Monday, October 8, 2012

IT'S OUT OF THE QUESTION: Was USC coach Lane Kiffin using his brain about Robert Woods injury?

Who is the current president?

What is today's date?

What is 100 minus 7, minus 7, minus 7?

That's not an Arizona State University admissions test.

Those are the three questions that USC standout receiver Robert Woods apparently answered correctly when forced by the Trojans' sideline medical staff Thursday night during a standard concussion-syndrome test.

Woods passed without a No. 2 pencil or a calculator, standing upright and smiling. This was just moments after he staggered, wobbled, spun and then collapsed face-first at midfield, seemingly headed for the wrong sideline. He had just been part of a brain-jarring, helmet-to- helmet hit while laying down a block on a punt return in the first quarter against Utah.

The 20-year-old was slapped on the back and allowed by those in charge of protecting him from himself to go back into the game, and he eventually yanked in a touchdown pass during USC's come-from-behind win.

So all's good?

Lane Kiffin should have his head examined.

His initial response after the game was that Woods' ability to return after missing just one play while being checked out "shows what kind of tough kid he is."

Who's kidding whom?

Friday, Kiffin repeated that Woods was "fine to go back in - that's not my decision. Our medical staff errs on the side of being safe."

Here's a no-brainer - take some responsibility. Order Woods, or anyone in that

situation, to sit. And wait. And look them in the eye at halftime. Double, triple and quadruple check.

Do it for your player's safety. And, perhaps, to protect yourself, too.

Hopefully, you're aware that California governor Jerry Brown just passed Senate Bill 1524 - the groundbreaking Student-Athlete Bill of Rights that requires universities the size of UCLA or USC to guarantee scholarships for players forced to retire because of injury as well as cover all deductibles for injuries related to their sports participation.

UCLA has had two football players, Patrick Larimore and Chris Ward, have to quit because of recent injuries, and the school compensated them with its own policy. Let's not find out down that road that Woods will need the benefits of that bill just because someone let him play.

Does it validate your gut feeling about Mike Trout's American League MVP credentials knowing that noted "Baseball Nerd" (according to his MLB.com blog) Keith Olbermann, about as traditional a traditionalist you can find, recently wrote that the Angels rookie's 10.72 Wins Above Replacement figure - which calibrates 30 percent better than runner-up Robinson Cano, and is 54 percent "more valuable" than Tigers' Triple Crown winner Miggy Cabrera - should be the deciding factor in this vote?

We've noticed that Minnesota's WNBA team wears its nickname across the front of its jerseys. That's allowed? It's still rather embarrassing to see "Farmers" across the breastplate of Los Angeles' sleeveless blouses. As if we're just labeling a group of hard-working people based on their off-the-court occupations. If the Sparks were so desperate for a title sponsorship, what would have been so wrong with soliciting a few bucks from Sparkletts bottled water?

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/ci_21712368/its-out-question-was-usc-coach-lane-kiffin?source=rss_viewed

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