Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Anyone Else Feel This Way?

I really enjoy the blog The Band is Out on the Field and they have really become the leader in Cal blogs. They frequently write great articles and unearth nuggets about Cal sports that others do not find.

But one of their recent posts was just wrong (read entire post here). It is an example of my frustration with Cal fans and their off and on attitude. Here are some excerpts.
" The time until kickoff is legitimately being measured in hours, not days or weeks. (114 hours and counting down...) Yet, for some reason, Cal fans just don't seem that excited. I know that I am not."
Speak for yourself, not Cal fans in general. I think that Cal fans have been excited about this game for a long time. Go check out the message boards on BearInsider.com. Look at the comment by Robertson17 after the TBIOOTF post. For you to be unable to get excited about the upcoming Tennessee game just reeks of bandwagon.
"I am not confident heralding Tedford's return to playcalling as the second coming."
Good thing you change the name of your blog from Tedford is God. You have to be kidding me if you think that the offense will not be significantly better with Tedford calling the plays and with nearly all key skill players returning.
"I may have once declared that SQT would easily fill the shoes of Dante Hughes, but I really wish I hadn't."
Watch game tape of the last couple games last year and tell me who was playing better, SQT or Hughes. Also, SQT is still young, I have no doubt he will be able to fill Hughes large shoes.

And possibly the worst line of all...
"If I know one thing, it is this - if we lose we have to wait another year to declare Cal one of the best programs in the nation."
Why? Because of 1 loss. What if Cal runs the table and makes it to the Rose Bowl, will you still be waiting till next year to talk about Cal? Win or lose to Tennessee, I will always declare Cal as one of the best programs in the nation. But this is a moot point because we will beat Tennessee this year.

Maybe you were having a bad day or going through some turmoil that day, Kevin. Hope you post something better before the game and get fired up.

For everyone else who might be wavering, get off the fence and support your Bears.
- Ranking: is ranked #12 in both polls. People expect big things from this year's team you should too.
- Offense: Best in the Pac 10 and one of the best nationally (West Virginia might be better)
- Defense: Faster, more athletic and more talented than before. True, they are young, but when teams recruit well, like Cal has done, that is less of an issue.
- Special teams: Best in the nation as a unit.
- Coaching: What's not to love. Tedford took us from the abyss of 1-10 to national power. Now he will take us to the promised land.
- Schedule: Tennessee at home, USC at home. The stars are aligned for this season.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the guy at TBIOOTF was talking more about confidence than "excitement," though that was the term he used. There does seem to be a bigger sense of anxiety this year, given the team's meltdown in Tennessee in 2006. We are essentially having a bowl game in Week 1 and there are some big question marks on defense. So, I think our enthusiasm is a bit bottled up but that wont be the case come saturday.

Danny said...

I see your point. I think confidence and excitement go hand and hand for these big games. I have personally seen some Cal fans who are stoked pre game, watch the opponent score on the opening drive and then stop cheering and start blasting the QB, coach, defense, etc. I think confidence is needed especially if Cal is down to keep the energy level up in the stadium.
Re-reading my post I think I was more negative than I intended to be. I think my overall intention was to get people more excited about the game and more confident.

Avinash said...

There's nothing wrong with anxiety. As long as it blossoms into restless energy come Saturday.

fairviewbears said...

I can't write what I really think of that guy's post...since it's mostly just a stream of curse words...a very well crafted & creative stream of curse words(hey, I did go to Cal after all), but nothing that would contribute anything to the subject of Cal football.

One thing I can say though...is that I think it's a bit pathetic for the author of a Cal Football blog to be hedging his bets by saying he's "anxious" about this season. Get hyped or get off the bandwagon. Hey, if you legitimately don't think the Bears have it this year...then write a post about that, but make it clear. I've got no problems with anybody who has the stones to take a stance on something.

But don't go dredging up how you got let down by past teams in order to justify your shady half analysis & anxiety. So you just want to wait and see huh? Man all you're doing is effing trying to cover yourself no matter how the game/season goes. If you're going to be writing a blog, sack up & take a stance...Oh man, I feel the curses flowing so I'll just stop.

Unknown said...

Hey I'll let some curse words flow... and I'm a Cal alum too. Fuck that post on TBIOOTF. Straight up. I posted a response on their blog too.

I'm talkin to all my friends who are Cal Alums and we couldn't be more excited for Tennessee. This is our revenge game.

First Tennessee
Then Autzen
Then UCLA
Then USC
Then the Rose Bowl

Anonymous said...

I think a feeling of anxiousness is understandable, but the real point I want to make is this Saturday absolutely is a must win game for Cal to take the next step to national title contender. Living in Virginia, just trust me until Cal beats someone West of the Mississippi river nobody out here is going to pay attention. Last year's loss was a huge setback and Cal NEEDS to make up for it this year or they will never be considered a legitimate team outside of California. On another note, I think we're gonna beat the crap out of UT this weekend.

Trumanhugh said...

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!

That post pissed me off, too! On the one hand, as a third-generation Cal Bear and lifelong season ticket-holder, I can see from where his angst comes. All those years in the Pac-10 cellar and all that...but hell, that was a football generation ago!

Cal has proven it can play--and win--with the best of them. They don't have to accomplish anything for me to shout my devotion--and their preeminence--from the rooftops!!

I, too, have been fired up for a long time. Every football friend I know has been eagerly awaiting Saturday's game (and tomorrow's season-opening kickoff in general).

If Cal is to be taken seriously by the more "superior" programs, we fans must be the vehicle for promoting the greatness we see on the field.

How can we expect respect from other teams, conferences or the national media if Cal's fans aren't driving the bandwagon?

It's one thing to think back on the Cal letdowns from the Holmoe (and earlier) era with such disdain, skittishness and dread. It's quite another to apply those to what Tedford consistently produces year in and year out. And then to put it out there for all to see?! That's almost treasonous!!

Finally, there is a big difference between being anxious and being eager. Anxiety evokes dread; eager, excitement.

All my Cal family/friends and I are EAGERLY awaiting Cal's 2007 season!!


Go Bears!!