FOOTBALL

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

I frequently mention how Lincoln Riley doesn’t like to interact with the public.

Even former players have complained to me recently about how welcomed they feel. Or don’t feel.

One example: For several years during the Bohn era, former USC players had pre-game field access to each home game during warm-ups. This year, it dropped to one game. That is a benefit that costs USC no money to offer to former players.

It’s also been a bear for some former players to get permission to attend practices.

  • USC baseball practicing at El Camino College. UCLA baseball practicing at Birmingham High School. Welcome to the Big Ten!
  • Sam Darnold will lead USC out of the tunnel Saturday against Penn State. Of course, his signature game was the Rose Bowl victory over the Nittany Lions.
  • Miller Moss has been pressured 46 times in the past three games. Penn State QB Drew Allar has been pressured 32 times in five games. USC’s defense currently ranks last in the Big Ten in QB pressures according to PFF.
  • And now for some history:
  • Tailback Rod McNeill is one of those underrated Trojans who rushed for more than 1,600 yards in his career. But it could have been much, more if not for a freak injury. The Baldwin Park High School graduate was USC’s No. 1 tailback for 1971 but during spring practice a teammate landed awkwardly on top of him McNeill broke his hip. He underwent surgery and was unable to play that season.

He played in 1972 but then USC had great tailback depth with McNeill, Anthony Davis and Allen Carter.

  • The USC-UCLA dual track meet in 1971 was almost like going to a football game. UCLA tailback James McAlister was in the long jump; USC All-American linebacker Willie Hall was throwing the javelin; USC wide receiver Edesel Garrison was in the 220-yard sprint; 440-yard sprint; 440-yard relay and mile relay and UCLA linebacker Fred McNeill. Rod’s brother, was in the high hurdles.
  • Fred Lynn was part of national title teams in 1971-72-73 at USC. Two years later, he was the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year for the Boston Red Sox.
  • USC had to postpone a day of spring practice in 1971 because of the Mayflower Rock Festival at Cromwell Field. The seven-hour concert was staged to commemorate the previous spring’s slayings of students at Kent State and Jackson State.
  • Henry Jackson was Mr. Versatile for the USC track team, competing in the long jump, triple jump and 440-yard hurdles.
  • Does anyone remember the Valley Garden Arena?

It was located at 7111 Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood right across the street from Burbank Airport. It featured mostly boxing along with wrestling and L.A. Braves roller derby and was one of those old-time venues you might see in a boxing movie.

It opened in 1949 with an 1,100-seat capacity and in 1964 expanded to 2,400 seats. The newly expanded arena offered a closed-circuit telecast of the Sonny Liston-Cassius Clay fight on Feb. 25, 1964.

Mamie Van Doren and her second husband, band leader Ray Anthony, watch a fight at the Valley Garden Arena in 1955.
  • In the picture below, Max Cohen, promoter; Ernie Rogers, promoter; Dick Lane, popular TV broadcaster; Bobby Coleman, match-maker; Freddie Blassie, a famous wrestling champion, and actor Mickey Hargitay, promote wrestling at the Valley Garden Arena in 1963. Hargitay was married to Jayne Mansfield and is the father of actress Mariska Hartigay.
  • Look at this amazing/beautiful film of downtown Los Angeles circa 1943.
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PICTURE OF THE DAY

  • Bond girl Ursula Andress in Dr. No (1963).

VIDEO OF THE DAY

  • You remember Tina Louise as Ginger from “Gilligan’s Island.” But have you ever heard her sing “Blue Moon” on Italian TV? Now that’s a hidden gem. Here she is performing in 1959.

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

      1. We should be talking about the VOICE, guys—- kicks the heck fire outta Streisand….

        #SuchUnbelievableRange&Nuance

        #PleaseGiveUsMore,Scott[Kidding]

        Liked by 1 person

    3. I’ll take Ms. Howell. Granted, you’d be a kept man. But winters in Aspen and summers in Monte Carlo. You can’t get that kind of lux from Ginger or Mary Ann.

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  2. Both!

    And ‘Slingin’ Sam is leading the Trojans out for the Penn St game as a reminder to the ‘Lions of what happened the last time these teams met

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      2. Robin Hood [when asked by Little John if they should kill the nun who poisoned Maid Marian]: “I have never harmed a woman …nor have I ever harmed a man in the presence of a woman…. leave the nun to Heaven…”

        Liked by 1 person

      3. P. S.

        Matt should have been given the opportunity of cross examining the witness against him — but, as I understand it, Title 9 disallows that [in contravention of the Bill of Rights]….

        Liked by 2 people

      4. It’s amazing that the same Democrats who look the other way on Dougie Emhoff smacking a woman in the face accept USC’s Star Chamber’s side and don’t mind USC denying Matt Boermeester the constitutional right to confront the witnesses against him in court, since his girlfriend said they were just messing around.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. The movie theatres were beautiful. People must have felt like they were doing something special by going to a movie. Now you see a movie at the mall. Not the same experience.

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    1. When you look up the casts of old movies the women invariably are still round [the men…not so much]….

      #WhatAreWeDoingWrong,John?…

      #[Don’tAnswerThat]

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  5. “Round and a-round and around we goooooo, so come on baby, let’s do the Twist” is a primary reason women outlive men– “We wanna, we wanna, girls just wanna have fun”

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    1. Cyndi Lauper has caused a lot of trouble with that song…

      #[btw,CheckOutMarthaStewart’sAdmissionToday…

      #…IfSheThinksShe’sGainingFansShe’sMistaken]

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  8. Charming: You got the men and I got the women, but according to recent polls it seems your ‘boys are over-taking my ‘girls

    Prince: A lot of my boys think like I do– trust the country to a guy over a gal

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      1. How can you say that?! The only thing that matters is electing the First Female President!

        #ThatWouldBeSoAmazing

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  10. Charming: And why do you think that is, that guys think a guy can run the country better than a female?

    Prince: I don’t know, it’s in your genes, you’re seen as being too impetuous at times

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      1. Obama is blowing his meager credibility trying to shame black men into voting for Kamala [who the majority of men —black or white — can’t stand] —-“Are you so afraid of strong women you can’t get out and vote for Kamala Harris?!”

        #WhenItComesToBeingAfraidOfAStrongBlackWoman….

        #…SpeakForYourself,Pal”

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  11. Charming: Still, this is silly talk that America will be ruined if I get in

    Prince: Compared to my standards the country will be ruined, but don’t worry you’re not getting in

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    1. Senile Joe and Kamala have been ruining the country the last 4 years. You want more open borders, more inflation, more foreign wars more bumbling at FEMA?

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      4. Gabby —It turns out more FEMA money is currently going toward COVID relief than to Florida victims…..

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    1. The betting line was about 6 1/2 preseason, so the line moving down to the field goal range is at least in part a sign that ‘Vegas’ sees SC as having improved since 2023

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      1. Yes…. [and I’m wondering, too, if the smart money has news of a Penn State injury …maybe a problem with their running back…. that we haven’t heard about]…

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  14. So how will the travel affect Penn St?– It seems flying west is easier than going east because you are in effect ‘gaining” time as opposed to ‘losing it’

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    1. Good point [although I’ve always found it disorienting either way — but, then again, I used to get disoriented when they switched me from the 4th floor to the 5th floor of the Pasadena Ritz the night before the Rose Bowl game]….

      #”WhyDidTheyDoThisToMe?”

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      1. Just moving the clock forward or backward one-hour to accomodate Daylight Savings Time takes me a few days in which to adjust

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Not that it much matters but Penn St’s Coach Franklin might be feeling more pressure than Wiley. Wiles loses and the Trojans can chalk it up to ‘just another average season’ whereas Penn St currently has the reputation of beating everybody but Michigan, Ohio St and SC

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    1. The hotel maid service will know the answer if they have to change Franklin’s sheets the morning of the game….

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    1. Oh, are you ever asking for it, John!

      [btw, I got censored yesterday for referencing Al Pacino’s views on the afterlife]…..

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      1. So Cal… how can you say that? The guy who didn’t know his wife from his sister [and frequently introduced himself as Jill] got more votes than any candidate in history!!! [and I’m sure it didn’t have anything to do with the lack of signature verification on the 11 million mail in votes that came in after polls closed]…..

        #”ItWasTheFairestElectionInHistory!”

        —-New York Times

        Liked by 1 person

      1. It’s truly disgusting the way Biden-Harris trample on the Constitution while having the nerve to claim Trump would act like a dictator! The people who were stupid enough to believe in 2020 that Joe didn’t have dementia are dumb enough to believe all of their lies.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. The dems are beginning their try at the Big Steal again—- DOJ is suing Virginia for taking illegals off their voter rolls….

        #GarlandIsReallyAPieceOfSh*t

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  18. And even Ursula Andress is still kicking at 88. Is it more difficult for the ‘born pretty’ to lose their looks as they age than for the rest of us?

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    1. Yeah… Ursula is kinda cute. Who did her voice in D. No?—- it sure wasn’t her own.

      btw, I like what Paul Newman said in his last year about losing your looks, “I used to worry it would be horrible….. but it’s not so bad.”

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    1. Ha! Not only are you being censored….. anybody who tries to reply to you is being censored…

      #INeverThoughtI’dSayThis….But….JohnIsGettingMeInTrouble….

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      1. “True story! True story!” TRUE story!”

        #SheSoundsLikeACriminalDefendantTalkingToSentencingJudge

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  23. Yes, Rod McNeill flew under the radar at SC. But he did play two NFL seasons with the Saints and then one under McKay at Tampa Bay as a kick return man.

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  24. His brother Fred played 12 years in the NFL for the Vikings including two Super Bowls as consolation for never beating his brother at USC.

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