Jan 22

The Truth and Joe Paterno

I woke up to the news of the death of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno this morning, after an apparently short bout with lung cancer. The announcement – predictably given the news of the past few months – touched off a firestorm of commentary in the media, sports and otherwise, via obituaries, columns and Twitter.

The lead of the New York Times official obit of Paterno got it just about right but caused an outcry from the record-setting coach’s staunchest defenders regarding the inclusion of the sexual abuse controversy that brought an abrupt end to his coaching career in November. Meanwhile, others decried simple mentions of “RIP” on Twitter and Facebook as too much of a wish for a man whose inaction likely resulted in the continuing molestation of young boys by his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Jerry Sandusky retired from Joe Paterno’s staff in 1999.

When the Sandusky-Penn State story broke in November, I got wrapped up in it more than any “media firestorm” in recent memory. Perhaps it was the explosion of such an apparently huge and deplorable series of crimes committed (both legal and moral) by individuals who had previously built a nearly impeccable record of leadership and accomplishment. To say that Penn State was seen as a beacon of all that was “right” with the world of collegiate athletics prior to this scandal would be a massive understatement.

Watching what happened to the legacy of a man like Paterno in the passing weeks – as he essentially slipped away – was stunning and sad to someone who values the positives that sports can bring to a life. But to say anyone brought this end upon Paterno other than himself would be far from true.

There’s that word – true. Isn’t truth what this story is really all about? What was really true? How can two things at such distant ends of a spectrum of right and wrong about one person essentially both be true? It’s really appropriate, then, that I am reading a fantastic book called “The Night of the Gun” by New York Times columnist David Carr. In the book, Carr – a former drug and alcohol addict who nearly saw his life slip away – uses his vast investigative journalism skills to basically tell the story of his own life, via interviews with those close to him during different parts of it, as well as documents and other tidbits that help him put together a story that will be closest to the “truth” about his life.

Carr often opens chapters with quotes from famous writers that have some sort of relevance to the upcoming information. One of those quotes couldn’t be more fitting to the story of Paterno and how different people are reacting to the news of his death:

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” – Oscar Wilde

An Irishman who pondered truth.

Indeed.

Truth: Paterno won 409 games, more than any other NCAA Division I football coach.

Truth: Paterno’s success on the field and his commitment to improving the educational capabilities of Penn State are the two biggest reasons the school has become what it is today – a rare highly-regarded state school in a part of the country (the Northeast) where state schools are usually given short shrift.

Truth: Paterno turned out a series of exceptional graduates in his 46 seasons as head coach, both on and off the field.

Truth: Paterno was a family man, loyal to his wife Sue, his five children and numerous grandchildren. Sue and all five of his kids attended Penn State.

Truth: Paterno maintained an everyman image in secluded Happy Valley, making him both a larger-than-life hero as well as just a friendly “average Joe” (pardon the pun) to those closest to him – both in the community and in the local media.

However …

Truth: Grand jury testimony given in the investigation of a 2002 incident involving Sandusky and a boy in the Penn State locker room showed Paterno’s efforts to seek out the truth and protect those most innocent among us (children) woefully and shockingly lacking from a moral, if not necessarily a legal, standpoint.

Truth: Paterno held so much power in State College that it’s essentially accepted that he laughed off the president of the university and athletic director when they tried to force him to retire in 2004, following a series of poor seasons.

Truth: That overwhelming power vacuum in remote, sheltered Happy Valley and his lack of action in the 2002 Sandusky incident must call into question Paterno’s knowledge and action during the Penn State police’s prior investigation of Sandusky in 1998 and Sandusky’s then supposed “retirement” following the 1999 season. How could a man with the power Paterno wielded in State College NOT have known about the Penn State police investigation of a man who’d been a key part of his staff for more than two decades? And just why did Sandusky “retire” in 1999, when all indications had been that he was the heir apparent to Paterno?

Truth: Paterno was hounded by rumors of improper intervention when Penn State players found themselves either in legal or scholastic trouble in recent seasons since the Sandusky investigation came to light. In the past, most would have written those rumors off as the bitter recriminations of those who may have felt “wronged” by Paterno or Penn State. Now?

So what is the ultimate truth of the story of Joe Paterno? His many great qualities, his incredible commitment to education, his loyalty to Penn State, his concept of what he called “the Grand Experiment” – success with honor – and how he and generations of Penn State players lived up to it … are those things enough to overcome the indubitably horrific choices he made in the Sandusky matter? Where is the balance? What truth wins out?

Of all the things I read about Paterno’s death today, this piece by Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com – one of Paterno and Penn State’s most outspoken critics since November – really hit home. Joe Paterno was a man. He was not the god many Penn State fans – many football fans – seemed to idolize him as. Nor is he the personification of evil that many people – people who are understandably angered by his lack of moral action and leadership in perhaps the greatest test of his life – would believe.

David Carr investigated his life’s own truths.

He was as fallible as you or me. He was as fallible as a writer like Carr, whose self-investigation hits home with me. Trust me, after the past couple years of my own life, I know what it’s like to feel fallible, to wish you’d done more, to suffer from guilt – but also to understand that those things aren’t the complete truth of your own life. Carr finds in his book that he is, in fact, a drug dealer, a drug addict, a general fuck-up. But he also finds that he is a committed father, a spectacular investigator, an excellent writer. All of those truths are a part of Carr the man.

And … all of the truths you have read about Paterno are part of him. You can laud Paterno for the massive achievements for the bulk of his life, while also maintaining high levels of anger, shocked disbelief and a complete loss of respect for this one massive mistake that will (and should) color his legacy forever. Mostly, today, you can mourn for his family and friends at their loss, while also mourning for the children whose lives were likely irreparably harmed by his inaction.

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” And there are few things truer than that.

Dec 07

Another Sign of Aging … But a Good Reason to Share Music!

I woke up to the news of the latest inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this morning. For years, now the Hall has been honoring some of my all time favorite musical acts, but today’s group of inductees (you can see them all here) definitely hit home. For the first time, three of the acts that were so honored are truly of, by and for my generation of music fans. And I am a big fan of all three.

I guess it makes sense. After all, 40 today means 15 in 1986: the year all of these groups first hit any kind of recognition. At the same time, two of the three call Los Angeles home (and the third lived and recorded in Los Angeles during one of their most fruitful periods, which also coincided with my college years).

The induction of the Beastie Boys, Guns ‘N Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers is definitely a clear sign of transition into a different generation for the RNRHOF. Here are two songs from each band: one representing a “favorite” among their hit songs and the other representing a “favorite” among their deeper “album cuts.” Enjoy! (And, if you’re a fan, too, share yours!)

Beastie Boys

Perhaps the greatest video of the MTV music era: Sabotage

THE best Beastie Boys song: Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun

Guns ‘N Roses

Guitar lessons available here: Sweet Child O’ Mine

Who knew murder could sound so catchy? Used to Love Her

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Two things – great treadmill song; mentions Pleaides (hello Fullerton High School): Can’t Stop

The greatest (only?) song about the Lakers’ greatest era, from some big fans: Magic Johnson

Oct 23

20 Lines, 20 Songs … Name ‘Em

These 20 songs recently played in a row during an iTunes shuffle on my office computer. While I was sitting there, I wondered how many of them I could name with just a line or two of the lyrics as clues.

Sooooo … how many can you name with my hand-picked lyrics as clues? If you want to give it a shot, please do so in the Comments section below!

  1. “I have to celebrate you, baby …”
  2. “And I guess that I just don’t know …”
  3. “But my sorrows, they learned to swim …”
  4. “No shadow, no darkness, no tolling bell shall pierce your dreams this night …”
  5. “A teardrop fell in the deep crimson dew …”
  6. “And, man, we never had the real thing but sometimes we used to kiss …”
  7. “A notch in your bedpost, but you’re just a line in a song …”
  8. “He’s not too fancy, but his line is pretty clean …”
  9. “Get the money, dolla dolla bill, y’all …”
  10. “Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas …”
  11. “She came along to turn on everyone …”
  12. “Besides you ain’t got nothin’ better to do, and I’m bored …”
  13. “That part of me left yesterday, the heart of me is strong today …”
  14. “And this is not the racy race …”
  15. “Put me out with no shoes on my feet …”
  16. “This way is-a-waterslide-away-from-me-to-chase-her-fuller-everyday! Hey! …”
  17. “Friends, take control of me, stalking ‘cross the gallery …”
  18. “Broken bits of you and me …”
  19. “They’re the ones who’ll hate you when you think you’ve got the world all sussed out …”
  20. “I’m new in the city but I’m down for the night …”

UPDATE: The Answers

  1. Praise You – Fatboy Slim
  2. Heroin – The Velvet Underground
  3. Until The End Of The World – U2
  4. Jesus Was An Only Son – Bruce Springsteen
  5. Redemption – Johnny Cash
  6. The Best Of Everything – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  7. Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down – Fall Out Boy
  8. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag – James Brown
  9. C.R.E.A.M. – Wu-Tang Clan
  10. Mercy Mercy Me – Marvin Gaye
  11. Sexy Sadie – The Beatles
  12. It’s So Easy – Guns ‘N’ Roses
  13. Dead And Gone – T.I. (with Justin Timberlake)
  14. Turn You Inside-Out – R.E.M.
  15. Beast Of Burden – The Rolling Stones
  16. Say It Ain’t So – Weezer
  17. Club Foot – Kasabian
  18. Only A Memory – The Smithereens
  19. High And Dry – Radiohead
  20. Lost In The World – Kanye West and Bon Iver

Good work, those of you that played along!