The Joys Of HDTV

As I have gotten older I will admit to more and more enjoying watching sports from the comfort of my couch on my HDTV. Going to games in person for the most part is a giant headache as it involves a commute and often logistical obstacles that make you say afterwards “why did I put myself though this.” The one exception to this rule for me has been attending Penn State football games which I have always look forward to and enjoyed to the max. However I feel somewhat let down after this weekend’s trip to what turned out to be not-so-Happy Valley. Don’t get me wrong, I relish the opportunity to spend time with my brother and my son, a Penn State graduate. However these return trips with Brandon means trying to keep up his friends, which gets tougher each year and often just as painful is my brother and I always seem to pick up the tab.

None of this has really mattered because our weekend trips have just about always included a Nittany Lions victory which puts everyone in a good mood. As a matter of fact going into this weekend I believe I had only witnessed one loss by the good guys at Beaver Stadium and that was probably ten years ago. Everything was great about this weekend, especially the weather until the game against hated Ohio State kicked off Saturday afternoon at 3:30. Three hours later we walked out of the stadium dejected and depressed…it was so bad my son and his friends didn’t even want to go out later that night which did save us some money. Just when you thought it could not get worse came the drive home yesterday in which the traffic on Interstate 80 was so bad it took us two hours to go 26 miles at one stretch.
The drive is a lot more painful after a loss but that comes with being a fan.

In their first year of women’s cross country since 1995 Ocean County College has won a National Championship. Led by overall winner Jen Nelson of Barnegat, the Vikings claimed the NJCAA Division 3 title Saturday at Finger Lakes Community College in New York. Erine O’Connor, Alyssa Collier and Priscilla Anderson all finished in the top 20 to help OCC claim the championship. Vikings head coach Eddie Baynes, a former Toms River South running standout was named Coach of the Meet and also the NJCAA Division 3 Coach of the Year.