Trojan interruptus
So I sat on the phone with editor Kate Kealey struggling with a football metaphor for the headline for Thursday night's Rose Bowl-USC story, but "incomplete" just didn't lend itself to pithiness.
This Trojans-at-the-Rose-Bowl thing is a case study in the political paralysis that takes hold when no one wants to "be the bad guy." No one wants to offend or slight. Getting past the question of whether USC was really serious -- their aggressive approach signified willingness -- the real issue was UCLA.
But UCLA didn't want to be the bad guy and outright say "no." The all-boys club of the The Rose Bowl Operating Company didn't want to say "no" to USC.
Nor were they interested in putting their only real tenant in the position of having to be the bad guy.
What entertainment transpired during the closed session meeting, I can sadly only speculate upon. They were supposed to adjourn at 6:30 p.m. At around 7 p.m., all but Chairman Bill Thomson and stadium general manager Darryl Dunn (maybe one more) came out and took their seats. After 15 minutes, they all got up and went back because Thomson wasn't returning.
It was bizarre. By 7:45 p.m., they were back out with a non-statement statement which little satisfied the assembled media: We didn't say no and we didn't say yes. Which is really no, without having to say it. It was like staring at a tasty dessert and pretending not to want it. UCLA appointee WIlliam Cormier wasn't present immediately after they returned from closed session, likely reporting to his bosses. (Not to suggest any official would consider applying disclosure rules differently.)
That's politics. Never a straight answer. The board and Thomson do deserve credit for doing the right thing and not leaving it at 'We have nothing to report in accordance with the Brown Act' and leaving the room seething. They took questions. But instead of bringing resolution to the whole thing however, they confused some people into taking it at face value, which is why people of authority loathe real journalism. They much prefer a transcription service.
PASADENA - Trojan football remained homeless Thursday night after the Rose Bowl passed on a lease offer extended by USC.Although the stadium's board voted unanimously to turn down USC's offer - yet left the door open - it was the 800-pound Bruin in the room that weighed on the decision.
"The Rose Bowl Operating Company believes its best interest at this time is to allow USC and the Coliseum Commission to continue its negotiations at this time," said RBOC Chairman Bill Thomson, before going on to say that USC should have further talks with UCLA.
Under the Rose Bowl's contract, UCLA's blessing would be needed for the stadium to host another team.
Addressing board members before the meeting, a USC spokeswoman said her school admired "the deference that this body has shown to UCLA" but reiterated the sincerity of USC's interest.
Continued ...
"Our preference remains to secure a long-term lease at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum," said Associate Vice President Kristina Raspe. "However, because of the lack of written guarantees of significant upgrades to that facility, we must pursue another option for the fall of 2008."
That offer mirrored the lease held by UCLA, she said, for one year, with an option for a second, and 8 percent of ticket sales.
UCLA officials have made no direct statement they would oppose a Trojan incursion onto their home field, Thomson said.
But stadium officials time and again have asserted their first priority is to keep the Bruins happy.
Embracing USC's offer would have left UCLA - the RBOC's most significant tenant - in the unenviable position of deciding the fate of its arch rival.
Earlier Thursday, several RBOC members said they held particular interest in what UCLA's appointee, William Cormier, had to say.
"UCLA has the right to say nobody else can play here," said board member Bernard Melekian.
For its part, UCLA remained silent this week, referring questions to a statement issued last week from Athletic Director Dan Guerrero that was at best chilly to the idea.
Guerrero said his school OK'd "preliminary" talks between USC and the Rose Bowl, but made it clear they were not excited by the idea.
"Any such arrangement would have to ensure that the integrity of the UCLA football experience for our team and fans would not be compromised in any way," he said in the statement.
Sitting through the meeting as he's done for the past nine years, Lee Zanteson of the Linda Vista-Annandale neighborhood association said despite his openness to the idea, it was never more real than the NFL fantasy of recent years.
"The Rose Bowl is a wonderful stalking horse," he said.
todd.ruiz@sgvn.com
(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4444
www.insidesocal.com/pasadenapolitics
UNDER THE DOME
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