Early Thoughts On Lame Kitten, The Latest Trojan Sleazebag-In-Chief
by Nestor on Jan 13, 2010 6:42 AM PST
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I am sure there will be lot more developing news today and in the coming days about the events transpiring across town and in Knoxville, Tennessee, which we will all keep an eye on collectively here on BN. For now though I wanted to start the day by resetting what has transpired in last 12-16 hours. I was actually thinking what was going to happen if Southern Cal was smart enough to hire a coach with class and integrity in the mold of Mike Riley, Jeff Fisher or Jack Del Rio. Looks like we don't have think about that any more as we get to go up against probably the sleaziest, dishonest, proven loser in college football in Lame Kitten.
Lamey is coming in (for now) with his Daddy, a proven DC, and an assistant who shall we say for now has an interesting track record in terms of his recruiting tactics, and perhaps even Norm Chow (and I am not all worried about him at this point whether he stays or go which I will get into later in the post). It looks like a desperate ploy from Mike Garrett to keep the Petey era going, while giving the collective middle finger on behalf of the entire Trojan nation to the NCAA. The coaching combination doesn't worry me all that much. It might help them maintain their current recruiting class, and score a short term PR win, thanks to media freaks like Shelly Smiths of the world who will wash down whatever TrOJan spin is served up. In the long term (and I am just talking in 2-3 months), it is going to make the NCAA deliberations on their scandals (and the ones that have taken place in Tennessee) even more interesting, and pretty much complete the tagging of the Trojans as the Raiders of college football, not jut in the eyes of BN, but to rest of the country.
So let's start with the initial reactions to the latest Trojan Sleazebag-In-Chief over at $C*. Peter Schrager from FoxSports.com (HT bruinbunz) uncorks this blast at Lame Kitten (emphasis added througout):
If Pete Carroll left USC in a state of uncertainty, Lane Kiffin is leaving Tennessee in a state of rubble and shrapnel. And if Carroll's a "worm" for leaving the Trojans high and dry, Lane Kiffin's a snake of the highest order. As of Tuesday night, that snake was on a plane to La La Land.
Whether he's a snake, weasel, or just your garden variety spoiled brat, it's really of no great circumstance. What matters is that Lane Kiffin is done with Tennessee after just one year and on to bigger and better things. In his wake, he leaves a program that was likely better off having never known him at all.
Lame as referenced above is a proven loser, per Pat Forde of ESPN who noted "Paris Hilton has paid more dues" than Lame Kitten. The highlights of a .363 career winning percentage include (HT Patroclus):
His career head-coaching record is 12-21.
He's already 0-1 against USC's biggest rival, UCLA.
His signature win was a loss -- a two-point defeat at eventual national champion Alabama. Other than that, the best thing the Volunteers did in 2009 was thumping the worst Georgia team in a decade.
His team was de-pantsed in the Chick-fil-A Bowl by Virginia Tech, and de-pantsed in Oxford by an underachieving Mississippi.
I would throw in how it was Lamey's offense that was responsible for that brilliant 9-13 choke job against a Dorrell coached UCLA football team, which led to Trojan fans all over the internets lampooning him for weeks (paving the way for his escape to Oakland).
The real cloud around Lamey is of course all the off-field, sleazy scandals in Knoxville, where he was on pace to put together the same rap sheet his mentor - Cheatey Petey - put together at South Central (some of our prescient bloggers had been posting away about them in recent months in fanposts which have been bumped up). He took the Tennessee program into the gutter in less than a year and it looks like that's where the Trojans are embracing him again.The most important question reverberating through college football today should be is how will the NCAA react to this stunt from South Central which is giving a middle finger salute to the NCAA without showing a shred of remorse of what went down during the tainted era of Cheatey Petey. Observers around the country wasted no time in making that point.
From Jay Mariotti on AOL:
A certain layer of smog always hangs over Los Angeles. But after the events of Tuesday night, a toxic cloud might hover permanently over a school that seems to have no scruples. Isn't USC dealing with double-trouble scandals that are tarnishing its football and basketball teams? Crazy how the place didn't show even a twinge of conscience in naming Lane Kiffin as its new football coach, brazenly thumbing its nose at the ethical world by appointing a probation-flirting troublemaker to run a probation-flirting program.
This is a dark day in college sports, the first case in recent memory of a school ignoring its improprieties to hire a coach who appears to have many of his own. Kiffin returns to USC, where he worked under Pete Carroll for six seasons, after a bizarre year of terror at Tennessee in which he was being investigated by the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference for his recruiting practices while committing at least six secondary NCAA violations. Last we left Kiffin, he was trying to explain why it's OK to have "hostesses'' travel almost 200 miles to use their female charms to help woo high-school athletes, this at approximately the same time that three of his freshman players were arrested and charged with armed robbery.
Seems like a perfect match for Garrett's U$C* which seems intent to keep sleazing on as the most corrupt athletic program in the country. Dennis Dodd from CBS Sportsline.com didn't waste any time to clown Garrett (HT JoeBruin9900):
[W]ith the NCAA on the doorstep and Troy burning from inside out, it looks like Garrett put out the fire with gasoline. Coach after coach seemingly shunned interest because at least the word is out that the NCAA is about to bring the heavy artillery. So Garrett does the logical thing by bringing in the man-child coach who was a hostess away from putting Tennessee on proby.
In the short term, Kiffin will hold together the recruiting class and bring a stellar staff. In the long term, Garrett let the program get to this point. It is officially and until further notice, radioactive. To the NCAA, to normally eager coaches who would take the job in a heartbeat. Reggie Bush, O.J. Mayo, Joe McKnight, all happened on his watch. All were dealt with in secrecy that would make the Politburo blush.
As I said attention should be shifting on to the NCAA in terms of how they are going to deliberate on U$C*. The message from the Trojies should be crystal clear to rest of college football world. They think they own the institution as they clear don't have one drip of remorse about the way Cheatey Petey and his cronies made mockery out of the concept of "student athletes." In response to the cloud of unprecedented NCAA scandals, instead of hiring a head coach with a track record and integrity, they brought in someone who was not only present when number of scandals were breaking out at Southern Cal, but has left a stained trail of NCAA dirty laundry from the institution he bolted. Already from reports in last few hours, it appears that Orgeron might have committed recruiting violations in his (alleged) contact with Tennessee recruits during (reported) attempts to lure them out to Southern Cal. They just don't care and are telling NCAA to Cheney themselves.
As for Norm Chow, I think from what I have read and heard so far, it seems clear Norm Chow either directly or via his representatives has had contact with Southern Cal. Chow has one year left in his contract at UCLA under which he could collect as much as $690,000 if he stays in Westwood next season. Chow in his late 60s is heading towards a retirement and is no doubt looking to extend his professional career for 2-4 more years (at least) with more lucrative terms. So the word leaking out now seems like a clear attempt for renew the contract negotiations, and launch a bidding war between Southern Cal and UCLA. That at least IMHO doesn't reflect well on Norm Chow. Here is what Chow had said just days ago:
Chow said he preferred to remain in Los Angeles rather than chase a higher-paying job at another college, but hinted that he'd only really consider leaving if the right NFL job came up.
"You're not in this business for the money," Chow said in December. "If you are, you're wasting your time. If I spent as much time selling life insurance as I do coaching, I'd be a multimillionaire.
"If something presents itself professionally, we'll figure it out. ... But it's really not about money.''
Well it certainly appears to be about the money right now. I have no problem with the idea of him and his representatives renegotiating his contract and looking to up his salary, but to use the Trojans to make this happen, I kind of find it distasteful. Perhaps it was something that was being pushed by his son and agent - Carter Chow - who also happens to be a Trojan alum.
In a bidding war between the Southern Cal and UCLA, the Trojans will have the upper hand given the fact they have deeper pockets. Don't think I have to provide links to establish that fact. I don't know whether UCLA will get into a bidding war to secure Chow for another few years. That remains to be seen. What I do know is I feel confident with Rick Neuheisel in charge, who has shown the ability to put together exciting offenses with right talent mix in Colorado and Washington. I also feel confident in Neuheisel that he is going to weigh all the options in front of him and make the best possible decision for UCLA, which could include forcing the Trojans to pay a substantial buyout and use those funds to bring in another great OC with high ambitions. Add to that I really like how Kevin Prince reacted to the story from last night:
"We're just kinda holding down here and making sure everyone is good. It's a little different for those guys at SC because it's the head coach and it's so unexpeceted and that was their guy. With us, Coach Chow is our guy and even if he did go, I feel that we do have a sense of stability with Coach Neuheisel here. On the offensive side of the ball, the best guys would have to step forward and say just because he's not here, we're not going anywhere. It does empower you a little bit."
Those comments reflect the signs of someone who is already emerging as a very calm and mature leader for next season (piggy backing on his gutty second half performance during the bowl game).
So for now, I am feeling pretty good about how things are shaping up. The Trojans seems to have towed in a weasel into their castle, which is under siege from rest of the nation. They are feeling jacked up for the short term without worrying much about the long term in terms of NCAA sanctions or their Slezebag-In-Chief's ability to lead and to teach a football team.
Meanwhile, Rick Neuheisel and UCLA will keep doing their thing, putting together another solid recruiting class, and work towards a good third season. We are going to be starting at that countdown clock even more frequent from here on out which is around 325 days.
Remember Rick Neuheisel is already 1-0 against Sarah Palin of college football.
GO BRUINS.
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SC's Board is Playing with Fire
Let’s say you are the Board of Directors for a struggling public company. In recent years, the company’s accounting has come under review by the SEC and the local US Attorney, the company’s enviornmental compliance is under review at the EPA, hiring and workplace practices are being questioned at the Labor Dept. and EEOC, and the IRS is investigating whether the comapny’s taxes are up to date. And lets say that a former CFO left the comapny five years ago and some thought he was responsible for some of this mess. And that CFO, later went on to become CEO at two other public companies that are both struggling. So now, with all these regulatory and legal authorities circling above, and massive civil and criminal penalties on the horizon, what do you do? You go out and bring back the CFO who is responsible for some of your problems and has had similar problems elsewhere? That, in effect, is what the BoD at USC did yesterday.
It all adds up to a very curious move by the Board. After all, a good attorney will always counsel a client to be on his best behavior following an indictment and prior to trial/sentencing. Perhaps show some contrition. Do some volunteer work. Make amends. Well SC is awaiting its trial and instead of cleaning things up, they went out and robbed another liquor store. Good luck with that guys.
I don’t think the NCAA will ever hand out the death penalty again but SC sure is tempting fate.
Does their "board" or whatever "governing body" is in "charge"
Have any control over Garrett? Doesn’t seem like it. This seems to be another pure Garrett move.
The Board is a metaphor ......
for Garrett …..a Board of One.
There's a Board all right...
Garrett does have a boss: it’s the u$c Board of Trustees. These folks are not stupid, and wield a lot of influence. Apparently some of them are not so pleased with Garrett’s choices, and preferred other, cleaner, candidates. Additional info here: http://laist.com/2010/01/12/l-a-n-e_spells_disaster.php
by Big Ugly Llama on Jan 13, 2010 9:21 AM PST up reply actions
THE DAN PATRICK SHOW ON RADIO THIS MORNING STATES...
NORM CHOW IS GOING TO JOIN KIFFIN AT SUC????
by bruincheerleader on Jan 13, 2010 6:34 AM PST reply actions
Oh No!
The world is coming to an end.
I think it went like this.
Ring:
Dan: Hello
Norm: Hi, Dan. Norm Chow here. I’m going to join Kiffin at $c. See ya.
or it could have been
No Ring
Dan: Well, crap. I can’t think of a thing for my show. How about John Wooden is coming out of retirement to coach anything at $c? Nah. Elvis isn’t dead? Hmm. Well, no. Ahh, I’ve got it. Norm Chow is going back to just$c. Yeah, that’s a good one.
KABC was still reporting that NC was going to $C in their morning news
More $C homers that don’t follow our blog.
For Chow -- It Should Not Be About Money
Norm Chow is a man of integrity and faith.
If he goes, and he goes because of money, I will be deeply disappointed in him — and I’m sure he will have disappointed a part of himself.
As he pointed out with his “insurance” comment, it’s not about money to him.
There is another issue: one does not defect to an arch rival. Even if one changes jobs, integrity demands that the change not hurt a previous employer who has been fair and generous.
If one leaves, one goes where “inside knowledge” and an emotional tie to those who stay behind does not hurt your previous employer.
Lawyers for the Sierra Club don’t go to Exxon.
You say “sports is different”? Yes, I think greed plays a bigger part in sports.
But sports fans are tolerant of players and coaches who move “up” or away. There was not much outrage when Brett Farve went to play in NY. I am a die hard Packer backer. I cheered for Brett in NY. But, when he went to arch rival Minn, he was dead in my book. One move was explainable. The other was not.
NC making a lateral move to sc, for $$$, would be class less. And, I think he is a classy guy who will prove the speculation wrong.
sjh
Any chance
that NC is quiet because he is talking to the Vols about their HC vacancy?
That would be a more acceptable alternative to the other bs we are seeing
Also: Sarah Palin. Really? Not in the same weasel league as Kiffin.
by 84 on Jan 13, 2010 7:35 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Palin is worse
Jokes about Kiffin are harmless. Bad decisions by Palin could lead to jobs and lives being lost. (See Presidency from 2001-2008 for reference)
by alcor805 on Jan 13, 2010 11:15 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Nestor hit it right on the head
Garrett is giving the NCAA the giant middle finger with this move, hiring someone already under investigation for massive ethical and rules violations. Add that to the news/reports that Oregeron was calling TENN commits and telling them to stop going to class and come to USC, and the NCAA should be right on their tail on this one.
Prior to this hire, I thought that USC might be getting away with a slap on the wrist so to speak from the NCAA — maybe a few lost scholarship, strip a few wins away, something along those lines.
Perhaps I’m being too optimistic, but this hire HAS to increase the chances that the NCAA will really bring down the hammer on USC, no? I mean, if it goes beyond an individual coach, this becomes an institutional issue at this point. Death penalty perhaps?
ESPN radio
here in Atlanta was saying that they did not think the Pac 10 would allow the NCAA to come down on $UC because they are the only name program in the Pac-10. Now, that is SEC/East Coast Media bias talking, but I pray that is not accurate.
I agree with Nestor on this one.
Of course CNC is a great OC, but lets be honest, this hasn’t been the most prolific offense the last two years (yes, I know all about the issues we had). The point is that the HC runs the show, and if not Chow, someone will ably fill the OC spot without drama.
I recall Kiffin’s desire and Pete Carrolls control ran CNC out of Thugville. Is it possible that CNC is pulling sc’s chain, sort of like the Ken Norton drama last offseason. Now would be a great time to tweak sc’s nose.
CNC should go if he wants
There were a couple of reasons we got CNC in the first place
1) he loves LA and wanted to work here but wouldn’t work for PC, and there are no other major schools locally
2) he was being paid by the Titans to do nothing
Let’s guess that he’s going to coach another 6 years, for sake of argument. UCLA is never going to be able to provide big dollars for an assistant coach, least of all amidst the salary cuts and furlough for staff in the UC system. Let’s take it that we might be able to offer something like $750,000 on average per year for the next 6 years, while $C can offer $1.5 mill.
CNC wants to stay living and coaching at a major school in the LA area. Over 6 years at $C, he might bring in an extra $4.5 million dollars. For everyone talking about integrity, loyalty and the rest of it: if I had $4.5 million to hand you, what couldn’t I persuade you to do?
Of course, he already has a lot of money, so we can scale it down to something more in line with how much we might earn. If I had $500,000 to hand you, wouldn’t you be able to justify a lot of things to yourself, acting in the best interests of your family rather than your employer and subordinates?
Loyalty and integrity don't always have a price
I have turned down bigger sums of money to maintain my integrity and I expect Chow to do the same.
I wrote a few weeks ago that I think there is an incredible generation gap here. Us Geezers were raised at a time when we didn’t worry about having jobs or buying homes.
Some of the young here don’t have that bright horizon facing them. To many, take the money and run is the operative principle.
Chow is a Geezer. I’d expect him to run under a different set of values.
sjh
fair enough, 66
If you have been in position to make choices for this (relative) amount of money and have stuck to your principles, I commend you for it.
I suspect most people have not had to make choices where the price being offered is quite so high, and so have less standing than you to express indignation at the choices made by others.
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 10:00 AM PST up reply actions
and suc was disloyal to him
not the other way around.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
newspapers use ALL CAPS for their headlines nestor when they are reporting...
what they think something is big news…SORRY MY CAPS MADE YOUR EYES AND HEAD HURT…i thought i was reporting the latest on cnc…jeez just trying to contribute here…your personal distaste of me has me gone for good…I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BRUINS…just not here anymore…you win!
by bruincheerleader on Jan 13, 2010 7:51 AM PST reply actions
If you haven't left yet
there’s no reason for you to get on Nestor’s case. There have been multiple threads on the main page since last evening about Chow – trust me, I stayed up way too late reading them. It’s standard here and anywhere to read what’s already there so you’re not re-posting old news.
Don't be so sensitive, Cheerleader
One of the good parts about being family (and we are part of the Bruin family) is that you can yell at someone, and they can yell back, and then you go inside and eat dinner and watch TV and it’s all good.
Relax.
Wow, that was unnecessary.
bruincheer, if you love our teams as it appears you do, you’ll know BN is the best place to get your daily fill of news and running commentary. We don’t always agree, but like Fox says we are family.
Using All Caps is a commonly accepted internet protocol for yelling or yelling profanities. It is also very commonly accepted to not use them, which it appears you were unaware of. As long as you desist from using them, I don’t foresee any future friction with the mods on this board.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Wow, no one cares what you think is unnecessary
Seen way too many pathetic attention whoring internet goodbyes to give a shit and coddle one more self important baby.
Anyone else think SC is about to take a Miami like fall, right after Dennis Erickson left? If I remember correctly, Erickson was something like 70-9, but the program was basically a rouge program, with players in and out of jail. They then went into a slide. I think the same thing is going to happen with SC, as they think “bringing the gang back” is going to keep the glory going, but in reality, Kiffin will be exposed. I don’t think a single Pac 10 head coach is losing sleep over Kiffin being in the conference.
by BlackandOldGold on Jan 13, 2010 8:04 AM PST reply actions
What a strange day
I left work yesterday thinking SC would hire Mariucci. The though bothered me, because I watched nearly every game he coached in San Francisco. I remember his hiring, how he was the hot shot from Cal, yada yada yada.
After getting home from the gym and sitting down for dinner, I see on the ESPN ticker that SC hired Kiffin, Orgeron, Kiffin Sr., and likely Chow. I almost spit up my food. Nestor’s post is pretty much a carbon copy of the thoughts that went through my head in a nanosecond. WTF was SC doing? WTF was Kiffin doing? WTF kind of father lets his son ditch prior responsibilities and actually joins him in doing so?!?
In one incompent swoop, SC has probably managed to both keep this year’s recruiting class intact and worsen their situation with the NCAA. Kiffin and Orgeron can recruit, we all know that, but we also know that there will be a lot of infractions along the way. If SC is put on any sort of probation, would they really want this slimeball at the helm?
With regard to Chow, I am at a loss for words. If he wants to go to SC, whatever. At this point, I don’t know what is misinformation and what is the truth. Unless Chow starts talking, nobody will know. Perhaps, that is what Kiffin & Co. want. It tosses the “mystery” card into our hands. That said, CRN is a good offensive mind. Of course it will hurt, but not as bad as it would most programs. We have assembled enough weapons to score points, whether CNC is the OC or not.
So after my mind finished racing, I sat back down and ate my tacos. Our program is in good hands, and it really is a matter of time until SC implodes.
by AllHailMightyBruins on Jan 13, 2010 8:16 AM PST reply actions
If NC wants to leave, I'm 100% cool with it... and so is Rick (probably).
Chow’s a Trojan. Let him go home. Fine with me.
Chow
My preference is for him to stay because he is brilliant offensively but more so because our players have gone through the Coaching Musical Chairs before. Without continuity, it stunts our growth a bit but I have zero doubt that we’ll still be fine whether CNC is here or not. CRN will take over or find another capable OC for this team. Just think of it this way, we’re looking to make a run in 2011, the Chow negotiations/issues would have happened next offseason anyways. Maybe it is better for the long run to get a new OC in here so that the 2011 team will be entering their 2nd year under the OC. Whatever happens, happens and we move on.
yes to a degree
The Chow stuff would definitely have been an issue next year. At the same time, I don’t think Chow would have ditched us to take a vacancy at some random school away from the LA area. I think he sees this as a closing window of opportunity as $C and is highly considering jumping. A lot more money for the rest of his coaching days and more toys to play with on offense.
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 8:28 AM PST up reply actions
somewhat OT
but now I rethink the media coverage from the college football guys online at ESPN and elsewhere, does anyone else get the sense that this move by Kiffin is an ‘outrage’ because it hurts an SEC football power?
I don’t remember so much outrage when Saban and Petrino ditched the NFL early to come to the SEC…
What the hires potentially say about sanctions
If I were Mike Garrett, who would I want to put in place to coach my team if I knew sanctions were coming along that would affect my team for the next couple of years? Some suggestions:
1) Old assistants with no other further ambitions to move on to exciting places; NOT young hotshot assistants who might bolt for better jobs
2) a young head coach who, in coming to my school, will have burned all bridges with the rest of the college football world and make himself unhireable by any serious program in the short-term
3) someone who can find ‘creative’ ways of recruiting players to a school with sanctions
So, if Mike Garrett was competent, I would think that the staff he has hired is perfect to weather a period of sanctions. Unfortunately, if this is not the case… then I can take no solace in the hope of impending punishment (of $C, that is…).
I don't think Garrett's smart enough to think logically like you do.
I think it is a knee jerk reaction to plug a hole in the dike with the first willing finger (coach).
Desperate hire
Fact is, Garrett was up against the clock. He had to find someone fast. Their choices were dwindling by the hour. Sure, hiring a experienced coach with integrity was high on his list, but guys like Riley et al. were pulling their names out, likely because of the fear of sanctions. I think Garrett realized he was down to simply finding someone fast, someone who could recruit, and deal with the repercussions later.
Enter Lane Kiffin, who, in dealing with the repercussions of his own recent transgressions at UT, had nothing to lose in this move. Add the fact that he is going from a mediocre program in the perenially monstrous SEC to the relatively serene pastures of the Pac 10, really this was a perfect match.
"I don't forget very much" Rick Neuheisel, 11/28/09
Blue Me has a clue
I agree 100% with Blue Me’s assessment. Another 48 hours of media frenzy would have caused permanent damage to the program, and Garrett knew it. While he couldn’t get his first choices, he was smart enough to know he had to move quickly and get someone in with the valued “charisma” label.
“Charisma” trumps “Clean” for Garrett.
by Big Ugly Llama on Jan 13, 2010 9:52 AM PST up reply actions
one more thing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjDcmwAM-aU is a somewhat self-important guy suggesting that UT students should make more of a big deal about education cuts than a football coach leaving, but whether you have any sympathy for that or not, it is a decent collection of video and photo evidence from last night.
Also entertaining fact at the end of the video: Knox Kiffin turns 1 year old today!
BN no place for politics..
Nestor writes, “Remember Rick Neuheisel is already 1-0 against Sarah Palin of college football.”
I know it’s your board/creation and you have done an absolutely wonderful job of making BN the focal point of UCLA athletic info in the internet, but gratuitous political references subtract from the energy here.
I apologize if I am being overly sensitive, but — goodness — there’s a whole world of political blogs in the ’sphere. BN is kinda special and it would be a shame to turn it into a Huffpo or Hot Air.
respectfully,
WHP ’68
God, it's great to be a Bruin!
by WHP '68 on Jan 13, 2010 8:55 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
she's not in politics
she works for FIX news
If you think Sarah Palin was a legitimate candidate to
be a heartbeat away from the presidency, you probably should find a less fact based blog than this one.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Jan 13, 2010 9:00 AM PST up reply actions
That isn't a gratuitous reference
It is a comment on a person signing up for a job and not seeing it through. You are being overly sensitive.
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 9:00 AM PST up reply actions
If he had cheated on a cancer-stricken wife
he would have been the John Edwards of college football.
If he had been taking bribes from parents to let their sons on the field, then he would have been the Rod Blagojevich of college football.
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 9:03 AM PST up reply actions
but, for abandoning all those kids
perhaps we can call him the (politically neutral)
“Jon Gosselin of college football”?
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 9:04 AM PST up reply actions
seriously now
I want royalties from any reality show entitled
“Lame and Kayla + Eight(-y five)”
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 9:10 AM PST up reply actions
...and if he had switched loyalties,
he would be the Joe Lieberman of coaching.
Oh, wait, he did.
It’s Lane Lieberman.
meh
Crossing from one side to another in the hopes of an easier job would make him Lame Specter more than Lieberman.
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 9:07 AM PST up reply actions
I was going back to the campaign
but your reference is better
..well, the responses..
..more or less made my point.
I will cop to perhaps being overly sensitive. I guess I’ll just forget about it.
God, it's great to be a Bruin!
Just listened to 3 minutes of Cowturd...
I know, I know, but I’m in the middle of BF Idaho with nothing but satellite radio, and I sometimes like abusing myself by listening to this asshat. Cowturd was gushing about how great Lame was for $c, and how smart, young and progressive he is, and that he is surrounding himself with smart people like big kitten, the orange guy and Norm Chow! He ended this sickening rant by saying “fight on”. I puked in my mouth.
Man, comparing USC to the Raiders?
Low blow. Raiders don’t cheat. And rest assured they hate Kiffin as much as any Bruin (maybe not as much as any Vol right now).
The comparison is because
fans of the Los Angeles Raiders view U$C as the new pro team in LA to be classless fans of.
by inhowlandwetrust on Jan 13, 2010 9:21 AM PST up reply actions
LA Raider fan.
So does LA Raider fan jump off the $C bandwagon b/c they hired Lame? The guy even set back the Raiders an extra 2-3 years in their decade of crap!
Chow update
ESPN ticker says “Norm Chow has not been contacted by USC, according to his agent.” Could just be a smokescreen, but hard to believe he’s engaged in a bidding war if USC hasn’t even contacted him. (Also, more hilarious ESPN backtracking)
in the words of a floating head boxing commentator on Futurama when reacting to a story about a 50ft robot Joe Frazier
“interesting… if… true”
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 9:09 AM PST up reply actions
Misinformation campaign
As I said earlier, until something concrete comes out, we have no idea what to believe. SC has an obvious incentive of creating some sort of crisis is Westwood to mask their own crumbling structure.
by AllHailMightyBruins on Jan 13, 2010 9:13 AM PST up reply actions
Agreed. Since Norton is gone,
they have to create some kind of new recruiting issue.
Who is this Norton you speak of?
The Norton that I used to know is dead to me.
by AllHailMightyBruins on Jan 13, 2010 9:17 AM PST up reply actions
Gut check - It's Chow time!
We will soon see what’s in NC’s gut. If he leaves a rising program like ours, one which he is an integral part of, but one where he has not finished the job of ‘building’ the offense, then he is nothing more than a greedy opportunist and it will be good riddance. I have said for some time that CNC has not really proven to me that he can put together a great and consistent offense. If for no other reason than his own reputation he needs to stick around and prove himself here. Chow is on the clock. He needs to go public today and decide if he is going to be the man committed to bringing our offense back or the scmuck.
Recruiting...
…i’m not sure this will hire have an impact on their recruiting. Kiffin was the recruiting coordinator at one point at $c. While that may make him more inclined to break the rules it also gave him the contacts to bring in the talent. While I understand that we cannot get all of the recruits $c goes after as they simply cannot meet the entrance requirements at UCLA, there is satisfaction in getting recruits that were targeted by $c to come to UCLA.
I wound like nothing more than to see that program completely implode. Hopefully the NCAA grows a set, places them on a post-season ban and scholarship reduction and we can start beating them again consistently like we did in the ’90s…Mostly I am sick and tired of the arrogance of all of the $c fans while they have been on this run…
UCLA - Champions Made Here
chow
ifchw bolts there are huge ramifications with recruits, not so much substantively nut in perception and image. how can we sell the up and coming picture if the heralded oc leaves at the first opportunity? you dont think sc would use the line all day? look norm chow knows this is the place to be, you should too… lest we not forget xsf’s condition for remaining a bruin also. to be honest the story seemed fishy and out of character with norm. i thought he didnt like the kiffins but who knows? and i couldnt imagine crn or ucla letting this fly but we’ll see
Across The Face
Money talks
and $c has a whole lot of it. They have the resources and media exposure of NFL teams. The OJans re becoming the posterchildren of what’s wrong with big time college athletics.
"If you don't take out his battery, he's going to keep going all day."
What is the buyout on Norms' contract?
If they are going to double his money or something I wouldn’t blame him that much. But going back to the sleazebag motel that SC is for money is disturbing on many levels. If Norm wants to sink back into the green ooze that $C is now; he should just go. I just have a feeling that he will think long and hard about walking this plank. If $C does poorly next year are they going to use Norm as the fall guy. He’ll be the outsider on that staff. I don’t believe this would be Kiffins’ call. This is Garrett trying to make the alums happy. Lame will take any conditions to get the job.
According to anonymous sources
CNC is considering transferring because he has become “increasingly discouraged” by the amount of playing time Nicola Dragovic has received for the UCLA basketball team.
“How can he continue to work hard, try to motivate players and bring in recruits when he knows that Coach Howland is going to continue to waste minutes on that scrub?” said a source close to Chow. “If the football team plays streaky offense next year and porous defense, we will all know that the tone was set by Dragovic; his impact on UCLA athletics cannot be underestimated.”
88th
I’m still coming back to we were 88th in total offense last year. I hope Coach Chow stays but he like everybody else has to improve over last year.
by peggysue69 on Jan 13, 2010 9:57 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Ray Ratto is (for once) full of win this morning
On Kitten.
Never has one person in the history of American sport assembled this kind of resume in four years, never. Dead-ended offensive assistant at Southern Cal falls into job with Al Davis, and the two take an almost immediate and intense dislike for each other. Coach gets fired, falls into the job at Tennessee, where his principal achievements were enraging Urban Meyer, collecting recruiting violations (often for kids he later had to kick off the team) and winning barely half his games.And there is more.
But here it is – The Man Who Takes A Job And Tells The Cab Driver To Keep The Motor Running rises yet again. Somewhere, Al Davis is saying, “I knew that boy would make good when I first set eyes on him.” We’d like to make an assessment of Mike Garrett’s thinking as USC athletic director, but after “Well, he’s clearly nuts,” we’re kind of stumped. Lane Kiffin, coaching record of 12-21, the perfect response to Pete Carroll? Of course he is. And Tom Walsh can be his offensive coordinator.To read the entire example of Lame Kitten love, click through to the column.
formerly bruinhoo
ESPN's Coleen Dominguez reporting live from usc
Said it all when she said a minute ago that sc fans (students?) were expecting someone with a higher profilr to get the sc job.
by peggysue69 on Jan 13, 2010 10:21 AM PST via mobile reply actions
ESPN's Coleen Dominguez reporting live from usc
Said it all when she said a minute ago that sc fans (students?) were expecting someone with a higher profile to get the sc job.
by peggysue69 on Jan 13, 2010 10:21 AM PST via mobile reply actions
oh I don't think there's a much higher profile coach than Lane Kiffin now.
I think they’d need to bring back OJ to get a higher profile figure in SC sports at this point.
Go Bruins!
Nothing like confusing Notorious with Excellence
Fail!
"If you don't take out his battery, he's going to keep going all day."
by S Jay Bruin on Jan 13, 2010 10:40 AM PST up reply actions
hey they said higher profile
they didn’t say “Good”, “Honest”, “Can actually win football games”, “Hasn’t wrote a book detailing how I would have hypothetically killed my ex-wife who ended up dead the same way my book suggests she would have.”
I’m unfairly equating Lamey with OJ, I know.
Go Bruins!
Lol, Yeah, but it's like suddenly it's no longer much of a leap
Lamey was probably one of the first of the OJans to line up and try to get OJ’s autograph when he came to practice and hung out with the team.
"If you don't take out his battery, he's going to keep going all day."
by S Jay Bruin on Jan 13, 2010 10:57 AM PST up reply actions
SUC alum think it's a done deal -
My husband just called to tell me that all of his U$C* co-workers are saying that CNC is leaving UCLA. Apparently they are reporting this as gospel, altho I pointed out that nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Whatever happens, happens, and the program will survive one way or another.
he ain't no kitten
LK is a sort of miracle. He gets prime job after prime job on weak performance. He is just graced by his association with Petey. The horror, the horror. $C is awesome? Didn’t this school put out eight years of losses to the Bruin just a decade a ago. Didn’t this “school” have the worst basketball teams for decades. Wasn’t it just days ago that the picture changed? Why doesn’t anyone emphasize the haste and scramble of Petey ditching this standard bearing program of the sporting industry? He vanished faster coffee vapor. One thing is that Kif is not a charmer, he is a prick, so $C got the perfect guy to lead all of their prick fans and gangster players.
My Head Is Still Spinning From Last Night!
Still not sure what to think on the CNC situation but all I can say to our friends across town is “IT’S ON!!!!”
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Jan 13, 2010 10:33 AM PST reply actions
or maybe...
“It’s Time”? Ask Tennessee fans about that one.
by Captain Leebeard on Jan 13, 2010 12:43 PM PST up reply actions
How not to structure retention bonuses
Another one for the people asking why daddy Kiffin didn’t teach his kids any morals:
Tennessee pulled Kiffin off the discard pile, paid him more than $2 million a year and gave him more than $3 million to pay his assistants — the biggest salary pool for any school in the country. (One of those assistants, Lane’s father Monte, got $1.2 million — and a $300,000 retention bonus if he was still on staff Dec. 31. Now, two weeks later, Monte is heading to USC — and presumably taking that retention bonus with him
from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/michael_rosenberg/01/13/usc/index.html?eref=sihp
Dec. 31??
What the fuck? What if they had made the national championship game? That is beyond stupid. If that is indeed the case, they deserve to lose that money. Idiots.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
yup
say what you like about the folks at the Morgan Center, but at least they realized that having the retention bonus AFTER national signing day is more useful…
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 10:49 AM PST up reply actions
+1
Tenn walked into this one. The buyout on Kiffins contract was also very low, $800,000 from the DP show.
I was also surprised the buyout was so low
even after just one year. They should have known this guy is always about the next opportunity, did they really think they were that special?
"If you don't take out his battery, he's going to keep going all day."
by S Jay Bruin on Jan 13, 2010 11:10 AM PST up reply actions
Heard on ESPN radio...
…some one interviewed by Colin Cowherd said that Mike Garrett wants Chow back at $c. While our offense may not have been awesome this past season the loss of chow takes away the trump card of QB’s coming and wanting to play for him due to his past successes…It would suck to see Cheatys lapdog Barkley getting coached by Chow next year…
UCLA - Champions Made Here
Disgruntled Knoxville fans
ESPN just went live to UT and here is a typical comment by a jilted Vol fan: “Monte Kiffin has done a miserably job of raising his son.” Yeah “miserably”—their fans about as literate as trojan degree holders.
by peggysue69 on Jan 13, 2010 10:52 AM PST via mobile reply actions
"He that lieth down with Dogs, shall rise up with Fleas."
UT should have known better.
(and Fox was asking for a BF quote.)
he ain't no kitten 2
I am happy that LK is the new coach of $C. We will solidify the bruin base because he is easy to hate. He is just a jerk. CRN and all of us will have blood lust in our hearts like never before. The arrogant little creep with cry like a baby when he gets his Trojans tossed in the dust bin.
Sorry if this is a repost
What a douchebag:
http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/01/12/volunteer-sources-say-kiffin-never-embraced-tennessee/
Tennessee should be glad to be rid of Kiffin.
What is Homer Smith doing?
I recognize that Norm Chow is a big name but if he were to leave would it be possible to get Homer Smith back? I would feel 10X more confident if Homer was the coach.
More animated GIF fun!
Although Norm Chow at the end is a little premature at the moment.
by JWongUCLA on Jan 13, 2010 11:20 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
That's some quality stuff
GO BRUINS!!!
by moutekicksboute on Jan 13, 2010 11:21 AM PST up reply actions
Nothing from either of them, or Guerrero
To my knowledge, the emails from Marc Dellins that we referenced last night are the only public statements from UCLA so far regarding the Chow rumors.
formerly bruinhoo
Guerrero & CRN are probably waiting on it too
Because there is no way whatsoever, UCLA should get into a bidding war with $c over an assistant football coach. Not with the problems the UC system is in. He has obviously far more value with the OJans than us and it looks like Chow is milking it for all it’s worth right now.
"If you don't take out his battery, he's going to keep going all day."
by S Jay Bruin on Jan 13, 2010 11:33 AM PST up reply actions
I think this is good news
Heimuli is coming in for an official visit this weekend. Sorry if it’s been posted already.
this is hilarious!!!!!
according to wolf..leach will be the next oc for ucla.
http://insidesocal.com/usc/archives/2010/01/rumor-of-the-da-18.html
Is this guy stealing material from the discussion threads?
WTF, this was being discussed last night on numerous threads, funny how now its official news.
seriously
the post is called ‘rumor of the day’ and starts “we hear that…” with nothing backing it up.
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 11:58 AM PST up reply actions
renting Leach for a year
would be amateurish, particularly when our top recruit is a power back. I am done commenting on this nonsensical idea, whoever brings it up.
by britishbruin on Jan 13, 2010 12:09 PM PST up reply actions
Wolf/ Lamey are probably trying to scare off recruits' parents with this.
Jerks.
M
"In this program your passion bucket must be full to play SC." -- CRN, to Dan Patrick, 1/2008
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