Here is the ninth set of answers:
Happy Thanksgiving
Brian your blog is the best
Eat lotsa turkey!
Thanks for the kudos
Turkey and yams in desert
My belly is full
Has the FR class lived up to expectations of being THE #1 class in America? What do you think is holding them back, if not?
Yeah, I’m ready to make the declaration after four games. You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me?
Who’s a better player for the Bruins, Mike Roll or Josh Shipp? Some on the internets say Roll…do you see any logic in that?
I see logic in that because Roll doesn’t turn the ball over as much, or take as many bad shots. That is what has taken place early in the season, but I think it is too early to make that determination.
Do you think James Keefe will be a legit contributor this year for UCLA in big games or will he be a liability?
Um, ok, I’ll say he can be a legit contributor in a big game. After all, I figure UCLA will play at least 10 to 12 big games, so for him to do well in one of those is pretty good odds. He scored 18 points against Western Kentucky in the Sweet 16, and I thought that was a big game.
You wrote last week that a better weight training program will make Ucla better next year. But isn’t Mike Linn the guy who set up the weight program LAST year? Why should we assume he’ll get better overnight?
He did set it up, but in the year he has seen the players and worked with the program, he now has the ability to tailor the workout program for individuals.
What holiday song annoys you the most? (I hate most versions of the “12 Days” except for the Bob & Doug McKenzie version). Thank you Brian for all of your hard work and hope you got to spend a nice holiday with your family before traveling.
At the top of my list is the Barry Manilow’s Because It’s Christmas Time (for the Children). Man, that song grates on me. I have to turn it off.
you maintain that Linn was hired in the spring, but since when is January 22 the spring?
http://uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/012208aaa.html
Are you giving Linn a pass on his performance based on misinformation?
No, I’m saying it takes time to implement a program, and to understand how to set up workouts to suit the needs of the players on the team. He was hired in January, but he didn’t know the personnel. Now, he had a season to watch what transpired, and speak with the coaches about how to tailor workouts.
Tracy Pierson of Bruin Report Online claims that *Mike Riley* was Dan Geurrero’s first choice for HC in Dec. 2002. Has Geurrero gone on the record with that? Or is Pierson just making stuff up?
This is hardly new news. It has long been talked about that Riley was the first choice, but Karl Dorrell swayed the administration, particularly Guerrero’s bosses, in his interviews. I’ve asked Guerrero about this several times, and he each time he told me Dorrell was his choice. However, to think this is something new is not accurate.