• New Commit MBB
    I don’t get this new commit info. Who is he? Where is from? What did he do? Maybe my iPad isn’t functioning right. . . .
  • Who oversees Aggie sports medical treatment and training?
    A simple google search for “UC Davis athletics medical support” or “UC Davis athletics team doctors” reveals no information. I do believe we now have an orthopedic specialist on the sidelines for football, but I don’t know about the other contact sports. I doubt they have a doctor present for games. I don’t know how we conduct on site medical examinations or medical treatment for our men and woman athletes, i.e., the types of which got Dr. Nasser and the Ohio State guy in so much trouble. For you Aggies history buffs, I was there when Ken O’Brian went down in the playoffs in 1983(?). Can’t remember the other team (South Dakota State?) and we had no orthopedist or doctor available. His own father, Dr. Kenneth O’Brian, (an orthopedist and a friend of mine) had to go down from the stands to the field to attend to own his son who had broken his leg. Anyway, its a topic i am interested in pursuing and an I will report my findings.
    I will add, tongue in cheek, that if the vet school will support the new equestrian team horses for free, why can’t our med school support our human athletes for free?
    Just an old guy with time on his hands, , , , ,
  • Who oversees Aggie sports medical treatment and training?
    BlueGold i want to believe you 100%. We are very different as you say. But, we thought were that before the “pepper spray incident.” Yes, bad things can still happen in happy valley. I want to know who supervises athletic medical treatment /training for our Aggie athletes. It’s a simple, important question. If no one knows i will just ask the administration.
  • Hero Sports - UC Davis Preview
    Great enthusiasm this year! Great discussions! But after first scrimmage nothing! Not a single post about the scrimmage. (I was not there) Strange indeed. Is it no news is good news or no news is very bad?
  • Top Five Rising Stars in the Big West Conference MBB
    UCSB HC Joe Pasternak made a salary at AZ/Cal as an assistant coach equivalent to what most BW Head Coaches make:$250,000.+/- i cannot find any source as to what he makes as a head coach a SB. I do not ask this question to criticise or even take issue with what SB decided to pay him- it is totally up to SB. The fact that it is so hard to find this out makes me think he is the highest paid coach in the BW and SB is not anxious for anyone to find this out. We are not in a place to blame. We have football and no other BW school has. Our total coaching salary must be very high compared to other BW schools. But, what does JP make at SB? Just curious. . .
  • Humboldt cancels football after 2018
    If I had the time I would love to write a book about this subject. I agree with Movie that common sense did finally prevail, but not without much pain and controversy. Starting about the mid ‘90s a different kind of student started coming to UCD. They were tired of seeing their HS friends at Berkeley and UCLA rooting for nationally ranked sports teams whereas UCD was a complete unknown in national sports. A different kind of faculty was coming to Davis as well. I will mention only Kimberly Elsbach, but there were many others, who knew that D1 sports could be compatible with academics and were brave enough to speak out about it. So I don’t think it was the dropping of programs that made the difference as much as that the students wanted the change. Recall the FACE initiative? This was a very controversial proposal that would actually have the students pay for athletic upgrades, but included a new Health Center, swimming complex and other non athletic projects. FACE passed by a mere 51%; the academic senate voted it down 827 to 556. It was very controversial also because the fees ($100+ per quarter) did not kick in until the students who voted for the fees had graduated! I believe that the Regents later passed a resolution forbidding such a vote again. But, again common sense prevailed and Larry Vanderhoef pushed forward with the change to D1. I think the academic senate finally caved in to the move because the students were paying for it not sponsors or advertising revenue, sources it felt would “corrupt the ICA department.” The fact that students carry the greatest financial burden of the UCD D1 program is still highly unusual and controversial, if not unheard of. I do not know how UCSD plans to finance its new D1 program, but I bet its not like we do it. (Sorry, Looks like I have begun my book!!)
  • 2018-19 MBB Big West Conference Predictions
    So we will get a WBB twins versus twins game with Stanford November 6th. I just hope Stanford does not RS its twins as they are true freshman. If it goes as planned it will be an awesome historic game. I think that Nina and Cierra will be solid replacements for Dani and Pele; maybe eventually better because of their greater size. The real test will be if newcomers Cierra Jo McKeown and Sage Stobart can replace Rachel and Marley. Cierra Jo is a solid 3 shooter- maybe more than solid- great. Sage is a talent yet to be seen. She has great size and an excellent bio, but Marley was just a monster coming off the bench. I hope Sage is working on some of Morgans spin moves and some of Marleys hook shots during the off season!
  • 2019 Recruiting List
    Well Tyler did not actually name Davis as his first choice (I wish it were true), but yes he likes the school and its close to home. The locals say he is kind of a sleeper kid; quiet, well liked and smart. A great fit for us; but will he be seduced by the beaches of Waikiki? The hills of Wyoming? The romance of Fresno? I actually think we might have a good shot at getting this young man.
  • Humboldt cancels football after 2018
    This all harkens back to the early ‘90s when it was first proposed that we go D1. There was a meeting in 194 Chem to discuss this issue. I was there. Many young profs (and many older Ag Profs) were stridently against this because it could take funds away from academics. The proposition failed. Then in the late ‘90s the issue was raised again in a meeting in Young Hall. I was there. In attendance was: Jim Sochor, Bob Williams, Deanne Vorshachter, and many other UCD world class coaches in favor of moving up to D1. Again, the proposition failed. The most ardent opponents repeated the old refrain that the move would take money from academics and would degrade academic performance of the athletes. Today, the history has proved all of the detractors wrong. We are much better now than then both as a university and in sports. Academic achievement is up. Diversity is up. Research spending up. Our visibility as a university is up. Too bad it took so long, but we did it!
  • Cal Poly Continues Downward PR Spiral
    Movie this was not just a one word spoken incident. This was a march downtown which started with signs for support for Trump (which I think is fine) but which then deteriorated quickly into a full blown anti-gay rights bashing event in which the police had to be called to intervene because of a lot of yelling, slurs (see: “Fucking faggots”) pushing, shoving and middle fingers. This was a hate crime event. The father of this student is a complete idiot and really deserves the blame for this unfortunate situation which cost his son his scholarship. I have real sympathy for Poly after this. Just hope we never have to see it here.
  • Where’s the new equestrian coach?
    Interesting that we chose a Western as opposed to an English style coach. Not that it matters much in the long run, but the English riding events: hunter jumper, cross-country, dressage are all Olympic events and far more well known than Western. I guess she has to hire an English assistant coach to handle that style. She seems very young, but is also very accomplished and her record is exemplary.
    I may be way out of touch, but this is the first time I have heard of Anissa Nachman’s name as associate AD. I knew of her in Sac as a high level legislative aide to top leadership. Then she moved to UCD as a budget person. Now as the 2d in command in athletics for budget and finance. She seems to be the person who nailed down the new equestrian coach. Does anyone know her athletics qualifications? Maybe she is a horse person? She has no bio posted on the ICA site.
  • New Backboard Needed
    With AJ back maybe makes sense to RS Jonah. Jackson is a real puzzle. He was an incredible HS athlete with tons of potential, but we never got to really see him play. Big question for Neufeld is whether he’s athletic enough to compete at this level.
  • Where’s the new equestrian coach?
    Beating a dead horse again. Where’s the equestrian coach? Either AD Blue is trying to get the next equestrian coach of the year or no body wants to come here to coach. Simple as that. I doubt the latter, but this thing is really dragging out. But does anyone care?
  • Fred Arp has passed away
    Very sad indeed. He was an iconic Aggie coach who we will never forget. I look forward to the posts of his former DL alumni players who will no doubt have very many interesting tales to tell about him. I will relate that when I was biking to class in the afternoon on Russell during football practice in the ‘70s I would seee all these big players lounging under the shade of the big oak trees along Russell and there would be Coach ARP just talkin to his players. Everyone else was running and tackling etc. not Arps guys; they just sat and listened to their coach ARP. I often thought: these guys are going to be terrible in a game. They were not. They were the best the Aggies ever had on the field. He had a real special and very unorthodox talent like Coach Sochor did. Better people can say much more.
  • 2019 Recruiting List
    River I do agree. I recall a player by the name of Renaldo Nehemiah who played for the 49rs in the early 80’s. He was the first hurdler to ever break the 110 hurdles mark of under 13.00 at 12.93. He would make the defensive backs fall back 10 yards when came into the game. He was FAST. Then in one game against the Atlanta Falcons he ran a crossing pattern and was ferociously hit by Falcons DB Kenny Johnson. Renaldo did not get up for a long time. He now says he was never the same again. I watched that play. I think Walsh later admitted he was at fault for that draft pick. On the plus side Nehemiah is healthy and doing well now. But, no. Pure speed is never going to work at any level of football. His replacement was a guy named Rice.
  • Where’s the new equestrian coach?
    I hate to beat a dead horse (I know bad pun) but we still have no coach. He’s/she’s supposed to start next Monday. This seems to be much harder than anyone thought. I am told by my horsie friends that this should have been expected because these folks do not travel lightly. They have their own horses to consider moving. Most come form the south where horse facilities are much less expensive than in California, much less Davis CA. And they need them in place before they come. Tough job for AD Blue, but I’m optimistic still.
  • 2019 Recruiting List
    These are very fast times for a WR or a RB. Hope we lock him in.
  • Fresno State hires familiar name for AD
    Peak Performance on 2nd street in davis. An athletic club then. Not there anymore. He was one of those guys who would answer in conversation likely with a smirk and a nod that he “really knew” what the siruatation was, but “could not possibly” tell the rest of us. Not a bad person, but a horrible guy for an FR. everybody in the gym knew he was a fraud. Why not the AD? I do not who hired him or where he is now. i do wish him luck wherever he is.
  • Fresno State hires familiar name for AD
    Speaking of Angius I only knew him at Peak during workouts. He seem too full of himself and not very personable. No wonder he never worked out as a FR. Just curious, who the hell ever hired that guy? I certainly hope we have hired a better person for this very important job!
  • Fresno State hires familiar name for AD
    He never delivered on the athletic training facility that was his priority coming in. And it would have taken some big contributions to get that done. He was not a happy fundraiser. But I also think it was because he had zero interest in the non revenue sports (say woman’s sports) and the lady coaches called him out on it- simple as that and KT for all her faults saw it as well. Nice guy, but. . . Probably Fresneck is a good spot for him.