Peter King: Vol. 13

A couple quick e-mail exchanges between Pete and his minions.

From Brian, of Baltimore: "Peter, I wanted to write in about Joe Paterno. As a Penn State alumni, I know I'm biased, but it seems contradictory to laud Mike Holmgren for his ability to impact player's lives, then in the next breath ignore Paterno's impact on his players. His players love playing for him, and kids come to Penn State to play for the legend. And 40 wins in 4 years isn't too shabby."

Pete:
Holmgren is 60. Paterno is 82, coming off health issues. He is one of the giants in the history of college football, and of coaching in general. But every man has to know when to say when, and every organization has to know when to say when. It's time to say when, and Paterno and Penn State didn't do it.

[Hey, Pete, you know what other numbers are telling? Their respective 2008 records.
Holmgren: 4-11
Paterno: 11-1

But yeah, knowing "when to say when" is a waaaay better means of determining when a coach should hang 'em up.]

From Harry Hix, of Stillwater, Okla.: "Enjoy your column and appreciated your comments on T.O. and Ed Werder. But, the comment, 'Sad day for journalism,' is based on a false assumption. That assumption is that ESPN is journalism. It's not and hasn't been for years. And that's sad."

Pete:
ESPN deserves that shot.

[So says the guy who coined the phrase "almost literally." Professional journalism.]