Bruin Bites: Embree Family Battle, Prince Will Start, and Captain Carlos Hits the Century Mark

Ahh yes, it's another Wednesday, which means another half-way point to the weekend and another chance for Rick's squad to lose to an inferior team in embarrassing fashion.  Not that Rick has a monopoly on embarrassing UCLA, as Ben Howland's total clown show has gotten off to a pathetic start, losing to LMU (for the first time since 1941) and looking like a third-rate middle school team against unheard of, unheralded Middle Tennessee State.  Never mind the whole embarrassing Reeves Nelson debacle, or the fact that Howland has a long history of mismanaging players.

I mean, really people, how much lower does UCLA need to sink before this total fraud running Morgan Center is forcible evicted from his office?  If UCLA's goal was to become an Ivy League caliber institution, well, with the look our two major revenue sports, I'd say we're well on our way.  Hell, I'd give at least half the Ivy League an edge over our football team or basketball team.

In short we need WHOLESALE REGIME CHANGE IN WESTWOOD.

DAN GUERRERO MUST BE FIRED.

With that, let's turn to the bits and pieces of news from around the UCLA-iverse:

• Since we'll probably need a new basketball coach after this embarrassing total fail of a start to the season, let's see how the last guy to win a banner in Westwood is doing: Jim Harrick is teaching a basketball clinic at a high school in Lahaina, Hawaii.  Since we already have a high school caliber team, it shouldn't be a very big transition for the former UCLA coach if we had him return.  Seriously though, Harrick is probably teaching kids who would fare better than our pathetic Bruins have so far this year.
• Turning to football, this weekend's pillow fight game between our hapless Bruins and the Colorado Buffaloes will feature another family affair, as our own designated punt catcher Taylor Embree will face off against his dad Jon, the first year head coach for Colorado.  While Taylor is confident (I can't say the same, especially if Embree gets any significant playing time), both Embrees are amped for their one-time winner-takes-all inter-family bragging rights match-up.  It's a game that UCLA should easily win at home, but Rick's teams aren't exactly known for doing what they should do.

• Sticking with football, despite Richard Brehaut's return to practice and UCLA's dismal performance in Salt Lake City, Kevin Prince will start for UCLA this Saturday against Colorado regardless of how well Brehaut looks in practice.  At this point, who lines up under center is irrelevant unless and until Rick Neuheisel is dismissed from his post. That being said, the return of Brehaut makes it very unlikely that Brett Hundley will see any action this season, preserving his redshirt season and giving a new football head coach four years of eligibility for, what we hope, will be UCLA's next great starting QB.
• In academic news, UCLA Director of Jazz Studies and jazz great Kenny Burrell recently celebrated his 80th birthday with an all-star show and concert at Royce Hall, including B.B. King and Stevie Wonder.  While our athletics programs may be in a state of epic decline thanks to Guerrero's Reign of Error, it's nice to see the academic and cultural sides of the university are still going strong.
• Finally, former Bruin and current American national soccer team captain Carlos Bocanegra started in the U.S. friendly against Slovenia, which resulted in a 3-2 victory for the Yanks (which has to have under-fire coach Jurgen Klinsmann a welcome relief after a very slow and rocky start to his tenure).  With the start, Carlos won his 100th cap for the U.S. men's national team, being one of only one dozen Americans to do so.  Of course, Carlos has a way to go to catch the all-time caps leader, fellow former Bruin great Cobi Jones.  Awesome for Carlos that his hundredth cap brought a victory for the Red, White, and Blue.

With that, those are your Bruin Bites for the middle of the week as we patiently wait for another weekend of UCLA football in what should be Rick Neuheisel's swan song season in Westwood.  It's been a long decade of irrelevance for UCLA football and it's time for wholesale regime change.

For now, fire away with your thoughts, comments, and additions in the comment thread.

GO BRUINS