CAPITAL TIMES, September 12, 1990
SPORTS
ATERNO'S YOUNG PRIDE
University Park-- Geographically,
one would expect to find the Fountain of
Youth in St. Augustine, Fla.
Philosophically, however, the
Fountain has moved here where Joe
Patemo has made "youth" the centerpiece
of both his coaching credo and his 1990
football team.
In real years, Patemo will turn 64
shortly after the conclusion of the 1990
season, but in "attitude years" the Lions'
leader is at least ten, perhaps a dozen
years younger.
And, at an age when retirement
looms for most, Patemo is talking about
taking the Nittany Lions into the Big
Ten Conference and coaching at the age
of 70.
For someone with such a "youthful"
outlook, a young football team is a nice
fit. Even Paterno, though, would value a
little "age" on his preseason roster.
Just ten percent of the players who
will report to fall camp are in their final
season of eligibility. There are 13
starters back from last year's 8-3-1 team,
but the experience level beyond the first
units on offense and defense ranges from
modest to none.
"I - don't recall a younger football
team in all my years at Penn State,"
Paterno says.
Paterno has an exceptional frame of
reference when it comes to Penn State
football. He has been helping assemble
teams at the base of Mount Nittany
since 1950.
In his 24 seasons as head coach,
Paterno has won more games (220) than
any other active Division 1-A coach. He
has been to, and won, more bowl games
than any collegiate coach other than Bear
Bryant.
The Nittany Lions emerged from
spring practice with a sense of where
they want to go ... getting there will
require negotiating a schedule that
SPORTS TALK
ON MILLER'S CORNER
Eddie Miller
'm
NICE GESTURE on behalf of Eagle
QB Randall Cunningham to take a
paycut to help pay those dire souls in
financial need- contract holdouts. He
should donate his money to a worthy
cause not a worthless one.
SPEAKING OF Randall
Cunningham--his starting QB status is
under the gun of Buddy Ryan, waiting to
be reloaded by none other than Jim
"Injured Reserve" McMahon.
THE ITCHY TRIGGER FINGER of
Eagle General Buddy Ryan could prove
fatal with an already struggling Eagle
offense. On final cut day, Ryan axed
wide receiver Cris Carter, who was 3rd
best among NFL receivers in
touchdowns (11), and tight end Maurice
Johnson, who started all four Eagle pre
season games. With only a healthy Mike
Quick receiving corps (Keith Jackson is
still a hold-out), and a shaky Randall,
the Eagles offense could be bordering
extinction.
ALSO FALLING TO THE AX on
includes six teams that appeared in
postseason bowl games a year ago.
"We came out of spring knowing
what we want to do offensively and
defensively and with whom we want to
do it with," Paterno said. "The
inexperience of this team makes it
difficult to do a lot of tinkering in fall
camp. Injuries, particularly in some key
positions, would also be disruptive."
Tri-captains Leroy Thompson
(tailback), Matt McCartin (tackle), and
Willie Thomas (safety) are expected to
provide some of the leadership that was
lost with the graduation of Blair
Thomas, Andre Collins, Sherrod Rainge,
Brian Chizmar and some of the other
principals from last year's Lambert
Trophy champions.
On offense, Paterno faces the
prospect of replacing the multi-talented
Thomas, who ended his career as the No.
2 rusher in Penn State history. There is
better news at quarterback, where two
players with starting experience, Tony
Sacca and Tom Bill, return behind
center.
Thompson followed up an eye
catching performance in the Holiday
Bowl (68 rushing yards, two
touchdowns) with a solid spring practice
to claim the No. 1 tailback slot on the
depth chart. Thompson has more than
1,300 all-purpose yards in three letter
winning seasons.
There is plenty of competition for
the tailback role, including Gerry
Collins, Richie Anderson, Bobby
Samuels, and should he opt to return to
offense, Gary Brown, who moved to
hero at Paterno's request last fall when
injuries thinned the defensive backfield
ranks.
"We'll let Gary choose a position
this year," Paterno says.
Fullback, which has been manned by
a succession of undersized players since
final cut day were three former Penn
State standouts: wide receiver Kenny
Jackson (Oilers), kicker Matt Bahr
(Browns), and line backer Walker Lee
Ashley (Chiefs).
LOOK FOR THE LION quarterback
Tony Sacca to show his true colors this
season and quiet the critics. The addition
of former Florida Head Coach Galen Hall
(a former PSU quarterback), a Blair
Thomas-less backfield, and an
experienced offensive line and receiving
corps is all the more reason for Joe
Patemo to air it out this season.
I HEARD A RUMOR that two year
tailback, one year safety PSU senior
Gary Brown, will be red-shined this
season.
I HAVE TO ADMIT that Pitt,
despite their annihilation of, uh, pastry
Ohio U., is the third best football team
in the country, trailing only Miami and
Notre Dame.
CONFUSION IS THE WORD in
Steeler camp. A new system and a new
offensive coordinator: Joe Walton of
recent N.Y. Jet fame has added a new
dimension and is on the field 3/4ths of
the departure of Steve Smith and Tim
Manoa in 1986, will benefit from the
return of Sam Gash, out all of last year
with injuries, and the development of
Brian O'Neal. Both have the size and
running and blocking skills to excel at
the position.
Quarterback Tony Sacca has started
15 of the 23 games he's dressed for at
Penn State and is just a couple of big
performances away from the Lions' all
time Top Ten in career passing. His
206-yard night in the Holiday Bowl was
the third-best postseason performance for
a Lions' quarterback.
Penn State's 1990 football schedule is
rated the tenth toughest among the
nation's projected Top 40 football teams
by The Sporting News in its preseason
football magazine. The Lions' opponents
include seven schools who are rated
among the nation's Top 40 this fall.
Only two of the postseason participants
from last year will be at Beaver Stadium
-Syracuse and Pitt. All of the other
games against 'B9 bowl outfits (USC,
Alabama, West Virginia, and Notre
Dame) are on the road.
c7 M 7 1. 7 .11U11 77
1990 Football Schedule
Sept. 8
Sept. 15
Sept. 22
Oct. 6
Oct. 13
Oct. 20
Oct. 27
Nov. 3
Nov. 10
Nov. 17
Nov. 24
(1) All-University Day
(2) Homecoming
the game.
THE KILLER B'S, Bobby Bonilla
and Barry Bonds of the Pirates are head
to head in the race for N.L. MVP. Only
Chicago's Ryne Sandberg could
challenge the B's for the award.
DON'T BET ON anyone catching
Pirate pitcher Doug Drabek in the N.L.
Cy Young award race. Drabek is 9-1
since the all-star break, 4-0 in his last 5
starts, 18-5 overall.
WOULDN'T Lenny Dykstra make a
splendid chairperson for the American
Cancer Society?
PENNANT RACES... Pirates over
Reds in 6. A's over Red Sox in 7.
Although I'm a Pirate fan at heart, the
A's will prevail in 6.
IN THE WORLD OF TENNIS John
McEnroe has made his presence felt once
again by sneaking into the U.S. Open
Semis. Despite recent criticism,
McEnroe is fighting the odds (and
judges) to prove he can play with the
young guns of the tennis world. Hats off
to John.
TEXAS
at Southern Cal
. . RUTGERS (1)
. . TEMPLE (2)
. . . . SYRACUSE
at Boston College
. . . . at Alabama
at West Virginia
. . MARYLAND
. at Notre Dame
. PITTSBURGH
COMMENTARY
CHIP
AND
CATCH
Don Walters
Having inherited a father who never
quite grew up, I'd always had the
extra allowance of a private coach
to practice me through my early athletic
endeavors. But while my father's
teaching methods were always well
intended and productive, not to mention
innovative, he unfortunately never
developed a patented technique.
However, my personal favorite was
the chip-n-catch drill. My father, a par
golfer at the time needed to polish up his
short game. I, a promising little-leaguer,
intended to attain all-star status.
Being the enterprising kind of guy that
he was, my father decided to combine
our practice sessions. We'd go out in the
backyard and he'd hit shot after shot into
the air with his pitching wedge while I
would patrol the field about 75 yards
away, diligently snagging the
plummeting golf balls with my Wilson
A 2131 glove.
When my father and I executed our
tasks to perfection, it was beautiful. The
ball would spring off his club and arc
gracefully into the summer sky. I would
take an early read on the shot, then
slowly saunter back into position to
make the catch. Baseball and golf were
perfectly joined during those endless
seconds spent waiting for the descending
ball.
It was after several chip-in-catch
sessions that both of us began to show
marked improvement. In fact, I even
began to add a little flair to my fielding.
Outside of a bruised palm, life was great.
And then one day, it happened.
Our next-door neighbor, an avid
golfer, and his sheepdog, "Shep", began
to take part in our practice sessions.
Although his master was a real hacker,
Shep was a great sport and made his
share of remarkable catches.
The hardest thing about fielding a golf
ball is when the shot is skulled. It flies
off the clubface like a line drive. With a
little practice though, I became pretty
good at deciding which shots to field and
which ones to avoid. Shep, however,
was not so selective. One horrific yelp
and then silence. The reality of chip-n
-catch suddenly dawned on all of us.
Soon after, my mother learned of the
mishap. Her face soured as she realized
how unsafe our methods were. After
ushering my father into the bedroom for
a lengthy discussion, I knew that the
future of chip-n-catch did not look good.
Sure enough, my father emerged from
their conference a broken man. He
somberly informed me that baseball
skills would have to be practiced with
baseballs from now on. Never again
would I feel the sham sting of a golf ball
as it dropped into my leather mitt.
I never did reach all-star status,
although my enterprising young father
now owns a hobbie shop and "flies"
radio-controlled model air planes instead.