Just wanted to say thanks again to Nestor and his crew for another well-done year doing God's work on this site.  I travel quite a bit for work and no matter where I go, I always check the site first thing in the morning for the latest news. I know it must take up a crap load of time and energy to post often.  I for one appreciate the efforts of Nestor, Ajax and all the regulers (even you, Fox).

You have come a long way from an off the radar fire-the-shitty-over-his-head-coach blog to a broader, more diverse UCLA-sports-community blog.

Thanks!

By Marcia SCmith, Special to BN

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Not that there is anything wrong with that, though. 

In each of the last 2 years Pete Carroll has all but promised national championships for USC's "storied" football program.  Yet, despite those implicit assurances, Cal Southern suffered embarrassing losses to lower tier Pac 10 teams each year.

It happened again yesterday with a stunning defeat to the Oregon State Beavers.  SC, a 25.5 point favorite on the road, was beaten in every conceivable fashion by the lowly Beavers.

Though he does not throw, run, kick or tackle in the game, Carroll is the one who's fumbling right now.

Since his second year on the job at SC Carroll brashly, if not blindly, raised the Trojan football program's expectations for winning, dominating in the Pac-10, contending for national championships and getting in the facemask of crosstown rival UCLA.

At the time, Carroll's words were a refreshing blast of enthusiastic, albeit hot, air from a program that had long gone stale. The Trojans' seemingly easy  victory against a then-No. 5 Ohio State gave Carroll's early optimism some substance.

Down 21-0 at halftime to the Beavers on Thursday, the game was still undecided. Though a few hundred SC fans, including legendary Trojan Will Ferrell, departed shortly before the third quarter, a sizeable, supportive city of Trojan faithful remained to root for a team that hadn't scored an offensive touchdown the entire first half.

The Trojans lost again, convincingly again, but not as badly as in their nightmarish game against Stanford a year ago.  And suddenly Carroll's Humanitarian-inspired  victory of Game 2 seemed more distant, and the two defeats (Oregon State and Stanford), more pulsing with the kind of disappointment that messes with minds and toy with hearts.

*      *     *

Sound familiar (at least from the fourth paragraph on)?

 

Great article in the L.A. Times today about how The Humanitarian is teaching his kids how to be better men.  See, any objective person looking at the Shareece Wright situation would think that Cal Southern and its coaching staff are looking the other way to keep a talented football player on the field.  After all, they are trying to win a national championship.

Not true.  The Humanitarian is taking the contra view.  Where others see yet another link in a long string of criminal behavior by his out of control football team, Uncle Pete sees opportunity.

"It's a tremendous challenge for everybody to stay in line, to keep track of what's going on and do the right thing."  Carroll described Wright's situation as a "teachable moment" for his players.  "Sometimes, when something happens like that, it helps a lot of people understand the reality," Carroll said.

Exactly, Pete.  Tough love.  I know it is the hard thing to do, but taking a hard line will only make these kids better men.  It is time to finally put an end to this pattern of multiple felony arrests each and every year.

Asked if Wright would play against Oregon State, Carroll first pointed to the injury and Wright's inability to practice. In regard to any action he might take because of Wright's legal situation, Carroll said, "I don't have all the stuff that I need to make any decision."

Wait; what?  No punishment? Stuff?  What Stuff?

Call me crazy, but I would have thought the "teachable moment" in all of this would be to suspend the player to teach him and others on the team that behavior like this will not be tolerated.

No, turns out the "teachable moments" at Cal Southern are used to teach young thugs how to delay proceedings until after the season so that they can continue to play through the end of the year.

And thank God for the L.A. Times! Any objective paper would be writing stories about the disturbing nature of the win-at-all-costs attitude of the SC football program.  Not the Times!  To this insightful bunch [of SC alums], the spin on this story is how Carroll is using this sad, unforeseen and unfortunate situation as a teaching tool.  Score one for hard hitting journalistic integrity!

In what is a continuing theme during the Cheatie Peatie Era, a couple of Trojans made news for the wrong reasons this week.  First, the judge in the Reggie Bush case took the first step toward doing the right thing by tentatively sanctioning Bush's lawyers:

A San Diego Superior Court judge tentatively has ruled that former sports marketing investor Lloyd Lake is entitled to $24,750 in attorneys' fees from former USC running back Reggie Bush and his parents.

The tentative ruling is subject to a hearing next week. Lake, who is suing Bush and his parents, sought attorneys' fees from Bush after winning a legal round against Bush on Aug. 1. In that round, Bush's attorneys sought to have the case decided in confidential arbitration out of court – a motion the judge denied.

That same motion ruling has been appealed by Bush's attorneys, which likely will delay the case for months.

Lake is seeking almost $300,000 in cash and goods he said was lent and spent on behalf of Bush and his family. The NCAA has been monitoring the case as it tries to determine whether Bush or his family accepted improper benefits while Bush was at USC.

Based on the facts as I understand them, there is a substantial likelihood the order becomes final.

Next, Shareece Wright was charged with felony resisting arrest just last week.  Felony resisting arrest?  Really?  How much of a disrespectful jerk do you have to be to be charged with a felony for resisting arrest--a week after the incident happened? Not to worry though, I am sure Cheatie will give him the punishment that he "deserves".  Does Ray Thuguluga own the police in Colton too?

It's great to be a criminal at Cal Southern!

It is funny that everyone at SC got mad when Ray Small observed:

"[It's] a class thing. Here at Ohio State, they teach you to be a better man. There, it's just all about football."

With stories like these a regular occurrence, is there any doubt that football is indeed all they care about at Cal Southern?  In the end, none of this matters--AS LONG AS THEY BEAT OHIO STATE.

From Cheatipedia, the free guide to how to cheat and get away with murder

BRENNAN

Brennan is a word derived from Latin.  The modern meaning and form dates to the 1970s.

History

"Brennan" is derived from a combination of the Latin words "bravant" (to be crooked, bad, vicious, evil, corrupt) and "blennus" (blockhead, dolt, simpleton, imbecile, driveling idiot).  It was originally created to refer to a person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning.  Over time, the term "Brennan" shifted away from its original connotation of selfishness and came to refer to individuals with overall bad judgment-individuals who are "stupid".  In modern English usage, it describes someone who has no talent but is handed a desirable position due to family connections or personal relationships. Also refers to one who achieves nothing; a spendthrift; one who rests on his father's accomplishments.  The term has more recently been used to describe offspring who do not quite measure up to their fathers.  Sons who are best described as "slow" or "dimwitted."  In psychology, it is a historical term for the state or condition now called profound mental retardation.

See also

Tool
Jackass
Moron
Daddy's boy
Idiot
No Talent Douchebag
Cheatie Jr.

Physical Attributes of a Brennan

A Brennan can be identified by loud and seemingly pointless yelling. Spit flys from the Brennan's mouth freely and recklessly.  A Brennan thinks he is funny (he is not) and interprets people looking at him with blank looks or facial expressions indicating embarrassment for the speaker as indicators that others want him to continue with his idiotic behavior (they do not).  A Brennan views manic behavior and intense screaming as analagous to virtue and intelligence.

External Links

uscrapesit.com

The continuing saga of BoBo (the basketball player, not the clown) is getting slightly more interesting.  As everyone knows, Trent Johnson is making a push to keep BoBo at LSU by dragging his feet on processing the release request.  Not much more to add here, except this quote from Johnson in The Shreveport Times (link):

"He's a very good young man, but is he by any means Shaquille O'Neal? No, he's not," Johnson said. "It's going to take it's time. I've never been in a situation where I'm going to beg."

Jill Painter also linked to it.

I am no genius when it comes to recruiting or dealing on a day-to-day basis with the psyche of "student" athletes, but it seems more than a little damaging to LSU's chances with der BoBo to come out with quotes like this one, no?

By the way, awesome new format for the site. When an old guy like me can block quote and insert links, you know it is easy.  Reminds of the old days with word processing apps going from inserting formatting in the text to WYSIWYG.

WHISTLE! (as Cheatie Peetie, Jr. likes to say)

I just watched College Gameday on ESPN and came away pissed off.  There was barely a mention of UCLA-USC (maybe 20 seconds near the end), and there was no discussion of any other Pac 10 game.  The more I watched, the more angry I became. Not at ESPN for not covering the Pac 10, but at Hansen and the rest of the Pac 10 brain trust for continuing to renew the Pac 10 TV contract with Fox instead of ESPN.  

Even though Fox may have offered more cash, we all know that over time an ESPN deal would pay higher dividends in the form of more national exposure for our conference. With the time difference and the natural east coast bias, we are already behind the ball. But the TV contract is something within our control. The Fox contract only serves to place our conference, which at the end of the day will probably be THE premiere conference in the country this year (and definitely in the top 3), in a dark spot on the spectrum where virtually no one East of the Rockies will see us.

Now the intangible penalties are hurting.  It's hard to blame ESPN, though.  What incentive does ESPN have to hype any team in our conference when they do not broadcast any (or very few) of our conference games?  We get the shaft all over that network; not because we are not good, but because ESPN receives no financial benefit for advertising a team or a conference that it does not have the broadcast rights to.  At least in football, ABC broadcasts a good number of games which is one reason why ESPN is also referred to as the Trojan Broadcast Network.

I know this is a frequent topic on this board, and I am not the first person to bring this up (not by a long shot), but watching Gameday this morning really brought it home for me and I found myself stewing, looking for an outlet to vent.

I hope we stuff Killa2 and beat the crap out of Timmeh and his traveling band of diploma mill grads today.  No mercy.  I want every Trojan bandwagoner talking about their football team after the game.  As we all know, their first knee-jerk reaction after getting dominated on the basketball court is to talk about Cheatie Peatey. "Eeerrrrrrr, we will kill you guys in football next year!!"

Everybody's favorite program of degenerates and criminals is off to an auspicious start.  The USC basketball team, with Juice Deuce, lost on the road to the powerhouse that is Mercer.  In what looks to be a pattern this year, OJ Mayo had 32 points (game high) but his team lost 96-81.  

There is no "I" in team; and there ain't no "OJ" either.  Mayo will likely be the leading scorer every night for Southern Cal as he focuses on being a high draft pick in next year's draft.  Who cares about how the team does if you average over 30 a night?  All that matters is that Killer 2 got his!

Well, just goes to show Timmeh that if you recruit players from diploma mills and players who care more about personal stats than wins, this is what you get.

Nice work Timmeh!  Nice work Killa!

Fight on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks USC sucks

Merciful, angel-among-us, Uncle Peetie truly is doing God's work on earth.  His goal in life is to mold young men into mature adults who contribute to society.  If a young man is in need, Saint Peetie will go out of his way to help him.

Unless, of course, that young man is a top flight recruit who wants to transfer to another PAC 10 school.  Or anywhere else.  Jamere Holland wants to transfer out of "Heaven", aka South Central (a shocker!), but His Hollyness will not release him.  Peetie won't let him go to Oregon, and he won't let him go to Florida. Peetie's golden rule appears to be: transfer to a second or third tier school that is not a threat to SC.  If you don't Peetie the Angel will do everything in his other-worldly power to stop you.  Just ask Rocky Hinds about being forced to go to UNLV.  How gracious of him.  Did he learn that from that freaky pseudo-religion he subscribes to?

Why should Saint Peetie do what's best for a young player when there is the slightest, sliver of a chance that it could come back to haunt him?  After all, just because he has accumulated the biggest pool of talent in college football existence, doesn't mean he shouldn't do whatever it takes to win.  Just win.  That's all that matters.  Even if it means gutting the budding career of a young man just starting out.

To sum up: dog fighting is okay in Saint Peetie's book, but transferring is not.  Lesson learned, oh mighty one.

all the way to number 8 on the Hot Seat list over at the Coaches on the Hotseat website.

I found this little gem while cruising EDSBS, as I am sure many of you have.  Lots of good stuff here, including their thoughts on our Clueless Leader, compensation terms, possible replacements, and prediction for '07 (7-5, by the way).

Perhaps the best thing, however, is these guys got a hold of Karl's agreement with UCLA and posted it.  It is interesting for several reasons.

Karl shows as much creativity in naming his corporate entities as he does in coming up with his offense: none.  His company is called "KJD8 Enterprises, Inc."  By the way, a quick check of the California Secretary of State's website shows the company is not in good standing.  Nice attention to detail, Coach.  

Also, you have to wonder why Karl set it up as a services agreement through a C corp instead of a straight forward employment agreement. Presumably there is some tax advantage to this set up or else it would be a giant waste of time (admittedly, we can't rule that out).  He may be paying more taxes than he needs to, though (I will leave it to the CPAs and JDs, but wouldn't he be better served with an LLC?).  

That raises another question: are proper taxes being paid?  I am sure he is following all the rules, right?  As we all know, integrity is his strong suit.

I will let you guys comb through it on your own for early termination rights, severance and oddball provisions.  Needless to say, it is worth the read.

Our fearless leader is clearly at the top of his game.  He just landed the best recruiting class of his 5 year "tenure" (akin to jumping over the Sunday paper) and now he is hitting the press with confident assertions, boldly showing off his intellectual prowess.  

Everyone stands in awe of Dorrell's intellect, as evidenced by the following quotes:

"I'm a little bit confused with how they do the rankings," Dorrell said. "It's hard for us to be a highly ranked recruiting class because our numbers were so small. But if you go by in terms of quality that is in the class, I would say it's probably top-10, or inside the top 10." Two things jump out.  First, we all have to admit that we sometimes get "confused" by the seemingly complex rating systems employed by recruiting services.  Sure, on its face, it looks like a simple system of stars numbered 1 through 5 that is similar to a variety of rating systems used elsewhere.  But in reality, it is really a simple system of stars numbered 1 through 5 that is similar to a variety of rating systems used elsewhere.  

Second, the difference between a "top 10" class and a class that is "inside the top 10" is so painfully obvious to someone of Karl's intellect that I don't need to explain it here.

This quote from the LAT article on Cheatie Peety's in-the-gutter recruiting tactics shows how Karl's detailed use of espionage and counter-intelligence in the recruiting wars is helping him to come out with classes that are ranked lower and lower each year:

"Through an athletic department spokesman, UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell said that neither he nor his assistants would comment for this story because they did not want opposing coaches to know their philosophy." Atta-boy Karl!  Don't fall into that trap.  Keep those Trojans guessing about your philosophy on recruiting players who have committed orally to another school.  Your fiendishly clever ploy to cause USC to waste precious time during recruiting periods brainstorming on figuring out what YOUR recruiting philosophy is will free you up to contact recruits without interference.  BRILLIANT!

By the way, will someone please ask Koach if this is his "best class" like last year's team was his "best team"? Let's hope the results with this class are different that last year's record.

Can't we just fire him and move on?

All three "analysts" on ESPN college game day (Hubert, Phelps and none other than Jay Bias) just took USC to beat UCLA today.  These guys were all over USC this morning, saying how improved they are.  Especially Jay Bias.  That guy, for whatever reason, consistently disrespects UCLA and Ben Howland.

I truly hope that Coach Howland hears about all of the disrespect and uses it to motivate our guys today.  With Shipp and Wright hurt, we will need to play a solid game. Focus like a laser on defense, force turnovers and RUN, RUN, RUN. Don't get caught up in trying to use a half court offense.  We have team speed and we need to use it to our advantage.

We have to beat these overrated assholes.

Can you guys disable the two hundred word minimum?  It really does kind of suck.   Sometimes you need to get a quick jab post up that is not related to an existing post and you can't hit the minimum, so you have to start talking about the Weasel . . .

The Weasel will be slithering around the sidelines at the Galen Center looking for AAU coaches who he can pay off to bring kids with bad character to Southern Cal who need "help" academically to qualify.

Okay Dan Guerrero, now is the time to grow some balls, admit the experiment is over and make a run at talented football coach who actually has a record of building up a powerhouse football program from scratch.  Greg Doyel at CBS Sportsline posted an article on Louisville (http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9904129)
that suggests that Bobby Petrino may be available this off-season if all of his great junior players bolt.  

If we have any chance of getting Petrino (which I freely admit is a HUGE long shot), we have to be proactive and get aggressive.  It starts by pulling the trigger and putting Old Yellow out of his misery.  The next step would be to go to the Wassermans of the world to fund the way-overpriced buyout of Dorrell's contract and put together a financial package to attract someone of Petrino's caliber.  Next, send the private plane (just like you did for Howland) for Petrino and let him know how much you want him.  In reality, we can't offer him $3 million a year, but we can offer him a job in the best part of the best city in the world.  He should be able to effectively recruit and having a shot at beating Cheatie Peetie in his own town should get a coach like Petrino ready to sign.

The time is now.  No more, "Let's give him one more year and see how he does!"  I am sick of that.  We have said that every year for the last 3 years.  Seize the moment, Mr. Guerrero, and make everyone in the UCLA community proud of you again.  You found the right basketball coach; now let's go out and find the right football coach.

Just took a look at the Wikipedia entry for our beloved Koach.  It is more than a little bit funny; especially because the "Criticism" section is the longest part.  Lots of classic stuff, but my initial favorite is this one:

"Dorrell was a wide receivers coach (and an offensive coordinator the second time around)at Colorado. There he was famous for coaching Michael Westbrook." I don't know about you, but I first learned of Karl's amazing abilities as a coach because of his groundbreaking work with Westbrook.

Since Wikipedia is a work in progress, I propose that we work up a little entry from the good folks at Bruins Nation.  Maybe a new section entitled "Fun Dorellian Facts".  Some suggestions to get the ball rolling:

• Dorrell's most amazing skill is that he is a textbook dual personality.  He is so lifeless on the sidelines that assistants often hold a mirror to his mouth to make sure he is still breathing.  Yet somehow, remarkably, he was able to channel enough "charisma" to snow the UCLA chancellor into believing (based on a single interview) that Dorrell would be the savior of UCLA football.  To this day, many close to the football program surmise that Dorrell has a picture of the chancellor performing a sex act with a donkey.
• Dorrell is the eternal optimist.  See quotes from Karl about the program being "poised to head in the right direction" after every single loss during the last four years, including the most recent embarrassment in the Emerald Nutsack Bowl.  See also recent quotes from Dorrell on how he is now "winning the recruiting wars" against USC.
• Dorrell has shown steady growth.  Not in results on the field, mind you, but in subtle intangible ways.  For example, he no longer forgets about the existence of first string players on the sideline during critical points in the game.
• Dorrell plays not to lose.  Koach Dorrell is, shall we say, "conservative" in his play calling.  Given the choice between a gutsy call to seize control of a game to deny his opponent a chance to come back and win, and playing it safe to survive to possibly fight later, Karl tucks his tail and plays it safe every single time.
• USC supporters are his biggest fans. Let me ask you this: if you were the AD at a major university, would you know something was seriously wrong with your coach if fans of your biggest rival across town spent a lot of time and money to support your football coach to ensure that he stays around for as long as possible?  Exactly.  Buy a clue, Dan Guerrero.
  

Disgruntled fans have recently started a grass roots campaign to show the UCLA athletic director just how much Dorrell has underperformed when measured against criteria Dorrell himself established (compete for the PAC 10 title and beat USC). There is a petition to fire Dorrell and several t-shirts, including one that says on the front, "Karl Dorrell: Nice man. Horrible football coach." and on the back "End The Reign of Mediocrity. Fire Karl Dorrell."

Fire away.

    "You don't want your quarterback fumbling,"
    Dorrell said. "As soon as the first time it
    happens, it's something you want addressed."
   (Press-Enterprise, September 12, 2006)

Fuck.  Why didn't I think of that.  

This is the reason why UCLA will be so successful this year-we simply have a superior head coach who can break down the most difficult of problems into simple, easy-to-understand statements.  Damn, he is good.

Are you 6'4" or taller?  Can you run the 40 in 4.4 or less?  Do you have a vertical leap of over 39"?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then USC football wants YOU!  Regardless of your (or your family's) criminal history.  Forget about your character.  If you are an incredible athlete willing to do whatever it takes to win while ignoring all of the rules, then come on down to glorious South Central L.A. Listen to these testimonials:

    "I couldn't be happier here" said one
     anonymous linebacker.  "I was arrested on a
     battery charge last year for beating the
     brains out of some random dude at a party,
     but The Carrolleone Family made everything
     disappear. They own the police!"

    A former defensive superstar adds,
    "They caught me with 136 ecstacy pills and I
    had just raped some passed out hoochie, and
    all they made me do was transfer.  I wanted to
    go to another Pac 10 school, but Godfather
    Carrolleone made me an offer that I couldn't
    refuse, so I ended up in Vegas.  No matter;
    it's all good!"

Yes, it's true.  Whether you sell ecstacy, randomly beat people up or like to rape young girls, The Carrolleone Family has the connections to make all of your legal troubles go away.  All we care about is national championships, so as long as you are performing, you can be protected from meddlesome police.  

We have built a strong "tradition" based on the model established by the great Dennis Ericson at the fine University of Miami, only we have perfected it!  

Fight (defenseless college kids), Undermine, Cill* (ex-wives), act with Lawless abandon, Assault On!.  Or as we like to say for short, "FUCLA!"  

_____
*they spell "Kill" with a "C" at USC.

Congratulations to Koach Dorrell.  With a brilliant strategy of letting your best coach and recruiting coordinator leave a few short weeks before signing day, it looks like every 4 and 5 star recruit that had any interest in UCLA (and there weren't many) ended up elsewhere. I am sure the Vikes insisted that Bienemy leave early because of all of the work they are putting in at this time of year, and Duhrell had no choice but to let him go when he did.  Overrated players like Hagan and Slocum ended up elsewhere in the Pac 10 where they will fester and ruin rival programs from the inside out while Dorrell and his army of 2 and 3 star recruits hunker down and build on his much talked about (but little seen) "foundation" of greatness.  Little did those unsuspecting programs know that Master Karl planned all along for those recruits to head elsewhere, knowing they were like cancer waiting to spread.

It also looks like the strategy of distracting Ken Norton during the crucial part of recruiting season by pretending to offer him a job worked beautifully.  It really slowed Norton down and SC ended up with only 15 four and five star recruits instead of 20.  Well-played in deed, Master.

Looks like Koach is extending his strategy of finding undervalued recruits into coaching with his new DC hire.  Since the whole "no experience" thing worked out so well with Dorrell (ignore the 6-6 and 6-7 seasons and all of the close calls this year--HE WAS 10-2!), it should work like a charm with Walker.  Why did he leave SC after being named Asst. head coach?

Yup. Looks like Koach is 10 steps ahead of everyone else.  Here's to you Koach Karl Dorrell, Super Genius.  May you reign in Westwood for 7 more years, or until Guerrero gets run, whichever occurs first (hopefully the latter).

Hawkins to Colorado.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2259394

0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.

From the diaries. -N

There is a very real possibility that we will lose to Northwestern after the humiliating defeat against SC.  Carry that into next year's schedule:

Utah Utes                  
Rice Owls                  
at Washington Huskies  
Stanford Cardinal  
Arizona Wildcats        
at Oregon Ducks          
at Notre Dame            
Washington State Cougs    
at California Bears      
Oregon St. Beavers      
at Arizona State            
USC Trojans          

The first 2 games should (I stress SHOULD) be wins.  Washington is improving, but Willingham is still the coach, which means this battle of outstanding coaches could go either way.  Same with Stanford.  If we don't beat Arizona at home badly and exact some much-needed revenge, Koach really should be fired on the spot.

We could head into the Oregon game 3-2 before losing at Autzen and at ND (Koach has no chance with Touchdown Jesus staring him down and C-Weiss  throwing half-eaten hot dogs at him while laughing hysterically at his feeble coaching abilities.  Not for nothing, though, Weiss does state for the record that Karl does seem like a very nice man). 3-4.

Split with Washington State and Cal (assuming their real quarterback is healthy). 4-5.

We will probably lose 2 of the next three, which means . . .

9-3 will be a distant memory.  5-7 (or, even at best 7-5 or 8-4) to go along with the 2 sub-par years and if Koach is not fired, we will all know that Dorrell has pictures of Guerrero cruising the rest stops manning glory holes.

From the diaries. Still cannot get over Saturday. It will take a while. -N

I am so sick and fucking tired of hearing people say, "Next year.  Karl is making progress . . ." How 9-2 (anybody want to bet that we will finish 9-3?) is really impressive when you consider the previous couple of years.

Making progress?  Do you really think so? Who the fuck do you think is responsible for the last 2 years (and don't you dare say Toledo)?  Do any of you really want to continue to pay some guy who has no clue how to beat a team with a winning record (Dorrell is now something like 3-12 against teams with winning records)?  Do you really want to continue to pay a guy who, three years into his tenure, is still learning on the job?  Be honest, now.

I went to the game.  I saw the looks on the faces of the UCLA players.  That was the most uninspired game in Dorrell's brief career.  UCLA looked overmatched, and more importantly, gave up about half way through the 1st quarter.  Everybody wants to blame Kerr.  Sure Kerr didn't put together a good defensive plan.  But you know what?  Dorrell didn't put together any plan either.  Karl is responisble for the shitty product we saw on Saturday, not Kerr.  

Worst of all, he let them humiliate us.  Pete Carroll stepped on our throats in front of a group of 5 star recruits to make a point out of embarrassing us.  4th down?  No problem; we don't respect UCLA's defense so we will go for it and make it.  That fucking douchebag Carroll wanted to show Allen Bradford and anybody else that we might still be recruiting exactly what kind of coach KD is.  And he found out, too.  Karl rolled right over-almost on cue.

Pat Hill figured out USC's weaknesses and exploited them with a group that is not even half as talented as UCLA's.  I am not saying we should go out and hire Pat Hill, but Fresno played hard, they hit hard, they weren't intimidated and they never, NOT ONCE, thought they were going to lose.  Can anyone who witnessed that piece of shit say the same thing for UCLA?  Inexcusable.  The experiment is over.  Guerrero needs to sack up and fall on his sword.  

As much as I hate to admit it, Dorrell has the Bruins toiling in mediocrity.  He does not know, and will never learn, how to win the "big game."

0-3 AGAINST USC AND YOU MUST CUT HIM FREE. You have one fucking criterion for keeping your job when you coach UCLA or USC: beat the team across town. Hackett was fired for his record against UCLA.  Toledo was fired for his record against USC.  Dorrell MUST be held to the same standard.

0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  
0-3 against USC and you MUST cut him free.  

SOUTH CENTRAL L.A.-In a shocking revelation just hours before USC's annual game with cross-town rival UCLA, sources have confirmed that USC football coach Pete Carroll is a giant douchebag.  Many people have suspected for years that Carroll's smug appearance and fake bursts of emotion were signs of clinical douchbaggery.  Tests conducted by scientists at The Keyshawn Johnson School of Jackassness have confirmed the finding.  One unidentified doctor said that he has not seen a case this bad since R. Jay Soward.

Doctors worst concerns--that the disease has spread from Patient Zero--have been confirmed by the weekly gathering of red-clad assholes around the Coliseum.  A local man contacted while shooting smack near the dorms said, "Man, you should see it on Saturdays.  It looks like a big walking pile of used maxipads up in here.  Can you spare fifty cents for a brother?"

When reached for comment, Carroll simply smiled that dumb, toothy grin of his, said, "WOOOOOOOOHHHHOOOOOOOO", threw his arms up in the air to apparently signal a touchdown, then ran away with his lips puckered, presumably looking for Matt Leinart's ass to kiss.

I just saw something that really pissed me off.  It also reminded me that Karl Dorrell may never be consistently successful.  Dennis Dodd has a piece on sportsline.com about how Drew Olson is having a better season (statistically) that Leinart.  When he asked Dorrell who was better, Dorrell said:

        "Matt, he's proved it, year in, year out"
        "Drew's the best for us, how about that?"

Now, I am not saying that Dorrell should come out and say that Olson is better than Leinart.  He may or may not be, but you do not come out the day before the big game and say your quarterback is worse than the other team's guy.  How about, "Matt is pretty good, but I will take Drew any day of the week" or even "They are both excellent quarterbacks."  

Some will say he is just being honest.  You know what?  Fuck that.  Honesty (in this situation) is for people other than the head football coach.  

Personally, I don't think he is being honest.  I think that Olson is the better college quarterback this year.  But hey, unlike Karl Dorrell, I guess this Koach Karl is just biased in favor our guy.

From the diaries - still on the road - hope everyone is having a great start to thanksgiving week. Go Bruins. - N

Let me start by saying that I am enjoying this season of UCLA football.  Drew Olson is having a tremendous senior year and I am really happy for him.  But before we anoint KD Coach of the Year, let's look at some facts.  Here are the current records of every team we have played so far:

SDSU (4-6)
Rice (1-7)
Oklahoma (6-4)
Washington (2-9)
California (7-4)
Washington St. (4-7)
Oregon St. (5-6)
Stanford (5-5)
Arizona (3-7 AND WE LOST!)
Arizona St. (5-5)
     TOTALS: 42-60

I know that, notwithstanding the above cupcake schedule and the difficulty we had beating several of these teams, everyone thinks that this year is a true indication of Karl Dorrell's coaching ability.  Maybe it is.

But maybe it isn't.  The SC game will be a true measure of our team and the amount of improvement in the quality of play and coaching.  If we beat SC, Karl deserves the extension he will no doubt get even if we lose.  If we don't beat SC, it is time to go in a different direction.  Especially if SC gains 700 yards, including 350 yards rushing with so many missed tackles it looks like our defense rubbed grease on their arms.  

This next game is the whole season.  Toss out the records (especially our suspect one).  If we lose in an embarrassing fashion, Karl should get run.

I say we add Pat Hill to the list of candidates.  This guy is funny, volatile (which makes him more funny), and he can coach.  His gameplan against SC was probably the best of any of the last 32 teams to play SC (including Notre Dame).  If he can get that much out of the quality of players he is able to recruit to Fresmell, imagine what he could do at UCLA?  Plus, you can tell he really wants to beat SC, and you have got to love that.

We all know that Steve Lavin has the coaching ability of gnat.  But what I did not know is that he may (emphasis on "may") be an okay guy.  Why do I say this?  

Because even though UCLA finally ran him (several years after they should have), he appears to be appreciative of the chance he was given.  Every time somebody tries to goad him into saying something bad about his former employer, he demurs.  Instead he explains how grateful he was (and will conitnue to be) that UCLA gave him a chance in the first place.  He never bad-mouths the school.

In fact, he continues to be high on UCLA basketball.  I noticed that at the half of the opener, Lav was on ESPN 2 picking UCLA to win the Pac 10.  Yes, some of his guys are still there, so there may be an element of Lav wanting to vindicate his legacy and insert himself in as a part of Howland's successes.  It is by all accounts an outrageous pick, but one we who frequent this web site believe to be completely possible.

How often does UCLA ever get any positive publicity out of ESPN?  That shithole is practically Duke's home network with the likes of Dickie V and Jay Bilas inserting themselves so far up Coach K's ass that you can barely discern anything that comes out of their mouths other than, "Duke . . . great . . . all other teams bad."

So here is to Lav.  I hope he gets another head coaching job (preferably somewhere in the Pac 10 other than UCLA).

From the diaries - Pom Pom Pete is a morally and ethically corrupt asshole. He is the Phillip Fulmer of West. - Nestor

The Times quoted Pete Carroll this morning as saying that Fresno St. is the best team SC will play this season.  He also said the Fresno St. is lucky to be able to play the best of the best.  He is so fucking smug and overconfident.  I can't wait until they get knocked off (nobody wins forever).

I really hope we beat the shit out of those motherfuckers on Dec. 3.

Before this season started I was afraid of the nightmare scenario.  You know it.  We all talked about it. We were afraid Karl would win 8 games in an incredibly easy schedule and keep his job for another three excruciating, Lavinesque years.  It looks like that is exactly what is going to happen.  Karl's post-October record will likely be kept in tact as we will probably lose 2 or 3 more games (I haven't looked recently, but I bet his record against teams with winning records is still pretty horrible too).  Congratulations to KD and Guerrero, I guess, and condolences to us, the school, and the players.

I am sure that a lot of people will be satisfied with 8 or 9 wins.  Several will even say that Karl should get to stay around.  I, for one, will not.  Not after the start we had.  Not if it means getting blown out by a very, very, VERY bad Arizona team.  And especially not if it means losing to those arrogant, criminal motherfuckers in ketchup and mustard again.

I shudder to think at how long we will now have to wait to get a coach who knows how to manage a game clock, who is a closer with recruits, who does not allow his team to give up in the first half, who does not allow his defense to give up big play after big play.  In other words, a coach who does not have to learn on the job and who is a proven winner instead of a proven late season fader.

At least it is basketball season . . .

NOT okay.  This loss was inexcusable.  The worst part is that we can (and probably will) lose our next three games and Karl will keep his job.  ugh.  This loss does not even compare to Miami in '98; it is much, much worse.  No offense, no defense, no coaching.  I am so angry and upset.  Karl should move on to a National Football League job.  Please.  Go

I  saw this quote from Charlie Weis and thought it was right on the money:

    "If you're looking for me to say this is a great
    loss, you'll be looking for a long time," he
    said. "There are no moral wins.... Losing is
    losing. That's the way it is. It doesn't make you
    feel better. You had a chance to win and you
    didn't."

He is right-there is no such thing as a "moral voctory."  The loss against SC last year was just that: a loss.  No more excuses.  No more feel-good losses.  We have to beat those jackasses this year.  In other words, a 4-point loss just won't cut it.