The Dodgers lived to play another day, thanks to stopping a few odious skids along the way in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the NLDS that went about as according to plan as possible at Petco Park.
Wednesday’s win sets up a decisive Game 5 on Friday at Dodger Stadium, thanks to the Dodgers getting their first road playoff win since Game 5 of the 2021 NLDS in San Francisco, snapping a seven-game skid.
Funny story: we have a football prognostication league at work. The game sheet came out yesterday morning and instead of Washington Commanders, that team was listed as Washington Guardians.
I wrote back to the Commissioner and said, "you gotta stop listening to the MLB playoffs while you're typing up the game sheets. It's bleeding over into the football."
I despise both re-brandings, not because I liked the old names (I didn't and I don't), but because they are simply uninspired wimpy nicknames. In fact, Commanders and Guardians feels insulting because I doubt that much thought went into it.
Granted, franchise nicknames need some research, but that's not so hard that you can't task someone or even a small team to do it.
Lindor hits a grand slam in 6th to account for all the Mets scoring. people (ie my friends who were there) were very nervous when Diaz came out and walked the first 2 guys in the 9th
got tix to game 3 of NLCS which should be the 1st home game for the Mets.
Coming off of a 3-3 tie with Louisville in Berkeley – in which the Golden Bears rallied from a 3-1 deficit – the California men's soccer team (3-5-2, 0-3-2 ACC) heads to Pennsylvania to battle top-ranked Pitt on Friday.
The California women's tennis team hosts the ITA Northwest Regional Championships from Friday through Tuesday at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts. The northwest regional competition is one of 13 that the ITA holds in October around the United States. The field in Berkeley will feature more than 100 players – from schools including Eastern Washington, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Stanford, Washington and Washington State – vying with the Golden Bears for singles and doubles titles. The singles finalists and the doubles champions from each region qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship and NCAA Doubles Championship in November.
BERKELEY – California volleyball will play two more matches at home this weekend, hosting Boston College at 7 p.m. PT Friday and Syracuse at 7 p.m. Saturday. These will be the first meetings in history between the Golden Bears (9-7, 1-3 ACC) and either team, with both opponents looking for their first ACC win this year. Both matches will be broadcast on ACCNX.
For her decades-long devotion to women's college tennis, Jan Brogan – the former longtime head coach at California – was inducted into the ITA Women's Hall of Fame last Saturday.
With several Golden Bear alumnae in attendance, Brogan was lauded at the Mason A. Raymond School of Business on the campus of William & Mary, where the ITA Women's Hall of Fame is located.
BERKELEY – The No. 1 California men's swimming & diving team continues its 2024-25 campaign as it returns to the pool this weekend for a two-day dual against UC San Diego beginning on Friday at 2 p.m. PT at the Canyonview Aquatics Center in La Jolla, Calif.
The California men's and women's cross country teams are set to compete at the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Friday. The meet hosted by the University of Oregon, will take place at the Pine Ridge Golf Course in Springfield, Oregon. The men's 8,000-meter race will start at 11:15 a.m. PT followed by the women's 6,000-meter race at 12 p.m PT.
The racecourse at the Pine Ridge Course is entirely grass, mostly on fairways with two loops. This will be the Bears second straight year participating in this invitational.
California’s football relationship with Pittsburg includes five games played between 1955 and 1966 (the Bears winning two) but is most notable for a year in which they did not meet on the football field, 1937. The Golden Bears went unbeaten that season with only a tie against Washington marring their perfect record. Pitt also finished 9-0-1. However while Cal put their record on the line in the Rose Bowl against an undefeated Alabama team. The Panthers played it safe and stayed home that bowl season. The Bears made their case for voters with a resounding not-as-close-as-the-score-indicates 13-0 thumping of the Crimson Tide. Nonetheless East Coast bias reared its ugly head as Pitt finished number one in the final polls with the Bears in second. California’s Thunder Team had five All-Americans and six players who earned All-Pacific Coast honors. They outscored opponents 214-33.
Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts appears Tuesday through Thursday on the DBD throughout the 2024 college football season. This feature is brought to you by the grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
despite the controversies that always ensue, i miss those infuriating days w/ polls and votes. a 99 team playoff is not what i want to settle the matter.
One of the features of the bowl system (pre-BCS and CFP) was that there was controversy about who was No. 1. It meant that there was often vigorous debate about the strengths and weaknesses of various teams and their claims to the Mythical National Championship.
It also embellished the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. New Year's Day bowl games meant something and were appointment TV. Even folks who didn't follow college football closely watched the New Year's Day bowl games. The Rose Bowl was a big deal in those days. Now, it's an afterthought on the way to a glorified pseudo NFL playoff.
Bowl games were started as exhibitions, often for charity, or to promote a place (Los Angeles and El Paso come to mind) and typically featured teams that had really good seasons.
Bowl games proliferated starting in the 1980s and 1990s, and even mediocre teams got bowl invitations. There was too much money to be made to leave it on the table.
Somewhere along the way, the voices demanding a National Champion became too loud. I suspect that all along it was TV execs who understood they could sell more advertising during bowl game season if they could only manufacture that desire in the fanbase. It got out of control, and we went from BCS to the CFP in relatively short order.
At the same time, it also calls into question the purpose of college football. At one time, college football was about school pride and the pageantry of fans dressed in school colors, marching bands, cheerleaders, and tailgating. All of that is still a part of college football, but it is muted by the dizzying transfers of players, NIL money, and the availability of games on television. Start times are not dictated by when sunset will occur. It's dictated by TV execs trying to fill broadcast windows and schedules.
The game is becoming more and more foreign to the college experience; more and more foreign to its roots.
One they started having minor bowls like the Poulan Weedeater bowl and they struggled to find teams that would qualify, they should've killed at least 5 bowls.
I hear ya, and I couldn't agree more. But between the college football media and alums who daydreamed of going someplace over the holidays for a college football game with their favorite team, athletic departments didn't stand a chance of making the economic argument. Or, they were afraid to.
As I've said more than once before, bowl invites to minor bowls are economic penalties for the invited schools. The tendency is to lose hundreds of thousands on ticket guarantees and travel. And yet, the NCAA is complicit in this charade because they set the criteria for bowl games and who can go.
More proof that east coast bias (and journalist population imbalance) and the unending plight of being a Cal fan so often decried here and elsewhere are nothing close to a new or even relatively recent turn of events.
Green Day re-launches Dookie by offering a "demastered" version with lower sound fidelity in inconvenient formats - like Teddy Ruxpin, a doorbell, a wax cylinder, an answering machine, a Billy Big Mouth Bass, a floppy disk, an 8 track...
That's a great idea. I think I'd go for Basketcase with the Billy Big Mouth Bass. When I come around is on wax cylinder but I don't think I have a good way to listen to that.
Remember Jackson Brown - the offensive lineman who portaled over to his late father's alma mater Pitt? It was rumored that he was unhappy of where he was in Cal's depth chart and deserved more of a chance. Guess who isn't part of the two-deep at Pitt? And the RT position has two RS-Sophomores, just like him - so it's not like he's sitting behind entrenched upper classmen. He played off the bench. Maybe we'll see him in the future.
I used to complain about having to ride the bus to go from Lafayette to Elk Grove to play them in football. This week, apparently De La Salle beat NFL Academy team 31-9 on Tuesday at Tottenham Stadium in London.
PRO
Raiders bench Uncle Rico
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41702492/raiders-benching-gardner-minshew-name-aidan-oconnell-qb1
Dodgers force game 5 by scoring early, often against the Pads. 8-0.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401701029
Connery: THE PENIS MIGHTIER
https://x.com/lainaminute/status/1844250390088515729?s=46
Dodgers Game 4 plan works to perfection to even NLDS with Padres
https://www.truebluela.com/2024/10/9/24266264/dodgers-home-runs-bullpen-game-blowout-nlds-game-4-padres
The Dodgers lived to play another day, thanks to stopping a few odious skids along the way in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the NLDS that went about as according to plan as possible at Petco Park.
Wednesday’s win sets up a decisive Game 5 on Friday at Dodger Stadium, thanks to the Dodgers getting their first road playoff win since Game 5 of the 2021 NLDS in San Francisco, snapping a seven-game skid.
Do they go with a starter that has been hit hard by the Pads, or another bullpen game?
You make it sound as if they belong in Chicago.
Yanks beat the Royals 3-2 as Gio Stanton homers in the top of the 8th. NY has a 2-1 series lead.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401701046
Tigers blank the Cleveland Indiguardians 3-0 to take a 2-1 series lead
https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401701059
Funny story: we have a football prognostication league at work. The game sheet came out yesterday morning and instead of Washington Commanders, that team was listed as Washington Guardians.
I wrote back to the Commissioner and said, "you gotta stop listening to the MLB playoffs while you're typing up the game sheets. It's bleeding over into the football."
His response: LOL.
He sent out a correction about 10 minutes later.
I've had trouble remembering that Cleveland isn't the Commandos. These 2 rebrandings may be the worst ever.
I despise both re-brandings, not because I liked the old names (I didn't and I don't), but because they are simply uninspired wimpy nicknames. In fact, Commanders and Guardians feels insulting because I doubt that much thought went into it.
Granted, franchise nicknames need some research, but that's not so hard that you can't task someone or even a small team to do it.
I wonder if primitive AI was the cause/culprit here.
That's an even stronger reason to despise the re-branding. Give over naming your business to an algorithm? That's lazy and asking for trouble.
Mets beat Phils 4-1 to win NLDS and now they don't know what to do since they're unfamiliar with this situation
https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401701021/phillies-mets
Lindor hits a grand slam in 6th to account for all the Mets scoring. people (ie my friends who were there) were very nervous when Diaz came out and walked the first 2 guys in the 9th
got tix to game 3 of NLCS which should be the 1st home game for the Mets.
hopefully the game starts at a normal 730p-800p time. since i have a thing on Wed until 630p
It's against a West Coast team so they'll have it as late as possible. especially if it's on the same day as an AL game.
the prelim schedule implies there is only one game that night.
I'd guess 730 or 8 so that it isn't too early for West Coast.
Fire Coach Berhalter now!
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/41680830/chicago-fire-name-ex-usa-coach-gregg-berhalter-head-coach
Kyler Murray to start swearing, dropping the N word, and yelling how he slept with your mother after he loses games
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41670073/kyler-murray-arizona-cardinals-call-duty-partnership
Rafael Nadal announces his retirement
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/tennis/rafael-nadal-announces-retirement-tennis-rcna174803
Q.Ron Rodgers doesn't like it when people spread misinformation
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41702325/aaron-rodgers-resents-rumors-had-hand-robert-saleh-firing
RIP Tropicana Field
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/the-roof-of-tropicana-field-was-ripped-off-by-hurricane-miltons-winds
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
I'll take "Another Thing Merrick Garland Will Ignore" for $1,000, Alex
https://thehill.com/policy/international/4924145-susan-rice-trump-putin-logan-act/
CAL
Go Bears.
[MSOC] Cal Plays At No. 1 Pitt
https://calbears.com/news/2024/10/9/mens-soccer-cal-plays-at-no-1-pitt.aspx
Coming off of a 3-3 tie with Louisville in Berkeley – in which the Golden Bears rallied from a 3-1 deficit – the California men's soccer team (3-5-2, 0-3-2 ACC) heads to Pennsylvania to battle top-ranked Pitt on Friday.
[WTEN] Cal Hosts ITA NW Regional Championships
https://calbears.com/news/2024/10/9/womens-tennis-cal-hosts-ita-nw-regional-championships.aspx
The California women's tennis team hosts the ITA Northwest Regional Championships from Friday through Tuesday at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts. The northwest regional competition is one of 13 that the ITA holds in October around the United States. The field in Berkeley will feature more than 100 players – from schools including Eastern Washington, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Stanford, Washington and Washington State – vying with the Golden Bears for singles and doubles titles. The singles finalists and the doubles champions from each region qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship and NCAA Doubles Championship in November.
[VB] Cal Welcomes Boston College, Syracuse To Haas Pavilion
https://calbears.com/news/2024/10/9/volleyball-cal-welcomes-boston-college-syracuse-to-haas-pavilion.aspx
BERKELEY – California volleyball will play two more matches at home this weekend, hosting Boston College at 7 p.m. PT Friday and Syracuse at 7 p.m. Saturday. These will be the first meetings in history between the Golden Bears (9-7, 1-3 ACC) and either team, with both opponents looking for their first ACC win this year. Both matches will be broadcast on ACCNX.
[WTEN] Jan Brogan Inducted Into ITA Women’s Hall Of Fame
https://calbears.com/news/2024/10/9/womens-tennis-jan-brogan-inducted-into-ita-womens-hall-of-fame.aspx
For her decades-long devotion to women's college tennis, Jan Brogan – the former longtime head coach at California – was inducted into the ITA Women's Hall of Fame last Saturday.
With several Golden Bear alumnae in attendance, Brogan was lauded at the Mason A. Raymond School of Business on the campus of William & Mary, where the ITA Women's Hall of Fame is located.
[MSWIM] Bears Travel South To Face UC San Diego
https://calbears.com/news/2024/10/9/mens-swimming-diving-bears-travel-south-to-face-uc-san-diego.aspx
BERKELEY – The No. 1 California men's swimming & diving team continues its 2024-25 campaign as it returns to the pool this weekend for a two-day dual against UC San Diego beginning on Friday at 2 p.m. PT at the Canyonview Aquatics Center in La Jolla, Calif.
Bears To Compete At Bill Dellinger Invitational
https://calbears.com/news/2024/10/9/cross-country-bears-to-compete-at-bill-dellinger-invitational.aspx
The California men's and women's cross country teams are set to compete at the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Friday. The meet hosted by the University of Oregon, will take place at the Pine Ridge Golf Course in Springfield, Oregon. The men's 8,000-meter race will start at 11:15 a.m. PT followed by the women's 6,000-meter race at 12 p.m PT.
The racecourse at the Pine Ridge Course is entirely grass, mostly on fairways with two loops. This will be the Bears second straight year participating in this invitational.
It’s time again for Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts.
California’s football relationship with Pittsburg includes five games played between 1955 and 1966 (the Bears winning two) but is most notable for a year in which they did not meet on the football field, 1937. The Golden Bears went unbeaten that season with only a tie against Washington marring their perfect record. Pitt also finished 9-0-1. However while Cal put their record on the line in the Rose Bowl against an undefeated Alabama team. The Panthers played it safe and stayed home that bowl season. The Bears made their case for voters with a resounding not-as-close-as-the-score-indicates 13-0 thumping of the Crimson Tide. Nonetheless East Coast bias reared its ugly head as Pitt finished number one in the final polls with the Bears in second. California’s Thunder Team had five All-Americans and six players who earned All-Pacific Coast honors. They outscored opponents 214-33.
Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts appears Tuesday through Thursday on the DBD throughout the 2024 college football season. This feature is brought to you by the grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
despite the controversies that always ensue, i miss those infuriating days w/ polls and votes. a 99 team playoff is not what i want to settle the matter.
One of the features of the bowl system (pre-BCS and CFP) was that there was controversy about who was No. 1. It meant that there was often vigorous debate about the strengths and weaknesses of various teams and their claims to the Mythical National Championship.
It also embellished the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. New Year's Day bowl games meant something and were appointment TV. Even folks who didn't follow college football closely watched the New Year's Day bowl games. The Rose Bowl was a big deal in those days. Now, it's an afterthought on the way to a glorified pseudo NFL playoff.
Bowl games were started as exhibitions, often for charity, or to promote a place (Los Angeles and El Paso come to mind) and typically featured teams that had really good seasons.
Bowl games proliferated starting in the 1980s and 1990s, and even mediocre teams got bowl invitations. There was too much money to be made to leave it on the table.
Somewhere along the way, the voices demanding a National Champion became too loud. I suspect that all along it was TV execs who understood they could sell more advertising during bowl game season if they could only manufacture that desire in the fanbase. It got out of control, and we went from BCS to the CFP in relatively short order.
At the same time, it also calls into question the purpose of college football. At one time, college football was about school pride and the pageantry of fans dressed in school colors, marching bands, cheerleaders, and tailgating. All of that is still a part of college football, but it is muted by the dizzying transfers of players, NIL money, and the availability of games on television. Start times are not dictated by when sunset will occur. It's dictated by TV execs trying to fill broadcast windows and schedules.
The game is becoming more and more foreign to the college experience; more and more foreign to its roots.
One they started having minor bowls like the Poulan Weedeater bowl and they struggled to find teams that would qualify, they should've killed at least 5 bowls.
I hear ya, and I couldn't agree more. But between the college football media and alums who daydreamed of going someplace over the holidays for a college football game with their favorite team, athletic departments didn't stand a chance of making the economic argument. Or, they were afraid to.
As I've said more than once before, bowl invites to minor bowls are economic penalties for the invited schools. The tendency is to lose hundreds of thousands on ticket guarantees and travel. And yet, the NCAA is complicit in this charade because they set the criteria for bowl games and who can go.
Brilliantly put. Agree on all counts.
same same
More proof that east coast bias (and journalist population imbalance) and the unending plight of being a Cal fan so often decried here and elsewhere are nothing close to a new or even relatively recent turn of events.
East Coast bias, yo
Was there a Mack Brown of the 1937 era we can pile on for that egregious final poll voting error?
I've wondered that myself. I may do some more digging into this.
DBD AV CLUB
Green Day re-launches Dookie by offering a "demastered" version with lower sound fidelity in inconvenient formats - like Teddy Ruxpin, a doorbell, a wax cylinder, an answering machine, a Billy Big Mouth Bass, a floppy disk, an 8 track...
https://www.dookiedemastered.com/
That's a great idea. I think I'd go for Basketcase with the Billy Big Mouth Bass. When I come around is on wax cylinder but I don't think I have a good way to listen to that.
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
Remember Jackson Brown - the offensive lineman who portaled over to his late father's alma mater Pitt? It was rumored that he was unhappy of where he was in Cal's depth chart and deserved more of a chance. Guess who isn't part of the two-deep at Pitt? And the RT position has two RS-Sophomores, just like him - so it's not like he's sitting behind entrenched upper classmen. He played off the bench. Maybe we'll see him in the future.
I used to complain about having to ride the bus to go from Lafayette to Elk Grove to play them in football. This week, apparently De La Salle beat NFL Academy team 31-9 on Tuesday at Tottenham Stadium in London.
In my day, we had to take the train across the continent, then get on an ocean liner to go play in London.
The National Letter of Intent system was 60 years old. Keyword: was
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/ncaa-approves-elimination-of-national-letter-of-intent-program/ar-AA1rYJxZ