`Fun Place'

It was SC-Oregon 2005 at Oregon's Autzen, and I was one of about four Trojan rooters waiting for the team's walk-through the day before the game. Coach Carroll was leading his charges, and was the first "football" person I saw. I said plaintively, "Welcome to Oregon, coach," and he proceeded right by me without saying a word. Read whatever you wish into this, but those are the facts. Was this arrogance, being focused, or avoiding what he perceived as an Oregon rooter? My read was whatever his public persona, he is at the core a football coach. Which means, he is not among the nicest people on earth.

O.k., anytime you are in hostile territory and you say something like "Welcome to Oregon, coach", that is the response that you should expect. I don't care if you are wearing your colors or not. Don't knock Pete Carroll for ignoring you.

Do you want a Pete Carroll story? I drove in to L.A. for an appointment last spring and had a chance to watch an afternoon practice. After it was over I asked coach if he would take a picture with me and he was cordial and said yes. As he walked away I realized that the picture didn't come out. I felt bad but I walked over and asked him for another picture. He was pretty funny and said "so we swung and missed, let's do it again". I blew the picture again because I had the wrong setting on the camera. Feeling like a tool because I couldn't figure out a $200 camera, I walked up and asked one more time. I told him that I messed up the camera settings before and he responded "don't you know that it's always the guy that takes the pictures fault?".

I may not always agree with every decision in the program, but in my book Coach Carroll is o.k.

Maybe he just loathes lawyers like everybody else does...

I have a few friends who are attorneys and all give off a distinct 'A-hole" vibe on a first impression. This attitude gives them an edge in litigating, but it comes off as arrogance and smugness to the unfamiliar. One is a DUI defense attorney and the other is a tax attorney and they are the coolest people once you get to know them.

Maybe he just loathes lawyers like everybody else does...

I have a few friends who are attorneys and all give off a distinct 'A-hole" vibe on a first impression. This attitude gives them an edge in litigating, but it comes off as arrogance and smugness to the unfamiliar. One is a DUI defense attorney and the other is a tax attorney and they are the coolest people once you get to know them.

Ahole or not, I just want him to win football games. Being a nice guy is just a plus.

My group of four Trojan fans were there today when the team came out after their walk-thru. My brother asked Coach Carroll if we could take a picture with him. Coach told us to "get over here" and happily took a picture with us and told us to have fun. I have video of my brother asking and a friend has the picture we took.

Also, if anyone one is interested, we are tailgating at the Mason Lodge parking lot across from Autzen. (They charge $20. -- Open to public which is good since I'm not Mason.) Hope to see you there. We have a blue easy up and an SC tube flag on a white Nissan Altima. Come say hello.

Wow! Lawyer John, I never expected a "Scott-shot" from you. I have respected your posts.

My A-hole comment was aimed at lawyers and not PC.

But I guess I would want an A-hole to represent me in court as well as on the gridiron.

The TV/Radio announcing booths are loaded with coach's who were "nice guys."

Hey Trojan&Tonic:

Given your moniker, may you need a DUI attorney in the future? You can't paint with a broad brush. Not all lawyers are, um, a-holes, sharks, etc. Every profession has their bad apples, including, apparently, people who write on blogs.

Maybe Lawyer John just had a bad experience. It doesn't make him an a-hole. Maybe Carroll just didn't respond to the perceived sarcasm, or was too focused on cooking the Ducks. But why judge and leap to conclusions? It may show a narrow mind.

At the last home game I said "hello" to Pete Carroll and he didn't even give me the courtesy head nod.

Sure I was up in my seat in Section 20, Row 89 and he was on the sideline with two minutes left in the game but what the hell? I paid for my ticket and deserve his full attention.

OK, here's my Pete Carroll story... On another Trojan blog a couple years ago, I posted a snarky comment that was poking fun at some asshat who obviously was one of the new Trojan bandwagoners, and Coach e-mailed me to say it was the funniest thing he'd read all week. I printed that e-mail (in color, with headers) and have it framed in my office.

T&T is entitled to his opinion...And thanks for the shoutout, HS Dropout-- you are probably right about the Scott Wolfism. But that was the only time I met Carroll, I had just finished driving 1000 miles to watch the team enter Autzen, and when the coach could not even say hello I was quite surprised, based on his reputation of friendliness. And I think you learn more about people by how they treat strangers, not how they act around their friends.

Actually, I do have a comment about T&T's assessment that attorneys are smug and arrogant. I agree! Not all of them, of course, but unfortunately a high percentage have this negative attitude. But I don't agree that this "toughness" aids them in litigation, at least in the jury court arena. Jurors are put off by pretentious lawyers.

Finally, I was glad to see on the blog all the support for Carroll. I guess I overreacted because he hurt my feelings.

Lawyer John - ever had things on your mind and did not want to be distracted.- like being on your way to court.

I have seen PC a couple of times at Heritage Hall, one time on Sunday as he was coming to work after a tough game - he could not have been nicer - I have also seen him in local restaurants and he is always open and friendly. My first contact was in a bar just after he was named USC coach and he was talking to everyone, building the spirit. Give the guy some credit.