SBNation.com User Blog: NittanyNutz2

Paternos release Joe's will

NittanyNutz2 — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:25:51 -0000

Paternos release Joe's will

In response to the bullshit story that ran in local rag The Citizens Voice on Sunday June 10, the family has released Joe's will, which shows that [gasp] the document was hiding nothing at all.

Story links to Washington Post article.

Who should be traded?

NittanyNutz2 — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:15:11 -0000

With the promotion yesterday of Wil Myers (and Odorizzi) to AAA, it seems as though it will be sooner rather than later that we see Wil at the K, whether its in the outfield or at third base. In order for him to get everyday playing time, someone has to be the odd man out. Assuming he is kept, Myers will take the spot of one of Jeff Francouer, Alex Gordon, or Mike Moustakas. Hosmer or Butler could be dealt, and positions of the other 5 could be shifted to make it work.

The Candidates, in order of trade value:

1. Eric Hosmer, 22, club controlled through 2017, positions: 1B, DH. Synopsis - Even though he has been in a severe offensive funk for the first 6 weeks of the season, he is still very highly regarded around the league as a future star. He is a 5 tool First Baseman, but plays at a position that is historically deep.

2. Alex Gordon, 28, club controlled through 2015, positions: Corner OF, 3B, 1B. Synopsis - I think trade value wise he is very close to Hosmer. He is a proven Major Leaguer (well, at least since 2011), plays Gold Glove defense in LF, and can hit for a decent average with respectable power. He is in the prime years of his career, and offers an acquiring team control at a reasonable price through 2015.

3. Mike Moustakas, 23, club controlled through 2017, positions: 3B. Synopsis - Moose has become a fan favorite at the K over the course of about 2/3 of a Major League season spanning 2011-12. He has shown a very solid bat, and some excellent defense in that time, save for his first 6 weeks up last year. He would be an attractive chip to say the least to clubs in need of help at the hot corner.

4. Wil Myers, 21, club controlled through 2018, positions: Outfield, 3B. Synopsis - Wil will be getting his first taste of AAA baseball, and has dazzled in the minors, with a few hiccups due to injury. He is capable of playing all 3 OF positions, though projects as a corner OF. The organization has recently shifted him to 3B, perhaps to increase his trade value.

5. Billy Butler, 26, club controlled through 2015, positions: DH, 1B. Synopsis - A doubles machine, he leads MLB in two baggers over the course of the last 3.5 seasons. He has a great bat, but is defensively challenged, hurting his trade value and realistically limiting him to the American League (though a trade to an NL team for a stretch run this year could work).

6. Jeff Francouer, 28, club controlled through 2013, positions: Corner OF. Synopsis - Ah Frenchy. Both fan favorite/bain of existence, he plays smart defense in right field with one of the best arms in the league. He has problems living up to his abilities at the plate, etc. He is the least attractive trade chip of the 6, but also makes the most sense as the one to be moved.

So who should be traded? My suggestion is Alex Gordon. While his salary isn't high, he was recently signed to a 4 year $37.5 million extension, and moving his contract would save the club between $6-6.5 million annually through 2015. He can be replaced by Myers in LF. Most importantly, he can net a nice return, hopefully a second tier Major League starter (Matt Garza, James Shields, etc?). I'd really hate to see Gordon go, but again it will come down to a numbers game. I think its safe to say that of the 6, Francouer would be the player that we'd all like to see go, but A) he wouldn’t get us the starting pitcher we so badly need, and B) come on, Dayton doesn’t have any intentions of doing that.

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

The Candidates, in order of trade value:

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

BOT Nomination Ballot

NittanyNutz2 — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:33:08 -0000

I received my BOT nomination ballot today, filled it out, and submitted. While my first 2 votes went to conventional candidates, my third was given to someone who is not an official candidate: Joseph Vincent "Jay" Paterno, Jr.

I'll preface with the obligatory "I didn't think he was the greatest QB coach" line, but over the past few months he has really shown his true identity, and his father's fingerprints are evident in the way he presents himself. Honestly, I could not think of a better candidate for Penn State at a time like this. I know that there are many qualified candidates who are running, many of whom would be excellent choices for the BOT, but Jay has given his life to Penn State, and I wouldn't mind seeing that continue, provided he is willing.

Now, I am fully aware that the chances are he would graciously decline the nomination if he were chosen as a candidate, but in that case I feel it would be a nice symbolic gesture to show how much the Paterno family is really appreciated. And on the off chance that he does accept the nomination, best of luck to him - and the existing BOT as they sweat possibility that the son of the man they so calously fired may become one of their colleagues.

Nice article by Rick Reilly about Joe

NittanyNutz2 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:03:12 -0000

Nice article by Rick Reilly about Joe

Links to the site which we do not speak of, here's the text:

Maybe you will never be convinced Joe Paterno was a good man who made one catastrophic mistake, but do you have time for just one story?

In 2000, Penn State freshman defensive back Adam Taliaferro had his spine crushed when tackling an Ohio State player. He lay on that September field paralyzed and panicked.

The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Paterno, who died Sunday at 85.

"He could see I was losing it, but his eyes stayed totally calm," Taliaferro remembers. "And I remember that familiar, high-pitched voice, going, 'You're gonna get through this, Kid. You're gonna be OK.' And I just trusted him. I believed it."

Taliaferro wound up in a hospital bed in Philadelphia, everything frozen solid below the neck. Doctors said he had about a 3 percent chance of walking again. And every other week Paterno would fly to Philly to see him.

"He'd bring our trainer and a couple of my teammates," Taliaferro says. "Nobody in the hospital knew he was there." Paterno would tell him all the dumb things his teammates and coaches had done lately. Pretty soon, Taliaferro would be laughing his IVs out.

"I can't tell you what that meant to me," says Taliaferro, now 30. "I'm stuck in that hospital, and here's Coach Paterno bringing a piece of the team to me, in the middle of the season. How many coaches would do that?"

One midnight, Taliaferro moved a toe and the first person his dad called was Paterno. His dad held the phone to Adam's ear and Paterno said, "You're gonna prove 'em all wrong, Kid!"

From then on, every visit, Paterno wanted to see Taliaferro move something new. "I got to where I wanted to be ready. A finger, a hand, whatever. I wanted to perform for Coach Paterno."

One day, five months into it, Paterno walked in and said, "What's new, Kid?" Taliaferro swung his legs over the bed, stood and extended his hand to shake.

"I'll never forget his eyes," he says. "They were already huge behind those Coke-bottle glasses, but they got even bigger." Paterno gave him a 10-second hug and then said, "Kid, ya make me proud."

A man is more than his failings.

I learned a lot about Paterno when I wrote a story about him in 1986 for Sports Illustrated. I've learned a lot about him since. He was a humble, funny and giving man who was unlike any other coach I ever met in college football. He rolled up his pants to save on dry cleaning bills. He lived in the same simple ranch house for the last 45 years. Same glasses, same wife, same job, for most of his adult life.

He was a man who had two national championships, five undefeated seasons, and yet for years he drove a white Ford Tempo. In 46 years as a head coach, he never had a single major NCAA violation.

He was the only coach I've ever known who went to the board of trustees to demand they increase entrance requirements, who went to faculty club meetings to hear the lectures, who listened to opera while drawing up game plans.

He was a Depression kid who wouldn't allow stars on helmets or names on jerseys. And he hated expensive tennis shoes.

He'd see a player wearing Air Jordans and say, "It's not the sneakers, Kid, it's the person in them."

One day Taliaferro wore an entirely different pair into his office, a pair of "Air Paternos" he'd made himself. "He freaked out," Taliaferro remembers. "He was about to call Nike. He thought they were real!"

If a player was struggling with a subject, Paterno would make him come to his house for wife Sue's homemade pasta and her tutoring. One time, he told a high-school blue chipper named Bob White he wouldn't recruit him unless he agreed to read 12 novels and turn in two-page book reports to Sue. They were the first books he ever finished. White wound up with two degrees and a job at the university.

Paterno was other things, too, like controlling and immovable. He lingered as head coach when he promised time and again he wouldn't. And when he needed to follow up on what he'd been told about Jerry Sandusky and a child in the shower in 2002, he failed miserably.

But he followed up for thousands of others.

Even though Taliaferro would never play football again, Paterno stayed on him to keep moving. "I came to Penn State to become a lawyer," he told him. "But I never made it. You could, Kid. You're smart."

He got the fully recovered Taliaferro a summer internship with the NFLPA in New York and, before you knew it, Taliaferro was a corporate lawyer in Cherry Hill, N.J. He successfully ran for local office there and is now running for the Penn State board of trustees, where he wants to help his school heal from a scandal Paterno made worse with his neglect.

"The last three months, I've just wanted to go up on a rooftop and shout, 'I wish you knew him like I do!'" Taliaferro says. "I know, in my heart, if he'd understood how serious this situation was, he'd have done more."

I believe that, too. But if you don't, I respect that. I only ask this:

If we're so able to vividly remember the worst a man did, can't we also remember the best?

Westboro

NittanyNutz2 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:08:10 -0000

That garbage group of hate mongerers has announced that they will picket JoePa's funeral. Words cannot describe the utter disgust that I have for these people, who in the past have dishonored our heroic dead, and to think that they are coming to throw dirt on Joe's casket, well.....yeah.

Something I ponder everytime I see they are going to show up and spout vitriol at a funeral service, is what can be done to stop them? I can't imagine the pain that these military families go through when they have to bury their child, and to have these scum there on top is just a horrible crime. Now I know that the Supreme Court has ruled to uphold the constitution, and that these flecks of dogshit have the right to protest at funerals, but I think that an equal and opposite "protest" could also be done as a countermeasure.

The idea: peaceably assemble a group of "protestors" who will go and stand in front of the Westboro trash as a human barricade, so that the family and friends of the deceased do not have to see this type of nonsense at a time like this. And of course, I stress the words PEACEFUL PROTEST. I believe this could be done, with a group of say 20 men, standing silently as these idiots go berzerk. It would show this group that they're shenanigans will not be tolerated, and show support for the deceased & their kin, in an honorable way.

Now the obligatory "hey I'd love to be there and start this but I, er, uh..." I always envisioned being able to go to a public memorial to pay my respects to Joe & his family, but I was a younger man then without a wife, child or job that doesn't permit me to travel to State College to do so. I trust that there are many others who are in the same boat, therefore I'd suggest a student initiative to make this happen. One of many things I can say about our students is that they have done an excellent job assembling and showing support for Joe & our school. I'm not exactly sure where to go with this to get students involved, so I decided to post it here. Thanks to all for the consideration of this request.

Bradley told coaching decision will come after bowl game

NittanyNutz2 — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:00:34 -0000

Not really anything new, just confirmation that Bradley has been told the decision will not come until after the bowl game. This jives with alot of the rumors that have been circulating about an announcement January 3-ish.

While almost every football coach from the past 50 years at any level has been mentioned as a possible Paterno successor, I really wouldn't mind seeing the interim tag removed from Bradley, provided that we could get most of the (good) assistants to stay on. Also, I do think it is possible that PSU does have a coach picked already, and is simply providing "professional courtesy" to Bradley, #becausethatswhatauniversityfacingbiggestscandalevershoulddo

I really can't wait until I can stop checking Twitter & all the forums for info on the next PSU head coach!

FOS Story - link

I really can't wait until I can stop checking Twitter & all the forums for info on the next PSU head coach!

FOS Story - link

Joe Pa health report from Sports by Brooks

NittanyNutz2 — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:34:52 -0000

EDIT: Take it for what its worth, which apparently isn't much.

Per Sports by Brooks Twitter account

SPORTSbyBROOKS
I was told by Penn St athletic dept official tonight that Joe Paterno's health is in rapid decline.
27 minutes ago

SPORTSbyBROOKS
Penn St. source said, "Joe is a lot closer to dying soon than the public is aware. It is very bad."
24 minutes ago

SPORTSbyBROOKS
Penn State official said tonight Paterno is getting daily cancer treatments but those close to him fear "this may be his last Christmas."
22 minutes ago

EDIT: Take it for what its worth, which apparently isn't much. Per Sports by Brooks Twitter account

SPORTSbyBROOKS I was told by Penn St athletic dept official tonight that Joe Paterno's health is in rapid decline. 27 minutes ago

SPORTSbyBROOKS Penn St. source said, "Joe is a lot closer to dying soon than the public is aware. It is very bad." 24 minutes ago

SPORTSbyBROOKS Penn State official said tonight Paterno is getting daily cancer treatments but those close to him fear "this may be his last Christmas." 22 minutes ago

Royals Free Agent Pitching Target: Roy Oswalt

NittanyNutz2 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:51:28 -0000

Roy Oswalt isn't a free agent, yet, rather he has a team option of $16 million for 2012 or a $2 million buyout. With the Phillies other pending free agents needing to be signed (Rollins, Madson, etc), Hamels needing to be locked up long-term, and Howards $25mil/year extension taking effect in 2012, the Phillies aren't expected to pickup Oswalt's option.

2011 was kind of a weird year for the other Roy. He was uncharacteristally 9-10, suffered some back injury issues, and left the team for a few weeks after his home was destroyed by a tornado in Mississippi. He rehabbed the back injury, which coincidentally occured not long after his return from Mississippi, and his stuff returned to the low 90s range. At a generous 6'0", he has never really been an overpowering pitcher, but more of a finesse type with some good movement on his fastball.

Sorry for the lack of statistics, but I don't have time to go digging. I'm pretty sure that Oswalt has always had a decent GB/FB rate, and lower HR allowed totals, especially for the band box that is Citizens Bank Park, which should translate well to the K.

So what would it cost for us to sign Roy? would he sign in KC? He turned 34 at the end of August, so he must know that there won't be many more contracts for him to sign and he will undoubtedly be looking for a WS ring. Given these issues, I can't see KC being high on his list. If however the bigger clubs aren't offering him the contract he would like, and he is getting lost in the shuffle in free agency due to his age, recent injury history and status as a #4 SP in Philly, maybe we have a shot. I'm thinking he would consider 2 yrs/$25 million to come to a rising KC team and be an ace again, in order to get his value up for his last and probably final contract.

Rutgers talking with B1G?

NittanyNutz2 — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:16:59 -0000

Rutgers talking with B1G?

According to this report, Rutgers has been speaking with the B1G, and rumor has it they would jump at the first offer from either the B1G or ACC.

Follow the Nebraska Board of Regents Meeting Live

NittanyNutz2 — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:21:44 -0000

You can follow the Board of Regents Meeting at the link provided if you are really bored this Friday afternoon.

Nearly fifty players from the 1982 National Championship team were on hand for the contest, and prior to kickoff Shane Conlan offered his opinion on the keys to the game. "Obviously we need to stop the option," said Conlan, one of the finest linebackers in Penn State history. "If we can do that, we'll be ok." Asked if he'd like to help out, Conlan laughed, "I just wish I could still run."

The Penn State defense was more than up to Conlan's challenge, holding Nebraska to 252 yards rushing and only 76 yards passing, while the Lions racked up just shy of 500 yards of total offense. Zack Mills threw for 259 yards and Larry Johnson rushed 19 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Back up quarterback Michael Robinson added a wrinkle to the Penn State offense, running four times from various alignments, for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

"Our defense was very tough," Paterno said. "We were better than we've been in a long time."

Earlier in the week, Nebraska head coach Frank Solich, who grew up near Johnstown, said he has happy memories of his Pennsylvania childhood. "I like the area, to me it's a beautiful area. Anytime you grow up somewhere in your early childhood, you always have some fond memories." Unfortunately for Solich, this was not an evening for making happy memories.

"In the second half, they put points on the board, and it just kind of snowballed,'' Solich said. "It did seem we played the game with greatly diminished energy as we fell behind."

"I think Nebraska just had one of those nights," said Paterno in the understatement of the day. "I really thought we had a shot at winning, but anyone who thinks you have a shot at winning by 30 points is nuts," he added.

Nebraska Board of Regents

You can follow the Board of Regents Meeting at the link provided if you are really bored this Friday afternoon.

"Our defense was very tough," Paterno said. "We were better than we've been in a long time."

"In the second half, they put points on the board, and it just kind of snowballed,'' Solich said. "It did seem we played the game with greatly diminished energy as we fell behind."

Nebraska Board of Regents

A long way to go

NittanyNutz2 — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:59:05 -0000

So we are #3 in the BCS again. We are still getting no love. 3 analysts with accents that make them sound like they should be broadcasting a Nascar race say that PSU isn't even as good as the big 1 loss teams. Almost nobody giving us the credit we deserve. What does it all mean?

It means that we need to take care of business and it will all come out in the wash. If we should win our last 3 games, against 3 teams that will be gunning for us like its their biggest game this year, we will be in the National Championship. I feel very confident saying that. Alabama has an easy road to the SEC Championship game, but a hungry Gator team awaits them, and I just can't see the Tide pulling out a victory. Texas Tech has a double whammy, with Oklahoma St and a trip to Norman. If either team finishes undefeated, it will be an accomplishment. If both go unblemished, well then, uh.....we're screwed.

As for the 1 loss teams, I just can't see any of them jumping us in the final poll. We'll be ahead in the human polls, and combined with our better record, that should be enough to keep us ahead in the BCS. Afterall, we're not Utah.

These next few weeks are going to be frustrating as hell, playing the guessing game as to whether we will end up in the top 2 or not. All I can say is lets enjoy this time and the excitement generated by a possible run to the National Championship!