Joe Paterno = Yankee Stadium

I experienced a metaphor the other night.

I was watching the final few innings from venerable old Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and I thought about another icon from New York who is closer to its end than its beginning, Joe Paterno. While he's not quite the same age as The House that Ruth Built, Graham Spanier and his wrecking ball are still looming over Joe as he coaches in the final year of his contract. Like the old ballpark, Joe has shown his share of cracks and leaks (running off the field to poop in 2006 against Ohio State). He's probably a little outdated and resistant to change or upgrades (Spread HD be damned), but just like like that nasty, smelly, sinkhole of a baseball stadium in New York belonged, truly belonged, to Yankee fans - Joe Paterno is ours. Love him or hate him, he's bigger than the University in most circles and we ought to usher him out with a standing ovation just like what happened in the Bronx on Sunday night.

That's already two notices from me on how we should respect Joe in what may be his final season, so I hope you realize how important I think it is to cherish having him on the sidelines for however much longer he's got. I am looking forward to seeing him limp out of that tunnel amidst a screaming whitehouse on Saturday night, and if this is his last year, what a year it could be.

Back to the big game on Saturday - I can't remember being as excited for a game as I am for Illinois since 2005 against Ohio State - the original White Out. There's a difference between this game and the other "WhiteHouse" games. In 2006, Penn State played a team of road graters wearing Michigan uniforms. That team was ranked #2 knocked both Anthony Morelli and Daryll Clark out of the game on their way to a suffocating 17-10 victory. That was exciting, but nobody really thought we had a chance against that team - they were too good. In 2007, it was a different kind of excitement when the Irish came to town. It was revenge, pure and simple. They had put a beating on us in South Bend the year before, even faking a punt late in the game when the outcome was clearly decided and, and this was our turn. Unlike 2006, I don't think anybody actually thought we could lose that game.

But this weekend has that great balance that comes from being excited about what we can do, but that tinge of fear about going up against our first legitimate opponent of the season. I am so excited to see just how our offense will do when challenged and the same goes for the defense. Can Aaron Maybin continue to Maybinize** everything in his path? Is Navarro Bowman really the next Arrington? What will Evan Royster do with more than 10 carries in a game? How many points can we put up if we don't call the dogs off at halftime? Plus, this is the Big Ten season. Face it, Penn State is now judged about how it does in conference play. Since our conference is perceived as a dying one, it is more important than ever that we improve on our average - below average showing of the last couple seasons (5-3 in '06, 4-4 last year).

**Maybinize - (verb) - When Aaron Maybin hits something so hard that said thing is broken down to its simplest elemental forms, which are then scattered. These sub-atomic particles then reform (usually into the same shape) but covered in bruises. All of this happens faster than our eyes can see.