Diamond Leung Leung wants to hear your opinion
on Guerrero. E-mail him at diamond1@ucla.edu.
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Let me just come right out and say it: I have never been a UCLA
fan.
I simply can’t support a program that is now known for
consistently underachieving in the revenue sports, for being run by
money-grubbing bureaucrats and for distributing handicapped parking
placards.
Why should I sell my soul to the blue and gold when the almighty
Athletic Department hasn’t done a thing to try to convert
me?
But now, for the first time, I’m actually fired up about
UCLA sports. Check out the mug shot ““ that’s not an
easy thing to do.
When Dan Guerrero was officially named the successor to athletic
director Peter Dalis, I actually felt proud to be a Bruin.
Guerrero represents everything that UCLA should be. The former
Bruin second baseman and UC Irvine athletic director has developed
a solid reputation, and now he wants to build on it.
When he first took over at UCI in 1992, the program was in
shambles. The students didn’t even care about sports. But
Guerrero set high standards for himself, and in 1999 he convinced
the students to raise their fees in order to support athletic
programs. Three sports were added, and UCI is now on the sports
map.
Imagine that. He built it, and the students came.
And Guerrero did it at little ol’ UCI with passion ““
a characteristic that the lifeless bigwigs in the Athletic
Department could learn.
And whaddya know? He doesn’t have the ego to go along with
his success. He’s an all-around nice guy, even making it a
point to call every muckraking sports writer at Friday’s
press conference by his first name.
However, Guerrero wasn’t simply there trying to say the
right things.
He could have pledged his support to the status quo, but he
didn’t, openly challenging Steve Lavin and his players to
come prepared to play every night. Guerrero sets goals and demands
results.
And for those who think that Guerrero will be nothing more than
chancellor Albert Carnesale’s puppet: “I love UCLA, but
I wouldn’t have left UC Irvine if I didn’t feel that I
would have the decision-making authority on major issues,”
said Guerrero, who fired 10 coaches in his first five years at UCI.
He may be a jock, but he’s certainly not stupid.
The old regime at UCLA, meanwhile, is delusional, having relied
on its name to develop its fan base. I am well aware that John
Wooden once coached here and won many championships, but that
doesn’t make me a fan. Ultimately, I don’t root for the
UCLA jersey. I root for people.
I’ll root for Dan Guerrero.