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| September 2007 »
 Legions of USC alumni are in for a shock when they come to campus on Saturday for the opening game.
Don't worry, it won't be caused by 45-point underdog Idaho.
The 901 Bar and Grill, formerly the 901 Club and best known as the Nine-Oh, has undergone jaw-dropping renovations. For years, it was considered a bad dive bar -- the type that violated all five of your senses.
But patrons were fiercely loyal, and like it or not, the 9-0 remained an icon of USC student life. With limited hours at university-run Traditions, a beer-and-wine-only liquor license at 29th Street Cafe, and the closure of Julie's Trojan Barrel many years ago, the 9-0 has been the only legitimate bar at USC for at least a decade.
All that "dedication" is now being paid back. It's still the kind of place where you can rub elbows with (potential) Heisman winners, but now you don't need to hit the showers afterwards. Recent alumni are guaranteed to be impressed.
Besides the physical improvements, the 9-0 has opened up its kitchen and extended its hours. People can come in for lunch at 11:30 a.m. and can stay until they get kicked out after last call (around 1:30 a.m.). The kitchen currently closes at 10 p.m., but owners are planning on extending hours until 2 a.m.
The changes are a dream-come-true for Leo Amari, Johnny Liska, Alex Manos and Roger Toussaint. The four recently became business partners with the existing owners (who also own the Trocadero and Cabo Cantina). They had worked at the 9-0 since shortly after the place was purchased in 1996.
Toussaint was the man behind the new design and is responsible for a long list of improvements.
Continue reading Nine Whoa! »
 The Women of Troy had an easy tune-up against Weber State on Friday afternoon thanks to strong performances from their newest additions. "I was really impressed with our freshmen today," raved one of those new faces -- recently hired Coach Ali Khosroshahin. He started five of them in the match.
USC had their way with Weber, firing 22 shots compared with just five for the Wildcats. With little doubt about the outcome, the laid-back crowd had some fun in the hot afternoon sun. A rowdy contingent from USC's swimming team even got the referee to laugh. "I love it," chuckled junior Amy Rodriguez. "The SC atmosphere and the SC attitude is to come together and be one as a family. Having those people support us on the sides is awesome. It gives me a great adrenaline rush."
Freshman Megan Ohai, known as a scorer during her high school days in Utah, netted the first two goals of the match. "In that position, that's what she's supposed to do. She's our finisher," Khosroshahin said.
Rodriguez, a former Gatorade High School Player of the Year, came in as a substitute and was clearly a step quicker than the players marking her. In response, Weber was very physical on defense. When asked about the rough play, Rodriguez shrugged it off. "I don't pay attention to it that much."
Asked if she might have any distractions this season (like last year when she missed several games while playing for the national team), Rodriguez indicated that it was smooth sailing ahead. "In early January this past year I was invited to camp, but I told Greg Ryans (the national team coach) that I was going to take the semester off to focus on school and focus on a little bit of me time. Throughout the summer and the fall, my focus has been 'SC soccer and trying to take us to a championship."
School started this week, and USC sports are ramping up this weekend with a full slate of games. If you want your fill of all things Trojan, head down to campus, set your Tivo, or pony up for a subscription to Trojan All Access.
Friday:
- Women's Volleyball hosts Duke in the USC Classic (7 p.m.).
- Women's Soccer hosts Weber State (3 p.m.).
Saturday:
- Football hosts Idaho (7 p.m.). Need I say more?
- Men's Basketball plays Lobos Grises de Durango in a tournament in Culiacan, Mexico (location changed due to hurricane damage).
- Women's Volleyball hosts Mercer in the USC Classic (1 p.m.).
- Men's Water Polo participates in Long Beach State/UC Irvine scrimmages (10:45 a.m.).
- Women's Cross Country participates in the Fullerton Season Opener meet (8:45 a.m.).
- Former USC pitcher Ian Kennedy makes his big league debut for the New York Yankees against Tampa Bay (10 a.m.).
Sunday:
- Men's Basketball plays Caballeros de Sinaloa in a tournament in Mazatlan or Culiacan, Mexico.
- Women's Soccer at Santa Barbara (6 p.m.).
News surfaced this week that a high school student in Ohio was suspended because he coordinated the card stunt in the video shown above. While fooling rival fans into spelling out "We Suck" may not be the pinnacle of sportsmanship, at least the kid showed some ingenuity. USC fans pulled a similar stunt back in 1971, spelling out "Westwood Sucks" -- on national television.
Of course, card stunts can be more administration-friendly. A USC website states that the practice was invented in Troy in 1922, though a rival claim from Berkeley dates the start to 1910. Unlike USC, the Bears are still putting on a pretty good show (at least they did two years ago).
The USC site also claims the Guinness World Record for largest stunt at 8,000, but even fans with a short memory know that isn't true. In 2004, Trojan fans participated in a visually stunning display at the Rose Bowl that formed an American flag and appeared to involve the entire stadium.
In recent years, a few card stunts have been attempted in the Coliseum but they weren't very successful. Heading into the 2007 football season, there doesn't seem to be any formal interest in reviving the tradition in Troy.
Does anybody reading know more about the history of card stunts at USC?
It's not like USC has a trademark on "Fight On," but it just seems strange to see the phrase surface in any other context. Penn State's official fight song is called Fight On, State and is commemorated in this year's schedule poster for the Nittany Lions.
Fight on, JoePa!
For those of you looking to procrastinate at work (or any other time), here's some reading material for Trojan fans in the know:
- It's just come to light that USC running backs coach Todd McNair has a rap sheet for cruelty to dogs. Good news for McNair: UCLA's wide receivers coach recently had a questionable past revealed, and got to keep his job. Bad news for McNair: Michael Vick put this issue in the hot seat, and this might not blow over very well in the court of public opinion.
- Todd Marinovich pulled a Todd Marinovich over the weekend. The former USC football star was allegedly carrying a gram of meth, a metal spoon and a hypodermic needle. It's certainly not the first time he's been arrested for drugs. What might be a first for Marinovich ... he was caught because he was skateboarding in a no-skateboarding zone by Newport Pier.
- Trojans should have an advantage in next year's Olympics after training in the Los Angeles smog.
- In case of emergency, check your cellphone. USC has a new system to send alerts to people on campus during a major emergency situation. Even if you're not a student, staff or faculty member, you may want to sign up if you spend lots of time watching the football team practice. You know who you are.
- PSU is using PS3 to teach their quarterbacks the playbook. It wasn't JoePa's idea, but we know some players at USC like video games, too.
- A forum member on WeAreSC.com posed the question, "What's better than a Song Girl?" His own answer ... "Wet Song Girls."
- Another poster noticed that Sports Illustrated had some trouble with basic math. Apparently, Pac 10 football teams should have a record of 41-49 against other Pac 10 football teams this season. Huh?
- USC students received a nice little e-mail from the administration explaining the ins-and-outs of copyright infringement. About 1,370 words of not-so-light reading are after the jump, if you're so inclined.
Continue reading Water Cooler Fodder »
Tim Floyd and his players had almost as many questions as the media during a press conference on Tuesday. They knew that they were headed to Mazatlan, Mexico, this weekend for two exhibitions against professional basketball teams. Floyd wasn't sure what the level of competition would be, pointing out that some of the best players in Mexico were with the national squad that is trying to qualify for the Olympics. He also wasn't sure which rulebook they would be following, as both opponents play in the Liga Nacional de Basquetbol Profesional (which may vary from NCAA rules).
How much could the Trojans know about their opponents? Both teams are practically unknown in Los Angeles. If you Google one of them, Caballeros de Sinaloa, you'll find a mere six listings in English -- all of which are basically the same news story about USC's trip to Mazatlan. Lobo Grises de Durango produce just three unique results on the popular search engine. In comparison, freshman O.J. Mayo has about 151,000 listings in Google, and he has yet to play one second at the college level.
Another Trojan with some international questions was guard Daniel Hackett. A potential member of the Italian Olympic squad, he said he was still waiting to find out if he would join the team at the European Championships for two weeks in September.
Even Mayo was uncertain about the future, leaving room for the possibility that he may return next season. He's anticipated to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft, be it this year or next.
 It's the Tuesday before a football game, and that means a Pete Carroll lunchtime press conference. Heading into the opener against Idaho, it was hard to say much about the opponent. The Vandals' Robb Akey, participating by speakerphone, pointed out that they're considered the 113th best team in the nation -- out of 119 teams. After there were just a few questions from the press, he joked, "Any of you guys wanna play in the game?"
Carroll tried to keep it positive and said the game should be fun for both teams. He was quickly badgered by L.A. Times columnist T.J. Simers, who couldn't figure out how that was possible for the 45-point underdog. When asked if he had ever been in that position, Carroll quipped, "Maybe with the Jets." T.J. will probably have some funny stuff in his next column, since his pointed questions solicited responses such as, "That's kind of like the question, 'Do you still beat your wife?' "
After T.J. cooled off, the next reporter (Dave Denholm) brought the house down.
"How do you like handling the media here in L.A.?"
As far as on-field news, Carroll announced that C.J. Gable will start at tailback because Chauncey Washington won't be back from injury. Stafon Johnson will also play, and it's unclear if Joe McKnight will be ready. Carroll was asked about Everson Griffin, who is listed as a starter despite never having played a snap of college ball. He was positive about all of his freshmen, but pointed out, "There was a game early on when Mike Williams was just starting, he musta' had seven drops."
And yes, that was Petros Papadakis rocking a pink Hello Kitty backpack.
USC is moving further into the modern era of ticketing. Starting this season all tickets will include a bar code to scan people as they enter the Coliseum. The system was in place at the Galen Center last year, and according to USC Director of Ticketing Debra Duncan, "it really facilitated security at the gate." USC also has the capability of scanning at Dedeaux Field and used it on student IDs in the spring.
USC also launched a new online ticket transfer system today. Season ticket holders can log in through the website and send their tickets to friends and family, who can print them from their computer. This will eliminate the need for people coming from separate locations to use will call or meet prior to the game.
In the coming weeks, fans purchasing tickets to individual games online should be able to print from their computer instead of having them sent by mail or held at the gate. The system was successfully tested on basketball last year but was not made available for this weekend's Idaho game.
Season football tickets are no longer for sale. Individual tickets are available for the opener this Saturday, though USC Sports Information Director Tim Tessalone said that he is expecting a sellout by game time. The Washington State (Sept. 22) and Stanford (Oct. 6) games also have seats available. The price online, including all fees, is $51. If you're thinking about rolling the dice and showing up without tickets, USC has partnered with StubHub to provide an alternative to dealing with the shady guys on Trousdale. Resale value of a seat for the Idaho game ranges from $20 to $2,499. That wasn't a typo. The pricey ones are "high enough to see over the players, but close enough to say hi."
StubHub and USC have a marketing partnership that allows people to sell their tickets online for a fee. Sellers can print a FedEx label from their own computer once tickets are sold from the site, or can drop them off beforehand. Though not endorsed by the school, in theory people could sell their tickets, collect their money via a service such as Paypal and send them through the new Trojan Transfer -- eliminating the need to physically send or deliver the tickets.
Students will get into games by scanning the bar code on their school ID (the Spirit Activity Card has been discontinued). Football season packages were sold to currently enrolled students for $135. All other sports are free for students who show their USCard. Student seating for non-football events is on a first-come-first-served basis. The ticket office hasn't finalized plans for high-demand basketball games, so students may want to check on that before showing up against UCLA and other marquee hoops matchups.
 USC's former football captain is barking at the mic on KLAC and getting more listeners than the Trojan's flagship station.
ESPN is looking to turn things around by giving away a sweet prize package and has encouraged listeners to hold up signs at their competition's remote.
Steve Mason and John Ireland host The Big Show on ESPN 710AM from 3 to 6 p.m., a time slot that overlaps with Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith, who host PMS from 4 to 7 p.m. on KLAC 570AM. Both shows compete for valuable listeners in PM drive time, when many Angelenos are stuck in their cars while driving home from work.
Papadakis was USC's football team captain in 2000. Besides hosting PMS, he also covers Pac 10 games on TV. In the Spring radio ratings from Arbitron (slightly less controversial than the BCS is to college football), PMS had a 3.1 share of men 25-54 while The Big Show had 1.3. A share is basically the percentage of people in a city listening to the radio at that time.
The contest (or "movement," as one of the hosts might have you believe) will award a pair of tickets to a USC football game every week, access to the ESPN VIP tailgate party and chauffeured transportation to and from the game. Packages are awarded weekly, but only for home games. That means the show will give away three packages for the USC games against both Washington State and UCLA. It's unclear whether the contest will extend into bowl season.
Based on what they've "not" suggested on the show and Mason's blog, we could have the makings of some radio rivalry hijinks.
 The Spirit of Troy (a/k/a the Trojan Marching Band, a/k/a the Greatest Marching Band In The History Of The Universe) got some ink in today's LA Times.
The band will perform in the Tchaikovsky Spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are still available for a tradition USC has been a part of for at least 20 years.
Later this fall, the Spirit of Troy will perform with the USC Song Girls and Twirlers at the Peninsula Music Fair (Palos Verdes High School) on Oct. 7 and at the Battle of the High School Marching Bands (Home Depot Center) on Nov. 17.
Photo by Luis Sinco / LAT
With all the depth at some positions (TB, LB, CB, S), the FB position seems very thin with the starter a kid that missed most of last season injured. Do you think Broderick Green would be able and willing to fill in at that spot if necessary? Or how about Bradford? I still remember Marcus Allen playing FB when Charles White was at TB. He didn't have a problem with it -- didn't hurt his career either!
--Ron from Texas
 Stanley Havili has been getting a lot of buzz lately (or at least as much as is possible for a fullback -- see #2 in this ESPN article or click here for an ESPN video). It seems like everybody is high on him. I watched a few practices and didn't notice him much. Since FB isn't exactly a glamor position, that's probably a good thing. He didn't seem to be missing any assignments. He looked good in scrimmages, with a 27-yard run in the second quarter and 19-yard catch in the third.
After Havili, you're right. USC is thin at fullback -- especially when it comes to senior leadership. Havili is a redshirt freshman. On the depth chart, he's backed up by walk-on Adam Goodman (a redshirt sophomore who played in JC). The only guy who has been around the program for awhile is Joey Adewale, listed at third. The redshirt senior actually started three games last year. On the other hand, he quit the team for awhile to focus on school, and returned after missing spring practice. Adewale is followed by true freshman Jordan Campbell and redshirt freshman Alfred Rowe.
Considering the transfer and injuries at tailback (Green and Johnson are the only two without any question marks), I wouldn't look for Bradford or Green to switch over unless fullback becomes a problem. Keep in mind that Havili, Goodman and Co. should get a gentle start to the season with the first game against Idaho and the following weekend off.
"There are a lot of UCLA people out there. And there are a lot of Notre Dame people out there. And we kick their ass." -- Ricky Ellison (one-time NCAA champ, two-time Rose Bowl champ, three-time Super Bowl champ)
USC got fired up on Friday in a preseason pep rally known as Salute to Troy. The annual event, held at Cromwell Field for a record 3,500 boosters, introduced this year's football squad to the fans and provided several memorable quotes (none of which were as pointed as the ones Les Miles made a few months ago).
There were plenty of fireworks at the end of the night, but coaches had some verbal ones as well. Discussing his nationally acclaimed group of linebackers and their performance in practice, coach Ken Norton didn't hold back. "There were 10 running backs that started camp. At practice today, seven didn't dress.... Some of them transferred. We ran them off!"
RB coach Todd McNair responded by pointing out how his own unit performed at the last scrimmage. "That's true, seven of my guys didn't practice today. That's because they had sore hamstrings from running up the Coliseum."
When head coach Pete Carroll was introduced, the Trojan Marching Band teased him with a chant of "Big Balls Pete! Big Balls Pete!" Eventually, Johnny Morton stood in front of the band and remarked, "These guys are crazy."
Carroll had a few good one-liners, but was understated when he admitted, "I'm a little bit excited about this season." He would later exclaim, "Wow! Are we excited about this defense!" and declare DL coach Nick Holt "the meanest man you ever met." Carroll also announced the 2007 captains, who had been elected by the team earlier that day. Representing the Trojans will be John David Booty, Sam Baker, Keith Rivers and Lawrence Jackson.
Continue reading Salute To Troy: Them's Fight On Words »
There's a lot of talk about the upcoming season, but what's being said about training camp?
- "For me, right now, it's been Ronald Johnson. Joe McKnight also showed great athletic ability early on in camp but sat out a little bit due to injury. But Ronald Johnson has come right in and I think is going to be a big-time player for us this year on offense." -- Quarterback John David Booty, on which freshmen have impressed him the most
- "The hardest part is going against the No. 1 defense in the country play after play, down after down. The most fun is playing against the No. 1 defense play after play, down after down." -- Tailback Stafon Johnson, on the highs and lows of camp
- "Mitch Mustain has had a great run here with us. He just looks like a different guy from who he was the first couple days he was here, and that's with a limited amount of work." -- Coach Pete Carroll, on who's shown the most growth
- "I'm not gonna call it a transfer. I'm gonna call it a quit." -- Anonymous Fan, on Emmanuel Moody's decision to leave
And for good measure, one looking ahead:
- "I think to be opening up at home ... we haven't done that since I've been here. It's been about five years since we've opened up at the Coliseum, and it's going to be great to get our season started at home in front of our fans." -- John David Booty, on what he's looking forward to in the first game
Some good quotes from Salute to Troy are coming soon ...
The Women of Troy will face their first action tonight as they host the Trojan Invitational at the Galen Center. They take on Michigan State at 7 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, with St. John's at noon and Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m.
USC's volleyball team enters the tournament ranked #6 in the nation and returns seven starters. In the spring, they placed second at the Savaria Cup by beating national teams from Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland. They tied the tournament record for highest finish by a non-national team, narrowly losing to Hungary.
The bar is set pretty high this season. Coach Mick Haley felt comfortable saying, “I think we should be in the hunt for the national championship."
This weekend's games will be broadcast online via TrojanTV All-Access (a paid subscription is required).
Jay Mohr (currently writing for Fox Sports) used his latest column to riff on USC's neighborhood.
You have to wonder if he's actually set foot on campus. Sure, crime happens, but you don't really need "mace and track shoes" to go to the 9-0. OK, maybe the shoes are a good idea.
It's possible that the only team that can beat USC this year is USC. While Trojan faithful hope not to see that happen in October against, say, Oregon, there was nothing wrong with it on Wednesday night.
USC split up into Cardinal (essentially first string) and White (essentially second string) squads to simulate a real game in the Coliseum. It was a dress rehearsal appropriate for Hollywood's team.
A "studio audience" of 18,000 showed up, including some freshmen who had just moved into the dorms that afternoon. Donning their crisp new USC sweatshirts, they only needed an oversized nametag to morph into "Price Is Right" contestants. A close cousin of the laugh track, artificial stadium noise was pumped in through the PA. The band, song girls and cheerleaders also did their part to enforce Los Angeles cliches by hitting the road at halftime (the game itself finished before the clock wound down). To meet this town's minimum congestion requirement, the crowd was restricted to the south end of the Coliseum.
Such is life in Los Angeles, a place where the traditional crisp air that usually signals the start of football was replaced by just another perfect balmy evening.
Beyond the velvet ropes (or at least CSC bouncers), several players put on glitzy performances. Chauncey Washington reeled off a 63-yard run and scored a TD before leaving the scrimmage with a shoulder injury. He could be out for a couple weeks, but understudy Stafon Johnson left little reason to worry. He had the longest play of the evening with a 67-yard dash to go along with a couple of scores. Freshman Ronald Johnson also caused some cameras to flash with a 42-yard kickoff return. Though they have had limited exposure to Trojan fans, Johnson & Johnson eventually figure to be key players in any Trojan championship sequels.
Unsurprisingly, "Big Brother" won the contest as Cardinal beat White, 42-10. There are a few ways to interpret that, but at the end of the day this was just a scrimmage with a stacked deck. One stat that gives pause is turnovers. It's great that the QBs didn't toss any picks (Booty has had 400 attempts in camp without throwing a single one), and Stafon Johnson somehow managed to hold onto a ball that was almost stripped at the end of his long run. On the other hand, the defense is hoping to improve on last year's turnover ratio. The fact that one of the nation's best defenses had no takeaways against a second-string offense isn't a great omen.
Another two troublesome stats came on special teams. The first stringers had two penalties on kicks, while the backups had one. There was also a bobbled ball prior to RoJo's big run. Return defense has been a concern in years past, and with kickoffs being moved five yards back it could expose the Trojans to some big plays unless kicker David Buehler can put the ball in the back of the end zone with his strong leg. If he can't, USC may see some big return performances from opponents on par with that of the White team's Vincent Joseph, who had had 111 yards on 5 returns (22.2 yard average).
Like much of the Hollywood press, this is probably just hype over insignificant details. These concerns are minor when you consider USC has good athletes all around the ball who simply put on an exhibition against the best team they may face all year (themselves).
It looks like a blockbuster season is coming to a stadium near you.
 QB John David Booty and DE Lawrence Jackson have been named to the watch list for the 2007 Walter Camp Award, which honors the player of the year. They are among 35 candidates to be recognized.
Yesterday, Booty was also announced as a candidate for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. He would be the first Trojan to win the trophy (not even Carson Palmer or Matt Leinart took home the hardware). Earlier this month he made the watch list for the Manning Award.
Booty joins familiar names on the O'Brien list including Colt McCoy (Texas), Colt Brennan (Hawaii), Brian Brohm (Louisville), and Nate Longshore (Cal). He also joins some unfamiliar unpronounceable ones, such as Omar Haugabook (Troy), Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan), Kinsmon Lancaster (UL-Monroe) and Julian Edelman (Kent State). Like the Manning and the Camp, the O'Brien watch list includes 35 college players. Keep in mind that many teams lost starting QBs to graduation since last year. You do the math. With 119 teams in Division 1A, subtract graduated signal callers, divide 35 by that number, carry the one, and you get ... a low threshold. We'll make a rough guess of 50%.
This raises the question -- why have watch lists in the first place?
Continue reading Ever Feel Like Somebody Is Watching You? »
 The Princeton Review released their 2008 edition of the nation's Best 366 Colleges today. Among the 62 categorical rankings, USC landed at #8 on their "Packs the Stadium" list and #19 on their "Jock Schools" list. The former is based on the popularity of intercollegiate sports, and the latter is a combination of intercollegiate sports, intramural sports and popularity of the Greek system. However, USC did not make the top 20 in either intramural sports or Greek system.
The rankings, now in their 16th edition, were created for high school students looking at colleges and are based on an 80-question survey taken by 120,000 college students. Princeton Review emphasizes that it's about the "best college for you" and not the "best academics." The company behind these rankings is widely known for their SAT prep books and other college-related guides.
USC has yo-yo'd when it comes to packing the stadium, landing at #2 last year but #16 in the 2006 edition. Of course, it's just a popularity poll. Top-ranked University of Maryland can only seat 51,500 in Byrd Stadium, while the Coliseum regularly packs in a capacity crowd of 92,000.
The Trojans were #15 in "diverse student population" two years ago and #14 in "major frat and sorority scene" in 2004.
In the past, these rankings have generated controversy (and publicity) because of their party-school category. They also rank schools for the most (and least) widespread use of weed, beer and liquor. USC did not make any of those lists. For our commenter on this blog who said the Trojans have a "spoiled brat party/football school" reputation ... looks like you were right about the football part.
Cover courtesy of The Princeton Review.
While most people are planning to watch USC football, Pete Carroll's boys aren't the only Trojans competing next month.
- Women's Soccer kicks off Aug. 31 before playing nine games in September. They host a tournament mid-month that will include Georgia, Nebraska and Tennessee.
- Women's Volleyball gets underway on Aug. 24 and will face 10 opponents before league action starts on Sept. 20.
- Men's water polo gets in the pool with Long Beach State on Sept. 1. They play LMU on the 8th, head to NorCal for a tournament mid-month and start league action against Pepperdine on Sept. 22.
- Women's Cross Country has its first invitational on Sept. 1 at Cal State Fullerton. The team travels to San Diego on the 15th and Pepperdine on the 22nd.
- Men's and Women's swimming and diving hosts an intrasquad meet on Sept. 22.
 Once you get past the idea that a 24-year-old kid has a foundation named after him, you can try and wrap your mind around the fact that he's offering four tickets to an Arizona Cardinals game for $20,000.
Of course, all the proceeds will go to the Matt Leinart Foundation. Yes, the website is flashy. Yes, it's mostly glamor shots of Matt wearing USC gear. Yes, it not-so-modestly refers to Leinart as "a shining beacon of sportsmanship." Yes, Nick Lachey and Alyssa Milano are on the Board of Directors.
But at least it's for the kids.
According to Ryan Leinart, the foundation's Executive Director, one of the programs that stands to benefit is Banner Children's Hospital. And just to show that Matt's a nice guy, the former Trojan star will throw in four round-trip tickets from LAX, a couple of nights at a hotel, stadium food, drinks, and a some face-to-stubble time with him after the game. Packages are available for seven home games. More deets after the jump.
Continue reading Hey Buddy, Can You Spare 200,000 Dimes? »
con-sen-sus n. group solidarity in sentiment and belief (Merriam-Webster)
The Associated Press Top 25 media poll came out this week, and USC sits atop that one, too. ESPN did some interesting analysis of how well the AP predicts the season each year, and gave them mixed reviews. They also identified the Pac 10 as the most underrated conference in college football in the past 10 years -- by a very large margin.
Speaking of large margins, this was USC's most dominating AP preseason vote since the Trojans regained their relevance on the national football scene:
- 2007 - 1st - 62/65 first-place votes
- 2006 - 6th - 3/65 first-place votes (finished 4th)
- 2005 - 1st - 60/65 first-place votes (finished 2nd)
- 2004 - 1st - 48/65 first-place votes (finished 1st)
- 2003 - 7th - 0/65 first-place votes (finished 1st)
USC was also the AP preseason favorite in 1963, 1973 and 1979, but failed to finish where they started each of those years.
If you want to get more preseason opinion about USC, click on any of the links below. It doesn't matter which one you choose, they'll all say the same thing: USC is #1.
Admittedly, some of these polls can be taken more seriously than others. The big question might be who is picking AGAINST the Trojans. Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?
USC will play a full football scrimmage on Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 7:15 p.m. The team's traditional Trojan Walk will go down the peristyle steps (east side of the Coliseum), so get there by 5:15 p.m. if you want to cheer them on beforehand. This is the first public opportunity to watch the 2007 Trojans on their home turf.
Much like a real game, the team will spend the night before in a hotel. Unlike a real game, it won't cost you anything to get in.
Photo by Adam Rose.
If you're a die hard football fan hoping to watch the Trojans practice on this nice, sunny Friday -- think again. Practice has been canceled today to give players the afternoon off.
That doesn't mean you can't still go out and enjoy the sunshine ...
Tailback Emmanuel Moody's decision to transfer was probably the best thing for him, regardless of any SI cover jinx. After sustaining another injury in camp, he was facing an uphill battle in a field of 10 tailbacks competing for a limited number of carries. Now, he'll have a year to recover and a great shot at being a feature back for another program. The key thing for him may be the chance to get healthy -- but do all players have to miss a year when they transfer?
The answer is yes for anybody who has been recruited for and played top-level football, basketball or men's ice hockey. Players who were not recruited and never got a scholarship can play immediately. Other sports will allow first-time transfers to start right away. A USC football player like Moody could also drop down a division if he wanted to compete this year, but don't put any money on that happening with Moody. Whatever he does, he'll need to enroll by the 12th day of classes at his new institution or he'll miss two years. For a 34-page PDF guide to "basic information you need to know about transferring to an NCAA college," you can click here.
As for the Trojan's two heralded transfers from Arkansas, QB Mitch Mustain is taking reps in scrimmage while WR Damian Williams will sit out practice this year with an injury. Both become eligible in 2008.
If rival schools can't say much about USC's football rankings, some of them may talk a little trash about this year's list of America's Best Colleges published by US News & World Report.
USC is in the the top tier (National Universities: Top Schools) at 27, holding steady from last year. That's one behind UCLA and Michigan, who tied at 25. Stanford was the top West Coast school at 4. Notre Dame was 19 and Cal was 21.
Whether it's sports or academics, rankings cause controversy. The US News methodology uses a formula based 25% on reputation from people in academia and the rest on a bunch of survey data plugged into a computer. Like the BCS, it has both detractors and supporters.
USC has shown some improvement over the past couple years (ranked 30 in 2006), but has had even greater growth since the annual study was started in 1983. If anybody has links to historical results, please post them in a comment.
[NOTE: An earlier error was corrected in this post. USC did not fall a spot from last year.]
While most Americans head home for Thanksgiving, a few Trojan sports fans will head to the desert and root for the football team against Arizona State. If that's a little far for you, USC hoops will play in Orange County on Turkey day.
Pairings for the first annual Anaheim Classic were announced today. The eight-team tournament will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center Nov. 22-25. USC tips off Thursday against San Diego and will play Southern Alabama or Miami of Ohio on Friday. All schools will take Saturday off for a trip to Disneyland, and the two undefeated teams will play for the championship on Sunday. All other squads will participate in consolation games.
If you're not feeling motivated to get off the couch after your Thanksgiving meal, ESPN will carry the football game at 5 p.m. and ESPN2 will carry the basketball game at 9 p.m.
 Some USC fans may be uneasy after seeing three Trojans on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. The SI cover jinx has been widely acknowledged in the sporting world ever since Eddie Mathews appeared on the magazine's inaugural cover in 1954, then went on to break his hand. Some superstitious fans believe it's a sign of bad things to come, and the editors over at SI haven't done much to dispel the myth.
In reality, the jinx doesn't hold a lot of water -- especially for the Trojans.
It's understandable that something might go wrong for a team or athlete that has recently been on the cover, since Sports Illustrated's job is to present news about teams in the spotlight. Often, they're headed into a big showdown where odds are good that something will go wrong. SI has increased the possibility this week, with five different regional covers. One of those teams or players is bound to disappoint.
Of course, a lot of teams and players have experienced major success instead. Six of USC's seven Heisman trophy winners made the cover before winning their hardware. Several times, the Trojans have won a championship shortly after appearing. Not counting special championship editions (Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush) and SI On Campus (Matt Leinart. Twice.), here's a breakdown of all the USC covers currently available from SI.com. There were only two incidents of bad luck after these 25 covers.
8-21-06: John David Booty, Ryan Kalil and Sam Baker are on one of six regional covers. USC wins the Pac 10 and Rose Bowl and is #4 in the country in a rebuilding reloading year.
8-15-05: Reggie Bush features on the cover. He goes on to win the Heisman trophy.
Continue reading 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... Jinx! »
With ESPN and Sports Illustrated releasing their college football previews so close together, it feels like two divorced parents trying to prove who loves their child more on Christmas.
Nobody should be surprised that SI joined the parade of polls picking USC as the top football team in the land. A shot of three Trojan tailbacks is featured on one of the five regional covers.
Inside, the magazine acknowledges Troy's embarassment of riches while placing them at the head of the class. Cal is the only other team ranked from the Pac 10, sliding into the final spot at #20. USC gets some more ink in SI's salute to the Year of the Running Back. They place John David Booty at third in the Heisman race.
Online, SI.com says to watch out for Ronald Johnson and Joe McKnight, while USC alum Arash Markazi highlights the hot prospects of McKnight and several others. Like ESPN, they also say to watch the games against UCLA and Cal, but their list includes out-of-conference matchups like the Trojans' trip to Nebraska.
The print edition's 67 "Can't Miss Matchups" goes even further by including the three contests pictured online, plus USC's trips to Notre Dame and Oregon, as well as Oregon State's venture to the Coliseum.
There's also an article about former USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and his adjustment to life with the Oakland Raiders. It seems like the magazine went to press before Kiffin was hospitalized on Monday with a viral infection.
Magazine cover courtesy of Sports Illustrated.
USC and the LA Sports Council Foundation are teaming up to provide a special opportunity for disadvantaged youth in the Los Angeles area.
Donations are being accepted for Touchdown For Youth, a program that gives kids a chance to experience a USC football game from the stands. Every $30 raised will provide one youngster with transportation, admission, a hot dog and a beverage (considering the cost of food and parking at most stadiums, that isn't a bad deal!). This year the program hopes to provide 2,000 to 3,000 youths an opportunity to enjoy the USC opener against Idaho at the Coliseum on Sept. 1.
The concept started at the 1993 Super Bowl, when several hundred kids participated in the halftime show at the Rose Bowl. Touchdown For Youth made an annual tradition out of Raider games until it began partnering with the Trojans just over a decade ago. In recent years, more than 24,000 kids have participated.
Tax-deductible donations are best made by check to Los Angeles Sports Council Foundation (indicate "Touchdown For Youth" in the memo line). The address is 350 South Bixel Street, Suite 250, Los Angeles, CA 90017. For credit card donations or other inquiries, call the foundation at 213-482-6333.
The Boys in Bristol have spoken, and they like the Trojans.
As part of ESPN's college football preview, 12 experts from ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine were unanimous in predicting that the Trojans would win this year's BCS championship. Three said USC would beat Texas in the title game, while three said LSU. There were two votes for Michigan and West Virginia and one each for Virginia Tech and Oklahoma.
ESPN.com's Preseason All-America team (selected by Ivan Maisel) included USC's Sam Baker, Lawrence Jackson, Sedrick Ellis and Keith Rivers. Maisel said that even though they didn't make his preseason list, Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga and John David Booty "might be All-Americans in December." Don't feel bad about Booty being left off. He's the highest rated quarterback and No. 3 overall on ESPN's Heisman Watch List. As one of their writers pointed out, "Six of the last seven Heisman winners were QBs, and two of those guys were Trojans."
It's not just the veterans getting attention. Freshman tailback Joe McKnight was written up by the four-letter network for his solid performance in Monday's practice. McKnight also looked strong in Sunday's Coliseum scrimmage, as did freshman wide receiver Ronald Johnson.
Among the top 25 conference matchups to watch this season, according to ESPN, are USC at Cal (Nov. 10) and UCLA at USC (Dec. 1).
 Why has USC has won five straight (mythical) recruiting titles? Sure, it's great to play for a former NFL coach in a top-ranked program with a large national spotlight. Several schools can offer that. But not very many can offer the perks of living in Southern California. On Sunday, the team took a break from drills to check out the AVP Manhattan Beach Open. The stadium announcer recognized the team several times as the Rose Bowl and Pac 10 champs, and the players got to enjoy thousands of fans cheering their appearance on a sunny beach.
At most schools, the Heisman candidate quarterback gets a lot of attention. At USC, even the sixth tailback on the depth chart gets to hang out with five bikini models. No wonder Allen Bradford was willing to change positions for Coach Carroll.
Photo by Adam Rose.
One has a Heisman, two national championship rings and a budding NFL career. The other has ... a Heisman, two national championship rings and a budding NFL career. But which one is the better video game player? Watch USC's golden boys talk a little trash in this preview, then tune in to Spike TV on Monday at 8:30 p.m. Pacific time for an All-Madden episode of Game Head.
The Trojans have made verbal agreements to play home-and-away series with Syracuse (home in 2011 and away in 2012) and Boston College (home in 2013 and away in 2014). Both teams were recently classified as third-tier by Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel, who noted that Syracuse would normally be higher, "but they're just so darn bad and so irrelevant right now." The Orangemen were 4-8 last season and finished dead last in the Big East. The BC Eagles were 10-3 last year after beating Navy in the Meineke Bowl. They just missed the top 25 in this year's preseason coaches' poll.
While LSU's Les Miles might not approve of USC's strength of schedule, it's hard to guess how these teams will stack up when they actually play the Trojans. Four years ago, Miami played in its second straight national championship game. Now the Hurricanes are staring up at the entire top 25 and recovering from the embarrassment of last season's bench-clearing brawl. Rewind seven years and USC was dead last in the Pac 10. There's no need to explain what's happened since then.
No word if USC might consider playing any of these games in China.
 John David Booty was named one of 35 players to watch for the 2007 Manning Award. A watch list this large isn't exactly exclusive, since it includes about half of the returning signal callers starting in Division 1-A. Regardless, Booty will be good to keep an eye on this season.
The award is the only QB honor voted on after bowl season, unlike the Sammy Baugh Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Trophy (the latter is restricted to seniors only). The trophy will be presented in New Orleans by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. It's named after all three Mannings (Archie, Payton, and Eli), who get to vote along with members of the media.
Matt Leinart won the inaugural award in 2005, followed by Vince Young (Texas) and JaMarcus Russell (LSU).
With so many people getting polled this preseason -- media, coaches, and even fans -- shouldn't somebody ask the players what they think? Sports Illustrated did. After questioning one starter from all 119 Division 1-A teams, it looks like the Trojans are pretty popular among their peers:
- 49.5% picked USC to win the national championship. Florida was second with 17.6%.
- John David Booty was runner-up in the preseason Heisman hype with 10.1% to Darren McFadden (Arkansas) at 58%.
- Pete Carroll was the man 28.6% of players would like to play for if they couldn't be with their current coach. Urban Meyer (Florida) trailed with 10.9% and JoePa (Penn State) had 10.2%.
Among the other interesting findings, 76.5% favored additional compensation beyond scholarships -- possibly because 46.2% spent at least 40 hours per week on football-related activities. Also, 73.1% favored a playoff system, 53.8% agreed with the ban on text messaging recruits, and 39.5% read message boards or blogs about their team.
USC announced on Monday that eight players were being added to the 2007 roster. As excited as these guys must be, the life of a walk-on isn't the most glamorous in college football. Since you may not read much about these guys during the season, we found out what they say about themselves on Facebook (the nation's leading social-networking website for college students).
Jordan Congdon - A transfer kicker, Jordan hasn't had much time to update his profile. He still lists Nebraska Football as one of his activities. If you have a really good memory, you'd recall that Congdon scored the first points against USC in the 2006 season.
Omari Crittenden - He still hasn't crossed a hunting trip off of his life's to-do list, but Omari does update his profile more often than Congdon. As of Sunday, the cornerback listed his status as "chillin at football camp."
Adam Goodman - Adam has worked as a personal trainer in Fountain Valley and got married this summer. His favorite music is country and/or Christian hip hop.
Daniel Harper - In his job description, this DB concisely states that's he's supposed to "shut down receivers and make plays." In his free time, he plays five instruments (saxophone, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, piano and drums) -- and he's not even a music major.
Justin Hart - He may look hard in his profile photo, but Justin's favorite TV shoes are Family Matters and The Office. The safety has made the squad twice before.
Brad Smith - Brad likes foosball and insists, "I'm not a nerd." We'll trust him for now, but he is a kicker, a grad student, and has a degree in philosophy.
Brook Van Muijen - A fishing and hunting enthusiast, maybe Brook can help Omari with his first expedition when he's not busy kicking.
Joe Houston - Joe was the only walk-on without a profile we could find. We do know that this JC transfer was 14-of-20 on field goals and 49-of-50 on PATs for El Camino's state championship team.
 Just a few months after tearing up the links as a Freshman, USC's Jamie Lovemark was named to the U.S. Walker Cup squad. He will join seven other American amatuers in defending the cup against Britain and Ireland. Play begins September 8 at the Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, Ireland.
Lovemark will return to the USC this season as the NCAA's defending individual national champion and defending national player of the year. Before joining the Trojans, he was the youngest player to ever win the PGA Western Amateur.
He is the fifth Trojan to make the Walker Cup squad, but first since Sam Randolph in 1985.
 The 2nd Annual LA Stars All-Star Celebrity Basketball Game will tip off in USC's Galen Center on Sunday, August 5th at 5:00pm. Former Trojan stars Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young are scheduled to play. Last year's event featured Reggie Bush, and may or may not have been the exhibition game where he rolled his ankle.
LA Stars is a celebrity-packed weekend of events which aims to "rebuild, preserve, and provide programs and resources to at-risk youth in Los Angeles and the surrounding communities." Beneficiaries include four different foundations created by Baron Davis, Paul Pierce, Gilbert Arenas, and Magic Johnson. Davis, Pierce, and Arenas are supposed to participate in the festivities.
Tickets are still available through the USC Ticket Office or Ticketmaster. There's also a free event before the game called "Celebrity Carnival," held in USC's McCarthy Quad from 11:00am to 5:00pm. It will feature Hood Games, an "urban extreme sport competition" featuring break dancing, cardio, double dutch, and food demonstrations. Organizers hope to encourage healthy lifestyles.
 Former USC pitcher Tom House was named the team's assistant baseball coach on Thursday. He played for the Trojans in 1967 before moving on to pitch in 289 big league games with Atlanta, Boston, and Seattle.
Head coach Chad Kreuter expects House's experience to pay off with recruiting. Kreuter also remarked that his final hire for the 2008 season "is a guy that possesses a wealth of pitching knowledge and his expertise in motion analysis will further aid the development of our pitchers and players."
House served as a pitching coach in Houston, San Diego, and Texas before founding the National Pitching Association. As a player, House was known for catching Hank Aaron's 715th home run ball and pictures of him returning it to Aaron are in the MLB Hall of Fame. After his career ended, he was one of the first players to speak out about the abuse and dangers of steroids -- from first-hand experience.
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