Archives for October 2006

The first thing your favorite Turkey has to say is that those of us who will be unable to travel to West Lafayette for this game will not have to put up with Pam Ward and Mike Gottfried, as the Penn State vs. Purdue game is a regional ABC telecast. Much of the Northeast and Midwest will receive the broadcast, as will South Florida. The announcers will be Eric Collins and Andre Ware.

Purdue (5–3, 2-2 Big Ten) is coming off their worst effort of the season, a 24–3 loss to Wisconsin. However, the #17 Badgers have lost only once, to Michigan, and they can be regarded being one of the top three in the Big Ten, along with Michigan and Ohio State. Purdue, in fact, has lost to only ranked teams: Iowa, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin. The same can be said for Penn State (5–3, 3–2 Big Ten), which has lost to Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. In the Big Ten, both have beaten Minnesota and Northwestern by similar scores. So, given the similarity of records and the quality of opponents, this matchup looks pretty even. But is it?

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No sooner do I write about Courtney Brown’s season-ending injury than I have to report a sad injury to his Penn State teammate and #2 pick in the 2000 NFL draft, LaVar Arrington. In the second quarter of tonight’s Cowboys-Giants game, LaVar pulled up lame and was carted off the field. After halftime, ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber stated that the Giants had assessed the injury, which was a ruptured Achilles tendon and would require surgery.

Arrington went to the Giants this year after having been with the Redskins for six years, three of which were Pro-Bowl years. But he didn’t fit Joe Gibbs’ system, which led to the trade. He was just coming into his own with the Giants when this unfortunate injury occurred.

Concerned that the bouncing of students to the tune of Zombie Nation would compromise the structural integrity of Beaver Stadium, PSU officials have decided to phase it out. Zombie Nation is a ubiquitous, crowd rousing song heard in stadiums across the country, but its days being played at PSU are numbered.

The safety of thousands of people is obviously more important than hearing a song that isn’t particularly associated with Penn State. However, is this move being made casually over the threat of bodily injuries without studying the Beaver Stadium structure to see whether it is really necessary?

Having prohibited booze in the parking lots during games and having closed down Paternoville until the Thursday before game day, the administration seems intent on denying kids fun. This Turkey would rather err on the side of caution, but with all these recent prohibitions coming down from Old Main, one has to wonder whether some of the strictures are really necessary.

More on this story appears in the Daily Collegian.