Stepping Away

You will be missed my friend. It has been a real blast blogging with you here and good luck with everything in the future.

You know, of course, that now that’s you’re stepping away after 5+ years of being tortured with mediocrity from our football program, they’re going to explode into the top 10 in the next season. ;)

See you around dude and thanks for everything.

I use the word “epic” a lot. Most of the time as an embellishment and often sarcastically. But I can safely say without exaggeration or sarcasm that your contribution here has been nothing short of epic.

And good luck in all of your future endeavors. As has been said before and will be said a few more times after, you will be missed.

I hope that when you return it will be to Rose Bowls and Final Fours.

Thanks for letting us come along for the ride.

best of luck to you

Whatever the success levels of our teams, BN has remained number 1 in whatever poll could be taken.

You are leaving your team at the top — with great “recruits” and momentum. None of that “bare cupboards” stuff here.

You’ve built an incredible community — given us Exiles a sense of connection and a place to be.

And, many of us, although we would not know you were you to sit at our table in the coop, hold you close as a dear friend.

May your journey bring you joy and may you cross this path, over and over, soon.

Best,

I’m new to BN, but am so grateful for all the work you (and others) have put into this place. For so many of us that deeply care about our Bruins, well we, I, deeply appreciate your devotion and hard work. I can’t imagine how you did this every day, with work and family. I hope whatever you’ll be doing, even if it’s what you already do, that you get as much joy out of it as you’ve brought to us…even when it was difficult given the state of things. Thanks for you investigative work, your writing, and your sanity. And I hope to see you piping in every now and again.

Good luck and enjoy.

nothing against the rest of the front pagers, but a giant void is left behind by your departure. Best of luck in your new ventures, whatever they may be.

Go Bruins.

Nestor has his detractors.. sometimes deservedly, but most of the time not. He’s poured his heart & time into making this THE go-to Bruins website. Not everyone agreed with the direction Nestor directed at times or the “restrictions” on differing opinions, but what people don’t see is the extent to which that firm guidance is needed at times to keep a community on track & not get mired down like so many others blogs, boards, etc have.

What Nestor & the frontpagers have built here is nothing short of amazing. Nestor, thanks for making this place what it is today – a place where Bruin fans can share our common bond. Keep it going frontpagers & hope to see you back in the future Nestor!

Cheers.

It has been a wonderful near-five years for me on BN, from my first comments and occasional posts to being brought onto the front page, and now being one of the folks that gets to keep the place on track. Good luck with your future endeavors, and thank you for all you have done here.

Thanks for everything. As ‘66 said, you’ve built an incredible community. I’m sure we’ll be hearing from each other again soon. But in the meantime, I’ll just express myself the way all Bruins do at the end of something monumental at UCLA.

Hail to the hills of Westwood,
To the mighty sea below;
Hail to our Alma Mater,
She will conquer every foe.

For we’re loyal to the Southland,
Her honor we’ll uphold;
We’ll gladly give our hearts to thee,
To the Blue and to the Gold

Hope to see ya at another tipoff again in the future

We are now the caretakers.

Thank you, N, for building a site that ignited and sustained so much passion and thought and interest in all things surrounding UCLA Athletics. Your incredible quality and volume of work will be greatly missed.

I hope that this entire community will step up and help carry on what Bruins Nation has become, as it will take all of us (at least) to replace your presence.

This is by far the best fan blog I’ve ever seen, and much of its success stems from your dedication and overflowing passion bucket.

Ever since I graduated, I have missed UCLA so much. But being here in the amazing community makes me feel right at home again. And for that I say thank you.

GO BRUINS

You should post here once in awhile if even to just say hello.

I don’t see how anyone can fill the sheer volume of your daily leads.

Good luck in your future endeavors.

that we go to Coach on this…

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

To wit, what I get from this kernel of wisdom from Coach is that you, Nestor, should have peace in your decision to step away for awhile, since you’ve most definitely made this website the success that it is widely acknowledged to be (not just here in this community, but in the wider sports blogosphere in the ’net).

While thanks are not enough, it is all this poor Bruin can offer. Muchisimas gracias!!

Sorry to see you go. You will be missed. Thank you for leading this community to the place where it is today. I look forward to you hopefully rejoining the community in the future.

It’s hard to imagine what it would be like with out this creation of yours.

Bon Voyage…and godspeed…Thank You for driving such an amazing place in time for fans and afficianados of Bruin Athletics.

Nestor, thank you for such an awesome and epic contribution to the UCLA community! Where else but BN can one find such a combination of thoughtful commentary, knowledge of UCLA’s sports history, blunt and funny critiques of the fishwrap, vigilant monitoring of our unsavory rival across town, and wary yet hopeful desire that, darn it, this will be the year Bruin football finally “turns the corner” (hahahaha).

As a Bruin in exile in flyover country, starved for news about UCLA, I’m grateful for your steady stream of news and wisdom. There must be many alumni like me who are now hopeless BN addicts because of you and many other smart and witty writers who contribute to this blog. : ) My wife may resent you for your role in keeping me glued to the computer, but I think I’m better off with a daily UCLA fix.

Pericles wrote, "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." Thanks for weaving a lot of insight and humor into our daily lives!

Can’t imagine you not being here but then again, I often wondered what kind of life you were leading if you were spending all that time and energy on this site. You certainly deserve to step away as you have more than contributed your fair share to this community. Good luck staying away from the site, because even though I don’t know you personally, I have to believe that you will be around in some capacity due to the passion for UCLA that you have put on display here for the past 5 years. We are all die hard Bruins but nobody bleeds blue and gold like you.

Man. Nestor I remember when you guys fired BN up on SBN and coming here for ideas, humor and just the right amount of self-loathing that a Michigan fan can identify with.

I learned a lot about writing and humility here. And, in the long run, got a really good friend out of it. Thanks buddy. All the best.

When ’66 and I went to the WSU game we talked about all the time and effort you put into this community and we could not comprehend how you managed to do it. I personally noticed that you would post and comment from the wee hours of the morning until late into the night. ON A DAILY BASIS.

I am still in awe of what you have accomplished here. And, forever indebted for creating this online home.

Dios te bendiga and camina con tigo.

Good luck in your next adventure. We’re not even going to see you around with the occasional comment?

I applaud your hard work and dedication covering UCLA. As Mexi noted, I cannot even fathom the amount of time and energy you put into BN. Take a break but I fully expect to see you still commenting because it won’t be the same without you. :D

For building the community.

This will always be your baby and hopefully we take good care of it. Thanks for bringing everyone here into the Real World of Bruins. Sober, humorous and always on point with the takes. It’s a dose of reality that many could use. Good luck brother!

for building this community. It’s fair to say that we are one of the best boards on the net, and that is due in large part to Nestor’s efforts over the years.

We understand your decision, you’ve earned a break, but we’re going to miss you. We wish you all the best. Please stop by when you can.

Now I think I know how Coach felt when Alcindor and Walton graduated.

Although our BN collobration was short lived……thanks for your support of the Men’s Soccer Team the last few months!

Go Bruins!

That BN will be without you, N. Thank you for all of your incredible contributions…you made this place what it is: an amazing community of Bruins.

I just saw this! I’m sorry to see you go and appreciate all of your hard work. I can totally understand stepping away for at least the time being. I know how much you put into this site and I applaud your dedication. Won’t be the same without you!

GO BRUINS!!!

You’ve rekindled my passion for Bruin sports and I appreciate all of your insights and your efforts that have made this community something special.

Thanks Nestor for your hard work and dedicating in helping to build this community. I think what we have here is special and you deserve a lot of credit for your daily Spaulding Roundups, Post-game Recaps and all your other regular posts.

To the rest of us, let’s step our game up. Let’s try to keep or begin posting good quality articles. When we post analysis or reactions to a game, let’s come with a good take and have data backing us up. When we post a breaking story, let’s make sure it hasn’t been posted before, and make sure to have a good link. And when we need to vent, let’s do it in a civil way without taking cheap personal shots.

and Go Bruins

While not suprised, still shocked…and saddened. I’m definitely going to miss the narative.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving – THANK YOU for the wonderful work and dedication.

for making BN my number one source of Bruin sports. Good Luck

Aren’t they the same person??? ; )

In all seriousness, thank you for creating, maintaining, and enhancing my first internet stop of the day.

GO BRUINS

For everything you’ve done for the Bruin community, including telegraphing your departure so this news wasn’t as devastating as it could have been. With all the extra time you’re going to have I imagine it’s going to be like there are 4 of you in every other facet of life going forward. All the best in all your future endeavors and hope to see you back here someday soon.

You have left quite a legacy here and have always been an outstanding proponent of UCLA. We salute you, brother!

Thanks for creating a community where I can wake up every day and get my dose of Bruins info news (and depressing stuff too…ha). I haven’t been commenting much but I have been here since D’oh-rell and I thank you so much for everything.
-popn

Genuinely, thanks for everything Nestor.

Also, if you ever make it over this way, I owe you many, many pints, and I would be only too glad to shell out for them and to get to have a chat in person. Good luck with everything, thanks again.

Thanks for your work on this excellent site.

I have been crazy busy the last couple of days and just now saw this.
I am not shocked because this has been discussed, but it’s like death in that you know it’s going to happen, but are never really prepared for it.
N thanks for all your hard work. As others have posted, I have often wondered how you ever found the time and perseverance to post with the frequency that you have.
Though I have only been part of this community for a little over a year, you all have become my extended family.
N, you WILL be missed.
The best to you in whatever endeavors you have in the future.
Take care.
Hope to see you pop in on occasion.

As great as our boy Nestor was, we’re proud to announce we have not only a solid replacement, but one that will just take this place head-and-shoulders above where we’ve been before.

That’s right folks.

Dr. Mexican is joining the front page crew.

I hear he’s like one of the top 20 or 30 greatest bloggers of all time.

I’m kidding. Sorry, N, I couldn’t resist the chance to make the joke. We’ll all miss you a lot buddy!

…a certain Cal blog and a certain $C blog will have 50% less content.

It’s been fun N—we’ll miss you (on the front page anyway).

Sorry to see you go, but I certainly understand the need to manage your time and life. The reason it was such a demand, was because of the quality of the input, which you required of everyone. I certainly hope that we can all keep this thing going at the same high quality level.

U, Rah, Rah, Rah, C, Rah Rah Rah, LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, U C L A, fight fight fight.

It takes formidable achievements for Bruin players to achieve two-initials status—AA, JF, DC, RW, and so on.

It takes mythical achievements for Bruin fans to achieve single-initial status. To date, there is, to my knowledge, but one,… N. This “singular” achievement and accompanying status is richly deserved.

Thank you sincerely and profoundly, N, for creating and nurturing this vibrant and articulate community. Your stamp, insisting on reasoned thinking and civil discourse, is felt in every post and in every comment. Your stewardship has made BN, I think, the flagship of independent UCLA communities and a paragon of how they should be done.

Go Bruins. Go N.

Once you get past food, water and other things of that nature, I can’t think of many things that are a more essentially part of my day than this site. I don’t know where Bruins Nation actually ranks in terms of web traffic but I just checked my personal browser history and found that my three most viewed sites are Google, BN and Facebook. Not bad company to keep.

Just wanted to add my voice to the community, and thank you for the amazing amount of time and effort to make BN such an amazing place for UCLA fans.

Thanks for being a good friend over the past five years and being instrumental in getting the UW blog on SBN.

You helped set the bar high for every blogger on SBN.

The BN community always reminds me why I love UCLA so much.

Hey man,

Just reading this. Best of luck. I can’t really imagine BN without your byline.

You set a great example!

your honest, straight forward, and fact based opinions on all things UCLA really got me interested in sports bloging in general, and now they have become part of my daily reading, especially this blog.

I know I’ve kinda gone in to a lurking mode for a while, especially now that I’m so involved with SMU athletics, but you and the community you helped create here really opened up a world of interesting and intelligent banter to me…so thanks

-Ollie