That's right folks: the long weekend is over and it's back to the grind. Fortunately, with the holiday, it's already the hump day, so if you're reading this, we're already closing in on Friday. If you've been cut off from the internet, the Sweater resigned in Columbus (with an interesting analysis of the Ohio State, Auburn, and U$C situations here), Trevor Bauer was named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, his baseball team won their first Pac-10 title since 1986, and, like last year, Jackie Robinson Stadium will host a NCAA Regional.
Anyway, here are your mid-week bits and pieces from around the UCLA-iverse:
- Starting off with Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year Trevor Bauer, according to Fox Sports Arizona's Jack Magruder, has expressed his desire to land with the Arizona Diamondbacks, citing the warm weather, National League, and opportunity to face off against San Francisco's diminutive ace Tim Lincecum as positive factors for heading to the Grand Canyon State (really Arizona, that's the most original nickname you could think of?!).
- Sticking with athletics, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal has a pretty nice profile of women's golf coach Carrie Forsyth, who just coached her young women into bringing UCLA championship # 107 home to Westwood. The former Bruin golfer chatted with the paper on bringing home another title (having coached UCLA to a title in 2004), the rivalry with U$C, recruiting female golfers in Southern California, and her own prior experiences that led her to coaching. Nice quick read.
- Moving to campus concerns, the L.A. Board of Airport Commissioners has recommended discontinuing the $5 per ride Westwood FlyAway bus service from Westwood Village to LAX. Apparently, the approximately 111,000 riders fell well short of the anticipated 232,000 ridership, leading the city to operate the line at a financial loss. In a move geared toward retaining the service for the benefit of the students, UCLA administrators are in communication with airport and city officials about ways to make the service economically viable and keep it available. Hmm, Morgan Center should take notes on how to work for the students, rather than in spite of them.
- While we're on the subject of busing, the Long Beach Press-Telegram has a good profile on UCLA alum Robert Farrell, who along with other Southern California natives set out for Mississippi in 1961 to protest for civil rights and help the cause of the Freedom Riders. Unfortunately, they never made it due to being arrested in Houston for sitting together, black and white, in a segregated coffee shop. Nice look at a Bruin who set out to make a difference.
- Finally, if you missed this weekend's 25th annual UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival on campus (the largest completely volunteer student run music festival in the United States), you can catch some snippets of headliner Lupe Fiasco's set here.
And with that, those are your Bruin Bites for this middle of the week, getting so close, yet so far from the weekend day.
GO BRUINS