Archive for Archive for January, 2008

Retrospection Evaluation–Wazzu

I’m trying to think of why I have the Cougars ranked ahead of the Wildcats in terms of status and final standings. At least Arizona put up a fight in their losses–Bill Doba just got asskicked at every juncture. This is probably why he’s gone and Mike Stoops is still here. And it doesn’t get […]

Posted by: Avinash on Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Saying Goodbye–Thomas DeCoud

Solid. That’s what you can say about Thomas DeCoud. He found receiver. He saw receiver made catch. He tackled said receiver. And the pattern repeated itself. Even when Cal slid, he didn’t slide along with them. DeCoud hit double digits in tackles in four of Cal’s losses, although some of that could be accounted for […]

Posted by: Avinash on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

We Have a New Enemy

Rick Neuheisel’s hiring at UCLA has everyone talking with excitement at Westwood about how the Bruins will finally supplant the Trojans as the best team in the Pac-10, become a football empire and establish dominance in both of the big major sports for the next decade. Okay. Stop laughing. I might have exaggerated a bit, […]

Posted by: Avinash on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

The Big Boards

People have asked me why I don’t follow Cal basketball with the same depth that I cover college football. As frustrating as Cal football was this year during our plunge, it’s more likely to be an anomaly than a trend with Tedford at the helm. Compare that to the madness of Cal basketball, where stupidity […]

Posted by: Avinash on Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Saying Goodbye–Mike Gibson

This one’s always tough. Not because I don’t have anything to say…well, okay, I guess I don’t really have anything to say. So I’m going to wax philosophical here. Mike Gibson was a solid part of our offensive line, but the damned thing about O-lines is that all the players exist together in a unit. […]

Posted by: Avinash on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008

Retrospection Evaluation–Arizona

For the fourth straight year, Mike Stoops stumbles out of the box–the Wildcats have started their 2004-07 campaigns a combined 6-23 (half of those wins coming against Northern Arizona). For the fourth straight year, Mike Stoops saves his hide with an absurd upset in the desert and crawls his way back to mediocre respectability (3-8, […]

Posted by: Avinash on Monday, January 21st, 2008

Saying Goodbye–Craig Stevens

It’s weird–I went to almost all the Cal home games the past two years, and Craig Stevens never seemed to hit a blip on my radar. Probably my fault. I didn’t know any better and was too focused on the meltdowns and big players that I miss the unsung tight end. Perhaps if the Bears […]

Posted by: Avinash on Saturday, January 19th, 2008

Retrospection Evaluation–Louisiana Tech

I’m not exactly going chronologically–Tennessee will come later in the week–but let’s continue with this exercise of looking at our opponents. Wins: They beat Scottie Pippen’s alma mater (not a terribly good thing, considering they finished 6-5 in I-AA), and their remaining four wins in conference came by a combined 27 points to teams with […]

Posted by: Avinash on Friday, January 18th, 2008

That Damned Ankle–Nate’s Travails, Part I

Most fans are in agreement: When Nate Longshore’s ankle bucked up in Eugene, so did Cal’s 2007 season. It led to Riley running for his life against the Beavers. It led to Longshore coming back too early to replace Riley, and sinking at the end of close, crucial games. It led to the endless Longshore-Riley […]

Posted by: Avinash on Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Retrospection Evaluation–Colorado State

Instead of talking about the Bears and their consistent underperforming these next two weeks, I’m going to move on for a bit. Let’s talk about teams that are right now worthy of my time and patience. Teams that have shown heart and spirit in the face of defeat. Teams that don’t bow down the moment […]

Posted by: Avinash on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008