i seem to remember it differently. I think they thought your were a jock
strap. ;>)

Bob
Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading
Room<http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2010/02/about-alzheimers-reading-room.\
html>
http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com



On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 12:13 PM, Dave Kroll <dave@...> wrote:

> When I weighed 190 I could... THAT was quite a while ago. They were part of
> my daily routine. When I lived in Warminster in the late 70's the neighbors
> thought I was a jock... I managed the data base group  at SPS Technologies.
>
> DaveK
>
> On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 10:14 AM, <
> Mark.Cronmiller@...> wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> > I was a dip monster in college. I built up to the point I was doing ten
> > sets of a dozen dips, three times a week.
> > ------------
> > I am amazed at people that can kick out the dips.
> > A friend of mine was an AA db at Albion (Vandy's school).
> > One night while he was pretty hammered he knocked of 35 dips on the brass
> > waitress handles at the bar.
> > And he was doing proper deep dips.
> > I could not do any.
> > I can probably do a couple now, but no way I could do 10.
> >
> > Mark
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Dave Kroll   Penn State Proud
> DB2 and IMS from Soup 2 Nuts Support
>
> 210-827-1382    (-Cell-)
> 256-325-6952    (-Home-)
>
> [image: Picture]
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Tell your Penn State friends about us! If they
> want to subscribe, have them send a message to:
> We_Are_Penn_State-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> All "We Are...Penn State" messages are archived at:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/We_Are_Penn_State/messages
>
>
>
> We Are...Penn StateYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

bobby delray:

>> i seem to remember it differently. I think they thought you were a jock
strap. <<

Which explains why Dave keeps getting letters from the Nittany Lion Club with
the salutation, "Dear Athletic Supporter..."

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

U.S. Lacrosse press release
February 10, 2012

BALTIMORE--U.S. Lacrosse has named Kevin Cassese, Dave Pietramala and Jeff
Tambroni assistant coaches for the 2014 U.S. men's national team.

Cassese, Pietramala and Tambroni join the coaching staff led by head coach
Richie Meade that will lead the U.S. men's national team at the 2014 Federation
of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships, hosted by U.S. Lacrosse and
set for July 10-19, 2014, in Denver, Colo. The U.S. men's national team is
seeking its 10th world championship after reclaiming the gold medal at the 2010
FIL World Championships in Manchester, England.

"We're really pleased about the quality and number of coaches who were
interested in the positions and especially about the three guys we selected to
help coach the team," said Meade, who was named head coach in December 2011.
"It's a very solid group. Each of the coaches is experienced, tough-minded and
brings something special to the group."

Jeff Tambroni is entering his second year as head coach at Penn State
University. Prior to his arrival in State College, he spent 10 seasons as head
coach at Cornell University (2001-2010), where his teams won eight Ivy League
championships (2003-2010) and made three final four appearances (2007, 2009,
2010).

In 2009, Tambroni was named the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse
Association (USILA) Coach of the Year after leading Cornell to the national
championship game. His overall collegiate coaching record is 116-47, having
amassed 109 wins while at Cornell.

A 1992 graduate of Hobart University, Tambroni helped lead the Statesmen to
back-to-back NCAA Division III championships (1990-91) before beginning his
coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater in 1993.

"Coach Tambroni is one of the most outstanding coaches in the game," Meade said.
"He's great with offensive players and will be very good at developing schemes
to highlight the great talent we have here in the U.S."

"I want to thank Coach Meade and the committee for their time and effort in
screening a deep and talented pool of applicants," said Bill Tierney, chair of
US Lacrosse's Coaches Selection Committee and former U.S. men's team head coach.
"My experience as a head coach of the 1998 team afforded me the opportunity to
work with a great group of coaches and this was our goal for Coach Meade.
Clearly, this is one of the most impressive U.S. staffs ever to be assembled. We
are all looking forward to great things from them and the team in Denver in
2014."

http://www.laxmagazine.com/teamusa/men/2011-12/news/021012_cassese_pietramala_ta\
mbroni_named_team_usa_assistants

Story by Frank Bodani
York Daily Record
February 20, 2012

This Penn State story has two layers.

The first is whether one of the top high school quarterbacks on the East Coast
will choose the Nittany Lions and new head coach Bill O'Brien.

Christian Hackenberg is big and athletic. He's been groomed as a coach's son.
He's learning about life and football at a military academy.
He's gotten early scholarship offers from the biggest and best football
programs.

And so the Virginia junior was at Penn State recently to check things out, a
part of the process of deciding on a college by the end of summer.
But there's a deeper layer to this typical recruiting story.

The intriguing part.

The quarterback who is one of the most important pieces of O'Brien's first
recruiting class has a special connection to Pennsylvania.

And to Penn State.

Just look to his father.

Erick Hackenberg had his own big football dreams 25 years ago.

He grew up near Tamaqua in Pennsylvania coal country, Penn State football
country. He lived just down the road from a Penn State coach. He played in the
prestigious Big 33 Game in Hershey--and threw a touchdown pass to Rocket Ismail.

He just didn't have the size the Nittany Lions wanted.

So he went to play at the University of Virginia and settled in as a little-used
backup for three years.

He ended up leaving and finishing his degree--and his playing career--at
Division III Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove.

Meanwhile, he got married and had a baby boy.

Hackenberg and his volleyball-coaching wife planted roots near Tamaqua before a
job promotion took them to Charlottesville, Va.

Christian Hackenberg was 7 when his family moved.

"I remember everything about it," Christian said of Pennsylvania. "My
grandparents lived next to us. I grew up on the sidelines with my dad and
grandpa because they coached. My dad had a football in my hand since I could
throw it.

"He was pretty much my idol growing up."

The father knew the kid was special. He worked him hard, such as ironing out the
boy's awkward throwing motion.

He tutored him on the mental aspect of playing the most important position.
"Like how to handle myself when the game's on the line," Christian Hackenberg
said. "You could say I thrive on pressure now. It's something I use to heighten
my level of play."

The father pushed him to Fork Union Military Academy for the education, the
coaching and the exposure. Plus, it was only a 15-minute drive from home so he
didn't have to board.

The father even pushed him to play multiple sports. Christian was on pace to
become a 1,000-point scorer in basketball until he gave it up this season. He
also could be a Division I baseball talent as a center fielder and shortstop.

The focus, of course, is that he's a national football recruit.

He just happens to have a father who DREAMED of playing at Penn State. Now, Penn
State is making a full press for him.

"It's pretty cool. They've really gotten after it," Christian Hackenberg said
about the interest from O'Brien and his staff.

"I talked to my grandmom, and she was saying how everyone in my hometown is
talking about it, how I could go to Penn State. It would be a great opportunity
and great fit for me...I can't wait to go up there and see what they have to
say."

Will the Lions win out in the end?

At least the chances are promising, considering that Christian is a pro-style
quarterback and O'Brien is being touted as an offensive expert running a
pro-style attack.

Erick Hackenberg understands the fit, too, and stays in his son's ear, just like
he did when the Jerry Sandusky child-sex-abuse scandal broke and the negative
recruiting against Penn State began.

"He gives me his 40-plus years of wisdom," Christian said with a laugh. "He
makes the big picture stand out for me."

Which may just lead him to the place his father never got to go.

http://www.ydr.com/sports/ci_19998949

lol


Bob
Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading
Room<http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2010/02/about-alzheimers-reading-room.\
html>
http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com



On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 3:04 PM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> bobby delray:
>
> >> i seem to remember it differently. I think they thought you were a jock
> strap. <<
>
> Which explains why Dave keeps getting letters from the Nittany Lion Club
> with the salutation, "Dear Athletic Supporter..."
>
> Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

That was all I wore when I ran my 5 miles a day... [?]

I did my push ups with Russell on my back... Oh course THAT caused a
problem one time when he came in the bedroom unexpectedly... "oh goody ...
getty up daddy".



On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 2:04 PM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> bobby delray:
>
> >> i seem to remember it differently. I think they thought you were a jock
> strap. <<
>
> Which explains why Dave keeps getting letters from the Nittany Lion Club
> with the salutation, "Dear Athletic Supporter..."
>
> Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin
>
>
>



--
Dave Kroll   Penn State Proud
DB2 and IMS from Soup 2 Nuts Support

210-827-1382    (-Cell-)
256-325-6952    (-Home-)

[image: Picture]


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

TMI :-)

Rocko


On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 4:16 PM, Dave Kroll <dave@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> That was all I wore when I ran my 5 miles a day... [?]
>
> I did my push ups with Russell on my back... Oh course THAT caused a
> problem one time when he came in the bedroom unexpectedly... "oh goody ...
> getty up daddy".
>
> On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 2:04 PM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...>
> wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> > bobby delray:
> >
> > >> i seem to remember it differently. I think they thought you were a
> jock
> > strap. <<
> >
> > Which explains why Dave keeps getting letters from the Nittany Lion Club
> > with the salutation, "Dear Athletic Supporter..."
> >
> > Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Dave Kroll Penn State Proud
> DB2 and IMS from Soup 2 Nuts Support
>
> 210-827-1382 (-Cell-)
> 256-325-6952 (-Home-)
>
> [image: Picture]
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Story by Paula Reed Ward
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
May 20, 2010

The Pennsylvania attorney general issued a subpoena to Twitter earlier this
month seeking the identities of two account holders who have repeatedly posted
negative comments about Tom Corbett and his Bonusgate investigation.

The subpoena seeks the subscriber information for two Twitter accounts, bfbarbie
and CasablancaPA. The subpoena was issued by the attorney general's statewide
investigating grand jury on May 6 and was posted Tuesday on the website
casablancapa.blogspot.com.

The subpoena does not specify what crime is being investigated or who the
possible defendant might be.

Though the subpoena asked that the records be produced at 8:30 a.m. on Friday,
May 14, Twitter has not yet turned them over.

Timothy Yip, legal counsel for the social networking site, said the company
protects user information and discloses it only in limited circumstances.

When permissible, Twitter will alert a user that a request has been made for
their information and that the company might have to comply, he said.

"This policy is designed for maximum transparency and gives users an opportunity
to object," Mr. Yip said.

Signor Ferrari, an alias used by one of three people who post to the
CasablancaPA blog, said the group received notice of the subpoena from Twitter
on Tuesday night.

"Our initial reaction was to publicize it," Ferrari said."This is not about
protecting the identities of these particular bloggers. This is about the
constitutionally protected right of Americans to criticize public officials
anonymously."

The people who post at CasablancaPA are unsure what's being investigated. No one
from bfbarbie could be reached for comment.

Kevin Harley, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said because of
secrecy requirements, he could not comment on the grand jury investigation.

"I can tell you it has nothing to do with criticizing an elected official," he
said. "It has nothing to do with that."

But Ferrari wasn't as sure.

"He comments on the grand jury when it's convenient for him and retreats behind
the cloak of secrecy when it's not."

Witold Walczak, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of
Pennsylvania, will assist in representing CasablancaPA in fighting the subpoena.

"The subpoena to Twitter for identifying information for people who have been
critical of the attorney general raises grave concerns about the grand jury
process to retaliate against political criticism and opponents--a most serious
First Amendment violation," Mr. Walczak said.

Generally, the next step in the process would be to file a motion to quash the
subpoena and allow a judge to determine if the justification for seeking the
information can overcome the witnesses' First Amendment interests, he said.

It is unclear what the timetable for that will be.

Ferrari would not comment on who runs the CasablancaPA blog or if they have any
relationship to any of the Bonusgate defendants.

However, in a sentencing memorandum filed against former legislative aide Brett
Cott in Dauphin County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, Senior Deputy Attorney
Generals Frank Fina and Patrick Blessington attributed the blog to Mr. Cott.

"Defendant has extensively and anonymously utilized a blog titled 'CasablancaPA:
Exposing the hypocrisy of Tom Corbett' to defect blame and deny responsibility
for his criminal conduct and to attack and malign the investigative and
prosecutorial process, which resulted in his conviction," they wrote.

In an e-mail, Mr. Cott declined to comment.

"Tom Corbett is completely and without a doubt using the grand jury process in a
way that is completely and without question, inappropriate," said Bryan S. Walk,
Mr. Cott's attorney. "There is nothing to uncover that could be remotely
connected to any criminal investigation. The timing of the subpoena smacks of
attempts to intimidate him and enhance his sentence."

He would not comment on whether his client is associated with CasablancaPA.

A jury last month found Mr. Cott guilty of theft of service, conflict of
interest and conspiracy to commit conflict of interest.

The prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 18 to 44 months--much higher than the
standard--for Mr. Cott who was found guilty of three felonies in the Bonusgate
corruption scandal. They cited a history of "dishonorable and deceptive
behavior," and called Mr. Cott "a remorseless, defiant repeat offender who is
apparently incapable of contrition."

He will be the first of three co-defendants to be sentenced in the case, which
centers around the use of $1.8 million in public funds to provide bonuses to
state employees who worked on campaigns.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10140/1059493-454.stm

>> Kevin Harley, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said because of
secrecy requirements, he could not comment on the grand jury investigation.

"I can tell you it has nothing to do with criticizing an elected official," he
said. "It has nothing to do with that." <<

Apparently the names of the users wasn't mission-critical for their
investigation...

Story by David Kravets
Wired.com
May 21, 2010

Pennsylvania prosecutors are dropping their grand jury subpoena to Twitter
demanding the identity of two account holders who used the microblogging service
to criticize Attorney General Tom Corbett, a spokesman said Friday.

Corbett, the Republican candidate for governor, was seeking to unmask the
account holders ahead of Friday's sentencing of Brett Cott, whom Corbett
targeted in a political corruption investigation.

Corbett wanted to know if Cott was the one anonymously disparaging Corbett and
the ongoing probe, Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley said in a telephone interview.
Prosecutors believed that linking Cott to one of the Twitter accounts
criticizing Corbett would show the defendant had a bad attitude that should earn
him a higher sentence, Harley said.

Harley said they wanted to unmask the account holders "to show the court Cott
was demonstrating a lack of contrition and remorse."

On Friday, Cott was handed up to five years in prison for his role in the
political corruption scandal known as Bonusgate. Dauphin County Judge Richard
Lewis said he did not consider any online criticism in his sentencing decision.

The grand jury subpoena targeted Twitter accounts CasablancaPA and bfBarbie.
Both received an e-mail from Twitter on Tuesday saying the company would respond
to the subpoena (.pdf) in a week "unless we receive notice from you that a
motion to quash the subpoena has been filed or that this matter has been
otherwise resolved."

The subpoena demanded "all subscriber information" regarding the two Twitter
accounts, including "name, address, contact information, creation date, creation
Internet Protocol address, and any and all login Internet Protocol addresses."

The two had enlisted Public Citizen and the American Civil Liberties Union to
fight the subpoena. They said it was an abuse of power by Corbett to use the
power of a criminal grand jury to unmask his critics.

"It's clear they were on a fishing expedition to see if these Twitter users were
Cott," Witold Walczak, legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said in a
telephone interview. "That's not only an abuse of the grand jury process but a
real affront to political speech rights...The government just can't go on
fishing expeditions like that to unmask critics because it might be helpful on
sentencing."

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/05/twitter-subpoena-2/

Not Penn State or even sports related, but interesting nonetheless.
Especially for a mailing list. :-) The rest of the article is at the
link, but you either have to register (free) or buy a PDF version.

<http://hbr.org/2011/12/your-use-of-pronouns-reveals-your-personality/ar/1?cm_sp\
=most_widget-_-hbr_articles-_-Your%20Use%20of%20Pronouns%20Reveals%20Your%20Pers\
onality>

The finding: A person�s use of function words�the pronouns, articles,
prepositions, conjunctions, and auxiliary verbs that are the
connective tissue of language�offers deep insights into his or her
honesty, stability, and sense of self.

The research: In the 1990s, James Pennebaker helped develop a computer
program that counted and categorized words in texts, differentiating
content words, which convey meaning, from function words. After
analyzing 400,000 texts�including essays by college students, instant
messages between lovers, chat room discussions, and press conference
transcripts�he concluded that function words are important keys to
someone�s psychological state and reveal much more than content words
do.

The challenge: Can insignificant words really provide a �window to the
soul�? Professor Pennebaker, defend your research.

Pennebaker: When we began analyzing people�s writing and speech, we
didn�t expect results like this. For instance, when we analyzed poems
by writers who committed suicide versus poems by those who didn�t, we
thought we�d find more dark and negative content words in the
suicides� poetry. We didn�t�but we did discover significant
differences in the frequency of words like �I.� In study after study,
we kept finding the same thing. When we analyzed military transcripts,
we could tell people�s relative ranks based on their speech
patterns�and again, it was the pronouns, articles, conjunctions, and
other function words that made a difference, not the content words.

HBR: Why are function words so important?

In English there are about 500 function words, and about 150 are
really common. Content words�nouns, verbs, adjectives, and most
adverbs�convey the guts of communication. They�re how we express
ideas. Function words help shape and shortcut language. People require
social skills to use and understand function words, and they�re
processed in the brain differently. They are the key to understanding
relationships between speakers, objects, and other people. When we
analyze people�s use of function words, we can get a sense of their
emotional state and personality, and their age and social class.

Here�s a simple, pronoun-heavy sentence: I don�t think I buy it.

Ooh. You just revealed something about yourself in that statement. Why
did you say �I don�t think I buy it� instead of �I don�t buy it� or
even �That�s ridiculous�? Pronouns tell us where people focus their
attention. If someone uses the pronoun �I,� it�s a sign of self-focus.
Say someone asks �What�s the weather outside?� You could answer �It�s
hot� or �I think it�s hot.� The �I think� may seem insignificant, but
it�s quite meaningful. It shows you�re more focused on yourself.
Depressed people use the word �I� much more often than emotionally
stable people. People who are lower in status use �I� much more
frequently.

Can you tell if someone�s lying by their use of function words?

Yes. A person who�s lying tends to use �we� more or use sentences
without a first-person pronoun at all. Instead of saying �I didn�t
take your book,� a liar might say �That�s not the kind of thing that
anyone with integrity would do.� People who are honest use exclusive
words like �but� and �without� and negations such as �no,� �none,� and
�never� much more frequently. We�ve analyzed transcripts of court
testimony, and the differences in speech patterns are really clear.

Function words sound like two-by-fours: They�re important but not
meaningful in creating the overall architecture.

You might even think of function words as the nails. It seems natural
to pay them little regard. If you type a sentence into Google, its
algorithms disregard function words, because it�s interested in
content. But these words convey important subtleties��a ring� versus
�that ring.� In foreign languages, function words often convey
people�s status relative to one another.
Key Numbers

If you listened to a job interview, what would the use of function
words tell you?

It�s almost impossible to hear the differences naturally, which is why
we use transcripts and computer analysis. Take a person who�s
depressed. �I� might make up 6.5% of his words, versus 4% for a
nondepressed person. That�s a huge difference statistically, but our
ears can�t pick it up. But hypothetically, if I were to listen to an
interview, I might consider how the candidate talks about their
coworkers at their last job. Do they refer to them as �we� or �they�?
That gives you a sense of their relationship to the group. And if you
want someone who�s really decisive in a position, a person who says
�It�s hot� rather than �I think it�s hot� may be a better fit.

Yeah, I guess you had to be there... :-)

DK

On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 3:21 PM, Rocko <rockopsu@...> wrote:

> TMI :-)
>
> Rocko
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 4:16 PM, Dave Kroll <dave@...> wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> > That was all I wore when I ran my 5 miles a day... [?]
> >
> > I did my push ups with Russell on my back... Oh course THAT caused a
> > problem one time when he came in the bedroom unexpectedly... "oh goody
> ...
> > getty up daddy".
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 2:04 PM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > **
> > >
> > >
> > > bobby delray:
> > >
> > > >> i seem to remember it differently. I think they thought you were a
> > jock
> > > strap. <<
> > >
> > > Which explains why Dave keeps getting letters from the Nittany Lion
> Club
> > > with the salutation, "Dear Athletic Supporter..."
> > >
> > > Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Dave Kroll Penn State Proud
> > DB2 and IMS from Soup 2 Nuts Support
> >
> > 210-827-1382 (-Cell-)
> > 256-325-6952 (-Home-)
> >
> > [image: Picture]
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Tell your Penn State friends about us! If they
> want to subscribe, have them send a message to:
> We_Are_Penn_State-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> All "We Are...Penn State" messages are archived at:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/We_Are_Penn_State/messages
>
>
>
> We Are...Penn StateYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


--
Dave Kroll   Penn State Proud
DB2 and IMS from Soup 2 Nuts Support

210-827-1382    (-Cell-)
256-325-6952    (-Home-)

[image: Picture]


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Carl:

>> Comments and suggestions are very appreciated. <<

I'd like to add NittanyNet to my Google Reader, but need an RSS feed. Thanks!

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

Trader Kevin:
>
> I'd like to add NittanyNet to my Google Reader, but need an RSS feed.
> Thanks!

Oh, I didn't know that it wasn't working. Thanks for letting me know.
I will try to fix it soon.

Carl

P.S. Does you know, by chance, when it stopped working?

Trader Kevin:

>> I'd like to add NittanyNet to my Google Reader, but need an RSS feed. <<

Carl:

>> Oh, I didn't know that it wasn't working. Thanks for letting me know. I will
try to fix it soon. Do you know, by chance, when it stopped working? <<

Upon further review I'm already subscribed. But the last stories I have on the
feed are dated January 15.

Feed URL is http://www.nittanynet.com/sports/rss

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

Trader Kevin:
>
> Upon further review I'm already subscribed. But the last stories I have on
> the feed are dated January 15.
>
> Feed URL is http://www.nittanynet.com/sports/rss

Thanks, Kevin. I am looking into the problem.

Carl

PSU Carl:
>
> Trader Kevin:
>>
>> Upon further review I'm already subscribed. But the last stories I have
on
>> the feed are dated January 15.
>>
>> Feed URL is http://www.nittanynet.com/sports/rss
>
> Thanks, Kevin. I am looking into the problem.

I think it should work now. In fact, every news category URL like

http://www.nittanynet.com/news/penn_state/football

can be rss-ified by adding "/rss" on the end:

http://www.nittanynet.com/news/penn_state/football/rss

Let me know if this doesn't work.

Carl


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

<http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/02/is_this_the_real_jerry_sandu\
sk.html>

Published: Monday, February 20, 2012, 11:55 PM ��� Updated: Tuesday,
February 21, 2012, 1:20 AM

By SARA GANIM, The Patriot-News

In defending himself against child sex abuse charges, Jerry Sandusky
has said he once thought it was OK to shower with boys.

Even though his attorney, Joe Amendola, said he would not have acted
that way himself, Amendola insisted Sandusky had believed that
touching their bare legs was fine, too. It wasn�t sexual, they said.

Then, at a recent court hearing, Sandusky laughed and giggled when he
took the stand. When a prosecutor alleged that the former Penn State
assistant football coach used his local charity to find and target
victims, Sandusky leaned back in his chair and smiled.

Is this really Jerry Sandusky?

Amendola, in defending his client�s demeanor, says �that�s just
Jerry,� and added that Sandusky has had that kind of attitude about
his defense from the start.

Karl Rominger, the Harrisburg attorney who also is assisting in his
defense, says there�s nothing inconsistent with �the Jerry I�ve met in
private and the Jerry I�ve seen in public.�

The former coach has always had an aw-shucks manner about him, and
those who knew him long before these allegations say he has a boyish
demeanor and a silly side.

But let�s get something straight: Jerry Sandusky is not a dumb guy.

He graduated first in his class in the College of Health and Physical
Education at Penn State, started a multimillion-dollar charity from
the ground up and developed a defensive scheme that brought Penn State
it�s only two national football championships.

That�s not the side of Jerry Sandusky that we�ve seen in the last four
months. Instead, his demeanor has been that of the proverbial dumb
jock, a guy who is just a big kid � too goofy to realize that what he
was doing was wrong.

It begs the question: Is Sandusky taking the play-it-dumb defense?

�A bright guy�

In 1998, when Sandusky was investigated but not charged after two boys
told police he�d showered with and touched them in the Penn State
football locker room, the investigator for Children and Youth Services
got the same impression.

�I do remember going back to my office and talking with some
supervisors, saying and thinking, this guy just won a national
championship, and he didn�t appear very bright to me,� Jerry Lauro
says. �He just had that dumb look on his face. That was my
recollection way back and it stuck with me.�

Lauro says Sandusky might have just been caught off-guard, because
Lauro walked into the gym where Sandusky was working out and began
questioning him.

�I�m sure he�s a bright guy,� Lauro said. �You can�t do what he did in
those venues and not be smart.�

But Sandusky had a blank look on his face during much of the 30-minute
interview. Lauro remembers him shrugging his shoulders and throwing
his arms in the air a lot.

But even if he can excuse his demeanor as someone who was thrown off
by the surprise interview, Lauro says he can�t get over Sandusky�s
explanation � that he didn�t realize he�d done anything wrong by
showering with the kids.

�You can ask 50 people on the street and they�d all say the same thing
� that he shouldn�t have done that,� Lauro said.

Dr. Thomas Haworth, a licensed psychologist who works with child
victims of sexual abuse, has not interviewed Sandusky, so he can�t
speculate about his behavior.

But some of the offenders he has interviewed rationalize that the
child they�ve abused is making the advances or wants the behavior.
Others think the contact is helping the child, Haworth said.

�The nature of these distortions don�t have anything to do with
intelligence,� he said. �If he believes his behavior is normal ...
this is just the way guys behave, these sort of distortions are
informing his own behavior, this is typically how people explain their
own behavior to others.�

And, �how much they are believing the distortions and how much they
are manufacturing excuses is hard to define,� Haworth said.

Childlike immaturity is different than stupidity.

�There are some folks who are quite book smart and bright who are
emotionally immature,� Haworth said.

But given the environment that Sandusky has lived in � Western
culture, where pedophilia is prominent news, and more locally, working
within a charity where boundaries are important � Haworth said
Sandusky would have had access to enough information to know that
showering with children is not socially acceptable.

�I think that all adults know there need to be boundaries with younger
children,� Haworth said. �I�m hard-pressed to believe anyone wouldn�t
have a clear idea of that.�

For 30 years, Sandusky worked with kids and within an environment
where volunteers were trained in proper contact with kids.

That�s why some are just not buying his defense.

�Anybody that ever knew Jerry knows better than that,� said Ron
Bracken, a retired journalist who covered Penn State football for 40
years. �Jerry was always gregarious. I don�t think anybody that knew
him every would have thought: �This guy isn�t very sharp. He�s a dumb
jock who just happens to be good at creating defenses.� This doesn�t
square at all with the Jerry that I knew. You don�t write books,
graduate first in your class, you don�t do a lot of the things that he
did if you have limited mental capabilities.�

In demand as speaker

Aside from authoring an autobiography, building a charity from the
ground up and developing a nationally recognized football team,
Sandusky was continuously accepting speaking engagements in which he
inspired people with his accomplishments and instilled a
responsibility to give back to the community.

Archived searches of newspaper stories and Internet listings show
Sandusky made about 20 public speaking appearances between 1998 and
2009 to a variety of audiences � a range of boards, banquets,
potential donors, students and parents.

In 1998, Sandusky spoke at the State College Area High School
commencement ceremonies. In 2006, he spoke at the Central York School
District sports night. In 2000, he spoke after being honored at the
American Football Coaches Association. He spoke at the Special
Olympics ceremonies at Penn State and gave pitches on behalf of
charities and fundraising ventures.

Sandusky spoke in 2007 to the American Family Coalition of
Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.

He wrote at least one column for the Centre Daily Times.

Sandusky was the commencement speaker for Penn State�s College of
Health and Human Development 2007.

And he talked countless times to students and parents participating in
Second Mile events.

�Not the person I remember�

�He strikes you he could be your neighbor, your uncle,� said Kevin
Flintosh, a 2006 graduate who met Sandusky during a 2005 retreat for
Lion Ambassadors, the student group that gives campus tours to
visitors and prospective students.

�He was very unassuming for someone involved with something as big as
Penn State football,� Flintosh said.

Flintosh now lives in Cherry Hill, N.J., and as a proud Penn State
graduate, he has been following the scandal closely. He watched
Sandusky�s live interview with Bob Costas just days after his Nov. 5
arrest, and then saw clips of Sandusky talking to the media after a
court hearing Feb. 10.

�The person I�m seeing today is not the same person I remember from
seven years ago,� Flintosh said. �The person who I heard speak, that
guy and the guy standing in front of the courthouse Friday, I know
they are the same person, but I have a hard time rationalizing that
the guy so concerned with community, so eloquent, is the same person.�

Flintosh immediately wondered if Sandusky is heavily medicated.

As part of a colloquy during the court hearing, Judge John M. Cleland
asked Sandusky if he is taking medication and if he�s taking the
correct dose.

Sandusky answered yes to both.

Is the medication altering his decision-making? No, the 68-year-old replied.

Rominger wouldn�t comment on defense strategy for Sandusky, but said
someone offered the theory that Sandusky � a former football player
himself � might be suffering from the result of head trauma as he
ages.

Repetition helped

Rominger also pointed out that Sandusky�s public appearances before
charges were filed were more polished because they were more
practiced.

�In the past, he spent many years talking about the same issues and
getting the work out for his charity,� Rominger said. �Just like a
politician who gives a stump speech over and over.�

Almost everyone interviewed for this story was unanimous in one thing:
Sandusky sure appears to believe he has done nothing wrong.

�I think some people think of the way he speaks as not being the
sharpest tool in the shed, but I think he is,� said Jerry Fisher, a
State College radio personality, voice of the Lady Lions basketball
team and former Second Mile board member who worked with Sandusky for
years. �I think he�s trying so hard to say the right thing that it
comes across badly.�

On his radio show, Fisher has talked about his impressions of many
speeches he has seen Sandusky give over the years in comparison to his
public persona since he was charged.

Sandusky was always very methodical, Fisher said, sincere and low-key.
He was never a shouter or a screamer.

�Some of the things that have come out of his mouth have surprised
me,� Fisher said. �But the way he comes across with aloofness and tone
doesn�t surprise me.�

<http://www.msnsportsnet.com/blogs.cfm?blog=ccBlog&useDate=01/23/12#20423>

Mountaineer football has experienced an unprecedented run of success
over the last eight seasons. Consider:

* Eight consecutive bowl appearances
* Three BCS bowl victories (Sugar, Fiesta and Orange)
* 78-24 overall record
* Six Top 25 finishes
* 92 weeks in the Top 25
* 38 weeks in the Top 10

What West Virginia has managed to accomplish under three different
coaches is certainly worth touting.

Now, add 38 more years of similar success � all under one guy - and
that�s what Penn State football fans have enjoyed during Joe Paterno�s
remarkable 46-year coaching career that spanned five decades and nine
different presidents.

And for 27 of the 46 seasons the late Paterno coached at Penn State he
dominated eastern football like no other � not Pitt�s Jock Sutherland,
not Syracuse�s Ben Schwartzwalder, not Maryland�s Jim Tatum, not
Army�s Earl Blaik - none of them could sustain what Paterno was able
to accomplish during his long tenure in State College, Pa.

And no one ever will again, partly because no coach will ever be at
the same place for that amount of time, and partly because we�ve all
gone our separate ways.

From 1966 to 1992 when Penn State was an eastern independent,
Paterno�s teams racked up 247 victories, 17 Top 10 finishes, 14 10-win
seasons, four undefeated campaigns and two national titles. Only Pitt
for a brief period of time in the late 70s even came close to
challenging Penn State for eastern supremacy, the Panthers beating
Penn State three times in a span of five seasons between 1976 and
1980. Of course Paterno wasn�t too thrilled about that - or Pitt�s
brash, young coach Jackie Sherrill.

Before joining the Big Ten in 1993, Paterno was 25-2 against West
Virginia, 23-0-1 against Maryland, 21-4 against Syracuse, 20-6-1
against Pitt, 17-0 against Temple, 16-2 against Boston College, 13-1
against Rutgers, 9-1 against Army and 6-2 against Navy. His combined
record from 1966-92 versus those nine major eastern programs was
150-16-2. Paterno lost multiple games to eastern teams just four times
in 27 years in 1966, 1984, 1987 and 1988. That�s unbelievable.

�To be brutally frank,� Paterno once said, �many of our eastern
rivalries just weren�t competitive.�

No, they weren�t.

Paterno�s undefeated �68 team swept through the northeast like a
hurricane, beating Maryland 57-13, Pitt 65-9, West Virginia 31-20,
Syracuse 30-12, Boston College 29-0 and Navy 31-6. Only Army was able
to give the Nittany Lions a game that year, falling 28-24 in Happy
Valley.

It was a similar deal in 1969: 48-0 over Maryland, 27-7 over Pitt,
20-0 over West Virginia, 15-14 over Syracuse, 38-16 over Boston
College and 45-22 over Navy.

In 1973 it got worse. Penn State routed Maryland 42-22, Pitt 35-13,
West Virginia 62-14, Syracuse 49-6, Navy 39-0 and Army 54-3.
Amazingly, the Nittany Lions finished fifth in the polls that season
behind undefeated Notre Dame, one-loss Alabama and once-tied Ohio
State and Oklahoma.

The first time I saw Paterno in person was in Morgantown in 1978 when
the Lions were on their way to a meeting against top-ranked Alabama in
the 1979 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans (that game featured Alabama�s
famous goal line stand that denied Paterno his first national title
and gave Bear Bryant his sixth).

I was only 10 at the time and I wasn�t all that familiar with Penn
State football. I was more enamored with the bright green Astroturf at
old Mountaineer Field and how I was going to get down there to run
around on it after the game, the chicken wire fence used to keep the
WVU students separated from the normal people and that crazy Frisbee
Dog who entertained fans before the Pride of West Virginia hit the
field.

That was until I saw this bespectacled guy, dressed in a white
collared shirt, dark tie, and sporting charcoal gray trousers rolled
up just high enough to reveal his white tube socks and coal black
sneakers. He was standing down below us in the tunnel amongst a bunch
of hairy-armed brutes. No one wore tats back then and the few who did
only put them on their forearms and shoulders anyway.

The Penn State players were dressed in all white uniforms - a single
blue stripe running across the helmet and a navy blue numeral the only
two things separating them from looking like a bunch of ghosts. For
years, some of the younger WVU players used to be deceived by those
plain white uniforms and dark shoes when they would study Penn State
film. They thought those white uniforms didn�t make them look that
big. But they were. And those dark shoes didn�t make them look that
fast. But they were. Plus, they were smart and tough � the football
Superfecta.

Then, the guy with the dark tie and flooders all of a sudden darted
out onto the field like he was shot out of a cannon, the team
confidently jogging out behind him. Odd, I thought. Could this be Penn
State�s famous football coach? Games weren�t on TV back then like they
are today, so you only had a couple chances to see the best teams,
plus, we were usually outside playing football in the yard anyway. He
certainly wasn�t dressed like any of the other coaches out there, I
thought. In fact, he looked more like the guy wearing the pocket
protector who read our electric meter outside the house each month.
But it was him: Famous Joe Paterno, or simply JoePa, as he was then
becoming known.

His team didn�t look like the world beaters they were made out to be,
either. West Virginia jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead on touchdowns by
Duggan and Conwell � not to be confused with Fusina, Guman, Clark,
Millen, Moore and Suhey � and a surge of electricity overtook old
Mountaineer Field. The WVU students sitting next to me who had
observed back-to-back-to-back 39-0, 33-0 and 49-28 drubbings at the
hands of these same Lions were beginning to cook up the biggest
celebration America had seen since V-E Day.

But the Sunnyside Siege was quickly called off. A blocked punt here, a
punt return there, a couple of phantom calls, some really long passes
and a lot of punishing runs later, that 14-point Mountaineer lead
turned into another double-digit Penn State loss faster than its
high-stepping coach could run off the field.

What just happened, I wondered?

What happened was I had just witnessed my first Penn State defeat, one
of 26 in a row the Mountaineers endured over four decades. That�s the
equivalent to Eisenhower-Kennedy-Johnson- Nixon-Ford-Carter-Reagan in
presidential years.

It wasn�t until 1984 that West Virginians were finally able to chase
Paterno off their own field. They did it again in 1988, and both times
he had to leave before the game was over.

West Virginia coach Don Nehlen said his postgame visit with Paterno
after the �84 victory was a brief one � far shorter than he would have
liked.

�He said, �Don, I just want to congratulate you. I knew when this game
was over it was going to be pure pandemonium. I want to shake your
hand and I�m getting out of here,�� Nehlen recalled.

After their quick handshake Paterno took off running in one direction,
Nehlen the other.

That�s what happens when you beat great football programs. And Joe
Paterno�s was one of the best.

I would agree that Jerry is a long way from dumb.  I was always impressed with
his coaching style.  He was not the intense D coordinator you generally see, but
he used humor more than any coach I have ever seen.  Joe use to get pissed at
him during practice for cracking a joke rather than joes intensity. I still use
some of the teaching methods and player interactions I witnessed in Jerry during
my coaching today.

Don't take what I just wrote as any defense of the guy, it's not.  I spent a lot
of time around the guy and was very, very surprised when the news came out last
march.

Sent from my iPad

On Feb 21, 2012, at 8:00 AM, PSU Carl <carl@...> wrote:

>
<http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/02/is_this_the_real_jerry_sandu\
sk.html>
>
> Published: Monday, February 20, 2012, 11:55 PM     Updated: Tuesday,
> February 21, 2012, 1:20 AM
>
> By SARA GANIM, The Patriot-News
>
> In defending himself against child sex abuse charges, Jerry Sandusky
> has said he once thought it was OK to shower with boys.
>
> Even though his attorney, Joe Amendola, said he would not have acted
> that way himself, Amendola insisted Sandusky had believed that
> touching their bare legs was fine, too. It wasn’t sexual, they said.
>
> Then, at a recent court hearing, Sandusky laughed and giggled when he
> took the stand. When a prosecutor alleged that the former Penn State
> assistant football coach used his local charity to find and target
> victims, Sandusky leaned back in his chair and smiled.
>
> Is this really Jerry Sandusky?
>
> Amendola, in defending his client’s demeanor, says “that’s just
> Jerry,” and added that Sandusky has had that kind of attitude about
> his defense from the start.
>
> Karl Rominger, the Harrisburg attorney who also is assisting in his
> defense, says there’s nothing inconsistent with “the Jerry I’ve met in
> private and the Jerry I’ve seen in public.”
>
> The former coach has always had an aw-shucks manner about him, and
> those who knew him long before these allegations say he has a boyish
> demeanor and a silly side.
>
> But let’s get something straight: Jerry Sandusky is not a dumb guy.
>
> He graduated first in his class in the College of Health and Physical
> Education at Penn State, started a multimillion-dollar charity from
> the ground up and developed a defensive scheme that brought Penn State
> it’s only two national football championships.
>
> That’s not the side of Jerry Sandusky that we’ve seen in the last four
> months. Instead, his demeanor has been that of the proverbial dumb
> jock, a guy who is just a big kid — too goofy to realize that what he
> was doing was wrong.
>
> It begs the question: Is Sandusky taking the play-it-dumb defense?
>
> ‘A bright guy’
>
> In 1998, when Sandusky was investigated but not charged after two boys
> told police he’d showered with and touched them in the Penn State
> football locker room, the investigator for Children and Youth Services
> got the same impression.
>
> “I do remember going back to my office and talking with some
> supervisors, saying and thinking, this guy just won a national
> championship, and he didn’t appear very bright to me,” Jerry Lauro
> says. “He just had that dumb look on his face. That was my
> recollection way back and it stuck with me.”
>
> Lauro says Sandusky might have just been caught off-guard, because
> Lauro walked into the gym where Sandusky was working out and began
> questioning him.
>
> “I’m sure he’s a bright guy,” Lauro said. “You can’t do what he
did in
> those venues and not be smart.”
>
> But Sandusky had a blank look on his face during much of the 30-minute
> interview. Lauro remembers him shrugging his shoulders and throwing
> his arms in the air a lot.
>
> But even if he can excuse his demeanor as someone who was thrown off
> by the surprise interview, Lauro says he can’t get over Sandusky’s
> explanation — that he didn’t realize he’d done anything wrong by
> showering with the kids.
>
> “You can ask 50 people on the street and they’d all say the same thing
> — that he shouldn’t have done that,” Lauro said.
>
> Dr. Thomas Haworth, a licensed psychologist who works with child
> victims of sexual abuse, has not interviewed Sandusky, so he can’t
> speculate about his behavior.
>
> But some of the offenders he has interviewed rationalize that the
> child they’ve abused is making the advances or wants the behavior.
> Others think the contact is helping the child, Haworth said.
>
> “The nature of these distortions don’t have anything to do with
> intelligence,” he said. “If he believes his behavior is normal ...
> this is just the way guys behave, these sort of distortions are
> informing his own behavior, this is typically how people explain their
> own behavior to others.”
>
> And, “how much they are believing the distortions and how much they
> are manufacturing excuses is hard to define,” Haworth said.
>
> Childlike immaturity is different than stupidity.
>
> “There are some folks who are quite book smart and bright who are
> emotionally immature,” Haworth said.
>
> But given the environment that Sandusky has lived in — Western
> culture, where pedophilia is prominent news, and more locally, working
> within a charity where boundaries are important — Haworth said
> Sandusky would have had access to enough information to know that
> showering with children is not socially acceptable.
>
> “I think that all adults know there need to be boundaries with younger
> children,” Haworth said. “I’m hard-pressed to believe anyone wouldn’t
> have a clear idea of that.”
>
> For 30 years, Sandusky worked with kids and within an environment
> where volunteers were trained in proper contact with kids.
>
> That’s why some are just not buying his defense.
>
> “Anybody that ever knew Jerry knows better than that,” said Ron
> Bracken, a retired journalist who covered Penn State football for 40
> years. “Jerry was always gregarious. I don’t think anybody that knew
> him every would have thought: ‘This guy isn’t very sharp. He’s a dumb
> jock who just happens to be good at creating defenses.’ This doesn’t
> square at all with the Jerry that I knew. You don’t write books,
> graduate first in your class, you don’t do a lot of the things that he
> did if you have limited mental capabilities.”
>
> In demand as speaker
>
> Aside from authoring an autobiography, building a charity from the
> ground up and developing a nationally recognized football team,
> Sandusky was continuously accepting speaking engagements in which he
> inspired people with his accomplishments and instilled a
> responsibility to give back to the community.
>
> Archived searches of newspaper stories and Internet listings show
> Sandusky made about 20 public speaking appearances between 1998 and
> 2009 to a variety of audiences — a range of boards, banquets,
> potential donors, students and parents.
>
> In 1998, Sandusky spoke at the State College Area High School
> commencement ceremonies. In 2006, he spoke at the Central York School
> District sports night. In 2000, he spoke after being honored at the
> American Football Coaches Association. He spoke at the Special
> Olympics ceremonies at Penn State and gave pitches on behalf of
> charities and fundraising ventures.
>
> Sandusky spoke in 2007 to the American Family Coalition of
> Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.
>
> He wrote at least one column for the Centre Daily Times.
>
> Sandusky was the commencement speaker for Penn State’s College of
> Health and Human Development 2007.
>
> And he talked countless times to students and parents participating in
> Second Mile events.
>
> ‘Not the person I remember’
>
> ”He strikes you he could be your neighbor, your uncle,” said Kevin
> Flintosh, a 2006 graduate who met Sandusky during a 2005 retreat for
> Lion Ambassadors, the student group that gives campus tours to
> visitors and prospective students.
>
> “He was very unassuming for someone involved with something as big as
> Penn State football,” Flintosh said.
>
> Flintosh now lives in Cherry Hill, N.J., and as a proud Penn State
> graduate, he has been following the scandal closely. He watched
> Sandusky’s live interview with Bob Costas just days after his Nov. 5
> arrest, and then saw clips of Sandusky talking to the media after a
> court hearing Feb. 10.
>
> “The person I’m seeing today is not the same person I remember from
> seven years ago,” Flintosh said. “The person who I heard speak, that
> guy and the guy standing in front of the courthouse Friday, I know
> they are the same person, but I have a hard time rationalizing that
> the guy so concerned with community, so eloquent, is the same person.”
>
> Flintosh immediately wondered if Sandusky is heavily medicated.
>
> As part of a colloquy during the court hearing, Judge John M. Cleland
> asked Sandusky if he is taking medication and if he’s taking the
> correct dose.
>
> Sandusky answered yes to both.
>
> Is the medication altering his decision-making? No, the 68-year-old replied.
>
> Rominger wouldn’t comment on defense strategy for Sandusky, but said
> someone offered the theory that Sandusky — a former football player
> himself — might be suffering from the result of head trauma as he
> ages.
>
> Repetition helped
>
> Rominger also pointed out that Sandusky’s public appearances before
> charges were filed were more polished because they were more
> practiced.
>
> “In the past, he spent many years talking about the same issues and
> getting the work out for his charity,” Rominger said. “Just like a
> politician who gives a stump speech over and over.”
>
> Almost everyone interviewed for this story was unanimous in one thing:
> Sandusky sure appears to believe he has done nothing wrong.
>
> “I think some people think of the way he speaks as not being the
> sharpest tool in the shed, but I think he is,” said Jerry Fisher, a
> State College radio personality, voice of the Lady Lions basketball
> team and former Second Mile board member who worked with Sandusky for
> years. “I think he’s trying so hard to say the right thing that it
> comes across badly.”
>
> On his radio show, Fisher has talked about his impressions of many
> speeches he has seen Sandusky give over the years in comparison to his
> public persona since he was charged.
>
> Sandusky was always very methodical, Fisher said, sincere and low-key.
> He was never a shouter or a screamer.
>
> “Some of the things that have come out of his mouth have surprised
> me,” Fisher said. “But the way he comes across with aloofness and tone
> doesn’t surprise me.”
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Tell your Penn State friends about us! If they
> want to subscribe, have them send a message to:
> We_Are_Penn_State-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> All "We Are...Penn State" messages are archived at:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/We_Are_Penn_State/messages
>
>
>
> We Are...Penn StateYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

Yet another great article by Sara Ganim.

>> "Anybody that ever knew Jerry knows better than that," said Ron
Bracken, a retired journalist who covered Penn State football for 40
years. "Jerry was always gregarious. I don't think anybody that knew
him every would have thought: 'This guy isn't very sharp. He's a dumb
jock who just happens to be good at creating defenses.' This doesn't
square at all with the Jerry that I knew. You don't write books,
graduate first in your class, you don't do a lot of the things that he
did if you have limited mental capabilities." <<

This squares with what I've long believed, that this whole thing is an act.
Sandusky isn't the second coming of Lennie Small from "Of Mice and Men."

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

Video of (part of?) interview at link.

<http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-governor-tom-corbett-discusses-penn-state-and-je\
rry-sandusky-scandal-20120220,0,4370364.story>

FOX43�s Evan Forrester sits down with Pennsylvania Governor Tom
Corbett for a conversation on the issues facing the state, and facing
the Governor himself as he begins the second year of his four year
term in office.  The conversation included discussion about the Jerry
Sandusky child sex abuse case, and Mr. Corbett�s role as the Attorney
General when the case started.  Evan asks: �Governor, many people are
wondering why it took so long for charges against Jerry Sandusky to be
filed?�  Governor Corbett: �The case was run by long time career
prosecutors and agents in that office.  That's their job.  As Attorney
General you supervise.  They're the ones that are out there, and they
make some very tough decisions as well as I did, and I passed it along
to my successor Linda Kelly as the Attorney General.  In fact I was
very glad that I could bring Linda in because she was a fresh set of
eyes to look at this, because she hadn�t been there before.  And she
took a look at it.  You can�t rush a good case for any reason.  You
want to do it and make sure that you win�.  Evan asks:  �What do you
say to those people who say �well he waited because his campaign got
money from Second Mile board members�.  That's out there, you know
that's out there?� Governor Corbett says, �First off, I didn't wait
for anybody.  That case went--  would I like to have gotten it done in
six months?  Absolutely!  Absolutely, let's get it done.  Ah, the
members of the Second Mile, other than Sandusky, were never under
investigation.  I don't believe they  had knowledge to my opinion-- as
to what was going on-- from what I know.  They contributed to me long
before-- and they would contribute to me afterwards.  And if they
didn't they didn't.  That was not going to affect my decision.  The
hardest thing to explain to people is if you contribute to me, that
doesn't  mean that I�m going to cut you a break or do something
different.�

Evan asks: �Governor in your vote and decision to fire Joe Paterno and
Graham Spanier-- on the speakerphone you said.. �don't forget the
children�.  What did you mean in context to Joe Paterno?�   Governor
Corbett:  �While this discussion was going on, you're right, the only
thing I said was when you're making your vote that they have to
remember the children.  There were all kinds of discussions and I
thought it was important that they understand that the most important
thing to me are the victims.  And if you read the accounts in the
paper, and I'm disappointed to see people forget about the victims.
That's what I just wanted, that when they were voting-- you decide..
but keep in mind the victims.�   Evan asks: �And was the firing in
your opinion the right way to go?�  Governor Corbett: �Well I don't
want to get into that right now.  I have personal decisions in that,
and there's potential litigation out there, so I can't really get into
that right now.�  Evan asks:  �Louis Freeh has been tapped to head up
the investigation into what transpired at Penn State.  What do you
expect or what do you hope will come of that committee looking at this
whole event?�  Governor Corbett:  �I hope that he's looking at the
whole process-- talking about the relationships that are up there.
Talking about the lack of communication to the board-- within the
administration-- about the incidences that there was a public record
of; how that happened.  What was going on there?  I have a lot of
questions.  I�ve expressed that to him, and I can't do that now  on
television.  And he is independent.  I know there are members of
alumina organizations, student organizations, faculty organizations
say he is not independent.  There is nobody that's going to tell the
former director of the FBI and former federal judge what to do.  He
has been given free reign.  I recommended him to the board because I
know him as an individual.  I know he's going to look for everything
he possibly can, and then make recommendations to the board
particularly when it comes to governance-- as to what they need to
do.�

Glad I haven't yet eaten lunch. I'd have hurled. 'Remember the children as
in don't give Joe his last four games as coach... but don't allocate enough
resources to prioritize the case when you're AG? I guess the children
weren't as important then.

Jim Hauze '74


On Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 11:03 AM, PSU Carl <carl@...> wrote:

> Video of (part of?) interview at link.
>
> <
>
http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-governor-tom-corbett-discusses-penn-state-and-jer\
ry-sandusky-scandal-20120220,0,4370364.story
> >
>
> FOX43�s Evan Forrester sits down with Pennsylvania Governor Tom
> Corbett for a conversation on the issues facing the state, and facing
> the Governor himself as he begins the second year of his four year
> term in office.  The conversation included discussion about the Jerry
> Sandusky child sex abuse case, and Mr. Corbett�s role as the Attorney
> General when the case started.  Evan asks: �Governor, many people are
> wondering why it took so long for charges against Jerry Sandusky to be
> filed?�  Governor Corbett: �The case was run by long time career
> prosecutors and agents in that office.  That's their job.  As Attorney
> General you supervise.  They're the ones that are out there, and they
> make some very tough decisions as well as I did, and I passed it along
> to my successor Linda Kelly as the Attorney General.  In fact I was
> very glad that I could bring Linda in because she was a fresh set of
> eyes to look at this, because she hadn�t been there before.  And she
> took a look at it.  You can�t rush a good case for any reason.  You
> want to do it and make sure that you win�.  Evan asks:  �What do you
> say to those people who say �well he waited because his campaign got
> money from Second Mile board members�.  That's out there, you know
> that's out there?� Governor Corbett says, �First off, I didn't wait
> for anybody.  That case went--  would I like to have gotten it done in
> six months?  Absolutely!  Absolutely, let's get it done.  Ah, the
> members of the Second Mile, other than Sandusky, were never under
> investigation.  I don't believe they  had knowledge to my opinion-- as
> to what was going on-- from what I know.  They contributed to me long
> before-- and they would contribute to me afterwards.  And if they
> didn't they didn't.  That was not going to affect my decision.  The
> hardest thing to explain to people is if you contribute to me, that
> doesn't  mean that I�m going to cut you a break or do something
> different.�
>
> Evan asks: �Governor in your vote and decision to fire Joe Paterno and
> Graham Spanier-- on the speakerphone you said.. �don't forget the
> children�.  What did you mean in context to Joe Paterno?�   Governor
> Corbett:  �While this discussion was going on, you're right, the only
> thing I said was when you're making your vote that they have to
> remember the children.  There were all kinds of discussions and I
> thought it was important that they understand that the most important
> thing to me are the victims.  And if you read the accounts in the
> paper, and I'm disappointed to see people forget about the victims.
> That's what I just wanted, that when they were voting-- you decide..
> but keep in mind the victims.�   Evan asks: �And was the firing in
> your opinion the right way to go?�  Governor Corbett: �Well I don't
> want to get into that right now.  I have personal decisions in that,
> and there's potential litigation out there, so I can't really get into
> that right now.�  Evan asks:  �Louis Freeh has been tapped to head up
> the investigation into what transpired at Penn State.  What do you
> expect or what do you hope will come of that committee looking at this
> whole event?�  Governor Corbett:  �I hope that he's looking at the
> whole process-- talking about the relationships that are up there.
> Talking about the lack of communication to the board-- within the
> administration-- about the incidences that there was a public record
> of; how that happened.  What was going on there?  I have a lot of
> questions.  I�ve expressed that to him, and I can't do that now  on
> television.  And he is independent.  I know there are members of
> alumina organizations, student organizations, faculty organizations
> say he is not independent.  There is nobody that's going to tell the
> former director of the FBI and former federal judge what to do.  He
> has been given free reign.  I recommended him to the board because I
> know him as an individual.  I know he's going to look for everything
> he possibly can, and then make recommendations to the board
> particularly when it comes to governance-- as to what they need to
> do.�
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Tell your Penn State friends about us! If they
> want to subscribe, have them send a message to:
> We_Are_Penn_State-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> All "We Are...Penn State" messages are archived at:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/We_Are_Penn_State/messages
>
>
>
> We Are...Penn StateYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sadly, I was eating my lunch.  Here's a question:  Why were no members of
the Second Mile other than Sandusky ever considered to be worthy of
investigation?


-----Original Message-----
From: We_Are_Penn_State@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:We_Are_Penn_State@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jim Hauze
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 11:14 AM
To: We_Are_Penn_State@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [We Are...Penn State] Governor Tom Corbett discusses Penn State
and Jerry Sandusky Child Sex Abuse Case

Glad I haven't yet eaten lunch. I'd have hurled. 'Remember the children as
in don't give Joe his last four games as coach... but don't allocate enough
resources to prioritize the case when you're AG? I guess the children
weren't as important then.

Jim Hauze '74


On Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 11:03 AM, PSU Carl <carl@...> wrote:

> Video of (part of?) interview at link.
>
> <
> http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-governor-tom-corbett-discusses-penn-sta
> te-and-jerry-sandusky-scandal-20120220,0,4370364.story
> >
>
> FOX43's Evan Forrester sits down with Pennsylvania Governor Tom
> Corbett for a conversation on the issues facing the state, and facing
> the Governor himself as he begins the second year of his four year
> term in office.  The conversation included discussion about the Jerry
> Sandusky child sex abuse case, and Mr. Corbett's role as the Attorney
> General when the case started.  Evan asks: "Governor, many people are
> wondering why it took so long for charges against Jerry Sandusky to be
> filed?"  Governor Corbett: "The case was run by long time career
> prosecutors and agents in that office.  That's their job.  As Attorney
> General you supervise.  They're the ones that are out there, and they
> make some very tough decisions as well as I did, and I passed it along
> to my successor Linda Kelly as the Attorney General.  In fact I was
> very glad that I could bring Linda in because she was a fresh set of
> eyes to look at this, because she hadn't been there before.  And she
> took a look at it.  You can't rush a good case for any reason.  You
> want to do it and make sure that you win".  Evan asks:  "What do you
> say to those people who say 'well he waited because his campaign got
> money from Second Mile board members'.  That's out there, you know
> that's out there?" Governor Corbett says, "First off, I didn't wait
> for anybody.  That case went--  would I like to have gotten it done in
> six months?  Absolutely!  Absolutely, let's get it done.  Ah, the
> members of the Second Mile, other than Sandusky, were never under
> investigation.  I don't believe they  had knowledge to my opinion-- as
> to what was going on-- from what I know.  They contributed to me long
> before-- and they would contribute to me afterwards.  And if they
> didn't they didn't.  That was not going to affect my decision.  The
> hardest thing to explain to people is if you contribute to me, that
> doesn't  mean that I'm going to cut you a break or do something
> different."
>
> Evan asks: "Governor in your vote and decision to fire Joe Paterno and
> Graham Spanier-- on the speakerphone you said.. 'don't forget the
> children'.  What did you mean in context to Joe Paterno?"   Governor
> Corbett:  "While this discussion was going on, you're right, the only
> thing I said was when you're making your vote that they have to
> remember the children.  There were all kinds of discussions and I
> thought it was important that they understand that the most important
> thing to me are the victims.  And if you read the accounts in the
> paper, and I'm disappointed to see people forget about the victims.
> That's what I just wanted, that when they were voting-- you decide..
> but keep in mind the victims."   Evan asks: "And was the firing in
> your opinion the right way to go?"  Governor Corbett: "Well I don't
> want to get into that right now.  I have personal decisions in that,
> and there's potential litigation out there, so I can't really get into
> that right now."  Evan asks:  "Louis Freeh has been tapped to head up
> the investigation into what transpired at Penn State.  What do you
> expect or what do you hope will come of that committee looking at this
> whole event?"  Governor Corbett:  "I hope that he's looking at the
> whole process-- talking about the relationships that are up there.
> Talking about the lack of communication to the board-- within the
> administration-- about the incidences that there was a public record
> of; how that happened.  What was going on there?  I have a lot of
> questions.  I've expressed that to him, and I can't do that now  on
> television.  And he is independent.  I know there are members of
> alumina organizations, student organizations, faculty organizations
> say he is not independent.  There is nobody that's going to tell the
> former director of the FBI and former federal judge what to do.  He
> has been given free reign.  I recommended him to the board because I
> know him as an individual.  I know he's going to look for everything
> he possibly can, and then make recommendations to the board
> particularly when it comes to governance-- as to what they need to
> do."
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Tell your Penn State friends about us! If they want to subscribe, have
> them send a message to:
> We_Are_Penn_State-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> All "We Are...Penn State" messages are archived at:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/We_Are_Penn_State/messages
>
>
>
> We Are...Penn StateYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

Tell your Penn State friends about us! If they want to subscribe, have them
send a message to:
We_Are_Penn_State-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

All "We Are...Penn State" messages are archived at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/We_Are_Penn_State/messages



We Are...Penn StateYahoo! Groups Links

Corbett is a gutless piece of shit...

Q: Was the firing [of Joe Paterno] in your opinion the right way to go?

Governor Corbett: Well I don't want to get into that right now. I have personal
decisions in that, and there's potential litigation out there, so I can't really
get into that right now.
__________

Corbett directly controls about 30% of the votes on the Board of Traitors. All
of them knew he had more information than they did regarding the Sandusky case.

If Corbett had said, "Let's just calm down and wait for this thing to play out,"
they would not have fired Joe. Instead he said, "Remember that little boy in the
shower," before the vote, sealing Joe's fate.

I hope all you Pennsylvania voters remember Corbett's role in this mess in 2014.

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

I can't wait to see the impact of all the Penn Staters organized against
his fat ass.

Rocko


On Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 11:21 AM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> Corbett is a gutless piece of shit...
>
> Q: Was the firing [of Joe Paterno] in your opinion the right way to go?
>
> Governor Corbett: Well I don't want to get into that right now. I have
> personal decisions in that, and there's potential litigation out there, so
> I can't really get into that right now.
> __________
>
> Corbett directly controls about 30% of the votes on the Board of Traitors.
> All of them knew he had more information than they did regarding the
> Sandusky case.
>
> If Corbett had said, "Let's just calm down and wait for this thing to play
> out," they would not have fired Joe. Instead he said, "Remember that little
> boy in the shower," before the vote, sealing Joe's fate.
>
> I hope all you Pennsylvania voters remember Corbett's role in this mess in
> 2014.
>
> Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Great story...

On Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 7:14 AM, PSU Carl <carl@...> wrote:

> <http://www.msnsportsnet.com/blogs.cfm?blog=ccBlog&useDate=01/23/12#20423>
>
> Mountaineer football has experienced an unprecedented run of success
> over the last eight seasons. Consider:
>
> * Eight consecutive bowl appearances
> * Three BCS bowl victories (Sugar, Fiesta and Orange)
> * 78-24 overall record
> * Six Top 25 finishes
> * 92 weeks in the Top 25
> * 38 weeks in the Top 10
>
> What West Virginia has managed to accomplish under three different
> coaches is certainly worth touting.
>
> Now, add 38 more years of similar success � all under one guy - and
> that�s what Penn State football fans have enjoyed during Joe Paterno�s
> remarkable 46-year coaching career that spanned five decades and nine
> different presidents.
>
> And for 27 of the 46 seasons the late Paterno coached at Penn State he
> dominated eastern football like no other � not Pitt�s Jock Sutherland,
> not Syracuse�s Ben Schwartzwalder, not Maryland�s Jim Tatum, not
> Army�s Earl Blaik - none of them could sustain what Paterno was able
> to accomplish during his long tenure in State College, Pa.
>
> And no one ever will again, partly because no coach will ever be at
> the same place for that amount of time, and partly because we�ve all
> gone our separate ways.
>
> From 1966 to 1992 when Penn State was an eastern independent,
> Paterno�s teams racked up 247 victories, 17 Top 10 finishes, 14 10-win
> seasons, four undefeated campaigns and two national titles. Only Pitt
> for a brief period of time in the late 70s even came close to
> challenging Penn State for eastern supremacy, the Panthers beating
> Penn State three times in a span of five seasons between 1976 and
> 1980. Of course Paterno wasn�t too thrilled about that - or Pitt�s
> brash, young coach Jackie Sherrill.
>
> Before joining the Big Ten in 1993, Paterno was 25-2 against West
> Virginia, 23-0-1 against Maryland, 21-4 against Syracuse, 20-6-1
> against Pitt, 17-0 against Temple, 16-2 against Boston College, 13-1
> against Rutgers, 9-1 against Army and 6-2 against Navy. His combined
> record from 1966-92 versus those nine major eastern programs was
> 150-16-2. Paterno lost multiple games to eastern teams just four times
> in 27 years in 1966, 1984, 1987 and 1988. That�s unbelievable.
>
> �To be brutally frank,� Paterno once said, �many of our eastern
> rivalries just weren�t competitive.�
>
> No, they weren�t.
>
> Paterno�s undefeated �68 team swept through the northeast like a
> hurricane, beating Maryland 57-13, Pitt 65-9, West Virginia 31-20,
> Syracuse 30-12, Boston College 29-0 and Navy 31-6. Only Army was able
> to give the Nittany Lions a game that year, falling 28-24 in Happy
> Valley.
>
> It was a similar deal in 1969: 48-0 over Maryland, 27-7 over Pitt,
> 20-0 over West Virginia, 15-14 over Syracuse, 38-16 over Boston
> College and 45-22 over Navy.
>
> In 1973 it got worse. Penn State routed Maryland 42-22, Pitt 35-13,
> West Virginia 62-14, Syracuse 49-6, Navy 39-0 and Army 54-3.
> Amazingly, the Nittany Lions finished fifth in the polls that season
> behind undefeated Notre Dame, one-loss Alabama and once-tied Ohio
> State and Oklahoma.
>
> The first time I saw Paterno in person was in Morgantown in 1978 when
> the Lions were on their way to a meeting against top-ranked Alabama in
> the 1979 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans (that game featured Alabama�s
> famous goal line stand that denied Paterno his first national title
> and gave Bear Bryant his sixth).
>
> I was only 10 at the time and I wasn�t all that familiar with Penn
> State football. I was more enamored with the bright green Astroturf at
> old Mountaineer Field and how I was going to get down there to run
> around on it after the game, the chicken wire fence used to keep the
> WVU students separated from the normal people and that crazy Frisbee
> Dog who entertained fans before the Pride of West Virginia hit the
> field.
>
> That was until I saw this bespectacled guy, dressed in a white
> collared shirt, dark tie, and sporting charcoal gray trousers rolled
> up just high enough to reveal his white tube socks and coal black
> sneakers. He was standing down below us in the tunnel amongst a bunch
> of hairy-armed brutes. No one wore tats back then and the few who did
> only put them on their forearms and shoulders anyway.
>
> The Penn State players were dressed in all white uniforms - a single
> blue stripe running across the helmet and a navy blue numeral the only
> two things separating them from looking like a bunch of ghosts. For
> years, some of the younger WVU players used to be deceived by those
> plain white uniforms and dark shoes when they would study Penn State
> film. They thought those white uniforms didn�t make them look that
> big. But they were. And those dark shoes didn�t make them look that
> fast. But they were. Plus, they were smart and tough � the football
> Superfecta.
>
> Then, the guy with the dark tie and flooders all of a sudden darted
> out onto the field like he was shot out of a cannon, the team
> confidently jogging out behind him. Odd, I thought. Could this be Penn
> State�s famous football coach? Games weren�t on TV back then like they
> are today, so you only had a couple chances to see the best teams,
> plus, we were usually outside playing football in the yard anyway. He
> certainly wasn�t dressed like any of the other coaches out there, I
> thought. In fact, he looked more like the guy wearing the pocket
> protector who read our electric meter outside the house each month.
> But it was him: Famous Joe Paterno, or simply JoePa, as he was then
> becoming known.
>
> His team didn�t look like the world beaters they were made out to be,
> either. West Virginia jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead on touchdowns by
> Duggan and Conwell � not to be confused with Fusina, Guman, Clark,
> Millen, Moore and Suhey � and a surge of electricity overtook old
> Mountaineer Field. The WVU students sitting next to me who had
> observed back-to-back-to-back 39-0, 33-0 and 49-28 drubbings at the
> hands of these same Lions were beginning to cook up the biggest
> celebration America had seen since V-E Day.
>
> But the Sunnyside Siege was quickly called off. A blocked punt here, a
> punt return there, a couple of phantom calls, some really long passes
> and a lot of punishing runs later, that 14-point Mountaineer lead
> turned into another double-digit Penn State loss faster than its
> high-stepping coach could run off the field.
>
> What just happened, I wondered?
>
> What happened was I had just witnessed my first Penn State defeat, one
> of 26 in a row the Mountaineers endured over four decades. That�s the
> equivalent to Eisenhower-Kennedy-Johnson- Nixon-Ford-Carter-Reagan in
> presidential years.
>
> It wasn�t until 1984 that West Virginians were finally able to chase
> Paterno off their own field. They did it again in 1988, and both times
> he had to leave before the game was over.
>
> West Virginia coach Don Nehlen said his postgame visit with Paterno
> after the �84 victory was a brief one � far shorter than he would have
> liked.
>
> �He said, �Don, I just want to congratulate you. I knew when this game
> was over it was going to be pure pandemonium. I want to shake your
> hand and I�m getting out of here,�� Nehlen recalled.
>
> After their quick handshake Paterno took off running in one direction,
> Nehlen the other.
>
> That�s what happens when you beat great football programs. And Joe
> Paterno�s was one of the best.
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Tell your Penn State friends about us! If they
> want to subscribe, have them send a message to:
> We_Are_Penn_State-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> All "We Are...Penn State" messages are archived at:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/We_Are_Penn_State/messages
>
>
>
> We Are...Penn StateYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


--
Dave Kroll   Penn State Proud
DB2 and IMS from Soup 2 Nuts Support

210-827-1382    (-Cell-)
256-325-6952    (-Home-)

[image: Picture]


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I agree Harold, the absence of an investigation regarding the role
played by the Foundation and its administrators has really bothered me
from the start of all this.  It baffles me that no one seems to have
asked why the Foundation did not do their own investigation of Sandusky
once it became known that he was being investigated for child abuse (or
earlier if someone with the Foundation was actually notified by Curley
about the incident in 2002).  The Foundation was much more likely to
know which kids Sandusky was interacting with than anyone else.  All of
the questions and complaints that have been directed at PSU should also
be directed at the Second Mile.

Jim G. '80

On 2/21/2012 11:17 AM, Harold Aurand wrote:
> Sadly, I was eating my lunch.  Here's a question:  Why were no members of
> the Second Mile other than Sandusky ever considered to be worthy of
> investigation?
>

Jim Genuardi:
>> All of the questions and complaints that have been directed at PSU should
also be directed at The Second Mile. <<

The difference being that Graham Spanier was publicly critical of Governor
Corbett's proposed budget cuts, in sharp contrast with the large campaign
contributions of The Second Mile board members.

Corbett's denials use the same assumption made by Lanny Davis--we're all a bunch
of stupid rubes.

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

We have a weekend off before the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Purdue...

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/pearsall-leads-penn-state-wrestlings\
-dramatic-surge/

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

For me, Christine Flowers nails it. Wow. - Carl

<http://articles.philly.com/2012-01-27/news/30670906_1_joe-paterno-joepa-bigger-\
picture>

WITH ALL due respect to the writers in the sports departments of every
newspaper in Pennsylvania, including this one, Joe Paterno is not
their story. They borrowed him for a few decades, making his gridiron
triumphs a metaphor for their own particular interests or agendas.
They dissected his strategies, his recruits, his awards, his national
rankings and even his personality, to fill column space. And in these
last weeks, they turned him into King Lear, the man who was too
certain of his own importance and too trusting of bad characters in
his retinue.

But Paterno didn't belong to them in life, and doesn't belong to them
in death. His reputation is not subject to the sometimes- whispered,
sometimes-thundering accusations of moral trespass. His life won't be
summed up, either, by the legal experts, members of my own profession
who hover like hungry carrion over the bodies of those who've been
wounded by innuendo and legal posturing.

Paterno transcends all of that. The people who knew him ignored the
public campaign to blame him for someone else's alleged brutality. His
players - current and former - felt as if an organ had been removed
from their bodies when the Penn State trustees fired the coach late
one November evening. And it had been, because JoePa was the heart of
Happy Valley.

The students - current and former - also rebelled at the media's
depiction of a (take your pick) doddering old fool who let criminals
run roughshod on campus or a venal old man who didn't care if they
did. And when they raised their voices in protest at rallies and
alumni meetings, the press came back and ridiculed them for missing
the "bigger picture." As if you couldn't feel sorry for this man and
recognize his greatness while at the same time sympathizing with
victims of sexual abuse.

Most egregious to me were the alumni who seemed to resent the role
that football had played at their alma mater, and used this
opportunity to attack Paterno as a belated bit of payback. Some wrote
letters to the editor dripping with venom. Some wrote me emails that,
if they'd been letters, would have corroded my fingers with acid. And
all of them presumed guilt.

Paterno belongs to none of them. He is bigger than their political
correctness, their willingness to judge before proper judgment has
been rendered, their desire to tear an icon from a pedestal he never
asked for but fully deserved. He's bigger than the teachers and
trustees who worried about how this story played in the big cities
where perception often carries more weight than the truth, and for
whom football is just a way to pay for "things that really count."
Like libraries. And scholarships.

Ironically, that's where Paterno belongs. He will be in every classics
seminar that talks about honor and obligation. He will reside in the
pages of every book, bought with his donations, that coaxes an athlete
to read a little more. He will be in the mind of every Penn Stater who
understands that winning is a process, not a destination. And he will
be in every stone of every building erected with money donated by
those who loved him, and what he stood for.

Right now, it's hard to gauge the true measure of the man who
personified Penn State for more than five decades. Some will be too
kind and want to forget that he made mistakes, not the least of which
was failing to believe that there was evil in the world, and on his
campus. Others will be too unforgiving, and never allow his name to be
spoken without also mentioning Jerry Sandusky's.

The fairest way to remember Paterno, and the one that will take some
time, is to understand that lives are not defined by singular acts.
Hitler could never be redeemed even if he'd saved the life of a child.
John F. Kennedy is not worthless just because he cheated on his wife.
These isolated snapshots of events do not determine how history - and
God - will judge us.

That's why, when we allow the sorrow and anger to dissipate somewhat,
I know that Joseph Vincent Paterno will be remembered for all the good
that he brought into this world, and forgiven for whatever sins he may
have committed.

It reminds me of these lines from Ralph Emerson, invoking the Lord:

I cause from every creature

His proper good to flow

As much as he is and doeth

So much shall he bestow

A fitting epitaph, don't you think?


Christine M. Flowers is a lawyer. Email: <cflowers1961@...>