... didn't win the game, the players did. Just another excuse to engage in irresponsible behavior."

If you don't understand why fans get excited when their teams win, I certainly can't explain it to you. Doing so, however, doesn't necessarily mean they are engaging in "irresponsible behavior" -- there is nothing inherently wrong with joining in the joy of victory.

>> BTW: When I played, our coach always told us that if we made
>> a good play or scored, to act like we had done it before and
>> expected to do it again and just get on with the game.

I do agree with that philosophy and was taught the same by my coaches. The classy teams today (and yes, there are some) still do the same.

>> It was a team game not a collection of "showboats".

Ditto that. The best football teams today, college and pro, are still the ones which play as a "team". Furthermore, most of the kids who play the college game are every bit as respectful of the game as were the players of our generation.

Next year, Cal is going to have a very good team. I will once again buy season tickets and travel to a number of the away games. I fully expect to be going to another bowl game (can you smell the roses? ). I will share in the excitement and enjoy myself, even though I am well past my athletic prime. And, I will do all this without feeling any need to apologize for doing so.

Go Bears!!

----- jim o\-S