Troy Emerges From The Smoke

Athletes engaged in limited drills due to air quality, as an eerie light was filtered by the haze.

The Southland is burning, and wispy fingers of smoke are choking USC's campus. Even though there are no wildfires threatening the school, there are blazes to the west in Malibu, south in Orange and San Diego counties, and east in San Bernadino County.

Pete Carroll tried to keep the mood light when asked about the impact of the conditions on practice.

"The coaches were asking about wearing the SARS masks, but I don't know if that's going to help us."

Besides bad air quality, athletes training at USC today are contending with blistering temperatures. It's a week from November but the mercury is well into the 90s.

The important news is that there have been no reports of fires impacting the families of current USC athletes, though several alumni have been evacuated. Baseball pitching coach Tom House, who lives in the San Diego area, had his commute snarled by the evacuations. It took him an hour and a half to drive just 11 miles.

Coach Tom Walsh, who oversees distance running, checks with the South Coast Air Quality Management District when conditions get bad. He said the smoke has impacted both his teams. On Monday, track took the day off and cross country drove out to Manhattan Beach for some fresh air. Tuesday, both squads had a scaled-down workout and went into the weight room early. The rest of the week will be the same, and outside work will be limited.

It could always be worse. Walsh recalled fires a few years ago when "we weren't allowed to train for two or three days because there was actually ash coming down."

The women's soccer team opted to head indoors today instead of practicing on the field.

The most poignant coverage of these fires comes to us from CBS 8's Larry Himmel. He reported on his home of 25 years burning to the ground, and still had the presence of mind to say "it's not all about me" before sharing some hopeful words for his neighbors.

[UPDATE: Football practice was generally unaffected, though it was hot and smoky.]