Fake News: Pirates sign Jamie Moyer

As a small-market baseball team, the Pirates often have to use unconventional methods in order to compete with the big-market teams like the Yankees and Dodgers. One such method is acquiring players who once held great potential in their respective organizations before falling on hard times.

Players such as Jose Tabata, Lastings Milledge, Andy LaRoche and even Nate McClouth, who was traded away at his highest value and then reacquired  in the hopes of re-discovering the promise he once held in Pittsburgh, have all been brought into the fold in recent years. Some players, well, mainly, no players, have flourished.

The Pirates also aren't shy about taking fliers on veteran players, such as 41 year old relief pitcher Jose Contreras and 35 year old bench player Brandon Inge.

And that brings me to the team's latest signing: 50 year old pitcher Jamie Moyer. That's right, you read it here, first. Moyer, a sixth round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 1984 amateur draft, hopes to compete for a spot in the back-end of Pittsburgh's starting rotation.

After struggling a bit in the mid-to-late 80's, Moyer had his break-out year in 1990, when he posted a 12-9 record with the Baltimore Orioles. However, Moyer's greatest year may have come in 1999, where at the tender age of 36, he pitched 228 innings, posting a 14-8 record to go along with 137 strikeouts.

Said team general manager Neal Huntington regarding the move: "When you talk about Jamie Moyer, you're talking about one of the more talented pitchers to come out of the Cubs organization in the mid-80's. We feel he could compete with Jeff Karstens for a starting job."

Lakers owner Jerry Buss and "Showtime"

You know how, sometimes, you may know something, but you don't really appreciate the magnitude of it until you see it in print? That's how I felt when I read the obituary of long-time Los Angeles Lakers' owner, Jerry Buss, who passed away last week at the age of 80.

The Lakers were a successful NBA team prior to Buss purchasing the franchise in 1979, having appeared in 15 NBA Finals and winning six championships since coming into the league in 1949.

However, what  they did under Buss was truly extraordinary, and that brings me to what I saw in print while reading about Buss' accomplishments as an owner.

In 34 seasons with Buss as the majority owner, Los Angeles appeared in 16 NBA Finals and won an astounding 10 championships. That means, if you're around my age (late 30's/early 40's), and you started following the Lakers at an age when most kids get really into sports (around 7 or 8), you've witnessed your favorite basketball team play in the finals pretty much ever other season; that is simply incredible. Talk about spoiled. A Lakers fan must view the NBA Finals as just another round of the playoffs by now.

And the 10 championships? As a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I take great pride in my team's record six Super Bowl titles, but the  team has been around for 80 seasons. The Lakers have won 10 titles since 1980! That means, if you've been living in Los Angeles for the past 34 years, your city has had to make plans for a victory parade one of out every three seasons.

Again, does it get boring?

Maybe comparing the Lakers to the Steelers is a bit unfair. It's like comparing apples to oranges. Unlike in the NFL, where you need a lot of play-makers in just about every area of your team in order to truly be successful, all an NBA team really needs is two or three top-flight players in-order to become a legit championship contender. After that, it's just a matter of having the right role players and a coach to make it all work together.

Still though, 10 titles in 34 seasons is nothing to sneeze at.

Showtime.

My ex-girlfriend turned me into a Flyers fan.....at least for a week

Last April, on the very day that the Penguins were set to take on the Flyers in Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, my girlfriend of three years decided she was going to waive me from the team and broke up with me.

I was reeling and emotionally distraught, of course. I mean, why wouldn't I be? After all, I was in-love. It's a painful thing, right?

Little did I know how painful. Even though I was only half paying attention, I noticed the Penguins had blown a three-goal lead to Philadelphia and lost in overtime, 4-3. And that's when I realized just how crazy love can make us. That loss by Pittsburgh actually gave me joy, I mean, we're talking great joy, and I decided I was going to be a Flyers fan, at least the rest of the first round.

The Penguins lost again in Game 2, and were humiliated in Game 3 and I wasn't a shamed to show my joy in front of my friends and co-workers. They couldn't believe it and actually thought I was jinxing the team. Hey,  tell that to my ex; she drew first blood, not me. The third loss was especially lovely for me since Sidney Crosby, the team's star and golden boy of hockey, acted especially punkish and was in the middle of a game-long brawl between the two teams. My ex girlfriend LOVED Crosby and thought he could do no wrong.

Pittsburgh mounted a comeback and won Games 4 and 5, but it was too little, too late, as the Flyers won Game 6 to clinch the series.

I thought it was poetic justice. When my girlfriend and I first got together, the Steelers, my favorite team, won Super Bowl XLIII. When she broke up with me for some other guy, the Penguins, their favorite team, lost in the first round of the playoffs to their blood rivals.

Some of my friends still can't believe I rooted for Philadelphia. To repeat: love will make you do crazy things.

Racists sports viewers

I grew up watching a lot of sports on television with my late grandfather, and just about every time the starting lineups of each team were announced, he would do a "count" of how many blacks/Latins/minorities of any kind were playing for each team vs. how many whites were playing.

You could say it was his first official statistic of the game, and if the number of minorities far outweighed the number of caucasians, well, he wouldn't change the channel, but he sure would make a negative comment about it.

Apparently, his level of joy with regards to watching a sporting event correlated with the proportion of whites to minorities.

My grandfather, who would be 90 today (God rest his soul) was a great man, but he came from a "different" era, let's just say, and the whole equality thing was something he probably needed another couple of decades to get used to.

I bring this up because just last week, in the days following Super Bowl XLVII, a couple of people I know were actually complaining about the "overwhelming" amount of African Americans participating in the game. And they weren't just talking about the players, either. They also had a problem with the black referee; Jennifer Hudson, who sang America the Beautiful; Alicia Keys, who performed the National Anthem; and, of course, Beyonce, the star of the halftime show.

Heck, Richard Dent, the all-time great defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, even presented the Lombardi trophy to the Baltimore Ravens during the post-game ceremony.

"It's the biggest sporting event in our country, and we have to watch a bunch of blacks?"

I didn't realize Beyonce wasn't an American--someone should probably check her visa.

White people crack me up. I can say that because I am, in fact, a white person, and I can tell you I've never derived any pleasure, or lack thereof, from the proportion of white people to minorities while watching a sporting event.

Being from Pittsburgh and a huge sports fan, the only colors I care about are black and gold. If you're wearing those colors and trying to win for one of my teams, I have no problem with you. In fact, even if you're not wearing one of my team's colors, the only problem I'll have with you is the fact that you're trying to beat my team. Why? Because I'm not a racist and, oh yeah, this is 2013.

Haven't we progressed enough as a society? I guess not.

Speaking of Pittsburgh, one of the things my city has become over the last quarter of a century is a pretty big hockey town. In case you haven't noticed, hockey is a sport played by predominantly white athletes. I'm not a huge hockey fan, but I've followed the sport enough to know I've never once heard a white person complain about the overwhelming number of caucasians involved in the game.

In fact, I'm almost positive that some white people become hockey fans simply because "there aren't so many blacks running around." My ex girlfriend's dad and step mom mysteriously stopped watching the Steelers and became rabid Pens fans, and knowing them like I do, I'm almost positive one of the bigger selling points was the whole "caucasian persuasion."

The NFL is like 65% black, and some white people have a problem with that.

The NBA is like 80% black, and being from Pittsburgh I KNOW some white people have a problem with that.

However, the NHL is less than one percent black, but nobody really complains about it, well, except for black people. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of black people who don't watch hockey because "there are so many whites skating around." However, not to sound like a real 70's era bleeding heart liberal, but I'm willing to give African Americans a pass when it comes to stuff like that. Why? Look around you. White people out-number black people by like 9 to 1 in America.

Just walk outside. How many black people do you see?

Turn on your TV. How many black characters are on your favorite shows? How many black people are anchoring your nightly newscast?

African Americans are pretty much out-numbered everywhere they go, not just in hockey.

Finally, ever watch the Olympics? How many events are dominated by African Americans? Not many, but you never hear anyone say things like, "Man, I can't watch this sand volleyball. Nothing but whites."...."Skiing? I'm not watching a bunch of white people ski down a hill. I mean, you can't even see them because their white skin blends in with the white snow!"........"Curling? They're white AND Canadian!"

You never hear comments like that, of course, but when it comes to track and field..................................

National letter of intent day

I don't know when certain events like the NFL Draft and Selection Sunday first started to take off as pseudo national holidays, but I've been following both for decades.

Speaking of sports activities that don't get your heart racing (unless you're an NFL prospect or an NCAA college basketball team sitting on the bubble), National Letter of Intent Day(the day when highly touted college football recruits make it official and pick a school to play for) has started to gain traction in recent years as a significant day in the sports world.

Not for me, of course. However, that didn't stop me from spending the entire morning worrying about Tyler Boyd and whether or not he would honor his verbal commitment he made to Pitt last month and sign on the dotted line.

When I woke up this morning, I had no idea who Boyd even was, but by about 9:30, getting this kid to play for the Panthers was paramount to the program's future in my eyes.

As it turned out, Boyd did sign with the Panthers, and he'll be calling Oakland home for the next four years (or less if he leaves early for the NFL Draft).

I must admit, I don't know much about college recruiting, nor do I care to know much about it. However, there are people out there who live and breathe this stuff, and every now and then, I'll engage in a conversation with one of these folks about who the top recruits are in the country. For me, it's sort of like having a discussion about physics with a CMU grad. In other words, I'm totally lost.

However, I do find it fascinating that, in places where college sports dominates, National Letter of Intent Day is a huge deal. As a sports fan in a major city with three professional teams, I've always been intrigued by regions where college athletics is the only game in town, and people pin their hopes and dreams on the actions of 18 and 19 year olds.

And when it comes to high school recruits, I'm even more befuddled that people spend so much time and energy worrying about the decisions of 16 and 17 year old kids.

My job requires me to supervise kids in that age-group, and let me tell you, if Tyler Boyd worked for me, it would probably take years to train him to do his job properly. Yet, there are thousands of Pitt fans who are pinning their hopes for a long-awaited BCS-berth on his playing abilities.

And if today is important for Panthers fans, the excitement is probably 10-times greater in places like Alabama, Florida and Arkansas.

Apparently, Pitt did pretty well with its 2013 recruiting class. Although, according to ESPN, the program didn't even finish in the top 40.

Should I be concerned about it? Nah. Alabama's recruiting class probably doesn't know how to stock shelves, either.

And I'm sure they spend way too much time playing " Angry Birds" on their cell phones.

Super Bowl XLVII the greatest ever? Let's hold off for at least a day or two before we make that proclamation.....Whoops, too late, I guess

In society, "now" thinks that anything that happens is the greatest or worst thing to ever happen. No matter what age we may live in, present society is like a 25 year old, it thinks its problems and triumphs are way more important than anyone else's. Take, for example, the yearly proclamation of the world coming to an end--I think we have a few such proclamations each and every year these days. How long have societies been predicting the end of the world all throughout history? It's been going on for as long as man has been walking upright, yet, it didn't stop the "now" society from going out and buying bread and milk in the days leading up to December 21st, 2012, because everyone thought the Mayan calender was suggesting the end of the world was imminent (by the way, if you thought the end of the world was upon us, why would you buy  extra food)?

I digress.

I opened with that little back-drop because I think it's funny that some players (mainly Ravens) and pundits are suggesting that the just concluded Super Bowl XLVII, in-which Baltimore outlasted the 49ers, 34-31, to win their second Lombardi trophy, was the greatest one ever played.

I guess I can see people like Ravens' linebacker Terrell Suggs exclaiming that it was the greatest Super Bowl ever. After all, it was the the first championship in his 10 year career, and the first is always the sweetest.

As a fan, I know Super Bowl XL is pretty special to me because the Steelers won their first Super Bowl in over a quarter of a century when they knocked off Seattle, 21-10.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that Super Bowl XL was a great game, far from it, nor am I saying the 47th Super Bowl wasn't a great game, it was an awesome game.

However, there have been many great Super Bowls in recent memory. Since Super Bowl XXXII, where the  Broncos outlasted Green Bay, 31-24, to end a 13-year run of dominance by the NFC, most Super Bowls have been memorable. What about Super Bowl XXXIV following the '99 season, when the Titans overcame a 16-0 second half deficit to tie the game and set up an exhilarating finish. With the Rams back in front, 23-16, following a 73 yard touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to Isaac Bruce in the final moments, Tennessee was frantically driving for the tying score in the final seconds, when St. Louis linebacker Mike Jones tackled Tennessee receiver Kevin Dyson just one yard short of the goal line as time ran out to preserve the victory for the Rams.

What about Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII, which were almost carbon-copies of one another? In both games, the Patriots jumped out to early leads only to have their opponents, St. Louis and the Panthers, respectively, tie the game in the final moments thanks, eerily enough, to touchdown receptions by journeyman  receiver Ricky Proehl, who played for the Rams in '01 and Carolina in '03. However, in both cases, Tom Brady drove New England downfield in the closing seconds to set up the Super Bowl winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

What about Super Bowl XLII, where Giants wide receiver David Tyree made a catch for the ages to help set up the game-winning touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left to stun a New England team that came into the game with an 18-0 record and was a victory away from perhaps having the right to call itself the greatest team of all-time?

A year later, Steelers' linebacker James Harrison intercepted a pass from Warner, now playing in Arizona, and galloped 100 yards to put Pittsburgh ahead, 17-7, at halftime. The Cardinals then overcame a 20-7 fourth quarter deficit to take a 23-20 lead in the final moments, before Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes teamed-up to rescue the Steelers from defeat with the game-winning touchdown pass with 34 seconds remaining to not only give Pittsburgh the Super Bowl triumph, but also a record number of  Lombardi trophies.

I'd say Super Bowl XLIII was a pretty good one.

With so many great Super Bowls in recent memory, I find it puzzling to call Super Bowl XLVII the best ever.

Back in '76, after the first nine Super Bowls were boring and mostly one-sided, I could understand people calling Super Bowl X, in which Pittsburgh outlasted the Cowboys, 21-17, the greatest and most exciting Super Bowl ever. And three years later, after the Steelers once again out lasted Dallas, 35-31, in Super Bowl XIII, I could see people proclaiming THAT Super Bowl the greatest of all-time.

A decade later, when the 49ers came back to defeat Cincinnati with a Joe Montana to John Taylor touchdown pass with 34 seconds left, I could see people getting behind that Super Bowl as the greatest ever. After all, most Super Bowls in the 80's weren't just boring, they were three or four touchdown blow-outs.

Super Bowl XLVII had a lot of drama. It also had a quarterback in Joe Flacco who came of age and proved that he had what it took to win the "Big Game." It had Ray Lewis going out as a champion after 17 glorious and controversial years. It had a 108 yard kick-off return by Jacoby Jones. It also had Colin Kaepernick, the young San Francisco quarterback who nearly brought his team back from a 28-6 deficit before falling just short in the final moments.

The game even had a 35 minute delay thanks to the lights going out in the Superdome.

Yes, Super Bowl XLVII had a lot, but so did most of the recent Super Bowls. Let's wait a while before we proclaim it the greatest one ever.

It's all right for Suggs to say that, but not for the rest of you out there......unless you're Ravens fans.

My Super Bowl Meccas

Last week, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco called hosting the Super Bowl in the open air of the New York metro area a "stupid" idea--he called it something else, but we won't go there right now.

Anyway, I agree with Flacco's sentiment. When I think of Super Bowls, I don't think of places like New Jersey and MetLife stadium, the site of Super Bowl XLVIII, I think of summer touristy places like Miami and Southern California.

I even think of New Orleans and the Superdome. It might not be a tropical paradise on par with Southern Florida, but it's certainly one of the more famous Super Bowl sites in the 47 year history of the event.

If I had to rank my Super Bowl Meccas, I'd go with New Orleans at number three. The city has hosted 10 Super Bowls, with seven coming at the Superdome--site of the just completed Super Bowl XLVII.

My number two Mecca Super Bowl city would be Miami. The City has also hosted 10 Super Bowls. Five of those Super Bowls were played at the old Orange Bowl, with the last one being Super Bowl XIII between the Steelers and Cowboys following the 1978 season. The other five have been played at Sun Life Stadium, the current home of the Miami Dolphins. The most notable Super Bowl played at that stadium was probably Super Bowl XXIII between the 49ers and Bengals. San Francisco won in dramatic fashion when Joe Montana hit John Taylor for a touchdown pass with 34 seconds left. Back then, the venue was known as Joe Robbie Stadium.

My number one Mecca Super Bowl city isn't really a city, but just the venue known as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Rose Bowl has hosted five Super Bowls, and Super Bowl XIV, played on January 20th, 1980, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles rams was attended by 103,985 fans--a Super Bowl record for attendance that still stands to this day.  Unfortunately, the NFL has a sort of unwritten  policy of not hosting Super Bowls at cities or regions without franchises, and since there hasn't been an NFL team in the Los Angeles metro area since the mid-90's, the last Super Bowl played there was Super Bowl XXVII between the Cowboys and Bills following the '92 season. It's a shame the league doesn't break its policy and hold another Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl. It's simply a gorgeous place to play a football game, and the backdrop, with the mountains in the horizon, is just an awe-inspiring sight.

I've never been to a Super Bowl in any of these cities (or venues), but if I could afford to attend one, these are the three places I'd like to see the Big Game.

Joe Flacco's poor choice of words

The build-up of Super Bowl XLVII between the 49ers and Ravens hasn't been without controversy, and Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco was right in the middle of one on Monday, when he called the idea of hosting a Super Bowl in a cold-weather city sans domed stadium "retarded."

Naturally, 2013 being what it is, people jumped all over Flacco for his very poor choice of words, and rightfully so. Using that word is quite insensitive, especially for someone in the public spotlight, and the Ravens' quarterback quickly issued an apology.

As a Steelers fan, I've never been much of a Flacco supporter (for many reasons that should be quite obvious), but regardless of what I think of his quarterbacking abilities, it's been fairly obvious for quite some time that he's a pretty decent guy.

The only thing I'll say about the sanctimonious-types out there (and they are certainly always in abundance in the Internet Age) who jumped down Flacco's throat for the ill-advised remark, remember to have that same reaction the next time someone says "retarded" in one of your real-life encounters.

In today's PC society, very rarely do public or even private citizens make racially or ethnically insensitive remarks, but when they do, someone is usually quick to call the person on it, and rightfully so.

However, I hear people use the word "retarded" almost on a daily basis, yet, 9 times out of 10, it goes in one  ear and out the other with very little reaction from people.

Next time a public figure uses that word and you  get "outraged" and want to jump to your nearest message board to give said public figure an Internet beat-down, think about the last time you, one of your friends, or just some person at a bar used that word.

If you said the word, did you apologize for it? If your friend used that word, did you call him or her on it? If some guy at a bar used that word, did you ask him to step outside?

Probably not on all three counts.

Don't be so hypocritical.