Having grown up here and having gone to football games for 50-odd years, the fact that I am skipping the game tomorrow is hard for me to process. I have been a fanatic. I was raised on the lore of the Big Game...the last minute plays...the argy-bargy among the students, the pranks and all of the fanfare during the week that led up to the game. As an aside, what ever became of the Bond Club and Guardsmen's lunches, etc.

I think in my lifetime, I have missed a total of three games, all of which were in Berkeley. One, mercifully, was 1982, where I was on a bus to Cloverdale for a HS football playoff game. John Paye was our QB and it was his senior season. One was due to having to fly out for a work fire drill, and the last was the fire year where the game was moved back and I had left town by then. Only three. I have sat thru the rain, was there for the revenge of the Play, watching Luck truck that DB and for all sort of other misadventures.

In school, I built bonfires, was an AxeComm guy and can't remember how I got home from a rally in the City. Big Game was special, even when we were not good. It was part of the culture and the fabric of being in the Bay Area, a native and someone fortunate enough to wear a "We got in" button with pride and enmity for all things weenie. Losing sucked and meant that I'd never hear the end of it from the sore winners.

Tomorrow, I will be at home, happy to have a Saturday and not devoting the whole day to the schlep to the Peoples' Republic. I will watch the game, but maybe on DVR rather than live to save time. My best friend and seat mate lives within walking distance of Memorial Stadium. He's bailing, too. I have nothing vested in the game other than a perverse hope that any loss will be ugly to add to whatever pressure there might be on the naked emperor. I feel dirty that a win might work against the best interests of the program. I will probably skip BYU as well.

I used to plan my fall around football. My wife let me skip our wedding rehearsal so I could go to a season opener against SJSU. Having been married before and reasonably good at walking in a straight line, I convinced her that I did not need to be there. She acquiesced. A keeper, not doubt.

Now, like most of you, there is no joy. There is no fun. To call it ambivalence might imply that there could be feelings one way or another. And I hate it. It is your fault, David. Yours alone with an assist from Mr. McGoo, the athletic director. You've sucked the life out of something that was dear to me. It could be a generation before the pendulum swings, and time is not on my side.

Thanks a (six) million Dave. You're the gift that keeps on giving when others might have followed the Samurai code and resigned to preserve honor.

Someone let me know if Top Dog is still open and good.

Both teams easily won the NCAA regionals.

Men were a total blow out. 45 points versus #2 Gonzaga at 92. Cal, for example, was #21 with 618 points. Oregon #4 with 141 points. Dominance.

Read that here.

As exemplified by Shaw:

An obstinate buffoon incapable of growth, unwilling to adapt to changing circumstances, and content to secure a reputation based on past accomplishments.

Read that here.

Read that here. Fun fact: I know Cal Poly's head coach as his daughter used to play for Cal. She's now in the WNBA. Kianna Smith.

This question formed while I was reading Shaw's answers from the post-practice scrum: Is Stanford vs. USC on Sept. 10 Shaw's Waterloo?

Shaw's talking points this offseason have been consistent that Stanford is poised to reassert itself as a power — "a tiger in the weeds" — because the roster is healthier than at any time during the past three years, they finally had a "normal" offseason", the talented quarterback is stronger and better than last season, and the staff evaluated everything down to the studs of the program and improved in a process that was "mostly subtraction". Shaw has been loud and clear that they're ready to show everyone that they're wrong about him/the program.

I'll add the caveat that if Stanford is just as healthy as they are now when they kick off against the Trojans, it will be Shaw's all-in attempt to win a decisive Waterloo. If he can break through against a team with plenty of talent and riding the momentum of arguably the most hyped up regime change in recent college football history, then that will buy him the time he needs to negotiate a ceasefire. The general public will be forced to admit that Shaw is just as capable of leading Stanford to victory against the best of the Pac-12 as he was before the once proud empire crumbled. (He'll have to hurry with those ceasefire negotiations, though, because it's entirely possible we get beaten up in three of the following four games, but we'll cross that bridge later.)

Guess what? Assuming this forum is still monitored, it might surprise some readers that I want Stanford to rout the Trojans and send them running back to NILA. I would love that. I guarantee I'd watch the full game video multiple times the following week and the serotonin boost would be like a rocket launching me away from all the other headlines I'm confronted with every day. So, David, please beat the Trojans and have your press conference where you get to wear that big smile/smirk and crow until you can't crow no more.

If, however, we lose and also get stomped on when we go to Washington (9/24), Oregon (10/1) and Notre Dame (10/15), then I'm gonna want to know why the tiger in the weeds was actually a kitten.

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Thought these were pretty cool!

Michi...West Vir...sorry, Cal is also busting out throwbacks:

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Figured this would be worth firing up. @Cardinal74 has Cal 24-13. I got Cal 17-16. Honestly a toss up but when a toss up, tie goes to the home team.

If Stanford does win, I believe Josh Karty will play a big role.

Anyways, what say the rest of you?

Kickoff is 10am PT. Look out David B Flemming, LBaty is coming for ya!

For the last couple of years, I used to get bummed when Cam fouled out. I got even more bummed when Tara sat her only to finish the game on the bench with 4 fouls.

One of the great things about this year is I don't care if Cam fouls out. Just gives more time for Lauren or Kiki or Fran or Ashten. Which is fine by me.

Our depth is astounding.

No this is not a thread about the USC/UCLA Big 10 departure, but feel free to take it down that rabbit hole if you are so inclined!

Big Game is sold out. Only 120 or so tix on stub hub. This surprised me.

I am attending with my wife and am very curious to see how Cal adjusts to our starting a redshirt freshman safety at RB with no RB2.

Read that here.

Read that here.

Read that here.

Watch that here.

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Injuries, Shaw says Myles Hinton will be out and replaced by Barrett Miller, questionable guys are Jonathan McGill, David Bailey, and Ricky Miezan. McGill did not finish the game, but is moving around now a little bit. They'll see how he is at the end of the week. Same with Bailey. Ricky is actually moving pretty well and will practice today. They'll see how that goes. Aaron Armitage is in the same boat. They tried to get him going but he couldn't at Utah. They'll see if he can make it this week. Doubtful guys are Kendall Williamson, Jacob Mangum-Farrar, and Caleb Robinson.

Read that here.

I have urged this before and I’m doing so again: Please send an email to Howard Wolf, our Alumni Association President, and ask him to pass along your comments to the powers-that-be. He has regular meetings with these folks and he will convey the sentiment of his constituents. This really could help the cause. hwolf@stanford.edu

I'm not an alumnus, simply a long-time fan, so I won't be emailing the alumni coordinator. Any consensus on whom to email with my thoughts about David Shaw?

We’ve all heard about the defensive leaders meeting with Anderson, Shaw and co a few weeks back. McGill mentioned it on this week’s Treecast (like Matt with Sunday Morning thoughts, I’m a sucker for punishment so I still listen to it).

As described, the players got together, “requested a meeting” with the coaches, discussed strategy, schemes and plays they felt comfortable with, things they didn’t, and had a general melding of the minds.

My question is: why the hell is noteworthy?

I’ve never been on a football team so maybe those who have can chime in… but is this type of coach and player collaboration atypical? Why do you need a formal meeting? Aren’t they together all day, every day? What the hell are they doing with literally all of their time as a team if it’s not discussing strategy, what works and what doesn’t? Like, every minute of every practice, meeting, etc? This implies some type of communication barrier between coaches and players. I don’t get it.

Thanks

Read that here.

His knee was down...

Anyone want my tickets to Stanford MBB tonight? 8pm against Cal Poly. Seats are 2 rows behind Cal Poly coaches.

DM me

Read that here.