The Lion in Late, Late Autumn

That is the title of the story written by Pat Jordan in the New York Times Sunday Magazine of August 29. Joe Paterno is the subject of the story. Your Thanksgiving Fowl found it entertaining. While true-blue Penn Staters probably won’t find much new material in the story, it is still worth reading. Here’s an excerpt:

Paterno admitted that he was lazy last year, maybe the last few years, which is why he has no thought of retiring. ”If I thought I’d done a better job, I’d say, ‘You had it,”’ he said. ”But I’m working harder this year than in the last 30 years. I’m spending more time with the coaches, the kids, looking at tape. I’m working my butt off and paying attention to details. Last year I let things fall through the cracks. Kids got away with things, and I didn’t get in their faces in practice when I should have. In my mind, I thought it was coming to an end. So I decided to go back to the way I started. I was an S.O.B. when I started, and I’ll end up as an S.O.B.”