Tagged: UCLA

Rest in Peace, John Wooden

Word has spread quickly through Dodger Stadium that John Wooden has passed away. The entire Dodger organization extends our sincere thoughts to his family and friends, which include several members of the team…Vin Scully, Joe Torre and so many others.

My understanding is that Vin will mention Coach Wooden’s passing at the top of the fourth inning on the broadcast and there are few who can do so with such class. For those who were fortunate enough to meet him, it is surely something they’ll never forget.

Many of our then-young prospects, including tonight’s starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Blake DeWitt and Ramon Troncoso had the good fortunate to meet Coach Wooden during a private dinner one night during our Winter Development program on Jan. 11, 2008.

He will be missed by so many but his teachings and wise words of wisdom will carry forward for generations. There are so many great quotes, but here’s a personal favorite:

“It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit.”

Rest in peace, John Wooden.

A rough road trip

Not much more you can say that that. We didn’t pitch, hit, defend or do much of anything else all that great – it was just a rough road trip altogether. But you know what? In 2005 we started out 12-2 and everyone was talking about making World Series plans, only to see us finish 71-91. So, while none of us are okay with the way the team is playing right now, the only thing we can do is work hard to turn it around and hope that some home cooking serves the team well.

And for what it’s worth, I hope all of our fans realize that Ned Colletti was not trying to call out Matt Kemp solely in his comments yesterday on KABC. He was specifically asked about Matt’s defense and answered the questions he was asked, but his concerns were voiced about everyone involved in baseball operations, from himself on down to the players. And he reiterated those concerns today to reporters in NY.

Anyway, the homestand starts tomorrow and I’m sure you USC and UCLA fans already know that you can come support your schools at the stadium. Plus the ever-popular fleece blanket night and plenty of other fun in store over the next 10 days. Don’t let the road trip get you down…I know I’m always the optimist but it’s hardly a time for panicking.