The Hornet's nest is ok for basketball. A couple of minor annoyances.

One is that there's very little space to walk between the court and the seats on the home side. They make this announcement about staying off the court but it's impossible to do so if some idiot is standing. A number of seats and rows are not clearly labelled. And when going always spring for the more expensive seats because metal bleachers would actually be an upgrade to the GA seats. They're not so much seats. It's kind of like they said. "Hey let's make it look like we care about people who can't pay $15 for a seat by selling them tickets to sit on those poorly-designed wide steps we built into the wall for no reason."

An interesting case in basketball gyms would be UC Merced, which basically has a newish gym with only pull-out bleachers and not a lot of them, smaller capacity than your average HS probably. And it's just part of a multi-use P.E. building. And it's a nice-looking building from the exterior. I know UCM is only NAIA and they are not likely to ever be a big sports school. I just find it interesting that with the opportunity to build a state-of-the-art facility from scratch less expensively they decided to put the ceiling at HS gym, which is likely what their conference opponents have.

UC Merced is an interesting study. Their gym is a joke for the size of the campus - again not necessarily because their athletics team commands a facility of size but because any campus designed for 10,000 students should have the ability to host an event (not necessarily athletic) with more than a couple hundred attendees. UC Merced is approaching parity with Eastern Washington and Montana in size, though is unlikely to ever have that kind of sports following. My two cents is that it was the wrong location because there is not much to make it a destination, nor is it really that close to the valley population centers. The perception is that it is the repository for people not accepted to the other campuses, a distinction I'm sure Riverside was pleased to shed.

A huge problem with really all state property is that it gets built with one-time bond money but then has insufficient funding for maintenance and operations so the facilities degrade until really expensive renovations are needed. Turns out that paint, carpet cleaning, and toilet paper aren't sexy sells in Sacramento. Case and point is that the Rec Pool at Davis had to be completely bulldozed and replaced because ordinary routine maintenance was deferred so long that it became unrepairable. An odd take from a university so concerned about the environment they don't allow candy in the stadium (due to plastic waste), when in real terms the construction and demolition of structures typically has a greater carbon footprint than the lifetime operation. UC Merced is trying a new concept where the campus facilities are a public-private partnership and they have contracted a private firm to build, operate, and maintain the facilities for the next 35 years. I guess we will have to wait and see the results, but I am by default skeptical of schemes that promise more for less while also delivering profits for investors.

Yes, I also thought Merced was an unusual place to put a UC.

Just for fun I looked up their athletics page and noticed their men's basketball team was undefeated in 2021 (all the games played from March to April due to COVID-19). They went 9-0 combined against La Sierra University and Pacific Union College and that was it.

I have to wonder what they'll do if the university ever decides to add football or baseball. I guess they would squat at Merced College. Despite the fact I attended some summer classes at Merced College as a kid I don't believe I ever saw the Blue Devils' football or baseball fields in person. They would probably be adequate for NAIA. A baseball game at Merced College is on my short list of places to see a college game that I haven't done yet, with Stanford, Nevada, Cal Poly, San Diego State (or University of San Diego-but likely not both). Have been to all but Cal Poly, just no games.

Plenty of land. The primary goal of getting more Central Valley kids into a UC was mentioned several times. Then generic comments, not from officials, that the UC doesn't want to 'share' a city which already has a CSU campus, i.e. can't go to Fresno. I guess UC Table Mountain didn't sound right.

Bobcat athletics led by a man from UCD club sports.

No modest venue for concerts, graduation, & big games? ... I guess concerts are down and 'electric dance carnivals' with DJs and 80-90% on drugs are now the norm?

Merced just finished a new competition aquatic complex so I’d imagine swimming and water polo might be the next adds. I’d love more football in California because at that rate we leak players to other states there is clearly supply. But I don’t think the dollars will line up for that at Merced unless a billionaire type took it on as a vanity project - and so far they have cultivated the Gallo wine family as a major benefactor, so you never know. Not sure what the NAIA or D3 scene is but with zilch on the D2 stage the path to FCS is nonexistent not mention the title IX imbalance created for a small ICA program. You’d know better than me the baseball/softball scene. Not sure if demographics influence potential sports interest, but they differ from the other campuses in that it is substantially more Hispanic and has less than 1% out of state or international. They draw students roughly 25% from each of LA area, Bay Area, San Joaquin valley, and “other” parts of CA

Yeah, I get wanting to increase accessibility to valley students (which, let's be real is academic-speak for wanting to increase Hispanic enrollment). I think Fresno or Bakersfield area would have made more sense, even if you put it in a suburb like Clovis in order to not share a name. But even choosing Merced, they bought property where there isn't really the opportunity for a "college town" to spring up adjacent to campus, nor is there good access to 99. I had a friend who went there when it first opened and it was a pretty lonely outpost when I visited. The locals welcomed the idea of a university, but weren't as keen on a bunch of traffic headed down quiet rural roads.

Not sure I understand the part about EDM festivals. I would put a decline in concerts and live events on college campuses into three main drivers - 1. University facilities haven't kept up with what promoters are looking for to make a show profitable in terms of venue size and equipment, 2. Universities have become difficult to deal with because of red tape and to some degree the thought police wanting to moderate the show's content, and 3. The average age of show-goers is now mid-30s instead of college students. Hard to say if this is due to changing tastes or just that show tickets have gotten too expensive for students. Either way, universities have become more squeamish about encouraging non-affiliates to visit campus because they can really only police behavior that is illegal, whereas on students they can enforce made-up things like principles of community codes in their internal kangaroo courts.

I heard that UC got the Merced land donated free and clear and that was the main reason for the choice. Redding was also in the mix as I recall.

The land was owned by the Virginia Smith Trust, a charity providing college scholarships. The David and Lucille Packard Foundation donated $11M to UC to buy out the trust's land. The trust had operated a golf course on the part of the property where the University now sits. The original plan had been for 30,000 students and a neighboring village to be developed by the trust, but an endangered species was discovered on the property so development may be somewhat limited to the area previously disturbed by the golf course.

What ever happened to conserving precious fertile agriculture lands? Amazon and other warehouses aren't helping in Tracy and elsewhere. So considering these and previous points, Fresno, Bakersfield and other spots seem more logical.

Indeed land is a finite resource and the societal best use isn't always the most profitable use. While the campus probably isn't where I would have put it, it is what it is and I hope it can develop into something notable. I'm just not sure what its specialty is either academically or culturally. It's kind of just there. Maybe traditions and reputations were just easier to organically establish 100 years ago.

OK, this is hopelessly off the title of this thread, but I shall proceed. It has to do with Bears and Aggies. My wife and I sometimes go to the Black Bear restaurant to eat (highly recommend it) . I once said: “why Black Bear” wife (Berkeley grad) said, “obviously started by a Cal Bear guy.” I never questioned that statement. Today I go by myself to the local Black Bear for a sandwich. They have this funny newspaper type menu, but I read it waiting and learned: founder is not a Cal guy, but an Aggie! The “Black Bear” is not the Cal bear, but named after the bear mascot of the founders high school in Mt. Shasta. I should have known that my Cal wife’s info was bad, because the official state mascot of California (adopted as mascot by UCB back in the day) is the “California Grizzly Bear,” not a black bear. The california grizzly has been extinct for over 100 years now and I am tempted to ask my wife why Cal would still have a revered animal hunted to extinction by humans as a mascot, but I will not (at least Stanford got rid of the Red Indian Mascot before they went virtually extinct). I digress further by saying that I had Professor Tracy Storer as a zoology prof back in the day. What a guy! He wrote the book on the California Grizzly.

Maybe a Jurassic Park move can bring it back one day?

Yes! And guess who has more stuffed grizzly bears than anyone else? Trust me, it is not in the Black Bear chain. Berkeley do your great DNA stuff. Reinvent the grizzly! Just add the cost on to your football tickets.

Jurassic Park was far fetched in the 90s, though I think biotech is getting us closer, for better or worse. Just remember, nature always finds a way! I just looked at Black Bears website and it has become a big chain! I remember when it was just a handful of units mostly north of Sacramento. My only complaint about the Davis location is how busy it always is, for good reason. Tough to get a table on any sort of parents weekend. One of the few food spots in Davis that isn’t a pizza joint where I feel confident pronouncing all of the menu items.

If I remember the story correctly, the Black Bear founder worked at the Davis location when he was in school here. I want to say it was a sambo’s at the time but don’t quote me on that. So when Bakers Square was leaving the location he jumped at the chance to put a Black Bear there, sort of coming full circle for him.

I've had breakfast there once, it was OK. I wish more places didn't freeze everything. Texas Roadhouse BBQ figured it out - a full time baker & meat cutter at every location. Everything made fresh. (One in Tracy & Fairfield.)

I guess I haven't been in 10 years, but I remember their breakfasts being on par with diner food while their dinners were above average. Hard to beat the price-to-portion ratio when you're a weary traveler looking for simple, but I'll agree it's not the best place for a steak. I share your opinion that too many restaurants are too frozen. I don't even go to places like Chilis anymore (unless Mrs. Fugawe pushes the issue for the chips and margaritas) because they literally hawk their frozen dinners in the grocery store and it's the same thing. It's kind of a sad state of affairs that it turns out food quality is not a great predictor of success for a restaurant, while location, parking, speed of service, and consistency are. Arguably the Super Bird sandwich at Denny's is not great, but it has been extremely consistent across thousands of restaurants over multiple decades and people like that. And when my boss declares optional (read: mandatory) happy hour, they pick a place based on ample parking and willingness to do split checks, not food quality. I have a Texas Roadhouse I could walk to from my house. Never been, I'll have to try it at some point.

I have no take in either, but Texas Roadhouse & Krispy Krunchy (gas station) Chicken are awesome. TR offers you free out of the oven biscuits as you wait, and fall off the bone baby back ribs. My friend loves their steaks and modest pricing. I was impressed that an iceberg salad tasted so good... sourcing and salad dressing made on site? KKC pressure cooks their chicken w Cajun spices...also great regular & blueberry biscuits. Make sure to check online reviews, execution varies by location.

Do you like the Rivercat & San Jose Giants AAA facilities?

P.S. Davis has gas station Chinese food in South Davis. Decent and best price in town.

GoAgs I understand your frustration with the MLB rule changes, but why are BB fans so much more sensitive to them apparently than NFL/College FB fans? My grandfather would not recognize present day college football. He was an ardent Stanford fan in The sixties. Same time I parked cars at Stanford Stadium as a HS student fall job. We were let in for the fourth quarter for free. I cannot tell you how many tie games I witnessed and nobody cared. Back in those days if you tied USC it was a WIN! The goal posts were on the TD line. No offensive players and defensive players. Just a few of many changes. Hey, I remember John Brodie playing free safety and he was actually very good. That change to defensive/offensive players was a total game changer for the game of football. I don’t recall all that much fuss about it. Can you imagine if MLB tried to do the same thing to their sport. Anyway, there are purists in all sports and we need them. But there should be limits. Today’s news that a US woman’s sprinter was banned from the Olympics because she had minimal traces of marijuana (“a performance enhancing drug”??) in her system is just ridiculous imho. Back to the Black Bear: try their tri-tip sandwich. Nothing frozen there. Good price and Great!

I've never been to the SJ Giants facility so can't say much about it. Went to one game many years ago at (then) Raley Field. I remember it being pleasant for an evening game - a fun family atmosphere, good sightlines, and a decent BBQ on the berm. But I recall the "redcoats" they had running security and operations were obnoxious. They were also a problem for a few years at Toomey Field when Greg W hired them to replace students as ushers. I do think the placement of the stadium is odd. I guess it frames Tower Bridge from the press box, but it really kind of wastes the fact that it is waterfront property. A riverfront plaza would have made sense and maybe even a lagoon so the yacht crowd could sail to games. It followed an old trope that building a stadium in an impoverished or industrial area would revitalize the area and magically change the fortunes of nearby residents without displacing them. 20 years in and still waiting on those results. Build stadiums that host night games in neighborhoods where you would want to walk around at night. It appears Sutter Health recently bought the naming rights for an undisclosed sum probably in the $15-20M range as part of a national trend of hospitals and health systems getting involved in the sports business. Being a "non-profit" health system, I might have felt better about those millions going to lower medical bills or enhance patient care in a more direct way.

The San Jose Giants are the Giants' low Single-A affiliate. The Giants' organizational ladder looks like this:

Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A)
Richmond (VA) Flying Squirrels (Double-A)
Eugene Emeralds (High-A)
San Jose Giants (Low-A)
ACL Giants Orange (Rookie League in Scottsdale)
ACL Giants Black (Rookie League in Scottsdale)
DSL Giants (Rookie League in the Dominican Republic)

Generally speaking the further you go down in the org chart the younger the players are, the less in the way of fan amenities you'll see, and the smaller the stadium will be (In the case of the rookie leagues they often don't play in stadiums and if they do there are no amenities for fans) There's a wrinkle in this particular chart though because the Emeralds share U. of Oregon's PK Park which, having been built for college ball, has been deemed unsuitable for minor league ball after 2025. The Emeralds'old park burned down; I believe they said it was arson.

You asked fugawe about Excite Ballpark, where the San Jose Giants play. This is technically still on the original topic because San Jose State also plays there. I have seen 4 games there now.

The ballpark was built in the 1940's as a public works project, so it has a pleasant, old-timey feel to it. Despite being old it's actually aging quite a bit better than the Oakland Colliseum. Lots of old memorabilia throughout, like images of major league alumni. It's across the street from a few SJSU athletic facilities and right next to an ice rink.

It has I believe about a third the seating capacity of Raley Field. Maybe a bit less. No grass seating. In fact there's no outfield seating at all, as it only extends about as far down the lines as each dugout.

As far as fan amenities they do have a fun "beer batter" promotion and some other contests. Also they have a new, big, and clear video scoreboard.

I liked how close the seats were to the action.

There are a couple of things I didn't like. One of them is that there's not that much selection when it comes to concessions, and I didn't think the hot dogs were that great. There is a big BBQ area down the third base line called Turkey Mike's. I've never eaten there because I'm rarely hungry enough at the ballgame to want an entree and sides. I'm given to understand they close the BBQ area for SJSU games

The other thing I didn't care for was the wide aisles between sections with a lack of handrails- and deep steps like you have at Dobbins.

The stadium has a peculiar design feature in the seating bowl. There are bleachers and box seats, without any real physical separation between the two seating types. In normal non-COVId-19 times you could be sitting in a box seat at the end of a row and the person sitting in the adjacent seat would be on the bleachers.

Still, a fun place to watch a game. It's worth going at least once.

A fascinating story out of the WP today on what has happened to MLB since June 3 when MLB started enforcing the “no sticky stuff” rule. A lot. The WP analyzed 2 million pitches (mostly fast balls) and 1400 players in an agonizingly complex study (read: “the Bauer unit” equals the spin rate of the ball divided by the velocity of the pitch). Maybe only a story a baseball nerd would be able to understand, but interesting. Bauer unit on most pitchers is down significantly. “Contact rate” on 2 strike pitches up significantly. Strike outs down. One pitcher disabled due to trying too hard to compensate for the new rules. I’m thinking this might be a Moneyball sequel.

Moneyball sequel: “How The Stickyless Pitch Ruined Baseball.” Oh well, I never was good at jokes.