Why this stuff matters, kinda

Wanted to share a short timeline from 2006, a timeline that means absolutely nothing except to us here at SCF but one in which every Cal fan probably could relate to.

November 2006: Just one win away from the big one, Cal fans pile into cars, trucks and whatever else and drive down I-5 to watch their team walk out of the L.A. Coliseum with a victory over USC to clinch the most satisfying trip to the Rose Bowl ever. The guys here at SCF were part of the thousands that made the trek down to Los Angeles. Here is a G-rated version of what happened:

Friday, 7 p.m. - Walk into a random In N' Out somewhere in the middle of Cow Country only to find the place filled with rowdy Cal fans. A constant wave of "Go Bears" chants ensues amidst waiting in the long ass line as tourists look on in disbelief.

7:09 p.m. - Member of SCF almost gets beaten up in In N' Out bathroom by fellow Cal fan for picking USC to win in the Daily Cal's "One for the Roses" issue the day before.

7:44 p.m. - The moment where the whole car (minus the driver of course) realizes that In N' Out and cheap vodka probably don't go together too well.

9:30 p.m. - The eight of us pile into the glamorous hotel room that's supposed to fit two members of the Cal support staff (don't ask).

Cal fans shared a lot of smiles with Jeff Tedford over the years

9:36 p.m. - One of the professional beat writers covering Cal from a local major paper joins the crowd to turn the eight to nine.

9:45 p.m. - King's Cup anyone?


9:50 p.m. - Awkward question ensues.

10:20 p.m. - Taxi to USC campus to party.

10:40 p.m. - Realizes no one knows where they are going.

10:50 p.m. - Spots four random guys in UCLA gear walking around and taunting USC fans.

10:51 p.m. - Follow the random guys.

11:05 p.m. - Somehow end up in a frat house.

Saturday, 2 a.m. - Get back to hotel.

4:30 a.m. - Group finally gets to sleep.

6 a.m. - A member of the crew wakes everyone up because College GameDay is On!!!!

6:02 a.m. - Room is pissed at said person.

10 a.m. - Arrive at USC campus.

Noon - Decide to walk to other side of campus to check out beginning of USC-Cal water polo match.

12:20 p.m. - Realizes that match started three hours ago.

2 p.m. - Knows Cal is doomed after another member of SCF decides to buy Roses.

3 p.m. - Catch the end of No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 Ohio State (or was it the other way around?)

8 p.m. - The fog rolls in.

8:15 p.m. - Steve Smith smokes Dante Hughes on 4th-and-2 ... dagger.

9:15 p.m. - Pissed off faces.

9:30 p.m. - Member of SCF bangs on window of KFC because he mad, sad, and hungry and wants crispy chicken fingers.

9:35 p.m. - KFC is closed so group heads to McDonalds.

9:36 p.m. - Same member who wanted KFC strongly calls for Norm Chow to replace Jeff Tedford as head coach (yes, he really did).

10 p.m. - 10 a.m. - Sheer chaos ensues and no one knows why. From sleeping like a homeless person on a bench in the middle of South Central for the night, to making five trips back-and-forth to Westwood, to having an extra $1.15 in his pocket to get to the airport or else be stuck in the cab for all eternity, group gets split up and later realizes stuff like that probably happens because eight 21-year olds are pissed and miles away from home.

One week later: Right back cheering on Cal to stomp Stanford in the Big Game.

At the end of the day, little road trips like the one above is why it's so fun to have a winning football program that competes for championships. Sure, actually winning a title once every 50 years or so is nice, but the memories that come from rooting for a team to succeed is priceless.

Bottom line, Saturdays are much more enjoyable when Cal football is actually good at football.

Having said that:

Sports writing can be a funny business. Through all the questions and quotes, discerning discord and daunting deadlines, we (meaning sports writers) build a bond with the subjects we choose to write about on a daily basis. That bond is usually temporary, fleeting in its business-like manner, but legitimate nonetheless and often memorable. When a coach stays at one place for more than 10 years, those feelings get exemplified. Between the five of us here at SCF, we've covered the Cal football team under some capacity for 13 years (most of which overlapping). Through those days and weeks and many, many treks up Memorial Stadium, I think it's safe to say we've built a certain appreciation for the work that members of the program put in -- work that can't quite be appreciated in the same manner that a "normal" Cal fanatic might.

So when the time comes to tell the head coach that he's not good enough anymore to lead the program to the goals that have been set, we tend to unceremoniously run through the gauntlet of emotions. We experienced it when Ben Braun was let go and we are certainly experiencing it now.

College football is a cutthroat business and Cal fans are experiencing it first hand today. After 80-plus wins, two Pac-10 coach of the year honors, Pac-10 co-conference champs in 2006, and countless memories for Blue & Gold fans, the Cal administration decided it was time to relieve Jeff Tedford of his duties as head coach of the football program. And you know what? It was the right move. To say that the program has been stale lately is a understatement. I don't really know what happened to the Cal football program these last couple years and I don't think anyone will ever really know.

The reasons for keeping and letting Coach Tedford go were explained very well by my friends below so I won't write much about the debate anymore. I'll just say for the record one final time that Jeff Tedford was exactly what the Golden Bears needed in 2001 and someone who reminded us (the Cal fans) how great college football can be.

Thanks for the memories, Coach Tedford.