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Dave Barry's annual year in review - pretty much the only one you'll need this year

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/dave-barry-review-2023-ai-100000295.html

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Ventura, CA: Suddenly, rogue wave.

https://www.facebook.com/colin.hoag.9/videos/339998562146021/

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It was wild in SB. The breakwater at the harbor took a beating.

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It

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Hairy Adams cousin.

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My favorite Stephen King book/movie/miniseries.

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Holiday decorations

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Didn't go up this year. So, don't have to take 'em down.

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Dec 29, 2023·edited Dec 29, 2023Author

There has been a latex wolfman mask sitting on my neighbor's yard since Halloween. He walks past it every day. It finally disappeared this last week. It is impossible to miss and I am 100% convinced that my neighbors were testing their two adult sons who live with them to see if they noticed, but I am waiting an appropriate amount of time before asking them.

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Ours come down promptly on January 2nd.

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At the first dry convenience after the 1st, dependent on work, etc. But no particular hurry.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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Maine becomes second state to ban Trump from primary ballot

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4380877-trump-maine-2024-primary-ballot/

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New California law becomes effective on January 1 that is supposed to reduce police stops for something minor with the intent of looking for something more major. Cops now have to state why they have to first state why they have stopped you.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4380031-california-police-can-no-longer-ask-common-question-at-a-traffic-stop-starting-in-2024/

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Well, there should be no reason to not clearly articulate a reason for taking an action.

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I wonder how many tickets/police beatings will get thrown out due to recordings of Cops asking after the 1st.

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ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

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At least it's not within the conference.

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Let's review how the 2024 ACC have done thus far in 2023 Bowl season:

Miami (RPI: 60) lost to Rutgers (5)

SMU (27) lost to BC (68, won)

Louisville (14) lost to USC (44)

Duke (4) beat Troy (28)

Georgia Tech (61) beat UCF (76)

Virginia Tech (65) beat Tulane (2)

Syracuse (78) lost horribly to USF (73)

Cal (71) lost to Texas Tech (55)

TBD:

Clemson (32) vs. Kentucky (53)

FSU (5) vs. Georgia (2)

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Bowl games have turned into kind of a farce as teams players are sitting out or transferring. If only there was an national association for college athletics that regulated all of this rather than go full laissez faire

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Dec 29, 2023·edited Dec 29, 2023

I agree with your first sentence. This is exposure of the current bowl system as a farce. The simple fact that a team with a losing regular season record could qualify for a bowl game should be an observer's first clue that many bowl games are a farce.

Not sure what the NCAA could possibly do or rules they could enforce to ameliorate the situation. I think it's a harbinger of bowl games losing their importance in favor of a college football playoff that is expanding. Consequently, we'll see fewer bowl games as time goes on. It would not surprise me at all to see half of the current bowl games fall away or close up shop within the next 5 years.

I think what we're seeing as fans is the start of a transition to a very different world as it pertains to intercollegiate athletics.

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Bowls should get into the NIL game too in order to incentivize players to play because the product they put out is not great

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Reportedly, Texas State fans drank the stadium dry halfway through the game

https://twitter.com/dctf/status/1739871564491862136

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No indication what that represents. Maybe the vendors grossly underestimated the crowd size.

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Probably grossly underestimated what an actual enthusiastic fan base can consume.

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That, too.

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quality work, someone on the stadium hospitality team (or whatever they call it) has some thinking to do

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Rutgers beats Miami 31-24 in the Pinstripe Bowl

https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401551762

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Since Cal beat the Hurricanes in the 2008 Emerald Bowl, Miami has gone 1-11 in Bowl games.

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The Fenway Bowl answered the question of whether the ACC is weak or SMU had a cupcake schedule. BC beat SMU 23-14 thanks to BC QB rushing for 156 yards, including two rushing TDs in the 4th quarter.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401551750

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OTOH, that was not SMU football weather, and was a home game for BC...

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K-State beats NC State 28-19 in the Pop Tarts Bowl.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401551764

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The Pop Tarts Bowl continues the disturbing trend of anthropomorphic food imploring you to eat them and their kin. This time, through self-execution.

https://twitter.com/PopTartsBowl/status/1740566027912855583

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I honest to gawd wonder what inspired that entire sequence. Very young children should not be allowed to view it.

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Alamo Bowl: With 21 seconds left in the 3rd, Oklahoma had given up 3 turnovers, but was still up 24-13 on Arizona's 28 yard line. Within two minutes and 10 seconds, Oklahoma then gave up a scoop-and-score and then threw a pick that lead to a field goal to tie the game. Oklahoma then punts but pins the Wilcats at the 5 via punt to flip the field. Noah Fifita then relies on Tetairoa McMillan and Jacob Cowing to go 95 yards to score a TD. To add insult to injury - the Sooners fumble again that leads to an Arizona TD and their 38-24 victory. Fire Starkey will undoubtedly be cackling at Oklahoma shitting the bed so badly.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401551765

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Arizona turned their program around so quickly and are better than ever before

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If Cal had made a similar turnaround I think the Big Ten would have extended an invitation to Cal to join. Maybe Stanf*rd, too.

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Oh how the fortunes have changed since the Ryan Glover disaster in Tucson on 11/6/21.

Jedd Fisch has built a winning program...Justin Wilcox has continued to do Justin Wilcox things.

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I don't really have any beef with Oklahoma, but given their bizarre and ongoing "Lincoln Riley wasn't actually that good but you guys suck for taking him away" comments towards SC & SC alumni, all I can say is "ha ha, you guys suck too"

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[MBB] Illinois' star player Terrence Shannon Jr has been indefinitely suspended after a warrant was issued against him for rape

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39198787/illinois-terrence-shannon-jr-charged-rape-suspended

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CAL

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Women's basketball (10-2) opens conference play this afternoon at 2:00 in Haas against ninth ranked Furd.

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That went about as well as could have been expected.

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Go Bears and Happy New Year!!!

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DBD AV CLUB

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S2E1 of Gilded Age...I feel upper class, by just having watched it.

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PRO

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You know how America has sports nobody else plays? Touché, England.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/dec/29/experience-im-a-world-champion-pea-thrower

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The Pistons - who were one game shy of the losing streak record - were up by 21 points just before the half against the Celtics, who was previously 14-0 at home.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39201466/pistons-fall-celtics-ot-losing-streak-hits-28-games-tying-76ers-longest-overall

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