THE WRITING ON (AND OFF) THE WALL ONE LOADED PROPOSITION {SOURCE TOM HOFFARTH.

One of the pearls of wisdom offered by USC president Steven Sample in his book ``The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership'' goes something like this: ``Anything worth doing at all is worth doing poorly. It may be worth more if it's done well, but it's worth something if it's done poorly.''

Which may help explain this poor reasoning - excessive public drunkenness - for instituting a ban on alcohol sales at Trojans' Coliseum games starting this season, which he threatened to do last season.

Contrary to whoever has Sample's ear, the Coliseum has been far from a Raider Nation situation when it comes to obnoxious, intoxicated patrons ruining the experience for families. Yet, all it takes are a few people in high (financial) places to register a complaint, and things get done accordingly. The fact that USC was the last Pac-10 school to hold out this long must be taken into consideration.

In the days USC was drawing 50,000 a game and desperate for income, the thought of taking away cold beers and frosty margaritas would have been crazy talk. Now that there's 80,000 to 90,000 a game, who cares if a few starving students complain. The Coliseum will keep selling out, and the tailgate parties will simply make the proper adjustments.

Especially with a few more of those 7:15 p.m. kickoffs on the schedule. ...

--``What we're looking for is a cultural change,'' Sample says of his new dry policy. ``You go to games, and you hear more curse words, threatening behavior ...''

Maybe Sample should stay clear of the Trojans sidelines. ...

--Which reminds us, find the Cuervo kiosk on the club level at Dodger Stadium behind third base. They'll pour you a 24-ounce Corona - just $11 a cup. ...

--And before the Oakland Athletics' season goes completely into the trash bin, the team should be congratulated for being the first in the big leagues to sell beer in compostable, corn-starch cups.

They may look plastic, but they can go into the compost bin along with pizza boxes, unfinished hot dogs and napkins when the clean-up crew starts sorting through the leftovers at game's end.

``We have the most aggressive program, but we're still in the starting stages,'' said MacAfee Coliseum maintenance director George Valerga in the Contra Costa Times. ...

--Before Pepperdine's baseball team drove off Friday to faraway Long Beach for the NCAA Regional, Malibu resident Pamela Anderson made sure the boys got a proper sendoff.

The purported actress mingled with the players and posed for pictures - no videos, please - before they boarded their bus and went away with their stacked lineup, only to suffer a 7-3 loss to USC.

``She's a regular around campus, and we've gotten to know her kids,'' Waves coach Steve Rodriguez told Bob Keisser of the Daily News' sister paper Long Beach Press-Telegram. ``She didn't have to do this, and she was gracious and supportive, as you could imagine.''

We can only imagine ...

--Here's the secret to that ``Guess the Attendance'' quiz at Dodger Stadium each game: Always take the highest number. ...

--The field of 68 gathering at El Caballero Golf Course in Tarzana for today's U.S. Open sectional qualifier includes David Berganio Jr., John Cook, Scott Simpson and Steve Pate.

And, with a very remote chance, Ben Hogan.

No relation to the former PGA Tour legend and four-time U.S. Open winner who died in 1997.