State College

This is not about Jerry Sandusky or about a torrid sex scandal. This is about a community coming together to heal and reestablishing it's priorities over scholarship, loyalty, and football.

I have come to State College for a family reunion; to enjoy barbecued meats and fine scotch with my brothers, aunts and uncles, and mother. While here, I wanted to get a true sense of the Penn State community; how they are coping with the changes in leadership at the beginning of a protracted period of football futility.

The Nittany Lions began play last week with the first new head coach since 1966. Is there a cult of personality at Penn State? Apparently not; I'm told it was not about Joe Paterno the person. It was about a football coach was loyal to the school. Win or lose, he kept showing up to work for a school he loved. Russ Rose, their venerable volleyball coach, has paced the hardwood since 1979. Mike the Mailman has operated the campus post office since 1978 and writes a regular column on state college.com. The students love him so much they made him grand marshall last year.

Penn State is about loyalty. Loyalty and longevity at the institution. They prefer persistence to turnover. Can these principles lead to unfortunate tolerance of inappropriate behavior? Sure; witness the tale of Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland. She was the coach since 1980, published documented homophobic views since 1986, and was finally forced to resign in 2007. (no, that's not a typo)

The current narrative in the press is that the football program was all powerful at Penn State and dictated the decisions of the administration. Whereas no one is debating the football traditions and football income was important to the school, the NCAA perception that institutional priorities have become dominated by the athletic department may be a tad exaggerated (and rather hypocritical).

Penn State got hammered by the trustees of the school, firing the head coach, AD, and president. Then they got hammered by the NCAA with unprecedented sanctions. Now they face the real possibility of federal government action due to violation of the Clery Act. The school's published policy on this was only developed in 2011 and the Clery Act has been law since 1990 (http://www.police.psu.edu/cleryact/). As a result, there is a sense of increased scrutiny and a renewed emphasis on compliance on campus. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but we have seen a significant drop in underdog players from Penn State this year.

But overriding this reaction to punishment and scandal is a dominating unity within the community. Many homes in the area boast signs such as this one, proudly proclaiming their support of the players. Not the coach, not the program, but the young men who have chosen to stay at the school and earn their degrees. After all, regardless of happens on the field, Penn State remains a world class institution of higher learning. Penn State, along with Notre Dame, lead the NCAA in graduation rate. Ironically, by allowing current players to transfer without penalty, the NCAA sent a message that football players are here for NFL preparation and are not student-athletes. Pre- professional Silas Redd was happy to leave for Tailback U, eyeing a boost in draft position. Most other players remained so they can continue to proclaim "We are Penn State". Loyalty to the school above all.


It has been a wonderful weekend and I hope the best for my friends and family in Happy Valley. The Nitany Lion animal may be extinct, but its independent spirit of survival in the face of adversity will live on throughout the campus.

My Trojans start in 4 hours- that's just enough time to drive to Meadowlands to catch kickoff.

And 65 days, 10 hours, 22 minutes to Hawaii.

Fight on,
Hans

PS- as I watched ESPN game day from College Station, I am reminded of the tremendous traditions at Texas A&M, including the 12th man, the midnight yell, and kissing after scores. My favorite is their mascot Reveille. Here's a great article about her:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reveille_(dog)

Opening Weekend!

Reporting this week from Dallas, TX

I would like to say that I have traveled here to celebrate the opening of college football and attend the epic blockbuster of #2 Alabama vs #8 Michigan at Jerry Jones’ palace of football.  But sadly, I am stuck in a board review course while the game is about to start just beyond view of my hotel room.  But I have a suite, and two TV’s, so I got to watch Alabama/Michigan on one screen while my Trojans beat up Hawaii on the other.  And, thanks to the miracle of text messaging and FaceTime, I got to enjoy the company of my brothers live from Ann Arbor!  Aren’t they so cute in their matching Maize and Blue?

I am impressed with the quality slate of games on this opening weekend.  Usually, the first weekend is just for warm up games against Sun Belt or Division I-AA schools (or Hawaii).  But we got to see Notre Dame- Navy, Michigan State – Boise State, Clemson – Auburn,  South Carolina – Vanderbilt, and, of course, Alabama- Michigan.  And we got some special locations- Cowboy Stadium, Dublin Ireland, Kinnick East (AKA Soldier Field).  And a whole series of games held in Atlanta during the same weekend as DragonCon!  (if you understood that last reference, you are a nerd like me). Naturally, not all of these games were nailbiters.  But just having football back is enough for me.

I must admit; I do feel bad for Penn State.  Unlike 14 others in the contest, I didn’t have the heart to pick against Penn State in their very emotional opener at home against Ohio.  It was time for the State College community to come together and start putting this terrible off season behind them.  Instead, it ended with students dancing in the streets of Athens, Ohio, calling the Bobcats victory the “biggest win in school history”.  Somehow, it just didn’t seem like a classy reaction.  But much more on that next week when I will report from State College.

I enjoyed tonight’s games with a plate of yucca chips with tomatillo salsa and traditional buffalo wings, all washed down with a bottle of Texas’ own Shiner Bock beer.  I first tasted Shiner Bock the summer after I graduated college, when I drove a friend from her home in Phoenix to her new job in Key West, Florida.  That was an amazing road trip.  We hooked up with some fellow Trojans in El Paso and watched Wayne Gretzky lead the Kings into their first Stanley Cup finals (ok, sports fans, now you know what year I graduated college).  We explored Carlsbad Caverns and discovered the most amazing tamale stand in Pecos, Texas.  And we stopped in College Station where we played dominoes at the Dixie Chicken bar and drank Shiner Bock beer.  Back then, it was only available within 100 miles of Shiner, Texas.  Now, you can get it on draught all over the country.  But out of respect for its history I only drink it here in Texas.  There are lots more crazy stories from that road trip, including a wonderful night in New Orleans, but I leave those for another time.

You may notice that I have made it this far into my blog this year without mentioning game day pancakes.  And what the Hell are yucca chips, anyway?  Well, they’re quite good.  But the point is that I am on a diet.  So my Trojans will have to make their march toward Miami without my lucky breakfast.  Judging by tonight’s result, they will be fine (and the scary thing is that they could have played even better!).  I am going to keep this diet up until Kristi and I go to Hawaii in November.  Its working so far.  Its best not to think about how long that will be.

71 Days, 21 Hours, 48 Minutes to Hawaii.

Fight On,

Hans

Old Tradition and New Technology

As I write these words, I am sitting in rocking chair on the famous and expansive porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.  I am sipping a glass of Cruzan reserve rum gazing out at the spectacular view of a full moon rising over Lake Huron, draping the waters with blue silver. 

The Grand Hotel was built in 1887 as a destination resort for the railroad. Tradition is key here; not much has changed in design or style for a long time.  Motor vehicles are not permitted on the island; travel is by foot, bike, or horse-drawn carriage.  Coat and tie are required for gentlemen in the evening and it is requested that ladies not wear slacks.  The movie Somewhere in Time was filmed here because the director wanted a place that looked like “it hasn’t changed in 100 years”. 

Yet I am recording these thoughts by dictating into my iPhone that is using remotely-accessed speech recognition software to interpret my words into dots on a screen aligned into a specified font.  The document created in Pages is then automatically uploaded to the cloud where it is beamed wirelessly back down to me and into my iPad that sits adjacent to me.  When I finish dictating, I can pick up my iPad to finish editing the story. 

I am using technology that Steve Jobs gave us and brought us into the future.  In a place that remains stubbornly rooted to the past.  Irony can be so  . . .  ironic. 

The awkward balance between latest technology and old tradition is played out throughout the college football world.  Big bands full of brass instruments play fight songs written in the 1920’s then give way to “I Gotta Feeling” piped in through the PA system. Tailgaters gather in the Grove in Mississippi or the golf course in Pasadena, laying out traditional white table tablecloths and lighting candles.  Then they hook up their satellite dish and fire up the 55 inch plasma strapped to the side of their RV.

This last off-season was a very eventful one for college football.  Old tradition at Penn State was shattered by the conviction of Jerry Sandusky, the damning of Joe Paterno’s reputation with the Freer report, and the leveling of unprecedented sanctions.  Yet among this gloom and horror their emerging a shining beacon of hope.  College presidents and Athletic Directors, finally waking up and doing the math of how much it would bring in profits, worked out a deal for a college football playoff.  As I have repeated so often in this blog, I hate the BCS but I appreciate it because it is the next step in evolution towards a playoff.  And I was right.  It finally happened.  Even better, the format is a college football fan’s dream:

1) Semi-finals played at a rotation among the current major bowls

2) Finals played on a neutral site awarded to the highest bidder (with the money going to the schools, not a 3^rd party promoter)

3) The four teams selected by a committee, not a bizarre computer algorithm. 

2014 cant come soon enough. 

But until then, we will enjoy USC’s run at a National Title this year.  And the evolution of the Big 12 and SEC.  And the final death throes of the Big East (please just let it go).  And another year of game day pancakes, ESPN College Game Day, grilled bratwurst, and packed stadiums under robin’s egg blue Midwestern skies.

The underdog contest starts in four weeks.  Be ready, dogs!

Fight On,

Hans

PS.  The couple (well, ok, more like several) glasses of rum are starting to get to me.  This rocking chair is reasonably comfortable but hardly suitable for sleeping. In the Somewhere in Time Christopher Reeve arrives at the grand Hotel without a reservation and proceeds to fall asleep on the porch in an Adirondack chair.   I envy that man right now.

The Game Table

On Friday, May 4th at 1800 hours, a remarkable journey ended with the delivery of a custom-made maple game table.  The spark that kindled my desire for such a extravagant geek-luxury ignited years ago in Indianapolis, IN.  I was attending the 2008 Gen Con just months after buying our current home.  We had planned an extensive one-year remodel and I knew that I one of the new rooms would be dedicated to gaming.   In a stroke of karma, that convention happened to be the premier for a new furniture company based near Seattle, Washington: Geek Chic.  They unveiled the "Sultan", an outrageously enormous game table that looked like a converted  pool table.

Interesting: a custom designed game table for a custom game room.  Too cool . . .

Years passed as I saved my money and watched as Geek Chic grew in popularity, adding table designs to their line that are considerably more reasonable than the "Sultan".  In August 2011, I finally found enough nerve to sit down with the their designer at that year's game show and we worked out a plan for my "Emissary" table.  It would replace my trusty, yet small wooden table that had been gracing the game room (aka dungeon):

In October, Geek Chic called and confirmed my order.  We tweaked the design slightly to allow for plenty of room on the sides.  This called for a somewhat narrow table, but it was very long.  I paid my balance and the craftsmen in Washington got to work.  The cut the shapes and pieces they would need from the maple:

Joined the pieces together to make the game top with game well:

Then the assembled pieces and accessories (drawers and cup holders) got several coats of clear finish to preserve the inherent beauty of the maple.

Finally, the pieces were assembled together for one final check before they were packaged up for the journey to Iowa.  This whole construction process took 6 months.  That is a long time, but the care and detail that goes into each piece is remarkable.  One little example: there are pins with springs inset into the hardwood leaves that cover the game vault (the center depression where the game board goes).  The slats, when pressed against each other, with bounce slightly to minimize any force onto the cover- like shock absorbers.

Then the table was loaded on the truck (along with a few other Midwestern deliveries, including two of the aforementioned Sultan tables!) and driven out to Iowa.  The good people of Geek Chic came themselves to hand deliver the table.  Here they are backing the truck into our yard and rolling the table into our basement:

 The table was brought into the dungeon and unpacked.  They explained the use of game vault with clear acrylic, drawers, clip on side desks, cupholders, and covering leaves.

Sophie and I couldn't wait to try it out!  The first game to set up was Fortune and Glory (a pulp adventure race across the globe hunting down treasure and fighting Nazi's, a la Indiana Jones).  Next, we set up the House family favorite game, Eurorails.  The first big test comes in a couple days for our first Dungeons and Dragons game.  It should be sweet!

 The table, complete and ready for action (compare to the "old" table, above)

 The first set up: Fortune and Glory

 "There's Nazi's in Central America, Dad!"

Eurorails, a game Sophie enjoyed frequently while she was still in "development"

Into the Lion's Den

I have attended the Iowa caucuses each election year since we moved here in 2002.  In the two prior events, the Democratic nomination was up for grabs and my wife and caucused as Democrats.   Our first experience, in 2004, was a fascinating indoctrination into this arcane spin on neighborhood democracy.  In 2008, I was an enthusiastic Obama supporter, even rallying neighbors with a pre-caucus reception at our home and walking en masse to the caucus site.  But this year Obama is running unopposed.  My wife was happy to sit out this year.  But I, ever the student of political science and aspiring journalist, went to the county recorder office a few weeks ago and registered myself as a Republican.  It was time to see how the other half lives!

January evenings in Iowa are typically below freezing and the land is usually covered with ice.  This year, as many of you know, has been unusually dry and warm across the Midwest.  It was clear, a relatively pleasant 35 degrees, and devoid of ice and snow.  Unlike prior years, my assigned caucus site was not within easy walking distance from home so I unromantically drove my car to the local elementary school.

The rules are clear: the caucus meeting starts at 7:00 pm and late comers will NOT be seated.  When I arrived at 10 minutes to 7, there was a huge line to get in.  I was allowed through and was given one of the last ballots they had.  This was a major difference in format of the caucuses between the two parties.  Each political party makes up their own rules for the caucuses.  The Democrats hold an open vote: you stand in a corner of the room for your candidate and the party leaders count bodies.  Yep- that open!  And if a candidate doesn’t meet a certain threshold to be “viable” those voters need to re-choose.  Seriously.  It’s really weird and really cool at the same time. 

The Republicans, however, are much more official.  They have a secret ballot.  You write your candidate’s name on a blank piece of paper (write in candidates are allowed), and drop it in a box.  The votes are counted in a back room with volunteer observers, and the results are announced.  That’s it- no reallocation for hopeless candidates.  Just one vote and go home.  It’s more like traditional democracy, but kinda boring. 

Before the vote, however, volunteers are invited to speak for 5 minutes in favor of each candidate.  The order was determined by random.  First up was the representative for Rick Santorum.  He was not particularly enthusiastic, but spoke humbly and honestly.  Remarkably, the speaker chose to highlight Santorum’s Foreign Affairs experience rather than his conservative social agenda!  Interesting. 

Next up was Michelle Bachman.  No one volunteered to speak for her, so the Santorum speaker stood to say a few words.  He couldn’t endorse her as a leader or a presidential candidate, but he wanted to express his appreciation of her as a person.  He teared up as he recalled meeting her on the National Mall in Washington and how impressed she was that she took a moment to focus her attention on his daughter.  I may have many negative impressions about Bachman, but this guy’s story was touching.

The rep for Ron Paul was a young, local small business owner and emphasized Paul’s hands-off regulation, cutting of taxes, and fiscal plans. 

Jon Huntsman?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Beuller?    Lesson here?  When you ignore Iowa, Iowans ignore you.  Besides, his moderate views had few friendly ears in the room. 

Rommney’s rep was a former schoolteacher who lives around the corner from us.  She used the blackboard and tried to speak professionally about Romney, emphasizing his business acumen and his ability to accomplish things in a very liberal state.  Next up was another neighbor to speak for Rick Perry.  He was a veteran, and it was important for him to vote only for candidates with military experience (Paul and Perry).  He had also worked and traveled in Texas throughout Perry’s career and had interacted with him frequently.  (notice a trend here?  Iowans rarely vote for someone they haven’t met!)  He spoke very well and enthusiastically for a candidate everyone in the room knew was dead in the water. 

The last speaker, for Newt Gringrich, turned out to be the closest neighbor to us, just down the road.  He yard is distinctively schizoid, emblazoned with the signs for each and every Republican candidate.  This guy wears his GOP credentials on his sleeve.  He began his talk by relating a story about our recent windstorm.  For his yard, it was a “wind poll”.  The Ron Paul sign flew off into the wild blue yonder, as outlandish as the candidate himself.  Rommney’s was ripped and split into two, like the two sides of his political personality.  Cain’s was just gone- no where to be seen, vanished along with the candidate.  Bachman’s and Perry’s went on wild rides, carried by the wind high into the air only to come crashing down to earth moments later.  But one sign held firm: the Newt.  And this guy took it as a sign (pun intended).

But my amusement with his speech soon ended.  To link himself with Newt’s proud role as a Professor of History, the speaker launched into a long description of his own genealogy.  It seems he can trace himself back to British nobility and Virginia plantation owners.  He said that Newt knows what it means to be an American and that this country is for Americans.  Unfortunately, his implication could not have been more clear: America is for white Europeans, not Kenyan-born foreigners.  For the first time tonight, I became very uncomfortable.  I texted to Kristi that I felt like I needed a shower after that bunch of jingoistic crap. 

With the speeches done, we voted by secret ballot and the box was carried away to be counted.  Since they announce the results to the room before they call Des Moines with the tally, I stuck around to hear the outcome.  In the intervening time, party members were invited to propose planks for the state party convention later this Spring.

The first proposal, to promise to eliminate waste, was a no-brainer and passed by consent.  The second was to amend the Iowa constitution to state that Iowans have a right to keep and bear arms.  Huh?  Apparently the federal government’s second amendment that states this very thing is not good enough for this party.  Weird. 

The third plank was to eliminate smoking in casinos.  A little background here: a few years ago, with a Democratic house, senate, and governor in Des Moines, the state passed a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants but exempted casinos.  This proposal aimed to correct the Democrats act of “selling out to the gambling industry” and complete the protection of workers in those facilities.   Just one problem: Republicans are against further regulation of businesses, not for it!  The proposal was narrowly defeated. 

Finally, a woman proposed a plank stating that life begins at conception.  This one was met with considerable controversy, with one young college age man standing up and challenging that it was time to “separate politics and religion”.  After a spirited debate with a few vocal pro-choice attendees, the “personhood” plank was adopted by a large margin. 

Finally, the moment came we were all waiting for; the results.  In our precinct, the final total votes were: Santorum 25, Bachman 5, Paul 41, Huntsman 4, Romney 81, Perry 15, Gringrich 22.  This was not very reflective of the statewide results, where Santorum tied Romney.  Living in a college town, we are far more likely to have moderate voters or independents in the caucus, and they show a strong preference for Romney. 

Iowans are now very happy to get on with their lives and to stop getting dinnertime phone calls from each candidate.  Your serve, New Hampshire. 

Fight On,

Hans