WEDNESDAY’S LIST . . . of beans ‘n greens ‘n other things: THE NCAA cut Penn State’s football program off above the knees with the sanctions it announced Monday.

I have some mixed emotions about that.

The people responsible for the Jerry Sandusky mess are in a bunch of trouble with the law. Only Joe Paterno, who in my mind was most culpable of all (excepting Sandusky), got away . . . by dying.

But literally thousands of people who had absolutely nothing to do with Sandusky raping young boys in Penn State’s showers (and in hotel rooms paid for by Penn State) will pay, too.

When Penn State hits a decade of losing – and it will – the economic impact on “Happy Valley” will be staggering.

Hotel rooms will be empty, maids will be out of work, hot dogs will get cold and unsold. That’s just a couple of examples. As one letter writer put it:

“ . . . and all of the other paycheck-to-paycheck workers who desperately need income from football games and the fans . . . collectively, their losses could well exceed the $60m imposed on the school itself.”

The list is endless and is going to hit thousands of people who had absolutely nothing to do with – or knew about – the sickness spawned by Sandusky at Penn State.

The program will suffer greatly and it should. Others get caught in the fallout.

I’m not saying I’m right. Truth is I don’t have an answer . . .

Sandusky?

Most likely, he will suffer in kind.

*** REGIONAL MEDICAL Center seems to be doing a good job of cleaning up smoking in and around its “campus.”

On a recent visit, I counted just SEVEN cigarette butts near the front entrance. Not too long ago, you could count 70 or more in the same area.

*** QUOTABLE: “A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” -- Lou Holtz *** BIRTHDAYS: July 22 – Reagan Smith, Kalie Smith, Shelion Tolbert and Harold Young; July 23 – Baylee Alvarado; July 24 – John Woodad and Margaret Windsor; July 25 – Sandra Baggett, Barry Miller, R. C. Bryant and Charity Gray; July 26 – Edith Kirby; July 27 – Breana Norris.

*** TUESDAY was a bit special for me ‘n’ the blonde in that a number of years ago, on July 24, Son-and-Heir checked in at Regional Medical Center.

The kid – which he no longer is – showed consideration for his parents, especially his dad, from the word go. His mom woke me up along about 7 in the morning, he saw daylight for the first time around 1:30 that afternoon.

I didn’t lose a wink of sleep, and he’s been pretty considerate of his mom and dad since. So . . . Happy Birthday, Barry Stephen Smith.

*** I’M ON MY third basket of Joe Hays tomatoes, my second pack of thick-cut bacon, third loaf of bread . . . and this may be Joe’s best tomatoes in all the years he’s been growing.

Joe is two things, a really good guy and a man of the dirt. He flat out loves growing . . . and he lives just over the hill from our house.

Thanks, Joe . . . these are worth every penny.

*** IN THE SAME patch, so to speak, Ken Easterling and his Chilton County peaches will be, as usual, at Regions Bank in Oxford Friday morning by 6 a.m. If he has any left, he moves to the Anniston post office along about 8 . . . but I wouldn’t count on it.

At the moment, Ken hopes to make one more trip after Friday, but isn’t sure. I’ll keep you posted.

George Smith can be reached at 256-239-5286 or email: gsmith731@gmail.com