Football News & Notes: Tradition That Actually Matters

by Nestor on Apr 17, 2008 4:04 AM PDT in Football

The program continues to pay a price from the seniors decision to show "leadership" for "organizing" ditch day. From the LA Times on what kind of impression the stunt left on the high school coaches and recruits showed up to watch the practice:

Meanwhile, coaches from La Palma Kennedy High, who had come to Westwood to see practice, left shaking their heads.

"I guess that's why they're in the Lay's Potato Chips Bowl every year," said Chris Pascal, Kennedy's freshman coach.

Coaches from Encino Crespi High also left with a vivid impression.

"Let me put it this way, they wouldn't have done that at Fresno State," said Coach Jeremiah Ross, a former Fresno State player.

Pascal said he and other coaches had yet to receive an explanation or apology from UCLA as of Wednesday afternoon even though they were required to leave their e-mail addresses when they signed in before practice.

"They had recruits there, and can you imagine what they think after being driven there and being sent back onto the freeway at 5 p.m.?" Pascal said. "The four of us were standing there for a half-hour, someone could have said something. On the way home we thought about going over to USC because we knew they would be on the practice field."

I would hope by now the seniors who organized the stunt have apologized to the coaching staff and rest of their team-mates for embarrassing our school and the program both at a local and national level. WWL’s Bruce Feldman was at practice on Tuesday to check in on the Bruins to see how the transition has been going under CRN. He made sure to mention the ‘tradition’ in not so flattering way in his report (subscription req'd).

Speaking of the "tradition" Donahue spoke about it to the LAT in a story that pointed out how it got started and who restored it:

The Bruins were coming off a victory over USC and were preparing to play Oregon State in Japan in their season finale.

"The players thought it would be a good idea to throw the coaches in the shower, then go over the wall," Donahue said. "That's exactly what they did. I climbed up the tower so they couldn't get me. Then they proceeded to wander around campus singing Christmas carols."

UCLA beat Oregon State, 34-3, and the tradition had legs. It surfaced again Tuesday, when UCLA players gathered in a huddle, then sprinted through the gate at Spaulding Field, ending practice before it had begun.

I don’t think anyone here would complain if those seniors pulled that kind of stunt if they were coming off a victory again against Southern Cal and have shown a track record of winning/contending for championships like their peers in pretty much all other athletics programs at UCLA (except for women’s hoops). But this group of seniors haven’t done much to distinguish themselves at UCLA (notwithstanding that 13-9 aberration). So they need to think through in the coming days and decide what they need to leave on a proud note, playing their part in restoring the football tradition of winning Pac-10s and Rose Bowls that we have respect for (and hope will be restored in the coming years) here on Bruins Nation.

BTW the LAT report left no doubt who restored this stunt as a "tradition" in Westwood (emphasis added):

Donahue said that he was OK with the tradition during the weeks leading into a bowl game, but, "somehow, unbeknownst to me, it escalated into spring practice."

UCLA coaches have been dealing with it ever since. One season during the Bob Toledo years, players made their escape only to find that Toledo had caught wind of the plan and had locked the locker room doors. Players were left milling around campus in their uniforms for hours.

The tradition was banned by Toledo, only to be restored under Karl Dorrell, though he managed it. Last season, he picked the day for the players but did not inform his assistant coaches.

Uh yes. So that’s what he meant when he talked about "fixing things" and "disciplining resources" at practice. We are going to deal with a lot of this in the coming years because it will take a while to "fix" the mess that has been left behind in Westwood.

Don’t get down though. Reading Stewart Mandel’s impressions from attending UCLA practices (Stewart was there before ditch day I am assuming) on SI.com it’s pretty clear the challenges RN and co are facing in the coming year, yet at the same time unlike the Dorrell years there are reasons for hope:

While Neuheisel refuses to call the upcoming season a "rebuilding year" ("You've heard of screen savers? 'Rebuilding' is just a coach-saver," he said), it's clear from watching practice that's exactly what it is. UCLA is extremely thin in numbers, having lost 13 starters and 26 letterman from a year ago.

The departure earlier this week of veteran tackle Aleksey Lanis due to recurring knee problems leaves the Bruins with just two offensive linemen who played the position last season. UCLA's top returning receiver, Dominique Johnson, had just 25 catches last season (Everett, who caught more than 30 balls in 2005 and '06, is also back after missing most of last season with an ankle injury), and its top two tailbacks, Kahlil Bell and Raymond Carter, have sat out most of the spring with injuries.

The true impact of the new coaches will likely be felt further down the road -- particularly at quarterback. Strong-armed juco transfer Kevin Craft switched his commitment from Hawaii following Chow's hiring and will likely take over for Cowan either this year or next. Meanwhile, one of the nation's top recruits for next year, Aaron Murray (Tampa, Fla.), recently visited practice, and another similarly rated quarterback has expressed his interest.

"UCLA carries significant weight in recruiting," said Neuheisel. "This school has won 100 national championships [in all sports]. Football has been a national player -- it's time to be one again."

It won't happen overnight, but at least the Bruins will finally be fun to watch.

One thing CRN has, which his predecessors (including Donahue) never had, is a "vision" re where UCLA football needs to be in our national conversation.

It’s going to take a while. But given how CRN has gone about in building the staff around him, the energy he has brought in last few months (ditch day notwithstanding), there are reasons to be optimistic he will eventually get us there and get our players to meet the expectations that have been set by tradition that actually matters. Meanwhile, he will make our Bruins fun to watch if not interesting for the first time in almost a decade.

GO BRUINS.

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Ouch..

Nestor, the most unkindest cut of all were the remarks made by Pascal and reaction from fans(emphasis added):

"They had recruits there, and can you imagine what they think after being driven there and being sent back onto the freeway at 5 p.m.?" Pascal said. "The four of us were standing there for a half-hour, someone could have said something. On the way home we thought about going over to USC because we knew they would be on the practice field."

Reaction from UCLA fans was equally harsh Wednesday.

"This is exactly why USC wins and UCLA is subpar," David Wong said in an e-mail. "The culture of USC is to practice hard and play hard. UCLA's culture apparently is ditch practice and play around Westwood."

Here we see the real impact -- the real harm done by this "tradition"; Pissed off high school coaches and players -- potential recruits -- and the undoing of the perception of a new attitude at UCLA that CRN was had so magnificently engineered in the off-season.

Bam! we're right back where we were prior to CRN's arrival!

There may not be any direct fall-out in terms of lost practice time. That's lost ground that can possibly be made up in the Fall or at informal practices. But no amount of extra wind sprints or mea culpas or solidarity speeches could have made up for this monumental P/R blunder.

What were these guys thinking?

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 17, 2008 6:53 AM PDT 0 recs

Exactly

CRN should post that Pascal excerpt on everyone's locker.

This is a tradition that needs to stop this year.

"You don't make it to the Final Four three straight times for no reason..Obviously coaching has something to do with it." Darren Collison

by godblesstyus95 on Apr 17, 2008 7:52 AM PDT up 0 recs

i hate to do this, but...

i have to back dorrell. he has been taking an extreme amount of blame for this tradition and rightfully so.

BUT I want to point out a tradition that Dorrell STARTED that the likes of U$C and many college teams are not doing and had not been done before him here at ucla. For the last 3 years of Dorrells program, "OPTIONAL" after spring and summer workouts have had 100% attendance by every player on the team. Including incoming freshman who Dorrell had managed to get into summer school so they can get a head start on schooling and on learning plays.

so while we sit and bicker over over a lame tradition, know that 52 weeks out of the year these kids are hard at work. though we only think of football as 15 days in the spring and august through jan. this is their lives, year round.

by hbruin84 on Apr 17, 2008 10:49 AM PDT up 0 recs

optional summer workouts

Dorrell might have started something new here, but it wasn't new to college football. Teams like SUC and many other major programs have had 100% participation in summer workouts for years. While I agree that KD should get props for starting it, he wasn't ploughing new ground.

by nikeu on Apr 17, 2008 1:41 PM PDT up 0 recs

This is just brutal

Let that sit in, seniors. Let that sit in.

by MbahABako on Apr 17, 2008 7:26 AM PDT 0 recs

Tradition is earned

I'm still surprised by this. Tradition just for the sake of "hey it's a 'tradition' let's do it" is meaningless. It's like having a big BBQ and watching fireworks on July 4th but having no idea why other than "we always BBQ and watch fireworks on the 4th of July."

I hope this doesn't impact the 2009 recruiting class. It sounds like this was the first time these high school coaches & players have been to UCLA. What a great first (and hopefully not last) impression to leave.

by mark the bruin on Apr 17, 2008 7:37 AM PDT 0 recs

Breaking News.

John McCain called USC the "University of Spoiled Children"

From today's Wall Street Journal:

When John McCain met his future wife, Cindy Hensley was a 24-year-old only child on vacation with her parents. In Phoenix, she had been her high school's rodeo queen, sporting a cowboy hat complete with a crown. After earning education degrees at the University of Southern California (which Sen. McCain has called "University of Spoiled Children"), she became a special-needs teacher.

Let's rock the vote for the comeback kid!

by rickdean on Apr 17, 2008 7:49 AM PDT 0 recs

Obama's future campaign angle:

"How can anyone vote to put a Trojan in the White House?"

by Ajax on Apr 17, 2008 7:54 AM PDT up 0 recs

That would be sufficient

to get me to vote the other way. Just say NO to trOJan influence.

by Tydides on Apr 17, 2008 12:08 PM PDT up 0 recs

Citation needed..

..Rick, if you could provide a link to stuff like this it would be nice. I googled it and came up with the following tangential article in Newsweek that mentions it as well. It almost -- almost -- takes the bad taste of "ditch day" out of one's mouth.

As far as I am concerned, Cindy McCain has three things going for her:

(1) She's hot (you young guys see #2 below),
(2) she's about 18 years younger than I am,
(3) and she's the daughter of a wealthy beer distributor.

It's a pity I could not have met her when I was at UCLA..

..no, wait, strike that! She would have been three years old then.

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 17, 2008 8:09 AM PDT up 0 recs

Sorry

I don't care how "hot" she is, I would never touch a Trojan bimbo.

by bluestreet on Apr 17, 2008 8:12 AM PDT up 0 recs

link

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120839617218221679.html?mod=hpp_us_inside_today

by rickdean on Apr 17, 2008 8:36 AM PDT up 0 recs

She's a trOJan

That's a negative around here. She can lick my balls.

by Tydides on Apr 17, 2008 11:59 AM PDT up 0 recs

Exactly

I think you're contradicting yourself!

by greatgymnasticschool on Apr 17, 2008 12:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

While I agree with the sentiment

...of some of the coaches and other visitors that took the time to drive out to Westwood to catch practice, Chris Pascal needs to know his role and STFU. He is a freshman FB coach. At least get a gig on a varsity staff at a decent HS program before you open your trap.

by Ajax on Apr 17, 2008 7:52 AM PDT 0 recs

It is also somewhat curious

that this is the 1st year I've ever heard of this "tradition", and certainly I've never read anything like that (Pascal quote) in the past.

Hmmmmmm.....I wonder if this Pascal guy might be working for the Dark side.

"You don't make it to the Final Four three straight times for no reason..Obviously coaching has something to do with it." Darren Collison

by godblesstyus95 on Apr 17, 2008 8:00 AM PDT up 0 recs

Whoa there cowboy

"Know his role?" He is a freshman coach, sure, but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that some of the kids he coaches are going to become varsity players...and maybe his negative impression of this dumb stunt just might influence his opinion of UCLA going forward.

Chances are the guy goes nowhere big and does nothing significant, but his take is spot-on and we need all the good pr we can get going forward.

by ucladj89 on Apr 17, 2008 8:41 AM PDT up 0 recs

A freshman FB coach is nothing...

...and Kennedy HS is not exactly a FB factory.

Now, I'm all for the prevention burning bridges, but these relationships work both ways.

If he would have said something to the effect of "I was disapointed" or the "players' conduct was inappapropriate," I'd have no issue. But to insult the entire University, he stepped way out of bounds.

F-him.

by Ajax on Apr 17, 2008 9:00 AM PDT up 0 recs

Disagree

He didn't insult the entire university, but UCLA football. Whether he is just a FR coach at a school not known to be a football powerhouse has no bearing on this period. I would be pissed as hell if I was him too and would rip us apart. Who and what is UCLA football at this moment in time to think that we can do something like this. It's one thing if the program was on top of college football and players are boxing each other out for a golden ticket here. Unfortunately, that is USC. We are scrapping and clawing to rebuild this program and make additional inroads in the recruiting landscape.

Whatever flack we get is 100% deserved IMO. Might not be truly fair or accurate but we brought this unto ourselves.

by BlueReign on Apr 17, 2008 9:22 AM PDT up 0 recs

We screwed up so he can say

what he wants, but its pretty obvious from his comment about going over to USC on the way home, that this was one ticked off coach who wanted to blow this whole mess up. Although I understand why he may have been frustrated, comments such as that seem immature. Head over to USC? Blah, go ahead buddy - they are used to whiners like you over there...

by bruin007 on Apr 17, 2008 9:48 AM PDT up 0 recs

Kennedy HS...

Rhema McKnight?

sure wish we had him in our receiving core a couple years ago.

by hbruin84 on Apr 17, 2008 10:54 AM PDT up 0 recs

OK -- They Screwed Up -- What's Next?

People make mistakes.

This was a mistake.

We don't demand or expect people to be perfect. We judge people on what they do AFTER they make mistakes to rectify their wrongs.

So, seniors, what are you going to do to reach out to the players and coaches you disappointed? (If the seniors are barred from this contact, it will fall on the coaching staff to do it, but in some way the seniors have to reach out to the people they upset.)

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 17, 2008 8:19 AM PDT 0 recs

I am excited for CRN.

But this is the kind of thing he doesn't need, and this reflects poorly on him.

Let's hope he uses this as an ultimate teaching moment, and get's us on track. This is his first test, and he will set a tone now (good or bad) for the program.

by rfirpo on Apr 17, 2008 8:27 AM PDT 0 recs

CRN - 1, Seniors - Ugh!

It is incomprehensible to me that the Seniors would pull a stunt like this. This is the year UCLA football gets back on track. This is the year that the foundation gets built to support what we hope and expect to be a stream of successful seasons to come. This is not the year for stunts, hijinks or other types of pranks.

I feel badly for CRN who is doing everything possible to get this program off to a good start and needs leaders who will lead by example - and this is surely not the example he was looking for.

And, I completely resonate with the reaction of the HS coaches. UCLA is in the process of reestablishing its right to recruit the best HS football players. EVERY move, EVERY statement, EVERY Action will be (and should be) closely watched by every prospective player. And you can't afford to give ANY coach a reason to suggest a prized prospect look in any other direction than UCLA.

As a 4-year member of the UCLA band, we had a saying that we shouted to each other before we stepped on to any field, or any court to perform. "Remember who you are and what you represent!" Every member of the ULA community is an ambassador for that community. When you have those 4 letters on you, you have an obligation to the UCLA community that supersedes your own needs.

The Seniors whiffed big-time on this one. Let's hope they learn a lesson, do what they need to do to show CRN that they are serious about doing the right thing for UCLA, and get back to work!

by bruins2x on Apr 17, 2008 8:43 AM PDT 0 recs

This makes me sick

But the reference to Fresno State is a joke. A lot of things are different at UCLA than Cal-Fresno, starting with academics, buddy.

by bruinhopeful on Apr 17, 2008 8:49 AM PDT 0 recs

Every player should

be completely sprayed with de-Dorrell fumigant to rid any and all contaminants from the previous coaching regime.

KD may be gone, but the symptoms still linger.

by bluegold on Apr 17, 2008 9:47 AM PDT 0 recs

Yes

I've said before, you must purge the program.

lose the towel waver, hire a new bus company, get new carpets in the locker room. This is exactly the kind of thing that sticks around if you don't (although it doesn't appear that was the case with this specific event)

by greatgymnasticschool on Apr 17, 2008 12:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

this was my thought

As in, how many Major bowl wins has Fresno State racked up since 1980? Go ahead and tabulate, I'll just wait here . . .
. . and here . . . and . . .

The Mad Bruin

by lostnacfgop on Apr 18, 2008 5:22 AM PDT up 0 recs

Huge day for CRN

This is a big day for CRN as his reaction to this both publicly and privately is HUGE. He needs to control the PR disaster this is... and it is a disaster for a variety of reasons. The biggest is because it's just what the press wants (problems/failures - because they make better stories) and I GUARANTEE you if we lose to Tenn or have other problems, this will be cited over and over as the perception of the team is established once play begins - and we're already fighting an uphill battle with regards to team image because of the past 5-10 seasons.

Internally, CRN needs to both protect the kids, their reputation and the perception of the program while at the same time beating the snot out of them and uniting them. Now, because CRN is the best CEO in America, I have full confidence this will be done swiftly with style, humor and grace. I look forward to seeing how it's done, hope it includes a closed portion of practice and a few shots at USC.

Oh, and Mrs. McCain was some piece of tail in her day...

by greatgymnasticschool on Apr 17, 2008 9:49 AM PDT 0 recs

Ha! There! Take that Blue Reign!

..actually, Mr Blue Reign (whom I respect for a number of his posts) is probably a lot more studly than I ever was..

..and could/can afford to be selective. The prospect of landing a cutie like Ms McCain -- irrespective of her alma mater -- seems appealing to me, a man of true desparation. Besides, she is the daughter of a wealthy beer distributor.

Parenthetically, I seem to remember De Press (the old UCLA humor mag) running a series of five Daily Bruin ads (Monday through Friday) supposedly posted by a couple of young students who were looking for room mates. Their first ad insisted on hotties (or whatever the term was in my day) whose dads were somehow affiliated with the liquor industry (i.e., free broads and booze). As the ads ran their course towards Friday, they got progressively more desperate and previous requirements were dropped. The ultimate Friday ad went something like this:

"Two male college kids with Westwood Apartment; will board sheep."

..kinda sums up my social life in college.

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by whp68 on Apr 17, 2008 11:12 AM PDT up 0 recs

Ewe-C-L-A

by Bruinut on Apr 17, 2008 11:49 AM PDT up 0 recs

Over the wall

How the "tradition" endured with NCAA restrictions on spring practices is a mystery to me.. I know KD revived it, but the players only have some much time to learn and the coaches who are committed, like Chow for example, have high standards and this is a slap in their faces. For all the people who came to watch, i.e. high school coaches and players, UCLA is expected to put on a show, not run off giggling and laughing it up. RN must really crack down and let the team know that the game has changed, starting with the NCAA restrictions, and the "over the wall" or out the door is no longer a tradition and it does nothing to prepare the Bruins, enhance their PR and recruiting profile, etc. What a waste (I am sure that is what Norm Chow and his staff are thinking)....
Bill

BillSouthBay

by BillSouthBay on Apr 17, 2008 9:54 AM PDT 0 recs

Previously

KD coordinated the tradition so that it wouldn't count against one of the 15 spring practices (he would know ahead of time that practice wouldn't happen)

by dokein on Apr 17, 2008 11:43 AM PDT up 0 recs

Man

They picked the worst day to clown around, huh? A day when coaches who have influence over LA's great high school coaches.

I do hope the Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen see what is going on here and end this "tradition" here and now.

I don't who this "Dorrell" guy you speak of is, but I do know that this team has been without a coach for a long time and now it does and things have to change.

by njbruin on Apr 17, 2008 10:04 AM PDT 0 recs

And I bet

CRN has the team come up with a new tradition that they can own... something that has to do with commitment, sacrifice and passion (bucket).

by greatgymnasticschool on Apr 17, 2008 10:06 AM PDT 0 recs

Question About The "Ditch Day' Tradition

All the reporting on Ditch Day talk about it being a senior inspired activity. As far as I know there are NO SENIORS in spring practice. The current senior class has no more eligiblity left, so they do not participate in Spring Practice. Next year's Seniors are this year's Juniors. So can someone tell me which Seniors lead this tradition in Spring Practice? It does not sound like this a tradition Spring Practice tradition which may be a reason for all the concern given the limited number of Spring Practice sessions.

by Bruin77 on Apr 17, 2008 1:50 PM PDT 0 recs

Over the wall/KD/RN

Further, this is an example of how KD appeared to me most of the time.... collect a paycheck, assistants jumping ship all the time "they offered me more $$ at xyz college", and a lack of drive, commitment, and poor priorities. RN needs to show HIS assistants that this is not the way to do business.... everyone was focused on building something from, in some cases, nothing and then the whole focus is lost because of this ill-conceived activity. RN needs to make some examples and show all of us that he is not just going through the motions and collecting his paycheck...
Bill

BillSouthBay

by BillSouthBay on Apr 17, 2008 2:56 PM PDT 0 recs

Neuheisel gets no sympathy from me

Some of the comments above blame the players and the "culture" at UCLA for this. But as far as I am concerned, Neuheisel gets no pass on this one. The best part of the story is what Donahue had to say:

"Donahue's empathy for Neuheisel goes only so far.

'When he was a junior and senior, he was the one instigating it,' Donahue said. 'I guess what goes around comes around.'

Neuheisel knew about this, participated in it, had no problem with it when he was a player. But if he thought it was wrong now, for whatever reason, he could have addressed it in more than the half-a**ed way that he did. He could have said that anyone participated will lose their first team spot. He could have said that anyone caught would have to run x number of laps or up/downs, or suicides.

And, he should have seen this coming. Either he did, and chose not to do much about it, or he didn't know it was coming. He knew he was coming in to fix a program, so he should have done enough research to know what was going on. Either way, he is to blame.

Of course the students (emphasis on students, by the way, who are there to be taught) should have done differently. And, IF they were told that prospective recruits were going to be there, then they really should have known better. But they are still kids, even if they are seniors. And if there is something wrong with the "tradition," then the head coach should have coached.

My two cents.

by BruinSinceBirth on Apr 17, 2008 6:15 PM PDT 0 recs

Actually using that argument

D Walker is the one on the hook for this. He was here last year and he knew what these guys have been doing during Spring Practice the past few years.

"Oh, by the way boss. The seniors usually pack up and leave after stretching during one of the spring practices."

That's all it takes for your boss to not get blindsided. And let's not use Mr. Mediocre Terry Donahue as some sort of authority on what it takes to run a practice. He lost all his traction here when he stuck with his boy KD to the bitter end.

by Tydides on Apr 17, 2008 6:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

No argument on Donahue

My intention was not to suggest Donahue was any kind of authority - if that is what it seemed, I apologize. What I had meant was that the most amusing part of that article to me was the fact that Neuheisel himself used to do this -- and I do tend to believe that what goes around comes around.

And Walker for sure should have said something. But Neuheisel still should have said to someone: "When I was here as a player and afterwards we had this ditch-day thing. Does that still exist? We have recruits and potential recruits and coaches who are going to be here, and I want to make sure we express what it means to be a Bruin student-athlete." I think a lot of balls were dropped here -- players, assistant coaches, head coach -- and I guess all I was trying to say was that Neuheisel gets some blame too, and if he wants to effect change, the buck has to stop with him.

Peace.

by BruinSinceBirth on Apr 17, 2008 7:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

Neuheisal will get blame

based on what he does after this. If any of these seniors can even stand after their next practice, then I blame him for not being hard enough on them. The seniors better be crawling off the field on their hands and knees.

by Tydides on Apr 17, 2008 8:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

HOWEVER< accoridng to reports...

... CRN specifically asked the Bruins during the past few days NOT to do the ditch day...

AND THEY DID IT ANYWAY.

I don't give a f**** rat's *ss if it was a Kennedy football coach...

AND I GRADUATED FROM KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

EVEN IF THE PRACTICE WERE ONLY BEING ATTENDED BY A YMCA PEE-WEE FOOTBALL LEAGUE TEAM, THE SENIORS SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS.

This was a slap in the face to our coaches, to the HS players and coaches who were INVITED to the practice -- and La Palma is a good solid hour from Westwood in even light traffic, to say nothing of rush hour -- and to the officials who were asked to oversee the planned scrimmage.

I. AM. PISSED. AT. THIS.

MIM

"In this program your passion bucket must be full to play SC." -- CRN, to Dan Patrick, 1/2008

by Meriones on Apr 17, 2008 9:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

Asked?

Sadly, I don't have time to really research this -- just too much work over the next few days for anything but work. But I am going to stand by my original point, which was not that the seniors are blameless, but that Neuheisel deserves blame as well.

Here's what I would want to know. First, did he "ask" them not to? If so, that was a huge mistake on his part. He should have told them not to, and told them, if they did, there would be repercussions. Did he say: "Guys, I know I did this as a senior, but I'd rather you didn't." How different would that be from the parent who tells the kids, what I did when I was your age isn't the issue here, knowing full well it is exactly the issue, and knowing that is exactly how they reacted to their own parents? Did the team or the seniors even know there were going to be guests there? I would like the answers to these questions.

Because if any of the above happened (Neuheisel gave some wishy-washy plea, the team didn't know there would be anyone there), then the bulk of the blame goes on Neuheisel's head.

On the other hand, if he TOLD them not to, then team punishments should ensue. Because if they don't, then Neuheisel could potentially lose authority before he even really starts. If this scenario is the case, then Coach Neuheisel in fact doesn't deserve any blame, and it falls completely on the seniors.

I am only reacting to the story as it was reported, and the implication of what Neuheisel said. From Chris Foster, in the LA Times:

"First-year Bruins Coach Rick Neuheisel immediately met with seniors to 'make sure they were all doing it together,' he said. Still, Neuheisel was visibly upset by the decision, especially because he had asked the team before spring practice to forgo the tradition because of the amount of work that needed to get done."

According to this, he "asked," not told, the team. Now, the story doesn't report him asking, but the what he is quoted as saying suggests that he did not forbid it. Indeed, it implies that if they were all going to do "it together," there wasn't anything he good do. That might not be the case, but that is how it was reported, and his own words do not suggest to me that he told them no.

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend, and will check back when I can.

Peace.

by BruinSinceBirth on Apr 17, 2008 10:15 PM PDT up 0 recs

We'll never get those answers

And quite frankly I don't even care anymore. I only know who I'm pissed at, and that's the morons who decided to do this against the coaches' wishes. After CRN reached out to them and rejected the notion of rebuilding, they repay him with this kind of ungrateful behavior. Whenever my coach "asked" something of me, I knew that it wasn't really a request. I was playing for the love of the game too. It's not like I was getting a full scholarship to play. Even more reason to take such requests as demands.

You read between the lines and find reasons why the players might not have been at fault. I read between the lines and see players that let down their coach, their teammates, and their school. We'll never reconcile this because the followup on this is pretty much dead. I've got no sympathy for these guys on scholarship that have presided over one of the most mediocre stretches of UCLA football in history. You're free to assign blame to whomever you want, but this senior class better show me something this year if I'm going to look on them as anything but a disappointment.

by Tydides on Apr 17, 2008 10:32 PM PDT up 0 recs

I was there today

I hung around for one hour, and I didn't see anything special on field. No "punishment" theme at all.

There was FSN crew over there...with some of them analysts in suits (I don't know who).

Apparently today's practice was former players' day or something. A lot of old folks who I guess are former players were there. The names I recognize from their name tags are Matt Stevens and Homer Smith.

by lildre on Apr 18, 2008 12:51 AM PDT 0 recs

Not that big of a deal

there, it's been said. One screw off day is not gonna kill big Mo.

And just to cement popularity, to the fellow fan propping up McCain further up the thread, I thought the country had already considered and said no thanks to Vietnam vet senate relic candidates who (second) married well and can't seem to make up their mind on issues? Or did I miss something?

The Mad Bruin

by lostnacfgop on Apr 18, 2008 5:30 AM PDT 0 recs