Bear Market Is Bad for a Bruin

Bruin tackle Bryce Bohlander took a vicious hit over the summer, long before he reported to training camp.

“I lost 12,000 sandbags in WorldCom alone,” he said, a lament that requires explanation.

An avid investor in the stock market, the senior three-year starter saw a cool $6,000 in WorldCom stock evaporate, one of several losers in a portfolio that had grown steadily for years.

Bohlander built a bank account during high school in Keizer, Ore., working 30 hours a week filling bags with pea gravel. It was piecework--50 cents a bag--so he calculates his WorldCom loss in terms of sandbags.

“I lost a lot, like a lot of people,” he said. “All through the ‘90s, everything you bought went up, so it’s the way it goes.”

The bear market hasn’t cut his appetite for investing, though. Bohlander said he still has money in 18 mutual funds and seven individual stocks in addition to bonds and mortgage-backed securities.

He’s picked several winners recently, including selling Halliburton and Washington Mutual at substantial gains.

“This is a good time to buy,” he said. “People are like sheep. They follow one another and act out of emotion. For me, I’m young and everything is about building for retirement. I’m still aggressive.”

The last several days, of course, his attention has turned from Enron to end runs.

Bohlander is a key member of a line that has returning starters at every position but center.

“There [are] a lot of expectations on [the line],” he said. “There is so much to go over and so much time on the field, I’m not even looking at my stocks.”

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For two years, behemoth running back Manuel White has dominated spring scrimmages at Drake Stadium and flattened countless defenders during practices at Spaulding Field.

Now he believes it is time for those hits to reverberate all over the Rose Bowl.

“I’m really feeling ready,” he said. “Everything is clicking.”

White, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound redshirt sophomore, is listed No. 1 at fullback on the depth chart, although he probably won’t play as much as No. 2 Pat Norton. He is listed No. 2 at tailback, although he might play as much as No. 1 Akil Harris.

“I don’t look at it as competition,” White said. “There are enough snaps for all of us.

“The main difference is that I have to know both positions. The technique at fullback is all new to me, but I’ll do anything to help the team.”

Regardless of where he lines up, White is a dangerous receiver and runner. Last season, he had five catches for 64 yards and rushed for 290 yards, averaging 4.6 a carry.

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UCLA coaches and players have said they would like to return to Cal Lutheran next fall, but a scheduling conflict with Cal Lutheran training camp might make it difficult.

Other options for the Bruins, who will be unable to use Spaulding Field because of on-campus construction, are UC Irvine, Cal State Dominguez Hills and the Oxnard facility used by the Oakland Raiders during the 1990s.

Irvine might have the edge because it is where new UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero was previously employed.

“Irvine is a great venue for a training camp,” said Guerrero, who added that he plans to talk to Bruin coaches and players before making a decision.

Coach Bob Toledo’s first choice is a return to Cal Lutheran.

“The people here have been wonderful and the facilities are first-rate,” he said.