Something somewhat surprising happened today — we learned something in the L.A. Times:

Some of what makes Taylor Mays a precociously talented safety for USC can be traced back to when he was 13.

There were months of intense study. Repetitive practice. And memorization of every nuance of his responsibilities.

Mays was preparing for his bar mitzvah.

Holy Koufax is right — Taylor Mays is Jewish.

Naturally, upon learning this fact, we did the only rational thing we could. We gave Taylor a new nickname that recognizes his Hebrew heritage.

For the record, the runners-up to the Kosher Crusher included The Hebrew Hammer (already used by Adam Goldberg in the Shaft-as-a-Jew movie of the same title) and Mazel Truck. (It’s a holiday week, give us a break.)

Coming of age [L.A. Times]