Talbot Deserves Cheers, Not Jeers From Penguin Fans

With the Philadelphia Flyers making their first trip to Pittsburgh this season, fans still remember that day in late June when fan favorite Maxime Talbot signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. While his departure from the Penguins was imminent, the idea that Talbot would sign with the cross-state rival Flyers had some questioning how he could do such a thing.

While it will pain many to see Talbot in orange and black at Consol Energy Center tomorrow night, there are a few reasons why fans should applaud him for what he did while he was a member of the Penguins.

His overall representation as a fan favorite. It's enough for people to point to Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin as their favorite player, but for others, Talbot stood out. I have always acknowledged that NHL players are some of the best athletes when it comes to fan relations. Talbot was a perfect example of that representation. A character in his own without trying to draw all the attention to himself. I said that Philadelphia was lucky to be getting a guy like Talbot. Who could forget his A&L Car Motor Sales commercials that had him getting "Superstar Treatment?" I can also say that my family adopted him as our favorite. His "Ice Time" program covers are still on the refrigerator. 

Another reason would be the on ice contributions that Talbot brought to the Penguins. Talbot was a great defensive forward and unsung hero in his time in Pittsburgh.

Wind the clock back to April 25, 2009. The Penguins are in a series clinching situation against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Flyers go up 3-0, and Tablot and Carcillo drop the gloves. While not a victory for Talbot, it was the spark the Penguins needed to come back and win the game 5-3. Go to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The story of how an unexpected player will rise and lead his team to victory in the deciding game. In that Stanley Cup clinching 2-1 victory, Talbot had both goals.

So for those of you who feel that these reasons still don't take away from the fact that he did take a contract with the Flyers, look at it this way. Talbot, unlike Jagr, who is expecting and will be booed by the Penguins crowd for the first time since May 4, 2008, is a young player who is still has a long career ahead of him. Talbot is 27, and wanted a long term contract from the Penguins, who didn't offer him one, and the Flyers did. He also left on better terms than Jagr did.

So if you are a Penguin fan and are going to the game tomorrow night, show your appreciation for Max Tablot. There is a lot more to him than the color of the jersey he wears. FYI: He's #27 now.

Who Is in Charge at Penn State?

The scandal at Penn State has many people not just looking at the former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in this case, but at the Penn State administration as a whole. The term “chain of command” is a term used when trying to determine who is to blame for the lack of reporting the incidents involving Sandusky. When you look closer, you see how one activity at Penn State causes unbalance in the administration.   

The chain of command seems to break when dealing with Penn State football. While at most colleges, the AD has authority over the entire department. At Penn State, it would seem Paterno had more than most in his position.

When most people think of Penn State, they think two things. Joe Paterno, and football. There is no doubt that football is a power that can dictate many universities across the country. For Penn State, it has identified the college. Its value backs up the argument, as the football program is worth $99 million, the third highest in college football.

Paterno has the most wins of any Division I-A coach and two national championships. He has been a part of the coaching staff since 1950 and head coach since 1966. For any school, 46 years is a long time for one man to coach any team.

Paterno’s influence has gone beyond football. He has become a beloved “grandfather figure” amongst student and alumni, and has even donated money for the library and spiritual center, two other things that make him more of a hero in the eyes of Penn Staters. With that, Paterno has always given some the thought that he is above everyone else. A man who has been more of a figurehead than a coach over the past decade. Of course it may be we as fans that put coaches like Paterno on such a high pedestal.

Based on how the grand jury report described the incident, it seems obvious that there was no reporting to police by no one about the 2002 incident and even the 1998 incident seen by a custodian at Penn State. It makes you wonder just how important football is to the university. Maybe too much?

While we are just at the beginning of this investigation, some feel that a cover-up has happened. Whether it was the administration protecting Paterno and the football program, or the police are keeping something under wraps, the power structure at Penn State is unstable. With former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who used to investigate the mafia, now heading the investigation into Penn State, it seems fitting for the somewhat “mob mentality” in State College. If anything, Penn State keeping quiet about this only hurt itself in the process. Cleaning out the entire current administration is the best move to make. Now that Joe Pa is no longer coach, it’s time to reconstruct the chain of command at Penn State, with football not influencing most of the activity in the administration.