I can’t believe that I haven’t even mentioned Neil Rudel (Sports Editor of the Altoona Mirror, Editor of the Penn State Bible, a frequent guest on the Penn State Football Radio Network, and one of the most read, respected, and published commentators on Penn State sports) since September 15, 2003. Neil’s frequent cheap shots at Pitt — commonly born of jealousy these days — are usually more than blog-worthy.

In any case, Mr. Rudel is an official Heisman Trophy voter. In today’s Altoona Mirror, Neil makes sure to clearly point out to the half-dozen-or-so Pitt fans that actually read his crap that he did not vote for Panthers Receiver Larry Fitzgerald this year.

I must confess: I voted Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald second behind Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. Much as I wanted to vote for Fitzgerald, it’s impossible to ignore White’s incredible numbers of 40 touchdowns against just eight interceptions… Had Fitzgerald played a little better against Miami, it would have helped, and if he were an upperclassman, provincial sentiment would have tugged a little more.

I did vote for Larry Johnson last year on the basis that he gained 2,000 yards, was a senior, played a position more physically demanding than wide receiver, and broke a 100 year-old Big Ten record. At the risk of providing fodder for Pitt fans, that’s my story.

I appreciate that fodder, Neil. Say, the Heisman Trophy is to go to college football’s best player, period. Whether a candidate is a senior or not has nothing to do with it. Whether a candidate plays on what was once the nation’s number one team or not has nothing to do with it. And most of all, whether a candidate just so happens to go to your alma mater (e.g., Larry Johnson) or the program that is in danger of supplanting your alma mater as Pennsylvania’s strongest college football program has nothing to do with it.

Winning a Heisman Trophy is a major boost to a program’s recruiting. Just look at what John Cooper pulled off recruiting-wise in the late 90s after Eddie George brought one back to Columbus. If I bled blue and white as much as Neil does, I wouldn’t have voted for Fitzgerald either. Penn State is far enough behind Pitt in recruiting as it is. Still, you have to admire the regional solidarity there.

Finally, who says that playing running back is more physically demanding than playing wide receiver? Have you ever had to go up for a catch at full speed, Neil? And how many touchdowns was Fitzgerald supposed to score against Miami when he (1) was used as a decoy for most of the game, and (2) was double and triple covered even then?

If this piece came from anybody other than Neil Rudel, I might have taken the stated admiration for Jason White as sincere (after all, White is a legitimate Heisman candidate). But given Rudel’s long-standing agenda of belittling every little advance that Pitt and Walt Harris make on his beloved Nittany Lions, I can’t help but snicker a little.

Hail to the Heisman going to the best player in college football Saturday night, period.

P.S. Charlotte sucks. I wouldn’t go to a bowl game there if Michael Jackson was playing the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office.