“You need to get rid of this 80-yard practice field,” senior receiver Josh Smith said. “There’s a start.”

…

Spaulding Field, the Bruins’ practice facility, was renovated as part of the Acosta Training Center expansion in 2006.

The facility’s two practice fields are 80 yards long. Two yellow PVC pipes attached to a chain-link fence serve as goal posts for kickers when the rest of the team works on the field. The synthetic turf is uneven in several spots, according to players, who believe it is responsible for a handful of serious injuries.

Quarterbacks Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan suffered season-ending injuries without being hit within two minutes during spring practice in 2008, Olson suffering a broken foot while handing off.

Athletic department officials have said there is nothing wrong with the turf. But when asked what improvements are needed in the program, senior receiver Nelson Rosario immediately said, “They need to replace that turf.”

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/26/sports/la-sp-ucla-football-20111227

I think we should get the “turf” issues in front of Risk Management.

We’ve had a series of serious injuries, including the QB injuries, that may be directly related to the turf. A good Risk Management department can decide how great a risk our current turf presents and force a fix.

I suppose that our players sign some form of “waivers of liability” to play BUT I think a good lawyer can always break a waiver. When faced with the potential for lawsuits, I’m sure Risk Management will try to remove the risk.

The University may well be a bit more sensitive in the aftermath of the lab fire.

If there were a “players union” of Bruin players, I’d bet the “safety” of Spaulding would be an issue.

Maybe, the Daily Bruin could do an analysis of practice injuries and see whether they could be tied to the turf.

Strap On is not going to act. We need to force the issue with rational people who can calculate self interest.

The newly constructed practice facility for UCLA basketball uses only one basket. “What’s wrong with one basket” asked Dan Guerrerror. “I direct each and every bit of each and every athletic endeavor on this great campus, and I have yet to see any basketball game in which the ball can be shot at more than one basket at a time. In the current economic environment, two baskets is an extravagance we simply do not need. It sends the wrong message.”

And turning to fashion news, critics agree that the emperor’s new clothes are just beautiful.