SB Nation Blog: Menelaus

Howland Rewarded with New Contract

Menelaus — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:03:13 -0000

As a couple of you have already pointed out, Coach Howland signed a new seven year contract today. From UCLA Sports Information (via LAT):

UCLA head men’s basketball coach Ben Howland and the University have agreed on a new seven-year contract, athletic director Dan Guerrero announced today. The new contract, which runs through the 2014-15 season, includes guaranteed compensation of $1.97 million for the 2008-09 season and escalates to $2.3 million for the 2014-15 season. It also includes the incentive package from his previous contract that has a maximum value of $235,000. [...]

"Ben Howland and UCLA are a great combination," said Guerrero. "Ben is at the top of his profession and is deserving of this commitment by the University. He has returned UCLA to the nation’s elite, as illustrated by three straight Finals Fours and three consecutive 30-win seasons. He is an outstanding recruiter, and the foundation Ben has built for our program promises to keep us at the forefront for the foreseeable future."

Talk about well deserved. And it's good to see UCLA doing the right thing after what's been one of the best coaching runs in memory. As Jeff Eisenberg at the PE points out, it's a nice raise for Howland:

The deal is a significant bump over the extension he signed last summer. Howland made $1.5 million for the 2007-08 season and would have made $2 million by the end of the contract in 2013-14.

via www.beloblog.com

Of course, I can't say that our pleas to hold onto Howland led to this development, which has likely been in the works for a little while. But, I'm never one to doubt the collective weight of our words either.

It's also great to hear that, despite the slow pace of the Pauley renovation project, Howland's heart still seems to be in the right place:

"I have said this before, but there is no place I would rather be coaching than UCLA," said Howland, 51. "I grew up a Bruin basketball fan and this is my dream job. We have great young men in our program, both on and off the field, and they are the real reasons for our success. UCLA is a special name in college basketball thanks to Coach Wooden and I am proud to be the caretaker of his program. I am also grateful to Chancellor (Gene) Block and Dan for the faith they continue to show in me."

Gotta love it. Let me just say again. Thank God for Ben Howland.

GO BRUINS.

Circling the Wagons

Menelaus — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:55:54 -0000

(Ed. Note: I understand that this topic is likely between somewhat and ridiculously uninteresting to many of you, so if you aren't interested in inter-blog squabbling, please avert your gaze. For the rest of you, thanks for indulging this very long little slice of heaven.)

For those of you not keeping tabs, a few days ago, a fellow SBN blogger SMQ took a shot at Neuheisel, and I responded. SMQ then responded by attacking our expectations for the Bruins' 2008-09 football season. In a lengthy post, which I've already addressed, SMQ attacks our motives in setting expectations in previous years, thusly:

What this is, really, is an admission that the "expectations" for Dorrell were ridiculous –– intentionally constructed to be beyond not only any independent projections but beyond the realistic grasp of anyone in his position.

In response, I said before, and say again:

It's all very polite, but he's calling us liars. He's attacking our motives and credibility. He's saying we don't write what we believe. Instead, we have some dark hidden agenda. Before, it was to get rid of KD. Now, it's to support Nueheisel out of some "all-out investment in coach-worship." In short, it is, at best, a lame conspiracy theory and, at worst, an ugly personal attack.

Well, that didn't sit well in some corners. T Kyle King, our esteemed SBN colleague at Dawg Sports, has chimed in, as he did previously in effusively praising SMQ's post, arguing that:

SMQ’s disagreements with other bloggers, no matter how vehement or heartfelt, never descend to the level of personal attacks. ...

Nowhere in there were there the sorts of cheap shots, sweeping overgeneralizations, or ancillary sideswipes which all too often typify disputes in the blogosphere. ...

While the members of the Bruins Nation community may not like what SMQ has written here, though, SMQ steered clear of attacking the singer rather than the song.

I responded in the comment thread over here as follows:

[...] I don’t think it’s quite right that SMQ "steered clear of attacking the singer rather than the song" (with due respect to Kyle, whose opinion I value).

SMQ certainly wasn’t bombastic, and he writes very well, so I can see how folks might get that impression. But, it wasn’t like he was disagreeing with us about who will win the Lakers game tonight. I wasn’t saying, it’ll be the Lakers, because Kobe will be on fire, with SMQ saying that it’s Celtics all the way at home. He’s saying, very directly, if politely, that we were being disingenuous, and writing things we don’t mean for some imagined ulterior motive. He’s saying both that the message is (or, rather, was) wrong, and that it was wrong because the author was intentionally writing things with no basis in fact ("intentionally constructed to be beyond not only any independent projections but beyond the realistic grasp of anyone in his position"). That’s a personal attack, in my opinion.

Yet, rather than address (or even acknowledge) my points there, Kyle chose to write a lengthy rebuke at his own place. Kyle's finger wagging concluded thusly:

Disagree with SMQ if you will, but give the man his considerable due. He did not offer a personal attack; indeed, one of the many ways in which his posting was noteworthy was for its lack of invective and its evenness of tone. Perhaps this merely is a clash of personalities---Bruins Nation and Sunday Morning Quarterback are, respectively, the most and least partisan college sports weblogs at SB Nation---but, if SMQ is to be taken to task, let it be for what he actually wrote, not for some caricature of it.

Sunday Morning Quarterback did not outline a conspiracy theory and I would take issue with anyone who accused Nestor, Menelaus, and the rest of the Bruin faithful of such a thing. However, Menelaus’s recent diatribe against SMQ was over the top and unfair to an extent that did nothing to help me make the case that Bruins Nation is a forum for impassioned yet reasonable fans. If Menelaus’s response is representative of his approach to constructive criticism---and, to be clear, I do not believe it is---he should steer clear of tin foil hat analogies, which do him no favors after a posting like that one.

There are so many points to make. I will try to be brief, but there is a lot of material to deal with.

First off, let's deal with the main issue squarely. Was SMQ's critique of BN's expectations for the Bruins' 2008-09 football season a personal attack?

Before I go on, let's be clear, calling out someone's motives politely is the same as calling them out any other way. No amount of graceful verbiage, however "nuanced or exacting," changes that. So, saying that BN "intentionally constructed [expectations] to be beyond not only any independent projections but beyond the realistic grasp of anyone in his position," I'm sorry to say, is an attack on our integrity. It's an attack on the singer, not the song.

Let me try to illustrate. Maybe if I make it more tangible, no one will get lost in SMQ's nice prose. Let's suppose your investing some money. Your investment guy tells you to expect a 6% return on your investment, with no risk of loss. A year later, the investment fails and you loss everything. There are several possible explanations here. Your broker might have justifiably relied on flawed market reports. Or, he might have made an honest mistake and misinterpreted accurate data. Or, he could have intentionally constructed expectations that went beyond not only any independent market reports but beyond the realistic grasp of anyone in his position in order to earn a higher commission.

If it's either of the first two, his message was just wrong. If its the later, he was lying. And to call him out on the later is to attack his integrity. Of course, there is a difference between attacking the message, and attacking the messenger.

Tellingly, it doesn't appear that SMQ's audience was at all confused. They interpreted SMQ exactly as intended: that SMQ was calling BN a liar. Just two examples, from the thread at Kyle's place. First, we have Skin Patrol, from SBN colleague Hogs Heaven (who also commented at SMQ):

At least BN is honest with themselves about what they’re trying to accomplish. ;)

I think SMQ’s point was that… they aren’t.

Or, how about Beatuofa, from the same thread:

.... And to crow that BN is honest about their goals—I think that’s the whole point of what Matt (SMQ) is saying, that they are being more than a little disingenuous at least, and hypocritical at worst, in their wholly negative spin on Karl Dorrell and the newly wholly positive spin in Rick Neuheisel....

So, I guess, I got it wrong, but no one else has.

In the end, repeat it all you want. It wasn't a personal attack. It wasn't a personal attack. Just know, that it was.

Second, was SMQ's critique advancing a conspiracy theory? By definition, a conspiracy theory is:

A conspiracy theory posits that a coordinated group is, was, and/or will be secretly working together to commit illegal or wrongful actions including hiding the existence of the group and its activities.

Again, the answer is squarely yes.

SMQ basically compared three data points, namely, our expectations for the football team in 2006, 2007 and 2008, without "going into the returning [2008] roster in extreme detail." Based upon his opinion that BN's expectations in 2006 and 2007 were inflated as compared to 2008, SMQ concludes that the difference is attributable an intentional plot to set expectations for Dorrell beyond any realistic level as a means to see him "canned."

Of course, SMQ doesn't analyze or even disagree with BN's expectations for each individual season and, in fact, he mostly agrees now ("It’s not that these projections are destined to be wrong"), just as he did then. And he doesn't touch on any of the many reasons why our expectations might reasonably differ from one year to the next, (aside from snarky references to HFCAGIOACRN), such as schedule, roster or the distinction between newly hired and long-established coaches.

In other words, SMQ is ignoring, or at least glossing over, the merits of the various data points, and instead promoting a third explanation for his views: a secret cabal of Bruins fans set upon "canning" one coach and "worshiping" the next. That, my friends, is a conspiracy.

Third, when did SMQ become completely unassailable? When did he become immune to criticism? Because this debate isn't really about the "right way to argue over expectations." My post was hardly a "diatribe," and SMQ's was hardly the poster child for evenness and respect.

On the one hand, Kyle cherry picks my post for only the quotes he believes might support his theme: SMQ is saint; Menelaus is unfair nasty guy. Specifically, he attacks me for these selective quotations:

[H]e's calling us liars. He's attacking our motives and credibility. He's saying we don't write what we believe. Instead, we have some dark hidden agenda. Before, it was to get rid of KD. Now, it's to support Nueheisel out of some "all-out investment in coach-worship." In short, it is, at best, a lame conspiracy theory and, at worst, an ugly personal attack.

What comes in between the above quoted introduction and conclusion is an amusing mish-mash of snark, obfuscation and flawed analysis. . . .

[T]hroughout his commentary, SMQ also misses perhaps the most critical point. Specifically, he wrongly compares our collective expectations for a first year coach (Neuheisel) to one who'd been on the job 4 and 5 years (Dorrell)...

[D]on't buy into any of the sham details in SMQ's team-by-team analysis. It's so replete with inconsistencies as to be laughable.

By the way, I stand behind all of that. If I had to do it over again, I might re-title the post (which I thought was funny), and delete the word "sham." But, the rest, is still dead on.

On the other hand, let's consider these quotes from SMQ:

Now that the message is "Head Coach Richard Neuheisel Is the Best CEO in America," the tone of the rhetoric has changed completely –– it’s all positive, all the time –– but the commitment to the message is as staunch as ever....

[R]ingleader Nestor laid out the expectations for that season...

Obviously. And obviously, now that UCLA has a real Head Coach rather than an unqualified Doofus, for which BN lobbied so tirelessly, the excuses employed by the Dorrell apologists for the team’s mediocrity over the last five years will not do.... [T]o make the excuse of losing players for a bad record is just ridiculous.... No, Head Football Coach/Amateur Guitarist/Innocent of All Charges Richard Neuheisel is the Head Football Coach who will finally push the Bruins over the top...

O rly? That’s, uh, quite a change of opinion of the Bruins’ potential in a single year....

My first thought when Neuheisel was hired was, "How long will it take for Bruins Nation to turn on him?" Obviously, with an all-out investment in coach-worship of this order, it’s going to be a long, long time. Most fans have high hopes for immediate improvement under a new coach, but they don’t understand how to protect that investment. Nestor does. People don’t give a motorcycle gang of angry sumo wrestlers this wide a berth....

It’s not that these projections are destined to be wrong... but in context, they are staggeringly hypocritical....

[Dorrell's] was 10-10 when the current clan at BN first took the drumbeat virtual at Fire Karl Dorrell midway through the 2004 season.... Three years later, the same folks appear very willing to accept losses to the high end of the Mountain West and to Pac Ten bottom-dwellers... as a natural step in the rebuilding process. Six-win seasons were completely unacceptable for Dorrell, but HFCAGIOFACCRN can take all the time he needs.

What this is, really, is an admission that the "expectations" for Dorrell were ridiculous –– intentionally constructed to be beyond not only any independent projections but beyond the realistic grasp of anyone in his position....

Is SMQ's dripping sarcasm, condescension and snark really any better than what I wrote? Why should he get a pass for politely, but not at all subtlety, ridiculing BN? What about when he mocked our "single minded obsession" and impending struggles with a "future without their nemesis empty and devoid of meaning" (his words)? Is any other notion not just wrong, but completely inconceivable, particularly when it comes from someone who holds himself as a impartial observer?

Fourth, isn't it at least a little bit telling how this all played out?

On June 12, SMQ posted an article entitled Mandate for Change that, in part, takes a swipe at Neuheisel;

The next day, June 13, I put up a FanPost entitled Hating on Neuheisel disagreeing with SMQ characterization of Neuheisel as a "charlatan" and comparison to "Al Capone";

The following day, June 14, SMQ responds to a comment relating to BN and Hating on Neuheisel in the comment thread of Mandate for Change as follows:

Nestor himself just wrote he’d be ecstatic if the team went 6-6 this year, and admitted the very real possibility of going 3-9/4-8. He writes off BYU as a loss - not a toss-up, but an expected loss - even though LA beat BYU last year in the regular season and should have beat them again in the bowl game. And the reaction was, "Hmmm, sobering."

Say what? I mean, really, WTF? It’s a rational prediction, but it’s been a rational prediction for the last two years, and BN consistently wailed about how underachieving the team was - it’s the exact result that made that site explode with contempt on a daily basis. I thought they expected progress. Dorrell never had a regular season worse than 6-6 and they berated him and ran him off like a leper. But when Head Coach Richard Neuheisel The Best CEO In America™ fails to take a single step forward (that’s Nestor’s expectation, not mine), it’s cool - just give him time.

The very next day, June 15, I responded to SMQ's comment on Mandate for Change as follows:

You understand that my criticism had little, or nothing, to do with your overall perspective re UCLA performance this year. Much of your post, including the detailed history of Dorrell’s underperformance, is quite accurate. That said, your treatment of Neuheisel, as I explained, is one sided. It’s just that simple. So, take whatever issue you’d like in your overall distaste for BN, but please, try to stay on topic.

That same night, June 15, SMQ posted his story attacking the expectations of BN, and the motives behind those predictions, entitled Whatever Happened to Great Expectations.

About a day and half later, June 17, I responded with my story defending BN against SMQ's attacks, and today, June 18, Dawg Sports comes to SMQ's defense.

Now, far be it from me to suggest that SMQ is human, and possibly got a little miffed that I'd have the audacity to disagree with anything in Mandate for Change. Of course, it's impossible to believe that SMQ chose to get his digs in against BN after refusing to engage in a discussion about his barbs about Neuheisel over at his place. Yep, the guy is unassailable. He had the "expectations" post in the queue from the beginning. And Mr. Evenhanded wouldn't even dream of taking a shot if he somehow was suffering from a bruised ego. And no one out there might even think so.

Fifth, why do folks go so far out of their way to soft pedal this and defend SMQ? Kyle, for example, gives SMQ a wider berth than a motorcycle gang of angry sumo wrestlers, in saying that "SMQ [merely] had some questions about Nestor’s game-by-game analysis, wondering a bit about" BN's expectations.

Huh? SMQ was just "wondering" aloud, like some absent minded professor wandering across campus? The tone wasn't sarcastic and snarky? No, no, it was a hallmark of "evenness of tone" (evenly snarky?). Really?

Listen, I fully understand that I'm not one of the "gang." I get that some people worship SMQ and look down on UCLA and BN. But, to see outsiders circle the wagons around SMQ like this baffles me.

As I've said, he's a pretty thoughtful guy, known for in-depth analysis and doing his homework. But, I won't apologize for calling him out on this one.

Sixth, and finally, let me address, in closing, some of the side issues raised by Kyle's post.

Are you really trying to support your argument by comparing the comments to my post, to the comments to SMQ's? I'm sorry, but you could just as easily say that SMQ's post didn't hit the high water mark (or, more correctly, conveyed exactly the intended message), when it inspired comments attacking BN's "nonsensical drivel," "biggest bunch of hypocrites," and delighting in a "takedown" of a blog that couldn't be "more deserving."
Your main substantive point, that Neuheisel should perform better in his first year at UCLA than BN expects, rests on a misapplication of the premise that "maintaining prior level of play with the former coach's players appears to be Coach Neuheisel's modus operandi" (emphasis added). Among other things, and most fundamentally, this ignores that talent and experience wise, the cupboard at UCLA is considerably more bare than it was at Colorado and Washington.
It's not right to chide me more attributing the "single-issue blog" comment to SMQ when, despite not authoring the specific line from EDSBS, he's said basically the same thing himself before.

Thanks to anyone who had it in them to get this far. But, some things just can't go unanswered.

GO BRUINS.

Bring Out the Tin Foil Hats

Menelaus — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:27:38 -0000

As you know, last week, Nestor set out our expectations for the Bruins' 2008-09 football season . We said that, at this snap shot in time, the Bruins could finish anywhere from 6-6 to 3-9 depending on how things shook out.

Some of you pushed back with conspiracy theories, suggesting that we'd toned down expectations to give Neuheisel a "honeymoon." And we responded, in much detail, setting forth the many reasons we felt that this season would be a rough one for the Bruins, and had a nice fact-based back and forth.

And that was it. Well, at least until SMQ took a shot at Neuheisel, and we had the audacity to respond. Then, after this "single-issue blog" (do they mean UCLA's three consecutive Final Fours?) disagreed with SMQ, we had our response.

But, instead of supporting his labeling of Neuheisel as a "charlatan," SMQ lashes out at Bruins Nation, suggesting that our football predictions are "ridiculous" and part of a fraudulent and politically calculated attempt to stay on "message." Specifically, SMQ begins:

One of the really entertaining things about UCLA partisans Bruins Nation is how staunchly on-message it is at all times. It’s apparent some of its founders have political backgrounds. When the message was "Fire Karl Dorrell," no opportunity was missed, no sentence was written that might weaken the campaign. Not even after a 26-point win. Not even if it was November and L.A. could still potentially make the Rose Bowl. Nothing could stand in BN’s path.

Now that the message is "Head Coach Richard Neuheisel Is the Best CEO in America," the tone of the rhetoric has changed completely –– it’s all positive, all the time –– but the commitment to the message is as staunch as ever. Take the site’s official expectations for Neuheisel’s first season, for example.

And then, after comparing our expectations for this year to those of years' past, concludes:

What this is, really, is an admission that the "expectations" for Dorrell were ridiculous –– intentionally constructed to be beyond not only any independent projections but beyond the realistic grasp of anyone in his position.

It's all very polite, but he's calling us liars. He's attacking our motives and credibility. He's saying we don't write what we believe. Instead, we have some dark hidden agenda. Before, it was to get rid of KD. Now, it's to support Neuheisel out of some "all-out investment in coach-worship." In short, it is, at best, a lame conspiracy theory and, at worst, an ugly personal attack.

What comes in between the above quoted introduction and conclusion is an amusing mish-mash of snark, obfuscation and flawed analysis.

On the one hand, he puffs up the Bruins, lauding them as "a team that returns its leading passer, leading rusher and five of its seven leading receivers," presumably to make our dour predictions seem fool hearty. Of course, that conveniently ignores that said "leading passer" [Olson] is injured and had a mere 1040 yards passing, with just 7 touchdowns (and 6 INT's), in limited duty; that the "leading rusher" [Bell] had just 795 yards and also is returning from season-ending injury; or that UCLA's best two receivers are gone and the best of the remaining five "leading receivers" [Johnson] had just 322 yards on 25 receptions.

On the other hand, SMQ seems to begrudingly agree with our assessment:

It’s not that these projections are destined to be wrong –– without going into the returning roster in extreme detail....

Indeed, this agreement is no doubt compelled by even a cursory review of UCLA's lineup and upcoming season, including that:

We have no healthy experienced quarterback, and our lone returning starter has been both uneven in performance and fragile in health;
We have a brutal schedule, including a strong OOC slate of BYU, Tennessee, and Fresno State, which have pre-season rankings of 12, 22 and 29, respectively. We also have most of our toughest conference games (Oregon, Cal, ASU) on the road;
We have an unheralded, inexperienced, and frightfully thin offensive line;
We have limited overall experience, on both sides of the ball, with only 9 returning starters (compared to 20 last year);
We have basically only one proven returner in both the secondary and at linebacker;
We have two green, undersized and inexperience defensive ends; and
We have seen recruiting suffer through much of Dorrell's tenure, with most of the help this year being in the form of freshman.

And, don't just take our word for it. Even if one were to question our motives, surely they would believe virtually the same predictions coming from such folks as "prognostocenti par excellence" Phil Steele and others:

6. UCLA - The Bruins have just 9 returning starters and maybe less than that if OB Ben Olson does not return from an injury suffered in the spring. They do have an inexperienced O-line but were an injury ravaged team last year so they have more experience than you would think. UCLA gets five Pac-10 HG's [home games] but still needs and upset or two to land a bowl bid.

Moreover, throughout his commentary, SMQ also misses perhaps the most critical point. Specifically, he wrongly compares our collective expectations for a first year coach (Neuheisel) to one who'd been on the job 4 and 5 years (Dorrell). To be sure, we had higher expectations for a coach who had several years to establish his system and recruit in his players. Come back next year or in 3 and see if things change (they will). It's that simple. And it doesn't take a conspiracy theory or tin foil hat to get there.

It's also funny that this conspiracy theory is so completely at odds with the usual jabs at Bruins Nation. You see, for years, we've been branded as the unreasonable, crazy, demanding, lunatics, that are uncontrollably filled of hate and vitriol. Folks like SMQ openly worried about our well being. But, now, you're all to believe that we've, overnight, been transformed into some sort of cabal of athletic department suck ups; shills for the UCLA man.

Shouldn't we be running amok with pitch forks, trying to run Neuheisel out of town in favor of Richt, Meyer, Rodriguez, Saban or fill-in-the-blank coach we'd never have any hope of landing? Shouldn't we be sifting through CRN's garbage looking for dirt to use against him? Shouldn't we be making up lie after lie to advance our secret, demented and terrible hidden agenda? Heck, where's the fatwa?

Of course, the more reasonable interpretation is that we actually think Neuheisel is the right guy for UCLA. And we are giving you our best, reasonable expectations for the team's performance at this particular moment in time.

And don't buy into any of the sham details in SMQ's team-by-team analysis. It's so replete with inconsistencies as to be laughable. We picked a win against unheralded BYU teams at the Rose Bowl in prior years, but not a nationally 12th ranked BYU team or a Utah team on the road? Shocking. We unreasonably expected wins against Arizona, Washington and Oregon State in 2007, no doubt as part of our secret plan to inflate expectations, when SMQ predicted UCLA would win each of those games himself? We are slow playing it with our predictions, because we won't chalk up wins against ASU or Cal teams which are the Pac-10's consensus No. 2 and No. 3 teams this year? Is he really making such a fuss because we called games at Washington and against Arizona toss-ups?

Also, which is it? Our predictions (which he seems to agree with now) are wrong? Or, our predictions from years past (which he did agree with in part) are wrong?

You lace it all together with good prose, and some sly jabs, and it's a conspiracy! Well, I guess if you look for anything hard enough, you might just find it.

GO BRUINS.

Hating on Neuheisel

Menelaus — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:20:17 -0000

Just the other day, bluestreet pointed out one example of the Lame Pettiness of Neuheisel Haters.

In that case, we saw how Seattle Times writers with an ax to grind against Neuheisel jumped at the opportunity to take a joke at an alumni auction out of context.

Well, those guys aren't alone. Now, our friends at SMQ are taking their turn:

The New Guy(s): Rick Neuheisel has a long way to go to escape the long shadow of charlatanism: he left Colorado with more than 50 rules violations and two years’ probation in 1998, was investigated for illegal recruiting visits, reprimanded by the board of the American Football Coaches’ Association and compared to Al Capone in Slate (the NCAA got him, but only for a technicality – gambling on basketball. like Capone got nailed for tax evasion – instead of the meat of his transgressions).

This kind of jab isn't unexpected, at least from the Bill Plaschke's of the world (I can just see the Capone reference in one of his patented single sentence paragraphs).

But, it's not what one would expect from SMQ. You see, despite apparently OMG holdingz a grudge, SMQ is a pretty thoughtful guy, known for in-depth analysis and doing his homework.

So why would SMQ be so cavalier with the facts about Neuheisel? Surely, before branding Neuheisel a "charlatan," he'd cite to more than a couple five year old articles that tell only part of the story. Surely, SMQ's above-average Google skills gave light to the many, many articles which show the other side of the equation.

Funny thing, though. The points in those articles weren't mentioned. Maybe SMQ didn't have the time.

Or, maybe, he's trying to advance the easy narrative and stir the pot like any other non-affiliated "pundit" we'd expect to see on the WWL. Who knows?

GO BRUINS.

Bruins Nation: 3 and 3,000,000

Menelaus — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:23:00 -0000

They say that things in life often come in 3's.

Today, Bruins Nation hit a pretty big 3, with another one just around the corner.

Earlier today, Bruins Nation logged its 3,000,000th unique visit (with over 8 million page views).

And, next week, on June 16, Bruins Nation turns 3 years old, which is the blog-years equivalent of 33, or maybe 333. (Though, old as BN may be, you'll see that we were talking about Rick Neuheisel on Day One.)

Now, I don't mention this to toot our own horn. I'm merely an interloper who joined Nestor, Odysseus, Ajax and the rest of the gang mid-stream.

I mention it to recognize how vibrant this community has become, in large part because of your contributions. Bruins Nation is you, and we all together are thriving.

For many months, and particularly with the migration to BN 2.0, we've witnessed remarkable contributions by so many of you. So, consider this a big hat tip by us mods to Rye, bruinbabe, 66, godblesstyus95, tasser, Fox, bruinhoo, BruinBlue, BruinsRule, isodore, rfirpo, jlegs, uclafan11, bluestreet, Daynuh (just to name a few), and all the new regulars who have contributed so much to this place.

As we've said time and again, we do with just for fun, out of our love and devotion to all things blue and gold. And BN would only be a shadow of its present self without great comments, FanPosts, etc. from you guys/gals.

So, enjoy a beverage (or 3) on us today, and let's get back to UCLA.

GO BRUINS.

Phil Steele: UCLA T-6th in Pac-10

Menelaus — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:09:41 -0000

In keeping with what has become a bit of a yearly ritual, I made it to the bookstore today (maybe my only trip to a physical bookstore per year) to pick up this year's Phil Steele's 2008 Collegel Football Preview. As I've said before, Steele is a college football machine, who puts together -- by far -- the most comprehensive pre-season preview on the market.

So, while there are a lot of good reasons to be fired up about UCLA football, Steele's 2008 Pac-10 Forecast also helps put things back in perspective. Steele has the Bruins tied for 6th in the Pac-10, behind USC, Cal , Oregon, Arizona St., Arizona and Oregon St.:

6. UCLA - The Bruins have just 9 returning starters and maybe less than that if OB Ben Olson does not return from an injury suffered in the spring. They do have an inexperienced O-line but were an injury ravaged team last year so they have more experience than you would think. UCLA gets five Pac-10 HG's [home games] but still needs and upset or two to land a bowl bid.

As much as I'd like to, I can't say that I disagree too much. And Steele seems to have zeroed in on our weaknesses, including the OL and DB's, which he's ranked as 9th and 7th in the Pac-10, respectively (our ST's are #1).

I won't say much more. Steele's mag is a must have for stat hounds and reality based football fans. You should buy a copy and read it for youself.

Sorry to be a kill joy. Unfortunately, Neuheisel, Chow and Walker have a lot of work to do. And I'm confident that it will happen. But, I also know that this year will just be the start.

GO BRUINS.

UCLA Women's Tennis Captures No. 102!

Menelaus — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:11:28 -0000

When it rains, it pours. After a narrow miss by the men in the Final Four yesterday, the women's tennis team took home their first NCAA championship today in Tulsa. Here's the recap from the IHT:

UCLA's women's tennis team finally got to contribute to the school's record haul of NCAA title. The Bruins beat California Tuesday for championship No. 102.

Riza Zalameda rallied to win the final two sets over Susie Babos of California on Tuesday, clinching it for the team that would have tied Florida with six second-place finishes if it had lost.

Freshman Andrea Remynse won at No. 4 singles, Alex McGoodwin won in the No. 6 singles spot and UCLA claimed the doubles point.

(Photo credit: UCLA)

More details are slated to come soon at the official site. Until then, here are more particulars from the IHT:

Babos won the opening set against Zalameda in the top-flight singles, but Zalameda came back and clinched the team title with an overhead smash less than 2 minutes after Remynse finished off her 7-6, 6-2 defeat of Claire Ilcinkas.

McGoodwin downed Bojana Bobusic 6-4, 6-1. Zalameda and Tracy Lin teamed to defeat Babos and Stephanie Kusano 9-7 in the No. 1 doubles and McGoodwin and Yasmin Schnack beat Bobusic and Cristina Visico 8-6 as UCLA took two of the three doubles matches.

Just a tremendous accomplishment. And it's great to see another program climb the mountain top and get that the brass ring after getting so close so many times.

Congrats ladies. Here's your Championship No. 102 post match thread.

GO BRUINS.

Road to No. 102: Women's Tennis Edition

Menelaus — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:22:22 -0000

It's less than a week since UCLA's women's water polo team captured championship No. 101, and it's already time to start talking titles again.

This afternoon at 3 pm, UCLA's No. 7 women's tennis team faces off against No. 10 Southern Cal in Tulsa in the NCAA Round of 16. From the official site:

No. 7 UCLA Heads to NCAA Round of 16 in Tulsa, Okla.

The seventh-seeded UCLA women's tennis team (20-5) picked up a pair of wins in regional play over the weekend to advance to the round of 16 of the NCAA Championships, May 15-20 in Tulsa, Okla. The Bruins are scheduled to face No. 10 USC this Thursday at 3:00 p.m. (CST). If the Bruins can win that match, they will face either Arkansas or No. 2 Georgia on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The tournament is hosted by the University of Tulsa and played on campus at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

Bruins and Women of Troy to Meet for a Third Time
The Bruins have already posted a pair of wins over the Women of Troy this season, winning 6-1 at USC on March 13, and 5-2 at UCLA on April 18. The last time these two teams met during the NCAA Tournament was back in 2005 at the University of Georgia. USC won that match 4-3.

UCLA Cruises in NCAA Regional Play
The Bruins hosted a four-team NCAA Regional at the Los Angeles Tennis Center last weekend, as Buffalo, Long Beach State and Denver rounded out the field. Denver defeated Long Beach State, 4-0 in its opening-round match, while UCLA defeated Buffalo by the same score. The Bruins were never really tested on the weekend, taking another 4-0 win over Denver in the second round to earn a spot in this week's round of 16.

(Senior Riza Zalameda; Photo by Russell White)

Per the Daily Bruin, the lady Bruins are coming into this rivalry match with a experience and confidence:

The entire team, with the exception of freshman Andrea Remynse, was a part of last year’s run to the championship match. [...]

[T[he Bruins have a great deal of confidence heading into today’s match against USC, thanks mostly to a pair of dominating wins over the Women of Troy.

"We have confidence that we’ve beaten them already, and so why not do it again?" senior Riza Zalameda said. "I think this is another opportunity to beat them and prove that we’re the better team. Any time we play against USC, we want to play our best."

The last time the two teams met in the NCAA Championships was in 2005 at the University of Georgia. The Women of Troy defeated the Bruins by a narrow 4-3 margin that year to end their postseason run. This time around, UCLA will be looking to return the favor.

Again, the match begins today at 3 p.m. You can follow along and find live stats at Tulsa's tournament page here.

The men's team also will be in action in the Round of 16 tomorrow, but, for now, it's time for the ladies to get it on. Go luck.

GO BRUINS.

Pete Carroll, Tim Floyd, USC and Scandal (3rd Update)

Menelaus — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:22:29 -0000

It's that time of year again.

For the third year in a row, I present my updated collection of all of the available information regarding the scandal, criminality, investigations, embarrassing incidents and other assorted black eyes that have plagued USC since Pete Carroll's tenure began six years ago.

When this began in April 2006, it was strictly a football affair. In the 2007 edition, however, I included the first entry for Southern Cal's basketball team, observing that "it appears likely that there will be trouble with Tim Floyd's program if he doesn't take steps to avoid the controversy surrounding Pete Carroll's program." Well, he hasn't. So, there has.

I remain surprised that Southern Cal athletes would be implicated in so many incidents during such a short period of time. Even recently, I actually began to think that Southern Cal might have taken steps to limit additional incidents, or at least conceal them from view. Perhaps they have for the football team. But, clearly, not so for the basketball team.

Keep in mind, since I first posted this in April 2006, the list of incidents has nearly tripled. One would think that, following the -- and there's no other way to put it -- massive uninterrupted deluge of problems, that USC compliance officials would be like a veteran army, standing ready to take swift and substantial action to prevent further problems. Unfortunately, that does not seem to have happened. Rather, Southern Cal appears to have opted for a strategy of calculated ignorance rather than genuine institutional control.

As before, I have endeavored to collect as much information as is publicly available. Unfortunately, many of the news stories about these issues are no longer available online. I've provided links where I found them, and relied upon second hand sources to the extent those are reliable. Also, there are some dead links in the text below that I've left there both for posterity, and so you know that I wasn't making anything up.

I also continue to try to be as objective as reasonably possible. The facts speak for themselves. I see no need to embellish. If anyone has any information that would help make this entry more accurate and complete, please let me know, and I will edit this accordingly.

Once again, when I first posted this in 2006, a few people disagreed with a few items, but didn't provide any supporting evidence. I offered to publish any such information, and did so again in the 2007 edition. To date, however, no one has contradicted a single entry with any credible facts. That said, if I'm wrong in any way, please tell me.

Finally, many moons ago, I shared my view that everyone doesn't really do it, and talked about those rationalizing mischief at USC. To this day, some apologists continue to try to explain away the behavior detailed below by claiming that it "happens everywhere." That's fine. And, if you can show me a similar list for every other Division I program out there for the same six year period, I'll consider revisiting my opinion.

Pete Carroll was hired as head football coach by USC in 2001.
On August 23, 2001, the NCAA placed USC's athletic department on probation for two years and cut scholarships because tutors wrote papers for three athletes in the late 1990s. The events leading to the probation were before Carroll's time, but I include this for completeness sake.
In 2002, the father of USC tailback Justin Fargas invited former USC Heisman Trophy winner, and alleged double-murderer, O. J. Simpson to a team practice (he was found not guilty in his criminal trial but was later found liable in a civil trial). After the practice, Carroll allowed Simpson to come onto the field and meet the players and pose for pictures. Carroll defends himself from criticism by claiming that Simpson wasn't invited. In May 2008, Simpson's ex manager alleged that Simpson admitted to killing Nicole Brown Simpson.
On July 19, 2003, USC Sophomore OT Winston Justice pleaded no contest to solicitation of a prostitute in Long Beach on June 24. Winston was put on 3 years probation and fined $300 for the offense.
On March 3, 2004, Winston Justice was arrested on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon. On June 15, 2004, Justice pleaded no contest to exhibition of a replica firearm. Justice was sentenced to 60 days of electronic monitoring and three years' probation. Justice was also suspended for two semesters by USC's student affairs committee after his arrest.
In August 2004, USC starting tailback Hershel Dennis was at the center of a police investigation of an alleged sexual assault. According to sources, the incident took place at a party on August 16, and involved a female friend of Dennis. On August 17, Dennis was removed from practice and suspended by Carroll for "disciplinary reasons," including breaking curfew. On December 13, 2004, the LAPD announced it would not press charges.
On January 14, 2005, Tim Floyd was hired as head basketball coach by USC.
In late March 2005, USC starting cornerback Eric Wright was arrested for investigation of sexual assault. Wright was booked on rape charges and bail was set at $100,000 according to the Sheriff's Department. Wright was held out of spring practice, and, in April 2005, the district attorney declined to press charged because of insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, on June 2, 2005, Wright left USC amid possible disciplinary action. On August 25, Wright was suspended by three semesters by USC's student affairs committee, based upon the district attorney's office having found 136 pills of the drug Ecstasy in Wright's room at an apartment he shared with another player.
In early April 2005, USC tight end Dominique Bird fractured his jaw during an alleged altercation with receiver Steve Smith. Bird, Smith and Carroll reportedly refused to comment on the incident, and no disciplinary action was taken.
In August 2005, USC defensive end Frostee Rucker allegedly got into a fight with his girlfriend at a party he was hosting in Los Angeles. In June 2006, Rucker was charged with two misdemeanor counts of spousal battery and two counts of vandalism and was scheduled to be arraigned on August 11, 2006. Despite the incident, Rucker did not face any discipline from USC, and didn't miss a game. In May 2007, Rucker pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and vandalism charges stemming from the 2005 incident. As part of a plea agreement, the prosecutors dropped a charge of spousal battery and Rucker was sentenced to three years of probation. Prior to transferring to USC, in April of 2002, Rucker was charged in Colorado with sexual assault and indecent exposure. Rucker reportedly eventually accepted a one-year deferred sentence on a misdemeanor harassment charge.
On August 13, 2005, 10 veteran USC players were involved in a hazing incident where they shaved the head of freshman quarterback Mark Sanchez. Also, what started out as a water fight between USC players, escalated into an all-out brawl as it spiraled out of control. Reportedly, there was significant damage to the players dorms as players were thrown through walls.
On October 31, 2005, USC tailback LenDale White played a macabre prank by pretending to quit the team and throwing a dummy off a building on Child's Way. Separately, Pete Carroll apologized to Washington State coach Bill Doba for USC players pushing and bumping Doba while trying to get to the locker room during halftime of their game.
On November 2, 2005, USC linebacker Rey Maualuga was arrested for investigation of misdemeanor battery after punching a man at an off-campus Halloween party (twice, without provocation). A witness at the scene reportedly quoted Maualuga as stating "I own the police." Carroll took no disciplinary action, and Maualuga played the following weekend against Stanford. One USC pundit observed at the time that "discipline is Coach Carroll's number one weakness." On November 22, 2005, the city attorney's office declined to file charges. Maualuga was defended at the court hearing by controversial and well-connected USC alumni attorney Carmen "Nooch" Trutanich, who has a long history with USC and previously represented both Wright and Dennis.
On December 21, 2005, USC starting quarterback Matt Leinart had his eligibility temporarily revoked after appearing in a promotional segment on ESPN earlier that month, a violation of an NCAA rule. Leinart was reinstated shortly thereafter. One observer claims the NCAA was just concerned about money.
On January 1, 2006, reporters from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and CBS Sportline reportedly told the USC football team about potential recruiting violations stemming from visits by USC recruits to Papadakis Taverna, a Greek restaurant owned by former USC linebacker John Papadakis. As of July 2007, the investigation by USC compliance officials continued.
On January 21, 2006, USC quarterback Matt Leinart was cited by the Pac-10 for working out with his own coach using school facilities. According to the NCAA, a student athlete cannot utilize the school's facilities to work out with a coach, unless the coach is affiliated with the university.
On April 21, 2006, the family of USC running back Reggie Bush was implicated by numerous separate media reports as having lived in a house purchased by a San Diego-area man with ties to a sports agent and a tribal casino. Both the Pac-10 and the NCAA have launched an investigation into potential NCAA violations in connnection with this matter, which is pending. More recent reports in this fast evolving story are here, here, and here. Yahoo Sports, which is responsible for much of the investigative reporting on this issue, has set up a page dedicated to its eight-month probe here.
On April 26, 2006, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez was arrested for investigation of sexually assaulting a female student earlier that same day. Sanchez was released upon posting $200,000 bail, and was ordered to appear in court on May 17, 2006. Sanchez was also placed on "interim suspension" by USC while the case was pending. On June 2, 2006, the LA District Attorney announced that it would not be bring charges against Sanchez due to insufficient evidence.
On April 30, 2006, it was reported that USC compliance officials were investigating whether an NCAA rule was violated because receiver Dwayne Jarrett failed to pay approximately $10,000 for his half of the rent for an upscale apartment he shared with former quarterback Matt Leinart. USC claims that no rules were violated, though it was initially reported that Jarret may have to sit out a portion of the 2006-07 season. Jarrett ultimately avoided punishment and was the 45th pick in the 2007 NFL draft. After a disappointing season, Jarrett was arrested on March 11, 2008 and charged with driving under the influence.
In August of 2006, USC defensive back Brandon Ting quit the football team after reportedly testing postive for steroid use. His twin brother, Ryan, also a defensive back on the USC football team, quit the team just days later, claiming that he wanted to concentrate on preparing for medical school, and was never tested. Interestingly, Arthur Ting, father of the twins, is a Bay Area orthopedic surgeon who has reportedly appeared as a witness before a grand jury considering possible perjury charges against baseball's Barry Bonds, one of Arthur's clients. This incident finally triggered some real interest by the LA Times.
On August 29, 2006, it was announced that former USC quarterback Matt Leinart would be having a child out of wedlock with USC basketball player Brynn Cameron. While not improper in any meaningful way outside of his personal life, this event begins a long list of embarrassing incidents involving the former USC star (not to mention other USC quarterbacks).
On October 16, 2006, it was announced that then 14-year-old high school freshman Dwayne Polee Jr., who had yet to even play a game at Westchester high, had verbally committed to USC’s basketball team. Though not improper, the early commitment was unconventional, and was repeated in June 2007 when USC announced the verbal commitment of 14-year-old middle school player Ryan Boatright, who, at the time, had not yet even decided upon where he was going to high school. Further eyebrows were raised in June 2007, when USC hired Dwayne Polee Sr., father of Dwayne Polee Jr., as Director of Basketball Operations, amid charges of nepotism.
On December 4, 2006, former USC stand-out, and former Rams rookie, tight end Dominique Byrd was arrested for allegedly hitting a bar patron in the face with a drinking glass. Byrd was charged with second- and third-degree assault and armed criminal action. He was released shortly after posting a $25,000 bond. In early May, 2008, Byrd was scheduled to go to trial in St. Louis Circuit Court on felony charges of assault and armed criminal action stemming from the nightclub scuffle in December 2006. In March 2007, he was charged with DUI in California. In October 2007, he pleaded no contest to the DUI charge and received three years' probation. In May 2008, Byrd was released by the Rams.
In January 2007, a federal investigation into extortion claims by former USC running back Reggie Bush and his family revealed the existence of taped converstations that could confirm Bush took cash and gifts while he was playing football for USC. It was also reported that nearly $280,000 in cash, rent and gifts were allegedly given to Bush and his family. The information came to light following the issuance of grand jury subpoenas to multiple witness by the U.S. District Attorney's office in San Diego. Both the NCAA and Pac-10 continue to investigate. Also, more recent articles suggest that Reggie Bush was involved earlier and more deeply than previously reported in efforts to create the sports marketing agency at the center of the continuing controversy. The investigation has, to date, yielded no definitive proof that USC officials had knowledge of Bush's misconduct, though Bush was nevertheless asked not to attend the Trojans' Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan on New Year's Day.
On February 2, 2007, it was reported that a "stampede of student athletes," including three USC linemen, ex-USC receiver Keary Colbert, and members of the USC women's basketball, volleyball and water polo teams, had improperly attempted to take an academic shortcut around the university's foreign language requirement by signing up for a course at Los Angeles Trade Tech College taught by USC graduate Senora Ross, who promised to give the athletes no lower than a "B." Upon discovering the situation, USC officials disallowed the transfer of credits from Trade Tech.
On February 8, 2007, it was reported that USC football players had created and joined a racist Facebook group as a "joke." The racist Facebook group was called "White Nation," showed a graphic of a swastika and black baby in handcuffs with the caption "arrest black babies before they become criminals." The group was created by USC linebacker Clay Matthews and was joined by teammates David Buehler, Brian Cushing, Dan Deckas and Dallas Sartz. Coach Pete Carroll responded to reports of the incident by saying he had no plans to discipline the players, and USC later announced that none of the players would be punished. According to Carroll, "[i]t's not a controversy, it's a mistake."
On February 9, 2007, USC compliance officials announced they were investigating whether an NCAA violation occurred during the Trojans' pursuit of Louisiana prep star running back Joe McKnight. The investigation followed reports that McKnight had told reporters that USC coach Pete Carroll had set up a conference call so he and high school coach J.T. Curtis could be assured by ex-Trojan running back Reggie Bush that USC would not be punished for a separate NCAA investigation into improper benefits allegedly taken by Bush. Carroll later denied that any call took place, and Curtis said that McKnight misspoke. According to NCAA officials, if USC got Bush's help in recruiting McKnight, it would be considered a "secondary violation" of recruiting rules.
On March 9, 2007, USC basketball recruit O.J. Mayo was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in Huntington, West Virginia. Mayo was one of four young males found in a suspicious vehicle by a Cabell County Sheriff's drug task force unit assigned to serve a search warrant at a house nearby. The charges against Mayo were later dismissed by a magistrate judge, after the driver of the vehicle pleaded guilty to the charge (though Mayo's father subsequently had his own difficulties). The incident followed a controversy in January following Mayo's two (some sources say three) game suspension after receiving two technical fouls in a high school game and coming into contact with an official, as well as prior reports of three suspensions by his high school, the last one following an altercation with a female student.
On April 14, 2007, it was announced that Percy Romeo Miller, also known as Romeo (and formerly Lil' Romeo) had been offered a basketball scholarship to USC. The scholarship offer, to a 5-foot-10 point guard with a bad knee who had never played a full season of high-school basketball, was roundly criticized by national commentators as a thinly veiled attempt by USC to obtain the commitment of Miller's friend, prep star and NBA prospect Demar DeRozan, while ignoring Miller's mediocre at best talent.
In the first week of August, 2007, there were new developments in the NCAA investigation of former USC running back Reggie Bush, when it was reported that audio recordings that allegedly establish an improper financial relationship between Bush and a would-be sports marketing agent were played for NCAA investigators. The tapes were revealed after Lloyd Lake, a partner in failed sports marketing agency New Era Sports enterprise, filed a lawsuit against Bush and his family, seeking to recoup nearly $300,000 in benefits Lake claims he helped provide. Lake's allegations were further detailed in January 2008, with the publication of Don Yaeger's book Tarnished Heisman, which chronicled various allegations swirling around Bush's USC tenure, including claims that Bush received $47,000 out of an overall $291,000 that went to his family from sports marketer Lake. That same month, published reports contained Lake's (unsubstantiated) allegation that USC coaches knew Bush was taking money in violation of NCAA rules.
On August 28, 2007, a contributor to Bruinsnation.com unearthed a report from April 1996 that USC running backs coach Todd McNair was arrested and charged with 81 offenses involving the mistreatment of 22 pit bulls being trained on his property for dogfights while a running back for the Houston Oilers. In light of recent press relating to NFL quarterback Michael Vick, the report unleashed a firestorm, with numerous acts of alleged animal cruelty being uncovered in McNair's past, including multiple misdemeanors convictions (via plea bargain) regarding animal cruelty and failure to license, and "all indications" that McNair was involved in dog flighting. McNair, who was previously implicated in Reggie Bush scandal, having allegedly known about Bush's involvement with the New Era venture before USC national championship game against Texas, faced no discipline from USC.
On September 27, 2007, it was reported that USC sophomore point guard Daniel Hackett would be sidelined at least six weeks after suffering multiple fractures of his jaw when he was struck by the "elbow" of teammate O.J. Mayo during a pickup game. Shortly thereafter, it was reported, based upon several sources, including a member of the basketball team, that Mayo punched Hackett during the game. The player was quoted as saying "Yeah, he punched him," "They changed the story for the media." Despite later denials by Floyd and others, this version of the events was confirmed on multiple occasions.
On November 3, 2007, convicted felon Suge Knight was given a sideline pass to a USC game. Knight joins O.J. Simpson and Snoop Dogg as USC's esteemed guests.
In early November 2007, USC forward Davon Jefferson was suspended for the team's embarrassing season-opening loss to Mercer. Jefferson, who required two years to meet the NCAA's minimum academic requirements and was kicked out of prep school before he joined USC, was also later benched for much of a narrow loss at Stanford and also suspended for a loss to Washington State. After clashing with Floyd, Jefferson did not even inform the school of his decision to turn pro.
On January 21, 2008, USC freshman guard O.J. Mayo was alleged to have violated NCAA rules by accepting complimentary tickets from Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony to a Lakers-Nuggets game at Staples Center. Coach Floyd subsequently took the blame, and Mayo was ultimately required to donate the value of the tickets to charity.
On March 2, 2008, USC defensive tackle Fili Moala was arrested for resisting and obstructing an officer after a melee at a Newport Beach bar was broken up by police. Moala was released after posting $500 bail, and on March 13, the Orange County district attorney's office declined to press charges.
On March 5, 2008, USC recruit Maurice Simmons was arrested for robbery in Compton, after he allegedly pointed a handgun at a man and demanded his belongings. Simmons, a linebacker from Dominguez High School, was initially held at the Los Angeles County jail on $50,000 bail, and then released after posting bail of $85,000. Simmons was arraigned on March 7, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15, 2008. To date, USC has not indicated whether or not it intends to honor its commitment to Simmons. Developing.
On April 1, 2008, USC head coach Pete Carroll, in an attempt to make light of the Trojan's extensive past history of criminality, invited members of the LAPD to play a prank on defensive end Everson Griffen, who was said to have "physically abused a freshman" and was threatened with arrest during a team meeting.
On April 6, 2008, USC sophomore tailback Joe McKnight was held out of the team's scrimmage and it was announced that he would miss the final week of spring workouts because he was academically ineligible to participate. McKnight had dropped a class, leaving him without the 12 units required for eligibility.
On April 27, 2008, the NFL draft ended with USC guard Drew Radovich remaining unselected. Expected by some to be a mid-to-late round pick, Radovich's stock allegedly dropped based upon character concerns.
In late April or early May, 2008, a video was posted on Pete Carroll's website starring his son, Brennan. The video, replete with profanity and questionable behavior, was widely ridiculed, and was allegedly used against USC in recruiting. In mid-May, the video was removed from youtube.com, with Carroll explaining that it was just a "spoof."
On May 2, 2008, the judge in the civil litigation between former USC running back Reggie Bush and Lloyd Lake ordered the parties to appear in June 2008 for their depositions, and denied Bush's attempts to impose a "gag order" to prevent the deposition transcripts from being shared with the NCAA. The judge also set a trial date of March 13, 2009.
On May 4, 2008, former USC tight end Fred Davis failed to attend the final practice of the The Washington Redskins minicamp because he overslept after a late night out. Besides giving a poor first impression, Davis confirmed concerns about his commitment to football dating back to his time at USC. Davis was suspended for two games his freshman year at USC for coming back late from his home in Ohio, and missed the 2005 Orange Bowl.
On May 6, 2008, it was announced that USC's men's basketball team was the only major athletic program in the Southland penalized with scholarship losses as the result of a poor performance in the NCAA's academic progress rate. The Trojans were penalized in part because Lodrick Stewart, Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt stopped attending class after the 2007 season, and because three players transferred within the same season. USC's APR score of 804 was 121 points below the minimum-acceptable mark, and stemmed from various academic problems, including Gabe Pruitt's academic ineligibility for the fall 2006 semester, and his ineligibility again following the spring 2007 semester. USC served the penalty during the 2007-08 season.
On May 13, 2008, ESPN aired an episode of Outside the Lines that contained extensive, well-documented allegations that USC guard O.J. Mayo received improper benefits from a sports agent (BDA Sports) and that agent's runner (Rodney Guillory) both before and during his one season at USC. It was alleged that Guillory received benefits in excess of $200,000, while Mayo received $30,000 in benefits, including cash, clothes, cell phone service, and a flat screen television for his dorm room. USC immediately faced a storm of criticism, with several prominent commentator calling for sanctions, including the so-called "death penalty." The criticism of USC intensified as it was reported that Guillory was given largely unfettered access to Mayo and the athletic department, after a highly unusual recruitment process, despite USC knowing of his involvement with agents, including a prior scandal with USC's Jeff Trepagnier, for many years. The Pac-10 and the NCAA have launched investigations. Developing.

There are additional allegations swirling around out there, but I have not included anything I could not verify in at least two places. I've also left out "on the field" misconduct, including various stories about blatant personal fouls and possible cheating. Again, please provide any (verifiable) information or links you may have in the comments section.

Finally, let me address something that comes up every year. As I've said above, this is a list of "scandal, criminality, investigations, embarrassing incidents and other assorted black eyes" affecting Southern Cal. It's broader than just criminality. So, dearest Southern Cal apologists, please spare me the arguments about how something above isn't really a crime, even if many of the items above do involve serious, sometime violent, criminal behavior.

GO BRUINS.

Road to No. 101: Women's Water Polo v. USC

Menelaus — Sun, 11 May 2008 05:47:12 -0000

Bumped. It's turning out to be busy busy Mother's Day in terms of news. We are going to leave this post up top. Consider it as open thread as the Ladies are gunning for number 101. GO BRUINS. -N

How great is this.

After a slow start, with the game feeling a shade too close heading into halftime, the Bruins pull away from No. 4 UC Davis with a 11-4 win to advance to their fourth consecutive NCAA title game.

Now, the only thing standing between UCLA and it's record 10th NCAA title is No. 2 Stanford No. 3 USC. Yes, that's right, Southern Cal managed the upset Stanford in the late game, setting up a rivalry game for the National Championship.

Before we get to Southern Cal, let's start with UCLA's win over UC Davis.

Tanya Gandy scored three goals in the first four minutes of the third period to help the top-ranked UCLA women's water polo team beat UC Davis 11-4 Saturday and advance to the NCAA championship match against USC.

The Trojans advanced to today's title game with a 10-6 victory over Stanford as Michelle Stein scored three straight goals to open the fourth period.

Courtney Mathewson also scored three goals for the Bruins (32-0), who will be seeking their fourth consecutive national title, and sixth since 2001.

Here's more from the official site:

A six-goal outburst in the third quarter turned a 3-2 UCLA halftime lead into a 9-3 advantage, and the Bruins dispatched UC Davis in the NCAA semifinals at Stanford University, 11-4, securing their fourth consecutive and seventh overall NCAA Championship game berth. Tanya Gandy scored three straight goals to start the second half, Courtney Mathewson added two, and Katie Rulon one in the decisive period.
...
Clinging to a 3-2 halftime lead, UCLA came out swinging early in the third quarter. Just 40 seconds into the period, Gandy scored on a skip shot, and she repeated her success with another skip shot goal with 5:15 left in the quarter to increase UCLA's lead to 5-2. Gandy made it three in a row a minute later, lofting a shot past Aggie goalkeeper Casey Hines into the right corner of the net. Lindsay Kiyama scored on UC Davis' third power play goal with 3:56 on the clock, but Mathewson answered less than a minute later with a power play goal of her own to make it 7-3 UCLA, and she scored her third of the game with 27 seconds remaining in the quarter. Rulon added a goal with two seconds left to up the Bruin lead to 9-3.

(Junior attacker Tanya Gandy; Photo Credit: Nathan Tyree)

After UCLA advanced, Southern Cal surprised host and No. 2 seed Stanford to advance to the finals. From CSTV:

The USC women's water polo team posted a dominating effort against second-seeded host Stanford in the NCAA Semifinals on Saturday, tallying a 10-6 victory over the Cardinal for the Trojans' biggest win over Stanford since 2005. Behind hat tricks from Alexandra Kiss and Michelle Stein, No. 3 seed USC secured a trip to the NCAA Championship game, where the Trojans will face undefeated UCLA in the title match at 6 p.m. on Sunday (May 11) at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center.

Now, playing Southern Cal won't exactly be a new experience to the Bruins. UCLA has already beaten the Trojans three times this season, including as recently as a one goal victory in the final of the MPSF title game. Here's the pre-tournament scoop on Southern Cal from the Bootleg:

About the Trojans: USC’s season started off a little shaky with surprise losses to Arizona State and Cal early on. The Trojans seem to have righted their ship recently, though, and look poised to make a deep run. Senior Veronika Bartunkova and sophomore Tumua Anae are first team All-MPSF selections, and have 44 goals and a 4.7 GAA respectively. Senior Miranda Nichols is one of the conference’s best defenders and earned a Second Team All-Conference spot. Michele Stein leads the team with 52 goals on the season. They are coached by Jovan Vavic, in his 14th season, who looks to win the women’s championship back for the first time since 2004.

The championship will begin today at 6 pm. And, in addition to being broadcast online at www.uclabruins.com, look for the game on TV on the CBS College Sports network (formerly CSTV).

This is what it's all about ladies and gents. One more game with No. 101 on the line.

GO BRUINS.