I agree with pretty much all of your points especially number 4. That is unacceptable.

As for number 2, I am little ambivalent about that. I have a lot of respect for our band and the tracks they select. I don’t really care about micromanaging those folks.

However, I am fully on board with 4 and 5. Those should be no brainers.

Point #7 really needs to be addressed, since the move of the UCLA-USC game to December seems to be permanent, thanks to the BCS (another reason not to like it, IMO). I can’t conceive of there not being another UCLA bonfire and pep rally during the week of the game because of this scheduling change. They need to make an exception.

I agree with Silver. Does anyone in charge give any thought to letting them stick a sword in our field, etc? Or is it that no one at the top cares about such things?

I can still recall my days back in school (late 80s, early 90s) when the SUC band would be on our field and their drums—and their drums only—would beat for about 15 to 20 minutes straight. It drove us out of our minds, which was probably their intent. It was almost like it was signaling the arrival of an army. It was all business on their part which, surprise surprise, it is. And it allowed their band to set the tone for all arriving visitors before the game.

Let’s be honest here: SUC is a football factory. They do ok from time to time in some other sports, but their emphasis has always been football and winning at any cost. And—gag—they know what they are doing when it comes to football.

Kurt Streeter, whose lack of understanding and knowledge about football is frightening given that he is allowed to write about football (and I happen believe he is an otherwise intelligent person) has been beating his own drum for awhile arguing that UCLA is not a football factory because our athletes actually attend class, and thus we will never consistently match up with the SUCsters. There is a some truth to this. As is obvious, UCLA is not a “football factory,” and our NCAA championships in a wide variety of sports demonstrate that we are far more than only a “basketball school.” Contrast again with SUC: They want to win every year at football and that is the top priority.

But Silver’s list speaks of things within our control (although I would also dissent on the comments wrt the band). We may not always beat SC, but we can certainly make the RB a little less comfortable for them by setting down some guidelines. Contrary to what SC’s thugs might think, it is not their home.

As I wrote, in another thread yesterday, I am sick and tired of Bruin alums selling their tickets to the enemy, sitting home and watching the games on TV.

I had season tickets on the sunny side, Row 44 50 yard line. Not one game went by where there would not be enemy fans in seats around us.

Nothing was more embarrassing than the two Rose Bowl games we played against Wisconsin — when there was more Red in the stands than Blue and Gold — and they turned our home field into theirs.

I also wrote what I think we should do with that sword if they ever try to plant it on our field again.

Finally, I think we should get a real Bruin Bear as a mascot and teach it to crap on their field.

is the students need to show more support at games. I don’t know if the students just don’t care enough or the Morgan Center doesn’t do a good enough job getting student out there, but there is no reason for the student section to have so many empty seats. It was full for yesterday’s game, but a full student section has not been the norm the past few seasons. There’s no reason for a school with nearly 26,000 undergrads can’t fill the student section any time after classes begin.

Our Band has always and continues to be great.

I have always enjoyed it.

But, now that I have a kid marching in a Texas high school band and/or performing in the color guard, I know a lot more about the technical things than I did before.

It is clear that we perform more difficult formations and that we have much more movement than other bands from the West Coast. It’s a lot harder to play on the move than it is to play standing still. Having taught in the Big 10 for many years, I’ve always admired their bands. I think our band would fit right in and meet their high standards.

I also think it unfair and inappropriate to second guess the artistic judgments made by the band director and his staff. It’s like second guessing Norm Chow’s play calling. Yes, people here do it, but I’m not sure they know enough to do so.

I watched the game on TV and didn’t see the performance. But, I would think West Side Story an appropriate selection — isn’t UCLA the story of the West Side?

There also seems to be a disagreement about the function of the band. If our players, or our student section need something like Band music to pump them up for the sc game, they have a deep problem.

From my kid’s experience, I know that the Band puts in as much time practicing as the football team — that it is a demanding task both in terms of time and commitment.

Obviously, no entity is above criticism. But, the criticism should be constructive and from a knowing source. And, the criticism should be on the quality of the performance not on the artistic judgments that shaped it. Finally, “pathetic” is not a positive way to criticize anything Bruin.

I was on the field during warmups. Our band was playing at the back of the end zone while our players were warming up. The SC band did the same on the other side of the field. Both bands played at about the same volume. I have no idea what our band played, but the songs seemed to bring a sense of focus and intensity to the atmosphere.

Then, after the players went into the locker rooms, the SUC band played on the field. Perhaps silverlakebruin entered the Rose Bowl after player warmups.

and it’s probably not their decision, but the Morgan Center’s, is to stay on the field when the players run out. I always thought it was awesome to see some of the SEC, ACC and Big 10 teams who run out of the tunnel and through a tunnel of the band playing the fight song. They do it on Senior Day and I wish they’d do it for every game. Check out the video of Virginia Tech’s entrance below (possibly my favorite entrance in the country) and seeing the band on the field jumping up and down has got to help the fans in the stands get excited. Throw in the players running through the tunnel of band members playing the fight song and it’s awesome. I wish we’d do that. Hopefully the band or more likely the Morgan Center, whoever makes the decisions, tries it for next season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjJolf1IBPA