I've been accused before of using the flimsiest of excuses to post a picture of a pretty girl on this blog. After reading today's post, I'm sure a lot of you will be quoting Ronald Reagan, as in, "There you go again."
The appearance of former UCSB alumni Michael Young of the Texas Rangers and Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants in the recently concluded World Series, got me thinking about other former Gauchos who have achieved celebrity. And the first name that popped into my head was, Jenna Lee.
If you are a liberal, like me, who needs to justify why you occasionally watch the FOX News Channel, Jenna Lee is all the excuse you need.
The UCSB grad who has degrees in English and Global Studies, can be seen on the conservative cable network Monday through Fridays from 8 to 10 am where she co-hosts "Happening Now." She played Division 1 softball while at UCSB and most likely romped around Isla Vista for a Halloween or two.
As far as other famous Gauchos, a quick check with Wikipedia yields about 40 or so names. A lot of them I don't recognize, but among those I do are actors Michael Douglas, Benjamin Bratt and Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow attended UCSB but didn't graduate. Evidently not having that sheepskin didn't hurt her career.
I attended many a Gaucho basketball game when Brian Shaw played on the team in the mid-80's. He went on to play for the Lakers and now is an assistant coach for them. Other famous athletes who graduated from UCSB include Colorado Rockies outfielder Ryan Spilborghs and Pro Beach volleyball player Todd Rogers.
Sports radio talk show host Jim Rome and former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson also graduated from UCSB and of course musician and singer Jack Johnson is a pretty hot commodity these days.
And there's one urban myth I can dispel. Although Fox News commentator Sean Hannity got his start in radio at KCSB, the campus station, he was never actually enrolled at or attended UCSB.
Glad to hear the one Gaucho per FOX News Channel rule has not been violated.
© 2010 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com
