About five years ago, I started playing sports in the Pittsburgh Sports League and through that social network, I've made many really great friends and have had some wonderful times. Because of the PSL, I've attended some pretty awesome parties, did some cool volunteer work, and was introduced to a great and unique bar called Gooski's. A place I lived next door to as a small child but never set foot in until I started going there with my volleyball teammates after our games on Thursday evenings. Heck, I even became a runner because of some of the friends I made in the league. Me, running. Wow!
But since this a sports blog, I want to share with you my favorite sports moment from the PSL.
I've played flag football, indoor and sand volleyball, and about a year and a half ago, I started bowling in the PSL.
I've had some great moments in all these sports.
There can be only one favorite moment, but there have been many honorable mentions.
First the honorable mentions:
The first one that comes to mind didn't even involve an athletic play. It was me writing about sports. The first sport I ever signed up for in the PSL was flag football, and right around that same time, I answered an ad in craigslist for an online magazine called "The Pittsburgh Dish." They were looking for people to contribute to their site. It was similar to the City Paper but it was exclusively online. When I sent the editor some samples of my writing, she said she didn't think my style suited their site. My samples were a little off the beaten path and she was looking for people to write about events around the Pittsburgh area that they attended.
Well, at that point, I wasn't exactly a social butterfly. After all, that's why I signed up to play sports in the PSL. But then it occurred to me that I could write an article about my experiences and the friends that I made in my short time in the league. I asked her if I could do that, and she said it was an interesting idea. I knew I had to interview my teammates, so I sent them some questions via email. I even interviewed Becky Reitmeyer, the director of the league. I know, doing an interview via email isn't exactly professional, but I'm not a professional. I'm a hack, so I could get away with it. Anyway, the answers were very helpful and I sat down and wrote an article about the PSL. The editor was blown away. She told me that she read articles from "real" reporters that weren't as good.
I was very proud. I thought it was my first step to a freelance writing career but, sadly, that was the only article they ever published for me. I guess she realized how much I sucked at writing.
Moving on, another great moment that comes to mind was my first touchdown in flag football. I went my entire first season without a touchdown, even though I really did have one in the next to last game of the season. I caught a ball low in the endzone, and the official, who was behind the play, said it hit the ground. My teammates, the opponents, and even the other referee came up to me and told me it was a touchdown. But I digress.
The next season, in the first game of a doubleheader, I caught a ball and ran about 15 yards for my first official touchdown. I was so elated I did some sort of weird bird dance right as I crossed the goalline.
Another great moment was winning the recreational volleyball championship the very first season that I played. I signed up for an individual team and it turned out that there were some very good players in the group. I didn't know what I was doing that year, but I'm proud to say that I played the best that I could possibly play in the playoffs, at least at that point. I even had my first ever block in the semi-finals. It was a one-handed block, but hey, style points don't matter.
Another great moment in volleyball was winning a first round playoff match as a sixth seed last year. It wasn't our greatest year but for whatever reason, we got it all together for that match and swept the 3rd seed, 2-0. I overheard a player on the other team say over and over again, "It's a sixth seed, guys, Come on!" Pretty sweet.
Another pretty cool moment was another touchdown that wasn't.
We were playing in the last game of the year in my third flag football season, and we were down by 6 points with less than a minute to go. My brother-in-law, who signed up to play that season, told me to do an out into the endzone. I did that, but I wasn't open. I started running all the way across to the other side of the endzone, and he lofted a pass in my direction. I was wide-open and caught the ball. I took two steps and went to celebrate and the ball fell out of my hands and hit the ground. I turned around and the ref was signaling no touchdown. To this day, I know that was a touchdown, but since there isn't instant replay in the PSL, it couldn't be reversed. There really should be instant replay in the Pittsburgh Sports League. But it's ok, because I get more kudos from that play than any other play I've ever had in any PSL sporting event.
Another great moment for me occurred in bowling. I hadn't bowled in years, really, but for some reason, I decided to join a bowling team for the hell of it. My first week, I really didn't impress. I don't remember the exact scores that I had, but they couldn't have been much above 100. But the first game of the second week, I was on fire. The Steelers were playing the Chargers in the playoffs and I was so full of adrenaline that I managed to bowl a 151. To this day, I don't know how I did that. That number stood as my top score for a very long time until I kind of figured out what I was doing and got a little better.
Another great bowling moment came earlier this year. It was the last match of the season, and we were playing these guys that were really loud and animated. They had a really high average and were kind of cocky. They won the first game and started off hot the second game. Someone on their team yelled, "Our slogan for this game should be: 700 or bust!" Oh brother. Well, we bowled really well that game but they were making a comeback towards the end. I was the last bowler for my team and with the pressure on, I bowled back-to-back strikes in the 10th frame. Since I don't bowl too many strikes, that was pretty sweet and it was just enough to win that game.
Back to football, a few years ago, we were playing a game out at Magee field in Greenfield. We were down by 21 points in the second half but came all the way back. We scored a touchdown in the last minute and decided to go for one point to tie the game. My uncle, another family member who plays flag football with me, was the quarterback for the play. I wasn't really expecting the pass, but sure enough, he spotted me at the the last second and drilled it low and I reached down to catch it. It was just like "The Drive" touchdown pass that John Elway threw in the AFC Championship game, except this was co-ed flag football. Same/difference. Anywho, I got my clock cleaned by someone right after I caught the ball.
I'm sure you probably know who Randy Pausch is. He was the CMU professor known for the "Last Lecture" that he gave while battling pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, he died in the Summer of 2008. I was surprised to find out that Randy Pausch played flag football in the PSL.
In his honor, the PSL started the "Randy Pausch Flag Football tournament" in the Fall of 2008 with all proceeds going to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The rules for the tournament were a little different than the PSL flag football league. It was a double-elimination tournament and it wasn't co-ed. There were 5 on 5 men's and women's divisions.
Since I'm a receiver, I tend to whine and cry about not catching the football 85 times a game. In our last co-ed game a couple of weeks prior to the tournament, I left in a huff because I was angry because I thought I wasn't being used properly. It didn't matter that I was a 5'9, slow, unathletic idiot, I wanted the ball, damn it! For whatever reason, I've never had much luck scoring touchdowns in flag football. Maybe it's because I'm old and slow, I don't know. But on this day, I caught three. I was so happy and had a great time. And in the interest of not being a selfish jerk, my team played great and we made it all the way to the semi-finals.
We started about 9am in the morning and didn't get done until almost 6pm. Randy must have been smiling down on everyone that day because it was the most fun I've ever had playing sports, and that's not even my favorite moment!
My favorite moment:
My favorite moment occurred last year while playing in the second annual "Randy Pausch Tournament." We had lost the first game pretty badly and were down in the second game by two touchdowns. Somehow, we came back and tied it when my brother-in-law hit my uncle with a touchdown pass in the final moments of regulation.
The game went into overtime. The rules were similar to college football. Each team got two cracks at the endzone from the 12 yard line. The other team had the first shot and couldn't score. It was our turn. I hadn't caught a pass the entire day. I actually had to hike the ball thru my legs a good majority of the game; something I hadn't done my whole life. The defense had a designated blitzer on each play which often forced the quarterack to roll out one way or the other. Since it was hard for me to see my brother-in-law after I hiked the ball, I would often guess which way he was going to roll out. If the blitzer came from my right, I would run out to my left for a pass and vice versa. On our first offensive play of overtime, I ran out to my left and made eye contact with my brother-in-law, he hit me in stride and I ran the last five or six yards into the endzone. I could hear my brother-in-law screaming, "Get there, T!" "Get there, T!" I was so excited that I jumped up into my uncle's arms and I know he wasn't expecting that.
Anyway, most people who play sports have that one moment where they score the winning touchdown or hit the game-winning homerun, but for most people, it usually happens in little league or high school. For me it happened at the age of 37. I caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Wow. I mean, it wasn't a great play, and if the quarterback didn't hit me in stride, I might not have made it into the endzone. But for me, it was special.
There you have it. My favorite Pittsburgh Sports League moment. I've had a lot of fun in that league over the years and I look forward to many more fun times.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Part four of the Ten Greatest Super Bowls of All-time
3. Super Bowl XLII
Date: February 3rd, 2008
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
"18-1"
The New York Giants upset the New England Patriots, 17-14.
Super Bowl XLII was supposed to be a coronation for the New England Patriots who simply dominated the 2007 regular season, outscoring their opponents by nearly 20 points a game. New England set records on offense with 589 points and 75 touchdowns. Quarterback Tom Brady set a record with 50 touchdown passes and wide receiver Randy Moss, acquired in the offseason for a 4th round draft pick, also set an NFL mark with 23 touchdown receptions. The Patriots came into the game 18-0 and were looking to become the first team to have a perfect season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins went 17-0. The New York Giants took a different path to SBXLII struggling early in the year before recovering to make the playoffs as a wildcard with a 10-6 record. Led by Eli Manning, an effective running attack and a dominating defensive line, the Giants became just the third team to win three-straight road games to reach the Super Bowl. The two teams actually played eachother in the last regular season game which the Patriots won, 38-35, to cap their undefeated regular season. Ironically enough, the Giants were Miami's last regular season opponent in '72. Despite the offensive weapons on both teams, the game was a defensive struggle. New York sacked Tom Brady five times during the game and the Giants offense could only muster 5 first downs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The Giants managed to take a 10-7 lead late in the contest before Brady led the Patriots to the go-ahead score, hitting Randy Moss with a six-yard touchdown pass with 2:42 left in the game. New York wouldn't be denied, marching towards their destiny with an 83 yard drive for the ages. Key plays were Brandon Jacob's two yard run on 4th and 1 and an Eli Manning to David Tyree reception that will go down in history as one of the greatest plays of all time. On 3rd and 5, Manning escaped the grasps of a Patriots' defender and stayed alive long enough to unleash a pass 32 yards downfield. Tyree out-jumped Patriots' safety Rodney Harrison for the ball and cradled it against his helmet as he fell to the ground. Later in the drive, from the 13 yardline, Manning hit receiver Plaxico Burress for the game-winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining. The Giants captured their 3rd Super Bowl trophy in franchise history while the Patriots had to settle for a "disappointing" 18-1 record. As the 2007 season unfolded, the Patriots were so dominant that a victory in this game would surely have stamped them with the label of "Greatest Team in History." Not only that, they would have matched the Steelers of the 70's with four titles in a six year span. The 2007 postseason was a coming-out party for Eli Manning, who finally lived up to being the number one over all selection in the 2004 draft and got out from under his older brother's shadow. Eli matched Peyton Manning's Super Bowl triumph of a year earlier making the Mannings the first siblings to win Super Bowls back-to-back. The Giants were the first wildcard team from the NFC to win a Super Bowl.
Date: February 3rd, 2008
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
"18-1"
The New York Giants upset the New England Patriots, 17-14.
Super Bowl XLII was supposed to be a coronation for the New England Patriots who simply dominated the 2007 regular season, outscoring their opponents by nearly 20 points a game. New England set records on offense with 589 points and 75 touchdowns. Quarterback Tom Brady set a record with 50 touchdown passes and wide receiver Randy Moss, acquired in the offseason for a 4th round draft pick, also set an NFL mark with 23 touchdown receptions. The Patriots came into the game 18-0 and were looking to become the first team to have a perfect season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins went 17-0. The New York Giants took a different path to SBXLII struggling early in the year before recovering to make the playoffs as a wildcard with a 10-6 record. Led by Eli Manning, an effective running attack and a dominating defensive line, the Giants became just the third team to win three-straight road games to reach the Super Bowl. The two teams actually played eachother in the last regular season game which the Patriots won, 38-35, to cap their undefeated regular season. Ironically enough, the Giants were Miami's last regular season opponent in '72. Despite the offensive weapons on both teams, the game was a defensive struggle. New York sacked Tom Brady five times during the game and the Giants offense could only muster 5 first downs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The Giants managed to take a 10-7 lead late in the contest before Brady led the Patriots to the go-ahead score, hitting Randy Moss with a six-yard touchdown pass with 2:42 left in the game. New York wouldn't be denied, marching towards their destiny with an 83 yard drive for the ages. Key plays were Brandon Jacob's two yard run on 4th and 1 and an Eli Manning to David Tyree reception that will go down in history as one of the greatest plays of all time. On 3rd and 5, Manning escaped the grasps of a Patriots' defender and stayed alive long enough to unleash a pass 32 yards downfield. Tyree out-jumped Patriots' safety Rodney Harrison for the ball and cradled it against his helmet as he fell to the ground. Later in the drive, from the 13 yardline, Manning hit receiver Plaxico Burress for the game-winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining. The Giants captured their 3rd Super Bowl trophy in franchise history while the Patriots had to settle for a "disappointing" 18-1 record. As the 2007 season unfolded, the Patriots were so dominant that a victory in this game would surely have stamped them with the label of "Greatest Team in History." Not only that, they would have matched the Steelers of the 70's with four titles in a six year span. The 2007 postseason was a coming-out party for Eli Manning, who finally lived up to being the number one over all selection in the 2004 draft and got out from under his older brother's shadow. Eli matched Peyton Manning's Super Bowl triumph of a year earlier making the Mannings the first siblings to win Super Bowls back-to-back. The Giants were the first wildcard team from the NFC to win a Super Bowl.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The Pittsburgh Pirates
We're well-into another Pirates campaign and it looks like our Buccos are headed for an 18th straight losing season.
The Pirates have shown some promise at times this year, but when they've been bad (20-0, 17-3) they've been really bad. Pitching was supposed to be a strength of sorts, but really, other than the back-end of the bullpen, the pitching has been very disappointing. They seem to want to justify the Charlie Morton acquisition by trotting him out there every 5th day even though he's 1-7 with a 9 point something ERA. Starting pitcher Brad Lincoln, their 2006 number 1 draft choice, has moved up the minor league system pretty well since he recovered from Tommy John surgery and right now is in Triple A Indianapolis. Morton has great stuff, but baseball history is filled with horrible pitchers with great stuff. I say switch Lincoln with Morton and see what happens.
Lincoln is doing pretty well in Indy. I know he had major reconstructive surgery, but it's been four seasons since they drafted him. It's time to see what he can do. And moving away from pitching, Neil Walker, their number one pick from 2004 is still trying to break into the big leagues six years into his professional career. I know they've switched positions on him more than once, and right now he's trying to learn 2nd base, but he's 24 years old. Let's get him to the big leagues. It's not like the Pirates have a plethora of middle-infield prospects in their farm-system. Even if he has some growing pains trying to adapt to major league pitching while learning a new position, so what?
It's not like wins and losses matter that much this year. It's all about player-development. I want to see the Pirates improve, but I want them to do it with guys that they drafted or prospects that they traded for. Maybe these guys aren't ready, but a number one draft choice shouldn't spend five or six years learning in the minor leagues. I know baseball is a hard sport to grasp, but you're never going to know if you're ready for the Majors unless you play in the Majors. Charlie Morton clearly isn't ready right now, so why is he here? Maybe he'll be ready later, but that experiment needs to be put on the shelf. If ever there was someone who needed more seasoning in the minors, it's him.
I know this isn't the most well-written blog I've ever put together, and I'm rambling a bit, but after 17 years, a person gets frustrated.
The Pirates have had 17 straight losing seasons. Everyone knows this. And during those 17 years, they've drafted in the top ten pretty much every year. How many top-end, all-star players did they draft and develop? One that I can really think of: Jason Kendall. And the guy was good, and an all-star, but he wasn't great. He wasn't a franchise player.
Kendall was one of the few players the Pirates decided to sign to a lucrative, long-term deal and they over-paid for him. The Pirates often get criticized for not spending enough, and one of the few times they did spend to keep a player in Pittsburgh, he really didn't live up to his contract. Eventually, he was traded away for next-to-nothing because other teams didn't want to take on his salary.
Jason Kendall was one of the few bright spots to come out of the Pirates farm system in a 17-year span. That's pretty pathetic.
There are many things pathetic about the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they're a pretty easy target for jokes and the wrath of fans and sports media personalities, but I believe the Pirates are finally on the right track towards some success.
I know that might sound crazy, but I think it's true. I believe the main problem the Pirates had for most of their 17 losing seasons was the unwillingness to totally rebuild. They would say they had a five-year plan, but a five-year plan is hard to execute with a roster littered with 30-something has-beens like Derek Belle and Jeremy Burnitz.
The management always seemed to go half-way with their plan. They wouldn't fully commit. I guess they had to justify PNC park and wanted to appeal to the fans' eagerness to see the team finish over .500. Bad strategy. Sometimes, what the fans want isn't always what's best for the franchise.
They suffered through two pretty ineffective general managers in Cam Bonifay and Dave Littlefield.
I truly believe the Pirates wanted to win all those years, but I also truly believe they didn't know what they were doing.
Now that owner Bob Nutting has put some good baseball people in charge (President Frank Coonely and General Manager Neal Huntington) I can see some things starting to happen.
The minor league system was pathetic under Littlefield's watch. I have no earthly idea why a team with so many high draft picks could have such a barren farm system, but that was the case when Huntington took over.
I kind of feel bad for the current front office of the Pirates because no matter what they do, people will be critical of them. But at least they're trying to execute the right plan. It might not work, but it's the only way they can go about it.
People were livid when they traded Jason Bay and Xavier Nady a couple of years ago. With Bay, Nady and Nate Mclouth, the Pirates had the most productive outfield in the Majors in 2008.
And when Huntington traded away Mclouth, along with Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, the Pirates fans all but gave up.
I'll admit, I wasn't too thrilled with the Mclouth trade to Atlanta. The Pirates just signed him to a three year deal, and coming off an all-star season in '08, he looked to be one of the building blocks for Pittsburgh. Who did the Pirates get back for him? Charlie Morton and his 9 point something ERA. Yep, that was the key player in the deal. Mclouth sure would look good in left field right now with Andrew Mccutchen in center and Garrett Jones in right. But not every trade is going to work. If every trade the Pirates made was a home run (pun intended) no team would ever want to deal with them. And as I said, the jury is still out on Morton. He may develop into that ace of the staff the Pirates so desperately need.
Speaking of Mccutchen, I believe he's the best thing to happen to the Pirates since Barry Bonds. Yes, that's right, I said that. You can hate Bonds all you want, but he was one of the best players to ever put on a Pirates uniform.
Andrew Mccutchen is the kind of player who can do it all: hit for average, hit for some power, run, field, and throw. He's the kind of guy you build a franchise around. Dare I say, he's the Pirates Sidney Crosby?
He does everything right. He says all the right things, and he has star written all over him.
Pedro Alvarez is another prospect the Pirates and fans are just praying will reach his full potential. He seems to be that power hitter they've been lacking since Bonds left. He's still toiling away in Triple A, but he should be up to the big leagues before the year is out.
Back to those trades that enraged fans, people have been getting on Huntington for the Bay and Nady deals because of the minimal return thus far. Well, the keys to those deals are Jose Tabata, the outfield prospect acquired from the Yankees, and Brian Morris, the pitcher acquired from the Dodgers.
If those two players become all-stars at the big league level, then the deals were worth it.
I know Bay, Nady, Mclouth, Sanchez and Wilson were all good players, but they still finished in last place with them. They still struggled as an organization with them. But they were pieces that Huntington could use to restock their farm system and that's what he did. If it doesn't work, he'll probably be out of a job, but it's the only thing he could do because it was the only hand he could play.
I think there is a reason for optimism if you're a long-suffering Pirates fan. I know nobody wants to be patient, but think of it as having an illness for many years and going to doctor after doctor without being properly treated. When you finally find a doctor that knows how to treat you, it might not be very pleasant at first, but eventually, you start to feel better.
Now, onto something that really irks me. I get sick of hearing people bash the Pirates and act like there isn't something truly wrong with the whole system. I pointed out how inept the Pirates management has been over the years, but what about the system?
The Pirates plan might actually work someday, but the one thing that people have turned a blind eye to is the horrible financial system in MLB and the lack of a salary cap. It's funny, back in the early-to-mid 90's, right when the salaries in MLB were first starting to sky-rocket out of control, media members and fans talked about the need for a cap. And I believed them. I thought it would eventually happen. Pirates announcer and former Pirates' pitcher, Bob Walk even said that players were very close to crossing the picket line back in '94 during the strike/lock-out and if the owners had stuck to their guns just a few more weeks, we might actually have that cap today. Of course, we don't and baseball is in the state it's in right now.
I pray that the Pirates will eventually get it together and field a competitive team. Maybe even one good enough to make it to the postseason, just like the Twins and the Rays in recent years. Heck, the Florida Marlins won two World Series in this financial climate.
Yeah, the Twins have been competitive and have won a lot over the past five year or so. They even signed their big time free agent to a huge contract. But I want to see what happens when Minnesota starts losing other free agents because they can't afford to keep them. I want to see if Minnesota can survive a down-period, because there will be one.
As I said earlier, the Marlins have won two titles since '97 but they had to gut their team after each one, and people wonder why the fans don't care in that city. I don't blame them one bit. How can they have any emotional attachment to a group of players that are disbanded after a year or two? Will they even have any World Series reunions years from now? If the circus comes to town, people are curious and come out to see it, but once it leaves, nobody cares anymore. That's how it was in Florida on two occasions.
Tampa is just the latest example. They are winning now, but how long will it last? People are pointing to them as the model franchise for Pittsburgh to follow, but let's see what happens when the big boys come after their free agents. Will they be able to pony up some cash? My money says no. Will they be able to restock their farm system? Maybe.
This is what MLB is telling us as fans of small-market clubs: If your geographically challenged team can be almost perfect at player-acquisition and development, they might be able to compete for a year or two, maybe three, but after that, it's back to the end of the line for ten years until you do it all over again.
It's just not fair that a team can gain a competitive advantage based on the size of its tv market. If it was the model way to run a professional sports league, MLB wouldn't be the only one of the big four doing it this way. It's a joke, and as much as the Pirates get criticized, MLB deserves just as much criticism.
The Pirates have shown some promise at times this year, but when they've been bad (20-0, 17-3) they've been really bad. Pitching was supposed to be a strength of sorts, but really, other than the back-end of the bullpen, the pitching has been very disappointing. They seem to want to justify the Charlie Morton acquisition by trotting him out there every 5th day even though he's 1-7 with a 9 point something ERA. Starting pitcher Brad Lincoln, their 2006 number 1 draft choice, has moved up the minor league system pretty well since he recovered from Tommy John surgery and right now is in Triple A Indianapolis. Morton has great stuff, but baseball history is filled with horrible pitchers with great stuff. I say switch Lincoln with Morton and see what happens.
Lincoln is doing pretty well in Indy. I know he had major reconstructive surgery, but it's been four seasons since they drafted him. It's time to see what he can do. And moving away from pitching, Neil Walker, their number one pick from 2004 is still trying to break into the big leagues six years into his professional career. I know they've switched positions on him more than once, and right now he's trying to learn 2nd base, but he's 24 years old. Let's get him to the big leagues. It's not like the Pirates have a plethora of middle-infield prospects in their farm-system. Even if he has some growing pains trying to adapt to major league pitching while learning a new position, so what?
It's not like wins and losses matter that much this year. It's all about player-development. I want to see the Pirates improve, but I want them to do it with guys that they drafted or prospects that they traded for. Maybe these guys aren't ready, but a number one draft choice shouldn't spend five or six years learning in the minor leagues. I know baseball is a hard sport to grasp, but you're never going to know if you're ready for the Majors unless you play in the Majors. Charlie Morton clearly isn't ready right now, so why is he here? Maybe he'll be ready later, but that experiment needs to be put on the shelf. If ever there was someone who needed more seasoning in the minors, it's him.
I know this isn't the most well-written blog I've ever put together, and I'm rambling a bit, but after 17 years, a person gets frustrated.
The Pirates have had 17 straight losing seasons. Everyone knows this. And during those 17 years, they've drafted in the top ten pretty much every year. How many top-end, all-star players did they draft and develop? One that I can really think of: Jason Kendall. And the guy was good, and an all-star, but he wasn't great. He wasn't a franchise player.
Kendall was one of the few players the Pirates decided to sign to a lucrative, long-term deal and they over-paid for him. The Pirates often get criticized for not spending enough, and one of the few times they did spend to keep a player in Pittsburgh, he really didn't live up to his contract. Eventually, he was traded away for next-to-nothing because other teams didn't want to take on his salary.
Jason Kendall was one of the few bright spots to come out of the Pirates farm system in a 17-year span. That's pretty pathetic.
There are many things pathetic about the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they're a pretty easy target for jokes and the wrath of fans and sports media personalities, but I believe the Pirates are finally on the right track towards some success.
I know that might sound crazy, but I think it's true. I believe the main problem the Pirates had for most of their 17 losing seasons was the unwillingness to totally rebuild. They would say they had a five-year plan, but a five-year plan is hard to execute with a roster littered with 30-something has-beens like Derek Belle and Jeremy Burnitz.
The management always seemed to go half-way with their plan. They wouldn't fully commit. I guess they had to justify PNC park and wanted to appeal to the fans' eagerness to see the team finish over .500. Bad strategy. Sometimes, what the fans want isn't always what's best for the franchise.
They suffered through two pretty ineffective general managers in Cam Bonifay and Dave Littlefield.
I truly believe the Pirates wanted to win all those years, but I also truly believe they didn't know what they were doing.
Now that owner Bob Nutting has put some good baseball people in charge (President Frank Coonely and General Manager Neal Huntington) I can see some things starting to happen.
The minor league system was pathetic under Littlefield's watch. I have no earthly idea why a team with so many high draft picks could have such a barren farm system, but that was the case when Huntington took over.
I kind of feel bad for the current front office of the Pirates because no matter what they do, people will be critical of them. But at least they're trying to execute the right plan. It might not work, but it's the only way they can go about it.
People were livid when they traded Jason Bay and Xavier Nady a couple of years ago. With Bay, Nady and Nate Mclouth, the Pirates had the most productive outfield in the Majors in 2008.
And when Huntington traded away Mclouth, along with Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, the Pirates fans all but gave up.
I'll admit, I wasn't too thrilled with the Mclouth trade to Atlanta. The Pirates just signed him to a three year deal, and coming off an all-star season in '08, he looked to be one of the building blocks for Pittsburgh. Who did the Pirates get back for him? Charlie Morton and his 9 point something ERA. Yep, that was the key player in the deal. Mclouth sure would look good in left field right now with Andrew Mccutchen in center and Garrett Jones in right. But not every trade is going to work. If every trade the Pirates made was a home run (pun intended) no team would ever want to deal with them. And as I said, the jury is still out on Morton. He may develop into that ace of the staff the Pirates so desperately need.
Speaking of Mccutchen, I believe he's the best thing to happen to the Pirates since Barry Bonds. Yes, that's right, I said that. You can hate Bonds all you want, but he was one of the best players to ever put on a Pirates uniform.
Andrew Mccutchen is the kind of player who can do it all: hit for average, hit for some power, run, field, and throw. He's the kind of guy you build a franchise around. Dare I say, he's the Pirates Sidney Crosby?
He does everything right. He says all the right things, and he has star written all over him.
Pedro Alvarez is another prospect the Pirates and fans are just praying will reach his full potential. He seems to be that power hitter they've been lacking since Bonds left. He's still toiling away in Triple A, but he should be up to the big leagues before the year is out.
Back to those trades that enraged fans, people have been getting on Huntington for the Bay and Nady deals because of the minimal return thus far. Well, the keys to those deals are Jose Tabata, the outfield prospect acquired from the Yankees, and Brian Morris, the pitcher acquired from the Dodgers.
If those two players become all-stars at the big league level, then the deals were worth it.
I know Bay, Nady, Mclouth, Sanchez and Wilson were all good players, but they still finished in last place with them. They still struggled as an organization with them. But they were pieces that Huntington could use to restock their farm system and that's what he did. If it doesn't work, he'll probably be out of a job, but it's the only thing he could do because it was the only hand he could play.
I think there is a reason for optimism if you're a long-suffering Pirates fan. I know nobody wants to be patient, but think of it as having an illness for many years and going to doctor after doctor without being properly treated. When you finally find a doctor that knows how to treat you, it might not be very pleasant at first, but eventually, you start to feel better.
Now, onto something that really irks me. I get sick of hearing people bash the Pirates and act like there isn't something truly wrong with the whole system. I pointed out how inept the Pirates management has been over the years, but what about the system?
The Pirates plan might actually work someday, but the one thing that people have turned a blind eye to is the horrible financial system in MLB and the lack of a salary cap. It's funny, back in the early-to-mid 90's, right when the salaries in MLB were first starting to sky-rocket out of control, media members and fans talked about the need for a cap. And I believed them. I thought it would eventually happen. Pirates announcer and former Pirates' pitcher, Bob Walk even said that players were very close to crossing the picket line back in '94 during the strike/lock-out and if the owners had stuck to their guns just a few more weeks, we might actually have that cap today. Of course, we don't and baseball is in the state it's in right now.
I pray that the Pirates will eventually get it together and field a competitive team. Maybe even one good enough to make it to the postseason, just like the Twins and the Rays in recent years. Heck, the Florida Marlins won two World Series in this financial climate.
Yeah, the Twins have been competitive and have won a lot over the past five year or so. They even signed their big time free agent to a huge contract. But I want to see what happens when Minnesota starts losing other free agents because they can't afford to keep them. I want to see if Minnesota can survive a down-period, because there will be one.
As I said earlier, the Marlins have won two titles since '97 but they had to gut their team after each one, and people wonder why the fans don't care in that city. I don't blame them one bit. How can they have any emotional attachment to a group of players that are disbanded after a year or two? Will they even have any World Series reunions years from now? If the circus comes to town, people are curious and come out to see it, but once it leaves, nobody cares anymore. That's how it was in Florida on two occasions.
Tampa is just the latest example. They are winning now, but how long will it last? People are pointing to them as the model franchise for Pittsburgh to follow, but let's see what happens when the big boys come after their free agents. Will they be able to pony up some cash? My money says no. Will they be able to restock their farm system? Maybe.
This is what MLB is telling us as fans of small-market clubs: If your geographically challenged team can be almost perfect at player-acquisition and development, they might be able to compete for a year or two, maybe three, but after that, it's back to the end of the line for ten years until you do it all over again.
It's just not fair that a team can gain a competitive advantage based on the size of its tv market. If it was the model way to run a professional sports league, MLB wouldn't be the only one of the big four doing it this way. It's a joke, and as much as the Pirates get criticized, MLB deserves just as much criticism.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Best of Myspace: Still the City of Champions
Originally posted on May 21st, 2008.
Could this be a battle for the City of Champions?
Ever notice how some cities always seem to have one of their sports teams in the finals of a particular sport? Since 1971, the city of Pittsburgh has witnessed two World Series appearances, 6 Super Bowl appearances, and thanks to their 6-0 throttling of the Philadelphia Flyers this past Sunday, the Penguins have reached the Stanley Cup finals 3 times. That's a total of 11 finals appearances over a span of 37 years. I'm no math major, but that means that someone like me, who just turned 36, has had the pleasure of witnessing a finals appearance once every 3 or 4 years on average. For a city the size of Pittsburgh, that's pretty damn impressive. Pittsburgh's teams have won 9 of the previous 10 finals appearances with number 11 pending, of course.
I was doing some research online yesterday and some other cities of similar size don't match up to the success of Pittsburgh's sports franchises. For example, Miami sports teams have had 9 finals appearances over roughly the same time-span but only 5championships. The St. Louis sports franchises have been in 7 finals appearances and 3 titles to show for it.
I thought Pittsburgh couldn't be touched in this area until I researched Detroit and was amazed to see that since 1984, a Detroit-area team has been to a final 12-times. That is pretty damn impressive. That means that if you're a Detroit native in your early 30's and were about 8 or 9 in 1984, an age when most kids get into sports, you've witnessed a finals appearance every other year on average. At this point, you're probably "ho-hum" about the Red Wings being in the Stanley Cup finals. You've seen a Tigers World series victory, the Bad-Boys back-to-back NBA titles in the late-80's and the Wings winning three Cups since the '90s along with another Pistons title a few years ago. You've seen a lot of championships.
For two cities that have had their share of financial problems, that have been the butt of many jokes over the years, 23 finals appearances and 16 titles over a 4-decade spand is something to be very proud of.
Sure cities like Boston, Los Angeles and New York have seen more finals appearances and more titles than Detroit and Pittsburgh over the previously mentioned 37 year time-span, but they've also had more teams to draw from. For example, the New York area has had seven-teams to draw from over that period, and Pittsburgh has had three professional teams.
And look at the city of Chicago. Everyone talks about what a great sports town it is, but if it wasn't for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, they'd have two titles since the 60's. Still, though, even with the 8 titles, Chicago is still 1 behind Pittsburgh and 1 ahead of Detroit.
The New York area has had 15 world champion teams during the period I first mentioned, but as I said, they've had a 7 on 3 power play (to jump on the band-wagon and use a hockey term) the entire time. That's 6 teams producing 15 for New York and 3 producing 9 for Pittsburgh. And the New York Islanders won 4 of those titles in the early 80's, they play in Long Island. Is Long Island even considered part of the New York metro area?
You can even argue that Detroit's run of 12 title appearances in 24 years isn't as impressive as Pittsburgh's 11 in 37. Detroit has had 4 teams to draw from compared to Pittsburgh's 3. Yes, you can argue that the Detroit Lions aren't really a professional sports team so that would take it down to 3, but people have said that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been playing minor-league baseball since 1993, so that's another power play of 3 on 2 in favor of Detroit. Besides that, of the combined 16-titles between the two cities that I mentioned before, 9 belong to Pittsburgh. That means that no matter what happens in the Stanley Cup finals, the city of Pittsburgh would still be ahead, 9-8. That is, of course, if you started keeping score in 1971, and since this is my blog, that's what I'm doing.
And just a warning to the city of Detroit, Pittsburgh's sports teams simply do not lose in the championship round. If you go all the way back to 1927 when the Pirates were swept by Murderer's Row in the World Series, the city of Pittsburgh has seen their team lose a championship just once, Super Bowl XXX when Neil 'O Donnell threw those two baffling interceptions.
I don't know what's going to happen in the Stanley Cup finals, but I think if you crunch all the numbers, pound for pound, Pittsburgh truly is the City of Champions.
Just as a follow-up to this blog, the Red Wings did go on to defeat the Penguins in six games that year, bringing Detroit's championship titles to 8 compared to Pittsburgh's 9. However, the Steelers went on to capture another Super bowl title in 2008 and the Penguins dethroned the Red Wings in their Stanley Cup rematch last Summer. The city of Pittsburgh now has 11 titles in 13 finals appearances since 1971 and Detroit has 8 in 13 championship round appearances since 1984. Still pretty impressive, but not up to Pittsburgh's standards.
Could this be a battle for the City of Champions?
Ever notice how some cities always seem to have one of their sports teams in the finals of a particular sport? Since 1971, the city of Pittsburgh has witnessed two World Series appearances, 6 Super Bowl appearances, and thanks to their 6-0 throttling of the Philadelphia Flyers this past Sunday, the Penguins have reached the Stanley Cup finals 3 times. That's a total of 11 finals appearances over a span of 37 years. I'm no math major, but that means that someone like me, who just turned 36, has had the pleasure of witnessing a finals appearance once every 3 or 4 years on average. For a city the size of Pittsburgh, that's pretty damn impressive. Pittsburgh's teams have won 9 of the previous 10 finals appearances with number 11 pending, of course.
I was doing some research online yesterday and some other cities of similar size don't match up to the success of Pittsburgh's sports franchises. For example, Miami sports teams have had 9 finals appearances over roughly the same time-span but only 5championships. The St. Louis sports franchises have been in 7 finals appearances and 3 titles to show for it.
I thought Pittsburgh couldn't be touched in this area until I researched Detroit and was amazed to see that since 1984, a Detroit-area team has been to a final 12-times. That is pretty damn impressive. That means that if you're a Detroit native in your early 30's and were about 8 or 9 in 1984, an age when most kids get into sports, you've witnessed a finals appearance every other year on average. At this point, you're probably "ho-hum" about the Red Wings being in the Stanley Cup finals. You've seen a Tigers World series victory, the Bad-Boys back-to-back NBA titles in the late-80's and the Wings winning three Cups since the '90s along with another Pistons title a few years ago. You've seen a lot of championships.
For two cities that have had their share of financial problems, that have been the butt of many jokes over the years, 23 finals appearances and 16 titles over a 4-decade spand is something to be very proud of.
Sure cities like Boston, Los Angeles and New York have seen more finals appearances and more titles than Detroit and Pittsburgh over the previously mentioned 37 year time-span, but they've also had more teams to draw from. For example, the New York area has had seven-teams to draw from over that period, and Pittsburgh has had three professional teams.
And look at the city of Chicago. Everyone talks about what a great sports town it is, but if it wasn't for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, they'd have two titles since the 60's. Still, though, even with the 8 titles, Chicago is still 1 behind Pittsburgh and 1 ahead of Detroit.
The New York area has had 15 world champion teams during the period I first mentioned, but as I said, they've had a 7 on 3 power play (to jump on the band-wagon and use a hockey term) the entire time. That's 6 teams producing 15 for New York and 3 producing 9 for Pittsburgh. And the New York Islanders won 4 of those titles in the early 80's, they play in Long Island. Is Long Island even considered part of the New York metro area?
You can even argue that Detroit's run of 12 title appearances in 24 years isn't as impressive as Pittsburgh's 11 in 37. Detroit has had 4 teams to draw from compared to Pittsburgh's 3. Yes, you can argue that the Detroit Lions aren't really a professional sports team so that would take it down to 3, but people have said that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been playing minor-league baseball since 1993, so that's another power play of 3 on 2 in favor of Detroit. Besides that, of the combined 16-titles between the two cities that I mentioned before, 9 belong to Pittsburgh. That means that no matter what happens in the Stanley Cup finals, the city of Pittsburgh would still be ahead, 9-8. That is, of course, if you started keeping score in 1971, and since this is my blog, that's what I'm doing.
And just a warning to the city of Detroit, Pittsburgh's sports teams simply do not lose in the championship round. If you go all the way back to 1927 when the Pirates were swept by Murderer's Row in the World Series, the city of Pittsburgh has seen their team lose a championship just once, Super Bowl XXX when Neil 'O Donnell threw those two baffling interceptions.
I don't know what's going to happen in the Stanley Cup finals, but I think if you crunch all the numbers, pound for pound, Pittsburgh truly is the City of Champions.
Just as a follow-up to this blog, the Red Wings did go on to defeat the Penguins in six games that year, bringing Detroit's championship titles to 8 compared to Pittsburgh's 9. However, the Steelers went on to capture another Super bowl title in 2008 and the Penguins dethroned the Red Wings in their Stanley Cup rematch last Summer. The city of Pittsburgh now has 11 titles in 13 finals appearances since 1971 and Detroit has 8 in 13 championship round appearances since 1984. Still pretty impressive, but not up to Pittsburgh's standards.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Penguins and Steelers actually had very similar seasons
I know not everyone will agree with me (namely my girlfriend) but I think the 2009 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2009-2010 season for the Pittsburgh Penguins had very similar qualities.
For starters, both franchises were coming off of championship seasons the prior year.
Secondly, there was just something off for both teams and you just didn't have that confidence in them as a fan that you did the previous year.
Hockey is a lot different than football in-that there are obviously way more games played. A hockey slump isn't going to necessarily kill a season. Even if a team suffers through a poor stretch of play, they can still tread water by accumulating points even after overtime losses.
And the Pens had far from a horrible year. They actually had a good season with 101 points and barely missed out on the number 2 seed in the East finishing second to the New Jersey Devils in the Atlantic division. Their record was even better than it was the year they won the Cup so how can I say that there was something missing or something off about last year?
The Penguins had a fantastic first half of the season, but for whatever reason, they weren't the same team after the Olympic break.
I'm no hockey aficionado and can't really analyze it the same way that I do football, so I have to rely on what I hear from others. Stan Savran, a respected sports personality if there ever was one, said that something just wasn't right with the Penguins during the second half. I made a mental note of that because he said pretty much the exact same thing regarding the Steelers, even after they started the year 6-2.
There really was something kind of off about the Steelers last year. They did have that 6-2 first half record, but their house seemed to be built on sand. They were outplayed in the first game against Tennessee and barely escaped with an overtime win. They all but gave away their next two games by blowing 4th quarter leads to the Bears and Bengals.
Pittsburgh had one of the best defenses in the history of the league in their Super Bowl season of '08 and here they were blowing leads late in games? It just didn't seem possible. Well, it was possible because of key injuries to guys like Troy Polomalu and Aaron Smith. I don't care how good a defensive mind Dick Lebeau has, you're not going to replace guys like that with just anyone.
They also lost cornerback Bryant Mcfadden via free agency and their William Gay experiment never worked out as the secondary was shredded the entire year.
The Steelers also lost linebacker Larry Foote after the '08 season and I don't think people realized just how steady a player he was. Not everyone can be an all-pro and there's something to be said for knowing your role and doing your job.
Even though the Penguins had a strong nucleus of talent last season, they, too, lost some key players when defensemen Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi signed elsewhere after the Penguins Stanley Cup victory.
As the Penguins realized, especially in the postseason, those guys weren't easily replaceable.
The Steelers just couldn't get out of their own way last season. It seemed like every time they had their opponents on the ropes, something happened that turned the game around.
Starting with that Cincy meltdown in week 3, the Steelers gave up a touchdown return in 8 straight games. And they came in all varieties: Punt returns, kick-off returns, pick-6's and fumble returns.
If they scored a big touchdown to take control of a game, they would turn around and give it right back. Even Jeff Reed, Mr. Clutch, missed two field goals in the 4th quarter against Chicago. Tight End Heath Miller, who is about as reliable as Walker, Texas Ranger, had a perfect pass clang off his chest and intercepted which helped lead to another heartbreaking loss in Kansas City. If ever there was a play that epitomized the entire 2009 season, it was that one.
The Penguins didn't have one single win against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference last season: The Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils. People brushed that off when the Caps and Devils were both upset in round one, but you can't just ignore stuff like that. A championship team finds a way to defeat quality opponents.
The Steelers lost 5-straight to start the second half of the season. Three of which were to the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns; bottom-feeders in the NFL last year. And on the other end of the spectrum, championship teams do not lose games to teams like that.
And the Pens may have had a better record this season than last, but going into the postseason, it's all about momentum and as I said, they weren't the same team in the second half. They went 5-4-1 in the final weeks with the division title and number 2 seed well within their grasps.
And a popular phrase I kept hearing down the stretch regarding the Penguins was "flipping the switch." Well, that rarely works in professional sports. In postseason play, teams usually mimic what they did in the regular season. Especially down the stretch.
Take last year's Pens, for example. They were in 10th place and two spots out of the playoffs with 25 games left and went on a huge roll and finished the season with a bang. Clinching the 4th seed in the process. That's quite the impressive run and just what any team would love to be doing heading into the playoffs. It showed as they went on to capture their third Stanley Cup.
Remember the '05 Pittsburgh Steelers and their historic run to their 5th Lombardi Trophy? They were dead-to-rights with 4 games left. They had to win every one of those four games just to barely sneak into the playoffs as the sixth seed, but by then, they had so much momentum, they never looked back and rolled thru the postseason all the way to a championship.
Even if the Steelers somehow managed to make the playoffs in '09, they weren't going to do anything. They couldn't put teams away. They couldn't finish off drives. They couldn't get off the field on 3rd down. They blew 4th quarter lead, after 4th quarter lead. Do you think they would have suddenly "flipped the switch" and become the team they were the prior season? Doubtful.
The good news for both teams is I think they can get back on top soon. For the Penguins, the future looks really bright because of their core of great young talent. Crosby, Malkin, Fleury and Staal will probably be with them for a decade and as long as they have them, they will always have a chance. I know I said role players are hard to replace, but future hall-of-famers like Crosby are almost impossible to replace. Sid will hoist another Stanley Cup or two before he retires.
As for the Steelers, they're a little older than the Penguins and actually remind me a lot of the Steelers of the late 70's. There are some key younger guys, sure, but the core players of the previous decade are a lot closer to the end of their careers than the beginning.
However, really good personnel guys have a knack for turning over a roster pretty quickly so even if the Steelers have a down year or two, I have no doubt that they can rise again.
The Steelers of the late 90's had to rebuild after that very successful decade but they went on to have even more success in the following decade.
Besides, as long as they have number 7, they'll always have a chance.
For starters, both franchises were coming off of championship seasons the prior year.
Secondly, there was just something off for both teams and you just didn't have that confidence in them as a fan that you did the previous year.
Hockey is a lot different than football in-that there are obviously way more games played. A hockey slump isn't going to necessarily kill a season. Even if a team suffers through a poor stretch of play, they can still tread water by accumulating points even after overtime losses.
And the Pens had far from a horrible year. They actually had a good season with 101 points and barely missed out on the number 2 seed in the East finishing second to the New Jersey Devils in the Atlantic division. Their record was even better than it was the year they won the Cup so how can I say that there was something missing or something off about last year?
The Penguins had a fantastic first half of the season, but for whatever reason, they weren't the same team after the Olympic break.
I'm no hockey aficionado and can't really analyze it the same way that I do football, so I have to rely on what I hear from others. Stan Savran, a respected sports personality if there ever was one, said that something just wasn't right with the Penguins during the second half. I made a mental note of that because he said pretty much the exact same thing regarding the Steelers, even after they started the year 6-2.
There really was something kind of off about the Steelers last year. They did have that 6-2 first half record, but their house seemed to be built on sand. They were outplayed in the first game against Tennessee and barely escaped with an overtime win. They all but gave away their next two games by blowing 4th quarter leads to the Bears and Bengals.
Pittsburgh had one of the best defenses in the history of the league in their Super Bowl season of '08 and here they were blowing leads late in games? It just didn't seem possible. Well, it was possible because of key injuries to guys like Troy Polomalu and Aaron Smith. I don't care how good a defensive mind Dick Lebeau has, you're not going to replace guys like that with just anyone.
They also lost cornerback Bryant Mcfadden via free agency and their William Gay experiment never worked out as the secondary was shredded the entire year.
The Steelers also lost linebacker Larry Foote after the '08 season and I don't think people realized just how steady a player he was. Not everyone can be an all-pro and there's something to be said for knowing your role and doing your job.
Even though the Penguins had a strong nucleus of talent last season, they, too, lost some key players when defensemen Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi signed elsewhere after the Penguins Stanley Cup victory.
As the Penguins realized, especially in the postseason, those guys weren't easily replaceable.
The Steelers just couldn't get out of their own way last season. It seemed like every time they had their opponents on the ropes, something happened that turned the game around.
Starting with that Cincy meltdown in week 3, the Steelers gave up a touchdown return in 8 straight games. And they came in all varieties: Punt returns, kick-off returns, pick-6's and fumble returns.
If they scored a big touchdown to take control of a game, they would turn around and give it right back. Even Jeff Reed, Mr. Clutch, missed two field goals in the 4th quarter against Chicago. Tight End Heath Miller, who is about as reliable as Walker, Texas Ranger, had a perfect pass clang off his chest and intercepted which helped lead to another heartbreaking loss in Kansas City. If ever there was a play that epitomized the entire 2009 season, it was that one.
The Penguins didn't have one single win against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference last season: The Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils. People brushed that off when the Caps and Devils were both upset in round one, but you can't just ignore stuff like that. A championship team finds a way to defeat quality opponents.
The Steelers lost 5-straight to start the second half of the season. Three of which were to the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns; bottom-feeders in the NFL last year. And on the other end of the spectrum, championship teams do not lose games to teams like that.
And the Pens may have had a better record this season than last, but going into the postseason, it's all about momentum and as I said, they weren't the same team in the second half. They went 5-4-1 in the final weeks with the division title and number 2 seed well within their grasps.
And a popular phrase I kept hearing down the stretch regarding the Penguins was "flipping the switch." Well, that rarely works in professional sports. In postseason play, teams usually mimic what they did in the regular season. Especially down the stretch.
Take last year's Pens, for example. They were in 10th place and two spots out of the playoffs with 25 games left and went on a huge roll and finished the season with a bang. Clinching the 4th seed in the process. That's quite the impressive run and just what any team would love to be doing heading into the playoffs. It showed as they went on to capture their third Stanley Cup.
Remember the '05 Pittsburgh Steelers and their historic run to their 5th Lombardi Trophy? They were dead-to-rights with 4 games left. They had to win every one of those four games just to barely sneak into the playoffs as the sixth seed, but by then, they had so much momentum, they never looked back and rolled thru the postseason all the way to a championship.
Even if the Steelers somehow managed to make the playoffs in '09, they weren't going to do anything. They couldn't put teams away. They couldn't finish off drives. They couldn't get off the field on 3rd down. They blew 4th quarter lead, after 4th quarter lead. Do you think they would have suddenly "flipped the switch" and become the team they were the prior season? Doubtful.
The good news for both teams is I think they can get back on top soon. For the Penguins, the future looks really bright because of their core of great young talent. Crosby, Malkin, Fleury and Staal will probably be with them for a decade and as long as they have them, they will always have a chance. I know I said role players are hard to replace, but future hall-of-famers like Crosby are almost impossible to replace. Sid will hoist another Stanley Cup or two before he retires.
As for the Steelers, they're a little older than the Penguins and actually remind me a lot of the Steelers of the late 70's. There are some key younger guys, sure, but the core players of the previous decade are a lot closer to the end of their careers than the beginning.
However, really good personnel guys have a knack for turning over a roster pretty quickly so even if the Steelers have a down year or two, I have no doubt that they can rise again.
The Steelers of the late 90's had to rebuild after that very successful decade but they went on to have even more success in the following decade.
Besides, as long as they have number 7, they'll always have a chance.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"Crosby Sucks!"
Ok, I know what you're thinking and, no, I don't think Sidney Crosby sucks. In-fact, I think he's the best thing to happen to the Penguins since Mario, and the greatest player in the NHL right now. He's also a gosh-darn nice guy.
When he goes to places like Colorado, Vancouver, or even Philadelphia, fans have to be at least a little interested in seeing him perform, even if it's against their respective teams.
I'm sure even the fans of the Montreal Canadiens, the Penguins current opponent in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, recognize that Crosby is the best in the business.
The fans in Montreal might know a great hockey player when they see one, but that didn't stopped them from booing Crosby at every turn during the three games played in Montreal. They even used a couple of anti-Crosby chants; most notably: "Crosby sucks!"
Not very creative, but enough to let Crosby know they did not appreciate him trying to come into their building and have his way with their beloved Habs.
This reaction doesn't surprise me. After all, this is what fans do.
What has surprised me, however, is the reaction of the Pittsburgh fans and media members. People like Stan Savran and Guy Junker are astonished and flabbergasted that the Montreal fans could treat Sid with such disdain. He's their national hero. He won them a gold medal.
Talk show hosts have used entire segments asking the listeners why the Canadien fans are so hard on Sid. Respected hockey writers have been interviewed regarding this.
Some fans and media guys have even gone so far as to say they're disappointed in the Montreal fans.
"I thought the fans in Montreal had more class than that." "I thought they were the most knowledgeable hockey fans." "Don't they realize just how very good Sid is?" "Who did they ever beat? Where are their gold medals? They're no Sidney Crosby, that's for sure."
Oh brother.
I've been following sports since I was 7 years old and I think this is the first time I've ever witnessed people so up-in-arms over a star Pittsburgh athlete's reception in another city.
This is the playoffs, of course Crosby is going to be treated harshly. This is what fans do.
For a time there, Tom Brady was the best quarterback in the NFL, but that didn't stop Steelers fans from booing him and saying he sucked. In-fact, some of us even wished a staph infection on him.
And so what if he won a gold medal for Canada in the recent Olympics? Does this mean that fans all over Canada are supposed to stop supporting their hometown team every time Crosby comes to town? Why don't they just roll out the red carpet for him?
If football became a part of the Olympics and Ray Lewis helped America win a gold medal, do you think Steelers fans would give him a standing ovation when the Ravens came to Heinz field to play the Steelers in an important divisional game? Don't bet on it.
What if the Penguins play Vancouver in the Stanley cup finals? Are their fans supposed to keep quiet when Crosby is on the ice? Are they supposed to just smother their natural urges as fans to boo him and want him to fail?
Come on, people, Crosby is a great player and a great guy, but there is a fine line between great and holier than thou, and he isn't above being booed by opposing fans.
I would expect nothing less, and I'm sure Sidney Crosby doesn't care as much about it as you do.
Opposing fans boo, if they didn't, road wins wouldn't be as sweet.
Man, I haven't seen people judged so harshly for chanting that a particular Olympic hero sucked since the heyday of the guy in the video above.
Oh, it's true. It's damn true.
When he goes to places like Colorado, Vancouver, or even Philadelphia, fans have to be at least a little interested in seeing him perform, even if it's against their respective teams.
I'm sure even the fans of the Montreal Canadiens, the Penguins current opponent in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, recognize that Crosby is the best in the business.
The fans in Montreal might know a great hockey player when they see one, but that didn't stopped them from booing Crosby at every turn during the three games played in Montreal. They even used a couple of anti-Crosby chants; most notably: "Crosby sucks!"
Not very creative, but enough to let Crosby know they did not appreciate him trying to come into their building and have his way with their beloved Habs.
This reaction doesn't surprise me. After all, this is what fans do.
What has surprised me, however, is the reaction of the Pittsburgh fans and media members. People like Stan Savran and Guy Junker are astonished and flabbergasted that the Montreal fans could treat Sid with such disdain. He's their national hero. He won them a gold medal.
Talk show hosts have used entire segments asking the listeners why the Canadien fans are so hard on Sid. Respected hockey writers have been interviewed regarding this.
Some fans and media guys have even gone so far as to say they're disappointed in the Montreal fans.
"I thought the fans in Montreal had more class than that." "I thought they were the most knowledgeable hockey fans." "Don't they realize just how very good Sid is?" "Who did they ever beat? Where are their gold medals? They're no Sidney Crosby, that's for sure."
Oh brother.
I've been following sports since I was 7 years old and I think this is the first time I've ever witnessed people so up-in-arms over a star Pittsburgh athlete's reception in another city.
This is the playoffs, of course Crosby is going to be treated harshly. This is what fans do.
For a time there, Tom Brady was the best quarterback in the NFL, but that didn't stop Steelers fans from booing him and saying he sucked. In-fact, some of us even wished a staph infection on him.
And so what if he won a gold medal for Canada in the recent Olympics? Does this mean that fans all over Canada are supposed to stop supporting their hometown team every time Crosby comes to town? Why don't they just roll out the red carpet for him?
If football became a part of the Olympics and Ray Lewis helped America win a gold medal, do you think Steelers fans would give him a standing ovation when the Ravens came to Heinz field to play the Steelers in an important divisional game? Don't bet on it.
What if the Penguins play Vancouver in the Stanley cup finals? Are their fans supposed to keep quiet when Crosby is on the ice? Are they supposed to just smother their natural urges as fans to boo him and want him to fail?
Come on, people, Crosby is a great player and a great guy, but there is a fine line between great and holier than thou, and he isn't above being booed by opposing fans.
I would expect nothing less, and I'm sure Sidney Crosby doesn't care as much about it as you do.
Opposing fans boo, if they didn't, road wins wouldn't be as sweet.
Man, I haven't seen people judged so harshly for chanting that a particular Olympic hero sucked since the heyday of the guy in the video above.
Oh, it's true. It's damn true.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Fleury haters
Well, Marc Andre Fleury, goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is a great goalie today after the Pens 2-1 defeat of Montreal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Just the other night, after the Pens' 3-2 loss in game four against Montreal, he sucked. Penguins fans are really hard on this guy and I've never understood why.
I guess the easiest answer is fans always go for the obvious. In football, they blame the quarterback even after a 38-27 loss.
I'm far from a hockey expert, but I do know that Fleury has played in 11 postseason series and won 9 of them, including two game 7's last year on-route to the Stanley Cup. In-fact, Fleury is undefeated in game 7's. Sure, he's only had two, but you know how much pressure there is in game 7 of a series? I can't imagine being a goaltender. I'd probably be jittery 24/7; I'd flinch at the wind blowing.
The man might give up the occasional soft-goal, but when it's money-time, he's there. You can have your save-percentages, because they are often misleading. I could have a .900 save percentage if I only faced 10 shots in a game. Based on his very short history, if I had to pick a goaltender to hold a one goal lead with five minutes left in a crucial game, I would pick Fleury. Getting back to football and the quarterback, Peyton Manning might have the great stats, but if I had to pick a quarterback to lead my team down the field in the final minute, I'd pick Ben Roethlisberger. He could be having a horrible game-throwing picks, getting sacked--but I'd want him to lead my squad in crunch time.
Fleury is a big-game goaltender. Throw out the save-percentages. He rises to the occasion when it matters the most.
If a goalie was supposed to be perfect, then a really great one would never lose a game, and I don't know if you've seen an average NHL team's record, but it's far from perfect.
I remember listening to The Drive on ESPN last Summer on the day of Game 7, and some guy called in and asked if he thought Fleury should be traded during he off season. The host, Scott Paulsen, I believe, mocked him for his stupid remark about future trades just hours before one of the biggest games in the history of the franchise.
Appreciate Fleury. Remember, Sid might be the Kid, but his power is only as great as the Flower.
I guess the easiest answer is fans always go for the obvious. In football, they blame the quarterback even after a 38-27 loss.
I'm far from a hockey expert, but I do know that Fleury has played in 11 postseason series and won 9 of them, including two game 7's last year on-route to the Stanley Cup. In-fact, Fleury is undefeated in game 7's. Sure, he's only had two, but you know how much pressure there is in game 7 of a series? I can't imagine being a goaltender. I'd probably be jittery 24/7; I'd flinch at the wind blowing.
The man might give up the occasional soft-goal, but when it's money-time, he's there. You can have your save-percentages, because they are often misleading. I could have a .900 save percentage if I only faced 10 shots in a game. Based on his very short history, if I had to pick a goaltender to hold a one goal lead with five minutes left in a crucial game, I would pick Fleury. Getting back to football and the quarterback, Peyton Manning might have the great stats, but if I had to pick a quarterback to lead my team down the field in the final minute, I'd pick Ben Roethlisberger. He could be having a horrible game-throwing picks, getting sacked--but I'd want him to lead my squad in crunch time.
Fleury is a big-game goaltender. Throw out the save-percentages. He rises to the occasion when it matters the most.
If a goalie was supposed to be perfect, then a really great one would never lose a game, and I don't know if you've seen an average NHL team's record, but it's far from perfect.
I remember listening to The Drive on ESPN last Summer on the day of Game 7, and some guy called in and asked if he thought Fleury should be traded during he off season. The host, Scott Paulsen, I believe, mocked him for his stupid remark about future trades just hours before one of the biggest games in the history of the franchise.
Appreciate Fleury. Remember, Sid might be the Kid, but his power is only as great as the Flower.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Marian Hossa
Original post date: March 23rd, 2010
Last night's Stanley Cup rematch between the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings couldn't help but remind me of how up-in-arms people were after winger Marian Hossa, who was brought here at the trading deadline in 2008, left following the Penguins Stanley Cup defeat at the hands of the Red Wings TO ACTUALLY SIGN with Detroit after that season.
People were furious and to add salt to the very open wound, after Hossa turned down a multi-year offer to stay with the Penguins and signed a one year deal with the Wings, he said the reason he did so was because he wanted a chance to win a cup.
That little statement sent Penguins fans and Pittsburgh sports talk hosts through the roof. I do believe there were "Hossa: Wanted Dead or Alive" signs along side those of bin laden.
What I couldn't figure out was why people were so furious. I mean, I know he was a good player and a key acquisition for the Penguins '08 run for the Cup, and the guy who came oh-so-close to tying the score at the end of game 6 of the Finals but he was only here for a few months. I could see if it was Crosby or Malkin who left and said such things, but Hossa was essentially a rent-a-player. He didn't have an emotional attachment to the Penguins or to Pittsburgh. He was going where he thought was the best place for him and his goals (no pun intended.)
And was he really wrong for saying what he said? Even though Pittsburgh made the Finals in '08 and lost in six games, they were six TOUGH games and Detroit looked DOMINANT in those six games.
Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut because we all know what happened last year with the Penguins and Red Wings rematch. The Penguins won in 7 games to capture their first Cup in 17 seasons and Hossa was made to look foolish. But was he really foolish? He wasn't far off. The Penguins won in 7 games but it took every ounce of courage and talent to defeat Detroit.
And if Hossa had stayed here, it would have changed the whole dynamic. Think about it. Players like Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin, two key members of the teams postseason run, probably wouldn't have been acquired at the deadline. And what about Mad Max Talbot? If Hossa was here, Talbot might not have been on the ice to score the game-winning goals in game 7.
And not to mention the financial aspect. The Penguins offered Hossa $7 million a year over 7 years. That's a long time, especially for a player who only played with your team for three months. And let's not forget about the whole salary cap issue. The Penguins have some pretty pricey young stars on their team. Keeping Hossa might have meant losing Staal or Talbot or Fleury or even Malkin. I don't think anyone would want that.
Ok, so the Penguins won the Cup and were the champions of the '08/'09 season and people were still talking about Hossa. I hear it to this day about how Hossa was a traitor. Last Summer, during the NHL free agency season, when Hossa signed a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, 1250 ESPN radio brought on a member of the Chicago media to discuss the deal. This is TWO teams later. Wow.
Can you say STALKER? And a few weeks ago, when I was out at the Mall at Robinson, I was browsing one of the sporting good kiosks and I saw a picture of Hossa and the title was "Maryann Hossa."
Man, we sure do get bitter when someone spurns us for another team. This is worse than when Cowher rang that bell last year for Carolina.
Didn't we win the Cup? Who cares about Hossa? Penguins fans are acting like Chris Elliot's character, Dom (Woogie) in "There's Something About Mary." We have a beautiful Cup that we got to parade around the city the entire Summer and we're worried about why Hossa didn't return our calls and shunned us for another suitor.
I'm surprised you didn't steal all of his skates. Do you all get hives anytime Hossa's name is mentioned?
Ok, enough Mary references, but the point is stop worrying about Hossa. It was only three dates. Let it go. He changed his number. He's moved on. You should too.
Last night's Stanley Cup rematch between the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings couldn't help but remind me of how up-in-arms people were after winger Marian Hossa, who was brought here at the trading deadline in 2008, left following the Penguins Stanley Cup defeat at the hands of the Red Wings TO ACTUALLY SIGN with Detroit after that season.
People were furious and to add salt to the very open wound, after Hossa turned down a multi-year offer to stay with the Penguins and signed a one year deal with the Wings, he said the reason he did so was because he wanted a chance to win a cup.
That little statement sent Penguins fans and Pittsburgh sports talk hosts through the roof. I do believe there were "Hossa: Wanted Dead or Alive" signs along side those of bin laden.
What I couldn't figure out was why people were so furious. I mean, I know he was a good player and a key acquisition for the Penguins '08 run for the Cup, and the guy who came oh-so-close to tying the score at the end of game 6 of the Finals but he was only here for a few months. I could see if it was Crosby or Malkin who left and said such things, but Hossa was essentially a rent-a-player. He didn't have an emotional attachment to the Penguins or to Pittsburgh. He was going where he thought was the best place for him and his goals (no pun intended.)
And was he really wrong for saying what he said? Even though Pittsburgh made the Finals in '08 and lost in six games, they were six TOUGH games and Detroit looked DOMINANT in those six games.
Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut because we all know what happened last year with the Penguins and Red Wings rematch. The Penguins won in 7 games to capture their first Cup in 17 seasons and Hossa was made to look foolish. But was he really foolish? He wasn't far off. The Penguins won in 7 games but it took every ounce of courage and talent to defeat Detroit.
And if Hossa had stayed here, it would have changed the whole dynamic. Think about it. Players like Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin, two key members of the teams postseason run, probably wouldn't have been acquired at the deadline. And what about Mad Max Talbot? If Hossa was here, Talbot might not have been on the ice to score the game-winning goals in game 7.
And not to mention the financial aspect. The Penguins offered Hossa $7 million a year over 7 years. That's a long time, especially for a player who only played with your team for three months. And let's not forget about the whole salary cap issue. The Penguins have some pretty pricey young stars on their team. Keeping Hossa might have meant losing Staal or Talbot or Fleury or even Malkin. I don't think anyone would want that.
Ok, so the Penguins won the Cup and were the champions of the '08/'09 season and people were still talking about Hossa. I hear it to this day about how Hossa was a traitor. Last Summer, during the NHL free agency season, when Hossa signed a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, 1250 ESPN radio brought on a member of the Chicago media to discuss the deal. This is TWO teams later. Wow.
Can you say STALKER? And a few weeks ago, when I was out at the Mall at Robinson, I was browsing one of the sporting good kiosks and I saw a picture of Hossa and the title was "Maryann Hossa."
Man, we sure do get bitter when someone spurns us for another team. This is worse than when Cowher rang that bell last year for Carolina.
Didn't we win the Cup? Who cares about Hossa? Penguins fans are acting like Chris Elliot's character, Dom (Woogie) in "There's Something About Mary." We have a beautiful Cup that we got to parade around the city the entire Summer and we're worried about why Hossa didn't return our calls and shunned us for another suitor.
I'm surprised you didn't steal all of his skates. Do you all get hives anytime Hossa's name is mentioned?
Ok, enough Mary references, but the point is stop worrying about Hossa. It was only three dates. Let it go. He changed his number. He's moved on. You should too.
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