Weekly Answers, Pt. 12

1) One last Q for you Jon, SC put together in my opinion the best LB class in NCAA history last year.Muleuaga,Cushing,Matthewes,Maiva. you can only pick one.Who should get the praise for that Petey or Norton….Nice to see Norton be like a tree and leave. – Jed and Gold
I’m picking one, it’s Maualuga. Who should get the praise? Norton. He had a lot of juice with that class. Lots and lots of juice.

2) Hey Jon, I was wondering with some guys leaving early, what you think the starting offense and defense would look like for next year? (and what commits you think can start) thanks – lasportsfan(noSC!!)
Prince, Franklin, Coleman, Rosario, Embree (Smith), Harkey (Fauria), Abele, Baca, Maiava, Williams, Harris. D: Jones, Carter, ????, Graham or Tepa, Ayers, Golper, Sloan or Westgate, Hester, Moore, Dye, Price.


3) Hi Jon, week or so ago you had a post entitled, “Price on front of ESPN draft”, which, in the comments section, one or more readers pointed out that some/all of the info was from the ESPN website but that ESPN was not credited in the post. While I know most sports fans think this is trival imagine you and your editor(s) wouldn’t think so if this were brought to your attention. – TrojanHorse

First off, I wouldn’t care if my writing was posted anywhere else. But, reflecting on the situation, I was a bit overzealous when I posted the article. While I believe I gave it proper sourcing – I never claimed to write the article, and I thought it was pretty clear it was an ESPN piece – I now know to either make it abundantly clear if I’m not the author, or not post at all. I thought I was helping out the readers who don’t have the insider subscription. Guess not.

4) So what is your bio? – Walt
I was born in New Jersey and moved to Newbury Park when I was 3. Raised in Thousand Oaks, read the LA Times and Ventura Country Star starting when I was 7. Idolized Jim Murray and Woody Woodburn. Watched every Lakers game between 1995 and 2002. Thought I would be the next Chick Hearn, then realized my voice wasn’t very distinguished and figured I should try writing. Started writing junior year of high school, was promoted to sports editor as a senior while doing play-by-play for the boys basketball team and PA announcing softball, girls varsity and JV basketball, boys frosh-soph and JV basketball and boys volleyball. Played four years of football for the Lancers and still cry when I think of my last game, a crushing loss to Ventura in the quarterfinals. Touchdown as time expired to tie it, holding on center, I was playing guard. There was no hold. No. Hold. Recruited by Ventura College but chose to start my writing career. Went to SDSU, graduated in five years (luckily), after being sportswriter, assistant sports editor, sports editor, managing editor and editorial adviser of The Daily Aztec, one of the best college papers in the country. Worked for two years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, eventually covering San Diego State sports and USD football with Jim Harbaugh, still the most fun I’ve ever had covering a team. Worked for SI: On Campus, ESPN Radio, XX 1090 Radio and cohosted a radio show in college. Moved to Casper, Wyoming, for my first job out of college, six days after I graduated. Three months later, got a better job offer with the Las Vegas Review-Journal and jumped at the chance to work with Joe Hawk, Ed Graney, etc. After 11 months, couldn’t stand being away from my friends and family, moved back to Thousand Oaks and started working for the Daily News. Now, I’m here. I love Friday Night Lights, Californication, Ben Harper, Bon Jovi, good steak and Hefeweizen. I think the Tupac-BIG rap war was fabricated. I think Oswald did not act alone. I am a Jeopardy and Law and Order fanatic. I only care about two teams, TOHS and the Denver Broncos, and only one of the two constantly depresses me. Thanks, Cutler, you idiot. Yes, I have a lot of friends who got married and several more who are getting married in 2010. I have a great family and the most beautiful niece in the world. Anything more?