Who knows where Jung Ho Kang went or what he did on that fateful night that ended with his arrest on DUI charges.
But wherever he went or whatever he did, it probably wasn't worth $5.75 million.
That's how much money would be guaranteed under his contract with the Pirates that will be voided if he can't get a working visa to enter the United States.
There are conflicting reports about Kang's work status. The Pirates know this much: He won't be available for the opening of the season on April 3, and that creates some major roster and lineup problems.
Is he done for the season? Could he be approved sometime later?
Even if he clears the paperwork hurdle, there's still no guarantee that MLB won't impose some sort of penalty on Kang, who has three DUI offenses on his record.
If he has a drinking problem, it wasn't apparent during his first two seasons with the Pirates. It's a major problem now, as the Pirates have a big hole in a lineup that's already short on power.
Kang could legitimately be counted on for 20 to 25 home runs over a full season. Of course, he can't be counted on at all. There's no way of knowing if he'll be eligible, or when he might pass all the obstacles.
In addition to the money he's possibly guaranteed over the next two seasons, the Pirates also hold a $5.5 million option on him for the 2019 season.
In Kang's absence, the Pirates could use David Freese at third base. They shouldn't use him too often, though. Freese is soon to turn 34 and his days as an everyday player are in the past.
Another option would be moving Josh Harrison back to third base, and covering second base with some combination of Adam Frazier and Alen Hanson. That comes with considerable risk.
Neither the Pirates nor Kang comes out of this in a positive way. At $5.75 million, it has the potential to be a very expensive night on the town.
---
--JUST WATCHING
There's a crisis in the NBA over stars sitting out some road games.
It's a legitimate issue, and there's no real solution.
LeBron James recently was given a rest from a game on national TV, and the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers lost by 30 points. In another major TV game, the Golden State Warriors chose to rest Stephon Curry and three other starters.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently sent a memo to owners, suggesting they get involved in discussions about resting players. It's one of those things commissioners do to pretend they're concerned, but there isn't an answer.
Players need an occasional game off. Coaches are unlikely to sit a player for a home game. So that means fans get to see LeBron sit on a folding chair for a couple of hours.
It's undoubtedly a big disappointment for the ticket buyers, but what other choice is there?
At least take some consolation in the home team's blowing out the LeBron-less Cavaliers.
---
--SITTING OUT
Colin Kaepernick is out there and available for any NFL team that needs a quarterback.
No takers so far. He should be in that Mark Sanchez/Jay Cutler netherworld of not-quite-good-enough-but-what-else-are-we-gonna-do quarterbacks, but he has the baggage from last fall's sitdown protest of the national anthem.
Kaepernick should sit tight, though. There are never enough experienced quarterbacks to go around, and some team will get desperate.
Remember when the Steelers signed Michael \Vick?
---
--HELP WANTED
As long as Duquesne is being turned down by everyone who is offered its basketball coaching job, they might as well offer it to bigger names.
Call Pat Riley. Or Phil Jackson. Bill Russell. Larry Bird.
If you're going to get rejected, at least get rejected by big shots.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Altoona Mirror, March 19, 2017
PITTSBURGH--Every year the Pirates invite players from their past to serve as guest instructors at spring training.
It's a great PR move. Fans enjoy seeing past pros like Bill Mazeroski and Bill Virdon in uniform again. The instructional aspect is sometimes dubious since a lot of those invited have been away from the game for years, but it can't hurt.
This year John Candelaria was one of the ex-players in uniform for part of spring training.
In the 1970s, Candelaria was an excellent pitcher for the Pirates. In the 1980s, he was a royal pain in the butt.
The younger Candelaria was a lefthander who tortured lefty batters by dropping down sidearm. He won 20 games in 1977, the first time a Pirates pitcher had reached that level in 17 years. He pitched a no-hitter.
Chuck Tanner believed in Candelaria to the point that he often said if his life depended on winning one game, Candelaria would be his starter. When Candelaria was approaching free agency, Tanner told ownership Candelaria was one player the Pirates absolutely had to keep.
Things changed in the mid-1980s. Short in the bullpen, Tanner decided to make Candelaria his closer. Candelaria hated the idea. He was living the good life as a starter. Work one day, take the next four off. Relievers have to be ready to pitch every day. They have to pay attention to the games.
Candelaria decided it was time for him to leave, so he tried to force a trade. During batting practice, he stood on first base singing, "Please release me, let me go."
He began blasting general manager Pete Peterson in the media, calling him a "bozo." Candelaria found a bumper sticker that read "No bozos" and affixed to his locker.
It was a terrible time in Peterson's life. His wife had died unexpectedly and he was in turmoil. He changed. He no longer listened to his advisors and made impulsive moves that made no sense. George Hendrick, Amos Otis, Lee Mazzilli....those dubious acquisitions came out of that period of confusion.
The Pirates sank in the standings and had their first 100-loss season in decades. All the while, Candelaria kept hammering at Peterson and the Pirates. When the team had to wait for a commercial flight instead of having a charter flight from San Francisco, Candelaria complained that the Galbreaths, who owned the team, treated their race horses better than their baseball players.
It got to the point that an exasperated Peterson angrily challenged Candelaria to a fight in the Shea Stadium dugout one afternoon before a game.
Peterson was fired. His interim replacement, Joe L. Brown, traded Candelaria to the Angels. Later, Candelaria came back for an unsuccessful encore with the Pirates. They signed him in 1993, making it eight teams in seven years. Too late. He was done at 39.
Was he forgiven for the significant trouble he caused the Pirates? More likely it was forgotten. Pete Peterson was seven general managers ago.
Maybe Candelaria is a different person now. Maybe he regrets what he did 30 years ago.
But maybe he's also not the best influence on young players. Just something to think about when the guest instructor invitations go out next year.
---
--DON'T SAVE THE DATE
School officials in Waukesha, Wisc. have told Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell he isn't welcome at their prom.
He had been invited to the dance by a 17-year-old student and Steelers fan who met Bell while on a family vacation.
But the school officials banned Bell based on his arrests for marijuana possession and DUI, as well as his age (25). They made the right call. The prom should be for the students, not a media event for one attention hog.
Besides, the celebrity prom invitation is becoming as big a cliche as the scoreboard marriage proposal. If you weren't one of the first 100 to do it, don't bother.
It's a great PR move. Fans enjoy seeing past pros like Bill Mazeroski and Bill Virdon in uniform again. The instructional aspect is sometimes dubious since a lot of those invited have been away from the game for years, but it can't hurt.
This year John Candelaria was one of the ex-players in uniform for part of spring training.
In the 1970s, Candelaria was an excellent pitcher for the Pirates. In the 1980s, he was a royal pain in the butt.
The younger Candelaria was a lefthander who tortured lefty batters by dropping down sidearm. He won 20 games in 1977, the first time a Pirates pitcher had reached that level in 17 years. He pitched a no-hitter.
Chuck Tanner believed in Candelaria to the point that he often said if his life depended on winning one game, Candelaria would be his starter. When Candelaria was approaching free agency, Tanner told ownership Candelaria was one player the Pirates absolutely had to keep.
Things changed in the mid-1980s. Short in the bullpen, Tanner decided to make Candelaria his closer. Candelaria hated the idea. He was living the good life as a starter. Work one day, take the next four off. Relievers have to be ready to pitch every day. They have to pay attention to the games.
Candelaria decided it was time for him to leave, so he tried to force a trade. During batting practice, he stood on first base singing, "Please release me, let me go."
He began blasting general manager Pete Peterson in the media, calling him a "bozo." Candelaria found a bumper sticker that read "No bozos" and affixed to his locker.
It was a terrible time in Peterson's life. His wife had died unexpectedly and he was in turmoil. He changed. He no longer listened to his advisors and made impulsive moves that made no sense. George Hendrick, Amos Otis, Lee Mazzilli....those dubious acquisitions came out of that period of confusion.
The Pirates sank in the standings and had their first 100-loss season in decades. All the while, Candelaria kept hammering at Peterson and the Pirates. When the team had to wait for a commercial flight instead of having a charter flight from San Francisco, Candelaria complained that the Galbreaths, who owned the team, treated their race horses better than their baseball players.
It got to the point that an exasperated Peterson angrily challenged Candelaria to a fight in the Shea Stadium dugout one afternoon before a game.
Peterson was fired. His interim replacement, Joe L. Brown, traded Candelaria to the Angels. Later, Candelaria came back for an unsuccessful encore with the Pirates. They signed him in 1993, making it eight teams in seven years. Too late. He was done at 39.
Was he forgiven for the significant trouble he caused the Pirates? More likely it was forgotten. Pete Peterson was seven general managers ago.
Maybe Candelaria is a different person now. Maybe he regrets what he did 30 years ago.
But maybe he's also not the best influence on young players. Just something to think about when the guest instructor invitations go out next year.
---
--DON'T SAVE THE DATE
School officials in Waukesha, Wisc. have told Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell he isn't welcome at their prom.
He had been invited to the dance by a 17-year-old student and Steelers fan who met Bell while on a family vacation.
But the school officials banned Bell based on his arrests for marijuana possession and DUI, as well as his age (25). They made the right call. The prom should be for the students, not a media event for one attention hog.
Besides, the celebrity prom invitation is becoming as big a cliche as the scoreboard marriage proposal. If you weren't one of the first 100 to do it, don't bother.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Altoona Mirror, March 12, 2017
It wasn't a proud day for the Penguins when they brought Tom Sestito up from the minor leagues to serve as hired muscle in a potentially contentious game in Winnipeg last week.
Sestito got into a fight with Chris Thorburn, then earned a four-game suspension from the NHL for viciously ramming Toby Enstrom face-first into the glass.
The Jets were gunning for Evgeni Malkin for an unpenalized hit against Blake Wheeler when the teams met in Pittsburgh. The Jets thought it was a cheap shot.
So as soon as Malkin and Wheeler were on the ice, Malkin accepted Wheeler's invitation to drop the gloves. ("Wanna go?" is apparently an international language).
Wheeler won the brief fight, the players went to the penalty box, and Wheeler later expressed his respect for Malkin's willingness to answer his challenge.
It should have ended there.
But then Sestito hit the ice, and was immediately matched against Thorburn, a former Penguin who now fights for Winnipeg.
They dropped their gloves as soon as the puck was dropped and fought to a lengthy draw.
It really should have ended there.
But Mike Sullivan, who routinely uses all four of his lines, put Sestito on the ice for another shift. Sestito took several strides before driving Enstrom into the boards from behind.
The officials gave Sestito a major penalty and a game misconduct. The NHL followed up with a suspension the next day. Enstrom sustained a concussion and is out indefinitely.
Sestito's stats tell the story of his career: 150 NHL games, 10 goals, 20 points and 495 penalty minutes. In 62 seconds of ice time against Winnipeg, he managed to get 20 penalty minutes and a four-game suspension.
Sestito spent most of this season in the minor leagues, where he belongs. He was called up only because the Penguins anticipated trouble in Winnipeg.
Fighting has greatly diminished in the NHL. Before Malkin and Sestito picked up fighting majors, the Penguins had only had nine fighting penalties in their 64 games. They had gone 16 games without one, and had just two fights in the 29 games before Winnipeg. Two of the team's previous fighting majors were collected by Sestito in October.
In 2011, the Penguins played a farce of a game against the Islanders, a fight-filled revenge game that resulted in a NHL-record 346 combined penalty minutes. It was so embarrassing that Mario Lemieux issued a rare public statement, decrying the mindless violence.
Yet faced with a potentially volatile situation in Winnipeg, the Penguins followed the spirit of the Islanders' template and specifically summoned a player whose career has been defined by his willingness to fight.
In the overall picture, Sestito's game against the Jets is a mere blip (except for Enstrom). But it wasn't a very good moment for the Penguins.
---
--ANIMAL TALES
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had a beef with the Penguins over the use of live penguins at the outdoor game at Heinz Field.
PETA said the birds were frightened by fireworks set off before the game.
Turns out the NHL was responsible for importing the penguins from the National Aviary on the North Side. Officials there said the birds were fine and were not traumatized by the racket, possibly because they live on the North Side.
Good thing PETA wasn't around in the early days of the Penguins franchise. Someone thought it would be cute to have a live penguin as a mascot, and one was imported from the zoo.
"Penguin Pete" would waddle onto the ice before the game. Not for long, though. The bird contracted pneumonia and died.
These days, the Penguins have a mascot called Iceburgh, a guy in a fuzzy costume. It's not as authentic, but it's a lot safer.
Sestito got into a fight with Chris Thorburn, then earned a four-game suspension from the NHL for viciously ramming Toby Enstrom face-first into the glass.
The Jets were gunning for Evgeni Malkin for an unpenalized hit against Blake Wheeler when the teams met in Pittsburgh. The Jets thought it was a cheap shot.
So as soon as Malkin and Wheeler were on the ice, Malkin accepted Wheeler's invitation to drop the gloves. ("Wanna go?" is apparently an international language).
Wheeler won the brief fight, the players went to the penalty box, and Wheeler later expressed his respect for Malkin's willingness to answer his challenge.
It should have ended there.
But then Sestito hit the ice, and was immediately matched against Thorburn, a former Penguin who now fights for Winnipeg.
They dropped their gloves as soon as the puck was dropped and fought to a lengthy draw.
It really should have ended there.
But Mike Sullivan, who routinely uses all four of his lines, put Sestito on the ice for another shift. Sestito took several strides before driving Enstrom into the boards from behind.
The officials gave Sestito a major penalty and a game misconduct. The NHL followed up with a suspension the next day. Enstrom sustained a concussion and is out indefinitely.
Sestito's stats tell the story of his career: 150 NHL games, 10 goals, 20 points and 495 penalty minutes. In 62 seconds of ice time against Winnipeg, he managed to get 20 penalty minutes and a four-game suspension.
Sestito spent most of this season in the minor leagues, where he belongs. He was called up only because the Penguins anticipated trouble in Winnipeg.
Fighting has greatly diminished in the NHL. Before Malkin and Sestito picked up fighting majors, the Penguins had only had nine fighting penalties in their 64 games. They had gone 16 games without one, and had just two fights in the 29 games before Winnipeg. Two of the team's previous fighting majors were collected by Sestito in October.
In 2011, the Penguins played a farce of a game against the Islanders, a fight-filled revenge game that resulted in a NHL-record 346 combined penalty minutes. It was so embarrassing that Mario Lemieux issued a rare public statement, decrying the mindless violence.
Yet faced with a potentially volatile situation in Winnipeg, the Penguins followed the spirit of the Islanders' template and specifically summoned a player whose career has been defined by his willingness to fight.
In the overall picture, Sestito's game against the Jets is a mere blip (except for Enstrom). But it wasn't a very good moment for the Penguins.
---
--ANIMAL TALES
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had a beef with the Penguins over the use of live penguins at the outdoor game at Heinz Field.
PETA said the birds were frightened by fireworks set off before the game.
Turns out the NHL was responsible for importing the penguins from the National Aviary on the North Side. Officials there said the birds were fine and were not traumatized by the racket, possibly because they live on the North Side.
Good thing PETA wasn't around in the early days of the Penguins franchise. Someone thought it would be cute to have a live penguin as a mascot, and one was imported from the zoo.
"Penguin Pete" would waddle onto the ice before the game. Not for long, though. The bird contracted pneumonia and died.
These days, the Penguins have a mascot called Iceburgh, a guy in a fuzzy costume. It's not as authentic, but it's a lot safer.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Altoona Mirror, March 5, 2017
You can slice and dice the Pirates 2017 outlook countless ways, but it all comes down to this:
They need a rebound season from Gerrit Cole.
More than anything else, that will determine whether they recover from the 20-game decline they experienced last season.
Starting pitching is still the most important factor in determining how much success a team will have. The Pirates' rotation was in a state of chaos throughout 2016, mostly because the Nos. 1 and 2 starters, Cole and Francisco Liriano, failed terribly.
Cole was slow to start spring training because of a nagging injury, the first in a series that would bother him during the year. From there, bad habits developed, confidence diminished, and Cole had the first significant adversity in his career.
When it was done, his record had declined from 19-8 to 7-10, his earned run average rose by 1.28 and his WHIP increased from 1.098 to 1.440. After giving the Pirates 208 innings in 2015, he pitched just 116 innings last year.
Won-lost record is not the best indicator of a pitcher's work, but with 12 fewer wins and two more losses, Cole had a 14-game swing to the bad side. The Pirates were 20 games worse in 2016.
He actually won fewer games than the much-maligned (and now departed) Jeff Locke (9) and Jon Niese (8).
It was a terrible year for the starting staff, and it started with Cole.
He's the only one of the five original 2016 starters to return to the rotation this season. The Pirates need him.
A lot of things went wrong last year, but none was as costly as the failure of the top two starters. Liriano has since been banished to Toronto, with two prospects sacrificed for the relief of having his $14 million salary subtracted from this year's payroll.
The Pirates' rotation this year is long on promise, but short on accomplishment. Before last season's impressive 11-game audition, Ivan Nova was mostly a so-so pitcher. Is he the effective strike thrower he was after he came to the Pirates, or did they get fooled by a guy the Yankees were willing to discard?
Jameson Taillon impressed with his stuff and his poise, but his major league experience starts and ends with the 104 innings he pitched last year. Chad Kuhl, the No. 4 starter, has even less of a track record. The fifth spot is wide open.
The closest to a sure thing is Cole. He can't have a repeat of 2016 if the Pirates are to return to a winning season this year.
---
--MAKING MOVES
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford did what he had to do at the trading deadline, and did it within the restrictions that apply.
The Penguins don't have a lot of room under the salary cap, so deals almost always have to be equitable in terms of the salary leaving and that being added. He was able to pick up two very veteran defensemen (Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit) along with one who might have a future in Frank Corrado.
The price was minimal. He gave up some draft choices (including a second rounder) but there's a chance those can be regained in future deals. Eric Fehr, who had fallen on the depth chart, was sacrificed.
The Penguins didn't need a chemistry-altering jolt, and they didn't want to head into the playoffs without having Marc-Andre Fleury as goaltending insurance.
There will be bigger changes in the offseason, when some free agent issues have to be confronted. For now, the focus is solely and correctly short term -- trying to repeat last year's championship run
---
--IN CONTROL
Antonio Brown has a son named Autonomy.
Even within the context of having four "A" named sons, that's still unusual.
They need a rebound season from Gerrit Cole.
More than anything else, that will determine whether they recover from the 20-game decline they experienced last season.
Starting pitching is still the most important factor in determining how much success a team will have. The Pirates' rotation was in a state of chaos throughout 2016, mostly because the Nos. 1 and 2 starters, Cole and Francisco Liriano, failed terribly.
Cole was slow to start spring training because of a nagging injury, the first in a series that would bother him during the year. From there, bad habits developed, confidence diminished, and Cole had the first significant adversity in his career.
When it was done, his record had declined from 19-8 to 7-10, his earned run average rose by 1.28 and his WHIP increased from 1.098 to 1.440. After giving the Pirates 208 innings in 2015, he pitched just 116 innings last year.
Won-lost record is not the best indicator of a pitcher's work, but with 12 fewer wins and two more losses, Cole had a 14-game swing to the bad side. The Pirates were 20 games worse in 2016.
He actually won fewer games than the much-maligned (and now departed) Jeff Locke (9) and Jon Niese (8).
It was a terrible year for the starting staff, and it started with Cole.
He's the only one of the five original 2016 starters to return to the rotation this season. The Pirates need him.
A lot of things went wrong last year, but none was as costly as the failure of the top two starters. Liriano has since been banished to Toronto, with two prospects sacrificed for the relief of having his $14 million salary subtracted from this year's payroll.
The Pirates' rotation this year is long on promise, but short on accomplishment. Before last season's impressive 11-game audition, Ivan Nova was mostly a so-so pitcher. Is he the effective strike thrower he was after he came to the Pirates, or did they get fooled by a guy the Yankees were willing to discard?
Jameson Taillon impressed with his stuff and his poise, but his major league experience starts and ends with the 104 innings he pitched last year. Chad Kuhl, the No. 4 starter, has even less of a track record. The fifth spot is wide open.
The closest to a sure thing is Cole. He can't have a repeat of 2016 if the Pirates are to return to a winning season this year.
---
--MAKING MOVES
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford did what he had to do at the trading deadline, and did it within the restrictions that apply.
The Penguins don't have a lot of room under the salary cap, so deals almost always have to be equitable in terms of the salary leaving and that being added. He was able to pick up two very veteran defensemen (Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit) along with one who might have a future in Frank Corrado.
The price was minimal. He gave up some draft choices (including a second rounder) but there's a chance those can be regained in future deals. Eric Fehr, who had fallen on the depth chart, was sacrificed.
The Penguins didn't need a chemistry-altering jolt, and they didn't want to head into the playoffs without having Marc-Andre Fleury as goaltending insurance.
There will be bigger changes in the offseason, when some free agent issues have to be confronted. For now, the focus is solely and correctly short term -- trying to repeat last year's championship run
---
--IN CONTROL
Antonio Brown has a son named Autonomy.
Even within the context of having four "A" named sons, that's still unusual.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Altoona Mirror, February 26, 2017
They're trying to speed up baseball, the only major sport not regulated by a clock.
The first step is the implementation of the automatic intentional walk. No longer will a batter stand in the box with the bat on his shoulder, watching four pitches deliberately lobbed out of the strike zone.
We won't have that indignant "boooooo" from the crowd as soon as the catcher stands and extends his arm like he's hailing a cab. No more will the fans get to whoop when a soft toss nearly sails past the catcher. The batter and umpire will no longer have the chance to chat as four wide ones are thrown.
Should shave a good two minutes off the season, or roughly the time it takes for Francisco Cervelli to grimace and flex his hand after it's been hit by another foul tip.
The intention may be correct here, but the execution is flawed.
Baseball games don't drag because of the four pitches thrown on an intentional walk. The pace is slowed by needless dead time. Managers stand on the top step of the dugout, looking for a signal to tell them whether to ask for a replay challenge. The most basic replay reviews take too long.
Chatty catchers are forever visiting with pitchers during innings (Hello, Russell Martin). Batters who don't like a call step out of the box and wander away to make their displeasure silently known.
Hitters fuss with batting gloves. Pitchers toss out baseballs that don't feel right, then spend time rubbing up the replacements. Pinch hitters go through a Jane Fonda workout routine before they make their way from the on deck circle to the batters box. Then they stand outside the box, taking more practice swings.
Nobody will really miss the intentional walk, but that isn't the issue.
Baseball could cut some of the dead time by adopting a simple motto: Cut the crap.
Eliminate the chatter, focus on keeping the game moving and nobody will complain about how long it takes to play.
(Side thought: When you're selling $5 soft drinks and $8 beers to a captive audience, should teams really want the customers to move out that quickly?)
Anyway, that's it. Cut The Crap. Design a logo and stencil it on the fields in time for opening day. Official t-shirts, hoodies and caps available at retail outlets and online, of course.
---
--LONG-RANGE VIEW
Wonder how long it took the people in the upper reaches of Heinz Field to realize it wasn't a very good seat for hockey?
It's not like any of the tickets were cheap, either.
Outdoor hockey is an experience. It's not good hockey, and it's not a good value for ticket buyers, either.
The Flyers-Penguins game would have worked better in PNC Park, but the NHL had no interest in forfeiting half the ticket sales they made down the street.
The next time they want to bring an outdoor game to town, remember: They're not doing the fans any favors.
---
--UNEXPECTED COMPANY
Sidney Crosby's talent is undeniable. He'll go into the Hall of Fame the moment he's eligible.
But when Crosby recently reached 1,000 career points, a glance at the list of the players who have accomplished that feat revealed some unexpected names.
The superstars are obvious. But who knew Pat Verbeek (1,063 points) was on the list? Or Doug Weight (1,033)? They were both good solid players, but they're not names that come to mind when pondering the NHL's elite.
---
--ROLLER COASTER
Pitt has had a crazy basketball season under first-year coach Kevin Stallings. There's been no way to predict what the Panthers will do from game to game.
On the other hand, late February arrives and Duquesne is, as usual, seven or eight games under .500.
There's comfort in the familiar.
The first step is the implementation of the automatic intentional walk. No longer will a batter stand in the box with the bat on his shoulder, watching four pitches deliberately lobbed out of the strike zone.
We won't have that indignant "boooooo" from the crowd as soon as the catcher stands and extends his arm like he's hailing a cab. No more will the fans get to whoop when a soft toss nearly sails past the catcher. The batter and umpire will no longer have the chance to chat as four wide ones are thrown.
Should shave a good two minutes off the season, or roughly the time it takes for Francisco Cervelli to grimace and flex his hand after it's been hit by another foul tip.
The intention may be correct here, but the execution is flawed.
Baseball games don't drag because of the four pitches thrown on an intentional walk. The pace is slowed by needless dead time. Managers stand on the top step of the dugout, looking for a signal to tell them whether to ask for a replay challenge. The most basic replay reviews take too long.
Chatty catchers are forever visiting with pitchers during innings (Hello, Russell Martin). Batters who don't like a call step out of the box and wander away to make their displeasure silently known.
Hitters fuss with batting gloves. Pitchers toss out baseballs that don't feel right, then spend time rubbing up the replacements. Pinch hitters go through a Jane Fonda workout routine before they make their way from the on deck circle to the batters box. Then they stand outside the box, taking more practice swings.
Nobody will really miss the intentional walk, but that isn't the issue.
Baseball could cut some of the dead time by adopting a simple motto: Cut the crap.
Eliminate the chatter, focus on keeping the game moving and nobody will complain about how long it takes to play.
(Side thought: When you're selling $5 soft drinks and $8 beers to a captive audience, should teams really want the customers to move out that quickly?)
Anyway, that's it. Cut The Crap. Design a logo and stencil it on the fields in time for opening day. Official t-shirts, hoodies and caps available at retail outlets and online, of course.
---
--LONG-RANGE VIEW
Wonder how long it took the people in the upper reaches of Heinz Field to realize it wasn't a very good seat for hockey?
It's not like any of the tickets were cheap, either.
Outdoor hockey is an experience. It's not good hockey, and it's not a good value for ticket buyers, either.
The Flyers-Penguins game would have worked better in PNC Park, but the NHL had no interest in forfeiting half the ticket sales they made down the street.
The next time they want to bring an outdoor game to town, remember: They're not doing the fans any favors.
---
--UNEXPECTED COMPANY
Sidney Crosby's talent is undeniable. He'll go into the Hall of Fame the moment he's eligible.
But when Crosby recently reached 1,000 career points, a glance at the list of the players who have accomplished that feat revealed some unexpected names.
The superstars are obvious. But who knew Pat Verbeek (1,063 points) was on the list? Or Doug Weight (1,033)? They were both good solid players, but they're not names that come to mind when pondering the NHL's elite.
---
--ROLLER COASTER
Pitt has had a crazy basketball season under first-year coach Kevin Stallings. There's been no way to predict what the Panthers will do from game to game.
On the other hand, late February arrives and Duquesne is, as usual, seven or eight games under .500.
There's comfort in the familiar.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Altoona Mirror, February 19, 2017
Jim Myers died the other day. George "The Animal" Steele did, too.
Even though they were the same person, Myers was just short of his 80th birthday while Steele had just turned 50.
It was all part of a fascinating and profitable double life that ended for one of pro wrestling's top bad guys.
Jim Myers was working as a teacher and football coach in the Detroit suburbs in the early 1960s. With two kids and another on the way, his teaching salary of just under $5,000 was strained.
A buddy suggested that Myers, a former Michigan State football player, might give wrestling a try. Myers had never paid any attention to wrestling, but soon found himself learning the basics of wrestling's timeless illusion.
In order to conceal his identity from school administrators, he put on a mask and called himself The Student. His wrestling income quickly doubled what he made teaching.
In the fall of 1966, Bruno Sammartino purchased the local wrestling promotion in Pittsburgh. He and two aides headed to Detroit. While Sammartino wrestled on the card, his real purpose was a scouting mission for fresh wrestlers to bring to Pittsburgh. That trip changed Jim Myers' life.
Sammartino saw The Student work, and offered him a shot in Pittsburgh. He didn't want a masked man, though.
Jim Myers still didn't want to use his real name. So he invented the name George Steele for his Pittsburgh debut, his first wrestling without a mask.
"George Steele" made his debut in January of 1967 as a merciless rule breaker, a "heel" in wrestling parlance. Balding and bulky, he looked the part. He did witty interviews that insulted Sammartino in a faux-beatnik argot that included addressing people as "Daddy-0."
Steele and Sammartino were soon clashing in main events. The matches drew good crowds, so Sammartino took Steele to New York to meet wrestling chief Vince McMahon Sr.
McMahon was unimpressed until Steele removed his shirt. When he saw the fur matting Steele's chest and back, he knew he had a heel people would love to hate.
Soon, Sammartino vs. Steele was headling cards through the east, turning into a very lucrative summer job for Jim Myers, who continued teaching and coaching the rest of the year.
Steele's style became more outrageous and his habit of biting opponents earned him The Animal nickname. He was rough, and he was mean. Away from the ring, the accidental wrestler was a party animal who enjoyed the perks that came with fame.
He shredded turnbuckle pads to add to the mayhem. His famous green tongue developed by accident -- he was trying to cover boozy breath with Clorets after a bad night. When the fans noticed the green tongue, it became part of his persona.
Steele loved to scare people. Most heel wrestlers would try to get back to the locker room as quickly as possible, Steele would stop to challenge people. Once in Philadelphia, he chased a guy all the way onto the street outside the arena.
At the Civic Arena one night, a fan bopped Steele on the head with a paper cup filled with ice. The security guards -- off-duty Pittsburgh police officers -- grabbed the offender and dragged him away.
Instead of hauling him outside, they took him backstage. The two cops held the man against a wall. A minute later, an angry George Steele was inches away from the man, cursing and threatening him while the trembling fan was being sprayed with Steele's spit and sweat. If the man ever attended another wrestling show, it's a safe bet that he never threw a loaded cup at a wrestler again.
In later years, Myers had a religious epiphany after being stricken with Crohn's Disease. He attended fan fests and posed for selfies with his hands playfully wrapped around the fan's neck.
The high school where taught, Madison Heights, named its football stadium after him in 2012. The baddest, meanest guy to stomp around a wrestling ring turned into a kindly old grandfather type who lived out his days doing the things retirees do in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Unlike some old-timers, he had no problem admitting wrestling was staged, and he loved to tell inside stories.
At the end, George Steele went back to being Jim Myers. It was an interesting life. A couple of them, actually.
Even though they were the same person, Myers was just short of his 80th birthday while Steele had just turned 50.
It was all part of a fascinating and profitable double life that ended for one of pro wrestling's top bad guys.
Jim Myers was working as a teacher and football coach in the Detroit suburbs in the early 1960s. With two kids and another on the way, his teaching salary of just under $5,000 was strained.
A buddy suggested that Myers, a former Michigan State football player, might give wrestling a try. Myers had never paid any attention to wrestling, but soon found himself learning the basics of wrestling's timeless illusion.
In order to conceal his identity from school administrators, he put on a mask and called himself The Student. His wrestling income quickly doubled what he made teaching.
In the fall of 1966, Bruno Sammartino purchased the local wrestling promotion in Pittsburgh. He and two aides headed to Detroit. While Sammartino wrestled on the card, his real purpose was a scouting mission for fresh wrestlers to bring to Pittsburgh. That trip changed Jim Myers' life.
Sammartino saw The Student work, and offered him a shot in Pittsburgh. He didn't want a masked man, though.
Jim Myers still didn't want to use his real name. So he invented the name George Steele for his Pittsburgh debut, his first wrestling without a mask.
"George Steele" made his debut in January of 1967 as a merciless rule breaker, a "heel" in wrestling parlance. Balding and bulky, he looked the part. He did witty interviews that insulted Sammartino in a faux-beatnik argot that included addressing people as "Daddy-0."
Steele and Sammartino were soon clashing in main events. The matches drew good crowds, so Sammartino took Steele to New York to meet wrestling chief Vince McMahon Sr.
McMahon was unimpressed until Steele removed his shirt. When he saw the fur matting Steele's chest and back, he knew he had a heel people would love to hate.
Soon, Sammartino vs. Steele was headling cards through the east, turning into a very lucrative summer job for Jim Myers, who continued teaching and coaching the rest of the year.
Steele's style became more outrageous and his habit of biting opponents earned him The Animal nickname. He was rough, and he was mean. Away from the ring, the accidental wrestler was a party animal who enjoyed the perks that came with fame.
He shredded turnbuckle pads to add to the mayhem. His famous green tongue developed by accident -- he was trying to cover boozy breath with Clorets after a bad night. When the fans noticed the green tongue, it became part of his persona.
Steele loved to scare people. Most heel wrestlers would try to get back to the locker room as quickly as possible, Steele would stop to challenge people. Once in Philadelphia, he chased a guy all the way onto the street outside the arena.
At the Civic Arena one night, a fan bopped Steele on the head with a paper cup filled with ice. The security guards -- off-duty Pittsburgh police officers -- grabbed the offender and dragged him away.
Instead of hauling him outside, they took him backstage. The two cops held the man against a wall. A minute later, an angry George Steele was inches away from the man, cursing and threatening him while the trembling fan was being sprayed with Steele's spit and sweat. If the man ever attended another wrestling show, it's a safe bet that he never threw a loaded cup at a wrestler again.
In later years, Myers had a religious epiphany after being stricken with Crohn's Disease. He attended fan fests and posed for selfies with his hands playfully wrapped around the fan's neck.
The high school where taught, Madison Heights, named its football stadium after him in 2012. The baddest, meanest guy to stomp around a wrestling ring turned into a kindly old grandfather type who lived out his days doing the things retirees do in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Unlike some old-timers, he had no problem admitting wrestling was staged, and he loved to tell inside stories.
At the end, George Steele went back to being Jim Myers. It was an interesting life. A couple of them, actually.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Altoona Mirror, February 15, 2017
There are some members of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots who will treat their invitation to the White House as junk mail.
That's their right.
There is some mild outrage that at least a handful of Patriots players have announced they have no interest in making the trip to Washington in a few months.
Some don't want to be perceived as supporting the current President. Some can't see the value in forfeiting a couple of precious off-season days to put on a size 60 suit and endure a Secret Service pat down.
That's their right.
We're told that it's an honor to be summoned to the White House to be used as a prop in a Presidential photo op. That's for each player to decide. For those who have never been there, maybe it's a bucket list item. Perhaps it's not quite as special for those who have been there and done that.
Anyone who views the White House as some hallowed property would do well to run a web search on the name Monica Lewinsky.
These clumsy meetings require staffers to research and come up with lines appropriate for the occasion. Barack Obama delivered his flawlessly when the Penguins were there last summer. A generation earlier, George H.W. Bush clumsily asked the approaching Mario Lemieux, "...and you are?"
The players present the President with a jersey that gets shipped off to a warehouse, and the TV news has enough footage to kill a couple of minutes on the evening broadcast.
Otherwise, there isn't a lot of value.
If the players choose to skip the field trip, that's their right.
---
--FAMILY FEUD
ESPN thinks the dispute between New York Knicks owner James Dolan and former player Charles Oakley is the biggest story in sports.
It's not, but the footage of Oakley being escorted out of the stands at Madison Square Garden is the kind of freak show video that keeps people watching TV.
Dolan issued a lifetime ban from Madison Square Garden for Oakley, which was rescinded four days later.
That's a shame, because there were so many unanswered questions. Was the ban just for Knicks game? Could Oakley attend a Rangers hockey game with a valid ticket. What about Billy Joel's monthly concerts? Were WWE events also off limits to him? The Red Hot Chili Peppers are due for multiple Garden shows. Would Oakley be OK for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show?
Dolan said the ban is lifted. Oakley said he wants a public apology.
Here's guessing ESPN will have all the details.
---
--THE REAL HARM
There is potentially a drastic consequence to being banned from the Garden.
The Carnegie Deli maintains a food stand there on event nights. Ever since the Deli closed its iconic Seventh Avenue location, the Garden is the only place in Manhattan to get one of the Carnegie's legendary corned beef sandwiches.
Denying access to those qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.
(
That's their right.
There is some mild outrage that at least a handful of Patriots players have announced they have no interest in making the trip to Washington in a few months.
Some don't want to be perceived as supporting the current President. Some can't see the value in forfeiting a couple of precious off-season days to put on a size 60 suit and endure a Secret Service pat down.
That's their right.
We're told that it's an honor to be summoned to the White House to be used as a prop in a Presidential photo op. That's for each player to decide. For those who have never been there, maybe it's a bucket list item. Perhaps it's not quite as special for those who have been there and done that.
Anyone who views the White House as some hallowed property would do well to run a web search on the name Monica Lewinsky.
These clumsy meetings require staffers to research and come up with lines appropriate for the occasion. Barack Obama delivered his flawlessly when the Penguins were there last summer. A generation earlier, George H.W. Bush clumsily asked the approaching Mario Lemieux, "...and you are?"
The players present the President with a jersey that gets shipped off to a warehouse, and the TV news has enough footage to kill a couple of minutes on the evening broadcast.
Otherwise, there isn't a lot of value.
If the players choose to skip the field trip, that's their right.
---
--FAMILY FEUD
ESPN thinks the dispute between New York Knicks owner James Dolan and former player Charles Oakley is the biggest story in sports.
It's not, but the footage of Oakley being escorted out of the stands at Madison Square Garden is the kind of freak show video that keeps people watching TV.
Dolan issued a lifetime ban from Madison Square Garden for Oakley, which was rescinded four days later.
That's a shame, because there were so many unanswered questions. Was the ban just for Knicks game? Could Oakley attend a Rangers hockey game with a valid ticket. What about Billy Joel's monthly concerts? Were WWE events also off limits to him? The Red Hot Chili Peppers are due for multiple Garden shows. Would Oakley be OK for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show?
Dolan said the ban is lifted. Oakley said he wants a public apology.
Here's guessing ESPN will have all the details.
---
--THE REAL HARM
There is potentially a drastic consequence to being banned from the Garden.
The Carnegie Deli maintains a food stand there on event nights. Ever since the Deli closed its iconic Seventh Avenue location, the Garden is the only place in Manhattan to get one of the Carnegie's legendary corned beef sandwiches.
Denying access to those qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.
(
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