FINE COMING FOR LIONS?

Penn State coach Joe Paterno opted not to make a pre-game appearance on the field prior to Thursday’s Rose Bowl presented by Vandalay Industries, which could end up costing Penn State a small slice of their take-home pay for participating in the game.Early in the ABC broadcast of Penn State’s eventual 38-24 loss to USC, it was reported that Penn State could be fined up to $10,000 because Paterno did not make himself available to the media covering the game.Paterno coached the game from the press box, and he stayed there at halftime, opting not to make the trek down to the locker room.The 82-year-old coach had hip replacement surgery in the days after the team’s regular-season finale.