Steelers-Jets Talking Points, Week 14

No doubt one of the games to watch this week in the NFL, and for Steelers fan it will be a strange sight to see Santonio Holmes in green and white running out in Heinz Field. Before we get started with the important stuff, I hope he gets cheers before the game as long as the defense doesn't let him do anything to silence the crowd while the clock is ticking.

All the outside-the-lines drama aside, let's approach the scrimmage line and talk football. Here are 4 topics to keep in mind for this week's game.

Polamalu-less Defense

Without question the Steeler defense, led by Troy Polamalu, has been the fuel that’s fired the team’s current 4-game win streak. But with their top playmaker most-likely sidelined to recharge for the playoffs, the unit will need to draw up another strategy to hide a secondary that has proven to be easily exposed. Enter pass rush. Simply put the play of the linebackers and defensive line could very well determine the outcome of this game. LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison will need to pressure Mark Sanchez a bit more than Carson Palmer to force poor throws, but the Patriots and Dolphins have laid the blue-print for that game plan. I think the defensive line could have just as big an impact, as they will be responsible for opening up the pocket for the linebackers and an occasional cornerback (say, Willie Gay) to rush Sanchez into turning over the ball. The Steelers need to handle the run like they have all year, stopping Tomlinson and Greene from getting into an early rhythm and taking away the ground-offense by the end of the first half. After stopping the likes of Chris Johnson, Michael Turner and Ray Rice, the run defense isn’t dealing with anything new in Greene and LT. They’re streaky backs that become useless if they aren’t used early and often. Frankly, I’d be more intimidated by the shifty and slippery Leon Washington. With regards to the secondary, the best matchup of the afternoon features Ike Taylor against Santonio Holmes. Ike has successfully shut down several big-play receivers, but as a former Holmes fan, I can’t say I’d be surprised to see a quick slant or two go for 30 yards. Dustin Keller and Braylon Edwards pose a worthy threat to McFadden the Ryans (Clark and Mundy). The Steelers need a big game out of Clark if Sanchez isn’t consistently pressured. As long as the defense as a whole doesn’t give up any huge plays, going along with their season’s trademark, it should buy the defensive front enough time to figure out how to rattle the Sanchize.

3^rd and Long

The Steeler Offense has found itself stuck and 3^rd and 6+ often in crucial situations throughout the season, but Big Ben has found receivers in the clutch, and made the necessary plays to keep the chains moving. However if the offense wants to control the clock effectively, they’ll need consistent 5-6 yard run/short pass plays to get more 3^rd and short opportunities. Isaac Redman has proven that he can get 2 or 3 yards when his number is called, and Mendenhall can break away for 15/20 yards if he catches the Jets defense is on its heels. The Jets pride themselves in stopping the run, so the offensive line will really need to drink their block-juice for this game. If Mendenhall can’t find holes and the line can’t buy Ben time, the Steeler offense transforms into a unit of hurried passing and -1 yard stuffers, which is the poorly-oiled machine that cranks out 3^rd and long situations. For the short passing game to be effective, the passing game needs production from David Johnson, Manny Sanders and Hines Ward. I’m on the lookout for the short pass to Ward or Wallace in the WR bunch-right. It will also be interesting to see if Bruce Arians or Ben will be the one to test Darrelle Revis with a Mike Wallace deep ball. That is, of course, if #7 ever gets the time to see his receivers run more than 15 yard routes.

Just for the kickers

These are two teams with inconsistent offenses, and hard-nosed defensive units. With that said, a low scoring game is in order, and the kickers will most-likely have their stab at winning the game. Shaun Suisham has been nothing short meat and potatoes as far as field goals go, but I’m not sure if Nick Folk can be trusted on the Heinz Field turf. He’s only 4-7 in the 40-49 yard range. Still, there’s got to be a reason Suisham was job-less right? I stubbornly keep waiting for him to lose his cool, but he’s kept it simple and knocked 3 points on the scoreboard when the Steelers have desperately needed the aid. With regards to special teams in general, the field position battle could be just as influential as any other aspect of the game, given the lack of offense that both teams have turned in the past few weeks. If either team can make a return-play to get their offense in opponent-territory, it could be enough to decide, or at the very least alter the momentum of the game. Antonio Brown, in a Mendenhall-like trend, looks like he could break away on any given return, but he hasn’t been doing so in the past few weeks. Will this be the week that the special teams take over the game? If so, the Steelers will have the edge with home turf and a fired-up bunch of playmakers.

Make or Break for the Jets

This week will assuredly play out as the turning point of the Jets season. Either they’re able to rebound and show the NFL that they weren’t just a team that was exposed after getting lucky in the fourth quarter in 5 straight weeks. They could very well go back to being a legitimate threat in the AFC, but recent weeks point towards the opposite. Instead, Mark Sanchez has shown his youth and inexperience, simultaneously exposing the offense as unproductive and exploitable. If a sense of urgency comes into play at any point in the Jets season, it will have to be this Sunday for the Gang Green to maintain any hope to fuel a playoff run. If the Jets come out playing with everything to prove, will the Steelers match the intensity and respond to the challenge? Or will they fall back on an almost-certain playoff bid. One thing’s for sure, the Black and Gold could definitely use a bye week to rest Polamalu and Ben, and anxiously await the verdict on Aaron Smith. If Steelers can find a way to win this game, and it’s absolutely within reach, they can rest assured that they’ll have much more potential to make a dangerous playoff run in 4-5 weeks.

Overall, I expect this game to be a thriller, even if it’s only a battle driven by special teams or defensive playmaking. However the cards fall, the matchup promises a hard-nosed battle between two talented AFC teams.

A lot to like about Pens

I’m dealing with a massive problem here as a Penguins fan. I know what you’re thinking, how could a Penguins fan have any problems with the way this team is performing? I mean, what’s not to like about how they’re playing this early in the year? Despite a below-average start and a myriad of significant injuries, the Penguins are lounging alone atop the conference and league standings thanks to a 12-game win streak. Well that’s exactly the problem; I’m spoiled with the struggle to pinpoint what exactly to like most about the team’s performance through the past four weeks.

The obvious answer is the play of Sidney Crosby. It seems as if we all forgot Crosby’s age, his steady desire to improve on every aspect of his game, and his constant leadership that comes with the C stitched on his sweater. Crosby has once more reminded the Hockey World that he is the best player in the league. Without a big-name winger on his top line, without the natural shooting skill that Ovechkin and Stamkos were gifted with, and without the star power of Evgeni Malkin and the two-way presence of Jordan Staal, #87 has taken this Penguins team on his shoulder and piggy-backed them to the top of the conference. Crosby is the first player to score 50+ points since Mario Lemieux did the same in 2002-2003, thanks to an 18-game point streak during which he scored 36 points, more than all but two other players have racked up this season. He’s on pace to score 137 points and 71 goals in an era when 100 point seasons are scarce. Behind Crosby, the Penguins are scoring 3.2 goals per game, a stat good for 5^th in the NHL.

Has Crosby finally reached his scoring peak? With his pattern of improvement, it’s far too early to guess. You want him to score more goals? This season he’s got more goals than assists, with 26 to 25 respectively. How about face-offs, he struggles in with that right? Not anymore. Crosby won a regular-season single-game high 25 face-offs in the Penguins last loss (in overtime) against the Rangers. What more can you ask for from a 23 year old? What’s not to like?

The Penguin defense deserves equal praise. From puck-blocking, to penalty killing, to the return of Marc Andre Fluery, the D is shutting down opponents on all cylinders. Let’s start with the penalty kill. After last season’s collapse in the playoffs, GM Ray Shero knew he had to look elsewhere for defensive help; he did just that by signing defensemen Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin to five year deals. The duo is already paying its dues, as the Penguin defense is seemingly unbreakable. So far in 2010 the D ranks 2^nd in the league in penalty killing, shutting down the power play 88% of the time. Want more? The PK unit is tied for second in the league in short-handed goals. This feat is even more jarring given that the unit is missing one of the best two-way players in the league, Jordan Staal. In some fashion, the Penguins have managed to turn Staal’s injury from a negative to a positive. His awaited return is no longer a crucial need , but rather point of excitement for what he could add to an already streaking team.

Just when you think the Penguins lost their Norris Trophy Candidate in Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang’s rise to the top had made #55’s departure near-meaningless. Gonchar has made Shero look like a genius with his sad decline in Ottawa, posting a -16 in 2010. Meanwhile, Letang leads defenseman in All-Star voting as a write-in candidate, and leads the league in +/- at +18. If this young man continues to play at this level, Norris trophy talks will undoubtedly return to Pittsburgh.

And then there’s Fleury. His rough start this season stalled the Penguins out of the gate, but despite the criticism, there’s no question he has returned to form. Behind MAF, the team is third overall in average goals against, allowing only 2.3 twine-ticklers per game. What’s more is that the team has also found consistency in Brent Johnson as a solid back-up. Johnson held down the fort during Fluery’s struggle, and will continue to give him needed rest during the regular season. By overcoming early struggles and receiving consistent and reliable backup, Fleury is in prime position for a strong playoff performance. And goaltending, as Penguins fans have learned in years past, is always a major factor in the playoffs.

So I’ve found one thing not to like about the Penguins: the power-play. The unit only converts with a man-advantage 16% of the time. But even with this negative, there is an obvious bright spot. This team has time to improve the power play and is still winning in spite of it. Malkin, the power-play goal machine has been off the ice, and hasn’t been scoring goals when he’s on the ice. Is there any question that he’ll return to form and bring the pens’ power play back with him?

The Penguins play their division rival Flyers tonight in Philadelphia. The winner will claim sole possession of the top of the NHL standings. Malkin is returning from an injury, as the Penguins will try for their 13^th straight Crosby will go for 19 straight games with a point. What’s not to like about this game? What’s not to like about this team? What’s not to like about this predicament?

Steve McNair Football

I was happily thrown into the past on Sunday afternoon. That’s right, the past; The only place I can escape to without hearing the continuous blowing of a whistle, without seeing referees slash their hands on their knees over and over, and if only to avoid James Harrison’s look in disbelief at another yellow flag falling to the grass.

Let’s add some background to this time-travel. It’s 3^rd down and 17 for the Steelers at the Pittsburgh 29. Four flags and seven runs ago, Rashard Mendenhall kicked off the drive with a 42 yard run, turning around only to see the team marching back the other way. Holding. It’s always something. Back to third down: As soon as Ben snaps the ball he’s hit with pressure. Announcer Solomon Wilcots thinks he’s already sacked. Steeler Nation knows better. #7 doesn’t go down in 3 seconds. He escapes to the outside, and he’s still looking for options. Getting chased by a bills defender, Ben darts for the first down. No one in front of him, one big Buffalo behind him, he makes 18 yards look like a mile. Instead of sliding at 17, he goes all out and smashes his way past the marker. That’s when I went back and simply forgot.

I forgot about the 163 yards in penalties that were called against the Steelers the week prior. I forgot about the unfair target the league has placed on James Harrison. I forgot all about Roger Goodell, and Mike Florio and Richard Seymour. I forgot about the “If Tom Brady we’re this” and “If Peyton Manning were that” phrases. All I could think about was Steve McNair on the Titans.

You see, back in Steve McNair’s glory days, no one could tackle that man. He’d play with a broken thumb, and bruised thigh and a black eye and you still couldn’t bring him anywhere close to the ground. Then he’d throw a block or scramble to a first down just to remind you that he wasn’t just a quarterback. He was the toughest quarterback in the league, and if you wanted to bring his team down, you had to bring him down first.

I can’t think of anyone that comes close to McNair’s playing style besides Ben Roethlisberger. His fairly consistent passing, his clutch style, his ability to avoid the sack unless you’ve got 3 linebackers hanging on him. I mean, you’ve got to surround this guy to bring him down, or he’ll make a play.

You had to do the same with McNair, or soon you’d be seeing those turned out hands on the side of his helmet, and you’d be 7 points down. I mean really, if McNair was still living, what would he have to say about all this? This guy would’ve shredded the injury report weekly if he had the chance. He was in the huddle and un-sackable no matter what. That’s football.

That 18 yard scrambled showed me how much of a football player Ben Roethlisberger continuously proves himself to be. It was such a fierce football play, that I couldn’t help but forget all the nonsense that’s been going on in this league of “transitions” and “safety concerns.” I just felt that Steve McNair would rather I didn’t ponder all that.

Variety: The Triumph of US Sports

One thing that’s clear about Americans is that we can’t stand too much of the same thing. We need trendy gadgets and internet networks to pop-up every year. We change the channel more than we watch a single television program. We make playlists to avoid listening to an artist’s entire album, and god forbid if that artist doesn’t come out with unique material ever year.

Ok, so this kind of makes our society look shallow and impatient, and this can be true at times. But when this need for variety affects American sports I’ve got nothing to complain about. Variety is our the American sports world’s best quality.

For those of you who have ever seen a sports highlights program in any other country, you know what I’m talking about. Every game showcased is the same sport. The top ten plays all go down in the same way. The stat sheets and matchups all have the same format. Soccer, soccer, soccer (and in Canada and Russia, Hockey, hockey, hockey).

You’ve got to love that we have four seasons of major professional sports here in the states. We get four exciting months of playoffs from each team, overlapping seasons, and if that’s not enough, we’ve got NCAA march madness and BCS bowl games to boot. We’re so spoiled that we tend get bored of ESPN in the summer when all we’ve got is late season baseball highlights and over-extensive coverage of NFL training camps. Come to think of it, there isn’t any better conflict for a sports fan than to have their favorite hockey team battling for first place in the east, their NFL team playing for the last wild-card spot in the playoffs, and their NBA squad starting its third home-stretch of the season-all in one day.

We have more than just a variety of sports and seasons, because each sport has their own unique and thrilling aspects. Nothing compares with Joe Montana’s fourth quarter comeback with two minutes left in the NFC championship game. I could say the same for Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homerun in game seven of the 1960 World Series, or maybe Jordan’s jumper against the jazz to win the Bull’s sixth NBA championship. Don’t forget Wayne Gretzky’s hat trick and game winner in the ’93 NHL conference finals.

To celebrate this incredible variety, I made an up-to-date guide detailing the best way to watch each major professional sport in the states. Side note: Every sport’s final playoff game would have to be a must watch, so I’m excluding the playoffs from this guide to keep the, you know, variety.

NFL- Monday Night Football at a Local Bar

When your team is playing on Monday Night Football, there are three things assumed: 1)Your team is in the national spotlight, and the players and fans want to flex their muscles on national television. 2) The game is a rivalry or great matchup, given that ESPN chooses their matchups carefully to get big games on Monday night. 3) You don’t give a hoot about whatever is going on Tuesday. It’s Monday night football! Work/school can wait.

You may ask, why at a bar and not at the game? Hate to break it to you, but the NFL on an HD television can very easily best a stadium experience for this particular sport. In the stadium, it’s easy to get distracted by loud drunk fans, long lines and peanut gallery seats. In a bar you can see replays in HD, argue with other fans, and get your high-fives in-all while keeping warm.

MLB- A Saturday Night Ballgame in August with Post-game fireworks at your local stadium.

Baseball’s ballparks are second to none when it comes to a live experience. Comparing a stadium experience to a TV viewing is un-called for. Nothing is better than watching the home-team, eating peanuts and a hot-dog, singing “root-root-root for (insert favorite team)” during the seventh inning stretch, and watching day turn into night at the open and friendly atmosphere that is an MLB ballpark. And who can say no to free fireworks in the August night sky?

NBA- Lakers vs. Celtics, Christmas Day at home.

What’s a better Christmas present than watching the Lakers and Celtics matchup on Christmas Day? Sure, the players can’t enjoy working on the 25^th, but back and home on your new Flat screen HD TV that you opened that morning, you can’t beat watching this classic rivalry to keep your Christmas spirit lingering. NBA is better to watch at home, because arenas can be disappointing. All the fake crowd noise and music during games makes the live experience a distracted one, and besides, you don’t want to be away from your family on Christmas.

NHL-Caps vs. Pens, Winter Classic, New Years Day

The NHL is really lucky to have two young stars taking over the league and saving the sport’s popularity in the US. They’ve also got another popular trend in the annual new year’s winter classic. This year the league came up with the brilliant idea of combining the two, with Crosby and Ovechkin facing off in this year’s outdoor game. It promises to be a great game, and hockey is without a doubt the best sport to watch live. The back and forth action, the constant hustle, the big saves; I can’t imagine how great this would be outdoors. Heck, this rivalry is a must-see on any given night.

So there you have it. We’ve got four major professional sports, with their own unique qualities, and incomparable ways to watch them. Other countries can stick to their soccer highlights, because I’m basking in this US variety. If only I had four bank accounts to afford those winter classic tickets…

So....now what?

Days like Sunday's 9-0 victory over the Houston Astros are a beautiful sight for Pirates fans, if only because they don't come around very often. Games where pitching, hitting, and fielding all come together are a rare sight for a fanbase starving for a winning ballclub. In the words of the Great Lanny Frattare: "There's no doubt about it", it's been a tough past 17+ seasons for baseball's Black and Gold. Wading through players like Derek Bell, Brian Bullington, and Randall Simon, management has finally pointed to this roster, to guys like Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, and Brad Lincoln as the ones who will bring this franchise back to the glory days. They told this fanbase to wait, to have patience, that the arrival of these guys would turn things around for the Buccos. And now that the future has become the present things look, well...eerily similar to the way they did before.

The win Sunday raised the Pirates record on the season to 13-33 since the May 25th call up of Neil Walker signalled the beginning of the cavalry's coming to the big leagues. Now some might attribute this horrific record to the growing pains that are to be expected of young guys taking their first hacks in the majors, but, unfortunately, the rookies are not the ones to blame. These kids have had to grow up real quickly, carrying to the plate not only a bat on their shoulders, but the hopes of an entire city. And so far, the kids haven't disappointed. So with the prospects finally here, but the results still not arriving, I have to ask: now what?

The bulk of the well-known prospects from the minor league system has arrived in Pittsburgh, but there still are gaping holes in this team. The offense may look somewhat respectable, but the rotation is still a mess. Whether it has been a result of injuries or poor performance, this staff has been unable to find any stability since Opening Day. Outside of Paul Maholm and maybe Jeff Karstens not one of the countless starters we've used this year can honestly say they've had a successful season. And no one on this staff seems to have that "Ace" potential that all successful major league clubs have. So even if this offense is able to do what it is capable of, what do we do about the pitching? The answer seems to lie in Altoona.

The Altoona Curve, AA affiliate of the Pirates, has amassed an amazing 57-36 record through 93 games this season, and the main reason for the success has been terrific starting pitching. Tops on the team has been 22 year-old Rudy Owens. The curly haired kid (think Napoleon Dynamite or Semi-pro's Jackie Moon) has earned 8 wins while suffering 3 losses and posting a 3.00 ERA. Behind him comes Justin Wilson, another 22 year-old who has put up a 7-5 record while leading the staff with a 2.95 ERA. Also on the horizon is Bryan Morris, the key piece of the Jason Bay trade. Morris posted an eye-popping 0.60 ERA through 8 starts this season for the High-A Bradenton Marauders before his promotion to Altoona, where he is 4-4 with a 4.78 ERA. Now all three of these guys may be a year or two away from Pittsburgh, but if you want to start looking for answers in the rotation, there is a good chance this is where it's going to come from.

So even though the record may not show it, things are looking up for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Because of a young, talented offense at the top and some impressive pitching prospects not far behind, there is reason for hope in a city that for so long, when it comes to baseball, has been hopeless. So for the last few months of the season, and I know Pittsburgh fans haven't heard these words too often, enjoy Pirates' baseball. Enjoy watching Cutch fly around the bases like he's in the home stretch of the Kentucky Derby. Enjoy watching the Pine Richland kid dive for a line drive and Meek pump his fist after striking out the side. Enjoy watching Pedro send baseballs deep into that striking Pittsburgh skyline, and know that better days are ahead.

Evan Meek: All Star

Making your way through the ups and downs-mostly downs of this year’s Pirates team, you might look at Andrew McCutchen and his young cavalry for the bright spot of 2010. But with a closer look, Evan Meek and the bullpen bullies are really the surprise component of the ever-growing Buccos. And that, right there, is why Mr. Meek, is in All Star.

His name might serve only as a caveaut to Evan’s journey to success, because there is nothing resembling meek, tame, or spiritless about it. Instead, Mr. Meek’s ability to consistently battle back from adversity has made him a prime candidate for all star recognition. He might even serve as a symbol of Neil Huntington’s program of young development.

After being drafted by the Twins in the 12^th round of the 2002 draft, Meek consistently struggled with control problems in the Minnesota farm system, due to lack of confidence and largely to bad advice from minor league coaches.

And while that would be the end of the road for most pitchers, Huntington seemed to realize that the west coast big man was different. The Pirates acquired him with a rule 5 draft pick, and despite some early hurdles of injury and control, Meek battled back yet again, and continued to develop into the Pirates prime weapon in the bullpen.

Meek now has the confidence, the control, and the “stuff” that teams thirst for in the 7^th inning. And when he steps up to the mound, there’s no question that the Pirates’ chances of winning rise as well. Don’t look at the definition of his last name, but rather his game which is, by definition, all-star.

Twitterific

Okay, I think it’s time to admit it. I finally went ahead and registered. I logged onto that cool little site with the blue clouds and birdies; all you have to do is enter a username and password and you can “Discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.” Not only that, but I can get “short timely messages” from just about any athlete I might want to stalk. That’s right, I got a Twitter.

You see, Twitter is probably the best thing a sportswriter could dream of. When I was younger, all I wanted was for my Penny Hardaway poster to talk back to me. Well now, I have instant access to thousands of professional athletes’ inner thoughts, opinions, suggestions, style tips, hairstyle advice…I could go on for hours. I did have some trouble getting past the teen surge of Justin Beiber appreciation, but after a little sight navigation, athlete stalking is as easy as typing “@.”

And hey, what more could athletes want? After they’re bombarded with grilling press conference questions about locker room tension and domestic issues, they get to go home and tweet about how they’re craving a Milky Way, or how they love that new Drake song or just the fact that they have so much swagger.

After browsing Shaq’s page, I’m beginning to think that the program was invented solely for the Big Aristotle himself. Shaqtus has been, without a doubt, the king of hilarious one-liners. As alias The_Real_Shaq, twitter gives him the chance to make people laugh even more. Check out this Shaq tweet I found:

“If you look up in the sky you can see stars, if you keep looking, you may even see pluto,but dats why pluto is pluto it can neva b a star”

Wait, what? What did the Big Daddy just say?

The more athletes I follow, the more hilarious it gets. Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair has his fair share of funny tweets. On May 2, DeJuan45 tweeted:

“Mortons steak house?? NAW!!!!!! Maybe 2 morrow! ROOM SERVICE? NAW too much 4 on thing!! Haha! I guess I'll eat dinner n the mini bar haha!”

Oh, right.

If there’s one tweeting trend to notice, it’s that these athletes have no care for grammar, or even making sense. But for us sports lovers, it’s the best chance to see into their lives, no matter how hard it is to actually comprehend.

Of course, Twitter can get athletes in trouble. These guys can be incomprehensible, but some things just shouldn’t be put out there for the world to see. The NFL is beginning to fine athletes for inappropriate tweets or tweets that are made during a game. Meanwhile, wide receiver Santonio Holmes was recently suspended, and subsequently traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers for tweeting drug related messages. Where was his head @?

Still, if athletes mind the rules and keep their cool, this Twitter thing is a dream for us sports admirers. I’d still give anything to have my Hardaway poster compliment me on my kicks, but I’ll take Twitter for now.

*Originally printed in The Dickinsonian

Did you recently join Twitter nation? Here's a link from Mondesi's House that provides all the twitter pages of Pittsburgh athletes, news sources, coaches, personalities, and pretty much anything else dealing with PGH sports.

Mound-umental Debuts

Last night, on his new stomping ground at Nationals Park, Steven Strasburg took his spotlight and turned it to max voltage. Behind the flashing lights and eye-popping stats is a monumental turning point for two rebuilding organizations: these teams aren't only opponents in this series-they're parallels.

The flamethrower phenom pitched 7 innings of nasty gas, striking out 14 Pirates and walking none to show the control, power, and domination of a premier pitcher in the National league. Never before has a pitcher zapped 14 batters without giving up a free base in their MLB debut. Never before has a Washington Nationals pitcher had 14 stikeouts. Never before has a MLB player taken this amount of pressure and clearly exceeded expectations.

No, the kid didn't pitch a perfect game. He didn't get a shut out either, thanks to one swing of Delwyn Young's Louisville. But given the circumstances, Steven Strasburg has answered the individual hype, unheard of in the team oriented MLB, with a magnificent performance that puts him atop the Nats' rotation and on pace to become one of the top pitchers in the NL. It was just one game, let's remember-but that stuff was N-A-s-T-y.

Hidden under all the hype, however smothered it may be by the radar gun reads and fanning bats, is the crucial middle stage of rebuilding for the Nationals and the Pirates. The Nationals have finally unveiled the centerpiece of their organization, while the Pirates are in the process of calling up the young guns to put together some of the pieces of their multi-year molding plan.

Let's not forget that these teams just drafted some incredible talent in the MLB Draft. The Nationals drafted 17 year old slugger Bryce Harper and highly touted pitcher A.J. Cole in the first and fourth rounds. The Pirates had a similarly successful outcome, snagging high school standouts in projected Ace Jameson Tallion and fastball king Stetson Allie. Who knows if these guys might have their own stunning debuts in a couple years.(more on the draft coming soon)

As for Pittsburgh, Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker are already established (see previous article), but the night after Strasburg's debut, Pittsburgh will send out some of it's own young talent in pitcher Brad Lincoln and outfielder Jose Tabata.

Lincoln is no Strasburg, lacking the ace material and command to put on any performance similar to the kid from San Diego. Still, Lincoln has the stuff and confidence to establish himself atop the Pirates' rotation. Tabata has dominated at the plate for the Pirates' AAA team, earning him the chance to surge some offense into the Pirates' lineup.

That's not to say that tonight's game will be anywhere near as spectacular as last night's debut, but it's certainly a much more important game for the Pirates' organization. The Nationals had their turn, and now it's the Pirates' chance to see just how far they are in rebuilding to a successful franchise. These teams have a lot of talent brewing in their organizations, and watching these young prospects make their appearances in the Majors will be a quite the spectacle in the coming years.

Walker, Cutch, Maholm, Oh My!

The Pirates may have one of the worst line-ups in baseball. The Buccos are stacked with other teams’ draft busts, young players with “upside,” and middle aged players that have already established themselves as inconsistent; Jeff Clement, Andy LaRoche and Aki Iwamura serve as prime examples to this one-two-three punch. But for the first time since Aramis Ramirez’s transformation into a decent power hitter, the organization’s farm league efforts have finally come through in the majors-And it all happened with one game-winning bucco blast.

When Neil Walker smacked his first career home run over the left field wall, scoring himself and emerging star Andrew McCutchen to win their second straight game against the Cubs, fans at long last saw a glimpse of light from the organization’s minor-league labors.

The 2000’s era has been worse than dismal for the Pirates’ farm efforts. Management has watched 1^st round draft picks fail early and often, with Bryan Bullington never reaching higher than AA and John VanBenschoten producing next to nothing in the major leagues.

Regardless of the team’s lackluster lineup, the Pirates continue to build from the bottom up. They continue to fill their farm system with talented prospects through the draft and trades-the proven method for rebuilding a team without access to premium spending money.

Andrew McCutchen is undoubtedly an emerging star in the game, and he had the potential to be the leader of the team if it reaches a playoff-caliber level. Many scouts have voiced their opinion that he could be the best lead-off hitter in a year or two. His speed, consistency, and knack for occasional power hitting make him a threat to any pitcher. Ultimately, he’s the only Pirate on this year’s roster that could start on any MLB team’s roster.

Paul Maholm (drafted in 2003) has also stepped up as the team’s most consistent and reliable starting pitcher. Although he doesn’t have the power of Duke, the pitcher drafted has developed a skillful command on the mound. He also has a good combination of pitches to keep batters guessing.

And don’t discount Neil Walker’s recent emergence. The Pittsburgh native has finally reached the majors, and he’s making the best of it. Although he struggled with attitude and consistency in the minors, the Pirates were patient with him and brought him up at the right time. Now, it seems as if he’s rewarding them. He’s already proven that his promotion is a major upgrade from Aki Iwamura at second base, and his power has given McCutchen a chance to move back to the leadoff spot.

These three guys are major league signs that the buccos are beginning their ascent to decency, but it is in the minor league system that the organization is making sure that they have the players to continue this positive movement. Sure, the Pirates had the emergence of Nate McLouth and Jason Bay as of late, but the minor league depth two years ago was next to nothing compared to its current level. There is no question that the combination of current emerging talent and depth of upside prospects has this team headed in a great direction.

With Pedro Alvarez and Brad Lincoln headlining the team’s valued prospects, the Pirates will continue to bring up young players to fuel the team in the next couple of years. Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen were only the beginning. Not only are these young prospects improving their skills in preparation, but they’re shining in their own leagues. Pitcher Tim Alderson just won the Eastern League pitcher of the week, while Brad Lincoln won a similar award just a couple weeks prior.

Maybe they won’t reach .500 this year, but 2010 will be a telling season for the Pirates. With talent popping up from the minors and young players developing in the majors, the team is moving in the right direction, and fans can finally see that fact.

It's A Rough Road for an NHL Playoff Goalie

Squatting on blue ice between two red metal posts yet again, he is the only thing between Alex Ovechkin’s lightning wrist shot and the net. Pads surely are not the heaviest thing carried on a NHL goalie’s shoulders.

In this pants-wetting situation again and again, the pressure of a net-minder in the playoffs is one of the most nerve wracking experiences one can imagine. Ultimately, a team’s ability to win consistently in the playoffs is decided by the way a goalie can handle pressure in extreme situations against the best players in the NHL playing at their highest level. As daunting as this task may sound, it is the common expectation of a net-minder in the NHL playoffs. Yet if these pressured puck-stoppers can handle their expectations, they have the ability to single-handedly carry their team to a Stanley Cup.

Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward perfected the example of carrying his team in the playoffs last year. Ward completely shut down his opponents in the first three rounds of the playoffs, scrapping the odds that his team would have an early exit with a severe lack of offensive firepower and defensive skill. Ward was the sole reason the Hurricanes were in any position to compete in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009. Goalies really can make all the difference.

Star players deserve their own credit for leading their teams in the playoffs. Their squads rely on them to score timely goals and perform at their highest ability. But the expected level of consistency is nothing compared to a goalie’s daily workload. If Sidney Crosby fans on an open-net shot or Henrik Zetterberg goes pointless in one or two games, it won’t be the deciding factor in a series or even a game.

Yet if a goalie is out of position or doesn’t have the right mindset in a game, they could give up a goal too early or miss too many easy saves that could easily lose a game (or two) for his team. Furthermore, goalies have to be on the ice the entire game, expected to hold their net through power plays, two-on-one breakaways and the aforementioned zooming all-star alone on the ice.

On the other side, no matter how consistent or clutch a star player may be, if the goalie can match that intensity he can single-handedly ensure a victory. Disabling a team’s leading goal-scorer can demoralize a team or even make them change their overall strategy, which would easily change the momentum of a team in a series. Of course, even when a goalie is consistent, he can still lose a series for his team.

When every player is playing at their highest level to try and win a game for their team, even the mediocre skaters will step up in big moments. As hard as it is for goalies to be consistent, if they can’t stop the nifty stick-work and speedy slap-shots from any spot on the ice, they’ll hear their name chanted in mockery for the next five minutes of ice-time.

With starting goaltender Jose Theodore struggling against the Rangers, the Capitals went with rookie Simeon Varlamov to guard the net for the remainder of the playoffs. Varlamov started off hot and proved to be the main factor in his team’s comeback to win their first series 4-3 against the Rangers. Yet just as hot as he started, he dropped three out of four games against the Penguins in the next round. The Capitals pulled him in game seven after he clumsily let in five unanswered goals in the first period. Talk about a goalie losing a series for his team.

The Penguins, on the other hand, relied on Marc-Andre Fluery to keep their team in contention. After sliding through the first round against Philadelphia, the goalie prepared to face his most difficult competition against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals. Before Varlamov began to let in anything that crossed his pads, Fluery made an incredible save on Ovechkin-one that ended up making all the difference for the Pittsburgh team. After the save, Pittsburgh began its assault on the young opposing goaltender to seal a series victory. Who knows what would’ve happened if Ovechkin had scored the first goal.

The Capitals’ goaltending issues last year led to their downfall in the playoffs against the Penguins. But the Caps have the same issue this year, which leaves their fans wondering if the team will reach a similar and disappointing ending. Washington has already replaced its starting goalie, with Varlamov starting yet again in a high-pressure situation.

In a league full of talented players looking to earn the spotlight in this year’s playoffs, it is the goaltender that faces the highest expectations from his team. As much pressure as the job requires, the goalie’s performance is the deciding factor in which teams will be in serious contention for Lord Stanley.

NFL Draft Goes Prime Time

Scooch over drama scripts and sitcoms, because the NFL draft is now a smash hit in prime time television. This year, the league decided to move the draft from its normal weekend afternoon slot to prime time action on Thursday. Developing from Monday Night Football to Sunday night and Thursday night action, the successful draft in prime time is just another testament to the ever-expanding, and possibly dangerous, popularity of the NFL.

The ratings of this debut were, without question, impressive. As reported in a Sports Illustrated article by Richard Deitsch on April 23, the draft viewership increased by 32 percent from last year’s event on the first day. Here’s a startling statistic: the first round of the draft was the eighth most watched cable program this year.

After the first day of the now three-day-long event, Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “...to see the kind of extraordinary increase in viewership I think does reinforce the idea that we can put the draft on a bigger platform, and that’s great for everyone,” as reported in the aforementioned Sports Illustrated article.

There’s no question that growing popularity is beneficial to the league, but where does Goodell draw the line? Moving the draft to the prime time slot might’ve gone too far, as the NFL is sending the wrong message to its veteran and incoming players and fans alike.

The draft is undoubtedly an important component to the NFL season. Success in the draft is crucial to the depth and growth of each organization, and while it also boosts the popularity and interest in college football, that’s not to say that it should be made into a night show spectacle. Establishing the draft as a rating-boosting show only adds to the unnecessary glorification of these young athletes.

The league already deals with this problem from an economic standpoint. Rookie contracts have grown to a ridiculous figure, prompting veteran players to question why kids straight out of college are earning more than their proven teammates before even stepping on NFL grass.

Media coverage of the draft is just as overblown. ESPN assigns two experts in Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, Jr. to cover the draft for the entire year. Their job in its entirety is analyzing college athletes and making mock drafts. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated has already posted a mock draft for next year on their website. What more could the media do to give college athletes overconfidence and hype about an event that has nothing to do with the competition or current players?

Other sports have ridiculous media coverage as well. NCAA Basketball has Bracketology, while most leagues are smothered with weekly power rankings, but these commentaries are at least rooted in actual competition. The flood of mock drafts leads to even more superfluous hype.

Other sports leagues may have even taken note of the switch and how it impacts their own operations. Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks, voiced his displeasure about the decision to move to prime time, mainly because it took place during an NBA playoff game.

“I just don't think the NFL is playing themselves out to be a good partner,” Cuban said, as reported by Todd Archer in an an April 21 article in the Dallas Morning News. Cuban also mentioned that the NBA doesn’t schedule games during the NCAA Basketball championship. The Mavericks owner isn’t the most level-headed or entitled voice to speak this opinion, but he does make a necessary point concerning inter-league relations.

The draft also took place during the first week of the NHL playoffs. The fact that some playoff hockey games aren’t even nationally televised presents an important question for the sporting world: should the NFL draft really take precedence over these crucial playoff games?

In the end, what the fan wants is what the league is going to provide, especially if it means an increase in money and popularity. How much will the NFL change based on the fan’s demand? The spectacle that the draft has become is dangerously crossing the line that separates fan entertainment from true competition.

College stars deserve to celebrate their entry to the NFL, but having that process on a prime time marquee is going far overboard.

The State of the Steelers

Sayonara, Santonio. It's been about a week now since the Pittsburgh Steelers parted ways with their star wideout, trading him to the New York Jets for a 5th round pick in this year's NFL draft. Their arguably most talented receiver, a Superbowl MVP, for a player who may end up not even making the team. What a great deal for the Steelers.

It's no secret that the Steelers have faced a few off the field issues recently. With their star quarterback facing sexual assault allegations (again) while one of their top receivers was facing a lawsuit in which he allegedly threw a glass at a woman in a nightclub while awaiting a suspension for violating the NFL's drug policy, it looks like the Rooneys finally decided to send a message.

This isn't the Pittsburgh Steelers we are used to seeing. This isn't the class of the NFL, the perfect professional sports organization. In fact this is nothing better than the Steelers' AFC North brethren. As Steelers' fans we used to love to laugh when we saw yet another Bengals' player suspended. You're not a true Pittsburgher if you haven't once referred to Ray Lewis as a "murderer". But now it looks like the Steelers aren't too much better. Remember when the only off the field troubles that faced the Steelers came from their kicker throwing down with a Sheetz paper towel dispenser? Ah, the good ol' days.

The Steelers struggled last year in failing to defend their Super Bowl championship from the year before, and from the looks of this offseason they may struggle again. I believe that to be the champions on the field, you first have to be the champions off of it. You can argue that off the field issues don't affect the team's play, but when coaches and players have to field more questions about their troubled quarterback than about their preparations for next season, we have a problem.

Now don't get me wrong, Roethlisberger and Holmes have both made invaluable contributions to the team's success the last few years. But because of their success, these guys have become the faces of the franchise and some of the team's leaders. And when they start making headlines for stuff like this, how can you expect the rest of the team to follow them?

Besides, it's not like Holmes and Roethlisberger haven't been given their fair share of chances. From the disorderly conduct, assault, and marijuana charges for Holmes to the pair of sexual assault accusations for Roethlisberger, sooner or later you have to draw the line.

So, yeah, I'm glad to see Santonio gone and Ben facing a suspension, and hopefully that stud we pick up in the fifth round will show a little discipline. Before it's too late, let's get back to being the class of the league. Let's get back to being the NFL's model organization. Let's get back to Steelers' football.

Dukey Dissapointment

After a March full of madness, did Duke really have to win this tournament? Is this really the ending that the 2010 NCAA Tournament deserves? When this year’s tournament was full of “well, I didn’t see that one coming” moments, Duke’s championship win didn’t seem adequate or fulfilling enough to fit the bill.

This 2010 tournament had more than its fair share of brewing upsets, dark horse teams and Cinderella hopefuls, but Duke’s victory over Butler was a dry, sugar-free cherry on top of a decadent banana split. Every day of tournament action had substantial upsets and buzzer beaters. Even on the first day, Robert Morris came close to knocking off two-seed Villanova, while Ohio knocked out three-seed Georgetown.

The tournament only got better when Northern Iowa executed one of the bigger upsets in tournament history by conquering one-seed Kansas in the second round. Cornell made its own story, reaching the sweet 16 as a 12-seed to flex the muscles of the Ivy League. Even St. Mary’s got in on the upset action, crushing two seed Villanova in the second round after upsetting Richmond in the first.

Don’t forget Duke’s foe, Butler, who’s five-seed run was much more exemplary of the unpredictable “nobody believed in us” mindset that spread over the tournament field this year. The fact that a Horizon league school reached the National Championship is a testament to the possibilities of the competition, but actually beating the ACC powerhouse would’ve been so much more…what’s the word...proper.

The Bulldogs won 25 straight games, including recent victories over one-seed Syracuse, 2-seed Kansas State and returning contender Michigan State. The team’s run wasn’t necessarily the most difficult in the dance, but it was surely more exciting and unexpected than Duke’s path. Duke’s road to the Final Four wasn’t nearly as difficult, posting West Virginia and Baylor as its greatest foes. Purdue and California didn’t provide nearly enough competition for the Devils.

Come to think of it, pick pretty much any seed in the Final Four matchups besides Duke, and they’ll spit a better line than the Blue Devils’ conventional championship victory. West Virginia and Michigan State would’ve made great headlines had they won the dance.

A victory from WVU would’ve finally erased the common thought that the Big East can’t compete in the Big Dance. Each year, Big East powerhouses fall short in unexpected and embarrassing ways. The Big East always fails to live up to tourney expectations, but every year the conference seems to breed the core of the very best teams in college basketball. What about Michigan State and a go-again run for head coach Tom Izzo? MSU fell short last year to North Carolina, but its discipline and incredible coaching earned a return to late March. But this year the Spartans were underestimated and inconsistent and were therefore seeded much higher.

The simple fact that three five-seed teams reached the Elite Eight led the nation to believe that this year’s championship would be special. That’s not to say this Duke team didn’t deserve a championship this year. Behind its talented seniors Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer, Duke earned their spot as a top seed and won six straight tourney games to prove that fact. But having three consistent and team-oriented seniors doesn’t translate to exhilarating stars and storylines for fans to focus on. The Blue Devils had the shooting, inside play and coaching to go far in the tournament; but this team didn’t have the spark to make their championship one to remember. The Blue Devils didn’t even have the favorite “everyone is gunning for us” factor they usually have in the tournament. The ACC’s dominant status in the tournament was diminished this year without North Carolina providing competition. Maryland was the closest to powerful that Duke encountered more than once in the year, and Virginia Tech was nowhere close to what UNC usually posts. Of course, no team wrote off Duke or expected the team to fail early. Sorry Durham, but the rest of the nation is writhing in boredom while you celebrate. This year’s champion just doesn’t fit how exciting this tournament really was.

Pittsburgh Pirates 2010 Season Preview

Now just because the NCAA Tournament doesn't pick up again until Thursday, the sports world has not stopped turning. With Pittsburgh Pirates opening day exactly two weeks away, it's a good time to take a look at the season ahead for the Bucs. With a young, unproven roster filled with names we may not recognize, it's really difficult to predict what this year could hold. I hate to be a realist, but the Pirates may not be ready to compete for a championship just yet, however that doesn't mean they aren't poised to finally break the string of losing seasons.

Best Case Scenario: Andrew McCutchen and Big Garrett Jones prove their rookie successes were no fluke and with a full season to play, their numbers only get better. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm finally put it all together and both become reliable pitchers at the top of the rotation, with Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton, and Kevin Hart living up to their potential as well. Bob Nutting finds "You have to spend money to make money." written in a fortune cookie and becomes obsessed with increasing the Pirates' payroll. Ryan Doumit finally avoids injury and Pedro Alvarez wins Rookie of the Year. Final record: 89-73, 2nd place NL Central.

Worst Case Scenario: The Bucs' starters can find the form they've each shown. Ryan Doumit misses half the season and Garrett Jones shows why it took him so long to reach the majors. Bob Nutting's fortune cookie reads "A penny saved is a penny earned.", and he freezes all spending but the bobbleheads, trading McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez for a Single A pitcher with an ERA around 5. "We're looking to build for the future!" he says. Final record: 59-103 with a first round loss in the Little League World Series.

Player to Watch: The Pirates' system is filled with players who could be due for an excellent season. The one I particularly like this year is Charlie Morton. Morton was someone that management raved about after he was acquired from the Braves in the Nate McClouth deal, and he definitely showed some dirty stuff on the mound. Yet he also showed a lot of inconsistency. Some of that, though, could have come from the fact that he was on a brand new team, trying to prove to management that he belonged in the rotation. With a vote of confidence from this coaching staff and a firm spot in the Pirates' rotation, Morton could be ready to put it all together.

Actual Prediction: There is no denying that out of all the Pirates' teams over the past seventeen years, this is the one with the talent to end the streak of losing. The only question is, are they mature enough to do it this year? As mentioned before, this team has a plethora of potential All Stars from the top of the system on down through the minors, yet they may not be ready to breakthrough just yet. The starting rotation will definitely be better this year with experienced guys like Maholm and Duke and pitchers like Ohlendorf, Morton, and Hart, guys who may have some question marks but also have a lot of upside. Although the bullpen is entirely different this year, that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be bad. Joel Hanrahan is a guy that can really bring it if he can find the strike zone and stay off the DL. Octavio Dotel has proven himself to be a reliable reliever throughout his career. On the offensive side look for McCutchen, Jones, and Doumit to be the stars of the lineup, that is if Doumit can keep himself healthy. I believe Lastings Milledge has finally cleaned up his act and could be poised for a decent system. There are some questions in the infield, without guys like Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, but Jeff Clement could be the answer at first base, Akinori Iwamura and Ronny Cedeno are, at the very least, good fielders, and Pedro Alvarez should be ready by June if Andy LaRoche can't hold up his end at third. Final record: 82-80, 4th place NL Central. I guess I am, after all, an optimist.

Headshots

Marc Savard couldn’t even think after he was blindsided by Penguin forward Matt Cooke early last week. The hit was dirty- Cooke left Savard motionless with a hot head on cold ice while teammates, opponents and fans held their breath with worry. But as silent as Savard has been after the incident, his teammates have been just as uninspired to respond to bring their star center and point leader any justice. The Bruins should be ashamed to call themselves Savard’s teammate.

No one really knew how the team would respond to the brutal attack on their star player when the teams met again on March 18th, as pressure from the league, the media and the fans was pushing them to react in opposite ways. The fans and Boston media publicly called for an attack on Crosby. “The Penguins took our star player out for the season so theirs’ should be next, right?" Well, not exactly.

The league was pushing them to do nothing. Surrounding the game from all angles, the NHL had their VP in attendance along with assigning their top referee team to the ice. But everyone expected something to go down.

Boston Globe Columnist Ron Borges called for an all-out attack on the Penguins, writing in his article “What the Bruins should do instead is play their most physical game of the year. Contest every loose puck. Take Sidney Crosby down every chance they get. He, not Cooke, is the Penguins’ heart and soul. Make him bleed for the sins of his teammate.”
Borges continued ranting, “Take him into the boards. Knock him down every chance you get. Bounce a puck off his nose if you can. If you get a blind side shot at him, put your body through his chest.”

Although all of this attack is vicious, I understand the hate and I respect the passion of the Boston fans. If Crosby had been taken out for the season-or heck, just a week-I’d be calling for heads from the team that crossed the line. I’m all for passion and revenge, I’m just at a loss for words as to why that passion wasn’t matched by the Bruin players themselves.

Alas, all the Bruins mustered up was a sloppy fight with Matt Cooke to get even in the rematch. But the fight didn’t bring Savard justice in the least. Cooke “lost” the fight, but his grit seemed to give the Penguins more inspiration than the Bruins mustered up in the game. Penguins stood up on the bench and banged their sticks against the boards to commend Cooke for putting himself out there and taking the fall for his dirty deeds. As for the Bruins, after your star player was knocked out for the season on a dirty hit, the only thing you answer with is a little fight? Don’t those scruffs happen almost every game?

Look, its fine if you don’t want to get vengeance with dirty hits or big fights. If the Bruins had taken out Crosby or Malkin, who knows what the game would’ve escalated to, or how far this revenge would go on either side of the puck. It’s probably for the best that the Bruins didn’t go for that type of revenge. But they didn’t even play inspired, or even that vengeful intensity in game play. The Bruins went on to lose the game 3-0 with completely no offense, and a lackluster performance on defense. Is this the only effort this Boston squad can manage, when these guys are supposed to be playing for their leader, their teammate, their captain?

It’s not like the Bruins even needed further reason to win the game. They’re on the brink of missing the playoffs, and need to win every game they can get to earn the eighth spot in the conference. If this team can’t play inspired when they’re supposed to be getting revenge, is there really any hope for them?

As a Penguins fan, all I can do is chuckle and shake my head, but all you Bruins fans out there must be reeling in frustration. At this point, the fans are the people taking shots to the head.

The Real Madness

It's that time of year again. When Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Winthrop tipped off Tuesday night, we knew that March Madness had officially begun (and with no UNC in sight, this one might even be fun!!). Unfortunately, however, for many of today's "fans" the NCAA Tournament has become about one thing- their bracket.

When the feisty Robert Morris Colonials pushed Villanova to the brink of extinction Thursday afternoon, much of America was on the edge of its seat, yet many people were rooting for the wrong team. I was saddened to hear people worried that a Villanova loss would ruin their bracket. As I heard analysts joke about how President Obama must be sweating with one of his Final Four teams struggling in the first round, I wondered if even the First Fan had lost touch with what makes college basketball so magical.

Are we seriously going to stop rooting for the underdog just because we've got a couple of dollars on the line in an office pool? I put Villanova in the Final Four, but that didn't stop me from rooting like heck for the Colonials. I've got Kentucky winning it all, but when their tip off rolled around Thursday evening, guess who became a die hard East Tennessee State fan?

Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with filling out a bracket and trying to prove to your friends that you know the most about the game. It's when we start rooting harder for our bracket than for the upsets we didn't pick that I take issue. When we don't root for a 15 seed because we have the 2 seed they're playing in the final, that is the real madness.

The magic of March lies in the hands of the little guy and the schools we've never heard of. It's about the unexpected, the unpredictable, the fact that it is truly anyone's tournament. In what other sport do teams like Morgan State have just as good a chance at the title as teams like Duke? It's not like college football, where we let a computer decide which two teams are the best. In fact the only criticism surrounding the college basketball playoff system is whether we should allow even more teams into the world's largest dance.

The NCAA tournament is a time to rally around the next Cinderella, not root for her carriage to crash on the way to the ball. So maybe we should just throw away the brackets. I'll be rooting for the underdogs to mess them up anyways.

The NFL Overtime Debate

After years of wailing from owners, players and fans alike, the NFL is set to vote on a possible change to its unpopular postseason overtime rules. In a week, owners are set to discuss this issue and make a definitive decision as to whether to keep the rules as they are, or to change to a more popular set of statutes.

As the rules stand, the team that wins the overtime coin flip receives the ball and has the chance to score; whichever team scores first wins, a.k.a. sudden death. The proposed new rules-again, only for the postseason-would require that each team get one possession with the ball, so that if the coin toss-winning team scores a field goal first, their opponent would have the chance to answer. If both teams have their chance to score and the score is tied 3-3, sudden death rules would be put into place.

The current rules were put into place in 1958, and at first were very fair statistically. Both sides of the coin flip had an equal winning record percentage-wise, largely due to the lack of talented field goal kickers in the league at that time. Nowadays, the league has its share of Adam Vinatieris and Matt Stovers that can win a game in one swing of their legs.

Evidently there are pros and cons to both sets of rules. The proposal is essentially saying that field goal kicking should not decide a postseason game. Although I do agree that most of a football game should be decided by grit, big plays and consistent effort for 60 minutes, there is something to be said for that last minute field goal. The field goal is one of the most clutch and exciting moments that any postseason game can feature. Super Bowl winning and playoff game winning field goals are chances for guys that get little recognition throughout the season to make a lasting impact on their team’s success; whether you support this fact or not, it stands true.

The proposed rules would also deemphasize any defensive effort in postseason overtime play. You’re telling me that a team can’t keep its opponent from reaching the 35 yard line on one drive when the game depends on it. If a defense can’t do that, should they really deserve a win? Even, or perhaps especially, in the postseason efforts on both sides of the ball should be emphasized at all points in the game, and overtime should receive no exemption. Changing the rules gives more power to offensive firepower rather than a team’s ability to stop the latter.

In the current situation, if the loser of the coin toss can force its opponent to go three and out on their overtime drive, it wins takes over the advantage in that particular overtime. The team instantly gets better field goal percentage, and laces up to face a defense that is demoralized by their offense’s failure to score. As it stands, the sudden death coin toss puts an equal emphasis on the offensive, defensive, and special teams units of each team, subsequently rewarding a team for having a balanced attack.

If a team is balanced and has a great field goal kicker, offense, and defense, they probably deserve to win the game. Whereas that team’s opponent might be a little less balanced, and maybe got to overtime on a few lucky big plays.

I’m not saying that the current set of rules is perfect by any means. There is something to be said for each team having chance to score, and maybe there should be a place for that in overtime. However, the fact that so many teams score on the first possession isn’t a flaw of the rules, it’s a flaw of team balance. And shouldn’t the more balanced team, the team that can stop a drive or kick the field goal, win? If anything, the current rules should be kept for the postseason, not besides it.

Panther Expectations

Does anyone really know what to think of the Pittsburgh Panthers men’s basketball team come the month of March?

Come that fateful tournament that every team aspires to conquer, the Pitt squad always seems to disappoint the fans, the spectators-heck pretty much any expectations facing the team.

Last year is undoubtedly the first instance to come to mind for most fans, given the proximity of the disappointment in their minds, and also the perfect example it serves to make. That Panther team had all the components to claim itself the best team to ever prowl the Oakland streets. It had the post presence in All-American Dejuan Blair and old man Sam Young. It had the clutch shooting and veteran ball-handling of Levance Fields and it had the spunky bench play of swisher Ashton Gibbs and headband-man Gilbert Brown. Don’t forget Tyrell Biggs baseline jumpers and drives. It’s not like the players were flukes. Young and Blair have moved on to successful rookie seasons in the NBA, playing the roles of “draft steals” as they surprise their teammates and opponents. It’s not like Jermaine Dixon, Brown and Gibbs aren’t continuing to play at a high level on the current Pitt Team. It just seems like when faced with high expectations, this Pitt team cannot live up.

But this year is a different story. I know what you’re thinking, Pitt Fans say this every year. Every year we, the zoo, pick the Panthers as the dark horse that will live up to the hype. Well this year, there is no hype. No one is talking about Pitt competing beyond the sweet sixteen in the big dance, and why should they deserve that talk? If last year’s team couldn’t get it done, then why this team?

Wait. Hold on. Isn’t that what everyone believed at the beginning of this year? When Pitt was out of the top 25 with only one remaining starter on its team, was anyone really expecting them to break into the AP rankings, or even reach the tourney.

Here we are, with the Panthers in the top tier of the tourney with a deserved three-seed. After all, these cats beat three teams in the top five this year, going 13-5 and finishing 2^nd overall in the conference. Now they did have some flukes along the way, but don’t discount the injuries that they suffered. Losing Jermaine Dixon (the only returning starter), at the beginning of the year and in the middle of the season, was a big blow to the Panthers. When Dixon was fully healthy and played his needed minutes, Pitt lost only four games including the Notre Dame Conference Tournament game.

And yet now we seem more comfortable giving Pitt no expectations, predicting that Pitt won’t even reach the elite eight. They proved us all wrong earlier in the season, but that too was without expectation from any Pitt fan.

Ron Cook wrote a great article saying he will be disappointed if Pitt doesn’t win a game in this year’s dance, and I don’t disagree at all. In fact, I’ll be disappointed if the Panthers don’t reach the elite eight. But please, don’t spread this thought around. After all, it seems that the quieter the Zoo is, the better this team has and will play. The less expectation that Dixon and his squad faces from the fans and media, the more likely this group will go further than any other Pitt team has gone in the dance. What a crazy thought, the team with the least post presence in stubborn Gary McGhee and freshman Dante Taylor, least experience with only one returning starter and possibly least amount of overall talent, could take the trophy home.

That doesn’t mean they’re going to get past the first round against Oakland. In the end, we might be looking at the same old Panthers.

Eye of the Tiger

Tiger Woods is finally returning to the original source of his fame.

After months of embarrassing accusations and shocking revelations about his personal life, Woods has announced he will return to golf in the biggest and best way possible: At historic Augusta for The Masters Tournament. He’s certainly not out of the dirty mess that is not being labeled sex addiction, but he’s doing what he does best. He’s doing what he loves. Tiger is just going to play golf.

Many believe that athletes should only be athletes, and should be covered as such by the media that constantly surrounds them. But when Tiger portrayed himself as a public figure of chastity, the good guy of sports, and the successful problem-free family man, there is no question that the media had full right to exploit his blatant failure to live up to those qualities. Let’s face it; Woods was too busy popping up red flags to instead of focusing on the yellow flags that made his public figure what it is today.

And now, all that Tiger wants and needs to do is return to being an athlete; a public figure without expectations, other than to compete at the top level in professional golf. Of course, the media isn’t going to cover him as a problem free athlete at first. In fact, they’re going to do just the opposite. The cameras will zoom up on the sweat dripping from his face, the announcers will discuss the changes in his physical appearance and golf skills and the newspapers will critique his choice to rebound at the biggest tournament in golf.

But when things go wrong for athletes, the best thing for that athlete to do is return to their sport. Instead of being swallowed by the controversy, the attacks and the embarrassment, the only way to silence the critics is to go back to being athlete, and prove everyone wrong along the way.

Hey Tiger, maybe take some advice from Mr. Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben was accused of rape right before the start of the 2009 NFL season, but instead of getting caught up in the case, he went out on the field and performed at a top level; if anything, he was the best part of his team. Instead of talking about his alleged rape case, the media were talking about his great performance, his improvement and his commanding leadership of his team.

Kobe Bryant is perhaps a what-not-to-do portrait of Tiger’s situation. After an accusation similar to that of Roethlisberger, Kobe got caught up in the drama and media coverage. Impatient screamed from his game face, and his focus was clearly not on basketball. Fights between Shaq, Coach Phil Jackson and Bryant were common, and his struggles seemed to drown his ability to go back to being athlete. It took a while for Kobe to go back to just playing ball, but as soon as he did Bryant went back to being the LA hero, the admired hoopster, and arguably the best player in the game.

If Tiger struts onto the course and remains competitive in the tournament, who is going to care what did in the past? That is not to suggest that what he didn’t wasn’t wrong, or shouldn’t be scolded, but what can you say about an athlete when he or she goes out and does their job effectively.

If Tiger proves he can consistently compete again in professional golf again, everything about his personal life will eventually be dissolved from the public’s perception. As long as he stays away from unbecoming actions and controversial issues, and continues to push his career into places golf has never witnessed, everything will be in fine swing for Tiger. After all, he is Tiger Woods. He is one of the best to ever play the game, and that should always come first.