Mental Health Awareness Week - Kevin Love's Story

In further support of Mental Health Awareness Week, I found a terrific article that is worth anyone's time to read:

Everyone is Going Through Something

The article was written by professional basketball player Kevin Love.  You can read more about Kevin and his background here.  For the record, Kevin is not some minor player in NBA who has nothing better to do than write articles while he sits on the bench; rather he is a 5 time NBA All-Star.  The fact that he is using his notoriety to spread the word about an important, but uncomfortable, subject is commendable.

Two quotes that stuck out for me:

"It really makes you think about how we are all walking around with experiences and struggles — all kinds of things — and we sometimes think we’re the only ones going through them. The reality is that we probably have a lot in common with what our friends and colleagues and neighbors are dealing with." 

"I’m trying to face the uncomfortable stuff in life while also enjoying, and being grateful for, the good stuff. I’m trying to embrace it all, the good, bad and ugly."

Our Parents Lied to Us: Monsters are Real (Rape Culture Edition)

There's been a lot spoken and written over the past week or so about the results of a certain rape trail in California.  I'm not going to even try to get into the details of the case, as for my purposes they don't really matter.  One thing though that has come up, especially in virtual circles, is the notion of a "rape culture".

Now I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, at least when it comes to certain things.  However, none of those smarts seem to help me when it comes to the whole "rape culture" thing.  I do don't understand it, and in all honesty I don't want to even make the effort at understanding it.  Why?  I think it comes down to this:  I find violence against anyone for the mere purpose of personal gratification to be incredibly repugnant.  If you do that, you forfeit your claim to being a human f&^king being in my book.  Now I could study the concept, but that would make me no more learned, no more informed, no more a better person.  I would simply be left intellectually soiled, with even less hope for our species.

I'll take it even one step further:  I don't know if there is a culture of rape.  I do know that there is a culture in this country of lofting athletes and athletics up in ways that beguile their actual purpose in society, namely just entertainment.  Now if someone wants to grow their physical abilities as a matter of personal development, well then I think that's great.  But getting paid a million dollars to do that...or...getting a pass on rightful jail time for a horrid criminal act just because you do that...well I'm sorry, but no.  No entertainer, be he/she a reality television star or star quarterback or a Stanford University swimmer, deserves those kinds of outcomes.  They simply don't, and as I see it, part of the problem in our society today is that far too many are blind to how ridiculous our priorities have become.  When we loft these people up to supra-human heights, is there any wonder that some may actually act like the rest of us are, well, below them (at best)?

Now before anyone gets their dander up, I'm not claiming that all athletes are horrible human beings.  What I am claiming though is that we, as a society, place too much emphasis on sports in this country.  Sometimes that's benign, other times it produces wretched results.

By the way, we also see the above horrid skewing at work in our own area, when school academic programs are cut in local districts, but football programs are left intact.  That's another posting for another day.

Come to think of it, maybe the idea of a "rape culture" is really just another example, in a long line of examples, where we've allowed ourselves to be blinded by shiny objects (such as people who entertain us with their ability to run/swim/throw a ball really well) while our souls are cut out in the process.  Maybe this is less about high concepts such as culture and more about basic human dignity, the kind thrown out a window and set on fire the moment an alcoholic binge turns into the intimate and forceful violation of another.

As I said at the beginning of this posting, I don't get the idea of "rape culture", maybe because I don't need a fancy label to describe the horror of your mother or wife or daughter or sister or friend being victimized in a manner that's going to have a shelf-life long past 6 months of incarceration.  I don't need some kind of societal explanation to help me understand that which drives senseless violence of the worst sort.  The only understanding I need is that some people are just monsters, and sadly, our society all too often puts them on pedestals.  We helped make this.  Maybe, just maybe, that's "rape culture".

Rest in Peace Champ of the World

Among the things I remember most from my childhood, I count the Apollo Moon landings and seeing clips of Muhammad Ali fighting as being among the most vivid.

For the uninitiated, you have to understand that Ali was incredibly remarkable for two reasons:

1) He was a man of exceptional principles.
2) He was the very, very best at what he did.

Ali was like Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky, but with 1000% more personality.  Ali was a very smart man who just happened to beat people up for a living.  Ali was a walking contradiction that made it look like there was never any contradiction at all.

I actually once got within about 20 feet of Ali.  It was back in Louisville (KY), around 1992-1994 and I was waiting to board a plane when the Champ of the World arrived on an incoming flight.  He was a big man...bigger than I ever imagined.  He was also impeccably dressed.

In a world that lacks sincerity and real conviction (witness countless former "enemies" now endorsing Donald Trump), Ali stood out as someone who said what he meant, even when it wasn't popular.

Rest in Peace Champ.

Road Apples, #166

Deep Thoughts...I love the blog written by A.J. Dick.  In fact I love just about every blog posting written by A.J. Dick.  His last posting is well worth reading as a counter-point to insanity of some.  You can read it HERE.

News of the Good...By this Sunday (December 13th) I will officially be 50% of the way towards completing my Master's degree.  It's a nice feeling.  2016 will be tough in that I'll have a few difficult classes to go, but it's all (mostly) down hill from here.

Bad News on the Doorstep...I feel saturated with news of death and violence.  It's like an evil fog that is floating everywhere.  Just when you think it couldn't get any more insane, well then Donald Trump says something else.  Speaking of lunatics...

Ted Nugent...says that the United States should be "cleansed" of liberals.  So say the author of such classics as Wango Tango and Cat Scratch Fever.  It reminds me of one simple fact:  The loonies on the Right are worse that the loonies on the left, mainly because they are better armed.  Also, when last I checked, bullets do more damage than organic granola bars.

That Moment...when you buy a new book only to discover that you already own that same book.

Speaking of Books...Now that I don't have to spend time during the week reading a textbook for school I can ramp up the leisure reading.  First up is to finish this book...

...which is a good thing, given that I had to order it from the publisher in the U.K.  Actually I am about 70% finished with it.  Highly recommended, although, again, very difficult to find.

Projects...I'm actually going to take a few months before my next graduate class to work on some projects around the house.  Two big ones in particular:  1) Ripping up the wallpaper and then painting in our half bathroom on the first floor and 2) Installing some serious shelving in the home office.  I simply have more books than I currently have room for books.  Not to mention a small radio collection.  And a Bill the Cat doll.  And a few other things.  There will be photographs.

(an old photo; it's now far more crowded)

Cat Rescue...We rescued a cat in November.  It's kind of like a "kitty witness protection program" kind of deal, but suffice to say it was a cat that was in danger because he had been kicked out of his home by his "owner".  Now I have no designs on being a cat rancher, but few things boil my blood more than the abuse of animals.  Abuse, by the way, can come in many forms, including abandonment.  Anyway, our new addition, "Adolph", is doing very well.  Socialization with his fellow housemates JeanLuc and Tiger has been completed, and squabbles are minimal.  He's also been professionally groomed and treated by a good local veterinarian.   Tres gatos in the limit though.

Resolutions (also known as Goals)...I love New Year's resolutions.  I really do.  It's time to start thinking about them to boot.  I think I've done a lot of work in the mental health department this year, so maybe 2016 will be more focused on the physical end.

Muhammed Ali...made a statement recently about the the shootings and Islam.  It's worth reading (reference HERE), if for no other reason than the fact that Ali was, and will always be, champ of the world.

"I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the world. True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion.

We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda. They have alienated many from learning about Islam. True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody.

Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what Islam really is."

In the end, any and every religion can be perverted by evil folks as justification for what drives most bad human behavior, namely a lust for power.

Internet Graphic of the Week, #1

With no intention of doing this every week, but there are enough of them out there to warrant a posting every once in a while.

* * * * * *

There's about a tenth of a degree of separation between people that play fantasy football and those that, say, attend Star Trek conventions (dressed like Klingons).

Executive Compensation

I just completed my graduate Compensation class this past weekend, and I am, quite literally relieved.  It was a lot of work, and coupled with my actual day job (and a few other things running in the background), it was almost too much.  It's amazing really, looking back at older postings, as I can literally see the conflict in the words I used and the way I constructed postings.  Anyway, that's not what I was going to write about in this posting.  On to that...

About a quarter of the class was centered on executive compensation strategies.

On one hand, wearing my official HR hat, I intellectually grasp the "why's" and "how's" of executive compensation.  I really do.  The class instructor, by the way, is in charge of compensation for a large, multi-national corporation.  Like all of the Villanova faculty I've had so far, she is top-notch, so I have no complaints.  Especially since I did comparatively well in the class.

On the other hand, I have a moral problem with executive compensation.  Grasp this for a moment:  One of the chief methods by which executive compensation is determined is by gathering market data on what other executives are paid.  Let that sink in now, as it automatically creates a system that guarantees a perpetual set of increases over time (every time an executive gets a raise, that bumps up the median pay, which then can bump up pay for others).  What pays absolutely zero factor in executive compensation?  That would be how much non-executives are paid.

Now before I seem to go off the deep end, it's important to state that a typical American business executive (especially those I've met) by and large work really darn hard.  They are often working far longer than the average worker, and at times they never really leave work.  They also manage big chunks of risk that average workers don't need to assume.  I appreciate and acknowledge that executives need to be paid well, and they should have a long-term ownership interest in the company they work for, if that company is publicly traded.  The question though is what constitutes "excessive"?   Now you could answer that question by quoting some factoring of non-executive pay, but the problem with that comparison is that there really isn't an "average" worker pay in most organizations.  The math is difficult, but do-able; the logic though is a bit tougher (Weighted average?  Overtime?  Add in or subtract union dues?  How do you count part-time workers?).

I'll also note that "Blue Collar Joe Six Pack" had better be careful about criticizing excessive executive pay while simultaneously rooting for his favorite football or baseball team, as that's a heaping bit of contradiction.  By my estimation, most executives aren't paid nearly as excessively as the average professional athlete, namely someone who is paid a lot to basically play a child's game.  That executive at GSK may oversee the development of a new cancer drug; what does the average NFL quarterback do of comparable benefit to society?

Like most things I write about here, there is no easy set of answers, but that's okay.  This is more about asking questions than answering them anyway.  I'd also be remiss if I didn't point out the fact that at least some of the distress over executive pay is misplaced in the sense that it is used to stoke other, unrelated agendas (such as encouraging labor union participation).  Finally, there is also the very notion that what happens to someone else, as in what someone else is paid, really and truly doesn't concern me.  I am only in charge of me, just me, and by and large I am paid fairly.  I am not an executive, but that said I am doing fine for a kid that came out of a housing project.

This a conversation that needs to continue to be held in the United States though.  It's important to continue to question the status quo, whatever status quo that might be, as that's how true progress is ultimately made in our society.  

Should A College Education Be Free? I Vote "No".

I read a lot about the current student loan crisis, and hear many cries that a college education should be free.  I completely disagree.

Nothing of value is really free.

Not even the giving of our own time is actually "free", as it costs us, well, our time.  My fine Penn State education taught me that such a thing has an "opportunity cost".

Love isn't "free" either by the way, as it requires work...sometimes hard work...and sacrifice.  Sound familiar?

Education truly has value, and because of that it's worth paying for, it's worth sacrificing for, it's worth the investment.  Students, as in the folks who actually go to school, should be fully invested in their education.  This means they should be investing their minds and their wallets.  They should have "skin in the game", if you will, over and above simply blowing their parents money and generating profit margin for a student loan lender.

The moment you make a college education free you devalue it.  It becomes something that some feel entitled to, not because they worked for it, but because it should simply be theirs.  Do we really want to cheapen the value of higher education?

Now should an education cost the equivalent of a nice home in rural Pennsylvania?  I don't believe that it should.  The cost of an education should be something that requires sacrifice of the part of the student (and to a lessor extent their parents), but not 20 years of a financial indentured servitude to a student loan lender.  In the end, there needs to be a better balance in how we fund education, but it truly must be a "balance".  Simply saying "college should be free" diminishes the value of education, just as "20 years of crushing debt"  diminishes the prospects of some to actually obtain an education.  In order to change that balance though, I think some structural changes need to be made in American higher education.

Structural changes?  Well we need to re-focus just what higher education means in the United States.  What does, for example, having a feeder system for professional sports have to do with education?  College athletics started out as clubs of students playing games with students from other colleges, not about the development of big-league proto-professional athletes.  Time to break that cycle and get schools out of the sports business, as it's an expensive diversion.  Another cycle that must be broken is the notion of life time instructor tenure.  I'm sorry, but everyone should have to prove the value of their employment over and above simply the avoidance of getting fired in the past.  Finally, while I am as free-market as they come, I firmly disagree with the concept of "for profit" education.  Providing a college education is a service to humanity; it shouldn't be a service to investors.

I'm not pretending that simply getting rid of sports and tenure will make a college education affordable, but I am claiming that the basics of higher education need to change, from operations through how costs are passed along to students.  Our current system is simply unsustainable.  Society should encourage and share in these costs, but so too should the actual students who benefit from that education.

Pete Rose and the Baseball Hall of Fame (a.k.a. Charlie Hustler)

Reference THIS article.

I fully expect that, eventually Pete Rose, a man who not only gambled on baseball...while he was playing and managing baseball...but lied about it profusely, will eventually get into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  At that point, I suggest renaming it the Baseball Hall of Shame.

Yes, let's ponder that one for a moment:  In the surreal world of American professional sports, apparently "banned for forever" doesn't actually mean "banned for forever".  Why should it?  This is a game where a union exists to protect millionaires (players) from other millionaires (owners) while at the same time turning a blind eye for a decade or more to rampant cheating via the use of performance enhancing drugs.  Surreal?  In point of fact Major League Baseball, it could be argued, has no shame at all, so why not put Rose in Cooperstown?

Well here's why Pete Rose should be banned for life from the Hall of Fame Shame:  Because he lied...

...to his fans
...to major league baseball
...to the public at large.

He lied because of the hubris associated with being "Pete Rose".  When you believe that you ARE baseball, it's not much of a stretch to believe that baseball's rules do not apply to you.

If Pete Rose is allowed in the Baseball Hall of Fame, what in turn will be the message, especially for younger fans of the game?  That you can basically do whatever the heck you want, including lying to everyone about an extremely serious matter, and as long as you say "sorry" enough it will somehow be okay?  Or maybe the lesson is that the rules apply to everyone, unless you happen to be Pete Rose.

Call me crazy, but I think integrity matters.  Even in the world of professional sports.

In the end, Pete Rose isn't sorry he bet on baseball...he's sorry that he got punished for betting on baseball.  One need only look the years of vehement denials for proof of that last statement.  Now if professional baseball can't distinguish between these two concepts...sorry for gambling on baseball vs sorry for getting caught gambling on baseball...then I suspect he probably should be in the Hall of Fame Shame.

Obligatory Sports Posting

I am not a sports fan, at least in terms of watching sports.  There's just something odd about passively sitting watching others be active.  What's more, sports can sometimes have the impact of dulling and distracting people from the stuff that really matters.  Take high school football for example:  but when a football program becomes the focus of a school, instead of, well, actually educating students, then you know a line has been crossed.

Anyway, all of the above is simply a ramp-up for a posting about sports.  They don't come very often.

Pete Rose 
I hear much grumbling in the dank corners of the Internet that Pete Rose should be "allowed back into baseball".  Let's set the record straight:  Pete Rose is sleaze.  He basically crapped all over the game he supposedly loved.  He then lied about his craptastic activities.  There is no constitutional right to be a part of professional sporting activity.  His presence in the Baseball Hall-O-Fame would be a sham.  Let him die and then, maybe, have a plaque honoring him installed in a Cooperstown ladies bathroom.

Penn State Football
Yes, Penn State is winning football games.  Yeah!  But let's not forget that it was a "football uber-alles" mentality that got the school national attention for allowing the rape of little boys by an assistant coach.  Yes, I know, it was the assistant coach who assaulted the boys, but that activity was passively condoned by a head coach and an administration.  Passively allowed.  When a child is seen being assaulted by an assistant coach and the observer doesn't immediately rush in to try and stop the activity, well then I suspect that maybe concerns for a football program begin to outweigh concerns for basic morality.  Never forget Penn Staters...never forget.  This alumni will not, that's for sure.

High School Sports
I've watched three high school football games so far this year, which for me is a lot.  I actually enjoy watching the kids play.  The fact that they make mistakes helps to create much more enjoyable spectacle.  What's more, high school football games create this unique sense of community that you just don't see just about anywhere else.  Let's not forget though that sports are secondary to the formal education that schools provide to our children.  I cringe when I hear and read stories about academic programs being cut in schools due to budgetary concerns, yet football and other sports programs are left in tact.  Oh, and let's set the record straight:  virtually no high school football program is even capable of earning enough money to pay for itself, when you consider the costs associated with facilities, staff, liability insurance, equipment, transportation and the like.  If you love high school sports then you should also love paying your property taxes.  Period.

Professional Abusers Football Players
So we have this endeavor that encourages people to be ultra violent...

...and we pay these folks very, very well to be that way...

...and by and large the people engaging in these activities are poorly educated products of college jock factories...

...and then we shutter in disbelief that they may engage in violent activity at home?

Come on people, let's get real.  I'm not, in any way, shape or form condoning the violent activities of any professional football players (from any team, be they the Washington Wife-Beaters or the Cincinnati Child-Abusers), but I am saying that these individuals are the products of the systems in which they have been placed.  It's starts in high school, with football players being allowed to cut classes (because we all know that football is more important than education).  Then it progresses to college, where blind eyes are turned on the extra-football social activities of star players, some of whom are not even qualified to be in college in the first place (and yet manage to get through four years of academic studies...hmmmmmm, I wonder how?).  Then they graduate to the professional ranks where they are worshiped as icons by a bread-and-circuses desiring population.  We then feign outrage when these athletes act as if they can get away with beating a spouse or a child?  Oh come on!  These athletes have been trained to believe that they can get away with just about anything.


In the final analysis, I do believe that sports do play an important role in our society...as entertainment.  Yes, I said entertainment.  The fact that these activities play a far larger role in society today than just another means of entertainment speaks to the fact that it's in the best interests of some that the populace be distracted and complacent.  Bread and circuses folks, bread and circuses.

Road Apples, #152

Yesterday...would have been my mother's 79th birthday.  To mark the occasion, I did something I have never done before (well not since she passed away), namely visit her grave.  I'm not going to "wax poetic"  writing about my mother for two reasons:  First, she was an incredibly hard, difficult, often times mean-spirited person.  Second, and despite what I just wrote, she'd be the last one to ever want someone writing glowing Internet stuff about her.  Besides, I don't believe, as a matter of well established personal philosophy, in the concept of dwelling the in past.  What's done is done, and the best days are always in front of us.  Anyway, Rest in Peace Mom.

Side note:  In the odd coincidences of life department, both my and Ms Rivers' mothers have the same birthday (although different years).  Small world.

Blogger Groove...In spite of concerns on my end for not having as much time or energy to write these days, my blogger units seem to be in good supply.  Perhaps I am just getting more and more efficient with my time (code for "I am not spending as much time simply goofing off").

Governor's Race...I was at La Festa Salmonella last Monday and I was surprised by what I didn't see, namely a ton of politicos wandering around.  Maybe I just hit the wrong day.  Oh well.  It did get me thinking that things have been mighty quiet on the impending election for governor this coming November.  You know, this is the one that Tom Corbett is going to lose.  Anyway, I'd like to see the governor do a bit more advertising, but let's face it, he simply doesn't have much in the way of ammunition.  He can, of course, always resort to lying (case in point:  his commercial that claimed that he actually INCREASED state education funding), but that stinks of desperation over the long term.  On second thought, maybe he should do more monster truck television spots.

IKEA...It's worth a minute or three of your life to watch the new IKEA commercial.



As a parody of the upcoming Apple mega-announcement, this is very well done.  I'll also note that IKEA is simply a great store.  If you've never been to an IKEA, then please do yourself a favor and make an IKEA pilgrimage.  My home office desk and surrounding stuff is mostly from IKEA, and I've never happier with furniture.

Bird-feeder...I've always wanted to erect a bird-feeder.  Now granted that this is not a challenge that falls into the difficult category, but rather in that of "things I just never seem to find time to do" column.  Well that ended yesterday.  The feeder is in place outside of the kitchen window, stocked with seeds.  Now all we need are birds.  Hopefully they will come, in time.  Finding the right kind of feeder was a bit of a challenge in that Ms Rivers and I wanted something relatively squirrel proof, yet not unwieldy in dimension.  Nothing at Wally World, but I did end up finding one at a home store that seems to do the trick.  Ultimately we will let the birds decide.

Yeah local sports team!...Ms Rivers and I walked down to the Wyoming Area football stadium on Friday night to catch most of the game between our local school and Scranton Prep.  I actually find the activity enjoyable.  Why?  Well first, it's nice to be able to walk down to the stadium.  It's a few blocks, but on a cool evening it's a nice experience.  Second, I've always enjoyed watching amateur sports.  I can't be bothered with the professional stuff, but watching a bunch of kids play football or basketball is fun precisely because you get to see the effort at work.  They make mistakes and they react.  Interesting stuff.  The score?  Wyoming Area was crushed by Scranton Prep.  It wasn't even close.

Home Improvement 101...Outside of erecting bird-feeders, I recently replaced a busted up window on our garage.  This is the same garage that had a non-functional door that I also replaced.  Anyway, if for no other reason than testosterone fueled manliness, here are before and after pictures.

(before)

(during)

(almost done)

(more or less done)

[Insert all manner of manly grunts and such here.]

Over the Fall I'll be working on the inside of the garage.  Next year I may end up siding it.  We shall see.

22% of College Athletic Departments Are Responsible for Investigating Sexual Assaults

Yes, ponder this:  in several instances, the people responsible for promoting college sports are also responsible for investigating alleged sexual assaults by student athletes.

Link HERE.

So, when there is a conflict between the promotion of college sports and allegations of sexual assault, what's more likely to happen?

1. A thorough and non-biased investigation of the incident by individuals with an in-depth knowledge of the law, victims rights and the rights of the accused will occur.

Or

2. A "sweep it under the rug" operation by school insiders designed to protect the sports program.

Call me crazy, but I think "2" is probably more likely.  Heck, I even have an example:  Penn State (and we see how well that one worked out).

Look, this isn't all that complicated.  It's really not.  If someone (be they male or female) makes an allegation of sexual assault on a college campus, the police need to be notified and they need to conduct an investigation.  This would be an investigation that the school  (including the athletic department) would be expected to completely cooperate with, for the record.  That's it.  No more.

We need to take school athletics, be they at the high school or college level, down a peg or five, as the glorification of athletics leads to glory for a small few, but ultimately can harm the many.  These sporting activities are, after all, just entertainment for everyone except for those who play.

Everything you need to know about FIFA, in about 14 minutes

FIFA is the organization that sponsors the World Cup.  Here's everything you need to know about it:


Let's all pray that the World Cup is never hosted in the United States.

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink

Between 6,000 and 8,000 people in Scranton (Pennsylvania) have been without water since Thursday, as a 36 inch water main supplying a portion of the city (and some surrounding areas) failed.  The local water company has been working around the clock to get the leak fixed, and it appears that a repair was made earlier today.  Water service is slowly being restored, but consumers are being asked to boil all water before using it.

A few thoughts:

• The line in question was installed on or about 1920 and was designed to last up to 130 years.  I read a report that this same line may have failed once before, in the 1950's.
• NEPA is notorious for wild swings in weather.  We can go from 60 degrees to -10 degrees in the winter.  
• The topography in Scranton is best described as "challenging", as the city basically sits on two sides a of a valley.
• The area's history of mine subsidence can cause havoc for underground lines.
• Water supply systems, like any and every form of public infrastructure, wear over time. 
• Unlike a bridge or a road surface, it's not easy to check on the viability of underground water supply lines.
• This failure isn't the fault of the Mayor, the water company, the NSA, the Illuminati or fluoridation.  Stuff breaks, period.
• Even with a failure every now and then, we are truly blessed with wonderfully efficient water and sanitation systems in this country.  Spend a week in a hell-hole like Egypt and you will know what I mean.

Bottom line?  This whole event has been horribly inconvenient for many, many people, but in the end "stuff" just happens.  The outrage needs to be saved for things that we should all be outraged about, such as A-Rod and/or NSA spying.  

An open letter to fellow Penn State alumni

Dear Fellow Penn State Alumni, 

It was never going to happen, despite a desire to "Billieve".

Coach Bill O'Brien was not going to be the next Joe Paterno.  In fact there was never any chance he would be; instead, he went for the money (details from Penn State HERE).  

Reality is setting in, even for Penn State football fans.  This includes the facts that:

• College football isn't about honor and integrity; it's about business and money.  It has more to do with building bank accounts that it does building character.  Want proof?  Look no further than to the lies told by Bill O'Brien to potential Penn State athlete-students during recruiting trips. 
• Even in "going for the money", keep in mind that the football coach at Penn State was (and probably still will be) the highest paid public employee in all of Pennsylvania.  How much sense does that make?  The coach of a vehicle for entertainment (and remember football is just that, entertainment) is paid more than the people who teach future doctors and nurses how to save lives.  Yes, there is a ton of glory in that one.
• The days of a decades long coach will never, ever happen again.  Never, ever, period.  Success at Penn State will breed offers from other schools and the NFL.  Get used to the revolving door boys and girls.  Maybe, if the school is lucky (tongue firmly planted in cheek), some spawn-o-Bowden will coach the team.  "Bowdenieve" anyone?
• The fantasy of the "student athlete" is slowly fading away and is being replaced by the reality of the "athlete who is nominally also a student", even at Penn State.

All is not lost though, as the cult of football survived Joe Paterno's (at best) indifference to child molestation, and it will survive the departure of Bill O'Brien.  Why?  Because the worship of sports isn't about rational thought, ideals or anything high-minded of the sort.  It's about escapism, in one of its truest and best forms.  We Americans are nothing if not lovers of fantasy and adventure, and college football at Penn State provides a little bit of both for a few weekends starting ever "school" year.

For the Glory

Steve Albert '86

Penn State Alumni Association Life Member

Yeah (local high school sports) Team!

When was the last time, prior to last night, I attended a high school football game?  The honest answer is as follows:  I really don't freak'n know.  It has been that long.

And so the stage was set yesterday when I got the call from Ms Rivers wondering if I would be interested in attending yesterday evening's Wyoming Area vs. Northwest Area football game.  I confess that at first my answer was "no", as I was still at work, had to deal with an a setback on one of my projects, was facing a trip to CVS to score some 'roids for my asthma (which is acting up due to my lingering cold), and I had a business continuation planning (BCP) test for work to conduct at home.  In short, I felt stressed.  Fast forward about 20 minutes and I am leaving CVS, thinking to myself "screw it, I can leave the game, get home by 10pm and complete my test well before 11:59pm" (the BCP test had to be completed on Friday).   So, to make a long story short, I found myself navigating the backstreets of West Pittston PA, looking for a parking spot outside of Wyoming Area's football stadium.

Now for the record, I need to explain my knowledge of, and experience with, high school football.  That would be "none".  I attended Bishop Hannan High School in Scranton, which was notable for being "Tech with ties" (translation:  Scranton Central HS was to the Jesuit Scranton Prep HS...the "smart" schools...as Bishop Hannan HS was to Scranton Technical HS...the "dumb" schools) and for not having a football team.  I'll also note that, at the time of my graduation, I was 6'3.5" tall and weighed about 170lbs...in other words I was more of a goalpost than football player.  Making this even more of a knowledge disaster, Ms Rivers is a graduate of Philadelphia's Girls' High, meaning that her knowledge of high school football is about as laughable as mine.  But man, we both know a hell of a lot about the pension business.  Anyway, the stage was set.

After finding my partner in (un)knowledge, I proceeded to take in all that is high school football.  A few observations:

• For a small town, this is a community event.  It is as much about having an evening out as it is about sports.  Hell, most of the horde of little kids running around couldn't care less about the game. Most of the people wandering around weren't really paying attention to the game either.  And all of this was okay.  It's really not that much about sports anyway.
• I still don't get the concept known as "cheerleading".  I couldn't understand more than half the words they "cheered".  It think it's just an excuse to somehow include girls in the process.
• High school football teams have small supporting army of folks.  It's fascinating watching the sidelines, as it is this odd combination of focus and disorder.
• High school football is far more fun to watch that college or professional football. More mistakes, bigger plays.  The coaches take more chances.  As a sport, I can understand the attraction.
• I don't know how people in the South can watch high school football games in warm weather.  It seems to be almost required that the air be cool for events such as this.

I did snap a few pictures with the camera phone, but must are, well, horrible.  I needed better gear, but none was there.  If there is a next time I'm going to bring an SLR.  If there is a next time.  There probably will be.  Maybe.

In the end, I was very glad I attended.  It was as much an exercise in Sociology as it was anything else.  It was also just nice to be outside on a nice Fall evening with my partner in crime.  A splendid time was had by all.

For the record, I did complete the BCP test, with time to spare.

Oh, and Wyoming Area won the game.  Details HERE.

10 Other Potential New Names for the Scranton/Wilkes-Boro Yankees

Thanks for Michelle Hryvnak Davies for posting THIS article on Facebook.

As reported by CBS Sports (see link, above), the local baseball franchise is close to picking a new name for the team.  Finalists include:  Blast, Fireflies, Black Diamond Bears, RailRiders, Porcupines, and Trolley Frogs.

For the record I have no clue as to what a "Trolley Frog" even is; maybe what happens when you put a frog on a rail right before the train comes?

Anyway, I think these names stink.  They lack area authenticity.  So, as a service to the area, I'd like to present 10 alternatives that capture the true spirit of NEPA.

MethHeads
You will be in ecstasy watching the local team play!  You will be so caught up in team play that you will forget to brush your teeth, bathe, and eat.

WifeBeaters
We beat our opponents like we do our spouses!  Think of the possibilities:  wife beater tee give-away?

CoalBillies
Who needs Hillbillies?  We got the real deal here in NEPA, straight outta da mines!  Hard scrapple play for a hard scrapple area!

Haynas
Hayna or no, da team is up der at da field tonight?  Can you imagine the announcements:  "Local fan Cappy Smith died on Tuesday and will laid out at da corps house on Friday down da line der in Plimmit".

PimpStick
Scranton was once a center of prostitution, so what better name to capture the spirit of NEPA past?  Think of the slogan:  We beat our opponents like they owe us money! PimpStick give-aways every Wednesday evening to kids under 10!

Plimmit Fury
If you call the airport the Wilkes-Boro/Scranton International Airport, why not go all the way and name the baseball team for a small local town known for shootings, drugs, and a really good BBQ restaurant?  Besides, it was the name of a car I once owned (although, to my credit, I pronounced it "Plymouth").

Frackers
No, this has nothing to do with Battlestar Galactica, so all you nerds need not get excited.  We're talking gas exploration!  We will crush our opponents like natural gas holding shale deposits!  Free bottle of gas-industry certified methane free drinking water to every fan on Thursdays!

MineRats
A true example of successful local critter!  Tough, tenacious, able to survive where few other can.  The team mascot's costume could be really, really cute!

BlackLungs
Credit to Cheri Sundra for this one.  I can imagine the uniforms:  white with a black front.  Team motto:  we suffocate our opponents!

BlindObedience
Fitting given this area's history of basically never questioning much of anything.  "Now here's your Scranton/Wilkes-Boro BlindObedience!"...kinda sound eerily true to me.  The Diocese of Scranton can sponsor a sky box.

Official Statement, Penn State President Erickson

From the Penn State alumni newswire.

President Rodney Erickson

Statement Regarding NCAA Consent Decree July 23, 2012 The tragedy of child sexual abuse that occurred at our University altered the lives of innocent children. Today, as every day, our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims of Mr. Sandusky and all other victims of child abuse. Against this backdrop, Penn State accepts the penalties and corrective actions announced today by the NCAAwww.ncaa.com. With today's announcement and the action it requires of us, the University takes a significant step forward. The NCAA ruling holds the University accountable for the failure of those in power to protect children and insists that all areas of the University community are held to the same high standards of honesty and integrity. The NCAA also mandates that Penn State become a national leader to help victims of child sexual assault and to promote awareness across our nation. Specifically, the University will pay $12 million a year for the next five years into a special endowment created to fund programs for the detection, prevention and treatment of child abuse. This total of $60 million can never reduce the pain suffered by victims, but will help provide them hope and healing. The NCAA penalty will also affect the football program. There is a four-year ban on all post-season games, including bowl games and the Big Ten Championship game, and a future reduction in the number of football scholarships that can be granted. We are grateful that the current student athletes are not prevented from participation because of the failures of leadership that occurred. Additionally the NCAA has vacated all wins of Penn State football from 1998-2011. We also welcome the Athletics Integrity Agreement and the third-party monitor, who will be drilling into compliance and culture issues in intercollegiate athletics, in conjunction with the recommendations of the Freeh Report. Lastly a probationary period of five years will be imposed. It is important to know we are entering a new chapter at Penn State and making necessary changes. We must create a culture in which people are not afraid to speak up, management is not compartmentalized, all are expected to demonstrate the highest ethical standards, and the operating philosophy is open, collegial, and collaborative. Since receiving Judge Freeh's preliminary recommendations in January, the University has instituted several reforms. Today we accept the terms of the consent decree imposed by the NCAA. As Penn State embarks upon change and progress, this announcement helps to further define our course. It is with this compass that we will strive for a better tomorrow. Penn State will move forward with a renewed sense of commitment to excellence and integrity in all aspects of our University. We continue to recognize the important role that intercollegiate athletics provides for our student athletes and the wider University community as we strive to appropriately balance academic and athletic accomplishments. Penn State will continue to be a                       world-class educational institution of which our students, faculty, staff and alumni can be justifiably proud. President Rodney Erickson

Rest in Peace Dr Ride

As recent events testify, our culture glories the wrong people... athletes, actors and the like.  It is a symptom of sometimes sick society that focuses on style rather than substance.  We should be teaching our kids not to look up to football players and coaches, but instead to people like the late Dr Sally K. Ride.

Dr Sally K. Ride dies at age 61

Go throttle up Dr Ride...

Penn State & the NCAA Death Penalty

I hate blogging about sports.  I just hate it, and as evidence I can point to about a dozen or fewer posts in this blog about sports.  I like playing sports, but watching them, reading about them or blogging about them?  No thanks.  If the sport in question doesn't involve sweat on my part, then I'm not interested.  This noted, I am going to venture in this abysmal territory to talk for a moment about the National Collegiate Atheletic Association (NCAA) potentially invoking the "death penalty" against Penn State.

For the unitiated, the "death penalty" refers to the ability of the NCAA to suspend a college/university's athletic program(s) for at least a year.

Let me say up front that I am adamately opposed the the NCAA imposting the death penalty against Penn State's football program.  I say this as someone who has been extremely critical of the Univesity...MY UNIVERSITY...in prior postings.  In no uncertain terms I have stated that Joe Paterno was morally and ethically bound to act at the first hint of wrong-doing on the part of serial pedophile Jerry Sandusky.  He didn't act, a FACT that was spelled out in painful levels of detail in the Freeh Report. Joe Paterno a man who many, including myself, considered to be a role model for how big-time college sports should be conducted, put the interests of his own ego, his football program and the reputation of a university before the physical and emotional well being of children.  It doesn't get much worst than that, and while I could continue this rant, I think the point is made.  Also culpable are the other individuals named in the Freeh Report, including former president Spanier, a man who claimed to be in charge of a major university but now all of a sudden wants to claim he actually wasn't in charge of a major university.

Want to know who is NOT culpable in all of this mess?  It's the student athletes who currently play on the Penn State football team.  Unless someone has some evidence that any of them participated in this horrible business, they should be considered by-standers.  In fact, they, as much as anyone else, can play a role in beginning the process of redeeming the name of Penn State football.  They can't do that though if the program tactically doesn't exist.  In fact, for many of them, playing football at Penn State is the culmination of years of practice and study.  Denying them the ability to aspire to achieving their dreams seems to me to a punishment where none should exist. 

Yes, there are structual problems with how Penn State is governed.  Yes, the WORSHIP of football at Penn State at least contributed to a culture where institutional reputation became more important the lives of children and that MUST change.  Yes, specific individuals need to be held accountable for their actions over the past 14+ years.  All of these problems though can be addressed without punishing the innocent by-standers that comprise the current Penn State football team. 

Children were harmed at Penn State and that is unforgivable, but let's target the punishment at the right people, namely the leadership of Penn State.  Punishing football players does nothing to heal the very real wounds that were created by Jerry Sandusky and enabled by Spanier, Paterno and others.

Penn State: They Didn't Fail to Fail

I've written countless times on the Penn State scandal, so I'm not going to simply rehash reality.  I've also read about a dozen different commentaries on the release of the Freeh Report, the best (in my opinion) of which was in Sports Illustrated.  You can link to it here...

Penn State Leaders Can't Hide Their Guilt...

While the Freeh Report itself is long, the basic conclusions are not:

At Penn State, institutional reputation truly reigned supreme over all other considerations (with the exception of that consideration called "Joe Paterno").

At Penn State, no leader wanted to "hurt" Jerry Sandusky's feelings.  It didn't matter the feelings...and bodies...of the young victims he hurt.

Joe Paterno cared more about his football program than he did a child who was raped in his showers.

Like I said, pretty simply stuff.

Where to go from here?  As I've noted in the past, I am a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, and I have no plans to resign that connection.  I also did contribute to the University again this year (I didn't last year), but I wrote my check out specifically to Penn State Harrisburg.  I will not...ever...support the University's annual fund. All of my contributions to the University, until the day I die, will only be made directly to Penn State Harrisburg.

I am very grateful for the Penn State education I received, as it truly did change my life for the better.  But that's it.  In life it's painful when you discover that you've been lied to, and Penn State...and very specifically Joe Paterno...lied to us all.  In respect for the dead I would normally say something like "May God have mercy of Joe Paterno's soul", but in this case the sad truth is this:  Joe Paterno showed no mercy to the children who were raped by Jerry Sandusky.  Neither did an entire university.


Steve Albert
Penn State, class of 1986
Life Member, Penn State Alumni Association
Past Board Member, Penn State Harrisburg Alumni Society