Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Paterno Statue January 31, part 1

I stopped by the Paterno statue yesterday afternoon and was surprised to see how much it had grown. The amount of foot traffic is impressive, I probably saw about forty people come and go during the twenty minutes that I was there.

Many of the items being placed at the statue are wrapped in plastic now to protect against rain and snow. Some of the original items from last week are hard to read, but there are plenty of new ones to take their place. Many of these items are carefully constructed collages, autographed hats, and framed posters that have obviously been cherished for years. It speaks volumes about how loved Paterno is that fans are willing to part with these items.





Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Paterno funeral procession

Taken around 2:30 when the sun was still shining.


Crowd gets much thicker at 3:00.

Joe's hearse passed the stadium around 4:25.

Joe's family rode across campus in a football bus.

The JoePa statue after the funeral profession.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Paterno window tributes in State College

I walked around Downtown State College today to take photos of the storefront windows that are decorated for Joe.


*ndulge cupcake boutique at 206 West College had some tough words for the BOT.


Found outside New Leaf Initiative, 100 South Fraser.



Old Main Frame Shop, 136 East College



Above and below are from the side wall of the Deli, 113 Heister St.



Entrance to the Lion's Pride at 112 East College. The writing is hard to see but it says "Make an impact" and "We love & miss you, Coach"

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Paterno Statue January 22, 2012

What a horrible, emotionally draining weekend for the Penn State Family.

I went to the JoePa statue tonight around 7:00. I had resisted going all day, but when it got dark I could see the light shining from Beaver Stadium at my house. The low cloud cover made it look almost ethereal and I couldn't help but check it out.

Despite it being a damp 28 degrees, they're were a few hundred people there paying respects, surrounded by about 20 news trucks. Below are a few photos I took with more to come later.

His shirt reads: Thank you for the many great victories and the championships you helped win. For your giving dedication, and for what you helped make my University. For the white socks, the black shoes, the cheers, and the memories. Good luck and God bless.

















Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Joe Paterno is not the bad guy

Everyone has an opinion about what Joe Paterno should have done when he found out about Jerry Sandusky’s alleged molestation of young boys. The problem is, none of us can assume to understand what Paterno was thinking.

Since we have little information about Paterno’s reaction, we have to base our opinions on the Grand Jury testimony and his recent interview with the Washington Post. Based on these sources, the facts of Paterno’s involvement are this:

1. Mike McQueary told Paterno that he saw something inappropriate going on between Sandusky and a young boy.

2. Paterno told his superiors and set up a meeting between Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, and McQueary.

3. Paterno knew Curley and Schultz were looking into the problem.

That's it.

No one knows what Paterno thought or did after that. Maybe he never thought about it again. Maybe he asked about it and was told that an investigation came up empty. We all would have liked him to do something more, but really…what more could he do?

By his own account, Paterno and Sandusky did not have much of a relationship even when they worked together. At the time McQueary told Paterno about the locker room incident, Sandusky had not been on staff for several years. Paterno had no authority over Sandusky. He did not have any legal authority to get involved and his information about the molestation was second-hand. He made the decision to let the appropriate people handle it. It was, we know now, a bad decision. But it’s probably the only decision he could have made at the time with the information he had.

Message boards and pundits like to blame Paterno for everything related to the Sandusky scandal. But Joe Paterno is not the bad guy. He may have been misinformed, ignorant, and too passive with his follow-up. But he is not to blame for the alleged rapes and molestations.

The bad guy in all of this is Jerry Sandusky, a fact that is often overlooked by critics. Blaming Paterno, blaming the football culture, or blaming the residents of State College takes the focus away from the real bad guy.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Media gathering again

News van and satellite trucks are setting up camp outside Beaver Stadium. It's like they are expecting an announcement or something.