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Nitt Picks is Smokin' and Streakin'

Many of you are probably aware by now, but the apartment that was raided over Blue-White weekend was not Daryll Clark's apartment. It was, however, the apartment of some other guys.

An application for search warrant, signed early April 26, identifies the apartment residents as Stephfon Green, Devon Still, Eric Latimore and Johnnie Troutman. None of the players has been charged, and the results of the seizure are scheduled to be released today.

Obviously this is not good if these players are involved. Green is the backup running back to Evan Royster. It would be a loss, but not huge as we have plenty of bodies at running back. Still and Latimore are looking at backup positions on the defensive line but figure to be steady contributors in the rotation. Troutman appears to have the starting left guard position nailed down coming out of spring practice. So that would be a loss, but from what I'm hearing none of this is going to be a big deal as the marijuana in question has yet to be linked to any of the players.

For your daily incoherent rant we now turn to The Nittany Line.

Oh, so it was a loud party…. With FIRE ALARMS GOING OFF!!!! WTF?!? Who is so Goddamned stupid to sit around smoking pot while fire alarms are going off?!?!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Nitt Picks.

There are a couple fluff articles out there this morning on Penn State's newest verbal commitment from Luke Graham. First the Tribune points out he is a very good student.

Penn State should not have to worry about Graham's academics -- he carries a 4.15 QPA and has scored 1,750 on his SATs.

Then there is a rather short article in the Post Gazette that features an interesting quote.

"I've always liked Penn State," said Graham. "I looked around a little bit at some other schools. I was thinking about Virginia and Stanford, but I realized Penn State is where I need to be."

In other news, the Mens Volleyball team is just two wins away from defending their 2008 National Championship with a repeat title.

Defending champion Penn State earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA men's volleyball tournament and will face third-seeded Southern California in the semifinals Thursday night in Provo, Utah.

Penn State (27-3) won its 11th consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championship Saturday by beating Juniata, 3-0 (30-25, 30-19, 30-21) to advance to the NCAA tournament.

Penn State and Southern California (20-1) will meet at 9 p.m. in the first semifinal match. Top-seeded California-Irvine (25-5), ranked No. 1 in Division I, faces fourth-seeded Ohio State (16-10) at 11 p.m. in the second match.

The winners will meet in the championship match at 7 p.m. Saturday.

I feel bad that we haven't offered the men as much coverage as the women got last fall. I blame the basketball team for diverting our attention. Also the fact that they aren't 6' 3" women with athletic bodies in spandex getting all sweaty and constantly slapping each other on their tight asses. That would probably help their cause. I'm just sayin'.

What I want to know is, how the heck does Ohio State get a #4 seed with ten losses? I mean, they're only six games over 0.500? Is there some kind of crazy BCS computer ranking going on here? I smell a Buckeye conspiracy here. Who did they have to beat? St. Catherine's School for Little People and Midgets?

In Scores of Other Games

  • The Mifflin Streak went on without a hitch. No arrests this year.
  • JayPa is now running a blog because his thoughts are too numerous to be limited to 146 characters on twitter. Personally I'm looking forward to reading his views on the role of a fullback in the spread offense and the United State's role in international trade in an ever-changing global economy.
  • Also, here is a nice article on Silas Redd.

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Joe Paterno Press Conference Notes

Oct 2009 by BSD - 33 comments

Comments

Display:

6' 3" women with athletic bodies in spandex getting all sweaty and constantly slapping each other on their tight asses...

SOUND HOT!

Also, I blame Curley for overshadowing the volleyball team with the basketball team

Have a "great HD day!" - Jay Paterno

by ReadingRambler on May 5, 2009 9:40 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

when I lived in Atlanta during the Olympics we were on the MARTA train with the Australian women’s vollyball team. Boyfriend was happy, I was not.

"If you let the men in you've got to let the women in. I don't want a bunch of women walking around in my locker room when guys take showers". Joe Paterno

by letsgopsu on May 5, 2009 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

OSU Volleyball

Did they win their conference, isn’t that how they got in?

And yes, 6’ 3" women with athletic bodies in spandex getting all sweaty and constantly slapping each other on their tight asses…
SOUNDS HOT!

by Screen Name 20 on May 5, 2009 9:50 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Ohio State
Did they win their conference, isn’t that how they got in?

Yes, they won their conference, the MIVA. There are only three men’s volleyball conferences: the EIVA (eastern, where PSU plays), MIVA (midwestern) and MPSF (western). The NCAA playofs consist of the champions of all three conferences plus one at large team — invariably, a second team fro the MPSF, since that is by far the strongest conference. PSU is the only non-west coast team to have won the men’s volleyball championship (technically, a school named Lewis from Illinois won in 2003, but vacated the title due to NCAA violations).

tOSU is mediocre this year, but not bad. PSU beat them 3 times during the season FWIW. There’s a bunch of teams more deserving to get a shot, but it’s no different than the cannon fodder in the first round of the NCAA hoops tourney (even though tOSU sounds like a big name). And, honestly, there have been years when PSU has gone as the EIVA rep when they’ve been very far from a top 4 team as well.

by Laaaaazzz on May 5, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

incoherent rant

Always glad to provide the manic side of the Penn State blogs!

by Galen on May 5, 2009 10:21 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

OSU is in the Midwest Region

The break it up by regions and they won the midwest. It is like the BCS. Much like the Big East still has a BSC bid, the Midwest gets an auto bid to the VBall semi-finals even though they would be like the 10th best team in California.

Angry Mike

by AngryMike on May 5, 2009 10:24 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Ok then

So what then? There’s an eastern region, a midwest region and what else? A Northern CA and Southern CA?

by BSD on May 5, 2009 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Any pics from the Streak?

I’m just saying, chicks streaking sounds HOT.

by Tailgate Shogun on May 5, 2009 11:35 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Very few of the streakers were female, I’m afraid. There were some good ones, though.

by mrb5091 on May 5, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Wish I could help,

but I have no pics.

Someone, tho, HAD to have a camera phone there. Hopefully a few will find their way onto the internets.

'People are about as happy as they decide they want to be'

by Pete the Streak on May 5, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Found One

Hey, this game is fun too and you can make it fun. --j. odrick
But I’m biased towards tailgating, as you may imagine. -ts
Ignore the accolades – just enjoy the games. -bb&w

by jtothep on May 6, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

1st

it’s 140 characters.

2nd – i think that the men’s volleyball stays off the radar because it’s not a Big 10 sport -

any word on TV coverage?

by PSUgirl on May 5, 2009 11:53 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Long Answer

There are very few schools with D-I men’s volleyball. The whole national championship is the final four, that’s it. The country it essentially split into 3 conferences: west, midwest, east. Each champion gets an autobid and then there is 1 at large. PSU always wins the east (which is why going to 11 straight final fours although cool is not really that impressive). The at large team almost always comes from the west. Hence OSU won the midwest (which is often the weakest conference) so they get the autobid despite their record. The whole thing is somewhat of a sham because many more west coast teams probably deserve the chance to play in the tourney then get in.

Agreed that it stays off the radar because it isn’t a big ten sport, so no B10TV or anything.

TV coverage is ESPN2 and ESPN 360.

by gdev on May 5, 2009 11:54 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Agreed that it stays off the radar because it isn’t a big ten sport, so no B10TV or anything.

I’m a little surprised that the BTN doesn’t broadcast the regular season PSU-tOSU games. They broadcast ice hockey games (not a Big Ten sport) featuring Big Ten teams and it would be a decent mid-week live game filler for afterhoops season ends if they schedule things well.

by Laaaaazzz on May 5, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I attended an NCAA volleyball final four a few years ago....about 1980

The teams were USC, UCLA (legendary beach volleyball bum, Karch Kiraly played for UCLA), Ohio State and…believe this or not…Rutgers, Camden! Of course, the final was UCLA-USC. I never realized, until you explained it, that so few colleges play D-1 volleyball.

by PaJoe on May 5, 2009 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, it's a shame

We could really use those points in the Director’s Cup!

Hey, this game is fun too and you can make it fun. --j. odrick
But I’m biased towards tailgating, as you may imagine. -ts
Ignore the accolades – just enjoy the games. -bb&w

by jtothep on May 5, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

?

We get points from men’s volleyball in the Director’s Cup. Are you suggesting that we don’t? By virtue of making the final four, we get 25 points for volleyball and can get 100 points if we win the championship.

by Laaaaazzz on May 5, 2009 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I spose I'm suggesting that I'm ignorant

I looked yesterday after reading about the men’s vball and didn’t see it in the 4/23 pdf I downloaded.

You got link? I think I’m looking in the wrong place.

Hey, this game is fun too and you can make it fun. --j. odrick
But I’m biased towards tailgating, as you may imagine. -ts
Ignore the accolades – just enjoy the games. -bb&w

by jtothep on May 5, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Probably not in there yet

They usually do an update after the Spring sports are completed.

by Screen Name 20 on May 5, 2009 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well, the 2009 points obviously haven’t been attributed yet since the season is not complete. But if you look at the 2007-8 academic year (for example), you’ll see that we got 100 points for men’s volleyball as champs.

by Laaaaazzz on May 5, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Haha, yeah, a few years ago

in 1980. I just wrote this comment a few minutes ago…last week. :)

by Screen Name 20 on May 5, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Can you really call it a tourney?

I mean, it’s only 4 teams. Why not 8 teams instead of just the Final 4? (that’s just rhetorical)

by Screen Name 20 on May 5, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well, that would invariably end up being the MIVA champ, the EIVA champ, and 6 teams from MPSF. And considering that the MPSF does an 8 team playoff to determine, I’d imagine it would seem kind of repetitive.

by Laaaaazzz on May 5, 2009 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Okay

I figured with only a Final 4, and how there’s only 2 possible slots for Western teams, that there would be some bickering on their behalf….but it seems they take care of sorting out the most deserving on their own.

by Screen Name 20 on May 5, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Playoffs

I think you could make an argument for a 6 team playoff, with 2 teams getting a first round bye. It would still pretty much be the EIVA champ and MIVA champ and 4 MPSF teams (champion and 3 at large teams) but it would offer some differentiation based on how teams played during the season — being the #1/2 seed is a big deal compared to dropping to #3 or below. Of course, then you have the issue about how accurate seeding is and whether there is any bias there.

by Laaaaazzz on May 6, 2009 8:51 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Numbers

There are only 31 Div. 1 men’s teams. So in some respects it is surprising that there is a championship at all. Having 4/31 in the finals represents about 1/8th of the schools.

by gdev on May 5, 2009 12:38 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Funny you put it that way...

The NFL puts 12/32 teams into contention for the championship, over 1/3….

by rbz14 on May 5, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

not to mention

the NBA and NHL each put 16 of 30 teams in the playoffs.

by Brett Brown on May 5, 2009 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Money

But there is money to be made when it comes to NFL, NBA, etc. I don’t think much (if any money) is being made off of men’s NCAA volleyball.

by gdev on May 6, 2009 7:50 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I was really expecting (hoping) one of the resident elders around here to read 1750 SAT and have their heads explode.

Can the women’s volleyball team be cheerleaders for the men? Or just stand on the sideline? I’m just thinking out loud here.

Penn Staters belong at Penn State. The problem with a lot of kids is they just don’t know they are Penn Staters yet. -jesse. @ BSD

by TheK-GunNeedsReloaded on May 5, 2009 12:55 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Maybe you need to think with pictures

So we can see what you’re thinking about

"The sea was angry that day, my friends." G. Costanza

by NJ lion on May 5, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Maybe this helps?

Hey, this game is fun too and you can make it fun. --j. odrick
But I’m biased towards tailgating, as you may imagine. -ts
Ignore the accolades – just enjoy the games. -bb&w

by jtothep on May 6, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Thanks

I’m gonna enjoy this for 9 minutes and 53 seconds

"The sea was angry that day, my friends." G. Costanza

by NJ lion on May 6, 2009 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, I'm a resident oldster,

but I’m SO damn old that my daughters have taken the new SAT. Thus, I know the max score is now 2400.

Still – 1750 is nothing to barf at.

'People are about as happy as they decide they want to be'

by Pete the Streak on May 5, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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