Throwback of the Week: Trojans Forever

With the expectations for my Trojans back up to where they were in the mid to late 2000s, I cannot help but think back on the Pete Carroll era. I remember my cousin Ricky telling me in '02 about the Trojans and how they were gonna be a good team that year. Sure enough, Carson Palmer helped lead USC back to elite status, and it only got better with Matt Leinart. '03, we got a split of the national title (I still maintain the BCS computers fucked them over), and we left no doubt in '04. '05, I thought we would do it again, but Vince Young played his ass off to pull it out. The next 3 years were more BCS bowls and more great memories, despite no national titles. As we all know, it ended controversially when Pete Carroll resigned after the 2009 season to avoid the sanctions that eventually hit USC. But, this does not take away from my argument that from 2002-2009, there was no better coach in college football than Pete Carroll. Consider these stats: 

- 91-13 record overall, 57-11 in the Pac-10 conference 

- 6-1 in BCS bowls

- Back to back national championships in 2003 (AP) & 2004 (unanimous)

- 34 game winning streak

- 3 Heisman Trophy winners

- 14 1st round NFL draft picks

 There are a lot of other accomplishments, but I don't have that much time. I know some of these were vacated by NCAA sanctions, but screw it. It may not exist in official records anymore, but it exists up here, *points at head*, in my memory as a fan. I know it was Reggie who took the money, but are other major football powers really innocent when it comes to players taking money and coaches turning a blind eye to it? It just so happened USC got caught. Ohio State got caught, though for some reason, they weren't fucked in the ass like the Trojans were. Miami and Oregon have also faced similar accusations in recent years. Some say "Ohio State players took less money." Doesn't matter, they did the same thing USC did yet faced less punishment. Don't give me that "lack of institutional control" nonsense either. Other schools have done the same thing yet were not punished as harshly as USC. We're still paying for the sins of Reggie Bush, and to a certain extent, Pete Carroll, but I wouldn't trade the memories and good times of 2002-2009 for anything. So, thanks for the memories Pete, Carson, Matt, Reggie, and the rest of the Trojans. I'll never forget you guys. 

Fight On!

It's official. The 2012 college football season is upon us. It should shape up to be a thrilling season, especially for my USC Trojans. I think, based on everything, they will break the SEC streak and walk away with the national championship this year, but we gotta play the games first. However, here are 3 reasons why I love their chances:

1. The Machine (aka the offense)

I think calling the USC offense a machine sounds about right. Where do I begin? I'll start with QB Matt Barkley. I don't need to explain too much about him, you already know a lot. The preseason favorite for the Heisman usually doesn't end up winning it, but I like his chances, especially when you consider he plays with 2 elite receivers in Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, who combined for 184 receptions (111 for Woods, 73 for Lee), 2,435 receiving yards (1,292 for Woods, 1,143 for Lee), and 26 touchdowns (15 for Woods, 11 for Lee) last year. To add to returning starter Curtis McNeal, who rushed for 1005 yards and 6 touchdowns on 145 carries, Penn State transfer Silas Redd joins the backfield, adding to an already potent offense.

2. Key Players

USC's defense may not be considered the best in the country, but it can get the job done. Especially key to this defense will be returning senior safety T.J. McDonald, who, like Barkley, skipped a chance to go to the NFL to get one final shot at a national championship. Another key on D will be sophomore linebacker Hayes Pullard, who established himself as a defensive playmaker last year, becoming the first freshman to lead the Trojans in tackles in a season in 58 years. Ed Orgeron, who was Pete Carroll's defensive coordinator during the Trojans' championship seasons in 2003-04, is back in the defensive coordinator spot for the 3rd year of his second stint at USC. To me, this is important as Ed has championship and big game experience as a defensive coordinator. Despite losing lineman Devon Kennard and corner Isiah Wiley and a lack of depth, the Trojans D should be primed.

3. Determination

The third reason to me is determination. Matt Barkley and T.J. McDonald set the tone when they gave Trojan fans everywhere an early Christmas present last December by announcing they would in fact return for their senior seasons with the USC Trojans. The reason was simple. After two years of bowl bans, the two of them wanted to make it clear that they had unfinished business (winning a national title), which, perhaps not coincidentally, became the motto of this year's team. It is one of the oldest themes in sports: a team that is out to avenge or has something left to prove is generally hard to beat. Do I think the Trojans can win it all? Hell yeah. Now, all that is left to do is play the games.

My Top 5 Games of the Year

1. Oregon (November 3 @ The Coliseum): The game of the year. A potential preview of the Pac-12 title game, and a chance for the Trojans to remind Oregon that they are the better team, and this game could and probably will have major national championship implications, especially if both are undefeated. 

2. Stanford (September 15 @ Stanford): This should be an interesting game, as the Trojans face Stanford without Andrew Luck as the Stanford starting QB for the first time in 4 years, but should be interesting to watch regardless.

3. UCLA (November 17 @ the Rose Bowl): The crosstown rivalry is always a game to watch regardless of what the records of the teams are. UCLA wants to prove something with new coach Jim Mora, but that's a tall order against the Trojans.

4. Notre Dame (November 24 @ The Coliseum): Always a fun game for college football fans, the Trojans have some unfinished business in this rivalry game. The last time these 2 played at the Coliseum in 2010, Matt Barkley missed the game due to injury and Notre Dame pulled out a victory against the Trojans for the first time since 2001 in the rain. You know Matt wants another shot. 

5. Utah (October 4 @ Salt Lake City): Thursday night road games have caused issues for the Trojans in recent years, but Matt Barkley has a chance to change that against the Utes, who are considered by some to be a dark horse in the Pac-12.

One last thing: To all the Trojan fans around the world, wherever you may be...FIGHT ON!!!

The Mamba

34 years ago, on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kobe Bean Bryant was born. In those 34 years, we have seen many highs, lows, and moments in between. But one thing is for sure: there's never been a dull moment in Kobe's 16 (going on 17) years in the NBA. 

My Confession

In light of recent positive drug tests and suspensions for Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon, tonight I have decided to come forward and admit that I have used some of the same banned substances that Bartolo Colon tested positive for.

These substances are:

- In-N-Out (If you're not from the West Coast, look that shit up)
- Original Tommy's (same as above)
- Porto's (Cuban bakery in LA, all you need to know is their shit is addictive)
- The Habit (same as In-N-Out and Tommy's)
- Fatburger
- Ben & Jerry's
- Twinkies
- Ho-Hos
- SnoBalls
- Krispy Kreme
- Paletas (Mexican fruit ice creams, for all y'all who don't know)
- Carl's Jr.
- Mexican restaurants
- Chicarrones (Pork rinds, for all you non-Espanol speakers)
- Chinese buffets
- Italian food
- And, too many others to list here.

Alex

Alex Morgan. Where do I begin? You got it all. Looks, skills, and you look cool in a headband, unlike a certain NBA player who plays in Miami and shall remain nameless. You're a SoCal girl and a Laker fan (hell yeah), and I'm willing to overlook your love of the Angels (Doyers all day) and the fact you went to Cal (SC fan, Fight On!) (BTW, the Trojans gonna whoop the Bears' asses). You look nice out there on the soccer pitch and you just look cute in general, especially when you smile and when you celebrate a goal that you scored, assisted on, or watched one of your teammates score. I could go on and on about how beautiful you are, about that nice photo spread you had in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, but I don't wanna come across as a fucking perv. 

Instead, I write this because I've simply been amazed by your soccer skills. No doubt about it, you came up big for us in the Olympics. After all, you literally saved our asses against Canada with that goal in extra time. I mean that quite literally. We looked like we would have to go to penalty kicks like last year's World Cup against Japan, but you bailed us out, so in a way, we kind of owe this gold medal to you, and obviously the 3 goals and 5 assists you gave us were huge. Your playmaking is a big reason why you and your teammates got a gold medal now, and we got to enjoy the ride along the way. So, thanks for everything, Alex. I always am proud of great athletes from SoCal (except for Paul Pierce, fuck that bitch), and I look forward to seeing you play more in the future. 

P.S.: Holy shit, I feel kinda weird having a crush on a female who basically has my first name. 

Hustle

"Number 2: never let 'em know your next move. Don't you know Bad Boys move in silence and violence?"

- 10 Crack Commandments, Biggie Smalls

Well, he did it again. Mitch Kupchak has pulled off yet another blockbuster trade, and his second this summer. Dwight Howard is officially a Laker, and Mitch managed it without having to give up Pau Gasol. In case you missed it, here's the recap:

LA Lakers get- Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark

Orlando Magic get- Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, one protected pick

Philadelphia 76ers get- Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson

Denver Nuggets get- Andre Iguodala

As you can see, this is a major trade, one that has the potential to shift the NBA landscape for the next several years. Miami is still listed as the favorite in Vegas and in many reporters' and analysts' minds. But make no mistake, the Lakers are back, and they're coming for the Heat. Will they win it this year? We don't know yet. That's why they play the games. But no matter what your team affiliation is, you gotta admit, the Lakers' chances are the strongest they've been in about 2 years. Remember this, the Lakers dragged themselves to the 3rd seed in a tough Western Conference with the shittiest bench in the league.  This may seem like a short article on something as big as the Dwight Howard trade, but believe me, this is only the beginning. With our new pieces, the only way to go is up.

Magic Mike

I know what you're thinking. What in the hell is a dude who bleeds Dodger blue doing writing about the Angels? I've insulted the Angels over the years, with the Mickey Mouse Club being my favorite insult, but, that's not what I'm here for right now. I'm here right now to talk about a dude that has, to be perfectly honest, amazed the fuck out of me. 

His name is Michael Nelson Trout, but we all just call him Mike. What has he done, you ask? Well, let's see. He's hit .348, 1st in the AL in batting, 1st in the AL in RBI with 81, and is 1st in the AL in steals with 31. Also, he's 2nd in the AL in slugging with a .601 average. Not bad for a rookie. In fact, I will go out on a bit of a limb, and say he's the best rookie I've seen in my lifetime. Consider this: The last players to reach 80 runs and 55 RBIs in the first 81 games of a season were Alex Rodriguez and Todd Helton in 2000. The last rookie to do it? A dude by the name of Joe DiMaggio, back in 1936. I thought he was pretty good already, but what really made me take notice of him was this catch he made against the Orioles, where he basically went all Spiderman on the wall, and climbed over to make the catch. I already knew of his hitting and base-stealing ability, but that made me, a lifelong Dodger fan, stand up out of my seat and clap. It was one of those "How the fuck did he do that?" moments in sports that comes along every so often. 

Over the past year, we've seen young players step up, and we've even come up with nicknames for them, such as Tebowmania and Linsanity. Despite the fact that Mike Trout has not gotten quite the media attention of those two nor has been given a catchy nickname, I believe he has the best future out of all of them. Dude is only 20. He doesn't even reach legal drinking age until August 7, little under a week from now. He's playing this well, and is only in his first full year? We've barely scratched the surface with him. He has unlimited potential, and who knows what he can do? First .400 hitter in 70 years? A couple of MVP awards and World Series rings? His future is limitless. So, Mike, this guy who bleeds Dodger blue gives you his respect. You've definitely earned it. 

A Love Letter to Skip Bayless

(I) fuck with your soul like ether, (Will) teach you- the king- you know you, (Not) God's Son across the belly, (Lose) I prove you lost already

-Nas, "Ether"