Recap of Fall Practice thus far:
- Our senior Tight End has chosen not to play.
- Our returning Fullback has left for medical reasons
- The new Tight End was a linebacker last season.
- The returning O-line is learning a new blocking system.
- Everyone is Injured. (Ok, not everyone, but a lot of defensive starters)
I'm angry at Harbaugh -- this was going to be a tough season for the team, and instead of working with the players 100% of the time, He has spent time antagonizing other teams and then spent more time responding to the Michigan issue and grandstanding in the spotlight. Shouldn't he be on the field, instead of on the phone to ESPN?
The recap above shows how difficult it will be to protect TCO this year. As his friend, I really hope that TCO gets a minor sprain or light injury before the USC game -- he shouldn't be on the field, Maybe Harbaugh can squeeze back into uniform so he actually has to back what he says.
He may look like Tom Cruise and he is "writing checks his body can't cash", too bad the boys on the field will be "cashing" in on his statements. He didn't recruit the current players, but he should treat them with more respect than just fodder for other teams until "his team" comes in.
GO CARDINAL. BEAT CAL.

ADDITONAL UPDATES:
- Bradford out with knee tendonitis questionable for opener.
- Stanford also suffered a major blow on the defensive line when sophomore tackle Sione Fua left for a two-year Mormon mission.
and whats the deal with "mandatory" game attendance over the season for us to become eligible for big game tickets?

For me, simply seeing the name Jim Harbaugh reminds me of the days when I lived in the same dormitory as this "Michigan Man" and had the opportunity to see that (even as a teenager) he was anything but what names like Gerald Ford, Bo Schembechler, Todd Harmon, and others have embodied for my alma mater. During his stay in the slightly less than hallowed halls of South Quad, Jim Harbaugh distingushed himself as the most ego-centric and arrogant individual I have ever had the bad fortune to meet.
This Big Man on Campus built his reputation early. During his first two years in South Quad Harbaugh was directly involved in several assaults on fellow students. Fights instigated either by him directly or his testosterone addled buddies - one time blue chip field goal kicker Pat or Dan who eventually lost his Michigan scholarship over one of these incidents and wound up as a back-up QB at Rice ... at least until he was seriously injured during a brawl at his parent's home that ended his illustrious career after he threw someone through their living room window during a summer party. One of the most egregious examples of Harbaugh's lack of character is evidenced by his regular practice of throwing full containers of Dannon yogurt taken from the training table in the dorm's cafeteria out an open window at the end of the hall on the upper most floor of the building. When challenged by one of the students as to why he was tossing yogurt out of the window of the 8th floor of the building - only to have these containers explode on dented cars parked below - Gentleman Jim responded "$%#@ you, I am practicing my throwing arm".

We beat USC WITH ENTHUSIASM UNKNOWN TO MANKIND!!!!!!!
WE MAY EVEN BEAT CAL.
regarding "stop making excuses," it is important to note that even since the mid-90's, the game has changed A LOT.
The best players, quite frankly, have 900 or 1000 SAT Scores. There's no way around it. It is not "making excuses" or "whining" when the fact of the matter is that the best players have SAT scores that make them ineligible to play for Stanford. Unless a bunch of 5-star recruits one year will miraculously have teh grades/scores to get in, there is no foreseeable end to this dilemma.
The days of a national merit scholar being on a football team isn't over. The days of a national merit scholar outperforming Terrell Owens or Randy Moss, however, is long gone.