Dear Pac 12 Network

I've been in what has felt like a sprint for the past two plus years, but finally have a moment to update my blog with a rant. And what better subject than the travesty that is the Pac 12 Network.

The wonderful Pac 10 was defiled, two teams added so that we could have our own TV network. Initially, this seemed unobjectionable. But I remembered friends who were fans of Big 10 teams telling me the conference TV network was not all it seemed. And now I see.

My situation tonight: a mere two miles from the Rose Bowl, I was unable to attend tonight's game due to illness. But I cannot view the game on TV because my cable provider does not have the Pac 12 Network. The Pac 12 Network expects me to bombard AT&T until they offer it, or switch cable providers. Get real. Had I not been sick, I would've been at the game.

The Pac 12 Network needs to get itself added to a major sports network like Fox or it will never work. I can start an online petition and get 25 people to send emails or whatever, but there is very little that I can personally do, and collectively with my fellow alumni, actually do to change this situation. I work in politics. This is not a top issue in the minds of the public.

Meanwhile UCLA is up 21-0 in the first quarter. Would've been a great game to WATCH. I know sports is a lucrative field, but you would think the Pac 12 Network would have at least a passing thought about the fans that can't watch their team. I'm a season ticket holder that has missed several road games this year due to this network. It's not exactly engendering positive feelings about the Pac 12 Network in my heart.

My quibble is this: you knew what would happen when the network first launched. You knew there would be an issue getting the network on cable providers. Why didn't you figure out, during the year between announcement and launch, how to deal with it? I know, I know, it's not a simple problem. Well, a station for the fans should think about how fans are going to feel when they can't see their games repeatedly. You had the Big 10 Network folks to ask about the ropes. Why weren't you on this earlier? We should have been harassing our cable providers a long time ago. I and all season ticketholders should have received a form letter and form email to send to my cable provider from the school from which I have season tickets well over a year ago. Did you think it was going to be easy to get all the cable providers signed up? Why would you think that based on the Big 10 Network? Or did you just not care about the fans? Which is it? What am I missing?

Signed,
A UCLA Fanatic

John Wooden is Gone

You can say he lived a long and wonderful life, but it still is hard to lose the heart and soul of our team.

From the LA Times.

John Wooden, the UCLA basketball coach who became an icon of American sports while guiding the Bruins to an unprecedented 10 national championships in the 1960s and '70s and remained in the spotlight during retirement with his "Pyramid of Success" motivational program, has died. He was 99.

Though his fame extended beyond the sports world, it was Wooden's achievements during 27 seasons at UCLA that put him in the company of such legendary coaches as the Green Bay Packers' Vince Lombardi and Notre Dame's Knute Rockne.

Wooden's string of championships began with back-to-back victories in 1964 and '65. Starting in 1967, his team ran off seven consecutive NCAA titles -- going 38 tournament games without a loss -- a feat unmatched before or since in men's college basketball.

What I'll Miss in DC: Ben's Chili Bowl

I will be moving back to Los Angeles this month. While I'm looking forward to it for so many reasons, many involving live UCLA sports, I am sad to say goodbye to my favorite food spots in Washington, DC.

Any person who lives in DC for a few months is nearly guaranteed to hear of Ben's Chili Bowl, an institution in our fair city. In my nearly nine years in DC, I have probably an average of a chili dog a month. It's heaven on a plate.

Yesterday I was at Ben's Next Door, the upscale restaurant and bar cousin restaurant where any Ben's lover goes when the line at Ben's is too long. Since President Obama visited Ben's in the week before his inauguration, Ben's Next Door is pretty much the only place to go if you want a quick chili dog and don't mind paying a buck or two more.

While in the restaurant, I spoke to one of the owners, Ben's son Nizam Ali. He told me so many insanely interesting things about BCB that I wanted to share with other rabid fans.

1. Mail order chili dogs: 18 dogs for about $40 via benschilibowl.com
2. Tomato paste in the chili recipe: Why would anyone care about this? They probably don't, it's pretty obvious there is tomato paste given the orange color of the chili. I'm allergic to tomatoes, but apparently not tomato paste. I say this because I've had hundreds of chili dogs at Ben's and never suffered any tomato allergy repercussions. Thinking of eating a pizza next!
3. Ben's Visitor Center: Second floor of Ben's Next Door has a hall of historical pictures.
4. Chicken and waffles: On the menu at Ben's Next Door. Yeah, you heard that right! It will be hard to go to Ben's and not get a chili dog, but I'm all over at least one meal of chicken and waffles.

I am definitely going to need to get a BCB t-shirt before I leave DC. Nizam and I also discussed losing our fathers and his increasing use of social media. Really good guy.

Top 5 Social Media Moments of 2009

Surprise, surprise, my list is heavily tilted toward political uses of social media.

1. Inauguration attendees blanket Facebook with pictures on the ground, including the purple tunnel of doom.
2. Facebook covers Michael Jackson funeral, allows those watching to view each others' comments.
3. Food trucks on Twitter.
4. Elected officials on Twitter, esp. Senator John McCaine and Senator Claire McCaskill -- for better or worse.
5. Twitter coupons and special Twitter-only deals.

Worst of 2009 -- Losing People

This is not a happy post. I just read Newsweek and saw their list of people who we lost this year. I have my own list, two I never met, and one who meant the world to me.

1. My nephew. January 11, 2009. A car accident took his life. Make sure your car has airbags. He was only 22, in the prime of his life, and happy. There are some things that you never get over. We go on, we remember him, but we can't forget. RFK once misquoted Aeschylus as such:

"In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

2. Senator Edward Kennedy. August 25, 2009. My Irish grandfather. He taught us that politics is primarily to help people. His epic quote:

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

3. Frank McCourt. July 19, 2009. My other Irish grandfather. He taught me what it meant to be Irish; he taught me just how Irish I had been and would always be. It is because of him, for instance, I describe my Irish luck and my Irish soul. McCourt once gave a graduation speech at UCLA, in 1998, that I attended. It was the humanities graduation, I believe. I wish I had gone home and written out his entire speech, it was simply marvelous. Without YouTube in those days, it appears to be lost for the ages/not Google-able. I remember he said that it wasn't about the title or the paycheck, but to feel like you'd done good in the world everyday that made a job worth doing.

Without these three Irish men, the world is a darker place for me.

Lessons Learned During the Aughts

These are the years you learn a lot -- college graduation to home-owning, pet parenting adult. Can only imagine what comes when you add kids. In random order, top lessons I've learned:

1. The choice is yours: be positive and hope for the best, and you shall be happy. You don't escape the knocks, but you bounce back better, and with more gratitude for what you do have.

2. Negative energy is contagious, avoid it. We all know those people who have nothing good to say. You can try to turn things towards the positive, they refuse to see it. So don't be around them. They suck all the energy and light out of you.

3. Don't go looking for trouble. You'll always find it. Nuff said.

4. Have friends of character. Who you surround yourself with is who you become. If you have friends who lie, cheat, and steal, it is at best just a negative influence on you. Find those people who help you become a happy and positive person, and back away slowly from those who don't.

5. It's okay to fail big. I've done it in every way possible -- with love, with jobs, with sports. You live, you learn. Don't be so afraid to fail that you never try.

6. If you can't control your temper by age 30, you never will. It should go without saying that these folks should be avoided at all costs. Nothing good comes from a short fuse and uncontrollable anger.

7. Always put your health first. Sure, you partied in your 20's. But there comes a time in every person's life where he must think about how he'd like to spend his older days. And if it's walking around and being with family, exercise and healthy eating are a must.

8. Learn to cook. The metaphor is here as well, but really -- learn to cook what you love to eat and you'll always be eating well.

9. Work hard, but stop when you get where you're going. No job is worth exhausting yourself and preventing you from caring for yourself and spending time with family and friends. Don't let guilt or ambition make your job more important than all else in your life.

10. Pets are like free happiness pills. I wouldn't know, but I bet they're better than Prozac.

11. It's never too late to make your life what you'd like it to be.

12. Reflect often on who you are and what you're prioritizing in life. Make sure it is the things that matter.

14. What you think is what you become. Don't waste your time worrying and instead spend your time improving you.

15. When it's right, you'll know. Houses, relationships, jobs...they almost all work like this. When all else fails, you can at least follow the "not no" rule that if the answer isn't "this isn't right," then you continue. I would argue, however, that you always know deep inside in a short time whether something is right. Listen to yourself.

16. Be your own best friend. Don't be afraid to do the things only you want to do on your own. Be kind to yourself, don't beat yourself up.

17. Always be kind. Pay attention to those who aren't kind, and avoid them.

18. No one can truly stand in another's shoes. So don't go telling someone how to live his life, and don't let people try to tell you what's up.

19. Endeavor to find the silver lining in your tragedies. If you can find meaning in your suffering, if you can make the best of an awful situation, you will go far in this life. RIP Ted Kennedy, who taught us all this important lesson.

20. Don't take it personally. This is pretty much my life motto. It is almost never about you. And when it really and truly is about you, you have so much to learn. Listen and don't blow your stack.

21. It's not about you. And if you make everything about you, no one is going to want to be around you. I know I won't.

22. Find your passion. Mine is UCLA basketball. My life is infinitely better because of it, I obsess over it and let everyone know it is the number one thing that gives me pure joy.

23. Let people be who they want to be. Don't try to control people or make them change. They have to want it. If you don't like it, don't be a part of their life.

24. Be the light. Put out what you want to receive, and you'll get it in return.

25. Don't waste your time with folks to whom you can't talk. Doesn't matter if it's your issue or theirs, point is if you can't talk to someone, there's nothing there worth not being able to communicate openly.

26. Be grateful. Nothing contributes more to happiness. When I think of my dad or my nephew, gone forever, I make an effort to be thankful for the days I do have.

27. Don't make emotional decisions. But bruinmccon, some decisions are by nature emotional. Yes, sure. But many people confuse rash, emotional decisions for their gut. And I'm telling you, it's not. You may have to make quick decisions, but you owe yourself time to think it over once you've noted your "gut" feeling. I had a significant other who made horrible life decisions this way. I couldn't get away from that person fast enough. Who wants to be around someone so unpredictable.

28. Skip the drama. Really, life does not need to be that hard. If you don't get along with someone, stop spending time with that person. If you get upset about traffic, readjust your expectations and find something productive to do while you drive.

Rotation Chatter

I read a post about UCLA Basketball coach Ben Howland's rotation choices a week ago, and wanted to post some of what was said on bruinsnation.com here:

The main thing holding this team back is 1) solid offensive play, and 2) rebounding.

The wonderful thing is that the solution for both is the same: start TH in place of JA. ML goes for 29, MR goes for 19, and what does JA have, 1 point on 0-2 (including an airball by five feet) and 1-2 free throws. Hmm, which one doesn’t belong. Conversely, TH is a prototypical small forward who is a great rebounder. Remember, he played center in high school which shows with his craftiness around the rim. TH is also the perfect compliment to RN in that as much of a workhorse RN is, he is undersized. But with TH playing in the frontcourt alongside RN and ND, we suddenly become much longer and athletic. Plus, this will help out MR so he won’t be guarding someone much larger than him....

I just want to zero in on point number 1 for now. I really think Coach Ben Howland owes more than a standard coachspeak explanation to the UCLA basketball community about his inexplicable but predictable rotation at this point of the season.

Only problem is Honeycutt has just not been playing well. It has been difficult for our team to find a rhythm though, and no word from my news sources on whether Honeycutt was indeed playing forward, or if he was stuck at point guard, for our last game. Apparently it was only available on some sort of Internet feed, which I completely missed.

Of course when the team is bad, the coach gets second guessed every which way. I don't want to do that. But I do find is conspicuous, if nothing else, that Howland, a God to UCLA fans, is getting called out like this. I don't know if there is a solution. The guys are getting better, Reeves Nelson is a standout player at this point. Other than that, we don't really have talent.

My more important question to Howland is not to second guess his coaching decisions (except really, can UCLA figure out how to play O against 1-3-1 zone defense?!), but to say what is going on with recruiting that you misread the possible talent of so many players?

Comcast Streaming Pro Games

File under best news of 2009, Comcast is now allowing local fans to view local games over the Internet (via Business Week):

Basketball fans in Philadelphia can now go to the Web site of Comcast's regional sports network and, for a subscription fee, view Philadelphia 76ers professional basketball games streamed live.

The article goes on to say that Philadelphia is a unique situation where Comcast owned all the necessary components to make this work in their favor. The Portland Trailblazers have also sold their local NBA rights.

There are some obvious steps needed to get to my dream of being able to watch UCLA on my computer from the East Coast. One big one would be cables to hook up my computer to my TV. That said, slowly we begin to see cable companies recognizing the dollar signs that online sports can mean.

Image by flickr user MOmilkman, used through Creative Commons.

Top UCLA Sports Moments of the Decade

11. October 2005 -- Cardiac Bruins, as the football team came to be called on bruinsnation.com, has four come from behind victories in the fourth quarter out of five October weekends. I lose years off my life and the infamous Penn State screamfest occurs.

10. September 1, 2008 -- UCLA football's first game with Rick Neuheisal as coach turns out to be an overtime win. I stay up until 1 am watching it on a Monday night.

9. March 17, 2003 -- Steve Lavin's reign of mediocrity ends.

8. January 24, 2008 -- Kevin Love goes home to face Oregon during his one season as a Bruin. Viciously abused by the Oregon students' section, Love leads UCLA to an 80-75 victory.

7. May 13, 2007 -- UCLA becomes the first university to achieve 100 titles.

6. April 5, 2008 -- UCLA plays in its third Final Four in three years. I nearly get in a fist fight during the game with a Memphis fan, but decide being a poor loser is not very UCLA of me.

5. March 24, 2007 -- UCLA defeats the University of Kansas in the Elite Eight. It is the last game I watch with my father.

4. December 2, 2006 -- UCLA 13, USC 9 as the Bruins ruin USC's season and prevent them from getting to the BCS championship. I lose my voice.

3. April 3, 2006 -- UCLA plays for its 12th basketball title and gets creamed by University of Florida.

2. March 31, 2007 -- I travel to Atlanta to watch UCLA lose to Florida in the Final Four. I end up seated in a Florida section.

1. March 23, 2006 -- UCLA comes from a 17 point deficit to beat Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen, causing Adam Morrison to weep on the court before the game was even over.

My Top Albums of the Aughts

Inspired by Bigelow's post to his blog over the weekend, the following are my favorite albums from the 00's:

a. Death Cab for Cutie -- Transatlanticism
b. Death Cab for Cutie -- Plans
c. Weezer -- The Blue Album
d. Imogen Heap -- Speak for Yourself
e. Alicia Keys -- Songs in A Minor
f. Arcade Fire -- Funeral
g. Stars -- Heart
h. Smashing Pumpkins -- Machina/The Machines of God
i. Cat Power -- The Greatest
j. Frou Frou -- Details
k. My Chemical Romance -- The Black Parade