If It's Friday, It's Time For A USC Notes Column
I can't say I'm impressed by the early details concerning a potential Pac-12 schedule.
There was a feeling Thursday at USC the Trojans are still a few weeks away from even being allowed in a locker room and the San Jose Mercury News reported athletic directors have discussed an Oct. 31 start date.
That means a six-or-seven game season with a Pac-12 title game on Dec. 19.
That's not much of a season. Earlier this week, I said I thought six games was a bad idea even if it's purpose is to be eligible the College Football Playoff. I'm one of the few who is not opposed to a January season, when at least the Pac-12 would be the only game in town and get more national attention.
But it looks like the conference is going to try to shoehorn six-or-seven games into the last two months of the year.
- Does that set up the possibility a team goes undefeated and does not make the Pac-12 championship game?
- Can a Pac-12 team get a proper strength of schedule with six games?
- When you play in perhaps the worst Power 5 Conference in America, going undefeated in a six-game season is not difficult.
- What happened to the #WeAreUnited players' group? They seem to have disappeared during a critical period?
- Did you see USC commit Jake Garcia's second game for Valdosta High School last week got canceled? Valdosta was supposd to play Tift County High but four Tift County players and a coach tested positive for COVID-19.
And now for some history:
- It looks like the Pacific Dining Car restaurant in Los Angeles has closed. It's a huge loss because it was a high-quality restaurant that was open 24 hours a day. It was also a legendary downtown L.A. spot, open since 1921.
Since it was not far from USC, it was a perfect late-night hang out. So here's my Pacific Dining Car story.
In November, 2001, after being at USC late following a Thursday night practice, I headed over to the restaurant with two friends.
The restaurant appeared nearly empty and it was well after midnight. As we sat there talking in a booth, I saw a couple people emerge from the back of the restaurant, which was out of our view.
As they came toward us, I noticed it was Tom Cruise. He was with his then-girlfriend, Penelope Cruz. Since I was facing them, one friend sitting across the booth didn't believe me as they came toward us.
Well, that was quite a sighting, we thought. But it didn't end there. Every few minutes, someone else emerged from the back: Courtney Love made a flamboyant exit; Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins and actress Jenna Elfman all passed by us.
Whatever was going on, we weren't leaving.
Then came Madonna. And Gwen Stefani. What was happening?!?!
As we enjoyed the show, all of a sudden there was a flash of flame in the big window that showed the kitchen. A fire had started in the kitchen!
Everyone had to leave so we went to the parking lot. A couple minutes later, here came several members of U2 (Bono, Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton) out of the restaurant.
It was then that we put it all together: U2 had a concert at Staples Center that night and held a private star-studded party afterward.
So we're all standing there watching the fire dept. come to put out the fire. But not before Bono grabs my female friend by the arm and starts flirting with her.
We all had a little conversation while waiting to see if we could go back inside but the restaurant employees told us they were closing for the night.
I don't remember exactly how it all ended with U2 but they left and the three of us got back into our car and drove back to USC, trying to comprehend the scene we walked into that night.
Too bad it was before cell-phone cameras.
- John Ritter's birthday was Thursday so here is a photo of him as a USC student in 1968.
