In some ways, it was like God took Paterno out of his misery by taking him from us.  I cannot imagine Paterno was a very happy man after being fired in November.  Coaching at Penn St. was his life, his passion. He didn’t really have any other interests. Golf, hunting, fishing were not things Joe Pa did like many coaches.  His whole life was about football and coaching young men to become better players and better people. Suddenly that passion of his life was taken from him. Whether it was fair or not can be debated.  But you have to admit that it was a very sad way for a great career to end.

As a sports fan, two words come to mind when I think of Paterno, old school. He was about as old schooled as any coach in the land. Those jerseys of his teams have been the same for the last 60 years!! Nothing fancy or flashy about his program.  Those jerseys pretty much symbolized who Paterno was.  Someone who probably went to the Dairy Queen and always bought a vanilla ice cream cone. But that plain nature did produce results with Joe Pa having the most wins of any coach in major college football. He knew how to win and for the most part ran a very good program.

This fall, a new coach will take the field for Penn St. and a new era will begin. But it will just not be the same without that skinny old guy on the sidelines with the funny glasses and ankle high flood pants. He will be missed by all of college football. Sure there will be a black mark on his legacy but he has done so many positive things for college football and Penn State.  I believe over time,  those positive things will far overshadow the scandal and his legacy will be one of a program that produced good results and fine young men.

While Tebow has many fans including myself, he has a number of critics too.  There are a good many Jesus haters in this country who simply cannot stand seeing a Christian athlete express his faith on the playing field and during interviews.  Apparently to these people, it is not cool to express your faith on your sleeve. Many of these same people would rather see some knucklehead player swear and boast about how good he is and why he deserves more fame. Other people are not offended by his religion, but by the fact that he gets more publicly than he deserves. It is a very debatable point.

Personally, I think Tebow is a slightly better than average quarterback as far as just skills goes.  He will get a lot better in the coming years with his mechanics and decision-making on the field. I mean the guy is just a rookie for crying out loud! His ability to run with the ball could revolutionize the quarterback position. But the intangibles that he brings to the field, the confidence and will to win are attributes that could make him a great one in a few years.

In this day and age of athletes behaving badly and getting all a lot of attention, Tebow is a huge breath of fresh air in the world of sports. He certainly is a person that many young athletes can look up to.  He may not win every football game but in the game of life, he is always a winner.

1. Presidential election.  Hard to believe that it was just 4 years ago when a glitzy politician named Barack Obama became the first African-American president of this country. Now 4 years later,  he faces a very difficult re-election campaign and I believe it will be a huge upset if he gets elected again. I didn’t vote for him back then and certainly will not this time either.  The candidates for the Republican field are have issues too but I feel Mitt Romney will get the party’s nomination and eventually beat Obama in November. It will be hard for Obama to get re-elected with his record and total lack of leadership.

2. The economy.  There are certainly signs out there that the economy is getting better, however, it is progressing at a snail’s pace.  Those dropping unemployment numbers are somewhat encouraging  but the number of foreclosures are not and the housing situation remains a big issue. I believe the economy will pretty much stay the same for the next year. I can’t see the unemployment rate really changing much at all.  There is way too much uncertainty out there in the business world both domestically and world-wide for companies to start hiring people.  Employers are being cautious and rightly should be.

3. The Super Bowl.  Probably the most difficult thing to pick in pro sports is the Super Bowl champ. The last 3 champs basically came out of nowhere and won the title.  This year, I believe it will be the New Orleans Saints.  After beating the Green Bay Packers in an epic overtime battle in the NFC title game, the Saints will defeat the Baltimore Ravens for the title. They are the hottest team in football right now.

4. Lebron finally gets his ring.  There have been stories about Lebron James getting engaged during the past week. But come June,  Lebron and the Miami Heat will win the NBA title over the San Antonio Spurs and LBJ will finally get what  should be the first of a few NBA championship rings.

5. The weather.  Last October, several brilliant long-range forecasters predicated a harsh winter for us folks in Minnesota. Funny but during Christmas, I had thoughts of getting in some winter time golf . Florida you ask? No right here in Minnesota!! It has been a strange weather year but I will go out on a limb and say we will get above average snow in March and umm, do I dare say, April?  I’m no weather guy but things always seem to balance out every year.

6. Gas prices.  Gas prices have dropped quite a bit during the past year. The other day, I filled up at $3.19 a gallon.  I’m probably paying about 50 dollars per month less than last summer. Now that is a real stimulus! Will it last? I doubt it.  I can see sometime in the this year when conflicts errupts in the middle east and gas goes up to $4.50 a gallon. Of course it will probably happen in July when many others and myself do a lot of traveling.

Some people feel that it is the easy way out to give a gift card to someone but I totally disagree.  Unless the person I am buying a gift for is specific, I will just give them a gift card or maybe money as a gift. Now that person has so many more options. He or she may walk into that store with the gift card and find something that they really, really need.  For example, I hate when people buy me clothing items. I’m very picky in what I want especially the color. A gift card from a clothing store will really help me in that respect. By the way, for those women out there, buying clothes for men is not always the best idea. Let the guy pick out what he wants!

My main goal when buying a gift for someone is to make them as happy as possible.  I would rather give than receive. Giving a nice gift to someone and seeing the happiness on their face really makes my day.  Sometimes a small little piece of plastic can do the same trick for those hard to buy for people. Like myself!! There is nothing wrong with buying someone a gift card for Christmas. They will probably love it and you will not have to deal with the anxiety of figuring out what to buy.  And you will have not have to deal with all that wrapping.

1. Snow-  Yes, that is right, snow! I know many people experience a snow free Christmas and it just doesn’t seem right.   To me, snow adds a lot of luster to any Christmas much like many decorations do.  Having  light snow fall on Christmas eve can really be a thing of beauty.

2. Music-  As much as I completely hate many Christmas songs, there are several that I really enjoy hearing. There might not be a thing that puts me more in the mood than hearing a great old-time classic Christmas song.

3. Movies- It is kind of my thing to watch at least one Christmas movie and sometimes several in the days leading up to Christmas. One of my favorites is “Home Alone”.

4. Malls-  I know many folks avoid the malls at this time of the year like it is some kind of plague but seriously, attending a mall can really get my spirits up and besides the music, it is the second most important factor for putting me in the mood. For example, I enjoy going to the Mall of America and observing all the nice decorations and huge Christmas trees in the main rotunda area. The spirit is definitely in the air at that place and several malls around here.

5.  My neighbor’s decorations- I’m not really into putting up a lot of decorations and lights but some of my neighbors are. It is a really sweet to look out my living room window and see all the beautiful lights at night. I just wish they would take them down before February 1st!!

Maybe you are in the same non- Christmas mood that I was in. Perhaps you just need to sit back, relax and reflect on the many great things that this time of the year has to offer.  It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year.

As a big fan of the NFL, I am somewhat puzzled by this win streak of the Packers. Sure they are a very good team and by far, the best team in the NFL but I would not classify them as a dominating, unbeatable team. It is hard to believe that they have won that many in a row.  Aaron Rodgers is having an unbelievable season and if you’re a fantasy football player and have him as your qb, well you are sitting pretty good my friend!  He has so many weapons to throw the ball to.  Concentrate on stopping a Greg Jennings and one of three other receivers can burn you.  It is one of the most balanced passing attacks I have ever seen at any level in football.

Having said those things,  the Packers have some weaknesses on both offense and defense.  I think their run game is very average at best.  Of course when you have that kind of a passing game, why run the ball anyways? But there will come a time, probably in the playoffs, when the Packers will be forced to run the ball.  Can the Packers make that adjustment?  Who knows.  But having a good balanced attack is usually critical in winning big games.

I am not overly impressed with their defense either. They give up many yards and are ranked near the bottom of the league in total defense. However, what makes their defense so unique is their ability to force turnovers. As great as the offense is for the Packers, their ability to force turnovers and convert those turnovers into points separate the Packers from the rest of the teams in the league. That in itself  explains  why they are so tough to beat.

Another huge factor in their success is the coaching staff which is among  the best in the NFL. Their ability to make adjustments during a game is outstanding.  I don’t think they get enough credit for the job they do.

I know a lot of people will think I am crazy but it would not be a bad thing for the Packers to lose a game before the playoffs begin. Being undefeated and heading into the playoffs will put a lot of pressure on the team.  The playoffs always have a lot of upsets and some team would just love to be known as the team that stopped the streak, especially if it came in the playoffs at Lambeau field or in the Superbowl. But are there any teams out there who can do that? I honestly don’t believe so.  I don’t see any team in either conference who can beat the Packers. But then again, this is the NFL and anything can happen on any given day.  The team is due to slip up sooner or later. Will it come as a crushing blow in the playoffs? Hopefully for Packer fans, it will come during the remaining weeks of the regular season.

1. Anthony Weiner-  Not only is this guy a turkey, he is an idiot. Sending out links with pictures of your private parts is rather foolish especially when you are a politician.  And we elect idiots like that? That is rather scary!!

2. Vince Young- Why Vince Young was being considered you ask? Do you remember that comment  he made about the Eagles being a dream team last summer? The last time I checked, the Beagles are 3-6 and it would take a miracle for them to make the playoffs. Yea, some dream team!!!

3. Kim Kardashian- Dear Kim, maybe your next husband will last 90 days before you dump him!

4. The runner-up.  The Occupy Wall Street protesters- I don’t have a problem with people protesting and expressing their views, hey it’s the American way but these people just need to go away and shut up please!! We get that you are part of the 99 percent but if you don’t like capitalism, just move out of the country and get lost.  And what is up with the violence? This group has no clear direction and are just wasting taxpayers money with their occupation.

And the big winner for 2011 goes to the NBA player’s union and owners for the continued lockout and possible cancellation of the season. So many problems in society is attributed to greed and this is a prime example. The NBA was a booming business last season and interest in the league was at levels never seen before. Now a bunch of millionaire and billionaire people can’t figure out how to share a certain amount revenue or change the systems because they are just concerned about their own well-being and not the total picture.

But wait, there is some controversy, Billy Hunter, the president of the player’s union just called me and does not want to split the prize with the owners. He wants a 53 percent share of the prize. So the award will have to go to ligation before I hand out the award.

Honorable mention goes out to Rick Perry, Jerry Sandusky (a huge favorite for next year’s award), Jim Tressel, Steve Williams and Charlie Sheen

As a I wrote in my last blog, just hours before Paterno was fired, it is sad that a coach of his caliber has to be involved in this type of scandal. He ran a good program for so many years and certainly is one of the all time top icons in the sport. Seeing him get fired over this is painful to see but it had to be done. I strongly believe that Paterno knew what was going on and did not act strongly enough.  For instance, after the allegation by the graduate assistant in 2002,  the assistant coach, who being accused of the child abuse, was still allowed to have access to the locker room. Why was there not a red flag on this man after the allegations? Paterno should have banned him from any access to the locker room and any facility until a complete investigation took place. And certainly a phone call to the police should have been made. If I was in Paterno’s shoes, that is the least, I would have done. Those allegations are very serious and Paterno should have acted more swiftly.  After this alleged incident of the child in the shower, the assistant coach was accused of other acts of child abuse.  A prompt phone call to the police could have prevented further damage.

While I feel bad for Paterno, I feel much worse for the children involved in this scandal. Not enough is said about the real victims in this case. Child abuse a serious problem in this country and this just another example of it happening in a high-profile setting, similar to what happened with the Catholic church sex abuse scandal.

Passing the responsible of reporting this crime on to someone else is not morally right. You have a responsibility of reporting any crime you see to the police. But unfortunately, Paterno failed to do this and it costed him his job. Not exactly the way he wanted to go out but he should have done more in a very serious situation.

I have never really been a huge fan of Joe Pa but I admire his passion for coaching and his no-nonsense style.  This guy was as old school as you can get. I have often wondered if he even owns a cell phone for crying out loud!! He probably doesn’t have a clue as to what an iPhone is.  But Paterno knew how to coach and it was his life. I will never forget the interview he did with a reporter a few years ago.  He told the reporter that coaching football was his life. He didn’t want to retire. He had no hobbies like a lot of coaches who ride off into the sunset have. No fishing, no golf, no playing around with the garden. It was football period. Now it is all taken away after a scandal.

I don’t know all the details about this scandal and nobody really does at this point. More info will come out but I believe Paterno’s loyalty toward a long time friend may have led to his downfall. Did he do enough for allegedly knowing what was taking place.  I don’t know for sure. But sometimes a long time loyal bond with a friend can come back to haunt a person when honesty is needed the most. If he did know what was going on and tried to coverup his assistant’s crimes, then his legacy will be tarnished greatly. But how much he knew and the whole story behind is still to be determined. In the meantime, let the story play out and the facts come out before we condemn Mr. Paterno.

First of all, when I think of Halloween, I think of all those little trick or treaters running around and begging people for candy. Most of those little kids are in school for the day and with the excitement of going trick or treating at night on their mind, the level of concentration at school must be near zero. I know because I remember what it was like to sit in school and being all excited about Halloween and all that delicious candy that I was about to pick up.

But probably the main reason for the switch is for the adults. Having to run home from work and take the kids trick or treating must be a real hassle for the parents. Along with the other duties a parent must do at night like cook dinner, get the kids ready for bed and dealing with homework. Now imagine how different it would be if Halloween were on a Saturday night. Chances are that this would give the parents more time and even the kids could have more fun during the day and maybe have a little costume party before going out trick or treating.

And the local businesses and bars could have special events to celebrate the day. People are more in the mood to celebrate and have fun when a holiday falls on a weekend and a day off for many.  The only issue with this is having more drunk drivers on the road while kids are trick or treating.  This certainly would be a concern if the date were permanently changed to a weekend.

But overall, i think it would be a great change for both kids and adults. Imagine the fun and excitement of having Halloween fall on a Saturday every year.  I certainly believe this would add more luster to the holiday.