Dear Old State

Talor Battle for President

2009-03-18T12:45:00.002-04:00

This kid is DYNOMITTTEEEE (see what I did there? I pretended to be J.J. Evans)

Well that was awkward

2009-03-18T07:05:00.004-04:00

I disagree with some of the things that the NCAA mens Basketball selection committee did on Sunday - but, nonetheless, they provided me with one of the single greatest moments of hilarity when they proved how awkward it can be when two white men arent in sync when going in for the "handshake." I blame it entirely on the loser in the track suit. This guy is all over the place. He leads the other guy into thinking this will be a simple handshake but then quickly switches it to a shake slap which guy on the right was not ready for and once track suit realizes that he abandons it altogether and goes into a convulsion leading to what I believe to be an attempt at a rare elbow pound. Now the loser in the pleaded khakis is not free of blame here. He actually baits track suit into a fist pound which fails miserably. Then the old corpse in the suit has obviously seen enough and gives tracksuit a "friendly shove" while reminding him that he is white and to quote "knock that shit off."

Is this a joke?

2009-03-17T11:22:00.003-04:00

yea yea I dissapeared again I realize that - so what. Plenty of stuff has happened since I last wasted my time writing here but one thing stood out and is the reason I came back.

The video below is of U.S Congresswoman Corrine Brown...she represents the great state of Florida - and they should be proud of her. Every Floridian should rejoice and praise the heavens that this illiterate fool is your pajama wearing representative to the U.S Congress - yes even Corch Irving Meyers, Percey Harvey and the rest of the Championsip winning Gator. Glad to see there was no pressing matters of higher importance that allowed this bumbling moron to embaress herself for nearly 4 minutes.

All I can say to this is: "what I just heard was one of the most insanely idiotic things I've ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything considered a rational thought. Everyone in that room is now dumber for hearing it. I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul."

unbelievable

Sweet 82!

2008-12-17T19:29:00.002-05:00

As most of you know JoePa will be celebrating the big 8-2 this Sunday and in honor of that some very dedicated and loyal people have created Joepabirthday. So everyone head on over there and upload your stories, images and videos of Joe Pa for all to see - who knows, you might even win something!

We Are...Penn State

2008-12-17T17:52:00.005-05:00

Ever Wonder where the cheer came from?

Watch. Enjoy.

How We Are Penn State Came About

We Are...Proud

Thanks to There is no name on my Jersey for posting the link

Christmas comes early for Penn Staters!

2008-12-17T17:24:00.004-05:00

Well we as Nittany Lion fans certainly have been treated to some early holiday treats this week. First, JoePa was rightfully given a 3 year contract extension to remain (hopefully) on the sidelines through the 2011 season. I think I echo the sediments of many Penn Staters when I say that this is well deserved and nicely timed by the administration. I have stuck by Joe for a long time now, even through 2000-2004 when I was a student camping out before a Paternoville even existed and sitting front row for some pretty ugly losses. Even after returning from a 48 hour round trip greyhound ride to Orlando for a very ugly Capital One bowl loss - I stuck behind him. He has more than earned the right to do what he pleases whenever he pleases. Aside from his acomplishments on the field he has done more for that University than many people realize. He is a great coach, a great man, a great educator, a great mentor and damnit - one tough son of a gun to bounce back as he has lately from some medical issues.

Additionally - PSU landed not one but two 4 star recruits this week. First, QB recruit Kevin Newsome out of Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy commited to the blue and white yesterday. Virginia has lately been Larry Johnson Sr.'s stomping grounds but it looks like Coach Kenny deserves the credit for landing Newsome. With the exit of Pat Devlin - Newsome has the opportunity to step in his freshman year and learn from Darryl Clark before likely taking the reigns himself in 2010 for the following few years. From everything I have heard and the videos I have seen this kid is an absolute beast and even went as far as to transfer high schools in order to compete and evaluate himself against some much better opposition. This is great news for the Lions and really gives the fans a lot to be excited about for the future.

Not to be forgotten in all of this is the landing of Gerald Hodges, a 4 star Safety/do it all player out of Paulsboro, NJ. Originally committed to Michigan, Hodges began reevaulating his options this fall and chose Penn State over Rutgers as his final choice. Again - this kid looks like a monster as well so our defense should get only nastier with him roaming back there.

Another nittany lion in trouble with the law...

2008-12-03T08:11:00.005-05:00

this time it was THE Nittany Lion...PHEW!!!!!! That was a close one!

So let me get this straight: you are the man behind the Nittany Lion. Penn State is sitting at 10-1 about to play Michigan State the next night for a share of the Big 10 title and a trip to Pasadena, Ca in the Rose Bowl...an event in which the mascot is very much needed for. You, as the mascot, would essentially get an all expenses paid trip to the game for an unforgettable end to your senior year in college........and what do you do.......you over pack your little sedan with people and drive it under the influence...in STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA. I admit it is an easy place to carry on and go wild while falling completely under the radar but this kid gets whatever he deserves. Personally I hope they replace his sorry ass with his backup for the rose bowl. If you are that retarded then you don't deserve this privledge.

In come the accolades

2008-11-25T12:36:00.002-05:00

Are there any awards left for anyone else?

I kid but seriously the Nittany Lions came away with quite a haul of awards and recognition after closing out their '-8 regular season campaign.

Let's look at the run down:

Darryl Clark named co-Big 10 offensive player of the week

Paterno wins Big 10 coach of the year for the third time

A.Q. Shipley named Big 10 Offensive lineman of the year

10 players earn first team All Big 10 offense Honors:
Shipley (2 time)
Cadogan
Clark
Kelly
Ohrnberger
Williams

4 players earn All Big 10 defense Honors:
Bowman
Maybin
Odrick
Scirrotto (2 time)

In addition - we had 4 players earn 2nd team All Big 10 Honors:
Butler
Royster
Sargeant
Wisniewski

Great job all around by everyone on the team because as these guys will tell you they probably could not have gotten where they are without the support of the other guys around them.

Stop to smell the roses!

2008-11-23T16:55:00.008-05:00

We are...2008 Big 10 Champs!!!

Who would have thought, that coming off Outback and Alamo bowl years that we would win our second Big 10 title in 4 years and head back to the grandaddy of them all for the first time since 1995? Well if you did think that then your nostradamus, and if your like me and maybe optimistically hoped for it, realistically expected maybe an improvement in terms of bowl position and a trip back to the Capital One bowl.

PSU fired on all cylinders in just about every facet of the game. Career games were played by Daryl Clark, Deon Butler and I would argue most of the O-line as well. Domination on both sides of the ball especially the defense who again held one of the Big 10 and nations best rushers in complete check.

A great game all around and despite being frozen through and through I enjoyed every second of it.

MSU could even have that chotchky infested eyesore known as the land grant trophy back if it would make them feel any better. We got something better t han that oversized pile of randomness anyway.

Now the team can rest up, JoePa can get that bionic hip installed and we can get ready for the warm and pleasant conditions in Pasadena, Ca.

Thanks Lions for a great season - Let's get 1 more win!

"How much does this damn thing weight?

Oh. PS. A message if I may to Mark D'antonio - F You. 2 timeouts with :09 left, 0 chance for you to even make it respectable in the box score, 0 chance to cover the spread and 0 degrees outside...your a peice of crap. Your lucky there was just enough rum left in my flask to maintain the warmth in me for those few minutes or it may have gotten ugly.

I'm a classless jerk

Everyone loves a parade!

2008-11-04T20:41:00.004-05:00

I decided against my better judgement to join the masses and go to the parade down Broad street last Friday. Being as slick as I am I figured I Would get on the train at a station at the beginning of the line, cruise into town, watch the parade from the beginning and cruise back out when it passed by before the millions of other people tried to get out.

Not so fast my friend.

That station at the beginning of the line had about 500 people waiting in line so what did we do? We took the bus! Yes the bus! What a concept huh? Taking my dads advice, we hopped the bus down to Broad & Olney, took the subway to Broad & Locust and got front row for the Parade! Then we hopped back on the subway with 6000 sweaty smelly people this time, and after a brawl at the McDonalds at Broad & Olney broke out we hopped the 22 bus back home! In terms of what a disaster it could have been - I give our plan a solid A - thanks to my dad.

Enjoy some pictures from the Parade!

Phinally!!!!!

2008-10-30T07:31:00.009-04:00

Well it is the next morning and despite my worst fears, the headlines have not mysteriously changed

Kalas Last Call from meech.one on Vimeo.

Harry Kalas says it best above...(I'm suprised Wheelers tupee stayed on through all that celebration)

THE PHILLIES ARE THE 2008 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!!!

How cool is that to read? Because it sure was cool to type it!

25 years is over for Philly
28 years is over for the Phillies
Mitch Williams - off the hook
Johnny Marz - is smiling
Charlie Manuals Mom - is smiling
The New York Mets - are not smiling
William Penn - must have thought we suffered enough

JoePa Tribute video

2008-10-27T08:33:00.001-04:00

if this video doesn't pull at your heartstrings and make you appreciate and respect Joe himself and the love that the Penn State faithful have for him then you do not have a pulse.

We are... Penn State!

What a weekend in Philadelphia

2008-10-27T08:12:00.004-04:00

Well I sat in this same chair 3 days ago very nervous and anxious about the upcoming weekend games. We had the Phillies trying to utilize the home field advantage and take a series lead on Tampa, we had Penn State traveling to a stadium where they had lost 7 straight games and we had the Eagles playing an important home game against a not so bad Atlanta Falcons team. Fast forward to now where we have the Phillies just 1 win away from winning their second championship in franchies history, first in 28 years and first major championship for the city of Philadelphia in 25 years. We have the Penn State Nittany Lions shedding the second of two monkeys off their back and sitting patiently at #3 in the BCS and we had the Eagles win 27-14 over the visitng Falcons. Aside from my fantasy football teams getting humiliated I would say this is probably the best sports weekend I can ever remember. Hell - to top it all off the Flyers also won and the Pitt Panthers lost! Can that type of weekend be topped in terms of quantity of victories?! I doubt it. Maybe if Florida State would have lost it would have been better but if you look at the rest of their schedule - the losses will come.

Words can't really describe the excitement around the area right now - and for good reason. The Phillies faithful have waited a long time for this and it is well deserved. Heres hoping they can put it away tonight in front of the home crowd. I got so frustrated this weekend trying to figure out whether I should wear my Penn State hat with my Phillies shirt or my Phillies hat with my Penn State shirt - see how difficult I have it???

Get this monkey off my back!

2008-10-20T07:46:00.002-04:00

Well monkey #1 of 2 was removed from the Lion's backs this past weekend after a 46-17thrashing of the Wolverines. This marks the first time in 9 games, over 12 years that PSU has beaten Michigan - and the Maize and Blue did not make it easy early on -until they came back down to earth. After falling behind 10-0 and 17-7, the Lions answered on their last drive of the first half bringing the score to 17-14 and oddly enough found themselves in halftime trailing for the first time all season. However, whatever was said to them in the locker room seemed to get through as they reeled off 39 unanswered points in the second half and covered the enormous 23.5 point spread. Hopefully the adversity they faced in the first quarter reminds these guys that there will be challenges in the road, it is just a matter of how they overcome and adjust to those challenges that will separate them from the other teams in the country.

Go Lions! 8-0 BCS #3!

Next stop - Columbus and monkey #2....

Phillies Win the Pennant!!!

2008-10-16T06:54:00.008-04:00

It has been 15 years since the Phillies last played this much baseball in the month of October and 26 years since they did so and came out as world champions. They took a giant step last night beating the Dodgers 5-1 to clinch the National League pennant. Cole Hamels was dominant as he has been all post season, Shane Victorino was ridiculous in center field, Utley and Rollins were their usual selves with Rollins leading off the game with a homer and Utley playing solid defense at 2nd base. While some of the more likely hitters struggled at the plate this series, other guys stepped up to fill the void (see Matt Stairs and Shane Victorino). They now move on to face either the Tampa Bay Rays or those Boston Red Sox...either way the AL has home field advantage BUT - that doesn't seem to bother the Phillies. Go Phils! 4 more wins!

It would appear as though Pedro Feliz has long forgotten about the 8 runners he stranded on base tonight, champagne has that affect!

You have to root for a baseball lifer and class act like Charlie Manual. He kept his team focused and determined despite the death of his mother earlier in the week.

Playoffs Start Tonight

2008-10-01T08:08:00.003-04:00

Well for the second straight year the phillies captured the NL East crown. Now they again waited until the last week of the season to do it but hey - an NL East title is an NL East title regardless if they clinched in late August or late September right? In Philly it is at least! Incidentally, but not regretfully I will mention that also for the 2nd straight year the Met's managed to blow a lead in the division and miss out on the playoffs altogether! Sorry mets - not really though.

So tonight the Phils play host to the Brew crew from Milwaukee who limped through September but sealed up the wildcard and oh yea, has that ace in its pocket named C.C. Sabathia. On a good note for Phils fans, though, Ben Sheets is not on the playoff roster due to an elbow injury. Hopefully there is a reversal of fortune here and the Phillies, who now have playoff experience can be the Rockies of last year whereas the Brewers, who are simply happy to be in the playoffs will assume the Phillies role of last year and make a first round exit, preferrably via a sweep.

Go Phils! There's nothing like October baseball!!

How 'bout them Nittany Lions?

2008-10-01T07:00:00.002-04:00

Hello again to all my loyal readers out there. I know I went on hiatus once again but rest assured I am back (at least for the few minutes it takes me to write this). Well here we are almost halfway through the season and the Nittany Lions sit 5-0 and ranked #6 in the AP poll. The offense has been firing on all cylinders since the start of the season and the defense...well its been through its ups and downs but has played well enough to this point. "Penn State hasn't been tested" and "Penn State hasn't really played anyone yet" were two fairly common themes thus far in the season but I believe them to be diminishing now. We handily beat a competitive Oregon State team that oh yea beat the top ranked USC trojans last week. We then beat #22 Illinois who despite not having much in the way of a defense still has a pretty dynamic offense with Juice Williams, Daniel Dufree and Aurelius Benn. Since college football is so unpredictable you won't hear any knee jerk reactions on this blog about if this can happen or that can happen we can end up in Miami...thats all rubbish. For now we as fans need to listen to JoePa and follow the same path as the team - take it one game at a time. And for now it is Boiler Maker week - GO PSU!!!

I just wanted to stop here for a minute and give some video proof as to why Beaver Stadium is in fact the greatest show in college football. And to why attending a game there is unlike what many have ever and will ever experience before. See below for the proof and you tell me if you have ever been to a sporting event where 110k+ all wearing the same color sing along to timeless classics during stoppages in play...I challenge you.

May No Act of Ours Bring Shame

2008-09-08T08:05:00.003-04:00

I had to chuckle a little bit when singing (mouthing) the Alma mater this past weekend. "May No Act of Ours Bring Shame"...it is a very legitimate lyric although I dont think any of the players ever really learn it seeing as how they are tucked away in the bowels of beaver Stadium while it is sung. Maybe if they heard it and saw it up on the big screen it would hit home as to the importance of their behavior off the field as much as their performance on it. I've voiced my opinions on the off the field issues before and I don't feel like kicking a dead horse. I do think that Kirk Herbstreit said it pretty darn well in the below video and I hope that all PSU football players get a chance to hear his thoughts...it would be for their own good.

On a lighter note it was a great weekend in Happy Valley. It did rain momentarily on Saturday and while it was enough to soak everything and anyone who was exposed, it certainly did not put a damper on the fine day the football team had. I, along with many others, thought this would be a good test and almost a "measuring stick" game for Penn State. Oregon State is typically a tough, decent team from a good conference and so I thought we would really learn a lot about our team. In reality I still can't tell if PSU is just that good or if like Coastal Carolina, OSU is just that bad. I see no reason why this team is not 4-0 going into a night game against in my opinion a very over rated Illinois team who has never seen the Beav at night...and I dont think they will ever want to after its all said and done.

Go Penn State 5-0

Go Eagles 1-0 (Again, are the Birds that good or do the Rams still just really suck - cant tell yet)

Go Phils - took 2 of three from the Mets - only 2 back of the NL east and 3.5 of the wild card.

Rare Appearance

2008-08-29T08:55:00.002-04:00

Well I fell off the wagon again - sorry to all 7 of my loyal readers.

In any event I had to blog today when I found this video, to both share it with my readers and to have it for myself anytime I want to get amped up. I know I have posted youtube "pump-up' videos before but this has to be, by far, the most ridiculous goosebump producer since the PSU/Gladiator flick.

THANK GOD FOOTBALL IS BACK!

Slow Start Continues for Great Catches

2008-07-31T06:58:00.002-04:00

Collegeville, PA- The Great Catches dropped their second game in a row and third of their first 4 leaving them in the cellar of the A division. The bats have yet to really come alive although the losses have mostly all been by just a few runs. If you recall, last season this team started slow before getting white hot just before the playoffs. In a league where everyone makes the playoffs, the regular season is nothing more than warmups and dress rehersal for those playoffs. Whats that, you say that it matters for the seeding? Seeding means absolutly nothing due to the fact that if you start as the 8 seed playing the 1 seed, who cares? If your ultimate goal is to win championships then you realize you would have probably been playing this team at some point anyway, so why not play them in the first round and get them out of the way? The Great Catches have a very strong defense and when things are clicking the runs can mount up faster than one can count; but for now they have some work ahead of themselves.

1-3

Welcome to The Show

2008-07-29T14:47:00.000-04:00

32 Days

Bad..Bad Blogger!

2008-07-29T14:19:00.004-04:00

My apologizes to the 4 of you who read this blog on a daily basis for my unexcused and lengthy absence. It seems that I am not a very good blogger because at times I actually have other things going on that trump the need to write essentially in my online diary.

BUT, because I am a nice guy and because I want to continue providing my loyal few readers and google image searchers with some material I am back to update this with some more random crap that usually only I think is cool - but I digress.

Today is July 29th which means we are 32 days from kick off of the 2008 Penn State football campaign. I love summer and everything but the 1 thing in the world that can make me wish it would fly by even faster than it already does is the oncoming football season. With the college football season so closely upon us it can mean only one thing - Big 10 media day! This year there are several issues and hot stories that are buzzing around media day but despite the Iowa sexual assault investigation, Joe Tiller's retirement, Rich Rodriquez, etc, etc...there is still that constant issue that has been the topic for the past oh I dont know...decade? That being..."Joe - how much longer do you think your going to coach for?" I honestly wish people would leave the man the fuck alone and accept his broken record answer of "I dont know! When I feel like it!" 58 years to me gives you the right to do whatever the hell you want to do really. I understand the many considerations revolving around this whole thing but it really boils down to the guy just being able to walk when he wants to walk and thats that. I hate losing as much as the next guy and I hated being a student during the worst 4 years of Penn State football history as much as the guy next to him but he took them back to a BCS bowl game immediatly following that dark period (little bad timing though Joe but I'll still take it) and missed out on a return trip to the National Championship by 2 seconds thanks to that peice of shit Lloyd Carr. Whatever - my point is leave him alone until he makes his decision and until then you can enjoy this clip of his press conference at media day. Like him or hate him you cannot deny that his press conferences are entertaining. 82 years old and he can still work a crowd better than a lot of so called "comics" today and is still usually one step ahead of the young punk reporters that try to make a name for themselves by getting him to give some new answer to the same things he has heard thousands of times. He has no patience for a dumb question and as we see here he has no problem telling you it was a dumb question which I love him for.

In other news Beaver Stadium has undergone another "facelift" if you will. The addition of 350 linear feet of LED signage around the facade of the upper deck will greet the PSU faithful for the home opener against Coastal Carolina Beauty Academy on August 30th. The new signage will synchronize with various live sports feeds to distribute real-time information to the displays. The new system also can handle out-of-town scores, in-game team summaries, up-to-the-minute player statistics and many other stats. Sounds cool, as long as it isnt too gaudy and tasteless I don't think anyone will have much of a problem with it.

Beaver Stadium's official capacity is 107,282. That makes it the largest venue in North America and the third largest in the world (until the big house's renovations are done that is). But still - thats pretty cool

One last little nugget of awesomeness before I dissapear for who knows how long this time - a very nicely done youtube video that many PSU alum and faithful will relate to and should bring back many good memories

Peace!

Great Catches Home Opener!

2008-07-02T19:33:00.004-04:00

Oaks, PA - The Great Catches returned home for the 2008 season opener against "Appetite for Destruction". On paper, one would have though prior to this game that the GC's would 10 run rule AFD and be home after the 4th - such was not the case. Joe, filling in for Nikki on the mound, started a little shaky spotting AFD 6 runs in the top of the first. Being the savvy veteran that he is, he got into his rythem from then on out and kept AFD's bats at bay. Meanwhile, the GC's bats came alive and chipped away at the deficit and eventually took and held the lead. Adding 2 insurance runs in the bottom of the 6th, the GC's went on to earn their first victory of the 2008 campaign and pull back to an even .500 record. Despite only a select few errors, it was solid play all around for the GC's, highlighted by a ridiculous bare handed double play turn by second baseman Jeff Freeman. Final score 11-9.

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Opening Day!

2008-06-26T07:02:00.002-04:00

The Great Catches opened the season yesterday on the road against Facilities. Facilities, the former B league team decided to take the leap into the A league with the big boys this year. In all honesty I have to say that was a good decision for them because they are loaded. Power hitter after power hitter makes their lineup pretty formidable and in the end it proved to be just a bit too much for the GC's to handle. The GC's did make it interesting in the top of the 7th when Travis smashed what looked like a sure in the parker which would have tied things up. In dramatic fashion, however, Travis (and the imaginary midget on his back) was gunned down at the plate to end the threat and the game. Ironically it was Facilities that fell victim to a play at the plate last season to end the game against the Great Catches, so they got their redemtpion.

Despite some offensive woes and some defensive breakdowns the GC's played a pretty decent game considering it was the first of the year. It is a long season and they started our shaky last year only to come on strong when it mattered. It is these early games that serve as a time to work out the kinks, get the swing back and start clicking on all cylinders.

0-1

Yankees fan's "eclipse" Philly fans...

2008-06-11T07:38:00.004-04:00

Ok so everyone knows that Philly fans are famous for booing Santa Clause (there is a story and a reason behind it though that will be another story for another day) for cheering when Michael Irvin got injured at the Vet, jumping into the penalty box to fight Ty Domi and maybe one or two other events.....BUT....Yankees fans recently booed the minorly important, life sustaining thing we call the sun.

"Fans showed their approval today when a cloud moved in front of the sun during the fifth inning of the Yankees-Royals game. They booed moments later when the sun returned. On a day when temperatures neared the century mark over much of the eastern United States, any relief was welcome."

Ok so at least in Philadelphia we don't boo that which provides the human race with life...I mean seriously, we know better than that. Apparently Yankees fans are not aware of what would happen if the sun were to indeed "die". But being as resourceful as we are here, we did the research:

"A supernova is a massive explosion in which a star expells all of its matter into space.After a supernova, if the explosion was huge enough, the star may leave a Black Hole, a hole in the universe that has a gravitational pull that is so strong that even light cannot escape it. You may ask were the matter from the materials it pulls in goes. Scientists do not yet know if this is true, but they have suggested that all matter is compressed into a singularity, a massive ball of matter of unimaginable density."

That sounds swell. I'll take a sweaty back and farmers tan from the upper deck over becoming part of a massive ball of matter any day.

42 runs in 3 games

2008-05-28T09:21:00.004-04:00

The Phillies have won 3 in a row and 6 of their last 8 to sit just a game and a half behind the Flordia Marlins (really?) for first place in the NL East (those same Marlins are in town this weekend and should relinquish that lead when they head back to Miami). During that span, they have hung 12 runs on the Nationals, 15 on the Astros and 20 on the Rockies. Things are looking very good right now as the offense really seems to be clicking and most importantly Ryan Howard's batting average is finally higher than my weight.

Chase Utley is currently tied with Lance Berkman and Dan Uggla for the league lead in home runs with 16 (Ryan Howard is only 2 back with 14), and he is in the top 5 in all of baseball with his 43 RBI's. Can you say back to back MVP's??

Brad Lidge is also 12 for 12 on save opportunities and is simply lights out everytime he takes the mound.

Oh yea - did I mention that the Phils are 7 games over .500? Keep it up boys!

Side note of useless trivia - Jamie Moyer became just the 6th player in major league history to record a win against all 30 teams (You can do that when your still pitching at 45 freaking years old).

Thanks Flyers!

2008-05-19T14:44:00.004-04:00

Although our beloved Flyers will not be completing their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup, they have absolutly nothing to hang their heads about. They came into this season with 0 expectations after last years debacle. With some brilliant moves by Paul Holmgren and some outstanding efforts by the players themselves this former cellar dwellar fought its way to the Eastern Conference Championship and that aint nothin to scoff at. This team has all the makings of becoming a clone of the team that sent them packing this year - the Pittsburgh Penguins. They leave us fans nothing but excited and anxious for the '08-'09 campaign to get under way...how many months until training camp? So for everything this year - thank you Flyers.

It is not time on this blog to turn our focus to the Phillies who will have our full attention through the summer and further depending on how they are playing when football season starts up. Around here if the Phillies aren't in a pennant race or already have something locked up by late August/September they become almost an after thought as the Eagles season gets underway. I certainly hope they can continue this success they are having so far this year and make it exciting and interesting again like last year.

Aside from that we had a short scare last week with news of Joe Paterno having to go to the hospitol with some moderate dehydration. Any trip to the hosptiol is certainly not good but we are glad it was something easily treatable and from all accounts it is good to hear that Joe is healed up and back to cracking his whip in spring practices.

Well thats about all for now. Stay tuned for more updates!

Oh and P.S. Megadeath has already begun its search for Security Personnel in the Flyers fan base for next season...this woman has, in my opinion, guaranteed herself a position with this verbal drubbing of Sid the Kid. She is really laying into him!

There has in fact...been blood

2008-05-13T07:11:00.005-04:00

There's been blood clots and blood spillage all over the ice so far in the Flyers/Penguins series...only problem is...it's all Flyer blood thus far. Kimo Timmonen has missed the first two games and will likely miss the remainder of the series with a blood clot in his ankle while his defensive counterpart Braydon Coburn took a deflected shot to the face requiring close to 50 stitches and has left his eye swollen shut.

These are two crucial losses for the Flyers that really put them in a difficult place. They needed perfect attendance and 110% out of EVERYONE to have a shot at this series as the Penguins are faster, deeper and ridiculously talented. Now, down two defensemen and in an 0-2 hole - the battle is becoming more and more uphill...

Keep the faith

Go Fly Boys!

There Will Be Blood

2008-05-06T13:14:00.013-04:00

Well here we are. The Flyers and Penguins have fairly recently created a very ugly, very bloody and hate filled rivalry for themselves and what better way to decide the NHL Eastern Conference crown than with several trips across the PA Turnpike. These two teams HATE eachother and have battled it out in some fairly epic match-ups this season. Back in November Steven's Demons took out their frustrations of going 0-8 against the Penguins last season with an 8-2 trouncing that many Pittsburgh fans cried foul on and said the O&B ran up the score. Since then the Pens took 3 of the 8games in the season series including one highly lopsided final themsvles. Georges Laraque and Riley Cote have beaten and bloodied eachother several times, although whether they will even get the chance to do so again remains to be seen as Cote has not even seen the ice so far during these playoffs. I suspect that if the Flyers are put into an elimination situation you will see Cote suit up and if the game is obviously out of reach he will run amock - however I personally hope (for good reason) to not see Cote for another series.

Recipe for a thrilling series:

Two highly talented teams, playing their best hockey of the year. Two goaltenders playing at the tops of their careers. Mix in a handful of young soon to be (or already) all stars. Mash in two of the toughest men in the league. Pre-Heat two fan bases and cities that DESPISE eachother. Spill it all into two arenas sponsored by Financial institutions....and enjoy.

Should be a good one - let's get it on!

get ready for lots of this

Edit: One of my loyal readers (aka my future sister in law) has issued me a challenge. Now me being me I am ALWAYS down for a challenge...throw in the fact that it is for a bottle of liquor and....well...I prefer Rum...thanks!

Megadeth Security

2008-04-30T20:51:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, amidst the Flyers/Capitals Series, Mike Wise, a writer for the Washington Post went on a rant about Philly and its fans. One part of that article has garnered special attention in the world of metal music of all places. Wise said basically that children and female Flyers fans, with their blood thirsty and rough around the edges attitudes are well suited to serve as security for the metal band Megadeth. Well, aside from Mr. Wise not knowing that most of us Philadelphians are not offended by that and actually think it would be freakin awesome - the lead singer of Megadeth, Dave Mustain himself has chimed in and offered his support of the Orange and Black and their crazy worshipers. Mustain recorded a video (that will hopefully soon pop up on the tube) sporting a Jason Smith jersey offering full support of Flyer's fans and saying he would be honored to have them on his security detail. Listen - I already loved Megadeth before this....it just went to a new level though. Mustain goes on to encourage the flyers to kick ass and unleash the Orange crush on the Habs.

Freakin Awesome

BONUS!!!

Any excuse to embed my favorite Megadeth song of all time is always welcome

Share your thoughts about Canada

2008-04-30T08:46:00.002-04:00

In the spirit of the NHL Playoffs, and the Flyers facing off against the Montreal Canadians, we hit the streets to see what our loyal readers think about Canada. The response was overwhelming and can be summed up by our most famous reader:

Marty Biron likes standing on his head

2008-04-28T22:30:00.011-04:00

He has to...he does it night after night after night. Listen, whatever way this series between the Flyers and Habs ultimately goes - credit needs to go to Biron who is consistantly the best Flyer on the ice and is making some ridiculous saves on some of the most talented players on the planet. As a fan, it eases your nerves a little bit knowing you have a stone wall of a guy back there between the pipes and that even when someone turns it over or makes a bad decision, theres a good chance Marty's gonna party and bail them out...especially when the Flyers get outshot 34-14 like they did last night.

Way to go Flyers thanks...keep it up

Oh yea, anyone else see a resemblance here?

My PSU "Man Cave"

2008-04-28T10:58:00.007-04:00

Ok so I was reading one of my many bookmarked blogs last week (GloryofOldState) which is a nice site run by a cool guy named JB. So he was posting about readers PSU inspired and themed rooms and so I literally bolted home from work that day and had a photoshoot in my own. Now granted, this is not as much of a full on "cave" as it is just a "shrine"....you say potatoe I say potatoe though right?

Ok so I don't have the "Penn State Room" of my dreams...just yet. But that will come in time - for now my shrine is a nice little corner of what will someday be a glorious blue and white room. I have a the largest possible rubbermaid container up in the attic filled to the brim with other stuff that screams of a person with a possible unhealthy obsession.

So after my grandmom unfortunatly left us I was given that beautiful hutch that once housed some very important things of her own. I thought - what better way to put it to good use than by showing off my own treasured memories.

I am pretty proud of my collection so far and so here is the run down of what I have:

-official Beaver stadium end zone pylon and first down marker circa 2004 (how they were acquired is classified sorry)

- autographed football by Joe himself which he signed just a week after recording his 324th career victory passing Bear bryant for first on the all-time list.

- autographed "JOEPA" hat (got at the "Pasta with paterno" dinner -2002)

- autographed "Penn State Football Encyclopedia" ("Pasta with Paterno" - 2003)

- autographed commemorative Joe Paterno 324 magazine ("Pasta with Paterno" -2002)

- Pictures of myself and Joe from two of the three times I met him

-Joe Paterno/PSU mastercard

- PSU Paraphernalia (shot glass, beer stein, coke bottles)

- Autographed pictured with Todd Blackledge before the 2007 PSU/Notre Dame game (awesome and totally classy guy)

- "Paterno for Congress" sign from when his son (thanks psugirl) ran for office in 2004 (risked my life for that damn thing but it was well worth it)

So thats it really - as if that isnt enough right?. Special thanks to JB for posting my stuff on his site and inspiring me to write this post as well. If you have never been over there I would strongly suggest checking him out as he writes some good stuff. Below are some pictures of the afformentioned "shrine" so I hope you enjoy.

Next stop Montreal

2008-04-23T07:06:00.003-04:00

What a great series that just wrapped up last night. Not only did the Caps and Flyers need 7 games to decide round 1 of the playoffs, they needed overtime....twice. The series certainly delivered in the excitement and anxiety department and featured some of the youngest and brightest stars the NHL has to offer - not to mention the best player on the planet. Speaking of Ovechkin - that dude is unhumanly good. Anytime he touches the puck, if it was in Washington - they go insane in anticipation for the goal that is likely to occur and if it was in Philly you can literally hear the fans hearts stop again in anticipation for the goal that is highly likely to happen. He certainly had his moments in this series but luckily he was kept in check just enough to put the Flyers on top and live for another day. It was nice to see Joffrey Lupul break out of his playoff slump in such dramatic fashion.

It does not get any easier though with Alexi Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Andrei Markov stepping in as the next foes in the Flyers way on the road to Lord Stanleys Cup.

Go Fly Boys!!!

Bonus - Jim Jackson's call on Lupul's goal (only thing that could have made it better would have been the horn and roar of the Philly crowd - but we'll take it)

Sir Charles, Stu Scott and Mr. Belding Walk into a bar...

2008-04-16T07:48:00.002-04:00

what would that look like...

This:

More bad news!!

2008-04-16T07:28:00.002-04:00

At least this time it comes from on the field though...if thats any kind of consolation. Sean Lee, the senior All-American candidate tore his ACL during non-contact drills this past weekend. This is an enormous loss to the defense as Lee was set to take the reigns of the defense and most likely be one of the teams Captains. While it is a devastating loss to the defense - it is a loss to the entire team as Lee has always been one of the most strong and vocal leaders for as long as he has been in Happy Valley. His 138 tackles last season were second to only Dan Connor and while he does have a redshirt left, the team will now have to fill the large void that he will leave in the defensive backfield with one of the younger and inexperienced players. Fortunately for Linebacker U, this should hopefully not be much of a problem, but the young guys will not be able to replace Lee's leadership which he says he will still convey from the sidelines as much as he can.

Bad things happen to good people - one of our true bright spots both on and off the field has to get injured, why couldnt it have been one of our misfits who like to have run ins with the University Auxillary's finest?

Fun with Weapons!!

2008-04-08T14:13:00.004-04:00

I'll see your underage drinking while driving, AND your off campus brawl, AND your brawl in the HUB, AND your alleged rape, AND your public drunkenness and I will raise you with a crazy knife wielding death threat. Beat that sucka!

So not only does Chris Bell like to climb on top of tabletops and launch himself into a crowd of people ala a WWE wrestler off of the top turnbuckle BUT as it turns out he is also an avid knife fighter...who knew!?!

I guess he just really wanted to one-up Stanley Pringle and his self gratification in the library incident. I can't really think of any other legitimate reason why he would do this.

The latest black eye given to Penn State comes at the hands of the very troubled Chris Bell. A 5-star rated wide out, Bell has been trouble since he got to Penn State. The now former Nittany Lion wide receiver is facing charges of terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct and harassment. ANNND Yeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrr outta here!

In all seriousness I am furious at the situation unfolding in Happy Valley. Somewhere along the line in the last few years the wheels have totally come off and this program is spiraling around the bowl fast. We have compied quite a cute list of offenses over the past 3+ years from shooting arrows into concrete walls to rape and disorderly conduct. Someone needs to tighten the reigns on these kids and give them a wake up call because it is really embarassing for everyone associated with the University.

But then again on the other hand it is really getting more and more humorous. I mean if it isnt a basketball player pleasuring himself in the Patee stacks, its these knife fight shenanigans. I mean whats next? What could possibly be next?

God help us

PSU Hoops felt leftout

2008-04-03T08:28:00.010-04:00

Not to be outdone by our chain gang of a football team, our hoop shootin homeboys are now getting in on the criminal mischief...in grand fashion none the less! Several of our football players should be thanking Stanley Pringle for single handedly "erasing" all public memory of their own recent bone head decisions (I'm looking at you Tyrell Sales and Andrew Quarless). By exposing himself to a female coed in the library and "enjoying himself" in front of her, Pringle has catapulted the basketball team to criminal prominence in State College, PA. But it's not Pringle's fault because you know what they say...Once you pop (wait for it.....wait for it.....) you just can't stop.....bang!

Link

Nails is as intense off the diamond as he was on it

2008-03-31T06:55:00.002-04:00

"Thats a very elegant way to put it"

#7...and counting?

2008-03-11T08:52:00.005-04:00

Another Football Player in Trouble

This is getting just plain ridiculous now people. Andrew Quarless became the latest Nittany Lion football player to break the law, making him the 7th player in the last year to be suspended or "excused" from the team. Nice little laundry list of charges here too: DUI, DUI as a minor, failure to obey traffic signals and underage drinking. Par for the course if I do say so myself Andy! Why stop there though!? At that point you might as well have tried to solicit some hookers, had a dime bag in your pocket and maybe added a non-moving violation like a broken taillight for good measure. Andrew is actually smart though, I mean theres no way a fast moving high end luxury car won't stick out in State College, PA...its the status quo in the town where 1982 Chevy Nova's serve as the public taxi's so that is obviously why he felt it was appropriate for him to take a joy ride....good idea.

What the HELL is wrong with these kids???? At what point does a formal "how to stay the fuck out of trouble" course need to be given to these athletes before they start school? Is it so difficult to realize that not only are you attending a major 4 year University for FREE, your doing so by PLAYING FOOTBALL, AND...AND if your good enough at that (which many believe Quarless could have been) you may have an opportunity to make millions of dollars in the pros? Or at least the league minimum for 0 years experience of $285,000 to be a 3rd string backup.

I don't care how retarded you are or how terrible your upbringing was or what low lifes you hang around or any of that - wake the fuck up already.

People need to stop blaming the coaching staff too. It's not Joe Paterno's fault that these kids can't handle a little bit of attention and success. He can't watch them 24x7 - no coach can. At some point these "men" need to babysit themselves which they obviously cannot do.

So now what Andrew? Austin? Phil? Chris? Chris? Navorro? Knowledge? What will you do now that you've been excused from the football team? Fall back on that outstanding educational background that you have? Good luck with that.

Internet Gold!!

2008-02-29T11:32:00.002-05:00

Internet viral videos are everywhere nowadays. Any schmuck with a camera can post their stupid videos on youtube and think they are cool. Often times they are just drunken, redneck hilarity that involve some type of self inflicted pain or other forms of retardation. HOWEVER, along comes this video that proves there is a shred of hope for these things. This guy is awesome and I wish he could be my new best friend (think of how much fun he would be at a bar). If you close your eyes and listen to this after not having never seen it, and said you DON'T think it is Tony Soprano...then the real Tony Soprano should pay you a visit ala that idiot in the airport. Kuods to this dude for being kickass...keep up the good work "Tony."

Baseball is Back

2008-02-14T07:24:00.005-05:00

Well it may be hard to believe but baseball season is right around the corner. I know this because Phillies Pitchers and Catchers report to Clearwater today. Forget groundhogs, Pitchers and Catchers are how I gauge how close spring is. The Phillies gave us a very exciting season last year and I look forward to more of the same. Despite being relatively quiet in the off season, the Phils did just acquire pitcher Kris Benson who should ensure that Adam Eaton heads to the 'pen. The Phillies would have been the clearcut favorite to win the NL East this year had the Mutts not acquired all earth pitcher Johan Santana. It should be an interesting year as the Phillies have confidence now after last year and the Met's are looking for some serious redemtption and payback.

Spring training pictures here

27 Hextall of Fame 27

2008-02-07T08:45:00.001-05:00

Last night one of Philadelphia's favorite Flyers players became the 19th member inducted into their Hall of Fame. Drafted in 1982, Hextall was given his shot in the '86-'87 season after then rising star goaltender Pelle Lindburgh died in a car accident in the beginning of the previous season. With very large skates to fill, Hextall went 37-21-6 in his rookie season and won the Vezina trophy while leading the flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals against Wayne Gretzky's Oilers. Despite losing the Cup in game 7, Hextall was named the MVP of the playoffs and took home the Conn Smythe Trophy. Over his 14 year pro career, Hextall captured the hearts of Philadelphia fans during his two tours of duty in the Orange and Black. His hard nosed, blue collar, take no shit attitude is the epitome of what Philly wants in its athletes. He still holds the record for most penalty minutes in a single season by a goaltender at 113 and was involved in some of the most memorable brawls in NHL history. Not only a tough guy, Hextall was an amazing stick handler and is credited as the first goalie to score a goal in both a regulation game and a playoff game.

As he said in his speech last night, he will always call Philadelphia home..and I think I speak for all of Philadelphia when I say we will always be proud to call him one of our own.

"The greatest goalie I have ever faced" - Wayne Gretzky

Penn State beat Michigan!!!

2008-02-06T09:27:00.000-05:00

Sortof....

Congrats to Kareem McKenzie and Jay Alford for their Superbowl victory...condolences to Kyle Brady who came just about as close as you can get.

Chris "Rats, Mice and other" Berman Rant

2008-02-01T10:23:00.000-05:00

Video of this melt down by ESPN's Chris Berman recently surfaced on the internet and it's pretty damn funny. He is so pissed about the peons that work behind the scenes moving around and distracting him that he just loses it and puts them all in their places. I mean, seriously, hes Chris Berman, the insignificant and ugly stage trolls should just go jump off a cliff Lemmings style for pissing him off like this.

The only thing that could have made it better was if the transcript went something like this: "Has no one ever worked on TV here before? Can't everybody stop for 10 god damn minutes instead of moving back, back, back, back...and forth? I mean in the name of the Saints #1 Fan Jesus Christ thats distracting! Thats so god damn rude that you would FUMBLLLEEEEEEEEEEE around like that back there. People are rumblin, stumblin and fumblin under the camera, what the fuck do they they think are doing for gods sakes? I hear a dial tone."

James Ganolfini goes all Tony Soprano

2008-01-29T12:49:00.001-05:00

ok so I know it's only acting and all that but if James Gandolfini/Tony Soprano ever gripped my face up like he does to this schmuck....I am pretty sure I would soil myself. The line between TV character and real person gets so blurred I just could not help thinking that Paulie and Sil are comin up to help Tony and in an instant I am taking round after round to the chest while Christopha is out in the Escolade waiting to peel out of there.

Here's a tip folks, actor or no actor you just don't approach and pester a man of Gandolfini's size and stature only to ask a stupid question like "How do I become a Soprano." He got less than what he deserved and to Gandolfini's credit he even cooled off really quickly and posed for pictures and cracked some jokes. I still wouldn't sleep if I was that dude knowing I just pissed off the biggest mob boss in the country.

Flyers back on top

2008-01-25T14:03:00.002-05:00

A month ago the Flyers were at the bottom of the Atlantic Divison, but after last night's win over the Penquins and Devil's loss - they share the divisional lead with New Jersey. Technically the Flyers have the edge, however, having played 1 less game than New Jersey. All of this is irrelevant though because the season is long from over and there is a lot of hockey left to play. And as a Philadelphia fan, it is important to understand it is not so much about what your team does in the regular season, but what it does in the playoffs - so we'll see.

On the Flyers note - I feel like posting a video of my all time favorite Flyer - Ron Hextall. In this epic game/fight, Hexy skated clear across the ice with his target fixated on Felix "The Cat" Potvin in retrobution for a slash he delivered after the final horn had sounded. Hexy goes in with a full head of steam and really gives it to Potvin, who clearly did not want to fight at first. Buuuut after Hexy helped him off with the mask, it was on. I have to say, Potvin does clearly hold his own as Jim Jackson points out, and lands a few solid rights of his own. Eventhough I really dont think there was a clear winner in this bout - it still goes down as one of the greatest fights in recent NHL history.

NY Post jinxes the Cowboys

2008-01-15T06:58:00.000-05:00

You gotta love it when a newspaper does more than just report the news - they CREATE the news that they inevitibly report! The NY Post, like most of us, is well aware of the "Jinx of Tony Romo's Girlfriend", who just so happens to right now be Jessica Simpson. Since Jessica herself had vowed to stay away due to the believed curse she, or any other female counterparts of Romo seem to put on him when they are there, the NY Post hired a (damn good) look- alike to sit right behind the cowboys bench and cast a nasty hex on them all game long.

The plan worked perfectly as Romo finished the game 18-36, 201 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT. And that 1 INT came on the final drive of the game when Dallas had a shot to score and win in the final seconds.

You know what this means dont you....Yup, next season keep an eye out for Jessica Simpson look-alikes all over Lincoln Financial Field - including many burly italian members of the Local 1812 Welders and Pipe fitters union. Gott love it.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01132008/news/regionalnews/jessica_simpson_looker_a_like_a_giant_he_468937.htm

Philadelphia - Always a bridesmade

2007-12-21T12:58:00.000-05:00

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has something to sing about, thanks to Nick Lachey and the hometown choir he put together.
They were declared the winners on Thursday night's finale of NBC's "Clash of the Choirs," taking home $250,000 for the hospital.
Lachey's choir beat four other choirs led by music celebrities who went to their home areas to find talent. The choirs performed live in four airings from New York City this week. The winner was determined by viewer voting.
"I've been blown away by my choir's poise. It's made up of amateur singers. They've never done this before," Lachey, 34, said on the show.
He hand-picked the 20 vocalists in his choir from 350 people who auditioned six weeks ago. The choir included teachers, a chili server, a nurse, cell phone and software salesmen, choir directors and college students.
Many Children's Hospital Medical Center employees "have been glued to TV at home this week rooting for the hometown choir," said Nick Miller, hospital spokesman.
Patti LaBelle's Philadelphia choir placed second, while Blake Shelton's Oklahoma City choir was third. Also competing: Michael Bolton's New Haven, Conn., choir and Kelly Rowland's Houston choir. The show surprised these choirs with a $50,000 donation from GE to each of their charities.

Well Patti - take solice in the fact that you are not the first, nor will you be the last Philadelphia "entity" to come up short in a competitive event. Look up Philadelphia in the dictionary and you will see a picture of a lonely woman in the line to catch the bouquet watching as it sails over her head into the waiting arms of the next beautiful future bride-to-be.

We cant even win a fuckin Choir competition - pathetic

This is how you know you have too much money

2007-12-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

If you've got so much money that you're just looking for new ways to waste it, Tobias Wong and Ju$t Another Rich Kid created the Gold Pill for you. It's a pill dipped in gold and filled with 24-karat gold leaf. You're supposed to eat it "to increase your self-worth." That would be funny if it didn't cost $425 for the joke. Supposedly an added benefit is that it will make your poop sparkle, but no one seems to have proven that part yet (and if you do, please don't send us the pictures). This is either genius social commentary or a brilliant way to bilk rich people out of their money. If Wong's name sounds familiar, it's probably because he also created the $2,000 ccPhone.

I can't figure out how to feel about this story. On one hand it is a terrible waste of money and makes a mockery of all hard working blue collar people that can only crap normal, but on the other it makes me horribly jealous wishing I had the ability to shit gold flakes. Think about what that does for ones self image - when you can literally say I have so much money that I shit some of it out. What about these websites that calculate what your body is worth, usually something in the million dollar range, will they be forced to add another checkbox for "do you shit gold"?

On another, more literal point I seem to remember anytime I have swallowed any foreign object, my parents had to remind me not to flush and enter the bathroom after me with those big rubber gloves on to sift and search for the foreign body. Wouldnt it be a bitch if you crapped out gold but when you confidently lean in to look for it all you see is the all too familiar (non-golden) corn kernals and peanuts?

That's a hard pill to swallow - BANG

http://dvice.com/archives/2007/12/gold_pill_makes.php/

Back from the Infirmary

2007-12-11T11:41:00.001-05:00

Many apologizes to all 3 or 4 of my loyal readers for my extended absence but I went under the knife last Monday for a tonsillectomy and a septoplasty so hopefully I can freakin breathe!! It is currently day 8 and I feel about 99.2%...some minor congestion left to clear up and some soreness in my nose and upper lip and my throat still hurts a little when I swallow but I am pretty much back to normal. It looks dismal that first day/night but I pulled through. It was just what they said it would be - uncomfortable and inconvenient but I never had too much pain, just some swelling and bleeding. It could have been worse and hopefully it was for the best.

I was looking back at some of my preseason predictions and it is funny to reflect on them. I predicted Penn State to be 10-2 with their only losses being to UM and Wisconsin....so much for that huh. I also predicted the Eagles finishing 10-6 and winning a wild card spot - so much for that too huh. The one thing I did get right was I predicted Hawaii would go to a BCS bowl game and look at that! Sugar Bowl bound they are! Damn I'm good!

Well thats all for now - I just wanted to touch base and ease your stress of me not being around for so long, rest easy my children, I am back.

Lets go PSU in the (ugh) Alamo Bowl, beat A&M again!

I leave you with a trailer for the new movie about three of Americas most influential rodents - legands in their own right.

Reason to Celebrate

2007-11-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Well I should by now have blogged about this so it is long overdue. On November 9th I proposed to my future Mrs on a horse drawn carriage ride (no Seinfeld references please) through old city Philadelphia. It was a very nice night and fortunatly for us the rain that was predicted never showed up. After enduring some horrendous traffic, we made our way on our journey and capped the night off with a very nice dinner at The City Tavern. I had the driver in on the whole thing and eventhough she says it is a difficult thing to do (I have to disagree) I tricked her, suprised her and ended up popping the question right around Elfreths Alley (the oldest residential street in America! hows that for excitement and nostalgia!). After some begging and coercing, she reluctantly said yes and thus will begin another chapter of my (our) lives together.

Peace!

The Iron Bowl Bites

2007-11-27T07:04:00.000-05:00

Literally.

Geez look at how incredibly mad this dog is...must be a 'Bama fan! I realize it's wrong and everything but if your this player, you cant tell me you didnt notice the very large, very pissed off German Shepard just a few feet away from you...good thing he had gloves on at least.

Whats left to say really?

2007-11-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

How many days is it until December 27th, or 28th, or whenever the Fred Beans Lincoln/Mercury/Ford Bowl that Penn State will be playing in? That is how many days we have left in the Anthony Morelli era. An era that started with such excitement and hype, not only did we land such a highly touted recruit, but we ripped him away from Pitt's grasp. So Here we are, its 2005, we just won the Orange Bowl, we lose some strong talent to the Pros and graduation but with what we have fillin in we should be on the up and up. We printed so many shirts proclaiming that "We're Back!"...etc (Insert bomb dropping sound here) ....boom. So, I reiterate...whats left to say? Theres nothing I can say here that has not already been said 100 times before and that everyone doesn't already know. Regardless of how "Forest Gump" he appears, no matter how utterly retarded he leads us to believe he is...the fact remains that the biggest concern for this program right now is the coaching staff....note I say STAFF because it is not all the fault of one man. Is Joe out of touch with 2007 college football? Yes. Should Joe have retired years ago? Yes. Is he still a legend that has done more for this University and commuinity than 100 men could ever do in a lifetime? Yes. Is he the focus of much more criticisim than he deserves simply due to the horrible staff he has around him? yes.

It is like preaching to the choir here but Joe needs to let go of the reigns and step aside. Spanier and the Board of Trustees need to break out the brooms and clean up that coaching booth and start fresh. Take a look around at other programs that have made a simple coaching change and look what it has done for them. Look how many programs have advanced into the 21st century in terms of play calling and look how many programs have been turned around 180 degrees and are now on a rapid rise while we are spiraling out of control like a plane with 1 wing.

This is so frustrating....I just want to see this prgram get back to where it belongs..at the top, and stop being the butt of so much criticism and jokes. I do not want to be considered a "middle tier" Big 10 team, or Michigans bitch any longer....Why would I want to pay so much of my hard earned money for that any more?

Yet another steaming pile of.....

2007-11-05T12:19:00.000-05:00

If it hadnt been for the fact that I was sitting in a luxury box, with all the food and beer I could consume I might have actually been pissed off at this game. But despite that, I predicted this outcome long ago..so it was no suprise. The Eagles suck right now...no heart, no passion (aside from Dawkins who always brings it) and no motivation....booooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Happy Halloween!!!

2007-10-31T14:11:00.000-04:00

So I thought I would take this Halloween opportunity to look at life from the pumpkins point of view. A once happy pumpkin basking in the sun drenched fields becomes a possessed, evil or goofy looking jack-o-lantern with a real fire in its belly (haha get it, i kill me). This YouTube video illustrates this yearly transformation quite well.

I present to you...The Life and Death of a Pumpkin...try to withold your tears, I was not able to.

New on the State College Most Wanted List

2007-10-31T07:14:00.000-04:00

This guy.

This pretty haired, north face fleece wearing, throw like a girl piece of shit should be strung up by his toes in the center of Colombus, Ohio and beaten with wiffle ball bats. His actions, along with his fellow frat members, especially the "announcer" of this video are repulsive. And thats coming from a guy whos been to a lot of Eagles games and seen the real definition of repulsive...so you know this is bad. These ass clowns give PSU and State College a bad name and for that they should pay. PSU prides itself on a lot of things, one such thing is the way opposing fans are treated on gameday. Sure there is booing, taunting, jeering (how does one jeer anyway), yelling etc, as you would expect in any city for any sport directed at the other teams fans, but it is typically light hearted and short lived. Of course, there are outliers (this douche) who take it too far as I am sure, again, exist in every city, but regardless, this is really pathetic. I found myself really pulling for that trailing OSU fan to take this little shit, beat him senseless, give him a noogie and then pour beer on his north face fleece, and when he was done with him I wish he would have gone after the creepy EmCee of the video.

Thanks for giving us a bad name asshole and for now opening up the flood gates for your "equivelant douchebags" at Ohio State to target two of our innocent next year in Colombus for pay back....I can only hope that the planets align and those "innocent" are you and your buddies.

If that is truely the sickest thing you have ever seen, you need to get out of the frat house more

Steaming pile of....

2007-10-30T10:14:00.000-04:00

I can't begin to tell you how totally awesome it is to shell out a truckload of money, devote countless hours to traveling and tailgating, battling through unimaginable parking and traffic situations to watch your favorite team continue to dissapoint. It's great, I mean who wouldnt love throwing away an entire weekend in favor of watching a mediocre team with a bonehead QB get absolutly hammered on their home turf? Anybody? Does that not sound good to anybody? And to top it all off just days before this debacle those of us loyal and near broke nittany lion club members receive an email from Joe Battasta (self claimed Joe Ba) stating how the minimal giving amount for receiving penn state tickets will increase next year. Awesome timing "Joe Ba"...impecable actually.I love Joe Paterno and will always respect, honor and force my children to make pilgramages to State College to bow at the feet of his statue but it really is time to let go. As sad as it is to say and as in denial as I have been and many still are...it's time. Not only for us and for this program but for himself. Joe - go enjoy your life for once, take some time off, travel the world. As for the program - take out the broom and sweep away all the old, crusty, conservative and downright cowardly signal callers and start fresh. This is a prgram with pride and honor, it is not to be continually discussed with the ranks of the other doormats in the Big 10. We need an injection of life, rejuvination and excitement...I'm really sick and tired of pouring my heart and soul week in and week out only to feel like I am not getting equal treatment in return.

Your Who???

2007-10-26T08:11:00.000-04:00

Ok I'm still sensitive to the events of this past spring but for gods sake this is the most annoying commercial in the history of annoying commercials...Do you really feel it necessary to repeat your name and mascot so many god damn times? Most university commercials highlight things like research, famous alumni, achievements and acomplishments etc...but no, not Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech, The Hokies, Virginia Tech...they get by on name alone....

HOWEVER

You more than make up for that piece of shit commercial with your football entrance. I'm no real Hokie fan but this is the baddest motherF'n entrance in history. How could you not be ready to play football after that. I get goosebumps just watching it, but if that were Penn State I think I would piss myself before every game.

REPOST

2007-10-25T08:25:00.000-04:00

No commentary needed: just take care of business under the lights

Toilet Humor Thursday

2007-10-25T07:25:00.000-04:00

http://www.centredailytimes.com/news/local/story/237430.html

The Centre Daily Times is reporting that the amount of ~~port-o-johns~~"comfort stations" (comfort stations? seriously? They are a lot of things but comfort is not the first word that pops into my head) around Beaver Stadium is inadequate. Given the sheer volume of these things from an average port-o-potty spectator such as myself, I would think the only real problem to address is why everytime I seem to go in one there is a full roll of TP down in the merky blue water...does someone go in there early in the day and say "Ha, I'll fuck them all...take that!!!!" as he heaves the roll helplessly into the great unknown?

“The handful of comfort stations in the parking lots are, quite literally, full and overflowing with human waste creating untold potential health and safety problems for PSU football patrons and, ultimately, the general public.” -Personally I've never seen this scenario...I've never seen human waste spilling out of one of these things so I think this is a gross (haha) misintrepretation. Honestly I am a bit suprised that I have never seen it I mean these things often have lines 10-15+ deep and only have a holding pit so large...you figure something has to give right?

Ok with all that being said let me just reassure everyone that I do my part in aiding this issue by flat out not using them unless its 100% convenient for me which it usually is not. What do I do you ask? Well for starters let me back up and state that under no circumstances is it acceptable to use these comfort stations for anything more than distributing urine. If you ate an uncooked burger or you made the mistake of not going before you left the hotel then you walk (gingerly perhaps) to the welcome center, or to the BJC or the IM building and you go there...you do not, I repeat do not #2 in these things...for both my safety and yours...its a commandment..even Moses knew it. So even for its acceptable use I tend to bypass it in favor of just creating a privacy blocker out of my cardoor and watering the IM fields...this saves both time and room in the uncomfort stations. Yes, it has led to the misguided stream occasionally intersecting with the door panel or running board but so what.

Not only does Beaver Stadium continue to set national attendance records for big games but check out some of these numbers:

278
Number of
portable toilets around Beaver Stadium for the 2004 Penn State- Akron football game
378
Number of
portable toilets around Beaver Stadium for last Saturday’s Wisconsin game
957
Number of
portable toilets the State College Health Department estimated that 100,000 people would need over a 10-hour period
7,000
Average number of gallons of sewage pumped from the portable toilets after a game at Beaver Stadium
18,000
Number of gallons pumped after the Sept. 8 Notre Dame game (a stadium record)

incredible!!!! Somebody light a match!!!!

Catches Win! Catches Win! Catches Win!!

2007-10-23T09:03:00.000-04:00

Oaks, PA - What was once considered by many to be impossible is now reality, the 2007 Great Catches are the Champions of softball. This team of rookies improved and played more like a team week in and week out with the result being a 7 game winning streak to end the season (2 straight over the previously undefeated defending champions) and their first ever Championship. This team was built on solid defense and despite some shaky plays in the outfield, they were dominant in the field again last night. Eventhough Keller somehow struck out in a slow pitch softball league, the bats were alive and well at the plate, capped off with a 2 run triple by Tom who scored on a sacrifice the very next play to put the Catches up for good. The crafty senior lefty again came up with a clutch hit when this team needed him to the most, as he had done all season long.

In a very controversial coaching move, Dan started Joe on the mound and brought Nicole out of the bulpen in the 4th. The move, initially questioned by some critics proved to be very wise as Joe pitched brillitantly and Nicole was lights out from her newfound and unfamiliar closer role.

There are a lot of game balls to go out after this win. Game balls go out to Joe for his pitching and lightning fast reflexes that he probably thought were long gone, Tom for...being Tom, Brad for providing the comedic relief (and great plays at third), Dan for his astounding glovework at first, Greg for toughing it out after taking a hot grounder off the chin, Lynn and Matt for very aggressive baserunning, Nikki for yet again proving she is the ace of this 1-2 person pitching staff, Mike and Brian for defensive plays in the outfield, Travis and Jeff for playing strong middle infield and last but not least Luke for still playing great defense with a rented glove.

Real quickly I want to take a moment to commend Lynn's work behind the plate this season. We often give all the credit to Nikki because she downright embaressed team after team but in reality, it was Lynn behind the plate, working in an almost mind reading tandem with her sister that created the harmony needed to get those dominant performances. Knowing what pitch to call at what time, how much arc to have Nikki throw, whether to go inside or outside on a particular batter were all things Lynn orchestrated from her position at the backstop. Catchers can easily be overlooked in slow pitch softball but in this case, on this team, the catcher is the architect of our defense. And Lynn built a great one. Good job Lynn!!!!!

Great Win everyone...this was by far the most fun this beat writer has had in quite some time and I am sad the season is over but I look forward to our title defense next year.

DID YOU KNOW: This is unconfirmed but most likely a true statement - The 2007 Great catches are the first team in LMERA history with identical twins on the roster to win a championship, and the first team with two sets of siblings, and the first team with two sets of siblings of the same gender...

Cheeri-o the commish wants the superbowl in London

2007-10-17T07:01:00.000-04:00

Whats Roger Goodell's problem anyway? The warden, er comissioner of the NFL is "looking at" taking the superbowl across the pond to London's New Wembley Stadium. This completely eliminates the lower to lower middle class fans being able to rent/buy/steal/carjack an RV and enjoy americas real pasttime (the roadtrip) en route to a game they probably spent their puny life savings on, that is if they plan to go into the game at all. So now that they most likely cannot afford the already ridiculous cost of airfare, they are left with what option...stowing away on a cargo ship? Yea that always ends well.

F This Goodell..the superbowl is AMERICAN, it belongs here...we broke free of England some 230+ years ago, now you want to let them reap the financial bliss that comes with hosting a superbowl?

Whatever logistical decisions are made, make sure you remember your cashmere sweater, polo shirt with classy emblem of your team, white shorts and dont forget to say "It's a pity the footballas were unable to reach goal that time, perhaps they will be successful next time."

Toss me the ole pig skin will you Monty, we'll have a smashing time before afternoon tea.

God help London if the birds make it to the big game...South Philly/Jersey meets Buckingham Palace...I'm willing to bet the Brits pass on a repeat after that.

Great Catches slay Goliath...capture divisional crown!

2007-10-10T19:08:00.000-04:00

Oaks, PA - Where does one begin with this one? When you've been a softball beat writer for as many years as I have (0.25), you see a lot of things, great hits, dominant pitchers, monster ground rule triples, clutch fielding....but lately the one thing I have seen is 13 Great Catches playing their hearts out week in and week out. In all my lifeI have never seen such a terriffic display of heart, intensity, team work and brother(sister) hood than the one put forth by this group tonight. Winners of 6 straight games and 8 of their last 9, the Great Catches, led by a CY-Young AND MVP like performance by Nicole on the mound, overcame more adversity in this game than they have faced all season. The sad thing is, none of that adversity was brought on by themselves (well it sorta was because the manager likes to dance around the rules but thats a story for another day and another blog). Caught in an ugly (and lengthy) soap opera between the umpires and outspoken "leaders" of the other team, the Catches were docked 2 runs in the 5th inning due to some "muddy water" in the rule book surrounding player substitutions. It is this oldtimers opinion that whether it was Nicole or Lynn up there, that ball was getting smacked into a gap somewhere anyway, so why argue.

Despite the 2 run deduction, the "umpires" missing two runners blatently not tag up and the opposition pulling within 1 with the tying run on third in the bottom of the 7th, the Great Catches banded together like the '07 Colorado Rockies and took their red hot streak further into the playoffs with an enormous victory over the previously undefeated Gruebens.

The bottom line here folks is that if you haven't been out to the ~~stadium~~ township owned multi purpose park yet this season, your missing out. Go see a game, take your kids (legitimate or otherwise), take your grandparents, take your neighbors, mistresses, aunts/uncles, ex's...because believe me when I say, you don't want to look back with regret and say "Man I wish I would have seen the '07 Great Catches play".

Great game Catches and thanks for allowing me to tag along for the ride...let's keep it up, just win baby!

ok for now...

But this ones on a bigger pedestal and has two miniature war birds guarding it

Thank god for the Phils

2007-10-02T09:38:00.000-04:00

Well it's official...the Fighting Phillies are NL East Champions for the first time since 1993. A historic collapse by the Mets combined with an impressive run by the Phils got them where they are now, on the golf course and gearing up for the post season respectively. The Phillies now play the ultra white hot Colorado Rockies who seemingly just cannot lose...should be a good series.

The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, blow yet again. They put forth the second worse game I have ever watched in my life (the first being a 6-4 loss by Penn State at the hands of Iowa in 2004). A combined 27 plays for the Eagles resulted in either a sack or a penalty....thats pathetic. Granted we were without 6 starters, 4 of which are pro bowlers but thats no excuse. The Giants are so bad that despite that fact, we should have beat them.

And speaking of Penn State...well Anthony Morelli sucks and should be benched. Illinois is not a bottom feeder this year but evenso, that was a winnable game.

Oh well, at least for once, for right now the Phillies did not lead us on like an ugly sorority chick only to break our hearts in the end....Go Phils!!!!

Phillies, you have 3 days to play god with this citys emotions

2007-09-28T09:14:00.000-04:00

Ok Phillies...what's it gonna be? You have 3 games left, at home against a not so good opponent although they have been a royal pain in the ass to several teams of late eventhough they have nothing to play for. You have erased a 7 1/2 game lead in like 17 days and are now tied for first place in your division. You have the ace of the staff throwing tonight and have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs if not by straight up winning the East, by winning the Wild Card.

What do you do? What do you do. Do you continue to play red hot baseball and pitch lights out and create fandamonium with October baseball.....OR....do you go back to traditional Philadelphia Phillies ways and play inconsistent baseball crushing the fans hearts in the last weekend of the season? It's up to you, you decide. But whatever you do....do not...I repeat do now hand that ball to Geoff Geary....I'll tear my own heart out for you if you do that....for god sakes don't do that....please...ok thanks.

STAY TUNED TO SEE HOW IT GOES...

Kevin Everett is apparently doing well

2007-09-28T09:10:00.000-04:00

In the wake of the horrible accident that occured a few weeks ago to Bills tight end Kevin Everett, it is good to see him recovering well and assaulting police officers...

I had to laugh at this, hysterically, but you know Pat Murphy wasnt laughing when he whooped somebodys ass during commercial break....

Catches win! Eagles Suck! Phils hang on for dear life!

2007-09-18T08:49:00.001-04:00

King of Prussia, PA - Despite allowing 8 runs in the 4th, The Great Catches escaped with an 11-9 win over The Sofa Kings. After going up 10-0 and looking unstoppable, Sofa Kings dinked and dunked their way to 8 consecutive runs but thanks to the automatic out for not having a girl on the team the Catches got out of the inning and stopped the bleeding. The bats were alive from the start tonight and once again the pitching from Nikki was excellent. The Catches now enjoy a week (or maybe 2) off in poreparation for their next contest, opponent TBD. Excellent play in the field by Travis and Matt in the middle infield helped secure this victory tonight, game balls go out to them. Good all around effort tonight team.

On an unrelated note the Eagles really stunk up the Linc tonight. I'm not going to comment much on it as it is just really not worth my time. McNabb is done, its over, your time is up - Dawkins might as well hang them up too as he is just one injury away from calling it a career - Sean Considine - hit the road you suck - The offensive tackles are like 100 years old and too slow for the game, so buh bye - Reggie Brown? - you suck. Pack it in Eagles fans, I think the only team we beat is the Giants because they actually suck worse than we do. Looks like 6-10 instead of 10-6.

Way to go Andy Reid - way to call a timeout to "ice" the kicker on a 30 yard chip shot which lets Joe Gibbs yank the kicker and stick it to you with 6 - smart move. I would rather watch grass grow than watch this Eagles offense - terrible.

The only thing that could have made the night worse would have been if the Phillies actually succeeded to blow an 11 run lead - but luckily they somehow held on after turning it over to the bullpen. Cant wait to start hearing P-H-I-L-L-I-E-S...PHILLIES!!!!!! at the Linc.

Heres some cool Penn State videos

Stinky really, really hates Notre Dame - and the fact that his name is Stinky

Shady Brady and Bill Bellicheat

2007-09-14T11:58:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure there is really much else that needs to be said about "Tapegate" that isn't already said in this brilliant song. Kudos to this guy - both factually correct and entertaining all in one.

You got cameras fixated on defensive coordinators, opposing teams headsets and communication equipment "mysterically" manfunctioning when they visit Foxboro, and god knows what else is going on. Bill Bellichek isnt a genius, hes a cheating peice of shit and I wish Roger Goodell would'nt have let him and his fradulent team off as easy as he did.

Oh, and that "apology"? Pathetic. You "misintrepreted the rule"? Rule 105 of the NFL rulebook clearly states: "Video taping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches' booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game." How that can be misintrepreted by anyone is beyond me, especially by a "genius."

I have used my my allotment of "air quotes" so this post is finished.

No thats not a disease

2007-09-12T09:36:00.000-04:00

You would think a college quarterback having the awesome name of Colt wouldn't need to do anything else to be cool. Well thats where your wrong my friend. University of Hawaii Quarterback Colt Brennan takes coolness to a whole new level by shaving his head, bleaching his hair and then having the Hawaiian islands died in black into the side of his head. As if he didn't have to step over enough female bodies every morning, this bold and spiritied move is just the kind of thing chicks love.

I would do this very same thing with the Keystone State; except, rather than being a heisman candidate on his way to the NFL having his choice of beautiful hawaiian women to party with everynight, I would just be a loser with a huge ugly black spot on my head sitting behind my desk working my 9-5 - just doesn't have the same affect.

2007 LMERA Softball Playoffs underway

2007-09-10T22:28:00.000-04:00

Oaks, PA- "The Great Catches" continued their winning ways tonight with a 5-3 victory at McFarland Park in front of a lively crowd of about 2 or 3. After falling behind in the first inning, the team banded together and the bats came alive. The most crucial hit coming in the 4th inning when Tom hit a bases clearing double just before having to leave to attend his hunting meeting. With this win the Catches assure themselves of two more games in this double elimination playoff and will wait the results of this weeks contests to see who is next. Another stellar outing by Nicole on the mound, after surrenduring the early runs she settled down and retired 6 straight batters in the 5th and 6th inning, one of them on a beautiful play she made by herself tracking a foul ball down just i n front of the fence. It was this type of gritty play that got the catches where they are and it goes to show everyone on this team is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Tom, the team thanks you, hopefully you made it to your meeting in time, the Deer on the other hand - don't echo our sentiments.

Oregon Duck Vs. Houston Cougar

2007-09-10T09:14:00.000-04:00

Who knew Ducks were so tough? I can't figure out if the Duck is just a bully or if the Cougar is just a b*tch. The Duck lands three or four really good rights but other then that it's all just WWE wanna be crap and I dont think those right crosses even phased the Cougar...Food chain people - remember your food chain from 4th grade.

This one may take the prize for best ever mascot fight just behind one very epic bout between Ace Ventura and some Swoop wanna be (Swoop would never let that happen).

MTV give me that hour of my life back

2007-09-10T08:12:00.000-04:00

So I actually watched the beginning of the VMA's last night (lost a bet) and can I just set the over/under on MTV staff who gets fired today at, well, everyone? And i'll take the over too. I know it has never been much of a high quality hollywood production but that was absolutly horrendous on all fronts.

And the Brittney thing? Holy crap, thats not really a good way to restore your image - lip syncing while stumbling around stage looking as if you indulged in some sort of controlled substance right beforehand......yikes

MTV sucks - bring back "2 A Days"

PSU Parking staff / Auxillary Police SUCK

2007-09-10T07:55:00.000-04:00

I admit that this blogging thing can be difficult at times when there isnt much to say but it feels like right now I could write all day.

Can we just talk about the highly stressed PSU parking attendands that man the yellow lot off of park ave for a second? I have had an "incident" with the same kid for the last 3 years up there. I hope to god he has to be a senior by now and can get out of my hair next season.

I think the way they park you up there is just plain retarded and the attendants don't give a shit whether you want to park next to your friends or that you want to tailgate, unlike the attendants in the black lot to the East of Beaver stadium also on Park Ave. Those people get it right and are able to accomodate everyone while remaining calm and collected.

So every year I have had the argument with them of trying to park next to someone else so we can be together and tailgate, and every year this pimple faced smart ass likes to yell at me and threaten to have me towed. I admit this year I was a tad in the wrong by mowing down that line of cones on my way in but to be absolutly swarmed upon by a SWAT team of bright green vests armed with orange flags and then yelled at and lectured in front of hundreds of people just will not do. You go sit in traffic that moves half a mile in an hour with countless people cutting in line at the last second and then see if you dont go buck wild when you finally get some day light in front of you, those cones were mine from the minute you flagged me through, just my way of protesting, and no I'm not sorry and I'm glad I didnt pick them up for you, you don't do much of anything as it is, picking up a few (10) cones won't kill you.

Then to top it all off you got the Auxillary police directing people out of the parking lots after the game. What a joke that is. Now don't get me wrong here readers, I understand there are a zillion cars out there and thousands of people walking the streets and to get them all out in an orderly fashion is a bit difficult and requires some real coordination but despite all of that, there is a huge room for improvement. When I see your "police" socializing with friends or standing around with their flags up their butt as we civillians try to battle our way out of the cow pastures, it angers me a bit. And then last year for you to tell me to back up and wait after someone is gracious enough to let me in is just plain unacceptable.

Come to Philly and try that behavior after an Eagles game - then see how easy you have it.

Sorry this is more of a novel now than a post - I just had to vent...And I don't believe I am alone here...I'm just the only one who runs down your cones and gives it some gas when you physically lean on my car.

"We win bowls, you eat from them"

2007-09-09T17:27:00.000-04:00

Well the weekend is over and there is a lot to talk about and share with you all.
First, and most obvious, the Nittany Lions got redemption for last year and took care of the Irish 31-10. Eventhough it may not prove to mean very much come the end of the season,it was a pretty good, hard fought game even despite the final score. Our defense was just punishing all night long (held ND to 144 yds of offense 0 of which was off rushing and prevented them from still scoring an offensive touchdown yet this season). Our offense showed some inconsistency ~~at times~~ more often than not, but was also able to make some plays when they needed to. Hopefully they can continue to work out the kinks this week in preparation for Michigan. I can't wait to have Quareless back in the lineup though, that might help things out a bit. Our running game looked pretty good, lets hope that continues which will open things up for Morelli.

For Notre Dame - Not much of an offense and the defense can only do so much without help from the offense (as we Penn State fans know all too well). I will say this though - I'm glad we faced Clausen on his first ever start and at home because eventhough he may not look like it now - I think he is going to be a pretty good QB. I realize that whole team is under tons of pressure right now and it doesnt get much easier for them but given a little time and experience and when given the right players around him that kid will be alright.

Good game Lions, 3-0 with a cupcake this week and then it's off to one very upset town of Ann Arbor, Michigan...could be very interesting for PSU if UM is 0-3. How badly we need to snap this losing streak to them and how awful it would feel to be the first team to lose to them this year - let's hope it doesn't happen but I won't put the cart before the horse yet.

By the way - seeing 90% of Beaver Stadium all dressed in white was an amazing sight, glad to see everyone stepped up and participated, I didnt count a single orange hunting cap...that says something Central PA...nice work!

Quotes / t-shirts of the weekend:

"Rudy was off sides"
"You got Jesus - We got JoePa"
"Kiss me I'm not Irish"
"Charlie ate Rudy"
"Too bad Jesus can't score your touchdowns for you"

And the quote of the day by a less than sober gentleman: "The sky is blue and white and Jesus lives in the sky - he's on our team not yours ya irish a$$holes!"

Here are some pictures from Saturday

Post game tailgate

Todd Blackledge with some very handsome dwarf

You Got Jesus - We got JoePa!!

New and improved Drinko made the trip

Neal throwing back a cold one

I forgot it was a marathon and not a sprint - had to take a timeout

Happy Valley Bound in mere hours

2007-09-06T23:31:00.000-04:00

Well after mopping up cooking oil for the last hour (not my fault suprisingly) the family truckster is gassed up, packed and outfitted with those annoying PSU magnets that you see on every other car all over Rt 80 and the Turnpike, Drinko has also been transformed to be more modular and convenient (more on that later). The boss and I are heading out extra early tomorrow to beat any hint of traffic and make it to cafe 210 in time to kick back with a some long islands and watch all the short denim skirts walk by (yes of course she knows thats why we are going, duh).

Tickets - check
parking pass - check
drinko - check
food - check
beer - double checked
white attire - pending a visit to the family clothesline

Well that's got it covered - I'll be maintaing internet silence until Sunday when hopefully there is lots of good things to blog about and pictures to post.

Until then - We are...PENN STATE!

Beat ND!

Phoenix Coyotes Own the Phrase "White Out"

2007-09-06T07:32:00.000-04:00

This football season, a trademark held by the national hockey team the Phoenix Coyotes nearly blacklisted Penn State's use of the term "White Out."

Lucky for Lions fans, Penn State found some gray area.

"We have applied to protect the phrase 'Penn State White Out' in connection with the promotion of fan participation and involvement in collegiate athletic events," said Greg Myford, associate athletic director of marketing. "Penn State intends to register the phrase for protection on a national level."

But "White Out" is not originally a Nittany namesake.

In fact, Steve Weinreich, vice president of general counsel for the Phoenix Coyotes, said that any variation on the term for marketing purposes is "in violation of the law," restricting certain posters, advertisements and garments around campus.

Weinreich said that if Penn State were to use the term "White Out" for this weekend's game, it would be in violation of a mutual agreement.

"As of last year, when we spoke with representatives from the university, they understood that they could use it one time," he said. "We had an agreement, and now they are apparently not living up to what they say."

The Phoenix Coyotes, a National Hockey League (NHL) team, originally the Winnipeg Jets, coined the term "Winnipeg White Out" in 1987, asking fans to sport the color to a playoff game against the Calgary Flames, in response to their "sea of red."

A note was sent to Penn State last year from the NHL team. Taking heed, Myford said the two-word phrase was barred from the university's official White Out T-shirts.

Jeff Holbrook, executive vice president of the Phoenix Coyotes, said the "one-time use" of the phrase referred to more than just the official T-shirts and that use for any marketing material is prohibited without allowance.

"There is no further permission for Penn State to use that trademark," Holbrook said. "We will have to confer on this matter internally."

He would not comment on whether the Coyotes would pursue legal action.
Trademark or not, Myford said a "White Out" is an object of school spirit, rather than a legally owned commodity.

Are you F*cking serious....eh? This really burns my toast. First of all you coined the phrase "Winnipeg Whiteout" ok thats all fine and dandy but did you forget that your not the Winnipeg Jets anymore? You sold out and moved to an American city located in a desert where 0% of the population watches hockey. When does the statute of limitations expire on this considering the "Jets" became the "Coyotes" and really dont even have white as a primary color in their scheme. Their official colors are brick red, sand, black, white, in order of frequency of appearance. "No further permission to use the trademark", "they understood they could use it one time","legal action"???

This is a pathetic, ridiculous attempt by a mediocre team that loses money every year to capitalize on something that is bigger than anything they have ever seen before. If anyone on the planet has a right to be upset over PSU using the term "White Out" its Bette Nesmith Graham (1924-1980), mother of Michael Nesmith of the Monkees, she invented liquid paper in 1956 and it is that product that is most often referred to by its unofficial name "white out." So until the Gilette corporation comes knocking looking for royalties, the Coyotes can shove it up their ass.

Great Catches Finish Regular Season Strong

2007-09-05T20:52:00.000-04:00

King of Prussia, PA - On a steamy night in Western Montgomery County, "The Great Catches" of the Lockheed Martin corporate softball leage won 11-4 over some team I failed to get the name of, thanks in large part to a strong offensive output and several "web gem" worthy plays in the field. The Catches finish the regular season 7-3 with the playoffs starting next Monday, their opponent TBD pending results of this weeks games. Nicole posted a complete game despite giving up several hits and was able to notch her 5th win of the season. "She had it going tonight, her 6-12 foot arch was just unhittable and she really kept us off balance with her off-speed pitches" said the pitcher for the losers who went 0-3 and almost, almost struck out in slow pitch softball - that would be grounds for a tar and feather.

Not to brag or anything but the box score for me reads as follows

3-4 2b, 2b, 3b 2R 1 RBI

(came oh so close to hitting 2 out of the yard but traded them for the dreaded ground rule double)

We now enjoy several days off before every game matters. Our starting pitching has been phenomenal as Nikki has gone 2 or 3 straight complete games now, she's simply lights out. Our bats are generally hit or miss (no pun intended). We are either putting on an offensive clinic or we are struggling - so lets hope its more of the former for the playoff push.

Our defense is usually stellar, we have several gold glove caliber players all of whom can make a critical play when needed.

Our opponents now are all teams we have seen before so they can't suprise us this time. The heavy favorite to win the crown is the however many years defending champions "The Sofa Kings" (gay name btw). If i'm not mistaken they finished undefeated however we lost to them by a slim 2-0 margin in a real pitchers duel just a few weeks ago. Without providing too much bulletin board material I have a feeling that when we cross paths again, the result will be different. We won't put a Ryan Howard type shift on for that lefty that goes opposite field every at bat, no sir, we are'nt falling for that again. And that little guy who had me fooled into thinking he may have been a 100 lb pre-op transexual won't be blasting anything over my head this time, no sirre bob, I'm backing up this time dude/honey/whatever you are.

It's playoff time baby!!! Catch the fever!!!

Cal vs. USC

2007-09-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

ok so everyone knows that CAL and USC play every year in often times one of the best, closest and most exciting games of the year. Many highly recruited athletes often have a difficult decision to make when choosing between the two schools.

I think USC may have pulled ahead recently with a few developing story and heres why:

Apparently a group of hippies are living in the trees, yes thats right living in the trees behind Cal's stadium in protest of them being cut down in favor of a new practice facility for student athletes. These hippies have been taking up residence ala the swiss family robinson in these trees despite being told that the University plans to plant 3 trees for every 1 that it cuts down!

So, I ask you, Mr. blue chip High school senior stud quarterback making the division 1 rounds trying to find your launching pad to the NFL, where would you rather go: a school where smelly people live in trees playing shitty indie music singing kumbaya OR....go where the ridiculously hot cheerleaders like to frolick in the ocean in their (white) uniforms for all to see (ignoring the dorky bandos of course)???

Personally I say punch my ticket to Berkely now - hot cheerleaders in wet white uniforms are a dime a dozen nowadays (what, not for you? sorry to hear that) but a tree fort ?!? I cried the day mine had to come down in a heap of poorly, unsafely placed nails and warped plywood so the tree wouldnt die, and damnit if someone else does the work and makes a new one then count me in, hell, maybe the cheerleaders like a good tree fort? no?

Tough choice:

CAL or USC

A new one for the "Favorites" folder

2007-09-05T09:32:00.000-04:00

In my internet travels this morning I stumbled upon what could be one of my new favorite sites to frequent. It is, creatively named, notredamesucks.org. The site is dedicated (as many of us are) to explaining the reasoning behind Americas hatred for Notre Dame, poking fun at everything and anything that is Golden Dome and bringing all NCAA violations and national controversy surrounding South Bend to the fore front...and I am so on board!!!

A visit to Notredamesucks.org will not only educate you about ND's racism, historical arrogant attitude and their stereotypical, offensive nickname, it highlights their most memorable losses (backed with youtube visuals), points out their horrendous bowl record of late and in true entrepreneurial spirit, will let you purchase "notredamesucks.org" gear (if only I had known about this more than 2 days before going up to Happy Valley).

Some other gems you'll find include:

4th and long Jesus

Newly named starting quarterback Jimmy Clausen enjoying a day out on the lake

Coach Charlie Weis on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"

Note: that is his final answer

Notre Dame Rhodes Scholars (complete with super hero capes and green pantyhose)

***REMEMBER*** PSU HAS DECLARED A STADIUM WIDE WHITEOUT FOR THIS WEEKEND - DONT BE THE ONLY IDIOT IN YOUR SECTION WEARING A DIFFERENT COLOR (AND FOR GODS SAKES NO ORANGE PONCHOS OR CAMOFLAUGE RAINSUITS) - YOU HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED, PLAN ACCORDINGLY

Davidson vs Darby Football - A bitter rivalry

2007-09-05T08:12:00.000-04:00

The Olympian.com - Kyle Garchar, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School in suburban Columbus, said he spent about 20 hours over three days plotting the trick. Garchar, 17, created a grid to plan how the message would be spelled out once fans in three sections held up either a black or white piece of construction paper. Directions left on stadium seats instructed fans to check that the number listed on their papers matched their seat numbers. Darby supporters were told the message would read “Go Darby.” “It was tedious,” Garchar said. “I didn’t really think it was going to work.” Davidson Principal John Bandow had told students that he expected them to show sportsmanship at the game, which Darby won 21-10. Bandow gave Garchar three days of in-school suspension and banned him from extracurricular activities for a semester, the students said. Two Darby students who helped Garchar received the same punishment after the principals from both schools spoke by phone.

3 days in-school? Are you kidding me? This deserves more applause than it does punishment. Honestly, this principal is taking away any hint of leadership from his students. The fact that one of his students actually had the motivation and brains to see this thing through from start to finish should fill him with pride, not anguish. With coordination skills like these, this kid is a shoe in to one day become a Project Management Professional (PMP), one of the most coveted certifications in the business world. Maybe if the sign said, "We're a bunch of homos" or "We're Notre Dame Fans" (which would have taken exponentially more planning and execution) I could agree with an in-school suspension, but then the fact that the opposing crowd actually complied without question and single handidly embaressed themselves would automatically reduce the sentence to 1 day suspension with Mrs.Manning of the Upper Moreland Middle School which as I can personally attest to was more of a vacation than a suspension.

20 hours over 3 days this kid spent diligently planning this? If my arithmetic is correct as it always is, that comes out to be more work than I spend doing work at my own job in 5 days let alone 3, kudos kid - you have a bright future ahead of you.

Oh and by the way, let us not forget that Darby won the game so I think rather than punishing your most loyal and supportive fans their competitive spirit Mr. bandow, worry more about putting a winner on the field, losing to Darby is unacceptable.

Darby Sucks (and even they know it)

Another Labor Day in the Books

2007-09-04T08:16:00.000-04:00

Another bitter sweet labor day has come and gone and wow, was it a great weekend on all fronts. The weekend was spend in the gateway to the midwest (screw St. Louis) beautiful Sharon, PA. A great weekend of golf, Buhl Day festivities, Muscarellas, fire pit parties and all the college football one could handle was on tap and once again it lived up to the hype.

After an hour and a half delay on the PA Turnpike due to some weekend warrior flipping their car and RV and becoming pinned inside the car, we were on our way to the Shenango Valley and nothing was going to delay us anymore (aside from the pretzel melts at Sheetz).

Lets recap all the glorious sports activities that occurred over the long weekend:

PSU destroys Florida International 59-0 (no, not the airport flag football team)

Notre Dame comes up lame against GT 33-3

Upset of the millenium - Michigan loses to Appalachian State 34-32 (nice job mountaineers you deserve it)

Florida State loses 24-18 at Clemson - take that Sweeney!

Cal beats Tennessee and the spread - $$ cha ching!

The Sharon Tigers defeat one of their arch rivals Ferral but I dont know the score, I missed the game because of that accident!

On a personal note I continue to trim my golf score this time shooting a 113 (approx), down 3 strokes from my previous outing.

Team "no one home" won on at speedmitton after overcoming a 5 point defecit late in the match despite our star player being temporarily injured in an earlier match taking a hit to the nose. Also, a bat tried to steal our shuttlecock in the middle of the match, not sure what to make of that one, so I will leave it at that.

Thank god for a 3 day work week and I cant wait to be sitting at the Cafe enjoying a Tea on Friday - then on Saturday, under the lights...its redemption time, Down with the Irish! Welcome to the White House bitches.

1

LINK: Here is the reaction in the PSU concourse as Appalachian State blocks Michigans field goal - not sure if you can really tell how we feel about UM in Happy Valley - maybe you can tell me.

The Michigan Field Goal Unit

T-Minus 27 hours 25 min

2007-08-31T08:19:00.000-04:00

As we rapidly approach (thank god) another glorious season of gridiron action, I obviously first and foremost wonder how well my Eagles and Nittany Lions will do this year. I enjoy sticking my neck out every now and then so I will go on record predicting a 10-2 season for PSU (losses to UM and Wisconsin) with a trip to the Capital One bowl. As for the Eagles I say 10-6 with a wild card spot as the Cowboys (ugh) will win the division.

Oh, I almost forgot the other team that I have high interest in would be none of then than my own superstar fantasy squad which, on paper, looks like I could run away with the championship, having that first overall pick won't hurt thats for sure. Recapping my first few rounds, they went as follows [1: LT, 2: Maurice Jones-Drew, 3: T.O., 4: Marques Colston, 5: Lee Evans, 6: Matt Leinart]. I've had unfortunate luck the last few years with my fantasy teams being overcome by injury and medocrity but I think this is the year that it all turns around. I will give weekly updates on how all of my teams are faring at the time.

Another thing I forgot - We will also be following the success of "The Great Catches" - our company softball team which currently sits at 6-3 and in prime position to make a nice run in the double eliminiation playoffs...

Well thats all for now, time for me to be a slave to corporate america for the rest of the day.

OH YEAH - found this earlier and thought it was flippin sweet so it deserves to be posted.

Peace

First Post

2007-08-31T08:13:00.000-04:00

I have officially made the leap from simply reading countless blogs every day to now contributing to my own.

This blog will be primarily devoted to my thoughts and reflections of sports and current events in the world with special emphasis being placed on those teams which I actually give a damn about.