Answers, Part XVII

your top three questions in the history of this blog?
Whomever invented asking questions via haiku gets my vote for the best. Other than that, it would be easier to list the top five kids who will sign with UCLA in 2013.

When you say you don't write the headlines, are you referring to the blog headlines, the newspaper headlines, or both?
Newspaper headlines. I do the blog headlines.

If Rick Neuhisel were the coach of usc and recruited the way he does now at ucla, would he be doing as well as pete carroll? and vice versa: if carroll were at ucla recruiting the way he does now at usc, would he be doing better than neuhisel?
I don't know, and to be honest, I hate hypotheticals like this. All I know is Pete Carroll recruits better than anyone in the country, and he is at USC.

You've mentioned that some elements of the Pauley renovation have been altered at Wooden's request. Does he really have that much influence in the design process?
I don't think I said renovation elements were altered. I think I said he didn't want a new building.

When you need a break, do you let the wife and kids answer a few questions, sort of like how SIDs fill out coaches poll ballots?
Oh, good idea. My oldest kid is 3-years-old, so his answer will go something like this: jfkdjopia;jf;kjpadeoe;a'a'd

What made Long Beach Poly star guard Jasmine Dixon want to transfer from Rutgers to UCLA?
She probably couldn't hack it at such a prestigious school. Seriously, though, I have no iead.

Do you think your blog readers care too much about football recruiting?
No, but I think they put too much stock in what people who rarely (if ever) get a chance to see them play in person think of the players. Recruiting is a crap shoot, and even the best prospect can wind up doing nothing, and a relative unknown can be a star. And since there is no way to tell with any of them, I find it all to be over-hyped.

I'm interested in the mechanics of sports journalism so can I ask you about the Hauck situation? Why did the article from the Montana paper contradict your story? Do you stand by your story? Do you have any clarifications? What do you think is really going on?
It didn't contradict my story. I wrote Neuheisel was going to talk to Hauck. The Montana paper wrote Hauck has not yet been contacted. I didn't write Hauck was contacted. Plus, just because someone says something publicly doesn't mean it is the truth (and I'm not implying anything in this case).

Do the coaches and football players still get together for meetings and such between now and spring practice, or are they not allowed any instruction/contact at this time?
They still get together. The coaches can be on the field during conditioning now, but no football-related activity can take place. And the players are always stopping by the football offices to chat with the coaching staff.

Do you see any players getting together yet to practice drills and throwing?
Not yet. They just got back to school this week.