Early schedule tough to swallow


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Hi. My name is Dave and I love cupcakes. (This is the interactive part of the column, where you collectively and cheerfully reply “Welcome, Dave.”) OK, so there might not be such a thing as Cupcakes Anonymous, but if there were, I would be without a doubt one of its cornerstone members. One look at […]

Young secondary needs to grow up fast


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It sets up like a scene from a Road Runner cartoon. Wile E. Coyote, the ever-so-cunning and physically superior beast constructs an apparently flawless contraption on the side of a mountain complete with a slingshot, boulders from the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark and 20 sticks of ACME dynamite to catch the speedy […]

Robey finds strength in challenges


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Scandal, sanctions and uncertainty. These are the labels Thursday night’s ESPN broadcasters will use to try to convince you that No. 14 USC’s season will not go so smoothly. Although stories of controversy, instability and turmoil make for a catchy headline, an entertaining talking point during introductions or a time-filler in case the Warriors fail […]

Schedule working in favor of Trojans


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Three days from now, the young, talented and completely unproven USC football team will take the field in Honolulu, Hawaii for its first game since the purging that took place earlier this year, which removed coaches, athletic directors and any chance of a BCS bowl (or any bowl, for that matter) appearance. Only a select […]

Sanctions won’t kill Trojans financially


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Follow the money. That was the directive given by the mysterious Deep Throat to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in the film version of All the President’s Men, the account of how two journalists uncovered one of our nation’s most infamous political scandals. Although the recent NCAA sanctions on USC athletics pale in comparison to […]

2010: Year of the Freshmen


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There are more labels being put on the year 2010 than colors in Dennis Rodman’s hair. According to the Chinese calendar, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger (apparently Mr. Woods didn’t get that message). The Christian Science Monitor says 2010 is the year of the global insurrection (whatever that means). In 1984, Hollywood made […]

Feverish loyalty should be rewarded


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Let’s be honest; there hasn’t been a busier man in Southern California over the past month than new Athletic Director Pat Haden. For a man thrust into the responsibility of reinvigorating a program that has lost some of its prestige and luster the past year, the former Rhodes Scholar has taken the bull by the […]

With Kiffin comes culture change


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Lane Kiffin stood there with his arms crossed, surrounded by the typical frenzy of reporters, his face serious, his answers succinct. It was early August. The first official practice of training camp had just been completed. The new USC coach spoke in a business-like tone to a handful of reporters. A smile didn’t dare threaten […]