Watching Mendoza's post game interview was amazing. Young man is all heart, "98 yards with my boys", indeed.

I think every Cal fan talking smack about Nando in the Big Game thread should hang their heads in shame.

Laying into coaches is one thing, they signed up for that as coaches. But bad mouthing our players is low class.

I get folks get frustrated, maybe they had a few cold ones, but some folks comments went too far. I hope our students athletes do not read these threads.

BarcaBear said:

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Watching Mendoza's post game interview was amazing. Young man is all heart, "98 yards with my boys", indeed.

I think every Cal fan talking smack about Nando in the Big Game thread should hang their heads in shame.

Laying into coaches is one thing, they signed up for that as coaches. But bad mouthing our players is low class.

I get folks get frustrated, maybe they had a few cold ones, but some folks comments went too far. I hope our students athletes do not read these threads.

---

Hear hear!

Nando completely balled out and bailed out Cal this game. Heck, he's been one of Cal's few bright spots this year (especially on offense). I'm highly impressed by his toughness. I'm more touched by his obvious love of his teammates and for Cal. This kid is special. Cal fans should enjoy watching him while we can.

The announcers noted that he knows situational awareness is a thing he will continue to work on. He has a huge heart and a will to win

Well said 01 and Barca!

Completely agree!!

At this time, he is an outstanding power 4 conference quarterback. And I love the pride he takes in being a Golden Bear.

Cal88 said:

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Cal84 said:

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CheezIt Bear said:

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Mendoza has to cobble an offense out of a scheme run by an offensive line coach, supervised by a defensive head coach with zero game management skill or knowledge about offensive football with no run game to support him and no pass blocking. He's not a perfect player, but he is far from being the biggest problem with our offense. Sure he shouldn't hold on to the ball so long and sometimes he makes the wrong decision, but he's the best QB we've had since Goff and it's not close.

---

Davis Webb enters the room

I hope Mendoza returns for another year. Cal would definitely benefit. I think he would too.

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He's definitely coming back next year.

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I can see other schools throwing big NIL money offers at him. I'm not sure that will be enough to sway him to leave before getting his Cal degree. But then there's also been chatter about him possibly leaving for Miami so he can be closer to his ailing mom.

Player/coach. Make it happen,

Sign me up to buy a shirt with that quote and a picture of the axe!!!!!

“THAT WAS AN AMAZING COMEBACK … I LOVE MY BOYS … GO BEARS FOREVER!”

Fernando Mendoza overcome with emotion after his game-winning drive vs. Stanford 🥹@CalFootball | @qb_fernando pic.twitter.com/yYZvGQDhPY

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 24, 2024

Cal88 said:

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“THAT WAS AN AMAZING COMEBACK … I LOVE MY BOYS … GO BEARS FOREVER!”

Fernando Mendoza overcome with emotion after his game-winning drive vs. Stanford 🥹@CalFootball | @qb_fernando pic.twitter.com/yYZvGQDhPY

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 24, 2024

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Frickin legend.

You can't want anything more in terms of heart and commitment. All team, all about the win.

89Bear said:

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Sign me up to buy a shirt with that quote and a picture of the axe!!!!!

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I'm in.

01Bear said:

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BarcaBear said:

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Watching Mendoza's post game interview was amazing. Young man is all heart, "98 yards with my boys", indeed.

I think every Cal fan talking smack about Nando in the Big Game thread should hang their heads in shame.

Laying into coaches is one thing, they signed up for that as coaches. But bad mouthing our players is low class.

I get folks get frustrated, maybe they had a few cold ones, but some folks comments went too far. I hope our students athletes do not read these threads.

---

Hear hear!

Nando completely balled out and bailed out Cal this game. Heck, he's been one of Cal's few bright spots this year (especially on offense). I'm highly impressed by his toughness. I'm more touched by his obvious love of his teammates and for Cal. This kid is special. Cal fans should enjoy watching him while we can.

---

Despite being under constant pressure and duress, Nando was 25 of 36 for 299 yds, 3 TDs, and 0 (zero) Ints, and came up CLUTCH when it came down to "winning time". Not to mention Nando's demoralizing 49 yd back breaking QB run that led to the following 16 yd dime of a back shoulder strike to Trond Grizzell that energized both the Bears' D, and O for the remaider of the 2nd Qtr, and the entirety of the 2nd half. Other than furd's 2nd half opening TD drive, Cal's D was absolutely 'shutdown" following furd's 2nd-half-opening TD, and Nando and the Bears offense were freaking nails in the 2nd half, when they absolutely HAD to be. All of the QB stats say Nando is a f'n BALLER!.

Pittstop said:

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01Bear said:

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BarcaBear said:

---

Watching Mendoza's post game interview was amazing. Young man is all heart, "98 yards with my boys", indeed.

I think every Cal fan talking smack about Nando in the Big Game thread should hang their heads in shame.

Laying into coaches is one thing, they signed up for that as coaches. But bad mouthing our players is low class.

I get folks get frustrated, maybe they had a few cold ones, but some folks comments went too far. I hope our students athletes do not read these threads.

---

Hear hear!

Nando completely balled out and bailed out Cal this game. Heck, he's been one of Cal's few bright spots this year (especially on offense). I'm highly impressed by his toughness. I'm more touched by his obvious love of his teammates and for Cal. This kid is special. Cal fans should enjoy watching him while we can.

---

Despite being under constant pressure and duress, 25 of 36 for 299 yds, 3 TDs, and 0 (zero) Ints, and coming up CLUTCH when it came down to "winning time". Not to mention Nando's demoralizing 59 yd back breaking QB run that led to the following 16 yd dime of a back shoulder strike to Trond Grizzell to energized both the Bears' D, and O for the remaider of the 2nd Qtr, and the entirety of the 2nd half, other than furd's opening TD drive. D was absolutely 'shutdown" following furd's 2nd-half-opening TD, and Nando and the Bears offense were freaking nails in the 2nd half, when they absolutely HAD to be. All of the QB stats say Nando is a f'n BALLER!.

---

Agreed! Just one minor nit. I think Nando only got credit for 49 yards in that run; there was a Furd penalty that tacked on an additional 10 yards after the play.

We need a better special team's coach and I'm not just talking about the kicking. The return blocking is atrocious.

01Bear said:

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Cal88 said:

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Cal84 said:

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CheezIt Bear said:

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Mendoza has to cobble an offense out of a scheme run by an offensive line coach, supervised by a defensive head coach with zero game management skill or knowledge about offensive football with no run game to support him and no pass blocking. He's not a perfect player, but he is far from being the biggest problem with our offense. Sure he shouldn't hold on to the ball so long and sometimes he makes the wrong decision, but he's the best QB we've had since Goff and it's not close.

---

Davis Webb enters the room

I hope Mendoza returns for another year. Cal would definitely benefit. I think he would too.

---

He's definitely coming back next year.

---

I can see other schools throwing big NIL money offers at him. I'm not sure that will be enough to sway him to leave before getting his Cal degree. But then there's also been chatter about him possibly leaving for Miami so he can be closer to his ailing mom.

---

I think that Nando is both extremely high character, and that he loves being at Cal. And that he absolutely loves his Cal teammates. Goodness, I can't imagine what it would take for him to be poached.

Pittstop said:

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01Bear said:

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Cal88 said:

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Cal84 said:

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CheezIt Bear said:

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Mendoza has to cobble an offense out of a scheme run by an offensive line coach, supervised by a defensive head coach with zero game management skill or knowledge about offensive football with no run game to support him and no pass blocking. He's not a perfect player, but he is far from being the biggest problem with our offense. Sure he shouldn't hold on to the ball so long and sometimes he makes the wrong decision, but he's the best QB we've had since Goff and it's not close.

---

Davis Webb enters the room

I hope Mendoza returns for another year. Cal would definitely benefit. I think he would too.

---

He's definitely coming back next year.

---

I can see other schools throwing big NIL money offers at him. I'm not sure that will be enough to sway him to leave before getting his Cal degree. But then there's also been chatter about him possibly leaving for Miami so he can be closer to his ailing mom.

---

I think that Nando is, both, extremely high character, and that he loves being at Cal. And that he absolutely loves his Cal teammates. Goodness, I can't imagine what it would take for him to be poached.

---

Definitely a Cal guy thru and thru now. He ain't going anywhere. Bet he stays for his Sr yr. He has a chance at greatness.

Pittstop said:

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01Bear said:

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Cal88 said:

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Cal84 said:

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CheezIt Bear said:

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Mendoza has to cobble an offense out of a scheme run by an offensive line coach, supervised by a defensive head coach with zero game management skill or knowledge about offensive football with no run game to support him and no pass blocking. He's not a perfect player, but he is far from being the biggest problem with our offense. Sure he shouldn't hold on to the ball so long and sometimes he makes the wrong decision, but he's the best QB we've had since Goff and it's not close.

---

Davis Webb enters the room

I hope Mendoza returns for another year. Cal would definitely benefit. I think he would too.

---

He's definitely coming back next year.

---

I can see other schools throwing big NIL money offers at him. I'm not sure that will be enough to sway him to leave before getting his Cal degree. But then there's also been chatter about him possibly leaving for Miami so he can be closer to his ailing mom.

---

I think that Nando is, both, extremely high character, and that he loves being at Cal. And that he absolutely loves his Cal teammates. Goodness, I can't imagine what it would take for him to be poached.

---

It's because he's such a high character guy that I fear the scuttlebutt that we could lose him to Miami (or another school closer to home) could prove true. High character guys care about their families. If his mom is sick, it makes sense he would want to be closer to hime to be able to spend time with her.

Selfishly, I'm praying his mom will regain her health and recover fully. That way, Nando will be less inclined to stay at Cal next year instead of going home.

BarcaBear said:

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Watching Mendoza's post game interview was amazing. Young man is all heart, "98 yards with my boys", indeed.

I think every Cal fan talking smack about Nando in the Big Game thread should hang their heads in shame.

Laying into coaches is one thing, they signed up for that as coaches. But bad mouthing our players is low class.

I get folks get frustrated, maybe they had a few cold ones, but some folks comments went too far. I hope our students athletes do not read these threads.

---

Barca, it's all different now. IThe fact that Fernando wears his heart on his sleeve, along with his intelligence and effort make him a particularly appealing guy and I agree that folks shouldn't be dumping on him. However, for many players, the rules have changed. NIL has made the relationship between Cal, the fans, and the players who are getting paid all about business. I'm not going to worry about the feelings of a player who making more than my top annual salary after graduating from Cal 25 years ago with a degree that I paid for.

Does this mean I'm looking to dump on kids just because they're getting paid to play football? Of course not. What's the fun in that? I want them to do well. But it's much more of a transactional relationship now and we should all be mindful of that. Criticism comes with the paycheck.

Mendoza made himself a legend with that postgame interview!!!
I know he got me tearing up!!

Hey SoCal!
How's junior doing first semester?

01Bear said:

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Pittstop said:

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01Bear said:

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BarcaBear said:

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Watching Mendoza's post game interview was amazing. Young man is all heart, "98 yards with my boys", indeed.

I think every Cal fan talking smack about Nando in the Big Game thread should hang their heads in shame.

Laying into coaches is one thing, they signed up for that as coaches. But bad mouthing our players is low class.

I get folks get frustrated, maybe they had a few cold ones, but some folks comments went too far. I hope our students athletes do not read these threads.

---

Hear hear!

Nando completely balled out and bailed out Cal this game. Heck, he's been one of Cal's few bright spots this year (especially on offense). I'm highly impressed by his toughness. I'm more touched by his obvious love of his teammates and for Cal. This kid is special. Cal fans should enjoy watching him while we can.

---

Despite being under constant pressure and duress, 25 of 36 for 299 yds, 3 TDs, and 0 (zero) Ints, and coming up CLUTCH when it came down to "winning time". Not to mention Nando's demoralizing 59 yd back breaking QB run that led to the following 16 yd dime of a back shoulder strike to Trond Grizzell to energized both the Bears' D, and O for the remaider of the 2nd Qtr, and the entirety of the 2nd half, other than furd's opening TD drive. D was absolutely 'shutdown" following furd's 2nd-half-opening TD, and Nando and the Bears offense were freaking nails in the 2nd half, when they absolutely HAD to be. All of the QB stats say Nando is a f'n BALLER!.

---

Agreed! Just one minor nit. I think Nando only got credit for 49 yards in that run; there was a Furd penalty that tacked on an additional 10 yards after the play.

---

You're right, it was a 49 yd QB run (still back breaking, in that moment, nonetheless). My bad.

Pittstop said:

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01Bear said:

---

Pittstop said:

---

01Bear said:

---

BarcaBear said:

---

Watching Mendoza's post game interview was amazing. Young man is all heart, "98 yards with my boys", indeed.

I think every Cal fan talking smack about Nando in the Big Game thread should hang their heads in shame.

Laying into coaches is one thing, they signed up for that as coaches. But bad mouthing our players is low class.

I get folks get frustrated, maybe they had a few cold ones, but some folks comments went too far. I hope our students athletes do not read these threads.

---

Hear hear!

Nando completely balled out and bailed out Cal this game. Heck, he's been one of Cal's few bright spots this year (especially on offense). I'm highly impressed by his toughness. I'm more touched by his obvious love of his teammates and for Cal. This kid is special. Cal fans should enjoy watching him while we can.

---

Despite being under constant pressure and duress, 25 of 36 for 299 yds, 3 TDs, and 0 (zero) Ints, and coming up CLUTCH when it came down to "winning time". Not to mention Nando's demoralizing 59 yd back breaking QB run that led to the following 16 yd dime of a back shoulder strike to Trond Grizzell to energized both the Bears' D, and O for the remaider of the 2nd Qtr, and the entirety of the 2nd half, other than furd's opening TD drive. D was absolutely 'shutdown" following furd's 2nd-half-opening TD, and Nando and the Bears offense were freaking nails in the 2nd half, when they absolutely HAD to be. All of the QB stats say Nando is a f'n BALLER!.

---

Agreed! Just one minor nit. I think Nando only got credit for 49 yards in that run; there was a Furd penalty that tacked on an additional 10 yards after the play.

---

You're right, it was a 49 yd QB run (still back breaking, in that moment, nonetheless). My bad.

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No worries! I totally agree with your main point. Nando balled out when Cal need it. He was a stud tonight!

More impressive is that Nando accomplished all this with 6 sacks and poor OL play most of the game!

I didn't tear up, you teared up!

I love this guy. Go Bears!

concordtom said:

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Hey SoCal!
How's junior doing first semester?

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So far it seems Great. He is loving Cal. All indications are that he crushed his midterms in College of Chemistry. He sent a picture from the field yesterday. We get to see him next week. Having your first kid away at College is hard - I didn't realize how much I would miss him ;-) Plotting at least 1 if not 2 BB/dinner with the kid trips over next few months.

I am working my contacts to assist in him getting a meaningful internship in life sciences/labs so if anyone is looking. ;-)

PS. I thought pretty funny and interesting datapoint-- SoCal suburban kids that they are (and really minimal Cal connections compared to say the Bay Area) a bunch of his kids from his high school, that go to either Cal or Furd, got together last night to hang. I just love that the rivalry translated that way. Get a debrief this afternoon I think.

CheezIt Bear said:

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Cal84 said:

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CheezIt Bear said:

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Mendoza has to cobble an offense out of a scheme run by an offensive line coach, supervised by a defensive head coach with zero game management skill or knowledge about offensive football with no run game to support him and no pass blocking. He's not a perfect player, but he is far from being the biggest problem with our offense. Sure he shouldn't hold on to the ball so long and sometimes he makes the wrong decision, but he's the best QB we've had since Goff and it's not close.

---

Davis Webb enters the room

I hope Mendoza returns for another year. Cal would definitely benefit. I think he would too.

---

I remember Davis Webb and stand by what I said

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I take Mendoza over Webb on this team easy. Webb was more consistently accurate (especially on deep balls and touch passes) but he was a statue.

We need to get a photo of Mendoza chopping down trees. Put that pic with the quote and it would be golden.

Mendoza's ranked 11th in the country for yardage with a solid TD to Int ratio, despite being sacked 41 times, nearly twice as much as every QB in the top 11 (except for Sanders 32) and more than any QB in the top 50. What a solid player. Loved Mark Richt's postgame observation that he willed our team to the win.

aws56 said:

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89Bear said:

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Sign me up to buy a shirt with that quote and a picture of the axe!!!!!

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I'm in.

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Funny. I made one yesterday.

blungld said:

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aws56 said:

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89Bear said:

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Sign me up to buy a shirt with that quote and a picture of the axe!!!!!

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I'm in.

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Funny. I made one yesterday.

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OK cool! Now let's see it. is it good? Can we buy?

BearoutEast67 said:

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Mendoza's ranked 11th in the country for yardage with a solid TD to Int ratio, despite being sacked 41 times, nearly twice as much as every QB in the top 11 (except for Sanders 32) and more than any QB in the top 50. What a solid player. Loved Mark Richt's postgame observation that he willed our team to the win.

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He miraculously protects the ball. The whole team does. They all deserve a lot of credit there. Coaches too. Almost no fumbles.

I was able to listen to Fernando's post game radio interview while exiting the stadium, and watched his television interview on "tape" last night.

Fernando is a class act. And he is as tough as Joe Kapp was, and that's a HUGE compliment.

He is well spoken, extremely humble, obviously loves Cal, and is an energetic and enthusiastic representative of the program. He presents himself well in every opportunity I see him get, and is the kind of player it is easy to root for. No wonder the team has been so supportive of him!

In my humble opinion, (based on the things I value most about a player) I believe he is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever at Cal.

I do not know what the future holds for him. But I do know this......whatever he does, he will do it well. And I am anxious to see how his life turns out.

HairOfTheBear said:

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blungld said:

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aws56 said:

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89Bear said:

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Sign me up to buy a shirt with that quote and a picture of the axe!!!!!

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I'm in.

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Funny. I made one yesterday.

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OK cool! Now let's see it. is it good? Can we buy?

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https://ashbubble.com/product/98-yards-with-my-boys-shirt/

HearstMining said:

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HairOfTheBear said:

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blungld said:

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aws56 said:

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89Bear said:

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Sign me up to buy a shirt with that quote and a picture of the axe!!!!!

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I'm in.

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Funny. I made one yesterday.

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OK cool! Now let's see it. is it good? Can we buy?

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https://ashbubble.com/product/98-yards-with-my-boys-shirt/

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That is a sweet shirt!

socaltownie said:

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concordtom said:

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Hey SoCal!
How's junior doing first semester?

---

So far it seems Great. He is loving Cal. All indications are that he crushed his midterms in College of Chemistry. He sent a picture from the field yesterday. We get to see him next week. Having your first kid away at College is hard - I didn't realize how much I would miss him ;-) Plotting at least 1 if not 2 BB/dinner with the kid trips over next few months.

I am working my contacts to assist in him getting a meaningful internship in life sciences/labs so if anyone is looking. ;-)

PS. I thought pretty funny and interesting datapoint-- SoCal suburban kids that they are (and really minimal Cal connections compared to say the Bay Area) a bunch of his kids from his high school, that go to either Cal or Furd, got together last night to hang. I just love that the rivalry translated that way. Get a debrief this afternoon I think.

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Thumbs up!
And bottoms up that Jr was on the winning side with his Furd friends.