The countdown is on for the most anticipated sports book of the year: Joe Posnanski’s biography Paterno.

Published by Simon & Schuster, the 416-page book is due out on Aug. 21. The former Sports Illustrated writer spent a year in State College with the initial intention of trying to encapsulate the coach’s life and career.

Then of course, it all blew up last November. Then it even exploded more last week.

Here a video preview Posnanski did for the book prior to the news of the Freeh Commission. It now seems terribly outdated, doesn’t it?

The video has a graphic with a header that reads: “Joe Paterno: Educator. Coach. Humanitarian.”

I’ve heard Paterno called many things in the past week, but “humanitarian” isn’t one of them. There’s also a picture of the statue that many people now want to tear down.

In the video, Posnanski acknowledges the scandal and says, “I hope to get somewhere closer to the truth.”

Yet I wonder how people will accept Posnanski’s version of the truth? Consider the following statement on the video:

He was a fascinating, deep, not flawless, but generally decent person who tried to do a lot in his life…To me, the one thing Joe Paterno stood for was making an impact. An impact in people’s lives, an impact on community, an impact on a college. That’s what is most significant about him.

Keep in mind, this video with Posnanski was released before the Freeh Commission came out last week. However, you have to think with a publish date coming up in five weeks, this book is mostly in the can. I’m sure Posnanski will have some quick reaction to the Freeh Report, but I doubt it will change the scope of the entire book.

From listening to Posnanski’s interview, it certainly appears as if the book will have a somewhat sympathetic tone towards Paterno. He spent considerable time with the coach and was there with the family when he died in January. Definitely bonds were formed.

Simon & Schuster’s preview of the book concludes with this positive theme:

Written with unprecedented access, Paterno gets inside the mind of one of America’s most brilliant and charismatic coaches.

Considering the outrage against Paterno, I don’t think people are in the mood to read about a “brilliant and charismatic” coach, about lessons taught to his players by the great teacher. An impact? Let’s talk about the impact Paterno’s actions had on the lives of the young boys who were subjected to the horrors of Jerry Sandusky.

People are so angry, all the records and other good deeds seem so insignificant right now.

Posnanski has a popular blog. His last entry came Tuesday from the All-Star Game. He didn’t write about post about the Freeh Commission. His only comment was a tweet:

I dedicated myself to write the most honest book I could about Joe Paterno. Everything I have to say about his life is in it.

Posnanski is a terrific writer, and he may pull off this high wire act in his book. However, if I’m Posnanski and Simon & Schuster, I would update that promo video.