John David Booty suffered a broken middle-finger on his throwing hand, when his finger collided with another player’s helmet while completing a pass in the second quarter of USC’s 24-23 loss to Stanford.
Booty’s hand was x-rayed during half-time, when the fracture was discovered. Despite the injury Booty elected to play and Pete Carroll concurred with the decision, rather than playing relatively untested backup Mark Sanchez. Booty’s four interceptions played a major role in the Trojans loss to the Cardinal.
But by the end of the game all Booty had to do is turn to the Trojan fans, where many in attendance would gladly (not to mention disgracefully) give him their middle-fingers.
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There are those sunshine fans who now shun John David Booty, claiming Sanchez is the better player; that Sanchez should have always started over the Heisman candidate. This is despite Booty’s impressive 2006 record, Rose Bowl win over Michigan and solid start to the 2007 season. But two shaky games later and Trojan fans seem to have selective amnesia.
These same fans have also seem to have forgotten that Sanchez has yet to throw for 100 yards in his career, that he struggles to complete on third-down, and that he’s never thrown a touchdown pass…although he has thrown a pair of interceptions.
As reported by the L.A. Times Booty had this to say:
“I want to compete. I want to fight. No way I was coming out of that game,” he said. “Look at (Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett) Favre, look at those guys, they don’t hardly ever play healthy so it’s one thing you have to deal with.”
“I’m playing,” Booty said. “I don’t know what we’re going to have to do to it. . . . It’s my plan to play and start every game.”
And as the Trojan fans booed the very same team that just three hours ago they had professed their unwaivering allegiance to…
“Believe me, inside I was booing too. I was as frustrated as they were,” Booty said.
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TrojanWire 
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