I'll Take an NCAA Baloney Sandwich, Heavy on the Mayo

Here in the Southland, sports chatterers are fixated on two issues: Kobe's back and O.J. Mayo's wallet.

Yesterday, NCAA president Myles Brand announced they have "new information" on thousands of dollars of gifts allegedly received by the 20-year-old phenom while he was playing for USC.

Wow, O.J. Mayo got some cash from an agent. What a shock. In a million years, I would never have guessed this could happen. (Next thing you're gonna tell me, Amy Winehouse has been busted for possession of crack.)

So begins what will be an endless stream of anonymous accusations, denials, and the obligatory NCAA "investigation" that will conclude around the time Mayo qualifies for Social Security.

To me, it's not whether Mayo did or didn't take money from an agent. The real issue: why the hell can't he?

The NCAA's rationale:

Such payment is not allowed because it would be compensation based upon athletic skill and preferential benefit not available to the general student population.

C'mon, let's get real.

The college I attended had students who came from some of the wealthiest families in the nation. These kids drove shiny new Porsche's, had off-campus apartments that could have been featured in Architectural Digest, jetted off to St. Johns for long weekends on Daddy's Gulfstream, and had tutors helping them with assignments (ie., writing their papers).

Meanwhile, I was stuck in a four-person Ikea-furnished dorm room, riding to my two part-time jobs on a Schwinn cruiser, hitching home to Chicago for spring break and spending night after night in the library (named after the grandfather of one of my fellow students), forced to plagiarize without help from anyone.

It served as a constant reminder that some students were more equal than others.

USC is similarly packed with the progeny of Southern California's business and political elite. These Muffys and Juniors receive preferential treatment, perks not available to the general student population, based solely on heredity.

Yet a college athlete from modest means is disallowed those same privileges when he has an actual marketable skill? What's wrong with this picture?

And speaking of the general student population, they're free to take jobs, market and sell their skills to the highest bidder, be courted by prospective employers. Some in the entertainment industry even have agents.

But that's not true for the student-athlete basketball player. He's caught in a Catch-22. He can't play in the NBA, so he has to go college. Then, when he gets there, the college owns his ass. Not only is he prevented from getting gifts or spending money, he's often not allowed to work a part time job. Hell, he can't even get free tickets to see a basketball game.

In exchange for his scholarship, the student-athlete becomes an indentured servant to his school and the NCAA program that's raking in millions and millions of dollars off his talent.

All of which means it's okay for the university and the NCAA to receive compensation based on a student's athletic skills (skills "not available to the general student population"), just don't let that student-athlete near any of that green cuz it "wouldn't be fair" to other students. Oh yeah, and it would besmirch the integrity of these esteemed institutions of higher learning!

What utter hypocrisy.

Everyone at USC and the NCAA knew OJ Mayo was a "one and done": he made that crystal clear to coach Tim Floyd in their very first conversation. He was punching the collegiate clock. So, how exactly does it harm USC or the NCAA for Mayo to be in discussions with anyone he chooses about his future? How does it harm the college or the NCAA for him to accept gifts or receive favors? Why shouldn't he be allowed to hire an agent? This is his career, his future, we're talking about.

Besides, we've seen enough to know it's futile to try to stop it. If there is a talented pro-bound athlete in college, you know he or she is talking to a prospective agent right now, discussing deals, getting favors, a little "walking around" money. What the hell was USC supposed to do, hire the Pinkerton Agency to track Mayo's every trip to the men's room?

The real answer lurks Jungian-deep in a comment NCAA president Brand made about the alleged violations:

"This is not acceptable behavior and on occasion, it's illegal. You get thrown in jail if you rob a bank, but people keep robbing banks."

And therein lies the truth: These agents tried to cut to the front of the line ahead of USC and the NCAA at the First National Bank of O.J. Mayo. And for that, sirs, there will be blood.

In my view, these kids owe their schools and the NCAA one thing only in exchange for their scholarship: a promise to play their best during the time they are matriculating. Nothing more, nothing less.

The NCAA should pull itself off the star student-athlete teat long enough to admit that truth and write rules that give these young adults the economic freedom and respect they deserve.

Anything else is unfair, discriminatory and just plain un-American.

I-L-L! WHY GOD WHY!?

Okay, so I'd spent the last few weeks trying to convince myself that the Illini had a realistic shot at beating USC. I was doing a good job of it too, because the closer it got to gametime, the more I actually started to believe it.

Then about 5 minutes into the game, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen.

Let's be honest here, at the moment USC is probably the best team in the country. Before the season started everyone had them as the #1 team in the land, including myself, but thanks to a bunch of injuries the Trojans never fulfilled their expectations. The Trojans team the Illini lost to yesterday was the healthy version, and in case you couldn't tell, they're pretty good.

Also, if yesterday was the first time all season you watched the Illini, I promise you they aren't really that bad. I swear. There was absolutely no question about it, though, the Illini were completely outmanned and outclassed against USC.

As if the talent disparity wasn't enough, Illinois couldn't catch a break either.

Knock the hell out of a Trojan receiver and jar the ball loose? It only floats ten yards down field into the arms of Joe McKnight.

USC snaps the ball over their punter's head? He just picks it up and gets off a 45 yard punt anyway.

John David Booty overthrows Joe McKnight on a bubble screen? The ball just rolls and then bounces up into McKnight's arms and he scampers down the sideline for 65 yards.

Then when the Illini did move the ball down the field they would just shoot themselves in the foot with a turnover.

Still, despite the ass kicking the Illini received on Tuesday, there are still some positives that can be taken from this game. Now that Illinois has faced a great program like USC, they know how they stack up against the country's best. The problem with that though is it's now pretty apparent that Juice Williams may not be a very good quarterback.

Though it's hard to pin the blame all on Juice, as an offensive line that had been spectacular all season looked confused and hopeless against USC's front seven.

Obviously the star of the game for Illinois was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Rashard Mendenhall. Unfortunately, Rashard's huge day (17 carries, 155 yards, 1 touchdown) all but assures he's going to skip out on his senior season and enter the NFL draft where he'll be a first round pick. (Definitely still available at #14 where a certain team who needs help at running back will be.) I'm pretty scared as to what the loss of Mendenhall may do to an Illinois team that took such a huge step forward this season.

It's no secret that Rashard was the key to Illinois' offense all year, but the Rose Bowl only drove the point home emphatically. Mendenhall makes everybody else on that offense better because he's so good, and because he commands so much attention.

Without Rashard around next season, do you think defenses will live in fear of Juice?

But I don't want to dwell on the negative that comes from an embarrassing loss. This was still a very successful season for the Illini, one in which they exceeded everybody's expectations, including their own. They laid the groundwork for what hopefully will be a continuing trend of improvement in Champaign.

Of course, I thought the same thing after Illinois got to the Sugar Bowl in 2002, and the five years between then and yesterday's Rose Bowl weren't exactly much fun to watch.

Foul Balls

Lloyd Carr Should Have Retired Every Year - After four straight years of Michigan getting it's ass kicked in a bowl game, the Wolverines came out and surprised a lot of people by beating Florida in the Capital One Bowl.

Of course, the motivation came from the fact that it would be Lloyd Carr's last game as head coach in Ann Arbor before Rich Rodriguez takes over the program next week.

"It's extremely meaningful on a personal level," Carr said. "But the reason it's meaningful is because I can be in that locker room with the guys that did it. Our coaches put together a great game plan, our players executed. Of course, we were big so-called underdogs.

"To come up with that kind of effort and to find a way to win means that we have some memories that we're all going to be able to celebrate for years to come."

It's not very often you'll find me rooting for Michigan, or being grateful to Big Blue, but I'd like to thank them for yesterday's performance. With the way Illinois got pasted in the Rose Bowl, Indiana got worked by Oklahoma State, Wisconsin losing to Tennessee, and the fact that Ohio State will probably get killed by LSU, somebody in the Big Ten had to step up this bowl season.

So, thanks. I guess.

Brian Urlacher's Back Is Fine - The last few weeks of the season for the Bears were frustrating for me to watch. Over their final two games they looked like the team that went to the Super Bowl last season, and I couldn't help but wonder where the hell they'd been all season.

It held especially true for Brian Urlacher. In December Brian played like the #54 we're all used to seeing, racking up sacks, making interceptions, and just flying all over the field from sideline to sideline. If nothing else, it made me optimistic that his back troubles were finally starting to heal, and that maybe in 2008 Brian will get back to his old form.

Well, I can't predict the future, but Brian wants everyone to know his back will be fine.

"My back got blown way out of proportion," Urlacher said Monday before leaving Halas Hall. "It's fine. I won't need any surgery.

"If you look at the way I played the last few weeks, obviously it got a little bit better as the season went on. Early on, I didn't make as many plays as I should have. It didn't have anything to do with my back. I just didn't play well. That's all there is to it."

Of course, even though his back may be better next season, there's no telling how the absence of Lance Briggs will affect Brian's play.

Holy Crap: Illinois Is Going To The Rose Bowl

Okay, so it’s been a few days since we last met. I’m all moved into the new place now, and I have my internet back.

I have to tell you though, I missed out on a lot the last few days. I’d heard the news, courtesy of Panger, on Sunday night that Illinois was going to the Rose Bowl. At first I thought Panger was just messing with my head, but I saw it today on the internet, so it has to be true.

I’ll fully admit, I’m shocked that this has happened. I’m incredibly happy, but I’m shocked. Of course, I was just as shocked that West Virginia lost to Pitt on Saturday.

I figured that once Ohio State got bumped up to the title game that the Rose Bowl was going to take Georgia. Right now the two “it” teams in college football are USC and Georgia, so I thought that matchup would be too appealing for the Rose Bowl, and that they’d buck tradition for once. Luckily the BCS is such a mess this season thanks to parity in college football that crazy things like this can happen.

Think about this for a second. Illinois went 2-10 last season. Now they’ll be playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1983. I expected the Illini to turn things around a bit this season, as you can see in my season preview, but I don’t think anybody expected this kind of a turnaround so fast.

I’m about ready to start my “Ron Zook For Jesus” campaign. Speaking of the Zooker, not even he thought any of this was possible.

''I told coach Guenther, if we weren't in the Rose Bowl at the end of three years,'' Zook said, ''he could get rid of me.''

Kidding aside, Zook said, ''I would have asked you what you'd been smoking,'' if anyone had suggested at training camp in Rantoul in August that this season would end in Pasadena.

''I'm so proud of our seniors,'' Zook said. ''They've never been to a bowl game. And now they're going to play in the 'granddaddy of them all.'''

The question now becomes, do the Illini have any shot in hell at beating USC? At first glance, I’d say no. I know USC lost to Stanford earlier this season-the same Stanford that lost to Notre Dame, just so you get an idea how “good” they are-but they did so without their starting quarterback. They’ve also had key injuries all season long, and hadn’t been healthy all season until their last few games.

Now that the Trojans are healthy, they look like the team everybody thought they’d be at the beginning of the season.

That being said, if the Trojans are going to play a team from the Big Ten, Illinois is probably the Big Ten’s best option.

We know USC would rip Michigan a new one because they did last year, and we saw how Ohio State handles big athletic teams last year in the title game against Florida.

Illinois on the other hand has the type of high powered rushing attack that could give USC’s defense fits. Juice Williams started developing into a real quarterback the last few weeks of the Big Ten season, instead of the running quarterback he had been all season.

Now whether or not the Illini defense is going to be able to keep the Trojan offense from putting up points, I’m not so sure. Still, the game is still a month away so I’ll have plenty of time to try and figure it out before then. So for now, I’ll just be happy that the Illini are finally getting the respect I’ve felt they deserved all season long.

As for the rest of the BCS, I really do feel bad for Missouri. I know they didn’t look very good against Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, but they have a legitimate beef. After all, they’ve beaten both Illinois and Kansas this season, yet the Tigers didn’t get a BCS berth.

Illinois, meanwhile, is in the Rose Bowl, and Kansas is going to the playing Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. It doesn’t make much sense, but then again, when has the BCS ever made any real sense?

As for the title game of Ohio State and LSU, I can’t really argue against it because Ohio State is the best one loss team in the country, and LSU is the best 2 loss team. I fear that the Tigers are going to treat the Buckeyes much the way the Gators did last season, but it’s not my fault the BCS overvalued the Big Ten this season.

Foul Balls

So When Is The NFL Draft? - As for the Bears loss on Sunday, what can I really say? It hurt. Bad. Still, the Bears didn’t really deserve to win the game anyway.

The offense was able to move the ball down the field pretty consistently in the first half, but they kept bogging down in the red zone and settling for field goals.
Then there was the drop by Devin Hester, that if the catchbeen made, the Bears take a 14-0 lead and cruise to victory from there.

I couldn’t help but feel nervous after the Bears scored on their opening possession though, despite how good they looked. I haven’t had a chance to do the research completely, but generally when the Bears score early, they lose.

A few weeks ago against Seattle the Bears scored on their first drive for the first time this season, and lost. In Super Bowl XLI Hester returned the opening kick for a touchdown, and the Bears lost.

Notice the trend?

The good news is that this loss will finally kill any real talk of playoff chances because even though the Bears are only a game back record wise, there is a whole pile of teams between them and the Cardinals right now.

White Sox Clinch World Series Berth – The winter meetings began yesterday, and Kenny Williams has already gotten to work. After trading Jon Garland to Anaheim for Orlando Cabrera, and losing out on Torii Hunter (whom I’m still not convinced the Sox ever really wanted anyway), Kenny knew what he had to do.

The Sox were only one player away from getting back to the World Series in 2008, and Kenny went and got him yesterday.

The Chicago White Sox added depth to their inexperienced outfield Monday, acquiring Carlos Quentin from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league first baseman Chris Carter.

That’s right! We got Carlos Quentin!

Quentin is a lifetime .230 hitter in 138 Major League games with 14 home runs and 63 RBI as an Arizona Diamondback.

What’s the point in even playing out the 2008 season? Just give us our trophy now.
Meanwhile, we’ll let the rest of the league try and go after those crappy pitchers like Johan Santana, Dan Haren, and now Erik Bedard. Who needs those guys when you have Gavin Floyd?

The Patriots Barely Survive – New England’s bid to go undefeated nearly came to an end in Baltimore last night. Just one week after struggling at home against the Eagles, the Ravens gave the Patriots quite a scare on Monday.

The Patriots needed a last minute drive, which was helped by a few Ravens holding calls on 4th downs, to overcome a 24-20 deficit. Then with 44 seconds left, Tom Brady found Jabar Gaffney for an 8-yard touchdown to give the Patriots the win.
Of course, I didn’t actually watch the game because I didn’t have cable last night. So who knows? Maybe I just made all of that up.

Even though the Patriots are still 12-0 after last night’s win, the air of invincibility is gone. For the second week in a row they’ve struggled against sub-.500 teams, and they still have no running game.

Passing all the time may work when the weather is nice, but as we get later in the season, it can get you into trouble. Just ask Tom Brady who completed only 18 of his 38 passes. With a date against the Steelers looming next week, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pats bid to go undefeated ends next week.

The Bulls Fall Short - The Basketball Diaries will return tomorrow because since I didn't have cable, I couldn't actually watch any games yesterday.

Just know that the Bulls poor shooting in the first half doomed them like usual, and they lost to Dallas 103-98. They're now 4-11, but on the bright side, they've won two of their last three!

A USC Coed Laments Her Team's Loss

[An acquaintance of mine was at the Coliseum last night and has agreed to share her feelings after the Trojans' stunning loss to the Stanford Cardinal - Panger]



Hi, guys.

Honestly, I don't have much to say. I'd be lying if I told you last night wasn't the worst thing that ever happened to me. Except for when my hairdresser left my highlights on too long and I looked like Britney Spears on crack, which is to say, Britney Spears.

Anywho, I'm a "glass half full" kinda girl, so I look at this whole thing as good news/bad news.

The bad news is we pretty much eradicated our national title hopes by losing our first home game in six years to a third-rate program coached by a guy who was clearly messing with Coach Carroll's head when he proclaimed this summer that USC might have the best team in the history of college football.

The good news? My trust fund kicks in next week, I got these bitchin' new veneers, and this cool guy I met at Starbucks said he said he has a part for me in his next movie!!!

Okay, I gotta go and find somebody to write a paper for me. Toodles!

Foul Balls College Football Rankings - Week 4

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Southern Cal	--
2	LSU	--
3	West Virginia	1
4	Oklahoma	1
5	Florida	2
6	Ohio State	1
7	Texas	1
8	California	--
9	Wisconsin	2
10	Oregon	3
11	Rutgers	1
12	Boston College	2
13	Kentucky	3
14	Clemson	3
15	South Carolina	5
16	Georgia	6
17	Virginia Tech	2
18	Missouri	5
19	Penn State	10
20	Arizona State	6
21	Hawaii	--
22	Cincinnati	4
23	Alabama	8
24	Michigan State	--
25	Purdue	1

Dropped Out: Louisville (#18), Texas A&M (#20), Nebraska (#25).

Well, there's my ballot in the Blogpoll after week four of the college season. I'm going to break it down a little differently this week though.

Top Five

• USC and LSU stay the same, and I really do consider them both to be 1a and 1b right now. Until either team does something to prove otherwise, they'll be staying in those spots.
• I moved West Virginia and Oklahoma back above Florida because they did exactly what they were supposed to do against a weaker opponent while Florida struggled a bit with Ole Miss.

The Middle

• Ohio State has taken over the title of "Best Team in the Big Ten" though I'm not really sure what that means right now.
  
• I'm not really sure which of the teams from 10-14 is truly the best between them, but from what I've seen I've been more impressed with Oregon. Though looking at it now, I probably should have put Rutgers below both BC and Clemson.
• Penn State dropped further than anybody else because Anthony Morelli didn't inspire much confidence against Michigan on Saturday.

The Bottom Five

• We welcome Arizona State to the Top 25 this week as the Pac-10 looks like they have more than just USC this season. We all knew Cal would be up near the top most of the year, but adding Oregon and ASU to the mix means that USC is going to have to fight to keep their #1 spot.
• I know Michigan State beat Notre Dame this week, but I don't think that's enough to earn moving up any spots, so they stay at #24 this week.
• I had about 5 different teams I considered for the 25th spot, but in the end I gave it to Purdue because I'm a Big Ten homer at heart.
  

Mike Vick Is a Bad Influence on the Past

College football doesn't start until Thursday night (so excited) but UCLA fans are getting an early start when it comes to trying to tear down USC. The Bruins ended the Trojans' title hopes last season, so this year it's payback time. They're going after the Trojans coaching staff, specifically, running backs coach Todd McNair.

Bruins Nation did some research, and it seems McNair may have been a childhood hero for Mike Vick. From the LA Times:

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, McNair was charged with cruelty to animals, failure to obtain licenses and keeping animals for the purpose of fighting on March, 30, 1996 on his property in East Greenwich, N.J. Animal control officers found up to 22 pit bulls, including 17 adults and five puppies.

According to the Rocky Mountain News, the dogs were attached to heavy automobile towing chains. Some of the dogs were found in standing water, and many were scarred. Several had fresh wounds and one had a broken leg.

Ruh roh.

Of course, people are now calling for McNair to lose his job, though I can't say I agree with that. Like I've said many times already, dog-fighting is a pretty despicable act. There's no getting around that. That said, McNair did this 14 years ago. There's also the fact that while McNair was twice charged with mistreatment of animals, he was cleared of any charges surrounding dog-fighting.

Still, with the public relations fall out this is bound to have in wake of the Mike Vick story, I wouldn't be surprised if McNair ended up losing his job over this. Also, if a dog should choose to run for President in the next few months, it's pretty apparent he'd win the election. Yes, he. Nobody is gonna vote for a bitch. That means you too, Hillary.

(via Deadspin)

Sing, Sing a Song

I wouldn't be doing my weekend duty if I didn't find some piece of sport-related cheesecake to brighten your day.

Here at Foul Balls, we have a long and proud history promoting the talented USC Song girls.

In keeping with that tradition, I share with you a thoughtful site that dedicates itself to the greatness that embodies these young athletic supporters.

Many thanks to The Wizard of Odds

North Carolina Versus Duke? Try UCLA Versus USC

In about half an hour, L.A's sold-out Galen Center will host USC and its arch nemesis, UCLA - you know, the same school that brazenly stole its national football title shot only weeks ago - in a classic grudge match.

In previous years, USC wouldn't have had a chance to seek revenge. UCLA has always been the hoops powerhouse, USC the poor relation.

But times are changing. Under the leadership of coach Tim Floyd, and with Taj Gibson, one of the best freshman players in its history, USC is poised to contest that supremacy.

In fact, USC beat the same team, Oregon, that pushed 14-1 UCLA out of first place last week. USC and UCLA are currently tied for third place in the PAC Ten.

Where does this matchup stand compared to other historic rivalries? Floyd knows they still have a way to go:

"It's certainly not Duke and North Carolina because we have not been as competitive as Duke or North Carolina. It's our responsibility to put the game at that level."

UCLA's responsibility? To shove the ball down USC's throat. After last week's embarassment against the Beavers, they're poised to do just that. Asserts the aptly named UCLA point guard Darren Collision,

"I have a good feeling about the way we're going to come out. The Oregon loss is going to make us strive to improve. I don't think we ever want to experience a loss again."

That means if you're the betting kind, put your money on UCLA.

Either way, this one will be fun to watch.

A Tough Loss

Here in LA today, yesterday's playoff games and UCLA's loss to Oregon have been eclipsed by the tragic death of USC kicker Mario Danelo.

Danelo, 21, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff near the Point Fermin lighthouse in San Pedro.

USC linebacker Dallas Sartz said Danelo would be remembered for his upbeat personality and dependable kicking."I just remember Mario was the guy who always had a smile on his face and would always cheer you up," said Sartz, a team captain. "He had a great personality. This is really tough for everyone to swallow right now. I just still can't believe it."

Authorities will not speculate on the cause of his death.

It's worth noting on a hike in that area, near the top by the lighthouse, are all sorts of DO NOT ENTER signs with warnings about slippery surfaces and steep drops.

She Wrote the Song that Made the Whole World Sing

There seriously must be an epidemic going on in Southern California.

It all started with Paris Hilton, then the virus spread to Lindsay Lohan, and just recently, Britney Spears.

When women go to Los Angeles, they leave their underwear at home.

It's a magnificent thing.

The latest to follow the trend appeared during yesterday's Rose Bowl.

The ABC cameras did a shot of the USC Song Girls when suddenly, this happened.

Afterward you could hear Kirk Herbstreit make a "hmmm." noise, as if he was already trying to figure out how to get a hold of her after the game.


This is why God invented TiVo. If it wasn't for TiVo, we would not have been able to rewind the game after seeing what we thought we saw. Then we wouldn't have been able to view the shot frame by delicious frame and take a picture of it with our digital camera.

We do this stuff for you, so you're welcome.

Oh, and USC beat Michigan 32-18 thanks to Dwayne Jarrett's 11 receptions 205 yards, and two touchdowns.