[Farm93]

To me, it's analogous to the situation on the academic side of things.  A long while back, a friend of the family had a child who wanted to tour Berkeley as a potential applicant, and I went along on the campus tour.  It was amazing how often the tour guide made comparisons with Stanford: the Campanile tower is taller than Hoover, the library has ### more books than Stanford, etc., etc.  The only time I heard about Berkeley on a Stanford tour was when they took folks by the Axe in its old location in Tressider.

I never understood that about their tour.  In 1988 I came to the SF area to visit my top 2 choices.  After one hour I left the UCB campus with the realization that I would still apply to UCB.  It just became my new 5th choice.

For years, I would walk around that campus with great fondness.  This is where I discovered that Stanford had a baseball program...that just beat UCB on the way to the 1988 CWS title.  This is where I discovered that Stanford had almost as many Nobel prize winners despite having a student count that was a mere fraction of the UCB total .  On and on.  To this day, when I get to the UCB campus I am so filled with joy because it was during that tour that I discovered that Stanford must be a wonderful place.  I really had no idea prior to that tour.  Two days later I went on the Stanford tour and then I knew for sure.  But I proudly tell everyone that the UCB tour was where I discovered that Stanford was the place to be for me.

It was unquestionably the most important tour of my life.  Pretty amazed they have not mandated a change to the tour's theme over the last 25 years.  But hey, to this day I recommend that people take the UC tour BEFORE they apply to UCB even if they don't want to go to Stanford.  A lot of those kids have come back to me and mentioned that they have decided to make UCLA their top UC choice.

It really is that eye opening.

[Farm93]

To me, it's analogous to the situation on the academic side of things.  A long while back, a friend of the family had a child who wanted to tour Berkeley as a potential applicant, and I went along on the campus tour.  It was amazing how often the tour guide made comparisons with Stanford: the Campanile tower is taller than Hoover, the library has ### more books than Stanford, etc., etc.  The only time I heard about Berkeley on a Stanford tour was when they took folks by the Axe in its old location in Tressider.

I never understood that about their tour.  In 1988 I came to the SF area to visit my top 2 choices.  After one hour I left the UCB campus with the realization that I would still apply to UCB.  It just became my new 5th choice.

For years, I would walk around that campus with great fondness.  This is where I discovered that Stanford had a baseball program...that just beat UCB on the way to the 1988 CWS title.  This is where I discovered that Stanford had almost as many Nobel prize winners despite having a student count that was a mere fraction of the UCB total .  On and on.  To this day, when I get to the UCB campus I am so filled with joy because it was during that tour that I discovered that Stanford must be a wonderful place.  I really had no idea prior to that tour.  Two days later I went on the Stanford tour and then I knew for sure.  But I proudly tell everyone that the UCB tour was where I discovered that Stanford was the place to be for me.

It was unquestionably the most important tour of my life.  Pretty amazed they have not mandated a change to the tour's theme over the last 25 years.  But hey, to this day I recommend that people take the UC tour BEFORE they apply to UCB even if they don't want to go to Stanford.  A lot of those kids have come back to me and mentioned that they have decided to make UCLA their top UC choice.

It really is that eye opening.

[yvonne]

By all means, before we go all highbrow and strategic in our idea of who we should hate ,  DO go to the BI thread about the Dying Rivalry mentioned above ( http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?88721-Dying-Rivalry )  read just the first page of Bare comments.  Then come back and tell us how those sumbitches ain't our real rivals.  Every damned one of them got pimpslapped for five years straight and deserve another 50 more.

59er insider is a weird place. They equate rivalry with enmity. In the past, they were aghast, for example, that the Stanford bookstore could sell the House Divided license plate frames and flags, or that one of them was able to go jogging by the dish while wearing a Kal t-shirt and not get accosted. One of our honorable heathen was  harassed for posting here and not trolling.

[yvonne]

By all means, before we go all highbrow and strategic in our idea of who we should hate ,  DO go to the BI thread about the Dying Rivalry mentioned above ( http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread.php?88721-Dying-Rivalry )  read just the first page of Bare comments.  Then come back and tell us how those sumbitches ain't our real rivals.  Every damned one of them got pimpslapped for five years straight and deserve another 50 more.

59er insider is a weird place. They equate rivalry with enmity. In the past, they were aghast, for example, that the Stanford bookstore could sell the House Divided license plate frames and flags, or that one of them was able to go jogging by the dish while wearing a Kal t-shirt and not get accosted. One of our honorable heathen was  harassed for posting here and not trolling.

[Mick]

In 2011, my 7 year old son has the pleasure of being called foul names by drunken jerk for wearing a red shirt (note: he was also proudly wearing a Kal jacket sweater to show his aunt and uncle that he supports them also). I hope your experience is representative of the overall fanbase.

There's a discussion going on over at BI on whether the rivalry is dying: http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread...ng-Rivalry

The line and tone of discussion answers the question of why many Stanford fans are losing interest in the rivalry. There's so much vitriol and hatred by so many in the blue and gold and a general lack of respect, that I can't stomach it. In grad school, I made what I thought was a friendly jab at UCB to an alum during BG week, and he pulled out the big guns with every unfounded rumor or stereotype. It's just not fun for me anymore.

Seven years ago, my then-12 year old youngest son (wearing a Stanford volleyball shirt) was on the receiving end of enthusiastic cursing by a drunken 21 year old kal student at our local street fair.  To be fair...(a) My son was about five inches taller than the kal student and (b) after I calmly and methodically explained to the kal student his misperception and error, he did, in fact apologize and said nice things about Stanford.  Then, the earth stopped spinning on its axis...

[Mick]

In 2011, my 7 year old son has the pleasure of being called foul names by drunken jerk for wearing a red shirt (note: he was also proudly wearing a Kal jacket sweater to show his aunt and uncle that he supports them also). I hope your experience is representative of the overall fanbase.

There's a discussion going on over at BI on whether the rivalry is dying: http://bearinsider.com/forums/showthread...ng-Rivalry

The line and tone of discussion answers the question of why many Stanford fans are losing interest in the rivalry. There's so much vitriol and hatred by so many in the blue and gold and a general lack of respect, that I can't stomach it. In grad school, I made what I thought was a friendly jab at UCB to an alum during BG week, and he pulled out the big guns with every unfounded rumor or stereotype. It's just not fun for me anymore.

Seven years ago, my then-12 year old youngest son (wearing a Stanford volleyball shirt) was on the receiving end of enthusiastic cursing by a drunken 21 year old kal student at our local street fair.  To be fair...(a) My son was about five inches taller than the kal student and (b) after I calmly and methodically explained to the kal student his misperception and error, he did, in fact apologize and said nice things about Stanford.  Then, the earth stopped spinning on its axis...