The Pirates Have Been Plundered

Even the Pittsburgh Pirate himself is pained by watching the games.

At some point, you have to feel bad for Pirates players. The recent eight game losing streak certainly hasn’t been for lack of trying on their part. It is merely a reflection of ownership’s unwillingness to spend the money it would take to make this team competitive on a yearly basis. Three years ago, when previous owner Kevin McClatchy left Pittsburgh, there was a sense that the new ownership may break the spell and begin to take the team in a different direction.

But in the words of the great author George Orwell, “This new version is the past, and no different past can ever have existed.”

New ownership, same tactics. You can tell how bad things are when you start to feel bad for players who are drafted by the Pirates (sorry, Jameson Taillon). It’s simply unfair. It’s unfair to the fans, those who knew better days for the Pirates, and those who didn’t. It’s unfair to the players, many of whom work extremely hard on the field and do many great things in the community. It’s not fair to the city of Pittsburgh, which deserves a baseball team worthy of the beautiful complex the city provided.

If you are fan enough to watch Bucco games with any consistency, I’m sure you feel the same. It’s one of those rare instances when players can’t truly be blamed for the team’s performance. They have been handcuffed and blindfolded by those above them. There are some good major league players on the Pirates, one of whom is a budding superstar. But the vast majority of the Pirates are players with more heart than talent. Having heart is valuable, I don’t want to take that away. But you don’t win baseball games without talent, and if you watch a Pirates win, you get the sense that it wasn’t because they were better than the opposition, it was because they just wanted it more.



It is to that point that leads us to wonder, where is Pedro Alvarez? I know that there are no quick fixes for this team; no saviors. But why bring up Lincoln and Tabata without Alvarez? It certainly wasn’t for lack of production, as Alvarez leads the Indianapolis Indians in home runs and RBI’s by far. At this point, every day that Alvarez spends in AAA ball hurts the Pirates. Alvarez is not a raw 19 or 20 year old (Note: Tabata, who is with the big squad, is merely 21), he’s a 23 year old who has spent significant time in both college ball and the minor leagues. Alvarez needs to be up sooner rather than later.

I’m not entirely pessimistic about the future of the Pirates. They have young talent with McCutchen, Brad Lincoln, Tabata and Alvarez. But until management ponies up the money to spend on these players, they will face the same fate as players such as Nate McLouth and Jason Bay, gone before their time.

The cards have been dealt. Will management ante up? Or will they fold once again?

A quick note to Pirates players:



Additional note: My good friend Pat has started a blog. He is an exemplary writer and human, and you would be doing your brain a disservice by not reading.

Ben Roethlisberger Speaks Out, Ilya Kovalchuk to Russia?

For the first time since the incident, Ben Roethlisberger agreed to sit down for interviews with some of the local media. The interviews were merely the first step in what will be a long and difficult image rehabilitation. One of the interviews was with local television reporter Sally Wiggin. Before even seeing the Roethlisberger interview, Wiggin was on the radio discussing her time with Ben. She said that he seemed genuinely distraught at the harm he has caused his teammates, family and Steeler fans.

Go to WTAE to watch the interview with Ben.

Only time will tell whether or not Roethlisberger is sincere or not. The one thing that was made apparent to me throughout the interview is that Ben knows that his every move will be analyzed and scrutinized. Were he to have one more incident, he would be off of the Steelers and perhaps out of the NFL entirely. Roethlisberger could learn from how Michael Vick has conducted himself upon his return to the NFL (Good lord, did I just say that?). Vick has worked hard to repair not only his image, but his life in general. Ben will certainly have to do the same if he truly cares about playing for this team.



Word is now coming out that New Jersey Devils star winger Ilya Kovalchuk wants to play in Russia next year. It’s difficult to say whether or not this is a ploy to get a significant offer from an NHL squad, but I would have to believe he is serious. The KHL pays tax-free and heartily. Were Kovalchuk to depart to Russia, it sets a very significant precedent for Russian players leaving the NHL. Most that go from the NHL to the KHL are either older or young, unproven players that didn’t want to play in the US. Someone in his prime, with the star power that Kovalchuk has would continue to legitimize the KHL as a true rival of the NHL.

Definitely more on both of these stories as events warrant.

2009-10 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks

It was a truly strange moment in hockey history.

For a span of two seconds, Patrick Kane was the only person in the world who knew the outcome of the Stanley Cup.

It seemed a harmless play. Kane took the puck from Brian Campbell, shook a defender and let go a delicate, bad angle shot that simply got caught up in Michael Leighton’s paraphernalia, deflecting to the top right corner of the net.

And Kane was the only one that knew it.



Not to be petty, but if you weren’t a Blackhawks or Flyers fan, and simply watching the game for the love of hockey, you felt a little cheated by the overtime winner. I don’t mean to take anything away from Chicago, but the ending was not befitting of the game itself. It was a hard-fought, well-played game the whole way through. And as you were getting prepped for overtime, you knew that something dramatic would await you, no matter who won the game.

And then Patrick Kane provided perhaps the most awkward Stanley Cup game-winning goal in history. There was no goal light, no referee signal, no high-pitched call from announcer Doc Emrick. For that moment, there was only confusion. No eruption from the fans or the benches. Just a puck that had cozied up in the embrace of a net, tucked comfortably away from view.

No matter how bizarre the final moments were, the end result is the same. A well-deserved team and city took home the most hallowed trophy in sports. Jonathan Toews will fly home with the Conn Smythe trophy in his lap (He should be sure to hand it off to Patrick Sharp and Nicklas Hjalmersson, both who were outstanding the past two months). The Hawks await what is sure to be a raucous return home, and a truly unforgettable summer.



Hossa Watch: 2009-10 Stanley Cup Champion. Don’t act like you didn’t crack a bit of a smile watching Hossa lift that cup.

Congratulations to the 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks. Your defense begins now.

Oh, and before I go, be sure to thank Jeremy Roenick for providing a truly uncomfortable television moment:

The Ben Roethlisberger Accuser Tapes

Tapes were released today in the Ben Roethlisberger situation in Milledgeville, GA. The accuser (who appears in the video, but has her face blurred for privacy reasons) states that she did not fight back against Ben, as she was afraid that he may hurt her further.

TMZ has the tapes.

This just adds to the list of things that Roethlisberger will have to soon address. It truly doesn’t seem like this was a girl who was out for money, she’s had to drop out of college, and has received absolutely zero notoriety from this incident (see: Andrea McNulty). We may never know exactly what happened that night, but it will take a long time before Ben is able to repair his image, if ever.

What will 2010-11 Bring to the Pittsburgh Penguins- 5 Predictions

It’s been just over a month since the Penguins were ousted from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a truly painful game 7 against Montreal. If you haven’t had nightmares about that game by now, you might be dead.



That loss has sent us spiraling into the summer of uncertainty. The Penguins could look substantially different come October, thanks to the glory of the salary cap era. So while it’s the offseason and the Pirates are getting torched by Stephen Strasburg (kid has nastier stuff than a back alley whore), I thought it may be fun to take a few guesses as to what the 2010-11 Penguins opener will hold.

1. No Sergei Gonchar

This is a pretty easy one. Gonchar still thinks he has a multi-year deal left, we all know he doesn’t. Shero showed where his priorities lay when he re-signed Letang. Especially now that there has been an expensive precedent set for this offseason on defensemen (thanks, Dennis Seidenburg). His rifle from the point will be sorely missed, and one would have to believe that Letang and Goligoski will struggle to replace what Gonchar brought to the table, particularly in the first part of the season.

2. Number 1 being said, the Penguins will have a new winger on Sid’s line.



Will we have a welcome back party for Colby Armstrong? It’s not out of the realm of possibility. Sid will definitely push for the return of his old best friend. This spot could also be wide open for a guy like Lee Stempniak or Tomas Plekanec. All three of these guys would have cap hits between $2.5-$4M, which would easily be covered once Gonchar was gone. Come on, who from Pittsburgh wouldn’t LOVE to pull that dusty Colby Armstrong jersey out of the closet?

3. No Eric Tangradi….Yet.

Tangradi will absolutely be up for significant time next year, just not in October. The Pens will likely fill the bottom lines with guys like Nick Johnson, Mark Letestu and Dustin Jeffrey. But it won’t take long before Tangradi will just be too beastly for the Baby Pens. Those who have been looking for a Ryan Malone replacement, let me introduce you to Big Dog Tangradi.



4. Unfortunately, no Anton Volchenkov.

Just can’t see it happening at this point. If the Pens can somehow, someway come up with a deal to sign Volchenkov at a reasonable price, I will turn tricks outside of Consol Energy Center just to get tickets.

5. Matt Cooke will beat the bejesus out of somebody



Cooke will celebrate his new 2 year contract by punching the first person who steps in the crease in front of Fleury. Everyone will still love him in Pittsburgh, which is why he’ll stay here. If you ever see Cooke and his family around town, you get the sense that they all really feel at home in Pittsburgh. If Shero offers him a deal slightly higher than what Cooke makes now, he’d immediately sign on that dotted line.

Feel free to tell me how wrong/awesome I am.