A Cute JoePa Story From Saturday Night

Saturday night, Mrs Rowlff Dogg and I made our way over to the Joe Paterno statue after watching the gymnastics meet.  As we drove across Curtin Road, we saw plenty of students walking in the same direction.  Typical weekend conversations about what party or bar to go to were replaced by visible puffs of breath against the cold January air.

The scene was unreal.  For a few minutes, we stood silent, among the massive gathering.  We were in disbelief.  The stunned faces around us told a similar story: we were now living in a world without Joseph Vincent Paterno.

We managed to keep our footing long enough to position ourselves along the northern-most wall flanking the bronze statue.  From there, I snapped a few pictures from our closer vantage point.  The hill was slippery from the coat of snow it had received the previous night.  While I lingered there, taking in the unforgettable scene, Mrs. Rowlff Dogg returned to the stability of the sidewalk.

Once I had had enough, I rejoined my wife and we froze our way back to the car.  Along the way, she relayed a conversation she overheard while I was paying my respects.

A mother and her young son were walking to where she stood.  The wide-eyed kid was looking around at the crowd.

Child:  “Mom, why are all these people here?”

Mother:  “Remember, I told you that Joe Paterno passed away.”

Child:  “But will he still be at the football games?”

Mother (smiling):  “Of course he will.”

You will always be with us Joe.

Thank you.

Namesake: What’s Left To Say

Forgive me if this isn't an emotional tear jerker. I've been mentally fortifying my heart and mind for this moment for the better part of a decade. Maybe not fully since I feel compelled, at least for my own catharsis, to spill a few words through the blog.

It has been said before that sportswriter Joe Posnanski stumbled into the greatest sports book ever. Perhaps. It might also be one of the difficult (or worse) assignments ever. Nobody wants to profit, financially or otherwise, from all of the terrible things that have come to light at PSU. Some will, and have, and that is just the way of the world. Things as you don't want them to be remain locked within the sphere of inevitability. Apathy and nihilism offer a tempting way out, to intellectually and emotionally disconnect from an ideal disrupted.

Joe Paterno passed away this morning, leaving behind a legacy. Perhaps one tarnished. Who is to say? Everyone will. One way or another.

Coincidentally, he died within a year of Steve Jobs. The two men have little in common except for their cult-like status within some circles, their influence on the world (for better or worse), and like all great men (great meaning influential) not quite the saints we like to believe they are. Nobody is.

Joe used to advise, "believe in your heart that you are destined to do great things." Perhaps the most significant contribution of these two men and many like them is the lesson that to be great, a certain level of pathology is required. A dedication so intense that it leaves little else in their lives. Joe's dedication may have been strictly tied to football, but football was merely a vessel for teaching. For preparing countless number of young people into functional contributors to a greater society.

He came from a generation that believed in such things. He came from a time where sports weren't the be all, end all, life and death extravaganza they are today. The inescapable irony is that he participated into building into such a thing. For better or worse.

His dedication towards molding young men helped turn college sports into the money machine today, which he rather loathed. Another complication. A world that produces robot win machines that Joe reportedly preferred to replace him. Another twist.

And his contribution to society, incidentally produced a world that would cover up alleged sexual molestation of children in order to spare the golden goose. Just more gray upon the gray. No real world scenario ever exists in black and white.

What is his legacy? Some cynical economist type might do a cost benefit analysis of lives he improved in comparison to those which he could've possibly, just maybe, have done more for, to protect. But is that necessary?

Could he have done more? Who is to know? Did he press Curley and Schulz, two men now facing perjury charges for their roles in allowing a sexual abuse scandal to fester like a metastisizing tumor, why no investigation was pursued? Or what was found from an investigation? Or why Jerry Sandusky was still tangentially part of the University? Did they brush him off. Will we ever know? Likely not. Which means we can't bury Joe under the weight of this scandal. We do know that the state of Pennsylvania feels he did what was required of him. And those are the facts.

If he is guilty of anything, just maybe it is that he didn't live up to the expectations we placed upon him. It wasn't the standard he set for himself, but that he set for us. Those above him failed to live up to his standards and therefore failed him.
We wanted to believe he would hop into the phone booth only to emerge with super crest on his chest, cape draped upon his shoulders and erase the past. Instead, lives interrupted by a sexual predator; our worldviews rattled, perhaps even torn asunder.

The other facts are that those who looked up to him, didn't do so for the man he was, but for the men (and women) he wanted them to be, to become. I feel as though the words and actions of Joe Paterno have molded me. I'm sure that speaks for many of you as well. And isn't that the purpose of all of this? To live on forever through others who will go on to hopefully build a better society? Say what they will, and they always did, I will always love Joe Paterno. Worts and all, for I have mine and you have yours.

Let's drop the self-righteousness and feigned moral superiority. You are not fooling anybody. Instead, let's try to live up to what Joe Paterno would want us to be.

Are we bigger than one person? One would hope.

Are we more than a football factory with a few horrifically overpriced books, credit hours, and season tickets?

Are we capable of standing for justice, for righteousness, and leaving behind a society better than the one we found?

Are we capable of correcting the deep structural cracks in our institution -- and others -- as we discover them?

We are...

We have to be.

We are his legacy.

Joe Paterno

After the craziness of the opening days of this drama, it's been difficult to post thoughts over the past few months.  Nothing sounded quite right or didn't reflect the spirit of this blog.  It seemed pointless to fight the humilating treatment by others on this fine institution with angry diatribes. There is no use feeding the fire.

We've learned this evening that Joe Paterno's health has taken a turn for the worse. No matter what happens, I'd like to look at Joe Paterno and how he has dealt with the destruction of his name, his health, and his athletic institution the man in these past months.
Paterno's last four months have been a great example of what "integrity" truly means: not just ethical principles, but the adherence to those ethical principles when confronted with blind hatred, sanctimoniousness, and ugliness. While many would have remained pathetically silent or vented indignantly, Joe Paterno has chose to address this madness with measured integrity even when so many obstacles were placed in his way.

Integrity is not synonymous with perfection: no one can lead a perfect life or make the perfect decision every time. Integrity is the constant aspiration to be a better person. Joe Paterno has never been perfect, but I think he's wanted to be a better person every day of his life. I respect his decision to try and live his entire life with integrity, and to share this positive value with thousands of family, friends, players, staff, and many others he never knew personally. I want to be a better person because of him and others I know like him.

If this is the twilight, I hope he knows how many are by his bedside in spirit, and how his legacy will extended far beyond his time.

JPDH Head Coach Reacts: TheUnderdogs

I'm a big believer in reading the eyes. No, not like a safety spying the eyes of a quarterback searching for clues to lead him in the direction where he can intersect with the ball, the intended receiver, and his body-turned-projectile at the opportune moment to inflict the most damage on the offense's plans and maybe even on the receiver's body, if lucky. But rather, like the "windows to the soul" crap you might read on a Hallmark card.  Though it was actually penned first by essayist Max Beerbohm, likely with more meaning, as in an expression of true intent.

In fact, I don't even like talking on the phone.  It's in person or via email/text where appropriate responses can be thought through after thoroughly comprehending the response.  The woman probably gets frustrated, but tough shit.  Them's the breaks.  Phone calls that aren't work conference calls, et al., shouldn't last more than 30 seconds.  Like a Mexican whore house.  Get in, get your biz done, and get out.  Or so I've been told.

I mention this only because after reviewing the player interviews fresh out of their introductory meeting to their new coach, Bill O'Brien.  The first new head coach at Penn State University in the age of the Magna Carta.  Silas Redd, Justin Brown, and others.  Each with a glint in their eye.  As if they were high.  No, not the kind brought about via the ingestion of illicit substances, but a natural high: dopamine, adrenaline, seratonin.

After their first ride on the BOBsled, the players looked high.  Excited for the next chapter in their careers. And I excited to see where it goes.  Might it win the gold?  Dunno.  Might it crash?  Possible.  Could we finish, unenthusiastically out of the medals?  Never know.  These last two months have been difficult for all of us.  A rollercoaster ride without any of the fun and all of the queaziness.

Ever since the infamous 6-4 game, I've been off the Joe bandwagon, previously expressing support in the "earned right to go out when he pleased" camp.  It was time then and it has been time ever since to tear the band-aid off.  Quick and the pain temporary.  Who knew how painful it would actually be?  That there would be a gaping wound beneath the bandage barely holding it all together.  It did have a nike swoosh on it, surely.

Nearly half the coaching staff wasn't pulling their weight, either on the recruiting trail or in terms of player development.  A critical mass of expectant paying customers, the fans and alumni, had slowly but surely been moving towards increasingly impatient.  They deserved more.  The players deserved more, some of whom had even turned down get-rich-quick-schemes at other programs.  To be Penn Staters.

Is BOB a Penn Stater?  No.  Yes.  Was Joe a Penn Stater before he took over?  Was I before I attended?  I'm always amused by the diehards in downtimes, see: PSU basketball, who bitch and moan about lack of support.  Who exclaim emphatically that they don't want to see any bandwagon jumpers, to defend the lofty status of Alamo defenders existent only in their own mind.  If you alienate potential fans, you'll never have new fans.  You'll never have a successful program.  You'll still have your precious little cult.  And cult it was, is.  Football alike.

The program was in need of liberation.  We'll figure out whether the University demands a similar unshackling in due time.  Here's looking at you BoT.

Was BOB being the outsider really the problem?  Or that we never heard of BOB?  We would've accepted Urbz with open arms, despite our misgivings for everything he had done in order to win in prior lives.  But then his heart grew three sizes, I suppose.

Is it that he's a Patriots coordinator?  One man's OMIGOD HE'S AWESOME PATRIORS RULZ, is another fan's Charlie Weis, Josh McDaniels.  He's not either, of course.

He actually has collegiate experience.  And not so great.  When we point out failings at various stops, not named Penn State, we're told to take it in context.  That's Duke.  Who wins at Duke?  Some people, at least moreso than 1-22.

Then we're told to look at the success of the Patriots, not his collegiate record.  The Patriots move the ball up and down the field at will.  Duke didn't have Tom Brady.  Nor Wes Welker.  Nor Hernandez and Gronkowski.  But PSU could have the next iterations.  Who is to say?  Sure, make your predictions.  If they even turn out half right, take credit.  You've earned it.  You don't know.  Neither do I.

You can't provide context at one situation and run from it in another.  He may not have impressed at college, but the Patriots offense sure does.  He also doesn't have any rings, which McDaniel and Weis both do.  O'Brien has his chance this year.  His only chance.  I can't decide which I support, the Pats to lose immediately or to win the Super Bowl.  I'd hate to win over recruits with a shiny object of a new Super Bowl ring the way Chaz Weis did at Notre Dame.  It strikes me as you'll only attract the kind of kids expectant of success to be bestowed upon them.  Rather than earn it.  We want the kids that want to earn it.

His work ethic will ensure he'll achieve to the best of his abilities.  Where those lie in relation to his competition, remains to be seen.  And in the context of Penn State.  The resources, facilities, its unique location in fairly fertile recruiting soil.  It isn't Texas, but these waters aren't over fished.  They can be dominated.  It's a very real possibility that PSU is indeed a sleeping giant, ready to be awoken with the wake-up call.  Given the relative stagnation over the last ten plus years, it is possible that PSU football was an underutilized, underappreciated asset.  Buy low, sell high.

Will he succeed?  There is no way to know.  I like that he has balls.  Balls enough to take the job where others coward.  Or used it as a bargaining chip for a raise at the current job.  I like that he's young.  I like that his work ethic is downright Belichekian.  I'd derive an integer as to how much greater that would be than what he's replacing, but you can't divide by zero.

I also have my worries.  Is he infected with NFL AIDS?  Is it contagious?  Sure, that is little more than a glib use of a blogosphere meme, but there are very real concerns.  The NFL gets as much practice, film, weight, etc., time as the workday, workweek, and workyear allow.  It is a full time job.  The schemes are complex.  Often too much so for the college game.  And not the kind of convoluted pseudo-complexity of the identity-less Spread HD, but actually too demanding on the players when overlaid upon the college game.  Will he lose his patience with players?  Certainly.

The recent wave of offensive explosion around the college football landscape is the fruit of the Hal Mumme-turned-Mike Leach coaching tree.  They understood limited practice time and simplified their offenses so that each position knew their one position and their few delegated responsibilities inside and out.  Emphasis lies in execution.  There is no paralysis by analysis.  After a year or two in the system, players are set free.  Percussion becomes jazz.

Similarly, Penn State has had quite a bit of success on the defensive side of the ball doing the exact same thing.  Indeed.  We may have had our complaints here and there, schematically or performance-based, but it is hard to argue with the consistency of the Paterno-Bradley-Vanderlinden Eagle/Stack defense, cemented in its 3- and 4-deep schemes.  You have to be patient to beat us and you won't beat us deep.  Unless you have a cannon to thread seams and plenty of time up front in which to do so.  How much different will the defense be?  Who knows.  I can't expect radical changes immediately.  Again, too demanding on players schooled one way for years.

I support him.  He won me over.  Kind of petty at this point to not do so.  That is, until I don't.  Such is the fickle fan.

I ask only two things of #BOB, work hard and graduate players.  It's all he can do and either the wins come and he's a legend, or they don't, he's not, and we move on.  Welcome to the world of college football and the relentless churn of the coaching ferris wheel.  View at the top, get off at the bottom.

A ride on the BOBsled is an interesting thing, nigh completely powerless.  We may give a good push at the top.  Then the guy we've selected at the helm can do a bit of steering.  But it really comes down to the technology.  And gravity.  The rest of us are merely along for the ride.

Until then, we'll find some other reason to #DrinkTheDayAway.

Bill O’Brien Reactions: Rowlff Dogg

My feelings on Bill O’Brien have been to Hell and back in the span of 48 hours.  What initially felt like the end of the world has turned into the light at the end of the tunnel that I have been waiting for all along.

Undeniably, this has been a learning process for us all.  Every year, we would sit back and laugh at the expectations of middle-of-the-road-teams’ fans in the midst of a coaching search.  On occasion, it would be hilarious to see big names turn down big-time jobs like Michigan or Notre Dame.  All the while, we knew that when Penn State opened up, it would be a coveted job.  Or at least, we thought we knew.

Ticket City Bowl Tailgate

Since the majority of us Penn Staters with tickets to the Ticket City Bowl (if you have tickets, you support the team.  If you don't have tickets, you support child molesters.  Or something like that, national media, rabble rabble rabble) are travelling and away from home, we've made a few special arrangements to make typical pre- and post-game imbibition as easy as possible.  That's what we do.  But since we're short a few RVs by about 20,000 or so, the DFW Penn State Alumni Association has made arrangements with the Meridian Room, a bar in the vicinity of the Cotton Bowl stadium, to open at 7 am on January 2nd, gameday.

WHERE: Meridian Room, Dallas TX
WHAT: Pre- and Post-game bar-fueled tailgate
WHEN: January 2nd, 7 am

handy map

If you happen to be staying in or around a DART train station, presumably downtown and vicinity, you don't need to worry about parking nor driving to the game and setting up your own half-assed tailgate out of the trunk of a rented Chevy Impala.  No.  Instead, buy a DART day pass for about five bucks, get on the DART green line train heading South towards Buckner Station.  Get off at Fair Park station.

There, you will find Fair Park, site of the Cotton Bowl Stadium on one side of the DART tracks and the Meridian Room immediately across the street on the other side.  Simply cross at the crosswalk, walk-in, but don't ask for a yuengling.  We don't have the forbidden fruit yet here in Texas.  However, I've got a crisp hundy for whoever manages to bring a case of the good stuff.  Otherwise, I'll be the dude with the Hoegaarden:

It's only a problem for you. I'm A-OK with it.

After the game armed with a DART day pass and its associated freedom, you can proceed immediately back to the Meridian Room for post-game revelry or mourning, where we will all air our grievances and speculate as to the next head coach is and what it will do to our beloved 3-deep defense.

Thereafter, you can either DART miserably back to your hotel or [brainwave] you can bar hop all the way back to downtown.  I'm thinking I might try it.  Starting with the bars in the Exposition Area (Meridian Room, Pizza Lounge, Amsterdam Bar, Double Wide) then through Deep Ellum, and eventually back into downtown.

I'll be there.  And I may even have a few extra tickets, since my old college roommates support child abuse.