Clear 365 Blogs

12/2: I'm a BLVR

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds, who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

The UCLA football team is waiting for a bowl invitation, which may or may not come, after finishing the regular season 6-6 after losing 28-7 to USC in the annual cross-town rivalry game. We agree with Los Angeles Times sports columnist T.J. Simers who calls them how he sees them and he saw USC head coach Pete Carroll displaying poor sportsmanship at the end of the game. UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel had three timeouts late in the game with the Bruins trailing by two touchdowns and used one of those timeouts after USC took a knee to start running out the clock. Carroll, being the smug and arrogant coach that he is, then called for a deep pass play that the Trojans hit for another touchdown. And people wonder why Stanford went for the two-point conversion en route to their 55-21 whipping of the Trojans. As Simers points out:

"If anything, it was a shaky football decision made by Carroll, an incomplete pass as good as another timeout for UCLA. Most classy coaches probably call a running play if they are going to do anything other than kneel.

The best thing that can be said about Carroll after showing such poor sportsmanship -- he didn't go for two points after USC scored.

His players, though, taking the lead of their leader, began acting as poor winners -- jumping up and down on the sideline and moving onto the field to taunt UCLA."

USC's players danced around and taunted the Bruins, who crossed midfield en masse. A fight was about to break out due to the USC coach's complete lack of class.

UCLA probably would have won that game if our starting quarterback didn't get hurt in the second half. I hope all those upstanding Trojans fans enjoyed the win, because it's going to be the last one for a very long time.

Congrats to the 11 UCLA football players who made the Pac-10 Conference All-Academic teams, more than double the number of Trojans.

The Bruins basketball team is in shambles, having lost this season to Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State, teams the Bruins should never lose to. A team leader, senior Nikola Dragovic, also was charged with felony assault and briefly suspended and this week starting sophomore center Drew Gordon announced he was leaving the team as part of a mutual decision between the player and Coach Ben Howland. It's only going to get worse before it gets better for the Bruins, they face top-ranked Kansas on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.

LAKERS

The Lakers are the best team in the NBA and have gone undefeated, a perfect 6-0, since forward Pau Gasol returned from a hamstring injury. Gasol, who forever more will be known as "The Big Paella," so far this season is averaging 10.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 17.7 points a game. The Orange Country Register sports reporter Kevin Ding had a good story Monday on Gasol and his contributions to the Lakers under the clever headline: Boom boom Pau: Gasol is one of the NBA's best

Lakers forward Ron Artest told the Sporting News in an interview for an upcoming story that he used to drink Hennessy at halftime when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls, who he played for in 1999-2002.

VIKINGS

The Vikes are 10-1 and will face the Arizona Cardinals (7-4), losers in last year's Super Bowl, this Sunday in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner was expected to play Sunday, but recently said he wanted to see an eye doctor for lingering post-concussion symptoms, which kept him out of last Sunday's game. The Cardinals were forced to play backup quarterback and ex-USC signal caller Matt Leinart this past Sunday and lost when Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young completed a touchdown pass with time running out, reminiscent of Young's heroics in college when he lead the Texas Longhorns to a last-minute win over the Trojans and Leinart in the BCS national championship game in January 2006. Young essentially channeled Achilles in that game and single-handedly slew the Trojans. I've been calling him Achilles ever since.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for leading the Vikes to a 4-0 record in November.

REDS

The Cincinnati Enquirer has a story about the upcoming Redsfest in Cincinnati and talked to GM Walt Jocketty about the fan festival and the team's prospects for next year. Jocketty told the Enquirer that he didn't expect the Reds to be active in the free agent market and said the young roster in spring training will pretty much look how it does now.

Happy Birthday to former Reds pitcher Pedro Borbon, a key member of the Big Red Machine's bullpen. Borbon is a member of the Reds Hall of Fame and will be inducted during the 2010 season.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

11/2: I'm a BLVR

Nov. 2, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds, who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

 

Oregon's mascot is hoisted into the air by fans after the Ducks whipped Southern California, 47-20, on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. The beatdown was the Trojans' worst loss since 1997. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Congrats to the Oregon Ducks for their complete dismantling Saturday night of the USC Trojans.

BRUINS

UCLA played tough earlier in the day against Oregon State, tying the game with 2:06 left after trailing 19-3 in the fourth quarter, but the Beavers scored late for a 26-19 win. The Bruins (3-4, 0-5 Pac-10) have lost five straight conference games after starting out 3-0, matching their worst start in Pac-10 play.

The Bruins next face the Washington Huskies on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Huskies quarterback Jake Locker has been nursing a deep thigh bruise he suffered Oct. 24 against Oregon and U-Dub Coach Steve Sarkisian said his star quarterback is "questionable" for the game against the Bruins.

"I should be ready to go," Locker told the Seattle Times and the Seattle P-I.

On the basketball front, the banged up Bruins are getting a little healthier with Jon Gold of "Inside UCLA" reporting that 17 of 18 players participated in today's rare open practice. The Los Angeles Times recently ran a story on the Bruins' rash of injuries, which prompted point guard Jerime Anderson to try yoga to help heal an injured groin muscle.

UCLA legend Bill Walton is retiring from his broadcast career with ESPN due to back problems, according to ESPN. Reminds me of the time that I ran into Walton in the parking lot near Pauley Pavilion, circa 1998 or so. I yelled out to him, "Hey, Big Guy," and Walton -- ever gracious -- stopped, walked over, shook hands, asked how I was doing and basically couldn't have been nicer. I told him that I liked his work in the broadcasting booth ( I think he was doing Clippers games at the time) and he smiled and thanked me profusely for the compliment. I had friends back then who hated Walton as an announcer and I've joked ever since that my compliment gave him the strength to carry on. At any rate, hope the back gets better soon and Luke brings another ring home.

LAKERS   

Lakers forward Pau Gasol may have a slight tear in his right hamstring and is not expected to play in the team's next two road games, according to the L.A. Times.

The world champions also declined to offer contract extensions to backup point guard (and former Bruin) Jordan Farmar and reserve forward Adam Morrison. Both can become restricted free agents in July, with the Lakers holding the right to match any offer they might receive from other teams next summer.

VIKINGS

Vikings quarerback Brett Favre returned to Lambeau Field on Sunday and put on a clinic, leading the Vikes to a 38-26 win at the place he called home for 16 years. S-I's Peter King featured Favre and the Vikings in his Monday Morning QB column. Packers fans greeted their former hero with boos and Favre was emotional after the game, choking up a bit in a post-game television interview. The Vikes (7-1) are going into their bye week and will next play Nov. 15 when they host the woeful Detroit Lions.

REDS

There are 153 days until Opening Day 2010.

I live in Los Angeles, but if I did live in Cincinnati, I'd be all over this Redsfest being held Dec. 4-5 at the downtown Duke Energy Convention Center. Sounds like a lot of fun.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

10/13: I'm a BLVR

Oct. 13, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds, who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

The Oregon Ducks beat the Bruins 24-10 at the Rose Bowl on Saturday and I'm taking full responsibility for the loss. The Bruins were leading 3-0 at halftime and I stuck around my seat to give props to the athletes who were inducted this year into UCLA's Hall of Fame, including wide receiver J.J. Stokes and quarterback Cade McNown. After that, I headed out of Tunnel 5 with my buddy Landers and started looking for something to eat. The lines were long, I was kind of undecided, and then settled for the taco/burrito stand right outside my tunnel. I was ordering a carne asada burrito when I heard the public address announcer say that the Ducks were leading 7-3. Great, the Ducks ran back the second-half kickoff. Then, I decided to eat my burrito outside by the turnstiles. A tragic mistake. Kevin Prince's first pass after the kickoff return got picked off and run back for a TD, all before I was even done eating. By the time I got to my seat, less than 40 seconds had lapsed and the Ducks were up 14-3. Mea culpa. That's on me.

The Bruins' defense had a solid game against the Ducks, but the offense struggled and couldn't take advantage of good field position. The Bruins had a first-and-goal series at the Oregon 2-yard line in the first half, but couldn't punch it in. They similarly couldn't manufacture points in the second half, stalling, in particular, after Terrence Austin returned a punt to the Oregon 15-yard line with about 10 minutes left.

The Bruins (3-2, 0-2) face the California Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2) this weekend at home and both teams are desperate for a win. The loser of this game will have a tough, uphill road to a bowl game.

On the bright side, the future looks good. UCLA last week got a commitment from Southern California prep star Malcom Jones, who is rated fifth at running back by Rivals.com. 

LAKERS

What is wrong with Golden State's Stephen Jackson? He flipped out Friday in a pre-season game against the Lakers, picking up five fouls and a technical in less than 10 minutes and jawing with Kobe Bryant. The Warriors suspended Jackson, who publicly demanded a trade last month, for two exhibition games because of his weird behavior and Jackson today relinquished his captain title during a meeting with the Warriors brass.

Pau Gasol and Luke Walton missed practice today with minor injuries.

The Los Angeles Times has a feature story on forward Lamar Odom adjusting to the married life and the Lakers have a Q&A with Adam Morrison that touches on his cooking specialty (toast) and what he was doing during the Orwellian year of 1984.

VIKINGS

The Vikings beat up the winless Rams on Sunday at the Metrodome, 38-10, to improve their record to 5-0. This could've been a letdown game for the Vikings following the emotional Monday night game against the Packers and a short week. But, the Vikes did what championship teams do and took care of business. Adrian Peterson had 2 touchdowns and 69 yards in 15 carries, but he says that he's not worried about his numbers as long as the team keeps winning.

The Vikings should have more of a contest this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens. The game marks the return to the Metrodome of former Vikings center Matt Birk, who played for the Vikings for the past 11 seasons. The Ravens, as usual, boast a strong defense and quarterback Joe Flacco has shown that he can move the offense. The Vikings, of course, have a pretty good defense, too.

Did you know? The Vikings are the only team in the NFL that hasn't allowed a rushing TD this season.

The Vikings have not scored a rushing touchdown against the Ravens in their three previous matchups. Peterson can move into second place in Viking history if he produces a 100-yard game against the stingy Ravens defense. All Day is currently tied with the great Chuck Foreman with 17 100-yard games.

The Vikings also announced that actor Tommy Lee Jones will blow the Gjallarhorn (from Norse mythology) before the Ravens game. He's apparently an avid Vikings and Brett Favre fan.

REDS

The infield at Great American Ball Park is getting re-sodded.

MISC.

 

Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, right, jokes with side judge Jeff Lamberth as the Broncos and the New England Patriots warm up Sunday before their NFL game in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

This retro trend in the NFL has got to end. The Broncos uniforms were hideous and the refs looked like candy-stripers out there. I nearly got one of those sensory overload seizures that kids get when they play video games too much. Listen, if I really wanted to see jerseys from the 50s or 60s or 70s, I'd build a time machine and go back there myself. I know the league is trying to sell more jerseys, but let's stick with the current unis.

The bad use of helmet awards goes to Seattle's Owen Schmitt. (19-second mark)

Ocho Cinco Sees The Light

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

10/6: I'm a BLVR

Oct. 6, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds, who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

I'm taking full responsibility for the loss Saturday at Stanford. I was looking ahead to the Oregon game. My bad. The Bruins (3-1, 0-1) face the Ducks at 12:30 p.m. this Saturday at the Rose Bowl with the oddsmakers listing Oregon as 6 1/2-point favorites.

The quarterback spot appears to be a bit of a mystery for both teams. Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli had to leave Saturday's blowout win over Washington State with a knee injury and he hasn't practiced so far this week. UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince may be back at the helm after suffering a broken jaw in the Bruins' win Sept. 12 at Tennessee.

The big question surrounding the Ducks is this: Which one of their hideous uniforms will they pick for the game? The Ducks have 80 different garish jersey/pant/helmet combinations in their closet. 

In a previous posting, I predicted a 31-9 UCLA victory. I still like the sound of it.

In other UCLA news, there's a good feature story today in The New York Times about professional basketball players going back to campus over the summer to work on their degrees, including former Bruin star Russell Westbrook. The Times reported that about 45 players, or roughly 10 percent of the league, hit the books over the summer.

Also, UCLA will induct eight new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, with quarterback Cade McNown, point guard Tyus Edney and wide receiver J.J. Stokes leading the class.

LAKERS

The world champion Los Angeles Lakers begin their title defense in exactly three weeks when they play the Clippers at the Staples Center.

Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, 35, tells the Los Angeles Times that he's not contemplating retirement yet, even though he's entering his 14th season in the league and final year of his contract. D-Fish, who made two clutch 3-pointers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, trained hard over the summer, wrote a book and held his first basketball camp in Los Angeles.

Surprise Lakers tweet of the day: @LakersReporter Phil Jackson said that Adam Morrison has been the team's best shooter in camp. "He's played really well, shot the ball very well."

VIKINGS

The showdown at the Metrodome took place last night and Brett Favre prevailed, leading the Vikings to a 30-23 win over his former longtime employer, the Green Bay Packers. Favre was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 271-yard, 3-TD performance. This was probably the most hyped Monday Night Football game of all-time and it certainly delivered, especially in the first half, which ended with Minnesota clinging to a 21-14 lead. Favre, who will turn 40 on Saturday, completed 24 of 31 passes with no interceptions and had an ear-to-ear grin after several of his big plays.

Brett Favre (4) celebrates with Chester Taylor (29) after Favre threw a touchdown pass during the first half Monday against the Green Bay Packers in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

The win gave Favre his first victory over the Packers and made him the first player in NFL history to beat all 32 teams in the league.

Defensive end Jared Allen also had a monster game for the Vikings, finishing with six tackles, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Allen had plenty of opportunity to show off his celebratory sack dance based on calf roping.

Kudos also to former Bruin and current Vikings punter Chris Kluwe who launched several kicks that pinned the Packers deep in their own territory. You can't put a price on field position in the NFL and Kluwe made sure the Packers didn't have a short field to work with.

The game, by the way, was the most watched cable TV program in history.

REDS

The Reds finished in fourth place in the National League Central Division with a 78-84 record, 13 games behind front-runner St. Louis. This is the ninth losing season in a row for Cincy, which is their longest slump in more than 50 years. Injuries dashed all hopes for the Reds before the All-Star break. Four of their five starting pitchers and seven of the team's eight opening-day regulars spent time on the disabled list this season.

On the bright side, the Reds did win 27 of their last 40 games and pitcher Homer Bailey, 23, went 6-1 with a 1.70 ERA down the stretch.

In other Reds news, the team will induct three players into the Reds Hall of Fame: third baseman Chris Sabo of the 1990 World Series-winning team, pitcher Pedro Borbon of the 1970s Big Red Machine and turn-of-the-20th-century pitcher Tony Mullane, an Irish immigrant who pitched both right- and left-handed. Mullane's good looks prompted the nickname "The Apollo of the Box" and his popularity with female fans lead the then-Cincinnati Red Stocking to start Ladies Day on the Mondays when he pitched.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

9/29: I'm a BLVR

Sept. 29, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds, who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

The UCLA Bruins have a huge game against Stanford this Saturday at The Farm in Palo Alto, Calif. It'll be the first Pac-10 Conference game for the Bruins (3-0), while Stanford (3-1) already is 2-0 in league play. UCLA, the only undefeated team in the Pac-10, is coming off a bye and Coach Rick Neuheisel told KLAC-AM 570 yesterday that the squad was able to work on a lot of things during the off week. Hopefully that included tackling, which looked a little sloppy in that last win against Kansas State.

Tackling will be key Saturday because the Cardinal has 6-foot-1, 237-pound senior Toby Gerhart running the ball. Gerhart is the best running back at The Farm since "Touchdown Tommy" Vardell, who had the school record for most yards in a season (1,084 yards in 1991) until Gerhart broke it last year (1,136 yards). Gerhart had 138 yards and two TDs in last year's Bruins win.

Kevin Craft will be the signal caller for the Bruins in replace of the injured Kevin Prince, who is still recovering from a broken jaw suffered in the win against Tennessee. Craft, a senior, had a steady performance last year in the Bruins' 23-20 win against Stanford and threw a 7-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left to nail the come-from-behind victory.  Neuheisel said that he's expecting good things from Craft and he also said he would try to get freshman quarterback Richard Brehaut into the game.

The game will be a good measuring stick for two programs that are still trying to rebuild. Neuheisel is in his second year and is coming off a 4-8 rookie season, while Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh is in his third year and is coming off back-to-back losing seasons. The Bruins have won their last five games against Stanford. Soon to be six.

LAKERS

Was that the quickest off-season ever, or what? The world champion Los Angeles Lakers held their Media Day today and it was the circus you might expect. Newlywed Lamar Odom got a lot of attention and so did new teammate Ron Artest.

Lakers superstar and NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant said he got some rest during the offseason, which is a departure from last year when he played in the Olympics in Beijing.

"All I did was get healthier," Bryant told The Associated Press. "My legs feel rejuvenated. I feel like I'm in great shape, nothing is nagging me outside of the hand and the fingers."

The Lakers repeat is going to happen, so just accept that right now.

VIKINGS

How about that Brett Favre? The Vikings' 39-year-old quarterback tossed a 32-yard game-winning touchdown pass with 2 seconds left Sunday to beat the San Francisco 49ers. In case you somehow missed it, check out this video of the fantastic throw.

Next up for the Vikings, conference rival and former Favre employer, the Green Bay Packers ... on Monday Night Football. The Vikes will have to play a lot better than they did against the 49ers to win this game. The Packers are definitely going to go after Favre, who had an ugly divorce with The Cheeseheads after wobbling back-and-forth on his retirement plans. 

REDS

Good to see former Big Red Machine skipper Sparky Anderson being honored earlier this week in Detroit during a reunion of the 1984 Tigers championship team. Anderson was featured prominently, of course, in Joe Posnanski's new book "The Machine" about the 1975 Cincinnati Reds.

I highly recommend this book. It's full of great stories about Anderson and the players that formed the greatest baseball team ever. The book captures their disparate personalities and the jovial mood of a Reds clubhouse that was full of good-natured ribbing. Posnanski in the book's afterword wrote that he hoped the book would resurrect a bit of the Pete Rose that he remembered back in 1975. Posnanski's book does a good job of reminding us that Rose was not only one of baseball's best all-time players, but someone who loved the game immensely and played it the way it should be played. Rose, who was banished from baseball for gambling on games while coaching the Reds, didn't sit out a single game in 1975, even though the Reds won the National League West by 20 games over the Dodgers.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

9/21: I'm a BLVR

Sept. 21, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds, who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

Great weekend for the BLVR. Bruins win and improve to 3-0, Vikings win and are 2-0 headed into their home opener against the 49ers and the Washington Huskies pulled off the upset and stunned former No. 3 USC. That's all good stuff and made for an outstanding weekend.

Being a BLVR means that you actually have to believe in things. Case in point: About halfway through the third quarter of the Huskies-Trojans game, I promised the football gods that if U-Dub won that I would buy a No. 10 Jake Locker t-shirt. About 10 minutes after the game I was online buying a Huskies purple No. 10 replica t-shirt for myself and my friend Siri, a huge Huskies fan who lives in Seattle. You gotta believe. Now, back to our regular programming.

BRUINS

Bruins fans went into Saturday's game against Kansas St. with a little bounce in their step following the Huskies 16-13 win over USC. Congrats to UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft who had a decent game replacing starter Kevin Prince. Craft was at the helm last year when the Bruins went 4-8 and he coughed up a school record 20 interceptions. With the offensive line buying him a little more time, Craft was able to get the ball down field, including a 51-yard bomb to Terrence Austin, who made the catch in stride and took it to the house. Wide receiver Nelson Rosario also had a highlight reel catch in the fourth quarter when he made a one-handed grab of a Craft pass for a first-down that kept an eventual field-goal drive alive.

The Bruins have a bye week coming up and then will head to The Farm to play at Stanford. That means the Bruins will be 4-0 going into their home game Oct. 10 against the Oregon Ducks. I've already predicted a victory against the Ducks, which means the Bruins will be 5-0 when they have a major showdown with Cal on Oct. 17 at the Rose Bowl. My crystal ball gets a little cloudy when I try to predict things too far out, but I vaguely see a Kai Forbath field goal winning that game against the Golden Bears.

LAKERS

Congratulations to Pau Gasol, who lead the Spanish team Sunday to the European basketball championship.

Also, belated birthday wishes to Coach Phil Jackson, who turned 64 on Sept. 17.

The Lakers open training camp Sept. 29 and new forward Ron Artest said today that if the Lakes don't repeat that he'll take the blame. That's a bold statement and I'm glad he's ready to fall on his sword and all, but Artest doesn't have much to worry about, because the Lakers are going to repeat.

Almost forgot, congratulations also to Lamar Odom who after a six-week whirlwind romance is going to marry reality TV star Khloe Kardashian. I'm not really sure what I think about that but congrats seem to be in order.

VIKINGS

Nice solid win Sunday by the Vikings over a Detroit Lions team that is much improved, but still not much of a threat. Brett Favre set an NFL record Sunday when he made his 271st straight start in the regular season. Old No. 4 finished 23 of 27 for 155 yards with two TDs and no interceptions in the Vikings' 27-13 win. Super running back Adrian Peterson had 92 yards rushing on the day, including a 27-yard TD scamper midway through the third quarter.

Next up for the Vikings are the surprising first-place and undefeated San Francisco 49ers who will hit the road to face the Vikings at the Metrodome.

REDS

The Reds are 18 games back in the National League Central Division. Sigh.

On the bright side, the new Joe Posnanski book "The Machine" about the legendary 1975 Cincinnati Reds squad is a great read. I'm only on page 33 -- it was a busy weekend -- but so far this book has had several tasty anecdotes. For example, I never knew that Hall of Fame manager George "Sparky" Anderson grew up in Los Angeles in the Watts area and despised the Dodgers. The Reds already had the core of the Big Red Machine in place in 1973 and Sparky guaranteed his team would win, only to lose to the New York Mets that year in the playoffs. 

Excerpt:
"Then came 1974 and the worst season of all. The Reds won 98 games, more than every team but one. But that one team was the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they won 102 games and went to the playoffs instead. This was beyond heartbreak. Sparky Anderson lived in Los Angeles. He hated, just hated, the Dodgers."
End of excerpt.

I hate the Dodgers, too.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Posnanski's fine book. It's already shaping up to be as enjoyable and informative as the late David Halberstram's "October 1964," which chronicled the seven-game World Series showdown between the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals amid the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement and baseball's shifting financial landscape.

By the way, if you're into baseball books, I highly recommend "Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball," by the conservative columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George F. Will. It's my favorite baseball book.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

9/14: I'm a BLVR

Sept. 14, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

Great win over the weekend for the UCLA football team, which marched into Knoxville, Tenn., and beat the Volunteers 19-15. Bruins fans last year thought the opening game win against the Vols at the Rose Bowl showed that the program was headed in the right direction. Then the Bruins hit the skids and finished 4-8. This win over the Vols, however, is a lot different and actually does show the football ship has set its bearings out of Losers' Lagoon. The Bruins showed improved play on the offensive line, the semblance of an actual running game and a toughness that we haven't seen in Westwood in a long, long time.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince showed the most toughness, taking a helmet shot to the face in the game's final minutes. The hit broke Prince's jaw and UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel likely will announce tomorrow who will be his replacement at QB. The only good thing about this injury is that it comes early in the season with a couple of patsies lined up. The Bruins play Kansas State at home Saturday and then have a week off before playing Stanford. After that, UCLA plays Oregon at home, which I've already predicted as a "W" for the boys in powder blue. Five-and-oh at the halfway point, sticking with that prediction, too.

LAKERS

Los Angeles Lakers star forward Pau Gasol is doing what he usually does: win games. Gasol lead the Spanish national team to a win today over Lithuania in the second round of the European basketball championship.

VIKINGS

I'm not about to rush out and buy a Brett Favre jersey or anything, but I gotta say, the old man looked decent out there Sunday against the Browns. Favre, 39, had a rather pedestrian game, finishing 14 of 21 for 110 yards, but more importantly the Vikes beat the Browns 34-20.

The highlight of the game was Adrian Peterson's spectacular 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that showed the star running back's power, finesse, moves and speed. The run was so good that The AP did a separate story on it and gave the run the unofficial nickname "The Commercial," because it looked even better than those runs you see in Nike and Gatorade ads. My favorite part is when he sheds a would-be tackler at the 41-yard line like he's a pesky mosquito or something. Six tacklers tried to bring him down, all failed.

Check it out:

REDS
I'm still waiting for my book on the 1975 Cincinnati Reds called "The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series-The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds." I ordered this book on June 16, far ahead of its Sept. 9 release date. What's the point of pre-ordering a book from Amazon if you could schlep over to a real store and get it when it comes out? They should send pre-orders out so they arrive the same day they get in stores. Right?
At any rate, book review coming up very soon.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

NFL training camp roundup

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre looks to pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of a NFL preseason football game, Friday, Aug. 21, 2009 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

Quarterback Contracts

The ink is still wet on Phillip Rivers' new six-year, $92 million contract and Eli Manning signed a six-year, $97 million deal last week. That leaves Tom Brady, who has two years left on a six-year, $60 million deal. Brady says he isn't focused on a new deal, but instead is concentrating on preparing for the upcoming season and a highly anticipated return after recovering from knee surgery.

As you have undoubtedly heard, Michael Vick and Brett Favre have both found new teams, signing with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings, respectively. We can expect to be bombarded with non-stop coverage of their exploits. Maybe this will finally take some of the attention away from Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, which can only be a good thing.

Speaking of Wide Receivers ...

As we've come to expect, wideouts have garnered their share of chatter around the league this year. Pro-Bowler Brandon Marshall has started to criticize the Denver Broncos organization, saying he has ''trust issues" with the team. Marshall's offseason included an arrest for disorderly conduct and trade demands.  Marshall, who is in the last year of his contract, is dissatisfied with the $2.2 million he is slated to make this year.

Highly touted rookie receive Michael Crabtree continues to sit out the preseason due to stalled contract negotiations with the San Francisco 49ers. Crabtree, who many believe is the most talented rookie in the league, slipped in the draft to the 10th overall pick. The source of conflict between Crabtree and the 49ers may be his desire to receive more than the seventh overall pick, wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey.

Super Bowl winner Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty last week to criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment as part of a deal that will send him to prison for two years, followed by a two-year supervised release. Burress has reportedly hired a "prison consultant" to prepare him for life on the inside.

Position Battles

As usual, this year's offseason is rife with quarterback competitions. In New York, rookie Mark Sanchez won the starting spot from Kellen Clemens. Clemens, who started in place of Brett Favre at the end of last year, was named the starter for the first preseason game, but is burdened by his poor performance in his eight pro starts. Sanchez, out of USC, looked OK in his two preseason appearances, which included a game against the tough Baltimore Ravens defense. First-year head coach Rex Ryan defended the controversial decision, noting that he was one of the biggest supporters of the decision to name Joe Flacco the Ravens' starter last year.

In Cleveland, the Browns are looking to pair a quarterback with their talented wide receiving corps headlined by Braylon Edwards. Derek Anderson had a breakout season two years ago, but regressed last year in a season marred by injuries and a 66.5 quarterback rating. Promising young QB Brady Quinn is a fan favorite in Cleveland, but will still have to impress new head coach Eric Mangini, who has said only that the competition is still "very close."

-- Christopher Handel, Clear365 Sports

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8-18: I'm a BLVR

Aug. 18, 2009

BRUINS

The UCLA football team will hold its fall scrimmage this Saturday (Aug. 22) on campus at Drake Stadium. The fall scrimmage last year gave UCLA fans an idea of what to expect, with the offensive line giving up eight sacks and the Bruins' top three running backs combining for 14 yards on 12 carries. This upcoming scrimmage should show if the Bruins have fixed up that offensive line a bit and if new quarterback Kevin Prince can move the ball. 

LAKERS

Not much going on in Lakers land. Lakers forward Josh Powell and assistant coach Brian Shaw recently enjoyed a victory party thrown by Victor Gomez, the general manager at the Casa Dorada Los Cabos Resort and Spa in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. "To the victor goes the spoils," indeed.

Pau Gasol said on his Web site that his surgically repaired index finger "looks good." The Orange County Register has a small story on Gasol's finger. 

VIKINGS

Ugh. I woke up Monday morning suffering from some sort of food poisoning and still felt pretty queasy going into today. Then word comes out that Brett Favre is coming out of retirement to join the Vikings. Now, I'm not sure why I feel sick and my stomach is churning.

I know some Vikings fans are rejoicing about this, even Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said today that Favre would be good for the team, good for the state and "It's going to be exciting." Well, it was pretty exciting last year when the Vikings won the NFC North, without Favre. I'll grant you the fact that Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson aren't three-time NFL MVPs. (Say "thank-you," I just granted you something.) But, despite all his gaudy passing records, Favre also is the NFL's career leader in interceptions. Most of my anti-Favre feelings come from his days as a hated Packer, plus, I think he's too old and damaged goods. It's not really in my nature to think ill of people, unless they're wearing a Celtics jersey or USC uniform, so I'll grudgingly welcome Favre to the Vikings. "Welcome to the team, Brett, don't screw it up."

REDS

The Reds are currently 50-67 and 16 1/2 games behind the first-place Cardinals. That means we look to the future. The Reds announced late Monday that they have signed Mike Leake, 21, the eighth overall pick in the first-year players draft. Leake, who played at Arizona State University, was 16-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 162 strikeouts this past season. He was awarded a $2.27 million bonus and will be on a fast track to join the club.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

8/10: I'm a BLVR

Aug. 10, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

Do you know what time it is? It's hammer time. The football team opens practice today with all eyes on redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince and that offensive line. The O-line played horribly last year and are lucky they didn't get quarterback Kevin Craft killed. The Bruins are looking to improve on last season's ugly 4-8 record. This will be the second season for Coach Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Fans such as myself aren't expecting a lot, which is the best way to approach the season. Seems to me that the Bruins of late have been the most enjoyable, at least in football, when they have that "gutty little Bruin" thing going for them. My buddy Jon just walked by and asked for my season prediction. My answer: 8-4.

Rick Reilly, writing for ESPN The Magazine, has a good piece on Neuheisel and his counterpart over at USC. 

Jake Fleming update: UCLA tennis player Jake Fleming, 20, is back in Southern California after being in a medically induced coma due to injuries suffered when he was allegedly sucker-punched in June after attending a Rascal Flatts concert in Texas. The Dallas Morning News had a brief update on Fleming over the weekend.

LAKERS

Good things happen when you go on vacation. Really good things. The world champs finally got Lamar Odom to sign a deal while I was away enjoying eastern Europe and U2 in Poland. So, the Lakers essentially have their whole championship team coming back with the exception of Trevor Ariza, whose loss was offset by the gain of Ron Artest. 

Congrats to Lakers fan favorite Kurt Rambis, who has been hired as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers' owner, Dr. Jerry Buss, the team's general manager, Mitch Kupchak, and Coach Phil Jackson all released statements wishing Rambis luck. Jackson called Rambis "the workhorse of my staff the past few years" and gave him credit for taking on the defensive coordinator job last season, which was a key reason the Lakers had such a great run.

VIKINGS

Brett Favre's decision to stay retired happened while I was away and I couldn't be happier. We really don't need that guy.

The Vikings open pre-season play this Friday against the Indianapolis Colts. It'll be a major test in the quarterback competition between Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. Jackson is a little banged up, having skipped some practices after spraining the MCL in his left knee. 

In other developments, Vikings linemen Kevin and Pat Williams got a bit of a reprieve when a state judge put their case against the NFL's anti-doping policy on hold pending a decision from a federal court. The judge who issued the ruling said that a state trial during the 2009 season was unlikely.

The Vikes open the regular season Sept. 13 at Cleveland.

REDS

The Reds are 12 1/2 games back. Wait until next year. Actually there is one thing to look forward to this year: "The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds," which is a new book by sportswiter Joe Posnanski. Posnanski's site says the book is coming out 9/9/09, so pre-order your copies now. 

--Paul Chavez, BLVR