UCLA roundup: Mata and Neuheisel

First, I’d like to join Bruins Nation in wishing a happy birthday to Lorenzo Mata, one of my favorite players on the basketball team. It’s amazing and kind of sad that his career as a Bruin is almost over. I’ll have many more thoughts on his career as a Bruin as the season ends.

For fun, here’s a video I found on YouTube with Lorenzo Mata highlights (an Eminem song plays throughout, turn your sound off if you’re somewhere you don’t want to hear it).

Also, I’d like to link to a blog entry that Gutty Little Bruins found about new football coach Rick Neuheisel. The blog was posted by a youth football coach attending a coaching clinic at Winning Youth Football, and here’s an excerpt: (ellipsis mine)

Unfortunately I too succumb to making judgments about people I know little about and in many cases these judgments are 100% wrong. I had the opportunity to meet and spend some time with Rick Neuheisel from UCLA last weekend at the Clinic of Champions in Reno, Nevada.

…

In the after-session mixer in the Speakers Suite Coach Neuheisel couldn’t have been different than what I imagined. He was shy, cordial, not outgoing at all, friendly, humble and very willing to offer help and guidance to any that asked, even to a lowly youth coach like me. He went out of his way to offer support and appreciation for what youth coaches do for the game of football. He looked you in the eye, gave you a firm handshake and listened intently to what you were saying, asking great questions and asking for clarifications along the way. I came away from that experience with a much different opinion of Coach Neuheisel. He had absolutely nothing to gain by spending time with a youth coach from

Nebraska, none of my kids are being recruited by UCLA and I’m certainly not a donor prospect for UCLA.

You have to go read the whole thing. Neuheisel wasn’t my first choice to coach at UCLA, but as I learn more and more about the guy and see what he’s done, I’m thrilled that UCLA hired him and can’t wait for college football season. Neuheisel has helped make my passion bucket full so far.

32 days ’til Opening Day: Spring Training games start

There are 32 days left until that best day of the year, MLB’s Opening Day.

Today is the first full day of spring training games. While I’m not a huge fan of spring training games it’s good to know that they are happening.

One tradition I do like that MLB teams do is play a college team occasionally to start off spring training. Yesterday, the Braves played Georgia, the Cardinals played St. Louis University and the Pirates played Manatee Community College (all three MLB clubs won obviously, not that it matters if they lost). Today, the Red Sox face Boston College and Northeastern, the Nationals face George Washington.

Spring Training games mean that Opening Day is almost here. Just 32 more days people.