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Rockies Honor Victims

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Rockies Padres Baseball Colorado Shooting

By John Ekdahl

Friday night, the Colorado Rockies honored the victims of the movie theater shooting by wearing black armbands and marking their eye black with “7-20”. From MLB.com:

The Padres and Rockies observed a moment of silence before Friday’s game at Petco Park. The Rockies hung a black jersey in their dugout, reading “We remember 7-20,” and wore purple jerseys and black wristbands in honor of those killed and injured.

The Rockies described their actions in a statement that was read on Root Sports Rocky Mountain at the start of its broadcast. The flags at Petco Park were flown at half-staff, and the Rockies stood at the edge of the warning track in front of their dugout during pregame ceremonies as a show of solidarity.

Here is the black jersey that hung in the dugout. The Rockies return home on Friday.

~~~

There’s been a lot of commentary about the United States Olympics uniforms being made in China. Now, some in the media are starting to notice that uniforms themselves (with the gigantic Polo logo) are a little obnoxious. The New York Times has posted 7 Olympic Uniforms or Yore.

Phil covered the NBA uniforms ads yesterday. Now Fox Sports is reporting that adding ads could net the NBA $100 million in revenue.

Bud Selig weighed in on the NBA uniform ads.

“You learn never to say never, but you know, with us, uniforms are really important,” Selig said on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “They’re history.

“You can close your eyes, and that Cub uniform, my goodness gracious, I can remember (that from) when I was 10 years old, and that’s a long time ago. And there’s the Yankee pinstripes, and the Red Sox and so on and so forth, so I’ve been pretty consistent on that.”

Well, it’s good to know he’s against ads on baseball uniforms, but the “never say never” is a bit disconcerting.

Open weekend thread as always. Sorry for the late post.

Update: Penn State has removed the statue of Joe Paterno. Initially they had considered relocating the statue to the Paterno library, which makes no sense. Hopefully they rip his name off the building as well.

Update 2: An NCAA source has described the coming penalties against Penn State as “unprecedented“.

CBS News has learned that the NCAA will announce what a high-ranking association source called “unprecedented” penalties against both the Penn State University football team and the school.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” the source told correspondent Armen Keteyian.

The official announcement will be made tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.

Update 3: I’m now realizing how terribly depressing this post is. So, to cheer everyone up, I give you 19-year-old Australian Olympic hurdler Michelle Jenneke. Enjoy.

~~~

Screen Shot 2012-06-24 at 10.32.36 PM

Yeah, I know, this one wouldn’t work in a daily newspaper, either…

7-22-12 s-shrubbery

Click to enlarge

 
  
 
Comments (105)

    Both clubs looked great (minus, of course, the shoes and modern helmet logos)!

    Monochromes really do look good on a baseball field (but only, of course, with very visible stockings which lend balance to the look).

    And I wish there was some movement, some trend, towards getting rid of all the distracting stripes and swatches and clashing colors on baseball spikes.

    And did you notice the short-brimmed caps the Twins were wearing. Much like the 1909 originals. I don’t believe I’ve seen that done before in a throwback game.
    link

    Today’s Benchies seems to have 2 extra panels.

    Also, I have to say it’s slightly shocking to see Selig as being generally opposed to uni-ads.

    …and seriously NBA? You’re willing to desecrate your uniforms for 100 million bucks? For fuck’s sake, you can probably make that extra $100M per season by simply charging an extra dollar per jersey or increasing beer prices by 25 cents a cup.

    Greed is not a positive attribute, you pathetic fucks.

    /sorry for the profanity, but I feel its necessary.

    The weasel Selig has yet again shown himself to be a coward. Why journalists don’t confront him on these matters.

    NBA fans have the ability to stop the commercial take over of uniforms. It’s called a sponsor boycott. Simply organize a national effort and watch how quickly that $100 million dries up.

    Organizing that national boycott is harder than it sounds, but yeah. Seriously, 100 million – split between 30 teams – that’s a whopping 3.3 million per team, assuming that it’s actually split evenly somehow. Is that even enough to cover the potential loss of sales from pissed off fans?

    Agreed that $100 mil seems like chump change for something like this. I see it as similar to stadium or arena naming rights: screwing with generations of tradition for … what, exactly? The worst part is I suspect most fans will react like they did to “MetLife Stadium”: a big yawn. (Present company here excepted, of course.)

    On a more hopeful note, I was discussing this issue with a software developer friend the other day and he had heard of a web-based effort to — wait for it — rotoscope (effectively, mask or hide) the ads out of a (online) video feed of NBA games. Apparently wouldn’t be as hard as you might think (though it sounds hard to me, and I work in the industry) since they’ll be small enough. No link yet, but at least a beacon of hope.

    Boycotts work best when they’re organized by a homogeneous group. In the 1870s, Mormon leaders organized a boycott of non-Mormon businesses in Utah Territory, that worked gangbusters. Irish boycotts of English products worked well, too.

    NBA fans are a heterogeneous group. Do you really think the NBA cares about a couple of guys in Cleveland or Philly boycotting their product, when they know full well there are ENORMOUS markets in Asia, where having the Mercedes logo or the McDonald’s logo or the Apple logo on a jersey will not only fail to deter them; the corporate logo will actually add to the jersey’s cachet.

    David Stern is a shrewd little gnome. He knows exactly what he’s doing. And he and his dark masters care not what we think.

    The Jeff said it far more eloquently than I ever could.

    “The Jeff said it far more eloquently than I ever could.”

    ~~~

    words i never thought i’d see typed on this board…

    What he said:

    “You learn never to say never, but you know, with us, uniforms are really important. They’re history.”

    What he meant:

    “We’ll see how much crap the NBA takes over that. After it works, the uniforms are really important (to revenue). At that point, the uniforms without ads, they’re history.”

    Penn State’s gunna get their’s tomorrow.

    I hope their disgusting line to take pictures with the JoePa statue on Friday only angered and emboldened the NCAA to burn that program to the ground.

    The B1G never shoulda let them in the conference.

    In other news: #NoUniAds Not now, Not ever.

    My first thought when I saw the removing the statue was that Penn State knows something’s coming.

    And they didn’t want it to be the focus of either adulation or outrage (outrage from either camp, that is).

    My first reax to the quickie removal of the statue – memo to other alumni groups across the country: never, ever pay to build a bronze idol of a living man, no matter how great you believe he is – was that the Penn State brain trust was making a desperate move to avoid extreme NCAA sanction by taking what would seem like radical self-critical action.

    But my first reax is usually wrong.

    It’ll be interesting to see just how little “with honor” actually means to the PSU alumni and fan community tomorrow.

    Now ESPN is quoting an unnamed PSU Trustee who explicitly says that the removal of the statue was intended to stave off NCAA punishment. He refers to the rest of the nation’s college leaders as “pansy presidents” for permitting the NCAA to punish Penn State at all. Charming example of the kind of “honor” and character that institution has instilled in its community.

    We Are Penn State!*

    *Unless anyone at Penn State has done something wrong, in which case, Who, Me, Penn State?

    I thought that rather than removing the statue they should have modified it and then added two more.

    link

    Ekdahl,
    Removing the statue, tearing away his name from anything on campus, etc. doesn’t seem like enough, if only there was some way to delete the fact that Joe Pa ever existed on earth perhaps everyone would be satisfied in the Penn State debacle. (If you haven’t done so please hit the sarcasm button now.)
    WTF, regardless of what a former FBI investigator, (who BTW was hired by the Penn State PR team I mean school officials to cover the institutions ass), says there are a lot of assumptions being presented as absolute truths.
    Sandusky was tried and is now being punished. It is just another case of the media looking to continue to hype a story. I understand we as a society want to assign guilt and look to punish those responsible (especially in a heinous case like this) but last I checked Joe Pa was not accused of child abuse, molestation, etc. Seems like many have misguided their anger, guilt, etc. towards a public face in Joe Pa.
    Joe Paterno did what a person is expected/required to do in suspected child abuse cases, he reported it to his superiors and they in turn contacted authorities. Unfortunately, they didn’t follow up appropriately or in a timely fashion.

    So if we see a fellow employee commit a crime that has nothing to do with their job, our obligation is limited to telling our superior, not to alerting authorities?

    Just asking.

    That sorta depends on the crime, doesn’t it? Shades of gray and all that. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a point where anypony with a functioning brain should realize that “this is wrong, I should call the police”, but there is a huge difference between rape and stealing a bottle of Pepsi, though both are crimes.

    And, the case of Penn State, the former shouldn’t have been treated as if it were the latter.

    Amazing the suffering some will let others endure to protect something they think is important.

    “If a few young boys being molested is the price of protecting the Penn State program, so be it.”

    “If 12 people getting killed in a movie theater is the price of protecting my right to buy a 100-round clip and 6,000 rounds of ammo, so be it.”

    NOT comparing the two incidents, JUST the mindset. I repeat, JUST the mindset.

    Read the Freeh report. JoePa protected and abetted a child rapist for 14 years and let him use his lure – the PSU football program – to rape and abuse at least 10 more victims.

    If you believe in a hell, JoePa is burning in it.

    The Freeh report: paid for by Penn St., blames the dead guy.

    That’s not convenient at all.

    Freeh Report: Blames the dead guy, the fired guys, the trusties, and the culture of a university. They are all responsible. If Spanier, Curley, Schultz, or Sandusky had a statue or their a building, that would have been gone weeks ago.

    Considering how you are the web master of uniwatch (which I truly appreciate) I know you cannot be so simplistic in your mindset that you equate questioning the involvement of Joe Paterno as defending child rape?!?
    Can someone please explain to Ek that there is not everything in life is black or white.

    Wait.

    If your sister tells you her new husband is regularly having sex with her 13-year-old daughter and you do nothing, are you part of the solution or part of the problem?

    Or do you get to say, “It’s not my problem”, thereby absolving yourself from any responsibility in the matter?

    “Joe Paterno did what a person is expected/required to do in suspected child abuse cases, he reported it to his superiors and they in turn contacted authorities.”

    Just asking here: do you truly believe Joe Paterno’s hands are clean and that he died guilt-free with a clean conscience?

    Do you mean to tell me you’re locking horns with the formidable pro-child-rape lobby on this very website??

    Walter, I think that may be the case if we go by Ek’s mindset so thank you for some clarity on the matter : )
    Ricko, I don’t get your analogy as Joe Pa did something, he reported it.
    JTH, don’t know if Joe Pa was guilt free but I would guess from his statements he was not. Of course Joe Pa could have done more but the blame being cast on him is unfair in that it smacks of revisionist history.
    Ek, not sure you do get the idea that it is not black and white in all cases, especially this one. Joe Pa didn’t rape anybody nor did he condone it. He reported it as he should have and unfortunately for him he is the most public face and therefore takes the majority of the blame.

    “Ricko, I don’t get your analogy as Joe Pa did something, he reported it.”

    So he should have had sign on his desk reading, “The buck goes through here like a shot”?

    The football program was powerful…except when it was better for it not to be? “Ooo, this looks like a time to hide behind the administration.”

    Yes, Paterno reported it. And when it didn’t go anywhere, Paterno continued to employ Sandusky and allow him access to children.

    So, take down the statue and his name off the building. The University shouldn’t be “honoring” him after he chose to protect his own legacy over the welfare of children.

    I’m not sure why you’re describing this position as “black and white”.

    Rick Reilly last week:

    “Here’s his true legacy: Paterno let a child molester go when he could’ve stopped him. He let him go and then lied to cover his sinister tracks. He let a rapist go to save his own recruiting successes and fundraising pitches and big-fish-small-pond hide.

    Here’s a legacy for you. Paterno’s cowardice and ego and fears allowed Sandusky to molest at least eight more boys in the years after that 1998 incident – Victims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10. Just to recap: By not acting, a grown man failed to protect eight boys from years of molestation, abuse and self-loathing, all to save his program the embarrassment. The mother of Victim 1 is “filled with hatred toward Joe Paterno,” the victim’s lawyer says. “She just hates him, and reviles him.” Can you blame her?”

    Sorry if it’s “black and white”, but I agree with Reilly. You, apparently, don’t. So be it.

    Conspiracies, theories, etc. are just that we don’t know and I am not willing denounce someone based on them, which is exactly what has been done with the Freeh report. Believe it or not, even head football/basketball coaches do have to answer to administration regardless of how powerful they are perceived as (ask Bob Knight) and while I agree Joe Pa was powerful he did have superiors to answer to and therefore a chain of command to adhere to. That is not an excuse but reality as I know that as a mandated child abuse reporter in NYC you have to go through the chain of command to prevent false accusations, lawsuits, etc.

    So, the Freeh Report was commissioned to intentionally and wrongly blame Joe Paterno for failing to act while knowing of Sandusky’s behavior by a former FBI director and the Penn State board of trusties (while interviewing more than 430 people and reviewing more than 3 million documents), and I’m the one engaging in wild conspiracy theories?

    I’m not going to continue arguing about this with you.

    While your removing the Paterno statue and ripping his name off the library he built, let’s just change the name of Penn State to Rape University. While we’re at it we should just close all Catholic churches as well. Let’s eliminate all signs everywhere something terrible happens.

    “While we’re at it we should just close all Catholic churches as well. Let’s eliminate all signs everywhere something terrible happens.”

    ~~~

    or the paternos of the world could just transfer the sandusky’s of the world to another parish

    problem solved!

    Here’s my take:
    Paterno & the others had no idea what the hell they were dealing with and frozen by indecision and fear of being wrong, allowed the matter to slip away. As time progressed and there were no additional claims against Sandusky, they probably even began to rationalize in their heads that their collective non-action was the correct course of action.

    These guys were no evil doers (that is a discription reserved for Jerry Sandusky), their actions as University and community leaders were wrong to the point of stupid and cowardly, but not evil, nor petty.

    Also – in 1998 Sandusky was investigated by authorities and no charges were pressed. Is that Paterno’s fault?

    And John – Paterno did not continue to employ Sandusky. Get your facts straight.

    Ek,
    The reason I am describing your position as ‘black or white’ is that your statement,
    “Me: against child rape and those who excuse or protect it. It’s a controversial position, I know.” Speaks to the idea that if you do not condem Joe Pa you must be in favor of child rape/molestation?!?
    Again, the (understandable) anger of the victims parents is unfairly focused on Joe Pa as he is the face of Penn State but that doesn’t excuse the fact that its off target.

    Yes, everything in life is shades of grey. From black to white, and everything in between.

    I’d go ahead and put chronic child rape and covering it up pretty much right near the “black” end of the scale.

    Not everything is black and white… but some things are black, and some things are white.

    If Sandusky and Paterno were involved in stealing office supples… yeah, that’s in the grey portion of the scale.

    Actually, if one is a “mandated reporter” (e.g., a school teacher), while it MAY be reported to a superior, it MUST be reported to the designated government agency (in Illinois, that would be the Department of Child and Family Services).

    Reporting it ONLY to one’s superiors, even if one’s superiors DO report it to the authorities, is NOT enough, morally or legally.

    Caveat: Not sure if this was the law in 1998 in Pennsylvania, but it has been the law in the three states in which I’ve been an educator since 1990, so I’d be very surprised if it was not the law in PA in 1998.

    Doesn’t matter what the law is. If you know or suspect that a child is in danger, you do your utmost to protect the child. You don’t do the legally required minimum. You don’t tell some other guy at your office and hope he has the courage to do better than your own cowardice permits. You do everything within your power to protect the child. And unless you have just had all ten fingers sliced off in an industrial accident, “call the police” is on the list of things within your power that you do without question or hesitation.

    It is the duty of an adult to protect children. It is the duty of a citizen to report crimes. All this talk about JoePa’s job as head coach and administrative procedure proceeds from the false premise that he was neither a grown man nor a citizen. He was those things first, a football coach and employee of PSU second.

    Komet17,
    I am not sure of the law in PA either but as of 2011 in NY mandated meant report to your superiors not law enforcement.
    Arr Scott I understand your position and agree that the adults must protect the children but unfortunately the Penn State admin nor the local prosecutors didn’t do enough at the time. What Joe Pa knew was considered ‘hearsay’ at the time and therefore he did was was expected and appropriate. He was not a witness to the actual event.

    NotOsama, I’m not sure where you received your NY State information, but that is incorrect:
    link

    Regardless of what you are “mandated” to do, anyone interested in protection of children calls 911, then reports the incident to their superiors.

    As a parent, I consider Paterno a coward for allowing the rapes to continue. That’s pretty black & white.

    Off to watch AS Roma play Zaglebie Lubin at Wrigley Field.

    It’ll be the third sport I’ve seen played at Wrigley (I wish it were the fourth).

    Ricko,
    It is my understanding that Joe Pa didn’t witness anything himself so your question is irrelevant. Those who did witness it, McQueary, various custodians are still answerable to the chain of command but I agree should notify authorities as well.

    Yah, he’s pure as the driven snow in all this.

    He just deep-sixed it, instead of doing the right thing, which to make sure it stopped, not protect a friend and a football program.

    Look, I was a huge admirer of Joe Paterno. Seriously, huge. But his judgement failed him in this. And to cover up something is to become an enabler, a de facto participant.

    Ricko,
    I understand the scenario is an emotional one and that is my point exactly. The majority of the reactions directed towards Joe Pa are way overboard.
    BTW, I didn’t say Joe Pa was pure only that he is receiving a disproportionate amount of the blame due to his public stature.

    And my earlier question was asked in a “greater context/in the world in general” frame…not specifically limited to the Penn State situation.

    Either way, we’re good.

    Without getting into 25-cent psychology, I’ve wondered if for Paterno maybe there wasn’t a certain amount of denial in all this. He just simply couldn’t believe such a thing really was happening.

    If the Penn State program truly was “legendary” then we’re also into “When the Legend becomes fact, print the Legend” territory…in that it morphs into, “When in doubt, believe in the Legend.” (That is NOT a defense, btw, not at all. Just looking to explain behavior, not to justify it.)

    I’ve wondered if Paterno’s mind simply couldn’t process the horrible nature of his friend/employee’s actions. This is no way lets Paterno off the hook, but I wonder if this kind of stuff simply “did not compute” with him–his generation–his outlook, and it overwhelmed him. Again, no excuse, just speculation as to why he acted (or didn’t act) the way he did.

    Ricko –
    i agree with you.
    Paterno’s judgement failed him.
    He made a big mistake that could have prevented crimes from taking place.
    But I don’t believe that he deliberately instituted a cover-up to protect PSU football. Why would he? How would covering up a former employees’ crimes help the university? And if he did inted to cover it up, why would he even report it to anybody?

    Tim E. OB,
    In the words of Homer Simpson, ‘go suck a bible’ : )
    Seriously, the report was written by an ‘independent’ former FBI investigator (and we know that nobody in FBI in infallible or dishonest) and was paid for by the University to deflect guilt away from the University. If that is the bar we are using for aiding and abetting we may have to reopen the 911 investigation and try the entire FBI and CIA for information they had and didn’t respond to. Hell, let’s go back and bring all the banks, insurance companies, etc. who had a handled money during the days of slavery.

    “was paid for by the University to deflect guilt away from the University.”

    You haven’t read the Freeh roport (and they didn’t pay for it, it was FREEH! AAAAAAHHH!… sorry :( …)

    Look, do you wanna play blindman? Go walk with the shepherd. But me, my eyes are wide fucking open.

    Ever noticed that the only people defending JoePa are PSU people and/or twitdiots? That’s never a good sign. JoePa’s peers, former media worshipers and biggest supporters have their eyes open.

    **||This is going to get a bit graphic because that is the only way to convey the importance/gravity of this||**

    JoePa allowed Jerry Sandusky to forcibly penetrate young boys in both their mouths and anuses and forced them to perform fellatio on him all while using Second Mile and PSU football to get them under his power.

    If you think JoePa telling his simply forwarding this information to superior is enough, I weep for you.

    Oh, and he told people it would be ‘humane’ to protect Sandusky.

    That was a Freah comment was a terrible joke, almost as bad as my Homer Simpson reference : )
    Again, I understand the high emotions involved in such heinous crimes, not to mention the ‘amphetamine-like’ boost provided by ESPN’s 247, zoo coverage but this is typical of our society and the cult of personality we love to create and then destroy.
    Again, IMO there are too many assumptions/opinions being presented as the truth.

    This:

    If you think JoePa telling his simply forwarding this information to superior is enough, I weep for you.

    Oh, and he told people it would be ‘humane’ to protect Sandusky.

    is incorrect. Curley said that, not Paterno. And therein is my biggest problem with the JoePa bashing–you’re simply placing the blame for everything that happened on him.

    JoePa didn’t say that. He didn’t rape kids. Al Gore never said he invented the internet.

    But don’t let facts get in the way your anger.

    Robert,
    That is my point precisely, emotions are running rampant and everybody is now jumping on the bandwagon.
    The Freeh report was an opinion regardless of who conducted it, how many interviews, document, etc. There was no sworn testimony, limited burden of proof and liberal assumptions in connecting some of the dots.

    And don’t forget the Freeh report couldn’t interview Joe Paterno. No matter how deep the investigation was, one guy couldn’t be questioned.

    Some could say, “Ah, they’re just blaming the dead guy.”
    Wouldn’t it be just as wrong to say, “Sugarcoat it. Give the guy a break; he’d dead”?

    So maybe let’s just cut to this…

    Do we really, truly believe anything so major could have happened involving the Penn State football program and Paterno NOT known about it?

    So, given the extremely likelihood he DID know, he pretty much had four options…
    1. End it.
    2. Deny it, or deny knowing about it.
    3. Cover it up.
    4. Kick the problem upstairs.

    We cannot say for certain which he chose, but we do know it was NOT #1.

    Sandusky is a very sick man who probably has no ability to control his urges and lost the ability to discern right from wrong. The legend Joe Paterno, allegedly, made a conscious decision that to save his legacy, it was not worth stopping Sandusky. If these allegations are true, Paterno is nothing less than a monster himself. His leagacy should then be stripped of all the trappings of a legend…his record, awards and his championships.

    Allow me to play the devil’s advocate for one moment (and I am an expert; I’ve seen plenty of Hawaii Five-0 ): Joe the Janitor catches Jerry Sandusky cornholing a ten-year-old and promptly reports what he saw to the campus police. The following day, Joe the Janitor is summoned to the PSU president’s office and is informed, “Fine, you caught him. But remember, Coach Sandusky represents Coach Paterno, and Coach Paterno represents a multi-million dollar asset to this university. You, on the other hand, are easily-replaced manual labor. If you go public with this, Coach Sandusky will report that you , in fact, were raping the boy and you created this whole smear campaign to cover your tracks. Who’s everyone going to believe?” I’ll bet this was held over everyone who tried to turn Sandusky in.

    “Victory With Honor.”

    If “honor” means anything at all, it means that when a child is in danger, or may be in danger, an adult does his utmost to protect that child. Without regard for danger to oneself, without concern for possibly conflicting loyalties, and without obedience to any rules that may stand in the way.

    Look, I get that life ain’t fair and it’s a tough bargain to be the one on whom the burden falls. (Incidentally, if some janitors knew, then they all knew, and since we know that the coaches generally knew and the janitors generally knew, it is absurd to suggest that the players, alone among the Penn State football program, didn’t know, or have reason to know. Some “innocent victims” they are.) But doing the right thing when it’s hard and not fair is what “honor” means. Well, actually, it’s what “being an adult” or “common decency” mean, but at Penn State, the motto is “Victory With Honor.” And if “honor” means anything, it means that.

    Which is why I kind of don’t care if the JoePa bronze idol stays, or if the football program continues as if nothing happened. What I do care about is that the motto “Victory With Honor” is removed entirely from PSU. It is a lie. Come back in 50 years when we have evidence that anyone in the program’s future did right when it was hard and reapply for the use of the motto.

    You’re right, and the point still stands. No one within 100 yards of Penn State football should be permitted to utter the word “honor” with regard to Penn State or its football program for at least a generation. Penn State football may have and instill many virtues, but honor ain’t one of them.

    Years ago, a Rollimg Stone reporter asked one of the Pet Shop Boys if he thought his band’s over the top costumes were a little silly, especially in light of stripped down roots rock acts. The guy said,something like, You don’t think Sprinsteen’s faded jeans and motorcycle boots aren’t every much a put-on as our get ups? It’s all just show biz.

    That’s how I feel about Penn State. They sold us this image, black cleats and plain white helmets, and we bought it. I can’t look at those uniforms without thinking what a dirty business college football is, and how stupid I was for thinking there was even one place where it was clean.

    This is a little petty, but there are three different threads to this story. Sandusky is an exploiter, a destroyer of lives. Penn State’s leadership is a criminal conspiracy, meant to cover Sandusky’s crimes. Paterno is the guy who got so caught up in his own myth, he lost everything. He’s a classical tragedy, King Lear in Coke bottle glasses.

    Who is Jean van de Velde and what does she have against the guy who plays Ben on “Parks and Recreation?”

    And how is this “uni-related?”

    what is “parks & recreation”?

    ~~~

    jean van de velde is an algerian pole vaulter, i believe

    ~~~

    how is child anal rape uni related?

    There are two mildly famous people named Adam Scott, the golfer as well as the actor from the NBC show “Parks and Recreation.”

    RE: The Penn State punishment. ESPN is reporting that Penn State will not be given the death penalty, so I wonder what the CBS article means when it says “unprecedented”. Maybe a complete eradication of all football scholarships? A 10 year bowl ban? Penn State cannot sell tickets to home games this year?

    Can the “Death Penalty” ever be taken seriously as a threat in the future if it is NOT used in this matter?!

    “Yes, University of Eastbumbulfuck, [the NCAA is] telling you that your actions regarding free tattoos and convertibles is MUCH WORSE than what occurred at Penn State!”

    Team USA playing in Dream Team throwbacks right now on NBA TV vs the Argentina Manus

    The Denver Nuggets also honored the victims of the Colorado shooting, wearing black headbands during their Vegas Summer League game against Portland:
    link
    There was a moment of silence before the game as well.

    A couple of thoughts:

    To the people arguing that Paterno is absorbing a larger share of the blame than he should, it is because he was the face of the university. The president and AD deferred to him when making the choice sweep this under the rug. If Penn State had a Mt Rushmore, then Paterno would be all four faces. When someone builds themselves up as the unquestioned leader of an organization, then that person will and should get most of the blame when the organization fails.

    Secondly, to those that say ‘why punish the kids and students who had nothing to do with this crime?’ They all belong to Penn State and Penn State failed. This kind of logic would make it impossible to punish schools for any kind of infraction if the participants are forced out or leave. USC and OSU are suffering for the crimes of people who are long gone. And rightfully so. The institution should be punished. No one is forcing any of those players, students or anyone to attend PSU or buy tickets to games. There will always be collateral damage.

    Finally, as far as what role the NCAA has in all this. I hear things like, ‘Penn State didn’t gain a competitive advantage, how does the NCAA claim authority over this issue?’ Well they did gain an advantage. Had this scandal come out the proper way with Paterno, et al. turning Sandusky in, it would have had a negative effect on the program. Recruiting may very well have suffered. This was undoubtedly on the minds of the braintrust when they put a lid on things. By removing the threat of negative publicity, they gained an advantage. OSU didn’t gain any advantage because Pryor and co. got free tattoos. They were established at OSU. Not recruits lured to the university. The advantage Tressel gained was by keeping the negative under wraps.

    This is all a huge mess. I don’t know if I should worry about the NCAA exercising power they may not have had, but something needed to be done and soon.

    NBATV USA v Argentina….. Argentina wearing what the future NBA jersey will look like.

    I hope we can all agree that one positive result in Penn State is the removal of all those engraved-in-bronze Nike logos in the Paterno shrine. When the PSU alumni erect a new bronze idol to their lord and savior JoePa, as we all know they will sooner than later, though mercifully probably not on campus, here’s hoping it is at least free from logo creep.

    Off the wall prediction: The NCAA’s sanctions will include a loss of at least one scholarship for each of the 8 known children whose rapes could have been prevented had JoePa and the University leadership acted like honorable men and decent citizens. Possibly for many years to come. Or even a reduction from 85 to 63 scholarships and a demotion in status to whatever they call I-AA now. Hard to imagine what else could be “worse than the death penalty,” as the penalties are now being widely described.

    If nike was smart they wold sit down with the uniersity and convince them to do a total rebranding of the foorball program. Logo, uniforms The whole lot. They deserve whatever they get. But as long as they wear those plain uniforms you will always think of it as Paterno’s school. Just my opinion.

    That’s pretty much the same as telling them to wear dark glasses and a fake mustache, isn’t it?

    Besides, all that would do is engender a whole mess of merchandising revenue from the faithful, who would need to buy the “new stuff”.

    Yes, a financial windfall is just what the program deserves.

    As I recall, Nike was one of the few endorsers that stuck with Tiger after his scandal a few years back. Maybe the Penn State situation is apples/oranges to the Tiger saga, but there is precedent, at least, for the swoosh to hang around despite controversy.

    “there is precedent, at least, for the swoosh to hang around despite controversy”

    ~~~

    or at least while the cash cow is still giving benjamins

    ESPN Radio is reporting it’s no bowl games for a number of years and loss of scholarships for Penn State. No “death penalty”.

    As it relates to Bud Selig’s comments. I didn’t see anyone not his statement “…so I’ve been pretty consistent on that.”, then point out the ads on the jerseys and helmets when they play in Japan. I’m calling BS.

    Nice fucking job people. Paul is gone for one day and you’re talking about Penn State protecting a pedophile. Take the discussion to ESPN or CNN. This place is for the “obessive study of athletics aesthetics”. Maybe we should keep it that way.

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