WOE, WOE, WOE and yet another woe!!!!! Hey, that’s FOUR woes. And that’s just what the past weekend was… at least FOUR WOES!!! I’ll enumerate them for you.
1. Penn State lost to a very unrespected Northwestern.
2. Pitt lost to equally thought of Akron.
3. The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to what could be the worst team in the NFL – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
4. The Cleveland Indians failed to nail down a playoff spot in the American League.
I could mention another couple of things that didn’t go the right (meaning “MY WAY”) way… but I think there’s already enough on my plate. Let’s take a look at those four woes… starting with Penn State’s 29-6 pounding at the hands of Northwestern.
The Wildcats came in with a 1-2 record, being blasted by a Northern Illinois (a Mid-American Conference team). The oddsmakers said they would get hammered by the undefeated Nittany Lions by at least 11 points. Someone forgot to tell Northwestern that. One published pre-seaon report stated… “the Wildcats may have stepped back somewhat but failure to take this team seriously in 2014 could be a real problem for opponents.” Boy, was that statement true as far as Penn State was concerned. The home-standing Lions, with 102,910 fans at Beaver Stadium looking on, quickly fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and never did make a game of it. Penn State’s first-year coach James Franklin was quoted afterwards with “We weren’t ready to play. We’re having the same issues that have popped up all year long – consistently being able to run the ball (PSU had a mere 50 yards rushing) and protecting the quarterback (QB Christian Hackenberg was harassed throughout the game). “We will get it fixed. I promise and guarantee you that. We will get it fixed.” Harumph… I certainly hope so. If not, the final seven games on the schedule will prove to be more unnerving than was Saturday’s loss. I’m a deep Penn State rooter… and I turned the game off the television early in the fourth period. That’s how bad the Nittany Lions looked.

THE PITT PANTHERS LOOKED somewhat better than Penn State, but the results were the same – a horrendous 21-20 loss to unhearlded Akron, a 20-point underdog. The Panthers made a game of it statistically… getting outgained by only 382-to-349 yards. However, as far as the scoreboard was concerned – the Zips scored a pair of second half touchdowns while holding the Panthers to a weak field goal. Pitt, once a 3-0 team, is 3-2. Losing twice to teams it was expected to beat. McDowell’s James Conner, Pitt’s number one ball carrier, was held to 92 yards on 25 times with the ball. He was held down by an attacking (some called it “swarming”) defense… something future foes will attempt to simulate. A team such as Akron should NEVER be able to handle a team like Pitt… but the Zips did it with comparative ease on Saturday. The Panthers travel to Virginia next Saturday, the 3-2 Cavaliers whipping Kent State 45-13 last week. If Pitt doesn’t get its act together, there could be a third straight setback, which is no way to gain a post-season bowl spot.

NOW, WE COME TO the Pittsburgh Steelers. There is absolutely nothing good you can say about the Pittsburgh loss. Tampa Bay, supposedly reeling from a 56-14 pounding at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, was to be nothing more than a slight workout for the Steelers. Instead, due mainly to missed catches, extreme penalties and even more weak coverage than was expected, the Black and Gold suffered the worst defeat of the young campaign by falling to the Bucs 27-24 on a touchdown pass with just seven ticks left on the clock. It was actually sickening to watch. The Steelers were flagged 13 times – which cost them 125 walk-off yards, plus additional ground which they had gained. This makes a total of 44 penalties for the year… and 387 penalized yards. That’s simply too many and too much. It appeared, for a while, that Pittsburgh had overcome an early 10-0 Tampa Bay lead when the home team rallied to take a 17-10 halftime lead. But, the Steelers didn’t have enough offense to put it away… and that defense (with its glut of penalties) couldn’t hold off the lightly-regarded Buccaneers. Oh, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did hit 30-of-41 aerials for 331 yards and a total of three touchdowns. And, Pittsburgh did outgain Tampa Bay 390 to 350 net yards. But, it all went for naught when the penalties – and the questionable Steeler defense – did the home team in. The Pittsburgh brass keeps talking about “fixing” the situation. I don’t have any idea of how they plan on doing that. The Steelers are now 2-22-2 with winless Jacksonville (0-4) next on the schedule. This one is no sure-shot win for Pittsburgh… not considering the way it played Sunday. I suppose I could have added Buffalo’s 23-17 loss to Houston as another woe, but the Bills weren’t expected to win. Buffalo’s 2-0 season start was nothing more than aberation.

AS FOR THE CLEVELAND INDIANS, well – they did make a fight of it before bowing out of the post-season action… missing the playoffs by just three games. Still, I did have hopes that they just might sneak in. As far as my “closet team” is concerned… the New York Yankees have more to be worried about than replacing the retiring Derek Jeter. Just what are they going to do with Mark Tiexeira? The highly over-paid first baseman ended the season with a woeful .216 batting average. His $23,125,000 yearly salary is way out of line. What the Yankee brass intends to do about it – that is, if there is anything they can do – is completely unknown. I do know that it is untenable.

OH, OH… THERE WAS one more woe I forgot. That took place in Scotland where the European Team whipped the American squad by a whopping (well, in golf it is) 16 ½ – 11 ½ to retain the Ryder Cup. It made the European Team post an 8-2 record over the last 10 meetings. Yech!

HOWEVER, THERE WERE TWO bright spots for the area this past weekend. One has to be the Erie Otters going 3-0 in their season-opening three-game road trip. The Otters open their home slate this Saturday when they face Sarnia at 7 p.m. At the Erie Insurance Arena. The other sparkler is Gannon University’s football team. The Goldon Knights blasted a tough Clarion squad 33-7 to move to 4-0 for the season. The Lancers just might be championship material. Meanwhile, both Edinboro and Mercyhurst are now 0-4 this year.

I SEE WHERE at least one major college football poll has Alabama taking over the top spot from Florida State. The Seminoles had to rally after North Carolina State (a 19-point underdog) opened with a 24-7 first quarter. Florida State came back strong in the second half to win it going away 56-41. Alabama, now 4-0, was idle Saturday – but the Crimson Tide still managed to take over the Sagarin Football Ratings – but only No. 3 in the AP Poll. Bama travels to No. 11 Ole Mississippi this coming Saturday while Florida State is expected to crush Wake Forest.

AND A FINAL NOTE… On a personal note – I’m still battling this virus after a solid month of coughing… with the doctors still mystified as to what it exactly is… Oh well….

-Jack Polancy

And I’m still not 100 percent

WELL, HERE IT IS an early Fall morning. And I’m still not 100 percent. With two hospital stays during the past five weeks – plus a hacking cough for the past 27 days (my daughter does all the counting) – I’m not in the best of shape. But, I’m working at it. Consider the fact that I’ve seldom been ill in the past (only two hospital stays in over 80 years) I should be pleased with the latest results. Again… I’m working on it.

I WAS A LITTLE surprised that a grand jury cleared auto race driver Tony Stewart of criminal charges in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. But, when you look at the big picture, Ward had no business getting out of his car and walking on the track to go after Stewart. Drivers are told over and over again… don’t get out of your car on the track for any reason, unless your car is on fire. However, don’t think this whole thing is over. It’s almost a sure bet that Ward’s family will sue in civil court… and the results there could be the exact opposite of the criminal ending.

THE PREMIERE OF “Gone With the Wind” was in Atlanta on December 15^th, 1939. I was just 10 years old at the time… and my mother would not let me go to that movie because “it had swear words in it.” That word was “damn.” Now, here it is 75 years later (well, almost 75)… and the movie still endures. In fact, I have two copies of “Gone With the Wind” in my DVD library. But, if I didn’t, I’d get to see the flick one more time as it will be shown again in “more than 650 theaters nationwide” from September 28^th through October 1^st. It’s one of the better movies ever made.

HMMM, THE BIG THING in golf this weekend is the Ryder Cup. This week will be the 40^th time the matches have been staged – featuring the best golfers of Europe against the top pros of the United States. Well, this year, with no Tiger Woods and with the European team featuring four of the world’s top golfers… the USA is an overwhelming underdog. This isn’t anything new. The Americans have lost five of the last Ryder Cup affairs… the biggest in 2012 when the Yanks took a 10-4 lead into the final day, then blew it to lose by a 14 ½ – 13 ½ count. The first of four-ball matches will begin on Friday (at 2:35 am our time)… you can see it on the Golf Channel. By the way, if your like stats – the unable to play tiger Woods is 13-17-3 while Jim Furyk is 9-17-4 and Phil Mickelson is 14-18-6. Both Mickelson and Furyk is on this year’s USA team. I know I’ll watch at least a part of the event.

APPARENTLY THE COLLEGES are joining the NFL in its whack at domestic abuse problems. For instance… the University of Tennessee kicked freshman running back Treyvon Paulk off the team after a police report that the ball carrier had hit his girl friend in the mouth at a party – and this even though the girl friend had refused to file charges. Texas also tossed Martez Walker from the basketball team after it was alleged that he hit his girlfriend. Now, we all know that every college handles these situations in a different manner, but still…

I KNOW, I KNOW… more than a few thousand words have been written about Derek Jeter. And, anything I say has already been said by voices much more powerful than mine. But then, this has never stopped me before… and it won’t this time either. Derek Jeter will play his final game (one that counts) at Yankee Stadium this Thursday (September 25^th) evening. His current .253 batting average is a great deal less than his .312 lifetime mark – chalk it up to being 40 years old. His playing career will end Sunday at Boston’s Fenway Park. Jeter has gone on record by stating that he is not interested in coaching or managing in the future. That may change, who knows? But right now, according to a written report, all he wants to do is disappear from the public view. And why not. After all, he has been “the leader” of the Yankees for a long time… from championships to teams like the one-time Bronx Bombers are today – nothing more than also-rans. I’ve been a Derek Jeter booster since he first entered the game. Still am. Next year, he’ll be replaced. But, actually, how do you replace such a player?

IN ANSWER TO a question from a caller. No, I don’t expect James Harrison to make much of a difference when he puts on a Pittsburgh Steeler uniform again. After all, Harrison is now 36 years old… a long way from when he was tagged as the NFL’s defensive player of the year back in 2008. The Steelers, after losing linebackers Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones to injuries last Sunday night in the win over the Carolina Panthers, are in somewhat of a desperate mood. But, I simply don’t believe Harrison is the answer. Then again, I’ve been wrong so many times before.

ONE THING A PERSON can do when he (or she) is under the weather is watch television. Well, Saturday afternoon is my big watching time… as that’s when the college football games are on. Let’s see now… Penn State greets Northwestern this Saturday at Beaver Stadium in a Big Ten Conference battle. The oddsmakers (who are right more than they are wrong) say the Nittany Lions – raned 27^th on both major polls – are ten points better than the Wildcats. And the Sagarin Football Ratings state that PSU (ranked 37^th) is now only a six-point choice over the 1-2 team from Evantson, Illinois… NW rated No. 60. Northwestern is one of those teams that can be favored squads on any given Saturday. Let’s hope this isn’t one of those times.

ONE OF THE BETTER match-ups this Saturday will be the Texas A&M versus Arkansas contest at Arlington, Texas. Right now the Aggies are riding high – boasting a 4-0 mark and a No. 5 rating on most polls. However, the Razorbacks are just a step behind – Arkansas showing a 3-1 standard was only a 3-9 team a year ago. The Hogs opened the campaign by getting whomped 45-21 by Auburn, then rebounded by pounding Nicols State, Texas Tech and Northern Illinois. Top-rated Florida State is a fat 19-point choice to hammer unbeaten North Carolina State (4-0) in another interesting battle. Meanwhile, Alabama (rated No. 1 in some polls) is idle as is Oklahoma – also a threat to finish on top after the post-season playoffs. Notre Dame will put its 3-0 mark on the line at East Rutherford when the Irish take on Syracuse (2-1)… Notre Dame a 12-point pick. The Duke (4-0) at Miami of Florida (2-2) should also be an interesting one to watch.

IF HIGHLY-RATED high school teams are your bag, then you should be watching ESPN Friday night at 9pm. That’s when St. John Bosco of Bellflower, Calif. – the top-ranked Scholastic team in USA TODAY’s Super 25 high school ratings – will meet the No. 2 team, Las Vegas’ Bishop Gormon. St. John’s is a 3-0 and averaging 51 points-per-game while Bishop Gorman is 5-0. Both are defending state champions.

ALL EYES WILL BE (or should be) on Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles this week in the NFL. This is when these two rookies will make their starting debut at quarterback – Bridgewater for the 1-2 Minnesota Vikings and Bortles for the winless Jacksonville is a 13-point underdog to San Diego while Minnesota is rated as a three-point loser to Atlanta.

AND A FINAL NOTE… according to the Boston Globe the left field wall (known as the Green Monster) has about 164,630 small dents from batted baseballs that have hit the 37 foot 2 inch high wall. Who counts such a thing????

-Jack Polancy

Where have I been???

HELLO FOLKS. What??? Where have I been???? Vacation????? You’ve got to be kidding. I’ve been in the hospital – that’s where I’ve been. I just spent five nights and six days in the hospital… taking care of another (my second one) blockage (which can lead to death-claiming clots) and a great deal of redness plus some swelling (could be an infection, I’ve been told)… plus the insertion of a stent in one of my arteries (or veins – I’m not sure which) to try and rectify the situation. As you regular readers know I did an earlier hospital stay (three nights and four days) in late August. That was a piece of cake… even though I was tethered in the ICU at the time. This time I was in a regular room. Let me tell you… don’t ever go in the hospital on a Friday night. Why??? Simply because they don’t do anything to aid the situation during the weekend… except use inexperienced people trying to get blood out of you (you should see my arm!!!) When I objected to a fourth attempt I had to argue with the head nurse. On top of everything to a fourth attempt I had to argue with the head nurse. On top of everything else going wrong with my left leg (which, by the way, is as old as I am) I also had a severe dry cough. One that was so insistent that it kept me from sleeping (I could not breathe if I lay down). I mentioned it each day to the various doctors and nurses taking care of me and the only thing they could suggest was the use of a nebulizer (a hookah-type thing that you breathe through) every four hours. This did absolutely nothing to aid in my breathing or to stopping that cough. Anyway, I’m out of the hospital now (don’t get me started on the difficulty of being discharged)… and the only suggestion I have to any of you. If you’re in need of hospitalization… refuse to go. Simply die at home… it’s easier, believe me.

LIKE MOST OF YOU, I watched the Cleveland Browns play the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon. The 23-21 Cleveland loss was all the Browns’ own doing. When you miss two chippy field goals (that would have have cemented the victory). When you’re defense plays as lousy as the Cleveland defense was. When you commit 12 penalties that cost your team 94 yards. When you add it all up… the loss was a slap at your fans and a disgrace no matter how you look at it. The Cleveland defense surrendered 160 rushing yards to the Ravens – who were without their best runner, Ray Rice. It was a complete failure by the Browns’ defense – including the pass interference call that enabled the Ravens to kick a field goal to cut the Cleveland lead to 21-20 with around five minutes left in the game. Speaking of field goals… I don’t know if the Browns plan on getting rid of kicker Billy Cundiff, but they should at least think about it. After all, when you miss twice (okay, so one attempt was blocked) on what should have been automatic three-pointers – you deserve to be fired. Baltimore’s Justin Tucker didn’t miss. The crowd in Cleveland was listed at 67,407. It deserved better. With a better effort in their first three games the Browns could almost easily have been a 3-0 team instead of a 1-2 club. Oh well, there are still 13 league games remaining. After an open date this coming weekend Cleveland will travel to face Tennessee on October 5^th… another 1-2 team. Let’s hope the final results are better than they have been.

I MUST ADMIT, I didn’t see much of Pittsburgh’s 37-19 romp over Carolina. That’s because any game that doesn’t begin until 8:30 at night is one that I might catch the kickoff… but not much more. So, all I know about the Steelers’ somewhat easy win is what I’ve read. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a brilliant day with a 22-of-30 chart for 196 yards and two touchdowns with nary an interception. However, the Pittsburgh running game was superb with LeGarrette Blout, a five-year veteran from Oregon, piling up 118 yards on just 10 carries… and three-year ace Le’Veon Bell rambling for 114 yards on 21 trips with the football. The Steelers rushed for 264 yards Sunday night. It was a good day for Pittsburgh – the Steelers taking on a winless Tampa Bay crew (0-3) this Sunday at PNC Park. Pittsburgh should easily climb to 3-1 after that one.

THE BUFFALO BILLS did not look good in any aspect of the game as their two-game winning streak came to an abrupt end at 22-10 at the hands of somewhat surprising San Diego… also now 2-1. In fact, I did not see anything good at all to comment on for the Bills. They simply appeared to be a mediocre NFL squad just going through the motions. Next week doesn’t look better as the Buffalo squad has to travel to Houston to meet potent Texans (also 2-1). I don’t have too much hope for this year’s Bills team. Still, I could be wrong. We’ll see…

THERE ARE ONLY three unbeaten teams remaining in the NFL… Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Arizona. Well, Cincinnati and Arizona are off this coming week while the Eagles travel to San Francisco. I look for Philadelphia to be 4-0 after that one. But, remember folks, I’m wrong more times than I’m right. So, beware…

HEY, DIDN’T MY PENN STATE eleven look good in whipping Massachusetts 48-7 Saturday afternoon? The only thing is… it took them a full quarter to get it going. The Nittany Lions, a 27-point favorite, had all it could handle during the first period – managing a mere 6-0 lead on two Sam Ficken field goals. Ah, but things changed drastically during those second 12 minutes. Second-year Quarterback Christian Hackenberg – who couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn in the beginning – suddenly became a deadeye hurler and the running game took off as well. That 6-0 score blossomed to a 43-0 bulge at intermission. But the Minutemen are not Big Ten caliber… so you really can’t measure what the Nittany might do the rest of the way. However, enjoy the moment. And, at this moment Penn State is listed 27^th in both the AP Poll and the Amway Poll. Next week comes the Homecoming affair… with Northwestern the visitor. See me after this one… okay???

I DON’T AGREE WITH the pollsters that keep Florida State as the No. 1 college team. The Seminoles had all (and sometimes more) than they could handle with an underdog Clemson outfit Saturday night before they squeezed out a 23-17 overtime triumph. My top choice right now would be either Oregon or Alabama – both squads at 4-0. Probably leaning more towards ‘Bama than Oregon. Also, Oklahoma (4-0) is looking good. It’s going to be a good year to start the new four-team college playoff system.

HOW ABOUT THOSE Pittsburgh Pirates!!!! The Bucs, after staggering around a bit lately, seem to have caught playoff fever and are now (this on Monday, September 22^nd) only three wins away from clinching that spot.

AND A FINAL NOTE… there is a lot of talk about who will be the starting shortstop in place of the retiring Derek Jeter for the Yankees next spring. Hey, how about a guy who has played 1,272 major league games at that position. Someone named Alex Rodriquez…

-Jack Polancy

Already a Big Game in the NFL

HUH? ALREADY A BIG GAME IN THE NFL. Yep, that’s right. Tonight (Thursday, September 11^th) the Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to Baltimore to meet the suddenly mediocre Ravens. If you remember, Baltimore was considered as one of the front runners in the AFC North. In fact, more than one pro pre-season publication tagged the Ravens as the top team in the division. Then came the start of the campaign and with the now former standout running back Ray Rice on the sidelines because of a two-game suspension the Ravens couldn’t do anything with the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener. The Ravens fell behind15-0 at halftime and never recovered – losing 23-16. The Steelers waltzed to a 27-3 halftime lead over Cleveland int heir opener – they fell apart as the Browns rallied for a 27-27 jam. The Pittsburgh team managed to hold off the Cleveland bunch the rest of the way – then won it 37-27 on a last second long field goal. Which brings us to Thursday night and the 8:25 p.m. Battle between the Steelers and Ravens – in only the SECOND WEEK OF THE SEASON!!! Will a better defensive team show up for the Steelers than came out to play Cleveland? Will Ravens suddenly find an offense to give Pittsburgh problems?
Rice, as all of you must know by now, has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL for “domestic abuse.” Thus, the Ravens ground attack managed only 91 yards against the Bengals. The Steelers defense surrendered 389 yards to the Browns. The oddsmakers – the guys who should really know – have listed the Ravens as an early 2 ½ point favorite. I don’t agree with that. However, I’m not the one betting anything. So, take care how and where you spend your wagering buck… okay????

SO, THE NCAA HAS lifted the four-year post-season ban on the Penn State football program. No kidding… The NCAA should never have placed that ban to start with. The organization – that bullies colleges – penalized kids that had nothing to do whatsoever with the Jerry Sandusky scandal. It was a stretch that should have been challenged in the courts. As you can tell, I am not a fan of the NCAA. It has usually done more to harm various programs rather than help them overcome their problems. And, one of these days, I fully expect the NCAA to restore Joe Paterno’s won-lost record (the 111 victories the NCAA took away)… as this was another example of doing what had little to do with the labeled “sex scandal.”

GOOD LUCK to JOHN ROMESBURG on his retirement. I was a regular customer at John’s Peach Street gas station for man years. His group always did a fantastic job.

BY THE WAY, Jeremiah Wright has nothing to say to me. ‘Nuff said.

NO MATTER HOW you look at it… it’s about time to start thinking of this weekend’s college football games. Naturally, my first interest is in Penn State. The Nittany Lions, 2-0 after a pair of very uneven starts, takes on an equally unbeaten Rutgers team… the Scarlett Knights also at 2-0. Rutgers was impressive enough in its first two wins to be listed “among others receiving votes” in at least one poll. The Sagarin Football Ratings have Penn State in 31^st place while Rutgers is listed at No. 106. The Lions in these ratings are listed as a 16-point choice over the Scarlet Knights. However, the gamblers (who really count more) say PSU is only a 3 ½ point pick. This is Rutgers first Big ten start… thus might be a bit nervous.

WONDER IS FLORIDA is really interested in playing Kentucky this weekend. That’s because the Gators picked up $1.8 million bucks from an insurance company when adverse weather conditions dictated a cancellation of last week’s meeting with Eastern Michigan. I didn’t know that some colleges had their games insured like this… did you???

NO. 1 RANKED FLORIDA STATE has a bye this weekend. By the way, the Seminoles may be ranked as a kingpin in the AP Poll and in the Amway Poll as well…. but according to the Sagarin Football Poll (in the USA TODAY publication) they are only 17^th best in the nation. Sagarin has Oregon ass its top choice. The Ducks, meanwhile, will entertain Wyoming – Oregon a whopping 43-point pick by the oddsmakers. Alabama, ranked third, is rated 48 points better than Southern Mississippi while No. 4 Oklahoma is expected to hammer unbeaten Tennessee (2-0) by at least 21 counters. Isn’t there any close games on the college slate this weekend? Well, yes there is. Georgia (1-0) is favored by only six when it travels to South Carolina (1-1). Sagarin says that Georgia is the second best college team in the nation with South Carolina only No. 36. By the same token the Bulldogs are rated 18 points better than the Gamecocks in that same poll.

AND, WHAT ABOUT the other team (other than Penn State) that we all have a rooting interest in… the Pitt Panthers. Well, the Growlers will head south this weekend to tangle with Florida International. The Panthers – with McDowell’s James Conners running a bit wild – have registered two straight wins to open the campaign… but find themselves listed no higher than No. 40 on the Sagarin Poll. Florida International University – also known as the Goldon Panthers (as opposed to Pitt’s plain Panthers) – has hung up a 1-1 mark thus far and is ranked only No. 137 on the Sagarin. The gamblers say Pitt will roll by 26 points while the Sagarin has it a 19 point difference. The Golden Panthers were 1-11 a year ago. Pitt’s real problems don’t start until October 16^th – that’s when the plain Panthers will tangle with Virginia Tech… the Hokies already an upset winner over Ohio State. I look for Pitt, a 7-6 team back in 2013, to end at perhaps 8-4 (maybe even 9-3) this year.

BOY, AM I EVER out of the loop when it comes to these new iPhones. I don’t understand why I should spend four or five hundred dollars for a phone system that I don’t even hint at understanding. My cell phone is Consumer Cellular… and I don’t even understand that one. I guess when you reach the 80’s… most of this just goes over your head. I know it goes over mine.

WHY ALL THE FUROR over NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s “bungling” in the Ray Rice case? I don’t think he “bungled” at all. After all, the woman in question actually went after Rice in that elevator struggle. Look at it closely and that’s what you’ll see. I feel that a year’s suspense is what everything is worth. However, once the media gets a hold of something, it doesn’t like to let go until it has rung every bit of whatever out of it. That’s what is going on right now. Leave the commissioner alone. He is (and has been) doing an outstanding job in everything that goes on in the NFL.

AND A FINAL NOTE… I’m pleased that the Pittsburgh Pirates seem to have righted their post-season playoff ship. Can’t say the same for the Cleveland Indians… nor the New York Yankees.

AND A SECOND FINAL NOTE… the most interesting contest in the weekend’s NFL affair is the Miami at Buffalo affair. Are the Bills as good as they looked a week ago? Even the odds-makers don’t know… listing this as a “pick ’em” game in the early odds.

-Jack Polancy

What a blast these last three weeks have been

WOW!!! WHAT A BLAST these last three weeks have been. First there was the completely unexpected surgery on my left leg for a severe blood clot, then there was a week of trying to recuperate, then came a four-day vacation trip to the smokey mountains long before I was ready to take any kind of trip anywhere. That trip – via Anderson Coach and Travel – is what I’m going to begin this piece with.

I probably should have stayed home. But, since I had signed up for this venture back in January – I decided to take a shot at it. That decision was somewhat a mistake. Any person who just got out of the hospital should not be traveling over 1,300 miles in four days – unable to sit with your leg in the air as you were supposed to. But I did it because it was Anderson’s 77^th anniversary bash (it was called a “Birthday Bash”) – going to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is wall-to-wall tourism. However, there are also a lot of shows. We (this includes my new significant other, Betty) saw six shows… everyone of them outstanding. The Dixie Stampede (which is sponsored by Dolly Parton) was Betty’s favorite, mine was with the Smith Family Show – certainly one that everyone going to Pigeon Forge should witness. I enjoyed the six shows immensely. It was my kind of music and the action was non-stop. I did not care for the system that was used in seating us. However, when you have a total of nine buses (and approximately 500 people), I guess there is no satisfying way to seat them. Anderson Coach and Travel has been around for 77 years. The outfit takes a lot of people to a lot of places each year. In fact, they carry approximately 425,000 passengers (customers) a year. Their tour directors are quite different efficient. Ours – named Marie – got a bit peeved with me because I became somewhat impatient on a couple of occasions. Anderson motorcoaches, by the way, travel a combined 4,280,000 miles each year. So, I imagine the tour directors must get used to “impatient” customers at times. Oh, and if you’re interested in long trips, Anderson’s longest venture is “Alaska by Land” – something that lasts 28 days and is operated every four years. No, I did not sign up for that one. In all fairness, I do enjoy going with the company. I have been doing it now for five years. I imagine I’ll be signing up for a new trip (I’ve been on four already this year) soon… but I’ll make sure I am in proper physical condition this time. Still, it was an excellent vacation… and, the Smokey Mountains are breath-taking.

OKAY, OKAY… enough about my traveling woes. Let’s take a look at the important things – like what happened over the weekend in college football. Whatever happened to Ohio State… to Michigan State… to Penn State????? Penn State is the team I’m most concerned about, let’s look at the Nittany Lions first. PSU scored a 21-3 win over Akron… a victory in which the Lions struggled most of the time. There was no running game to speak of despite the 106 yards rushing listed in final state. And the passing game, which started out very good but staggered in the middle going before regaining some progress in the final minutes, ended up with a decent 319 yards and all three touchdowns. The Lions, on the plus side, did overcome three turnovers that hurt them throughout the going. Penn State was ahead only by a slim 7-3 count with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter when sophomore QB Christian Hackenberg connected with Eugene Lewis for 28 yards and a first down deep in Akron territory. Two plays later Hackenberg, regaining his early throwing abilities, tossed a 13-yard TD aerial to Jesse James for a 14-3 edge. The Penn State defense did what they could do the rest of the way. The win was enough to propel the Nittany Lions to a spot of the AP rankings poll. Michigan wasn’t as fortunate as the Wolverines fell out of the AP rankings altogether after they had been manhandled and blanked by a Notre Dame squad 31-0. I didn’t think Notre Dame was THAT good this year. Or could it be that Michigan is simply that bad. Whatever, the Irish are now ranked No. 11 in the two football poles listed. Notre Dame tangles with Purdue this coming Saturday in a game being played in Indianapolis. The Irish are 12-1 in neutral sites since 2000. I don’t have any idea of what happened to Ohio State. The Buckeyes were ranked as high as third in most polls, but fell in front of unranked Virginia Tech 35-21. The worst part was that a record crowd of 107,517 witnessed the debacle at Ohio Stadium. I guess the pre-season loss of senior quarterback Braxton Miller was more than was expected. OSU faces Kent State this Saturday… and should breeze.
As for Michigan State… who knows what took place Saturday. The Spartans actually left the fast-moving Ducks in the second half… then Oregon is now second in the AP Poll… while the Spartans skidded to 13^th spot. Michigan State takes a week off this Saturday – to repair its wounds I suppose. The game that was the most surprising (at least to me) was Nebraska’s 31-24 win over complete underdog McNeese State. I watched a lot of this contest and the Cowboys shocked everyone when they forced a 24-24 tie with the Cornhuskers. But then Nebraska, ranked No. 19 before the game, managed to shake loose from the underdog visitors when someone named Ameer Abdullah turned a six yard completion into an almost impossible 58 yard touchdown pass with just 20 seconds remaining to pull out the triumph. The Huskers, however, dropped to 21^st in the poll. Finally… the best (most competitive) game I saw Saturday was the Southern Cal versus Standford affair. It was a see-saw battle all the way and wasn’t decided until Andre Heidart kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal to give the Trojans a 13-10 win. The triumph put Southern Cal in No. 9 spot in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the Amway selection. USC will be heard from before this season is complete. Oh, I can’t forget Pitt. Not with McDowell’s James Conner running the way he has been. Conner ran for 214 yards in leading the Panthers to a 30-20 win over a good Boston College squad. Pitt, now 2-0, takes on Florida International this Saturday. The Panthers are in the “Others receiving votes” on both pulls.

THEN THERE is a NFL. And, of course, the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. Oh, I know the Steelers won 3-27 on Shaun Suisham 41-yard field goal as the game ended. But, what happened to the Pittsburgh defense – this is what most local fans want to know. After all, the Steelers had a wide 27-3 half time lead over the Browns… and could hold it. The Browns, behind inexperienced quarterback Brian Hoyer, rallied to force a 27-27 tie with 11:15 remaining to be played. The fact that Cleveland ran out of steam in the final going is mute. The Steelers are simply going to have to improve their defensive structure or other teams – those that are better than the Browns – will have a field day with improbable rallies.

CHEERS FOR THE Buffalo Bills. That 23-20 overtime win over the Chicago Bears could be the start of something quite unexpected. The Bills are at Carolina (1-0) this weekend.

AND A FINAL NOTE… Don’t look for the New York Yankees in the post-season playoffs this year. They’re not going to make it.

-Jack Polancy