Monday, June 15, 1998
B-ball interviews bring journalism career full circle
I’m a baseball writer. I have been one for a few years, even
before I came to the Daily Bruin.
So I am laughing at a bit of irony. My first and last sports
stories were about UCLA basketball coaches.
In fall of 1996, I started my internship with the Daily Bruin
sports section.
Then-editor Mark Dittmer called me up one night to figure out
who I should write about for my practice feature.
That’s a requirement for all incoming interns; during a training
session, potential writers work on articles so they can learn
first-hand about the things that the instructors are talking
about.
So, back to the phone call. I tell Dittmer that I would like to
write something about baseball, but basketball would be my second
choice. I grew up in a UCLA basketball family (both of my parents
are Bruins from the latter part of the John Wooden era).
Besides, the basketball people would be easier to contact since
it was almost time for the season to start.
Since this was a practice feature, I had the option of writing
about some of the less noticed people behind the sports. Why put an
inexperienced writer on a big story, right?
Dittmer suggests one of the assistant basketball coaches. I say,
"Okay, which one?"
"How about Steve Lavin?," he says. Sounds fine with me.
So I spend about 1 and 1/2 hours talking with the loquacious
Lavin in his small cubicle in the Morgan Center. I leave with a
great sense of his basketball enthusiasm.
I write the practice feature on Lavin for my internship
training. Three weeks later, head coach Jim Harrick is fired and
Lavin moves into the vacated slot.
The following day, my "practice" feature on Lavin appears on the
back page of the Daily Bruin.
That article jump-started my prestigious Daily Bruin career. I
got the UCLA baseball beat – which I had coveted. The 1997 team
went to the postseason – and I tagged along.
I took a break for the summer and winter because it was the
off-season for college baseball. I came back for the 1998 season.
The squad didn’t do nearly as well this time around, but it was
still a fun beat.
(Writers: If you ever need quotes about anything, contact Eric
Byrnes. He’s ‘da bomb! Even though he thinks that the Padres are
nonexistent.)
Anyway, the end of the season left me nothing to write about
except the standard postseason awards stories. But, that wasn’t
necessarily how I wanted to go out.
Then I learn that coaching legend John Wooden would be giving a
guest lecture during my sport psychology class.
Yippee!! I’ll write about that.
The article appeared in Monday’s issue, my final sports story
with the Bruin.
The circle has closed on my UCLA career in a fitting way.
Good luck to all the continuing students, Bruins and otherwise,
who made it to the end of this column.
Remember: Baseball is Life!
Kristina Wilcox