Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
As much as I hate to admit it the Oklahoma Sooners are one heck of a team. They are just better than the Longhorns. If they play smart the rest of the way I see them playing Miami for the National Championship in January.
Don't overlook Va. Tech. - they could run the table. A real sleeper - Air Force! Did I really say that? LOL! I guess we'll see after this weekend's game with ND.
Downing the ball inches in front of the goal line. Dang good move... wish Paterno would put the kids' names on their jerseys... who did that?
That was 1 of our "Mr. Johnson's" (don't go there Gar!). More specific, that was #11 Tony(wide receiver) - son of the def. line coach & brother of Larry, #5 and running back. I think we have 6 Johnsons on the team - makes for a lot of jokes. <g>
BTW, thanks for the nice comments - you're pretty cool yourself, ksquared! :)
Well Colt, I feel your pain. I just hope both our teams don't dwell on the loss - we can still have very sucessful seasons.
GO BLUE!!! <g>
Congratulations ksquared! I hope you were able to watch it - a nail biter right to the end. I hope you guys beat Iowa & OSU & take it all.
I can't believe we've lost 2 games , both in OT. The hard luck kids, I guess. <g>
Oh well, it was a great game - paced off about 2 lbs. I reckon. LOL!
The "whitest team" comment took me by surprise until I remembered the color of the away uniforms... teehee.
After I wrote that, I thought, "I hope people understand that comment!" I probably should have said, "I hope the most vanilla team wins!" LOL!
Big question... do I want to spend $15.00. Knowing my track record. If I spend money, they'll lose. If I'm cheap and miss the game, they'll probably win.
If that's the case, I think you should spring for the PPV - heck, I'll even reimburse ya! <vbg>
Colt,
Best of luck to the Longhorns as well on this "Super Saturday" of college football!!!!
I'm sure we'll all be OD'd on football by Sunday. <g>
Gary
ksquared,
I see a mass exodus from Jersey thru the Delaware Water Gap today - bars on this side will be full of game watchers! LOL!
Truthfully, I hope you find a way to see the game - I can imagine how upset I'd be. How 'bout "pay per view"? Worse case, they will provide many updates during the Tex/OU game, I'm sure.
Best of luck to your team (cough, cough) and may the "whitest" team win!!!!! LOL!
Talk with you after the game.
Gary
ksquared,
Forgive me... I don't know when Paterno's first (or second year) was.
OK, you're forgiven. <g> Joe's 1st year was '66, mine was '67.
BTW... Paterno was Michigan's first choice, but he wouldn't leave Penn State so we got Bo...
That's interesting - I don't ever remember hearing that. Of course, as you may attest, I may have heard it & forgot. ;)
Congrats on the rain!
ksquared,
Do you think either of us will truly enjoy watching it? Going to be absolute agony as the two teams go back and forth in scoring... will definitely turn the sound off and put tunes on...
I understand what you're saying, but I try to be a realist - whatever happens, happens and I have absolutely no control over it. I'll enjoy it no matter which way it goes. This is the kind of game I live for - keeps the adrenaline flowing & the old heart pumping. I may not like the outcome, but I'll live with it. Come Sunday, I'll be doing the same things I do every other week .... yelling @ the Steelers! LOL!
There really are some big games this weekend - the ole top 25 will be moving & a shakin' come Monday.
BTW, just so you know - we went to school @ the same time. My freshman year was Jo-Pa's 2nd. "What a long, strange trip it's been!" <g>
Take care,
Gary
Speaking of the Cleavers & June in particular, have you ever seen the movie, "Pleasantville"? Very reminiscent of "Leave it to Beaver" and a very interesting movie too. Right now I'm trying to picture ksquared stacking wood in pearls. ;)
BTW, I WANT TO WIN THIS GAME!!!! LOL!
Oh what the heck - GO BLUE!!! <g>
NLionGuy and alexed. You guys sound like you're setting things up to cushion the fall if Penn State loses Saturday.
LOL! Am I that transparent? I'll just say this - I KNOW Penn State CAN win this game. The problem is, I don't KNOW that they WILL. But, of course, that's a heck of a lot different than I felt last year at this time.
I told someone recently that I figured we had to win 1 of the 3 big away games to have a successful season and we did that last Sat. Therefore the pressure is off. Trouble is, now I find myself thinking, "what if ......". LOL!
ksquared, I WANT TO WIN THIS GAME!!!!! :)
This is from Joe's press conference yesterday:
What can you tell us about the condition of Larry Johnson and Zack Mills?
Zack practiced a little bit yesterday and we told Larry to take it easy. I think both of them will be fine. I will know a little bit more after today's practice. I am not going to ask them to do much today. Regardless of the fact that they were bumped a little bit, I probably would have done it anyway. I have to be careful with guys like Joe Iorio and those kinds of guys that played a lot of plays in tough football games. I have just got to kind of make sure that we don't run out of gas as we come down the stretch. I think both Larry and Zack will be fine. I really don't foresee any problems with them. Zack, obviously, continued in the game and I think Larry could have.
It appears they are OK & will play - my fear is that Joe will be conservative with them tho & conservative will NOT win this football game.
ksquared,
Yeah, I enjoy October also. The leaves started changing early because of the dry weather, but they aren't as brilliant in color as usual. I assume that's weather related also. My furnace kicked on yesterday morning to my surprise - I didn't realize it was even set. LOL! Anyway, it gave me the incentive to stop & get new filters after work.
One good thing about frost - it slows down the grass. <g>
The Lions defense is not all that impressive at this point.
You got that right! Altho I don't think any defense in the Big Ten can stop us, I doubt we can stop any good offense either - that's why I see a high scoring game on Sat. If it comes down to the kicking game, we might have the advantage. 30 out of 36 kick-offs have not been returned - most have been out of the endzone (field position) and Gould is 8 of 9 on FG attempts including a 51 yarder.
We are not deep tho - if either Mills(QB) or L. Johnson(RB) does not play or gets hurt, it could be yet another long afternoon for PSU against UM.
GLTY
Early line - TX by 3. Simms needs to have his best game. I think he will.
Bobby Bowden made the comment that "it's Miami & the rest of the world". Unfortunately for the rest of us, he may be right. We may all be fighting for the rights to be embarrassed in Tempe. :(
GORESTOFTHEWORLD! <g>
P.S. When was the last time you guys were able to get past the Spartans...
Hey now, we beat them last year - one of our few wins! <g> Right now the line on the game is either 4 or 5 points. Your Wolverines being the home field favorite, of course. PSU could have a couple of injuries which may make the difference - one thing this team does not have is depth. I look for a real close game & probably high scoring so it should be very entertaining.
Frost here this morning - can I borrow some wood?
GOLIONS&BIGTENINGENERAL <g>
ksquared,
I hope you have a good cable system:
http://espn.go.com/media/abcsports/2002/1007/map/021012330.pdf
Our game is not being shown in your area which is unbelievable! Jersey is one of PSU's big recruiting areas - what the heck is ABC thinking?
Well, the good thing is, you might be saved from some disappointment. ;)
GOLIONSLONGHORNS&SPARTANS! <vbg>
Ksquared, I hope NLionGuy understands but, I will be pulling for Blue!!! Nothing personal NLionGuy but, Ksquared and I go way back...through 'Thick & Thin'!
Uh oh, I'm outnumbered. Circle the wagons men:
Please Mr. Custer
I don't want to die!
Forward Ho!
No.
LOL! No offense taken, Colt. From personal experience, who we root for has no bearing on the outcome - if it did, things would be totally different to date. Know what I mean? <g>
I think your guys dodged a bit of a bullet today, Colt. I didn't see it, but I hear it was pretty ugly. Hopefully, it will be their wake-up call before next week's BIG game!
One by one the undefeated's are falling. I can't believe I'm in a situation where I have to root for N.D. & FSU to beat Miami. LOL!
Yep, now it'll get interesting next weekend. I'll make a deal with ya ksquared - how 'bout we both promise to remain humble in winning and conciliatory in losing?
Of course, that doesn't mean we both can't give each other a little chit before hand! :)
ksquared,
Come about 7:00PM, we should know whether you have anything to be concerned about as far as next weekend. Personally, I hope you will. <g>
BTW, all this wood you're stacking - what is it about the upcoming winter that you know & I don't? LOL! What color are the Wooly Caterpillars this year?
Enjoy the game(s)! We'll talk later, I'm sure.
ksquared,
Just wanted to let you know that the UM/PSU game will be a 3:30 start for those of us in the East - it was announced today that it will be televised "regionally" by ABC. I'm sure everyone in the East & Midwest will get the game.
Hope that gives you time to get the chores done before it starts - just don't fall asleep before it's over! ;)
ksquared,
I'm sure the UM/PSU game will be a late start - that's a huge audience between the 2 schools & they will want to maximize the ad revenue. I'd forgotten you guys had the week off this week to prepare. Meanwhile, we play @ Wisconsin who always seems to get the better of us. This is the part of the season I've been dreading. ;)
Why do I do these things?
To get things done? <g>
Later ksquared.
ksquared,
OUCH! What's this big hurt in my gut? LOL! I think it's a shame they lost the game after making the greatest comeback I've seen @ PSU. However, to be truthful, they didn't deserve it - they should have never been in that position to begin with. Iowa played well & deserved the win.
I was able to see some of your game & the Wolverines looked real good. After yesterday, I'm suddenly not looking forward to the match-up in 2 weeks. Heck, I'm real nervous about Wisconsin this weekend! <g>
Oh well, that's life - is it not? :)
Have a good week,
Gary
I stayed up & watched it - great win for Louisville. The goal posts were well on their way to coming down when I went to bed. Love to see FSU lose - Bobby's too close to Joe, ya know! <g>
ksquared,
From what I've seen so far the only Big Ten team I think might get there is Penn State... though I sure hope MI proves to be the spoilers (sorry NLionGuy... but I'm sure you understand school over conference loyalty).
Man, you build me up & then rip me down! Bite your tongue! LOL! Yeah, I understand completely. No apology necessary. I'm heading out this afternoon for our game - hoping that Isadore will be outta here by tomorrow morning. As it is, I'm sure it will be a sloppy mess around the stadium. Oh well, as long as we win! <g>
Good luck to all!
Gary
Nice article on JoPa:
Posted on Tue, Sep. 24, 2002
At 75, a new way to win for Paterno
By Bill Lyon
Inquirer Columnist
AP
Once upon a time there was a football coach at a place where they did a lot of happily-ever-aftering. So much of it, in fact, that the place came to be known as Happy Valley.
And this coach, he was so old-fashioned that he was cool, with spectacles thicker than the stained glass windows in church, with his pants legs rolled up to his ankles, revealing those white socks, with a shrill voice that pierced steel and was thick with Brooklynese. He would recruit the thick-necked sons of coal miners and make them into linebackers.
And, lo, they would venture forth and pound the pudding out of people.
It went on like this for years and years and years. They won and won and won.
And then, finally, the inevitable came to pass. They had a losing season. Followed by another.
The coach was three-quarters of a century old. The dissidents said he had calcified. They said his thinking had congealed. They said he really ought to wrap a shawl around his shoulders and go watch sunsets.
Curious thing about our society, this need to make judgments on the basis of age, to be such slaves to numbers when they are connected to years, as if that is a true indicator of a person's worth, or capability.
The fact is, the coach at the happily-ever-aftering place was reluctant to change what had always worked. And why not? His way had produced six perfect seasons, after all. Two national championships. And more victories than any other big-time coach ever.
A man could be pardoned a dose of ego with such a history. If he thought that maybe he had forgotten more football than any of them ever knew, well, that would surely be understandable.
And that makes what Joseph Vincent Paterno has done all the more extraordinary. He has permitted himself to be persuaded to change. He has listened to the suggestions and the pleas from those who weren't even alive when he was coaching.
He has adjusted and adapted.
Oh, the basic philosophy remains. And those helmets are still without frill, white as a snowbank. No identifying names on the uniforms; it is the common cause that is paramount, not the individual.
But speed and finesse, guile and deception, have come to the home of the smash-mouth and the thick-necked grandsons of the coal miners.
Penn State spreads the field now. Multiple sets. Multiple formations. Shotguns and double-wides. All those things Paterno regarded as frivolous, he now allows.
The fullback will still run off tackle. There is still the misdirection, with both guards pulling. But the ball is in the air, early and often.
The power back is Larry Johnson, the same player who, two seasons ago, was publicly critical of his coach and his ultraconservatism. It puts you in mind of an old saying: You're never too old to learn, nor too young to teach.
The quarterback is Zack Mills and he reminds you of Ken Stabler. He is lefthanded in every way. He is unflappable. He throws with exquisite touch. He is an instinctive escapist. He feels the posse's hot breath.
Joe Paterno permits him the sort of freedom and options he would never have entrusted before.
And then there is the prodigy, Michael Robinson, a redshirt freshman who can play, and has played, running back, quarterback and wide receiver. Every other time he touches the ball, he scores. There was a time when Paterno was loathe to even acknowledge the existence of freshmen, let alone play them.
But Robinson was told he was simply too talented not to be used. He is one of those players for whom the opponent must account on every snap. And he is apt to line up anywhere on the field.
So now, Joe Paterno is smart again. And Penn State is winning them all again. And is back in the national rankings again.
The Nittany Lions can get to 4-0 with a win over Iowa on Saturday. If somehow they were able to get through October unscathed - a sizable task in that three of the four games are on the road, at Wisconsin, then Michigan, and then Ohio State - then they would have a very good chance of running the table.
Whether their defense, though greatly improved, is yet stout enough is the key.
On the night before the game against Nebraska, which would become a shocking 40-7 pummeling by Penn State, Joe Paterno addressed the pep-rally crowd as he always does.
"This," he told the students, "is why I don't want to quit."
He meant the atmosphere. The passion. The sense of anticipation. The sense that great possibilities were within tantalizing reach.
At 75, to his unabashed delight, he found that he still gets the tingles.
Perhaps that is what has enabled him to listen to his advisers, and to accommodate change. Not to adjust or adapt was going to be, unavoidably, ruinous.
To recognize that is commendable.
But to actually do something about it is even more so.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And congrats to you also Colt. Simms is really moving the ball well in what little I've seen. Looks like he'll be following in dad's footsteps.
Michael Robinson had another good day - limited play & 3 TD's. Not bad for a freshman .... "and here's to you Mr. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know, hey, hey, hey!" LOL! My apologies to Paul Simon. ;)
ksquared,
Hope you enjoyed your weekend excursion and congrats on the win. It wasn't pretty but it sure beats the alternative. I sure hated the end of the MSU/ND game - what a letdown after MSU looked to have it wrapped up. They say the really good teams will always find a way to win.
They? <g>
Two key games this weekend - Va. Tech @ A&M and Fla. @ Tenn. The outcomes should go a long way in determining a couple of teams fortunes down the road.
ksquared - I'm glad you are putting that loss behind you. Hopefully the team is doing the same thing. The conference schedule is about to begin & things will get real interesting. As always, look for someone to surprise - a team everyone is looking past will jump up & bite someone in the butt. Iowa maybe? We'll see,
I agree about the midwest - the fans are very nice. I've never understood the taunting that some feel they have to do. I'm not sure who said it originally but it's true - "act like you've been there before".
Well, I feel a definite coolness in the air the last few mornings & I was surprised by how many trees had already begun to change in the mountains last weekend. Not really looking forward to the 1st frost tho. Oh well, I haven't been able to change it in the past so I guess I'll not try this year either. <g>
Enjoy the good weather while we still have it. ;)
Morning husker,
We've all been there - most more often than you and don't forget, we have to travel to your backyard next year. :(
We had the pleasure of sitting beside a small group of Husker fans Sat. night - nice group of people. I admit they took the loss a lot better than some of our fans "celebrated" the win.
Nebraska has always been a class program - I really don't see that changing anytime soon. Best of luck the rest of the year!
Gary
ksquared,
Something I forgot to mention last night. I feel somewhat responsible for your $10 loss over the weekend since I told you to go for it. Whoops! Mind your own business Gar! LOL!
Anyway, here's a suggestion - ask your friend if you could make a $10 contribution to your's or his favorite charity instead of just paying him off. That way, everybody wins. He feels less guilty about taking your money, you feel better about making the bet to begin with & of course, the charity gets the money.
I think I just interfered again, didn't I? <g>
Have a good one.
Hey alexed,
Nice to see a fellow Nit around. Were you there Sat. night? If not, it was very electric - I've never seen the crowd pumped up as much as they were. And they stayed right till the end too. One thing about the night games - gives the crowd more time to "get ready". ;)
I think Joe has turned the corner this time - it's great to be back, eh? :)
WE ARE.......
Congrats on your game Colt. I didn't see it, of course, but I noticed that Simms had a very good night. That's your key, IMO.
BTW, I think you're right about no one winning them all. Now that they have added the 12th game & so many schools playing conference championships, the odds are against them. And then throw in the parity thing - very unlikely.
Now our game. I figured we had a chance to win but never in my wildest dreams did I think we would completely dominate. It was a great night in Happy Valley. I think a lot of it was pride - after 2 ugly years, those boys had something to prove on national TV. Hopefully, they will continue to get better too. I saw a lot of promise on that field - watch for Michael Robinson(#12) to play more & more. He is the back-up QB and they used him in the backfield Sat. night - very talented kid.
It looks like the conference is up for grabs at this point. You have to give OSU the edge right now but they have a history of blowing a game here or there so nothing is for sure. It'll be interesting.
BTW, the "Ears" are the Mountaineers of West Virginia. I guess that's a local nickname. ;)
ksquared,
First your game. Sorry about the loss. I know Mich. is a great team & will bounce back quickly. We were able to hear your score occasionally - someone had a 4" TV but the reception was terrible in the Valley (there is no local ABC affiliate around State College). Anyway, all of us save 1 were rooting for the Wolverines and we were devastated when we heard the final score. Truly a bummer. You are correct about supporting the other members of your conference. I think back to '94 when we went undefeated but didn't win the NC - Nebraska did. I'm not taking anything away from them because they had a great team but I think we lost it when Michigan was upset by Colorado earlier in the season on Kordell Stewart's "Hail Mary" at the end of the game. Had Mich. won that game, we would have been ranked ahead of Neb. because of "quality" wins. The irony here is that Kordell is QB for my Steelers and now I have to try & support a guy that pissed me off to the max 8 years ago! Life is cruel. <g>
Chin up & all that!
Gary
Thanks for all the articles, Colt. You do a wonderful job of posting information around here.
Good luck Sat. night - I guess your game is on opposite ours. Maybe the Longhorns will put it away early & they will switch you over to the "Big Game". ;)
Good luck everyone!
ksquared,
Sorry I haven't responded. I don't recall which one's you had picked but here are the 9 teams:
Fighting Irish
Syracuse Orangemen
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Midshipmen of Navy
Green Wave of Tulane
Thundering Herd of Marshall
Fighting Illini
Stanford Cardinal
Alabama Crimson Tide
I'm getting excited about the weekend - going up to Happy Valley Sat. morning. The weather looks good & the fans are getting pumped. I hear they are going to honor the '82 team at halftime (our 1st NC team & the team that beat Neb. the last time they were there). It should be a great game.
I hope we both can celebrate on Sunday!
GO PSU
GO BLUE
HOOK 'EM HORNS
GO BAMA
GO 'EARS
...... go big red <g>
Colt,
Miami Federal Prison seems to be a bonafide #1.
LOL! You're brutal. However, as I said in the previous post, "that seems to be the general consensus". ;)
Gary