Beaver County Times, July 6, 2014

Back when the Bill Cowher weekly press conference was must-see TV, you could count on two things:
He would make at least one reference to the "thin line between winning and losing" and he would assert at least once that he wouldn't play the "what-if" game.
In tribute to those days, let's play the what-if game to demonstrate the thin line between winning and losing.
Since the Rangers eliminated them from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins have fired their general manager, dumped the entire coaching staff and turned over about one third of the roster. They're not done making changes, either.
So what if Sidney Crosby had scored just one more goal during the Rangers series? He had one in the seven games. Had another goal come at an opportune time, the Penguins probably would have won the series, maybe in five games. They would have been favored in the next series against Montreal, and would have had an excellent chance at beating the Canadiens.
It's doubtful they would have beaten Los Angeles in the Cup final, but just getting there would have represented progress and radically rewritten their disturbingly consistent postseason story line.
Crosby couldn't get that other goal. The Penguins lost. So now moving companies and realtors are experiencing booming business. When you tally up the money remaining on the contracts of Ray Shero and Dan Bylsma, and add that amount to the lost ticket revenue from a third playoff series, the number is somewhere north of $10 million. That's what the lack of a second Crosby goal cost the organization.
Much of the roster churn may have been inevitable, given the Penguins' salary cap situation. The Penguins were in no position to pay the kind of money Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik found on the open market. But the overall changes wouldn't have been nearly as radical if they had beaten the Rangers.
Crosby didn't find that second postseason goal. Now there will be a new group of players greeted by a new staff when training camp opens in September.
That thin line between winning and losing is the reason you don't drive yourself crazy playing the what-if game.
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--FALLING STOCK
Clint Hurdle used his pre-game session the other day to express a degree of disappointment with Pedro Alvarez.
Interesting as it was to hear those words, Hurdle's actions speak even louder. When you're removing the club's projected clean-up man for pinch hitters and replacing him for defensive purposes in the late innings, it's pretty apparent the manager has lost confidence in the player. After a bad start, the Pirates have an urgency to win games. Hurdle is making it clear their best chance to do that sometimes involves putting Alvarez on the bench.
Alvarez is two years away from free agency, which makes this offseason the ideal time for the Pirates to explore their trade options.
Hurdle isn't going anywhere, and he's showing his opinion of Alvarez has dropped.
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--BIG SMILES
The Pirates had Photo Day recently, where fans get to come on the field and take pictures with the players.
It's always good to see a smiling fan with his arm around someone he's been ripping on social media for the last three months.
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--MIRROR IMAGE
A lot of people have noted Ike Davis' obvious resemblance to former Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche.
As LaRoches go, better Adam than Andy.