One of those articles that people in the Penn State Athletic Department grind their teeth and mutter about the e-mails they are going to get. To say nothing of what old Joe Paterno must think to see an old assistant of his all but call for the Pitt-Penn State football game to return.

This time, former football players and coaches will be playing on the same team in the Pitt vs. Penn State golf challenge June 6 at Chestnut Ridge in Blairsville.

The event will raise money for two charities geared to helping disadvantaged youth in Pennsylvania — the Second Mile, founded by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, and the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), administered by the University of Pittsburgh.

Last year, the golf outing was run exclusively for the Second Mile, and the competition was won by Penn State. This year, Sandusky teamed up with former Pitt coach Johnny Majors and expanded the number of charities that will benefit from the event.

The day will begin with a nine-hole competition between select former Pitt and Penn State players. Several skills competitions will follow. The former players then will be divided among the groups of sponsors and play a round of golf. Team captains for Penn State will be Shane Conlan and Mike Zordich; Pitt’s captains will be Tony Dorsett and Bill Fralic.

“It was a lot of fun last year,” Sandusky said, “but, more importantly, we raised right around $100,000 for the charity, and that’s what it is all about. And the guys still get into it.

“We have a crazy scoring system, but competition is competition. I hear the Pitt guys are really gearing up for this since we beat them last year. I expect we’ll get their best effort and I hear they have some good golfers coming out.

“I think, even though we won, the best golfer was actually [former Pitt linebacker] Troy Benson, so it should be a close battle again. We have a real festive atmosphere, and the sponsors all really enjoy themselves.”
…
Sandusky said one of the things that people seem to enjoy is the reminiscing that goes on about the Penn State-Pitt series, the memorable games that were played. He said he obviously is not alone in wishing the series would be restored.

“It was obviously a great rivalry, and there were a lot of great games between us,” Sandusky said. “It would be really neat if we could get this game going again, but I don’t know whether that will happen or not.”

[Emphasis added.]

Heh.

On a different track, Tony Dorsett will be playing. It isn’t just me is it? Dorsett seems to be making a lot more trips and apperances in Pittsburgh in support of Pitt in the last year? Coach Wannstedt and Pitt seem to be reaching out a lot harder and better to past Pitt players. Bringing them back to the “family” as it were.

Barry Rohrssen appears poised to be named the next coach of Manhattan.

Manhattan College appears ready to sign Pitt associate head coach Barry Rohrssen to succeed Bobby Gonzalez as head basketball coach, The Post has learned.

Rohrssen, 45, a Brooklyn native widely regarded as one of the nation’s top New York City recruiters, interviewed in Riverdale on Thursday, a source said, and thoroughly impressed Athletic Director Bob Byrnes.

Rohrssen, who would be introduced early next week, also interviewed at Seton Hall and Fairfield.

He stands to inherit a talented team that won the MAAC regular-season title under Gonzalez this year.

There are team issues, however, as second-leading scorer Jeff Xavier, a sophomore guard, elected to transfer to Providence during this search, and C.J. Anderson, a sophomore forward and 2004-05 MAAC Rookie of the Year, was academically ineligible this semester.

Byrne also interviewed Louisville assistant Kevin Willard and UConn assistant Tom Moore.

The potential loss of a couple star players, apparently drove Moore to withdraw from the search.

“In what has been a month of analyzing potential job openings both my wife [Eileen] and I realize what a special situation we have at Connecticut,” Moore said before leaving for Houston on a recruiting trip Friday afternoon. “[Athletic director] Bob Burns and the people at Manhattan were great to me. … I really feel Manhattan College is going to have a lot of success in the future in men’s basketball.”

Sources close to Moore say that he was operating under coach Jim Calhoun’s philosophy that when an assistant leaves to become a head coach, it should be to a place where he can be successful soon.

Manhattan, a MAAC power under Bobby Gonzalez, who left for Seton Hall on April 7, looked like such a place when Moore began discussions with school officials, but things changed when star guard Jeff Xavier decided to transfer to Providence. There are also rumors that CJ Anderson, another outstanding sophomore, is going to transfer. Anderson was lost for the season in January because of academics, and the Jaspers still finished 20-11, but without those two next year, it will be a rebuilding year.

It’s still the tremendous opportunity for Barry Rohrssen. I hope he has success.

Of course, Joe Lombardi is now at IUP.

Obviously, Orlando Antigua is going to move up to an assistant coaching position and will help keep the door open in the NY/NJ area. But Pitt is going to have to find two new assistants. The good thing, I think is that Coach Dixon probably came away from his contract extension with an increased budget to pay assistants. That means he can go after some good assistants.

It will be another subplot to watch over the next month or so.