A Trek to Happy Valley.

One of my regrets in life is not attending a College that had a major football program.  I went to a small (D-II football) school in Northeast PA.  Our football games were boring and cross country races drew a bigger crowd.  Nobody tailgated and nobody cared or looked forward to Saturday afternoons.  I suppose this is the reason I enjoy my annual pilgrimage to Beaver Stadium.  I've lived all over the world and have got to see many college games in many different venues.  Penn State is a different animal, however.  Last week my wife, son, brother (PSU grad) and myself went to watch PSU take on Illinois.  This would be a good test for Penn State since both teams were nationally ranked and it was the Big 10 opener for PSU.  The game was dubbed a "white-out" by the student body; a scene you had to be there to fully enjoy. 

My son, could really care less about football but for some reason loves Penn State football.  I got the tickets for him as a birthday gift because my brother had a window of opportunity that I thought would make an ideal gift for a youngster.  We had two choices:  1)  PSU vs. Costal Carolina or 2) PSU vs. the Illini.  Obviously we picked #2.  The opportunity was to get down on the field during the game.My brother knew some folks and he took my son down on the field for the second quarter and I got the field pass for the third quarter. 

This was an opportunity that I'll certainly never forget and I doubt my son will either.  This game was the 8th largest in Beaver Stadium history, well over 108,000 fans.  The game was good and the crowd was pumped (it helps when you tailgate for eight hours).  I have a new appreciation for crowd noise.  Anyone that has been to Beaver can attest to that; but being on the field is a different animal.  It was deafening and amazing.

The tailgate was superb.  Swissvale72's brother, TonyV (A PSU alum), invited us to his tailgate.  TonyV is a PSU season ticket holder (along with the Pens and Steelers) and tailgates with his friend Brian for every home game.  I had met TonyV and his wife before but I did not know anyone else.  Good food and drinks were plentiful.  Thanks TonyV, Betsy and Brian for a great time.  Hopefully, we'll see you next year for the Ohio St. game.  I think most yinzers are friendly and I like being around them. 

I hate yuppies, even though I go to work dressing like one (suits and ties).  One of the best things about the tailgate was meeting Western PA's version of Larry the Cable guy.  I can't remember the guy's name but he was hilarious and introduced me to a tailgate game called ladder golf.  As he eloquently put it; it is safer than horseshoes and you don't take a lot of paint off other cars.  Ladder Golf was fun; you can buy this stuff at www.laddergolf.com  Their rig is slightly expensive but the ingenuity of the Western PA folk figured out how to build this device from PVC pipe.

Below are a few pics from this game:

The Whiteout

Field Shot.  #3, Butler, lives close to me and I watched him a great deal as a High School player.

Joe Looking Young

Karma?  13 years to the date after OJ Simpson was found not guilty (there is a distinction between innocent and not guilty) for murder, he was found guilty of a bunch of stuff that will draw an mandatory sentence and perhaps imprison him for the rest of his life. 13 is unlucky but for Juice it may be even worse.  OJ has to be the dumbest jock in the history of jocks.

Cliff Clavin Facts:

• A National Treasure is going to be destroyed; Yankee Stadium.  I don't care if you like the Yanks but you have to respect this building.  Did you know?...College football was often played in Yankee Stadium.  In fact, the first college football game in the house the Ruth built featured Pitt and Syracuse. Penn State also played twice in the this stadium.
• There have been 871 college football head coach changes since Joe Paterno took the job in 1966.
•  It is well known that Paterno was offered the Steelers head coaching position, competing with Chuck Noll.  Obviously, Joe turned it down but he was later recruited to coach the New England Patriots.  The first five years at Penn State, Joe was never under a contract.  His new contract expires at the end of this season.
• In 1887, the first game was played a Beaver Stadium.  There were no stands.
• There are 93,000 season ticket holders for Penn State (This is not a typo).
• ESPN ranks Penn State as the #1 Best/Fun student section in the nation.