Rule #44: The probability of rain is inversely proportional to the size of the umbrella you carry around with you all day

It has been exactly four years and 11 days since the allegations against Reggie Bush and USC were first reported by Yahoo! Sports.

To put that in perspective, since that day the world celebrated a World Cup and three Olympic games, countries around the world were plunged into financial crisis, America elected its first Black president, and the New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl.

But what hasn't happened in those four years and 11 days?

The NCAA has yet to rule on USC's culpability in regards to the Bush matter.

Athletic Director Mike Garrett hopes that the NCAA rules soon.

No kidding. I've been waiting for the news in varying degrees of anxiety since I was still in high school.

Reggie Bush has been waiting for the verdict longer than he was even at USC in the first place.

The university went before the NCAA infractions committee on the weekend of February 19-21. They told us they would rule in six to eight weeks.

It is now week 11.

They said they wanted to wait to see the depositions from Lloyd Lake's civil suit against Reggie Bush.

The case was settled out of court two weeks ago. The depositions aren't coming.

And yet we are all still waiting.

It took the NCAA one year to complete the investigation and rule on Oklahoma's violations stemming from improper benefits received by quarterback Rhett Bomar and two others. It took them one year to investigate and put Indiana on probation for basketball coach Kelvin Sampson's impermissible phone calls. It took them two years to unravel and rule on Alabama's textbook scandal - a scandal that encompassed three years, 16 sports and hundreds of student-athletes.

Yet it's taken the time of those three investigations COMBINED to rule on ONE USC football player. It even took them a year and a half to resolve the OJ Mayo allegations. And even then it was USC self-imposing sanctions that ended that matter.

So is it too much to ask that the NCAA just get on with it?

If they have enough to hammer USC, then do it already.

If they don't, then just let us get on with our lives in peace instead of having to deal with someone popping up every two months with the "inside information" they have from their "sources" at USC or the NCAA or the CIA or the KFC, that says the Trojans will get the death penalty or just a slap on the wrist.

With a new generation of players and a new coaching staff, it's time to move on.

Unfortunately we can't really do that until the NCAA stops dragging its heels.

Until then I guess I'll keep carrying around this damn umbrella, waiting and waiting...and waiting for the downpour.