Monday Moaning Part Two

Well before I get to how the NCAA came down on Penn State, I have to get to this...It was announced this afternoon/evening that my New York Rangers, finally got a deal done with the Columbus Bluejackets, for star winger, 28 year old, Rick Nash...Even better, is what the Rangers gave up for Nash...The Rangers sent forwards Brandon Dubinsky, Aretm Anisimov, and defenseman Tim Erixon, along with a 2013 first-round draft pick...Besides getting Nash, who has 6 seasons left on his contract, the Rangers get defenseman Steve Delisle, and a conditional 2013 third-round draft pick...

Dubinsky was one of the key guys in the locker room, and while his offensive numbers dipped last season, his toughness, willingness to drop the gloves, and defensive play were very important to the Rangers success...His contract size pretty much made him expendable...Columbus fans will love him, on and off the ice, just as they did Nash...Anisimov is a good player, but hasn't yet reached his full potential...Erixon had a cup of coffee in the NHL last year, and should make the Jackets roster this season...Lots of upside in his game...

As the talks have gone on for months, names like Kreider, Stepan, and Del Zotto kept coming up...No way did I want the Rangers to move Kreider and Stepan...As much as IO love Nash, I didn't want to lose those guys...DZ okay, but those other two kids, give the team so much extra jump...Stepan has already shown the ability to be an excellent two-way player, and the spark Kreider gave the team in the playoffs, made it clear that this kid is one of the key building blocks...

Adding Nash's offensive skills is huge, especially since Marian Gaborik will be out for the beginning of the season recovering from a shoulder injury...Nash's work ethic, and professionalism will fit right in with the Rangers and what coach John Tortorella has been doing there...I'm very happy with deal!

Now, to the way the NCAA dropped the hammer on Penn State...$60 million fine...Yes!
4 year ban on PSU going to a bowl game...Yes
4 year ban on conference championship and national championship eligibility...Yes!
Loss of 40 scholarships over 4 years...Yes
All wins from 1998-2011, stripped...Yes/Wow!
I have to say, stripping the wins, shocked me...

It's rumored that PSU had this option, or to have a 2 year "Death Penalty"...Shutting down the program for two year...I have to say, this may actually do about the same kind of damage to the "Death Penalty"...Losing 40 scholarships, and the 4 year bans, just kills recruiting for at least 3 years...And yes, there are still PSU alums, and fans, and students bitching and moaning about this...And yes, the Paterno family is holding firmly to their belief that Joe Paterno was a mother fucking saint...He wasn't...I'm sorry you were fooled...We all were...Even people like me, who aren't Penn State fans, we all respected Paterno as a coach...He seemed like a no-nonsense guy...He disciplined his players fairly, and harsher then most coaches did...Sadly he didn't do the same when it came to his coaches...

This was a strong statement by the NCAA...All programs have been put on notice, that this shit can't go on...But now that the NCAA has taken, a moral and social stand, they need to live up to it...There are plenty of other wrong doings that have and will go on...They need to continue to be firm if they want to change the "Football first culture" that NCAA President Mark Emmert spoke of...

That's it for now...

Later, The Beeze.