I once took a technology development class with some guys from Land O’ Lakes. They told me that LOL butter in California tastes different from LOL butter in Minnesota because, at least at the time, it was against the law to transport their Minnesota butter microbial ecosystem across state lines.
The point of this question is that Costco recently recalled approx. 80,000 lbs. of butter because the labeling doesn't have allergen information that the butter contains milk.
Two things don't make sense to me:
1. doesn't every adult know that butter is made from milk?
2. if allergen information in labeling butter is a legal requirement, why does a butter producing manufacturer have labels that DON'T include that information?
Either way, the mind boggles, especially on the 2nd item.
Real question is, how many people return their recalled butter for being made from milk? And, if butter is labeled as a dairy product on other butter, what "kind" of butter did they think they were buying the non label version from Costco? I'd love to poll these folks responding to the recall to see what they were thinking when they bought said butter.
Mrs Slug and I bought a new dishwasher last year. We both read the manual and paid attention to the way in which it suggests dishes and utensils are loaded. We don't question how the other loads the dishwasher as a consequence.
I live by myself in an old building that did not have a dishwasher in the unit when I moved in. I think most other owners have put a small one in but I’m fine to continue to do mine by hand.
I am moving back to the Bay Area next month with Pup Chitwood to help out Ma Chitwood & Step-Dad…I need a new dishwasher, again…every house I’ve ever bought has needed a new dishwasher, stat.
So far, they’ve just been old units. Now, I really don’t create a ton of dishes, so it’s certainly not a necessity….but the units I have inherited in homes I have bought have all ranged from ratty to just plain useless.
And I'm sure the sellers understood it was very likely any buyer would replace it. I would imagine that if a seller isn't upgrading or renovating a kitchen, they leave appliance replacement up to the buyer.
i rather like it. sort of an interesting game to deliver hot water to dishes and not the hands. my wife burns her hands if she tries to use the water temps that i use
Which begs the question of the temp your water heater is set for. Mine is 120 deg. F. I deliberately chose that temp as it is plenty hot to do anything that requires hot water and won't scald a person. It's also the lowest setting on our hot water heater.
120 deg. F water is also hot enough that a person could experience some pain or discomfort.
That was a childhood chore for me and my sister. We wore rubber gloves, which worked fine in hot water, except when you got the cuff into the water and hot water would come pouring into your glove.
I don't mind dishwashing. I do notice that we clean prep dishes after we're done with them, which makes non-dishwasher things dishwashing after dinner quicker
I do my share at home. As it happens, last night I did the dishwashing of stuff that doesn't go in the dishwasher: kitchen knives, spatulas with wood handles, pots and pans, etc. Lids for those pots and pans do go in the dishwasher.
I like washing dishes as it helps me to relax and helps me get to sleep faster. I think it's because I have my hands in warm water long enough that I can unwind a bit.
I'm currently planning a trip to the UK that will include several train trips. Wherever I can, I try to follow in the footsteps of Michael Palin in "Confessions of a Trainspotter." In 2018, I made a stop at the York Rail Museum, rode the lovely Settle-Carlisle route and made stops in Edinburgh and Inverness. This time I plan on making it all the way to Kyle of Lochalsh. I was going to stay at the hotel where he stayed in Kyle of Lochalsh (with one of the "Great Breakfast Views of the World") but they no longer operate a kitchen. They recently built a bridge between Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh and apparently it's all but killed the tourism industry in Kyle of Lochalsh. Anyway, after Skye, I'll take the train from Mallaig to Fort William over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. and from Ft. William, I'll take the Caledonian Sleeper to London.
most the trains in Japan are fast and efficient, the bullet train is exceptionally so. only 3-ish hours from Tokyo to Kyoto with departures seemingly every hour at least.
last time we were on it (summer 2023) i clocked us at about 200 kph. top speed is closer to 240 kph i believe.
Three train categories operate on the Tokaido Shinkansen: The Nozomi is the fastest train category along the Tokaido Shinkansen, serving only major stations and requiring about 2.5 hours to reach Shin-Osaka from Tokyo. There are usually four departures per hour in each direction, and even more during peak hours
The top speed of the Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed rail, is 320 kilometers per hour (200 miles per hour). The E5 and H5 Series Shinkansen trains, built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, can reach this speed.
On our first wedding anniversary (2006), my wife and I took Amtrak from San Jose to Seattle (the Coast Starlight). It was supposed to take 24 hours, from 8:00 p.m. Wednesday to 8:00 p.m. Thursday. We were 30 minutes delayed leaving San Jose. By Sacramento, we were 2 hours behind schedule. There was freight traffic in front of us and it snowed quite a bit in Oregon. The part that was supposed to be the most scenic along the Oregon Coast was dark because we were so behind schedule. By the time we reached Seattle, the only food the train had left was steamed Hebrew National hot dogs. By the time we reached Seattle, we were 8 hours late (4:00 a.m. on Friday). We checked into our hotel as it was raining (naturally, in Seattle). Just as we were relaxing in bed, we heard ("drip...drip...drip...drip"). The ceiling was leading.
Generally I kind of like it better for shorter trips. Have done a few overnights in Europe as a teenager with the family and the Eurorail pass. No way would I do a multi-day trip across the US. Cheaper to just fly. I was surprised how expensive it is to get a sleeper cabin to cross the US.
Overall the best and coolest was the bullet train in Japan. Took it from Kyoto to Tokyo. The TGV from Paris to Amsterdam was also pretty cool. The few intracountry trips I've done in Europe are worth it.
In the US, I've done Amtrak from LA to SD during sunset, which was amazing. And the NE corridor from Philly to DC and then Providence to Boston. They're fine. The NE corridor can be delayed since they share tracks with freight and other local trains so that sucks. Caused me to almost be late for my flight out of BOS.
Plenty of nonsense coming from Team Trump. I have a feeling that this Cabinet will be one of the lowest caliber collections of talent ever, in American history.
It may have a silver lining, though. Trump might just undercut any hope for a GOP majority by selecting GOP members of the House to take Cabinet seats. He's already chosen Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Waltz (R-FL) to be National Security Advisor. The GOP margin might only be 3 or 4 seats to begin with. It could be smaller with several seats in California with the potential to flip from R to D.
Also, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Sec. of Homeland Security (shooting puppies is her qualification) and fmr. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be Ambassador to Israel.
US Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State? Really?
Gov. Doug Burgum (North Dakota) - Sec. of Energy
Fox News thinks the next Attorney General could be either US Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) or Texas Atty. Gen'l Ken Paxton. Neither man is acceptable.
Call me crazy, I have a deep sense of foreboding for the next 4 years. If we don't end up in a horrid recession, it will be a miracle. And it seems these candidates who are being nominated for Cabinet level positions are being selected primarily for their fervent support of DJT. The lightweight sycophant Cabinet, as it were.
And yet, that describes the remaining candidate pool: mocked and demeaned. I'm only mildly surprised that Ted Cruz isn't on that list of the mocked and demeaned. There's time yet and unfilled Cabinet posts.
And it continues, though I find no evidence of mocking and demeaning. Nominee for SecDef is a three time married Fox News person. He has a child with his third wife, a Fox employee, while married to his second wife.
There are definitely moments where our 1A rights go too far. This kind of speech is absolutely intended to intimidate and is as close as one can get to speech invoking the threat of violence without making threats of violence. SMH...
Advanced stats (DVOA) have the 49ers ranked as the 3rd best offense, 5th best defense . . . and 31st in special teams. Special teams is the biggest reason their record isn't better.
I watched a replay of the Syracuse/UNLV game. On offense, they're the most Cal-like we'll see. Terrible o-line that prevents a serious running game despite having really good running backs. A very good QB who works and throws fast to keep from getting sacked. He is very accurate on short routes and plays smart. One good deep receiver. One good slot receiver. A athletic/mismatch TE. Nando is more mobile. We have more WR threats. On defense, they are a base 4-2-5 team that went 3-3-5 after injuries to their DE. Now that their DE is back, they're back to 4-2-5, which means things should be open for the running and short passing game. 4-2-5 is built to stop medium-pass teams like Cal - so it'll be interesting to see how Bloesch adjusts. This should be a close game - like a one-score affair, imo - but Cal should have the advantage - especially if Uluave is healthy.
Not that I know anything about this particular case, but in most cases, when an FBS coach is fired he is owed a buyout as per the contract. If he resigns, he gets nothing. Which is why resignations are often negotiated with a buyout.
Pretty underhanded and reprehensible that Kennesaw State admin wouldn't take responsibility for firing the coach when that's what they did. One could reasonably infer they are trying to get out of paying the buyout.
BERKELEY – For the 28th time in program history, the California women's soccer team is headed to the NCAA Championship. The Golden Bears will head to Malibu for a first-round matchup with 7th-seeded and 22nd-ranked Pepperdine this Saturday at noon on ESPN+.
Xavier Carlton (Defensive Lineman of the Week), Ryan Coe (Specialist of the Week) and Fernando Mendoza (Quarterback of the Week) all earned Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week honors for their performances in California's victory at Wake Forest, the conference announced on Monday.
Carlton continued his strong season on the edge for the Golden Bears, recording two of the team's seven sacks in the 46-36 win over the Demon Deacons. The senior from Modesto also added five tackles and two quarterback hurries. Carlton has a team-high nine sacks on the season (third in the conference).
While not specifically mentioned, Hunter Barth should get mentioned. That dude has been everywhere on special teams. He forced a fumble on Claiborne on a kick-off that resulted in a scoop-and-score and then recovered another that was negated by a facemask penalty by Mikey Mathews.
The California football team will host Stanford in the 127th Big Game on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 12:30 p.m. PT on the ACC Network, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Monday.
The Golden Bears (5-4, 1-4 ACC) wrap up the regular season home slate vs. the Cardinal (2-7, 1-5 ACC) at California Memorial Stadium. Cal has taken three straight and four of the last five matchups in the Big Game, most recently earning a 27-15 decision at Stanford Stadium in 2023 to win three or more in a row on the Farm for the first time since beating the Cardinal in six straight between 1937 and 1951.
The Big Game under the sun as nature intended. It's also the primary reason why Cal Memorial is oriented as it is. The north-south axis was determined through observing where the sun would be in the sky during Big Game week. It was intended that the effect of the sun on both teams would be the same or nearly the same.
I would say on hotter days, before the sideline switch, Cal was disadvantaged. Though I assume before renovation the West sideline shade didn't cover as early as it does now.
This year represents the 100th anniversary of the last of California’s five undefeated Wonder Teams and of the first full season played at Memorial Stadium. In terms of overall record this was actually the weakest of the Wonder Teams with two ties to go along with their eight victories. The Sturdy Golden Ones won their first six contests by a combined score of 94-24 before being held to a 7-7 tie against UW in Seattle. A 27-0 rout over Nevada followed before a controversial 20-20 tie in the Big Game. The Bears had gone up 20-6 late in the fourth quarter but the ensuing extra point attempt was ruled wide. Cal players protested but one ref said that it would matter anyway. Turns out it did as Furd scored two late TDs for the tie (there were no two-point conversations in college football until 1958). The Bears finished the season on January 1 beating Pennsylvania at Memorial Stadium, 14-0. The following season California would lose three times in nine games and in the off season Andy Smith would die at the age of 42. California football would not see the likes of the Wonder Teams over the ensuing 100 years.
Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts appears Tuesday through Thursday on the DBD throughout the 2024 college football season. This feature is sponsored by Western Union Telegrams. When you need to send that message today
I wonder about the timeliness of the data. The article bears today's date, but Cal is shown as having played 8 games (not 9). For comparison purposes, Indiana is shown as having played 9 games; their current record is 10-0. So, I think the data is one week behind.
Note: All data is courtesy of TruMedia. Games against *FCS opponents* and end-of-half drives in which the opponent took a knee or ran out the clock were filtered out.
I can't see that page because of the website. I pulled up Total Defense stats from the NCAA website. Based on yards per game here are the rankings of those teams -
Notable that Oregon has only slightly smaller stop rate but allows significantly fewer points per drive. It would be interesting to see how many drives/possessions are involved and the total offensive points allowed.
It probably also stands to reason that Oregon allows fewer TDs and possibly more FGs.
BUTTER
I once took a technology development class with some guys from Land O’ Lakes. They told me that LOL butter in California tastes different from LOL butter in Minnesota because, at least at the time, it was against the law to transport their Minnesota butter microbial ecosystem across state lines.
Were they pulling your leg? That sounds like saying you can't take sourdough starter out of California.
the best thing you can put on a bagel or toast.
i like sourdough bread w/ a bit of butter and fresh black pepper.
Single best piece of toast I've ever had was a toasted slice of garlic sourdough with a little butter...after I woke up from my colonoscopy.
Chicken.
At what age do you think people generally know that butter is made from milk?
Asking for a nation.
which nation?
The US of A.
i think in Wisconsin this is known
I would think in Wisconsin it's learned by osmosis in the womb.
The point of this question is that Costco recently recalled approx. 80,000 lbs. of butter because the labeling doesn't have allergen information that the butter contains milk.
Two things don't make sense to me:
1. doesn't every adult know that butter is made from milk?
2. if allergen information in labeling butter is a legal requirement, why does a butter producing manufacturer have labels that DON'T include that information?
Either way, the mind boggles, especially on the 2nd item.
Real question is, how many people return their recalled butter for being made from milk? And, if butter is labeled as a dairy product on other butter, what "kind" of butter did they think they were buying the non label version from Costco? I'd love to poll these folks responding to the recall to see what they were thinking when they bought said butter.
There are some named foods that bother me. Apple butter contains no butter. Oat milk and almond milk contain no milk.
That's an even better question.
Can’t remember back that far, but no later than 6.
I would ask, at what age to people find out that milk comes from cows?
2
I knew it at a very early age, but as a lactose intolerant kid I had to know EVERYTHING that was made from milk.
One of my nephews is that way, only his allergy is potentially life-threatening and it includes beef as well.
DISHWASHING
Repeating one of my favoriate dishwashing stories, because I’m an old guy:
My family would ask why did you load the dishwasher that way? I reply that I actually read the manual, and this is what it said to do.
Mrs Slug and I bought a new dishwasher last year. We both read the manual and paid attention to the way in which it suggests dishes and utensils are loaded. We don't question how the other loads the dishwasher as a consequence.
I live by myself in an old building that did not have a dishwasher in the unit when I moved in. I think most other owners have put a small one in but I’m fine to continue to do mine by hand.
I'm pretty much the only person who does this in my house. My wife has never been good about doing dishes, as long as I've known her.
I am moving back to the Bay Area next month with Pup Chitwood to help out Ma Chitwood & Step-Dad…I need a new dishwasher, again…every house I’ve ever bought has needed a new dishwasher, stat.
In your experience is it because the dishwashers are simply too old or non-functioning?
So far, they’ve just been old units. Now, I really don’t create a ton of dishes, so it’s certainly not a necessity….but the units I have inherited in homes I have bought have all ranged from ratty to just plain useless.
And I'm sure the sellers understood it was very likely any buyer would replace it. I would imagine that if a seller isn't upgrading or renovating a kitchen, they leave appliance replacement up to the buyer.
Well it’s odd…these sellers purchased both a brand new gas stove and a fridge….neither had ever been used….
The dishwasher, however, had been used like a cheap Vegas, well, you know….
Interesting. Replacing two major appliances but not the third.
i rather like it. sort of an interesting game to deliver hot water to dishes and not the hands. my wife burns her hands if she tries to use the water temps that i use
Which begs the question of the temp your water heater is set for. Mine is 120 deg. F. I deliberately chose that temp as it is plenty hot to do anything that requires hot water and won't scald a person. It's also the lowest setting on our hot water heater.
120 deg. F water is also hot enough that a person could experience some pain or discomfort.
That was a childhood chore for me and my sister. We wore rubber gloves, which worked fine in hot water, except when you got the cuff into the water and hot water would come pouring into your glove.
growing up, my dad always did all the dishes after dinner. he did some fraction of the cooking too so i always felt very comfortable in kitchen
I don't mind dishwashing. I do notice that we clean prep dishes after we're done with them, which makes non-dishwasher things dishwashing after dinner quicker
I do my share at home. As it happens, last night I did the dishwashing of stuff that doesn't go in the dishwasher: kitchen knives, spatulas with wood handles, pots and pans, etc. Lids for those pots and pans do go in the dishwasher.
I like washing dishes as it helps me to relax and helps me get to sleep faster. I think it's because I have my hands in warm water long enough that I can unwind a bit.
TRAVELING BY TRAIN
Just spent a few days in Hong Kong. Clean, fast subway (MTR) with trains that come every couple of minutes.
I'm currently planning a trip to the UK that will include several train trips. Wherever I can, I try to follow in the footsteps of Michael Palin in "Confessions of a Trainspotter." In 2018, I made a stop at the York Rail Museum, rode the lovely Settle-Carlisle route and made stops in Edinburgh and Inverness. This time I plan on making it all the way to Kyle of Lochalsh. I was going to stay at the hotel where he stayed in Kyle of Lochalsh (with one of the "Great Breakfast Views of the World") but they no longer operate a kitchen. They recently built a bridge between Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh and apparently it's all but killed the tourism industry in Kyle of Lochalsh. Anyway, after Skye, I'll take the train from Mallaig to Fort William over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. and from Ft. William, I'll take the Caledonian Sleeper to London.
One of my bucket list items is to take the Coast Starlight. I'd also like to take a train from CA to Chicago.
train across Canada seems fun too .. especially the mountain part.
one of the places i love to ski/hike (Assiniboine) was initially made popular because of the trans-Canadian railroad
I've taken the California Zephyr from Chicago to Oakland. That was back in 1984, early spring.
Shinkansen
most the trains in Japan are fast and efficient, the bullet train is exceptionally so. only 3-ish hours from Tokyo to Kyoto with departures seemingly every hour at least.
last time we were on it (summer 2023) i clocked us at about 200 kph. top speed is closer to 240 kph i believe.
Nozomi runs every 20 minutes, so three per hour.
Three train categories operate on the Tokaido Shinkansen: The Nozomi is the fastest train category along the Tokaido Shinkansen, serving only major stations and requiring about 2.5 hours to reach Shin-Osaka from Tokyo. There are usually four departures per hour in each direction, and even more during peak hours
Imagine SF to LA with these trains.
More like Bakersfield to Modesto unfortunately.
my guess is that at this point something like this will never happen. just like LGA and JFK never getting proper train service to Manhattan
I thought it was closer to 300 kph. But it is pretty impressive that they're at super high speeds when going through the edge of the city.
you could be right. i might be misremembering the speeds
The top speed of the Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed rail, is 320 kilometers per hour (200 miles per hour). The E5 and H5 Series Shinkansen trains, built by Hitachi Rail and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, can reach this speed.
I just remember opening up the GPS app and seeing close to 200 mph. Similar to what I was seeing on the TGV going Paris->Amsterdam.
I love traveling by train in Europe where it is usually cheap, comfortable and efficient. There can be a certain romance to it.
the Metro North takes me to Grand Central in about 30-40 min. took this train for daily commute for the first 20 yrs of living in NYC area.
i lament the fact they dont have the bar car anymore. $3 Sam Adams after work on the train ride home was one of the best deals in NYC
On our first wedding anniversary (2006), my wife and I took Amtrak from San Jose to Seattle (the Coast Starlight). It was supposed to take 24 hours, from 8:00 p.m. Wednesday to 8:00 p.m. Thursday. We were 30 minutes delayed leaving San Jose. By Sacramento, we were 2 hours behind schedule. There was freight traffic in front of us and it snowed quite a bit in Oregon. The part that was supposed to be the most scenic along the Oregon Coast was dark because we were so behind schedule. By the time we reached Seattle, the only food the train had left was steamed Hebrew National hot dogs. By the time we reached Seattle, we were 8 hours late (4:00 a.m. on Friday). We checked into our hotel as it was raining (naturally, in Seattle). Just as we were relaxing in bed, we heard ("drip...drip...drip...drip"). The ceiling was leading.
Other than that, it was a great trip!
Generally I kind of like it better for shorter trips. Have done a few overnights in Europe as a teenager with the family and the Eurorail pass. No way would I do a multi-day trip across the US. Cheaper to just fly. I was surprised how expensive it is to get a sleeper cabin to cross the US.
Overall the best and coolest was the bullet train in Japan. Took it from Kyoto to Tokyo. The TGV from Paris to Amsterdam was also pretty cool. The few intracountry trips I've done in Europe are worth it.
In the US, I've done Amtrak from LA to SD during sunset, which was amazing. And the NE corridor from Philly to DC and then Providence to Boston. They're fine. The NE corridor can be delayed since they share tracks with freight and other local trains so that sucks. Caused me to almost be late for my flight out of BOS.
POLITICAL STUFF AND NONSENSE
Plenty of nonsense coming from Team Trump. I have a feeling that this Cabinet will be one of the lowest caliber collections of talent ever, in American history.
It may have a silver lining, though. Trump might just undercut any hope for a GOP majority by selecting GOP members of the House to take Cabinet seats. He's already chosen Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Waltz (R-FL) to be National Security Advisor. The GOP margin might only be 3 or 4 seats to begin with. It could be smaller with several seats in California with the potential to flip from R to D.
Also, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Sec. of Homeland Security (shooting puppies is her qualification) and fmr. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be Ambassador to Israel.
US Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State? Really?
Gov. Doug Burgum (North Dakota) - Sec. of Energy
Fox News thinks the next Attorney General could be either US Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) or Texas Atty. Gen'l Ken Paxton. Neither man is acceptable.
Call me crazy, I have a deep sense of foreboding for the next 4 years. If we don't end up in a horrid recession, it will be a miracle. And it seems these candidates who are being nominated for Cabinet level positions are being selected primarily for their fervent support of DJT. The lightweight sycophant Cabinet, as it were.
In the past he has mocked and demeaned most if not all of them.
And yet, that describes the remaining candidate pool: mocked and demeaned. I'm only mildly surprised that Ted Cruz isn't on that list of the mocked and demeaned. There's time yet and unfilled Cabinet posts.
And it continues, though I find no evidence of mocking and demeaning. Nominee for SecDef is a three time married Fox News person. He has a child with his third wife, a Fox employee, while married to his second wife.
It's interesting that Pete Hegseth has Princeton and Harvard degrees, but he has clearly lost his mind.
Outside a community theater production of The Diary of Anne Frank in Michigan a group of Neo Nazis gathered waving the swastika. Welcome to Trump's America. https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/12/us/michigan-nazi-flags-anne-frank-theater/index.html
There are definitely moments where our 1A rights go too far. This kind of speech is absolutely intended to intimidate and is as close as one can get to speech invoking the threat of violence without making threats of violence. SMH...
Doesn't the law recognize speech intended to intimidate or harass as speech not protected by the First Amendment?
PROFESSIONALS
Dak Prescott elects for season-ending surgery - or doing a HAG, as I like to call it.
https://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/3126454
RIP John Robinson
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/42335346/john-robinson-former-usc-football-la-rams-coach-dies-89
He was childhood friends with John Madden. As I recall, they grew up in Daly City.
Lamar Jackson signs with the Falcons
https://nfltraderumors.co/falcons-sign-cb-lamar-jackson-to-practice-squad/
Deebo Samuel - red ass
https://twitter.com/OllieConnolly/status/1855712320669807070
What sycasey says - Deebo has a reason to be upset. Moody has come up short in critical spots. He missed an XP in the Super Bowl, for instance.
Advanced stats (DVOA) have the 49ers ranked as the 3rd best offense, 5th best defense . . . and 31st in special teams. Special teams is the biggest reason their record isn't better.
Deebo has a point here.
Warriors Captain Klay hat giveaway for Klay's return tonight.
https://x.com/ChaseCenter/status/1854985046333210873
i was trying to find some excuse to get to this game tonight but it is not working out. flying into SF tomorrow morning
Sharks lose to the Flyers in a shootout, 4-3.
DVD AV CLUB
PRO
Ooops.
https://www.racingpost.com/news/britain/calls-made-for-changes-to-the-stop-race-protocol-in-wake-of-dangerous-stalls-incident-at-chelmsford-a4DU41b3ecNB/
ELSWHERE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
I watched a replay of the Syracuse/UNLV game. On offense, they're the most Cal-like we'll see. Terrible o-line that prevents a serious running game despite having really good running backs. A very good QB who works and throws fast to keep from getting sacked. He is very accurate on short routes and plays smart. One good deep receiver. One good slot receiver. A athletic/mismatch TE. Nando is more mobile. We have more WR threats. On defense, they are a base 4-2-5 team that went 3-3-5 after injuries to their DE. Now that their DE is back, they're back to 4-2-5, which means things should be open for the running and short passing game. 4-2-5 is built to stop medium-pass teams like Cal - so it'll be interesting to see how Bloesch adjusts. This should be a close game - like a one-score affair, imo - but Cal should have the advantage - especially if Uluave is healthy.
Kennesaw State: "Coach has stepped down for personal reasons"
Coach: "No, they fired me."
Kennesaw State: [making shush signals and waving hand downward]
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/42313447/kennesaw-state-coach-brian-bohannon-steps-ot-loss
Not that I know anything about this particular case, but in most cases, when an FBS coach is fired he is owed a buyout as per the contract. If he resigns, he gets nothing. Which is why resignations are often negotiated with a buyout.
Pretty underhanded and reprehensible that Kennesaw State admin wouldn't take responsibility for firing the coach when that's what they did. One could reasonably infer they are trying to get out of paying the buyout.
CAL
From the Front Page:
Vote for Pedro. I mean Nando.
https://allstatesugarbowl.org/news/2024/11/11/stars.aspx
[WSOC] Cal Selected To 28th NCAA Championship
https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/11/womens-soccer-cal-selected-to-28th-ncaa-championship.aspx
BERKELEY – For the 28th time in program history, the California women's soccer team is headed to the NCAA Championship. The Golden Bears will head to Malibu for a first-round matchup with 7th-seeded and 22nd-ranked Pepperdine this Saturday at noon on ESPN+.
[FB] Cal Trio Earns ACC Weekly Honors
https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/11/football-cal-trio-earns-acc-weekly-honors.aspx
Xavier Carlton (Defensive Lineman of the Week), Ryan Coe (Specialist of the Week) and Fernando Mendoza (Quarterback of the Week) all earned Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week honors for their performances in California's victory at Wake Forest, the conference announced on Monday.
Carlton continued his strong season on the edge for the Golden Bears, recording two of the team's seven sacks in the 46-36 win over the Demon Deacons. The senior from Modesto also added five tackles and two quarterback hurries. Carlton has a team-high nine sacks on the season (third in the conference).
While not specifically mentioned, Hunter Barth should get mentioned. That dude has been everywhere on special teams. He forced a fumble on Claiborne on a kick-off that resulted in a scoop-and-score and then recovered another that was negated by a facemask penalty by Mikey Mathews.
[FB] 127th Big Game To Kick Off In The Afternoon
https://calbears.com/news/2024/11/11/football-127th-big-game-to-kick-off-in-the-afternoon.aspx
The California football team will host Stanford in the 127th Big Game on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 12:30 p.m. PT on the ACC Network, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Monday.
The Golden Bears (5-4, 1-4 ACC) wrap up the regular season home slate vs. the Cardinal (2-7, 1-5 ACC) at California Memorial Stadium. Cal has taken three straight and four of the last five matchups in the Big Game, most recently earning a 27-15 decision at Stanford Stadium in 2023 to win three or more in a row on the Farm for the first time since beating the Cardinal in six straight between 1937 and 1951.
It'll be my 45th Big Game and the 60th anniversary of my first. I'm old.
The Big Game under the sun as nature intended. It's also the primary reason why Cal Memorial is oriented as it is. The north-south axis was determined through observing where the sun would be in the sky during Big Game week. It was intended that the effect of the sun on both teams would be the same or nearly the same.
I would say on hotter days, before the sideline switch, Cal was disadvantaged. Though I assume before renovation the West sideline shade didn't cover as early as it does now.
I tell yah, since the sideline switch which was all for, I have missed seeing the Cal sideline, bench, and Wilcox's demeanor.
Allow me to clarify: I'm talking about the teams in play on the field, not on the sidelines.
Ahh...that makes more sense.
It’s time again for Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts.
This year represents the 100th anniversary of the last of California’s five undefeated Wonder Teams and of the first full season played at Memorial Stadium. In terms of overall record this was actually the weakest of the Wonder Teams with two ties to go along with their eight victories. The Sturdy Golden Ones won their first six contests by a combined score of 94-24 before being held to a 7-7 tie against UW in Seattle. A 27-0 rout over Nevada followed before a controversial 20-20 tie in the Big Game. The Bears had gone up 20-6 late in the fourth quarter but the ensuing extra point attempt was ruled wide. Cal players protested but one ref said that it would matter anyway. Turns out it did as Furd scored two late TDs for the tie (there were no two-point conversations in college football until 1958). The Bears finished the season on January 1 beating Pennsylvania at Memorial Stadium, 14-0. The following season California would lose three times in nine games and in the off season Andy Smith would die at the age of 42. California football would not see the likes of the Wonder Teams over the ensuing 100 years.
Oski Disciple’s Bear Facts appears Tuesday through Thursday on the DBD throughout the 2024 college football season. This feature is sponsored by Western Union Telegrams. When you need to send that message today
Back when the University and the City of Berkeley didn't make it so hard on the football team.
We are number 12! ESPN rated all college football defenses and the Golden Bears ranked #12. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/42331812/college-football-2024-defense-stop-rate-week-12
If you excluded 4th quarter stats, we'd probably be pushing top 10, if not top 5 status.
Future opponents -
19. SMU, stop rate = 70.3%, 1.75 pts./drive
100. Syracuse, stop rate = 56%, 2.34 pts./drive
127. Stanf*rd, stop rate = 46.2%, 3.08 pts./drive
I wonder about the timeliness of the data. The article bears today's date, but Cal is shown as having played 8 games (not 9). For comparison purposes, Indiana is shown as having played 9 games; their current record is 10-0. So, I think the data is one week behind.
Note: All data is courtesy of TruMedia. Games against *FCS opponents* and end-of-half drives in which the opponent took a knee or ran out the clock were filtered out.
Since you didn't include:
12. Cal 73.1%, 1.66
13. Oregon 72.8%, 1.40
But, yes, if they didn't include the last game, we're probably farther down.
More defensive stats. No rank given, but the relative positions of Cal, SMU, Syracuse, and S* are all the same. Oregon is higher though.
https://www.oddsshark.com/ncaaf/defensive-stats
I can't see that page because of the website. I pulled up Total Defense stats from the NCAA website. Based on yards per game here are the rankings of those teams -
32. California, 327.9 ypg, 602 plays, 2,951 yds., 4.90 ypp
46. SMU, 341.0 ypg, 635 plays, 3,069 yds., 4.83 ypp
56. Syracuse, 354.4 ypg, 531 plays, 3,190 yds., 6.01 ypp
106. Stanf*rd, 412.9 ypg, 571 plays, 3,716 pds., 6.51 ypp.
Notice the closeness between Cal and SMU across the statistics cited. It's also reflected in the rankings.
When I look at Syracuse's stats in comparison to Cal's, it suggests to me that Syracuse is more prone to give up the long gainer. Same with Stanf*rd.
Barring injury, I think we beat both Syracuse and Stanf*rd. The SMU game will be competitive.
Notable that Oregon has only slightly smaller stop rate but allows significantly fewer points per drive. It would be interesting to see how many drives/possessions are involved and the total offensive points allowed.
It probably also stands to reason that Oregon allows fewer TDs and possibly more FGs.
except when it matters ...