LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — Wow, I actually got something right. Mark it down because it doesn’t happen that often. Last week, I picked the Super Bowl to be New York vs. New England, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly what it will be after both the Giants and Patriots survived thrilling conference championship games.

Now if the Patriots defeat the Giants, that will just seal my prediction. Could I really go 3-for-3? We’ll find out in two weeks.

That was just one of the major stories that happened in sports over the weekend, headlined by the passing of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno from complications with lung cancer.

Paterno was fired back on Nov. 9 as Nittany Lions’ coach thanks to the sexual abuse scandal centering around former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Paterno was never implicated in that mess, but unfortunately, that might be his lasting legacy. And that in way is a shame.

There’s no doubt that Paterno, over the course of his career, did a lot of good things for the Penn State family. He not only won games (409, the most all-time) but he became a father-figure to the thousands of athletes that he coached during his 46 years in Happy Valley. Right or wrong (and he was both) he did his best. Joe’s shadow loomed large over Penn State, and that shadow eventually engulfed his legend.

Let us remember Paterno and all the good he did, but let’s not forget what happened late last year.

Mario Balotelli. I’m sure most of you probably have no idea who this is. Let me clue you in.

Balotelli is a forward for the Manchester City soccer team. During a Premier League match Sunday, he stepped down hard on the right ear of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Scott Parker. Now, Balotelli had already received a yellow card earlier in the match, and this event surely deserved a second booking and ejection from the match.

But referee Howard Webb elected not to card the Italian. That decision ended up playing a huge role in the outcome of the game, as Balotelli converted a penalty kick in second-half injury time to give City a 3-2 win

While Webb didn’t take action, the English Football Association did. They slapped Balotelli with a four-match suspension and charged him with violent conduct. He has until tonight to respond.

Controversy and Balotelli go hand-in-hand. Last summer, in a friendly against the L.A. Galaxy, he had a breakaway and tried to showboat by attempting a spin-and-backheel, which failed. His coach immediately pulled him out of the match much to his dismay. He acted like he wasn’t at fault.

I’m sure he has an abundance of talent, but to me, he’s not worth it. And after Sunday’s sorry display, maybe Man City will agree.

sports@sentinel-echo.com