Nestor provides some details on the Rick Neuheisel - Oregon rivalry/relationship just below.

This blog post from Oregonlive (written by Ken Goe of the Oregonian) offers some additional insight -- with a focus on the coach's compassion bucket:

In the fall of 2000, my son, Justin, suffered a severe head injury while playing in a junior varsity football game. He nearly died on the operating table, and still was in a coma when I received a hand-written letter, several pages long, from Neuheisel.

I'm not sure how he knew about Justin's injury, although his Washington team had lost at Oregon that weekend.

That fall I heard from many people I met as part of my job. Neuheisel was one of the first and most empathetic. In his letter, he noted we didn't really know each other, but as a father with sons his heart went out to me.

Later, as Justin began a long rehabilitation, Neuheisel regularly wrote him letters of encouragement. Once, without warning, a box arrived at our home containing a UW football helmet. Scrawled on the helmet with a black marker were the words: "Justin: Tough times don't last. Tough people do."

As it turns out, my family is not unique. Neuheisel consistently and unselfishly has reached out to others. There are many such stories. A few examples:
After Neuheisel left Colorado for Washington, I went to Boulder, Colo., to research a story about him. I found boosters who didn't like him. I also found an athletic department official who told me when his father had died, Neuheisel had been one of the first people to contact him and ask how he could help.

"You won't get me to say anything bad about him," said the official, who asked that his name not be used in the story.

There's more -- just read the whole story.

You get the impression that Neuheisel is a bit of a paradox. He does things that piss people off while at the same time he really is a compassionate person who cares about things beyond the football field.

It''s an interesting way to be. So many football coaches are singularly focused on their team and winning that you wonder if that's the best way to be; remember, we made fun of the last coach because he kept track of the staff's birthdays. But with Neuheisel, we consider this human side to be a great strength.

Only five games into the Neuheisel era, we're just beginning to peel the layers off of this very public figure. It demonstrates that the Rick Neuheisel you think you know is not the only Rick Neuheisel there is to know.

It's that time of the week again.

I've got the results from Fresno State on a Fan Post here.

I've got to be honest with you -- we're not much better at guessing than the team is at winning. I don't think anyone has gotten three points in a given week yet.

Now, let's turn our attention to the Washington State Cougars.

How bad are the Cougars? Let's put it this way: They're double-digit dogs to a team that's been blown out by BYU and Arizona, got beat pretty good by Fresno State and has dropped three in a row.

That's how bad the Cougars are at the moment.

~~~

John Cougar Mellencamp Crumblin Down Video (via MrsHappyGoLucky)

Washington State sucking is actually sort of nostalgic for us old timers. I can recall a time when Washington State knew their place as one of the conference doormats. That was back when we used to play in New Year's Day bowl games and actually win them. This was back when Rick Neuheisel was throwing passes and Karl Dorrell was catching them.

I can almost picture Neuheisel sitting his his frat house, knocking back some Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve or MIckey's Big Mouth (no doubt delivered by the Duck Blind up on Montana), watching MTV (note to the young folks, MTV used to play music videos -- weird, huh?) , checking out Johnny Cougar and going, "Heh, heh ... I wonder if he's rooting for the Cougars?" ... then cracking up as he and his bros spill beer and pretzels all over a sofa they stole from Dykstra Hall.

~~~

I'm just going to say it: UCLA needs this win. If they lose, well ... it's basketball season. So I'm going to throw optimistic caution to the wind with this week's questions:

1 - How many points will UCLA lead by at halftime?

2 - How many touchdowns will UCLA score on offense in the game?

3 - What will the exact combined attendance be at the Rose Bowl, Dodgers Stadium (where the Cubs will be playing the Dodgers) and the Coliseum (where USC faces Oregon)?

Okay ... that last one was a joke.

3 - Seriously, which game will have the higher attendance, the UCLA-Washington State game at the Rose Bowl or the Dodgers-Cubs game at Dodgers Stadium? (Answer Bruins or Dodgers)

As always, leave your guesses in the subject line of your comment below.

Here are the results for the Fresno State guessing game.

I know that people are wondering what the totals are, but I had a glitch on the BYU results -- a 59-0 glitch -- and I haven't taken the time to work that out. Nestor said we should just toss the whole thing like a bad memory, but I want to get it right.

Just stay cool and I'll get to it.

So, here are the results from Fresno State:

Bruin Report Online has the story:

The 6-9 center from Los Angeles Windward, Anthony Stover, who had emerged as UCLA's top post prospect in the class of 2009, called UCLA and verbally committed to the Bruins, picking them over Arizona, Arizona State and Creighton...

The rest of the story is premium, you'll need to subscribe to BRO to read it. BRO has once again scooped the MSM and brought UCLA fans the latest in recruiting news. The story has quotes from the Stover family.

~~~

This is great for UCLA basketball fans.

Anthony Stover is considered by BRO's Greg Hicks to be one of the best rebounders and shot blockers in the west, with an improving offensive game. Stover has risen in the rankings over the past year. He was also considering Arizona, Arizona State and Creighton.

Stover joins, Brendan Lane, Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt as 2009 UCLA basketball commitments. Lane is a power forward who can also play small forward, Nelson is a bruising power forward who is spending is off season playing football and Tyler Honeycutt is a five-star classic small forward -- exactly the type of player the Bruins have been looking to land for a while.

Ben Howland is really recruiting at a high level at this point, as this class comes on the heels of the Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee, Jerime Anderson, J'mison Morgan, Drew Gordon class.

Reports are that Howland would still like to land a two guard in the upcoming class.

We're all great at parsing every move by every coach and every player.

It's one of the things that's fun about blogs and message boards, too. The game gets played or the recruit gets recruited and then we sit around and try to figure out what happened after the fact.

Well, that's all well and good, but what if the reasons don't matter so much. What if we're just not a good football team and it doesn't matter if it's the player's fault or the prior coach's fault or the current coach's fault or the fan's fault or the marketing department's fauit or the administration's fault or it's the fan's fault.

What if, in 2008, Bruin football is just not that good? What if, no matter what anyone does, the team is going nowhere?

And -- if that's the case -- when do you start packing it in and start playing for next year?

Or do you never pack it in and play for next year?

If Rick Neuheisel was ever going to have the luxury of playing for next year, this is the time, though. As much as he may care about the seniors, he didn't recruit them and in a couple of months, he'll never coach them again. Their careers, for all intents and purposes, are done. They aren't winning a national title. They aren't going to a BCS Bowl game. They are headed for the history bin of UCLA football as a group of kids who played on the prior coach's 10 win team and many of them played in the 13-9 upset of USC.

Before going any further, what does playing for next year mean? To me, it means that younger players start getting longer looks, regardless of whether or not it is the best move for winning every game. In practical terms, it would mean that while Khalil Bell would continue to play, young runners would get more carries than they normally would if winning was paramount. It would also mean that Ben Olson doesn't get to play much down the stretch -- like it or not Kevin Craft and Chris Forcier need the work more than he does.

The answer could be that you never pack in the season and start playing for next year. Maybe you just keep going with your best players and you don't worry about getting returing players more reps in games or practice. It could be that if you shelve the senors, you'll do some psychological damage to the team. Or, maybe, you need to go with the younger guys as a morale boost.

Is it a philosophical question? Is there something "owed" the seniors because they are seniors -- is there something they've earned because they are in the program four or five years and have given a lot of time, blood, sweat and effort to the team? Or is it practical -- we appreciate all you've done, but hell -- SCOREBOARD -- you haven't let the team to all that many victories and now we have to go with the younger guys. Just thinking out loud, does the fact that Neuheisel is a Bruin himself factor in? Does he "relate" to the seniors because they are Bruins and he's a Bruin and therefore he'll stick with them? Would a more mercenary coach with no prior ties to the program be more willing to protect his own career by thinking about next year, this year? Is philosophy better in the long run than pragmatism?

I really don't know the answer to this one. I also think that even if you might start playing for next year, this year, you can't start yet, even if the ultimate outcome might already be obvious. Technically, we can still win the conference. We can still play in the Rose Bowl. Yes, we'd probably have to win out, but there is still that chance.

On the other hand, in two or three weeks, it could become painfully clear that the season is a wash -- nothing more than a transition to some better future. If that became more obvious to everyone, when does this year become next year?

The Arizona results are here, along with an explanation of where the guessing game stands and the moment.

Hope you don't come after me with pitchforks and torches, but like the Bruins offensive line, the guessing game is a work in progress.

Keep making guesses and we'll sort it all out.

Note to newcomers: After three weeks, just about no one is winning -- there is still plenty of time to start playing. If nothing else, putting in your guesses gives you something to do instead of looking at the scoreboard.

~~~

So, the Fresno State situation.

I'm really tempted to do an attendance guess or maybe a "How many DUI arrests will the California Highway Patrol make between Pasadena and Fresno this weekend" but I won't.

I won't because Dan Guerrero promised to stop begging rival fans to come to the Rose Bowl to root for the other team. This, of course, ruins the "Turn the Bowl Orange" fesitvities planned for the Oregon State visit, but the Beavers never travel all that well anyhow.

No, this week's questions will reflect my unrelenting pessimism positiveness and my firm belief that this is the week the UCLA offense scores a touchdown.

Here are your pregame guesses for Fresno State. (Remember, the thread closes 30 minutes before kick-off):

How many yards will Khalil Bell gain on the ground (within 10)?

How many passes will be caught by Bruin tight ends (that's Moya + Harkey)?

How many points will Kai Forbath score this week?

It's been a busy week.

A couple of school open houses, a couple of nights working late meeting with clients ... shoot you know the rest.

So, anyway, I just got around to totaling the results of the Arizona guessing game.

Guess what, our guesses are as bad as the Bruins offense.

Ouch.

This link goes to the original questions and the answers.

Below is the spread sheet with the answers.

By the way, I know I've got to go back and re-total the BYU results. LIke I said, it's abeen a crazy week. I'll get to it next week, will total the Fresno State guesses and try to to a running total. Maybe me and Nestor and the rest will figure out where the contest is going, too.

See you on the front page for the Fresno State guesses.

Brian Dohn has the story, that originated in the Fresno Bee (and HT to Bruin Report Online's message boards, where I saw the story first.)

There's been some discussion on Bruins Nation lately about the men's soccer program.

The current issue of UCLA Magazine has a feature on the team.

Here is a quote:

If you ask Head Coach Jorge Salcedo '02, himself once a member of the UCLA men's soccer team and a former player in America's pro league, Major League Soccer (MLS), he'll tell you he completely understands UCLA's allure — the renowned academics, the beauty of the campus, the city surroundings, the weather. But he also believes that the coaching staff has a lot to offer to the athletes.

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't put a team out there that could compete to win a national championship," Salcedo says. "But I am also a very big believer that college coaches are enablers of young human beings, and that we have a big influence on how they impact society.

via www.magazine.ucla.edu

Photo of goalie Brian Perk

Did anyone watch ESPN's coverage of the last game at Yankee Stadium?

I caught a lot of it -- it was on after the late NFL games ended, but before the Cowboys-Packers game started. They did a whole ceremony on it, inviting many of the great Yankee players and even some of their spouses and heirs to the event. It was all very nostalgic and fun to watch -- like an Old Timers game.

But, I didn't cry or anything.

This morning I caught a couple of minutes of sports talk commentary during my morning commute and the host was sort of mocking how grown men were crying because a building was being torn down. I did get what he was saying.

Personally, I understand a bit of sadness at old Yankee Stadium being replaced and I also relate to the idea that many people are feeling a little melancholy today. I mean, I feel bad when a restaurant I've liked closes down -- our memories are linked to the places we've been.

That said, I definitely do not agree with those who are lamenting the end of old Yankee Stadium and agree with the morning sports host who bluntly noted that Yankee Stadium was outdated and a bit of a dump and other than the fact that it was Yankee Stadium, Yankee Stadium was actually a pretty unpleasant place to see a baseball game. (For the record, no one seems to care that the Mets' Shea Stadium is being torn down, too. It's a dump without the history.)

All of the above got me thinking about Pauley Pavilion.

Pauley Pavilion is the Yankee Stadium of college basketball. More championship teams played in Pauley than in any other venue. The two greatest players of all time -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) and Bill Walton -- played there and the greatest coach of all time -- John Wooden -- coached there. If Yankee Stadium was "The House that Ruth Built" then Pauley is "The House That Wooden Built."

Like Yankee Stadium, where Nelson Mandela spoke, where the New York Football Giants played, where a pope prayed is not just a baseball field, Pauley Pavilion is more than just a men's basketball arena. The women's team also earned a national title there, as have the men's and women's volleyball teams, and the women gymnasts. The Grateful Dead played Pauley Pavilion, as did Bob Dylan. Thousands of alumni were handed their diplomas inside the venerable old girl.

But ...

It's time for something new.

I think everyone agrees with me on that point,or almost everybody.

What I mean is, it's time for something new, even if Pauley Pavilion must be raised to make room. Pauley Pavilion is, like Yankee Stadium, just a big building made of cement and steel. It's not even grand like Yankee Stadium, there is no facade, there are no monuments or statues. It's just a square building with seats and a court. It is not, UCLA basketball.

UCLA basketball is Wooden, Alcindor and Walton. It's Goodrich and Wicks and Rowe and Hazzard and O'Bannon and Edney and Vandeweghe and Watson and MacLean and Miller. Now, it's Howland and Farmar and Afflalo and Luuuuc and Westbrook and Collison and Love. Soon, it will be Holiday and Morgan, then Lane and Honeycutt.

My feeling is that this program is the best and it deserves the best. UCLA Basketball should be played in a cathedral of sport, with the finest amenities and the most modern technology. I understand nostagia and if the new building contained a room or a display paying homage to Pauley Pavilion, I'm all for it.

But, like the New York Yankees, nostalgia should not stand in the way of progress. Whatever new building is erected would not only replace Pauley Pavilion, but instead its beauty and scope would stand in tribute to Pauley and all that came before.