Itstrainingtime

Good deal, thank you!

I was in meetings all morning...I did not. What happened?

You beat me to it! I just came to spill the juice. LOL Rumor - McCarthy to Steel and Tomlin to the Metroplex. Heard that on the the CBS game yesterday. I can't imagine that happening.

31 this morning in Maytown. My not so well thought out house purchase 28 years ago is almost void of all snow cover now on my grass. Too much full exposure to the sun.

You left out Jacksonville. I actually started rooting for them when they entered the NFL before the kids came. They are the epitome of suckage. Though...they had New England on the ropes back in 2017 when they made their miraculous run to the AFC Championship behind Blake Bortles. Crazy stat about Bortles - he is the only QB to win twice in the same season at Heinz Field.

With temps around 40 it fits the Bill for the day.

Likely going to snag myself a 40 piece today - 38.5 currently.

While the Steelers are my team, I am far less passionate about them as the ones that I listed. I grew up a Baltimore Colts fan and when they broke my heart and moved to Indy in 1984 I refused to follow them. I didn't have a favorite NFL team for years until my son became a Steelers fan and I got into them with him.

Those years were the last times they won it all.

Try being a PSU (1986) Orioles (1983) Sixers (1983) and Flyers (1975) fan.

Also, I don't have that much hair...

Our daughter is in Vermont skiing this weekend. I texted her this morning asking what the temp was, her reply was "it's actually not that cold dad...it's -8." #thatsmygirl

Finished with 1.6" of snow. What a beautiful scene early this morning!

I said one post but I have to share this - I felt like the play that no one is talking about that I thought was huge was the ND backup QB's fumble late in the 1st half when it was 10-0. I have no idea how we did not end up with the ball. There was a PSU player (Sutton maybe?) who was right there, alone, and somehow he didn't come up with the ball. We recover that and it's likely going to be 13-0 or perhaps 17-0 going into the half. That would have changed the game dramatically.

Good morning weather friends - and for those who would rather not sift through all of the "off topic" posts, please allow me to share this and I will happily move on and back to why we joined... I think by nature each of us, to varying degrees, have a built-in competitive component to our existence. Sports is an outlet for those of us who aren't as gifted as others to channel our competitive nature through the athletic teams that we choose to support. As a child growing up in rural Manor Township I played baseball for the Washington Boro Lions. My first year of baseball, my very first practice, I ran out on that field and immediately high-tailed it to 3rd base. Why? Because that's where my sports hero (Brooks Robinson) played. And I was going to grow up and be just like Brooks... Well...that didn't happen. My baseball career ended like many, far short of the stadium lights at Memorial Stadium. What didn't end was my passion for my beloved Orioles, as well as other sports as well. And my other big passion became the school with the football team coached by the guy wearing glasses, coaching kids with plain uniforms that had no names but yet were so easily identifiable. I lived and died each fall while cheering on Todd Blackledge, Tony Sacca, Kerry Collins, Ki Janna Carter, OJ McDuffie and so many others. A national champion game with a win over Bear Bryant and the Crimson Tide when I was 17, a second national title came 4 years later against Vinny and the Hurricanes. (a third title should have come in 1994) when we finished undefeated, including a 63-14 (yes, that's correct) destruction of the Suckeyes) that season. And while there has been a lot of ups, and some very dark downs since, PSU has never made it back to the holy land. Sports can unite schools, cities, and fan bases like very few other things in life can. Sports also offers a unique opportunity for athletes to exhibit their talent and hard work in front of the public eye. And while pretty much every sport has changed over the years, one thing that hasn't is the connection between the performance on the field and the reaction of those who witnessed it. Some athletes and teams tend to shine when the lights are brightest...and some, well, they just don't. Sam Ficken. Sam became Penn State's kicker in the 2012 season. He almost immediately drew the ire of Nittany Nation by converting just 4 of his first 11 field goal attempts, including 4 misses in a 1 point loss to Virginia. At that moment it would have been hard to argue that Ficken was probably one of the most disliked Lions ever. But then something happened. Ficken got a call from former PSU kicker Robbie Gould, who would go on to mentor Sam the remainder of the season. Whatever Gould said, it worked. Suddenly, Ficken started banging balls between the uprights. He became so accurate that later that year he won the Big 10 Special Teams Player of the Week and he broke Penn State's all-time record by converting 15 consecutive field goals. All of this happened as students and fans started wearing "We're Sticken' With Ficken" tee shirts. He became a hero at Penn State and went on and kicked for several teams in the NFL. Last night hurt. A lot. I'm not one of those obnoxiously ignorant fans who always thinks that my team is better than the opponent. Far from it. I consider myself a very classy fan. And maybe that's why last night hurt as much as it did. (does) Nothing I witnessed made me believe that Notre Dame was better. Nothing. Fact is, I KNOW, that as a collective unit, we are better than they are. But we had one guy who faded when the lights were turned up. Hey, the kid (Allar) is what...20 years old? Who knows what is in store for him going forward? Perhaps next year he'll author a chapter in his own story much like Sam Ficken did, or perhaps, Allar is one of those guys who just can't overcome the moment. And that's the cruel part of sports...the scrutiny, second-guessing, bad-mouthing, etc. - it all comes with the package of being an athlete. I'll be honest, I feel embarrassed this morning. There were a lot of you who have questioned #15 for 2 years now while I have always come to his defense. Last night, his play was not defensible. If Drew plays "half decently", we win. Yes, it is a team game. Yes, when PSU came storming back after getting punched in the mouth when the Irish scored 17 straight by regaining the lead, our defense quickly gave it right back. You give up 27 and you set yourself up for potential failure. Someone last night said that after ND tied it, Allar should have taken a knee and gone to OT. I absolutely disagree with that. What I do question is this - after Singleton runs for 13 yard on 1st down, we're now nearing the 35 yard line with 40 seconds and a timeout in our pocket. Why not run him again? There was time to do so. Allar was shaky all night long, and then to put the ball in his hands and hope he makes a play... That next play is quite likely the worst single play I've witnessed in over 50 years of watching Penn State Football. A play that was so bad that there was a part of me that almost expected it to happen. Why? Because, at least for now, Allar simply isn't the guy I thought (hoped?) that he was. One more thing - This morning, my heart is heavy for Drew. I can't imagine what he's going through, what he's dealing with right now. As expected, and as warranted, social media was ugly postgame last night. Thing is, Drew seems like a really good kid. And let's also remember that as passionate as we are, at the end of the day...it is a game. A game. There is so much more to life, and I really hope that Drew can move on from this at some point and become a winner. If not on the field, than in the game of life. I would hope that all of us in Nittany Nation can see that. If not today, then someday soon.

Love the teardrops in VA. Interesting map.

Same!

I'm penning a post mortem in the morning. Too raw right now.

Sigh. How many days to Spring Training? It's Charlie Morton time. LOL

Gotcha

Not really. 43.

I'm out of excuses to defend #15. Just brutal.

My streak of futility between the Orioles and Penn State lives on.

Oh my God no.

Sinking feeling warning hoisted.