May 2008 Archives
Time to answer a question about a recruiting issue.
USC recruit Brian Baucham ran the fastest time in qualifying (37.43) in the 300-meter hurdles last night. Another incoming freshman, Blake Ayles, had the second-best mark in the discus in qualifying (187-05).
USC commit Randall Carroll had the second-fastest time in the 100 meters (10.48). All finals are tonight.
Mike Gillespie and UC Irvine are up 6-2 on Oral Roberts in the top of the second inning at Lincoln, Neb.
UPDATED: UC Irvine is up 8-7 in the eighth inning. The Anteaters held on for a 9-7 victory.
Blake Ayles is competing in the shot put tonight at the state track and field championships. He currently has the seventh-best mark in the state (169-07).
The O.J. Mayo case is now drawing the attention of the state attorney general's office.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3419203
Q: Don't know if this has been asked, but any ideas how many players have played against USC from two different teams? Sam Keller (ASU, Nebraska) comes to mind.
A: I can think of Matt Moore (UCLA, Oregon State) off the top of my head. I'll let the readers fill in other examples.
I think this question pretty much describes some of the Song Girl issues.
The SEC announced revenue figures today. The conference took in $50.6 million from football television, $25.3 million from bowls and $13.7 million from the SEC Football Championship game. And that doesn't include $11.6 million retained by the institutions participating in bowls.
USC recruit Brian Baucham, who signed a letter of intent in February, made the final of the 300-meter hurdles this weekend at the state track and field championships.
USC commitment Randall Carroll enters this weekend's state track and field championships with the fastest time in the 100 meters. Here's the full field:
Based on the Open Forum comments I'm starting to think the Song Girls are the No. 1 topic of interest on this blog.
USC recruit Maurice Simmons plead not guilty to two felony-related charges and one misdemeanor during an arraignment hearing Thursday in Compton Superior Court.
Simmons, a linebacker from Dominguez High School in Compton, plead not guilty to second-degree robbery, assault with a firearm and permitting a loaded firearm in his vehicle. A pre-trial conference was set for June 24. A jury trial is set for July 24.
This likely means he will miss summer school although the trial could conceivably conclude before training camp in August.
O.J. Mayo made some interesting comments today in Orlando, Fla., at the NBA pre-draft camp. He said he still talks to Rodney Guillory.
"Just to see how he's doing, his family," Mayo said.
He also claimed he had not spoken to Louis Johnson in months.
"I haven't talked to (Johnson) for a long time -- maybe since January,'' Mayo said.
Hmmm, that doesn't quite match what we witnessed, since the two were seen together after games past January.
Here's the full story.
Since many of you wrote that the NFL Network made vague claims about why Drew Radovich did not get drafted, I've contacted several NFL teams about the subject. The answer is that some teams were concerned about a back injury he suffered at USC.
No one mentioned anything about character concerns and I originally said there was another player who did have some issues and maybe there was a mix up on the NFL Network.
USC received its 11th commitment from defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo of Mt. San Antonio College. Now there's a name I can't wait to write on a daily basis.
How good is Fangupo? I don't know but I know he was offered by Tennessee, Oregon, Arizona State, Oregon State, Missouri and Arizona.
The Trojans might not be done at Mt. SAC. They are also looking at cornerback Dominick Gaisie, who is originally from Bishop Amat.
We frequently mentioned wide receiver Randall Carroll as a soft commit. But we also might move Carson tight end Morrell Presley into that category since he is also showing interest in UCLA.
Which recruit caused a lot of buzz in May?
An SEC coach I spoke to mentioned one player: Andre Debose of Sanford, Fla. He is listed as a wide receiver but is being recruited as a tailback.
``He is a Joe McKnight-Reggie Bush combination back,'' said the coach.
USC is not listed among his college choices but a Florida source confirmed the Trojans are interested and visited his high school earlier this month.
Here's some video where he even lines up at quarterback:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZtf5VUNsHU
The London Guardian summed up England's easy 2-0 victory over the USA this way: ``It's difficult to put into words just how feeble their opponents were. A set of traffic cones would have put up more resistance.''
This kind of reminds me of the Paul Hackett era, when I used to say a mannequin on the sideline would do less damage during games.
Meanwhile, a happy baseball coach leads his team to the NCAA playoffs.
http://sportsreport.freedomblogging.com/2008/05/28/a-gillespie-in-your-face-wouldnt-be-off-base
We hear USC baseball coach Chad Kreuter is unhappy with us. For what? Posting the results of the games?
It's starting to look less likely that recruit Maurice Simmons will resolve his legal issues before school starts in August. But aside from the legal issues, we hear Simmons' injured ankle might make a year off less damaging than it sounds because he could be limited physically.
One question per person please. I'm getting ready to say the Song Girls are rating more questions than Mitch Mustain.
An NBA source said the Timberwolves (No. 3) and Knicks (No. 6) are most intrigued by O.J. Mayo right now. He also said Sonics are prepared to select Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless is with the No. 4 pick.
Throw in Kevin Love (UCLA) and Brook Lopez (Stanford) and the Pac-10 could have four of the top eight picks.
Here's a question about how I ruffled some feathers last week.
This song girl thing really seems to have struck a chord with the readers.
The holiday weekend is over. Time to answer questions.
This is usually a time of anticipation for a lot of USC fans looking ahead but a fan I spoke to last night could not resist looking back at what he considers two missing crystal footballs in Heritage Hall thanks to losses to Texas (2006 national title game) and UCLA (2006 regular season finale).
``How is it that we 'own' the Rose Bowl ... yet basically gave up two crystal footballs at that stadium? Those opportunities may never come again.''
Perhaps a more meaningful time to list is the 10-yard dash for offensive linemen, since that's all they really need to run anyways. Some pro teams ask linemen to run a 10-yard dash during their draft workouts.
So here's how USC's linemen did last recently.
Charles Brown 1.81
Zack Heberer 1.81
Nick Howell 1.67
Butch Lewis 1.73
Kris O'Dowd 1.75
Martin Coleman 1.88
Alex Parsons 1.73
Mike Reardon 1.70
Unlike Long Beach State, Cal, San Diego, Stanford, Arizona, UCLA, Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine, USC did not make the NCAA baseball playoffs. The Trojans are 55-57 the past two seasons.
UPDATED: We forgot Pepperdine, which makes it even worse.
We gave you all the 40 times but isn't a 20-yard time maybe more relevant for a sport like football? Here's some of the fastest 20 times done after spring practice.
Taylor Mays 2.48
Ronald Johnson 2.52
Stafon Johnson 2.56
Michael Morgan 2.57
David Ausberry 2.58
Shane Horton 2.59
Damien Williams 2.59
Kevin Thomas 2.60
USC takes an 8-0 lead then gives up seven runs but holds on for an 8-7 victory over Washington State in the season finale. The Trojans (28-28) hold out a remote hope for an NCAA berth. The pairings are released tomorrow at 9:30 on ESPN.
Tight end Dale Thompson, who was a free agent, has been cut from two NFL mini-camps since the draft.
The baseball team just dropped its second straight game to Washington State, 4-2. Meanwhile, the women's golf team won the NCAA title for the second time since 2003.
A reader asks about Joe Montana's son coming to USC.
Latu Heimuli, the song girls, Randall Carroll and the tailback rotation are part of this batch.
Apparently, I didn't answer this question on the first try, so here's a second attempt.
Just a quick followup because Joe McKnight is not the only player with academic issues. No one was declared ineligible today or flunked out of school but some players will need to attend summer school in order to remain eligible for the fall.
This one is on a column that seems to be bugging people
A sigh of relief around USC today regarding Joe McKnight.
Tailback Joe McKnight received the necessary academic marks remain eligible for next season.
Nothing like an NCAA investigation to prompt basketball questions.
Where are the Champions League or Mitch Mustain questions?
This question ties into a side issue that apparently upset someone inside Heritage Hall.
Q: Has Taylor Mays had the same off-season weight issues/concerns that were publicized last year?
O.J. Mayo severs ties with Bill Duffy Associates following allegations the agency funneled money to Mayo through Rodney Guillory. Does this mean he has to give back the Porsche?
Q: In your post entitled "Mystery Role" you state that you knew Louis Johnson, and questioned whether he was a runner. He replied that he was just a friend of Guillory. That opens a bunch of questions, Scott: Did you see Guillory on campus or at Galen? Did you question Guillory in a similar fashion as Johnson? If you did see (or were made aware of) Guillory, did you ask the coaches or administration why he was around the program? Did you ever convey your suspicions to anyone at USC? If you did, what did they say? If you didn't, why not? I realize you don't have a duty to report your suspicions to USC, but as a journalist, you sure had the opportunity to question USC personnel about those suspicions and/or Guillory or Johnson's presence on campus. Any info you provide is greatly appreciated.
I'm going to address this subject later this afternoon because of reader questions, but while jogging my memory, I remembered one of the first times I saw Rodney Guillory at USC was at a football practice in August, 2006, that O.J. Mayo attended. So it was pretty much accepted he was part of the deal around the athletic dept. Also in attendance at that practice was USC coach Tim Floyd.
USC ended spring practice in relatively good shape from a health standpoint, but when it came time for the 40-yard dash, there were a series of injuries that knocked players out.
If you don't have a life, you probably wonder what games will be on ESPN. Here's the networks pick of early season Big 12 games.
A committee is currently studying sculptors to build a statue of band director Art Bartner on campus to celebrate his upcoming 40th anniversary at USC.
The Big Ten Conference and Learfield Sports have partnered to develop a multimedia rights agreement to institute Big Ten Sports Properties in 2008. This comes on the heels of the Big Ten Network.
Meanwhile, Pac-10 games will be shown on Versus again next season.
I've known Louis Johnson since he was a sportswriter at the Long Beach Press-Telegram and often sought his opinion on high school prospects. I hadn't seen him for a few years when he suddenly started showing up everywhere O.J. Mayo went, like his official visit, where he escorted Mayo with the basketball staff.
He also became a fixture at Mayo's pickup games. Naturally, I became suspicious. So one day at USC, I made a comment to him about being a runner and he took great offense to my remark. He said he was merely a close friend of Rodney Guillory.
If I was suspicious, shouldn't USC have been?
Lodrick Stewart claims he has witnesses to dispute he assaulted a Kansas student near a bar. He was arrested and charged last weekend.
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/may/18/jayhawks_brother_arrested/?mens_basketball
Here's a creative way to get tickets for the Virginia game if you want to go.
An NFL coach told us this morning that John David Booty was fortunate to go to the Minnesota Vikings.
``They run the truest form of West Coast offense with Eagles,'' the coach said. ``The quarterback just needs to make reads and I don't think he's good enough to make plays on his own. He's a system quarterback.''
Last fall, forward Evan Smith of Calabasas committed to USC. For some reason, it seems to have been almost ignored in the recruiting world. So I did some checking and Smith, a Class of 2009 prospect, is still scheduled to play basketball at USC.
USC is interested in North Carolina forward Alex Stepheson, who transferred earlier this month and wants to play closer to his family in Los Angeles. Stepheson, who is 6-9, was a fixture at pickup games last summer at the Galen Center.
A college coach said today that every lottery pick in the NBA draft has a ``Rodney Guillory'' in their life. It's considered a part of the business.
I always caution about going by the roster with heights and weights. But here's the accurate QB measurements, with media guide measurements first and actual measurements second.
Aaron Corp 6-3 185 6-3.5 196
Mitch Mustain 6-3 205 6-2.5 210
Mark Sanchez 6-3 225 6-2.25 225
Someone asked about the latest on Kenechi Udeze's condition. Here's a useful article.
http://min.scout.com/2/747765.html
We hear that Rodney Guillory, the focus of the controversy involving O.J. Mayo, originally approached UCLA about taking Mayo two years ago. At the time, UCLA already knew (unofficially) it would get Kevin Love.
Our sources tell us UCLA checked with Love, who said he did not want to play with Mayo. That left USC as the next option, because Guillory wanted Mayo in Southern California.
This helps explain Mayo's arrival a little more than the official story that he wanted to build a program instead of being at an established one.
It's a two-day session because the questions were just so good.
Which video was the greater spoof? The walk-on video or the USC-Stanford game tape?
The questions seem to get longer and longer . . . and longer.
Thankfully, we've plowed through all those 40 times you all know and love.
If you didn't ask a question in the Open Forum you can ask one here. One per person please.
UCLA defeated the men's tennis team today in the NCAA quarterfinals. USC went 0-6 against UCLA in men's and women's tennis this season.
Here's some more 40 times.
Charles Brown 5.18
Jeff Byers 4.95
Martin Coleman 5.52
Zack Heberer 5.08
Thomas Herring -- did not run
Nick Howell 4.88
Butch Lewis 5.04
Matt Meyer -- did not run
Kris O'Dowd 4.98
Alex Parsons 5.08
Michael Reardon 4.95
USC baseball swept Oregon State to get above .500 (27-26). The Trojans' RPI is only 59th but their strength of schedule is No. 6.
Jim Tressel was asked a question many of you complain about, how some conferences schedule mostly cupcakes in nonconference games. Question and answer after the jump.
Looks like Mark Sanchez and Joe McKnight are USC's candidates alhough ``field'' has a better chance according to Bodoglife.com.
Here's the 40 times.
Everson Griffen -- did not run
DaJohn Harris 5.12
Trey Henderson -- track
Fili Moala 4.99
Kyle Moore 4.79
Derek Simmons 5.05
Averill Spicer -- knee
Christian Tupou 5.09
Gerald Washington -- did not run
Here's the 40 times from the All-American position.
Luthur Brown 4.71
Jordan Campbell -- did not run
Brian Cushing 4.59
Chris Galippo 4.81
Kaluka Maiava 4.76
Clay Matthews -- did not run
Rey Maualuga 4.59
Michael Morgan 4.47
Malcolm Smith -- did not run
The National Football Foundation held a big seminar this week in Dallas, featuring college football coaches, athletic directors, presidents, etc. Naturally, a question on USC was presented to Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and Florida State president T.K. Wetherall.
Q. I guess this falls under recruiting. USC is being criticized by a lot of people nationwide for having two agent issues right now. I'd like to ask the coaches and Dr. Wetherell, as well, how responsible are you as coaches and as presidents for knowing the whereabouts of your star players? We're talking about star players, Reggie Bush and the like, what they're driving, who they're seeing, who they're going around with, because that seems to be the issue with USC right now, not only did they not know, they didn't want to know.
Q: Throughout the fall, there were numerous reports, including from you, about how Mitch Mustain was so dominant against the first team defense and he constantly got accolades for his performances against that unit. So how come it became a different story in the spring when he went against the same first team defense? Why did he struggle in the spring (or at least that was the impression that was given; perhaps incorrectly) that was not the case in the fall?
A: This is a complex answer by football standards, which means it requires more than a sentence.
Here's the 40 times.
Rhett Ellison 4.85
Anthony McCoy 4.86
Jimmy Miller 4.99
Cooper Stephenson 4.68
These are some of the stadium guidelines that UEFA issues for any European stadium that hosts its Champions League soccer final. Just for fun, how many of these does the Coliseum meet?
·The field of play must be in pristine condition and be prepared accordingly for a final (quality of grass, irrigation, smooth surface, etc.).
·First-rate dressing-rooms for both teams and the referees (equal size and furnishings for both teams, spacious, bright and clean).
·Floodlighting of a minimum intensity of 1,400 lux (eV) in the direction of the main camera, and of 1,000 Lux (eV) towards the other areas of the stadium, plus an efficient emergency power supply able to provide, without interruption, the same luminous light intensity as the main lighting.
·Modern security installations (access monitoring system, adequate PA system, etc.).
·Clear signage that everyone can understand inside and outside the stadium, as well as in its immediate vicinity.
·Acceptable sanitary facilities for spectators (both sexes) in terms of numbers, cleanliness and standards. Toilets without seats will no longer be accepted for spectators of either sex.
Provision of first-rate media facilities in terms of camera positions, working places, TV studios, etc., in accordance with the "UEFA Guidelines for Media Facilities.''
·International airport(s) able to cope with the huge extra demands of a UEFA final (capacity for up to 60 charter flights per day in addition to the normal, scheduled flights)
·Adequate hotel accommodation. For UEFA and its partners, at least 1,000 five-star hotel rooms (UEFA Champions League) / 500 rooms (UEFA Cup) are needed. In addition, enough other hotel accommodation in all types of category must be available.
Well, at least L.A. has the hotel rooms.
Several NFL players who went to USC voiced their displeasure behind the scenes to the walk-on tape behind it got yanked from YouTube.
We hear USC center Matt Spanos is going to sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.
Organizers for a bowl in Fresno unsuccessfully asked the Pacific-10 Conference to sign up with them. It would have meant the 8th-place team could go to a bowl, but it would have to be in Fresno and most likely against Fresno State. No thanks.
Here's some kicker 40 times.
David Buehler 4.49
Greg Woidneck 4.79
Joe Houston 4.93
Jordan Congdon 5.15
USC football recruit Maurice Simmons was ``held to answer as charged'' at his preliminary hearing today, which means the case will go to the next legal step. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for May 29. Simmons was released on bail.
Here's the 40 times on are the cornerbacks.
Kevin Eillison -- did not run
Cary Harris -- did not run
Will Harris 4.49
Shane Horton 4.56
Marshall Jones 4.52
Taylor Mays 4.25
Josh Pinkard 4.51
Kevin Thomas 4.47
Shareece Wright -- did not run
One more reason for Caesar to dislike Charlie Weis: He's accused of stealing signals from Pete Carroll-mentor Monte Kiffin.
http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2008/05/charlie_weis_yo.html
Here's the 40 times for the wide receivers.
David Ausberry 4.48
Brandon Carswell 4.49
Garrett Green 4.56
Vidal Hazelton 4.52
Ronald Johnson 4.43
Travon Patterson -- did not run
Patrick Turner 4.64
Damian Williams 4.46
A couple weeks ago, someone complained to me about the nickname ``Caesar'' for Pete Carroll. Well, how many coaches across the country could say, ``I don't care'' about the walk-on video?
And now all of a sudden it's a ``spoof?'' If it was a ``spoof,'' how come five guys made the team? How come a guy was in the corner looking like he might throw up? What else does petecarroll.com do for laughs?
Of course, we don't want to take credit for the video coming down, but . . .
And another thing, Rick Neuheisel doesn't want to comment on ``rumors?'' Nice try when he's got recruits left and right talking about how he pushed the video.
Divers in France discovered the oldest bust ever made of Caesar.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1954876/Divers-find-bust-of-Julius-Caesar-in-Rhone-River.html
Perhaps it can go in Heritage Hall in place of the Lexus Gauntlet.
Someone with legal knowledge of the Maurice Simmons case said today they do not think he will be able to enroll at USC next year, if for no other reason because his case will not be resolved.
USC announced it officially reached agreement with the Coliseum today, as expected.
Here's two interesting deal points:
*USC will retain right of consent over any amateur or professional football team desiring to play in the Coliseum.
*USC will pay the Coliseum Commission 8 percent of revenue collected from live television broadcast of football games which are attended by less than 70,000 people.
Here's the 40 times for the running backs.
Allen Bradford 4.46
C.J. Gable 4.68
Broderick Green -- injured
Stanley Havili -- injured
Stafon Johnson 4.44
Joe McKnight -- did not run
Marc Tyler 4.59
You probably heard USC players recently did their own version of Pro Day. So let's look at how one group did in the 40-yard dash.
Aaron Corp 4.57
Mitch Mustain 4.72
Mark Sanchez 4.86
Does anyone come out ahead in the wake of the O.J. Mayo allegations?
I'll nominate one person: Davon Jefferson.
No one seems to be worried anyone if he will affect USC's APR score.
The Lexus Gauntlet trophy was presented to USC on Tuesday, which prompted one onlooker at the ceremony to quip, ``Will Gauntlet points count if your sport is on probation?''
Arizona State dropped men's tennis, men's swimming and men's tennis today. Lisa Love, the ASU athletic director, was the women's volleyball coach and associate athletic director at USC for many years.
This was not her finest hour. She is seen as attacking men's sports right on the heels of attacking the ASU cheerleaders.
Maybe USC swim coach Dave Salo can poach some ASU swimmers for his flailing program.
Another comment from NCAA president Myles Brand.
``We are not the cops on the corner. The schools themselves have the responsibility to follow the rules and that means, and includes, separating agents from interfering with student-athletes."
I think it is worth noting how unusual it is for the NCAA to speak publicly about a case and today president Myles Brand commented about the O.J. Mayo situation.
``Our enforcement division has new information and as a matter of fact, when we have new
information on any case, we will investigate,'' Brand said.
It seems to me the fact the allegations aired on ESPN have forced the NCAA to be much more public about this case.
We're going to answer every question that was posted in the Weekend Forum.
Here's a commentary I wrote on the basketball program in the wake of the O.J. Mayo investigation.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_9239882
USC just released this statement on O.J. Mayo.
``We are in contact with the NCAA and the Pac-10 and are working with
both in a cooperative investigation to review these new allegations.''
``The allegations of improper benefits received by O.J. Mayo before and during his enrollment at the University of Southern California -- as outlined in ESPN's May 11, 2008, segment of 'Outside the Lines'--are new to the NCAA.
``This information was not available when the NCAA examined Mr. Mayo's academic and amateurism status prior to his collegiate enrollment, and we will review the information in conjunction with the institution and the Pac-10 Conference.''
One of you asked what I knew about junior college defensive lineman Hebron Fangupo, who attends Mt. SAC. I didn't know anything, but with a name like that, I had to look into it. USC is showing a lot of interest in him and expected to visit Mt. SAC this week to actually take a look at him.
Taylor Mays, Brian Cushing, Kevin Ellison, Fili Moala and Rey Maualuga were named to the Nagurski Award watch list today.
ESPN reporter Kelly Naqi did a chat with fans today about O.J. Mayo. Here's what she said about what USC should have known.
``That (Rodney) Guillory created problems for USC in the past with his involvement in the suspension of former USC guard Jeff Trepagnier should have raised a huge red flag. Also, according to (Tim) Floyd, he never recruited Mayo, yet Guillory presented one of the very top recruits in the country to him on a silver platter, by going into his office two summers ago and saying, OJ wants to play for you, but he wouldn't give Floyd his cell phone number, O.J. would call Floyd.
``Guillory claimed that he was O.J.'s friend and that he was sent there by O.J. ''to check Floyd out.'' That, again, should be a signal that you should be hyper-vigilant in making sure that nothing untoward is going on while Mayo's at your program.''
These answers are sponsored by Roman Meal bread, which never loses institutional control.
Who knew O.J. Mayo turning pro would be a blessing in disguise for USC?
That's right, we're back on the air and answering questions.
Most of you never heard of Louis Johnson before Sunday's ESPN story. He was a sportswriter at the Long Beach Press-Telegram for many years and considered an authority on high school basketball, especially in the Long Beach-Compton area. He also worked at the Orange County Register and FoxSports.com.
He quit the Press-Telegram and has been around USC with Rodney Guillory and O.J. Mayo the past two years. He frequently attended pickup games at the Galen Center, USC basketball games, the locker room and was with Mayo on his official campus visit in November, 2006.
No one I spoke to Sunday in media circles was aware that he received a suspended sentence and probation after being charged with selling cocaine.
If you have any questions, and I'm guessing there are more now than before the weekend, scroll down to the Weekend Forum and post them. Please do not post questions here.
O.J. Mayo spoke to ESPN on Sunday night.
``When asked by ESPN.com if he would meet with the NCAA to discuss the allegations, Mayo said, "Of course. I have no problem. I did it before [when he received Lakers tickets] and I'll do it again."
When asked if he was aware of any violations he may have committed, Mayo said, "Not at all."
The USC walk-on video just made it to Deadspin.com, which added its own editorial comments.
http://deadspin.com/389350/douchetastic-usc-walk+on-video-is-neuheisels-gain
Forward Leonard Washington told Rivals.com this weekend in Indiana that he was not committed to USC and was looking at the Hoosiers and several other schools.
Sources close to the situation tell me Washington is still planning to attend USC and will enroll in the summer but likes to ``play around'' when asked about where he will play next season.
Sounds like he will fit right in following the Mayo-Jefferson era.
An alert reader emailed us the list of individual accomplishments on Matt Leinart's Wikipedia profile.
2004
Heisman Trophy Winner
Rose Bowl MVP
Walter Camp Award "
2005
Orange Bowl MVP
Unitas Award
Finalist for Heisman Trophy
2006
Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Males 2006
ESPN Hottest Male Athlete of the Year
People Magazine 100 Most Beautiful People
2007
Nothing
Some things in USC's favor regarding the O.J. Mayo:
The NCAA did an eligibility check on Mayo before it certified him through the NCAA Clearinghouse.
USC's compliance office also banned Rodney Guillory from receiving tickets to its home games.
Some things not in USC's favor:
Guillory and Louis Johnson, who blew the whistle and went to ESPN, were regular fixtures in the USC locker room at the Galen Center the year before Mayo enrolled.
Guillory had his run of the basketball facilities and Tim Floyd personally informed him when the compliance office denied the tickets.
``Tim Floyd was heartbroken,'' Guillory told me.
None of this is to say USC will or will not be penalized. The first day is always the worst day to make predictions, but that will not stop fans, of course.
Also, the investigations done before Mayo enrolled did not have any of the documentation provided by Johnson to ESPN. So the NCAA will renew its look into Mayo.
Here's a detailed version of ESPN's story on O.J. Mayo. I'll have some observations later today. The story does not implicate USC in any wrongdoing, but an NCAA investigation will no doubt make that determination. And it's worth mentioning that Rodney Guillory, the person implicated in the ESPN story, was frequently in contact with USC coach Tim Floyd and other USC officials.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3389049
The baseball team lost to Cal State Northridge 5-4 today to drop to 22-26 overall. The teams wrap up their two-game series Sunday at USC. The Trojans might need make the NCAA Tournament if they win their final eight games.
Davon Jefferson is working out at a local high school with the Lopez twins from Stanford and Oregon center Marty Leunen, among others. We hear Jefferson was initially out of shape because he did not do anything for about six weeks after USC was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN is going to air the results of a four-month investigation looking into the relationship between O.J. Mayo and his mentor, Rodney Guillory.
http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2008/05/a_closer_look_a.html
Time to break in these new servers with the return of the Weekend Forum. One question per person.
Here's the last batch of questions, with some good ones posed on Walk-ongate.
Which recruit will make an impact next season?
Of course, another recruiting question.
We also simulcast our answers on CaesarTV.com.
Here we go. A question on a proposed street brawl involving Petros Papadakis and myself. But we're on the same team.
The poll on the Lexus Gauntlet was fairly one-sided. Most of you didn't care. Now if it were the Roman Meal Gauntlet or the CaesarTV.com Gauntlet, I might feel differently.
See what happens when the servers work. We answer more questions.
Incoming freshman forward Leonard Washington is expected to enroll for the second summer session in late June.
Let's see how the USC and Florida football teams compared academically the past three semesters.
USC
Fall 2007 2.36
Spring 2.40
Fall 2006 2.43
Florida
Fall 2007 2.81
Spring 2007 2.77
Fall 2006 2.72
Sources: USC, Florida.
We already mentioned Rick Neuheisel's use of the USC walk-on video with recruits. Now we hear from some high school coaches that USC is wondering how long UCLA's dream-team coaching staff (i.e. Norm Chow) will be together.
May is always a wonderful month for recruiting stories.
The NFL and college football football are apparently increasing in popularity in Denmark. A Danish journalist asked me today what NFL player I would compare Rey Maualuga to.
So I turn to you for that answer. Who would you compare Maualuga to?
With NCAA rules preventing Caesar from going out to high schools this month, he decided to take a vacation. I guess that means no web-cam chats like Alabama coach Nick Saban did with a recruit. As I've previously written, Saban is the cause of this new rule in the first place.
O.J. Mayo sitting courtside at the Lakers-Jazz game. This time it was not an NCAA violation.
For two straight Open Forums I received the same question from readers claiming the NFL Network said offensive lineman Drew Radovich was not drafted by an NFL team due to "character concerns" and "off the field issues."
I'm going to assume the readers are right about what the NFL Network said. That aside, I feel it's worth repeating that Drew Radovich did not have any issues before the draft. I have heard about off the field issues for a USC player but it was not Drew Radovich. So I think it's a case of mistaken identity.
Davon Jefferson's completed two of his three final exams so far. Remember he needs to only pass six units this semester for USC to avoid any APR penalties.
Another recruit just confirmed that UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel pushed the USC walk-on video for its negative connotations. It's now an official trend. The link to the video can be found on Monday's posts.
Here's are USC basketball's Academic Progress Rate scores since the inception of the APR. Remember, that 925 is the minimum score to avoid penalities.
Year 1: 771
Year 2: 915
Year 3: 959
Year 4: 804
USC will officially unveil the return of the Lexus Gauntlet, the ugliest trophy in sports, on Tuesday, May 13, at 1 p.m.
Arkansas joined the Top 10 in spring football game attendance with 40,200 attending the scrimmage. Just under 1.5 million fans attended spring games in 2008.
Here's a spotlight question on an important subject, the band.
Q: Is it just me or do you seem to have some dislike towards the USC TMB?
Cal center Alex Mack and Arizona State kicker Thomas Weber will join USC linebackers Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga and safety Taylor Mays at this weekend's gathering of Playboy All-Americans in Phoenix.
USC lost four starters on its offensive line, but that's really not quite as dramatic as it sounds. Center Kris O'Dowd started the first three games as a true freshman until he injured his knee. Tackle Butch Lewis started in place of All-American Sam Baker and played respectable. Guard Zack Heberer started two games and tackle Charles Brown started one.
Forward Kyle Austin's transfer from USC to UC Riverside will not cost the Trojans any APR points because his GPA was above 2.6 when he left.
USC baseball manager Chad Kreuter got tossed against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the third inning tonight. The Trojans led 4-0 but it's now 4-3 in the seventh.
UPDATED: USC scores five in the seventh and it's 9-3 in the ninth.
UPDATED: It's a final as the Trojans win 9-3.
Here's some official word on the academic status of O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson.
``Our two underclassmen have honored their commitment and as long as they don't bomb finals, we expect them to meet their academic requirement,'' said USC associate athletic director Dr. Magdi El Shahawy, who is in charge of student-athlete academic services.
O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson finished classes for the spring semester and unless they skip finals, it should not hurt USC academically. I mention it because the NCAA announced USC lost two basketball scholarships because Lodrick Stewart, Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young all dropped out of school last year, which caused a nine-point deduction in the Trojans' APR score.
USC did not use the scholarships for this past season, which means they will be back to 13 scholarships next year, provided Mayo and Jefferson complete final exams.
With Rick Neuheisel pushing the USC walk-on tape to recruits because he think it reflects negatively on the program, I'm wondering what it will do to the (so far) cordial relationship between him and Pete Carroll.
Everyone negatively recruits against each other in college football, but this is a little firmer example than just some off-hand remark. Could it jeopardize the movement to get each team to wear their home uniforms?
I doubt it. Carroll and Neuheisel share one thing in common. They enjoy casting a genial public image, so no one is going to get outright hostile. Unless things get nastier.
We're going to try to answer questions a little earlier since our servers seem to be working again.
Recruiting tidbits flowing in today.
A former USC transfer is now advising some recruits not to attend the school based on his experiences.
Will it matter? Who knows but his comments are getting circulated.
Matt Leinart to ESPN.com: ``Yeah, it's hard to trust anybody, especially when you are in a position like I am, a position like all these guys are in when you are a professional athlete. You learn that, but your circle kind of gets closer, tighter around you, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.''
There at those at USC who would argue part of Leinart's problem was the choices of people for the small circle he hung around with during his final two years.
Wide receiver Randall Carroll also has the seventh-fastest high school time in the 100 meters this year (10.49).
In our ever-continuing monitoring of USC commitment Randall Carroll, who we know is a shaky commit at best, we heard today that Texas A&M and UCLA are now strong contenders, if not leaders for his services. So let's go to the Euros.
USC €€€
UCLA €€€
Texas A&M €€€
A recruit said Monday that UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel is alerting recruits to this USC walk-on tryout video and emphasizing the amount of profanity used as a negative characteristic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJXkvj21JaA
Another baseball question highlights this round.
Every question will be answered today and there is still time to ask questions.
A USC official told me he never reads the Q & A. Now I know why it's so popular with the readers.
It's our first Answer Monday in weeks with fully functioning servers (we think).
Some of Rey Maualuga's stats from the past two years are almost identical.
2007: 79 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 deflections, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble.
2006: 78 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 deflections, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble.
It's a good time to remember just how good a college player Chris Claiborne really was. Let's look at his junior year.
1998: 120 tackles, 5 sacks, 16 deflections, 6 interceptions, 1 forced fumble.
That's 16 deflections and six interceptions. And he was a junior.
Tight end Fred Davis is off to a rousing start with the Redskins after failing to appear for practice, which forced the team to call in its security until they learned he overslept.
``He just had a setback," Redskins coach Jim Zorn said of Davis. "Hopefully everybody will learn from the lesson that he is having right now about what it is going to take to get to a place on time, to be responsible.''
Davis was suspended two games his freshman year at USC for coming back to L.A. late from his home in Ohio. It might be worth following the Redskins blog.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider
Washington is up 3-0 in the first inning today.
UPDATED: The Huskies lead 6-0 in the fourth,
FINAL UPDATE: USC loses 11-4 and is swept by the Huskies.
During former baseball coach Mike Gillespie's 20 years, USC missed the postseason five times. The Trojans are about to go 2 for 2 in missing the postseason under new coach Chad Kreuter.
Here's a comparison of some offensive stats the past two years with the Pac-10 and NCAA rankings.
2006 197.2 ypg rushing (3rd in Pac-10/27th in NCAA), 237.7 ypg passing (5th/50th).
2007 128.0 ypg rushing (6th in Pac-10/68th in NCAA), 263.8 ypg passing (1st/14th).
Let's not forget who clinched the all-important Lexus Gauntlet today. It was women's crew, which defeated UCLA 6-1 in San Pedro. USC is 7-0 against UCLA since dual meets began in 2002.
Washington is up 4-1 in the fourth inning right now and if USC does not rally, it might be the loss that ends the Trojans' postseason hopes.
UPDATED: It's now 6-2 Washington in the fifth.
UPDATED AGAIN: Washington is up 7-2.
UPDATED AGAIN: It's 9-2 in the 8th.
UPDATED AGAIN: Washington wins 10-2 and USC's NCAA hopes are just about finished.
The USC women are off to a better than expected start and are on pace to snap UCLA's domination in the meet led by Carol Rodriguez's school record in the 400 meters (51.39). The USC men trail by six points at the moment, but were hurt in the 100 when Matthew Palmer false started and were disqualfied.
UPDATED: Rodriguez, who said she hurt her hamstring Thursday, did not win the 200 in a blow to the Trojans and right now USC is only on pace for a 1-point win. The USC men swept the 400 hurdles and are also mounting a comeback.
UPDATED: USC wins the women's dual meet 86-77 to snap UCLA coach Jeanette Bolden's 73-0 record in dual meets while the men lost to the Bruins (89-74).
The baseball team lost to Washington on Friday night and cannot afford many more losses if it wants to make the NCAA Tournament. By the way, earlier this week I addressed why schools such as Stanford have advantages over USC in minor sports with limited scholarships.
I forgot to mention the new policy allowing free tuition, room and board to any student whose family earns less than $60,000 or free tuition to a family that earns less than $100,000.
USC already announced it will not institute a similar policy (of course). So where do you think a smart baseball player, pole vaulter or swimmer might end up next year?
It's time to predict the outcome of tomorrow's dual meet. So we'll go with UCLA winning the men's competition, 84-79, while USC wins the women's meet, 85-78.
Freshman defensive end Trey Henderson placed second in the hammer throw at the USC-UCLA dual meet. The hammer competition takes place a day before the rest of the competition.
I don't see all the questions appearing, so here's another place to post questions.
Did you notice that ABC is keeping its options open with the USC-Notre Dame and saying it will be on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2? It's usually a given the game will be on ABC.
Is the network still worried about how bad the Irish were last year that it wants to wait-and-see how Charlie Weis recovers this season?
Pretty soon, you'll have to be over 50 to remember when USC homegames used to start in the afternoon. Today, it was announced Sept. 13 game against Ohio State (ABC), Oct. 4 Oregon game (ABC, ESPN or ESPN2), the Nov. 8 California game (ABC) and Nov. 29 game with Notre Dame will start at 5 p.m (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2).
USC's Sept. 25 Thursday night game at Oregon State will kickoff at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The Dec. 6 game with crosstown rival UCLA will start at 1:30 p.m. Pacific and will be broadcast on ABC.
The Versus Conference dodged a negative hit during this week's BCS meeting to continue the current post-season format because several other conferences also opposed a playoff. Commissioner Tom Hansen told us there was widespread opposition to a playoff and he was right. Now the Pac-10 can focus on something important, like its bowl alignments.
When we mentioned former UCLA player Bob Meyers is the agent for Davon Jefferson, we forgot to mention that Meyers also represented former USC star Sam Clancy. Hopefully, that's not an omen.
A band member tells us a 10-member group will be at the USC-UCLA women's crew meet tomorrow in San Pedro. This is because it is considered USC's home event and UCLA can't ban the band at this one.
Perhaps the best statue on campus is the Wild Bunch memorial, which captures the famed defensive line of the late 1960's. But it became even more popular Thursday night during the annual Fountain Run, where seniors run across the campus and jump into various fountains.
The Wild Bunch suddenly became a spot for female students to moon the monument for some reason. Incidentally, the Wild Bunch statue consists of four players but two of the original heads were cut off because they were too small for the bodies.
We've written extensively about the band being prevented from playing at UCLA for all sporting events. But here's a new one: UCLA is even forbidding the USC band from playing from Sunset Blvd. above Drake Stadium during Saturday's USC-UCLA dual track meet.
I'd say the band should just show up on its own and play but that would only lead to some punishment from USC's end, I'm sure.
Nothing like a two guys at the same radio station going at it. And we thought only people at TrojanTV hated each other.http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2008/05/joe_said_petros.html#more
NBA types suddenly say Davon Jefferson could be a late-first round pick. The question is what position is he going to play at that level?
Davon Jefferson is officially represented by former UCLA basketball player Bob Meyers, who works under agent Arn Tellem for an agency owned by Casey Wasserman, one of UCLA's biggest basketball boosters.
Several of you said that Round 4 of the Open Forum was not working properly, so let's try it one more time.
I'm going to take a wild guess the comments section is not working. I'm told they are working on it and I'll answer the questions eventually. Thanks.
ESPNU, a channel I never watch, is going to telecast games featuring players who wore No. 5 on Cinco de Mayo. Naturally, Reggie Bush's 2005 game against UCLA will be telecast.
But ESPNU is also going to show USC's victory over Arizona in basketball.
ESPNU said it's televising that game in honor of O.J. Mayo. He wore 32, but I guess they couldn't resist the ``Mayo.''
I'm stunned they didn't mention the real Cinco de May tie-in was Davon Jefferson, who wore No. 5. But then Tim Floyd probably wouldn't watch.
Hershel Dennis is talking to the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers but still has not signed with a team yet.
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