Joe Battista

  • Springtime Becomes Hockey Time in Happy Valley

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    Joe Battista

    When most Penn Staters think of springtime sports it typically doesn’t include men’s and women’s ice hockey. March Madness? Check. March Matness? Check. Frozen Fours? Uncharted territory. Until 2025! When Matt DiMarsico scored the winning overtime goal against UConn in the NCAA Regional Championship game, I spontaneously leaped to my feet, hugged my wife and…

  • I Am a Magnolia Man

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    Joe Battista

    I am a Magnolia Man. Yes, I am, now. Say what? Well, if you are a fan of Joanna and Chip Gaines’ popular HGTV hit show, “Fixer Upper,” which spawned the Magnolia Channel, then you might know what I’m talking about.  I know my vast following was expecting me to write about the Penn State…

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    Battista: It’s a DOGE Eat DOGE World 

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    Joe Battista

    Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Its stated goal is “modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity”. I’m going to cut right to the chase and provide the solution to the national debt crisis right up front. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s…

  • March Madness Indeed

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    Joe Battista

    There is big news in Happy Valley sports these days and, no, I’m not talking about the new Beaver Stadium field naming rights. I’ll save that for another day.  I’m also not just talking about the continued dominance of the No. 1 ranked Penn State wrestling program under head coach Cael Sanderson and his staff.…

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    Coach Paterno Changed My Life

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    Joe Battista

    “What is a coach? We are teachers. Educators. We have the same obligations as all teachers, except we probably have more influence than anybody but their families. And, in a lot of cases, more than their families.” – Coach Joe Paterno For those of you that know me, or have occasionally read one of my…

  • The Ties that Bind Us

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    Joe Battista

    “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” — Eleanor Roosevelt Relationships matter. What we do with and for others is the stuff of life. It is often the difference between those just living, and those who…

  • It’s a Winter Wonderland in SC — Both of Them

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    Joe Battista

    Hey, State College, we’re back! Well, sort of. We recently made the trek north from the other SC (Sun City, South Carolina) up to Penn State, primarily for the annual Hockey Alumni Weekend at Pegula Ice Arena. I’d love to tell you we were escaping the record cold and snowfall that hit South Carolina –…

  • Now What Do I Do?

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    Joe Battista

    It’s been a tough few days in my sports world, folks.  Last Thursday, with our Penn State flag proudly flying outside our home, our Nittany Lions lost a heartbreaker against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff (CFP) at the Orange Bowl in Miami. On Saturday, with our Pittsburgh…

  • Just One Thing…

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    Joe Battista

    Happy New Year, y’all!  This year I’m going to…Thrive in ’25! Survive in ‘25. Stay alive in ’25! Prioritize in ‘25. Be wise in ’25. Strive in ‘25. Be surprised in ’25! Yup, it’s that time of the year. Tradition and conventional wisdom tell us to make our New Year’s resolution list by Dec. 31. But…

  • Finding the Joy

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    Joe Battista

    How often do you hear people’s well-meaning advice to “just do what makes you happy”? Or do they say, “Do what makes you joyful”?  Perhaps we need to be sure we are aiming at the same goal. I decided to research “What’s the difference between happiness and joy?” After reviewing several sources on podcasts, websites…