Whitney Houston (1963-2012) - Super Bowl XXV (1991) - The National Anthem of the United States (via SneakyGuy33)
This Is Totally One Of The Russian Guys Who Trained Ivan Drago, Right? Penn State has a new trainer for its football team: Tim Bream, fresh from spending 18 years with the Chicago Bears. He was their head athletic trainer for 14 years:
Bream has known Penn State acting athletic director Dr. David Joyner, an orthopedic physician who specializes in sports medicine, since they worked together at the 1988 U.S. Olympic basketball trials.
"We’ve always kept in touch," Bream said. "He inquired if I was interested in the position and we had some discussion about it. For me, it’s going home and going back to my alma mater. It’s just a good opportunity for me and my family."
...
O’Brien said the reception he had experienced had been positive, though some former Penn State players were initially upset that he was hired despite having no previous ties to the program. O’Brien said he was receiving about 100 supportive e-mails per day. He tries to respond to each at night.
BOB Goes To Work. A New York Times profile of The BOB, with some insight into his brief but meaningful interactions with Joe Paterno:
There are reminders of Paterno everywhere, including the area outside O’Brien’s office, where a photograph of his predecessor hangs alongside other former Penn State coaches. O’Brien called Paterno at home after he accepted the job. During the 10-minute conversation, O’Brien recalled, Paterno told him to uphold the ideals he aspired to with the team.
"It’s about carrying on the standards and traditions of excellence Coach Paterno set here football-wise and academically," O’Brien said. "We want to carry on the standard he set here. You can play really good football and graduate with a meaningful degree."
Okay, so BOB has some time on his hands. Message boards are littered with happy fans who write O'Brien an email and quickly received a response. Give the man credit, he's quickly building up goodwill.
COME TO PENN STATE. Recruiting news has been fast and/or furious, as you've seen in our increased recruiting coverage here at BSD. Frank Bodani of the York Daily Record adds another log to the fire, complete with annoying. One sentence. Paragraphs. Throughout.
Happy Valley Swag District. Congratulations to linebacker Nathan Stupar, who is not only invited to the NFL combine but also got engaged in grand fashion recently.
Jamil Pollard Has Been Through It. A completely heartbreaking and inspirational story about our prized defensive tackle recruit attempting to overcome multiple family tragedies and illnesses.
Oh. You Again. Jerry Sandusky is shocked that people suddenly have a different view of him. And this is already covered in the Fanshots, but since nobody reads them, here's another chance to see what Dottie Sandusky learned during her weekend at the Richard Petty Driving School.
In Other Legal Wranglings. Because Joe Paterno obviously can't testify at Tim Curley's perjury trial, Curley's lawyer wants his client's charges dismissed. Of course, that could all be a big misunderstanding, as the PennLive article also states that Paterno was diagnosed with "lunch cancer". Lunch cancer. Real media, people!
And in a late update from the Sandusky case, a Centre County judge has ruled on a number of motions filed last week:
- Sandusky is allowed to visit with his grandchildren, under certain conditions
- He is permitted to leave his house to assist his legal team, provided that he notifies county authorities
- He is allowed to sit on his back porch, despite objections from parents and neighbors
- The prosecution's request for an out-of-town jury has been denied
- Sandusky's request to release grand jury testimony transcripts has been denied
Sports! PSU demolished Utah Valley 39-3 in wrestling. UVU's only points were in the 133-pound match, as Frank Martellotti lost a 3-1 decision to Blake Mangum. Martellotti was subsequently abandoned in the Utah mountains by Cael Sanderson to wrestle a bear and think about what he'd done. The basketballin' Lady Lions are now 20-5 and ranked #18 in the nation, following a double-digit win over Northwestern.