Cal fans couldn’t contain their excitement for the first-ever visit of ESPN’s “College GameDay” ahead of the Golden Bears’ first home ACC clash, breaking through the gates around Memorial Glade on campus before the official opening. 

Video shared on social media showed the chaos that ensued early Saturday morning. 

“The Cal crowd waiting in line for College GameDay has broken through the gates before the official opening,” Avinash Kunnath of “Write For California” wrote in a post on X. 

“Complete chaos in Berkeley. There is not enough security to organize the crowd.” 

Kunnath shared a second video showing a “second wave” of fans breaking through the fences, estimating the crowd size to be in the “thousands” at around midnight. 

The California Golden Bears student section prior to a game between the UC Davis Aggies and the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2024, in Berkeley, California.  (Thien-An Truong/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

CAM NEWTON ADDRESSES ‘AWKWARD’ INTERACTION WITH COLORADO’S SHEDEUR SANDERS: ‘IT WAS CONTENTIOUS’

The Bears will host No. 8-ranked Miami in a rare trip for the Hurricanes. In their only previous visit to Berkeley in 1990, Miami won 52-24. They beat Nebraska in the Rose Bowl to claim the 2001 national championship and are 2-1 in road games against San Diego State.

“This is an amazing opportunity,” Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza said. “Opportunities like this don’t come often, especially with all the bells and whistles of ‘GameDay’ coming and Miami being a top-10 team in the nation.”

California Golden Bears running back Jaydn Ott (1) is tackled by Auburn Tigers safety Sylvester Smith (19) during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium.  (John Reed-Imagn Images)

A win for Cal would mark the team’s first ACC win in their first home game in their new conference. Cal also seeks its first win against a ranked team since beating No. 21 Oregon in 2020.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Now that MLB and the National Baseball Hall of Fame have successfully banned Pete Rose from the Hall of Fame for the length of his life, it’s time for all parties involved to do the right thing: Induct Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame.

Bob Oh
Sylmar

::

The irony of A.J. Hinch being eligible to manage in the AL playoffs on the day Pete Rose’s obituary appears. How could baseball’s greatest position player be benched by the National Baseball Hall of Fame guardians while this ethics barbarian walks through the gate?

Rob Bryant
Huntington Beach

::

So sad to hear about the recent passing of baseball’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose. “Charlie Hustle” was one of a kind and exemplified how the game of baseball was to be played on the field. It was unfortunate he was banned for life relating to his gambling issues. Isn’t it ironic how much public sports betting is now encouraged via various betting sites and even advertised at ballparks. Since he is no longer physically with us, I propose the National Baseball Hall of Fame committee and MLB take the necessary steps to enshrine this great ballplayer into the Hall of Fame posthumously. It’s where he belongs.

Dennis Lifton
Cypress

::

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is for on-field achievements, not for choir boys. Ask Ty Cobb. Pete Rose belongs there.

Andrew Sacks
Riverside

::

Pete Rose did some bad things, and I understand his ban from baseball. That said, every time I see batters stand still after Ball 4, shed their armor, then jog to first base, I miss Rose a little more.

Hans Ghaffari
Encino

::

Shame on the National Baseball Hall of Fame! Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame as a baseball player. The Hall of Fame is a museum. The Hall of Fame is also independent of Major League Baseball. At any time they could have voted him in. They could then write on his plaque the good, bad and ugly of his career.

Steve Shaevel
Woodland Hills

If Aaron Judge is the New York Yankees’ Superman, the Kansas City Royals may believe that they have his kryptonite in Michael Wacha, their Game 1 starter in the American League Division Series.

Judge has just one hit (a single) in 18 career at-bats (.056) vs. Wacha, a righty veteran. It’s Judge’s lowest career batting average vs. any pitcher he’s faced at least that many times.

Over that span, Judge has nabbed three walks but has also recorded 11 strikeouts. His only hit against Wacha came last season when Wacha was pitching for the San Diego Padres in a game at Yankee Stadium. Judge crushed a 114.1 mph line drive to left field in a 2-1 count on a 91-mph fastball left dangling over the heart of the plate.

What’s the deal with Wacha getting the better of Judge to date?

The Yankees don’t see it as that big of a problem.

“I’ll chalk this up to small sample and I’ll take Aaron Judge against just about anyone on any day,” manager Aaron Boone said.

“He’s a good pitcher, right?” hitting coach James Rowson said. “He can mix it up. He’s got experience.”

Aaron Boone on the Royals. pic.twitter.com/eu8GC3Wot8

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 3, 2024

If the Yankees hope to reach their first World Series since 2009, they’re going to need a lot of help from Judge, who will likely run away with this year’s American League MVP award. He led the league in home runs (58), RBI (144), walks (133), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701) and OPS (1.159). And he did it all while playing out of position in center field and leading a Yankees clubhouse in his second season as team captain.

Meanwhile, Wacha, 33, had another strong season. In 29 starts, he went 13-8 with a 3.35 ERA.

He didn’t face Judge this season, but Wacha surely knows he’s had Judge’s number.

“Probably luck,” Wacha said, laughing, according to a report from The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner in 2022. “I know he’s hit some balls hard off of me. He doesn’t have much to show for that.”

Wacha wasn’t wrong.

Of Judge’s 10 batted balls against Wacha, three of them have gone for more than 100 mph, including a 118.6 mph grounder that resulted in a double play. Judge has an average exit velocity of 94.5 mph against Wacha, just below his career average of 95.7 mph.

Wacha’s attack features one of the best changeups in the game. This season, it’s accounted for 32.2 percent of his pitches — more than any of the other five pitches he throws. Opponents had just a .169 average and a 34.1 percent whiff rate against his changeup. Judge, conversely, faced changeups 10.5 percent of the time and he had only a .229 average against them.(he still slugged .625 against the pitch).

Michael Wacha, Filthy 83mph Changeup. 😷 pic.twitter.com/lOP7rI39zR

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 24, 2024

Boone had high praise for Wacha.

“(He’s) a tough customer,” the manager said. “He’s always pitched us tough. We know we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Judge homered in five consecutive games before ending his regular season with a five-strikeout game against rookie Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game No. 161.

“I see him in a great spot,” Rowson said. “Anybody is going to have some tough days in this game, but I think this season speaks for itself. I think what he’s able to do this year is something that we haven’t seen from a right-handed hitter maybe in the history of the game in terms of what he’s been able to do. So I love where he’s at.”

And Rowson said he thinks Judge won’t take his past against Wacha into Saturday.

“I look at this matchup coming up like — it’s a different game,” the hitting coach said. “Now, it’s just one game at a time. There’s something to having a track record. Then there’s a statement of presence (and) staying in the moment that’s coming to us. I know that Judgey is going to be in the moment.”

(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)