Two separate but related comments...

First, the actions of the Board of Trustees last night regarding Coach Paterno feel reactionary and petty - a final power play against a man who they've been trying to remove for years.  While the grand jury results were released this week, we've all known about the allegations and the seating of the grand jury for quite some time - all the BoT posturing this week should've been done months ago if they really cared and weren't just fighting a PR war. 

That's water under the bridge this morning...  Hopefully the BoT will be removed as well...  Nothing can repair the lives of the real victims, but slash and burn throughout the community is not a restorative plan either.

Moving on...

Coach Paterno will forever be linked to and tainted by this scandal - right or wrong.  Its up to us to make sure that the ideals of Paterno's Grand Experiment remain intact.  Success with Honor sounds hollow now, but it is still something that we as a community should stand behind and continue to try and embody.  We've had one face at this university for a long time - now that responsibility falls to the rest of us. 

I'll be out on Saturday supporting my team... see ya there

Dear BSD family,

I regret to inform you that I tried to get creative with my aforementioned tailgate drink recipes.  It was not enough to just do some research, find a great (or dangerous) drink and post it here for all to read and anticipate the fun to come on Saturday.

Oh no... that wasn't enough.  I had to make a video. I had to create characters.  I had to try and be funny... With a Mexican Vampire Ghost and an effeminate football player stein.

There might be something wrong with me...but check it out after the jump and see what you think.

Continue reading this post »

I'm putting the final touches on my planning for the 2011 season...

Figured out which game is for roommate reunion/camping trip...

Got the kids in the shade with our new tickets...

Dialed in lodging and got a dog-sitter...

But I'm most excited about my contribution to our tailgate this year - Drinking with the Enemy

Every game this year, I'll be making a signature cocktail for the group based on our opponent and its starting to look pretty sweet.  Maybe a little bourbon heavy (Is that really a weakness?) but spanning a nice range of colors and taste profiles.

I'll post the list today and then I'm going to shoot for a running series that includes recipies and me doing my practice mix and volume production for each week.  I've tried to include some drinks I never heard of so I'm not 100% sold on any of them and am more than willing to accept suggestions - you try coming up with a drink for the Sycamores...

Wish me luck...

2011 Tailgate Cocktail Menu

Indiana St Sycamores - Blue Drink - basically no better time to drink the blue kool-ade than now, supposed to be a jolly rancher in a glass

Alabama Crimson Tide - Alabama Slammer - only no-brainer on the list

E. Michigan Eagles - Eagle Eye - passion fruity deliciousness

Iowa Hawkeys - BlackHawk - could taste like dirt, hard to know at this point

Purdue Boilermakers - Boiler UP - boilermakers were too easy, plus I needed something with Jaeger in it

Illinois Illini - Orange Champagne Punch - so smooth it drinks itself

Nebraska Cornhuskers - Cornhusker Deluxe - Grain alcohol, bourbon & Tabasco... Man I hate these guys

Met the mailman at the box today to get in some college football action before the all star game tonight.  Here are my quick thoughts about the team, the game and stuff in general - for no particular reason - with no authority or weight.

Gameplay - Much improved over 2010, not much over 2011.  The game feels great, looks great and I noticed that running backs and linebackers seemed to easier to control.  Best part was watching my linemen actually seeking out defenders to block on long runs so it wasn't just me vs 11.

Features - Started a dynasty and you can design a coach like you used to design players - cool, but not very many options.  I didn't have a fleshed out plan for the conference realignments and it was a little clumsy to invent on the fly so I had to go off line, figure out the conferences I wanted to make and now I have to get back into the game - this is probably the part of this years game I was most anticipating.

Penn State - McGloin is starting but Bolden is a crazy stud running and throwing on the run - I'll definitely promote him.  Silas Redd is a total BEAST - running over people or just juking them totally out of their shoes.  One game in and Justin Brown was a difference maker and Devon Smith is a BURNER.  Makes me want to head to vegas...

That's all so far... TV got hijacked for Despicable Me... blasted childrikens...

Emme vs Michigan man (via brubby21)

I've posted pictures about the "Fan-Forming" we've been working on with our two little kids and I think we've reached a new level of complete Penn State indoctrination.

Here she is at a friends house who happens to be a Michigan fan... She's like a little rabid dog - She saw the blue and yellow and took off crazy town on that dude.

In fact I may have to tone it down a bit...  Hopefully she's not a danger to herself and others

The upgrade portion of the STEP seat changes start this week I think (I go next week) and I was hoping to put together a little spot where people could describe how the process was working for them. 

So after you finish your part of the upgrade process drop a comment here and let us know about any foibles, peculiarities or other intel that might be useful to make this go as smoothly as possible.

And why don't I throw in a poll for fun...

This was a transition year on and off the field for our Lions and for me.  We went from an upperclassmen led team with some fire but no killer instinct to... eh, I'm so down about this year right now I just need to let it go for a couple weeks to let it all congeal into some sort of hate/hope goo that sits on the bottom of the baking pan of my fandom.

What was really important this year for me was the opportunity to fully integrate my two kids into my blue and white lifestyle.  We had season tickets this year - for the first time in forever - and my 2 and 3 year olds went to every game with us... 

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I never made it through a whole game in my seat...

I never got to see the Phyrst Family or hit the bars after the game...

I had to spend as much time apologising for inadvertent kicking as cheering...

I saw more Tailgreat cheerleaders than Tailgate chuglines...

And my daughter got a new boyfriend...

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As we all watched the McFavre train implode on Saturday, the high pitched WE ARE PENN STATE cheers at the house softened the blows a little and reminded me that passing along my love of a great university and passion for a singular way of doing things is one of the important things...

So is looking where you're throwing the ball over the middle, but that's a different story...

I  have pretty realistic expectations for the season - 3 losses probable, but in every game - and I'll go out on a limb and predict a victory at Alabama just it case it happens.  Nobody remembers when you were wrong...

Anyway... the reason I'm so excited about this season is because it is the first time in 15 years I'm back within driving distance of State College and I have 4 season tickets so the whole fam damily can go to the game.  I never got to go to a live game till I was a freshman but seeing the excitement on my 3 & 2 year olds faces and we read Hello Nittany Lion and listen to Blue Band & Glee Club music.... its intoxicating to think I'm brainwashing a new generation of Nittany Lions.

Check out baby girls inspirational message... and lets get ready for a great season

I haven't been around in a while because I left TX and moved to Maryland for a new job.  The downside is a pretty big upheaval for the fam but the upside is I can finally get and USE season tickets.  Ticket office called me today and I got my 4 tix. 

I've got a regular tailgate at the Beav but I'd love to buy some beers for BSD'ers this fall.  Somebody pick a game, find a spot and I'll bring the lager.

The LSU/PSU hating in my house is ratcheting up this week.  My kids got LSU sleeping bags from their Baton Rouge based aunt & uncle.  I've hidden all the purple and gold clothing my poor children could be tricked into wearing and I've also confiscated enough Penn State stuff so that they'll be properly attired when my wife tries the same trick. 

I've got my last case of imported Yuengling from the summer in the fridge and I"m going to get some ribeyes shaved down for cheesesteaks.

But the most important tradition of preparing for a big game like this for me is the official PS3 game simulation.  Went through it last night and it played out strangely enough just like I had the game in my mind:

PSU gives up TD on opening kickoff to superhuman lsu ESSS EEEE SEEE SPEEEEED and poor special teams of course.

PSU responds with a long TD pass to Zug but only after DC gets demolished by LSU DLine twice in a row off play action.

A couple of punts traded, then DC makes a bad decision at the goal line and LSU intercepts a pass intended for Royster which leads to LSU FG.

A big sack on DC and LSU gets one more FG before the half.  - PSU 7 LSU 13.

PSU switches gears for a more run balanced attack and cruises down the field for a TD to open the 2nd half.

Danton Lynn picks off a poorly thrown ball by JJ and PSU goes quick strike to Moye to bring the lead to 8.

PSU loses contain on a 70 yard screen pass which turns into a quick hitter to the back at the goal line and two missed tackles for a 5 yd TD.  The Mad Hatter goes for two and the tie (halfway through the 3rd qtr)  and is stuffed by Sean Lee & Lavarro.

PSU has time consuming drive for TD and gets the two pointer.

LSU down 10, and driving with about 2 minutes on the clock - Danton Lynn gets his second INT in the end zone and runs it back for a pick six.

Final Score - LSU 19, PSU 36

Players of the game Royster & Lynn

Key parallels to real life:

• PSU line had a difficult time when LSU brought more than three or used play action BEFORE setting up the pass with the run
• LSU fast wideouts on quick hitters or screens were the toughest to defend and got the majority of their yards
• Dug a deep special teams hole with poor coverage on kicks and minimal returns.
• Crazy coaching decision to go for two too early by LSU led to riskier play calls in 4th qtr that were capitalized on by BBDB defense

Overall, its just one game, but man it felt just like what I expect from the game.

The wifester wasn't able to get off work so my LSU/PSU bowl dream is over.  However I do have two tickets in hand if anybody can use them.  I figured I'd ask here before putting them up on Ebay.  The only problem with them is they're on the LSU side (insert LSU wife backstory here) Sec 220 Row V.

The LSU ticket office was kind enough to include 2 SHEETS of these stickers to wear while in orlando including an insert telling you precisely how to wear your stickers.

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If you want the tickets (face is $80 per), let me know right away.  My email should be in my profile.  First come first served or I'll just ebay them tomorrow.

Its a slow week at work...

With all the stuff going on lately - ticket changes, Bowden leaving/Paterno legacy, BB trending etc - I've been wondering what exactly I expect from my beloved university and what they should expect from me.  Maybe something like a two way mission statement that doesn't come out all PC & douchebaggy.  Success with honor, but more specific and defined.

Here's what I've come up with so far -

Penn State should expect me to:

• Support the academic, arts and athletic programs with investments of both time and money
• Actively demonstrate university pride while being a good ambassador
• Critically evaluate university actions to maintain and advance high standards

I should expect Penn State to:

• Provide the tools and opportunities for every student to excel in their chosen endeavors from football to physics
  
• Insist on high ethical standards for staff and students
• React swiftly and fairly to correct outliers in performance and perception throughout the university community

Comments?

I readily admit that I'm not as up on basketball as I should be, but I try and catch the games when they show up on TV - especially the WWL.  Last night seemed to be exactly like every single game I watched last year... Struggle - Blow up for big points - Brick fest & Questionable clock management down the stretch to just about wring defeat from the jaws of victory.

Besides the tradition, etc... what exactly is that spark that separates the middle of the road squads (which is a status I'm glad to have achieved, sort of) from the consistently good teams?  We have facilities.  We have money.  We lack an urban location that might be an issue, but I wouldn't really consider the Research Triangle an urban jungle either. 

Is it simply a matter of coaching/recruiting?  Don't get me wrong - I'm not bashing the current crew, lord knows its been a slow steady improvement the last few years.  But if you could drop a half bajillion dollars on the second coming of Dean Smith, would it help?

Just trying to edumacate myself here - what do you guys think?

The casual fans are gone, the Big Ten season's done...

Nothing left to do but wait till January 1.

This year left us all wanting a little more

But its far better than 2003 or 2004.

So raise your glasses BSD'ers, enjoy the holidays

Saint Joe and the boys will be back soon to make the bad guys pay.

Merry Thanksgiving... I like my turkey deep fried and stuffed with bacon!

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Time to put the power of the interwebs to work... I have a pretty decent collection of Penn State stuff I've acquired through various sundry means through the years but I just missed a poster on Ebay this weekend that is now driving me insane.

I think its from an 80's Playboy college girls issue or maybe just something local that got released - who knows.  I'm trying to figure out where to look to find another copy.  Picture from the listing after the jump.

On a related note, there was a poster in the old Pizza Hut on College Ave that I'm looking for too.  It was a group of players (probably oline or dline) but they were all muddied up and you couldn't even see the numbers.  Very cool.  I was able to find a poster that looks like it came from the same series that just shows one player but I've never been able find the full shot.

Thanks for all the help I'm sure to get...

Continue reading this post »

A few weeks ago I posted some questions about the bourbon trail and got some good feedback so I thought it would be appropriate to update on the trip... since there's still too many days till Zug begins his ascension to complete trancendence.

We only had a day and a half in KY and one of those days was Monday.  Apparently KY closes on Monday.  3 distilleries weren't open, half of downtown Bardstown was closed but we went to Makers Mark, and got in a quick 9 holes at My Old KY Home State Park.

MM was beautiful - like somebody painted a picture and then plopped it in the middle of a tiny valley.  The tour was cool but not very in depth.  Tasting after included some white dog (distilled and pre barrell) as well as the real stuff.  Definitely picturesque and the wifester really enjoyed it.  The staff was extra friendly and went out of their way to make us an anniversary presentation bottle on the spot.  And of course dipping your own bottle in wax was cool too.  My ambassador barrel will be ready next spring so I can't wait to get back.

Tuesday we made reservations at Woodford reserve for the Corn to Cork tour.  Absolutely fabulous.  Just us and one other couple with a tour guide for 2.5 hrs (compared to about 45 mins at MM).  We saw everything.  EVERYTHING.  Coolest part was pulling a pitcher out of the fermentation vat and then distilling it in their lab.  We tasted at every stage in the process and even got to hammer the bung into a barrell.  SUPER HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Well I've gone on way too long, but thanks to everybody who offered suggestions for the trip and I'll have some cool pictures to post tomorrow - including a ride through SEC country and a scouting report on the Tuscaloosa area we went through on the way home.

I tried searching through the archives but couldn't find what I was looking for...

Does anybody have a link to the PSU soundset for last years NCAA 09 game?  Basically the audio file and when to insert it to make the perfect Beaver Stadium Experience...  I've already wasted too much time at work making playable rosters for the 73 and 86 teams along with a bunch of alternate jerseys and stuff and was hoping I could find a shortcut to glory on the sound setup.

Also, I know there was talk last year of an 09 league on xbox live - not sure how it turned out - would anybody be interested in a PS3 dynasty for NCAA 10 this year?  I'll voluneer to set it up if people are interested...

Well kiddies, thanks for all your help.  My design, Stand with the Colonel, won second place (no word on which loser beat me yet) in the KFC Chari-T shirt contest.

I appreciate all the support and votes and hope that you remember poor little Beer League Designs for your next graphic design or logo project.  We're now award winning... sort of.

I am now celebrating my years worth of chicken - which I hope comes in a giant truck - and our #1 party school ranking with a syrupy sweet bottle of Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka with Bourbon.  Half a 1/5th down, half to go...  I'm not sure I like it yet, but what goes better with vodka than bourbon?

I have a fledgling graphics design company and one of my designs was just named a national semifinalist for a KFC charity shirt.

The voting will be open from today till July 26th at KFC CHARITY SHIRT

I'm entry #6 - Stand with the Colonel

If I win I promise to convert a significant portion of my winnings into bacon for distribution to the BSD masses.

Plus I'd get free KFC for a year so anybody who runs into me gets free chicken and more importantly delicious chicken skin... its the best part.

Came home from work yesterday and lo and behold my fancy WAPS was waiting for me in the mailbox.

I only had a chance to glance through it but it looks AWESOME... tons of pictures & graphs and the articles look really good and the few I read were really well put together.  I've never been a big preseason mag guy because they always tended to disappoint.  But this might just change my outlook and give me something to look forward to every summer.

I hesitate to offer my first born but maybe I can sacrifice a slab of bacon to the monster in my tummy in honor of the BSD crew and the other folks who put this thing together... no since angering the football gods this early...

Congrats and I hope it sells enough copies to seriously upgrade the grotto

After lots of good discussion from my last post about a possible realignment and playoff system, I've come up with another one that gets 'football factory' schools a 7th home game and allows more connectivity between conferences with additional ooc games.

The downfall is an extra week of the season and the eventual champ and runner up will have to play 16 games.

First - divide the teams into 7 MAJOR (12 teams each) conferences and 4 Minor (9 teams each) conferences.

Each major conference is split into divisions and plays 5 division games, 3 opposite division games and 4 ooc games.

7 conference championships and a play in championship between the "best" non-conference championship contender and the "best" minor conference team - choose any method you like to pick the "bests" - if you can't win your own division you shouldn't get to argue.

Week after the Conf Champ games - first round of the playoffs at the top four seeds home field (seeding by some sort of super fancy committee) - losers eligible for bowl games.

Bowls proceed as normal with orange & rose as semi finals and sugar the week after as a championship game.

Here are the conference alignments

This is kind of a dead time in my little Penn State-centric college football world when my mind is generally drawn to perfect world dreams of a beatiful bowl/playoff hybrid system were nobody gets screwed (unless they want to) and everybody has a chance for a TRUE  National Championship not a MNC.

However, I realize that some people would consider this the ranting of a crazy man in the wilderness and wouldn't be interested.  So, I put it to the group - if anybody is interested in a discussion about ideal world post season solutions let your voices be heard and I would be glad to share my rantings as well - maybe together we can come up with something worthy enough for derision from the BCS fat cats.

I'm sitting here watching all the recaps of a great day in college football and I switch over to BTN and what do I hear...

Penn State wins a SHARE of the Big Ten...

Ohio State wins a SHARE of the Big Ten...

Seriously... I understand that we both have the same conference record but why is there NO conference tie breaker.  Yes, there are a series of Rose Bowl tie breakers but why in the world should we have to share the conference title (again) with tOSU when we beat them during the season and had a better overall record than them (again). 

I love my team and am very proud of the entire program though its hard not to be a bit disappointed in the way the loss played out... but I really, truly, seriously hate the Big Ten.

and everybody that buys one of those tOSU big ten champions shirts...

Sorry for the rant... just had to get it off my chest...

Mea Culpa

All year I had been true to all of my superstitions... every blasted one of them.  Only blue for home games (white out exception of course), only white for away games.  Lucky football present and never hitting the ground during the game.

But yesterday it all went a little wrong.  I was out of town for work and I ended up wearing my BLUE 1986 championship shirt - what hubris - until I could get home right before the game.  Then, in a move I will regret forever, I let my wife talk me into wearing an LSU shirt under my white 21 jersey.  I went with it since they were playing Alabama and I figured it would be just like cheering for Penn State in another different kind of way.  But the plain truth is that I overlooked Iowa.  Just like in 1999 when I bought tickets in the Minnesota section for THAT GAME. 

Let my guard down... pure and simple. 

I'm sitting here over 12 hours later still feeling a little dead inside. 

Someone please tell me its not my fault.  Tell me the football gods didn't decide to visit my house and inspect my superstition levy.  Tell me it was strange playcalling in bad weather.  Tell me it was uncharacteristics drops on the few catchable balls.  Tell me it was a doppleganger defense that for 3 drives made a craptastic loser into everybody's all american.

Just please... somebody tell me it wasn't my fault.