Friday, April 28, 2006

Looking for Justice from the NFL - LA Daily News
...as hard as he worked to turn heads that day, Justice has had to work even more doggedly to change minds...

...In the past two weeks, Justice has traveled to Philadelphia, San Diego, Dallas and Tampa Bay for interviews.

"People told me he was shooting people and I'm going, `That's not a good thing,' " Eagles coach Andy Reid said after meeting with Justice. "So I talked to the kid. He says, `I had rubber bullets and we were playing,' which is what my kids do, they shoot each other with little air guns and rubber bullets. That's different than blowing someone's head off.

"I came out with a different perception than I went in with. You come out of there, and the people we talked to, (with the impression) that he's a pretty good kid."...
USC Trojans: Preview 2006 - further analysis - College Football News
...the 2006 Trojan offensive line will still be one of the best in the nation, lest you forget or overlook them...

...Lawrence’s Wake – Although most people remember the USC defense for what they didn’t do last year, they still have at least one All-American candidate, in particular stud defensive end Lawrence Jackson....

...With Rivers, Sartz and Lua fully healthy and Cushing, Rey Maualuga and Thomas Williams available to give them rest, the Trojans defense would’ve been a completely different animal. Alas, that wasn’t the case in 2005. But, 2006 is a new year, so keep an eye on this group this year as all of them return, and hopefully, they’ll stay healthy...

Previously posted, Preview 2006: USC Trojans - College Football News
Preview 2006: Trojan offense - College Football News
Preview 2006: Trojan defense - College Football News
USC's leading men set for new roles - USA Today
...Three years, two national championships and a Heisman Trophy apiece. Thirty-seven victories and two defeats.

The time has come for Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart to pack away the glitzy hardware and the fond recollections of things past. The future is here...

...Together, Bush and Leinart created miracles (the last-play victory at Notre Dame) and memories (just about every Bush touchdown). Separately, they would love to make the same sort of magic.

Bush looks ahead and sees "great plays, hopefully winning championships, winning games. I look forward to doing it all." Leinart says the draft will be "a relief" after weeks of workouts, travel and interviews with teams and media...
[Sullivan] This continuing silence shows a touch of crass - San Diego Union-Tribune
...You would think Bush might feel some sense of responsibility to an institution that has educated him. You would think he might want to offer some clarification for actions and associations that potentially could cost the Trojans the forfeiture of 12 victories and a conference title. You would think his conscience would compel him to address the startling and increasingly specific allegations that have caused USC's administration and fans so much anxiety this week.

You would, of course, be wrong...

Also, Owner: Bush parents owe rent - San Diego Union-Tribune
Report: Bush extorted - LA Daily News
Bush Involvement Alleged - LA Times
Agent might have threatened Bush - OC Register
Runaway Reggie - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
While locals love Vince, the world wants Reggie - Houston Chronicle
Reggie Bush makes cover of EA college grid game - Orlando Business Journal
[Lupica] Jets can't pass on Matt - NY Daily News
...The Jets ought to take him because he is the best quarterback in this year's draft...

...The Jets ought to take Leinart because he is a star already and a winner and made as much for this stage as he was for the stage in L.A., where that USC team of his has felt like the only game in town.

"We all talk about all the other things, the measurables, size and strength and arm strength," an old AFC personnel guy, one whose team won't get a crack at Leinart, said yesterday. "What you can never measure properly are the intangibles. The magic that a certain player can have. The 'it' quality. And, in my opinion, this kid has 'it.'"...

Also, GLITZ PACKAGE - LA Times
[Glauber] Where to? Leinart isn't sure - NY Daily News
MATT GETS JETS JUMPIN' - NY Post
Leinart hopes to leap for joy - Newark Star-Ledger
[Judge] Slippage anyone? If Leinart's falling, somebody's crazy - CBS Sportsline

Thursday, April 27, 2006

What makes Bush so special - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The dazzling running back from Southern Cal, who won the Heisman trophy, will provide a team with a smooth blend of speed and misdirection running that some say the league hasn't seen in decades.

Bush is versatile enough to play running back, flank out at wide receiver and return kickoffs and punts. About the only question is how much of a NFL load can he carry...

...Bush was measured at 5-feet-10 7/8 and weight 201 pounds at the NFL scouting combine...

..."He's tough, he has great hands," Falcons president and general manager Rich McKay said. "He is a game changer on punt returns and kickoff returns."

In part because of his size, Bush is being compared to some of the game's greatest open-field runners...

..."Catching it, he's like a wide receiver," Kiper said. "If he was No. 85 at USC and playing just a wide receiver spot, he'd be a first-round pick."...

Also, Talks Between Bush, Texans Lose Momentum - Washington Post
[Dodd] Months later, USC's post-Rose Bowl implosion continues - CBS Sportsline
Is Camelot crumbling?

Four months ago, Southern California was chasing an unprecedented third straight national championship...

...One of the game's most storied programs was not only back; it had reached the pinnacle of its existence.

We all should have known the luster couldn't last in January, when offensive line coach Pat Ruel looked around Heritage Hall. Bush was making the announcement that he was turning pro. The veteran coach couldn't believe all the strange faces -- 10 or 15 of them.

Then he figured it out. Agents. He threw them all out -- with extreme prejudice. All except one went with nothing more than a grumble. Ruel couldn't determine why this guy kept protesting.

Then Bush was asked his choice of agent.

It was Joel Segal, the stubborn guy Ruel had just thrown out...
Astros trio's bond goes way back - MLB.com
...Much of the Astros' roster is comprised of players who came up through the Minor League system together. But a trio of teammates -- Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane and Eric Munson -- have a lineage that goes back further. They played together for the University of Southern California, and in 1998, they reached what was at the time the pinnacle of their baseball lives -- a College World Series title.

What are the odds that they would all be together again, in the big leagues?

"It might not be uncommon to have three guys from the same college spanning over different times," Ensberg said. "But three guys from the exact same team is really unique."...
Arkansas coach insists Hogs owe USC ‘big one’ - Searcy Daily Citizen
...Nutt’s confidence was most evident when he fielded a question about the Southern Cal game in Fayetteville in September. USC beat Arkansas 70-17 last fall.

“That was a tough and embarrassing loss,” he said. “We owe them. We owe them a big one...
White's numbers at USC carry weight - Boston Globe
As for running backs in this weekend's NFL draft, there is Reggie Bush ... and there is everybody else.

Bush is so clearly ahead of the rest of the bunch that it has been difficult for any of the others to make headlines.

LenDale White has managed to do so. Unfortunately for him.

White, who shared running duties with Bush at the University of Southern California, has done little to impress NFL teams...

Also, Losing limelight - Denver Post
Stock falling on White - Akron Beacon-Journal
After Bush, many backs to take run at - Boston Globe
[Knapp] Leinart's no loser for staying - SF Chron
...let's do the advanced math: Leinart didn't get hurt, at least not seriously enough to jeopardize his professional future. So he won. It's that simple.

He will earn a ton of money after someone drafts him Saturday, probably not as much as he would have a year ago, but a fat $17 million adjustment in the NFL salary cap might make the No. 3 pick for 2006 almost as wealthy as the No. 1 from 2005...

...The most comical scuttlebutt of the last month has been the notion that Leinart went too Hollywood over the last year...

...He simply tasted the type of fame that an NFL quarterback has to handle...

Also, [Bisheff] Colossal choices await Titans - OC Register
[Krikorian] Bush saga no biggie - LA Daily News
...Inevitably, this intriguing story will fade into oblivion, as the principals will continue to obfuscate and to vehemently deny any wrongdoing while refusing to cooperate with both Pac-10 and NCAA investigators and while the NCAA itself will go into its usual don't-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-it mode in which it will eventually claim it doesn't have enough incontrovertible proof to throw the book at USC.

Actually, the NCAA has a long and inglorious history of tormenting those lower profile schools like, well, Long Beach State, that don't have the proper athletic pedigree and economical muscle...

Also, Bush Knows Marketer - LA Times
Next moves - OC Register
BUSH COULD LOSE TROPHY - NY Post
REGGIE CLEARLY TOP BACK - NY Post
USC's Sanchez Arrested by LAPD - LA Times
USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, who was battling to become the Trojans' starter, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexual assault.

Los Angeles Police Department officers took the 19-year-old redshirt freshman into custody about 4 p.m., after a female USC student told police she had been sexually assaulted by Sanchez in the early morning. Sanchez, from Mission Viejo, was arrested at the Cardinal Gardens apartment complex at 3131 McClintock Ave...

Also, Sanchez arrested for sexual assault - Daily Trojan
Trojans' Sanchez is arrested - LA Daily News
USC quarterback Sanchez arrested - OC Register

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

USC has become an NFL factory again - Associated Press
Sean Salisbury shook his head in wonderment as he surveyed the scene on the Southern California campus, where 19 former USC players worked out for some 100 NFL representatives.

"There are some guys here from a planet you and I aren't familiar with," the former USC and NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst said. "This is as good as I've ever seen in a group of athletes. It's ridiculous."...

...Most of the 19 former USC players who worked out for pro scouts and coaches April 2 figure to be drafted this weekend. One Trojan was drafted in 1998; three in 2001; two the following year. Fourteen were drafted in the past three years.

"We're trying to find six or seven No. 1 draft picks every class," Carroll said. "We'd like to have that many every year. Every recruit out of state, we're trying to find a No. 1 pick. That's the criteria. We primarily recruit in California."...
Virtual world meets the real world - MSNBC
In an engineering lab at the University of Southern California, graduate student Arjun Rihan pulls on a pair of gadget-laden gloves and begins pointing at a computer-generated map of the main campus. As Rihan gestures at the plasma screen, the grid of streets and buildings begins to whirl.

"We have liftoff," Rihan jokes. Within seconds, he has focused the map down to a campus plaza. Tiny figures walk back and forth, and cars drive along the adjacent street. It looks like a realistic video game.

But this is no game. Instead, the scene blends virtual imagery with five video streams from cameras mounted just outside the lab building. Those are real people in the picture...
Early Entry 2007 - College Football News
...the season that lies ahead could be their final one as an amateur...

...4. WR Dwayne Jarrett, USC – Jarrett has grown up fast at USC. Wasn’t it just two years ago that he was a skinny, homesick teen struggling with dropped passes as Mike Williams’ heir apparent? Those days are gone forever...

...5. OT Sam Baker, USC – Every year since 1991, at least two offensive tackles have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Baker is good enough to be one of those linemen...

...13. DE Lawrence Jackson, USC – While most everyone was paying attention to the parade of stars on offense, Jackson was emerging as the next big thing in Trojan defensive linemen...
Almost graduation day - OC Register
...Matt Leinart...is savvy enough to realize that he has no control over what will happen when NFL teams finally gather in New York for the draft that ends their evaluations, which are more invasive than the medical examinations many avoid as long as possible.

"I've been dissected, freakin' put back together and dissected again," the former USC and Mater Dei High quarterback said this week. "And I won't know what it all means until Saturday."...

...Some team might love him enough to move up to the No.2 spot and grab him, but no executive will come out and declare his intentions. And there even is some thought that draft-day drama could produce a scenario that would send Leinart plummeting into the teens...
Rashad to run track at USC - Flint Journal
...it's not lost on Rashad that USC has one of the best track and field reputations in the nation. The Trojans have produced 29 men's Olympic champions, all of them in sprints or field events. USC has had at least four Olympians in every Summer Olympics since 1912.

Rashad will try to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in two years. He had considered playing college football, but is putting off any attempt to play both sports until after 2008...

...Rashad is one of the greatest track and field athletes to come out of Michigan. He nearly pulled off a rare four-event sweep in the state Division 1 meet last June, winning three events and coming within a fraction of a second of a fourth...

Also, [McCabe] Grief has not slowed sprinter - Detroit Free Press
Adidas signs endorsement deal with Reggie Bush - Portland Oregonian
Adidas Group plans to announce today that it has signed an endorsement deal with Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush to promote its football business.

Bush, expected to be the No. 1 pick in this weekend's NFL draft, instantly lends celebrity power to a German company better known in soccer and running than in football...

...Bush will endorse both footwear and apparel, including Adidas' new Power Web Compression line of apparel, which will compete with Under Armour's and Nike's compression wear.

He will be Adidas' primary football endorser and will appear in commercials and other marketing campaigns...
Injury turns Trojans' White into question mark - USA Today
..."I think the best-case scenario is late first round," said Mike Mayock, draft analyst for the NFL Network. "But I'm not sure that's happening."...

..."He's definitely a first-round player," Parker said. "Now does he go in the first round? He should."

It all depends on how an organization goes about evaluating the player whose style and statistics continue to point to him as the power runner in this draft...
Just like old times - Daily Trojan
With all the hype, gossip and headlines surrounding USC football, it is hard to look past the Bushes and Leinarts of the game. But anyone who was around Trojan football long before the glory days of back-to-back national championships knows that the days of being a celebrity football player at USC are a recent phenomenon...

...Riley has reunited with three of his former Trojan teammates - Kareem Kelly, Lonnie Ford and Antuan Simmons - who played together from 1999 to 2001 at USC. After years of trying their luck in the NFL, the foursome became teammates again, but this time on the Avengers - a scenario they had never considered in college...
Justice back on track - Washington Times
...Justice has hinted in recent weeks that not only will he be ready to start right away, he might be the best tackle in the draft.

Told of Justice's bravado, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said: "With all due respect to him, he didn't prove it on a snap-by-snap basis throughout his career. He's every bit as talented physically as Ferguson, but he's inconsistent...

..."For him to thrive, he needs to get an offensive line coach that gets on his butt daily and demands perfection because he's a talented, talented kid, but hasn't shown it on a consistent basis."...
Look for unsung Trojan horses - Boston Globe
Pick any University of Southern California player not named Reggie Bush or Matt Leinart, and you will find someone who played in the shadow of a teammate...

...Meet strong safety Darnell Bing, who could be one of five Trojans taken in the first round of Saturday's NFL draft.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 227-pound All-American is perhaps the biggest, hardest-hitting defensive back available, though few outside of draft war rooms know him.

The Patriots know him...
That appearance of impropriety - San Diego Union-Tribune
Even at rest, Reggie Bush remains elusive. He provides straight answers at roughly the same rate he runs straight lines.

He is all cutbacks and curlicues, a rhetorical dervish disposed to deliberate misdirection and exasperating evasion. USC's Heisman Trophy running back surfaced yesterday long enough to assert that everything was in order concerning the Spring Valley house his family abruptly departed over the weekend.

Just not long enough to provide any proof...

Also, Transcript: Bush is tied to New Era - San Diego Union-Tribune
Source: Bush was in dark - LA Daily News
New Link in Bush Case - LA Times
[Simpson] 'SC would take hit if Reggie broke rules - Tucson Citizen
[McGrath] At the end of the day, shed no tears for shifty Bush - Tacoma News-Tribune
[Brewer] Reggie Bush adept at setting smokescreens - Louisville Courier-Journal

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Top 20 Recruiting Classes - Athlon Sports
...No. 1 USC (25 signees)
For the third consecutive year the Trojans have landed the nation’s top overall recruiting class. The Trojans...had some major rebuilding to do. Pete Carroll responded nicely by landing running backs Stafon Johnson, Emmanual Moody, Stanley Havili, Kenny Ashley, Josh Tatum, and C.J. Gable to replace White and Bush...Southern Cal also addressed their future need at wide receiver...The Trojans landed receivers Vidal Hazelton, Jamere Holland, David Ausberry, Travon Patterson, and Anthony McCoy. The Trojans addressed their defensive needs by signing LB Allen Bradford, DL Butch Lewis, DB Taylor Mays, LB Michael Morgan, and DB Antwine Perez. The Trojans only signed one offensive lineman in Zack Heberer. The Trojans signed 12 PrepStar 100 players, seven PrepStar All-Americans, five PrepStar All-Regional selections, and one junior college transfer in TE Gerald Washington. Despite the talent he lost, Pete Carroll re-tooled his team very nicely.
Earth to Jets: Grab Leinart any way you can - CBS Sportsline
...The Jets need a franchise quarterback like Terrell Owens needs an audience, and, unless there's something we're missing about Patrick Ramsey or you believe Chad Pennington somehow overcomes two surgeries in one year to the same shoulder, there's no choice here.

You take the quarterback, and that quarterback should be Leinart.

He's the best quarterback in this year's draft, and he would have been the first choice, period, in last year's draft. Critics question his arm strength. Critics question his mobility. Critics question his commitment.

So question this: 37-2.

That was Leinart's record at USC...


...I say you solve the position now. You take Matt Leinart.
Historical Debate ... Position U. - College Football News
...2. USC O-Line
The Flag-Bearer – Anthony Munoz...

...5. USC DBs
The Flag-Bearer – Ronnie Lott...

...If you’re keeping score at home, yes, USC has been cited in each of the eight parts of this Position U. series...

...7. USC Backs
The Flag-Bearer – O.J. Simpson...

...9. USC Linebackers
The Flag-Bearer – Junior Seau...

Also, Historical Debate ... D-Back U. - College Football News
Historical Debate ... Linebacker U. - College Football News
...1. USC
The Flag-Bearer – Junior Seau
The Ensemble – Clay Matthews, Chip Banks, Richard Wood, Rod Martin, Chris Claiborne, Jack Del Rio, Duane Bickett, Dennis Johnson, Willie Hall, Riki Ellison, Larry McGrew, Garry Cobb, Keith Browner, Matt Grootegoed, Scott Ross, Kurt Barber, Brian Williams, Marcus Cotton, Adrian Young and David Lewis

If producing a steady wave of big, explosive defenders constitutes Linebacker U, then the Trojans belong in the pole position. Over the last 35 years, USC has rarely gone more than a year or two without a top-notch, sideline-to-sideline linebacker to help anchor the defense...Led by Matthews’ whopping 19 seasons, ten Trojans have spent at least a decade playing professionally...

Also, Historical Debate ... D-Line U. - College Football News
Workloads being handed off - Miami Herald
Where have you gone, Earl Campbell?

The image of Campbell rumbling through defenders on carry after carry is an indelible one for veteran NFL fans. Campbell turned the notion of workhorse running back into a Hall of Fame career.

But as the NFL prepares for its annual draft this weekend, the concept of one player carrying the load is a fading one...

...The trend has even hit at the college level. This year, Bush and LenDale White are expected to be taken in the first round after working together so well in USC's high-powered offense...
Lutui is dreaming big - Arizona Republic
When he was just a kid, Taitusi Lutui wrote in his journal about his dream of playing in the NFL, and no one in his family laughed or teased or patted him on the head.

In the Lutui family, you could dream big, even when circumstances and fate made it difficult enough to just get through a day, a week or a month.

But during the NFL draft this weekend, Taitusi Lutui's boyhood dreams will come true. Nicknamed "Deuce" by his brothers, the 6-foot-4, 330-pound Lutui, a guard from Southern California and Mesa High, likely will be a second- or third-round choice. He could end up playing for his favorite team, the Cardinals.

His family is not surprised...
NFL Draft Diary with Darnell Bing - Fox Sports
I am optimistic on how things will turn out on April 29, the first day of the NFL draft. I am also happy to be going into the last stretch in what has been a long process...

...Right before I hit the plane to come back to California, I got a call from my agent saying the Raiders were very interested in me and they wanted to have a last minute private workout on Saturday morning. I was a little tired, but I sucked it up and managed to have an incredible workout...
Bush: No wrongs, no details - San Diego Union-Tribune
Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush yesterday sidestepped specific questions about his family's former residence in Spring Valley, but promised “we did absolutely nothing wrong” and said details would come at a later date...

Also, Reggie Bush inquiry report - LA Daily News
USC: Reactions are mixed - LA Daily News
Bush Says Family Did Nothing Wrong - LA Times
Bush says 'nothing wrong' - OC Register
Bush: `We've done nothing wrong' - Miami Herald
Investigators home in on Bush - Boston Globe
[Robinson] 'Absolutely nothing wrong' - Yahoo Sports

Monday, April 24, 2006

[Russell] Between the Bushes - Sporting News
...Reggie Bush, his parents and the agents involved are not going to face the wrath of Myles Brand and his bunch of henchmen.

It's going to be the University of Southern California, in a way that will be determined as time unfolds. As long as USC did not sanction or know about this, it's a crying shame that they would be subjected to NCAA penalty and sanctions because of something that a slimy agent and starry-eyed parents did...

...I don't know who should take the "hit" outside of Bush paying some sort of financial reparations or his parents, but USC should not be held responsible for something like this...
[Dodd] Accountability an issue BCS should review - CBS Sportsline
...Because the NCAA essentially does not control postseason football, potential wrongdoing by a sitting national champion seems to be the responsibility of the BCS.

Would the BCS strip a national champion of its title in the case of major violations? The issue came up Monday following the first day of the annual BCS meetings...

...Currently, the Pac-10 is the only conference with an enforcement arm that investigates its member schools. Other conferences defer solely to the NCAA.

"I'm not going to deal in hypotheticals that don't exist for us," Slive said. "The NCAA has a structure for dealing with these issues. The BCS doesn't have a structure that is governmental in nature."
[Maisel] Cloudy forecast remains for NCAA compliance issues - ESPN
...when you think about it, the gray area is bigger than the London skyline...

...in the last year, the athletic department went over the compliance do's and don'ts with Bush's mother, Denise Griffin, and his stepfather, LaMar Griffin. Bush's parents were a noticeable presence around the football team. LaMar Griffin could usually be found in the Trojan postgame locker room.

But the source also said that USC has no formal educational process set up for all parents, "though that may change now."...
Spotlight on the Draft: Taitusi Lutui - Official Buccaneers Website
...Once again, Lutui had handled sudden change with aplomb.

Then again, that’s a lesson he learned early in life.

When Lutui was six years old, he survived a serious car accident that killed his sister and disabled his father. He still had his parents and other siblings after the tragedy, but he also had an added dose of responsibility. His family’s native tongue was Tongan, and his parents’ grasp of English wasn’t great. One of young Deuce’s main responsibilities was helping his parents pay the bills and understand America’s economic system...

...Lutui expects to help his parents in an even larger way soon. That’s one of the things that motivates him, perhaps one of the reasons scouts say he is a hard-worker on the field...
A bid for Justice - Kansas City Star
...“It was hard, really hard, especially watching your team win a national championship without you,” Justice said. “It kind of makes you wonder, ‘Do they really need you? Should I come back to SC when they just won a national championship without me?’ I made a good choice, coming back to SC.”

Justice reclaimed his starting right tackle position last year, and the Trojans extended their winning streak to 34 straight games before losing to Texas 41-38 in the national championship game at the Rose Bowl. Justice protected Leinart’s blind side and opened running lanes for Bush and LenDale White as the Trojans led the nation in total offense...

...“Boxing helped me so much with my hands and my footwork. I think that translated a lot into my football game, too. You need quick hands to box, and you need quick hands for football, too. I boxed for a whole year while I was out. I sparred against different guys.”...

Also, USC's Justice could be first-round pick - Dayton Daily News
Lawyer issues statement on Reggie Bush - Miami Herald
..."Mr. and Mrs. LaMar Griffin previously leased a house in the San Diego area from a San Diego businessman, Michael Michaels. They are no longer living in the house," David Cornwell wrote in a statement that was sent at 2:40 a.m. on Monday after stories about the family's living arrangement were published in multiple sources Sunday.

"Reggie Bush was a full-time student at the University of Southern California and never lived in the house. As is the case with most 20-year-old college students, Reggie was not aware of personal or financial arrangements relating to his parents or their house...

Also, USC's Bush under scrutiny - Miami Herald
Reggie Bush inquiry report - LA Daily News
...The Pacific-10 Conference said Sunday it would begin an investigation into whether the reported arrangement would violate NCAA rules prohibiting athletes or their families from getting extra benefits...

...If they lived in the home for free or paid a rent substantially discounted from the value of the property, it could be construed as a violation of NCAA statutes. The family lived in a Spring Valley apartment before moving into the house.

Bush isn't likely to be affected. The NCAA's reach does not extend to professional athletes, though the ordeal could damage his previously squeaky-clean image for potential endorsements...

Also, Inquiry Set in Bush Family Residence - LA Times
Pac-10 to probe housing situation linked to Bush - OC Register

Sunday, April 23, 2006

[Robinson] Reggie Bush's family home - Yahoo Sports
In this sprawling hilltop community with a breathtaking view of Sweetwater Lake, it was no secret who lived in the 3,000-square-foot house at the corner of Apple Street and Luther Avenue.

That home, residents would tell you, was where Reggie Bush's family lived.

That is, until this weekend, when the family abruptly packed up and vacated the residence – less than 24 hours after Yahoo! Sports approached Bush's mother about information linking the property to Michael Michaels, a man who is alleged to have tried to play a role in steering Bush toward an agent and who also has ties to a sports marketing company...

...Bush's mother, Denise Griffin, was approached in the driveway of the house on Thursday, but declined to comment.

"I have absolutely nothing to say," Griffin said...
Dedeaux Honored by USC - LA Times
...Said Fred Lynn, the former Trojan outfielder who went on to become a nine-time All-Star: "He believed that every guy that put on a Trojan uniform was the best at his position, and he let you know that. In my 17 years in the big leagues, I never played for a better baseball man than Rod Dedeaux. In my three years at USC I learned more about how to play baseball the right way than I did my entire big league career."...

...Lasorda, rarely at a loss for words, told the crowd before the game that he found it difficult to speak about the loss of "a tremendous friend, my idol."

"When he went up to the pearly gates and the big Dodger in the sky shook his hand and said, 'We've been waiting a long time for you. We're happy to have you,' " Lasorda said, "Rod looked at him and said, 'Thank you, Tiger.' "
Analysts say that no matter how you stack it, Bush still No. 1 pick - Orlando Sentinel
...Running backs the likes of Bush come around once every few decades. Think Barry Sanders, only with more all-around skills. And just ask the Buccaneers how their first-round pick last year, tailback Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, impacted an offense with a bad offensive line and an inexperienced quarterback.

And Bush is in an altogether different stratosphere...
Both QBs at USC, Hart, Leinart pursue different dreams - Houston Chronicle
On Saturday afternoon at Radio City Music Hall, amid the hustle of midtown Manhattan, Matt Leinart will stand with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue as a first-round draft choice, a millionaire-to-be and the Next Big Thing among NFL quarterbacks.

A couple of hours later and a few hundred miles to the south, hard by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the breathtaking dogwoods of southern Virginia, Billy Hart will arrive at Salem Memorial Stadium to stretch, take batting practice, then take the field at third base for the Salem Avalanche, the Astros' Class A farm club.

And both, happily, will be exactly where they want to be...

Also, Hart hopes to join Bush in Houston - Houston Chronicle
They Make It a Risky Business - LA Times
LenDale White never started a game for USC last season, but he was good enough to lead the nation in scoring and, at times, steal the thunder from Heisman Trophy-winning teammate Reggie Bush.

But what White has done — or hasn't done — in the last few months is enough to make pro coaches very uneasy about making him an early selection in next weekend's NFL draft...