Advice for traveling Nits from a PSU and NU alum

happyvalleytom — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:38:14 -0000

I did my undergrad at Penn State and my master's at Northwestern. I'm on my way Thursday to Chi-city. Anyone who asks me "Who ya' rooting for?" this weekend is getting shot. If you are also heading to the 312 this weekend, here's what you need to know:

1. There is no Yuengling in Chicago. That nearly inspired me to burn that city to the ground like it was 1871 all over again.

2. Stay the f--- away from Evanston. There is no reason to be in Evanston unless you are at the actual game. Stay in Chicago and get to the game on the El. Evanston is like State College with no bars, no attractive co-eds, no soul.

3. If you must be in Evanston, the one bar (ok, there are actually three bars in Evanston that I know of) that has a pulse is Tommy Nevins. The crowd there on a Friday is like the Cafe 210 on a Tuesday night.

4. Tailgating in Evanston is tough. Your best bet is to hang out in Wrigleyville and stagger to the game on the El. Give yourself about an hour to get to the game.

5. Chicago ain't friendly territory for The PS. In Wrigleyville, the lone Penn State-friendly bar is the Dark Horse on Sheffield.

Finally, tickets will be available. I just bought three of them for $60.

Stewart Mandel

happyvalleytom — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:17:30 -0000

Stewart Mandel just had a Road to Damascus moment. He now picks Penn State to return to the Rose Bowl with Ohio State not even qualifying for any BCS bowl. This is great news. Stewart Mandel knows his stuff, as he has devoted his entire being to college football and has never, ever touched a girl.

"That thing I said last week about Penn State being overrated? Forget it. Never happened. The Nittany Lions outgained Akron 344 to 8 in the first half of a 31-7 win (all 31 points came in that half), and it seems Daryll Clark and his new receivers are getting along just fine."

SB Nation User Blog: happyvalleytom

Advice for traveling Nits from a PSU and NU alum

Stewart Mandel