Father and Son Chats

Are there plans at all for this in the future? I think there should be and it would make Beaver Stadium THE TOUGHEST stadium in the nation IMO.

If I were doing it, I would have people put on their forms whether they want to be a part of the Rowdy Alumni section (and have a note saying that they’re expected to be almost as loud as the student section whenever on defense, and that no one can get yelled at for standing and cheering. ) and I would put the section in the Northwest corner of the stadium, opposite of the students. It would make it so there would be no “safe” side of the stadium, as both endzones are going to be difficult for the opposing offense to hear.

Are there any plans by the university to make such a thing, and if not, how could this be purposed? I think it would truly make Beaver Stadium the Greatest Show in College Football.

Question that has come up already:

“You would have to force 10-15 thousand season ticket holders out of their seats.”
You could “upgrade” them to new seats. It’s not like one is kicking them out of the game. They could have some of the seats in the 50 yardline area that would open up.

We podcast again! We had the opportunity to sit in the “press box” at the latest Penn State game. Now, the press box is somewhat of a misnomer. We were on the top floor, while the actual press was on the second and third floors. We were guests of the University and the Nittany Lion Club. Apparently, all those members of the Nittany Lion Club that didn’t qualify for football tickets were put in a raffle, and we were lucky enough to win 2 tickets for the Iowa game. It is my suspicion that the fourth floor, where we were, was the old President’s box area, before they built the new luxury boxes on the east side.

Anyway, we had a great time, watched the game with a fun group of fans, and got to eat not only dogs and burgers, but lots of little cups of Creamery Ice Cream.

Matthew and Steve share their thoughts as Penn State finally puts another one in the W column, defeating Iowa 27 to 7. Sit back and enjoy the sounds of the game.

Top 25:

1. USC Trojans
2. LSU Tigers
3. Florida Gators
4. Oklahoma Sooners
5. California Golden Bears
6. West Virginia Mountaineers
7. Ohio State Buckeyes
8. Texas Longhorns
9. Boston College Eagles
10. Wisconsin Bagers
11. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
12. Oregon Ducks
13. Georgia Bulldogs
14. Clemson Tigers
15. Kentucky Wildcats
16. Virginia Tech Hokies
17. Hawaii Warriors
18. Penn State Nittany Lions
19. South Florida Bulls
20. Alabama Crimson Tide
21. South Carolina Gamecocks
22. Arizona State Sun Devils
23. Missouri Tigers
24. Michigan State Spartans
25. Cincinnati Bearcats

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Wow. Arkansas is not looking good what so ever… except for McFadden. He carried the ball 27 times for over 170 yards and a TD. Running like a wild hog, McFadden is determined to alteast be hoisting one trophy at the end of the season.

Tim Tebow-QB-Florida (sorry for no player card, no PS on this computer)
He’s only a sophomore, but he’s probably one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, if not the best already. Last year he proved he could run, and this year he proved he could be a passer. 68% completion for the year, only 1 interceptions, with 10 touchdowns.

He didn’t play this past week, but his numbers are still some of the top in the NCAA. What will make or break his Heisman position will be how he does against Washington and Boise State. As long as he plays, he’ll most likely be on the Heisman list, and even if he doesn’t, he still might stay on here.

This man doesn’t receive much face time with Pat White being right next to him in the backfield but he can fly. He’s averaging 6 yard per carry and is already over 100 yards receiving this year for him. He’s a versatile running back, and a man to keep a close eye on.

He has had 4 games with over 150 yards. He is the Michigan offense and without him there is nothing. How do you stop him? Well you could stop him straight up but that is not going to happen. The only way a team can really stop Mike Hart is to score first and often. Make Michigan throw the ball, meaning make them keep the ball out of Hart’s hands. If Michigan gets the lead, you can almost forget it.

Players that should look at plane tickets to NYC still:

• Matt Ryan-Boston College
• Andre Woodson-Kentucky
• John Booty-USC

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Week Recap:

1. Louisville is not a top 25 team. Losing to SYRACUSE!
2. The Huskers almost lost to Ball State, but pulled out the win 41-40. Thats all that is needed to be said.
3. Bama lost to Georgia in OT at home. I did not get to watch this game, so no further comment.
4. Ohio State looks like the leader to win the Big Ten right now as they crushed Northwestern and Penn State fumbled the win against Michigan.
5. Lets just face it, LSU’s defense is fantastic, but how about their special teams? A fake field goal flipped behind their holder’s back to the kicker who ran it in for a touchdown.

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The Milkshake Game of the Week:
#5 California Golden Bears
vs.
#12 Oregon Ducks Dennis Dixon feels he can move the ball on any defense, and the Oregon defense feels they can stop any offense when they’re playing at home in the zoo. It might be a Pac-10 match up, but it is definitely worth watching on the east coast.Potential Bamma of the Week:
I’ll call it now. West Virginia loses to South Florida. The Bulls weren’t on many people’s radar (they jumped on mine in 2005 when they played Penn State, since then I’ve followed them) till the Auburn game. The Bulls play defense (unlikely in the Big East, but it happens) and will be looking to beat a #5 West Virginia to be the favorites to win the Big East. The game is in Tampa Bay too.

Top 25:

1. USC Trojans
2. LSU Tigers
3. Florida Gators
4. Oklahoma Sooners
5. Texas Longhorns
6. West Virginia Mountaineers
7. Ohio State Buckeyes
8. Wisconsin Bagers
9. California Golden Bears
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
11. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
12. Boston College Eagles
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers
14. Virginia Tech Hokies
15. Florida State Seminoles
16. Hawaii Warriors
17. Clemson Tigers
18. South Carolina Gamecocks
19. Arkansas Razorbacks
20. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
21. Georgia Bulldogs
22. Texas A&M Aggies
23. South Florida Bulls
24. Alabama Crimson Tide
25. Arizona State Sun Devils

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Even in a loss to the Crimson Tide, McFadden was able to gain 195 yards and two touchdowns and put his team in position to potentially win. The Arkansas defense did not though. It’s ok Darren, you’re still #1 in my heart.
His game in Lincoln was not high flying, but when you’re running backs are shredding up a defense like USC’s (and when you have that many RBs), then why would one even think about going to the air except to mix it up. He managed the game well and led his team to victory. If we keep having games like this though, Heisman Candidate will be in question.
Colt Brennan didn’t throw 60 times against UNLV! Not only that, but he also only had 2 touchdown passes! Why did he move up? Because along with his 300 yards of passing, he had 20 yards of running with 3 touchdowns carried himself. I don’t care who you are, this guy is good.

Even in the loss to Kentucky Brohm’s stats were solid. He had an interception, but it happens a few times. The main thing is that if he has another game like this, he could be looking at being on my Heisman list. Bottom line is that this Louisville team is not that good, due to their defense. Brohm, along with Hart and Henne, should have gone Pro last year.

One would have thought that Noel Devine would have taken carries away from Steve Slaton. Think again. Slaton has gone over 100 yards in all his games this year. He has also racked up 3 touchdowns in two of those games (2 in the other one). The Big East doesn’t have a Big D, making it likely for Slaton to keep tearing it up. Will anyone stop him?

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Week Recap:

1. Louisville’s defense shows why they’re not in my top 25, after they have given up a combined 82 points in the past two games to KENTUCKY and MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE!
2. The Huskers looked pretty good, and Callahan was given his time to build this team. Sadly for Husker fans, USC just is on another level. This makes me wonder whether Ty was given enough time at Notre Dame…
3. ‘Bama looked real good at home against the Razorbacks, but the stout SEC defense were not to be seen. Never the less, the Tide won as DJ Hall tore it up going for over 100 yards and 2 TDs.
4. Wisconsin only beat the Citadel 45-31. The Big Ten is wide open right now to whoever wants it. It was one bad quarter from there being a Michigan repeat and even bigger upset.
5. Florida rocked Tennessee, 59-20… Tim Tebow is about to go up on my Heisman list, and if their defense steps up at all, they very well could go undefeated (meaning they beat LSU)
6. UCLA was demolished. It wasn’t even like a close upset. Utah came out and just manhandled the Bruins from start to finish. The whole Bruin team should be utterly embarrassed.
7. The polls have no clue where to rank anyone with all the madness already this season.

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The Milkshake Game of the Week:
#17 South Carolina Gamecocks
vs.
#2 LSU Tigers If anyone thinks that a team can walk into Death Valley and move the ball, they’re insane. This Tiger defense is as good as any out there, and they will remind Spurrier of why he should have never left Gainesville.Storyline of the week:
Who’s next? Michigan losses to App State, Louisville is stunned at Kentucky, and Utah rocks the Bruins of UCLA. What will next week hold? The season could end already and we would have our fill of shocks.

Potential Bamma of the Week:
Michigan finally remember what it’s like to win. The good news is they have a team next week that they don’t even know how to lose to, Penn State. The Lions look to be the favorites in Ann Arbor (is a whore) but if Austin Scott keeps fumbling the ball, it won’t matter what Tom Bradley’s defense does to Chad Henne, or Ryan Mallett… whoever is playing. The weak Michigan secondary is perfect for Penn State to match up to, but the inconsistency and turnovers by Penn State could give Michigan the chance to start to redeem their season.

I (Dad) have been in correspondence with the parents of the little 8 month old. They did indeed pursue the ticketing issue. According to Tim Curley at Penn State, in his email with Stefani, the mother of the child,

All children regadless (sic) of age must have a ticket. Thanks for checking.

The mother then asked a follow-up question via email:

That includes infants are too young to sit on bleachers by themselves, that must sit on a parent’s lap? I imagine the PSU policy would be like the airlines’ policy requiring tickets for children 2 and over

To which Mr Curley replied:

The Big Ten has a policy that all children of any age must have a ticket and we must follow this policy.

Mr Curley apparently declined further comment when asked by Stefani if Penn State has challenged this policy in any way.

It turns out the policy is announced outside the stadium. If you are outside you will hear that “Big Ten policy requires that all fans entering the stadium must have a ticket.” I believe it to be a stretch to assume an 8 month old is actually a “fan” of any team, but I understand they were using that as a euphemism to mean “no one enters without proper credentials.”

Here’s the beef: This isn’t a very common occurrence. I doubt there is much pent-up demand for people bringing babies to football games. But there are instances when a young family, having purchased two tickets, and made all the other arrangements to attend a football game, would like to bring their child along. Perhaps they cannot afford a babysitter, or they came from out of town, and don’t have anyone in State College who could watch their child.

Why should they then have to spend another $50, especially if they won’t actually be using the seat? And of course, given the fact that the stadium is so often sold-out, what are the chances that they will be able to buy three tickets?

And here lies the other problem: A baby that has a ticket for a sold-out game is one more seat that cannot be sold to a more vocal fan. (Remember, Joe encourages the fans to allow our excitement to bubble over as the opposing quarterback steps up to the line…) We shouldn’t deny the young parents the opportunity to get out and enjoy a game, and we shouldn’t deny that opportunity to other fans.

In this case, the child was too small to walk, and was “mounted” to the father’s chest with a baby carrier. I can’t imagine the child being a nuisance, or a hazard.

So we are left with a couple questions–and these are pointed directly at Penn State and the Big 10:

• What justification does the Big 10 have for this policy?
• Even more to the point, would Penn State be willing to challenge this policy?
• Why shouldn’t Penn State challenge this policy?

So there you have it–the Baby Update.

If you support changing this policy, email your comments directly to Tim Curley, at tmc3@psu.edu

Whether you do, or don’t, let us know what YOU think. Post your comments, or call our voicemail, and leave a comment there–we just might include YOU in our next podcast!

Matt and Dad talk about the PSU defeat of FIU. Overwhelming, eh? Matthew took some GREAT photographs there. Look for new Wallpapers later.

Also, we chastise Penn State’s policy for requiring babies to have tickets for the game. Yes–”they” required an 8 month old baby boy to have a purchased ticket to attend the game and sit on Dad’s chest. Anyone have ANY defense for this policy? I mean, other than wanting to generate as much revenue as possible?

Finally we talk about photography, and Michigan’s loss to Appalachian State!

The new intro music is Decoy, by Red Blanket
Red Blanket
“Decoy” (mp3)
from “A Southern Manitoban Murder of Crows”
(C12 Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
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Buy at Napster
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More On This Album

Top 25:

1. USC Trojans
2. Florida Gators
3. LSU Tigers
4. Texas Longhorns
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
6. Wisconsin Bagers
7. Oklahoma Sooners
8. Virginia Tech Hokies
9. Arkansas Razorbacks
10. Louisville Cardinals
11. Ohio State Buckeyes
12. Nebraska Cornhuskers
13. California Golden Bears
14. Penn State Nittany Lions
15. Georgia Bulldogs
16. Auburn Tigers
17. UCLA Bruins
18. Tennessee Volunteers
19. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
20. Florida State Seminoles
21. Hawaii Warriors
22. Boston College Eagles
23. TCU Horned Frogs
24. Boise State Broncos
25. Texas A&M Aggies

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Must I remind you he’s only a junior. He is the best running back in a year that is loaded with running backs. To put it short and to the point, until he proves other wise, he’s my #1.

The Heisman is hype, so the starting QB on the best team in the nation has to be near the top. He happens to be a good Quarterback too. This is USC of 2007 remember, not the early 90s. He hasn’t had a bad game yet this year (yeah, it’s still week 1) to complain about from me. Vidal Hazelton and the other wide receivers will have to step up though, because it’s not like he’s throwing to Dwayne Jarrett or Steve Smith.
There is a reason he stayed in Louisville. He likes the scheme implemented by the new head coach. With a good day against Murray State and what he has shown in the past, there is no reason for him to not end up in New York City in December.

Shut up about this system guy stuff. Shut up about him playing against weak defenses. He is playing in a system that allows him to get great stats, but he also is playing like a genius in that system. He had over 70% pass completion last year. Sure the defenses he was playing against aren’t the best, but (no offense to his offense) he is not playing with Mario Manningham, Lima Sweed, or DeSean Jackson either.

Everyone else on this list is a “till proven other wise” guy. DeSean Jackson is my, “he’ll prove me other wise” as in he’ll do great. First off he is one of the top WRs, and arguable the best. Second, he is a top kick returner and with the new kick off rule, he’ll do even better. Finally, he returned a punt 77 yards for a TD against Tennessee.

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Week Recap:

• If you seriously don’t know about the upset with Appalachian State and Michigan, then you have no life
• Tim Tebow threw for 300 yards, 3 touchdown and ran a touchdown in. Even if it is Western Kentucky, I feel like the arm won’t be a problem for him this year.
• West Virginia gave up 245 yards through the air to Western Michigan
• Anthony Morelli set a Penn State record by passing for 231 yards in the first half. Mike McQueary (Wide Recievers coach for Penn State now) previously held the record with 219 against Wisconsin in 1997
• Colt Brennan is tied for 6th place (with Matt Leinart) for most career passing TDs with 99
• Redshirt freshmen for the Sooners DeMarco Murray ran for 5 touchdowns against North Texas

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The Game of the Week:
#8 Virginia Tech Hokies
vs.
#3 LSU Tigers Two top 10 ranked teams playing against each other in Week 2. In fact, there is only one other game between two ranked teams (TCU vs. Texas). The loudest stadium in perhaps the nation is ready for a game that could determine who is in the National Championship game, much like Ohio State-Texas did in 2005.
Storyline of the week:
The first one to pop into ones mind is, “how does Michigan do the rest of the season?” To tell you the truth, it’s still hard for me to believe Michigan lost. How they will do for the season is big, but also keep in mind that Oregon’s offense is much like Appalachian State’s. Mobile QB with a spread offense; could cause trouble for Lloyd Carr… again.

Potential Bamma of the Week: (upset watch)The Hurricanes have a winnable game coming up this week against the Oklahoma Sooners. New head coach Shannon will be a major hit if he can pull of an upset. There are 3 things that need to be done to do so, though:

1. Kirby Freeman must play at least “good”
2. Either stuff Oklahoma’s running game or get a decent size lead early to make the Sooners throw
3. Have Lee Corso pick the Oklahoma Sooners on College Gameday, and make sure he’s even cocky about his pick

Matthew and I talk while still at PodCamp. We talk about the things we liked from the sessions. Matthew learned to “Think like a Producer.” We talk about Talkshoe and how we could host a call-in “Father Son Chat” and Matt thought it would be a great way to start a call-in show for his favorite forum sites.

We discuss setting up a “Trivia Show” even, using Talkshoe.

Matthew mentions another great site, SpreadShirt, that let’s you put a graphic image up with them, and they will produce clothing “on demand.”

Matthew offers to make “desktop” image mashups for any Penn State fans. (Two are included here.)

Enjoy listening, and if you have any comments email us (dad -at- fathersonchats.com or matt -at- fathersonchats.com) or call us and leave us a voicemail, at 206-600-5518.

WHERE? (in high screechy voice for the Where) Down in my heart today!

My mother calls today to let me know that she received the transcripts from my high school, since we are moving. I ask her if she wants to talk to my father (the other half on this blog), and as normal her response is, “Yes” only to continue with, “but I need to read something I got in the mail to him when I park.”

She fought me and would not tell me what it was about at all. The only words that came from her mouth was, “It’s none of your business.”

It turned out it was my business. 2 tickets to the Penn State-Iowa game for free from the Nittany Lion club. That sounds awesome, couldn’t get better. Correct? NO. These two tickets were for the Press Box.

I am excited to be able to meet reporters and watch the game. No doubt I’ll write an article about the game.

EDIT: Anthony Scirrotto has all felony charges dropped!

I have written a liveblog about the TalkShoe presentation… if any of you would like to join us for a “LIVE” call in show, please leave us a comment… or call our voicemail number 206-600-5518(or you can find the number on the right hand sidebar!)

Steve