FOOTBALL

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

The USC baseball team opens the Andy Stankiewicz Era tonight vs. Marist at 6:30 p.m. at Dedeaux Field. Tickets are only $5 for the opener.

“This baseball program, it’s always been in my mind one of the best in the nation,” Stankiewicz said.

  • Former USC basketball player Jordan McLaughlin will have his jersey retired tonight at Etiwanda High School at halftime of its CIF Division 1 semifinal playoff game vs. Canyon of Anaheim Hills.

RESTAURANTS OF THE WEEK

Steaks, spaghetti and literally across the street from the campus! Although in 1949, USC’s campus did not extend all the way to Vermont Ave. Still, it was very close.

  • If you preferred Chinese food, here you go!
  • And now for some history:
  • Raquel Welch attended San Diego State but in 1969 she was the featured attraction at a UCLA rally the day before the big USC-UCLA football game. Both teams were undefeated. USC was ranked No. 5. UCLA No. 6. The winner went to the Rose Bowl. The Trojans won, 14-12. Welch is wearing a “Get Trojans” button.

Welch did visit USC for film shoots and in 1975 attended a pre-release screening on campus of “The Four Musketeers.” One of her best known movies, “Fantastic Voyage” (1966) had scenes shot at the Sports Arena.

And here’s a picture from that big 1969 game featuring USC tailback Clarence Davis.

  • Here’s USC circa 1980, with Scott Tinsley (15) at QB. That’s All-American guard Roy Foster (64) and center Allen Pugh (75). Some of the other stalwarts likely in the huddle: Don Mosebar, Keith Van Horne, Bruce Matthews, Hoby Brenner, Jeff Simmons, Kevin Williams, Vic Rakhshani . . .
  • I’m a big fan of pocket schedules, so here is the 1980 edition featuring Kevin Williams.
  • This is a novel approach. In 1949, TV station KECA (Channel 7) was televising USC home football games. So it asked students to suggest a play-by-play announcer. Maybe Channel 7 was just looking for a way to drum up interest in the games.
  • In 1943, USC students were offered Christmas season jobs at Desmond’s dept. stores. Report to Mrs. Custer!
  • During its existence, Desmond’s was the second-oldest Los Angeles retail chain behind only Harris & Frank. The first store was on Olvera St. in 1862. The chain went out of business in 1981.

Here’s what the store on the Miracle Mile looked like in 1939.

And here is the downtown location at 612 S. Broadway today.

  • I’ve been spotlighting unique facemasks recently so I need to post this one of Syracuse tailback Floyd Little (44), especially since it reminds me of an IHOP mini-helmet (see below).

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

  • Jayne Mansfield, who just signed with Warner Bros., celebrates her 22nd birthday on April 19, 1955 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, where she places her hands in the prints of Marilyn Monroe. Mansfield had not yet made a studio film. In the background is actor Lance Fuller.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

  • It’s Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago), led by founding member Terry Kath, performing “I’m a Man” in 1969.

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

  1. – I’m sure that, when Coach Andy Stankiewicz talks about USC’s baseball team being “one of the best in the nation”, he’s speaking metaphysically.
    – I bet George Tirebiter was more than happy to “contact Mrs. Custer” back in the day.
    -I’m equally certain Jane Mansfield was embarrassed to see how much cleavage she was “accidentally” showing off as she placed her hands over Marilyn Monroe’s prints at Grauman’s Theater. “Oh, no! I didn’t mean to do that!”
    #ThankYouAgain,Scott!

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  3. Who did I lust after first, Jayne Mansfield probably over Raquel
    especially when Jayne “accidentally” bent over…

    That picture of the SC boys in huddle really makes the uniform colors shine…

    Great tribute to Charles White with just the right “pomp and circumstance” that Sir Charles would approve, starting with a reel of
    his best running plays to which at the end the audience applauded
    although reservedly fitting the occasion
    Some wonderful sayings– “Walking down the Coliseum tunnel, there
    was nothing quite like that before a game,” said 1978 National Champion Quarterback Paul McDonald

    Other comments– “…no bigger heart was there ever to wear” an SC football uniform;” and “Not very big of stature…but pound for pound” nobody was tougher

    His ex-wife and mother of Charles’ 5-children, although living separately apart for years, took care of the 1979 Heisman winner in a way that Charles’ brother explained, “”She took care of my brother until the last breath. Until the last breath.”

    Finally, the ex Mrs White ends with, “I would go to his hospital room and ask him, “How are you doing Charles?” to which he would reply
    “One-hundred percent”
    100% he ‘went out’ with and 100% he remains

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  4. GREAT VIDEO TO START THE WEEKEND, SCOTT! THANKS!!

    Terry Kath, Peter Cetera, Bobby Lamb & company. Doesn’t get much better than that.

    The parties they used to throw up at Caribou Ranch were crazy! Right up there with the ones Jerry Zorthian used to throw on his ranch in Altadena.

    A shame Terry left us so early. Far too many gun owners forget about that last round in the chamber. May he continue shredding it in God’s Kingdom!

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      2. My dear friend Owns — I don’t know the official rules…but….in all my years of owing handguns I’m 100% sure I never pointed one at my friends or myself….
        #ItJustWouldn’tFeelRight…
        P. S.
        Just saw Rancho Deluxe —great fricking movie! Thanks for the tip!

        Liked by 1 person

      5. Cal 75 —Yeah. [btw, We’ve got some “Insiders” who know so little about guns–and dicks — they think it’s physically possible to fire more than one round from the former into one’s own latter]…..
        #…OfCourseThey’reMoreThanWelcomeToTry…
        #…SoTheyCanSeeForThemselvesHowFarThey’dGet…
        #..BeforeLosingInterestInTheExperiment

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      1. Nice! I’ve only seen them three times. Once in late 80’s and twice in the past 5 or 6 years. They’ve still got it.

        Really too bad Peter is gone, but that happens a lot with the lead singer. (Styx, Van Halen and many others.) Their head gets too big.

        I’m really glad to see Michael McDonald back with The Doobie Brothers!

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      2. So Cal, I saw them back in 73 at Sand Diego Balboa stadium iwth Santana. Saw them at the Forum on New Years Eve Night with the Beach Boys back in 76, Saw them iwht Beach Boys at Angel Stadium back in May of 1975. Peter Cetera was with the band. The only one missing was kath.

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      4. I was in love with her when I was a little whipper-snapper. Until Farrah Fawcett came along, then Linda Cater. I think Bo Derick might have topped them all

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  6. Yeah Ed, Scott comes through again with not 1 but 2 “create a disturbance in your mind” starlets.

    I have been lying low lately, Ed, passing myself off as a sparrow in the hopes that the Posters who got mad at me will forget me for saying
    a 3-hour jet lag for our teams flying back East will negatively affect them

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  7. In other news, SC beat Cal 97-60 with SC’s ‘Combo’ scoring 52 points between them. So the Trojans lose to the lowly Beavers, how low can you go, to shooting over 50% on 3-pointers.

    Basketball is a funny game with so much dependent on how well a team is shooting in any particular game. This Trojan team is still in 3rd place in the Pac-12 and it has a shot at a Sweet-16 berth (but no further) if it can luck into a good Regional seeding

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    2. Don’t bet on it LJ. bozo BB never has a problem with punch-less, cupcake losers.

      It’s teams willing to trade punches with the bozos, SUCC can’t handle.

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  12. Did you know that Scott Wolf’s blog is 7-hours ahead of Pacific Time which would set us in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere east of the Bermuda Triangle and West of London

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    1. Wish we could switch out “Scott’s blog” for “Grinch’s Office” …
      #BermudaTriangle?…
      #…It’sAllStartingToMakeSense!

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  13. Desmonds was a nice Dept store,used to shop at the one in Long Beach. When I was in Jr high it was the only store to get the uniforms needed for the military school I attended. Glad I have those memories.

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    1. It’s too bad that so many of the locally owned and operated men’s stores have gone away. Silverwoods was a favorite of mine, and there was a place up in the Bay Area called Vaughn at Sather Gate. And of course At Ease in NB.

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  14. Ohio St canceled its scheduled 2024 and 2025 games with Washington
    because the Buckeyes will be traveling to the West Coast sometime during that period to play SC or sucla, and they did not want to come out twice because it would “tire its players out” before the heart of the Big-10 conference games

    Fine, but what about tiring out SC during its yearly 4 or 5 Back East trips?

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      1. Well, at least that is a gentleman’s rebuke unlike your other “comment”
        and you are the one who refuses to be swayed by scientific evidence; where is your evidence ‘Freedom of Speech’ guy?

        60% to 70% of travelers experience some form of “jet lag”

        Especially when traveling west to east, the circadian rhythm fares better traveling west with the clock than east going against the clock

        For those who suffer, and not all do, it takes one day to recover for each time zone passed through, so to New York it would be 1 1/2 days to recover

        Usually it is the second night at one’s destination that sleep is most difficult

        One symptom is the lack of ability to concentrate due to lack of sleep

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      2. You travel two time zones and worry about jet lag? Smart people know to stay on their original time zone timing and not worry about the 2 hours, you will get it back. I go all the time, stay for a couple of days, then turn around and come back. If we travel 8 time zones away we naturally are screwed for a day or two unless we get some good sleep on the red eye going east. These are young guys in top physical shape, able to sleep anytime.

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    1. Why did some schools figure out the NIL before SC did because it looks as if it cost the Trojans some recruits, both high school and Portal, in 2022 and hopefully Troy has it figured out now

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      1. I think the change in philosophy was the product of Riley pushing the issue related to top recruits following the money. Let’s see if this new approach actually triggers a reset…

        Liked by 1 person

      2. John we agree on this. USC had to get all the administration involved and of course they couldn’t get it right. Sosna helped get BLVD rolling and then he left and everything being run by the school went to shit. Hopefully they have been humbled enough that some professionals can come in and do it right. We can only hope. But we did miss on some kids.

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  18. The 1980 schedule reminds me of the price of a season ticket when I first started buying them. For what I paid for one game last season, I could have bought a season ticket. (and have something to scrapbook) I bought tickets for my parents and myself and gave them their tickets for a ride to games. Those days are gone and I yen for them. Speaking of yen, our money is quickly becoming as worthless as the yen was when I bought those eleven dollar tickets.
    When I think of Miss Welch, two things come to mind. Fantastic Voyage and Mother, Juggs and Speed. I’d feel like a boob if I ignored her movies 🎥

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  19. Chicago Transit Authority…..”I’m a man”. I wonder if Terry Kath is still alive. I’d like to ask him what a man is. In this day and age I’ll bet he would have as much of a problem as Supreme Cout Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson did when asked what a woman was.

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    1. Still alive? We touched on it above, Parcel.

      Kath died by his own hand when he visited Don Johnson, one of Chicago’s roadies, at his home in Los Angeles. Kath had been known to enjoy target shooting and frequently carried guns on his person. At Johnson’s, the guitarist began to play with his .38 revolver, spinning it around on his finger, then suddenly pointing at his head and pulling the trigger.

      Naturally, Johnson got nervous and asked Kath to stop. However, Kath insisted that his guns were empty and that the clips weren’t even in. He picked up his 9mm pistol and spoke his last words, “What do you think I’m going to do? Blow my brains out?” To reassure Johnson, Kath showed him the empty clip, reinserted it into the weapon, put it to his temple and pulled the trigger.

      Tragically, perhaps unbeknownst to Kath, the gun was loaded, and he died instantly from the gunshot at the age of 31.

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      2. Well, he got in 4 more years than members of the 27 Club:

        Jim Morrison
        Kurt Cobain
        Janis Joplin
        Jimi Hendrix
        Amy Winehouse
        Robert Johnson
        Brian Jones (Rolling Stones)
        Kristen Pfaff (Hole)
        Rudy Lewis (The Drifters)
        Ron “Pigpen” McKernan (The Grateful Dead)
        and a few others.

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      3. And these guys are the role models for our young people. Wonderful!!! Live your life corrupting young minds and then kill yourself either accidently of deliberately. There were a lot of others too…..Heath Ledger(a really great actor…..’The Joker’)

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      4. To quote the Joker, “Why so sad?” There are some inspiring stories too, guys —we almost lost Hunter at 27….
        #…But…WithAFriendlyNudgeFromTheCCP….

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      5. He really played a great part in that movie. I heard they were going to make a part 2 of the joker when Ledger died. I would have loved to have seen that.

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