LeBron: Worlds #1

Ever since entering the NBA in 2003 LeBron James has been at the forefront of conversation when it comes to being the best. During his high school career at Saint Vincent Saint Mary's everyone who watched him play knew he'd be something special, but no one knew he'd be this special. Over time he has gotten bigger, faster, and stronger, which has made him arguably the best player in the world. Some might argue that Thunder All Star Kevin Durant might be the best, but if you watch both of them play there is a clear difference in who is the best. Sure Durant can score at will and make the difficult shots, but LeBron can do it all, and so much better. For someone who is 6'8" and weighs 265 pounds- some have him at 280, which would be even more incredible, but for someone of that size and to have the leaping ability and speed James has, the things he does are out of this world. His ability to get a rebound at the free throw line and sprint down the floor to the other basket and score in a matter of 3-4 seconds is something to rarely see with someone that big. He doesn't have Magic Johnson vision but his knows where his teammates are and how to get them the ball. When driving to the basket he is nearly unstoppable; he can the contact and still get off a shot, if he misses he has the strength to get the rebound and get off another shot. I haven't even mentioned his defense. A 4-time All Defensive First Team, no one really appreciates how great his defense is. When was the last time you saw someone play both ends of the floor like LeBron James? He gets it done on both ends, with great ease. He can guard position 1-5, and shut them down. Michael Jordan was never asked to guard all positions, Kobe Bryant is never asked to do it, and neither is Kevin Durant. LeBron does it, and does it well. In the 2011 Playoffs against the Bulls, LeBron guarded and locked down guard Derek Rose. In the conferecne semi finals this season against the Celtics he guarded Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo, in the same game. His ability to track down the ball in transition and make a play on it, whether it's blocking it or altering the shot, is above everyone else's. He hasn't made all the clutch shots, but did Michael Jordan? did Kobe Bryant? Those guys didn't make every single shot they took and believe it or not, they had bad games too. Just entering the prime of his career at age 27, LeBron has a long way to go in his already amazing career. He is two games away from winning his first championship, which he would be younger than Jordan when he won his first title, and look how he turned out. His focus level is at an all time high and that could spell trouble for the NBA. You have to wait til his career is over to rank him, but for now, you can start placing him in the "All Time" rankings.

The Penn State Way

Growing up in State College can teach you many things. Growing up in the shadows of Penn State can you teach many things. Being a Penn State fan can teach you many things, but what exactly are those things? I've lived in State College my whole life and have grown up bleeding blue and white. My family is Penn State through and through and to me that has been the best part of my life, being a Penn State fan. My family has taught me to treat people the way you want to be treated, to respect people and they'll respect you. Every parent will tell their kids that, but in State College, it means so much more. It's not a very big community, kind of secluded from everything else. There has always been one thing that you'll learn whether you've lived here, or  attending school here, it's to do things the Penn State way. What is the Penn State way? It's doing things with pride, making a difference in the community, and making everything count. None of that would be possible without the vision of one man, Joe Paterno. His dad wanted him to be a lawyer, but he wanted to be a coach. His dad asked him if he could make a difference by being a coach, Paterno answered that question with 60 plus years of difference making. He took Beaver Stadium from a 46,000 seat stadium, to a 110,000 seat cathedral for college football. Yeah he cared about what happened on the field, but he cared a hundred times more what you did OFF the field. What you did in the community, what you did in the classroom, what you did for your school, your family, and your team. Penn State has always had some of the highest graduation rates among its athletes, and that's in part to Joe Paterno's commitment to excellence. He never wanted the stadium named after him, instead he wanted the library in his name. On fall Saturday's the Penn State family gathers in the house that Joe built to show their Penn State pride, and that's never more evident when "We Are....Penn State" is echoed throughout the 110,000 seat stadium. What does "We Are" mean? It means we are one; one family, one community, one school. This community was shocked in November when the Jerry Sandusky story broke, we were shocked that something like this could happen in such a place, a place like State College, where nothing wrong had ever happened. We had to rally around our school and show everyone that we were still Penn State and the actions of one man wouldn't bring us down. We had to rally around our coach when everyone else was bringing him down, breaking his image which he held up high where it should be. Nothing people say can take away from what Joe Paterno has done for Penn State, State College, college football, and everyone involved in this community. The work he did, the amount of time and energy spent making Penn State a successful place, changing the lives of thousands, will never be matched. The Penn State way will never fall, it will be stronger than ever now, and we will carry on Joe Paterno's idea of making a difference. All of this is possible because We Are....Penn State.