PSU vs. Temple

The last hurdle before Big Ten action looms tomorrow at Beaver Stadium. With lackluster performances against Akron and Syracuse, PSU and its offensive line are looking to rebound before heading into Big Ten action against Iowa next week. The matchup shouldn't prove difficult as Temple is just 10-27 in its last four seasons. With the O-line starting to gel hopefully, Temple should be a good warmup for Clark, Royster, the wideouts and the O-line for next week's tough battle against Iowa. Look for PSU to try to run the ball more and get as many good snaps in as possible. 3-0 for State.

PSU- 38 Temple- 7

getting away from your motto, and coming back to it...

It's all well and good to have a favorite quote or phrase. We as a society like to our define our individual lives by phrases, which is ironic as by trying to be unique individuals we use OTHER people's quotes to define our own lives. But, nevertheless, this is what we do. For whatever reason or another we feel drawn to give our lives a quotable foundation, some verbal meaning so we know who we are and so does everyone else. I guess if I had to pick one it would be LIVESTRONG. Ever since I saw Lance Armstrong climb the Pyrenees back in 2003, I was hooked. He was a true champion, a true survivor, and lived life to the fullest every day, whether on the bike or with his kids. He was the man that I hoped I would become. When I was younger I was the jokester; now at age 21 I'm the serious guy who lives by a schedule and laughs only at tv programs. LIVESTRONG. It really is all about balance. Its somehow having fun and accomplishing goals, all in one breath. Its about laughing, crying, smiling, frowning, rejoicing, mourning, and everything in between. Its about staying up late with best friends and putting in that extra hour of studying. Its about being mature but not taking life or yourself too seriously. Ive been to both extremes, and while I would say the jokester side is more fun, its the balance that really completes your life. Why do we as a society tend to sometimes not follow our quotes that we swear we live by? I don't have an exact answer, but all I know is that maybe we're afraid of failure, afraid of change, or just need a helping hand to get there or to tell us where to go. Maybe we need someone in our lives who IS who we want to be to see the light. Whatever the reason, my light has lit up and I've seen it finally. Up until this point, LIVESTRONG for me has just been a formality, but it shouldn't be. Why waste your life away wasting life away? Go out and party hard, laugh with friends, love family and people close to you, work hard, accomplish life goals, be successful, reach for the stars and don't stop reaching til you grab one. Show your emotion, good or bad. Put yourself out there. Make friends, make enemies, just make them. Leave your mark on this world. When its your time, dont ask yourself if you did everything you wanted to, but instead ask yourself "was it the greatest adventure ever?", and "Did I live up to my life motto?" Because in the end, the memories and the people are the only things you will take with you. So whatever your life's motto is, live up to it, but in the end just be yourself. Love people, love life. Life is too short to not show passion for living. When you look back years from now, when the high school and college years have long been passed by, what will you say? What will you think? Don't overlook anyone. Everyone affects your life in some way, but only those that truly matter will be remembered. Some will open your eyes up. No one you meet will be perfect, but just accept the good qualities in them. Don't try to change anyone, because if you don't like them for who they are, then they aren't worth it, but allow room for adjustment. Whew, that was alot of stuff. And imagine, all of that was inspired by a single person. Never, ever give up. When the weight of the world gets you down, remember the people and intangibles that got you to where you are..............So what does this all mean? Does it even mean anything? Maybe not to you, but to me it does. But I believe you all will get it because I feel I'm just voicing what you all are thinking. So what are you waiting for? Get out there! Enjoy it before its gone. Love your friends, partners, family, and most importantly life itself. They say that when life gives you lemons you should make lemonade. But I think that you should try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party. Not necessarily drinking, but you know what I mean. Live. Laugh. Love. That's a quote I've never liked or maybe never understood until now. I get it. I'll do it. Ill be a better man because of it. So from now on let's all live up to our life's mottos, and really mean it. LIVESTRONG. Welcome to life.

Week 1: STILLERS VS. TITANS

FINALLY! The NFL is back after a 7-month hiatus. Tomorrow night kicks off the NFL season, and per tradition, will feature the Super Bowl champs, which of course is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They will square off against the 2008 AFC South champs, the Tennessee Titans. The last time these two teams met was the end of the 2008 season, where the Titans took it to the Steelers and afterward, Titans LB Keith Bullock stepped on the Terrible Towel. An AFC Championship matchup seemed inevitable with them and that revenge would be had for that awful deed. However, the Ravens eliminated them in a divisional game and the Steelers never got their shot. Now, in front of the entire nation on a Thursday night, it is finally time. The Steelers have returned most of their team and will be looking to repeat to make it 3 SB's in 5 seasons. They do have some pitfalls though however, as they have the inevitable bulls-eye target on their backs and have a few weaknesses schematically. The neutralizer though will be Mike Tomlin, who was committed to the 2009 season only a week after winning the Super Bowl. He keeps the team focused and hungry and will have his squad ready for the opener without a doubt. The Titans are good, but the Steelers will be better.
Steelers-24 Titans-13

Here is a preview of the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers team:

-Ben Roethlisberger: After proving SB 40 was no fluke, Big Ben is back with avengence. He is clearly a top 5 NFL QB and will be ready to showcase his physical and mental prowess tomorrow night. Good news: his alleged "rape victim" has dropped her civil suit. Time to focus on sticking it in the end zone now, in football terms.
-RBs: Willie Parker will anchor the backfield, but nagging injuries may hamper his progress. BUT, Rashard Mendenhall has returned after his shoulder injury which kept him out of the entire 2008 season. Those 2 superstar talents, along with diesel engine Mewelde Moore, should prove troublesome to opposing defenses who have weak D-lines.
-WRs: Losing playmaker Nate Washington hurts, but hey! we have Limas Sweed. Okay that was a joke, but Sweed has indeed looked better in preseason, although I am not convinced of his talents. Santonio Holmes will be their deep threat and reliable Hines Ward, their go-to man. Third rounder Mike Wallace looks like a real potential as well, so no worries with this crew.
-OL: This is one of their weak points for sure. After the loss of Alan Faneca and Marvel Smith, things have been shaky for this group. Max Starks and Trai Essex will man the tackle positions, neither of whom are all-star talents by any means, as they have shown previously. Justin Hartwig will be back at center, consistently good but he's no Jeff Hartings. Then again, who is? Chris Kemeoatu and Darnell Stapleton return as guards, but with Stapleton's play in question due to an injury, Kemeoatu is the lone veteran on the line. If teams want to beat Pittsburgh, beat the line. Protecting Ben may be an issue again this year.
FB/TE: Rookie Frank Summers out of UNLV may see some time as a lead blocker for Parker and Mendenhall, but Mewelde Moore may seem most of the 3rd down back/FB action. Miller and Spaeth both return as big TE threats, another passing option that, in my opinion, gets underused tremendously on this team. Every pass play to Spaeth and Miller connects, everytime. But hey, what do I know?
DL: What the Burgh is infamous for: run-stoppin. Casey Hampton requires two men, and Keisel and Smith are talented enough and quick enough to pressure the opposing QB on every down, every possession. Word has it to that Ziggy Hood is a beast and may see a good amount of playing time, spelling Smith and Keisel, and possibly even Hampton? Wow.
LB: My favorite part of the Pittsburgh Steeler tradition. Gone are the days of Foote, Farrior, Haggans, and Porter. But in its place remains Farrior, the team leader, and my favorite Steelers player by far. His consistency, hard work, dedication, and talent will complement the likes of James Harrison, Lawrence Timmons and Lamar Woodley to create possibly the greatest 3-4 linebacking core ever assembled. Sack city this season for sure.
DB's: Every year I say we need to draft a DB, particularly a corner, in the first round but it never happens. The Steelers draft who is best on the board, not by position. This year's corners are Ike Taylor(who I hate and my dad loves, agree to disagree I guess) and William Gay! Finally, they listened to me for once. Deshea Townsend will see spotty action as he is a grissled veteran of 34 and can still play smart, but unfortunately not fast. Polamalu and Clark will man the safety positions, with Tyrone Carter adding to the depth there.
K: Hopefully Jeff Reed doesnt dye his hair or get a mohawk or something else ridiculous. If he does, Pompeani better do it again.
P: Daniel Sepulveda is back! After tearing his ACL punting is training camp last season(who knows how that happens), he is ready to help out the team, who had a terrible punting average last season. Sepulveda is the only two time winner of the Ray Guy Award in NCAA history, the award for best punter.

Another steel city team in the record books: for the wrong reason....

When the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Chicago Cubs on Monday, they set a new precedent, but not in a good way. Unlike the wild success the city's pro teams have had in the last 5 years(2 Super Bowls and a Stanley Cup), the Pirates have been a thorn in the city's side. With Monday's loss, the Pirates guaranteed another losing season, which makes it 17 straight; the longest consecutive season losing streak ever acheived in any of the 4 major pro sports, EVER. The Pirates last winning season was in 1992 when Barry Bonds still donned a bucos jersey. To put it into perspective for myself and others of our generation, I was 4 years old. Since then, the Bucs and their management/ownership have shown a lack of commitment to winning. To have a losing record for 17 straight seasons takes dedication, commitment; you have to be trying to lose at that point. You are NOT committed to winning at this point. Even bad teams get lucky every once in a while, but losing that many in a row is inexcusable in an era of salary caps and professional scouting. Pirates management keeps repeating the same old adage over and over, that their farm league talent is up and coming and that the Pirates will be a championship team in a few years. Yea, well, they said that 17 years ago too. Owners could care less about the team as long as money is still flowing into the team from fans and sponsors, but now that may be in jeopardy. Many season ticket holders have phoned in to Bob Pompeani's nightly sports call and told him that they are season ticket holders and are fed up and are NOT renewing next season. This will ultimately cripple management and force them to go out and build a team. Trading away all your star talents that never amount to anything is not the answer. Only 2 of the 9 starting players in the Pirates lineup today were with the team in April. There are no words to describe that. With that said, like I stated previously, management is not committed to winning, just committed to making money, and even that now might prove futile. And it's not like we are talking about a team that is finishing 75-87 or 78-84 every season, just barely under .500. No, instead it is more like 60-102 consistently. This season currently they are 54-83, 30 games under .500, 27.5 games behind the division leader, and have lost 11 out of the last 13, and last night gave up 7 runs in the first inning and allowed the Cubs to start the game with 8 consecutive hits, which tied a 19-year old MLB record. It is truly sad since the city and the surrounding areas are such ardent supporters of their teams, win or lose. I am not a particular fan of baseball and could care less about the Pirates, whether they lose every game or win the World Series. Still, though, no western PA sports fan wants to see any of their teams lose. The city has invested alot of time and effort, and mainly money, to support the Pirates. The stadium is beautiful and Pittsburgh fans are the best in the world. The ingredients are there but management is letting them spoil. I go to a game every few years, and last month I went to one with my girlfriend. It was a Tuesday night and they were playing the Brewers. They miraculously won, 5-2, and it was a good night. The downside though is that there were barely over 12,000 fans there. Well, the ticket sales were over 12,000, actual attendence seemed to me to be well under 10K as I looked around that night. While I'm glad to see a win in a beautiful ballpark, I was saddened by the loss of interest. While I am not a big fan of baseball, I know many 'Burghers are, and their lack-luster attendance doesn't bode well for the team. If this continues, Pittsburgh may very well lose their franchise, which wouldn't surprise me at all. In the end, bull-headed management will keep trading away their best players for prospects in order to save money on the cap, make more money for themselves, and disappoint their fans. It is all okay to them as long as the fans keep coming to the games. But with many season ticket holders calling it quits, that strategy may have to change or people will really start listening to the 7th inning stretch and saying "I don't care if I ever get back".

PSU VS. AKRON

Tomorrow's matchup versus Akron will most likely prove to be the most difficult non-conference game PSU has all season. With an entire complement of returning wideouts, offensive line, and 4-year starting quarterback, Akron has many threats which could cause some disturbances in the entirely new PSU secondary. Akron's running game however will be limited as their starter has been sidelined with an injury and the second string will take his place. Overall, however, I feel PSU will be up to the task and their offensive and defensive potency will prove overwhelming for the Zips. While PSU's secondary and offensive line may show some weaknesses at times, State will roll fairly easily over Akron in its bid to repeat as Big Ten champs; a feat they have never accomplished before. History in the making? Hopefully.

PSU-45 Akron-17

Drinking away our recession woes? Not really...

Cordial and liquor sales are proving to be non-resistant to the economic recession, as sales of Absolut, the #2 vodka seller by volume in the US, posted a 6% loss year-over-year as consumers downgrade to cheaper brands. Smirnoff, the #1 brand of vodka by sales volume, however, increased its sales by 1%. Grey Goose, Skyy, and Svedka rounded out the top 5 in US sales. The difference between 1 and 2 comes down to pricing essentially. As cordials and liquors are discretionary commodities, consumers will look for the most bang for their buck, as is most evident with the college community, as Vladimir and Banker's Club are common choices as a means of conserving what little cash they may have. Advertising also plays a major role as some consumers find the sophisticated commercials off-putting and continue to resort to cheaper brands. If Absolut and others are looking to increase profit margins and market share they must find a way to recalculate their pricing models and advertising avenues. Until the recession subsides, consumers will continue to rely on cheaper brands to meet their discretionary needs.