Spring Training: Burnett 'furious' about demotion

It had been anticipated that Sean Burnett would not take it well if the Pirates were to cut him. He did not. "I'm furious," he said yesterday by phone from Wellington, Fla., where his first child was born Thursday. "It's frustrating and disappointing. I really thought I had a chance of making this team. And to hear the reasons they gave me -- or more like the excuses they made up -- they didn't really give me a chance." Burnett was reassigned to Class AAA Indianapolis yesterday, making him the last official cut to achieve the 25-man limit for opening day Monday.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08089/868967-63.stm

Dixon Stays at Pitt - For Now

ESPN is reporting that Jamie Dixon has turned down the Cal coaching job. Maybe he's being truthful when he says he enjoys living in Pittsburgh, maybe Cal isn't a good enough program to lure him away. Whatever the reason, Pitt fans will have to get used to this and unless the Pitt administration and Steve Pederson doles out the big cash, Dixon is a candidate to bolt.

Dixon has no interest in Cal, enjoys coaching Pittsburgh

SI Archives - Pens in the 70s

Let's take a tour of what SI offered up about our Penguins before Mario arrived. It wasn't so pretty:

• "Kelly's Light Shines Under Pitt's Bushel" (April 20, 1970): The Pens had a coach and some young talent but where were the fans? In light of 40+ straight sellouts, it's interesting to remember how things were, though keep in mind the capacity was less in 1970 without either balcony being built yet.
  
• "Who Said Penguins Can't Fly?" (April 28, 1975): Thirty years of financial instability kick off with the playoff bound Pens. The savior of the moment, Pierre Larouche, didn't have quite enough to keep the team. Except for that last item, it sounds all too familiar, let's hope the new arena puts these worries to rest for a loong time.
• "With a Little Help From His Friends" (May 12, 1975): Long before John Tonelli, David Volek and Tom Fitzgerald, there was 1975 and Chico Resch with some help from the pipes. That's 3 times the Isles have derailed the Pens.
• "Pittsburgh Lands a Rare Bird" (Oct 15, 1984): The first sentence says it all:
  

  Let posterity note that the light at the end of the tunnel that is Pittsburgh Penguin hockey was first glimpsed at 2:29 p.m. (E.D.T.) on Sept. 20, 1984, which was when Mario Lemieux scored his first goal in a Penguin intrasquad scrimmage.

And on that note, we'll save the more numerous and positive post-Mario articles for another day.

Seahawks Fans Still Can't Get Over It

Whether you agree with them or not (and most sane people do not), IT'S BEEN OVER 2 YEARS NOW!!! LET IT GO!

Watch what you eat in Seattle if you're wearing black and gold:

A 24-year-old South Kitsap man — and self-proclaimed Seattle Seahawks fan — was arrested Sunday for allegedly spitting on the hamburger he prepared for a man wearing Pittsburgh Steelers attire, according to Kitsap County Sheriff's Office reports.

Deputies said the 37-year-old man in Steelers garb took his daughters to a Mile Hill Drive fast food restaurant Saturday evening, and "began trading friendly barbs about his team and their victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL," reports said.

One employee told the man that he'd "better not say that to the guy that's making your food," but the man thought it was a joke, reports said.

That is, until he opened his "clamshell-style" hamburger container and discovered what he called a "loogie" on his hamburger.

The rest of the story, including the not so surprising ending can be found here:
Seahawks Fan — and Fast Food Cook — Arrested for Spitting on Steeler Fan's Burger

Pens-Isles game draws huge rating on FSN

Pittsburgh Penguins - News: Pens-Isles game draws huge rating on FSN - 03/28/2008

Thursday’s game between the Penguins and New York Islanders at Mellon Arena drew a 10.7 rating on FSN Pittsburgh – the second-highest all-time rating for a Penguins regular season game on FSN.

Only Mario Lemieux’s dramatic comeback game on Dec. 27, 2000 drew a higher rating – a 15.9.

Pens Move Closer to Altlantic Title and Other Thoughts

-If it's important to get Sid back to work on the chemistry with Hossa and his other linemate, isn't is as important to get the defense pairings and rotation set for the playoffs? I think it is and have to wonder why Whitney is playing the wing. Is Therrien planning on using him there in the playoffs? I doubt that, this seems like a temporary thing. But not only is Whitney on the wing not allowing all 4 lines to play together, the defense and the individual roles will continue to be jumbled until Whitney returns to defense.

-I think Whitney should have been scratched the last couple of games, not playing wing. Last night he didn't even play on the PP. Scratch him for a couple of games then get him back on D. Therrien says he didn't scratch him because "we believe he's an important part of our team". How is playing him on the wing sending that message?

-Are the Pens ever destined to play a full game with Sid and Hossa together? Something strange is going on with all the injuries these two have suffered.

-Sid and Geno must be split up on the PP. Geno looked uncomfortable at the point and on the left boards and they passed the puck too often last night. Lack of a righty shot is a factor no matter what, but putting Geno on either the point or the left boards takes away his playmaking options. I've said it before, the units should be: Malkin, Malone, Sykora with Gonchar and Letang on one and Sid, Hossa, Staal with Whitney and Sydor on the other.

-Pens are now 6 pts up on both the Rangers and Devils, who both have a game in hand. Barring a Ranger sweep of the Pens (in regulation) in the upcoming home and home, the Pens will win the Atlantic. Which means they will be the #1 or 2 seed. Which means they will play either the #7 or 8 seed. And that increasingly looks like it would be Boston, Philly or The Caps. Obviously I'd love to see them play the Caps, but considering how close things are, those last two games vs Philly are going to be very interesting: Flyers will need to win to get in the playoffs but statements will be made by both teams in case they match up in round 1. Expect to see a lot of Georgie Laraque.

-Some nutjob compares the NY Giants to the 74 Steelers because of the number of rookies each had and suggests the Giants are similar. At least he comes to his senses by the end and backs down to where he thinks: "THE GIANTS PROJECT TO BE EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE THE NEXT ~3 YEARS." I'll allow that, but calm down on any comparisons to the Greatest Team in NFL History.

More Lange: What's the Best Langeism?

Lookout Loretta! More Mike Lange!!

Going Five Hole is staging an NCAA style tournament of Langeisms. You can vote for your favorite and take it all the way to the title. Voting starts on Friday at Noon so be sure to stop by and vote! Great bracket BTW:

Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, Bring Back Mikey!!

That the issue will not die is testament to the miscarriage of justice that it was. In this morning's PG, Smizik cautions anyone who thinks that the departure of Steve Tello from FSN Pittsburgh and the arrival of Ted Black, combined with the expiring contracts of Mike Lange and Paul Steigerwald will lead to Lange returning to the TV booth, is mistaken.

He downplays the move by pointing out that ratings for Pens games on FSN are higher than ever and that the backlash against the Lange firing paled in comparison to the uproar that came after Bob Prince was fired by KDKA. But in doing so, Smizik misses the point. The point is that, two years after the firing, fans are indeed clamoring for the return of Lange to TV, that Smizik wrote a column about it proves it. And secondly, ratings are higher because the Pens are better, much better than they were for four years prior to and just after the lockout. People want to watch the exciting Pens now, they didn't want to watch the Pens of Tarnstrom and Fata and Morozov.

One point Smizik was correct about was that Lange's performance had slipped some in these years. I will agree to that, but also wonder about whose wouldn't after seeing the cavalcade of talent and winning the Pens provided in the 90s and then having to call 82 games of horrible clutch and grab hockey? Smizik acknowledges that Lange has rebounded in the past couple of years on the radio - all the more reason to bring him back to TV where he can reach a larger audience with his Hall of Fame style.

This is not to denigrate Steiggy's work, though that is easy enough to do. Simply put, he is not Mike Lange and never will be.

The forces of change are swirling...the time is fast approaching...circumstances are aligning...fans are clamoring...it's time for FSN Pittsburgh to bring Mike Lange back to TV!!!

Let's all do what we can to let the powers that be know how we feel. Here is what you can do:

• Visit Mike Lange Belongs on TV. Once there you can sign the online petition that currently has over 3100 signees (more I'm sure than those who went in the street to object to Prince's firing).
• The same site also gives out the phone number of FSN Pittsburgh so everyone can call and offer their opinion on the matter. The best course of action to help the cause and have it taken seriously is to be courteous and calmly explain how you feel. The number is:

Phone: 412 - 316 - 3800 (then choose option 6 for media relations)

• Email Bob Smizik and let him know that you are one of the many who are infuriated by the decision to fire FSN made to fire Lange.
• Let Seth at Empty Netters know how you feel, he is very supportive of the cause.
  

Steelers DO NOT have Booger (??)

3/27 UPDATE: The Steelers have resigned backup DL Nick Eason. This would point to the team NOT signing Booger, who apparently failed the physical the Steelers gave him this week.

UPDATE: The PG may have been a little premature in announcing this. Nobody from the Steeler front office has confirmed this report.

So the Steelers have signed a RB, an OL and a DL this offseason. None of them may even start next year. Booger played with Coach Tomlin in Tampa. Interesting and considering Mahan also played in Tampa with Tomlin, not a great endorsement.

NFL Notebook: Steelers sign Warren; McFarland agrees to deal

Anthony "Booger" McFarland, released last month by the Indianapolis Colts when he failed their physical, came to a contract agreement with the Steelers last night after meeting with team officials and taking a physical earlier in the day. He is a defensive lineman who is 6 feet, 300 pounds. He spent all last season on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Pens All But Clinch Atlantic

After a desultory loss to the Isles in what was a less important game than many were making it out to be, the Pens rebounded last night to blank the Devils 2-0 behind Marc Andre Fleury and a strong defensive gameplan. With the win, the Pens automatically clinched a playoff spot for the second straight year.

And they virtually assured themselves the Atlantic division crown as well. This is highly significant because it means they will be either the #1 or 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and not the #4 or 5, and will get to play the #6 or 7 seeded team.

Why have the Pens virtually clinched the division? It's all in the numbers. The Pens have 5 games left (home vs Isles, and home and homes vs the Rangers and Flyers). Normally, I'd say the Pens should get 7 or 8 points from any 5 game stretch. But let's be conservative here and say they play poorly and get only 4 points out of those games. That leaves the Pens with 99 points. Who can catch them:

• The Devils currently have 91 points with 6 to play (2 vs NYR, NYI, BOS, 2 vs PHIL). To consider about the Devils: the Pens now own the tiebreaker against them, meaning the Devils need to get one MORE point than the Pens to win the division; and they can't score at all right now and are in a semi tailspin. So for the Devils to top the Pens, they need to get to 100pts and to do that they need 9 points in 6 games, or a 4-1-1 or 5-1 record. Does anyone see them doing that, which would include beating either the Rangers or Flyers twice. I don't. Give the Pens 5 points in their final 5 and it is next to impossible for the Devils to overtake the Pens.
• The Rangers currently have 89 points, also with 6 to play (2 vs PIT, 2 vs NYI, 2 vs NJ). The tiebreaker with the Pens is still TBD but the Rangers are currently 4-2 vs the Pens this year (the same that the Devils were vs the Pens before these last two games). To get to 99 to tie the Pens, they would need to go 5-1 and likely beat the Pens in both the remaining games which would also give them the tiebreaker advantage. Of note is the the Rangers, after an extended hot streak are 2-2-2 in their last six. Can they go5-1? Nope because they wold have to beat either the Pens or Devils twice.
  
• From the Pens point of view, the fact that the Devils and Rangers play twice is ideal. If they split, they knock each other out of contention for the division. If one team were to win both, and the Rangers have dominated the Devils this year, it knocks one team out but still leaves the other in dire straits for points.
• The Flyers? Too far back and too many games vs the Pens Rangers and Devils remaining. 89 points with 5 to play means the most they can get is 99. Not going to happen.

So who will the Pens play as the #1 or 2 seed? Right now, it's hard to distinguish between the two bottom seeds, any of the remaining possibilities could be either 7 or 8:

• The Flyers currently are in 7th and will likely make the playoffs. The Flyers dominated the Pens easly this season but the Pens have started to even things out. Much of how I may feel about this matchup will be determined in the final 2 regular season games thee teams play. But at this time I think this is the most likely first round opponent for the Pens and I don't like it too much.
  
• The Bruins are currently 8th and could stumble. But they are also 2-1-1 vs the Pens this year and play them tough. That said, it seems that the Pens must go through Boston to win the Cup, so I say bring them on.
• The Capitals are 9th as of now but coming on and have 2 games vs TB left. Everyone in the league hopes the caps and AO make the playoffs for marketing reasons and also so nobody has to justify their vote for AO as Hart winner. The Pens hope they make the playoffs for two reasons: the desire to revive the domination of the Caps that the Pens enjoyed in the playoffs in the 90s, and because since Sid and AO joined the league, the Pens have dominated the Caps. I would take this matchup in a heartbeat and enjoy hearing all the whining from DC fans about how the Verizon Center was taken over by black and gold.
• How about the Senators? They've righted themselves somewhat, but don't rule out another brief freefall with games against Toronto and Montreal left. Let's just say this, a rematch from last year would be very tasty for the Pens because it would mean that the already fragile Sens will come into the playoffs not playing well and that could lead to internal combustion and a first round win for whomever they play.
• I don't see the Rangers or Devils falling down to 7 or 8 and after last night, I think the Caps are the only team that is currently out of the playoffs that could get in. Say goodnight to Buffalo, Florida and Toronto.
• So who do I want to see the Pens play? In order: Caps, Sens, Bruins, Flyers. I can't wait.
  

It's the Coaching Stupid

Adam Graves agrees with me:

Duff goes head to head

The game has changed far too significantly for it to ever happen.
Coaches today gameplan around stopping the other team. It's far easier to destroy on the ice than it is to create.
"You're thinking defence first," Graves said. "The system is the component which is the driving force. You wait and it's the team that makes fewer mistakes that wins."

SI Archives - Steelers of the 70s

Over at si.com, they have decided to put ALL the articles from old issues of SI online and available for free. This is the magazine that has pretty much set the standard for sports writing (let alone photography) over the last 50 years and now you can read all of the old greats for free. We may all know about the famous articles like Sidd Finch and many have recently visited to read Myron Cope's submissions, but there are many many articles that didn't cover the Super Bowl or World Series or some other event and have long been forgotten or inaccessible unless you owned all the back issues. And there are some great articles that we now have the chance to relive.

I'll go through some of these on a team by team or topic by topic basis, picking out what I really liked, starting with our Steelers of the 70's:

• CURTAIN CALL FOR THE STEELERS (Nov 5, 1979): Dr. Z captures the spirit of the Cowboy/Steeler rivalry, not by writing about a Super Bowl but by covering a regular season game between the two that was played the season after Super Bowl XIII. The beginning sums it all up:
  

  The Pittsburgh Steelers are a bunch of roughnecks with money in their pockets. The Dallas Cowboys figured that if you want to take it away from them, you don't use a blackjack. You use three shells and a pea. So, in the great computer room in Dallas, Tom Landry punched the button marked Steelers, the machines whirred and hummed, and the printout came out titled: Finesse. Subheading: Trickery.
  
  Look at what the Cowboys were up against. The Steelers' defensive line has a tackle called Mean Joe and an end called Mad Dog. Their middle linebacker has almost no teeth. Their right linebacker is named Dirt. And their quarterback...man, if Terry Bradshaw ain't limping and bleeding, the argument hasn't even started.
  
  The computer told the Cowboys what to do, but here's the funny thing about computers. They can't cut down a linebacker or move out a defensive tackle; they can't get down in a four-point stance and fight off a double-team. And when the verdict was in at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh last Sunday, when the Steelers had stopped every bit of flimflammery and gimmickry the Cowboys threw at them and had knocked Roger Staubach out of the box while winning by a 14-to-3 score, Mean Joe Greene, the elder statesman of the defensive line, drew a deep breath and pronounced in that deliberate way of his, "Dallas is a team that tries to fool you. They wait for you to make a mistake. Well, what happens when they don't fool you? Can they blow you out?" And he looked up and paused for a moment. "I think not."

• From the same issue: "The Brutal Trip Down": Want to know about Joe Gilliam's tragic life and times? Here it is.
• Dr Z has a knack for intros. This one from "Pittsburgh Made Them Face The Music" (Sept 17, 1979):
  

  The Monster had been holed up in the dark closet, along with the old high school graduation suit and the scrap-books. Every now and then you'd hear some noises, but it hadn't really bothered anyone lately. Oh, you knew it was there all right, but no one in his right mind was going to open the door to make sure.
  

• Myron just passed away and we all heard about his creation of The Terrible Towel, now read about the "True Tales of The Terrible Towel" that Myron wrote in SI in 1979 (July 30, 1979).
• The Steeler/Raider rivalry of the 70's was unparalleled. Here's a recount of the last game of 5 straight years the teams would meet in the playoffs. This time the Raiders won what was billed as WWIII: "Revenge for the Raiders" (Jan 3, 1977).
• "A Living Legend Called Mean Smilin' Jack" (July 12, 1976). A young Jack Splat is profiled:
  

  According to Lambert's teammates and adversaries, he's the Grendel of the Gridiron, a cleated and bone-crunching blend of Caligula and King Kong who delights in snatching the soft parts from hapless backs and receivers and who performs open-heart surgery on the enemy using naught but his snaggled, bloody fingernails in lieu of a scalpel. He's not just meaner than mean. He's meaner than Greene!

• The season after winning SBIX, the Steelers took on the Oilers and the 'D' word was already being mentioned. "A Steel Bit Drills The Oilers" (Nov 17, 1975).
• "HE DOES WHAT HE WANTS OUT THERE" (Sept 22, 1975). A long profile of Mean Joe includes this:
  

  The last entry in the Steelers' scouting file on Greene says: "I would question taking a boy like this in the first round as he could turn out to be a big dog." This note was prophetic only to the extent that it might have conjured up the difficulties involved in trying to block a Doberman pinscher.

• Remember the College All Star games that the Super Bowl Champ would play every preseason? Here's a recap from the 1975 game - and the All Stars actually gave the Steelers some problems at the outset: "Twinkle, Twinkle - And Pffft" (Aug 11, 1975).
• Three Bricks Shy of a Load author Roy Blount Jr rejoins the Steelers as they march to and through New Orleans and SBIX in "You're A Part of All This" (Feb 17, 1975) and what a story:
  

  For a distance of what must have been a mile, all the way from the gate down the long corridor and through the baggage area and way on out into the parking lot, I proceeded like a loaded blood cell along a narrow artery through hungry tissues of people, who were jammed into every inch of space on both sides of us, and they were all cheering.

• In what some Steelers have called the best game they ever played and Joe Greene says that he was 'in a zone', the Steelers went to Oakland and won the AFC to get to SBIX: "The Defense Never Rested" (Jan 6, 1975).
• Even back in 1974, there was something unique between the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh and its fans, it just presented itself a little differently before they won a SB: "A Strange Kind of Love" (Aug 5, 1974).
• A little more of the great writings of Myron: "The Immaculate Reception and Other Miracles" (Aug 20, 1973).
• Roy Blount profiles the Rooney sons in "An Unsentimental Education" (July 13, 1973). Interesting to read 35 years later.
  

New goalie rules could increase scoring - Don't Think So

These are worth a shot but only the shrinking of goalie equipment will make a difference. The real reason scoring is lower is that players are more defensively minded than ever before. And that is directly attributable to coaching. Too many stress safe, defensive play instead of taking advantage of the skill their players have. Some have to do it because they don't have as much talent as others but others should be pushing their talented players to take full advantage of the edge they have. Once coaches change (and they won't anytime soon), scoring will go up.

New goalie rules could increase scoring

The Bob Errey Blog: Pens vs. Devils

Great blog keeping track of the Bibster:

Errey Blog

Line of the night:
"You're not eating any fish out of the Magnitogorsk ponds?"

Collier Excited for Baseball

Gene Collier at the PG sums things up nicely:

Baseball season is here, just don't hit the snooze button

The major portion of the baseball season, by which I mean the part still contested outside of Congress, actually begins in about 48 hours, with the first pitch planned for Tuesday at 6:07 a.m. EDT.

Could I make that up?

Since I'm usually up then anyway reading scripture (sure), I plan to tune in as Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox twirls the first pitch of the 2008 season in the Tokyo Dome against the Oakland A's.



Nothin' says national pastime, seems to me, like a predawn first inning from half a world away, unless it's a post-midnight ninth inning in a four-hour World Series rout, or a dead-of-winter lament like Rep. Elijah Cummings telling Roger Clemens, "It's hard to believe you sir; you're one of my heroes, but it's hard to believe you."