Why, Reggie, Why?

Reggie Bush, arguably one of the best players to ever wear a Trojan uniform, was a god at USC. As an incoming freshman in 2005, I had inherited one of the strongest football teams that college football had ever seen. Among the laundry list of offensive weapons that that particular team had, Bush was easily the most dangerous. Each time Bush touched the ball, you were forced to hold your breath from fear of having it taken away. Unfortunately, even gods make mistakes.

Back in 2006, rumors surfaced about the possibility that Bush and his family had broken NCAA rules by accepting improper benefits from prospective sports agents. A lawsuit was filed against Bush by sports agent Lloyd Lake, who claimed that Bush and his family had accepted almost $300,000 in financial benefits during his career at USC. According to NCAA legislation, an athlete must retain his amateur status in order to compete for his respective school. An athlete loses his amateur status if he uses his athletic skill for financial compensation in any form, or if he accepts any promise of pay, even if it comes after his collegiate career is over. According to the allegations of the suit, Bush and his family had started asking for money in late 2004, claiming that they had fallen on financial troubles and were no longer able to support the particular lifestyle they wished to have...

Supreme Court Judge Joan Lewis recently denied a motion brought by Bush’s attorneys to settle the lawsuit through confidential arbitration as opposed to a public trial. This spells good news for the NCAA, which will have greater access to evidence from a public trial.
However, even if Bush is found guilty of accepting improper benefits while competing as an amateur collegiate athlete, it remains to be determined whether the University of Southern California will be punished as well.

Back in 2001, the NCAA amended its policies that relieved some of the responsibility that schools bore for their amateur athletes who are constantly approached by agents and organizations. The deciding factor on whether or not the University of Southern California will be punished will be how much the university knew of Bush’s actions, and when they knew it by.

If Lake’s allegations are found to be correct, Bush will almost undoubtedly be found guilty of breaking NCAA regulations. What IS debatable, however, is how exactly Bush and USC should be punished for their wrongdoings. According to experts, if Bush and USC are both found guilty of breaking NCAA regulations, Bush may have to give up the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005, and USC may have to retrospectively forfeit games won in 2004 and 2005. Most importantly, USC may have to cough up the national championship they won in 2004 by defeating Oklahoma.

In my opinion, the punishment should always fit the crime. NCAA rules are very specific about an athlete’s amateur status. If Bush and family are found to have accepted improper financial assistance while Bush was supposedly an amateur athlete at USC, he will be found to have forfeited his amateur status at USC, meaning he was never eligible to play football for USC. It would thus make sense for Bush to relinquish his Heisman Trophy from 2005, likely handing it over to Vince Young. And since it is alleged that Bush’s family began accepting improper finances in 2004, it would also make sense for USC to forfeit their national championship in 2004 for suiting up a non-amateur running back.

As a Trojan myself, I will be the first to express my disappointment at the emergence of these allegations against Reggie Bush. But I will also give my fellow Trojan the benefit of the doubt, and will choose to believe nothing until all the evidence is revealed at the trial.

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UCLA: The 59-0 Perspective

Wednesday morning at work…
USC Co-worker: Hey! I was looking for you on Monday! Do you have anything you want to say?
Me: Not really, I have zero to say about this weekend, if that’s what you’re referring to.
USC: Zero, like UCLA?
…end of conversation.

Four days have passed since the Mormons punished UCLA football in Provo, Utah and the sting is still reverberating through my body. My belief in the “mantra of relentless optimism” was overtaken by the destructive nature of reality. As I sat at my desk, I reached up to pull down my Rick Neuheisel poster but decided against it; I still had faith.

I understand that the score was 59-0. I know that the difference in all of Pete Carroll’s losses at USC accumulate to only 59 points. And I am very aware that UCLA ranks last in rushing. But from my relentlessly optimistic perspective, UCLA’s own foolish mistakes were 75% of the reason for the humiliating victory. UCLA fumbled the ball over three times, threw an interception, failed to convert two 4th downs, and had a field goal attempt blocked. Rick Neuheisel explains the aftermath,

“We were down 14-0, moving down the field, then Kevin gets hit in the back, the ball comes out and now it’s 21-0. We get a 9-yard gain on first down, and coming around the corner, Ray Carter fumbles and now it’s 28-0… They kick off, we fumble the ball and now it’s 35-0. We drive down and have a field goal blocked, they run it back into their short field and it’s 42-0. It’s not rocket science, you just have to play good football or things like that can happen to you.”

However intriguing this game was, we now defer attention away from the negative. UCLA is not as bad a team as one would imagine, they actually might be third or fourth in the Pac-10. In the past week’s games, Pac-10 teams demonstrated how weak they really were. Oregon, the only ranked team outside USC, barely managed to escape with a 2OT victory over Purdue (who’s kicker missed a game-winning FG at the end of regulation). Arizona State lost to UNLV, Arizona lost to New Mexico, and Cal lost to Maryland. In case you have not noticed, these Pac-10 teams lost to poor football programs in games they should have won. UCLA played a far superior opponent in enemy territory.

The Bruin rushing attack led by Chane Moline resulted in an abysmal 9 yards on 16 rushes, but UCLA is already at practice trying to improve the ground game. Derrick Coleman, a true freshman out of Fullerton, is expected to step into the starting running back role after 50+ touchdowns in his last two prep years. If Coleman proves to be a better runner than Moline and Carter, the implications are exponentially positive for the Bruins. Not only will a lot of pressure be released from Kevin Craft and the one-dimensional offense, the defense will finally be able to rest during games as the rushing game chews time off the clock.

At the end of week 2, there is not much to be happy or proud about. Reality gave the blue and gold a swift kick in the ass, but it also tells us that no matter how badly you lose, it is still only one loss. UCLA has played two top-tier teams and is 1-1 on the season (not bad). And after realizing how weak the Pac-10 teams are, I feel Neuheisel’s “mantra of relentless optimism” making a comeback.

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USC vs Ohio State: The Aftermath

Nice pants, Beanie.

The night before the big game, I’m told, students had already started camping outside the Coliseum, ensuring the best possible seat. USC vs. Ohio State: easily one of the most anticipated college football game in years. For the Buckeyes, this was more than just a game to win, it was a point to prove. After being humiliated in two consecutive BCS championship games, the Buckeyes had lost some respect in the college football world. Long considered one of the powerhouses in college football, Ohio State suddenly found it difficult to even remain in conversations discussing the best football programs in the country. Ridiculed for having spotless records as a result of laughable strengths of schedules, Jim Tressel decided to go in a different direction this year. Hoping to silence the critics and nonbelievers, Tressel boldly scheduled USC at the Coliseum. Perhaps Coach Tressel should have thought twice about what he was doing.


Already a 4 to 1 underdog, at least according to the general money line, Ohio State received some bad news just days before the game. Their best player and quite possibly their only hope at beating USC, Chris Wells, would be out of Saturday’s game due to lingering ankle injury. Instead, Coach Tressel would have to turn to freshman quarterback Terrelle ‘Chris Brown’ Pryor. It’s no surprise that the USC defense often struggles against quick, versatile quarterbacks, and the talented Pryor was no exception. His presence was felt immediately as he ate up chunks of yards, earning first downs that kept Ohio State in the ball game early on. When asked about the impact of Pryor in the first half, Pete Carroll casually shrugged it off as a few careless mistakes on behalf of the coaching staff. Sure enough, the effectiveness of Terrelle Pryor diminished in the second half as USC quickly put the game out of reach.

Before this season started, USC had plenty of questions that needed to be answered. Could Joe McKnight really be the second coming of Reggie Bush? Could Patrick Turner finally start living up to his expectations with a new, confident quarterback feeding him this year? Could Mark Sanchez avoid another John David Booty fiasco and bring back greatness to the USC quarterback position? Most, if not all, of these questions have been answered after last Saturday’s ravaging of Ohio State. Joe McKnight is making the steady transition from ‘flashes of greatness’ to just plain ‘greatness.’ And with his performance against the Buckeyes, Mark Sanchez has put his name in the same sentence as Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Chris Wells, and Knowshon Moreno for this year’s Heisman Trophy. Although if it were up to me, I would have handed the trophy to BRIGHAM Young quarterback Max Hall three days ago.

Just three weeks into the season, the Buckeyes’ football season is now over. Plummeting in the AP Top 25 to #13, Ohio State has notable matchups against #8 Wisconsin, #16 Penn State, and #22 Illinois left to be played. Even with convincing victories in these games, it won't be enough to reinsert Ohio State back into the national championship picture, especially with USC, Oklahoma, and Georgia guarding the top 3 spots. And with USC on the schedule again next year, it looks like Jim Tressel may have to wait two years before he can finally earn another undeserved trip to the BCS national championship game.

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Caption This!!

This is Anquan Boldin (81) being congratulated by teammate Elton Brown after one of Boldin's 3 touchdowns on the day. Boldin played out of his mind against the Dolphins accumulating 140 yards on 6 receptions and scoring 3 touchdowns. I guess Brown was really really excited about winning.

Caption this!

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Matt Cassell Sings Better Than Tom Brady

Check out the guy in the blue jeans. That's Matt Cassel (pronounced "Castle") singing along to The Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way. LOL!

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You Wanna Be Ocho Cinco? $4.8 million dollars please.

If Chad Johnson wants to be Chad Ocho Cinco, he's going to have to cough up $4.8 million says the NFL.

Reebok is complaining because they had already pre-made 100,000 C. Johnson jerseys whose value would be drastically cut if the official jersey read Ocho Cinco.

a source with knowledge of the situation said it would cost him the cost to make the jersey, which is roughly 60 percent of the retail price. That would be about $48 a jersey or $4.8 million if that 100,000 number is reality.

There's actually a precedence to this matter as Jerry Porter wanted to change his number after the 2007 season. The NFL said he too would have to buy up the unused inventory of jerseys. Sadly his total was only $210,000.

Maybe Chad Whatever can pawn off his grillz to help pay off the $4.8 million. I think it's worth it!!

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Kobe Bryant Better Get That Pinky Fixed

Through an update on his website, Kobe Bryant has announced that he will not be getting surgery on his pinky any time in the near future.

"I have always felt that I can still focus and play at a high level even through various injuries. That's really just part of the game. When the doctors told me recovery from a procedure could be 12 weeks, I just decided now was not the time to have surgery. What it really came down to for me is that I just didn't want to miss any time 'punching the clock' for the Lakers, given all we are trying to accomplish as a team this NBA season. I am just really excited and looking forward to being there with the guys when camp opens in a few weeks. That is a real bonding process and if I can avoid being on the sidelines for that, God willing, I will," said Bryant.

Many will discuss how honorable this is. Kobe Bryant is the ultimate trooper, sacrificing for the good of his team. He wants to "bond" his team, rather than heal himself. The ultimate altruist. He is a changed man!

Are you sick of my sarcasm yet?

I'll be honest in saying that I have absolutely no idea what the real condition is with Kobe's pinky. I also don't know what kind of pain he is in, nor do I know what the doctors said regarding the matter.

But this is getting silly.The media has been making a big deal out of this since March (or earlier). If this is as big of an issue as it was then, then Kobe needs to get his finger fixed so that he can be 100%.

If it really doesn't hurt that much, and he is basically 99% then I think he should let us know, otherwise the media will continually excuse lapses in his performance.

Scratch that. I just came across an article from February saying Kobe wanted to sit-out the All-Star game due to his injured pinky. If it was so bad that he needed to sit out a game in which he would play 15 minutes, I fail to believe it has gotten any better.

The smartest thing for Kobe to have done was to get surgery immediately following the olympics. A 12-week recovery time would mean he would return for the middle of November. He would have only missed 3 weeks of the season!

The Lakers have gotten to the point where they are perennial Championship contenders. Come June they need every last facet of their team firing on all cylinders. Kobe isn't fooling me when he says he wants to forego surgery to bond with the guys. I'm rather certain Kobe could come still come to all the practices he wants even with a cast on his hand.

This all just seems so very illogical to me.

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Knowshon Moreno??

Right smack on the front page of Yahoo, the largest internet portal in the world, was an article about Knowshon Moreno of Georgia, being "robbed" because his hurdle wasn't shown on ESPN. Enough!

Now this is a real hurdle. (Wait for the second half for Moreno's hurdle)

So, Moreno's was decent. But it was no Reggie Bush. How happy is everyone that he is finally being who we thought we would be?

And for all you USC fans, this one's for you.

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Lamar Odom: Our Generation's Most Talented Cripple

21 is a mature age. In my years, I have experienced and dealt with things that have helped me grow immensely as an adult, including pregnancy scares and deaths in the family.

21 is also a tender age. I have never seen my father cry, I have never had my stomach pumped due to alcohol consumption, and I have never once seen Lamar Odom finish with his right hand...

The Lakers are an interesting team, led by two completely opposite players. When I say two opposite players, I am referring to Kobe Bryant, arguably the best finisher in the league, and Lamar Odom, arguably the worst. I pride myself in having a fairly strong stomach, meaning not very many things make me cringe. However, when I see Odom facing up his defender on the right wing behind the three-point line, preparing to penetrate, it’s a completely different story. I get goosebumps as I see Odom dribble around his man and extend his abnormally long arm over a help defender the way nobody else in the league can only to blow another left-handed layup. This makes the Odom mystery a little easier to explain: when you’re THAT terrible at finishing with your dominant hand, why even bother trying to shoot with your off hand?

Lamar Joseph Odom was born on November 6, 1979, in Queens, New York. From an early age, Lamar fell in love with the game of basketball. In fact, Lamar was so talented at the sport, that he invented his own version of it: one-handed basketball. Nearly identical to normal basketball, there are fouls, free throws, dribbling, 3-pointers, and out of bounds in one-handed basketball. However, in Lamar’s version of the game, the player is only allowed to shoot with his dominant hand. Any attempt to shoot with one’s off hand will result in a punishment, the severity of which is known only to the game’s founder, Lamar Odom.

There have been speculations about said punishments. It has been said that in grade school, Lamar’s father desperately pushed Lamar to become the greatest one-handed basketball player of all time. Some say that whenever Lamar would unwittingly attempt a shot with his right hand, his father would refuse to feed him for the day. Others claim that anyone who is THAT averse and terrified of using his right-hand must have a history of physical abuse. Supporters of this theory believe that Lamar’s father would dole out lashings to Lamar each time he would use his right-hand. Of course, these speculations are exactly that: speculative.

As Lamar grew into a man, he would go on to attend the University of Rhode Island. Unfortunately, the game of one-handed basketball had not caught on as quickly as Lamar had hoped, as the University of Rhode Island did not have a one-handed basketball team. Instead, Lamar was forced to join the normal basketball team, and play amongst lesser-skilled, ambidextrous athletes. It was difficult for Lamar to respect even his own teammates at Rhode Island, as he saw them as cheaters for using both hands. In his first and only year at Rhode Island, Lamar put up monstrous numbers. Using only his left hand, Lamar averaged 17.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Convinced that the college game would never embrace the glorious game of one-handed basketball, Lamar decided to turn pro after just one year at Rhode Island. To his dismay and disappointment yet again, the professional basketball world didn’t offer a league for one-handed specialists either. Lamar was again forced to play amongst two-handed cheaters, this time for good.

Unfortunately for Lamar, his right hand had by now atrophied and deteriorated into a completely useless limb from years of lack of use. Playing at a natural disadvantage of one useful hand against his opponents’ two useful hands, Lamar has been made a fool of time and time again. My heart bleeds for poor Lamar each time he drives to the hoop and blows another lay-up, his right arm flailing helplessly at his side. It’s a shame that David Stern hasn’t made the effort to honor Lamar Odom for being quite possibly the most productive handicapped basketball player the NBA has ever seen.

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Los Angeles and Football

Week 1 just finished and the Raiders and Rams still suck...

Football, the sport where grown men in tights throw around inflated animal hides and knock the living feces out of each other. Sounds fun, America loves it, but it's deathly boring to watch without a team to support. Each play lasts a mere 5 seconds, followed by 40 seconds of ass grabbing, and that is assuming there are no challenges, penalties, injuries, streakers, foreign debris, etc. Oh and when the offenses blow and they go three and out, good old television commercials will follow. Yes sir! Football is like the last minute of a tight basketball game, super-slow and occasionally exciting, but sixty times longer in duration. Welcome to my Los Angeles mindset.

In the heart of the West Coast, Sundays are not spent tailgating or watching football for hours on end, Sundays are special days meant for rest and relaxation. To spend time with the family, read about George Bush's stupidity in the paper, get dragged to church, to recover from that extra tequila shot after a UCLA victory (or eight after a loss).

Only a handful of people care about the outcomes of NFL games because there's no team to care about. LA is not home to an actual pro team, there are no rivals that we pray to see lose, no playoff race to follow, and the teams we use to have are gang affiliated (Raiders) or terrible (Rams). The only reason people still watch Sunday football is to fulfill their manhood requirements or watch TO's touchdown celebration (the Usain Bolt was awesome).

The definition of football in Los Angeles is USC's recent domination. But then again, USC football is not exactly exciting when considering how easily they bulldoze through opposing teams, week in and week out. And rooting for LA’s second team, UCLA, does not seem to be an attractive alternative for Angelinos (though we all know UCLA games are more competitive and exciting).

The only reason there is even buzz regarding pro-football is due to the pride and competition of fantasy football. If you are not going to own a team, might as well draft a few players to call your own and watch on television. There is nothing quite like the week 1 anticipation of destroying the opposing team with Tom Brady on your fantasy team; but then again, I have never felt so crushed and uninterested going into week 2 (freaking Tom Brady, ACL BS, DIE).

Okay, so maybe this is all a lot of nonsense to passionate football watcher, but honestly, how many die-hard football fans are there in Los Angeles? Correct, just a handful. You might ask someone in LA, “Hey, who’s your favorite NFL team?” and they will lie and say some nonsense team like the Minnesota Vikings. Obviously, this person has Adrian Peterson on his fantasy team. Do not be alarmed by this type of behavior in Los Angeles, it is rampant and uncontrollable because there is no such thing as professional football here.

My favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys and TO is on my fantasy team.

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