No More Game at Mellon for Me

I am now 0-2 in this years playoffs, which is quite the opposite of where I was last May when I brought the Cup home with me from Detroit. Despite my lackluster record in the past week, I'm pretty sure Thursday was my last game at the Igloo either way. We've had some good times, and what better way to go out than a triple overtime game, which ended up being the second longest game in Igloo history. Although, it would have been nice to get a W. I don't think there is anything more deflating than losing a multiple overtime game at home; it's such a bummer. But we did get our money's worth.

Recap here, here, and here; my own thoughts boil down to one thing, Leclaire stole this one from us. It happens every now and then in the playoffs when a no-name goalie plays the game(s) of their life and stave off elimination ferrabit. Lets hope in this case that it was just one game. Game 6 is tonight at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa (7/FSN). Let's end it tonight and once again avoid seeing a handshake at home for the first time since Marian Hossa was a Pen.

I haven't commented on the Buccos since the Earth Day Massacre. Pat at WHYGAVS kind of sums it up for me; I know that's lazy, but if my comments from the last post (which was written while I was watching that game) can be taken as anything, I really don't want to bring this up again. I had the same reaction for about 24 hours after the game. I was going to the Pens game, so I had something to keep my mind off of it, but everybody going to the game with me, along with a few of my friends who texted me had the same thing to say, "20-0?"

See, most people whp know me, don't know anybody else who follows the Bucs this closely, so I'm sort of the go-to-guy for all things Buccos. I'm not trying to brag about this, if you think about it, it's pretty pathetic. But I'm that guy. So when I was being given the business about this historic loss, I wanted to say all the right things (it's just one game, it's a long season, this is an evaluation year, the Brewers are a really good team, etc...), but all I could do was shake my head and say, "I don't wanna talk about it." Yeah, it was a lame answer, but it was actually how I felt. I just didn't wanna talk about it. Best to give me a few days to think about what this really meant.

I had been wavering back and forth between posting how disappointing these first few weeks have been for the Pirates. It sort of boiled over in that italicized rant during the massacre. The pitching has been terrible, the offense has been just as bad, and fundamentally, they've lost any semblance of concentration (Delwyn Young is an absolute mess over at third base). But as much as I want to abandon ship, the more I thought about it, the less it mattered. It is just one game (or one series, because it was a terrible three games), I'm not expecting great things from this season, and things are bound to turn around. If the Buccos continue at this pace (run differential wise) until game 50, then it's time to hit the panic button. But we're still in April, so relax, and just hope things turn around.

Although last night was a kick in the nuts, as we finally lost a close game mostly due to luck. The Pirates pitched better and hit better, but sometimes they fall and sometimes they don't, which is why one run games even out over the season. Tonight could get worse as Chris Jako goes to the mound to face Wandy Rodriguez, who usually mows down the Bucs.

The Steelers did what they always do during the draft, nothing exciting but always solid. Anything I say will just be upchuck from the words they produced over at BTSC. The most important points that I took from this draft which make me happy; special teams was seen as a priority and addressed as so, and the Steelers didn't panic into drafting a ton of secondary players (despite what many Steelers fans have been screaming, the secondary is not as bad as people say, especially with Troy back). I say this a lot when it comes to the Pirates FO, but it makes even more sense for the Steelers; Trust the Process.

One last link; I need to start taking anger management classes so that I may avoid this fate ten years down the road.

Quick Notes

Most of the people that pay attention to this blog, I was with this weekend; they were able to get the GNJB podcast in person. But I do have a few things to say that were either left out of the podcast, or for the two other people that read this site.

GNJB - It's absolutely absurd that Andy Sutton is still playing in these playoffs. He didn't leave his feet and he didn't have his elbow extended (which I don't think should matter at all, an elbow is an elbow); but immediately following the Matt Cooke hit, the NHL changed the rules mid-season to make sure that there is some sort of punishment for hits to the head. What the 'F was that that happened to Jordan Leopold? He should be banned for at least two games. And I don't even have to mention his douchiness to Ray Fittipaldo regarding a fairly simple question... Talk about not following the player conduct rules.

GNJB - I don't know why everybody is making this big deal about the Bronx cheer the Flower got following his first save in game two (which followed him giving up a soft goal on the first shot of the game). Bronx cheers are for the most part, fairly harmless; and a professional athlete should not care or get raddled following receiving one. But at the same time, since the Pens went to the Cup Finals a few years back, Pens fans (especially at the games) have come to feel like they are owed something. If we let up a goal, or are not dominating a game, our crowd seems to sit back on their seats and expect the Pens to do something in order to get them in the game. That's not how it works; it's gotta be a two-way street, sometimes the team needs to energize the crowd, but most of the time, it has to be the other way around. And it's only going to get worse when they move into that fancy new place across the street (a lot more clients, a lot less fans).

GNJB - Ben's penalty comes down on Wednesday. OFTOT has a good look at the issue here. My thoughts; he's completely innocent of any crime, and therefore really doesn't deserve any punishment per how the NFL traditionally works... But he is definitely a huge scumbag, so I can't really defend him. Two games would work for me; and it's not like we're forfeiting two games, we'll still have a team out there, with a competent QB whether that be Dennis Dixon or Chas Batch.

GNJB - WHYGAVS sums it up best; I don't know what to think about this Pirate team. Due to their run differential, you have to say they are very lucky to be 7-5, and a lot of the question marks are still question marks. But I don't want to come down too hard on this team this early. I'll let everybody enjoy it for now, but this upcoming series between the Bucs and Brewers is going to be huge.

I'll have more later, probably following the games. Got stuff to do.

Friday Fajardos

Hector Fajardo only pitched two games for your Pittsburgh Pirates in 1991, and then was added in the trade that brought Steve Beuchele back to the Bucs. Fajardo had his contract purchased by the Pirates from the Mexico City Red Devils in 1989, and had off-season surgery to remove bone chips from his arm before the '91 season, which drastically improved his fastball velocity.

Fajardo never lived up to his potential after his trade to the Rangers in '91, battling injuries throughout his short-lived career, only to end up retiring after the '94 season. Although his nickname was "Senor Lluvia" or "Rain Man" because of the amount of his expected starts that ended up being rained out. And, as you can see, he got to share a baseball card with the only one-armed man to throw a no-hitter; Jim Abbott.

The Pens got the led out last night, beating up the Isles to the tune of 7-3. I woke up this morning only to find out that the official scorer took Sid's second goal away from him and gave it to Billy G. and thus put Sid right back at 49 goals for the season. I'm sure Steigy nearly passed out when he heard that; I love Bibsy and Steigy, but the latter's obsession with the Kid has gone to a whole other level this season.

It wasn't the cleanest of games; the Pens continued their propensity of giving up a quick goal immediately following a goal scored, and Matt Moulson continues to haunt our dreams of a quality winger let go. But all in all, a pretty solid performance against a team that's been playing quite well of late. Although despite the Isles strong play of late, I couldn't help thinking that the schedule maker giving us the league's worst team (by last years standings) for the last game of the Igloo was similar to how Shady Side would always play Springdale on Boys Basketball Senior Night. JS.

Recaps here, here, and here. I'm gonna try and put a post up about my own Igloo memories, but figured I can't force it, so in due time.

The Pirates lost yesterday in not so good fashion. Although EHL caught this little beauty from the Pirates website, talk about optimism. I already talked about this game, but on a brighter side, the Pirates minor league affiliates began play last night. You can follow these through the PBC blog at the PPG (which you will have to pay for soon) or you can follow it at BUCCO Fans (who does a thorough job and focuses on prospects and the draft better than any other Pirate fan site).

A few things I was excited to see from last night's minor leaguers; Robbie Grossman hitting a HR and not striking out, Pedro's HR, Bryan Morris' solid start, Jordy Mercer and Chase D'Arnuad collecting a few hits and walks, and Starling Marte and Tony Sanchez continuing their solid play at high-A ball.

Jeremy Farrell's two home run, seven RBI performance was impressive, but he's really a non-prospect at this point; he's in high-A ball and will be playing his age-23 season, unless he continues to mash the ball, which would be completely unexpected given his low power numbers as a professional so far (6 HR in 541 PA), then it's best not to get too excited about him.

I'll have more to say as the season progresses, but the one thing about being a Pirate fan is the chance to pay just as much attention to the minors as to the majors; because usually the big club just ain't that much fun to follow.

WHYGAVS has a good roundup of the reaction to the Pirates batting the pitcher eighth. Think outside the box people. The FSN guys had Huntington on during the game yesterday and this topic came up, and obviously, Bob Walk couldn't wrap his mind around it, but it was funny nonetheless hearing NH try and explain it to him like he was a kindergartner.

Pittsburgh Lumber Co. has their official final win projection; right where I'm thinking; 74-78.

The day of reckoning for Big Ben and the Steelers is on Monday. Wake me up when this nightmare is over.

It's a few days old, but if you didn't see Arjen Robben's wonder goal against Man U, Jebus. Though I'm not a big Bayern fan, I'll probably pull for them the rest of the way.

Also, I will be attending the Altoona Curve game on Sunday with the tall guy just to get a glimpse of Stephen Strasburg. I'll also be paying close attention to a few of the Bucco prospects, but really, it's all about Stras. I'll try to take some good pictures.

Oh, yeah. About that Tiger/Nike commercial. At first I had that "what type of drugs do you have to be on to get this?" reaction; even as an English major that should love this type of bizarre combination, I still didn't get it. But the more I think about it, the more I love it as an advertisement; it gets people talking about both Tiger and Nike, which is what it comes down to. But it also adds a compelling Earl narrative that brings Tiger Incorporated back to the basics of what Nike sold in the first place: a unique American story. It's brilliant.

Optimism!

While I'm watching the Pens waste a five-minute power play (pathetic display; I think they had two, maybe three good chances in five minutes), I'll brandish you all with a little Bucco's optimism.

First is WHYGAVS second part of their season preview with the focus being on Andrew McCutchen. I was pretty firm on Cutch turning himself into a better outfielder (he put up a -0.7 UZR last season, but I could see him as a legit +5/7 consistently) but not being able to sustain the power surge he showed last year. Pat's post gives me hope that Cutch might prove me wrong in the power department. Let's hope that's true.

And then there is this post from TMI at ESPN (insider only, sorry) that predicts the Pirates winning the division... three times out of a hundred. I like those odds.

Tuesday Tom Prince's

Tom Prince was drafted by the Pirates in 1984 and played on some of the last memorable Pirate teams from '87-'93. He got out while the gettin' was good. Prince's career is one of the finest examples of why being a back-up catcher is considered one of the best jobs in sports. Prince played in parts of 17 major league seasons, but never got more than 215 plate appearances in a season and only played in parts of 519 games (that would be an average of 30.5 games per season). Prince made over $3.7 million over those 17 years; talk about bang for your buck, especially for guy with a career .208 AVG.

'Tone looks to be avoiding anything serious since there will be no criminal prosecution, although he did take the chance to make a complete ass of himself on twitter in the past 24 hours. The whole thing looks sketchy, and Goodell has to do something since it seems like NFL players are using a slight loophole to avoid any punishment (I'll pay you if you sue me, just don't press charges). Despite 'Tone believing everything is solved by now, I very much doubt it.

Pooty signed a new deal for 4 years at $3.5 million per. I love this signing, even if it does mean the end of Gonch. Letang will be entering the prime of his career (23-26) and should keep getting better as the contract matures (not always a guarantee: Ryan Whitney). The only issue is the power play, which has and will struggle without Gonchar (who is slowly turning into a one trick pony as he keeps getting older). Someone has to fill Gonch's shoes at the point of the power play, and Letang and Gogo are just not up to the task yet. I'd like to see Leopold get a chance at the point some more, just to see if he could fill that role for the next few seasons (that is, if he's willing to come back to the Pens on something like a two-year contract). All in all though, a very solid signing. Here's the PensBurgh's look; as they look at comparable contracts that have been given throughout the league recently.

Charlie at Bucs Dugout has a bit of a memoriam for Brandon Moss. I think everyone was tired of Moss' struggles, and I've already gone through my thoughts on Moss. But I would like to dispel the notion that this just proves the Bay trade was a complete bust. Moss showing that he can barely stick as a fifth OF certainly doesn't help the evaluation of the trade, but as Charlie noted, Moss wasn't the key to the trade but more of the throw-in lottery ticket; if he would have become Nate McClouth (a guy pegged as a 4th OF but proves to be much more), then it's a great trade, but that he didn't does not prove it to be a terrible trade.

I still expect Andy LaRoche to make the deal about even; having LaRoche for about 5 seasons of average play (or above-average depending on how his bat develops) is very good value for 1.3 seasons of a great season from Jason Bay. And let us not forget the key to the trade, Bryan Morris, who has obviously struggled since coming over, but could still turn into something useful (or as the Pirates hope, special). MLBTR did a good look back earlier this March on the trade from all angles (including Huntington's views).

BUCCO Fans has their weekly look at the Draft Prospect recap. Bryce Harper is still a giant douche, although he's hitting the stuffing out of the ball and has clearly proved himself to be the best player in this upcoming draft. I'm still mighty weary of a college pitcher (and I wouldn't touch Anthony Ranaudo with a ten-foot pole), but there seems to be no one else out there other than Jameson Tailon (who as a high school pitcher, is still quite scary) who threw a no-hitter while striking out 19 of the 21 batters he retired (ridiculous). Still a ways away before any serious conversation must be considered.

WHYGAV has their look at the Pirates season preview, and as usual, it's spot on.

One last note; I got around to watching last week's South Park, you can watch it here. As usual, it's awesome. As an English major, there are obviously some parts I had to disagree with, but most of it is true. Watching South Park is like reading Stuff White People Like; it really shines a light on society's ridiculous flaws. As for the episode, I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but there is an obvious target, which I assume would be the novel Push, it's author, and the people infatuated with it. I haven't read the book but my sister has talked about how graphic and disturbing it is. The only book I've read that I would compare has to be American Pyscho. There are parts in that book that made me gag.

Monday Hayden Penn's

Hayden Penn is your newest Bucco, and with that lip sweater, I couldn't be happier. Facial hair aside, Penn is another flame-out prospect reclamation project who hasn't had a really good season since 2006. It's certainly worth the flier, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with his control issues on the ML roster to start the season, but unfortunately he has no option left, so he must clear waivers if the Pirates try and option him to AAA.

So Penn may not be in a Bucco uniform for long, but for all the Mo Bucco fans out there (myself included), I hope he sticks around. He's got good stuff, but just has control issues (reoccurring theme in Pirate pickups); which is an enticing but dangerous combination. Maybe Joe Kerrigan can work some of his magic...

In other Pirate news, manager John Russel has said he will bat the pitcher eighth, Ronny Cedeno ninth, Aki first, and McCutchen second. This is actually a smart move. The only real problem is not having a second lead-off guy for the nine-spot. Cedeno has the speed, but not the plate discipline for the spot, while Andy LaRoche would provide the OBP, but is too slow to be on the bases in front of Aki or Cutch. So, I guess Cedeno is the only real choice, although Chase D'Arnaud can't get here quick enough.

Also, Charlie at BucsDugout took a flame thrower to Bob Smizik's assertion that John Russel and Neal Huntington should be fired if the team under-performs this year. I actually understand where Smizik's coming from a bit; lame-duck managers and general managers are rare and usually point to a parting of ways, but this only proves that the two need to be extended, not that they should be judged solely by the record in the past two years. Just for fun, Vlad has a nice list of Smizik wonders in the comments section of the post; highly entertaining.

Rob Neyer has his say on the Pirates recent moves as well. I think Neyer is being a little aggressive in saying the Bucs have traded good players; I would say everyone but Bay was an average talent on an expiring talent, and unfortunately, you just don't get much talent back for those types of players. Actually, McClouth is good, but McCutchen is better and I think Morton will be more valuable in the long haul. See, that's why it's so important to go with quantity over quality when trading mediocre talent; odds are you're gonna get someone back who is comparable or better.

Only I can get through four Pirates links before getting to the biggest headline of the day in Steelers Country. I like Deadspin's post title the best. As with most Steelers non-football news, it's best to follow it over at Mondesi's House. I don't have much to say about this, except that it sounds really sketchy.

I'm not overly worried about next season, this is the NFL; when the regular season starts, anything can happen. I think the Steelers will be quite good next year with the depth they've added and more importantly a healthy Troy Polamalu. But the biggest question surrounding the Steelers will be the Steelers Way; whether it's a myth or reality, people believed in it and now it is in serious doubt. It starts with the leadership, which includes guys like Deshea, Farrior, and Hines (actually, I think the defense has leadership, but the offense is a mess because no one likes Ben accept Willie Colon). But Tomlin and Rooney are also to blame, and they'll be the ones who have to make the tough decision of where to draw the line.

Speaking of classy organizations, the Pens won a thriller yesterday at the Igloo. Recap here, here, and here. Great game entertainment wise, frustrating game Pens fan wise. But two points are two points and with the Devils getting shut out by the Flyers (thank you, Philly?), the Pens are in first place of the Atlantic (although the Devils have a game in hand). It'll be a fairly slow week for the Pens with Tampa on Wednesday and Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. The Pens should win both games, but at this time of year, that don't mean shit.

If you didn't see KSWA Part I and II, you better catch up before tomorrow's final installment.

Weekend Roundup

I know I've been making a ton of excuses about not posting as much as usual, but they are legitimate; I've been helping the Tall Guy rent a property and sell some of the vehicles in The Fleet (as the Tall Guy would say, "I got more cars, than Carter has pills.").

But for the most part, I'm done with all that, so I should be posting more often, at least until I leave the country in May (the future of GNJB is still a bit of a question mark). Anyway, there's been some good stuff that happened in the past few days.

The Pens lost a thriller to the Caps on Wednesday night; recap here, here, and here. As it is with most games a few days old, I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said; but why in the world is Billy G. on the shootout list? This is a guy who had to grow a mustache earlier in the season because he lost the team shootout competition. And also, why attempt a poke check on Alexander Semin? The guy has the quickest hands in the league, you are not gonna' be able to poke the puck off his stick. I trust the Flower in most of his decisions, but that one made no sense. By the way, Semin is still a giant turkey; I think I hate him more than AO, he's got zero class (example: his cross check to the back of Sid's head in the Olympics). And also, he's a huge pussy.

And just as everybody was morning the loss, the Pens went out and put a spanking on the Flyers in a dominating 4-1 win yesterday afternoon; recap here, here, and here. The Flyers just aren't the same team; they vanished after their second goal was (rightly) disallowed.

The Pens play Luca Caputi and the Leafs today at 5 (FSN). Let's see them keep up the good work. Also, if you didn't see Geno's speech at the Dapper Dan awards, it's a classic. No matter how frustrating Geno can appear on the ice, as a person, he is the T's.

I could go out and find some garbage about Ben, but I really am past the point of caring. Go over to Mondesi's House if you want to follow that story.

The Pirates have been really disappointing this Spring, but I don't really care. The games don't count until April 6th (I'll be going to the game, with a camera, so expect an action packed Opening Day post here at GNJB).

In the meantime, Charlie at Bucs Dugout has a good post on Daniel McCutchen and what to expect from him this season. I have to say that Jeff Supan would be a nice comparison, and I'd be happy if that's what he becomes. The only time I've seen McCutchen pitch this spring, his change up was really impressive, so hopefully that's something he can carry over to the regular season.

Pat at WHYGAVS has a nice look at what he believes will be the opening day roster, I don't have any issues with this group of guys, although Ronny Cedeno has been really unimpressive this Spring. I'm staying positive when it comes to Jeff Clement, just remember that he will improve with more reps (I think his approach and power will make his bat play at first base). I'm as clueless as anybody when it comes to the Raynor/Moss debate; I just have that feeling that the Pirates are going to lose Moss to someone (because he won't pass through waivers if we option him to AAA) and he'll break out eventually, but never become more than an average/fourth OF (1-2 WAR player), which is valuable but definitely replaceable (Pat has a good look at this question here).

Tim at BUCCO Fans has a good look at Pirate City and some of the lesser known minor leaguers. This is the place to go to follow the Pirate affiliates when the season starts, and Tim is already doing his due diligence when it comes to the draft.

The PG has a neat article on Delwyn Young, who is tearing the cover off the ball this Spring. As I said, Spring Training means nothing, but any positives we can take away are always nice. If Young can play a reasonable 2nd/3rd base, then he can become a valuable utility guy, but probably nothing more; but he seems to have a knack for pinch hitting (even if you don't think that's an actual skill). Either way, his presence on the roster will make those match ups against the Brewers all the more interesting.

One last baseball note; I love the Mauer signing by the Twins, but let us remember that if you leave a guy behind the plate long enough, it takes it's toll (Jason Kendall). Actually, Kendall compares well to Mauer through their age-26 seasons, although Kendall had a thumb injury at age 27 that sapped all of his power for the rest of his career. But aside from what the Twins should do with Mauer (more days off in the DH spot), the signing proves that if the Pirates can consistently compete in a good ball park despite their market size, they can make a move like this. I've said consistently that Andrew McCutchen could be that guy, but we still have a ways to go before that might be necessary.

Now I'm being recalled by the Tall Guy to first run to Costco, and then build a fire. I might have a few more links later, but more importantly, I'll have a post on my first KSWA event last night (with pictures); you're not gonna want to miss that one.

MORE LINKS:

Everton were only able to get a 0-0 draw away at Wolves yesterday, even though they dominated the run of play. It's definitely a frustrating draw, but a point's a point; although the Toffees will look at this as losing two points more than gaining one. EFC need to start taking all three points from most matches if they want to make it to Europe.

The MLS kicked off their season earlier this week, but most teams played their first game this weekend. I'm not a die-hard when it comes to MLS, but if it's on TV, I'll watch it. It's better than people give it credit for, and if there's a young US player on the field (which there usually is), all the better. Pittsburgh will probably never get a team, but Columbus would be the closest team while Philadelphia got a team this year. Usually I would never be able to pull for a team from Philly, but I may have to make an exception when it comes to soccer. I really don't want to root for a team from Ohio, but I can stomach Columbus more than I can for Cincinnati or Cleveland. When I got into soccer a few years back, I followed FC Dallas because they had Kenny Cooper and a bunch of young US players, but now Cooper has moved on and those US guys haven't really panned out. Most likely I won't pick a team and will just follow along leisurely.

Friday Fred Haney's

Fred Haney was the Bucco's manager for three of those terrible 1950s teams. From 1953-1955, he led the Pirates to 104, 101, 94 loss seasons (improvement), before he was let go. In the next three seasons Haney would manage the Milwaukee Braves to two pennants and a World Series Championship in 1957. Haney ended up as the first general manager of the expansion L.A. Angels and was also a broadcaster before he became a manager.

You may be wondering why I am focusing on these terrible Pirate teams from the 1950's and most of it comes from the fact that the two cornerstones of the franchise in the '60s (Dick Groat and Roberto Clemente) were born from that era. Baseball in the '50s was vastly different from the way the game is thought about today, but my biggest point is, sometimes you have to get worse before you can get better.

Pens won last night against the Bruins in what was supposed to be a death match, but ended up a dominating performance from the Guins that produced a fairly boring game. Recap here & here. My own two cents; it was good to see Matt Cooke stand up and face the music he knew was coming; although it would have been better to see him take his helmet off (since he wears a shield, that is the custom) but I don't blame him since Thornton looked like a coon with rabies. Also, it only took 3/4 of the season, but it's nice to see the Pens finally record a shutout; the Flower is never going to be a the type of goalie to rack up a lot of SO since he's not the most fundamentally sound 'tender around and the Pens don't play a style that befits low-scoring affairs, but the Flower always makes the big saves at the big times, and that's all I can ask for right now.

The Buccos sent Pedro to the minors. If anybody is going to try to chalk this up to Pirate cheapness, they're way off. Pedro has a lot to work on before he is ready to be the Pirates everyday third baseman. He needs to cut down on his K%, get a whole let better at hitting lefties, and continue to work on his fielding at the hot corner (especially his range). I'll be paying close attention to the big fella, and will surely have more words on him as the season plugs along.

If you've ever wondered what Spring Training in Bradenton is like, Pat at WHYGAVS is there and has all the info you ever need. Matt B. from Pittsburgh Lumber Co. has a good look at last year's defense versus this year's projected defense. The only huge drop off will be at SS, whether it will be Ronny Cedeno or Bobby Crosby, neither can replace the glove of Jack Wilson.

I hope you watched South Park on Wednesday, as our favorite QB was featured. It was a good episode (not great, as it got a little out of hand at times) and pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to celebrities and infidelity. They're only sorry when they get caught. On a related note, don't know if you saw the texts that Tiger was sending porn star Joslyn James, but I have one nagging question; would Tiger really have stage fright during a golden shower? Dude can sink a putt in font of thousands of people to win a major tourney but can't drain the main vain on a woman with no one watching? That doesn't add up. Also, Tiger is pretty gross.

That's all for today, as I think I just crossed a line with those last few words. WVU is representing the Big East well right now by dominating Morgan State, so hopefully yesterday was just one of those days and Pitt will beat down on Oakland in just about an hour. Hail to Pitt!

One more note: Check out Common Wealth Press, a really cool company that operates out of a shop on Carson St. in the South Side. They do custom work but also have some pretty good designs of their own, especially this little beauty:

Books and Whatnot

Before I call it quits on a fairly long day, and in between the Pens winning a close game with the Bolts (a lot of Pittsburgh fans in the Bay area right now, probably just to see the Buccos and maybe catch a 'Guins game; also, I really dig the banner right now over at PensBlog), the Pirates destroying the Yankees on FSN during what appeared to be a WQED telethon asking for donations towards the Pirates season ticket plans (I don't want to put too much stock in spring training stats and performance, but Bobby Crosby looks damn good and Delwyn Young's bat seems a whole lot quicker this year), and then the Roethlisberger/Arnie Palmer stories coming out of the woodwork (me thinks we'll be seeing more and more people dragging BB's name through the mud); I haven't been all that busy.

But I've been meaning to do a roundup of some quick thoughts on what felt like many, but is in fact only one book I've read recently; and then some TV I might suggest towards a few of my faithful readers (all three of you).

I finished Portnoy's Complaint about a week ago, and to be quite honest, I was a little disappointed. I mean, I enjoyed reading it and found it funny as hell, but I wasn't expecting the main focal point to be about sexual frustration; unfortunately, the final two-thirds are filled with the ramblings of a sexual deviant. Even so, that part of the book was well done (if not a little overwhelming). But I enjoyed the first third much more, as it focused on his family (including his father who can't pass a decent bowel movement to save his life, and his mother who I'm pretty sure I've met before) and his upbringing in Newark, NJ.

Needless to say, this book is a great gift for any young man's Bar Mitzvah. But if I were suggesting a solid read regarding Jewish consciousness (including the whole guilt part), I would pick Stern, which is less known but just as funny and a little easier to swallow.

Just a head's up, the best comedy cartoon ever (yeah, you heard me Family Guy and The Simpsons) will be back this Wednesday at 10:30 on Comedy Central, and their first topic for the new season: Tiger Woods. It's gonna be awesome.

Also starting up again is Breaking Bad, which will be at 9 pm this Sunday on AMC. I'm catching up on the second season On Demand and suggest you do as well, and if you haven't seen the first season, it will take you one night to finish (there were only seven episodes). It's like Weeds, but with more invested, not as light-hearted, and better.

The Pacific began last night, and all though it didn't really pull us out of our seats the way that the trailers were able to, it was awesome (Band of Brothers took a few episodes to really get going as well). Finally I have something to look forward to on Sunday nights. Quick side note; how sweet does Al Pacino as Dr. Kevorkian look in You Don't Know Jack (could possibly be his best role since... um... Scent of a Woman? He's done some terrible movies in the past 15 years), and if you're not excited for Boardwalk Empire, I really don't want to be friends with you.

In other "HBO Knows it's Shit" news, How to Make It in America is a nice little entertaining show, it won't knock your socks off, but it's sure as hell better than Entourage. It will also make you want to immediately travel to NYC and hang out with your friends who are most likely having a better time than you around much better looking people. Also, Luis Guzman is the tits.

Finally, I've been meaning to give this show some good words in this space for quite sometime, but Parks and Recreation is the funniest sitcom on television right now (partially because It's Always Sunny is on hiatus). I've been trying to put my finger on it for sometime, and I realized that it's not just the writing and great comic actors that pack the show (including South Carolina's native son, Aziz Ansari), but it's the timing.

Apparently, the first season of P&C was not well received and flat-out awful depending on who you read or talk to, but now it is in it's second season and really hitting stride. The show is a lot like The Office, back when it was actually funny. See, The Office was really funny for about two or three seasons, but then the characters got stale (which is also why the introduction of Ed Helms's character Andy Bernard was so important; now probably the best character on the show) and the story lines got old (it's an office, and you can only promote or make someone fall in love so many times).

I'll still watch The Office, but I rarely laugh out loud like I do to Parks and Recreation. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant were right on the money with this one, a good sitcom's life range is about two seasons (see: the original Office, and Extras), which is why we should enjoy P&C while we can, because sooner or later, NBC is going to push and push until there's little left to laugh about.

One last link; how can I mention Parks and Recreation without linking to Ben Schwartz, who plays Jean-Ralphio on the show; one of the funniest characters I have ever seen on TV (there are links to his scenes on Ben's website).

Alas, alas... I will get off my white person's soap box and go to sleep. If there's one thing white people love to do, it's to ram their interests and opinions down other people's throats (especially when it involves literature or TV).

News Roundup

So I was a little quiet over the past few days. Condolences. But it's amazing how little time you have to sit down at a computer and pour your thoughts out to the five readers you have, when you actually have other things to accomplish.

The Pens have hit a minor snag since reeling off four straight wins following the Olympics, as they lost in overtime to the Hurricanes on Thursday despite dominating the game for the most part, and then they lost to the Devils on Friday with Marty stonewalling the 'Guins once again this season (I still can't believe the refs didn't catch the blatant interference on the Devils third goal). It was a disheartening two days, and while the Devils continue to dominate us in the regular season, we'll see what happens in May.

Pens take on the Lightning at 5 pm today (FSN), and I'm excited to watch Steve Stamkos play; dude's been killing it for the last two months. But more importantly, let's see the 'Guins get back on the horse.

I didn't really get to watch most of the Pens/Canes game on Thursday because I was watching the Pitt/Notre Dame Big East Tourney match up. Needless to say, it was a disappointment. But if they're gonna have a bad game, I'd rather it come in this tournament than the one coming up. I really don't think Pitt deserves a three seed (I don't think they are one of the 12 best teams in the country), but apparently, Joe Lunardi does. And his word is, to quote Keith Cushman, "as solid as oak."

Everton have been a little up and down of late. They got bounced from the Europa League by Porto after pretty much getting dominated for 90 minutes (this seems to be a theme for Everton in away European matches). And then they lost a fairly pivotal match against Spurs, but then the Tofees trounced Jozy Altidore and Hull, a game that included an absolute beauty of a goal from LD. But then, despite being up two goals early, Everton were only able to draw with Birmingham on Saturday 2-2. So where does that leave Everton for the rest of the season? They sit ninth in the table with 42 points (6 points back from a Europa spot, 10 points back from a Champions League spot). But the rest of the season looks fairly easy, with nine games left (4 home/5 away), only Man City away on March 24th and at Aston Villa in April look like tough matches. There is still much to be played for.

On the Donovan side of Everton, it's quite the chess match with LD asking the Galaxy to extend the loan. With the MLS lockout at a bit of a stalemate, I could see this happening, but don't expect there to be any major moves as it looks like the Galaxy are really set on keeping Donovan for the near future. I'll have more updates as the story develops. But in the meantime, this is a great piece from Ives Garcelep on LD's stay in Liverpool. Actually, scratch all that; LD's heading back state side, he deserves a little time off.

On the US side, here's a link to links. I haven't been able to catch any of their games recently, which is a bit of a shame on both sides; I haven't been paying close enough attention, and also with just three months to go before the World Cup, there's clearly not enough media attention being paid to these run up matches. Sometime this weekend, I'll do a more thorough look at the US squad and how it's shaping up. (I just realized that I can watch a replay of the Dutch match on ESPN360, so maybe if I have the time this week, I'll have writeup on how we looked).

One quick note, despite all the apparent good news on the injury front from Dempsey to Onyewu, it's a real shame that Stu Holden (one of my personal favorites on the US radar) fractured his fibula during the Dutch game. He was apparently just hitting stride with his new club Bolton, so I hope this injury doesn't set him back too far on both the club and country fronts.

The PG had a nice prospect fluff piece in today's Sunday paper on Dominican outfielder Starling Marte. Definitely a guy to keep your eye on. But right now I'm watching the Buccos take on the defending world champs and Aki Iwamura just took CC Sabathia deep (oppo!). Charlie Morton has looked especially impressive: working the strike zone, racking up a few K's, and keeping the ball on the ground. I'll have more to say on this later, but I'm a bit disgusted that the Pirates have teamed up with FSN to use this broadcast as one giant sales pitch for season tickets. I understand they need to get the word out and sell some tickets, and a spring training game is a good chance to do so (when fans are still optimistic), but it's just so cheesy the way they're going about the thing.

And finally, God knows we have our own QB issues in Pittsburgh. But, Cleveland, just when I thought you couldn't get any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself! Having lived in the Carolina's, I understand the angst that Jake Delhomme caused Panthers' fans for the past half decade. Never has a QB parlayed one half of a good season into so much pathetic play. Add in the $7 million price tag in '10, Jebus... Even Browns fans don't deserve this.

Wednesday Walter Abercrombie's

Walter Abercrombie was another '80s running back pick in the first-round by the Steelers. This one ended up a little bit better than yesterday's. In six season with the 'Lers, Abercrombie accumulated 3343 yards on 842 carries (4.0 Y/A). His best season was in 1986, when he rushed 877 yards, unfortunately, just more than two years later, he was out of football due to knee injuries (SI cover curse?).

But unlike Tim Worley, Walt seems like a pretty stand up guy. He was a legend at Baylor University where he holds the school record for career rushing yards, and he actually still holds the NCAA record for rushing yards in his first contest (207 yards against #12 Texas A&M). Abercrombie went back to Baylor after his career to receive his Masters degree, and is now director of education and special projects for the American Football Coaches Association. Eat it Tim Worley.

So, as I expected, Canada beat Germany (there's a sentence I thought I would never utter in any form), and now plays Russia tonight in what has to be the IOC's nightmare (7:30). Oh yeah, and the US plays the Swiss at 3:00. The PensBlog has their take while if you're really jones'n Puck Daddy does their due diligence.

Pitt plays Notre Dame tonight (ESPN2/7), and the one athlete I cannot stand more than about anyone else in the NCAA will not be there. Luke Harangody will not play tonight, which should make the game a whole lot easier, but really it's never easy to play in that building with all of those pent-up celibate Catholic kids causing a ruckus. Hail to Pitt.

And if somehow you have two DVR's in your house, the US takes on El Salvador tonight (ESPN Classic/7). Here's a look at what this means to the US. I'm still flabbergasted that the US can't get it's matches shown on an HD channel in the run up to the World Cup. Yeah, no one is probably going to watch this game, but come on...

A link to links. Pat at WHYGAVS has a roundup of the latest news which includes the good kind about Joel Hanrahan's elbow. I just wish the Pirates ownership/FO would stop making such outlandish statements like Coonelly calling '10 the beginning of a "dynasty." Just stop. Even though I think the organization is heading in the right direction, you just can't say that. There is some talent that can sustain some sort of continual competition (McCutchen, Alvarez, LaRoche), but let's work on a winning season before we crown this team of anything. Oh yeah, go vote for WHYGAVS at the final four of the Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tourney.

UPDATE: Deadspin has a great season preview on the Astros and why we should enjoy them while we can. The article even mentions the Pirates toward the end as someone who gets it, although it's after the Reds. I have a huge bone to pick with the whole "the Reds are a sleeper" thing that is sweeping baseball.

They have two absolute studs that you can build around in Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, who were both drafted by previous management, and I have no problem with the Reds taking a shot at a wild-card berth this year. But their rotation is a mess (Cueto is good, but Volquez is probably gonna be out the entire year because of TJ surgery), they spent way too much money on a closer (paying Chad Cordero 4/$46 is pronk-surd), and guys like Scott Rolen and Brendan Phillips are past their prime. Plus Dusty Baker is a terrible field manager.

If Bruce and Votto each have 5 WAR seasons, they avoid injuries, and Aaron Harang/Bronson Arroyo pitch like it's 2005, then maybe they can challenge for a wild card spot, but I can't see them being any better than the Brewers, Cubs, or (definitely) Cards. The Reds have a better MLB roster than the Buccos do right now, but I would take the direction the Pirates are headed in because they're built for the long haul, while it looks like GM Walt Jocketty is trying to blow his wad for the next few seasons, which could work out, but could also blow up in their face and leave them in a huge hole for the next decade.

Um, why? When has bringing in an aging RB ever really helped? If it's on the cheap, and I'm talking really cheap, then yeah, go for it, but Tomlinson just doesn't have it anymore, plus I'm pretty sure the guy is a few bulbs short of a tanning bed.

For all those Al Micheals haters (and lovers) out there, here's a cool story from baseball's best writer Joe Posnanski. I am a little worried about Micheals hair color this Olympics; I don't know who he thinks he's fooling...

More LD love from the blue side of Mersey. Ives has some other quotes from Donovan and floats out the correlation of the MLS possible strike to the possibility of LD staying at Everton.

This is why everyone wants to eventually be a college professor, so they can demean some poor freshman schmuck.

Tuesday Tim Worley's

Tim Worley was the Steelers first-round pick in 1989, at 7th overall, and a fine example of why you shouldn't use that high of a pick on a RB. Worley showed promise his rookie year, starting 14 games and rushing for 770 yards on 195 carries. Unfortunately, that would be his best season as a professional, as his production declined in his sophomore season, he struggled through injuries in his third season, and then missed the entire '93 season because he failed two mandatory drug tests. The next season, Worley was traded to the Bears in mid-season for a fifth-round pick.

Before Worley was a Steeler, he was one of the most heralded players in Georgia football history, and was actually the highest ever drafted Georgia player before Garrison Hearst was picked in '93. In between trying to run his own global motivational speaking enterprise, Worley has had a few troubles with the law including an arrest in '08 in which the officers were forced to use a Taser to subdue the man. Don't Tase me, bro!

The Steelers are apparently close to putting the franchise tag on Casey Hampton, which I'm sure will seem like a slap in the face to the Big Snack. It seems that's the excuse all the franchise players are using, "It's a slap in the face." Yes, since being paid the average salary of the top five defensive linemen in the league is such a bummer. You got a problem, take it up with the union. Otherwise, this is a great move by the Steelers, it gives them time to find a replacement and it gets one more year out of Hampton, who really should not be signed to a long extension; guys like him do not age well.

BTSC has a look at what the mock drafts have us doing in the upcoming April draft. You can even vote on who you would most want us to pick. I'm kind of a fan of Rutgers OG Anthony Davis. Say what you want about the Steelers tackles, Max Starks and Willie Colon are not going anywhere. Although if one were to get injured...

The Pensblog has a look at what was Sunday Hockey in Vancouver, including that hit from Ovie on Jagr. As much as I can't stand AO, that's what separates him from almost any hockey superstar, ever. I hate him, but he's fun to watch.

Puck Daddy has a good look at what tonight's game will mean for Roberto Luongo. His playoff stats are pretty amazing considering his pedestrian record (another reason that record doesn't mean shit for Goalies and Baseball Pitchers). Although on ESPN.com, Scott Burnside makes a fairly compelling case for the Flower. Germany/Canada at 7:30 on some NBC affiliate (I could make a joke about how much NBC sucks, or Ice Dancing, but that's already been done).

The PPG has another not so interesting feature on one of the Pirates prospects, Jose Tabata. Meanwhile, Pat at WHYGAVS does the topic some service by addressing the reports about Tabata's age. I feel a little more secure, now.

BUCCOFans has a good rundown of how the draft prospects fared this past weekend. I just love the name, Deck McGuire. Meanwhile, the MLB Draft Blog at ESPN is up and running again (Insider only, sorry). It's a good outside source to follow leading up to the draft, and I found Keith Law's initial top 50 prospect ranking to be very interesting, including his not-so impressive ranking of Christian Colon at 28.

Matt Bandi over at PLCo, looks at Garrett Jones and asks the question everyone is wondering, is he for real? It's a bit of a somber conclusion, but you really can't argue with it. I say, enjoy it while it lasts, because "Hot Stick" Jones isn't getting any younger.

Titletahn has a podcast up discussing the apparent log-jam at the corner positions for the Pirates and title it as it is, one of them good problems. I do like the Mike Lowell/Andy LaRoche comparison.

Who likes Goals? Just do your self a favor and check out Ronaldo's free kick all the way down. Wow. And check out this beauty from American Fran Torres at the 7:45 mark of the clip. I especially like the announcer using his nickname at will; El Gringo. Torres is a guy who should be in South Africa with the US team and I'll be keeping a close eye on him in the warm up games before June.

Just another reason why German's rock.

Monday Monroe's

Whatever, Craig. Craig Monroe is best known in Pittsburgh for his 34 games with the Buccos last year, which included a memorable 2 HR game against the Braves in mid-April. It didn't fool me though, he was terrible during his time in a Pirate uniform. Although he did have some sweet facial hair that was so well kept that it looked like it was painted on. Some other fun facts about C-Mo: his mother's name is Marilyn Monroe and in December of 2004, he was arrested trying to steal a belt from a Florida department store. Cost of said belt: $29.99. Career salary: $12,880,000.00 (including the $750k he stole from the Pirates last year). Something doesn't add up.

The only reason I really bring up Monroe is that he played for one of the worst teams in recent history. The 2003 Detroit Tigers finished the season 43-119. That's crazy! And it wasn't even like they were completely unlucky; their Pythagorean W-L record was 49-113 (591 runs for/928 runs against). What a terrible team.

That was the second year of GM Dave Dombrowski reign, after he replaced Randy Smith, who is up there with Dave Littlefield as one of the worst MLB general managers in recent history. By 2006, Dombrowski had the Tigers winning 95 games and in the World Series. There are a lot of similarities between the two clubs; taking over a disastrous situation left by a former GM, Scouting Director Greg Smith calling the shots in the draft (Granderson, Verlander, Luke French, Joel Zumaya), and of course, the great Craig Monroe. I would like to take a closer look at the similarities between the two rebuilds (maybe for another day), but the only clear difference is that the Tigers have an owner who has shown that he will spend on ML payroll (Mike Ilitch), which can be a good thing (Miguel Cabrera) or a bad thing (Bonderman, D. Willis, Maglio Ordonez).

Let's get it out of the way first, I missed both games yesterday. My flight from Seattle to Chicago was during the Pitt game, which looked like a pretty crappy game (tough, defensive, poor shooting), and my layover was so long that I got to miss the USA/Canada game (just awesome all around and another reason I'm a little bummed Ryan Miller is in the Eastern Conference; only Nabokov has been better this year in the NHL). The worst part about it was the fact that they had us board the flight and then spend an hour on the tarmac in O'Hare, so I should have caught at least the beginning or the end of the game, but thanks to the great city of Chicago, I couldn't catch any of it.

I just found out that Roberto Luongo will be in net for Canada's first knockout game. There's been a lot of local talk about giving the Flower a chance. Most people around here are completely behind this, singing his Stanley Cup praises. I would love to see it happen, but it won't (and didn't). The Flower is kind of a lottery ticket, and I'm not exactly sure Canada is in the position to play that card (especially Mike Babcock, who seems very conservative in his moves so far). I would love for him to be wrong and Luongo to be terrible on Tuesday against the Germans, but I would also love to see a Canada/Russia match up in the quarters.

I'm excited for Pitt, they just seem to have it in them this year (although come tourney time, who knows). Despite the swoon in the middle of the season, Pitt didn't care and just kept on plugging away. I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said, but Gary McGhee has been the biggest surprise for me, he's just so solid right now. He's like the Rob Scuderi of Pitt Basketball this year. And how about Dante "The Myth" Taylor sending it in a few times in a row against Marquette? Good for him. And yes, I apologize to Trevon Woodall for calling him out before the WVU game, but hey, if he plays like that, I'll keep putting him down before every game. Hail to Pitt.

Tiger's apology was lame. 'Nuff said. If he's gonna market himself like he has over the past decade, he owes his customers a little more information than "I was wrong." Oh really, you paid people to help you come to that conclusion? God, I can't stand this guy. The only thing I somewhat respect is his decision not to come immediately back into golf, if he really thinks he has a problem, at least his priorities are in place. But if he's back by the Masters, you can forget I said that.

Before we get to Pirate links (I got a lot of them), the Steelers rounded out their coaching staff by hiring a new wide receiver coach in Scottie Montgomery. Great name, but he's just 31-years old, and he's a Duke alumni, so he's probably a bit of a doucher. Behind the Steel Curtain has been keeping up with the 'Lers this offseason pretty well, and they have plenty of good links and posts up if you need your fix.

Bucs Dugout has a lot of good posts and links up, I don't really want to go over all of them, but I think there's better ways to spend $30 million than Aroldis Chapman, and I hope he's a bust for the Reds (and I think he will be based on Cuban track records- especially pitchers). Also, Bob Smizik needs to stop with the "spend for spending's sake" routine; let's see Bob get out the DW-40 and open up his wallet just to prove he can. In no business in the world is spending just to prove you can a good idea, even an English Major knows that.

Joel Hanrahan's elbow is disappointing. Pat at WHYGAVS has a rundown of the injury and other guys who have gone through it. Hanrahan had a chance to really bump himself into that upper echelon of relievers this year, but it looks like he may be taking a step back rather than a step forward. This just shows how important it is to acquire and build depth.

I'm pretty excited for the Ed Wade era to continue in Houston. I think that Drayton McClane is the real problem in Houston, but having Wade around surely won't help, although if an Astro is looking for a punching bag...

A lot of talk has centered around John Russel's comments about Kevin Hart having the inside track for the fifth spot in the rotation. WHYGAVS looks at it as pitching coach's Joe Kerrigan's next project. I don't really mind this move, Hart has more upside and better stuff, plus his pitches induce ground balls (always a good thing), while McCutchen is more of a fly-ball pitcher (almost never a good thing). As long as the evaluators are impressed with Hart (which is what it sounds like), I have no problem with giving him the inside edge. Either way, it's one of those good problems.

On the prospect side, Baseball America has a podcast where they talk about last year's first round pick Tony Sanchez. I wasn't a big fan of the pick at the time, but he's winning me over little by little. He still needs to prove he can hit at higher levels (like AA), but in the podcast, the guys talk about how good his defense is. There still isn't a roundly accepted way to quantify catcher's defense, but if Sanchez ends up like Yadier Molina, I would be very happy. And then the PPG has a small feature on Pedro Alvarez and his eventual ascent to the Majors. People might be watching PA more than they'll be watching the Buccos (for me, it'll be about 50/50), but one thing's for sure, no matter how well Alvarez will hit in spring training, there is no way he should start the season in Pittsburgh.

And lastly (for now), there's the news that Neil Walker strapped on the catching equipment a few days ago. Walker is athletic enough to play anywhere on the diamond, and anything will help. I don't think he'll hit enough to force his way into a starting spot, so turning himself (willingly) into a super utility player can only do him good. The biggest thing for him is that he needs to become more patient at the plate. Walker showed good patience as a 21-year old at AA in 2007 (55 BB/86 K), but since then, he's been striking out more and walking less. If he can somehow get that patience back, he would be a much more attractive option as compared to Bobby Crosby, Delwyn Young, or Ramon Vasquez. No matter what, I'll be rooting for the guy.

The Harbaugh's are really lame. I'm pretty sure my buddy George got Hootie to play at his frat party at Vanderbilt a few years ago, so it really shouldn't be that tough to get him to play at a sold out Stanford game (although good luck getting the Blowfish to play as well, they split up a few years away). Way to shoot for the stars, Jim.

Friday Felix Fermin's

Felix "El Gato" Fermin played for the Pirates during their rebuilding years of of '87-'88. Those were some fairly non-descript years that bridged the cocaine Pirates of the mid-eighties to the team that would eventually win three straight division titles in '91-'93. Felix didn't play many games with the Pirates but did accumulate 903 games played in 10 seasons with the Bucs, Indians, Mariners, and Cubs. He was actually part of the trade that brought Omar Vizquel to the Indians in '94, although he did help the Mariners win their first division title in '95. Fermin was no Dick Groat; his career triple slash line was .259/.305/.303 in 3072 plate appearances. A guy like this just wouldn't be able to stick around for ten years anymore. I suspect he thanks his lucky stars that his career fell right before the dawn of the steroid era. But look at that mustache.

Pitt plays WVU tonight (ESPN/9 p.m.), not much else to say about this one. Jamie Dixon needs to come up with one hell of a game plan, because the Mountaineers are much more athletic than the Panthers. Pitt needs to control the boards (especially in their own end), Ashton Gibbs needs to shoot well, and Travon Woodall needs to not play.

The Pens play the Rangers at the Igloo tonight (FSNP, 7:30). As always, head to the Empty Netters blog to find any and all Pens news. Anonymous answered yesterday's trivia question correctly, but since I have no idea who Anonymous is (Ted Danson?), I can't give out the prize. Also Anonymous admitted he/she cheated, which is not cool.

On Bob Smizik's blog, he has an opinion piece written by a Shady Side resident that addresses the whole Nutting/Lemieux ownership thing. It's well written and brings up some important aspects of the LeBurkle ownership and the NHL, but again, I don't understand the unwarranted hate spewed at Nutting (actually, I understand it, but just don't agree with it).

Smizik also links to a really lame article about the Seattle Mariners and how they've gone from a 100-loss team to a division contender in less than two years. If Smizik had spent any effort at all, he could have found a much better and thorough summary of how the Mariners did this. To sum it up, they realized the deficiency in the market which was defense, and made some smart trades to capitalize on it. Plus they had guys on the roster already like Felix Hernandez and Ichiro. Could you imagine if previous management had not made the Erik Bedard trade?

Dale Berra's Stash has a good look at what it might take to lock Andrew McCutchen up with a long-term contract. If there is one player I think will age well, it's McCutchen. He's got the skill set and the body for it.

Here's a look at a new documentary about US Soccer fans. They're definitely a minority wherever they go, but they are passionate. One of the reasons I became such a fan of the national team (and not just a fan when the World Cup rolls around, but the kind of fan who gets up at 6 a.m. to watch the U-20 team play in China), is that it's the one sport in which the US is consistently the underdog.

Speaking of the US and the World Cup, Ives Garcelep has his latest look at who he thinks will be the 23 members to make the squad. We're still a long way off, and we have a few more games to get a look at some of these guys, but I really can't disagree with his list. As I've said, I have a soft spot for Kenny Cooper and think he would be a terrific addition off the bench, but he has to play his way onto the roster first.

I just found my favorite US Olympian.

Baseball Prospectus just came up with a new pitching metric named SIERA. If you're interested, here's Part I of the five part opening series (Warning: very confusing).

Thursday Thibault's

Jocelyn Thibault was the backup goalie for the Pens following the '94-95 lockout, playing 38 games in two seasons for the Penguins. Thibault was actually a fairly competent goalie for the Canadiens and Blackhawks after breaking into the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques as a 19-year old way back in 1993 (10th overall pick in the '93 Entry draft; that was the year the Senators drafted Alexander Daigle over Chris Pronger, they probably want that one back). By the time he got to the Penguins, he was kind of washed up, posting a .876 SV% in Crosby's first season and Eddie Olcyzk's last season. Thibault is now the goalie coach with the Colorado Avalanche, although I will forever remember him as a Nordique thanks to NHL '94. So if anybody has an extra $250 and wants to get me a nice St. Valentine's Day present, this would look pretty sweet on my chest.

Pens won last night. Recap here, here, here, and here. It certainly was not their best game, but a wins a win. Geno was everywhere last night, and I think we can safely say his scoring slump is long gone, although I'd still like to see him focus a bit more on the defensive end. Fleury was as solid as it gets despite his shakiness with the puck around the net.

The only two things I have to add are 1) after Dwayne Roloson (only white goalie ever named Dwayne?) went after Mike Rupp during a scrum in the second period, MAF was up at his own blue line ready to pull a Ron Hextall and drop the glove and blocker. That would have been one of my favorite Pittsburgh Sports Memories of all time and something I would bring up constantly, "Well, I got to see the Flower throw down against Dwayne Roloson once." (Apparently, MAF did throw down once while in Juniors) 2) On the post-game radio show with Bob Grove and the old 29er, a caller asked an interesting trivia question that stumped everyone, "The Pens had two players go to the Olympics in '06, who were they?" The easy one was Gonchar, but who was the other? I found out, but if anybody wants to venture a guess, post your answer in the comments section. Since nobody will do this, I'll post the answer tomorrow.

Everton thoroughly outplayed Chelsea at Goodison and won 2-1. The Toffees hadn't beat the Blues of London since 2000, so it's a pretty impressive win, especially considering Chelsea are atop the tables. I didn't get to catch the game (although I am going to try and make it to a bar with Setanta Sports by 2:45 to watch the game), but everybody is lauding this as Donovan's most impressive performance in an Everton jersey. He set up the first goal on a corner kick, drew a penalty that was not converted by Saha, and was a force up the right-hand side all night.

I was a bit down after the Liverpool game, and was surprised that Moyes wasn't a little harder on his club, instead chalking it up to a tough game and basically losing on a set piece. He was right, as it looks like it was just a bad game from a team in good form. And to make it all the better, Liverpool lost to Arsenal last night as well. COYB!

Not really much else going on. Pitt plays WVU on Friday at the Pete and will be looking for revenge after that embarrassing loss in Morgantown last week. The Steelers hired a new pro scouting coordinator.

The 92-93 Pens can open up the champagne, as the Canadiens beat the Caps last night to end their winning streak.

I got nothing else right now.

Wednesday Wallace's

You didn't really think I was going to go with Steelers rookie wideout and sensational talent Mike Wallace, did you? You should know by now. Jeff Wallace pitched parts of three seasons for the Bucs from the years of 1997-2000. He was acquired from the Royals in the Jeff King/Jay Bell deal, and looked fairly promising during the 1999 season, throwing 39 innings of 3.69 ERA ball. He was striking out more than a batter an inning, but unfortunately, he was also walking almost a batter an inning. These are the type of red flags that should have made his 2000 season not all that surprising. Wallace's ERA in '00 ballooned to 7.07 as he continued to walk batters at an amazing rate, while also letting up too many home runs to be a successful major league pitcher. Wallace was let go after the season and then pitched for the Devil Rays and Red Sox before retiring due to arm troubles. He is currently scaring teenagers into being good pitchers.

He was definitely part of the problem (pitching staff) for that '00 team, which would be the last Bucs' team to play at Three Rivers Stadium. That was a damn good offense featuring John Vander Wal, Brian Giles, Wil Cordero, and Jason Kendall. Unfortunately, that year's pitching staff was made up of Kris Benson and a bunch of schmucks (which included future WS hero Bronson Arroyo and Cy Young winner Jason Schmidt). That was probably a pretty terrible defense as well (Giles was in center field), and we all know what happens when you put a bad pitching staff with a bad defense; that team let up an amazing 888 runs, the worst in franchise history since 1930 (and 4th worst overall). Good times.

Pens play the Islanders tonight at the Igloo (7:30/FSNP). That is, if anybody shows up. As the PPG has dubbed it, "Stormageddon II" hit last night and has made means of transportation even worse than before. But the show must go on. The Islanders just broke a long losing streak, but I would never underestimate this team. It's not gonna be easy, but the Pens should win this one to put them back on track after a pretty rough weekend.

Good news for the Steelers in 2010, they were so terrible at third downs this past season, that they should regress to the mean, and be much better next year. At least that's what we're all hoping for.

If you missed my two posts comparing the talent on the '08 Pirates roster as compared to the roster one can imagine for the '10 edition, then obviously, you're not following the blog. Here's a look at the lineups, and the pitching staffs. Conveniently, Charlie at BucsDugout has a post on just how truly bad the minor league system was when Huntington took over in '08. All in all, just a much better organization as a whole in 2010 than it was in 2008. Unfortunately, Bob Smizik does not have the ability to edit in his own comments onto my post.

Pat at WHYGAVS has a good look at who should win the fifth rotation spot between Kevin Hart and Daniel McCutchen. The conclusion is spot on, Hart doesn't throw enough strikes, while McCutchen lets up too many bombs. Since McCutchen showed improvement with his struggle this past season in AAA, he's probably the better bet. Either way, one of those guys has to be better than Jeff Karstens in '09, or that cluster'f in '08.

BUCCOFans now has a player tracker for 2010 draft hopeful Bryce Harper. The site will be tracking other potential guys the Bucs may grab with the #2 overall pick in June's draft; Christian Colon, Anthony Ranaudo, and Drew Pomeranz. Their seasons have not started yet, but when they do, BUCCOFans will be keeping track of their progress.

More later...

This is pretty cool, the Champions League Final will be shown on FOX in the United States. This means it should be in HD as well. The game was moved to a Saturday just so people around the world would not have to skip work to watch it (or watch it streaming in their cubicles); May 22nd, 2:30 EST. I'm gonna have to say more people across the world will watch this than they did for the game this past Sunday.

This is pretty spot on.

Tuesday Tomczak's

Did you know that Mike Tomczak won a Super Bowl in his rookie year with the Monsters of Midway, that he actually got to take a few snaps during that game (SB XX), and that he got to play air-guitar for the Shuffling Crew in their hit song, "The Super Bowl Shuffle." Yeah, neither did I.

All I remember was Tomczak's medicore quarterback play on those post-Neil O'Donnell teams. Tomczak actually started 15 games for the Steelers in 1996, leading us to a 10-5 record in his regular season starts. He started the Wild Card playoff game against the Colts at Three Rivers Stadium, and despite his woeful line (13-21, 176 Yds, 2 INT), the Steelers won 42-14 (another fine example of how awesome our running game/defense was back in those years). The Steelers got blown out the next week at Foxboro against Drew Bledsoe and the Pats to a final score of 28-3, a game I only remember for the fact that the entire stadium was cloaked in fog. Tomczak played a few more seasons for the Steelers (until age 37) and then retired into a life of commentary (including a stint on FSNP, if you remember) and sports management. Good for him, plus one of the top Google searches under his name is "Mike Tomczak Wife." So that has to be a good sign.

Pitt won last night, beating the vaunted Colonials of BoMoU. RMU stayed in the game for most of the first half by knocking down shots and forcing the Panthers into taking three-pointers, but Pitt pulled away in the second half. I'd like to say Ashton Gibbs is back, because he shot 4-10 from behind the three-point line, although he didn't attempt another shot inside the arc. But really, we should not be complaining when a guy gets 20 points on ten shots, no matter where they come from. Dante "The Myth" Taylor got some solid minutes and took advantage of them by doing exactly what he should have been doing the whole time, rebounding. Unfortunately he missed both shots he took, along with both freebies, and coughed the ball up twice as well... Baby steps?

I thought this Fanpost from BTSC summed up the current state of the NFL pretty well. It's a passing league, so Jerome doesn't really know what he's talking about. There's some other pretty good stuff over at BTSC, such as a congratulations to coach Lebeau on his HOF induction, and a continuation of their positional reviews.

Matt Bandi over at Pittsburgh Lumber Co. has just the post I'm looking for, a comprehensive look at the players who have been traded by the Bucs over the past 17 years, and how they have performed after they left. Just goes to show that the Pirates problem all along has been talent, not trades. Although that still doesn't excuse previous management at all. My main point is that if you are going to attack the Pirates, at least do it for the correct reasons (there are plenty, but providing the rest of the league with talent is not one of them). Also, Jay Bell... I'm gonna want to see a urine sample from your Diamondback years.

Soccernet has a good look at the US's biggest issue for the upcoming WC, striker depth. I still think that Charlie Davies will be back in time (miraculously) to play alongside Jozy up top, but behind that, I wouldn't mind seeing a safe target forward like Brian Ching (no Conner Casey, please), a speedy guy like Eddie Johnson or Robbie Findlay, and then, if he gets enough playing time from his club team (Plymouth Argyle, who play in the English Championship) in the run-up to the WC, Kenny Cooper. I've always liked Cooper, because he's an incredible combination of size and skill (a poor-man's Ibrahimovic, if you will), and he's got a canon of a shot from distance (something that is lacking from any current Yank). Also, the guy has scored 4 goals in just 10 appearances with the National team.

Also, SoccerByIves has a much more eloquent reaction to Jozy's first goal in the EPL than I did just a day ago, and he connects it to the striker's recent experience in Haiti (both of Jozy's parents are from Haiti).

CofC dropped another game, this time to rival The Citadel. Again, all that matters is the SoCon tournament, but it would be nice to see them handle a team like The Citadel (7-6 in conference), especially at home. The Cougars are still leading in the conference standings, but they have the same amount of losses as Wofford, which should make their match up with the Terriers on the 25th quite pivotal. This is probably the best CofC team they've had since I first went to the school, but they are too dependent on the three and don't get to the line nearly enough, which makes any game losable.