Winning the Stanley Cup is extremely difficult, but somehow the Penguins have underachieved since 2009

NHL fans love, I mean, love to go on and on about how unbelievably difficult it is for a team to win a Stanley Cup. "It's the toughest trophy to win in all of sports! Four best of seven series are such a grind!"

No argument there.

Of course, this sentiment goes out the window when a team has the two best hockey players in the world, like the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have only managed to win one Stanley Cup and appear in another Final since 2008. Pittsburgh joins the Red Wings and the loser of the Bruins/Blackhawks Cup series in accomplishing that same feat over the same time-span. I don't know how those other fan bases feel about that, and I don't know how the front offices of those teams feel about that, but I know in Pittsburgh, it's a clear sign of underachieving, and the fans and front office, alike, have been doing some serious soul searching since last Friday night.

Penguins gm Ray Shero met with the media for a postseason debriefing on Wednesday where he announced the contract extension of coach Dan Bylsma, who was on the hot seat after his team bowed out of the Eastern Conference finals and missed making it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the fourth straight season.

Shero was praised for his openness and candor about the front office's disappointment in the team's shortcomings in recent years (including those of the just extended head coach), and while I admire the organization's determination to be No. 1, it isn't like the Penguins lost to a bunch of stiffs when they were swept by Boston.

As I touched on in a previous paragraph, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup just two seasons ago and entered this postseason as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after missing out on the Northeast Division title (and 2nd overall seed) by a mere point.

Should superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have played better against Boston? Absolutely, but credit has to be given to the Bruins for taking Pittsburgh's offensive stars out of their game and limiting the team to only two goals in the series. Believe me, if the Penguins had played that kind of defense against Boston, we would run out of ways to praise such a performance.

As for the hockey fans who were screaming for Bylsma to go, you can't have it both ways. You can't stand around and beat your chest about how extremely difficult it is to win a Stanley Cup and then complain when your team "only" has one over the past five seasons.

Making it to the finals in any sport is pretty awesome

I actually watched Game 5 of the NHL Western Conference finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, Saturday night. I was rooting for the Hawks because they were ahead in the series, and I wanted to see them clinch and engage in the obligatory celebratory scrum, accompanied by the presentation of the Western Conference trophy (or whatever fancy French name it goes by). Unfortunately, Los Angeles tied the game with less than 10 seconds left, and I wound up falling asleep before Chicago finally clinched the series in double-overtime.

I don't normally watch hockey (especially when neither team is named the Penguins), but I've always been fascinated by teams reaching the finals of any sport. There's just something about the last two teams (theoretically the best two teams in the entire world) squaring off for all the marbles.

As I said, I fell asleep during overtime and didn't see the aftermath of the Blackhawk's victory, but I'll make a pretty safe assumption that the players went nuts, along with the fans in attendance at Chicago's United Center.

Of course the fans and players went nuts. Why wouldn't they? Making it to the championship round of a major professional sports league is a rather obvious indication of an awesome season. And that's why I always find it funny how so many people--both players and fans alike--refuse to enjoy such an achievement. I can see players being more business-like about it (although, why so many NHL players refuse to touch the conference trophy is beyond me), but as for the fans? I really wish fans would just start enjoying the ride more.

I hear so many fans say things like "I'd rather see my team not even make the playoffs than lose in the championship."

I really don't get that kind of thinking. I mean, I get why fans would be disappointed and depressed following a loss in the championship round, but after a little time has passed, you would think people may soften their hearts and acknowledge that their team really did have a great season, despite losing the final game or series. But fond memories are more the exception and not the rule after a runner-up season.

I think I gained such an appreciation for just making it to the championship round after growing up in the 80's, a very mediocre decade for sports in Pittsburgh. The Steelers, Pirates and Penguins all pretty much sucked in that decade (although, the Steelers did make it to the AFC Championship Game in 1984, which I still can't believe), and I remember how abstract the thought of seeing one of Pittsburgh's teams make it to a championship really was.

The Pirates became championship contenders in the early 90's, winning three straight NL East titles, but  they never made it to the World Series.

As for the Penguins, they did win back-to-back Stanley Cups in '91 and '92, and while I thought it was neat to see, I really wasn't into hockey at that time.

The Steelers have always been my first love. For years, I dreamed of watching them in the Super Bowl, but with players like Mark Malone and Weegie Thompson on the roster, I never thought I'd actually get to witness it. When Pittsburgh finally made it to Super Bowl XXX , it was a dream come true.

For me, very few sports moments rank as high as when Jim Harbaugh's pass fell incomplete in the right corner of the end zone on the final play of the 1995 AFC Championship Game at old Three Rivers Stadium.

I soaked up every second of the celebration as well as every second of the two weeks that led up to the clash with the heavily-favored Cowboys.

To this day, so many Pittsburgh sports fans can't even talk about Super Bowl XXX (the Steelers lost, 27-17), but I have nothing but fond memories of that time.

And why shouldn't I have fond memories? There are fans of teams who wish they had that kind of memory as recently as January of 1996.

There are teams who have never reached the Super Bowl. The Chicago Cubs haven't been to the World Series since 1945. How do you think Clippers fans would feel about reaching the NBA Finals? The Beattles were still together the last time the Maple Leafs made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

If making it to the championship round was so ordinary, I'm pretty teams would make it more often.

Reaching the championship is a pretty special thing, and it should be celebrated and appreciated just a little more.

I'll bet fans of the Bruins and Blackhawks are appreciating their teams' seasons right about now--let's hope the losing fan base can hold on to some of that appreciation when its team loses.

Gerrit Cole to start for the Pirates Tuesday night against World Champs---not a last place team, like Stephen Strasburg

If you're a Pirates fan, you've probably uttered this phrase at least once over the past year or so: "When in the blue moon are they going to bring up Gerrit Cole from the minors?" Of course, if you've been paying attention to other notable call ups in recent years, and you were in the room when someone asked that question, you might have said, "They'll bring Cole up in June."

It was no real secret why Cole didn't make the Pittsburgh roster coming out of spring training, just like it was no secret when Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez didn't in years past. Baseball has a weird " service time" system in-which a team can hold on to a player for an extra season if he doesn't make his Major League debut until June. Cutch made his debut on June 4th, 2009. Tabata was called up a year later on June 9th, 2010. And Alvarez made his debut a week after that on June 16th.

A lot of people were upset when the pitching phenom didn't make the team at the start of the season, but I wasn't one of them. Really, with the financial constraints on small market teams such as the Pirates, they have to do what's in the best interest for the long-term. Gm Neal Huntington has taken a lot of flack in recent years, but you can't blame him for wanting to get an extra year of eligibility out of every highly-touted prospect. Let's face it, if Cole comes as advertised and is the talent many think he can be, when he does become an unrestricted free agent, Pittsburgh will not be able to retain him.

The going rate for the top pitchers in MLB is roughly $20 million a season. The Pirates two highest paid players--pitchers A.J. Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez--are making $16.5 million and $13 million this season, respectively. But the Yankees are picking up a large portion of Burnett's salary, and the Astros are doing the same with Rodriguez. In other words, the Pirates aren't paying any player $20 million and probably won't any time soon--including six years from now when Cole will be eligible for free agency--so, basically, if Cole is the pitcher everyone hopes he can be, by waiting until now to call him up, the Pirates are giving us an extra year to enjoy him before he leaves.

Trading a few months for another season seems like the right move.

On to the good stuff.

Cole will be making his debut for the Pirates when he starts against the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, Tuesday night at PNC Park.

It's obviously an historic event, considering Cole's potential, but it's not garnering the same national attention that Stephen Strasburg's debut received back on June 8th, 2010, against Pittsburgh. Strasburg cemented his phenom-status by striking out 14 Pirates. Of course, I have no doubt it was a strategic move by his Washington Nationals team to sort of "hand-pick" an opponent that would go on to finish with over 100 losses.

Hey, it worked. Strasburg made a splash.

If Cole is going to make a splash, he'll have to do so against a more formidable foe, Tuesday night.

The water will be a bit choppy. Hopefully Cole is a natural swimmer.

I can emphathize with what Penguins fans are feeling

I'm not much of a hockey fan, this is a known fact by most people who know me. However, I do understand the psychology of being a sports fan and the pull that your favorite team can have on your emotions.The Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the Eastern Conference finals Friday evening by the Boston Bruins, and I'm sure the fans aren't feeling too good this fine Saturday afternoon.

To quote Apollo Creed from the movie Rocky III: "Hell, every fighter knows that hurt."

Even though Pittsburgh fell behind in the series, 3-0, knowing die-hard fans like I do, I can pretty much guess the majority of Pens fans were still holding out hope for a stunning turnaround. If nothing else, they were probably wishing for just one victory and another day or two to hope and BELIEVE. And that's what being a fan is all about, it's about holding on to a dream, and in the playoffs (regardless of the format), it's about surviving to fight another day.

As I said, I don't get into hockey, but if I was a fan, I know losing in the Eastern Conference finals would really eat at me. Say what you want, I'd rather see my favorite team lose in the championship round than lose in the penultimate one.

I've seen the Steelers play in many AFC Championship games over the years, but it's the most gut-wrenching game for me to endure. Oh sure, you can probably say that about any round of the NFL playoffs, but I know that if the team can just survive that game, I'll have two weeks to celebrate, hope and dream.

If you hockey fans are anything like me, you probably spent this playoff run watching old Penguins games that led to Stanley Cup championships. And you probably re-lived the same emotions over again as you hoped to experience some new joy this year.

I know when the Steelers make the postseason, I go back and re-watch old Super Bowls and old playoff victories. I eat, sleep and everything my team, hoping for another championship to celebrate.

For my money, there's something to be said for seeing something through to the very end --regardless of the outcome. Now Penguins fans must sit and watch two other teams battle it out for Lord Stanley.

When my team falls short, it's an empty feeling, especially the day after.

But the great thing about being a fan is hope always springs eternal. Things were looking rather bleak for the Steelers just a few months ago, what with so many player-departures, but here we are less than two months from the start of training camp, and the optimism is quickly returning.

It's just a few more months until the start of the next NHL season, Pens fans.

New hope begins in the fall.

Penguins eliminated from Stanley Cup playoffs after 1-0 loss to the Bruins, swept for the first time since 1979

The Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the Eastern Conference finals after a 1-0 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Arena Friday night. Pittsburgh was swept by the Bruins in the best of seven series, marking the first time the franchise has been swept in a postseason match-up since 1979--ironically enough against Boston.

With Friday night's loss, the Penguins have now failed to even reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the fourth straight season since playing in back-to-back Finals in '08 and '09 and bringing Lord Stanley home to Pittsburgh in the summer of 2009 after a stunning Game 7 victory over the Red Wings.

That celebration  on center ice in Detroit's Joe Louis arena seemed like just the beginning for the Penguins. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and goaltender Marc Andre Fleury still years away from their primes, at least a couple more Cups seemed inevitable for the young core.

However, the Penguins lost in Round 2 against Montreal the following season. The 2010/2011 season was marred by injuries, as Crosby, Malkin and a host of others sat by helpless and watched Pittsburgh blow a 3-1 series lead to the Lightning in the opening round.

A season ago, the Penguins may have been victims of circumstance, losing out on the Eastern Conference's top seed by two points to the Rangers, their Atlantic Division rivals, and having to settle for the fourth seed and a date with another, more hated division rival, the Flyers, in the first round. Pittsburgh fell behind, 3-0 in the series, before losing in six games.

Despite the shortened season due to a lockout, there was no doubt that it was "Cup or Bust" for the Penguins in 2012/2013.

Pittsburgh finished the  regular season with the second most points in the NHL, and even though the team boasted a 15 game winning-streak earlier in the year, gm Ray Shero still went out and acquired a boat-load of talent at the NHL trade deadline, including future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames.

Things got off to a rocky start against the upstart Islanders in Round 1--including the departure of Fleury from in front of the net in favor of back-up Tomas Vokoun--but the Pens survived a grueling six-game series and then dominated the Ottawa Senators in Round 2, winning in five games.

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh proved to be no match for a Bruins team that won the Cup just two seasons ago, as Boston out-scored the Penguins, 12-2, in the four games.

In many circles, a six year run that sees a team win a Stanley Cup, reach another Cup Final and then make it to a conference final would probably be enough. However, in Pittsburgh, with the two best players in the world and one of the most passionate fan bases in the NHL, it seems like a  rather underwhelming run.

As you might expect, changes are probably in the works, starting with Head Coach Dan Bylsma, who, if I had to bet my salary, probably won't be back next year.

NHL coaches are more disposable than in any other sport, and even though there are so many weird intangibles that go into a hockey game, Bylsma is taking the brunt of the blame for not achieving more with such a talented roster.

Another interesting decision will involve Fleury. After helping the Pens steal the Cup in '09, Fleury has struggled in the playoffs in recent years--including this postseason when he never started another game after being replaced by Vokoun against New York. The fact that Bylsma stayed with Vokoun for the remainder of the postseason could speak volumes for Fleury's future in Pittsburgh.

It will be an interesting offseason for the Penguins.

Roethlisberger undergoes minor knee surgery

It has been reported by Steelers.com and other outlets that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger underwent minor knee surgery Wednesday morning to alleviate some discomfort he bad been experiencing during the offseason.

Here is the official team statement by Head Coach Mike Tomlin:

"Earlier today, Ben had minor surgery on his right knee that was the result of slight discomfort this offseason. We advised him to get the surgery done to ensure he will be completely healthy for the start of training camp. This surgery will have no long-term effects on his health."

It is unclear what exactly needed to be repaired in Roethlisberger's knee--it could be the result of years of wear and tear playing a sport known for such things--but the 10 year veteran did miss several weeks in the middle of the 2005 season after having surgery on that same right knee to repair damage that was the result of an injury he sustained in a Week 1 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field.

With just under two months until the start of training camp, it'll be interesting to see just how "minor" the surgery actually was, and if it will hinder No. 7's play come the start of the season.

Update:

It turns out the surgery was done to repair some meniscus damage (he had the same surgery in his left knee seven years ago).

The timetable for a full recovery is 4-6 weeks.

I guess LeBron James' "decision" was the right one, after all

The Miami Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers, 96-76, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night and advanced to their third straight trip to the NBA Finals since LeBron James signed with the team back in 2010.

Three yeas ago, James, an unrestricted free agent who spent several seasons as one of the game's best players with the Cleveland Cavaliers (his almost hometown team), joined fellow free agent Chris Bosh and long-time Heat player, Dwyane Wade, in Miami in what was quickly dubbed "the big three" or "Dream Team."

A lot of fans did not take to the formidable trio and relished any Miami defeat. Hatred or not, the team was obviously successful during the 2010/2011 season, advancing to the NBA Finals before losing to the Dallas Mavericks.

The second season, however, saw the Heat win the NBA title. And now, with Monday night's accomplishment, nobody can really call James' decision a failure.

Let's be honest. If it wasn't for the "Decision" fiasco, nobody would have thought James was a bad person (except for Cavaliers fans).

Another criticism is that James needed Wade, and to a lesser extent, Bosh, in order to win a championship, and maybe that's true. However, most really good basketball teams over the years have had more than one superstar on the starting roster.

The Lakers dynasty of the 80's had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and James Worthy (a total chance acquisition after the defending champions had the first pick in the '82 draft, thanks to a trade with the Cavliers a few years earlier). The Boston Celtics teams of that same decade had Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin Mchale.

The Chicago Bulls of the 90's, winners of six NBA titles in eight seasons, may have had Michael Jordan (arguably the greatest player of all-time), but they also had Scottie Pippen (a top five player during his prime).

And, of course, the Lakers teams of the 00's that won multiple titles had Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

Why should James be expected to put an entire team of average players on his back and win a title when his predecessors didn't have to?

How James went about making his decision was obviously a little in poor taste, but no matter what happens against the Spurs in the Finals, it was obviously the right one.