I'm really concerned...

by redsand514 on Feb 14, 2007 3:14 PM PST Comment 9 comments

about the state of the student bruin fan base. Not only are the students hear bombarded with the continual BS that is churned out by the Daily Bruin, is that I'm pretty damn sure most of them buy into it. Talking with my friends who are casual fans they seem to care little about the state of bruin football and don't even know of understand the extend of our frustration that is constantly being vented on this site. And the information they do get is what they read daily by the dumb bruin editors. The sad thing is that all these "sports writers" are at most of these events and yet for some reason can't piece it together.

I know Ben, and him being a member of the marching band, has been at least to all the home football games for the past 4 years. Its mind boggling how he hasn't been able to see through all the BS that has gone on. The loses to inferior teams, winning games where we were down by 20 or more points. How can he see that as good coaching. Good coaching puts you in the position to win, not how to dig your ass out of a 50 foot hole. His comment about the criticism about "Dorrell's inability for not being able to win those close competitive games" is unbelievable. Anyone who watched us blow it at Notre Dame had to be thinking during the U$C game, "now this seems familar." Clinging to 4 pt lead all we need to win the game is a first down. what we do run up the gut 3 times with 40 trojans stacking the box. Playing not to lose? Yup. Kicking field goals when we should be going for points.

My feeling is that if not for McNeal's ridiculously athletic play, U$C probably would've scored because our defense was on the field for way to long, and it seemed that Booty finally figured it out.

How about the Emerald Bowl? FSU offense can't do crap with our dominating defense in the first half. 4 and Goal from a couple yards out. Lets kick the field goal, while over half of the Bruin defense is pissed off that we didnt go for throat early in the game.

The list goes on and on as documented on the site. This going back to the initial point. When I talk to my friends about the game, they just see it as the other team beating us. Not about how the coach lost it for us, and continues to. Thank you Mr. Walker and the defensive staff for U$C and doing everything you possibly could to make up for the deficiency we had at the top.

Bruinsnation thanks for helping me see the light about UCLA football and sports and hopefully other students and alums as well.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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If Ben is a member of the Marching Band...

...he should have been disqualified from writing about the Football team. Or at the very least, that should have come out in the article. That is extremely irresponsible of the Daily Bruin (and I was a member of the DB when I was in undergrad). You should write an editorial letter to the DB on that.

by BruinEd03 on Feb 15, 2007 12:03 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

think before you post the same comment three times

why should have no affiliation with the sports team if he is in the marching band? what difference does it make? the marching band does follow the football team, but it also follows the basketball team, plays at all of the olympic sports. Does this mean that he cannot write about any of these sports? that sounds a bit ridiculous to me. Being apart of marching band doesnt make you an automatic football-only support. It makes you a complete bruin fan, as you become more involved in all aspects of the school sports. What difference would it have made if he said that he was part of the marching band? really. if he adds one sentence that says, "btw i am a former member of the marching band", how does that change his views and the article? it doesnt.

by bluejoe on Feb 15, 2007 2:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Not really

If he is a member of the marching band there should have been disclosure at the end of this column.

No one is saying a member of the marching band shouldn't be allowed to opine in a forum like the Daily Bruin. But there should be a disclosure anytime a member of a marching band is writing a column on our sports teams.

by Nestor on Feb 15, 2007 4:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ben's opinion

Ben's opinion is exactly that, his opinion. It was an opinion piece. Your take in this diary is exactly that as well, an opinion. To say that EVERYBODY sees the same way that you do is ignorant.

by bluejoe on Feb 15, 2007 2:09 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

The Power to Force a Coaching Change ...

is in the hands of the alums -- not in the student section, not in the band, and not in the Daily Bruin.

I don't mean this in a negative or condescending way -- but the change will be the result of the leverage that money brings to the table.

If the AD does not do the right thing, the withholding of money will be a strong card played to force him to act.

And, if the AD does do the right thing, giving money will empower him to buy off KD and put enough cash on the table to hire a better coach.

For all of you now in school -- your real power will come when you graduate, get jobs, give back to the school that gave so much to you, and use your contributions to make the entire university -- not just the athletic department -- what you want it to be.

As one of the most critical and consistent critics of KD, I'm sure I'm on the LaRouchie list. Considering the source, I don't give a shit. The Daily Bruin has never written anything to contradict the many strong empirical and analytic posts that appear here or on Dump Dorrell. The paper is like a mosquito; it irritates a little but doesn't draw much blood.

The right to Free Speech encompasses the right to stupid speech. This kid may be as dumb as a stump, he may have a lot to learn, but that's what a student paper is for -- learning on the job.

Yes, he should apologize. But, we should not make such a big deal out of this -- we are just calling attention to an article that would have been on the bottom of the bird cage within a day had we not protested so much. (We all know that "banned" books, records and movies get a great sales boost from a censor's action.)

The bottom line is that the Daily Bruin won't save KD's job -- no matter what it says about those of us who criticize him. We hold the power of the checkbook -- and, next year, if need be, we should organize to use it.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Feb 15, 2007 5:22 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Ben has the perfect opportunity to shut us all up

Henry VIII wrote a refutation of the 95 Theses of Martin Luther, and a grateful Pope gave him the title "Defender of the Faith." Young Ben has the opportunity to get that same title. He has his pen, and apparently as many column-inches as he needs. He is certainly aware that there are heretics among his readers, people who do not think that Coach Dorrell should be selling indulgences. (Couldn't figure out an analogy to work the "indulgences" bit in, but I'm not the aspiring reporter.)

Anyway, Ben, why don't you take some of the criticisms of Coach Dorrell and explain why those things are either incorrect or simply do not warrant his dismissal.

Here's a couple to start with: He has the worst three and four year record of any UCLA head coach since World War II. Explain please how that should be OK. Or try this - he has presided over horrible collapses against bad teams in bowl games.

(Ben, I won't ask you to defend his cliche-speak. If you think that's defensible, then you are a hopeless apologist, and nothing you can say can be taken seriously.)

by Fox 71 on Feb 15, 2007 6:25 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Bruin fan base...

I know that if you were a true fan, it wouldn't matter...but not having a stadium on or near campus really hurts. Out of sight, out of mind...for those casual fans, at least.

by tasser10 on Feb 15, 2007 7:24 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

really, hasn't this gone a bit too far???

ok, so a writer at DB wrote an op-ed piece where he compared described the arguments made by DD and Dorrell's critics as being "LaRouche like". So what?

I doubt that this guy did any research on LaRouche or even had any idea that LaRouche was a "nazi" or an "anti-semite" as some posters wrote. However, he probably sees LaRouche's supporters on campus passing out flyers and trying to convince anyone who would listen to them that LaRouche was this country's answer to all of its ailments, even though he is not a mainstream candidate in any elections and does not enjoy the support of the public at large.

The writer apparantly holds Dorrell's critics in the same regard - much like LaRouche supporters and his argument, Dorrell's critics are in the minority and the movement to remove him does not have much traction or enjoy popular support. I don't believe the writer's intent was to equate Dorrell's critics as being nazis.

Granted, his choice in using LaRouche may not have been wise and he should have explained his opinions better in the article, however, this is nothing more than his opinion in an op-ed piece. Why give his opinion, which counts for as much as yours and mine, any more attention than it deserves?

by kdout on Feb 15, 2007 1:37 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I agree

I totally agree with you redsand. I am a student currently and most of my friends that pay attention to UCLA football simply don't see the problems of Dorrell's coaching. Only one knows what's going on - and says he'd rather be called a fascist than allow our football team to be the laughingstock of the Pac-10 and I quote this almost word for word. We need more people like that.

I hope you alums keep up the pressure. It's tough to get many of the students to take action on this issue as the student fan base doesn't really seem to know a UCLA football team without Dorrell (and thus has a limited perspective). Thanks to BN my perspective has widened, so keep up the good work.

Class of 2010. GO BRUINS!

by Yoyo on Feb 15, 2007 3:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs