September Promise

September College football is exciting and unpredictable. USC has lost to an unranked Pac-10 foe early almost every season of late. The Trojans have never lost another game in any of those seasons. They have overcome the upset and been in a BCS game each season. The Trojans did not look like a contender against woeful WSU on Saturday night. BCS titles are not won in September and with road games at Cal, at South Bend and Oregon on Halloween, the Trojans have a rugged road with their freshman QB. Rick Neuheisel had a nice Saturday night at home with his family. He awoke on Sunday as the only unbeaten head coach in the Pac-10. It does not happen often and it may end before next Sunday but Ricky is one up on the Peter this week.

There was drama at the end of last season when Utah finished 12-0 yet finished 6th in the final regular season BCS Poll. The Utes did not make the championship game and then demolished a 4th ranked Alabama team 31-17 in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. The Banner of Heaven and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch had expressed outrage with the BCS system and how unfairly the great state of Utah had been treated. Recently, Hatch publicly debated that the BCS Series violated antitrust laws and was “un-American”. Utah and BYU opened the season with solid wins and the discussion murmured louder with each passing week.

On September 19th, 18th ranked Utah got stuffed by unranked Oregon 31-24. Later that afternoon, Florida State went in to Salt Lake City and stiff armed the # 7 BYU Cougars 54-28 faster than you can find a drink with two ounces of alcohol in downtown SLC. Senator Hatch, there is nothing more American than 54,000 fans at Autzen stadium in Eugene, Oregon watching their beloved Ducks put a hurt on the Utes. Bobby Bowden and his Seminoles hammered the last nail into the coffin of BCS small conference outrage for the 2009 season. “We got your antitrust laws right here, Orrin!”

Dodger right fielder Andre Ethier is the MVP of the Dodgers and at least in the discussion for the NL MVP after Albert Pujols. He has six walk off hits this year, more than any major leaguer. He might have made his most valuable play on defense this past week. Ethier fielded an 8th inning single while the tying run had already been recorded racing home from second base. When two bounces would cost a run and maybe a game, Andre fired a one-hopper to nail Willie Harris at the plate preserving a one run lead. Broxton pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to cap the victory. In a tight pennant race, September wins are golden. Wins on September 25th are valued like cat lives…by seven.

It has been uglier than the G-20 in Pittsburgh for the Dodgers. Sunday, the Dodgers gave up a three run lead in the 9th and lost a game that would have clinched the division. This afternoon, Pirate 3rd baseman Andy LaRoche went five for five with six RBI’s in a “thanks for trading me to the Outback, Ned” kind of day for this ex-Dodger. Next year could be the Dodgers real opportunity but this year, we like their rhythm and gnash. Rafael Furcal could be the man that sets the table for that lineup.

OT: Lamar Odom married Chloe Kardashian this weekend or so the story goes. Chloe being part of the Laker family is scarier than Ron Artest joining the team. The Kardashian women have had a 100% negative impact on all male athletes. Olympic champion Bruce Jenner looks like Joan Rivers older brother since marrying into the family. Reggie Bush struggles only intensified under the power of Kim Kardashian’s snapping gyro. LO is the coolest cat on the Lakers and could be a radio DJ if he was not an integral cog in the Laker dysfunctional smooth running machine. Chloe is a poser wannabe and not even close to the best looking Kardashian biatch. We would do the mom before Chloe but all of them require a six mil protection shield with foam. Who are these people?

Double OT: The Yard summer interns meticulously reviewed the Serena Williams verbal meltdown at the 2009 US Open. Serena’s aggressive, expletive laced shout down directed at a line judge was unprecedented in female sports let alone the gentile rules of tennis. Yard interns felt that with Serena in their face threatening to shove a fu--ing tennis ball down their fu--ing throat, if they were the line judge, they would have rescinded the foot fault and given her their wallet. It was a scary moment for all involved.