Christmas is here, and that means it's time to salute the year in sports by providing new lyrics for familiar seasonal melodies.
It's a great day, a rare collision of feasting and football as the Steelers meet the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field with the AFC North title at stake. The kielbasa is crispy, and the aunts made a mountain of pizzelles. Grab a slice of nut roll and a cup of egg nog. As always, a bow to Allan Sherman and Mad magazine.
So gather the family 'round the fake fireplace, have cousin Anthony break out his new keyboard, and sing loud and proud. Merry Christmas!
**********
--The Cleveland Browns were in danger of playing an entire 16-game season without winning a game.
(To the tune of "O Christmas Tree")
---
O Cleveland Browns,
Woe Cleveland Browns.
You haven't won a game yet.
O Cleveland Browns,
Woe Cleveland Browns,
Each week you are a safe bet.
The defense stinks,
The offense reeks.
Your streak is months
And not just weeks.
O Cleveland Browns,
Woe Cleveland Browns.
Ineptitude historic?
**********
--As the Steelers play today, imagine the plight of the minimum wage usher or vendor who has to report for work at Heinz Field.
(To the tune of "I'll Be Home For Christmas")
I'm at work on Christmas,
Save no chair for me.
Enjoy your ham,
I had to scram,
It's a working day for me.
The NFL is playing.
The inconvenience great.
I'm at work on Christmas,
At least 'til almost 8.
**********
--The Penguins made a necessary coaching change last December. They went on to win the Stanley Cup, and deposed coach Mike Johnston became a forgotten footnote.
(To the tune of "Good King Wenceslas")
---
Poor Mike Johnston had to go,
Penguins sent him packing.
Really, though, there was no choice,
Chemistry was lacking.
So he headed out the door.
No one shed a tear.
They popped champagne later,
Hope he had a beer.
**********
--The annual recap of the year in pro sports, three stanzas per franchise.
(To the tune of "Deck The Hall").
---
Quite a year for Penguins hockey,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Even though the start was rocky,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Had to get a new head coach,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Sully had the right approach,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Sidney Crosby wasn't finished,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Showed his skills had not diminished.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Led the Penguins to the Cup,
Fa la la la la la la la la
GM's trades helped Pens beef up.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Murray moved to number one,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Rookie had a crazy run.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Now it's time to trade The Flower,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Maybe add some firepower.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Pirates dropped by 20 games,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Failure by some real big names.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Rotation flopped, how it imploded.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Liriano was unloaded.
Fa la la la la la la la la
McCutchen had a lousy season.
Fa la la la la la la la la
No one seemed to know the reason.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Blamed the umps, the scorer, too.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Ugly year that he went through
Fa la la la la la la la la
Niese and Locke and Vogelsong.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Oh, those choices were so wrong.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Starting pitchers dug a hole,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Need a better Gerrit Cole.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Steelers have their Killer B's.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Scoring points they do with ease.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Defense started soft and cheesy.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Steeler Nation was uneasy.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Rookies playing with great zeal,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Can they be as tough as steel?
Fa la la la la la la la la
Artie Burns is learning fast,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Secondary help at last?
Fa la la la la la la la la
Ravens here, it's win and in
Fa la la la la la la la la
Tough, just like it's always been.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Enjoy the game, should be a dandy.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Keep the Pepto Bismol handy.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Altoona Mirror, December 18, 2016
In the interest of clarity and honesty, let's start designating all college athletic positions with the adjective "interim."
Pitt was just getting over losing offensive coordinator Matt Canada to LSU when the news broke that athletic director Scott Barnes was being courted by Oregon State.
Canada was here for one season. LSU offered him the same job, but a lot more money.
Little wonder. Canada had Pitt's offense scoring like a pinball machine.
By comparison, Barnes is a veteran. He's been at Pitt for 20 months. That means mail is probably still catching up to him from his previous stop, Utah State.
Barnes issued a statement through Pitt indicating a report saying he had taken the Oregon State job was not true. He didn't say whether that might change soon.
Job hopping is an epidemic in college sports, and has been for a while. That's why schools write contracts with hefty buyout provisions. If they can't keep their people, at least they can bank some money when they leave.
Pitt has plenty of experience with this practice. Johnny Majors left the football program after the 1976 season because Tennessee called him home. His successor, Jackie Sherrill, took off in early 1982 after Texas A & M showed up with bushels of money.
Pitt has had two football coaches who would have been willing to stay as long as the university wanted them -- Foge Fazio and Dave Wannstedt. Of course, Pitt fired both of them.
It remains to be seen what happens with Barnes. The football program has been vexing for some time because those bright yellow seats at Heinz Field show up so well when nobody is in them.
Now there's a similar problem with basketball. There's suddenly a lot of elbow room at the Petersen Events Center.
Perhaps Barnes would be happy to bequeath those issues to someone else.
We'll see. A couple of conclusions can be drawn from the carousel, which is gearing up for another football off season ride:
1. When a hire is made, don't delete the file of other candidates. There's a good chance that list will be relevant again. Perhaps soon.
2. Don't ever believe that someone's stay at a college it etched in stone. Hey, the commitments are almost in invisible ink.
---
--BACK TO SCHOOL
Sometimes you get lost in the details and miss the bigger picture, so here's a reminder.
The job hopping that goes in college athletics isn't promulgated by rogue sports leagues who are ethically bereft.
This all happens under the auspices of institutions of higher learning.
That ship may have gone off course a while ago, but these are still universities with a stated mission to function as educational institutions.
And don't you just love it when universities nickel-and-dime on issues like adjunct professors, yet spend almost $2 million for an offensive coordinator?
---
--QUICK FIX
Theo Epstein is as smart a baseball executive as there is, having worked miracles with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.
A new Sports Illustrated profile of him unnecessarily burnishes his reputation.
Epstein is given credit for thoroughly vetting reliever Aroldis Chapman before the Cubs acquired him for the New York Yankees in July. Chapman features a 100-mile per hour fastball and a reputation for unsavory behavior away from the field.
SI says that Epstein and owner Tom Ricketts insisted on a conference call with Chapman to determine if his behavior would meet the Cubs' standards.
Chapman helped the Cubs, but they acquired him purely as a temp, a hired gun to get them through the postseason. Chapman has since returned to the Yankees as a free agent.
His stay with the Cubs wasn't long enough to cause much trouble.
Interesting, though, that Chapman has since complained that the Cubs didn't use him properly.
Oh well. The $86 million he got from the Yankees should soothe his bruised feelings.
Pitt was just getting over losing offensive coordinator Matt Canada to LSU when the news broke that athletic director Scott Barnes was being courted by Oregon State.
Canada was here for one season. LSU offered him the same job, but a lot more money.
Little wonder. Canada had Pitt's offense scoring like a pinball machine.
By comparison, Barnes is a veteran. He's been at Pitt for 20 months. That means mail is probably still catching up to him from his previous stop, Utah State.
Barnes issued a statement through Pitt indicating a report saying he had taken the Oregon State job was not true. He didn't say whether that might change soon.
Job hopping is an epidemic in college sports, and has been for a while. That's why schools write contracts with hefty buyout provisions. If they can't keep their people, at least they can bank some money when they leave.
Pitt has plenty of experience with this practice. Johnny Majors left the football program after the 1976 season because Tennessee called him home. His successor, Jackie Sherrill, took off in early 1982 after Texas A & M showed up with bushels of money.
Pitt has had two football coaches who would have been willing to stay as long as the university wanted them -- Foge Fazio and Dave Wannstedt. Of course, Pitt fired both of them.
It remains to be seen what happens with Barnes. The football program has been vexing for some time because those bright yellow seats at Heinz Field show up so well when nobody is in them.
Now there's a similar problem with basketball. There's suddenly a lot of elbow room at the Petersen Events Center.
Perhaps Barnes would be happy to bequeath those issues to someone else.
We'll see. A couple of conclusions can be drawn from the carousel, which is gearing up for another football off season ride:
1. When a hire is made, don't delete the file of other candidates. There's a good chance that list will be relevant again. Perhaps soon.
2. Don't ever believe that someone's stay at a college it etched in stone. Hey, the commitments are almost in invisible ink.
---
--BACK TO SCHOOL
Sometimes you get lost in the details and miss the bigger picture, so here's a reminder.
The job hopping that goes in college athletics isn't promulgated by rogue sports leagues who are ethically bereft.
This all happens under the auspices of institutions of higher learning.
That ship may have gone off course a while ago, but these are still universities with a stated mission to function as educational institutions.
And don't you just love it when universities nickel-and-dime on issues like adjunct professors, yet spend almost $2 million for an offensive coordinator?
---
--QUICK FIX
Theo Epstein is as smart a baseball executive as there is, having worked miracles with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.
A new Sports Illustrated profile of him unnecessarily burnishes his reputation.
Epstein is given credit for thoroughly vetting reliever Aroldis Chapman before the Cubs acquired him for the New York Yankees in July. Chapman features a 100-mile per hour fastball and a reputation for unsavory behavior away from the field.
SI says that Epstein and owner Tom Ricketts insisted on a conference call with Chapman to determine if his behavior would meet the Cubs' standards.
Chapman helped the Cubs, but they acquired him purely as a temp, a hired gun to get them through the postseason. Chapman has since returned to the Yankees as a free agent.
His stay with the Cubs wasn't long enough to cause much trouble.
Interesting, though, that Chapman has since complained that the Cubs didn't use him properly.
Oh well. The $86 million he got from the Yankees should soothe his bruised feelings.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Altoona Mirror, December 11, 2016
We love reunions and the chance they offer to catch up.
We get to see who's done well over the years and who hasn't. What does the homecoming queen look like as a grandmother?
Attendees touch base with the past, and try to condense the time that has passed.
The Penguins recently reunited their 1991 and '92 championship teams. The burly guy with the big smile was Kevin Stevens, who was the prototype power forward in that era.
An all-star on the ice, he was also a formidable locker room presence. Teammates knew Stevens as "Artie," Boston loud, rowdy and funny.
Once Mario Lemieux was doing a routine postgame interview when Stevens' booming voice bounced off the walls of the Civic Arena shower room.
"Hey we're out of (expletive) hot water again! If they don't get this (expletive) place fixed, we're all going to get (expletive) pneumonia and die!"
Lemieux cracked up at the high-volume interruption. He usually did. If Lemieux was king, Stevens was his court jester.
Stevens' life changed forever during the 1993 playoffs when he was knocked unconscious in a collision, crashing face-first into the ice. While the Penguins were inexplicably losing to the New York Islanders, doctors were reconstructing Stevens' face in the operating room.
He was never the same player. He bounced around, playing for four teams in five years. The Penguins took him back. He wandered away on a road trip and never played again.
Drug issues would end his marriage and cause estrangement from other family members. In 2000, he was arrested while sharing a crack pipe with a hooker in a cheap motel. The Penguins gave him yet another chance, hiring him as a scout. He walked away from that job, saying he was going to coach youth hockey.
Last week, Stevens entered a guilty plea in a Massachusetts court on charges he conspired to sell oxycodone. He could face prison time.
Whenever Penguins of that era gather, they invariably ask, "How's Artie?"
Sadly, the answer isn't very good these days.
---
--WRONG KIND OF FAME
The Baseball Hall of Fame will induct former commissioner Bud Selig next summer.
Let's hope his Hall of Fame plaque notes his many accomplishments. He took over on an interim basis in 1992, and maintained he didn't want the job.
In 1998, he was officially named commissioner and remained until 2015.
--As an owner, he was part of a collusion scheme designed to depress the free agent market. The owners were found guilty and paid heavy penalties to the Players Association.
--He helped orchestrate the 1994 players' strike, which canceled the World Series for the first time. The second part of that plan called for the hiring of replacement players. Only a court order prevented that travesty from playing out.
--He turned a blind eye to rampant steroid use, instead profiting from an artificial home run race that helped rebuild fan interest after the ill-conceived 1994 attempt at union busting.
--He perfected a shakedown campaign that caused cash-strapped local governments to spend money to build new ballparks in no fewer than 18 cities, including his native Milwaukee.
--He maintained that baseball was still affordable entertainment even as prices for prime tickets in some parks routinely topped three figures.
--He partnered with broadcast outlets who were given the right to shift family-friendly Sunday afternoon games to 8 p.m. starts.
--He caved into pressure from TV and devised an illogical plan where the All-Star game outcome determined home field advantage for the World Series.
--He agreed to move some postseason games off over-the-air television and put them on channels that couldn't be received without a cable or satellite subscription.
Yes, it was quite a career.
We get to see who's done well over the years and who hasn't. What does the homecoming queen look like as a grandmother?
Attendees touch base with the past, and try to condense the time that has passed.
The Penguins recently reunited their 1991 and '92 championship teams. The burly guy with the big smile was Kevin Stevens, who was the prototype power forward in that era.
An all-star on the ice, he was also a formidable locker room presence. Teammates knew Stevens as "Artie," Boston loud, rowdy and funny.
Once Mario Lemieux was doing a routine postgame interview when Stevens' booming voice bounced off the walls of the Civic Arena shower room.
"Hey we're out of (expletive) hot water again! If they don't get this (expletive) place fixed, we're all going to get (expletive) pneumonia and die!"
Lemieux cracked up at the high-volume interruption. He usually did. If Lemieux was king, Stevens was his court jester.
Stevens' life changed forever during the 1993 playoffs when he was knocked unconscious in a collision, crashing face-first into the ice. While the Penguins were inexplicably losing to the New York Islanders, doctors were reconstructing Stevens' face in the operating room.
He was never the same player. He bounced around, playing for four teams in five years. The Penguins took him back. He wandered away on a road trip and never played again.
Drug issues would end his marriage and cause estrangement from other family members. In 2000, he was arrested while sharing a crack pipe with a hooker in a cheap motel. The Penguins gave him yet another chance, hiring him as a scout. He walked away from that job, saying he was going to coach youth hockey.
Last week, Stevens entered a guilty plea in a Massachusetts court on charges he conspired to sell oxycodone. He could face prison time.
Whenever Penguins of that era gather, they invariably ask, "How's Artie?"
Sadly, the answer isn't very good these days.
---
--WRONG KIND OF FAME
The Baseball Hall of Fame will induct former commissioner Bud Selig next summer.
Let's hope his Hall of Fame plaque notes his many accomplishments. He took over on an interim basis in 1992, and maintained he didn't want the job.
In 1998, he was officially named commissioner and remained until 2015.
--As an owner, he was part of a collusion scheme designed to depress the free agent market. The owners were found guilty and paid heavy penalties to the Players Association.
--He helped orchestrate the 1994 players' strike, which canceled the World Series for the first time. The second part of that plan called for the hiring of replacement players. Only a court order prevented that travesty from playing out.
--He turned a blind eye to rampant steroid use, instead profiting from an artificial home run race that helped rebuild fan interest after the ill-conceived 1994 attempt at union busting.
--He perfected a shakedown campaign that caused cash-strapped local governments to spend money to build new ballparks in no fewer than 18 cities, including his native Milwaukee.
--He maintained that baseball was still affordable entertainment even as prices for prime tickets in some parks routinely topped three figures.
--He partnered with broadcast outlets who were given the right to shift family-friendly Sunday afternoon games to 8 p.m. starts.
--He caved into pressure from TV and devised an illogical plan where the All-Star game outcome determined home field advantage for the World Series.
--He agreed to move some postseason games off over-the-air television and put them on channels that couldn't be received without a cable or satellite subscription.
Yes, it was quite a career.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Altoona Mirror, December 4, 2016
Trade Andrew McCutchen?
Sure. Just make sure to get value for him.
The problem with trades is people tend to focus only on who's leaving. McCutchen has obviously been the Pirates' best player and was a key part in ending 20 consecutive years of losing.
Maybe his career decline has started, but he's still only 30 and figures to have some production left.
The meaningless phrase "face of the franchise" has been repeated often, but that actually carries little weight.
Jason Kendall was once as ubiquitous as McCutchen, and look how that ended.
The Pirates are in a tough position with a limited budget and a divisional opponent, the World Series champion Chicago Cubs, who have an open checkbook.
The idea is to keep the Pirates competitive rather than abruptly fall off a cliff as they did in 1993 after too many of their better players departed.
You can trade a high-profile player and do well. There was anguish when Tony Pena was sent to St. Louis on April 1, 1987. But Andy Van Slyke was a reliable hitter and Gold Glove center fielder, Mike Lavalliere was a solid platoon catcher and Mike Dunne provided a good rookie season before arm troubles derailed his career.
Trading Jason Bay didn't work out so well. The Pirates got nothing of value in return. It was a wasted opportunity.
Trade McCutchen? It could be the right thing. It all depends on what the Pirates can get for him.
---
--PICK ONE
Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger face off this afternoon in a game that is meaningful to both teams.
The two quarterbacks don't match up that often, but the storyline is always the same since they were both first-round selections in the 2004 draft.
Manning was the first overall pick, chosen by San Diego, then traded to the New York Giants by prior arrangement. Roethlisberger was the 11th player chosen, grabbed by the Steelers seven picks after the Giants drafted Phillip Rivers and shipped him to San Diego in the Manning deal.
Last week, longtime NFL journalist Gary Myers was asked to use the benefit of hindsight and tell which quarterback he would pick.
His answer was Manning. He cited Manning's durability (he has never missed a start) and the absence of the off-field problems that are part of Roethlisberger's record -- a motorcycle accident and two allegations of sexual misconduct.
Both Manning and Roethlisberger have two Super Bowl rings. Roethlisberger played in a third Super Bowl that the Steelers lost.
Manning was the MVP in both of his Super Bowl appearances. Roethlisberger played well in one Super Bowl, poorly in the other two.
Roethlisberger has reconfigured his personal life after some unsavory episodes. Manning, playing in New York's harsh spotlight, has been scandal free.
So who was the better pick? They're both headed for the Hall of Fame. Neither team has any buyers' remorse 12 years down the road.
If you want to talk about regrets from that draft, it starts and ends with the Cleveland Browns' selection of Kellen Winslow Jr. right before the Steelers took Roethlisberger.
---
--ELBOW ROOM
MLB will have five more years of labor peace after agreement was reached on a new contract with the Players Association.
The big issues have been well-covered. The devil is in the small details with the new deal.
Every home clubhouse must now have a chef. The Pirates have been ahead of the curve on this. For the past several years, they've had a chef on duty daily and a nutritionist who visits regularly. Players no longer hit the Wendy's drive through on their way to the park.
Then there's this provision:
The teams must provide each player with two seats on the buses to spring training games.
Maybe they need that extra seat for their wallets?
Sure. Just make sure to get value for him.
The problem with trades is people tend to focus only on who's leaving. McCutchen has obviously been the Pirates' best player and was a key part in ending 20 consecutive years of losing.
Maybe his career decline has started, but he's still only 30 and figures to have some production left.
The meaningless phrase "face of the franchise" has been repeated often, but that actually carries little weight.
Jason Kendall was once as ubiquitous as McCutchen, and look how that ended.
The Pirates are in a tough position with a limited budget and a divisional opponent, the World Series champion Chicago Cubs, who have an open checkbook.
The idea is to keep the Pirates competitive rather than abruptly fall off a cliff as they did in 1993 after too many of their better players departed.
You can trade a high-profile player and do well. There was anguish when Tony Pena was sent to St. Louis on April 1, 1987. But Andy Van Slyke was a reliable hitter and Gold Glove center fielder, Mike Lavalliere was a solid platoon catcher and Mike Dunne provided a good rookie season before arm troubles derailed his career.
Trading Jason Bay didn't work out so well. The Pirates got nothing of value in return. It was a wasted opportunity.
Trade McCutchen? It could be the right thing. It all depends on what the Pirates can get for him.
---
--PICK ONE
Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger face off this afternoon in a game that is meaningful to both teams.
The two quarterbacks don't match up that often, but the storyline is always the same since they were both first-round selections in the 2004 draft.
Manning was the first overall pick, chosen by San Diego, then traded to the New York Giants by prior arrangement. Roethlisberger was the 11th player chosen, grabbed by the Steelers seven picks after the Giants drafted Phillip Rivers and shipped him to San Diego in the Manning deal.
Last week, longtime NFL journalist Gary Myers was asked to use the benefit of hindsight and tell which quarterback he would pick.
His answer was Manning. He cited Manning's durability (he has never missed a start) and the absence of the off-field problems that are part of Roethlisberger's record -- a motorcycle accident and two allegations of sexual misconduct.
Both Manning and Roethlisberger have two Super Bowl rings. Roethlisberger played in a third Super Bowl that the Steelers lost.
Manning was the MVP in both of his Super Bowl appearances. Roethlisberger played well in one Super Bowl, poorly in the other two.
Roethlisberger has reconfigured his personal life after some unsavory episodes. Manning, playing in New York's harsh spotlight, has been scandal free.
So who was the better pick? They're both headed for the Hall of Fame. Neither team has any buyers' remorse 12 years down the road.
If you want to talk about regrets from that draft, it starts and ends with the Cleveland Browns' selection of Kellen Winslow Jr. right before the Steelers took Roethlisberger.
---
--ELBOW ROOM
MLB will have five more years of labor peace after agreement was reached on a new contract with the Players Association.
The big issues have been well-covered. The devil is in the small details with the new deal.
Every home clubhouse must now have a chef. The Pirates have been ahead of the curve on this. For the past several years, they've had a chef on duty daily and a nutritionist who visits regularly. Players no longer hit the Wendy's drive through on their way to the park.
Then there's this provision:
The teams must provide each player with two seats on the buses to spring training games.
Maybe they need that extra seat for their wallets?
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Altoona Mirror, November 27, 2016
Thanksgiving was just a few days ago, so this topic is relevant:
There can be too much of a good thing.
This doesn't just refer to turkey and Aunt Helen's special stuffing, either.
Rather it's about the NFL's insistence on making Thursday night the third prime time game of the week, to go along with Sunday and Monday.
ABC Monday Night Football used to be the big deal in the era of Howard Cosell and Dandy Don Meredith, but it's now become an afterthought on ESPN. The NFL steers the best games to Sunday nights on NBC.
The Sunday triple header is perfect. Catch the 1 o'clock game, another at 4:25. Then maybe grab a short nap and come back strong for the 8:30 kickoff.
There is no such accommodation for Thursday night football, nor has any particular demand developed.
For one thing the NFL schedules every team for a Thursday night, which means teams like Cleveland and Jacksonville will be on. That's not going to lure anyone away from "The Big Bang Theory."
The games are troublesome for the teams, who have to truncate the regular weekly schedule. The Steelers had one practice between last Sunday's game in Cleveland and their Thursday appointment in Indianapolis.
More importantly, it also reduces the recovery time for players. But Roger Goodell doesn't feel any of that pain.
Most fans vote with their clicker. But for the fans who pay the freight by buying season tickets, it's a major inconvenience. Who wants to get home after midnight when they have to get up for work the next morning?
Thursday night games exist mostly so the NFL Network will have semi-exclusive programming (part of the schedule is shared by CBS and NBC). Want to see the game and you don't have NFL Network? Call your cable or satellite provider and pay the premium that goes to the NFL.
It's a transparently greedy grab. It's good that there's been no more than a tepid reaction to an extra night of the NFL.
---
__SEAN GONE
The Atlanta Braves signed Sean Rodriguez for two years and $11.5 million.
Two surprises here: The Pirates didn't make more of an effort to keep him, and he wound up with a bottom feeder team rather than a contender.
Rodriguez is the kind of player who has the greatest value to a good team because of his versatility.
The Pirates spent their money on an extension for David Freese in August for about the same amount that Rodriguez got. That was probably a mistake.
The Pirates have Adam Frazier to pick up a lot of Rodriguez's role, but Frazier is a liability in the field. Rookie Alen Hanson is unproven, and his minor league history is dotted with attitude concerns.
Clint Hurdle has lost a valuable part-time weapon.
---
--ADDING UP
Fun math: Pitt scored 76 points against Syracuse on Saturday and still did not cover a 26-point spread.
--The Panthers' football team matched the number of points the basketball team scored a night earlier against Morehead State. Syracuse scored 61 points at Heinz Field, while Morehead State managed 63 on the court.
--Pitt's injury report did not confirm that the football stats crew had to be packed in ice after the game.
---
--NO SHOW
Pitt receiver Dontez Ford scored a 79-yard touchdown Saturday against Syracuse.
When he got to the end zone, he put the ball on the ground, turned and trotted back to his sideline.
That was it. No dancing, no preening, no twerking, no hip-shaking, no posing, no chest thumping, no shuffling, no high-stepping, no pantomime, no stomping, no spiking the football, no choreographed routine with any teammates, no look-at-me stuff whatsoever.
He put the ball on the ground, turned and trotted back to his sideline.
Maybe he could stop by Steelers' practice and show Antonio Brown how to do that.
There can be too much of a good thing.
This doesn't just refer to turkey and Aunt Helen's special stuffing, either.
Rather it's about the NFL's insistence on making Thursday night the third prime time game of the week, to go along with Sunday and Monday.
ABC Monday Night Football used to be the big deal in the era of Howard Cosell and Dandy Don Meredith, but it's now become an afterthought on ESPN. The NFL steers the best games to Sunday nights on NBC.
The Sunday triple header is perfect. Catch the 1 o'clock game, another at 4:25. Then maybe grab a short nap and come back strong for the 8:30 kickoff.
There is no such accommodation for Thursday night football, nor has any particular demand developed.
For one thing the NFL schedules every team for a Thursday night, which means teams like Cleveland and Jacksonville will be on. That's not going to lure anyone away from "The Big Bang Theory."
The games are troublesome for the teams, who have to truncate the regular weekly schedule. The Steelers had one practice between last Sunday's game in Cleveland and their Thursday appointment in Indianapolis.
More importantly, it also reduces the recovery time for players. But Roger Goodell doesn't feel any of that pain.
Most fans vote with their clicker. But for the fans who pay the freight by buying season tickets, it's a major inconvenience. Who wants to get home after midnight when they have to get up for work the next morning?
Thursday night games exist mostly so the NFL Network will have semi-exclusive programming (part of the schedule is shared by CBS and NBC). Want to see the game and you don't have NFL Network? Call your cable or satellite provider and pay the premium that goes to the NFL.
It's a transparently greedy grab. It's good that there's been no more than a tepid reaction to an extra night of the NFL.
---
__SEAN GONE
The Atlanta Braves signed Sean Rodriguez for two years and $11.5 million.
Two surprises here: The Pirates didn't make more of an effort to keep him, and he wound up with a bottom feeder team rather than a contender.
Rodriguez is the kind of player who has the greatest value to a good team because of his versatility.
The Pirates spent their money on an extension for David Freese in August for about the same amount that Rodriguez got. That was probably a mistake.
The Pirates have Adam Frazier to pick up a lot of Rodriguez's role, but Frazier is a liability in the field. Rookie Alen Hanson is unproven, and his minor league history is dotted with attitude concerns.
Clint Hurdle has lost a valuable part-time weapon.
---
--ADDING UP
Fun math: Pitt scored 76 points against Syracuse on Saturday and still did not cover a 26-point spread.
--The Panthers' football team matched the number of points the basketball team scored a night earlier against Morehead State. Syracuse scored 61 points at Heinz Field, while Morehead State managed 63 on the court.
--Pitt's injury report did not confirm that the football stats crew had to be packed in ice after the game.
---
--NO SHOW
Pitt receiver Dontez Ford scored a 79-yard touchdown Saturday against Syracuse.
When he got to the end zone, he put the ball on the ground, turned and trotted back to his sideline.
That was it. No dancing, no preening, no twerking, no hip-shaking, no posing, no chest thumping, no shuffling, no high-stepping, no pantomime, no stomping, no spiking the football, no choreographed routine with any teammates, no look-at-me stuff whatsoever.
He put the ball on the ground, turned and trotted back to his sideline.
Maybe he could stop by Steelers' practice and show Antonio Brown how to do that.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Altoona Mirror, November 20, 2016
A visit to Cleveland to play the 0-10 Browns suddenly seems more stressful than it should be for the Steelers.
That's what happens when you go into games knowing your defense may not be able to stop anybody. That even includes the Browns, who are almost to the point of choosing a fan out of the stands to play quarterback.
This is suddenly a team in crisis, which desperately needs to win a game, even if it's against the woeful Browns.
Cam Heyward won't play again this season. James Harrison is a starter again because at 38, he's a better option than the former first-round draft pick who was supposed to replace him.
It's a mess, but the Steelers can at least buy a little relief by winning today. Then they have to prepare to play on Thanksgiving night at Indianapolis, a tough venue.
Unfortunately, this trip to Cleveland doesn't seem like the automatic win it did a few weeks ago.
---
--SEE YOU LATER
Oklahoma defensive lineman Charles Walker told his coaches he's shutting down his season to prepare for the NFL draft.
Walker, a redshirt junior, has been sidelined by a concussion. He's skipping the last two games and the bowl game.
Selfish? Sure. It probably also violates the spirit of the letter of intent he signed when he agreed to play football in exchange for a scholarship.
But in an environment where coaches jump contracts and leave behind players they recruited, it's just part of an increasingly slimy business.
Will NFL teams have any misgivings about drafting a player who was quick to abandon his team? Not if he's talented enough.
---
--CASHING IN
Remember Charlie Morton?
The Pirates' patience with him finally ran out last year, and they traded him to Philadelphia, almost miraculously dumping his entire regrettable $8 million tab on the Phillies.
For all the problems the Pirates had with their rotation last season, this still meets the textbook definition of addition by subtraction.
Morton pitched just 17 and 1/3 innings for the Phillies before he tore his hamstring. The Phillies exercised a $1 million buyout to make him go away. They paid him $9 million to win one game.
No problem, though. The Houston Astros signed Morton last week for $14 million guaranteed over two years. He can make more based on incentives for the number of starts he makes.
Morton is a nice guy, and he has talent. He's only teased with that talent, though. And if teams can have a nice guy who doesn't win games or a nasty one who is successful, they'll pick A.J. Burnett every time.
Morton is 33. He has an injury history. He's a chronic underachiever.
Yet in today's MLB, he's worth a $14 million commitment. That's for a pitcher whose career record is 46-71, with a 4.54 earned run average and 1.441 WHIP. He's not even lefthanded.
Bill Veeck said it best more than 50 years ago, long before free agency became an issue.
"You don't mind paying the stars," Veeck said. "They bring people to the ballpark. The problem is it drives up the price of mediocrity."
---
--VETERAN PRESENCE
Bill Hillgrove will mark his 76th birthday today calling the Steelers-Browns in Cleveland less than 24 hours after broadcasting the Duke-Pitt football game at Heinz Field.
When he does Pitt basketball, he's the "kid" on the broadcast team. Color analyst Dick Groat turned 86 a few weeks ago.
Hillgrove first worked a Pitt basketball broadcast in 1969, and he's not even the senior guy in town.
Duquesne's Ray Goss is 79, and called his first Dukes basketball game in 1968.
When people get those jobs, they tend to hang onto them.
That's what happens when you go into games knowing your defense may not be able to stop anybody. That even includes the Browns, who are almost to the point of choosing a fan out of the stands to play quarterback.
This is suddenly a team in crisis, which desperately needs to win a game, even if it's against the woeful Browns.
Cam Heyward won't play again this season. James Harrison is a starter again because at 38, he's a better option than the former first-round draft pick who was supposed to replace him.
It's a mess, but the Steelers can at least buy a little relief by winning today. Then they have to prepare to play on Thanksgiving night at Indianapolis, a tough venue.
Unfortunately, this trip to Cleveland doesn't seem like the automatic win it did a few weeks ago.
---
--SEE YOU LATER
Oklahoma defensive lineman Charles Walker told his coaches he's shutting down his season to prepare for the NFL draft.
Walker, a redshirt junior, has been sidelined by a concussion. He's skipping the last two games and the bowl game.
Selfish? Sure. It probably also violates the spirit of the letter of intent he signed when he agreed to play football in exchange for a scholarship.
But in an environment where coaches jump contracts and leave behind players they recruited, it's just part of an increasingly slimy business.
Will NFL teams have any misgivings about drafting a player who was quick to abandon his team? Not if he's talented enough.
---
--CASHING IN
Remember Charlie Morton?
The Pirates' patience with him finally ran out last year, and they traded him to Philadelphia, almost miraculously dumping his entire regrettable $8 million tab on the Phillies.
For all the problems the Pirates had with their rotation last season, this still meets the textbook definition of addition by subtraction.
Morton pitched just 17 and 1/3 innings for the Phillies before he tore his hamstring. The Phillies exercised a $1 million buyout to make him go away. They paid him $9 million to win one game.
No problem, though. The Houston Astros signed Morton last week for $14 million guaranteed over two years. He can make more based on incentives for the number of starts he makes.
Morton is a nice guy, and he has talent. He's only teased with that talent, though. And if teams can have a nice guy who doesn't win games or a nasty one who is successful, they'll pick A.J. Burnett every time.
Morton is 33. He has an injury history. He's a chronic underachiever.
Yet in today's MLB, he's worth a $14 million commitment. That's for a pitcher whose career record is 46-71, with a 4.54 earned run average and 1.441 WHIP. He's not even lefthanded.
Bill Veeck said it best more than 50 years ago, long before free agency became an issue.
"You don't mind paying the stars," Veeck said. "They bring people to the ballpark. The problem is it drives up the price of mediocrity."
---
--VETERAN PRESENCE
Bill Hillgrove will mark his 76th birthday today calling the Steelers-Browns in Cleveland less than 24 hours after broadcasting the Duke-Pitt football game at Heinz Field.
When he does Pitt basketball, he's the "kid" on the broadcast team. Color analyst Dick Groat turned 86 a few weeks ago.
Hillgrove first worked a Pitt basketball broadcast in 1969, and he's not even the senior guy in town.
Duquesne's Ray Goss is 79, and called his first Dukes basketball game in 1968.
When people get those jobs, they tend to hang onto them.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Altoona Mirror, November 13, 2013
The Steelers issue their players standard uniforms, and not one of them has a trainee badge on it.
You get to the NFL, you go right into the fast lane.
Apparently this has been a problem for the Steelers, and could be one reason this team is a mere 4-4 in advance of this afternoon's home game against Dallas.
We've heard for years that the defense is complex, and rookies can't step in and do much immediately.
Last year, Mike Tomlin mentioned that receiver Sammie Coates was struggling with the level of conditioning required to play regularly in the NFL. In his second season, Coates is still learning on the job.
Now that opponents are throwing a coverage blanket over Antonio Brown, it's important that other receivers step up and make plays. As Tomlin noted, they didn't do that in last Sunday's loss in Baltimore.
The transition from college to pro football is obviously difficult. Yet the Cowboys come to town with a 7-1 record, built in part on the contributions of two rookies, quarterback Dak Prescott, and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Prescott's passer rating is 104.2; Ben Roethlisberger's current mark is 93.9.
Elliott, Dallas' first-round draft pick, has 891 yards through half of the season and is averaging five yards per attempt.
Individual stats don't always mean a lot in football because success requires such a collaborative effort. Eight games is a fragmented sample size, too.
But the success Prescott and Elliott have had to this point indicates they aren't overwhelmed by the NFL and they're at least functioning competently in the Cowboys' systems.
Roethlisberger broke in with a bang in 2004, out of necessity. The Steelers had a sudden need at quarterback, and were able to adjust their offense so that Roethlisberger only needed to manage games.
Other rookies take their time. Cam Heyward, one of their best players on defense, needed a couple of seasons to get grounded. This year's No. 1 pick, Artie Burns, made his first start last week. It took that long because he couldn't break in to a secondary that's been a weak spot for several years.
Given the way a salary cap system leads to personnel turnover, time is a luxury the Steelers don't have. One organizational priority should be finding a way to get players assimilated to the demands of the NFL as quickly as possible.
---
--LEFT OUT
Keep an eye on Brown today, as the Cowboys undoubtedly will.
If he doesn't get the ball, he won't be happy. For all his dancing skills, Brown isn't much of an actor and he isn't able to hide his disappointment and frustration when things aren't going his way.
---
--MAC IS BACK
Lloyd McClendon is back with the Detroit Tigers as their hitting coach. He spent last season managing the Tigers' Class AAA team in Toledo.
McClendon would love another shot at managing, and Detroit might be the perfect spot since Brad Ausmus could be on a short leash.
One factor that could work against McClendon is his reluctance to embrace analytics. Baseball is increasingly looking for managers who are willing to take suggestions from the nerdy guys with the numbers.
---
--SAY WHAT?
During halftime of last week's Steelers-Ravens game. Tony Gonzalez suggested on CBS the Steelers weren't running Le'Veon Bell enough.
Actually, one of the reasons they were failing was their insistence in having Bell slam into the line for little or no gain.
---
--BOOK OF THE MONTH
Joe Buck has a new autobiography out.
If you can't stand him on TV, will you like him any better between hard covers for $38?
You get to the NFL, you go right into the fast lane.
Apparently this has been a problem for the Steelers, and could be one reason this team is a mere 4-4 in advance of this afternoon's home game against Dallas.
We've heard for years that the defense is complex, and rookies can't step in and do much immediately.
Last year, Mike Tomlin mentioned that receiver Sammie Coates was struggling with the level of conditioning required to play regularly in the NFL. In his second season, Coates is still learning on the job.
Now that opponents are throwing a coverage blanket over Antonio Brown, it's important that other receivers step up and make plays. As Tomlin noted, they didn't do that in last Sunday's loss in Baltimore.
The transition from college to pro football is obviously difficult. Yet the Cowboys come to town with a 7-1 record, built in part on the contributions of two rookies, quarterback Dak Prescott, and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Prescott's passer rating is 104.2; Ben Roethlisberger's current mark is 93.9.
Elliott, Dallas' first-round draft pick, has 891 yards through half of the season and is averaging five yards per attempt.
Individual stats don't always mean a lot in football because success requires such a collaborative effort. Eight games is a fragmented sample size, too.
But the success Prescott and Elliott have had to this point indicates they aren't overwhelmed by the NFL and they're at least functioning competently in the Cowboys' systems.
Roethlisberger broke in with a bang in 2004, out of necessity. The Steelers had a sudden need at quarterback, and were able to adjust their offense so that Roethlisberger only needed to manage games.
Other rookies take their time. Cam Heyward, one of their best players on defense, needed a couple of seasons to get grounded. This year's No. 1 pick, Artie Burns, made his first start last week. It took that long because he couldn't break in to a secondary that's been a weak spot for several years.
Given the way a salary cap system leads to personnel turnover, time is a luxury the Steelers don't have. One organizational priority should be finding a way to get players assimilated to the demands of the NFL as quickly as possible.
---
--LEFT OUT
Keep an eye on Brown today, as the Cowboys undoubtedly will.
If he doesn't get the ball, he won't be happy. For all his dancing skills, Brown isn't much of an actor and he isn't able to hide his disappointment and frustration when things aren't going his way.
---
--MAC IS BACK
Lloyd McClendon is back with the Detroit Tigers as their hitting coach. He spent last season managing the Tigers' Class AAA team in Toledo.
McClendon would love another shot at managing, and Detroit might be the perfect spot since Brad Ausmus could be on a short leash.
One factor that could work against McClendon is his reluctance to embrace analytics. Baseball is increasingly looking for managers who are willing to take suggestions from the nerdy guys with the numbers.
---
--SAY WHAT?
During halftime of last week's Steelers-Ravens game. Tony Gonzalez suggested on CBS the Steelers weren't running Le'Veon Bell enough.
Actually, one of the reasons they were failing was their insistence in having Bell slam into the line for little or no gain.
---
--BOOK OF THE MONTH
Joe Buck has a new autobiography out.
If you can't stand him on TV, will you like him any better between hard covers for $38?
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Altoona Mirror, November 6, 2016
All hail the Chicago Cubs, loveable losers no more.
In fact, they're probably on their way to becoming insufferable winners.
Their first World Series victory in 108 years will undoubtedly lead to a high media profile. Cubs players will be as ubiquitous on commercials as Peyton Manning.
There will be a slew of Cubs books, too, fueled by their national following and the irresistible story of how they finally won.
Theo Epstein is the architect of this turnaround, working the same magic he did in Boston. Under his guidance, the Red Sox also ended a long drought and won a couple of Series with teams that Epstein assembled.
There is no question he's a smart operator. Proof of his intelligence is the way he chooses places that have an open checkbook for him to use when shopping for players.
The Cubs have an enviable core to their regular lineup: Kris Bryant is 24, Addison Russell is 22 and Kyle Schwarber is 23. (They're all younger than Gregory Polanco).
Anthony Rizzo is a comparative old man at 27, a year younger than Starling Marte.
Epstein has assembled a formidable group, and he knows he will have the resources to keep it together. While some teams would have to decide on which two of the four to keep, Epstein will have the luxury of signing all of them.
Need pitching? Epstein is the guy who gave Jon Lester a $155 million contract.
Money alone doesn't win. Look at the Detroit Tigers, who had a payroll of $206 million and missed the postseason.
Being smart only goes so far. Then the players climb the pay scale, and some of them have to be replaced. That's not easy.
When you can back a smart plan with about $200 million per year, you have the kind of monster the Cubs are becoming.
---
--MADDON'S MOVES
In the frenzy that followed the World Series, here's hoping Cubs manager Joe Maddon found time to offer a moment of silent thanks for the way his players got him off the hook.
Maddon had a series of questionable decisions including, but not limited to, his quick hook for starting pitchers, the overuse of closer Aroldis Chapman and his decision to have Javier Baez bunt with two strikes.
Maddon wound up holding the trophy. He could have just as easily been trying to justify his strategy.
---
--UNLIKELY HERO
One of the oddest aspects of the Cubs' season was the elevation of career backup catcher David Ross to folk hero.
Teammates loved him, which is fine. For some reason, fans also embraced a 39-year old career .229 hitter who was playing for his seventh team. That includes 40 games with the 2005 Pirates.
All's well that ends well, and Ross will inexplicably be a Cubs legend for the next century.
---
--TOUGH ENOUGH
Seems pretty ridiculous that Ben Roethlisberger's toughness is being challenged with accusations that he embellishes injuries and is some sort of diva or drama king.
He once finished a game with a broken nose, struggling to breathe through the packing material that was inserted to provide temporary support.
Some of his critics wouldn't be able to operate their TV remote if they had a paper cut.
---
--INTERESTING MATCH-UP
Early season hockey is usually ho-hum, but there's a potentially compelling match-up Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena.
Edmonton visits, led by Connor McDavid, who is widely touted as the next Sidney Crosby. He'll be going up against the existing Sidney Crosby, who has shown he isn't quite done with that role.
One possible caveat: The Penguins will be playing their first game after returning from the west coast, and those dates sometimes suffer from the travel hangover.
In fact, they're probably on their way to becoming insufferable winners.
Their first World Series victory in 108 years will undoubtedly lead to a high media profile. Cubs players will be as ubiquitous on commercials as Peyton Manning.
There will be a slew of Cubs books, too, fueled by their national following and the irresistible story of how they finally won.
Theo Epstein is the architect of this turnaround, working the same magic he did in Boston. Under his guidance, the Red Sox also ended a long drought and won a couple of Series with teams that Epstein assembled.
There is no question he's a smart operator. Proof of his intelligence is the way he chooses places that have an open checkbook for him to use when shopping for players.
The Cubs have an enviable core to their regular lineup: Kris Bryant is 24, Addison Russell is 22 and Kyle Schwarber is 23. (They're all younger than Gregory Polanco).
Anthony Rizzo is a comparative old man at 27, a year younger than Starling Marte.
Epstein has assembled a formidable group, and he knows he will have the resources to keep it together. While some teams would have to decide on which two of the four to keep, Epstein will have the luxury of signing all of them.
Need pitching? Epstein is the guy who gave Jon Lester a $155 million contract.
Money alone doesn't win. Look at the Detroit Tigers, who had a payroll of $206 million and missed the postseason.
Being smart only goes so far. Then the players climb the pay scale, and some of them have to be replaced. That's not easy.
When you can back a smart plan with about $200 million per year, you have the kind of monster the Cubs are becoming.
---
--MADDON'S MOVES
In the frenzy that followed the World Series, here's hoping Cubs manager Joe Maddon found time to offer a moment of silent thanks for the way his players got him off the hook.
Maddon had a series of questionable decisions including, but not limited to, his quick hook for starting pitchers, the overuse of closer Aroldis Chapman and his decision to have Javier Baez bunt with two strikes.
Maddon wound up holding the trophy. He could have just as easily been trying to justify his strategy.
---
--UNLIKELY HERO
One of the oddest aspects of the Cubs' season was the elevation of career backup catcher David Ross to folk hero.
Teammates loved him, which is fine. For some reason, fans also embraced a 39-year old career .229 hitter who was playing for his seventh team. That includes 40 games with the 2005 Pirates.
All's well that ends well, and Ross will inexplicably be a Cubs legend for the next century.
---
--TOUGH ENOUGH
Seems pretty ridiculous that Ben Roethlisberger's toughness is being challenged with accusations that he embellishes injuries and is some sort of diva or drama king.
He once finished a game with a broken nose, struggling to breathe through the packing material that was inserted to provide temporary support.
Some of his critics wouldn't be able to operate their TV remote if they had a paper cut.
---
--INTERESTING MATCH-UP
Early season hockey is usually ho-hum, but there's a potentially compelling match-up Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena.
Edmonton visits, led by Connor McDavid, who is widely touted as the next Sidney Crosby. He'll be going up against the existing Sidney Crosby, who has shown he isn't quite done with that role.
One possible caveat: The Penguins will be playing their first game after returning from the west coast, and those dates sometimes suffer from the travel hangover.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Altoona Mirror, November 2, 2016
Sally O'Leary went to work for the Pirates in 1964. She continued to work for them pretty much until the day she died last week at 82.
She started as the secretary in the public relations department, moved up to assistant media relations director, and spent her retirement years as the liaison for the team's alumni association.
The titles didn't matter. The bottom line is she was really the heart and soul of the Pirates, the rock who remained while the personnel around her constantly changed.
Without making gender an issue, she also wound up blazing a trail for women in baseball.
Her love for the game led her to take a pay cut and leave an ad agency to join the Pirates. Bob Prince, who had known her from a fan organization, helped make up the shortfall by putting Sally on his personal payroll to handle correspondence.
If the Gunner ever wished your Cousin Anthony a happy birthday or mentioned Aunt Veronica and Uncle Nick's anniversary, it was because Sally provided a daily list from the mountain of letters.
When she wasn't keeping Prince's business in order, she was half of the two-person PR department. Her duties included clipping the daily newspaper stories and pasting them in large scrapbooks. It's a miracle she was never overcome by rubber cement fumes.
Those books are still in the Pirates' offices, providing a detailed chronicle of each season for researchers.
Forget about computers. There weren't even calculators in her early days with the Pirates. Stats were updated with the aid of charts which listed all the outcomes for totals of hits and at bats. The alternative was long division and a sharp pencil.
If Sally was ever "just" a secretary, that didn't last long. She was bright and dedicated and handled a lot of the responsibilities without being asked. The smart PR directors realized what an asset she was.
Her loyalty to the Pirates wasn't always returned. Teams back then didn't pay the office staff a lot, knowing that others were always anxious to sign on for the perceived glamour of working in sports. When Sally's supplemental income dried up with Prince's firing, coincidentally her rent increased. She took her case for a modest raise to the guy in charge, who gruffly suggested she should get a roommate.
Baseball changed. Players became more transient, and there was more distance. The personal relationships forged at Forbes Field became more scarce. Sally once famously said, "Barry Bonds doesn't know me from a bar of soap." That was his loss.
She endured, and stayed on through retirement in 1996. The Pirates gave her a party at the Allegheny Club, and needed that vast space to host her many friends.
Handling the alumni association was a perfect job for her. She built that organization into baseball's best with her customary diligence and attention to detail. Every former player received a birthday card from the alumni association every year. She compiled and published a directory of addresses and phone numbers so former teammates could find each other.
Sally treated them all well, but she had her favorites. Danny Murtaugh was on her all-time list. So were Bill Mazeroski and Steve Blass. More recently, Clint Hurdle won her over.
Sally's devotion to the Pirates was exceeded only by her love of all things Irish. She took on an extra job in the Three Rivers Stadium scoreboard room partly so she could fund a trip to Ireland with her sisters every other year.
I'll always remember the way her Irish eyes smiled, and her hearty laugh.
One of the best things about covering the Pirates for all these years has been having Sally O'Leary as a friend for all these years.
She started as the secretary in the public relations department, moved up to assistant media relations director, and spent her retirement years as the liaison for the team's alumni association.
The titles didn't matter. The bottom line is she was really the heart and soul of the Pirates, the rock who remained while the personnel around her constantly changed.
Without making gender an issue, she also wound up blazing a trail for women in baseball.
Her love for the game led her to take a pay cut and leave an ad agency to join the Pirates. Bob Prince, who had known her from a fan organization, helped make up the shortfall by putting Sally on his personal payroll to handle correspondence.
If the Gunner ever wished your Cousin Anthony a happy birthday or mentioned Aunt Veronica and Uncle Nick's anniversary, it was because Sally provided a daily list from the mountain of letters.
When she wasn't keeping Prince's business in order, she was half of the two-person PR department. Her duties included clipping the daily newspaper stories and pasting them in large scrapbooks. It's a miracle she was never overcome by rubber cement fumes.
Those books are still in the Pirates' offices, providing a detailed chronicle of each season for researchers.
Forget about computers. There weren't even calculators in her early days with the Pirates. Stats were updated with the aid of charts which listed all the outcomes for totals of hits and at bats. The alternative was long division and a sharp pencil.
If Sally was ever "just" a secretary, that didn't last long. She was bright and dedicated and handled a lot of the responsibilities without being asked. The smart PR directors realized what an asset she was.
Her loyalty to the Pirates wasn't always returned. Teams back then didn't pay the office staff a lot, knowing that others were always anxious to sign on for the perceived glamour of working in sports. When Sally's supplemental income dried up with Prince's firing, coincidentally her rent increased. She took her case for a modest raise to the guy in charge, who gruffly suggested she should get a roommate.
Baseball changed. Players became more transient, and there was more distance. The personal relationships forged at Forbes Field became more scarce. Sally once famously said, "Barry Bonds doesn't know me from a bar of soap." That was his loss.
She endured, and stayed on through retirement in 1996. The Pirates gave her a party at the Allegheny Club, and needed that vast space to host her many friends.
Handling the alumni association was a perfect job for her. She built that organization into baseball's best with her customary diligence and attention to detail. Every former player received a birthday card from the alumni association every year. She compiled and published a directory of addresses and phone numbers so former teammates could find each other.
Sally treated them all well, but she had her favorites. Danny Murtaugh was on her all-time list. So were Bill Mazeroski and Steve Blass. More recently, Clint Hurdle won her over.
Sally's devotion to the Pirates was exceeded only by her love of all things Irish. She took on an extra job in the Three Rivers Stadium scoreboard room partly so she could fund a trip to Ireland with her sisters every other year.
I'll always remember the way her Irish eyes smiled, and her hearty laugh.
One of the best things about covering the Pirates for all these years has been having Sally O'Leary as a friend for all these years.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Altoona Mirror, October 30, 2016
Hey there, Buddy!
There's a concern that professional sports are becoming too chummy, a theory boosted last week with the footage of Ben Roethlisberger asking Tom Brady for his jersey.
Snooping cameras caught the conversation between the quarterbacks prior to last Sunday's game at Heinz Field.
Of course, social media exploded, calling Roethlisberger a "fanboy" and suggesting he embarrassed himself by making the request of a quarterback who has generally handled the Steelers.
The practice of asking for a jersey or an autograph is not uncommon. Some players have trophy rooms, some collect swag to be used at charity auctions, some are probably stocking their storerooms for future non-charity auctions.
It's not that big a deal. Most players don't make the requests directly, instead using a third party. Locker room helpers are always relaying requests on behalf of players.
Some players don't like it. Jason Kendall, who pretty much hated everything, blew up when he found out teammate Jon Lieber had sent a proxy to ask Mark McGwire for an autographed bat. Pitcher Doug Bair was always sending people to the visiting clubhouse to get baseballs signed by players he thought were bound for the Hall of Fame.
Lately, NFL players have taken to swapping jerseys after games. Some Steelers did it on the field until Mike Tomlin issued an order that all the trades had to be made behind the scenes.
There's no question there's more fraternization among players. John Jaso was a one-man Welcome Wagon in his first season with the Pirates, routinely greeting and chatting with everyone who reached first base.
It can be galling. In the old days, Jim Leyland would be stomping to the mound to remove Paul Wagner from the game, and Jay Bell would be gabbing amiably at second base with the guy who just hit a bases-clearing double.
Occasionally, a manager will set some rules. Tony Pena was shocked one afternoon when Frank Robinson ejected him from the San Francisco Giants dugout hours before a game. Pena had stopped by to talk with some friends in Giants uniforms, and Robinson would have none of it.
"Get over in your own dugout," he barked at Pena. Pena thought Robinson was kidding. Robinson reinforced the message, and Pena sheepishly retreated.
There has to be some happy medium between the current hugfest and blatant hostility. The Steelers-Bengals playoff game last January almost turned into a street fight, and that wasn't good.
Some professional distance would be welcome, at least on the field. Players often get together before or after games, and nobody knows or cares.
At Willie Stargell's memorial, Joe Morgan recalled trips to Pittsburgh when he would join Stargell for an evening that started with dinner and ended at dawn when they exited one of those after-hours clubs that had a peephole and a lot of muscle guarding the door.
So Big Ben taking home an authentic Brady jersey? No problem. But if Tomlin ever asks Bill Belichick for his chopped-sleeve hoodie, we have an issue.
---
--NEEDS REPAIRS
The Pitt Panthers' three losses have come in games where they've scored 38, 36 and 36 points.
To think Pat Narduzzi came here with a reputation as a defensive genius.
---
--STOP FOR DIRECTIONS
The Pirates have shaken up their staff, firing third base coach Rick Sofield and re-assigning first base coach Nick Leyva to a position off the field.
That might help. Sofield made some stunningly bad decisions, and a team with a losing record isn't likely to overlook those.
The onus for the alarming number of bad base running decisions is still on the players. The coaches offer help, but the players have to react in the moment and make smart decisions. That's been a problem.
Maybe new coaches will help, but not as much as affixing a GPS to Starling Marte's sleeve might.
There's a concern that professional sports are becoming too chummy, a theory boosted last week with the footage of Ben Roethlisberger asking Tom Brady for his jersey.
Snooping cameras caught the conversation between the quarterbacks prior to last Sunday's game at Heinz Field.
Of course, social media exploded, calling Roethlisberger a "fanboy" and suggesting he embarrassed himself by making the request of a quarterback who has generally handled the Steelers.
The practice of asking for a jersey or an autograph is not uncommon. Some players have trophy rooms, some collect swag to be used at charity auctions, some are probably stocking their storerooms for future non-charity auctions.
It's not that big a deal. Most players don't make the requests directly, instead using a third party. Locker room helpers are always relaying requests on behalf of players.
Some players don't like it. Jason Kendall, who pretty much hated everything, blew up when he found out teammate Jon Lieber had sent a proxy to ask Mark McGwire for an autographed bat. Pitcher Doug Bair was always sending people to the visiting clubhouse to get baseballs signed by players he thought were bound for the Hall of Fame.
Lately, NFL players have taken to swapping jerseys after games. Some Steelers did it on the field until Mike Tomlin issued an order that all the trades had to be made behind the scenes.
There's no question there's more fraternization among players. John Jaso was a one-man Welcome Wagon in his first season with the Pirates, routinely greeting and chatting with everyone who reached first base.
It can be galling. In the old days, Jim Leyland would be stomping to the mound to remove Paul Wagner from the game, and Jay Bell would be gabbing amiably at second base with the guy who just hit a bases-clearing double.
Occasionally, a manager will set some rules. Tony Pena was shocked one afternoon when Frank Robinson ejected him from the San Francisco Giants dugout hours before a game. Pena had stopped by to talk with some friends in Giants uniforms, and Robinson would have none of it.
"Get over in your own dugout," he barked at Pena. Pena thought Robinson was kidding. Robinson reinforced the message, and Pena sheepishly retreated.
There has to be some happy medium between the current hugfest and blatant hostility. The Steelers-Bengals playoff game last January almost turned into a street fight, and that wasn't good.
Some professional distance would be welcome, at least on the field. Players often get together before or after games, and nobody knows or cares.
At Willie Stargell's memorial, Joe Morgan recalled trips to Pittsburgh when he would join Stargell for an evening that started with dinner and ended at dawn when they exited one of those after-hours clubs that had a peephole and a lot of muscle guarding the door.
So Big Ben taking home an authentic Brady jersey? No problem. But if Tomlin ever asks Bill Belichick for his chopped-sleeve hoodie, we have an issue.
---
--NEEDS REPAIRS
The Pitt Panthers' three losses have come in games where they've scored 38, 36 and 36 points.
To think Pat Narduzzi came here with a reputation as a defensive genius.
---
--STOP FOR DIRECTIONS
The Pirates have shaken up their staff, firing third base coach Rick Sofield and re-assigning first base coach Nick Leyva to a position off the field.
That might help. Sofield made some stunningly bad decisions, and a team with a losing record isn't likely to overlook those.
The onus for the alarming number of bad base running decisions is still on the players. The coaches offer help, but the players have to react in the moment and make smart decisions. That's been a problem.
Maybe new coaches will help, but not as much as affixing a GPS to Starling Marte's sleeve might.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Altoona Mirror, October 23, 2016
Bill Belichick is in town, and you know that means:
The scowl, the beady eyes and the hoodie with the sleeves chopped off.
There's one other thing, too, and that's the impressive success since he took over the Patriots in 2000.
Belichick has been to the Super Bowl six times, winning four. That ties him with Chuck Noll for the lead among coaches in the Super Bowl era. (Vince Lombardi won three NFL championships in addition to the first two Super Bowls).
So does Belichick belong in the discussion with Noll among the all-time greats? Absolutely. In fact, the case can be made that what Belichick has accomplished has been even more impressive.
The game has changed radically since Noll took over the Steelers in 1969. The staff for his first Super Bowl included eight assistants, counting specialists for flexibility and weight lifting. There were only six assistants coaching purely football matters. Nobody had the title of offensive coordinator.
Quarterbacks had play-calling responsibility then, too, which is one reason Terry Bradshaw didn't fully claim the starting job until his fifth season.
These days, it's a task to fit the entire coaching staff into one photo frame. Mike Tomlin has 16 assistants.
The Steelers' success in the 1970s basically comes down to simple math. They drafted exceptionally well for six years (1969 to 1974) and that translated into six incredibly successful seasons (1974 to '79).
After the Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl on Jan. 20, 1980, Noll coached for 12 more seasons. He was 93-91 with just four playoff appearances.
As great as the Steelers were in the '70s, they won with the same group of players.
Tom Brady has quarterbacked all four of the Patriots' Super Bowl victories, but the supporting cast has constantly evolved. Troy Brown was the leading receiver on the first Super Bowl team, and Antowain Smith was the leading rusher. They were long gone by the fourth Super Bowl, as were defensive standouts Richard Seymour, Willis McGinest, Tedy Bruschi and Lawyer Milloy.
If you're looking to slap Belichick's record with an asterisk for his Spygate cheating conviction, that's fair. The Patriots were guilty of illegally taping other teams' defensive signals to gain an edge.
Belichick was fined $500,000, and the team was fined an additional $250,000 and lost its first-round draft pick.
But there are a lot of people who will argue the Steelers were at the forefront of the steroid trend in the NFL. There were a lot of mysterious weight and muscle gains and at least one player, Jim Clack, admitted on the record that he had bulked up with laboratory help.
Noll retired at 60. Belichick is 64 and shows no signs of slowing down. There may be another Super Bowl in the future because he's kept the Patriots formidable through all the changes.
Belichick is already in Noll's class, and another Super Bowl trophy would advance him to a different level.
---
--LATE BLOOMING LOVE
Cleveland is crazy for the Indians, who are in the World Series for just the second time since 1948.
But that didn't translate into a lot of business during the regular season.
The Indians' attendance was 1,591,667, an average of 19,650 per date. The Pirates' attendance fell by more than 200,000, but it was still 2,249,201, an average of 27,768.
---
--IS TWO TOO MANY?
The Penguins' signing of Matt Murray to a contract extension seems to guarantee Marc-Andre Fleury's future is elsewhere.
There's no need to do anything immediately, though. One of the lessons from last season should be the value of having two quality goalies for a Stanley Cup run.
---
--COLD FACTS
Temperatures are forecast to be in the 40s when the first pitch of the World Series is thrown in Cleveland on Tuesday night.
This gives MLB a chance to market its line of officially licensed parkas and ski hats.
The scowl, the beady eyes and the hoodie with the sleeves chopped off.
There's one other thing, too, and that's the impressive success since he took over the Patriots in 2000.
Belichick has been to the Super Bowl six times, winning four. That ties him with Chuck Noll for the lead among coaches in the Super Bowl era. (Vince Lombardi won three NFL championships in addition to the first two Super Bowls).
So does Belichick belong in the discussion with Noll among the all-time greats? Absolutely. In fact, the case can be made that what Belichick has accomplished has been even more impressive.
The game has changed radically since Noll took over the Steelers in 1969. The staff for his first Super Bowl included eight assistants, counting specialists for flexibility and weight lifting. There were only six assistants coaching purely football matters. Nobody had the title of offensive coordinator.
Quarterbacks had play-calling responsibility then, too, which is one reason Terry Bradshaw didn't fully claim the starting job until his fifth season.
These days, it's a task to fit the entire coaching staff into one photo frame. Mike Tomlin has 16 assistants.
The Steelers' success in the 1970s basically comes down to simple math. They drafted exceptionally well for six years (1969 to 1974) and that translated into six incredibly successful seasons (1974 to '79).
After the Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl on Jan. 20, 1980, Noll coached for 12 more seasons. He was 93-91 with just four playoff appearances.
As great as the Steelers were in the '70s, they won with the same group of players.
Tom Brady has quarterbacked all four of the Patriots' Super Bowl victories, but the supporting cast has constantly evolved. Troy Brown was the leading receiver on the first Super Bowl team, and Antowain Smith was the leading rusher. They were long gone by the fourth Super Bowl, as were defensive standouts Richard Seymour, Willis McGinest, Tedy Bruschi and Lawyer Milloy.
If you're looking to slap Belichick's record with an asterisk for his Spygate cheating conviction, that's fair. The Patriots were guilty of illegally taping other teams' defensive signals to gain an edge.
Belichick was fined $500,000, and the team was fined an additional $250,000 and lost its first-round draft pick.
But there are a lot of people who will argue the Steelers were at the forefront of the steroid trend in the NFL. There were a lot of mysterious weight and muscle gains and at least one player, Jim Clack, admitted on the record that he had bulked up with laboratory help.
Noll retired at 60. Belichick is 64 and shows no signs of slowing down. There may be another Super Bowl in the future because he's kept the Patriots formidable through all the changes.
Belichick is already in Noll's class, and another Super Bowl trophy would advance him to a different level.
---
--LATE BLOOMING LOVE
Cleveland is crazy for the Indians, who are in the World Series for just the second time since 1948.
But that didn't translate into a lot of business during the regular season.
The Indians' attendance was 1,591,667, an average of 19,650 per date. The Pirates' attendance fell by more than 200,000, but it was still 2,249,201, an average of 27,768.
---
--IS TWO TOO MANY?
The Penguins' signing of Matt Murray to a contract extension seems to guarantee Marc-Andre Fleury's future is elsewhere.
There's no need to do anything immediately, though. One of the lessons from last season should be the value of having two quality goalies for a Stanley Cup run.
---
--COLD FACTS
Temperatures are forecast to be in the 40s when the first pitch of the World Series is thrown in Cleveland on Tuesday night.
This gives MLB a chance to market its line of officially licensed parkas and ski hats.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Altoona Mirror, October 16, 2016
Ben Roethlisberger was taking one for the team last week when he suggested that Steelers' practices are too physical.
That isn't a factor for quarterbacks, who are off limits for any contact. Even James Harrison understands and accepts that policy.
Roethlisberger said on his weekly radio show that maybe the Steelers have had a run of injuries because practices are too strenuous.
Probably that's something he heard from teammates -- like his linemen -- who are involved in as much contact as the labor agreement allows.
But it's hard to connect Cam Heyward's hamstring injury to practice contact, for example.
There isn't nearly as much hitting as there used to be in practice. That was negotiated by the union in the most recent contract. There is also far less contact in training camp these days.
How do teams scale back even further and still maintain some value to practice? Nobody wants to see teammates wipe each other out, but every practice can't be a walk-through, either.
Roethlisberger put the issue on the air because he knew there would be follow-up questions about it.
If nothing else, it shows how much Roethlisberger's leadership skills have improved over his career.
Young Ben wouldn't have cared about whatever complaints teammates might have had. Young Ben only cared about himself.
Wiser older Ben is using his influence to look out for his teammates now.
That's the bigger issue than the amount of contact in practices.
---
--WRONG LABEL?
Mike Tomlin is a players' coach.
How do we know this? Because every network broadcast team has said that for as long as Tomlin has been coaching the Steelers.
What does it mean? Nobody knows.
Does it mean he likes players? He should. They win or lose games, and they determine whether Tomlin keeps his job and continues to make millions.
Is he an easy boss for the employees? That would appear to be untrue.
Case in point was last week's experience with receiver Sammy Coates.
Coates made some nice plays, including a 72-yard touchdown catch. He also dropped some passes, including one in the end zone.
Coates somehow sustained a cut on his hand in the first half, a wound that required stitches.
Asked if that was a factor in the dropped passes, Tomlin said, "Hey, I'm not into that. I'm not into the excuses. His performance is his performance. He had some up plays, he had some down plays. It's good to learn while we win, and that's all I'm going to say about that."
OK, Coates' drops were costly and could try anyone's patience. Roethlisberger admitted to some frustration, but said he maintained confidence in Coates and acknowledged that a hand injury would be a problem for a receiver, "especially as hard as I throw the ball."
Tomlin was asked on Tuesday how Coates had cut his hand.
"I coach. I'm not a medical expert," Tomlin said. "The medical expert deemed him capable of playing."
Tough love for an inexperienced player from whom more is expected? Maybe.
But not the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from someone constantly described as a players' coach.
---
--FILL IT UP
With all the pitching changes made in the last innings of the deciding game in the National League Division Series, one thing is clear:
If they still used bullpen carts, one would have run out gas making all those trips.
And speaking of that, how soon until MLB strikes a sponsorship deal with Uber to bring back rides from the bullpen?
---
--ROGUE'S GALLERY
The post-game panel assembled by Fox Sports for the baseball postseason includes Alex Rodriguez and Pete Rose.
Didn't there used to be a TV quiz show called "Liar's Club?"
That isn't a factor for quarterbacks, who are off limits for any contact. Even James Harrison understands and accepts that policy.
Roethlisberger said on his weekly radio show that maybe the Steelers have had a run of injuries because practices are too strenuous.
Probably that's something he heard from teammates -- like his linemen -- who are involved in as much contact as the labor agreement allows.
But it's hard to connect Cam Heyward's hamstring injury to practice contact, for example.
There isn't nearly as much hitting as there used to be in practice. That was negotiated by the union in the most recent contract. There is also far less contact in training camp these days.
How do teams scale back even further and still maintain some value to practice? Nobody wants to see teammates wipe each other out, but every practice can't be a walk-through, either.
Roethlisberger put the issue on the air because he knew there would be follow-up questions about it.
If nothing else, it shows how much Roethlisberger's leadership skills have improved over his career.
Young Ben wouldn't have cared about whatever complaints teammates might have had. Young Ben only cared about himself.
Wiser older Ben is using his influence to look out for his teammates now.
That's the bigger issue than the amount of contact in practices.
---
--WRONG LABEL?
Mike Tomlin is a players' coach.
How do we know this? Because every network broadcast team has said that for as long as Tomlin has been coaching the Steelers.
What does it mean? Nobody knows.
Does it mean he likes players? He should. They win or lose games, and they determine whether Tomlin keeps his job and continues to make millions.
Is he an easy boss for the employees? That would appear to be untrue.
Case in point was last week's experience with receiver Sammy Coates.
Coates made some nice plays, including a 72-yard touchdown catch. He also dropped some passes, including one in the end zone.
Coates somehow sustained a cut on his hand in the first half, a wound that required stitches.
Asked if that was a factor in the dropped passes, Tomlin said, "Hey, I'm not into that. I'm not into the excuses. His performance is his performance. He had some up plays, he had some down plays. It's good to learn while we win, and that's all I'm going to say about that."
OK, Coates' drops were costly and could try anyone's patience. Roethlisberger admitted to some frustration, but said he maintained confidence in Coates and acknowledged that a hand injury would be a problem for a receiver, "especially as hard as I throw the ball."
Tomlin was asked on Tuesday how Coates had cut his hand.
"I coach. I'm not a medical expert," Tomlin said. "The medical expert deemed him capable of playing."
Tough love for an inexperienced player from whom more is expected? Maybe.
But not the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from someone constantly described as a players' coach.
---
--FILL IT UP
With all the pitching changes made in the last innings of the deciding game in the National League Division Series, one thing is clear:
If they still used bullpen carts, one would have run out gas making all those trips.
And speaking of that, how soon until MLB strikes a sponsorship deal with Uber to bring back rides from the bullpen?
---
--ROGUE'S GALLERY
The post-game panel assembled by Fox Sports for the baseball postseason includes Alex Rodriguez and Pete Rose.
Didn't there used to be a TV quiz show called "Liar's Club?"
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Altoona Mirror, October 9, 2016
The Steelers have an injury report as thick as a John Grisham novel, but the biggest issue is the gyrations of a wide receiver?
First, be thankful that Antonio Brown is around to cause this debate. He is arguably the best receiver in the NFL and, along with Ben Roethlisberger, the main reason the Steelers have such a dynamic offense.
Also know this about Brown: While he can be a diva and seems to be addicted to the spotlight, those traits don't affect his performance. Roethlisberger has said repeatedly that nobody outworks Brown on the practice field or the video room. He's a former sixth-round pick who has willed himself to become an impact player in the NFL.
All that said, why does he persist in being shortsighted and selfish about trivial touchdown celebrations?
In the past Brown has put himself in physical peril by somersaulting into the end zone and slamming himself into the goal post.
To what end? For 10 seconds of freak video time on ESPN, he's going to risk an injury?
Lately he's been grinding his hips in a celebratory dance, and that's earned him a couple of penalties and fines from the NFL.
Last week he got a $24,000 fine and complained that the NFL isn't clear on what is allowed.
Why does it even have to be an issue? There are rules that players don't like. A lot of people don't like speed limits and restrictions on red light right turns, but that doesn't give them the right to ignore the laws.
They're ticketing for hip grinding. So understand that and knock it off. It's not complicated.
If Brown wants to pay the fines, it's his money and his business. But the penalties come with a 15-yard walk off, which affects the people who blocked and did the hard work that helped him score that touchdown. Maybe they're not OK with losing 15 yards for no good reason other than someone's ego gratification.
Would it be so bad if he tossed the ball aside and just raised his arms in the air? Would anybody walk away from Heinz Field feeling disappointed that the price of a ticket didn't deliver 10 seconds of Antonio Brown hip thrusting?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the NFL is the No Fun League and they're a bunch of stodgy old guys who don't understand the modern world. Tell it to the judge.
The rules are on the books. They're being enforced.
Understand that, and adjust.
Does a guy who competed on "Dancing With The Stars" really need to polish his reputation as someone who can shake his hips?
Brown is already a great player. Now maybe he could be a smart one, too.
---
--PERFECT GUESTS
Impressive to see the Penguins show up nice and classy for their White House visit the other day.
They were all dressed in dark suits, all respectful of their surroundings and grateful for the recognition.
President Obama rose to the occasion by flawlessly delivering prepared lines without mispronouncing any names and leaving everyone with the likely false impression that he was closely following hockey last season.
The Penguins once went to the White House to have George H.W. Bush say, "And you are...?" as Mario Lemieux approached him to present a jersey.
That sort of thing works both ways. When Bush was campaigning in 1988, he stopped by the Pirates' clubhouse in Houston. Wise guy pitcher Dave LaPoint shook his hand and say, "Hey, really enjoy your (Busch) beer."
---
--DOLLAR VALUE
Pitt doesn't have the best football team, but is there any other school that gives its fans so much drama?
---
--EXTENDED RUN
The Penguins open the season on Thursday against Washington.
Last season ran 248 days, from Oct. 8 to June 12.
Pace yourself.
First, be thankful that Antonio Brown is around to cause this debate. He is arguably the best receiver in the NFL and, along with Ben Roethlisberger, the main reason the Steelers have such a dynamic offense.
Also know this about Brown: While he can be a diva and seems to be addicted to the spotlight, those traits don't affect his performance. Roethlisberger has said repeatedly that nobody outworks Brown on the practice field or the video room. He's a former sixth-round pick who has willed himself to become an impact player in the NFL.
All that said, why does he persist in being shortsighted and selfish about trivial touchdown celebrations?
In the past Brown has put himself in physical peril by somersaulting into the end zone and slamming himself into the goal post.
To what end? For 10 seconds of freak video time on ESPN, he's going to risk an injury?
Lately he's been grinding his hips in a celebratory dance, and that's earned him a couple of penalties and fines from the NFL.
Last week he got a $24,000 fine and complained that the NFL isn't clear on what is allowed.
Why does it even have to be an issue? There are rules that players don't like. A lot of people don't like speed limits and restrictions on red light right turns, but that doesn't give them the right to ignore the laws.
They're ticketing for hip grinding. So understand that and knock it off. It's not complicated.
If Brown wants to pay the fines, it's his money and his business. But the penalties come with a 15-yard walk off, which affects the people who blocked and did the hard work that helped him score that touchdown. Maybe they're not OK with losing 15 yards for no good reason other than someone's ego gratification.
Would it be so bad if he tossed the ball aside and just raised his arms in the air? Would anybody walk away from Heinz Field feeling disappointed that the price of a ticket didn't deliver 10 seconds of Antonio Brown hip thrusting?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the NFL is the No Fun League and they're a bunch of stodgy old guys who don't understand the modern world. Tell it to the judge.
The rules are on the books. They're being enforced.
Understand that, and adjust.
Does a guy who competed on "Dancing With The Stars" really need to polish his reputation as someone who can shake his hips?
Brown is already a great player. Now maybe he could be a smart one, too.
---
--PERFECT GUESTS
Impressive to see the Penguins show up nice and classy for their White House visit the other day.
They were all dressed in dark suits, all respectful of their surroundings and grateful for the recognition.
President Obama rose to the occasion by flawlessly delivering prepared lines without mispronouncing any names and leaving everyone with the likely false impression that he was closely following hockey last season.
The Penguins once went to the White House to have George H.W. Bush say, "And you are...?" as Mario Lemieux approached him to present a jersey.
That sort of thing works both ways. When Bush was campaigning in 1988, he stopped by the Pirates' clubhouse in Houston. Wise guy pitcher Dave LaPoint shook his hand and say, "Hey, really enjoy your (Busch) beer."
---
--DOLLAR VALUE
Pitt doesn't have the best football team, but is there any other school that gives its fans so much drama?
---
--EXTENDED RUN
The Penguins open the season on Thursday against Washington.
Last season ran 248 days, from Oct. 8 to June 12.
Pace yourself.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Altoona Mirror, October 2, 2016
Let's not overcook this (phrase on loan from the Clint Hurdle Collection).
Here's why the Pirates are going home instead of to the playoffs:
Their No. 1 and 2 starting pitchers failed, and two of their middle of the order hitters did likewise.
You can point fingers in a lot of directions, but aim them primarily at Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Andrew McCutchen and Jung Ho Kang.
Success in baseball starts with starting pitching, and that starts with the top of the rotation. When the top two starters regress as badly as Cole and Liriano did, it becomes the hot mess that unfolded all season.
As much as people want to castigate the Bermuda Triangle of Jon Niese/Jeff Locke/Ryan Vogelsong, things went completely awry when Cole and Liriano were unable to duplicate their 2015 success.
Cole won 12 fewer games, lost two more and pitched 92 fewer innings. His ERA increased from 2.60 to 3.88. His WHIP went from 1.091 to 1.440. Liriano had a 5.46 ERA and 1.169 WHIP when he was traded to Toronto on Aug. 1.
McCutchen's struggles were evident all season long. Fans went from insisting his contract should be extended to hoping he could be traded for anybody.
His power numbers will wind up being OK but they're a myth. His decline in batting average and on-base percentage are bad enough. Combine those numbers with his staggering 142 strikeouts and precipitous defensive decline, and he's far from the player who has been a consistent MVP candidate.
The case can also be made that Kang is a major contributor to this season's skid. He started late because of his offseason knee surgery, but did fine when he got back.
Then came the sexual assault investigation in Chicago in June, and Kang's production plummeted. He's recovered at the end of the season and, like McCutchen, he'll post power numbers that are deceptive. His late surge offers hope for next season, but that 98 at bat July-August stretch that included a .163 average and .540 OPS helped sink this season.
Did other things go wrong? Of course. When a team wins 20 fewer games, there are plenty of reasons.
But the biggest is the key players who fell well short of expectations.
---
--KISS THEM GOODBYE
Locke is one of the players you won't see with the Pirates next season.
Every once in a while, a player explodes on Hurdle's personal "I've seen enough" chart, and he's gone.
Ronny Cedeno was the first. Charlie Morton was the most recent. Locke will join the club.
He made $3.025 million this season and will probably be in line for a raise to about $5 million next season. The Pirates aren't going to pay that for a middle reliever who exasperates the manager.
Others who won't be back are Vogelsong, Jared Hughes, Matt Joyce and Eric Fryer. Figure that free agents Ivan Nova and Sean Rodriguez will find greener grass elsewhere, too.
When it's all said and done, the Pirates will probably turn over about a third of the roster. And they should.
---
--ID REQUIRED
Jargon changes all the time, so it becomes fashionable to talk about vertical passing games and shutdown corners.
But the trend to insist that a football team has to establish its identity is baffling.
Are the captains supposed to meet for the coin toss and say, "Possession game on offense, bend-but-don't-break on defense. Nice to meet you."
There was once a team that played in Three Rivers Stadium and changed its identity in middle of a stretch of four Super Bowls in six seasons.
The Steelers started with power running and stifling defense, then switched to highlight reel passing game and diminished defense.
Wonder if they had to file paperwork with the league on that?
Here's why the Pirates are going home instead of to the playoffs:
Their No. 1 and 2 starting pitchers failed, and two of their middle of the order hitters did likewise.
You can point fingers in a lot of directions, but aim them primarily at Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Andrew McCutchen and Jung Ho Kang.
Success in baseball starts with starting pitching, and that starts with the top of the rotation. When the top two starters regress as badly as Cole and Liriano did, it becomes the hot mess that unfolded all season.
As much as people want to castigate the Bermuda Triangle of Jon Niese/Jeff Locke/Ryan Vogelsong, things went completely awry when Cole and Liriano were unable to duplicate their 2015 success.
Cole won 12 fewer games, lost two more and pitched 92 fewer innings. His ERA increased from 2.60 to 3.88. His WHIP went from 1.091 to 1.440. Liriano had a 5.46 ERA and 1.169 WHIP when he was traded to Toronto on Aug. 1.
McCutchen's struggles were evident all season long. Fans went from insisting his contract should be extended to hoping he could be traded for anybody.
His power numbers will wind up being OK but they're a myth. His decline in batting average and on-base percentage are bad enough. Combine those numbers with his staggering 142 strikeouts and precipitous defensive decline, and he's far from the player who has been a consistent MVP candidate.
The case can also be made that Kang is a major contributor to this season's skid. He started late because of his offseason knee surgery, but did fine when he got back.
Then came the sexual assault investigation in Chicago in June, and Kang's production plummeted. He's recovered at the end of the season and, like McCutchen, he'll post power numbers that are deceptive. His late surge offers hope for next season, but that 98 at bat July-August stretch that included a .163 average and .540 OPS helped sink this season.
Did other things go wrong? Of course. When a team wins 20 fewer games, there are plenty of reasons.
But the biggest is the key players who fell well short of expectations.
---
--KISS THEM GOODBYE
Locke is one of the players you won't see with the Pirates next season.
Every once in a while, a player explodes on Hurdle's personal "I've seen enough" chart, and he's gone.
Ronny Cedeno was the first. Charlie Morton was the most recent. Locke will join the club.
He made $3.025 million this season and will probably be in line for a raise to about $5 million next season. The Pirates aren't going to pay that for a middle reliever who exasperates the manager.
Others who won't be back are Vogelsong, Jared Hughes, Matt Joyce and Eric Fryer. Figure that free agents Ivan Nova and Sean Rodriguez will find greener grass elsewhere, too.
When it's all said and done, the Pirates will probably turn over about a third of the roster. And they should.
---
--ID REQUIRED
Jargon changes all the time, so it becomes fashionable to talk about vertical passing games and shutdown corners.
But the trend to insist that a football team has to establish its identity is baffling.
Are the captains supposed to meet for the coin toss and say, "Possession game on offense, bend-but-don't-break on defense. Nice to meet you."
There was once a team that played in Three Rivers Stadium and changed its identity in middle of a stretch of four Super Bowls in six seasons.
The Steelers started with power running and stifling defense, then switched to highlight reel passing game and diminished defense.
Wonder if they had to file paperwork with the league on that?
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Altoona Mirror, September 25, 2016
Here's the dilemma: The Pirates need a veteran pitcher to anchor a 2017 rotation that will probably be short on experience.
Ivan Nova, who might be the prize of the limited free agent market this winter, is already here.
Reports say he's looking for a five-year deal worth $70 million. Is that kind of investment justified for a pitcher who will be 30 next season, and who has a spotty record of accomplishment prior to a string of fine starts for the Pirates?
Nova is a ground ball pitcher and a strike thrower. Does that merit a five-year commitment that will eat a big chunk of the payroll?
Highly unlikely. Nova's agent says the Pirates have made a couple of offers, but it's doubtful any of them are near five years and $70 million.
It also makes no sense for Nova to commit to a deal before shopping the free agent market. There may be an offer even crazier than the one he wants.
---
--NO PANIC
NFL TV ratings were down after the first two weeks of the season.
Some have attributed this to a backlash to the national anthem protests. More likely it's two factors -- the absence of some big names and the nice weather that has lingered in the Midwest and northeast.
A Super Bowl rematch is always a good season opener, but maybe not so much with Peyton Manning retired to a full-time career in commercials.
We get confined to quarters for so much of the season, when the NFL is a welcome distraction. But if the weather is still warm and the sun is shining, camping in front of the TV is a less appealing option.
If the ratings are still down after eight weeks, it's a story. Not now.
---
--WASTE OF TIME
These are stressful times for Penguins manager Jim Rutherford, who is just three months removed from kissing the Stanley Cup.
The Penguins have opened training camp, but more than $20 million worth of Rutherford's players are participating in the meaningless World Cup tournament.
Blame it on Canada. Canadians are wonderful people. The brew excellent beer, their bacon is superb and you have to love the colourful way they insert an extra "u' in certain words, eh?
But they're paranoid about hockey, and they take every challenge personally. Thus you get make-believe tournaments like the World Cup.
So Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who played into mid-June, are expending energy playing in a tournament that proves nothing. Then they'll come to Pittsburgh to begin an 82-game season, followed by playoffs that may last for two months.
Oh, Canada. Stop being so touchy about international hockey. Let the players devote their effort to the teams that pay them.
---
--NO THOUGHT
You watch MLB games and wonder what's going through the players' heads, aside from an occasional gentle breeze.
Maybe they're so busy socializing with players from the other team that they forget the basics of playing the game.
Case in point: Friday night's game between Washington and the Pirates. Pedro Florimon had come into the game as a pinch runner and was on first base with two outs
Sean Rodriguez lined a ball that sailed over the center fielder's head. Replay cameras caught Florimon going at less than full speed toward second while his head was turned toward the outfield, watching the play.
The rule is the same if you're in Class A or the major leagues: Two outs, you take off on contact and run hard. If the ball is caught, it doesn't matter. At least you've had the workout of a sprint.
Florimon scored, but had to slide. A better throw may have gotten him, and added a new entry to the endless list of heartbreaking ways the Pirates have lost games this season.
Pedro Florimon, taking it easy? What's wrong with that picture?
Ivan Nova, who might be the prize of the limited free agent market this winter, is already here.
Reports say he's looking for a five-year deal worth $70 million. Is that kind of investment justified for a pitcher who will be 30 next season, and who has a spotty record of accomplishment prior to a string of fine starts for the Pirates?
Nova is a ground ball pitcher and a strike thrower. Does that merit a five-year commitment that will eat a big chunk of the payroll?
Highly unlikely. Nova's agent says the Pirates have made a couple of offers, but it's doubtful any of them are near five years and $70 million.
It also makes no sense for Nova to commit to a deal before shopping the free agent market. There may be an offer even crazier than the one he wants.
---
--NO PANIC
NFL TV ratings were down after the first two weeks of the season.
Some have attributed this to a backlash to the national anthem protests. More likely it's two factors -- the absence of some big names and the nice weather that has lingered in the Midwest and northeast.
A Super Bowl rematch is always a good season opener, but maybe not so much with Peyton Manning retired to a full-time career in commercials.
We get confined to quarters for so much of the season, when the NFL is a welcome distraction. But if the weather is still warm and the sun is shining, camping in front of the TV is a less appealing option.
If the ratings are still down after eight weeks, it's a story. Not now.
---
--WASTE OF TIME
These are stressful times for Penguins manager Jim Rutherford, who is just three months removed from kissing the Stanley Cup.
The Penguins have opened training camp, but more than $20 million worth of Rutherford's players are participating in the meaningless World Cup tournament.
Blame it on Canada. Canadians are wonderful people. The brew excellent beer, their bacon is superb and you have to love the colourful way they insert an extra "u' in certain words, eh?
But they're paranoid about hockey, and they take every challenge personally. Thus you get make-believe tournaments like the World Cup.
So Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who played into mid-June, are expending energy playing in a tournament that proves nothing. Then they'll come to Pittsburgh to begin an 82-game season, followed by playoffs that may last for two months.
Oh, Canada. Stop being so touchy about international hockey. Let the players devote their effort to the teams that pay them.
---
--NO THOUGHT
You watch MLB games and wonder what's going through the players' heads, aside from an occasional gentle breeze.
Maybe they're so busy socializing with players from the other team that they forget the basics of playing the game.
Case in point: Friday night's game between Washington and the Pirates. Pedro Florimon had come into the game as a pinch runner and was on first base with two outs
Sean Rodriguez lined a ball that sailed over the center fielder's head. Replay cameras caught Florimon going at less than full speed toward second while his head was turned toward the outfield, watching the play.
The rule is the same if you're in Class A or the major leagues: Two outs, you take off on contact and run hard. If the ball is caught, it doesn't matter. At least you've had the workout of a sprint.
Florimon scored, but had to slide. A better throw may have gotten him, and added a new entry to the endless list of heartbreaking ways the Pirates have lost games this season.
Pedro Florimon, taking it easy? What's wrong with that picture?
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Altoona Mirror, September 18, 2016
So what do we get at 1 o'clock this afternoon, NFL or WWE?
It's the first showdown of the season between the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals and, just as the TV announcers always say, these are two teams that just don't like each other very much.
The last time they shared a field was January's playoff game in Cincinnati, which threatened to become a street fight.
There were suspensions from that, and the NFL even passed a new rule that prohibits assistant coaches from going onto the field for injury situations (Hello, Joey Porter).
Emotions run high, and that's a good thing. It makes for a compelling game. But if they bubble over, there's trouble. The NFL is well aware of how that works, thanks to the playoff game.
You can be sure the NFL has contacted both teams about keeping things under control, and the officials have undoubtedly been instructed to start throwing flags at the first hint of trouble.
Cincinnati's Vontaze Burfict is suspended for this game, so that's one large supply of gasoline that won't be thrown on any brush fires. But there are enough hotheads on both sides to make things volatile. Adam (He Doesn't Go By Pacman Anymore) Jones still plays for the Bengals.
We'll find out soon enough how this one unfolds. It's better for all concerned if the focus is on football.
---
--IT'S ON AGAIN
Speaking of rivalries that boiled over, Penn State and Pitt got things back up to speed last week after a too-long layoff.
This one used to be burn white hot, as illustrated by one incident from a routine weekly press luncheon at Pitt one year.
Aside from the complimentary hot meal, one mainstay of those events was the conference call with the opposing coach.
They'd get the guy on speaker phone, and he'd say a bunch of complimentary things about Pitt that could be used to fill advance stories for the week.
One week when Penn State was the opponent, Joe Paterno was on the line. Before anyone could ask anything, Joe was on the warpath about the lousy tickets Pitt had sent for his family to use for the game at Pitt Stadium.
"Geez, we take good care of them when they come here," was the basis of what he said.
So almost instantly, the Pitt people were staring daggers at the speaker box and muttering among themselves. In one corner of the room, Beano Cook was bellowing that it was all "unbelievable."
And just like that, things were at a boiling point five days before anybody suited up for the actual game.
Those were two programs that just didn't like each other very much. It was nice to see it ramp up again last Saturday.
---
--BIG DECISION
A lousy season will make an interesting offseason for the Pirates.
No decision will be bigger than what to do with Andrew McCutchen. Has the late-season surge raised his trade value after four mediocre months? If so, do the Pirates deal him and reconfigure the outfield to put Josh Bell in right field?
McCutchen has two years left on his contract (the second is a club option) and McCutchen won't be around beyond that. In addition to this year's hitting struggles, he's become a below-average center fielder.
What is the market for him? Are there teams that will view his first four months as an aberration?
Deciding McCutchen's future is where the Pirates' offseason starts.
---
NO MULTI-TASKING
One thing the Pirates might want to emphasize in 2017:
Just focus on playing ball, and don't bother trying to umpire, too.
It's the first showdown of the season between the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals and, just as the TV announcers always say, these are two teams that just don't like each other very much.
The last time they shared a field was January's playoff game in Cincinnati, which threatened to become a street fight.
There were suspensions from that, and the NFL even passed a new rule that prohibits assistant coaches from going onto the field for injury situations (Hello, Joey Porter).
Emotions run high, and that's a good thing. It makes for a compelling game. But if they bubble over, there's trouble. The NFL is well aware of how that works, thanks to the playoff game.
You can be sure the NFL has contacted both teams about keeping things under control, and the officials have undoubtedly been instructed to start throwing flags at the first hint of trouble.
Cincinnati's Vontaze Burfict is suspended for this game, so that's one large supply of gasoline that won't be thrown on any brush fires. But there are enough hotheads on both sides to make things volatile. Adam (He Doesn't Go By Pacman Anymore) Jones still plays for the Bengals.
We'll find out soon enough how this one unfolds. It's better for all concerned if the focus is on football.
---
--IT'S ON AGAIN
Speaking of rivalries that boiled over, Penn State and Pitt got things back up to speed last week after a too-long layoff.
This one used to be burn white hot, as illustrated by one incident from a routine weekly press luncheon at Pitt one year.
Aside from the complimentary hot meal, one mainstay of those events was the conference call with the opposing coach.
They'd get the guy on speaker phone, and he'd say a bunch of complimentary things about Pitt that could be used to fill advance stories for the week.
One week when Penn State was the opponent, Joe Paterno was on the line. Before anyone could ask anything, Joe was on the warpath about the lousy tickets Pitt had sent for his family to use for the game at Pitt Stadium.
"Geez, we take good care of them when they come here," was the basis of what he said.
So almost instantly, the Pitt people were staring daggers at the speaker box and muttering among themselves. In one corner of the room, Beano Cook was bellowing that it was all "unbelievable."
And just like that, things were at a boiling point five days before anybody suited up for the actual game.
Those were two programs that just didn't like each other very much. It was nice to see it ramp up again last Saturday.
---
--BIG DECISION
A lousy season will make an interesting offseason for the Pirates.
No decision will be bigger than what to do with Andrew McCutchen. Has the late-season surge raised his trade value after four mediocre months? If so, do the Pirates deal him and reconfigure the outfield to put Josh Bell in right field?
McCutchen has two years left on his contract (the second is a club option) and McCutchen won't be around beyond that. In addition to this year's hitting struggles, he's become a below-average center fielder.
What is the market for him? Are there teams that will view his first four months as an aberration?
Deciding McCutchen's future is where the Pirates' offseason starts.
---
NO MULTI-TASKING
One thing the Pirates might want to emphasize in 2017:
Just focus on playing ball, and don't bother trying to umpire, too.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Altoona Mirror, September 11, 2016
This is the time of year when a lot of NFL teams are selecting their starting quarterback.
For the Minnesota Vikings, it's a last-second decision brought on by a freak non-contact practice injury to Teddy Bridgewater. The Los Angeles Rams have chosen someone named Case Keenum ahead of overall No. 1 draft pick Jared Goff, who will be the team's No. 3 quarterback for at least one game.
The hapless Cleveland Browns are going with Robert Griffin III, even though the coaching staff doubts his ability to read defenses after four years in the league.
The quarterback decisions make for an interesting preseason coverage, but it's no way to run a football team.
Makes you realize how fortunate the Steelers are to have a franchise-caliber quarterback who should still have a few years left on his career.
Ben Roethlisberger has grown up before our eyes, from the indifferent and obnoxiously entitled rookie who alienated teammates to a guy who's an automatic choice for team captain. He's gone from someone whose encounters with random women drew police attention to a father of three who recently spent an off day at the zoo with his family.
He's matured from a quarterback who mostly handed the ball to Jerome Bettis to a force who can take over any game.
Sports fans seem to be blessed with a strange brand of amnesia that allows them to block out past reality, no matter how recent it is. That's why Pirates fans can complain about "only" getting to the wild card after the team has had 20 losing seasons.
And that's why people who complain about Roethlisberger don't seem to have any recollection of the Cliff Stoudt/Mark Malone/Bubby Brister/Neil O'Donnell/Kordell Stewart/Kent Graham/Mike Tomczak/Tommy Maddox succession that formed a wobbly bridge from one Hall of Famer, Terry Bradshaw, to another likely Hall selection in Roethlisberger.
One of these days, Roethlisberger won't be there. The odds are the Steelers will be one of those teams making an announcement about who will start at quarterback.
Things could be Cliff Stoudt scary again.
---
--DIRECTIONS NEEDED
A lot of people want to know who coaches the Pirates on base running.
It's an issue because of the frequent mishaps on the bases. The Pirates have shown the ability to get thrown out at any of the four bases, usually at the worst possible time.
Replacing a coach would be simple, but it's not the answer.
Base running is on the players. They need to make split-second decisions, and making the correct ones has been a significant challenge.
For all the instruction they get, players have to process the information and decide when to go and when to stay.
The coaches are no more responsible for that than the driver training instructor is to blame when a teenage decides to run a red light.
---
--NEVER ENDS
You see college coaches attending Friday night high school games and you realize what an endless grind college coaching is.
Recruiting never stops. Some people are naturals at sales, but you have to think that trying to convince a parade of 17-year-olds to accept a scholarship gets old at some point.
---
--YOU'RE WELCOME
Cranky old guy observation: When you see kids gladly accept a baseball flipped to them by a ball girl or a player, do they ever say thanks?
---
--IT'S ON AGAIN
Penn State vs. Pitt lived up to expectations.
Oh, to have a dime for every mean-spirited Tweet that was posted, and a dollar for every tasteless t-shirt that was sold.
For the Minnesota Vikings, it's a last-second decision brought on by a freak non-contact practice injury to Teddy Bridgewater. The Los Angeles Rams have chosen someone named Case Keenum ahead of overall No. 1 draft pick Jared Goff, who will be the team's No. 3 quarterback for at least one game.
The hapless Cleveland Browns are going with Robert Griffin III, even though the coaching staff doubts his ability to read defenses after four years in the league.
The quarterback decisions make for an interesting preseason coverage, but it's no way to run a football team.
Makes you realize how fortunate the Steelers are to have a franchise-caliber quarterback who should still have a few years left on his career.
Ben Roethlisberger has grown up before our eyes, from the indifferent and obnoxiously entitled rookie who alienated teammates to a guy who's an automatic choice for team captain. He's gone from someone whose encounters with random women drew police attention to a father of three who recently spent an off day at the zoo with his family.
He's matured from a quarterback who mostly handed the ball to Jerome Bettis to a force who can take over any game.
Sports fans seem to be blessed with a strange brand of amnesia that allows them to block out past reality, no matter how recent it is. That's why Pirates fans can complain about "only" getting to the wild card after the team has had 20 losing seasons.
And that's why people who complain about Roethlisberger don't seem to have any recollection of the Cliff Stoudt/Mark Malone/Bubby Brister/Neil O'Donnell/Kordell Stewart/Kent Graham/Mike Tomczak/Tommy Maddox succession that formed a wobbly bridge from one Hall of Famer, Terry Bradshaw, to another likely Hall selection in Roethlisberger.
One of these days, Roethlisberger won't be there. The odds are the Steelers will be one of those teams making an announcement about who will start at quarterback.
Things could be Cliff Stoudt scary again.
---
--DIRECTIONS NEEDED
A lot of people want to know who coaches the Pirates on base running.
It's an issue because of the frequent mishaps on the bases. The Pirates have shown the ability to get thrown out at any of the four bases, usually at the worst possible time.
Replacing a coach would be simple, but it's not the answer.
Base running is on the players. They need to make split-second decisions, and making the correct ones has been a significant challenge.
For all the instruction they get, players have to process the information and decide when to go and when to stay.
The coaches are no more responsible for that than the driver training instructor is to blame when a teenage decides to run a red light.
---
--NEVER ENDS
You see college coaches attending Friday night high school games and you realize what an endless grind college coaching is.
Recruiting never stops. Some people are naturals at sales, but you have to think that trying to convince a parade of 17-year-olds to accept a scholarship gets old at some point.
---
--YOU'RE WELCOME
Cranky old guy observation: When you see kids gladly accept a baseball flipped to them by a ball girl or a player, do they ever say thanks?
---
--IT'S ON AGAIN
Penn State vs. Pitt lived up to expectations.
Oh, to have a dime for every mean-spirited Tweet that was posted, and a dollar for every tasteless t-shirt that was sold.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Altoona Mirror, September 4, 2016
Penn State plays Pitt at Heinz Field this Saturday, and it's more than the revival of a storied rivalry.
It's a referendum on Pitt football.
Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes hasn't been on the job that long. On Saturday he'll get a first-hand look at how the Panthers' football program fits into the Pittsburgh sports scene.
The game is sold out, and it's rare that Heinz Field is packed for a Saturday game. That usually depends on the opponent, never more so than it will this week.
Pitt has two basic problems in trying to sell its football program to fans. The first is the Steelers own the town. The No. 2 area of football interest might be the high schools.
Pitt had too many years of mediocrity and too much turmoil to either build or maintain a large fan base.
The other battle has been the large number of Penn State and West Virginia alumni who live in western Pennsylvania. Not only are they not Pitt fans, they delight in seeing Pitt on the wrong end of something like a 48-14 score whenever possible.
That brings us to this game. The stadium will be full, but what will the percentage of allegiance be? There are reports some Penn State fans bought a full Pitt season ticket just to get this game.
Will it be 70-30 in Pitt's favor? Is 60-40 a more realistic ratio? Could it be 50-50?
Scott Barnes will take the pulse this Saturday.
---
--WALKER'S WOES
The timing couldn't have been worse for Neil Walker.
He's on the verge of free agency, and he'll head into the market after having back surgery that ended his season prematurely.
That's not the strongest negotiating position for a 31-year-old second baseman whose defensive range is already limited.
Walker had solid numbers with the Mets -- a career-best .823 OPS, a .282 average, second-best in his career, while matching his high for home runs with 23.
But his status is clouded by the surgery. He's expected to make a full recovery, but how much is a team willing to guarantee a player over 30 who's coming off surgery?
Instead of hitting the jackpot, Walker may have to settle for a one-year deal somewhere that's loaded with incentives based on how much he can play and how productive he is.
Walker has been paid around $28 million so far in his major league career. Had he stayed healthy, there's a good chance he would have exceeded that total with a three-year deal somewhere.
Now he'll likely have to wait until he can convince teams that he's healthy enough for a multi-year commitment.
---
--BACK TOGETHER AGAIN
All reunions have a degree of wistfulness about them, and that was certainly the case when some of the 1971 World Series champion Pirates gathered this weekend.
Eight of the players from the 25-man World Series have died. A few others were unable to travel.
The hair is gray among those who still have some. When the former teammates gather, they're as likely to talk about their grandchildren as they are to recall stories from the old days.
There's another reason to feel some pangs of nostalgia. The 1971 team was the Pirates' last championship team in the era before the baseball landscape changed radically.
Salary arbitration didn't go into effect until 1974. Free agency followed two years later. Fans who followed the Pirates in 1971 never had a worry about service time, years of control or players opting to leave or becoming too expensive to keep.
Under the current system, maybe the Pirates would have been forced to choose among Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Al Oliver rather than having them play in the same outfield.
Nobody left the team until the team decided it was time for them to go. The system wasn't fair for the players, and that's why it changed.
But it was a great time to be a fan.
It's a referendum on Pitt football.
Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes hasn't been on the job that long. On Saturday he'll get a first-hand look at how the Panthers' football program fits into the Pittsburgh sports scene.
The game is sold out, and it's rare that Heinz Field is packed for a Saturday game. That usually depends on the opponent, never more so than it will this week.
Pitt has two basic problems in trying to sell its football program to fans. The first is the Steelers own the town. The No. 2 area of football interest might be the high schools.
Pitt had too many years of mediocrity and too much turmoil to either build or maintain a large fan base.
The other battle has been the large number of Penn State and West Virginia alumni who live in western Pennsylvania. Not only are they not Pitt fans, they delight in seeing Pitt on the wrong end of something like a 48-14 score whenever possible.
That brings us to this game. The stadium will be full, but what will the percentage of allegiance be? There are reports some Penn State fans bought a full Pitt season ticket just to get this game.
Will it be 70-30 in Pitt's favor? Is 60-40 a more realistic ratio? Could it be 50-50?
Scott Barnes will take the pulse this Saturday.
---
--WALKER'S WOES
The timing couldn't have been worse for Neil Walker.
He's on the verge of free agency, and he'll head into the market after having back surgery that ended his season prematurely.
That's not the strongest negotiating position for a 31-year-old second baseman whose defensive range is already limited.
Walker had solid numbers with the Mets -- a career-best .823 OPS, a .282 average, second-best in his career, while matching his high for home runs with 23.
But his status is clouded by the surgery. He's expected to make a full recovery, but how much is a team willing to guarantee a player over 30 who's coming off surgery?
Instead of hitting the jackpot, Walker may have to settle for a one-year deal somewhere that's loaded with incentives based on how much he can play and how productive he is.
Walker has been paid around $28 million so far in his major league career. Had he stayed healthy, there's a good chance he would have exceeded that total with a three-year deal somewhere.
Now he'll likely have to wait until he can convince teams that he's healthy enough for a multi-year commitment.
---
--BACK TOGETHER AGAIN
All reunions have a degree of wistfulness about them, and that was certainly the case when some of the 1971 World Series champion Pirates gathered this weekend.
Eight of the players from the 25-man World Series have died. A few others were unable to travel.
The hair is gray among those who still have some. When the former teammates gather, they're as likely to talk about their grandchildren as they are to recall stories from the old days.
There's another reason to feel some pangs of nostalgia. The 1971 team was the Pirates' last championship team in the era before the baseball landscape changed radically.
Salary arbitration didn't go into effect until 1974. Free agency followed two years later. Fans who followed the Pirates in 1971 never had a worry about service time, years of control or players opting to leave or becoming too expensive to keep.
Under the current system, maybe the Pirates would have been forced to choose among Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Al Oliver rather than having them play in the same outfield.
Nobody left the team until the team decided it was time for them to go. The system wasn't fair for the players, and that's why it changed.
But it was a great time to be a fan.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Altoona Mirror, August 28, 2016
Gerrit Cole is in California, having his right elbow examined, which means the Pirates are likely to hit September with exactly zero of their original starting pitchers in the rotation.
Francisco Liriano and Jon Niese have been traded, and Jeff Locke and Juan Nicasio have been shuffled off to the bullpen. Now Cole is in the waiting room of a specialist, thumbing through a stale People magazine and hoping there's nothing wrong with his elbow.
This has been an incredibly disjointed season. The Pirates' ability to contend for the postseason speaks to the mediocrity of the National League beyond the Cubs and Nationals more than anything.
If you're old enough, this should remind you of 1973.
The Pirates were defending National League East champions, coming off a 96-59 record, but it was a different team. Roberto Clemente was gone, and the Pirates would soon discover that 19-game winner Steve Blass had lost the ability to control his pitches.
The '73 Pirates sputtered all season in a mediocre division, There were never more than six games over .500, as many as eight games under that mark. Their longest winning streak was seven games, the longest losing streak was six games. They had one winning month.
It seemed like it was a season-long ordeal of win a couple, lose a couple. They could never get separation from the pack.
General manager Joe L. Brown, who was always a cool hand on the throttle, gave in to panic and fired manager Bill Virdon on Sept. 6, with the team in second place, just three games out. Brown thought bringing Danny Murtaugh back could salvage the season. But the Pirates split their last 26 games under Murtaugh.
That led to one final agony. They played a make-up game the day after the season ended. The San Diego Padres had to fly across the country for the afternoon game at Three Rivers Stadium, which drew 2,572 ticket buyers.
Although the Pirates had beaten the Padres in eight of 11 games, they lost the last one 4-3. The result was a moot point anyway, because the Mets had clinched the division by winning their own make-up game earlier in Chicago. The Mets won the division with an 82-79 record. The Pirates finished 80-82 and went home. No wild card in those days, kids.
The good news? The Pirates made changes and won the division in 1974 and '75, came close in '77, came very close in '78 and won the World Series in 1979.
So as agonizing as 1973 was, it was just a painful detour along the way to more success.
---
--BUBBLE BURST
If you ever needed proof of the media conspiracy to keep valuable information from the public, this is it:
It appears Clint Hurdle has given up his bubble gum habit and switched to sunflower seeds.
Those hundreds of shots of Hurdle in the dugout used to catch him working on a giant wad of pink Dubble Bubble. Spies report he would chew eight pieces at a time.
There are still buckets of gum in the dugout. (A fresh supply is imperative because Dubble Bubble is formulated to lose its flavor in less than 45 seconds).
But Hurdle doesn't seem to be indulging. He's gone from the sweet to the salty, chewing on seeds and spraying the shells.
What happened? Dental issues? Trying to change his luck in a subpar season? Jaw fatigue from working that big hunk of gum?
We don't know.
Seems like this should be a story that's right in Robby (Root) Incmikoski's investigative wheelhouse.
---
--BUSY STREETS
Pitt opens the football season this Saturday with a home game against Villanova.
Down the street, the Pirates will have a home game against the Brewers that evening.
In between, the annual Ribfest and its free concerts will be staged outside of Heinz Field. Considering the limited surface parking and road closures, you should probably leave the house now.
Francisco Liriano and Jon Niese have been traded, and Jeff Locke and Juan Nicasio have been shuffled off to the bullpen. Now Cole is in the waiting room of a specialist, thumbing through a stale People magazine and hoping there's nothing wrong with his elbow.
This has been an incredibly disjointed season. The Pirates' ability to contend for the postseason speaks to the mediocrity of the National League beyond the Cubs and Nationals more than anything.
If you're old enough, this should remind you of 1973.
The Pirates were defending National League East champions, coming off a 96-59 record, but it was a different team. Roberto Clemente was gone, and the Pirates would soon discover that 19-game winner Steve Blass had lost the ability to control his pitches.
The '73 Pirates sputtered all season in a mediocre division, There were never more than six games over .500, as many as eight games under that mark. Their longest winning streak was seven games, the longest losing streak was six games. They had one winning month.
It seemed like it was a season-long ordeal of win a couple, lose a couple. They could never get separation from the pack.
General manager Joe L. Brown, who was always a cool hand on the throttle, gave in to panic and fired manager Bill Virdon on Sept. 6, with the team in second place, just three games out. Brown thought bringing Danny Murtaugh back could salvage the season. But the Pirates split their last 26 games under Murtaugh.
That led to one final agony. They played a make-up game the day after the season ended. The San Diego Padres had to fly across the country for the afternoon game at Three Rivers Stadium, which drew 2,572 ticket buyers.
Although the Pirates had beaten the Padres in eight of 11 games, they lost the last one 4-3. The result was a moot point anyway, because the Mets had clinched the division by winning their own make-up game earlier in Chicago. The Mets won the division with an 82-79 record. The Pirates finished 80-82 and went home. No wild card in those days, kids.
The good news? The Pirates made changes and won the division in 1974 and '75, came close in '77, came very close in '78 and won the World Series in 1979.
So as agonizing as 1973 was, it was just a painful detour along the way to more success.
---
--BUBBLE BURST
If you ever needed proof of the media conspiracy to keep valuable information from the public, this is it:
It appears Clint Hurdle has given up his bubble gum habit and switched to sunflower seeds.
Those hundreds of shots of Hurdle in the dugout used to catch him working on a giant wad of pink Dubble Bubble. Spies report he would chew eight pieces at a time.
There are still buckets of gum in the dugout. (A fresh supply is imperative because Dubble Bubble is formulated to lose its flavor in less than 45 seconds).
But Hurdle doesn't seem to be indulging. He's gone from the sweet to the salty, chewing on seeds and spraying the shells.
What happened? Dental issues? Trying to change his luck in a subpar season? Jaw fatigue from working that big hunk of gum?
We don't know.
Seems like this should be a story that's right in Robby (Root) Incmikoski's investigative wheelhouse.
---
--BUSY STREETS
Pitt opens the football season this Saturday with a home game against Villanova.
Down the street, the Pirates will have a home game against the Brewers that evening.
In between, the annual Ribfest and its free concerts will be staged outside of Heinz Field. Considering the limited surface parking and road closures, you should probably leave the house now.
Altoona Mirror, August 24, 2016
The Pirates signed David Freese to a two-year extension, guaranteeing him $11 million.
Good move or bad?
Wishy-washy answer: It depends.
It depends on what happens with Jung Ho Kang, who is currently being investigated for a sexual assault charge brought by a woman in Chicago in June.
In Kang is charged, he's in big trouble. Should be charged and convicted, his MLB career is over.
It's that serious.
If Kang is going to wind up missing significant time, then the Pirates have locked in Freese to play third base at an affordable price. They don't have a viable option for third base otherwise.
If Kang is cleared and returns to the form he showed last season, the Pirates have an expensive back-up player in Freese, who will be paid $6.25 million next season.
There were some troubling comments made after the signing was announced. Both general manager Neal Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle praised Freese for his value in the clubhouse and the community.
Those are great qualities, but they shouldn't be a big priority when deciding to sign players. The main factor is whether the player can help the team win games. That will make him popular in the clubhouse and with the fans.
Freese is 33. There is a possibility the Pirates have seen the best he has to offer this season.
Signing position players over 30 is always a gamble because players inevitably decline in those years. Freese is something of a different case because he isn't being counted on as an everyday player. Ideally, he should play about two-thirds of the time, and some of those would be pinch hitting appearances and coming into games late.
But 33 is still 33, and he'll actually be 34 next April. That's dangerous territory.
If he can maintain this season's level of play, and if he winds up being a replacement for Kang, the Pirates will get value on the contract.
Otherwise, that's a lot of money for a team like the Pirates to spend on a back-up.
Good move or bad?
Wishy-washy answer: It depends.
It depends on what happens with Jung Ho Kang, who is currently being investigated for a sexual assault charge brought by a woman in Chicago in June.
In Kang is charged, he's in big trouble. Should be charged and convicted, his MLB career is over.
It's that serious.
If Kang is going to wind up missing significant time, then the Pirates have locked in Freese to play third base at an affordable price. They don't have a viable option for third base otherwise.
If Kang is cleared and returns to the form he showed last season, the Pirates have an expensive back-up player in Freese, who will be paid $6.25 million next season.
There were some troubling comments made after the signing was announced. Both general manager Neal Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle praised Freese for his value in the clubhouse and the community.
Those are great qualities, but they shouldn't be a big priority when deciding to sign players. The main factor is whether the player can help the team win games. That will make him popular in the clubhouse and with the fans.
Freese is 33. There is a possibility the Pirates have seen the best he has to offer this season.
Signing position players over 30 is always a gamble because players inevitably decline in those years. Freese is something of a different case because he isn't being counted on as an everyday player. Ideally, he should play about two-thirds of the time, and some of those would be pinch hitting appearances and coming into games late.
But 33 is still 33, and he'll actually be 34 next April. That's dangerous territory.
If he can maintain this season's level of play, and if he winds up being a replacement for Kang, the Pirates will get value on the contract.
Otherwise, that's a lot of money for a team like the Pirates to spend on a back-up.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Altoona Mirror, August 21, 2016
The hot question circulating last week was simple:
If the Pirates reached the one-game wild-card playoff round for the fourth consecutive year, which pitcher should they start?
The issue was spurred by the ongoing disappointment of Gerrit Cole's season and the corresponding rise of Jameson Taillon, who has now made 11 major league starts.
The question was ultimately pointless, though.
You don't designate an Oct. 4 starter on Aug. 21. Too many things can happen over that time.
Depending on how Taillon is used over the rest of the season, he may be at his innings limit after missing two seasons of competitive pitching.
The question also presumes the Pirates will be able to ease into the wild card game and set up a preferred pitching rotation. They may have to win the last game of the season just to qualify, so the wild card starter could be the next man up.
So, aside from killing hours on sports talk radio, the question serves no real purpose. Just something to fill the time between commercials for libido problems and bars with $2 draft specials.
---
--BIG SPLASH
You can get all weepy about the stories of courage and perseverance that are part of the Olympics, but this is reality:
The headlines can be easily hijacked by a band of drunken swimmers who misbehave, then lie about what happened.
People love a scandal, and that's why the story of the partying pool boys took over for a few days.
---
--SCARY STORY
ESPN is running a "30 for 30" film called "Darryl & Doc," a look back at the disappointing careers of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.
It's a story of what could have been. They had the ability to be Hall of Fame players, and their team, the Mets, had the ability to win more championships than the Bill Buckner-aided World Series victory in 1986.
The takeaway from the show is that Gooden, who is 51, appears to be at least 20 years older than that.
It's been a hard life.
---
--INTRODUCTORY PRICING
Pirates rookie utility player Adam Frazier did an autograph signing Saturday.
The promoter ran radio commercials announcing it was Frazier's first appearance in the area.
The tab was $19 per signature.
Seems like that's a lot for a guy who has fewer than 100 major league at-bats, whose career arc may wind up resembling that of Rob Mackowiak.
Makes you wonder what the price would be for a star's autograph.
---
--SUBTLE FAIL
The Pirates have had a number of disappointments this season, large and small.
One that's mostly gone under the radar has been the lousy season of Jared Hughes.
He was valuable as a sixth or seventh inning reliever, especially coming into situations where he inherited runners. He had an almost Houdini-like ability to escape those jams with minimal damage.
There's been none of that this year, and his failure has been a factor in the need to reconfigure the bullpen on the fly.
---
--BAD IDEA
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred seems amenable to just about any bad idea that's proposed.
When he was initially asked about reconsidering Pete Rose's case, he offered some hope. Thankfully it turned out to be false and Rose remains rightfully banished from baseball.
Agree now, think later seems to be his philosophy.
It was recently suggested that in the ongoing zeal to trim game times, MLB might consider limiting the number of relief pitchers a team can use.
When the Players Association gets done laughing at that one, it will disappear. The union won't stand for a measure that deprives its members of opportunities to work.
---
--FACE THE NATION
You have to love it when Le'Veon Bell posts a video apology and directs it to "Steeler Nation" as though it's a sovereign state unto itself.
Come to think of it, it may be.
If the Pirates reached the one-game wild-card playoff round for the fourth consecutive year, which pitcher should they start?
The issue was spurred by the ongoing disappointment of Gerrit Cole's season and the corresponding rise of Jameson Taillon, who has now made 11 major league starts.
The question was ultimately pointless, though.
You don't designate an Oct. 4 starter on Aug. 21. Too many things can happen over that time.
Depending on how Taillon is used over the rest of the season, he may be at his innings limit after missing two seasons of competitive pitching.
The question also presumes the Pirates will be able to ease into the wild card game and set up a preferred pitching rotation. They may have to win the last game of the season just to qualify, so the wild card starter could be the next man up.
So, aside from killing hours on sports talk radio, the question serves no real purpose. Just something to fill the time between commercials for libido problems and bars with $2 draft specials.
---
--BIG SPLASH
You can get all weepy about the stories of courage and perseverance that are part of the Olympics, but this is reality:
The headlines can be easily hijacked by a band of drunken swimmers who misbehave, then lie about what happened.
People love a scandal, and that's why the story of the partying pool boys took over for a few days.
---
--SCARY STORY
ESPN is running a "30 for 30" film called "Darryl & Doc," a look back at the disappointing careers of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.
It's a story of what could have been. They had the ability to be Hall of Fame players, and their team, the Mets, had the ability to win more championships than the Bill Buckner-aided World Series victory in 1986.
The takeaway from the show is that Gooden, who is 51, appears to be at least 20 years older than that.
It's been a hard life.
---
--INTRODUCTORY PRICING
Pirates rookie utility player Adam Frazier did an autograph signing Saturday.
The promoter ran radio commercials announcing it was Frazier's first appearance in the area.
The tab was $19 per signature.
Seems like that's a lot for a guy who has fewer than 100 major league at-bats, whose career arc may wind up resembling that of Rob Mackowiak.
Makes you wonder what the price would be for a star's autograph.
---
--SUBTLE FAIL
The Pirates have had a number of disappointments this season, large and small.
One that's mostly gone under the radar has been the lousy season of Jared Hughes.
He was valuable as a sixth or seventh inning reliever, especially coming into situations where he inherited runners. He had an almost Houdini-like ability to escape those jams with minimal damage.
There's been none of that this year, and his failure has been a factor in the need to reconfigure the bullpen on the fly.
---
--BAD IDEA
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred seems amenable to just about any bad idea that's proposed.
When he was initially asked about reconsidering Pete Rose's case, he offered some hope. Thankfully it turned out to be false and Rose remains rightfully banished from baseball.
Agree now, think later seems to be his philosophy.
It was recently suggested that in the ongoing zeal to trim game times, MLB might consider limiting the number of relief pitchers a team can use.
When the Players Association gets done laughing at that one, it will disappear. The union won't stand for a measure that deprives its members of opportunities to work.
---
--FACE THE NATION
You have to love it when Le'Veon Bell posts a video apology and directs it to "Steeler Nation" as though it's a sovereign state unto itself.
Come to think of it, it may be.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Altoona Mirror, August 14, 2016
Did you watch the Steelers' preseason opener on Friday?
Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell did. If the Steelers had a starting tight end, he probably would have watched from the sidelines, too.
It wasn't the Steelers vs. Detroit Lions as much as it was Guys Who Are Temporarily Wearing Steelers Uniforms against the Lions.
The coaches got some video tape on marginal players who will be sent packing in the coming weeks (or starting at tight end). It was basically a continuation of the combined practices the Steelers and Lions had in Latrobe earlier in the week.
Fans must buy preseason games as part of their season ticket package.
It probably worked out. People got a chance to scout for an increasingly rare parking spot on the North Side and got a head start on their tailgate drinking routine.
---
--WORKING OVERTIME?
Jameson Taillon is looking more like a major league pitcher every time he starts.
His success is welcome after the rotation has struggled so badly, but it does come with a caveat. Taillon didn't pitch competitively for the last two seasons because of injuries, including Tommy John surgery.
He's never thrown more than 147 innings in a professional season. He's currently at 121 innings.
Will there come a time the Pirates have to start consciously curtailing Taillon's innings?
---
--NUMBERS PLEASE
Every time designated hitter Pedro Alvarez hits a home run for Baltimore, some irrationally angry Pirates fans yell, "See?....see?"
Easy does it. The Pirates' offense is actually better than it was last year, and they're hitting more home runs, too.
After 112 games, this year's team is superior in runs (503 to 475), home runs (103 to 95), on-base percentage (.329 to .320), slugging percentage (.401 to .394) and OPS (.730 to .714).
The only decline is a negligible one in batting average (.259 to .257).
The difference between last season and this one has been sub-standard starting pitching for more than half a season.
---
--WORTH REPEATING
There was a court date last week for the woman who was hit in the head by a foul ball while standing behind the home plate screen at PNC Park.
Exhibiting the kind of restraint common to local TV news, KDKA-TV showed her getting conked in the head five times in less than 30 seconds. There would have been a sixth replay, but the script on the voiceover ended.
The record was probably broken later by the guy who face-planted his own plate of nachos.
---
--MORE OF THE SAME
Just when you thought those post-game interviews on Root Sports couldn't get more unctuous, Robby Incmikoski established a new standard on Friday.
He ended an interview with Andrew McCutchen by pointing to the camera and telling McCutchen, "Say goodbye to everybody in Pittsburgh and thank them for staying up this late."
McCutchen looked at the camera, nodded, and walked away without saying a word.
---
--REACHING DEEP
Some of Steve Blass' random digressions on Pirates broadcasts are taking on that "crazy uncle" flavor.
OK, you understand there will be a Bob Gibson reference at some point. (Gibson, who's now 80, last pitched in 1975).
But the presence of Travis Jankowski in the Padres lineup led Blass to reference a 1965 instrumental hit, "A Walk In The Black Forest" by Horst Jankowski.
It reached No. 12 on the Billboard chart, but probably hasn't been played on radio since 1965.
If Casey Kasem were still around, it's doubtful he'd remember the record.
---
--COUPLES TRIP
Thirty Pirates wives are accompanying their husbands on the current trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Wonder if there would be as much participation if the destinations were Cincinnati and Milwaukee?
Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell did. If the Steelers had a starting tight end, he probably would have watched from the sidelines, too.
It wasn't the Steelers vs. Detroit Lions as much as it was Guys Who Are Temporarily Wearing Steelers Uniforms against the Lions.
The coaches got some video tape on marginal players who will be sent packing in the coming weeks (or starting at tight end). It was basically a continuation of the combined practices the Steelers and Lions had in Latrobe earlier in the week.
Fans must buy preseason games as part of their season ticket package.
It probably worked out. People got a chance to scout for an increasingly rare parking spot on the North Side and got a head start on their tailgate drinking routine.
---
--WORKING OVERTIME?
Jameson Taillon is looking more like a major league pitcher every time he starts.
His success is welcome after the rotation has struggled so badly, but it does come with a caveat. Taillon didn't pitch competitively for the last two seasons because of injuries, including Tommy John surgery.
He's never thrown more than 147 innings in a professional season. He's currently at 121 innings.
Will there come a time the Pirates have to start consciously curtailing Taillon's innings?
---
--NUMBERS PLEASE
Every time designated hitter Pedro Alvarez hits a home run for Baltimore, some irrationally angry Pirates fans yell, "See?....see?"
Easy does it. The Pirates' offense is actually better than it was last year, and they're hitting more home runs, too.
After 112 games, this year's team is superior in runs (503 to 475), home runs (103 to 95), on-base percentage (.329 to .320), slugging percentage (.401 to .394) and OPS (.730 to .714).
The only decline is a negligible one in batting average (.259 to .257).
The difference between last season and this one has been sub-standard starting pitching for more than half a season.
---
--WORTH REPEATING
There was a court date last week for the woman who was hit in the head by a foul ball while standing behind the home plate screen at PNC Park.
Exhibiting the kind of restraint common to local TV news, KDKA-TV showed her getting conked in the head five times in less than 30 seconds. There would have been a sixth replay, but the script on the voiceover ended.
The record was probably broken later by the guy who face-planted his own plate of nachos.
---
--MORE OF THE SAME
Just when you thought those post-game interviews on Root Sports couldn't get more unctuous, Robby Incmikoski established a new standard on Friday.
He ended an interview with Andrew McCutchen by pointing to the camera and telling McCutchen, "Say goodbye to everybody in Pittsburgh and thank them for staying up this late."
McCutchen looked at the camera, nodded, and walked away without saying a word.
---
--REACHING DEEP
Some of Steve Blass' random digressions on Pirates broadcasts are taking on that "crazy uncle" flavor.
OK, you understand there will be a Bob Gibson reference at some point. (Gibson, who's now 80, last pitched in 1975).
But the presence of Travis Jankowski in the Padres lineup led Blass to reference a 1965 instrumental hit, "A Walk In The Black Forest" by Horst Jankowski.
It reached No. 12 on the Billboard chart, but probably hasn't been played on radio since 1965.
If Casey Kasem were still around, it's doubtful he'd remember the record.
---
--COUPLES TRIP
Thirty Pirates wives are accompanying their husbands on the current trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Wonder if there would be as much participation if the destinations were Cincinnati and Milwaukee?
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Altoona Mirror, August 7, 2016
Mike Tomlin is starting his 10th season as Steelers coach, which is something of a miracle.
Had his status been put to a public referendum, he probably wouldn't have lasted 10 games.
The only thing people like more than the Steelers is complaining about their head coach, even though he's never had a losing season.
Understand that people not only complained about Bill Cowher, they spread vicious rumors about him, too. Coaching the Steelers is not for the faint of heart, or for those who are tempted to punch up sports talk on the radio when they're driving home from work.
The successful coach needs total focus, and Tomlin appears to have that locked.
So he doesn't hear the critics, and he doesn't hear the sad cases who seem to think his presence is nothing but payback for Dan Rooney's advocacy for minority hiring.
Like anyone else, Tomlin is not perfect. He could use a wise old assistant who could help with clock management and other details. The sideline can often be chaotic.
But Tomlin is clearly among the NFL's best coaches, although you wouldn't know it if you read about him on message boards.
One of the criticisms about Tomlin that falls short is pinning blame on him for drug issues that some players have.
Martavis Bryant is sitting out this season after running afoul of the NFL drug policy, and Le'Veon Bell is likely facing a four-game suspension.
The fault for Bryant's penalty lies with Bryant. If Bell winds up missing those four games, blame Bell.
Players are adults. They make choices. When they make wrong choices, it's on them.
When Mike Adams winds up being stabbed after some sort of middle-of-the-night incident on Carson Street, it's not Tomlin's fault. No coach can keep his players under 24-hour surveillance.
The Steelers had drug issues when Chuck Noll was coaching. Joe Gilliam's once-promising career was derailed in part by drug issues.
Tim Worley was suspended for an entire season for missing drug tests.
Gilliam and Worley were not minor players. Gilliam was the starting quarterback for the first six weeks in 1974, the first season that led the Steelers to the Super Bowl. Worley was the team's No. 1 draft pick in 1989, the seventh player taken overall.
At the end of the workday, the players go home. They do the same at the end of the season.
There's a misconception that Bill Cowher has a disciplinarian who tolerated very little. Part of Cowher's routine was fielding a weekly call from Kordell Stewart's agent, who brought him up to date on how Kordell was feeling about things.
Bam Morris was still employed by the Steelers the first time he was arrested for marijuana possession. Plaxico Burress had a lot of drama.
Players know right from wrong. When they choose, it's their decision. Don't blame the coach.
---
--CHANGES COMING
You say watching Jeff Locke pitch is bad for your heart? Your blood pressure spikes as soon as he wraps his hand around the baseball?
Rest easy. Relief is on the way.
Locke won't be with the Pirates next season. He's being paid $3.025 million this season, which was his first under arbitration eligibility. Because the system rewards another year of service time regardless of performance, Locke would probably be looking at something around $5 million next season.
The Pirates aren't going pay that for that. Nor should they.
---
--WORTH WATCHING?
Inside word is the Pirates think they have something in Drew Hutchison, the pitcher acquired from Toronto in the Francisco Liriano deal.
They don't think that Hutchison is a project or a warm body, but rather a starter who can make a positive contribution in next year's rotation.
---
--HEAD COUNT
The USA has 554 athletes at the Olympics.
Heck, the Russians probably have that many chemists there.
Had his status been put to a public referendum, he probably wouldn't have lasted 10 games.
The only thing people like more than the Steelers is complaining about their head coach, even though he's never had a losing season.
Understand that people not only complained about Bill Cowher, they spread vicious rumors about him, too. Coaching the Steelers is not for the faint of heart, or for those who are tempted to punch up sports talk on the radio when they're driving home from work.
The successful coach needs total focus, and Tomlin appears to have that locked.
So he doesn't hear the critics, and he doesn't hear the sad cases who seem to think his presence is nothing but payback for Dan Rooney's advocacy for minority hiring.
Like anyone else, Tomlin is not perfect. He could use a wise old assistant who could help with clock management and other details. The sideline can often be chaotic.
But Tomlin is clearly among the NFL's best coaches, although you wouldn't know it if you read about him on message boards.
One of the criticisms about Tomlin that falls short is pinning blame on him for drug issues that some players have.
Martavis Bryant is sitting out this season after running afoul of the NFL drug policy, and Le'Veon Bell is likely facing a four-game suspension.
The fault for Bryant's penalty lies with Bryant. If Bell winds up missing those four games, blame Bell.
Players are adults. They make choices. When they make wrong choices, it's on them.
When Mike Adams winds up being stabbed after some sort of middle-of-the-night incident on Carson Street, it's not Tomlin's fault. No coach can keep his players under 24-hour surveillance.
The Steelers had drug issues when Chuck Noll was coaching. Joe Gilliam's once-promising career was derailed in part by drug issues.
Tim Worley was suspended for an entire season for missing drug tests.
Gilliam and Worley were not minor players. Gilliam was the starting quarterback for the first six weeks in 1974, the first season that led the Steelers to the Super Bowl. Worley was the team's No. 1 draft pick in 1989, the seventh player taken overall.
At the end of the workday, the players go home. They do the same at the end of the season.
There's a misconception that Bill Cowher has a disciplinarian who tolerated very little. Part of Cowher's routine was fielding a weekly call from Kordell Stewart's agent, who brought him up to date on how Kordell was feeling about things.
Bam Morris was still employed by the Steelers the first time he was arrested for marijuana possession. Plaxico Burress had a lot of drama.
Players know right from wrong. When they choose, it's their decision. Don't blame the coach.
---
--CHANGES COMING
You say watching Jeff Locke pitch is bad for your heart? Your blood pressure spikes as soon as he wraps his hand around the baseball?
Rest easy. Relief is on the way.
Locke won't be with the Pirates next season. He's being paid $3.025 million this season, which was his first under arbitration eligibility. Because the system rewards another year of service time regardless of performance, Locke would probably be looking at something around $5 million next season.
The Pirates aren't going pay that for that. Nor should they.
---
--WORTH WATCHING?
Inside word is the Pirates think they have something in Drew Hutchison, the pitcher acquired from Toronto in the Francisco Liriano deal.
They don't think that Hutchison is a project or a warm body, but rather a starter who can make a positive contribution in next year's rotation.
---
--HEAD COUNT
The USA has 554 athletes at the Olympics.
Heck, the Russians probably have that many chemists there.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Altoona Mirror, August 3, 2016
This is likely how things happened:
In the run-up to Monday's 4 p.m. trading deadline, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington gathered his staff and asked a simple question:
"Is this team a championship contender in 2016?"
The answer was probably a resounding "no," confirming what Huntington already knew.
So while they didn't overtly give up on this season, they started making moves for next season.
The biggest, and most controversial, was sending Francisco Liriano to Toronto with prospects Harold Ramirez and Reese McGuire, for pitcher Drew Hutchison. Is Hutchison that good? It wouldn't appear so. He has major league experience, but he's pitching at Class AAA, and the Pirates plan to keep him at that level.
The priority here was getting rid of Liriano's remaining contract obligation. With the rest of this year and next year, that's somewhere around $17 million. In order to take that on, Toronto demanded the two prospects. To dump a $13 million albatross from next year's budget, Huntington agreed.
The Pirates are well-stocked in the outfield, but that doesn't negate the fact that Ramirez could have been dealt for something rather than relief from Liriano's contract.
McGuire was the team's first-round draft choice in 2013. He's considered an excellent defensive catcher, but there are major questions about his ability to hit.
In the short term, the Pirates are OK at catcher with Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart signed for next season, and Elias Diaz prepared to move up soon.
Liriano's career has run hot and cold. He's been awful this year, one of the worst starting pitchers in the major leagues. With an abundance of pitching prospects on hand, it's not wrong to give up on Liriano at this point.
The other deals are less stress-inducing.
Starter Ivan Nova comes from the New York Yankees to help stabilize the rotation for the rest of this season. The Yankees will choose two players (probably B-grade prospects) from a list the Pirates make available.
Jon Niese goes back to the Mets, and Antonio Bastardo comes back to the Pirates.
Niese was a disappointment who had recently been banished to the bullpen with no hope of parole.
It's hard to figure what went wrong. He had a profile as a ground ball pitcher and he was coming to a park that favors lefthanded pitchers. He somehow wound up leading the league in allowing home runs until his innings were cut back.
People are saying the Pirates traded Neil Walker for Bastardo, but that's not accurate. Niese wasn't good, but he won eight games while he was here and ate 110 innings.
So now the starting rotation will be shaped with an eye on 2017. Opportunities abound, and there are plenty of young pitchers to compete for the spots.
Without the burden of Lirianio's contract, the Pirates can also trade for at least one starter in the offseason.
It was a dizzying day, with a major hidden meaning behind at least one of the deals, the one with Toronto.
That's baseball in this era, where revenue potential is so radically different.
Cold reality is he Pirates are getting poor production from center field (Andrew McCutchen), third base (Jung Ho Kang) and first base (John Jaso). David Freese can only cover one of the corner positions at a time. They're also below expectations offensively at second base (Josh Harrison) and catcher (Cervelli).
They have no chance to win the division. They have little chance to overtake St. Louis and Los Angeles for a wild card spot.
They're unlikely to win this year. Nobody has to like that it, but it would be foolish not to confront that truth.
If you're not a championship level team in 2016, better start working on 2017.
In the run-up to Monday's 4 p.m. trading deadline, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington gathered his staff and asked a simple question:
"Is this team a championship contender in 2016?"
The answer was probably a resounding "no," confirming what Huntington already knew.
So while they didn't overtly give up on this season, they started making moves for next season.
The biggest, and most controversial, was sending Francisco Liriano to Toronto with prospects Harold Ramirez and Reese McGuire, for pitcher Drew Hutchison. Is Hutchison that good? It wouldn't appear so. He has major league experience, but he's pitching at Class AAA, and the Pirates plan to keep him at that level.
The priority here was getting rid of Liriano's remaining contract obligation. With the rest of this year and next year, that's somewhere around $17 million. In order to take that on, Toronto demanded the two prospects. To dump a $13 million albatross from next year's budget, Huntington agreed.
The Pirates are well-stocked in the outfield, but that doesn't negate the fact that Ramirez could have been dealt for something rather than relief from Liriano's contract.
McGuire was the team's first-round draft choice in 2013. He's considered an excellent defensive catcher, but there are major questions about his ability to hit.
In the short term, the Pirates are OK at catcher with Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart signed for next season, and Elias Diaz prepared to move up soon.
Liriano's career has run hot and cold. He's been awful this year, one of the worst starting pitchers in the major leagues. With an abundance of pitching prospects on hand, it's not wrong to give up on Liriano at this point.
The other deals are less stress-inducing.
Starter Ivan Nova comes from the New York Yankees to help stabilize the rotation for the rest of this season. The Yankees will choose two players (probably B-grade prospects) from a list the Pirates make available.
Jon Niese goes back to the Mets, and Antonio Bastardo comes back to the Pirates.
Niese was a disappointment who had recently been banished to the bullpen with no hope of parole.
It's hard to figure what went wrong. He had a profile as a ground ball pitcher and he was coming to a park that favors lefthanded pitchers. He somehow wound up leading the league in allowing home runs until his innings were cut back.
People are saying the Pirates traded Neil Walker for Bastardo, but that's not accurate. Niese wasn't good, but he won eight games while he was here and ate 110 innings.
So now the starting rotation will be shaped with an eye on 2017. Opportunities abound, and there are plenty of young pitchers to compete for the spots.
Without the burden of Lirianio's contract, the Pirates can also trade for at least one starter in the offseason.
It was a dizzying day, with a major hidden meaning behind at least one of the deals, the one with Toronto.
That's baseball in this era, where revenue potential is so radically different.
Cold reality is he Pirates are getting poor production from center field (Andrew McCutchen), third base (Jung Ho Kang) and first base (John Jaso). David Freese can only cover one of the corner positions at a time. They're also below expectations offensively at second base (Josh Harrison) and catcher (Cervelli).
They have no chance to win the division. They have little chance to overtake St. Louis and Los Angeles for a wild card spot.
They're unlikely to win this year. Nobody has to like that it, but it would be foolish not to confront that truth.
If you're not a championship level team in 2016, better start working on 2017.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Altoona Mirror, July 31, 2016
So Mark Melancon is with the Washington Nationals, and you want to know if the Pirates made a good trade.
Can you hold for about two years, please?
Sorry, but that's the only valid answer for Saturday's deal that sent Melancon to Washington for set-up reliever Felipe Rivero and prospect Taylor Hearn.
Melancon is the proven commodity who has had a near-perfect record on save opportunities over three All-Star seasons.
His departure speaks to his impending free agency and general manager Neal Huntington's aversion to committing too big a percentage of his payroll to a closer. Huntington not-so-secretly believes that closers aren't that difficult to find, and this deal puts that theory to the test.
Tony Watson ascends to the ninth inning role, and Neftali Feliz takes over Watson's old job as the eighth-inning man and occasional alternative as closer.
Rivero is slotted as the seventh-inning set-up spot, a job that became vacant as Watson and Feliz were promoted, and Jared Hughes continues to disappoint.
The Pirates' two new pitchers are also evidence of Huntington's unabashed love for power arms. If they happen to be lefthanded, as they are in this case, so much the better.
The Pirates would never say this publicly, but there must be an expectation that Rivero can be considered as a potential closer within a season or two. In that time frame, Watson will be in the position Melancon was this season, and the order of succession will become important again.
Hearn is pitching in Class A. He's widely regarded as a fine prospect, but who knows what might happen along the way? Jameson Taillon, who is finally in the major leagues, is pitching again after failing to appear in a game over two seasons because of injuries.
In the short term, this depends on the new configuration of the bullpen crew's ability to handle the new responsibilities. Watson has been an effective reliever who doesn't get rattled. Feliz has a history as a closer. Rivero has to be better than Hughes has been.
Can they be as automatic as Melancon has been?
These questions will be answered, which is why the cop out was offered in the second paragraph.
The issue with the 2016 Pirates remains the starting pitching. So far, mediocre starters have been commanding big returns on the trade market, which doesn't bode well for a trade of any consequence.
The answer in that case remains improvement from within, as soon as possible.
It doesn't take two years to figure that out.
---
--FEELING BETRAYED
Ben Roethlisberger sounded like a disappointed parent the other day when he expressed his dismay over Martavis Bryant.
Bryant is sitting out this season after running afoul of the NFL's drug policy. This penalty comes a year after Bryant sat out a four-game suspension.
Roethlisberger said he spoke to Bryant almost every day last season, and concluded that Bryant looked him square in the eye and lied.
The life lesson to take from this is that people's who lives are ruled by substances are very unreliable.
The Steelers should realize this, too, and end their relationship with Bryant at the first opportunity.
---
--CUT RATE SALE
Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is one of the best in baseball, but he's famous now for destroying the team's throwback jerseys.
Apparently Bryant found the old-style shirts uncomfortable, and responded by mutilating them so they couldn't be worn.
He was suspended for five days.
How long until the White Sox auction off the shredded jerseys?
---
--OH YOU KID
You could see this coming: Root last week featured the kid who became a star with his reactions to the 18-inning game at Washington a couple of Sundays ago.
Oh boy. After the interview, you were left with the feeling you'd move if you had seats near the kid.
Can you hold for about two years, please?
Sorry, but that's the only valid answer for Saturday's deal that sent Melancon to Washington for set-up reliever Felipe Rivero and prospect Taylor Hearn.
Melancon is the proven commodity who has had a near-perfect record on save opportunities over three All-Star seasons.
His departure speaks to his impending free agency and general manager Neal Huntington's aversion to committing too big a percentage of his payroll to a closer. Huntington not-so-secretly believes that closers aren't that difficult to find, and this deal puts that theory to the test.
Tony Watson ascends to the ninth inning role, and Neftali Feliz takes over Watson's old job as the eighth-inning man and occasional alternative as closer.
Rivero is slotted as the seventh-inning set-up spot, a job that became vacant as Watson and Feliz were promoted, and Jared Hughes continues to disappoint.
The Pirates' two new pitchers are also evidence of Huntington's unabashed love for power arms. If they happen to be lefthanded, as they are in this case, so much the better.
The Pirates would never say this publicly, but there must be an expectation that Rivero can be considered as a potential closer within a season or two. In that time frame, Watson will be in the position Melancon was this season, and the order of succession will become important again.
Hearn is pitching in Class A. He's widely regarded as a fine prospect, but who knows what might happen along the way? Jameson Taillon, who is finally in the major leagues, is pitching again after failing to appear in a game over two seasons because of injuries.
In the short term, this depends on the new configuration of the bullpen crew's ability to handle the new responsibilities. Watson has been an effective reliever who doesn't get rattled. Feliz has a history as a closer. Rivero has to be better than Hughes has been.
Can they be as automatic as Melancon has been?
These questions will be answered, which is why the cop out was offered in the second paragraph.
The issue with the 2016 Pirates remains the starting pitching. So far, mediocre starters have been commanding big returns on the trade market, which doesn't bode well for a trade of any consequence.
The answer in that case remains improvement from within, as soon as possible.
It doesn't take two years to figure that out.
---
--FEELING BETRAYED
Ben Roethlisberger sounded like a disappointed parent the other day when he expressed his dismay over Martavis Bryant.
Bryant is sitting out this season after running afoul of the NFL's drug policy. This penalty comes a year after Bryant sat out a four-game suspension.
Roethlisberger said he spoke to Bryant almost every day last season, and concluded that Bryant looked him square in the eye and lied.
The life lesson to take from this is that people's who lives are ruled by substances are very unreliable.
The Steelers should realize this, too, and end their relationship with Bryant at the first opportunity.
---
--CUT RATE SALE
Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is one of the best in baseball, but he's famous now for destroying the team's throwback jerseys.
Apparently Bryant found the old-style shirts uncomfortable, and responded by mutilating them so they couldn't be worn.
He was suspended for five days.
How long until the White Sox auction off the shredded jerseys?
---
--OH YOU KID
You could see this coming: Root last week featured the kid who became a star with his reactions to the 18-inning game at Washington a couple of Sundays ago.
Oh boy. After the interview, you were left with the feeling you'd move if you had seats near the kid.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Altoona Mirror, July 24, 2016
It was a one in a million shot that paid huge dividends.
Root Sports' compulsion to show crowd shots during Pirates broadcasts finally resulted in something worthwhile.
During last Sunday's 18-inning marathon in Washington, the cameras focused on a young boy with his family. The kid was right out of central casting, the kind of kid who could probably make a nice living appearing in McDonald's commercials.
We saw happy kid, frustrated kid, tired kid, distracted kid and, ultimately, jubilant kid when the Pirates won the game on Starling Marte's home run.
What started as another random crowd shot actually turned into a secondary story line. The game dragged on, and we watched the kid react to all the twists and turns.
We saw him leave temporarily with his father. Then we saw the results of that trip when the kid had ketchup on his cheek from his extra innings hot dog.
Before you knew it, the kid was on the highlights shows and all over the Internet.
Part of the reason this worked so well was the kid didn't know he was on TV, so his reactions were genuine. There wasn't someone sticking a camera in his face and telling him to wave or yell, "Let's go Bucs."
It was Norman Rockwell in the video age. Root even stayed out of the way during the game, leaving the kid and his family lone until after the game. Then they unleashed Robby Incmikoski on the poor people.
It was found gold, and Root wisely ran with it.
The bad thing? We'll now get a million more crowd shots that won't pay off nearly as well.
---
--LOOKING FOR ANSWERS
More than halfway into the season, and the Pirates' rotation is more unsettled than it was when spring training opened.
Most of the turmoil isn't even injury-related.
People can beat up Jeff Locke seven days a week (and they do), and there's no question his inconsistency is both frustrating and unacceptable.
Save some of the invective for Jon Niese, too, whose lousy first half earned him a demotion to the bullpen.
The Pirates have a group of talented but inexperienced prospects to mold into a rotation. Starting that process this year should make the future better, but it could be a rocky ride in 2016.
But while so-so pitchers like Locke and Niese are easy targets, the real problem has been the inability of Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano to repeat past success.
Without their No. 1 and 2 starters performing in a manner worthy of those spots, they won't be able to salvage this season.
---
--LOOKING FOR HELP
The Pirates would like to move Locke and/or Niese but undoubtedly recognize they have very limited value on the trade market.
In fact, it's hard to imagine they could move Niese withoit agreeing to pick up a big chunk of the money remaining on his contract.
At the same time, they'd also like to acquire a proven major league starter.
So they're in the unique situation of looking to both add and delete pitchers as the trade deadline approaches.
---
--BAD SURPRISE
If the reports are accurate and Le'Veon Bell winds up with a four-game suspension for missing a drug test, you pick the word:
Stupid. Selfish. Reckless. Irresponsible. Immature. Dumb. Unprofessional. Thoughtless.
Actually, if the suspension becomes official, they all apply.
For all the vetting of draft choices, how can there still be unhappy surprises like those from Bell and Martavis Bryant?
The NFL Players Association is probably working now on getting marijuana penalties reduced in the next labor agreement. Until then, though, it's the letter of the law.
Seems like a guy who recently rapped about getting a $15 million contract would realize that.
In the meantime, the Steelers should be looking for a running back.
Root Sports' compulsion to show crowd shots during Pirates broadcasts finally resulted in something worthwhile.
During last Sunday's 18-inning marathon in Washington, the cameras focused on a young boy with his family. The kid was right out of central casting, the kind of kid who could probably make a nice living appearing in McDonald's commercials.
We saw happy kid, frustrated kid, tired kid, distracted kid and, ultimately, jubilant kid when the Pirates won the game on Starling Marte's home run.
What started as another random crowd shot actually turned into a secondary story line. The game dragged on, and we watched the kid react to all the twists and turns.
We saw him leave temporarily with his father. Then we saw the results of that trip when the kid had ketchup on his cheek from his extra innings hot dog.
Before you knew it, the kid was on the highlights shows and all over the Internet.
Part of the reason this worked so well was the kid didn't know he was on TV, so his reactions were genuine. There wasn't someone sticking a camera in his face and telling him to wave or yell, "Let's go Bucs."
It was Norman Rockwell in the video age. Root even stayed out of the way during the game, leaving the kid and his family lone until after the game. Then they unleashed Robby Incmikoski on the poor people.
It was found gold, and Root wisely ran with it.
The bad thing? We'll now get a million more crowd shots that won't pay off nearly as well.
---
--LOOKING FOR ANSWERS
More than halfway into the season, and the Pirates' rotation is more unsettled than it was when spring training opened.
Most of the turmoil isn't even injury-related.
People can beat up Jeff Locke seven days a week (and they do), and there's no question his inconsistency is both frustrating and unacceptable.
Save some of the invective for Jon Niese, too, whose lousy first half earned him a demotion to the bullpen.
The Pirates have a group of talented but inexperienced prospects to mold into a rotation. Starting that process this year should make the future better, but it could be a rocky ride in 2016.
But while so-so pitchers like Locke and Niese are easy targets, the real problem has been the inability of Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano to repeat past success.
Without their No. 1 and 2 starters performing in a manner worthy of those spots, they won't be able to salvage this season.
---
--LOOKING FOR HELP
The Pirates would like to move Locke and/or Niese but undoubtedly recognize they have very limited value on the trade market.
In fact, it's hard to imagine they could move Niese withoit agreeing to pick up a big chunk of the money remaining on his contract.
At the same time, they'd also like to acquire a proven major league starter.
So they're in the unique situation of looking to both add and delete pitchers as the trade deadline approaches.
---
--BAD SURPRISE
If the reports are accurate and Le'Veon Bell winds up with a four-game suspension for missing a drug test, you pick the word:
Stupid. Selfish. Reckless. Irresponsible. Immature. Dumb. Unprofessional. Thoughtless.
Actually, if the suspension becomes official, they all apply.
For all the vetting of draft choices, how can there still be unhappy surprises like those from Bell and Martavis Bryant?
The NFL Players Association is probably working now on getting marijuana penalties reduced in the next labor agreement. Until then, though, it's the letter of the law.
Seems like a guy who recently rapped about getting a $15 million contract would realize that.
In the meantime, the Steelers should be looking for a running back.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Altoona Mirror, July 17, 2016
Some quick takes on the Pirates:
--General manager Neal Huntington is usually ultra-guarded in his public comments, but he had no problem expressing his buyers remorse on Jon Niese.
Huntington basically said if he had the Neil Walker trade to do over, he'd take a couple of marginal prospects from the Mets and save the $9 million dent Niese is making in this year's payroll.
The Pirates hold options for two more seasons in Niese. He should not expect those to be picked up.
--It could just be a coincidence, but Jung Ho Kang has done practically nothing since the alleged incident in Chicago which is being investigated.
Put him on the restricted list. He isn't helping. Offensively and defensively, Kang lately hasn't been close to the player he was last year.
--Clint Hurdle has clearly lost confidence in Jared Hughes. Not that he doesn't ample reason to feel that way.
--Josh Bell will be back in September, if not sooner. If the organization is willing to say his defensive work at first base still needs work, it's safe to guess that the prospect of Bell playing regularly at first is pretty much scaring them right now.
--Pitching, pitching, pitching. Those should be the top three items on Huntington's shopping list as the trade deadline approaches.
---
--CITY OF CHAMPIONS?
The national spotlight will be on Cleveland this week because of the Republican national convention.
The city got a huge publicity boost last month when the Cavaliers won the NBA championship, bringing Cleveland its first major sports title since the Browns won in 1964.
The Indians currently lead the American League Central by a comfortable margin. They had a 14-game winning streak before the All-Star break.
Wouldn't it be a hoot if after that 52-year drought, Cleveland won a World Series and an NBA title in the same year?
There's little danger of a trifecta. The Browns will consider it progress if they can start and finish the season with the same quarterback and head coach.
---
--NEW DEAL
Defenseman Justin Schultz signed with the Penguins last week after sampling the free agent market.
Schultz signed for $1.4 million. He made $3.8 million last season.
Either he's the ultimate team player, or he didn't have any other offers.
---
--TWO GOOD MEN
Former Pirates executive Bill Guilfoile died recently at 84.
He was the PR director from 1970-78, and was in charge when I started covering the Pirates in 1974. Bill was a gentleman who treated everyone with kindness and respect. He never wavered from those basic values even though he worked in the rough and tumble world of baseball, where it often seems profanity is the universal language.
Among other duties, Bill handled the transition from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium, the 1971 World Series, and the sad task of confirming Roberto Clemente's death on New Years Eve, 1972.
After leaving Pittsburgh, Bill worked for the Baseball Hall of Fame until his retirement. Recent years had been a battle because Alzheimer's is so cruel.
Jack Riley, the Penguins' first general manager, died last week at 97.
He was a regular at home games as long as his health allowed. He was always generous in sharing his knowledge and memories. During Sidney Crosby's rookie season, I was sitting next to Jack. He tapped me on the arm and said with admiration, "Look at the way he wins every battle along the boards."
Anyone could see Crosby's speed and skill. It took a hockey lifer to appreciate that aspect of his game.
It was an honor to know Bill Guilfoile and Jack Riley.
--General manager Neal Huntington is usually ultra-guarded in his public comments, but he had no problem expressing his buyers remorse on Jon Niese.
Huntington basically said if he had the Neil Walker trade to do over, he'd take a couple of marginal prospects from the Mets and save the $9 million dent Niese is making in this year's payroll.
The Pirates hold options for two more seasons in Niese. He should not expect those to be picked up.
--It could just be a coincidence, but Jung Ho Kang has done practically nothing since the alleged incident in Chicago which is being investigated.
Put him on the restricted list. He isn't helping. Offensively and defensively, Kang lately hasn't been close to the player he was last year.
--Clint Hurdle has clearly lost confidence in Jared Hughes. Not that he doesn't ample reason to feel that way.
--Josh Bell will be back in September, if not sooner. If the organization is willing to say his defensive work at first base still needs work, it's safe to guess that the prospect of Bell playing regularly at first is pretty much scaring them right now.
--Pitching, pitching, pitching. Those should be the top three items on Huntington's shopping list as the trade deadline approaches.
---
--CITY OF CHAMPIONS?
The national spotlight will be on Cleveland this week because of the Republican national convention.
The city got a huge publicity boost last month when the Cavaliers won the NBA championship, bringing Cleveland its first major sports title since the Browns won in 1964.
The Indians currently lead the American League Central by a comfortable margin. They had a 14-game winning streak before the All-Star break.
Wouldn't it be a hoot if after that 52-year drought, Cleveland won a World Series and an NBA title in the same year?
There's little danger of a trifecta. The Browns will consider it progress if they can start and finish the season with the same quarterback and head coach.
---
--NEW DEAL
Defenseman Justin Schultz signed with the Penguins last week after sampling the free agent market.
Schultz signed for $1.4 million. He made $3.8 million last season.
Either he's the ultimate team player, or he didn't have any other offers.
---
--TWO GOOD MEN
Former Pirates executive Bill Guilfoile died recently at 84.
He was the PR director from 1970-78, and was in charge when I started covering the Pirates in 1974. Bill was a gentleman who treated everyone with kindness and respect. He never wavered from those basic values even though he worked in the rough and tumble world of baseball, where it often seems profanity is the universal language.
Among other duties, Bill handled the transition from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium, the 1971 World Series, and the sad task of confirming Roberto Clemente's death on New Years Eve, 1972.
After leaving Pittsburgh, Bill worked for the Baseball Hall of Fame until his retirement. Recent years had been a battle because Alzheimer's is so cruel.
Jack Riley, the Penguins' first general manager, died last week at 97.
He was a regular at home games as long as his health allowed. He was always generous in sharing his knowledge and memories. During Sidney Crosby's rookie season, I was sitting next to Jack. He tapped me on the arm and said with admiration, "Look at the way he wins every battle along the boards."
Anyone could see Crosby's speed and skill. It took a hockey lifer to appreciate that aspect of his game.
It was an honor to know Bill Guilfoile and Jack Riley.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)