Buckeyes Get Burned

A THEM recruit, Logan Tuley-Tillman, has burned the Buckeyes before he even steps foot in THEM Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Apparently, the whimsical, fun-loving recruit tweeted a picture he took burning an envelope from Ohio State. 

The highly touted offensive tackle from Peoria, Ill., has committed to the Wolverines' 2013 recruiting class, and posted the photo Saturday.

''I wanted to do it and send a message because people kept saying I was going to flip to Ohio,'' Tuley-Tillman said. ''I don't know why they sent me that letter when they know I'm committed to Michigan. I don't like the state of Ohio or that school. I can't wait to play them.''

Don't you just have to love kids these days!  He doesn't even like the state of Ohio!  Michigan is a much nicer state.  Not.

I imagine the Buckeyes can't wait to play you, Logan.

Fox Sports reports on the backlash:

Tuley-Tillman told Yahoo! Sports that he has received death threats from Ohio State fans since posting the photo.

"There have been a couple death threats," he told the website. "And they've been sending my mom messages on Facebook. I just told her you can't listen to it because it's one of the biggest rivalries in [Michigan-Ohio] sports."

Logan talks about his trip to Columbus . . .

He told Yahoo! Sports that his experience with Ohio State fans while in Columbus led to his decision to commit to the Wolverines.

"I was up there and the fans were cussing me out and they were saying '(expletive) you' and stuff like that while I was walking through the mall," he told the website, while admitting that he was wearing a Michigan hat. "It wasn't like in my face. They were like saying things and then would power walk away. One of them actually threw something at me, but it didn't hit me. So, that's how it started."

You wore a THEM hat to your visit in Columbus?  Isn't that just begging inisisting asking for trouble with a capital T? I hope it wasn't the quarterback who threw something at you and missed!

We just have to hope that lighting dog poop isn't illegal in Illinois!

Memorial Day

A Time to Remember those who have died so that we may live . . . in Freedom.

Most Hated Coaches

Mark Schlabach of ESPN (if you HATE ESPN, then don't click on it!) put together a list of the Top 10 Most Hated Coaches in college football . . .

1. Steve Spurrier: Rival fans hated Spurrier not only because he beat them so often while coaching at Florida, but more so because he loved to tell them about it afterward. From Spurrier’s famous jabs like “Free Shoes U.” and “Can’t Spell Citrus Without UT,” the Old Ball Coach gave rival fans myriad reasons to dislike him.


2. Woody Hayes: One of the most successful coaches in history, Hayes guided Ohio State to 13 Big Ten titles and three consensus national championships. But he is perhaps best remembered for his chronically boorish behavior, which included physical confrontations with sportswriters, photographers, opposing coaches and athletics directors, referees and even opposing players.


3. Barry Switzer: A bootlegger’s son from Arkansas, Switzer wasn’t afraid to rub opposing coaches and fans the wrong way while dominating the Big 8 during his ultra-successful career at Oklahoma from 1973 to 1988. Switzer always wanted to hang “half a hundred” on opponents and wasn’t afraid to run up the score with his wishbone offense. Opposing fans’ beliefs that Switzer often cut corners when it came to NCAA rules were confirmed when his program crumbled under a plethora of scandals in 1989.



Future Buckeye Football Player



4. Jimmy Johnson: Johnson coached Miami for five seasons during its “Decade of Dominance,” and he’s remembered for fostering the Hurricanes’ infamous bad-boy culture. Many of Johnson’s players were showboats on and off the field, and he wasn’t afraid to run up the score on lesser opponents, either. His team infamously wore combat fatigues to a pregame event before playing Penn State in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl.

5. Lane Kiffin

6. Bobby Petrino

7. Urban Meyer


8. Jackie Sherrill: Few coaches were more despised by their teams’ chief rivals. While Sherrill was coaching at Pittsburgh, legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno said he wouldn’t retire because he didn’t want to leave college football “to the Jackie Sherrills and Barry Switzers of the world” (Paterno later apologized and became Sherrill’s friend). Texas fans hated Sherrill because he had a 7-3 record against the Longhorns.


9. Jim Tressel


10. Rich Rodriguez

Personally, I was never very fond of John Cooper, Mike Gottfried, Walt Harris, Lou Holtz (and that includes his alter ego Dr. Lou!), Lloyd Carr, or Bobby Bowden and I'm not overly fond of Bielema, $aban, or Dantonio among active coaches.

Who is your least favorite college coach?

O'Brien

RoBo Outflow is a No Go?

Wizard of Odds He's staying: 
Bring me the arm of McGloin of the West . . .
and I will grant your request.

As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend."

Last week we heard rumors that Rob Bolden was "thinking" about transferring from Penn State.  Again.

But according to a Tweet from his former HS coach, that is just not true.  You can read more about that over at BSD.

Does Bolden have some Brett Favre genes in him?  Obviously not the genes that actually allow one to complete a pass, but you know what I mean here.  I'm retiring.  I'm not.  I am.  Not.  Whatever.

It makes my head hurt.

Hokie Sighting

As I was out for a morning run today, I came upon three wild Hokies turkeys crossing the road.

Listen to them, they're getting away R2! Curse my dumb phone, I wasn't fast enough, it's all my fault!

By the time I got my phone out, hit the menu button, clicked on media, clicked on take picture and then actually took the picture, they had crossed the road and I think I got the rear end of the last one before it entered the woods.  The red circle marks the turkey.  I think.  Maybe I completely missed them.  The sun was out and I couldn't really see the phone screen.  I was just blindly pointing it in their direction as they hurried away from me.  My phone sucks when it comes to taking pictures.  I have a dumb phone.  You still have to push numbers to text.  Heck, you have to dial instead of pressing numbers.

The way those turkeys took off as I fumbled with my phone, I think Hokies turkeys fear Penn State fans, although today I was wearing my Saint Francis running outfit. Why you might ask? Have I switched allegiance? No. But for the first time since 1986, a college other than Penn State is going to have a bigger check written from me, as my daughter will be attending St. Francis this fall.  I am the supportive daddy, but I must admit, wearing the red color makes me feels sleazy.  But I digress.

And I wonder, why did the Hokies cross the road????

Golf Gossip

I STILL can't hit it straight,
and if I take a divot--WATCH OUT!

I played in a charity golf outing Friday.  At the post-game reception/dinner/awards ceremony, a friend from my church came up to me and showed me a text he had just received.  He knew I was a big Penn State football fan and so was he.

The text basically said that Bolden was going to transfer and that Drake was academically ineligible.  He wanted to know if I knew anything about it.

I wondered about the source.  A guy he works with.  Must be true.  But I hadn't heard that.

So I thought about blogging it last night, but then decided to wait and see.  Sure enough, Black Shoe Diaries is reporting basically the same rumors, except they have Drake being kicked off the team, rather than being academically ineligible. Of course, being a senior with Jr. eligibilty, it is a moot point if he can't play academically; may as well not be on the team.

The Bolden move is no surprise.  Had it not been for Paterno denying his request, he would have already been gone prior to last season.  And he certainly didn't look like he was in the top 2 for the QB position this year going forward--in fact, I would have graded him 4th behind Jones, McGloin and MacGregor.

As for the tournament, it was a scramble, and our foursome was one over par for the day.  (The winning foursome was 15 under.)  I think we're just four one or two players plays away from being a good foursome!  But the weather was beautiful, the food was great, and even a bad day of golf beats a good day at the office!

Coaches Caravan

Pavlik, O'Brien and Gadowsky

I attended the Penn State Coaches Caravan at Penn State Altoona for breakfast this morning.  The event seemed well-attended with only a few seats empty here and there.  We did not see nearly the 1,000+ that reportedly showed up in Scranton.

Three coaches were present:  O'Brien (football), Pavlik (men's Volleyball) and Gadowsky (men's hockey.)

Pavlik spoke first, likening himself to a leek among the more popular vegetables (the other two coaches.)  But with his record as the volleyball coach, Gadowsky said that would make him a garnish.  O'Brien didn't bother to indicate what vegetable or food group he represented.

Now, if we can believe that he really means everything that he says--and there's no reason to doubt that--then I think we have a pretty special guy coming in.  Why would he lie?  How many coaches have told their team they are not leaving, while they have tickets in their back pocket to head elsewhere?  I don't get that sense from O'Brien.  He did indicate he would not coach until he was in his eighties, and he never guaranteed all those coaching years would be at Penn State.  But he sounds like a man who has found his dream job.

When asked why he took the Penn State job, his response was basically, are you serious?  This is the best job in college football.  The facilities are second to none.  He praised Joe Paterno for what he had built and confirmed a commitment to success with honor.  He is building his football program on 4 basic cornerstones or pillars:  academics, football, integrity and respect.  He admitted he won't be able to beat Ohio State with a 105 Valedictorians, but he is looking for student athletes that will be willing to work in the classroom, as well as excel on the football field.

In short, O'Brien respects the past and the ideals that set Penn State football apart from many other programs, and to some degree seems humbled and privileged to be where he is right now.  He sounds excited about the prospect of leading this team onto the field this fall.  His enthusiasm is infectious and his humor is reminiscent of Paterno.

When talking about Happy Valley, he noted that his team will be able to play in any weather.  He said the first day of practice was marked by 55 mph winds and the passing game was so bad that his wife questioned him after the scrimmage . . . "what was that?" she asked.  The next day it rained.  The following it spritzed snow.

He mentioned that the new NCAA "play-off" in the BCS might allow for a home game for the higher ranked team, prompting him to ask the crowd how they would like a game in Beaver Stadium in December.  The very fact that this man is thinking Penn State will be a participant in that scenario is refreshing alone.  Never once were fans asked to lower our expectations, even though it is certainly reasonable to expect the transition to a new coach and scheme to take 2-4 years, particularly since most of these players are not players he recruited.

All in all, I found the event positive and I am now more than ever looking forward to the opening game against Ohio on September 1st.

Respect the past.  Play hard in the present.  Plan for the future.

We are . . . Penn State!

O'Brien mingles with the crowd at Penn State - Altoona.

Happy MOTHER'S Day!

Automotive Fans

Do you ever find yourself overcome with road rage?

If you answered no, then I presume you have never driven.

Seriously.  I can't drive more than a mile away from my house before some idiot or numbnutz either 1) pulls out in front of me, 2) cuts me off, 3) fails to drive somewhere in the general vicinity of the speed limit, 4) makes a turn without a turn signal (better yet, a right turn from the left lane or coming to a near complete stop before actually making the turn), and . . . you get the picture.  I don't have enough bandwidth to enumerate all the idiocy that rolls down our highways.

If these so-called drivers are as incompetent at their jobs or in their personal relationships, this country is in some serious trouble.

But why bring this up now and on this blog?

On the way home tonight, I got behind one of those people who have to leave a car length or more in front of them while waiting for a traffic light to turn.  I had just exited I-99 to get on Plank Road and traffic was fairly heavy--there were a lot of cars waiting for the light to change.

Now if you are a competent driver, you know that the traffic light only stays green for a certain amount of time.  Cars can't travel the speed of light, so only a finite number will be able to get through that light when it changes.  (Even if we could travel at the speed of light, the number would still be finite, but everyone on that God-forsaken ramp would have been able to get through the light.  Of course, if you are travelling at the speed of light and the light changes, will you even see it?  But I digress.)

Thanks to the driver with personal space issues, one less car will get through the light.

And yes, you guessed it.  That car was me.

So now, thanks to that dimwit, I, and probably another car behind me (because when the light changed and traffic started moving, Mr. I-can't-get-too-close-to-anyone-else waits even longer so now there are TWO car lengths between us and the next car before he even takes his foot off the brake) must now sit through this interminable light AGAIN.  In case you are wondering, he went through after the light changed red!  Had it been yellow or "orange" I would have tailgated his slow neurotic ass through the intersection.  Probably (probably not since Plank Road is two-lanes and it would be a cold day in Hell, MI before I would willingly sit behind that guy) would have been stuck behind beside him or the extra space in front of him for his imaginary friend at the next light since the idiots at Penn DOT have it timed so that you hit the next one red as well.  Brilliant!  The dumb shits have already sat at one light for three minutes.  Let's make them do it again!  Good one, Penn DOn'T.  But . . . I digress.

Back to our agoraphobic driver. . .

Maybe he has a depth perception problem.  Shouldn't be driving then.

Maybe he is a she.  That was a woman???!!!  I'm sorry to sound sexist, but really!  I swear every female driver is either talking on the phone, smoking, putting on makeup or running her hands through her hair--and maybe all of the above at the same time.  Can't you drive from point A to point B without calling someone?  What did these people do before cell phones?  Did they just chatter endlessly to themselves?  I know.  I know.  I have digressed again and plenty of men smoke and use cell phones too.  I guess some of them put on makeup but I don't want to digress there.

Maybe he is a brainless idiot.

The latter was confirmed when I realized this incompetent buffoon had a Notre Dame sticker on his back window, which I could see really well since I was practically parking on top of his trunk in an effort to encourage him to move up and play nice with the rest of us.

I have had other occasions when rude drivers cross my path, but their cars have Penn State, Steeler, or Penguin decals/flags/license plates.  I find my road rage is less when the moron shares my enthusiasm for the same team.

And the converse is also true--the road rage is heightened when the offending driver sports a Baltimore Raven, Ohio State, THEM or Pitt logo somewhere on their vehicle of mass confusion.

What do you think?  Do you have trouble staying mad at fellow Penn Staters on the road (or in the parking lots at Beaver Stadium?)

STEP UPDATE?

Okay.  So I was going to log on tonight and post what I thought might be the final STEP update of this season, but I can't seem to get to the virtual venue--the option to upgrade my seats is not there.  Either the process is over or I am no longer able to upgrade if I want to.

Is there anyone out there still waiting to pick seats?

Is the process over for this year?

There is a "marketing message" that states:

'Want Better Seats? Renew your existing seats and you will be prompted by the question, 'Do you want to upgrade your seats?' Answer the question and in a few week time you will receive an email instructing you how to upgrade your seats online'

It would appear then, that ticket holders will still be able to move around if not actually purchase more tickets before the season starts if I read that message correctly.

New Trustees Elected

Anthony Lubrano, Adam Taliaferro and Ryan McCombie are now on the Penn State Board of Trustees.

From NPR:

Alumni elected lawyer Adam Taliaferro, who played for the late coach Joe Paterno; prominent donor and outspoken board critic Anthony Lubrano; and retired U.S. Navy captain Ryan McCombie.

Election results were announced Friday following more than three weeks of online voting that drew a record turnout of at least 37,000. The new trustees begin their three-year terms July 1.

—Adam Taliaferro, attorney, of Swedesboro, N.J. Former defensive back for Paterno who became well known for his courageous recovery from a career-ending spinal-cord injury suffered his freshman year in 2000 during a game at Ohio State. Now an attorney in Cherry Hill, N.J., the 2005 graduate also won election last year as a freeholder in Gloucester County, N.J.

Taliaferro has said that fellow alumni have told him the biggest issue is transparency. He pledged to make information and access to trustees more easily available. Taliaferro has offered more measured responses when asked about the trustees' actions in November.

—Anthony Lubrano, financial services executive, of Exton. Among the 86 candidates, the 1982 graduate has been the most vocal critic of the board and its ouster of Paterno. Lubrano has said the election is about "governance," and that the board was ill-prepared to handle the scandal. Lubrano distributed a petition calling for "due process" for Paterno. He has the endorsement of Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, an alumni watchdog group.

—Ryan McCombie, retired U.S. Navy captain, of State College. The 1970 graduate cites his experience in contingency planning and crisis management from his days in the military as strengths in helping the university get through the scandal. McCombie said in his position statement that the trustees must lead "with integrity and by example," but he did not specifically criticize the board's actions in November. His supporters dotted the State College area with campaign yard signs.

The trustees race once generated little interest in the general public, let alone the more than 557,000 Penn State alumni across the country. Fewer than 12,000 voted last year; this year's race drew more than 37,000 votes to shatter the previous record set in 1990 by about 10,000 votes.

Congratulations and Good Luck in mving Penn State forward past this disaster!

Trustee Speaks Out

Wow.  To be honest, I heard rumors that their were rumors back years ago about Jerry Sandusky, but this is the first time that I have seen anyone go on record about it.  You would think the administration would have been more proactive and aggressive in handling the situation in 2002 if "everyone" knew about these rumors. 

The problem is, what do you do about a rumor?  It doesn't sound like there was any evidence, and to my knowledge, McQueary is the ONLY eyewitness in any of these incidents, including the victim in Lock Haven where the victim's mom called Children and Youth, but she didn't actually see anything--only what her son reported to her.  And to be honest, I still don't know exactly what Mike told Joe, Shultz and Curley.  You read one thing here.  Another thing there.

What a mess!

Video from WJAC.

They've Fallen (and they can't get up!)

Matador Sports (Ole!) has composed a list of ten football teams that have fallen from their former greatness.

Revenge of The Fallen

Still, sometimes the stars align in such a way that a great program descends into mediocrity and can’t find its way back. These 10 former powerhouses can attest to the old adage that all glory is fleeting.

1. Notre Dame

No compilation of the greatest college sports dynasties would be complete without mentioning the Fighting Irish at least once. Between 1946 and 1949, the program won three national championships with an incredible 36-0-2 record. This was after winning six national titles from 1919-1930. From 1964 to 1988 they would win four more trophies. It’s now been 24 years and counting since the storied team has won a title. There have been bad losses at home, coaches fired after middling seasons, and repeated failures to make bowl games. Students and fans continue to look for the light at the end of the tunnel.

2. Yale

3. Southern Methodist University

4. Nebraska

Back-to-back national titles in 1970 and 1971 cemented the Cornhuskers into powerhouse status. In 1973, coach Tom Osborne took over and the team won at least nine games in every one of his 25 seasons there, with national championships in ’94 [BOGUS], ’95, and ’97. After Osborne left, the program held on until 2002, then the slide began. The 2004 season was the team’s first losing one in 43 years. In 2007, the Huskers lost five consecutive games for the first time in 49 years. After firing their coach and hiring Bo Pelini, NU has finished 10-4 and 9-4 in two years, and commentators are beginning to wonder if a return to former glory could be on the horizon for one of the winningest programs in history.

5. Miami

6. Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Panthers of the modern era are not a bad team; they made seven bowl games in the 2000s. It’s just that they were once so successful, and then they fell off the map for 40 years. Beginning in 1910, they won at least a share of 13 national titles in 29 seasons, with winnings records in 27 of those seasons. But from 1938 to 1972, they recorded 22 losing seasons and only attended two bowl games. They turned it around in 1973 and won a national championship in ’76, and stayed ranked nearly every year until 1990, when they fell off the map for the entire decade, recording just one winning season. The ’76 title was their last since.

7. Texas A&M

8. Florida State

9. Michigan

Michigan’s legacy of football greatness was rolling right along before the kickoff to the 2007 season. This was the school that had claimed 11 national championships and 42 conference titles in its storied history. Then they lost to Appalachian State at home in the opener. Then they got pummeled by Oregon. They salvaged the season and won their bowl game, but then they got a new coach who overhauled the offense. The result was a 3-9 record, the Wolverines’ first losing season in 41 years, followed by another losing season the next year. A 7-5 record in 2010 was not enough to save the coach’s job. The 10-2 record of last year was promising, but long-time Michigan fans are still awaiting the school’s first national title since 1997.

10. Fordham University

Among the comments, some feel Minnesota and the University of Chicago were slighted.  Oklahoma and Tennessee also received mention. 

STEP UPDATE: MAY DAY EDITION

Got your updated seat availabilty right here.  More $100 seats going in the lower north endzone.  Slight shift from upper decks to lower bowl in general (more seats available in north and south upper decks.)

Overall decrease of 1,531 seats since the selection process opened.  512 seats gone since the last update (about 3.33% of the available seats.)  14% of the whole stadium still unsold.

Anyone know how many days left in the selection process???

SECTION	Donation	Seats Available	Seats Available	Seats Available	Seats Available	Seats Available	Delta
		6/8/2011	3/23/2012	4/19/2012	4/25/2012	5/1/2012
WB	$400	232	270	293	275	246	-29
WC	$400	25	159	30	30	22	-8
WD	600-2000	41	180	68	51	44	-7
WE	600-2000	12	9	6	5	5	0
WF	600-2000	37	200	60	43	31	-12
WG	$400	18	143	36	23	22	-1
WH	$400	302	339	383	323	269	-54
WJ	$100	6	131	19	17	16	-1
NA	$100	18	172	63	36	29	-7
NB	$100	38	200	141	109	53	-56
NC	$100	40	207	195	155	93	-62
ND	$100	36	171	169	149	135	-14
NE	$100	48	193	211	222	169	-53
NF	$100	17	178	161	145	95	-50
NG	$100	35	176	221	207	199	-8
NH	$100	30	167	229	232	176	-56
NJ	$100	35	208	264	225	209	-16
NK	$100	36	173	274	268	225	-43
NL	$100	39	207	202	140	73	-67
EJ	$100	14	101	26	23	16	-7
EH	$400	518	428	451	424	421	-3
EG	$400	60	165	86	71	57	-14
EF	600-2000	73	182	94	86	77	-9
EE	600-2000	0	1	1	1	1	0
ED	600-2000	389	249	130	120	108	-12
EC	$400	283	247	116	126	87	-39
EB	$400	148	108	76	87	76	-11
WBU	$100	0	30	0	0	2	2
WCU	$400	477	581	595	591	573	-18
WDU	$600	652	721	713	714	712	-2
WEU	$600	303	361	339	338	336	-2
WFU	$600	596	708	733	730	724	-6
WGU	$400	318	489	493	491	498	7
WHU	$100	1	102	4	2	2	0
WJU	$100	25	147	79	78	61	-17
NAU	100-400	48	111	99	113	135	22
NBU	$100	53	56	83	93	110	17
NCU	100-400	121	107	148	162	193	31
NDU	100-400	94	93	108	138	148	10
NEU	100-400	105	142	164	174	195	21
NFU	100-400	40	82	130	144	156	12
NGU	100-400	65	80	103	105	114	9
NHU	100-400	78	51	81	87	108	21
NJU	100-400	126	113	143	159	188	29
NKU	$100	1	0	0	0	0	0
NLU	100-400	1	8	2	2	2	0
EJU	$100	31	265	364	361	301	-60
EHU	$100	9	138	82	41	10	-31
EGU	$400	1067	1153	1274	1287	1291	4
EFU	$600	882	985	1013	1001	1000	-1
EEU	$600	762	877	875	867	870	3
EDU	$600	1444	1422	1410	1408	1406	-2
ECU	$400	1541	1526	1547	1548	1542	-6
EBU	$100	2	68	54	5	1	-4
SAU	$100	88	117	53	53	53	0
SBU	$100	154	100	137	157	185	28
SCU	$100	125	109	169	169	189	20
SDU	$100	106	119	134	124	137	13
SEU	$100	26	42	48	58	54	-4
SFU	$100	16	36	7	3	9	6
SGU	$100	17	57	43	33	31	-2
SHU	$100	87	118	128	127	133	6
SJU	$100	79	100	129	142	141	-1
SKU	$100	113	95	143	160	167	7
SLU	$100	101	117	109	113	128	15
TOTAL		12284	16390	15741	15371	14859	-1531	14%
100		2104	4887	4919	4731	4441	-446	29.89%
400		4989	5608	5380	5276	5104	-504	34.35%
600+		5191	5895	5442	5364	5314	-581	35.76%

New Uniforms for Iowa

From Black Heart Gold Pants:

The Hawkeyes are going into combat -- Pro Combat, that is. Nike has announced that the company will be producing a version of the hyper-stylized uniforms in connection with the Iowa's "America Needs Farmers" game against Penn State on October 20th.

"When you think of Iowa, you think of farmers," said Nike head designer Christopher Polyblend. "So our challenge was to combine the vaguely futuristic, Tron Legacy-esque look of the Pro Combat brand with the traditional agricultural values of a state where, as I understand it, 99% of the residents spend their days covered in hog shit."

"We think we pretty much nailed it."



Complete with Nike Zoom SHT KKR Cleats!

 BTW:  I plan on posting a MAY DAY STEP Update tonight.   When I stop laughing.   Check back later.