**Disclaimer: Though I live roughly three miles from UW, I didn't go there nor do I care about them. I went to Arizona State, the Harvard of the desert.
USC Athletic Director Pat Haden, a one-time Rhodes Scholar, is a pretty smart guy. And having been an NFL quarterback, an accomplished national broadcaster, a practicing attorney and a partner at a private equity firm, he's far more successful on a professional level that I'll ever be.
But you'd never know it based on some of the shit he's pulled recently.
First, he hired Steve Sarkisian. The same Steve Sarkisian who went a pedestrian 34-29 at Washington.
After dispatching Lane Kiffin midseason, Haden had more than two months to scour the the landscape, seek advice and evaluate a long list of qualified candidates to fill what is easily one of the top jobs in football, college or pro -- and he arrived at Steve Sarkisian.
It should be pointed out that when Sarkisian took over at Washington it was program in shambles (0-12 the year before arrived) and he immediately made it respectable, guiding the Huskies to a 5-7 record and an upset victory over, ironically enough, third-ranked USC.
The following year, Washington went to the Holiday Bowl, beating nationally ranked Nebraska. At the time, it was considered a springboard win, one that would propel the program back to national prominence.
Not so much.
His final three seasons in Seattle were remarkably uninspiring, as the Huskies were on the wrong end of a string of lopsided losses against ranked opponents, time and time and time and time and time and time and time again.
In fact, there was distinct possibility that he would have been fired this week had the Huskies not staged a second-half comeback against in-state rival Washington State in the Apple Cup.
But there was Haden anyway, introducing his new coach at a press conference Tuesday, telling reporters that Sarkisian, a former assistant under Pete Carroll, knew the ins and outs of the USC program, and thus had greater level of understanding of what it took to win big and attract players, using the same rationale that led North Carolina to hire Matt Doherty.
And, as we all know, that turned out awesome.
Then, Haden made things worse - much worse. Describing the days leading up to his decision to hire Sarkisian, Haden said, 'This has been the hardest few days of my life.'
Go fuck yourself.
My six-month son was born with a micro cleft on his lip and mild cleft palette. He'll have a surgery at the end of this month and another one in June. A year from now, he'll be fine. Five years from now, he'll probably have no idea what he went through.
But having spent spent some time at Seattle Children's Hospital recently, I can tell you that most of the kids I've seen there won't be so lucky. They'll struggle for the rest of their lives.
If you ever want some perspective, visit a children's hospital. Those kids, along with their families, are dealing with real life and death issues.
So if you think hiring a football coach is hard, you don't know what hard is -- and you're also an asshole.
And if all this weren't bad enough, Haden's week got even worse Thursday, when word filtered out that he passed on chance to hire Boise State's Chris Petersen, who has won 92 games in eight years, including two BCS bowls.
CBS Sports college football writer Bruce Feldman reported that the two men talked about the position but ultimately Haden decided that Petersen didn't share his 'vision' for the USC program. Apparently, Petersen's vision of winning and winning big didn't fit with Haden's vision making asinine statements and hiring unqualified football coaches.
To be clear: Even if Petersen walked into the interview with prostitute, and his two conditions for taking the job were that he wanted smoke peyote before games and coach in the nude, Haden's response should have been: 'Win a 11 games a year, and you can do whatever the fuck you want. How much is the check and who do I make it out to?'
Of course, in an ironic twist, Petersen replaced Sarkisian Washington on Friday, which for Husky fans was like trading in a Ford Festiva for Mercedes S Class.
Pat Haden now drives a Ford Festiva. Let us know how that shit handles in a couple years, dog.
Super Play of the Day
Michigan St. +5.5(we decided against a second super play)
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