USC’s (Southern Cal) Troubles Continue

July 29, 2010

It was announced a month or so ago that USC’s football program was being placed on NCAA probation due to number of violations back in 2004 and 2005. The Trojans are appealing the decision but they found themselves back in the news this week when BCS officials stated that the BCS plans on taking away USC’s 2004 national championship if they lose the appeal.

The player in question in Reggie Bush who had quite a night in the Trojans’ 55-19 victory over Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl.

The NCAA vacated 14 victories from USC’s 2004 and 2005 seasons as part of the penalties stemming from the Bush investigation. Bush essentially competed while ineligible for two seasons because he had taken money and benefits from marketers trying to win him as client when he turned pro. USC’s wins and Bush’s records will be removed from all NCAA record books and USC media guides. Also, head coach Pete Carroll’s wins during that period will not count toward his career total.

An ongoing controversy now concerns the issue of Bush keeping his Heisman Trophy. All I have to do is read the award’s mission statement and I know my feeling on the subject.

Photo: Reggie Bush

“The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust ensures the continuation and integrity of this award. The Trust, furthermore, has a charitable mission to support amateur athletics and to provide greater opportunities to the youth of our country.”

Take it away.

The NCAA found Bush cheated by getting paid while still eligible to play college football, Bush’s 2005 season did not reflect the “pursuit of excellence with integrity.” To the extent that Heisman Trust supports “amateur athletics,” Bush did not deserve the honor because he no longer was an amateur.

McMurray’s Comeback

Jamie McMurray has had quite a year. The NASCAR season is over halfway over and McMurry is easily the comeback story of the year. He literally has gone from zero to hero.

McMurray began with a shocking victory in February’s Daytona 500. Since then, he has shown his best at the big events, finishing second in NASCAR’s other “old” key races: April’s Talladega race, Darlington’s 500-miler, and May’s Coke 600 at Charlotte. Then came last weekend’s Brickyard 400 victory.

McMurray (left) now hopes to parlay his Indy win into more consistent finishes at the newer tracks en-route to a place in the Chase.

More Brickyard Talk

Jamie McMurray’s gain at the Brickyard was Juan Pablo Montoya’s loss. The race looked like Montoya’s to lose and he lost it. Actually, it all came down to a yellow flag due to debris on the track, the fourth debris and final debris caution of the race.

Montoya was pulling away and seemingly headed towards the victory until the yellow with 21 laps to go. He came out of the pits in seventh place and never threatened before careening off the wall and finishing 32nd. Montoya’s winless streak in NASCAR is now at 112 races.

Another story in Indy last week was the attendance. The decline in NASCAR attendance is continuing. The final count was around 140,000 people, but it was just five years ago when twice that many fans came to the Brickyard (280,000). What also concerns NASCAR is that May’s Indy 500 had over 100,000 more people in the stands.

Perhaps the biggest story Sunday was what we didn’t see: fans in the stands. Yes, 140,000 is still tied for the third-biggest crowd at NASCAR races this season, trailing only Daytona and Las Vegas in a year filled with ailing attendance. But consider this: just five years ago, at NASCAR’s peak the Brickyard 400 drew 280,000, marking Sunday a 50 percent decline at a track which just pulled at least 100,000 more for its crown jewel, the Indy 500.

The Year Of The Pitcher

I just watched another no-hitter Monday night when Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays shut down the Detroit Tigers. What used to happen once or twice a season, if at all, is starting to occur on a monthly basis now. Couple this with a number of pitchers having great seasons, and it appears pitching has returned to our national pastime.

Why now, you ask?

I attribute it to pitchers and batters now being on a level playing field now that there is drug testing. And it did not take much research to find that in the five seasons before drug testing was implemented in 2003, there were 62 instances of a player reaching 40 homers in a season. Last season, 39 homers led the American League. When Barry Bonds hit 73 homers in 2001, he had 39 at the All-Star break.

We are not seeing broken bat homeruns anymore. Pitchers have confidence again and they are trusting their stuff. As a result we are seeing some excellent pitching efforts including perfect games and no-hitters.

Photo: Matt Garza of Tampa Bay