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Put Temple in a Cheesesteak Bowl

WHEN I'M King of the World . . . If you win an NFL division title with a record less than 8-8, you're out . . . And the team with the best record not in the playoffs becomes an extra wild card. Seattle Seahawks, 7-9? Gag me with a Rich Kotite two-point conversion chart. What's next, coll

Temple's football team won six games this season, but was not invited to a bowl game. (Hans Pennink/AP file photo)
Temple's football team won six games this season, but was not invited to a bowl game. (Hans Pennink/AP file photo)Read more

WHEN I'M King of the World . . .

If you win an NFL division title with a record less than 8-8, you're out . . . And the team with the best record not in the playoffs becomes an extra wild card. Seattle Seahawks, 7-9? Gag me with a Rich Kotite two-point conversion chart. What's next, college teams with .500 records eligible to accept a bowl bid? Oh, you say that's already happening, that Temple got screwed out of a bowl invite because their fans don't make road trips? How would anybody know that anyway? With the exception of the inaugural Sugar Bowl, which Temple lost to Tulane, 20-14, on Jan. 1, 1935, Temple fans have never had to stray very far from I-95. One bowl in Giants Stadium, one in FedEx Field. Now that cold-weather cities are getting into the Bowl biz - Pinstripe Bowl? Armed Forces Bowl? - maybe Ed Rendell can lobby for a Cheesesteak Bowl where the Owls can finally go south once again. All the way to South Philly . . .

Former Phillies pitching prospect Alfredo Simon, 29, a 6-4 righthander, surrendered to police yesterday in the Dominican Republic city of Puerto Plata. The journeyman reliever faces a possible murder charge related to the shooting death of a man and gunshot wounds suffered by his younger brother during a New Year's Eve celebration in the North Coast beach town of Luperon. According to agent Phil Isaac, a number of Dominican ballplayers have come forward to support the pitcher. Simon denies involvement in the incident, but also surrendered a handgun believed to have been the murder weapon. Simon - wasn't the guy originally named Carlos Cabrera? - and Ricky Ledee were traded to the Giants in 2004 for reliever Felix Rodriguez. FX-Rod was dealt to the Yankees for Kenny Lofton. Simon was 4-2 with 17 saves for the Orioles last season coming off Tommy John surgery.

When I'm King of the World . . .

Penn State fans who heaped thick layers of hate on me a few years ago for suggesting it was time for Joe Paterno to retire might want to reconsider . . . That was when the Mount Nits were getting bounced around the Big Ten like a bespectacled crash dummy. JoePa was getting torched. The alumni was on him, the students were on him, the media was on him and that is when he turtled into the whiny, suspicious troll who ducks even softball questions.

Starting in 2000, when Paterno was 73, his football team had losing seasons in four of five seasons that were neatly bisected by a 9-4. But the record Lions fans would have considered unsatisfactory in the good old days proved to be an anomaly. Instead of signaling a turnaround, things got even worse. With 3-9 and 4-7 seasons, Penn State was officially among the Big Ten bottom feeders.

I wrote that Paterno, who turned 77 in 2004, didn't deserve the hammering he was getting from every direction but the office of university president Graham Spanier. Paterno had put Penn State on the football map, winning two national championships, carpeting the NFL with disciplined, intelligent players, and with the move to the prestigious Big Ten, had immeasurably enhanced the university's stature in the academic world. No football coach in history had contributed the amount of money Paterno had donated to establish the Joe and Sue Paterno Library. In addition, they raised millions more.

So, my advice to Joe was to get out while he still had his health. He had done more than enough. At the same time I knew there was no way in hell or Flatbush this street-smart son of a night-school educated lawyer, this man educated by demanding Jesuit and Ivy League curriculums, was going to walk away from a fight. In 2005, the Lions bounced back from the dreadful 4-7 with an 11-1 record, a tie for the Big Ten title, No. 3 in the polls and an Orange Bowl victory. Including that season and the current unsatisfactory 7-6, Penn State has gone 58-19 and earned a second Rose Bowl berth.

But now Joe's judgment is being sharply questioned. His ability to run the program with a firm and even hand fires debate. Penn State is on the verge of losing two highly recruited quarterbacks, Rob Bolden and Kevin Newsome. In an Outback Bowl game with absolutely no football implications outside of the big bank deposit involved, Paterno let his true freshman Opening Game starter simmer on the sideline while walk-on Matt McGloin threw five picks. Next day, Joe allowed that maybe he should have given Bolden some work . . . Probably too late, Joe. Probably too late for almost anything that will produce another great escape from the Big Ten doldrums.

When I'm King of the World . . .

Antonio Bastardo will get a long, hard look during spring training . . . With the Phillies' payroll at undreamed-of levels, and counting, the best available economy is to dip into the farm system, what's left of it. There are still some arms worth looking at for bullpen roles. One belongs to Bastardo, and it is a left arm. The sturdy Dominican still has that plus fastball and his slider has made slow progress toward being a quality secondary pitch. Ant-B was lightly pitched in relief for Gigantes in the Dominican Winter League, but came out of the regular season with an 0.00 ERA and a save for 9 IP. Teammate David Herndon also pitched well and was unscored on in limited work. It remains to be seen if Herndon, who appeared in 47 games for the Phils last season as a Rule 5 player, will figure in varsity plans now that the 6-5 sinkerballer can be optioned. *

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