Get ahold of Tate here

Why I Feel Young ...

That's me in the rumble seat bouncing through each of son Travis Tate's new adventures.

He spent a year as a PR intern with Jerry Sloan, Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz, and his similar year with the New Orleans Hornets ended last weekend. Packed to the gills, he made the 12-hour drive home Monday, and left early Wednesday for Idaho where he'll be the full-time publicist for the Boise Stampede, a D-League (Developmental) team supported by the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets. He drove 1,000 miles to Laramie, Wyo., on Wednesday, stayed with Salt Lake City friends Thursday and arrived at his new digs Friday.

There's nothing quite like watching the young guy climb the slippery NBA ladder, with those of us at home sweating out each new opportunity and seeing where it goes from there. Maybe it's adding some gray hairs on this thinning skull, but it also keeps me involved and feeling younger. Go Stampede!

Why I Feel Old ...

I can't escape a concerned feelng after seeing Joe Paterno at the Chicago kickoff affair, and later on TV after a blistering Penn State practice.

JoePa appeared slower and not quite as outgoing after a summer dealing with internal plumbing problems. He's in a high-pressure job at age 83, and it can't go on forever even as they insulate him from the heavy lifting. He still deals with recruiting, but they come to him rather than vice versa, and recent results with prospective athletes (just four commitments so far) aren't as positive as they once were.

For decades, Paterno has defied the aging process. He has recovered from physical setbacks, moved from the sideline to the press box when necessary, and kept the Nittany Lions growling. But everyone noticed something different about his trip to Chicago. Put simply, he seems older. And when the inevitable happens, when JoePa steps down, we will all feel a little older.