He said, HE SAID! SHE SAID!!!

He said, and I quote from Lance Pugmire's (UC)LA Times 5/31/08 article as follows: "Special agent Danny Kim in Los Angeles said he is looking into whether 'any funds or credit cards were taken or used under the foundation's name and used for other purposes.'"

HE SAID, and now I quote Lance Pugmire's opening paragraph as follows: The California attorney general's office is investigating whether funds from a sickle cell anemia charity were illegally used to pay for benefits to former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo, a state Department of Justice special agent said Friday."

I'm no lawyer, but Lance Pugmire should be sued for libel. He did not write the adjective "allegedly" before "pay for benefits", and he wrote his own judgment that O.J. Mayo is guilty of taking benefits.

SHE SAID!!! A Bruin would be given the BENEFIT of the doubt. Will the biased (UC)LA Times sensationlism ever end?

Promises! Promises!

After reading Diane Pucin's article "Draft Talk" this morning, I wonder what were the recruiting promises that UCLA did not live up to concerning "one and done" Kevin Love? Will the (UC)LA Times write five sensationalized articles about the unmet promises? Will Bill Plaschke demand "better institutional control" and an NCAA investigation? Will all of Saturday's (UC)LA Times "Viewpoint" letters condemn UCLA for any violations? OH! I forgot...Kevin Love was a Bruin...not a Trojan! WHAT PROMISES?

Do You Swear to Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth?

I could not believe my eyes when I read Diane Pucin’s May 27, 2008 article “Love works to lift his NBA stock” When Love was a Bruin, he was a perfect SUPERSTAR! Oh, what an outlet pass! Pac-10 player of the year! All-American! Now that he is “one and done” and no longer a Bruin, the unbiased truth is finally being written. What took you so long, Diane? Quotes from her article are as follows: “ to have his (Love’s) game criticized with brutal honesty --- lose weight, refine post game, show a mid-range game, prove you can defend taller, quicker players”. Joe Abunassar, founder and owner of Impact Basketball, who Love has signed up with, said, “With Kevin, it is about playing angles, holding defenders off, defending guys bigger and quicker, and can he get in shape. NBA guys are asking, is he quick enough to guard this guy, that guy? Is his endurance good enough for an 82-game season? My unbiased, TRUTHFUL answer is NO!

Hold that TIGER!

When the UCLA women won the NCAA Water Polo crown on 5/11/08 over USC, the Briuns got a picture, headline and an article the next day in the (UC)LA Times.

When the UCLA women won the NCAA Tennis crown on 5/21/08, the Bruins got a half-inch headline and article the next day in the (UC)LA Times "Newswire" section.

When the USC women won the NCAA Golf crown yesterday over UCLA by six strokes, the Trojans got a three paragraph mention this morning in the (UC)LA Times "Newswire" section. (I should say two paragraphs since the last paragraph was about a Bruin who finished #2 individually)...NO HEADLINE!

The title of the "Newswire" this morning was "Woods won't play Memorial". A golfer, Tiger Woods, was headlined, just not a TROJAN!

When will the UCLA bias ever end?

When is a Compliment really a Compliment?

Kudos to Bill Dwyre on his heart-warming article today about Haley Scott DeMaria, the Notre Dame swimmer who survived a fatal bus crash, overcame paralysis and had two children, against all odds. This is journalism at its best!

Contrast Bill Dwyre's sincere, complimentary article to David Wharton's "This year's school of choice" article on Monday 5/19/08. At first glance it was complimentary to the seven Trojans who went in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. Then, the article digressed to a "back-handed compliment"...Quotes from the article are as follows: "The talk about USC on draft day included murmurs of doubt"; "The concern is that too many of the players who emerge from the Trojan program love the SoCal lifestyle more than they love football"; "pedigree and success in college don't always translate to the next level." I wonder why the (UC)LA Times doesn't write a truly complimentary article about UCLA?...then I realized that no Bruin was drafted in the first two rounds. What's to compliment?

Six Days of Reckless Sensationalism!

After enduring five (UC)LA Times condemning articles about O.J. Mayo, headlined by Bill Plaschke's "Control Yourself" article on Wednesday 5/14/08, I am disillusioned! I thought that the (UC)LA Times was a reputable newspaper, not a TABLOID! On Thursday 5/16/08, they did print O.J.'s denial that he took any improper benefits, but the (UC)LA Times disgraced themselves again when they published yet another article on Friday 5/17/08 based on the accusations of convicted attempted cocaine seller Louis Johnson. A reliable source, indeed! Worst of all, the six selected Viewpoint letters on Saturday 5/18/08 all convicted O.J. and USC. What ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? Six days of pure reckless sensationalism!

Will a USC athlete ever be STELLAR?

Did anyone notice the front page of the (UC)LA Times sports page on Wednesday 5/14/08? There was Bill Plaschke's "Control Yourself" condemnation of USC's Athletic Director Mike Garrett, Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo, (based on supposition only) Ben Bloch's wishful thinking that basketball recruit DeMar DeRozan will decommit to USC and Diane Pucin crowning J'Mison Morgan (who may commit to UCLA) a STELLAR center. Two negative articles about USC and one, as always, positive article about UCLA. When will the bias end?