Three for Three with Jeff Baca
On missing practice with pink eye:
"I'll be back tomorrow. I've been on antibiotics all day. They just needed to get me past the contagious period. I just tried to teach guys and give guys tips that are playing in my spot. I try to help and take mental reps on the sideline if I'm not going to be able to take physical reps."
On preparing without a game this week:
"You still...it's just like how do you gear up for the weight room in January when you don't have a game until September? You just kind of got to do it. It's the same thing this week. We know we're going to have a game coming up soon. Instead of three days it's 10 days. It's just something that you've got to do and get ready for because you know another one is coming. You can't slack off at all."
On Nick Ekbatani's return and potential starting role:
"Coach isn't vocal about stuff like that. He hasn't said anything or told us anything. I actually have no idea how that's going to change things. Today I just know that they rotated in, trying to get guys reps and I know that he (Ekbatani) is a senior. We'll see from there."
Thanks for all of the attention to this blog. It's great. The best relationship you could form right now is with Marc Dellin's office. That's where the pay sites get their inside information.
Jon,
Good job, as usual. You are doing remakably well getting up to speed, only having had a month on the beat! Keep up the good work. Relationships will take time. The bloggers here that expect you are going to instantly gain the trust of the insiders are unrealistic.
Now, as to the bye week, UCLA should be able to plan well for Stanford, get guys healthy, clean up some mistakes and install the game plan a day or two ahead of usual. Stanford, coming off this week's game with Washington will be at a slight disadvantage in game prep. Stanford cannot overlook Washington -- for obvious reasons. So, their entire focus will be on this Saturday. If Stanford loses, they will be hungry to avoid B2B loses at home. If they win, Stanford will be for real. Right now, I think they are a little suspect, despite their wins over WSU and San Jose State. Let's see how they stack up against the Dawgs and Locker.
Jon, what do you think about providing us with a daily practice report seeing as how we can't attend? Information such as who looked good, practice tempo/vibe, injury updates, how some of the redshirt guys are performing, which groups performed well or any other highlights each day would be greatly appreciated. I feel such information could be more insightful to a lot of us fans rather than a bunch of quotes we can find by reading any other newspaper article.
Thanks,
Go Bruins!