I thought going to the Rose Bowl was supposed to be exciting

I always thought going to the Rose Bowl would be an incredible achievement. I always thought going to the Rose Bowl was something to be excited about and proud of.

But even though UCLA would clinch the Rose Bowl with a win over USC and an Arizona State loss, it doesn’t feel exciting. I’m not in a blissful state like I am when my other teams have great seasons. It doesn’t really feel like UCLA has achieved anything. They’re 6-5 for crying out loud.

Should UCLA make it to the Rose Bowl, I’d feel kind of bad. I’d feel like they stole something that doesn’t belong to them. I’d feel like they didn’t deserve it, and someone else should be there in the Bruins’ place.

This season has not been fun and exciting. It has been frustrating and depressing. UCLA fans came into the season dreaming of a potential national title run, and the team was ranked as high as #11 early on. Now, the Bruins are a mediocre 6-5, barely becoming bowl-eligible.

The only UCLA win that has been inspiring and thrilling at all was against Cal — and seeing how Cal has collapsed down the stretch, that win doesn’t really mean as much anymore. The Oregon game was quite possibly the worst display of offense the sport has seen. UCLA was playing badly against Oregon State until the 4th quarter, when the Beavers had the worst quarter of football by a decent team ever. And BYU should’ve beaten UCLA, but beat themselves more than the Bruins outplayed them.

And those are just the wins — you know all about the historic losses. They got demolished 44-6 to a Utah team playing without its starting quarterback and running back. They lost to the worst Notre Dame team of all time. They lost to perennial Pac-10 doormats Washington State and Arizona. They did play Arizona State close, but when only one of your five losses isn’t demoralizing, that’s bad.

So yeah, this hasn’t exactly been a season to remember.

All that being said, I’m a fan, and I will be rooting for UCLA (and an Arizona State loss) on Saturday. I can’t not root for this team, especially when they’re playing USC and with the Rose Bowl on the line. I know full well that a Rose Bowl berth would also likely secure Karl Dorrell’s job security for a while (even though it shouldn’t), but I can’t bring myself to root against UCLA and for USC. Who I root for doesn’t affect what happens on the field, and I’m confident in Karl Dorrell’s ability to screw up this game somehow, so I can root for the Bruins without hesitation.

I thought going to the Rose Bowl was supposed to be exciting. Instead, I’ve spent all season getting my hopes up only to be let down, then fearing the worst every time UCLA has a lead. Is this what going to the Rose Bowl is supposed to feel like?

It’s Arte Moreno’s money, not mine

I was gone most of Thanksgiving weekend, so I didn’t get to post about this earlier. As fellow bloggers Ben and Larry Brown Sports have already written about, the Angels signed Torii Hunter to a 5-year, $90 million contract.

I’m of a different opinion than they are though. I actually don’t mind this deal. Is it a great deal? No. Is it a bad deal? No. But for the short-term at least, it does help.

Hey, it’s not my money.

As long as Arte Moreno doesn’t decide to cap the payroll in the next few years, signing Hunter is a good thing.

His walk rate, OBP and age do worry me. But he has been a consistent above-average offensive player the last few years, and will likely be one in 2008 and 2009. 2010 and beyond are a different story though, and I fully expect Hunter to decline then.

But hey, if Moreno is willing to fix that mistake in a couple of years, why not splurge now? With A-Rod gone, Hunter was one of the best hitters available in free agency. The Angels didn’t have to give up any prospects for him. And they can now put Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero at DH regularly, something both of them need.

This signing does have the potential to be horrible in a few years if Moreno decides to cut payroll. But if he has an unlimited budget, there is no such thing as a bad free-agent signing. If the player does horribly, just sign someone else. The Yankees and Red Sox have been extremely successful over the last decade with that strategy. Why not the Angels?