My oldest son Matt and I headed down to State College for this weekend’s annual Blue White Weekend…not only did we have a great time, but met with some interesting people in just 12 hours. Here’s a recap:

6:30 AM – Awoke in our room at the Super 8, about 45 minutes from State College.

Nothing quite like sitting 20 feet away from the awesome Blue Band and enjoying a concert. I LOVE these guys!

8:10 AM - Arrive in Happy Valley for 8:30 AM parents meeting with new head coach Bill O’Brien.  My experience with Penn State Football has taught me that being late for meetings is a big no-no and we’re cutting it a little close.

8:15 AM – As we get to the stadium, they’ve already blocked off the roads for the game – 6 hours early! – and won’t let us through. I explain that I have a meeting with the coach! Yeah, right, man. A wave of anxiety creeps in.

8:20 AM - Luckily, I know a “back way” in and we arrive at the designated meeting parking lot for the parents. It might surprise you to know that as parents of players on the team,  NCAA rules do not allow for the university to “save” us any parking spaces. So we get together via email before the game to try and stake out a spot and get there early. Of course, when we arrive at the lot, it’s barricaded closed. I had Matt hop out and move the barricades and we parked there anyway. No time to get a conscious at this point. We speed-walked/jogged to the Lasch Football Building and managed to get there at 8:25.

Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien addresses the player's parents at the Lasch Football Building.

8:30 AM – New head football coach Bill O’Brien introduces himself in the squad meeting room. He talks for about 30 minutes, as promised, and we all get a chance to introduce ourselves to him. Among other things, he told us that he is very much committed to keeping the pride in academic achievement that has always been the hallmark of the Penn State program. He also plans on keeping the uniforms the same, although he has dropped the multi-colored jersey scheme that was previously used in practice. Offense is white, defense is blue. Coach O’Brien made it clear to us that we shouldn’t judge the team by their performance today, as he would definitely be keeping his new high-powered offensive scheme under wraps until the beginning of the season for fear of scouts from other Division-I schools being in attendance. All in all, Coach O’Brien comes across as being extremely earnest, approachable, and down-to-earth.

The Bod-Pod: Sit in this thing for 5 minutes and it analyzes your body fat and muscle ratio. I tried it out but it ejected me after 30 seconds.

9:30 AM – The parents enjoy a very informative session with Penn State’s in-house nutritionist, Dr. Kim Clark. While this subject would normally put me to sleep, I was fascinated by what she is doing for the football team. Dr. Clark is in charge of nutrition for all of Penn State’s athletic programs, and for years (like 20) she had little to do with the football team. All of that changed when the new coaching staff came in this year, bringing in Chicago Bears trainer Tim Bream to Penn State. He immediately moved Dr. Clark into the Lasch Building where now she has daily contact the the players, and is working on strength and conditioning with using the proper foods vs. using supplements. Check out the “Bod Pod.”

While all of this was going on, my son Matt enjoyed a five-minute chat with Coach O’Brien as he walked through the campus to his next event. Now, that’s a lifelong memory for him.

10:30 AM - We walk to the car, which hasn’t been towed away yet. We decide to leave it there, as nobody seems to care and it’s literally one block from the stadium. Now we’re trying to figure out if it’s going to rain or not, as the forecast calls for a 70% probability. We decide we’re close enough to come back if it rains, and take off for the stadium. Now things get interesting.

With Mark Brennan, publisher of "Fight on State" magazine.

10:45 AM - Finally get to meet one of my journalist friends from the State College area, Mark Brennan from Fight On State magazine. We’ve chatted via email several times, and he asked me to write an article for him a few years ago. It was nice to put a face on a name, and in 15 minutes discussed and solved all of Penn State’s problems.

11:00 AM – Manage to run into Sue Paterno of all people, who was working a tent for Sunday’s Walk-a-Thon. I couldn’t participate in the walk, but for a $20 donation I got a DVD of Joe’s memorial service. After I introduced myself, she said she remembered me from our official visit there a year ago, but I think she was just being polite. Either way, it had to be an immensely tough day for her being there in the shadow of Beaver Stadium without her best friend and husband not being on the sidelines for the first time in 62 years.

The Nittany Lion begs to have his picture taken with The Guy From Erie. I reluctantly agreed.

11:30 AM – Time for one of my absolute favorite things about Penn State: a concert by the Blue Band, along with the Lionettes Dance Team, crowned Division-I Champions just last week .

Enjoy the video!

12:00 Noon - I Run into Guido D’Elia, who was the mastermind behind creating “The Greatest Show in College Football” until he got the ax a few months ago. Seemed really weird to see him just wandering around by himself after being one of Joe Paterno’s main confidants for the last eight years or so. While most fans never knew who he was, he had the football games choreographed to the second with music, announcements, and keeping the crowd entertained.

Jordan Kerner signs a football for a Penn State fan.

1:00 PM - We wander over to the stadium where security promptly turns me away because I have a small umbrella with me for the walk back to the car in case it rains. Luckily, I’m wearing a huge sweatshirt and I’m able to stuff it down my pants and cover it before walking into another gate. Yes, I am turning into quite a rebel as I age.

We also witness my son Jordan signing autographs, which is still kind of freaky for me even after seeing this for a few years now. The whole team is there and hundreds of fans are just making their way down the line with programs, footballs, and jerseys for them to sign.

1:30 PM – We finally make our way into the stadium, find some good seats – and the sun comes out!

2:00 PM - The annual Blue White game begins. As you can imagine, there’s really not a lot to see here (for the fans)  as the offense plays the defense the entire game. But no doubt the coaches and players get a lot out of it to see how they perform in a real-game situation versus practicing. Before the first half is even over, a player tears his ACL, a season-ending injury…hard to watch. And – to do it in a scrimmage game makes it even worse.

5:30 PM - Dinner with Jordan and Matt at the Nittany Lion Inn. Jordan gets stopped on the way out by an elderly couple in the dining room who want to know if he’s on the football team. As he’s politely chatting with them, I look over and see the entire female wait-staff standing against a wall and just staring at him with googly-smiles plastered on their faces. Reminds me of my bowling days in high school. Right.

Possibly the most-hated man in Ohio: an Ohio license plate covered with a Penn State holder along with the first three words of the PSU alma mater, "For The Glory."

7:00 PM – It’s finally raining, and it’s getting cold…we drop Jordan off at his dorm, say goodbye, and make our way back to Clearfield where we collapse after one great day in Happy Valley.

After all of that – I would do it again next weekend if I could!

Here’s the video again if you’d like to watch it on YouTube.

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This Saturday – April 21 – marks the annual playing of the “Blue-White” game, which is really a scrimmage of the first-team offense vs. the first-team defense.

My research has taught me that in previous years this was a small “test” to see where the team is at after their 15 NCAA allotted April practices. It’s a great way for college football fans to get a dose of what’s coming this fall, and in the past has been pretty much a “promo” for Penn State…admission and parking is free, so I would think a lot of fans who can’t afford the tickets, hotels, and parking get to experience Penn State Football – watered down – for a day.

Either way, at least 75,000 fans will be on hand this weekend to sample and devour another taste of Penn State Football. Given what has taken place during the last several months in Happy Valley, I would suspect this number might be even larger. Alabama had over 90,000 show up for a similar game a few weeks ago.

The Blue White game this year will be the Penn State Nation’s first peek at the the new coach Bill O’Brien and his staff, as well as to see what new wrinkles he has in store for the team this year. By all accounts, spring practices have been very energetic this year, and the team appears to have totally embraced the new coaches and their system.

While I won’t be blogging “live” this weekend, I will be updating my Facebook page as the weekend unfolds via my phone.

The Blue White game will be broadcast live on Saturday at 2:00 PM on the Big Ten Network.

My Dad Fritz (left) and Uncle Ed setting up the first EDM machine in Erie, PA sometime in the early 1960's.

My Uncle Eddie had a very successful tool and die shop back in the 40′s,50′s and 60′s.

Their motto was “Precision is our practice, Production is the Result.”

Hmm. What exactly does that mean?

Because tool and die makers build molds, fixtures, and dies that pound out thousands of parts every day, it naturally follows that the more precise the mold, die, or fixture is, the better the parts will be that come out of it.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with and employing some great craftsmen. Yep, some of them were a real piece of work – but, boy were they ever good.

A “lead” mold maker – like me – oversaw the complete construction of all of my projects, some worth well over $100,000. Mistakes were to be avoided at all costs, as the further along you were – i.e. hundreds of hours working on one block of steel – the more costly they became. I would say that the average mistake in a tool room costs the company a minimum of about $2,000. And that’s the average. Look out for the REALLY big ones.

A “lead” guy oversees all of the work done by his apprentices, the machinists who are fabricating the mold base, and of course, the fitting-up and final assembly. Back in the day, our average mold took about 16 weeks to build.

The attributes of the best toolmakers I knew are as follows;

• Are good machinists
• Are very creative
• Are good at math
• Are extremely detail-oriented
• Can multi-task
• Can handle pressure
• Quality is more important than quantity

It’s no surprise that the trade is dying now, as the machines are much more accurate and the labor is much cheaper in Mexico and China.

But, boy…back in the day, these were some pretty smart guys.

You’re right.

The last time I played football competitively was in fifth grade. One day at practice, I got my “bell rung” to the point of actually seeing stars. That was the day the Boy From Erie retired from football.

Over the years, I was always a casual fan, but never really followed college sports. I do remember watching Penn State beat Miami for the National Championship in 1986, but that was something of a rarity for me.

When my son Jordan was recruited by Penn State, I can honestly say I knew next to nothing about both Penn State and college football in general. Yes, I was thrilled for him, but I was more like Forrest Gump,  meeting legends of the game and not realizing how lucky I really was. Joe Paterno, Tom Bradley, Larry Johnson…all in the same weekend.

“I gotta pee,” to quote Forrest.

As the business of getting Jordan off to Penn State and settled in began to wane, I suddenly found myself a complete college football junkie. People at work and even my own kids were like, “who IS this guy?” I read every news report and in the process even developed an e-mail relationship with a reporter who covers Penn State for the Harrisburg Patriot-News, David Jones, along with the publisher of Fight On State Magazine, Mark Brennan.

I devoured a few books on Joe Paterno: The Lion in Autumn; Paterno: By The Book; and finally No Ordinary Joe.  I asked David Jones if I was missing anything, and he told me a must-read was Ken Denlinger’s For The Glory, which I promptly purchased and devoured.

For The Glory is a first-hand account of Big Time college football, along with what it was like to play for Joe Paterno. I have to say that this guy can really write: this is no “dumb-jock” book. He does a great job of really digging in and developing the real-life experiences of his fellow teammates and the constant struggles to earn their positions and keep them for the season.

What I learned was that – at least for me – is that you can rest assured when you turn on your TV set on Saturday afternoons that you are watching the absolute best available players from each team compete. “Available” is the key word here, as kids get hurt in practice, run afoul of team rules, or aren’t cutting it academically.

I always wondered why so many scholarships are made available each year, and again this book made it very clear to me: in his own class, Ken Denlinger  started out with 28 scholarship players. By the time his “Senior Day” arrived at Beaver Stadium five years later, there were only 9 of them left standing.

Two players didn’t make it through their first summer, making the “get me out of here” phone call to home before the season even started. Others became disillusioned with the daily grind of practice, getting screamed at, workouts, and wondering if all of the effort was going to be worth it.

Let’s face it: no one knows how any kid is going to respond to moving away from home. Pile on top of that a full class-load and daily workouts and practices, it’s no wonder that around 2% ever make it to the pros.

You might be surprised to know that, as a player for Penn State, you really have no idea of where you stand every day until you show up for practice that day. Your standing on the team is totally dictated by the color of the jersey you are assigned when you give the equipment guy your locker number. Colors designate the following positions:

• Blue denotes first-string players and others likely to see significant playing time
  

  Joe Paterno talks to his team inside Holuba Hall during practice. Note the different jersey colors.

• Dark blue is offense, light blue is defense
• Red is worn by second-team defense
• Green is worn by second-team offense
• Maroon is worn by third-team defense
• Yellow is worn by third-team offense
• White is worn by those who will probably never see any playing time during their entire career
• A Red “X” means “No Contact” as the player is either injured or rehabbing an injury

In the end, the “blue” practice jersey is the “thing of dreams, and white is nightmarish.” Don’t forget, everyone there can see where you are in the pecking-order. It’s a huge self-esteem thing for these guys.

I have to say that – just my personal opinion – the more I learn about what my son endures every day, the prouder I am of what he’s trying to accomplish. Moving away from home is tough for anyone the first time…especially if you’re trying to negotiate your way around a campus with 40,000 students and get passing grades. Temptations are everywhere if you’re on the football team, and you’ve gotta suck it up and believe that you can do it. Make the grade. Please your coaches. Pass your tests. And for God’s sake, don’t hurt yourself. A torn ACL puts you almost a year behind the guys who have been working out every day for your position. It’s really not too hard to just give up, and many do.

“For The Glory.”

The first three words of the Penn State Alma-mater, the glory of running through that tunnel just one time in front of 108,000 screaming football fanatics. Just one time to make a play. To be noticed. To contribute just once to a Nittany Lion victory.

The next time you’re watching a college game, scream at the coaches all you want. But, wow…give the players a break. They’re out on that field because they’ve won their position in practice, they’ve kept their nose clean, and they’re keeping up with their grades. It’s a lot. Believe me, nobody feels worse when they screw up than that poor kid who just got his chance and blew it.

Here’s to all of the student athletes everywhere: you’re living a dream that most of us can’t even comprehend.

Thanks for letting us watch.

***********

If you’re a fan, here’s the link to purchase this book: For the Glory: College Football Dreams and Realities Inside Paterno’s Program

As far as Penn State football goes, I can report that the team is thrilled thus far with the new coaching staff, as in lots of enthusiasm.

It was a great day – weather wise – for a trip so I ducked down onto Route 322 for the last 30 miles or so, rather than my traditional route of getting off of I-80 at the Bellefonte exit. I have to say that despite the roller coaster hills, the scenery is breathtaking. Hard to enjoy, though, when you’re white-knuckling it at 80 mph while careening around curves that actually produce g-forces.

I did take the time today to go downtown and do a little shopping. The hot spot is College Avenue, where everything that is “Penn State” can be found. Saw the new “Billieve” shirts but was very focused on finding a Penn State sweater, which I found at the Family Clothes Line. They have everything, clothing wise, that you can imagine that has “Penn State” on it.

Anyway, I stumbled upon this mural, which I have heard about but never knew where it was until today. It’s called “Inspiration,” and was painted by Michael Pilato. It’s located on the corner of College Avenue and Hiester Street, and it runs a full block long. Notable changes during the last several months include the painting-over of Jerry Sandusky’s image (note the empty chair with the blue ribbon), and the recent addition of a halo over Joe Paterno’s head.

"Inspiration" mural, State College, PA.

Guaranteed the best ever or your money back!

I meant to share this a long time ago – but I finally got around to it this week.

This recipe is – I think – the only recipe I got from my mother before she passed away…so I’m handing out my inheritance this evening.

I can honestly say that I have never served these without getting rave reviews – the only thing that I cook that is worthy of being entered in a cooking contest.

Enjoy!

As we made the turn off of I-80 and headed south towards the campus – as usual – there always seems to be some magic in the air for me. The setting sun was bright gold, and Beaver Stadium looked like the cathedral of college football that it is…looming on the top of a hill with the setting sun painting it in pink and gold.

After dropping Jordan off at his dorm, I did notice he needed a shave. “Doesn’t that need to go?” I asked, referring to his light beard. “Not sure anymore,” he said. One of Joe Paterno’s rules was “no facial hair.” Interesting.

I made my way back to Beaver Stadium, just enjoying the atmosphere and snapping a few photos. An absolutely stunning full moon was rising over Mount Nittany and I have to say that the view just took my breath away…no wonder I enjoy my trips down there so much. It still is a very special place not only for me, but for millions of football fans and Penn Staters around the world.

I did stop to take a look at the Joe Paterno statue, which is thankfully still there. It was weird to be there on this crisp  January evening without a soul around…think about it: there are plaques, there are trophies, and there are awards…but how many people do you know that have actually have a bronze statue cast of them commissioned? I know just one: JoePa.

I did check the bolts and – damn – too tight, or I would have just put the whole thing in my trunk for safe-keeping. Need to bring some power tools with me next time in order to protect this thing before the Board of Trustnuts has another outbreak of cowardice and has it scrapped.

As promised, I made my way over to the Lasch Football Building in a vain attempt to introduce myself to Coach O’Brien. I knew it wasn’t looking good when I pulled into the lot and there were four Penn State Police cars there (yeah, THOSE guys). I decided to try my luck but the front doors were locked, and I looked up and one of the cops was giving me the stink-eye with his hand positioned on his squirt gun. I did the right thing, I just smiled and gave him the finger.

The long drive home in the dark gave me some “quiet time” to think about my life, and what I might do to make the world a better place. Here’s what I came up with:

This year, I am going to take up golf again after a 3 year layoff. And after every shot – including putts – I’m gonna do “the Tebow.” I might even do it after I wash my balls!

Please contact me to arrange your golf date with me.

Imagine being on the cusp of a great season only to lose your head coach, athletic director, and university president all on the same day…plus a bomb-threat on game day. Wow.

Imagine having the press camped out in front of the football complex, dealing with riots, and STILL having to complete your studies while at the same time preparing for the last 3 games of the year, all to be shown on national television.

Here’s a great article I found tonight about the team. Enjoy!

Giger: More than a few good men: PSU players earn nation’s respect

Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz weighs in with a very thoughtful article that I found today on The Huffington Post.

Click here to read the entire article.

Here’s a few interesting links to what’s going on with Penn State Football today. For the time-being, everything has calmed down today mainly due to the fact that there is really nothing to report and there’s really only so many ways you can spin and re-tell the same information every single minute. But God knows they’re trying hard to do so.

Rose Bowl would welcome Penn State ‘with open arms’ if it wins Big Ten title

Finally, someone with the guts to say the right thing. Thank-You, Rose Bowl. We plan on being there!

Pittsburgh mayor wants Penn State alum Franco Harris off charity board for his support of Joe Paterno

Mr. Harris is having a tough week. That’ll teach him to be stand-up guy for his coach and mentor – he got fired yesterday from his job as a spokesman for a casino.

Cars.com pulls commercials from Penn State games on ESPN

Oh, NO! Wait, what is “cars.com?” A kid’s movie?