I too love the power rankings, and the writing on this site, and this was a fine one to go out on. Congrats and sorry to lose your contributions. We’re all better off for having read your work. Cheers!
The fact that I always voted and wrote blurbs should indicate just how much I enjoyed this series over the years. I especially appreciate the way you transformed the series to include more data analysis (madness!) and charts. Today's article is a great retrospective and representation of the last several years of writing, and some of those multi-year charts are cornea-searingly delightful.
Your broad writing commitments to the site (everything from GN to Power Rankings to bowl threads to film analysis) will be missed and I greatly appreciate how much effort you put into keeping the CGB/W4C ship pointed in the right direction. It wasn't always glamorous (or even fun) work, but you did it anyway because you clearly care about the site and its community. Thanks again for everything, Leland. Your steadfast commitment and wry, self-deprecating sense of humor will be greatly missed around here.
Had no idea this was coming and I'm very sad to see you go. I know you're a key reason why this site has such quality content and great content is what makes this site (and CGB in years prior) so addictive. I've always love these Power Rankings for instance (long before I started contributing to them) and always looked forward to reading these every week, and I loved seeing your statistical breakdowns and the season trends. I can't even imagine how much work you've put into the site but just know that it was always appreciated.
Leland, thank you again for all your hard work over the years to our team. You were the heart and soul of this site for so long, and we will really have to dig deep to replace your contributions. We'll do our best to try and meet the standard you set!
Your impact is measured everyday in people coming back and reading California Golden Blogs, then migrating over to follow us at Write For California. You helped manage an always rocky ship, and the fact that this site kept humming through the bad, the COVID, the weird, the Cal, is a testament to your love and care for this community.
Leland, I have followed closely and have enjoyed all of it. In fact, I have gone as far as to share the articles with friends of mine (who are not Cal fans). After they laugh at me for being a Cal fan, I get this response “why doesn’t my school produce works/articles like that. How great is that?’ Over the years I have come to enjoy the articles more than the actual outcome of the games. And for me, I say “How great is that!’ Now, if you asked me 8 years ago if I would trade the articles/analysis/banter for more Cal wins, I would have said yes. Knowing what I know now, the answer is definitely “No”. Win or lose, I had a good time reading/absorbing your work. It was fascinating an fun. I enjoyed it.
I am proud to say that I am a Cal fan and I am a part of this community. And in no small part, that pride is due to your (and the team’s) efforts . Thank you. I regret not saying that sooner.
It would be interesting to see a combined Power Rankings of the eight years you have spent compiling and writing these reports. Eight years of mediocrity, mostly, on the football field that would probably put Cal in the ninth or 10th spot and ahead of only Oregon State, Arizona and maybe Colorado. Cal compiled a 44-47 record over that 8-year span and did not have a winning conference record in any of those seasons. But our current head coach is about to receive a contract extension and a pay bump because he turned down a head coaching gig at Oregon. Interesting times, and totally appreciate what you and others have contributed to this site.
Thank you for all of your contributions to California Golden Blogs, Write for California, and the Cal community. Leland, you were a fantastic coach and leader, and our website and community will miss your wit and grit immensely.
I love reading Power Rankings every week (even if I don't always comment). It's a good thing to read in the mornings. Thank you for your contributions Leland and best wishes going forward!
I'll keep it short and say Thank You so much for your time and efforts. I'm one of the longest term folks here for CGB and WFC, and I've always appreciated your work. Best wishes and always, Go Bears!
While we make the joke that you're the Cal fan and the CGB/WFC writer with the most unfortunate name, your Power Rankings were always a highlight of the football season. No matter how good or bad (or REALLY bad) the Bears were doing, it was the perfect encapsulation of Cal -- geeky, humorous, and never afraid to make jokes at its own expense. I'll miss that, and I'll miss you.
Leland, I'm brand new here, but would regularly read CBB and have always been impressed with the writing and analysis of this site.... the other Cal sites have the standard articles with all the traditional stories and info (Cal reached the red zone 8 times, but only scored one TD!), but this site has been far better, and more interesting/funny to boot.
Thank you for all your great stuff. I hope you continue to post comments or just continue to hang out
Please don’t assume we all follow this so closely that not signing your name to your final column is ok. It’s like leaving out the final score.
Difficult to express how much I've enjoyed the Power Rankings all season. Much appreciated. Thanks and look forward to next year.
I too love the power rankings, and the writing on this site, and this was a fine one to go out on. Congrats and sorry to lose your contributions. We’re all better off for having read your work. Cheers!
Go Bears! Good luck in whatever the future brings, Leland!
So sorry we're losing you, Leland. We've crossed swords before but I've always thought you were a real mensch and a helluva writer. Best wishes.
The fact that I always voted and wrote blurbs should indicate just how much I enjoyed this series over the years. I especially appreciate the way you transformed the series to include more data analysis (madness!) and charts. Today's article is a great retrospective and representation of the last several years of writing, and some of those multi-year charts are cornea-searingly delightful.
Your broad writing commitments to the site (everything from GN to Power Rankings to bowl threads to film analysis) will be missed and I greatly appreciate how much effort you put into keeping the CGB/W4C ship pointed in the right direction. It wasn't always glamorous (or even fun) work, but you did it anyway because you clearly care about the site and its community. Thanks again for everything, Leland. Your steadfast commitment and wry, self-deprecating sense of humor will be greatly missed around here.
Had no idea this was coming and I'm very sad to see you go. I know you're a key reason why this site has such quality content and great content is what makes this site (and CGB in years prior) so addictive. I've always love these Power Rankings for instance (long before I started contributing to them) and always looked forward to reading these every week, and I loved seeing your statistical breakdowns and the season trends. I can't even imagine how much work you've put into the site but just know that it was always appreciated.
Leland, thank you again for all your hard work over the years to our team. You were the heart and soul of this site for so long, and we will really have to dig deep to replace your contributions. We'll do our best to try and meet the standard you set!
Your impact is measured everyday in people coming back and reading California Golden Blogs, then migrating over to follow us at Write For California. You helped manage an always rocky ship, and the fact that this site kept humming through the bad, the COVID, the weird, the Cal, is a testament to your love and care for this community.
Thank you so much for everything, and Go Bears.
Leland, I have followed closely and have enjoyed all of it. In fact, I have gone as far as to share the articles with friends of mine (who are not Cal fans). After they laugh at me for being a Cal fan, I get this response “why doesn’t my school produce works/articles like that. How great is that?’ Over the years I have come to enjoy the articles more than the actual outcome of the games. And for me, I say “How great is that!’ Now, if you asked me 8 years ago if I would trade the articles/analysis/banter for more Cal wins, I would have said yes. Knowing what I know now, the answer is definitely “No”. Win or lose, I had a good time reading/absorbing your work. It was fascinating an fun. I enjoyed it.
I am proud to say that I am a Cal fan and I am a part of this community. And in no small part, that pride is due to your (and the team’s) efforts . Thank you. I regret not saying that sooner.
Good luck in whatever you do next.
Go Bears.
It would be interesting to see a combined Power Rankings of the eight years you have spent compiling and writing these reports. Eight years of mediocrity, mostly, on the football field that would probably put Cal in the ninth or 10th spot and ahead of only Oregon State, Arizona and maybe Colorado. Cal compiled a 44-47 record over that 8-year span and did not have a winning conference record in any of those seasons. But our current head coach is about to receive a contract extension and a pay bump because he turned down a head coaching gig at Oregon. Interesting times, and totally appreciate what you and others have contributed to this site.
Thank you
Thank you for all of your contributions to California Golden Blogs, Write for California, and the Cal community. Leland, you were a fantastic coach and leader, and our website and community will miss your wit and grit immensely.
I love reading Power Rankings every week (even if I don't always comment). It's a good thing to read in the mornings. Thank you for your contributions Leland and best wishes going forward!
I'll keep it short and say Thank You so much for your time and efforts. I'm one of the longest term folks here for CGB and WFC, and I've always appreciated your work. Best wishes and always, Go Bears!
Hey Leland,
While we make the joke that you're the Cal fan and the CGB/WFC writer with the most unfortunate name, your Power Rankings were always a highlight of the football season. No matter how good or bad (or REALLY bad) the Bears were doing, it was the perfect encapsulation of Cal -- geeky, humorous, and never afraid to make jokes at its own expense. I'll miss that, and I'll miss you.
Leland, I'm brand new here, but would regularly read CBB and have always been impressed with the writing and analysis of this site.... the other Cal sites have the standard articles with all the traditional stories and info (Cal reached the red zone 8 times, but only scored one TD!), but this site has been far better, and more interesting/funny to boot.
Thank you for all your great stuff. I hope you continue to post comments or just continue to hang out