One month until football season (and other thoughts)

It has been a long time since I last wrote in here as I have, for the most part, taken a break from Michigan State sports and college sports in general.  That's not to say I have been living in a cave and have not taken note of the Penn State situation or the Big Ten meetings in Chicago, but I have been spending most of my time enjoying the summer, watching in my son's Pony League baseball team in June (and working with him on his baseball skills), watching (and being frustrated by) the Detroit Tigers, recovering from an unexpected hernia repair surgery in July, and occasionally tuning into the Olympic Games.

So let's play a little catch-up: The NCAA handed down sanctions against Penn State, and by-and-large I agree with them.  What surprised me was the ruling that Penn State vacate all football wins between 1998 and 2011, thereby stripping Paterno of the all-time record in victories. My immediate reaction was that the NCAA was piling on.  But at the same time, I can understand the argument that the cover-up of Sandusky's evil during this period gave Penn State a competitive advantage that it most definitely would NOT have had if the world knew what Sandusky was doing.  What happened at Penn State was "lack of institutional control" at its most egregious, so it's hard to argue that they were hit too heavily by the NCAA.

Michigan is getting a lot of love from the media (like that's something new?).  They are the consensus media pick to win the Big Ten football title this year. Michigan should be good this year, but Big Ten champions? I'm definitely not convinced.  Then again, I'm hardly an unbiased observer.

This morning, Jack Ebling was on Staudt on Sports.  Unfortunately, I did not catch the entire interview because I had was in a doctor's appointment (follow-up checkup to make sure I recovered from my surgery, in case anyone is interested).  I was surprised to hear Ebling on Staudt's show, because I thought that Ebling and Staudt (two of the kingpins and elder statesmen in Lansing-area sports) did not get along.  This notion was based on something Ebling said on the radio a few years ago when he called out a certain local sports commentator, but not by name. At the time, it was obvious to me that his anonymous sports commentator was Tim Staudt.  If Ebling and Staudt had differences in the past, it must be water under the bridge now because both guys seemed to enjoy the interview, and Ebling had some interesting things to say about his career as a journalist, the upcoming Big Ten season (he goes against the grain and picks Purdue to win the Leaders Division), and his soon-to-be released book about MSU football, Heart of a Spartan.  The book is a must-buy, as it sounds outstanding.

As we approach the start of college football, I will try to post more in this blog.  I meant to post more this summer, but obviously that didn't happen. I think I was more burned out than I realized and really needed a few months to recuperate, since it's such hard work being a couch potato sports fan.

Yet another opinion regarding Joe Paterno and Penn State

By this time, everyone in the world has weighed in with an opinion, take, or commentary on the incredibly ugly situation at Penn State.  Here's one more...

I always feared that the longer Joe Paterno remained head coach at Penn State, the greater the likelihood his tenure would end on a bad note.  I knew that it couldn't possibly be anything as awful or embarrassing as Woody Hayes punching an opposing player, but it seemed more likely and certainly possible that the Nittany Lions would have a string of losing seasons, and Penn State would be placed in the uncomfortable position of asking for the old man's resignation.

But never in a million years would I have guessed that Joe Paterno's 45-year head coaching career (61 years counting his time as an assistant) at Penn State would end in such sadness and disgrace.  Never would have I guessed that a football program that, from all outward appearances, represented all that was right and good about college athletics would be brought down by a scandal so sordid and reprehensible.

When Penn State went undefeated in 1994, in the school's second year in the Big Ten, I became interested in and fascinated by Joe Paterno.  I read his autobiography Paterno: By the Book and another book that was an insider's view of the PSU football program called For the Glory.  I came away impressed with Paterno's integrity, and to this day--despite all that has happened recently--still think that overall Paterno is a good man.  Am I wrong to think this?  Have I been duped all along?  It seems possible that as this story continues to unfold, my opinion of Paterno, his staff, and the entire Penn State program may change for the worse.

Of course, the real bad guy in all of this is Jerry Sandusky.  What he did to those boys, if he is proven to be guilty, is nothing short of despicable.

But what was Joe Paterno's role in all of this?  (I suppose all will be revealed in the coming months).  Did Paterno purposely cover up what his friend and assistant Sandusky did?  Did Paterno not fully grasp the seriousness of the sexual abuse accusations?  Was he in a state of denial?  Did he think it would just blow over?

Is it possible that Paterno, like so many others in positions of great power and influence, had achieved a level of arrogance--making him believe that his program was above all of this and it would just all go away?

So far, all I've done is ask questions that, as of right now, have no answers. 

The only thing I know for sure is that I always had the greatest respect and admiration for Joe Paterno and the Penn State football program.  Penn State football seemed to embody such great attibutes as humility, dedication, integrity, and commitment to excellence.  Now I'm not so sure what to think anymore.