Mike Tran took his first jury verdict yesterday, and it was a very good one. Almost every count was 12-0 for the defense. Sitting second chair, Mike’s been in trial virtually every day since he got sworn in (by his trial judge) in November. A lot of civil litigators go an entire career without ever taking a case that long and complex to trial, much less defensing it. I think he had fun, too. He’s only a three-month lawyer and he already has half a dozen really good war stories — and a huge victory in a trial where the other side’s two lawyers had more than 50 years of experience between them. The case won’t make the L.A. Times, but it’ll probably be in the Daily Journal’s Verdicts & Settlements in a few weeks.

For the second straight season, my oldest daughter’s school volleyball team won their league. Now it’s off to the playoffs.

Down 38-0, Notre Dame has given their fans nothing to cheer about. The Irish just made a pair of first downs and the place went wild with mock cheers. Notre Dame Stadium is starting to empty, and they still have eight minutes to play.

This is practically a pitcher’s duel. USC put together just two decent drives, good for 10 points, while a muffed punt return yielded the Trojans another seven. Notre Dame’s offense has been totally inept, and the atmosphere in the stadium is dead. The best Irish possession came on a blocked punt that led to a blocked field goal attempt. That was Notre Dame’s best scoring chance of the half. What they don’t show you on TV: at every timeout, the Irish march some honoree onto the field. They are reaching pretty deep. One of the last honorees was a sociology professor. Notre Dame receives the ball to start the second half, and we wouldn’t be shocked to see the banged up freshman march out to start the drive. For USC, the line isn’t blowing open any holes, but the protection of Sanchez has been solid, and Mark hasn’t made any mistakes. If only the same could be said of his receivers.

The stands are starting to clear now, after a fumbled punt leads to USC's second touchdown. It's 20-3. Some clown ran onto the field and got escorted out. The rest of the Wildcat fans are leaving on
their own accord.

The Arizona fans are finally quieting down. The sense that something great is about to happen is fading. Trojan fans aren't celebrating just yet. Jarrett just ran past us and into the locker room.
Why? We wish we knew.

It is nothing-nothing at the end of the first quarter here in Tucson, and the Wildcat fans couldn't be more excited. It's hard to tell how many Trojan fans are here because everybody is wearing red.
To spot the Trojan fans, you have to look for the gold 11