Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Penguins have lost two games in a row. I guess that means the season is over, right?

You would have thought the Pittsburgh Penguins were a returning P.O.W and Pittsburgh fans were that P.O.W's family the way everyone showed up to greet the team for its 2012/2013 home-opener this past Wednesday night at the Consol Energy Center.

Of course, the 2012 portion of the current campaign had to be wiped off the schedule because of a work-stoppage that lasted until January 19th. Therefore, some might say the fans were like that all-too forgiving spouse after being the victim of a extra-marital affair.

Actually, that's a bit unfair of me. I get where Penguins fans were coming from with their yearning for hockey to resume after such a long layoff. I could never understand the fans who permanently walk away from a sport after a lockout or strike.

Major professional sports leagues have unions, and unions have collective bargaining agreements, and sometimes, when there is a disagreement with that agreement, work-stoppages happen.

I realize that, to your average hard-working fan, millionaires fighting with billionaires over how to divide their enormous, gigantic money pie can be a huge turnoff, but if you really love a sport, can a work-stoppage (even one that cancels an entire season) really turn you off to the point where you refuse to ever watch again?

If so, I have to question your fan-hood.

Anyway, that was a huge digression from the topic.

The Penguins started off 2-0 after victories in Philadelphia and New York last weekend, and there was that above-mentioned anticipation for game number three. Only problem was, Pittsburgh laid a huge egg and dropped the home-opener to the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 5-2.

Friday night, the Penguins fell at Winnipeg and are now 2-2 on the season.

Does this mean it's time to panic? No,  but by the emotional highs and lows that hockey fans have been experiencing this week, you'd think so.

I think if the Penguins' start to the season has taught us anything, it's that the NHL is a marathon, not a sprint.

You hockey fans out there, if you don't cool it, you're going to burn yourselves out by March.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Panthers on two game winning streak after 69-61 triumph over UConn

Just when it looked like the Pitt Panthers were on their way to a repeat of last season's dismal finish, they responded with two fairly impressive victories over Villanova and Connecticut last week to improve to 3-3 in the Big East Conference and 15-4, overall.

Obviously, Pitt isn't out of the woods just yet with regards to being a lock for the NCAA field of 68, but it's on its way to perhaps getting back some of that swagger it has been missing recently.

Of course, a lot of the Panthers' success depends on their guard-play, as New Zealand phenom, center Steven Adams, hasn't really shown up yet and is only averaging 6.6 points per game--will Pitt ever get anything out of a prized freshman big man not named Dejuan Blair?

The Panthers are number one in the Big East in points against, but they're sixth in the conference (and 71st, nationally) in points scored.

That will be a problem come tournament time--a problem not unfamiliar with the program. The defense is nice, but Pitt will have to find a scorer or two to depend on if a tournament berth (and run) is realistic.

But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, the Panthers are 62nd in the all-important RPI rankings.

Fortunately, the Big East is second in conference RPI, and that will certainly help come Selection Sunday--a court-storming victory over a team like No. ranked Louisville wouldn't hurt any, either.

Recent articles I've written for Behind the Steel Curtain

As you may or may not know, I'm a regular contributor to the awesome Steelers fan site, Behind the Steel Curtain.

I always have fun writing for that blog, and I actually find myself checking there first for insight and breaking Steelers news (you should check it out).

Periodically, I like to use this blog to update you anonymous readers on my latest articles from the site--truth be told, I'm so far behind in that regard, I should just take a whole day and post something called: "Recent Years I've posted on Behind the Steel Curtain."

Anyway, here are some of my most recent articles from BTSC:

-Let's face it, the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers were pretty mediocre. And after they were mercifully eliminated from postseason contention, I wrote this article, which was both mediocre and about the team's mediocre campaign.

-If you're like me, you might notice some real obscure nuances when following a sport (probably not), and two truly eerie consistencies during "famous" years in which the Steelers previously missed the postseason--for my money, 1980, 1998, 2006 and 2009 stand out as years when Pittsburgh infamously crapped the bed--were losses to both the Bengals and Raiders. The 2012 season was no exception and now joins those previously mentioned misses.

-Since I've become a more "serious" Steelers blogger in recent years, I tend to suffer from a bit of late season anxiety out of fear of running out of things to write about once the season ends. I can't begin to tell you how easy it is for me to write blogs during the football season. In fact, the closer we get to the finish-line, the more I like to write, and that's especially true if the Steelers are in the race. Unfortunately, when Pittsburgh is eliminated from the playoffs, sometimes, the inmate in my little brain escapes from the insane asylum and I write fake injury reports. Truth be told, I was never more nervous about submitting something than I was when I submitted this post to BTSC editor, Neal Coolong. Thankfully, he didn't express any anger (at least not that I know of), and it actually got a better response than I anticipated.

-The 2012 Steelers may have been mediocre, but they probably could have had a more exciting finish to their season with some better timing. Unfortunately, they seemed about one step off the entire year. When the season was zigging, they were zagging, and vice versa.

-Sports are there to entertain us, and I found Antonio Brown's celebration after his game-winning touchdown catch against the Cleveland Browns in the regular season finale to be highly entertaining--and touching.

-If you're like me, you probably consider it your birth-right to see the Steelers at least make the playoffs each year. When they don't, January in Pittsburgh just seems a lot colder.

-One of Mike Tomlin's most famous Tomlinisms is "Style points don't matter." While that certainly may seem like a nice quote to rally around, when a team plays in as many close games as the Steelers have in recent years, sometimes, that team finds itself out of the playoffs because it couldn't make enough key plays during the course of the season.

-The Steelers released running back Chris Rainey, the team's fifth round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, following his arrest in Florida after a run-in with his girlfriend over a cell phone. Rainey's release came after an underwhelming rookie campaign for the mini-back; a performance typical for most of the 2012 draft class.

-I believe, as fans, we're always paying it forward and paying it back when it comes to the emotional highs and lows of following a sports team on a yearly-basis. The latest example of this was the almost-miracle like 70 yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones in the last minute of the Ravens divisional playoff game in Denver that tied the game and ultimately led to an improbable overtime victory for Baltimore. The last two seasons, the Ravens exited the playoffs in heartbreaking fashion. For them to come back and defeat Peyton Manning and the Broncos had to be both thrilling and soothing to the collective psyche of not only the players, but the entire fan base.

-Speaking of those Ravens, they're part of a quartet of playoff teams that are hard for most true Steelers fans to root for. The Falcons are the only team left that Steeler Nation can even remotely stand, and that's by default, more than anything. One of the more enjoyable things I've written in a while.

That's it for now. Hopefully, I'll get you further caught up on all things Tony/BTSC.

Spending a week in abscessed tooth hell

I realize this is a sports blog, but this is my sports blog, and not Yahoo's, so I can pretty much write about whatever I want. Therefore, I'd like to take this time to share with you the unbelievable pain and discomfort I was in last weekend and into the beginning part of the week.

To set up the story, my boss took some time off to have a hernia operation the Thursday before last. Everytime my boss takes significant time off, I seem to run into some sort of physical ailment and can't really call off because someone has to be there supervising and taking care of  things. It's just how the place is set up.

The last time I had the stomach flu was during a time he was away deer hunting. Both in 2010 and 2011, when he took his annual vacation to Florida, I had to work 12 days straight each time, and came down with the mother off all head colds--THE SAME DAMN WEEK EACH YEAR!

Heck, even last year, right after I broke up with my girlfriend and was in the worst emotional state in recent memory, I practically had to work two straight months because both of my bosses were either away on extended vacations or off having surgery--you know how hard it is to hear Lionel Richie sing "Endless Love"  on muzak everyday at work when your endless love just ended?

Anyway, moving to the present. I joked with my boss for days that, once he checked into the hospital to have his little surgery, I would probably come down with the vicious little flu bug that has been going around the region for months.

And about a week or so ago, on a Friday night, I thought my prediction had come home to roost. My "sinuses" were really acting up, and I thought "Oh no, here it comes." But truth be told, I never have sinus problems. You know how some people complain about their sinuses and down Dristan allergy medicine like it's candy? I'm not one of those people.

I never suffer from headaches or sinus pain--I'm weird that way.

I digress.

I got very little sleep that Friday night, and even though I felt a little better the next day,  I was still in a good bit of discomfort. And to make matters worse, I had to work 12 hours that Saturday because I wanted to get caught up and even ahead on my work duties because we were short handed (what else is new?)

By Saturday night, I was in a bad way. I mean, I couldn't stand it, and that's when I realized I had the dreaded abscessed tooth. I've had a few over the years, and I'm quite familiar with the symptoms: Constant pain that won't go away, the inability to get comfortable, and the desire to punch anyone within arm's reach.

If you've ever had a real toothache, you know what I'm talking about.

Once again, I got very little sleep that night, but couldn't call off because I needed to be at work to supervise all the other damn people who didn't have severe tooth pain. How much crap is that?

The bigger problem was that my regular dentist doesn't have weekend hours, and as I found out when I called his number last Sunday morning, he doesn't offer an emergency alternative either. I was royally screwed. I needed antibiotics, asap, but there was nobody to prescribe them for me.

I suppose I could have gone to Med-Express, but I'm a man. I'm not that logical when it comes to my health. Besides, I'm not sure they cover "tooth stuff."

I managed to get through work, and I should have just went home and tried to sleep. Only problem was, I had a bowling match that night, and since I'm an enormous competitor, I decided to make my match. As it turned out, it was my best three-game series in recent memory--I guess I can play in pain.

Sunday into Monday, I was still in severe pain, and when I woke up the next day, the infection decided to rear it's ugly head and make my face puff out something bad. Fortunately, I was able to get a hold of my dentist and he prescribed those antibiotics.

Monday wasn't much better than the other days, but I felt like I was on the road to recovery simply because of the medicine. Only problem was, the swelling on the right side of my face was getting more pronounced by the hour, and by the end of the night, it looked like someone punched me in my right eye--the way I was barking at everyone from friends to family, I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually did.

Tuesday was pretty much the same--my face was swollen, and I felt like I was hit by a freight train. I didn't think it would ever end. However, around 1:30 or so that afternoon, I started to feel better. Ever watch the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the kid, Indiana's little sidekick in the movie, breaks him out of his trance by burning him with fire?

That's how night and day I felt in a matter of minutes. My face and gums were still swollen, but I was feeling better, and at that moment, I didn't care how ugly I looked to anyone else. Being out of pain was the only thing that mattered.

I still have a few days worth of antibiotics to finish, and then it's a trip to the dentist and a probable root canal (I wouldn't be surprised if I need three, that's how much pain I was in).

My boss is scheduled to take his annual Florida vacation this May. Can't wait to see what happens to me then.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Katherine Webb's life continues to implode thanks to Brent Musburger's dirty ways

Not really. In fact, things couldn't be better. I don't know what Katherine Webb, the girlfriend of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, had in mind for a career, but her "victimization" at the hands of 73 year old sportscaster Brent Musburger has certainly opened up some doors, doors that she has gladly walked right through.

Webb will be featured in the upcoming Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. And judging by her fairly awesome body, guys calling her "beautiful" could be the least of her "troubles."

I also learned earlier today that Ms. Webb will work as a sideline correspondent for Inside Edition during Super Bowl XLVII.

What's next? Endorsements? A reality TV Show? A full-time gig as a sideline reporter for the next three decades? A record deal? A book deal? "From Heartache to Triumph: The Katherine Webb Story."

And just think, this all came together for Webb after a sleazy, old broadcaster pointed out her perfections to a national television audience.

Katherine Webb is so brave.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Pitt demolishes Georgetown to pick up first Big East win of the season

You might say the Pitt Panthers "Virginia Tech'd" the Georgetown Hoyas Tuesday evening with a 73-45 thrashing at the Verizon Center in DC. 

The reason I bring up Virginia Tech is because Pitt's football team lost its first two games of the season in  very ugly fashion before unloading a surprise beatdown on the then 13th ranked Hokies at Heinz Field back in Week 3 of the college football season.

I'm not sure if fans were as upset and distraught about the plight of the basketball team after an 0-2 start to the Big East schedule, but I do know the Panthers dropped their first seven conference games a year ago on their way to missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade.

The last thing anyone wanted to see was another long-stretch of winless play in the Big East to start the season.

Unlike the football team, who could only parlay the Virginia Tech win into another trip to the BBVA Compass Bowl, let's hope Jamie Dixon and Co. find a way to build on the impressive Georgetown victory and return to some real March Madness, and not the CBI kind.

A.J. McCarron's girlfriend and the overreactions of reactionary people

I was aware that "something" happened between ESPN's Brent Musburger and Katherine Webb, the super, duper hot girlfriend of Alabama quarterback and national champion A.J. McCarron, during the telecast of Monday night's BCS National championship game between the Tide and Notre Dame, but I didn't know what.

I wasn't sure if Musburger made a pass at Webb during pre-game warm-ups, had his spotter pass an inappropriate note to her during the game, or just simply screamed, "Damn,  that girl is fine! I'd hit that!"

It wasn't until Tuesday evening, when I arrived home from work and searched the Internet to find out what the deal was, that I finally realized how "low" Musburger went. 

The uproar was over a comment Musburger made about Webb during the telecast. Here's the quote courtesy of the LA Times (viewer discretion is strongly advised) : "You quarterbacks," the 73-year-old Musburger says. "You get all the good-looking women. What a beautiful woman."

What a dirty old fart. 

Seriously, though. That's what had everyone in an uproar?  

Where are we headed as a society when simply pointing out the obvious and complimenting a beautiful woman (with a totally hot body and legs that go on forever) is a bad thing? 

I guess it was bad enough for ESPN to apologize on behalf of Musburger: “We always try to capture interesting storylines and the relationship between an Auburn grad who is Miss Alabama and the current Alabama quarterback certainly met that test,” ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys tweeted. “However, we apologize that the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that.”

I've had my share of girlfriends in my day (and not all of them were Miss State), and I can tell you that calling a woman "beautiful" isn't really a bad thing. In fact, it's strongly encouraged, and women have a "what have you done for me lately" mentality about compliments. If you're not complimenting your woman now, you better do it in the next few minutes or you're going to be replaced. 

I've heard of people being reprimanded for making anti-semitic, anti-black, anti-ugly and anti-fat remarks, but this is the first time I've ever heard of the PC police coming out on behalf of a beautiful woman for being called beautiful.

To her credit, Webb wasn't offended by Musburger's remarks and even defended the long-time sportscaster.

So not only is Webb a gorgeous woman--with a full set of curves and the kind of legs you'd like to suck on for a day--she also seems smart and rational.

Good for her.

Sometime in the mid-90's, between his stints as head coach at Notre Dame and South Carolina, Lou Holtz was doing studio work for CBS and at one point during one of the broadcasts, the network flashed a picture of Holtz from the late 70's/early 80's. Obviously, Coach's style looked a bit dated in the picture--including his hair--and upon seeing the picture, Holtz "joked," "That's the last time I will let a retarded person cut my hair."

I can't remember if there was nervous, awkward laughter on the set, but I know my uncle and I turned to one another and said, "He's going to get in trouble for that."

However, there was no trouble, no apology, and no suspension.

So, as a society, we've gone from nothing being said about a famous coach making an insensitive remark about mentally handicapped people, to being in an uproar over a college football announcer commenting on how beautiful Miss Alabama is?

Gotta love the Internet Age.

PS,

I wouldn't kick Katherine Webb out of bed.........if ya know what I mean. *wink*.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Alabama wins third national title in four years after thrashing Fighting Irish Monday night

Some might call the SEC championship game the de facto national championship game, and they'd be right. Not only did an SEC team appear in the BCS National Title game for the seventh straight season, it claimed its seventh title in a row thanks to a 42-14 victory by Alabama over Notre Dame on Monday night.

The Crimson Tide were favored by 9 1/2 points over the Fighting Irish, who came into the game undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country. However, it could have been 19  1/2 points and nobody would have batted an eye. That's how dominate No. 2  Alabama figured to be, and the perennial powerhouse more than lived up to the hype.

The Tide jumped out to a 28-0 first half lead and cruised to victory behind quarterback A.J. McCarron, who completed 20 of 28 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns.

Perhaps more impressive than the SEC's dominance in the title game in recent years is the fact that it was Alabama's third national title in four seasons. That kind of dominance in college football's most dominating conference is something to be applauded.

As for Notre Dame, the team made a surprising showing in 2012 by marching through the regular season undefeated after not even being ranked at the start of the year and made its first ever appearance in a BCS title game.

A victory would have given the Irish their first national title since Lou Holtz coached them to a victory over West Virginia in 1988.

Head coach Chip Kelly will have to wait at least another season to bring Notre Dame and its rabid and loyal national fan base a championship.

For yet another year, the Tide will be rolling with the BCS trophy and the right to be called "Number one!"

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Things that I hope are part of the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement

It was announced early on Sunday that the NHL and the players union have reached a tentative deal on a new collective bargaining agreement, which would end the season long lockout.

I don't know what the terms are of this new agreement, but as a kind of casual fan of hockey, there are a list of things that I hope are included in the new agreement; things that will make the sport a little more appealing in my eyes.

Below is my list:

1) "You know what they say: 'A two goal lead in the third period is the toughest to protect.'" 

This is a phrase uttered every time a hockey team has a two goal lead in the third period or blows one. Only in hockey would a late two-score lead be considered a curse. To quote Chandler Bing from Friends when Ross was complaining about his women "troubles", "Oh, I know, this must be so hard. 'Oh no. Two women love me. They're both gorgeous and sexy. My wallet's too small for my fifties, AND MY DIAMOND SHOES ARE TOO TIGHT!'"

Anyway, I hope the new CBA has language that includes a $25,000 fine for any hockey player who uses this excuse after his team just blew a two-goal lead in the third period. It would also be nice if an announcer could be fined $15,000 for saying this and a fan could be cut off from buying anymore beer if he or she utters this phrase.

2) "Sidney Crosby is a gutless whiner!"

The Penguins Sidney Crosby isn't just the best player in the game, he's also the face of the NHL and an all-around good guy. But that doesn't stop the national hockey media personalities like Don Cherry from calling him, among other things, a whiner.

Only in the NHL would the national talking heads show disdain for the league's top draw. Can you imagine CBS or NBC bashing Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and calling them "punks"? That would never happen. Heck, ESPN is totally in love with all things Tim Tebow and he totally sucks.

This attitude, of course, falls in line with the neanderthal thinking of a lot of NHL purists who would rather see goonism dominate the sport than skill and finesse.

I hope the new CBA includes a clause where any national guy (I'm talking to you Mike Milbury) would be forced to fight Georges Laraque anytime he refers to Crosby as a "coward."

Of course, calling out your league's top stars instead of propping them up is what keeps your league a distant fourth among the country's professional sports leagues........Speaking of which.

3) NBC should be fined $10,000 everytime I tune in to watch the Stanley Cup Finals only to see another episode of "The Voice" instead.

The Super Bowl will be on CBS next month. The World Series is always on Fox. The NBA Finals are on ABC. You know what channel the NHL Stanley Cup Finals are on? The NBC Sports Network. In other words, cable. Not all the games are on cable, of course, just the first four. But what if it's a sweep? If you want people to take your sport a little more seriously, and if you want to really build a fan base, make NBC show every game of the finals on its top network.

4) "It's always tough to win the first game at home after a long road trip."

Much like the two-goal lead in the third period "problem," this appears to be another weird aspect of the hockey culture. Every year, every team loses at least one home game following a long road trip. And not only does the team lose, the players look totally lifeless and disinterested. When asked to speak on their performance afterward, the "it's tough to win the first home game after a long road swing" excuse is usually spewed by either the coach, the players or both.

Oh yes, I can certainly understand why being at home in your own bed, and practicing at your own arena would be so hard after days of living in hotels.

If it's so hard for hockey teams to play at home after a long trip, tickets should be half-price. It's only fair.

5) "At least hockey players are class-acts."

You normally see this phrase on someone's facebook wall after an NBA/NFL/MLB/Tour de France athlete gets busted for something.

Yes, I know, hockey players are angels, saints and all around good guys who never get arrested ( except for when they do), and they really make the pro athletes of other sports look bad in that regard.

And the good deed the Penguins did in '10, when they helped people by shoveling their cars out of the snow, didn't help any.

What's next? Are you going to rescue kittens from trees? So smug. More crime as part of the new CBA, please.

6) "Mario Lemieux was a better player than Wayne Gretzky. Mario was just injured a lot!" 

This phrase gets shouted by thousands of Penguins fans each and every year, and it probably will for as long as there is time. Penguins fans certainly have an inferiority complex when Mario and Gretzky get compared, and while an argument could be made that Lemieux was maybe the more gifted of the two, the fact is Gretzky holds most of the records.

I know Mario sustained many nagging injuries throughout his career (not to mention a bout with cancer), but that doesn't take away from what Gretzky was able to accomplish. When No. 99 was doing his thing in the 80's, there was no doubt who was considered the greatest in the game. In fact, you might say Gretzky was the Babe Ruth of his sport and will probably always be considered the greatest of all-time by many.

As for Mario, there's nothing wrong with being considered the second greatest player in the history of the NHL.

Anyway, I would like to see every Penguins fan fined $66 everytime they get defensive during a conversation that involves Mario and Gretzky.

7) "Stop talking about football so much!" 

Hockey fans are a defensive bunch, in general, and they act threatened when any sports discussion includes too much football, baseball or basketball. But there's a reason those sports get talked about more: They're more popular.

Of course, I understand why hockey fans feel threatened. I can relate because it's how I feel anytime a group of women sit around and talk about how hot Channing Tatum is.

I workout, too, damn it.

Anyway, hockey fans should be forced to watch curling on the NBC Sports Network anytime they get too defensive about the popularity of the NHL.

8) What is offsides in hockey? 

Speaking of women, there are a lot of attractive women who like hockey, and I want to pretend like I know what I'm talking about if I ever have to discuss aspects of the sport. I have no idea what offsides is, and I don't think I ever will, no matter how many times it's explained to me.

All hockey announcers should be forced to explain this infraction every time it occurs in a game.

9) "It's a curse to touch the trophy awarded for winning the conference finals." 

Athletes are superstitious by nature, but the act (or non-act) of NHL players not touching the trophy during the celebration following a conference championship is just totally ridiculous. Some say it's bad luck, but for my money, if you're able to make it through three grueling best of seven series, good luck is probably on your side.

Mario Lemieux picked up the Wales Trophy ( pre-curse) and paraded it around the old Civic Arena following the Penguins' first Eastern Conference championship in 1991. At that point, it was the greatest achievement in team history. Being proud of just making it to the finals? Wow. What a concept.

Pittsburgh's players also touched the Wales Trophy after winning the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009 and went on to win the Stanley Cup. I guess the curse took the year off.

From now on, any player who refuses to touch the trophy awarded for winning the conference should be forced to wear one of Don Cherry's suits.

Yuck.

This concludes my wish list for the new CBA. I could continue, but it's the NHL, and by the time I publish this, the players may be locked out again.


Friday, January 4, 2013

Who is the greatest defensive player in NFL history?

Is Ray Lewis the greatest defensive player ever? Is he at least the greatest linebacker in NFL history? Maybe it's Deacon Jones or Steeler Nation's own "Mean" Joe Greene.

In the wake of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis announcing his retirement this week, ESPN is conducting a poll to see who the fans think is the greatest NFL defender in the history of the league.

I voted for Joe Greene, but then again, I'm a little biased. I know No. 75 was certainly the player who ushered in an era of excellence when he became Chuck Noll's first ever draft choice shortly after becoming head coach in 1969.

Vote for your all-time defender on the link provided.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Bowls the Pitt Panthers could play in once they jump to the ACC

With the Panthers two days away from playing in the BBVA Compass Bowl for the third straight season, it's only natural to not be very excited about that. Unfortunately, Pitt is a Big East member, and the BBVA (or as I like to call it"The Seventh Cousin of them all,") is part of the Big East bowl affiliation, and the only real way to avoid such an invite is to not finish at 6-6, which Pitt has done for the past two seasons.

Fortunately, the Panthers will be jumping to the ACC next season, and that means different bowl affiliations. However, it doesn't necessarily mean a higher pedigree of bowl games. It wouldn't be surprising to see Pitt struggle next season. For one thing, the football team will have a schedule full of mostly unfamiliar opponents. And secondly, the ACC is an upgrade from the Big East (if only slightly.)

Like a local radio head said recently, "There are no Florida States in the Big East.")

So, if Pitt is indeed going to struggle for the next season or two, what middling bowls will the program and its fans have to look forward to in upcoming seasons?

Thanks to this wikipedia site which details the ACC and its bowl affiliations, I can see that the ACC champion is the number one choice for the Orange Bowl and has been since 2006. That's not a bad bowl to be tied to. Miami is nice this time of year or any time, really.

However, since the Panthers haven't earned a BCS berth since January of 2005, we better take a look at some of those "lesser" bowls that are affiliated with the ACC.

-The Chick-fil-A Bowl: Perhaps better known as the Peach Bowl, the site of the game is in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.The second choice of ACC teams usually goes to this bowl, and the opponent is normally a pretty decent SEC team--Clemson just knocked off #9 LSU on New Year's Eve. Not a bad game and not a bad destination for Panthers fans. Of course, if it ever came down to a choice between Pitt and Notre Dame (that program sticks its nose in everything), you better make reservations in Miami, Fla. for.........

-The Russell Athletic Bowl: The bid for this game usually goes to the third choice of ACC teams, and is played in Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. So, while it may not be the Orange Bowl, citrus is involved (it used to be known as the Tangerine Bowl, and Pitt actually played in this game following the 2001 season). I could see the Panthers earning a bid to this game during a year in-which they blow a two-score lead in the ACC Championship game and are then passed over by Notre Dame for the Chick-fil-A bowl.

-The Hyundai Sun Bowl: This isn't a bad bowl, as it still gets to include its original name right after the sponsor of the year--always a sign of prestige and cache. The site of the game is El Paso, Texas, and according to wikipedia, this bowl often goes to either the ACC runner-up or the fourth place team. I could see Pitt earning a trip to this bowl. The Panthers have played in this bowl twice since 1989--most recently the infamous 3-0 loss to Oregon St. on December 31st, 2008.

-Belk Bowl: Now this is right up Pitt's alley. The game is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and goes to the fifth choice from the ACC. The Panthers have actually played in this bowl two other times--once following the 2003 season when it was called the Continental Tire Bowl and a second time following the 2009 season when it was called the Meineke Car Care Bowl. However, most long-time Pitt fans often refer to the 2009 game as The Pitt Loses Out on a Chance to Go to the Sugar Bowl and Has to Settle for This Crap? Bowl. Oh, the pageantry.

Oh well. That's all the bowls I'll go over now. Anything after Belk is just the ACC's version of BBVA.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2012: The Year of the "Lost Season" for Pittsburgh Area Sports Teams

The Pittsburgh sports scene has had some pretty exciting years in recent memory.

Take 2005, for example. The Pitt Panthers football program actually earned a BCS bid and played in the Fiesta bowl in January of '05. Later that year, the Steelers actually won their first championship in a quarter of a century with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.

From 2008-2010, Pittsburgh sports fans were really spoiled after the Penguins made back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup finals--including the team's third championship in the summer of 2009--and the Steelers won another Super Bowl following the 2008 season and appeared in Super Bowl XLV two seasons later.

Heck, the Pitt Panthers men's basketball program even made it to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament following the 2008/09 season.

Of course, sports can by very cyclical, and the past couple of cycles haven't been too kind to Pittsburgh area teams, especially the just concluded year of 2012.

Below is a recap of what went very down in Pittsburgh area sports in 2012:

2011/2012 Pitt Panthers: Your CBI Champions

The 2011/12 Panthers men's basketball season was supposed to be like many others in the previous decade, and it sure appeared that way when the team was ranked ninth early in the year. However, non-conference home losses to Long Beach State and Wagner (as well as the defection of big man Khem Birch) foretold what was yet to come, as Pitt proceeded to drop its first seven games in conference play before finishing the regular season at 5-13 in the Big East and 16-15 overall. After going 1-1 in the Big East tournament, there was no shot for the 17-16 Panthers to be invited to the Big Dance, but after making it to the NCAA tournament for 10 straight seasons, many hoped an NIT bid would be in order. Unfortunately, Pitt didn't have enough cache for the Not Important Tournament and had to settle for a bid to the CBI. Proudly, the Panthers took care of business against the Woffords of the basketball world along the way to the best of three finals. After falling at Washington St. in the first game, the Panthers took the last two at the Peterson Events Center to claim their first CBI championship.

2011/2012 Pittsburgh Penguins: If you don't win your division, your punishment is a first round match-up with the Flyers

The Penguins were flying high down the stretch and entered the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs with 108 points, the second most in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh plays in the Atlantic Division, a division where four teams finished the year with more than 100 points, including the New York Rangers, who had 109 points and won the division and the first seed in the playoffs. Since the three division winners get the top three seeds in the playoffs, that meant the Penguins could only get the fourth seed and a date in the first round with their blood rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, who finished just behind Pittsburgh with 103 points. Philadelphia defeated the Penguins four times in six regular season match-ups (four out of five in games that mattered), and once the postseason started, the dominance continued, as Pittsburgh fell behind 3-0 in the series before winning the next two to give the fans some hope. Unfortunately for the Penguins and their fans, they put on a lackluster performance in Game 6 in Philadelphia and were eliminated in the first round for the second straight season. Had Pittsburgh been able to accumulate just two more points during the regular season..............

PS,

The NHL decided to lock its players out for the start of the 2012/2013 season, so it was a lost year for Penguins fans in more ways than one.

2012 Pittsburgh Pirates: So good at the start of year, they had to be historically crappy down the stretch just to reach 20 straight losing seasons

Andrew McCutchen was the talk of baseball with his MVP (and Triple Crown) like numbers. Zoltan was the  best thing going since the Terrible Towel ( or at least We All We Got!) It was  one of those magical seasons Pirates fans had been dreaming about for decades (literally). After 19 straight losing seasons, the Pittsburgh Pirates were 60-44 and four games up in the National League's Wild Card chase. Pittsburgh was on a 40-20 tear, and even .500 baseball down the stretch probably would have been enough to earn a wild card spot. Unfortunately, much like the 2011 season, the Pirates finished the year by going 19-39 over the last two months, and they not only missed the playoffs, they made it 20 straight years of losing with a 79-83 record. Not only was the collapse bad, it was historic, as no team in baseball had ever been that many games over .500 that late in the season and then finished with a losing record.

Beat 'em, Bucs! At least they made history.....again.

Penn St. Nittany Lions: Jerry Sandusky sex scandal rocks State College as the football program is stripped of bowl eligibility for four seasons

It all came crashing down for the Nittany Lions in late 2011. Long-time defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was the center of a child molestation investigation. He would soon be charged and eventually found guilty last summer.

Because many high ranking Penn St. officials spent years covering up the Sandusky scandal--including legendary head coach Joe Paterno who passed away last January shortly after being fired--the program received severe penalties from the NCAA, including no bowl eligibility for four seasons starting in 2012.

The football team actually finished with an 8-4 record under first year head coach Bill O'Brien, but the disappointment of no bowl games could be just the tip of the iceberg for Penn St. as the loss of revenue and scholarships could have a long-lasting effect.

West Virginia Mountaineers leave the Big East for the Big 12 conference and realize they're not in Kansas anymore. They're actually in Kansas St., and that program is pretty damn awesome

After the defections of Colorado, Nebraska and Texas A&M from the Big 12 in recent years, there was talk that WVU could actually dominate the conference in its first season. And truth be told, it sure looked like that would be the case when the Mountaineers got off to a 5-0 start--including back-to-back victories over Baylor (ranked 25th) and Texas (ranked 11th)--and were up to No. 4 in the nation. There was talk of a possible national title.............then Texas Tech came along and handed West Virginia a humiliating 49-14 defeat that sparked a fall from grace, as the Mountaineers would drop five straight games--including home losses to Kansas St. (ranked fourth) and Oklahoma (ranked 12). WVU would finish the season at 7-5 (4-5 in the Big 12). The Mountaineers earned a berth in the Pinstripe Bowl and fittingly lost 38-14 to Syracuse, an old Big East foe.

2012 Pitt Panthers football program: New head coach. Same BBVA Compass Bowl smell

It was probably expected that the Panthers would struggle in 2012, especially after a third coaching regime in as many seasons, but I don't think anyone could have predicted an opening loss to the division II Youngstown St. Penguins in Week 1. However, that's what happened. That, and a beat-down in Cincinnati in Week 2. Surprisingly, however, Pitt would knock off future ACC foe and 13th ranked Virginia Tech in Week 3. The Panthers would also come within a few inches of changing the National Title landscape when kicker Kevin Harper missed a 33 yard field goal against Notre Dame in double-overtime that would have given them the upset win. Instead, the Fighting Irish would go on to win in triple overtime, and Pitt would lose at lowly UConn the following game before finishing off the year by defeating a ranked Rutgers team and then taking care of business in South Florida to improve to 6-6 and become bowl eligible. And the bowl the Panthers were once again eligible for was the BBVA Compass Bowl for a third year in a row.

2012 Pittsburgh Steelers

You can always count on the Pittsburgh Steelers to lift the region up, and give sports fans a reason to hope and dream.........except for this season. The Steelers were totally mediocre in 2012, and as I wrote in my postgame article for Behind The Steel Curtain, they just seemed out of sync the entire year. Despite having the inside track for a postseason berth from about mid-season on, Pittsburgh simply couldn't overcome key injuries, critical mistakes and uneven performances in all three phases and would drop five of seven down the stretch to finish 8-8 and out of the playoffs for the first time in three years.

The Steelers are long in the tooth in many areas, and an 8-8 record could be a pretty common one in subsequent years. Of course, I thought that before, only to be pleasantly surprised by Super Bowl success.

There you have it. The 2012 sports year in review. 2013 couldn't possibly be worse for Pittsburgh sports........or could it?