Summer Vacation...

Obviously we've been a little lackadaisical around here lately. That's because it's summer, and there's plenty of exciting things to do, other than post on a blog. I know there's plenty of things to talk about, such as Pirates baseball and the arrival of the Steelers in town later this week, not to mention a huge bombshell of a story about a certain Pittsburgh sports figure with a blog named after him who's made some scandalous headlines over the past week. But like I said, it's summer, and we're all way too preoccupied. I'm busy finishing up my baseball coaching duties, 6th Ward is pouting because he can't drink for another two months, BGK is too wrapped up in micromanaging his fantasy baseball team, ACornedUp is working hard at being unemployed and PWHallstrom is drinking and crying alone on his back porch every night. But don't worry, with the weather soon to turn and nothing better to do, we'll return triumphantly and better than ever. So stay tuned and be patient, and thanks again.

Cry Me A River(s), Bitch.

If this blog was in existence last fall, I guarantee I would have written at least 25 posts dedicated to the waste of space that is San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. I absolutely LOATHE that guy. He's an overrated no-talent self-righteous fuckface who thinks his shit doesn't stink. When checking my Yahoo! email account at lunch today, it brought me great joy that the main news piece was a video showing Rivers getting schooled by a high school quarterback at one of his camps. Nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than to see the talking heads on the local news show having a laugh at Rivers' expense. If Rivers had any swag at all, he would have pulled a LeBron and had the tape destroyed, but since we all know that he's worthless, the video has thankfully seen the light of day.

Dumbest Show Ever

Its been quite some time since I have blogged and kudos to Tom for continuing the fight. Just got done watching a segment on ESPN and they ended it with Colin Cowherd and a super hot Michelle Beadle, which is about all she has going for her. These two have the single most dumb ass show I have ever seen in my entire life, its called SportsNation. If you haven't seen it don't waste the time to check it out because you will want to kill yourself by the time its over. Anyway on Sportscenter the question was asked do you think you could hit a home run in the MLB Hr derby with an aluminum bat? These two ass clowns acted like it was the most preposterous question ever asked. Colin said he thought everyone who answered yes to this question are the same people who were a tweaked hammy, bum shoulder, or a coach didn't like me away from making it big. Listen I am by no stretch of the means even close to being a professional athlete however, to hit a baseball 315-330 feet is not a Herculean task. I have seen 13-15 year olds do it and I myself have done it in my younger days. He suggested that the only ones who could possibly do this would be college baseball players from the SEC or along those lines of athlete. I'd be willing to bet that I know 5 people who could right now hit a baseball out of PNC park with an aluminum bat that never played in Division I baseball or minor leagues. This is what pisses me off about sports radio personality's, most of these guys think that they know everything there is to know about everything. If you ever listened to THE HERD on ESPN 1250 you would understand what I mean. Colin Cowherd is the most condescending arrogant prick you could ever listen to. After about ten minutes you want to put your fist though the radio. This guy is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me and it completely blows my mind that ESPN would give this schmuck another show when the one he is on already blows. Fifty one percent of the viewers of this dumb ass show said yes they could do it, and I'd be willing to bet that 25% of that 51% could hit a ball out of a major league stadium with an aluminum bat. One more thing before I go, I am going to set the over/under on how long SportsNation lasts at 6 weeks. Any takers? Comment please.....I want to here from the people.

RIP Air McNair

Another famous figure died way too soon this weekend, as former All-Pro NFL quarterback Steve McNair was found dead this weekend, a victim of what looks to be a murder-suicide. McNair was found in his Nashville condo, shot four times and laying next to his alleged girlfriend, who was also found dead with a single gunshot would to her head.

It's another tragic story in the world of sports. Many have spoken out over the past few days about McNair's immense contributions, not just on the football field but in society as well. McNair funded many youth football camps and was extremely active in the community. Many young football players such as Vince Young looked to him as a father figure, and McNair happily obliged to help them in any way he could. Yet with all his accomplishments, McNair is coming under fire for his extramarital affair which unfortunately looks to have caused his untimely demise. While I don't agree with McNair's choice to (allegedly) cheat on his wife, that still does not take away from the fact that his four young boys are now without a father. It goes back to my earlier post on why we, as a society, should not use athletes as role models. These people are human, just like any of us, and make mistakes, just like any of us. The same people who judge him as an adulterer probably have done the same things in their own lives, or even worse. Athletes are under intense media scrutiny, and most of them are surrounded by large amounts of money and outside pressure, a situation many of them never experienced growing up. Sometimes being exposed to this can cause a person to do things that a normal, moral person would never think to do. So before anyone can judge McNair or any other public figure for their discretions, think about what you might do if you were in their position. Once again, I do not condone what McNair has done, and I was never a McNair fan when he played (playing for two of the Steelers' main rivals didn't help his cause) but I do think that Steve McNair and his family deserve better than to be raked over the coals in their time of grief.

Burning a Hole in My Pocket...

A look into what the Pittsburgh Penguins organization accomplished through the first weekend of NHL free agency...

Losses: D Rob Scuderi, D Hal Gill, F Jeff Taffe, F Chris Minard, G Mathieu Garon

Additions: D Chris Lee, D Nate Guenin, F Chris Connor, F Mike Rupp

The Pens went into free agency knowing that they had little money to spend, and a number of key components to resign. They succeeded in keeping Bill Guerin, Ruslan Fedotenko and Craig Adams, signing the trio to less-than-market value. Unfortunately they couldn't compete with the outside offers extended to Gill and Scuderi, losing them to Montreal and Los Angeles, respectively. While losing two of their top-six defensemen is a substantial hit to the structure of the team, GM Ray Shero still has plenty of options. Alex Goligoski is ready to contribute this season, proving himself in his extended stint in the 'Burgh earlier this season. Shero also has around $3 million left under the cap to throw at a veteran stay-at-home D-man. Losing Garon is no big deal, he barely sniffed the ice and John Curry is more than ready to hold down the relief goaltender role behind MAF. Connor, Guenin and Lee are journeyman AHLers, signed to add depth especially after the losses of minor-league all stars Taffe and Minard.

There's no hiding the fact that the start of the free agency signing period is an exciting time. Every fan likes to see his team being proactive in the market, but a flurry of activity is not always a good sign. Teams like Montreal, New York and Calgary continue to offer headline-worthy deals (as they do every year) but that doesn't always constitute success on the ice. Year after year the same teams "win" in free agency but lose when it counts the most. It's good to build a solid team through the draft and smart signings, play the first half of the season, then fix your holes through trades at the deadline. Teams like Detroit and Pittsburgh seem to adhere to this model, and their recent success proves this. These teams rarely make a big-name addition through free agency and instead sign depth players to build a solid nucleus, then adding that big-ticket name at a substantially lower cap hit at the deadline. In the past two years, the Pens have signed depth guys like Satan, Sykora, Fedotenko, and Cooke, and traded for big-ticket stars like Hossa, Guerin and Kunitz. Detroit, while the Hossa signing was big (but for only a one year, salary cap-friendly offer) they've only signed guys like Ville Leino from Finland and instead used the trade market for quality guys like Brad Stuart.

You would think teams like the Rangers would look at this model and try to emulate it in some way. Instead, they resort to their old freewheeling spending ways, make a "splash" in free agency and thus continue to spin their wheels in terms of success on the ice. I know it's exciting to sign guys like Drury, Gomez and Gaborik, but when guys like these are making comparably the same amount of money per year as Crosby and Malkin, it's doesn't add up.

Being Ian

You think Jack Wilson has it hard seeing all his buddies being traded away? Well, he isn't the only Pirates player who's been on an emotional roller coaster this season. Just ask Ian Snell...

Every Pirate fan knows his story. Million dollar arm, ten cent head. He has the tools needed to be a productive Major League pitcher and has shown flashes of it in the past. What he lacks is the mental capacity to handle the ups-and-downs Major Leaguers encounter on a daily basis. He volunteered to demote himself to AAA Indianapolis a week ago, hoping a change of scenery would let him clear his head and start over. He did just that in his first start, fanning 17 Toledo Mud Hens in a 2-1 victory.

When interviewed by the local media, Snell opened up and painted a picture of his recent struggles. Nobody expected this bombshell...

"Sometimes people do stupid stuff and I had to fight it, not to do something stupid and take my life for myself and from my family and my parents..."

That doesn't sound good. That sounds like someone struggling with a severe bout of depression. Many people, including the author of the story, took this as being a thinly-veiled admission of suicidal thoughts. The P-G's Dejan Kovacevic does his best to put out the fire...

"As someone who knows Snell a lot better than any Indianapolis TV person, I can tell you he talks in dramatic terms quite a bit, including saying things like that. Not that anyone should ever lightly dismiss such a topic, but this looks out of context to me. I have spoken with Snell a couple times this week. He sounds fine."

Ian Snell is a very emotional guy. He's definitely upset with himself and as he's shown in the past, he lets his emotions get to him. For his sake, I hope he learns how to cope with these emotions, as that seems to be the #1 hindrance to a productive Major League career. As for the "suicide admission" it's nothing more than a candid guy making a comment for effect, or at least for his sake I hope that's what it is.

The American Dream

In honor of the upcoming birthday of our fine nation, let's take a look at the possible roster for the 2010 Winter Olympic USA Hockey team...

Among those invited to the US Hockey training camp:

Forwards: David Backes, David Booth, Dustin Brown, Dustin Byfuglien, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Mike Modano, Kyle Okposo, T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny

It's out with the old, in with the new for the U.S. squad. Old staples such as Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Jason Blake, Brian Gionta and Brian Rolston have been shown the door, opening up opportunities for young up-and-comers like Okposo, Pavelski, Ryan and Byfuglien. Leadership won't be a problem with guys like Modano, Langenbrunner and Drury around, they've been through the grind and while they won't bring the production of guys like Kessel, Kane and Parise, they'll be counted on to guide the youngsters. Also nice to see local product Ryan Malone getting a shot to represent his country. Notable ommissions: Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, Blake Wheeler, David Legwand, Patrick O'Sullivan, R.J. Umberger, Peter Mueller, Lee Stempniak, Erik Cole, Matt Cullen, Tim Connolly

Defensemen: Tom Gilbert, Tim Gleason, Ron Hainsey, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Brian Rafalski, Rob Scuderi, Ryan Suter, Ryan Whitney

The U.S. has a glut of young, physical d-men. Guys like the Johnson's, Orpik and Komisarek aren't afraid to throw their body around. Rafalski, Whitney and Hainsey are solid puck-movers who will run the power play. Suter brings the pedigree (his dad Bob was on the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, and his uncle Gary was a long-time NHL standout.) Notable ommissions: Keith Ballard, John-Michael Liles, Joe Corvo, Matt Niskanen, Matt Carle

Goaltenders: Tim Thomas, Ryan Miller, Jonathan Quick

Hard to argue with these choices. Thomas was one of the best, if not the best, goaltender in the NHL this past season. Miller is another standout with international experience. Quick is young and will benefit from the higher level of competition. Rick DiPietro, a past staple on the U.S. squad, is still recovering from his latest injuries and will not take part. Notable ommission: Ty Conklin

It's refreshing to see the U.S. "retire" some of the graybeards and usher in the fresher American-born talent. It's gonna make for a flashier version of U.S. Hockey, and give Americans a more exciting team to root for in Turin.