Stanford-Cal Rivalry Heats Up?
By: David | March 30th, 2009No, were’ not talking about how the Cal Bears got tossed from the NCAA Tournament last night while the Stanford Cardinal plays on – in the Bears’ Haas Pavilion no less!
No, we’ve got ourselves a little cross-bay controversy brewing right here on the The Offside FC Gold Pride blog! It’s East Bay versus South Bay; Bears against the Cardinal; Pride versus the no-longer-Proud … and they haven’t even played a game yet.
… Dare I call it a Cat Fight? 
Whatever it is, it’s brewing right here in the comments section of the weblog.
It started innocently enough last week, when I posted a little perspective on the latest players cut from the team March 23: “This especially sucks for Tracy Hamm, because she was one of the first players under contract, and also attended the Team’s name unveiling back in November.” Hamm, of course, played soccer for UC Berkeley.
Then the team announced it had retained newly re-christened developmental player Marisa Abegg, late of Stanford University.
And all-out pandemonium ensued, including several folks berating the Pride (and its older matriarchs) for cutting Hamm and Jill Oakes. Even the FC Gold Pride General Manager Ilisa Kessler showed up to add a little fuel to the fire (signed on as “fcgpgm”), and pointing out that Cal’s Kimberly Yokers is still on the roster.
And when I contacted Kessler to confirm she was the one, she offered a little more food for thought:
Yes it is me. You can quote this if you want a response.
Passion can’t be persuaded so I don’t think I can say anything to make those fans or ex-fans happy. This is professional sports and we will make some unpopular decisions. It wasn’t personal – all of the women who tried out are great people. When you spend the time to sign a player, the intention is not for them to be cut. I’m just glad people are talking about us and have an opinion. It’s great for the sport of soccer.
And so the battle has been rejoined! Discuss.
Full Disclosure: I attended one of the schools in question … And this week, I’ve been the primary twitterer behind the @fcGoldPride official Twitter ID (which will include gameday updates).
And since the Pride still have one “developmental player” slot open, I’m thinking Jayne Appel would be a good choice.
Too bad she’s not available this weekend.
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Category: Gold Pride Team News
Tags: Gold Pride Team News, Ilisa Kessler, Jane Appel, Jill Oakes, Kimberly Yokers, Marisa Abegg, Tracy HammSubscribe
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Comments
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I actually think of the base case situation as a Cal-Stanford rivalry, but I think other readers have agreed with me that this is a cylinder problem with the Pride’s front office engine. The engine exhaust, in addition to cylinder and horsepower issues, tends to be a bit red/crimson in hue. Too bad. At issue for me was/is the way in which Tracy Hamm and Jill Oakes were treated, essentially cast out late in the campaign to make room for the more, shall we say, mature ballers? The point is simply that mature ballers who have been in this sport for the better part of 25 or 30 years need to step aside to let the real athletes and talent step up and play. You won’t sell tickets watching old fogies play a slow, sloppy and uninspired game.
That said, one thing you and I apparently agree on is Jayne Appel. Another fine East Bay product I must say.
Speaking of mature ballers , I would have to say the Sol-Freedom clash was not exactly a showcase of WPS’s veteran talent. In the end, while veteran poise is important, this is a sport where superior athleticism and tip top condition are rewarded. Only time will tell if the Pride GM’s rose-colored glasses saw something special. I think they saw what they wanted to see – first year ticket and promotion cash.
Oh, and, I did not attend Cal but I do appreciate real talent when I see it.
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