MikeCheck: All sports talk with no static

Best Rivalry Ever?

2009-12-15T17:22:00.003-05:00

In midst of the Penguins/Flyers game tonight, which is also a home and home series, one starts to wonder if this is the best rivalry not only in hockey, but in sports.

Where else can you find two major cities in the same state who despise each other. Let's be honest, there is no brotherly love in this series. These teams have met in the playoffs the last two years and have supplied some of the most intense games in sports.

It's not like this is a recently renewed rivalry either. Just look back to the beginning of the decade with the 5 overtime game when Ron Tugnutt made 70 saves against Philly before the Flyers netted the game winner and eventually the series.

You could argue the Red Sox/Yankees, but that has only been serious since 2004. Remember that was when Boston came back and beat the Yankees in seven games and Curt Schilling's bloody sock became the most famous sock ever. Sure the two teams hate each other, but it doesn't seem like in a pointless game in the middle of July, these fans really get into it.

Where do you want to go in the NFL? Bears/Packers? Neither team has been overly successful as of late. Is it great to watch these two teams play a game in December with the weather being frigid? Absolutely, but the intensity of the rivalry amongst the fans just is not there.

Colts/Patriots? Nah. That is just Manning vs. Brady and lets see who can score more points. Was it cool when Manning finally beat the Pats to get to the Super Bowl...I guess, but is it a rivalry? Hardly.

How about the NBA? Lakers and Celtics. Nope. Why? The Celtics essentially went George Stienbrenner to get their 'ship in 08.

These players haven't gone through seasons playing against each other. The fans, while they might not like the other team and could be impartial to the other teams' fans, they don't HATE the opponent.

This is what Pittsburgh/Philly gives you. These teams, because of their successes, mainly stay intact. Players learn to have a disliking for the other team. The fans in both situations are ridiculous. Packed arena's booing the opponents star players every time they touch the puck. Not just for the first five minutes of the game, not when the player scores a goal, or commits a penalty, but from the second they get on the ice and touch the puck in the first period, all the way through the third period.

These arenas aren't for the faint hearted. The language gets rough. Pittsburgh HATES Philly and Philly HATES Pittsburgh and that is what makes this rivalry easily the best in hockey, and one of the best in all sports.

Steelers Shuffle

2009-12-13T15:45:00.003-05:00

There have been many famous shuffles throughout history. In chronological order: Shuffle Board, The Ickey Shuffle, more recently the Cupid Shuffle (white guys love songs that tell you how to do the dance...trust me), and now, the Steelers Shuffle.

James Walker, of espn.com, is reporting that there might be some changes in the Steelers coaching staff following the season.

Pittsburgh is in the midst of a five game losing streak, and after starting the season 6-2, are 6-7 and that beeping you are hearing from them being on playoff life support is getting louder and quicker.

The coaches that Walker identified in his piece are special teams coach Bob Ligashesky, offensive line coach Larry Zierlein, and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. None of these names are a surprise. The special teams can't cover a bed with a blanket, the offensive line, while improving are still allowing waaaaaaay to many sacks on Roethlisberger, and who can understand the play calling.

When the Steelers are up in the 4th quarter, the play calling should go: run with Rashard, run with Rashard, play-action, more running. Instead its shotgun, Ben gets sacked, Ben gets picked, receivers drop the ball, opponents get ball and proceed to score and win in the waning seconds of the game. Cue ESPN

Cudos to Mike Tomlin for knowing that change is needed. However, I'll take those cudos right back for losing to the Chefs, Raiders, and the Brownies, who might very well be the worst team that I've ever seen. Yes, even worse than last years Lions.

Back and Better than Ever

2009-12-13T15:27:00.002-05:00

For all of you who missed me, my apologies. I sorta-kinda got distracted from the whole blog world in pursuit of graduating.

I can proudly say that I am now a member of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are now "unemployed". I graduated from Marietta College on Dec. 5 with a B.A. in Broadcasting and a minor in Journalism.

Before my blog was dedicated to Pittsburgh sports...now I'm going all out. Everything is fair game from the NHL to D3 sports and even Equestrian...well maybe not that far, but you get the picture.

As soon as I figure out how to make the Twitter gadget work, you will be able to see what I'm doing in 140 words or less. But for now, follow me on here and on twitter at MWashMC

FSN PITTSBURGH

2009-04-02T10:52:00.004-04:00

Great news on my part...I've landed another internship in Pittsburgh. This time it's with Fox Sports Network Pittsburgh. I will be working in studio helping to produce some Pirate games. So for you all keeping track at home, that's two internships with Fox Sports Pittsburgh, one radio and one t.v.

I'm pretty excited as this just will further my chances of landing a job in the Pittsburgh region when I graduate from Marietta this December.

The Battery w/ Mike & Mike

2009-04-02T10:40:00.002-04:00

New Radio Show! The Battery w/ Mike & Mike

Mike Eisenberg and I have officially kicked off our new radio show airing in southeastern Ohio (Marietta, Athens, Parkersburg) where we discuss fantasy baseball from 7-8 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Special guests will be on the show nearly every episode. We've already scheduled Joe DiMaio (President/CEO, Fantasy Player's Edge), Jonathan Mayo (Senior Writer, MLB.com), and A ndy Behrens (Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball Expert). If you can't tune into 88.3 FM or watch us at the link below, just open up iTunes and download our broadcasts free.

HOW TO EASILY DOWNLOAD THE BATTERY FREE ON ITUNES:

With iTunes open, click on ADVANCED at the top of your computer screen.
Scroll to and click on SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST.
In the box provided, type http://thebattery.podomatic.com/rss2.xml and press OK.
The podcast will now show up under the PODCASTS bar on the left side of your iTunes.
To update, simply click REFRESH at the lower right corner of iTunes.

WATCH LIVE from 7:00-8:00 p.m. MON/WED/FRI:

Justin.tv LIVE VIDEO FEED

Pens Pummel Devils

2009-04-02T10:24:00.002-04:00

The Pens lit up Martin Brodeur the NHL's all-time wins leader last night 6-1. It was a complete game played by the entire team, and with only 5 games remaining before the playoffs, the Penguins once again are looking like a team to be reckoned with.

How big of an acquisition has been Matt Cooke been? Brought in to replace Jarkko Ruutu, Cooke has brought the momentum changing hits with him, and a lot more offense and he doesn't take penalties all that much.

His 11th goal of the season was a beaut!

BREAKING NEWS: LEMIEUX AND JAGR TO RETURN!!!

2009-04-02T10:15:00.004-04:00

According to nhlsnipers.com, Jags and Lemieux are joining up with Sid and Geno next season.

Breaking News: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the KHL have come to an agreement on a contract negotiation for Jaromir Jagr! The KHL will put the current contract they have with Jagr on hold for the 2009-10 season, allowing him to play in the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins will sign Jagr to a one-year $1.5 Million deal. Jagr will then fulfill his contract with Avangard Omsk in the KHL beginning in the 2010-11 season.

According to the source, the only way Jaromir agreed to play again for the Penguins is if Mario Lemieux would lace up the skates as well. Mario, since he is part owner of the Penguins has agreed to play for the league minimum in order to work around any potential salary cap issues. This was supposed to happen at the trade deadline, but Mario wanted the offseason to get back into hockey shape.

Pittsburgh Penguins = 2010 Stanley Cup Champions?

Imagine that powerplay: Sidney Crosby, Evengi Malkin, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Sergei Gonchar! Yikes that is scary.

Can you say....

APRIL FOOLS!!!!

Clash of the Titans

2009-03-23T16:36:00.003-04:00

The NFL has announced the prime time games for the upcoming season and it starts on Thursday, September 10th with the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers taking on the Tennessee Titans. As many remember the Titans were ousted by the Ravens in the Division Playoffs.

The Steelers will have a lot to defend in this game. Not only will they start their reign as champs, but they will be looking to make the Titans, especially LenDale White, to respect the Towel!

Look LenDale, I know that day the Titans got the upper hand, but why the disrespect? I mean at least be creative if you're going to dis the Steelers. Here's an idea. why not take the towel and clean your Super Bowl trophies...Oh wait, thats right...you don't have any! All I can say is you better buckle your chin strap because the Steelers never forget and once they are done with you, you might not remember anything.

How Sweet It Is?

2009-03-23T16:28:00.003-04:00

Pitt has advanced to yet another Sweet 16 after withstanding the Oklahoma St. Cowboys. It is for the fifth time in the last eight seasons that the Panthers have made it this far...however they have never been Elite in those years.

Pitt surely hasn't looked good in the first two games, but they are still dancing, now they will face Xaiver of the A-10. The Musketeers are led by head coach Sean Miller, who played at Pitt and has the most famous assist in school history. Jerome Lane anybody?

Getting to know me a little better...

2009-03-10T21:50:00.003-04:00

So this video was made as a project for school, but it gives you a great insight to my life. It was edited my my good friend Mike Eisenberg, who has an awesome movie blog at eisentower30.com

Here it is...enjoy!!!

New Lines

2009-03-04T22:12:00.020-05:00

With all the trades over, this is how I see the lines shaping out.

Line 1

LW Ruslan Fedotenko
C Sidney Crosby
RW Bill Guerin

Line 2

LW Chris Kunitz
C Evgeni Malkin
RW Petr Sykora

Line 3

LW Matt Cooke
C Jordan Staal
RW Tyler Kennedy

Line 4

LW Pascal Dupuis
C Max Talbot
RW Craig Adams

D 1 Brooks Orpik-Sergei Gonchar

D 2 Mark Eaton- Kris Letang

D 3 Rob Scuderi- Hal Gill

Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury

Mathieu Garon

Trade Deadline Recap

2009-03-04T21:53:00.004-05:00

Ok kiddies, the biggest sporting event since the Super Bowl has come and gone, so let's recap, shall we?

The Pens started the wheeling and dealing on Feb. 26 when they acquired winger Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi of the Ducks for defenseman Ryan Whitney. Kunitz has been stellar so far in a Penguins uniform recording three goals in three games (all victories).

They were quiet until earlier today when they plucked RW Craig Adams off of the waiver wire from the Blackhawks. The 31 year old has 2 goals, but brings toughness as well as playoff experience. (Won the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.)

Shortly before they sent Bill Thomas to the Baby Pens.

Next, Shero made a minor league move. He acquired St. Louis Blues defenseman Andy Wozniewski for Danny Richardson. Wozniewski will start at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but is capable of playing in the NHL. We could see him up before the end of the season.

Next came the biggest move of the day, Shero was able to steal Islanders captain Bill Guerin for a conditional draft pick. This is how it works...If the Pens fail to make the playoffs, the Isles recieve a 5th round pick. If the Pens make the playoffs, then they would give up a 4th round pick. Lastly, if the Pens make it out of the 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, then Shero would send over their 3rd round pick. So at worst, the Pens give a 3rd round pick for a top line winger that is a proven goal scorer, and someone who has also won a Stanley Cup. (1995 with New Jersey)

The day ended quietly with Miro Satan being assigned to the Baby Pens after clearing waivers.

Trade deadline update: Marian Gaborik

2009-03-04T14:16:00.002-05:00

No its not Hossa, but Gaborik is now available according to NHL Live. The Minnesota Wild are shopping the injury prone winger. When healthy, he can score with the best of them. I know Shero just dealt for Guerin, but I'd like to see him go after Gaborik as well. Trade Pascal Dupuis and a draft pick for him because a line of Crosby, Guerin, and Gaborik would be sweet.

Trade deadline update: Bill Guerin

2009-03-04T14:02:00.003-05:00

According to nhl.com and their online stream of NHL Live, the Penguins have acquired Bill Guerin. It is not official yet, but it seems like it will happen. This adds the some grit and scoring to the squad. It has just been reported that Shero will only have to give up a conditional draft pick...and if thats the case, GREAT MOVE!

Some other minor moves made by the Penguins today: They claim winger Craig Adams off of the waiver wire from the Chicago Blackhawks. With Adams and now Guerin, it is evident that Shero and Penguins brass were not pleased with the physicality of the team. It was also reported that they were trying to reacquire agitator and fan favorite Jarkko Ruutu, but that most likely won't happen.

According to the Post Gazette:

Speaking of waivers, Miro Satan cleared so he could stay with the big league club or go down and play for the Baby Pens.

They acquired Andy Wozniewski from the Blues for minor league defender Danny Richmond.

Trade deadline update: Satan released

2009-03-03T15:20:00.002-05:00

Well lets just say it wasn't one of Shero's most successful acquisitions. Miroslav Satan, who was brought in to replace Marian Hossa on Crosby's wing, has been released today. According to NHL.com,"Now, he is being waived to make salary-cap space, about $900,000."

So anyone keeping a running tab of waived Penguins, we have : Chris Minard (cleared and in Wilkes Barre/Scranton), Bill Thomas (cleared at 12:00 today and remains with the Pens), and now Satan.

I would not expect Satan to be back with the Pens even if he clears waivers. He was a liablility in the defensive zone, shyed away from contact, and even though he had 17 goals, he was very inconsistant.

By the way, Crosby is out yet another game, tonight against the Penguins of the south (Lightning).

Trade deadline update

2009-03-02T16:33:00.002-05:00

Ok, so no trade has officially gone down, but the Penguins did place forward Bill Thomas on waivers. If he clears, it is very likely that the Pens will reassign him to Wilks-Barre/Scranton.

However, why would they place him on waivers? Sure Crosby is ready to be activated again, but he was never on injured reserve, meaning that a player did not take his roster spot.

So with Thomas on waivers, the Penguins now have two roster spots open. Sean Avery is on re-entry waivers. Could the Pens be eying him? Or is there a larger deal in the works? The trade deadline is on Wednesday and with the Penguins hanging on to 8th place in the Eastern Conference, I would not be surprised if Shero made another move to bolster their offense.

Bucco Ball

2009-03-01T13:19:00.002-05:00

The Penguins aren't the only ones who have been winning lately. The Pirates have gotten off to a hot start even though its only spring. They are 3-1 with wins over the Phillies, Red Sox, and Astros.

The Bucs have also been getting the balong ll. They ripped four against the Astros and three of them came from players who are battling for bench spots. Craig Monroe, who received a minor league contract this off-season, is my pick to be the fourth outfielder, over Jeff Salazar. Jason Jaramillo should have the upper hand over Robinson Diaz as the backup catcher to Ryan Doumit.

Two players who have impressed so far who were considered long shots to make the team out of spring training are: second baseman Shelby Ford and Rule 5 draft pick Donnie Veal. I personally wouldn't mind seeing the Pirates front office try to trade Freddy Sanchez and let Ford take over, especially since they are still "rebuilding" and Sanchez hasn't done a whole lot since winnning the batting title in 2006.

I'm BAAAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKK

2009-03-01T13:08:00.002-05:00

Yes, yes, yes I'm back and better than ever. I apologize for my two week disappearance, so lets get caught up.

The Penguins are winning again and made a fairly significant trade that sent Ryan Whitney to the Ducks for Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi, the second best prospect in the Ducks system.

This trade works for the Penguins. They are in desperate need of a good scoring winger and with their abundance of offensive defensemen(Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, and Ben Lovejoy(in Wilks-Barre), Whitney became expendable. It didn't take long for Kunitz to get used to the Penguins as he recorded a goal and an assist in a win on Friday.

As for Tangradi, it gives the Pens a couple of options of what to do with him. They could keep him in the minors to help rebuild their farm system or they could use him as trade bait. Many teams want a top prospect, something the Penguins have lacked recently due to trades in past years. If they keep Tangradi, he has been compared to Keith Primeau. So this kid seems legit.

With the trade deadline on Wednesday, I expect GM Ray Shero to make some more trades, although this may be the most signifcant one he makes. With the Pens inching closer to the playoffs, Wednesday becomes that much more interesting.

THERRIEN FIRED!!!

2009-02-15T22:20:00.005-05:00

The Penguins have gone Donald Trump on their head coach. The Penguins, who are currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and 5 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot have fired Michel Therrien.

GM Ray Shero said, "We believe we need a change in direction and, with 25 games remaining in the regular season, our goal remains to finish strong and qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs." There is so much parody in the NHL these days. Less than one year ago the Penguins were in the Stanley Cup Finals and fans were outraged the Therrien did not win the Coach of the Year award. Now he gets fired for an underachieving team who is still two games over .500.

Hmm...if the Pens fired Therrien for having his club only two games over .500, can you imagine the string of coaches the Pirates would be going through. I mean, they would go through more coaches than most people go through clean underwear...

Anyway, back to reality, and that is Therrien is out and Dan Blysma is in. Blysma had got the promotion from the Wilkes-Barre Baby Penguins.

Now understand that this firing wasn't solely because of bad coaching from Therrien rather the Penguins front office trying to light some sort of fire under the team to propel them into the post-season.

Reed's Terrible Towel Experience

2009-02-15T14:55:00.006-05:00

Well the Steelers finally have some negative publicity to fend off. Jeff Reed, yes the kicker, was cited around 2:50 in the morning, for beating up a TOWEL DISPENSER at a local Sheetz. (There it is again...if you're a public figure, you shouldn't be out after midnight.)

According to reports he was upset that there were not paper towels to dry his hands after using the bathroom. He went on to use abusive language and was fined for disorderly conduct. While this isn't the best news, it sure is hilarious!!!

As soon as I heard this, I immediately thought of this.

I mean if you can't laugh at a kicker getting pissed at a towel dispenser, then there really isn't anything that funny...

I heard he did it after taking this picture...

Hossa has no regrets, no duh!

2009-02-09T11:22:00.002-05:00

Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette recently wrote an article about how Marian Hossa has no regrets leaving the Penguins to play for the Detroit Red Wings.

Looking back on it, I would doubt if any of the current Penguins would regret playing for the Red Wings if given the chance. Detroit is second in the Western Conference while the Penguins are in tenth in the Eastern Conference, meaning that if the season ends today (which luckily for Penguins fans it doesn't) Pittsburgh would be out of the playoffs.

Everyone made a big deal that Hossa wouldn't be able to produce as well without Crosby, well its kind of been the other way around. While Sid and Hossa have both gotten their points, Crosby isn't the same player he was with Hossa. Marian is a sniper, a true goal scorer, so regardless of who is feeding him the puck, he can still find twine. Crosby on the other hand, has some of the best vision in the game and can thread a puck through any defense, but he doesn't have a bonifide scorer to finish.

Penguins fans have to hope that their club can find away into the playoffs, otherwise they will have to turn their attention to the Pirates for about three weeks before they realize that another losing season in upon them, and that Steelers training camp doesn't start until August, thus making for a very long summer.

My Birthday

2009-02-06T13:24:00.003-05:00

In lieu of my 21st birthday which was yesterday, I decided to dig up the famous #21's in Pittsburgh sports history.

If there was a ever a number that had so much history, it's that one. Let's start with the six time NFL champion Steelers.

There have been 19 players to dawn the number 21. The most recent being backup running back Mewelde Moore. Signed in the off-season from the Minnesota Vikings, Moore was supposed to be primarily a third down back. But once starter Willie Parker went down with and injury and rookie Rashard Mendenhall got knocked out for the year, Moore became the started and filled in admirably. He rushed for 589 yards and scored 5 touchdowns and helped the Steelers capture their 6th Super Bowl title.

The most famous Steeler to wear the number 21 is Tony Dungy. The Steelers cornerback played two years for the Steelers from 1977-78. In that time he appeared in 30 games and had 9 interceptions, six of those coming in 1978.

The Pittsburgh Penguins only had two players to ever wear the number 21. The second player, Michel Briere, was clearly the best. He debuted for the Penguins as a rookie in the 1969-70 season. That year he scored 12 goals and added 32 assists as the Pens advanced to the second round of the playoffs. He was the Penguins' rookie of the year. In a year that showed so much promise, Briere's life took a tragic turn when he was involved in a car accident. He spent 11 months in a coma before passing away. Briere's number 21 was never worn again and now hangs in the rafters along with Mario Lemieux's number 66, the only two numbers to be retired by the Penguins.

Last but certainly not least is the Pirates number 21. There was no debate in who would get this honor. Roberto Clemente, arguably the best right fielder to ever play the game sported the number 21 for the Buccos from 1955-1972. During that time he amassed exactly 3,000 career hits, 240 home runs, and was a career .317 hitter. He led the Pirates to two World Series Championships and was a 12 time All-Star. Like Briere, Clemente's life ended tragically in 1972 when his airplane crashed en route to Nicaragua to send supplies to the earthquake torn country.

Clemente would be inducted into the Hall of Fame the next year after the Baseball Writers Association of America waved the five year waiting period. His number is one of 10 retired by the Pirates and efforts have been made to have his 21 retired throughout all of baseball.

More than just a player, he was and is an inspiration to all. I encourage you all to check out this video of him.

SIX PACK

2009-02-02T17:54:00.003-05:00

It's over ladies and gentlemen. The Pittsburgh Steelers have become the first football franchise to win six Super Bowls.

It wasn't easy, but Ben Roethlisberger orchestrated one of the best drives capped off by a miraculous catch by Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left in the game.

So, to all you Steelers fans out there, its time to crack open an Iron City, and congratulations for
your Steelers are Supe r Bowl Champs!

Steelers let the (Wild)cat out of the bag

2009-02-02T17:49:00.001-05:00

One of the most insignificant plays of the Super Bowl is significant for another reason. For the first time the Steelers ran a play out of the wildcat formation. The wildcat, has a running back lined up in the shotgun in the place of the quarterback and at the snap, the runner just takes off.

For a franchise who recently has been noted for running gadget plays in recent years, the wildcat has never surfaced…until the Super Bowl. The play went for no gain and that should be the last time offensive coordinator Bruce Arians ever calls that play for the black and gold. While some teams in the NFL have had some success, most notably the Miami Dolphins, running out of that formation, the Steelers should not revert to this collegiate formation.

People may argue that it works so well in college, so why not implement it in NFL playbooks. Well, for starters, the kids who run it in college are exceptional athletes. Take former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. This kid has exceptional speed, shiftiness, and isn’t that bad at throwing the ball either. In college, he was something special. Defenses could not keep up with him, thus allowing him to take the snap directly gave the Razorbacks an added advantage. In the NFL however, everyone is something special. While some players may be faster than others, defenses are smarter and quicker than in college. Also, in the Steelers’ case, their most success running the ball comes out of a power formation, with either a fullback leading the blocking or with two tight ends to seal off the outside rusher.

The reward was bigger than the risk, assuming that Willie Parker could use his speed to get to the outside and the possibly up the sidelines for a monster gain. However, Parker had to use extra efforts just get back to the line of scrimmage. The Steelers tried it, it didn’t work, and that should be that. Let the superior college kids continue to showcase their talents on Saturday, but when it comes to Sundays, please, keep the cat in the bag.

Max-a-Million

2009-02-01T14:09:00.002-05:00

Max Starks, the Steelers left tackle, received a great deal of criticism this offseason when the Steelers signed him for 1 year, $6.9 million with the transition tag. The fans thinking was, why spend nearly seven million dollars for a player who will ride the pine?

Well, that doesn't seem like too heafty of a price now does it. Starks has started the past 13 games for Marvel Smith who is done for the season. Max has been an anchor on a young, inexperience O-line. He has done a decent job protecting Big Ben's weakside as well.

Max catches a lot of heat from everyone, but if you look at his resume, when he was the full time starter in 05, what happened...oh ya the Steelers won the Super Bowl. And he had the block to spring Willie Parker on his 75 yard touchdown run. So if you're one of the fans who was bitter about the Steelers signing a backup for that much money, swallow you're pride, cause this kid is winner. Plain and simple.

Holme(s) Boy

2009-02-01T13:53:00.002-05:00

We are T-minus five hours from the start of the Super Bowl. People up here in the 'Etta are bleeding the black and gold! I've been told I'm acting like a six year old on Christmas, but this game is much bigger than Christmas.

Bob Labriola of Steelers.com comprised a list of the top match-ups for the Super Bowl. As always, Labs does not disappoint. The big one that he hit on was Santonio Holmes. I believe that he along with Heath Miller will have to be the catalysts in the passing offense. Miller might have to stay on the line to help block, so therefore, Holmes is my man for this game.

He's come up huge in the post-season, especially in the AFC Championship game after Hines went out with an injury. Holmes has the ablilty to stretch the field which is always nice for a big play, but even more importantly, he should pull one of the Cards safeties with him, Adrian Wilson or Antrel Rolle. That will open up the middle of the field for Big Ben to find Heath or Hines.

I'm thinking that Holmes with come up big and take home the honor of Super Bowl MVP.

Startin to worry...

2009-01-31T19:47:00.003-05:00

With the Super Bowl now less than 24 hrs away, I'm starting to worry. Yes, I know that we're playing the Arizona Cardinals, but these aren't the Cardinals of yesteryear, or even this year for that matter. The way they played in the playoffs has been remarkable.

Also, let's not forget who their quarterback is...Kurt Warner. He led the Rams to two titles when their franchise was well...not good. Eerie how similar the two teams are. Warner has also had the luxury of playing with some remarkable receivers. In St. Louis, Holt and Bruce, now Fitzgerald and Boldin.

The combination of Warner and Fitzgerald/Boldin makes me worry because no matter how big of a lead the Steelers may have, the Cards have the ability to score quickly. It will surely be a great match-up, this high powered offense vs. the #1 defense in the league.

If the Steelers can get constant pressure on Warner, who isn't the swiftest of foot, and jam the receivers at the line of scrimmage, then my worry rate will drop considerbly, but until then, does anyone know the number of a good heart doctor?

Kurt Warner's Stats from his 1st Super Bowl year in St. Louis and this season.

Year	Team	G-S	Passing Att.-Comp.	Yards	Pct.	TD	Int.	Long	Sacks-Lost	Pass Rating

1999	St. Louis	16-16	499-325	4,353	.651	41	13	75	29-201	109.2

2008	Arizona	16-16	598-401	4,583	.671	30	14	79	26-182	96.9

Pirates Prospects

2009-01-26T13:02:00.002-05:00

Now I know you are all probably wondering why is there a post on the Pirates during Super Bowl week? Legitimate concern, and while the rest of the week most likely will be dedicated to the Steelers run for a six pack, John Perrotto of Baseball America and the Beaver County Times broke down the top 10 prospects in the Pirates system.

I've personally talked to John before and value his opinion greatly. For the most part I agree with his list, but my one major beef comes right at the top. He had Pedro Alvarez listed ahead of Andrew McCutchen. Not Cool.

McCutchen, who was drafted in the 1st round like Alvarez has progressed throughout the minor leagues in just 4 seasons and is expected to crack the major league roster sometime this year. He is an extraordinary defensive outfielder with a good bat and some big time speed. Just last season he was ranked as the Pirates number 1 prospect.

Alvarez on the other hand, is average at best defensively at 3rd base and is having trouble finding his power after an injury last season. Whats worse is that he signed super-agent Scott Boras to represent him. Boras is notorious for delaying negotiations, thus delaying the start of his career.

So unless Perrotto is saying the McCutchen is bound for the bigs, thus taking his prospect status away, I disagree that Alvarez, who hasn't played an inning in the Pirates minor league system, is the number 1 Prospect.

Penguins All-Star Break Update

2009-01-22T17:47:00.010-05:00

So it has reached that point in the season where the most popular (not necessarily the best) players take to the ice an participate in the NHL All Star Game. While the Pens get a couple days off, I figured that it's the perfect time to evaluate their progress to this point. They will be judged by Stanley Cups (0-5)

GP: 48 W23 L21 OT4 PTS 50 10th place in Eastern Conference

Centers: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have led the way once again for the Pens. Both are on pace to break 100 points this season (60 and 70 respectively to this point). Both are All-Stars, but Sid is going to sit out of the game to get healthy. Jordan Staal has picked up the scoring with 14 goals but is a -3, which is not what you want to see out of your best defensive offenseman. The rest of the group have been productive when healthy, but that has been the toughest part.

Stanley Cups: 3.5 out of 5

Left Wing: The Pens are still looking for the top line winger to play with Crosby. One player taking advantage of his audition with Sid the Kid is free agent signee Matt Cooke. Cooke, ususally an enforcer, has used his grit to crash the net and retrieve pucks on a dump and chase type of play. His leadership abilities on and off the ice earned him Alternate Captain. Ruslan Fedotenko, another player not with the Pens last season was starting to show his value before injuring his hand in a fight with Colby Armstrong. The rest of the group have been well, lets just say they have a combined one more goal than I do.

Stanley Cups: 2 out of 5

Right Wing: Petr Sykora is having a good year, recording his 1st career hat trick and with 11 of his 17 goals coming with the man advantage. Miroslav Satan is doing alright, but is under the microscope due to the fleeing of Marian Hossa (who by the way is tearing it up in the Motor City.) Had the Pens been able to sign both Hossa and Satan, then Satan's season would be considered a success. Eric Godard and Biz-Nasty have been good replacements as enforcers, but I still expect GM Ray Shero to make a move to get a scoring winger before the trade deadline.

Stanley Cups: 3 out of 5

Defense: Brooks Orpik has been the staple on the blue line this season. With injuries to Ryan Whitney for most of the 1st half of the season and Sergei Gonchar still out, the Pens have had to rely on Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski for offensive production. Not to knock the latter two, but very few players have the offensive prowess of Whitney and Gonchar. Philippe Boucher has been a decent pick up for Sydor who seemed like a cancer in the locker room. I expect this group to make the biggest improvement after the All-Star break.

Stanley Cups: 2.5 out of 5

Goalies: It seems like Marc-Andre Fleury has taken a step back from last season. However, he did miss signficant time with injury. Even though the Pens acquired Mathieu Garon from the Oilers as a backup, it is going to have to be Fleury to lead the team back into the playoffs. I like the Garon pickup because if Fleury goes down again, Garon has the ability to be a nice stopgap, a definite upgrade over Dany Sabourin. Just a note for down the line, John Curry looks like he could be a legitmate NHL goalie in 2 or 3 years...just sayin.

Stanley Cups: 2.5 out of 5

Prediction: The Pens will right the ship a little bit and make it into the playoffs as the 6th or 7th seed. They might be able to win a 1st round series but if you're expecting another Stanley Cup run, don't get your hopes up. They are still one very good scoring winger away from being title contenders.

America's New Team

2009-01-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

With President Obama giving his support to the Steelers in the Super Bowl, and if they win, do they deserve to take the title of America's Team away from the Dallas Cowboys?

Obama for Steelers

2009-01-21T12:24:00.005-05:00

The Arizona Cardinals finally made the Super Bowl. That's great and all, but look at all of the odds that they must over come. The Steelers are a -7 in gambling venues , 20 Steelers have participated in a previous Super Bowl as compared to 5 for the Cards, and now the Steelers have a new fan and he just happens to be the leader of the free world.

The Rooney family campaigned very hard for Barack Obama in his successful run to presidency. In doing so, the two families became close friends. Dan Rooney and his son Jim were invited to a black tie dinner at which the Rooneys provided Obama with the game ball from the AFC Championship.

"But he's a Steelers' fan. He's said it, and all his staff, they're rooting for us [in the Super Bowl]." According to Dan Rooney.

So good luck Arizona, not only do you have to beat one of the most storied franchises in all of sports history, but you have arguably the most influential man rooting for the Steelers.

Limas Lays a Sweed Block

2009-01-20T15:06:00.002-05:00

Hines Ward should go down as one of the, if not THE best blocking wide receiver in NFL history. His legal, bone crushing hits has obviously made an impact on his teammates. Rookie Limas hit Ravens cornerback Corey Ivy so hard that I wouldn't be surprised if Ivy had the number 14 imprinted on his chest.

Now if only Hines could teach Limas how to catch...

1.	Pedro Alvarez, 3b
2.	Andrew McCutchen, of
3.	Jose Tabata, of
4.	Brad Lincoln, rhp
5.	Bryan Morris, rhp
6.	Neil Walker, 3b
7.	Jeff Sues, rhp
8.	Shelby Ford, 2b
9.	Daniel McCutchen, rhp
10.	Robbie Grossman, of