Lasching Out at Joe--What do you think?

A friend sent me this post from LaschOut: Lasching out from Behind the Blue and White Curtain. (The "Lasch" of course comes from Lasch Hall, the HQ of the football program.) The thesis is that the game has passed Joe Paterno by, and nothing exemplifies that more than Penn State's performace in Ann Arbor last weekend.

Here's a nuggest to give you an idea of where the author is going:

I respect Joe Paterno. He can never be thanked enough for what he has done
for our fine University. Unfortunately he has become his own worst enemy
and now is hanging on to well, just hang on. He's a stubborn old man that
doesn't know what else to do with his life. He should be spending time
with his wife, children and grandchildren. Instead he has chosen to
continue "coaching" which these days seems to only consist of screaming at
officials and Mike McQueary. Perhaps Mike should simply hand Joe the
headset and remind the old coach that it's his son up in the press box calling
the plays. Of course Joe can't scold Jay; otherwise he'll be sleeping on
the couch when he gets home.

I post this simply for the sake of argument, and with the notation that "I'm not there, yet." But, the author does make some compelling statements about the overall direction of the Penn State program, and our ongoing ability to compete at the elite level.

Where I do buy into the author's premise is underuitilization of talent. Even in the dark years of the early 2000s, Penn State could still bring in the quality recruits, but seemed unable to produce much with them after they arrived. I'm no football technician, but I know enough to know that raw talent that never develops is the fault of the coaching, not the talent itself. It's for this reason that I understand why players like Chad Henne choose Michigan over PSU.

Let me be clear that there is much about "modern" college football that Penn State should do everything in its power to not aspire to. We have already ventured down the slope of over commercialization, and at times, while I love the new energy in Beaver Stadium, it sounds more like a concert than a football game. (Is it just me, or was listening to the Blue Band just fine for a Saturday afternoon?)

On a side note, the level of money-driven sports mania, which the University happily cashes in on, was recently brought home, or I should say to Baghdad, when I had to pay $9.95/month for "All Access" internet coverage via the official Penn State Sports website. All so that I could listen to streaming audio of the games while I'm in Iraq putting my tail on the line for all the millions of people who can listen for FREE on the radio at home. Of course, I paid. I didn't even really think about it very hard. That's how deep they have their claws (paws?) into me.

Loyalty to individuals is a value to be cultivated, not tossed aside when it becomes inconvenient. If that is Joe's greatest trangression, that so be it. Remember that there were many who criticized Joe for standing by Rashard Casey. And, Joe was in the right.

So, have a read. It does make you think.

For the glory,
Rob