More fun with Fresno-tagged Flickr pics. I hope this family doesn't mind me stealing their family photo for some Norman Rockwell-esque holiday cheer:

Fresno blogger Timothy Yeager summed up the sinking feeling this Thanksgiving weekend, which he inevitably spent "watching the Fresno State Football team disappoint me yet again."

Like the salmon of Capistrano, it seems a given that the Bulldogs always return from a big win (or near-win over the No. 1 team in the country) only to fall on their face. Thankfully, we already accepted a Liberty Bowl invitation before losing to eff-ing Nevada. The pollsters also cut us some slack, dropping us only to No. 22 in the USA Today rankings, No. 23 on AP's list and No. 25 in the BCS. Not bad.

It must be Fresno Week for the national media: In addition to this weekend's USC-Bulldogs coverage, both the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post attempt to tackle all things Fresno.

In an excellent piece, the Sunday Times addresses the Fresno "Brain Drain" -- complete with quotes from Fresno Famous media mogul Jarah Euston and a front-page pic of her doing her best "Shawshank Redemption" pose. Nice work, guys! My other favorite part: The melancholy photo of FSU professor and empty-nester George Raney, who mournfully clutches a photo of his children. Hey LA Times, the kids aren't dead. They just moved.

The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports on Fresno's poverty problem today, making the town sound like a developing country in Central America. Too heavy-handed? Or right on?

A drive through south Fresno found streets with wilted, squat wooden and concrete houses, a handful of prostitutes standing dejectedly on corners, huddles of young men standing outside a weedy lot drinking beer and mothers with children, but few children playing on the streets.

...And we probably gave Reggie Bush the Heisman.

It was a bit heartbreaking to watch Fresno State's 50-42 loss to No. 1 USC, considering how many chances the Bulldogs had to take control. But hey, sh-t happens. And so do interceptions.

Of course, the Bulldogs can take solace that they scored more points against the Trojans than any other opponent during their 32 (er, 33) game winning streak, and that it required an amazing, 8-zillion-yard game from Reggie Bush to give USC the victory. For those of us who stayed up till 2:30 a.m. on the East Coast, and for the West Coasters who actually got the game on their TV, it proved that Fresno State is up there among the best teams in the nation right now. Whaddya think? Top 10?

And to the national media: The next time the Bulldogs play a big game, let's think of a new angle other than "blue-collar town pins hopes and dreams on college football team." That story's old.

This is it, you Trojan chumps. Tomorrow is USC-Fresno State, and just to get Bulldog fans nice and pumped up, here's former Bee columnist John Branch's sweet tribute in the NY Times, USA Today's excellent Alan Autry-Pete Carroll profile -- chronicling their cosmic UOP football connection -- and here's one final bit of trash-talking from SportsbyBrooks.com:

COVERED WAGON CONVOY: Fresno State Coach Pat Hill on KMPC-AM in Los Angeles on Fresno fan support this Saturday when the Bulldogs meet the Trojans: "We'll have more than 30,000 people in L.A. for that game and they only gave us 6,000 tickets."

With that in mind, Fresno State's visit is doubly good news for USC fans:

1) A big win for the Trojans over the Bulldogs.

2) Ticket shortfall for Fresno fans means USC alums also get low-cost landscaping work and paint touch-up on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Dr. Doom offers us some perspective: In January 1992 I heard the same trash talk by two people I worked with in Southern California before the Freedom Bowl. They kept calling us Tractor U, Plowboy State, and they said USC was going to run over Fresno State. Their prediction was USC 60, FSU 10. It was just like the prediction by The Sporting News: USC 50, Fresno State 20.

The final score, of course, was Fresno State 24, USC 7. They just crushed the No. 20 Trojans and scored 24 straight points. Do you think Coach Smith of the Trojans was laughing? Not quite: It cost him his coaching job at USC.

My prediction is a win for Fresno State. Final score: FSU 35, USC 21. Bye Bye, No. 1.

These folks have recently added Fresno tags to their Flickr photos:

Muchas gracias to our hosts, Alberto and Cecelia (second place winner in Santiago's Nike 10k race).

I'll be in another hemisphere for the next week, so feel free to entertain yourselves in the comments section until the next post, Nov. 16.

Meanwhile, the Fresno State-USC game is coming up soon… Nov. 19. And while it's never a good idea for Fresno State to start thinking ahead, Bulldog fans should feel free to do so anyway. The Bee is running a contest for readers to guess the final score, a few tickets are surfacing on craigslist, and to better know thy enemy, USC has several football podcasts circulating out there. It's like AM radio on your iPod!! Just what you always wanted!!!

L.A. artist and Fresno native Luke Chueh is blowing up these days. First, his work is featured in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, and now, in a true sign that he's "made it," his art is being bootlegged and sold on T-shirts in Japan. Per Chueh's announcement on his Web site: "Someone in Japan is Ripping Me Off. Please Don't Support This Asshole!" Here's what EW says:

"Like a cuddly Trojan horse, Chueh's work is pretty on the outside, but nice and macabre on the inside. It seems the 32-year-old Los Angeleno's cartoon animals are just as doomed as us humans -- and what's more disturbing than benign bears, bunnies, and monkeys in various states of death, dismemberment, and hopelessness? Unsettling, but then we'd heard it's not easy being green."

Lord praise stereogum, which has a leaked MP3 from Kevin Federline's debut rap album: "Y'all Ain't Ready." (Link updated.) So far, he hasn't name-dropped Fresno, but we anxiously await some hometown love.

The Internet critics are already shredding it, but c'mon people... this isn't much worse than most of the other commercial rap currently polluting radio. I say Bravo, Kevin. Now, give us a cover of Fugi's "Sity of Fresno" and you're guaranteed platinum.

T.O.D. is actually "Transit-Oriented Development," and the NY Times today reports on Del Mar Station, the new Pasadena development with 347 apartments sitting right next to the light-rail Gold Line. (Hey Fresno, pay attention.)

Designed by Stefanos Polyzoides, a leading proponent of the planning movement known as new urbanism, Del Mar Station is still under construction. But it is considered so promising that the developer, Urban Partners of Los Angeles, one of 11 companies that bid on the site, sold the complex this year for $134 million to Archstone-Smith, a real estate investment trust, after receiving an unsolicited offer.

This, of course, requires a city to build public light-rail transportation. Simply plopping a bus stop in front of an apartment complex just wouldn't have the same "new-urbanist" cool factor.

In more useless news today: For some deep insight into Fresyes's musical taste (let the curiosity kill you no longer), be sure to check out Bakersfield's finest blog, Waist High.

Dr. Doom's back with a Bulldogs update:

Okay here it is, folks, and don't laugh: Fresno State is now 6-1, 4-0 in league play, 21st in the nation according to AP -- and No. 24 in the BCS, the first time Fresno has ever cracked those rankings. (Last time we came close was 2001, when we were cursed with a Sports Illustrated cover and then screwed it all up with a loss to Boise.)

Back to the present day: When FSU showed up Saturday night for Hawaii at Aloha Stadium, the defense and special teams came to play. Offensively, FSU did have its running game working pretty well (nice work, Wendell Mathias), and QB Paul Pinegar threw for a couple touchdowns -- but for the most part, the offense was bland and uncreative.

Next in line for a total smashing is Dr. Doom's alma mater, San Jose State (1-7). FSU will probably score about 50 points just to keep their average up, and this will put Fresno at 7-1 going into Boise State.

Prediction: Fresno State University will end the season with an 11-1 record. Yeah, that's right: USC is going to take in the shorts when they play Fresno on Nov. 19. Fresno's defense will rise to the occasion and all cylinders will be clicking on the offense and special teams. End of USC as No. 1.

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