Please, read what he wrote, and share your thoughts as well.

–Dad

SpreadHDGFX Matthew Brady

For those questioning the appropriateness of the celebrations on Sunday night, especially at PSU, keep in mind that many of us were In middle school. Those were the most impressionable days of our lives. It completely changed our lives and views. This is the theme of our lives that we will have to deal with throughout. It start at our young age and this is a stepping stone of progress. This is us celebrating and letting the world know that past generations put us here to begin with, and we WILL take care of it.

To @map408psu
I remember sitting in my bed in our house on base housing in Ohio and looking out the window hearing planes and that was the first moment that I ever had fears about the unknown in the world. It was the first I had ever had thoughts of “terrorism.” I remember having a dream of a car pulling up in front of our house and exploding while I was outside playing.

To @honeydo

but also remember fear of the unknown is great, and many of us were even more confused than many Americans. I heard sonic booms as jets took off and I remember the seeing the fear in kids eyes as they couldn’t see their military parents, many couldn’t even get home because they lived on base. That was just what I saw at my schools too. Now I’m not saying any of this to say your scenario was less impressionable as an individual. I’m saying that for those kids, and now college kids, it is the first experience of true fear that we had. We instantly jolted into a reality that a lot weren’t ready for and that all have had to embrace. Now we will deal with it for our whole lives. We will never have a decade like the 90s. (and when I say that I mean we never truly knew what it was like before, only a glimpse that now becomes a myth to us).

Good luck, and let us know what you think of the products!

The THON Team at Cumberland Valley >are not afraid. They have been planning and working, and fund-raising, year round, anticipating their “big event.” They apparently also have an “in” with God. In looking at the weather maps, and they way the storm will swirl about Pennsylvania, it appears our portion of South-Central PA will emerge relatively unscathed and, more importantly, with no school cancellations that would have a negating effect on CV THON.

So I am left with two requests: Pray for “no snow.” And, when it comes to donations, “Pray for Rain.” Pray, that our community will continue to reach out, and touch hundreds of lives through the love and dedication of these high school kids!

I am posting a triple video threat today. First, I wanted to share a video from Penn State’s THON in 2009, entitled “Where are They Now.” A powerful testimony to the love and devotion the THON has, and the impact the Four Diamonds Fund has had on children 10 15, or 20 years after they were diagnosed with pediatric cancer.

The second video shows just home much fun CV THON students have, as they find creative ways to not only raise money For The Kids, but to do it while having fun with each other (This time–dodge-ball.) Check the schedule. They have this Dodge Ball TOURNAMENT scheduled DURING CV THON! According to Matthew, they have about 30 teams — “It’s EPIC.”

Finally, no plea for you, dear readers, to “Pray for Rain” would be complete without including the song from PFR.

FOR THE KIDS!

Where are They Now

DODGEBALL

PFR

I am sure you are wondering “how can I donate, and ensure these kids get credit for it?” It’s simple. From their website:

For Members of the Community

Donations of $100 and up will receive a t-shirt.

Donations can be sent to:

CV Four Diamonds Fund
Cumberland Valley High School
6746 Carlisle Pike
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Attn: Elizabeth Rimpfel

These kids work hard year round.  They are planning, canning (raising funds at sporting events and retailers), and reaching out to the media.  They certainly know that it is important to work hard FOR THE KIDS.

BUT… they also know how to have fun.  Don’t believe me? Just watch this video.

Take the time to learn about the wide range of activities they have planned at the CV THON by visiting their site at http://cvschools.org/thon and then watch the video of last year’s LINE DANCE at CV THON!

FOR THE KIDS!

…to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.

Any family with a child being treated for pediatric cancer at Penn StateHershey Children’s Hospital is automatically eligible for support.

But wait-there’s MORE!

Cumberland Valley High School has their THON Dance Marathon this coming weekend.  High school kids couldn’t sit by and watch Penn State students raise all the funds.  They too were moved to help in the fight against childhood cancer.  They too wanted to contribute in not only money, but time and passion.  They too wanted to dance to victory over Pediatric Cancer.

So they will have their THON dance, February 27th-28th, 2010.  Learn more about CV Thon here.  Or see pictures from last year’s CV THON.

You can support CV THON by donating directly to the Four Diamonds Fund.  Just visit their site at: http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/development/give

Oh, and watch these videos.

As usual, I put the slideshow together for them.  I have had a few requests to make the slideshow available for others to watch, so here it is.

You can go watch the final Match recorded as we streamed it, live, via uStream.  If you want to watch that match (or many of the others from the Tournament) go to http://uStream.tv/cvpolo

I realized, as I was going through the site here, that I had failed to actually post last year’s CVHS commercial that we put together when CV Boys won that same title, defeating none other than Wilson HS for the honor of being the 2008 Champions.  That was the same year that we put together the “Wilson… is Going Down!” video before the dual match at CV.

So,

To help motivate the team I did this week’s water polo commercial.  I had asked Matt if he wanted to do it, but he said he wanted to be surprised with it–so this one is mine.

If you like this work, or any of the other graphics work you see on this page, email Matt and let him know.  You can reach him at his “new” graphics company email

matt@spreadhdgfx.com

(nb:  we have two versions here.  The first is an h.264 mpeg codec version, and the other is a flash video.  I would really appreciate feedback from you on which ones played for you (or both, or neither…)

This “commercial” sets the tone for that match-up. (Oh, and it’s Senior Recognition Day too.)

I have uploaded three versions.  The first is a Flash (.flv) version.  The second is an MPEG2 file (mpg) and the last  is a Quicktime file (.mov)

Check out his latest on the Matthew’s Wallpapers page (Tab is above, or click on the link)

If you like what you see, and would like to commission a work for yourself, feel free to contact him!

Matthew really enjoys Pandora Radio, and the serendipitous event it brings of finding new music.  Dad loves the way Shazam helps him “Name That Tune” and even purchase it. And Matthew enjoys finding radio stations from around the country using AOL Radio.

Key to our choices?  They are all FREE.*

Have a listen.  Another “From the Kitchen Table” production

*Free on the iPhone.  If you get these apps through other cellphone models you may have to pay a monthly fee.

Matthew chooses the Facebook app as one everyone high school and college student should have, but then he pulls another out of his hat–the Weather Channel app!  It’s not only useful to plan your day, but also… well, listen to how he uses it in school!

Dad chose the AccuFuel app.  It is quite useful to track fuel consumption rates  by car.  Record how many gallons of gas you purchase, and how many miles you have driven and let it do the rest.

Matthew has enjoyed swimming and water polo this season.  If you have viewed any of the water polo videos here, you can see how much fun they have had on their way to winning the State HS Championship.

The team is planning a trip as a team to Pepperdine University this summer to attend what is perhaps the premiere water polo training camp. They hope to continue their growth as Polo players and perhaps win not just a second State Championship for the Boys team, but to regain the title for the Girls team.

That said, we are asking for your help.  This camp is not cheap.  They estimate that it will cost $1200 to send a player to camp.  We are hoping you can help send Matt.

Matthew wants to work to earn his money to get to camp.  As you can see from this website, he is quite talented with the graphic arts, and would like to do “Custom Desktop Wall-Papers” for you.  For $50, he will use up to three (large) photos that you send him, and work with you to create your own special wallpaper.  Imagine having your own wallpaper on your computer, making whatever statement you wish!

You can view many of his wallpapers by clicking on the page-tab above, “Desktop Wallpapers by Matthew”

If you don’t want, or need, a “Custom Desktop Wall-Paper” you can still help.  Just donate $2, $5, $10, or really any amount, to help out.  If 600 people each donated just $2 each, he is on his way!

How do you do this?  Well, if you want a wallpaper created, email Matt at matt@fathersonchats.com and tell him what you want.  He will write you back within 24-48 hours (pending swim-meet events) and make the arrangements.  Once the wallpaper is completed to your satisfaction, then use the “donate” button you see off to the left to make your contribution.

If you just want to simply make a small donation, again, use that  “donation” tab off to the left side.    Just click on it, and fill out the amount you wish to donate, along with the other payment information.

Using PayPal makes it really that simple!

Thanks for all your support!

Steve and Matthew, The Father Son Chats.

Do you like the wallpapers?   Go read how you can get one custom made, and help Matthew earn his way to Water Polo camp!

Everyone needs feedback.  It’s how we improve.  This blog site is no different.  We know people are coming here, and regularly!  We would like to know what you like, and don’t like, about the site.

Are you using the wallpapers? GREAT! It’s why they are there, but it sure would be nice for Matt to know you are using his work!  He already has done some work “on request” and loves sitting down and learning new techniques.

Listening to the podcast? Or really don’t want to? Let us know that, as well!

<BEG> Seriously–just a quick comment every now and then would be nice…  </BEG>

As it turned out, CV beat Wilson in this critical “at  home” match, and it was a foreshadowing of the State Championship match which, as we all know, was won by CV over Wilson.

Whether this commericial had anything to do with it or not, there was a very large crowd at the match, and so much energy in the natatorium you could FEEL it.

Enjoy!

Do you like the wallpapers?   Go read how you can get one custom made, and help Matthew earn his way to Water Polo camp!

Thus, commercial 2 was born. I wanted to show the energy both on offense, and the skills required on defense, as the goalies, as the last best hope, stop the shots on goal.

And I wanted to get the students, and faculty, excited enough to attend the matches.  (Hey, it’s what advertising is supposed to do, rigiht?)

Enjoy–”Beast of the East”

Do you like the wallpapers?   Go read how you can get one custom made, and help Matthew earn his way to Water Polo camp!

To show my support, I developed a series of commercials that were shown in the morning over the HS closed circuit TV, CVTV (cute, eh?)

I am most pleased with the fact that one of the first comments I heard was from a football player who, when seeing the video in school said “Hey, we don’t have a commercial!”  I have since learned that the football team and at least one other sport have started doing commercials.  Perhaps I have helped raise the bar just a tad bit.

I have decided to share these videos with the readership, here.  Let me know what you think of them!

This first commercial never “aired.”  Matt decided that it didn’t make sense.  I can understand that.  I was going for the start of a marketing “campaign” but since those didn’t seem to go over very well with the Microsoft/Seinfeld ads either, perhaps I over-reached.  You be the judge!

Father…

Ask Matt questions about football (and try to stump him–I dare you!) Or question his knowledge of water-polo.

Shoot us an email and let us know if you are interested. dad (at) fathersonchats.com

Give us some feedback, and let us know just what would make YOU come back here more often!

Dad

They added Charlie Weis falling on his butt multiple times on the sideline due to his weight. Not only that, but when it happens, the controller rumbles, as though there was an earthquake. If you look carefully you might see a divet in the grass where he fell on.

Do you like the wallpapers?   Go read how you can get one custom made, and help Matthew earn his way to Water Polo camp!

Listen in, and please–leave us comments!

Do you like the wallpapers?   Go read how you can get one custom made, and help Matthew earn his way to Water Polo camp!

Do you like the wallpapers?   Go read how you can get one custom made, and help Matthew earn his way to Water Polo camp!

I snapped this photo at the Blue-White game at Penn State this year (4-19-08) and I decided to make a wallpaper out of the All-American, Maurice Evans, defensive end from Penn State. Enjoy.

Do you like the wallpapers?   Go read how you can get one custom made, and help Matthew earn his way to Water Polo camp!

I made this wallpaper today (4-8-08) for the Kansas Jayhawks National Championship Game against Memphis in which they won 75-68 (OT) in one of the best games ever in the Final Four in San Antonio. This wallpaper includes Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins, and the whole team holding up the trophy.

Do you like the wallpapers?   Go read how you can get one custom made, and help Matthew earn his way to Water Polo camp!

Everyone stop debating the BCS system, NOW! You have chastised the computers when they are the part of the BCS system we should be celebrating. The flaw in the BCS system is instead the polls. Coaches that vote do not pay attention to the other games or are biased.

Many people have proposed a playoff system with the top 8 teams in the USA Today Polls at the end of the year being in the playoffs. In some instances it is 16 teams. Either way this creates a larger problem of teams trying to make a case to be in the playoffs and we will only hear more bickering. If you want to do what is best for college football then I have a solution with 2 simple steps.

Step 1
Get rid of polls and switch to a full computer ranking. People will complain no matter what but this will give people the cop out of “number don’t lie”. Base the computer ratings on strength of schedule and whether teams win or lose. Do not bother with stats or margin of victory. That is just rubbish. This is a win-win situation for fans. They get to have that cop out of “the numbers don’t like” along with having a must for schools to schedule better out of conference games.

I am sick and tired of watching Penn State play FIU, Buffalo. there is less excitement in the beginning weeks of college football. I watch college basketball and what I see is Pitt vs. Duke, Ohio State vs. North Carolina and other great out of conference games that are fun and exciting to watch. Why? Because schools need to play good teams to get a good RPI rating, assuming they win. With a computer system that goes off of strength of schedule (and W-L) then you will have more Ohio State-Southern Cal match ups. Who knows maybe there will be a SEC-Big Ten challenge set up. No matter what it will bring about definite cut-off on who is in and who is out, along with better team schedules made.

Step 2
I implied it last part. I am asking for a playoff system, AS LONG AS STEP 1 IS IN PLACE. I don’t care if it is 8 team or 16 team. Keep the bowls for those who don’t make the playoff. Those who wouldn’t be in the top 16 truly are playing in bowl games that their fans only care about.The rest of the points to made here about how it would still generate lots of money and such has already been made by others.

What am I asking for? NO HUMAN POLLS! Go ahead and make them for pre-season or grins and giggles, but don’t allow them to hold any weight please. Hopefully this can make all fans happy, along with the networks.

If I were doing it, I would have people put on their forms whether they want to be a part of the Rowdy Alumni section (and have a note saying that they’re expected to be almost as loud as the student section whenever on defense, and that no one can get yelled at for standing and cheering. ) and I would put the section in the Northwest corner of the stadium, opposite of the students. It would make it so there would be no “safe” side of the stadium, as both endzones are going to be difficult for the opposing offense to hear.

Are there any plans by the university to make such a thing, and if not, how could this be purposed? I think it would truly make Beaver Stadium the Greatest Show in College Football.

Question that has come up already:

“You would have to force 10-15 thousand season ticket holders out of their seats.”
You could “upgrade” them to new seats. It’s not like one is kicking them out of the game. They could have some of the seats in the 50 yardline area that would open up.

Anyway, we had a great time, watched the game with a fun group of fans, and got to eat not only dogs and burgers, but lots of little cups of Creamery Ice Cream.

Matthew and Steve share their thoughts as Penn State finally puts another one in the W column, defeating Iowa 27 to 7. Sit back and enjoy the sounds of the game.

1. USC Trojans
2. LSU Tigers
3. Florida Gators
4. Oklahoma Sooners
5. California Golden Bears
6. West Virginia Mountaineers
7. Ohio State Buckeyes
8. Texas Longhorns
9. Boston College Eagles
10. Wisconsin Bagers
11. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
12. Oregon Ducks
13. Georgia Bulldogs
14. Clemson Tigers
15. Kentucky Wildcats
16. Virginia Tech Hokies
17. Hawaii Warriors
18. Penn State Nittany Lions
19. South Florida Bulls
20. Alabama Crimson Tide
21. South Carolina Gamecocks
22. Arizona State Sun Devils
23. Missouri Tigers
24. Michigan State Spartans
25. Cincinnati Bearcats

Tim Tebow-QB-Florida (sorry for no player card, no PS on this computer)
He’s only a sophomore, but he’s probably one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, if not the best already. Last year he proved he could run, and this year he proved he could be a passer. 68% completion for the year, only 1 interceptions, with 10 touchdowns.

He didn’t play this past week, but his numbers are still some of the top in the NCAA. What will make or break his Heisman position will be how he does against Washington and Boise State. As long as he plays, he’ll most likely be on the Heisman list, and even if he doesn’t, he still might stay on here.

This man doesn’t receive much face time with Pat White being right next to him in the backfield but he can fly. He’s averaging 6 yard per carry and is already over 100 yards receiving this year for him. He’s a versatile running back, and a man to keep a close eye on.

He has had 4 games with over 150 yards. He is the Michigan offense and without him there is nothing. How do you stop him? Well you could stop him straight up but that is not going to happen. The only way a team can really stop Mike Hart is to score first and often. Make Michigan throw the ball, meaning make them keep the ball out of Hart’s hands. If Michigan gets the lead, you can almost forget it.

Players that should look at plane tickets to NYC still:

• Matt Ryan-Boston College
• Andre Woodson-Kentucky
• John Booty-USC

1. Louisville is not a top 25 team. Losing to SYRACUSE!
2. The Huskers almost lost to Ball State, but pulled out the win 41-40. Thats all that is needed to be said.
3. Bama lost to Georgia in OT at home. I did not get to watch this game, so no further comment.
4. Ohio State looks like the leader to win the Big Ten right now as they crushed Northwestern and Penn State fumbled the win against Michigan.
5. Lets just face it, LSU’s defense is fantastic, but how about their special teams? A fake field goal flipped behind their holder’s back to the kicker who ran it in for a touchdown.

1. USC Trojans
2. LSU Tigers
3. Florida Gators
4. Oklahoma Sooners
5. Texas Longhorns
6. West Virginia Mountaineers
7. Ohio State Buckeyes
8. Wisconsin Bagers
9. California Golden Bears
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
11. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
12. Boston College Eagles
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers
14. Virginia Tech Hokies
15. Florida State Seminoles
16. Hawaii Warriors
17. Clemson Tigers
18. South Carolina Gamecocks
19. Arkansas Razorbacks
20. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
21. Georgia Bulldogs
22. Texas A&M Aggies
23. South Florida Bulls
24. Alabama Crimson Tide
25. Arizona State Sun Devils

Even in the loss to Kentucky Brohm’s stats were solid. He had an interception, but it happens a few times. The main thing is that if he has another game like this, he could be looking at being on my Heisman list. Bottom line is that this Louisville team is not that good, due to their defense. Brohm, along with Hart and Henne, should have gone Pro last year.

One would have thought that Noel Devine would have taken carries away from Steve Slaton. Think again. Slaton has gone over 100 yards in all his games this year. He has also racked up 3 touchdowns in two of those games (2 in the other one). The Big East doesn’t have a Big D, making it likely for Slaton to keep tearing it up. Will anyone stop him?

1. Louisville’s defense shows why they’re not in my top 25, after they have given up a combined 82 points in the past two games to KENTUCKY and MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE!
2. The Huskers looked pretty good, and Callahan was given his time to build this team. Sadly for Husker fans, USC just is on another level. This makes me wonder whether Ty was given enough time at Notre Dame…
3. ‘Bama looked real good at home against the Razorbacks, but the stout SEC defense were not to be seen. Never the less, the Tide won as DJ Hall tore it up going for over 100 yards and 2 TDs.
4. Wisconsin only beat the Citadel 45-31. The Big Ten is wide open right now to whoever wants it. It was one bad quarter from there being a Michigan repeat and even bigger upset.
5. Florida rocked Tennessee, 59-20… Tim Tebow is about to go up on my Heisman list, and if their defense steps up at all, they very well could go undefeated (meaning they beat LSU)
6. UCLA was demolished. It wasn’t even like a close upset. Utah came out and just manhandled the Bruins from start to finish. The whole Bruin team should be utterly embarrassed.
7. The polls have no clue where to rank anyone with all the madness already this season.

Potential Bamma of the Week:
Michigan finally remember what it’s like to win. The good news is they have a team next week that they don’t even know how to lose to, Penn State. The Lions look to be the favorites in Ann Arbor (is a whore) but if Austin Scott keeps fumbling the ball, it won’t matter what Tom Bradley’s defense does to Chad Henne, or Ryan Mallett… whoever is playing. The weak Michigan secondary is perfect for Penn State to match up to, but the inconsistency and turnovers by Penn State could give Michigan the chance to start to redeem their season.

All children regadless (sic) of age must have a ticket. Thanks for checking.

The mother then asked a follow-up question via email:

That includes infants are too young to sit on bleachers by themselves, that must sit on a parent’s lap? I imagine the PSU policy would be like the airlines’ policy requiring tickets for children 2 and over

To which Mr Curley replied:

The Big Ten has a policy that all children of any age must have a ticket and we must follow this policy.

Mr Curley apparently declined further comment when asked by Stefani if Penn State has challenged this policy in any way.

It turns out the policy is announced outside the stadium. If you are outside you will hear that “Big Ten policy requires that all fans entering the stadium must have a ticket.” I believe it to be a stretch to assume an 8 month old is actually a “fan” of any team, but I understand they were using that as a euphemism to mean “no one enters without proper credentials.”

Here’s the beef: This isn’t a very common occurrence. I doubt there is much pent-up demand for people bringing babies to football games. But there are instances when a young family, having purchased two tickets, and made all the other arrangements to attend a football game, would like to bring their child along. Perhaps they cannot afford a babysitter, or they came from out of town, and don’t have anyone in State College who could watch their child.

Why should they then have to spend another $50, especially if they won’t actually be using the seat? And of course, given the fact that the stadium is so often sold-out, what are the chances that they will be able to buy three tickets?

And here lies the other problem: A baby that has a ticket for a sold-out game is one more seat that cannot be sold to a more vocal fan. (Remember, Joe encourages the fans to allow our excitement to bubble over as the opposing quarterback steps up to the line…) We shouldn’t deny the young parents the opportunity to get out and enjoy a game, and we shouldn’t deny that opportunity to other fans.

In this case, the child was too small to walk, and was “mounted” to the father’s chest with a baby carrier. I can’t imagine the child being a nuisance, or a hazard.

So we are left with a couple questions–and these are pointed directly at Penn State and the Big 10:

• What justification does the Big 10 have for this policy?
• Even more to the point, would Penn State be willing to challenge this policy?
• Why shouldn’t Penn State challenge this policy?

So there you have it–the Baby Update.

If you support changing this policy, email your comments directly to Tim Curley, at tmc3@psu.edu

Whether you do, or don’t, let us know what YOU think. Post your comments, or call our voicemail, and leave a comment there–we just might include YOU in our next podcast!

Also, we chastise Penn State’s policy for requiring babies to have tickets for the game. Yes–”they” required an 8 month old baby boy to have a purchased ticket to attend the game and sit on Dad’s chest. Anyone have ANY defense for this policy? I mean, other than wanting to generate as much revenue as possible?

Finally we talk about photography, and Michigan’s loss to Appalachian State!

The new intro music is Decoy, by Red Blanket
Red Blanket
“Decoy” (mp3)
from “A Southern Manitoban Murder of Crows”
(C12 Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Buy at GroupieTunes
More On This Album

1. USC Trojans
2. Florida Gators
3. LSU Tigers
4. Texas Longhorns
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
6. Wisconsin Bagers
7. Oklahoma Sooners
8. Virginia Tech Hokies
9. Arkansas Razorbacks
10. Louisville Cardinals
11. Ohio State Buckeyes
12. Nebraska Cornhuskers
13. California Golden Bears
14. Penn State Nittany Lions
15. Georgia Bulldogs
16. Auburn Tigers
17. UCLA Bruins
18. Tennessee Volunteers
19. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
20. Florida State Seminoles
21. Hawaii Warriors
22. Boston College Eagles
23. TCU Horned Frogs
24. Boise State Broncos
25. Texas A&M Aggies

Shut up about this system guy stuff. Shut up about him playing against weak defenses. He is playing in a system that allows him to get great stats, but he also is playing like a genius in that system. He had over 70% pass completion last year. Sure the defenses he was playing against aren’t the best, but (no offense to his offense) he is not playing with Mario Manningham, Lima Sweed, or DeSean Jackson either.

Everyone else on this list is a “till proven other wise” guy. DeSean Jackson is my, “he’ll prove me other wise” as in he’ll do great. First off he is one of the top WRs, and arguable the best. Second, he is a top kick returner and with the new kick off rule, he’ll do even better. Finally, he returned a punt 77 yards for a TD against Tennessee.

• If you seriously don’t know about the upset with Appalachian State and Michigan, then you have no life
• Tim Tebow threw for 300 yards, 3 touchdown and ran a touchdown in. Even if it is Western Kentucky, I feel like the arm won’t be a problem for him this year.
• West Virginia gave up 245 yards through the air to Western Michigan
• Anthony Morelli set a Penn State record by passing for 231 yards in the first half. Mike McQueary (Wide Recievers coach for Penn State now) previously held the record with 219 against Wisconsin in 1997
• Colt Brennan is tied for 6th place (with Matt Leinart) for most career passing TDs with 99
• Redshirt freshmen for the Sooners DeMarco Murray ran for 5 touchdowns against North Texas

Potential Bamma of the Week: (upset watch)The Hurricanes have a winnable game coming up this week against the Oklahoma Sooners. New head coach Shannon will be a major hit if he can pull of an upset. There are 3 things that need to be done to do so, though:

1. Kirby Freeman must play at least “good”
2. Either stuff Oklahoma’s running game or get a decent size lead early to make the Sooners throw
3. Have Lee Corso pick the Oklahoma Sooners on College Gameday, and make sure he’s even cocky about his pick

We discuss setting up a “Trivia Show” even, using Talkshoe.

Matthew mentions another great site, SpreadShirt, that let’s you put a graphic image up with them, and they will produce clothing “on demand.”

Matthew offers to make “desktop” image mashups for any Penn State fans. (Two are included here.)

Enjoy listening, and if you have any comments email us (dad -at- fathersonchats.com or matt -at- fathersonchats.com) or call us and leave us a voicemail, at 206-600-5518.

My mother calls today to let me know that she received the transcripts from my high school, since we are moving. I ask her if she wants to talk to my father (the other half on this blog), and as normal her response is, “Yes” only to continue with, “but I need to read something I got in the mail to him when I park.”

She fought me and would not tell me what it was about at all. The only words that came from her mouth was, “It’s none of your business.”

It turned out it was my business. 2 tickets to the Penn State-Iowa game for free from the Nittany Lion club. That sounds awesome, couldn’t get better. Correct? NO. These two tickets were for the Press Box.

I am excited to be able to meet reporters and watch the game. No doubt I’ll write an article about the game.

EDIT: Anthony Scirrotto has all felony charges dropped!

206-600-5518

Steve

My son got to meet others who are interested in many of the same things he is (football, photoshop, and podcasting) and is enjoying sharing about our blog and what we are doing.

I think we may even take the Zoom H4 with us and record some conversations with other podcasters. Stick around, you might here something you like!

If you get a chance, visit their site, join the virtual camp, and if you are from Pittsburgh, COME ON DOWN!

Oh–and I will be blogging the contents over at my “other” blog, The Professor Notes.

In this episode:

• Matt’s First Look Breakdown of the First Six PSU Games

• Ravens Training Camp thoughts
• Barry Bonds 755
• New GoPSUSports.com layout
• New Natatorium for Penn State?

Penn State Game by Game Breakdown:

Game 1-FIU- This should be an easy fight, I mean game, for Penn State. Penn State’s talent alone should win this game… don’t over look this game, but don’t expect a loss. You can never overlook a game. Never the less, the 2^nd team should be in by half time, or at the very least the 3^rd quarter.

Game 2-Notre Dame- Just run the ball. Notre Dame’s #2 defensive tackle is out for eating Charlie’s donuts, so Notre Dame’s defensive line is one of the worst in the nation. This will give the Oline and Austin Scott some confidence heading into the Michigan game. This game should be over by half time, with 2^nd string in by the 3^rd quarter. Lets NOT run up the score, just to show Notre Dame what class is (like Charlie Weis going for it on 4^th down late in the game)

Game 3-Buffalo- Other than Notre Dame, Penn State’s playing the worst OOC schedule ever. Buffalo, FIU and Temple are some of the worst teams in the D-1A football. Not much to say about this game. Keep doing what you’ve been doing.

Game 4-Michigan- This is when strategy becomes key. The winner of this game will become the winner of the Big 10 conference and be a National Title contender. First off, Penn State needs to either get the 8 game loss streak to Michigan out of their head, or use it as motivation. Secondly, the defensive line, that is young (but VERY talented), needs to step up. They might be made of mostly sophomores, but they are the difference makers. With Larry Johnson as the position coach for them, they should be prepared. Never the less, the key is to stop Mike Hart. All we really need is for them to eat up space and allow the linebackers to do the rest. Also, the secondary needs to watch for Mario Manningham on the play-action. The Michigan defense is weak and with Morelli having confidence and the most talented WR Corp in the nation, we need to keep this team guessing on what we’re going to do. This is the year for the playbook to really open up. This is the game for Morelli to come out and show the NFL Scouts and the Nation what he really can do.

Game 5-Illinois- Don’t sleep on Illinois this year. They’ll have more wins than last year by this point in the season (Illinois was 2-10 last year). This is at Illinois and Juice Williams is dangerous playmaker along with (Arrelious) Benn at WR. Ron Zook is bringing in the talent, but they are not there YET. In fact, they may never been there, as Ron Zook is one of the worst, if not THE WORST game day coaches out there. Never the less, he is bringing in the talent to bring Illinois to the top of the Big Ten. Keep a weary eye on them, but don’t expect an upset just yet.

Game 6-Iowa- Kirk Ferentz is a great coach and Iowa is a good team. With that being said, Drew Tate is gone meaning a new starting quarterback. The game being at Beaver Stadium and the only thing worse that could happen is for it to be a night game with a white-out (but it’s not a night game). This is going to be a good game, but the you can’t bring a new Quarterback into Beaver Stadium and expect to win against Penn State when they are out of their slump.

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Matt and Steve head to Hershey to sit together and watch the Big 33 football game together for some father-son bonding, as they scout and give their thoughts on football players that will be at Penn State this fall, along with just a summary of the game.
There were three players that are heading to Penn State, Drew Astrino, Derek Moye, and Nathan Stupar

Derek Moye was very impressive in my opinion. He had a knack of getting open during the game. I think if the Pennsylvania QB kept his eyes downfield while scrambling, Moye would have had more stats. Moye is tall and his speed was impressive. He played very well in that game IMO.

Nathan Stupar did not do much during the game from what I saw (of course, i was not in the best seat in the house at the game). Why he did so little though comes with reason. Every time I looked he was being double teamed by Ohio. He couldn’t shed the double team, but he was still pushing them back. He looked good.

Drew Astrino impressed me the most. He seemed to have been all over the field on defense and really kept his head on a swivel, as he was tested quite a few times laterally. It seemed as though he stayed stride for stride with his match ups and just knocked the balls down. I was not expecting so much from him.

Meanwhile, Pitt commits, Henry Hynoski and Chris Jacobson, did not do much to catch my attention, other than when Jacobson started to get into a fight that was thankfully broken up soon after. Penn State’s recruits outshined Pittsburgh by far.
We went on to talk about the upcoming Penn State season, as I mentioned the players that excite me to watch the most. There were many players that could fall in that category, but I finally narrowed it down to two.

Offense-Anthony Morelli: not just because he has a year under his belt or even just because of the Tennessee game, though that definitely helps. My real reason to be excited about Morelli is not about him. It’s about those around him that he can use this year. You might be asking, “What’s the difference between 06 and 07 for his supporting cast?” The emergence of taller players, that are also playmakers, will help us score in the endzone, instead of just a field goal. They players I’m talking about are players like Andrew Quarless and Chris Bell. Those two are going to be stars and they’re going to fix our problem of getting into the redzone. Any Penn State fan would know that we get to the redzone then stall out. All of our WRs other than Golden were below 6 foot, making fade passes be tough to execute in the endzone.

Others that I thought of here: Andrew Quarless, Chris Bell, Offensive line, Austin Scott, Derrick Williams

Defense-AJ Wallace: This was tough, as there is so much going on with the defense. I could have picked any 57 young, but talented, D linemen that we have. AJ Wallace though is the one that I want to see the most. He played in big games, like Justin King as a freshman. He’s got speed, not to mention he can bring kickoffs to the endzone. Never the less, Wallace is that added dimensions that keeps defenses from wanting to throw the ball at all. You cant throw it go King’s side, (and Scirrotto if he’s able to play), and it’s not like our SS, Davis isn’t experienced in covering a player, as the CB experience probably helped him. So who do you throw it to? The quarterback would have to throw to Wallace’s side, the youngest player in the secondary. I expect to see some INTs from him this year.

Others that I thought of here: Navarro Bowman Tony Davis, Aaron Maybin,), Jared Odrick, Maurice Evans, Phillip Taylor
NFL News:
“It’s Division 1 football! It’s the Big 12”- Dan Hawkins
Where was that speech from Oakland Raider’s head coach Lane Kiffin? I was thoroughly disappointed in him. He just rolled over when the player union complained about, “mini-camp being too hard.” I did not see the reaction I was expecting with the press conference that followed.

Chat with Matt at Fightonstate.com and head to Forum. (feel free to join Total Access Premium to read the insider articles and visit the insider boards)

The good news:
• Darrell Scott, one of the top 3 running backs in the nation, has been state near the top of his list. He likes the opportunity he has to start and get playing time, as Penn State’s running back depth chart is thin
• The great news of the day. A.J. Alexander has decided to commit to a school next week. It’s down to Florida State and Penn State. Since he is only announcing it through Scout.com, and released info to Cory James, a Penn State recruiting Guru, one can expect for this Altoona native to be wearing blue and white

Top 10 reasons why Penn State will make it to the national championship:
1. Chris Bell and Andrew Quarless being developing red zone threats for Morelli
2. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Iowa are home games
3. Leadership developing by Derrick Williams and other players
4. Morelli showed improvement in the Outback Bowl
5. Austin Scott rushed for over 110 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Orange Bowl
6. Larry Johnson is the defensive line coach, one of the best there is
7. Justin King, AJ Wallace, Tony Davis, and Anthony Scirrotto could make up one of the best defensive backfields in the big ten.
8. Linebackers will be one of the top in the nation
9. Matt Hahn is a multipurpose fullback capable of running or catching the ball out of the backfield.
10. The team, the fans, the university believe.

I have made a bet on ohiostate.scout.com that if Andrew Sweat (linebacker, Trinity High school, Washington, PA) commits to Ohio State, I will wear a Ted Ginn icon till the Ohio State-Penn State game this coming fall; plus a week for each user that bets against me. If Andrew Sweat commits to Penn State, then they all have to wear an icon of Calvin Lowry returning an interception from Troy Smith in the 2005 game.

Perhaps it’s been up for a while, but I just now noticed that Scout has apparently released its initial rankings for the Hot100: http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=4&pid=88&yr=2008
Of note:
4) Terrell Pryor (QB) 5) Darrell Scott (RB)
6) Will Hill (S)
Jon Major (OLB)
37) Deion Walker (WR)
39) Vinston Painter (T)
42) Sam McGuffie (RB)
52) Andrew Sweat (MLB)
68) Kenny Tate (WR)
72) A.J. Alexander (WR/RB/Athlete)

Quick Hits:
• More than 2 losses this season is an udder disappointment
• Derrick Williams, Chris Bell, Jordan Norwood, and Andrew Quarless to break out this year
• Joe Paterno does not retire… kidding me this guy never will, and I like it like that
• Anthony Morelli will no longer be viewed as “dumb” by the nation
• Larry Johnson will be the Chiefs MVP on offense, while Tamba Hali will be there MVP on defense(if not him, then Ty Law)