NHL Lockout

When is the Season Going to Begin???

I am by no means a die-hard hockey fan.  I am the rare casual, not-that-passionate, pretty-much-only-watch-playoffs-when-I-feel-like-it kind of hockey fan.  However, even I am frustrated with the league, the NHLPA, and Gary Bettman.  I am asking the NHL the same question I asked the NFL during their lockout: How hard can it be to compromise millions and millions of dollars?  Everyone involved in the negotiations is already rich, so why is the penny-pinching necessary?  This fiasco is another prime example of why sports is merely a business and it is not longer about simply playing the game.

Twitter is Taking Over Sports

Too Much Social Media!

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have #HUSKERS painted on their field, ESPN cannot go longer than 5 seconds without mentioning Twitter, and fans are obsessed with reading every insignificant tweet by their favorite players. Why is this happening?! What is so great about Twitter?!

What happened to the days when fans would go to a stadium and actually watch the game. Nowadays, half the crowd is on their iPhone checking Twitter or Facebook, and the other half is talking about what they saw on Twitter earlier that day. To be perfectly honest it disgusts me.

I do not understand the "Twitter helps fans connect with the players argument." I believe it is the least justified and supported statement I have ever heard. (I am in the library and just heard some girl ask her friend "Do you have Twitter?" Unfortunately she does and they won't stop talking about it. *SMH*.) Anyway fans are not "connected" to players through Twitter. Players/teams/actors/musicians/celebrities use Twitter for P.R. Also, be realistic, do you think Ben Roethlisberger truly cares about me because I follow him on Twitter? Am I closer to being friends with Sidney Crosby because I saw on his Twitter that we both play PS3? Would I increase my status as a Pirate fan because I retweet everything Andrew McCutchen posts? Has my life improved in any way, shape, or form because I saw the picture Derek Jeter put on his Twitter? Should I just not care that I am wasting valuable time by reading every tweet by every athlete I kind of maybe heard of?

Sports is supposed to be about toughness, hard work, dedication, perseverance, overcoming adversity, team chemistry, winning, and the love of the game. These concepts are taking a back seat these days, partially due to too much media. (But mainly due to too much money being involved). #theworldwasbetterwithouttwitter

Steelers vs. Chiefs Recap

Steelers Looked Bad Agaisnt K.C.

Pittsburgh should not have needed overtime to beat the Chiefs last night. Kansas City is the worst team in the league. I'm certainly not an offensive coordinator, but I question some of the Steelers' offensive playcalling. If I were see them do one more WR screen I'm going to lose it. In my opinion it is the worst play of all-time.

I am not too confident in the Steelers' chances to make a Super Bowl run. Inconsistency plus injuries is not a good formula for success. My Super Bowl prediction: Falcons over Broncos

Who's Gonna Win It All?

Bama's Loss Causes Shake-Up in BCS Rankings

Personally I do not believe Kansas State is the best team in the country. I think it is clear that Alabama (despite Saturday's loss to Texas A&M) and Oregon are the two best teams in the country, and this is coming from a huge Notre Dame fan. I do not like Alabama nor do I like Oregon, but I believe they should play for the national championship. They most likely will not though, because the BCS is the worst concept in sports history, aside from President Nixon declaring Texas the 1969 national champs instead of undefeated Penn State just so he would get more votes in the south. Oregon's spread offense and overly-flashy uniforms versus physical, old school Alabama would be a great game. If they don't play for the national championship, I'm not watching whoever is playing, even if it is Notre Dame. By the way if it was Bama vs. OU, Bama would win.

NFL is a Joke

The NFL is not Going in the Right Direction

Apparently those who run the NFL are forgetting it is called the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. National means it is an American sport. This means they definitely should not even consider having the Super Bowl (and any other games) overseas. It is ridiculous. The fans are the reason professional sports exist. The NFL would be punishing the fans by having Super Bowl L (50) in London. The sole reason some want this to happen is to make more money. Don't they already have enough? Keep our country's favorite sport in the U.S. Could you imagine if the English Premier League soccer championship was in America? Of course not.

Also, there is an inherent risk to playing football. There are collisions on every play and sometimes players get hurt. It happens. Penalizing players like Steelers FS Ryan Clark for hitting a receiver in the ribs with his shoulder and calling it a helmet-to-helmet hit is not the solution to counteract the amount of player injuries. And if I ever see a referee call another penalty for blocking an opponent who was not looking again I will probably stop watching the NFL. Steelers TE Leonard Pope did not even hit the guy that hard.

Penn State Football: The Next Generation

Penn State is Doing a Good Job Moving On

We all know about Sandusky and everyone covering it up and all that. I think the university did the right think in hiring a head coach that had no previous ties to Penn State. Also, I think it was smart to take down the Joe Paterno statue and to vacate wins. The only think left to do was move on to a new beginning for Penn State Football. I believe they are doing a good job in accomplishing this. The victims will never be forgotten and hopefully another scandal like this never happens again.

Pitt Football is Still a Joke

Pitt Football is Still a Joke

They aren't good

On Wednesday morning when I was driving to work, the "experts" on 93.7 THE FAN were talking about the upcoming Pitt vs. Notre Dame game. Notre Dame is ranked in the top 5 and the radio analysts were talking as if Pitt has a great chance to win. I couldn't believe it. When is the last time Pitt football was truly relevant? When is the last time Pitt went to a bowl game that you actually heard of? When is the last time Big East football was respectable? I'm sorry Pitt fans, but you can't just bring in a random coach every year, have one nationally ranked recruit, sign every 2-star prospect in the WPIAL, have 10,000 fans attend your home games, and think you have a legitimate football program. I'm not saying Pitt has no chance to win, but they are by far the underdog. Right now it's a 17 point spread. It should be a 30 point spread. Tino Sunseri vs. Manti Te'o? Get real.

MLB Playoff Predictions

A's over Reds

This Friday, MLB playoffs begin. Personally I cannot wait for the postseason to start, even though the Pirates and Rays are not in it. Below I put what I think/hope/could see happening.

Wild Card Round
Orioles over Rangers
Because: The Orioles have cool hats.

Cardinals over Braves
Because: I want Pujols to see his former team be successful without him.

Divisional Round
Orioles over Yankees
Because: The Orioles have proven this year that they are not intimidated by the Bronx Bombers, and the Yankees starting staff is not that good. After CC and Kuroda there are alot of question marks.
A's over Tigers
Because: I seriously believe the A's have a shot to win it all, they are that under-the-radar-but-still-legit type of team that ends up winning the World Series every so many years, just like the 2003 Marlins and 2005 White Sox.  Also the A's starting rotation is tearing it up and I truly believe good pitching beats good hitting.

Cardinals over Nationals
Because: I want the Nats to realize how foolish they are for shutting down Strasburg after 165 or whatever innings. Clearly, the organization cares way more about money than winning, as they are protecting their investment by ensuring he is not overworked, even though it means significantly hurting the team for playoffs.
Reds over Giants
Because: Cueto + Latos + Chapman > Cain + Bumgarner + Not Good Anymore Lincecum

ALCS
A's over Orioles
Because: A's have a better starting staff.  Good pitching outweighs good hitting.  Why else do you think the Rangers keep failing in the playoffs, and the Braves won so many division titles in the 90s when they had Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz?

NLCS
Reds over Cardinals
Because: I was going to pick St. Louis because it is Nelly's hometown but Joey Votto is on my fantasy team.

World Series
A's over Reds
Because: Moneyball is my fifth favorite sports movie of all-time, after The Sandlot, Space Jam, Little Giants and the first Mighty Ducks.

Replacement Refs

New NFL Officials Are a Joke

I am sure by now we have all seen or heard about the end of the Seahawks-Packers game on last night's Monday Night Football. I watched it as it was happening and could not believe how badly the refs messed up last night. I know they are "replacement" referees, but come on, how do you miss Golden Tate's blatant pass interference AND say there was simultaneous possession. They even reviewed it, and got it wrong again. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who I believe is awful at his job, really needs to understand the importance of getting the real refs back. I heard on the radio this morning that if the NFL paid the refs what they wanted, it would cost each team $100,000. That is pocket change for NFL franchise owners. The Cleveland Browns were recently sold for $1 Billion, so $100 K is not a big a deal to the NFL big whigs. Do something right for once Goodell and get my boy Ed Hochuli and the rest of the real refs back.

If you are like me and want to give Goodell a piece of your mind, his office number is: 212 450 2027

PNC Park vs. Yankee Stadium

Comparing Two of Baseball's Best Stadiums

On September 15, I went to Yankee Stadium with three of my friends to see the Rays vs. Yankees game. Prior to this, the only other current MLB stadium I had been to was PNC Park. They are both very nice stadiums, but I think I like Yankee Stadium a little more. Yankee fans are more into the game and seem more knowledgeable of baseball than Pirate fans. In my opinion, many of the people that attend Pirate games go just for fun, whereas many Yankee fans attend games to actually watch baseball. Don't get me wrong, both facilities and atmospheres are incredible, but Yankee Stadium is just a little bit better.

Conference Realignment: Not Cool

Notre Dame is Going to the ACC? (Besides for Football of Course)

Not too long ago, NCAA Division I conferences meant something. Everyone was from the same geographical area and played each other every year, promoting rivalries. These days, teams go whereever they want: West Virginia in the Big 12, Colorado in the Pac-12, and the lastest one is Notre Dame going to the ACC in all sport besides football.

I like Notre Dame but they are too arrogant with their football program. They have not won a national championship in decades, but I still get the impression they believe they are above everyone else-they do not belong to a conference for football because of their TV contract with NBC. There is no reason why they are not in the Big Ten with other midwest/eastern and equally academic school, such as: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska (not great academics, but in the midwest), Wisconsin, Michigan State. Half of Notre Dame's football rivals are in the Big Ten too, Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue. ACC? South Bend, Indiana is not even close to the coast. They simply want more money.

As more and more things happen in the college football solely because of money, I will continue to lose respect for the NCAA. Don't even get me started on the BCS...

Pitiful Pirates

Buccos Need to Pull it Together

As most of us know, the Pirates have not had a winning season since 1992. They have set the record for most consecutive losing seasons by a North American professional sports team. They have made poor draft decisions, refused to spend any money, fired multiple managers, and have looked downright atrocious on several occasions.

However, this season looked different. They were in first place at the All-Star break, have a legitimate MVP candidate, were buyers at the trade deadline, and were setting themselves up nicely for a playoff spot.

Then they decided to play like a completely different team. The pitching staff cannot get anyone out anymore and the offense abruptly got cold. The Pirates went from beating the top teams in the National League to losing series against the two worst teams in the division, the Astros and Cubs. Most importantly, they have lost their swag and no longer display the desire to win.

My solution: bench Barmes, Barajas and Gaby Sanchez. They are awful. Start McKenry everyday. Somehow, whether it is starting or coming off the bench, play Josh Harrison everyday (he hustles more than anyone in baseball). Also, Clint Hurdle, the team's manager, needs to get in everyone's face and light a fire under them. If a player does not respond, he knows where the bench is. This season has been too much fun to see them blow it the last two months of the season and not make the playoffs. And if they do not even finish above .500 this year, it will one of the worst collapses in Pirates history.