I will get to all of the important Illini stuff up later, but there is an anecdote I want to share with you that will easily be the one lasting memory of today's Big Ten Media Day.

I couldn't get anywhere near Tressel, where there was easily the thickest  crowd of journalists hanging on his every word. Sat in for a few minutes at the Rich Rod, who of all the coaches I saw, seemed the least comfortable around the media, and lastly I sat down at the table of one Joe Paterno.

If you don't know how the whole shtick works, each coach is basically seated at a nice round banquet table and the journalists arrange their recorders in front of him while they ask him questions. I was seated too far away from Coach Paterno to actually hear anything he said, but I was hoping to get a small question in so I waited patiently.

Then I noticed that in front of Paterno, right next to his cup of coffee there was something written on the table cloth, so I took a picture with my camera phone.

Can you tell what it is? That's right, it is a play diagram.

Apparently Paterno wanted to demonstrate some of the intricacies of the spread offense to the reporters. The story was related as follows by one the photographers who heard the whole thing. (Note: All of this is paraphrase, not direct quote)

Joe wanted to show the reporters that the spread offense was nothing new, in fact according to Joe, "we were running it back in the '40s!"

Joe then proceeded to draw up an example of how he would run the backfield at Brown, drawing it up on the table cloth next to his coffee with a pen.

"Sometimes I would hand it off to him, sometimes to this guy, some times I would take it myself and sometimes I would throw it. But I couldn't throw for beans."

So after the room cleared out for the autograph sessions and banquet, I walked back over to the table and got this picture, evidence that the story is true.

You couldn't name me one other coach who would do something like this. I enjoy the fact that Joe is so old/rich that he could care less about graffitoing a hotel tablecloth.   Big Ten media days was defined by political correctness and safe answers to questions. I am just glad Joe Paterno is still here to bring some life to the place.