Greetings from Memorial Stadium

Just got inside California Memorial Stadium, everybody. It’s always a great scene here in Berkeley. A cluster of fans starting to gather on Tightwad Hill, the small mountain next to the stadium that gives fans a great look at the game. The fraternity houses were rocking around College Avenue and surrounding streets. There is a little bit of a fog covering the top of the surrounding hills, and temperatures may dip to around 50 degrees later tonight.

I wanted to thank everyone for sending e-mails about restaurants and nightspots in Berkeley. I hit a bunch last night, including Henry’s, Jupiter, Beckett’s Irish Pub and, one of my favorites, the Bear’s Lair Pub, which was overflowing with youthful exuberance.

Inside the restroom at Henry’s, the bathroom facilities are painted the color of Cal’s rival, Stanford, complete with a picture of the Stanford tree and everything. One Maryland fan told me Bentley’s should do the same with its restrooms, only in the colors of the Duke Blue Devils.

I encountered a decent number of Maryland fans last night. The large majority of California fans did not think this would be much of a game, and they were hungry for revenge after last year's Maryland win. But I must say, what most people wanted to talk about was The Punch that occurred in the Boise State-Oregon game on Thursday.