At the bare minimum, whether they had decided to fire him or not, the BOT OWED Joe a chance to tell his side of the story, what he knew and why he did what he did.    If the BOT did what they should have did and let Joe speak......I like to picture a feisty exchange with Surma taking place sometime during that meeting that would have went something like the following:

Surma: Mr. Paterno.....that is not the information the Board wants to know......you are going down a tangent that I do not feel is relevant and you are out of order sir

Paterno (channeling his inner Al Pacino): Out of order — I'll show you out of order! You don't know what out of order is, Mr. Surma! I'd show you, but I'm too old, I'm too tired and I'm too f**kin' blind. If I were half the man I was five years ago, I'd take a flame-thrower to this place! Out of order? Who the hell you think you're talking to!? I've been around, you know?

Surma: (dumbfounded and says nothing): (crickets in background)

Personally I feel the BOT was scared Paterno would 1) say things that they didn't want to hear and 2) present a compelling lecture that made them feel like naughty school children 3) they are cowardly and afraid of him.........No other explanation for not letting the man explain himself or to fire him in person.

In case you don't know who your PSU BOT cowards are please see the list below.

Please note....both Dave Joyner and Paul Suhey played for Paterno but apparently (from Surma's admission that they fired Joe by phone) neither thought it appropriate to fire the man in person.

MEMBERS EX OFFICIO

• THOMAS W. CORBETT, JR. -- *Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• GRAHAM B. SPANIER -- President, The Pennsylvania State University (Secretary of the Board of Trustees)
• GEORGE D. GREIG -- Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
• RICHARD J. ALLAN -- Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
• RONALD J. TOMALIS -- Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Education

Note: The date in parantheses following each name indicates the year in which the term will expire. Trustees appointed by the Governor serve until their successors have been appointed and confirmed.

APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR

• ALVIN H. CLEMENS (2012) -- Past Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Provident
• MARK H. DAMBLY (2014) -- President, Pennrose Properties, LLC
• MICHAEL F. DiBERARDINIS (2012) -- Deputy Mayor for Environmental and Community Resources, City of Philadelphia; Commissioner, Department of Parks and Recreation
• PETER A. KHOURY (2014) -- Undergraduate Student, The Pennsylvania State University
• IRA M. LUBERT (2013) -- Chairman and Co-founder, Independence Capital Partners and Lubert Adler Partners L.P.
• PAUL H. SILVIS (2013) -- Head Coach, SilcoTek

ELECTED BY ALUMNI

• MARIANNE E. ALEXANDER (2014) -- President Emerita of the Public Leadership Education Network and CEO of Big Spoon Enterprises
• H. JESSE ARNELLE (2014) -- Attorney
• STEPHANIE N. DEVINEY (2013) -- Attorney at Law, Fox Rothschild LLP
• STEVE A. GARBAN (2013) -- Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations/Treasurer Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University (Chairman of the Board of Trustees)
• DAVID R. JONES (2012) -- Assistant Managing Editor (Retired), The New York Times
• DAVID M. JOYNER (2012) -- Corporate Medical Director and Partner, Occupational Athletics Incorporated
• JOEL N. MYERS (2014) -- President, AccuWeather, Incorporated
• ANNE RILEY (2012) -- Teacher
• PAUL V. SUHEY (2013) -- Orthopedic Surgeon, Martin & Suhey Orthopedics

ELECTED BY DELEGATES FROM AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES

• KEITH W. ECKEL (2013) -- Sole Proprietor and President, Fred W. Eckel and Sons Farms, Incorporated
• SAMUEL E. HAYES, JR. (2013)
• BARRON L. HETHERINGTON (2012) -- Special Advisor to the Governor, PA Department of Agriculture; Owner, B & R Farms
• BETSY E. HUBER (2014) -- Immediate Past Master, Pennsylvania State Grange
• KEITH E. MASSER (2014) -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Sterman Masser, Incorporated
• CARL T. SHAFFER (2012) -- President, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau

ELECTED BY BOARD REPRESENTING BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

• JAMES S. BROADHURST (2014) -- Chairman, Eat'n Park Hospitality Group, Incorporated
• KENNETH C. FRAZIER (2012) -- President & Chief Executive Officer, Merck & Company, Incorporated
• EDWARD R. HINTZ, JR. (2012) -- President, Hintz Capital Management, Incorporated
• KAREN B. PEETZ (2013) -- Vice Chairman, CEO of Financial Markets and Treasury Services, Bank of New York Mellon
• LINDA B. STRUMPF (2014) -- Retired Chief Investment Officer, The Helmsley Charitable Trust
• JOHN P. SURMA (2013) -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, United States Steel Corporation (Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees)

EMERITI TRUSTEES

• CHARLES C. BROSIUS -- Retired President, Marlboro Mushrooms
• WALTER J. CONTI -- Retired Owner, Cross Keys Inn/Pipersville Inn
• DONALD M. COOK, JR. -- Retired President, SEMCOR, Incorporated
• MARIAN U. BARASH COPPERSMITH -- Retired Chairman of the Board, The Barash Group
• ROBERT M. FREY -- Attorney-at-Law, Frey & Tiley, P.C.
• J. LLOYD HUCK -- Retired Chairman of the Board, Merck and Company, Incorporated
• EDWARD P. JUNKER III -- Retired Vice Chairman, PNC Bank Corporation
• ROGER A. MADIGAN -- Retired State Senator, 23rd Senatorial District
• ROBERT D. METZGAR -- Former President, North Penn Pipe & Supply, Incorporated
• BARRY K. ROBINSON -- Attorney-at-Law
• L. J. ROWELL, JR. -- Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Provident Mutual Life Insurance
• CECILE M. SPRINGER -- President, Springer Associates
• HELEN D. WISE -- Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Programs and Secretary of the Cabinet, Governor's Office
• BOYD E. WOLFF -- Retired, Owner and Operator Wolfden Farms
• QUENTIN E. WOOD -- Retired Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Quaker State Corporation
• EDWARD P. ZEMPRELLI -- Attorney

NO RESPECT!   Reading through some of the articles on Rivals, ESPN etc. you would think Penn State is 1-6 rather than 6-1.  All of these articles belittle the 6-1 mark due to the lack of quality opponents. None of those articles mention how PSU was in the Bama game and how a call here or a made play could have tightened things up.   None of those articles speak to how Bama smoked Arkansas and Florida worse then PSU, yet both of those programs retained their top 25 ranking.  It's not just the media either......our own fan base this year (including many posters on this site) was questioning (after the Temple game) if the 2011 Lions would even become bowl eligible this year.  To go along with that, there has been a lot of fear raised about the NW game this week, especially with Persa at the helm.  Could the Lions lose.....sure.....but given the way the D has been playing along with the special team play of  Fera, Powell, Sukay and crew the fanbase should expect to win.  Sure the W's are ugly but  most importantly they are W's and not L's.  

The 2011 Lions are exactly in the position they should be in and likely will be 7-1 heading into a home game with Illinois.  This despite an offense that brings back memories of the days when the forward pass was frowned upon.  No one likes this kind of O......not the coaches.....certainly not us the fans and definitely not the media.  It is in fact one of the big reasons that PSU gets no respect ( that and the media's long-running bias against Paterno led programs - 1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, 1994 - 5 undefeated seasons yet only on NC out of that grouping)!  Though we might not like the ugly football that is being played we need to recognize that if this team continues to play tough D and to protect the football, PSU should be in every game the rest of the way out.   Not saying we will be favored or even win all of them but given the growing confidence of the team  coupled with better OL play and a good kicking game we have a good competitive chance. 

Now I am sure this type of talk will lead to the usual Blue Kool-Aid or PSU homer responses......but if you have watched any of the remaining teams on the schedule up to Wisconsin you should like PSU's chances. Illinois, Nebraska and OSU are all very beatable (yes even with our inept passing game).  Wisconsin has looked impressive in all their games so far but I think this weekend will give everyone a better gauge as to where the Badgers stand.  Even assuming a loss to the Badgers though, will the media still have a total lack of respect for the Lions?   Will the fanbase still assail Paterno and continually ponder the date of his ouster and his replacement?  My guess is that the answer to both of those questions is yes......and that is sad.  I am on the Believe in D train and I want more of you on that train with me!   Fire up your grills this weekend.....drink a ton of beer, whiskey, sangria whatever on Saturday and prepare yourselves for a good ole' fashion Defensive whoop down on Saturday night!  After all....WE ARE.......LINEBACKER U!

 

McNugget is not a D-1 QB.  He continues to make BAD throws which have finally have been exploited by OSU!   We are actually luckey several more throws were not picked!    There is a reason this kid only got offered scholies by I-AA schools.  I am not hating btw because I played I-AA ball.  BUT....you have to realize where you belong and McNugget does not belong leading the Lions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I would have actually felt much better if we lost by the same score with Bolden.   We invested in the future and then we quickly bagged on that investment with NW.......not a smart move! 

 

I think someone had a fan post about this award earlier but wasn't sure.   Currently DC is 4th in the online voting about 3000 votes behind Jake Locker.   With the traffic BSD gets it would seem like we could easily overtake Locker if everyone made a daily vote with Clark.   It only takes a minute to register and vote....please pass this along to anyone you know in the Nittany Nation.

http://www.voteobrien.org/

Did anyone else watch the Boise St./Tulsa game last night and cringe when they realized Boise is likely going to end up in a BCS bowl.   They are not a top 5 team nor even a top 10 team.  Their biggest victory is an overrated Oregon team that will lose at least two more games (and should have lost to Big 10 bottom dweller - Purdue).  Though PSU's  OOC is weak at least we have to go through a decent conference scheule including the likes of Iowa, Michigan, OSU and M. St.   Even Minny this week is not a gimmie game.

Seriously there is NO WAY Boise belongs in the BCS.   Yes a team like Boise or Utah may garner and occasional victory.  Even a blind squirrel finds a nut on occasion.  The point is they do not belong in the elite bowl games until they play and succeed in a schedule that requires them to succeed against quality opposition week in and week out.  I guess the question is why do Poll voters succomb to the trend of putting a team like Boise in their top-10?   If the polls are actually supposed to be a guage who the top teams in the country are, Boise has no place in the top 10 of any poll and certainly no place in the BCS discussion.

For those of you living in the Peach State that don't keep up with the Atlanta Chapter, below is information that I copied from the August newsletter.   Would definitely be great to see some PSU tags cruisin' around the ATL!

PSU License Plates in Georgia – You asked, we’re delivering with some help from one of our members. If you are interested in getting a Penn State license plate or two... we need 1,000 commitment! Please contact Brad Willard at galicenseplates@psuatlanta.com. We will be creating a list of interested parties to follow-up with once Georgia approves our request.

Thought I would pass this along to anyone that may be in Atlanta this Saturday...

(copied from PSU Atlanta Club site)

BLUE-WHITE GAME AT FAMOUS PUB - Saturday, April 25th, 2:00 pm

We have finally been able to verify that the Blue-White game will be shown streaming on the internet and that we will be able to transfer the feed over to the big screen, sound and all. Come join us for a relaxing afternoon to get a sneak peak at the team and see some friends you haven't seen since the Rose Bowl. Game time: 2:00 pm.

 

WE ARE....

Multiple news sources in Atlanta are reporting that Phil Fulmer is hanging it up at the end of the year.  Stokes was a solid UTenn commit as long as no coaching changes occurred.  Fulmer's departure changes everything and I would not be surprised if PSU gets back into the mix for this kid really quick!  It would be nice to have him and Brown come in with Felder.   A new Freshman trio for 2009.....how great would that be?

I know there are BSD bloggers out there with no love for JoePA....but give the man his due.   PSU is firing on all cylinders as we are hitting the stretch run of our schedule.  We all hope the Lions take care of business this week for our showdown in Columbus.  Chances for a BCS or possible NC game appearance look good as long as the team stays grounded!

Which brings me to my point in all this....  Let's recognize the man that has taken us to the promised land twice already (along with multiple other occasions when PSU got F'd 68,69,94 amoung others)!

Here is the link for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year......let's make sure that if this is Joe's last year (God forbid...unless he so desires) he goes out on top!

http://www.coachoftheyear.com/?&src=COY;ESPN

 

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1144&CID=848489

OJ McDuffie quote from Steve Megargee article regarding Paterno contract status:

"Obviously with what he's done for the university, he deserves to be able to go out on his own terms no matter what," said O.J. McDuffie, an All-America wide receiver in 1992 who ranks second in school history with 1,988 career receiving yards. "They've already tried to get rid of Joe a few times. I know for a fact they have tried to get rid of Joe a few times, and it's ridiculous to try to get rid of a man who's done so much for the university off the field and what he's done on the field.

"Three years ago when (former quarterback) Mike Robinson was here, we're one game away from playing for the national championship. And you're trying to get rid of the man? It doesn't make any sense. He's still bringing in some good recruits. It's sad. It really is sad. It's personal to me."

Gotta Love OJ and respect what he has to say about the old man!

 

I am sure that Mike will have this up soon, but LJ Sr. landed another top recruit out of the State of Maryland today!  4 star DE prospect Sean Stanley gave his verbal to the Nittany Lions today.  This recruiting class is shaping up nice for JoePa given his recent dealing with the administration.  A good year on the field by the team is really going to tie Spanier's hands!  Also let's give it up for LJ Sr. who is just dominating the recruiting seen in Maryland this year!

We ARE!

This DA has now gone after two football players with dubious facts for rape/sexual assualt.  Does everyone remember the Scott Paxson situation?   Now we have a situation with Austin Scott where the accusor had a history of false accusation and apparantly was on top of Scott!  Couple those accusations with the DA not pursing charges against any of the students involved in pushing Scirotto's girlfriend to the ground and sucker punching AS (they all received summary offenses) while pursuing felony charges against several players involved in the aftermath including Justin King (whom by ALL reports was acting as a peacemaker) PLUS charging Baker for the HUB incident which he was obviously not apart of (or PSU would have kicked him out of school) and you have get a sleezy DA who needs to be reinged in!  In the latest round of incidents involving PSU players the same DA has had two indictments thrown out by Judges when seeking charges.   What does he do....refile charges and accuse the Court of being biased.  One of the articles about Scott indicated that he may sue the Commonwealth due to the actions of the DA.  I for one hope he does.   This joker in Centre County is just as bad as Mike Nifong was in the Duke incident.  He continuely ignores important facts and evidence to serve his own agenda of securing national headlines!  I hope the PSU community that was so quick to condem Scott (including JoePA)will support him if he chooses to undertake such an endeavor.

I am still one of the non-believers who believe Proyer will end up as a Buckeye next year.   Considering the eligibility that Devlin has ( and if necessary Brackett could be brought back to QB ) I do not think that will be a problem given the talent that is available in the 2009 recruiting class.  That said I would still love to get Pryor and it has been rumored that he may be visiting PSU this weeked, Saturday or Sunday, depending upon the results of his HS basketball game.   Does anyone have any additional information on whether this visit is a for-sure thing?

A lot of bitching has been done about JoePa on this site and others.   I have discussed the head coaching situation with a lot of people here in Atlanta and it seems to me that there is no consensus on Paterno's future past 2008.  I personally think Joe has done so much not only for Penn State football but the University as a whole that he should get to leave on his own terms when he wants to.  He certainly should not be run out by a yahoo like Spanier!  There seems to be a short memory on a lot of PSU fans these days!  2005 (Big Ten Champs at 11-1 and we got F*d as always by the officials at Michigan, but for that... PSU may have been playing Texas for the Title) 2006 - 9-4, 2007 9-4.   Although I agree the last two years have been disappointing, those are not the kind of numbers that make you run a coach out of town....let alone Joe Paterno!  As for this season and you Tom Bradley lovers....to me the defense was the biggest disappointment.  Illinois was a debacle and If defense didn't blow a 17 pt. lead against MSU, Penn State is probably 10-3.  Also, I would ask who Penn State going to hire for $500,000.00 a season?  RR "scum of the earth" signed with Michigan for about 2 mill a year.  Any coach worth bringing in to replace Paterno is going to cost the University major dollars!  So....If Spanier does suceed and fails to renew Joe's contract who does PSU bring in?  On my knees praying to heaven....PLEASE not TOM BRADLEY!  I personally like Schiano (though many of my family members disagree).  He is a smart guy (Bucknell grad)with ties to the Penn State program and has the ability to generate a lot of enthusiam.  His FL (U of M) ties should also help generate a larger recruiting base.  Although he has turned down Michigan and Miami, I have reliable information that he WOULD NOT turn down Penn State.  It is said that PSU is the ONLY school he would leave Rutgers for!  But.....if not Schiano.....who's next?

Poll

Who's Penn State's next head coach?

36%

Tom Bradley

33 votes

0%

Ron Vanderlin

0 votes

5%

Larry Johnson

5 votes

44%

Greg Schiano

40 votes

0%

Jim Grobe

0 votes

13%

Other

12 votes

90 votes | Poll has closed

Tate is apparently out according to everything all over the internet....so who does PSU go after?
Do we have a legit shot at Dunn, Jenkins and Davis or will the Lions look elsewhere (maybe at Safeties or Corners given the uncertainty of Lynn)? Also I know someone posted this before but how many scholarships are available?  I heard 18 earlier in the year but King leaving opens one up. Also if Baker, Timmons and Harriott go that would leave additional slots to fill.  I feel the class is good this year but that PSU started slowly and is not finishing strong.  

The lions always used to snag at least one or two recruits out of the sunshine state.  With OJ McDuffie having huge pull in the South Florida area.....why isn't our recruiting coordinator (MMcQ)attempting to bring some sunshine state speed up to PA?  Also has anyone noticed that Maryland and Rutgers are signing a lot of highly touted recruits from Jersey, MD and Virginia that were not even on the PSU board?  What gives?