....to the good guys that used to wear the Blue and White.

The only rally in this team is when they are picking fights.

Mike has it right - these guys are a bunch of street thugs.

Mark Mangino was on with Mike Tirico yesterday and commented on how at Kansas, they actually will go into a town and ask questions about the people they are recruiting.  I don't think people just start acting like this.  I can't imagine that a few random questions around school (if that's legal) wouldn't help alleviate a bit of this questionable character funk Penn State seems to be in.  Maybe they do that already and this is just a down cycle for the team.  I don't know.  But as I have said before, this isn't the kind of thing that can be cleared up over night perception-wise.  And with the internet, other fans are just a google search away from a 10 year archive of Newspaper articles bringing all these incidents into the now and fresh in people's memory.......unlike in the past....it isn't something that necessarily goes away from the publics consciousness when you burn the newspaper with the garbage on Wed afternoon.

what is going on up there? Meaning why are players getting into so many fights? Are they just running around starting trouble, or are people trying them and provoking a fight? We see how some of the students act at psu right? Now if they are just running around starting trouble then they should leave the team. It is such a great privelage to be able to compete in division 1 athletics, especially a storied university as Penn State. Also I think it's not classy of us to sit around and call our players names, such as thugs and etc. and with all the namecalling morelli has been called. They are making stupid choices as proven by the arrests, but I think it's a little strong and unfair to label someone a thug without knowing them and being they are young kids.. I see a thug as someone who stands on the corner selling drugs and shooting at people. That's a thug, these kids are just acting like idiots and I for one, would personally like to know why there is so many players fighting at PSU this year. Not every football player walks around like, oh I'm a big and bad football player looking for a fight. So as a fan of the team and the university, I'd like some answers.

The players have had a long standing argument with APA (a black fraternity).  Certain people (Chris Baker) can't just let things go and had to start a fight.  Wish Joe would kick him off the team and set a hard, albiet late, example and get that no good loser Spanier off of him for a few weeks.

I don't care.  Baker is a %$&*ing idiot.  He's already waiting for trial in the April melee, and then he goes and gets involved in this.  If he had an ounce of sense, he should have known to get the hell away from the situation.  Instead, he had to get involved.  One of my theories of life is anybody can make just about any mistake once, but as long as you learn from it and don't do it again, you're fine.  The truly stupid make the same mistake again.  I got a feeling the DA is gonna hand Chris Baker his ass.  And I'm willing to bet he still WON'T learn.

You know, the other thing that bothers me about all of this is that they seem so tough and belliegerant when taking on the normal student body.  Where is this tough guy, bad ass attitude when they're playing Michigan and Ohio State and any competitive team on the road?  They might have strength and size, but absolutely no heart or guts.  Guess that's why we're not an elite power anymore.  Heart, brains, and guts are what make you great.

I heard that much like all the Mich football players seem to major in General Studies, Baker et al are majoring in Entertainment Protective Services and were merely on a field trip fulfilling requirements for Bouncing 101.  This will all straighten itself out shortly I am sure.  Independent Studies are so fluid sometimes the Profs don't even know what the students sylabus looks like.

to watch the ESPN Crawler and see the Austin Scott Rape stuff move across and say to yourself.......wow......PSU....what else could happen this year and then........ooops right after that.......there it is Baker et al in a fight.....that's what else could happen.

Fantastic pub.

That he is considering asking the judge to revoke bail in the Apartment incident because Baker has proven to be a threat to society by getting charged with another felony.

On a side note, Kansas is the new #2 team in the country....till Sat at least

With more names and some incite on how this team may splinter.

http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/story/262861.html

It doesn't help things when Coach Paterno either refuses to discuss these incidents, or belittles any reporter that asks him to comment. I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes at the PSU football facility, but it appears on the public face of it that there is no real accountability required by the staff of the players anymore.

If this incident happened in October, and nothing was said or done about it until it was publicly disclosed by another source - then Paterno seems to be 'losing' his ability to deal with these incidents properly.

The concept of "innocent until proven guilty" applies only in the strictest legal sense - certainly a HS or college football coach has the responsibility to be aware of what happens and deal with it quickly - regardless of what the courts decide.  If that had been done on a consistent basis earlier, follow on situations might have been avoided.

When I was playing HS football (a long, long time ago); we had a player who was, well let's just say he was a troublemaker.  He consistently violated team rules, as well as, would get into fights with other students for no apparent reason.  Let's just say that he didn't win any popularity contests.  

Finally, after much anticipation by the other players, the kid was kicked off of the team.  However, somehow this situation got to the school board.  The school board re-instated the kid and allowed him to play with the team!  The rationale being that the kid "needed" discipline; and football was one way to instill proper behavior and values "into" this kid.  The coach, in a begrudging manner, told us this during a team meeting.

Let me also say that I do not condone the behavior of the players in question.  I too agree that they should be kicked off the team.  At the same time, perhaps the coaching staff is taking the same type of logic as above and allowing the players to remain on the team in order to "right the wrongs" and correct the behavior.  Perhaps these individuals came from backgrounds with little to no discipline and the thought is that football will help to mold the individuals into contributing, law abiding citizens (with a number of bumps and impediments along the way).

I realize the HS football is a world of difference away from collegiate athletics.  Again, I too would like to see these guys kicked off the team.  Nonetheless, based upon my HS experience; part of me would like to give them another chance.  Perhaps these guys need that additional "kick in the behind" to straighten them out.  Maybe the coaches should be allowed to apply additional disciplinary measures to regain control of these rogue individuals.  

I must add though if laws were broken; these guys need to be treated like regular citizens and either pay fines, do time, etc.  After that I would leave it up to the coaching staff (or even a team vote?) to determine the players future with the team.              

1. I guess he ain't as smart as his name might say he is.
   
2. If I were looking for my cell phone, I would not be overturning and throwing furniture.
   

But that's just me.