Utah State got national publicity by being absolutely silent at their BB game with BYU. We need to do something similar. I think the place to start is with some actual names. Geoff Strand would be helpful if he could be convinced to ask every man, woman and child to cut off the funds to UCLA, either directly or indirectly. And by indirectly, I mean by not giving money to anyone who advertises with UCLA.

I'm not local, so I don't know who that is. Anyone who advertises in the DB should be boycotted. Adidas should be boycotted. And we need more names. If Troy Aikman could be pursuaded, that would help. The leading rusher in the NFL, one Maurice Jones-Drew, would help. We can either do something to try to affect our future as Bruin fans, or we can do nothing. If we do nothing, we have no right to complain.

Bumped. Fox71 sums it up well. GO BRUINS. - BN Eds.


Photo Credit: AP

Someone in the athletic department (by the way, no capital letters for that bureau until capital letters are deserved) came up with the idea of going with alternate jerseys for whatever reason. The implementation of the idea could not have been more screwed up.

First of all, what was the point of the white uniforms? If you’re going to make a sea change in the look, why not incorporate the school colors? All blue or all gold? I understand why going all blue wouldn’t work, given the athletic department’s failure to discern what color blue is the correct one. Instead of all gold, however, the athletic department chose to make us albino Bruins, wearing the white flag of surrender cleverly cut up and re-stitched to look like long underwear.

This decision ranks with Ford’s production of the Edsel or Shelly Long’s choice to leave "Cheers" to make "Troop Beverly Hills" as industrial strength failures. Was it for the surprise and shock value which was going to rattle our opponents? In my opinion, that ploy would only work if we were playing children with some sort of phobia having to do with longjohns. Laying aside the failure of the major premise, the idea has no chance of working when you announce it well in advance of the game.

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I'm thankful for many things, with a healthy grandson at the top of the list. I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for having the opportunity to have the wonderful experience as a Bruin. I'm thankful that my good old days are indeed good. I'm thankful that Nestor and his gang put this place together and keep it going, even though they don't always agree with me as they should.

I'm thankful for many more things that I'll keep to myself. And I suppose I should add I'm thankful I didn't go to Penn State. Signing off for the day.

The Orlando Sentinel quotes Sports by Brooks as saying that Meyer is going o coach the buckeyes. The same story quotes a Gainseville Sun reporter (Pat Dooley) who tweeted that Meyer told him there was no truth to the rumor that he was going to the Buckeyes. So there you have it, direct from the Sunshine State. Meyer is either going to Ohio State or he is not going to Ohio State. And before you ask, no, I'm not providing a link because I don't know how.

He's a bit undersized, at 1 foot, 8 and a half inches, and he weighs a little under eight pounds. He has no baggage at this point, which is good, although there are rumors that he's incontinent. Yes, we are talking about my brand new grandson, born at 12:06 this morning.

I went roller coastering today. I figure in about 6 or 7 years, if the liver lasts that long, I can take grandson roller coastering with me. Life is good.

According to a story by Mark Saxon of ESPN LA, Lame is blaming his inability to get a field goal in the last seconds of regulation on the officials.

“USC coach Lane Kiffin said he was "extremely disappointed" in the Pac-12 officials following his team's 56-48 triple-overtime loss to Stanford on Saturday for the way the fourth quarter ended.

USC began the final play of the quarter with nine seconds left. Quarterback Matt Barkley completed a screen pass to receiver Robert Woods near the USC sideline, but Woods ran all the way across the field and was tackled just short of going out of bounds. Officials initially ruled that Woods went out of bounds. After reviewing the play, they ruled that his knee was down, but that regulation time had ended before USC could call a timeout on Stanford's 33.

USC kicker Andre Heidari had kicked a 50-yard field goal earlier in the game.

"I told them, 'When the replay comes back, you're going to say, 'His knee's down.' The side judge right there says you called timeout and you get to kick a 50-yard field goal and win the game," Kiffin said. "He goes over and tells them. He comes back over and it goes against us. I'm extremely disappointed in that."

I've been grabbing some statistics here and there to prove points (or at least to try to prove them.)  I'm not going to try to prove anything this time.  I'm just going to list where we rank in all the stats this particular place had.  I found one statistic particularly interesting.  Guess who is dead last, 120 out of 120, in the all-important time of possession statistic?  I'll give you one hint - it's not UCLA.  Anyway, make of these nuymbers what you will.  I think it's interesting that our two best numbers are sacks allowed and intereceptions thrown.  I don't know what that means. 

83        Third down conversion percentage

118      Opp 3rd down conversion percentage

56        4th down percentage

92        Opp 4th down percentage

76        Penalties per game

86        Fewest yards penalized per game

116      First downs defense

93        First downs offense

95        Fumbles lost

79        Fumbles recovered

14        Interceptions thrown

102      Kickoff return yardage defense

87        Kickoff returns

35        Net punting

79        Passes intercepted

88        Passing defense

57        Passing efficiency

96        Passing efficiency defense

82        Passing offense

101      Punt return yardage defense

111      Punt returns

115      Red Zone Defense

96        Red Zone Offense

95        Rushing defense

47        Rushing offense

113      Sacks

11        Sacks allowed

108      Scoring defense

86        Scoring offense

107      Tackles for loss

16        Tackles for loss allowed

98        Time of possession  

106      Total defense

74        Total offense

88        Turnover margin

92        Turnovers gained

57        Turnovers lost

 

No. 120 out of 120 in time of possession:  The Oregon Ducks.  And that’s why you shouldn’t listen to announcers.

Most of you know by now that I am highly critical of CTSS the coach, and think he should be terminated immedediately. It's been about month since the debacle in Palo Alto (or at least it seems that way), and there have been lots of opinions expressed. Some are good and valid and worthy of consideration (i.e., mine and those that are the same as mine) and some way, way off base. The points have been made, and then re-made, etc. That said, I was struck by the look of hopelessness on CTSS's face in the picture in the thread "The morning after, Part 5: Stanford." Coach Neuheisel (not CTSS for the balance of this paragraph) is a great Bruin, who gave us all some great memories. I am proud to call him a Bruin brother, and I'm confident that he would be a great guy to hang out with. His face in that picture, however, makes me feel sad for him. I am going to give Coach Neuheisel a pass on Monday. I'm not going to add to the utter dejection shown in that picture. I won't be critical of anyone else if you want want to keep the pressure on, but I'm not going to join you. My feelings haven't changed, but I'm going to keep them to myself for at least a day. (

Just after the Rays had their miracle comeback against the Yankees and won the AL East wild card, I likened the Rays to the Bruins, and thought that if the Rays could do it, the Bruins could. That was a very short-sighted analogy, and I apologize to all concerned, especially to Joe Maddon. Comparing him to CTSS is beyond insulting. Joe started a 22 year old rookie with 1 big league start in the first playoff game against the best hitting team in baseball. That would never, ever be a CTSS decision. For the insulting comparison to the Rays, I apologize. To the extent that my analogy gave anyone false hope against Stanford, I apologize.

Life is good here in Geezerville, thanks to a 6 run 8th inning, and a two out, two strike homer by a guy with a .108 batting average in the 9th. The Rays didn't give up, and they kept battling. Their head coach, Joe Neuheisel, decided to go against the conventional wisdom and called upon Dan Johnson to run a fake punt from the Rays 20 yard line on fourth and twelve. Meanwhile, the Stanford Yankees had pulled all their regulars, thinking a one touchdown lead late in the game would be enough. The point of all this is that at some point in August, some smart statistics company looked at every scenario possible, and said the Rays had less than a one per cent chance of making the playoffs. That may well be the same bunch of smart people who say the Furd will win by three touchdowns up at the farm. I hope our guys watched what was probably the most heartbreaking and then thrilling baseball game I've seen since Kirk Gibson's homer in 1988. For a Rays fan, this is the 1965 just$c* Beban-to-Altenberg game all over again. I am not prepared to concede this game to Stanford. Not any more.

With a couple of scoops of basketball good news, we've had a pretty miserable time here over the past few weeks (or past few years if you're that dejected.)  This post has nothing to do with anything relevant.  I was listening to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" in the car today.  (Yes, I have non-opera stuff on CD, too.)  I think the last line of that song is the best line I've ever heard (not including Gilbert & Sullivan, of course): 

"I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's.   His hair was perfect."

In my opinion, that is the finest lyric from any rock and roll song ever, and may well be the finest lyric of any song anywhere (G & S always excepted.)  I will be leaving on a short vacation for a few days, and I don't know whether I'll be cut off from the Bruins Nation (which is sort of like being cut off from oxygen, but I digress.)  I would like to see a chorus of +1s, or else an attempt to suggest a better lyric.  Yes, I considered the good part in "Stairway to Heaven," and I considered the clever stuff in "Killer Queen," but I don't see how anyone can top "I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's.  His hair was perfect." 

Your turn now, and good luck to the football team in Corvallis, which (probably luckily) I will not be able to watch.

There was a very tender moment at the end of the Niners Seahawks game, when Harbaugh went over to shake hands. I'm sure Cheatie didn't say "what's your deal," because the meeting did not last anywhere near long enough for that sort of discussion. Ahh, Cheatie, not just a humanitarian, but a real sportsman. I'm not a Niner fan at all, but I was today, especially for that handshake. I hope someone finds a way to post a video of that.

At the end of the practice, he is said to have screamed "I can't be the only one who cares." Maybe this was the manager in "Bull Durham" throwing all the bats in the shower. I don't know. But if screaming is what it takes, then I'm 100% behind the coach. Again, I regret my lack of computer skills, and must leave it to someone else to link this. It appears to be part of UCLA Report with Peter Yoon's byline. Looks like part of ESPN LA.

We are getting the Florida version of just$c* against Maryland on TV tonight. I tried very diligently to fix the video on the TV, only to learn to my surprise that there was nothing wrong with it. Apparently that's the way Maryland wanted their uniforms to look.

A couple of partial Churchill lines come to mind. Never in the history of human endeavor has anyone created a sports uniform uglier than what Maryland is wearing tonight. If the Empire shall last a thousand years, people will say these are the ugliest unforms that ever were, are, or ever will be.

Oregon, you have some work to do if you want to reclaim the top spot in terms of ugly uniforma.

I have figured out why the Dodgers are falling apart.  Having your team totally suck is what you have to expect when Major Frank Burns takes over as owner.  I trust one of the smart people will post pictures of the two Franks next to each other.  Both look remarkably like ferrets.

Alas, now I must fill another 25 words.  I would have done a fan shot but I couldn't figure it out.  This surely must be enough fill.

Here's a blurb from a story on Yahoo Sports by Mark J. Spears dated April 8:

"Several high-ranking NBA team executives told Yahoo! Sports they wouldn’t be surprised if the age limit in the new CBA is pushed to two years in college and 20 years old by the end of that calendar year. One NBA general manager says about two-thirds of teams are in favor of that change. The current CBA states that an American must be out of high school for at least one year and be 19 years old by the end of that calendar year before entering the draft."

I know that there are a lot of people who have given this subject a lot of thought, and who probablly have well reasoned opinions as to what this would mean to UCLA if it is true.  Then there are others who are waiting for "I'll Stay For Three, then I Won't Play for Free."  I personally am holding out for "In College for Four then we Show You the Door."  (Or something like that.) 

Although they should have nothing at all to say on the issue, I wouldn't be surprised if somehow morgan off-center screws this up.

It is with great pride that I announce that my only begotten son has reached geezerhood.  It seems like it was only yesterday he was telling me which Star Wars guys he absolutely had to have.  And then he thought he had died and gone to heaven because he got to sit next to the Queen of Babe-alonia in home room. 

All that is now a fading memory.  Fox 71 the Younger is JV baseball coach and has just confessed that he thinks middle school kids are all stupid.  He has come full circle on using the word "like" and using the verb "to go" as a synonym for "to say."  He's still a bit young for an AARP card, but surely that's next.  I have warned him that he's gone way, way too far if he thinks the bright yellow tuxedos on Lawrence Welk reruns look pretty nifty.

Can anyone wonder that my bosom swells with pride?

I think the guys at Yahoo Sports generally do a pretty good job.  They broke the stories about bu$hgate and timmeh paying cash for OJ2.  They finally got a story about Veto Seto, but unfortunately covered it only superficially.  (Apparently the reporter's original story said that trogan had been an undergraduate at UCLA, then fixed it when the responses started coming in.)  The crux of the story was that CTSS rescinded the offer because of the outrage over the lack of qualifications, and that it was "common knowledge" that that trogan held the DC position under Cheatie "in name only" and Cheatie ran the defense. There was no mention of any backlash because that trogan was an integral part of the most corrupt athletic program in modern history, which to me is the real story here.  We'll never know for sure, of course, but I think CTSS noticed that the fans' collective outrage imade prominent mention of the crimes against humanity that the trogan witnessed and said nothing about.

I remain chagrined at my own hypocrisy at the hiring of Coach Chow.  We should collectively have made the same protest.  Coach Chow's qualifications were not the issue as they are with this latest trogan.  We collectively lost sight of our integrity when we allowed his glossy resume to blind us to the ract that he was not just on Cheatie Petie's staff  during bu$hgate, but was the offensive coordinator.  For all we know, he could have been the guy charged with keeping the cash flowing to bu$h and his extended family.  We should be as ashamed of ourselves Bruins.  That's just my opinion of course.   

I don't particularly like or dislike either team, so I reverted to science to determine who to root for.

Pittsburgh has a guy named Steve McLendon who went to Troy, and it has Troy Polamalu (who I am very tired of hearing about, but who I truly believe walks on water.)

Green Bay has Spencer Havner and Brandon Chillar, and only one trogan, Matthews.

Therefore, the numbers compel that I root for Green Bay.

I am happy to share this with my brothers and sisters.  I need no congratulations.  Just knowing that I have served humanity is more than enough compensation.

Poll

Who are your rooting for in the Super Bowl?

82%

Packers

87 votes

12%

Steelers

13 votes

5%

Neither

6 votes

106 votes | Poll has closed

[Video now embedded - BN]

There is a video on Yahoo Sports showing Sidney and one of his teammates getting in a fight in the stands before the game.  I'm not at all surprised that Coach Howland passed on him, but how a guy with his qualifications got past Inheritance Hall is a mystery to me.  He would have fit in perfectly over there.  I assume one of the smart people will find the video and make a link to it.  Thanks in advance.

Notre Dame 20, trogans 16.

I remember another 20 to 16 game.  Is it too much to ask that this is a sign that karma is about to step in and provide just a little balance to the universe.  That 20-16 game in 1965 was every bit as good as 13-9, and maybe better, because we got the ball to start our comeback when Troy Winslow, just$c*'s QB, fumbled.  And yes, he was named "Troy" by his daddy, who was a trogan footballer himself.  I never found out, but I always assumed that Winslow's middle initials were "KY," given that he was named after a condom.

Bruins, I spent time over the weekend with some dear friends.  They are nice people.  They are fairly well educated, to the extent that anyone who didn't go to UCLA can be well educated.  The time started well enough, but quickly became a nightmare and then got worse.  Two things happened.  "Like" and "goes" happened. 

"Like" and "goes" are perfectly good words when used appropriately.  "I like chocolate cake" is a good sentence.  "Goes" is more versatile, and still a good word:  "The cat goes outside."  "I hate it when the cat goes on the carpet."  "That shirt goes well with those shoes." 

My friends didn't use "like" or "goes" appropriately.  The conversation was horrible.  I hadn't fell that sick since the Anita Bryant concert.  "So I'm like, OK, but she goes, well, no, so she's like, what, and I'm like....."   It went on and on, and my nausea got worse.

This may be the way many people speak now, but it is still wrong.  Improper language skills are as indicative of a mental state as is anti-social conduct.  The inabilty to articulate a complete sentence using real words shows either an inadequate education or mental slovenliness or even the absence of the mental capacity to communicate.  At least that was the way it seemed to me when I was the person who interviewed prospective employees at various times in my working life.  And that's the way it seems to me now when I heard grown-ups talking like children.  I wonder when these people will learn to speak.

I think the improper use of "like" and "goes" is the new profanity, and it's time to end this now, before the abiltiy to communicate totally dies.  Precision is important in communication.  The citation for Brizuela v. Cal Farm Insurance is not like 116 Cal.App.4th 578, it is in fact 116 Cal.App.4th 578.  The verbs "to go" and "to say" are not synonyms. 

Help me put an end to this.  Stop being polite and tolerant.  Don't let people get away with misusing the language, especially "like" or "goes."  Tough love is required.  Start with your children. Ask them what they mean when they misuse language.  Make it an automatic response when they misuse words.  Interrupt people when they talk by telling them that you don't understand what they just said.  Treat "like" the same way you would treat an f-bomb when someone says it. 

I doubt if this will work.  Tolerance is just too great.  If it makes a person feel good, then two and two is five or six or like whatever.  I'm so happy about our football team.  We're like undefeated.  We're rated like number 1.  Both statements are literally true.  Both statements are also totally false. 

NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC:  "THE CARE AND USE OF THE APOSTROPHE."

This is from a story in the Tampa Tribune by Anwar Richardson:

"The Bucs announced they have placed Price, their second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2010 draft, on injured reserve tody [sic] due to a pelvic injury. Price missed Tampa Bay's past two games.  Price has been fighting injuries since the Bucs drafted him after selecting fellow defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with the third overall pick in the first round.  Price was limited in the offseason and training camp with a hamstring injury. He did play in Tampa Bay's first five games, backing up Roy Miller, before suffering his latest setback."

Our guys are getting injured even after they leave!  We need to get this injury karma thing under control.

My views on announcers are well known, I think.  There is almost no game in any sport which I believe is enhanced by a play by play announcer, except maybe for curling or tossing the caber.  The only thing less vital to a broadcast is the color announcer.  There are one or two exceptions to this rule, and you know who they are.  My aversion to announcers is so bad that I generally try to leave the sound off even when it's a radio broadcast.

With that background, I allow my Bruin brothers and sisters to peek at the skeleton in the closet.  My dearest, only son has become (I can hardly stand to say it) a radio color man for football broadcasts.  You can hear him on 99.3 or 99.7 (he wasn't sure), the VINE, doing St. Helena High School broadcasts.  I counseled him (a) not to say "like" or "dude" on the air, and (b) make sure he knows the frequency. 

All I can say is that at least he didn't go to just$c*. 

Jeff Passan wrote an article in Yahoo Sports about the Ray's difficulty in drawing fans despite their success on the field.  Today, they gave away 20,000 tickets, one of which went to me, but alas we lost.  Anyway, Passan wrote an article about which cities qualify as "baseball cities," and he included this gem in the middle of his article.

"Well, it’s grim. Chicago, perhaps, though the city’s North-South baseball divisions vanish for the Bears. While Minneapolis bought the Twins stadium, the outpouring of love for Brett Favre and the Vikings every Sunday usurps that for baseball. Los Angeles doesn’t even have a professional football team now that USC is on probation, and baseball finishes a distant second to Lakers basketball."

Nice work, Jeff.  You surely understand the way things work at Figueroa JC.

Yahoo Sports reports an AP story that bu$h has released a statement saying he would give back the Heisman. The cheater says:

“One of the greatest honors of my life was winning the Heisman Trophy in 2005. For me, it was a dream come true. But I know that the Heisman is not mine alone. Far from it. I know that my victory was made possible by the discipline and hard work of my teammates, the steady guidance of my coaches, the inspiration of the fans, and the unconditional love of my family and friends. And I know that any young man fortunate enough to win the Heisman enters into a family of sorts. Each individual carries the legacy of the award and each one is entrusted with its good name.

“It is for these reasons that I have made the difficult decision to forfeit my title as Heisman winner of 2005. The persistent media speculation regarding allegations dating back to my years at USC has been both painful and distracting. In no way should the storm around these allegations reflect in any way on the dignity of this award, nor on any other institutions or individuals. Nor should it distract from outstanding performances and hard-earned achievements either in the past, present or future.

Maybe someone ought to call the fishwrap and find out if they've ever even heard of reggie bu$h.  Or maybe not.  That just might prompt one of those columns of one sentence paragraphs.  (I now must fill even more to satisfy the 75 word rule.  The problem is that I have nothing much to say - as usual.)

Yahoo Sports says that bu$h is about to be de-Heismaned:

The Heisman Trophy Trust is expected to strip former University of Southern California star running back Reggie Bush of college football’s top honor by the end of September, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Bush would become the first player in the 75-year history of the award to have the trophy taken away. The NCAA found major violations in the Trojans’ football program in June and levied serious sanctions against the school.

This story was reported by Charles Robinson and Jason Cole.

I think I'll write to these guys and let them know there is still at least one story still incomplete - the McSUV situation.

I just read that Vinnie will be back for his 62nd year, and for the 62nd year will be working alone in the booth.  I'm certainly not alone in being spoiled by so many years of listening to the best ever.  I'm pretty sure that listening to Vinnie working alone and being so good has soured me on other announcers who insist on having someone to chat with in the booth.

Anyway, Vinnie's announcement is certainly good news for Dodger fans.  It appears that it might be the only good news for the whole season.

It's 10:00 Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 27, and I don't see one new story having to do with Lame.  He had all night to say something stupid or to do something stupid, and yet there's nothing.  There is no pontification from St. Patrick the Ethical.  There is nothing.  It's like the air has been sucked out of the universe. 

This doesn't feel right.  Something is out of whack.  I may have to go read conquest comicals to re-acquire a sense of perspective

I just got a case to work on in which the client wrote a comment on a website about a bad experience he or she (keeping this vague on purpose) had with a particular business establishment.  The client got an e-mail from the blog, which forwarded a threatening letter from an attorney, who claimed the posting had caused the business establishment to suffere all sorts of damage.  The e-mail contained an ultimatum demanding that the post be removed, and then once it was removed the attorney would be willing to talk settlement. 

I looked this attorney up on the internet, and sure enough there was a posting about a previous incident involving this same attorney who not only convinced a poster to remove a post, but also to make a monetary settlement.

There is a lot of law about defamation and the internet.  A whole lot.  I am not going to try to explain the nuances, because I am not really qualified to do so, and you guys shouldn't rely on anything I say anyway.  My advice is to use caution and prudence.  The first amendment protects the expression of opinion.  Saying something is just your opinion should generally shield you from liability (although nothing can shield anyone from getting sued.)  Calling something an opinion is not necessarily an absolute shield, either.

Anyway, Bruin brothers and sisters, I advise caution and prudence.  Spend a few minutes looking at this issue on the internet.

All this was my opinion, in case anyone asks, or wants to sue me.