Penn State

This is a tough post for me to write. There's no real easy way to talk about any of this.

Let me describe why this matters to me so much. Beyond the disgust of all of it.

Penn State was/is my school. I would of gone there if I was accepted into main campus. I grew up on Penn State. I believed in Joe Pa. That's Philly's college football team. Every year I would play NCAA football as them. So even though I didn't go there, I had a close connection. I have plenty of friends - best friends - who went there. It's part of me.

So with that in mind, there's a million emotions going through my mind. I'm trying to maintain a relative calm, because I was beyond angry reading the indictment last night. Angry isn't the right word. You can't classify a word for this, because its so awful we're not supposed to have a word for it.

Before we get too far into this, it's important to note that nobody knows the whole story with regards to the cover up. We only know bits and pieces, and I wouldn't be shocked to see if there is more behind that. And I'm sure there is more to the perverted old man too.

The bottom line is the overall: The kids involved. Again, words cant describe how horrible it is. You read that indictment and your stomach ties into a knot. How how how how how did this ever happen? What in the hell was going through anyone's mind? It's awful.

The crime here is life-changing. And any type of "justice" that this old bastard gets is truly far from justice. He'll go to prison for the rest of his life. That's still not fair. These are one of the times when I don't believe in the justice system. Our legal system failed these boys several times, and could have saved more from these acts. I can't say my suggestions for true justice. But it's not good. And I don't want to just kill him either. I rarely get truly angry. This was one of those times. Jail is not fair. Jail is an easy get away. No way.

As far as Joe Pa: He's like everyone's grandfather. Always high in spirits. It's been sad seeing the slow decline, yet he still flashes brilliance every now and again, making him so lovable. I never met Joe. I've seen him. It's hard to hear this and think that he knowingly ignored what happened. I can't justify it. The only possible thought I can have is: He never saw anything (to the best of our knowledge.) So to make an accusation on behalf of McCreary, that's not totally on him. That's an easy out though. It still should have weighed on his conscience. It weighs on me, and I wasn't told about it.

It's tough for me to say what should happen to Joe. He's probably been with the University longer than anyone else (and I don't just mean the football program). He's built the reputation of the school, the program, etc. Penn State is much bigger than football, but that's what most everyone associates with the school. It's hard for me to bring the hammer down on Joe, but I think his time has come. I'm hoping they let him ride this out. I believe in mistakes - if you correct them. Clearly the disgusting man made the mistake more than once - and there are rumors it could be as high as 20.

The school's name will be dragged through the gutter because of this asshole. He was in a position of power and abused it. I honestly don't even want to say his name, because it makes me sick. The onus will fall on the program. It won't truly ruin it, but who knows if it will ever become what it once was. And that's a damn shame. This man was so selfish and acted with complete disregard for these kids, his peers, his employer, and the millions of fans who live and breathe for this university.

It's amazing that at a University that prides itself on their academic and athletic excellence, something entirely different brought the team down. It wasn't boosters. It wasn't money. It wasn't anything anyone would expect. Instead it's one of the worst stories you'll ever here.

It's hard to find any positive in any of this. Penn State has handled it awfully. They don't know what to do. Nobody looks good. Everyone is just upset and distraught. I am too. I honestly had a hard time sleeping last night, thinking about how angry that indictment made me.

There's no easy resolution to this. There's no way to look past it. It will fade away with time, but never truly disappear from the legacy of Penn State and Joe Paterno.

The Throne

I went to Kanye West / Jay-Z's show last night in the Meadowlands. Was very much of a last minute thing, but man I'm glad I did.

Rap concerts are weird. Because their shows can go two ways. It's either a live band in the background playing the beats, or they play a loop of the tracks. So literally the entire show the performer has to be bringing the energy. That's the genre. But when there's a track you can't do a random song. You can't take requests. So in that sense, it's not like music the way I see it, but it's still music. Does that make sense? It's not my definition anyway.

Anyways, so the show felt just on an epic scale, but the thing is that it didn't really sound like the album at all. And that to me is always a good thing. The voices just felt more ummmph. Like they were angry, but not Eminem angry. Like they wanted to be louder than each other. And that's great. It ran through the building and made it sound awesome.

Part of the excellence of the show was that they scripted it to have an excellent balance between Jay and Ye, and both at the same time. They touched on the hits (although let's be honest, between both of them, if they played all of their popular songs it would of taken over 8 hours).

I know I've written on Kanye before, and I think he's excellent. He's annoying. He's cocky. But he is damn talented. And he's always trying to be new, better, on top of everything else. And I love it. Jay is calmer, cooler, got more swag. He's more talented lyrically, but also more reserved. He just loves life. Whereas Kanye is tortured. He wants to be perfect but his instincts pull him other directions.

Something I realized around the last MTV VMA's, there are those artists that a super popular right now, but then there are always those artists that are truly larger than life, even if they're not in the spotlight right now. Jay-Z is like that. Beyonce. Hey pregnancy blew up Twitter. Like Gaga and Rihanna are extremely popular, but Beyonce is trumps them. Britney trumps her, even though she is a blow up doll and on enough drugs that she's not really there. (I really don't listen to much from either of them, but that's one of the better examples I can think of.) It comes with time. It comes with being the best. Kanye isn't there yet. He's on the cusp. But Jay is there. Coldplay is kind of like that too. Respect your elders. Whatever you want to call it.

So anyway, these guys are at the top of their game, and it's sweet to see them tour together. Because we forget how tough touring is - we don't do it. It's probably lonely. Especially when you are a solo artist. Yeah you have your groupies and you've got your posse and you're not really alone, but you're on the road alot. Living literally in a tour bus. So for them - both friends/mentors/etc - to go together, and then perform, is awesome. You can just tell they're having fun. It makes the show that much more fun. It's annoying that they haven't varied the setlist much.

That's another thing (clearly I've got some ADHD tonight) about concerts - part of the fun is seeing something truly unique. Bringing it to Bruce, his catalog of music is so large, one night he can play Jungleland and the next play Thunder Road. He can do whatever he wants. He's the Boss. It feels special when the concert you see perform a song that's rarely played, hasn't been performed in years, whatever. It makes it feel more awesome. I have that feeling with Bruce. Again, Kanye and Jay don't have quite as extensive track list, but it would be cool to see Kanye all the sudden decide to play Chain Heavy. I dunno, it's still early in the tour, there's room for it.

I'm rambling. Show was sick. I suggest going. Go. Watch. The. Throne.

The Legal System

This post is fueled by the Amanda Knox legislation today.

I think our legal system is inept. There are a lot of problems with it. It's not perfect. How do we fix it? That's not my department. I don't hate it. I plan on not really participating too much in it. However it's there.

I don't understand how/why most people get so invested in these cases. They act like they are directly related to the verdict. Can't believe that someone got off/was convicted.

So like today with Amanda Knox. I never heard of her until today. I didn't care. I don't care really. Until everyone is tweeting about it. I don't know the full story. Again, I don't particularly care to know it. She was held in Italy for four years due to some mistrial and other difficulties and today was determined not guilty and let go. Everyone seems so excited.

However, that forgets the whole point of the trial - someone has died. And how did they die? Someone probably murdered them. So while Amanda Knox may not be the one who did it, someone did. And yet our focus is on if they did or didn't.

Same thing with Casey Anthony a few months ago. She got off. People are mad because the believe she did it. Of course it looks like it, but did she really? Who knows. People get so angry and upset. Maybe they should focus their frustration on trying to find the real killer, because at the end of the day, there is a poor child who didn't get to live the life it was given.

Some of the fascination might be because it's real. The same way I've been talking about sports as the ultimate drama because it's unscripted. These cases aren't scripted (although they are scripted into a Lifetime movie.....). It's not what you'll see in a episode of Law and Order or whatever show. It's real. These are people's lives. Amanda Knox was in jail for four years for what determined to be something she didn't do. But how does this affect my life? It doesn't.

I suppose I'm harsh. I should care more about the people in this world. I ask how the outcome affects me but people will think I'm weird when I can't sleep because the Red Sox didn't make the postseason this year. You could make the same rationalization. I have no real connection to the Red Sox. Okay I lied, maybe I do. People can create that feeling with anything - including a cases in the legal system. Everyone's allowed their own interests. I just don't understand the interest in the legal system. You'll never hear of Casey Anthony in a year. You'll hear of the Red Sox every year. But again that also depends on where you come from/your background etc.

I know this post makes no sense, as I just criticized one sect of people and then rationalized it. However it gets back to our greater point - the ineptness of our system. There are so many parts of the process and so many things that make it all a fraud. I don't believe in the death penalty because I believe that there's the possibility that someone could of been innocent. But nobody knows for sure. So the idea of spending four years in prison and then dropping the case is nothing compared to when you are executed and then they find that you're innocent after the fact. Then it's too late. But don't worry - your family can sue and start the legal process all over again!

Let's just stop killing each other and get along, yeah?

About Last Night - MLB Wildcard Edition

I'm going to try and be as non-bias as possible. However, as a Sox fan, last night was far from "pleasant."

What is there to really say about what happened last night? It was unbelievable. Four games, three of which came down to the last at bat. Four teams competing for two spots, with their fates being controlled by some of their rivals.

The night captures the beauty of baseball (dare I say romance?). You can play for six months, 161 games. And it comes down to one game for your team. And another game that you have zero control over.

From the Red Sox perspective, it seemed clinched. And that was the problem. They thought they had the Wild Card clinched September 1st. The Rays were down 7-0 against the mighty Yankees. The Rays aren't known for their hitting prowess. It was a slam dunk.

Around the time of the rain delay, I did some other chores, turned away from the TV, only to check in 20 some minutes later, to see the Rays making a comeback. The Sox were flirting with blowing the game in the 7th.

Meanwhile, the Phillies/Braves game goes under the radar because of the drama from the Sox and Rays, but that doesn't mean the game wasn't just as good - again coming down to the wire and the Phillies were able to pull it out.

Last night was the equivalent of MLB's version of March Madness. Four games, all going on at once, all determining the playoff picture. You needed four TVs to keep up. I could only flip between two games, because doing four was just impossible. My head would explode.

What I find to be the most interesting is that the Phillies and Yankees had the option to "help" guide a team to the playoffs. They could of rolled over and played the scrubs. Or could have gone out with every intention to win it. If I was the Yankees? I would of rolled over. I wouldn't want to let the Sox in the playoffs and worry about them in the ALCS. Those bats can turn on in a minute. Although after last night, the Rays might have a different confidence when it comes to playing the Yanks. If I was the Phils? I would of rolled over again, allowing for a 1 game playoff today, and praying the Braves won. The Cardinals are a much better team than the Braves are, when matching up with the Phils. I wouldn't want to face them at all. Now they've got them in the first round.

Of course, teams will frown upon teams "letting" another team win, but it's their right - they've already won their divisions. The future could be determined by them. I think that's great that they both went and played most of their starters. I understand resting a few guys. But go out there and get it. Same for the O's - they could of rolled over, but they were in it to win it. The Astros probably couldn't of won the game if they tried.

The sour point of yesterday? Jose Reyes. Reyes bunted in his first AB to get on base, and told his manager to pull him from the game to preserve his .337 batting average, which would make him the batting champion for 2011. Honestly, I lost a lot of respect for Reyes after that. On the last game of the year, in front of your home fans, in possibly your last game as a Met, when you're the only attraction to coming to the ballpark, you're going to pull yourself out after 1 inning? Wow. Selfish much? Let me give you a history lesson.

Exactly 70 years ago yesterday, Teddy Williams was leading the league in batting average going into the last day, about to play a doubleheader. He was sitting at .399. His manager offered to sit him so he wouldn't lose any points. What did Williams do? Go out and play both games. Went 6 for 8. What was his final average? .406. Nobody has hit over .400 since. I'm not saying Reyes was going to get to .400, but you shouldn't give a damn about your own statistics if it hurts your team's statistics - which really comes down to wins and losses. Teddy Ballgame is a legend, for this story and many many more (including the frozen in carbonite stuff). Jose Reyes will never be at that level because of this selfish foolishness.

Jose Reyes is a punk. This kid has been praised as the "next big thing" in the MLB for over 10 years. He's never met that level. Okay so he's been hurt. But he acts like he's the best shortstop in the MLB. Far from it. I could think of 2-3 others I'd rather have. Team players. Players who aren't out for number one. They are out for the team. It's disrespectful to your teammates, the fans, the organization, and the sport. Talk about the romance of the game - Jose Reyes is breaking every rule of that romance. Go enjoy your fake batting title. Ryan Braun had 24 more at bats than you. He deserves it. His team is going to the playoffs. Yours is not. Enjoy yourself. I pray that the Sox or Phillies don't sign you.

Finally, last night captured why sports is truly magical. You can't script this stuff. You can't write it yourself. You probably couldn't even dream of it. Because it seemed so improbable. Yet it all happened so quickly that it was as if you were watching a Hollywood movie. It's absolutely beautiful. Better than anything else you could of watched on your Wednesday night.

There's only one October.

Moneyball

Few things to preface this post:

1) I think making sports movies that really resonate with the viewers is tough. Sports is the ultimate drama because it is (hopefully always) unscripted. Most of the storylines are boring. But every now and again you get a storyline that captures the country and everyone is invested in it - even non-sports people. So for Hollywood to try and capture that on screen is tough. And usually the best sports stories (except the Mighty Ducks, obviously) are based on real events. There isn't always a Hollywood ending. Baseball is also my favorite sport. I couldn't totally say why, but there's just something about it. The movie called it "a certain romanticism about the game." I don't know if I would use the word romance, but I could see it. It's a beautiful game.

2) I read Moneyball in 2005. It was a little over my head, and I honestly can't say I remember much from it, however I remember being mind blown at the time. In 2005 I was also 16/17, so I was still not fully understanding all the statistics.

3) I barely remember much of what happened to the Oakland A's in the 2001/2002 seasons, being only 12/13 years old. I do remember that team being great, more on that later.

I've been super excited about this movie. I was curious to see how it all came out on screen, because I was worried it would of been too dumb-downed for viewers or it was going to be too Hollywood-ified and taken away from the real story.

I was pleased with the movie. I think I laughed more than most, because I found Brad Pitt's composure and cocky attitude to be dead on with what I've heard about Billy Beane. I've seen very little of Beane compared to Pitt, so it felt like Pitt just being smarter than everyone else in the room.

The development happened too fast without totally explaining it to the non-baseball fans. I guess most people who would see this movie would already know what the movie is talking about. But that limits the appeal of the movie. I heard them talking about statistics and started getting all excited.

What's interesting was the dynamic of how Beane was breaking traditional baseball rules, which were ridiculous, and was using new statistics to determine probability of success. I'm not a mathematician, but it all makes sense. And it tears away all the usual scouts looks: "He hits well." But why does he have a terrible average? "He can run quick" So why does he have 4 stolen bases? "He's got no confidence because he has an ugly girlfriend." Is that what that really means??

I don't buy in to all of the statistics baseball has created. You can talk about them till you're blue in the face to me. WAR makes sense to me, but at the same time it doesn't. Who is that replacement? How do they determine that? Again, it's all over my head. But, I trust/believe in the brainpower smarter than me to know. And it works for some teams that understand it, embrace it, and do it correctly. You can't half-ass it. You either do it 100% or you don't do it at all.

There was an interesting article in Sports Illustrated this week by Tom Verducci about how the Red Sox took Beane's formula and put it on steroids (baseball references intended). By having the resources that Oakland couldn't, the Sox could take on players who are good for the system and work together. It's how they got David Ortiz when no one else wanted him.

Back to the movie, it didn't really capture how good the team was before they implied these Moneyball stats. The team had 3 of the best pitchers in the game. Miguel Tejada was an MVP candidate every year. Eric Chavez was considered the best third basemen in baseball (what a quick fall from grace eh?). Jermaine Dye was also a solid contributor. So they had a great core to start with before adding Hatteberg and everyone. The streak of 20 games was improbable. No one could ever predict that. To give Beane all the credit is facetious. Chalk it up to the baseball gods and dumb luck.

Was the movie a "home run"? For me, yes. Only because I love baseball so damn much. To an average baseball fan? Probably not. It didn't have that Hollywood "our hero sees success in the end" storyline. And that's fine - because that's what happened. I don't think it'll go down as my favorite movie ever, or my favorite sports movie ever, but I certainly enjoyed it, and am looking forward to seeing how everyone else embraces it - or doesn't.

It's a beautiful game.