From the diaries. GO BRUINS. -N

First, Southern Cal loses in what I hear is the biggest upset (in terms of point spread) since they started tracking point spreads.

Then, just a couple minutes ago, I see this.

One of the two erstwhile sports marketers who allegedly made improper payments to Reggie Bush while he was still at USC has agreed to meet with NCAA investigators and provide documentation of financial transactions between Bush and him.

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If investigators find that Bush received improper benefits while playing for the Trojans, USC could be forced to forfeit games. The program could face sanctions if it were proved that coaches knew or should have known about the alleged benefits.

First, they most likely lose their chance at a national championship a few days ago, and now it looks more likely they'll lose their one national championship from their recent "dynasty".  If this sticks - and everyone knows it should, because everyone knows that many rules were unquestionably violated - the NCAA has to throw the book at Reggie Bush, and the program, because otherwise they will know they've made a mockery of their own system.  I had started to think that they would get away with this because nobody would step forward with evidence, so I'm extremely encouraged by this new development.

Sometimes a little distraction from UCLA football can be a good thing...

UPDATE: And it just got better (for Bruins fans):

[Kevin Love] promised that he would not be too aggressive in throwing elbows -- or anything else -- in the general area of point guard Darren Collison. USC freshman and fellow high school superstar O.J. Mayo reportedly broke the jaw of Trojans point guard Daniel Hackett with a misplaced elbow during a pickup game last month. "An elbow, yeah, right," Love said. "Dan's a good friend of mine too. I'm never going to lay a hand or lay a fist or elbow on a teammate like that." Kevin Love, a "good friend" of Daniel Hackett, implying to the media that the supposed savior of Southern Cal's basketball team plays dirty? And implies that it was a punch and not an errant elbow that led to the injury? I'm wondering if this is something that Love has talked to Hackett about and if it reflects the opinion of the Southern Cal basketball team. To sum up:

1) The Trojans' present football situation just proved that it might be bleak.

2) Their past is tainted by the Reggie Bush scandal.

3) Their future might be adversely affected by the past in the form of scholarship penalties.

4) They can't (as we can) count on basketball to make everything less painful when games start in November.

It's still good to be a Bruin.

UPDATE II: -N As expected Yahoo! Sports, which did all the hard work of originally blowing up the story has some more crucial details on the latest development wrt to the Bush scandal at Southern Cal. Two things really stuck out to me. First was how the claims of Bush and his minions of "extortion" seem to have blown up in their faces:

Two sources told Yahoo! Sports that attorneys for Lake and Bush have not spoken since the failed settlement attempt in June. However, according to four sources, Bush angered both Lake and Michaels by accusing them of extortion in a recent interview aired Sept. 13 on ESPN's "Outside The Lines."

In that interview, Bush said of the NCAA investigation and his family's alleged impropriety: "For me, I look at it as – and my family looks at it as – extortion. Because these were guys we'd known our whole lives … when I was a freshman in high school, they weren't asking for money. When I was getting older, and then all of the sudden my year with the possibility of me coming out, all this stuff comes out."

According to a source at ESPN, that segment aired despite a threat from Bush's camp that the running back would halt future cooperation with the network if the interview was not pulled.

Sources told Yahoo! Sports following the segment that Bush might have violated his confidentiality clause with Michaels by directing claims of extortion at the New Era financiers. The FBI briefly investigated claims of extortion from Bush's attorney, including interviewing several of Lake's family members and acquaintances before a federal grand jury. After the depositions, a federal source told Yahoo! Sports that the FBI would not be pursuing the extortion claims. So, so much for all the extortion BS being peddled by the Bush clan and the immoral cowards (who will do whatever it takes to bury their head in the sand for the sake of some cheap wins against teams other than Stanford). Anyways. The other thing that was just amazing to read from that Yahoo piece was how Bush still seems to be in a complete state of denial: "So my parents struggled to pay bills here and there, one of those being rent. I think just like any normal average family, you struggle to pay bills sometimes, and that's all it was. And the media kind of blew it out to kind of make it seem like we were living in this nice gorgeous house – which I never lived there – living in this nice gorgeous house rent free, and it wasn't anything like that. Uh, Reggie if this was just a simple matter of paying regular rent, then why all the lollygagging? Why all the hemming and hawing and the refusal to cooperate with the NCAA? And, more importantly, if there was nothing wrong here, why the need for a confidentiality agreement?

Anyone? Scott Wolf, you there? GO BRUINS.