I thought I could make it to August without a single Displaced post. I was content to slumber through March and April without a care during Florida’s run to another basketball championship, not to mention USC’s Sweet 16 showing. I was thinking I could let USC Spring Football and the NFL Draft slide by as I continued my rest until the Trojans begin another season atop the college football world. But, I was wrong …Instead, the “nation” and its fearless (read shameless) leader Mr. Zaheed … I mean, “Nestor” … thought they could make a big deal out of ugla supposedly winning its 100th national collegiate championship in a team sport.
At least two things struck me about this.
First, ugla won its “100th” championship in women’s water polo. That’s right, women’s water polo. Like many of its other championships -- 22 in men’s and women’s volleyball, 16 in men’s tennis -- the “nation” stakes claim to a “national” title in a secondary sport that no one really cares about.
However, since we here know enough to give credit where credit is due, a “national championship” as recognized by the NCAA is, in fact, a national championship. So, we’ll give the Lady Bruins water polo team as much as they deserve.
That said, what also struck me about all this was how -- in typically hypocritical and convenient ignorance -- “Nestor” and his “nation” forgot the fact that this win by the ugla women’s water polo team was actually the 101st time an ugla team had raised a “national” championship trophy.
As “Nestor” continues to post disparaging, biased remarks about the integrity of USC Football, he somehow forgets that ugla’s softball team was actually stripped of the national title it “won” in 1995. This for enrolling a ringer -- named Tanya Harding (above), of all scandalous monikers -- for one half season and one academic quarter, which she never finished. “A lack of institutional control” was how the NCAA officially described it.
Not only was the ugla softball team stripped of its title, it was also stripped of scholarships, placed on probation for three years and disallowed from playing in the 1997 post-season.
We’re not talking about alleged violations, about which the coaching staff or the school knew nothing. These are violations proven as fact, which resulted in near-death penalty punishment of a celebrated ugla sports team.
Typically, all this happened in 1995, while “Nestor” was a student at ugla. Just another example of the master of selective memory and hypocrisy at work. Speaking of work, what does “Nestor” do for a living? Does anybody know?
Anyway, I wouldn’t have had to write this post had anyone else remembered in any significant way that the 1995 UCLA softball team was, in fact, a fraud and a lousy bunch of cheaters.
But, perhaps this Displaced Trojan was never meant to sleep through three straight months. Maybe it’s time to get ready for the 2007 USC Football season. So much for the summer slumber …
.
9 comments:
"Nestor" is a guy living in D.C.. He was a Democratic Party activist both at UCLA and in D.C. Not sure what he's doing now. I can get you more info. Whats your e-mail address?
displacedtrojan@gmail.com
Wow...and we're cheaters?
That said, I'll respect all of our athletes and their athletes...Water Polo, Volleyball, anything...they're good athletes, and I'll cheer for ours day in and day out (so i can't criticise them for supporting their own).
Regardless, at least we're not cheating scum like they are.
USCLink
Except that all USC can hang their hat on is football. UCLA cheating in softball is less important than USC cheating in football because UCLA actually wins in a few other sports.
funny that!
You realize we rank 3rd in total NCAA championships behind only the cheating bRuins and the Stanford Cardinal.
We win the other sports...but unlike some schools, we also win the big ones. And regardless of your opinion the NCAA (the organization you are touting as supreme) doesn't call us Cheaters. You guys have that title to yourselves...or maybe you share it with SMU. You can argue that among yourselves.
USCLink
Wait, so USC wins the "big ones" and UCLA doesn't? Since when is basketball not a "big one"?
By the way, the UCLA softball team came back to win 3 national titles after their suspension...
A couple of points:
1) If the NCAA recognized Rugby as a valid sport, Cal would suddenly be hurtled into the rarefied air of others, having 22 titles. But it isn't so we aren't, and besides, no one would really care.
2) My wife, being an employee trapped at Fucla (soon to be leaving, thankfully) is in continuous awe of how important this 100th thing is to babybruins. I guess when your academics can't cut it, you have to find pride in other things.
3) If this is the result of your having to return unexpectedly, you should take more naps.
Go Bears.
"I guess when your academics can't cut it, you have to find pride in other things."
Yeah like beating CAL in Football and just about killing their hopes of winning a National Championship this year.
GO BRUINS!
"...secondary sports that no that no one really cares about."??? You mean the same "secondary" sports that USC competes in and DOESN'T win national championships? It's not really about how secondary the sport is, it's about who's winning. UCLA is. USC isn't. Period. Nuff said. As for anon Cal Fan, you're irrelevant. The idea that Berkley is academically superior to UCLA (or vice versa) is silly. The idea that Cal's athletic program is superior to UCLA's is very silly.
Post a Comment