Rivalry in the Making

A lot of phone traffic on Tuesday's show on the topic of a rival for Penn St. Barring a permanent return of Pitt to the schedule, the annual clash with Ohio St. seems to stand the best chance for a rivalry developing. Truisms about rivalries that seem to be in place: geographic proximity, evenly-matched programs (11-11 in the all-time series), hard-fought games, on the schedule every year.

There are a couple of things this budding rivalry needs: more time and a name/trophy.

For a name, how about The Keybuck Classic? The trophy should be a nod to the legendary coaches of the programs, Paterno and Hayes. I've got it. It HAS to be a bronzed pair of horn-rimmed glasses.

Some observations on a relatively light night of sports (Tuesday):

Marc-Andre Fleury stones Jagr and Rangers in a 1-0 Pens' win. The too-much-maligned goalie has been really good the last two games for two reasons: his teammates have been taking better care of their own end and, yes, he's given up fewer rebounds.

Is anybody going to pick the Rockies? Certainly no national sports media figures. It's all Red Sox all the time (with the occasional Joe Torre successor story mixed in, just in case we forgot about the Yankees in the last 15 seconds). I've been wrrrrr...most of the post-season, so I won't even bother with a prediction.

Guilty pleasure: Kathy Griffin. She doesn't care what anybody else thinks, she just says it. Something refreshing about that in today's politically-correct age.

The Real Housewives of Orange County: This show is Exhibit 'A' of how messed-up our societal values have become. And, yes, I know there are shows that are Exhibits B-Z out there...this is the one I happened to land on with the clicker on Tuesday.

Cheerier thought: I get to take my kids out trick-or-treating on Thursday. Can't wait to see their faces.

Bouncing Around the Dial

Among the channels stopped on for more than a few seconds Monday night:

Fox: Indians down Red Sox, 4-2, to go up two games-to-one in ALCS. When will the "experts" learn not to write off a team simply because of the pitching matchup isn't in their favor. Jake Westbrook might not be Sabathia or Carmona, but he actually pitched better than both of his teammates...not to mention the apparently overpriced Japanese import "Dice-K". Kenny Lofton continues to amaze.

Fox News: Bill O'Reilly ripping the N.Y. Times for a liberal slant to war reporting...nothing new to see here...but he's right.

ESPN: Plaxico Burress works through bump coverage, beats his man for a 57-yard TD catch. The big play makes it official: my fantasy team (The Altar Egos) drops to 2-4 on the season with a come-from-ahead loss.

(Back to) Fox News: O'Reilly bemoaning Christians taking a beating in our country from non-Christians, atheists, agnostics, etc. You know where I am on this as a Catholic who works for the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. O'Reilly makes an interesting point when asking: How come there's no outcry when Christians are mocked/targeted in the public square or the mainstream media? The outcry would be loud and clear if another faith's principals were scorned publicly.

History Channel: Tail end of a program on the "afterlife". Gets me to thinking: For those who don't believe in eternal life, how hopeless/pointless this finite time on earth must seem.

TBS: Rockies explode for six-run, fourth inning off D-Backs' Micah Owings. Should-be MVP Matt Holliday caps the two-out hit parade with a three-run blast to center. Colorado-Cleveland World Series anyone? Get out the parkas.

Blown Out of Proportion or Not?

I must admit, I'm having a hard time with how to fairly cover the off-the-field incidents related to the Penn State football team. While part of me agrees with Coach Paterno's comment: "(Media) creates the public perception...", it's hard for anyone not to notice the volume of incidents in the last six months.

1) April fight--six players charged (others at the scene)
2) August--two players cited for underage drinking
3) Last weekend--two more players cited for underage drinking
4) Also last weekend--"some" players reportedly involved in HUB melee

That's more than ten players (about 10 percent of the roster) involved in unlawful activity. That's more than just a "media" creation.

Boiled down, it's two fights and four college kids under 21 drinking alcohol--commonplace at colleges and universities. I'm not condoning it, but just pointing out what we're really dealing with here.

However, Penn State athletics have always held themselves to a higher standard. That's what truly sets them apart from other schools. Penn State is also located in the middle of a highly conservative area. Those two things combined make the number of arrests/citations from one program newsworthy.

I think there is some credence to a more pervasive media (some of it irresponsible) leading to more information on such incidents. As little as ten years ago, most (if not all) of these things may not have reached the newspapers, television, and radio. However, the sheer number of off-the-field transgressions is alarming because it signals larger issues. At best, it indicates very poor judgment from the players--especially those who have seen other teammates involved in previous incidents, yet still run afoul. At worst, it demonstrates a lack of control by or lack of respect for those in charge of the program.

So, while I think some outlets are blowing this out of proportion, the problems are not simply a media creation.

Killing the Evergreens of Sports Talk Radio

Fans shouldn't be allowed to vote for the All-Star Game.

Baseball needs instant replay.

There should be a playoff in major college football.

These bubble teams (or the All-Star snubs) got screwed.

Pitchers and DHs shouldn't be voted MVP.

Game times need to be adjusted so people (media) in the Eastern Time Zone can see everything before they go to bed...people on the West Coast can deal.

Baseball needs a salary cap.

There are too many teams in the NHL/NBA playoffs.

The season (in whatever league) is too long.

The NFL Pre-Season is too long.

Traditional college powers shouldn't be allowed to schedule all these "cupcakes".

Blah, blah, blah. These are things you'll not (or hardly ever) hear from me on "Front & Center". They are known as "evergreens"...fallback topics on days where there's little else to talk about. So why not pound the topic into the ground for a day or two until people want to turn the knob?!!! It's so tiring to listen to and so lazy of hosts/producers at the same time.

What else do all of the evergreens have in common? They are all complaints. All the things that are wrong about sports in people's opinions. Forgive me, but don't we follow sports because we enjoy them? Why do we spend so much time wanting to fix them? Sports are meant as a recreation, pastime, diversion, escape, etc. Yet, we seem hellbent on spoiling the experience.

Here's a plan: sit back, enjoy the game, accept the outcome (like it or not), then repeat the next day.

Look, I'm not saying we shouldn't talk about the games, the players, the coaches, the big plays, and so forth. Analyzing/debating what we've seen; offering our opinions; rating who's the best/worst; playing the "what if" game;--all of these things are fun and make for interesting talk. But, please, let's not fall into the same, tired, evergreen topics. We're better than that.

Predictions for the next few days

Jim Tracy will be "relieved of his duties" by Wednesday or Thursday. New manager short list: Joel Skinner, Brian Graham, Torey Lovullo (all have Indians' background).

Someone in the Penn State Athletic Dept. or in the football program (or both) will get an earful from JoePa about not informing him of the Michigan situation before he faced questions on it at Tuesday's press conference. Why do I hear the Led Zeppelin classic "Communication Breakdown" in my head?

Darryl Clark AND Evan Royster will see the field for extended periods vs. Iowa.

The Phillies will outhit the Rockies to win their ALDS series...but it will go a full five games.

The Indians will eliminate the Yankees. The Tribe have the two best starting pitchers in this series with C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. Those hurlers, some timely hitting, and home field advantage will be key.

Seattle will face an angry bunch in Black and Gold on Sunday. Stillers by two touchdowns.

We say Purdue...Ohio State says Purdon't on Saturday.

The Big Ten will NOT make Michigan forfeit its victory over Penn State. That punishment simply wouldn't fit the crime.