Bruce Davis' glove: PROVE THEM WRONG
via sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net

To date, the video below is my favorite UCLA Football video. I was a 5th year senior on the UCLA Drumline at the time, and the team treated me to a great graduation present: my first (and so far only) win over sc since I started being a fan in 2002.  Going into the game, I didn't have high expectations -- we were 5-6 and sc was the #2 team in the country.   I thought that it was going to be the first year that I wouldn't be able to go to a bowl game (always a good time for the band).  I had witnessed some pretty uninspired games during my career, but for some reason this game felt different from the beginning.  There was something palpable in the air, some kind of energy I hadn't felt before.  As I walked out of the tunnel and onto the field for my last pre-game performance, my last "Script UCLA", I knew that I wouldn't forget this day.  I knew that after witnessing four miserable rivalry games, that this year would be different.

We were going to win. 

I'm man enough to admit that I cried at the end of this game, especially during the band's post-game goodbye ritual for the seniors on the field.  Although the stakes are different this year (sc was playing for the championship game, we were playing for a bowl game) I hope that this year's graduating seniors can experience what I experienced -- a triumphant and memorable win in their last game at UCLA.

Imagine my surprise when I was reading one of my favorite gaming websites and I see a headline about Chris Kluwe.  Apparently, not only is he a master of Guitar Hero (we saw the videos here a while ago, you can probably search for it), but he is also a WoW addict :P  Here's the article, here's his player card, and here's the application he filled out to join his guild:

Fun stuff.

This is an absolutely personal rant that no one should really care about, but I wanted to write it down somewhere.  Maybe someone will find it interesting.

I'm a relatively recent sports fan, I didn't care for sports until I started at UCLA in 2002.  But after becoming a member of the Drumline, and going to every home game for football and basketball (and a lot of the away games where the band was present) I became a huge fan.  I ended up going to as many sporting events as a could, including women's bball, volleyball, tennis, track, soccer, swimming, waterpolo, and so on, because I couldn't get enough of our Bruins.  I was the Bassline section leader, and the guy you saw screaming at the camera during the NCAA Tournament commercial breaks for basketball.

Just before I graduated last spring, I bought season tickets to football (basketball was too expensive) along with my friend.  In between that spring and the start of football season however, I started to become more observant within the Jewish religion, which meant observing Shabbat (no "work" Friday night to Saturday night, which for the purpose of this rant, translates to no football).  I made myself a deal though, that since I already bought tickets, I would only break Shabbat for the 6 home games, and that I wouldn't schedule anything else on Shabbat -- ever.  This was to be the last season that I would ever get to go to the Rose Bowl, and to stand and cheer the entire game.  It would be my only season to watch the marching band from the stands instead of from within.  My only season to experience tail gating.  Believe it or not, I am choking up with tears while I am writing this.  

This season meant a lot to me, and because of that I invested way too much hope into Karl Dorrell.  I knew he would find a way to screw things up, but everyone held us in such high regard with our 20 returning starters, and our high pre-season ranking.  

So how was my last game at the Rose Bowl ever?  We lost 24-20.  This morning, at 9am, I couldn't make myself get up and go to the Rose Bowl.  My friend was sick and said he couldn't go; I could have called some other people and hung out with them, but I just didn't think it was worth it.  I was so depressingly fed up with Karl Dorrell and this meaningless season that I decided to stay home and watch the game from here.  I realized that I was more excited to see Dennis Dixon than I was to see our Bruins, and since he wasn't in the game, it wasn't worth it to me.  This is coming from a self proclaimed hardcore fan for life.  The guy who annoys his fiance by pointing out every time UCLA is used as a backdrop in a movie, and who says inappropriate things at inappropriate times to whatever trojan is in ear shot.  

You might think that this makes me a fair weather fan, but anyone who knows me knows that there is nothing further from the truth.  I've sat through Lavin and Toledo and Kathy Olivier and yes, Dorrell, and I've never boo'd, I've never stopped cheering, I've never even sat down (until someone from the NCAA tells me I have to).  But Dorrell's ugly coaching has finally taken its toll on me.  I just couldn't get myself up for the game today, not at all.

Okay, end rant.

[AW] 4:01 pm: I hope they rush the field
[el_toloc] 4:01 pm: as it should
[AW] 4:01 pm: man I can't wait till the oregon game
[AW] 4:01 pm: should be fun tow atch pukes
[bruinfan627] 4:01 pm: remember when they rushed the field last time
[cccbruin] 4:01 pm: d was not good tooday.......seconrdary suks period.....same players no
matter who the coach is.....
[bruinfan627] 4:01 pm: that was so painful
[el_toloc] 4:01 pm: another stupidity
[captdan] 4:01 pm: not more painful than utah or nd
[bruinfan627] 4:02 pm: good sportsmanship guy
[captdan] 4:02 pm: utah and nd was detroit-mercy painful
[el_toloc] 4:02 pm: nd was more so IMHO
[bruinfan627] 4:02 pm: so who got the career day against us this time?
[1bru1] 4:02 pm: damn, michigan in the lead
[el_toloc] 4:02 pm: the cats running game
[el_toloc] 4:03 pm: had a career day
[AW] 4:03 pm: HAHAHHAHAHAH
[ranelar] 4:03 pm: hah
[AW] 4:03 pm: HAHAHHAHAH
[captdan] 4:03 pm: AND SO THE IMPLOSION CONTINUES
[AW] 4:03 pm: HAHAHHAHA
[ranelar] 4:03 pm: #$%^&* n idiots
[AW] 4:03 pm: THEY ARE RUSHING THE FIELD
[420bruin] 4:03 pm: and they storm
[Bruin Chat]: roblo has left at 4:03 pm
[1bru1] 4:03 pm: why are they rushing?
[AW] 4:03 pm: HAHAHHAA
[bruinfan627] 4:03 pm: why the #$%^&* are they rushing?
[el_toloc] 4:03 pm: they just won the SuperBowl!
[ranelar] 4:03 pm: i cannot believe how #$%^&* n stupid they are to rush the field
[bruinfan627] 4:03 pm: what a bunch of losers
[captdan] 4:03 pm: that is pathetic
[cccbruin] 4:03 pm: man, i would not rush the field when fb who just lost are pissed off......
[Bruin Chat]: jorgemendoza2356 has left at 4:03 pm

I finally got my photos online, you can view them on my flickr account. They include a couple gems like this very confused man:

Dennis Keyes missing an interception by a shoestring (literally):

Joe Cowan about to stiff arm the crap outta this Notre Dame player:

Leading to this would-be touchdown (called back for holding):

But the only time a Notre Dame player had to watch a Bruin enter the end zone for 6 was when this kid took the field (with an amazingly similar run in as Joe):

At least one Bruin team (and one confused trojan) could walk off the field with their heads high and their hands in the air:

Again, more to be found here.

I need more words, so I'll just mention that I sent Dan Guerrero an envelope with my season ticket from the game like someone suggested in one of the posts.  I used a sharpie to write "L 20-6" and "Will not renew next year with KD" on it.  Of all the ideas mentioned, I think that's one of the best ways to get the message across.  It sucks that I had to ride my motorcycle 140 miles to see an unprepared team lose to an awful ND squad.  Btw, does anyone happen to know if motorcycles have some special parking somewhere?  I didn't see any other bikes on the golf course...

Bumped. Some great pictures. If you are out there reading BN and would love to share more UCLA pics via flickr account, please share them with us in the diaries, comments, or email links to us. We can never have enough pictures of UCLA football (no matter who is our head coach). GO BRUINS. -N

I took a couple (hundred) photos at the game and I got some decent ones, including this goal line stop (unfortunately right before they got a TD on 3rd down...):

(Click on the image to enlarge - N)

You can see the rest of the pictures by going to my flickr.

For those who aren't familiar with flickr, you can click on a thumbnail to see a small resolution picture, and then click on the magnifying glass right above the photo that says "all sizes" in order to see larger resolutions.  Also, except for a few photos in the beginning, they're all in order, so you can kinda relive the game by watching the slideshow.

Enjoy.

Go Bruins.

Bruin-whatshisname made yet another diary that was attacking Nestor and Bruins Nation.  I wanted to respond to it.  In bold is a list of 5 "rules" he wrote as a conclusion to a long whining post.

1. Do not disagree with Nestor or his cronies.

Anyone can disagree as long as the disagreement is based on facts.  Facts that you can defend, or even better, that need no defending.

2. Do not try to share your opinion unless you can back it up with evidence that it is the same as Nestor and his cronies.

Back it up with evidence.  Period.

3. Do not defend or make non-negative comments in response to anyone who disagrees with Nestor and/or his cronies.

I make non-negative comments in response to people who disagree with Nestor relatively frequently, but I also contribute to the site and never make a diary whose sole purpose is to complain about how one man decides to run his site.  

4. Do not defend yourself if Nestor or any of his cronies respond to any of your posts to point out how wrong you unquestionably are.

Again, just defend yourself with an argument that can stand on its own.  Hell, I comment on Conquest Chronicles now and then with little jabs at sc, but whatever I say is well reasoned and difficult to argue against.

5. Do not in any way suggest that Nestor or his cronies are not completely fair and just and represent the majority opinion of the total combined visitors to Bruins Nation (whether outspoken or silent).

First of all, the majority opinion on this site IS that KD needs to go; it's been well established.  Second, even if the opposite were true, it doesn't matter.  This is Nestor's blog.  A couple of years ago he decided to write his opinions on the internet.  People began to read his opinions and started to check the blog every day.  It's become a rather big site now, but that doesn't mean that this isn't his blog anymore.  He's still a guy who spends his spare time writing about sports at his alma mater.  Maybe if you were paying him money to read his blog you'd have some input as to what gets published, but you don't, and so you are correct in your assertion that you have no rights.  If you think that this site is backwards and that the other side needs to be heard, make your own blog.  That's what Nestor did in response to everyone defending Lavin.  He thought that there were too many people who had it all wrong, so instead of bitching over and over on other sites, he decided to make his own.  DefendDorrell.com, buy the name, start the blog, recruit readers with great writing based on hard facts.  Hell, make some shirts and see how well they sell.  That's the best way to get your opinion heard, rather than whining here.  

Anyone notice the article on Hoopsworld.com about Aaron Afflalo?

At 6-5 and 215 lbs. he may be a bit undersized to be a powerful shooting guard and with his weakness on the defensive side of the ball he may not have enough to make up for that.

Uhmm... a second columnist goes on to say:

Afflalo brings it like Phoenix's Raja Bell. he has nice physical strength, yet can flow without the ball, opening himself up for opportunities on the right team. One of the best shooters in the college game, Afflalo can also make his mark with his great peripheral on the court, finding teammates that, as a rookie, he will likely be forced to defer to every bit as much as carry their duffels.

His maturity and unselfishness will help him in the long run with teams like New York, Detroit and San Antonio. Afflalo's game is right up the alley for coaches like Houston's Rick Adelman, who hold the 26th pick, currently.

Of course, that's on offense.

On defense, he has a long way to go to match Bell's transformation from minor league baller to All-NBA First team defensive player.

Are we talking about the same player?  If anything, AA had a tendency to get quiet on offense, while still being able to maintain a fierce defense (before exploding in the second half with 16 points).  I think the only time these guys ever watched AA was during final fours...

From the diaries. For more pictures from this rally also check out the pictures over at Trojan Haters Club. GO BRUINS. -N

For anyone that wants a peak of what happened at the rally, you can go to my flickr account where I've posted my photos from that day.

First to 100 Rally

Ben Howland was there, but I didn't know until he was leaving, and my camera was away, so no picture of him -- bummer.  Every other one of our "Super Coaches" was in attendance (those who have won more than a handful of national championships).  Of course, Karl Dorrel was not present (at least, I didnt see him).  The crowd had a few hundred people there, many of whom were athletes and coaches.  

They gave away free "First to 100" hats to the first 100 fans (ha-ha, they have some humor in the Morgan Center).  Unfortunately, I had to show up late due to class so I didn't get one :-/

Anyway, enjoy.  

P.S. Sean Farnum likes to think he's funny

First to 100

Has anyone paid attention to OSU's basketball recruiting?  I saw mention of this on a UNC board, checked it out, and could not believe my eyes.  

Next year's class:

5 stars: 1
4 stars: 4

This class includes 7ft (or 7'2 depending who you ask) PF Kosta Koufos who has 3-point range as one of his strengths :P

2008 class:

5 stars: 4
4 stars: 1

This class includes the #2 PG, #7 PF, #2 C (another 7 footer), and the #3 and #19 SG.

I mean, wow.  That's some recruiting they got going on.  Definitely not what I expected out of Ohio State.  They weren't even on the map in 2005, then they score a monster class in 2006 which was ranked #2 by scout behind North Carolina, and now they've got the 9th ranked class next year, and what I would have to assume is the #1 class in 2008.  That class would probably be the starting lineup of most other schools, they've got every position filled if they just shift one of their SG to SF.  I just hope they all go to the NBA and don't do anything stupid like pull a Florida.

One-line diaries are prohibited on Bruins Nation. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread.

The minumum is 200 words.

I just read two articles today, one from ESPN quoting Tim Floyd after his beating to Oregon, and one from Darren Collison on Sunday from the Times.  It's just funny how different our programs are, and I'm glad for it.  First, Floyd:

"It was embarrassing," Young said.

USC erased some of its 39-point deficit only after Oregon went to its bench. The Trojans would have set a record for the largest title-game loss in the tourney's 10-year history, but a late scoring spurt saved them the embarrassment by two points.

"We won't be watching any film on this game," USC coach Tim Floyd said.

Now Collison:

Collison said that he had no trouble watching film of UCLA's two straight losses. "Why not watch?" he said. "We're trying to do something really special here, and you have to go through tough times to do that."

Exactly.  This is the difference between a program that is going somewhere, and a program that is just a blip on the radar.  Ben makes his players learn from their mistakes.  If we have a bad game, he makes sure our players watch game tape even more, and then he makes them sweat in practice.  I wouldn't be surprised if Tim let his players skip their next practice so that they can just "shake it off".

Another must read story, but unlike the refuge soccer story, this one is just depressing.  Wright Thompson at ESPN wrote about Genarlow Wilson, an athlete from the state of Georgia who was, by all accounts, completely screwed by the judicial system.  As a 17 year old (being recruited to play football at schools like Columbia and Brown), he received oral sex from a 15 year old.  The age of consent is 16.  

Once, he was the homecoming king at Douglas County High. Now he's Georgia inmate No. 1187055, convicted of aggravated child molestation.

When he was a senior in high school, he received oral sex from a 10th grader. He was 17. She was 15. Everyone, including the girl and the prosecution, agreed she initiated the act. But because of an archaic Georgia law, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a felony for the same kids to have oral sex.

Afterward, the state legislature changed the law to include an oral sex clause, but that doesn't help Wilson. In yet another baffling twist, the law was written to not apply to cases retroactively, though another legislative solution might be in the works. The case has drawn national condemnation, from the "Free Genarlow Wilson Now" editorial in The New York Times to a feature on Mark Cuban's HDNet.

It seems like everyone involved with this case believes he doesn't deserve his sentence, even those who sentenced him.  The article depicts the scene in the court:

The trial finished that afternoon, and the jury came back with "not guilty" on the rape but "guilty" on the aggravated child molestation.

He looked at the forewoman. She was crying, seeming to understand they'd just undone a promising future. Indeed, when the jurors found out there was a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence, several were incensed. The prosecution told them to write a letter, then moved on to the next case.

Genarlow Wilson put his head in his hands and wept.

This whole situation is just f'd up, but what really pissed me off was this:

The position of Barker and the district attorney, McDade, who refused to comment, is that Wilson is guilty under the law and there is no room for mercy, though the facts seem to say they simply chose not to give it to Wilson. At the same time this trial was under way, a local high school teacher, a white female, was found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a student -- a true case of child molestation. The teacher received 90 days. Wilson received 3,650 days.

I highly suggest you read the whole thing.  When I have some time I'm going to try to find the contact info of some relevant politicians so I can express my support of Wilson.  If someone else finds it first, go ahead and post it.

From Yahoo Sports

(CSTV U-WIRE) TUCSON, Ariz. -- No. 3 UCLA was not kind to then-No. 11 Arizona, and the UCLA Medical Center was not kind to Marcus Williams. The UA forward spent "three hours" there Friday waiting for an X-ray on the left wrist he re-injured late in the first half of Thursday's game at USC, according to UA head coach Lute Olson.

Olson said "there was some concern that there might be something broken," but Williams' X-ray turned out to be negative.

The experience at the medical center also turned out to be negative.

"Don't ever go to UCLA's medical center," Olson quipped.

The positive news on Williams' wrist, which Olson deemed a "sprain," made up at least in part for the long wait.

Still, Olson said he discussed the matter with former UCLA forward Don MacLean. MacLean told Olson he once left the center to go to his personal physician after getting hurt in a pickup game, not wanting to endure the wait.

I've also had a bad experience with both the UCLA Medical Center and Ashe (the student health center on campus).  I once had to wait 6 hours (6pm-midnight) in the med center's ER waiting room since Ashe was closed when I had an excruciating ear infection.  I actually went to Ashe earlier in the day and said that I thought I had some kind of bacterial infection because I was mucousy and feeling sick.  They told me to take some tylenol or something stupid like that, probably thinking I was some kind of hypochondriac.  A couple hours later I got a piercing pain that wouldn't go away, and I had to endure it till midnight when a doctor finally saw me, looked in my ear, and said "Yep, ear infection.  Here's a prescription for antibiotics and Vicodin for the pain."

6 Hours of waiting in pain.
2 minutes with the doctor to get what I needed.
Not fun.

Williams got unfair treatment, his waiting time was half of mine.  Pretty surprising from the #1 hospital in the West.

ESPN just compiled a report based on the last 5 years of the Sagarin Ratings to determine the best football/basketball combo schools in the nation.  Texas, Florida, and LSU are 1, 2, and 3.  UCLA checks in at #26.  Quick, guess why we're rated so low (relative to our expectations).  Done guessing?  You're wrong.  We're ranked the 22nd best football school in the last 5 years, and the 42nd best basketball school.  Haha, WHAT?  Man, the damage Lavin has done.  For some perspective, here are the 5 schools that are ranked above and below in basketball:

37 - Oregon
38 - Washington
39 - UAB
40 - Michigan
41 - Clemson
42 - UCLA
43 - Iowa
44 - Vanderbilt
45 - Virginia
46 - Arkansas
47 - Missouri

It makes sense now that I think about it, we only really turned a corner last year, but wow that was a shocker.  If we had Howland for the last 7 years, we'd be ranked around 3rd or 4th overall for sure.  Well, at least we're ranked 2 spots higher than sc, despite their #1 football rating (they're #65 in basketball).  This also flies in the face of those who say we're just a basketball school.

Check it out

From the diaries. Grab a tissue. I needed it. Also viral tags added below. - N

Everyone has to check this out over at bruinville.com. It's the best compilation video of the sc game yet.  The ending made me cry all over again, it's that good.

Some responses:

SnailOfWestwood:

Larmz, you are amazing. Seriously, this is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen =)

MilwaukeeBruin:

Larmz,

You are awesome. I had goose bumps and chills the entire time I was watching that.

CANYBruin:

I am at work, but knowing what fine work you did on the basketball video, I couldn't wait to watch this. It is spectacular Larmz! Great use of music, and good synchronization of images to the music too. Once I get home, it will be downloaded onto my computer to save for eternity.

Ranelar (yea I'm using the third person):

Oh man. That was friggan beautiful, your ending made me break down and start crying with joy like I did when I was on the field that day. In fact, you can see me walking around dazed on the field in the second to last scene with the UCLA flag and the band, I'm the big bass drum. As a graduating fifth year, and probably the biggest UCLA fan in the band, this win meant everything to me. I would LOVE to have the higher quality ones. Thanks for doing this, I'm definitely going to watch this over and over.

e-mail this page :: del.icio.us :: digg this

But I found this vastly amusing, and what's wrong about going a little off topic on a rather uneventful sports day in the second day of finals week?  So I'm sure that many of you are aware that there's a bunch of crazy preachers that come to our campus and tell everyone on bruinwalk that they're going to hell.  If you search the daily bruin archive for "preacher" you'll get a handful of hits.  The most recent was this:

Preachers attacked twice in Bruin Plaza: Evangelical Christian group holds signs condemning a variety of groups, spurring two violent altercations, one arrest

But that's not the story I wanted to comment about.  I dunno how many of you current students and recent graduates have taken chemistry 14A or 20A and had professor Scerri (a rather intimidating and strangely eccentric middle aged British man):

Acoustic science: UCLA chemistry professor mixes his passions for music and periodic tables for a rocking reaction

But there's a hilarious youtube video of him verbally assaulting a preacher and then walking off with the guy's briefcase:

Most quotable line: "I teach logic motherfucker."

More Scerri fun:

I had a horrible final and figured there's probably other people besides me who need a good laugh right now :P

CBS reports that a usc fan has lost his eye after a confrontation with UCLA fans.

A cut to an eyeball took more than five hours to repair in surgery at Kaiser Permanente in Harbor City, he said.

His wife also recounted seeing her husband's injuries. "I see my husband come around the front of the car, covered in blood and just adrenaline-pumped, and screaming and saying `They hit me with a bottle, they hit me with a bottle," she said. "The glass that hit his eye went through every layer of eye, severing it all, all the way to the jelly."

There is absolutely no excuse for this to have happened.  The guy claims that there was no instigation on his part, which I am a little doubtful of, but true or not it doesn't really matter.  The fact is that he lost an eye, and there really isn't any other logical explanation other than his story that he was attacked by Bruin fans.  I am ashamed to be associated with such people.  

I know from first hand experience that Trojan fans are not angels themselves (on Saturday, one of the bass drummers had a beer bottle thrown at him while marching into the Rose Bowl, and every year at the Coliseum the drumline/band has had bottles thrown at them), but to know that we do it too, and that it has permanently changed this man's life is horrible.  I seriously hope whoever did this is caught and brought to justice.

Check out these two videos of LAPD's use of force on the kids in Westwood (also includes hilarious comments made by drunk students).  I rank these videos as some of the funniest I've seen on youtube.

Shots Fired:

"Are you fucking crazy?  We'll sue your asses, get this on camera."
"I don't wanna get tazered!"
"Time to move out! Woahhhhhhhhh shit man!"

Foam Batton Projectile:

"[The Riot Force] swept through Westwood because uhh... I guess it's not copacetic for UCLA to beat USC and then... us to run around burning couches and whatnot."

That line friggan cracked me up :P  I think burning couches is pretty stupid, but a huge crowd of drunk idiots can sure be entertaining.

One-line diaries are prohibited on Bruins Nation. Give your diary a bit more thought, then give it another shot. If you have nothing to add to your proposed diary, then it probably belongs as a comment under another appropriate thread.

The minumum is 200 words.

Apparently I still need more words.  Bleh.  
UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA
UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA
UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA
UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA

From the Diaries. GO BRUINS. -N

Update 11/18/06: Added a couple pictures which I didn't take, but I know who did and I'm sure she wouldnt mind :P

Our #6 Bruins (26-3; 13-3 Pac-10) just toppled #4 southern cal (23-4; 12-4 Pac-10) tonight in Pauley Pavilion, and they made it look easy, winning in 3 straight matches 30-25, 30-22, and 30-20.  The band was there, and the arena (cut in half by a curtain across midcourt) was packed.

We were loud, we were intimidating, we heckled their players at every opportunity (keeping it clean of course), causing the trojan fans around us to get noticeably uncomfortable.  There were a significant number of them there, but asside from match 1, they were mostly kept silent.

The trojans put up a good fight in the beginning;  they actually led for long stretches in match 1, and for some of match 2, but the Bruins, with their fans behind them, made some strong surges to put each match away.  

By the 3rd match you could tell that the pressure had gotten to the trojans.  They got sloppy, they got angry, and they simply gave up.  When their players make eye contact with you after you yell their name or taunt them in some way, you know you've gotten into their heads.    That's really the best part of going to sports other than football and men's bball. They can hear you.  You know they can hear you. They try to pretend they can't, but eventually you hook someone and then it's all over. The den in the picture above is almost literally on top of the trojan bench! 

I wholeheartedly suggest that all of you in LA attend at least one non-cash sporting event and see how dominant our other teams are, and how fun it can be in these smaller environments.

Update II 11/6/06: Here is the stunning video of a few hooligans in the cal student section beating up another cal student just because he had a UCLA color shirt on. Those Berkeley scholars thought he was a UCLA student. "We all go to same school you fucking dumb asses!" That's your cal "student" section. -N



Update 11/6/06: Apparently, the guy I refer to as the UCLA fan was actually a cal fan wearing colors that were more similar to UCLA's than to cal's, and the confrontation started because he had crap thrown at him and he took offense.

Did anyone see the UCLA fan get the crap kicked out of him in the middle of the cal student section?  It happened during the cal band's show, and the entire student section turned around to see what was going on.  At first I didn't know why they were turning their backs on their own band (although I could make some reasonable guesses :P), but then I saw a guy in a royal blue shirt standing on his seat, and getting stunt cards and trash thrown at him from every angle.  I guess he said something they didn't like.  

After a few minutes, one cal fan roughly pushed the Bruin, so the Bruin retaliated with a punch, and then they were both throwing punches.  Within seconds the Bruin fell (was pushed/dragged?) down about 5 rows of seats and disappeared into the crowd which then converged on him and appeared to collectively kick his ass.  It was at that point that the police on the field starting running up into the stands, but they didn't get to him for a good long while because they had to fight through a crowd on the stairs, and then the student section itself.  I didn't see what happened after the police started running up, and haven't seen anything in the media about it.  Does anyone else know what happened?

Besides that incident, cal fans were also rather rude after the Decoud(cal)/Korey Bosworth(UCLA) collision that resulted in a punt return TD by Desean Jackson.  The hit was VISCIOUS, and not at all captured by the replays being shown on ESPN.  I heard a sickening cracking sound when those two collided and Bosworth was on the ground forever.  Since everyone was focused on the TD return, sports medicine guys on both teams seemed slow in realizing that they had players hurt.  

Decoud stood up as the medics arrived and was forced to sit back down, and eventually both stood up at the same time to the sound of cheers and clapping.  Bosworth wanted to jog off the field to show that he was okay, but after a few steps his legs gave out and he fell face first into the turf (he must have fainted because I didn't even see his hands go out in front of him to stop the fall).  So the medics all surround him again and coach K and KD eventually come out to see what's going on.  

During this time, with Bosworth on the ground for the second time, and Decoud off the field, the cal student section started chanting "DESEAN JACKSON! DESEASN JACKSON!" and so Jackson stood on the cal bench and spun his towel around his head, which caused the cal students to cheer and wave their free towels around.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  An opposing player just did a face-plant into the ground and a cal player is jumping onto a bench and rousing the student section?  Ridiculous.  I would think that even suc players and fans would have more class than that.

There is a video going around the internet that is pretty funny and shows the types of "academic institutions" we are competing against in sports. Here is a stoned professor, brought to you by the University of Florida:

It was originally posted on boingboing.net

This started as a reply to someone's comment, but I decided to diary it.

I dont really like all these comments about how southern cal "obviously had to cheat to beat us" because it's not quite genuine.  I absolutely believe that Reggie Bush and his family are in the wrong and did things they shouldn't have, and that southern cal should pay for their lack of control over the situation, HOWEVER, I dont believe they recruited Bush by saying, "Yea, we'll totally hook you up by turning a blind eye to any agents who wanna give you and your family cash."  If they had said that, then sure: they had to cheat to beat us, but that's not what happened.  

Did Bush's extra benefits give him super juking ability?  Did a fancy hotel and limo ride for his family give him that extra edge in down-field acceleration?  I think not.  Or even better, did the Bush house in San Diego somehow allow Lendale White to score 5(?) touchdowns against us last year in a vicious rout?  Nope.  Look, Bush should not have been eligible to play, but southern cal has still beat us 7 times in a row, and we cant blame that all on one guy's extra benefits over the course of a couple years.  Do you think we would have won last year if Reggie Bush didn't play?  Probably not.  So when I see these comments everywhere about how they had to cheat to beat us, it kinda makes me cringe because I feel it gives them something to snicker about in their time of crisis.  But that's just my take on it.

Paul Oberjuerge wrote an article for the sbsun titled Bruins can't hold our attention which I found through the topix links on the left of this site.  I expected to read something about UCLA football living in the shadow of usc, and about the poor fan attendance on Saturday, and I right, but he also wrote something that shocked me and forced me to email him a response.  He wrote (emphasis mine):

USC does just about everything "football" better than do the Bruins.

The Coliseum is a better place to watch a game. Electric atmosphere, bigger crowds.

USC plays a more interesting schedule. Unless you prefer Utah and Rice over Arkansas and Nebraska.

USC's band is better, its song girls nationally celebrated. It has the white horse; the Bruins have two kids in bear suits.

Wow.  In response I wrote:

"USC's band is better," sure, if you prefer putting down instruments so as to booty dance instead of marching creative and well executed drill (google: usc crotch grabbing).  Although I guess it is a pleasure whenever USC's band puts down their instruments, because it's hard to listen to the blaring honking noise that comes out (see: http://youtube.com/watch?v=StyHKCK3QVs).  Maybe you think they're better because they are blatantly arrogant, labeling themselves the greatest marching band in the history of the universe (google: usc marching band arrogant, a juxtaposition to ucla marching band arrogant, which loads no relevant pages).  Whatever it is, it's obvious you've got some red shades on (and apparently mustard yellow earplugs) because no one who knows anything about college marching bands would think that USC's band is anything more than a high school band "marching" on a college football field.

What a ridiculous statement he made, I can't begin to imagine how he can justify it.  I eagerly await any kind of rebuttal from this obvious shill.

This is pure speculation, but after reading this from The Press Enterprise:

Despite Marcus Everett being the latest Bruin to fumble a punt, Dorrell said in a conference call Monday that running back Chris Markey and receivers Everett and Terrence Austin would continue to return punts.

Markey, who fumbled in the opener, did not return a punt Saturday because of a sore knee.

it makes me wonder if he sat out so long in the 3rd because he told the coaches at the half that his knee was starting to bother him?  Just a guess.

ESPN's article on the game has the headline "Olson sharp again as UCLA opens season 2-0".  I guess if you look at his stats, it looks like he had an okay game... it says he was 13-19, though another ESPN stat page says 14-19.  In any case that's around 70% completion, and he had 2 TD's.  But oh yea, he had an interception and I believe two fumbles.  That's not what I would call looking sharp, but what do I know, I was only sitting through the whole game thinking what a horrible showing the team was making.  Maybe they tuned out after the first half and read the stat sheet to write the report later.  I think the only way the game could have been worse was if we had lost.  I already feel like we lost.  So much for maybe entering the top 25 this week.  This was a very ASU-like performance.

People have been wondering why we're playing rice, and why we're playing them two years in a row. The Daily Bruin answered that today:

Why Rice? Rice has not played in a bowl game since 1961, so it doesn't fit the usual profile of a UCLA opponent.

As it turns out, UCLA was stuck in a bind due to a scheduling conflict.

The Bruins originally had BYU on their schedule for a home-and-away series in 2005 and 2006, but in 2004, BYU had to drop UCLA from their schedule when their conference, the Mountain West Conference, added an additional conference game.

So that left UCLA, which originally only had 5 home games in 2005 and 2006, scrambling to find a Division 1-A opponent that could come to the Rose Bowl two years in a row.

"Rice was extremely accommodating, and they were able to fit into our schedule," UCLA associate athletic director Marc Dellins said. "That was the biggest factor, finding a team that could fill our two home dates."

And the decision worked out on both sides. Rice, which is 1-12-1 all-time in the state of California, gets the exposure of playing a national Pac-10 team, and UCLA essentially gets an easy win while preparing for the brutal end of its Pac-10 schedule which starts in mid-October with a game at Oregon.

It all begins to make sense.