Penn State

So, an elderly man, well-known in his community, heads a charitable organization to serve young boys. Through that organization, he picks out certain boys to serve his sexual interests. His modus operandi is to give special attention to the boys he has chosen, get them alone and contrive a way to get them in a shower. A few people know of his disgraceful activities but don't have the moral backbone to speak up. Sounds exactly like a certain local judge and the Lancers boys club here in Baltimore about a decade ago. In that case, apparently, the elderly man satisfied himself just looking at the naked little boys.

NCAA semifinal No. 1 Florida vs. No. 4 Syracuse Friday, 5:30 p.m. At Stony Brook, N.Y. No. 1 Florida advanced to its first NCAA semifinal after topping Penn State, 15-2, at Dizney Stadium on Saturday. "It's a tremendous accomplishment, one I'm incredibly, incredibly proud of," Gators coach Amanda O'Leary said. Top-seeded Florida (19-2) will face No.4 Syracuse in the national semifinal Friday at 5:30p.m. in Stony Brook, N.Y. The Gators are averaging three more draw controls per game this season thanks in part to Shannon Gilroy, a freshman draw-control specialist who scored twice against the Nittany Lions (12-7)

Interim Penn State President Rodney Erickson on Thursday afternoon released through the alumni newswire email service a plea, "… to be patient, to avoid speculation and to refrain from passing judgment until the facts are known. " Mr. Erickson should have passed that sound advice to the Board of Trustees before it appeased the "holier than thou" character assassins who demanded a nationally known figure as a scapegoat. It is obvious that at Penn State, loyalty is a one-way street and that the board is comprised of cowards who crushed Coach Joe Paterno's heart, soul and personal honor.

Penn State women's lacrosse coach Missy Doherty enjoyed her first trip back to Towson since leaving the Tigers two years ago to take over the Nittany Lions' program. The Tigers didn't enjoy the visit so much. From the fourth minute of Saturday's game, eighth-seeded Towson had to play catch up and never made it all the way back as Penn State took a 15-8 victory in the NCAA Division I tournament first round at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Instead of the Tigers advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time, the Lions will travel to No. 1-seeded Florida on Saturday . The game figured to be closer with two of the nation's top goalies, Towson's Mary Teeters and Penn State's Dana Cahill , but the Lions were the only team other than Maryland and Syracuse to slip 13 goals past Teeters.

Navy will renew a dormant rivarly with Penn State in football when the Midshipmen travel to Happy Valley to take on the Nittany Lions in 2012, both schools announced Wednesday. Navy, who last played Penn State in 1974, beating the Lions 7-6, will travel to State College Sept. 15 where Penn State is 7-3 against the Midshipmen and 18-17-2 overall. "Playing Penn State again will bring back many memories for our alumni and friends of Navy Football," said Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk in a new release.

Don't need distraction Chris Dufresne Los Angeles Times Yes, although it's a different case from Miami, which did the necessary thing in taking itself out of bowl consideration as part of a damage-control strategy. Current Miami players were involved in the Nevin Shapiro scandal. Penn State players had nothing to do with the Jerry Sandusky case. But several members of the coaching staff, including interim head coach Tom Bradley, were longtime associates of Sandusky.

Your wishy-washy editorial on Iran's nuclear weapons program was pretty dumb ("Iran and the bomb," Nov.11). And your conclusion that "a nuclear-armed Iran would be intolerable, but there are no easy answers" was even dumber. If an Iranian bomb is, as you concede, "intolerable," and if there are, as you lament, "no easy answers," then your editors should wise up and pick the tough answer. Ironically, your stern editorial on the Penn State child-abuse scandal that same day was not all that stupid ("Tragedy at Penn State," Nov.11)

A festive crowd of players, parents and coaches grew silent Wednesday as Calvert Hall safety Adrian Amos reached into a midnight blue bag to unveil the cap of his future school. Amos kept the choice hidden until the Nittany Lion and blue and white colors of Penn State were atop his head. Even though Penn State is one of the most storied programs in college football, the school's academics were the deciding factor for Amos. "Penn State is known for the number of student athletes who graduate," Amos said.

One of the biggest aspects of the Penn State tragedy that has been overlooked is the courage and tenacity of the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa. While many details remain unclear, one thing that is apparent is that Penn State was a dominating and intimidating force in the community. No one went against them, even when there was strong, even overwhelming, evidence of significant wrongdoing. In comes 24-year-old Sara Ganim, a writer for the paper, who uncovers this story. And at her side was the editorial staff of the Patriot-News.

So they did the right thing. Belatedly. You might say that is better than failing to do the right thing period, but it comes as meager comfort to those who have watched the Penn State scandal unfold and wondered how a moral imperative as obvious as a gorilla in church could have been missed by so many. It is all well and good that the campus was reported to be chastened and numb at Saturday's football game, that there were a moment of silence and expressions of remorse for victims of pedophilia.

Each week, The Baltimore Sun publishes a Q&A with an area college lacrosse player to help you become more acquainted with the player and his/her team. Today's guest is Towson junior midfielder Kelly Custer from Aston, Pa., which is south of Philadelphia. As the Tigers prepare to host Penn State on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Custer is tied for the team lead with 33 goals, but she contributes all over the field, leading the Tigers with 41 draw controls and ranking among the leaders in ground balls and caused turnovers.

Straight from the “What else is new” department, Penn State was severely disappointed by the selection committee's decision to exclude the Nittany Lions from the 16-team NCAA tournament, which was unveiled late Sunday night. And 12 hours after that news dropped, coach Jeff Tambroni still had questions about his team's omission. “Usually, you finish games, and you can pinpoint a couple reasons why you didn't have success - whether it was faceoffs or groundballs or shooting or defense.

Tony Seaman compiled a record of 263-166 in 30 years as a head coach at Johns Hopkins, Towson, Penn and C.W. Post. In one of his many current roles, he serves to chair the selection committee tasked with filling out the 16-team field for the upcoming NCAA tournament. Seaman discussed the deliberations over the No. 1 seed, the rationale for Massachusetts not getting a top-four seed, and thought process behind inviting Princeton over Penn State. Loyola coach Charley Toomey, who is a member of the selection committee, said he recused himself for 40 minutes from Sunday's meeting before learning that the Greyhounds would be the No. 1 seed.

ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich was in the network's studio in Charlotte, N.C., where he helped provide coverage of the 16-team field in the NCAA tournament. The former Johns Hopkins All-American goalkeeper, who can be followed on Twitter via @QKessenich, provided his opinion on Loyola's resume as the No. 1 seed, Penn State's omission from the field, and his stance on not expanding the field. This is part one. Check back Tuesday for part two of the Q&A Loyola is the top seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Johns Hopkins women upset No. 10 Penn State, 13-12, in the first round of the American Lacrosse Conference tournament Thursday in Gainesville Florida. Taylor D'Amore, the only Blue Jay to make the All-ALC first team, scored three goals and had five assists as the Blue Jays (9-8) won only their second game against a conference foe this spring. They finished 1-4 in the conference and were seeded last in the six-team field. On April 21, they fell to the Nittany Lions, 12-9, in State College.

Bill O'Brien looks right out of Football Coach Central Casting: thick neck, hulking shoulders, receding hairline and a mug that looks like it caught a few forearms back when he played linebacker and defensive end at Brown. The new face of Penn State's storied football program was in town Tuesday, on the second leg of a nine-day, 18-stop bus tour to glad-hand alumni and assure everyone that autumn Saturdays in Happy Valley will still be special, despite the tragic events of last fall.

The Penn State student rioters who overturned a TV truck and reacted so angrily at Wednesday night's firing of Coach Joe Paterno picked the wrong villain. The media did not take down their longtime coach, the winningest in college football history. It was the alleged actions of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of molesting at least eight boys between 1994 and 1999, and those at the university who failed to take appropriate action when those claims were brought to their attention.

The Johns Hopkins women upset No. 10 Penn State, 13-12, in the first round of the American Lacrosse Conference tournament Thursday in Gainesville Florida. Taylor D'Amore, the only Blue Jay to make the All-ALC first team, scored three goals and had five assists as the Blue Jays (9-8) won only their second game against a conference foe this spring. They finished 1-4 in the conference and were seeded last in the six-team field. On April 21, they fell to the Nittany Lions, 12-9, in State College.

Alex Aust had seven points on four assists and three goals to lead No. 3 seed Maryland past No. 2 Duke, 12-3, in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference women's lacrosse championship Saturday. The Terrapins (15-3) held the Blue Devils (10-6) to a tournament-record-low three goals. Katie Schwarzmann single-handedly outscored the Duke attack with four goals. Kim Wenger scored for the Blue Devils at 28:03, but Duke did not score its second goal until the 27:07 mark of the second period.

Towson is 13-5 in the all-time series between Colonial Athletic Association foes, but the sides have split the past four meetings. No. 11 Penn State (6-5) followed a three-game winning streak with a three-game losing skid, but the Nittany Lions have won their last two contests. Meanwhile, the Tigers (7-4) had a five-game winning streak end at the hands of No. 3 Massachusetts. With identical 2-1 records in the conference, this game is extremely important for both teams. Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson Saturday night.