The Ups and Downs . . .

Being a Penn State fan has its ups and downs . . . especially during the past 5 or 6 years. No one outside of the fan base gave the Lions much of a chance to go more than a 7-4 season in regular play this year . . . and it looks like that is the destiny of the squad for 2006. The loyalist have come to expect excellence and have a tough time dealing with losing seasons and less-than-stellar performances . . . and while I'm in that camp, I remain optomistic that the program will continue to improve. OK, call me a kool aid drinker, I can take it, and refuse to give up on the Lions, JoePa, and the program.

We have 2 winning seasons back-to-back, played for a tie in the B10 last year, beat Florida State in a bowl, we're going to the Outback Bowl this year, our defense is awesome, and JoePa is still my hero! Challenges and wasted opportunities - yep, the season was filled with them. Room for changes and improvements - yep, 100's of them. Will we get there? Absolutely! We are . . . Penn State!

13-3 loss to Wisconsin makes for a sickening weekend. JoePa's injury has me really down right now. But . . . win or lose, my Lions will be back! I hope Joe's recovery is swift . . . all the best for this great college football icon.