I'm Still Waiting.......

I'm still waiting for a quarter-page picture of O.J. Mayo on the (UC)LA Times front page and a two page article about his success in the NBA!

Kevin Love and his Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Lakers, and Mark Heisler wrote a two page article about Love. Kevin was featured with a quarter-page picture on the front page also. Love scored two points against the Lakers. He is a former Bruin!

O.J. Mayo and his Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Lakers yesterday, and Mike Bresnahan wrote four paragraphs about Mayo. There was no picture at all of O.J. Mayo. Mayo scored twenty-two points against the Lakers. He is a former Trojan!

Guess I will have to keep waiting until the (UC)LA Times is not Bruin biased!!!!

I Have Three Words for Gary Klein!

I have three words to add to the first paragraph of Gary Klein's Friday, December 19, 2008 article entitled "Sanchez is back at practice". The three words will be inserted in his paragraph as follows:

"As USC resumed workouts for its Rose Bowl game against Penn State, quarterback Mark Sanchez practiced Thursday for the first time since absorbing several (DIRTY, LATE) tough hits against UCLA (BRUTES) nearly two weeks ago."

Truer three words were never spoken!

I Can't Wait.....

I can't wait until Tuesday 12/23/08 to see a quarter page color picture of former USC basketball player, O.J. Mayo, on the front page of the (UC)LA Times sports section after the Memphis Grizzlies play the L.A. Lakers!

Former UCLA basketball player, Kevin Love's color picture was on the front page this morning, along with a two page article, after his Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Lakers last night.

Wow! (UC)LA Time's reporter Mark Heisler praised Love (referring to his UCLA playing days) when he wrote, "His skill level was off the charts. His personality was dazzling." Now that Love is struggling in the NBA, Heisler wrote that Love is "Already the game's greatest outlet passer". In a total of 23 NBA games, Love is the "greatest"?

As I said in the title, I can't wait to read what Mark Heisler has to say about O.J. Mayo, the future NBA Rookie of the Year, on Tuesday 12/23/08!!!

Pepper or Assault?

I totally loved this morning's (UC)LA Times Sports Viewpoint headline! "Pepper or Assault?" However, I am totally disappointed that they did not publish my letter. It was as follows:

I, for one, will be very glad to see defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker leave. In their "dual" loss to USC, both in the score and in their lack of sportsmanship, Coach Walker changed the name of the UCLA Bruins to the UCLA BRUTES!

It was ASSAULT!!!

A non-NCAA title is worth more than an NCAA Championship!

When the UCLA Women's Soccer team lost to North Carolina, ending their bid for their first NCAA Championship, the (UC)LA Times published a lengthy article with player's and coach's comments. Poor Bruins!

When the USC Men's Water Polo team went undefeated 29-0 in winning their fourth NCAA Water Polo Championship by beating Stanford yesterday 7-5, the (UC)LA Times published a measly two paragraph article with NO pictures, NO player accomplishments, and NO coach's comments. What about equal rights?

USC's and Olympic silver medalist, J.W. Krumpholz, was selected as the MVP, and five Trojans were selected to the All-Tournament Team. Congratulations and FIGHT ON TROJANS!

The (UC)LA Times' UCLA BIAS over USC lives on!

A more palatable Bill Plaschke!

As (UC)LA Times reporter Bill Plaschke "salt and peppered" his way through his article, I aim to make today's article more "palatable" to USC Trojan readers.

Just insert these different words as you read Bill Plaschke's "Bruins live to fight another day next fall".

Insertions:

1. "Thugs" for "Bruins"
2. "Dirty late hits" for "outfought"
3. "Assaulted twice" (but stopped short of battery) for "charged twice"
4. "Unsportsmanlike" for "peppering"
5. "Obnoxious" for "salty"

BON APETIT TROJANS!!!

Why is one NCAA championship more valuable than another?

My answer: When you are the UCLA Women's Soccer team versus the USC Men's Waterpolo team.

The (UC)LA Times has published three articles about the UCLA Women's Soccer team in their quest for a NCAA Championship. Then, one article today when they lost 1-0 to North Carolina yesterday.

The (UC)LA Times has published no articles about the the USC Men's #1, undefeated Water Polo team in their quest for a NCAA Championship.

The UCLA bias over USC STILL lives on in the (UC)LA Times!!!

Thank you, Kent!

I received an email yesterday from a fellow Trojan alum, Kent. Kent wrote to tell me that a reporter, David Wharton, was sent to Austin, TX to cover the UCLA game against Texas, while no reporter was sent to Norman, OK to cover the USC game against Oklahoma. The USC article was composed from AP articles.

I was so flabbergasted to see a color picture of Trojan basketball player DeMar DeRozan on the front page of the (UC)LA Times sports page that I didn't notice the two bylines.

The (UC)LA Times still sends a reporter to cover every UCLA football game, even though the Bruins are cruddy this year. The USC men's basketball team has a winning record so far, but they were not covered by a (UC)LA Times reporter in Puerto Rico or Oklahoma.

Kent and I know that the UCLA bias over USC lives on!

I Never Thought I Would Say This....

I totally agree with what Bill Plaschke wrote about in his Friday, 12/5/2008 (UC)LA Times article entitled "Truth is, USC misses Chow". My alma mater USC has not won a football championship since Norm Chow left the coaching staff in 2005. I really believe that we would have beaten Texas in the 2006 BCS Rose Bowl if Norm Chow was the offensive coordinator in the booth.

Fight On Bill Plaschke!

What does defending NCAA Women's Soccer Champion USC get

when they win a second round play-off game against BYU? A mere mention of the score after two overtimes: 3-2 in penalty kicks in the (UC)LA Times "The Day in Sports".

What does UCLA get when San Diego beat its own self in the second round game yesterday? A two paragraph article in the same (UC)LA Times "The Day in Sports" with a headline, "UCLA advances to round of 16".

Well, USC advanced to the round of 16 ALSO! NO headline! NO article!

The UCLA BIAS lives on!!!!

Howland Begging for Scraps!

UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland is "begging for scraps" according to the (UC)LA Times front page article today, because he said, "We need to be a scrappy team".

USC basketball coach Tim Floyd is just BEGGING for any article in the (UC)LA Times, much less a picture, about his USC team.

I am BEGGING to ask this question: Does USC even have a men's basketball team?

The answer: NO!!! According to NO coverage by the (UC)LA Times!!!

He just can't help himself!

It was only a matter of time until UCLA football player Jess Ward would get in trouble again and be suspended. He did plead "no contest" in an assault case when he was a freshman at UCLA and received a one game suspension and probation from the court. That incident was swept "under the rug" by the (UC)LA Times as this new incident will be. Now, if Ward was a Trojan......SENSATIONALISM! Front page articles and pictures! Published letters to the Sports Viewpoint section declaring that all USC football players are felons! Fire Coach Pete Carroll! Fire Athletic Director Mike Garrett! Sanction the Trojans! Etc...Etc....Etc!

NOTHING for something!

I wish that I could be the (UC)LA Times reporter assigned to cover the USC men's basketball team. Getting paid to do NOTHING is awesome!!!!!

The same ol', same ol'

My friend Mike asked me at the USC Monday Morning Quarterback meeting this morning why I haven't written any entries in my blog lately. Here is my answer. It is so frustrating that the UCLA Times IS and will remain biased for UCLA over USC. It has been so apparent this entire football season and is just starting with the upcoming basketball season! I am not giving up my fight......just waiting for a really blatant example.

Until then, please read my webpage at www.Trojancandy.com. There are pictures and stories about athletes who come to Heritage Hall. I volunteer at Heritage every Friday and pass out candy to all visitors. Please enjoy all the "positive" stories and do stop by for a piece of Trojan candy.

A Victory and Lexus Gauntlet Points are "NOWHERE"

On Sunday 9/21/08 the USC Water Polo team defeated UCLA 6-5 to win its fourth consecutive NorCal Tournament Title. USC Junior Matt Sagehorn scored the winning goal with ONE second left in regulation!

Where was this victory mentioned in the (UC)LA Times "The Day in Sports" today? NOWHERE!

Where was this victory mentioned in the (UC)LA Times "Newswire" today? NOWHERE!

If UCLA had defeated USC, there would have been a victory mention SOMEWHERE in both sections.

What is the difference between 35-3 and 27-24 (OT)?

USC routed Ohio State 35-3, and they FINALLY got a color picture of their superb defensive line on the BACK page of the (UC)LA Times.

UCLA beat Tennessee 27-24 in overtime, and they got a color picture of their inept offensive line on the FRONT page of the (UC)LA Times.

What is the difference? A bias for UCLA over #1 USC!

What did 59-0 get us?

It got USC a color picture in the (UC)LA Times FYI section this morning! As always, UCLA got its FYI color picture, win or lose!

It's no longer a question of BLACK and WHITE!

It is no longer a question of BLACK and WHITE! The (UC)LA Times did not publish a single picture of a USC football player all week long. This morning, 9/12/08, they published three color pictures of UCLA football players, one being on the front page. There were ZERO pictures, not even black and white ones, of any USC players....only Ohio State Buckeyes.

The (UC)LA Times bias for UCLA over USC is pictured, one again, in living COLOR!

It is so much more than Black and White!

The (UC)LA Times finally printed a black and white picture with #1 USC's "FYI" football article today.

But, it is so much more than "Black and White"!

The (UC)LA Times printed a larger COLOR picture with #23 UCLA"s "FYI" football article today.

Then to add insult to injury, the (UC)LA Times printed a color picture of Notre Dame's Charlie Weis!

The (UC)LA Times bias for UCLA over USC is there in living COLOR!

One picture is worth a thousand words.....

The (UC)LA Times has not published a picture of any USC football coaches or players since Sunday 8/31/08. The same (UC)LA Times has published a picture of either a UCLA football coach or player everyday day since Saturday 8/30/08. There are four COLOR pictures of Bruin freshmen and coach Neuheisel in today's sports section.

Again, USC has NO picture whatsoever in its "USC FYI" article today. They only got a picture of a helmet on page 1, because they were voted #1 in the AP and USA polls.

So, if one picture is worth a thousand words......then, what is NO picture worth?

A newspaper that is biased for UCLA over USC!

Why I hate that UCLA beat Tennessee!

There are six reasons why I hate that UCLA beat Tennessee!

1. The GENIUS of Norm Chow showed through...look at quarterback's Kevin Craft's radical improvement from the four interceptions in the first half to two long drives in the fourth quarter. I realize that my beloved alma mater USC has not won a national championship since Norm Chow left for the NFL.

2. Not one reporter of the (UC)LA Times even mentioned that UCLA should have been whistled for an "illegal man downfield" two plays before they scored their go-ahead touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter. The ESPN announcers both commented on how lucky UCLA was that the referees didn't blow their whistles when more than one lineman was downfield before Craft threw the pass. If the same scenario had happened for USC, the (UC)LA Times reporters would have cried that the Trojans "stole" the game on the "no call!"

3. UCLA got a bigger front page picture and a larger picture on the front page of the sports section in this morning's (UC)LA Times than USC got on Sunday 8/31/08 after they beat Virginia with a near flawless game....Afterall, who is #1 anyway!

4. In the UCLA "FYI" articles, there is always a picture of a Bruin player or coach, WHILE, in the USC "FYI" articles, there are pictures of a Trojan player or coach maybe 20% of the time, if that.

5. I have to endure Bill Plaschke's "adoring, gushing" articles about UCLA this week and in the future!

6. The (UC)LA Times bias for UCLA over USC lives on in every sport!!!!

Why does the "weakest link" get all the glory?

The (UC)LA Times in their Sunday 8/24/08 Beijing 2008 article entitled "Their run of the place" put a 7x8 inch color picture of only Monique Henderson on the front page. There were 4 members of the Gold Medal winning 4x1600 meter relay: Wineberg, Felix, Henderson and Richards. Allyson Felix, a USC alumna, ran the fastest leg at 48.55 seconds. She handed the baton to UCLA's Henderson who lost the lead in the third leg. Why did the weakest link get the color picture? She is a Bruin!

Is she really worth her weight in GOLD?

Evidently USC Trojan Rebecca Soni is NOT, but UCLA Bruin Dawn Harper IS! Rebecca won a Gold Medal in an upset win in the Women's 200 Breaststroke while Dawn won a Gold Medal in an upset win in the Women's 100 Meter Hurdles. What does the biased (UC)LA Times do? They give Rebecca a 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch black and white picture with a mere two paragraph mention. Then, when Dawn won, they give her a color picture with a separate 26 paragraph article praising Dawn and the UCLA track program. What about an article praising the USC swimming program? Furthermore, Rebecca Soni won two Silver Medals also!!

Shouldn't one gold and two silvers be worth more than one gold?

Not Football TOO! TOO!! TOO!!! TOO!!!!

Three straight days of Bruin football bias in the (UC)LA Times! On Wednesday 8/13/08 there was a 7 inch x 3 1/2 inch color picture of the UCLA offensive line on the front page of the sports page. There was no picture, at all, of any USC football player in the entire section. On Thursday 8/14/08 there was a 9 1/2 inch by 5 1/2 inch color picture of UCLA quaterback Kevin Craft. There was no picture, at all, of any USC football player in the entire section. On Friday 8/15/08 there was a 8 1/4 inch by 3 1/2 inch picture of UCLA linebacker John Hale. There was no picture, at all of any USC football player in the entire section.

And the Bruin Bias Beat goes on!

Whose tournament is it anyway?

Countrywide should get its sponsor money back! All week long I have been reading about this tennis tournament, that tennis tournament at UCLA. It's been U C L A in the headlines all week. The sponsor Countrywide has not been mentioned in any headline. Who is paying the rent anyway?

Please tell me W H Y ?

I will never know why the (UC)LA Times published Pat Longo's letter on Saturday 8/9/08. I quote a paragraph of her letter. "No wonder criminals like Pacman Jones get to the NFL, when colleges like USC defend common thugs, put no merit in character and have no level of accountability for their players' actions." Ms. Longo is referring to USC recruit Maurice Simmons, who was offered a football scholarship to USC, but one week later he committed a crime. Her accusations that USC football players have no character and are thugs are incendiary!

Where was Ms. Longo's letter two years ago when UCLA football players John Hale and Jess Ward were arrested, charged and pled "no contest" to beating up two men. Those two players were suspended for only one football game. Did UCLA "defend common thugs, put no merit in character then?"

Again I ask the question...why did the (UC)LA Times publish Pat Longo's letter? I will answer my own question. The (UC)LA Times is biased!

Not Football TOO! TOO!! TOO!!!

On Tuesday 8/5/08 the (UC)LA Times published a half-page article titled "UCLA opens football camp" with pictures of Ben Olson, Brian Price and Kahlil Bell.

On Wednesday 8/6/08 the (UC)LA Times published a smaller than half-page article (while UCLA got the rest of the half-page) titled "USC opens football camp" with a picture of Joe McKnight.

When did UCLA get three times better than USC in football?

Thank you again Jerry Crowe!

Jerry Crowe in his "Text messages from press row..." mentioned today that Covina-born Michael Young of the Texas Rangers gave a spectator, David Cisneros (Class of 1997), the USC victory sign at the MLB All-Star game Tuesday 7/15/08 night. Mr. Cisneros was wearing a USC jersey (Rey Maualuga's #58).

USC should make Mr. Crowe and Michael Young honorary TROJANS!

Behind the lines.....the UCLA bias is no SECRET!

Lonnie White's "Behind the lines" article today featured two UCLA quaterback's color pictures. Where was a USC color picture? Of the seven paragraphs in the article, five were about UCLA. Who is pre-ranked #2 in college football? Not UCLA!

The (UC)LA Times Bruin bias is not "behind the lines"...it is blatant in every sport!

And the B I A S (beat) goes on!

When will the (UC)LA times Bruin bias ever end?

Yesterday, Steve Springer wrote a somewhat complimentary article about former USC basketball player, O.J. Mayo. There was a small (1 inch x 14/16 inch) photo of O.J. that accompanied the article.

Today, the same Steve Springer wrote a complimentay article about former UCLA basketball player, Kevin Love. There was a large (3 1/2 inch x 3 14/16 inch) photo of Kevin that accompanied the article.

Consider the UCLA bias:

1. Is Kevin Love really 20 times better than O.J. Mayo? As the picture size discrepany conveys? (Not according to the NBA Draft)

2. Has Kevin Love been a "model citizen" also? Why was Mr. Springer compelled to describe O.J. as such and not Kevin? What law has O.J. broken?

3. Why is Love described as a "work in progress" while Mayo is criticized for his turnovers?

Lastly, O.J. Mayo was chosen to the "select team that will practice with the U.S. Olympic squad." Was Kevin Love chosen?

Mayo is I N !

Thank you Steve Springer for writing this morning that USC's O.J. Mayo was selected "to the select team that will practice with the U.S. Olympic squad."

However, if Mr. Springer had bothered to know O.J. a little bit better last season, he would know that O.J. was a "model citizen" at USC, was "very personable", didn't "big-time anybody" and signed autographs for everyone after the USC-Stanford home game. Thanks for printing all the above compliments about O.J. now!

Lastly, thank you Mr. Springer for quoting O.J.'s response to "a reporter who asked O.J. if he was confident the charges would be dropped." O.J.'s reply is as follows:

"Charges? There are no charges. There are only allegations. Are you trying to get me in trouble with the law? I am confident the allegations will be dropped."

FIGHT ON, O.J.!!!!

P l e a s e Remember O.J.

Please remember O.J. Mayo for his beautiful shots, tough defense, excellent free throws, that left the net shimmering, and his team "first" before "I" attitude.

Please don't remember O.J. Mayo as the (UC)LA Times portrays him. A "one and done" pariah. O.J. did not break any laws! He is NOT a criminal! Believe me, there are agents and runners at each big name college campus. Why is USC the "scapegoat"?

Why in the world have the (UC)LA Times reporters Ben Bolch and David Wharton written articles on Sunday 7/13/08 and Monday 7/14/08 about O.J. and Reggie Bush? There was no "NEWS" to report....just more "sensationalism"!

Please remember the GOOD times and not the bad!

What a difference a day makes!

Kudos to (UC)LA Times writer Helene Elliott for her outstanding article today about USC alumna Lisa Leslie! It was so nice to get a glimpse of Lisa's life, when she was young and now as a mother. What a difference a day makes in Ms. Elliott's two articles.

Fight On in the 2008 Olympics, Lisa!

As BIASED as 1,2,3 !

Helene Elliott in today's (UC)LA Times wrote about the highlights of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials. I quote from her article:

1st: "In the women's 200, Los Angeles' Allyson Felix won (200 meters) easily in 21.82 seconds over Lee, winner of the 100 and Felix's former training partner."

2nd: "Gay's crash in the 200 quarterfinals Saturday persuaded Torri Edwards-already on the team in the 100-to give up her spot in Lane 1 of the women's 200 final Sunday."

3rd: "Lolo Jones, commanding in every round of the women's 100-meter hurdles, rode a powerful tailwind to outdistance Damu Cherry and UCLA alumna Dawn Harper and win in 12.29 seconds."

Allyson Felix and Torri Edwards are both USC alumnae, but the biased Ms. Elliott only mentioned Dawn Harper's alma mater. Will the UCLA bias over USC ever end?

She's "LOCAL" Too!

I can appreciate (UC)LA Times reporter Lisa Dillman's articles this past week emphasizing "local" swimmers qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. I think that it is fantastic that Amanda Beard qualified for the Olympic team by finishing second in the 200 meter breaststroke yesterday July 4th. But who finished first, in the third best time ever for a 200 meter breaststroke race? USC TROJAN Rebecca Soni!

No mention that Rebecca is a USC Trojan. I'm sure if Rebacca were a Bruin, Lisa would have at least mentioned that fact, along with some indepth information, instead of what she wrote: "Amanda Beard, the Irvine native who made her fourth Olympic team Friday night, after placing second in the 200 breaststroke in 2:25.13 behind Rebecca Soni's 2:22.60." No personal information, picture or quote from Rebecca, whatsoever!

USC is located in downtown Los Angeles. How much more "local" can you get?

Track, Too! NATURALLY!

Naturally, Helene Elliott's "Up next" track article on Sunday, 6/29/08 mentioned that Sheena Tosta (Johnson) was a UCLA alumna who was an Olmpian at Athens.

Naturally, Philip Hersh in his same day article "Day of 100 surprises" didn't mention that Olympic qualifier Torri Edwards is a USC alumna on her way to Beijing.

Naturally, Philip Hersh wrote that former Bruin, and controversial himself, Ato Boldon stongly criticized Torri on NBC when he said "Torri ran three great rounds and somehow found a way to lose this race." Just another biased Bruin broadcaster and biased (UC)LA Times writer!

NATURALLY!

One Part is Greater than the Sum of Theirs

The (UC)LA Times proclaimed golf "star" UCLA's Tiffany Joh won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links title yesterday. The Lady Bruin got a headline, picture and a five paragragh article this morning. When the USC Women of Troy won the... T E A M... NCAA Golf title on May 23, 2008, the Trojans got a mere two paragraph mention (the third paragraph was about runner-up Joh) about winning the team title in the "Newswire" section. NO headline! No picture! NO separate article!

Will the UCLA bias ever end?

FIGHT ON ! Jerry Crowe !

Thank you, Jerry Crowe, for writing about USC's former players and current Boston Celtics World Champions, Gabe Pruitt and Brian Scalabrine. Such nice color pictures also! Both Trojans contributed to the Celtics throughout the 2007-2008 NBA season. Pruitt helped to run the practices during the season, and Scalabrine, who didn't play because he was injured, actually started some games during the season. Brian even helped to carry Paul Pierce off the court in Game One. Anything to help a fellow teammate, FIGHT ON!

More Kudos to Jerry Crowe!

Thank you to (UC)LA Times writer Jerry Crowe. He actually wrote about three USC women...soccer player Amy Rogriguez's scoring of the only goal for the USA women's team on 6/17/08 in South Korea and her possible inclusion on the USA Olympic team, Lisa Leslie possibly winning another gold medal in China and track star Allyson Felix winning a gold medal also! Mr. Crowe noted that USC has won a gold medal in every summer Olympics for the past 100 years! What a USC legacy and what an "UNBIASED" writer!

Just another "Sensational" article

When will the (UC)LA Times ever stop? Another front page "sensationalized" article about O.J. Mayo on Friday 6/13/08. There was no new information, just a seven-hour meeting mention in the article. If O.J. was a Bruin, there would have been just a three sentence mention in the "Newswire" section, if that!

BIASED? No, it's worse!

When the USC women won the NCAA Golf Championship on 5/23/08, the next day in the (UC)LA Times there was a mere mention in the "Newswire" section with no headline.

When the UCLA men won the NCAA Golf Championship yesterday, today in the (UC)LA times there was a separate article with a headline.

Not only is the the (UC)LA Times biased for UCLA over USC, they are also SEXIST!

Next, Please!

Well, O.J. Mayo has moved on to the N.B.A. So Kurt Streeter and the (UC)LA Times have found a new USC "whipping boy"...incoming freshman Lil' Romeo.

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?

What Basketball Dynasty?

UCLA is no longer known for its basketball...It is now a Women's Water Polo school! The (UC)LA Times even published a first ever water polo picture of the victorius Lady Bruins... Where was USC's championship picture in 2004? 2005?

Truer Words Were Never Spoken...and May Never Be Again!

The (UC)LA Times sports commentator Jerry Crowe better stop "crowing" (as he did this morning) that USC's Rodney Peete was better then UCLA's Troy Aikman in college. Truthfully, Peete was BETTER and should be voted into the College Football Hall of Fame also! But... Crowe's "non-biased" journalism may get him fired!

Kudos to Chris Dufresne

A (UC)LA Times reporter finally labeled Kevin Love as "one and done" today. Thank you, Chris Dufresne! Perhaps I should now view the label "one and done" as a compliment...especially since the (UC)LA Times reporters labeled O.J. Mayo "one and done" the minute he signed a letter of intent to attend USC.

Two-thirds is not One

Naturally the (UC)LA Times had a big headline about USC losing two men's basketball scholarships in 2007-2008, after the fact. However, three positive facts were brought forth in the article and one BIG QUESTION. To accentuate the positive: The USC football team has a higher APR (academic progress rate) score than the UCLA football team, O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson completed the Spring 2008 semester and the USC Women of Troy cross country, golf and soccer teams ranked in the top 10% of all scores in their sports. Now, the big question. Why do UCLA basketball players only have to complete two-thirds of an academic year while USC basketball players have to complete an entire academic year in order to not affect the APR when they leave early for the NBA?

Not Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket also!

Dwight Stones and Ato Bolton were the Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket broadcasters for the USC-UCLA Men's and Women's Track Meet yesterday. During the broadcast, the two Bruin alumni constantly said, "If WE are going to win this women's track meet, WE must do this." Then, as the camera showed the dejected UCLA Lady Bruins after the USC Women of Troy beat them and ended their 15 year dual meet winning streak over USC, Dwight Stones said, "That"s something that...Y O U...do not want to see!" Immediately I yelled at the television, "Oh, yes I do!" The Women of Troy triumphantly ran their victory lap around Drake stadium! Will the BIAS never end in the L.A. media?

Thank you? Sports Viewpoint!

Naturally, the (UC)LA Times Sports Viewpoint printed Jim Zant's letter today that made fun of USC's seven draft picks and loss to Stanford. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Mike Ricigliano's parody poem and song about Kevin Love. (Mr. Ricigliano wrote the Calypso song about USC's O.J. Mayo in March 2008.) Can't wait to see if Love's song will be a "SLOW....swan....song"?

Not Baseball Too!

I loved reading today's (UC)LA Times "The day in sports" page. There, in BOLD BLACK letters, was U C L A while their opponent Pepperdine was in small letters. This blatant bias was more palatable though, since Pepperdine beat the Bruins in baseball yesterday 6 to 2.

NOT Football Too! Two!

This morning the (UC)LA Times put two color pictures and an article about their "favorite" Bruins on the front page....just because UCLA is playing its spring football game tonight. On the morning (4/19/08) of USC's spring football game, there was no picture or article anywhere in the entire sports section about the upcoming USC game. The Trojans were relegated to the L.A. Times.com. Their UCLA....B I A S....is NEVER ending!

GOOD LUCK to a worthy scholar athlete....BUT

Why did the (UC)LA Times write an article about a "long shot" UCLA Rhodes Scholarship hopeful and NFL draft drop-out, Chris Joseph? There was no similar article in 2007 about USC's basketball player Reed Doucette.....Until, Reed actually W O N a Rhodes Scholarship!

Want me out of your hair, Bill?

If Bill Plaschke would just be fair in his articles about Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo, I would not have to write this blog and would literally be out of Bill Plaschke's hair.  HA!   Plaschke has not said a "kind" word about O.J. the entire season. O.J. has always been,   "one and done"   to Plaschke. I have taken the liberty to rewrite a portion of Bill Plaschke's article from this morning. Every time Love's name appeared in the article I substituted Mayo's name. I quote:

"Don't get me wrong, (O.J. Mayo) is a great kid, and during his brief time here he has been a model of class and grace.
By leaving for the NBA, he's doing the right thing. Any of us would do the same thing.
Deservedly, (O.J. Mayo) will soon have lots of money."

This quote is equally T R U E for Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo.

Kevin Love, who?

Kudos to the (UC)LA Times Sports Viewpoint Editors! They printed Bill Ford's (a UCLA fan) letter this morning about the "LEGENDARY" Kevin Love. What legacy? Never thought that I would agree with a Bruin!

NOT Football Too!

In today's (UC)LA Times articles about spring football practice, the Bruins got a larger headline, a larger font-size and a larger picture than USC's article. USC is the Pac-10 Champion and won the 2008 Rose Bowl! UCLA finished with a losing record of 6-7. The (UC)LA Times already gives the Bruins "TOP-BILLING" in basketball, now their bias includes football too!

Kudos to Jerry Crowe!

Thank you, Jerry, for your "heart-warming" article about USC's Ron Orr and Mike Nyeholt. What a friendship for "the ages" they have that benefits so many others!

How's your WHIPLASH, Bill?

I sure hope that Bill Plaschke's whiplash is not too serious! His overnight, 180 degree head turn, from "exalting" Ben Howland and his Bruins on Saturday 4/5/08 to "degrading" them on Sunday 4/6/08, surely was PAINFUL!     O U C H!

Yes, Bill, it WAS no contest!

Bill Plaschke had a gameday article comparing the coaching styles of Memphis head coach John Calipari and his UCLA counterpart, Ben Howland (4/5/08). In the article, Plaschke continually put Coach Howland on a pedestal for his “attention to detail” while belittling Coach Calipari’s “cheerleading.” (I thought Bill usually reserves his "venom" for USC!) Plaschke concluded that the Bruins would be favored in the matchup “by one. One coach.”

Anyhow, after Memphis "schooled" UCLA by 15, I’d say Coach Howland and Bill Plaschke could learn a lesson or two from Coach Calipari. Acknowledging Calipari’s excellent coaching, CBS's Greg Anthony said it best: "A coach should MOTIVATE! Then, give [his] guys freedom to play." Boy, did the Tigers look motivated and free as they breezed by the Bruins into the title game!

Meanwhile, Howland obviously couldn't find a fresh copy of Final Four Coaching 101 and had to reuse lesson plans from his 2007 (or was it 2006?!) edition. Who's the better coach now, Bill?

Who's watching?

Jerry Crowe, in his Thursday 4/3/08 "Text messages from press row", for some unknown reason wrote, "As for USC's O.J. Mayo, he presumably will be watching......" (The Final Four)

Why is he picking on O.J.? I have one question for Jerry Crowe: Will UCLA's Kevin Love be watching the NCAA championship game on Monday night?

Bill Plaschke is RIGHT again!

After reading Bill Plaschke's "heart-warming" article about Russell Westbrook, Jr today and comparing it with his 3/22/08 diatribe about O.J. Mayo, I know that Plaschke is RIGHT! He and his (UC)LA Times "hardly knew you (O.J.)" in any personal way. Whose fault is that?

Three Thoughts

Thought #1: Any other college basketball team would be "Strike three, you're OUT!" Not the UCLA Bruins! They are "The third time is the CHARM!" First Stanford, then Cal and now the Texas Aggies! Josh Shipp gets away with it again.......He grabbed Donald Sloan's arm and no foul was called. The foul was shown on the (UC)LA Times front page. Evidently Diane Pucin, Mike Hiserman and Helene Elliott don't look at any pictures taken by their own photographers.

Thought #2: Yes Kevin Love, you are a hypocrite!

Thought #3: I can't wait to sing Mike Ricigliano's song about Kevin Love!
P.S. I don't think that O.J. Mayo likes Calypso music.

O.J. Who?

The next to last paragraph in Bill Plaschke's article "Love, not Mayo, leaves us wanting more" epitomizes the (UC)LA Times bias for UCLA over USC. Plaschke writes, "O.J. Mayo, we hardly knew you." DUH! For the entire college basketball season, the (UC)LA Times published only one personal article about O.J. with a front page picture, while they published numerous personal articles about Kevin Love with front page pictures all season long. Plaschke is right!

Another USC Olympian!

Last week USC women's volleyball Super-Star, Asia Kaczor, stopped by our Information Counter in the Heritage Hall for a piece of candy. When I asked her what she was going to do after graduation, she told me that she is going home in July to try out for the Polish Olympic team. I wished her good luck. Look for our newest USC Olympian in August!

More (UC)LA Times venom

Why is the controversial call on ASU's Jeff Pendergraph on USC's Davon Jefferson described by Bill Plaschke as "horrible, a dirty shame, filthy and bad," while the three controversial calls (non-calls) that gave UCLA two victories last week over Stanford and Cal were merely described by Bill Plaschke as "phantom, bad and illegal"

Maybe Penergraph's call was a "make-up" call (as Darren Collison called his fortuitous Stanford call) for the 39 to 11 free throw margin in ASU's favor on 3/1/08 in Tempe.

By the way, where was Plaschke's outcry article for Stanford's Lawrence Hill last week? Not one Times reporter even mentioned the controversial "blocking" call the day after the game. Only Channel 7 mentioned the controversial "block." The Times only mentioned the "phantom" call a few days later after, ESPN discussed it. Do I detect a UCLA biased, attempted cover-up again by the Times?

Kudos again to Diane Pucin

For the second day in a row, Diane Pucin has told it like it is. Good for her! She reported that Kevin Love was bothered by the "week-end long debate on television and radio as to whether UCLA got lucky with officials' calls late in its wins over Stanford and California." Also, that Love "paid particular attention to ESPN reporter Doug Gottlieb, who is from Tustin." Love said that "I'm not calling Gottlieb out, but he was saying UCLA didn't deserve this and that, they didn't deserve [Josh Shipp's] shot." Gottlieb is RIGHT! You are calling him out. Believe me, he'll remember it too. Stop being a "cry-baby", Kevin! You didn't even lose.....you won because two referees gave you both victories.

Kudos to Diane Pucin

After UCLA's sixth man referee gave the Bruins a victory over Cal on Sunday 3/9/08, Diane Pucin wrote about Shipp's controversial shot, the "no call" hacking foul on Westbrook and even mentioned (for the first time) the bogus foul on Stanford's Lawrence Hill on Collison. She finally had the "guts" to write that these three plays were controversial!

Who stole the game?

As expected, the (UC)LA Times did not have the "guts" to write that the foul called on Stanford's Lawrence Hill with 2.2 seconds left on the clock was controversial. They even got it wrong with their front page "Inside the Times" headline "UCLA steals the game in overtime." The headline should have read, "The Bruin 6th man referee STOLE the game for UCLA with 2.2 seconds left in regulation!"

Where's the picture?

Finally, Ben Bolch writes a complimentary article about O.J. Mayo. I love O.J.'s comment, "It's not a one-on-one game." Contrast his quote with Kevin Love's, "I need the ball more. I should get the ball more." Just who is the spoiled superstar? As for the title of my blog today, where is a picture of O.J. to highlight his article? Why do I want to see a picture of Arizona's Jerryd Bayless. Jerryd's picture is bigger than any picture of O.J. this entire basketball season. When will the (UC)LA Times ever give O.J. Mayo a large front page picture?

39 Shots and 39 FREE THROWS!

Believe me, if Arizona State was awarded 39 free throws when they played ucla, the (UC)LA Times, would have created an uproar. Reprimand those three officials! Four players fouled out. Outrageous! OH, it happened to USC? So what!

Bill Plaschke's Friday 2/22/08 article

My sister, brother-in-law and I volunteer at USC's Heritage Hall every Friday. Last Friday, four basketball players came by. Diarra Mamadou, Davon Jefferson, Angelo Johnson and O.J. Mayo. All four young men are so friendly and polite. I told O.J. that I was proud of his good grades and he answered with his southern, "Yes, ma'am, thank you!" I am so glad that they are Trojans! Now to the business at hand. Bill Plaschke supposedly wrote an article about why O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love should stay in college. He stated their shortcomings, but the article was definitely more about O.J. than Love. Thirty-two paragraphs were written about O.J. and his need to play tougher defense, create his own shots, be a better passer and stop considering himself to be "so famous". Eleven paragraphs were written about Love, with very little criticism and some compliments. Plaschke states that Love is a fundamental team player. (HA! I have read previous quotes from Love, such as, "I need the ball more, I need to take more shots.....When does Love ever say "we"?) There was not one single compliment about O.J. in the article. Has Bill Plaschke ever met O.J.? Afterall, everybody loves Love! At least, Bill Plaschke does.

Ooops!

I meant to say that O.J. was "hounded" not "dogged". What's the difference? Jerry Crowe is still so biased for the bruins!

Who dogged Westbrook?

2/20/08: After reading Jerry Crowe's article this morning, when he said that UCLA's Westbrook "dogged" USC's Mayo into scoring only 4 points, I wondered who "dogged" Westbrook into shooting only 2 of 11 from the field. Will he ever credit any Trojans for playing great defense also?

Classless Bruins

Every time I attend a USC-ucla sporting event I wear my 30 year old pin that says "UCLA is like a Holiday, No Class". The LA times just perpetuated this perception when they published a color picture of Darren Collison sticking his tongue out at one of our USC players on Monday 2/18/08.