Obama Parking Plan

Do you donate enough money to Penn State to have reserved parking?




In most cases, reserved means that the spot will be kept for you.


But according to an email advisory from Penn State, because of weather conditions, there will be change. If you ask me, I've had quite enough CHANGE to last a lifetime, and you can keep the change if it's all the same.

Between 2 and 8 inches of additional wet, heavy snow has been forecast for University Park overnight tonight (Oct. 16) and before gametime Saturday. Penn State is asking football patrons coming to the Homecoming game vs. Minnesota at Beaver Stadium to be patient and understanding, as the hazardous conditions in the area have taken roughly 20,000 parking spaces offline for the game.

Football fans are being urged to carpool, and those who can walk to the stadium – particularly students – should do so. University officials are working to identify alternative parking areas. All grass lots will be closed. Those bringing RVs to the game may be redirected to other locations for parking.

The following procedures will be in place in paved and gravel lots:
-- Pink numbered, reserved lots, preferred lots (orange, blue and black) and all general yellow parking will be redirected to space-available lots either on campus, or
in designated lots in the community.
-- Parking in numbered, reserved lots (green, red and purple) will be on a first-come, first-served basis for permit-holders in those lots. Parking will be restricted to one space per vehicle until 11 a.m. or until the lots are filled. If the lots are not filled by 11 a.m., they will be opened to the general public, with the restriction of one space per vehicle remaining in place.

Obama has taken over parking at Penn State! We'll just take spaces from those that have them and give them to those that chose or couldn't afford them in the first place. Ain't that special?


11 AM???!!! I wasn't even planning on leaving Altoona until after noon. Now I'm, going to have rearrange my schedule just to keep my spot, and the first-come first served means I'll probably get stuck wherever the hell they feel like forcing me to park.


It's weather people. Not a terrorist attack or state of emergency. Why in the bloody hell would you take spots away from those that paid (a lot) for them and give them away forcing the one that had spot to now have to find spots. Does that make sense to you? I mean, I understand there is a problem, but is taking spots away from other people helping the siutuation. That would be like taking healthcare away from those that already have it to provide for . . oh, nevermind.


Granted, there may be some spots open from people that don't come, but can't they wait until 1:30 or 2:00 to raffle off the good spots? I really don't feel like freezing my butt off any earlier than I have to. That's one of the reasons I willingly PAID for the reserved spot in the first place.


The email had a phone number to call 1-800-NITTANY. I called it while I was having my stroke, but after going through the menu and pressing one, I was informed that no one was there to take my call and I should try calling back later. That was helpful. And another perfectly good blood vessel popped for nothing.


In all my years of attending games, I don't remember a fiasco like this--and I have sat through some pretty miserable weather. Nothing ever happened like this when Kay Kustenbauter ran the NLC. Or before Obama.


A fan on the BWI messageboard wrote:

they better be refunding some of our money for the g*&^$#!@ed reserved parking spot. This is nonsense.

Yeah, that will happen.

And some comments from Black Shoe Diaries:

DAMN YOU, CURLEY!!! It’s like the German army stalling outside Moscow in a river of mud.

Have fun with that guys. Thankfully, I’ll be watching this bitch in 62 inches of HD.

there is no way this will result in anthing but a gigantic cluster f&*K

I feel bad for the people who spend tons of cash for those paved lot spots and are getting a homecoming weekend with no tailgating.

this is fantastic. i remember we still had people park in the lots for Hurricane Ivan. how the heck is this any different?

Oh MY! I kinda wish I was going out there just to watch the clusterpryor happen!

Pfft. Whatever. I’d like to see them come by and tell me that I can’t tailgate at my numbered, reserved spot. I can see them telling the motorhomes they can only have two spaces, not four, but just try and stop me from drinking and heating up some chili. THEY WILL NEED TO PRY THE CHILI AND YUENGLING FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS BEFORE I NOT TAILGATE BEFORE A HOME FOOTBALL GAME.

I love your attitude, people will be killed if I show up and my numbered reserved spot is taken by some random [I guess you can insert whatever here?]

with the weather i don’t imagine the permit holders will get there by 11am. i’d be happy if i were the general public. good parking…not that you can tailgate. but still…

I couldn’t believe this when I read the press release from PSU. They have found yet another way to f%#$ up football weekends. Who in the world is going to show up by 11:00 for a game that starts 4.5 hours later when the best you can do is sit on your cooler in the snow/rain and attempt to look like you’re having a good time. One of the exact reasons I give thousands of dollars to the university every year is exactly for the purpose that I can have a spot relatively close to the stadium after driving for hours to come to the games.

This is going to have a huge impact on fundraising for the NLC. They have just royally pissed off their major contributors all in one shot.Since RV spots are made up of 4 regular parking spots, I’m more than happy to drive a car and give up 3 of those spots to others that lost a space to park in the grass. It’s absolutely nuts to face us with the proposition of having no where to park at all.

I’ve been donating to the NLC for almost 20 years. For the first time ever, I’m considering stopping my contribution. The dark years didn’t do it because I always had confidence that better years were ahead. I can buy season tickets off of ebay, stubhub, etc. for a premium that is less than the contribution it takes to get one of these parking spots. Once you lose the gaurantee of being able to have a reserved spot, what is the value of continuing to contribute to the NLC? Oh right, it must be the media guide they send every year ($20 value yours for absolutely no additional cost!).

I called the NLC and of course they said that they have no control over the situation and that they had no input on the decision. They couldn’t offer any advice except to try to arrive by 11:00 to be assured that a spot would be available. [At least you talked to somebody!]

I’ve also spoken to a few fellow alumni that are just as PO’d and considering whether to make a contribution next year. Way to go PSU.

But who are you gonna call? (Not 1-800-NITTANY--they're too busy giving YOUR spot away!)

Weekly Game Guide

Last night, Boise State held off Tulsa 28-21.

Tonight, in a few minutes, South Florida takes on Cincinnati in a battle of unbeatens. The Bulss are 2 point favorites.

On Saturday, PSU will take on the Gophers of Minnesota at 3:30 in Beaver Stadium. TV coverage is on ABC.

In the Big Ten:

Ohio State is a 14.5 favorite over the Purdue Ovenstuffers.

Iowa is a 1 point fave over the Badgers. GO BADGERS!

Delaware State heads to Ann Arbor in hopes of pulling an Appy State. Good luck with that.

Illinois and Indiana (3 point dogs) will fight out for last place.

The Spartans are 13.5 point favorites over the NW Wildcats.

In Top Ranked action:

USC heads to South Bend with a spread 11.5 points.

Florida is a 24 point favorite over the Razorbacks.

Texas is a 1 point fave over Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout. Let's Go OK!

Alabama is a 17 point favorite over the ol ball coach. Go Gamecocks!

In match-ups with previous opponents:

Temple is favored over Army by 9.5 points.

Akron is a 10.5 dog to Buffalo.

Eastern Illinois plays Tennessee Tech (NL).

Va Tech is favored by 4 over Ga Tech. Go Yellow Jackets!

Linebacker Who?

The upstart Gophers, who have managed the 83rd best scoring defense and 77th best total defense in the country are starting to think that maybe they are Linebacker U. Maybe they meant Linebacker Yew--bends but doesn't break????

According to Marcus Fuller of PioneerPress.com:

[The] Gophers hope to show Penn State who really has the best linebackers in the Big Ten . . .

Lee Campbell and Simoni Lawrence, a couple of senior linebackers, drew attention to themselves at the University of Minnesota's football practice Tuesday, hopping around, bobbing their heads and shouting, "Linebacker U, Linebacker U, Linebacker U."

That traditionally has been a nickname for Penn State (5-1, 1-1), ranked No. 13 nationally this season, but the Gophers (4-2, 2-1) feature one of the Big Ten's most talented linebacker corps this year — and want to prove they are the best.

"I don't think Minnesota compares with Penn State's history," said Campbell, who was a big Penn State fan while growing up in Pittsburgh. "It's hard to even argue who is Linebacker U. But all I know is that the linebackers here, we're doing our best to play well week in and week out. We'll see at the end of the year which linebackers are more productive."

". . . drew attention to themselves" Some kids will do anything to get attention.

"I don't think Minnesota compares with Penn State's history," Could this be the understatement of the year?

So where do those impressive numbers show up on the scoreboard? When you look at Minnesota's defensive statistics, they are not good. Granted, their linebackers are making a ton of tackles--but is anyone else? And where are they tackling? At the line of scrimmage or 8 yards downfield? Penn State is 4th in the nation for tackles for a loss, while Minnesota is 57th.

I'm not impressed. Are Yew?

By The Numbers: Minnesota

Here are the NCAA statistics for Minnesota and Penn State:

NCAA Stats Comparison
Category:	Penn St.	Minnesota
Rushing	32	99
Passing Offense	39	75
Total Offense	23	99
Scoring Offense	38	65
Rushing Defense	8	83
Turnovers Gained	59	26
Passes Had Intercepted	82	96
Pass Defense	26	62
Net Punting	65	13
Punt Returns	99	7
Kickoff Returns	119	12
Turnover Margin	76	61
Fumbles Recovered	90	8
Passes Intercepted	30	55
Fumbles Lost	59	59
Turnovers Lost	79	90
Passing Efficiency	41	79
Pass Efficiency Defense	18	55
Total Defense	8	77
Scoring Defense	6	60
Fewest Penalties Per Game	4	40
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	3	41
Punt Return Yardage Defense	113	14
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	93	64
Offense Third-down Efficiency	3	68
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	55	106
Defense Third-down Efficiency	25	112
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	15	75
Tackles for Loss	4	57
Offense Tackles for Loss	4	52
Pass Sacks	7	50
Pass Sacks Allowed	26	93
Time of Possession	27	95
First Downs	13	111
First Downs Allowed	8	97
Red Zone Efficiency	70	36
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	5	84
Average NCAA Rank:	39.78	64.22
Weighted Avg. Rank:	31.67	69.00

Penn State leads most if not all offensive and defensive categories. But Minnesota leads nearly if not all kicking and returning (special teams) categories. Penn State is favored by 15 points. The statistical edge is with the Lions.

In common opponents, both teams played Syracuse. Penn State won their match-up 28-7 while Syracuse took Minnesota to OT before losing 23-20. Edge PSU.

Records. Penn State has one loss to !*w@, ranked 11th. The Gophers lost to Cal and Wisconsin, neither of which is currently ranked. Edge PSU.

Looking Ahead: The Lions travel to Ann Arbor. Minnesota travels to Columbus. Push.

It is homecoming for Penn State. Edge PSU, even though the 1999 Minnesota game was also a homecoming game!

Weekly Cup of Joe

Normally I don't spend much time rehashing press conferences. After all, what do we really learn from these things. Temple's a great team. Eastern Illinois will kick us in the teeth if we're not careful. I don't know anything about that. Blah, blah, blah. But, being that I couldn't find much else to blog about, I thought I'd take a look at this week's presser.

Q. Sean Lee was scheduled to test his knee yesterday. I was wondering, how did he do? Has he received medical clearance to play?

He hasn't received medical clearance yet to play. But I watched him a little bit (on Monday). We told him take it easy. Ron Vanderlinden, who is his position coach, stuck him in a couple plays. Monday's not tough day. We don't do a lot of hitting or anything like that. But it's a good day to break him in. And I think he came out of it okay. I'm anxious to see how he feels today when we go out there.

But it's still not a done deal. I'm not sure whether he's going to make it or not this Saturday. But, he's working like a dog trying to, so we'll see.

OK--some valuable info there. I will be surprised if Sean Lee plays this week. It has little to do with his rehab or his determination. It has everything to do with him being healthy for the games we might really need him.

Although, that said, will we be able to handle the Gophers? Adam Rittenberg dissects the Gopher Offense as a work in progress:

Minnesota has taken a variety of approaches in Fisch's first season as it transitions to a pro-style offense. When the running game stalled early on, the Gophers kept throwing the ball to superstar wide receiver Eric Decker, who carried the offense at times. The Gophers opened Big Ten play with a balanced effort against Northwestern (186 pass yards, 166 rush yards). The run game stalled the next week against Wisconsin, so Adam Weber took to the air. Last week against Purdue, Weber attempted only nine passes as Minnesota racked up 207 rush yards in a win. It's been a process for a unit still in transition.

Minnesota ranks last in the league in total offense (319.7 yards per game) and rushing offense (114.5 ypg) but owns a 4-2 record, 2-1 in Big Ten play. "We've shown that we can run the ball, and we've shown that we can throw the ball," Fisch said. "The games have dictated what we've chosen to do."

Joe addressed the issue of the Minnesota Offense:

Q. From your point of view, is it harder to defend a passing game that primarily features one guy, like Minnesota does with Eric Decker, or a passing game that really spreads the ball around?

Well, you've always got to be aware of the superior wideouts such as Decker. Decker is a great football player. There's a great chemistry with him and the quarterback (Adam Weber). And the quarterback has so much confidence in him, he'll make throws to him that you ordinarily wouldn't make. You've got to know where he is all the time. If you don't, he'll catch seven, eight, 10 passes for a lot of yards and a couple scores. That's one thing.

But, it's hard. When you say one receiver as opposed to three good receivers, offensive line, kind of pass protection, handle certain blitzes, quarterback, can he read certain things when he's working with three receivers, it's just not that simple to answer that question. I think each one of them, depending on the cast of characters, gives you problems. Decker gives you a problem. He's not the only guy. You know, that No. 11 (Troy Stoudemire) is a good football player and return guy....No. 5 (MarQueis Gray), they've got a couple other guys that can go catch the football. Fall asleep, (they will) throw the ball to the tight end. In the clutch, it's a one-man show maybe, but it's not a one-man show the entire game. You can go overboard trying to cover Decker. They can hurt you other ways. So it's a combination. When you're dealing against a team that's as well-coached offensively and defensively as Minnesota is, then you've got to be available to handle a lot of different things, and one of them obviously, top of the list, would be, don't let Decker beat you.

Got it. Don't let Decker beat you. But how will we cover Decker? Joe was asked about both our secondary, and this particular issue.

On Knowledge Timmons:

Knowledge practiced yesterday. I'm anxious to see how he feels today. I think he's going to be fine.

On the Secondary:

I think our secondary has been good, solid. Hasn't come up with the football as often as I'd like to see them do it. They've made one or two mistakes. Two big passes on us, and that's about it. The rest of it's been pretty good. . . I think this week -- I think we'll know a lot more after this week. Although, as I said, I'm encouraged at where we are right now, particularly with the attitude of the practice yesterday.

And on the issue of Decker:

Q. On the Timmons thing, what would your plans be to cover Decker? Will you try to rotate cornerbacks?

Why in God's name would I answer that in any way? You sound like a Minnesota assistant coach. "What are you going to do with Decker?" You know, I don't know. We may put four corners on him, all right, let everybody else run for touchdowns. I don't know what we're going to do yet. We've got to look at some things. It's Tuesday. We've had one practice. We had a long discussion this morning as to some of the things they do.

Gotta Love Joe. Yeah, that's the ticket. Maybe FIVE guys on Decker. That'll fix him.

Half Time Show

From Youtube, here are videos of the Blue Band Halftime show:





Beats a handwriting lesson, now doesn't it?

Blog Poll: Week Six

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Alabama	1
3	Texas	1
4	Virginia Tech	2
5	Boise State	1
6	Iowa	1
7	Southern Cal	1
8	Ohio State	1
9	TCU	1
10	Cincinnati	1
11	Miami (Florida)	1
12	LSU	7
13	Penn State	2
14	Kansas
15	Oklahoma State	1
16	Brigham Young	3
17	Oregon	6
18	Oklahoma	2
19	South Florida	2
20	Georgia Tech	4
21	Nebraska
22	Houston	3
23	South Carolina
24	Missouri	11
25	Utah
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Mississippi (#17), Auburn (#18), Wisconsin (#22).