Revised: For the better?

Nick was so nice to point out that I was as stupid as Joe Namath was drunk.

"I don't care how the blog is strug-a-ling"

Below is the revised list, taking the 94-95 season and pro-rating the points gathered over 82 games. Only one team made the cup finals, and that was after getting a bye in the first round. Seven of 12 teams lost in the first round. Product of inexperience in the play-offs? Team exceeding their ability in the regular season? I hope neither applies to the Pens.

	Season	Team	Playoffs	Pts	Improv
1	1993-94	San Jose	W:Det L:Tor	82	58
2	1992-93	Quebec	L:Mtl	104	52
3	1981-82	Winnipeg	L:StL	80	48
4	2001-02	Islanders	L:Tor	96	44
5	2006-07	Pittsburgh	???	101	43
6	1967-68	Boston	L:Mtl	84	40
7	1986-87	Detroit	W:Chi W:Tor L:Edm	78	38
8	1996-97	Dallas	L:Edm	104	38
9	1972-73	Buffalo	L:Mtl	88	37
10	1974-75	Buffalo	- W:Chi W:Mtl L:Phi	113	37
11	1977-78	Detroit	W:AtF L:Mtl	78	37
12	1981-82	Edmonton	L:LA	111	37

We all think its great that the first comment we finally got from someone outside of the Pittsburgh Sports Guys authors list comes in the form of someone telling us we were wrong. If only Government officials and Pirates' management responded THIS quickly, and humbly to their fanbase telling them they are wrong.

Improvement for the Better?

Ulf's post the other day got me wondering where this Pens team stands all-time in terms of improvement from one season to the next. The Pens are sitting at 98 points right now with 5 games to play. This puts them 40 points, or one Kobe Bryant night on the court, ahead of their total for last year. This excitement has everyone here dreaming of that sexy silver cup and her elegant curves. But before you go calling Janet Gretzky or Rick Tocchet to place your bets, what happened to the other teams that had great turn-arounds?

	Team	Season	Record	Pts	Improv
1	Detroit	1995-96	62-13-7	131	+61
2	San Jose	1993-94	33-35-16	82	+58
3	Quebec	1992-93	47-27-10	104	+52
4	Tampa Bay	1995-96	38-32-12	88	+51
5	NY Rangers	1995-96	41-27-14	96	+49
6	Winnipeg	1981-82	33-33-14	80	+48
7	Montreal	1995-96	40-32-10	90	+47
8	Florida	1995-96	41-31-10	92	+46
9	NY Islanders	2001-02	42-28-8-4	96	+44
10	Philadelphia	1995-96	45-24-13	103	+43
11	Chicago	1995-96	40-28-14	94	+41
12	Anaheim	1995-96	35-39-8	78	+41
13	Pittsburgh	1995-96	49-29-4	102	+41
14	Boston	1967-68	37-27-10	84	+40

Of these teams only 1 missed the playoffs, the 95-96 Ducks, thanks to Emilio Estevez leaving his duck call whistle on Michel Ouellet's night stand. Six of the remaining 13 pulled Jim Brown and departed the playoffs early, the first round. Four more made is only as far as the second round before taking out the golf clubs. Three, including our 95-96 Pens made it to the conference championship. That leaves only the 95-96 Panthers, who ended the Pens run, to reach the Cup Finals. Of course, they lost.

1990 Estevez movie that shows why he loves
the garbage man Michel Ouellet and bandanas

Of these teams, only a few compare to the Pens in being a young team that is learning on the job. Generation-X, as the Pens marketing people like to say, is the X-factor come the play-offs. How will this team respond to playoff pressure? Will Fleury mimic Cam Ward? Can Crosby take his game up a notch?

While the local gypsy we consulted might not have an answer to all of these, if we read between the lines we can get a glimpse of what is to come. Fleury revealed in an interview Tuesday that this team did not know they clinched a play-off spot. Translation: This team shows up to win and doesn't care about anything else.

This teams turnaround is more surprising than
Bill Murray scoring a leading role with the lovely Scarlett Johansson

We also saw this same trait during the incredulous arena stand-off when the players didn't even know about the Thursday meeting that the rest of Pittsburgh was on the edge of its seats for. Fleury's recent ascension in shootouts shows he knows how to concentrate when its needed most. It was Gretzky who answered the final question for us back when we were in Phoenix. He said Crosby, like himself, had played under an intense spotlight since he was very young which makes play-off hockey seem like a regular day at the rink.

The Playoffs are anything but another day at the rink. For those of you who were still alive the last time the Pens were in the playoffs, you know the Igloo takes on a whole new persona in April. Everything is cheered, from Jeff Jimmerson to sweet play by the D to hold the puck in the zone. This is not far from ordinary, but in April its not just a few thousand cheering these feats, its the entire city.

Jeff Jimmerson is the real American Idol

Its great to have games that matter being played again in April. Translation: That was a dig at the Pirates... remember them?

Over/Under 2007 Pirates

One of the easiest to understand betting wages is the Over/Under. A stat is thrown out there, and all you have to do is decide if the player/team will either do better (over) or worse (under) than that estimation. Here's an example:
1.5 - the number of people other than my mother that will read this post
Our Bet: Under
Reason: My wife chooses to ignore me and this, my little project. So that leaves only my Dad to read this and he thinks the internet is the net hung to protect the fans behind home plate

So now you have the lay of the land, let's take a look at some bets we are willing to take on the upcoming season for the Pirates.

4 - Starts before Gorzy is replaced by Burnett in the rotation
Over
The kid will get 5 starts to prove he should stay, all thanks to last year

10 - Wins for Zach Duke this year
Over
If he pitched THAT bad last year and still got double digits, he can surely do it again

.300 - BA for Freddy this year
Under
Dirty is certainly capable of .300, but that knee scares us an awful lot

3 - inches between Manny Sanguillen's teeth
Under

Manny's gap scared McBride's hair straight up.

27 - HRs for LaRoche
Over
As far over as he will be belting them over the Clemente wall

12 - HRs for Big Country in Pittsburgh
Under
Don't like he chances to make the team out of spring and then get enough ABs once he does get the call up

130 - Games played for Dirty
Over
again, that knee haunts me like my "Pens won't make the play-offs" prediction and selling the tickets to the March 13 game

30 - HRs Bay hits
Over
Barely, but over. Hitting behind LaRoche will not work to his benefit for HRs

110 - RBIs for team leader
Over
Barely, but over. Don't be surprised if its LaRoche and not Bay with more RBIs.

25 - Stolen Bases for Duffy
Over
Jack Wilson will take strike three if it means Dirty has a big enough jump

30 - Saves for Torres
Under
I think even 20 is a stretch

.345 - Season OBP for Duffy
Over
This one is on pure hope.

4.00 - Lowest season ERA for a starter
Under
They came close last year. They should be more mature and have a better D behind

25 - Races Jalepeno Hannah wins
Over
If she loses the purse she could win every race
1.5 -line drives Maholm takes to the face
Under
They can't hit him in the face if they are flying over the wall

76 - wins for this year's team
Under
Still not a .500 team, but this still gives them the chance to be 10 games better than last year.

85 - appearances for Matt Capps
Under
He'll end up in the closers role and put an end to any chance of 85


1.5 - PNC Park HRs in the last tour of Barry Bonds
Under
He'll face all lefties and only get 1 to go out

35,000 - attendence for July 4 game
Under
Too many picnics to lure that many to the park

34,999 - attendence for Big & Rich and not the game
Over
People will come in after the game, or just gather in the parking lot

85 - wins needed to win NL Central
Over
Barely over .500 won't cut it this year

.5 - teams with worse records than the Bucs in the NL central at seasons end
Over
Come on Houston!

April 7 - first fan complains on TV about no smoking in the stadium
Under
I think I already saw one on TV

May 15 - Bucs are out of contention
Under
I hate to say it, but too many interdivision games in the first month

May 31 McCutcheon is in Indy
Over
Not long over, but he will need more than a month and a half of AA proof.

June 3 - new video board breaks
Over

July 4 - return of smoking to PNC

Over

Wait for Leyland and the Tigers to return for the ban to be lifted

July 30 - Pirates make their first trade
Over
Not many pieces that can be moved to justify an earlier trade. Look for a back-up infielder or bullpen arm to be moved.

August 30 - Littlefield is fired
Over
Team is committed to him. LaRoche deal/McCutcheon development may have saved him

August 15 - McCutcheon in Pittsburgh
Over
He'll be a September Call-up

You thought this Penguins team wasn't special.

Here are some milestones you may be unaware of.

With the win against the capitals they now have 98 points and 44 wins.

44 wins has them in a tie for 3rd for wins among all Penguin teams.

98 points ties them for 4th in points all time among all Penguin teams.

1 more win gives them 100 points. This would be the 4th penguin team to reach that milestone.
Also this is something Gqbed said would never happen.

Hey!

We're goin to the playoffs!

Let's go pens!

Seating on the Glass

Seats so close you know if the Zamboni is stolen

This story originates back in January. I was stoked the January 7 game against Tampa Bay was going to be the first local Fox Sports Net game I would see in HD... or was it?

Do to a mess-up with my cable provider, Comcast, the game didn't come across in HD until the start of the second period. Then, inexplicably, when the game went OT, the HD feed was stopped. It came back just in time for the end of OT and the shootout. This irritated me so I wrote a letter to the TV editor of the Post-Gazette and asked if he knew of any problems in the HD feed for that game. He passed the letter on to Bob Smizik who then passed it on the the VP of Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh, Steve Tello. Mr. Tello was very concerned about this instance as his company spends a great deal of extra cost to produce the game in HD. As a thank you for bringing this to his attention he provided me with his company seats to Saturday's game against the Thrashers. Their seats are on first row, on the glass, the opposite side of the ice from the benches, right on the blue line for the end the Pens shoot at twice. This is how the big wigs live.

Easy to see why McClatchy likes sitting here

My desire to become a VP and finally live this life was stopped with the force of a Petro punch. It was pretty cool to keep walking down the aisle until there was no further to go and to have people think you are someone important. And during warm-ups, its pretty sweet to see the players that close up and hear their conversations. Once the game starts you get an even better idea of how fast the game is, how difficult it is to control the puck when it is bouncing, and how hard the guys hit the boards. Let's not forget the #1 feature, LEG ROOM! This lasts all of a minute, then the negatives set in. The no longer "seamless" glass has 3 inch acrylic braces to reinforce the glass and these make watching the game very difficult at this level. Being that low and that close to the glass made 1/2 of the other end not visible to us. Anything that happened in the near corner was also not visible. The game becomes so fast at that level, and with the boards covering most of the puck action nearest to you, that it was very difficult to even know where the puck was and to follow the game. Combine that with the trouble to see through the glass reinforcements and the heads of those sitting next to you, and its easy to get a headache just trying to watch the game.

Photographic proof that Sid moves faster than anyone else on the ice.

Everyone should experience this once in their lives. Its awesome to be the holder of a ticket that costs more than $100. Its awesome to see just how big the players are, how fast the game is, and how brilliant the players must be to control the puck. All of this is probably still visible 10 rows up from the ice, which appears to be the perfect viewing spot. I should write a letter to Donald Trump and see if he can hook me up.

Nah, I'll stick with my cohorts up in section C-13!

Hiding in the shadows we get to see it all!

Tracy Rationale

Today the Pirates showed us what their opening day rotation will most likely look like as they sent three pitchers to the minor league camp.

I've got a serious problem with this and do not believe the same move would have been made under Lloyd "where's the buffet" McClendon. Tracey obviously is showing favoritism towards Gorzy and the season he had last year. Had Tracy seen Burnett first hand before the arm troubles, I'm certain Burnett and his 0 ERA, yes ZERO, in spring training would be given one more outing in the Major League camp.

I have nothing against Gorzy, and he certainly is a part of their future, but he did not have anything this spring. As the competition got better, his performances got worse. Yet he is rewarded with a spot in the rotation right out of camp. Conversely, Tracy sited Bautista's performance this spring as the reason he, not Castillo, will be a starter at the beginning of the year. Since Bautista and Castillo both have almost identical batting averages this spring, identical strikeout numbers, it appears the performance Tracy is referring to are the performances not found in the numbers. Advancing a runner with a ground ball to second, taking a 0-1 pitch to allow a runner to steal, and hitting a ball to the outfield with a runner on third with less than 2 outs are examples of good performances that do not show up in the stats. Pitchers can do the same thing, getting a ground ball on an 3-0 count, stranding a runner at third with less than 2 outs, and keeping pitch counts low all fit what the manager wants to see but the statistician has no where to record it. Problem is, from the reports coming out of Bradenton, Gorzy isn't doing these things.

Double standard here? I think so. We'll learn more about Tracy's loyalties when we see his bench get filled out. Mike Ryan and Don Kelly deserve spots in Pittsburgh come April 1. McLouth and Jose Hernandez (Spanish for strikeout) do not. Numbers suggest Eldred also should be on the 25 man roster. however this team is not ready for an 11-man pitching staff and without that, a bench spot can not be wasted on a non-versatile player like Eldred. Eldred really would benefit from going to AAA and continuing to train his eye to learn the strike zone and pitches. He needs 4 ABs a night to do that, not 4 ABs a week he would get in Pittsburgh. Burnett, on the other hand, has nothing to learn at AAA. He did that last year. Looks like another double standard.

Best Time Of The Year, God Bless Our Service People

March Madness, NHL playoffs(Especially when the Penguins are taking part), NFL draft, College Football Spring Practices, Baseball starts and the Pirates are in contention until the first week is up, it is lighter out longer, and definitely, warmer weather. This is not only my favorite time of year for sports, but my favorite season of the year because winter is leaving and warmth and sunshine are setting in. I also love the afternoon thunderstorms that roll in and cool things down. Anything beats snow and cold. Everybody seems to have a much better attitude when the weather is nice. Then you have the NHL playoffs with a fierce battle every night that you anticipate all day long.

While sitting here today trying to get my fantasy baseball draft together, wondering how the Buckeyes will do against Memphis, and thinking about how I’m just going to sit on my butt all day this weekend and watch the Penguins, I realized how much of this type of stuff I take for granted. I thought about how lucky we are where we can do pretty much what we want, when we want to, and not have to worry about IED’s exploding, being shot at, or being kidnapped. Yeah, it is getting warmer here, but this warm weather is nothing like the harshly, brutal conditions our servicemen face daily. These guys are the real stars, not the ones we watch on TV for entertainment.

So, I basically just want to say thank you to our servicemen everywhere. Thank you for the job you do and the freedom you provide me so I can enjoy the things we take for granted over here. No matter what much of the media says, the majority of us support you to no end. I truly believe you guys are there for the right reasons and that one day we will look back at our current events and say what a smart move this was for the United States. I sleep better at night knowing you men and women are over there fighting, so we don’t have to fight them here. Our children will be safer in the future for what you are doing today.

May God Bless the United States of America and Our Servicemen and Women everywhere.

OJ Mayo SUCKS!!

This is why.

That article will explain why OJ Mayo sucks, in case you didn't already know.

Also, during the last seconds of the state title game in which his team was up like 20-30 points he threw the ball off the backboard from the foul line and then ran up and caught and dunked it. He then proceeded to throw the ball into the crowd and walk away with a huge swagger.

If OSU can't win the NCAA's I kind of hope USC does, only because Mayo thinks he's saving the program and if it wins before he gets there then he looks like an idiot for all of his bragging.

The real question

Time to for everyone to breathe a collective sigh of relief, as the first 2 rounds of the NCAA Tournament are behind us. What have we learned? Anything? Sure.

Did you know if you picked nothing but higher seeds to advance in your bracket, you would have enough points to have a shot at winning it?

Did you know this year’s bracket is really going to change my thinking about future college basketball brackets? You think you know what you are talking about, but then you realize you overlook teams like USC and Memphis, and over-rate teams like Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, and Texas.

Did you know, if Danny Ainge can get Durant in the up-coming NBA Draft, $30,000 is a cheap price to pay for sweet-talking his mamma.

Did you know that Saturday’s games were the best set of games I can remember watching in a long, long time?

Did you know I had to change my pants twice during the VCU/Pitt game?

Did you know Greg Oden got away with one when the ref’s didn’t call an intentional foul on him at the end of their game against Xavier? Be honest. You know that’s what he did, and it should’ve been called.

Did you know I’m glad it wasn’t called?

Did you know I’m tired of typing did you know?

Did you know the Salukis of Southern Illinois have been in the NCAA tournament the last 6 years? 5 of those 6 have come as at-large bids. Of course you didn’t, that’s why everyone is still calling them a mid-major.

Did you know Tyler Hansbrough (55 pts., 19 rebs. in two games) has beautiful eyes, to match his beautiful moves? That might be a bit much, but I’m wishing I took them (UNC) to the Final Four over Texas.

Did you know Tim Floyd doesn’t list his record with the Chicago Bulls on his USC bio page? I wonder why.

Did you know I caught Levance Field’s headband after he tossed it to the crowd Saturday night? This happened right after he missed the potential game winning free throws. He plays better without one, I however, play like a man possessed with his headband.

Did you know Tim Floyd’s record with the Chicago Bulls over 4 years was 49-190? How does he get a team like USC to the Sweet 16?

Did you know Pitt’s Aaron Gray hurt his draft status by coming back for his senior year? Last year, he was projected as a mid-to-late first round pick. I haven’t heard ANY of that talk this year.

Did you know the Steelers are glad they let Joey Porter go when they did? Hey, how’d a football comment get in here?

Did you know a stomach virus can affect (or is it effect) your memory? That must’ve been why Gray kept forgetting to flash to the middle while Pitt was trying to break VCU’s press.

Did you know that I need any team besides Georgetown to make the Final Four out of the East? I lost my pick, Texas, but everyone left in the PSG NCAA Tournament Challenge had either a team that lost already, or Georgetown. Let’s go UNC, USC, and Vanderbilt!

And finally, did you know I have to root against Pitt if I want any shot at winning the PSG Tournament? What would you do?

No real Madness in March??

The first weekend has come and gone and no double digit seeds remain in the tournament. It's pretty easy to explain why.

Oden, Durant and other recent High School Graduates are now forced to spend at least one year in college. And because of that, you're gonna see a lot more tournaments like this one.

Look at the two upsets that did occur. Duke and Notre Dame both lost, and neither team had a freshman player that could've went to the Draft.

Ohio State, Kansas, and North Carolina all had games highly impacted by players who could've went to the draft this year. Without the production of Oden, Brandan Wright and others this tournament changes drastically.

This rule, and this year in general, just show that these smaller schools simply cannot recruit like major schools.

The gap in talent has grown just a little. But that little bit is the difference between the 2-3 point victories that happened this year, and the defeats that happened in years previous.

Not all was lost however. Saturday may have been the greatest day of College Basketball in the last few years of the tournament.

The Ohio State-Xavier thriller which saved my bracket and made me look like a genius for buying that Ron Lewis jersey last summer, was fantastic. A possible upset, a star freshman, a really really hard foul, a last second game tying three, Overtime, AND GUS JOHNSON!! Can it get any better?

Texas A&M-Louisville was back and forth until the leading Freshman ball-hog Edgar Sosa clanked two import free throws (ala Lebron) to cost them the game.

Vanderbilt-Washington State in 2 OT's. A game of runs. It was fantastic to watch.

And then Pittsburgh-VCU. Pitt up 19 only to blow the lead and go to overtime. General betting rule proved right as the better team won in overtime .

AJ Graves, one of my underdog picks, led Butler past Maryland in another thriller.

DJ White did everything in his power but couldn't pull it off because of his lacking supporting cast. Eric Gordon + DJ White next year should make for one happy Bloomington.

Top 5 Games of the First Weekend:
1. Ohio State-Xavier
2. Louisville-Texas A&M
3. Washington State-Vanderbilt
4. Pittsburgh-VCU
5. Nevada-Creighton (not many saw the whole thing but digital cable rocks)

Top 5 Players of the First Weekend:
1. AJ Graves, G, Butler- was anyone more important to their team?
2. Shan Foster, G/F, Vanderbilt - he's done a lot but he still hasnt been mentioned...thats bad for Georgetown
3. Ron Lewis, G, Ohio State- Do I even need to?
4. Chris Lofton, G, Tennessee
5. Acie Law IV, G, Texas A&M

5 Seniors Who Need To Carry Their Team to Help Draft Status:
1. Ron Lewis, G, Ohio State
2. Aaron Brooks, G, Oregon
3. Jamaal Tatum, G, Southern Illinois
4. Reyshawn Terry, F, North Carolina
5. Derrick Byars, G/F, Vanderbilt

Most Underrated Player Left In The Tournament:
Curtis Terry, G/F, UNLV
His brother is Jason Terry. It runs in the family.

Gus Johnson has been relieved on play-by-play duties for the Regional Semi's and Finals. His spot was given to James Brown.

Typical Duke

Every now and then, you get a little justice. For the last 15 years, I have been a hater of all things Duke. My first Duke related experience came when my beloved Michigan Wolverines fell to the Bobby Hurley - Chritian Laettner Blue Devils. Duke's tandum was the ultimate in annoyance to me. Cocky, got all the calls, cheap shot artists, etc. The announcers all loved Duke and they could do no wrong, but as a fan of the Fab Five, they were exactly the opposite of what I adored in a hoops team. I thought it couldn't get any worse than Hurley and Laettner, but over the years I was proven wrong. Duke has become a factory for some of the most irratating individuals to play college basketball. Names like Cherokee Parks, Steve Wojo, Trajan Langdon, Nick Horvath, Chav Randolph, Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy's kid, and of course everybody's favorite J.J. Redick. These are players with an elitist attitude, who get all the calls and flop on the regular. Last nights game vs. VCU was no different. Duke was handed a tournament bid that should have been given to a much better (conference record and talent wise) Syracuse team and nearly cheated their way to victory. The latest crop of Dookies features a trio in the mold of Wojo, Reddick and Hurley, in Paulus, Scheyer, and McRoberts flop, wine, and cheated their way to a lead against VCU. The fouls called on VCU were absolutely horrible. Paulus walked the ball up the court, took his hand and pushed Maynor of VCU.. call on Maynor.. There was a breakaway slam dunk in which the Duke player was not even touched.. foul on VCU. The worst call came at the very end of the first half when Paulus was "fouled" while attempting a desperation, turnaround three as the buzzer went off. Kudos to the VCU kids for keeping their cool as Duke tried to cheat them out of a game. When Maynor came down the court with seconds left in the game and cool as ice nailed the game winner in Paulus's face, I could not help but feel elated. Every once in a while, there is some justice and the team that deserves to win, gets the W. Unfortunetly, Duke will be back at some point, getting all the calls as usual and winning. They've been doing it for years. But look back to last night and remember, the every so often, the good guys win.

Feats of Strength

9:08 am: My phone rings and wakes me up. Normally I’d be upset about this, but today is Day One of the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament. It’s my Festivus!

9:55 am: SI.com won’t load for some reason and my Post Gazette is soaking wet. Now where do I turn for all things sports? That’s right! Pittsburgh Sports Guys!

9:56 am: Hey!? Where are the NBA scores and blogs on Pittsburgh Sports Guys?

9:57 am: Where is GQbed’s blog about his denial of taking HGH? We all know you did it, just fess up.

10:20 am: The Anti-Christ is here. Tori Spelling gave birth to a baby boy yesterday. It’s the end of the free world as we know it. That would explain Thibault getting his first shut-out with the Pens last night.

10:48 am: I read that Michael Vick is opening a winery restaurant in suburban Atlanta. I’m willing to guess his brother is head busboy with-in the next 3 years. It’s a lofty goal, but one I think he can reach with a lot of hard work and nepotism.

11:32 am: Like a first timer, I make last minute changes to my bracket. I don’t know why I did this. Everyone knows you don’t second guess yourself come tournament time, but I did. Let’s see how I have the first games playing out.
#4 Maryland def. #13 Davidson.
A gimmie pick. Maryland is playing well right now.
#7 Boston College def. #10 Texas Tech
I’m boycotting legendary coaches who made it in based on their reputations.
#6 Louisville def. #11 Stanford
Stanford doesn’t deserve this spot, it should’ve gone to Syracuse, so they lose. Louisville isn’t that impressive, but I’m not sold on Stanford.
#3 Washington St. def. #14 Oral Roberts
I’m not going to lie. I don’t know much about Washington State, but they are a 3 seed so they win by default.
#5 Butler def. #12 Old Dominion
This was one of my last minute changes. I didn’t realize how good Bulter is (i.e. who they defeated) and I don’t think this is my 12-beating-a-5 yearly upset.
#3 Texas A&M def. #14 Penn.
You think coming from the Ivy League, the kids from Penn would be smart enough to not even make the trip for this game. They will have no answer for Acie Law IV.
#2 Georgetown def. #15 Belmont
Anyone know where Belmont is located? I didn’t think so.

11:56am: Turn on CBS. How come The Price is Right isn’t in High Def? Shortly after it’s over, I realize the one draw back to this time of year. Clark Kellogg. Do I really have to explain why? Why can’t they have Sonni Abatta work along-side Greg Gumbel?

12:19pm: Let the fun begin! First game is #4 Maryland, but quickly they switch over to the start of the Louisville/Stanford game. I agree with DerekBell4President. Gus & Dan calling this game and I’m happy they are. Early on, Stanford can’t handle the Louisville press. Louisville is just too quick. This game will be over by halftime.

1:23pm: Told you Louisville game would be over at the half. Now we are going to watch the chair- throwing, chin lifting, spitting, yelling Bob Knight and his Red Raiders lose to Boston College. Or I might get to watch the game of runs. Maryland/Davidson. Either way, it’ll be more interesting than Pitino’s squad thumping Walt Harris’ former employer.

4:21pm: Return home to see that I am 3-3 with the early games. No upsets. Washington St. is going to beat Oral Roberts. No surprise there. Make that 4-4. The 5 vs. 12 game of Butler & Old Dominion is going to be the first real “game” of the tournament. I share the early lead with PITTiful Panthers. But I have a feeling he’s just a flash in the pan. He knows it too. Hofstra anyone? Here are my picks for the rest of the evening.
#11 George Washington def. #6 Vanderbilt
I didn’t watch either of these two teams play, and didn’t do any research on them. So I went with the upset because I needed one somewhere.
#1 Ohio St. def. #16 Central Conn. St.
As you can tell I didn’t even spell out their full school name. That’s how much respect I am giving the #16 seed. Ohio State looked great against Wisconsin in the Big Ten final, and I can’t see anyone stopping them from reaching Atlanta.
#11 VCU def. #6 Duke.
Duke will not be able to handle guard Eric Maynor of VCU.
#8 Marquette def. #9 Michigan State.
This should be a good game. Physical. Good match-up by the committee, but I have to show my loyalty to the Big East.
#2 UCLA def. #15 Weber State.
Tough break for Weber State. Better luck next year. Howland will have his team ready to play after their early exit from the Pac-10 tournament.

5:24pm: Still haven’t missed a pick yet. Did I mention I was money? But Vandy is taking it to GW early. And looks like I was wrong about the Butler game, they won but it wasn’t a “game”. I’m not perfect, but close to it.

6:57pm: Check Vandy score. See that I was way off on that one. I hope this isn’t the start of a horrible trend of losing going into tonight’s games. I’m 7-1 to start the first 8 games. Still not bad.

8:51pm: Has anyone seen the Marquette team? Did they take the loss to Pitt that hard? Man, they didn’t show up to play tonight. My early (and I stress early) lead in the brackets is slipping away faster than a glass of booze in front of Britney Spears.

9:36pm: “Jared, this is quite a game.” My wife, ladies and gentlemen, on the VCU/Duke game as Maynor hits jumper with 1.8 seconds left. She keeps it short and simple.

9:39pm: Its official, if Pitt wins, they get VCU. So, do I think Pitt is going to win? Excellent question. Here are my remaining picks for the first day. Only have 2 misses so far.
#3 Pittsburgh def. #14 Wright State.
I can’t see Pitt over-looking Wright State, so they should win a methodical, wear-you-down, Pitt style game.
#9 Xavier def. #8 BYU
Sean Miller is coaching Xavier.
#1 North Carolina def. #16 Eastern Kentucky
This will be a yawner, but I like UNC. Well, let me rephrase that. I like UNC next year, once everyone gets a year older. I like Wright. I like him a lot. He has all the makings of a great player, but needs one more year to fill out. And Hansbrough isn’t playing like himself since he broke his nose. They’ll go far, but not as far as they would if Hansbrough was healthy and Wright had 1 more year of experience.
#7 Indiana def. #10 Gonzaga
The drug bust of 2007 will hurt Gonzaga. Sampson brings his “different” recruiting style to Bloomington, and wins his first game with the Hoosiers in the tournament.

11:38pm: I’m very happy that Pitt is up enough that they (CBS) switch to the end of the Butler/Xavier game. Xavier hits 2 free throws to go up by 4. That’ll do it. Xavier wins. I hate being right all the time.

12:03am: The Pitt game isn’t over officially, but it is over. What a long day. A long day full of magic and unicorns. Ok maybe not the unicorns, but it was still a great day. No big upsets. VCU over Duke. But I had that one called. Hansbrough putting up 21 pts. and 10 rebs. was a surprise, but I didn’t get to see that game, and they were playing a 16 seed. Pitt needs to learn how to stomp a team out when they have them on the ropes or they are going to exit early.

12:07am: Pitt wins 79-58. I only miss 2 picks on the first day. Not a bad start. I’m going to bed before I have to look at Clark Kellogg’s shinny head one more time. Tomorrow is day two. Saturday is a game Pitt cannot afford to overlook. VCU is very athletic and we all know how Pitt does against athletic teams.

MARCH MADNESS!!!

March Madness is here. I've finished my four finals (thumbs up to the quarter system) and now I'm ready to watch basketball for the next four days.

My Final Four:
Florida
UCLA
Georgetown
Ohio State

Earliest I can see a #1 losing: Second Round
Arizona over Florida. I would never pick this but I can definitely see it happening. Why? Because every year there is one big name school that underachieves all season only to turn it on when it counts the most.

Underachievers who could overachieve in the tournament:
Midwest: Arizona
West: Duke
East: Michigan State
South: Louisville

Top 10 Guys Who Want to Get Their Name's Out For Next Year:
1. Jon Scheyer, G, Duke
2. AJ Graves, G, Butler
3. Greivis Vasquez, G, Maryland
4. Eric Maynor, G, Virginia Commonwealth
5. Jeremy Pargo, G, Gonzaga
6. Goran Suton, C, Michigan State
7. Shan Foster, G/F, Vanderbilt
8. Othello Hunter, F, Ohio State
9. Brook Lopez, F, Stanford
10. Stefan Welsh, G, Arkansas - he plays like 8 minutes a game, but I went to high school with him and he was responsible for back to back state titles, so I owe him at least this

12 over 5 Upsets:
Long Beach State - They might be the quickest team in the tournament.
Arkansas - USC is coached by Tim Floyd. That is all you need to know.

Double-digit seed likely to make a George Mason-esque run:
Long Beach State - Their quickness and ability to score cancels out the strengths of first round opponent Tennessee, likely second round opponent Virginia and possibly sweet 16 likely opponent Ohio State.

Don't Believe The Hype:
Old Dominion - Butler has spent the last 5 days hearing all about how they're going to lose. And the REALLY popular 12 over 5 seems to fizzle most of the time.

Best Commentary Team:
Gus Johnson and Dan Bonner - Is there anyone like Gus in College Basketball?? He should call every game.

Most Likely to Foul or Walk and Have it Not Get Called:
Tyler Hansbrough

10 Best Players In The Tournament:
1. Arron Afflalo, G, UCLA
2. Kevin Durant, F, Texas
3. Greg Oden, C, Ohio State
4. Jeff Green, F, Georgetown
5. Alando Tucker, G, Wisconsin
6. Acie Law IV, G, Texas A&M
7. Julian Wright, F, Kansas
8. Chris Lofton, G, Tennessee
9. Mike Conley Jr., G, Ohio State
10. Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown

Enjoy March Madness Everyone!!

Rejected Arena Features

Yesterday we took a look at the new arena features. Today we will uncover the dirty truth about what some thought should be included in the plans, but tragically fell short.

IF public tax money was used in the arena deal, the Pens would have provided the following public services during games:

• The Ivan Hlinka English lesson class

• Ron Francis was to teach a "planning for retirement" class until the team was informed he still does not plan to retire.

• Rob Brown hair club for men hair plug clinic, the hair plugs would come from Steve Latin's body.

• Ulf Knee Reconstruction booth; for $5 Ulf hits you and an Penguins team physician is on hand to scope your knee

• The Pens wanted to help their crosstown neighbors, the Pirates, find new talent. They were to install batting cages for the kids where they are encouraged to "swing like Adam Graves, swing like a pro"

• Fans who are unhappy with their high seat locations can go to the Mario Lemieux complaint booth. Nothing will be done about their complaint until 7 years after they assume ownership of the team.

• In an effort to bring culture to the region, the team scheduled scientific debates featuring renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. This was cancelled when his opponent, Jarko Ruutu had only one response to each statement:

• In the new "great hall" one wall would be used as a mausoleum for Eddie Johnson, who refuses to leave the Penguins over his dead body.

• In a blatant rip-off of the Yankees' Monument Park, some idiot (namely Kevin Constantine) thought it would be "neat" to place a monument to Mario Lemieux on the ice behind the visitors net.

• The Pens had a plan in case the arena funding came up short. To embrace the team's youth, the locker room would not have any real furniture, instead it will only have pieces the players found in the trash, thus making the college aged players feel more at "home"

• The visitor's locker room was going to be painted pink

Had more money been left over from the arena deal, the team was willing to offer some former Penguins employment in the new building:

• All scoreboard segments would be produced by Howard Baldwin

• Tom Barasso would be the new public address announcer, subsequently no information would be conveyed on game days

• Kevin Stevens would supervise ushers, who will be trained to park themselves at the entrance to the seating area and obstruct the view of patrons who do not belong in that section. However, late in the game these ushers can be knocked out instantly with a single punch

• Had a trade deadline deal gone through to acquire Dany Heatley from the Senators, the team planned to employ him as their Zamboni Demolition Derby driver. No word on who was selected to drive the Zamboni sponsored by MADD.

His probation does not prohibit him from driving zambonis that look like cars.

The final rejected new arena feature? A retractable roof.
 

Let it begin

Here it is.

A little less than 24 hours before the Madness begins. What a crazy last couple of days.

What a crazy month I’ve got ahead of me, but before I get into that, I have to mention something.

Well that, and this.

I’m so glad I ignored someone’s advice and didn’t head to Florida, or else I would’ve missed the colossal announcement that the Pens are staying in Da’ Burgh. I also would’ve missed the Pens, playing in their first game after the announcement became official, winning in the style we’ve grown accustomed to this year. A 5-4 shootout win, over the Sabers. (Side note: are those uniforms black or a dark blue?) Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t in attendance last night (nor was he), but I was listening on the radio while at work. And Lange and the Ol’ Two-Niner seemed to have a little extra pep in their voices last night. It was great.

Ok, now on to the more pressing issues, the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament. Easy Pens fans! You’ll have your time in the sun once this is over and the play-offs begin.

I wanted to touch on Pitt the Big East Tournament, but I have taken the game against Georgetown and buried it deep, deep, deep down inside. It’s buried in the places you don’t talk about until you are 40. When you realize the Priest was being more than a “friend”. When you realize that dog you “accidentally” ran over with you Jeep, wasn’t really an accident. So let’s not talk about that game.

Let’s talk about the play of Sam Young and Mike Cook. If these two guys can provide the scoring they did against Marquette (how sweet was that win?) and Louisville in the tournament, Pitt has a shot. A shot to win it all? No. But they could get past that Sweet 16 jinx. I know the key to a deep tournament run is great guard play. But Pitt has had that in the past and look where it got them. They need scorers. Plain and simple. Their defense will keep them in games, but they are going to have to find a way to outscore teams to move into the final stages of the tournament.

Here are my Final Four picks. I have a few brackets floating around out there, but I’m going with the one I filled out for the PSG Pick ‘em tournament. I’m giving them an edge by showing my Final Four early, but I don’t think it will matter. I’m money. I’m so money I don’t even know it.

South – Ohio St.
East – Texas
West – UCLA
Midwest – Florida

Anyone wonder why there isn’t a North?

And since I know my blog is the one everyone enjoys reading and it also brings in the ladies, I’m going to follow up more with this tomorrow, as I’m not working and will be stuck in front of the television all day. This, in an answer to my wife’s question, “why”, is why I purchased an LCD Flat screen tv. Tomorrow is a holiday for me, and I want to share in my joy and excitement with all those who pretend they enjoy what I write.

New Arena Features

The Pens and the politicians have spent so much time trying to figure out where the money will come from for the new arena that we assume they may have forgotten to include a amenities into the new arena's plans. Besides adding cup holders to the seats, bringing back Yeungling to the concession stands, providing more leg room and wider seats, we believe the Penguins should capture this opportunity to inject some personality into the new arena. The following are suggestions we are making to be included in the new arena.

• Team colored seating really adds something to stadiums/arenas. Black seats with possibly a row or two of gold and white would look really nice. The dark seating area would illuminate the bright, white ice that much more.

• Incorporate the architectural styling of Pittsburgh into the building, even if it means showcasing the city itself. via windows one side of the building, the side facing the city's skyline.

• Incorporate the standings into the arena. This can be as obvious as banners from the ceiling (like the Chicago Cubs) or something more hidden along the seating area.

• "Dick's Sporting Goods" should always be the sponsor on the away bench and penalty box

• There should be a small window on the outside of the arena that will be open for people to watch the pens practice through, this window will be dedicated to Scotty Bowman

• The visitors locker room will have a nursery available for Jagr when he is in town

• Governor Rendell will not be allowed in the building. Exercise bikes and severed horses heads will adorn the entrance to keep him away

• The player's wives/girlfriend seating will be in direct view of the away goaltender, especially when the Devils are in town.
  

• All toilets should be shaped like the Flyers logo and all urinals should have Flyers logo cakes in them.

Now Hatcher, Gagne and crew can finally share that
intimate bathroom moment they've been dreaming of.

There should be a family friendly atmosphere:

• The Pittsburgh Sports Guys Designated Driver Booth

• A "Whack a Goon" game where kids can exact revenge on the heads of Hatcher, Brittney, and any other thugs that have assaulted Sid

Laraque has 3 of these in his game room

• A Jaromir Jagr dunk tank for the kids

The team should honor its heritage:

• The ring of honor must be taken out of the rafters and turned into a museum/hall of fame so that all fans can learn about the team's history and appreciate the past. The full list of Mario Lemieux Facts must be predominantly displayed.
  

• Concession stands should adopt the philosophy of Craig Patrick. You must barter for everything and you will either get a whole meal for practically nothing or give up everything for a cup of water

• The Marty Straka Weight room will have plaster always available so players can set their own casts immediately after breaking bones while lifting

• When you request a draft beer, you must order it by saying 66 in French. The vendor will sneer at you at first, but will smile as you take your first sip from the cup.

• The extra large handicap stalls, which are more conducive to successfully doing ones business, will be named the "Murphy-dump zone"

• The media room will be named after Herb Brooks and Colorado broadcasters will not be allowed in.

• ATM machines in the building will be named after Howard Baldwin, they will spit out money that the bank never had.

These are only the suggestions that were approved. Just wait until you see the rejected ones tomorrow.

Thank You Gary Bettman!!

From what I heard on the radio this morning, the main reason this deal got done was Gary Bettman. People always give Bettman a hard time but I am going to give him most of the credit for keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Supposedly, the Penguins asked Bettman for permission to leave. Bettman said, "You're not leaving." Bettman said that the fan base and TV ratings in Pittsburgh were way to good. Bettman looked at the contract offered by the government officials and said what was good, and said what was bad. The two sides discussed what was bad, they came to a deal, and the Penguins are staying in Pittsburgh.

The City of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Penguin fans everywhere owe Gary Bettman a nice "Thank You" this morning.

By the way, I also would like to take this time to personally thank Bettman, since I know he reads The Pittsburgh Sports Guys blog, for implementing the new rules in the NHL. The game is much better, I just wish they would have put the rules in place sooner, so Mario could have taken advantage of them.

Thanks Gary.

Let us all take this moment to point and laugh at GQbed.

When Pittsburgh Sports Guys writers GQbed, ULF, Rob Brown, and BTizz sat down to have our season ticket draft, the second to the last game picked was March 13th against Buffalo. This game was picked by GQbed.

Yesterday, early in the day, GQbed informed me of his intention to sell these tickets.

Of course this was all before the arena announcement, but I did inquire as to why he would want to sell tickets to see Buffalo come to town. His response had something to do with budget...

Well the tickets are gone and they are not in possession of anyone at PSG.

Let us take this moment in time to just laugh at this horrible miscalculation.

HA!

We Have A Deal!

Have you heard THE news? It's so great it makes me want to dance!

The



Penguins



are



staying



in



PITTSBURGH



in



their



brand



new



arena.




For the next 30 years it will be
"A HOCKEY NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH"

It has been a while since I've cried....

but I just felt something trickle down my face. The boys of winter are staying in the 'Burgh. A Dynastic Team resides in the City of Pittsburgh.

Post Gazette's Penguins Blog: Empty Netters

If clothes make the man, then Seth at Empty Netters, the Post-Gazette's Pens blog, is a hockey man through and through. Seth and I discussed our recent jersey's listings and I discovered he may be the one person, outside of Mike Sillinger, who has more jerseys than I do.

After playing for 11 teams, Sillinger's name was
temporarily affixed to his jersey with Velcro

Seth, the self proclaimed "jersey slut", writes a pretty nice blog. Obviously we do not make game by game posts like the funny guys over a The Pens Blog or like Seth does at Empty Netters, so please check out their sites. You can find a link to them over in our "Pittsburgh Blogs" listing.

The Heartbreak Begins

I was a little sad when I heard the Pirates were no longer going to be on KDKA radio. The Pirates and KDKA went together like old people and dentures. The one upside to their divorce was that the Pirates' new station 104.7 FM would come through crystal clear on my radio at work.

Today was the first day that felt like Spring in Pittsburgh. I'm tired of staring out my window at this all day:

It was so cold overnight here that ice crystals formed on my Jeep. There was no precipitation, no snow, just ice crystals. Then the glorious sun came out and the temperatures skyrocked into the 50's. Where am I? Sitting in work staring at the bleak future the next 30 years holds for me:


and the bright, beautiful day the rest of the world is enjoying is sitting outside of my window.

imagine a maddening pane of glass between you and this

I had one saving grace for today. The Pirates would be on the radio. I tuned in at 12:40 to see if there was any pregame. Not yet, so I did a little work. Tuned in at 1:03 and I heard some cheesy 1980's rock. This put a very bad feeling in my stomach for I knew what followed cheesy rock on a talk radio station... talk. Not baseball, but talk. Sure enough that blowhard, racist druggy Rush Limbaugh comes blaring out of my radio. No game, just "the world hates whatever party I'm paid to talk about" crap.

After 14 losing years you would think that I would expect the Pirates to let me down. Spring training is about hope. I hoped the Pirates would hold true on their promise to have the game on the radio. Instead, they disappointed me yet again.

---

Thanks to mlb.com's box score, I was able to not so easily piece together what happened in the game. Duke had a good outing, allowing just 1 run on a HR and fanning 5 in 4 innings of work. Kuwata had a good first inning, but imploded in the next. He gave up a 2 run shot and Capps allowed a solo shot to put the Bucs down for good.

McCutcheon had another good day at the plate, going 3-5 with an RBI. Paulino hit a 2-run jack and Eldred was 1-3 with a walk.