Squib Kicks: Auditing Paterno 101 Since 2006!
March 21, 2008 by Run Up The Score!
That whole contract thingy. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on the PSU trustees meeting, which was held at the Mayflower hotel in Washington, D.C. Presumably, the conference included complimentary Emporer’s Club ladies as well as a 700 pound gorilla in the meeting room.
Two members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees yesterday told the Post-Gazette that negotiations regarding a possible contract extension or succession plan for Paterno have not gone smoothly.
…
One trustee said he expects Spanier to speak with several of them today to gauge their thoughts on Paterno, but he said: “There’s going to be no decision made here this week.”
None of the trustees publicly broached the subject of Paterno at yesterday afternoon’s meeting.
Outtawhack 101. Joe Paterno will be the subject of a journalism class at Penn State.
Paterno’s distinctive nasally voice tinged with an accent from his native Brooklyn often stand out when he’s in a room. Yet, there’s much more to Paterno’s message, said Mike Poorman, a senior journalism lecturer at the university and the course creator.
”There’s a reason that Joe, more than any other college coach, does what he does,” said Poorman, who has also written about Paterno and the team since 1979. ”Whether talking to the media, delivering a corporate address or interacting with his staff — it’s meticulous. There’s a reason why he does everything.”
The course description, as noted over on the Fight On State boards:
COMM 497G Joe Paterno, Communications & The Media
An examination of the shifting relationship between Joe Paterno and the media, and the resulting communication goals, methods and avenues of both parties over the past half-century. The course will analyze Paterno’s use of traditional and non-traditional communications, including symbolism and non-sports related avenues. Students will examine the growth and use of reporting styles, messages, delivery mechanisms and audiences of various media, such as the Web, blogs, newspapers, books, magazines, commercial and public television, radio, networks, syndication and public relations, as they directly relate to Paterno. Students will produce a semester-ending project.
I eagerly await my interview about blogs and PSU. I’ll even wear a tattered sportscoat with elbow patches for the occasion.
Chanticleers! Excited about Coastal Carolina coming to Beaver Stadium in a few months? No? Well, they are!
The athletic department is taking ticket requests for the Aug. 30 game at Penn State, the first Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for Coastal.
Coastal’s allotment of 5,000 tickets has not yet arrived, but 400 Coastal fans have called to reserve some of the $61 tickets, according to Coastal Athletics Director Warren Koegel. Koegel said there is no ticket limit per request and CCU is screening calls to make sure requests are being made by Coastal partisans.
“We’d love to see 5,000 Chanticleer fans at Penn State,” Koegel said. “That would be the ultimate.”
…
“It is a tremendous experience to watch a football game in that setting,” said Koegel, who played at Penn State. “We might not get this opportunity again.”
No, Mr. Koegel. You’ll get another chance. As long as you’re willing to travel for a whipping, Penn State will always be happy to schedule you.
Warren “Moose” Koegel, current AD for Coastal Carolina, was starting center and captain of ‘70 PSU team with Jack Ham. Then, played with Jets.
Now I understand why Coastal Carolina was picked out of the hat to play PSU….
Just a question. If Paterno, Curley, & Spanier haven’t really met much to discuss the contract, how could negotiations “not have gone smoothly.”
Are they referring to the fact that they’re just meeting now, instead of earlier in the year? The conversation that was supposed to happen on Friday? Or are they talking out of their ass?
As I’m a tiny bit skeptical of these anonymous quotes, I’d be curious to hear a bit more details. I’m sure everyone would.
According to Curley last week they’ve had a few discussions but have not reached an agreement. Now according to Spanier they are not talking to each other. You don’t need to be a weather man to know which way the wind is blowing.
TS,
that was my question - is it that “talks” aren’t going well amongst the trustees - or are the “paterno” trustees speaking for Coach Paterno?
This just can’t turn out well for PSU - no matter what happens.
This is great
Joe is going to get embarrassed on the national stage. I hope that someone announces its Joe’s last year and then ESPN shows up & just follows him all the time.
Joe hates the media and I like watching this suborn old fool suffer
FireJayPa,
Seriously? You like watching Joe suffer. Mmkay….
Because he’s done so much to harm you. You either need to grow up a bit or get a better fucking hobby, because you really come off sounding like a petulant child.
Sorry - forgot that you’re likely a 14 year old. That means you’re acting like a jerk off.
I’m more like a 24 year old engineer. That is tired of the nepotism that exists at Penn State
Joe, a stubborn man has not been held accountable for the results of the team for the last 10 years. Win or lose it doesn’t matter.
He can get his son a job and Jay will never be fired..
He’s been rude and condescending to journalists during press conferences; he acts as if there is no one above him.
So yes , I like watching him finally face some consequences for his actions. I’d love nothing more than a giant farewell tour for Joe just for the simple fact I know he would hate it.
He didn’t face any heat for the ‘99 meltdown , the ‘02 fiasco , and never benched Morelli.
He put people in horrible positions to have success during the Mills era and now Zach can’t even swing a golf club his shoulder is so shot.
He plays favorites and punishes when he feels like it.
Scirrotto has gotten away with so much; yet players are kicked off the team for far far less.
Perhaps you’re just a bit naive
Well, okay, but I fail to see how any of that harms YOU personally to the point where you wish ill on someone.
I wish we were national champions every single year. I attend every game, have three degrees from PSU, and make a five-figure contribution to the university (NLC + academic gifts). I assure you, I intensely wish we were national champions every year.
But naive? One might argue that it’s naive (or myopic) to think that that a coaching icon, humanitarian, and face of the university would be fired because we lost some football games that you prefer we would have won in 1999. Or 2002. Or whenever. Or because he doesn’t like Neil Rudel. Or because he stuck with players he thought would win him ballgames.
To each his own. Good luck with your crusade.
TS, you’re downplaying the extent of the damage. A few more years of this, and Penn State will have regressed to the point it was when Paterno started building it up - at which point you have to ask yourself exactly what we owe him (that we don’t owe the dozens of other million+ donors, that is).
Rip Engle had honor - just not as much success.
In other words, if I go build a poor person a house, and then spend years making it bigger and nicer, but then spend five years tearing chunks off, setting other parts on fire, and letting other parts fall apart through neglect, are they justified in finally telling me “thanks for what you’ve done; now hit the road”? Do they have to wait until they have absolutely nothing again?
M1EK-
Maybe, but you need to consider that we’ve been 29-9 over the past three seasons, one of the top 10 or 15 winning percentages over that span. You can insert your argument about beating up cupcakes & handling the little 8 while getting creamed by the big two - but that’s looking at it on a micro level.
But you also need to factor in the financial impact and then look at the macro level. PSU football continues to be a money-printing machine for the athletics department, single handedly carring the non-revenue sports. Will another 9-4 season (a very likely outcome this year) change that? If 00-01 and 03-04 didn’t, I’m not sure how another bowl game-level season would.
If we had continued the trend of those two losing periods, and the money dried up, then sure. I agree. But the past three years are nowhere near the “Dark Ages” that everyone seems to believe we’re living in. Are we likely to go 3-8 next year and the year after that? No. So, it’s not exactly getting back to where we have “nothing”, per your analogy.
Lost in the shuffle:
Someone better tell this guy that there’s not going to be anywhere for 600, let alone 5,000 Chanticleer fans to stay, should they manage to sell their tickets.
Enjoy those hotel rooms in Harrisburg, though!!
“Maybe, but you need to consider that we’ve been 29-9 over the past three seasons,”
No, I don’t. I need to consider that we’ve been effectively the 4th place team in the Big Ten for the last decade. And the 29-9 fits in with that trend; it doesn’t disprove it.
Oh, and:
“Will another 9-4 season (a very likely outcome this year) change that? If 00-01 and 03-04 didn’t, I’m not sure how another bowl game-level season would.”
I remember seeing empty seats on TV. Don’t you? Sooner or later the student momentum will run out again - and we’re going to fail to fill the stadium, at least for the lesser games.
““Maybe, but you need to consider that we’ve been 29-9 over the past three seasons,”
And maybe you need to consider we haven’t outright won the big ten since 1999; we consistently under perform on the road; haven’t beat a top 25 opponent on the road in ages; and we just fail to hold people accountable if they are a Paterno
Yes, empty seats - in a 107,000 seat stadium. Not exactly doing too poorly if you’re attracting 102,000 fans.
Students are a strange beast - I remember how incredibly easy it was to get season tickets during the mid-90s. Now? We’re 9-4 and tickets sell out in under an hour. Go figure.
Just wait and see how many butts are in seats. During the Dark Years, the tickets were all sold too - difference was that students intending to resell didn’t find any sellers.
“difference was that students intending to resell didn’t find any sellers.”
Ding ding Ding
During the dark years, I was in the second row for all home games …. people got to games so late and we wondered if the student section would fill
Then in ‘05 , I was stuck 30 rows back because all of the fair-weather fans showed up again. Tickets were being scalped left & right , and things were a mess….
Things will go back to the dark years soon enough if Joe isnt gone
Well, M1EK - you reinforced make my point: During the dark years, the tickets were all sold too. Spanier doesn’t care if students don’t get rich in a secondary market, because he doesn’t see that cash. As long as the bank account is growing, the difference between 6-2 and 5-3 in the conference is small to the administration, regardless of whether it weighs heavily on devoted fans gathered in cyberspace.
FJP - the same thing happened in the “glory years”. Students would watch us beat up someone, then go back and drink at the tailgate before halftime. Empty seats were plentiful - and that was in a 97,000 seat stadium. People with tickets didn’t even go in to watch the game if their tailgate was more enjoyable than watching us dismantle someone.
I repeat - students are a strange beast.
TS, the Dark Years were entirely different from the previous pattern. Seats were empty for decent games.
And empty seats implies fewer donations from alumni 20-30 years down the road. This is the long-term view that is sorely lacking; today’s high-rollers likely donate so damn much not because of the current experience but more because they watched so many games when they were in school and the games were of a generally higher caliber than today’s.
I find it so incredibly alien to even think of donating money to the program, though, after I paid my out-of-state tuition and got treated like such a cash cow, so maybe I’m not the right guy to ask. But it’s not just me that noticed the difference — so don’t brush it off so quickly.
BTW, my years were 1989-1992; I was at every single game (obviously). Student section was a bit empty for some laughers but it was nowhere near as bad as a few years ago - not even close - and the performance 1989-1992 wasn’t “glory” by any means.
Well, I think high rollers donate for a lot of different reasons - not just because they saw winning teams. And, many more corporate donors in recent years. I mean, they leased the luxury boxes to capacity during the dark ages.
Something else to consider: the university now has over 85,000 students, whereas in the 60’s (when many high rollers graduated), enrollment was between 20,000 and 40,000. If you’re graduating 2.5x as many students, you have a much larger pool of future donors.
I’m sure someone in 12 Old Main is crunching numbers on the demographic changes and correlation to football success. I know annual giving sees more money during successful football years, but I’m not sure how it impacts the big fish. We’ll see, as the current capital campaign will leave it’s silent phase later this year…. $panier needs $1.65 Billion.
12pm start times - if your team isn’t as good - you get 12pm start times.
If you have 12pm start times - 1/2 of your student population isn’t going to make it to the (start of the) game - it’s more obvious in the student section(s) because of the way they are seated.