Former Ms. Croatia - Ivana Knoll was criticized for wearing too skimpy of clothes for local sensibilities in Qatar. I, for one, am outraged. If you do a Google image search, you can be outraged even more.
This highlight at 9 seconds caught my eye. It's from last year's Big Game. Every single Cal guy not only beats, but BURIES their guy. And yet, first contact is at the line of scrimmage, Decarlos goes sideways, and then scrums for 6 yards. How can you draw up a play where if everyone wins, you are met at the line of scrimmage? I guess that's what happens when you run against 8 in the box.
Askew-less Cal (3.5 point favorite) loses at home to Eastern Washington 50-48. Cal rallied in the second half after only scoring 20 points in the first half and Joel Brown missed a game winning 3 at the buzzer.
I'm generally find firing a college coach mid-season to be distasteful, even though I know that the practical realities of running a Division I athletics program sometimes require it. But WOW this guy needs to go. Fox's teams are just bad and they're not getting any better. I'm sure the players are playing hard, but they deserve better. The fans and alumni who pay good money to support this team deserve better. This has to stop.
The conundrum is it will take a lot more money than Cal has demonstrated a willingness or ability to spend or invest in order to convince an upper tier coach to come to Cal, or cover the cost of doing so. And it doesn't appear that Cal's NIL program is capable of paying the cost for talent that can win with any consistency.
I don't know that firing Coach Fox will address either of those categories of problems.
That's the other thing that Cal needs to be convinced to change. Either that or stop pretending you want to compete at the highest level and just slash the athletic program.
Make no mistake, Cal is not viewed as a good job in the coaching community. My cousin is a former coach and knows plenty of dudes…the word is out and the pickings are slim. A lot of folks have no interest in coming to Berkeley.
That said, however, you still have to fire Fox and at least try to get some fresh blood. In this day and age of the portal, a team that plays competent basketball is absolutely doable in a relatively short time. An offensive oriented HC is essential.
I tend to agree, Tangtpt…however, I agree with you as well that there are times when the level of coaching reaches head scratching territory…where keeping them is just not a viable option because more damage is done to the brand the longer that Coach is around.
The problem for Cal, and Knowlton specifically, is that it’s happened twice in literally a month. Musgrave and McClure had put such anemic units on the field for far too long…something needed to be done to show some semblance of leadership. Yet somehow, 4 years into his regime, Mark Fox and Men’s basketball has eclipsed the football program’s level of incompetence. Knowlton needs to act, because the longer this lasts, the deeper the hole gets for MBB…it’s already a laughingstock to the national media…
Knowlton needs to show some semblance of leadership…otherwise, what TF are we even doing here….
At some point, Cal has to address whether the problem is a coach that can't recruit talent that can play at this level (the bottom half of the bottom quadrant), or an environment that makes it impossible for much of anyone to recruit talent (players OR coaching/staff) that can play at this level.
I'm inclined to believe Mark Fox. The biggest strike against Fox is that he's been a head coach before (something like 8 (?) years at Georgia, IIRC). Neither Jones nor Holmoe had been a head coach prior to their stints at Cal. Fox should know better.
Also, Knowlton punting the hiring decision to a search firm just reeks of a lack of knowledge or confidence in hiring his staff. As a counterpoint, I offer Steve Gladstone. Gladstone was NOT an administrator or a fundraiser first; he was a rowing coach. But he could identify a good head coach in another sport. He wanted Marvin Lewis but got Jeff Tedford for the football team. Obviously, Gladstone knows something about coaching that transcends the sport.
At least Tom Holmoe still recruited good players. He didn't leave the cupboard bare. How many players on this team would be in most Pac-12 team rotations?
Tough question…is this for an overall career, or for a stretch? Fox has a track record for uninspiring mediocrity at the HC level, where Jones and Holmoe were dreadful from the get go.
Does Fox’s current situation make him worse?
I would go with Holmoe…he was awful as a Coordinator, awful as a Head Coach, AND committed NCAA violations that landed the program on probation and cost Kyle Boller a bowl bid…he then fled from the headset in search of the Athletics Administration route.
I tend to agree with you, Jimmy. Being bad AND dirty at the same time is pretty awful. BUT, a very close second has to be the guy who engineered the worst start in the 100+ year history of the program.
Fact…that really does wipe away a fair amount of positive years, especially when you consider there are really no excuses…anyone buying this team’s “injury” excuses needs to toughen the hell up!!!
But hasn't most of Fox's success been with previous coach's players? Like at Nevada it was Trent Johnson's (?) players. And in Georgia, it was the previous coach's players. So good/decent W/L in the first couple of years, then downhill once it's mostly his players.
Definitely a good point re: Nevada…but a quick look at Wikipedia shows he did put together a few solid seasons in Athens with entirely his own team, even making the Dance.
Yeah I have RSUs still. I didn't need the money so I held onto them and got the dividends (not that much). But going from 55 to 25 in 10 months was brutal.
Don't talk about Meta (ouch). The good news is that bond prices are starting to recover. They went into freefall as interest rates (and yields) went up,
There definitely was some people watching while eating and walking South Beach. It was a Wed night so crowded at all. It seemed like most of the bars/restaurants were fairly empty.
Twin pre-med students take the same 307 questions test at the same class. They had the same answers for 296 of them, including 54 incorrect answers. Proctor said they behaved unusually. Twins say they're twins with the same environments.
You gotta hand it to young Mr. Johnson. He was kind and appropriate to many people. But I really appreciate the way in which he threw shade on his soon-to-be former coach. It immediately tells me that this is what the young man heard his coach tell him. MORAL: taste your words before you spit them out. You might have to eat them.
I feel like often in corporate culture people give spin because they feel it is their duty to do so. But oftentimes being direct and more honest is just way more effective
If UCLA does not go to the B1G, then it would have a material effect on media rights deal. But Colorado hiring Deion Sanders, when he hasn't even coached one down in P5 football? Silly.
It occurs to me that Colorado is trying to make themselves as attractive as possible to any conference that will have them if/when the Pac-12 dissolves. In a sense, Deion Sanders as HC is a big gamble.
Please, oh please pick Garrett. I'll never forgive Knowlton for passing on Gates, but if Taylor gets the Furd gig and does well, I may very well just have to cut myself.
It will be great however in two years, when Jack Clark is our AD again (and Shaka Smart is our mens basketball coach) and buzz is building as Taylor has started to turn Furd around (but no Big Game wins) that we steal him to replace Wilcox, who has left to take the Seahawks job on the heels of completing an impressive two-year turnaround at Cal.
Quite liked the Slow Horses, watched episode two last night, started episode 1 of Julia (HBO) which we found enjoyable, maybe not great, but at least interesting.
Florida state lawmaker who authored the "Don't Say Gay Bill" has been indicted for money laundering, wire fraud, and making false statements. His trail is scheduled for Jan 11th.
It appears that Tucker Carlson - in between vilifying him on television - asked Hunter Biden for a recommendation for his son to get into Georgetown and received it.
Too bad Mark Fox wasn’t involved in the prisoner exchange…question, if Fox was sent to a Russian labor camp, would he blame his players, specifically the young guys?
And would old, white basketball coaches continue to vociferously defend him?
The Giants should wait it out I think. I don’t think they can cobble a team to compete with LA and SD next year with what is on their roster and what FAs are left. I would build more for 2-3 years down the road when LA/SD start to fade a bit due to aging players and in SD’s case, bad contracts
As usual the Giants gamble on aging players having great seasons in the sunset of their careers. Meanwhile the A's immediately get rid of anyone that might deserve a raise.
a first glance it looked like a foul, but after looking at it again it seemed like a pretty clean steal. i wonder why Poole didnt just get himself fouled for a bunch of FTs. it is not like he isnt one of the best.
I think the steal was clean. But after Poole lost the ball, it looked like Olynyk wrestled him down to keep him from the ball. But yeah, he should've just caught it and wrapped it up. Looked like he was trying to dribble away and didn't secure it.
Is there a deadline or “window” on the transfer portal, or do I have to start each day until next season checking to see if we lost one of our skill players?
There are two windows when you can put your name into the portal. For FBS, it's Dec 5 - Jan 18 and then May 1 - May 15. While there are rare cases where a coach will accept a player back, almost all players are cut from the team.
Sam Rogers at a local Maine news channel appears to have locked up a Pulitzer prize
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/community/whats-up-with-the-auburn-walmart-pole-traffic/97-fec51927-bb20-4979-9e86-a2e7ad20faf3
That pole ain't got nothing on the Omaha Rock.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/09/us/omaha-rock-crash-meme-trnd/index.html
There's FB pages, google site reviews, way too many new stories, for this badly placed rock.
CAL
This highlight at 9 seconds caught my eye. It's from last year's Big Game. Every single Cal guy not only beats, but BURIES their guy. And yet, first contact is at the line of scrimmage, Decarlos goes sideways, and then scrums for 6 yards. How can you draw up a play where if everyone wins, you are met at the line of scrimmage? I guess that's what happens when you run against 8 in the box.
https://twitter.com/HamAnalysis/status/1600505416382922752
Askew-less Cal (3.5 point favorite) loses at home to Eastern Washington 50-48. Cal rallied in the second half after only scoring 20 points in the first half and Joel Brown missed a game winning 3 at the buzzer.
https://calbears.com/news/2022/12/7/mens-basketball-short-handed-bears-edged-by-eastern-washington.aspx
Mark Fox is an abject failure of a basketball coach.
I'm generally find firing a college coach mid-season to be distasteful, even though I know that the practical realities of running a Division I athletics program sometimes require it. But WOW this guy needs to go. Fox's teams are just bad and they're not getting any better. I'm sure the players are playing hard, but they deserve better. The fans and alumni who pay good money to support this team deserve better. This has to stop.
Honestly, the answer is to stop paying money to support the team until a change is made. I hate to say that, but desperate times and all that.
The conundrum is it will take a lot more money than Cal has demonstrated a willingness or ability to spend or invest in order to convince an upper tier coach to come to Cal, or cover the cost of doing so. And it doesn't appear that Cal's NIL program is capable of paying the cost for talent that can win with any consistency.
I don't know that firing Coach Fox will address either of those categories of problems.
That's the other thing that Cal needs to be convinced to change. Either that or stop pretending you want to compete at the highest level and just slash the athletic program.
Make no mistake, Cal is not viewed as a good job in the coaching community. My cousin is a former coach and knows plenty of dudes…the word is out and the pickings are slim. A lot of folks have no interest in coming to Berkeley.
That said, however, you still have to fire Fox and at least try to get some fresh blood. In this day and age of the portal, a team that plays competent basketball is absolutely doable in a relatively short time. An offensive oriented HC is essential.
Totally agree. Just fire the guy today to show us you care and we should care.
I tend to agree, Tangtpt…however, I agree with you as well that there are times when the level of coaching reaches head scratching territory…where keeping them is just not a viable option because more damage is done to the brand the longer that Coach is around.
The problem for Cal, and Knowlton specifically, is that it’s happened twice in literally a month. Musgrave and McClure had put such anemic units on the field for far too long…something needed to be done to show some semblance of leadership. Yet somehow, 4 years into his regime, Mark Fox and Men’s basketball has eclipsed the football program’s level of incompetence. Knowlton needs to act, because the longer this lasts, the deeper the hole gets for MBB…it’s already a laughingstock to the national media…
Knowlton needs to show some semblance of leadership…otherwise, what TF are we even doing here….
Yep.
At some point, Cal has to address whether the problem is a coach that can't recruit talent that can play at this level (the bottom half of the bottom quadrant), or an environment that makes it impossible for much of anyone to recruit talent (players OR coaching/staff) that can play at this level.
Worst revenue sport head coach, Mark Fox, Wyking Jones or Tom Holmoe?
I'm inclined to believe Mark Fox. The biggest strike against Fox is that he's been a head coach before (something like 8 (?) years at Georgia, IIRC). Neither Jones nor Holmoe had been a head coach prior to their stints at Cal. Fox should know better.
Also, Knowlton punting the hiring decision to a search firm just reeks of a lack of knowledge or confidence in hiring his staff. As a counterpoint, I offer Steve Gladstone. Gladstone was NOT an administrator or a fundraiser first; he was a rowing coach. But he could identify a good head coach in another sport. He wanted Marvin Lewis but got Jeff Tedford for the football team. Obviously, Gladstone knows something about coaching that transcends the sport.
At least Tom Holmoe still recruited good players. He didn't leave the cupboard bare. How many players on this team would be in most Pac-12 team rotations?
Tough question…is this for an overall career, or for a stretch? Fox has a track record for uninspiring mediocrity at the HC level, where Jones and Holmoe were dreadful from the get go.
Does Fox’s current situation make him worse?
I would go with Holmoe…he was awful as a Coordinator, awful as a Head Coach, AND committed NCAA violations that landed the program on probation and cost Kyle Boller a bowl bid…he then fled from the headset in search of the Athletics Administration route.
I tend to agree with you, Jimmy. Being bad AND dirty at the same time is pretty awful. BUT, a very close second has to be the guy who engineered the worst start in the 100+ year history of the program.
Fact…that really does wipe away a fair amount of positive years, especially when you consider there are really no excuses…anyone buying this team’s “injury” excuses needs to toughen the hell up!!!
But hasn't most of Fox's success been with previous coach's players? Like at Nevada it was Trent Johnson's (?) players. And in Georgia, it was the previous coach's players. So good/decent W/L in the first couple of years, then downhill once it's mostly his players.
Definitely a good point re: Nevada…but a quick look at Wikipedia shows he did put together a few solid seasons in Athens with entirely his own team, even making the Dance.
Go Bears!!! (We've got the Axe!)
The consolation of the [long] season.
What's the Koreans' secret to youthfulness?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/south-koreans-set-become-younger-081413225.html
I wonder what the impetus for the change was? It obviously makes sense to change it, but it made just as much sense 10, 20, 30 years ago
TIL: American Dream East Rutherford exists.
https://twitter.com/LonestarTallBoi/status/1600578474376314884
DBD Street Journal
Chip company sets the date to over-promise to its investors and customers again
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-to-disclose-client-pc-roadmap-next-week
Speaking of chips, these will be plant based:
https://www.axios.com/2022/11/28/nestle-plant-based-chocolate-chips-vegan-allergy
I thought they all were.
MILK chocolate is not
True.
I'm still looking for computer ice cream: Apple ice cream with (chocolate) chips.
Come on stock price. Dropped half it's value in 10 months.
i am guessing you still have a bunch from your employment stint.
probably FB did worse in the same 10 months.
Yeah I have RSUs still. I didn't need the money so I held onto them and got the dividends (not that much). But going from 55 to 25 in 10 months was brutal.
Don't talk about Meta (ouch). The good news is that bond prices are starting to recover. They went into freefall as interest rates (and yields) went up,
Winklevi owe investors nearly a billion dollars. Shocking that they would somehow be involved in a scandal, I know.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/winklevoss-crypto-firms-employees-saw-the-disaster-coming
any relation to Martindale?
Inappropriate dress
There once was a gal from Nantucket...
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/nantucket-topless-beaches/index.html
brb...ok google, find me a ticket to nantucket.
I appreciate that HAG is a connoisseur of retiree bewbs
he is going to be in Key West in a few days, and currently hanging out in Miami. from what i recall, clothing is somewhat scant ..
There definitely was some people watching while eating and walking South Beach. It was a Wed night so crowded at all. It seemed like most of the bars/restaurants were fairly empty.
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
Twin pre-med students take the same 307 questions test at the same class. They had the same answers for 296 of them, including 54 incorrect answers. Proctor said they behaved unusually. Twins say they're twins with the same environments.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/08/identical-twins-test-lawsuit/
Dude has some sour words for Mad Pirate
https://twitter.com/Dill_7k/status/1600651612023922689
I hate to be that guy, but skill’s? You gotta proofread a post like this
You gotta hand it to young Mr. Johnson. He was kind and appropriate to many people. But I really appreciate the way in which he threw shade on his soon-to-be former coach. It immediately tells me that this is what the young man heard his coach tell him. MORAL: taste your words before you spit them out. You might have to eat them.
Chigi Anusium was named to the Mountain West first-team https://twitter.com/CSUFootball/status/1600618989377712128
UTSA's QB Frank Harris will continue to break more records, in part because he's going into his 7th season and fifth as a starter.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35206047/record-setting-utsa-qb-frank-harris-return-7th-season
George Kliavkoff explains why a TV deal has been delayed. I'd like to believe him.
https://twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs/status/1600646275031891968?s=20&t=KCL5MQJ4JcehI2xgTPJ_8g
Hahahahhhh. Sure, buddy!
I feel like often in corporate culture people give spin because they feel it is their duty to do so. But oftentimes being direct and more honest is just way more effective
If UCLA does not go to the B1G, then it would have a material effect on media rights deal. But Colorado hiring Deion Sanders, when he hasn't even coached one down in P5 football? Silly.
Creative.
YOU DID THIS, YOU KNOB!
https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1600673939650273280
Emmert is the worst. Basically pleading ignorance on the way out the door when EVERYONE ELSE understood the issue.
Incredible. Unbelievable.
Charles Kelly to CU as DC. Coach Prime is getting quite the staff.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35206370/alabama-charles-kelly-joins-colorado-defensive-coordinator
Colorado is not messing around. I'm envious.
Colorado also understands the value of a robust and competitive football program.
jesus, I see what you've done for other people and i want that for me
It occurs to me that Colorado is trying to make themselves as attractive as possible to any conference that will have them if/when the Pac-12 dissolves. In a sense, Deion Sanders as HC is a big gamble.
Latest finalist for Stanford job?
Jason Garrett.
Yes please.
lolololololol
https://theathletic.com/3983287/2022/12/08/jason-garrett-stanford-coach-cowboys/?source=user_shared_article
Please, oh please pick Garrett. I'll never forgive Knowlton for passing on Gates, but if Taylor gets the Furd gig and does well, I may very well just have to cut myself.
It will be great however in two years, when Jack Clark is our AD again (and Shaka Smart is our mens basketball coach) and buzz is building as Taylor has started to turn Furd around (but no Big Game wins) that we steal him to replace Wilcox, who has left to take the Seahawks job on the heels of completing an impressive two-year turnaround at Cal.
It’s either him or Troy Taylor, according to Pete Thamel.
Will Troy Taylor be dead to Cal fans, and GB49 specifically, if he takes the Stanford gig?
Oh man, if Troy goes to the Furd, that would be such a fucking bummer. Stay in Sacto please!!!
DBD AV CLUB
Quite liked the Slow Horses, watched episode two last night, started episode 1 of Julia (HBO) which we found enjoyable, maybe not great, but at least interesting.
OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY
Making sure that Ginni Thomas is above the law by writing it into law
https://twitter.com/JaneMayerNYer/status/1600689910935322626
Florida state lawmaker who authored the "Don't Say Gay Bill" has been indicted for money laundering, wire fraud, and making false statements. His trail is scheduled for Jan 11th.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/florida-state-representative-indicted-wire-fraud-money-laundering-and-making-false
I don't understand what's so bad about saying, "Gay Bill." Unless Bill has specifically asked not to be called that.
look if you aren't going to call straight bill straight bill why would you call gay bill gay bill
God seems to not like bad politicians, bad football teams, or the terminally sick
https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1600553454392717312
It appears that Tucker Carlson - in between vilifying him on television - asked Hunter Biden for a recommendation for his son to get into Georgetown and received it.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tucker-carlson-hunter-biden-son-college/
That's crazy
Local politician has to do a thing before he launches his next election campaign in earnest
https://twitter.com/DavidEdwards/status/1600612739369639936
Curious to see if it works. If it does maybe we can pray away Mark Fox.
A hospital was fined $63k because:
a) unlicensed people doing injections,
b) not securing narcotic drugs, or
c) having a stash of guns in an unlocked closet in the marketing director's office
.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/12/nj-hospital-fined-63k-for-firearm-stockpile-found-in-unlocked-closet/
Britney Griner was released yet Mark Fox at 0-10 is still employed at Cal….
Republicans have a post-election epiphany on mail voting
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/08/republicans-have-a-post-election-epiphany-on-mail-voting-00072956
Just the most amazing shooting of their own feet, encouraging their core voters to _drop_ their consistent mail-in voting.
PRO
[WNBA] After three-quarters of year of negotiations, Phoenix Mercury receive Brittney Griner in a trade for a Merchant of Death to Russia
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/brittney-griner-release-russia-prisoner-swap-viktor-bout/
The GOP whataboutism vis-a-vis Paul Whalen not being released is sickening
Okay, Boomer
https://www.mediaite.com/sports/boomer-esiason-blasts-u-s-trading-arms-dealer-for-brittney-griner-we-look-so-pathetic/
Nice to get out of the Russian workcamp
Too bad Mark Fox wasn’t involved in the prisoner exchange…question, if Fox was sent to a Russian labor camp, would he blame his players, specifically the young guys?
And would old, white basketball coaches continue to vociferously defend him?
Move over, Alex Morgan. The Swiss league has Ana Maria Markovic.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Ana+Maria+Markovic&tbm=isch
but does she run like a baby horse
You suck, Under Armour
https://uni-watch.com/2022/12/08/xfl-unveils-latest-shitty-uniforms-misspells-league-owners-name/
Foot pain + heartbreak
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/07/sport/camille-herron-100-mile-world-record-usatf-spt-intl/index.html
Money don't lie. Detroit Lions (5-7) are 2.5 point favorites over the Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401437892
It's the Goffense
He’s having a real solid season.
His penchant for throwing INT's and being strip sacked is decreasing.
Amazing when teams prioritize the O-line… Penei Sewell dropping to them at 5 really Lebowski-rugged that unit…
Tomorrow:
Croatia vs. Brazil
Netherlands vs. Argentina
Xander Bogaerts signs Padres for $280m. His contract expires after his 41st birthday.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35208335/xander-bogaerts-padres-agree-11-year-280m-deal
Crazy contract. I guess Bogaerts to SS, Kim, a better SS defensively, to 2nd, and Cronenworth to 1st.
And Tatis to the outfield or DH.
I applaud the Pads going for it. Contrast that with my Giants, who are largely abstaining from the exercise of adding players.
The Giants should wait it out I think. I don’t think they can cobble a team to compete with LA and SD next year with what is on their roster and what FAs are left. I would build more for 2-3 years down the road when LA/SD start to fade a bit due to aging players and in SD’s case, bad contracts
As usual the Giants gamble on aging players having great seasons in the sunset of their careers. Meanwhile the A's immediately get rid of anyone that might deserve a raise.
Unfortunately, simply offering one contract that you suspect will not even be accepted is not enough to escape the “cheap” label…
[NBA] Jazz beat the Dubs 124-123 on a weird ending
https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401468527
Warriors blew it. Though after fumbling the ball, I thought the referee should've awarded 2 points to the Jazz player for the takedown.
a first glance it looked like a foul, but after looking at it again it seemed like a pretty clean steal. i wonder why Poole didnt just get himself fouled for a bunch of FTs. it is not like he isnt one of the best.
anyways .. crappy way to lose at the last second.
I think the steal was clean. But after Poole lost the ball, it looked like Olynyk wrestled him down to keep him from the ball. But yeah, he should've just caught it and wrapped it up. Looked like he was trying to dribble away and didn't secure it.
Jaylen Brown PRO? Cal? Damn he looked great in last night's game.
Those two photos say that wherever you are, all heads turn when a woman walks into a room.
A thread on indoor soccer...but not really about indoor soccer https://twitter.com/_shireenahmed_/status/1600531025565995008?s=20&t=iKVy0HAtLatYxPsLDr9J7A
Is there a deadline or “window” on the transfer portal, or do I have to start each day until next season checking to see if we lost one of our skill players?
There are two windows when you can put your name into the portal. For FBS, it's Dec 5 - Jan 18 and then May 1 - May 15. While there are rare cases where a coach will accept a player back, almost all players are cut from the team.
Will be nice when the portal shifts to the phase where folks are coming in as opposed to going out
Thx!