First off, let me say that "BLEEP"ing the word B-eav-er is ridiculous.  I'd imagine that the Wash St. folks can't be real happy about it either.  Fox is taking being PC a bit far....but that's hardly suprising from them.

OK, now for the gist of this blog.

I went to the Penn State v Iowa game this past Saturday, with the good guys winning by a score of 27-7.  And it really wasn't that close.   It was an unseasonably hot outside...90 degrees and sticky...more like mid-August than early October.

Before the game, while I was searching for a cheap ticket(I haven't paid face for a ticket this century...), I had the pleasure to speak to quite a few folks who made the trip from Iowa.  To a person, they all agreed that the trip to Penn State was the best road trip they ever made.  The beautiful setting, the great weather, the fun tailgate parties, and the warm hospitality of Penn State fans, and the stadium itself were all mentioned as why this was their best road trip.  That made me feel proud of my peeps.  The Iowa folks were bombarded with invites to surrounding tailgates and free adult beverages.  One older couple even went as far os to offer a visiting family use of their extra bedrooms that night(I heard the fellow say that there was no use "wasting good money on a motel when you can stay with us).  I dunno if they took 'em up on it...but I was amazed that the offer was even extended.  All the Iowa people that I talked to said that they will definately come back again sometime.  I asked them if the people were treating them alright, and the responses were all positive.  In fact, one guy said, "We sure aren't in Ohio or Michigan!"

I have been to almost every Big 10 stadium(Sorry Minnesota...maybe some day), and I can pretty much return the compliments to the other Big 10 schools.  With two exceptions.  Michigan and Ohio State.  Nothing wrong with the settings or stadiums...it's the people that made it so unpleasant.  My dictionary wasn't made with enough negative adjectives to apply to those fans.  I'm sure that there are a lot of really nice, cool people that go to those games.  But I didn't meet any of them during my trips to Ann Arbor or Columbus.  In fact, how I kept my cool and didn't put someone in the hospital still amazes me.

We had food and beverages thrown at us in a Columbus eatery called "The Varsity Club" or something like that.  The owner not only refused to do anything about it...he kicked us out!  He got a standing ovation for this...even though we hadn't said a word to anyone but our waitress the entire 20 minutes we spent inside the establishment.  We were threatened with bodily harm several times at the Horseshoe.  The best comment made towards us was..."Win or lose, you are going back to Pennsylvania in a body bag tonight ***holes."  I was tossing a Penn State football with my son outside The Big House.  A Michigan fan asked my son to toss the ball to him.  My at-the-time 7 year old son hit him with a strike...and the guy said, "You throw like a ####.  Why don't you grow a #### little girl!"  He then dropped the ball on the ground and urinated on it.  His buddies stood around and laughed.  There were thousands of people around...and not one person said a word about it.  When I found a cop, all he said was, "Yeah, and what do you want me to do about it?" as he turned and walked away from me. 

I'm sure that we have our share of idiots and drunken #### in Happy Valley.  But let me assure all you college football fans, Penn State fans will not tolerate such things happening outside our stadium.  We look at visiting fans as guests, and we treat them with respect.  As far as I'm concerned, if you just travelled a thousand miles to watch your team play, then you are a true fan.  And that deserves some respect.  And if I saw something like what happened to me and my son at Michigan, happening in Happy Valley...I would most assuredly speak up and try to put a stop to it.  I highly doubt that I would be alone.

So I invite any and all college football fans to come to a game at B-eav-er Stadium...even if your team isn't playing.  It's a gameday experience that you will enjoy for many years after it's over.  And the most important thing about your trip....it's not Ohio State or Michigan.  Penn Staters have some integrity and class.  If you do decide to make the trip to Happy Valley, let me know, and I'll try to either hook up with you pre-game, or at least give you some good recommendations for food and lodging in the area.