Joe Paterno, Jerry Sandusky and several other former members of the Penn State football team couldn’t make it out to Dallas, Texas to watch the TicketCity Bowl yesterday, but one person whose face does bring back memories of the Penn State scandal was present at the Cotton Bowl (the stadium); Pedobear!

Symbolic of everything that has tarnished one of college football’s most prestigious programs, Pedobear was spotted in the stands watching the Nittany Lions take a 30-14 beating at the hands of the Houston Cougars.  And in case you were wondering, no children were seated within 50 yards of him…

So we may all breath a sign of relief.

Hat Tip – [Deadspin]

Without the sour, you can’t appreciate the sweet. Or some-such horseshit. Actually, I think we can all agree that our sports appetites would be just fine if these cities would know their role and just shut their mouths for a mad minute, as they’re not hanging banners and frankly, with a couple of exceptions, aren’t that much fun to visit sports notwithstanding. So, get excited about this rundown of places you don’t wanna visit as a sports fan! Yeah!

9. Atlanta
Despite having somewhat solid teams in almost every sport (sorry, Thrashers), Hotlanta can’t seem to get their act together and get fans behind any team for more than a couple years. Phillips arena has been electrifying in recent years, but mostly for U2 and Dave Matthews concerts as opposed to Hawks and Thrashers games. Factor in that the city is one of the more spread out in the US, and you have a recipe for disaster when it comes to visiting sports fans. We’ll get to the taxi issue more soon, but when fans are paying $100 round trip to go from where the sports are to where the nightlife is, there’s a fundamental problem.

8. Miami
This will be entry #1 in the “good weather, bad sports” category, but sit tight, as there will be a few more. The bitch of it is that Miami’s weather, especially in the summer, isn’t that great to begin with. The land of palm trees and sunshine turns into the land of palm trees and record-setting humidity, all the while having their NBA Championship crowds doing white-outs in the AAA that make the other teams feel like they’re playing in heaven. Not exactly the most threatening environment. Hockey and baseball haven’t been bad to Miami, but making the trek down there to see those teams is hardly like a trip to Cooperstown or Montreal. The Dolphins haven’t been relevant since Marino was wearing Isotoners, and that’s unlikely to change too terribly much in the near future, so get north on I-95 and pull of around, I don’t know, D.C. or Boston to find a real sports town.

7. San Diego
Entry #2 in the “good weather, bad sports” listing. The point of differentiation here is that S.D. actually has some decent teams in the Padres and the Chargers. Despite that fact, the Chargers can’t sell out a home game to save their life, as most people would rather be at the beach or doing one of the other 1,000,000 outdoors activities in San Diego rather than sit in a stadium on a September afternoon. Consequently, their games aren’t broadcasting, further constricting their fan base. Overall, it’s one of the best cities to visit in the U.S., with great weather and tons to do in the way of nightlife, just don’t find you way their looking for a killer sports scene. If that’s the case, wait till you hit the ocean and take a hard right. For about 8 hours. Stop when you see the big red bridge.

6. Phoenix
Do you like nice weather and progressive nightlife? Then don’t go to Phoenix.

Despite being a four pro sport team city, it’s not really hanging banners all that frequently, and the fans act accordingly. A decent city on its own merits, the fans act like Phoenix is a western extension of Orlando and seem to be there for the pretty colors more than anything else. Pushing 90 seasons with only ring to show for it is hardly setting records. At least they have that young stud Leinart. Oh, what’s that? Shit.

Click Here For 9 Worst Sports Cities in America 5-1

For such a tumultuous off-season in college football, it doesn’t seem like much has changed. Realignment was supposed to decimate the Big 12 and concentrate the power even more. That didn’t happen. Rockstar quarterbacks from Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida all went pro, but they still all sit pretty in the preseason polls. USC is playing for fun this year, so they slipped a bit but still reside at #14.

Are we going to see many surprises in what is shaping up to be a routine season dominated by Ohio State, some SEC teams, Texas, and two wild cards that are now starting to get the benefit of the doubt (Boise St. and TCU)? Who knows? But if we do, you can bet the shake ups will be sparked by one of the following nine teams. Some are ranked high, some aren’t, but all have the ability to shake up what would otherwise be a painfully surprise-free season.

1. TCU
It’s fairly redundant to say that a team ranked in the Top 5 is “one to look out for”, but TCU has a luxury in this starting spot that many teams ranked similarly don’t have. With a weak schedule (only ranked opponent is #24 Oregon State), they have the ability to simply lie low for most of the season and hope that the powerhouses eat each other over the course of the season.

One of the biggest flaws of the BCS is that it tends to value an undefeated weak schedule over a tough-as-nails SEC schedule where teams might have a loss or two. The fact that TCU is starting off so high means that if they keep a low profile, they can rise to the top pretty quickly, which is probably their best chance at a championship, as these guys are still not capable of taking on the Floridas and Alabamas of the world just yet.

While they aren’t going to upset anyone on the field, the Horned Frogs could raise hell in the rankings later on in the season, creating a win-or-go-home scenario for teams with much harder schedules.

2. SMU
In June Jones’ second season he was able to take a team that was the unequivocal laughing stock of Division I football for the past twenty years and turn them into a bowl team. That took two years.What’s in store for year three?

Well, someone had enough faith in the Mustangs to “donate” a top-25 vote to them in the polls. While that might be a bit overzealous, it’s a strong indication that Jones’ 4 or 5-year plan to turn the team around is moving ahead of schedule. They are returning 18(!) of 22 starters from an 8-5 team. If you blink, you’ll miss it, but SMU is quickly jumping from the laughing stock of college football to a serious contender. Last year they turned a corner, this is the first year they get to prove they deserve to reclaim their throne in college football pantheon.

3. Washington Huskies
When the sportswriters are already saying that pro football teams will be tossing in the towel late in the season for the “Jake Locker Sweepstakes,” you can bet that his impact on the Huskies (and the rest of the Pac-10) this year will be profound. After dashing USC’s hopes in last year’s mid-season upset, it’s clear that Locker possesses the whole package. Couple that with the return of All-American receiver Jermaine Kearse, and the concerns about their spotty defense are mitigated. With a Pac-10 Rose Bowl birth up in the air due to USC’s timeout in the corner, expect these guys to make a serious run for the conference title.

Their offensive leadership and big game experience means that this team, hich went winless two years ago, could spell disaster for its myriad ranked opponents, including #14 USC, #8 Nebraska, #24 Oregon State, and #11 Oregon. With that strength of schedule, even a mediocre record achieved by the Huskies could cause fits for its competition in the Pac-10.

4. USC
Calling their end to the 2009 season a “whimper” is far too generous. The 2009 Trojans fell over hard. Their coach is gone, the program has lost scholarships and recruits, and their new coach seems to have all the integrity of a used-car salesman. Needless to say, 2010 expectations for this former(?) dynasty have been lowered. But have they been lowered too far?

Last years tug-of-war at quarterback between Matt Barkley and Aaron Corps is settled, with Corps packing his bags and going to Richmond. While Barkley didn’t have a banner year last year, he showed the poise and talent one would hope for in a freshman starter. He knows his team, and much of USC’s perennially star-studded recruiting class is left in place.

And the pressure is off. Which might be the biggest factor in USC’s success this season. They have nowhere to go this season. A bowl ban means that these guys exist solely to spoil it for the rest of the teams they play. A strangely enviable position, some might say. Toss in a weaker-than-usual schedule for the Trojans, and this team is in a very unique position to prove how dominant they still are, sanctions be damned. Though they will never get to contend with the best in January, they can still make some noise and let the college football world know that just because they aren’t bowl-eligible, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

5. Florida State
While FSU is clearly in rebuilding mode after a lackluster season last year and the departure of Seminole fixture and head coach Bobby Bowden, they have the capacity to do some real damage just based on their strength of schedule alone. They’ve got four powerful teams on the docket with UNC, Oklahoma, Florida, and Miami.

Their performance against these teams can obviously upset the natural order of the rankings, but beyond that, it will demonstrate exactly how this regime change will deal with the constant murderer’s row of opponents that the team seems to schedule year after year.

Ok, that’s the schedule aspect. Beyond that, the team is pimping out QB Christian Ponder for the Heisman and all five O-lineman are returning for the third straight year. New head coach Jimbo Fisher has overhauled the Seminole’s strength and conditioning program, radically improving both the physiques and performances garnered from returning letterman and new recruits. Following a mediocre season and the biggest coaching change of the off season, this team can’t afford to do anything but look ahead and make the most of what they have before it goes away.

6. Houston
Seemingly every year, we see a team that has no business doing so putting up downright gaudy passing numbers and beating the hell out of their weak schedule. A while back, it was Fresno St. and Utah, more recently, Hawaii and Texas Tech have been the troublemakers. All signs point to Houston being the heir to that title this season.

Case Keenum resuscitates the position of QB at U of H (they had back-to-back Heisman’s with David Klingler and Andre Ware in the early 90′s) by making a run at a half-dozen major college football passing records. They have no ranked opponents, but could still grab a decent spot in the rankings by essentially playing backyard football with the team they do have.

7. Arkansas
Tenth in the NCAA in passing yards. Eighth in points scored. In the SEC. It’s little wonder that, with 6’ 7” QB Ryan Mallett and a crew of four receivers that all average over 16 yards per catch, these guys are being bandied about as the most formidable offense in the nation.

Coming into the season at #17, Arkansas will be forced by its SEC opponents to prove that its defense will be able to do justice to its offense. Nobody knows that better than first-year D-coordinator Todd Granthem, who has worked on developing both depth and a seamless rotation that allows the front three (Arkansas switched to a 3-4 this year) to keep their stamina late in the game against the gauntlet of SEC opponents.

If the plan comes together, look for Arkansas to make a showing on both sides of the ball that has them settling out a lot higher than #17 come December.

8. Auburn
With so many questions about Alabama’s defense and the hype around Ryan Mallett at Arkansas, Auburn has been flying under the radar in the SEC West. Which is probably a mistake.

Auburn landed a Top-5 national recruiting class this year and holds perhaps one of the biggest wild cards in the nation in QB Cam Newton. Newton was backup to Tim Tebow at Florida before getting kicked off the team for stealing laptops. After his penance at junior college, he’s back and is the crown jewel of Auburn’s offense. He’s been compared to JaMarcus Russell (don’t laugh, he used to be good at LSU) but with more speed and a better head for the game.

If this guy pans out to be as athletic and reformed as Auburn makes him out to be, both Arkansas and Alabama will be sweating as this #22 team rises up the charts.

9. Navy
In the weeks leading up to the season opener, college football analysts have been abuzz with praise for Ricky Dobbs, the Midshipmen’s Senior option quarterback who apparently has been blessed with the work ethic and character of a young Tim Tebow.

While the Navy and Air Force hang on to the option offense like grim death (Is it an armed forces thing?), even the skeptics think that Dobbs can make a splash in the much-maligned construct of an option offense.

While these guys don’t have the schedule to make much of an impact on the standings, last year’s nailbiter against Notre Dame is just a preview of the kind of drama and excitement that Navy is capable of with both their unconventional offense and their unconventional program. Teams like this are a testament to why the diversity of styles in college football can captivate in a manner that the homogeneity of the NFL can’t.

There was a bit of rough stuff throughout the game, but things really heated up around the 80th minute when Panama’s Ricardo Phillips took the ball down the sideline and received a kick from Mexican coach Javier Aguirre.  Phillips retaliated with a push and both teams got into a giant shoving match.  Aguirre was ejected by referee Joel Aguilar, and Phillips was given a red card, but that was not the end of it.

The incident sparked fans to throw beer and other objects onto the field and at Phillips as he ran off to the dressing rooms.  Fights also broke out in the stands between supporters of the two sides, and cops were forced to intervene and handcuff several individuals.

Later, in the 90th minute, Blas Perez of Panama was injured and the medical staff brought the stretcher out for him.  As he was taken off the pitch, fans continued to throw cups and beer bottles in his direction, causing Perez to fall off the stretcher.

The game was finally called five minuted later, but the Panama players were forced to remain on the field until fans could be cleared out in order to avoid having more objects thrown their way.  Below is a clip of Aguirre kicking Phillips.  As for the rowdiness of the crowd?  Well lets just say it was a little short of this.

Oh, and in case you care, the game ended 1-1.

Between March 8th and 21st, Kmart will showcase front-end “WrestleMania Madness” boutiques in honor of the quarter century birthday of the popular Wrestling event.  On display for sale will be several different WWE products, including toys, apparel, bedding and accessories.  If this wasn’t enough to attract a crowd, the promotion is also offering $10 off the regularly priced $54.98 charge to order the event on pay-per-view.

WWE executive vice president Michelle Wilson had the following to say about the partnership:

“Kmart has been a fantastic retail partner for WWE. This partnership offers WWE fans one more way to purchase merchandise commemorating this historical WWE event.  Kmart is a valued partner whose participation will help make the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania an even bigger success.”

The retail giant will also host live chats at www.kmart.com/wwe on March 9th and 16th at 8:30 pm ET with WWE performers.  WrestleMania 25 will take place April 5th at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

So how does a human become a hockey puck?  The video described it as follows:

“Wearing only a beat-up hockey helmet for protection, John Mounts a flimsy plastic saucer and enters the slingshot.  Seconds later, he is catapulted towards history…”

As for the result, John ended up soaring across the rink and into bowling pins.  That’s right.  BOWLING PINS!!!  Although on second thought, maybe its a good thing there wasn’t a goalie in his way.  That slingshot has one hell of a clapper.

Jeffrey Rosenberg, president of sports collectibles organization Tristar Productions, said he considers the purchase a bargain, as the card bearing the image of professional baseball’s first team is likely worth six figures, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday.

“This is like an ultimate treasure,” Rosenberg said. “Anybody who is a collector of baseball cards, of history, would want this. It would fit in any museum, from the Smithsonian to the Baseball Hall of Fame.”

We bet that any sports card collector would want this rare baseball card, but the unfortunate thing is that not every sports card collector can afford to pay 75 grand for such a thing. Previously the card was listed on eBay for $9.99, after the owner discovered it in a box acquired during a long-ago estate sale.  But the rare baseball card was taken off the auction site after the true value of the card was determined.

“I feel great. I’m happy for the card. I’m happy for my husband and I. I’m happy for the whole world,” Gallego said during a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

$75,285 is alot of money for someone to dish out on a baseball card.  I guess the economy is not affecting them one bit.

1869 baseball card sells for $75,285 – [UPI]