Top Recruit Chris Martin Transferring From Cal

From the Daily Cal:

Chris Martin, one of the top recruits from Cal's 2010 signing class, has announced his intention to transfer out due to "distractions."  The Oakland native, rated as a five-star defensive end by Rivals.com, and was expected to log significant playing time in the Bears' 3-4 defense - likely converting to outside linebacker.  "My decision to transfer definitely does not reflect on the football program or the academics at Cal," he said in a press release. "Rather, I feel like for me to focus and truly reach my potential I need to leave many of the distractions I have here at home in the Bay Area.  "I need to venture away from home and start my college career somewhere else where I don't have those distractions."  Martin played for three seasons at Oakland's Bishop O'Dowd High School, but spent his senior year at Grandview High in Aurora, Colo. In a Denver Post article last September, he attributed his departure to "bad blood" with the coach, as well as people who "didn't have his best interest in mind" entering his social circle.

He has not yet disclosed which school he will be transferring to.  The 6-foot-5 defensive end had previously committed to Notre Dame, but reneged after former coach Charlie Weis' firing last November. Along with safety/wide receiver Keenan Allen, Martin's commitment signaled the first time in program history that Cal had inked two five-star recruits in the same year. The haul, which also included four-star defensive standouts such Gabe King and Chris McCain, buoyed Cal's class to No. 11 in the nation.

 

Blogger note: Good riddance to the little prima donna. 

Online Sports Handicapping Prediction: Cal Finishes Outside of Top 25 and plays in Small Tier Bowl

Here’s the article.

 

Excerpt:

Without a proven passing game the offense could struggle with balance. RB Shane Vereen is a stud that will be running behind a veteran O-line but QB Kevin Riley has been wildly inconsistent. Kevin did improve last season and is one of the better QB’s in college football but when he played bad he played really bad. Riley has a legit game-breaker in WR Marvin Jones but the rest of the wideouts are mediocre. This is decent offense but it will struggle against the better defenses of the NCAA.

Whiteside May Not Be Academically Eligible

AP Writes:  Heralded recruit Cecil Whiteside has yet to report to Cal for summer activities, and his eligibility for this football season is uncertain.  Whiteside, ranked as the No. 4 outside linebacker prospect in the country by rivals.com, has been touted as someone who would compete for immediate playing time.  Bears coach Jeff Tedford said Whiteside is "tending to some academic issues" back home in Newport Beach.  All of Cal's incoming players were required to report to Berkeley on June 25 for the Summer Bridge program, which prepares incoming students for their academic workload. The freshmen and transfers also begin working out informally with their new teammates. But Whiteside has yet to be cleared to play by the NCAA.

 

The Contra Costa Times writes:  Heralded recruit Cecil Whiteside has yet to report to Cal for summer activities, and his eligibility for the upcoming season is uncertain. Bears coach Jeff Tedford said Whiteside is "tending to some academic issues" and is back home in Newport Beach. All of Cal's incoming players were required to report to Berkelely on June 25 for the Summer Bridge program, which prepares incoming students for their academic workload. The freshmen and transfers also begin working out informally with their new teammates. But Whiteside has yet to be cleared to play by the NCAA, and there is a chance he won't be in time for the 2010 season. It would be a significant blow to lose Whiteside, who was ranked as the No. 4 outside linebacker prospect in the country by rivals.com and was expected to compete for immediate playing time. Cal begins training camp Aug. 7.  Note: Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Charles Ragland is transferring to College of San Mateo to improve his academic standing. He's expected to return to Cal in the spring.

Kyle Boller to Wed Carrie Prejean on Friday

From the Dallas News:
Carrie Prejean, the deposed Miss California USA, and Kyle Boller, quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, are getting married Friday at the Grand Del Mar resort in San Diego. They've been engaged since February. Prejean, once a daily talking point for the media, has been lying low since releasing her memoir, Still Standing, in November 2009. That capped a year in which she got fired by the pageant, sued, then settled when her indiscreet videotape was exposed.

SF Examiner: Cal picks up two football commitments for 2011

A  safety and a wide receiver verbally committed to Cal during its summer football camp over the weekend, according to the Oakland Tribune and scout.com, giving the Bears six commitments for the class of 2011.  Maurice Harris, a 6-2, 191-pound wide receiver from Greensboro, N.C., had offers from Alabama, North Carolina and Clemson, among others, but has chosen Cal. Scout.com reports that he runs a 4.97 time in the 40-yard dash., but rivals.com has him at 4.5, which is a rather large discrepancy. He is the cousin of incoming Cal freshmen Keenan Allen and Zach Maynard.

Read the rest of the article here.

Contra Costa Times: Linebacker Chris Little Kicked Off Team

Cal linebacker Chris Little has been dismissed from the team for "failure to comply with team policy," according to coach Jeff Tedford.  In a text message to Bay Area News Group, Tedford said it was "nothing major, just day to day lack of accountability."  Little recorded 10 tackles and a sack as a redshirt freshman last season. He was taking first-team reps at outside linebacker at the end of spring practice and was expected to compete for a starting job in the fall. The Bears will add four highly touted freshman linebackers in the fall, a group that was rated as the No. 2 linebacker class in the country by rivals.com.

Link to article.

 

SF Chronicle: Budget is key to game for Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour

To hone her skills as a field hockey goalie back in college, Sandy Barbour would fend off shots fired by an old tennis ball machine, hoping it would sharpen her reflexes and harden her up for the live action she'd face in upcoming games.

Those weren't soft, fuzzy tennis balls coming at her, however. They were hard, plastic field hockey balls that left their mark on Barbour, both literally and figuratively. The experience helped shape the Wake Forest University undergrad into one tough goalie, and years later, UC Berkeley's athletics director.  "They change color over the course of days," Barbour said, recalling the bruises she received in the name of the Demon Deacons 30 years ago. "It doesn't feel good. It hurts."

In her role today at Cal, a job she started in 2004, the 50-year-old Barbour is still facing shots on goal, albeit those of a metaphorical variety.  The shots are being fired by critics unhappy with the university's spending on intercollegiate sports. Her opposition is especially concerned over yearly deficits in the athletics department as well as the $153 million price tag attached to an athletic center being built adjacent to the school's ancient Memorial Stadium, itself the subject of a $321 million retrofit and renovation.  At a time of severe budget constraints, coupled with ever-rising expectations for Cal sports, such big expenditures have created a contentious atmosphere on a campus with a rich history of dissenting opinions. And Barbour finds herself in the middle, trying to run her department and serve the needs of more than 800 intercollegiate athletes while dealing with a fiscal reality that makes cutbacks inevitable.

With about $6 million in cuts set for an annual intercollegiate athletics budget of $60 million to $65 million, some coaches are nervous about the survival of their individual sports. The recent move by UC Davis to eliminate four varsity sports could be a sign of things to come at Berkeley.  "I'd hate to see us be in a position to have to do that," Barbour said. "We're known for a large and robust program. ... Can you reasonably operate 27 programs or are you better off taking what resources you have and spending them on fewer sports?"  That is the core question facing Berkeley and Barbour, but she is not in a position to make that decision herself. If cutting sports is deemed necessary by an advisory council formed by UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau to study "financial sustainability" in the athletics department, Barbour said only football, men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball a requirement for membership in the Pacific 10 Conference are safe.  "If we get to the point of discussion on reduction in sports, it's all fair game," she said, reluctantly.

Uniquely qualified

Barbour is in more of a maelstrom than she ever was as a field hockey goalie. Those who know her best say she's uniquely qualified for the job. "She has a very high intellectual capacity," said Kevin White, the athletic director at Duke University who hired Barbour not once but twice in administrative capacities, at Tulane University and Notre Dame. "She can get her head around practical issues and philosophical issues as well as anyone in our profession. She can easily adjust to any environment and situation. She seems to be able to do that as well as anybody I know."  That's been a necessity at Berkeley, where shortly after taking over, Barbour watched a 20-month drama play out as activists took to the trees outside Memorial Stadium to protest the planned removal of the trees and make way for her department's most ambitious project, the student-athlete center referred to as a "high-performance" center by UC.  The high-performance center will become home to 13 of the university's 27 varsity sports, also serving as a de facto "think tank" for the development of the 21st century athlete, in mind and body.  "I certainly get frustrated when it's described as a gym or it's described as an office building," Barbour said. "It's going to house the heart and soul of elements that contribute to the ability of student-athletes to perform at a high level, which is what we're about with students on campus." The fight to start construction was indicative of Barbour's challenges.  "She does have her hands full," said Warren Hellman, a Berkeley graduate Class of '55 and philanthropist who with three partners endowed the school's Spieker Aquatics Center. "It's never easy at Cal. You never hear about Stanford professors protesting athletics. They seem to get a pass on everything that's controversial at Cal."

Eventually, a number of oak trees were removed so construction on the high-performance center could begin. According to the university, $144 million of the $153 million total is accounted for, either in private donations or facility fees to come from future football ticket sales. But that doesn't stop the criticism.

The opposition view

There is a strident group of professors on campus that believes the university's priorities are in the wrong place at a time when academics are taking a hit. They point out that while the football team stays in a nice hotel the night before home games, recent budget cuts on campus include the elimination of telephones in the offices of English department instructors. "I think sports is important," said Michael O'Hare, a professor in the Goldman School of Public Policy. "A reasonable program of competitive athletics is not a bad thing to have. I don't think we have the scale or balance right. We're talking about a $60 million company that's losing $14 million this year." One professor, who did not want his name used due to a fear of reprisals, lauded Barbour's performance as athletics director - with one caveat. "Sandy's been a breath of fresh air compared to the old regime of former AD Steve Gladstone and the people who preceded him," said this professor, with 15 years' tenure at Berkeley. "The one blemish on her record is letting the budget get away from her. It's a crisis on campus. ... The political climate on campus is not going to tolerate it."    Those unhappy with the role of athletics on campus might do well to listen to a counterpoint from Hellman, the former president of Lehman Bros. and once a director of the Nasdaq Stock Market. My investment group "has donated to Cal academics four times what we gave to Cal aquatics," Hellman said. "If it wasn't for athletics, I don't know if our level of enthusiasm for Cal would be the same."

A private person

Despite her high-profile job, Barbour is at heart a private person in a public role. Of her personal life, she said little in an interview with The Chronicle other than she is single and not currently in a relationship. "When the time is right for some sort of relationship, that will surprise me," she said. Barbour lives in the Montclair district of Oakland in a four-bedroom house built in the aftermath of the devastating Oakland hills fire of 1991. She has no intention of leaving.  "It's got a nice little view of the bay. I love it," she said. "Got great neighbors, it's proximal to school. It's a perfect situation." Born in Annapolis, Md., educated in North Carolina B.A., Wake Forest, Massachusetts master's in science of sports management at UMass and Illinois MBA, Northwestern and employed in Louisiana athletics director, Tulane and Indiana deputy athletics director, Notre Dame, she now considers her little slice of the East Bay home. "This is just such a fabulous area - for everything there is to do," she said. "I've been here six years and I'd be embarrassed to say what I haven't done. Bit by bit, over time, you have an opportunity to experience all that. You've got to make time to go to Napa ... or Stinson Beach." In her neighborhood, Barbour favors local businesses such as the Montclair Bistro, Crogan's, the Sunday farmers' market and "Starbucks sees me with some frequency," she said.  "The guys in Crogan's know who I am and are very hospitable," Barbour said. "We've got a lot of Cal alums in the area. You always run into Cal people, which is great."   Her corner office in Haas Pavilion features a number of bear icons and photos along with a conspicuous bright yellow water dish. That's for those times when Barbour's beloved black Labrador retriever, Deuce, keeps her company on the job. "She comes in when I have a short day, which is not all that often," the AD said. "It's nice to have her here. She loves the campus. She's pretty good off-leash. ... I suppose I shouldn't say that. She gets an opportunity to explore. She is a very loving dog, loves to be around people." Along with her owner, Deuce loves taking walks on campus. One of Barbour's favorites is from Sproul Plaza to the Faculty Glade. "I think it's fabulous," she said. "It's a neat pathway. It's beautiful. I love Memorial Stadium, looking west to the Bay, looking east up Strawberry Canyon." Barbour has earned the respect of the most prominent coach in her department, football's Jeff Tedford, with whom she's worked since coming to Berkeley in 2004.  "She has done a nice job of coming in here trying to figure out Berkeley, which isn't an easy thing to do," Tedford said. "I really enjoy being around her. She has a great sense of humor. She has a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I don't know that I've ever caught her on a bad day when she doesn't have enthusiasm."

Goalkeeper to gatekeeper

Barbour readily admits she is where she is today because of the grounding she received from her late father, Henry, an aviator in the Navy and a Naval Academy graduate who died in 2001.  Henry Barbour took the younger of his two daughters to football games, at the Academy and in Baltimore to see the Colts of old, to teach her about the game. Sports was part of her life from an early age. When the time came for college, there was young Sandy, in goal for the field hockey team at Wake Forest. "She was a player that stood out at that time," said her former coach Caroline Price, who first dragged out the tennis ball machine and put it in front of Barbour in goal. "She was a bright kid, determined, with a good work ethic." Price said she's not surprised that her former goalie made a name for herself as an athletic director. Barbour was on that track even in goal, fending off high-speed fire. "I joke that all the credit goes to the tennis ball machine," Price recalled with a laugh.  "She stood out as serious-minded and focused," Price said. "She does have the temperament and focus, the ability to problem-solve. "There she is now, all grown up in the maelstrom there in Berkeley, trying to get all those things done."  The former goalkeeper is now gatekeeper, still taking shots.

Cal Working on Game Against Fresno State

David Bataller of the KFSN (Fresno) News Team writes

“It's been almost a decade since Fresno State and Cal have locked horns on the gridiron, a game won by the Bulldogs, 17-3, back in 2000. But according to Cal head coach Jeff Tedford, the rivalry could be renewed sooner than later.  "We're trying to work on a game actually right now for the 2011 season," said Tedford. "So hopefully that comes together. I think it would be a great game. I have great respect for the Fresno State program and with what Pat Hill's done with this program. It'd be a great game for both fans at a remote site so we're working on that right now and hopefully it comes together."  Speaking at a Cal fundraising party in central Fresno Tuesday evening, the former Bulldog quarterback said he's doing what he can to get a game scheduled between his current employers, and his beloved alma mater.  "I love the people here and it will always be near and dear to my heart being in Fresno," Tedford said. "Hopefully we can get this game together and get it done."  And Coach Tedford has the full backing of his athletic director, Sandy Barbour.  "We've been working on it for a couple years," Barbour said. "So it's something that definitely will happen. It's just what particular year that will happen and what time that remains to be seen."  Like most Red Wavers, Barbour sees plenty of positives in a Golden Bear-Bulldog matchup, either in our valley, or in the East Bay.  "I think from the standpoint of playing in the bay area," said Barbour, "we know that they will travel and bring fans to the area. And I think it would be a great college football game." And that's music to Bulldog fans' ears.”

Note to Cal Fans: Don’t wear shirts that say “My Maid Went to Fresno State.”  That really pissed off the Bull Dogs back in 1992 against USC.

Contra Costa Times: Mitty quarterback Kyle Brohm commits to Cal

Jonathan Okanes

Link

In another example of coach Jeff Tedford's ability to secure top-level quarterback recruits, Cal received an oral commitment from Archbishop Mitty High junior Kyle Boehm on Tuesday.  Boehm, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, is rated by scout.com as the No. 20 quarterback prospect in the country for the 2011 recruiting class. His commitment to Cal cannot become binding until national letter of intent day next February. Despite leading a run-first offense, Boehm is considered a pro-style prospect. Last season, he threw for 936 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 877 yards and 14 scores.  Boehm had several offers from major schools, including Pac-10 rivals Washington, Oregon State and Arizona State.

Tedford has brought in at least one highly rated quarterback prospect in each of his past seven recruiting classes. Including incoming freshman Austin Hinder, the Bears' roster features five quarterbacks, four of whom were chosen as Elite 11 prospects, considered the best quarterback recruits in the country. The other, Beau Sweeney, also received several offers from major college powers.  Boehm will come to Cal after the departure of returning starter Kevin Riley but will face competition from Sweeney, Brock Mansion, Allan Bridgford and Hinder. Boehm is a former high school teammate of Cal starting tight end Anthony Miller.

Lane Kiffin Makes $4 Million a Year at USC

…and his dad makes around $2 million as his assistant.

 

Read the article here.

Orange County Register: Pac-10 Spring Wrap Up: California

With spring practices wrapped up around the Pac-10, the Register is taking a look at how the spring went at each of the conference’s schools. Today we take a look at perhaps the Pac-10’s most enigmatic team in recent years, California.

CALIFORNIA

COACH: Jeff Tedford, ninth season, 67-35 overall, 41-27 Pac-10 at WSU.

RETURNING STARTERS: Offense (9), OL Justin Cheadle, Jr.,6-2, 299; OL Chris Guarnero, Sr., 6-2, 281;WR Marvin Jones, Jr., 6-2, 197;TE Anthony Miller, Jr., 6-3, 263; QB Kevin Riley, Sr., 6-2, 223; WR Jeremy Ross,Sr., 5-11, 213; OL Mitchell Schwartz, Jr, 6-6, 331; OL Matt Summers-Gavin, So., 6-4, 290; TB Shane Vereen, Jr., 5-10, 199. Defense (7), DB Sean Cattouse, Jr., 6-2, 208; DB Darian Hagan, Sr., 6-0, 188; DL Derrick Hill, Sr., 6-2, 306; DB Josh Hill, So., 5-11, 197; LB D.J. Holt, Jr., 6-1, 250;

DL Cameron Jordan, Sr., 6-4, 282; LB Mychal Kendricks, Jr., 6-0, 235; LB Mike Mohamed, Sr., 6-3, 238; DB Bryant Nnabuife, Sr., 6-1, 192.

Link to rest of article.

 

SF Gate: Cal football to temp at AT&T Park

In a three-park race, AT&T was an easy winner over Candlestick and the Oakland Coliseum when it came time for California to find a football home for 2011, while aging Memorial Stadium is being retrofitted and renovated to 21st century standards.  The university reached an agreement with the Giants to play six home games at China Basin next year, deciding the baseball park fit its football needs for a one-year hiatus from Berkeley.  "Overall, AT&T offers us the best facility to meet the needs of our football program, students and fans," athletic director Sandy Barbour said Monday in a news conference on the field at the park. "AT&T provides a perfect bridge for Cal football to the 2012 season, when we return to Memorial Stadium. It provides easy access for our East Bay fans. It has a staff used to hosting college football."

Candlestick and the Coliseum were considered, Barbour said, but had more negatives than positives. Candlestick is the farthest facility from Berkeley and does not have convenient public transportation. The Coliseum provided the scheduling complication of two permanent tenants, the A's and Raiders.  "We've been talking about this for several years," Barbour said. "As it became clear we were going to need to be out (of Memorial Stadium) for a year, we started talking, Larry (Baer) and I, about what coming to AT&T would look like. It came together relatively quickly." Like Barbour, Giants president Baer said Cal's playing at AT&T in 2011 would serve as a bridge for the team and its fans.

"We feel we'd be the best park to provide that bridge to the new stadium," said Baer, a Cal graduate. "As a neighborly act, we think this makes sense for both partners."  The Bears will play six home games in AT&T in 2011: against Oregon State on Sept. 24, Washington State on Oct. 15, Arizona on Oct. 29 and USC on Nov. 12, with two dates yet to be filled.  The university will pay rent to the Giants for the home games. Financial details of the arrangement were not available because a contract between the school and the club has not yet been signed.

The only potential complication is if the Giants reach the postseason in 2011 and have an extended playoff run. That would necessitate another alternative playing site for the Bears.  "There's a possibility in October that we may have to lose a (Cal football) game or two if the Giants qualify for the postseason," Baer said. "We will play up to six games of Cal football here in 2011."  Cal will take a hit on attendance as the China Basin ballpark seats 45,000 for football compared with 71,000 at Memorial Stadium, but the game-day experience for players and fans could be enhanced by a more intimate setting, school officials said.  Bears coach Jeff Tedford was enthused about the one-year foray to AT&T, based on the positive experience the Bears had playing there in the 2008 Emerald Bowl, a 24-17 victory over Miami.  "I'm very, very happy about coming to a place that's so familiar to us," Tedford said. "It felt like home. Such a classy place. I think our kids are going to get jacked up about playing here."

Tedford said the only negative about the bowl game was having both teams on the same side of the field. That won't be the case in 2011, as teams will be on opposite sidelines of a football field stretching from the first baseline to left-center field.

Barbour said Cal's 38,000 season ticket holders will be accommodated at AT&T, although the exact seating arrangements have yet to be made. Barbour said fans who purchased tickets in the school's Endowment Seating Program for Memorial Stadium will have access to the best seats at AT&T, including chair-back seats on the park's west side.

AT&T has been the site of a postseason college football bowl - formerly the Emerald Bowl, now known as Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - since 2003 and has hosted games in two pro football leagues, the now-defunct XFL and the UFL.

Press Conference Highlights

There’s a possibility in October that Cal will lose “a game or two” in October 2011 if the Giants make the post season.  Cal will play at least 6 games at AT&T Park.

The park will hold only 45,000 fans.

Transforming the field to a football field can be done in 24 hours (based on their experience with the XFL).

Cal chose AT&T Park over Candlestick and the Coliseum because AT&T Park has the proximity, ease of transportation, and “fabulous amenities,” making it the clear choice.

The major change from the Emerald Bowl will be that the teams will NOT share sidelines.  Some bleachers will be added.  There will be more space between the end zone and the wall.

Even though there will be much fewer seats, the 45,000 will accommodate current season ticket holders.  Visiting team allotments will be significantly reduced, as will special promotions.

Tedford has no concerns about the locker room situation (it was designed for a baseball team). When they played in the Emerald Bowl it did not feel cramped.

Cal has been working with all three venues for the last 3 or 4 months.

Cal Football to Play 2011 Home Season at San Francisco's AT&T Park

Golden Bears will play 2011 home games at AT&T during the Memorial Stadium retrofit and renovation

While California Memorial Stadium is undergoing its long-awaited retrofit and renovation, Cal Athletics and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Monday that they have reached an agreement for the Golden Bears to play their 2011 home football season at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

Cal will spend the upcoming 2010 football season in Memorial Stadium before major construction begins after the team's final home game, and the Bears will return to campus for the 2012 campaign. Cal's 2011 schedule is not yet complete and will be released at a later date. A collaborative effort will be made with the San Francisco Giants and Major League Baseball to accommodate both teams' playing requirements during September and October.

"We are thrilled to be playing our 2011 home games at AT&T Park," Cal football coach Jeff Tedford said. "The facility is one of the finest sports venues in the world and is located in a nearby and desirable location in San Francisco. It is a terrific setting for college football and our team and fans had a fantastic experience there during the 2008 Emerald Bowl victory against the University of Miami. We look forward to our fans helping us create a tremendous home field advantage at AT&T Park in 2011 while enjoying amenities on par with what the renovated Memorial Stadium will feature when we return in 2012."

Many members of the Cal team and staff already have familiarity with San Francisco's AT&T Park, as the Bears defeated Miami (Fla.), 24-17, in the 2008 Emerald Bowl to complete a 9-4 campaign. AT&T Park has been the site for the bowl game - now called the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - since 2003, and the facility has also hosted professional football games in the XFL and UFL, as well as the East-West Shrine Game.

"I am excited to say that we will play our 2011 football games at AT&T Park, one of our country's premier athletic venues," Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. "While our own Memorial Stadium is undergoing much-needed improvements, I believe we have selected the best possible location to support the needs of our players, coaches and fans. Both Cal Athletics and the staff at AT&T Park are committed to work together to make the stadium feel like a true home away from home for the Golden Bears."

Although the Bears and their fans will be at a different location for one season, AT&T Park will provide a host of modern amenities to enjoy, much of it similar to what they will have in the renovated Memorial Stadium. In addition, one of the primary advantages of AT&T Park is its proximity to public transportation, an important factor for Cal's fans in the East Bay. Cal Athletics will also provide bus service for Cal students to attend games to help ensure their continued support for the Bears.

Sideline bleachers will be added in the baseball outfield and an adjusted field alignment will allow for team benches to be on opposite sides of the field (as opposed to the bowl games when both teams were on the same side of the field). Capacity for Cal football games at AT&T Park will be just over 45,000.

"The Giants are honored to welcome Cal football to AT&T Park for the Bears' 2011 season," said Larry Baer, Giants president and chief operating officer. "The opportunity to have two of the Bay Area's most storied institutions share the same playing field is really exciting and will provide a unique experience for both Giants and Cal fans."

The $321 million retrofit and renovation of Memorial Stadium will create a restored facility that will address existing seismic safety issues, modernize gameday facilities and services, and upgrade access for the disabled. Preliminary construction activities will begin this summer, which will include moving the football office and athletic training and weight training facilities to temporary quarters adjacent to Witter Rugby Field. Funding for the interest and principal payments associated with construction financing for the stadium will come out of the Intercollegiate Athletics operating budget, which will be enhanced by revenues generated from and returns on the investment of proceeds from Endowment Seating Program (ESP) sales, future philanthropic contributions to the project as well as revenue generated by new sponsorship opportunities.

ESP makes available long-term rights to approximately 3,000 seats in Memorial Stadium (less than 5 percent of total capacity) and will create an endowment that will provide long-term stability for the Athletic Department's budget while funding the annual operating needs for Cal's more than 800 student-athletes. To date, donors have made commitments for nearly 1,700 of the ESP seats.

Cal season-ticket holders can take advantage of securing the best seats in AT&T Park by participating in ESP. Fans who sign up by June 30 will be guaranteed chairback seats on the west side of AT&T Park and, as a special offer, receive complimentary bowl tickets, should the Bears earn a berth, for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. For more information, visit CalESP.com or call (510) 642-2427.

Since opening its gates in 2000, AT&T Park has become internationally-renowned as a premier venue in the world of both sports and entertainment. AT&T Park was chosen as the 2008 Sports Facility of the Year by Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily as part of the inaugural Sports Business Awards program. More than 32 million spectators have watched baseball games at the stadium over the past 10 years, highlighted by the Giants appearance in the 2002 World Series and the 78th Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2007. AT&T Park has also played host to some of music's biggest acts, including the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, and Green Day.

Cal Bears to Play 2011 Season at AT&T Park

Cal just announced that they will play the 2011 season at the Giants’ stadium.

"Major Announcement" from Cal Football today at 10 a.m.

The Cal football website states that Cal will make a major announcement regarding the 2011 football season during a press conference on Monday, May 10. The event begins at 10 a.m. PT, and will be streamed live on CalBears.com.

California Golden Bear 2010 Football Schedule

2010 SCHEDULE

Sept. 4 UC Davis Berkeley, CA TBA

Sept. 11 Colorado Berkeley, CA TBA

Sept. 17 at Nevada (ESPN2) Reno, NV 7 p.m.

Sept. 25 at Arizona Tucson, AZ TBA

Oct. 9 UCLA Berkeley, CA TBA

Oct. 16 at USC Los Angeles, CA TBA

Oct. 23 Arizona State Berkeley, CA TBA

Oct. 30 at Oregon State Corvallis, OR TBA

Nov. 6 at Washington State Pullman, WA TBA

Nov. 13 Oregon Berkeley, CA TBA

Nov. 20 Stanford Berkeley, CA TBA

Nov. 27 Washington Berkeley, CA TBA

ESPN: California Spring Wrap Up

Here’s the Link.

Contra Costa Times: Cal Football Will Enter Fall With No Hype but High Hopes

Jonathan Okanes

Cal's football team wrapped up spring practice Thursday afternoon, eager to return to the field in the fall and begin the unfamiliar process of silencing its critics.  For the first time in several years, not much will be expected of the Bears when the 2010 season begins. They have not lived up to immense expectations in two of the past three seasons, and prognosticators likely are leery of thinking much of the Bears again.   "Every year my class has been here we've usually been ranked pretty high," fifth-year quarterback Kevin Riley said. "This is the first time it won't be like that. We need to do something to do better. The team has taken it upon themselves to work harder and get better."

In a very competitive spring in which almost no positions were settled, Riley said Cal players worked harder than in any spring since he's been in Berkeley. That includes Riley himself. He put in extra work after almost every practice.  Even though Riley has been the Bears' primary starting quarterback in each of the past two seasons, coach Jeff Tedford says Riley's spot is not a sure thing and that he will continue to compete with Beau Sweeney and Brock Mansion in the fall.

"It's different than it has been in the past with people working and willing to get better," Riley said. "In spring football, I've never seen this many people come in after practice and watch film. People have a chip on their shoulder. When people talk, they're not talking about us. They're talking about other teams. We know we can be a good team, and we're just working our hardest to get there."

Read the rest here.

SF Chronicle: Kicking Game Springing to Life

John Crumpacker

 

As a new coach to Cal, special teams coordinator Jeff Genyk spent his allotted 15 spring practices getting to know who and what he has. Genyk, most recently head coach at Eastern Michigan, devised end-of-practice drills that put pressure on his specialists and let the rest of the team realize how important this aspect of the game really is.  In the final spring practice Thursday, Genyk had punter Bryan Anger aim a half-dozen boots at a box of players lined up 10 yards square, 50 yards down field.

With one fewer wind sprint for the entire team hanging on each punt, Anger dropped five balls in the box on either hash mark. One shank ruined a perfect effort.  "From a special teams aspect, we really emphasized the aspect of pressure to the importance of a winning football program," Genyk said. "We emphasized the idea of performing under pressure for the specialists. It really helped convey to the team the importance of specialists to their lives, as far as winning games or not running sprints."

Indeed, each ball Anger dropped into the box was met with cheers from teammates, happy to escape gassers on the final day of spring drills.

Read the rest here.

Duck truck

Lions trade into first round, take California running back Jahvid Best

The Lions didn't let the first round go by without doing more than just taking Ndamukong Suh.  Detroit traded with the Vikings for the No. 30 pick in the first round and then took California running back Jahvid Best. The Lions also got the Vikings' fourth-round pick (No. 128 overall) and gave Minnesota its second-round pick (No. 34), fourth-round selection (No. 100) and one of the seventh rounders (No. 214). Best, 5-foot-10 and 199 pounds, ran for 867 yards and 12 touchdowns last season before he was knocked out with a concussion on Nov. 7. He missed the final four games.

Cal QB Riley relishes competition for job

California quarterback Kevin Riley believes having to fight to retain his starting job will only make him better.  Riley started all 13 games in 2009 as a junior and is 17-6 for the Bears, but he's competing this spring with Beau Sweeney and Brock Mansion for the starting job in 2010, a battle that likely won't end until the fall. "It makes you work harder," Riley said after California's controlled scrimmage Saturday. "For my last year, I want it to be the best year of my life." Riley is clearly the front-runner in the competition as Cal approaches its final two spring football practices, Tuesday and Thursday. He threw for 2,850 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2009 with just eight interceptions.

Sweeney threw just nine passes as a freshman, completing five for 45 yards. Mansion, who's sidelined with an injured foot and will undergo an MRI, threw only one pass as a sophomore, an incompletion.

On Saturday, Riley completed seven of his first eight passes for 86 yards, directing Cal's No. 1 offense against its No. 1 defense. For the day, he was 10 for 15 for 110 yards. Sweeney finished 5 for 14 for 94 yards and a touchdown, a 64-yard completion to wide receiver Marvin Jones.

Link to rest of article.

 

SF Examiner: Offense finds plenty of success on Cal Day

The Alabama Crimson Tide drew over 91,000 fans for their annual A-Day -- the Golden Bears may have drawn 91 Saturday. I may be underestimating that figure, but I think you get the point.  Despite the fact that Cal's one and only public practice of the spring didn't bring Bear Backers into Memorial Stadium in bunches, the squad was able to put on a good show for those that did attend.  There was very little Shane Vereen or Mike Mohamed, no Mitchell Schwartz or Darian Hagan, but there was quite a bit of Kevin Riley and Beau Sweeney slinging passes and handing off to the likes of Isi Sofele.

Cal's offense played much better on the day, but they still suffered through a few fumbles. There were two fumbles on the snap and one fumble on a hand off exchange, but those mistakes happen when you have different players working together in order to give the coaching staff good looks at everyone.

Link to rest of article.

Contra Costa Times: Cal receiver from Saratoga gaining popularity as rapper

Line up all 94 players on Cal's spring roster, and Alex Lagemann would be one of the last ones pegged as a budding rapper.  The wide receiver from upper-class Saratoga can't exactly freestyle about the rough streets of the inner city or the problems facing the underprivileged.  But what the 20-year-old does have is a flair for the creative, and he has parlayed it into a growing sensation on college campuses on the West Coast. Lagemann raps about the life he knows under the name of "Loggy."

"When you hear about a rapper, you don't really picture a dude like me," Lagemann said. "If I were coming out talking about having a gun in my pocket, people would be like, 'Dude, are you kidding me?' But I'm talking about riding a beach cruiser on spring break, stuff that I actually do. So as long as I'm being truthful and real, I think it's fine."

Lagemann, a Pacific-10 Conference all-academic first-team selection last season, was simply a creative, industrious college kid doing something he enjoys in his free time. But in just a few months, Loggy has become a rising star in the college community. In January, he released a mixtape called "Up All Night," which he recorded using a simple Web site on his laptop. He put it on his social networking pages and asked his friends to spread the word. In five days, the mixtape had been downloaded 2,000 times.

Link to rest of article.

 

Note from blogger: Here’s a link to “We Run LA Remix” on Youtube, where you can find this lyric: “Yeah I smoke weed but I never do blow.” 

SF Chronicle: QB Riley Looks Like Starter; Backups OK

 

Though Kevin Riley certainly seemed to secure the starting quarterback job for California this fall with his performance in Saturday's 83-play controlled scrimmage, his coach threw a bone to the other two QBs by saying the Bears could win games with either Beau Sweeney or Brock Mansion.  If it was a ploy to keep Riley stepping lively, it worked. "It makes you work harder," Riley said after Cal's last scrimmage of the spring. "It's my last year. I want it to be the best year of my life."

That's what Jeff Tedford wants to hear, and Riley's play was (more or less) what the coach wanted to see. Riley was in for 40 plays and completed 11 of 16 passes for 126 yards, although he did have two fumbles, losing one. "I thought he did a pretty nice job," Tedford said. "He was pretty accurate with all the balls. He scrambled and made plays with his legs." Sophomore Sweeney hit on 5 of his 14 passes for 91 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown to wide receiver Marvin Jones.

Link to rest of article.

Former Cal Running Back Slocum Now a Walk-on at Fresno State

Fresno Bee

Tracy Slocum graduated from Clovis East High in 2006 as a top-20 running back recruit nationally and took off to play for Cal.  The Bee's 2004 Player of the Year is now back in town, hoping to walk on at Fresno State. "Hopefully, I can have a huge impact; that's the goal," Slocum said. "That's why I'm working so hard. You know, it's my last go-around. Of course I'm going to give it my all ... but we'll have to see."  Slocum has been accepted into Fresno State as a student this fall and is taking courses online and at a local junior college. He needs to have about 96 units completed -- including courses he took in previous years-- to be eligible to play as a senior this fall, and is waiting to hear back from Fresno State as to whether he'll be able to reach that level.

Until then, Bulldogs coaches aren't saying much about his future with the team.  While being back in football would be grand, he said his main goal is continuing his education and putting himself in position to take care of his family, including two children, via that education or through football. Slocum said he'd like to take football as far as he can.  "I could have easily quit [football] and went to school," he said. "But to not even try, I would have regrets."  Slocum said "bad decision making" led to his departure from Cal. He was suspended for the Bears' bowl game in December 2008 and dismissed early the next year.

Cal coach Jeff Tedford called Slocum "a good kid," but "through the development process and maturation process here, there were a series of violations of team rules that ended up forcing us to release him."  The final straw leading to the suspension, Tedford said, was Slocum missing two MRIs. The checkups were to see whether he had a fracture; he had a history of that injury in high school.

Slocum said he missed the appointments because he was "going through it." Being away from family depressed him, the tough academic schedule wore on him, and he wasn't getting much playing time. "All of that stuff added up," he said.  Said Tedford: "I released him from the team and told him he could come back if he made sure nothing happened. Then he got in a fight in a party. We had to release him, we had no choice. ... I hated to do it because I really liked Tracy."   When Cal dismissed Slocum from the team, he was lost.   "Being a Cal football player was my life," he said. "Once that was taken away, I had to sit back and look at everything and kind of be around my family and appreciate life and appreciate everything I'm blessed with because sometimes you don't get that second opportunity. It was tough. It was tough."  But it was a learning experience that may have benefited him in the long run. Clovis East coach Tim Murphy said his former running back "is a completely different person."

"He's come a long way," Murphy said. "He's definitely seen the light and is definitely doing the right things."  Slocum, 22, agreed.  "I've grown up a lot," he said. "I'm not a kid anymore. I know what I want, and it's time for me to go handle my business. I'm a lot older and, I can say, smarter."  Slocum has been lifting weights twice a day and also running every day since last fall. He said he's added muscle and weighs 207 pounds, more than the 185 he weighed in high school and the 198 at Cal. Tedford said Slocum had the bad fortune of playing behind future NFL players Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett and soon-to-be draft pick Jahvid Best. Slocum had 22 carries for 125 yards and one touchdown in 2008. In 2007, he played only special teams. He redshirted in 2006.  The way Tedford described Slocum, he could be a player Fresno State coach Pat Hill loves. Tedford said Slocum is tough, hard-nosed and very competitive and added that he's a good blocker, a good runner and catches the ball well.  He said Slocum "was a great special-teams player for us as well." If Slocum is eligible, he'll compete with Robbie Rouse, Michael Harris, A.J. Ellis and incoming freshman E.J. Schexnayder at the running back position.

SF Examiner: Unfair Criticism a Factor in Change to Cal Staff

By Glenn Dickey

There are two significant changes in the Cal Bears football coaching staff for 2010. Bob Gregory has left as defensive coordinator and Pete Alomar is out as special teams coach. Alomar’s departure is understandable, but it has been Gregory’s departure that has caused the most speculation, as well as outbursts of joy from many Cal followers.  “Everyone wants to make it some kind of back-room decision, like he was forced out,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford told me after a recent spring practice, “but it wasn’t that at all. I was totally surprised when he walked into my office and said he wanted to leave.”

Gregory took a step backward by returning to Boise State as a defensive assistant. He had been defensive coordinator there in 2001 before being hired by Tedford.  “He wanted to change his life,” said Tedford. “At one time, he wanted to be a head coach and he thought being a coordinator would be a stepping stone, but I think he’s decided he wants to spend more time with his family.  “And to be honest, I think the criticism he got last year might have played into it.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Golden Bears to Hold Open Practice on Cal Day Saturday, April 17, 2010

From Calbears.com:

The Cal football team will hold an open practice presented by Peterson Tractor at Memorial Stadium as part of Cal Day festivities on campus Saturday, Apr. 17. The general public will have the rare opportunity to take in one of the team's workouts and watch a scrimmage. All fans are asked to enter from the North Tunnel. Gates open at 9 a.m. PT and admission is free.  "This is a great opportunity for both our fans and our players," said head coach Jeff Tedford. "It gives some of our young guys the chance to play in front of fans, which will create more of a game-like experience. Our fans will have a chance to see some of our younger guys in action that they haven't seen much to this point."

Information on the 2010 Cal football season, including souvenir roster posters and schedule cards will be available. Cal football fans will also be able to renew or purchase their 2010 football season tickets at the event, as well as view seat locations.   Cal opens its 2010 season vs. UC Davis on Saturday, Sept. 4. The upcoming campaign will be the final season with the current configuration of Memorial Stadium and also includes visits from Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Washington during a seven-game home schedule.  Parking on campus is free all day on Apr. 17 but expected to be limited due to the events of Cal Day. Fans are encouraged to use public transportation.

The Cal Athletics clothing and shoe surplus sale, traditionally held in conjunction with the annual open practice each spring, will take place the following Saturday this year at Memorial Stadium on Apr. 24 (8 - 11 a.m. PT).

 

SF Chronicle: Super-experienced coach has rapt audience in Bears

Even by the nomadic standards of his profession, the year that new California defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast just had qualifies him to wear a burnoose and travel by camel.  He has been on the move over the shifting sands of his fickle vocation.  A defensive football coach by trade, the 42-year-old was a hand-hold short of reaching the pinnacle of his sport when the Arizona Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh in the final seconds of the Super Bowl 14 months ago.

Days later, on Feb. 6, 2009, he was fired by the Cardinals as their defensive coordinator - blamed, apparently, for Ben Roethlisberger's perfect pass and Santonio Holmes' un-defendable catch for the winning touchdown.  Little more than a month later, on March 13, Pendergast was hired as defensive coordinator by the Kansas City Chiefs ... only to be fired after one season on Jan. 14 of this year to make room for Romeo Crennel in the same job.  The Raiders threw a lifeline to Pendergast on Feb. 6 when they hired him as a defensive assistant. That lasted all of a dozen days before Jeff Tedford came calling a day after his defensive coordinator at Cal, Bob Gregory, unexpectedly left for a job at Boise State.  Pendergast's hectic year speaks to the vagaries of the coaching profession and how one man's career move can impact another's.

Link to rest of article.

SF Examiner: Mitchell Schwartz Will Start in 2010

Rob Calonge

Cal's offensive line is undergoing another transformation this offseason even though the only starter from 2009 who left was Mike Tepper. That's how important the role of a left tackle is. The two frontrunners for that job is Matt Summers-Gavin, who started at left guard last season, or Mitchell Schwartz, who was the starting right tackle.

Schwartz also started at left tackle 10 games in 2008, which helps put him in good shape of doing it again in 2010. Listed at 6'6" and 331 pounds, Schwartz is the prototypical size for the left tackle position. Summers-Gavin, who also has the talent to perform at a high level as a left tackle, is just 6'4" and 290 pounds in comparison --  a size better suited to the right tackle spot or the guard position he held in 2009.  What's great for Cal, either player can play on the right or left, and that can only make the offensive line better this coming season. Talking with Cal's offensive line coach Jim Marshall on Saturday, I asked if Cal had a player on the line that Bear Backers could count on starting this season.

"Schwartz will start somewhere," said Marshall before continuing with a chuckle. "I don't know where, but probably Schwartz and Chris Guarnero is a senior kid that played center for us. He's an undersized guy, but he plays hard." Guarnero, listed at 6'2" and 281 pounds is slotted to play center again in 2010 and judging by his '09 performance, it would be surprising to not see him crouched over the ball when Cal's offense takes the field against UC Davis on September 4.

As far as the offensive line having their struggles this spring, Marshall isn't worried. Spring practice is a tool for him to get all of his linemen live action rep's and he's been moving linemen around in order to see how they fit. This discontinuity is what leads to the defense being farther ahead every year at this time. Marshall's biggest concern is, "to get the best five guys at the best five positions."

With summer camp coming up in August, it's important to remember that even though a player looks to be a sure thing in April, nothing is certain. Marshall was sure to mention that as well. After mentioning Schwartz and Guarnero, he quickly paused the discussion to say, "We'll see. I don't want to...I don't know yet, but I like what I see so far."  Whoever starts for the Golden Bears in 2010, the only thing that anyone cares about is that the line can open holes for Shane Vereen and protect quarterback Kevin Riley -- a task that hasn't been consistent over the last two seasons.

Link to rest of article.

Contra Costa Times: Cal spring practice: former backups stepping up

Jonathan Okanes

Much of the focus of Cal's spring practice is on former scout team players who are finally getting reps with the real offense and defense. But it's two guys who saw game-action last year who could be changing the depth chart.      Sophomore nose tackle Kendrick Payne and senior linebacker Jarred Price are currently getting first team reps after previously playing backup roles. Payne had a terrific day at Saturday's practice and appears on his way to seriously challenging incumbent Derrick Hill for a starting role.

"He's right there in the mix to start," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "He's played really, really well."  Payne played in Cal's first two games as a true freshman before a knee injury ended his season. He ended up redshirting and came back as a key reserve last year, although he was limited by a foot injury.  "Everybody wants to start, but me, Aaron Tipoti and D-Hill could all start and do just as well," Payne said. "We can take somebody out and put somebody in and be just as good."  Price came to Cal last season as a transfer from Blinn College in Dallas and was used strictly as a third down pass rusher. New defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast's philosophy calls for a more attacking style, and Price's skills are more suited for him to play on all downs. "The defense Coach P. brought in is more aggressive," Price said. "It's kind of like what we ran at Blinn. It's like second nature to me. Right now, I'm with the (first team). Hopefully I can carry that over into fall camp."

Link to rest of article.

SF Examiner: Tedford pleased with spring practice work ethic

By Rob Calonge

California has given access to four practices this spring for media consumption. The first one, March 11, I was in L.A. covering the men's and women's basketball Pac-10 tourney. I nearly missed today's second sampling of returning players while hanging around Haas Pavilion after the women's basketball team took home the WNIT championship.

Lucky for me, I was able to get over to Memorial Stadium and catch most of Cal's football practice. Cal was hosting their 2010 Cal Football High School Coaches Clinic, so the sidelines were full of coaches viewing how practices are run in Berkeley.

What stood out the most during practice was Cal's defense. It would be unjust to the offense to say that their defensive counterparts were mauling them throughout the day, but the defense looked a lot better on Saturday. "You always have mixed emotions as a head coach," said Jeff Tedford with a smile. "You look great on defense, but wow, concerned on offense."

All in all, Tedford said he's happy with the team's attitude and work ethic, even if he isn't always happy with some of the results. "We have a lot of work to do though, in all areas. But, they're real focused on what they're doing, so I'm real pleased about their attitude," said Cal's head coach.

Link to rest of article.

SF Chronicle: UC Sport Center's Financing Questioned

SF Chronicle/David “Corky” Downs

 

This spring, workers poured the concrete floors for a 142,000-square-foot, four-story Student Athlete High Performance Center that will house lockers for the UC football team and meeting rooms adjacent to seismically unstable Memorial Stadium.   The project is being paid for with $135 million in bonds. Campus financial officials planned to pay off those bonds with donations. The university is confident the funding goals will be met, but if not, UC Berkeley's department of intercollegiate athletics could be responsible for paying off the center's bonds. There's a problem, though. The department has no money and last year it had to be loaned millions of dollars from campus general funds.  Intercollegiate athletics is supposed to be self-supporting. But instead it is relying on the campus for millions of dollars of funding, and that comes at the expense of the financially beleaguered academic programs, said Brian Barsky, UC Berkeley computer science professor and a critic of university spending decisions. With the athletics department already heavily subsidized, Barsky doesn't see how it can pay off its staggering future debts. The university will have to bail out Athletics again, Barsky said.

"If it were happening in a normal time, it would be egregious, but given that this is happening in the context of record cuts to our academic program, it's unconscionable," Barsky said.

Read the rest of this garbage here.

2010 Cal Football Spring Scrimmage

This year’s California Golden Bears Spring scrimmage is on April 17^th from noon to 2 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.  It’s open to the public, and free.  I was planning on broadcasting it live on this website using uBroadcast on my iPhone, but my 6 year has a t-ball game that day so I can’t make it.  I’ve gone in the past and it’s a good time.

Contra Costa Times: Cal football notebook: Bears seek backup tailback

Cal coach Jeff Tedford always has made a point of giving his backup running back significant playing time. And going into each season, it always seemed obvious who that No. 2 tailback would be. Justin Forsett was there to back up Marshawn Lynch. Jahvid Best was the guy to spell Forsett. And for the past two seasons, Shane Vereen was the clear-cut backup to Best.  With Best off to the NFL, Vereen now becomes the Bears starter. But what isn't clear for the first time in years is who will be the first tailback off the bench when Vereen needs a break.  "It's definitely Shane, and (then) we don't know," Tedford said. "It's always been a pretty clear-cut top two. Now, we know that Shane is our starting tailback. There's a lot of evaluation that needs to happen with three or four more guys. There are more unknowns with the depth that we've had before."  The uncertainty at the backup spot isn't because of a lack of talent. In fact, Tedford and running backs coach Ron Gould have the opposite problem. With sophomores Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson and Isi Sofele, redshirt freshman Dasarte Yarnway and true freshman Trajuan Briggs, Cal may have more quality depth at tailback than it has had in years.

"I feel like everybody has a chance," Yarnway said. "It's just a matter of what you do with that opportunity. It's about working hard every day."  DeBoskie-Johnson figures to be the next in line because of seniority. He saw minimal time as Vereen's backup last season after Best suffered a season-ending injury. But DeBoskie-Johnson had surgery on his right wrist in January and is practicing this spring with a cast.

Link to rest of article.

SF Chronicle: Spring ball safer than spring break?

After his players returned from spring break to resume spring practice Tuesday, Cal coach Jeff Tedford noted wryly that some of the young men were more injured than when they left.  Specifically, one player returned with a concussion from snowboarding and another limped home from a beach-volleyball injury. One player managed to escape injury while surfing on Hawaii's North Shore.  With the first game more than five months away, Tedford could afford to be amused rather than concerned about the pitfalls of college students on spring break. With only four practices held before the break, the players are Tedford's now until the final spring practice April 22. By the time they're done, the Bears will have had 15 practices over six weeks, including eight days in full pads and scrimmages on April 10 and 17. "I'd prefer to be spread out because it gives you more time," Tedford said. "You have 34 days (in spring) to spend with the kids. It gives you more time to spend with them. It lets you recover and heal. There've been times when we concentrated (spring practice) and we'd get more injuries and have to adjust practice."

Link to rest of story.

SF Examiner: Cal offensive lineman chooses 'work' over 'play' for Spring Break

Last week, while most of his classmates and people his age were heading to beaches, malls, and house parties to celebrate their time off from school, incoming freshman lineman Chris Adcock was...building a bathroom? In Africa? Ah, yes and yes.  Adcock, and 20 others including Dallas Christian High School classmates, teachers, and parents took a trip to Ateiku, Ghana as part of an annual mission trip. The mission? "We are just here to help this community of Ateiku in anyway we can," messaged Adcock while still on the trip.

Link to rest of story.

Websites for Youth Sports Teams

I’m the assistant coach for the El Dorado Hills A’s, tee ball division.  I thought it would be cool to have a website where the team contact information is stored.  When I went to find a good website service I was surprised at how many are there. After much due diligence, I settled on Teamsnap.com. 

Once you enter the team roster, you then send an email blast out and the parents then fill in the contact information.  You can track practice and game schedules, player availability, store photos, and even track who is bringing refreshments.  The basic service is free, with more functionality costing around $7 a month.  It’s much more efficient that tracking things via email.  You can have a free trial by clicking the link below.  Once your trial ends, you’ll still have basic functionality.  If you use the link I get a discount on our team page. You’ll also get 10% off for one year.   Sorry for the non-cal post, but it’s slow right now.  Go A’s!

Cathouse Out for Rest of Spring Practice

The Chronicle reports that Cal starting safety Sean Cattouse broke his right thumb in practice Thursday. Coach Jeff Tedford said Cattouse will have surgery today and will miss the rest of spring practice.

 

ESPN: Q&A with Jeff Tedford, Part One

California started spring practices last week looking to put a disappointing 2009 season behind it. The Bears, you might recall, jumped to a 3-0 start and rose to No. 6 in the country before being humiliated in back-to-back games against Oregon and USC. Combined score: 72-6. Coach Jeff Tedford takes responsibility for the Bears' lackluster finish last season. Then they rallied to win five of six, including an upset win at Stanford in the Big Game. Redemption and recovery? Not really.

Two weeks later, the Bears got bombed 42-10 in a surprising season-finale at Washington and looked flat in a loss to Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl.   Suffice it to say, the Bears were hard to figure, other than they were consistently unpredictable.  So we decided to check in with coach Jeff Tedford and see what his plan was as he enters his eighth season in Berkeley.

Link to rest of article.

Contra Costa Times: Cal football's 'big brother' keeps youths on straight and narrow

Therapy comes in many forms. Some seek professional help; others confide in loved ones.  Kevin Parker is comforted by hanging out with murderers and bank robbers.  Parker is a recruiting assistant for Cal's football program, but that doesn't begin to define him. Shaped by a rough Oakland upbringing, a college football career at the University of Oregon and an innate urge to give back, Parker is a self-proclaimed "servant of others" who has become a big brother to Cal football players while simultaneously lending a hand to his community.  "The thing about KP is it's not just about football," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "It's more about life. It's about making good decisions. He's been through a lot of hard times. The players and staff respect and admire him so much for who he is and what he does."

Parker played running back at Oregon when Tedford was the offensive coordinator there in 1998. Parker had a short stint in the Arena Football League before Tedford brought him to Berkeley when he became the head coach in 2002.  A few years later, Parker was introduced to S.Q.U.I.R.E.S, a program at San Quentin State Prison where hard-core inmates meet with troubled youths to show them how they might end up if they make the wrong decisions in life. Parker, who saw lots of crime growing up and had always dreamed of going into law enforcement, was awed by the experience. He came up with the idea of getting Cal's players involved in the program, if nothing else to teach them not to take anything for granted.

"The first thing I thought was we have to get some of our guys over here," Parker said. "I thought our players needed to see it because we're only one bad choice and one bad decision away from coming here. That's true for anybody. I think anybody and everybody should go visit a prison, just to keep you on the straight and narrow. You don't want to be there."

Link to rest of article.

Cal Bears' Calvin gets chance to earn his stripes

Contra Costa Times

One way to move up the depth chart is to not have much of a depth chart in the first place.  That's the position Cal junior Michael Calvin finds himself in this spring. The one-time heralded prospect is one of only four scholarship wide receivers on the roster, so never has the chance been greater for him to position himself for significant playing time this season.  "I feel like I have to seize the opportunity," Calvin said. "This spring ball is going to make or break me. I just have to come out here and compete."

Verran Tucker and Nyan Boateng have exhausted their eligibility, and Charles Satchell has moved from wide receiver to safety. That leaves Calvin, Marvin Jones, Jeremy Ross and Alex Lagemann as the only scholarship receivers left. The Bears signed five wide receivers in February and will welcome them to Berkeley in the fall.  Cal coach Jeff Tedford said the incoming group of receivers will compete for immediate playing time, but their inexperience makes them an obvious uncertainty. That's why now, more than ever, Calvin must prove he has finally overcome the hangover of his torn anterior cruciate ligament in the fall of 2008.  "Hopefully, he can stay healthy and play all through the spring," Tedford said. "There's no question he should be in the (rotation) when fall comes."

Link to rest of article.

Legal Issues for Numerous University of Oregon Ducks Football Players

Excellent summary of the legal problems up at Oregon.  Even the Ducks’ kicker got in trouble after pushing a woman down, and then promptly getting his ass kicked.

 

Excerpt:

Along with Heisman hopeful, Jeremiah Masoli, being suspended for the 2010 season, Oregon's suspensions and dismissals are beginning to rival the amount of bail their players have posted in the last six months.  While the biggest suspension is QB Masoli for lying to his coach about stealing a pair of laptops and a guitar from a campus fraternity, other players have been suspended or dismissed for other transgressions.

Starting tailback LaMichael James will miss the first game of the season after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of physical harassment stemming from a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend. The reason Oregon head coach Chip Kelly is suspending him from just one game is because unlike Masoli, James didn't lie to his coach about the incident.  Wide receiver Garrett Embry also pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary as Masoli's accomplice in the robbery. Embry was dismissed from the team Jan. 8 for 'unspecified rules violations'.  Kicker Rob Beard was so inebriated Jan. 24 that he doesn't remember pushing a women to the ground or the ensuing butt-whipping he took from two other men soon after. Beard was beat unconscious, seriously injured (facial injuries), and then charged with a misdemeanor of physical harassment. Like James, he'll be suspended for one game.

Defensive end Matt Simms, a former walk-on, must have been as inebriated as Beard. He attempted to retaliate against the men who smashed in Beard's face, but ended up assaulting the wrong guy and getting charged with misdemeanor assault. Kelly dismissed him from the team for 'unspecified rules violations' and then Simms pleaded to a lesser charge of harassment.

Backup linebacker Kiko Alonso was arrested for driving drunk, and suspended for the 2010 season as well.  The best suspension/dismissal is the case of wide receiver Jamere Holland.

While under the impression that Alonso had been kicked off the team, rather than his actual suspension, he posted on Facebook the following, "how the f@!% you kick kinko off the team,,,on some weak s#@$ n%$$@s always faded he slipped up but ive benn slippn up, and I'm still here, that s#@$ weak buff cuh could have done damage for the ducks, s#@$ is weak, weak a&$ f%$#, quote me"

The symbols are an attempt of some screening on my part, but you get the jist of what he said. This was before writing, "I wish I could block whites as friends and only have blacks LOL," and then, "For the record I'm not a racist.."

Sure he's not. It's reported that Kelly dismissed Holland from the team for the first comment, but the second one could have been cause as well. Whatever the reason, Holland is no longer a Duck. Those posts are no longer on his Facebook page, but you can see a screenshot of them by clicking here.

So, the next time you have a complaint about the Cal program, just remember that it could always be worse -- much, much worse.

 

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SF Examiner: Akili Smith and Ronnie Bradford added to Cal's football staff

Jeff Tedford's coaching staff increased by two on Saturday with the announcement of the additions of Akili Smith and Ronnie Bradford as administrative assistants.

Both men have ties to current Cal coaches on the staff. Akili Smith played for Tedford back in 1997-'98, when Cal's head coach was still an offensive coordinator for Oregon and Bradford was a defensive assistant for Cal's defensive coordinator, Clancy Pendergast, in 2009 for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Golden Bears' two new coaches also have playing experience in the NFL. Bradford was a defensive back for 10 years, with stops at Denver, Arizona, Atlanta, and Minnesota, while Smith played for Cincinnati, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay. Smith also played for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the now defunct NFL Europe, and had a brief stint with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL.

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Contra Costa Times: Cal football players gear up for pro day

Scouts from around the NFL will descend on Memorial Stadium this morning for Cal's annual pro timing day, in which pro prospects work out for the league's personnel evaluators in an attempt to improve their draft stock.  Almost all of the Bears' graduating seniors, and early entry candidate Jahvid Best, will be on hand to audition in the weight room and on the field. Scouts will measure the players' strength and athleticism as they put them through a series of drills. Some players also could be asked to go through "Chalk Talk" sessions, in which they break down film and demonstrate their football acumen.  It will be another important evaluation for Best, Cal's former star running back who decided to leave school after his junior season. Best demonstrated he is fully recovered from season-ending back and head injuries by putting up the fastest time among running backs in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine (4.35). He also led all running backs in the 3-cone drill (6.75).

While players such as Best, defensive end Tyson Alualu and cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson appear to be locks to be drafted, pro day can help others open some eyes to at least get a look in training camp. Players such as wide receivers Nyan Boateng and Verran Tucker and linebackers Eddie Young and Devin Bishop are some of the players who will be attempting to do that.

SF Examiner: California players hope to turn heads at Pro Day

Jahvid Best, Syd'Quan Thompson, Tyson Alualu, Mike Tepper, Verran Tucker, and Nyan Boateng get another opportunity to impress NFL scouts and talent evaluators Wednesday at Cal's Pro Day. All of them, besides Best, will need it.  At the NFL's annual scouting combine held in Indianapolis, Best erased all except for the most important doubt, durability, with his performance. The College Football Performance Awards' 2009 Elite Running Back posted the top 40-yard dash (4.35s), top 3-cone drill (6.75s), and the fourth-best 20-yard shuttle (4.17s) for running backs at the event, proving that he can be just as elusive on a pro field as he was on a college campus. The question that is surrounding Best is whether or not he can survive a 16-game season without missing time -- something he didn't do in a 12-game college season.

Proving that he's durable is problematic for the early-entry draftee. Best missed the last three games of the season and Cal's Poinsettia Bowl loss to Utah with a sore back and a concussion -- injuries that doctors aren't able to ascertain potential future problems.

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