Check out the latest batch of weekly answers…
1) Is Mattingly going to be the Dodgers manager next year? – Anonymous
Yes, but it’s a make-or-break year, I think.
2) I asked a question awhile back but it was probably too verbose. Basically, it is my impression that sometime awhile back, UCLA decided that it would not compete with the escalating coaches’ salary arms race in football. I believe it coincided with Chancellor Carnesale’s hiring. The problem with this is that UCLA cannot hire the best asst. Coaches and thus, are unable to recruit on a par with the USCs and Texas’ of this world. What do you think? – johncomd
Well, in the 2010 USA Today Coaches’ Salary Database, UCLA’s $640,000 on assistant coaches was No. 8 in the country. Perhaps more interesting, Rick Neuheisel’s is 48th. But I don’t think it’s any more meaningful than the handful of other reasons that UCLA hasn’t been able to compete in recent years to a major level.
3) What can a UCLA student (who goes to the home games, and is passionate about the team) do to improve the state of our Men’s football and basketball teams? – Tim
Create a Pyramid Scheme – tell 10 friends to tell 10 friends to go to a specific game, and tell them to tell those friends to tell 10 friends and so on. Cheer loudly at basketball games for more than 22 seconds at a time. Pump gummiberry juice in Kevin Prince’s knee. There you go.
4) I have always wondered why baseball players are allowed to technically go through the draft process but still be able to return to school where other sports do not allow this. Any insight from you Mr. Gold? How is this fair? – Brock
It’s not fair at all, and it reeks of racism. Most college baseball players are white. Most college basketball and football players are not. The NFL and NBA owners sure are, except for a couple. There’s something wrong with the systems, and don’t even get me started on the one-and-done rule. I wish there was a better way.
5) Jon what do you expect that starting 5 to be? My guess is Smith, Nelson, Parker, Lamb, and Jones. Thanks – howlandfan
From what I hear, David Wear has been pretty impressive, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a starting lineup of Jones, Anderson/Lamb, Wear, Nelson and Smith. Without seeing them compete against D-1 players, I can’t really just put Parker or Norman Powell into the starting lineup, but who knows, they could make an immediate impact.