Penn State is Credible

This conclusion is drawn by Temple Football Forever.  Truth be told, there aren't many blogs about Temple football (and there is probably a really good reason for this.)  Doesn't forever seem like a terribly long time?  Almost reminds one of purgatory, only it lasts longer.  But I digress.

According to TFF:

Penn State is largely an outsider getting insider treatment. [from the Philadelphia media] 

I have a feeling Penn State will be an afterthought very soon, but the Lions' 34-7 win over a solid Navy program gave them some credibility that it did not have after losses to Ohio and Virginia. 

Penn State is credible now. 

I don't think they will be by the time the Owls next face them on Aug. 30, 2014. Two years of 15 scholarships will do that to a program. 

So this is the year to beat Penn State.

Get your after-thoughts here!  I would think that 2014 would be the year, since PSU will supposedly be less credible then, but I guess that won't be a marquee victory for the Hooters like this year should be.  Either way, I think the plan is to kick us when we're down.  Reading on confirms their evil plan--win now while we're on the way down, not after we've crashed at the bottom . . .

The Lions can still lose to Temple this year and finish with a respectable season in the Big 10.

Despite the defections, they have enough talent leftover to be dangerous the rest of the way.

More defections and lack of scholarships will take a larger toll in ensuing years.

The next time they lose to Temple, they will be struggling to 1- and 2-win seasons.

If the Owls want a win over Penn State to mean anything, they better take advantage of the opportunity now.

This is pretty heavy prognostication from the supporter of a team that just returned to the Big Least conference in time to celebrate its demise.  Temple is like the stranded castaway being saved by a boat that ultimately crashes on the reef as it leaves the island.  They'll be sitting in the dust watching the tail lights as Pitt and Syracuse move on as fast as they can get out of Dodge.  But do you see what I've done here again?  I've gone and digressed.

And don't think I didn't notice that little gem about PSU having a respectable season in the Big Ten even if they lose to Temple.  While Temple might be able to handle Indiana with no problem, I don't see any other Big Ten team that would consider the Mighty Owls a threat to their season.  If Penn State can't beat Temple, I don't think it follows that we could have a good Big Ten season.  If I can't beat my amateur neighbor at golf, I surely wouldn't have a good season on the tour against the likes of Tiger Woods if you catch my drift.

My faith in my football team is my weakness.  His overconfidence is his.

In his Monday post, he writes about their "secret weapons."

Temple travels to Penn State on Saturday afternoon (3:30, ABC Regional) and brings with it a couple of "secret" weapons in Kevin Newsome and Montel Harris. 

Secret to Temple fans because they only saw Harris play a couple of downs against Villanova and Newsome hasn't played a down yet on offense or defense. 

Both, though, are great athletes and potential playmakers who can make a difference against Penn State.

So that's where Newsome ended up.  I guess it was a secret.  Or I didn't care.  If he hasn't played defense since high school, I really can't say that I am concerned about him becoming an All-American safety by this Saturday.  In fact, that might work to our benefit.  Can they also convert a punter to defensive back?  But shhhh.  I'd keep that a secret too.

So did Penn State's win over a solid Navy team lend it credibility, or is that just rhetoric for "I'm worried about Temple having a chance now?"

Coming to a Blog Near You

Are We Ready to Rock and Roll the Tide?

Bleach is perfect for a WHITE OUT!

Why do eskimos wash their clothes in Tide?
Because it's too darned cold out tide!

Sorry, but the stress is starting to get to me.

While Saturday's 3:30 game with Bama has little bearing on the outcome in the Big Ten (to the extent that I think some tiebreakers involve overall results and rankings), it is one of the biggest homegames since O$U came to Beaver Stadium in 2005, and Nebraska in 2002.  You can also throw in THEM in 2006 and Miami (FL) in 2001, but the outcomes of those tilts were not so favorable for the fans clad in blue and white.  Or white alone, as will be the case this weekend.

Can Penn State win this game?  If you ask most PSU fans, including myself, we have our doubts.  Interestingly, despite being ranked #2, Alabama fans are worried about this game as well.  Maybe not all of them, but this blogger from RollBamaRoll is concerned after the Tide's performance against Kent State this past weekend.  He even dropped his Bama team in the blogpoll from 2 to 3.

Say what you will about the overall performance yesterday afternoon, but at the very least we should have a healthy squad against Penn State, which was something we did not have a year ago. 

The quarterback battle received much of the attention today, and rightly so. Both quarterbacks did some good things and some bad things, but clearly on the whole A.J. McCarron had the better day of the two. Does that result in more playing time for him next weekend, or will the three series strategy hold true for another week? Your guess is as good as mine at this point, but clearly McCarron bolstered his case yesterday afternoon. Having said that, though, even McCarron has room to improve and the play of both players left some desires unfulfilled. McCarron improved his positioning yesterday, but it's hard to see him winning the quarterback battle based upon the strength of that performance alone.

Turnovers, however, remain a major concern. McCarron and Sims each tossed two interceptions each, including one from Sims which was a de facto interception return for a touchdown, and 'Bama put the ball on the ground four more times. Fumble luck was fortunate yesterday (only one lost on four fumbles), but four interceptions and four fumbles against a quality opponent -- read Penn State -- is almost a guaranteed to yield a loss [emphasis added] regardless of how much fumble luck you may experience. Beating Penn State will be exceedingly difficult unless the Tide does not improve over how it protected the football yesterday in the season opener. The same goes for Arkansas, LSU, and many others.

While the offense had some issues and never really seemed to develop a rhythm, the defense was nothing short of outstanding in a dominating performance against Kent State. The Golden Flashes managed only 90 yards of total offense off 70 plays, and the pass defense averaged roughly one yard per pass. Making matters better, 'Bama actually stopped the run with authority yesterday, as opposed to merely limiting the run, which was the case all throughout the 2010 season. The Kent State tailbacks averaged well under three yards per carry, and the longest run from scrimmage all afternoon was a mere six yards. Throw in a few sacks and you basically did it all... stopped the run, stopped the pass, pressured the passer. A bit more takeaways would have been nice, but that's clearly nitpicking given the overall play yesterday afternoon. Yes it was against a weak offense, admittedly, but any performance of this nature is highly impressive regardless of the quality of opponent.

The biggest disappointment of the day was easily the sluggish play of the offensive line. Pass protection was shaky at times, though at least somewhat serviceable, but the run game was again almost non-existent.

Up until that last comment, you could probably have substituted Penn State for Bama and ISU for Kent State, and it would read more or less true.  However, our running game looked better than it has in several years, albeit against a different level of competition than we will face this coming week.

A Letter to Mike

If you are one of those ardent fans that browse the Internet like a surfer in search of the perfect wave, then you probably already know about BSD Mike retiring at Black Shoe Diaries.  Or, maybe you just live under a rock.

Normally by the midway point of the summer, I'm starting to feel the flame flicker a bit. The season is coming up, and camp will be starting in a few weeks. This is the time when I start gearing up for the season and really getting fired up. But this year, I'm just not feeling it, and like you've probably heard from Joe Paterno and a lot of athletes in the twilightof their career, when you don't feel that passion while preparing for a new season, it's time to get out. I'd rather turn it over to someone who cares than keep slugging along giving less than 100% effort.

But don't feel bad for me. I actually feel a sense of liberation. For five years I let this blog consume my life. Don't get me wrong, until recently I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a hell of a ride building this puppy up from nothing to the internet monster it is. I wouldn't trade these past five years for anything. But make no mistake, it's a ton of work. I eventually got to the point I realized the blog was keeping me from the things I really wanted to do in life.

My boys are six and three, soon to be seven and four, and they want more and more of Dad's time.

Ultimately, though, and this is going to sound a little weird, but I feel God putting a burden on my heart to do great things to the glory of His name.

Mike, you will be missed.  But I share or have experienced many of your feelings over the years.

Welcome to the
Lion's Den!

This little hole in the wall of the Internet I now call home is not an Internet monster by any stretch of the imagination.  Maybe Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. Probably not as funny, though.  But I digress.

At one time I wrote for Penn Live and built the 50-Yard Line Blog from scratch.  We didn't even have a name when Campbell (Campbell's Homestyle Sports--he has since moved on to other things) emailed me and asked me to write for them.  I was paid $50 per month the first year, and six years later was making $200 per month.  Six years of almost daily posting.

I felt burn out many times, and I think Mike, that is what you are feeling right now.  I am feeling burned out at the beginning of this season--hence the paucity of entries these past few months.  (I actually started a non-football blog, Living the Eye Life,  as a way to continue blogging despite the burn-out.)

I never walked away from blogging.  I was fired from PennLive after my "Buckeye Buddy" Dick complained about the language I used in what I thought was a private and personal email.

I thought seriously about walking away at that point and just being a fan.  I did take a little time off, but eventually, the need to vent and to put my thoughts on the screen overwhelmed me again.  A couple of sites tried to recruit me to write for them, but they weren't willing to pay me anything.  If I'm not going to make any money, then I may as well stay right here.  I'm not going to have all my hard worked yanked out from under me at the whim of  a deranged Buckeye stalker again.

Hopefully you can still do some guest writing on the site.  Or, perhaps come back in a year or two when the passion has been rekindled.  It was you--as readers saw through your writing--that built that site into what it is today.  It will go on, but it won't be the same.

As for God calling, that is probably a good thing and I admire you for answering your call.  I have struggled with those issues myself as a Christian over the years.  When I write out that Nittany Lion Club check each season, I pause to wonder why I don't find a better cause to donate it. 

But in the end, I rationalize it.  Does God want me to watch Penn State football in the stands?  Does he want me to buy a new shirt?  A new car?  An ice cream?  Where can you draw the line?  If everyone lived as Christ did--totally devoted to the work of the Lord--there would be no food to eat because no one would be farming or fishing.  Trash wouldn't get picked up.  People would die in hospitals because all the doctors and nurses are out spreading His word.  There would be no roads to travel or houses to stop at.  Obviously there are other things--worldly things--that need to be done for society to exist.  Penn State football isn't one of them, but it is a hobby just as much as stamp collecting, or listening to music.  Does God really want you to have that Ipod?  That I-phone?  Does He have a problem with us playing Angry Birds?  Has God not given us talents to produce works of art and music and literature?  Are we not to enjoy those things?  Has he not given these athletes abilities and the opportunity to get an education--are we not to enjoy that either?

But I fear I have digressed again.

Thank you Mike for all your had work.  Good luck in your new endeavors and good luck with your Engineer license.  I hope to see you back some day.

Coffee Anyone?

Twice in one day.  I must really be special . . .

I've heard that you've been named PSU poster boy[typical nit fan] because of your filthy, garbage mouth, language, etc. Bet your family, friends, clients, etc. are equally proud of you, getting wacked, losing your column in pennlive & all for such childish, boorish, behavior. I'll still meet you for coffee this spring when I visit Lewisburg if you like, just in case you have something to say to me. Would dearly love to meet you Toddy.


Brutus

The Beat(ing) Goes On

Things must be pretty boring in Dick's world:

Since the buckeyes beat the nits 75% of the time, your basketball team 'REALLY' sucks, forget baseball I have an idea Toddy. Take your girls volleyball team, only thing you have to boast about, & let them play mens basketball, I think they would do better for sure. Of course they'd have to wear skirts which is what the boys should be wearing so no big deal. Hey Toddy, how come the Paterno the ultimate phony refuses to play Pitt? Only state where the two top teams[div 1] do not play each other. I know the answer, Joe is afraid to play them especially last couple yrs, they'd whup ya real good & you know it, Non-conf chumps & lower tier big ten teams is what he chooses. B4 big ten entry it was east coast chumps with an occasional good tem thrown in. What phonys, can't wait till you play Alabama Toddy, can you?


your buckeye buddy Richie

Still Monologuing

Or stalking as one of my readers commented.

I received no response from my "buddy" Dick Foust after I published the Buckeye Monologues, a series of emails from this guy after a brief exchange got me fired from PennLive.

Apparently, he either hasn't read it, or doesn't care.

Hi Doc,


Ya miss me, have'nt talked to ya lately, & I do sorta miss your filthy garbage mouth a lil bit. Just ain't the same anymore since you got wacked. Did ya watch the Buckeyes destroy the gophers today? Don't ya wish that could be the nits? But someone has to be the cellar dweller, may as well be your chitty nits. Can't wait till football season starts so we can kick your butt one more time, cause as you know your turn only comes once every 4-5 yrs, law of averages ya know. Ya mite well see us in nat title game coming year, so be prepared to look & wish one more time doctor do-little. Hope you're having a nice winter. Ta-Ta!

Brutus

The Buckeye Monologues

It all started with this email:

Hey Toddy,
This is Richie your Buckeye buddy, little research got me an add. log on to your stuff at pennlive now & then & [this is a friendly letter] just out of curiousity wonder what makes you tick! We're both big time followers of our teams, the Nits & the Bucks. I log on to other big ten school sites get their take on opposing teams, things in general. Each case there is a rivaly[friendly] lotta chain yanking etc. but no where, no one spews the venom, constantly bad mouthing[big time] the other conf. teams in particular OSU,MICH,[them as you refer]IOWA, pretty much the top tier teams who pretty much beat the Nits on a regular basis. I could be wrong in my assesment of you, but don't think so. Some friends of mine from hometown Lewisburg came out last oct to "THE" game in which we lost. gotta confess, the Nits had a fine team dispite all the legal distractions expect same coming yr. anyway my Pa. people & many others who came were of the same opinion, [ I sat with Pa. people as my tix came from in there. all in agreement never have they been treated so good or any better at an away game. You read the papers & have read the very negative comments from visiting fans last couple yrs. Seems to me the excellent reputation PSU & Joe has enjoyed [pre-big ten entry] is being severely damaged lately by your unruly & downright nasty, foul mouth fans.

Lets be honest Todd, PSU has not exactly come into the conf & dominated like they thought they would. If not mistaken I think their win record slightly over 50 %. I truly would like to see them improve on that statistic. The Buckeyes or no one else can win'em all. Better for conf if different teams get a shot time to time.

Not to blow my horn, but I've always admired JP, had occasion to meet him and Rip Engle back in the day when I was fortunate enough to be placed on Susquehanna valley football all-conf squad.

To wrap it up I wonder if I will ever see the day 'you' sorta change your ways reg opposing Big Ten teams. Are you aware OSU will never send the band in there again? also most people I talk to say they will never visit "AHEM' happy valley.

Richie---Troy, oh

I replied (in private,but not on the blog):

Hey Richie:

The whole Big Ten bad-mouthing by PSU fans has a lot to do with how we have been treated as a team and as fans since joining the conference. Exhibit A is 1994 when a lot of our conference "brethern"--sportswriters in the midwest--voted Nebraska over PSU. What the bloody fucking hell?! Damn straight the buckeye journalists would rank THEM number one if they were undefeated and had beaten OSU. But Penn State? What about the good of the fucking conference back then???!!!! The conference can shove it up their asses.

JP--who you purport to respect has talked about the way certain conference officials laugh behind his back. It was his infuriation over the fucking BIG TEN REFS WHO THROW THE GAMES FOR OSU AND THEM that got national instant replay. Yeah, that ball hit the turf in Beaver Stadium and the refs called it a catch. That'll never happen in Ann Arbor or Columbus in Penn State's favor. Perish the thought!

I and many PSU fans grew up with Pitt as a rival. We rooted against them. Our favorite teams were Penn State and whoever was playing Pitt. The last thing we wanted was an undefeated Pitt team. Good Lord, if they won a championship it's all we'd ever hear for the next 50 years. We--PSU fans--don't get this root for your enemy until you play them philosophy. You can't hate a team for one game. And if you really do think that way, then why the fucking hell didn't Penn State get more votes in 1994??????!!!!

OSU band? So what. They're over-rated anyway. And maybe if they had been smarter, they wouldn't have marched through the parking lots and throngs of students. Pull your damn bus up to the stadium and get out like the team does and every other visiting band. Arrogant sissy sons of bitches prancing through the tailgates like they owned the goddamned place.

I personally don't like having opposing fans in the stadium. We can sell out those seats anyway. Let them stay at home.

You may not know what makes me tick but you sure know why I'm ticked.

Oh, and have a nice day.

Which begat the following series of Buckeye Monologues . . .

* you will never hear from me again doc, sorry I imposed on you. I should have known, the only team that gets bad calls is psu, as always every time you lose it's someone else's fault. I could mention a few bad calls osu got vs psu but whats the point. for an educated man you have a mouth like a toilet. I sent you a civilized email & what do I get, more of what you are all about. bitchen, pissin & moaning, the worlds against psu. "WHy' do you suppose that is? couldbe because JP & the rest you are considered nothing but a bunch of whining cry babys. whats with this nebraska stuff, only proves b4 joining big ten ya'll were a bunch of bitchin cry babies back then too. FACT--you toddy baby got a hard-on for the world. I think you were abused as a child & judgeing from your photo, bad-mitten was prob your most physical sport. like trying to re-live your youth in sports thru someone else as you for sure don't look the physical sort & a true jockstrapper would never talk about 'kids' the band like you do. any place I've ever been the band marching to stadium in tune all part of the plan to create an atmosphere. maybe I'm missing something.
you're a real piece of work my man. one more thing why does psu have to go out of state to get bout 75% of their players? majority of your blue chippers go to mich, osu, mich state anywhere long as they leave the state. why is that? osu is living proof, check our roster last couple yrs.
in closing, as a well known writer for patriot news told me, how the hell you got your blog is a mystery to everybody. AND above all else, if you are so un-happy why don"t you drop out of the big ten. thing is no one 'really' wanted you in the first place. then you can go back to pre big ten schedule, playing the temples, navy. and other east coast cup-cakes. which is how paterno got most of his celebrated wins anyway, playing pussy cats. whats your won-lost record last 8-10 yrs overall? dam sure not what you expected it to be & thats whats got you pissed. there's a lot of buzz among many of the rest of big ten teams-fans wishing you 'would' drop out & be replaced by Rutgers, who you used to beat up all the time but gotta be a reason you don't or won't play them. if not for a silly freshman mistake[pryor] you would not have won in the shoe last oct and you dam sure found out how good you were in rosebowl. but hell you could'nt get a break, decent call, or nothing, even s.cal's against you. knowing first hand, most of you faithful are shit for brains uneducated hillbillies anyway, pissin on the band,, in your face threats against the older visitors, you're all class toddy. do the rest of the big ten a big favor & drop out. Rutgers is the team of choice and they'd spank your ass if you played em now.
you need help todd, an attitude adjustment. anyone who refers to young college kids like you do has got a world class problem. I'm done please no reply, my olive branch got shoved up my ass. sure would like to run in to you some day!
p.s. do something about those tasteless, bland, shitty looking uniforms, PINK would be a good color.

* hey doc,
whats goin on my man, you heard from patriot news big guys lately? anyway you should have heard colin cowherd 'the herd' on espn u today ripping the psu schedule again this yr & for yrs to come.it is totally shameful that psu would schedule so many punk teams yr in yr out-automatic wins-. OSU only top tier team, including rest of big ten schedule. questionable how good the Buckeyes are, complete rebuilding project. Cowherd states even if you run the table this yr, not worthy of a bcs game let alone title game. its history repeating itself, paterno got majority of wins pre big ten entry against east coast cupcakes w/occasional good team thrown in. if not for one dumb play by a freshman q-back last yr you'd have lost to OSU. & not even played in a bcs game. along with the terrible treatment of visiting fans[well documented by write-ins] the extreme difficulty getting to beaver stad., parking in cow pastures, everything related to psu is 'SO' bush league. as cowherd says, you won't schedule any away games cept 'got to' big ten teams you schedule about 8 pussy's at home ev yr guaranteed wins to fill the stadium & make alot of money. even a total jerk like you sponsler has to know where I'm coming from but would never admit it. then guys like you have the audacity constantly bad mouth everybody else, specially the buckeyes, "THEM"-- you have some great games coming up in the fall toddy & more of same in future. when does Bucknell, Susquehanna, etc. make it to your schedule. per tv talking heads, psu finally getting exposed[long overdue]. would make a lot of people happy if psu would get out of the big ten, they are as phony as a 3 dollar bill.
your pal richie
troy,ohio

* hey doc,
you don't write, you don't call, where's the love toddy? I need you to weigh in on the nits ball-buster of a schedule. every team schedules a couple non-conf patsies but c'mon, whats next bucknell,slippery rock, we[buckeyes] schedule likewise but navy a worthy team, toledo 'BEAT' you guys couple yrs ago & so on. assume the nits run the table, if you beat the buckeyes consider we are in a rebuilding yr more than psu, so no big deal rite 'toddy'. are you going to tell me beating the cup cakes on your schedule[rest of big ten not that great] qualifies the nits to be in a bcs, much less title game. face it toddy this is how paterno got most all his record wins pre-big ten. smoke & mirrors.still would like to meet you for a brewskie, how bout a little wager on the game, you have a more experienced team, a better, all-big ten q-back[from the buckeye naturally, couple other buckeyes that puts you a cut above. got it all going for you.
have a nice day dr. toddy! your buckeye buddy, RICHIE.

* bowman, wallace, korona, mcdonald, latest in the yr in yr out long list of scuzzo's frome penn state. on top of well documented fact beaver stadium rudest, crudest, most bush league place to visit, my congrats for now being named # 1 party school in country. the accolades keep piling up. 'WE ARE PENN STATE', for sure you are in a class all by yourself. like a bunch of overweight, cut off jeans[for shorts] hillbillies gathered around a moonshine still!!!!! all class toddy, all class!

* I just became aware of you losing your blog[whatever] Doc. Was not my intent to get you bar-b-qued but an educated man, a doctor no less should know better than to respond to "ANYBODY' the way you did to me. The cussing, swearing, expletives you directed to me is un-excusable. You are a professional but your garbage mouth does not reflect that fact. As I said Doc. its ok to be a faithful fan but to take it to the extremes as you do----Not Good! There's no bigger rivalry than OSU & 'THEM' as you refer to Michigan but after the game whatever the outcome you deal with it have a beer & look to next year. Lighten up Doc, its just a game played by young kids, nothing beats college football & Penn State & Ohio State two of the premier teams of all time. Sadly you make it out to be really ugly & hateful. If it would do any good I would appeal to those in charge at Pennlive give you your blog[whatever] back to you. Again I'm sorry for what happened, but you should know better than to talk like that to people.
Rich Foust

* Can't believe you have not responded to me doc one way or the other. course as you found out your method of communicating does not produce good results. if you have not been checking into pennlive stuff & ben goldfarbs article on your departure you should. I explained how all came about leading to your separation from the paper as he did not know any of the particulars. My letter to you & your dispicable response which I forwarded to the editor of the Patriot News, which I suggested he attempt to get copies of to verify my side of the story. He's a cool, straight-up guy doc, enjoy comm with him.
As I look at your photo which you display I'm not surprised by what I see. All I'll say is during my 20 yr career in the Marine Corps of which 2 yrs were spent as a drill instructor at Parris Island, S.C. you remind me of some of the recruits I recieved from time to time, THEY ALL WASHED OUT1 couldn't hack it

*Hey Doc,
Don't mean to be a pain in the butt, but c'mon I thought you were a stand-up guy. Many of your former readers are totally in the dark reg your disappearance per their write-ins. Sound off Doc, give'em the scoop. Better yet print a duplicate of the class-less letter you emailed to yours truly. Show everybody what a class act you are. Since its a given that PSU has the most classless, bush league, arrogant fans on the planet I can see where you had such a big following. So give your Pennsyltucky fans a break & clue'em in.
Bet your'e all fired up looking forward to the meat grinder of a schedule you have coming up. The big bad Nits will let'm know where the bear crapped in the buckwheat.
'WE ARE PENN STATE'--When;s Bucknell, Susquehanna get on the scheduleToddski?
Brutus Buckeye

* Hey Toddy,
I think it is positively deplorable that th 'NITS' are not ranked #1 in the country after steam rolling over all 3 of the teams they've played so far. You talk about a meatgrinder of a schedule the whole season. Mighty Penn State anybody, anytime, anywhere, we love a challenge. 'THEM'[ahem] & the Buckeyes are considering just mailing in a score, What's the point in coming in & getting totally embaressed. 'We Are Penn State', You been enjoying watchimg the nits beat up on all these putrid teams Doc?
Brutus

* 'WE ARE PENN STATE' the mt. nittney PUTTY CATS, hey Doctaire all you need is a few more temples, akron's, etc. but ya got e. illionois comin up. who's fault ya lost tonite? for sure was not PSU's. I was 'SO' looking forward to seeing the putty cats in the nat'l title game. There's always the toilet bowl Toddy baby. g'nite sweetcheeks!
Brutus

* Never, Never Never did I ever think I would turn off a PSU game [today marks 4th time] & watch an old movie. This team is just as 'PHONY' as you Doc., pretenders thats all you are in there. Of course this is how Mr. Pathetic AKA Joe Paterno got majority of his record number of wins, playing a bunch of sorry chumps for the last 50 yrs with an occasional good team thrown in. He scheduled these teams for '09' , fill the stadium, guarantee a win, you village idiots pay outrageous amounts of money to watch the nasty nits play these kinds of teams. One or two, O.K> but 4. Totally shameful to call yourselves a power & play all these pussy-cats ev yr.. You may as well start scheduling Bucknell, Bloomsburg, Villinova, and keep the big money to these teams in-state. Illinois sucks, & you play one good team [IOWA] & get you lunch handed to you. I watched part of the game today & there's the whiteout faithful going crazy, over who--E Illinois. Does'nt take much to please you hillbilly's does it?
Brutus Buckeye

* Gotta get one more dig at you Doc[joke] I.m back in Palm Springs, Ca. now for the winter & sitting here watching PSU-'THEM' another assinine description you bestowed on Michigan just because ya can;t beat;em. Must tell you how proud I am of myself for being responsible for you losing your 'thing' with Patriot News. 'YOU' with your garbage mouth spewing your filthy hate laced tirades at Them, OSU, & others. Always making with the phoney excuses when ya get beat, etc. etc. You've taken the best,most entertaining sport & turned it into nothing but a hateful fall event. Problem is, all you hicks thought you were going to come into the big ten & kick everybody's ass yr in yr out like tyou did for some 50 yrs against all those east coast chumps where Paterno got majority of his wins. I'd like to know how you explained your divorcel from penn/live to your family, friends patients, etc Were you truthful & said what a total world class jerk you really are? Or put all the blame on 'yours truley'.
FYI, I email back & forth with some of the Pat News. writers & those guys could never understand how a village idiot like you got your piece in the paper
In closing let me wish you nothing but the worst, any way you slice it. You don;t even have the garbonzo's to reply to me you hillbillty.
You pal Brutus Buckeye.

*Awwwww!Awwwwwwww! Hey Toddy you just could'nt get a break, many bad calls against you, even your touchdown, Toddy I've seen cheap TD's but that one beats all, no way was that a td which means you really got shut out. Toddy you're just going to have to schedule more Temple's, E. Illinois, & a few more chumps to pad Joe's win record. Only thing you hillbilly's excell at are spittin on people, throwing urine & other human waste on your visitors. All class baby. Please do the big ten a favor & drop out. bunch of drunken hillbillys do not belong.
your best bud Brutus

*Hey Toddy,
This is your day coming up thurs, so enjoy, Knowing what a world class whiner 'you' & the rest of the billhillys in there are I can just imagine had you beat Iowa & they still sent Iowa to a bcs bowl, but when the other guy gets shafted & 'you' still get picked, everything is still good, right hot toddy? Ex-blogger, writer etc. I'll still meet you for a cup of coffee when I drive in to Lewisburg next spring if you like, you know, if there's something you want to get off your chest! You play 2 decent[only decent] not great teams this yr & lose to both. What else is new? Bye Toddy, enjoy the day named after "YOU'
Brutus

*Hey PU doc, cannot let this slide. I'm glad the nits won for their sake & the big ten but reg that insane ridiculous pers foul call against LSU that prob cemented the win for psu if a call like that were called against psu you & all your hillbilly faithul & most of all paterno would have gone ballistic. paternos would still be chasing the refs all around the stadium crying his eyes out, but when questioned, joe just chuckles & says 'ahem' I did'nrt see the play & its all a bunch of hooey. Nothing has changed since 'YOU' got whacked toddy baby you all are still the punk, cry baby bush league fans you've been since day 'ONE'
Jimminy crickets toddy I've missed your garbage mouth mickey mouse remarks this past season. Not much to look forward to next couple seasons toddy, Boo-Hoo!
LOL Brutus

Yeah, LOL!

Blogger's Nightmare

Things Could Be Worse

You could be an Illini fan.

Mark Tupper of the herald-review.com writes about Illinois fans and bloggers:

Inside the insulated world of the Illini football players and coaches, I guess it’s important to sound confident and keep some level of confidence in place. Maybe the sun is still shining in that world.

But where the fans live, it’s raining. There is thunder and lightning and the sirens are sounding.

From Arrelious Benn, wide receiver from Washington, D.C.: “We just didn’t execute. Little penalties and stuff. There’s going to be a lot of negativity coming at us and we just need to stick together.”

From a blogger: “I don’t remember the Illini playing this poorly since the Gary Moeller era. It just seems the primary problem is mental and related to how much character this group has or doesn’t have.”

From Juice Williams, quarterback from Chicago: “We just have to work on the little things. It’s nothing major that’s going on. We’re just doing things that beat ourselves.”

From a blogger: “What’s most troubling is there is no passion with this team. The players have no urgency…that shows on the field. You sit and watch the game, waiting for something positive to happen and it’s all so boring to watch. I was checking the channels for the National Chess Championships for something a little more exciting to watch.”

From Brent: “After watching the film (of the Ohio State game), it was little things, a play here, a play there and we’re in that game. I don’t think there was anything that affected us as far as weather or their fans, just little things.”

From a blogger: “We started out well until the first interception. Ohio State made the adjustments they needed. Miracles? It will be a miracle if we win another game. I hope the coaching staff has invested and saved their money wisely.”

And, finally, from a blogger: “Damn! Why didn’t you tell me the National Chess Championship was on? I was switching between the game and the Discovery Channel, watching the wildebeest cross the Serengeti plain one more time.”

Sadly, a lot of that could apply to Penn State as well. Wish I had known the Chess Championships were on!

Off Topic: Blogging

Outside of football, there is more to the world. I know. You don't believe it, and I'm not wholly convinced myself. But a recent article on non-sports blogging caught my eye.

According to John Sutter, pittgirl, a local superhero of sorts, was fired from her job after her true identity was revealed.

Blog fans in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, saw PittGirl as their masked superhero -- a comedian and local commentator who jibed the mayor without reserve and ranted freely about her hatred of pigeons.

But despite her effort to keep her real name secret, people started to figure out who PittGirl was.

Feeling pressure to take control of her identity before someone else outed her, PittGirl on Wednesday posted pictures of herself on her blog and introduced readers to her real-world self: Virginia Montanez, a 35-year-old married mother of two who worked in the nonprofit sector.

On Thursday morning, Montanez was fired from her job because of her
online persona, she said.

Now I could see if you worked for Pepsi and posted on-line that Coke was the best. Or if you worked for a company or a person who you denigrated on the Internet for the rest of the world to see. (Maybe pittgirl did that--I didn't read her whole blog since most of it was not about Penn State football.)

In a related CNN article, a judge recently has paved the way for people to sue on-line services to find the identity of anonymous posters. In this particular suit, a model feels slandered as pictures of her appeared on a website with derogatory comments.

How far is anyone from this? I post what some might consider to be derogatory comments about opposing teams. Sometimes coaches. Maybe players. I may not call them skanks, but I may question their ability. I recently called Lloyd Carr beady-eyed. Is that slanderous? I think several Big Ten refs couldn't pass an eye test. (JUst kidding for goodness sake!!!) When does my personal opinion and my right to express that opinion become slander? In most cases, I post to entertain my Penn State readers, but humor does have an edge to it. Do blondes enjoy dumb blonde jokes? Even if you explain it to them? There's a certain ironic humor in responding to someone who accuses your fanbase of being foul-mouthed with a well, a foul mouth.

I can sympathize with pittgirl.

Yes, it sucks VERY VERY HARD, but I put in a good six years there and it is time for me to step away from that job.

I could type EXACTLY the same thing, except I was not ready to step away. My situation was kind of the opposite. Because some fan thought that I, as a doctor, should be more eloquent in my private email to him, he got me fired from my paying job at PennLive. But that was not my primary job, and although I will miss the income, it won't likely alter my life in any way. But I feel bad for pittgirl, even if she is um, "pitt" girl. BTW, I think the moniker is a Pittsburgh thing rather than a Pitt panther thing, although she did call Paterno (or PSU) a "LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!" in regard to his salary.

I always posted with my real name on the blog. When I moved here, I intentionally left my name off so as to avoid Dick Foust from stalking me any further. (That ploy has failed.)

But I am Todd Sponsler, formerly of the 50-Yard Lion Blog. You may not agree with what I say, but I thought that was what free speech and America were all about. Unfortunately, I am finding out that the America they taught me about in school no longer exists.

And that is a truly disheartening realization.

WPSU in Pennsylvania

I feel like Dr. Johnny Fever from WKRP in Cincinnati. For those who may not remember the TV show, Johnny Fever was a has-been DJ who was fired from his original job for saying "booger" on the air.

After blogging for 6 years on PennLive.com as THE 50-Yard Lion, I was fired for telling off an irritating Buckeye Fan (isn't that redundant). I thought personal email was just that--personal and private. Apparently I was wrong.

After prodding me one too many times with this:

I log on to other big ten school sites get their take on opposing teams, things in general. Each case there is a rivaly[friendly] lotta chain yanking etc. but no where, no one spews the venom, constantly bad mouthing[big time] the other conf. teams in particular OSU,MICH,[them as you refer]IOWA, pretty much the top tier teams who pretty much beat the Nits on a regular basis. I could be wrong in my assesment of you, but don't think so.

Seems to me the excellent reputation PSU & Joe has enjoyed [pre-big ten entry] is being severely damaged lately by your unruly & downright nasty, foul mouth fans.

Are you aware OSU will never send the band in there again?

So I responded in a nasty and foul mouth. (Isn't that what he expected???) I berated his team, the Big Ten conference, the refs, the midwest sportswriters who slighted PSU in 1994, and the Buckeye Band just for good measure. This guy has contacted me several times over the years, and quite frankly, I just wanted him to leave me alone. None of this was public--most folks just post public comments rather than private emails. But the guys at PennLive thought otherwise, when the weanie ran home and told mommy.

So here I am. Dr. Toddy Fever.

What I find interesting, is that although I foul-mouthed (again, isn't that what he called us PSU fans--doesn't anyone at PennLive see the ironic wit in that) his team/conference/and band, he responded by assailing me . . .

b4 joining big ten ya'll were a bunch of bitchin cry babies back then too. FACT--you toddy baby got a hard-on for the world. I think you were abused as a child & judgeing from your photo, bad-mitten was prob your most physical sport.

This guy has boasted that he is a driver for Barbara Sinatra--who has a foundation for abused children. I wonder how she would feel about him when he passes gems like that along.

Anyway the blogspot interface seems pretty friendly, and I was able to set up this platform for my drivel in practically no time at all.

So without further ado, we'll get back to blogging Penn State football as before. And the sport is badminton. But who is judging? BOOGERS!