Jan 15 2009
Bears success will be tested against Stanford
For those of you looking for a preview to the action coming this Saturday when the Cal Bears travel across the bay to take on their hated rival Stanford, check out my piece over at the Cal Bears Examiner. If you’re a Bear fan, I think that you’ll like my final conclusion.
The Bears will be attempting to do something that they’ve only been able to do once in their past 15 attempts - win at Maples Pavilion. You would think that winning on the road is more difficult due to the travel that’s required, but for this road game the Bears don’t travel that far.
Unfortunately for Cal, the result is nearly the same as if they’d traveled 10,000 miles to reach the contest.
This year, it could be very different. I hate to bring this up and jinx the team, but these Bears are pretty good. So good, that if they were able to win this game at Stanford and sweep the Oregon’s in their next two games, you’d have to consider them as a very possible Pac-10 champion.
Jerome Randle continues to impress, even with his tough outings in Washington. Patrick Christopher has held the title of Pac-10 Player of the Week for two weeks in a row. Theo Robertson is still the top three-point shooter in the country. So what else do the Bears need to do to be taken seriously?
Nothing. Well, O.K., not necessarily nothing. They will have to continue doing what they’ve been doing and also strive to get better. The quickest way to a collapse is to stop striving for perfection.
Now that the Bears are ranked, and playing like they should be, going to Maples Pavilion doesn’t seem like a death-wish to the season anymore. While all of the media is focusing on Mike Montgomery’s return , the Bears will need to maintain their focus on the task that lies ahead - winning.
Until they win their next three games, even fans of the Bears will be uneasy believing they are for real. Even if they aren’t the real deal, it’s been fun thinking they could be.
Next game info:
California Golden Bears at Stanford Cardinal
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009
Location: Stanford, Calif.
Time: 5:00 p.m. PST
Coverage
TV: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
Radio: KYOU (1550 AM)
