I think that the penalties were very harsh considering the evidence. The question was did USC know or should have known. Maybe they should have known when they saw Reggie’s parents at the bowl games staying in expensive hotels…the NCAA says that high profile athlete’s require that much more attention but has always said that every athlete should be treated the same. I will point out that although USC gets compared to Miami and Alabama in punishment…those schools involved boosters which are directly tied to the school. Charles Woodson who won the Heisman at Michigan..and Chris Webber who played basketball at UM admitted in court under oath that they took over 300k in payments from boosters while at UM..the punishment was not even close to USC.
However, in the end I think it was USC arrogance that did them in. Garrett’s comments just typified USC  attitude towards the NCAA investigation…They thought and acted as though they were above the law…this really tarnishes Pete’s stay at USC…did he know? I don’t know but his move to the NFL looks very suspicious. Reggie gets a new car and registers it with USC compliance and no one asks where he got it.  Joe Mcknight gets a new car from a dealer who registers the domain joemcknight.com…this time USC sits the player out as they figure out where and how he got the car…Pete on the other hand insists…he plays in the bowl game…practically calls out Mike Garrett in the post game interview. Pete says he knew nothing of the Micheal’s and Lake’s deals and yet he requests 10 internships at the new company…did he know??? maybe not…but to me it seems maybe he did not want to know..so he closed his eyes to the obvious..USC basketball has issues with Rodney Gilroy in the past and when the #1 HS basketball player comes knocking at USC with Rodney in tow…you would think that would send out HUGE red flags…Yes…I realize I just contradicted my opening statements..I am not sure how I feel about the sanctions and Pete…I feel terrible with the kids…I felt terrible for Taylor Mays,Matt Barkley, Stephon Johnson, Allen Bradford and Arron Corp before this because I feel Pete really did them a dis-service this past season…now I feel for all the current players who were in junior high when this all happened….Was it worth it?? Yes because it was an awesome time and Pete showed what can happen…I just wish I had more respect for Pete…in the end the standard continues to be McKay..Thanks for the memories Pete..USC football will recover…sooner than most people think…Fight On!!!

vs

… The Los Angeles Lakers face off against the Boston Celtics in the 2010 finals. Although it will be a tough series I cannot see anything but a Laker victory. Here are the reasons why the Lakers will BEAT the celtics:

• Gasol will eat up Garnett…

You read that correctly. Garnett is not the player he once was. He makes mean faces and grunts and shouts when he grabs a rebound or blocks a shot…but Kendrick Perkins he is not…Not now and not ever. KG has always been an athletic big man who had great footwork, quickness and could hit a 15 footer. Hmmm that sounds like #16 on the Lakers. Only now KG is older and slower…relying more and more on the 15 footer than any inside presence. People always bring up the fact the Gasol got bodied up in the 2008 finals….that is true. Only it was not KG that bodied up Gasol. It was Perkins and PJ Brown that did that. KG is a poor man’s Gasol….and the Lakers have the real Gasol…

• Bynum will be big in the series

I do not expect Bynum to play big minutes or put up monster stats…all he has to do is take up space. Occupy the biggest body on the Celtics that would allow Gasol to work the Celtics other big man.  Bynum just has to make an effort to get rebounds and clog the middle on defense. Points are a bonus.

• Rondo will be just another great point guard the Lakers will face in the playoffs this year

Rondo is playing awesome..no doubt. But the Lakers just finished playing against Westbrook, D Williams and Nash. Where would you rate Rondo among those point guards..Right above Westbrook and below D Williams and Nash. That’s what t I thought. The Lakers have already played the best point guards in the playoffs..Rondo will be welcomed relief. That  is not to say the Rondo will not play great…but he will not have the impact so many in the media are saying he will

• Artest will eat up Pierce

This was exactly why Artest signed with the Lakers and why the Lakers wanted to sign him. Pierce was huge in 2008. Mostly because he was being guarded by VRad…not this time. Pierce saved the Celtics in 2008. It was a younger and hungrier Pierce. It was the Pierce that went toe to toe with Lebron James in the ECF. This Pierce was non factor against Lebron. This Pierce gets tired and becomes passive when another big body is banging him on defense. This Pierce will be swallowed up by the defense of Artest.

• Kobe

Kobe is on a mission…you heard that in 2008. But truth be told that Kobe was just happy to make it to the finals. He was asking for trade the summer before and all of the sudden they are in the finals? It was James Posey…a big guard with quickness that gave Kobe problems in 2008. Posey is gone…along with hope of containing Kobe in this series. Kobe has never played better and he knows what a victory against the Celtics means…he knows what avenging the embarrassment of 2008 means. Kobe gets one step closer to joining the Magic,Bird and Jordan circle.

• Roster changes

The Celtics lost alot of key role players from 2008…Posey, PJ Brown, Eddie House, Leon Powe and they replaced them with Wallace, Robinson and Tony Allen, a much better Rondo

The Lakers lost Vlad, Luke Walton, Ariza, Jordan Farmer…I know that Lakers did not lose Walton or Farmer but they no longer rely on them as much as they did in 2008. They replaced them with Bynum, Artest, Brown and Lamar off the bench.

I will take the Lakers improvements any day…

The Boston fans will witness another championship celebration on their home court….As Kobe joins Magic Johnson in being only the second team to celebrate the championship on the Boston home court…

Lakers in 5