The Fall of Joe Paterno

He had more Division 1-A College Football wins than any other coach. He led the Penn State Nitanny Lions to two national championships. He stood as an icon for the NCAA for decades and cemented such a storied legacy within the university that he was even memorialized as a statue in front of Beaver Stadium to remind those of his accomplishments and contributions… until now.

Amidst one of the most shocking and repulsive scandals in the history of collegiate or professional sports, Joe Paterno witnessed the reputation he had crafted for himself and his football program collapse. The cracks in Paterno’s armor became ever more prevalent as a myriad of child sexual abuse allegations were levied against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky over the past year. Sandusky was eventually found guilty on 45 of 48 counts and will likely be sentenced to life in prison later this year.

Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno

Some may not be able to connect the dots as to how Paterno could possibly be involved in such a scandal, an affair so damning that it resulted in a $60 million fine, a four-year football postseason ban, reduction of football scholarships, a vacation of all wins dating back to 1998, and the dismantling of the famed statue of the coach. Various analysts, former players, and fans have voiced their opinions about how Paterno’s involvement in the scandal should have been handled. They bickered back and forth, some defending Paterno and others harshly condemning him.

Regardless of your own personal sentiments in the matter, facts have recently been unearthed that reveal the steps taken by Paterno, and other members of the Penn State administration, to impede the process of justice for the victims abused by Sandusky. The investigation took the form of a scathing documentation assembled by an investigative council led by former FBI director Louis Freeh. The results of the report stated that Paterno, suspended athletic director Tim Curley, former university president Graham Spanier, and former vice president Gary Schultz failed to protect against sexual abuse being committed by Jerry Sandusky for over a decade, thereby enabling him to remain in contact with young boys, a number of whom came forward as additional victims.

Needless to say, the entire ordeal is one of the most unfortunate incidents ever encountered by the sports world. Yet even more mind-boggling to me is the fact that a multitude of Penn State supporters are still standing behind Paterno despite the evidence that he and three other men directly impeded law enforcement from descending on Sandusky.

Let me get something out into the open before I continue: Joe Paterno was one of the best coaches of all time. Prior to the Sandusky scandal, his name was one of the most revered throughout all of collegiate athletics. However, that same honor and respect that Paterno garnered will now wane, and deservedly so. But how can even the most dedicated Penn State fan stand up for a man responsible for covering up such a heinous crime?

From what I can gather right now, the large majority of the pro-Paterno audience is arguing that the Sandusky affair was not football-related. And I agree... to a point. Concerning the sanctions imposed against Penn State, I'd say most of them are warranted. I don't approve of the bowl ban for the next four years nor do I condone the limiting and rescinding of athletic scholarships. I can't see where the NCAA derived that logic. Punishing the players and coaches present on the team that weren't involved to any degree just seems wrong.

Before: Joe Paterno's statue at Beaver Stadium

On the other hand, though the $60 million fine, vacation of wins, and removal of Paterno's statue  are  extremely harsh measures, their degree of intensity runs parallel with the unprecedented nature of the violations incurred at Penn State.  Given that this is likely the most serious collegiate athletics scandal ever, the NCAA used what resources were at its disposal to create what they believed was a fitting punishment. Since nothing of this nature has ever taken place, many people's natural reactions are sure to be shock, outrage, and disappointment. Those emotions are certainly understandable, but fans  who back Paterno even now are doing so in incredibly poor taste.

After: Joe Paterno's statue removed

I'm not suggesting that they completely abandon their admiration for Paterno but rather scale it back to a semi-reasonable level. Examples of such overly supportive behavior can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. People clamor about why the statue should stay, and that removing it directly infringes upon Penn State's legacy. What legacy? The legacy that has now been tarnished by the blatant cover-up of systematic child rape? Displaying the statue of the man who, with a few others, had the power to bring Sandusky to justice would have been a terribly inconsiderate move for Penn State, and, most importantly, acted as a direct affront to the victims.

I applaud Penn State for removing the statue from its position near the stadium and placing it in private storage. I'm sure it was a difficult decision to make, but it simply had to be done. This entire scandal is bigger than football, and it's also bigger than Penn State. With that said, action had to be taken to make an example out of those responsible for the mishandling of Sandusky's behavior. As stated earlier, I most certainly disagree with some of the sanctions against the university and believe they punish people who had no involvement in the affair. Regardless, I believe the rest of the action taken against Penn State is appropriate and rewrites the NCAA rulebook as to how to deal with situations that approach such gravity.

Joe Paterno's dramatic fall from grace will inevitably be looked upon as one of the most unsettling demises in the history of sports. The man was looked upon as a god at Penn State, a being who could do no wrong, who epitomized an incomparable moral integrity. And that's what makes this entire thing all the more shocking. No one expected it from Paterno. He had been around for too long and accomplished too much for the university. The reputation that he carved into Happy Valley is now tainted with the dark mark of covering up Sandusky's abuse. I understand that hero worship in the form of athletes often results in following them blindly and pushing aside their shortcomings, but supporting Paterno in this plight is a crude and immature way of dealing such a hideous chain of events.

Grass Court Greatness

Up until now, I've mainly been writing about the MLB and the Pirates in particular. However, this post aims to break the mold and give another sport a chance to share the limelight. As you may or may not know, one of the most popular tennis tournaments in the world recently came to an end this past weekend. Wimbledon, the famed London tennis complex, played host to the best players in the world all in competition to oust one another on the grass courts and forever engrave their names in the annals of tennis history.

One of the greatest qualities of professional tennis is the game's unpredictable nature. This year's Wimbledon was certainly no exception to the rule. Both the men’s and the women’s sides witnessed dramatic upsets and unbelievable comebacks that annually characterize Wimbledon and excite audiences worldwide. Though the women’s side surely offered a number of rousing matches including Serena Williams’ magical run en route to winning another title, I’ve chosen to focus on the men’s side in fear of writing an overly-lengthy post. I promise to make up for my omission in the future.

The 128-man field was split up into four separate brackets with one of the world’s top four seeds placed in each. The big four have remained largely unchanged for the past few years with Novak Djokovic (Serbia), Rafael Nadal (Spain), Roger Federer (Switzerland), and Andy Murray (Great Britain) leading the charge from spots 1-4 respectively.

The early rounds of Wimbledon initially offered little in the way of surprises; however, things took a dramatic turn when Rafael Nadal, the second-ranked player in the world, suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic. Ranked 100^th in world when he beat the great Spaniard, Rosol became the lowest-ranked player to ever beat Nadal in a Grand Slam tournament. Rafa was clearly frustrated as the match wore on, as he tumbled into the net and bumped into Rosol during a court changeover. Whether or not the bump was intentional, there was no denying the fact that Nadal was angered over his inability to contend with someone of such low rank.

Despite Nadal’s early exit, the remainder of the top three continued their dominance into the semifinals. Djokovic looked masterful throughout the majority of Wimbledon, and most analysts were settling on the 25 year-old Serb to win the entire tournament. Roger Federer, regarded as the best in the world prior to Djokovic’s meteoric rise through the tennis ranks, had other plans.

Many had written off Federer as too old…at the age of 30. He had also been experiencing back problems. Pundits were offered further ammunition to fuel their beliefs that Federer was running out of gas when he barely won a thrilling five-set, two-tiebreak match against Florian Mayer (#22) of Germany. Yet Federer, calm and collected as usual, went into the match with Djokovic with confidence and managed to upset the world number one in four sets, making his way to yet another Grand Slam final.

Because of Nadal’s early exit, the latter half of the bracket allowed Frenchman Jo Wilfried Tsonga to enter the semifinals for a match against the native fan favorite Andy Murray. Murray, who had never been able to surmount the challenge of winning his home country’s tournament, received tremendous support from fans throughout all of Wimbledon. But the British have seen this episode far too often: Andy Murray makes a run deep into a Grand Slam event only to fail to make it into the final. The world number four was determined to shake this long-standing skepticism surrounding his play. And he did just that. He went into his match with Tsonga with the air of an accomplished champion and methodically defeated his opponent 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. With that victory, Murray again won over the hearts of Britain as they now anticipated a Wimbledon final that could yield a British champion for the first time since 1936 when Fred Perry hoisted the trophy.

The highly-touted men’s final drew a worldwide audience of 16.9 million, the highest viewing figure since 1990. Needless to say, the tennis world was on its feet to potentially witness an event that hadn’t transpired in years. Murray opened the match with a 6-4 first set victory which encouraged British supporters that he just might do it. However, they may have neglected to consider the iron will and unbreakable fortitude of Roger Federer. Not to be denied, Federer stormed back with an exciting 7-5 victory in the second set to tie the match. In the third set, Murray challenged Federer again but was unable to overcome the Swiss onslaught as he dropped a second set 6-3. On the brink of failure, Murray gave every bit of energy and effort he could manifest, as he attempted to fight back against Federer and win Wimbledon for both himself and his country. But regardless of his tremendous endeavor, he would be denied the trophy as Federer won the fourth set 6-4, ending Murray’s miraculous run.

In the midst of evident disappointment, Murray met Federer at the net to congratulate him on his seventh win at Wimbledon and 17^th overall Grand Slam victory. Yet what most will remember about this year’s final may have been Andy Murray’s post-match speech. After being handed the microphone, Murray prefaced his oration with a bit of humor to lighten the mood as he announced, “I’m getting closer.” Fans responded positively with a mixture of laughter and applause, eager to show their pride and support for the country’s native son.

Following the ovation, Murray began again saying, “Alright, I’m going to try this, and it’s not going to be easy.” Mid-way through that sentence the runner-up broke down into tears as the intense emotion of the grueling tournament finally overcame him. Cameras zoomed in on Murray’s family and close friends, many of whom had also begun to get choked up. Murray eventually regained his composure long enough to address the Wimbledon champion. Mustering all the humility and class of a true sportsman, Murray congratulated Federer, commenting on his skilled play despite his age and bad back and praising him as a deserving winner. He then went on to thank his friends and family that had supported him throughout Wimbledon, paying careful attention to avert his eyes from where they were sitting so as not to cry again.

Finally, Murray expressed his gratitude to his fans, and with his voice yet again becoming shaky proclaimed, “Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon, how tough it is. But the people watching…they make it so much easier to play. The support has been incredible, so thank you.” With those last words, Andy Murray made his way over to Roger Federer and embraced him, epitomizing the true meaning of sportsmanship and sculpting himself as role model not only for young athletes but also for some his more boastful contemporaries who could learn a thing or two from his example.

Whether you’re a tennis aficionado, casual fan, or disinterested bystander, you simply can’t deny the athletic spectacle that was Wimbledon 2012. Upsets, resurgences, and the presence of true character all made this grass court tournament special. And if there’s one aspect of Wimbledon you should remember, keep in mind Andy Murray’s post-match speech. Don’t focus on the crying. Focus on why he was crying. Though some may scorn him for his overt display of emotion, his behavior typifies the passion and dedication that go into building a professional athlete. And those are the aspects of the game that serve as a poignant reminder of why sports mean so much to us in the first place.

In Cutch We Trust

Pittsburgh Pirates fans know that Andrew McCutchen can play baseball. For the past few years, their star center fielder has dazzled them with circus catches, sprayed big hits to practically every spot in the ballpark, and come through in crunch-time situations game after game. It's no wonder they claim that "Cutch" is clutch.

Yet as talented as McCutchen is, his coming out party to the rest of the baseball world has only recently taken place. Being a member of the Pirates tends to have that unfortunate effect as of late. As perennial bottom-dwellers in the National League Central, the Pirates haven't finished with a winning record record in 19 years, a dubious honor to say the least. The Buccos almost broke that curse last year, in large part due to McCutchen, but following the All-Star break their pitching wasn't able to hold up, and the hitters simply weren't producing.

At long last it seems that 2012 is shaping up to be "the year" for the Pirates, knock on wood. And if that prediction does end up coming to fruition, Andrew McCutchen has most certainly led the charge. At the All-Star break, McCutchen's name appears in the top five of nearly every statistical category in the N.L. Allow me to take a minute to rattle off just a few: 1st in batting average, 1st in slugging %, second in hits, third in RBIs, third in OBP, third in runs, and fourth in home runs. Did I mention he's also stolen 14 bases? And that batting average? It doesn't just top the N.L. It leads all of Major League Baseball. Is there really a better candidate for Most Valuable Player?

Sure, there are obviously other worthy contenders like Joey Votto of the Reds or David Wright of the Mets, but if we really break down what the MVP award is all about, then McCutchen stands head and shoulders above everyone else as of now. He's simply more valuable to his team than any other player. Take, for instance, the amount of runs the Pirates have scored this year: 345. McCutchen is directly responsible for 118 of those runs, via RBIs and runs scored. One man is the driving force behind 34% of his entire team's offensive production, and that stat doesn't even factor in the hits or walks that move runners into scoring position, to be later driven into home by other players. If you can't hear the myriad of the Pirates' fan base screaming "M-V-P!" then that statistic should broadcast  that message loud and clear.

So the next time you see a Pirates highlight on ESPN, keep an eye out for Andrew McCutchen lurking in outfield. His trademark dredlocks make him an easy target to spot. That, or you could simply check out the box score. Whether he's getting hits, RBIs, home runs, or stolen bases, you can make a safe bet that his name will appear on that stat sheet. Long story short, without McCutchen the Pittsburgh Pirates wouldn't be playoff contenders, and they wouldn't be in line to eclipse a .500 record for the first time in nearly two decades. But, most importantly, they wouldn't be giving their fans and their organization a reason to believe that their team is capable of success.

Star-Studded Affair

As the month of July begins and temperatures skyrocket throughout the majority of the nation, we can finally get excited for Major League Baseball's 83rd annual All-Star Game. This year's Midsummer Classic is setting up to be a thrilling affair that will take place in Kansas City on July 10. More importantly, two players from the Pittsburgh Pirates were lucky enough to be voted onto the National League team this year. Andrew McCutchen, a likely Most Valuable Player candidate, and shutdown closer Joel "The Hammer" Hanrahan are each making their second All-Star appearance, and Bucs fans are itching for the rest of the nation to see their team's talent in action.

Fueled by an aggressive campaign by the Pirates, Bucco faithful urged their fellow fans to "#VOTECUTCH." The aforementioned hashtag spread like wildfire throughout my own Twitter and actually motivated me to vote a few extra times for Pittsburgh's star player. Most MLB analysts and experts will admit that McCutchen is easily one of the most versatile and talented players in the league. He's got speed, cat-like reflexes, power, intelligence, and a winning personality to boot. With a baseball arsenal like that, how can you NOT like this guy? He ranks in the top five in practically every statistical category in the National League, including Batting Average, Slugging, On Base Percentage, and Hits (he's tied for sixth in Runs Batted In). Moreover, he's stolen 14 bases and made a handful of highlight-reel catches out there in center field, casually playing the role of Superman for his team day-in and day-out. Long story short: Cutch is a stud.

Hanrahan may not garner as much of a following as McCutchen, but there is no denying the fact that the man can throw one mean fastball. Known as "The Hammer" because of his ability to shutdown opposing teams' batters in the ninth inning, Hanrahan is one of the best closers in the league. Easily recognized by his tell-tale chin beard, Hanrahan has notched 20 saves for the Pirates, a record that is third overall in the N.L. With the power and strength harbored by Hanrahan, it seems like this guy is going to be a successful closer for quite some time.

Two players might not seem like a major accomplishment, but when one considers the fact that the fans control a large number of the players who are voted into the All-Star Game, the results make more sense. I don't mean to suggest that they don't vote the most deserving players into the game because I think, for the most part, that they do. But for teams like the Pirates, who aren't the most popular or most successful franchise out there right now, some of the players who are most deserving of the selection get overlooked for more big-name talent. James McDonald and Jason Grilli I'm looking at you. I do realize that players and managers have some pull when it comes to voting, even further justifying why these guys should have made it. McDonald ranks sixth in the N.L. with an Earned Run Average of 2.44 and has won seven games for the Pirates. Grilli has quietly earned 18 holds. Why is that important? Well, 18 is the most in the N.L. He's also struck out 48 batters. Clearly he stands as one of the best set-up men in the league, and yet neither he nor McDonald have received an All-Star nod. Hopefully these guys will continue to work hard and produce despite that adversity and someday receive the honor they deserve.

All-in-all though, the All-Star Game should be entertaining. It actually means something, unlike the other all-star games of the NFL, NHL, and NBA. Whichever league wins the game receives home-field advantage in the World Series in October, an important prize to say the least. And given that McCutchen has been my favorite player for a few years now, I'll definitely have a blast rooting him on. And hopefully Hanrahan can showcase that fastball of his too. And don't forget about the Home Run Derby. Nothing quite like watching the best sluggers in the league pound the ball out of the park.