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Mystery Solved: Pac-10 playing with its eyes closed

By Joel Hollingsworth

After the game, the blog Cal Golden Bears [ED not Cal ifornia Golden Bear Football News, who was, like the rest of the Cal fans, gracious in both anticipation and defeat] left this comment on Rocky Top Talk:

Yes, congratulations to Claussen and Coach Cut for cheating.  They couldn't beat Cal the old fashioned way so they had to steal signals, how nice.

Well, there you have it.  Recognizing what the defense is doing is "cheating."  Maybe the rest of the conferences should follow the Pac-10's lead and ignore the other team's signals.  Maybe we should ignore the other team completely and just run our plays.  Better yet, we ought to just run our plays with our eyes closed to avoid any appearance of impropriety.  We certainly don't want an unfair advantage or anything.

To his credit, another visiting Cal fan, Austin Bear, called Cal Golden Bears Football out, saying:

Dear Anonymous,

As a die-hard Cal fan. Let me be the first to say - sour grapes, dude.

And let me take this opportunity to give Austin Bear the most gracious loser of the week award.  He actually made a point to come over here and eat crow with all of us watching.  He was also extraordinarily complimentary of his trip to Knoxville:

Thanks for all your hospitality, Knoxville. Everyone was very gracious (As I expected. You see, my mom is from TN). I've always wanted to see a game there  and it lived-up to the hype. Loudest place I've ever seen a college football game.

. . . .

I'm glad I made the trip.  What a great experience.

On a similar note, Go Bears posted the following over at Yard Barker:

My trip to Knoxville, TN for this past weekend's showdown of two ranked teams was one of the most enjoyable, yet frustrating experiences of my life.

. . . .

My experience however, was one of overall enjoyment. Don't get me wrong, I hated watching my team and school go down in a flame of embarrassment, but there is something to be said about Neyland Stadium and its 106,009 occupants. There is something to be said for the tradition of SEC football and southern hospitality, because it all exists in abundance in Knoxville. Although pummeled on the field, the home fans were more than gracious for our journeying all across America to see the game, and even before the game were offering drinks and hospitality all around. I like to talk smack with the best of them, but I really enjoyed having a congenial talk with local Tennessee fans, commenting about the nuances of the game and the southern experience. I wish good luck to the Vols and their fans this year, but that will end when we get our revenge next year in Berkeley, when UT gets a whiff of the west coast air.

Austin Bear and Go Bears, thanks for visiting.  Good luck the rest of the year.

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