Boy, do we like to overreact as sports fans in this day and age, or what? I mean, seriously. The Mets' Jose Reyes beat out the Brewers' Ryan Braun for the 2011 National League batting title, and that's an accomplishment that any baseball player would probably be proud of for the rest of his life. Maybe Reyes will always cherish his feat, but maybe, because of the often illogically critical eye of the media and fans, he might forever look back on his accomplishment with a bit of shame.
Why? Well, because Jose Reyes had the nerve to take himself out of the last game of the season Wednesday against the Reds after leading off the first inning with a bunt single. By doing so, Reyes made Ryan Braun's job a bit more difficult, and it really didn't matter, as it turned out, because Braun went hitless against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday evening.
People have called Reyes selfish and say that he cheated the fans and the game of baseball by not playing until the very last at-bat. Am I missing something? Were Reyes and Braun battling it out for the 2011 NL batting title or the Wednesday, September 28th batting title?
I mean, Reyes had the number of at-bats required to qualify for the title, right? He didn't get the majority of his base-hits off of pitchers lobbing the ball underhand, did he? Braun wasn't forced to bat blind-folded with one arm tied behind his back for most of the season, was he?
It's not like Wednesday was the only game that Reyes missed during the year. He played in 126 games, so that means there were other games and plenty of at-bats that he didn't get. Did he "cheat" the fans and the spirit of competition by missing a game or two in May or July?
I didn't know the last game of the regular season was more important in regards to the batting title than the other 161. I thought MLB just took the number of hits and divided them by the number of at-bats over the course of an entire season, and whoever finished with the highest average was declared the batting champion for his league.
Why do we ridicule people? I mean, wasn't there enough to talk about Wednesday, what with the exciting and dramatic finishes to both wild card races? What about the Tampa Rays coming back from a 7-0 deficit late and clinching the American League wild card spot on a dramatic 12th inning home run against the New York Yankees? What about the Boston Red Sox blowing a huge late-season lead in the wild card standings and then blowing a chance for a one-game playoff by blowing a late lead to the Orioles? And how about the Yankees not trotting Mariano Rivera out there to try and close out the Rays in the 9th inning? I mean, didn't the Yankees cheat the fans there? I'll bet the Rays fans don't think so.
What about the Atlanta Braves also blowing their huge September wild card lead and getting surpassed by the hard-charging St. Louis Cardinals on the final day of the season?
Aren't those stories more compelling than whether or not Jose Reyes cheated the fans, Ryan Braun and all of baseball by not taking a couple of more at-bats in a meaningless 162nd regular season game?
Would an asterisk really make you feel better? Well, guess what? Years from now, nobody is going to remember how Reyes won the batting title.
Jose Reyes is the 2011 National League batting champion.
Live with it.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The "defenseless" receiver penalty in the Patriots/Bills game on Sunday that really irked me
I'm not one of those people that thinks football should be all about violence and knock outs. I'm glad the NFL has taken measures to deal with the concussions caused by hits to the head.
There is nothing wrong with a nice form tackle that merely stops an offensive player from advancing the ball, and I certainly don't see what can be gained by simply hitting a player as hard as you can if he still holds on to the football or scores a touchdown.
Some of the most famous hits by the late Raiders safety "The Assassin" Jack Tatum were actual positive plays for the opposing team. Like for example his hit on Sammy White in Super Bowl XI that knocked White's helmet off. Despite the vicious-hit, White still held-onto the football, yet, Tatum stood over him in intimidating-fashion like he actually accomplished something. Or what about Tatum's brutal hit on Earl Campbell in the Astrodome. It was a pretty nasty smack on Campbell, and the bruising running back was knocked off-balance, yet, he managed to stay on his feet long-enough to score a touchdown.
A lot of defensive players will tell you that they like to soften-up their opponent and they'll sacrifice a huge gain if it pays off later. Okay, what if you give up three touchdowns while trying to soften your guy up? I guess if you don't give up a fourth, it's a win?
And I love it when a defensive back or linebacker talks smack after they nail a receiver who was concentrating on trying to catch a football. Big deal. It's easy to be tough in that regard. Maybe that's why Hines Ward is so hated and despised around the NFL. He simply won't take a defensive back's crap, and he gives just as much as he gets. A defender can't always handle that. Like Jerome Bettis used to say, "It aint no fun when the rabbit gets the gun."
Anyway, as I said, I have no problem with the league going to great lengths to reduce helmet-to-helmet hits and flagrant shots on defenseless receivers.
But, after watching Sunday's game between New England and Buffalo, I kind of understand what some NFL defenders mean when they say the new rules on safety are not easy to understand, and there are just way too many variables involved.
Late in the second quarter, New England receiver Wes Welker caught a pass underneath (what else is new?), and the Bills' defensive back came up to meet him. It looked like he was going to hit Welker shoulder-to-shoulder or shoulder-to-chest, but just as the defender lowered his shoulder, Welker ducked his head and the two players hit helmet-to-helmet.
The Buffalo player was penalized 15-yards for a helmet-to-helmet hit on a defenseless receiver, and it gave New England great field position. Fortunately, if you're a Bills fan (or Patriots hater), New England turned the ball over on the next play.
Had the Patriots scored on that drive, that penalty could have meant the difference in a very close game that Buffalo ultimately won at the end.
I believe in player-safety, but I also believe in proper judgement by officials, and anyone watching that game had to know that the helmet-to-helmet hit wasn't intentional, and it may have even been initiated by Welker.
You're going to be seeing a lot of these types of calls this year. Hopefully, it won't be the difference between a win and a loss.
There is nothing wrong with a nice form tackle that merely stops an offensive player from advancing the ball, and I certainly don't see what can be gained by simply hitting a player as hard as you can if he still holds on to the football or scores a touchdown.
Some of the most famous hits by the late Raiders safety "The Assassin" Jack Tatum were actual positive plays for the opposing team. Like for example his hit on Sammy White in Super Bowl XI that knocked White's helmet off. Despite the vicious-hit, White still held-onto the football, yet, Tatum stood over him in intimidating-fashion like he actually accomplished something. Or what about Tatum's brutal hit on Earl Campbell in the Astrodome. It was a pretty nasty smack on Campbell, and the bruising running back was knocked off-balance, yet, he managed to stay on his feet long-enough to score a touchdown.
A lot of defensive players will tell you that they like to soften-up their opponent and they'll sacrifice a huge gain if it pays off later. Okay, what if you give up three touchdowns while trying to soften your guy up? I guess if you don't give up a fourth, it's a win?
And I love it when a defensive back or linebacker talks smack after they nail a receiver who was concentrating on trying to catch a football. Big deal. It's easy to be tough in that regard. Maybe that's why Hines Ward is so hated and despised around the NFL. He simply won't take a defensive back's crap, and he gives just as much as he gets. A defender can't always handle that. Like Jerome Bettis used to say, "It aint no fun when the rabbit gets the gun."
Anyway, as I said, I have no problem with the league going to great lengths to reduce helmet-to-helmet hits and flagrant shots on defenseless receivers.
But, after watching Sunday's game between New England and Buffalo, I kind of understand what some NFL defenders mean when they say the new rules on safety are not easy to understand, and there are just way too many variables involved.
Late in the second quarter, New England receiver Wes Welker caught a pass underneath (what else is new?), and the Bills' defensive back came up to meet him. It looked like he was going to hit Welker shoulder-to-shoulder or shoulder-to-chest, but just as the defender lowered his shoulder, Welker ducked his head and the two players hit helmet-to-helmet.
The Buffalo player was penalized 15-yards for a helmet-to-helmet hit on a defenseless receiver, and it gave New England great field position. Fortunately, if you're a Bills fan (or Patriots hater), New England turned the ball over on the next play.
Had the Patriots scored on that drive, that penalty could have meant the difference in a very close game that Buffalo ultimately won at the end.
I believe in player-safety, but I also believe in proper judgement by officials, and anyone watching that game had to know that the helmet-to-helmet hit wasn't intentional, and it may have even been initiated by Welker.
You're going to be seeing a lot of these types of calls this year. Hopefully, it won't be the difference between a win and a loss.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The continuous struggles of the Steelers offensive line
What is it with the Pittsburgh Steelers and their offensive line? If they're not getting beaten along the line of scrimmage, they're getting beaten-up by countless injuries.
The latest rash of injuries occurred in Sunday Night's game in Indianapolis. Left tackle Jonathon Scott, right guard Doug Legursky, and rookie right tackle Marcus Gilbert all suffered injuries during the contest with Scott's ailment appearing to be the most serious. It remains to be seen who will play where on the offensive line this coming Sunday in Houston against the Texans, but you can almost count on the Steelers having their fourth-straight offensive line combination in as many games.
After week one in Baltimore, right tackle Willie Colon was lost for the season with a torn triceps and replaced by Gilbert. Starting left guard Chris Kemoeatu missed the week two game against Seattle and was replaced by Ramon Foster. Kemoeatu was back in the lineup this past Sunday night but was only one of two members of the unit that managed to survive the entire game.
The Steelers offensive line has come under much scrutiny since probably around 2008--the team's first year without all-pro left guard Alan Faneca, who left the team as a free agent following the 2007 season.
Since 2008, the Steelers have tried to patch-together an offensive line with mostly lower-round picks and undrafted free agents. The organization's success in that regard has been a mixed bag, to say the least. Getting beaten along the line of scrimmage like they were on Sunday Night by Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis has been a common theme for the unit in recent years.
For three-straight NFL Drafts starting in 2007, I had a stud offensive lineman at the top of my fan wish-list, but there just never seemed to be a first round worthy player available when the Steelers were on the clock.
Besides, the team needed to address other areas than just the offensive line, and a team can't address all the positions at once. It's hard to argue with the selections of Lawrence Timmons, Lamarr Woodley, Rashard Mendenhall, Ziggy Hood, and Mike Wallace. But, sooner or later, the offensive line problem had to be addressed. I mean, if you have a franchise quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger being chased around by elite pass-rushers like Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Dwight Freeney, and Robert Mathis, you can't entrust fringe starters with the responsibility of keeping him upright and healthy, at least not for the long-haul. And if you have as many offensive weapons as the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to possess, eventually, you're going to want to fire those weapons and get as much bang for your buck.
That's hard to do when chemistry and talent is consistently a problem with the guys up front.
And no coach has come under more criticism in recent years than Steelers' offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. But is play-calling to blame, or is it just near-impossible to get any kind of rhythm going on offense when you're losing more battles than you win along the line of scrimmage?
Fortunately, the Steelers have used the past two drafts to try and go about upgrading the talent along the offensive line. In 2010, the team selected center Maurkice Pouncey with their first round selection, and almost immediately, the rookie emerged as the unit's top talent. Pouncey became a pro-bowl player and a leader in his very first season.
And this year, the Steelers used their second-round selection to draft Pouncey's teammate at Florida, offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert.
It remains to be seen if Pouncey and Gilbert have what it takes to consistently deal with the likes of Ngata and Suggs, but at least they possess the kind of high-end talent that has been missing from the Steelers offensive line for many years.
The latest rash of injuries occurred in Sunday Night's game in Indianapolis. Left tackle Jonathon Scott, right guard Doug Legursky, and rookie right tackle Marcus Gilbert all suffered injuries during the contest with Scott's ailment appearing to be the most serious. It remains to be seen who will play where on the offensive line this coming Sunday in Houston against the Texans, but you can almost count on the Steelers having their fourth-straight offensive line combination in as many games.
After week one in Baltimore, right tackle Willie Colon was lost for the season with a torn triceps and replaced by Gilbert. Starting left guard Chris Kemoeatu missed the week two game against Seattle and was replaced by Ramon Foster. Kemoeatu was back in the lineup this past Sunday night but was only one of two members of the unit that managed to survive the entire game.
The Steelers offensive line has come under much scrutiny since probably around 2008--the team's first year without all-pro left guard Alan Faneca, who left the team as a free agent following the 2007 season.
Since 2008, the Steelers have tried to patch-together an offensive line with mostly lower-round picks and undrafted free agents. The organization's success in that regard has been a mixed bag, to say the least. Getting beaten along the line of scrimmage like they were on Sunday Night by Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis has been a common theme for the unit in recent years.
For three-straight NFL Drafts starting in 2007, I had a stud offensive lineman at the top of my fan wish-list, but there just never seemed to be a first round worthy player available when the Steelers were on the clock.
Besides, the team needed to address other areas than just the offensive line, and a team can't address all the positions at once. It's hard to argue with the selections of Lawrence Timmons, Lamarr Woodley, Rashard Mendenhall, Ziggy Hood, and Mike Wallace. But, sooner or later, the offensive line problem had to be addressed. I mean, if you have a franchise quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger being chased around by elite pass-rushers like Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Dwight Freeney, and Robert Mathis, you can't entrust fringe starters with the responsibility of keeping him upright and healthy, at least not for the long-haul. And if you have as many offensive weapons as the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to possess, eventually, you're going to want to fire those weapons and get as much bang for your buck.
That's hard to do when chemistry and talent is consistently a problem with the guys up front.
And no coach has come under more criticism in recent years than Steelers' offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. But is play-calling to blame, or is it just near-impossible to get any kind of rhythm going on offense when you're losing more battles than you win along the line of scrimmage?
Fortunately, the Steelers have used the past two drafts to try and go about upgrading the talent along the offensive line. In 2010, the team selected center Maurkice Pouncey with their first round selection, and almost immediately, the rookie emerged as the unit's top talent. Pouncey became a pro-bowl player and a leader in his very first season.
And this year, the Steelers used their second-round selection to draft Pouncey's teammate at Florida, offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert.
It remains to be seen if Pouncey and Gilbert have what it takes to consistently deal with the likes of Ngata and Suggs, but at least they possess the kind of high-end talent that has been missing from the Steelers offensive line for many years.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Pitt loses another frustrating game, this time to Notre Dame--the Elvis Presley of big time college football
I had an opportunity to watch the Pitt Panthers take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish yesterday. Beings that I work most Saturdays, it's rare for me to be able to watch a college football game these days, but my boss was feeling generous and allowed me to view it.
In hindsight, I kind of wish I only heard about the details, afterwards, because it was another in a long line of recent frustrating losses by the Pitt football program.
After last week's heart breaker in Iowa, a win over the tradition-rich and popular Fighting Irish Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field would have been a nice feather in the cap for Todd Graham and the (aspiring to be) high octane Pittsburgh Panthers.
The Panthers certainly had their chances to not only win yesterday's game, but do so in impressive fashion.
Unfortunately for Pitt fans, their team let the Irish off the hook by committing too many costly mistakes at key moments that, in the end, were the difference between a two or three score victory and the eventual three-point loss.
One key moment occurred in the second quarter with the Panthers trailing, 7-3. Pitt had the ball inside the five yard line, facing 3rd and 1. Instead of trying a quarterback sneak or just pounding it up the middle with stellar tail back Ray Graham, they tried a sweep to the right and Graham lost about three yards. Instead of a fresh set of downs inside the one-yard line, the Panthers were forced to settle for a field goal.
Another critical error (in my opinion) was the false start penalty on a Pitt offensive lineman one play after Graham's forty-yard run out to near mid-field shortly after an interception deep in Pitt territory thwarted a potential Notre Dame scoring-drive.
But, for my money, the most devastating blow for Pitt was the dropped pass by receiver Devin Street on a perfectly thrown ball by quarterback Tino Sunseri late in the 3rd quarter. Pitt was already up, 12-7, and would have had the ball deep in Irish-territory, and who knows? I know the Pitt defense has come under great scrutiny early this season--particularly after last week's meltdown in Iowa--but the way the unit was playing yesterday, I think a 19-7 lead would have been a pretty safe one.
Sadly, we'll never know. Instead, Notre Dame eventually took the lead on a touchdown pass and two-point conversion mid-way through the 4th quarter and held-on for the 15-12 victory.
Maybe in a close-game like yesterday's, the difference in talent was ultimately the key, but I don't know if that had much to do with it. The Irish certainly have more talent than the Panthers, but the difference isn't as great as people may think, at least not these days.
I think the difference in yesterday's game was the players' continued difficultly with trying to learn a totally new system under a new head coach.
For years, under former coach Dave Wannstedt, the Panthers were a conservative program that tried to play things close-to-the-vest and, perhaps, the players that Wannstedt recruited reflected that style. Under Graham, they're now being asked to do things in a totally new way, and it's going to lead to some frustrating results.
Remember the first year or two of Wannstedt's time as coach when he transitioned the football program away from Walt Harris' finesse passing-style offense into the pro-style attack? It was like trying to pound the cliched square-peg into the cliched round-hole.
It wasn't until Wannstedt started bringing in his own recruits that his philosophy started to pay dividends.
I know it's frustrating to hear if you're a fan of Pitt like I am, but it's probably going to be the same way under Graham. I don't know if he has the players that he needs for his high octane approach on both offense and defense, at least not yet.
Of course, the worst part about yesterday wasn't the fact that the Panthers lost another close game, it was the fact that they lost to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame fans are everywhere and they're generally insufferable.
The Irish clearly aren't what they once were to college football. They rarely ever sniff the top 5 these days and haven't been a major factor in the National title picture for many years. Yet, their ratings are still huge, their fan base is still rabid and entitled, and the program gets the royal treatment everywhere it goes.
It sorts of reminds me of how Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson were still adored years after the prime of their careers, or how Frank Sinatra was still selling out Las Vegas casinos when he was in his 60's. None of them were really relevant in the main-stream anymore, but they were still treated like superstars and had an inflated sense of self-worth. That's Notre Dame football these days.
Unfortunately, in the college football world, Pitt is to Notre Dame what Steve and Eydie were to old "Blue Eyes" back in the day. They're a football program trying to hang on and, for now, must come to terms with being a second banana.
Let's hope Todd Graham and the ACC are the tonic the Pitt football program needs to some day break out of the shadows of the likes of Notre Dame and be the star of their own show.
In hindsight, I kind of wish I only heard about the details, afterwards, because it was another in a long line of recent frustrating losses by the Pitt football program.
After last week's heart breaker in Iowa, a win over the tradition-rich and popular Fighting Irish Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field would have been a nice feather in the cap for Todd Graham and the (aspiring to be) high octane Pittsburgh Panthers.
The Panthers certainly had their chances to not only win yesterday's game, but do so in impressive fashion.
Unfortunately for Pitt fans, their team let the Irish off the hook by committing too many costly mistakes at key moments that, in the end, were the difference between a two or three score victory and the eventual three-point loss.
One key moment occurred in the second quarter with the Panthers trailing, 7-3. Pitt had the ball inside the five yard line, facing 3rd and 1. Instead of trying a quarterback sneak or just pounding it up the middle with stellar tail back Ray Graham, they tried a sweep to the right and Graham lost about three yards. Instead of a fresh set of downs inside the one-yard line, the Panthers were forced to settle for a field goal.
Another critical error (in my opinion) was the false start penalty on a Pitt offensive lineman one play after Graham's forty-yard run out to near mid-field shortly after an interception deep in Pitt territory thwarted a potential Notre Dame scoring-drive.
But, for my money, the most devastating blow for Pitt was the dropped pass by receiver Devin Street on a perfectly thrown ball by quarterback Tino Sunseri late in the 3rd quarter. Pitt was already up, 12-7, and would have had the ball deep in Irish-territory, and who knows? I know the Pitt defense has come under great scrutiny early this season--particularly after last week's meltdown in Iowa--but the way the unit was playing yesterday, I think a 19-7 lead would have been a pretty safe one.
Sadly, we'll never know. Instead, Notre Dame eventually took the lead on a touchdown pass and two-point conversion mid-way through the 4th quarter and held-on for the 15-12 victory.
Maybe in a close-game like yesterday's, the difference in talent was ultimately the key, but I don't know if that had much to do with it. The Irish certainly have more talent than the Panthers, but the difference isn't as great as people may think, at least not these days.
I think the difference in yesterday's game was the players' continued difficultly with trying to learn a totally new system under a new head coach.
For years, under former coach Dave Wannstedt, the Panthers were a conservative program that tried to play things close-to-the-vest and, perhaps, the players that Wannstedt recruited reflected that style. Under Graham, they're now being asked to do things in a totally new way, and it's going to lead to some frustrating results.
Remember the first year or two of Wannstedt's time as coach when he transitioned the football program away from Walt Harris' finesse passing-style offense into the pro-style attack? It was like trying to pound the cliched square-peg into the cliched round-hole.
It wasn't until Wannstedt started bringing in his own recruits that his philosophy started to pay dividends.
I know it's frustrating to hear if you're a fan of Pitt like I am, but it's probably going to be the same way under Graham. I don't know if he has the players that he needs for his high octane approach on both offense and defense, at least not yet.
Of course, the worst part about yesterday wasn't the fact that the Panthers lost another close game, it was the fact that they lost to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame fans are everywhere and they're generally insufferable.
The Irish clearly aren't what they once were to college football. They rarely ever sniff the top 5 these days and haven't been a major factor in the National title picture for many years. Yet, their ratings are still huge, their fan base is still rabid and entitled, and the program gets the royal treatment everywhere it goes.
It sorts of reminds me of how Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson were still adored years after the prime of their careers, or how Frank Sinatra was still selling out Las Vegas casinos when he was in his 60's. None of them were really relevant in the main-stream anymore, but they were still treated like superstars and had an inflated sense of self-worth. That's Notre Dame football these days.
Unfortunately, in the college football world, Pitt is to Notre Dame what Steve and Eydie were to old "Blue Eyes" back in the day. They're a football program trying to hang on and, for now, must come to terms with being a second banana.
Let's hope Todd Graham and the ACC are the tonic the Pitt football program needs to some day break out of the shadows of the likes of Notre Dame and be the star of their own show.
Friday, September 23, 2011
A pretty awesome Super Bowl story
Anyone who knows me is aware of how much I love the Super Bowl. For my money, it's the greatest sporting spectacle each and every year, and I have always dreamed about someday going to a game.
Well, the next best thing to going to a Super Bowl is hearing an awesome story from someone who actually went to one.
I was talking to a guy at work on Monday, and he was telling me about how he went to a few Super Bowls in a row in the early-80's when he was able to get tickets from one of his business-associates.
I asked him if he went to Super Bowl XVI in Detroit at the Pontiac Silverdome in January of 1982 since it was such an easy drive from Pittsburgh, and he did, indeed go to that one.
He said the tickets for that game were only $35 a piece and were located on the 45 yard line! It's hard to imagine that, even in 1982, tickets for the Super Bowl were that cheap.
The guy went to the game with his wife, and they left early that Sunday morning to make the six-hour drive to Pontiac, Michigan. The guy's father wanted him to call when he got there to let him know that they made it safely. When the guy and his wife arrived, they decided to go to this bar near the Silverdome to stay warm, have a few drinks, and call his dad. This was back in the days before cell phones, and he said the lines were 12 people deep waiting to use the pay phones so they could place bets for the game. While he was waiting to call his dad, he was talking to a woman sitting at the bar looking very depressed. She said, "this is the worst day of my life!" The guy asked her what was wrong, and she said that someone reached into her purse when she wasn't paying attention and stole her two Super Bowl tickets. She said she was just going to have a couple of drinks and drive back home.
Being Michigan in the middle of January, naturally, the conditions outside the Silverdome were rather treacherous. The guy told me that it was brutally cold and the ice in some of the parking lots was about 7-inches thick. He said people were slipping and sliding all over the place (if you've ever seen the NFL Films highlights show of Super Bowl XVI then you probably remember people slipping on the ice as they were heading into the Silverdome).
He didn't have much to say about the actual contest between the San Fransisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals but said it was a pretty good game (the 49ers won, 26-21).
When the game was over, for whatever reason, they decided to re-route the pedestrian-traffic on the way out of the Silverdome. This totally messed up the guy's sense of direction, and since he was used to going to see games in 50,000 seat stadiums and not 80,000, he and his wife literally spent hours walking around the parking lots looking for their car.
Finally, they were so cold and frustrated, the guy jumped into the back of a police car and said, "You can arrest me on any charge. I have been walking around for hours looking for my car, and I'm so cold, I don't care if I spend the night in jail." The officer said, "Don't worry, I'm done with my game traffic duties, I'll just drive you around to look for your car." While driving around, they hit some wicked bump and the police car's axle was damaged so badly, it had to be taken to the shop immediately.
Once they found their car, the guy discovered that he had left his lights on the entire time and it wouldn't start. Fortunately, there were many people suffering from the same battery problems, and there was a man in the parking lot charging people $15 a pop to jump their batteries.
On the drive home, the guy was so tired, he told his wife they had to pull-over somewhere near the halfway point because he needed to take a nap. When they tried to get back on the road, they discovered that the transmission went and there was no reverse on the car. They were head-first in whatever spot they were sitting in, so the guy and his wife had to push the car out of the spot and line it up in a certain way because the only thing that worked now was drive.
Well, there it is. That's some story, and I just had to share it. Anyone else go to that same game?
Well, the next best thing to going to a Super Bowl is hearing an awesome story from someone who actually went to one.
I was talking to a guy at work on Monday, and he was telling me about how he went to a few Super Bowls in a row in the early-80's when he was able to get tickets from one of his business-associates.
I asked him if he went to Super Bowl XVI in Detroit at the Pontiac Silverdome in January of 1982 since it was such an easy drive from Pittsburgh, and he did, indeed go to that one.
He said the tickets for that game were only $35 a piece and were located on the 45 yard line! It's hard to imagine that, even in 1982, tickets for the Super Bowl were that cheap.
The guy went to the game with his wife, and they left early that Sunday morning to make the six-hour drive to Pontiac, Michigan. The guy's father wanted him to call when he got there to let him know that they made it safely. When the guy and his wife arrived, they decided to go to this bar near the Silverdome to stay warm, have a few drinks, and call his dad. This was back in the days before cell phones, and he said the lines were 12 people deep waiting to use the pay phones so they could place bets for the game. While he was waiting to call his dad, he was talking to a woman sitting at the bar looking very depressed. She said, "this is the worst day of my life!" The guy asked her what was wrong, and she said that someone reached into her purse when she wasn't paying attention and stole her two Super Bowl tickets. She said she was just going to have a couple of drinks and drive back home.
Being Michigan in the middle of January, naturally, the conditions outside the Silverdome were rather treacherous. The guy told me that it was brutally cold and the ice in some of the parking lots was about 7-inches thick. He said people were slipping and sliding all over the place (if you've ever seen the NFL Films highlights show of Super Bowl XVI then you probably remember people slipping on the ice as they were heading into the Silverdome).
He didn't have much to say about the actual contest between the San Fransisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals but said it was a pretty good game (the 49ers won, 26-21).
When the game was over, for whatever reason, they decided to re-route the pedestrian-traffic on the way out of the Silverdome. This totally messed up the guy's sense of direction, and since he was used to going to see games in 50,000 seat stadiums and not 80,000, he and his wife literally spent hours walking around the parking lots looking for their car.
Finally, they were so cold and frustrated, the guy jumped into the back of a police car and said, "You can arrest me on any charge. I have been walking around for hours looking for my car, and I'm so cold, I don't care if I spend the night in jail." The officer said, "Don't worry, I'm done with my game traffic duties, I'll just drive you around to look for your car." While driving around, they hit some wicked bump and the police car's axle was damaged so badly, it had to be taken to the shop immediately.
Once they found their car, the guy discovered that he had left his lights on the entire time and it wouldn't start. Fortunately, there were many people suffering from the same battery problems, and there was a man in the parking lot charging people $15 a pop to jump their batteries.
On the drive home, the guy was so tired, he told his wife they had to pull-over somewhere near the halfway point because he needed to take a nap. When they tried to get back on the road, they discovered that the transmission went and there was no reverse on the car. They were head-first in whatever spot they were sitting in, so the guy and his wife had to push the car out of the spot and line it up in a certain way because the only thing that worked now was drive.
Well, there it is. That's some story, and I just had to share it. Anyone else go to that same game?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
No SEC or ACC for WVU
After much speculation as to where they would land after Pitt and Syracuse both bolted the Big East for the ACC, it is being reported that WVU will not be extended an offer to join either the ACC or SEC.
As with everything else in today's world of big-time college athletics, West Virginia's small television market is being cited as one of the main reasons the school isn't seen as an attractive commodity to either the ACC or SEC.
Academics could be another reason (at least as far as the ACC is concerned), but I find that hard to believe. If academics really are a significant factor in this recent conference-hopping, how did Nebraska get into the Big Ten?
As a Pitt fan, I just assumed that West Virginia would be an ideal candidate to become the 15th or 16th member for the ACC. WVU is obviously Pitt's top rival and their addition would ensure that the "Backyard Brawl" would continue-on indefinitely. Also, in-terms of competition, the Mountainneers are on-par with just about every team in the ACC. And, geographically....oh, nevermind. Geography is a non-starter in all of this mess.
Anyway, with the ACC and the SEC both telling WVU "thanks, but no thanks!", there aren't many options left for the folks in Morgantown. I suppose they could really try hard to get into the Big Ten. And, of course, there's the possibility that the remainder of the Big East and what's eventually left of the Big 12 could merge into a fairly decent conference.
This stuff is just so fascinating.
Stay-tuned!
As with everything else in today's world of big-time college athletics, West Virginia's small television market is being cited as one of the main reasons the school isn't seen as an attractive commodity to either the ACC or SEC.
Academics could be another reason (at least as far as the ACC is concerned), but I find that hard to believe. If academics really are a significant factor in this recent conference-hopping, how did Nebraska get into the Big Ten?
As a Pitt fan, I just assumed that West Virginia would be an ideal candidate to become the 15th or 16th member for the ACC. WVU is obviously Pitt's top rival and their addition would ensure that the "Backyard Brawl" would continue-on indefinitely. Also, in-terms of competition, the Mountainneers are on-par with just about every team in the ACC. And, geographically....oh, nevermind. Geography is a non-starter in all of this mess.
Anyway, with the ACC and the SEC both telling WVU "thanks, but no thanks!", there aren't many options left for the folks in Morgantown. I suppose they could really try hard to get into the Big Ten. And, of course, there's the possibility that the remainder of the Big East and what's eventually left of the Big 12 could merge into a fairly decent conference.
This stuff is just so fascinating.
Stay-tuned!
Monday, September 19, 2011
My favorite moment from the Pirates 2011 season
The Pittsburgh Pirates have really fallen on hard-times the last two-months of the season. They've dropped 41 of their last past 58 games, and the Cinderella story that was the first four-months of the Buccos campaign has turned into another giant pumpkin and a 19th-consecutive losing-season.
But before Jerry Meals and that 10-game slide in late-July pulled down the curtain on the "feel-goodness" of 2011, there were a couple of moments that brought back the past for me as a fan.
Moments that made me realize that, even though it's been tough for me as a fan over the last 19 years, deep-down in my heart-of-hearts, I'll always love the Pirates.
The first runner-up moment was a rather innocent one, but I feel like sharing. I only have basic cable and don't get to watch much ESPN these days, so when I want to catch highlights of the Pirates games, I wait until they're posted on the team's official website.
In late-June, the Boston Red Sox and their elitist fans, visited PNC Park for a weekend inter league series.
The Pirates took the Friday night game, and in game-two, after trailing, 2-0, early, went-on to win, 6-4.
My favorite moment occurred while watching the highlights on the Internet that Saturday evening.
As I said, the Pirates were down, 2-0, and, believe it or not, Lyle Overbay hit a three-run home run to put Pittsburgh ahead. The very next batter, Ronny Cedeno, immediately followed with a double, and when the cameras cut to a shot of the crowd, there was a group of Pirates fans standing and chanting, "Let's Go Bucs! Let's Go Bucs!" I don't know, for some reason, that just did it for me. It was nice to see Pirates fans having such a good time watching their team and not just sitting there quietly while the Boston fans took over their park. It just made me feel good for some reason.
My favorite moment from 2011 happened on a Friday night in early-July. My girlfriend and I were on our way home from seeing the movie "Horrible Bosses" (great movie, by the way), and I was curious to hear the score of the Pirates game against the Cubs. I turned on the post-game show and heard David Todd discussing Michael Mckenry's three-run shot in the bottom of the 8th-inning off of closer Carlos Marmol that gave Pittsburgh a thrilling 7-4 victory.
I was excited, naturally, but it wasn't until I got home and checked out the highlights online that I really appreciated what Mckrenry did and really embraced the 2011 season. When Mckenry hit that bomb, Greg Brown went crazy in the booth and the entire stadium erupted as The Fort rounded the bases. The play-by-play guy was was getting emotional, the fans, obviously, were going insane, and the players in the dugout were jumping up-and-down.
I tell you, it just doesn't get much better than that in baseball.
That, right there, was my favorite Pirate moment since the combined no-hitter on July 12th, 1997.
Let's hope it was just the beginning of many more fun moments in the near-future.
But before Jerry Meals and that 10-game slide in late-July pulled down the curtain on the "feel-goodness" of 2011, there were a couple of moments that brought back the past for me as a fan.
Moments that made me realize that, even though it's been tough for me as a fan over the last 19 years, deep-down in my heart-of-hearts, I'll always love the Pirates.
The first runner-up moment was a rather innocent one, but I feel like sharing. I only have basic cable and don't get to watch much ESPN these days, so when I want to catch highlights of the Pirates games, I wait until they're posted on the team's official website.
In late-June, the Boston Red Sox and their elitist fans, visited PNC Park for a weekend inter league series.
The Pirates took the Friday night game, and in game-two, after trailing, 2-0, early, went-on to win, 6-4.
My favorite moment occurred while watching the highlights on the Internet that Saturday evening.
As I said, the Pirates were down, 2-0, and, believe it or not, Lyle Overbay hit a three-run home run to put Pittsburgh ahead. The very next batter, Ronny Cedeno, immediately followed with a double, and when the cameras cut to a shot of the crowd, there was a group of Pirates fans standing and chanting, "Let's Go Bucs! Let's Go Bucs!" I don't know, for some reason, that just did it for me. It was nice to see Pirates fans having such a good time watching their team and not just sitting there quietly while the Boston fans took over their park. It just made me feel good for some reason.
My favorite moment from 2011 happened on a Friday night in early-July. My girlfriend and I were on our way home from seeing the movie "Horrible Bosses" (great movie, by the way), and I was curious to hear the score of the Pirates game against the Cubs. I turned on the post-game show and heard David Todd discussing Michael Mckenry's three-run shot in the bottom of the 8th-inning off of closer Carlos Marmol that gave Pittsburgh a thrilling 7-4 victory.
I was excited, naturally, but it wasn't until I got home and checked out the highlights online that I really appreciated what Mckrenry did and really embraced the 2011 season. When Mckenry hit that bomb, Greg Brown went crazy in the booth and the entire stadium erupted as The Fort rounded the bases. The play-by-play guy was was getting emotional, the fans, obviously, were going insane, and the players in the dugout were jumping up-and-down.
I tell you, it just doesn't get much better than that in baseball.
That, right there, was my favorite Pirate moment since the combined no-hitter on July 12th, 1997.
Let's hope it was just the beginning of many more fun moments in the near-future.
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