Saturday was the odd home football opener for the California Golden Bears. Odd, because the team had opened on September 3 against Fresno State — but that game at Candlestick Park counted as a neutral site. Odd, as well, because it was the team’s first of the season at its temporary home at AT&T Park. And odd, finally, because it was a quixotic game against the nearly unknown Presbyterian Blue Hose (unsurprisingly, the Bears ran out the 63-12 victors).
As Berkeleysider Andy Fremder noted when he sent the photo above to us, AT&T Park is pretty constrained for football: just look at the end zone crammed against the outfield wall.
There were also plenty of empty seats, which presumably will be filled when the Bears return on October 13 to play conference rival USC.
Just outside the ballpark, another Cal contest took place in McCovey Cove. Crowds heading to the football game took in the unusual pre-game sight of the first-ever water polo match in McCovey Cove.
The Cal men’s water polo team was busy at a tournament in Stockton, but the alumni water polo team played Olympic Club. It was a regulation 25-yard length “pool” and the referee was stationed in a speedboat.
The photo, left, was sent in by citizen reporter Doug Smith.
