A football Saturday in the fall at Penn State; what a tragedy

I'm writing this before the game is played or the final score recorded.  I hope, when the game ends, we have no further story to report.  Penn St. plays it's first game in decades without beloved coach Joe Paterno leading his team off the bus and into the stadium at Happy Valley.  Penn St. fans are on the campus this morning to watch a big time college football game with conflicted emotions.  From what I have seen saw far this morning on TV the overall mood is decidely subdued.  The loss of Joe Paterno on the football field is taking on almost the feel of a wake; a funeral. 

I feel bad for the Penn St. alumni and students and most especially these players on this team.  They did nothing wrong.  And in a convuluted sort of way I understand why so many of them still pay homage to Joe Paterno.  When all of this works out, I hope Joe Paterno fares well, but if he was truly and certainly involved in any cover-up whatesoever that hurt young people, then he must be held accountable.  And right now, I must admit, the early evidence ain't looking to good.

As a devotee of southern football, LSU first and SEC next, I never really liked east coast football.  For some reason, way back as an impressionable young man to today, I have beeen drawn to Penn St. as a non SEC team I could like.  Maybe because back in the day, before ESPN, Penn St. got a lot of face time on the few networks that showed NCAA football.  Maybe it was the mystique of Joe Paterno himself.  Maybe it was there visit years ago to the Sugar Bowl here in New Orleans.  Whatever it is, I've been kind of a fan of Penn St.  So I can't imagine how the fans and alumni get up for this big game, I can't imagine how the players can put this behind them, I can't imagine how every coach on this team can't feel culpable, rightly or wrongly, and I can't imagine how the victims are feeling today.  Think about this; these victims probably don't want the extra media onslaught and they probably don't want to see the whole Penn St. football program collapse now that everything is out in the open.  But I'm sure they want justice and they deserve justice.

So they will tee up the ball in about an hour and a half, Penn St. lines up against Nebraska, and a lot is on the line.  Not just Penn St.'s chance to win a Big Ten title but the moral direction of this institution and it's athletic program.