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Sad
State of Affairs The Penn State scandal that shocked the world last week should be a reminder to all of us that we need to do everything we can to protect our kids.....and I do mean "everything". The developments that unfolded last week at State College were absolutely amazing. It is unfathomable to me how adults, who are wealthy, powerful and smart, can literally turn their back on the actions that were allegedly taking place on the PSU campus. It makes no sense whatsoever. I can't seem to get this story out of my mind. In all my years, this is the worst scandal that has ever taken place in college athletics. It makes the seedy developments at Ohio State, Miami and North Carolina look like "child's play"....no pun intended. This is much worse than any booster trying to buy a recruit or any academic fraud case.....this is real life, real kids, and damaged souls. The fact that it occurred on Joe Paterno's watch makes it doubly difficult to comprehend. The college football icon had a stellar reputation for going beyond the call of duty for his players and coaches. Based on the early releases, you would be hard-pressed to find anybody that can make any sense out of the issue. It's sickening. There is so much blame to spread around that you really don't know where to start......but one thing is certain: the school will have to deal with the realization that it must clean house and start rebuilding the foundation of a proud institution. It won't be easy.....but the school has great resources and a fan base that appears hell-bent on getting it corrected. The biggest losers in this case are the kids. Forget about Joe Paterno or any other school officials that have been implicated in the story; we should never lose sight that the most important piece of this puzzle starts and ends with the kids that were abused. It must stop.....now. Perhaps the gruesome actions that have been reported can be a wake-up call for all of us to get and stay involved in protecting our children at all costs. I enjoyed watching the Carrier Classic on Friday night between Michigan State and UNC. It wasn't the greatest game, but it was one of the coolest tributes and celebrations that I've witnessed....for the record, the Heels pulled away and won the game on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams was even showcasing his combat boots, too.....I loved it. Also, congrats should go out to Mike Krzyzewski for picking up wins # 901 and # 902 and tying mentor Bob Knight in the all-time win department. Coach K will have a chance to break the record when his Blue Devils take on that same Michigan State team in New York on Tuesday night. I plan on being in NY on Monday and Tuesday to broadcast a new college hoops special on SiriusXM in addition to my normal daily show....it will be great, to be back in the Big Apple. Ironically, I'll host my Monday show from my home in Charlotte from 9am-noon, and then host the college hoops special from 6-8pm from the SiriusXM studios in Manhattan. It's not as cool as playing a hoops game outdoors in front of the troops on an air craft carrier, but it will be a thrill to do two shows from two different locales. I bet the Charlotte officials in charge of hosting the ACC football title game are relieved. It appeared that for a large percentage of the second half, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons were in the process of upsetting the heavily-favored Clemson Tigers in Death Valley. Keep in mind that Wake hasn't won but two times in Death Valley since 1962. The Tigers somehow found a way to rally from a 14-point second half deficit and won at the buzzer on a 43 yard field goal. The win enabled Clemson to clinch the Atlantic division title and a spot in the ACC Championship game in Charlotte. Last week, game officials announced that the game was completely sold out...and I suspect that a large number of tickets have been bought by Clemson Nation. Had the Deacs pulled off the win, they could clinch the division by beating Maryland. Can you imagine how many tickets would have been ripped up and destroyed, had the Tigers not put on their rally caps in the 4th quarter? Clemson's match-up will be against either Virginia Tech or Virginia.....a Hokies-Tigers game would be great for the conference....and the ticket sales already prove it. The BCS Standings this week still have LSU and OK State as the 1-2 teams in the land.....but the positioning for the top 1-loss team has begun. Based on the latest rankings, Bama is #3 with Oregon and Oklahoma close behind. It is important to note that both LSU and OK State have significant challenges ahead. LSU hosts #6 Arkansas and OK State entertains Oklahoma in "Bedlam". Can you imagine if the top two teams go down? It isn't that much of a reach, to believe that can happen. I still contend that team needs to be able to claim that they won their conference title before stating they are in the position of playing for the national title. Call me "crazy", with that line of rational thinking.....However, the BCS has nothing to do with common sense; it's all about the computers and selecting the two best teams in the country, regardless of their conference affiliation, to play for the crystal trophy. Stay tuned....the next few weeks are going to be a wild ride in college football. Damn, the Panthers were bad on Sunday. Did John Fox spike Ron Rivera's Gatorade or mess with the game plan? That performance was very similar to the garbage Panther fans had to experience last season. I was dead wrong about the game. I thought for sure the team would be excited about having two weeks to prepare after a disappointing loss at home to the Vikings. Wrong....the team was absolutely terrible. They were so bad that the local media might even have to say something negative about the team this week. Lately, you would have the impression that the Panthers were playoff-bound by all the cheerleading taking place in Charlotte. Don't look now, but the Panthers are 2-7.....and are tied for the worst record in the entire NFC. Even the lowly Miami Dolphins have two wins....even though they play in the AFC. To make matters worse, they now embark on a 3-game road trip starting in Detroit where the Lions were destroyed by the Bears. There's also a trip to the winless Indy Colts.....lose that one, and see how your Thanksgiving meal tastes. I thought the team was 5-11 bound before the season.....I also thought they would have picked up a few wins on the recent home stand, too. It will take time for the club to get back to their winning ways....but Sunday's embarrassing effort makes it seem like it could be longer than expected. |
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