I was pleased to read a letter to the Los Angeles Times that was written by Dr. Jerry Buss, the President of the Los Angeles Lakers. Dr. Buss was a Professor in the Chemistry Department at USC, before he built his real estate empire. He has remained close to the school, and he has been helped it in many ways. He took the time to praise Mike Garrett for his outstanding 17 years of service to USC. He also suggested that the time of Garrett's tenure will likely be remembered as some of
"USC's Golden Years." I am sure that Garrett appreciates the comments from such a well-known and prestigious individual. You may count me as one of the many individuals in the Trojan Nation who are interested and working on having a "Thank You Dinner for Mike Garrett."
The NCAA is likely to have the same problem that Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig had. He not only wanted to punish Barry Bonds for his suspected use of illegal substances, he seemed to want to banish him from the planet. Then, to his shock and dismay, many of the game's biggest stars confessed that they had been using illegal substances themselves. Some of them like Alex Rodriguez, were too big to fail. Now the Commissioner seems to be lying low, until he figures out what to do next.
The NCAA is currently, or soon will be, investigating schools like the Universities of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and several others. The allegations against them are much more serious than those that had been made against USC. So, since USC was penalized so severely for what appeared to be minor infractions, they may have to order the use of a firing squad as the only suitable penalty for the infractions that they discover. There is also the likelihood that the NCAA will reduce their penalties against the Trojans. The school has humbled themselves by firing their Athletic Director, publicly apologizing, and then dropping to their knees to beg for mercy. So, at this point the NCAA may decide to show some compassion and reduce their penalties.
NBA basketball player Lorenzen Wright is now a missing person. He was last seen in Memphis. The news that he is missing was a shock to me, since I met him a few years ago when he was playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. There were several of us in a steam room one of the local gyms. Somehow we ran out of steam, but the heater remained hot. So, Wright got a bucket of water and poured it on hot rocks, thus making steam for all of us. After a while he left the room, and took his bucket with him. Meanwhile, someone reported this illegal use of water. The management dispatched two investigators to the room. By the time they arrived, I was the only one left, and therefore I was their prime suspect. They were suspicious of me, but they did not have any proof.
So, they asked me if I had been pouring water and making steam. I told them that I had not done that. They were not exactly satisfied with my answer, and they explained that it was dangerous for one to do what they thought I had done. I thanked them for their advice, and the next and the last time that I saw Mr. Wright, I told him when it happened, and that I did not "rat him out." He promised me a couple of tickets to a Clippers game, but I told him that I had been punished enough. Wright is about 6 feet, 9 or 10 inches tall, so it is difficult for him to be just missing. Still, for him and his family sake, I hope that he will be found safe and sound.
New Athletic Director Pat Haden will have his hands full with new head football coach Lane Kiffin. It seems that Kiffin is destined to lead a life of controversy. He is an energetic, creative coach. However, it appears that he does not bother to read the rules, and only becomes aware of them, after they have been broken. He and USC are currently being sued by the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. It seems that Kiffin wanted to hire one of their assistant coaches. So, that is precisely what he did, even though the assistant coach had a signed employment contract. So, now the Titans have filed a lawsuit against Kiffin and USC. Kiffin appears to be the proverbial bull in a china shop. I think that he is going to be an outstanding coach, if he can keep from being fired. If he does manage to remain at USC, there will never be a dull moment.
Max Nikias is the new President of USC. He was born in Greece and he received his Bachelor's degree there. He later received his Master's and Doctorate degrees from State University of New York, as did the current President of Stanford. When I enrolled at USC, without my permission, the administration there sent my enrollment application to all of the Fraternities. They contacted me to see if I was interested in joining one of them, but I was not. I would never have joined any Fraternity , but like Mike Garrett who enrolled in the same year, I also knew that they did not accept African Americans. In my group of Study Buddies, there was one student from Greece and one from Iran. They knew that the Fraternities would not have accepted them. I will share this information with Dr. Nikias. In 1962 they would not have accepted you, and I don't know if they would today. It has been reported that he wants to make USC to be more like Stanford. If that is true, he might consider finding and firing the Professors who gave passing grades to athletes, who did not even attend classes.
[You may contact John Randolph Rogers at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .]
