Just like all of you, I hate $C with unbridled passion and my hatred often clouds my perspective. That being said, I've come to realize a couple of things which only serve to justify their vile nature.

First, the Reggie Bush scandal. Before last night, I thought the whole thing would just go away with minor, if any, repurcussions. Sure, I thought Bush was violating NCAA rules, but, hey, who doesn't?

Last nite I watched the piece featuring Lloyd Lake on HBO's Real Sports. Lake made a very good case against Reggie who arrived on campus to discover that he needed better wheels to ride around in. Hence, the flow of monthly payments began leading eventually to the purchase of the house for mom and lowlife stepdad. The money "lent" to Reggie totalled $291K with Reggie promising to repay. According to Lake, Reggie needed cash, averaging $3K per month, to enable him to buy clothes and other trimmings that befit his BMOC status. Soon Reggie had a pimped out car and a shitload of new clothes. Lake said he would drive up from San Diego to make the drop-offs which Bush went through great lengths to conceal. Obviously, Bush knew he was violating NCAA rules.

Of course, $C will cloak itself in Sgt. Schultz defense. My question is, and this goes for any major college, at what point should the schools know that something is amiss and take it upon themselves to investigate? Somebody in the administration or football staff knew Bush was riding around in a pimped out car and was wearing expensive clothes, etc. They also knew he came from a family whose income could not provide for these goodies. I'm certain Bush was not the only one getting the goods and it is implausible that the school would not know what was going on.

Bush's conduct is also a result of the $C footballers thinking that they are above the law. Remember the immortal words uttered by Ray Malaugga (sp) after he punched out a student at an off-campus party: "We own the police!" Where does that come from??? After the school conducts its mandatory briefing of the "student-athletes" on the NCAA rules, do they wink at the players??

Next, I noticed the Trolie BB team has 3 players who attended Stoneridge Prep. I looked up the school and learned it is a basketball mill. They do not play any home games at Stoneridge Prep. The team is akin to a high school travel team which spends weeks on end playing top high school teams around the country. For more info on the "school" you may want to read an article by Eli Sasnow in the March 12, 2006 edition of the Washington Post. (Sorry, as a Luddite, I do not know how to link the article.)

Taj Gibson, a Stonridge 'grad," went to high school in his native New York before he came west to attend Stoneridge. I believe he was 20 when he "graduated."

Has Timmay sold his soul? Stoneridge and other "schools" around the country are nothing more than waystations for aspiring B-ballers. I would be embarassed if UCLA recruited a kid from this type of "school." (I'm thinking AA and LRMAM may have attended similar academies, however, as foreigners, I think there's a valid distinction.) Fortunately, we have academic standards and BH.

On a closing note, I would like to point out, as many others have here, that $C's rise in BB helps us out during the conference season. But there has to be a limit to their ascent. When they were way ahead of NC in last year's Sweet 16 game, I was facing my worst fucking nightmare -- a banner at the (Gaylen) Center. God help us all.