You begin with an audit that shows that the Rams bid adios to Los Angeles. The Raiders departed and so did the Chargers. Three Los Angeles pro teams, members of off-Broadway leagues, entered into rest.
Then UCLA fled Los Angeles, choosing to nest in Pasadena. And the baseball Angels, born in Los Angeles, selected as their new residence Orange County, named for citrus since traded for stucco.
Only USC remains in its old location, a vaunted force doing football business since 1888 with varying results, but mostly pleasing to the legions worshipping at the shrine of Tommy Trojan.
That romance has been evident for decades now, dating perhaps to the series matching USC's Howard Jones with Notre Dame's Knute Rockne. It precedes football travel by propeller. The "Trojan Special," as Southern Pacific called it, would roll out of Union Station in Los Angeles bound for the war zones of South Bend, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Seattle, New Orleans and the like.
And settled aboard would be USC boosters and alumni, blessed by the privilege of riding the rails with the troops. At such ports as Tucson, Denver, St. Louis, even Tucumcari, N.M., the train would stop for maybe three hours, permitting the players to unload for a workout.
The faithful following was admitted to the practices, even was willing to abandon the club car for them. That is the kind of sacrifice over the years for which Trojan supporters are known.
And now USC stands on the doorsill of a monstrous combat against Texas that will net one of the principals something described as a national championship.
This will happen Wednesday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where visitors come trustingly in winter, expecting soft trade winds and tropical fahrenheits. By the third quarter, they feel the game is being played in Duluth.
And, mind you, this is when kickoff takes place at 2 p.m. When it happens at 5, as it will Wednesday, the functions of USC and Texas will dim in the struggle for life.
Since Texas is a relative stranger in these parts, it must be briefed on the intriguing history of the Rose Bowl. Like a tip on a horse, there is a story that goes with it.
To start with, football wasn't even in the plan of locals deciding to sponsor a winter festival in Pasadena in 1890. They had in mind a parade, foot-racing, jousting and equestrian exercises. Then in 1902, someone was inspired to suggest a football game. Stanford and Michigan were enlisted. And the game was such a roaring success that football was dropped in favor of polo, always a hit with plumbers and garment workers.
