Cal to cut baseball, gymnastics and lacrosse
By Matt Krupnick
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 09/28/2010 12:30:33 PM PDT
Updated: 09/28/2010 12:36:31 PM PDT


BERKELEY -- UC Berkeley will eliminate its baseball, men's and women's gymnastics and women's lacrosse teams after this year and will stop fully funding the national-champion men's rugby team.

The move, announced today, is part of the school's attempt to trim a nearly $13 million athletics-department deficit. The cuts will save $4 million in 2011-12, the school said.

The decision will affect 163 athletes, and 13 coaches will lose their jobs. University leaders hope to lower the department deficit to $5 million by 2014, a number Chancellor Robert Birgeneau has called acceptable.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/rss/ci_1...ck_check=1

Congrats you won the national championship! Here's your prize, your school cut your program.... WTF??

This is just a scare tactic. There is no way in blazes that a Pac-10 school would ever cut baseball. Baseball? Come'on.

FIUFan -- I think this decision has already been made and the discussion is over. I think this current academic year (July 2010-June 2011) is the last go around for those particular sports at Cal-Berkeley.

I think other California universities in the next 10 years or so will have to make similarly painful cuts. I expect that San Jose State and San Diego State will both have to cut way back on their athletic programs, too, namely football.

California is financially screwed in a number of areas. Education is one of the largest.

wow, that is big.

(09-29-2010 09:04 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  This is just a scare tactic. There is no way in blazes that a Pac-10 school would ever cut baseball. Baseball? Come'on.

There is precedent. Oregon, which started baseball in 1906, dropped the program after the 1981 season. The program returned in 2009.

Pac-10 newbie Colorado cut baseball -- along with wrestling, men's and women's gymnastics, men's swimming, and women's swimming and diving -- on June 11, 1980. There was talk this summer about bringing back baseball when CU announced it would join the Pac-10.

Did you guys read the whole article or just the piece that 'Wolf cut in?

I can see them cutting gymnastics (men's and women's) as only one other PAC school, Stanford, participates. But baseball? With a 120 year tradition? This was a recommendation by a panel (of Professors and Alumni; i'm sure friendly) back in July to cut 5 to 7 athletic programs. These board members are trying to influence the entire countries 'arm race' in athletics by their decision to take this draconian action and cut baseball and their highly successful Rugby squad.

It was announced that Cal will play baseball through the 2011 season (if they were serious they'd cut the program today). These administrators are also angry at the athletic departments lack of transparency in the way they report revenue...they claim that athletics 'always wants more and more' from the school. It's a ploy to leverage the A.D. into being more forthcoming. Bunch of pencil necks throwing their weight around, thinking they can influence the entire country by their grandstanding.

It's a shame to cut baseball especially when they are still over the minimum level of sports req'd at level.

What kind of sorry program at the D1 level, outside the snow/rust belt, doesn't sponsor baseball?!? :muttering:

Baseball ought to be one of the top three or four must have sports to be considered a real athletic program, IMO.

Also surprised at cutting back funding on a great, great rugby program.

I'm glad to see someone (while its likely a political ploy) in this country STOP spending beyond their means. Maybe Americans are getting the message that they don't need a Hollywood lifestyle to live the "American Dream".