is there a post of the month award? this wins it

thanks for the great reporting

OaktownBear;842187288 said:

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Dude, it was a joke

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So sorry. I'm in serious mode today. It did occur to me that you might have been playing. I wish I could have as much levity about this board as I do about the team.

There is some serious f**kedupness going on that makes me think that some folks might be actually clinically insane. It doesn't exactly put me in a joking mood.

Suffice it to say folks like you and blungld and others who know who they are give me serious inspiration and hope. But otherwise this board has deteriorated into nothing more than drunken rants of immature kids.

ManhattanMadMan;842186897 said:

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Awesome post. I felt like I was there. And thanks for supporting Cal and the team in an tough environment from all angles.

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I am glad you liked the post. Very flattered...made me feel quite writerly.

B.A. Bearacus;842186984 said:

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Great post, Blungld!

ps. Effects of crystal meth:

[INDENT]Sense of Empowerment -- Which Can Lead to Aggression

While under the influence of meth....[/INDENT]

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I am very naive when it comes to meth (despite my Breaking Bad obsession). I have always assumed the Ducks were beer drinkers. How big of a problem is meth in those rural areas...and you think there are tweekers at the games?

B.A. Bearacus;842187135 said:

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BG, see any interactions with McCain on the sidelines during the game?

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I did not see anything other than after his personal foul (he reacted poorly in talking to ref, but boy did it look live that he was shoved in the back) he was addressed sternly as he came to sidelines and he looked to be trying to explain himself. No big deal it looked at the time.

heartofthebear;842187203 said:

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And yet it's OK to do that with respect to furd? Sorry to seem to nitpick. Your post is magnificent as always. And I have become a big fan of you, but I'm just saying that I'm not a big fan of the way we demonize Stanford routinely. There are some things about Stanford to legitimately criticize, but there are plenty of times when folks have crossed the line because it is Stanford and that makes it OK. I think Stanford fans are pretty cool folks and deserve better.

The highlighted portion qualifies as some of the most refreshing stuff I've seen on this board.

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Thanks and I agree with you. I make my fair share of Stanfurd digs but in honesty it's a routine. A shtick. I think we all play the role of carrying on the rivalry...but I think at its core its good natured and loaded with mutual respect. I do not despise Stanfurd I just want to beat them and I hold some of the ideals I associate with Cal (essentially a less privileged life that earns a path to an expanded world view) over Stanfurd symbolically. But some of the most creative, intelligent and admirable people I know are Stanfurd grads and I'd be proud if one of my kids went there. Cal was perfect for me and I owe everything to it, but Stanfurd could legitimately be a better fit for many other very good people.

In contrast, the many USC grads I know and the culture of that school and area rubs me the wrong way over and over. So it is far less about sport, in my dislike of them Trojans...but I still want to play them in sports and not treat their fans as real enemies with real feelings of hatred...just spite and scorn ;-)

BearyWhite;842187299 said:

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is there a post of the month award? this wins it

thanks for the great reporting

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Man, after posting here for 20 years, it's nice to get positive feedback...especially from one of my all time favorites. Thanks.

Thanks for sharing, blngld!

oskibear1988;842187085 said:

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Fact buddie, you are wrong. Look at US News and world reports if you don't believe me. Living in Washington and practicing in the medical profession, I interact with UW graduates on a daily basis. Their education, ability to write, and their real world skills are excellent. Furthermore, UW is very difficult to get into.

And again, the purpose of this board is not to put down somebody else's education.

Have some class.

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UW is a good school. Like a UCSB. But is it really that difficult to get into? Their acceptance rate is like over 50%. Sounds like if you qualify and apply, your chances are pretty high.

blungld;842187386 said:

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Man, after posting here for 20 years, it's nice to get positive feedback...especially from one of my all time favorites. Thanks.

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Great post, bng.

For those of you that are worried about boorish fan behavior at away games, just go. My experience is that if you act like a respectable fan you'll get treated that way. And there's nothing, I mean nothing, like having your team come over after an impressive win, underdog or not, and sharing their celebration with you in the stands. Michigan St in 02. Autzen in 07. I've been to enough losses and blowouts on the road (Corvallis last year .... still have soaked clothes from that) to really appreciate the wins. And there's always something interesting to see or do or eat locally. Heck, Pullman?? WIAF, they've got live bears! right near the stadium - and they're real grizzlies, too. And The Coug.

Go - it's worth it. And I'm sure the team appreciates the support. Kudos to those of you who sat it out to the end on Saturday, too.

:bravo

blungld;842186833 said:

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The other possibility being, of course, that I am a big pussy.

Another criticism of people in general, not just Duck fans, but why the need to "vanquish" the foe. To make the defeated visitors feel shame that they have come and sullied your grounds. Did you not want the visiting fans to attend? Did you want your team to scrimmage and not play another team? It's another example of nonsensical testosterone thinking.

And I have seen more than my share of that on frat row of Cal--yelling at opposing fans as they leave. Ready to fight if the away fan shows any pride or backtalk. It's embarrassing.

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I was at the game as well and for about 4 hours beforehand tailgating. There was not more than a few minutes where I was without a drink in my hand offered by an Oregon fan, saying thanks for being here and enjoy the experience. The overall experience at Autzen is quintessential college football - we saw some of that at CMS when Ohio Sate traveled well, and brought an awesome band. The real take away should be that Cal needs to find a way to bring that type of atmosphere to CMS - every game. The drunks will be at every game in every stadium (including CMS) - that is an unfortunate given. I would guess that the players would always rather play in a roaring, partisan stadium rather than a partially filled stadium full of indifferent fans. I'd go back to Autzen every time.

socaliganbear;842187497 said:

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UW is a good school. Like a UCSB. But is it really that difficult to get into? Their acceptance rate is like over 50%. Sounds like if you qualify and apply, your chances are pretty high.

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No, very difficult to get into. I have first hand knowledge of this. 4.0 in state high school students with good test scores being turned away. It of course varies some year to year. It is definitely on a higher level than UCSB, although I agree that UCSB is a very good school as well.

BearBones;842187243 said:

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Just for the record: We went to the game in Eugene yesterday (and got home late this afternoon). For two days prior to the game we walked a lot around town and the university and stopped for a beverage here and a meal there. I always wore my Cal hat (if not more Cal gear). During those two days many Oregon fans came up to us, and without exception they were friendly and gracious. We heard comments like "Thank you for coming up to the game." "Good luck." And even a couple of well intentioned "Go Bears" from folks wearing Oregon gear.

During the game we sat up high surrounded by Oregon fans, and heard not one negative comment from anyone, either in our seats or during the long hike up there.

This was our third trip to Eugene for a Cal-Oregon game, and our experience with the fans on the first two trips was pretty similar to this one.

BTW yesterday we also stayed in our seats until the final play. My view is that if our players are going to stick it out under such adverse conditions (weather and game), we should too.

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Are you elderly? Honest question. There are some types of people (old, babies) even the drunkards won't harass.

freshfunk;842187809 said:

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Are you elderly? Honest question. There are some types of people (old, babies) even the drunkards won't harass.

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I didn't see the comma in your parenthetical and had myself wondering what an "old baby" was...?

oskibear1988;842187786 said:

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No, very difficult to get into. I have first hand knowledge of this. 4.0 in state high school students with good test scores being turned away. It of course varies some year to year. It is definitely on a higher level than UCSB, although I agree that UCSB is a very good school as well.

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So your daughter goes to UW? UCSB (41) is ranked higher than U-Dub (52, right after UT) according to US News Rankings... Sorry, just wondering why you're defending U-Dub's academics so much.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities

OaktownBear;842187258 said:

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Your post is confusing. I'm not particularly happy to be superior to Stanford. I just am superior. Facts are facts. If they don't like it, they shouldn't go to Furd. And their misery is objectively entertaining. Who wouldn't revel in Furd misery? I don't understand what you are saying.

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I, for one, am DELIGHTED to be superior to Stanford. You should be, too. Just in case we lose to them this year, that feeling of superiority will help assuage the pain of losing on the gridiron.

Look at US News and world reports if you don't believe me..



I spit out my coffee when I saw this reference...

blungld;842187385 said:

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Thanks and I agree with you. I make my fair share of Stanfurd digs but in honesty it's a routine. A shtick. I think we all play the role of carrying on the rivalry...but I think at its core its good natured and loaded with mutual respect. I do not despise Stanfurd I just want to beat them and I hold some of the ideals I associate with Cal (essentially a less privileged life that earns a path to an expanded world view) over Stanfurd symbolically. But some of the most creative, intelligent and admirable people I know are Stanfurd grads and I'd be proud if one of my kids went there. Cal was perfect for me and I owe everything to it, but Stanfurd could legitimately be a better fit for many other very good people.

In contrast, the many USC grads I know and the culture of that school and area rubs me the wrong way over and over. So it is far less about sport, in my dislike of them Trojans...but I still want to play them in sports and not treat their fans as real enemies with real feelings of hatred...just spite and scorn ;-)

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completely agree with this analysis of the respective schools and their alums.

freshfunk;842187809 said:

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Are you elderly? Honest question. There are some types of people (old, babies) even the drunkards won't harass.

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Pretty sure that BearBones account of interactions with Duck fans was the norm, not the exception. There are drunks at every college game (including Cal)... THEY are the exception however.

blungld;842186629 said:

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CONTINUED, PART TWO

- At halftime the stadium emptied in a way I've never seen before. The rain and wind were really uncomfortable. I was miserable and teeth chattering...I was so tempted to go...but I knew Cal was coming back on the field and dealing with the same mess so I sucked it up. I moved from the Cal section and went down to Oregon donor section right behind Cal bench. There was not one Cal fan on my side of the stadium. There were maybe 20 Cal fans still in the Cal section in the end zone. There were maybe 8,000-5,000 Duck fans remaining (maybe).

In my section there were about 50 Duck fans spared out in pairs every other row. Sparse. But those that were there the ones looking for trouble. It was a little scary. They had moved down to the front row and were heckling the Cal bench mercilessly. One group was being somewhat witty, while two other groups were just drunk and way out of line. I was getting looks and felt the heat.

Seeing The Cal players up close and beaten their bodies were and how they were trying to rally one another made it all far more personal then on TV or from 50 rows up. I've watched probably 20 games actually on the sidelines, but this felt even more intimate. 15 feet away looking at these guys soaking wet, in the middle of a drubbing, with these jerk fans calling them names. I really was moved and reminded they are 18 year old kids playing for their school. I rowed at Cal and faced some tough tough weather and physical challenges that beat me up pretty good, but this was worse

I felt so bad that I moved to the front row and starting yelling "Go Bears. Hang in there." Security moved close to me and looked like they were going to throw me out, but I just kept saying positive things and not confronting any Ducks. So they backed off.

Then things got really tense. I don't want to give too many details, but the two worst duck fans crossed a personal line and the father of one of the Cal players went after them. There was a full face off. I was worried that fists were seconds away--both had them cocked. I said some things to try and calm the situation and the Cal players turned and started addressing it to. No fight, but it wasn't pretty and the rest of the game was VERY heated. A cal player had to be restrained from going into the stands and there were some meltdowns on the bench--some directed at Duck fans, some directed at themselves, and some directed at team mates.

I kept trying to be supportive and yelling Go Bears. I don' think I did any good, but I felt good for trying. I was half expecting to get clocked in the back of the head at some point--but I kept looking forward and avoiding escalating things in the stands.

- Post game was a sea of green. I did not see ONE Cal fan until I met two stragglers back at my hotel. I took a shuttle bus and was the only one in blue & gold packed inside with a bunch of gloating Ducks. They were given me the major stink and all kept flashing very condescending laughs and smiles like our team was a joke that gave them no competition. While factually that was true, it felt a little low and unnecessary. Should have gotten some props for sticking it out. Man it sucks to be looked at like a cellar dweller again. I was hoping I'd never experience the lows like this again.

- Dykes has some things to prove for sure. How he handles this mental state is his biggest test. Injuries, talent, and schedule have stacked the deck against him. I just hope recruiting doesn't take a hit and that a whirlpool conspires against him. He's not exactly getting a break. He seems a good man though and I think he can coach--we just need some talent to mature, some recruits to come, and the facilities to start paying off and we can right the ship--but that ship is more water logged than I had let myself believe.

- Last comment, I know it is wishful thinking, but I do hope that the Cal players know how much we support them. Yeah there was not an impressive showing by our fans last night, but those that were there endured a lot. And like the team the fanbase needs some rebuilding. We had bandwagoners in our DJ days that didn't care about Cal values and the "modernization" of Memorial has killed a lot of what makes Cal special. We need some lore masters to carry the torch from yell leader to yell leader and rebuild the student base. And Cal marketing needs an overhaul. We fans, and even how we conduct ourselves on these message boards, are part of the Sonny project. We can be great again. And more importantly we can be great on our terms and when we are, we will be the envy of others who point to Cal and say "That is what a football program should look like. That's what I want ours to be."

Do your part! Go Bears.

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Get real dude. Are you a novelist? I admit this read was highly entertaining and descriptive. You painted it as though it were some life or death struggle. The possibility that you'd get clocked in the back of the head and killed? Lol, bringing out the drama. Yet you also backtrack a few times and basically say duck fans aren't that bad. I bet you got a kick of rereading this post to yourself.

oregonblitzkrieg;842188234 said:

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Get real dude. Are you a novelist? I admit this read was highly entertaining and descriptive. You painted it as though it were some life or death struggle. The possibility that you'd get clocked in the back of the head and killed? Lol, bringing out the drama. Yet you also backtrack a few times and basically say duck fans aren't that bad. I bet you got a kick of rereading this post to yourself.

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I think his general feeling was that the duck fans were good/"not bad" in general, except for the select few that were drunk and just making things escalate. So no, that's not backtracking, he's just stating the fans in general weren't that bad. Do you think he's on some sort of agenda against duck fans? I don't. I don't see the drama or "life or death struggle", either. As a Bear fan, I appreciate his description of how he saw it this weekend. It's a Bear forum anyway, what were you expecting?

ferCALgm2;842188394 said:

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I think his general feeling was that the duck fans were good/"not bad" in general, except for the select few that were drunk and just making things escalate. So no, that's not backtracking, he's just stating the fans in general weren't that bad. Do you think he's on some sort of agenda against duck fans? I don't. I don't see the drama or "life or death struggle", either. As a Bear fan, I appreciate his description of how he saw it this weekend. It's a Bear forum anyway, what were you expecting?

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All these Oregon posters are passive-aggressive types just waiting for us to say something demeaning about their beloved Duckie corporate sports experience. BellottiBold has cred though. He's stuck it out and not been a guy who flips out when criticized. Besides, he's a fan of the USMNT so he can't be that bad.

ferCALgm2;842188394 said:

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It's a Bear forum anyway, what were you expecting?

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He was expecting absolute adulation.

oregonblitzkrieg;842188234 said:

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Get real dude. Are you a novelist? I admit this read was highly entertaining and descriptive. You painted it as though it were some life or death struggle. The possibility that you'd get clocked in the back of the head and killed? Lol, bringing out the drama. Yet you also backtrack a few times and basically say duck fans aren't that bad. I bet you got a kick of rereading this post to yourself.

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I am a writer, so I may have a flare for the dramatic...but that's not to say it was overtly dramatic. I tried to capture the experience for OUR fans.

I never backtracked. My compliments and critiques were consistent and overall quite favorable.

I did feel like one of the drunk guys behind me was contemplating a punch or shove that I wouldn't have seen coming. It's something you sense--and I was the sole Cal target in easy reach as tempers flared, but I did my best to not be a target and not to escalate things. I wouldn't have described it as life or death. I did acknowledge another poster and the fact that we have seen fans killed, often accidentally, when alcohol takes control. I'd like to think there was a very minimal chance of that happening.

Let me ask you: do you think my observations on the general state of Duckdom and the visitor experience was far off? How? I assume you didn't see the event I described, so ignore that--but what about the rest? I tried to be fair and complimentary.

My brother and I stayed until the bitter end - and also walked over from the Cal Section to the visitor sideline section early in the 4th quarter.

In general, I didn't think Autzen was as loud as it is hyped up to be - and maybe because the game was out of reach so soon there wasn't a real need for the fans to get REAL crazy loud.

I actually felt (and yes, I realize they are much bigger venues) Tennessee and Ohio State had much louder fans - but then again, when we opened up against Tennessee we were a top-15 team, and at Ohio State last year we were tied with 5 minutes left - so perhaps we were a team that could amp up the fan base more.

We also experienced nearly a 100% positive experience with the Oregon fans. We got there a couple of hours early and hung out in the Moshofsky Center (the indoor practice facility next to Autzen), had dinner, enjoyed the banter, and never felt anyone came close to crossing the line.

In the stadium, the only time we experienced any kind of truly obnoxious behavior was after the game, as we were climbing the stairs to leave (we had moved to behind the Cal bench) and a couple of drunkards were making all sorts of remarks behind us probably hoping we would turn around so they could pick a fight.

Near the top of the stairs entering the concourse area, we actually had a small group of Duck fans say thanks for coming and tell the guys behind us to shut up and back off.

Our shuttle ride back to our drop off point was in a bus full of Duck fans, and by then, I think they were just feeling sorry for us. Had one guy try and start a conversation asking about what happened with Tedford and that he was pretty well liked in Eugene before moving on to coach the Bears.

Anyways - having now been to Colorado, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Arizona, ASU and Autzen (Ohio State and Tennessee OOC), I would certainly rate my experience at Autzen (small sample size of 1) as a pleasant one.

I have come to the conclusion if Cal fans don't want to be characterized by sweeping generalities (as there are liberals, conservatives, wealthy, unemployed, atheists and religious followers of all sorts that make up the Cal community) we should stop taking one or two experiences and generalizing them to everyone.

Personally, my worst experiences have been at UCLA and USC - and my best were at Ohio State and Oregon - but I am sure there are others who would completely reverse that list around - just depends on whether you run into one of maybe 4-5,000 ugly fans at any game (including at Memorial).

I know I'll be back in Autzen again sometime - and hopefully by, say, 2017, it will be with much more on the line than hoping for a moral victory.

Go Bears!

blungld;842188553 said:

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I am a writer, so I may have a flare for the dramatic...but that's not to say it was overtly dramatic. I tried to capture the experience for OUR fans.

I never backtracked. My compliments and critiques were consistent and overall quite favorable.

I did feel like one of the drunk guys behind me was contemplating a punch or shove that I wouldn't have seen coming. It's something you sense--and I was the sole Cal target in easy reach as tempers flared, but I did my best to not be a target and not to escalate things. I wouldn't have described it as life or death. I did acknowledge another poster and the fact that we have seen fans killed, often accidentally, when alcohol takes control. I'd like to think there was a very minimal chance of that happening.

Let me ask you: do you think my observations on the general state of Duckdom and the visitor experience was far off? How? I assume you didn't see the event I described, so ignore that--but what about the rest? I tried to be fair and complimentary.

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I knew you were a writer. Your descriptiveness is far too good. From a writing standpoint your post was awesome, engaging and entertaining. You put some images in my head for sure. It made me feel like you were last Cal fan on Earth, the guy standing on deck at the front of the ship in a storm that could capsize the boat at any moment. I wasn't able to attend that game in person so I'll believe you saw what you saw. Your conclusions however might have been a little on the dramatic side, but hell that made for a better read (the aura of intimidation from the remaining duck fans at Autzen, felt like they'd all recently been released from jail and were looking to start some trouble, the looks from duck fans on the bus, etc.). Of course the horrid weather only added to the atmosphere. I can see where some drunk fans doused from rain all night probably were asses, but on the whole Oregon fans aren't any worse than most fans from other schools. The remaining ones probably were the drunk ones, the most diehard ones, or the ones who have a bad attitude and enjoy gloating.

oregonblitzkrieg;842188690 said:

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The remaining ones probably were the drunk ones, the most diehard ones, or the ones who have a bad attitude and enjoy gloating.

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Based on the pictures above - we are talking about a very small group of fans who actually stayed late into the game, so you've got that going for you.

oregonblitzkrieg;842188690 said:

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I knew you were a writer. Your descriptiveness is far too good. From a writing standpoint your post was awesome, engaging and entertaining. You put some images in my head for sure. It made me feel like you were last Cal fan on Earth, the guy standing on deck at the front of the ship in a storm that could capsize the boat at any moment. I wasn't able to attend that game in person so I'll believe you saw what you saw. Your conclusions however might have been a little on the dramatic side, but hell that made for a better read (the aura of intimidation from the remaining duck fans at Autzen, felt like they'd all recently been released from jail and were looking to start some trouble, the looks from duck fans on the bus, etc.). Of course the horrid weather only added to the atmosphere. I can see where some drunk fans doused from rain all night probably were asses, but on the whole Oregon fans aren't any worse than most fans from other schools. The remaining ones probably were the drunk ones, the most diehard ones, or the ones who have a bad attitude and enjoy gloating.

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Thanks for playing--and can't deny that I probably have my "pen" in hand at all times, observing myself and internalizing the world so that I may wax poetic.

...and by "pen" I didn't mean penis.

Good luck the rest of the way, I sense you may have your national championship this year.

oregonblitzkrieg;842188234 said:

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Get real dude. Are you a novelist? I admit this read was highly entertaining and descriptive. You painted it as though it were some life or death struggle. The possibility that you'd get clocked in the back of the head and killed? Lol, bringing out the drama. Yet you also backtrack a few times and basically say duck fans aren't that bad. I bet you got a kick of rereading this post to yourself.

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Way to make his point for him.

oregonblitzkrieg;842188690 said:

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I knew you were a writer. Your descriptiveness is far too good. From a writing standpoint your post was awesome, engaging and entertaining. You put some images in my head for sure. It made me feel like you were last Cal fan on Earth, the guy standing on deck at the front of the ship in a storm that could capsize the boat at any moment. I wasn't able to attend that game in person so I'll believe you saw what you saw. Your conclusions however might have been a little on the dramatic side, but hell that made for a better read (the aura of intimidation from the remaining duck fans at Autzen, felt like they'd all recently been released from jail and were looking to start some trouble, the looks from duck fans on the bus, etc.). Of course the horrid weather only added to the atmosphere. I can see where some drunk fans doused from rain all night probably were asses, but on the whole Oregon fans aren't any worse than most fans from other schools. The remaining ones probably were the drunk ones, the most diehard ones, or the ones who have a bad attitude and enjoy gloating.

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They are worse. You may not see it, but most others do. It's a minority of the fans, but that minority is worse than most other fanbases.

Additionally, your opinion of your own fanbase over here is basically immaterial. When people tell me stories of Cal fans acting like dicks I apologize on their behalf, I don't try to tell them they're wrong about their own experience.

And if you don't think one punch can ruin someone's life, ask Bryan Stow and his family about that.

I know you're an Oregon fan, so let me help you out:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=bryan+stow

freshfunk;842187809 said:

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Are you elderly? Honest question. There are some types of people (old, babies) even the drunkards won't harass.

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No.

Did your mother teach you any manners? Honest question. There are some types of people who are just plain rude.

Thanks B&G. Enjoyed the posts. If that's you in the pictures with the flimsy poncho, I am really impressed that up stuck it out. Actually, I should say even more impressed.

blungld;842188565 said:

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Hey...has anyone ever told you that you look like a twenty-years-older version of that guy who used to host "Bear Territory"??? The resemblance is uncanny. :p

Probably the best post I've read here on BI.

I'd like to address a few points.

As with any fan base there are always going to be a few bad apples in the bunch. With Oregon it seems like their bad apples keep multiplying every year. They have become arrogant & elitist. They are the worst trolls of the Pac-12 on social media & CFB message boards. They are becoming USC-esque fans.

University of Nike at Eugene. Phil Knight, the big daddy donor who IS Nike, has given the UO Athletics Dept millions upon millions of dollars to build the majority of new facilities the Ducks have on campus. Should Cal fans be jealous? Hell yes. Wouldn't it be nice to have our own "Uncle" Phil? UO gets the best of the best of everything from Nike, usually a couple of years before any other team, collegiate or professional. This also adds into the Duck fans elitist attitude with all of the cool fan gear, team uniforms and their 872 uni combos.

I can't believe that in 2013, with all of the alcohol awareness programs, that a university allows its fans to leave the stadium for half time to tailgate (read as: slam a few brews) and to return for the second half. I'm shocked that Larry Scott & the Pac-12 has not stopped this practice.

Granted, I'm sure the vast majority of Cal fans would love to travel to away games if money was not an issue. Winning will increase the amount of fans who will make that commitment. So will a better economy, but I digress. We can NOT compare ourselves to our recent visitor Ohio State. First, they are a football factory. Second, there are a ton of Ohio transplants here in CA, and they will make every effort to attend a nearby game. Finally, a lot of Buckeye fans from Ohio made the game in the Bay Area a vacation. I have to wonder HOW OSU fans got sooooo many seats? They must have bought every ticket available when tickets went on sale to the general public through the Cal website.

Finally, Everyone knew this was going to be a tough year. A rebuilding year. And the vast majority of us would have thought on August 1st that the Bears would be 1-3 at this point, maybe 2-2 at best. Cal had the pre-season #1 Toughest Schedule, facing 7 of the Top 25 teams. Sure, injuries have been an issue, forcing Dykes & Staff to play a lot of Fr/Sophs, getting these young players valuable playing time. We must look at the big picture and keep a positive attitude! We are currently young & inexperienced, that will translate into returning starters with lots of game day experience! GO BEARS!