Black Shoe Diaries

Only Sam Ficken Until Penn State Football 2012

2012-05-27T08:00:02Z

Kicker Sam Ficken scored four points for Penn State in 2011, coming on a nice 43-yard field goal and one point after try. Ficken also kicked off four times as a true freshman, averaging 65.2 yards, tying for the team lead with Anthony Fera, but with no touchbacks. Ficken looks to continue his rise in the kicking game this fall.

Only Anthony Adams Until Penn State Football 2012

2012-05-26T08:00:01Z

We don't have a photo of Anthony Zettel, so another Anthony will have to do. Adams played defensive tackle for the Nittany Lions from 1998 through 2002. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft, for whom he played four seasons. He played for the Chicago Bears from 2007 to 2011.

Look To The Cookie

2012-05-25T21:00:22Z

(Via. (Via.))

Baseball Bows Out Of B1G Tourney After Two Games

2012-05-25T18:15:50Z

Baseball Bows Out Of B1G Tourney After Two Games

After faltering late against host Ohio State on Wednesday, Penn State lost their first game in the losers bracket on Thursday, getting hammered by Nebraska 12-2 and was eliminated from the Big Ten tournament.

In Defense of College Football

2012-05-25T17:00:50Z

It’s fashionable these days to hate college football. And while it’s hardly difficult to figure out why it’s fashionable these days to hate college football, I must say this: All the hate, most especially the contrived hate (hello, Buzz Bissinger), is starting to piss me off. Because while I don’t mind criticism, I do mind dishonesty. And I especially mind opportunism.

But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself. So let’s backtrack a bit.

Yes, we who comprise College Football Nation can and should start with this: Over the past two years, the game we love been sullied by one sordid affair after another, with sad, unseemly and in some cases downright disturbing scandals unfolding at some of its most storied institutions. There was the Jim Tressel thing. There was the Miami thing. And then, of course, there was the Penn State thing, which not only led to the Shakespearean fall of one Joe Paterno, but also left one of college football’s largest and most powerful programs lying in smoldering ruin. Nationally, these stories struck a powerful chord among critics of big-time college athletics: In scandal, they saw opportunity.

Which is why, over the past few months, we have seen and heard so many commentators (and, in the case of Bissinger, attention-seekers) begin to question—quite understandably, I would admit—whether college football, a game that has evolved from campus curiosity to multi-billion dollar business, has become too powerful on our nation’s campuses, and whether American colleges have sacrificed their academic integrity in the pursuit of gridiron success.

It’s not an unfair question to ask, of course; football, is, after all, nothing more than an extracurricular activity (albeit a massively popular one), and as such, the sport should not be permitted to take on an importance beyond the overarching mission of the American university—specifically, educating tomorrow’s leaders. On this, both right-thinking college football fans (of which are there are millions, it should be pointed out) and the game’s critics agree: College football must be placed in its proper context, and the problems that plague the game—and yes, there are many problems, from cheating and academic fraud to oversigning and the endless pursuit of profit above all fairness—must be addressed.

I mean that in all sincerity: Our game is messed up, perhaps more than it’s ever been. And we need to fix it. Now.

But see, for the critics, simply fixing the game isn’t good enough; rather, they’ve gone on the attack. Because they see an opportunity to tear something down—something that they either don’t understand or don’t want to understand or perhaps even despise. And for some of them, the opportunity is simply too good to pass up.

In a recent Slate commentary bemoaning the practice of "oversigning" in college football, Josh Levin summed up current elitist opinion when he wrote that anybody who isn’t completely cynical about college football these days is "either willfully stupid or the host of an ESPN studio show." Meanwhile, noted author Buzz Bissinger, a man who basically owes his entire career to the game of football and those who play it, went a step further, writing in the Wall Street Journal that college football must be banned entirely, that it must be eradicated from our college campuses, that only when the game is dead and buried will our universities be able to get back to the good work of educating the leaders of tomorrow.

College football, Bissinger and his growing cadre of allies say, is a menace. It is a cancer that has distracted colleges from their true mission. And the only way to cure this cancer, they say, is to cut it out. But closer examination of their arguments turns up contradiction, dishonesty and a form of anti-football prejudice.

***

Bissinger states quite directly that college football has to go because "it has nothing to do with academics." Which, of course, is both entirely true and completely irrelevant. After all, college basketball, the second-most popular sport on American campuses, has nothing to do with academics, either. Nor does soccer. Nor does lacrosse. Nor does crew.

Which brings me to perhaps the most important point, albeit one that mostly goes unspoken when the debate over college football’s worthiness is undertaken. Underlying all of these anti-college football arguments, it would seem, is a sense of wariness about college football players themselves—a slight hint of the notion that most or at least some of these young men do not belong in college in the first place, and would not be in college were it not for the allegedly corrupt college football programs that brought them there.

Thanks in part to the recent scandals and thanks in part to long-held beliefs about the game itself, college football players, like the game itself, have quite clearly been stigmatized. They have been profiled as dumb, lumbering jocks, uninterested in anything but bashing heads on Saturday and enjoying their four years of on-campus fame (if not fortune). In the minds of the critics, these student-athletes aren’t that at all; they are athletes only, individuals who are at once taking advantage of a corrupt, errant system and being exploited by it.

The critics may deny it, and I am quite sure they will, but there is little question in my mind that perceptions of what football is (and what it isn’t) and what college football players represent (and what they don’t) play an enormous role in shaping his new debate—this debate over whether college football, a game that has been played in this country since the 1860s, should be allowed to continue. To put it bluntly, at the core of these arguments is good old-fashioned elitism. And that’s not good enough.

***

Over the past few months I’ve heard countless arguments for why college football needs to go. I’ve heard it has to go because it’s too expensive. I’ve heard it has to go because it distracts universities from their work. I’ve heard it has to go because it’s too big, and too powerful, and too dangerous, and too exploitative. And yes, I’ve heard it has to go because it "has nothing to do with academics."

But make no mistake. In reality, these arguments simply mask the real reason why Bissinger and his fellow crusaders want the game gone. They want the game gone because they don’t particularly like college football and disdain those who do. They don’t like how the game is played. They don’t like what it stands for. They don’t like that it’s so darn popular. They don’t like that alumni embrace their football teams with such sincere joy and that students turn out in greater numbers for football on Saturday than they do for lectures on Wednesday. And whether they want to admit it or not, they don’t like college football because they believe college football wrongly allows some young men to enroll in college—in some cases, very good colleges—who otherwise would not be there.

Yes, college football, the game I love above all others, is flawed. It is deeply, deeply flawed. It has been distorted by money. It often treats its athletes shabbily and in many cases makes a mockery of higher education. The schools that play it sometimes cheat to win, and the men who coach it occasionally make terrible mistakes. College football today is a big, complicated, messy, cutthroat business; as such, it must be tightly regulated, just like any other big business.

But for all of its flaws, is a great game nonetheless. It is America’s oldest and greatest and most inclusive sport—one that is enjoyed in every corner of this country, from the bustling Northeast to the deepest South to the Great Plains and on up to the Pacific Northwest. It has tied the generations together, given its fans decades of wonderful Saturday experiences, built some of our greatest sporting institutions and traditions, educated thousands upon thousands of young men and, yes, helped fuel the growth of the American higher education system, which now stands unquestioned as the greatest in the world.

The game may well be said to be in crisis. On that point I will not argue.

But when an institution as grand as college football goes astray, the proper course of action is not to destroy it.

Rather, our aim should be to save it.

Editors' Note: We thought it'd be fun to introduce Tim this way. He will be our newest staff writer at Black Shoe Diaries. We are very excited to have such a distinguished college football writer as part of our community. Everyone give Tim a big welcome. And until we have our traditional Welcome post for Tim, visit his profile here.

Success With Hyperlinking Is Thankful For Not Having A Deadbeat Parent

2012-05-25T16:00:45Z

The BSD staff is fully aware that you, the BSD reader, can't get enough Jerry Sandusky coverage*, so here's a nice lengthy interview with Sandusky's lawyer, Joe Amendola from The Philly Post. While we highly recommend clicking the aforementioned link in order to fully immerse yourself inside the Mind of 'Mendola**, here's a few excerpts from said interview:

Amendola on his chaotic childhood:

Amendola on his deadbeat mother

Amendola on whether this will be the Casey Anthony trial of the Summer

Amendola on the media attacking him for fathering a child with a 17 year old girl a decade and a half ago

Here's Another Bill O'Brien Interview To Wash Off The Sandusky Stench

Tony Manusco of GOPSUSports.com conducted the latest interview with BOB, and while it's full of the predictable questions about personnel and how the team will prepare for Ohio on September 1st, it's still very much worth a read. Part I and Part II can be read by clicking on their respective links.

Todd Graham Will Do Anything For Love (Yes, Even That)

Dear Worldwide Leader's Ivan Maisel recently composed a piece on how Todd Graham is settling in at Arizona State, and the real reason he left Pitt after just one season:

Gee, I wonder if Graham took such issues into consideration before he foolishly accepted a job in a place where his upbringing and style of coaching would make him a fish out of water?

Ohio State To Offer 'Fruit Ninja' Classes Beginning This Fall

Ohio State is going to start providing iPads for its athletes. I'm pretty sure the jokes write themselves on this one.

George Carlin Would Be Proud of This List

Deadspin has posted a couple of stories lately about colleges using special software that monitors what student-athletes type on their social media accounts. One such post in particular, is a full A-Z list of things college athletes should avoid writing on Facebook, Twitter, etc., some of which will probably make you think "Seriously? They get reported for saying THAT?" Basically, if you're a college athlete and you're tweeting about how you're a BAMF who is totally FUBAR'd right this moment, you've just gotten yourself into one FUM.

And Finally...

The PIAA Basketball Finals are leaving the BJC and moving back to the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. Now is the time to pay your final respects.

* That was sarcasm, you rocket scientist

** It's past midnight as I'm typing this, and all I can think of are puns based off of shitty Comedy Central shows

Only Chris Bahr Until Penn State Football 2012

2012-05-25T08:00:02Z

Oh yeah, we're bringing this back. Join us each morning as we count down the 99 days until Penn State kicks off its 2012 football season against Ohio. If you weren't around in previous years, a player is chosen to represent the number of days remaining until the season, based on that player's jersey number. By default, we use the current roster. But on days like today, when the number 99 isn't being worn by a current player, we dig down to find past players who wore it. Today, Chris Bahr.

Who? Bahr was named an All-American three times for soccer and once for football. He led the Nittany Lions in scoring in 1975, including four field goals over 50 yards. He averaged 39 yards in punts.

Penn State Recruiting Roundup 5.24.12

2012-05-24T17:45:07Z

All Quiet on the [ENTER DIRECTION HERE] Front. Eight commitments in two months have the Penn State Class of 2013 out to a strong start, but there hasn't been any action in nearly six weeks, so many fans are starting to get antsy. However, keep in mind that it is only late May, and that there are still roughly eight months before ink meets paper meets fax machine on Signing Day 2013.

Offers, Offers Everywhere. While there hasn't been any movement on the commitment front, the staff has been busy extending offers to a number of new targets. Some are stretches, players that will almost certainly never end up at Penn State. But others are to recruits that have strong mutual interest, and could very well end up at Penn State. These players include NJ LB Brandon Bell, OH ATH (recruited as an LB/DB) Marcus Ball, and NJ LB Al-Rasheed Benton. So you can see where the priorities lay, position-wise. To give you an idea of where PSU stands with respect to its peers, 247Sports lists 73 offers from Penn State in the Class of '13, while Michigan (114) and Ohio State (109) have many more offers out.

Dorian, Robert, n'at. The most highly touted players in the western half of our great commonwealth are still uncommitted, but at least one should be ending soon. Dorian Johnson, a five-star OL from Belle Vernon, is reportedly down to Pitt and Penn State (though a couple others remain in the mix, including Ohio State). Staying close to home appears to be a major driver for Johnson, and while all three schools named are within three hours, being just 45 minutes from Pitt is very enticing. Add in some former Wisconsin coaches, and the Panthers will be tough to beat.

Robert Foster continues to be relatively quiet on the recruiting front, but I'm going to continue to believe that he won't end up at Penn State, for a variety of reasons. Pitt, Ohio State, and Alabama appear to be at or near the top of the five-star wide receiver's list, and despite some positive reactions from Foster about Penn State, I just don't see it happening.

Scholarship Count. There has been a lot of rumor and speculation (and then reprinting that rumor and speculation as fact by an unnamed established newspaper journalist who became EIC at an online news source) about some of the current Nittany Lions. As of right now, the official scholarship total (including the Class of '12 guys, some of whom aren't on campus yet due to graduation) is 83. This includes both Rob Bolden and Curtis Drake, and will continue to do so until we hear official word either way. Among those 83 are 14 players on their last year of eligibility (provided Michael Mauti doesn't apply for is granted a sixth year), leaving a current opening of 16 available scholarships. If and/or when current Nittany Lions are no longer on the team, that number will slowly rise.

Junior Camp. The 2012 Junior Camp at Penn State will be held June 2, at which point some new names should appear on the radar. It will be interesting to see what the staff does with relation to some of the camp kids, and how many offers go out as a result of seeing certain players in action. One guy to keep an eye on is NJ LB Buddy Brown, who is high on PSU, but whom the staff would like to see in person before accepting a commitment.

And Now, For Your Viewing Pleasure. ~~Kate Upton~~ The Big Board...

Penn State Recruiting Class of 2013 Big Board
Estimated Class Size: 18-22
Current Commitments: 8

Quarterbacks (1-2)
1. Christian Hackenberg (Fork Union (VA)) (Committed: 02/29/2012, Recruited by Charles London)
Others: None

Notes: Should the number of scholarship quarterbacks change in the coming weeks or months, I don't think you'll see another pro-style quarterback, the type of passer best suited for the Bill O'Brien offense, taken in this class. There are a couple of Athlete/Quarterback prospects that Penn State could go after should they decide to take another commitment. Until that becomes an apparent strategy, conventional wisdom says Hackenberg is the man in this class.

As for the Class of 2014 (well, this QB class is nicely wrapped up, so it's never too early to look ahead), Penn State is already targeting some top notch passers. Players like Andrew Ford (Cedar Cliff (PA)), DJ Gillins (Eagle's View (FL)), Chance Stewart (Sturgis (MI)), and DeShone Kizer (Central Catholic (OH)) have already been in contact with the staff, though none have offers as of yet.

Running Backs (1-2)
1. David Williams (Imhotep Charter (PA)
2. Corey Clement (Glassboro (NJ))
3. Richie Anderson (Johnson (MD))
4. Zaire Williams (Timber Creek (NJ))
5. Roman Clay (Lancaster Catholic (PA))
Others: Austin Brown (FB) (Easton Area (PA))

Notes: Another week, another "So, David Williams...what's up man?" theme. Williams continues to take his time with his recruiting, but the PSU staff may be getting slightly impatient. Other big names have PSU offers, but I'll bet a Stanley nickel that Ryan Green (FL) and Derrick Green (VA) end up elsewhere. So it still appears to be David Williams or Bust. But that can only go on for so long.

Wide Receiver (1-3)
1. Robert Foster (Central Valley (PA))
2. Brian Lemelle (Bishop McDevitt (PA))
3. Tyler Boyd (Clairton (PA))
4. Daryl Worley (William Penn Charter (PA))
5. Paul Harris (Frederick Douglass (MD))
Others: William Fuller (Roman Catholic (PA)), Zach Grant (Paul VI (NJ))

Notes: Boyd, like his fellow WPIALian Foster only a bit later in time, has seen his recruitment blow up as of late. He is being recruited on both sides of the ball by different schools, so he could really step in early and help out somewhere. Paul Harris is an interesting recruit, as he appears to be high on PSU, and is from a typically strong recruiting area for PSU, but Southern Cal looks like a team to beat here.

Tight End (0-1)
1. Adam Breneman (Cedar Cliff (PA)) (Committed 03/09/2012, Recruited by the ENTIRE STAFF)
Others: None

Notes: N/A

Offensive Line (3-5)
1. Brendan Mahon (Randolph (NJ)) (Committed 03/17/2012, Recruited by John Strollo)
2. Andrew Nelson (Hershey (PA)) (Committed 04/15/2012, Recruited by Larry Johnson)
3. Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon (PA))
4. Derwin Gray (Friendship Academy (DC))
5. Jaryd Jones-Smith (West Philadelphia Catholic (PA))
Others: Brad Hanson (Monsignor Donovan (NJ)), Tommy Hopkins (Westlake (NY)), Jordan Page (Pennington (NJ)), Dan Samuelson (Plymouth (IN)), Tevin Montgomery (Tabor Academy (MA))

Notes: With two quality prospects on the board, the staff can afford to wait with their offensive line recruiting, and play the game carefully. Johnson is being heavily recruited, but should he pick a school not named PSU, it's simply on to the next big name on the board. As stated in the past, offensive linemen are notoriously hard to predict, so this (as well as the defensive line) is where the staff will likely focus its attention in two weeks when they can get a look at some additional linemen in camp.

Defensive Tackle (1-2)
1. Greg Webb (Timber Creek (NJ)) (Committed 04/05/2012, Recruited by Larry Johnson)
2. Justin Moody (George Washington (PA))
3. Donovan Munger (Shaker Heights (OH))
4. Donta Wilkins (Potomac (VA))
5. Maurice Hurst, Jr. (Xaverian Brothers (MA))
Others: Tevin Montgomery (Tabor Academy (MA)), Rod Crayton (Dadeville (AL)), Poet Thomas (Detroit Country Day (MI))

Notes: Like the OL, the staff can afford to wait here, if they in fact take another DT. Should someone like Eddie Vanderdoes decide to pick PSU, you find a spot. However, right now it is slow moving out there, as it doesn't seem like the staff is really pressuring any of these other guys or that they are really making a play for any of them.

Defensive End (2-3)
1. Garrett Sickels (Red Bank Regional (NJ) (Committed 03/04/2012, Recruited by Jon Strollo)
2. Curtis Cothran (Council Rock North (PA)) (Committed 03/26/2012, Recruited by John Butler)
3. Dajaun Drennon (Timber Creek (NJ))
4. Wyatt Teller (Liberty (VA))
5. Nick Arcidiacono (Archbishop Wood (PA))
Others: Alquadin Muhammed (Don Bosco Prep (NJ))

Notes: Jonathan Allen committed to Alabama in the least unexpected news ever, effectively dashing the moderately unrealistic hopes of some fans. This position is probably closed out, but could see a late addition depending on how the staff progresses elsewhere on the board.

Linebacker (3-4)
1. Alex Anzalone (Wyomissing (PA))
2. Buddy Brown (Williamstown (NJ))
3. Al-Rasheed Benton (Malcolm X. Shabazz (NJ))
4. Michael Deeb (MLB) (American Heritage (FL))
5. Zayd Issah (Central Dauphin (PA))
Others: Marcus Newby (Quince Orchard (MD)), Jake Plonski (Erie Cathedral Prep (PA)), Brandon Bell (Oakcrest (NJ))

Notes: Some new names on the board, including Benton, whose recruitment many believe is just a matter of time before it ends in favor of the Nittany Lions. Anzalone, back on the board after an admittedly (by Alex) creepy encounter with an Ohio State fan, is taking his time this time around. Florida and Stanford are at the top, and Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State (yes, they're still in it) follow them. As a Pittsburgher, I wouldn't mind seeing Brown, Benton, and Bell (because of the Killer B's, not because of some weird affinity for New Jersey) as three of the commitments. From a talent standpoint, Anzalone and Deeb, playing outside and middle linebacker respectively, would be very nice additions to the class.

Defensive Back (3-4)
1. Ross Douglas (CB) (Avon (OH)) (Committed 02/29/2012, Recruited by Stan Hixon)
2. Nadir Barnwell (CB) (Piscataway (NJ))
3. Delton Williams (S) (Erie Cathedral Prep (PA))
4. Darian Hicks (CB) (Solon (OH))
5. Reon Dawson (S) (Trotwood-Madison (OH))
Others: Kirk Garner (S) (Good Counsel (MD)), Delando Johnson (S) (Calvert Hall College (MD)), Kennedy Frazier (S) (Calvert Hall (MD)), Milan Collins (Bishop McNamara (MD))

Notes: The highest position of need remains at a standstill for the time being. There is mutual interest out there from each of Barnwell, Williams, and Hicks (among others), but things have slowed on defensive back recruiting, for whatever reason. Williams is being pulled strongly to Michigan State by current teammate and Spartan commit Damion Terry.