The Late Spring/Summer Doldrums

by isodore on May 9, 2007 1:08 PM PDT

Bumped from the diaries. Drinking beers (legally of course) = always a great topic to discuss. GO BRUINS. -N

So here we are, it is May already. The (now yearly) vacation to the Final Four is over and beginning to fade from our immediate attention. Recruiting Big names in Basketball seems to be old hat at this point, and as much as we enjoy discussing how well certain players will perform, it pales in comparison to actually watching them in action.

Spring sports are fun and deserve attention, but are not as thrilling to the whole of BN as Football and Basketball. Plus they win with such regularity, we often take them for granted.

Football is still 4 months away, and there really isn't anything new to add to the discussion yet. Plus with the program firmly rooted in mediocre results on field, it is hard to get "up" for the new season.

We are fans wading through the Doldrums of college sports, and as the Silverlakebruin episode shows, we are all a bit sensitive right now. We don't have an outlet for our passion and frustrations.

I know what it has done in the past. 2(?) years ago I was mildly attacked for stating my opposition to Dorrell bashing without provocation. Basically people were going on and on about KD's flaws to the point I was sick of hearing it. As were others. That was misinterpreted as being Pro-KD when I just wanted to save the discussion for a better, more appropriate time, like when we get news of his latest blunders.

We all have to remember we are on the same page, and have to show each other some respect by not attacking just because someone thinks KD being in shape is a positive quality. It is. So are remembering birthdays and brushing your teeth at night. That doesn't mean anybody thinks it makes up for poor results on the field.

We need to get through the summer focused on holding KD's feet to the flame. In order to do that we need to avoid fighting each other, and remain honest about our program.

So that being said, I thought we could discuss what I saw in the Daily Bruin today. ASUCLA has approved a plan to put a Pub on campus. I don't know if it will happen (probably not with the current administrators) but it is an interesting point of discussion. Will the new Chancellor bring a more relaxed tone? Or will he continue the current trend of uptight, shortsighted Carnesale. The kind that hired KD and shielded Lavin and Dalis. I think we need that kind of establishment for camaraderie on campus, since there isn't really a destination like that in Westwood. Sure there are a couple bars, but not a campus landmark steeped in school pride.

Ok now discuss!

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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Confession: I Agree It's Boring......

I was so bored last Summer that I too decided to defend Dorrell to see what would happen. I think I drove Nestor nuts because I was employing tricks from a "Rhetoric" class I too back in college. When I was done talking up Karl's strength of character I decided to drop the bomb and play the race card for no reason. I think some people were near meltdown because my argument had no basis.

Strangely enough eight weeks into last season I was booing the Bruins in the game thread. Needless to say I won't be talking up Krazy Karl again anytime soon.

by alcor805 on May 9, 2007 1:22 PM PDT reply actions

Maybe Fox 71 can verify this, but . . .

according to my dad (classes of 69, 71 and 81), the Kerkhoff Coffee House used to be a pub. The two schools where I earned my professional degrees (one a private school in the Bay Area and the other a UC in SoCal) had pubs on campus. Is it possible that Westwood's Chmaber of Commerce has something to do with this? Hmmmmmm . . .

by charnaw on May 9, 2007 1:23 PM PDT reply actions

I remember my dad mentioning the same thing

and he was class of 1977.

by CAJason80 on May 9, 2007 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions

Has It Really Been That Long?

The pizza place in Ackerman used to serve beer. The Daily Bruin idiot is acting like it's unprecidented.

by alcor805 on May 9, 2007 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions

UC Irvine?

by BruinFan1 on May 9, 2007 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions

UCI grad student here...

...we haven't had a pub in a few years because of Student Center construction, but it's opening up again in the fall. It was a fight to get it back from the university--they wanted it to lease it to some food chain, but the pub was very popular. It's run by grad students, which I think is a great thing.

But most importantly, the beer...I was amazed how good the pub was in terms of beer selection, and price. I'm talking pints of Anchor Steam for less than $3 before the evening. And best of all, it was a nice, relaxed, place to be on campus during the day. You didn't have to drink to enjoy it.

I really wish that UCLA had a pub like UCI's when I was there.

by Westwood Wizard on May 9, 2007 5:49 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't remember anyplace on campus

that sold beer or any alcohol. But every Friday at 3:00 there was a beer bust at one of the frat houses, so it was not a real issue. I am positive I would remember if there had been such a place. I was at UCLA at age 17 (skipped a grade in elementary school) and would have gravitated toward a place that would have made me feel older. After having a little spin in the army after my sophomore year, I returned when I was 22, and would have explored any such place simply because of the convenience of an on-campus bar. I have a JD and an MBA from other schools, and neither of them sold alcohol on campus.

I can tell you that as an 17 or 22 year old, I would have voted in favor of beer on campus. But then age happens, and I can tell you that I would now not just vote against it now but I would work very hard to defeat such a program. I did too much celebrating of something in 1991 and didn't make it home before a sheriff asked me to spend the night at his house. The judge suggested that I do all the stuff that Paris Hilton didn't do (which I did.) I did not hurt anyone that night, but I easily could have, just as I easily could have on any of the other umpteen nights when I drove with a BA that would have been a league-leading batting average.

And now 16 years later I am still on the wagon. I much prefer things this way. For one thing, I never wake up with a hangover. I remember what happens at parties. I never have to worry about someone being a designated driver, because it's me. And Mrs. Fox 71 likes me much more, because she says when I was drunk I was nowhere near as cute and cuddly and funny and witty as I thought I was. She said I was just loud and a fool.

So Bruins one and all, you might give it a try. Next time the opportunity presents itself, go with tonic and lime or a diet coke or whatever. See what it's like NOT to drink. It's not bad at all. I guarantee you will enjoy yourself more. (Unless you're drinking to forget, in which case I don't know what to tell you.)

Another benefit is that I have found I like the taste of Wal-Mart's diet fruit punch more than I remember liking beer, and it's MUCH cheaper.

by Fox 71 on May 9, 2007 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions

I omitted an important concept

I now choose not to drink. That's my personal preference.

But I would work hard to defeat a proposal to make alcohol more easily available to college kids because of my recollection of my own experiences, hazy as those recollections may now be. I know I put thousands of people at risk on the streets. It's one thing for someone to get drunk and kill themselves, as that poor guy on the Cardinals did. But its another thing to take out someone totally innocent because you are unable to hold your liquor.

That argument applies irrespective of age, but I think it's clear that college-age kids tend to throw themselves pretty heavily into the present and don't often give too much thought to the future (even when that future is only an hour or so away.)

Plus I've had the misfortune to represent many clients who were involved with alcohol-related injuries and deaths. (As a baby lawyer, I worked on the dram shop case brought by James Stacy, who had traumatic amputations of his arm and his leg when he was hit by a drunk that my client had served. I also was the company representative at a trial of one of our managers who got drunk while on duty and then killed a little girl in a head-on collision.) There are lots more stories if anyone would like to hear them.

That's another reason I'm now a teetotaler.

by Fox 71 on May 9, 2007 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions

Interesting

I thought I was the only one that had these issues.

by BruinFan1 on May 9, 2007 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions

I can see where you are coming from quite well...

My father is a "friend of Bill" as some would say, and I was on the receiving end of many of the bad behaviors that come with excess drinking. It's not fun for all involved especially when it is used in lew of psychological therepy as many people seem to.

But, those that wish to drink, and get any of the many shades of intoxicated, will find a way or place to. There are always parties somewhere. What I would hope this could be used for is to temper the excess and teach the young impressionable students how to be responsible when they drink.

Having an establishment near to home (and well supervised) would make it less of an event to go drinking. They don't have to drive into LA or walk into Westwood to have a beer with friends. That removes some of the Dumb DUI potential. Plus if having a beer with friends in a relaxed atmosphere became more common place, the need to go to frat parties and get trashed would be slightly less.

So it is my hope that it could have a positive impact on "binge drinking" at UCLA. But then again, it could just make it easier for people with problems to hurt themselves and others. Whatever the impact, if it goes through, UCPD is going to be all over Bruin Walk.

by isodore on May 9, 2007 7:28 PM PDT up reply actions

re: drinking and driving

Since the bar would be in ackerman, and no one EVER wants to pay for parking at UCLA, I imagine that the incidences of drinking and driving due to this bar would be very very low

by ranelar on May 9, 2007 9:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Very good point

I still think it would be an interesting experience for you younger guys to try not drinking at some event and see if the experience is remotely enjoyable. You might be surprised. I know I was. (Plus, you would get to see that people who are drunk out of their minds are not always as fun to be around as they think they are.)

by Fox 71 on May 9, 2007 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions

been there

My first drink was when I was 18 and I was saying goodbye to all my high school friends. Prior to that, I saw all my friends getting drunk, getting high, and getting all around fucked up. My school was the private school for kids who got kicked out of other private schools (mostly because of drugs). So yea, I know what it's like to stay sober in the face of stupidity, but now I enjoy being stupid once in a while :P

by ranelar on May 10, 2007 1:09 AM PDT up reply actions

For what it's worth

It's sixth week, and entering the summer doldrums right now is academic suicide (as I have done in past spring quarters), so that keeps me on my toes.

To those of us still on campus, the on campus bar is the equivalent of what Pauley renovation was to everyone here on BN up until plans were announced by Morgan Center (hope things are still going smoothly, haven't heard anything in a while). Sure, one day it may happen, but no one was really hopeful that they would be around to see it. It's almost certainly too late for me to enjoy it, but I hope these are solid plans and that future students will get to enjoy what I won't be able to.

Speaking of which, I've voted the past three years for student representatives that try to get the campus bar. It's pretty much my one and only campaign issue because it's my belief that USAC doesn't do jack shit for the students who reside south of Powell. Oh, and one more thing. To any students who may be reading this blog who are lining Bruin Walk in your green or blue or whatever T-Shirts, new rule: If I have earphones in my ears, GET LOST (unless you're hot and of the female persuasion).

by Tydides on May 9, 2007 2:22 PM PDT reply actions

Hmmm

May we can force those student candidates to take a stance on Dorrell?

by bluestreet on May 9, 2007 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions

My Parents Don't Recall Such A Thing

They only talk about the bowling alley that used to be on campus (which sounds pretty bitchin').

As for a pub, I really hope that the next chancellor approves of it.

I'm an undergraduate alumnus of UC Irvine. There wasn't much to do in boring little Irvine, but we hade the Ant Hill Pub on campus that kept us going. It was a great place for students to go to.

It didn't serve hard liquor or commercial beers; only micro brews. It also served a bunch of good bar food. There were also limitations on how many beers you can buy at a time.

If you implement these same rules, I think UCLA will not have any concerns regarding under-aged drinking or general problems associated with an inebriated student body. UC Irvine never had many problems. In fact, it was the best thing the school had to offer.

Zot Zot!!!

by BruinFan1 on May 9, 2007 2:24 PM PDT reply actions

there was still a bowling alley when i was at UCLA

1988-93

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on May 9, 2007 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions

If My Memory Serves Me......

It was where the book store is now.

by alcor805 on May 9, 2007 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions

It was on the right...

...as you headed down the hall to the Coop/Pizza place. Which is as you stated, where the upstairs book store is now. And the arcade was down the same hall on the left, which I believe it still is, is it not?

While it was cool the bowling alley, they didn't really get that much use.

I remember when the coop opened there was talk of a bar (which I believe you can still see the place for one in the design) but it was quickly quashed by the administration.

by Free the 16 on May 9, 2007 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions

That's right

It was right where the upstairs book store is now. I went there several times during my freshman year (91-92), which I believe was the last year it was around. I could be wrong, but I think it was gone by the beginning of my sophomore year in the fall of 1992.

The bowling alley wasn't super popular because it was small, and it had probably the most slanted, bumpy and irregular lanes I've ever played on. Sure it was sorta fun to do on occasion, but the place didn't lend itself to either a big gathering or a decent game of bowling.

by Menelaus on May 9, 2007 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions

bar and bowling

This issue has cropped up from time to time. An on-campus bar was proposed a couple of times while I was an undergrad '85-'89, but always got shot down. Personally, I thought the idea was a good one-encourage people to remain on campus as opposed to staggering or driving into Westwood and it would also be a focal point for on campus socializing. Much as I loved UCLA, I always wanted a more united student body and I felt that we lacked that one place where everyone could mingle. An on-campus pub would have filled the need easily.

I still think it is a good idea, although I do think it should be limited to beer (and maybe wine) only.

Totally agree regarding the bowling alley, Menelaus. It was right across the hallway from the Student Travel on one side, across from the arcade on the other and adjacent to the Coop. It was a lousy alley and I think in 4 years I bowled there exactly one time. Problem was that the only fun we saw in bowling at that time was drunken bowling, and having a dry campus-well, it was not conducive to that kind of bowling. And it was far too small and not maintained very well.

by ucladj89 on May 9, 2007 7:04 PM PDT up reply actions

The arcade

was moved last year, I do believe. There is now a Jamba Juice where the arcade used to be, and the arcade is now in the easternmost part of the building, at the bottom of the T.

by melliott2 on May 9, 2007 5:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Hey

I take this comment as supporting a terrible bowling alley that was at UCLA for way too long. Silverlake, you are nothing but a bowling alley apoligist! For SHAME!

by BruinFan1 on May 9, 2007 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions

It is amazing

that not even Westwood has a sports bar dedicated to Bruins, with memorabilia, etc.! The on-campus pub will have to have a SERIOUS security to check IDs, because at the first sign of underage drinking it will get shut down into oblivion for the next 3 decades. And you know underage students will try to get in with fake IDs.

Unfortunately for a lot of people here, they are obviously not soccer fans, because there are great games on around the world at this time of year, and even MLS. I for one am not much of a baseball fan except for my Cubs which is just painful anyway. The NBA playoffs are a total joke, as are the NHL playoffs...too many teams, too many games...

by tasser10 on May 9, 2007 2:27 PM PDT reply actions

Busy with wedding stuff

That's how I'm taking care of the boredom. I do have time for the Dodgers.

Interesting about the pub. Yes, they would need to have serious security. Maybe something tied into the student IDs.

I might be in Europe when the softball world series takes place, so I'll need all of you to root for our ladies for me.

by bruinbabe2000 on May 9, 2007 3:48 PM PDT reply actions

ID's

Last time I was at BrewCo, the bouncer swiped my drivers license through a reader (like a credit card), I imagine to check the validity through the mag stripe. Maybe this could be done if the pub ever gets built.

Also, I am in the middle of finals. That's how I'm getting through the doldrum. Getting through finals however, a whole other problem.

by bruinhoo on May 9, 2007 4:08 PM PDT reply actions

Royce Hall

I've drank in Royce Hall before. If the school can sell beer and wine for shows and concerts is it that big of a stretch to open a bar?

But of course, any on-campus bar will have the same level of security as Dick Cheney's "undisclosed location". Or maybe Checkpoint Charlie. . .

by rick.2012 on May 9, 2007 5:45 PM PDT reply actions

Bear's Lair

I almost went to Cal for my MBA exclusively because of a wonderful pitcher of hefeweizen in the sun on a spring afternoon.

The on-campus pub at Cal is by far the greatest feature that school has to offer. Regardless of the moral/social consequences, a on-campus watering hole would almost be enough to entice me to get a third UCLA degree. Having dollar 32oz beers down at Schlotzsky's in the sun after finals are some of my favorite UCLA memories.

That being said, it'll never happen. Remember, this is the same school that shut down taco bell because of the working conditions of one of their tomato suppliers.

by Nars on May 9, 2007 5:50 PM PDT reply actions

A lot of schools shut down Taco Bell

They didn't need to get rid of the Coop's pizza place...

by SuperBruinMan on May 9, 2007 7:54 PM PDT up reply actions

From what I was told

It was because the oven kept catching on fire.

by bruinbabe2000 on May 9, 2007 9:08 PM PDT up reply actions

It was great pizza

Pity...

by SuperBruinMan on May 9, 2007 9:17 PM PDT up reply actions

actually they replaced the oven...

The oven was replaced for quite a bit of money shortly before the closure. I think they closed because they felt it redundant to have a Sbarro's and Coop Pizza. It's too bad too. I liked the Coop better than Sbarro's.

by isodore on May 9, 2007 11:52 PM PDT up reply actions

If that's the case

Then it's quite a shame. I'm not exactly an anti-capitalist, but I sure hate to see good places with character get pushed aside for the personification of fast food lame in Sbarro's.

by Menelaus on May 10, 2007 6:11 AM PDT up reply actions

Ugh

Man, I hated the Coop's pizza! The crust was just...weird. Give me LaMonica's anyday.

by Westwood Wizard on May 10, 2007 7:44 AM PDT up reply actions

Shakeys

While the pizza wasn't so great I could always wash it down with beer and plus mojo potatoes! Those mojo potatoes were so good.

by bluestreet on May 10, 2007 7:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Once again, the new generation

missed out. The absolute best pizza anywhere any time was LaBarbara's. On Wilshire close to Barrington.

If your date asked you to take her there, you knew that all she wanted was pizza, but the pizza was good enough to make up for the fact that you were unlikely to get one foot out of the batters box.

I haven't had pizza that good since LaBarbaras went bye-bye.

by Fox 71 on May 10, 2007 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions

Haha

What a depressing way to spin that information.

by Tydides on May 10, 2007 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions

At that point in my life,

those were the two biggest priorities. When I look back at what I missed, I can still see what those LaBarbara's pizzas looked like. I can't remember what any of the girls I took there look like. I guess that explains how the priorities have come into better focus over the years.

by Fox 71 on May 10, 2007 9:27 AM PDT up reply actions

I gained 20 pounds my freshman year

and I am convinced at least 10 of it was from having the LaMonica's large 1 topping pizza and 2 large cokes delivered to my dorm room in Hedrick at least once a week. It wasn't the best pizza in the world, but in 1988-89 we would order the pizza and eat it on Sunday nights while watching George Michael's the Sports Machine, which at that time without cable available in the dorms, was the only national sports wrap up show available.

Good Times!

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on May 10, 2007 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions

Anyone ever hear the rumor...

...that there was a beer vending machine in Perloff Hall? I can't remember if I heard this on the orientation tour, or somewhere else, but I assume that it persisted because not many people had a class in there (though I did).

by Westwood Wizard on May 9, 2007 5:52 PM PDT reply actions

Kerkhoff

I have this vague recollection that Kerkhoff was a bar in the early 80s. I was a high school student and went to Ackerman for some club thing and remember vaguely thinking how cool that space was. I could be wrong.

Harvard doesnt have an on campus bar but there is a John Harvard's bar right off the square outside the Harvard gates and many students congregate there. Student specials keep it very student friendly.

by DumpDorrell on May 9, 2007 7:14 PM PDT reply actions

Were you around for "Mom's"

That was the congregating place of choice (now torn down, alas.) They were VERY strict re ID cards, though. It was pointless to try to get in unless you really were 21.

by Fox 71 on May 9, 2007 8:44 PM PDT up reply actions

Hate to show my age, but...

... Yeah, I fondly remember Mom's. Many a brain cell was killed there.

Not only was there no alcohol on campus, but there was some rule about a minimum distance that an alcohol-serving place had to be from the campus boundary. Mom's just qualified. And then, when one was in the mood for a road trip, there was The Oar House in S.M., with sawdust floors, cheap beer, buffalo burgers, and mannequins, sleighs, and B-17 wing tanks hanging from the ceiling.

The funny thing is that, near my home of the last 36 years in No. Cal., there is a Mom's Apple Pie. A place of wholesome decadence, the very antithesis of Mom's in Westwood, which was also a place of wholesome (?) decadence, but of a different variety. But, I digress...

by BruinLuv on May 10, 2007 9:02 PM PDT up reply actions

Ah, another decadent soul

And you will also remember Tony Auth's cartoons of Captain 4Q (for Nite School?). For some reason, I remember one titled "Captain 4Q hovers over a pert beer guzzler."

BruinLuv, I'll let you describe Captain 4Q to our younger brothers and sisters. My credibility is already strained enough with all the stories about opera.

by Fox 71 on May 11, 2007 4:44 AM PDT up reply actions

4Q Memorium

Ah, yes, Captain 4Q. A graphic comic inspiration to young anti-establishment, anti-Vietnam war, pro-beer, and pro-mingling with the fairer gender, testosterone-riddled students of Westwood. It's only a slight exaggeration to say that Capt. 4Q was, to us, a kind of Rambo-Buddha figure. Slightly mythical, supremely grounded, and raw-boned inspirational.

And then there's the name, Capt. 4Q had a melodious, if vaguely vulgar, phonetic name. Say it all you want. Say it loud. Get others to say it. Capt. 4Q. And 4Q too.

Those were the days. I can't imagine than an on-campus pub would approach that kind of cachet. Mom's had a Humphrey Bogart, Moroccan intrigue about it. A hub of interesting and dangerous characters, just a block away.

by BruinLuv on May 12, 2007 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions

If the sawdust on the floor could only speak

it would probably say "Oh, please, don't ralph on me any more!"

by Fox 71 on May 12, 2007 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions

It's a shame

I notice that a lot of you are somewhat opposed to a pub on campus simply because of the risk of people getting rowdy or just so intoxicated that they might do something stupid. It is really, really quite a shame. It speaks to a culture of excess in this country, where it seems impossible to just enjoy a nice drink in moderation. I don't drink to get drunk, though it happens sometimes. I don't like losing control of my abilities. I was shocked in college at the amount of alcohol people consumed and at the relentless drive to get fucked up on purpose, and the pressure to do so. It is simply crazy.

And let's not even start about the fact that you can't drink when you're 20 years old but you can vote, go kill people or get killed in Iraq. Then again, there are so many who can't handle their drink...weak, man, weak.

by tasser10 on May 10, 2007 7:20 AM PDT reply actions

Pizza and beer

Yes, I'm going off subject, but f*k it, there are no real sports to talk about now and I only have so much KD-bashing in me. I want to save it up for when we lose to a fiesty 2-4 OSU squad during the season.

Tasser, you are officially my NYC food connection. Now, that my hopes have been dashed about the Soup Nazi, let's hear who has the best pizza in Manhattan. I tried the touristy Lombardi's and hated it. I thought Ray's Pizza/Famous Ray's Pizza/Whatever It's Called in Greenwich Village was pretty good.

What say you?

by Barnes2JJ on May 10, 2007 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions

Guys

Why don't we start a brand new thread in the diary section. I think it will be a winner.

by bluestreet on May 10, 2007 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions

Will do

by Barnes2JJ on May 10, 2007 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions

From what I read

that part of the episode of Seinfeld was a New York type joke. Obviously I didn't get it at the time, but there are apparently many "Ray's Pizza/Famous Ray's Pizza"s in the area, and there is no consensus among New Yorkers on which one is the original, hence, Kramer and Jerry's confusion on finding a common location based on where "Ray's Pizza" is.

All that being said, I'd love to try a slice.

by Tydides on May 10, 2007 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions

The Ray's I had

was good stuff. Honestly, I cannot recall the exact name of the shop, but it was in Greenwich (and it was a "Ray's" of some kind). I think I probably had it an hour after my unfortunate Lombardi's experience, and I wasn't hungry at all, but I wanted good pizza in NY, dammit, so I forced myself to eat some.

by Barnes2JJ on May 10, 2007 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions