Ciao Paterno

So first he was dead.

Then he wasn't dead.

And then he was dead again.

And then we found out it was for reals as they say.

How do you feel about Joe Paterno? How will you remember Joe Paterno?

This piece on Philly Post, was rather thoughtful:

How Will Paterno Be Remembered?

The legendary coach did make Penn State a better place.

By Mike Bertha 1/22/2012Comments 0

For me personally, I am somewhat ambivalent.  I don't bleed blue and white for Penn State University, and I think my only comment was the way his career ended and the utter hypocrisy I hear out of Penn State folks now.  They couldn't say enough nasty things when the sex abuse scandal broke.

In truth, they probably broke Joe Paterno when they gave him the boot, and I am not sure he should have been tossed the way he was. 

After all, the buck did not really begin or end or stop with him with the scandal, did it?  I mean let's be honest, he acted in the academic puff cloud chain of command he was conditioned for like Pavlov's dog. And if you have ever known anyone who works at a college or university level, if you don't play by the rules set out by the trustees and administration of wherever, you are out in the cold.  Colleges and Universities are like crazy, insular feudal societies.

And now Gov. Corbett has flags flying at half-staff.  But it wasn't soooo long ago, he and others couldn't distance themselves any faster or further could they?

Joe Paterno was a complicated man, as most human beings are.  But I can't help but still feel sorry for him and his family on some level.    I think there are a lot more people more culpable than he.

Child sexual abuse is a horrible, horrible thing, don't misunderstand me.    But at the end of the day I can't help but feel in part that Paterno fell on his sword, and this literally sped up his death.

He was a man, not a god.   How will you remember him, if at all?  

I still think authorities need to look harder at those trustees and former and current administration.

I hope the poor man is at peace now. 

 I found a great piece to read on CNN:

Mourning Joe Paterno, a flawed hero

By LZ Granderson, CNN Contributor

updated 10:56 AM EST, Mon January 23, 2012

I am sitting here in front of my computer, looking at the headline that former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has died, and I honestly don't know how or what I should feel. If he had passed a year ago, it would be a no-brainer. For a World War II soldier who dedicated more than 50 years to one institution and one wife during a time in which examples of both grow rarer by the decade, it seems flags should be flown at half staff.

But then there's Jerry Sandusky

And then there's Paterno's silence and then ... well with all due respect to the Paterno family, his loved ones and the Penn State community, uninterrupted mourning becomes difficult.


Now for those reading this column expecting a glowing obituary for a renowned coach who truly deserves one, you may want to click elsewhere as this is not that kind of a piece. And for anyone hoping I rip Paterno to shreds, again you will need to look elsewhere.

I am writing for those of us trapped in the middle -- for those who watched the Penn State story unfold without the ability to see the world in black and white.