Everybody’s a Little on Edge About UCLA High-Wire Act

You think cholesterol is the worst thing for your heart? Try watching UCLA football.

WESLEY WELLMAN

Santa Monica

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Regarding the three letters you printed last week about UCLA’s unbeaten football team:

What do you want, blood?

CHRIS HIGGINS

Long Beach

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Since when is printing three letters by USC fans an indication of a lack of support for the UCLA football team? UCLA has won two close games against lesser teams in a very tough conference. The key is, they won--I am sure that Ohio State, Florida State and Florida would love to be in the Bruins’ spot.

The last time I checked, USC had lost to Cal and Oregon, two teams UCLA has been criticized for beating.

In response to Mr. Elkind’s comments regarding UCLA having only 2,000 more fans than USC, I think it had a lot to do with Halloween. I, like many Bruin fans, had to miss the 3:30 Stanford game to take my kids trick-or-treating. USC, which played at 12:30, didn’t have the same problem. If the game times had been reversed, the UCLA crowd would have been much larger.

PAUL BAUDUCCO

Moorpark

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It is time that USC fans got off their worn-down white horse and realize that their cherished USC tradition, like Tommy Trojan’s armor, has long been tarnished. As the season ends, those clouds that you Trojans have your heads in will turn into thunderstorms, and once again you will have to be content with the promise that the return to glory is just around the corner, one more season, you’ll see.

MANUEL SUAREZ

Santa Clarita

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Remember how Chris Sailer missed that easy field goal against Oregon at the end of the game? Remember how Bob Toledo gave him a shot at redemption in overtime and Sailer kicked it for the win? Now fast-forward to the Oregon State game, when Sailer kicked a go-ahead field goal with just over a minute left.

Does anyone see what’s going on here? It’s not about bowl coalitions and margins of victory, it’s about resilience, character and heart. That’s something this Bruin football team will have for the rest of their lives, with or without a national championship trophy, and to me, that’s what college athletics are all about.

JOE MOCK

Malibu

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Regardless of what happens to the Bruins over the next four games, I wanted to say thank you to Bob Toledo, Cade McNown and the rest of the team for the last 20 games, which have been some of the most gritty (not gutty) hard-fought, emotional football I have ever seen.

I have never in my lifetime experienced a UCLA football team that was really competing for a national championship, and I have to confess--I love it!

With the Rams and the Raiders gone, and all the other local teams seeking their own level of mediocrity, it’s wonderful to have a group that really seems to know how to win.

DERRIK EICHELBERGER

Santa Barbara

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A letter last week took Bruin fans to task for lack of support of their fine football team. Not so, a Bruin alum tells me. In fact, when the UCLA-Miami game was postponed, it forced the cancellation of two chartered aircraft that were to take Bruin fans to Miami. One of the planes was completely booked and the other Cessna was half-filled.

DOUG HAYES

Glendale

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I can see the headlines now if USC defeats UCLA on Nov. 21:

(Banner headline, across page):

BRUINS NARROWLY MISS TRIP TO FIESTA

(Lower left corner, just under the feature on Steve Lavin’s hair stylist):

Trojans Finally End Streak

BOB OETTINGER

Agoura Hills

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USC at 7-3 squeals about its bowl eligibility. Tradition means something, indeed.

JARED COHEN

Santa Monica