Steve Daniels has been there and done that with son JT, who is ready to take the next big step with the Trojans
LOS ANGELES - Steve Daniels' new neighborhood screams paradise for an empty-nester. What's left of his suburban parenting existence in Irvine is stored in moving boxes, but Steve can already see that Belmont Shore has everything he and wife Alison need for their next step.
A dog beach a block away where their three furry companions can freely soak in the sun. Tons of bars and restaurants nearby on 2nd Street. But really, this move, like most everything in Steve's life, came down to what he felt was best for his son. He had been reading - he is always arming himself with information - and came across the idea that college quarterbacks who live close to their parents do better than those who are apart. He and Alison mentally prepared themselves for a move; they just didn't know the destination.
Ann Arbor, Mich.? Steve grew up in Detroit, so that made sense. Palo Alto? Their daughter, Madison, attends the University of California, Santa Cruz, so that would bring the family back together. Last fall, when JT Daniels' gut led him to choose to play football at USC instead of Michigan or Stanford, Steve and Alison could have breathed a sigh of relief and stayed in Irvine. But that is not how Steve thinks, and it is not how he taught JT to think.
"You have a plan," Steve says, "but with any good plan, you have to be nimble."
Steve and Alison didn't want to take any chances with the traffic keeping JT from visiting them in his precious downtime. Long Beach is the halfway point between downtown L.A. and
