Iowa has provided me some great memories

October 10, 2019

We usually get to see a great football game at Iowa, which is what it’s all about, and two of my favorite personal stories also took place on trips there. I’ve told the following story dozens of times to friends and on the radio but have never written about it. It occurred during Penn State’s trip to Iowa in 2012. There’s a casino near the team hotel, so I’ll typically stop by there on the Friday night before the game. I consider myself a blackjack expert, having played thousands of hands at casinos and winning (and of course losing) a good bit during my life. I know when ...

Stevens’ departure opened door for Clifford to excel

October 7, 2019

There was an interesting visitor for Penn State’s homecoming over the weekend — none other than former Nittany Lion quarterback Tommy Stevens. You know, the guy who now plays for Mississippi State, which had a bye Saturday. Rarely will you see someone who plays for another school visit his old school for homecoming — actually, has anyone EVER seen that? — but Stevens did so, which is perfectly fine. He posted his arrival driving up to the stadium on social media but stayed out of the spotlight during PSU’s 35-7 win over Purdue. We are in a new world with college football, ...

College athletes have every right to earn money

October 3, 2019

This is the United States of America. A free market economy. Where everybody has the right to make money in any legal way they see fit. Every. Single. Person. A 6-month-old can act in TV shows or movies. And make money. A 16-year-old can work at McDonald’s. And make money. A 40-year-old who has worked his or her entire life in one industry can switch careers to do something completely different. And make money. An 84-year-old can coach college football. And make money. It is absolutely absurd that college athletes cannot make money off of their accomplishments through ...

Giger: Pirates have more issues within organization

September 30, 2019

Clint Hurdle had to go. That should have been obvious to anyone who follows the Pirates and saw how this debacle of a season unfolded with infighting in the clubhouse and a horrendous collapse on the field in the second half. Still, I was surprised to see Hurdle get fired Sunday. If only because of money. You simply cannot talk about the small-market, small-payroll Pirates in any meaningful way without bringing up finances, and it surprises me that owner Bob Nutting decided to eat the $6 million still owed to Hurdle over the next two years. It was clearly the right baseball move. But ...

Great night for Rahne, offense

September 29, 2019

As they stood with their children and players celebrating Friday night’s decimation at Maryland, Penn State coach James Franklin pulled offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne close and kissed him on the head. It was a fantastic night for many members of the PSU program, with Rahne right at or near the top. Rahne had an excellent night calling plays, and Sean Clifford and the Nittany Lion offensive players executed those plays to near perfection in running over the Terps, 59-0, while rolling up 619 yards. Clifford completed 26-of-31 passes for 398 yards, the third-highest total in Penn ...

Journey to find top back should begin with Brown

September 26, 2019

Depth is great. Playing lots of guys is great. Keeping young players engaged by giving them a chance to compete for playing time is great. Those are all good problems to have for any team. And make no mistake about it, Penn State has a good problem on its hands that there are four promising young running backs. But at every position, there needs to be a guy. The guy. The starter who plays first and most often. That’s how sports work. Every sport. And every position. James Franklin says he still hasn’t determined who the top guy is at the running back position because no one ...