Assembling Versus Building. A Theory on Team Development in Professional Sports.

I am a fan of two struggling franchises.

The Philadelphia Eagles, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Both, according to the talent evaluators around their respective leagues, have under-achieved.  The problems appear in both organizations seem to be similar, ranging from injuries, to communication, and turnovers.  Some people also blame "Hero Ball" in both scenarios placing blame on it's biggest stars, Michael Vick and Kobe Bryant.  They blame the coach, they blame Pau Gasol or Nnamdi Asomugha.

Something is going wrong if you assemble all of this talent and you have nothing to show for it.

However, I believe both teams are currently the products of poor management from the GM and Ownership positions, and the current culture of assembling teams rather than building them.

I believe that in team sports, the most important aspect to the team is maintaining continuity, and that keeping everyone together, and understanding and embracing their own individual roles.  If due to circumstances, their roles should change, then they need to understand and embrace that as well.

This is a process that takes time together, that requires a build up of past experiences playing with each other, and patience.

As scouts focus largely on measurables such as speed and strength, or the fundamentals such as a jump-shot or their blocking/tackling techniques, what appears to be lost is whether or not the player will fit in with everyone else.  A great athlete does not necessarily mean a great teammate and could potentially keep other players from playing at a high level.

I don't discount the value of adding the best individual athletes mind you.  Adding a player with superior individual talent will more than likely upgrade your success rate as a team.  However it appears that too much addition and subtraction of players leads to confusion, disconnectedness, and poor morale.

As I've watched both the Lakers and Eagles play, lets look at the similarities between the two squads.  Also we will look at what might be the best teams in both the NFL and NBA

The Lakers acquired Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown and the rights to Marc Gasol, instantly upgrading at one position.  All of the other players on that 2009 championship team had played for the Lakers for the year before  Players such as Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, and Sasha Vujacic, all had played for Phil Jackson, and with Kobe Bryant for multiple seasons.  That continuity, I believe was vital. 

The Eagles, during their best run, maintained many of their players as well.  McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Tra Thomas, Sheldon Brown, Troy Vincent, Brian Dawkins, Jeremiah Trotter, and Hugh Douglas had been with the team for years before they broke through to a Super Bowl appearance.

Now look at how both teams have changed.

Both say that they still have championship aspirations, yet the way that they've gone about trying to achieve these goals appears to contradict their own recent history.

Instead of adding and subtracting a few players here or there, both teams appear to be in a constant state of flux, hiring and firing coaches, cutting players mid season, or making trades.  This I believe has led to a bit of an identity crisis, and win/loss records far below what their physical talents might otherwise indicate.

Teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans have maintained many of their players for a number of years and have resulted in consistent play, and positive team morale.

The New England Patriots have been a mainstay atop the AFC for a decade and though many players have come and gone, most of their players have been drafted and developed into their team concepts or have very quickly adapted to their roles (Randy Moss, Wes Welker).

This is not to say I think teams should never move assets and only stick with the players that they have.  Some players over time may become despondent, unmotivated, or just do not get along with the teammates or coaches that they have

Sometimes successful teams stagnate and plateau, achieving a high level of success for a period of time, then they cannot seemingly get back over the hump. The solution I believe is not to make wholesale changes in the roster or staff, but rather small tweaks, identifying the most glaring problems and correcting them.

As I watch the NBA season play out, and await the off-season for the Eagles, I am hoping that the management of both franchises remains calm in the face of adversity and does not panic and fire coaches, trade players, and destroy whatever semblance of team remains.

Moving Beyond Politics

Can we stop it now?  Can we stop arguing about the problems in this country and truly work on fixing them?

As each day passes, I feel as though I'm more and more distant from BOTH major political parties.  I feel that this feeling is shared by many citizens, especially those under the age of 40.

I believe that almost every citizen recognizes a few things.  The Federal government is too large in general, and cuts should be made.

These are the issues that still demand honest discussion.

If I were to guess, I would say that most are in favor of contracting the military in some way.  It is by far the biggest expenditure that we have and has provided us with MORE than enough protection.  I know that the military would have you believe that they need every penny.  That they need to keep us safe from the radicals in Afghanistan.  But I contend that the Middle East does not actually present a military threat.  No more so than Vietnam did from 1955 to 1975.  We've been in Afghanistan since 2001.  We've destroyed Iraq, and replaced Saddam, we've been bombing Pakistan.  Yet I feel all this has done is provided an increased threat of retaliation.  Bombing is safer than placing troops, yet it inevitably causes collateral damage to innocents.

Yes, an act of terror is always possible, but a terrorism attack is such that it is best thwarted through intelligence and border patrol than it is taking out targets overseas.  The bombs will create real casualties that we will be blamed for.


In the mid 90's, a period most would say our country reached its peak financially and perhaps even socially, our military spending plummeted and Bill Clinton did the unthinkable...he balanced the budget.

I'm sure that some may blame the cuts in the military as a reason we were open to attack on 9/11/01.  However that appeared to be an issue of bureaucracy and intelligence, not a lack of bombs, guns, or equipment.

Right now, there are U.S. Military installations being maintained in no less than 130 different countries.  Why?  What possible reason do we we have to be in Greece, Guam and Italy?  Why are we in Japan?  We've been great allies for decades.

The money that could be saved by retuning troops, personnel, and equipment from many of the places could be billions if not hundreds of billions of dollars.  Which considering our nearly $650 billion military budget, would only reduce the total budget of that area by 10%.  We would remain a military power, yet be able to be more flexible in other problematic areas domestically.

Our education system, which no doubt has turned out many sparkling minds in the past 200 plus years, has seemed to have fallen behind, as many teachers are often underpaid, and classrooms are underfunded.  

It is an embarrassment to our society that we care so little for our future.  Educating a work force to become extremely adaptable to the demands of an ever changing world is probably the most important aspect to preserving a future. Yet we ask more and more sacrifice from our public K-12 teachers, who educate roughly 85% of the population.  Why are we not changing current policies to help the public school system?  I would suggest most Americans would prefer investing in this area with some of the money cut from the military.

The Federal Government should stay out of the morality business.  The freedom of religion should apply to all, allowing anyone to chose whom they love.  It is certainly no business of the government whom an individual chooses to love.   If one church believes that marriage only exists between a man and woman, fine, that is the belief of that particular church.  It does not mean that the Government has a role in enforcing a specific church's belief.


I believe that the communities in Alabama are different than the ones in California.  Both are different than those in Massachusetts.  State's rights should be respected, with the only exceptions being when a state intrudes on individuals rights.  (Segregation for example.)  I believe the issues of marriage, government funding for contraceptive methods, including abortion should be left to the state to decide. 

The war on drugs which was essentially declared in the 1980's under Reagan has been a hopeless fight.   I believe that in many ways the criminalization of marijuana is similar to prohibition of alcohol.  As the public becomes more educated about the drug, I believe they will view it in a very similar light to alcohol.  That abuse of the substance can clearly result in horrific results, but by legalizing and regulating the substance, you can in essence control it far better than if it remains illegal.  To boot, it will create many jobs for the private sector and take away income for terrorist organizations, drug cartels, and gangs. 

Some, I understand, will argue that this would essentially condone drugs.  I believe this to be false.  The government is allowing individuals to decide whether or not to use a substance, be it a cigarette, or alcohol, or whatever else.  The other laws still apply to you.  You still need to pay your taxes and bills, you cannot endanger others.  

Just because it is legal, does not mean everyone will begin using.  Alcohol is abstained by many, though probably the minority of the population.  The total use of tobacco products, one of the most addictive substances in the world, is used by just a quarter of the population. 


These are just some idea's about how our society can work, and while both I believe would garner great support, both are outside what both major parties appear to want to achieve.

Both Republicans and Democrats often dismiss new ideas from each others think tanks about what should be done about various problems.  Views from self described Tea-Party conservatives, Green Party progressives, or Libertarians, are often seen as outlandish fringe thoughts and should be abolished immediately, in affect repressing thought and ideas.

This I believe represents a fundamental flaw in the thinking of how our society should function.  I believe our system is completely based on the freedom of ideas.  That the reason this great nation has done so well is that while we differed on many different issues, we could come to a thought out consensus due to a common goal of making the WHOLE country better.  We collectively must think about what is good for the country, and not just what is good for certain groups.

I find very few people who are happy with the government, be it on the Republican or Democrat side of the aisle.

My hope is that eventually the two party system will disintegrate, that more ideas and thought processes are given legitimate credence and that this nation will again be united in their patriotism for a country that moves beyond labels of conservative or liberal, but is simply free.

Fall

 Fall

They always know whats best for you
Something better than what you chose
They say they only want what's best for you
But they've never worn your clothes

Tonight we're going to wish them well
With our own special dance
Tonight we're magic in a witch's spell
Boldly moving and embracing chance

Come see the dawn with me
Take a breath with me
And may we never see the dark alone
Steeped in sunlight
Against the odds we fight
May we never see the dark alone

 They say we've reached the top
And all that's left is the fall
They say we've got to stop
But they've never dreamed so tall

We've set course for tommorow
The anchor's been raised
We've set course for tomorrow
For the best of our days

Come see the dusk with me
Take in the stars with me
See that we are never all alone
Beauty of the starlight
Take in this night
See that we are never all alone

The Changing of Football in America

Solar-Powered Stadium Lights in New York

Football is my favorite sport.

I don't make any bones about it.  I think it's the most creative game for the mind as well as one of the most physically challenging.

Today's game does not resemble the 70's, 80's, 90's and has been in a state of rapid evolution.  Today's players are bigger, faster, stronger and smarter.  Players are now asked to recognize offenses and defenses in a matter of seconds and to make adjustments accordingly.

The game has changed from a strategy standpoint as well.  Where as before, the prevailing wisdom had been that running the ball and defending the run were the most important factors in winning a game, it has shifted to a pass first type approach.

To compare LeSean McCoy to Barry Sanders, or Barry to Jim Brown is a falsehood because the game has been in constant flux.  You may be able to compare strictly by athletic ability, but athletic talent is just part of being a football player.

 Today as we look at the game, the violence surrounding the sport is becoming less and less prevalent due to more protection rules for quarterbacks who play the most vulnerable position that was not a kicker or punter.  (Rules had been established to protect them)  Helmet to helmet contact, spearing, and 'launching' are now being taken out of the game as much as possible.

Strategically, the game has also been impacted by a new philosophy of an uptempo offense, which tires the defense as well as inhibits their ability to substitute.  Offensive play calls are not limited to just the one called by the coach, as the quarterback is now responsible for recognizing what defense has been put on the field and can make a call to get the team out of one play and into another.  Most of it in such a specific code that anyone not versed in football jargon would believe to be non-sense.

The defense now uses a myriad of different defenses to confuse the offense, switching their personnel to different positions in an effort to gain an advantage via confusions and bluffing.

The rules and evolution of the sport now dictate that going for it on 4th down has great advantages, and while at the High School level, there is a coach who NEVER punts, you can see the trend now building at other schools in both the College and NFL games as well.

As I watch these changes take place, I become excited about the game and the direction the game could take.

But then there is the other side.  The business side.

The popularity of the sport has reached an incredible point.  The combined worth of the NFL is estimated to be around 30 billion dollars.  Most college teams have an estimated value of somewhere in the 100 to 200 million dollar range, with larger programs such as Michigan, Southern Cal, Notre Dame, Texas, and Florida valued at much more. 

It wouldn't be hard to imagine that the top High School teams in the country, are similarly valued highly and are supported by various businesses and boosters.  

Now discussion about football in the NFL will largely deal with salaries and keeping players happy or content with their role on a given team, rather than the team itself.  Players are looked at as commodities rather than human beings, given an estimated value based mostly on their performances in the past.

This detracts from the game itself, as money now dictates on some level many different aspects of the game.  The game is literally paused at moments for the television broadcast, allowing for momentum to be interrupted in various ways, including the dissipation of crowd noise and adrenaline.

The analysis of the game itself has suffered as well, though this has more to do with the quality of journalism within 24 hours news networks.  Because a network such as ESPN or NBC sports are so desperate to keep the news fresh, they broadcast information with minimal reflection as to whether or not the story is actually relevant.  For their business model, it is more important that continually fresh information and programming comes out rather than thought out analysis.

 I believe that the current direction of football is such that in the future it will be either less violent, with more rules to protect players or rule changes to encourage less violent play.  I believe sponsorship will continue to become more and more visible. 

Further, I believe the players will continue to become stronger and faster. As training methods improve as well as at the continued evolution of our genetic make-up, I believe that records for 40 times, bench press, and other athletic measurables will continually be broken over time.  The problem may be that as strength and speed improve, I worry that our ability to sustain damage to our bones and stretch our joints may have reached a limit.

I'm still excited as ever about the game, yet as more and more hands get into the proverbial football 'pot', I worry that the game will be enjoyed by less and less people in the stands, who pay a pretty penny to watch the games, for food and drink, merchandise and more.  That the game might be altered to attract more ratings rather than if it's good or not for the game itself.

I hope this is not the case, and in time the sport only evolves for the better.

Ending the NFL Ref Situation in 15 minutes.

The NFL is king.  They are the biggest, baddest brand on the planet.  The NFL is this nations best made television broadcast.  The drama, the violence, the commercials glamorizing beer and sex.  And it's reality.

But the product is compromised.  Sure we can defend the NFL all we want, it is still a great incredible league, but you know it's not the product that had been delivered year after year.  The replacement refs, while doing their best, are NOT as good as the pros.  It's just that simple.

So we as the public consumer need the refs back, how do you put pressure on the NFL to make them understand that?  As fans we want the product as a whole but not as it is currently constructed.  How do we put pressure on that size of a business?

Don't buy it.

Now when I'm watching the television, I'm not technically buying anything, so it's ridiculous to suggest to the general public to not watch the games at home or at bars.  Nor is it realistic.  But what about the fans going to the game?

Imagine this.   Imagine that on Week 4, that EVERY single NFL stadium opened for the first quarter,  until about roughly 1:35...with an empty stadium.  The ticket holders still planning to go in mind you, but not until after the First Quarter ends.  (You could shoot for Thursday, but I don't think the plan has enough momentum at this point.)

Each and every stadium would lose money for that 35 minutes.  No fans in the stadium means:

No food sales.
No beer sales.
No merchandise sale.
No future ticket sales.

For 35 minutes, every single business existing within every single NFL stadium would generate 0 real dollars.

Further more the empty stadium paints a sad picture, and brings out all the sponsors that are a part of the NFL.

Tell me, what kind of company wants to be looked at when a stadium is empty over a labor issue?

An empty stadium, for one quarter signals to the owners a clearly unhappy fan base.  It means unrest and uncertainty, so new business partners would be more hesitant to join.  Existing partners would think about jumping ship to another sport (possibly a revitalized NBA product who will not be competing most likely with Hockey)

This would be considered a warning to owners, that as fans of a product, we are not satisfied.  We are not looking for another provider of the product, but we want a better one than you are providing.

I would like to execute this plan if possible.  I am a fan of the NFL, but I'm a lone voice and in order to execute this plan I would need a bit of a NATIONAL voice.  I am sending this blog to every single member of the sports media that might be able to get the message out.  I do not have tickets to an Eagles game this week, which is my favorite team...but if I did, I would spend my time talking to fellow Eagles fan to protest this game.  These officials are bad, so bad it could cost us a game.  That cannot happen. 

For 15 minutes, no one will be watching the NFL live and in a stadium.  Sure, they'll get numbers from television, but those numbers cannot necessarily be counted on for future product consumption.  A fair amount of the country would no doubt just turn in to see a football game played with no real fans.

Again, I believe it would just take 15 minutes.

The NFL would have to cave, the thought of a second incident, possibly one lasting longer (say until halftime) or a stadium empty for the whole game would be enough to put the financial pressure on the NFL to just DO THE RIGHT THING.

So with that in mind....If you are an NFL fan, and you want the replacement ref situation solved, than talk about a simple protest, of not entering until the second quarter.

I know, as I send this blog to some of the voices in the sports journalism community, there will be skepticism to vocalize these views as their own, but you don't have to.  Assign them to me.  And then talk about the pros and cons of my idea.   Especially if it is executed nationwide.  At the very least you have another interesting topic to present in your newspapers, podcasts, radio, and television shows.


So that's the plan.

If you have tickets to a game in the NFL this week, any one of them, and you want to make a difference, you want your referees back and competent, YOU can exert pressure by just not walking into the stadium until after the 1st quarter.

That's how you can get what you want from the Biggest Baddest brand in America.  All in 15 minutes.

Get rid of your boring day job, get rid of your boring life!

If you stay up late, whether it be from studying, a late night job, partying, or just plain insomnia, you will run into some of the most bizarre commercials ever seen.  And the kinds of commercials are always amusing as that's the most prevalent time for what I like to call "Loser" commercials.

The 'Loser' commercial comes in many varieties mind you.  It can range from being out of shape to needing a boost in the bedroom to not being culturally satisfied and needing to learn a new language.

For the physical angle you are mostly looking at commercials dealing with diet pills, exercise benches, or a special DVD program.  The more humorous ones are the special clothing designed to make you 'look' less fat, or have boobs or something.  Get big, strong and lean if you're a guy.  Get a toned flat stomach if you're a girl.  Be the appropriate height.

Now in these commercials typically you'll see like a 7-8 scale good looking person.  They're never stunningly beautiful, but just better looking then probably the average person.  They look like what we might think the average consumer would look like if they tried such and such product.

Now for me, I find these commercials ridiculous.  Their is no magic program, no product that will take the place of the fundamentals of having a healthy body.  It's a simple combination of will and discipline.  With those in place, a simple routine of just about anything for exercise and a balanced healthy diet, one can achieve a fit toned body.

No one needs to really have a fit and toned body to be a good person mind you.   But that's what they're selling you.  That after they become this fit person, everything in their life goes from crummy and miserable to 'holy &*%*  look how ripped am I am!?!  I'm the hottest bitch in this place.  Oh I'm totally killing it at work now, thanks *blah blah blah*'.

But not all losers care about is their body's some of them really take pride in their intelligence.  Perhaps the person staying up late needs to foster their creative side more and pursue a career in art.  Or learn a new language.

By the way, I don't know a single person who has had this impulse.  Most people know by their Senior year of high school whether they like a foreign language or not.  None of my friends that I know are venting to me that they really regret not knowing how to say 'which way to the bus station?' in German when they live in North Carolina. 

The next category is barely in the 'loser' bracket, but I think it has to make it.  The Gadget commercial.  This has two takes on it.  One being YOU are the creator of a gadget, you just don't know it yet.  This one famously starts with a caveman carving a wheel, essentially suggesting that essentially 'If a caveman can do it....'  They flash to some family man that made either the best water slide ever, or a Nerf flying helicopter that has a video camera.  ( Which doesn't exist, but would be sweet!).

If you can't invent gadgets, well at least you might as well buy gadgets right?  Like a new 5 way chopper for salads?   Or the safest chainsaw ever (Even grandma can hack down hard limbs!)?  And of course, you got to, got to, got to have a slap chop.

With slap chop guy we also get into a small venture of Late Night sales guy.  Now this person usually does double duty as daytime sales guy but his ads rarely go into the spectrum of prime time, (Morning, evening to 11 pm.).  This guy usually speaks loudly and aggressively, and for some reason always seems to be wearing a shade of blue.

These are dubbed over by, which I find far funnier than the real thing but delivers my point.

Mighty Putty

Kaboom!

Oxi Clean

Big credit to Jaboody dubs for creating those gems and one Rodney Bohner for introducing me to the items.  Good stuff.

I don't know what if any affects their might be for watching so many of these commercials at a time might be, though I would guess the effects to be mostly depressing.  Having been a member of the late night community for some time now having worked at a bar for the past 5 or so years and having been a late night college student, I've observed this trend for sometime without really reflecting on it.

Have the commercials affected me?  To some degree I would have to say yes. At first my thought is to say that the commercials made me depressed, but that's not true.  At first it made me just want whatever it was they were selling, be it a get rich quick scheme, a body that looked like it was carved from granite, a blanket that is molded like a robe, which is cool, but looks like something you can ONLY wear to an Easter egg hunt.  I wanted all of them.

But I knew that desire would be soon fleeting.  Replaced with the knowledge of who I was and being OK with that person.  Perhaps the commercials might have done some motivating when it comes to being healthy and attempting to pursue whatever goal I might be pursuing.

Next time you're up late, and your channel surfing, make a note of some of the commercials you see and how many promise a better version of you or a happier you.  The results are staggering, but in the end you should never ever take them seriously.

Walk-Off Shot: One Year As A Penn State Football Player. Part II

 If you missed part 1, you can link back to it here

Fall of 2002.

Becoming a walk-on in the middle of the season is not easy.  I did not go through the fires that the other Freshmen had gone through.  I did not go through their summer workouts, would not be asked to do any additional lifting.

Worse, I felt that perhaps other players saw me as a local that perhaps got preferential treatment.  That I wasn't truly one of them.  I wanted to earn their trust and respect.  I wanted to be part of the team.

The first practice I was told to mostly observe and slowly work my way in to the drills.  I am nervous.  I am riddled and almost paralyzed by the anxiety of being in such an unfamiliar place.  This is the first time in my life that I am not confident in my own athletic ability.

Eventually, I work into some of the scout team reps.  I am asked to play guard.  A position that to this point I had never played.  If you are unfamiliar about how the scout team works, the scout team will look at a play card, typically held by an assistant coach, they are then asked to execute the play against what is primarily the first and second string players.  My first play was a trap play, where I was asked to pull and execute a block on Anthony 'Spice' Adams.

To this point I did not know too much about Adams other than he had a reputation as a hard hitter, an energy player and people kept calling him 'Spice'.  Here are some other facts.  He stands 6 foot tall and weighs 310 pounds and hails from Detroit, Michigan.  This was his senior season and unbeknown to me, was looking to probably make it one step further to the NFL (which he would, being selected in the second round by the San Francisco 49er's).

As I pulled, I made sure to bring everything I could into the play. I was taller than Adams, but in this case that worked to my disadvantage, so I attempted to stay low.  Attempting to gain not only position but with any luck, hoping to drive him and create space.  Sadly for me this was not the result I got.  Instead upon meeting Adams I lost my footing after contact, slipping and sliding to his knee area.  I can still remember what happened next.

"Hey man, get off my knees!" yelled Adams

The next voice would be that Larry Johnson Sr., the famed defensive line coach and father of 3 of the best athletes to ever attend my high school, and his oldest son, Larry Johnson Jr., was in the midst of an incredible season, one where he was setting records and by all accounts was in the running for the Heisman trophy.

"Hey kid, you do that again and you won't be here tomorrow"

I don't even know how to explain my next few reps.  One after one I looked across the line and saw future pros.  Jimmy Kennedy, Michael Haynes, Anthony Adams, and a young kid by the name of Tamba Hali. 

The first thing I noticed was not the physical size of the players that I would have to adjust to, though physically at a shade under 260 pounds, I would say I was pretty undersized to play on the offensive line.  But no, it was the speed that came as a shock to me.  Everyone around me seemed to be moving faster than I was used to.

When going up against an elite player in high school, I seemed to focus on matching that player or exceeding him.  When it came to playing at Penn State, it seemed everyone was a best player, resulting in me being overwhelmed a bit.  Though I felt that eventually I could reach the physical abilities of the classes ahead of me, it was clear a lot of time would have to be spent in the weight room and the training facilities to do so.

Speaking of weight lifting and training, during the fall I was merely asked to practice with the squad and not lift.  Because of my late arrival date, it would be a bit of a hassle to include me in with the other players who had developed a routine.  I did not have to attend a study hall like many of the other freshman.  My interaction with the team was almost completely based around the hours between 2:30 and 5 pm.

If I remember right, this was practice time.  (Forgive me, it has been nearly a decade since these events occurred.)  The routine was kinda simple.  After class, most of the players would come to the Lasch football building and do one of the following.

1. Study.  I can't stress how many open books I saw in bizarre places.  While there was a study lounge, many players would study in the locker room itself, or in the game room.

2. Watch Film.  Mostly Seniors and players that were traveling.  Essentially trying to prepare themselves mentally for an upcoming game.

3. TV/Music/General recreation.
There was a pool table, fooseball table, and comfy couches.  18-22 year old college guys.  Gotta have some relaxation some time.

This would last until it was time to be called into respective meetings.  We would be addressed by Paterno as to how we played the previous game and then quickly move on to how we would prepare for our next opponent.

While I observed Paterno I noticed that he was much more personable and unguarded in person than when a camera was on him.  He was free to be more critical of certain players, and praise those he felt deserved it.  Though in my mind most of teaching of individual skills and techniques would be performed by his assistants, Paterno was the architect of the Penn State football philosophies.  He would lighten the mood with jokes, or turn to a more serious tone if the team was a bit overly enthusiastic.

We would then go to our position meetings to break down film and go over assignments for the upcoming week.  I was always amazed at the level of detail that the upperclassmen had to know in terms of a given play.  Besides obvious physical demands of a football player, the mental activity required to execute a given play or defense in a brief 10 second exchange seemed astounding. 

As the season progressed, I was switched from Offense to Defense (where my physical limitations would not result in another player injured as could be the case had I remained on the Offensive Line.)

I was in favor of the move, as it gave me the ability to use what, in my opinion, was my biggest asset.  My initial explosiveness.  While my strength had yet to be built up by the program, my speed seemed to be on par with the other players.  So began my relationship with the other Freshmen defensive lineman.  I had no idea just how great a class I was walking in to.

Steve Roach, Levi Brown, Ed Johnson, Jay Alford, Tamba Hali, and Patrick Hall.  Of those six, four would play in the NFL.  The other two were highly regarded recruits who, during my time with the team, gave the first team offense fits.  (Specifically Patrick Hall, who seemed to routinely destroy option plays.)

I can say with complete confidence I was the worst defensive lineman on the team.  It was the first time in my life I had ever felt inadequate in anything athletic.  It was a very difficult pill to swallow, but I attempted to do my best and get better.  I had no choice.

As I attended the scout team meetings that were headed up by Mike McQueary.  The very first meeting was one that I'll never forget.  I had just been invited on to the team after they had lost in controversial fashion to Michigan.  While Paterno was as vocal as he had ever been about referees, it was McQueary who I felt was the voice of reason, saying that while officials may have blown a few calls, there were always plays that could have been executed better to win.  In short, he told the young players that effort and execution led to the loss more so than the officials, and that we needed to become better.

During the same meeting, we learned the fate of Brian Borgoyn, a highly touted Freshman who had a neck injury.  Doctors concluded that the injury was too serious to continue playing football.  Penn State would still honor the scholarship, and allow Brian to continue to receive his education in State College.

"I know a lot of you guys feel bad for Brian right now.  But you have to know that there is so much out there for you besides this game,"  McQueary said.  "Football is not the end all, be all.  There's a lot more to life than this sport and I hope you guys get to experience it."

That struck me, that in a place that is highly competitive about football that the coaches would have concerns about the players as people.  That they cared about more than the game.

As the season continued, I found myself struggling with the academic load combined with the intensity and demands of practices.  I was failing Spanish, and struggling to maintain C work in my psychology, biology, and science and technology classes.  I did manage to get an A in weight lifting.  Shocking, I know.  

The amount of stress I felt was something I hadn't encountered before in my life.  It was exhilarating to be on the most prestigious athletic team at the school and one of the most respected in the country.  Yet to be on that team demanded more of me than I had ever given, and the thought of failing and not being able to meet the standards that had been set made me nervous and sick to my stomach.

Through all of these things came the anticipation of the first game.  I would not dress the first game (as in, be in pads and helmet) but I would be on the sidelines and watch.  The feeling of watching the game from the sidelines as a clear spectator was fun, but it was forgettable.

The feeling of putting on the pads before a game was not.

Game Day

I don't remember the team we were playing when I dressed for the first and only time.  I think it may have been Virginia but it honestly was of no consequence.

As we got on the bus to be escorted to the field, I finally began to understand the scope of what was going on.  I finally understood just how big of a platform I was on.

As the police escort led us to the field hundreds of people lined along the roads cheering, mindlessly I thought.  They saw us as seemingly as deities, not knowing anything about who we were as individuals.  They only knew that we were players on the Penn State football team.  They just cheered for the colors and of course for Joe.

I felt bad for them.

Here I was, being praised blindly for being a part of what had been a proud and reputable program for the past 50 years.  They saw us as a team, and associated everything positive that had been built under the watchful eyes of Paterno to each of the players, not knowing whether or not those things were true.

I knew full well of the goals of Penn State football.  I knew who we were supposed to be.  I also knew that we were far away from those goals.  Myself included.

The crowd did not know if the players actually studied (most did, clearly there seemed to be exceptions at certain levels)

The crowd certainly did not know about how each player treated women, which seemed to vary on a case by case basis but certainly there were some awful views by some of the players.

The crowd did not know to what extent players abused drugs or alcohol.

The crowd seemed to only know the good things about the world of Penn State football.  As I got off the bus, I looked into the crowd and saw what looked like just hundreds of insane people that had no idea who I was drunkenly yelling their support for me.  They wanted high fives, autographs and attention from everyone of us, no matter if they knew who we were or not.

It felt bizarre, and slightly uncomfortable to me. 

I couldn't wait to get away from them and get to the locker room with my teammates.  I just wanted to get away from the craziness that was outside.

Once inside, I prepared pretty much like everything was normal, knowing full well that it was not.  I listened to other players as they gave advice and helped me put on my jersey (A game jersey is incredibly tight fitting so as to give opposing players little to nothing to hold on to.)

Eventually as we finished warm-ups pregame meetings and all of the things of that nature, it was finally time to run out.  I could hear the roar of the crowd from the locker room, I felt like I could literally feel the energy of the place.  It was exhilarating to a point I had never felt before or since.  I breathed quickly, and I felt light headed.  Finally Michael Haynes, a senior and one of the truly 'good' guys on the team came over and asked if I was alright.

I wasn't.  This was it.  A dream coming true.  The thought of playing, of doing these things had been in my head more than a thousand times, but now it was all here.  It was extremely overwhelming.  He sat beside me for a minute telling me to just breathe, not to worry, and not to vomit.

Eventually I did calm down enough to make it with the rest of the players and line up at the tunnel and run out onto the field.  I was in the back and I couldn't make out too much of what was up ahead but as we finally ran out, my sense of awe was put to the test.

I can't find the words to explain what it's like to run out in front of 100,000 people.  I'll try anyway.  At that very moment, I felt like I accomplished something.  That I had reached a goal that I'm sure many felt was unlikely.  A goal I'm sure even I had my doubts about.  But when I finally ran onto the field at Beaver Stadium, I felt like I had finally made everyone I knew proud of me.  Though I know that no one in that stadium had a clue who I was, or what I was feeling, it felt like they were cheering for me.

It was the best feeling I had ever felt in my life.  

Walk-Off Shot: One Year As A Penn State Football Player

I expected to make it.  I absolutely did.

I was fast, competitive, large, and intelligent.

In my mind I believed I was meant to play football.  I was not offered a scholarship anywhere.  I was recruited a little bit, but it made no sense to me to only go to a lesser school just to play football.

My mom worked at Penn State, meaning I had a large discount coming to ease the burden of tuition.  I had a great familiarity of the campus being from the area. Many of my friends from high school would be here.

But mostly, I wanted to either make it at a great program like Penn State or not make it at all.

So after being admitted to the University, I went and sought out my friend Brandon to ask him about how to go about trying out for the team.

Brandon was a 'preferred' walk-on as I understood it.  Which meant he was recruited by PSU but told he would not be offered a scholarship at the time.  He and I graduated from State College Area High School as part of the 2002 class.  He's someone I absolutely trusted and respected.

"First make sure you have you're afternoon classes cleared, because that's when we practice.  Here's Mr. Ganter's number, you should call him and ask what to do."

So began my official journey to become a member of an elite group of young men.

"Hello...Mr. Ganter, my name is Ben Baney.  I was hoping to try-out for the Football team this year."

Fran Ganter was the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Penn State.  A former player in the late 60's which included two undefeated seasons, Mr. Ganter had coached at capacity with Joe Paterno for the past 30 years.  He was been seen by many in the community as a likely successor to coach Joe Paterno. 

I had played with two of Mr. Ganter's sons throughout high school.  Both were very talented natural athletes.  I thought both also represented great values as far as pursuing academic excellence as well.  I hope that by playing alongside he maybe noticed me and saw some potential.

"Yes Ben, we had noticed that you had an interest in being here.  I'll be honest with you, if you were trying out for another position such as running back or wide receiver it would be tough to break through but we're always looking for lineman...here's what you need to do...."

This seemed good, and improved my outlook at the possibility of making the squad.  I now really thought there was a good chance I'd make it!  I would not be on the roster for the start of the season, but if I could get there by say mid October, I'd gladly jump at the opportunity.

I did not have a goal past making the team, but I knew that it was something that I wanted to be a part of.  That it was someplace where I felt I would belong.

It was a place where I thought I would succeed.

The Beginning

For the past five years, beginning in the 8th grade I had played, and excelled at football.  I had two qualities that probably indicate success in the sport more than any other.  Size, and Speed.

People sometimes wrongly assume it's the strength in a football players upper body that makes him successful.  That their performance on a bench machine and in a weight room will be the difference makers.

That is categorically false.

Timing in explosive footwork drills and just general mass and size are far bigger factors.  In 8th grade I was mildly successful, able to start on both offense at Tight End, and defense as a Defensive End.  I would say that I was relatively successful at both.

My sophomore year, of high school, I attempted to switch to Line Backer on defense and stay at the Tight End position on Offense.  The year would be a disaster for me.  I injured my back roughly 4 or 5 weeks into the season, losing some of my explosiveness.  I also dropped far too many passes that year in practice, frustrating both myself and I'm sure my coaches.  I had plantar warts on my left heel giving me extreme irritation and certainly not helping my athletic pursuits.  I played sparingly in Junior Varsity games and was not selected to go with the team as part of it's playoff roster.

I took that last part as extremely insulting.

My sophomore year was essentially a bust in my view.  I did not want to play linebacker again.  Worse yet, the rumors began that perhaps I would better suited to a new position such as the Offensive Line.  A move I had a particular distaste for. 

I would enter my Junior year healthy, and though I protested, because I did not believe that I was better suited to play line than Tight End went along with the position change.  I also changed from Linebacker back to Defensive End.
I would start on the first game of the year as a Junior at Left Tackle.  A position I really, in all honesty, hated.  I was told this move was for the good of the team.  That by doing this, not only would I start with my position being relatively secure, but it would make us a better team.

I was successful.  I would become a starter on both sides of the ball my Senior year.  While I would not describe myself as a dominant player at either position, I had played well and held my own against other kids who would eventually be offered scholarships by places such as Penn State, Pitt, Iowa, and Notre Dame.

My experience against those players made me feel as though I was ready.

Tryouts

Tryouts were only slightly intimidating.  There were a fair number of kids that just were looking to make the team as a long snapper or kicker which I wasn't too concerned about.  A few players looked to be interested in making it as wide receivers, defensive backs and other 'Skill Positions'.  

I had no fears about the measurement part.  I fit an almost ideal size for a freshman lineman.  I stood 6'3 and weighed roughly 260 pounds.  I wound up trying out as a general lineman and took a few throws from Mike McQueary to see about my prospects of playing Tight End.

Sadly I tripped over my own feet, and while I was still able make a diving catch, my apparent lack of grace probably sealed the deal as far as that particular exchange went.

When the first tryout was over, we were told that some of us would be invited back for another workout session.

I would be one of those invited back.

After a second work out, roughly a week later, I received a phone call from McQueary.

"Hey Ben it's Mike, how would you like to play Guard for our scout team offense for us today?"

"Of course!"

My smile couldn't get any wider. 
I rushed down to the Lasch Football Building to meet with McQueary and started filling out the necessary paperwork to get me on board, while simultaneously trying out shoes, helmets and whatever else they needed to get me prepped and ready for practice.
My heart was racing so fast from the adrenaline and anxiety that I could barely concentrate on anything going on around me.  I was realizing part of my dream, I was achieving what I had set out to achieve.  It felt absolutely incredible.  It was simultaneously nerve wracking and joyful.

Eventually I would make it out to the locker room.  The size of which dwarfed any other locker room I had ever seen.  Our lockers were made of wood, personalized, and showed off such grandeur that I couldn't help but be a bit lost in the clouds taking it all in.

It was at this moment I made my first mistake.  I stepped on the "S" in the middle of the room.

I don't know when or who started the tradition of not stepping on the "S".  To me it seems like a silly tradition, but it was clearly an important one that was held dear to all of those in the locker room.

"Whooa!  New kid has to do push-ups!"

"At least 25"

People kept yelling, people whom I was unfamiliar yet at the same time very familiar with.  I knew 'about' these players, such as Zach Mills, Larry Johnson, Charles Rush, and Alan Zemitas.  I knew them as football players.  But now I had the extremely rare opportunity to hear them, and learn about them as people.

They would no longer be the people on television that I would judge from afar and only through the lens of being a fan.

They would be my peers.

I did the push-ups smiling the entire time.

End Part I.

Pick Your Poison-And by Poison I Mean Topic

So here are 10 topics for my next article.  I'm gonna try and let my audience choose what I write about.  At least topically.  It will still be my voice and my original ideas you're picking from, but I think it gives the reader a great chance to read what they feel like reading.  Whether it's about Sports, Technology, Movies, Politics, The Law, or local events or personal stories.  If no one votes, which is a possibility, I'll just pick the one I want to write about.

Simple right?

Ok, Here are your Options.

1) The Obama Administration and Trayvon Martin.  A look in the mirror.

Going in I'm thinking about how race is still inextricably linked in this country's fabric and to not awknowledge it is detrimental to our country.

2) StatePatty's Day: The Mutation

Talking about the start of State Patty's innocence, and then following it through until it's present day incarnation

3) Diablo 3:  Attempting To Perfect Dungeon Crawls
Somewhere amongst my peers include video game geeks.  This would be more up that alley, but I would attempt to bring the game to non game fans in a language they could understand.

4) Beware The Super Team
It seems to be happening more and more.  Teams that were not the best going into their respective playoff systems emerged Champions, and more and more picked teams flounder.  Touch on media hype and influence of rankings.

5) Summer In The Valley
 Exploring Summer at Penn State and State College.  From both a student and non-student view.

6) Work Neighbors
Examining the networks of business proximity.  For example, are large groups of Chilis staff friends or familiar with Staff from Pickles, or Jersey Mike's?  Do the employees at the Gap hang out with the employees of American Eagle? 

7) Walk-Off Shot
Detailing my journey as a walk-on to Penn State's football team.  And my departure.

8) Ron Paul, Jews, Racism, and Israel.
Pretty obvious where this is going to go right?



9) Taking Your Girl to the Dude Movie
The reverse of Guy is taken to Chick Flick

10) Platonic Dialogues Discussion
I dare you to pick this one.



So to make a vote, just post what number you want as a comment.  You don't have to use your name if you don't want to. 

Facebook: After The College Years

During my Junior year of school, something was introduced that would change the world.  A free interactive social site that would allow friends to interact, post pictures, join groups blah blah blah.

I'm not going to make this post about how Facebook works, because I assume you know essentially how it works.

If you're reading this, there's a 95% chance your doing so because you linked to it from my Facebook feed.

Instead I will be addressing the vast change that has occurred in Facebook as I've matured and Facebook opened it's doors to the people that exist beyond college life.

Part 1.  What Facebook Was Initially.

Lets not get it twisted.  Facebook was used initially as a way to connect with the people you partied with.  I don't know how this could be disputed in any real way.  Almost every single early picture in any Facebook album upon it's inception involves alcohol.  The reason is obvious.  It debuted as a College internet device.  This exclusivity, which Zuckerberg seemed to be very much for in it's early incarnations was in part what drove the social website.  Yes there were other uses, keeping up with classmates or showing off your vacation but lets be real.  Facebook was used initially to help you figure out who you were hanging out with at school, and more specifically what you were doing when you weren't studying at school. 

And college students party when they aren't studying. 

We (as College students) had a specific audience of peers that we wanted to entertain and impress upon our values of fun, sexiness, rage, and whatever else we thought was cool.  Before Facebook, there was AOL Instant Messenger, which was actually similar in that you could make a profile, put quotes, song lyrics and links to whatever.  And you knew that only a few select people that you knew and chose could access it.  But Facebook took that model and improved upon it 10 fold.  Though it's chat feature would be a little bit farther away and AIM existed simultaneously for a while, today AIM is obsolete.

Initially in college we used Facebook to tell people who we were and we did it unapologetically.  Facebook was nothing if not absolute connection with another person's immediate psyche. We would update about breakups, beginning relationships, if we got a job or if we got wasted (which was the most likely thing to update about)  In someways that is still the true, but the rules began to change sometime after the whole world got their hands on the program.

Part 2.  Your Parents Want to Be Your Friend.

This is bullshit.

Being part of the initial Facebook experiment that wanted to use this website to show our peers our nightlife, our fun life, this is about as sacrilegious as you can get.

In sociology classes (or maybe psych, my memory is a bit fuzzy now)  we learn about the different roles we play given certain circumstances.  We act differently in front of our friends versus in front of our bosses.  We act differently with strangers than we do with family.  We maintain that we are the same person through out, yet our actions differ depending on who we are with.  It's fine.  It's natural.

That wall was broken to some degree with this new development.  There is a bit of a social impasse with Facebook's 'friending' system.  While people whom you may consider to be close or 'friends' to say that they aren't your 'Facebook friends' creates a system where you are explicitly say 'you are not close enough that I trust you to see what I've done in college.'

In other words....

I do not want my Mom to see pictures of me getting fucked up with my best friends.  I don't want my future boss to see pictures of me getting shit faced or high when I was just trying to have a good time.  That time was a time I do want to remember, but not a time I want to share with every single family member or work contact I may possibly have.  Yes, you are a family member.  Yes you may be a work contact.  But that does not mean I want to share those experiences from my youth, though I myself may want to remember them.  I'm not ashamed of them, but I don't think you would understand them and I absolutely think you will hold them against me.

Part 3:  Acceptance Into The System

Now we have it figured out.  Have we changed?  Have we matured?  That is debatable.  But we have managed to work around the Facebook system.  We know that at any point in time, we can be sought out via the Facebook network and some defenses are there for those that feel that they need them.  Girls often do not post their last name and instead use a middle name.  There are nicknames.  Settings are set to Private (though there are still loopholes that a dedicated stalker COULD work around).

As we give in and become Facebook friends with our bosses and Family we now edit and are careful about what we broadcast.  Our language changes to reflect it.  The pictures that we tag ourselves become self monitored.  We look to presentable to ALL audiences and not just the our college peers.  This difference is monumental.

The pictures of our days in school are now protected or gone altogether.  Sadly the whole reason I initially used Facebook is gone.  No longer will you get an honest view of my personal psyche, but rather one that is edited to appeal to everyone.  There will be few (and in the time to come, probably fewer) pictures of me being anything other than sober and straight laced. 

I still use Facebook to give my friends and contacts an accurate portrait of how I feel, but no longer do I use it an effort to communicate directly to my college peers.  That time is gone.

This is not true of everyone though.

Part 4:  F*** it.  You're Still In College

 I really can't imagine College without Facebook, going over the incredible pictures of my past, they STILL define me.  I can't imagine not having my status updates over incredibly stupid things.  The parties, the relationships I did and did not have.  The fact that I was willing to open myself up and be as vulnerable as possible to people who were going through the exact same things as I was made helped give me the strength to persevere through a challenging time both academically and socially.

I'm not saying go get smashed every night.  I'm not saying go act reckless and without respect to others.  But I am saying that you should not be scared to make mistakes and make them publicly.  They help keep you from making them in the future.

Take pictures.  Say funny shit.  It is a universal truth that time can't come back and the only thing we will be left with is the memories that we make.

Don't be scared to make them.

Sunny Side Up

There is an official day of Spring.  Based on the earths rotation around the sun and the amount of sunlight based on the Earths axis.  That day is March 20th.

Today would be the unofficial first day of Spring. 

Today was the day when the weather would allow you to do anything you like outside in a comfortable fashion.

The sun broke the sky and the citizens of this town took to the outdoors in some form or another to enjoy it.  

Some took to running or biking.

Maybe some went fishing.

Perhaps you went for some beers and grilled outside at a friends house.

But everyone in the town can absolutely FEEL the difference in the day.  And the results in peoples moods is very apparent.

If one was forced due to their job or school to not enjoy the splendor of the day, one would imagine they would curse their luck. 

Bars and restaurants with patio seating become the most desirable place to eat a meal.

Maybe its slightly less understandable if you happen to live in warmer climates, but speaking at least from the perspective of someone who has lived in central Pennsylvania all their life, the break represents almost a whole new beginning.

And perhaps this Spring is special in State College for another reason.

Make no mistake about it, we were stuck in dark winter, one in which a legend lost his job under questionable circumstances, and then lost his life.  I believe the town is still struggling to reclaim their 'Happy' Valley.

But days like today, where the sun cannot help but shine through and touch your skin, it's difficult to not be filled with the hopes and dreams to continue living as best we can. 

It's hard to keep from smiling.

Fan view. Lakers Look Like A Team In Win Over Miami

The Lakers looked very much like a team yesterday.  Not in the sense of how shots were divided amongst players ( a poor way to look at the value of a team in my estimation.), but rather as players that were playing for each other and to win the game.  With grit and determination on defense, and with skill and execution on offense.

They played as a team.

Yes the post players played well.  If you look at their numbers, there performances were actually pretty routine.

Both Gasol and Bynum average about 16 points.  Pau actually played under his statistical averages.  Bynum turning in typical numbers except for his blocked shots.  But even then, he is supposed to be a clog in the lane every night, so that's not surprising either.

Kobe played great on offense, scoring efficiently and was great at setting up various sets for the Lakers to run.  But again he played under his averages in both assists, and rebounds.

Fisher had 4.

The bench combined for a measly 12 points.

The ONLY thing difference...and it's a stark one, was that Metta World Peace showed up and played well beyond what he's shown this season.  He scored 17.  Three times what he has averaged.  He rebounded at double the rate he had shown.

He played great.

But this is beyond numbers.  This is not a statistical overlay about production.  This is about why the Lakers looked on Sunday like they could be a real threat for a championship.  They competed about as hard as I've seen a team compete this early in the season.
 
LeBron could be the best player to ever play the game.  But he doesn't want to be.  He instead will insist on trying to be the best teammate in the world.  That distinction is important.

 The one who defers to Wade in closing moments, that tries to help Bosh score some easy baskets, passes out of double teams for open 3's.

But I believe that some of those decisions are wrong.  That sometimes the higher percentage play in order to score and win the game is take a "bad shot" against a double team, that splits and challenges defenses.  That a "selfish" shot is the right shot for a team.

The Lakers balanced and supported the "selfish" shots of Bryant, Gasol and Bynum and to some extent Metta World Peace.

If this is the case, the and players support each others styles rather than demanding they change them, then they are better off for it.

For example.  If Kobe wants to post 1 on 1 versus Shane Battier the players are in agreement that match-up favors Kobe.  Exploit it until help comes.  If Kobe is still hot, you may be able to ride him for a whole quarter.  If the shot seems forced, or impossible to you, it's still OK because the principal belief you have in him 1 on 1 with Battier.

Last night, there was no hint of dissension within that team.  No one arguing about shots or minutes.  The Lakers absolutely played together, and won because of both the collection of talent and the support and confidence that they bring out in each other. 

The eyeball test is not used in basketball analytics very often.  But don't be surprised if this Laker squad begins to heat up.  The value of belief in one another is a very difficult thing to quantify.  

Barack Obama Goes After the Biggest Demographic. The Sports Fan Vote.

Today, on ESPN.com you can watch Bill Simmons, who is a pop culture and sports writer interview the most powerful man on the planet.  About the Chicago Bulls.  About the first pitch in games, and about Jeremy Lin.

Today I want to address why that happened.

The allure from ESPN's perspective is obvious.  An interview with the President is going to score ratings in one form or another.

But what is to be gained from the Presidents side?  Why open himself to obvious attacks that will be coming from his opponents saying that he concentrates too much on basketball and sports to be a fit president?  The same argument was made not long ago in a similar fashion with George Bush and Baseball.

But I think those gripes are minor compared to the possible gain Obama could gain if he is successful at garnering an audience and vote rarely appealed to.  The sports fan.  Or maybe the obsessive sport fan.  Sometimes these days it's hard to tell the difference.

The business of athletics is enormous.  Physical Trainers, Stadium Designers, Doctors, Electronics, Sports Apparel, Television, Radio, Newspapers, Bars, T-Shirts (to some degree cotton and leather,) lawyers, accountants, politicians, gambling and Casinos.

Indeed it may be that sports and athletics are our biggest export.  The championships are elaborate spectacles on many different levels.  And at the highest level they're even more so; The Super Bowl, World Cup, and the Olympics are the biggest events in the world right now.  Everyone watches.

Sports matter in this world, possibly more than ever.  And even if you could care less about the sports themselves, to not acknowledge their impact on society is absolutely foolish.

So while Obama never really references politics specifically he does touch on why he likes sports and why at their core so many Americans do too.

"The mythology of sports is deeply embedded in us"

"People, for all our differences politically, regionally, economically.  Most people understand sports.  Partly because it's one of the few places where there is a true Ameritocracy.  Ultimately there's not a lot of B.S.  Who's winning who's losing?  Who's performing, who's not?  It's all laid out there."

Boom, knocked it out of the park. 

The best part, about this interview is the brilliance of keeping the topic sports.  Because most sports fans hate politics.

If you were to try to poll sports fans in bars about who they're voting for, the most likely response is "I don't care, I'm trying to watch the game"

If Obama talked about War, the economy, anything of importance politically, the sports fan would be turned off and would be more likely to turn the channel and disliking Obama more than if he hadn't seen him at all.

So Obama keeps things in the realm of the hallowed sports of baseball, golf, basketball and football.  If he appears knowledgeable or likable in these exchanges he endears himself to the sports fan.  And even if this is not a presiding factor on how you may vote, the fact that you may even slightly like him more because of his love of athletics is worth the political risks mentioned earlier.

The humanizing of a president is important.  People want to feel like they have something in common with their leaders.  If sports is that common denominator, it would seem to put him in a far better position than if he wasn't.

I believe that is what Obama attempts to do here.

He talks about how he never cheats in Golf, that he's honorable and does not allow for any 'gimme' putts.

In short he seems to be selling us that he is a dedicated honest sports fan.  That appreciates competition in earnest and welcomes it.

I will be voting, and sports will not be a deciding factor, but I don't doubt that subliminally that this interview will have some affect in one way or another.



P.S.

By the way, I'm also betting that if you HATE Obama, then you probably hated the interview.  People that hate a certain person will hate anything that person does and will find some warped reason to say it was the wrong thing to do.

If you LOVE Obama then I'm sure you loved this interview.  Obama probably does little to nothing wrong in your eyes if your one of his biggest fans.

Odds and Broken Ends. A Hair Cut Story.

It all began with the drive to be honest.  What should have been a simple drive downtown turned into an experience all its own.

During the Saturday of this past THON weekend at Penn State at approximately 1 pm, I decided it was time to get my hair cut.

As I'm two minutes into the drive an almost overwhelming sense of dread happens.  As the gray clouds hover and the rain drizzles, I am sure that the something today is going to go horribly wrong.  It seemed as obvious as the weather.  Not due to the weather mind you, but I just had this...feeling that something tragic, something incredibly and irrevocably bad was going to happen.

But then the feeling passed and my reason prevailed saying that today would most likely be like any other Saturday.  I would go get my haircut.  I would go to work.  Jeremy Lin would have ten headlines on ESPN.  It would be no different if I had the feeling or not.

Not being a superstitious nor religious person, I found this feeling bizarre.  I had never had a feeling like it before.  It was liked someone dropped the floor from underneath and there is just a sinking or tugging feeling.

And apparently for no reason.

Was it God?  The Devil?  My 'Sixth Sense' awakening?  Just some kind of random chaotic glitch in my mind?  Or just an unexplainable feeling I'm better off not wasting much more time on and better off concentrating on the road?

I went with the last one.

I was now thinking about my haircut and whether or not I should bring up my feeling of dread with whomever was going to be my barber/stylist/hair-cutting person.  I wondered if they would think the way I thought about a feeling like that or just found me nuts.  I thought they might label me as insane, but hey at least they get to talk for a bit and get their minds off their job.  

Conversing with the person cutting your hair seems to produce better results in my opinion.  And even if that's not the case, it at least makes me FEEL like the results are better, producing a sense of confidence that probably shows off more than the haircut in the first place.



There's a lot of traffic.  While I feel that I should be almost to my destination, I am only about half way there.  This would not be a simple in and out hair cut.  It seemed like there was too many people were in town for their business not to get a great influx of people.

But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that this would not be the case.  And after I finally found a parking spot roughly a block away and walked through the door, my thoughts were pretty much confirmed.

While people might be "due" for a haircut on these kinds of days (Home Football games, THON, Arts Fest, any kind of 'reunion' type event really) rarely will the time be spent to do it on the event day or days.  The reasoning, as best I would guess is that the people would rather spend the time with the people that are coming (or that they're visiting) in a meaningful social fashion and not waste time on their personal aesthetics. 

As I arrive, there is a younger couple, in line signing in for a hair cut.  Together.

Now perhaps it's just me, but I find it a bit unusual to go to the same place and get your hair cut at the same time as your partner.  It seems that it would be rare enough that they both would NEED a haircut at the same time, much less talk to each other and agree, to go to the same place.

"Oh hey hun, your hair is getting a bit shaggy"

"Yeah and you keep saying how you want to go with that new style you saw from that girl from the Jersey Shore"

"Yeah, wanna go together?"

"Oh yeah, lets do that!  It'll be fun"

This conversation does not exist.  But if it did, I'm sure it would involve people who wanted to be like the Jersey Shore characters.

And getting your hair cut is not an impromptu decision either.  People typically don't go walking downtown looking for a bite to eat or a coffee and then suddenly say, "Ooh a 'SuperCuts', my lettuce does need a little bit of trimming"

So I decided to ask the girl cutting my hair if this phenomenon happens.  Do couples really go out and get hair cuts together?  While she said that it's not frequent, it DOES happen.  That it's typically a husband and wife and in general they don't think too much of it.  However when I posed the question to her whether she and her boyfriend would ever go at the same time, her reply is more along the lines of what I'd expect. 

"No, I just think it's a personal thing, besides if he gets his haircut while I'm there I can be pretty judgmental right off the bat and it might bring him down"

This brings me to my ultimate conclusion.  Why do we get hair cuts at all?  And while some may say its so that we look professional, or look good to the opposite sex both of which are legitimate reasons, in the end I believe we get them for ourselves.  That we get our haircuts so that WE feel good and have sense of confidence.  Going with someone else and worrying if the other person likes it would deter how the person getting their hair cut would feel independently and reduces confidence in themselves. 

Whether or not my own haircut ended up being good or bad, is probably not for me to say.  I did however leave feeling confident, I felt good, and while the memory of the feeling of dread had not eroded I did believe that the rest of the day was headed for good things. 

THON And The Fight Against Cancer

This is not a topic I particularly enjoy talking about, but it's too important a subject not to.  Because while the topic is in reference to Penn State and THON, the real topic is cancer.

Today, is now two day after the STUDENTS at Penn State raised a record 10.6 million dollars.  

Not for a football team. 

Not for a job.

Not for self-serving

But for those less fortunate than themselves, and to help communities and families make it through the horrors of pediatric cancer.  

Or more simply...'For The Kids'

The news trucks were not there.  CNN, FoxNEWS, ABC news, NBC news, CBS all absent.  So perhaps the world doesn't know about this side of Penn State and Penn Staters everywhere.  

Seeing as how the community appears to be under fire for being secretive, alcoholic, football nuts I want to remind people; I want to make it clear, that THON and the act of bringing awareness, kindness and support to a group that needs help is as much a part of Penn State as anything else.

It took me 27 years to be truly shocked by the disease.  But it cuts to your core when you hear aloud that diagnosis.  A great friend and peer of mine, has recently been informed that he had developed cancerous cells in his leg.   It happened to a great guy, one whom I respect and admire for both his work ethic and sense of humility.

It happened to someone that it seemed like it should never happen to.

To do my part, to support in my own way since I have little in the way of money at the moment, I thought I'd write a blog post.  I'd let people know of other stories, and of how they're lives are affected.  Perhaps that will inspire some one who can afford to donate to charity to do so.

The following is an article I wrote for for a friend to put in a newspaper to help raise awareness and funds for her Relay For Life team.

Hopefully, with a tireless effort by all of us, we can find a way to beat ALL types of cancer.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 Year Old Makes Difference in Relay For Life Community 

While Relay For Life is a National  event, it is in the smaller communities that the real differences are made.  And within the small communities it is the individual stories that bring people together the most.

              Amri Shepherd is not too different than your average 10 year old girl.  She enjoys cheerleading and the Nickelodeon show iCarly.  She also has another passion right now.  Amri makes bracelets in an effort to help raise money for her Relay For Life team.  Each day after school Amri will take the time to make as many bracelets as she can, typically taking 10-15 minutes for each one with the assistance of her mother, Amanda Shepherd.

              

  “Oh She loves it” says Amanda Shepherd, a sentiment backed up by a slightly giggly Amri.

          

      “She works on them basically whenever she has free time, often right after she gets home from school”

               While she does it in part because as Amri herself says “It’s a good cause”, part of the reason also has to do with fact that the Shepherd family has been touched by cancer themselves.  Her cousin Duncan Mitchelltree was diagnosed with a Wilm’s Tumor roughly 2 years ago.  He has undergone radiation and chemotherapy and is now cancer free.  Amri’s father Tim was diagnosed with a form of kidney cancer, and has had surgery to have the kidney and tumor removed and is doing well.

                Undeterred by her own personal hardships, Amri is upbeat and hopeful that she can make a difference.  Thanks to social media outlets such as Facebook, her Relay For Life team has helped raise over 40,000 dollars, and her bracelets are a hot seller with more than 50 orders already and more pouring in regularly.

The support is not uncommon in Relay For Life circles. 

         “We’re a tightknit group.  If anyone is having trouble we rally around them.” says Amanda Shepherd.  “I now live in Palmer County, but my heart will always be in Phillipsburg, and for the Relay For Life community.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If anyone would like to buy a bracelet you can contact Amri through her mother Amanda Shepherd   

Her home number is 610-559-759

The cost is $10.00

They are wire bracelets with glass beads one size fits all. 

Proceeds benefit American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Phillipsburg being held May 19-20, 2012 at the Phillipsburg High School.  

Lyrics vs. Poetry

I view poems as essentially the lyrics to a song. 

The song may be written with music backing it or but it may also be the music has yet to be played. 

Poetry is really just words being strung together eloquently enough that they stir an emotional response in a desired audience. 

Therefore, I doubt there can be a Universal poetry, because I doubt there is something that can speak to everyone equally.

But try thinking about a song with words.  Any song at all.  From Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star to 'Sweet Child of Mine' by Guns 'N' Roses, 'The Race' by Whiz Khalifa to 'Stronger' by Kelly Clarkson.  Within their own fans, regardless if you yourself are a fan or not, they certainly appear to speak to their audience and galvanize an emotional experience, whether that emotion be sorrow, hate, love, happiness, and anything in between. 

Watch a concert by the Rolling Stones or Dave Matthews or Florence+The Machine.  Watch the reactions within the crowd.  

Watch Lil Wayne, or Jay-Z or Kanye, or Wale.  And then watch the crowd.

Watch Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or the Foo Fighters.  It's the same with them too.

You'll watch a crowd sing along, but not sing along just because they know the words....But because they feel them too.

Perhaps it takes the music, the heavy banging of drums, raging electric guitars, or beats of whatever musical device you like to give the words more of a form, be it masculine or feminine. 

But the words are what really carry the weight.  It's the words that really 'speak to us'.

Michael Jackson in 'Man in The Mirror'

Tupac Shakur in 'Changes'

Green Day 'Jesus Of Suburbia'

The list could go on forever.

Now I grant you, in all of these cases it probably takes the musical backing as well to help show the words.  But in the end it will be the words that we find most memorable.

Poetry can be sexual

Poetry can be romantic

This is possibly the most common view of poetry, since we've all heard of the story of some dude trying to send poems to some chick and then either a) The girl finding this sweet, or b) Corny as shit

But poetry can also be political

Confrontational

Angry

Symbolic

Intelligent

And in this way poetry is more diverse and dynamic than many other mediums.  For your only limitations are your own language.

There are other ways to think of poetry, I don't think this is the only way, but this is the way that I predominantly view that art form.

P.S.
Speaking of song lyrics that may qualify as Poetry.  Try out 'These Days' by the Foo Fighters.  You can download the video for free today (2/6) on Itunes.

Paterno

I'm sure a lot of people are having trouble coming up with how they feel about Joe Paterno right now.  A man who dedicated his whole life to molding young men into upstanding citizens that do the right thing...tragically seemed to fail at the end in doing so himself.

Reconciling those facts is not easy.

Unless you remind yourself that Paterno was a man and not a legend, not a storybook figure, not a myth.

He was a human being, and he was fallible.

As am I.

As are you.

When looking at Paterno, it's important to see the entire scope of his career leading up to the tragic events.

Until 1979 there was no ESPN or 24 hour sports network.  While there were certainly sports fans and journalists, it was not the booming industry we see today with the amount of celebrity sport journalists or columnists.  Professional Football was still in its infancy, ditto for basketball.  The only real sport that seemed like a glamorous game at the time would have been baseball.  Essentially spectator sports were at such infancy that it seemed somewhat far-fetched to believe that it would become anything close to what it is today.

At Universities across the country students came to school to get an education and with any luck get a private sector job.  It was NOT to get a chance at becoming a professional football player.  While Universities certainly encouraged the events and benefited, I very much doubt that they made it nearly the priority that is today.

 
Colleges now rake in millions of dollars from their programs and help provide for the all the other sports.  Alumni that become the middle and upper class pay for season tickets, parking spaces, and become donors to the University that allow it to flourish, and in return, they almost expect a great football team to watch and come back to.  (Perhaps unjustly, the school is what helped mold you, and while you may have had a great time watching football, or may have enjoyed walking into players in class or parties or however you interacted with the team and coach, it made up a small portion of where you actually spent your time)

That contrast is enormous.

And that is what makes Paterno different from EVERYONE.


I believe that Joe Paterno did not change with time.


He constantly preached about academics coming first.  Not second.  It wasn't because it was the politically correct thing to do, because in the 1960's and 70's there was no such thing as politically correct.  He did this because it was what he believed in.  He did it because he felt that was right.

It then came to be what every Penn Stater believed in. Penn State would be the school that didn't have 'dumb' jocks.  We would be the school that had players that could both challenge themselves with the rigors of the classroom as well as the physical drain of athletics.  Penn State seemed to stand for valuing education OVER athletics despite the fact we are EXCELLENT in athletics.

We can be the best of both worlds.

This perfection was most likely never fully achieved; it is an extremely difficult thing to ask of our youth.

But Paterno asked for it none the less.  

And that is what helped build State College, Penn State and the millions of alumni all over this country.

He wanted to mold men to be the very best they could be.  That they would never give up, that they would push themselves to become better.  And to do it, not because they needed to beat another team, but because it would make them better people, and set a high standard for others to shoot for.

I believe that was really the only thing he wanted to do. 

He didn't do it for the money or celebrity.  He lived simply and modestly for a head coach that influences one of the most popular teams in America.  His players would for the most part go on to lead great lives outside of football if they did not find a life in it.  

He did this year after year without getting caught up in the business of football.  He kept things simple.  Simple uniform, back shoes, simple helmet. Penn State was the complete opposite of Oregon, even though they both have Nike contracts. 


As insular as Coach Paterno may have wanted to be, he could not help the rise of Football as a major economic force.  Forcing his position of Head Football coach to the same degree of a CEO of a corporation.  The economic importance this society puts on a Coach at a University such as Texas, USC, Stanford, Ohio State or a Michigan, is incredible, with salaries typically between $750,000 and $5,000,000.  This makes your schools head coach probably one of the most important people principled on salary alone, just like a CEO or owner in private sector jobs.
 
Another problem was that Football and the University began to grow, and grow rapidly because of the success of the football program.  The rise in television deals, advertising rights, soda contracts, clothing contracts, heck probably a gym equipment contract, they are all brought because of the rise of football and to an extent ALL of spectator sports.

The money around Paterno piled up, as did the expectations.  Expectations to win.  Expectations to keep the program at it's current status and not plummet.  So that a University could reap the benefits of contract deals with brands such as Nike and Pepsi.

But Paterno continued to just keep his message, keep his routine.  Academics would continue to be first.  He would not bow to the pressures of maintaining these contracts at the expense of the schools or his own integrity.

As the team remained successful Paterno would be showered with more praise from alumni, and Penn State would be rewarded with more donations and the University continued to grow while Paterno remained vigilant that he was only a football coach that would try to do the best he could for the community.

He did not want to be the star that everyone else wanted him to be.

He often deflected compliments to his players, rarely taking credit for wins.  Taking the blame for losses.

And THIS is the Paterno everyone in State College and everyone that has ever met him are familiar with.

And it is because of that image that I have a tough time accepting theories that Joe acted in defense of anything such as sexual abuse.  That he was complicit, or didn't care.  I will need more evidence and testimony before I can jump on that ship.

But that is not the picture the media had painted.


The image that the media attempted to illustrate after the Grand Jury report of the alleged crimes of Jerry Sandusky flies in complete contrast to the one that I had become accustomed to.

This, as I understand it is the crux of the media's vilification of Paterno.


He had 'Certain' knowledge of sexual misconduct, and only told his superiors.  

I contest this.

Mike McQueary's testimony as the only eye witness is paramount.  Read it carefully.

I contend that Paterno was not 'Certain' of the crime.  At least not in all aspects.



Important excerpts of Testimony here 

In his testimony, McQueary tells Paterno something is wrong, it is extremely sexual in nature, but by his own admission he used rough details out of respect for Paterno's sense of decency.

Paterno, follows up with Curly and Shultz, his superiors.  Paterno did not bear witness to these acts NOR is it alleged in any way by the persecution that he knew about the acts going on prior or after. 

 McQueary is told by Curly that the matter has been handled and that Sandusky had been told to stay away.

McQueary then testifies that he saw Sandusky persisting to be around the football facilities, despite his testimony to both Paterno and Curly.

Now it is up to us to try and fill in the blanks as best we can and judge the story on it's merits.


What happened from there could be a multitude of things but given the current evidence I do not believe you can come to a conclusion about Paterno

In the future there will be more talks, more evidence either clearing those accused, or damning them.  But as of now, this is all the evidence the public has.

We can speculate how much Paterno knew, but at this time we cannot assume anything. It is impractical and wrong to assume we know Paterno's motives, and given his incredible record (as a philanthropist and citizen, NOT as a coach) it would seem unlikely that he acted with any lack of moral character, but more likely was not understanding of what McQueary had told him.    Perhaps he has interest in protecting his program or job, maybe in some crazy conspiracy theory he was complicit with Sandusky.... but if so why did he bother reporting to both Shultz and Curly at all?  And why give a Grand Jury a sworn testimony that he did just that?

At any rate, Paterno did take this information to men he trusted would do the right thing with it when he told them.  After all...in his own mind, he's just a football coach.  He is not the Penn State Police.  He is not the Athletic Director, not the President, not a CEO, not an owner.  He is the coach.

Let's make this scenario again, but this time, lets not use the figures in the news. Lets leave out the scale of the university, the celebrity of the coach and just look at the situation as humanly as possible and not get caught up in who and where this happened.


 A man walks into his place of work, after hours when everyone is most likely at home.  His work place happens to have a shower and locker room that he passes.  He witnesses, what he believes to be extreme, perverse, predatory acts by a man, one who many know in the community and is also thought well of at this time within the community.  He is the only witness.  But he is sure of what he saw.

He tells his boss.  His boss is an old man, with old sensibilities and he tells them a rough outline of what he saw.  He in essence loses some of the detail in affect to not upset the elderly gentleman's sense of decency.

The man tells his superiors, clearly concerned.  He is then told roughly five days later by his superiors that the matter had been looked into and taken care of.  Those above the boss also tell the original eye witness that the matter had been looked into and taken care of.

Now if both the original witness, and the first contact (the boss) report to their superiors that it's a police matter and it needs to be looked into...AND THEN THE SUPERIORS SAY THAT THEY DID THAT AND NOTHING MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE...what happens then?

What do you do if your the old boss?

The witness?

I contend that they would not know instinctively what to do from that point on.  If that old man, who did not bear witness brought the situation to his superiors and they told him that it was nothing, I believe that man would be more likely to believe his superiors.

I understand the media firestorm.  It was too juicy not to write it.  One of the most well respected Universities in America with an almost unblemished record of excellence...torn down by the biggest sex abuse scandal the country had ever seen.  It oozes sales.  Advertising.  Exclusive interviews.  They have a hit.  Sure fire.

If it unfolds the way they THINK it will.

What happens if it doesn't?

What happens if it unfolded the way I suggested?  It's an extremely plausible situation.  One where Paterno should never had to even fear for his job.  One where an innocent man, was fired over a phone after 50 years of service.  Was then quickly diagnosed with lung cancer.  And passes away before he can see his name cleared?

I understand how the media is trained to be watchdogs of large institutions and government.

I understand that they have a job and sometimes they have to work around only the pieces of information that they have available.

But they failed in reporting the facts.  They failed by reporting things before they took the time to understand them. 

They failed to give a context to the situation instead getting caught up with the hysteria of the graphic nature of the charges, the scandal at a large prestigious University, and a legendary celebrity whose main claim to fame was his "Success with honor" credo. 

But they wouldn't be alone.  Because the public did too.  And through it all, we were all too slow to figure out our mistakes. 

For we don't live in a world of patience.

We don't live in a world where we think about our actions or what is or is not possible.

We live on the edge of ignorance, believing that we all know best immediately after a story breaks.

We live like we can never be wrong.


But we can.

We're human.