It looks like the Penguins are going down to the wire, which is not what management had in mind.
They're in a fight for a playoff spot, but they can take an important stride this week with back-to-back games against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Penguins seem to have the Blue Jackets' number, much in the way they did against the Washington Capitals until last year's playoff elimination.
The Penguins should be favored to make the playoffs because of their talent level even though it's been too inconsistent this season. If Matt Murray irons out his ups and downs and Phil Kessel and Patric Hornquist cure their prolonged slumps, they're in.
That also assumes Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Murray avoid any kind of disabling injury, of course. Especially Crosby. As rocky as the road has been this season, he's carried the team at both ends of the rink.
---
Interesting how issues are looked at inside this area as opposed to the way outsiders view them.
For example, Ben Roethlisberger is taking a pounding nationally for alienating Antonio Brown, leading to the mess that's been dragging on for more than two months now.
Yet the perception locally is that Brown is either crazy or trying to force a new contract -- or both. There's been very little blame aimed at the quarterback.
Crosby is being talked about as a Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player) candidate in Pittsburgh, but there's little support for his candidacy outside the area.
Tampa Bays Nikita Kucherov led the NHL with 106 points heading into Tuesday's game and is considered the favorite for the Hart.
---
Matt Cullen played his 1,500th game for the Penguins Tuesday night, the latest milestone in a career that started in 1997.
Crosby was 10 when Cullen suited up for the Anaheim Ducks for the first time.
It takes dedcation and discipline to last that long, as another Penguins veteran pointed out years ago.
"You're at a cookout in the summer and you smell the steaks on the grill," Joe Mullen said. "And you're sitting there having a salad."
Mullen played his last game at age 40. Cullen is currently 42.
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Spring training games don't mean anything.
The Pirates were reminded of that a few years ago when they put Juan Nicasio in the starting rotation based on some lights-out work in Florida.
That said, it's a bit concerning that No. 1 pitching prospect Mitch Keller has been roughed up in his first two exhibition outings.
On the other hand, it's been encouraging to see Jung Ho Kang show some much-needed power in the early games.
Then again, let's remember that Mark Johnson was the Babe Ruth of Florida one spring, and that didn't translate to the reality of the regular season.
So let's stick with the original observation -- spring training games don't mean anything.
---
With the recent deaths of pitchers Bob Friend and Joe Gibbon, only 10 players remain from the Pirates' 1960 World Series roster.
Makes you wonder if the team should bother to stage any more reunions for the surviving members of that team.
Sometimes those small gatherings are more melancholy than celebratory because so many players are gone.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Altoona Mirror, March 3, 2019
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert tries to avoid public comment and now we know why.
He isn't very good at it.
His assessment of the team as Ben Roethlisberger and "52 kids" didn't go over well with anyone, especially the players who aren't Roethlisberger and also aren't kids.
It was just another misstep in the ongoing Antonio Brown mess. It was refreshing, though, to have someone other than good old A.B. say something dumb.
Meanwhile, NFL guru John Clayton, formerly of ESPN, said there are five teams known to be interested in Brown. According to Clayton, none of them is offering more than a third-round draft pick at this point.
That seems like an inadequate return for one of the top receivers in the league, but consider all the damage Brown has done to his market value. The most recent development was making it known he expected a new contract and more money, even though three years remain on the deal he signed with the Steelers.
Then there's the fact he quit on his team, the alleged furniture tossing, the speed limit-shattering run down McKnight Road, the Facebook Live incident, and the practical matter of turning 31 before the season starts.
The new NFL year begins shortly and the self-proclaimed Mr. Big Chest will be in the Steelers' rear view mirror.
Never will they be so happy to see such a talented player headed out of town.
---
Here's the most troubling part of Penguins goalie Matt Murray's struggles:
He's capable of making one tough save after another, then inexplicably letting in one that's Kleenex soft.
That deflates a team in a hurry.
---
A lot of traditional hockey people are getting apoplectic about the Carolina Hurricanes' post-game celebration of home victories.
The Hurricanes perform a variety of well-rehearsed routines, to the delight of the fans who stick around to the end.
It might be needed to help sell hockey in a non-traditional market. Management probably likes it, too. Instead of leaving early to beat the traffic when the game is lopsided, people remain in the building and presumably remain customers for overpriced food and drinks.
It's just that a 20-man choreographed celebration seems like such a non-hockey thing to do.
If looks like the kind of thing the devious general manager would have cooked up in "Slap Shot."
---
So the Philadelphia Phillies got Bryce Harper, Harper got $330 million and commando agent Scott Boras got more of the notoriety he craves.
Everybody's happy, right? Maybe not. Now that Harper has raised the salary scale, his compensation will be used as a comparative for arbitration cases. That potentially affects every team.
His new deal also raises the scale for star players as Mike Trout, who's better than Harper, prepares to hit the free agent market.
No contract exists in a vacuum.
---
Let's be honest about this: The alumni guest instructors at spring training are more guests than instructors.
It's a nice PR move to have old heroes wearing team colors again, but they really don't do much.
It's actually kind of a fantasy camp for the old timers, some of whom are decades removed from their own playing careers.
---
Those who maintain that bobbleheads are the backbone of Pirates' attendance? The Pirates will give away five of them this season.
The Boston Red Sox will hand out six. The Los Angeles Dodgers offer 12 bobblehead giveaways.
It's how baseball is marketed in 2019.
---
The story of this Penguins' season is the evaluation so many teachers offered our parents during school visitation days:
"He's capable of better work, but he just doesn't apply himself."
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
He isn't very good at it.
His assessment of the team as Ben Roethlisberger and "52 kids" didn't go over well with anyone, especially the players who aren't Roethlisberger and also aren't kids.
It was just another misstep in the ongoing Antonio Brown mess. It was refreshing, though, to have someone other than good old A.B. say something dumb.
Meanwhile, NFL guru John Clayton, formerly of ESPN, said there are five teams known to be interested in Brown. According to Clayton, none of them is offering more than a third-round draft pick at this point.
That seems like an inadequate return for one of the top receivers in the league, but consider all the damage Brown has done to his market value. The most recent development was making it known he expected a new contract and more money, even though three years remain on the deal he signed with the Steelers.
Then there's the fact he quit on his team, the alleged furniture tossing, the speed limit-shattering run down McKnight Road, the Facebook Live incident, and the practical matter of turning 31 before the season starts.
The new NFL year begins shortly and the self-proclaimed Mr. Big Chest will be in the Steelers' rear view mirror.
Never will they be so happy to see such a talented player headed out of town.
---
Here's the most troubling part of Penguins goalie Matt Murray's struggles:
He's capable of making one tough save after another, then inexplicably letting in one that's Kleenex soft.
That deflates a team in a hurry.
---
A lot of traditional hockey people are getting apoplectic about the Carolina Hurricanes' post-game celebration of home victories.
The Hurricanes perform a variety of well-rehearsed routines, to the delight of the fans who stick around to the end.
It might be needed to help sell hockey in a non-traditional market. Management probably likes it, too. Instead of leaving early to beat the traffic when the game is lopsided, people remain in the building and presumably remain customers for overpriced food and drinks.
It's just that a 20-man choreographed celebration seems like such a non-hockey thing to do.
If looks like the kind of thing the devious general manager would have cooked up in "Slap Shot."
---
So the Philadelphia Phillies got Bryce Harper, Harper got $330 million and commando agent Scott Boras got more of the notoriety he craves.
Everybody's happy, right? Maybe not. Now that Harper has raised the salary scale, his compensation will be used as a comparative for arbitration cases. That potentially affects every team.
His new deal also raises the scale for star players as Mike Trout, who's better than Harper, prepares to hit the free agent market.
No contract exists in a vacuum.
---
Let's be honest about this: The alumni guest instructors at spring training are more guests than instructors.
It's a nice PR move to have old heroes wearing team colors again, but they really don't do much.
It's actually kind of a fantasy camp for the old timers, some of whom are decades removed from their own playing careers.
---
Those who maintain that bobbleheads are the backbone of Pirates' attendance? The Pirates will give away five of them this season.
The Boston Red Sox will hand out six. The Los Angeles Dodgers offer 12 bobblehead giveaways.
It's how baseball is marketed in 2019.
---
The story of this Penguins' season is the evaluation so many teachers offered our parents during school visitation days:
"He's capable of better work, but he just doesn't apply himself."
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
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