Monday, November 16, 1998
Rival staffs
of newspapers will do battle
in Blood Bowl
COLUMN: Daily Bruin team plagued with egos, salary disputes,
drugs
It is one of the oldest rivalries of all time. It has been
around ever since newspapers hit the kiosks at UCLA.
A game comes along every year to determine who is champion, and
it is the only time to come face to face with the villain.
The rivalry is so bitter and so heated that the name given to it
conjures up images of battered bodies and broken spirits.
This game is the Blood Bowl.
The Blood Bowl is one of the hidden gems of UCLA: a match-up of
the Daily Trojan versus the Daily Bruin.
Where athleticism meets money.
Where desire meets BMW.
Last year the Bruin devastated the Trojans behind a quick air
attack and a stifling defense which created more turnovers than a
Betty Crocker’s bakery.
Oh yes, the Bruins stomped out a 25-0 thrashing.
But a lot has changed since then.
The Bruin has gone through a lot of turmoil, and has become a
microcosm of the NFL.
One player is holding out for a higher salary, one has been
suspended for violating team drug policy, the other has demanded a
trade, and the list goes on and on.
Just like the problems that face the NFL, the Bruin has lost
part of its dynasty because of egos and money.
The biggest change comes at GM, where the Bruin dispensed of Al
Davis and brought in Traci Mack, because Davis refused to re-sign
starting quarterback Brent Boyd.
Boyd is the key to the Bruin team. Not only does he lead the
league in pass efficiency, but he draws in the crowds. Before Boyd,
there were no sponsors and the crowds were non-existent. Now the
crowd attendance is up in the high teens.
You see, Mack has traded for and signed players who she thought
would provide better team chemistry, but something happened in the
pre-season.
Egos became a big part of the team.
"I brought in David Arnold and AJ Cadman to shore up a shoddy
secondary, but the two are always fighting," the tearful former GM
of the San Francisco 49ers said.
To add to the bad news in camp, defensive coordinator and
defensive end/linebacker, Vytas Mazeika was suspended last Friday
because he violated team drug policy. The three-year player was an
integral part of last year’s win, but may have to sit this one out
after his test came back showing he had used some type of foreign
substance.
"Okay, he may have failed the test, but we’re looking into it,"
head coach AJ Cadman said.
"It may be just an acute case of poppyseed infatuation. If that
is the case, then he will definitely miss Friday’s game and be sent
to a treatment center. Poppyseed and Kool-aid is a bad mix."
So Mazeika has filed a complaint to the commissioner.
"I just got two words for those who think I did drugs – ‘suck
it’," the transfer from North Texas said.
Across the ball on offense, all-pro A. CinQue Carter is once
again holding out for a higher salary. Last year Carter did not
play because he wanted Cris Carter type of money, and Davis was not
willing to fork out $4.5 million a year. So he sat at home and
watched the game on Fox SportsNet.
Now after returning to camp, after Mack caved in and dished out
$4.5 million for this year, Carter has faked a calf injury and now
is asking for Jerry Rice money. But with the trade for eight-year
wide receiver Trinh Bui from the San Diego Chargers for a ninth
round draft pick, Mack and Cadman have conferred and realize that
Carter does not have to get paid.
Still, there are grumblings on the team.
As one player who wished to remain silent said, "Carter is
football. Football is Carter. Carter – football. Football – Carter.
If you don’t got Carter, you don’t got Carter."
To hurt matters more, Greg Lewis, a third down specialist, is
asking for a trade to the UC Santa Cruz newspaper.
"My life has always been about UCLA. I live and breathe UCLA,"
the second year man from Rancho Cucamonga said. "But when I met the
Banana Slug staff, I fell in love with the chemistry and the
camaraderie.
"There is none of that at the Bruin. You got Salmon wanting to
run the wishbone, Cadman wanting to run the no-huddle, and Boyd
wanting to run the basic one-back. It’s a mess and I hate it."
Mack has begun looking for a trade to send Lewis to the Slugs
for two real banana slugs and 18 pounds of bananas.
But it seems that with all the distractions and the Heisman hype
of Boyd, UCLA is ready to rumble. In last week’s last preseason
game the defense shored up behind the stellar pass rushing of
Ernest Lee, Chris Bates and David Arnold. The corners buckled down
except for several long bombs, and the wide receivers made
spectacular grabs.
But the biggest surprise was the o-line, which gave the passer
time to throw and the quarterbacks who were all on target.
Heisman hopeful Boyd, passed for 490 yards, with 67 yards
rushing and four touchdowns. Cadman had relatively few snaps but
passed for 200 yards and moved to slot receiver.
While the biggest surprise came from Air Force transfer, Rocky
Salmon, who ran for 396 yards including three touchdowns and aired
it out for 236 yards.
Even with all the problems, the team is stacked with talent due
to the excellent salary cap maneuvering of Mack.
Now the Bruin will meet for a clash which has Fiesta Bowl
implications.
This Friday, at 3 p.m. on the IM Field the Bruin will face off
against a hungry Trojan team in a battle of social classes.
So come out and watch The Bruin destroy the Trojans.
Salmon is high off Otter Pops and may have misconstrued some
quotes. This column was an effort to show what’s wrong with Pro
sports. E-mail Trojan hate mail to [email protected].
Rocky Salmon
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