SB Nation User Blog: BruinFanBaby

Sporting News says UCLA is going bowling

BruinFanBaby — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:44:47 -0000

Sporting News says UCLA is going bowling

Sporting News has picked the matchups for all 34 bowl games this college football season, and it predicts that UCLA will be playing in the (drumroll please...) Sun Bowl against Pitt.

Notes on Rams WRs

BruinFanBaby — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:41:26 -0000

The Rams finished up their joint practices with the Titans on Thursday, and some interesting notes on the wide receivers -- easily one of the most intriguing positions to keep an eye on this fall -- came out of the sessions, via Bill Coats of the Around the Horns blog. First off, Drew Bennett had a less-than-impressive showing in the presence of his former team:

WR Drew Bennett had a rough day, with two outright drops and another ball that he should’ve caught in the end zone.

Bennett will be an important piece to the receiving corps this season, taking over for Bruce at the No.2 spot. We all know he was very uncomfortable in the slot last year, so hopefully he will feel more at home being the No.2. But it's not good to hear that he was dropping passes in camp. His numbers have dropped dramatically since he had his career year in 2004, and in order for him to come anywhere near that 1, 247 yard season, he certainly can't be dropping passes. It should be interesting to monitor his progress in the preseason.

Moving on, VanRam noted yesterday that Avery has been out since July 29. It appears that he may be returning to the field soon:

Rookie Donnie Avery, who has been out nearly two weeks with a small fracture in his pelvic bone, ran routes with the other WRs and appears close to getting back onto the field.

Good news.

VanRam also noted in the post that it could be Keenan Burton emerging as the No.3 if Avery isn't ready to go by September 7. Well, Burton is making a strong case, highlighted by a great catch yesterday :

Rookie WR Keenan Burton made a terrific grab, outbattling two defenders for the ball, on a pass from Trent Green that netted about 30 yards.

Should be interesting to watch this battle develop and see if Avery can come back strong. If he can play a few games in the preseason and look sharp doing so, the spot is his. Burton would then become a serviceable backup and nice option in 4-wide sets.

Go Rams.

Rams and Titans scuffle in Nashville

BruinFanBaby — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:12:45 -0000

The Rams are in Nashville for joint practices with the Titans, and things got heated quickly. From Bill Coats at the PD:

Cheap shots by Tennessee defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (shown below, with shaved head) and defensive tackle Antonio Johnson set the tone early in what amounted to a full-scale scrimmage. When safety Calvin Lowry hit Torry Holt high, knocking off Holt’s helmet after a 15-yard catch, the intensity picked up even more.

And sure enough, skirmishes soon began breaking out. Rams wideout Reche Caldwell tangled with cornerback Cortland Finnegan and Rams tackle Mark LeVoir squared off with defensive end Sean Conover.

In the main event, Rams offensive lineman Adam Goldberg, having seen enough of Vanden Bosch’s tactics, decided to take action after Vanden Bosch clubbed Rams rookie guard Roy Schuening on the back of the head. They went to the ground, but no damage was done, and the battle was ruled a draw.

Good to hear that the Rams have their competitive juices flowing and are ready to hit anything and everything. I doubt anything will spill over to the preseason game on Saturday, but it certainly add a little more intrigue to the game against the Titans.

Bruce Davis Inks Pro Contract

BruinFanBaby — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:52:22 -0000

Bruce Davis Inks Pro Contract

He signed a three-year deal with a signing bonus of around $500,000. Way to go, Bruce.

Release BoBo!

BruinFanBaby — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:21:24 -0000

Release BoBo!

Some fans have created a website to try and help get J'Mison Morgan released from LSU. You can click a link in the middle of the page to send a pre-written message to the LSU Athletic Department asking for his release. This isn't going to help with anything, but I thought it was a fun idea. And yes, I clicked the link and sent an email to LSU. Release BoBo!

Prince to Enroll Early?

BruinFanBaby — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:30:52 -0000

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Jill Painter of the Daily News is reporting that incoming QB Kevin Prince has told CRN that he plans to enroll at UCLA early, if there are enough scholarships available. From the Daily News:

Prince, recovering from reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, said he could start taking classes in June, but UCLA needs to check its scholarship situation to make sure one is available.

"That's definitely what I want to do now," Prince said. "I don't want to wait anymore. Whether I do (enroll early) or not, I'm preparing to. I talked to coach Neuheisel about it. He was the one who brought it up. He just wants to make sure they have the right amount of scholarships."

Football programs are allowed a maximum of 85 scholarships, and it's unclear how many UCLA still has available. A UCLA official said the school is not over the maximum 25 new scholarships per year.

The school is in the process of figuring out its scholarship allotment for next season. It reportedly offered a junior college offensive lineman a scholarship.

Considering that Cowan will be out for the year and that we don't know how Olson will recover from surgery, I'd say this is a good idea. Prince was slated to enroll in 2009, but I think he'll get a lot out of competing with Crissman, Craft and Rashaan and learning the system from Coach Chow right now.

Football news: Alex Mascarenas (junior) commits to UCLA

BruinFanBaby — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 02:35:17 -0000

I know we're all focusing on basketball right now, but a little football can never hurt right?

There's been a lot of talk about the 2009 commitment list, which is almost empty. Today, though, the Bruins got a non-binding oral commitment from a solid cornerback. From Dohn:

Mission Viejo cornerback Alex Mascarenas, a 5-foot-11, 180-pounder, gave a non-binding oral commitment to UCLA today.
"He's quite an athlete," Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson said. "He's probably one of the best athletes in Orange County. He's the best player on the baseball team, if he would have played basketball he would have been the best point guard but he decided not to go out, and he's best sport is football."

I am a student at Mission Viejo High School, so I have a lot to say about this. First of all, Bob Johnson tends to exaggerate things. Mascarenas isn't the best player on the baseball team, nor is he a great basketball player. I know more than half of the players on the varsity basketball team, and they all tell me that he's not a great BBall player. But that doesn't matter, since his best sport is football -- without question.

Mascarenas is an athletic and talented CB. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, he's a finesse corner that doesn't get out-run by many receivers. I've seen nearly all of his games, and he seems to improve week-by-week. Last season he began playing WR as well, which helped him immensely at better understanding the CB position. Also, I saw him this morning and it looks like he's spent extensive team in the weight room this offseason. Mission has one of the best coaching staffs in Orange County, and I know that they will prepare him to be a college CB in 2009.

Lastly, it's good to see Mission players going to UCLA. Bob Johnson doesn't like the Bruins because of what happened with his son Bret. It's good to see that he's put that aside and let his players have the chance to be recruited by UCLA. Currently, Chane and Chase Moline, Jeff Baca(incoming freshmen), and Garret Rubio are former Mission players on the Bruins roster.

Now back to the basketball talk. GO BRUINS

Good news regarding Coach Wooden

BruinFanBaby — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:23:19 -0000

Coach Wooden is continuing to recover from the hairline fracture of the left wrist and fractured left collar bone that he suffered a few weeks ago. According to his daughter, he could be out of the hospital by tomorrow. From the UCLA Official Site:

'The condition of UCLA legendary former basketball coach John Wooden is much improved on Monday, according to his daughter, Nan Muehlhausen.

"Dad had a good day today," she said at 5:45 pm PDT. "His heart rate is stable and everything is good. He's having a nice turkey dinner right now.

"If everything stays stable, we are optimistic that he will leave the hospital tomorrow.."

Coach Wooden, 97, was hospitalized on February 29 with a hairline fracture of his left wrist and a fractured left collarbone he sustained in a fall in his condo the previous night. His wrist is in a cast and his arm will have to be in a sling when he leaves the hospital. The name of the hospital is being withheld at the request of the Wooden family.'

This is great news, and we can't wait to see you behind the Bruins bench at Pauley next winter, Coach. Get well soon.

Bruins Get a Little Help

BruinFanBaby — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:55:24 -0000

Coming into the weekend, UCLA was considered to be a No.2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, right behind Texas. That will all change on Monday.

Texas lost to Texas Tech on Saturday, 83-80. click here for the box score if you are interested.

Texas trailed for most of the game and did a great job of fighting back to come within three points, but in the end it wasn't enough.

Bracketologists and analysts were giving Texas the upperhand in the race for No.1 due to the head-to-head victory over the Bruins. Now though, the Bruins have the better record, presumably giving them the No.1 seed. Our Ben Ball warriors need to play well tomorrow and hopefully come into McKale center with the same intesity as the first time they played Arizona, an 82-60 romping.
Stanford defeated Washington St. today, setting up a collasal meeting at Pauley next Thursday. Bruins win and they're regular season Pac 10 champs. Should everything go according to plan (defeating Cal, the Cardinal, and winning the Pac 10 tournament) our Ben Ball warriors will be a No.1 seed come tournament time.

18 days until March Madness; who's excited for the quest for banner No.12?

Go Bruins!

[UPDATE: Coach Is 'Doing Fine'] Coach Wooden Hospitalized

BruinFanBaby — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:09:36 -0000

Bumped with edits. Coach is doing fine. GO BRUINS. -N

Harry How/Getty Images

Coach Wooden was hospitalized today after falling. Here is the official release from UCLA: Coach is 'doing fine':

John Wooden, UCLA's legendary former basketball coach, is resting comfortably this evening in an area hospital. The name of the hospital is being withheld at the request of the family.

Coach Wooden, 97, is doing fine and has visited with family throughout the day, according to his daughter, Nan Muehlhausen.

Coach Wooden was hospitalized earlier today. He has a hairline fracture of his left wrist and a fractured left collarbone from a fall in his condo last night. He also hit his head, but a CT-scan of his head and neck were negative.

"Dad's spirits are good," Muehlhausen said. "He is up and joking around with the family. He will probably be in the hospital for a couple of more days before he goes home."

"We appreciate everyone's concern, but we are requesting that people do not call the hospital and do not try to visit Dad at this time."

"The entire UCLA community wishes Coach Wooden a speedy recovery," said UCLA head coach Ben Howland, who is in Tucson for Sunday's game versus Arizona. "We are glad that his injuries are not more serious, and we look forward to seeing him when we return to Los Angeles."

Get well soon, Coach.

UPDATE -N:We have another update from the official site. Not only Coach is recovering rapidly, he is making jokes:

Nan Muehlhausen, Coach Wooden's daughter, said her father was in good spirits and doing well on Saturday afternoon. He has had visits from numerous family members, including son Jim, who saw his father this morning.

"Dad is doing well. He had a good night, his vital signs are good and his spirits are good. He has been joking around with the family," said Muehlhausen.

"We anticipate he will in the hospital until Monday. Dad has had a couple of blood transfusions because the doctors found he was anemic, but the transfusions will take care of that and Dad will be fine. We expect him to make a full recovery." Take it easy Coach. GO BRUINS.