Monday, March 25, 2013

The stupidity of Major League Baseball's April scheduling

It's officially spring, but living in Pittsburgh, you wouldn't know it, as several inches of snow fell during the evening, and the city looks like a "Winter Wonderland" this morning.

Major League Baseball's 2013 campaign kicks off next week--including the Pirates' home-opener against Chicago at PNC Park next Monday afternoon. Only problem is, the forecast for next Monday is a high of 48 degrees with a 60 percent chance of precipitation. I'd say the chances of a postponement look pretty decent.

Of course, this is nothing new. MLB has these kinds of weather problems every April, but if you ask me, the schedule makers are their own worst enemies when it comes to this kind of stuff.

Logistically, I don't know if bad weather can be completely avoided early in the season, but I do know that MLB could at least increase the odds of its first week getting off to a much better start. Take a look at next Monday's schedule.

In addition to the Cubs opening up in Pittsburgh, Miami travels to Washington to take on the Nationals; San Diego plays at the Mets; the Angels travel to Cincinnati for an interleague game; the Red Sox open up at New York; and the Royals open up in Detroit.

As I said, bad weather can't be avoided totally, but what are the odds of most of those games being interrupted because of precipitation? I'd say, right now, the odds are pretty good.

However, had baseball reversed the location for most of those opening day match-ups, weather would almost certainly NOT be a problem.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Robert Morris knocks off defending champion, Kentucky, in first round of NIT

Rocky lives!

Ever see the original Rocky, where decorated and undefeated world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed is told the top contender for his big New Year's Day bout won't be able to fight due to an injury? Creed, his manager and promoter scramble to come up with a worthy opponent, but none are available. The Champ then comes up with a novel idea of selecting a local unknown fighter from Philadelphia (the location for the big fight), and promoting it as a sort of goodwill gesture as a way to generate interest in what he thinks will be a quick knockout. "I'll drop him in three."

Creed picks "The Italian Stallion," Rocky Balboa out of a book, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Rocky gives Creed the match of his life and loses in a split decision, but in Rocky II, he defeats Creed and wins the title.

For the Robert Morris men's basketball team, there is no need for a sequel, and even if there was, there is no way they can possibly top what transpired Tuesday night at the Sewell Center in Coraopolis, Pa.

The Colonials won the NEC regular season championship but lost out on an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after losing in the conference tournament. The consolation prize was a trip to the second-tier NIT, but like Rocky Balboa, there opponent was a traditional college basketball heavyweight, the Kentucky Wildcats, the defending National Champions, who received a bid to the NIT after a rare down season. The Wildcats were a No. 1 seed, but since their venue is being used for NCAA tournament games this weekend,  they were forced to travel to play No. 8 seed Robert Morris in its 3500 capacity gym.

It was a nice bone to throw a small school, and it certainly generated a great deal of excitement, especially considering Kentucky coach John Calipari, who grew up minutes from the campus, was returning home.

However, the Colonials did Rocky one better and knocked off Kentucky, 59-57, in the biggest win in school history.

Life really does imitate art.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Did Pitt get jobbed by the NCAA tournament selection committee? Probably

For years, I've had a running joke (with myself) that whatever seed people are predicting for the Pitt Panthers in the days and weeks leading up to Selection Sunday, just add two to that number, and you'll probably have your seed for Pitt.

And it's fitting that my prediction for the Panthers this time was a six seed. Actually, that was the prediction of most people much smarter and more knowledgeable about these things than yours truly.

However, like a lot of previous selection shows, I placed my hands on my head and said "what" when Pitt's No. 8 seed was revealed. I really don't know why I was surprised because it was par for the course.

This has been going on for years, and you might think I'm just a paranoid fan, but check out the final top 25 rankings that came out on Monday.

Every team ranked ahead of Pitt is seeded pretty much where that ranking says it should be. As for the Panthers, however, their 20th ranking doesn't mesh with where they are seeded in the West bracket. When a team is seeded eighth, one can assume the selection committee doesn't think it's any better than the 29th program in the country.

It's clear Pitt was under-seeded, but perhaps, this time, that's a good thing. Had the Panthers been a higher seed, say a 5th or 6th seed, a lot of fans would have raised their expectations for a deep run in the tournament. It's no secret the program has yet to have that one watershed tournament moment where it's reached a Final Four. Until it does, nothing short of that will really matter.

However, this season, if Pitt gets by Wichita St. and then knocks off No. 1 seed, Gonazaga, that would be quite the remarkable achievement--the Panthers have never defeated a higher seed in the tournament--and anything after that would be gravy.

And maybe the committee did Pitt a favor this time by seeding it so low. Many consider Gonzaga a weak No. 1 seed, and a lot of people consider the West bracket a pretty weak bracket. Perhaps, in the West, a No. 8 seed is on par with a No. 6 seed in another region.

I don't know, but I do know the Panthers were seeded too low. Perhaps, this time, they can prove it on the court and finally have the one shining moment we fans have been waiting forever to experience.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Panthers re-establish old Big East legacy in final years of conference tournament

The Panthers lost, 62-59, to Syracuse in their Big East tournament opener on Thursday afternoon to close out the program's final chapter in the legendary conference before heading to the ACC next season (provided they don't meet up with a Big East foe in the NCAA tournament) and will now wait to see where they begin play in the Big Dance, starting next Thursday or Friday.

In terms of what the loss means to Pitt's NCAA seeding, it probably doesn't mean much. In Joe Lunardi's latest pre-Selection Sunday bracket, he has the Panthers as the 5th seed in the West. I don't know if it was updated before or after Thursday's loss to the Orangemen, but I can't imagine Pitt dropping much below a 6th seed at this point.

A nice run MAY have elevated the Panthers to a 4th seed, but 4th, 5th, 6th, what's the difference, really?

It's just a shame the Panthers exited Big East tournament play on such a sour note because it was similar to how they exited Madison Square Garden for many years in the 80's and 90's.

For nearly two decades, Pitt's participation in the Big East tournament was on par with a jobber wrestler's at a Garden-hosted battle royal. In other words, the program was usually one and done. In fact, the Panthers never won more than one game in any conference tournament, even during the late 80's, when they had the likes of Charles Smith, Jerome Lane and Sean Miller on the roster.

It wasn't until the 2001 tournament that the spell was lifted in a rather improbable fashion, when Pitt, a league doormat in the late-90's under Head Coach Ralph Willard, entered the tournament under new Head Coach Ben Howland after barely finishing over .500 in the regular season and won three games in three nights to reach the program's first conference final.

The Panthers lost to Boston College, unfortunately, but this proved to be a catalyst for future tournament success, as they would go on to reach the conference final a total of seven times in eight seasons and captured championships in 2003 and 2008.

The '08 championship was especially satisfying, as Pitt won four games in four nights and polished what could have been a 7-10 seed in the NCAA tournament into a No. 4 seed.

However, the Panthers soon returned to their former, downtrodden legacy and only won one conference tournament game over the last five seasons.

Oh well, the best Pitt team I ever witnessed, the one that reached the Elite Eight behind Dejaun Blair, Sam Young and Levance Fields, lost in the opening round of the '09 Big East tournament. And that '08 championship team? It lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Michigan State.

It just would have been nice to see Pitt return to its mid-00's legacy for just one final weekend at the Garden.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

James Harrison released and my reaction: Have I been desensitized?

The Pittsburgh Steelers released legendary outside linebacker James Harrison on Saturday after six awesome seasons as a starter. Harrison, 34, and the Steelers tried to come to an agreement on a pay-cut, but when the two sides were at a permanent impasse, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was sent packing.

I do a lot of blogging for Behind the Steel Curtain, so it stands to reason I also do a lot of reading on the site. On Friday, when Harrison's release was imminent, I remarked that I was "Kind of glad." Some fellow fans took exception to this and said I was being disrespectful to, not only Harrison, but to the many Steelers fans who count No. 92 as their favorite player.

Of course, when I said I was kind of glad, I meant that, hopefully, it would help the team's very real financial woes, and perhaps, pave the way for a future Deebo to rain down hell on future opposing quarterbacks.

Was I being disrespectful? I don't see it that way. I've been watching the Steelers since 1980, and I've seen dozens of legends come and go, so maybe I've become desensitized to the comings and goings of athletes. Besides, it's inevitable. It's like what George Carlin said about pets: "Every pet is a tiny tragedy waiting to happen."

What I mean is, sooner or later, your favorite athletes are going to have to call it a career. Other than Brett Favre, who may or may not come back in his 60's, no athlete has ever defeated time.

When it comes to the Steelers, I'm an eternal optimist. I just did a wikipedia search on 11 linebackers  who played for Pittsburgh over the years, and I counted 48 trips to the Pro Bowl. Everyone knows the Steelers have a rich history with finding and developing LEGENDARY linebackers.

Why should it suddenly stop just because Harrison left the team? Some fans were saddened by the news. I'm not. I view the Pittsburgh Steelers as an industry sort of like the television industry, and I view my favorite players sort of like favorite television shows. I can count dozens of televisions shows that have brought me great joy over the years. Every show eventually "jumped the shark," and was canceled. However, the TV genre has continued to crank out memorable show after memorable show and has continued to provide me with wonderful memories.

That's how I view the Steelers and their players. James Harrison was just another "favorite" that provided me with great memories over the past half-decade, and while he might be gone, I know there will be future "favorites" to enjoy.

I'm excited about the next great superstar linebacker to come through Pittsburgh. Chances are, he's already on the roster.

No reason to shed a tear.

Monday, March 4, 2013

The Panthers scored 73 points on Sunday.....but they needed five extra minutes

The Pitt Panthers defeated the Villanova Wildcats, 73-64, in overtime on Sunday afternoon in the last Big East game played at the Peterson Events Center.

Pitt trailed by nine points in the second half, but thanks to their always stingy defense, as well as some timely shots at the end, they were able to tie the game and won it going away in the extra period.

It was the first time I had a chance to witness a Pitt basketball game this season, and I must say, the contest was.............a typical Big East battle. Meaning, tons of defense, and painful looking offense.

The Panthers typically have a suffocating defense, and this season is no exception. Through Thursday, they ranked fifth in scoring defense, and Sunday's performance against Villanova more than confirmed that ranking.

However, as most Pitt fans know all too well, the team has come up short many times in the NCAA tournament, and the reason why, according to most fans and experts is two-fold:

They always meet up with a team that has a "Go to" guy. AND, they very rarely seem to have one of their own. Over the years, it's hard to argue with either sentiment; the proof has been in the pudding since 2002.

It's hard to predict if the Panthers will run into another "Go to" guy again in the NCAA tournament, but I do know their options for one of their own are, once again, pretty scarce. Senior guard Tray Woodall leads the way with 11.5 points per game, and as a team, Pitt isn't even in the top 50 in scoring offense.

Right now, the Panthers are 11-6 in the Big East, with one game left at pretty paltry Depaul to finish out the regular season. Assuming Pitt wins that game, 12-6 is certainly a good way to exit the legendary conference it has called home since the early 80's. And, regardless of what happens at Madison Square Garden next week, the Panthers figure to have a respectable seed in the NCAA's after missing the dance a season ago.

One has to wonder, however, if the team's lack of scoring will once again leave Pitt fans wanting more.