FOOTBALL

If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

The arrival of Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison from Pittsburgh is another piece of an obviously elite USC offense (outside of the offensive line) and gave fans plenty of reasons to celebrate Thursday.

But I wonder how much celebrating was done within the USC receiver corps, especially from the receivers who were on last season’s roster.

That would include Gary Bryant, Tahj Washington, CJ Williams, Kyron Hudson, Michael Jackson, John Jackson and Kyle Ford.

So will anyone enter the transfer portal?

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK

Cupid’s Hot Dogs, 20030 Vanowen St., Winnetka (1946)

  • It’s all about simplicity this week. This corner stand has hot dogs, chili dogs and . . . hot dogs. But some rank them as the best in Southern California. Also a location in Simi Valley. Cupid’s OC is in Fullerton.

RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK, PART II

The Mocambo, 8588 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood (1941)

  • The walls had glass cages with cockatoos, macaws, parrots and pigeons. When Frank Sinatra became a solo act, he made his L.A. debut in 1943. Ella Fitzgerald performed in 1955 after Marilyn Monroe convinced the owner. It was considered a turning point for Fitzgerald’s career.

Celebrities flocked to the club. Among those who showed up: Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Henry Fonda, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Bob Hope, James Cagney, Sophia Loren, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Gene Tierney, Grace Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Myrna Loy.

The club closed in 1958.

Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe
  • And now for some history:

Let’s start off in 1985.

USC cornerback Junior Thurman intercepts a pass vs. Oregon State during the Trojans’ 63-0.

  • Here’s wide receiver Al Washington catching a touchdown pass against Oregon State.
  • Linebacker Garrett Breeland makes the tackle vs. Cal.
  • USC upset UCLA, 17-13, in 1985.
  • USC card stunt in 1956.
  • No magazine was more popular than Life magazine. At one time, it was read by 13.5 million Americans, 10 percent of the population. Here’s three covers featuring USC athletes: (Top left) Sprinter Payton Jordan, captain of the USC national championship track team in 1939 (he also played on the 1939 USC football team and was the U.S. Olympic track coach in 1968); (Top center) Mel Patton, winner of two gold medals at the London Olympics (1948) and world-record holder in the 100-and-220-yard races; and (Top right) Ralph Vaughn was an All-American at USC and helped lead the Trojans to the Final Four in 1940.

Not pictured: USC football player Chuck Williams was on the cover of Life magazine in 1937.

  • When will we see an offensive lineman at USC like Anthony Munoz again? Lincoln Riley knows he needs something like this.
  • King Football! This is the USC Student Union Lounge (located on the third floor) circa 1956-57 with a huge painting of Howard Jones. Now that’s a football school.
USC grad Pete Burness was a director and animator for the Mr. Magoo cartoon series.
  • Actor George Arliss won the 1929 Oscar for best actor for “Disraeli” and here he is in 1930 dedicating the Tommy Trojan statue next to the administration building. That was a coup to get him for the ceremony.
Bill Sharman carried by his teammates in the 1949-50 season.
  • Here’s USC All-American and Boston Celtics great Bill Sharman with some good observations on why shooting percentages were lower in his era.

Wonder what JJ Redick would have shot in those days?

And finally . . .

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

It’s always fun to stumble across a video that surprises you. Here’s 17-year-old singer Helen Shapiro, who has a great voice and had a No. 1 song in the UK at age 14. It would be enough to hear her sing but this is video gold because of the three guys sharing the stage with her.

Where was the fourth guy? Judging a lip-sync contest for a different segment in the next studio.

102 thoughts on “If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column”

  1. I would think that you will probably see at least one of those receivers(and maybe more) transfer in the next month or so. The thing that they need more than anything else is O-Linemen. They will probably still bring in one or two D-Linemen but unless more enter the transfer portal, I don’t see a whole lot of O-linemen out there. LR has done a marvelous job recruiting except when it comes to O-Linemen. At that point I really don’t think that he has done any better than CH.

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    1. The transfer portal is closed for the 22-23 season. You can still transfer but you have to sit the season. You can ask the NCAA and your school for a waiver but it’s not a guaranteed thing you’ll get one.

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  2. ugh,39 pur scent of the poeple aprove of preznint job purformintz,thats so menny poeple you trumpukelican librulls,any one who dont aprove is jussed a raycist,at leest he gotta job any way,smdh

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    1. They say you can shave off about 35% from Biden’s favorability ratings…they say it’s closer to zero favorability [0%]…..but we have to have at least 35% so 193 foreign countries don’t invade us all at once before November when we say goodbye to Joe & Jill…
      #Well,That’sWhatTheySay

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      2. Fidel Jr, take New York and New Jersey while you’re at it. We’ll take British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon in exchange.

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      5. He’s always going to have some idiots who will try and claim he’s doing fine because to say anything else, they have to admit how stupid they are for thinking things would go any differently. People don’t like to admit when they’re wrong (or stupid).

        Liked by 1 person

      6. It’s more complicated than that, So Cal. Yes, a few Biden’s voters don’t like to admit they were taken for a ride. But a FAR larger percentage of Biden voters are reluctant to admit they don’t exist…..
        #AsBizarroSaidInSuperboy#68Comic….
        #”MeEmbarrassingNotToBeInExistence”

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  3. I’m not sure if Lincoln Riley can’t recruit top offensive linemen or he feels he doesn’t need them, but nevertheless, his recruiting philosophy is identical to Clay Helton’s.

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      3. The USC Sooners will have to out score every team they play by 40 points, they have all the bells and whistles, but no dogs upfront, and a weak defense. So look for games similar to last year’s Oklahoma vs Longhorns 55-48 contest 😂😂

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      4. “Have” to OUTscore a team by 40 points to win? Is that a new NCAA rule?
        #SeemsALotToAsk
        #DoGamesContinueUntilSomeoneGetsInFrontBy40?

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    4. Wake up. Riley has started by getting the “skill” players, but next year there will be a big upswing in the guys in the trenches.

      SC’s offensive line will be fine this year. Hanson does a good job of coaching them up. We will need some transfers for the following year.

      We are fine to play Pac-12 teams this year, but if we do get into the CFP we cant hang with the big programs quite yet.

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  4. After all this Addison giddiness has worn off I fear for ‘Celeb.’ The offensive line was not upgraded, and what happened to the last 3 SC quarterbacks– one got hurt that took over a year to heal, one got hurt and had his confidence forever crushed, and the other got hurt scrambling.

    I foresee our new guy scrambling for his life and at other times being slammed to the turf. The defense has the mind-set of ‘kill the quarterback’ and they would love nothing more than to get to this new SC hot-shot.

    Has Anthony Munoz used up all of his Trojan eligibility?- Thought so. Oh well, it’s back to the drawing board for Wiley.

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    1. LJ, the O line was very highly rated last season. They now have several things going for them:
      1. Experience
      2. New blocking schemes that have been proven to work
      3. Quality coaches
      4. Being taught better techniques
      5. Better weight training and conditioning
      The QB is not a statue, or a deer staring into the headlights. He has excellent mobility which will take at least one rusher to hang back and spy on him. The passing attack will be so potent that defenses cannot put 11 guys in the box like they did against Helton’s teams. I would venture to say most teams will run 5 defensive backs so they can double team Addison or Williams or Rice or Bryant. That leaves at the most four to rush, and sometimes only 3. What happened to the last 3 QB’s was basically due to a terrible offense, terrible HC, and a rotating schedule of O line coaches year after year. Perhaps before we make dismal predictions we should wait and see what they deliver on the field. There is a reason why Riley is rated so highly.

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      1. Excellent analysis per usual, steveg49.

        Slovis’ sole problem was holding the ball too long.
        He actually was a decent scrambler when he took the option.
        He’s a fine QB, and with a good QB coach he may repair his image.
        Unfortunately, his #1 target left Pitt…
        I don’t know if the shoulder/elbow is strong or not.

        Dart should have a nice run with Kiffin.
        Gonna be fun to watch him develop.

        I think we will be pleasantly surprised with our O-line this season.
        Depth on both lines will be a worry.

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  5. That Shapiro gal, despite her youth, more than held her own with the great Beatles. Thanks for the video, what a kick.

    But back to football. It is easier to find 6-foot 180 pound speedsters than it is 6’5″ 300 pound 18-year olds. This building of the SC lines will take time because apparently it will have to be done through the high school “drafts.”

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    1. HEY LJ. YOURE A DEBBIE DOWNER THIS MORNING. HAHA. THE GLASS IS HALF FULL BRO NOT HALF EMPTY. HAHA. LOOKS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET MORE HIGH QUALITY OL FROM THE PORTAL. THEY JUST ARENT THERE. WE HAVE TO GET THEM IN THE CLASS OF 2023. I THINK RILEY KNOWS THIS. LESSEE WHAT HE CAN DO AND WISH HIM ALL THE BEST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY GIVE HIM OUR SUPPORT FINANCIALLY OR OTHERWISE. LOVE YA MAM. FIGHT ON !!!!!!!!!!

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      1. SHIT. A MISTAKE. A REAL ONE. I TYPED. LOVE YOU MAN. DUMB COMPUTER FUCKED IT UP. I SWEAR TO GOD. MAYBE IT WAS OWNS. BY THE WAY LOOKS LIKE ED SCARED TEBOWOBAMA AWAY. HE STOPPED POSTING. NO LOSS HAHA. WE STILL HAVE OWNS AND OTHERS. UGH !! BUT ITS OK. THEY GET FAR WORSE THAN THEY GIVE. !!!

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      2. You are correct, George. If I had been born a girl they probably would have named me Debbie.

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      3. JOHN. YOURE ALL MAN BRO. YOU WALKED ON AT SC AND SMASHED POOR RON DRAKE ON ONE PLAY MCKAY SAID DRAKE COULDNT WALK FOR TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT HARD HIT !!!!!!!

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      4. John’s hit is probably the reason Drake became gun shy & dropped what would have been our only TD pass in the 51-0 game with Notre Dame….
        #ThanksJohn

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      1. Well, when you’ve got it really bad for a woman, she’s the only one you can see and you’ll see her face in every other woman. Or so I’ve heard.

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  6. YOU REALLY CANT COMPARE DIFFERENT ERAS BUT FOR THEIR TIME THE CELTICS BACKCOURT COMBO OF SHARMAN AND COUSY WAS BY FAR THE BEST. SHARMAN THE SHOOTER AND COUSY THE DISTRIBUTOR—_____MEL PATTON WAS NICKNAMED PELL MEL. RAN THE HUNDRED IN 9.3 AND SET THE WORLD RECORD—— FINALLY C J WILLIAMS IS COMING IN AUG AND HE SHOULD BE A GOOD ONE EVENTUALLY.

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    1. It seems it is just you and me this morning, George. I guess all the others drunk themselves silly with the Addison brew last night and are still in recovery.

      Anyway, I like your version of the me v Ron Drake story better.

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    2. It’s silly and not fair to compare eras but here we go. I’d take Steph and Klay over any other backcourt in history. Steph is the greatest shooter ever and Klay is in the top 5-10 range.

      My son, who is a senior in high school and a really good basketball player, laughs at film of Cousy. “He can’t dribble with his left hand”. I tell him if Cousy played today he would have been taught and progressed like todays players. He’d play just like them.

      Without Cousy there is no Pistol Pete, no Magic, no Steph.

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      1. So true. The Splash Brothers have helped change how the game is approached.

        If you get the chance, take your kids to a Warriors game next year and MAKE SURE that you find your seats about 90 minutes before tipoff so the kids can watch Steph’s warmup. His practice is methodical! Greatest pure shooter of all time.

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  7. I MET MARILYN MONROE IN 1947—————BUT THAT WAS ONLY———————————IN MY SREAMS. OOPS. IN MY DREAMS. IS OWNS DOING THIS AGAIN ???????????

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  8. I HAVENT TOLD ANY JOKES HERE FOR A WHILE. I KNOW A LOT OF LAWYER JOKES BUT ID BE A T00L TO TELL THEM HERE I SAW ON THE BOARD HERE RECENTLY THAT IF LAWYERS MAKE LOVE TO THEIR CLIENTS THEN THEY SCREW THEM TWICE !! NOW THAT WAS FUNNY !!!!

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      1. …let’s get political: and California Mayors, Supervisors, District Attorneys, etc…..
        #ButAMajorityOfTheVotersLikeItThatWay

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Allow me to argue against myself. ‘Celeb’ is known to get rid of the ball quickly. If his first receiver is not open he often will just take off and run.

    Secondly, the offensive line has improved. For one thing, most of them returned and so are a year older and more experienced. And they are now better coached. The line was serviceable last year, and more likely than not will be better in 2022.

    Now about that defensive line…

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    1. I agree on the O-line statements, LJ.
      I also think that Grinch is a far better D-line coach than was the last coaching crew. He build a super sturdy D-line at Wazzu for Mike Leach in just two years.

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  10. I always thought 34 year old Ringo Starr singing “She’s 16 and mine all mine” was creepy, but here he is in his twenties hitting on a 17 year old.
    Having two really good receivers is not a bad thing. It makes the defense wonder “who are we going to cover?”
    Hunters with decoys get more ducks. ( I made that up it’s probably not true)

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    1. Looked to me as if the 3 Beatles were just playing around, including Ringo, although from her reaction, Ringo resting on her shoulder was a bit much.

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      1. How about Harrison taking a phony punch at her. Came pretty close to hitting her. That would not happen today.

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      2. Yeah! What the hell was that about? If she zigged when she shoulda zagged he woulda clocked her….

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    2. The same cartoonist [John Hubley] brought them to life….
      #AndSameVoiceArtist [Jim Backus]DidTheirVoices….
      #Helton’sBestPerformanceAsMagoo:”CaptainsOutrageous”

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      3. When Jim Backus gave out an autograph he’d do a real fine drawing of Magoo’s face after the “s” at the back of his name —he was a real nice guy…wish James Dean didn’t beat him up in Rebel without a Cause….

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  12. Nice to have carte blanche on the blog this morning. Another reason for the better shooting percentages today versus the yesterdays is there is a lot more dunking today.

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  13. Not sure the criticism of the O line is justified at this point. They improved last year. Vorhees, Nielsen and Diedrich are all highly regarded. The key is whether Monheim and Ford can further develop and stabilize the tackle positions. If not, we can move Vorhees to tackle and also give Haskins, the transfer, a shot at it. Significantly, both Henson and Reilly have said that the O line is talented enough to be an elite unit and Reilly, unlike Helton, does not typically give out meaningless compliments.

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    1. 100%…We need to get off “the O-Line sucks” bandwagon. They WEREN’T the reason we got beat by UCLA or Cal. The reason was we had no offense without Drake. Nobody stepped up….except Ingram and he couldn’t do it all by himself [which is why he sat out the Cal game and waited for the combines]…….

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      1. Just watched highlights of Addison and London. Addison had an All-American type quarterback (and the No. 22 NFL pick) in Pickett, and Addison was wide open on many of his catches, some of which were “home-runs.” London, on the other hand, was constantly battling and winning ‘fight-for-the-ball’ contests.

        To choose between the two would be like picking chocolate cake or fine steak.

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    2. Haskins is the starter at left tackle. That’s almost a guarantee. He’s not leaving a starting spot at Virginia to come be a backup his senior year. I’m certain Riley told him he was the starter.

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    1. Maui is great….the perfect place to live in so may respects….unless you’d like to visit a bookstore once in a while …
      #NotAOne

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      2. So many great books, MG, and so little time. I am in the process of reading 1001 books. It has condensed all of those books into one-page blurbs. Not the greatest way to digest a reading, but at least I am getting a little taste of each.

        Liked by 1 person

  15. I like football better when the ball is being distributed to several split ends. With Addison, Williams, Rice and perhaps one other it would be great to see each with about 60 catches each.

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    1. You called it. It will average out to something like 6 catches per game for each of them [with some lucky rotating receiver getting close to 200 yards every game]…..
      #GoodLuckPac12DefensiveCoordinators…
      #HaveABlastGamePlanning

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      1. I keep asking myself how do you plan for that. How do you stop the run and the pass and the QB keeper. Where we used to see 9 in the box I now wonder if we will see more than 3, with a blitz coming every play.

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      2. steveg,
        Ask Oklahoma’s opponents how they stopped it…. [I guess they’d have to answer “you can’t stop it”]…

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      2. Riley beaten last season by #10 Gundy and #11 Aranda and nearly by #12 Campbell. Riley needs to re-assert himself as he’s already started doing. Mack Brown and Pat Fitzgerald overrated.

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      3. The press loves Mack Brown cuz he learned to smile at them….
        #ALittleKindnessGoesALongWayWithSportsReporters
        #….ExceptForWolf…
        #…MakingNiceDoesn’tWorkWithScott

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Wonderful picture of the Mocambo club. Beautiful women, well dressed men, fancy cars. Imagine taking a date to this place and having a cocktail in the vicinity of Marilyn and listening to Sinatra live. I missed out of this era of classy entertainment. Instead, saw the Grateful Dead at the Shrine while some long haired hippy passed me a joint. Nice but not the same experience.

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    1. It’s not The Mocambo, but Catalina’s Bar & Grill in Hollywood is a great place to enjoy some jazz, dinner & drinks. We’ve been there several times and always have a blast.

      I was disappointed Jack Sheldon died before we made it to one of his shows. He used to play there at least once a year.

      Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?
      Hooking up words and phrases and clauses.
      Conjunction Junction, how’s that function?
      I got three favorite cars
      That get most of my job done.
      Conjunction Junction, what’s their function?
      I got “and”, “but”, and “or”,
      They’ll get you pretty far.

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  18. News update: WR Odell Beckham Jr. enrolls at USC to use up his last year of college elgibility. Odell, decided he would like to return to college to get his degree, and at USC he can make more money through the NIL, and why not join the Lincoln Riley Party which is currently going on at Southern Cal.

    USC is where it is at- SHOWTIME HAS RETURNED TO LOS ANGELES.

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  19. I think I would have liked Cupid’s Hotdogs, but driving over to Winnetka would have been quite a hoof. Better be a noteworthy dog.

    I’ve noted before that a trip from campus to Pink’s for a chili cheese dog late on a Friday or Saturday night (usually when inebriated on cheap Jack and Coke) was THE thing for a drunk Trojan to do!

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  20. …and a trip to the Mocombo to see Eartha Kitt would also have been an awesome night for a Trojan Lad.

    Truth be known, I much favored Eartha Kitt as a sexier Cat Woman than Julie Newmar, but it’s a close call.

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    1. Bourbon- Julie or Eartha, what a choice. Both exuded sexuality and teased the parents while at the same time did not go over the line and potentially corrupt the kids who watched the Batman series.

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  21. …and finally, great posts on Junior Thurman and the late Garrett Breeland.

    Junior Thurman was a very trim/rangey, quiet young DB my last season.
    Might have been a Tollner recruit, BTW…
    He was a pretty good ballhawker, IMSMR.
    Had some pretty big shoes to fill, but he enjoyed a good season at USC in 1985 and had a nice professional career.

    I don’t have much recollection of Freshman LB Garrett Breeland, though I’m sure he beat me up pretty good in tackling drill in 1982 and 83.
    We had some awesome LB’s those years–Riki Gray (Ellison), JDR, Keith Browner, Duane Bickett (a hybrid), August Curley, etc–so playing time was hard to get. Looks like he enjoyed good playing time in 84 and 85.
    He had a nice career at USC and was much loved by the Trojans who memorialized him after his tragic passing.

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    1. borbon4me,

      don’t forget Chip Banks. That guy like all the other lbers was a stud. NOW, ourt lbers get run over for a 10 yard gain and they say that is stellar defense. What a joke.

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      2. Just to be clear: I’m not “liking” this cuz I agree —No one kills our Bourbon…..

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  22. Scooter,

    thjey don’t have places like Macambo anymore here in LA. That use to have the Chandiler on Colorado close To Michelinda, which you had mentioned, but that is gone as well. Now we just have joints that rip you off.

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    1. I live in Pasadena. Can’t picture or recall the Chandiler. Talk of the Town was near that location. Moldonados was a fancy piano bar and restaurant.

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