I thought ESPN's picking Fili Moala to go No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL draft seemed like a stretch, but he's getting some serious love from a number of other mock drafts. Again, these guys are the draft experts:
Rivals.com has Moala at No. 2, with Rey Maualuga (7), Taylor Mays (13), Brian Cushing (26) and Kyle Moore (27) also going in the first round. That's five defensive first-round picks on one side of the ball.
Sports Illustrated has Moala at No. 5, with Maualuga at 10, Mays at 14 and Cushing at 25.
Walter Football has Moala at No. 6, with Maualuga at 12, Mays at 19 and Cushing at 29.
Elsewhere:
John David Booty is getting roughed up on the blogosphere for his Wonderlic score. [Deadspin]
Todd McShay of Scout, Inc. and ESPN put together a self-described "insanely early" 2009 NFL mock draft (it's on ESPN Insider but they're doing a free preview). His top pick might surprise you:
1. Atlanta Falcons -- Fili Moala, DT, USC Atlanta finally gets its playmaking interior defensive lineman. Moala has flown under the radar to this point but he should emerge from the shadow of 2008 No. 7 overall pick Sedrick Ellis and become one of the elite defenders in college football this fall.
That was unexpected, to put it mildly. Moala was overshadowed by Ellis in 2007, but it's a big jump from All-Pac-10 to No. 1 overall draft pick. Of course, college success and NFL stock aren't one and the same. Physicality takes on greater importance. That's why Reggie Bush won a Heisman but people question his status as an every-down back. That's why a subdivision (I-AA) quarterback named Joe Flacco was drafted four rounds ahead of Dennis Dixon. And that was the only conceivable knock against the 6-foot-1 Ellis. The only defensive tackle picked higher this year was LSU's Glenn Dorsey -- taller by a whopping inch.
When asked about his size before the draft, Ellis said, "A lot of people like taller tackles, but I think my height is just great. You get these big 6-5 linemen, and I can get up underneath them and uproot them out of what they’re trying to do."
Whether or not it's right, Ellis puts it out there -- people like taller tackles. Moala is 6 foot 5.
I'm not certain if that influenced McShay, but I do know the other Trojans who made his list of first rounders: Rey Maualuga at No. 9 and Brian Cushing at No. 32. No surprises there.
While we're on the topic of ESPN Insider, Bruce Feldman says USC's 2003 recruiting class is the best ever (nine first day picks, with Moala as the possible 10th). Only Miami's 2001 group would be comparable. To read the full story, you will need that Insider service.
There was a time, a time before cable, when the home uniform reigned
supreme. When teams wore anything that contrasted. This was an
age when college football meant tradition. And in Los Angeles, one tradition was more colorful then the rest. It was shared by USC and UCLA. They were
like gods walking amongst mere mortals. They had fight songs that could make
a wolverine purr and unis so fine they made Sinatra look like a hobo.
In other words ... I've seen Anchorman too many times.
What I haven't seen enough of is the tradition where both USC and UCLA wear their home uniforms when they play for the Victory Bell. Both used to host home games in the Coliseum, so naturally they would wear cardinal and powder blue when they faced off. Shortly after the Bruins moved to the Rose Bowl, the NCAA changed the rules and visiting teams were forced to wear white.
710 ESPN's Dave Dameshek recently got Pete Carroll and Rick Neuheisel on the record to support a return to the good ol' days. Unfortunately, there's more to it. The schools will need to ask the NCAA for a waiver, and you know how red tape can be. Instead of sticking cheerleaders outside of some administrators door, Dameshek (with help from Joyless Joey) is building support with a petition. I'm on board.
Sign it! Share it with friends! There's no "magic number" ... the more people that sign it, the more likely we'll be heard. Click here and get to it!
IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: I've received a lot of emails saying that the petition requires a donation to vote. It does not. After you sign it, you MIGHT get a screen that asks for donations to keep the site running. However, at the top of the page it says "Your signature has been recorded." You do not need to give them money.
The University of Colorado surveyed attendance at all the spring football games this year (two yet to be played) and found that more than 1.3 million people went to 96 games for an average of 14,331 per scrimmage. Subtracting the top and bottom 10, the average dips to 10,710 -- about the size of a small tailgate party in the SEC. For complete results, download the PDF here.
If you read the full chart, notice how schools approached charging for admission. UCLA was free and USC was $10 (free for students and children 12 and under). The only school with a higher gate fee was Notre Dame, which ranged up to $15 (or about $5 per win last season).
These numbers aren't exactly certified (the survey warns "If marketing people are involved, some numbers could be inflated") and many seem to round to the nearest 100 or 1,000. Still, it's a good way to measure just how important football is to different communities. Note that the combined attendance of USC and UCLA would rank only eighth in the nation.
This year, USC set a record with 22,000 fans at Trojan Huddle. A little digging and some help from USC's sports information department reveals the following historical attendance data. All games were in the Coliseum unless otherwise noted. Also, the Coliseum scrimmage was often held midway through spring practice instead of at the end.
1998 - 1,000 (Howard Jones Field, raining, Paul Hackett's first year) 1999 - 2,000 (Howard Jones Field) 2000 - 4,000 2001 - 2,000 (raining, Pete Carroll's first year) 2002 - Unknown 2003 - 5,000 2004 - 10,000 2005 - 15,000 2006 - 15,000 2007 - 15,000 2008 - 22,000
USC alum Dave Hobrecht is the artist behind some of the work you'll find in the campus bookstore (and, of course, Surfer Magazine).
On May 3 from 12 to 4 p.m., he'll be hosting a reception at the USC Collections store in Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza.
Prices for his original USC-inspired work range from $200 for limited-edition prints (unframed, 26"x21")to $12,500 for original charcoal drawings (framed, 45"x35").
I was waiting on the NBA to release the official list of players declaring for the NBA draft before posting the final departures here, but the league just said the list won't come out until Thursday or Friday.
This Year: USC had another huge draft weekend with 10 players getting selected -- the most of any school. The Trojans also led the way with four first-round picks.
Historical Perspective: USC has sent 446 players to the NFL via the draft. 42 have been picked in the seven years since Pete Carroll arrived, including 11 in the first round.
Let's be honest. You didn't do a lot of draft watching this weekend and you didn't get in much quality keyboard time. This is Los Angeles -- we don't even have an NFL team. You were probably at the beach. Or watching the Lakers. Or getting down in Coachella (pictured). Or ogling celebrity parents at your niece's middle school musical.
But now it's Monday and you're back in the office. You're about to run into that pretentious punk from accounting who can name 45 undrafted players from BCS all-conference teams. Fear not! We've got three posts this morning to brief you on what's happening with your favorite players. Coming up, we'll have a double dose of draft news (NFL and NBA). For now, it's your morning hot links ...
Women's basketball will have a fresh look next year with two top recruits returning from injury and three freshmen who have made some level of All-American.
USC has had 443 players drafted by the NFL, and since Pete Carroll came seven years ago, another 39 have gone on the big board (including 11 in the first round). Today's highlights:
USC had the most players selected in today's first round (4) and most selections in the first two rounds combined (7).
7 players in the first two rounds is an all-time USC record, up from 5 in 1968 and 2006.
4 players in the first round is the most for the Trojans since 1968, when 5 went.
Taj Gibson's father, Wilbert, told L.A. Times reporter Ben Bolch that the USC forward will return for his junior season. Click here for the full story.
Fox Sports is reporting that Davon Jefferson is entering the NBA draft and will hire Arn Tellem as an agent. That's about all to the story right now. Draft Express has him going 5th in the second round, and NBADraft.net will probably update its list on Monday (it currently has him going in 2009).
Though the losses of O.J. Mayo (who declared a few weeks ago) and Jefferson will be tough, retaining Gibson is huge for the basketball team -- literally. At 6'10", he's the largest and most physical of USC's experienced players. Had he left for the NBA, you might have seen a lot of small lineups and some fast-paced ball. If he keeps on pace, Gibson could leave USC on top of the school's career blocked-shot list.
Carson Palmer wanted Cincinnati to draft Sedrick Ellis with their #9 overall pick in this weekend's NFL draft, but Ellis was already taken at #7 by New Orleans. Instead, Palmer was excited to get another Trojan: Keith Rivers.
This is an absolutely surreal experience. I am numb right now. I'm not sure what to do -- jump up and down or cry -- I'm just so excited about being a Cincinnati Bengal. Coach Marvin Lewis made the call. When my phone rang it was an unknown number and I had some friends calling before that so I wasn't sure if I should answer it. I was thrilled to get the call. My agent called after that and told me Carson Palmer was jumping up and down. I will be too - I'm a Cincinnati Bengal!
Sam Baker was taken 21st overall by Atlanta, and Lawrence Jackson went 28th to Seattle. It's still very early, and plenty of other Trojans will have their name called in the next day and a half. We'll keep you posted ...
Second Round Update: San Francisco, with the 8th pick in the second round (38th overall) selected Chilo Rachal, the only Trojan who went pro early this year. Fred Davis went to Washington at 17th in the second (48th overall). On the last pick of Day 1 (32nd pick of the second round, 63rd overall) the New York Giants chose Terrell Thomas.
Gary Klein wrote an interesting article today about trouble USC is having with unauthorized T-shirt sales:
USC's compliance department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the sale of a T-shirt that featured an image of the Mexican flag and included the words "Viva Sanchez." The shirt was sold during the scrimmage at a booth inside the gates of the Coliseum, but a school spokesman said the vendor was not affiliated with the university.
Every year, new T-shirts crop up around campus to celebrate USC and, frequently, specific players. If you stop and think about it, many of them seem to be unlicensed. USC has a very strict graphic identity program. Heck, all the school's media guides contain this little gem:
PLEASE do not use Southern Cal (it's like calling San Francisco "Frisco" or North Carolina "North Car."). The usage of "Southern Cal" on licensed apparel and merchandise is limited in scope and necessary to protect federal trademark rights.
Obviously USC takes brand protection very seriously -- and they're not the only ones. An organization called the Collegiate Licensing Company keeps a tight rein on trademarks for dozens of schools, conferences and other college sports organizations.
And then there's the NCAA, which bans the use of student-athletes' names or pictures on commercial items. Of course, jerseys sold at a mark-up in the school bookstore are OK because nobody knows that 11 is Matt Leinart or 5 is Reggie Bush (even though both numbers are retired). But I digress ...
Here are a few popular T-shirt slogans at USC in recent years:
"FUCLA" (blue shirt, with UCLA-style script)
"Bush/Leinart '04" (made to look like a presidential campaign logo)
"I like Bush but I love Booty" (or vice versa)
These tend to be sold out of a backpack rather than a store rack. Special mention goes to a fraternity homecoming T-shirt passed out a couple of years ago that listed USC's Heisman winning tailbacks, including the one and only "Mike Barrett." You'd think they'd at least spell the name of the school's athletic director right.
So what made the "Viva Sanchez" shirts more newsworthy than all those other possible violations? The fact that they were sold at a booth inside the gates of the Coliseum. Whoops!
FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" put together a goofy rap video about draft day with cameos by Sedrick Ellis and John David Booty. The video reminds me a little of SNL's Lazy Sunday.
Keith Rivers is having a party and you're invited -- virtually, that is.
The NFL Draft party is Saturday in Rivers' hometown of Lake Mary, Fla. He plans on live-blogging and sharing photos and videos from the event. No word if Rivers will be streaming, but he is supposed to respond to comments from fans.
All the info will becoming through Rivers' blog on Yardbarker.com, where he started posting earlier this month along with USC linebacker Thomas Williams. Rivers is expected to be a first-round pick, but all the combines and workouts are over. Now it's a waiting game. "There is only so much you can control during the draft so I am just enjoying the process," he said in a release.
The Trojan Marching Band is scheduled to play this weekend, but it won't sound like any of its usual performances.
Percussion will be replaced by dribbling, winds substituted for a swish of the net.
The 3rd Annual TMB Basketball Classic goes down on Sunday with the Trombones looking to defend their title. Last year, Daniel Hackett and Chris Penrose showed up from the USC men's basketball team. This year, women's basketball Coach Mark Trakh is scheduled to be at the final game along with Dennis Packer announcing on the PA (you may recognize his voice from football on Saturdays in the Coliseum and Sundays in San Diego for the Chargers).
The event is being held as a fundraiser for Relay for Life of USC. The band is selling T-shirts for $12, and if you'd like to order one you can email tmbbball@gmail.com.
A full news release and pictures from last year's tournament are after the jump.
FSN Prime Ticket will air the "Lexus Gauntlet Show" tonight at 10:30.
This week's edition focuses primarily on the upcoming UCLA spring football game, with the USC spring football report as a smaller part of the show. John Jackson and Petros Papadakis will give an analysis on the state of the Trojans coming out of this spring.
If you want to see what they're up to across town, new Bruin offensive coordinator Norm Chow will be profiled by Brandon Hancock (who used to play for Chow at USC).
Links are fewer and further between in the off-season, but here are a few worth checking out ...
Dwayne Jarrett's wild ways are under the spotlight. Funny, wasn't he college roommates with a certain Matthew Stephen Leinart? Didn't they get in trouble because they were roommates? I'm not sayin'. I'm just sayin'.
The NFL Network has joined our national obsession with making lists. That's all that's done on a program called "NFL Top 10." Thanks to its deep archives, it makes for a pretty good show. In the clip above, the show dubs USC the nation's top football factory.
Speaking of football factories, USA Today confirmed what most of us already assumed: The states of California, Texas and Florida produce the most NFL draftees. Thank you, weather gods. The article has a lot more about the draft and is worth the read.
Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo came to Los Angeles on the covers of magazines. They'll drift away (unless the Clippers draft one of them) on the airwaves. Set to the tune of -- you guessed it -- "Love and Marriage," it's time for "Love and Mayo."
Dick Banks is the man behind the music. He creates a lot of great parodies for the "Dave Dameshek Show" on 710 ESPN (weekdays 4 to 7 p.m.).
USC released its depth chart (two-deep) before the spring game last weekend. The most fluid unit is the offensive line, which currently features 12 players (plus some big freshmen on the way). According to assistant coach Pat Ruel, "My whole offensive line is pretty wide open right now. It's going to be wide open until a couple weeks before we play."
One of the themes that came up with Ruel this spring was the importance of having players who could fill in several positions. For example:
Butch Lewis and Nick Howell can play either left or right tackle.
Zack Heberer can play either left or right guard.
Martin Coleman can play right guard or right tackle.
Kris O'Dowd can play center or guard.
Alex Parsons can play right tackle, right guard or center.
As you can see, there's not always a correlation between learning one spot on the line and learning another.
Ruel said this flexibility "is critical when you start the season because it allows you to always feel like you have some experience in those areas."
That said, two spots seem to be locks: Jeff Byers at left guard and O'Dowd at center.
Spring football is such a tease. For three weeks the sport dances its way into your thoughts. At USC, it culminates with a game in the Coliseum complete with all the accoutrements: Traveler, the Trojan Marching Band and song girls. This year they even dedicated a new mural. (Wouldn't that be awkward if things suddenly didn't work out between USC and the Coliseum Commission?)
Now, it's all over.
Practice doesn't start again until early August. In the meantime, players might take a class or find a summer job. Most will stick around campus to work out. Since you probably can't spot Rey Maualuga while he's doing bench presses, here are a few suggestions to help pass the dog days of summer (a.k.a. now until August):
Meet Pete - Like any good rock star, Pete Carroll is going on tour. He'll be at seven meet-and-greet dinners in Southern California (plus one in San Francisco) from May 28 to June 14. The schedule will be posted at usctrojans.com within a week or two.
Go to Camp - If you're in high school or middle school, USC has summer football camps. If you just want to act like a kid, they've got something for you too. Click here for all the details.
NFL Draft Day - April 26 and 27 (yes, this weekend) will mean a new tax bracket for several recent USC football players. Find out where your favorite star will play on Sundays. Your best bet is a sports bar with some games to pass the time. Hopefully this year goes faster than the last few. If you want to impress your buddies with obscure knowledge, check out this article on the draft's history.
NBA Playoffs - It's not football, but there's no reason you shouldn't support your Trojans in the NBA. The Boston Celtics are the favorites in the East, and they feature Brian Scalabrine and Gabe Pruitt. OK, "feature" might be a strong word, but at least they have good seats. The Washington Wizards are running out of time in their series, but Nick Young should make a contribution in their remaining games. If you really get hooked on this NBA thing, at least one USC player will be drafted June 26.
Fulmer Cup - The offseason means lots of free time for student-athletes. Maybe too much free time. Fortunately for you, college football is big on schadenfreude. Enter the Fulmer Cup, which tracks all the offseason jailarity. Mizzou is currently leading (that's not a good thing).
A Better L.A. - Pete Carroll's personal cause, A Better L.A., is trying to make a difference in the communities near USC. Whether you get involved with them or any other charitable organization, it's always a good idea to volunteer your time.
In a column this weekend, Bill Plaschke argues that college basketball is suffering under the current system in which insta-stars spend only one year in school before bouncing to the NBA.
Would college basketball be better if all those one-and-done freshmen were once again allowed to go from high school to the pros? Thus leaving the college game for the kids who will at least spend a couple of years in college and allow for the building of a system and the continuation of a tradition? I vote yes and yes.
Right now, guys like O.J. Mayo don't really have a choice. Heralded incoming freshman DeMar DeRozan also looks like a one-and-done. Tim Floyd has suggested that he might rethink signing such players if they will hurt the team's APR (academic progress rate) and, as a result, number of scholarships.
The NBA probably won't change anything, but college coaches do have the choice to say no to a player who may threaten the team concept and APR. On the other hand, these guys are really, really good.
Trojan TV All Access continues its "Mic'd Up" series with Todd McNair.
Other Sports
The golf team is on fire. Not only did it win its third tournament on four tries, but two players were nominated for the top individual award in college golf.
A reported 22,000 fans came out to the Coliseum on Saturday for the Trojan Huddle, USC's last football event of the spring. It seemed a little smaller, but it was definitely a solid turnout. Artificial crowd noise helped simulate a packed stadium.
The scrimmage ended with the White team (primarily the first-string defense and second-string offense) beating the Cardinal team (vice-versa), 39-36, in double overtime, but let's be honest -- you can't read too much into that. Either way, USC won. The game was more of an opportunity for coaches and players to practice and try out cool things like a ...
Five-receiver set run out of the shotgun
Flea flicker (which was intercepted)
Somersault into the end zone -- by a linebacker
Moonbounce
OK, the players didn't go in the inflatable moonbounce (you know, this kind of stuff), but I think an errant field goal attempt may have hit it.
Some of the players who stood out to me included Stafon Johnson, Aaron Corp, Chris Galippo, Travon Patterson and C.J. Gable. It's clear that USC is completely stacked at the offensive skill positions. Mark Sanchez looked good at the helm. Talking about naming Sanchez the starting quarterback, Pete Carroll was quick to say, "It was clear that this was the right decision for us at this time."
Our friends at the Dave Dameshek Show on 710 ESPN just passed us this interview with O.J. Mayo. In it, Sideline Reporter Sarah cuts to the chase on everything from NBA analysis (Kobe for MVP) to upcoming purchases (house for mom) to the best part of college (frat row). There's something for everybody to love!
The interview runs just over 3 minutes. You can catch more Dameshek from 4-7 p.m. weekdays on 710 AM.
Pete Carroll held a half-hour press conference on Friday to talk about the state of the team. We clipped some video of his comments about the tailback spot (above), which seems to be the biggest position battle now that Mark Sanchez has been named quarterback.
Also, some quotes on what will feel different between last year's team and this year's ...
Carroll on the new personality of the leadership:
I think we're a little more energetic, a little more outgoing. We had a lot of quiet leaders last year. Keith [Rivers] was somewhat like that. Sammy Baker was like that. John David [Booty] was like that. These guys are a little more outspoken and vocal. There certainly is a lot of energy in this group ... It might be the quarterback play that'll be different. I think we'll get a little more movement out of the QBs than we've had in the past.
Carroll on the differences with Mark Sanchez at quarterback:
Mark's a little more resourceful as an athlete than John David [Booty] was. John David was more of a pocket guy. Mark is quicker to take off and move -- his subtle movements in the pocket, a little quicker to adjust, and just slide and bob and weave in the pocket to find his spacing. He also is quicker to take off and run. John was going to beat you throwing the football. Mark will take off and make some yards with his legs, which is a nice attribute to have.
Matt Leinart was a guy that was resourceful and moved around well and avoided the rush in good fashion and would even run at times (and wished he could run better!). Mark and Matt are very similar in that manner. I think what that provides for us is there will be some times when Mark will make movements (Mitch and Aaron both do the same thing), they'll create some space for themselves and get a second look down the field that could possibly give us some second shots at big plays. We feel that clearly when he's playing. I think that's definitely going to happen, and we really like that. I think that's a boost for us.
USC football recruit Maurice Simmons is listed on the team's initial 2008 depth chart at weakside linebacker. You may remember that Simmons (not to be confused with his many siblings, including at least a couple of Trojans) was arrested on charges of armed robbery last month. Pete Carroll was asked about it Friday at a news conference but couldn't say much other than mentioning that a hearing is scheduled at the end of the month (he thought it might be the 28th) "that will give us a lot more information."
Although it isn't set in stone (especially because of injuries and possible shifts on the offensive line), you can see a full PDF of the chart here.
There are a number of great USC blogs out there (USC Rips It, Conquest Chronicles, and Trojan Wire, among others). We'd like to welcome the latest one to the blogosphere.
Candy Yee is a volunteer at the information desk in Heritage Hall. You can see her, along with Patti and Dudley Poon, every Friday afternoon in the main lobby. They can hook you up with posters, schedules and, of course, something for your sweet tooth.
Working in Heritage Hall means Candy sees a lot of USC celebs, and she's sharing her stories over on TrojanCandy.com. She's also keeping us on our toes with a blog called "Trojan Justice: The (UC)LA Times Watchdog."
Candy raves about O.J. Mayo as one of the nicest guys she's met (he digs the Skittles and Snickers). She laughed that when Mayo took a photo with her son, clad in a Stanford jersey, the hoops star gave him a giant hug to cover the rival team's logo.
Pete Carroll has been passively lobbying for a college football playoff since last season. Now, three congressmen are demanding an investigation of the BCS. Said Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii):
Everybody else is … looking in as if they were Oliver Twist with a little begging bowl … saying, "Please Mr. NCAA Bowl Championship Series director, may we have some more gruel?"
Abercrombie went to the University of Hawaii, which made it to the BCS party last year before getting impaled, smoked and buried by Georgia. Luau style, of course.
Trojan Huddle, USC's annual spring game, is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Coliseum. If you're one of the 25,000 expected to attend, here are some helpful tips:
Forecast - The current forecast is for 63 degrees and partially cloudy. It's always a good idea to have sunscreen and a jacket. And sunglasses (this is L.A., after all).
Other Things to Bring - Digital cameras are also a good idea. It's lunchtime, so if you're not tailgating, bring cash for concessions (and parking). There will probably be programs, but with the jersey number changes and a couple of new faces, it's a good idea to have a roster. You can print one out here.
Getting There - There will be construction at Figueroa and Exposition. Avoid that intersection at all costs. From the 110 exit on King. From the 10 exit on Vermont. Parking costs $10 (again, bring cash) at the lots on Coliseum property.
Pre-Game - There will be no Trojan Walk through the peristyle. If you come early, tailgate instead.
Timing - The gates open at 10 a.m. The new mural is being dedicated at 10:05 a.m. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. Pete Carroll can be a stickler with time, but last year the game started late. This year, your guess is as good as mine. Expect 11 a.m. and then go with the flow.
Getting in - General admission is $10 at the gate, but kids 12 and under are free. If standing in line doesn't appeal to you, it's $1.50 extra to order online.
Fun Fact - For your protection, security will be on hand to ensure you don't accidentally wander in front of Rey Maualuga during the game.
Post-Game - Players and coaches will be signing autographs afterward. Bring something you want signed and a good pen (Sharpies tend to be the best).
People Watching - The Trojan Marching Band will be there. Traveler will be there. Former USC football players will be there. Celebrities might be there. ESPN Gameday won't be there.
In case you missed it, Mark Sanchez was named starting quarterback. I relegated this to Hot Links because it wasn't exactly news to anybody except Mitch Mustain. That's no knock against Mitch -- he needs to keep that mentality all the way into the fall to keep competing and trying to pass Sanchez for the starting job. Ultimately, the first game is a long way away.
Now that the quarterback race has cooled off, time to focus on the really interesting logjam: tailbacks.
Sunday Morning QB's "Absurdly Premature Assessment" series has tackled USC's first opponent: Virginia.
Traveler is taking up permanent residence inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
A 14-foot-by-14-foot mural is being installed at the edge of the stadium's tunnel and will be visible to most of the crowd during football games. Dubbed "Tradition," the artwork features USC's mascot being ridden back from another championship at the Rose Bowl (symbolized by a bed of roses on the horse's back) and the Roman numerals for 1888 -- the year of USC's first football game.
This is the third large-scale sports mural done by local artist Mike Sullivan. Trojan faithful are sure to remember the Mario Danelo tribute he created last year at San Pedro High School. Posters of that mural can be seen hanging in a number of restaurants and other local venues, and proceeds from their sale have gone to the Mario Danelo Endowed Football Scholarship Fund.
USC baseball was on the skids against top local competition earlier in the season but has seen a marked improvement, with a number of big wins against ranked teams. There are a lot of talented teams in Southern California, so that may explain why it took a little time. Here are some interesting stats from Heritage Hall:
According to BoydsWorld.com, USC has the sixth-toughest schedule in the nation.... For USC’s 34 games this season, 20 have been against top 25 opponents; the Trojans are in the midst of nine straight games against top 25 teams.
This season, USC has played 20 games against ranked opponents, with the Trojans posting an 8-12 record in those games. After starting the season with an 0-7 mark against ranked teams, USC is 8-5 since then.
Also, here's what's up with Trojans in the majors:
Brian Bannister (2000-03) was named A.L. Co-Player of the Week on April 14 after posting two victories for Kansas City. Bannister is 3-0 on the season with a 0.86 ERA.
Chad Moeller (1994-96) was called up by the New York Yankees on April 14 to help with their catching depth.
Moeller caught for another Trojan, Ian Kennedy (2004-06), while Morgan Ensberg (1995-98) played third base in the Yankees’ 8-7 win.
College football team of the decade? USC, according to one Fox pundit. The poll concurs.
If you're going to the spring game on Saturday, prepare for really bad traffic. At least they're almost done with that mess at the corner of Figueroa and Exposition.
On ESPN yesterday, John David Booty was heralded as the top second-day quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft.
In his first interview on the four-letter network (above), he indicated that he might like to play in Minnesota. An hour later on ESPN News (below) he kept it a little more ambiguous.
For a second straight year, Swim With Mike set a fundraising record. Saturday's event easily cleared $1.2 million, with proceeds going to scholarships for athletes who have become physically challenged. Temperature hovered around 90 degrees, so it was no wonder they set an attendance record. Scholarship recipients from as far away as Texas, Stanford and Syracuse were on hand.
The organization was founded in 1981 when USC swimmer Mike Nyeholt broke his neck in an accident. What started as a fundraiser for one man turned into a program that is funding 27 scholarships this year alone. The latest recipient is an LAPD officer who was shot in the line of duty.
Saturday's festivities were highlighted by relay races with the USC football team pushing Song Girls across the pool. In case you were wondering why Pete Carroll can recruit anybody he wants, temperatures in the Midwest dipped into the 30s while his players were doing this to cool off from practice:
More pictures and an interview with Mike himself are after the jump. Remember that you can donate to the cause year-round at SwimWithMike.org.
After an impressive showing in the McDonald's All-American slam dunk contest a few weeks ago, top USC hoops recruit DeMar DeRozan has taken his game to the international level.
With 17 points, DeRozan was the leading scorer in Saturday's Nike Hoop Summit. He added three steals, two rebounds and one assist. The annual all-star game pits the top American high school players against the best under-19 international players. This year's contest was held in Portland and ended in a 98-78 win for the U.S.
It was a unique experience for the Compton superstar. After the game he told reporters,
The World Team was big so it was hard for us to go to the hole and we had to adjust. In international rules we can knock the ball off the rim so we had to adjust and get a couple of steals and just run them. We did a good job and we got a win for USA.
Four of DeRozan's USA teammates will be playing at UCLA next season: Drew Gordon, Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson.
Actually, it might have been a little too warm if you were wearing shoulder pads and dark jerseys, but it was a great day to watch the football team scrimmage. There was a pretty heavy media presence (see above, huddling around Mitch Mustain) and FSN Prime Ticket was taping a "Spring Huddle" preview show (look for that to air at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16). The school's official recap and stats can be found here, but this is the short version: Nothing earth-shattering happened.
There was some bad news for tailback Joe McKnight, who dropped a class on Friday and will be ineligible for the rest of the spring because he's taking less than 12 units. That shouldn't affect him in the fall because he can make up the class this summer.
Facebook has a lot of uses. Pete Carroll keeps everybody apprised of his need for batteries or whatever he's currently excited about. Others create groups to unite people with common interests. During the basketball season, somebody started one called Play RouSean Cromwell, campaigning for more playing time for the USC forward.
What's nice about Facebook is that RouSean could write back to his fans. Here's what he posted to the group a couple of weeks ago:
I want to thank all of you for all of your support! Just to let you all know, the minute I got off of the plane from Omaha, I was back in the Galen Center working on my game. I'll be ready for next year. I'll keep you all in my mind when I'm in the training room on the verge of succumbing to fatigue. I'll remember how a few dedicated fans took it upon themselves to remind me that people outside my family want me to succeed in basketball. I will take your encouragement and push myself past my own limits in the off-season
Yours Tru, Sean Crom
p.s. FIGHT ON!!!!
It's easy to scan right over this, but if you pause for a moment there's something really cool here. In sports today there's a lot of contrived publicity. This is the opposite. A group of fans was really supportive. An athlete was really appreciative. It's a Plaschke moment.
These moments happen a lot in NCAA sports, but rarely get recognized. Sometimes instead of the glitzy stuff, we need to remind ourselves what it's all about. Thanks, RouSean.
More Pete Carroll obsession on the blogosphere -- EDSBS saw his latest Nike commercial and wondered why he might need batteries. Reason No. 1? Rey Maualugabot out of juice.
Aaron Corp had a chance to get miked up. No linemen were hurdled in the making of this video.
USC Hoops
USC is a preseason No. 10. Yes, in men's basketball. Yes, in 2008-09. Yes, considering O.J. Mayo's departure. We know Andy Katz has been big on USC, but this seems way too high.
This article is a couple of weeks old, but gives a glimpse into what's up with Gabe Pruitt. Since it was published, he made Boston's practice squad. (h/t urangajr2 in the SCPlaybook forum)
O.J. Mayo explained his decision to leave for the NBA on Thursday's "PMS" (the Petros and Money Show) on KLAC-AM (570). The "P," of course, is Petros Papadakis -- a former Trojans tailback who was the PA announcer for Mayo's lone season in the Galen Center. The first question was whether his decision was a no-brainer ...
I really did think about it. Obviously as a ballplayer, I'm a competitor. I'm really not happy with how the year ended this year with our team. I felt like we could have done a lot better. But at the same time I've got a family. I've got four brothers and three sisters! I just felt like it was the best decision for my family first and me second.
Can't argue with that. Asked about the highlights of living in L.A. the last year, he said this city is unbeatable when it comes to the weather and the women. Can't argue with that, either.
To hear the Mayo interview in its entirety, click here.
710 ESPN talk show host Dave Dameshek is lobbying for both USC and UCLA to wear home jerseys when they meet in football. The topic has come up a few times since Rick Neuheisel was hired at UCLA. Hopefully, it'll come to fruition.
Dameshek interviewed Neuheisel and Pete Carroll (separately) the other day. They talked about several aspects of the rivalry including, of course, jerseys. Here's how it went down ...
Dameshek: Both teams need to wear the home jerseys! Am I right? Carroll: I think it'd be cool if we did. Yeah, I've been trying to get it done for a long time. I thi
