Maybe you've read this. If you haven't and have the viewpoint that the media is out to get Penn State and Joe Paterno, don't read it. Some of you are probably annoyed that I'm even linking it. But, things are little slow at work and I just feel like talking about this. I also know where this conversation could turn so consider this a test for all of you. I'll start by saying a few things: -From the day this whole Sandusky thing broke, I've been okay with just about any opinion on the subject. You think Penn State should drop football? Cool. You think Joe Paterno did everything he should have? Fine. -I have no problem with Joe Paterno being fired. -Football is too big of a deal at Penn State. And in State College too. -I live in State College. I enjoy living here. Okay, let's take a look at this Newsweek piece:

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Four months after his death, Joe Paterno remains a martyred saint here.

That didn't take long. Hyperbole, oversimplifcation, generalization. There are plenty of people in this town who flat out don't like Joe, and/or think he blew it with regards to Sandusky. Acknowledging that we don't know everything and never will, based on the information we have so far, I personally think he didn't live up to the standard he had set for himself. He could have done more.

For helping expose the alleged crimes and, by extension, the secretive Penn State culture that may have facilitated them, he became a hero to many Americans. But here in Mount Nittany’s shadow, where the resulting tumult has factionalized a small town and a large university, he’s an outcast, a villain, a traitor.

I very clearly remember McQueary being ripped apart by more than one national pundit. A hero? Hardly. My experience? People I know here have gossiped about McQueary and some things in his personal life that don't paint him in the greatest light, but an outcast/villian/traitor? I haven't seen that. I know people have seen him around town, and have commented on how shaken he looks. But, maybe the author talked to a lot more people than I interact with and has reason for this conclusion. More on this later.

A day later, sitting at a kitchen table in the old coach’s house, he did so, ultimately triggering an earthquake of events that included not only Sandusky’s arrest but Paterno’s once-unthinkable dismissal

This is fine. I can kind of buy that. There were clearly other things that happened. But, I don't have a huge problem with this.

Residents here continue to believe the black clouds now stationed over their town might have blown away if only McQueary had contacted police that night. Had he done so, they insist, Sandusky, the 68-year-old ex-coach accused of molesting at least 17 young boys, might have been stopped long before he was

What exactly is wrong with thinking that? If McQueary had called the police, things would be different. And it's only residents of State College who think this? Yes, we "insist" that Sandusky "might" have been stopped. Huh?

"There had always been a kind of cocky quality to Penn State students and to the whole atmosphere there," said Marci Hamilton, a Penn State graduate and child-advocate attorney who filed the first civil lawsuit in the case on behalf of a youngster known only as John Doe A. "That’s gone. This is still a good place, a morally good place, but there’s a lot of self-questioning going on."

This is fair. I think many Penn Staters have been taken aback by all of this. Do I wear my PSU gear in public? Can I make fun of another school's grad rates? All very real and human responses to something like this. Not sure how this quote supports the insistance that State College considers McQueary a villain. But, I'll keep reading.

Now, as the dog walker neared McKee Street, where Paterno’s widow still lived in the house bordering Sunset Park, a silver Honda slowed alongside. A window in the vehicle lowered and a muscular arm emerged. The young driver raised his left hand and pumped its middle finger furiously in McQueary’s direction. As the agitated dogs barked at the departing car, their master walked on impassively.

Ok, here we go. So this is the first example of many that prove the point about State College, right?

Within days, the besieged trustees fired Paterno and president Graham Spanier, 2,000 students rioted, and the world got a disturbing glimpse of a secrecy-obsessed university that seemed more concerned with football than the well-being of children

Agreed. It was disturbing. To all of us.

Because of the juxtaposition of such disturbing crimes with the school’s squeaky-clean image, and because of Paterno’s national reputation as the conscience of college sports, the scandal-generated debates were deeply felt and vitriolic, pitting neighbor against neighbor, student against student, and virtually everyone against the trustees.

Kind of true. Willing to accept this at this point. Hoping for more on the "neighbor against neighbor" angle.

"It’s bizarre how the mountains just kept everything inside," said Bill Moushey, a veteran journalist and the coauthor of a new book on the scandal, Game Over: Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, and the Culture of Silence. "That was always part of the place’s charm. But when you apply it to something like the Sandusky scandal, it’s all somewhat unnerving."

Oh, I see where we're going here.

Already, the town is beginning to fight the battle over Paterno’s legacy. "Joe is the real victim here," wrote one reader with the screen name "OneIron User" in the online comments section of the local newspaper the Centre Daily Times, after a May story sympathetic to Sandusky’s victims. That prompted a reply and a not-uncommon theory from "BuckRogers": "A jury from Centre County will acquit Sandusky and throw the alleged victims under the bus, just because the villagers believe (in the Bizarro world of Happy Valley) that it will restore the good name of the region."

Ok, here we go. The author is giving us a glimpse of the mentality in the town. So he, talked to...oh. He pulled comments from a CDT article? I see.

As Paterno’s boosters stand up on his behalf, Sandusky’s alleged victims appear sidelined, or worse. At a January memorial service for the late coach, Nike chairman Phil Knight drew the loudest ovation from the 12,000 attendees when he defended Paterno for having done his duty in passing on McQueary’s story to his superiors. "Whatever the details of the investigation, this much is clear to me," Knight said. "If there is a villain in this tragedy, it lies in that investigation and not in Joe Paterno’s response." Neither Knight nor anyone else at the lengthy ceremony mentioned Sandusky’s victims.

You know, it's possible to defend Paterno and also show empathy for Sandusky's alleged victims. That's happened in many conversations I've had with people. I also don't see why the memorial service was the place to stand up for the victims. By the way, Phil Knight doesn't live in State College and didn't go to Penn State.

There are even those who question the victims’ motives and stories.

Asking questions is something people should do. What is this writer's problem with understanding the nuances of human behavior?

The sentiment against alleged victims is so common here that prosecutors in February requested that the Sandusky jury pool come from somewhere beyond Centre County, where the school is located. It’s almost certainly why, in what was a complete reversal of form for a high-profile case, defense attorney Joseph Amendola fought—successfully—against a change of venue. "That tells you how strange this whole case is," said Moushey. "I’ve covered a lot of high-publicity trials over the decades and most of the time it’s the defense that wants to get out of Dodge."

Yeah, this is crap, and ultimately what bothered me the most about this piece. So common? What is this based on? The guy in the Honda? The CDT comment? Even the victims lawyer says "some, though certainly not all, Penn Staters." Moushey seems to be the person pushing this thought the most. I know he wrote the book, but maybe someone else can fill me on how much he would know about State College. If you're going to make claims like this, do a little more work in proving it. How about talking to the people of State College? Did this writer even set foot in State College to write this?

Meanwhile, festering resentment against the trustees for firing the school’s two most powerful figures—which could have been seen as a bold and brave act—transformed a recent race for three open spots on the board into a furiously contested election among 86 candidates. The three that were chosen—in record levels of voting that took place in April and early May—are all determined to polish Paterno’s tarnished legacy. Lubrano, one of those chosen, has called for the trustees to issue a public apology on their handling of Paterno’s dismissal.

I've been uncomfortable with the way some of the town halls were all about Paterno and how many trustee candidates clearly ran just because they were mad about JoePa. I'm skeptical of Anthony Lubrano. This oversimplifies things and the "bold and brave act" could easily be changed to "cowardly", but I don't have a huge problem with this part.

The university itself has tried to walk a fine line. On the one hand, a School of Communications course that had examined the relationship between the coach and the media has been canceled, while efforts to rename the stadium for the coach have been stalled, in part because the family has refused its permission and in part because administrators are nervous about what may yet be revealed.

Yeah, this is a tricky situation. And it could get uglier.

Meanwhile, McQueary has continued to distance himself from his alma mater and his hometown. On May 8, he filed a whistleblower suit against Penn State, and in June he is likely to be a key witness for the prosecution’s case against Sandusky. Virtually unemployable now in football, the 37-year-old McQueary has put his house on the market and apparently intends to start a new life in a new location

. Because everyone in State College hates him and the victims and only cares about Joe Paterno right?

I can't shake it. I'm sad for the victims. Sad for this man and the demons he couldn't shake. Sad for Mike McQueary who is getting vilified by people as if anyone has any idea what they would have done. Sad because I've devoted my working life to helping kids, especially those who are most in need. And this man took advantage of so many of them.

I want to feel other things. Mad at the way it was handled. Calm as I wait for the legal process to play itself out. Defensive towards the ignorant minority that seem to be taking pleasure in this while they call my alma mater Pedophile State University. Excited for the game on Saturday. But all I feel is sad.

I grew up outside of Seattle and often get asked how I ended up at Penn State. The easy answer is, "I was a swimmer." The real answer is, "I don't know." In the fall of my senior year in high school I was getting ready to apply to colleges. I wanted to go to a big D-1 school where I could swim, get a great education, and as a bonus have a good football or basketball toam. And the school colors had to be right too. I had always been interested in the Big Ten and the East Coast. For most of high school, I thought I'd follow my brother and go to Michigan. I remember standing in my kitchen with my dad and saying, "What about Penn State?" To this day, I have no idea why I said that. I ordered my application materials and my dad contacted the swim coach. They stayed in touch with me, I applied, got in, and took my visit in April.I was driving down College Ave with the coach and my dad and I knew this was it.

Like anyone's college experience, mine was a mixed bag. There were times I considered transferring to the University of Washington to be closer to home. But, overall, Penn State was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I met my wife at Penn State and married her in State College. I came back for my Master's and found a career. My wife and I have chosen State College as the place where we will raise our family and we now have an amazing son. Needless to say, I love Penn State.

And now this. Backing away from the Penn State angle, this is one of the most heinous and inhuman crime sprees of my lifetime. Bringing Penn State back into it, and I'm crushed. I'll move on. We all will. But right now thinking about the Nebraska game just makes me sad. I feel like I could break down in tears when the Blue Band plays the alma mater. I wonder if I'll be able to choke out We Are Penn State. Maybe being with my fellow Nittany Lions and cheering for the school and team I love is exactly what I need.

For now, I'm just sad.

I would have put this in the September ticket thread but wasn't sure if people would see it. Mods, if you want to move this feel free.

Anyway, I have a yellow parking pass for Saturday if anyone's interested. I paid $10 for it and I don't care about making money so you can have it for that price. I could meet you somewhere in SC, preferably somewhere on North Atherton (Lowes, Target, Otto's, whatever). It could be tonight, tomorrow night, or Saturday early(ish) morning.

Email is in my profile. 

Here it is. Have it out. Every old, tired, pointless argument about PSU football. All in one place for your internet arguing ease. Any argument you want to have. Some suggestions:

-McGloin didn't play against anybody VS. Bolden lacks moxie

-Stars don't matter VS. Yeah they kinda do VS. Ethan Kilmer

-Joe Paterno is losing his hearing VS. Joe Paterno doesn't listen anyway

-Jay Paterno shouldn't be blogging VS. Galen Hall's WLAF experience

-Grilled Stickies from The Diner aren't actually that good VS. The Waffle Shop's breakfast salad

-We won't be elite under Joe Paterno VS. Ohio State making fun of us for using European soccer chants and using them themselves

 

Any I'm missing?

FREE MONEY AND BEER

Now that I have your attention, I'm going to have 1 (and possibly 2) tickets available for Saturday's game. My wife is due to have our baby any day now. She's definitely not going and I may not go either, depending on what happens. So if anyone wants a ticket (or 2) for the game, let me know. I don't care about getting money for them, I just don't want them to go unused. You can buy me some beer or find some other creative way to compensate me if you really feel the need. My email is in my profile.

I LIKE PENN STATE FOOTBALL!!!!

I don't follow recruiting all that closely. When we get a commit I enjoy the sirens, but I don't generally know who we're recruiting, who else they're looking at, how other schools are recruiting, etc. That's most likely because two of the recruits I was most excited about were Antonio Logan-El and Chris Bell. So clearly it's not worth getting worked up over.

As far as this year, I'm pretty sure there's a Huggins kid that's important but that's about it. I know we only have the one commit (I think? Are there more?) at this point. That doesn't necessarily bother me because there's plenty of time. But, is it a matter of not having commits or have a good number of our "targets" have committed elsewhere? Any reason to be concerned?

We're talking about a school that fancies itself as the "Harvard of the Midwest", They really, really think highly of themselves. But with being pwned by a rival, to resorting to whatever this was yet still losing middling bowl games, to HAAAAA, to embarassing coaching searches, they've lost some of that luster.

 

But the one thing they could hang their winged helmet on was the fact that they could brush a program of our caliber aside as if we were Minnesota or Purdue. They could look down their noses and still hold onto some of that arrogance. They could belittle us and mock us and make fun of our white receivers and use our cheers against us (we own penn state) and Mike Hart could run his mouth and it made them feel really, really good. We couldn't say a damn thing to them, and it seemed like it would never end. That changed the last two years. And it's so clearly killing them.  They are even blaming the refs. What else can they hang on to? Maybe we'll see some humility from them? Doubt it. But I don't care.

 

And, no this isn't some "enjoy it while you can because Michigan will be back" kind of thing. We'll lose to Michigan again. But we'll also beat them again. And they finally have to acknowledge that. It feels damn good too.

The BSD fantasy baseball league has ended with a tie in the championship game. So.....who are the owners of the Bloodied Soxs and Longwood Taters? I think we need to come up with some sort of tiebreaker. Yeah, ESPN might have one in place, but I think the board can come up with a better one.

 

My Sofa Kings finished with a win in the consolation round. Is that like winning the Alamo Bowl?

Is there a BSD ticket exchange post somewhere? If there is, feel free to move this. But I've got two tickets to the Temple game in section NC row 48. They are aisle seats and under cover. My email is in my profile if you're interested.

 

That is what this fan post is about. It is about some Penn State football events tickets that I am looking to sell to an interested buyer of said Penn State football tickets. Temple. Penn State. Football.

A couple people mentioned interest in doing college fantasy football this year. I'd been meaning to put a league together, but have been pretty busy lately. It's kind of short notice, but I went ahead and started a league. The only issue is they give specific times on when the draft can be. So either it'd be in the middle of the day, or it'd have to be a night after the first games have been played. Regardless, it might be fun.

If you're interested, post here. I don't love the idea of posting my email address on here so maybe I can figure something out. 

ESPN Radio is doing their big V Foundation all day today. They're taking donations but are also auctioning off tons of sports packages. One is a Penn State Football package:

 

Football Happiness in Happy Valley! This package includes two (2) game tickets to the September 26, 2009 football game against Iowa at Beaver Stadium, two (2) pre-game sideline passes where winners will meet Coach Joe Paterno, pre-game locker room tour for two (2), two (2) media credentials to attend the post-game press conference, and an invitation for two (2) to Athletic Director Tim Curley's private reception and dinner on Friday, September 25th. Winner and guest will also receive two (2) Penn State White-Out t-shirts, two (2) game programs, and two (2) sets of complete game notes. Also included: a behind the scenes production tour and meet and greet with broadcast team (Note: This game will be aired at 8pm ET on either ESPN or ABC.). This experience is non-transferable. Dates and details subject to change. Ticket location to be determined. This package is for the winner and one (1) guest.

*Travel is included with this package and consists of two round trip coach airline tickets provided winners live over 250 miles from destination and one night hotel accommodations (one room, double occupancy). Rental car will be provided if bid is greater than $10,000. Winners may upgrade airline seats/hotel with rewards points etc. after travel is booked. Meals are not provided unless otherwise indicated. At least one participant in this experience must be 18 years of age or older. All participants must be at least 16 years of age or older. Participants (if a minor, his/her respective parent or legal guardian) may be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability Release, and (where legal) Publicity Release.

Starting bid: $3,000

JayPa is going to be on The Herd at 12:30 to talk about it.

So, the website on the internet that is entitled college football news dot come clearly needs a story to write. The result? Some way too early BCS predictions. You may be asking yourself-where do our beloved Penn State Nittany Lions fall in this zany fortune-telling exercise? Well.....you might just need to use your mouse to move your cursor over the link I have provided in order to find out this "information".

 

Now that's how you get to 75 words. I am not normal!

The women's swim team finished third at Big Tens this weekend. Not a bad showing, but they were quite a bit behind Minnesota, who was quite a bit behind Indiana (detailed results if you're interested). We didn't have anyone qualify automatically for NCAAs, but a number of girls swam 'B' cut times. Basically the way NCAAs works is that there are a certain number of slots for each event (I'm not sure the number and I think it's different for every event) and everyone who swam at the A cut level gets to go. Then they will invite some of the B cut swimmers if there are open slots (which there usually are). So, not bad but not great either. Both the men's and women's programs are in a period of transition and aren't what they were a few years ago. There is a whole new coaching staff and there is some reason to be excited, but the reality is until we get a new pool we're not going to get past a certain level. The new pool has been put on hold a number of times and it's really about time this happens. With basically every other sport getting new facilities, it's the swim teams' turn. And I realize that swimming doesn't bring in money to the athletic department. But, having a top notch pool would also allow us to host Big Tens and other big college and club meets, which brings in revenue, people, etc. In case you can't tell by my screen name, I have some interest in the swim teams at PSU. So it irritates me that this hasn't happened yet, especially since they've been talking about doing it since my freshman year in 1998. Men's Big Tens is this coming weekend.

 

Let's take the strugglebus back to 2004. The pitchforks were out. But, I personally didn't want Joe to go out like that. Thankfully, he's turned things around and I've generally been happy with the last 4 years. If we assume that JoePa is going to finish out his shiny new contract, he'll be around through the 2011. In 2004, I wanted him to go out on a high note and have a foundation laid for the next coach, and still feel that way. Had he left after this year, that would have been the case. But, he didn't, and that's fine. Just so long as we don't drop back into the abyss that was 2000-2004, and the next coach can come in and not have to rebuild anything. So, I thought I'd take a look at what the team will look like over the next three years. I'm using the roster PSU's offical site for eligibility (although as I'm looking at it that may not be totally accurate. They have Bowman as a freshman, but so far that's the only mistake I've noticed). I'm also including our 2009 commits, which most likely will stick, especially now that LJ is staying, and will hopefully include names like Jenkins and Brown come LOI day. Those are the names in italic. And I'm not including every single player, and some of the positions along both lines could switch.

 

2009

QB: Clark, Newsome, McGloin

RB: Royster, Green, Beachum, Carter, Dukes

WR: Brackett, THE ZUG, Moye, Powell, Price, Cousins, McDonald, Ditto,Smith, Drake, Felder, Kuntz,

OT: Pannell, Landolt, Farrell, Radakovich (I think he's a tackle) Shrive, Arcidiacono, Gress, Cadogen

G: Wiz (or C), Eliades, Troutman,Walton, Figueroa

C: Wiz (or G), Stankiewich, Barham, Howle

TE: Quarless, Shuler, Szczerba, Wedderburn

 

LB: Lee, Bowman, Hull, Mauti, Stupar, Yancich, Zordich, Gbadyu, Colasanti, Carson

DT: Odrick, Koroma, Still, Ware, Ogbu, Okoli, Massaro, Terry, McEowen, Hill

DE: Crawford, Latimore, Hayes, Lathom, Stanley

CB: Wallace, Lynn, Alfreno, Morris, Thomas (maybe WR), Givens,

S: Astorino, Timmons, Sukay, Jeffries, Hodges,Obeng-Agyapong, Willis

2010

QB: Newsome, McGloin

RB: Royster, Green, Beachum, Carter, Dukes

WR: Brackett, THE ZUG, Ditto, Moye, Powell, Price, Smith, Drake, Felder, Kuntz,

OT: Pannell, Farrell, Radakovich (I think he's a tackle) Shrive, Arcidiacono, Gress, Cadogen

G: Wiz (or C), Eliades, Troutman,Walton, Figueroa

C: Wiz (or G), Stankiewich, Barham, Howle

TE: Szczerba, Wedderburn

 

LB: Bowman (maybe-could see him leaving), Mauti, Stupar, Yancich, Zordich, Gbadyu, Colasanti, Carson

DT: Koroma, Still, Ware, Ogbu, Okoli, Massaro, Terry, McEowen, Hill

DE: Crawford, Latimore, Lathom, Stanley

CB: Lynn, Alfreno, Morris, Thomas (maybe WR), Givens,

S: Astorino, Sukay, Jeffries, Hodges,Obeng-Agyapong, Willis

More coming back than I thought for this year. Tough schedule going to Bama and Ohio State. Clearly a lot depends on Newsome's development. We also don't know what impact the 2009 class will have or what freshman will being coming in this year. Getting Jenkins looks like it could be big. Same with Paul Jones to back up Newsome. I could see this as a 8-4 type rebuilding year.

 

2011

QB: Newsome, McGloin

RB: Green, Beachum, Dukes

WR: Moye, Ditto, Powell, Price, Smith, Drake, Felder, Kuntz,

OT: Pannell, Farrell, Radakovich (I think he's a tackle) Shrive, Arcidiacono, Gress, Cadogen

G: Troutman, Walton, Figueroa

C: Stankiewich, Barham, Howle

TE: Szczerba, Wedderburn

 

LB: Mauti, Stupar, Yancich, Zordich, Gbadyu, Colasanti, Carson

DT: Still, Ware, Okoli, Massaro, Terry, McEowen, Hill

DE: Crawford, Latimore, Lathom, Stanley

CB: Lynn, Alfreno, Morris, Thomas (maybe WR), Givens,

S: Astorino, Sukay, Hodges,Obeng-Agyapong, Willis

 

Again, not enough know about the next three recruiting classes to project. Even still, seems like a good deal of talent on this roster. At least enough to produce one of those 8-4 seasons.

 

Conclusions? Hard to say. But, I don't think we're looking at a 2000-2004 type swoon, which is quality. A couple of thoughts...

-LJ coming back is huge. Seems that we'll have the  staff together during this period. Pros and cons to this, but I think mostly pros.

-2010 could be a big recruiting year. I follow recruiting relatively closely, but don't know all the players. I do know that there seems to be some excitement about the class we could bring in next year. Looking at the core players on these squads, some big time recruits could take/keep us to/at at a high level.

-Whether or not Joe finishes out this contract, the next coach will have plenty to work with.

Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

You know how people say things like "if you looked up (insert term) in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of (person who exemplifies that term)". Well, after googling the term "possession receiver" to see what the origin of the term was (that's just one of those things that I know what it is, and can give an example of it, but probably couldn't give a definition), I came across this wikipedia page. Scroll down and take a look at the one picture provided. This is a page of American football positions, and someone decided that Anthony Morelli and Austin Scott are the quentiessental American football players. I love it.