Trojans march right out

Put aside the fact that O.J. Mayo is not ready for the NBA. However, the picture of him and his teammates in the locker room after their loss to Kansas State tells me he thinks otherwise. Did anyone happen to notice that he is already wearing NBA logo sweat socks?

Knowing the NCAA and the history behind some of its rules, I am sure this is an infraction that could penalize the Trojans in general and give O.J. even more reason to bail before he finishes his goal of leading USC to the Final Four.

Richard Whorton

Valley Village

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Mayo is no more ready to play at the next level than I am, and I am 5 feet 8 and 60 years old.

Jay Slater

Los Angeles

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Is anyone surprised by Bill Plaschke’s remarkable ability to sell the UCLA Bruins’ postseason hopes down the river on Saturday, only to turn around and proclaim them the odds-on favorite to go all the way on Sunday?

See you in San Antonio, Bill.

Dominic Afzali

Redondo Beach

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I’m over the delusion that the NCAA tournament is on the level. The Cal State Fullerton-Wisconsin game was the straw that finally broke the camel’s back. Fullerton could beat Wisconsin if given a level playing field. Then the same old script took place. Fullerton, 25 fouls, Wisconsin 11. A key Fullerton player, Frank Robinson, fouls out on ticky-tack calls. Big, slow Wisconsin players never get called.

Fullerton Coach Bob Burton took the high road after the game when he said that he would love to comment on the refs but knew he was not supposed to. I’ll comment for him. Fullerton was jobbed.

Frank Shapiro

Sherman Oaks

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Once again March Madness comes upon us. A well-named event because under the care and control of CBS one either becomes enraged, or, more likely, is simply driven to madness. Want to see your special team in a contest from start to finish? Better hope they make it to the final night or that Billy Packer decides it is an event worthy for viewing for you and your part of America. How’s this for a business model: Show all games for a particular state or area, start to finish, and let them air at 1-5 a.m.? That way one could tape what is wanted.

Let Billy and his cohorts do their favorite thing of jumping out of a game just when it starts to get interesting to a viewer hoping to just catch a glimpse of a real game, uninterrupted. Maybe then one could even pay attention to the CBS advertisers instead of simply ignoring them or even boycotting them.

Doug Worsley

Temecula

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Robyn Norwood’s column [March 19] was refreshing in that Norwood did not deify and glorify Bob Knight. The parallel lives that Bill Parcells and now Bob Knight are living is not so amazing.

When Parcells was on ESPN’s Sunday morning NFL pregame show, Chris Berman, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson (not so much Mike Ditka) talked to and with Parcells as if he were otherworldly, spewing opinion as fact. Rece Davis, Tim Legler, Digger Phelps, etc., seem to be treating Knight the same way on the basketball show.

As soon as Knight lands his next coaching gig, the media will go back to being treated by Knight the same as they were when he was at Texas Tech and Indiana -- as garbage. Why does the media deify and glorify the likes of Parcells and Knight? I know why ESPN puts up with it: ratings and money.

Thanks to Robyn Norwood for not taking the bait and being a true professional.

Jeff Brosnan

Los Angeles