"The Ball Don't Care"

[4444Milk]

There's an expression in football that goes "the ball Don't Care". This expression means, basically, that things like history, statistics, common feelings, superstitions, and everything else, doesn't matter. That the team that is better, will win games and championships, regardless of extenuating circumstances.

I believe this applies to Penn State this season. Franklin's ballyhooed record against top whatever teams, Ohio State, Michigan, on the road, etc...at some point the ball doesn't care. If Penn State is the team we believe they are, they are going to prevail here this season.

I'm taking a positive stance this year. The ball Don't Care. How about you?

 

[BobPSU92]

I care about balls.

 

[WDLion]

There's an expression in football that goes "the ball Don't Care". This expression means, basically, that things like history, statistics, common feelings, superstitions, and everything else, doesn't matter. That the team that is better, will win games and championships, regardless of extenuating circumstances.

I believe this applies to Penn State this season. Franklin's ballyhooed record against top whatever teams, Ohio State, Michigan, on the road, etc...at some point the ball doesn't care. If Penn State is the team we believe they are, they are going to prevail here this season.

I'm taking a positive stance this year. The ball Don't Care. How about you?

Doesn't care.

 

[VicVaselino]

Odd shaped balls sometimes take funny bounces. The better team doesn't always win.

 

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

Doesn't care.

 

[WDLion]

 

[MtNittany]

I've never heard that expression before.

 

[bdgan]

I care about balls.

A lot of us have been wondering about that

 

[Bvillebaron]

A lot of us have been wondering about that

 

[Bison13]

There’s a much more common phrase, the ball don’t lie, that’s used in basketball. Most typical typically used when a fan deems a foul that was called on their team as a bad call and the person who shoots the free throws ends up missing.

I distinctly remember an idiot fan screaming that comment at a game I was coaching. The first two times they happened to foul the worst free-throw shooter we had on the floor and they did miss the front end of one and one both times. But we were able to humble them the rest of the game as they proceeded to yell it on every foul call, even obvious ones, but my team went 16 for 16 the rest of the way, and I enjoyed yelling “ball don’t lie” after every make.

 

[Karl_Havok]

I've never heard that expression before.

I've always heard it phrased, "ball don't lie" meaning after the game, people can talk about whatever they want, but at the end of the day whoever won, won. And that's it, they're better.

 

[Smee]

There's an expression in football that goes "the ball Don't Care". This expression means, basically, that things like history, statistics, common feelings, superstitions, and everything else, doesn't matter. That the team that is better, will win games and championships, regardless of extenuating circumstances.

I believe this applies to Penn State this season. Franklin's ballyhooed record against top whatever teams, Ohio State, Michigan, on the road, etc...at some point the ball doesn't care. If Penn State is the team we believe they are, they are going to prevail here this season.

I'm taking a positive stance this year. The ball Don't Care. How about you?

Maybe this will help your positive stance?

2023:
Preseason AP Poll - Michigan #2
Final AP Poll: - Michigan #1

2024:
Preseason AP Poll - Ohio State #2
Final AP Poll: - Ohio State #1

2025:
Preseason AP Poll - Penn State #2
Final AP Poll: - Penn State #1 ?

 

[ApexLion]

I don't know about having balls that don't care but I do know the Lions need to party less and focus on doing well on and off the field. Just take care of business and let Angry James do his thing. Let's chill on the celebrations and the smack and act like we've been there before.

 

[JWB389]

I don't know about having balls that don't care but I do know the Lions need to party less and focus on doing well on and off the field. Just take care of business and let Angry James do his thing. Let's chill on the celebrations and the smack and act like we've been there before.

I would like to see Franklin’s teams play more angry.

 

[Marshall2323]

I would like to see Franklin’s teams play more angry.

I'm gonna suggest poised. Admittedly it's been a long time. But my memory as a player and a coach was somewhat like crawling into a "tunnel " where my concentration allowed me to block out all extraneous noise etc. The buzz word today would be "laser focused." If anything, I'd prefer PSU to do less running of the lips and look at me type of stuff. I know things are different. But that's my pet peeve. I don't know how you keep your head in the game when you are incessantly trash talking.

 

[4444Milk]

I don't know about having balls that don't care but I do know the Lions need to party less and focus on doing well on and off the field. Just take care of business and let Angry James do his thing. Let's chill on the celebrations and the smack and act like we've been there before.

Is that an implication that last year's team partied too much?

 

[4444Milk]

I've always heard it phrased, "ball don't lie" meaning after the game, people can talk about whatever they want, but at the end of the day whoever won, won. And that's it, they're better.

Perhaps that's the phrase I was thinking of. Anyways you explained it maybe better than I did. It means you go out and win the games and what people say is meaningless.

 

[ApexLion]

Is that an implication that last year's team partied too much?

No. But winning it all takes a lot of people keeping it focused. These are still kids.

 

[Ceasar]

I'm gonna suggest poised. Admittedly it's been a long time. But my memory as a player and a coach was somewhat like crawling into a "tunnel " where my concentration allowed me to block out all extraneous noise etc. The buzz word today would be "laser focused." If anything, I'd prefer PSU to do less running of the lips and look at me type of stuff. I know things are different. But that's my pet peeve. I don't know how you keep your head in the game when you are incessantly trash talking.

I agree with you Marshall. And an example would be last year vs. OSU, the defense forced a fourth down and a punt, at a point where PSU appeared to be taking control, and Washington was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And it was an obvious and egregious penalty. OSU took advantage and scored a TD on the same possession. That cannot happen in a big game.

 

[MacNit]

Odd shaped balls sometimes take funny bounces. The better team doesn't always win.

Is that our excuse now? But it’s only rolled our way once in a decade? Must be bad luck!

 

[ApexLion]

Is that our excuse now? But it’s only rolled our way once in a decade? Must be bad luck!

It is and we are sticking with it, if you don't count bad, stinky big-game coaching that us coaches on BWI (BWIACC?) would never do.

 

[Jim from Spicewood]

I would like to see Franklin’s teams play more angry.

2023 Iowa angry.

 

[JWB389]

2023 Iowa angry.

Was thinking more 80’s Chet Parlavechio/ Trey Bauer angry.

 

[4444Milk]

Joe used to say "act like you've been there before"....and as far as partying, I remember the 1982 team, which was my freshman year, and Blackledge, Warner, Jackson etc, would pop in to a dorm party or a frat party just about when they started up, and leave after about 15 minutes, before home games on Friday night. That team had responsible leadership. Here's hoping that our upperclassmen set the same example in this generation

 

[JohnJumba]

Is that an implication that last year's team partied too much?

When was it players were staying up all night playing video games and other dumb stuff?

 

[PaxtangLion]

Joe used to say "act like you've been there before"....and as far as partying, I remember the 1982 team, which was my freshman year, and Blackledge, Warner, Jackson etc, would pop in to a dorm party or a frat party just about when they started up, and leave after about 15 minutes, before home games on Friday night. That team had responsible leadership. Here's hoping that our upperclassmen set the same example in this generation

After Penn State had beat West Virginia some 20 or 30 times in a row over the 1960's and 1970's, West Virginia was coming to Beaver Stadium with a pretty good team, but the WVU team faithful were still in doubt as they said many of those Penn State wins were because of referee bias. Joe Paterno responded by saying that Penn State won those games because they had the better players and the better team. He also said that when WVU has the better players and the better team sometime in the future, they will win. And Joe was right, WVU won in 1984 when the teams were fairly equal, and they won big in 1988 with Major Harris when they were very good, losing the Natty to the fighting Lou Holtz's in the Fiesta Bowl.

 

[razpsu]

I care about balls.

What about blue balls.