69-0.

That score illicits countless images in my twisted mind.

Sixty Nine to Zero...crazy

Well done boys, well done.

    

Nice. ...................................................................VERY nice.

Can you hear me now?..........................................................Goooooood.

Since the hiring of coach Pete Carroll in 2001, the USC Trojans have enjoyed a run of success that would make any program director drool with envy. I grew up rooting in vain for SC football through the 80's and 90's...it was like being an Angels fan during that time...some great players, some decent victories, but no real glory. No teams that deserve a place in football history. Pete changed the landscape of Los Angeles football. He took a rusted old jalopy...

and transformed it

 back into a jewel.

Victory on Saturdays is now pretty much expected. National Championships are never out of the question., and Heisman Trophy winners are a regular occurrence....winning a Heisman has it's perks.......

Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush can attest to that.

Pimpin ain't easy but somebody gotta do it.

Chicks dig the Heisman..

The knock on Los Angeles is that we have no pro football team, not true. We have many teams...almost every NFL team has a former Trojan suiting up for them. The University of Southern California is like an NFL D-league. The minor league team, so to speak..

Troy Polumalu, former Trojan and All Pro with the Pittsburg Steelers, The King of L.A. and Carson Palmer, Heisman Trophy winner at SC and All Pro quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals throw up a USC "Victory" sign (a regular sight at Trojans games).

I'd like to thank the great Coach Pete Carroll for returning USC to it's place among the elite college football programs once again, thanks coach.

 

 

Speaking of great coaches, Coach John Wooden celebrated his 98th birthday this week.

...The world is a better place with him in it.

I once had the pleasure of breaking bread with the man simply referred to as "Coach" It was the fall of 96. My boss at the time, Shawn, knew Coach on a personal basis and had promised me a visit should the opportunity arrive. Shawn asked me for breakfast that day.I knew of John Wooden from the stories my Dad told me about him, his ten National Championships in twelve years, including seven in a row. His 88 game win streak, his four Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year awards, Lew Alcindor, Gail Goodrich, Bill Walton.  The list goes on and on.....

This was from a die hard USC fan. My Father despised Ucla, but when it came to John Wooden, school loyalty went out the window. He revered this man, so I did too.

Shawn made no mention of John Wooden on this particular day. I was just happy to be getting a free meal. We made the short drive to Encino, to a quiet diner on the ground floor of a simple office building on Ventura Blvd. just East of Reseda Blvd. Not the sort of place you'd expect a living legend to dine...more like the diner in Pupl Fiction. It was very average and the distinct smell of bacon overwhelmed my senses the moment we entered. We headed toward a corner booth where an elderly gentleman was sitting alone, a glass of orange juice before him. He stood up to greet us. They shook hands and smiled, then I was introduced. I had no idea we were meeting him that day. I took his hand and looked him in the eye, he seemed so fragile, yet had a regal presence that commanded respect. He was frail and reserved, certainly not what you would expect a living legend to be. I'm not sure what I expected, maybe John William Wallace...7 feet tall, kills men by the hundreds with bolts of lightning from his arse??

He inquired about my life and what was happening in it. I informed him that my wife was currently pregnant with our second child and  that we already had a one year old son also. He gave a smile and said that being a good Husband and Father was the single most important activity a man could do. He spoke of his wife Nell (who had passed away a decade years earlier) and of his children and Grandchildren, whom he was visiting later that day. He reminded me of my own Grandfather and wanted only to enjoy the company of family and loved ones as much as possible in his twilight years. He made me wish I was a better man. Here sat the Wizard of Westwood and all he wanted was life's simplest of pleasures.

I brought up the subject of the Lakers (what a surprise)...I was still on high about the free agent signing of Shaquille O'Neal that off season. He said he  liked the move and that the Lakers were in for some big things over the next few years. He was confident a championship was in their future...(turned out, it was three)

I wish he had the chance to sit down with Shaq and Kobe before their egos ruined a dynasty. If anyone could have the influence to make these two to look in the mirror, Coach could have.

His no nonsense, honest days work ethic approach to basketball is sorely lacking in the NBA these days. It seems wholesome values and the respect of our elders is something modern America and the modern day athlete has lost. We could learn a great deal from other cultures in this regard. In case you missed it, or weren't wearing you reading glasses, the quote on the Kareem Picture reads:

"What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player" -John Wooden

We talked about our latest construction projects, which he was very intrigued with. He explained to me that there is a proper way to put your socks on before a basketball game, which I still use to this day. He also told me to finish my sourdough toast as the waitress cleared our table because, "it's good for you" So I did. But the thing that resonates with me to this day is the genuine nature of the man. He took the time to inquire about a lowly construction workers daily grind and personal life as if it were the most important conversation he had ever had. It left a profound impression on me. To this day, I tell my wife I love her each and every time I speak to her, because he told me he wished he had the chance to tell his wife the same thing. He made me realize that life is a gift that God gives us and that nothing should be taken for granted. This man has Collegiate Player of the Year trophies and Tournaments named after him for a reason...he's worthy of it.

He is truly a National Treasure.

 

Happy Birthday Coach.