The Pains Of Being A Trojan Fan

This past week has not been kind to Trojan sports fans...

Wednesday, January 4, 2006
The USC football team had their winning streak snapped at 34 games. In the process, we turned the ball over far more than we should have, allowed the Texas offense one too many visits to the end zone and lost the chance to claim a third national championship in a row. What's more...I was there...at the Rose Bowl...in a section primarily filled with Texan...half of them in my row were very loud, drunk Texans. It was not exactly the most enjoyable game in recent memory...

Thursday, January 5, 2006
Former USC baseball coach, Rod Dedeaux, passed away at the age of 91. He coached at the University of Southern California for 45 years, winning 11 national championship titles for the Trojans. He also coached two U.S. Olympic baseball teams, and was instrumental in bringing amateur baseball overseas.

Sunday, January 8, 2006
Former USC quarterback, Carson Palmer, led the Cincinnati Bengals to their first playoff game in 15 years. He threw for 66 yards in his first pass...unfortunately, a couple seconds later, his knee was blown out by a Pittsburgh Steelers defender. Carson was out the rest of the game and watched his team lose 31-17. He tore two ligaments and must now go through major surgery, with an estimated 6-12 month recovery time. Let's hope he heals quickly.

Now...what do we have to look forward to this next week? I have a feeling we'll see many, many juniors enter the NFL draft early, leaving less experienced players to fill their shoes. I guess the bright side is that we still have Pete Carroll. I'm sure he'll whip the new team into shape by next season. So...win or lose...I'll be cheering for them in the stands. Fight On Trojans!