Somehow, they managed it. For the first time since 1975, I had nothing to do with the first weekend of high school football in San Bernardino County, and apparently they played a nearly full schedule. I was hired by the San Bernardino Sun in August of 1976, and my first football game was Pacific at […]
Entries from September 2008
Prep Football Goes On Without Me
September 8th, 2008 · 3 Comments · Sports Journalism
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Don’t Assume Readers Get Past Headlines
September 7th, 2008 · No Comments · Baseball, Sports Journalism
I did a bit of satire, or thought I did, the other day … based on baseball players’ dunderheaded habit of breaking their own bones while acting out. Punching walls, slapping bats, breaking glass, etc. In the wake of Carlos Quentin, the White Sox most productive hitter, breaking his hand while smacking his own bat […]
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Today’s List: Ten Least Favorite College Football Teams
September 6th, 2008 · 6 Comments · College football, Lists
I haven’t done a list in ages. Just got out of the habit. I’ve always worked under the assumption that everyone is like me … and sees the world in a sort of hierarchical sense. Best to worst, favorite to least favorite … and, wait, maybe that’s not a reasonable assumption. Anyway, I tend to […]
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In Fit of Rage, I Punched Keyboard and Broke My Finger
September 6th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Baseball, Sports Journalism
Excuse me if this is a little dissjointed … I’m typing with one hand. The other is heavily wrapped because, yeah, my index finger is broken. How, you ask? Well, this is a little embarrassing … well, it’s really embarrassing, and inexcusable, but I broke it while I was punching the keyboard of my laptop. […]
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As the Sprint World Turns
September 5th, 2008 · No Comments · Olympics
No, not talking NASCAR and its (at the moment named) Sprint Cup. Talking sprinters. Speed-merchants. Dashers. Just looking at the sports news on espn.com, and the juxtaposition of these two stories caught my eye. Usain Bolt runs 9.77 seconds. Marion Jones gets out of prison. And the question: How long until Bolt is as discredited […]
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Sometimes I Don’t Mind Being Insulted by ESPN
September 4th, 2008 · No Comments · College football, UCLA
OK, I admit it. Twenty-four hours after railing against ESPN’s ad-choked college football replays (see item below) … I watched almost the entirety of another one. UCLA 27, Tennessee 24, in overtime. I saw that game, and wrote a column on it for the Temecula Californian. In this case, I was glad to see, once […]
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ESPN Football Replays: Biggest Insult in TV Sports
September 3rd, 2008 · No Comments · College football
Not talking about game clips here. I’m referring to college football replays on ESPN. Ostensibly the whole game. Actually it’s just a fraction of it, the CliffsNotes version of it. Which wouldn’t be so bad, except that ESPN jams an obscene amount of advertising (and promos) into these two-hour “game” replays. It is the most […]
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Yeah, This Job Sometimes Can Be a Rush
September 2nd, 2008 · 1 Comment · College football, Sports Journalism, UCLA
Well, it’s sorta my job. I’m not actually employed by anyone on a consistent basis, and I wonder if I ever will be, but that’s not the point here. (And I’m writing, so why don’t I just come to the point?) I’m still getting out occasionally, and perhaps the idea that it may not happen […]
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Neuheisel Era Starts, Ends with Bang
September 1st, 2008 · 1 Comment · College football, UCLA
I assume they were going to shoot off fireworks no matter the final score. This being the end of the Labor Day weekend, and all. And an inducement to come out and see a UCLA team that went 6-7 a year ago. Who knew the bombs bursting in air were the exclamation mark to UCLA’s […]
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UCLA Halftime Show: Song Girls and Pee-Wee Football
September 1st, 2008 · No Comments · College football, UCLA
Another reason why the Bruins shouldn’t play home games this early: Band not really here, so the halftime show was … pitiful. UCLA ran its cheerleaders and song girls out there, and they did a number but were swallowed up by the size of the field. Then came a batch of tiny football players. The […]
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