Thousands continued to voice their displeasure for the past 2 years. Many have gone as far as to express their protest in public. It was obvious that things just weren’t going right. But our leader insisted everything was going according to plan and we will prevail over the repeating setbacks that have befallen us.

Isn’t it amazing how the Morelli era almost seem identical to our situation in Iraq?

Joe Paterno’s insistence on playing an overrated Morelli despite his ineptitude in winning games with his arm can almost be as stubborn as Bush’s insistence that the Iraq war was the right thing to do. Both can’t be convinced of otherwise and trying to do so is a waste of time.

Then there were the rumors swirling that Morelli possessed an arm capable of shredding defenses to bit. But like Iraq, that weapon of an arm was as existent as the WMDs Iraq supposedly possessed.

The Altoona Mirror ran a piece yesterday titled “B-W Game fans wrong to boo Morelli” and I’ll give you one guess as to what it’s about. But it basically chastised the fans that were vocal in their displeasure of the once overhyped quarterback at this year’s spring game.

“No, Morelli may not have lived up to expectations during his two seasons as Penn State’s starting quarterback. But to boo him in that setting — a practice scrimmage, after his career is over and while he’s being honored on the field for an achievement — was shameful.”

For those of you who weren’t present, Morelli was introduced to the Blue/White game crowd of 73,000 at halftime to accept one of the Players of the Game award for the Florida International game last year. In stark contrast to the rousing reception for Michael Robinson and Tamba Hali just minutes earlier, almost half the crowd rained boos on the now ex-Penn State quarterback surprising many in attendance.

But what is exactly surprising? Are you surprised that the quarterback that single handedly lost us multiple games in the last two years was not given a standing ovation? Yes, Morelli held a 18-8 record during his 2 years as a starter, but are you going to blame Nittany Nation for their unwillingness to accept mediocrity? I sure don’t.

I was in fact one of those that went out of my way to boo the quarterback. But let me explain. I am a Lions fan through thick and thin. Don’t believe me? I was there during the two Zack Mills dark years including the infamous 6-4 Iowa game and never once left early despite the thousands that did during our losing seasons. I am not claiming to be the best fan, but I sure ain’t a bandwagon fan.

But when a school such as Penn State has no remorse in withdrawing an academic scholarship if the student fails to meet the academic requirements, why should athletes be treated any differently? Both were given a free ride to college for their talents. Different talents, but talents nonetheless. Academic scholarships reward those talented in studies and their field of work and athletic scholarships reward the talents in their respective field of play.

So when Morelli clearly performs as badly as a honor student failing his or her classes, and the school continues to reward the failing athlete with playing time and shreds the honor student’s scholarship, why aren’t fans justified in voicing their displeasure. The coach sure won’t heed it, but like those protesting in front of the White House against the war, fans need a public forum to ensure the coach at least noticed it.

Bush won’t end the war because millions marched against the war around the world, neither will Joe bench Morelli. But you can be damned sure, Joe and Bush both knows the fans aren’t happy, and the fact that the boos were directed to one person in particular, Joe knows exactly why they aren’t happy. Is it wrong to condemn a college kid for his ineptitude on the field? Maybe. Maybe not. But fans don’t meet Joe on a regular basis to let him know what they think of his decisions, he is barely around the office to meet his own players on a regular basis. So the best public venue would be at games and the spring scrimmage.

Then there are those that call the boo-birds ‘classless’ and ‘bandwagon fans’. Sound similar to the hordes of pro-war supporters who declare protesters ‘unpatriotic’ and ‘Unamerican’? I have been around Penn State football and love every second of it’s existence. I will sell off my first born for the ticket money if we ever make another national title appearance. But I will also boo Morelli if he deserves it. If I had been at the Ohio State game in 2006 where he threw 2 picks that were returned for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach, I would have boo’d him there too. I am a fan of a team, and a team is bigger than any one person.

If a player does not live up to my expectations for Penn State, I will be damned sure to let him know. I am one of thousands that ensure these players attend college for free, have free housing, free meals and amazing facilities that allow him the best possibility opportunity to compete with the best and if the player is not living up to his end of the deal, fans have the right to voice their displeasure.

To those that were shocked and angered by the boos showered onto Morelli at the Blue/White game, maybe its time for you to catch the games on television from home. If something as insignificant as voicing your justified displeasure bothers you, then maybe sports is not the right venue for you. Sports is a passion and you can’t be shocked when you hear passionate responses. Just like it is your American patriotic duty to ensure the government does not run unchecked by the people, we have the right to rightfully boo ineptitude.

If Morelli can’t handle that, he is more unqualified as a Penn State quarterback and I thought. And he’s already set the standard pretty low.

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Remember all that hoopla about Penn State stealing the ‘white out’ from a team, Phoenix Coyotes that can barely use it? Whens the last time they have consistently made it to the playoffs? But remember all that stuff about trademark infringement?

Well the Pittsburgh Penguins are declaring one for their playoff series against the Rangers at Mellon Arena. What’s worst, when Penn State did it, the fans voluntarily wore white to create that atmosphere. Pittsburgh is actually handing out free white T-shirts to all the fans in attendance. So sue them Phoenix! You huff and puff when a college team pulls off a stadium wide white so I better see that same bravado against the Penguins.

On a side note, I have finally obtained my Blue/White game pictures and they are all up on the Blue/White post. Check it out here.

(Ed: Pictures added April 23, 2008)

Boy does it feel great when the sun comes out in the state of Pennsylvania. 73,000 people sure thought so when they descended upon Happy Valley for a spring scrimmage. 73,000! That’s equivalent to 2 capacity crowds at Fenway Park, and 42,000 more people than the 30,286 that showed up for Notre Dame’s scrimmage.

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With the weather cooperating, we decided to partake in the tailgating festivities where our tailgating neighbors decided it would be a great idea to invite some kids to play a game of dizzybat without the beer. The little boy even managed to whack the ball successfully which is more than I can say for their mom who tumbled head first into a SUV parked adjacent to the festivities. Regrettable, but funny as shit nonetheless.

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We didn’t even think about making our way into the stadium early seeing as this is only the Blue/White game, but when we were standing in line to get in only minutes after the game had started, the entire stadium erupted in a roar. Moments later someone informed us that Stephon Green, the lighting back had turned a simple pitch from Pat Devlin into a 57 yard touchdown run down the sidelines. Can you imagine the possibilities with Green and Royster in the backfield this year? Penn State will finally have a ‘lightning and thunder’ combination that has been sorely lacking in our run-first type offense. Think Clemson, Michigan State, USC, and LSU type of reliable backs. Green’s display of speed single handedly re-energized this fan base for next year.

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By the time we made it up to our seats in the top level of section WA, the entire lower bowl of Beaver Stadium was filled. It was clear we had broken last year’s record crowd of 71,000. Last year, the crowd barely filled up the entire lower level of the stadium. This year, there were no noticeable empty sections in the lower section. The PA announcer only confirmed it when he announced a new record crowd of 73,000 fans for this year’s Blue and White game in the middle of the third quarter.

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And like I said before, there is no quarterback ‘controversy’. It’s clear who is in the lead between Clark and Devlin. Clark took all his snaps solely with the first team offensive while Devlin switched to the first team only after starting with the second team offense. Clark was 9 of 16 for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns and Devlin was 12 of 18 for 122 yards and 1 score. We all know Clark can run. Texas A&M learned it the hard way in last year’s Alamo Bowl. But for the doubters of his throwing accuracy. Clark’s nice 33-yard strike to Derrick Williams for a TD should help answer his critics.

In 2005, Robinson showed that throwing accuracy does not define a successful team, Morelli confirmed it in 2006 and 2007. And after the last 3 years, I would much rather have an less accurate, but efficient passer like Robinson than a supposed ‘cannon for an arm, cannonball for a brain’ type quarterback like Morelli.

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The quarterback situation isn’t so much a ‘controversy’ as it is a ‘competition’. Come Coastal Carolina in the fall, Clark will be the man under center. The question should be whether Devlin will be beside him in Jay Pa’s new HD offense.

On the topic of the new HD offense, nothing went on Saturday that indicated an overhaul of Penn State’s offensive strategies. Maybe we are saving it for the fall, or maybe it was a bluff on our end in a desperate attempt to land Terrelle Pryor. But we will just have to wait and see.

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Spring games mean relatively little. First team players rarely go all out every play of the game and if they do, they definitely wouldn’t want to risk injury with a hard tackle. But this year’s Blue and White game meant more than year’s past. In an off season full of disappointing news ranging from players’ arrests to Sean Lee’s injury, the Lion faithful needed a break, a celebration of what Penn State football was really about. And 73,000 of us gathered to do exactly that this Saturday.

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What IS important at a spring game is for future recruits to get a glimpse of the fan support here at Penn State. Remember Alabama’s record shattering crowd of 90,000+ last year? It was no coincidence that even with a lackluster record last season, Alabama still landed the top recruiting class this year. Recruits love excitement, the hype and the possibility of exposure. Let’s just put it this way, having 73,000 people show up to watch the final spring practice does not hurt recruiting whatsoever.

Below is a list of possible future recruits that paced the sideline last Saturday:

	Position	Rivals Rank	Holding offer?	Home State
Mark Aridiacono	OL	-	Yes	Pennsylvania
Alex Blake	WR	-	-	Maryland
Scott Drosendahl	QB	-	-	NY
Danzel Manley	OL/DL	-	-	Maryland
Terrence Stephens	DT		-	Maryland
Jason Ankrah	DE	-	-	Maryland
Anthony Young-Wiseman	Ath	-	-	Maryland
Andrew Shoop	QB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Mikel Berry	DL	-	-	Pennsylvania
Dominque Cole	-	-	-	Ohio
DeAndre Harris	-	-	-	Ohio
Trevor Smith	-	-	-	Ohio
Mike Herns	-	-	-	Ohio
Maurice Jones	-	-	-	Ohio
Matt Couch	OL	-	-	Pennsylvania
Tariq Tongue	WR	-	-	New York
Andre Civil	DE	-	-	New York
Kevin Douglas	-	-	-	-
Jake Fagano	-	-	-	-
Christian Zemaitis	-	-	-	New York
Lewis Toler	-	-	-	Delaware
Cameron Thomas	-	-	-	Delaware
Rob Stupar	FB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Brian Fields	RB	-	-	Pennsylvania
J.R. Refice	-	-	-	Pennsylvania
Evangelos Regas	OL	-	-	New Jersey
Brent Caprio	QB	-	-	New Jersey
Anthony Stroffolino	LB	-	-	New Jersey
Arthur Fontaine	TE		-	Mass.
Khalil Wilkes	OL	-	-	New Jersey
Nate Papso	-	-	-	New York
Nate Cadogan	OL/DL	-	-	Ohio
Travis Hawkins	CB	-	Yes	Maryland
Stephen Obeng-Agyapong	-	-	-	New York
Mike Hull	LB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Tavon Austin	RB		Yes	Maryland
Jaleel Clark	WR	-	Yes	Pennsylvania
Jelani Jenkins	LB		Yes	Maryland
Ty Howle	C	-	Committed	N. Carolina
Justin Brown	DE		Yes	Delaware
Jordan Hill	DE	-	-	Pennsylvania
Nick Kindler	OT	-	-	Pennsylvania

One name especially pops out from the list and that is linebacker Jelani Jenkins. Rivals just released their updated top 100 and he jumped from #79 to #10 overall. Ohio State just received a commitment from top linebacker Dorian Bell (another Pennsylvania traitor) this past weekend so landing Jenkins would definitely be a boost.

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Our group left the game right before the fourth quarter not because we wanted to get more tailgating in, but because Paul Cianciolo was on the field which meant we were at the 3rd string quarterback point. Regardless to say, I walked out of the stadium appreciating the game for what it was, simply the last practice of spring. Anything more would be over exaggeration and anything less would be dismissing the hard work young players put into trying to get onto the roster.

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Notable Bits:

• Michael Robinson’s and Levi Brown’s rousing reception by the fans
• Conversely, the boos that rained down on Anthony Morelli who has yet to officially leave Penn State when he was introduced as one of the players of the game.

What was even more surprising were the looks on some of the fans who still turn around to look for the people booing as if it was a shocking revelation. Morelli sucked, Penn State is glad to get rid of him. History will see Morelli as a failure who could not use one of the best receiving corps in the country to his advantage in both 2006 and 2007, nor a great offensive line in 2007, nor a stellar defense in 2006. He never stepped up as a leader, never faced the media after a bad game and simply started under center because of some undying loyalty Joe Paterno has to his seniors (which I do commend), but unfortunately we got a super senior who couldn’t pee under pressure let alone throw a pass.

• The small group of red or orange clad fans sitting across from our section of the stadium. They were about 20 strong and all decked out in red or orange gear, couldn’t tell exactly which. I have no idea what it was for, but if someone does, please enlighten me.
• That Paul Cianciolo was actually being planted to the turf despite his red jersey. Just shows the hill he has to climb to fight Devlin for that #2 spot.