Time for some reflection...

January 28th... its the day that my grandfather and one of my closest friends died. Not saying that I wasn't close to my grandpa, but the death of my friend probably hit me harder because of the circumstances around his passing. My grandpa was always in and out of the hospital for various bypasses and other stuff, plus he had lived a long life. He had a stroke on January 21st, 2003, which put him in a week long coma from which he would never wake from. He was removed from live support on January 28th, 2003, and that time of my life was really hard. College applications, recruiting trips, band rehearsals, and varsity basketball were all on my plate, not to mention finishing up my senior year, then that had to happen. But the worse part was that I had a feeling he would pass on the 28th, even as machines were keeping him alive for about a week. See, the year before, we got terrible news that I think changed all of my classmates lives forever.

January 27th, 2002, in the middle of basketball season, running around preparing for college entrance exams, sectionals for band, and of course basketball. It was probably the last day I lived without a feeling of regret. Before that, Greg Gaines had become a pretty close friend of mine. We shared a lot of common interests, the biggest probably being professional wrestling. He was one of the few people I could talk to about wrestling with out getting weird reactions from. He also enjoyed playing Pokemon, something I would pick up at the waaayy too old age of 17 and still played somewhat in college. We were both in band, he played the clarinet, while I was on the trombone. I believe 2001-02 was the first year that he was in Symphonic Band, the A-band of our school, which mean grueling 6-8pm rehearsals, which really put a grind on some of us who just had sports practices from 4-6pm. I remember helping him with his bow tie, it was such a struggle to put on, as his dress shirt collar didn't flip up, rather there were loops in the collar to thread the tie through. But we used to ride the bus home together. Sure, I would take a side track on the same bus he rode just to have someone to talk to, and funny, he was probably the last constant companion I've had on the bus. But we'd talk and enjoy the 20 minute ride from UH Manoa to Ala Moana, where I'd get off and continue on to Waikiki from there while he'd stay on until the bus reached Downtown. I remember he wanted to go to Wake Forest to golf, which many of us thought was a weird choice of school, if only because most of us had not made up our minds on what school to attend, me included. But that day, the 27th, I was late for basketball practice for some reason, probably because I was on the yearbook committee, and I was in such a rush, that I had noticed Greg returning to campus as I was headed for the gym, but did not acknowledge him or say hi or anything. I figured I'd see him the next day. Oh boy...

One of the girls came running into our class the next day, crying about something. The guys figured she was having some kind of boy problems. Well in a way, she was, and so were we. Death is a hard time to handle, whether you are 17 to 70. It's probably easier to face death when it's expected, like in the case with my grandpa, as it seemed to finally be his time to go. But death is unexpected when it happens to a high school junior. It was even more shocking to hear that he had jumped out of his apartment window. To this day, I don't know the entire story of why he did it. It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around that. He didn't seem like the type of person to do that. And I still think, maybe if I had said hi to him the day before. If I had given him a hug once in his life. If I could have been nicer to him. If I could have helped him. Maybe he'd still be here today, maybe playing golf, which was his passion. Maybe he would have went to Wake Forest or another great university and have a great job. Maybe he would be living a great, happy life with someone who he loves and loves him in return.

I don't think I handled his death properly. Then again, I hadn't faced death with a person so close to me yet. Sure, older relatives had passed away, but I always figured it was their time. But at the time, he was probably the closest thing I had to a best friend. And now, I don't know if there's anyone I know who I can call a best friend or who could do the same in return. I remember we used to do Secret Santa for Christmas gifts, and by some luck, we drew each other and he gave me a wrestling calendar while I gave him a couple of wrestling figurines. But I like to remember that I hung out with him a lot at the university Campus Center and the arcade. I didn't go to his home or anything, don't get me wrong, I hadn't been to many of my friend's homes at all. But ever since, I don't think I ever really got close with one or two people, rather I have a lot of acquaintances that I know and can talk to. But there isn't that one person I can really trust with my feelings and I can be really truthful with.

I've been thinking about this question for a while as I see some of my high school classmates having children while others are married. If you had to choose, would you rather be wealthy and have a great job or be with someone who unconditionally loves you? I'm not saying in either position, but I do enjoy my job, probably for the people that I work over the kind of work I do, while I still haven't found a girl in the right situation. Every time I think I'm close, something comes in the way, work, other commitments, etc. Two people on my project are not married and they seem fairly old. I know I'm only 23, but I do not want to end up like them. They may live wonderful lives, but me, I feel like I need to share my life with someone else. Even right now, I feel pretty lonely in my apartment, with no one I know within a 10 mile radius of me. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever find the right one. I felt like I have several times, but it has never panned out. Maybe I need to change my life, and do it fast. Then again, I don't know how to go out and meet people outside of work and school. I've never figured it out, like how all of the girls in high school had a boyfriend not in our class, yet the guys were stuck out of luck. Hmm, maybe I need to have a conversation with someone about this. But again, who do I go to with questions like this? It's a vicious cycle that can't seem to be broken.

I also need to stop building up some girls only to be shot down. Well, not really shot down, just either I run out of time or something better comes along (to them, not to me). I admit, I was intimidated by girls before. Now, not so much, but the more I talk to one, the closer I feel to them, and soon I get attached. Then all I think about is spending more time with the girl, though now if that thought pops into my mind, I try to quickly squash it, knowing its not going to pan out into anything that I imagine. I try to be around the girl as much as possible, but now again, I've learned to stop obsessing with being around her and try to just let things happen. I don't want to go into the specifics, but my mind has not been on work at work recently, just on someone else. It's hard to concentrate sometimes, and I have to go for a walk just to clear my mind.

Well, that was quite a sidetrack. I just needed to vent/release some stress, and I feel like writing is the best way to do it. Blogging allows me to see and reflect from wherever I have internet access, as I can't write by hand, my penmanship is terrible. It doesn't matter, no one reads this anyway. What do I need? I need a nice long hug...

Lindsay Soto!

Um, yeah, my (unhealthy) obsession with Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket anchor/reporter Lindsay Soto...

Just like football!

Well, USC can say that in all sports against UCLA so far this year. In fact, USC has either won or split the season series with UCLA in all head-to-head sports so far this year. USC is also the first school to have won a Women's national championship in soccer, reach the final four in Women's volleyball, and for the football team to play in a BCS game. The Trojans have a dominating 37.5-10 lead over the Westwood Bruins after sweeping them in basketball last weekend. It was a great win by the men's team, who somehow pulled away from UCLA in the final minutes with a 9-0 run, capped by Davon Jefferson posterizing Kevin Love for a three point play:























Here's the clip:


USC has rolled off four straight wins after a dismal 0-3 start in conference play. The team looks a lot more confident, with O.J. Mayo not jacking up wild shots, Daniel Hackett as the glue of the offense, Taj Gibson staying out of foul trouble, Dwight Lewis stepping up on the offensive end, and Davon Jefferson growing out of Mayo's shadow. The only worry about the team is the same that I had last year, the lack of depth, which really shone bright in the North Carolina game, when Gibson picked up his fourth foul, the Tar Heels took the game over. This year, Coach Tim Floyd is constantly using 7-8 players per game, with the starters playing at least 30 minutes per game, with Mayo closer to 36. It's not really Floyd's fault; Kyle Austin started the season opener before transferring, Kasey Cunningham played with some promise before going down for the season with an injury, Mamadou Diarra looks like another stiff, or a homeless man's Abdoulaye N'diaye, Keith Wilkinson is a poor man's Rory O'Neill, and RouSean Cromwell scoring 0.7 points per game. Angelo Johnson is the only one off the bench that has played in every game and is in for more than 20 minutes per game. Wilkinson is the only reliable post player off the bench, but that's not saying much. It didn't help that Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt left for the draft last year. I can't really blame Nick, but Gabe is slumming in the NBDL right now instead of leading the team as our lone senior. Then again, Pruitt still wouldn't be the solution to our big man problems. One answer would have been this guy:































Here's a clip of the big man in action:


7-7, 360 pound Kenny George. I'm sure he can only play for a few minutes at a time, but anything is better than Cromwell roaming the floor, right? And wouldn't he be giving Kevin Love, Brook/Robin Lopez, and Ryan Anderson fits for years? Oh well.

The Trojans' win streak is at risk this week against the sizzling Chase Buddinger and the Arizona Wildcats and the frisky Jeff Pendergrapf and the Arizona State Sun Devils. Hmm, if these winning ways continue, look for some basketball previews...

Back to the title of the post, "Just like football!" I have a feeling the USC fans started the chant after the end of basketball wins when the team wasn't very good. Now, it's starting to backfire, starting with our loss to Stanford in football. At the end of a thrilling (...) 52-46 loss to the Cardinal, their fans (deservingly) started a "Just like football!" chant, which I'm sure hurt a lot of USC fans. We do deserve that, as I've found we have used that chant when the basketball team beat a weaker team instead of pulling off an upset. I have thought of a few rules to use this chant to not make the fans sound like assholes:

1. The football team pulled off an upset, regardless of the rankings during the basketball season. (E.g., UCLA beat #2 USC 13-9 in football then swept them in basketball last year.)
2. The basketball team pulled off an upset, regardless of the rankings during the football season. (E.g., Arizona beat Washington State 48-20 in football then upset them in basketball 76-64 this year.)
3. The football team won in a National Championship game, regardless of the rankings during the basketball season, with a lasting life of 5 years. (E.g. USC beat Oklahoma 55-19 in the 2005 Orange Bowl then beat them in basketball in December 2007.)

If there's more I'll post them later. But I like the "We are SC!" chant much better. I get chills when I hear it at the end of huge wins, like in the NCAA Tournament against Arkansas and Texas, as well as the Cal and UCLA wins in football this year. Here's a sample of it:


Anyway... time to do some homework... ugh. Is it even worth it anymore?

Yes please...

Early look at next season's OCC schedules

...of the BCS schools (teams in bold do not have complete schedules, more on that later):

Atlantic Coast Conference
Boston College - vs. Kent State (@ Cleveland), vs. Rhode Island (FCS), vs. Notre Dame, Central Florida
Clemson - vs. Alabama (@ Atlanta), vs. Citadel (FCS), vs. South Carolina State (FCS), vs. South Carolina
Florida State - vs. Colorado, vs. Florida, vs. Western Carolina (FCS), vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga (FCS)
Maryland - vs. Delaware (FCS), @ Middle Tennessee, vs. California, vs. Eastern Michigan
North Carolina State - @ South Carolina, vs. South Florida, vs. William & Mary (FCS), vs. East Carolina
Wake Forest - @ Baylor, vs. Mississippi, vs. Navy, vs. Vanderbilt
Duke - vs. James Madison (FCS), Northwestern, Navy, @ Vanderbilt
Georgia Tech - vs. Jacksonville State (FCS), Mississippi State, @ Georgia, TBA
Miami (Florida) - Charleston Southern (FCS), @ Florida, @ Texas A&M, vs. Central Florida
North Carolina - vs. McNeese State (FCS), @ Rutgers, vs. Connecticut, vs. Notre Dame
Virginia - vs. Southern California, @ Connecticut, vs. East Carolina, vs. Richmond (FCS)
Virginia Tech - vs. East Carolina @ Charlotte, vs. Furman (FCS), @ Nebraska, TBA
Percentage of FCS teams - 13/46 (28.3%)

Big East Conference
Cincinnati - vs. Eastern Kentucky (FCS), @ Oklahoma, vs. Miami (Ohio), @ Akron, @ Marshall, @ Hawaii (6 games!)
Connecticut - vs. Hofstra (FCS), @ Temple, vs. Virginia, vs. Baylor, @ North Carolina
Louisville - vs. Kentucky, vs. Kansas State, vs. Middle Tennessee, vs. Tennessee Tech (FCS), TBA
Pittsburgh - vs. Bowling Green, vs. Iowa, @ Navy, @ Notre Dame, vs. Buffalo
Rutgers - @ Navy, vs. North Carolina, vs. Army, TBA, TBA
South Florida - vs. Tennessee-Martin (FCS), @ Central Florida, vs. Kansas, @ Florida International, @ North Carolina State
Syracuse - @ Northwestern, vs. Akron, vs. Penn State, @ Notre Dame, TBA
West Virginia - vs. Auburn, vs. Marshall, @ Colorado, vs. Villanova (FCS), @ East Carolina
Percentage of FCS teams - 5/37 (13.5%)

Big Ten Conference
Illinois - vs. Missouri (@ St. Louis), vs. Eastern Illinois (FCS), vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, TBA
Indiana - vs. Ball State, vs. Murray State (FCS), vs. Western Kentucky (FCS trans.), Central Michigan
Iowa - vs. Maine (FCS), vs. Florida International, vs. Iowa State, @ Pittsburgh
Michigan - vs. Utah, vs. Miami (Ohio), @ Notre dame, vs. Toledo
Michigan State - @ California, vs. Eastern Michigan, vs. Florida Atlantic, vs. Notre Dame
Minnesota - vs. Northern Illinois, @ Bowling Green, vs. Montana State (FCS), vs. Florida Atlantic
Northwestern - vs. Syracuse, @ Duke, vs. Southern Illinois (FCS), vs. Ohio
Ohio State - vs. Youngstown State (FCS), vs. Ohio, @ Southern California, vs. Troy
Penn State - vs. Coastal Carolina (FCS), vs. Oregon State, @ Syracuse, vs. Temple
Purdue - vs. Northern Colorado (FCS), vs. Oregon, vs. Central Michigan, @ Notre Dame
Wisconsin - vs. Akron, vs. Marshall, @ Fresno State, TBA
Percentage of FCS teams - 8/42 (19.0%)

Big 12 Conference
Colorado - vs. Colorado State @ Denver, vs. Eastern Washington, @ Florida State, vs. West Virginia
Iowa State - vs. South Dakota State (FCS), vs. Kent State, @ Iowa, @ Nevada-Las Vegas
Kansas - vs. Florida International, vs. Louisiana Tech, @ South Florida, vs. Sam Houston State (FCS)
Kansas State - vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, vs. Fresno State, @ Louisville, vs. North Texas
Missouri - vs. Illinois (@ St. Louis), vs. SE Missouri State (FCS), vs. Nevada, vs. Buffalo
Nebraska - vs. Western Michigan, vs. San Jose State, vs. New Mexico State, vs. Virginia Tech
Baylor - vs. Wake Forest, vs. Northwestern State (FCS), vs. Washington State, @ Connecticut
Oklahoma - vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga (FCS), vs. Cincinnati, @ Washington, vs. Texas Christian
Oklahoma State - vs. Washington State (@ Seattle), vs. Houston, vs. Missouri State (FCS), vs. Troy
Texas - vs. Florida Atlantic, @ Texas-El Paso, vs. Arkansas, vs. Rice
Texas A&M - vs. Arkansas State, @ New Mexico, vs. Miami (Florida), vs. Army
Texas Tech - vs. Tulsa, @ Nevada, vs. Southern Methodist, vs. Massachusetts (FCS)
Percentage of FCS teams - 7/48 (14.6%)

Pacific 10 Conference
Arizona - vs. Idaho, vs. Toledo, @ New Mexico
Arizona State - vs. Northern Arizona (FCS), vs. Nevada-Las Vegas, vs. Georgia
California - vs. Michigan State, @ Maryland, vs. Colorado State
Oregon - vs. Utah State, @ Purdue, vs. Boise State
Oregon State - @ Penn State, vs. Hawaii, @ Utah
USC - @ Virginia, vs. Ohio State, vs. Notre Dame
Stanford - @ Texas Christian, vs. San Jose State, @ Notre Dame
UCLA - vs. Fresno State, vs. Tennessee, @ Brigham Young
Washington - vs. Brigham Young, vs. Oklahoma, vs. Notre Dame
Washington State - vs. Oklahoma State (@ Seattle), @ Baylor, vs. Portland State (FCS), @ Hawaii
Percentage of FCS teams - 2/31 (6.4%)

Southeastern Conference
Florida - vs. Hawaii, vs. Miami (Florida), vs. The Citadel (FCS), @ Florida State
Georgia - vs. Georgia Southern (FCS), vs. Central Michigan, @ Arizona State, vs. Georgia Tech
Kentucky - @ Louisville, vs. Norfolk State (FCS), vs. Akron, vs. Temple
South Carolina - vs. North Carolina State, @ Vanderbilt, vs. Wofford (FCS), vs. Alabama-Birmingham
Tennessee - vs. Alabama-Birmingham, @ UCLA, vs. Northern Illinois, vs. Wyoming
Vanderbilt - @ Miami (Ohio), vs. Duke, vs. Rice, @ Wake Forest
Alabama - vs. Clemson (@ Atlanta), vs. Tulane, vs. Western Kentucky (FCS trans), vs. Arkansas State
Arkansas - vs. Western Illinois (FCS), @ Texas, vs. Utah State, TBA
Auburn - vs. Louisiana-Monroe, @ West Virginia, vs. Southern Mississippi, vs. Tennessee-Martin (FCS)
Louisiana State - vs. North Texas, vs. Troy, vs. Tulane, TBA
Mississippi - vs. Memphis, @ Wake Forest, vs. Samford (FCS), vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Mississippi State - @ Louisiana Tech - vs. Southeast Louisiana (FCS), @ Georgia Tech, vs. Middle Tennessee
Percentage of FBS teams - 8/42 (19.0%)

And for help with filling out those TBAs without the use of FBS teams...maybe later when the ACC and Big East regular season schedules are finalized...

And for ten OOC games to watch for...

1. 9/13 - Ohio State @ USC
2. 9/6 - Auburn @ West Virginia
3. 9/20 - Georgia @ Arizona State
4. 9/6 - Cincinnati @ Oklahoma
5. 9/6 - Tennessee @ UCLA
6. 9/13 - Arkansas @ Texas
7. 8/30 - USC @ Virginia
8. 8/30 - Alabama vs. Clemson @ Atlanta
9. 8/30 - Illinois vs. Missouri @ St. Louis
10. 9/27 - Virginia Tech @ Nebraska

Smelling like Roses...

Well, I'm glad I was wrong again. USC demolished Illinois, 49-17, after the Fighting Illini had a costly fumble in the red zone while down 21-10. The Trojans benefited from 4 Illinois turnovers, which they converted into 28 points. USC scored early and often, opening with an impressive drive capped off by a QB John David Booty touchdown pass to RB Chauncey Washington. After a Rey Maualuga interception, Booty lateraled to WR Garrett Green who lobbed a pass to RB Desmond Reed for Reed's first touchdown since 2005. The Illini defense solidified, though, picking off Booty, but the offense was no match for the Trojan defense, as they were held to a field goal in the first half. USC added a Washington run for a 21-3 halftime lead. In the second half, true to form, the USC offense sputtered and punted to Illinois, who vaulted back into the game on a 79 yard TD run by Rashard Mendenhall. The Fighting Illini again forced USC to punt and reached the red zone before LB Kaluka Maiava punched the ball out of the Illinois receiver's hands, and LB Brian Cushing recovered the fumble in the end zone. USC marched right down the field after a fortunate fumble bouncing right into RB Joe McKnight's hands, who ran it 63 yards. A few plays later, Booty found his favorite target, TE Fred Davis for the touchdown and the route was on. McKnight, WR David Ausberry, and RB Hershel Dennis all found the endzone for the Trojans. Here's the pictures of the scoring recap:
















Chauncey Washington 8 yard pass from John David Booty (David Buehler kick) - USC 7-0
















Desmond Reed 34 yard pass from Garrett Green (David Buehler kick) - USC 14-0

















Chauncey Washington 3 yard run (David Buehler kick) - USC 21-3



















Fred Davis 2 yard pass from John David Booty (David Buehler kick) - USC 28-10
























Joe McKnight 6 yard run (David Buehler kick) - USC 35-10

















David Ausberry 15 yard pass from John David Booty (David Buehler kick) - USC 42-10

















Hershel Dennis 3 yard run (David Buehler kick) - USC 49-10

And for the game balls:
Offense: John David Booty























In his final game as a Trojan, he played pretty efficiently, throwing three TDs, with his lone interception being due to a receiver slipping. Many have called for his head (I might have as well...), but with the receivers not growing into a new Dwayne Jarrett or Steve Smith, Booty really used the weapons he did have, the Mackey award winner in Fred Davis, and FB Stanley Havili, who needs to work on his hands in the offseason. But best wishes to Booty on his NFL future.

Defense: Rey Maualuga
















Three sacks, all in the second quarter, and a interception will win you honors. Maualuga really played well, staying in his lanes and position. The entire defense played good, as forcing 4 turnovers will lead to a lot of praise from the public.

Special Teams: David Buehler























(Yeah, the pic is not from the Rose Bowl, but if I find one, I'll put one here...) 7-7 on PATs and several touchbacks on kickoffs in a stellar performance on the anniversary of Mario Danelo's final game. Buehler played well all year in his first year as the kicker.

Other thoughts from the Bowl Season:

Sugar Bowl, sorry to see Hawaii get blown out by Georgia, but coach Mark Richt really had his team focused. The Warriors didn't have a chance after Boise shocked Oklahoma last year, and it seemed Hawaii was a step slow the entire game. QB Colt Brennan was sacked eight times and failed to throw a touchdown while tossing three picks and fumbling twice. And I'm even more sorry to see coach June Jones to leave Hawaii, but I can't really blame him, with the sorry state of the facilities there and AD Herman Frasier dragging his feet on offering Jones an extension. Sad to see while being in Hawaii for the last two weeks. All the best to Jones at SMU or wherever he ends up.
Orange Bowl, not too surprised to see Kansas winning, and it does prove that they did belong in the BCS. The Hokies looked uncomfortable the entire time, even if they did lose by only 3 points. And this guy:










does deserve credit for leading the Jayhawks to a great 12-1 season. With a lot of pieces returning, Kansas looks to be the favorite to win the Big 12 North and maybe the Fiesta Bowl next year. Speaking of which,
Fiesta Bowl, wow Oklahoma, you did it again. It seems like when the Sooners lose in the BCS, they lose on the big stage, being blitzed by LSU in 2003 in the National Championship, blown out by USC a year later, tricked by Boise last year, and losing to a coachless West Virginia team. Damn.

For now, my top 25, with the top 2 teams being safe. For now. All I can say, the LSU-tOSU winner may not be #1 after the BCS National Championship... Basically, double digit win teams in top tier, then remaining nine loss teams.

1. Louisiana State (11-2)
2. Georgia (11-2)
3. Southern California (11-2)
4. Missouri (12-2)
5. Kansas (12-1)
6. Ohio State (11-1)
7. West Virginia (11-2)
8. Virginia Tech (11-3)
9. Oklahoma (11-3)
   
10. Texas (10-3)
11. Boston College (11-3)
12. Brigham Young (11-2)
13. Tennessee (10-4)
14. Arizona State (10-3)
15. Cincinnati (10-3)
    
16. Hawaii (12-1)
17. Michigan (9-4)
18. Auburn (9-4)
19. Florida (9-4)
20. Oregon State (9-4)
21. Oregon (9-4)
22. Illinois (9-4)
23. Texas Tech (9-4)
24. Wisconsin (9-4)
25. Clemson (9-4)