Carroll should be lauded for consistent excellence

Lost in the euphoria Saturday -- the gutty little Bruins showing up, not quitting against USC as if that’s some sort of victory and recording four whole wins this season against teams not worthy enough to merit bowl invites -- was yet another amazing accomplishment by Pete Carroll.

Not to say he won’t get teased, prodded and even poked in the weeks to come on Page 2, but the admiration for the guy here grows every year.

OK, so there was lots of room to grow after contending from the start he wouldn’t make it, but that was after watching him try to follow Bill Parcells as coach of the New England Patriots.

But now, coaching unpredictable kids as he does, he has shown an uncanny ability to consistently get their attention and get the best out of them.

Seven straight BCS appearances, seven straight seasons of at least 11 wins, and seven Pac-10 titles in a row in this upset era is just greatness at work.

A few folks e-mailed, though, with a “ha ha” for USC for not making the championship game, and to criticize Carroll for allowing his team to enjoy itself too much.

The Orange County Register highlighted one comment in Monday’s newspaper from Huntington Beach’s Bev Airhart: “Pete Carroll says that’s just USC being USC. You mean immature, taunting, and arrogant? Such a non-class football team! Hopefully they’ll be humbled and humiliated in the Rose Bowl -- then their antics can be squashed while Penn St. does their own dancing.”

Penn State doesn’t have a chance against USC, but then I understand frustrated UCLA fans wanting to knock the cross-town rival and diminish the coach’s achievements because they don’t have a football team to follow anymore this season.

They probably had their hearts set on following the team to yet another Emerald Bowl.

But it’s another UCLA shortcoming if folks don’t recognize and even admire the emphasis Carroll places on competing for the fun of it all. He has also done something that is probably the hardest thing to do today in sports -- remain on top.

It’s true, the Trojans will not be in the BCS title game, finishing the season with the same number of losses as Oklahoma, Florida and Texas, and then losing the subjective argument.

Some years they’re going to make their point with voters and computers and win that argument, and some years they’re going to have to settle for the Rose Bowl.

But for the last seven years Carroll has put the Trojans in the hunt with the very best, and as UCLA knows, that’s almost impossible to imagine right now, let alone accomplish.

YOU AND I might know DeWayne Walker has done a solid job coaching defense at UCLA, but it’s ridiculous to make a case there’s something wrong because another school won’t name him head coach.

When it comes time to fire up boosters, sell tickets and hype hope with a school’s introduction of a new coach, a 17-21 record in his three years at UCLA isn’t going to excite anyone.

I WILL be spending today at the baseball meetings because they are at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

FOUR NBA coaches have already been fired, and with the Clippers sitting at 4-16 before Monday night’s game, I asked the team’s GM if he’s satisfied with his head coach.

“If everyone was healthy and we were in this situation,” the GM said, “then I would tell you he’s not doing a good job.”

The coach thought this was going to be a pretty good team, though, and advance to the playoffs, but as he pointed out, Detroit made a one-for-one deal to acquire Allen Iverson, and the Pistons are struggling to adjust. The Clippers have 12 new players. So does the coach blame the GM for making so many deals?

“Some places you have the GM and coach pointing fingers at each other,” the coach said with a grin, “but you don’t have that here.”

Mike Dunleavy is GM and coach, and with two years remaining on his contract after this season, he’s probably not going anywhere -- including the playoffs.

That’s not good -- essentially being eliminated from the playoffs one-quarter into the schedule -- and with the GM thinking long-term and maybe tempted to make more deals, and the coach thinking short-term, who wins out?

“Here’s what I think this franchise needs the most,” said the GM/coach. “We need to win a lot of games in a stretch, let fans recognize a group of players they can count on, and show everyone just how good we can be when everyone is on the court.”

That would allow the Clippers to market themselves as the best team not to go to the playoffs.

THE CLIPPERS’ Al Thornton came down with Gary Matthews Jr. disease and seemed to lose his voice whenever approached by Page 2. Happy to report, though, it must have been just a case of laryngitis, because Thornton has fully recovered.

“We’re friends,” he said before being corrected.

THEY’VE GOT these wonderful Chargers rugs on sale at Home Depot for less than $25, which will now allow me to step on the Chargers any time I want.

TODAY’S LAST word comes from Ron Hartman:

“Last year you spent New Year’s day sitting in the stands holding Slick Rick’s hand. This year, you go the ‘human interest’ route (and write about a Bruin fan who died) in order to change the subject. You ignore the rotten, malicious, cheap shots taken by your Bruins. You’re a fraud and you will soon be writing want ads for the Penny Saver.”

The way things are going around here, that’s something.

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t.j.simers@latimes.com

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latimes.com

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High school lesson

Watch Pete Carroll give a pep talk to representatives of 13 teams set to play in Southern Section title games.