Tree of Life

05 Feb

If I Were a Betting Man: Super Bowl XLVI by Jon Pennline

published in category: Uncategorized on Sunday, February 5th, 2012 – 9:07 am

Other than the occasional blackjack game, I hardly consider myself a gambler. While I never bet on sports, and still won't on the country's biggest sporting event of the year tomorrow, the list of prop bets on some of these websites is intriguing. After all, how interesting is this Super Bowl for fans of the black and gold? It's New York vs. New England -essentially Boston- two big market teams that already played each other four years ago. To build on that point, the stories are limited and boring; no massive underdog, no new teams.

So, much like the fun in fantasy football, betting on some of these props would at least give you another reason to look forward to Sunday's matchup. Here's a hefty list thanks to www.thespread.com:

Coin Toss

According to www.casinoanswers.com, the toss result for the first 45 Super Bowls is 23-22 in favor of Tails. Given the 50-50 odds, I'll pick heads to even it out.

National Anthem Over/Under 1:34 for completion

I'm going OVER on this one. Kelly Clarkson nailed the anthem at exactly 1:34 in the NBA Finals last year, but she's singing on an even bigger stage. Allow a long finish.

Will Kelly Clarkson mess up 1 word of the Star Spangled Banner

A Texas native who, I'm sure, does not want to embarrass herself (unlike Christina Aguilera who appears to have no shame), Clarkson nails the anthem. If she screws it up, she'll get fined $25 bucks thanks to senator Vaneta Becker.

Will Kelly Clarkson's bare belly be showing during the anthem?

I hope not.

What will Madonna be using to start the halftime show?

I am picking headset over handheld microphone. Madonna is a not just a musician but she's also an on-stage performer. She may be getting old, but she's not dead.

Over/Under 0.5 times Gisele Bundchen will be shown during the game

Hopefully way over. In all seriousness, I imagine she will be shown at least once but it may depend on the of the game.

Over/Under 1 time Jim Irsay will be mentioned during the game

Over, over, over. As I stated before, the Super Bowl is so devoid of major stories that the hometown team has made most of the major headlines over the past two weeks.

Over/Under 1 time Andrew Luck will be mentioned during the game

Over. He'll be just as much in the conversation as Irsay.

What color gatorade will be dumped on the coach?

The best odds seem to be with water. The spread involves Orange, Yellow, Red, Green and Blue. I would pass on this but for the sake of picking, I'll pick orange.

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Posted in Uncategorized

 

02 Feb

Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle Interview

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 – 12:22 pm

Check out Guy Junker and Ken Laird's interview with Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle on Pedro Alvarez, starting positions and bullpen spots that are open, what to look for in Spring Training and more.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

01 Feb

Upon Further Review, AFL Makes Changes for Officiating Crews And Replay for 2012 by Dominic Errico

published in category: College Sports, Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 – 10:28 am

The AFL announced they will be adding a sixth member to all officiating crews, and will now have replay and challenge capabilities for all AFL games, not just the NFL Network game of the week.

This is a huge step in the right direction for the league. Many fans, myself included, wondered why only one game per week had the ability to overturn blown calls on the field.

If you check out the message boards on ArenaFan and AFLFanZone, you hear all kinds of stories about how officials miss routine plays like field goals, and spot the ball wrong on touchbacks. These kind of mistakes greatly undermine the credibility of the league.

This qualified as "Down by contact" last year.
In a game that brags about how actually getting a defensive stop can make a huge difference, it's just not fair to miss turnovers because an official ruled it an incomplete pass on the field.

One game in particular last season saw the Cleveland Gladiators get 19 points off drives that should have ended differently if the officials had gotten it right. That's a huge swing in this league.

Replay rules are expected to mirror NFL challenge rules, except that an AFL team MUST have a timeout remaining to use a challenge.

I asked Chris Siegfried, head coach of the Pittsburgh Power, what he thought about the new rules and additions to the officiating crew. He stressed that the officiating in the league is tough to do, and feels this is a positive change for the league. He also is looking forward to the ability to challenge plays.

In the end, as long as they get it right, that's all that should really matter.

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Posted in College Sports, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

31 Jan

Pens Looking to Finish Strong by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 – 9:16 am

One week into 2012, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the midst of a six game losing streak, had just received news that Jordan Staal would be out for a month with a knee injury, and had no answers involving Sidney Crosby's condition.

To say the least, things looked bleak.

Instead of going in the tank, the Penguins rebounded and strung together seven straight wins before the All-Star break. The reason for the quick turnaround was largely due to the success of Evgeni Malkin. After recording just 3 points during the 6 game losing streak, Malkin went on a tear recording 13 points over the last 7 games. Meanwhile, his line mate, James Neal, has tallied 11 points during the 7 game win streak.

The biggest goal, however, may have come from Steve Sullivan in Florida.

Hockey can be a funny sport. Sometimes, when a team is struggling to score (6 total goals in 6 games), the best way to break out is to get a lucky or "dirty" goal. Steve Sullivan took a pass from Matt Cooke who had stolen the puck from Panthers goaltender, Scott Clemmensen. With a wide open net, Sullivan rifled the puck into the twine to give the Penguins the lead. From there, the Penguins exploded with 25 goals over the past 7 games.

The Penguins also got a familiar face back on the blue line in Kris Letang. The star defenseman missed nearly two months with a concussion but has returned to put up a point per game since his recovery.

And now it appears Jordan Staal is getting closer to joining the team. The 23 year old center has been out since January 6th since going knee to knee with former Penguin, Mike Rupp. Staal has 21 points in 34 games this season and has missed games due to lower body injuries before. With his return looming, the Penguins are looking to get stronger defensively and on the penalty kill.

Then there's Sidney Crosby who has missed time with a concussion and what appeared to be a fractured neck. Crosby's return is just as big a question mark as it was this time last year. While coaches, front office employees and trainers believe 87 will return this season, they really have no idea. Either way, you have to believe Pens' GM Ray Shero will be buying at the trade deadline and if Crosby is deemed out, the Pens will have more room to bring in a bigger piece.

The Penguins are certainly heading towards their peak at the right time. They are currently in 5th place in the Eastern Conference, three points back from the Philadelphia Flyers, and six points back from the New York Rangers. With players getting healthy at the right time and Evgeni Malkin continuing to dominate, the Penguins look to enter the postseason with a ton of momentum.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Penguins

 

27 Jan

TV Deals Killing Baseball by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, January 27th, 2012 – 8:34 am

You can criticize the Pittsburgh Pirates for a lot of things; A LOT of things. The way they have seemingly mishandled developing Pedro Alvarez, failing to bring in mid-level free agents (looking at you Edwin Jackson), or failing to keep star players in Pittsburgh longer than a few years. However, there is one thing that is not the franchise's fault: they do not have 214 million dollars to spend.

"Oh the small market excuse, here we go again."

A valid point made by most fans in the Steel City, the team has been bad for more reasons than not having money. Yet, realistically, does anyone truly expect them to spend $24 million a year on one player? As good as the Pittsburgh Penguins are, and as committed as the Lemieux-Burkle partnership is to putting a winning product on the ice, do you think they would really be able to put $24 million dollars on one player while also paying several millions to the rest of the team? I am skeptical and judging by how badly the organization floundered in the NHL's pre-salary cap age, I don't believe I'm off base.

According to stationindex.com, Pittsburgh has the 23rd largest TV market in the country, between Portland and Charlotte. The Detroit Tigers -aside from being owned by Mike Illitich who is worth $1.7 Billion- show their games to the 11th largest market in the country. Combine the market size with the ridiculous TV deals, and you have the ability to strike gold and spend it on the franchise.

In 2009, Forbes had an article on baseball's monster television deals. The first example given was Detroit's deal, worth a collective $1 billion, split between the Red Wings, Pistons and Tigers. Among other teams, the Angels were also listed in the article (hello, Albert Pujols).

This year, the Texas Rangers -winners of the last two American League pennants- announced a TV deal worth $3 billion, effective 2014. With that type of money, the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and Philies may see a new villain in town. Not too bad, considering the ownership had changed once Tom Hicks put the team up for sale a few years ago. It also doesn't hurt that the Dallas-Fort Worth area is made up of nearly 6.5 million people.

The mega-TV deals are extremely profitable for big market clubs, who have the ability to gain that much moola. To be honest, placing blame on these franchises for simply taking advantage of their fortunate situation is ill-advised. The real blame goes to the league's front office who, in one hand, punish the small markets for spending millions in the draft and, in the other hand, allow big market teams spend over $20 million per year on one player, something no small market will encounter until the value of the dollar drops.

I know this is a broken record argument and yes, the Pirates DO need to be more aggressive and, more fair to their fans when it comes to the free agent market. But the league needs to throw the low-end teams a bone. A salary cap? Great idea but the owners would never approve. Revenue sharing? It hardly seems to be working now. A strike? Doubtful but is it wrong to dream, at this point?

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Posted in Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates

 

25 Jan

Someone Get Alexander Ovechkin a Tissue by Dominic Errico

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 – 10:11 am

Remember just a year or so ago when people actually wanted to debate whether Alexander Ovechkin was the best player in the NHL? At least he was putting up stats to warrant such discussion. He also had to dodge all of the complaints for his constant dirty hits.

Last year he put up 32 goals, far off his usual 50 goal pace. At least he still had his dirty, errr "physical play." Not anymore. The NHL finally cracked down on Ovechkin for his patented style of leaving his feet to deliver checks. No more charging, no more spearing, no more headhunting. No more fun of any kind!

What is a guy with declining goal scoring ability to do now that he can't be a dirty player. Apparently he is going to add being a whiny crybaby to his resume. Ovechkin announced that he will not attend the NHL All-Star game as a result of his suspension.

He also used the childish "Why didn't Michalek get suspended mommy" line upon learning of his suspension. He also saw absolutely nothing wrong with his hit. Nope there's nothing wrong with leaving your feet at all Ovie except for the fact it's against the rules.

The fact he's gone this long without a suspension speaks to how much bias the league gave to its superstars. Matt Cooke was a "repeat offender" and got the equivalent of an 18 game suspension at the end of last year's regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

At least Cooke has shown the ability to learn from his suspension and has changed the way he plays the game. I wonder if Ovechkin will be able to drastically alter his game by just staying on his feet.

It's bad enough he acts this childish, but this buffoon is the captain of the Washington Capitals. That's right. This level of stupidity is what passes for leadership for the hockey team that resides in the nation's capital.

Of course what else do you expect from that city in which our nation's leaders are just as adept at pointing the blame to everyone else but themselves? No wonder the Capitals never win anything. There's no accountability. Perhaps this is just leftover remnants of the Bruce Boudreau regime.

The best part of this suspension, and Ovechkin's refusal to play in the All-Star game might be that it should open up a roster spot for James Neal, who is more than worthy of getting a nod to the team.

You just have to get past the temper tantrum to see the golden lining.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Penguins

 

24 Jan

Joe Paterno's Legacy is Still Unwritten by Dominic Errico

published in category: College Sports on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 – 10:45 am

Trying to sit here and sum up my thoughts about Joe Paterno isn't easy. My entire childhood and early adulthood, I saw much of my grandfather Edward in Paterno and vice versa. They were the same age and, in a strange twist of fate, both men died on the same January day nine years apart.

Both men absolutely loved Penn State football, and could be cranky with the best of them. Both men were also very loyal to their respective families. There was nothing my grandfather wouldn't do for his children and grandchildren. There was nothing Joe Paterno wouldn't do for his Penn State family, players and students alike.

Just listen to all of Joe's former players on the radio today talking about how much they loved and admired Paterno, and how they wanted to thank Joe for teaching them how to be men. Just look at how several former players were quick to come to his defense in November when he was removed from his position as head coach.

Paterno gave his entire life to educating young men and women to aspire to greatness. "Believe deep down in your heart you are destined to do great things," is one of his memorable quotes.

The longer Joe Paterno continued to patrol the sidelines, the more familiar he became to generations of Penn State fans. It's not often we see a coach last that long in one place. In fact, I would argue Paterno was the last of his kind. Loyal to the very end.

The end of his tenure was straight out of a Greek tragedy, and not the way Paterno deserved to live his final days. I am not attempting to downplay the awful things that Jerry Sandusky allegedly did to his victims, or the appalling lack of action by Penn State administrators after discovering what was happening.

Paterno himself isn't completely blameless in all of this. By his own admission he wishes he had done more. He did what he thought was right, and many will argue for the rest of time whether he was right or wrong. Show me a single person on this Earth who doesn't wish they'd done things differently in their past. No one is perfect.

All we can judge is the ideals and ways a person chose to lead their lives. Paterno never seemed to put his needs first over Penn State. He turned down offers of more lucrative coaching gigs because he believed in what he was doing at Penn State. He also chose to give much of his earned wealth from coaching football back to the university.

How fitting is it that the library at Penn State bears the name of the football coach while the stadium is currently named after a former university president? It's usually the other way around. And yet that's exactly the way Paterno would have wanted it.

People will always have their opinions of the man, and nothing you really say will change how they feel. The fact remains that to many in the Penn State and State College community, he was like a grandfather to us. His words of inspiration will resonate throughout Penn State University for the rest of time.

I am reminded of a line from one of my favorite baseball movies from my childhood, The Sandlot. "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."

His death will not end our memories of him. He lives on in the spirit of every student and player he inspired to be the best they could be. Future generations of Penn State students will be impacted by the donations he generously gave back to the school. His legacy is still being written.

I know that Nittany Nation will grieve over his death, but focus on the good memories. Focus on being the great person he wanted you to be. That is the best way to honor Paterno. That's exactly what he would have wanted.

R.I.P. Joe. You will be sorely missed.

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Posted in College Sports

 

24 Jan

How the Steelers Lost the Season on One Play by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 – 9:24 am

The 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers had what most franchise would consider a good season. The team went 12-4, had the number 1 defense, had two 1000 yard receivers, and a playoff berth. In Pittsburgh however, a first round playoff loss to the Denver Broncos was crushing. It marked the end of a season where the team, fans and city, hoped it would be ended in Indianapolis with a seventh Super Bowl ring. Few will forget Tim Tebow's 80 yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas on the first play from overtime.

And yet, the biggest play that altered the Steelers' championship dreams may not have come in the AFC Wild Card round, but in Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens.

With 14 seconds remaining in the game, Joe Flacco connected with Torrey Smith for a 26 yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to win the game and sweep the season series against the Steelers. The Steelers had taken the lead with a 25 yard strike to Mike Wallace and the defense was eventually given the task to stop the Ravens from driving 92 yards for a score. Instead, Smith's go route burned cornerback, William Gay, who was expecting help from his free safety, Ryan Clark.

The Ravens took the season series en route to an AFC North title, first round bye, and a home game in the divisional round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Steelers had to face the Broncos on the road, without Ryan Clark, and without a week off to rest injured stars Ben Roethlisberger, Lamarr Woodley and Maurkice Pouncey.

One play.

It was a similar heartbreaking play the Steelers are used to doing against the Ravens. In week 15 of the 2008 season, Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes, who crossed the goal line by a millimeter with the football, to cap off a 92 yard drive. The win clinched the AFC North title and eventually a Super Bowl victory two months later. Last season, with the Ravens up 10-6 late in the game, Troy Polamalu stripped the ball from Flacco which was returned to the Ravens' 9 yard line by Lamarr Woodley. The play set up a game winning touchdown catch and run by Ike Redman. The Steelers were granted the AFC North title and a first round bye, once again.

The last minute touchdown by Flacco was not the only opportunity the Steelers had of snatching the division and home field advantage. After all, Pittsburgh was blown out by Baltimore in week 1 as well as San Francisco in week 15. And yet, week 9 may have been their best opportunity to do what previous championship teams have done: take advantage of the situation at hand. Pittsburgh didn't do that this year and maybe if they had, they would be the ones representing the AFC in the Super Bowl instead of New England. Maybe this will be a lesson learned for seasons to come.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 



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