid is going here.

Expand full comment

Other college

Expand full comment

bc there is no reason for Cal to be on this list

Expand full comment
author

USC #9, Oregon #13, UW #14. Those all seem at least 10 spots too high.

Expand full comment

After 1-3? No surprise there.

Expand full comment

Exactly. UW at 14 is def 10 spots too high.

Expand full comment

Pro

Expand full comment
author

so just saying that the team needs the right mind set wasn't enough to save his job? Fancy that.

Expand full comment

Sad day for Aaron Rodgers

Expand full comment

saw a tweet yesterday that called Green Bay the Notre Dame of the NFL

Expand full comment

Ouch, that's unfair.

Expand full comment

Green Bay hasn't killed any student video staff for a start

Expand full comment

but fairly accurate. How many NFC championship games has Rodgers played in? 5-6? and how many rings? 1

Expand full comment

If the ND comparison was right, they would have been blown out 35-3; it was a tight game.

Expand full comment

If it was ND-like they would've been put in the NFC championship game instead of having to win to get there.

Expand full comment

but in how many of those did they exceed expectations just to get to the championship game?

Expand full comment

Brady has as many NFC championships as Rodgers and Brews combined.

I believe in most of them they were the #2 seed. I don’t think they exceeded expectations when they went to the NFC championship game.

Expand full comment
author

Some of those throws Brady made were incredible. The game had an inevitability that Brady would win and go to the Super Bowl, starting with that ridiculous 24-yard completion, the Bucs' ability to score 2 TDs off turnovers (including that near-Hail Mary), and Green Bay's inability to do anything with Brady's three interceptions.

Expand full comment

That TD at the end of the half was a killer. I mean what was that CB thinking? Almost was like the cover 0 the Jets did at the end of the Raiders game.

Expand full comment

I just don't understand how a professional defense gives that up. If the receiver has to make an acrobatic catch over the defender, fine, I get that. But a guy being WIDE open when the one thing you can't do is get beaten deep, I don't get it.

Tony Dungy thought this play call was even worse than the Raiders one, because at least the Raiders were blitzing (so in theory the plan is to get to the QB before he can throw it deep). The Packers didn't even do that.

https://twitter.com/TonyDungy/status/1353459750218788864

Expand full comment

The TD right before halftime reminded me of the end of the Jets/Raiders game.

Expand full comment

The "No coverage" scheme?

Expand full comment

I thought it was “thoughts and prayers” coverage scheme.

Expand full comment
author

WTF would you kick a FG? Two things have to go right for Rodgers to tie it on 4th and goal, but a million things have to go right if you give the ball back to your opponent with so little time left.

Expand full comment

Why didn't AR run for it? I wonder if he was less mobile than usual.

Expand full comment
author

He would not have scored but it might have changed the 4th down decision. Then again, Rodgers went for a TD pass rather than just throwing the ball away.

I'm also confused by the Packers' decisions at the end of the first half. They did not call a timeout and promptly took a sack on the play before the not-called-penalty/INT.

That was a very frustrating game to watch as an Aaron Rodgers fan.

Expand full comment

I don’t think he would have scored.

GB and AR was rather bad inside the 10 yard line. They had two scoring opportunities inside the 10 and Rodgers was 0-6.

Expand full comment

I think he MAY have scored, as the LB was following Lazard on the play & cleared the middle, but it definitely would’ve set up a manageable 4th & short.

The FG was just a bad idea. The greatest QB of all-time is going to get a 1st down to ice it...hell, he got 2.

LaFleur is an idiot that wins bc of Rodgers...and they’re trying to run him out of town. Lame.

Expand full comment

LaFleur should be fired for that decision. I really dislike LaFleur. He also made a poor decision going for 2 early in the game. Take the PAT and don’t go chasing points.

Also, that first round pick on a QB looks even worse now, the GB defense could have really used an extra defender with that pick.

Expand full comment

There was a LOT of space open to the right side. He had a decent shot at making it.

Probably a better choice than throwing across his body to a guy with two defenders on him.

Expand full comment

You don't take the ball out of the hands of your best player and kick a meaningless field goal. Derp.

Expand full comment

I didn't get that either. You need to score a TD either way.

It was also a little fishy that jersey pulls were not called for pass interference all game, but then on the last drive when Brady needs to clinch it they call one.

Expand full comment

Yes, that was rather fishy.

Expand full comment

No joke, that was absurd.

Expand full comment

Yeah, that was one of the most scared and pathetic decisions I’ve seen a playoff coach make. You have to go for the TD in that spot. Also, don’t chase points early.

Expand full comment

Cal

Expand full comment
author

First day of FB strength training. And, the first day with new S&C Coach Brian Johnson

https://twitter.com/CalRecruiting/status/1353808499080220673

Expand full comment

Keith Heyward publicly said his goodbyes to Oregon today... expect announcement at Cal soon. Trading DeRuyter for Heyward on the coaching works for me. Should be a significant bump in recruiting skills

Expand full comment

Oh, and I think we have a troll on the FP

Expand full comment

The what now?

Expand full comment

goldenbear88?

Expand full comment

Steve W? I think, I know we have a fair number of doom-and gloom fans, but his negative comments don't come across as authentic to the Cal experience.

Expand full comment

it's rather pointless engaging front page commenters.

Expand full comment

I don't, not my job.

Expand full comment

for solid commenting and good back and forth, the Rivals board does a great job.

Expand full comment
author

Considering budget restrictions, getting Heyward is a huge coup. He and Wilcox must have been really tight in order to pull this off.

Expand full comment

Hope so. Making lemonade out of lemons.

Expand full comment

Cardwell decision coming today

Expand full comment
author

247 Crystal ball: everyone including Huffman & Biggins saying Oregon

Expand full comment

So you’re saying we have a chance?!?!

Expand full comment

get your afraid to compete memes ready

Expand full comment

...aaannnnddddd he's headed to Oregon

Expand full comment

AT struck out on every RB recruit this cycle

Expand full comment

yeah, not impressed so far with that dude

Expand full comment

It’s hard to sale offensive recruits with our Toyota Corolla offense.

Expand full comment
author

Go Bears!

Expand full comment
Jan 25, 2021Liked by SGBear

We finally had a cold morning yesterday. It was only in the mid-20s when I started my run. At some point I crossed paths with a guy wearing a gray Cal sweatshirt. I gave him a "Go Bears" and could see the smile under his mask.

Expand full comment
author

I was wearing my Cal baseball cap at home. I got a "Go Bears!" from my wife because she knows that I miss receiving them in the wild.

Expand full comment

my wife nor kids ever say go bears. i have to say it to myself ...

Expand full comment

GO BEARS, HSB!

Expand full comment