READER MAIL: Yes, We Get Mail

I'm serious when I say I want input. If you have something worthwhile to say, it will be included in some capacity on this site.

couldnt agree more with the Penn St article, i went to the Northwestern
game a few weeks ago and even though it was rainy and cold as **** cant beat
that place. however i have decided that i am going to have to parachute
down to the stadium because i cant take the ****ing traffic there anymore.
i actually have a good leaving a parking garage story for you some time.

on a side note (do you like writing)?

Thank you for padding my ego Marc from Arlington, VA. Like the “Supreme Commander” was on shaky ground in the ego department.

Do I like writing? Gather 'round for I shall tell you a tale.

I hated my last job because I was supervised... teh guy who picked a name that essentially means "the ruler of all" was supervised. Most days I woke up and prayed I'd get axed. Then I decided praying wasn't enough, so actually did something about it. I didn’t do my assignments anymore, was an abrasive jerk, I didn’t shave as a visual cue to show my disdain for my employer, always came in late and "took lunch" early then went straight home.

On the bright side I now enjoy what I do, although I now can't make enough to eat.

We get messages from MySpace as well. This was a momentous message because Bev from Oklahoma City, OK gets it.

Love the name! Took me a minute to get it, but very creative! :-)

HALLELUJAH! Shma yisra'el adonay elohenu adonay ekhad!!!

I’m not a smart man. The only woman I ever loved and my immediate family wouldn’t let me forget this. I hate Christmas.

But come on, seriously. Say WEIGHED BLOGGS aloud while looking at the friggin cartoon.

Thank you, Bev. You are definitely fun.

Drop us a line and we'll respond.

NCAA: State College's Own Little Mardi Gras

They begin parking their campers and setting up tail gates on Friday and stay all the way through Sunday. It's an eclectic mix of old timers who can reminisce about the days of Jack Ham, Franco Harris and when Joe Paterno's glasses were less powerful than the Hubble Telescope, current students with opportunities to do better than ramen noodles and Milwaukee's Best Light and children who are most likely being groomed to attend Penn State when their times come. Most tailgates aren't exclusive to any one of the demographics, which makes Happy Valley a pretty special place to spend a Saturday afternoon.

You can walk for miles around campus and not be able to get the smell of barbecue out of your nostrils. You'll see spreads as big as a Golden Corral buffet line, Penn State flags as big as Beaver Stadium's north end zone and, in some cases, you'll actually see opposing fans welcomed and embraced. Everyone is united in one cause: to get away from (or escape with) their wives, drink beer and watch football. How much time they have and how they spend their hours depends on the fan, but I'll tell you what my favorite scenes are.

Games Within a Game: With the craftsmanship of Bob Vila and the creative genius of MacGyver, veteran Penn State fans can create a pastime and competition out of just about anything. Just as Mac can create a rocket propelled grenade launcher out of six pennies, a head of lettuce and a screwdriver, a PSU dad can create hours of entertainment with two planks and a set of six common washers. Proof that not only is the concept and spirit of beer pong in all of us, but that college students have a lot to learn about recreation as it pertains to alcohol consumption.

The Out-of-Towner: Saturday was my two-year reunion with State College and Penn State football, and it was a pretty unique experience for me. Driving through the crowds and football traffic, my New York license plates seemed to draw the ire of everyone who noticed. Parking attendants gave me the "move along" rolling of the eyes and agitated signals of where to go, and fans looked on with disgust. I think this is an issue everywhere, and though it's probably for good reason, New Yorkers are assumed to be jerks until proven otherwise. It's okay, State College, I still love you and will always be by your side.

Who Gave That Guy a Megaphone?: Echoing noise from an individual tailgate site isn't a rampant problem on most game days, but there are always some exceptions. I'm sure these are few of many examples, but we saw tailgates with a DJ spinning and with a live band playing. We also heard from 500 yards away one intoxicated fan shouting obscenities into a megaphone. Mildly entertaining at first, but more entertaining when you think about campus police pummeling him, shattering the megaphone and relentlessly spraying him with pepper spray minutes later.

The Football Gods Would Cry: Bless their hearts for trying, but fewer fans should attempt to play football games before kickoff. Middle-aged men and unathletic college kids make for something that only vaguely resembles the game of football. Each mini-game seems to go the same way - A gentleman, who is taking things way too seriously, throws with mechanics that would make Uncle Rico cringe, then tosses over the head of his teammate and off the bumper of a neighboring RV. I don't have any objection to football games being played, but an entrance exam should be taken to determine if you have appropriate skills to participate.

Mul-let's Party: Wearing a mullet wig, though a slightly outdated notion, still proved to be an interesting study in human behavior on Saturday. During the game, I wore a hat to keep the mullet under wraps and hoped to make people curious about its authenticity. The approach proved successful when I removed the hat and the mullet in the fourth quarter (coincidentally, I have a real mini-mullet working right now), to which I got an immediate "I knew it wasn't real!" from the woman behind me. This lady sat there wondering about my hair for over two hours, which was the ultimate reward for my efforts.

NCAA FOOTBALL: Leavin' For Beaver

It's about 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, and I'm once again ridding myself of the zombie-like symptoms that a late night-early(ish) morning can have on you. Today, Supreme Commander and I hit the road for Happy Valley, which is often times made into the biggest production of a 90 minute trip you'll ever see.

The overwhelming thought is on the traffic getting to State College, which should be trivial and meaningless given the nature of the journey. But 90 minutes can easily turn into 190 on a two-lane road that twice merges into a single lane. Not so bad of a thought until you realize that the vast majority of 108,000 fans are taking the very same road on the very same day.

I'm particularly excited because the day is ripe for an upset. Michigan is clearly one of the nation's top five teams, but is coming into a pretty hostile environment without its top playmaker. This will be my first live experience of "whiteout" conditions at Penn State, which unites fans who have been drinking ALL DAY LONG for the same cause.

I think today I'm going to really soak in the tailgating and pregame scene. The area surrounding Beaver Stadium is at no shortage of free space, which means that a.) there is nothing else to do on a Saturday and b.) thousands upon thousands of fans packed in RVs, under tents and on top of a Chevy Cavalier (Supreme Commander and I) have two things on their mind: Booze and football. It's hard to believe that there are two better reasons for which to live, and I'm hoping for lots of good times, poor judgment and vulgar heckling as the Nittany Lions win, 19-17.