Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Hines Ward No Longer a Steeler

Well, the inevitable has finally happened. It is being reported that the Steelers are going to release legendary receiver Hines Ward after 14 seasons with the team.

Ward, the team's all-time leader in both receiving yards and receptions, was known not only for his pass-catching skills, but for his abilities as a blocker on running plays.

Ward may be done as a Steeler, but I doubt he's done as a football player. He has indicated he'd like to continue playing football.

I'm sure releasing Ward was a tough decision for the team's front office, but with their salary cap issues, and with the "Young Money" trio of Wallace, Brown and Sanders emerging as one of the best young receiving groups in the NFL, the Steelers had no choice but to release the long-time Steeler.

It'll be interesting to see where Ward will wind up, but with all that he accomplished in Pittsburgh, including being named Super Bowl XL MVP, there is no doubt that number 86's legacy in Pittsburgh is safe and sound.

Like I said a few weeks ago in a post on Behind The Steel Curtain, no matter where Ward ends his career, it won't ruin his legacy with the Steelers.

Hines will be a Steeler forever.

It's pretty eerie how similar their last games with the Pirates were for both Clemente and Bonds

There is no question that Roberto Clemente and Barry Bonds are two of the greatest Pirates of all-time, and I've always found it kind of weird how both players careers with the Pirates ended pretty much exactly the same way almost exactly 20 years apart.

Clemente was one of the most consistent players of his era, winning multiple gold gloves, batting titles and the 1966 NL MVP. However, it wasn't until his magnificent performance that helped lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to the 1971 World Series title that the world became aware of his greatness.

In 1972, the Pirates were defending champions and found themselves in the NLCS for the third year in a row and faced the Cincinnati Reds for the second time in three seasons. The series was extremely tight and hard-fought, and after the teams split the first four games, the Pirates and Reds would play the deciding game 5 on Wednesday, October 11th, 1972, at the old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Pittsburgh jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, and led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. Just three outs away from their second-straight trip to the World Series, the Pirates experienced one of the most depressing sequences of events in team history. Reds catcher Johnny Bench led off the inning by hitting a home run off of reliever Dave Giusti to tie the score at three. Moments later, George Foster was on 3rd base with two-outs and represented the pennant-clinching run for the Reds. The late Bob Moose was in for Giusti, but instead of getting out of the jam, he threw a wild pitch that scored Foster to send Cincinnati to the World Series and the Pirates and their fans into shock and depression.

As for Clemente, at 38, there was no doubt that he was in the twilight of his career, but there wasn't a sense that he was going to retire anytime soon. He had just notched the 3000th hit of his remarkable career in the last regular season game of the '72 season and was expected back the following year.

Unfortunately, on December 31st, 1972, Clemente died in a plane crash while taking relief supplies to Nicaragua, and his remarkable career and admirable life both came to a stunning and tragic end.

Clemente was largely misunderstood for most of his career in Pittsburgh, but in his final years as a player, Pirates fans and the local media began to embrace him, and after his death, Roberto Clemente would become arguably the most iconic sports figure in Pittsburgh history.

Before becoming a controversial home run champion in the later part of his career with the Giants, Barry Bonds was one of the best all-around players in baseball. While with the Pirates, Bonds won two NL MVP awards and was regarded by many as the best left-fielder in the game, winning three-straight Gold Glove Awards from 1990-1992.

In 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates won their third-straight National League East title and would meet the Atlanta Braves in the in the NLCS for the second year in a row.

Unlike '91, the Pirates were underdogs to the Braves and quickly fell behind in the series, 2-0 and then 3-1. After battling back to tie the series at three games a piece, the Pirates and Braves would meet for the deciding game 7 on Wednesday October 14th, 1992, at the old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. Just like in '72, the Pirates jumped out to an early lead and entered the bottom of the 9th inning ahead 2-0. With ace Doug Drabek on the mound, it looked as if the Pirates would finally get to the World Series after losing in the NLCS the previous two seasons. Unfortunately, the Pirates would suffer maybe the most heartbreaking loss in sports history. Thanks in large part to a Terry Pendleton double and a botched ground ball by Jose Lind, the Braves had the bases loaded with nobody out. Pirates closer Stan Belinda replaced Drabek, and two gut-wrenching outs later, the Braves were now down 2-1, and had the tying run on 3rd and the pennant-clinching run on 2nd base. Francisco Cabrera, the last guy on the Braves bench, stroked a 2-1 pitch into left field. David Justice scored the tying run, and Sid Bream beat Barry Bonds throw to the plate to send the Braves to their second-straight World series and the Pirates into a two-decade spiral.

Bonds would sign with the Giants following the '92 season and would go on to have one of the best and most controversial careers in Major League Baseball history. Bonds home run numbers began to rise in the latter stages of his career and he would eventually become the all-time leader in both single season and career home runs. Bonds was suspected of using performance enhancing drugs in order to achieve his records and was the subject of a federal investigation for many years. Bonds was eventually convicted for obstruction of justice last spring.

As for Bonds' legacy in Pittsburgh, even though he was one of the best players in the game during his time with the Pirates, the fans never fully embraced Bonds, and he certainly didn't have a great relationship with his teammates or the local media.

Unlike Clemente, Bonds' legacy is that of one of the most vilified former Pittsburgh athletes in history along side the likes of Jaromir Jagr and Neil O'Donnell, and I doubt there will be a statue erected in his honor any time soon.

Clemente and Bonds: Two great careers, two distinctely different legacies in Pittsburgh, but two eerily similar endings to their Pirates careers.

Behind the Steel Curtain is in the Semi-finals of the Pittsburgh's Best Sports Blog Tournament

As most of the loyal readers of this blog probably know--all ten of you--I contribute to Behind the Steel Curtain. For my money, it's the finest sports blog around, and certainly the best Steelers blog on the net, and right now, they're in the semi-finals of this year's Pittsburgh's Best Sports Blog Tournament.

Please, click on the link and show some love for BTSC.

Pitt Basketball Fans will be Filling Out Brackets Like it's 1999

Ok, so the last time the Pitt Panthers missed the NCAA tournament was in 2001, but at least that team marked the beginning stages of the men's basketball resurgence after the disastorous Ralph Willard era of the late 90's.

With Pitt at 4-12 in the Big East, it just feels like 1999 all over again.

The other night on 93.7 The Fan, the nighttime host, Andrew Filipponi, cited Pitt's lack of toughness on defense as the reason why the team has struggled so much this season.

He compared the Panthers of the recent glory years to the NBA "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons of the late 80's. I guess that's a solid comparison; those Pitt teams were tough and they played really strong man-to-man defense. But I believe to compare those teams to this current Pitt squad is like comparing apples and oranges.

The Pitt teams of the 00's were more focused on defense and getting the ball down inside on offense. The offense flowed through the forwards and centers, and if inside forces like Sam Young and Dejuan Blair were successful, the Panthers were successful.

The 2011/2012 Pitt hoops squad runs through the guards, specifically Travon Woodall and Ashton Gibbs. Following last season, Gibbs tested the NBA Draft waters before deciding to return for his senior season and was voted the Preseason Big East Player of the Year coming into the 2011/2012 season.

The fact of the matter is, Gibbs just isn't having a great year.

The 15.4 points per game may not be that drastically different from last year, but I'm sorry, when you come into a year with the kinds of accolades that Gibbs entered this season with, more is expected of you.

For a time, when Woodall returned to play point guard after missing a significant amount of time due to injury, the Panthers got rolling and Gibbs showed flashes of brilliance. After losing their first seven games in the conference, Pitt won four games in a row and gave fans hope for a late-season run and tournament berth.

Now a berth in any tournament looks shaky at best. There are other reasons for Pitt's struggles this year, like prized freshman Khem Birch's decision to transfer early in the year and Dante Taylor's underwhelming career, but the lack of offensive production from the guards and Gibbs inability to carry the team on his back are the main reasons why I will be picking with my head and not my heart when I go to fill out my NCAA brackets in a few weeks.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The NBA All-Star game was played this weekend? I forgot to notice

The West defeated the East, 152-149, in the NBA All-Star game this weekend. How did everything transpire? I don't know, and I haven't really researched anything about the game, but I'll just bet there are some basketball purists who are really angry over the fact that the two teams combined to tally over 300 points.

The NFL and the NHL held their annual all star festivities on the same weekend last month.

I don't remember the score of the Pro Bowl, but I do know that the offensive output almost rivaled that of the NBA game. I also know that commissioner Roger Goodell was not happy with the quality of play in the game.

Really? What does he expect? The NFL has been on this crusade the past two seasons to make the game safer and reduce the number of concussion-inducing hits (and rightfully so), so you would think the last thing the commissioner would want to see is an overly-physical exhibition game.

The score of the NHL All Star game was 12-9. I don't know who won because the NHL doesn't designate its teams by conferences anymore. I forget why. Again, I didn't research it. I suppose I could, but I don't care.

I don't even care about Major League Baseball's All Star game, even though they've gone to great lengths to make it even more important than it should be.

Years ago, to try and calm the outrage of a tie in the 2002 game, baseball commissioner Bud Selig decided to give homefield advantage in the World Series to the team from the league that won the All Star game. I've said this before and I'll say it again: It's one of the dumbest decisions any sports executive has ever made.

And why did he make it? Just so people would actually care about an exhibition game.

I suppose I could go into more detail about why I don't think All-Star games should be played anymore, but much like the players who participate in the games, I'm going to half-ass it.

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Biggest Irony of the Mike Wallace Contract Situation

With free agency just weeks away, there's always going to be speculation regarding certain Steelers players. This week, that player is the team's big deep thread, wide receiver Mike Wallace.

Wallace can become a restricted free agent in March, and the fear among many in Steeler Nation is that another team will make him a huge offer which he wouldn't be able to refuse, and which the Steelers wouldn't be able to match due to their salary cap situation.

It's a legitimate concern, although Kevin Colbert did say that the Steelers held the cards in any Wallace sweepstakes since they have the right to match any offer that Wallace would get from another team.

The funny and very ironic part about so many fans being concerned about Wallace leaving is that the cry by many in Steelers Country in recent years is for the team to get back to running the football more.

Team President Art II even said he wouldn't mind seeing the team return to their blue collar identity.

If the owner and the fans are so concerned about running the football and a blue collar identity, why the concern for keeping Wallace?

I'm, of course, being a smart-ass, but I wonder what the reaction would be if the Steelers let Wallace walk, and then used the first round pick that they would receive as compensation to pick a fullback.

Do Cheaters Ever Win? Ask Ryan Braun

When you leave a cola sitting out for too long, it loses its fizz, when milk sits out too long, it sours, but when Ryan Braun's urine sits for an extra day or two in someone's refrigerator, the testosterone level in it triples in strength.

Today, an aribitrator ruled that Ryan Braun, the 2011 NL mvp, will not have to serve a 50 game suspension for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.

Braun didn't get off because it was proven that his urine was tainted, or that he was on some kind of medication as had been rumored . No, instead, the original ruling was overturned because the person who was supposed to deliver the sample to FedEx, instead held onto it for 44 hours because it was the weekend and everything was closed. I guess MLB and the players union have an agreement that a sample must be shipped off to get tested as soon as it's collected. That is one strong union.

This seems pretty outrageous to me. For all of the up-roar over the years about baseball players ruining the integrity of the game by using steroids and HGH, you would think that even an independent arbitrator wouldn't let such a high profile player get off because of a technicality.

I guess the arbitrator is implying that Braun's sample could have theoretically been tampered with. Well, if that's true, then who had the motive to put synthetic testosterone in Braun's urine while it sat around for a weekend? Was it the person who was keeping it in their fridge?

Was it me? I'd be a good enough suspect since I hate Braun's guts.

Maybe Jeff Karstens did it.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

My Memories of the Pirates 1990 National League East championship

Growing up in the 80's, the thought of the Pirates actually having a celebratory scrum in the middle of a baseball diamond after clinching a title was pretty abstract, even more so than now, as a matter of fact.

By the mid-80's, the days of "We are Family" were long gone as the team finished in last place for three straight years. And to make matters even worse, the Pirates clubhouse was the epicenter of the infamous drug trials that rocked Major League Baseball. In addition to that, there were rumors that the Pirates would be sold to out-of-town owners who would move the team to another city.

Things couldn't have been worse.

Thankfully, the City of Pittsburgh stepped in and helped to form a public/private consortium which allowed the Pirates to remain in town.

Syd Thrift was hired to run the baseball side of things as the team's general manager, and one of the best moves any Pittsburgh sports executive ever made occurred when Thrift hired Jim Leyland to manage the club in 1986.

The Pirates still finished in last place that season, but there was at least hope in the form of players such as Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla.

Before the 1987 season, the Pirates acquired outfielder Andy Van Slyke and catcher Mike Lavalliere in the famous April Fool's trade involving All Star catcher Tony Pena.

The Pirates were still struggling and near the bottom of the standings in late 1987, but thanks to the team winning 27 of their final 38 games down the stretch, they finished the season 80-82 and in a tie for fourth place. Not much reason to celebrate, but I remember the players going a little crazy in the clubhouse. Hey, gotta start somewhere.

The Pirates showed the world they were true contenders again in 1988 by finishing in 2nd place to the New York Mets. It was a distant second, but again, you have to crawl before you can learn to walk.

Injuries set the team back a bit in 1989, but 1990 would be the year that the Pirates would rise from the ashes and take their place along the elite teams of MLB.

In April of that year, the Pirates went 10-3 on a weird six-city road swing that was the result of a brief work-stoppage in Spring Training, and this proved to be the catalyst to their run to a division title.

The Pirates were in first place for most of the year, and after sweeping the New York Mets in early September, they were in first place to stay.

With about ten days left in the season, Pittsburgh had a three-game lead over New York. The Mets were the Pirates tormentors for most of the previous decade, and the last thing I wanted to see happen was for New York to come back and grab the title in the final days. The Mets were scheduled to play in Pittsburgh for the final three games of the season, and I was hoping they could somehow wrap up the division before then.

Fortunately, after losing to the Cardinals at Three Rivers stadium on a Saturday afternoon, the Pirates wouldn't lose another meaningful game the rest of the way.

The Pirates swept the Cubs at Three Rivers and then it was off to St. Louis for a weekend series. The Mets were hanging with Pittsburgh all week and still only three games back. The Pirates defeated the Cardinals on a Friday night, but the Mets won to keep pace.

The next day, however, Pittsburgh won thanks to a complete game shutout by Bob Walk, and the Mets lost to the Cubs. With four games left, the Pirates had clinched at least a tie for the NL East championship.

KDKA sportscaster John Steigerwald (back before he hated baseball) even said "We are in!" during his sports report. Everyone was catching the fever.

"Gotta believe it's our time. Gotta believe it's true!"

The Pirates just needed to take care of business the next day and my long-time abstract thought would finally become a reality.

The Steelers were playing that day, and even though they've always been my first love, I didn't care one bit about them at that moment. My only thoughts were with the Pirates.

As the Steelers were getting blownout at Three Rivers Stadium by the Miami Dolphins, Doug Drabek was in the process of pitching a complete game masterpiece in St. Louis, and the Pirates won 2-0 to clinch their first division title since 1979.

It had finally happened! The Pirates were celebrating in the middle of the diamond, and I was going nuts in my grandmother's living room.

There haven't been too many times in my life when the result of a game gave me a euphoric feeling, but on September 30th, 1990, I had that feeling, and it stayed with me for days and days.

I'll never forget it.

This whole A.J. Burnett deal seems like the same old rusty car, only with shinier wheels

Way back when I was still a kid, during the Pirates three-year run as NL East Champions, my brother called me one morning all excited because the Pirates had acquired Kirk Gibson in a minor offseason deal. Gibson was far removed from his fist-pumping game-winning home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, but my brother said, "I can't believe they got him! He's a name, baby! I mean, that's someone that we know!" He was aw-struck at the thought of the Pirates getting Gibson even though they were already one of the most talented teams in baseball with Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Doug Drabek, and Gibson was going to be just a role player on the team.

Just last week, some twenty years later, my brother called me on the phone again all excited about the rumors of the Pirates maybe landing A.J. Burnett from the Yankees. Once again, he said, "man, that's someone we know. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball at one time."

That's my brother, he hasn't changed a bit. A player could be so broken down that he needs a walker to get to the ballpark, but if he has a recognizable name on the back of his jersey, my brother gets all giddy.

Unlike those Pirates teams from the early 90's, however, I can kind of see why my bro would get excited over Burnett coming to Pittsburgh. It's not often that the Pirates are involved with a trade with the Yankees, and that they're the team that's acquiring the high-priced veteran in exchange for some lower-level prospects. But as I've said before, this just smells like the same old crap.

I'm a bit sensitive to this kind of thing after so many years of seeing it happen over and over again. Someone mentioned the other day that anytime someone says, "I'm a long-suffering Pirates fan" they stop paying attention. Well, I'm sorry, but I am, and after eating crap for the last two-decades, the second I think someone is trying to shovel more of it down my throat, my gag reflex kicks in big-time.

I don't really blame the Pirates for this, it's the system of baseball. When a certain player is in the prime of his career, he goes to the highest-bidder (Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies) and signs a mega-contract. Once that player reaches another point in his career, better known as the latter stages, he tries to hang on for a few more years, usually with a struggling team (Pirates, Royals) that's looking to recapture the magic that the player once had.


Call me crazy, but I get the feeling A.J. Burnett is in the latter-stages of his career, and other than eating up some innings, I don't see where he's going to benefit the Pirates a whole heck of a lot.

Is he still a functional starter? I guess it all depends on what you mean by functional.

Ever go to the Sports Deli in Parkway Center Mall? It's a place where they sell sports memorabilia. Right outside the store, they have a table with discounted items on it like a "Tommy Gun" t-shirt, for example. Who would buy that shirt? Tommy Maddox was a sensation with the Steelers nearly ten seasons ago.

If you did actually buy a "Tommy Gun" t-shirt, where would you wear it? I suppose you could wear it to paint your house, and it might come in handy if you wanted to go to a Halloween party dressed like Tommy, but other than that, there really is no use for it in your daily rotation of shirts.

As a Pirates fan, that's how I feel about any transaction that involves a guy in his mid-30's.

This Burnett trade just smells like Derek Belle and Jeromy Burnitz all over again. As a fan, I'm always asking, "why couldn't these guys have come to the Pirates in their prime?" And some hot-shot baseball guy will always retort, "because when they were in their prime, they would never come to the Pirates."

And people wonder why I'm cynical about this kind of stuff.

Burnett had his career year in 2008, that's a really long time ago in baseball years.

In my opinion, if the Pirates can't acquire guys like Burnett when they're their prime, don't acquire them at all. If they're still hanging on at the ends of their careers, trying to latch on with a team like the Buccos just so they can earn a few more pay-checks, I'd say, "sorry, you had your chance. Don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out."

I just get the feeling a lot of Pirates fans are excited about Burnett because of what he once did, and not what he may do in the future.

I know my brother is.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Pirates acquire A.J. Burnett. Do I like this deal?

After days and days of speculation, the trade of A.J. Burnett from the Yankees to the Pirates has finally been completed.

As a long-suffering Pirates fan, this looks like another case of the team acquiring a once dominant player in the twilight of his career. Like Sean Casey and Matt Morris before him, Burnett was one of the best in the game a few years ago, but after signing with New York, his production slipped considerably, and he was a .500 pitcher during his time with the Yankees with an ERA hovering around 5.

I've been an advocate of going with a total youth movement and saving any veteran acquisitions for a time when the team is really close to contending.

After a 72-90 season, I'm not so sure the Pirates are close. Even if it works out with Burnett, how much of a difference is it going to make in the win/loss record?

I bet my brother that if Burnett is still with the team past the trading deadline, I would shave my head.

What are the chances that I'll have to go out and buy some clippers in August?

Friday, February 17, 2012

RIP, Gary "The Kid" Carter

Growing up in the 80's, being a Pirates fan meant that I really, really, really hated the New York Mets--Muck the Fets--and the Met player that I could not stand the most was catcher Gary Carter. Yes, despite the fact that those Mets teams had goofballs on their roster like Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dykstra, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, Carter was always up there on my list of Mets that I could not stand.

He just seemed obnoxious with his constant smile and enthusiasm, and I always wanted the Pirates to wipe that smile off of his face. Unfortunately, for the better part of the 80's, the Pirates made Gary Carter smile a lot as they were the Mets whipping boys year in and year out.

It wasn't until years later, when Carter was out of baseball, that I realized how much of a nice guy he was, and how that smile and enthusiasm came from a true love for, not only baseball, but life in-general.

It just goes to show you that when we hate an athlete from an opposing team, more often than not, we're basically just hating the uniform and don't really know the player who wears it.

As a 39 year old man, if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably have more respect for Gary Carter if he were playing today. He played the game of baseball with the kind of attitude that most players in any sport should have. He acted like he was one of the luckiest people in the world to be able to do what he was doing.

If Major League Baseball was filled with more Gary Carters, perhaps, it would still be our national past time.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

West Virginia leaves the Big East for the Big 12, and the Backyard Brawl appears to be a thing of the past

It's official. West Virginia is the newest member of the Big 12 Conference.

The Mountaineers didn't have to wait the mandatory 27 months before leaving the Big East, but for you Pitt and Syracuse fans out there who think this will create a path for your teams to follow WVU out the door, think again.

The Mountaineers really, really, really must have wanted out of the Big East because they negotiated a $20 million buyout.

Last week, Pitt AD Steve Pederson was on record as saying the Panthers wouldn't pay any more than $5 million to get out of their Big East committment so they can join the ACC. I guess that means they're staying for a little while longer.

Oh well, at any rate, Pitt and WVU have apparently played their last football game for a very long time.

I mean, no matter how much the fans may want it, the handwriting is on the wall. West Virginia has to play nine conference games in the Big 12, and since one of their annual non-conference games is going to continue to be against state rival Marshall, that doesn't leave much room for the Panthers. Every school likes to play at least two cupcakes a year, so it looks like Pitt and WVU are going to have to find new brawling partners.

I'm sure both schools will eventually find new rivals within their respective conferences, but it's a shame to see the Brawl go, at least for now.

As a Pitt fan, I'm happy to say I got to witness the Panthers' last victory over the Mountaineers back in 2008 at Heinz Field. But, also as a Pitt fan, I'm mad to say that WVU has the eternal bragging-rights beings that they won the final two games in the series.

Oh well, I'm not even 40 years old yet, and I've already seen the Panthers lose two of their biggest rivals in WVU and Penn State.

But, that's life in big time college athletics.

I'd like to thank the Pitt Men's basketball team for cutting short my growing optimism before it got out of hand

A few weeks ago, when Travon Woodall returned to the Panthers lineup and the team finally ended their eight-game losing streak, I predicted that Pitt would go on a pretty epic run in an attempt to salvage their season and come oh so close to an NCAA tournament berth only to have their bubble burst on Selection Sunday.

The Panthers started their Big East schedule 0-7, but after Woodall came back, they went on a pretty impressive four-game run and started to look like the top ten team they were at the beginning of the season.

But just when it looked like they would climb up the conference ladder, they've come crashing back down to reality.

After two pretty humiliating losses to South Florida and Seton Hall, the Panthers are now 4-9, and whatever hopes they had of becoming a bubble team have, well, you know.

There's still talk of them going on a five-game winning streak to finish out the year and maybe making a nice run in the Big East tournament in March, but come on. As the saying goes: At this time of the year, a team is what it is.

The Pitt Panthers are a mediocre basketball team, and they are destined for the NIT.

Maybe the Panthers have another run in them, but this sort of reminds of the 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were a pretty awful team that year, but since the AFC North was pretty bad, as well, the team was still alive for a playoff spot late in the season despite their sub-.500 record.

My brother would call me daily to talk about it, and he would often say, "hey, man, they're in the weakest division in football. Don't give up hope just yet!" Finally, after hearing that for the 1000th time, I told him, "well, that might be true, but they're in last place in the weakest division in football."

And, as most college basketball fans know, the Big East is far from awful. It's maybe the best and deepest conference in the country. If the 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't go on a run in the awful AFC North, I doubt very much that the 2012 Pitt Panthers will go on a run in the awesome Big East.

It's OK. It happens.

The Panthers have had a pretty unbelieveable streak of making the NCAA tournament, but all streaks are made to be broken.

Thanks for the awesome decade, Pitt.

Get'em next year!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Bowling for Super Bowl

Last week, I was in a bit of an emotional pickle. I wanted to bowl in my Sunday evening league, but I wanted to watch the Super Bowl even more. My bowling league meets Sunday evenings at 7pm during the season. I've been bowling with my current team since January of 2009, and two of the previous three Super Bowls had the Steelers as participants, and my league game was canceled. And the 2010 Super Bowl was on the same weekend that saw the Pittsburgh region get hit with two feet of snow, and our bowling match was postponed.

Unfortunately, this past Super Bowl didn't include the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the weather was so nice last Sunday, shorts were almost an option. Therefore, there was no way Mother Nature could intervene on football's behalf.

My Sunday evening match was on as scheduled. Fortunately, I always have the option of rolling off in my league. Rolling off is when you pick a day and time to bowl your three games before your scheduled match in-case you're unavailable for some reason, like, for example, having an obsession with the NFL. Anyway, you roll three games by yourself and your scores count as part of your team's match.

I was 50/50 on rolling off. On one hand, I really wanted to watch the Super Bowl, but on the other hand, I really enjoy the two or three hours I get to spend bowling with my teammates every Sunday Night.

But, I knew the Super Bowl would win out. I mean, what red-blooded American decides to have a bowling match during the Super Bowl? I know the Steelers weren't in it, but come on! You mean, football isn't followed by every single human being in the country? It should be. It should be mandatory.

I digress. I called the bowling alley around noon to inform them that I would be arriving shortly so I could roll off for my match later that evening. I figured I would have plenty of time. However, the lady who answered the phone told me I could roll off, but I had to be done by 1pm because of a special they had starting at that time. I couldn't believe it.

I had three options: I could just pay the price for their special, but I'm way too cheap for that. Besides, I already paid $85 to bowl this winter. Why should I give them any more money? A second option would be to bowl during the Super Bowl, but since I already promised by girlfriend that we were going to hang out together and watch the game that night, I knew that was out of the question. You know that saying, "It's a woman's right to change her mind?" Well, men don't have that same option. Or, at least boyfriends/husbands do not. Once we promise to spend time with our ladies, there is no turning back. It's easier to get out of a gym membership than it is to break that promise. My third option would have been to just use my average minus ten for the three games. But over the past year or so, I've emerged as the best bowler on my team, and that comes with certain responsibilities. You can't just ditch your teammates when they're counting on your scores.

So, when I hung up the phone, I had to make a split decision (no pun intended, unfortunately). I decided to hop in my car and drive as fast as I could to the bowling alley. I arrived around 12:20 and informed the lady that I was the one who called and asked if I could roll off. I was hoping that she'd relax her stance a bit on the whole 1pm thing, but nope. She reaffirmed her position that I must roll my three games by 1pm or I'd have to pay for their special.

I decided to just go for it. I normally bowl a night or two on my own for practice, and I always amaze with my ability to bowl three for four games in a short period of time. The only thing I was worried about was how it would affect my scores. I didn't want to bowl low games and have my teammates angry at me for choosing football over bowling.

By the time the lady set me up with shoes and everything, it was almost 12:30. But I was determined to get three games in my 1pm. I had a lot to deal with: nerves, a dark bowling alley (they always keep the alley dark during the day for some reason), and kids. Believe it or not, a kid who was just wondering around the bowling alley waiting for the 1pm special just came wondering into my lane as I bowled. I didn't let that stop me.

I started off pretty slow score-wise in the first game, but I got rolling about halfway through and I wound up bowling above my average. I looked at the clock, and it was 12:38.

I was red hot for the second game (at least for me). I had quite a few strikes and no open frames until almost the end. I finished that game by 12:45 with a 189.

The third game was little closer to my average, but with a late flurry, I managed to, again, finish above my average, and for the series, I bowled a 498. I also managed to finish my match five minutes before the special was to begin.

It was my fourth highest three-game series of all-time, and under the circumstances, it may have been my most impressive bowling accomplishment to date.

It was certainly one of my prouder bowling moments.

So, who was a more valuable player to his team on Super Bowl Sunday? Me, for my near-500 series under adverse conditions, or Eli Manning with his game-winning drive to clinch Super Bowl XLVI for his Giants?

Well, Eli got to go to Disney World. I think you know the answer.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Pitt defeats Villanova for fourth straight win

Well, yesterday's matchup at the Pete it was a far cry from the 2009 NCAA Regional Finals when Villanova knocked off Pitt to advance to the Final Four--the two teams entered yesterday's game a combined 6-14 in the Big East--but for Pitt, the 79-70 victory was the latest "must win" for the team after stumbling to 0-7 in the conference to start the season.

With Travon Woodall back in the lineup, the Panthers look like one of the best teams in the Big East.

Pitt is 15-9 overall, and probably needs at least another five victories if they're going to get serious consideration for the NCAA tournament.

I think it's safe to finally put the Panthers on the bubble.

The New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots, 21-17, in Super Bowl XLVI

Just some thoughts on last night's Super Bowl victory by the Giants:

*Did anyone else share the opinion that maybe the Giants and Patriots weren't the two best teams in the NFL? It was an exciting game, don't get me wrong, but it just didn't have that magical feel that most Super Bowls have. It sort of felt like the Finals of the NCAA Men's tournament, where, often-times, the two teams that make it aren't always the two best teams in the country.

*After about a quarter or so, I realized that these weren't your 2007 New England Patriots, and I sort of felt bad rooting against them. I mean, I wanted them to lose and all, but it felt like punching the 2007 team in the head while it was already knocked out. The Patriots basically had one good segment the entire night, divided into two parts--the 96-yard touchdown drive at the end of the first half, and the 79-yard touchdown drive to begin the second half--other than that, I thought the Giants were the better team the entire night.

*Why were the Patriots favored by 3-points?

*Maybe it's just the parity of the NFL, but has an NFL team ever won two Super Bowls in half a decade the way the New York Giants have? In 2007, they barely made the playoffs as a wild card team and had to win three-straight road games in the postseason just to make it to the Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl, they were huge underdogs to the 18-0 New England Patriots, but pulled off the incredible upset. The next year, they were one and done in the playoffs. The next two years, they didn't even make the playoffs. And this year, they were 7-7 after 14 games before winning their last two games to get into the playoffs as the NFC East Champions. And with the exception of having one home game in the first round, they pretty much followed the same '07 path to the Super Bowl and won it again over the Patriots. I used to laugh when players on wild card teams would say, "hey, once you make the postseason, anything can happen." Well, after the way the last seven seasons have gone--five of the past seven Super Bowl winners started their playoff journey in the wild card round--I am no longer laughing.

*The Giants finished the year dead-last in rushing the football. I guess that puts more dirt on the "You need to run the football in-order to win championships" sentiment.

*Eli Manning has engineered two Super Bowl-winning touchdown drives in the final minute. Has any other NFL quarterback done that? I know Tom Brady led the Patriots on two Super Bowl winning field goal drives, but both games were tied. In Manning's case, his teams were behind each time. I can't think of any NFL quarterback who's done that more than once.

*Is Eli Manning elite? Who cares? All I know is he's pretty damn elite in fourth quarters of Super Bowls.

*Eli Manning winning the Super Bowl in the house that his brother built? I can't believe it's not a bigger story. Before the year, everyone wondered if Peyton Manning would be able to lead his team to the biggest homefield advantage in Super Bowl history. Who could have predicted that Eli would be the Manning leaving Lucas Oil Stadium with the Lombardi trophy?

*When the Giants took over at their own 12-yard line with three minutes and change remaining, was there any doubt that Manning would lead the Giants to a winning-score? When Eli hit Mario Manningham with that perfect 38 yard pass down the sideline, and when Manningham did his sideline version of David Tyree, I knew the Giants were winning that game.

*Bill Belichick letting Ahmad Bradshaw score the go-ahead touchdown in-order to preserve time on the clock? Absolutely the right thing to do.

*Bradshaw not being able to stop himself at the one-yard line to take more time off the clock? Come on, man, seriously? You couldn't stop? What are you, like one of those pro wrestlers who can't "stop" himself when another wrestler throws him into the ropes?

*How's Bradshaw going to tell his grandchildren that story in the future? "Oh yes, I took on three tacklers and bulled my way into the end zone for the Super Bowl winning touchdown. Nope, I lost the video. Sorry, kids."

*If the Steelers were in a similar situation, and the opposing coach decided to let them walk into the end zone in-order to save time, do you think Chris Kemoeatu would still get totally owned by the defensive lineman?

*Remember the old days when every Super Bowl was a blow-out? We haven't had one of those in a long time.

*At 65 years and however many days old, Tom Coughlin became the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl. I can't believe his Giants players gave him a Gatorade bath. He could catch pneumonia.

*Like most Steelers fans, I always want Brady to get his, but that intentional grounding call on a forty yard pass that resulted in a safety was kind of bogus. I mean, how can anyone definitively say that he was throwing it away to avoid a sack on a pass that long?

*Anyone bet money that a safety would be the first points in the Super Bowl? How much did you win?

*Before Spygate surfaced, the Patriots were 12-2 in the postseason, including 3-0 in Super Bowls. Since Spygate was snuffed out, the Patriots are 4-4 in the postseason, including 0-2 in the Super Bowl. Mean anything?

*Spygate or not, five Super Bowl appearances in 11 seasons by the Patriots is pretty damn impressive.

*I was going to mention the halftime show and the commercials, but I forgot to care enough to pay attention to either entity.

*Welcome to the offseason. :(