This won’t quite be the easiest column of the year – that one is the traditional Christmastime column, devoted to the readers having their say (with the columnist always getting the last word) – but the possibility that the Rose Bowl has seen its last UCLA football home game, despite a lease that runs through June of 2044, or 18 more football seasons, brought comment from those who revere tradition and those who consider the Rose Bowl old, outmoded and uncomfortable. …
• For example, this from Scott Abernethy of Placentia – these are just excerpts, lightly edited, but you’ll get the point: “If Pasadena can’t step into the 21st century, it could at least dip its toe into the 20th century and spring for seatbacks. If you are stuck in these bench seats for a game, the result (other than a trip to the chiropractor on Monday) is that by the end of the game, you have moved three numbers from your designated portion of the bench because somehow there ends up being 8 (rears) for every 5 seat numbers as people’s friends show up and ram in beside them. …”
And: “Friends who had season tickets used to literally pack enough to tailgate both before and after the game so they had something to do while waiting for their car to be finally extricated from the jam. … The concession stands are so inept that I have had friends on more than one occasion miss an entire quarter just waiting in line for a hot pretzel. At halftime, the restroom line for the limited number of facilities can extend all the way to Magic Mountain. How the place ever got a Super Bowl remains a mystery.”
And the conclusion: “Now, to be fair, Sofi Stadium sucks for a whole different set of reasons, but when waxing nostalgic about the Rose Bowl, at least take off the rose-colored glasses and sprinkle in a little bit of reality.” …
• I don’t totally disagree, Scott – if I did you wouldn’t have gotten nearly as many column inches – but consider: That outmoded, uncomfortable Rose Bowl still draws a full house on New Year’s Day. And it still drew better than 60,000 fans plenty of times when UCLA actually put a good product on the field. …
• The point: The Bruins’ program is failing, and a move to new, glitzy, sterile SoFi Stadium isn’t going to help. And signing that lease extension and then trying to get out of it seems yet another example of the dysfunction in that athletic department. …
• Or, as alumnus Joseph Paggi – who is from Pasadena, incidentally – noted: “(At) best it will have to pay a judgment of about a billion dollars to the City of Pasadena. Furthermore it’s likely that the court will rule that UCLA must fully perform its contractual obligation. … I am embarrassed by (the school’s) dishonorable conduct.” …
• There’s this, too: Pete Morales said that one reason he gave up his season tickets was “the numerous late starts. I remember reading that once they moved to the Big Ten, games would start no later than 5 p.m.”
Unfortunately – and particularly with college football – the convenience of the in-stadium audience now takes a back seat to what’s best for the TV partners, especially when game times are determined as late as six days before the game. …
• Today’s story guaranteed to make you shake your head: Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told a video conference call with New York reporters that yes, it would be “ideal” if his team reduced its payroll (from last year’s $319 million) but that it probably wouldn’t happen. And then he said it was “not fair or accurate” to assume the team made a profit in 2025.
And keep in mind that, like the Dodgers, the Yankees have their own TV network, and thus are insulated from the issues felt by other franchises whose cable deals have imploded. …
• Today’s quiz, this one inspired by a suggestion from Hall of Fame baseball writer John Lowe: Shohei Ohtani is the most obvious of those who have played for both the Dodgers and Angels in their careers. How many of the rest of them can you name? Bonus question: Can you name three sets of brothers who have played at the opposite ends of the rivalry? Answers below. …
• While we criticize UCLA’s football miseries, let’s not forget the other team that will be on the Coliseum field Saturday. Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans teased us into thinking they might have a shot at the College Football Playoff, but that’s all it was. As noted, Riley’s Trojans are 0-5 against teams ranked in the Top 10, and against ranked opponents Riley’s Trojans are 5-14, including 0-3 (all on the road) this season.
And while we usually take SEC honk Paul Finebaum’s commentary on ESPN with a grain of salt, this line about the Trojans should hit home: “Who are they anymore?” …
• When this year’s semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Modern-Era Players category were announced Tuesday, a Chargers fan with sharp eyes and a good memory might have, um, bolted upright.
In the quarterback category: Drew Brees, who played his first five seasons in San Diego and the next 15 in New Orleans; Eli Manning, who was drafted by the Chargers in 2004 but said he would not play for them; and Philip Rivers, who came to San Diego in the trade that sent Eli to the Giants, backed up Brees for two seasons and wound up playing every game over 14 seasons, 224 regular-season games and 12 playoff matchups. …
• And as far as I can tell, there’s no truth to the rumor that people in San Diego still boo whenever Eli appears in one of those Jersey Mike’s ads. …
• Quiz answer: It’s a long, long list. In the 45 years the Angels have been in existence, a total of 134 players have played for both teams. Some of the notables, besides Ohtani, are Don Sutton, Frank Robinson, Albert Pujols, Rickey Henderson, Andy Messersmith, Fernando Valenzuela, Willie Davis, Tommy Davis, Ron Fairly (later also an Angels broadcaster), Ron Perranoski, John Roseboro, Hoyt Wilhelm, Zack Greinke, Garret Anderson, Jeff Torborg, Tommy John, Jay Johnstone, Howie Kendrick, Adam Kennedy, Bobby Valentine – as well as Chris Taylor, Luis Garcia and Kenley Jansen from this year’s Angels and Kirby Yates from this year’s Dodgers.
And let’s not forget managers and coaches. Mike Scioscia, Brad Ausmus, Norm Sherry, Ron Washington and Dick Williams all played for the Dodgers and managed the Angels. And Dino Ebel has coached third for both teams. …
• The brother acts? Three that come to mind: Bob Aspromonte (Dodgers, 1956, ’60-61) and Ken Aspromonte (Angels, 1961), Erick Aybar (Angels, 2006-15) and Willy Aybar (Dodgers, 2005-06) and Cesar Izturis (Dodgers, 2002-06) and Maicer Izturis (Angels, 2004-12). If you can think of any I missed, let me know.
