Let's start of with a little bad news. Bears thumped Bruins yesterday in the last game of the homestand. The final score was ugly (0-16). But there are lot of silver linings here. Bruins still won their seventh consecutive weekend series and they still have a 1 game lead at the top of the Pac-10 sitting at 12-3. They go on the road for a huge weekend series against ASU this upcoming weekend.
Since my last post was on Baron, I will stick in a Baron story in this roundup. It's a Baron Davis Hollywood story from the San Jose Mercury News:
It's the sort of script that might appear on the doorstep of Verso Entertainment, the film production company owned by Warriors guard/budding Hollywood insider Baron Davis.
Improbable, of course. But then isn't that typical of feel-good sports movies?
Tough kid grows up in an even tougher part of South-Central Los Angeles, supported by a beloved grandmother. He lands a scholarship at an exclusive high school, where he mingles with kids of the rich and famous. He goes on to star at UCLA and make a name for himself in pro basketball.
Then come the setbacks. Injuries. Losing. Whispers that he's headstrong, melodramatic, uncoachable.
But he silences the critics by leading a misfit-filled squad to a stunning upset of the NBA's best team - playing the final game virtually on one leg because of an injury. In the last scene, his arms are stretched high as confetti falls and he's drenched in cheers.
Roll credits.
The best part for Davis: He wouldn't even have to pay for the rights to his own story of redemption.
"You just always knew that he was going to do something special," actress Kate Hudson said in the Warriors locker room after they closed out the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. Hudson was a classmate of Davis' at Santa Monica's Crossroads School. "So this doesn't surprise me at all. He was meant to do this."
Kate Hudson in the locker room?Improbable, of course. But then isn't that typical of feel-good sports movies?
Tough kid grows up in an even tougher part of South-Central Los Angeles, supported by a beloved grandmother. He lands a scholarship at an exclusive high school, where he mingles with kids of the rich and famous. He goes on to star at UCLA and make a name for himself in pro basketball.
Then come the setbacks. Injuries. Losing. Whispers that he's headstrong, melodramatic, uncoachable.
But he silences the critics by leading a misfit-filled squad to a stunning upset of the NBA's best team - playing the final game virtually on one leg because of an injury. In the last scene, his arms are stretched high as confetti falls and he's drenched in cheers.
Roll credits.
The best part for Davis: He wouldn't even have to pay for the rights to his own story of redemption.
"You just always knew that he was going to do something special," actress Kate Hudson said in the Warriors locker room after they closed out the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. Hudson was a classmate of Davis' at Santa Monica's Crossroads School. "So this doesn't surprise me at all. He was meant to do this."
Kate Hudson = "Friend" of Baron Davis
Photo Credit: TheCinemaSource.com
Are you kidding me?
Speaking of former Bruins starring in the NBA, stumbled into this really disturbing video of Reggie Miller getting hazed on the TNT set. The clowns on TNT tried to "haze" Reggie by making him sing his alma mater. Now at first blush that sounds kind of cool. But the video is disturbing on at least couple of levels. First of the doofuses on TNT totally crossed up RM by giving him the lyrics of "Mighty Bruins" while "SOW" in the background. And then Reggie makes the whole thing worse by trying to sing alone "Mighty Bruins" along the tune of "SOW." Oh well ... pretty hillarious if you are not a UCLA fan.
No worries though. We will end this Monday on a bright note. Enjoy this video of 1995 UCLA-Southern Cal game. This was the only game I ever missed as a student. I was in DC for an internship that fall and ended up watching the game with hundreds of UCLA alums/students at the Grand Slam Sports Bar in downtown. What else can you say about that fearless freshman QB wearing number 18:
Also loved that kick from Greg Andersick. I had him in three of my classes. One of nicest kids you will ever meet in person. It felt awesome when he booted that kick which turned out to be the game winner. It was money.
Another thing that is really amazing to watch was the swagger of our Bruins playing in those games. We knew we owned those tools from cross-town. And that feeling was not just coming from the fact we had won four games in a row, but it was coming from a freshman quarterback who was leaving no doubt that he would do whatever it took to ensure a UCLA victory. Once again a Bruin team showed absolutely no fear going up against a Trojan team that was heading towards the Rose Bowl. Unlike Karl Dorrell's teams they came out and played to win, instead of blinking by punting on 4th down. Good times.
GO BRUINS.