BSD Mailbag 3.21.14

Is it August yet?--psuphysicist

I wish, buddy. I wish.

Over/under on:

8 wins for football this year?

20 ppg allowed by the PSU defense this year?

18 wins for basketball next year?

8th best 2015 recruiting class (for football, of course)?jcross9

Neither--I think eights where it's at. Over, but only slightly and because we're looking at a fourth coordinator in four years. Over. I'm assuming you mean 8th in the nation, not in the conference--and so I'll say over. I think we'll end up in the top fifteen, but top eight might be a stretch this year. We're good now, but we'll have a bigger limit than some of the other programs, and kids will want to see what James Franklin and staff do as actual coaches--not just what they say.

What is your thoughts on the benefits of a early signing period? Seems to me coaches would love it but I don’t see why a player would. Most of them will only get this kind of attention once in their lives, so why would they sign early?--PSU_sincebirth.

I think it's a good option to have, because, surprise, surprise--not every kid wants all of that attention. I know, shocking, right? But some of the recruits, even occasional big hyped ones, just want to pick the school that's the best fit for them athletically, academically, socially, spiritually...whatever they deem as important in their lives--and then be done with it. They don't want the continued harassment, the phone calls and texts and visits from other coaches still trying to flip them after they've made their decision. So, I think it can be a win-win--but it's definitely not for everyone.

The problem is, of course, that with recruiting what starts out as a good thing, benefiting both sides, can quickly spiral into something in which the student-athletes are taken advantage of (imagine that). I envision certain scenarios in which the coach forces the player to sign early if they want a spot in the class--and then cut them anyway. It could potentially make those who flirt with the edge of the rules come even closer to going over, and make recruiting an even shadier business. But, if done right, it could be a real benefit.

Ultimately, what does that mean? I think it means it shouldn't be around, because there's too much potential for abuse. But I also think that, if we aren't going to implement it, there should be more limits on how and when a different school can contact a recruit that is already committed somewhere. I'm not sure the current rules, but I'm 100% sure that whatever they are, they're being broken constantly, with blatant disregard.

How many national championship wrestlers will we have this year? Does PSU win another team title? And what does next year’s team chances of a national title look like? --psupro

Two. Yes. As good as anyone else's chances (there's no clear favorite in 2015 IMO), but it will be much tighter than this year--and there will be more teams with legit shots at the title, not just 3 or 4.

Is having Maryland and Rutgers in the B1G going to be fun or just sad? I’m not looking over them but between the Rutgers message boards (they are simply the best, if you’ve never been, what are you waiting for) and testudo times the hate is soooooo strong. Which could be fun or just plan sad.--PSU_sincebirth

It may be a cop out, but I'm going to say both. I think the unmitigated hate that some in both fandoms (because let's face it, like all fanbases, it's not everyone who hates Penn State--it may not even be a majority, but rather an incredibly vocal minority) is kinda hysterical, because frankly I never gave much thought to either program before. I even somewhat rooted for Maryland to do well when they weren't playing us, because I grew up in the state and have a ton of friends who are Terps.

Now, though, with some predictions from both fandoms of competing for B1G titles right away (when neither could win their old conferences outright), and the outright vitriol spewed by some--I don't really care how they do. In football, I'd prefer they lose, matter of fact, because the message board meltdowns (by Scarlet Knights fans in particular) will be hilarious.

What's sad about it all, I guess, is that both are predicting they'll become our rival. I'm not so sure I see it. To have a rival, both sides have to care about the outcome, and frankly I haven't met a PSUer who really cares about either of them beyond the general "I want to win every game" sort of caring. There's no "I want to beat Rutgers BECAUSE RUTGERS" like both teams seem to want us to have. I think that angers some on those message boards even more. And I'm not even sure a win or two would foster that rivalry, because Purdue and Illinois have some wins against us (both have more than Maryland does)--but do we consider them rivals?

You have a song stuck in your head for the next 48 hours straight. It never goes away no matter how hard you try, but you cant quite remember all the words and for some reason you are unable to listen to the actual song. What song is it?--skarocksoi

It's NCAA wrestling tournament time! So, it's this one.

So. This Lorde person. Is she popular for recording an album despite a debilitating speech impediment?--WorldBFat

Well, she's popular. I guess. I actually haven't been listening to much new music since I joined the staff of BSD, simply because I'm too busy with my actual real job that pays the bills, and what we do on here for you guys (and I listen to talk radio on the commute--yes, I'm one of them). So I go off recommendations from others, and just strictly download stuff--typically from artists I already know I like, and more often than not things that I can pop onto my playlist for the gym. I think the most recent album that gets the heaviest rotation for me is Yeezus. Though I do love "Happy" and "Get Lucky" as recent songs, but I don't have the full Pharrell or Daft Punk albums.

Why have you been derelict in your mailbag duties? Were you trying to get a new duty?-- psualum9931

Haha, see above...real life, y'all. It can suck sometimes. Stay in college as long as you can, kids.

If you have/had a boyfriend or husband, would you cheat on him with God Shammgod Because there’s no way your man would know if you accidentally said the wrong name during intercourse.--WorldBFat

If you're choosing a partner solely based on name, you're doing it wrong.

Unless it's this name.

Purple pants on a man. Yes or no?--WorldBFat

Yes.

What percentage of people who get a tattoo regret it?--Dbridi

I have three, and I don't regret any of them. I wasn't sure if I was normal or not (about this, anyway), so to Google! According to this, one third of people with tattoos regret them. That sounds about right.

In real life, how many people read your name too quickly and say Carl? I’ll admit, the first time I read it too quickly and thought it was Carli. Which do you hate more?--trizani83

Lets get real for a sec--I totally thought Cari’s name was pronounced "Car-ee" until I heard Adam say it on the podcast and was like "Oh shit, did he pronounce it wrong or have I been wrong?"--skarocksoi

First of all, my name is pronounced like "Carrie"--not like an automobile with an E at the end. Adam has pronounced it correctly on all of the podcasts, and frankly I didn't even know that people might think to pronounce it differently until (throwing a friend under the bus alert!) I met AriesGD in real life a few years ago and he called me "Car-ee" multiple times in a row, both at Blue-White and Arts Fest, despite my corrections.

Secondly, the "Carl"s were sporadic until I started writing for BSD. When I joined the staff, the assumption was that a female couldn't possibly know anything about sports, and the default has been ever since that I'm male. I get this all the time nowadays--emails from other blogs, comments in the comment section from newbies, and I was even quoted once in the Examiner from a story I wrote about the Joe statue being taken down as "Carl Greene of Black Shoe Diaries". So, because of the fact that Carl is a male name and the default assumption that I'm male that goes along with the assumption that that's how you spell it, I hate that way more than Carli--and it's not even close.

I'm sure that Graham Watson at Dr. Saturday gets it way worse though--because she can't point to a misspelling.

I have a friend who is newly single. Being a helpful sort, we decided to come up with some "icebreakers (pick up lines)" for him. But I thought I would open it up to the experts on BSD, and get a ladies perspective from Cari.

While he preferred the classics, we still wanted to diversify his pickup portfolio. So lets help a friend out . . . .--Dbridi

I've been on the receiving end of some awful pickup lines, which I won't share with you all because my mom reads BSD, after all.

Come to think of it, I've never been on the receiving end of a good pickup line. That probably has something to do with me...so I'll just leave this here instead, and let the others have at it in the comments.