SB Nation User Blog: carolinaeasy

Hey Nascar Country!

carolinaeasy — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:57:36 -0000

What you guys do not like being refered to as Nascar country? I remember a few Caniacs jumping all over Pittsburgh fans for calling Canes fans "Nascar fans". But it now appears that the perception is not exclusive to Steel town devotees.

"It was, you can hit, but you're not allowed to ... like we say in NASCAR country, there's no rubbing allowed," Maurice said.

The full article can be found here.

Tough to shed a stigma when your own folks are presenting that image to the northern media. I guess you guys need to write a "This is how you get back at a Canadian" post.

Pens Fan Coming to Game 3

carolinaeasy — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:02:24 -0000

I am a Pens fan living in South Carolina (I am PA transplant) and I have never been to a game in Raliegh. Are there any tips you regulars could give me about my trip?

I am looking to know several things.

How is traffic coming into the game? Is it easy access to the arena, or should I arrive four hours early?
Is the arena tailgate friendly, I am a Steelers and PSU fan so I have a pedigree to maintain.
If it is not a tailgate friendly zone, what resturants, pubs, or bars are located with in a block or so that are hockey friendly?

Thank you for answering ahead of time, and I really anticipate a great series.

Explosive Words From JoePa

carolinaeasy — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:39:06 -0000

Explosive Words From JoePa

You can read the article, I am not going to insult your intelligence by rehashing the whole thing here. But Joe may have fired a few shots at a deserving Big Ten oligarchy. I think it is great Joe is calling people out on the issue of expansion. It needs to be done and until it is done we will always be looked upon as a mid tier conference by the SEC and Big 12. Take a moment and read the article then post your thoughts, this could shake up the status quo if the media really pushes the issue.

Edit: Rittenberg has jumped on the story and essentially points out that this is more evidence that the Big Ten does not embrace Penn State.
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-336/Paterno-alone-in-crusade-for-Big-Ten-expansion.html

Has Penn State found a new Southern Pipeline?

carolinaeasy — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:42:01 -0000

I live in the deep south. This is a land of SEC football, and Baptist Churches. Throw in an occasional gator or snake, a few trips a week to the golf course (year round mind you) and you pretty much understand my life. I have lived here in the deep south for neary 4 years. When I moved here 4 years ago PSU football was a joke to these people. They would scoff and say about how slow the Big Ten is and chant something about southern speed, blah, blah, blah. But thanks to a couple of good seasons on the gridiron, the success of the white out, and the Rose Bowl people know who PSU is again. That seems to be a big help because recently PSU has started actively recruiting my local area. Three athletes from two local schools have been recruited and offered by PSU. CB Bashaud Breeland of Allendale-Fairfax, and a pair of lineman recruits out of Bamberg Erhardt high school, AJ Cann and Justin Henderson. This is the same school that has produced Ricky Sapp and Daquan Bowers, both of whom have produced at the D1 level. Although Henderson is now a Kentucky commitment it is still exciting to see PSU recruit here.

In the four years I have been here I have seen or heard little about PSU recruiting in this area. All of a sudden the local media is making a big deal about PSU recruiting here and people are asking me all sorts of questions. Breeland's team will play the team I coach for in the second game of the season, I hope to speak to him there and maybe run into him at a few summer passing league deals. But the Lions are definetly interested in the deep south again, and not just the cities either.

D. Givens reaffirms his commitment...

carolinaeasy — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:04:28 -0000

I just saw this in today's copy of The State newspaper from Columbia, SC. . You can find the information towards the bottom of the page, but in summary it says Darrel Givens will skip his scheduled trip to the University of South Carolina, because he is staying with his commitment to Penn State. I know that there has been alot of concern over this in the past few weeks, so this article should come as a relief to many. I was never really concerned with him leaving, but then again Spurrier is a slickster so who knows what could have happened if he had actually went on that trip.

Looking for tickets to a Steelers game...

carolinaeasy — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:45:32 -0000

I am coming home for the holidays and since I cannot go to Cali for the Rose Bowl (thanks honey!), I am going to try and go to the Steelers game on the 28th against the Browns. If anyone has tickets they would like to sell please contact me through here and we can work something out, I really don't want to turn to Stubhub if I can avoid it. Thanks in advanced....

Yours in Zug,

Carolinaeasy.

Hi Folks...

carolinaeasy — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:39:01 -0000

Lifelong Steelers fan here who grew up in central Pennsylvania. I recently moved south to the Carolinas and miss my Steelers. I am a regular over at blackshoediaries , but I have been lurking here for awhile, but finnally decieded to join up. I have a question for everyone, I am coming to PA for the holidays and thought about going to the Browns game on the 28th. I do not have tickets at this moment and really do not want to buy from stubhub. As folks who presumably go to the games regularly I was hoping you folks could inform me of the avaliability of tickets (from scalpers) and what a typical game like this will cost for nosebleeds. Basically as cheap of seats as I can get to get into the stadium so I can budget the cost into my checkbook for the holidays.

Thanks for all of your help in advance.

Why the Big Ten Hate?

carolinaeasy — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:57:32 -0000

For about three weeks now I have been telling everyone who would listen one simple thing: the Big 12 is overrated. I usually get the same response from just about everyone, including Big Ten fans, that I am nuts. But the past few days I have been really thinking it through. The obvious reason I feel the conference is not any good is the lack of defense in the conference. We are, as Mike so aptly put it, arbitrarily attaching value to teams based upon that team(s) body of work in conference this year. Somewhere, somebody got the idea that the Big 12 was “the” conference this year. They were supported by the gaudy offensive numbers, the star studded names, and personalities that litter the conference. But where has the defense been all season? How can you say the number 1 team in the country is the same team that gives up 24.5 points per game? Just because they beat Texas Tech, 26.25 points per game? Just because they beat Missouri? Please 27.5 points per game! The only "good" defense they faced was Texas who gives up 18.5 points per game. Guess what that result was! Someone needs to dig up a Greek philosopher so we can get someone to use reason here.

Well based on the above someone will jump in here and say you’re a Big Ten fan your conference sucks. The reason we suck? The most common answer is the Ohio State flops of the past two years. Is that the reason? Really? We penalize a whole conference because of two seasons worth of flops? Someone must have forgot about this, and this, and this, and this. Let us see; since 2005 the number one team in the nation is 0-4 in the BCS including two back to back BCS championship flops, a loss to Boise State, and to West Virginia. In those 2 BCS championship games they were out scored by 43 combined points. Ohio State in the past two years lost by 41 combined points. Not much of a case there OU fans. Don’t bring up that National championship in 2000 either, Ohio State got one in 2002. Also how do you explain the 2007 Fiesta Bowl? Or the 2008 Fiesta Bowl when they lost 48-28 to WVU? I am not sure you can. But that won’t stop the pundits from proclaiming the Big 12’s dominance and the “weakness” of the Big Ten.

I just wish that people would be fair in their assessments of teams. Too often people take the trendy, style point rich teams and inflate their value. The reasoning that puts the one loss Big 12 teams ahead of any one loss Big Ten team is off base and lacks supporting evidence. Too bad most of the world has forgotten articles like these.

ACC Better than the SEC? A Familar Columnist Says So!

carolinaeasy — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:10:39 -0000

Those of you may remember my outrage a few months back over this crap. Well our favorite South Carolinian Columnist is back and has a rather interesting article and arguement in today's edition of The State newspaper. To basically sum up the better parts of it: Top to bottom the ACC is better than the SEC this year. Yes read that again a writer in an SEC town says that the ACC is better than the SEC this year. Mr. Morris actually did a little research to help his claim as well. It is hard to believe that someone in the media would actually put forth a legitimate arguement against the SEC, let alone someone from Columbia, SC home to the Gamecocks. The truth is the truth, but I doubt we will ever hear an "expert" on tWWL mention this, what with this being a reality for the next 15 years. I thought some of you would like to see this article.

Coverage Maps for Iowa Game

carolinaeasy — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:40:44 -0000

For all of you out there who do not live north of the Mason Dixon line here is this weeks coverage map. Looks like we will all be happy Nittany Lion fans because ESPN is going to cover the game anywhere it is not on ABC. Now they just need to win!

For a full look at this and all of the coverage maps for Saturday go to http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=coveragemaps2008