Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Comedians in cars getting coffee, who knew?


Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld / Two comedians, a classic Porsche,
getting coffee, looking happy, being funny.

Jerry Seinfeld has been a comedian his whole adult life. He's one of the best when it comes to the art of observational humor, whether talking about personal relationships or the nuances of uncomfortable social obligations.

We loved Jerry in Seinfeld. Still do. Just about anywhere in the country on any given night, thanks to cable and syndication, we can still watch Seinfeld reruns on TV.

Now, the 59-year-old Seinfeld, who is best known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the hit NBC sitcom Seinfeld, which spanned 180 episodes over nine seasons from 1989-98, has taken on a new adventure: The Internet. By showing the other side of the comedy world, something he feels talk shows and interviews can't or don't let you see, Seinfeld has created an internet-based comedy show, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. The series is broadcast on the Internet and it premiered on July 19, 2012. The show is supported by digital network Crackle, Sony's online-video site. The show's Facebook page has generated over 196,000 likes.

The third season of this American web series debuted earlier this month and it can be seen by anyone, anywhere with access to the internet, and on any web-enabled device. And, don't worry, the language is family friendly.

Episodes of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee vary in length -- "whatever feels right", says Seinfeld -- and some of the cars featured are the comedian's while others are on loan or wherever he can find them. All of them have offbeat appeal. Each episode, which is shot using DSLR and interior-mounted Go-Pro cameras, follows the premise of Seinfeld introducing a vintage car, then picking up his guest comedian in that vintage car and, finally, taking them out to have coffee or dine in a restaurant. 

Seinfeld tries to relate each car he selects to his guest and, thus far, it's made for some interesting shows. The very first episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee featured Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, in "Larry Eats a Pancake," and it included this backhanded, post-Seinfeld compliment deadpanned by David: "You have finally done the show about nothing."


Sometimes, episodes diverge from the show's format, such as the time when Michael Richards (Kramer on Seinfeld), implored Seinfeld to venture onto a side street while driving in a 1962 Volkswagen Bus. Or, when Seinfeld was asked by comic legend Carl Reiner to join him for dinner with another comic legend Mel Brooks. (That episode featured both a 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II and a 1970 Porsche 911S.)

"It's a show about trust," says Daily Show host Jon Stewart.

Thus far, the list of comedians in cars getting coffee with Seinfeld is impressive and definitely A-List: Ricky Gervais, Sarah Silverman, David Letterman, Don Rickles and Chris Rock. Some episodes are set in Los Angeles, others in New York City. The first season ran 10 episodes and last season there were six. Each episode lasts between 12 to 20 minutes and all of them can be found on the show's website. So, it definitely invites binge viewing if you love watching Seinfeld or you're new to this comedy treasure trove.

In the first episode of the current six-episode season, comedian Louis C.K., who can be currently seen in both Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and the Academy Award-nominated comedy American Hustle, rode around New York City with Seinfeld in a small-but-flimsy, two-cylinder Fiat Jolly with wicker seats. According to Seinfeld: "For some reason, Fiat Jollys are really popular for people to go to boats or beaches. And since I knew he was going to take me out on his boat, I thought this was a good choice."

Not only did Louis C.K. take Jerry out for a spin on his boat down the Hudson River, they sipped cappuccinos from an on-board Nespresso machine after surviving the streets of New York in what one critic dubbed the Fiat Jolly as a "coral orange death wagon." It prompted this exchange between the two comedians:

Louis C.K.: "My ass hurts a lot."
Seinfeld: "From the wicker?"
Louis C.K.: "I hope so."

In the next episode, Seinfeld chose a 1981 DeLorean for his ride with stand-up comedian and social media critic Patton Oswalt. "I picked the DeLorean for Patton because he is a devotee of crap pop culture. The DeLorean is a great example of that."

Then, Jerry picked up Tonight Show host Jay Leno -- himself an avid car collector -- in a vintage 1949 Porsche 356/2. "Jay agreed to have his very first cup of coffee with me on the show and so I thought the very first Porsche made sense," said Seinfield.

In last week's episode ("So You're Mellow and Tense?"), Seinfeld and New York stand-up comedian Todd Berry are seen driving through Manhattan in a sporty red 1966 MGB convertible. They wind up cruising to the Coney Island amusement park, where they enjoy a Nathan's Famous Hot Dog, before winding up at Everyman Espresso after detouring to Staten Island.

Soon after its 2012 debut, Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote about the show: "The (series segments)... are presented in a clean, elegant template with a studiously casual pencil-drawn logo. And the filming and editing are, if you break them down, impressively complex and artful for a Web series."

If Seinfeld was indeed a show about nothing, then Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee is a show about something: the art of conversation. It's a gathering of Jerry and his friends, going for a cup of coffee, driving in cool old cars, sharing stories all the way. Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee has an amusing charm and we're along for the laughs.

• • •

A postscript: The new episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee debuted on Jan. 30, featuring Jerry Seinfeld in a witty and pleasant conversation with 30 Rock creator and former Saturday Night Live star Tina Fey talking about cronuts, drinking coffee, discussing wheat puff milk shakes and their kids, and riding around Manhattan in a 1967 Volvo 1800S.

Editor's note: A new season (the sixth) will debut on June 4, 2015. Among the season's guests are Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the star of "Veep"; Stephen Colbert, formerly of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report", who will replace David Letterman as host of CBS' "The Late Show" later this year; HBO's "Real Time" host Bill Maher; and actor/comedian Jim Carrey.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

2013 ~ My Year in Pictures



Most of you who follow A Tuesday Night Memo or are friends of mine on Facebook know this about me: I'm an avid photographer. 

I make it a habit to bring my camera (a Canon PowerShot A570 IS) with me wherever I go or travel. And, thanks to getting an iPhone three years ago, I now have two sources for shooting photographs.

As taking pictures has matured from film to digital, photography has become an easier and more affordable hobby. No longer do I have to buy and store film or worry about whether the roll of film I just shot of the Eiffel Tower or the Tower of London Bridge is in focus or not.

After becoming a digital photographer about 10 years ago, it allowed me to become my own editor.  So, if I'm not happy with a picture, I can delete it and re-shoot it, then edit it for clarity. Thanks to social media sites like Facebook, uploading and sharing photos with a large group of friends has become fast and simple -- and, for me personally, it's become a daily exercise in sharing my photography with others through my timeline: "It's what's on my mind."

Each year, I take more than a thousand photographs of people, places and things. In revisiting the photo albums I've shot over the past 12 months, I've pulled together a group of photos that I'm pretty excited about. They cover a variety of things important and interesting to me: Flowers and nature, sports, music and the urban landscapes of cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. 

You may recognize some of these photos from appearing on my Facebook page or in my blog. Click on each photograph to see them enlarged.

I hope you enjoy the exhibit and I welcome your thoughts.

Cheers and Happy 2014!


I took this photograph inside of Haas Pavilion during a University of
California, Berkeley women's basketball against Oregon last February.
That's Eliza Pierre (No. 4 in gold) guarding an Oregon opponent.

The magnificent beauty of a California redwood tree,
which I photographed on the grounds of St. Clement's
Episcopal Church in Berkeley last May.

A giant diaper pin sculpture by Claes Oldenburg sits inside the garden
of the de Young Fine Arts Museum. I took this photograph last January.

The central fountain in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park located
near the de Young Fine Arts Museum and the California Academy of
Sciences. Much to my surprise, there was a a gull sitting atop the
fountain when I took this photograph last January.

Sharing the beauty of one of our calla lilies, taken last April.

We have a raised iris bed in our backyard garden
and each April our irises come to life, standing tall.

Sharing the beauty of a rainbow colored rose from our
backyard garden, taken during the beginning of November.

A plate of poutine -- French fries topped with mushroom gravy and
 cheese curds, enjoyed at Beauty's Bagel Shop in Oakland.

A bowl of Three Twins vanilla and dulce de leche
ice cream and shortbread cookie from Comal,
in downtown Berkeley.

A window display of Chuck Taylor All-Stars on the Third Street
Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif., taken last July.

The Central Garden at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, taken in July.
It's a wonderful experience of sights, sounds and scents.

Sharing the beauty of a Mr. Lincoln red rose,
taken in our backyard garden last May.

I met John Lewis, American civil rights leader and
U.S. congressman, at a book signing event last June
at the American Library Association conference
 in Chicago.

The Cloud Gate, a 110-ton elliptical sculpture forged of a seamless
series of stainless steel plates, created by British artist Anish Kapoor.
It reflects the Chicago skyline and the clouds above as seen from
Millennium Park. I took this photograph on the Fourth of July.

The Stars and Stripes is draped over the side of the
Wrigley Building facing the Chicago River. I took
this photograph while walking across the Wabash
Avenue Bridge heading towards the Loop in Chicago.

A view of San Francisco's Alcatraz Island as seen through a
"closed window" inside the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion.

The beauty of a tall tree on the grounds of
San Francisco's Golden Gate Park last summer.

Inside Shakespeare Garden in San Francisco's
Golden Gate Park, taken in August.

Sharing the beauty of one of our Queen Elizabeth roses
from our backyard garden, taken last September.

Our alliums bloom during the summer months in
our front yard and share a garden bed with
our Japanese maple tree.

Seattle's iconic Space Needle was built for the
1962 World's Fair. I took this photograph last
September while attending Bumbershoot, Seattle's
annual music and arts festival. 

Enjoying the eclectic blues music of Duke Robillard last September
at the Bumbershoot music and arts festival in Seattle.

My season ticket to the University of California,
Berkeley's womens' volleyball matches always
provides a great view of photographing
the action on the court.

The Rotante Dal Foro Centrale, a bronze sphere by Italian sculptor
Arnaldo Pomodoro. It sits near the western entrance of the University
of California, Berkeley campus.

Enjoying Los Lobos with guest Boz Scaggs at last October's
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival at San Francisco's
Golden Gate Park.

A view of the central spire atop San Francisco's
Grace Cathedral, taken last August. It looks like
the spire is touching the clouds above.

The beauty of an August full moon -- a "blue moon."
I took this photograph standing on on our deck.

Guardian dog sculpture inside SFO's Terminal 3,
 inspired by Japanese folk toys.

A chilly but sunny Thanksgiving Day afternoon at Lakeview Park,
Albert Lea, Minnesota.

On a November Sunday morning, I came upon three
turkeys just minding their business up the hill from
my residence.

Colorful Christmas tree inside the Fairmont Hotel,
atop San Francisco's Nob Hill.

Graced With Light, a ribbon installation project by
artist-in-residence Anne Patterson, inside
San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. I took this
photograph during Advent season.

The lovely beauty of a February sunset over San Francisco
as photographed from Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus.


All photographs by Michael Dickens, copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

A New Year's resolution: Read more books!


Reflections from a bookstore window /
 The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle.

So many books ... so little time, reads the slogan printed on one of my tattered navy-colored t-shirts. It's a well-worn one that I bought a few years ago from The Elliott Bay Book Company, one of my favorite independent bookstores, located in Seattle.

As the middle of January approaches, many of us -- including yours truly -- are still drawing a list of New Year's resolutions. 

One of my resolutions for 2014 is to read more. Oh, sure, I stay abreast of current events by reading The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle, both in print and online, on a daily basis, and I enjoy giving a good read to the Life & Arts section of the Financial Times of London each weekend.

And, of course, there's always perusing my Facebook newsfeed, too, to stay current on what's trending.

But, what about books, you might ask? Yes, books, remember them? Before Twitter, before Facebook, before texting sapped all of our intellectual energy, there were books.

Looking back on 2013, I can say with pride that I made better use of my Oakland Public Library card than ever before. I checked out several books at our local branch library. I've learned that if you're willing to wait for a popular best-seller to become available, checking out library books is a good way to save money (and, I might add, bookshelf space) while also showing support for one's local public library.

Watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report regularly, I find both shows to be good barometers about good books to read -- and Stewart, especially, is one of the best interviewers on TV and always brings out the best in authors. You can judge by Stewart's interest in a book if it is worth reading. 

With kudos to Stewart, among the books which I checked out from my local public library last year -- and read cover to cover -- were:

Fawzia Koofi:
"As you grow older
you will learn
about loyalty."
• Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter by the American sportswriter, novelist and NPR commentator Frank Deford.

• The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future by the Afghan politician and women's rights activist Fawzia Koofi. 

• Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by the highly successful American pro basketball coach Phil Jackson.

• Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography by the American journalist Richard Rodriguez.

Currently, I am ploughing my way through the 468-page Cooked: A Natural Transformation by the American author, journalist, activist and academic Michael Pollan.

I tend to favor non-fiction over fiction books. One thing that unites my list of books I read last year is a spiritual quality found in each of them. For instance:

In Darling, Richard Rodriguez, who is considered one of the most prominent Hispanic essayists in America, speaks out of an illumination of the “desert God” of Judaism, Christianity and Islam — a divinity that “demands acknowledgment within emptiness”, wrote The New York Times in its Sunday Book Review section last fall. And, for Rodriguez, who is gay, it extends to a more personal history, too: the ways in which he has resisted, and felt himself resisted by, the Roman Catholic Church.

In Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter, The New York Times wrote of Frank Deford: "His work has helped shape our contemporary view of sports as an enterprise populated not by sublime gods, untouchable athletes, heroes and goats, but by beings recognizable as men and women."

Meanwhile, in Fawzia Koofi's memoir, The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future, written to her daughters, she explores the complexities of Afghan society and Islam and her determination to become an educated woman and live in freedom despite constant threats on her life by Islamic extremists.

Eleven Rings:
The Soul of Success
Finally, there's plenty to absorb in Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, and Phil Jackson quotes from the Grateful Dead, William James, Thelonius Monk, Abraham Maslow and Lao-Tzu, among many. The book reflects Jackson's polymathy. "In the space of a page, he toggles from psychotherapy to Native American customs to Christianity to Buddhism and back to 'two recent studies published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology'," The New York Times wrote in its review of the book.

As my time allows, this year I would love to go back and catch up with some of my favorite authors like Calvin Trillin (Alice, Let's Eat), Roger Angell (The Summer Game) and Michael Lewis (Moneyball). While I've read many of the books written by Trillin, Angell and Lewis -- all of them wonderful American authors -- I haven't read them all!

Also, I would love to tackle the intellect of the likes of Malcolm Gladwell and the literary brilliance of Stephen Fry and Nick Hornby.

Add to that, I've always been intrigued by the late Eudora Welty, the American author of short stories and novels about the American South, and would love to make the time to read one of her short story collections.

If I can average to read a book a month in 2014 -- 12 by the end of the year -- I'll be happy and, I'm sure, feel enriched by the experience. 

Indeed, so many books ... so little time.

Photo of Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, by Michael Dickens, copyright 2013.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Cal women's basketball: The kids are alright


This is Cal basketball /
Lindsay Gottlieb (center) surrounded by her 2013-14 team.

"Never a dull moment" is how Lindsay Gottlieb, head coach of the University of California, Berkeley women's basketball team, summed up her team's 101-98 overtime victory over Oregon University on Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.

This is Cal basketball and, so far, it's been a season filled with bright moments and promises of future greatness orchestrated by the young and cerebral Gottlieb, 36, an Ivy League-educated (Brown) and self-described "basketball nerd," who is a believer in strong personal connections with her players and enjoys communicating with fans via social media (her Twitter handle is @CalCoachG).

Indeed, there's never a dull moment following Cal women's basketball. The Bears have become a nationally-recognized team through social media and by appearing often on both ESPN and the Pac-12 Network. They have fun off the court while also keeping their focus on the court. And, they count the best-selling author Michael Lewis (Moneyball) and the hip-hop music artist 50 Cent among their fans.

Their latest victory improved the Golden Bears' record to 10-3 in this still young 2013-14 season (2-0 in the Pac-12 Conference), and Sunday's contest was the highest-scoring women's game in Haas Pavilion history, both for Cal as well as the combined score of 199 points.

Against Cal, Oregon fired up 101 shots in their run-and-gun attack designed by former NBA coach Paul Westhead, 74, who once guided the L.A. Lakers (1979-81) back in the days of Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Many of those 101 shots taken by the Ducks -- most of them from perimeter range -- went swish through the basket.

Reshanda Gray lunges off balance
for a second-half lay up against
Oregon on Sunday afternoon.
Fortunately for the Bears, junior forward/center Reshanda Gray scored a career-high 33 points, including 24 in the second half, to go with 13 rebounds, two assists and a steal before fouling out during the overtime period. Not bad when you consider that she hit just 2 of 7 attempts in the first half and couldn't buy a basket.

"I could have shut down in the first half when I was missing shots," said Gray, who before the game was presented with a plaque for her participation in leading the U.S. to a gold medal in last summer's World University Games in Kazan, Russia.

"Reshanda is so good and I tell her every second that she can be better," said Gottlieb, during her post-game interview. "So at half time I really got into her, not for missing layups but for not being as confident and finishing as she could, and look what she did! She turned around and put up incredible numbers."

Gray added: "It means a lot. It definitely wouldn't happen without my teammates."

Or without the support of Coach G.

After the game, Gottlieb tweeted: "Career high for this kid, love the smile the most."

On a Sunday afternoon filled with lots of smiles, my wife and I sat in the same lucky seats (Section 9, Row CC, seats 23 and 24) as we did on Friday night when Cal beat Oregon State 72-63. We bought a five-game season ticket before the start of the season to support the team. However, we've had so much fun attending home games we've decided to go to all of them.

Coach Lindsay Gottlieb stands
for much of each game and isn't
afraid to turn a timeout into
a teaching moment.
After all, when you're just three rows from the court and sitting behind the baseline, not only are the sight lines excellent, you also hear the sound of the game -- the bounce of the basketball, the calling out of plays by Coach Gottlieb from the bench and the voices of the players, too. There's senior guard Mikayla Lyles, arguably the heart and soul of this year's team, yelling "Arms! Arms!" to her teammates, reminding them to keep their arms up when they're on defense. Meanwhile, on offense, Lyles contributed 12 points on dead-eye 4-for-4 shooting from beyond the three-point line against Oregon.

Buying into a "we" not "me" team concept, a variety of Cal players have stepped forward and provided valuable contributions that have enabled victories on the court.

On Sunday, it was Gray, who took control of her team's offense and made some key defensive plays, too. And, freshman forward Courtney Range rose to the occasion by scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, both career bests.

Two nights earlier against Oregon State, it was junior guard Brittany Boyd, who knocked in 25 points (13 above her average) from both inside and outside the paint. She added seven rebounds and seven assists for one of her most complete efforts of the season.

Hind Ben Abdelkader sinks one of
her six three-point baskets against
Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 15.
A few weeks before that, it was Belgian freshman guard Hind (rhymes with wind) Ben Abdelkader, who shot out the lights against Cal State Bakersfield with an 18-point performance that included making six of nine three-point field goals, a best for her brief collegiate career. It earned the trilingual Ben Abdelkader (she's fluent in French, Dutch and English) the nickname La Bombe Belge ("The Belgian Bomber") from San Francisco Chronicle basketball writer John Crumpacker.

Throughout the season, the Bears have garnered steady play and leadership from senior guard/forward Afure Jemerigbe, who is averaging 10.9 points per game, and Sunday afternoon was notable because preseason All-America forward Gennifer Brandon, out since Nov. 15 because of unspecified personal reasons, returned to the team and provided spark off the bench. In just 22 minutes, the 6-foot-2 senior known for her colorfully-braided hair and friendly demeanor, scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds. Brandon earned one of the day's biggest ovations from the Haas Pavilion crowd of 2,071 when she entered the contest after 6:38 had been played, and her game-tying basket with 4:33 left in the first half made her the 24th player in team history to score 1,000 points for a career.

In the second half against Oregon, Cal went on a 21-11 run to go ahead 72-61. However, the Ducks' scrappy defense allowed them to climb back in the game and send it into overtime at 88-all. Fortunately for the Bears, Boyd broke a 96-96 tie and scored her team's final five points on a basket and three free throws in the last 43 seconds of the contest to secure the win.

"I think we learned a lot about this team this weekend," Gottlieb told the Chronicle after Sunday's victory. "That resilience was a trademark of our team last year, and now we know it's a trademark of our program."

• • • • •


Last year was a breakout year for the Cal women's basketball team. On the court, the Bears won their first Pac-12 Conference title (sharing it with Stanford) en route to a 30-plus-win season and they earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, led by senior Layshia Clarendon. Off the court, they launched their own website This Is Cal Basketball, which goes well beyond the Xs and Os of the game and been updated for this season. It's a rare opportunity for fans to learn about the lives of the Cal players away from the court -- what's important to each of them personally and as student-athletes -- and to realize up close that they're a wonderful group of young and mature adults who just happen to share the same zest for fun and success as Gottlieb, their passionate coach and mentor, on the court.

Peaking at the right time last season, Cal went on a four-game winning streak and won the Spokane Regional with an exciting 65-62 overtime victory over Georgia to gain a berth in the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, a school first. Clarendon scored 25 points in the region final and played all 45 minutes.  She and her teammates even starred in their own music video "Started from the Bottom." Suddenly, the Bears became the media darlings of the postseason and everyone wanted to write their story.

"My philosophy in general is that college athletics should be an enjoyable experience for the people involved in it," said Gottlieb, a native of Scarsdale, N.Y., during last season's journey to the Final Four. "I think you have to embrace this team's nature of being fun-loving. You have to empower them to enjoy the experience. I can do that because I'm so confident in their focus. They're creative, and they're smart kids. If anything, I think that when they're happier and enjoying it, they're more likely to play hard and play well."

In the national semifinals against fifth-seeded Louisville, after controlling the first half with good shooting and rebounding, Cal lost its ability to score and to control the boards. Their shots stopped going in. The Bears lost 64-57 to a better team in Louisville. Their wonderful 32-4 season had ended abruptly and seemed unfinished. However, even in defeat, the foundation for future success had been molded.

• • • • •

The Bears drew a record 10,771 fans to Haas Pavilion
for their home game against No. 2 Duke on Nov. 11.

To prepare for this season, Cal made an overseas trip to China last August that gave the team valuable game experience and enabled them to bond together in a unique environment. Then, Gottlieb went out and scheduled pre-conference games against the two top teams in the country: No. 1 Connecticut and No. 2 Duke. Both games were nationally televised by the ESPN networks. And, although the Bears lost both games (by 33 points to UConn and by 12 to Duke), it gave them a sense of where they stood on the court and what they needed to do to improve. Against Duke, they drew their biggest home crowd ever at Haas Pavilion with 10,771 fans.

The Bears, who are 7-1 at Haas Pavilion (with an average attendance of 2,873 fans per game), hit the road for their next four games starting Friday at Colorado. Their national ranking has improved to No. 19 as they've put together a three-game winning streak since losing against UConn in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York last month.

With a conference title to defend and expectations of returning to the Final Four, the bar has been set high for the rest of the season for Cal. Gottlieb and her players wouldn't want it any other way. And, if last weekend's games are any indication, there won't be any dull moments, either. After all, this is Cal basketball -- and, these kids are alright.

A postscript: On Friday night, No. 19 Cal overcame a 10-point deficit twice in the second half and took the lead with just seven seconds left in the game on an Afure Jemerigbe layup for a come-from-behind 57-55 victory over No. 17 Colorado University in Boulder, Colo. The win keeps the Bears' (11-3, 3-0 conference) Pac-12 regular season winning streak alive at 18 consecutive games.

After the game, Coach Lindsay Gottlieb tweeted: "There's something special about a group of young people who refuse to give in. We make lots of mistakes, but we have warriors and that's cool."

Then, on Sunday afternoon, the Bears beat Utah 68-59 to remain unbeaten in Pac-12 play (4-0, 12-3 overall) as Brittany Boyd scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to go along with four assists and three steals.

Cal team photograph and video courtesy of Calbears.com and thisiscalbasketball.com.
All other photographs by Michael Dickens, copyright 2013, 2014.