We are entering the dog days of summer at University Park.
OK, so this weekend was the unofficial kickoff of summer, but with the spring sports season winding down it’s time to get a little creative. In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at JoePa’s recent bout with illness and we’ll have some quick hitters covering a myriad of topics.
Let’s start with the big news — coach Joe Paterno.
Down for the Count
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno cancelled another speaking engagement on Thursday night, bailing out of his commitment to a Penn State fundraising event in Hershey.
It’s the second time in less than a month that Paterno has been forced to cancel a speaking engagement. He also missed a speaking engagement in Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago and also missed a Big Ten meeting in Chicago.
Penn State is saying that Paterno has an intestinal bug. That’s probably legit. After all, Paterno has suffered from some intestinal problems in the past.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno has bowed out a few hours before a scheduled appearance at a university alumni event because of a lingering flu bug.
According to an Associated Press report, Paterno was scheduled to attend the Hershey event until a few hours before it began. PSU athletic director Tim Curley addressed Paterno’s health issues prior to the event.
“He’s doing great. I was with him yesterday; he was actually feeling really well yesterday,” Curley told the AP. “I was surprised that this afternoon he didn’t make it. … He’s just having a little problem getting over the hump and getting 100 percent.”
So what does all this mean? Probably not much. Paterno is 83 years old. He’s going to have health issues. As long as the administration realizes this, then all is well at University Park. When he cancels these speaking engagements, it only hurts the bottom line. The big donors like to see JoePa and hear him speak. Mike McQueary and Galen Hall don’t make the donors break out their checkbooks quite like JoePa does.
As long as Paterno can kick this bug and get ready for Sept. 4, there is no reason to panic. However, if this is something more than a bug, then the Penn State brass needs to seriously consider some type of succession plan for down the road. Obviously, defensive coordinator Tom Bradley appears to be the likely choice, although defensive line coach Larry Johnson would also make an excellent head coach.
Quick Hitters
*Just last week, the NHL announced that the Winter Classic would be held at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and will feature the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. As a lifelong Penguins fan and native Pittsburgher, I was thrilled that the NHL has selected the Steel City for the game. Hopefully, the NHL will one day put the game in Beaver Stadium and pit the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Philadelphia Flyers. The stadium would be perfect for an NHL game because there’s not a bad seat in the house. The game would sell out and would easily have the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game. There would be 110,000 fans in the stands and thousands more on the field around the ice. It’s probably a pipe dream because it’s hard to imagine Penn State allowing the NHL to play hockey on such hallowed ground.
*Speaking of hockey, it’s time for Penn State to shell out the bucks necessary to build a first-class hockey arena and get PSU to Division I. If Wisconsin and Michigan can do it, certainly Penn State can.
*Speaking of Beaver Stadium, it was also announced last week that the 2014 Super Bowl will be held in New York City. Since the NFL is open to holding the Super Bowl in cold weather cities, why not in Happy Valley? If held in Happy Valley, the Super Bowl would have the largest attendance since Super Bowl XIV was held at the Rose Bowl in 1980. Doable? Yes. Likely? No.
*The Penn State baseball had another rough season under coach Robbie Wine. The results Wine has produced cannot be pleasing to athletic director Tim Curley. When Wine took over, the idea was that he would get the Nittany Lions back to respectability, contend for Big Ten titles and lead them to the College World Series. None of that has happened. If Wine doesn’t get it turned around next season, it’s probably time for a change.
*I don’t think I’m the only person who is sick and tired of hearing about Big Ten expansion. Therefore, until something firm is announced, Morelli OnLion will now become a Big Ten expansion-free zone. You’re welcome.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.