Ucla Athletic Department

I find it very interesting that when UCLA decided to drop water polo and crew, a formal press release was issued justifying and explaining in detail the reasons for this prudent business decision. Now that Chancellor Young authorized the reinstatement of water polo based on efforts of the alumni and boosters, the UCLA athletic department does not have the courtesy to issue a statement as to the reinstatement and how it occurred. This style of management and leadership is part of the reason the UCLA athletic department finds itself $3 million in debt.

Losses on the football field and basketball court were only part of the problem for UCLA last year. With California in dire financial straits, the university's athletic department was hit by funding cuts and increased costs, which contributed to its first budget deficit in a decade. Bruin teams operated at a loss of almost $164,000 in 2003-04, according to a report all colleges released Friday.

Does the stench from Westwood bother anyone? Using a part-timer from Australia to win the softball championship, UCLA goes from bad to worse. After escaping unpunished from the sordid Angelo Mazzone-Rose Bowl ticket scandal . . . the mighty Bruins sneak in a ringer, in the form of Tanya Harding. She flies in to play scarcely half a season. "I'm sure she paid her own air fare, but we haven't checked on that." Yeah, sure. Are we curious what the NCAA would discover, if it had the energy to investigate?

Pete Dalis accepted early on that the Mt. Rushmore of UCLA athletics already was in place, that the larger-than-life images of basketball coach John Wooden, charismatic athletic director J.D. Morgan and football coaches Red Sanders and Terry Donahue were indelibly chiseled in the psyche of Bruin followers.

I was unable to take my wife and two sons to the UCLA homecoming game last week because of a conflict caused by the last-minute postponement of the kickoff from 12:30 to 3:30. UCLA subsequently refused to refund our money or substitute tickets to a future game. Through this scheme, UCLA got to keep the price of our tickets in addition to reaping the benefits of a TV appearance. The UCLA athletic department obviously feels that a lucrative television appearance is more desirable than keeping a scheduled commitment to thousands of dedicated fans.

I read with absolute amazement the terrible "blow" to longtime UCLA basketball fans because they were requested to put their money where there mouth was (July 4). While I could understand one's objection to paying $750 to the UCLA athletic department to fund the athletic machine, there is an alternative. Individuals may make a gift of $1,500 to Chancellor's Associates, which provides significant academic support to the institution that the various objectors purportedly love so much.

Why have the crowds at Pauley Pavilion become so embarrassingly small? Because it's obvious to everyone outside the UCLA athletic department that Bruin basketball is going absolutely nowhere under Walt Hazzard. Hazzard can't coach and he can't recruit, and he has managed to make the NCAA tournament just once in three years, where the first good team he played beat him. This season, he'll be lucky to make the NIT again. We Bruin fans certainly don't expect a national title every year, but we don't see why a school with UCLA's tradition and success in other sports shouldn't be a perennial contender, such as Indiana or Georgetown.

According to the UCLA media guide, Jelani McCoy's favorite athlete is . . . Chris Webber. Surprise! TOM MADARA, Santa Monica After reading the articles regarding their drug policies: Does UCLA have a snowboarding team? PATRICK PASCAL, Los Angeles This letter is written to clarify and correct certain statements made in Tim Kawakami's Feb. 25 article regarding UCLA's student-athlete drug testing program. First, UCLA's Drug Education and and Testing program has been in place for more than 10 years.

What is the big deal about Bob Trumpy's comment that USC is the only football school [in town worth talking about]? Doesn't anybody get it? Even though UCLA is ranked 12th, has a six-game winning streak, has won the city series the last six years and USC is struggling, the city of Los Angeles would rather watch USC football! So, those of you that were offended--get over it! UCLA football will never have the tradition nor the popularity that USC has, winning season or not. All you offended UCLA fans need to sit back, relax and just wait for basketball season to start.

Armenian diver Arsen Djavadian couldn't choose between UCLA and USC. As it turned out, he didn't have to. Fearing that an NCAA rule violation by UCLA swimming Coach Ron Ballatore would cost him his eligibility at UCLA, Djavadian decided to attend USC. "For me, I make a decision to go to USC because probably there will be some problems with going to UCLA," Djavadian said. The problems began when Djavadian enrolled in an English-as-a-second-language class at UCLA extension Jan. 7.

According to the UCLA media guide, Jelani McCoy's favorite athlete is . . . Chris Webber. Surprise! TOM MADARA, Santa Monica After reading the articles regarding their drug policies: Does UCLA have a snowboarding team? PATRICK PASCAL, Los Angeles This letter is written to clarify and correct certain statements made in Tim Kawakami's Feb. 25 article regarding UCLA's student-athlete drug testing program. First, UCLA's Drug Education and and Testing program has been in place for more than 10 years.

What is the big deal about Bob Trumpy's comment that USC is the only football school [in town worth talking about]? Doesn't anybody get it? Even though UCLA is ranked 12th, has a six-game winning streak, has won the city series the last six years and USC is struggling, the city of Los Angeles would rather watch USC football! So, those of you that were offended--get over it! UCLA football will never have the tradition nor the popularity that USC has, winning season or not. All you offended UCLA fans need to sit back, relax and just wait for basketball season to start.

Packed subways, lost bus drivers, scheduling snafus and, now, Tanya Harding? Well, thankfully for Billy Payne, it's not that Harding, the hit-woman ice skater named Tonya who left her mark--black--on Nancy Kerrigan's knee and sport in general. This Tanya Harding is the star pitcher for Australia's Olympic softball team, which faces the United States today in a key first-round game in Columbus, Ga. This Tanya Harding is infamous in her own right.

Does the stench from Westwood bother anyone? Using a part-timer from Australia to win the softball championship, UCLA goes from bad to worse. After escaping unpunished from the sordid Angelo Mazzone-Rose Bowl ticket scandal . . . the mighty Bruins sneak in a ringer, in the form of Tanya Harding. She flies in to play scarcely half a season. "I'm sure she paid her own air fare, but we haven't checked on that." Yeah, sure. Are we curious what the NCAA would discover, if it had the energy to investigate?

In a move tied to the state's financial crisis, UCLA announced Wednesday that it will eliminate three successful athletic programs--men's swimming and men's and women's gymnastics--after the 1993-94 academic year. The university's decision apparently means the end of three programs that have spawned dozens of Olympic athletes, including several gold medalists.

I read with absolute amazement the terrible "blow" to longtime UCLA basketball fans because they were requested to put their money where there mouth was (July 4). While I could understand one's objection to paying $750 to the UCLA athletic department to fund the athletic machine, there is an alternative. Individuals may make a gift of $1,500 to Chancellor's Associates, which provides significant academic support to the institution that the various objectors purportedly love so much.

Packed subways, lost bus drivers, scheduling snafus and, now, Tanya Harding? Well, thankfully for Billy Payne, it's not that Harding, the hit-woman ice skater named Tonya who left her mark--black--on Nancy Kerrigan's knee and sport in general. This Tanya Harding is the star pitcher for Australia's Olympic softball team, which faces the United States today in a key first-round game in Columbus, Ga. This Tanya Harding is infamous in her own right.

In a move tied to the state's financial crisis, UCLA announced Wednesday that it will eliminate three successful athletic programs--men's swimming and men's and women's gymnastics--after the 1993-94 academic year. The university's decision apparently means the end of three programs that have spawned dozens of Olympic athletes, including several gold medalists.

Armenian diver Arsen Djavadian couldn't choose between UCLA and USC. As it turned out, he didn't have to. Fearing that an NCAA rule violation by UCLA swimming Coach Ron Ballatore would cost him his eligibility at UCLA, Djavadian decided to attend USC. "For me, I make a decision to go to USC because probably there will be some problems with going to UCLA," Djavadian said. The problems began when Djavadian enrolled in an English-as-a-second-language class at UCLA extension Jan. 7.

I was unable to take my wife and two sons to the UCLA homecoming game last week because of a conflict caused by the last-minute postponement of the kickoff from 12:30 to 3:30. UCLA subsequently refused to refund our money or substitute tickets to a future game. Through this scheme, UCLA got to keep the price of our tickets in addition to reaping the benefits of a TV appearance. The UCLA athletic department obviously feels that a lucrative television appearance is more desirable than keeping a scheduled commitment to thousands of dedicated fans.