deja vu all over again

Disclaimer: If you care nothing about sports, college football, or UCLA in general, you can skip this entry. It's ok, don't feel guilty. I give you permission.

Ok, is it me, or does this UCLA football season look an awful lot like 1998? Once again we have an undefeated Bruin team coming out of nowhere with a stellar offense capable of putting up 50 a game on any field, home or away. However, the same glaring deficiently haunts this Bruin team as the Cade McNown-led '98 squad -- the defense can't stop anyone.

Just to refresh your memory, in 1998 UCLA reeled off 10 straight victories before having to meet Miami at the end of the season. The Miami game was actually supposed to be played in the beginning of the season but got rescheduled due to a huge hurricane (but you can call it slurricane) hitting Florida. Long story short, Edgerrin James ran all over the Bruin defenders for about 12,000 yards that day and the Bruins lost 49-45 (but as a complete side note, UCLA backup QB Drew Bennett caught a long bomb at about the 3 yard line as the final seconds ticked away to almost win it -- foreshadowing his new career as the Tennessee Titan's #1 WR). The best part of the whole fiasco? UCLA still made it to the Rose Bowl, but gave up 14,000 yards on the ground to Ron Dayne to lose that game too (which by the way I attended in person, a blue blip in a sea of Wisconsin red).

Sadly, UCLA looks no better at stopping the run this season. Even worse, this time around the guys killing us on the ground aren't even Edgerrin James-level talents. Jerome Harrison - 260 yards, Yvenson Bernard - 167 yards, Louis Rankin - 109 yards. I think my mom (who incidentally steals cha cha music... pass it on) could put up triple digits rushing against our D. When Reggie Bush comes into town I'm almost afraid that the NCAA season rushing record will be shattered in just that one game alone.

And yet, despite all the glaring holes, I still think UCLA can pull it off. Call it hope, blind faith, or complete mental delusion. It's ok. So what if we can't stop anyone on D, all we have to do is score 73 on O. I believe in you Bruins (but if this turns out to be 1998 all over again, well let's just forget I wrote this, shall we?).

still more random musings...

Hello friends! It's been much too long since I've last written. I really have no excuse other than sheer and utter laziness. I promise I'll try harder in the future. Well you know, unless I find something better to do.

By the way, you may wonder who that man is in the picture above. I honestly have no idea. But he looks so pensive, I thought he'd be perfect to show how hard I thought about all the random things I wrote below...

• I've mentioned it in an earlier entry, but it bears repeating -- My Name is Earl is still quite hilarious. Watch it. Now.
  
• How I Met Your Mother, on the other hand, continues to suck. Seriously, does anyone like this show? If so, can you please explain to me why? I'm just really curious. Come on, I won't mock you. To your face, anyhow.
  
• I really want to see the movie version of Rent, but I'm torn as to whether it was the right move to include all the folks who originated the roles on Broadway. On one hand, it's really cool that they're allowed to reprise these roles -- at least you know the songs are going to be kick ass, which is key to the enjoyment of the story. On the other hand, they're supposed to be playing 20 year olds, and I think they are all collecting Social Security at this point. I'm really afraid it's going to be like watching Beverly Hills 90210 towards the very end of its run. Not fun.
  
• When did Mariah Carey start rap-singing? You're probably reading this and saying, "what the hell are you talking about," but go back and listen to her new stuff like Shake It Off and We Belong Together. See! I like it, I guess, but it makes me think Mariah somehow got abducted like that Elizabeth Smart kid and brainwashed into thinking she was a long lost member of Bone Thugs N' Harmony.
  
• The 40 Year Old Virgin is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. Yes, I know I'm about 30 years late on this one, but if you haven't seen it yet, see it. If only for Boner Jams '03. I hear The Wedding Crashers is even funnier, true?
  
• Can you believe my UCLA Bruins are still undefeated? Yeah, me neither, but keep it up boys! All I want is the complete and utter destruction of USC when the two meet on December 3rd. Is that too much to ask? I think not.
  
• Is it just me, or is Jerry O' Connell one of the most annoying actors in Hollywood? I'm not bothered by his acting, per se, but I really quite hate him when he's just being "himself" in interviews and such. He's so over the top with his antics I just want to strap him into his chair and pound some Ritalin down his throat. There are times when he makes Tom Cruise look sedate. And yet somehow he is engaged to Rebecca Romijn. Go figure.
  
• Did you know we are now into the greek alphabet for naming tropical storms and hurricanes? We literally ran out of letters, so after Wilma we'd have Hurricane Alpha if it goes from a tropical storm to a full fledged hurricane. Um... yes, I am a nerd.
  
• I was watching Boomerang today on my TiVo, and it made me realize that there was a time in history when Eddie Murphy was thought of as a sex symbol. Then I thought back a bit further and remembered when he was one of the funniest, edgiest comics alive. Now he just makes Disney movies where he's some sort of absent-minded nutty professor. Again, life is not kind.
  
• My mom made me show her how to use the CD burner so she could copy a cha cha CD. I really have no joke here other than the fact that my mom steals cha cha music.
  
• Halloween is coming up and I have no ideas for a costume. Please help me. Pretty please?