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Let’s start this rant off right: We love Pete Carroll. We loved Coach Obregon. We love the great history of the University of Southern California and their wonderful traditions of winning with the great Howard Jones, John McKay and John Robinson. We love that the Victory Bell is given by the loser of the UCLA-USC game, to the winner and gets painted either UCla Blue or Trojan Cardinal Red. We love the image and statue of Tommy Trojan. We the image of the Terrier George Tirebitter, the 1st, snd, 3rd and 4th. We love Doheny Library, the Row, 28th Street, Julies and even the Artist Theater down the street off Sepulveda. We are dedicated, loving and fanatic Trojan Football fans. We even love the memory of Felix Chevrolet!
However, things have changed over the years at USC. Mike Garrett who is a Heisman winner and was the Athletic Director at USC for many years is gone. The greatest coach (arguably) in USC History Pete Carroll has moved on to the NFL, won a Super Bowl and is looking to win another. Upon leaving USC, Pete Carroll was caste out of the Trojan Family without much pomp and circumstance. The NCAA had figured out the Pete Carroll was smarter than they were. He worked around a corrupt system and as they changed the rules on the fly – Pete was able to meet and deal will any and all adversities. At the end of the day, 2 National Championships and five years of sanctions was assessed by the NCAA against the Trojans, because Reggie Bush took a ride in a Golf Cart with a Sports Agent and his mom and dad got some free rent for a year. So, here comes Pat Haden!
Pat Haden, for those who don’t know was J.K. McKay’s room mate in college, hung out with Corky and John at their house when he was a quarterback in High School and was generally a huge kiss up. He became a Rhodes Scholar, a near do well Rams quarterback and the Sports Commentator for USC’s arch rival Notre Dame for 20 years. When Mike Garrett was unceremoniously removed and fired by USC – they brought in Pat Haden. Lane Kiffin was Pat’s choice to lead the Trojan Football Program, which turned out to be a huge disaster. Pete Carroll’s remnants and coaches including “Coach O” took over and won all but one game and were replaced by Pat Haden’s other buddy Steve Sarkesian who had failed miserably at Washington. The newly re-invented Trojans have beaten Fresno State and in a squeaker over Stanford 13-10, after arguably one of them most embarrassing moments in USC Sports History. During the Stanford game, Sarkesian was flagged for a variety of issues and called to his “Daddy Pat” to come down to the field and tell those nasty officials where to get off! Not in the great history of USC Sports has such a thing ever happened before!
Today, Pat Haden was fined $25,000 dollars for improper conduct during the Stanford-USC game in Palo Alto. Pat may in fact lose his assigned board seat on the commission that chooses the final four for the new NCAA National Football Championships. Rightly so, we believe. This was far more than just a laspe of good judgment. But then most can draw their own conclusions. Obvisously, Sarkesian is not exactly “the Trojan Leaderman”, setting the right example of conduct for our bright, over achieving footballers and fans. This might be called “a Penn State learning moment”. We draw no other conclusions than to say that serious bad judgment was made by both Sarkesian and Haden. Both she be faulted equally. This is a story that is not going to go away. Why Steve Samples and the great USC Board of Directors doesn’t take immediate action – is purely beyond us.
Traditions and history are made over many years of fine action. Since 1888, the Trojans of the University of Southern California have worked hard to develop a reputation of quality and certainly of championship behavior in sports. The Stanford-USC game and the resultant behavior of both Sarkesian and Haden has put a stain on that history. It wasn’t the ride in the Golf Cart by Reggie Bush. It was the months of free rent his mom and dad got. It wasn’t the black SUV he got to drive back and forth to school. It wasn’t Pete Carroll – messing with the NCAA rule book that has put the stain on the University.
As an USC Alumni and fan and believer in the USC Sports Myth………we do not abide by the conduct of the current Administration, that would allow stupid conduct which besmirches the memory of a great University. Today, when people are asked about Penn State – the first words out of their mouths are: ‘Oh, Jerry Sandusky!” Even the memory of Joe Paterno……has faded. His statue taken down, his name removed from every building on campus. The vision of Pat Haden jumping up and down and hugging Steve Sarkesian on the sidelines at Palo Alto after the 13-10 Victory over Stanford……….was totally inappropriate…in the extreme. Haden should have gotten a 15 yard penalty for “Celebrating” and not wearin his hairpiece. Players get those penalties…..all the time. J.K. McKay needs to replace Haden immediately, until they can find another full time Athletic Director. Sarkesian should be put on a “Three Game Suspension” and a “One year Probation” for any other inproprieties that may occur in the future. Heck, we haven’t even played UCLA or Notre Dame yet……can anyone imagine what kind of childish antics those games might attend?
So, what is a Haden-Sarkesian? A serious embarrassment!
Doesn’t anybody at the OJB copy edit the stuff from the Winships?
Steve Sarkisian’s predecessor at SC was Ed Orgeron, not Ed “Obregon.”
“UCLa”? “snd”?
“Pete Caroll was caste [sic.] out. . . . “?
“2 National Championships and five years of sanctions was [sic.] assessed. . . . “?
USC’s head coach is named “Sarkisian,” not “Sarkesian.”
After a while, you just stop counting.
Steve Sarkisian IS a Pete Carroll “remnant.” Carroll hired him at the request of Norm Chow, Sarkisian’s mentor at BYU. His record at Washington? 34-29; hardly “failing miserably” at a school that can never compete with USC in recruiting prime-beef California high school players.
Cal, USC, Stanford, UCLA, and Oregon (excuse me, the University of Phil Knight at Eugene) will ALWAYS get the best California players. Schools like Washington, Utah, etc. will get the “remnants,” and their records will show it; no matter what coach they hire. They can’t recruit the bodies.
Hmmmm . . . do I want to spend four years in Salt Lake or Los Angeles? Tough decision!
Under Chow’s tutelage at BYU and USC, Sarkisian became one of the brightest young coaches in NCAA football. And what’s he done lately? Beat Stanford. At the Farm. With only 65 scholarship players.
I think he’ll do just fine at Downtown U. (And I’m an SC fan.)
Generally, we don’t. They have the keys to post at their discretion. Sometimes we fix things later.
I used to do it, but it was impossible to know when to stop.
They are GRANDFATHERED, Ms Bonghit…
To quote George Costanza, “Well, that’s really not fair.”
*Where might we start……hmmm….how about this: Did you go to USC? If so, what year did you graduate? If you are just a USC groupie……and buy the gear and stay in the rear…..we understand. Since you just took a huge dump on the history and tradition at USC – you must know where the Newman Center is….and can say a Methodist prayer that Pat Haden is immediately fired, Steve Sarkesian needs to be put on suspension and Ray Rice should not join the Trojan Coaching Staff….at any time in the future. It’s OK……we understand stupidity………we are watching it on TV every day. We certainly watched it on Saturday. The Pac-12 was forced to fine Haden the $25K which is unprecedented in American Sports. We could care about your Caste System…..which you obviously belong to. Screw you blue belly……you are not a Trojan cohort. Trojans believe in tradition not malnutrition of spirit and kindness. All sports are dirty, but outright – in your face – power smash dirt….during a game…..is pretty out there, you must admit. It would be like having the Notre Dame Coach, call the Pope and ask him to speak to the Officials about a holding call on the five yard line. At any rate, rant your best……..and then realize that no matter who you support, this was a seminal moment in USC Sports and needs to be rectified immediately.
*Just when you thought that the Haden-Sarkesian nightmare couldn’t get worse, Haden (Who believes that he is really Spiderman) comes out to say that the $25,000 dollar fine he pays to the Pac-12 for his wrong doing should go to a Charity of “his choice” – Autism!
Nice going Roger Goodell clone man! Why not give another $25,000 to Breast Cancer and another $25,000 to ALS and another $25,000 to Heart Disease? These elitist jerks keep taking there prescription drugs and hope that they don’t get pulled over by the CHP.
How about Sarkesian? His penalty was to jump on Pat Haden’s back going off the field at Palo Alto……hilariously laughing like the stupid he is. Real cool Sark…….why not go spike the football in the end zone too?
*One more thing….we can’t wait to hear Haden’s reaction to the Ray Rice defense: “I was drunk on Hard Liquour!”. Haden being the barrister that he is will undoubtedly pick up that defense for his next indiscretion.
Ron and Anna: You drunk?
*We would have to be to listen to your junk.
*This week the Toejams go against the Catholic Juniors of Boston College…..would be a hoot if those Eagles won. 5PM Saturday on ESPN.
*Read the Sports Pages and reader comments today in the Register and LA Times….sort of says it all. Go Eagles!
Yep. Drunk again.
*You really don’t know how to read….do you? We have Volume ! of the McGuffy Reader….you can borrow.
*Today…..was the best…..the Great Sarkesian Identity Crisis. Someone stole the Trojans Identify and no one knows who has it. What a joke. What do they say….the first part of getting better is accepting that you are not doing well. Sark and St. Pat do make us sick to our stomachs…..no doubt! Now we get a bye….before we lose again to Oregon State.