CROCK U. LIKES A HURRICANE

There’s No One Like U.S.C.:  Trojans Can’t Get Enough of ‘Cane reject WR, despite his alleged SERIES of rule violations, including repeatedly blowing off classes, and Pat Haden Can’t Explain what happened to the Winds of Change at his Zoo

Where do you go when you are too squirrely for the University of Miami?  I’ll give you one guess.

When you have hit rock bottom, and even the Hurricanes think you are not worth the trouble, you call Lane Kiffin.  Even TWO Punt Returns for Touchdowns last year — a feat not accomplished at UM since Devin Hester did it — could make Coach Randy Shannon overlook the sins of Thearon Collier.  After an intense meeting, Shannon threw Collier off the team, releasing him to any team who would take him.

But who would take a guy with multiple violations, off-the-field issues, and an apparent lack of desire to get an education?  Lane Kiffin, of course.  Kiffin is like Life Cereal’s Mikey — He’ll try anything.  And in the face of severe scholarship limitations and probation, Kiffin jumped at the chance to sign up a guy like Collier.

But what about Haden?   Wasn’t Pat just on the television promising a new era of compliance, and a new-found respect for the concept of the student-athlete?  Was Haden kept in the dark on this latest signing, or was he just blowing smoke all along?  Chances are that Haden encouraged the pick-up.  As a trojan, his desire to Win will always supercede his desire for Integrity.  And even though Collier was buried on the Cane Depth Chart, he could easily Start for sc next year, after he sits out a year for transferring.  And he will almost certainly win the Punt Return gig. 

So Haden will just try to bury the story, and not admit that one Cane’s trash is another trojan treasure.  And this homage to sc academics falls only a month after incoming trojan Basketballer Taylor King said that he likes sc because their academics are off the charts.  Yeah — So far off, that they recruit guys already infamous for cutting class.

The pick-up of Collier by Kiffin is like an ex-con illegally fraternizing with known felons.  It is just one more example of usc having no remorse for lacking institutional control, and of their willingness to keep throwing Class out the window.  By signing Collier, sc is still thumbing their noses at the NCAA.  The message is clear:  Even though the Scorpions are retiring, after 40+ years, the sleaze tactics at usc will live on forever.

The addition of the alleged slacker also negates the strict disciplining of Dillon Baxter, who is banned from the upcoming Hawaii trip.  Baxter is also accused of a SERIES of violations, and according to ESPN, Baxter has now been documented as the BIG LIAR in the case where usc formally accused five schools of illegally tampering with Baxter.  Apparently, Baxter made the whole thing up, just to make himself look more important, and seem more valuable to usc.  As postulated here on the day, it now looks like he was just quasi-extorting more illegal benefits — What other advantage would he gain out of lying about being coveted?

The other possibility still remains — An sc Official made up the false accusations, and the school is just pinning it on Baxter — and punishing him in-house — to avoid any further sanctions by the NCAA against the University.  And this all comes on the heels of Baxter being accused of breaking curfew and smoking Pot.  Suddenly, sc had enough leverage on Baxter to get him to consent to taking the blame for the bogus tampering charges.

Speaking of partying too much, Matt Leinart was on Monday Night Football tonight, and he further cemented his status as the Top Bust of Fantasy Football 2010.  Not only couldn’t he move the Arizona Offense, but he was not on the same page as his Receivers.  He was caught on tape tearing one of his Receivers a new hole, for supposedly not looking to come back for a throw that was way too short.  Leinart’s “back-up” Derek Anderson came in and suddenly energized the Offense, but he too struggled, making some really bad passes.  Still, Anderson’s superior (to Leinart) performance might have turned this into a full-blown Quarterback Controversy in Arizona.

It was ugly enough to prompt the announcers to SERIOUSLY recommend that the Cardinals place a call to Kurt Warner, to beg him to come out of retirement.  Wouldn’t that be the ultimate slap in the face to Leinart?  Not to mention, a Godsend for Fantasy Footballers who have Larry Fitzgerald.