I drove past the fairgrounds the other day and saw Christmas trees on display. Come on, one holiday at a time! Speaking of holidays, I am proudly proclaiming Monday “Welcome Yuengling to Ohio Day.” Everyone enjoy, and be careful out there.

Penn State’s only logical move in the wake of the horrific allegations against former football assistant Jerry Sandusky was to fire Joe Paterno and clean house, which it is doing. The scandal that has rocked State College is like nothing we’ve seen in athletics, and the stance that JoePa was clueless about Sandusky is an insult. I mean, the janitors knew!

Do you think it’s a coincidence that Paterno told Sandusky in 1999 that he wouldn’t be PSU’s next head coach? That decision came after Sandusky was investigated by authorities in 1998.

JoePa had to go. I think when his gutless graduate assistant gave him a shocking update on Sandusky in 2002, Paterno went through denial, then tried to protect his program, hoping his predator buddy would reform. After all, can you image what the 5-star recruits would’ve thought?

In the end, a win-at-all-costs mentality crushed the moral compasses of everyone who had a chance to stop the “alleged” crimes ... for at least 17 years.

The only winner to come out of this Penn State mess is ESPN’s Trevor Matich. I have been very impressed with Matich’s thoughtful insight and opinions. The former NFL lineman doesn’t scream, but he makes you listen. And instead of repeating sound bites, he seems to always have something new to say.

Luke Fickell looks a lot like actor Adam Sandler, some of my friends say. I wasn’t sold on that comparison until I saw the end of “Happy Gilmore” the other night, then watched Fickell on the sidelines Saturday. I’m sure Fickell would’ve gone after Bob Barker had he wandered into OSU’s locker room after the Purdue game.

I saw a poll last week that reported that 76 percent of Americans don’t miss the NBA. I’m counting myself as part of that majority. Frankly, I’d be just fine if the season started on Christmas Day and lasted 65 games.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2163 or bkollars@DaytonDailyNews.com.