Disqus - Latest Comments for Avinash

Re: Why Aren’t There More Black Bloggers? Equality For All!

Avinash — Fri, 11 May 2007 01:36:55 -0000

'Itâ€™s fairly easy to see that we do not live in a society that is fair in its treatment of different backgrounds.'

Huh? We don't? Can you elaborate on that statement?

Re: Why Aren’t There More Black Bloggers? Equality For All!

Avinash — Fri, 11 May 2007 16:16:56 -0000

I was assuming you referred to the Berkeley bubble culture, which is as fair as you get in terms of that 'diversity' everyone talks about. I think the big problem that you outline isn't racism (which now only exists on the fringes of culture), but it's more of subtle cognitive biases that we all share. Many of us still skew our decision-making in favor of people who look more like us and are wary of people who don't look like us--it's implicit in our minds. It's kind of a stretch to blanket society as closet racists, since it's just more the way our brains work than anything.

As for affirmative action, equal opportunity does not imply equal representation. It's very difficult for students from poorer educations to come and succeed in a place like Berkeley, and I think it's better if minorities (especially black people) work their way up towards societal change through state schools, rather than advocating for these artificial barriers. Berkeley is a fine university, but it's not as if they're losing anything by getting rejected from here. They can also add to the diversity of the state schools, which have been somewhat drained from affirmative action policies and started to emerge as predominantly white. Build your way up. Don't force your education.

Re: Why Aren’t There More Black Bloggers? Equality For All!

Avinash — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:58:54 -0000

These are interesting (and if I may emphasize, emotional) arguments you bring up. But do they hold up under closer scrutiny?

Bringing up terms like 'racism' and 'harmful' swells your advocate of AA to an emotional context. Just because something 'should' be this way doesn't mean it will actually bring the result that you are expecting to bear out. So let's throw out those terms in this debate, since having the so-called moral high ground detracts from what's really important.

The real question is, does affirmative action have an empirical effect that benefits black scholars? Have poor minorities actually improved their status? Are poor minorities even the ones given the chance to attend higher-tier colleges, or does that just go their richer/middle class bretheren who can afford such an education? What about poor white children who have also had to suffer similar economic misfortune?

Do the people who advocate for affirmative action do so because they are interested in the results of such social policies? Or do they advocate them for this need for diversity and for moral standing without considering whether there's any noticeable impact?

Here is an article summing up the shortcomings of AA more succinctly: http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/30104...

Re: Adjust Your Tassels, Part V (Graduation Ceremonies, May 17th)

Avinash — Thu, 17 May 2007 10:44:47 -0000

Damnit. What the hell were we thinking. Ugh.

Re: The President Is A Wise And Cunning Little Man

Avinash — Thu, 24 May 2007 15:00:35 -0000

I report on the news sonny. I don't expect you to take any opinion I say seriously.

Re: Where Does This Los Angeles Exist, And When Can I Visit?

Avinash — Sun, 27 May 2007 00:27:22 -0000

Driving in California in general pretty much sucks. But at least in the Bay Area the BART helps to cope with the traffic problem and allow us to not worry about cars. We don't really drive anyway.

Re: See Folks, THIS Is How You Get Into Stanford

Avinash — Thu, 31 May 2007 14:31:53 -0000

Ah yes, we've always been envious of Stanford. Because we got in and turned it down. Yeah. Real envy of douchery right there.

Re: To Those Of You Who Say Cal Girls Aren’t Hot…

Avinash — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:04:43 -0000

Hollly crap. There's a disadvantage to ignoring Cal TV after all.

Re: To Those Of You Who Say Cal Girls Aren’t Hot…

Avinash — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 02:27:52 -0000

Welcome to the real world, where women are judged based not only on their looks and their talents. Ask any women who has interviewed for a high-ended job or date and you'll know that the visual speaks just as much as the resume. It's annoying that this double standard exists, but the fact is beautiful, talented girls will get more attention than talented ones or beautiful ones.

Guys especially have deeper reactions to the visual, so it's up to her and her parents and peers to decide how much they let this attention bother them. A Washington Post feature will not help her cause for less attention though.

Re: Eating in Berkeley Closed? Check GopherNow

Avinash — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:03:20 -0000

Is it any good? I've only heard the rumors up to this point.

Re: Ever Found A Nudist You Would Date? (Warning: Not Safe For Life)

Avinash — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:36:27 -0000

On the bright side, their children will grow out of it. Or will be ugly.

Re: Ever Found A Nudist You Would Date? (Warning: Not Safe For Life)

Avinash — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:47:09 -0000

People in Berkeley listen to their mayor?

Re: Does This Paragraph Make You Want to Quit Bottled Water?

Avinash — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:33:33 -0000

No worries man. LA tap water is notoriously contaminated.

Re: Does This Paragraph Make You Want to Quit Bottled Water?

Avinash — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 04:05:45 -0000

Hun, it's salt water. Why the hell would you want to filter that?

Re: Does This Paragraph Make You Want to Quit Bottled Water?

Avinash — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:01:29 -0000

We call them desalination plants. But it is definitely an interesting idea to expand upon.

Re: The Gateway to the Pacific, Behind Bars

Avinash — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:04:48 -0000

Ugh. You know what else people have easy access to? Knives. Guns. Tall buildings to jump off of. Bleach. There are a million ways to kill yourself, and we can't police everyone.

I suppose you want everyone to live behind gated walls. Someone who wants to commit suicide is unlikely to be deterred and will just jump off a cliff instead.

Re: Does This Paragraph Make You Want to Quit Bottled Water?

Avinash — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:35:18 -0000

The ideas? No, more like the useless questions.

Re: One Home Run Away From Never Mentioning Barry Bonds Again

Avinash — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:19:24 -0000

ESPN just wants to let you know that the Yanks and Sox are playing this weekend. Because those are the only games that matter to anyone right? Right?

Re: Just When You Thought You Were Out…

Avinash — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 19:56:17 -0000

Speak for yourself. Nothing hotter to me than a girl willing to do my laundry.

Re: Just When You Thought You Were Out…

Avinash — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 06:15:47 -0000

I listened to the interview, she still seemed unsettled by the whole thing. I don't think she's happy with all of this absurd attention, but she goes along with it because it'll enhance her profile and the sport's (which no one outside of Europe would care about anyway).

Re: Just When You Thought You Were Out…

Avinash — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 21:22:36 -0000

Before modern media, they were all just flowers, really. Unique and special flowers that produced many many babies.

Re: In Theory, This Could Work…

Avinash — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 15:38:45 -0000

I know some students wouldn't mind a $5-10 roundtrip between LA and Oakland (including BART fees to West Oakland).

Re: So, Another Three More Years Before He’s Homeless?

Avinash — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 15:42:29 -0000

There is a difference between the political discussion on welfare and the sociological discussion of laziness. Each should be treated separately, and I wanted the focus to be on this kid, not on the system.

Re: Deciding on the Gun or Poision (Scheduling for Telebears, Part I–Math)

Avinash — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:29:25 -0000

Damn. The reception on him was definitely mixed. I guess it was only the stupid people who wrote these reviews.

Re: The Bears Are Roaring (Cal Football Season Preview)

Avinash — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:16:57 -0000

Point noted. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Re: The Bears Are Roaring (Leftovers from Cal-Tennessee)

Avinash — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:02:56 -0000

Ah, I heard a lot of noise during her stint. I guess it was just the wrong kind of noise.

Re: The Bears Are Roaring (Leftovers from Cal-Tennessee)

Avinash — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 02:39:08 -0000

To be fair, that was after Tennessee shellacked us to high heaven. The real fans were all in a daze. But yeah, we're still growing into this. No rich history of football to be found.

Ainge was great until the 4th quarter, when I think either the pinky ran out of steam, the defense tightened, or the strange playcalling caught up with Tennessee.

Re: Darwin Approves of Berkeley

Avinash — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 03:25:27 -0000

Bro's a stud. I really wish I'd thought of this before.

Re: The Bears Are Roaring (Leftovers from Cal-Tennessee)

Avinash — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:32:48 -0000

In other words, we're not Lakers fans. Awesome.

We still have a long way to go to catch up with the cream of the crop in the Pac-10 (namely, UCLA and Oregon fans). We'll be better at midseason, but I don't think we'll get really loud until we face the Trojans. I'd rate this as the third loudest game I've been to, outside of Oregon and UCLA last year.

Re: The Bears Are Roaring (Leftovers from Cal-Tennessee)

Avinash — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:44:27 -0000

Point noted. Thanks.

Re: At Least He Won’t Be Standing Out Too Much

Avinash — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:13:30 -0000

What the hell are you talking about?

Re: Back to Normal–I Hope (Cal-Colorado State Soliloquy)

Avinash — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 04:23:08 -0000

Whoops, thanks for the correction.

Re: It’s 9/11, A Somber Time For Reflection and …

Avinash — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:51:49 -0000

Just a clog in the Internet. Nothing to see there.

Re: Even McClellan Mounted Stronger Offensives

Avinash — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:11:30 -0000

I was just giving voice to what most people are probably thinking when they walk back home, alone at night, about who to watch out for. Most students at Berkeley are Asian or white, and most poor people around Berkeley are black. Can you honestly say that you're impartial to race, that you treat the white/Asian kid as much of a threat as the black kids?

I think most of you are not, because I know how people from other races view people outside of their circles. But you can go on believing that you're not biased too.

Re: Even McClellan Mounted Stronger Offensives

Avinash — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:43:53 -0000

Funny that you think I'm proud of my bias. I just acknowledge it, I don't pump my chest for it. I'd rather be honest than present your sunny optimism.

And it's funny that you think these thoughts are ridiculous. If they're prevalent in all human beings, shouldn't we investigate them more rather than casting them aside as "ridiculous"? Isn't that the thoughtful thing to do?

And I happen to be a math major. So I don't think it's very wise to send these people over there if you want them not to voice their "crazy ramblings" :).

Re: Even McClellan Mounted Stronger Offensives

Avinash — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:57:08 -0000

Christian,
I don't know why you think I'm being derogatory. Black people commit a majority. Maybe the comment came off as snarky because it's the Internet. But if I called the guy a "random poor idiot" without connoting race, is that also derogatory? Just because I say what other people are subconsciously thinking makes me a douche?

To Charles,
HAHAHAHAHA.

I'm glad that you're taking time out from workouts at Packers camp. How'a Aaron doing? Is he secretly hoping Brett breaks his leg?

Seriously, I find it funny that you had to impersonate a famous black football player to gain some levity in this discussion. Unless this really is Charles Woodson, in which case I might need to retire this blog right now.

1. I've pretty much recognized that I'm not that quick-witted. I used to blog a lot about current events, but turned away from it when I realized I couldn't really replicate Deadspin or Fark. I was just amused at the Daily Clog's immediate reaction to my off-color statement, which has now been blown out of proportion.

2. Yes, I knew he was black. The bulletin referred to two African-Americans when I made that comment.

3. Most criminals aren't students. They tend to be juvenilles, drop-outs, etc. As these ones were.

I'm pretty partial to all students as well, but you can't identify a student off the bat, especially at night, when the majority of crimes take place. And you'd be surprised how many people make decisions about who to hang out with based on race (I'm not one of them--my preferences lie with common interests and whoever floats within them, but many people are racially unconscious in that regard).

4. Yeah, congrats on that. Hopefully Desean will be the next great punt returner lifting it.

5. I actually prefer writing about football and non-news topics, simply because writing about current events always seems to raise a firestorm. Which is why this will be the last of these posts about current events for awhile.

Re: Nate Longshore, Airing It Deep

Avinash — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:50:22 -0000

You are a stronger man than me my friend.

Re: Ask the Readers: Most Painful Defeat in Tedford Era

Avinash — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:06:23 -0000

I guess I never got the Cal-Stanford rivalry (well, I get it in the practical sense, but the teams have been at polar opposites of the Pac-10 ever since I got here that the games have been anti-climactic). So I can't really understand

Now if Stanford were good, I'd be into it more. But I always think of USC as the main rival right now.

Re: Bear Up (Cal-Arizona Recap)

Avinash — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:04:37 -0000

Alumni have gotten a little better, and they were louder than usual. But the chants and enthusiasm from the Student Section were distinctly muffled. You could tell that the start of the game really took the fire out of them--they were just waiting for the game to end so they could get to partying/whatever.

I'm a little distressed--for Oregon last year we kept the fire stoking for 4 quarters. Nothing burning quite yet.

Re: Un-beee-lievable

Avinash — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:31:29 -0000

Yeah, saw it on the Bear's Insider. You're free to give him a call at 915-546-6359, or email him at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com.

Re: Top Plays in September for the Golden Bears

Avinash — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:13:04 -0000

Worse part is that their broadband player disposes of highlights to show a bunch of hunting clips. Completely ridiculous that this channel gets to feature Pac-10 football.

Re: The Action Jackson Diaries–Primetime Games

Avinash — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:11:01 -0000

Oh man, I said that didn't I?

Comes to show you how shocked I am.

Re: The Action Jackson Diaries–Primetime Games

Avinash — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 04:56:38 -0000

I believe "Please do not fire Karl Dorrell; give him a second chance" would be apt.

Re: What This Weekend Meant to Cal

Avinash — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:34:18 -0000

Stanford won with their backup QB making his first college start. They won being FORTY point underdogs. They won despite the fact that they were outgained 459-235. They won their first Pac-10 game in 6 tries, including a combined score of 141-51 in their three losses to UCLA, Oregon, and ASU.

USC let their guard down. They turned over the ball on their last two possessions, five times during the game. Whether they were extremely overrated or not will be shed to light by the end of the season, but for now the perception outweighs the reality. Stanford was given less of a chance to win by Vegas than App. State. That should tell you how unexpected this was.

Re: Ask the Readers: Biggest Remaining Challenge for Cal

Avinash — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:35:52 -0000

USC was severely depleted on Saturday--even if that's no excuse for losing to Stanford, I'm sure they'll be back to full strength by the time for Cal.

Re: What This Weekend Meant to Cal

Avinash — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:47:32 -0000

Could be. The next few weeks will tell us a lot about this Trojan squad.

Re: Ask the Readers: Biggest Remaining Challenge for Cal

Avinash — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:33:40 -0000

It has nothing to do with how talented you are, it's how well you play on Saturday. UCLA has pulled some strange shit against us in the Rose Bowl. Every year. I would not be surprised at something similar this year.

It'd be great if that's sexual assaulter Sanchez took that starting job for Cal. So many great chants we could start in the Student Section.

Re: Who Do You Hate More, USC or Stanford?

Avinash — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:07:11 -0000

Tony,
I agree that you need a rival, but would you rather pound Stanford into the ground every year (like we've been doing for most of the Tedford era) or have a competitive Big Game? The last few Big Games have been sad--I mean, should I be unhappy with our performance when our team is only winning by single digits?

I came to Cal when USC was the only consistent California rival. They're the monkey on our back. Until we topple them in a meaningful game, we will never be treated seriously by anyone outside of the Bay Area.

Re: Who Do You Hate More, USC or Stanford?

Avinash — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:21:16 -0000

Milo2 has just made the greatest comment on the history of this site. I need to celebrate this somehow.

Re: Who Do You Hate More, USC or Stanford?

Avinash — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:22:30 -0000

Rishi,

We would have controlled our destiny either way. Yeah, it'd be nice to knock off #1 on our way to the top, but there's too far a road to go--I'm sure USC would have been cut down in a later week against much stiffer opposition.

Re: Who Do You Hate More, USC or Stanford?

Avinash — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:22:47 -0000

The Daily Cal is full of nice guys too.

Re: Who Do You Hate More, USC or Stanford?

Avinash — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:24:32 -0000

David,

Interesting thought. I guess I only have a few friends who go to 'SC (none seriously interested in the program), but it's not as big a deal to me.

In fact most of my friends at 'SC and Stanford aren't into football. I guess it's probably more stable or something.

Re: Who Do You Hate More, USC or Stanford?

Avinash — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:16:59 -0000

My teams have lost way too many games in ridiculous fashion for me to consider it the worst. It'd have to be the Anti-Play; it'd have to destroy both Rose Bowl and National Title opportunities, and it'd have to send Tedford packing. All three things would have to happen for this to be considered the worst.

Since Tedford isn't leaving, I feel pretty safe.

Re: Bending to Heartbreak (Why Gregory’s System Failed Us)

Avinash — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:39:32 -0000

That's the funny thing about the Pac-10--despite all these defensive lapses and offensive mistakes, we still nearly won. So the strategy still nearly paid off, again.

I don't think the Bears are in need of saving. I just think we'll keep on piling up 9-3 and 10-2 seasons, and we'll almost never end up in the BCS with this type of unoriginal playcalling. I'm not saying blitz all the time, just mix it up. Playing one style of D and not letting your defenders make plays is a recipe for impending defeat.

As for convincing Tedford...well, I'll need to do some tape review. I'll get back to you on that one.

Re: “Tickets to the Rose Bowl Are So Much Cheaper!”

Avinash — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:58:06 -0000

I'm referring to the general attitude of older alumni, not Yellow Fever's comment.

Re: Bending to Heartbreak (Why Gregory’s System Failed Us)

Avinash — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:30:46 -0000

Uhh, wait a minute. I never put Tedford in that category; he calls the offense, not the defense. I'm sure he's not been pleased by the yards the D's given up, but like any coach, he's incredibly loyal--a trait I admire in a college coach.

I think he'll have to see the defense truly blow a game (because both sides of the ball contributed to the failure in this one) before he considers making a change. As much as we gave the Beavers in this game on the offensive side, 13 points came from turnovers--if we take care of the ball we still win.

Re: “Tickets to the Rose Bowl Are So Much Cheaper!”

Avinash — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:52:12 -0000

Heh, I probably read that before I wrote my post, but it was just one comment of many. I notice the similarities, but I was referring more to people inside the Bear Insider and other various discussion boards.

Re: “Tickets to the Rose Bowl Are So Much Cheaper!”

Avinash — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:56:32 -0000

Once I hire someone to upkeep my projects, I'm out of delving in sports message boards. They can handle it; it's bad for my psyche.

Re: Oh, You Pesky Little Beaver (Quick Hits, Cal-Oregon State)

Avinash — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:35:13 -0000

Oh, I haven't watched it yet. I'm still at home, and my laptop doesn't have that much space--when I get back to Berkeley I'll take a look at the torrent on my desktop.

Re: Calling All REAL Cal Fans…

Avinash — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:56:53 -0000

Thanks for the comments guys. I've recovered pretty well, ready for UCLA now (probably won't be there though). Good luck.

Re: Quick Hits, Cal-UCLA (Report Card)

Avinash — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:36:40 -0000

Looking to past years is a very bad idea. This is a GOOD ASU team. There are literally no vestiges of the Dirk Koetter messes that we always annihilated. We're going to have our hands full.

Re: Burned Alive (Report Card, Cal-ASU)

Avinash — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:26:52 -0000

My bad.

I wouldn't be overtly concerned. Wazzu is a terrible road team that cannot stop the run, Washington has Jack Locker and cannot stop the run, Stanford can only win if you turnover the ball...and cannot stop the run. Only USC will be a huge challenge.

Re: Burned Alive (Report Card, Cal-ASU)

Avinash — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:05:05 -0000

Sometimes you get lucky with the calls. This was one of those times. You wonder if DeSean gets tired of signalling for the fair catch.

Otherwise, special teams was fine.

Re: Action Jackson Preview, Week 10

Avinash — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:35:03 -0000

Uhh, remember 2004? 11-1 and then hosejobbed out of the Rose Bowl?

2005 we had a terrible QB.
2006 we had a youthful offense and a slightly inconsistent defense.
2007 our defense has been terrible and Longshore has been unable to push off on his ankle for a month.

It has nothing to do with mental toughness. Perhaps mental stubbornness (the playcalling has been painfully predictable this past month), but I think we have to realize that we'll always be in a position to break through. And one of these years it'll happen.

Re: Deflecting Away Defeat–Cal-Wazzu Report Card

Avinash — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 21:18:48 -0000

Ack. Fixed.

Re: Deflecting Away Defeat–Cal-Wazzu Report Card

Avinash — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:43:55 -0000

If USC wins out (they still have to play at ASU and would own the tie-breaker over them), an at-large bid for the Rose Bowl is a good possibility for them. Best to quash that hope altogether.

Re: Action Jackson Preview, Week 10

Avinash — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:02:22 -0000

Um, that's exactly what I said. We lacked the toughness in 2004, the talent in 2005, the toughness in 2006, and both in '07. Are we disagreeing about something?

This is only our fifth year under Tedford. The rest of the Pac-10 has been doing this a lot longer than us, and our recruiting and facilities are still expanding. So yes, both talent and toughness need some work.

Re: Pac-10, Up and Down

Avinash — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:56:13 -0000

You act as if I put Cal in the BCS, or placed them in the Rose Bowl. UCLA was inept against Arizona and OSU could do nothing against USC. The gaps between these teams are very small. You want me to place them seventh? Last?

You're really close to pissing me off. Stop being a troll.

Re: Pac-10, Up and Down

Avinash — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:03:36 -0000

Bleh. You know how I feel about preseason rankings. The media overrates stars (and Cal has enough of them on offense to wow), while ignoring subtle issues like defense and power running. Losing all those defenders along with Lynch worried both you and me from April on.

Re: Why Tedford Sticks With Longshore

Avinash — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:29:58 -0000

~California Pete

I buy it a little, but I do think Riley's relative youth (only a freshman) as opposed to Rodgers (junior transfer, 3 years of eligibility) does also contribute to his sticking with Longshore.

Re: Why Tedford Sticks With Longshore

Avinash — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:30:42 -0000

~ray

Yep. Can't really fault with you there. Watching Longshore attempt to run up the gut was mystifying.

Re: Why Tedford Sticks With Longshore

Avinash — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:32:40 -0000

~Longshore is the BEST!

Another interesting stat, but I think most of those INTs have come when Cal is behind. Usually we're far ahead in the 4th quarter and hand the ball off to Forsett (and Lynch last year). I recall our one comeback against UW was mainly Lynch running it up.

So no, I guess Longshore isn't a clutch QB. But he wouldn't be the first.

Re: Why Tedford Sticks With Longshore

Avinash — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:20:08 -0000

Ahh, the promise of the future. I'm not that concerned with this year (it will likely be Longshore), but it'll be interesting to see the battle for the starter's job next year.

Re: Why Tedford Sticks With Longshore

Avinash — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:20:45 -0000

~Jlin
I disagree with none of this. I'm sure he'll figure it out and hopefully become more flexible as the years go on.

Re: Why Tedford Sticks With Longshore

Avinash — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:40:52 -0000

~Paul
Refreshing? Yes. Heroic? I'm not really sure. There are still 70-80 other players on that team that deserve effectiveness as well.

Re: Tears Fall From the Heavens–Report Card, Cal-USC

Avinash — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:36:21 -0000

They were nice. I hear the caps they sold to the first 15,000 there or so were even better. Not a terrible idea to have throwbacks one home game every few years.

Re: The Line: Cal (-7) at Washington

Avinash — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:09:24 -0000

My wit is all I got left.

Re: The Lights Go Out (USC-Cal Open Thread)

Avinash — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:48:51 -0000

Just not to be this year...

Re: Tears Fall From the Heavens–Report Card, Cal-USC

Avinash — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:58:40 -0000

Fluck?

You're allowed to swear here you know.

Re: Tears Fall From the Heavens–Report Card, Cal-USC

Avinash — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:12:56 -0000

Your IP ID says you originate from San Francisco State. Looks like we have another Cal reject.

The only thing you should be pontificating about is paper or plastic, since you will be bagging groceries the rest of your life.

Re: Tears Fall From the Heavens–Report Card, Cal-USC

Avinash — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:12:09 -0000

I have no self-entitlement about our program. This is Cal, damnit. We don't have ANY Pac-10 athletic tradition in basketball or football! I'm disappointed by the collapse, but this is still a program in construction.

Your deterministic bullshit reeks of someone who has accepted fate rather than seizing it. You're probably that guy who believes in quitting instead of trying something tough. Enjoy that my friend. I'll stick it out with the Bears.

Re: Cal-Washington Liveblog and Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 15:38:27 -0000

Hold on? something might be coming over the wire?Wait for it?

Re: Cal-Washington Liveblog and Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 15:59:53 -0000

Found it? Hold on?Should have it up

Re: Cal-Washington Liveblog and Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:43:49 -0000

Should work now. Check.

Re: Cal-Washington Liveblog and Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:53:47 -0000

There's a site that organizes streams of events. You can probably find it with enough research. I'm not going to reveal it just to avoid people finding it and shutting it down.

Re: Cal-Washington Liveblog and Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:25:59 -0000

Jeff, that might be the funniest thing I've read all day. Thanks.

Re: Cal-Washington Liveblog and Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:26:51 -0000

Seth, as the new defensive coordinator, what would your new responsibilities be?

Re: Cal-Washington Liveblog and Open Thread

Avinash — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:34:46 -0000

Jeff, brainfart by the captain (DeCoud?) who elected to kick it off during the coin flip.

Re: Who Could Our Bowl Opponents Be? (Sun and Elsewhere)

Avinash — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:11:05 -0000

El Paso on New Year's is a tough sell to anyone, but I dunno, watching the UConn-Louisville game, it was as if most fans had just realized college football existed. It's not a knock or anything. Plus the Motor City Bowl is much closer to UConn than the Sun Bowl. And El Paso is not really Texas--it's out in the middle of nowhere.

In any case, it's moot for us--we're not going to the Sun Bowl. You still have a good chance though. Hope you prove me wrong!

Re: The Very Small Game (Cal-Stanford Soliloquy)

Avinash — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:24:07 -0000

While it's been a great four years to be a Bears fan, it's been a terrible four years for the Big Game. When we won by nine points last year, I was more disgusted than happy. If there are meaningful things on the line (like in 2004, the only game I regret missing), then I'm all for it. But after all we had this year, my reaction is a little tepid. I have to learn what a competitive Stanford is like before I can soak in the atmosphere of what the Big Game means. I'm no Holmoephobe. I've only know Tedford-mania. And I'm ok with that.

Plus I'm literally coughing up germbuckets right now. If I can place a disproportionate amount of my pride and joy in 20-21 year old athletes, I damn well can place my disgust, sickness and anger on them too! It's my American right!

Re: The Very Small Game (Cal-Stanford Soliloquy)

Avinash — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:00:56 -0000

Not just one crappy football game. Ever since the slide started I've been going in and out of sickness. Correlation does not imply causation right? I really hope my health doesn't depend on the health of the football program. Or the other way around.

As for basketball, our tradition there is even more pathetic than football. Our greatest player turned out to be a wife-beater. Good times.

Re: The Very Small Game (Cal-Stanford Soliloquy)

Avinash — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:40:52 -0000

Touche.

Re: Cal-Washington Liveblog and Open Thread

Avinash — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 02:51:27 -0000

Interesting observation isleStyle. Shall take a look at the gametape.

Re: The Very Small Game (Cal-Stanford Soliloquy)

Avinash — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:31:34 -0000

Hmm, well, now that you put it that way...
You make a compelling case.

Re: Let’s Hire the O! | Bears Necessity

Avinash — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:28:47 -0000

~yoyofutbawl
Probably not. But at least we'd have legitimate protestors at the game.

He needs a national media market to thrive sadly. SF is the perfect place for him to be considered absolutely awesome. Well, by people like me.

Re: Let’s Hire the O! | Bears Necessity

Avinash — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:51:25 -0000

~atticus
WOOO! IMA BUY ME A PONY!

Re: Let’s Hire the O! | Bears Necessity

Avinash — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:43:25 -0000

~Dan
If Gregory doesn't leave, Orgeron is in talks for the Wazzu spot. If you can't get him, beat him.

Re: The Very Small Game (Cal-Stanford Soliloquy)

Avinash — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:27:08 -0000

Thanks for the slap of common sense Betty. I have been acting pretty spoiled huh?

This is what happens when your freshman year is 11-1. You expect the best. Kinda silly of me.

Re: Flying Behind the Mullet

Avinash — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:04:41 -0000

Nice list.

Re: So, Another Three More Years Before He’s Homeless?

Avinash — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 04:55:47 -0000

Oh, I think you're working very hard, but you're going about this the wrong way. I think you've learned to be too dependent on others for help, and you should really try to cast it all off. There are cheap places to live in SF or in the East Bay where you could afford your budget. Also learn about calculated debt and try to get some financial management advice from friends and peers. You can definitely afford it without welfare if you make smarter financial decisions.

Re: The Big Game Report Card

Avinash — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:06:42 -0000

Embrace the pain my friend. It's something many of our players have yet to do this year.

Re: Cal to the Armed Forces Bowl

Avinash — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 20:21:31 -0000

It is confirmed to be the Armed Forces. Cal has accepted the bid.

Re: Cal to the Armed Forces Bowl

Avinash — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 01:55:40 -0000

The Orange Bowl? I'm pretty sure the Rose Bowl is at fault for taking Illinois when Georgia was ripe for the picking. Even if the Orange Bowl hadn't picked Kansas, the choice would have been for Mizzou. But the Pac-10 invisibility certainly hurt ASU's chances.

Not a terribly big deal. I feel bad for the Sun Devils, but they didn't beat a ranked opponent either.

Re: On Playoffs. “PLAYOFFS?”

Avinash — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:00:18 -0000

atticus
Your suggestion has merit, and would probably satisfy all parties, but I just think 3 games is too much, especially if they're bowl games. Could you imagine LSU athletes/fans traveling from San Diego to Miami to New Orleans for three non-stop weeks? And the cost of tickets is enormous--one bowl ticket costs nearly as much as a full season worth of home games.

I do agree about the disproportionate amount of attention paid to polls. There needs to be a better indicator of what determines the national title than this arbitrary process of letting biased coaches from the heartland decide (hence Oklahoma's absurd jump back to #3 after Bob Stoops's nonsense).

Re: On Playoffs. “PLAYOFFS?”

Avinash — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:11:24 -0000

calFan98
That scenario is particularly grandiose and eloquent, and probably solves a lot of trouble (it'll never happen, but you know...). But a ten game season? Never happening. Not a chance. The regular season is always the best part of college football. You don't want to make it shorter.

Re: The Very Small Game (Cal-Stanford Soliloquy)

Avinash — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:00:17 -0000

I know about the history of the Big Game, but it didn't really hit me that much until we lost. Now it means something more. I'm sure as time passes, the feeling and antipathy will grow.

I'll be there next year when we get the Axe back.

Re: On Playoffs. “PLAYOFFS?”

Avinash — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 02:18:25 -0000

Very impressive points, although you kind of wax philosophical at the end. Injuries are just part of the game. The best team comes through in the biggest situations. That's what champions have been defined by for years. You can't just win by physical talent, you need mental toughness to take you home.

But I agree with the money part, too much of an expenditure and cutoff from local businesses and fans.

Re: On Quitting

Avinash — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:56:14 -0000

I emphasize the point that these are rumors, so I hope that ten minute diatribe was just a load of air that passes. But if there are whispers of quitters among our team, it must be examined.

I'm fairly certain the bowl game will be a different story. Either Tedford makes drastic changes or everything stays the same. There were several moves before the Big Game and during the UW game that indicate defensive lapses, but there were parts of the offense that weren't terribly impressive...

The defensive solidifying might take awhile. The Bears are a long way from returning to 2004-05 form in terms of playmaking on that side of the ball. Recruiting will need to be a major focus of the next several weeks as well as long-term. It's been somewhat neglected since 2004.

Re: On Coaches

Avinash — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:41:32 -0000

I'll admit, the injuries were rough. Follett with the stinger and Davis were definitely very crucial, along with Ezeff (underrated) going out after Oregon. But the defense did step up and hold their end until the USC game.

Ironically, our offensive struggles just really hampered us near the end and the defensive coaches could pay for it. So strange.

Re: On Quitting

Avinash — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:59:09 -0000

I don't recall mentioning any names.

Re: On Coaches

Avinash — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:07:50 -0000

I'm glad Randall Holland has decided to make personnel decisions and upkeep for the rest of us. Who do you plan to replace them with?

Re: On Coaches

Avinash — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:30:37 -0000

Really? The recruiting was never four star for Cal when they got to #5 in the country three years ago. I would say he's overachieved with good talent and underachieved with great talent, albeit lopsided on one side of the ball. Those aren't the attributes of a bad coach; he just needs to figure things out in what's been his first disappointing season.

Re: On Coaches

Avinash — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:48:39 -0000

I have known Tedford likes to keep things simple. Sometimes that strategy backfires on him.

Re: Best of BN, 2007

Avinash — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:14:48 -0000

That was exactly the LAST thing I needed to see today. Christ.

Re: Best of BN, 2007

Avinash — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:00:49 -0000

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm glad to see I was right. Now I can go back to ignoring baseball. What a hick.

Re: Best of BN, 2007

Avinash — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:33:59 -0000

Ragnarok: Oh, I do both things all the time. It's fantastic.
anon: Ew. That turd blossom? Please no.

Re: Well, That Wasn’t Fun

Avinash — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:57:39 -0000

I don't really know. But I have to assume the best.

Re: We Won? We Won!

Avinash — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:20:27 -0000

Wow, you're right, I forgot about all of those. But how do I make fun of the Air Force without getting into trouble?

Re: We Won? We Won!

Avinash — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:29:16 -0000

Watched the replay last night. Was totally blown away. He'll merit consideration for sure.

Re: Armed Forces Bowl Torrent

Avinash — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:03:49 -0000

Oh man. I really don't know. The earliest I can find is 2005, and none of those are any fun to watch.

Re: Just When You Thought You Were Out…

Avinash — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:05:21 -0000

I made derogatory and sexist remarks about Allison Stokke?

What I'm trying to point out is that drawing more attention to a problem makes it more of a problem long term. What she did at the time did not really help her. She has taken her face out of the public limelight since then and it has been definitely beneficial for her.

Re: We Have a New Enemy

Avinash — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:24:49 -0000

I've seen that list before. It's retarded. Ooh. Cheating scandals. That's much worse than DUIs, assault and battery, and cutting up pit bulls (which #7 UW is guilty of).

The only reason a place like Cal gets pushed up the rankings is because our athletic officials actually punish wrongdoing and it goes on record, as opposed to the backwards SEC/Big 12 heartland and our friends up at Seattle, who would overlook their moral compass to pursue bigger prizes.

Re: We Have a New Enemy

Avinash — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:19:01 -0000

I probably don't have the authority to call him such names. But ask folks in Seattle and Boulder what exactly they think of their beloved Slick Rick.

Re: We Have a New Enemy

Avinash — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:37:49 -0000

Sounds good to me.

Re: What If Tom Brady Had Come to Cal?

Avinash — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:00:50 -0000

But it's Tom Brady! He's the face of God! He doesn't lose games anymore!

Oh...wait.

Re: Pac-10 Recruiting Maps, Part II

Avinash — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:34:15 -0000

Awesome map bro. I'll definitely send it around.

Re: Pac-10 Recruiting Maps, Part II

Avinash — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:59:08 -0000

Makes plenty of sense. But the recruiting is way too spread out to recruit a successful program. A little too thin at the moment.

Re: Nate vs. Riley, Part I

Avinash — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:27:02 -0000

The Nate Longshore debate will be resolved long before the majority of these recruits take the field. So yes, I think the stadium issue might factor in more than our quarterback woes.

Re: Nate vs. Riley, Part I

Avinash — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:31:51 -0000

I believe the fans were firmly entrenched in one camp this year. Unfortunately, when healthy, Nate still reads routes well and manages the offense fine, and that's always been the big sticking point for Tedford.

I would like to think Riley will prove himself in spring practice, but with the relative youth in what seems to be a transitional year, I wouldn't be surprised if Tedford again turned to his veteran leader.

Re: Viva La Cascara de Rosa!

Avinash — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:54:32 -0000

Michigan State cares about football?

To be honest, a loss to the Spartans (at home nonetheless) wouldn't suck as hard as any of the losses this year. At least we know off the bat that we're not very good. No tease, no rise, just a quick slap and we're back down to earth.

Re: Viva La Cascara de Rosa!

Avinash — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:23:20 -0000

This is a developing story. I'm arranging an interview with Mr. Moore and his mascot Comrade Red.

Re: My College Football Blog Award Ballot, Part I

Avinash — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:44:53 -0000

Maybe if it was a magazine, but I refuse to pay for content on the Internet. It entirely defeats the purpose of the...well, Internet.

Re: My College Football Blog Award Ballot, Part I

Avinash — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:19:43 -0000

You're gross. And the less I get of ESPN coverage everyday, the better.

Re: Blue or Gold?

Avinash — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:41:28 -0000

C is being fixed right now. We'll see about the blue.

Re: And Now You May Cringe

Avinash — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:35:47 -0000

Loser activism from its students? Or from the disgruntled crazies and dopes who roam Telegraph?

I'm all for the former, if it's organized and well thought-out; this is activism at its best. I'm not for the latter, which is activism at its worst.

Re: And Now You May Cringe

Avinash — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:09:31 -0000

Could you please enlighten me about the noble aims of these activists? There doesn't seem to be anything for them to gain, and their own issues have minimal or no impact on the outcome. The activism of the 60s dealt with far greater social and political issues that had maximal importance on the national stage. The current activism with the stadium deals with cutting down a few trees and unrelated vagaries concerning corporate imperialism. It's a farce.

Re: And Now, Something No One Cares About

Avinash — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:53:06 -0000

You're from Berkeley son. You should know these things by now.

Ballhype means the diehards love you. Alexa means the people love you. I'm for the people!

Re: And Now, Something No One Cares About

Avinash — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:41:19 -0000

Earl
Would you like some Molson Ice as well?

Neil
Whatever, it's not that big a deal.

Re: And Now, Something No One Cares About

Avinash — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:33:58 -0000

Less momentum, more moustaches.

Re: It’s Okay to Be Selfish

Avinash — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:20:08 -0000

Jan,
Selfishness in this case is wisdom; you must learn to take decisions into your own hands at the proper age and find a place where you are at ease.

Montgomery has exhibited considerable unease through most of his time at Cal, at least from up-close, according to several sources, and it seemed he was paying out his parents' wishes rather than following his own. This is the biggest step in a kid's life, to gain his independence and the confidence to follow his own path, regardless of the disapproval it brings.

As for Division II...uhh, no, I can't see a starred recruit landing at California of Pennsylvania. Montgomery has a good shot to land at Oregon or Washington, maybe even the Florida schools. He is still well-regarded and could very well make a difference at a strong Division I school.

Re: Introducing…Stokke Inflation

Avinash — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:21:17 -0000

I'm torn on this. Yeah, there are a lot of DUMB hippies, but there are smart cute girls here. I've seen them damnit, they exist.

Re: Introducing…Stokke Inflation

Avinash — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:30:47 -0000

"Hot young scantily clad girls running around."

I think you just described USC girls, and I wouldn't touch them in a million years. The tradeoff between smart for dumb is just too much.

Re: Turf Wars: How Much Does the Surface Affect Cal?

Avinash — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:19:18 -0000

You just have to be flexible with your personnel and have multiple options on where to go offensively.

Re: Turf Wars: How Much Does the Surface Affect Cal?

Avinash — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:38:32 -0000

It's not a huge concern, but it's something to note. Every year, we have to play at least two to three games on grass, and we've noticeably underperformed the past two years.

Re: Turf Wars: How Much Does the Surface Affect Cal?

Avinash — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:40:53 -0000

I disagree that playing USC on grass for away game skews the data. We also play Stanford and Arizona for away games, and their teams are near the bottom rung. Tennessee, UCLA, ASU are all around the middle.

And besides, we've also played Tennessee and USC at home as well during this stretch. These stats should be skewed two-way, cancelling out the disparities.

Perhaps a better measure would be separating road turf, road grass, and home stats. I will consider it in a future post.

Re: Introducing…Stokke Inflation

Avinash — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:14:12 -0000

Stanford is the Dook of the West Coast, which I guess is great if you enjoy gawking at the guys. But the women?

Re: The Cardinal Is Taking Over

Avinash — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:51:49 -0000

Yep, I'm pretty much stuck to commenting on my own blog. Sucks huh?

Bork Bork.

Re: The New Design

Avinash — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:54:55 -0000

Whoa, lots of responses. I'm glad to see you enjoy being identified with the great Swedish Chef.

Danzig
~You've been around since the beginning, so I'm pretty impressed. The problem with covering a sport like baseball is (1) low national TV coverage, (2) low interest from viewers, (3) low interest from me--I don't really like baseball, and I can't imagine college baseball being much of a step up. HOWEVER, if we qualify for the college WS, I might be persuaded to write a few bits.

Ragnarok
~I've been aching for that second sidebar for months. I just never knew how to do it without screwing the entire site up. I'm still living in deathly fear of it.

Dano
~My linkroll is really huge. I read a lot of sites during fall season.

Lindsay
~I'll pass the criticism along to the web designer. Tell ya what, you and I can go take a better picture that would suit the site.

Ho
~Yeah, I'm not sure why the site is moving slowly for you. You might need to check your connection.

Re: The New Design

Avinash — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 12:43:10 -0000

A response from the designer concerning Dano's problems:

"As for the anchored sidebar. My guess is that his browser is set to a very low screen resolution. It will do that with any super low screen resolution (for that matter, anything with more than one column will kick the sidebar if the screen resolution is low). The other possibility is that he is using an odd browser. This one is optimized to Firefox (the only thing I will use) but is 100% IE compatible as well. I went back and re-ran a browser view test, and I didn't see any conflicts with any of the current versions of the various web browsers (FF 1.5-3.0; IE 7.0, Safari 2.0-3.1, Navigator 9.0). There is an issue in IE 6 for all multi-column web formats, and, unfortunately, I've never read anything that really fixes it -- it's a problem with the browser. Unless he's using an outdated browser, then I'd bet it's his screen resolution."

Re: Mike Montgomery to Cal

Avinash — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:46:34 -0000

True. I'll have to give it some time.

Re: Worst Officiating Calls in College Football, 2007

Avinash — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:20:42 -0000

Crap crap crap. Forgot that one completely. Couldn't find video of it.

Re: Worst Officiating Calls in College Football, 2007

Avinash — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:18:25 -0000

From that video it just seemed like there were a few questionable calls that didn't get flagged. The video had a clear bias though, I have to admit.

Re: Ask the Readers: Call for Cal Writers

Avinash — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:46:45 -0000

You feel vaguely insulted by everything.

Re: Ask the Readers: Call for Cal Writers

Avinash — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:49:01 -0000

In the meantime, get a Gravatar (Click here) so I don't start calling you Swedish Chef.

Re: Worst Officiating Calls in College Football, 2007

Avinash — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:05:28 -0000

Erik, can you send me a link? I can't find anything on Ole Miss-Alabama.

Ted, that Temple call sucked. It was hard to find good tape of that online though.

Carl, are you saying this was meant to point out how awful a coach Les Miles is, or how bad the refs are?

Re: Stokke Inflation, Part II

Avinash — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:02:49 -0000

The day pole vaulting overtakes football in the country (and this site) is the day the terrorists win.

Re: Map of The Play

Avinash — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:44:20 -0000

Scott,

I swear if there was any other color I could use, I would use it. But Time Space Map seems to have very limited features.

Montezuma's Revenge,

I figured the band blocking would be self-evident by the square of red Moen was running straight through. And looking for ALL the blocks on this play will take another few hours. But you can actually add to the map of the Play too by registering on the site!

Re: Cal Gals: Brooke Berry

Avinash — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:52:07 -0000

Dude, of course it's airbrushed. You expect anything from Playboy to be totally authentic?

Even so, airbrushed or not, I'd totally be for whatever cause was on her mind.

Re: No Stars, Better Team?

Avinash — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:17:13 -0000

Good analogy. USC might not stockpile the star names this year, but even when they stumbled, they had enough talent left in the bank to regroup, find what they needed, and finish off their opponents.

Re: Cal Gals: Morgan Webb

Avinash — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:17:10 -0000

Fixed and fixed.

Re: Cal Gals: Morgan Webb

Avinash — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:14:01 -0000

It's the policy of this site to believe that all mass comm majors are capable of becoming Rhodes Scholars.

(Translation: Danzig, find smart and sexy mass comm majors).

Re: Spring Forward

Avinash — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:02:41 -0000

I thought you just run the deep out. Over and over again.

Re: Breaking Down the Cover Two (Cal at UCLA, 2007)

Avinash — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:55:14 -0000

a2bear06,

Yeah you're right, #14 is the safety here. I think his assignment might have been to cover a particular area, and his decision was to go and check the slot receiver rather than play back. However, that made it tough for the corner to check Stevens on his own.

California Pete,

Cal's first quarter offense was without parallel. I think the Bears led or were tied in every one of their first quarters until the Washington/Stanford debacles. Longshore was throwing effectively and Forsett was always a capable runner. It's just later on when the team started falling behind that things went south.

Re: Breaking Down the Cover Two (Cal at UCLA, 2007)

Avinash — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:09:59 -0000

Your post was marked spam, probably for being too intelligent, can't think of any other reason.

Can't really argue with anything you've said. Principles were similar though in both situations. Longshore's switch in motion keyed the defender toward one area of the field.

Re: Can Cal Win State?

Avinash — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:16:28 -0000

A possible tie breaker could be strength of victory.
Cal manhandled UCLA and USC (although it was close for most of the game) dominated the 4th quarter against Cal. The only close finish of these games was USC-UCLA, so it shows that USC bared down and was in it until the very end. So you could say USC performed the best in the State Championship.

Of course these are all objective criteria, but it's worth noting. Great college teams don't lose decisively. USC has not lost a game by more than a touchdown since 2001.

Re: The Noodles at Cal (Wonderlic Scores)

Avinash — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:55:31 -0000

You also had time to conduct interviews with Tennessee Titan blogs without informing me. Not cool dude, not cool.

Re: Outsmarting the Enemy (Three Fake Handoff, Cal at UCLA)

Avinash — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:20:44 -0000

Haha no kidding. I knew the moment it was a pass that we scored 6. Wish there were more plays like that this year. Unfortunately it seems to be going downhill from here.

Re: The Sports Media Revolution

Avinash — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:15:57 -0000

"1. Regular human beings aren't having their "less proud moments" plastered about for everyone to see."

Yes they are. It's called Facebook.

"2. The way I think human should be treated is with compassion and respect. Deadspin would never do to one of their good friends (publish pictures of their latest fiasco) what they do to the sports agents. Or if they would, they're horrible people."

I've seen plenty of embarrassing photos of my friends doing "frowned upon" things. I just smile and laugh--I try not to take it so seriously. How badly would my reputation be damaged if someone took pics of me beer bonging Heineken down my throat? Not much.

Neither would athletes. Do we expect them to be running March 4 Dimes or reading Dostoevsky with TwistNHook? We all know they party. So do we.

Re: KC Cal’s Weekly Super Fantastic Happy Explosion Awesome Article: On Bloggins and Hearing From Nasty Nate

Avinash — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:02:25 -0000

I accept all the premises in your blogging arguments. I will not accept that you're a Laker fan (unless you're a Jazz fan, which is only a little bit better).

Re: How Cal Lost in the Rose Bowl, Part I

Avinash — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:42:54 -0000

The safeties are usually playing deep coverage. This is why Cover 4 can be exploited by running those short routes outside the box, because the safety can't reach out in time to cover the play and stuff the receiver from both sides.

Re: Spring Forward

Avinash — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:55:13 -0000

Kyle Reed is still on the NCAA game from last year, since the transfer occurred after the game was released.

Re: How Cal Lost in the Rose Bowl, Part I

Avinash — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:22:25 -0000

Well, in college, I think most quarterbacks don't call their own plays, and with the exception of Rodgers, all Tedford QBs are system QBs who rely on the playcall rather than adapting to the field. They develop well because their receivers run accurate routes and the quarterbacks have good arms to get them the ball (Harrington, Boller, Smith, etc.). Longshore seems to fall into that second category.

Re: Cal Girls: Sumi Das

Avinash — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:42:06 -0000

She looks like a sweetheart. Typical nice girl. I'd love to meet her.

Re: Juicing The Juice (or Putting the $ in U$C)

Avinash — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:05:25 -0000

Seriously though, isn't it more fun to beat USC when they violate everything?

Re: The Bears Are Roaring: Week of 5/21

Avinash — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:22:56 -0000

You're going to find this hard to believe, but there's a world outside of Cal football I want to explore. Again, I haven't decided my fall plans, but at the least I'll be moving out of Berkeley.

Re: The Bears Are Roaring: Week of 5/21

Avinash — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:31:31 -0000

Nah, I don't make that much noise, and I don't have enough Cal friends who are fans of the game right now. Plus I enjoy watching the majority of games at home in the comfort of heating (translation: Memorial Stadium is goddamned miserable).

Plus I was pampered by standing tenth row in the Student Section in '06. Any other seat in the park would disappoint me. I'll come back for big games (this year's schedule looks nice), but I'll be a little more selective about what I pick.

Re: Should College Athletes be Booed?

Avinash — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:09:43 -0000

Well, my team is the Bills (I was born there). But they've caused so much heartbreak to me that it's hard for me to get attached to another team.

I take a much harder view with Cal than I do with Buffalo as a result of the failings my hometown team has undergone (that Dallas-Buffalo game made me hate life a thousand ways over), and perhaps that's unjust. But I've matured since I was a kid, and I've learned support only gets you so far. You have to be critical when it's due and sometimes (albeit rarely I admit), negative. I'm a little cynical in that sense, but I'm not going to just smell sunshine and roses all the time.

I'll support the team when it fails, but only by pointing out why the team is failing. There's only so much failure one can take. And I don't think general Cal fans will boo that much when the going gets rough. They just won't show up.

Re: Jinx Removing

Avinash — Thu, 29 May 2008 04:22:41 -0000

UCLA? Who the hell roots for anything from LA, anytime?

I went home with bizarre symptoms instead of going to the OSU game. This was wise. My shocked and suicidal corpse would otherwise be decomposing under Row 12 somewhere.

Glad to see that Stanford is recruiting junior high cheerleaders. 'Underdeveloped' seems to be the apt term here.

Re: Jinx Removing

Avinash — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:13:51 -0000

I rooted for the Furdies only because of the sheer awesomeness of the season of upsets, this would take the cake, and I was under the presumption Tedford would never ever permit himself to lose to them,. At 5-0 through September, that felt like a logical presumption. Whoops.

Re: How Cal Lost in The Rose Bowl, Part III

Avinash — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:14:12 -0000

Jan,
I don't think it's a HUGE deal that a quarterback locks into his receiver on a short route, especially in college. I think that Pac-10 secondaries just know what to expect and good playmakers like Verner or Cason last year can take advantage of that. Credit the defense.

Reno,
Whaaaa? Worst QBs ever? His ankle was hampering him and his throws were a little bit shorter this year. Let's face that stubbornness from Tedford was more of an issue than Longshore's struggles.

Re: How Cal Lost in The Rose Bowl, Part IV

Avinash — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:53:16 -0000

I don't think anyone was to blame. Tedford thought that a 3rd and 6 would attract a Cover 4 scheme so he threw to the outside. Maybe Hawkins was supposed to set a pick on that play, but I'm not totally sure if he was trying to draw Verner on a stop and go route upfeield.

And the thought crossed my mind that Hawkins set a pick, but do you design playcalls meant to set picks on defenders? Isn't that holding or at worst offensive pass interference?

Re: How Cal Lost in The Rose Bowl, Part IV

Avinash — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:18:56 -0000

I might be revising my opinion of this. I think Tedford might have expected a Cover 2 assignment but Hawkins had trouble picking Verner up and blocking him from intercepting Jackson's route. That seems likelier than the Cover 4 proposition I handed out, since 3rd and 6 isn't a typical Cover 4 down.

Re: How Cal Lost in The Rose Bowl, Part IV

Avinash — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:45:58 -0000

Toward Hawkins? I think Longshore's arm strength was an issue all game and airing it out was not something Tedford wanted. I would've preferred a screen dump to Forsett or a tight end thread to Stevens.

Re: 2008 Pac-10 Conference Odds

Avinash — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:00:30 -0000

I agree that UCLA has good value, but it still seems a little high. I'd put them at +1000, maybe a little more. The only reason I can think of is that the diehard Bruins fans/backers, basked in euphoria over the firing of Dorrell, will pour themselves into Slick Rick hype. The diehard fans have become...unhinged, shall we say.

Re: POWE-ND

Avinash — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:54:41 -0000

As it should be.

Re: BREAKING: Cal Starting Quarterback Announced

Avinash — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:58:17 -0000

I assume the majority of student-athletes want to revel in this "college" thing and have a great social life too. In addition to this, it takes a lot of work and training to be a Cal athlete, and it eliminates most of the fun opportunities you get to participate in the college experience.

Re: Tedford Tournament of Champions: Cal 2003 vs. Cal 2007

Avinash — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:21:55 -0000

Hydro; it uses the statistics from that year, but also uses the depth charts and takes into account stamina and regular ratings. Because Rodgers and Ayoob took the majority of the snaps, they were the starting quarterbacks for those team.

As for underperforming...well, the 2007 team just swept the 2003 team. So I'm guessing the variable strength of schedule is only a small issue.

Re: Tedford Tournament of Champions: Cal 2003 vs. Cal 2007

Avinash — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:35:19 -0000

2007 Cal was a 5 seed solely based on its performance during their respective season (7-6 is the worst record overall, although I put them above the 2002 squad because they made it to a bowl). It really doesn't matter too much in the overall picture I think.

Re: Tedford Tournament of Champions: Cal 2003 vs. Cal 2007

Avinash — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:47:41 -0000

Briefly debated that. But I wasn't too concerned considering I knew who the top two teams were, by a wide margin.

Re: Tedford Tournament of Champions: Cal 2003 vs. Cal 2007

Avinash — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:29:28 -0000

I didn't factor in anything. I just ran that simulator. They're cold and ruthless. But the 2007 team has tougher games ahead.

Re: Cal is Michigan is Cal

Avinash — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:18:44 -0000

Hey Brian,

Yeah I don't remember them wearing that ever. But when I saw that jersey I was thinking, "Hmm this garish color scheme looks familiar."

Georgia blue/Go Blue,

When I say become Lloyd Carr, I mean "later in his life/stubborn as can be" Carr who got Tresseled every year, not the younger feistier Carr who stomped over the entire Big 10. Tedford has a slight streak of stubbornness in his playcalling.

Actually, I'm not sure I want him to become like Bo either, who got to the Rose Bowl plenty but barely won there.

Re: Dining in Hell: Cal-Michigan State Preview

Avinash — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:50:31 -0000

Hey Mike,

No worries. What I hear from one person is not going to be what I expect from the school's population.

MSU1978,

USC....our big brother?

Gag.

Re: Cal is Michigan is Cal

Avinash — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:20:36 -0000

Enough of this trashtalk. Take that shit to the message boards.

Re: Open Thread: Which Regular Season Game Are You Looking At?

Avinash — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:06:18 -0000

That Oregon game also intrigues me, just because I have no idea how good either team is. I'm sure it'll be different in November, but right now I'm totally in the dark as to how either team will perform.

Re: Tedford Tournament of Champions: Cal 2005 vs. Cal 2006

Avinash — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:25:00 -0000

That 2006 team wasn't really dominant. Other than that Oregon game, much of their wins were spent beating up on inferior competition. Remember how much Longshore struggled after the Oregon game that year too (we nearly lost the Washington game, and he was barely heard from those last three games); even though he wasn't in the doghouse quite like Ayoob, he wasn't exactly Mr. Consistent either.

Also our defense was definitely better in 2005 than 2006, especially with . Other than the Maurice Jones-Drew debacle, we kept Reggie Bush in check, knocked out Dennis Dixon, shut out Arizona, etc. etc. We could have gone 11-1 if Ayoob didn't throw so many picks and the running backs weren't fumbleprone.

That 2006 team was a classic bend-don't-break defense; they'd give up 20 points, but our offense would lay out 40. Against USC they finally broke, and I'd say our 2005 defense was only a few degrees worse than those '06 Trojans.

Re: Tedford Tournament of Champions: Cal 2005 vs. Cal 2006

Avinash — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:52:13 -0000

I think this series was a pretty good reflection. The 2006 team brought their A-game to Games 1 and 2, their F-game to Game 3, their C-game to Game 4, their B-game to Games 5, 6 and 7. That was about right for that Golden Bear team.

Re: What’s It Like Following A College Team?

Avinash — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:45:55 -0000

It's no secret Tedford and Levy were never best buds. Levy was always getting into trouble. Still is, if I recall correctly.

Re: Walk the Line: What Vegas Thinks About Cal and the Pac-10

Avinash — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:41:59 -0000

I know, but initial lines are a decent way of indicating how Vegas feels about every team in the Pac-10. And it's odd seeing two teams that made bowl games as dogs in their rivalry game. If ASU and Oregon were thought of as formidable you'd probably see -1 rather than +1.

I've also lost 10 units on college football, so I'm probably not too qualified to debate it.

Re: The Big Play

Avinash — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:06:07 -0000

It's part of the way we think--we don't like processing the whole outcome of a game, so we condense it into singular moments and focus the blame or praise on the players responsible for the play. They focus on beginning and end rather than context and gameplay because it's easier and lazier to digest.

Not that I don't think there's a place for great plays. They're exciting, they're part of the game, and they deserve their mention. But it's only a part of the process. You have to grit and grind too.

What I'm trying to say is that the more plays an individual is called on to make, the team suffers because the focus goes on that one player. Whether it's a power forward in basketball or a quarterback in football, they can only do so much on their own.

Re: The Big Play

Avinash — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:03:51 -0000

JustFinish,

Good job summarizing the main points:
"However, I would contest that the reason Riley is successful is due to his mental state during a game. Nate, when confidence diminishes for whatever reason, becomes a victim to the game around him. Riley’s mind is constant. You can see he just plays the game. It is dangerous, very dangerous, he lets his instincts take over and in many cases that is extremely effective."

Both quarterbacks have strengths (Riley's attacking mode and Longshore's pocket awareness) and weaknesses (Riley's need to make a big play versus Longshore's overthinking it) related to their main characteristics. Will either be able to subvert their weakness or at the least limit them so they don't hinder their respective games?

Re: The Big Play

Avinash — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:08:38 -0000

RenoBear,

What do you mean by being slow? Longshore has one of the quickest releases in the conference and he sidesteps the pass rush a lot. If you're talking about mobility to run out of the pocket or pick up yards with his feet, that doesn't have much to do with throwing picks.

And the team had pretty much mailed it in the last two games. Few were really trying 100%, so it was hard for Longshore to have a good game.

Re: Them Shores Be Long: Pac-10 Quarterback Analysis, Part I

Avinash — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:37:58 -0000

Hey there bud,

Just to let you know, a low defensive passer rating is good because it reflects how well the other team is passing against them. Hence you want those numbers to be low low low.

I do agree that defensive passer rating is an inadequate measure of all the defensive intricacies, but it seems to get it mostly right by having USC 1, ASU 2, Oregon 3, etc.

Re: The Longshore-Riley-Mansion Debate

Avinash — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:37:02 -0000

Brock's going to find this and kick my ass. That should be fun.

Re: Pac-10 Quarterback Analysis, Part III: The Situation Room

Avinash — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:27:17 -0000

I don't expect him to return to the 2006 form completely, just because the talent of that '06 backfield really made it difficult for defenses to come back into coverage in typical passing situations. This backfield isn't quite as talented (although Best is emerging), so you might find defenses dropping more into coverage and making it difficult for Longshore to air the ball out as much.

I'd be very surprised if he struggled with his mechanics with two years of experience under his belt. He should have a solid season, although if what Tedford says is true we'll see a bit of Riley too.

Re: The Open Door Policy

Avinash — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:28:29 -0000

Thanks for the positive feedback!

Re: The OC (Frank Cignetti at Fresno State, Part II)

Avinash — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:52:43 -0000

This team does fit well for traditional Tedford ball. I really think we're in for a pretty fun season with a much more physical unit.

Re: PSA: Watch Cal-Michigan State Online

Avinash — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:55:58 -0000

Links updated. It'll give you a link to the post and allow you to stream it.