A couple of precocious kids, ages 10 and 11, got 15 minutes of publicity for their campaign to bring the NBA to town.
They started a fund-raising effort that led to a couple of billboards advertising their desire to see the NBA join the local sports scene.
Waste of time. The kids should have spent their money on cigarettes and fireworks, like their peers do.
The NBA has no immediate plans to expand or relocate, and if that changes, Pittsburgh still isn't on the NBA's list of places to go.
In fact, it's something of a miracle that a market the size of Pittsburgh has three major professional sports franchises, all of which happen to be thriving at the moment.
The Steelers have a sellout streak that started when Richard Nixon was president. The Penguins have a long streak of sellouts that spans their presence in two different venues. Pirates attendance at PNC Park has never gone below the level of respectable, even during a long losing streak. They're setting records now that the team is contending again.
But it's more than just selling tickets. An NBA franchise would have to sell luxury boxes and corporate sponsorships. They'd have to line up advertisers for broadcasts, and approach many of the same companies who are already spending huge sums of money on the three existing teams.
Markets similar to Pittsburgh rarely have all four pro sports -- St. Louis, Tampa, Cleveland and Charlotte also have three of four. Smaller markets like Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Kansas City have two of the four.
This has nothing to do with Pittsburgh's past pro basketball history. Most of that was a lifetime ago and involved either minor leagues or upstart leagues, like the ABA, which included the Pipers/Condors.
It takes a lot of money from a lot of sources to prop up pro sports, and Pittsburgh's card is full with the three teams.
At least these were just naive kids trying to drum up support. It never makes sense when the media reacts to some loon publicity hound who sends a letter to the NBA and then calls a news conference to announce his "plan."
---
--THE MADNESS
Something to remember as more bracket sheets are run through the shredder: That Syracuse team in the Elite Eight lost to Pitt three times in the regular season.
---
--GET READY
The annual "Guess How Many Games The Pirates Will Win" contest is up and running at my "Mainly Mehno" blog at the altoonamirror.com website.
Go there for details. It costs nothing to enter and you could win the prize.
http://altoonamirror.com/page/blogs.detail/display/6481/The-2016-Contest-is-Here.html
---
--JOE GARAGIOLA
Joe Garagiola played on the 1952 Pirates, who lost 112 games on a 154-game schedule. No wonder he became a baseball humorist.
Garagiola, who died last week at 90, was best remembered for NBC's Game of the Week, but he was a versatile broadcaster. His credits included two stints on the panel of "The Today Show," filling in for Johnny Carson on "Tonight," hosting game shows and covering the Westminster Dog Show.
Two of his greatest accomplishments were lobbying against the use of spit tobacco in baseball and helping to found the Baseball Assistance Team. The organization helps former players and their family members who are in need.
They confidentially investigate, then do what is necessary to solve problems. Players from previous generations didn't make millions and a lot of players didn't qualify for a pension. The BAT has secretly helped scores of former players with basic necessities.
---
--JUST SAYING
People want to hear about your brackets about as much as they want to see your dental x-rays.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Altoona Mirror, March 20, 2016
Adam LaRoche has been playing Major League Baseball since 2004, but he didn't become famous until last week.
That's when the story of his retirement from baseball blew up, only because of the circumstances.
LaRoche said he was walking away from his $13 million salary because the Chicago White Sox said they didn't want his 14-year-old son hanging around the clubhouse on a full-time basis.
Drake LaRoche doesn't go to school; instead he goes to work with his dad, even though Drake doesn't really have a job with the White Sox.
He has a locker and a uniform and he apparently just sort of shadows his father. He hangs out.
Adam LaRoche claims that White Sox executive Ken Williams reneged on an agreement that Drake was welcome as an adjunct team member. There are now reports that some White Sox players complained about Drake being around all the time. Other players defended his presence.
There are a lot of angles to this story, but here's the one that should override them all:
The locker room of a professional sports team is no place for a 14-year-old. Even though today's kids are more worldly and sophisticated than the Opie Taylors of another era, they're destined to see and hear things in a clubhouse that most 14-year-olds shouldn't be forced to process.
Most players are fine upstanding citizens who are admirable role models. Some are not.
The money and the lifestyle can corrupt. Some players start to believe that money can buy them out of anything. Rules? Who needs them when you're rich and famous?
When people are lining up to pay for a scribbled signature on a photo, it can twist one's perspective.
The money and notoriety can warp values. A generation ago, a Pirates player approached a front office operative about buying a season ticket. He wanted something in right field.
Sure, the team guy said, but we can get you a better location than that. No, the player said, it's for my girlfriend and I don't want her sitting anywhere near my wife.
Back in the "We Are Family" era, the Pirates wives organized to do some work for charities. They had a meeting one afternoon when the team was on the road, and someone decided it would be fun to hold it in the clubhouse.
The door was unlocked, and the wives naturally checked out their husbands' lockers. At least one wife was appalled at the collection of phone numbers and photos that her husband had attached to the inside of his locker.
During the 20-year losing streak, a group of players hung around late after a game to discuss their problems over some beers. The next day, early arrivals noticed an arrow had been shot through a big screen TV that sat in the middle of the clubhouse.
No perpetrator was officially identified, but the archers on the team were led by avid outdoorsman Adam LaRoche.
Hey, when you're making $5 million year (as LaRoche was then), what's an extra three grand to buy a replacement TV?
There used to be a sign posted in every clubhouse: "What you see here, hear here and say here....let it stay here."
There was a reason for that. There are also a lot of good reasons a 14-year-old shouldn't be hanging out in a baseball clubhouse.
---
--STAYING PUT
In case you missed it, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Adam (formerly known as Pac Man) Jones to a contract extension last week.
It's three years and $24 million. Because sometimes it's crunch time in a playoff game, and you need somebody to do something profoundly stupid to give the game away.
Now the Bengals know they're covered.
That's when the story of his retirement from baseball blew up, only because of the circumstances.
LaRoche said he was walking away from his $13 million salary because the Chicago White Sox said they didn't want his 14-year-old son hanging around the clubhouse on a full-time basis.
Drake LaRoche doesn't go to school; instead he goes to work with his dad, even though Drake doesn't really have a job with the White Sox.
He has a locker and a uniform and he apparently just sort of shadows his father. He hangs out.
Adam LaRoche claims that White Sox executive Ken Williams reneged on an agreement that Drake was welcome as an adjunct team member. There are now reports that some White Sox players complained about Drake being around all the time. Other players defended his presence.
There are a lot of angles to this story, but here's the one that should override them all:
The locker room of a professional sports team is no place for a 14-year-old. Even though today's kids are more worldly and sophisticated than the Opie Taylors of another era, they're destined to see and hear things in a clubhouse that most 14-year-olds shouldn't be forced to process.
Most players are fine upstanding citizens who are admirable role models. Some are not.
The money and the lifestyle can corrupt. Some players start to believe that money can buy them out of anything. Rules? Who needs them when you're rich and famous?
When people are lining up to pay for a scribbled signature on a photo, it can twist one's perspective.
The money and notoriety can warp values. A generation ago, a Pirates player approached a front office operative about buying a season ticket. He wanted something in right field.
Sure, the team guy said, but we can get you a better location than that. No, the player said, it's for my girlfriend and I don't want her sitting anywhere near my wife.
Back in the "We Are Family" era, the Pirates wives organized to do some work for charities. They had a meeting one afternoon when the team was on the road, and someone decided it would be fun to hold it in the clubhouse.
The door was unlocked, and the wives naturally checked out their husbands' lockers. At least one wife was appalled at the collection of phone numbers and photos that her husband had attached to the inside of his locker.
During the 20-year losing streak, a group of players hung around late after a game to discuss their problems over some beers. The next day, early arrivals noticed an arrow had been shot through a big screen TV that sat in the middle of the clubhouse.
No perpetrator was officially identified, but the archers on the team were led by avid outdoorsman Adam LaRoche.
Hey, when you're making $5 million year (as LaRoche was then), what's an extra three grand to buy a replacement TV?
There used to be a sign posted in every clubhouse: "What you see here, hear here and say here....let it stay here."
There was a reason for that. There are also a lot of good reasons a 14-year-old shouldn't be hanging out in a baseball clubhouse.
---
--STAYING PUT
In case you missed it, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Adam (formerly known as Pac Man) Jones to a contract extension last week.
It's three years and $24 million. Because sometimes it's crunch time in a playoff game, and you need somebody to do something profoundly stupid to give the game away.
Now the Bengals know they're covered.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Altoona Mirror, March 13, 2016
With one free agent signing, the Pirates appear to have acquired some Jung Ho Kang insurance, beefed up the first base platoon that will replace Pedro Alvarez and added a bat that can bring thunder off the bench.
They also added David Freese at a bargain price.
So what's the catch?
Freese's signing came out of nowhere the other day and has a too-good-to-be-true feel to it.
For no more than a guaranteed $3 million on a one-year deal, the Pirates have their starting third baseman while Kang recovers from his knee surgery. They have a significant option in case Kang's recovery doesn't go smoothly.
They have a righthanded bat to share first base with John Jaso. They also have a pinch hitter who can strike fear in the late innings.
For $3 million?
These days, $3 million barely covers a lunch meeting with a free agent. It was just a couple of years ago that the Pirates were paying Clint Barmes $5 million a season.
This is a world where $3 million takes care of a player's home theater set-up (in his temporary summer place).
When you sign a free agent two weeks into the exhibition season, it's usually the ultimate scratch and dent special. You expect someone who is trying to return from a horrific injury, or someone who took three years off to intern for the Dalai Lama.
Players simply don't last that long on the free agent market unless they're irreparably flawed. For goodness sake, Alvarez found a job before Freese did.
There doesn't appear to be an injury issue. Freese had a so-so season with the Angels, down from what he used to give the Cardinals. He's also 32, which is not an especially attractive age for an everyday player.
But his OPS last season was .743, not that far from the .756 that Neil Walker posted with the Pirates.
Yet, he's coming here for what is reported to be a guaranteed $3 million, or less than half of what the Angels paid him last year.
All the other teams passed on him this long, although he's clearly not priced himself out anybody's budget?
Maybe Freese can't wait to wear those gaudy 1970's throwback uniforms the Pirates will feature at Sunday home games this year. Is he this anxious to be included on the distribution list for Clint Hurdle's daily inspirational e-mail?
The Pirates went through the offseason, mostly shopping in the final clearance aisle. They came up with Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Joyce, two players looking for rebound seasons.
Then right in the middle of the exhibition game grind, Neal Huntington suddenly pulls this giant rabbit out of someone's hat and seals the contract with what's in the petty cash box?
Maybe there's more here than appears evident now, but this looks like a potentially incredible bargain, even for a club that specializes in finding them.
---
--TIME TO GO
So long, Martavis Bryant.
It's a shame that you're wasting so much talent, but those demons can be awfully tough to fight.
The Steelers officially have no comment on reports that Bryant is facing a full season's suspension for either missing or failing drug tests. But, in retrospect, wasn't last week's re-signing of Darrius Heyward-Bey a clue that receiver depth is an issue?
Bryant is too deep in the NFL discipline system to be a reliable player. He's on the verge of having his own file drawer at league headquarters. That's when a team knows it's time to move on. There is no future.
This is a chance for Sammie Coates, last year's No. 3 pick, and perhaps for someone in the upcoming draft.
It was a great opportunity for Bryant, but it appears he blew it. Oh, what could have been -- for both sides.
They also added David Freese at a bargain price.
So what's the catch?
Freese's signing came out of nowhere the other day and has a too-good-to-be-true feel to it.
For no more than a guaranteed $3 million on a one-year deal, the Pirates have their starting third baseman while Kang recovers from his knee surgery. They have a significant option in case Kang's recovery doesn't go smoothly.
They have a righthanded bat to share first base with John Jaso. They also have a pinch hitter who can strike fear in the late innings.
For $3 million?
These days, $3 million barely covers a lunch meeting with a free agent. It was just a couple of years ago that the Pirates were paying Clint Barmes $5 million a season.
This is a world where $3 million takes care of a player's home theater set-up (in his temporary summer place).
When you sign a free agent two weeks into the exhibition season, it's usually the ultimate scratch and dent special. You expect someone who is trying to return from a horrific injury, or someone who took three years off to intern for the Dalai Lama.
Players simply don't last that long on the free agent market unless they're irreparably flawed. For goodness sake, Alvarez found a job before Freese did.
There doesn't appear to be an injury issue. Freese had a so-so season with the Angels, down from what he used to give the Cardinals. He's also 32, which is not an especially attractive age for an everyday player.
But his OPS last season was .743, not that far from the .756 that Neil Walker posted with the Pirates.
Yet, he's coming here for what is reported to be a guaranteed $3 million, or less than half of what the Angels paid him last year.
All the other teams passed on him this long, although he's clearly not priced himself out anybody's budget?
Maybe Freese can't wait to wear those gaudy 1970's throwback uniforms the Pirates will feature at Sunday home games this year. Is he this anxious to be included on the distribution list for Clint Hurdle's daily inspirational e-mail?
The Pirates went through the offseason, mostly shopping in the final clearance aisle. They came up with Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Joyce, two players looking for rebound seasons.
Then right in the middle of the exhibition game grind, Neal Huntington suddenly pulls this giant rabbit out of someone's hat and seals the contract with what's in the petty cash box?
Maybe there's more here than appears evident now, but this looks like a potentially incredible bargain, even for a club that specializes in finding them.
---
--TIME TO GO
So long, Martavis Bryant.
It's a shame that you're wasting so much talent, but those demons can be awfully tough to fight.
The Steelers officially have no comment on reports that Bryant is facing a full season's suspension for either missing or failing drug tests. But, in retrospect, wasn't last week's re-signing of Darrius Heyward-Bey a clue that receiver depth is an issue?
Bryant is too deep in the NFL discipline system to be a reliable player. He's on the verge of having his own file drawer at league headquarters. That's when a team knows it's time to move on. There is no future.
This is a chance for Sammie Coates, last year's No. 3 pick, and perhaps for someone in the upcoming draft.
It was a great opportunity for Bryant, but it appears he blew it. Oh, what could have been -- for both sides.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Altoona Mirror, March 6, 2016
The Baltimore Orioles have banned the postgame pie in the face.
Somewhere, Moe, Larry and Curly weep. (OK, Shemp, too, for you purists).
Like a lot of fun-loving teams, the Orioles hit on the idea of slamming a pie in the face of a player being interviewed on live TV on the field after the game. Unlike other teams, the Orioles used a real pie rather than a glob of shaving cream arranged to simulate pastry.
In fact, Adam Jones had a deal with a local bakery to provide the pies. If any pies find their way into the Orioles clubhouse this season, they'll be over there on the dessert table.
Someone decided that suddenly jamming a pound or so of pie filling in someone's face could lead to trouble. What took them so long?
Real pies weren't meant to be weapons. They're too heavy and gooey. A lot of people wear contact lenses, and a face full of pie can't be good for that. It wouldn't take much to start choking on a sudden invasion of blueberries.
Sure, it was funny the first thousand or so times, but then even pre-schoolers tired of it.
The faux pie became a Pirates tradition mostly because of A.J. Burnett. He would smear some shaving cream into a towel, sneak up behind the player and -- WHAP! -- hit him in the face with the mess, usually twisting it around for added effect.
It presented a moral dilemma for the Root Sports interviewer. The Root person could obviously see the attack coming. Was there an obligation to warn the victim? Poor Lacee Collins must have wrestled with that one.
It made a mess for the clubhouse workers to clean up, but it cracked up the 30 people who lingered behind the dugout to watch the interview.
Shaving cream arriving in that quantity and velocity is not a pleasant experience. There's the choking menthol scent, the eye-burning chemicals and the shock of suddenly having a hand in one's face. It never rose to the level of waterboarding, but it obviously wasn't as much fun for the receiver as it apparently was for the perpetrator.
Burnett is retired now, presumably hunting and fishing and stacking $100 bills floor to ceiling like Legos after making more than $144 million in his baseball career. If he's really a sportsman, maybe he can sneak up on a grizzly and slam him with a shaving cream pie.
Alas, it's time for all major league teams to let go of the pie tradition. At the risk of sounding like a cranky grandmother telling the kids to wear their galoshes, no good can come of it. Somebody could get hurt and it really isn't that funny.
Maybe the Hall of Fame can memorialize the practice with a display that includes a can of Foamy, the requisite Gatorade towel and a cap stained with whatever scary substances make up shaving cream.
And perhaps a Three Stooges video playing on a loop. After all, they were the masters.
---
--BUD COLLINS
Bud Collins, who set the standard for tennis coverage in both broadcast and print, died the other day.
He was well known for his network assignments, like Wimbledon, but does anyone remember that he worked for WPXI-TV (then WIIC) in Pittsburgh in the 1970s?
Collins was the analyst on the station's coverage of the inaugural season of World Team Tennis. He worked with Sam Nover on the Pittsburgh Triangles broadcasts.
---
--UP AND DOWN
The Penguins not only found a way to beat the New York Rangers last week, they even rattled the unflappable Henrik Lundqvist.
The Rangers' All-Star goalie got upset enough to attack the cage like a blocking sled, knocking it off its posts and earning a penalty in the process.
The Penguins celebrated this step forward by taking a giant leap backwards and losing a home game to a lousy Calgary team.
It's one of those seasons.
Somewhere, Moe, Larry and Curly weep. (OK, Shemp, too, for you purists).
Like a lot of fun-loving teams, the Orioles hit on the idea of slamming a pie in the face of a player being interviewed on live TV on the field after the game. Unlike other teams, the Orioles used a real pie rather than a glob of shaving cream arranged to simulate pastry.
In fact, Adam Jones had a deal with a local bakery to provide the pies. If any pies find their way into the Orioles clubhouse this season, they'll be over there on the dessert table.
Someone decided that suddenly jamming a pound or so of pie filling in someone's face could lead to trouble. What took them so long?
Real pies weren't meant to be weapons. They're too heavy and gooey. A lot of people wear contact lenses, and a face full of pie can't be good for that. It wouldn't take much to start choking on a sudden invasion of blueberries.
Sure, it was funny the first thousand or so times, but then even pre-schoolers tired of it.
The faux pie became a Pirates tradition mostly because of A.J. Burnett. He would smear some shaving cream into a towel, sneak up behind the player and -- WHAP! -- hit him in the face with the mess, usually twisting it around for added effect.
It presented a moral dilemma for the Root Sports interviewer. The Root person could obviously see the attack coming. Was there an obligation to warn the victim? Poor Lacee Collins must have wrestled with that one.
It made a mess for the clubhouse workers to clean up, but it cracked up the 30 people who lingered behind the dugout to watch the interview.
Shaving cream arriving in that quantity and velocity is not a pleasant experience. There's the choking menthol scent, the eye-burning chemicals and the shock of suddenly having a hand in one's face. It never rose to the level of waterboarding, but it obviously wasn't as much fun for the receiver as it apparently was for the perpetrator.
Burnett is retired now, presumably hunting and fishing and stacking $100 bills floor to ceiling like Legos after making more than $144 million in his baseball career. If he's really a sportsman, maybe he can sneak up on a grizzly and slam him with a shaving cream pie.
Alas, it's time for all major league teams to let go of the pie tradition. At the risk of sounding like a cranky grandmother telling the kids to wear their galoshes, no good can come of it. Somebody could get hurt and it really isn't that funny.
Maybe the Hall of Fame can memorialize the practice with a display that includes a can of Foamy, the requisite Gatorade towel and a cap stained with whatever scary substances make up shaving cream.
And perhaps a Three Stooges video playing on a loop. After all, they were the masters.
---
--BUD COLLINS
Bud Collins, who set the standard for tennis coverage in both broadcast and print, died the other day.
He was well known for his network assignments, like Wimbledon, but does anyone remember that he worked for WPXI-TV (then WIIC) in Pittsburgh in the 1970s?
Collins was the analyst on the station's coverage of the inaugural season of World Team Tennis. He worked with Sam Nover on the Pittsburgh Triangles broadcasts.
---
--UP AND DOWN
The Penguins not only found a way to beat the New York Rangers last week, they even rattled the unflappable Henrik Lundqvist.
The Rangers' All-Star goalie got upset enough to attack the cage like a blocking sled, knocking it off its posts and earning a penalty in the process.
The Penguins celebrated this step forward by taking a giant leap backwards and losing a home game to a lousy Calgary team.
It's one of those seasons.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Altoona Mirror, February 28, 2016
Major League Baseball sent a mixed message to its middle infielders last week.
They adjusted sliding rules in an effort to minimize the kind of devastating injury that ended the 2015 season of the Pirates' Jung Ho Kang.
At the same time, they decided the long-standing "neighborhood" play at second base would now be reviewable. That means it's subject to the kind of nit-picking frame-by-frame replay that now occurs when a player pops up from his slide and loses contact with the base for a split second while the fielder is still applying a tag.
(Quick parenthetical aside: Those who say baseball never changes haven't been paying attention. They're making changes so quickly it seems like the rule book is now contained in a loose leaf binder).
Base runners are now not permitted to go after fielders in order to break up a double play. That's all well and good, but the biggest mistake on Kang's play was made by Kang. A fielder can't plant himself in the base path without being prepared for an unfavorable outcome.
Most pivot men on the double play either skip to the side or go airborne to avoid the inevitable collision. Those escapes have been the basis for thousands of AP "action" photos over the decades.
Kang stood there, his leg firmly in the way. That's why one of this spring's storylines is speculating on when Kang might return to the lineup.
The "neighborhood" play has been around forever and mostly guided by common sense. If a fielder has the ball and is close enough to the base, he gets the out call.
Now that could go to the replay center/pizza party at the mysterious video review center.
Infielders will have to put a premium on making sure they have possession of the ball and contact with the base. Getting within an inch or two won't do any more.
This will undoubtedly disrupt the flow of the play. Smart fielders will slow down, take the sure out at second, then get out of the way of the onrushing base runner.
Fielders who aren't as smart will try to get that out at second, then complete the double play. It's not hard to imagine some nasty collisions in the seconds it takes for that to unfold.
So middle infielders could still be limping off the field with assistance from trainers. They just may be doing it for different reasons.
---
--STAY SEATED
Western Pennsylvania native and Arizona coach Sean Miller got in a little trouble for complaining about the trend of fans storming the court after their basketball team wins.
Miller probably went too far in suggesting that one of his players might punch the invaders, but his fundamental point was correct.
Fans have no business on the court or the field or ice or wherever the game is being played. Your grandmother was right when she said that someone is going to get hurt. The rush of bodies is a force that will swarm, and possibly injure someone seriously.
There's no reason why players, coaches and game officials should find themselves surrounded by fans. Assume that most of them are happy, but what about the guy who has a beef with a call that was made in the first half?
A ticket to the game corresponds to a seat in the stands. Stay there.
---
--WHITHER PEDRO?
At this typing, spring training camps are open and free agent Pedro Alvarez still hasn't signed anywhere.
He was never the hottest ticket on the market, but a guy with his power history should draw some interest from someone, even if it's only a non-roster tryout invitation.
Are there offers and Alvarez and his agent are turning them down? Or has he inspired this much apathy among major league teams?
If the latter is the case, his future might be in Japan.
They adjusted sliding rules in an effort to minimize the kind of devastating injury that ended the 2015 season of the Pirates' Jung Ho Kang.
At the same time, they decided the long-standing "neighborhood" play at second base would now be reviewable. That means it's subject to the kind of nit-picking frame-by-frame replay that now occurs when a player pops up from his slide and loses contact with the base for a split second while the fielder is still applying a tag.
(Quick parenthetical aside: Those who say baseball never changes haven't been paying attention. They're making changes so quickly it seems like the rule book is now contained in a loose leaf binder).
Base runners are now not permitted to go after fielders in order to break up a double play. That's all well and good, but the biggest mistake on Kang's play was made by Kang. A fielder can't plant himself in the base path without being prepared for an unfavorable outcome.
Most pivot men on the double play either skip to the side or go airborne to avoid the inevitable collision. Those escapes have been the basis for thousands of AP "action" photos over the decades.
Kang stood there, his leg firmly in the way. That's why one of this spring's storylines is speculating on when Kang might return to the lineup.
The "neighborhood" play has been around forever and mostly guided by common sense. If a fielder has the ball and is close enough to the base, he gets the out call.
Now that could go to the replay center/pizza party at the mysterious video review center.
Infielders will have to put a premium on making sure they have possession of the ball and contact with the base. Getting within an inch or two won't do any more.
This will undoubtedly disrupt the flow of the play. Smart fielders will slow down, take the sure out at second, then get out of the way of the onrushing base runner.
Fielders who aren't as smart will try to get that out at second, then complete the double play. It's not hard to imagine some nasty collisions in the seconds it takes for that to unfold.
So middle infielders could still be limping off the field with assistance from trainers. They just may be doing it for different reasons.
---
--STAY SEATED
Western Pennsylvania native and Arizona coach Sean Miller got in a little trouble for complaining about the trend of fans storming the court after their basketball team wins.
Miller probably went too far in suggesting that one of his players might punch the invaders, but his fundamental point was correct.
Fans have no business on the court or the field or ice or wherever the game is being played. Your grandmother was right when she said that someone is going to get hurt. The rush of bodies is a force that will swarm, and possibly injure someone seriously.
There's no reason why players, coaches and game officials should find themselves surrounded by fans. Assume that most of them are happy, but what about the guy who has a beef with a call that was made in the first half?
A ticket to the game corresponds to a seat in the stands. Stay there.
---
--WHITHER PEDRO?
At this typing, spring training camps are open and free agent Pedro Alvarez still hasn't signed anywhere.
He was never the hottest ticket on the market, but a guy with his power history should draw some interest from someone, even if it's only a non-roster tryout invitation.
Are there offers and Alvarez and his agent are turning them down? Or has he inspired this much apathy among major league teams?
If the latter is the case, his future might be in Japan.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Altoona Mirror, February 21, 2016
Heath Miller represented everything the Steelers think they stand for.
He was a hard-working player who always gave an honest effort and had no interest in glory beyond being part of a winning team. He represented the team well on and off the field.
No doubt the chants of "Heeeath" pleased him, but he never bothered to spend time in front of a mirror to work out a celebratory dance to accompany that soundtrack.
If there really is a "Steeler way," Miller's picture would be on the cover of the handbook.
The Steelers, like all NFL teams, are at the mercy of their players. Sometimes you wind up with a talented but immature quarterback who winds up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Then you draft players who get pulled over and wind up being suspended for games because there was marijuana in the car.
On a lesser scale, there are the receivers who have to celebrate a six-yard completion by either spinning the ball on the turf or doing an exaggerated version of the referee's first down signal.
None of the above from Miller. He showed up for work, then he went home to his wife and kids. A big night out might have been Dairy Queen.
It was a winning formula, which is why he'll be missed now that he's announced his retirement as quietly as possible.
When Miller was in his prime, you could count on three things: 1. If he got his hands on the ball, he would catch it. 2. He wouldn't fumble. 3. It would take at least two defenders to tackle him.
Those qualities have all diminished in recent years, but that happens after 11 long seasons of high-impact football. Remember, Miller wasn't just a pass-catching tight end. He also served as an adjunct offensive lineman who blocked in some formations.
As he leaves football, you can only hope his fearless style didn't take too big a toll. He received some hellacious hits over those years, and there's heightened awareness now of the long-term danger that can cause.
When he comes back for reunions, you hope the best tight end in franchise history has good memories when he hears the inevitable cheers of "Heeeath."
---
--PARTY FIZZLES
The Dapper Dan banquet used to be a huge deal, one of the major stops on the winter circuit.
Its best years were at the Hilton Hotel, where sponsors would buy hospitality suites that made for a boozy buffet that ran all night. There were also reports of very friendly women who set up shop and offered companionship for a fee.
The Dapper Dan became more afterthought than major event for a while, but has rebounded in recent years. There are enough high rollers who will shell out for a night of corny speeches and re-warmed cafeteria food to make it a success.
Last week's edition wasn't much, though. The Sportsman of the Year, Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, didn't attend. Mike Tomlin accepted his award. Maybe winning for a second consecutive year was old hat for Brown, but he apparently had business elsewhere.
The Sportswoman of the Year, soccer star Meghan Klingenberg, was also absent. She was away training for the Olympics.
There were other award winners, notably Dick Groat and Pascal Dupuis, but it doesn't seem like much of a party when the guests of honor aren't there.
---
--FASHION STATEMENT
OK, the Pirates are going to flash back to the '70s and sport garish throwback uniforms for Sunday home games. The disco era ensemble will include a gold jersey, black pants and the black cap with horizontal stripes.
If they're going to all that effort to have the players re-create that era, shouldn't they order leisure suits for the announcers?
He was a hard-working player who always gave an honest effort and had no interest in glory beyond being part of a winning team. He represented the team well on and off the field.
No doubt the chants of "Heeeath" pleased him, but he never bothered to spend time in front of a mirror to work out a celebratory dance to accompany that soundtrack.
If there really is a "Steeler way," Miller's picture would be on the cover of the handbook.
The Steelers, like all NFL teams, are at the mercy of their players. Sometimes you wind up with a talented but immature quarterback who winds up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Then you draft players who get pulled over and wind up being suspended for games because there was marijuana in the car.
On a lesser scale, there are the receivers who have to celebrate a six-yard completion by either spinning the ball on the turf or doing an exaggerated version of the referee's first down signal.
None of the above from Miller. He showed up for work, then he went home to his wife and kids. A big night out might have been Dairy Queen.
It was a winning formula, which is why he'll be missed now that he's announced his retirement as quietly as possible.
When Miller was in his prime, you could count on three things: 1. If he got his hands on the ball, he would catch it. 2. He wouldn't fumble. 3. It would take at least two defenders to tackle him.
Those qualities have all diminished in recent years, but that happens after 11 long seasons of high-impact football. Remember, Miller wasn't just a pass-catching tight end. He also served as an adjunct offensive lineman who blocked in some formations.
As he leaves football, you can only hope his fearless style didn't take too big a toll. He received some hellacious hits over those years, and there's heightened awareness now of the long-term danger that can cause.
When he comes back for reunions, you hope the best tight end in franchise history has good memories when he hears the inevitable cheers of "Heeeath."
---
--PARTY FIZZLES
The Dapper Dan banquet used to be a huge deal, one of the major stops on the winter circuit.
Its best years were at the Hilton Hotel, where sponsors would buy hospitality suites that made for a boozy buffet that ran all night. There were also reports of very friendly women who set up shop and offered companionship for a fee.
The Dapper Dan became more afterthought than major event for a while, but has rebounded in recent years. There are enough high rollers who will shell out for a night of corny speeches and re-warmed cafeteria food to make it a success.
Last week's edition wasn't much, though. The Sportsman of the Year, Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, didn't attend. Mike Tomlin accepted his award. Maybe winning for a second consecutive year was old hat for Brown, but he apparently had business elsewhere.
The Sportswoman of the Year, soccer star Meghan Klingenberg, was also absent. She was away training for the Olympics.
There were other award winners, notably Dick Groat and Pascal Dupuis, but it doesn't seem like much of a party when the guests of honor aren't there.
---
--FASHION STATEMENT
OK, the Pirates are going to flash back to the '70s and sport garish throwback uniforms for Sunday home games. The disco era ensemble will include a gold jersey, black pants and the black cap with horizontal stripes.
If they're going to all that effort to have the players re-create that era, shouldn't they order leisure suits for the announcers?
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Altoona Mirror, February 14, 2016
Roger Goodell makes about $40 million a year to run the NFL, so it's not like anyone is going to feel sorry for him.
But it can't be a comfortable feeling when the receptionist sends word that Vontaze Burfict is in the lobby.
Burfict of the Cincinnati Bengals was at NFL headquarters last week to appeal the three-game suspension he'd been handed for his violent spree in the playoff game against the Steelers last month.
Burfict was the guy who lined up Antonio Brown and drilled the Steelers' receiver in the helmet after he'd failed to catch a pass. That play also accounted for half of the 30 yards in penalties the Steelers were gifted by the Bengals, which allowed them to kick an easy game-winning field goal.
There's no word on how long the meeting took, but Burfict soon found out that his suspension had been upheld.
We're all left to wonder on what grounds he filed the appeal?
* "Pacman Jones said it was a smart play."
* "At least I didn't kick him when he was down, like they do in WWE."
* "Bugs Bunny blows up Wile E. Coyote all the time and nobody suspends him."
* "We gave them a damn playoff game. Isn't that enough?"
Burfict wasted his time and money traveling to New York. (Come to think of it, shouldn't a dangerous character like that be on someone's no-fly list?)
On further review, maybe Goodell should have amended his penalty.
For wasting everyone's time with an appeal of such blatant lawlessness, the commissioner should have added a few more games to Burfict's suspension.
---
--CHANGE OF VENUE?
The high schools are in a tizzy because some of the WPIAL championship games will not be played at Heinz Field.
This season the high schools will be reorganized into six classifications, up from four. The Steelers have made Heinz Field available for the four-game marathon, which typically takes up most of a Saturday in November.
There's no way to play six games in a single day, and there's no way the field could hold up under the grind of six games over two days.
The result is two of the games will be played somewhere else, and that might not be a bad thing.
Heinz Field (and Three Rivers Stadium) before it has been a carrot for the high school teams. Advance to the championship round and you can play on an NFL field. The kids get to spit on the same turf that the pros do.
That's undoubtedly a thrill for most players, whose football careers will end with high school. But is it really that great?
Over the course of the long day, the WPIAL sells about 15,000 tickets. People drift in and out depending on their rooting interest.
So even under optimum conditions, the stadium is three-fourths empty for all of the games. What kind of atmosphere is that?
Would it be so bad if the games were played at one of the upscale high school stadiums with the stands packed?
---
--A WONDERFUL LIFE
Lou Michaels died recently at 80. He played for the Steelers a long time ago, a burly defensive lineman who also doubled as the team's kicker.
There was a time when a kicker was expected to play another position to justify his roster spot.
This is interesting since the Steelers have re-signed long snapper Greg Warren to another one-year contract. In his 11 seasons, Warren has earned two Super Bowl rings and been paid nearly $8 million. Just for long snapping.
Specialization pays well these days.
But it can't be a comfortable feeling when the receptionist sends word that Vontaze Burfict is in the lobby.
Burfict of the Cincinnati Bengals was at NFL headquarters last week to appeal the three-game suspension he'd been handed for his violent spree in the playoff game against the Steelers last month.
Burfict was the guy who lined up Antonio Brown and drilled the Steelers' receiver in the helmet after he'd failed to catch a pass. That play also accounted for half of the 30 yards in penalties the Steelers were gifted by the Bengals, which allowed them to kick an easy game-winning field goal.
There's no word on how long the meeting took, but Burfict soon found out that his suspension had been upheld.
We're all left to wonder on what grounds he filed the appeal?
* "Pacman Jones said it was a smart play."
* "At least I didn't kick him when he was down, like they do in WWE."
* "Bugs Bunny blows up Wile E. Coyote all the time and nobody suspends him."
* "We gave them a damn playoff game. Isn't that enough?"
Burfict wasted his time and money traveling to New York. (Come to think of it, shouldn't a dangerous character like that be on someone's no-fly list?)
On further review, maybe Goodell should have amended his penalty.
For wasting everyone's time with an appeal of such blatant lawlessness, the commissioner should have added a few more games to Burfict's suspension.
---
--CHANGE OF VENUE?
The high schools are in a tizzy because some of the WPIAL championship games will not be played at Heinz Field.
This season the high schools will be reorganized into six classifications, up from four. The Steelers have made Heinz Field available for the four-game marathon, which typically takes up most of a Saturday in November.
There's no way to play six games in a single day, and there's no way the field could hold up under the grind of six games over two days.
The result is two of the games will be played somewhere else, and that might not be a bad thing.
Heinz Field (and Three Rivers Stadium) before it has been a carrot for the high school teams. Advance to the championship round and you can play on an NFL field. The kids get to spit on the same turf that the pros do.
That's undoubtedly a thrill for most players, whose football careers will end with high school. But is it really that great?
Over the course of the long day, the WPIAL sells about 15,000 tickets. People drift in and out depending on their rooting interest.
So even under optimum conditions, the stadium is three-fourths empty for all of the games. What kind of atmosphere is that?
Would it be so bad if the games were played at one of the upscale high school stadiums with the stands packed?
---
--A WONDERFUL LIFE
Lou Michaels died recently at 80. He played for the Steelers a long time ago, a burly defensive lineman who also doubled as the team's kicker.
There was a time when a kicker was expected to play another position to justify his roster spot.
This is interesting since the Steelers have re-signed long snapper Greg Warren to another one-year contract. In his 11 seasons, Warren has earned two Super Bowl rings and been paid nearly $8 million. Just for long snapping.
Specialization pays well these days.
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