Like a turkey head barely missing the cut last Thursday, it is time once again for POINTLESS PONDERING. That giblet of babble that leaks out of an ear like diarrhea after the brain flushes it like undercooked poultry.

OK, this may not be a purely sports rant. More a sports entertainment topic, which is the category World Wrestling Entertainment prefers to be in. Did you cave in last week and buy the latest WWE pay-per-view gig that was titled "Survivors Series"?

The big headline was the return of former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a 39 year old actor who had spent most of the last seven years in Hollywood. He returned to pair up with the WWE's top star of these days, John Cena, who has also been attempting to make a name for himself in Hollywood the last several years. The two biggest stars in the WWE the last 13 or so years were supposed to be a tag team that would wrestle together. What the fans got instead was a wallet lifting exercise that was almost criminal.

The entire PPV, with possibly the exception of two matches, was uninspired drudgery. When the big match that involved the two stars finally got underway, most of the crowd in Madison Square Garden was half asleep. One could only imagine the impact it had on those who had the luxury of sitting on their couches at home watching this snoozefest. The "Rock/ Cena" match was pretty boring and bad, but that has been the direction of professional for quite awhile. Vince McMahon, the owner of the WWE, had long ago phased out staple wrestling moves like the pile driver and replaced it with scantily clothed models who are more interested in the application of make up than a wrestling move.

In the old days, it was territorial wrestling. Each territory of the United States had their own wrestling promotion, so competition to push each other to be at their best was common. McMahon has bought up most of those competitions, so the WWE has become a fat cat that is lazy and uninspired. There are no ECW's or WCW's anymore, though TNT has sort of attempted to find a niche by basically using a ton of old and familiar faces. Many at the age of qualifying for AARP, but this company seems content with basically emulating the WWE in many ways.

The WWE's biggest event annually is called WrestleMania, which will be held in April of 2012 and is the WWE's version of the Super Bowl. Cena will square off against Johnson in a match for bragging rights on who is the biggest WWE superstar since Hulk Hogan first left the promotion in the summer of 1993. If the last WWE PPV was any indication, save yourself the $50 or so that it will cost to watch a couple of guys carefully grappling each other so no marks are left on their bodies. Two guys who will not break a sweat so their head shots remain in tact so that they can audition for another movie. Maybe the WWE needs to call itself entertainment instead of sports entertainment, because professional wrestling certainly isn't what is used to be. It is a shame because men like Lou Thesz, Bruno Samartino and Andre the Giant spilled a ton of body fluids on the mat so the sport could have a future.

Professional wrestling may soon experience a steep decline in popularity, something it has done several times since it originated in the 19th century. McMahon's vision of half naked models prancing around in the ring slapping themselves may need to be replaced with a new angle, real wrestling, which is actually an old angle. Regurgitating story lines is something professional wrestling is adept at and has done for decades. Wih the popularity of MMA and other extreme sports increasing, getting rid of the soap opera fantasy for the sake of reality would force the big stars of future WrestleMania events to actually earn their adoration. If you smell what I am cooking and can see me and the direction I am headed.

Everyone has jumped on Joe Paterno and Penn State the past month. This story, of former Nittany Lion player and coach Jerry Sandusky's child molestation charges, has been brewing for quite awhile. It began decades ago and the school paper has been talking about it for well over a year before the mainstream media swooped in like vultures to feed on the remains. Paterno was at the university for 61 years, holding the position of head coach for 49 seasons. He has the most wins ever by a Division 1A in NCAA history and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. His face is alongside Bear Bryant, Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, John Gagliardi, Robert Neyland and Eddie Robinson on the Mount Rushmore of college football coaches. Paterno was forced out of his job a few weeks ago over Sandusky's transgressions, but this may just be the beginning of change within that rarefied standard where coaches like Paterno occupy.

Another, Jim Boeheim, may soon follow Paterno to the unemployment line. Boeheim has been coaching basketball at Syracuse University since 1969. He has been the head coach since 1976, and even played guard for the school in the early sixties. He has piled up 861 wins, the fifth most ever in NCAA Division 1A history, and won a national championship in 2003. When he was hired in 1976, he named Rick Pitino and Bernie Fine as his assistants. Pitino lasted two seasons before venturing off on his own successful career as a head coach, which also includes a national championship title. Fine, who met Boeheim as a student-manager on the Orangeman's basketball team in the earlie 1960s, has been there ever since. Now he has found himself in the same hot water Sandusky is in. Years after the allegations were first murmered, a long running investigation found itself to search Fine's home yesterday. Given ample time to destroy evidence, it would be shocking if the 66 year old Fine left detectives anything to find. What has been shocking is the response of the school and media. Paterno was fired in a swift move, but Boeheim seems safe with his job.

Both head coaches not only share success in sports, but have also been accused of knowing their assistant coaches had a habit of spending a lot of time with underage boys. Critics had called for Paterno's ouster for years. Not because of Sandusky or anything of that ilk, but because they felt the game has passed him by and his age was a deterrent to success for Penn State. But Paterno just kept winning, which made the critics look stupid. When the Sandusky offenses were revealed, the critics reappeared and pounced on this story with glee. Boeheim has never faced that type of backlash. He is 17 years younger than Paterno, so he appears to have time to try and match Paterno's two national titles.

Since the allegations against Fine happened over 10 years ago, it appears there will be no charges filed in events that purportedly occurred for nearly 20 years. Syracuse has put Fine on administrative leave, but has not fired him or Boeheim. Boeheim has told many reporters the charges are false and driven by greed for cash. Yet it is interesting how Penn State went on a firing spree as soon as reports surfaced, while Syracuse has chosen to do nothing for now. Maybe the reason is Sandusky's guilt seems more obvious than Fine's, but the proof hasn't really been shown for either as of yet. Jumping the gun with assumption is something the public has been known to do when led by the media like cattle to the hamburger hut.

It has cost one legacy immortality, but it seems strange how there appears to be a process to pick and choose who is to blame.

Yooooo! Dis is 7thStoneFromTheSun, Thirds cousin.

Yo! My procrastinashuns las weak was OK. I went 10-3, so I am now 97-61 overall. Lets get too it.

Minnesota Vikings @ Atlanta Falcons

- OK, AP is hurt and da Falcons knead dis to stay close to da Saints. Easy pick. Falcons 28 Vikings 17

Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals

- I don't tink dis yeers battle of Ohio will be close. Bengals 27 Browns 13

Carolina Panthers @ Indianapolis Colts

- Da Colts HAVE to win one. Don't they? Still, I'm rolling with Cam. Panthers 27 Colts 24

Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

- IF da Jags had held onto David Garrard, I'd say it'd be close. Texans 31 Jaguars 13

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

- Both teems knead dis in order to have playoff hopes, but I tink da Bills are done. Jets 23 Bills 9

Arizona Cardinals @ Saint Louis Rams

- Dis iz a battle for last place in da NFL South. Cardinals 27 Rams 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Tennessee Titans

- Too of da most incunsistunt teems in da NFL battle, but I'm taking da Bucs run game hear. Buccaneers 23 Titans 17

Chicago Bears @ Oakland Raiders

- Both teems are starting quarterbacks dey didn't expect two play dis yeer. Both knead to run too win, but da Bears defense can stop da run while da Raiders defense can't. I tink Matt Forte will run wild while Caleb Hanie doesn't hurt Chicago. I tink Carson Palmer plays well, but havin no runnin game will hurt. Bears 26 Raiders 24

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks Da Skins loosing streek cuntinews. Seahawks 28 Redskins 21

New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles

- Da Igglez gave Mike Vick $100 million, but Vince Young is da better quarterback. Tom Brady keeps da Pats in it, but I tink da Igglez have one las gasp of hangin on two playoff hopes befour reality sets in and ends dere 2011 seasun. Eagles 34 Patiots 31

Denver Broncos @ San Diego Chargers

- If Tim Teblow wins dis, da Bolts better fire Norv Turner in da locker room after da game. Chargers 34 Broncos 16

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs

- Maybe Kyle Orton will get a few snaps in dis blow out. Steelers 34 Chiefs 10

New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints Game of the Week

- OK, deez teems is similar. Both can pass da ball. Da Saints lead da NFL in yards passing per game while da Giants rank fifth. Both rank 20th in points alloud per contest. But da Saints rank second in ponts scored per game, while New York is ranked 16th. New Orleans is 13th in yards rushing per game, while da Jints are ranked second to last. Da Giants knead to win two stay in furst place in da NFC East with da Dallas Cowboys, while a Saints loss could put them into a tie with da Falcons if Atlanta wins dis weak. New York has made a nice 2011 NFL story, considerung dey wa killed by inurys in da secundairy befour da seasun even began. But I tink Drew Brees will expose dat weekness hear. Saints 34 Giants 24

Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. Baltimore Ravens

3. San Francisco 49ers

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New Orleans Saints

6. Chicago Bears

7. Houston Texans

8. New England Patriots

9. New York Giants

10. Atlanta Falcons

11. Dallas Cowboys

12. Oakland Raiders

13. Cincinnati Bengals

14. Detroit Lions

15. New York Jets

16. Philadelphia Eagles

17. Buffalo Bills

18. Tennessee Titans

19. San Diego Chargers

20. Denver Broncos

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

22. Seattle Seahawks

23. Arizona Cardinals

24. Kansas City Chiefs

25. Jacksonville Jaguars

26. Miami Dolphins

27. Carolina Panthers

28. Minnesota Vikings

29. Washington Redskins

30. Cleveland Browns

31. Saint Louis Rams

32. Indianapolis Colts

OK, I got two go sit on da porcerlin trone and push out sum of dis Thanksgiving dinner cuz I ate to much. As dey say in Ol' Messico = A.M.F.

Okay, so maybe we'll start with the dummies...In my Monday Moaning post I took a break from the Penn State scandal...I kinda hit a wall of writer's block, and put up one of my weakest posts in a very long time...

So, back to the dummies...Like these two assholes who decided to stop in front of Joe Paterno's house before Saturday's game, and genuflected...Seriously, what is wrong wit these people...Old dude got fired because he along with many others knew Sandusky was a fucking creep, and did nothing about it...I get fan and school loyalty, but this shit is retarded....

And why is crap like this going on? Because the University let Paterno, the man, become bigger then the school...Penn State didn't become the "Brand"...Paterno became the "brand" and PSU sold that...And these people ate it up...An now every day people stop at the Paterno house, like it's a shrine...Keep kneeling at the alter of a cover up dolts, your showing your true idiotic colors...Stand with the child rapist, and his cronies that hid his secret...Can't wait to see how far that gets you...

And for the dummies pissed off that the Big-Ten has decided to remove Paterno's name from their conference trophy, FUCK YOU!

Paterno should have never been the name-sake for the trophy...You people don't know shit...Penn State didn't even join the Big-Ten until 1990...So after Nebraska, they have spent the shortest amount of time in the conference...Jesus the conference was formed in 1896, I think there are plenty of people you could name the trophy after!

And now to Sandusky...This fucking scum-bag decided to do an interview tonight with Bob Costas...While he said he was innocent, he sure as hell sounded guilty...It's hard to not sound guilty when you admit to showering with 10 year old boys...And when Bob asked him if he was attracted to young boys...Holy shit he took a little to long answering that one...Saying "I enjoy being with kids," and then stammering into saying he isn't attracted to them...

Dud just sounds like a creep...And then his lawyer was there proclaiming his innocence...This guy looks like a real WINNER...So when you need a lawyer to get you off on child rape and molestation charges, call the fucking guy that knocked up a 17 year old back in 1996! What the fuck is going on in Pennsylvania!?!

Then it came out that the judge that let Sandusky free on $100,000 bail without house arrest, or an ankle bracelet, was also a volunteer at The Second Mile charity organization where Sandusky hand picked his victims...Again, Pennsylvania what the fuck is going on? It seems at every turn, people in positions of power/authority keep protecting, making life easier for the child rapist...

And then I saw this creep-tastic video of Sandusky...




I don't know how people could have ever trusted this evil fuck with their kids...

Dummies, wake up...Paterno wasn't and isn't a god...Sandusky is as guilty as can be...And the world will be a much better place when Sandusky, Paterno, and all who in any way, shape, or form were involved in protecting this fucking animal are dead.

Later, The Beeze. 
 

Thoughts from an Sleepy Island Girl

I sit here trying to construct a sensible blog in the midst of confusion and pain.   The same confusion that riddles us all.   How to make sense of what has happened at Penn State,  but rather than go on a witch hunt,  I want to call out the Penn State coach who perpetrated this crime against us all,  and those who covered it up.    

Before we try to impugn the entire school,  let us be sure of the facts.  It is not about getting a pound of flesh, for we know the flesh is weak, in all of us.

What matters now is humanity.   And that means not finding scapegoats but honestly protecting ourselves from abusers like Sandusky and McCreary.      People can say they are mad and disgusted and that is fair enough,  but we need to measure of responses and watch our words.

America has had it's own checkered past.   Where slavery was legal and women's rights were less than a man's.   And it is just not America but all around the world.  From the abuse of women serving as house maids to the bullying we see in school.   Somewhere along the line,  we forgot to protect the weak and these are the consequences of that.  

This interview is from a Filipina who has seen and suffered abuse and this is a common theme in many Arab countries.   Young girls go to these places naively.   They expect better treatment because they are trying to feed a poor family back home.    I would rather people not resort to legislation but actually do something productive.   Work in a soup kitchen  or something.   Don't be a professional complainer,  but make the world a better place for all.

   I hope Sandusky rots in jail and others who want to hurt the innocent,  do the same thing but I am not out here calling for the head of the coach. (  Paterno)  I want nothing to do with bashing an old man and thinking that he would support such behavior.   It is okay to be outraged and I am too,  It is okay to question his lack of followup.

  But if reports are correct about the DA not acting,  then how do we know what Coach  Paterno did?  And why do we want to focus on a bad thing?   Rather than pass laws on protection,  why don't we just protect?   Why do wait for some corrupt politician to legislate morality?   We do have common sense.   Let us use it.

Since Sunday night, I have been beating on the story at Penn State...As much as I rant and rave, there is nothing that will set me off like stories of children being abused...So when the story of former Penn State assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky being a child rapist broke, I flipped...

Then it became clear that the University, Joe Paterno, the President, the Athletic Director, and assistant Mike McQueary didn't do nearly enough to stop and prevent this from happening...Then it started looking like a cover-up...Let alone, it seems like they were all enablers for Sandusky...

Then I read about Ray_Gricar...This guy was a DA investigating 1998 allegations against Sandusky...He didn't have enough at the time, but suddenly in 2005 he ends up missing...His laptop found in a lake with the hard-drive ripped out...Why? Was he on to something? Yes this sounds like conspiracy theory shit, but let's be honest...It's Penn State football we're talking about...Clearly they are willing to cover things up...But why are they willing to cover up such an awful thing?

Then I read what Radio host Mark Madden WROTE 6 months ago...Which lead into what he said today...Then Madden let a rumor fly on a couple of radio shows Thursday...He said things are going to get worse before they get better...I would agree with that...Sandusky was out there free, doing as he wished to kids, for way too long...But Madden's rumor was even more shocking...

"I hear there's a rumor that there will be a more shocking development from the Second Mile Foundation -- and hold on to your stomachs, boys, this is gross, I will use the only language I can -- that Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors. That was being investigated by two prominent columnists even as I speak."

Madden also thinks that, "The other thing I think that may eventually become uncovered, and I talked about this in my original article back in April, is that I think they'll find out that Jerry Sandusky was told that he had to retire in exchange for a cover-up."

Considering the whole Sandusky/child molestation story started as rumor, Madden doesn't sound too far off...

But even if he is wrong...And even if the missing DA thing is an odd coincidence, there was still a major cover up at Penn State...People in charge knew Sandusky was a creep...They had an eyewitness account of him raping a 10 year old boy in the showers...All they did was tell him 'no more kids here.' He still had access to the facilities...He still roamed freely...Preying on young boys, and ruining their lives...Whatever these bastards were hiding, besides Sandusky being an evil piece of shit, it will be discovered...This mess is far from over...

And to the students of Penn State...I can respect loyalty to your school...I understand that Joe Paterno is an Icon there...But he screwed up, and screwed up big time...He was looked at as the moral compass of not only Penn State, but College Football...So I understand that it hurts to find out, that he really isn't those things...But semi-rioting isn't the answer...Ignoring the fact that children were abused, because your football coach got fired, is disgusting...And blaming the media for what has happened is retarded...

Blame Sandusky...Blame your leaders who let it happen...Who concealed it...And who have now disgraced your Alma Mater...

As for Penn State's Football Program...Hell all athletics...The whole department should be shut down...Rip it down, and start over...The only way to get any credibility back is to clean house...Remove ties from the past and start all over...

If the NCAA had any guts, they'd shut it down...But I doubt they will...

Later, The Beeze. 
 

Joe Paterno was a great man. Joe Paterno was a morally ambiguous individual.

Joe Paterno deserves to coach the remaining of the year and retire with his legacy. Joe Paterno needs to go now and pay the price for turning the blind eye.

There are a lot of differing opinions about the man known as Joe Pa and his role in the Jerry Sandusky Scandal that has left Penn State embroiled in one of the worst cases of conspiracy and cover-up ever to befall an American university or sports institution.  People have been calling for his head all week over his inaction upon learning that one of his trusted assistants was fondling young children, and at least once in the Nittany Lions locker room. When the board of trustees finally gave in to the pressure and axed both Paterno and school President Graham Spanier, students took to the streets and engaged in a miniature riot in support of the once-beloved coach.

There is just no pleasing some people.

Regardless of the student reaction, the board of trustees had no other choice but to let Paterno go now. Paterno showed that he has a complete inability to make the right decision, from staying quiet for 13 years while a child-molester walked the streets to choosing to try and save his legacy by retiring at the end of the season rather than stepping down immediately when his indiscretions came to light. The board of trustees simply saw it as something the school needed to distance itself from and took the choice out of Paterno’s hands.

Let’s face facts; the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky Scandal is never going to produce a winner of any kind. This entire tragedy is filled with nothing but victims, from the eight young men who were victimized by Sandusky to the thousands of students who had bought into the code of ethics that Penn State once prided itself on. Nobody wins when a child is harmed by someone they trust. Nobody wins when someone chooses to stand by silently rather than put a stop to this kind of depravity. Nobody wins when a child’s voice is lost in the wake of a code of silence enforced by men more concerned with how history will see them rather than the well-being of the victim.

So while the students themselves may feel robbed by having Paterno’s career ended this way, they are misguided as to where they displeasure truly needs to rest. They need to think of the 13 years of torture those eight young men have had to live through waiting for just one person to step up and stand up for them. They need to think of the clouded sense of bureaucracy that was prevalent enough at Penn State that decisions were made to bury the truth rather than do what is demanded of them by law. So when you're crying about the injustice of firing the winningest coach in the history of Division 1 football, remember that he chose the walk the path he did. He chose not to follow-up on what he reported to the athletic director. He chose not to go to the police directly and when nothing was done, he chose to let is slip between the cracks. You want to talk about injustice, talk about a grown man sodomizing a child barely old enough to know what's wrong. Cry your way down that river and then come back to be and tell me that it is still an injustice to punish everyone that could have done something and didn't.

Truth be told, the board of trustees should finish what it started with a broad sweeping reaction, cancelling what is left of the football season as a showing that they don’t stand behind the thought that football is life on the Happy Valley campus; it is a privilege and once exploited, it needs to be removed, if only temporarily.

But it doesn’t need to stop there. The school needs to be proactive in trying to make things right with those unfortunate victims. They need to provide the support that should have come much easier 13 years earlier. There will be financial repercussions here and the university, Paterno, and anyone else involved would be better to man up and take responsibility now.

The school is reaping what it has sewn. Rather than be known as a school that stood up for the protection of those who couldn’t protect themselves, they chose to disassociate themselves with the situation in general, and in turn made it a thousand times worse for themselves.

No longer is Penn State a model institution dedicated to educating and fostering the next generation. Now it is nothing more than a brittle reminder of the fact that they are defined by the choices that we make rather than our accomplishments.

The students rioting and outraged are proof positive of how far the shadow of "Happy Valley" truly stretched. They are proof positive that the moral compass taught at Penn State is the very same one executed at all points of this scandal.

They are proof positive that the Nittany Lyins, one and all, just don't get it.