03 Dec
ACC Coastal just got real
published in category: College Sports on Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 – 2:46 pm
Posted in College Sports
Tree of Life
03 Dec
Arrow up and Arrow Down on Steelers players
published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 – 10:32 am
Steelers Writers Mark Kaboly, Ralph Paulk and Chris Adamski with one hour of the best Steelers talk. Steelers have only one win against team with winning record and next three opponents all have winning records. Arrow up and Arrow Down on Wheaton, Boswell, Will Allen, Jacoby Jones and Big Ben.
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November, it was announced today.
In the month of November, Brown led the NFL in receptions (39), receiving yards (521) and receiving yards per game (130.3), to go along with three receiving touchdowns. On November 8, Brown established single-game Steelers’ records in receptions (17), receiving yards (284) and scrimmage yards (306) in a victory against Oakland.
This marks the second time he has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Month, after earning the honor in December of 2014.
Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers
03 Dec
English Premier League update by Michael Grau
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 – 9:12 am
Through 14 matches (out of 38) of the 2015-2016 English Premier League season, there is an honest-to-goodness fairy tale brewing. Leicester City [pronounced “Lester”], the Foxes, are tied with big-money Manchester City at the top of the table, with 29 points apiece (Man City lead on the goal differential tiebreaker, but, at the moment, we won’t let that drag the story down). Right now, there isn’t a better story in sports. This is not just unlikely, it’s almost unthinkable. A season ago, Leicester City was newly promoted to the top division after a decade in the lower tiers. The goal for any newly-promoted team, first and foremost, is survival. It wasn’t looking good for the Foxes, however. They were dead last in the league at Christmas. It was widely suspected that their manager, Nigel Pearson, would lose his job in-season. Historically, if you’re last at Christmas, you are as good as relegated. Leicester bucked those odds, finished on an incredible run, and survived the drop back down to the second division. They would stay with the big boys in the Premier League. It was an accomplishment worthy of celebration. Then things got weird…
On a post-season vacation to Thailand, three Leicester City players, including James Pearson (son of manager Nigel Pearson) decided it would be a good idea to hire Thai prostitutes, have an orgy replete with racially-motivated verbal abuse, and film it. Yep. Surprise, surprise… the film didn’t stay “their little secret.” When the video went public, the players were released from their contracts. Shortly after, Nigel Pearson was relieved of his managerial duties. In his place, Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri. Ranieri is a 64-year-old Italian man with an impressive C.V. He had managed some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Napoli, Valencia, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan. Despite his extensive experience at major clubs, the hire was widely panned. The consensus was that the board at Leicester City had been sold a bill of goods by a talented agent. The fans wanted a dynamic hire, someone with vision, a man who could build a club that would become a permanent fixture in the top flight. Ranieri, in the eyes of many pundits and fans, was nothing more than a stop-gap name from the past that would not be invested in building a small club from the ground up. On top of that, Leicester was not notably active in the summer transfer market. Boring, recycled manager; no new signings. I cannot remember seeing a single “expert preview” that DIDN’T predict relegation for Leicester City. Expectations were lower than low, but here we are, in early December, with the mighty Foxes tied for 1st.
Every man on the roster has played his part and contributed to this dream season. Riyad Mahrez is a lightning-quick Algerian playmaker who attacks from the right. Marc Albrighton patrols the left wing. Danny Drinkwater (yes, really) breaks up opponents’ attacks in the midfield like I…um…drink water (sorry). Kasper Schmeichel is one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the league. Ranieri has instilled a never-say-die attitude that is reflected by the team’s absurdly good record of coming back and getting results after they fall a goal (or goals) behind. All have played their role. However, when people think about this team, they’ll think about one unlikely superstar. They will think of Jamie Vardy.
Last weekend, in Leicester’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United, Jamie Vardy scored the opening goal. It was the 11th consecutive game in which Vardy scored, becoming the first player in Premier League history to do so. Jamie Vardy is 28 years old, had only scored 5 Premier League goals prior to this season, and was playing semi-professionally for fifth-division Fleetwood Town as recently as 2012. This is Disney movie stuff. I can’t come up with a good analogy, because Roy Hobbs, Rocky Balboa, Daniel Larusso, and “shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO” are all fictitious. This cat came out of NOWHERE. This is comparable to a guy being a decent junior hockey player that doesn’t get drafted, takes a job in a factory, plays in a beer league on Wednesday nights, somehow gets noticed by an NHL scout when he’s 27, signs a contract, and wins the Art Ross at 28. This just doesn’t happen in English soccer (or anywhere). The best players are plucked up by academies when they’re teenagers. If you’re talented, everyone knows about you. The notion that an Englishman with Vardy’s speed and finishing ability could go unnoticed for so long is absurd. He leads the Premier League with 14 goals in 14 games.
It’s been a fairy tale season for Leicester City, a town roughly the size of Pittsburgh in England’s East Midlands. I fear the clock will soon strike midnight for the Cinderella Foxes. They’ve mostly avoided the “big” teams in the early part of their schedule, but the upcoming fixture list is brutal. In all likelihood, they’ll drop down to mid-table by February. I hope that doesn’t happen. When money rules the league and the results correlate a little too closely to the bank accounts of the owners, it’s easy to cheer for the little guys. Get on board with the Foxes. You can say you were there from the beginning, even if it’s probably a little closer to the end.
Posted in Sports Talk Radio
02 Dec
Last Call for College Football Playoff Contenders, by Josh Taylor
published in category: College Sports on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2015 – 1:28 am
Don’t worry, I’m not gonna quote the lyrics from “Closing Time.” But I will tell you that for the College Football Playoff, this weekend is that point where the bar stools get turned over, the lights come up and the stragglers are ushered out.
This weekend’s top four teams did not change, and there is no guarantee that they will before Monday. But we are down to the unofficial quarterfinal round with the four remaining Power Five championship games (Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State in the unofficial Big 12 title game last week) and eight teams still alive.
– THEY’RE IN (for now): (1) Clemson, (2) Alabama, (3) Oklahoma, (4) Iowa – Dabo Swinney and his crew has one last shot to keep “Clemson-ing” from becoming a real word. If they beat North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte — not as easy as it may have seemed a few weeks ago, by the way — the Tigers will hold onto the number one seed and make their plans to spend New Year’s Eve in Miami at the Orange Bowl.
Alabama, to many people’s chagrin, is still alive and well. Hate it or love it, the Crimson Tide are 4-1 against teams that are currently ranked or were previously ranked in the CFP Top 25. If they beat Florida in the SEC Championship Game, Nick Saban will be in the (2) vs. (3) matchup at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Mix in the narrative of defensive coordinator Kirby Smart coaching potentially his last few games — he’s been reported to be the next head coach at Georgia — and there’s another great chapter waiting to be written in Tuscaloosa championship lore.
Oklahoma is idle this weekend, and they’re all but locked in position to play in the Cotton Bowl against Alabama. The last time the two teams met in that stadium, Bob Stoops became “Big Game Bob” again and the Tide got rolled by the Sooners. But this time there’s more at stake besides Stoops’ reputation and Saban’s catalog of excuses for his team if OU advances.
The fourth golden ticket will be handed out in Indianapolis, assuming Alabama doesn’t slip up against Florida in Atlanta (more on that later). If Iowa beats Michigan State, they’re in. No questions asked. They might have had an easier road to the Big Ten Championship Game being the West Division champion, but staying undefeated renders most contrary arguments moot. There was a time when Upper St. Clair native Kirk Ferentz was considered one of the hottest names in the coaching ranks and a possible candidate to move up to the NFL. Getting into the playoff may finally get people talking about him again.
– KNOCKING ON THE DOOR: (5) Michigan State, (10) North Carolina – Michigan State was my preseason favorite to win the Big Ten, mainly because of Mark D’Antonio’s defense and quarterback Connor Cook. His injured shoulder healed well enough to beat Penn State last week, but Iowa is 21st in the nation in total defense (six spots higher than Sparty), and don’t expect the Hawkeyes to take it easy on him.
North Carolina has the same mission Ohio State had last year: overcome an early season loss that became an ugly mark on their resume (South Carolina) and win their conference championship game to make the playoff in the season’s last weekend. To date, the Tar Heels are the only team in the race that hasn’t faced a single team that was ranked either currently or even previously in the CFP Top 25. But knocking off the number one team in the land should cure what ails them.
– HELP NEEDED: (7) Stanford – The Cardinal kept themselves alive by beating Notre Dame on a field goal at the gun in Palo Alto last week, but now there are two teams still standing in their way to the playoff: USC and Alabama. Stanford has to win the Pac-12 Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium and then hope Florida knocks off Alabama in the SEC title game. Being one of the two teams with two losses playing this weekend puts them in a tough spot, but not the toughest. That belongs to…
– SLEEPER AGENT: (18) Florida – Nobody needs chaos to ensue more than the Gators. They can’t just beat Alabama to have a shot; they have to destroy them, similar to Ohio State’s 59-0 steamrolling of Wisconsin in last year’s Big Ten Championship Game. And even then, they’ll need more help: Stanford has to lose to USC and North Carolina has to beat Clemson.
But let’s stay there for a second. What if Florida, USC and North Carolina all win their conference championship games? Will a blowout win give Florida an edge over the Tar Heels if they only squeak by to win the ACC? Does (8) Notre Dame enter the discussion again? Does (6) Ohio State get another chance to sneak in? That would be the only scenario where the committee might be filibustering, arguing and slogging through re-votes while holed up in their Grapevine, Texas bunker for the weekend.
Time’s up, folks. Don’t forget to tip your bartenders and waitresses.
Posted in College Sports
01 Dec
This Week in MMA
published in category: Wrestling Reality on Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 – 3:20 pm
Posted in Wrestling Reality
01 Dec
WWE in Pittsburgh
published in category: Wrestling Reality on Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 – 2:21 pm
Posted in Wrestling Reality
01 Dec
Other Coaches have Traveled Dixon’s Path by Tim Benz
published in category: College Sports on Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 – 8:44 am
It’s been more than a decade since Jamie Dixon inherited the University of Pittsburgh basketball program from Ben Howland at a time of rising success for the team. In those dozen seasons a few banners have come along the way. A Big East tournament championship in 2008. Two regular season crowns in ‘04 and ‘11. And a Big East coach of the year award (2004) as well.
But landing the big fish of a national championship…or at least a Final Four appearance… has eluded him to this point. And at the end of every post season run, calls from some Panther hoop fans have grown familiar:
Has Dixon taken the team as far as he is capable? Can he recruit enough talent to get Pitt over the top? Could someone do more with the resources at hand?
If Scottie Reynolds’ shot doesn’t fall with a second left on the clock in the 2009 Elite Eight, maybe no one is questioning Dixon’s qualifications after posting 20+ victories in 11 of his 12 seasons as head coach. He may have then achieved that hat-hanging Final Four no Panther coach has had since 1941.
“It (the Final Four) is defining to some. But not to most. Those that look at long term success and doing things the right way and putting out good teams year after year,” Dixon said Monday afternoon.
For those that do define Dixon by that failure to advance beyond the national quarterfinals, he’s not alone in taking a while to get there. Other coaches know what it is like to have been promoted from assistant coach to head coach at a time of success within a program, only to wait excruciating lengths of time to take the program to the next level. A few of them were together at the recently concluded Battle for Atlantis basketball tournament in the Bahamas.
Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orange won the three day event. It’s been 39 years since he was promoted from an assistant (under Roy Danforth) to head coach at that school a year after it went to the Final Four. And after the 2018 season ends, the plan is for him to bequeath the job to his current assistant Mike Hopkins. He says the continuity within the program has been one of the reasons for its success.
“Continuity is so important. Everything stays the same,” said Boeheim last week. “You don’t have to change things. It’s the same. And when you have a quality coach in place that’s the way to do it. It’s great to have somebody in place that knows his program. It’s a smart move.”
Granted, unlike Dixon, Boeheim has won a national title. And he has been to four Final Fours. But it took him eleven years to get to his first Final Four as a head coach. And it took him 27 years to get his first championship.
Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs finished third in Nassau. Perhaps no coach in the country can empathize with Dixon’s plight more than Few.
As Dixon had taken over for Howland after the ‘02 season during a time when Howland had just gotten the team to rare heights, Few did the same thing when Dan Monson gave him the keys to the car in Spokane. Sixteen years later, Few has kept the Zags nationally prominent, but has stalled out in the tournament every year before getting to the final weekend, also making the Elite Eight just once. After his team’s first round Battle for Atlantis victory, Few condemned school administrators who get impatient and break up successful programs.
“For us, continuity has been everything,” Few said. “I’m surprised more athletic directors and school presidents don’t figure that out. When you’ve got a good thing and (sometimes) these AD’s think they are smarter than they really are. And then they go and hire from ‘without’ (outside the program) and the next thing you know you’ve got a screwed up program. And sometimes you can’t get it back on the tracks.”
By his own admission, Few’s continuity has been entrenched by the fact that he has had the same AD (Mike Roth) during his entire tenure. Dixon is working with his third (full time) in Scott Barnes. But he seemed less than concerned when asked about his frequently changing bosses.
“You’ve just got to look at the individuals involved and every situation is different. Every situation is unique and every relationship is unique. The different person who has been there each time has been key. And we have been fortunate.”
A third coach in the Bahamas familiar with taking over a noted program from a successful predecessor was Kevin Ollie. His circumstances upon assuming control from three time NCAA champion coach Jim Calhoun were very different as the school was in the midst of the ineligible post-season campaign of 2013. Yet by the end of 2014, the Huskies were crowned a fourth time. And on this occasion Ollie was leading them. He also insisted program stability was crucial.
“I always wanted to be myself. And Coach (Calhoun) always made it easy for me because we know each other so well…Our relationship goes so far back. He knows me inside out. I know him inside out. I think we have a great symmetry.”
It’s true that sometimes teams get stale. Sometimes changes do need to be made. And perhaps the Pitt Panther basketball team is approaching the place. But Barnes and his superiors need look no further than at their own football program to see how a lack of continuity can also be a detriment.
Posted in College Sports
30 Nov
Concussion issues for Ben, Steelers, NFL
published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, November 30th, 2015 – 2:47 pm
NFL safety issues and how to change things after helmet to helmet hits with Rob Rossi.
Guy Junker checks in from Seattle. Questioning decisions of Tomlin-fake field goal and not going for it on 4th down at end of game. Ben and Shazier concussed, pass defense shredded by Russell Wilson. Pitt does not get 9th win of regular season.
Richard Sherman is the Frank Walker Law defensive player of the week for shutting down Antonio Brown and picking off pass. Sherman and Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll talk about AB. Getting away with pass interference?
Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers