Just got a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods and was checking out the Clearance items because I am cheap. (BTW the site is not www.dicks.com - YIKES).

Click the link and scroll all the way down to the "New Markdowns". Do we have a Bruin Web Developer at Dick's LOL? I can't screenshot it, wish I could...

Disclaimer: This is a fanshot, merely posted for fun...

After 37 years of business, Papadakis Taverna in San Pedro will shut their doors and cease operations on January 31, 2010. Hmmm, 20 days after Petey left town. For those of you somehow unfamiliar with the Papadakis name, well, they are pretty influential in the $c community.

From the article... Eventually, the restaurant became an important recruiting tool for USC during the Pete Carroll years. Heisman trophy winners Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush committed to play for the Trojans while eating at Papadakis.

A reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2005 called the restaurant the Trojans' "secret weapon." But his description of John Papadakis making impassioned speeches to the high school seniors led USC to investigate. But the university found no recruiting violations.

Of course, the crack $c Compliance Team found no wrong doing then. But something is fishy here and it ain't the Kakavia. I would be willing to bet we see the Papadakis name mentioned in coming weeks. Of course, I could be completely wrong and this could just be coincidence, but stranger things have happened...

I stopped taking our Denver Daily rag and finally subscribed to the Wall Street Journal. This morning was the FIRST time I actually pulled the paper out of it's bag and it seems I still cannot escape the dire news I've been trying so hard to avoid...

I've been without the internet for three days and had to do a couple searches-of course nothing has been reported. Is Parrish just interpreting the possible commitment as a done deal?

1. UCLA

Best recruit: Jrue Holiday (Rivals.com's No. 2 prospect)

The Bruins have signed papers from four Top 50 prospects, including future pro Jrue Holiday. That alone was probably good enough to secure the top spot. But UCLA clinched the honor when J'Mison Morgan got his release from LSU and committed to UCLA last week to give Ben Howland a five-player class that when grouped with Darren Collison (and perhaps Josh Shipp and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute) seems good enough to lead the Bruins to their fourth straight Final Four.