Bumped. Good luck Baron. Go Bruins. - BN Eds.

Well, for anyone who watched Baron blow out his knee the other day, you can't help think what could have been for the stud out of Crossroads High School. Boy was he something to watch in High School. He came to UCLA with much promise and for two years was a joy to watch play the game:

His knee injury the other day was simply horrible, and I know all Bruins wish him the best in his recovery. While he is probably done playing, he leaves many lasting memories. Even though his NBA career may have come up short in many people's eyes, I will always think of Baron as a great Bruin!!

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I am thoroughly disgusted and I don’t know where to start and what to say. I read the entire article and immediately called Block’s office. I spoke to his secretary, who is so nice. I felt bad for her as I know she must be taking alot of the heat in phone calls. A really nice person.

Look, I am a teacher. I work with kids everyday. I also coach. I know what the responsibilities are as a coach and what is expected each and everyday with athletes. They may be high school athletes, but an athlete is still an athlete……regardless of age.

Has anyone seen the news lately and what has been going on. Anyone see the story about the kid who killed his classmates the other day? Did anyone hear about the poor boy who was apparently bullied at Crescenta Valley High School and at lunchtime decided he had enough and jumped off the second story at the school head first to his death? Well guess what…….bullying played a part.

I hate frickin bullies. I may be making a giant leap here but for Ben Howland to allow Reeves Nelson and others to bully players and get away with it is despicable! I am so irate right now just thinking about it. This is not about wins and losses. This is about an adult, the coach, protecting those being bullied, the student-athletes. Plain and simple, Ben Howland failed at this and he should be fired for it.

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According to ESPN (breaking news on TV) Joe Paterno is in serious condition and family is gathering at a local hospital. No matter what your opinion is about the man and the situation of the past few months, this is an incredibly sad story, and a horrible end (if it comes to that) to a remarkable career.

Unbelievable how quickly his health has deteriorated since this all happened. I can't help but remember how Bear Bryant died so quickly after he retired. This whole situation just makes me very, very sad.

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The offensive line got a boost today with this commitment:

Carl Hulick, an offensive lineman from Anaheim Esperanza High, said he has committed to play football at UCLA.

Hulick is ranked 11th nationally among centers by Rivals.com and 19th by Scout.com. The 6-foot-2, 285-pound lineman had committed to Southern Methodist but changed his mind after SMU assistant coach Adrian Klemm was hired at UCLA.

What really made me happy though was what Hulick had to say about Coach Mora and his fire and desire. He also said this:

Hulick also said, "There is a buzz going around" about UCLA. "Huge things are going to happen there. The opportunity to be a part of that and change things is exciting."

A good get as this kid has alot of potential and is a very good run blocker. Keep it up Coach Mora.

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Well, it seems that not all is well in South Central. Here is the link:

USC Trojans wide receiver Kyle Prater announced Monday evening that he would be transferring from the school.

Prater posted a departure message on his Twitter account.

So now they have lost Prater, Carlyle, and Baxter. Are more to come? We shall see.

My question to those in the know because I am not a numbers/scholie kinda guy. How does this affect their scholarship situation. Don't they only have 15 each to give for something like 3 years? If so, isn't losing these guys extremely bad for their depth considering it doesn't really open up a scholarship for other guys?

Usually it wouldn't be a big deal because you could offer a scholarship to someone to replace the lost player but not in this case right? Would love some clarity. THANKS!

Raymond Nelson, bother of Reeves, was kicked off the football team today by Coach Jim Mora:

Raymond Nelson, freshman tight end at UCLA, has been kicked off the team for an incident that occurred prior to the Bruins' playing Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Nelson was sent home the day before the game for violating team rules, according to according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak on the subject. Coach Jim Mora, hired last month, reviewed the situation before making his decision.

Neither Mora nor Nelson could be reached for comment.

My first thought is what the hell happened? It must of been pretty bad for Mora to kick him off the team. I say, great job Coach. He said he was going to clean up this stuff, change the culture, and if this is the first step to that, then I am all for it.

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-Bumped. BN Eds.

So I was not able to watch the game live today cause I was busy with the family. I just got done watching the game (gotta love TIVO) and all I have to say is ISHMAEL ADAMS is the REAL DEAL! I know it was an all-star game against other high school all-stars, but this kid can come in and make an immediate impact if given the chance.

The kid had an incredible game and we are lucky to have him anchoring our class. Every time I turned around, their was #11 in tight coverage, breaking up passes, forcing fumbles, and then at the end, making a great interception to seal the game. Adams has a swagger and a demeanor to him that tells me he is going to be a star at UCLA. For those who didn't see the game, I found this interesting recap of the game and its best players.

Take a close look at the love that SI gave our 4-star defensive back, who in all honesty was one of the best players on the field:

Ishmael Adams, CB (committed to UCLA) -- One of the smallest defenders on either team -- if not the smallest -- Adams came up big on Saturday. He stepped up to the challenge every time he was tested, and capped things off with an interception on Gunner Kiel in the fourth quarter that he returned for 27 yards.

Coach Mora is doing a great job in recruiting right now, and hopefully Adams will be able to sway some our way. Either way, it was great to see a UCLA commit represent so positively in such a high profile game. Way to go Ishmael, you make us proud. Can't wait to see you in Blue & Gold!

UPDATE (R): Scout.com named Adams the game's MVP. Not too shabby.

OK, somebody please tell me I am not reading this correctly. Biggins, per his blog, I believe just reported that Mazzone IS NOT coming to UCLA because we would not pony up the bucks! If this is true I am done. Finished. I will be outraged. Here is the link:

http://twitter.com/ThePac12Commish

If true, then we are a complete joke. If we can't even hire a decent Offensive Coordinator, with the new money we have and with how our national reputation has already taken a big hit, then we are a bigger joke than I ever thought. We have been ridiculed in the press over the past few weeks for our 80 yard field, over the wall antics, and bowl performance.............I can only imagine how bad we will look if we don't hire Mazzone because we can't afford him. Are you kidding! We don't have the money to hire a qualified offensive coordinator? Somebody please tell me I read this wrong and it is a joke.

We can't lose our two supposed coordinators all in one day can we? Any momentum that Mora built up will be gone very soon if this is the case cause it will prove we don't give a shit about football.

Bumped. -BN Eds.

While it will be debated if he is the right guy or not, I am very happy and think he will be a great hire. Several ASU friends of mine are very upset that he is leaving, and now that he is officially on board, we will officially have a "big boy" offense. Death to the Pistol is now official!!

Welcome Coach Mazzone. It is great to have you on board, and even better to get you from a Pac-10 rival. This can only help bring stability, but more importantly, some respect for the offense we are running.

[UPDATED - Bellerophon]: This is fantastic news that Coach Noel Mazzone has decided to leave Arizona State and officially join Coach Mora's staff. Here's the key quotes from the Scout article (not behind subscription firewall at the time of this post):

"Like any decision in life some of them have a bitter sweetness to them," Mazzone stated following Sunday’s practice. "The kids, the town here have all been awesome. Out of all the coaching stops I've had this has to be one of my favorites. I will always hold a special part in my heart for this town and for this program.

"It is going to be sad to move on, but I’m excited about that opportunity and also excited to finish the season with these kids and excited about the football game on Thursday."

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Just got done watching the Channel 11 (Fox) News here in Los Angeles. I haven't seen this anywhere so if I missed it I apologize and it can be deleted. However, the sportscaster (I don't know here name cause I usually don't watch that newscast) just reported that Troy Aikman and Cade McNown either went, or are going, to Idaho to talk to Chris Petersen and sell him on coming to Los Angeles and run our program. Pretty cool if true. I haven't cruised the internet yet to get confirmation, and I have no link.............all I have is my word that I just saw it. If anyone else has further confirmation, please post. If true, this is great news and it is awesome to see the old guard come to the rescue. Don't ever let it be said that our former players don't have pride in our program and those four letters!! GO BRUINS!!

Bumped. If Chianti Dan does not fire Rick Neuheisel by tomorrow, he should never be welcome any UCLA alumni function ever again. -BN Eds.

I never thought that I would say a UCLA football coach is worse than Karl Dorrell but guess what, CRN is a complete disaster as a coach is probably the worst coach in UCLA football history! It really is that bad. Dorrell was a shitty coach because he couldn’t recruit and brought in players who weren’t Div 1 football players. He was spineless and didn’t even try to compete with the scumbags across town for talent. So when they took the field, they were a mess. However, as bad as the team was for Dorrell, they had a moment or two (13-9, Drew Olson’s season, a Top Ten ranking) in his tenure. CRN?? Nothing!! Not a thing. But CRN is different. He brought in talent. In fact, he brought in good talent.

The problem is he can’t coach a lick, is viewed as a used car salesman who his players no longer believe in, is conservative as hell, and is running an offense that he has no experience with whatsoever!! I mean, what reputable coach ever does that. On top of that, just about every coach he has ever hired as an assistant has become worse under his leadership. How does that happen? I mean, just about all of his assistants, including Norm Chow who is widely respected, have been utter failures under CRN's leadership.

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Bumped. - BN Eds.

A busy day on the UCLA football front with the start of camp, and a few players futures becoming more known.  Both Cid and Graham (for those who were wondering) are in and should be enrolled any day now.  According to the LA Times, it is just a formality:

Cornerback Jaime Graham and offensive lineman Albert Cid are expected to join the UCLA football team this week, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not allowed to speak publicly on the matter.

Both players were to submit their final paperwork to the university on Monday and their approval is a mere formality, the source said.

Good for them both, especially Cid, as it seems that he has been stressed (understandably so) about his situation and how slowly the admission process was going. Now, the "bad news" after the jump.

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So, according to the local rag newspaper in town, Dillon Baxter's spring schedule was brutal and proves once again how tough it is to obtain a degree from the University of Spoiled Cheaters.  Aren't they embarrassed when articles like this come out?  Here is the link:

Dillon Baxter's spring schedule at USC included early-morning team workouts in cleats and a tap dancing class before lunch.

It wasn't always easy for the sophomore tailback to transition from sweep plays to the Shim Sham.

It makes me laugh when a guy like Jeff Baca was ruled ineligible last season because he wanted to do so well that he over-scheduled himself with a really tough schedule and couldn't keep up.  Then you have these South Central clowns getting by taking a full load of Tap Dancing, Ballroom Dancing, and Basketweaving classes at Phoenix University.  The more you read about these guys and the university, the more I laugh at them.

I didn't see this anywhere, so if I thought I would share.  If it was already posted and I missed it, I apologize.  I am not a huge soccer fan.  However, I am obviously a huge UCLA fan, no matter what the sport.  Also, I am a huge fan of international events, whether it be the World Cup or the Winter and Summer Olympics.  When the two collide, I get pretty pumped up.  

Well, over the weekend one of our Bruin women did red, white, and blue proud.  Former Bruin soccer stud Lauren Cheney scored the only goal, in stoppage time, against Mexico to give the USA a 1-0 win against Mexico.  It was actually an incredible game because the Mexico goalie played incredible and made some insane saves to keep her team in the game.  However, late in the game, Cheney scored a wicked goal from far out that hit perfectly into the top left corner of the net to give the American's the win.  

I actually watched the game periodically because of who was playing, and it was pretty intense.  It was the last game (friendly) before the World Cup, and Cheney made sure WE would be coming into the event with a win.........and an emotional one at that.  Here is a link if you are interested enough to read more.

When I saw Cheney score the goal, Bruin pride rushed through my body like a shot of adrenaline.  Great job.  GO USA!

Bumped- Welcome to Westwood, Psalm. Love the note about Breckterfield. How he does and whether he becomes a recruiting ace for us will be one of the most important things to keep an eye on with the program. He's off to a great start. - R

We just got another commit from the great state of Hawaii.  It is official:

Wooching, who is 6 feet 3, 210 pounds, also was considering Washington, Utah and Colorado. He said UCLA defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield "broke down the campus, the academics they have to offer, the facilities. It's the right fit for me."

Wooching, considered a quality player on offense and defense, said he doesn't have a preference between running back and linebacker.

YouTube:

I honestly have no idea how good this guy is, however I love his attitude.  We need more guys with that type of attitude who want to come in and compete and beat the guy that is ahead of him......and isn't afraid to say it.  I like his size, and he seems to have a great attitude.  

I would expect him to come in at LB since we could always use some hungry guys at that position.  Sounds like the coaches are making great strides on the islands, and even better.........the loss of Norm Chow has not hurt us a bit on that front.  Go Bruins!

Check this story out in today's crappy Times.

I think this is great and finally somebody is holding our football players accountable for their play on the field.  It seems that both Zumwalt and Marsh were demoted on the depth chart and weren't really bringing it lately during practice.  I am going to support our new DC all the way.  To me, this is what has been missing in our program for a long time.  We need a coach who isn't going to coddle our players and hold them accountable if they play like crap and don't bring it to the practice field.  While I love Marsh and Zumwalt, nobody should be immune from being knocked down the depth chart if they don't perform.  It is time to "put up or shut up".  

I hope the same damn thing happens on the offensive side from Coach MJ if receivers drop balls or run shitty routes, or if running backs can't block or miss assignments.  Let's hope this is the norm now.  Keep it up coach.  Make these guys winners.......and while your at it let them know their will be no skipping practices to jump over walls this year.

Bumped. -BN

I ran upon this video cruising the web this morning.  I actually had to hold in the tears when I was watching it.  It really makes me proud to be a Bruin (which I always am anyways), but this really hit home.  To see the emotion that CBH had, and the love that he has for the Wooden family, it is really inspiring.  I saw another side of CBH last night that I have never seen.  Here is the link:

He is a man of character, and is truly a man that is proud to be a Bruin and a part of the greatest university in the world.  Yesterday was special.   Thank you CBH for being you, and thank you COACH from above for having that ball drop right into TT's hands, giving us a moment that will live forever.

Peace, Love, and UCLA Basketball!

If this was posted already and I missed it, I apologize.  I haven't had time to look things over yet and analyze everything, but the OC Reg. is reporting that Kentucky's Steve Brown could be named the new DC in a couple of days.  Here it is:

Kentucky defensive coordinator Steve Brown has interviewed with UCLA about the Bruins’ vacant defensive coordinator spot and could be hired within the next few days ending a coaching search now in its third month.

Brown, (photo) an All-Pac-10 defensive back at Oregon, is a protegee of both Rich Brooks, his college coach and boss at Kentucky, and former UCLA coach Dick Vermeil.

In Brown’s three season as Kentucky’s defensive coordinator the Wildcats have gone from 118th nationally in total defense the year before he arrived to No. 45 this past season. Kentucky was one of only two teams to prevent Auburn’s Heisman Trophy quarterback Cam Newton from throwing a touchdown pass last season. Newton’s 136.68 quarterback efficiency rating against the Wildcats was his second lowest of the 2010 season.

From the write-up, this guy seems to be a guy on the rise.  I like the fact he is from the SEC, and has West Coast ties. Also, being a part of the DIck Vermeil coaching tree is always good with me.  He definitely has a better resume than Seto......if that means anything.  

If this happens, I am going to support the guy and be happy that the decision is made and that we have direction.  I won't believe anything however until it is official. This thing has taken way too many turns to believe anything, from anyone, until the ink is dry.  

That crappy local paper of ours is reporting that we are working out contract details with Jim Mastro, a very highly respected coach from Nevada.  Check it out here:

UCLA and Nevada running back coach Jim Mastro are close to deal that would bring him to the Bruins’ program as running game coordinator, according a person close to the situation who is not authorized to speak on the subject.

Mastro, 45, has been Nevada’s recruiting coordinator and running back coach since 2004. He is believed to be seeking a three-year contract, with the final hurdle being whether the third year would be guaranteed, according to the person close to the situation.

If true, and it seems to have some merit, I think this is a great move.  If we are serious about running the Pistol in any form, we need to have coaches on board who truly understand it inside and out. Mastro obviously does.  I also think it is obvious from hearing CMJ that our offense will employ a variety of offensive sets, which is what I have been begging for.  So many teams use the Pistol as a part of their offense, but are able to adapt and use other formations and schemes to attack defenses in many ways.  

With Hundley coming in, it looks (and I hope) that we are going to utilize his talents and those of our other skill players.  Use the pistol, come back with a little bit of spread, throw in some pro-set, and sprinkle in a little two or three TE sets.  All possible with the talent we have on the roster.  With this hire, it is a clear sign to Hundley and the rest of the team that the offense will be very different in 2011.  

Now lets just hope it works ... and lets make a great DC in the next couple days so that our program has some direction going forward.

Oklahoma defensive back and former UCLA commit last year (before switching to OK) Tony Jefferson and WR Kenny Stills, a huge UCLA target that we didn't get, both are in trouble with the law after getting arrested yesterday.  Here is the link.

Both are SD guys and Jefferson was especially critical of UCLA when he switched commitments.  If these two guys had signed with UCLA and this happened, then it would be viewed that CRN's program was out of control, and CRN would be blamed for it.  We will see what Stoops does, but expect a slap on the wrist for a true freshman who is under the drinking age (unless Oklahoma's drinking age is under 21) and is arrested for drunk driving. 

I have no idea how credible this report or site is, but I thought I would pass it along.  A friend passed it along to me, so I am doing the same to you.  Here is the link:  http://www.nuc-online.com/college-football/tony-steward-5-star-linebacker-will-choose-ucla/

I have said all along that CRN is a tenacious and incredible recruiter who will pull in his share of talent.  I have not been concerned one bit about our class for this year because CRN has proven that come signing day, we will get ours.  If we get Steward, it changes the class and its prospects.  All of the sudden you would have a 5-star stud linebacker, considered by most the top in the HS ranks.  You would have a 5-star QB in Hundley, who many consider one of the top three in the country at his position.  We have a solid class of offensive lineman coming in that are going to be guys that contribute for many years.  We have Wallace and Tai, already on campus . . . and they will end up being better than many expect.  Getting Steward and having Hundley would surely bring in a couple other top recruits that we don't even know about right now.  CRN has never let us down in February and he won't this year either.  We only have a select number of scholies to give, and come signing day I think we'll all be pretty happy.  Steward is key and would be huge!

Just ran across this on the net:

Marc Mustoe switched his commitment from UCLA to Colorado on Saturday and the Arvada (Colo.) Arvada West offensive tackle said he's been so excited about the Buffaloes' new coaching staff and the direction of the program that he felt it was the right move to make.

Not sure if I really care about losing this 3-star O-Lineman.  To be quite honest, CRN is a beast in recruiting and I am not worried at all about this.  In February, CRN will be reeling in another class.  He just needs to start coaching up the talent he is bringing in.  I have heard that we are in with many guys from around the country, and I have faith and CRN has proven that when it comes to recruiting, he will bring in talent.  

Good Luck at Colorado Mr. Mustoe. When you come to So. Cal in a few years, hopefully we will have it turned around and take it to your Buffs!

This is completely a rumor at this time, but I still thought I would pass it along since it involves our favorite program.  A friend of mine who coaches in Nebraska (HS level) and is pretty plugged into the Nebraska football program told me last night that the word in Lincoln, Nebraska is that Nebraska Quarterback Taylor Martinez might transfer, and if he does UCLA might be preferred destination.  Once again, this is completely a rumor, but he tells me that their is some validity to it.  Believe me, I am not trying to spread some bad rumor and part of me wanted to sit on this until their was some confirmation or at least talk from Los Angeles about it, but I thought it was something I should mention. 

Should be interesting to see what happens this offseason.

Just saw on the WWL that WR George Farmer from Serra HS has committed to South Central.  Can't say I blame him, seeing that our WR can't catch a cold right now.  However, I do find it amusing that Lamey was able to land another WR.  I love the fact that he Lamey has yet to land any impact LB's and OL, positions of need.  

At this rate, with their limited number of scholies, they will need to line up Robert Woods at LB, and move Prater to the offensive line. Here is the link of what you can see for free.

Bumped. -BN

CPOBruin did a great job on his post about the possibilities of the depth chart for next year.  I agree with most everything he wrote, but I responded that I am not so optimistic because I have failed to see CRN and staff play the right guys, or hold any of the players accountable for shoddy play and laziness or stupidity on the field.  I was asked by a few people to fanpost my response. So here is what I wrote in response to him:

My biggest gripe is that CRN and staff have never shown that they will play the better guy, or the guy that is producing. Here are five examples:

Example #1: Rosario and Embree both had subpar years and never ran good routes and dropped passes from the opening snap against Kansas State. In the middle of the year when Marvray and Carrol (and even Smith) started to produce, the majority of snaps still went to Rosario and Embree, even though they continued to drop balls, not be aggressive to the ball, and run crappy routes.

Example #2: Josh Smith was one of the best return men in college football when at Colorado. He comes to UCLA and suddenly he can’t catch a punt? Come on. To make matters worse, they put Embree, our possession receiver who has no chance of breaking off a punt return back to retun punts? Ridiculous. Put someone back their with some burners. If Smith isn’t it, coach up Marvray (he later did a few), Carrol, or Thigpen to do it … not Embree.

Example #3: When I was at the Arizona game it was painfully obvious that Steve Sloan (who was in for Larimore) was painfully slow to the ball and not a good tackler. He got hurt and in came Zumwalt, who was everything Sloan wasn’t.  Zumwalt was a stud in the middle. Why wasn’t he playing earlier? Because the coaches did a poor job and seemed to just give the position to Sloan because he was next in line.

Example #4: The coaches did a very poor job in regards to the quarterback position. Why wasn’t Brehaut developed more when it was obvious to everyone that Prince wasn’t ready on many occasions because of injury? That was baffling. Prince didn’t even practice at times during the week and still played. If you are Joe Montana you get that type of treatment. If you are Kevin Prince, you ride the bench until healthy. Also, I posted before the beginning of the season that Prince would get hurt. It isn’t his fault, but he is injury prone. He sat out his senior year at Crespi HS with a knee injury and has missed many games at UCLA with injuries.

Example #5: The way Malcolm Jones was used. Either play the guy or redshirt him. Didn’t make sense.

Which brings me to my next point. Do we really have a true competition at positions? I don’t think so. 

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Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

This was the first game I was able to attend since the game in Austin, Texas. I have obviously seen all the games on TV, but you get a better sense for what is going on when you are there. I have to say, I am frustrated, for many reasons. Here is my humble analysis.

1) Conservative play calling: I am frustrated that when RB got on a little bit of a roll passing the ball, we got conservative (4th quarter) and really didn’t give the young kid a chance. I do feel somewhat vindicated in that I have been saying for a long time that RB is our best option. He made passes to day that Prince never could have made. Arizona was trying to give this game away, and we got super conservative by passing on first down most of the time, and putting RB into tough passing situations. Once again, with the aggressiveness of the Arizona defense, why did we not throw one screen today ...and I am not only talking about your traditional screen. What about a WR screen or a bubble screen ... something to get Carroll and Smith the ball quickly in space. Never saw it once today, unless it happened when I went to get my pretzel.

2) Bullough blows. He did not blitz alot. He blitzed somewhat, and when he did blitz it wasn’t disguised at all. When he was going to blitz he brought up Westgate or Ayers and it was no secret what they were doing. Each time that happened, our cornerbacks (usually Price) were playing 10 yards off their man and Matt Scott just checked down to his hot read and completed the pass. Also, our tackling was atrocious … and the players have to take responsibility for that, but so does Bullough. It is his job to teach tackling and proper technique, and we are incredibly lacking in that department. Our defense doesn’t disguise anything. I bet if you did an anonymous poll of Pac-10 offensive coordinators, they would say our defense is the easiest to scheme against. I didn’t see any run blitz’s and we were relying on our LB’s to make tackles 5 yards off the line of scrimmage.

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As a UCLA fan and Laker fan I was disturbed to just learn that Matt Barnes was arrested in Sacramento on domestic abuse charges.  The story was just on KCBS Channel 2 News here is Los Angeles.  I will reserve judgement until the entire story comes out.........however it is never good when something like this happens.  I never like any of our former \ players, especially those that come from the "halls of Westwood" and are now with the local teams, to be involved in anything like this. Let's hope that Barnes gets it together, but it doesn't sound good.

Well, because of my laziness I have never cancelled the Los Angeles shitty Times  Just never got around to doing it after thinking about it many times.  However, the call will be made shortly.  While it may not seem like a big deal to some, check out today's fishwrap.  On the front page of the sports section their are stories for U$C football, a cheating program freshly put on probation and ineligible for the national title.  

Also on the front page is a story on this years University of Washington football program and some of the challenges they face and how they have improved the strength of their players in the weight room.  Are you kidding me.  The last I checked this is the LOS ANGELES Times,not the SEATTLE Times.  This is a program which is mediocre at best, with a former USC coach.  Does anyone see the correlation?  

The UCLA football program has an article on them, on page 4.  While it is a nice article on their our future star quarterback RB, the fact it is on Page 4 is a subtle dig on the program and a hint of what we can expect week after week from this Trogan apologist piece of garbage they call a paper.   Time to stop donating to this junk.

I just received a phone call from a former D-1 basketball coach that I have known for a long time and worked closely with in the past.  He just told me a coaching legend has passed away, however I have not seen anything on the internet or any other sources to confirm it.  I consider this coach a very reliable source, but I am not comfortable enough to be the first to report it just in case the information is incorrect or their was some lack of communication to him.  It is not a former UCLA coach who died (nothing to do with UCLA actually), but a legendary coach from back east.  That is all I will say, but if is also safe to say that if this is true, it will have a big impact on the college basketball community.  Part of the reason that I don't want to say too much is that I met this man several times, and he was a great person............and I am hoping it isn't true.  

Nestor, I apologize for posting this if I am breaking any rules (ethically speaking) by posting info. that isn't public yet, and by not naming names.  Please advise me or take down this post if that is the case.

If my source is correct, then the story will be public real soon. I am actually hoping it is false. 

UPDATE:  this was indeed a rumor, per this Chapel Hill station and the UNC Athletic Communications Director.

UPDATE X2:  Smith's family sent a letter to former players and coaches Saturday, discussing the 79-year-old's health after generally declining to comment for privacy reasons. Smith's condition was described as a "progressive neurocognitive disorder that affects his memory."  "He may not immediately recall the name of every former player from his many years of coaching, but that does not diminish what those players meant to him or how much he cares about them," the letter said. [Our prayers go out to Coach Smith and his family.]

I don't really care about this bit of news but it is kind of funny because of the spin that USC took in announcing that they were being so nice to let Seantrel Henderson out of his contract (uugghh....letter of intent).  

Seems he is locked, loaded, and ready to take his act to Miami:

The roller-coaster ride for Seantrel Henderson (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham) appears to finally be over. On Friday, Sean Henderson, who is the father of the five-star offensive tackle prospect, confirmed that his son will sign with Miami. Henderson was released from his letter of intent with USC on Tuesday.

"Seantrel is definitely going to Miami. It is 100 percent," said Sean Henderson. "We are not sure when he will actually sign [his letter of intent], but he will do that sometime before he reports on Aug. 3."

Too bad Lane and Ogre could not close the deal for a second time, but did anybody actually think it was a possibility?