Let's Geaux State! Congrats to the Penn State football team on being 2010 Capital One Bowl Champs!!! What a great win for our seniors, the team, and the Big Ten. It was an up-and-down roller coaster type season and there's nothing better than ending the season with a W. JoePa has done it again, an 11-win season is nothing to laugh at, especially playing in the Big Ten. (See article below for more on that). For Daryll Clark and his senior class, they ended a very successful career on a high note, they deserved nothing less. A new era is coming in Happy Valley and I am pumped. Period.
I would like to preface the upcoming thought by saying, yes, I am a very huge Penn State fan and love Joe Paterno. But, I am also a huge college football fan, so there may be a tinge of Penn State bias, but I'm saying this as a college football fan for the most part. I love Penn State I can't help it!
The Urban Meyer saga has brought a lot of attention to college football coaching in the past week. The story goes that Urban Meyer is taking a leave from Florida because his health is failing due to the stress caused him by coaching at UF. A coach having health issues due to the rigors of coaching sports...a game for goodness sake! Personally, I think it's simple: Urban Meyer can't handle it, the health issues are good distraction, but I digress. All ESPN is talking about is how much stress is put on coaches at these high level "football factories." It's a shame. Not that these guys are under that much stress, but that it has come to this. The issue at hand is that College Football has become something that is bad for your health. Yikes! To Florida's fans, only National Championships are good enough them, the so-called upper echelon of college football fan, I feel bad for Meyer. If Urban Meyer loses a game and they don't win the Nat'l Championship, he's gotta be rushed to the hospital. Again I say, Yikes! It's coming out that UF Football is his life and that he sleeps in his office and watches film 24-7. That's great, it's nice to see a committed coach who loves his program and has some loyalty. I can respect that.
But, the reason he is having these health problems is that Urban Meyer has built nothing to fall back on if he loses a game at Florida. When he showed up there, he made his program about winning, nothing else. And by-golly, he's done it well. He's brought in kids to play football and that's it. Wanna dispute me on that? Check it out --> http://deadspin.com/5428266/uf-football-not-about-to-get-any-classier . Do these recruits really want to attend class? Maybe, but only if they can bring their 9 millimeters and make it rain on their sociology professor. And building your program to do nothing but win is fine, but don't sell out if you lose a game. He signed up for this. Meyer could have built a program that would have been about more than football, so don't say the stress is too much when your own experiment bites you in the butt. He's a great coach, I've heard a lot of great things about him, and a lot of not great things. But Meyer's decision to take a leave of absence is interesting, and brings up a great point...
What I meant about having nothing to fall back on if you lose a game can be summed up in 3 words: The Great Experiment. Joe Paterno's attempt to see if you can have both a successful team on the field and in the classroom. At the end of the season, Penn State had the highest graduation rate in the top 25, 89%, 14 points higher than the next highest. Also, Penn State led all FBS teams with 3 ESPN Academic All-Americans. Combine that with an 11 win season and...Mission accomplished Joe! Joe Paterno has done more than create a winning program, he created a lifestyle. The Penn State lifestyle; where kids come into the PSU football program and come out as better people. I am thankful for it, my dad is my hero, and I know that Joe has helped form the person he is. I am 100% sure about that. Joe hasn't done it through specific acts, he has done it over time by building a program that is committed to class and doing things the right way. He hasn't slacked on his recruiting standards and still continues to win. So if Joe loses a few games one year, let the moron PSU fans call for his head, those who get it know that winning a National Championship is tough, and it can't be done every year (Florida made us think differently, until Meyer had to quit). Joe does more than coach football and I have to credit Meyer for mentioning how amazing JoePa is in one of his recent press conferences.
Now that Bobby Bowden (has been forced to) retired, when Joe hangs it up, college football as we know it will be over. The Urban Meyers and Nick Sabans will only stay at programs for 4, 5, 6 years before a tough year will force them out because all they're expected to do is win. This isn't an attack of those 2 guys, but more of a change in the landscape of college football. Joe has mentioned it briefly and it is happening. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's just the way it is, I love college football enough to understand that. I just wanted to make sure to give credit where credit is due, and Joe, you deserve it.
Love ya Lions,
Mike Donchez
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Big Ten vs. SEC
The following excerpt is from the Wall Street Journal's Darren Everson on the biggest misconceptions on college football. Thank you Mr. Everson!!
"One of the great misunderstandings in college football is that the Big Ten's bowl troubles are all-encompassing, that all of its teams look out of their depth against the Southeastern Conference.
"One of the great misunderstandings in college football is that the Big Ten's bowl troubles are all-encompassing, that all of its teams look out of their depth against the Southeastern Conference.
In fact, the Big Ten does just fine year after year—in the early New Year's Day bowls that no one remembers, save for the schools involved. (It's the big games that have been the embarrassment.) Over the past dozen seasons, the Big Ten is now 13-11 against the SEC in the Outback and Capital One bowls. That's a winning record over a significant timespan against upper-level SEC teams in SEC country.
This dynamic was on display again Friday, as Penn State defeated LSU in the Capital One. And even though Auburn outlasted Northwestern in an epic Outback Bowl, the Wildcats amassed 619 yards to Auburn's 425. Anyone who watched the two games would be forced to conclude that the supposedly superior level of play throughout the SEC is an illusion.
Of course, the Big Ten might've dropped both games if coach Les Miles's team were better at clock management. Down two, LSU got the ball back at its own 41 with just under a minute left, but again the offense was bizarrely inept at the two-minute drill, just as they were in a loss against Mississippi earlier this season. This is the sort of bugaboo that enrages fans—who are always inclined to second-guess coaches—and could one day imperil Mr. Miles's standing if it keeps up.
Another myth that needs to die: the belief that Big Ten teams are boring and stuck in the Stone Ages strategically. Northwestern put on arguably the most entertaining bowl performance since Boise State's classic Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma following the 2006 season. The Wildcats threw an outrageous 78 passes, tied the game on a trick-play two-point conversion that involved a reverse and a pass, and then tried to win the game on a fake field goal in overtime.
The Big Ten's year-by-year performance against the SEC in the Outback and Capital One games—which typically match the conferences' third- and fourth-best teams, since the top two often wind up in the Bowl Championship Series—suggests the depth and quality of play across the Midwest is equal to the sport's most-feared conference. If not better. The problem has been the lack of powerhouse teams at the top."
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
"The Book the NBA Doesn't Want You to Read"
As Ben mentioned in a previous article, the NBA is becoming a little ridiculous. In the summer of 2007, allegations came out about a referee, Tim Donaghy, betting on games. It was shown that Donaghy had placed thousands of dollars on games and eventually became involved in a low-level mob gambling ring. He was eventually sentenced to 30 months in jail and proceeded to write a book. (I feel like I'm the only one not writing a book these days! I guess that's why I have a blog). Well, this book, titled Blowing the Whistle by Tim Donaghy, has been released and there is a great set of excerpts available at Deadspin.com. I will leave the reading up to you guys, but I have a few things on my mind about the National Basketball Association related to the exceprts, or as my favorite writer Bill Simmons calls it, the "No Balls Association."
The first problem I have is with star treatment and how it affects the way the game is played. Something I'm glad Donaghy mentioned in his section on star treatment was the specific "relationship" between Kobe Bryant and Raja Bell. Donaghy says Bell was penalized by the league and referees for being too good! Too good! Are you kidding me? Raja Bell has the ability to shut down Kobe Bryant, who he met often and "shut down" in the Western Conference playoffs. Shut down is a relative term because there's really no shutting down the Black Mamba. But see, Kobe had some help. The league doesn't like to see Raja Bell shut down a superstar who can score 40 a game, it's "not good for business." People don't pay to watch a defensive stud like Bell, they pay to watch Kobe and Tim Duncan and most superstars for that matter, get calls and put up inflated numbers. More times than not, those who pay to watch Kobe wouldn't know a good basketball player if Bill Russell punched them in the face with a fist full of rings. For those who remember watching Jordan, there was nothing I'd rather pay for than to see him get mauled by Detroit's Bad Boys or the 90's Knicks and still put up 30. It may not be 40 or 50, but it's a magical performance seeing him earn his points. The problem with today's NBA is that these refs are directed by David Stern to make sure the game is a good show his paycheck suppliers. Sure it's fun to watch today's stars put up insane numbers, but it's not good basketball. The hand-check era is over and there is nothing to help a defender against a scorer other than pure talent; and even when that comes along, the refs are there to make sure the offense has the advantage.
Donaghy also writes about other referees he worked with and all of their evils. For example, Dick Bavetta loved the spot light more than he loved refereeing. See any problems? For one, when the referee thinks the game is less important than his face-time, he starts controlling the game instead of making sure the game stays under control. Bavetta even speaks of specific games he was assigned to work to make sure one team had a favorable advantage. Another ref, Tommy Nunez, loved the Hispanic community in San Antonio so decided that they would win a 2007 playoff series against the Suns so he could go back to San Antonio to ref. Yup! That's fair! There are also a couple accounts of player-referee feuds (and friendships) that affected games.
It's very disturbing that many of these refs have been in the league for a decade or so, and that David Stern has been the commish for even longer. This only says one thing. Sure "the NBA cares" but about dollar signs, not basketball. The reason NCAA basketball is so much fun to watch, is because those guys go out there and play hard. Not always does the most talented team win, but the team that plays good basketball and works harder normally wins. The quality of basketball has undoubtedly declined over the past few years, and something needs to change.
Don't get me wrong, there are some SERIOUS basketball players in the NBA. Chris Paul's court sense is awesome to watch. Watching Kobe slice and dice a defense (and not get a call) is spectacular. The physical dominance of LeBron. The run and gun Phoenix Suns. And Shane Battier and Raja Bell's defense that makes real basketball fans smile no matter your loyalties. I guess I'm saying that once the players are allowed to play basketball, and it's talent vs. talent, we'll re-run the glory days of Bird, McHale, Magic and MJ.
With a fade away J,
Mike Donchez
The first problem I have is with star treatment and how it affects the way the game is played. Something I'm glad Donaghy mentioned in his section on star treatment was the specific "relationship" between Kobe Bryant and Raja Bell. Donaghy says Bell was penalized by the league and referees for being too good! Too good! Are you kidding me? Raja Bell has the ability to shut down Kobe Bryant, who he met often and "shut down" in the Western Conference playoffs. Shut down is a relative term because there's really no shutting down the Black Mamba. But see, Kobe had some help. The league doesn't like to see Raja Bell shut down a superstar who can score 40 a game, it's "not good for business." People don't pay to watch a defensive stud like Bell, they pay to watch Kobe and Tim Duncan and most superstars for that matter, get calls and put up inflated numbers. More times than not, those who pay to watch Kobe wouldn't know a good basketball player if Bill Russell punched them in the face with a fist full of rings. For those who remember watching Jordan, there was nothing I'd rather pay for than to see him get mauled by Detroit's Bad Boys or the 90's Knicks and still put up 30. It may not be 40 or 50, but it's a magical performance seeing him earn his points. The problem with today's NBA is that these refs are directed by David Stern to make sure the game is a good show his paycheck suppliers. Sure it's fun to watch today's stars put up insane numbers, but it's not good basketball. The hand-check era is over and there is nothing to help a defender against a scorer other than pure talent; and even when that comes along, the refs are there to make sure the offense has the advantage.
Donaghy also writes about other referees he worked with and all of their evils. For example, Dick Bavetta loved the spot light more than he loved refereeing. See any problems? For one, when the referee thinks the game is less important than his face-time, he starts controlling the game instead of making sure the game stays under control. Bavetta even speaks of specific games he was assigned to work to make sure one team had a favorable advantage. Another ref, Tommy Nunez, loved the Hispanic community in San Antonio so decided that they would win a 2007 playoff series against the Suns so he could go back to San Antonio to ref. Yup! That's fair! There are also a couple accounts of player-referee feuds (and friendships) that affected games.
It's very disturbing that many of these refs have been in the league for a decade or so, and that David Stern has been the commish for even longer. This only says one thing. Sure "the NBA cares" but about dollar signs, not basketball. The reason NCAA basketball is so much fun to watch, is because those guys go out there and play hard. Not always does the most talented team win, but the team that plays good basketball and works harder normally wins. The quality of basketball has undoubtedly declined over the past few years, and something needs to change.
Don't get me wrong, there are some SERIOUS basketball players in the NBA. Chris Paul's court sense is awesome to watch. Watching Kobe slice and dice a defense (and not get a call) is spectacular. The physical dominance of LeBron. The run and gun Phoenix Suns. And Shane Battier and Raja Bell's defense that makes real basketball fans smile no matter your loyalties. I guess I'm saying that once the players are allowed to play basketball, and it's talent vs. talent, we'll re-run the glory days of Bird, McHale, Magic and MJ.
With a fade away J,
Mike Donchez
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Da Na Na-Da Na Na
One of my ultimate childhood memories was being so excited that it was summer vacation, because I could stay up and watch the 11 p.m. SportsCenter, rather than just catching 15 minutes of it in the morning before I caught the bus. I remember the classic set up, 2 anchors in a red, black, and silver room with a picture next to their head as the talked about the sports news at hand. It was cut and dry, and literally could recap everything that happened that day in sports. Sure, it wasn't live, there weren't a lot of breaking news updates, and virtual re-enactments, not to mention the only time you saw an anchor standing up was for the Sunday Conversation. Maybe it's just me being (kinda) old fashioned, but I miss the old ways of my favorite T.V. show.
The show is so feature-ish now that I seem to watch it way less. I'm 20 years-old now, and can stay up as late as I want, but not as often as when I was 11 do I live for the 11 p.m. SportsCenter.( I loved the ESPN ads where they showed which athlete watched which airing of the show, ex: Randy Moss watches the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, which do you watch?) Is it just me or does the PTI-inspired bar one the left of the screen seem to consist of the same 4 things, usually containing at least one of either Brett Favre, T.O., A coaching issue, or expert's opinions of the same topic over and over again. I know it's college football season but why does every third topic have to be, "What Todd McShay and Mel Kiper think of this". I don't understand why a sports news show has now been somewhat transformed into a sports feature show.
That's only one thing that bothers me though. In the words of Mike, SportsCenter has become too "Hippity Hoppity" and I know things have to change with the times, but it bothers me that it's not the show I worshiped as a kid. Also, it seems like highlights of games are cut short. If it's not the biggest game of the week in any sport, the highlights don't get past one or two hits, dunks, or TD passes. BTW as I watch right now they have had 3 segments on the Yankees, and will come back after the break with more on the World Series. Just like they have been doing recently, their going to overanalyze the game and all the random statistics that only The Schwab knows about. I feel like I get more efficient information recently from the ESPN bottom line. As far as the side bar goes, I hate it. Don't get me wrong, I love PTI and have actually grown to prefer it to SportsCenter, but I don't like knowing what's coming next. That was part of the fun when I was a kid. Me and my best friend Jeff would watch SportsCenter as if it were some kind of movie, anxious about what John Anderson or Linda Cohn were about to tell us.
That brings me to another point. The Anchors. My favorite anchors of all time are Scott Van Pelt, Linda Cohn, John Anderson, and Kenny Mayne. They all are so much better than the ones I've seen recently. I know people move on to different things, but I feel like I've seem Mike Greenberg anchoring SC more often than actual anchors. SC anchor used to be the coolest job in the world, what's happening that they can't find people to do it anymore? P.S. another current update. They just did their recap of last night's MNF matchup of the Redskins and Eagles. They showed 4 plays, and have been talking about the retraction of play calling privileges from Jim Zorn for 5 minutes. My point is they spent more time talking about sideline issues than what happened in the actual game! The Eagles played really well and they cover the game as if the 'Skins just lost the game and the Eagles didn't win.
Really, there are still a lot of good aspects to SC. I love some of the things they've added like showing little picture-in-picure interviews of players and coaches while they show the play that they're talking about. I Like that the anchors chat with viewers during commercial breaks. The fact that it's live is cool because you see the mess ups, but also I've watched a show where the anchor didn't recover from a mess up and it threw of the whole broadcast. I like that they have huge big screens in the studio now, but I hate that the anchors get up and act like their touching it like a weatherman. P.S., another update, breaking news, Andre Agassi used crystal meth while he played tennis, prepare to hear about this way more than you want to in the next few days.
I'll leave you with my Top-5 list of my favorite SC Anchor duos.
1. Linda Cohn and John Anderson
2. Stuart Scott(late 90s early 2000s, not now) and Kenny Mayne
3. John Anderson and Scott Van Pelt
4. Robert Flores without Chris McKendry
5. Steve Levy and John Anderson
Peace and Much Love, Happy Valley,
Ben
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A Snowball to the Back of the Head
At a game where the originators of the "We Are...Penn State" chant were in attendance, We Were... not a good Penn State student section. I've never been embarrassed to be a Penn State student before this weekend, but the display put on by my fellow students infuriated me and the majority of students trying to watch the game and cheer for the Nittany Lions. It was ridiculous.
I have a couple of problems with what happened. First of all, safety. It was cute that you and your friends thought it'd fun to have a snowball fight, but come on! The snow some idiots were throwing wasn't just white and fluffy, it was heavy, wet, and icy snow. That can be very dangerous, and even though I personally don't know anyone who was injured, I would bet the barn that someone was hit in the eye or face. The last thing we should worry about while attending a game is our safety (unless we cheer so hard during "Zombie Nation" the steel Coliseum known as Beaver Stadium decides to give out!). But I'll trust the engineers on that one. Sitting with two of my good friends and the rest of our row, I counted nearly ten times one of us took an ice ball to the head in a 20 minute span. That's awesome, I love getting icy cold water down my neck in 30 degree weather. Not.
The entire Penn State sideline had to take their attention away from the game and make sure they weren't whacked with a snowball. All of the alumni (those who paved the way for us!) and cheerleaders on the sideline were the majority of victims being hit. Ki-Jana Carter looked like a flashback to the 1994 season, except instead of shaking defenders he was shaking off snowballs from some punk. Do you kids even know who he is!? He's the reason you love Penn State, he's one of the guys that has made us all fall in love with Penn State football and cheer like we do. I don't think he or any of the other alumni enjoyed the attack of the snowballs. Then, as Penn State was driving in the second quarter some geniuses though it a good idea to try and hit the Minnesota players and the refs. Great idea. One, we could get a penalty against our team. Two, the referees would most likely not be happy about that and forget to blow the whistle on some holding calls against Minnesota. And three, the Minnesota players don't need that crap. They're out there trying to take on our Nittany Lions and some jerk in the stands thinks it's funny to whip a snowball at them. Either way though, the snow probably doesn't even phase those Gophers! The weather on Saturday was like Hawaii to them.
It took two announcements over the PA system as well as our captains and starters to come to the student section and yell at you to stop. What are you, 5 years old? If you want to tell Jared Odrick it's fun to throw snowball and you don't care what he says. Go for it. And good luck...
The worst part about the snowball episode was after the snowballs stopped falling. During half-time the 1946-1947 Nittany Lion football team was honored. For those of you not at the game, the 46-47 Lions were the originators of the "We Are...Penn State" chant. They stood up to racism and segregation by declining to play (and lodge) without their black teammates and let the country know that Penn State doesn't stand for that. They let the country know that "those who came before us and those who will come after us have some respect for all and pride". So to those of you who wanted to impress your friends and throw snowballs, before you clapped for those elder Lions, you should have thought about what they stand for and if they would have approved your actions. And before you decide to do something stupid again remember the pride we carry as Penn Staters. Many of is don't want to be associated with students who disrespect others and shame our school. So next time you or a friend are about to do something that would give Penn State a bad name, think for a millisecond, and remember that We Are...All Penn State and what you do will reflect back on your school.
(Still) Love ya Lions!
Mike
I have a couple of problems with what happened. First of all, safety. It was cute that you and your friends thought it'd fun to have a snowball fight, but come on! The snow some idiots were throwing wasn't just white and fluffy, it was heavy, wet, and icy snow. That can be very dangerous, and even though I personally don't know anyone who was injured, I would bet the barn that someone was hit in the eye or face. The last thing we should worry about while attending a game is our safety (unless we cheer so hard during "Zombie Nation" the steel Coliseum known as Beaver Stadium decides to give out!). But I'll trust the engineers on that one. Sitting with two of my good friends and the rest of our row, I counted nearly ten times one of us took an ice ball to the head in a 20 minute span. That's awesome, I love getting icy cold water down my neck in 30 degree weather. Not.
The entire Penn State sideline had to take their attention away from the game and make sure they weren't whacked with a snowball. All of the alumni (those who paved the way for us!) and cheerleaders on the sideline were the majority of victims being hit. Ki-Jana Carter looked like a flashback to the 1994 season, except instead of shaking defenders he was shaking off snowballs from some punk. Do you kids even know who he is!? He's the reason you love Penn State, he's one of the guys that has made us all fall in love with Penn State football and cheer like we do. I don't think he or any of the other alumni enjoyed the attack of the snowballs. Then, as Penn State was driving in the second quarter some geniuses though it a good idea to try and hit the Minnesota players and the refs. Great idea. One, we could get a penalty against our team. Two, the referees would most likely not be happy about that and forget to blow the whistle on some holding calls against Minnesota. And three, the Minnesota players don't need that crap. They're out there trying to take on our Nittany Lions and some jerk in the stands thinks it's funny to whip a snowball at them. Either way though, the snow probably doesn't even phase those Gophers! The weather on Saturday was like Hawaii to them.
It took two announcements over the PA system as well as our captains and starters to come to the student section and yell at you to stop. What are you, 5 years old? If you want to tell Jared Odrick it's fun to throw snowball and you don't care what he says. Go for it. And good luck...
The worst part about the snowball episode was after the snowballs stopped falling. During half-time the 1946-1947 Nittany Lion football team was honored. For those of you not at the game, the 46-47 Lions were the originators of the "We Are...Penn State" chant. They stood up to racism and segregation by declining to play (and lodge) without their black teammates and let the country know that Penn State doesn't stand for that. They let the country know that "those who came before us and those who will come after us have some respect for all and pride". So to those of you who wanted to impress your friends and throw snowballs, before you clapped for those elder Lions, you should have thought about what they stand for and if they would have approved your actions. And before you decide to do something stupid again remember the pride we carry as Penn Staters. Many of is don't want to be associated with students who disrespect others and shame our school. So next time you or a friend are about to do something that would give Penn State a bad name, think for a millisecond, and remember that We Are...All Penn State and what you do will reflect back on your school.
(Still) Love ya Lions!
Mike
Friday, October 16, 2009
NBA to allow traveling?
I read a story on ESPN.com today that really took me back. According to this article, the NBA has put into writing, a rule that would allow players to take 2, yes I said it, not 1 but 2 steps after gathering the ball. Now, I know the professional sports leagues have been making rule changes for a while now, and trying to adjust the rules of the game to the way it's played these days, but THIS IS DOWNRIGHT RIDICULOUS. I know rule changes, and additions are necessary because of the ever changing nature of sporting events, but how can you change a rule that is one of the basic, fundamental rules that the game of basketball is built off of. This rule change is essentially allowing players to travel on what would be normal basketball standards. I really believe that this needs to be reconsidered. From what I know it's just in writing now, so I am guessing it will still need approval, and hopefully the basketball Gods will wake up and say, woah woah woah. In light of this projected rule change, I thought of a few other rule changes that might make the game a little more easier and make Jimmy Naismith roll over in his grave.
- No over and back- players can cross back over halfcourt after they have already brought the ball across it.
- Only one foot in bounds needed-Only when both of a player's feet cross the boundary line are they technically out-of-bounds resulting in a turnover.
- Shots beyond the arc are now worth 1/2 point, others are worth 1/4 point, and dunks are worth 10 points.
- Double dribbling is now allowed- You may pick up the ball at any point, and then start your dribble again at any time.
- The game no longer starts with a Jump ball. One player from each team will now have a rap-battle at half court, and first possession is decided by an applause-o-meter that may or may not be already rigged so that the home team wins.
You might be thinking these are a little ridiculous, but hey why not continue to change the fundamental nature of the game while we're at it?
Don't get me wrong. I am all about the creation of new rules to ensure safety in the ever changing nature of the game, but even some of these rules put on by the leagues (i.e. the Hines Ward rule) are a little ridiculous.(OK so maybe I'm Pittsburgh biased). Traveling is a violation that has been around since the game was created, and I really feel like these are the ones that the league's shouldn't touch. If they continue to make these changes, they might as well change the name of the game too.
Professional sports change a lot over the years. There's no doubt that the way people play the game now is way different than when it was created, but every sport has its fore fathers, and the rules that they made. Rules like these are the foundation of the game, and like those of houses, are necessary to remain intact (and not altered).
Besides, the only person I ever rooted for to travel and get away with it, is long retired. He wore #23 and played for the Chicago Bulls.
For The Love of the Game,
BWB
Friday, October 2, 2009
"...Penn State has the classiest fans in the Big Ten"
So I may have came down hard on some Penn State fans in my last post. While I don't take those words back, I do want to say that they are a minority of the culture at PSU. I just received an article from my dad, Tom, that is a testament to the fact that Penn State fans are the most stand-up and genuine fans you can find. It is by a writer for The Daily Iowan, Jon Linder, about his experience at Beaver Stadium on that dreadful, rainy night. Thanks for the kind words Jon, and be sure to check out this article!
http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/09/30/Sports/13236.html
MWD
http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/09/30/Sports/13236.html
MWD
Monday, September 28, 2009
Iowa at PSU (9/26/09)
Anyone on Penn State's campus with a pulse, even those without, have noticed over the past few weeks the vibe and mounting excitement surrounding the Iowa weekend. Arguably the biggest tailgating weekend of the year and easily the second biggest game of the year, second only to Ohio State. The only reason I give the nod for biggest tailgating Saturday is the fact that Penn State students, faculty, alumni and Hawkeye fans (even with a late start time of noon) have more than 7 hours of tailgating with an hour available to watch pre-game warm-ups. With that amount of time to get yourself riled up, who can deny the fact this is a BT (big time) weekend. Yes, the OSU kick-off time hasn't been announced yet but we will most likely get a 3:30 or 4:30 kick-off. That said, can anyone argue the aura surrounding game day at Beaver Stadium?! This weekend was the perfect testament to the fact that Penn State tailgating is second to none. In the horrible weather we come to love as Penn Staters there was a massive turnout of more than 300,000+ fans to tailgate from the early hours (8 a.m.) to right before kickoff. The aerial seen of Happy Valley must be breathtaking on game day: cars and RVs for miles in each direction and Penn State pride emanating from each one. The craziest thing is, Beaver Stadium only holds 110(112),000 fans, so what do the rest of the 200,000+ fans do? Keep tailgating of course! No where else is the excitement of a football game enough for people to tailgate in the pouring rain for hours on end without tickets. Love it.
Iowa. Oh, Iowa. With the Hawkeyes, it was more than just beating us the last 6 of 7, it was the heartbreak of last year's loss they handed us in a sloppy game that ended all hope for a BCS National Championship. Ferentz has JoePa's number? Doubt it. Maybe it's the pink locker rooms of Iowa that mess with your mojo heading into Kinnick Stadium? Who knows? But it was tough, JoePa says we can't dwell on it though so I won't. So I say this is this second biggest game of the year (ahead of Michigan and behind OSU) because a loss of that magnitude isn't easily forgotten. Ask Michael Robinson: 2005 at Ann Arbor, about 2 seconds gets put back on the clock near the end of the game, why? No one has a GOOD reason. Nonetheless, with a little under 1 seconds left in the game Chad Henne rifles a ball to Mario Manningham on a slant into the endzone, game over, bye-bye National Championship hopes. Tough losses, the only losses of promising seasons, don't go over well. Ohio State is always huge because they represent all that is wrong with college/college football :) and it's our biggest rivalry. And Michigan, they're the new West Virginia, no doubt they are a good team and their offensive scheme is tough to beat, but it's Rich Rodriguez. Gotta beat him
The stage was set: Lee and Kirk had made their picks, liquor and beer (of course not in glass bottles) was saturated into the thousands of tailgaters just like the unrelenting rain. It was game time, 8 p.m., Beaver Stadium, Whitehouse. Yo.
If you want a synopsis of the game, check out the coverage on ESPN.com. I'm here to rant, not to give you highlights of the game you shouldn't have missed.
It wasn't a normal Penn State loss. It was sloppy. JoePa's teams don't lose sloppy, if you're going to come into our house and beat us you need to earn it. Was it ugly? You better believe it, there were students in the stands calling for Daryll Clark's head (more on that later). But a blocked punt!? You gotta be kidding me. Sound special teams are a PSU staple. And Royster fumbling and dropping a pass that lead to an INT?! That never happens, he is the most fundamentally sound RB in the country. Clark had a sloppy game, tough. It happens. Sometimes it's not your day, and Saturday wasn't the Nittany Lions day. So what? It was a wake-up call and Joe Paterno's teams don't pack it in. But it happened and Iowa knocks off 5th ranked PSU. Did we deserve to be ranked 5th? Probably not, but then again that brings up the discussion of "should rankings not come out until the 3rd week of the season?" I believe the answer is "NO," but with all the money (and we know it's all about the money) that hippity-hop ESPN and other sporting-news companies brings in through marketing and debating over the rankings, a delayed system will never happen.
Southern Cal (and Pete Carroll) have made a name for themselves losing a game a year to a crap Pac-10 team and yet, at the end of the year they are said to be the best team in the country. I don't agree that they're the best each year, some years, yes, but not always. But what do all their losses have in common? They lose early in the year. Voters forget about it because it's easier to make up ground after and early season loss. My point is that Penn State is just fine. Last year we lost late, that'll kill you. We win out in an underrated Big-10 and this season is a HUGE success given the talent we lost after last year. We won't make it to the National Championship due to the lack of respect given to the Big-10, but a BCS birth makes this loss bearable, somewhat.
More on the the students calling for Clark's head. SHUT UP. Nothing makes me angrier than you and your 150 pound frame yelling to our star players that they have no right being on a football field. Obviously you know better than 2 of the longest tenured coaches in the history of college football (Joe and Tom Bradley), that's why you're in the stands. I understand the die-hard fan who wants to hold their beloved team accountable, but it's different when you curse at the players like they can hear you. Football is a simple game, yes, but by no means is it easy. These are some of the best athletes in the country, they had a tough game, but if you think you can do better, strap up and walk-on.
Coach Paterno's big motto is "act like you've been there before," same to us fans. The guys who curse at their own college team are the same guys who haven't been there before. And it makes it obvious when you make a fool out of yourself in the stands. Your friends won't think you're any cooler if you curse out Evan Royster and say you could do this or do that better than him. And if they do, find new friends. All the greats (of sports or what have you) are understated and humble. So are we PSU fans, we cheer hard and we're behind our team. We're Penn Staters, we don't flip off opposing fans and we don't call out our players. That's what makes us the program that's been honorable forever and kids want to play for.
Welcome again to the STATEtorialist and enjoy!
For the glory....
MWD
Iowa. Oh, Iowa. With the Hawkeyes, it was more than just beating us the last 6 of 7, it was the heartbreak of last year's loss they handed us in a sloppy game that ended all hope for a BCS National Championship. Ferentz has JoePa's number? Doubt it. Maybe it's the pink locker rooms of Iowa that mess with your mojo heading into Kinnick Stadium? Who knows? But it was tough, JoePa says we can't dwell on it though so I won't. So I say this is this second biggest game of the year (ahead of Michigan and behind OSU) because a loss of that magnitude isn't easily forgotten. Ask Michael Robinson: 2005 at Ann Arbor, about 2 seconds gets put back on the clock near the end of the game, why? No one has a GOOD reason. Nonetheless, with a little under 1 seconds left in the game Chad Henne rifles a ball to Mario Manningham on a slant into the endzone, game over, bye-bye National Championship hopes. Tough losses, the only losses of promising seasons, don't go over well. Ohio State is always huge because they represent all that is wrong with college/college football :) and it's our biggest rivalry. And Michigan, they're the new West Virginia, no doubt they are a good team and their offensive scheme is tough to beat, but it's Rich Rodriguez. Gotta beat him
The stage was set: Lee and Kirk had made their picks, liquor and beer (of course not in glass bottles) was saturated into the thousands of tailgaters just like the unrelenting rain. It was game time, 8 p.m., Beaver Stadium, Whitehouse. Yo.
If you want a synopsis of the game, check out the coverage on ESPN.com. I'm here to rant, not to give you highlights of the game you shouldn't have missed.
It wasn't a normal Penn State loss. It was sloppy. JoePa's teams don't lose sloppy, if you're going to come into our house and beat us you need to earn it. Was it ugly? You better believe it, there were students in the stands calling for Daryll Clark's head (more on that later). But a blocked punt!? You gotta be kidding me. Sound special teams are a PSU staple. And Royster fumbling and dropping a pass that lead to an INT?! That never happens, he is the most fundamentally sound RB in the country. Clark had a sloppy game, tough. It happens. Sometimes it's not your day, and Saturday wasn't the Nittany Lions day. So what? It was a wake-up call and Joe Paterno's teams don't pack it in. But it happened and Iowa knocks off 5th ranked PSU. Did we deserve to be ranked 5th? Probably not, but then again that brings up the discussion of "should rankings not come out until the 3rd week of the season?" I believe the answer is "NO," but with all the money (and we know it's all about the money) that hippity-hop ESPN and other sporting-news companies brings in through marketing and debating over the rankings, a delayed system will never happen.
Southern Cal (and Pete Carroll) have made a name for themselves losing a game a year to a crap Pac-10 team and yet, at the end of the year they are said to be the best team in the country. I don't agree that they're the best each year, some years, yes, but not always. But what do all their losses have in common? They lose early in the year. Voters forget about it because it's easier to make up ground after and early season loss. My point is that Penn State is just fine. Last year we lost late, that'll kill you. We win out in an underrated Big-10 and this season is a HUGE success given the talent we lost after last year. We won't make it to the National Championship due to the lack of respect given to the Big-10, but a BCS birth makes this loss bearable, somewhat.
More on the the students calling for Clark's head. SHUT UP. Nothing makes me angrier than you and your 150 pound frame yelling to our star players that they have no right being on a football field. Obviously you know better than 2 of the longest tenured coaches in the history of college football (Joe and Tom Bradley), that's why you're in the stands. I understand the die-hard fan who wants to hold their beloved team accountable, but it's different when you curse at the players like they can hear you. Football is a simple game, yes, but by no means is it easy. These are some of the best athletes in the country, they had a tough game, but if you think you can do better, strap up and walk-on.
Coach Paterno's big motto is "act like you've been there before," same to us fans. The guys who curse at their own college team are the same guys who haven't been there before. And it makes it obvious when you make a fool out of yourself in the stands. Your friends won't think you're any cooler if you curse out Evan Royster and say you could do this or do that better than him. And if they do, find new friends. All the greats (of sports or what have you) are understated and humble. So are we PSU fans, we cheer hard and we're behind our team. We're Penn Staters, we don't flip off opposing fans and we don't call out our players. That's what makes us the program that's been honorable forever and kids want to play for.
Welcome again to the STATEtorialist and enjoy!
For the glory....
MWD
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