Golden Nuggets: No Sleep Till Big Game
Hot Links, Cold Ice, and Golden Nuggets
Hello and welcome to this week’s installment of Golden Nuggets, covering the latest news, links, memes, and more that you might have missed in the past 7 days! Let’s dig in.
A Reunion 20 Years in the Making
Dear reader, this is where I admit that I did not grow up a Cal fan. So it was that one fateful day in beautiful Riverside, CA I was watching college football and saw Cal Football one weekend and asked my Dad “hey, didn’t you go there or something.” I like to think that tiny moment planted the idea in my head to apply to Berkeley as a senior and now I serve up tasty tasty nuggets. Thanks Dad! Where was I…
Oh! Did you know this week is The Big Game? You can be forgiven for not knowing OF COURSE YOU KNOW ITS BIG GAME WEEK YOU HAVENT SLEPT SINCE 11:59 PM ON SUNDAY YOU WOKE UP AND KNEW THIS WEEK WAS THE WEEK YOU WERE GOING TO REMOVE THAT STUPID PROBLEM TREE THAT KEEPS DROPPING LEAVES AND NEEDLES AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER STUFF OF COURSE YOU KNEW YOUVE ONLY BEEN PLANNING FOR WEEKS. WELL DEAR READER, BIG GAME JUST GOT EVEN SWEETER.
THATS RIGHT YOUR 2004 CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS ARE GOING TO BE IN ATTENDANCE THEY ARE GOING TO JOIN YOU ON THE 50 YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HIGH FIVE MARSHAWN LYNCH AND JJ ARRINGTON YOU WILL HUG (WHILE MASKED) AARON RODGERS YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SHAKE JEFF TEDFORDS HAND POLITELY GO BEARS SEE YOU AT THE 50.
The Big Feast
Have all these nuggets made you hungry? Starting today through Saturday, Saltbreaker in Alameda is running a special for Cal Fans. Wear some Cal Gear. Get a free beer! Or if you’re a masochist, wear some Stanford gear and get a $5 surcharge.
A Somber Remembrance of Idiots Who Rush The Field Too Early
Gary Tyrell visited Berkeley this week and left one singular rose for his trombone which was famously crushed by Kevin Moen back in 1982. Some argued that the Stanford band sounded better afterwards.
Big Freeze
Cal Ice Hockey started Big Game Week strong, blowing out the Stanford Cardinal 17-5. Cal Ice Hockey is undefeated on the season with a few games left on the schedule. Give them a watch!
California Golden Goals
This past week the California Women’s Soccer Team started their championship run in a game against Pepperdine in Malibu, culminating in a 2 OT thriller with the Golden Goal scored by Courtney Boone in the 106th minute.
The tournament continues this Friday in Fayetteville as your California Women’s Soccer team looks to sneak past Arkansas. Go Bears!
Golden Bear Honors
Another great week to be a Golden Bear. Surprise, surprise. Fernando Mendoza for his performance against Wake Forest was fan voted for the Manning Award for the 2nd time (calgorithm go brrrrrrrrrr). On the Cal Men’s Soccer Team, Alfredo Ortiz and Malcolm Zalayet were named to the All ACC Tournament Team. On the women’s side Miriam Hils and Malia McMahon were named to the Academic All District Team.
State of Cal Athletics by Jim Knowlton
Jim Knowlton this week presented on the state of Cal Athletics to the UC Regents Special Committee on Athletics. If you can make it through some…interesting font choices or failure to preserve presentation formatting, the Cal Athletics part starts at 17:16 and goes for about 15 minutes.
Haha! Even more business!
Rich Lyons and a Cal contingent rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. The Cal Contingent was on hand to celebrate the number of startups created by Cal alumni.
THE FOLLOWING IS PAID ADVERTISEMENT* AND NOT ENDORSED BY WRITE FOR CALIFORNIA, LLC.
This feels like a good spot to introduce our first sponsor of Golden Nuggets! Please join in me in thanking….
Wait...really?
The White Collar Crime Class at the Stanford Law School?
Wait you really want me to read this ad copy verbatim? Okay.
The White Collar Crime Class is a hands on class where Stanford Business and Law students can gain hands on experience in White Collar Crime. Need to make that resume a bit stronger? This class features numerous Zoom guest speakers ranging from Sam Bankman-Fried to Elizabeth Holmes. Sign up now and be sure to get your textbook!
*you really thought we’d take Stanford’s money. We have morals!
Our Top Researchers Are On It
UC Berkeley Researchers are preparing for climate change by…let me get this right…researching the problem solving abilities of raccoons?
The research sounds especially promising for smaller handed humans that live on a diet of trash and refuse in Palo Alto.
Video Games! They’ve come a long way from Tetris.
Cal Esports competed this week at the EsportsUGaming West Regional in Valorant, a 5 vs 5 tactical first person hero shooter game. The tournament took place at the Cal Expo in Sacramento and the Sacramento Bee covered the event and offered a primer to those unfamiliar with the sport or tournament. Cal beat Davis and Boise State before advancing to the playoffs where they beat George Fox University and Davis again, before losing to San Jose St.
Now Presenting: The Touchdown/Turnover Chain
This chain is sick and needs to be talked about. Jaydn Ott showed off a sick new chain on Saturday prior to the Syracuse game that will be the Touchdown/Turnover Chain going forward. The chain itself is 320 carats and features over 13000 stones. Here’s hoping we see a whole lot of it going forward!
Cal Athletics Roundup
Men’s Basketball lost to Vanderbilt, but beat USC with their first road non-conference win since 2017. Men’s Soccer lost in the ACC Tournament semi-final to Clemson. Women’s Basketball beat Gonzaga in Spokane. Volleyball beat Virginia Tech and lost to Virginia. Men’s Water Polo lost to Stanford. Football got juiced. Women’s Soccer beat Pepperdine.
Cal Pros Roundup
After a week off, Jared Goff continued to do Jared Goff things, achieving a perfect passer rating for the second time in his NFL Career. Congrats Jared! The Battle of the Jayle(o)ns happened last night as the Cavaliers travelled to TD Garden to take on the Celtics. Jaylen won this round in a 120-117 victory over the Cavaliers. Jaylon didn’t appear in the game, so maybe this was actually a draw. Elsewhere in the Grey Cup, Makai Polk and the Argonauts beat Kenny Lawler, Jamieson Sheahan and the Blue Bombers 41-24.
Man what a week (it’s only Wednesday). Go Bears! Beat Stanford! Keep the Axe!
Jared Goff is now the only player to have multiple games with 400+ yards, 4+ TDs, AND a perfect passer rating. Meaning he didn't get that "perfect" passer rating with a high completion percentage and a large yards/completion number; he absolutely torched those teams. And yet the casual fan still sees Goff as some middle-of-the-road average (at best) QB.
I can't wait for the Lions Super Bowl where Jared Goff can finally get the respect he deserves.
Cal WBB plays Auburn on Friday night (Big Game Eve) in Haas Pavilion at 6 pm. Come support your undefeated Golden Bears (4-0). Good seats still available. Go Bears!!