After rounding the bases, Sports editor proud of run

Scott Schultz Schultz served as the 2001-2001
Sports editor.  

Editing the Sports section at the Daily Bruin is similar to
having a group final-project due every day of the year. As I would
hand in one day’s issue, I was already planning for the next
four days. As I look back at the mass of articles completed this
year, my chest swells. I’ve always said that Sports is a
microcosm of society, and this year’s output reflected that.
As Sports editor I got to experience first hand the passion for
UCLA athletics possessed by both the athletes and their fans. I
knew whenever the men’s basketball or football team lost,
I’d have a pile of e-mail messages telling me what the
coaches did wrong. If I misspelled the name of a swimmer on a
Monday, by Monday night I would have four e-mail messages making
sure I spelled it correctly the next time. When the columnists
weren’t critical enough, critical fans would let us know.
When readers felt we were being too critical, they’d let us
know. UCLA sports fans may be a lot of things, but they are not
bashful with their opinions. I’ve had run-ins with varsity
athletes who I admire that were as heated as the run-ins I’ve
had with my writers. Now when I see my old Hollywood friends, they
don’t want to talk about comedy or their careers with me.
They want to talk about Steve Lavin, the gymnasts or Title IX
issues. In my two years at the Daily Bruin I’ve bum-rushed
the 600 pound Sumo legend Konishiki. I’ve interviewed Jesse
Jackson while nursing a birthday hangover. I’ve held the
Olympic Torch ““ while it was still warm. I’ve
bodysurfed a tsunami. I spotted a 4’11” gymnast
at three different mile markers in a field of thousands of runners
in the L.A. Marathon. And I got to interview two of my personal
heroes, Bill Walton and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. All in the
name of the Daily Bruin Sports section. However, my favorite
memories will be the countless hours I spent with my team, the
Sports section, passing time playing marathon stretches of Sports
Jeopardy, IM softball for a team that never won a game that
wasn’t forfeited, and of course, the original Fantasy-Fantasy
Baseball League. I have to acknowledge some people who have
enriched my college experience and my time at the Daily Bruin. They
are my personal starting lineup. Coach Miller at L.A. City
College: Thanks for taking a chance by hiring a burned-out
comic and showing me how to be a leader. Vytas:
Thanks for being a great right-arm. Diamond: The
Terrier. J.P.: Will become the best Daily Bruin
Sports editor ever. Dylan Our lottery pick. I hope
you end up in Boston. Schain!: His name is always
screamed. Kudo: Thanks for pushing me harder than
I wanted to be pushed. Our fights belong on pay-per-view.
Agase: Not the next Cosell, but rather the first
Agase. K.R.: You helped provide the section with a
greater social relevance. B.O.B.: Thanks for
putting up with the annoying sports writers. Hannah and C.T.: You
proved that women CAN cover football and men’s basketball.
Mom: Thanks for not giving up on me.
D.S.B., Stat Geek, Karons… I could go on, but
this column is getting longer than a Halle Berry acceptance speech.
Good luck to all of you in the future. I’ll never forget you,
and never forget that the Sports section is the heart and soul of
the Daily Bruin. And thanks for letting me be the world’s
oldest teenager.