We know this: Rich Rod cracks under pressure

So you're one of the hottest coaches in college football, you have one of the most storied programs in the country courting you like you're the hot cheerleader without a prom date and you use Alabama to leverage a new contract but for some reason a couple stuffed shirts can make you sign something you don't want to? That's what coach Dick Rod would have you believe.

Rich Rodriguez says West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin and three members of the university's board of governors pressured him into signing a new contract before the start of the 2007 season, even though it had a $4 million buyout clause he
didn't want.

Huh. Really? So how did they pressure you... Chinese water torture? Kidnap family members?

Rodriguez, who quit after seven seasons at the school, contends he was misled into signing by a variety of promises that were not kept.

Rodriguez said the board members told him last summer that the governor wanted the contract signed before the start of the football season, so he met with [incoming president] Garrison and Walker on Aug. 24.

"And that's the time when [Garrison] said he didn't believe in buyouts, and that he would reduce it anyway, once he took office," Rodriguez testified.

So an incoming board president says 'Hey, sign this $4 Million dollar buyout clause and don't worry, when I'm in office things will change' *wink wink*, right? Is that what we're supposed to believe? Ok, that's a plausible scenario, I don't believe it for a minute but it's possible... It was probably the first buyout clause you signed right?

Rodriguez first agreed to a damages clause in 2002, at the suggestion of agent Rick Davis. WVU would pay $2 million if it fired him, and he would pay WVU the same if he left before his contract expired.

Oh... soooo you're familiar with buyout clauses then. Well you can't argue that the $2 million was a bad deal right?

Under questioning, Rodriguez first said the $2 million buyout was reasonable. He then said it wasn't fair that he should have to pay WVU the same amount it would pay him.

Hmmm... really? Well I still might be able to believe Coach Rod because I'm SURE he didn't make the same mistake twice and sign a hefty clause like that with Michigan, right?

Rodriguez also acknowledged he has agreed to a $4 million damages clause at Michigan.

Oh. Well, then I'll just assume that Dick Rod is one of the worst financial planners, has no clue how to negotiate and was bargaining by himself without any representation right?

WVU says Rodriguez had a sports agent, lawyer and financial adviser throughout the process and knew what he was signing.

Yeah, when it looks like cow feces and smells like cow feces, it's probably bullshit. I'm an Engineer and I haven't done a great job negotiating my salary over the years but even I'm smart enough to know if it ain't on paper don't expect it to happen. I'd never sign something with the expectation of "promises to be kept". In the world of business verbal contracts are meaningless, and trusting an executive is career suicide. Michigan fans can defend Dick Rod all they want (and believe me the majority will) but he is slimy in every sense of the word, especially given the fact that he signed a contract with his current employer that has the same clause as the contract with his former employer that he now contends is unfair. Sure West Virginia comes off as the spurned lover in this whole ordeal but in the case of the $4 million buyout, Rodriguez appears very sleazy.

An Open Letter to Comcast

Dear faceless media provider,

It's wonderful that you and the Big Ten Network have come to an agreement of sorts to carry the channel on your basic service tier months after the close of the 2007 football season. As you may know, several games involving some of the elite Big Ten teams were shown exclusively on the Big Ten network leaving many fans without TV coverage in the comfort of their own homes last season. Fear not, many found a friend or local bar that had the Dish Network or Direct TV and didn't miss a moment of their favorite team's games. You see, Dish and Direct understood that offering the BTN gave them a competitive advantage over the lumbering cable company and they exploited that fact. Forgetting that both satellite providers offer more channels for less and far more High Definition channels than Comcast could even think of offering, not to mention top-notched service you seldom see with any cable company, most customers were resistant to switch. Well apparently even the stodgiest customer, apprehensive of change has seen the light and moved on to satellite, that's why you're saying you'll lose customers in 2008. Oh, you can blame it on the housing industry or the economic climate but in the end you offer an appalling product with limited capabilities and a high price tag; it's easy to see why people are flocking to Direct and Dish in droves. Now after a year of squabbling with the BTN, outrageous claims about caring for your customers, and underhanded PR tactics, you have finally relented and given in to the inevitable. As a recent, former customer who has made the switch to Direct I say kiss my ass you money-hungry pricks, you've way too late; take your overpriced service and shove it where only a colonoscopy could find it.

Fuck you now and in the future,

Galen
The Nittany Line

The Patriot-News: it was worth the 5-year battle

I guess a lengthy 5-year court case and tons of lawyers' fees was worth knowing that Penn State coach Joe Paterno makes $512,664, at least that's what the Harrisburg Patriot-News would have you believe. I would link you to the three page article but I choose not to in defiance to a paper I hate. Suffice it to say, although that number isn't his total compensation, Paterno makes a lot less than most of us previously thought. Frankly, I don't give a damn and I think most Penn State fans don't either but the reason I'm posting about it is the light in which the Patriot wants to cast itself makes me want to puke. The Patriot would have you believe that they are beacons of light in the open records fight.

While some people no doubt see a tabloidish fixation in the quest by the Patriot-News of Harrisburg to unleash Penn State's salary figures, there' something much bigger at stake than gossip over JoePa's contract. It's nothing less than the ability to see what the state government is doing with taxpayer money, how legislation is influenced and written, and who's pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Bullshit. Blow smoke in the direction of someone that's a lot more gullible than me Patriot-News. I agree 100% that Pennsylvania's open record laws are some of the weakest in country and I am whole-heartedly behind opening up the books and exposing some of the shady dealings of our slimy state government but don't tell me the Patriot went after Paterno for that reason. Don't believe me? Go to Penn Live.com and do a search for "open records" and see what you get. You'll get very few, if any articles written exclusively about open-records laws. In addition, it's funny - for a paper that is so worried about open-record laws and not the "tabloidish fixation" on Paterno's salary they sure didn't mind writing a three-page (on the internet) article about his salary when it was finally revealed. Yeah, not tabloidish at all. No, this was about selling papers not about righting an injustice, the Harrisburg Patriot is NOT the Batman of Pennsylvania papers.

This is us... no really, it is!

Simply put the Patriot thinks that if it goes after a high profile guy like Joe Paterno, it will entice people to buy its paper. Why else would they pick Paterno and not go after state Senator Billy-Bob Smith? Because Billy-Bob doesn't sell papers but Joe Paterno does. In the end I agree with the court's decision, Paterno was getting compensation (albeit a small amount) from state funds which meant taxpayer dollars but his salary was exclusively paid by the university and not from the taxpayers. It's sad that Paterno ends up caught in the middle of a political fight and is used by a shoddy paper that routinely takes pot shots at Paterno in a feeble attempt to increase its subscribers. Come to think of it maybe I will get a subscription next year – I do plan on getting a puppy.

Players Charged

Well again I'm last to the punch – both RUTS and BSD are reporting that multiple Penn State players will be charged in the HUB assault.

Penn State defensive lineman Chris Baker, already facing trial on charges stemming from an April incident, was charged late last night with felony aggravated assault and several misdemeanors in connection with an Oct. 7 fight at the HUB.

Also charged in connection with the incident is Nittany Lions' linebacker Navarro Bowman, 19, of 6400 Gateway Blvd., District Heights, Md. Both he and Baker are charged with aggravated assault, a felony, simple assault, stalking and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors, and summary harassment.

Bowman and Baker were arraigned before District Judge Jonathan Grine and released on their own recognizance.

Another football player, reserve defensive back Knowledge Timmons, is charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, and will be issued a summons by mail, authorities say. The charges against him are related to what police say is disorderly behavior and verbally combative behavior toward University police after they arrived at the scene of the fight.

Yeah, that's great but what happened you say, perhaps they were provoked by some young punk with beer muscles.

The victim later told police he was "strolling" through the HUB, may have brushed another man and excused himself. He said he felt tension growing, and decided to walk outside to get away from it, according to the complaint. He said 15 people -- all or many of them football players -- followed him outside and jumped him. There were four primary aggressors, he told police.

Beautiful! Wonderful, not only does it take an insensitive, masochistic jerk to pick a fight with someone who accidentally brushed up against them but it takes 14 of his friends to take on a single guy. Pathetic. Well, wait a minute Galen, you say… what is the players' side of the story? Glad you asked.

Baker told police that the victim charged at Bowman when they were outside, instigating the fight.

Uh huh. Sooooo… you'll have me believe, Mr. Baker, that a single man of (I guarantee) much smaller stature then you and the 14 of your friends chose to pick a fight with you and said 14 friends. *cough* bullshit *cough*. Sorry, that holds water like a colander, you're lying through your teeth and we have evidence.

Video surveillance at the HUB showed a group of 15 large men marching toward the victim outside the HUB, according to the criminal complaint.

Other witnesses are cited in the report, including a 41-year-old maintenance worker who said he tried to help the victim during the attack, but couldn't get through the crowd of men surrounding him. The witness said the men were kicking, shoving, striking and punching the victim, as well as throwing things at him.

What about Timmons?

When police arrived, they found two players -- Baker and Timmons -- still at the HUB, flipping chairs and tables. Timmons was told to leave, and told police he was looking for his cell phone. The charges against Timmons, according to sources, are connected with his disorderly conduct after police arrived at the scene, not to the attack outside the HUB.

No one "looks" for a cell phone by flipping tables, that's just another line of shit. These guys were just being antisocial miscreants.

So Baker started a fight (again), beat the shit out of a single guy with a bunch of his friends to back him up (again) and then stayed around to break shit in the HUB. You sir, don't belong on any college football team let alone Penn State. It's time for Paterno to end the relationship between Baker and Penn State, he's a cancer and will never get the fact that he's got a privilege that most of us could only dream of and yet acts like an immature moron. Kick him off the team permanently, if he is allowed to stay on this team it gives me just one more reason not to renew my season tickets next year and one more reason to skip even trying to get tickets to all the good games the Michigan game.

Congrats – here’s your 2009 non-conference schedule

Sept. 5 EASTERN MICHIGAN
Sept. 12 SYRACUSE
Sept. 19 TEMPLE
Oct. 10 EASTERN ILLINOIS

That's right, Penn State filled out that fantastic schedule with Div II creampuff Eastern Illinois who lost to Purdue 52-6 this season. That schedule is fucking inexcusable and an absolute joke. That's it folks, I'm done. Note to athletic department: If you think I'm paying $1000 bucks (wait it will probably go up 10% – 15% by then) you have seriously fallen on your head. You can keep the tickets I'll watch it on TV – oh wait no I won't I don't have the Big Ten network. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse. It's been a fun ride watching Penn State football since the 80's but I give up, there is no way I'm paying for that garbage – NO WAY!

Here are the rest of the home games:

Sept. 26 IOWA
Oct. 17 MINNESOTA
Nov. 7 OHIO STATE
Nov. 14 INDIANA

Anyone else want to pay a grand to watch Ohio State? Kiss my ass Tim Curley. Kiss it long and hard. I can't even describe how pissed I am at this point, I need a beer.

Illinois no longer offensive

The University of Illinois has officially ended the evil reign of Chief Illiniwek – it's HIGHLY offensive Native American mascot (sarcasm intended). Now this strikes a chord with a LOT of people. Some feel it was a long time coming and some feel it's PC run amuck. I feel very strongly and very adamantly that I just don't give a damn. I could not care less, really. The high school I attended had an Indian mascot and if they say tomorrow that said mascot must never be used again, I say… uh huh, where should I go for lunch? So why am I writing an article about something that I'm so apathetic about – because I would like to point out the ridiculous sensationalism people use to try and prove a point.

Now I'm an intelligent person (at least that's what my mommy told me) and I can surely understand why some Native Americans would take offense to a white person dressed in what they think a Native American should look like and dancing around like an idiot. To illustrate my point I will stereotype myself. I'm a Software Engineer. Armed with that information you probably are thinking something like this:

Most of the time when I tell someone my line of work I can see the look in their eyes they're thinking: GEEK! Well, women are thinking GEEK – with money, but they are still thinking nerd. All of this is perfectly acceptable to me because I've made a life out of breaking peoples' misconceptions of me – you don't know how many times I've heard someone say "You're not like most Software Engineers," as if there's a manual on how to act according to one's profession. It's also human nature to make comparisons of something new to past personal experiences. If I meet someone who claims to be a Notre Dame fan I'm going to be thinking Bandwagon jumper because that's been my experience with the larger majority of ND fans I've met. It's not a problem until I let that initial reaction cloud my judgment of that person – everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt and some inherent respect until they prove otherwise.

If Sacramento decides to start a football team with a Software Engineer as their mascot and he dresses like the above picture I wouldn't be offended by the Sacramento Software Engineers. I would chuckle at the thought but it certainly wouldn't cause me mental pain and anguish. That brings us back to the article.

Graduate student Genevieve Tenoso, a Lakota Sioux, told the board before the vote that by not doing away with the chief sooner, they helped create an atmosphere in which she sometimes didn't feel safe.

"I haven't had one single day on this campus when something didn't remind of the Indian you prefer me to be rather than the living, breathing native person that I am," she said.

Didn't feel safe? SAFE? So… because someone puts on a headdress you feel unsafe?!? Really? Every SINGLE day you feel threatened?

If Ms. Tenoso really felt that way then why in the Hell would she attend the University of Illinois? Did she not visit the campus and see all the horrible threatening images before applying? Chief Illiniwek's been around for a long time I'm sure he was there when she decided Illinois was the school for her. When I see a comment like that it drives me crazy. It's obvious Ms. Tenoso is exaggerating to the n^th degree, it makes her sound like a raving lunatic, and her point is lost with me. Here's a tip: If you want to make a point don't insult the intelligence of those you are trying to convince, it demeans your cause. If people are offended by Native American mascots I can understand, but if you're going to tell me Team A (Illinois for example) is so offensive they can't use their mascot and Team B (Florida State for example) is perfectly fine using a very similar looking mascot you've lost me. Native American mascots are either offensive or they're not, you can't pick and choose.

Something doesn't add up

Bonds Failed Drug Test

Barry Bonds failed a drug test for amphetamines last season according to the Daily News. Under baseball's new amphetamines policy, players are not publicly identified for a first positive test, but get a 25 game suspension for a second offense. According to the Daily News, Bonds did not appeal the positive test, which made him subject to six drug tests by MLB over the next six months.

Here comes the fun part – Bonds, who is already under investigation for lying to a grand jury about his steroid use; says that he had taken a substance from teammate Mark Sweeney's locker which had the illicit drugs in it.

Let’s recap:
Bond’s evil trainer Greg Anderson hides designer steroids in Bond’s flaxseed oil and arthritic balm completely unbeknownst to Bonds, and now his teammate Mark Sweeney gives him a concoction with amphetamines and Barry thought it was a McFlurry. Son of a bitch these people are evil, I feel bad for Barry he has such bad luck with his associates.

Careful Barry, those aren’t Skittles