Some recent news items in sports worthy of comment while suggesting the Curve soon schedule a night to honor Parney:
ITEM: Pitt picked to win Big East.
If the Panthers can live up to their preseason billing, they'll make a significant step forward under Dave Wannstedt.
Through four seasons, Wannstedt's teams are just 25-23, but that includes a 9-4 record, his best so far, in 2008.
Pitt has some significant holes to fill, most notably star running back LeSean McCoy, standout linebacker Scott McKillop and reliable placekicker Conor Lee.
No question returning starting quarterback Bill Stull, fresh from Pitt's 3-0 shutout loss to an Oregon State team that Oregon lit for 65 points, must play more consistently.
Either way, if Pitt wins the Big East, it will have earned it because the Panthers face road games at West Virginia, Rutgers and Louisville plus non-conference roadies at North Carolina State and Buffalo, neither of which are automatic wins.
Having Notre Dame on the home schedule, presuming the Irish help Pitt's season-ticket base, will turn some of those yellow seats at Heinz Field into real people.
ITEM: PSU 8th in poll.
Given their offensive question marks, the Nittany Lions couldn't expect to be higher.
Now we'll see if they can hold serve. Just one lackluster performance against the first three tomato cans (Akron, Syracuse, Temple) will cue a trap door.
The Lions will have to win each of their non-conference games, including Eastern Illinois, by three-plus touchdowns and probably more.
ITEM: Rose Bowl branches out.
Beginning in 2011, the Rose Bowl, as part of the Bowl Championship Series agreement, could end up with a team from a non-BCS affiliate such as the WAC.
The story takes on significance around here because this is how it works: If a team from the Big Ten or Pac-10 is in the national championship game, and the title game isn't the Rose Bowl, the folks in Pasadena may have to take a non-BCS team if it's ranked in the top 12.
Which means if USC wins the Pac-10 in 2011 and goes to the BCS final and Penn State wins the Big Ten and doesn't, the Lions could end up with Boise State or Utah in the Rose Bowl.
ITEM: Local golfer wins Sunnehanna.
Wes Turiano's championship at Sunnehanna puts the former local standout in next June's Amateur - an incredible stage that twice in the last three years included fellow Hollidaysburg player Sean Brannan.
It speaks well of Scotch Valley Country Club, where both players grew up.
ITEM: MMA shines at Jaffa.
The estimated crowd of 2,700-plus that converged on the Jaffa Shrine Center for the Mixed Martial Arts cage fighting two weeks ago certainly will bring another card or two before the end of 2009.
If so, here are a couple of tips for the next time around: 1) spell and pronounce the name of the biggest draw, Charlie Brenneman, correctly; 2) try to avoid a four-hour marathon; 3) save some spots for the media so I don't have to sit with Larry McAleer.
Rudel can be reached at 946-7527 or nrudel@altoonamirror.com.
