Columns
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What Would Joe Paterno Have Thought of the Protect College Sports Act? History Is Instructive
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It is natural for those who’ve lost a father to think about them as Father’s Day approaches. Over the past several days, I’ve found myself thinking about my father and his life. Today would’ve been one of intense interest for him. The United States Senate Commerce Committee will be marking up the Protect College Sports…
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Three Penn State Wrestling Dads Offer Father’s Day Inspiration
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Wrestling aficionados across America keep searching for the key to Penn State’s dominance. It’s a topic discussed so often that even the once-clever term of “secret sauce” is getting old. Yet the question remains. How have the local mat men managed to win 86 consecutive dual meet victories and capture five straight NCAA titles? And…
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Battista: In Marriage, ‘Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard’
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Picture these recent conversations in our retirement community in Sun City: A softball friend: “Hey buddy, we are meeting some other couples at AL’s on Friday night for dinner. You and Heidi want to join us?” Me: “Thanks for the invite, but my wife and I are attending a marriage conference at our church.” The…
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Frank: AI Ain’t So Smart
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Threatened as we are by The Machine, we love it when we can say, “Hah! The Machine is dumber than we are!” Case in point: I had some transcribing to do. I always have transcribing to do, because in my professional life I am often asking people questions and recording their answers. My adventures in…
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Hook: Maybe a Big Ten-SEC Super League Would Be Best for Everyone
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If you’ve been paying even the slightest bit of attention to sports news lately – outside of the current NBA and NHL Finals, that is – you’ve heard that everybody has an opinion on college athletics. The president, Congress, coaches, athletic directors and all sorts of media members have weighed in on the current state…
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Paterno: Why It’s Time for College Governing Boards to Rethink Presidential Contracts
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In the news this week came another story highlighting some of the very real challenges facing higher education in the United States. The president of Michigan State University left the school for Clemson. On his way out he mentioned that tensions with the trustees were part of what drove him to leave the school after…
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Battista: What Really Grinds My Gears
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“Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble / But I’m doin’ the best that I can!” – Mac Davis My wife and I have put almost 20,000 miles on our new Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid since December. The good news is it practically drives itself, it really does get great gas mileage, is a quiet…
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In the Field: Getting ‘Grounded in Boalsburg’ With Music on the Lawn
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This is the first in a series by Eric Zimmett called “In the Field,” in which he covers stories happening around town through field photography, field notes, and observations, focusing on how people, organizations, and businesses connect in the community. The big tree overlooking the lawn on Old Boalsburg Road provided shade on May 17…
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Local Historia: The Central PA Legend Who Taught America to Sing
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In the era of snap orchestras, swing and the Big Band, one personality rose from the industrial heart of Pennsylvania to captivate audiences across the country and “taught America how to sing”: Fred Waring.
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Frank: Welcome to the End of the World
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Relax. This isn’t about the apocalypse. It’s about a place, specifically the southwest corner of Portugal, whence I have just returned. There are several Ends of the World/ Land’s Ends/ Fim do Mundos/ Fin del Mundos/ Finisterres around the globe. Each is on a coast that juts into the sea. The ones in Europe reveal…