On a hot roll — As the heat wave continues, the waves of UCLA Spirit Squad photos keep on coming, with 63 more today
Triple-digits in the Valley, not that much better in Westwood — The Bruins don’t have to practice in San Bernardino to feel the heat. They are sweating away right here in town, or so we must believe, since for the first time in years, practice is closed to the public. There isn’t even a Fan Appreciation Day this Fall, or the usual annual chance for kids to get autographs from the players. I’m not thrilled about missing out on this photo op, but if it helps Chip Kelly get this program to the elite level, FINE.
Without being able to see practice, there are only a couple of things I want to mention in relation to UCLA Sports today. First of all, Shaquille O’Neal’s son Shareef just officially became a part of the UCLA Basketball team, after some technical issues concerning academics. The Bruins now have, according to some sources, the 6th-best recruiting class in the Country coming in for this season. That’s crucial, and gives hope to this year, because the returning players are not enough, on paper, to compete at a Championship level. But with several immediate impact players joining the roster, expectations can be high.
Speaking of great expectations, it would be nice to see Josh Rosen win the starting job for the Arizona Cardinals in this, his rookie season. They are saying good things about Josh in the early stages of practice. However, there are three negatives: 1) Veteran QB Sam Bradford is currently ahead of Rosen on the depth chart, 2) The Cards’ starting Center, who is crucial to the success of the Offense, just got injured and is out for the year, and 3) The Vegas Line suggests that Arizona is going to go about 6-10 this year. In light of this information, maybe it’s best not to get hopes too high for Rosen’s immediate NFL success.
Maybe we should stay focused on the UCLA QB competition, where Coach Kelly says the battle is wide open, with no timetable for a decision to be made. Hopefully, one of the candidates will step up this week, and create some separation. We’ll just have to wait and SEE — oops, I mean “wait and READ ABOUT IT.”
NOW — onto the main attraction — 62 more pics of the UCLA Spirit Squad, still mining gold from last Fall’s Cal game.
