Sorry Ovechkin. Our apologies, City of Brotherly Love (if that's not a misnomer, I don't know what is).
Consider this the collective Pittsburgh Apology for the butt-whooping you are going to receive from here on out.
Okay, that's over the top. I admit it. But after all the hate that flowed Sidney Crosby's way before he got hurt, then the oceans of vitriol when he got hurt, consider me -- and an entire city -- a little bitter. And looking for payback.
In case you've been living under a rock -- I sure hope Geico hasn't managed to trademark that -- Sidney "Sid the Kid" Crosby, undisputed Best Player in the NHL, returned to the ice today after missing 29 games due to a concussion and post-concussion symptoms that prevented him from receiving medical clearance to return. And in case you are one of those people who refuses to even hear what a fan of another team has to say, here is a single statement from the anti-Sid movement on Twitter that sums up the polarized attention Crosby receives:
"Why couldn't a tsunami have wiped out Sidney Crosby?" -Copy1Cat
The attribution was added simply so you can go fill that guy's @mention list with your gloating, should you so desire. I do not condone it. But I will be happy to laugh at it.
It's amazing, yet entirely unoriginal, that someone as completely benign as #87 could inspire this sort of utter disrespect. He's as much of a team player as this league has ever seen, and by all accounts a genuinely awesome guy. He has remained humble despite his ridiculous success that has him drawing constant comparisons to Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky, the two best players in NHL history. It's sadly ordinary for people to hate other people's success, and Crosby has made success as ordinary as breathing: air-in, score-goal, air-out. Repeat.
I tend to get angry when people speak ill of all the good guys in Pittsburgh: Crosby, Kris Letang, Dan Bylsma, Mario, Rashard Mendenhall, Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, etc. Maybe I don't see their faults because they are "my guys." From what I see, most Pittsburgh athletes really are stand-up guys and generally create way more good headlines than bad, contrary to most other sports cities in America. And Crosby is the model for that mold.
So, while Sid spends the next week or two practicing in time for the late stretch run and the playoffs, I fully expect the harsh words to continue. When you rely on selfish, me-first players like Alexander Ovenchkin, or, well...you live in Philadelphia, it's understandable that you would be jealous of Pittsburgh's constant success. And now that the biggest piece of the puzzle is back in place, that trend should get back on track quickly.
Sorry, Caps and Flyers fans. As long as Superman skates, you will remain powerless.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
My Gut Says the Players Didn't Want An Agreement
One thing became obvious when the NFL Players' Association chose to decertify their union this evening: they never wanted to reach an agreement.
When teams began voting last fall on whether or not to decertify the union, I questioned whether they knew what they were getting into. Now it is plain to see they knew quit well, and that was toward a definite decertification, no matter what offer was on the table.
If you doubt that assertion, I refer you to the offer that had been made. The offer had reduced the amount of money the owners wanted to take "off the top" of all shared revenue, above and beyond the current $1 billion, from the initially requested $1 billion to $325 million -- a concession of almost $700 million, hardly chump change. It had dropped the amount of off-season training required of players by a full one third. The discussion of expanding the season to 18 games would be put off until a later date. The bottom line is that the league was making 90 percent of the concessions, yet the players claimed it wasn't enough.
Clearly the players feel they can take more from the owners through the U.S. court system. My question is this, though: if you are already taking 59.6 cents from every dollar of NFL revenue, do you really deserve a whole lot more? Why is it such a crime if the owners turn a profit? In this day and age, big business is seen as villainous, and the players have tried to paint themselves the victims. But these players are making hundreds of thousands of dollars at a bare minimum, and often times tens of millions. Can you be a victim, can you accuse someone of taking money out of your pockets, when your pockets are already overflowing?
I wish the two sides luck in finding a resolution. I don't care one bit about the plight of either side; I just want to watch football in September.
When teams began voting last fall on whether or not to decertify the union, I questioned whether they knew what they were getting into. Now it is plain to see they knew quit well, and that was toward a definite decertification, no matter what offer was on the table.
If you doubt that assertion, I refer you to the offer that had been made. The offer had reduced the amount of money the owners wanted to take "off the top" of all shared revenue, above and beyond the current $1 billion, from the initially requested $1 billion to $325 million -- a concession of almost $700 million, hardly chump change. It had dropped the amount of off-season training required of players by a full one third. The discussion of expanding the season to 18 games would be put off until a later date. The bottom line is that the league was making 90 percent of the concessions, yet the players claimed it wasn't enough.
Clearly the players feel they can take more from the owners through the U.S. court system. My question is this, though: if you are already taking 59.6 cents from every dollar of NFL revenue, do you really deserve a whole lot more? Why is it such a crime if the owners turn a profit? In this day and age, big business is seen as villainous, and the players have tried to paint themselves the victims. But these players are making hundreds of thousands of dollars at a bare minimum, and often times tens of millions. Can you be a victim, can you accuse someone of taking money out of your pockets, when your pockets are already overflowing?
I wish the two sides luck in finding a resolution. I don't care one bit about the plight of either side; I just want to watch football in September.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tiki to the Steelers? Dear, God, No!
Today's Totally Awesome Rumor™ has Tiki Barber coming to the Steelers -- amazing, since neither he nor his agent have had any contact with the team. And I believe that, too. Why, on God's green Earth, would the Steelers want to add a running back who physiologically could be their starting back's father?
Football In Pittsburgh -- In March!
Our beloved city of Pittsburgh will have football in 2011!
Sadly, I'm not speaking from insider knowledge of the NFL CBA negotiations, or pretending to be psychic. But I am speaking of something fabout which we should all be excited -- or mildly enthused, at the very least.
Sadly, I'm not speaking from insider knowledge of the NFL CBA negotiations, or pretending to be psychic. But I am speaking of something fabout which we should all be excited -- or mildly enthused, at the very least.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Further Proof that Pittsburgh Team Management "Gets It"
Dan Bylsma just got an extension with the Penguins and will remain the team's head coach until at least the 2013-14 season. You can pretty much count on his contract lasting, too, because Mario Lemieux is Old-School, just like, you know...loyalty.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Why I am Thrilled the Bengals Won't Trade Carson Palmer
Part of me hates that the first post to this site is about a division rival rather than about the Steelers, but it indirectly affects the fortunes of our beloved NFL team, so bear with me.
We, fans of a team in the AFC North not located in Cincinnati, Ohio, should be elated that the Bengals will not trade their leader, Carson Palmer. We should be ecstatic about it, actually. And it has nothing to do with Palmer's threat to retire if he is not traded; let's face facts here. NFL Pundits aside, no one really considers Palmer to be one of the NFL's elite. Aside from a few statistically good seasons, he has never done anything of value, even with a team as loaded with talented individuals like the 2010 Bengals. Carson Palmer is Kyle Orton, basically. Enough to keep his team from imploding (usually) but never enough to push them over the hump.
We, fans of a team in the AFC North not located in Cincinnati, Ohio, should be elated that the Bengals will not trade their leader, Carson Palmer. We should be ecstatic about it, actually. And it has nothing to do with Palmer's threat to retire if he is not traded; let's face facts here. NFL Pundits aside, no one really considers Palmer to be one of the NFL's elite. Aside from a few statistically good seasons, he has never done anything of value, even with a team as loaded with talented individuals like the 2010 Bengals. Carson Palmer is Kyle Orton, basically. Enough to keep his team from imploding (usually) but never enough to push them over the hump.
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