Welcome to the my Web site, v. XII. The blog is typically published Monday - Saturday. My primary topics tend to be the Nats, Penn State (esp. football), BeltwayLand, transportation, media, photos and more. The rest of the site gets updated as warranted and is noted on the blog.
Another Q&A with P.J. Maierhofer - William World News
Friday, February 19, 2010
Another Q&A with P.J. Maierhofer
Since 2005, P.J. Maierhofer served as Blue Sapphire, Penn State's feature twirler. The 2007 Q&A with P.J. has been one of the most popular features on this blog. Last month she answered another round of question.
WFY: Let's start with a question about the Capital One Bowl -- how much did you have to perform on that field? I have never seen a college football game in such disrepair.
PJ:The entire band marched pregame on the field... it was pretty rainy/muddy to say the least! I was really glad despite the conditions that we were allowed though considering it was my last one! For halftime, the band stood on the field and did not march. The Majorettes, Silks, and I performed off the sidelines in front of the PSU fans.
PJ: If you knew me, you'd know I'm kinda goofy/quirky. I just like to have fun. Last year at the Rose Bowl I got a pair of 2009 glasses for New Year's Eve. I wore them around all night. So this year everyone was joking about how I needed to get a new pair! So... I did. I figured it would be fun to put them on during the game and celebrate New Year's!
WFY: It seems like Blue Sapphires all go for more than four years -- you are only the third in the last 15 seasons. So, was the Capital One Bowl was your final half-time performance, or are you on the 7 year plan?
PJ: That was it! I have been blessed and honored to have the position of Blue Sapphire for 5 consecutive seasons. The position takes a year or two or three to really understand and grow into, so staying 5 is really not that big of a deal. I took less classes at a time in school, but did well academically so it pushed back graduation a bit. However, I look at it as this... College is supposed to be the best 4 years of your life - why not make it the best 5? Had I not come back this year, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to compete at Nationals last year with the Majorettes and I probably would have ended my competitive career - which fortunately I didn't, because it was a great summer :)
WFY: Now that you have been to the Orange, Outback, Alamo, Rose, and Capital One Bowls, which one was the best trip?
PJ: First of all, it was truly exciting just to get to see 5 DIFFERENT bowl games. Many schools repeat and I thought it was neat to be exposed to so many new places. They were all great in their own way. The Orange Bowl allowed us to spend New Year's day on South Beach and I got to see my friends from FSU perform. Outback had some really neat pep rallies including one on the beach and then an awesome Mardi Gra type parade. Alamo was in a dome.. which I loved! We didn't have to worry about wind, rain...anything - awesome. The Rose Bowl was incredible in terms of the preparation done and the amount of time and number of volunteers involved in making it happen. The 5.5 mile parade is something I'll remember for the rest of my life - talk about an honor... Leading the best band in the nation down the streets of Pasadena with national TV coverage - so thankful for that opportunity! And lastly, Capital One was a super trip. I knew it was my last one and it didn't matter if it snowed in the middle of the game, I was going to truly just relax and enjoy the trip/performance ...and I did. I loved spending time with my teammates, the band, and soaking up my time left as a Penn Stater!
WFY: What about road venues -- which was your favorite? Did you travel to all the road games?
PJ: I didn't travel to all of them, but of the ones I traveled to... believe it or not I loved Ohio State's stadium. They have a neat area on the side of their field for people to be able to use for various things. It was a little concreted area where I was able to perform off the field. I know that sounds dorky, but for someone like me it was nice!! And truthfully, I don't really ever have a favorite venue or least favorite because I just take them in each as a learning opportunity. As a feature twirler you are going to have some times where the space is great and others where you twirl on carpet with 2 inches of ceiling above your head....either way you have a job to do!
WFY: A confession -- since my wife and I had a son in 2008, I've only been to one home game this year (Akron), and none last year; what routines did I miss? Did you get up to four fire batons?
PJ: I've had some pretty fun performances. This year my favorite was our "Picture show" which included a batman routine with capes and eye covers from the majorettes, a Rocky impression from me, Star wars light saber fighting from the silks, and a superman skit from the Lion. It was just so fun to do.... we all loved hearing the crowd cheer as the band made pictures through formations of batman, and boxers, and the superman logo alone with others. We also did a Michael Jackson tribute that was pretty cool. The entire band did the Thriller dance :)
WFY: This spring is the first Blue Sapphire Classic. Please share with us what the event is going to be and how involved you are in it.
PJ: The Blue Sapphire Classic was an idea I had at the beginning of my junior year. I wanted to host a baton twirling competition here at Penn State. I may be biased, but I feel like Penn State fans take so much more pride in their twirlers than other schools do. As a result, I am always being asked about baton twirling, how I got involved, where I competed, what a competition is like, etc. Well between that and the fact that Rec Hall is SO HIGH and perfect for baton twirling, I thought of the idea to have twirlers from all over the U.S. come here to compete. Alongside that, the money that we raise will go into the David and Lori Uhazie Feature Twirler Scholarship fund that is an endowment. It currently pays for about a 4th of fall tuition and is only given in the fall. My goal is to raise enough money through this competition each year that eventually there is enough money to pay for the Feature Twirlers fall tuition through this one scholarship. The event should be pretty neat. We have great judges coming and we expect about 150-200 contestants. My goal is to bring an awareness of competitive baton twirling to students and the fans of Nittany Nation and to bring younger twirlers into a school like Penn State where we take such pride in twirling.
WFY: Penn State is known as Linebacker U, but given the national and world championships you and you predecessor Bobbie Jo Solomon won, maybe we should call it Twirler U as well. Does that sound good?
PJ: I'd be honored. :) It's pretty awesome that we were both able to set goals and achieve them during our Penn State career. Being proud of my school, my band, and my fellow majorettes definitely provided me with the motivation to go out, win, and be able to bring it back here!
WFY: Will you have any influence on the who is the next Blue Sapphire? Or, do you already know it is somebody named something like JoJo Solomaier?
PJ: Funny! I'm not sure yet -I know that I don't have influence on who makes it, but whether I will be allowed to be at try-outs is still up in the air.
WFY: What is the most rewarding part of being the Blue Sapphire? What is the biggest challenge?
PJ: Just this morning I was working on preparing for an event I'm hosting tomorrow night for THON and I walked out of a meeting and ran into 6 people in a row who said "Hi PJ" and knew me by name. Honestly, at a school where you have 44,000 peers that is the most rewarding and humbling feeling. To think that that many people respect you enough as a person/baton twirler to want to know your name. I can do nothing but smile. I'm the happiest girl. Penn State has provided me with endless opportunities and my involvement with the Blue Band has made me see that if you can dream it, you can become it. There are too many rewarding parts of Penn State to name one. From the people, to the opportunities, to the enthusiasm of it's community, Penn State is the best.
As far as challenges... I don't sleep much, I drink wayyy to much Blueberry Coffee from Dunkin' donuts (they are beginning to know me when I walk in the door as Blueberry coffee girl), I sometimes miss important family/friends/boyfriend's stuff because of commitments here and sometimes my e-mail box gets a little clogged, but all in all - it's not a challenge...it's an opportunity of a lifetime and I've tried to live it up!
Lightning Round!
WFY: How many batons do you go through a season?
PJ: -- ehhh 10?
WFY: How many about slippers do you go through a season?
PJ: -- yuck they get gross. 3 pairs? My Mom is the best and she gets them cleaned for me.
WFY: What is your favorite College of Communications course?
PJ: Favorite Comm course was Ron Smith's creative class... we did a lot of designing of ads and photoshop/illustrator work. I loved the challege of being unique and creative.
WFY: What is your favorite Creamery ice cream flavor?
PJ: I really like their strawberry or their Coconut Chip!
HWFY: ave you hiked up Mt. Nittany?
PJ: Yes sir... you start hiking and begin thinking...maybe this wasn't such a great idea. THEN - you get to the top and your jaw just drops to the ground. The view is amazing. It's a wonderful reminder of how special our Valley is AND how beautiful!
WFY: What is your favorite gem?
PJ: Is this even a legit question? Blue Sapphires clearlyyyy!
WFY: What are you planning to do after graduation?
PJ: This summer I'll spend a lot of time teaching baton/job searching. In July I'll attend the National Baton Twirling championship and give away my title as the 2009 Miss Majorette of America...then who knows. I'm up for an adventure! Pittsburgh? Philly? New York? Not sure... just know that I'm gonna make the most of wherever I go.
WFY: No mere mortal can twirl that many batons at once -- you are actually a Jedi, right?
PJ: Shhhhhh!!
WFY: One last question -- your two predecessors were both proposed to on the field, one on her Senior Day, the other at Homecoming one year. Good idea or bad idea?
PJ: Hahah well... I think it takes a pretty tough guy to get down on his knee in front of that many people!! It's not about where..it's who. :)
Big Ten Network should have a bands show - William World News
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Big Ten Network should have a bands show
I've got a programming idea for the Big Ten Network -- Big Ten Bands, a weekly showcase of Big Ten marching bands. Each week the program would show at least one march from all of the bands performing at home games that week. The show should also feature profiles of band members, traditions and more. I'd watch it.
Final game for Penn State's Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer - William World News
Friday, November 13, 2009
Final game for Penn State's Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer
Blue Sapphire will shine for final time - The Collegian Tomorrow's Penn State vs. Indiana game is also Senior Day for PJ Maierhofer, blue sapphire for the last five seasons. She leaves behind an impressive legacy. The big question for me though is whether she'll get proposed to on the field tomorrow. Both of her immediate predecessors were proposed to on the field, though Bobbie Jo Solomon's proposal did not come until Homecoming a few years ago when she was an alumna.
If PJ gets proposed to, be on the lookout for the follow-up story of the breakup a few months down the road. Again, like her predecessors.
# posted by Fritz :
Friday, November 13, 2009 1:07:00 PM
Such cynicism Fritz!
I believe her immediate predecessor is happily married after the homecoming proposal. Let's all wish PJ nothing but happiness and show gratitude for five great seasons of performing.
# posted by WFY :
Friday, November 13, 2009 1:38:00 PM
Post a CommentBlue Band: Richard Bundy interview - William World News
P.J. Maierhofer is College Miss Majorette of America - William World News
Friday, July 31, 2009
P.J. Maierhofer is College Miss Majorette of America
'Sapphire' takes twirling title - The Collegian PJ Maierhofer: Blue Sapphire, Crown Jewel - The Penn Stater Blog P.J. Maierhofer, Penn State's feature twirler since 2005 won the College Miss Majorette of America. She says it is the "biggest honor of baton twirling -- like winning the Masters for golf."
That's great and congratulations to her. Since they list her as a senior, I think that means she is coming back for her fifth season. That's probably a rule anyway, there have only been 3 featured Blue Sapphires since I started at Penn State. Her predecessor, Bobbie Jo Solomon was also College Miss Majorette of America in 1999.
I did not get to see them march in the Rose Parade live, but from what I have seen on Facebook, they apparently handled the sharp turn well. Does anybody know if video of that is online?
Coastal Carolina is bringing its band - William World News
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Coastal Carolina is bringing its band
I just noticed on the Blue Band Web site that two visiting bands have been announced -- Coastal Carolina and Oregon State. This means the first two games of the 2008 season will feature visiting bands. Hopefully, a Big11Ten band or two will make the trip as well. A Blue Band road game appearance has not been announced either.
Now I know why so many people were searching this site for Bobbie Jo yesterday - William World News
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Now I know why so many people were searching this site for Bobbie Jo yesterday
From the Football Letter:
The Blue Band's national champion twirler, P.J. Maierhofer, and former national champion Bobbie Jo Solomon (1999-2004) performed a fascinating twirling duet at Tailgreat and at halftime.
Hopefully, there will be video of the two. But wait, there's more:
Solomon was also surprised at the end of the Alumni Band show when her boyfriend appeared in the end zone and offered her an engagement ring.
Note that doesn't say whether she accepted the proposal. Her predecessor was also proposed to on the field, by the Nittany Lion, in 1998 at the Wisconsin game. They didn't last though. Hopefully this will work out for Solomon.
Now in her third season as Blue Sapphire, the featured twirler of the Touch of Blue, Pamela Jo Maierhofer continues the proud legacy of twirling at Penn State. Recently, PJ took the time to answer a few questions, sent during three-a-days, for William World News. WFY: When did you realize that you wanted to be the Blue Sapphire?
PJ: I was in 4th grade and a friend of ours was a Penn State Majorette and so we came to see her at a game… and I remember looking out there and going, "Mom! Mom! Who is THAT??" And I remember her explaining to me that that was the Blue Sapphire. I looked at her and told my Mom that that was going to be me someday (and she laughed) …BUT here I am :)
WFY: Is your routine integrated are your routines with the rest of Touch of Blue?
PJ: The Jettes and I have separate routines obviously, considering there are 12 of them and 1 of me. They synchronize all that they do which is a totally different and impressive skill that was never my forte. I was definitely a much stronger twirler twirling individually… I would have a really hard time doing what they do. From time to time we will twirl together and I really enjoy that.
WFY: How scary is it to twirl burning batons? (nota bene: sadly, the audio is NSFW)
PJ: Fire baton? Ha - It's awesome… it just adds another element to the crazy adrenaline rush I already get. It's not scary, when I was young, my Mom made me try it and as a result I never developed a fear that a first time older athlete would more than likely have. I rather like the challenge it brings.
WFY: What is your favorite part of a football Saturday?
PJ: EVERYTHING! Ha Ha, I think if I had to pick I would say my favorite part of Saturday game day is walking towards the stadium after we perform in BJC at Tail great. As a band we "march" over and sing the Singing Lion…. And as we get closer to the stadium, people up above that are already in the stadium start leaning out over the edges and cheering… and everyone starts coming towards Beaver Stadium…it makes me feel like at Penn State, you don't just go to college and get an education and graduate, you become a Penn Stater and Beaver Stadium is where all the past and present Penn Staters unite….it's kinda like home.
WFY: Is there a rule that Blue Sapphires have to have the middle name "Jo"?
PJ: Very Funny, I actually read your blog on this topic. It is strictly coincidence. My Mom's name is Pam and my Dad's name is Joe…so I was born Pamela Jo…. And the day I left the hospital I became a PJ :)
WFY: Do you know your predecessor, Bobbie Jo Solomon well?
PJ: Bobbie is an amazing girl. I've known her for a long long long long time and she was someone that I will someday owe a great deal of gratitude to because I spent the majority of my twirling career looking up to her. She is an awesome athlete. She twirled on a team with my older sister when I was little and so that's how I met her… and have admired her ever since.
WFY: Why does the Blue Sapphire always wear a white uniform?
PJ: It's just a way for her to stand out a little bit from the rest of the band and auxiliary. This year, my new costume has a little more blue than my last did, but it is still mainly white.
WFY: How do you and the other members of Touch of Blue keep from getting hypothermia during the latter part of the season?
PJ: Hahaha…. The band actually has these awesome cloak kind of coats that we wrap around us until we get ready for halftime and they keep us super warm. Plus, when you love Penn State and twirling as much as we do… you know that you have a job to go do and nothing is going to stop you. We wear lots of layers and when it is show time…we go :)
WFY: Football players often grumble about two-a-days during fall practice. How many times do you practice during the run up to the season?
PJ: We actually just finished our band camp which consisted of three, 3 hour sessions each day for 4 days straight. However, I twirl competitively so I train on average at least 2 hours a day during competition season. Right now, we have practice as a band 2 hours every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and 2½ hours on Tuesday
WFY: The video "Meet the New Blue Sapphire" has been viewed nearly 3,900 times on YouTube. Other than performing, how involved were you in the production of the video?
PJ: Well, Matt Fallabel the videographer for the Blue Band produced that video as part of our end of the year DVD. My transition from 11th grade to college and also my journey to create my own version of Blue Sapphire took some hard work. Matt and I became friends via band practice and he got to know me pretty well. Although a few of the things he targeted in the video were things we talked about, he did all of that on his own… trying to express to people who I was, so needless to say it was pretty effective.
WFY: Does the first song ("Brazil" by Django Reinhardt) in that video get stuck in your head like it does mine?
PJ: Haha I honestly don't watch it that much – that'd be kinda weird.. lol
WFY: Can we look forward to more videos like that in the future?
PJ: Hopefully :)
WFY: Over the years there has been a great deal said about teams playing on artificial turf but I never hear about what the half time performers think. What are your feelings on artificial turf?
PJ: My high school in Altoona had Astro and it was just different. Personally, twirling in Beaver Stadium is like twirling in Heaven and I find it perfect, but a good performer can adjust to any situation.
WFY: Which was a better bowl trip, Miami or Tampa Bay?
PJ: While Miami was really neat, I loved Tampa. We, the Blue Band, were so much more a part of the whole bowl production at the Outback bowl than we were at the Orange…and it just really made for an amazing trip, despite the rain!
WFY: What are the best and worst away games you have been too so far? Do you go to all the road games?
PJ: Michigan in 2005 nearly broke my heart…. Not gonna lie!
WFY: What halftime show was your favorite thus far?
PJ: Last year we did a show from the Broadway show The Wiz… and it was super cool. I got to wear baton shoes that we painted red and glittered to be like Dorothy's red slippers… I was loving it ;)
WFY: In 2005, you and the Blue Band were the toast of the fashion world, but in 2006, there were no appearances at fashion shows or in the glossy magazines. What are you doing to bounce back after a season that included no performances during New York Fashion Week?
PJ: They told us right off the bat that that was a rare occasion… and probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life as well. We took tons of pictures and made lots of memories.
WFY: Please finish this song lyric "When we stood at childhood's gate..."
PJ: I know I know…Shapeless in the hands of fate – not funnnnnyy! :)
WFY: Which Penn State song is your favorite?
PJ: Definitely the singing lion and Lion Special
WFY: Do "Touch of Blue" alumni give you a hard time, "back in my day, we had to practice out in the snow (barefoot) from August through November," for having it so easy now that there is a Blue Band building?
PJ: No they are really cool, I mean, I think I would be jealous, too if I came back and saw what we have now, but they are really nice.
WFY: The Nittany Lion mascot is also a student in the college of communications; do you have any classes with him?
PJ: He is actually a year above me, but he and I are good friends.
WFY: In 2006, you endorsed a ticket for the USG election, but I don't recall you repeating that last year. Did the dissolution of USG have anything to do with your silence?
PJ: I was actually at practice that night and a friend of mine who was helping Nick and Pat's campaign asked if I would be willing to do an endorsement….it was kind of awkward, but I'd do anything to help a friend.
WFY: Which part of your major are you focusing on more, advertising or public relations?
PJ: Definitely PR – with a minor in Business. I love love love people….and so PR is basically communicating to people and reading situations and thinking quick…and so far I love my major.
WFY: One of the most popular searches on William World News is "Les Halles pronunciation." How do you pronounce the name of this popular Washington D.C. restaurant?
PJ: Seriously?
WFY: In my experience, people who choose to use initials for their name are generally mischievous. Would that be an accurate assessment of you?
PJ: I've honestly never heard that connection before, but no I am definitely not really mischievous. I ended with a 3.93 GPA last semester, received an academic scholarship, I take school almost as serious as my twirling.
WFY: Okay, one final question -- what will Penn State's record be this season?
PJ: Well, Michigan should be a very big turning point in our season. Depending on how that goes should have a large influence on the outcome of the rest of the season… I don't like to jinx things – I just say my prayers the night before the game…and remember why the sky is Blue and White. :)
When did Penn State start playing "Hey Baby"? Wisconsin has been doing it for about 15 years. They seem to be phasing it out of the rotation, though.
# posted by dl004d :
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 8:20:00 AM
The Blue Band has been playing it since at least 1995. They used to play it with about 10 minutes left in the game, but these days it is at the start of the 4th quarter.
I discovered on Saturday that Georgetown's pep band plays it too.
# posted by WFY :
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 8:56:00 AM
Post a CommentNittany Lion conducts band...sort of - William World News
Penn State fans are going to have a busy lunch - William World News
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Penn State fans are going to have a busy lunch
At last, lots of video from Penn State's victory over Notre Dame has gone up on YouTube. We need a faster turnaround folks! Enjoy as you eat your lunch at your desk.
The Blue Band march from their building to the Jordan Center for Tailgreat. Erica and I wound up walking along side of them up University Drive at the Akron game.
<h1>2006 <i>WWN</i> PENN STATE POST-GAME #1</h1> - William World News
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
2006 WWN PENN STATE POST-GAME #1
#19 Penn State 34 Akron 16
On miserable rainy day, the Nittany Lions recorded a sloppy win aganist the overmatched Akron Zips. It was a fairly typical opening game for the Lions, winning without dominating. Joe Paterno always says that good teams always learn more between the first and second games of the year than at any other time. Hopefully, we can expect to see some improvement. Many questions linger (CDT) headed into next week's showdown in South Bend.
The long-awaited debut of Anthony Morelli at QB was a successful one. The junior's first pass was 42 yard bomb to Deon Butler in the end zone to put the Lions up 7-0. He threw two more TDs, including Jordan Norwood's first career TD in the second quarter and another to Derrick Williams in the third. He started having trouble hitting his targets in the second half, but the Lions were already ahead. He did not throw any interceptions or get sacked, though he did fumble. All in all, it was the smoothest debut start for a Penn State QB in a long time.
The running game left an awful lot to be desired (Patriot-News). RB Tony Hunt broke a 19 yard run to start the game, but that was the high-water mark for him. He did not get another 19 through the rest of the game. The run blocking is terrible and it appears that Penn State is going to have to start utilizing a fullback more if it does not improve dramatically. The downside is that takes a wideout off the field.
DEFENSE
After a summer of denials, Penn State went with a 3-4 defense with Tim Shaw playing DE. Some will argue it was still the traditional 4-3 and that is fine. The unit was solid, giving up a mere 225 yards. They did give up 18 first downs (Penn State had only 13) and were on the field for over 37 minutes. The standout player was OLB Dan Connor, who lead the team with 13 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss. Not surprisingly, he was named Big11Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Shaw also had a good game, being a disruptive force throughout the game. Reigning Bednarik/Butkis awards winner Paul Posluszny had a very quiet game, despite 7 tackles, playing in the middle. Some scribes thought his range was less than last year's before his injury. Sophomore Sean Leealso played well (Post-Gazette) in his first significant regular season action.
The defensive backfield played well, though Justin King did not distingush himself as a tackler. Anthony Scirrotto and Nolan McCready had interceptions and Donnie Johnson made a number of great tackles. Tony Davis was also solid.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The special teams had flashes of brillance, but was mostly awful. Holder Jason Ganter botched a fake field goal and fumbled a snap. If your last name is not Hamme, you'll probably blame the coaches for the dubious decision to run a fake in the poor conditions.
Derrick Williams was strong as a returner and frosh A.J. Wallace proved elusive as well, but lost a fumble on the second half kickoff. K Kevin Kelly only managed one touchback and had trouble reaching the goal line on most kickoffs, but he did prove effective at splitting the uprights.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
Anthony Morelli threw for 3 TDs and no INTs or sacks. He was particularly good in the first half, but did not peform that well in second half, though the game was not on the line. A solid, if not spectacular, debut.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
LB Dan Connor played an excellent game, recording 10 tackles including three for a loss. Honorable mention to LB/DE Tim Shaw.
MORE NOTES
The rain meant the Blue Band did not march.
The student section never filled up.
The stadium was pretty full, despte the weather.
We parked in Lot 83, which was available since classes had not yet started.
Speaking of classes starting, I believe the decision to have move-in weekend at the same time as the home opener was foolish. Everybody knows it rains on move-in weekend, so why make football fans suffer through it?
Nobody wanted to take the field goal challenge this week with me this week. This might have to be a tiebreaker for me.
I don't think I ever ate so little on a football Saturday.
Erica and I plan resuming tailgating at the Northwestern game. If it is an early kickoff, we'll serve brunch before the game and lunch after the game. I don't think anybody is going to the next home game vs. Youngstown State.
Practice has begun in Happy Valley (AP/CDT). Kickoff is 4.5 weeks away.
CDT already hyping Penn State vs. Notre Dame
State College's paper of record is already hyping the 18th meeting between the two schools with a special online section. There is a countdown clock and remembrances of games past.
Rating the opposition
Todd Sponsler at pennlive.com's 50-Yard Lion has spent the last two weeks breaking down the difficulties of each of the Lions opponents this year. The #1 most difficult opponent is no surprise, but the #2 might be. dl004d and Tortcaesar will be probably be pleased.
Buck the...
For my job I have to work on an Ohio State Web section every season. The trash-talking has already begun. I had to listen to a Blue Band CD this morning just to purge my system of the toxins. It got me really, really excited for this upcoming season. I am going to have to hold off on listening to it anymore for a while.
Paul Posluszny in ESPN The Magazine
The most recent issue has the All-American LB featured. I do not recall there being anything in the story that had not already been reported.
Hey, we were ranked that in football too
By Washington Monthly's measure, Penn State ranks No. 3 on the list of top universities in the nation, behind Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California at Berkeley, respectively.
The periodical ranked schools based on three indicators: its performance as a social mobility engine, its effort to foster scientific and humanistic research and its promotion of an ethic of service to country.
Observations VII: All right Penn State are you ready to rock n' roll? (not yet, give us five minutes) - William World News
Friday, June 16, 2006
Observations VII: All right Penn State are you ready to rock n' roll? (not yet, give us five minutes)
With Gary Glitter being convicted for a second time for doing very bad things with to children (AP/USA Today) in Viet Nam, the NFL has asked teams to stop playing the stadium anthem Rock n' Roll Part II. I'm all for it since I don't see any reason to celebrate the work of a pedophile pederast. RnRII has also become a stale part of PSU's pregame and I won't miss it so long as it is replaced with more Blue Band music and not all the hiphop crap that Guido D'Elia loves so much.
post-gazette.com has joined washingtonpost.com and usatoday.com in hosting live chats. I don't know why more newspaper Web sites don't do this because it is an incredibly valuable asset to all the ones that have it.
Not to sound like Ann Coulter here, but I am very concerned about an article I read in Wednesday's USA Today about Wahhabi Muslims actively trying to get this country to start adhering to some cultural norms of Saudi Arabia. The basic argument by some of these types are some American norms, such men and women being in the same gym, are "infringing on their religion." That's a lot of B.S. of course, but if people do the P.C. thing and buy that line of thinking, especially in public places, in favor of "diversity" it gives this anti-pluralist movement power, and ironically, crushes diversity. I don't know if this is a big deal or just a series of isoloated incidents, but it needs to be watched closely as this has become a real problem in Europe, even England (Telegraph). I, for one, do not want enforced segregation along sectarian lines, specifically one that is enforced by a religion that uses the word "infidel" so freely. Let's all remember that the strength of America is that it is a pluralist society based on personal choice.
Also, if these Wahhabi women want to avoid being at the same gym as men, maybe they ought to find one of the many gyms that are for women only.
The A.V. Club interview with Jonathan Katz, best known for Comedy Central's Dr. Katz is worth a read.
I cannot remember which economist friend I was talking to when we concluded that sports are an excellent way for two people who tend to agree on a lot of things to make their relationship more interesting because they have something to disagree on.
PennLive.com is de-emphasising the Patriot-News of Harrisburg in favor of Easton's Express-Times, which seems odd. I wonder if something is going on behind the scenes that is not readily apparent to someone outside of those markets.
Congratulations to go out to Dr. Calvert for another promotion. You all undoubtidly know him from his many journal articles and his book, Voyeur Nation.
Speaking of Penn State, on Wednesday night Erica and I went to a university function at the Botanical Gardens. In addition to hors d'oeuvres and refreshments there was a presentation about the new arboretum proposed for "east campus." It will mean the end of lot 11, but it will be worth it. Best case scenario has ground being broken in two years.
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a fantasy football league. It's still SPRING!
The Ombudsman took a Chinatown bus down from New York the other night and it broke down on the Turnpike near Cherry Hill. Upon arriving in the District the driver was handed a bong immediately upon leaving the bus.
Which Chinatown bus company was it? I know someone who took Vamoos recently and had a similar break-down experience. I've taken Apex twice and had no problems, so I'll be sad if that's the one from this story.
# posted by dl004d :
Saturday, June 17, 2006 11:06:00 AM
Dearest William,
Happy Morning, Pleasant Monday, pip pip and all that rot. What a coincidence! I was going to call you this very evening to regale you with a mildly amusing anecdotal tangent to your story regarding if you can believe, not only the conservative Jeanne D'Arc herself, but also child abuse and the gym habits of minor religious sects.
I was in fact eating children for lunch the other day with the aforementioned Ms. Coulter. Now, now before you go on with your liberal, anti-cannibalistic narrowmindedness, let me just say that we both had it on very good, anonymous, and yet somehow unverifiable Administration information, mainly culled from warrantless searches of domestic baby monitor transmissions that these "infant-idels" were plotting some horrid revenge against the architects of the recently proposed PBS cutbacks. Why do they hate our freedoms? Two words: less teletubbies.
Anyway, as she was gnawing away, she asked if I had heard about these outrageous Wahhabis! Now here was I thinking that our conversation had an obscure off-ramp into a past-its-moment culinary fad. So I said, "oh! how i love those hot little garbanzos!", for which I was promptly slapped hard enough to upend me from my chair, and she stormed quickly away.
Fans at the Blue White Game got a delightful surprise when the greatest Blue Sapphire of all time, Bobbie Jo Solomon gave an encore performance during halftime. It reminded me of two years ago, during Blue White weekend when I saw her walking down W. College Ave, in front of the Cafe 210 West. Naturally, I yelled "BOBBIE JO!" at her. She took it well. Hopefully, some miracle will occur and she will stick around for a M.B.A. or something and perform for a few more seasons.
MORE BLUE WHITE
Here are some more stories about the Blue White Game and NFL Draft. If this all seems like overkill, do not worry, there will be about four months of no PSU football stories, unless people start misbehaving again.Quartet of Nittany Lions picked in NFL Draft - CDT All things considered, having four guys drafted after that awful season is pretty good. Hopefully, they can have good careers in the NFL.Wise flexes defensive muscle - Patriot-News Looks like we will have some depth at CB this season.Wide receivers excel in Penn State's Blue-White game - AP via Patriot-News The WRs were better, but when it comes down to it, this was Chris Ganter's coming out party.
For scrimmage, Paterno gives up sideline for radio booth - AP, via Patriot-News If I can find it, I will post the link to the radio broadcast of the Blue White Game.Here are all the Collegian stories:
Sophomore to call plays, lead defense LB Paul Posluszny looks to be the next great PSU linebacker.
Game forecasts season I disagree, it just gives everyone an excuse to get dressed up, sit in the stadium and tailgate. There really were not any revelations other than the tight end might get used more.
Facebook | 
Del.icio.us | 
Digg | 
Technorati | 
Blinklist | 
Furl | 
Newsvine | 
Reddit it!
