Posnanski and the Paterno book

But that's the problem: What anonymous people on message boards were saying were one thing. What these "journalists" were writing in their official capacity under their own byline was something else. The same person who wrote "sack of shit" on SportsJournalists.com could easily have written "Saint Joe" for his/her publication.

 

Paterno apparently had to ask his son what the word "sodomy" meant.

I would love it if that conversation were on video.

 

Not so classy, SI.

Don't run the excerpt, but buy the book early and break the embargo with a release?

 

See also: Tebow, Favre, Tiger, Jordan, A-Rod ... The list is endless. "Worshipful" coverage and the pack mentality certainly contribute to the problem. Nobody confers "God status" like the worshipful sports media. It would seem silly if it weren't so dangerous.

 

Pull up a chair!

 

Yep.. Good point. It makes you really appreciate when a writer comes out and writes what everybody is thinking like Chris Jones did with Tiger Woods once upon a time.

 

The book gets a middling review from the NYT's Dwight Garner:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/books/paterno-by-joe-posnanski-a-biography-of-the-coach.html?pagewanted=1&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytimesarts

From what it sounds like, Posnanski accuses Paterno of failings with Sandusky, but not of conspiracy:

"Mr. Posnanski does not let Paterno off the hook. He calls Penn State’s and Paterno’s response to early indications of Sandusky’s depravity “sickeningly inadequate.” But he sets Paterno’s inaction in context: he was old, a bit befuddled and — a sin in football — he simply took his eyes off the ball. He’d stayed far too long as head coach, and was not the man he once had been."

 

Just bought it. Will try to read it fairly quickly and share some highlights and thoughts.

 

He was on Today to promo the book ...

He talked about Paterno, but refused to offer any judgement or opinion.
Lauer asks him about Joepa reading the grand jury testimony and then asking what "they" were saying about him.
Lauer asks Poz about that .. how JoePa's thought was about himself, not the kids or anything... And Poz said he wrote it for others to decide.

 

From the book jacket:

Joe Paterno, despite triumph and scandal, lived his life in pursuit of excellence, not just success. He believed that if you did your best, it mattered less if you won than if you achieved your goal with integrity. Paterno is the story of this man's epic life and the great influence he had, and is the fullest description we'll ever have of his character, his passion, and his will. ... Posnanski's book follows in the tradition of Richard Ben Cramer's biography of of Joe DiMaggio and David Maraniss's portrait of Vince Lombardi. But more than anything, Posnanski's book shows that Paterno was not just a football coach. He was an idealist, a teacher, and a builder.

 

Is that from a printed book jacket? Or an ebook description?

 

Printed book jacket.