Most of all, he had plenty of fans believing he could step in immediately and live up to that reputation.

He's a senior now, though, and for the first time in a career that didn't go quite as smoothly as he originally hoped, Colasanti has a chance to make the impact he wanted back in 2007.

For the first time in a Penn State uniform, Colasanti will start Saturday's season opener against Youngstown State at Beaver Stadium.

"I've been waiting three years for this opportunity," Colasanti said this week. "It's my goal finally coming true."

That's what makes Colasanti a microcosm of Penn State's relatively inexperienced but unquestionably talented linebacking corps.

Colasanti is the man in the middle of a linebacking corps that will have to replace another in a long line of productive crews that have come through Happy Valley in the last decade. Seniors Sean Lee and Josh Hull graduated.

Navorro Bowman opted to leave school with a season of eligibility on the table to pursue a professional career.

All were selected in April's NFL Draft, and combined, they left their 2010 replacements at Penn State with 295 tackles, 26½ tackles for loss, seven sacks and five interceptions to replace.

Although none of the players slated to step in for the terrific 2009 trio has started more than a handful of games in their careers, the Nittany Lions don't seem concerned about their chances to fill the void more than respectably.

"I think we have five, maybe six, kids who are good athletes and can be good linebackers," coach Joe Paterno said. "A couple of them are a little behind where they have to be in order to handle some situations they'll see. But I think the linebacker situation is one of our stronger spots."

On the depth chart, the 6-foot-2, 241-pound Colasanti is the starter in the middle, flanked by senior Bani Gbadyu and Nate Stupar - two athletic outside linebackers who have shown flashes of brilliance throughout their careers as backups.

Still, the Lions are likely to go with a rotation of at least five - and perhaps six - linebackers, both to give youngsters some playing time and replace the production lost with Lee, Bowman and Hull.

Redshirt sophomore Michael Mauti, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL that Paterno said has not hindered him at all in practice, and converted safety Gerald Hodges have been among the more impressive youngsters in camp.

Redshirt sophomore Michael Yancich has never played a down for the Nittany Lions, but the coaching staff likes his ability in the middle. And Colasanti raved about true freshmen Mike Hull and Khairi Fortt, linebackers who were among the most highly regarded prospects in the 2010 recruiting class.

"The depth there is very good," guard Stefen Wisniewski said. "That's really a strength to have. Combine them with the great defensive line that we've got, and I'd expect our front seven to be really tough."

Colasanti expects nothing different, and he knows that as he stands in the middle, it starts with him.

This is an opportunity he has waited for, an elusive chance that has frustrated him for years. And with so many question marks dotting the offense, Colasanti said 2010 is not the time for the defense to allow inexperience to weaken it.

"The defense is going to try to pick up the team," Colasanti said. "I feel it is going to be coming from both sides. But the defense is looking forward to going out there, being intense and leading the team."

Traditionally, that intensity and leadership on the defensive side of the ball at Penn State has started with the linebackers.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

On Friday, though, fans got a reminder of just how great a 2010 Laird had.

The 22-year-old third baseman was named the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in the Eastern League, rewarding the staggering numbers he posted in his first season at Double-A Trenton.

He hit .291 with 23 homers, 90 RBIs and 71 runs scored before being promoted to Triple-A on Aug. 2. At that point, he was leading the Eastern League in both RBIs and total bases (214).

The award is a fitting cap to what was a dynamic debut season in Double-A.

Twice in 2010, Laird tied Trenton's franchise record for RBIs in a game, piling up seven on May 16 and June 24. On May 26, he became just the second Trenton player to hit for the cycle, finishing it off with a two-run, walk-off home run to beat Erie, 7-6.

In July, he was named to the Eastern League All-Star team as the starting third baseman for the Eastern Division.

In 26 games with the Triple-A Yankees, Laird is hitting .218 with two homers and nine RBIs.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

All the same, Devon Still is just about sick of hearing it.

So Saturday, when the massive 6-foot-5, 304-pound tackle lines up across from the undersized Younstown State line, he wants it to be known the Jared Odrick era is over.

And a new one is beginning.

"I'm really tired of the comparisons," Still said. "I understand it's a good comparison to have. But I just want to go out and show people what I can do."

Few around Happy Valley debate Odrick's greatness. He was a dominant force along the defensive front for the past two seasons, helping the Lions rank near the top of the nation in total defense both years. He was so good, the Miami Dolphins took him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

But those who have watched him work since he turned down a scholarship offer from Ohio State to come to Penn State as part of the 2007 recruiting class say Still can be just as effective a player as the All-American Odrick.

"They're actually very similar players," senior linebacker Chris Colasanti said. "Their speed and strength, they're very comparable there. Their ability to take on the double team, to get off the ball and to get to the running back, also very similar.

"It's going to be great to see Still out there in front of me, keeping offensive linemen off of me."

The only weakness in Still's game has been his ability to be out there.

As a true freshman in 2007, a torn left ACL forced him to take a redshirt. The next year he broke his ankle. He didn't actually get into a game until the regular season finale against Michigan State after that.

Health wasn't a factor in 2009, though. Serving as Odrick's top backup at nose guard, Still recorded 19 tackles and registered two sacks, drawing rave reviews from linemen who realized they couldn't relax just because Odrick was on the sideline.

"I think Still is a good football player," coach Joe Paterno said. "I think he played well last year. He just got overshadowed a bit by the kid who went in the first round (Odrick).

"He works hard. But he's got to stay healthy."

A starter again for the first time since high school, Still insists that despite his reputation, he still has plenty to prove.

"It has been a long time," Still said. "I really want to explode off the ball. If I get off the ball faster than I did last year, I can create havoc in the backfield."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

Robert Bolden will start Saturday when the Nittany Lions open the 2010 season against Youngstown State at Beaver Stadium.

Bolden beat out former West Scranton star Matt McGloin and sophomore Kevin Newsome, but Paterno said during his weekly press conference Tuesday that all three of his quarterbacks will likely see action against the Penguins.

"Based on what we have seen to this point, Bolden has a slight edge right now," Paterno said in a statement. "But we are confident all three quarterbacks are ready to go and hope to give them an opportunity to play until we settle on the one that gives us the best chance to win."

With those words, the competition rages on.

Paterno listed Bolden as "1-A" on the depth chart, with McGloin as "1-B" and Newsome as "1-C." He noted all three still had the chance to win the starting job on a regular basis based on their performances starting Saturday.

Efforts to reach McGloin were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Bolden didn't arrive on campus until the summer session began, leaving him behind both McGloin and Newsome - as well as fellow true freshman Paul Jones, who enrolled in January - in practice repetitions. But from the start of preseason practice, reports Bolden had begun to separate himself from the pack began to become more prevalent.

"The offense just clicked for him early," wide receiver Derek Moye said Wednesday morning. "It goes back to something (former Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark) told me last year: He's very smart.

"He's such a fluid athlete, and you can tell in his throwing motion and how well he runs."

Despite playing in a run-oriented offense in high school, Bolden was a four-star prospect coming out of St. Mary's Preparatory School in Orchard Lake, Mich., earlier this year. Scout.com ranked him as the No. 8 quarterback in the nation coming out of high school last year. Jones, incidentally, was ranked No. 3.

But Jones ran into what Paterno called "a bad start, academically," and the combination of Bolden's strong arm and quick feet helped push him past McGloin and Newsome in one of the most talked-about quarterback competitions in recent Penn State history.

"He has done a great job," Moye said of Bolden. "He's mature, a lot more than a freshman. But I wouldn't say he has done better than anyone could have imagined. He came in with such high expectations."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

Clearly though, he has separated himself from the pack.

The 20-year-old phenom was one of three Yankees named to the IL's postseason all-star team, which was announced Tuesday. Shortstop Eduardo Nunez and closer Jonathan Albaladejo also were honored, giving the Yankees a league-high-tying three representatives among the 12 players chosen.

Despite hitting just .252 with seven home runs at the all-star break, Montero's second half was one to remember. He hit .350 after the break, drilled 11 homers and wound up leading the Yankees in both home runs and RBIs.

To boot, he was also the youngest player named to the team.

At 23, Nunez had a breakout season both with the bat and glove for the Yankees. He leads the Yanks with 134 hits and 23 stolen bases, and he made a mark with his stellar defensive work before making his major league debut in New York on Aug. 19.

Meanwhile, Albaladejo had perhaps the greatest season any relief pitcher in the International League has ever experienced.

He set a league saves record with 43 and his ERA has been below 2.00 since April 13.

The Yankees, however, were shut out of the major awards.

Durham third baseman Dan Johnson was named the MVP.

The Bulls also landed the Most Valuable Pitcher award. Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson went 12-3 with a 2.45 ERA and 123 strikeouts.

Gwinnett slugger Freddie Freeman was named the league's Rookie of the Year, while Durham's Charlie Montoyo - a former Red Barons infielder - earned Manager of the Year honors.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

And Jonathan Albaladejo got jobbed.

Hosed.

Ripped off.

However you want to put it ­- and these are the nice ways to do so - that's what happened. The greatest season any relief pitcher has ever had in the 116-year history of the International League went largely unnoticed by the league itself.

Worst part is, this is probably not all that surprising.

A guy named Jeremy Hellickson was awarded the IL's Most Valuable Pitcher award Tuesday, the day the league handed out its postseason awards for the 2010 season, and for the record, none of this is meant to take anything away from him.

Hellickson is a tremendous pitching prospect. After all, he did go 12-3 this season for a Durham team that has been the class of the league since April.

His 2.45 ERA leads the league.

If he weren't so good that the Tampa Bay Rays didn't call him up to give their already solid pitching staff a boost for the stretch run earlier this month, he'd have been on pace to challenge the league's pitching Triple Crown.

So this is not a referendum on how good a prospect Jeremy Hellickson is, or how big-time a season he had. Problem is, the people voting for these awards always seem to make it one.

The mistake media-types and public relations gurus who vote for these awards so often make is that they take one phrase to mean another.

In their eyes, they see the words "Most Valuable." But in their minds, they read "Best." Every year, in every league, there's a debate about who should be the Most Valuable Player, and every year, someone throws in the name of a particular player whose statistics happen to stand up better against everybody else's, and as far as starting pitchers go in the International League, that's Hellickson.

But really, it would be difficult to argue - even statistically - that Hellickson was as valuable to the Durham Bulls as Albaladejo was to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

When they clinched the IL South Division on Aug. 20, the Bulls were 79-47 and 17½ games ahead of second-place Charlotte.

Hellickson, to that point in the season, had 21 starts for the Bulls, and the Bulls were 17-4 in those games.

If Durham had played merely .500 ball in those games and gone 11-10, they'd have been 73-53. Still, 9½ games ahead of where Charlotte was on that date.

Albaladejo is a different type of pitcher, of course, with a completely different role. But even with his league-record 43 saves and an ERA that hasn't dipped below 2.00 since April, here is the statistic that has defined Albaladejo more than any other: The Yankees' record in the 57 games he has pitched is 53-4.

Think about that: 53-4.

On Aug. 20, the day Durham clinched its division, the Yankees were a comfortable - but certainly not dominant - six games ahead of Buffalo.

That's three more Yankees losses and three more Buffalo wins from a tie atop the division, and if you're wondering how much of an impact Albaladejo had on that, consider that 23 of his 43 saves were in one-run games.

He blew two save opportunities all season. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that he blew five of those one-run games ­- which would have been an acceptable number that certainly wouldn't have cost him his job as the Yankees' closer. In fact, he'd still have tied the league record in saves if he had squandered that many.

Are the Yankees in the position they're in now, playing out the last week of the regular season with the North Division title already in their pockets? Undoubtedly, no.

Did Jeremy Hellickson affect that many of Durham's games? Did he have that great a day-to-day impact? Did his performance make the Bulls what they were, or did they simply enhance what already was a pretty good team to begin with?

Hellickson made the Bulls a dominant team. Albaladejo made the Yankees a playoff team.

As far as "Best" goes, Hellickson and Albaladejo are pretty comparable in that regard.

But "Most Valuable?" Sorry, it's not even close.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

The Yankees announced reliever Jonathan Albaladejo, outfielder Greg Golson and catcher Chad Moeller would all join New York today.

Albaladejo was 4-2 with an International League record 43 saves and a 1.42 ERA in 57 appearances this season for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Golson hit .263 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs this season at Triple-A, but he just completed a red-hot August before his call-up. In 27 games, he hit .330 with four homers, 14 RBIs and six stolen bases.

Moeller played in four games as New York's backup catcher in late May and early June, but he hit .230 with nine RBIs in limited action for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he served as Jesus Montero's backup.

In just 28 games at Triple-A, Moeller was batting .230. He has just one error

A move to add Moeller to the 40-man roster will have to be made before he is activated.

To fill the roster spots vacated by the call-ups, outfielder Edwar Gonzalez and pitchers George Kontos and John Van Benschoten were promoted from Double-A Trenton.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

So Tuesday, four days before he and Penn State take the field for the first time in the 2010 season, the Hall of Fame coach made two things clear: He's not completely comfortable just yet with any of his top three competitors at the quarterback spot. And he won't name a starter until he is.

At the first of his weekly press conferences, Paterno said Tuesday he expected to name a starting quarterback "in the next day or two," but he did say all three of his inexperienced options - West Scranton graduate Matt McGloin, sophomore Kevin Newsome and true freshman Robert Bolden - would likely see action in Saturday's opener against Youngstown State.

"I don't know what we're going to do with the quarterbacks, period," Paterno said.

At various points during preseason camp, a different member of the top three seemed to be separating himself, with McGloin, a sophomore, and Bolden getting much of the early chatter and Newsome rebounding with a strong finish.

Paterno said that, while he doesn't have a lack of talented players from which to choose, his main concern with the season just days away rests in which of his quarterbacks will be most consistent from drive to drive.

"Every one of the four kids has potential. Every one has a chance to be very good. None has any experience," Paterno said. "You just don't know what you're going to get when you put them in a ballgame. One day, one goes out and does some things that you feel really good about. The next day, he's making some mistakes.

"You just don't know what you're going to get, because

none of them have ever been under much pressure."

Always moving

Meet Chaz Powell's new position. It's the same as his old position.

For the second time this year and the fourth time in his career, Powell has changed positions, moving from cornerback back to offense.

"We had some tough injuries on the offensive side of the ball, so we decided to move him back there," Paterno said.

Powell spent his entire first season in the Penn State program as a safety.

As a redshirt freshman, he was moved to offense, where he stepped in at receiver and enjoyed two solid seasons.

This spring, with depth at receiver burgeoning, Powell was moved back to defense, and he played cornerback in the Blue-White Game. On the depth chart Penn State's sports information department released last week, Powell actually was listed as a starter at corner for this week's game. Paterno, however, confirmed that Stephon Morris and D'Anton Lynn would hold those spots.

Injury front

Most of Penn State's preseason injuries did come on offense, as Paterno noted.

Tight end Andrew Szczerba has been battling a back injury since winter workouts, and the coach didn't sound confident that he'd have his junior tight end for a while.

"He hasn't practiced yet," Paterno said. "It bothered him in high school. He just can't do it. He's trying, and he's working hard to try to get to the point where he can play some. But he has already redshirted. It's a question of, can we get him ready?"

Running back Stephfon Green, who is the top backup to starter Evan Royster, had a recurrence of a neck injury he originally suffered in high school, and Paterno said his availability for Saturday will be determined by this week's practices.

The only players listed on Penn State's official injury report released this week are Szczerba, receiver Curtis Drake (broken leg) and running back Brandon Beachum (knee). Drake and Beachum have been ruled out.

Evan almighty

Paterno said starting tailback Evan Royster is weighing in a bit heftier than he'd prefer.

Royster is at about 220 pounds, Paterno said, adding that he'd like him to drop some weight to ensure he'll have the stamina to carry the load.

"He needs to become a little more intense to become better than good," Paterno said.

Full steam ahead

Paterno's health has been a prime topic of discussion around the Nittany Lions this summer, but he said he is healthy enough to coach from the sidelines this season.

"I'm on the field," Paterno said. "I haven't missed one play in practice. I don't intend to miss any in the games."

Nittany notes

Wide receiver Brett Brackett and defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu were voted captains for the 2010 by the players, Paterno said. … Redshirt freshman Anthony Fera is going to handle the punting duties, as well as kickoffs. … Paterno confirmed that the coaching staff is "tentatively" planning to redshirt true freshman quarterback Paul Jones. Jones has been competing with the top three quarterbacks, but Paterno said he was set back a bit by "a bad start, academically."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

When he walked into the clubhouse after his night on the mound was done, D.J. Mitchell insisted that was the moment he knew.

The Yankees were about to achieve their season-long goal of winning the International League North Division championship. And in his second start at Triple-A, he's the one who pitched them there.

Mitchell threw seven innings of brilliant one-hit, shutout ball, and three home runs gave him more than enough runs to secure a 5-1 pennant-clinching win over Buffalo on a picturesque Sunday night at PNC Field.

"They should be excited," Yankees manager Dave Miley said of his team, which was celebrating outside his office. "It's a long, hard road for every team in the league. To be able to accomplish something only four teams accomplish in the league, they ought to be proud of themselves."

Like a machine, Mitchell plowed through the Buffalo order before giving way to the bullpen in the eighth inning. It was a composed, calculated effort that saw just one Bisons baserunner reach second against him, but Mitchell said the fact that a title was hanging in the balance didn't drive him at all.

"I didn't even think about it," the right-hander said. "Honestly, all day, I didn't think about it at all. Not until I came in here and saw plastic everywhere."

Drenched in juice and smiling proudly, Miley observed that Sunday's win might have been a microcosm of the Yankees' season, one that saw a seemingly unending string of player moves, a few injuries and plenty of dependence on youngsters.

In fact, the youngest of the Yankees had rather inarguably the biggest hit of the game.

With two on and nobody out in the first, Jesus Montero sent a pitch from Buffalo southpaw Matt Antonini over the left field wall, a three-run blast that gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead and had the excited players in the dugout seeing possibilities of celebrating at home.

"Today," Montero said, "was a special day."

He made it a memorable one for himself in the third inning. Facing Antonini again, he launched another homer, this one a line drive that sliced over the right-center field wall, to make it 4-0.

"I feel like we wanted to win it today, to do special things," the exuberant 20-year-old said. "Thank God, I hit that ball really good."

The Yankees' capped their scoring in the sixth, thanks to Colin Curtis.

Representing the Yankees who spent significant time in the big leagues this season, Curtis ripped an Antonini pitch deep over the boards in right field to make it 5-0.

One of four Scranton/Wilkes-Barre regulars who has spent at least part of the season in the big leagues, Curtis said the keys to getting as far as the Yankees have aren't exactly a secret. There's a consistency that comes with togetherness. And there's the pitching, which Mitchell handled Sunday.

"It's a good feeling," Curtis said. "Guys have been playing hard all year, and that's why it has been a good ballclub all year. I think we just play together well."

The win, like the championship run, didn't come without some nervous moments. In the ninth inning, reliever Eric Wordekemper loaded the bases with one out on a Lucas Duda single and two walks.

But in perhaps the night's most fitting moment, the Yankees went to closer Jonathan Albaladejo to close out a big win.

Russ Adams hit a sacrifice fly to get the Bisons within one, but Albaladejo - who blew his second save of the season on Saturday night against the Bisons - finished the job as he has all season, getting veteran Mike Cervenak to fly out to end the game and spark the celebration.

"Every time something like that happens, you want to be out there the next day," Albaladejo said. "I still had a little thing in my chest that I needed to get out."

The win gave the Yankees their fourth straight North Division title, one in each season since Scranton/Wilkes-Barre became New York's Triple-A affiliate. And for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, it marked the fifth straight celebration for the franchise.

For Miley, who has been in the middle of the celebrations before, they never get old.

"Everyone asks if it's still sweet," Miley said. "I think it gets sweeter every time you win."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

But the position battle every fan around Happy Valley has been debating remains a mystery.

Penn State's sports information department released the team's official depth chart for Saturday's opener against Youngstown State at Beaver Stadium, but it shed no light on who will take the first snap of the season at quarterback.

Sophomores Matt McGloin of West Scranton and Kevin Newsome, along with true freshman Robert Bolden, were listed at the top of the chart.

Although most of the depth chart looked the way most thought it would heading into the 2010 season, there were a few other surprises dotted throughout.

- Garry Gilliam, a redshirt freshman who was playing defensive end last season, is on the top of the chart as the tight end. True freshman Kevin Haplea is the second-teamer, relegating redshirt sophomore Mark Wedderburn, who was the top returner at the position from last season, to the third team.

- Sophomore receiver Devon Smith was listed as the starter in the slot position, a spot that seemed to belong to fellow sophomore Curtis Drake before he broke his leg during a practice earlier this month.

- Two of the more dynamic sophomore-eligible players on the team - linebackers Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges - were both listed as second-teamers at outside linebacker. Bani Gbadyu and Nate Stupar got the starting spots, with senior Chris Colasanti stationed in the middle.

- Converted receiver Chaz Powell is listed as the starter opposite D'Anton Lynn at cornerback. Powell is listed ahead of sophomore Stephon Morris, who battled a neck injury during camp.

- Anthony Fera, a redshirt freshman who was one of the most highly regarded kickers in the nation coming out of high school in 2009, earned the starting job at punter.

- West Scranton's Eric Shrive, a redshirt freshman, is listed as the third-string left guard, behind juniors DeOn'tae Pannell and Johnnie Troutman.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

And so, the first issue addressed at the first press conference of his 45th season as Penn State's head coach is one he brought to the forefront before the first question could be asked.

"Before we start, I have one request," he began. "Please don't ask me if I'm going to die tomorrow. Believe me. I've got a few good days left."

Around Happy Valley, though, there have been questions. There always are with Paterno, after all. But this time, they seem like more than just speculation, more than just the brainchild of a few reporters looking to stir up a controversy, or rile up the most ardent of Paterno supporters who have gotten adept at ignoring the fact Paterno is just like the rest of us in one very important and obvious way.

He's not immortal, not made of steel. He's as close to a machine as his profession has ever seen. But even he can't run with that machine-like kind of efficiency, every day, forever. Which is why those questions are getting asked again. They are not necessarily being asked with the same venom as in the days right after the century turned, when Penn State couldn't seem to land a decent recruit or find their way into a secondary bowl game or even beat one of the Big Ten's so-so football programs.

But they're asked all the same.

How is Joe Paterno? Is he going to coach from the sidelines this year? Shouldn't he just put himself in the booth? How much longer can he do this?

Difference is, the ultimate question no longer seems to be whether one of the few people with more power than him at Penn State asks him to walk out the door.

Now, it's whether we're approaching that moment none of us really could ever put side-by-side, hand-in-hand with reality: the time when Paterno walks toward that door, turns the knob and feels compelled to walk out himself.

Throughout the summer of 2010, he had a veritable 15-rounder with an intestinal ailment that just wouldn't quit landing uppercuts.

He was forced to cancel several speaking engagements this offseason, summertime traditions for Paterno that always serve as the biggest fundraisers for Penn State branch campuses and athletic departments around the state.

When he arrived at the Big Ten media days in Chicago in late July, he did so looking noticeably trimmer - as if most humans who are just getting over a pretty rough bug don't lose their fair share of weight in the fight.

He spoke in hushed tones, some reporters noted. He slurred words, others added.

Now, a bit of an intestinal problem - even if it wasn't really "a bit" of an intestinal problem - isn't going to boot Joe Paterno into retirement. But you can add it to the list of maladies that haven't individually worked to get him to consider bagging it, either.

The broken leg after that vicious sideline collision in Wisconsin in 2006.

The hip pain that sent him to the press box and required replacement surgery in 2008.

Here are two facts nobody - Paterno included - can ignore: that's three major health issues in a span of five years. And in December, he's turning 84.

Already this year, Paterno is talking about giving up some of the aspects of his job he has worked at tirelessly at over the years to make his program what it is today.

He would like to attend fewer of the weekly meetings of the exclusive Quarterback Club, if at all possible. Same for some of those obligations he has to pregame radio shows.

His Thursday night radio call-in show, which in the age of streaming internet and Podcasts still gets tens of thousands of Penn State fans to tune into AM radios, is going to be scaled back this year, if he has his way.

"That has always been a problem for me," he explained. "You guys have seen me. If we have a lousy practice and someone wants to ask me (about it), I feel like telling them to go jump in the lake."

That's all off-the-field stuff, though. And if Joe Paterno wants to do less of that, then nobody has the right to tell him after all of these years that he doesn't have a choice.

But for years, he has been talking about an on-field role that is becoming more and more like an advisory position. His trusted assistant coaches are the ones running practices, and in times when he hasn't been able to coach outside of the press box, they're the ones running the sidelines.

His assistants, he said, are probably "carrying me" at this point.

"In the old days I used to grab a couple kids and shove them around a little bit," Paterno said, with a shrug and a hint of embarrassment. "There's two things wrong with that these days: The first and more important one is, I don't want to get like the guy at Texas Tech, if you know what I mean. The second thing, is I prefer to wait until I get in a meeting and say, 'Hey, I don't like what we're doing there, and I didn't like the way he handled that kid,' or something like that. I try to stick my two cents in."

All of this has changed him, changed the way he does things, changed the way he approaches his job, changed the type of coach he is.

He admits all of that. But as long as the changes work - and who can argue with two BCS bowl game appearances and four New Year's Day bids overall in the last five seasons - then Paterno should be allowed to stay.

Want to know what has made him so special, what has driven him to college football immortality though? Simple. Paterno has never had the "I'm too old for this" moments that have driven generation after generation of working men and women out of the workplace.

And that moment always - always - has trumped the "What am I going to do with myself?" fears.

We fear what we don't know, that's for sure.

Even more than that, though, the only fear that can surpass that is the fear of what we do know.

Is 2010 Paterno's last in Happy Valley? Who knows? Even Joe Paterno probably doesn't. In a perfect world, he'd coach five more years, if he could. Maybe 10. More people would prefer that than would ever let on, too.

But is it realistic? Well, Paterno might have to be the judge of that sooner rather than later. And in that courtroom, he's the one holding the gavel.

So, as 2010 approaches, Paterno finds himself in the same place he always seems to find himself. At the front of a crowd of people. Working the room.

Getting a laugh where there wasn't one to be had.

You get the feeling that, in those moments, when he's joking with the press, or drawing up plays in his mind or chatting up a recruit in his parents' kitchen, it reminds him of the best days.

He has some good days left. Nobody bets against that. They'd be crazy.

"OK," the coach said, with that trademark broad smile and a quick bump of his fist off table in front of him. "Let's talk football."

DONNIE COLLINS covers Penn State football for The Sunday Times. He can be reached at dcollins@timesshamrock.com

In a matter of a week, the main components of a pitching staff that carried the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees through June and July were all gone. Tim Redding was settling into his new roster spot in Korea. Jason Hirsh was nursing a sore right shoulder. Zach McAllister was getting a new beginning in Cleveland. And Ivan Nova got his hard-earned call-up to New York.

In Triple-A, though, there were still games to be played, and someone had to pitch them. So when Phelps was reminded that, in the Yankees' new starting rotation, he was the member who had the most Triple-A starts this season, he had to smile.

After all, Phelps didn't make his Scranton/Wilkes-Barre debut until the second day of July. And after his strong performance Wednesday night, he still had made just nine.

How new does the Yankees' pitching staff look now? At the beginning of last week, the top four starters in the Yankees' rotation, Phelps, 26-year-old Lance Pendleton and two newly promoted right-handers, D.J. Mitchell and Hector Noesi, had a combined 12 starts in Triple-A.

For the sake of comparison, lefty Kei Igawa has 13 starts in the big leagues.

Some would argue that a team that has relied on the strength and experience of its pitching staff all season can no longer do so. That for as talented as the new group is, there's no track record to go on, considering the jump from Double-A to Triple-A is one that some consider the most difficult to make in professional baseball.

Still, there's nobody who knows this foursome better than Phelps, who has pitched with Pendleton, Mitchell and Noesi in the past. That's why he insists that, despite their relative inexperience, the Yankees rotation isn't exactly going to be struggling in the talent department.

"There's no reason we can't go on a run and take this thing," he said. "But we'll go as far as our pitching takes us."

If their first week is any indication, the Yankees might not be in bad shape.

Mitchell and Noesi had similar outings, looking strong early, hitting a rough patch for an inning or two, then finishing with clean innings before hitting the showers.

Phelps allowed just two runs on four hits in six innings Wednesday night against Rochester, and against Lehigh Valley on Thursday night, Pendleton gave up just four hits in seven shutout innings.

What has been most impressive to their coaches hasn't been their numbers, though. It has been the approach they take on the mound.

"They go out and they compete," Yankees manager Dave Miley said. "Sometimes, that doesn't always reflect in the numbers or in the game. But they don't seem to get rattled, and so far, that has been a big part of it for them."

As inexperienced as they are at the Triple-A level, none of the four have much more to prove at Trenton.

There isn't a pitcher on the Thunder staff who has more starts than any of them had there this season, and their results were a big reason the Thunder are heading to the postseason.

Mitchell went 11-4. Pendleton went 11-4.

Phelps had a 2.04 ERA and a 0.974 WHIP. Noesi, after an early promotion from Class A Tampa, was plenty respectable in his own right in those two categories - 3.01 ERA, 1.095 WHIP.

Stepping up a level has been a challenge, especially considering they've done it en masse. But being together level to level has helped make the transitions they've made a lot more smooth.

"I don't know about it being easier," Pendleton said. "Getting moved up and being the new guy, the team here has made me feel like I've been here the whole year. But it has been great to do it with these guys because they're my buddies. It has been a lot of fun."

As the playoffs approach, the Yankees will press on with four kids learning on the job.

In a player development sense, this is an exciting time for the Yankees.

Four of the best prospects they have left in the minor leagues have ascended to Triple-A, and they'll get their chance to gain some valuable experience when the games matter most.

But with the Yankees making a run at their second Governors' Cup championship in three years, Phelps' assertion that they'll go as far as their pitching staff will take them is a popular one these days.

The key to that may be more about how they fight through the bad times than it will be anything else.

"One thing the Yankees always press on you is that you're not always going to have your best stuff," Phelps said. "So, you've got to go out there and battle them.

"This is the same group of guys I was with in Tampa. I really feel like all of us are chomping at the bit. And if we're not the most talented group out there, we're one that's going to outwork a lot of guys."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

No matter how unlikely it always seemed, or how much the odds seemed so dramatically stacked against him, it became more and more difficult not to believe Matt McGloin. After all, he seemed so sure, even when so many others doubted. Someday, he'd get his chance to be Penn State's starting quarterback.

He was convinced.

That confidence, that faith, might be part of the reason McGloin got where he said he was going all along.

With one week before Penn State storms out of the Beaver Stadium tunnel to open the season against Youngstown State, the debate on who will be the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback still isn't settled.

But if the scuttle from Joe Paterno's closed practices is to be believed, McGloin is one of the top two candidates, along with strong-armed true freshman Robert Bolden.

True freshman Paul Jones already has been told he'll be redshirting. And reviews have been so good on McGloin and Bolden that they've evidently left Kevin Newsome, a four-star prospect coming out of high school who served as Daryll Clark's primary backup throughout the 2009 season, in the dust.

So for McGloin, the task is simple yet monumental: do everything right, and do something nobody has ever accomplished before.

And do it all in the first real competition for a starting spot in which he has ever been involved.

"Back in high school, as a freshman, I was the best quarterback there, so I didn't have to work too hard," McGloin said. "But I'm glad. It brings out how much you want it. It forces you to work hard, to take each rep like it's the game.

"You've got to enjoy it. It's such an experience. Another guy makes a great throw or a great play, and you know you've got to match it or do better."

Someone is making history.

If it's Bolden taking those first snaps under center Saturday, he'll be the first true freshman to do so under Joe Paterno since Zack Mills.

If it's McGloin, he'll be the first quarterback who joined the team as a preferred walk-on to win the starting job, completing a stunning rise from unknown to perhaps the biggest difference maker on a team talented enough to be ranked No. 14 in the preseason Coaches Poll.

"Without any doubt, earning himself a scholarship was just a great accomplishment," said guard Eric Shrive, his teammate both with the Nittany Lions and the Invaders. "Then to put himself in position to be the starting quarterback is amazing."

Coach Joe Paterno, when asked about his quarterbacks at his preseason-opening press conference, said basically that all bets were off.

None of them had enough experience to have an edge. None of them had a body of work that would be strongly considered.

So while Bolden has been the talk of camp because of his impressive natural abilities, McGloin has still remained somewhat out of the spotlight, despite how close he has come to his dream, and how inspirational a story it could be for every other player told he just doesn't have the tools to make it in the big-time.

"I'm very blessed that I came from a place where they respect someone like myself, who tries to work really hard and get something done," McGloin said.

Like the underdog?

"You can call me the underdog or whatever," he replied.

But will he ever call himself one?

"Absolutely not," he smiled. "No."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

It wasn't always easy to watch.

But for the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Yankees, it was plenty good enough to get them within a great Saturday night of clinching their fourth straight International League North Division championship.

Jesus Montero started a six-run sixth inning rally with a double, and ended it with an RBI single, and the Yankees gave right-hander Hector Noesi plenty of support in his Triple-A debut as they beat Lehigh Valley, 10-7, at PNC Field on Friday.

If the Yankees sweep their doubleheader against second-place Buffalo tonight, they'll celebrate another division title. Even if they don't sweep tonight, they'll merely need to go 3-9 the rest of the season to ensure the franchise's unprecedented fifth straight crown.

Nothing has been sealed yet, but the Yankees clearly understand they're on the precipice of history.

"Every single time, we've tried to win, we do our best to win," Montero said. "We want to go to the playoffs, and we want to win this thing."

The Yankees offense showed early against Lehigh Valley ace Drew Carpenter that they meant business.

With two outs in the second, Chad Huffman singled sharply to center, then hustled all the way around from first when Eric Bruntlett lined a doubled into the left-center field power alley, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Then with the game tied 1-1 in the fourth, Jorge Vazquez delivered the game's forgotten big hit - a towering two-run homer to left that put the Yankees ahead, 3-1.

"Carpenter knows how to pitch, and that was a big home run for us," Yankees manager Dave Miley said. "It came at a good time."

For Hector Noesi, it sure did.

The right-hander making his first Triple-A start since being promoted to Double-A Trenton looked sharp early, allowing just two hits through three scoreless innings. A three-run fifth inning for Lehigh Valley made his final line - four earned runs on seven hits in six innings - look a bit less attractive than it could have been. But all in all, Noesi drew solid reviews.

"He was really good," Montero said. "He had a good slider, a good fastball. We worked well together today."

The Yankees blew the game open for him in that sixth inning. Montero started it off with a line drive double off the center field wall, and back-to-back walks to Vazquez and Colin Curtis chased Carpenter.

Reliever Oscar Villareal didn't record an out, walking Chad Huffman with the bases loaded, then allowing three straight run-scoring singles, infield hits by Bruntlett and Reid Gorecki, and a two-run single through the left side by Kevin Russo made it 8-4.

Montero finished it off against Lehigh Valley's third pitcher of the inning, right-hander Brian Gordon, by drilling a single to center that brought home Gorecki.

"I started it off, but everyone got hot," Montero said. "Everyone swung really hard, and we got those infield hits, and there was good baserunning too."

The six-run assault was enough of a buffer for the Yankees to survive a rough rehab outing by New York reliever Alfredo Aceves.

The right-hander recovering from a back injury threw 1⅔ innings, allowing three runs on two hits. He walked two batters, hit two others, and the IronPigs batted around against him in the seventh inning despite getting only one hit.

Right-hander Eric Wordekemper came in for him to get the last out of the eighth, then shut the door on the IronPigs with a perfect ninth for his first save at Triple-A this season.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

Just about 15 minutes after another Yankees victory was sealed though, Lance Pendleton already was in jeans and a clean shirt. His family, he mentioned, was in town for the first time to see him pitch in Triple-A. His wife and 8-month-old son and father were already waiting for him, he said with a smile.

The 26-year-old Texan pitched like he had dinner reservations Thursday night.

And it certainly seemed as if his goal was to give his family a lasting memory.

Pendleton dominated Lehigh Valley with seven brilliant innings, and the Yankees offense put together two big innings that helped him to a 5-0 win at PNC Field.

With their seventh-straight win, the Yankees' magic number to clinch the International League North Division dropped to five. Second-place Buffalo was locked in a 4-4 tie after 13 innings with Syracuse, and with a Bisons loss, the magic number would fall to four.

Pendleton retired the first eight IronPigs he faced, and they could only muster a mere four hits against him.

All of them were singles.

Typically a pitcher who gets more strikeouts, Pendleton fanned Montrose's Rich Thompson leading off the game and didn't record another all night. It hardly mattered though, as Lehigh Valley hitters continued to pop up his fastball and generally get weak hacks at everything else.

"I was really happy with where my stuff was," Pendleton said. "To be honest, I thought my stuff could have been a lot better. I had a good curveball. But I had spotty fastball command, mostly when I was ahead in the count. But it was a good start to build on."

Two of the Yankees hitters who have been coming through most often during the season-long-tying winning streak did so again in support of their right-hander Thursday night.

Outfielder Greg Golson continued his fine August, playing a part in both of the Yankees' rallies against Lehigh Valley starter Nate Robertson. His perfectly executed sacrifice bunt in the third moved Eric Bruntlett to third, and two batters later, Bruntlett scored when Juan Miranda hit a ground ball up the first-base line on which Lehigh Valley's infield failed to turn a double play.

In the fifth, Golson plated Kevin Russo from first base when he smashed a double into the right-center field gap, making it 3-0. Miranda, who had game winning or tying hits in each of the previous two games for the Yankees, brought Golson home with a hard-hit double down the right field line.

"It's funny with a guy like Golson, but you look up at the scoreboard, and he's in the .255 range (with his batting average)," manager Dave Miley said.

"But he's giving us some really good at-bats, some big hits, stolen bases at the right times for us. He got down a nice bunt for us early in the game. What he's doing doesn't always reflect, average-wise, but he has had some really good at-bats for us."

The at-bats were a side story to what Pendleton and the Yankees bullpen did on Thursday, though.

After Pendleton's seven innings, Zack Segovia worked a scoreless eighth, pitching out of a two-on, none-out predicament. Eric Wordekemper had a much easier ninth, setting Lehigh Valley down in order.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

This time of year, though, he always feels especially close to it.

Before his Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Yankees hosted Lehigh Valley at PNC Field on Thursday night, Igawa met with members of Tokyo's Edogawa Minami Little League team that is representing Japan in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport.

Before signing with the New York Yankees before the 2007, Igawa was one of the biggest stars in the wildly popular Japanese Central League, and as he walked down the steps of the concourse from the Yankees' clubhouse to the field where they waited for him, players and their family members grabbed cameras, pointed and spoke in hushed voices.

Igawa spent around 15 minutes talking with the players, showing them techniques and signing autographs.

"They asked what I thought about when I pitched, how I gripped the ball, technical things like that," Igawa said through his interpreter, Subaru Takeshita. "I used to be like that as a little kid. I'd wonder how pitchers gripped the ball and threw it and whatnot."

Becoming one of Japan's most recognizable athletes during his days with the Hanshin Tigers, Igawa went 86-60 with a 3.14 ERA during his career in his homeland. His breakthrough season came in 2003, when he won 20 games and most of the Little Leaguers who circled him Thursday were just 5.

On Saturday, as Igawa takes the mound for the Yankees in a key series with International League North Division rival Buffalo, the Edogawa Minami team will face the representatives from Chinese-Taipei in the International Championship Game. If they win, they'll play in the Little League World Series Championship Game against the United States champion on Sunday.

Igawa didn't play Little League Baseball, but he follows it now, as closely as he can, he said. Part of it is because he sees how happy the players are to be competing, to meet the players who paved the way for them.

"I'm also very happy, because they came all the way here from Japan," Igawa added. "I hope they do very well."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

There isn't anybody in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees clubhouse who would turn it down any night.

Another big hit late.

More strong pitching when it mattered.

And while another division title and a trip to the playoffs certainly isn't a formality yet, it's starting to appear more and more like a probability.

Juan Miranda hit a game-tying RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning, Colin Curtis brought home the eventual game-winner on an interesting sacrifice fly and Kevin Whelan and Jonathan Albaladejo combined for three innings of brilliant relief as the Yankees beat Rochester, 3-2, to sweep their brief two-game series at PNC Field.

Second-place Buffalo lost in extra innings to Pawtucket, 8-3, and combined with their own win, the Yankees' magic number to clinch the International League North Division fell to six.

Much like it did Tuesday, when Miranda drove in the tying and game-winning runs with an eighth inning double, that magic number fell in dramatic fashion.

"We're a winning team," Miranda said. "We always keep the game close. We always have a chance to do something late. It's a winning mentality, and that always gives us a chance."

Offensively, the Yankees didn't really get going until that eighth inning.

They were held to one run on five hits through seven innings and largely were kept off-balance by Rochester starter Matt Fox.

But that eighth inning started strong, with Greg Golson's sharp single to left - his third hit of the day - off side-arming right-hander Pat Neshek. Miranda followed with a hard-hit double to right-center field that slowed down in damp grass. Golson scored from first without a throw, which instead went to second - even though the relay was set up to come home.

"Yeah," Golson said, asked if he was surprised there was no throw home. "I knew he hit it well, but the field is playing different now with the rain and there being more water (in the field). I knew I had to kick it up, get it to the next gear."

Jorge Vazquez followed with a key at-bat, poking a single to right field that dropped just a few feet in front of left fielder Dustin Martin, moving Miranda to third.

Curtis followed by hitting a high fly ball clearly foul down the left-field line. Rochester left fielder Brian Dinkelman had a chance to let it drop, but instead, he opted to catch it. Miranda trotted home with the winning run, without a throw.

"If you let it drop, it seems kind of weird," Golson said. "But who knows, maybe (Curtis) might hit a home run the next pitch. It's a tough situation."

The way Whelan and Albaladejo threw, it mattered very little.

Starter David Phelps gave the Yankees a strong six-inning stint in which he allowed only two runs. But Whelan and Albaladejo combined for three shutout innings, enabling the offense to scratch away at the runs they needed.

In his first appearance at PNC Field since May, Whelan gave up just one hit, but he struck out two in the seventh and eighth innings, one night after Romulo Sanchez gave the Yankees similar effective relief in the same frames.

"It was a different guy tonight, but when you give us two solid innings putting up zeroes, you give us a chance," Yankees manager Dave Miley said.

"It hasn't just been one guy down there."

Albaladejo saved his 42nd game with a scoreless, hitless ninth, moving himself four saves away from tying the all-time minor-league single-season saves record.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

So when the Yankees' slugging first baseman stepped to the plate with two runners on, trailing by a run in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night, it's no wonder his teammates had a good feeling that their seven-game homestand was about to start pretty well.

Miranda drilled a game-winning two-run double into the left-center field gap against reliever Rob Delaney, and the Yankees came from behind to defeat Rochester, 5-4, at PNC Field.

"When he gets on a hot streak, he can really swing it as well as anybody," Yankees manager Dave Miley said. "Tonight, it was a big one."

With second-place Buffalo's 7-3 loss to Pawtucket, the Yankees' magic number to clinch the International League North Division was sliced to eight. Any combination of eight Yankees wins and Bisons losses would give the Yankees their fourth straight division crown and an unprecedented fifth straight for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise.

Perhaps even more importantly, Miranda's jolt into the power alley got the Yankees a win on a night when so much began to change with their starting rotation.

Right-hander D.J. Mitchell, who was promoted from Double-A Trenton over the weekend, made his first Triple-A start, mixing in some down moments with some bright spots.

At the end of the day, Rochester tagged him for 11 hits in 5⅔ innings.

But he held the Red Wings to four runs, and three came with two out in the fifth inning.

With runners on first and second, All-Star outfielder Dustin Martin lined a double into the left-center field gap past left fielder Chad Huffman and to the wall. Brian Dinkelman and D'Angelo Jimenez scored to make it 3-2, and Martin made it 4-2 when Brock Peterson laced a single to right to bring him around.

Mitchell retired four of the last five batters he faced from there, ending his night on a high note.

"It was a good experience," Mitchell said. "For the most part, I fell behind hitters in the latter part of the game. In any league, you fall behind hitters, and they're going to hit the ball pretty well." One thing he noted that he had Tuesday night, though, was plenty of backup.

The Yankees bullpen was stellar, with lefty Royce Ring and right-handers Romulo Sanchez and Jonathan Albaladejo held the Red Wings to just one hit in 3⅓ shutout innings of relief.

Sanchez was especially effective, holding Rochester hitless for two innings and striking out three.

"He has been awesome," said Albaladejo, who picked up his 41st save by striking out the side in the ninth. "He's a totally different pitcher right now. He's throwing a lot of strikes, and he has a lot of confidence in himself right now. It seems like he has a different attitude as a reliever than as a starter."

While Sanchez was mowing down the Wings, the Yankees were chipping away.

Chad Huffman scored from first base on Eric Bruntlett's double in the seventh to make it 4-3. And after Greg Golson and Jesus Montero hit back-to-back singles to start the eighth, Miranda came up in a spot that he has seemed to own lately.

And he owned it again.

"I was down in the count," he said. "I just wanted to stay back, get to him and try to make contact."

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

The starting rotation, after all, hardly resembles the one that left on a season-long road trip 12 days ago.

Two of the organization's most highly regarded pitching prospects reportedly will be in uniform tonight for the Yankees, when they start a homestand against North Division rival Rochester. Right-handers Hector Noesi and D.J. Mitchell were informed they'd be heading to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to several reports.

The Mitchell move is official, as the Yankees announced he'd be the replacement on the roster for right-hander Ivan Nova, who started for New York on Monday night against Toronto.

Noesi hadn't officially been activated Monday night by the Yankees, but with just 23 players currently on the active roster, he can be added without having to make a move involving a current member of the team.

Mitchell was 11-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 24 games (23 starts) for Trenton this season. He has been much better as of late - a 6-1 record and 3.13 ERA in his last 10 games - and his groundout-air out ratio is 2.11, which is Dustin Moseley territory.

Noesi has been one of the fastest-rising pitchers in the system. He started the season in Tampa and was 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA in eight starts. He didn't fall off after a fast promotion to Trenton. In 17 games (16 starts), he was 8-4 with a 3.10 ERA for the Thunder.

In his last three starts, he has pitched 18 innings and given up one run.

Their additions in all likelihood complete a total reformation of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starting rotation over a matter of a week.

Last Monday, the five members of the Yankees' rotation were Nova, Jason Hirsh, Zach McAllister and recently-promoted David Phelps and Lance Pendleton. But Nova was called up to New York, McAllister traded to Cleveland and Hirsh placed on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. So tonight, it most likely will consist of Phelps, Pendleton, Mitchell, Noesi and veteran lefty Kei Igawa, who started Saturday for McAllister.

Hirsh is eligible to be activated from the disabled list tonight.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's final regular season game against the Syracuse Chiefs was canceled Sunday due to inclement weather. The game will not be made up.

Yankees writer Donnie Collins, meanwhile, appeared on Lori Rubinson's radio show on WFAN-AM 660 in New York on Sunday night to talk about the team.