All things Joe Paterno

[costalpilot]

In his USA Today article detailing and explaining his experience as Paterno's biographer in those whitewater days of his fall, Posnonski says this:

"But I had come to write a true book. That was what mattered. I have done my best to do that."

I have not read his entire book, but I have read the chapters dealing with the Fall and death of the man and myth. Just in those I found enough to say, imo, the author has failed miserably to write a true book. Maybe he did try his best. Maybe there are other, less sinister reasons the author would shave facts that shine dark lights on his hero. Maybe his fascination has completely overcome his ability to see, think, and write straight. and so he has innocently painted a deceiptful picture. it could be.


at this point I dont know. i thought i knew, but now Im not so sure.

the wall street journal reviewer mentions the conning of Posnonski as an explanation. could that even be possible? is hero worship and hero aura really that powerful? it seems impossible, really. yet history is riddled with examples of it gone wild. so maybe posnonski is innocent after all. maybe this sophmoric whitewash was as true a book as he could write, with his perceptions dimmed by a close encounter of the first kind: hero worship.

that possibility is actually the most scary.

 

[Rlaub44]

right. sure. got ya. just an interesting tie in. no intent meant at all. end of argument then.

Gee, my sarcasm meter is dinging off the charts.

Let me explain further why I posted what I did. For all of his faults, Joe Paterno was notorious for NOT running up the score when his team was ahead, despite some pundits' belief that it hurt his teams in the rankings.

After all, how could the polls rank PSU #1 if they won their game by 14 points, when Nebraska was winning by 50? Despite that concern, Paterno regularly played 2nd and third-string players by the third quarter of games in which they had a comfortable lead.

Before you question my intent in telling you this, I don't mean to point this out as any kind of praise of Paterno; I'm simply saying that this was his very well-known reputation, and why I couldn't understand why he would have run-up the score against Rutgers in 1995.

So I looked it up to understand why this game was different, and I learned that the game was very close until defensive back Kim Herring returned an interception for a touchdown late in the game. Then Paterno put McQueary in the game for experience. Here's the explanation:

Penn State scored on a 45-yard pass play from backup quarterback Mike McQueary to wideout Chris Campbell with 58 seconds left. According to Paterno, he wanted McQueary to pass just for experience, a short pass to the tight end coming across the field. But the quarterback saw Campbell wide open down field.
http://articles.mcall.com/1995-09-24/sports/3043790_1_penn-state-psu-s-bobby-engram-scarlet-knights

Rutgers was the third game of the season for Penn State, and McQueary only ended up attempting 8 passes that entire year, completing four. So it makes sense why the coaching staff would want to get McQueary some live experience throwing the football, and the eager QB unfortunately threw a long touchdown against a beaten opponent, very much against the team's reputation of not running up the score.

When I noticed the ironic coincidence that Mike McQueary was the player involved in the incident HMSHood had noted, I felt it was worth pointing out in a wry manner that, hey, here's a name you will recognize. Kinda like, "Guess who I ran into at the store today?"

There was never any thought in my mind that this wacky play years earlier could have had any bearing on the Jerry Sandusky scandal, which is why I didn't make any such assertion. I thought most posters here would appreciate the interesting coincidence, without looking for tinfoil hat reasoning.

 

[wfgodot]

Short "meh" look at the Posnanski book - not a review, really, just an overview - from The New Yorker's Ben McGrath:

Joe Paterno, leadership, and a new football season

 

[Tipstaff]

With 2 minutes remaining in the game Ohio University is beating Penn State in the season opener at Happy Valley - 24 - 14.

Sue Paterno goes to the game along with Jay Paterno. Sue Paterno according to a reporter stays until half-time and is very emotional. She leaves to go watch her grandson play his football game.

Mrs. Paterno was in a box at the stadium with Franco Harris and a cut-out of Joe Paterno.

Jay Paterno tells reporter he would be no other place on a Saturday afternoon than a Penn State game.

Final Ohio University 24 - Penn State 14.

 

[Reader]

With 2 minutes remaining in the game Ohio University is beating Penn State in the season opener at Happy Valley - 24 - 14.

Sue Paterno goes to the game along with Jay Paterno. Sue Paterno according to a reporter stays until half-time and is very emotional. She leaves to go watch her grandson play his football game.

Mrs. Paterno was in a box at the stadium with Franco Harris and a cut-out of Joe Paterno.
Jay Paterno tells reporter he would be no other place on a Saturday afternoon than a Penn State game.

Final Ohio University 24 - Penn State 14.

Read this on twitter:

Matt Moore‏@MattMooreAP

That cardboard cutout of Joe #Paterno outside of Beaver Stadium, along with a sign praising him, just got picked up & taken away.

Retweeted by PS4RS

Wonder if that was the same cutout?

 

[Rlaub44]

With 2 minutes remaining in the game Ohio University is beating Penn State in the season opener at Happy Valley - 24 - 14.

Sue Paterno goes to the game along with Jay Paterno. Sue Paterno according to a reporter stays until half-time and is very emotional. She leaves to go watch her grandson play his football game.

Mrs. Paterno was in a box at the stadium with Franco Harris and a cut-out of Joe Paterno.

Jay Paterno tells reporter he would be no other place on a Saturday afternoon than a Penn State game.

Final Ohio University 24 - Penn State 14.

I read a funny comment on Facebook- "What do you expect; PSU hasn't played since 1998!" :floorlaugh:

 

[BigCat]

Read this on twitter:



Wonder if that was the same cutout?

I think those are two separate cut-outs.

Here's the one in the box where the Paternos were sitting:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/joe-paterno-cardboard-cutout-watch-penn-state-ohio-193942978--ncaaf.html

Of course, JoePa is the victim in their eyes. Typical lack of class we've come to expect from the Paternos and their followers.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

I think those are two separate cut-outs.

Here's the one in the box where the Paternos were sitting:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/joe-paterno-cardboard-cutout-watch-penn-state-ohio-193942978--ncaaf.html

Of course, JoePa is the victim in their eyes. Typical lack of class we've come to expect from the Paternos and their followers.

Well, the last ounce of sympathy I had for the Paternos just evaporated.

 

[Tipstaff]

Wonder if Dottie Sandusky is going to show up at the next home game with a cut-out of Jerry Sandusky saying "I am INNOCENT"


The Paterno's are delusional!

 

[Rlaub44]

Well, the last ounce of sympathy I had for the Paternos just evaporated.

I don't believe the family did that - that was Franco Harris' box that Sue was in. Franco has been a VERY vocal defender of his former coach.

 

[Reader]

Well, the last ounce of sympathy I had for the Paternos just evaporated.

Wonder if Dottie Sandusky is going to show up at the next home game with a cut-out of Jerry Sandusky saying "I am INNOCENT"


The Paterno's are delusional!

What's sad is that a lot of people are encouraging them in their delusion for their own purposes....

But nobody likes a pity party....that cutout is tacky and ghoulish.....I realize Mrs. Paterno and her family are hurting but please have a little dignity!

 

[J. J. in Phila]

I don't believe the family did that - that was Franco Harris' box that Sue was in. Franco has been a VERY vocal defender of his former coach.

As part of the retirement package, she gets use of the box for 25 years.

http://espn.go.com/college-football...eport-joe-paterno-had-negotiated-exit-package

 

[BigCat]

I don't believe the family did that - that was Franco Harris' box that Sue was in. Franco has been a VERY vocal defender of his former coach.

Harris is wearing the white shirt.

http://bustedcoverage.com/2012/09/01/franco-harris-spent-today-with-sue-paterno-joe-paterno-cutout/

Is that SuePa in blue?

 

[J. J. in Phila]

That might not have been Sue. Harris might have been in a separate box, but Sue has one.

http://news.yahoo.com/sue-paterno-attends-penn-state-season-opener-163319829--spt.html

 

[Rlaub44]

That might not have been Sue. Harris might have been in a separate box, but Sue has one.

http://news.yahoo.com/sue-paterno-attends-penn-state-season-opener-163319829--spt.html

It believe it was Sue. She does have a skybox, but it was widely reported today that she was a guest in Franco Harris' skybox.

 

[StellarsJay]

The instinctive answer is some variation of "Joe always was a cardboard image", but I should be nicer than that.

 

[Reader]

What I want to see is a picture of the 'bobble-head' of Paterno that was placed where the statue was and people were putting stuff there.....pardon me but that is ridiculous...

 

[costalpilot]

pro paterno person debates talk show host from Philly


http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/station/talk-radio-1210/

 

[costalpilot]

host starts out saying he thinks his guest is an idiot because he thinks joe has been framed by the media.

joe ziegler father of www.framingjoepaterno starts out attacking penn. politiicians, tom corbett governor, as the cause of the problem,

corbett went after paterno when the problem started because he realized he might get in trouble.

guest ramps up energy..talking on...host interupts and starts asking questions...and then host cuts him off, after mentioning "buttfuching..."

then brings him back up...asking what mcqueary saw...guest then brings up his 10k word attack on Mcqueary...host then goes ballistic screaming....

host then brings him back on and guy is ACTUALLY DEFENDING SANDUSKY AS IF SANDUSKY HAS BEEN WRONGLY CONVICTED

now they go into mild dialogue....host asks what he expects to accomplish?

guest wants truth to come out

guest attacks media

host wants to know how much money the t shirts are

guest ramps up blattering on about money

host goes to cut him off....guest demands an hour

host cuts him off for good

whew...you didnt miss much

xcept actually hearing someone defending "JERRY" that was unexpected...relative to the shower incident..not sure exactly what he said but it was in defense of something about "jerry"

and it turns out "framingjoepaterno" commissioned a poll which shows most people dont know the facts about the sandusky/paterno problem, which cost them a thousand dollars (which has been posted here at websleuths)and which paterno apologists point to frequently and which is worth basically dirty bath water when it comes to understanding anything about all this.

and that was that.

hes BACK

 

[costalpilot]

BUSS THE HIST BRINGS THE guest back on and gives him the floor

joe calls the feeh report a farce

the media bought into it

but they created a video at famingjoepaterno that explains it all

if there was a cover up why was mike mcqueary allowed to testify b4 the grand jury

why didnt joe prevent MM from testifying

the host lets him go on but then comes back and asks if paterno could have prevented MM from testifying

joe changes the subjest

joe then goes frentic with all kinds of blather, none of which makes real sense...

but thats my opinion

joe says "its illegal" to be involved ..as if joe wouldnt do anything illegal

there is some bacvk and forth but the guest is ballistic at 1000 miles anhour screaming and running on

bottom line, if this guy is defending you, you are in trouble..

hitler youth gone awry

i was a little concerned about this guy and his site b4 i heard him...guy is a fanatic...but host shouts him down

host reads damning email from curly to others and says "what does that mean", he says, it means you are full of crap..goodbye

and that may be that..commercial