BearTalk

Three people were near the top of Tightwad Hill late Thursday afternoon taking a quick peek at the Cal football team’s spring practice. The trio was spotted by Cal security and one of them, standing at the top of the stadium rim with a bullhorn, ordered the onlookers to move along.

Yes, things were fairly intense for the Bears’ first day in pads this spring, with plenty of big hits, nice plays and overzealous security guards.  

“First day in pads, I was happy with the intensity,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. ”Pretty physical today, a lot of hitting. I was pleased with it.”

In early 11-on-11 drills, QB Kevin Riley had a lot of running plays but looked sharp with some of his throws. Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney alos took snaps and had to deal with more pressure from the defense, but overall didn’t look too bad considering it was just the third day of spring ball. Riley said he was already starting to feel comfortable with new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig.

With Jahvid Best still nursing a foot injury, tailback Shane Vereen got several reps and found a few holes. Kevin Lewis, the former DB, showed some explosiveness when he was able to get into space. Tedford said Lewis obviously still has to learn some things on offense, but was impressed with his quickness and his ball-catching ability.  

The defense made some nice plays as well with a few interceptions and even a sack, something that’s usually verboten in practice, as Trevor Guyton and Ernest Owusu corralled Sweeney. Nobody was hurt. Syd Thompson also came up and had a couple of big hits at the line of scrimmage.

The team is off for spring break until March 31. Your boy, J.O., will be back then to fill you in on all the details. I have a feeling he’ll post some items next week, though. He just can’t help himself.

- Curtis Pashelka

Today’s story on Allison Stokke has produced a significant amount of reaction from readers. Some believe the story just adds to the problem, that it simply increases the amount of unwanted attention she is getting.

Believe me, don’t think that didn’t cross my mind as I worked on the story.

I knew there would be some people out there that would be interested in googling her name or finding her pictures on the internet after reading the story. I wish that wasn’t the case but I know it is. But I hope the majority of our readers will interpret the story for what it is — the university that we cover is welcoming this high-profile athlete on campus, and how the situation is being handled.

As our Cal beat writer, I didn’t feel like I could ignore Stokke’s impending arrival on campus. For better or worse, she has some name recognition now, just like Natalie Coughlin and Leon Powe did when they got to Cal. The reason for her celebrity is both unique and disturbing, and I didn’t treat that cavalierly.

While one could make the argument that the story will bring Stokke more undesired attention, could it also serve some good? Perhaps stories like this will make people more aware of the pitfalls of the internet, so the next Allison Stokke won’t be subjected to it.

I don’t want our readers to think that we decided to do this story without any thought of the implications. I acknowledged my concern about the potential negative ramifications with my editors and we discussed it. But as a newspaper, it is our job to report what is newsworthy. We arguably cover Cal athletics as thoroughly as anyone, and the fact that Stokke is coming to Cal is a significant story.

Perhaps the reaction would have been less had we not run any photos of Stokke, or not as big. But as our sports editor Tom Barnidge points out, it wouldn’t make sense to not run a photo when a big part of the story is how Stokke’s looks has attracted such a following. And I didn’t think it was a photo that was in poor taste or was manipulated somehow. It was simply a shot from her at the state track meet in Sacramento a couple of weeks ago, where, by the way, anybody could have attended and seen her for themselves. In fact, the state track meet is attended by thousands every year.

For the record, I did have a brief conversation with Stokke’s father, Allan. He told me that he isn’t really worried about Allison; just that the experience has been a “nuisance,” in his words. He was well-aware that I was working on this story and even helped me by explaining how he contacted Cal in preparation for Allison’s arrival. Granted, he still probably would have preffered the story not be done. But he also seemed to understand that I had a job to do, especially when I explained that I cover Cal and was more interested in writing from that perspective — what will it be like when she gets on campus.

Other stories that have been written have gone much deeper into the specifics of the internet exploits of Stokke. My intent was to give some general background but focus on the Cal side of things. You’ll notice that the only quotes in the story are from Cal folks.

I hope this story will promote sympathy and awareness, not more Google searches. That was my intent, at least.

Jonathan

I have to admit, when Cal’s baseball players told me a month ago that they thought they could still make the NCAA Tournament, I was rolling my eyes on the inside. But here we are with one weekend left, and the Bears actually are in position to get an at-large berth. They’re in the conversation now by winning their last five games, a streak that started with a blowout of nationally ranked UCLA. This team’s success depends on getting strong pitching from others in addition to ace Tyson Ross, who has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the country.

Cal is all alone in fourth place in the Pac-10, and if the Bears finish strong this weekend at Washington, they should get a bid. It would be sweet redemption for the upperclassmen that were snubbed in 2005, when Cal thought it had a bid wrapped up and somehow was left out of the field.

Cal plays Washington tonight, Saturday and Sunday. The selections are revealed Monday.

Cal’s softball team was hoping the clean slate of the NCAA Tournament would be a chance to show that it is better its record indicates, but all it did was demonstrate what the regular season told us — that the Bears were a borderline NCAA Tournament team.

Cal did have a good win on the first day against Florida State on Friday, but losses to Tennessee Tech and 11th-seeded and host Alabama on Saturday ended the season. It marked the first time since 1998 the Bears haven’t advanced past the first weekend of the tourney.

Cal ended the season at 34-32, its fewest wins since 1987. The question is whether the Bears will bounce back and return to their usual level of national prominence next season. With only one departing senior and seven freshman, experience will certainly help. Cal will need improvement from sophomore Lauren Frankiewicz and freshmen Marissa Drewrey and Brittany LaRosa on the mound, where the Bears ranked last in the Pac-10 in ERA. More help may be on the way in high school standout Valerie Arioto from Pleasanton, who has signed to come to Cal next year.

Cal’s softball team had eight wins over nationally ranked teams during the regular season, but none was bigger than Saturday’s 4-2 victory over No. 20 Oregon at Levine-Fricke Field. The Bears entered the weekend in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985, and they were crushed in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday. Even though Cal had one of toughest schedules in the country, it was only 32-30 heading into Saturday. A 32-31 record and losses in their final four games may have made it hard for the NCAA selection committee to grant the Bears a bid. But not only did Cal stop the bleeding, it did so against another top 25 team.

Now, Cal will enter the NCAA Tournament in an unfamiliar role — as longshots to make a deep run. Most Cal teams are expected to be serious contenders for the Women’s College World Series. This year’s team, with only one senior and an inexperienced pitching staff, will be tournament underdogs,

Cal gets it going Friday against Florida State at the University of Alabama. It’s a four-team, double-elimination regional, with the winner moving on to the Super Regionals. Alabama and Tennesee Tech are the other teams in the regional.