For those of you who know me, which I assume is everyone since you have the link to my blog, you know I am a Penn State Alumni. It is no secret that I thoroughly enjoy going to Happy Valley every home football weekend in the Fall. Even with the occurrences of the past 10 months, I could not be more excited for the 2012 season.
First off, don't make this into a scandal blog. It is not, and will never be, a place for you to talk crap on the PSU scandal. If I ever post about that, we can go there. This one is about the football team, not what ESPN thinks Penn State is only about now.
This team has a ton of heart. They will have enough skill to compete in almost every game they play. They will win some and they will lose some, there is no doubt about that. To my friends who think this team will go undefeated, don't kid yourself. I hope you are right, but the chances of that are extremely unlikely. The fact of the matter is that depth is going to be an issue as the season gets into the late stages. By the time PSU plays the likes of Ohio State and Wisconsin, it will be more about heart and determination, because fatigue will most likely be an issue. I'm not sure if there is any other team in the country with as much heart as these guys have. I hope they do come out and win on the field. One thing is for sure already, the true Penn State fans sure are proud of them.
One thing I wish was not an issue in this case was the growing need for some revenue. Since the normal revenue for the season is gone away for this year, PSU will need the extra they can get from different places. If it were not for this, I wish they could tell ESPN they don't want them to televise their games. The same station who made a living off of reporting all that was bad about Penn State is now going to cash in on making it seem like they are completely behind this team. No matter what they say during the telecasts of these games, I won't believe them. That is for a different time and a different conversation.
Bill O'Brien looks like he truly is the real deal. I don't think they could have selected a better person for the job. He has a great opportunity ahead of him and I have a feeling he will succeed with flying colors. For many years, this was the most sought after job in the sporting world. "Who would replace JoePa?" "Those are some big shoes to fill." The stakes changed a bit, but the job is still a huge task, and I think O'Brien is the guy for the job.
On with my prediction for the 2012 season for the Nittany Lions. I will even go with a short analysis of each game.
Ohio- Even though Michigan plays Alabama, the day kicks off with this game. As my former professor said last night, "All eyes will be on State College." Frank Solich knows what it will be like in the stadium Saturday. I think Penn State plays a heartfelt game and the crowd stands behind them. Penn State wins.
@Virginia- I will be at this game, so I will talk more about it next week. Virginia is a solid team, and one that is getting better each year. I imagine in the first road game PSU will be shaky at times, but early in the season they will still have more talent than UVA. Victory for PSU.
Navy- This is an interesting game. Navy is the kind of team that runs it down your throat and you know it is coming. The question with them is how you defend the multiple different ways they throw the option at you. PSU has typically had a solid run defense, and their linebackers will be very strong this year, so Penn State wins.
Temple- This is a game that a lot of people are already talking about. Gone are the days where Temple was a pushover. If PSU were to lose this game, a lot of people would say their season is a fluke and they are done, but a lot of people wouldn't be surprised. Temple will have a solid team, one that almost beat PSU in Philly last year. At home against a team from within the state, I think Penn State wins this one.
@Illinois- The first Big Ten game for both coaches. After some controversy over Illinois sending coaches on campus to scout players during the transfer period, I think the team will have some fire in them for this one. It will be a close game that can go either way, but I will give the edge to Penn State (obviously biased).
Northwestern- Homecoming has been a rough time the past few years. The crowd turnout and the team effort turnout have been lacking recently. Northwestern has one of my favorite coaches in the sport, Pat Fitzgerald. They are well-coached and have some talent, but with this game being at home, Penn State has a slightly better chance. Every other week, I am pulling for Northwestern.
@Iowa- Penn State always struggles with Iowa. Vandenberg is a solid QB and I think he will give the Penn State secondary some trouble. At Kinnick Stadium, I think Penn State falls in a close game.
Ohio State- The big media outlets have dubbed this the Ineligi-Bowl. Neither team can go to the postseason, basically guaranteeing Wisconsin a trip to the Big Ten Championship. Braxton Miller is projected to have a great year, and the Buckeyes always have a ton of talent. Urban Meyer, as much as some don't like him, is a great motivator. Penn State doesn't have the fire power to hang in this one.
@Purdue- From what I have read, the Boilers are a very good team. They showed some promise last year and only look to improve in the 2012 campaign. This should be another close game, as I think Penn State still has the talent edge. The fatigue factor may come into play, but I think Penn State wins a close game here.
@Nebraska- The Martinez-Burkhead combination will be in full swing barring any injuries to either. Nebraska has always been a tough place to play and always has a solid defense as well. This game could come down to who gets worn out first. Nebraska wins.
Indiana- Seeing the Hoosiers come to town will be a welcoming sight after going through a tough schedule. Penn State can't sleep on Indiana though. Late in the season is when teams either click or give up. Indiana has always played Penn State tough, for whatever reason. Penn State may look ahead to the Wisconsin game, but I still think they take care of Indiana.
Wisconsin- This team is loaded. Danny O'Brien will be developed into a Big Ten QB by the last week and Montee Ball is going to be a Heisman Finalist. Unless some Beaver Stadium magic happens here, I don't see Penn State really competing after the first half against them. I hope I am wrong, but we will see.
I have Penn State there at 8-4. Some of those games could sway the other way. They could easily lose to any of those teams if they lose focus, most obviously Illinois, Purdue or Northwestern. If they can hold steady around that seven or eight win mark, they will gain a lot of respect around the country and the recruiting ship may be a bit more steady for the next few years. This could all change if the team comes out and goes belly-up come Saturday.
I know many Penn State fans would be happy with 8-4. I know I would. Maybe it is more, maybe it is less. I am no expert, that is why I am sitting and writing this on a computer from New Jersey instead of up in Bristol, CT.
Let me know what you think.
MLS
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Laziness....A Fresh Start
It has been a while since I last blogged, so hang with me while I try to get back into the swing of things. Over the past year, a ton of things have changed for me. There are things I will write about that will make you question whether I am telling the truth, things that will make you curious and things that will generally piss you off. For those that know me well, I am not one to really shade my comments, so here we go again. If you disagree, I respect that completely. These are my opinions, so take them for what they are worth (which will be about five minutes of your time, per post).
Sure there are things I could talk about from the past year, but why not start with something that happened today that reminded me of something that brings out disdain from both myself and my brother. That thing is shopping carts. While at a local market this afternoon, there was a woman, who with my best judgement, was about 50 years of age. She was ahead of me in line, with about the equivalent of one bag's worth of groceries. As I patiently waited, she finished up her paying (which would have been around five times faster if she didn't dig through her change purse that she couldn't find in the first place) and put her single bag back in her shopping cart. As I paid for my massive shopping list of two items, I followed her out of the store. After she got about halfway through the parking lot, she promptly took her bag out of the cart and let the cart roll into a concrete barrier. She then carried her bag to her car and drove off.
It raises the issue to me of how horribly self-centered and generally lazy people really are. Instead of either A) Taking her cart all the way to her car and returning it to one of the cart return ports or B) Just leaving the cart by the store to carry her one bag of groceries (which consisted of the heaviest item being a box of what may have been cake mix), she just decided to ditch the cart there in the middle of nowhere. By doing this, it forced the gentleman who was in charge of gathering the carts and returning them to their proper spot to have to walk all the way across the parking lot to get this one stray cart.
I will be the first person to tell you that exercising is not one of my strengths, but laziness is a supreme issue in this country. I am not saying that all people are lazy, but I would venture to say that there is a heavier majority leaning toward lazy than those who are active. Do I enjoy being lazy and sitting around doing nothing? Absolutely. Something as small as an extra twenty or thirty steps to return a cart, inexcusable. It has happened before while I was in Florida visiting my brother where we have had moments of boiling over the top with anger while people do this. In a specific instance I can recall, my brother was about to park in a spot where a woman was loading her car. Right before we pulled in, she had finished and rolled her cart right into the spot. What ensued was an outburst from my brother that cannot be repeated here.
The point I am trying to make is that people really need to consider the effects of the things they do. Take that extra 30 seconds and return your cart. Unless you get run over in the process, it isn't going to kill you. Be considerate and realize that the things you do have an effect on the people around you.
It is different if the person is handicapped or in some other way incapable of returning said cart. If you are able, you have no excuse.
Here ends the first of my new set of rants. Has this happened to you before? Have you been guilty of this before? Does it piss you off as much as it does me? Let me know, either on Facebook, Twitter (@mark_stank) or below in the comments section.
Have a great day.
MLS
 |
| Photo courtesy of Garden Grove, CA |
Sure there are things I could talk about from the past year, but why not start with something that happened today that reminded me of something that brings out disdain from both myself and my brother. That thing is shopping carts. While at a local market this afternoon, there was a woman, who with my best judgement, was about 50 years of age. She was ahead of me in line, with about the equivalent of one bag's worth of groceries. As I patiently waited, she finished up her paying (which would have been around five times faster if she didn't dig through her change purse that she couldn't find in the first place) and put her single bag back in her shopping cart. As I paid for my massive shopping list of two items, I followed her out of the store. After she got about halfway through the parking lot, she promptly took her bag out of the cart and let the cart roll into a concrete barrier. She then carried her bag to her car and drove off.
It raises the issue to me of how horribly self-centered and generally lazy people really are. Instead of either A) Taking her cart all the way to her car and returning it to one of the cart return ports or B) Just leaving the cart by the store to carry her one bag of groceries (which consisted of the heaviest item being a box of what may have been cake mix), she just decided to ditch the cart there in the middle of nowhere. By doing this, it forced the gentleman who was in charge of gathering the carts and returning them to their proper spot to have to walk all the way across the parking lot to get this one stray cart.
I will be the first person to tell you that exercising is not one of my strengths, but laziness is a supreme issue in this country. I am not saying that all people are lazy, but I would venture to say that there is a heavier majority leaning toward lazy than those who are active. Do I enjoy being lazy and sitting around doing nothing? Absolutely. Something as small as an extra twenty or thirty steps to return a cart, inexcusable. It has happened before while I was in Florida visiting my brother where we have had moments of boiling over the top with anger while people do this. In a specific instance I can recall, my brother was about to park in a spot where a woman was loading her car. Right before we pulled in, she had finished and rolled her cart right into the spot. What ensued was an outburst from my brother that cannot be repeated here.
The point I am trying to make is that people really need to consider the effects of the things they do. Take that extra 30 seconds and return your cart. Unless you get run over in the process, it isn't going to kill you. Be considerate and realize that the things you do have an effect on the people around you.
It is different if the person is handicapped or in some other way incapable of returning said cart. If you are able, you have no excuse.
Here ends the first of my new set of rants. Has this happened to you before? Have you been guilty of this before? Does it piss you off as much as it does me? Let me know, either on Facebook, Twitter (@mark_stank) or below in the comments section.
Have a great day.
MLS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)