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PSU always relevant on the national stage

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Penn State, and yet with a little bit of help, the Nittany Lions could be heading to the Rose Bowl. That’s certainly what you would call something to be thankful for. There are so many things that Penn State football fans can be thankful for, but mostly it’s this: Your team is definitely one of the “haves” of college football, and there are so, so many “have not” programs that have never and will never be able to enjoy such a life of luxury in the sport. Every Penn State game is on national TV. It’s been that way for ...

Giger: Shorter in transfer portal bad look for Lions

The long and short of it is, Justin Shorter’s development and production at Penn State have been terribly disappointing. The how and why are debatable. Who’s to blame is debatable. What’s not debatable, though, is that Shorter is unhappy and apparently wants to leave Penn State. The receiver entered the transfer portal Tuesday, according to published reports, and if you think about it, that should not come as a surprise. Shorter, a great physical specimen at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, came to PSU as an elite five-star recruit. According to 247Sports, of the hundreds and hundred ...

Elk season done; Saturday deer opener upcoming

Pennsylvania’s six-day general elk season concluded on Nov. 9. A total of 89 elk were taken by the 98 hunters who drew elk licenses for this year’s hunt. The 27 hunters who drew bull tags enjoyed a 100-percent success rate, as all 27 of them filled those tags. Sixty-two of the 71 hunters licensed for a cow elk were successful. Elk were taken in 12 of the 13 elk hunt zones open to hunting in the general elk season. “Although we’re satisfied with the overall general season elk harvest — it’s tough to top a bull harvest that goes 27 for 27, for the second consecutive year ...

Moral victory doesn’t overshadow PSU’s poor play

Far be it for me or anybody else to tell you how to be a fan. You fan the way you want to fan. Be happy about whatever it is that makes you happy. Get upset about whatever it is that makes you upset. It doesn’t matter what other people think about your team. What YOU think about your team — win, lose, draw or blowout — is all that matters. Just be consistent, I guess, is the only thing I can add. Have some reason for how you feel about your fandom, and be consistent in your line of thinking. Having said all that, let’s talk about moral victories. Specifically, let’s ...

MLB ignores grassroots in plan

Baseball is already struggling to attract new fans — especially younger ones. So, what brilliant idea have the powers-that-be come up with to expand the popularity of the national pastime? Contraction, of course. With its eyes firmly on the bottom line and not the future of the game, Major League Baseball is pushing a proposal to whack 42 minor league teams — and several entire leagues — from its vast network of affiliates that bring the game to every corner of country. While MLB might be able to justify weeding out some of the weaker franchises in the minors — I mean, do ...

Gallant effort starts with backup Levis

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Penn State left its heart on the Ohio Stadium turf Saturday, gamely fighting back from a three-touchdown deficit, and at the heart of that fight was its backup quarterback. Will Levis was outstanding. In fact, it’s difficult to remember a Penn State quarterback coming off the bench in a more hostile environment and doing more to put the underdog Nittany Lions in position to beat one of the nation’s best teams than what Levis did here. Yes, Penn State lost, 28-17, but not because of Levis. The 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman entered after an injury to starter ...