Friday, February 23, 2007

Trojan course - LA Daily News
...next to a window that looked out over the majestic first tee, Tom Kelly could have told stories all day...

...asked how he responds to fans who come up to him nowadays and ask why he hasn't done any more telecasts of USC - the school that coaxed him from the Midwest in 1961 to be Chick Hearn's colorman on football games and gave him the platform to be one of the most recognizable voices in L.A. sports history for more than five decades - the 79-year-old Kelly took a piece of toast that he'd been using to help finish off a mushroom omelet and started to tap it against his plate.

"My answer is, I have no idea,"
he said...
Coliseum named main field in Olympic bid - Daily Trojan
Los Angeles moved one step closer to playing host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games Thursday, unveiling the architectural plans that proponents say would make the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the competition's "crown jewel" and main event field.

The Coliseum, just two blocks from USC, is currently home to USC football. Both the 1932 and 1984 Olympic games took place there and the stadium is a state and national landmark.

The goal of the projected $112 million project...is to leave as much of the traditional structure intact...

Also, Olympic plan won't fix aging L.A. Coliseum - Daily Trojan
Coliseum preps for face-lift - LA Daily news
Plan to upgrade Coliseum unveiled as part of effort to land 2016 Olympics - LA Times
[Elliott] Playing Olympic dress-up is far from the right path - LA Times
Coliseum focus of new L.A. plan - OC Register
L.A. unveils Coliseum makeover - Chicago Sun-Times
Los Angeles envisages building spree to boost Olympic bid - China Peoples' Daily
LA 2016 GAMES BIDDERS UNVEIL VENUE PLANS - Sports Business

Thursday, February 22, 2007

2007 Recruiting class No. 3: USC - Athlon Sports
Quality not quantity was the theme for the 2007 USC recruiting class and the Trojans made the best of the 18 available scholarships.

USC upgraded the RB position with three special backs. Joe McKnight headlines the group with Marc Tyler and Broderick Green drawing strong comparisong to their '03 group of Reggie Bush and Lendale White. The Men of Troy also added much needed depth in their front seven. Everson Griffen and Chris Galippo head up a star studded class of DL and LBs...

...Impact Player: Joe McKnight, RB, River Ridge, La.

As soon as he steps off the plane at LAX, Joe McKnight will have a chance to compete for the starting RB position. He has a blend of speed, size, quickness, vision and football IQ that is off the charts...
Museum Trip Makes a Big Detour at USC - Santa Clarita Valley Signal
When 7-year-old Jacob DeLong left his Canyon Country home for a January trip to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, he was excited to say the least. But after a slight detour to the University of Southern California bookstore, Jacob would soon be hailing the day as the "best in his life."

Diagnosed with leukemia in June, the last six months have been filled with chemotherapy sessions and a series of hospital visits for Jacob...

...As a side effect of his treatment Jacob became nauseous and vomited inside the car - dirtying his clothes in the process...

...the pair quickly stripped Jacob of his soiled clothes, wrapped him in a blanket and placed him in a stroller before asking a passing student how to get to the bookstore...
Moon over Utah: USC goalie cited - LA Daily News
..."It's coming off with a weird spin now," teammate Tyler McLinn said. "But the crowd was giving him a standing ovation when he did it.

"It lightened the mood of the game. It was a pretty tense time with the referees. We had like six guys in the penalty box. The game was getting out of hand."

According to North Park police Sgt. John Italasano, lewdness is a Class B misdemeanor which carries a maximum fine of $1,000 and a sentence of 180 days in jail...

...Italasano said. "I guess he acted before he thought of the consequences. ... They were playing BYU, so yeah, people were offended."...

Also, He wants to put episode behind him - LA Times
To the moon, malice - Philly Daily News
Moon Over Mormon Country - DeadSpin
USC honors Lear with chair - Variety
The University of Southern California has established the Norman Lear Chair in Entertainment, Media and Society, in honor of the film and TV producer.

Martin Kaplan, founding director of the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School will serve in the post.

Launched in 2000, the Center studies the impact of entertainment on society. Kaplan, a research professor, has been associate dean of the Annenberg School since 1997.

Other than the Annenberg family, Lear is the largest donor to the school, having recently pledged $6 million to bring his philanthropic total to $11 million. The Center has received an additional $9 million...

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Morton is welcomed to the family - LA Times
With the start of spring practice one month away, USC players met the newest member of the coaching staff on Tuesday as John Morton began his tenure as passing game coordinator and receivers coach.

Morton, 37, was an offensive assistant and passing game coach for the New Orleans Saints last season. He also worked for the Oakland Raiders for seven years and spent one season working with new Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego.

Morton was on the Raiders' staff in 2004 when USC assistant head coach Steve Sarkisian was the NFL team's quarterbacks coach...
Mustain should think it over - Daily Trojan
...While the main battle would be between Sanchez and Mustain, also competing would be speedy freshman Aaron Corp, who led Orange Lutheran High School to California's Division II championship, and possibly sophomore Garrett Green, who may compete at quarterback after moving over to safety last season.

There is no doubt Mustain's arrival would be welcomed by the talent vacuum that is USC football, and there is no question that USC coaches think that only good could come from heating up a position battle with the addition of another top athlete, but should Mustain even have to duke it out at USC?

The answer is no...

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Best recruits by school - Orlando Sentinel
...Quarterback...4. USC (Ryan [sic] Corp, 6-3/185): Good athlete with size and arm strength; he looks like a college quarterback already...

...Running back: 1. USC...(Broderick Green...Joe McKnight...Marc Tyler): McKnight and Tyler...are among the nation's top five backs...

...Receiver...3. USC...

...Offensive line...7. USC...

...Defensive line...4. USC...


...Linebacker: 1. USC (Jordan Campbell...Chris Galippo...Malcolm Smith...): Galippo is consensus choice as nation's best at the position...
USC hockey player ejected, cited after allegedly ‘mooning’ crowd - Logan Herald-Journal
A University of Southern California hockey player was ejected from a game and cited for lewdness Saturday after allegedly “mooning” the crowd at a North Logan rink.

Mickey Meyer, the Trojan’s starting goalie, pulled his hockey pants down and exposed his buttocks during the final period of an afternoon game against BYU...

...“To be honest with you, I really don’t know (why I did it),” he said. “I had my fill of these refs...

...“Mickey Meyer just mooned the crowd,” Foley said during the call. “The Oregon players are loving it. They’re going nuts. That was absolutely hilarious.”...

USC's Webcast of the Event