Tuesday Big Game Quotes

The San Jose Merc:

Monday, at the Big Game media luncheon in San Francisco, there was the same brave chatter about what a close rivalry this is.

``It's always been a hard-fought, close game,'' Jeff Tedford said, with a straight face.

Not exactly, Coach.

While it's true that only 23 points separate the schools after 108 meetings, Tedford is doing his best to change that. The margin was much closer a year ago -- only one point separated them after 107 games.

``If you look at the series the last four years, it's always very, very close,'' Tedford said.

Absolutely. That is if you're talking about at kickoff.

The Bootleg (via the Bear Insider)

This, fellow Cardinalmaniacs™, is exactly why I believe that we not only have a chance this Big Game Week to reverse the tide and shock the world, but that the chance is much greater than any of us might have even realized. Really. I'm serious.

C'mon, the numbers are on our side. It's too weird the way we've been sucker-punched, pimp-slapped, cheap-tricked and banana-peel skidded at the hands of these guys. Like they have the original deed to The Farm. The one with Leland's and Jane's fountain-pen signatures. Cal's been working us like rubes at the State Fair in Sacramento, skinning us at three-card Monty. Walking around with a “I'm-a-Dork” sign they taped on our backs and a “kick-me” yellow sticky on our rear-end. And don't even talk to me about the toilet paper dragging from our shoe. Yeah, they put THAT there, too.

[snip]

I remember last Big Game Weekend, only too well. And now, it's payback time! Call me nuts, call me deluded, call me anything. But you may be calling me “Nostradamus” because I will not budge from my prediction this week: We smoke the Aggies tomorrow night.

note: the farm plays UC Davis in basketball tonight.

Entering Enemy Territory

Slow week for Big Game news, so I stumbled upon a few sites - first, the stanfurd sapling has a blog...good for a few chuckles if you have the stomach for it.

Also, the stanfurd alumni magazine has a couple of articles - Pack Mentality - about college rivalries, especially Big Game. The author interviewed Jeff Tedford:

As I got up to leave, the Cal coach motioned to the black leather couch along the front wall of his small office. On the cushion nearest the door lay a stack of gray T-shirts that said “California Football.” Would I like one? Tedford asked.

“No,” I said. “I can’t take it.”

“Oh,” he replied. “Do you have some sort of rule against that?”

Tedford probably assumed my employer prohibits the taking of freebies. But that was not the rule I cited. Twenty-five years after graduating from Stanford, professional pride took a powder. My response came from someplace other than my mind, as if my body was responding to invasion by bad shellfish.

“Yeah, I do,” said Mr. Professional Journalist. “I went to Stanford, and I don’t wear anything that says ‘Cal’ on it.”

Tedford, God bless him, responded with a laugh. Out the door I went, leaving behind a little dignity and an extra-large T-shirt.

The alumni magazine also has an "exclusive" - a former dollie talks about Big Game:

As a Dollie, did you encounter any abuse from Cal students?
During half-time of a basketball game at Cal, Oskie [SIC] made some extremely offensive gestures toward the five of us. It was really appalling. I mean, we all know the Tree would never publicly exhibit inappropriate behavior.

Now you know why they're still called dollies.

Tedford - the All-Knowing Bear

For those of you who missed these two installments of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine last week:

November 10
November 11

The creator is from the Class of '89. Go Bears!

Hat tip - G2 '85