By: Nate Gordon
As a Los Angeles writer I sit in awe, absolute amazement. I'm going to have to hear the ATH guys, 15 article on AGM and every sports talk show in LA talk about "The Play" and the coaching genius of Jim Harbaugh. The thought of the Cardinal being in position to win at the Colosseum in the 4th quarter is nauseating enough, I don't need people telling me about a play that Haurbagh should of never been in a position to call. Fact of the matter is, unlike the Chicago Bears, the Trojans aren't who we thought they were. They don't have the championship drive that the teams earlier in the decade had. I don't see a Palamalu/Palmer combo of leaders who are all-Americans and have that heart of a winner. Neither do I see a Bush/Lineart combo of explosiveness. This Trojan team is a team of really good players who have no identity and they have yet to give us one. This team fluctuates from half to half, some Saturdays quarter to quarter. Still on the schedule are trips to Oregon and California before a season finale at the home against UCLA. Those are three losable games and while I trust Pete Carroll to get the ship straight for a 10-1 season and trip to the Rose Bowl; the possibility of 7-4 has to be addressed individually, how do you react as a fan when your team starts at #1 and ends 5-4 in the Pac-10.
While that upset shook South Central, the Bruins were experiencing their very own nightmare up the 710 at the Rose Bowl. Notre Dame and Jimmy Clauson of Thousand Oaks, an LA suburb came in and kicked the crap out of UCLA 20-6. What the hell am I suppose to do now? I was given a 2 team teaser by Gavin Smith for 5000 bucks with a 20 point spread to the LA teams in each game. I might as well jump off the Hollywood sign if I'm the generic compulsive Los Angeles sports gambler. However, I'm not and no one in their minds would of given me a 2 team teaser with SC and UCLA this week so I'm just a really pissed off fan. The Dodgers choked outta the NL race, SC are a bunch of lost players, Karl Dorrell can't coach out of a paper bag, and the
Angels are alive and kicking in the playoffs. I hate Orange County, that may be beyond the point but do I care? I'm really cynical enough before all this crap.
Oakland is one play from being 3-1 this year, Denver is 2 plays from 0-4, San Diego is 1-3 and Kansas City is one NFL Apparel Children's Fashion show from Herm Edwards resorting to doing a terrible job preparing the team and their season going to shit. Daunte Culpepper doesn't have his accuracy back yet but he is making plays and that's what's important. I keep hearing people ask the question in their blogs: How will Dom Rhoads complement Justin Fargas in the running game? Excuse me, let me clear my throat and proceed to smack and down body slam these fools. Justin had a great half last week, a career half as a matter of fact, but it was against an run defense so shameful JJ Arrington could of busted off 125 and a TD. Justin is an exciting kid in spurts but he can't carry the load and we've seen this before, mainly because he's prone to fumble. LaMont Jordan has used the bye week to properly prepare his back for the long haul and Fargas and Rhoads should split carries to spell LaMont and keep him healthy.
Alright it's time for Random Thoughts: These are thoughts about things going on in the world because I'm cynical of most crap out there and I know that my thoughts commonly spark conversation. That conversation usually has an opposing viewpoint; I set to crush viewpoints while promotion conversation - the contradiction continues.
-In some suburban LA cities, the city counsels want to impose laws that ban smoking everywhere within the city limits, including your own home. I remember the teachers in my public schools growing up preaching pro-nanny state lectures to the class and now city counsels want to do the same thing and I have this to say to them: Get out of my life. It isn't governments duty to rule how we live our lives. If you want to smoke within your own home or in an open air area then by my guest, it's your life. Government should never impose law on our personal choices.
-I'm sure all of you have heard of the Jena 6, well now there is a black girl here in Palmdale, CA. who got out of control during a high school food fight and was restrained by a white campus security guard. Al Sharpton rolled into town with his crap a couple of days ago and said that "This girl was only guilty of 'Going To School While Black'" and that the security guards actions were 'worse then the actions of the Jena 6'". Does this guy listen to what he says? I'm sure he doesn't, Al Sharpton is practically menstrual comedy and a parody of our Civil Rights activist of yesteryear. How is a security guard restraining a girl who is flailing and screaming in the middle of a cafeteria food fight worse then 6 kids beating up another, regardless of race or social status. When you add race into it how is hate crime retaliation not as bad as a security guard doing his job when the girl was clearly a threat to other students well being? This is a joke, I almost don't want to touch the 'Going to School While Black' thing. What the hell Al, that is so embarrassing for you to say. He doesn't even know what happened, he got a phone call saying a little black girl was hurt while being 'assaulted' by a big white security guard and he comes and and does his little speech and checks all the mini-race cards off the list. A 'while black' accusation, an exaggerated injury, a big white man at the center of the alleged problem who acted upon his alleged 'racial hate'. It all makes me sick, shame on you Al Sharpton, your not a voice of my people, your merely a washed up Apollo acted who runs for camera time.
Okay, I think 2 random thoughts will do it, I'll blog again this week because I've been lacking due to laptop issues. Think about this until next time:
Going into Saturday: Notre Dame and Stanford combined record 1-10. UCLA and USC combined record: 10-1.
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