The List :: RUTS fights back

It's become evidently clear that ESPN--in its ever-growing sensationalism--is going on a witch hunt against Penn State's "legal issues" to generate ratings, knowing Penn State brings out the masses. There's been the infamous List of all the charges filed against Penn State players in recent years; 61, I think it is. Well, RUTS decided today to rev up the fact checking, and has come up with some great stuff.

I don't want to rip off RUTS completely, but here's some of his closing comments on The List:

"Some of these things aren’t even things, such as Paterno’s “road rage”, Phil Taylor and Chris Bell being temporarily banished for academics, whatever happened with Damone Jones, the prank phone calls, and the drug rumors about Ed Johnson and Austin Scott. Those are nine items on the list that don’t belong on any list entitled “Penn State Players Arrested Since 2002″, by any standard. Also, Dan Drogan’s DUI happened over ten years ago, over five years before this supposed reign of terror began... We have a number of incidents in which criminal charges were either never filed (the Ice Pavilion fight, Ed Johnson’s expulsion), dropped before trial (Rashard Casey, Austin Scott’s rape case, the King / Sales / Hayes / Sargeant quartet in the apartment fight), or in which the defendants were flatly acquitted at trial (Phillips, Cosby, Luke, Paxson’s indecent assault)... All in all, the Penn State Nittany Lions don’t have a widespread, 1988 Miami Hurricanes style criminal gang disguised in plain football uniforms. They have a drinking and fighting problem. Players aren’t shooting guns or selling drugs. They’re getting loaded and brawling. While I take modest comfort in the fact that the football roster doesn’t double as a suspect list from The Wire, there is still a rather obvious behavioral problem within the program."

Check out RUTS's analysis of The List He put a lot of work into this, and should get his due for it.

More below the fold...

Article of the day - Adventures in jackassery

I generally try to feature an article each day from another site. Usually they're from Penn State or Big Ten blogs, sometimes from other sites. Please check out the author's Web site. I always supply the link in the introduction.

If you said you didn't believe Penn State was a lock for 10 wins in 2007, you're a liar. At least RUTS is a man about it, and lays it out there for all to see. It's an interesting look back to pre-season 2007. Enjoy.

Adventures in jackassery

I actually wrote this after two weeks of the 2007 season while trying to talk myself into the idea of Big Things for our Lions:

“Ohio State is a good defensive team with a bad offense. They’ll have a hell of a time trying to score points during a late night game in Beaver Stadium. In fact, their next game at Washington is shaping up to be one of those cross-continental trap games.”

And this:

“Michigan is already looking ahead to 2008 and their new head coach, who will likely be Les Miles or Greg Schiano.”

And this:

“Wisconsin may still be Penn State’s greatest threat in the conference.”

All in the same post! My God! I knew the RUTS 680 needed an upgrade, but damn.

The season had so many possibilities back then, though. The depth of Notre Dame’s sucking was hinted at, but not truly exposed. So that seemed like a pretty good win for Penn State. Michigan, our greatest nemesis, had just been blown out by Oregon and dropped to 0-2. Ohio State farted around with teams like Akron, or Kent, or one of those other random Ohio schools. Wisconsin was shaky, and nobody knew what Illinois was capable of yet (I mean, those douchebags lost to Missouri! For shame!).

We had potential. At one point, Ohio State flipped the switch. So did Michigan and Illinois. Whatever their respective problems, they figured it out quickly and practically ran the table. Penn State just kind of floated along, waiting for a spark that the quarterback just couldn’t provide.

More below the fold...

Article of the day

I generally try to feature an article each day from another Big Ten blog. Usually they're from Penn State blogs, sometimes from other sites. Please check out the author's Web site. I always supply the link in the introduction.

Today: RUTS analyses The Sporting News' pre-season top 25.

Never Too Early For Preseason Polls, Right?

Although the validity of these things is somewhere between 2010 mock fantasy football drafts and the Magic 8-Ball, Matt Hayes took the time to compile an early(!) 2008 college football preseason poll.

(Is it a poll if only one guy writes it? No? Okay, be put together a top 25.)

Anyway, Hayes slots Penn State at #11, along with this delicious one-liner: “11. Penn State: Eighteen starters return and QB Anthony Morelli doesn’t. A nice combination.”

You’ll see a lot of this over the next six months. A writer will be forced by his editor to make a preseason top 25, he’ll look at Penn State’s returning starters, and say, “Well, crap! They must be good this season!” Since I can’t allow any optimism around here, let me remind everyone of Penn State’s rather beefy road schedule:

September 27 Illinois
October 4 at Purdue
October 11 at Wisconsin
October 18 Michigan
October 25 at Ohio State
November 8 at Iowa

If Penn State is remotely within striking range of the top ten by the end of the season, it will have been a tremendously successful season.

The other Big Ten teams in Hayes’ top 25, you ask?

7. Ohio State: If the Buckeyes go to USC in Week 3 and win on the road, they’re not that far away from winning the Big Ten and getting to the national title game again.

14. Wisconsin: QB Allen Evridge steps in, Wisky rolls to another 9- or 10-win season.

19. Illinois: The loss of TB Rashard Mendenhall will be big, but coach Ron Zook’s top recruiting classes are quickly developing.

24. Michigan State: Sparty coach Mark Dantonio is changing the culture; tough defense and gritty TB Javon Ringer good for eight wins.

As you can see, we’re also setting up for another edition of “If we can’t beat Michigan this year, it’s never gonna happen”. Which is fun.

More below the fold...

Article of the day

Short and sweet is the name of the game today, after I wasted nearly three hours of my life last night, hoping Ohio State would pull themselves together and play like they should have. I wake up at five every day, and going to sleep at midnight isn't fun. Thanks a lot Buckeyes.

Today's article is brief but really funny, from Run Up The Score!

It’s 7:54 a.m. and James Laurinaitis just missed another tackle. Or was driven off the play 10 yards. Or jumped on another pile and got credit for a solo tackle.

Your choice, really.

Check out the RUTS link above to see the picture posted with the article. It took me a second (hey, I'm really tired), but once I got it, I loved it!

More below the fold...

Article of the Day

This one was brought to my attention via Run Up The Score! This is a classic case of overreaction, and quite funny, too:

Nude Couple Grapple Over Dog Near Shower

BREMERTON, Wash. - A 25-year-old woman was arrested for investigation of second-degree assault for getting into an argument with her boyfriend over whether his dog should be in the bathroom while the couple were taking a shower together.

A police report said the man, 26, wanted his dog to join them in the bathroom, but the woman objected on Thursday night.

The woman told her boyfriend that if the dog doesn't stay out, she didn't want to be his girlfriend anymore. He replied that maybe his next girlfriend would appreciate the dog more, and called her a name.

The police report said the woman punched him in the face several times and the man dislocated his shoulder after the naked couple grappled. He told police his girlfriend threw a picture frame, which broke and cut him.

The woman was taken to the Kitsap County Jail in Port Orchard. Bail has been set at $50,000.

More below the fold...