Wow This Was Terrible

By Travis Bromer



Ok really, could this have gone any worse for the NHL? Obviously no one put anytime or thought in this small production at all. Here is what I hate about this:

1. Why are they not in studio doing it the right way? It looks awful, they are fumbling over their words (especially Ovechkin). It makes it seem like they do not actually care. I realize it is tough to get the players there due to schedules, but do it right or don't do it at all. My God do the people in the NHL marketing department understand anything. They are not actors, so don't try to make them be actors. They both just sounded annoyed that they had to do this.

2. The whole Flyers and Bruins highlights. When they are talking about Pittsburgh you should not show Boston, it doesn't make any sense. On top of that why are those the only highlights they showed. There have been three Winter Classics, on top of that you should be showing Crosby and Ovechkin highlights. It was just plain boring.

The only positive to this whole thing was getting to hear Crosby say "outdoors". After watching this it is easy to see why the NHL is the worst professional sports league we have. The marketing team is plain awful. No creativity and no effort = no good.

"The New Guy"

By Dan Shaffer

Sup peeps?


So here we go my first attempt at this whole blogging thing. First thing first, I am not a writer, I usually don’t even enjoy writing but I am confident in my knowledge on sports which is what will make this fun. Don’t expect a professional piece, worded perfectly and sounding like I am auditioning for a newspaper. I love sports, it’s always been my passion so why not try to spread that passion and also help out a friend’s blog at the same time? I think this could be a fun ride and hopefully everyone comes along and joins us for it. Since this is my first time on here, I figured I’d drop a little information about what makes me tick when it comes to sports.

Steelers, Pens, Pirates and Heat have always been my teams in the four major sports. Hard to live in Pittsburgh and not have a love for the Steelers and Pens so no real shock there. I don’t follow baseball as close as I do the other sports and obviously the Pirates have been on a record tear of suck but they’re the local team and if by chance one day they turn it around it will be nice to say I didn’t jump back from being a Yanks or Sox fan. Now for the one that sticks out a little more, the Miami Heat. Obviously, at first glance you’d say “oh must be a LeBron fan”, can’t blame you for assuming that but I have followed the Heat since the days of Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning. I have no idea why or how I got hooked on them but back when Jordan was just running things it was fun to have another team to root for.

When it comes to college sports I’m a little less passionate and I always root for Pitt teams but my main attention falls elsewhere. For basketball, I’m a front runner and root for North Carolina. I started liking them back in the day while Pitt was still struggling to make the tournament. For football, my team has always been the Miami Hurricanes. This one you can blame my family for because my cousins passed down many different Hurricanes items while I was younger and just stuck with me.

My other big passion in sports is MMA. I fell in love with it back in high school and have just gotten more addicted as time has gone. A lot of people see it as a boring sport and I can see how someone who has never watched before could come to that assumption but if you really give it a chance and try to understand it you will find out just exactly how awesome of a sport it is.

I follow all sports and everything about them so you never know what pop up as my next topic but I’ll always try to make it interesting. Even though all the teams I listed above are my favorites, I try to have an open mind when it comes to other teams too. Sure, I don’t like it when my teams lose to our rivals but I am not the kind of person who is going to rip on someone for liking another team. If everyone was a fan of the same team sports would just be boring. So now that this has drawn on much longer than I would have liked, I’ll stop before I’m hated after one post. Next time I promise I’ll try to make it less painful and have an actual point to get across. Heres to yinz! Cheers!

Rank... 10 Greatest Quarterbacks in NFL History

Inspired by Brett Favre's streak coming to an end it is time for the second rendition of "Rank". This one will cover the 10 greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. So lets get it started:

10. Terry Bradshaw - 1970-1983

Bradshaw was one of the many great players that were elevated by playing on team full of Hall of Fame players. Bradshaw would be considered a great player no matter what team he ended up with. The Steelers probably would have won one or two fewer Super Bowls without him. Bradshaw won 4 Super Bowls in his career, 2 Super Bowl MVP's, 1 NFL MVP, and was a 3 time Pro Bowler. All of this was before passing became the offensive style of choice across the league.

9. Troy Aikman - 1989-2000

It is sad Troy Aikman's career was cut short by concussions, but he was around long enough to prove his greatness. Troy was the leader of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty in the 90's. I feel his ability was a main ingredient in Emmitt Smith becoming the all-time leading rusher. Troy won 3 Super Bowls, 1 Super Bowl MVP, and was a 6 time Pro Bowler.

8. Bart Starr - 1956-1971

Starr was the ultimate pressure quarterback. His regular season stats are not overwhelming, but he was a post-season superman. His career playoff record was 9-1. In the playoffs he threw 15 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions and had a passer rating of 104.8. He won 5 NFL Championships(2 Super Bowls), 1 NFL MVP, 2 Super Bowl MVP's, and was a 4 time Pro Bowler.

7. John Elway - 1983-1998

It was hard for me not to put Elway higher on this list. He had an incredible career. My only issue was the 3 Super Bowl losses. However he is still an all time great. He currently stands 5th in career passing touchdowns and 4th in career passing yards. He won 2 Super Bowls, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 1 NFL MVP, and was a 9 time Pro Bowler.

6. Peyton Manning - 1998-Present

An ultimate field general, Manning is like having a head coach behind center. The way he reads defenses and seems to know what other players are doing before they do is incredible. Manning is the most feared quarterback maybe ever and the only current quarterback with a chance at breaking all the career passing records. Manning has won 1 Super Bowl, 1 Super Bowl MVP, 4 NFL MVP's, and is already a 10 time Pro Bowler.

5. Tom Brady - 2000-Present

Tom Terrific maybe the perfect quarterback. He wins big games, he is a fiery leader, and he is married to a super model.I know he is one of the most hated athletes in sports, but that is only for the same reason people hate Duke and the Yankees, they just win. Tom went 9-0 in his first 9 postseason starts. His only Super Bowl blemish was a loss to the Giants at the end of a perfect season, he played outstanding in that game his defense choked. He has won 3 Super Bowls, 2 Super Bowl MVP's, 1 MVP, and has been to 5 Pro Bowls.

4. Johnny Unitas - 1956-1973

Johnny Unitas was considered the greatest quarterback of all time from about 1960 till the late 80's. Pretty impressive considering in today's NFL we try to name a new greatest player ever each week. Unitas set almost almost every passing record before he retired and was the first truly great quarterback in the NFL's history. Unitas won 3 NFL Championships (1 Super Bowl), 4 NFL MVP's, and went to 10 Pro Bowls.

3. Brett Favre - 1992-Present

Maybe the toughest player to ever play the game. Brett was and is the ultimate gamer. The last few years may tarnish his legacy a little, but all that will be forgotten over the years. Brett is as passionate about football as any player I have ever seen, you can tell he loves waking up on Sundays. Also Brett holds almost every significant NFL passing record. Brett won 1 Super Bowl, 3 NFL MVP's, and has played in 11 Pro Bowls.

2. Dan Marino - 1983-1999

There is one thing Dan Marino does not have in common with the other quarterbacks on this list, Dan never won a Super Bowl, in fact he was beat in his only one by Joe Montana. However, none of these other quarterbacks had Marino's arm. Dan could throw the ball better than anyone. He had the arm strength to be a gunslinger and the accuracy and football smarts to be finesse quarterback. Dan did the most anyone could with less talent around him. Marino won 1 MVP, and played in 9 Pro Bowls. He also set most NFL passing records during his career. Marino's biggest impact on the NFL is evident today. He showed it was possible for a team to throw the ball over 70% a game. In the 80's most teams ran the ball more than they passed, today all the best teams throw more than they run.

1. Joe Montana - 1979-1994

If you have to pick any quarterback to win one game it would be Joe Montana. He has more playoff wins than any other quarterback, 16. In Joe's four Super Bowls his statistics were 11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and 127.8 passer rating. The brighter the lights, the bigger the shadow he cast. Joe won 4 Super Bowls, 3 Super Bowl MVP's, 2 NFL MVP's, and played in 8 Pro Bowls.

297

By: Travis Bromer  

Brett Favre's consecutive starts streak came to an end on Monday. No matter what you think of the last few years of his career it is kind of sad to see the streak end. It started in 1992 and lasted long enough to vote. To put the streak into perspective George Bush was the President when it started, the first Bush. What makes this streak ending sad is that it spells the end of Favre's career. There is really nothing left for him to play for. The Vikings stink this year, Favre has nothing left to prove, and the longer he sticks around the further down his popularity goes. No matter what happens though Brett Favre is one of the greatest Quarterbacks of all-time.

Welcome our Newest Writer

Bromer Sports has been looking to grow and improve for the readers and our latest improvement does just that. We have added a new writer in the hopes of providing more stories for you to read about and to offer a different opinion and viewpoint.

Our newest writer is a friend of mine. Someone that I know can talk and understands sports. There are few people's opinion I hold higher than his. His name is Dan Shaffer. Dan is currently a senior at Clarion University majoring in Sport Management. He has a passion for sports that is obvious and I'm sure will shine through in his writing. I hope all our readers are as excited as I am to welcome Dan to our team.

Trade Geno?

With the Penguins on an 11 game winning streak and Sid playing out of his mind it seems like a good time to stir the pot. The Penguins are the best team in hockey, right now. Great defense and good offensive production and where is the supposed top 5 player in the world Evgeni Malkin? He is out of the lineup and his numbers are below average.

The Penguins success is remarkable considering all the injuries and an invisible Geno. Malkin still has this recognition for being one the best players in the league but is not showing it. The truth is nobody knows how good Geno is. When he wants to be a great player no one can touch him, but when he doesn't care he doesn't show up. Your typical Russian player. In his four NHL seasons he has two great seasons and two average seasons, this year looks like another average season. I know 80 points is not your typical average season but when you're making $8.7 million a year its a below average season. It is interesting that in Malkin's two great seasons the Penguins went to the cup but in his two average seasons they bowed out early. The truth is they cannot afford to have a superstar that is not always a superstar.

Remember Malkin is not a necessity for the Pens. They are the deepest team in the league as far as centers go. When healthy they have Crosby, Staal, Talbot, Letestu, Adams, Rupp, and Comrie. So it's not like trading Geno would create a void in the lineup. They already have more centers than they can use. When Staal comes back he plays second line center, like he should be. The problem with Geno is he is not a team player. He doesn't want to play wing, he doesn't want to play the right point on the powerplay, and he is a puck hog. Yes he is a super talent, but not the kind that is worth the headache.

I am not saying trade him now, but sometime within the next two seasons he will be traded. They just can't afford to keep him. More importantly they are still a winger short of building a dynasty. Kunitz is playing well right now and Dupuis is playing better than expected but those hot streaks will end before Christmas. Sid still needs a legitimate scoring threat on his right or left. Malkin can bring back an all-star caliber winger and draft picks. Once you have those pieces the masterpiece will be complete. Until then they will just be a great team that loses its scoring touch at key moments.

How does the Big East benefit here?

TCU is coming to the Big East Conference in all sports, in 2012. Good for them they beat the system. They will finish this season undefeated and never had any shot at being in the National Championship game. So they thought how can we stay in a weak conference but still qualify for the BCS National Championship? Answer: The Big East.

The Horned Frogs are bringing their excellent football team to a below average football conference  and their below average basketball team to a great basketball conference. TCU is making out like bandits here. Their football team will get a great bowl game every year and their basketball team will be in the national spotlight for the first time ever.

The Big East is in no way improved. TCU is not going to make athletes want to go to Pitt or WVU. If anything it may eventually cost the Big East its automatic qualifying bid. This is because TCU will shine the light on how terrible these teams really are. If the NCAA sees TCU in six straight Orange Bowls they will get suspicious. Also the basketball conference is immediately weaker. After last years horrible showings by UConn, Villanova, and Georgetown in the tournament they needed something to show that the conference was getting better. Adding a not-so-good team does not do that. So why did the Big East want TCU? Money drives the world so they had to figure they would make more, I just don't see how.

The biggest knock I have heard against TCU moving is "the strain on the student athletes" mainly the additional travel time. Well you know who you can blame all of this on? The BCS and the NCAA. The NCAA's job is to protect and help student athletes but they honestly don't care about the athletes. If the BCS made it at all possible for TCU to win a National Championship they would have stayed in their conference and said to hell with the added travel time. Yet another problem with the Bowl "Championship" System.

Why do they hate fun?

 The NCAA obviously hates fun and although they are greedy they don't understand they can make more money. This year four NCAA division 1 football teams should finish the season undefeated. Boise State, TCU, Oregon, and Auburn all have a claim to being the best team in the country. Sadly only two of these teams will have a chance to prove it.

Auburn has the toughest road to glory. They still have to beat defending champ Alabama and South Carolina. If they run the table they undoubtedly deserve a spot in the National Championship game. Oregon has been the most fun team to watch. They have blown out all but one of the teams they've played. They have games left against two solid opponents, Oregon St. and Arizona. Boise State is my personal favorite team. They are fun to watch. They tried to make a tough non-conference schedule and won those games. They also beat up on all their conference opponents. They have two games left and should easily finish undefeated, again. TCU is a tough team to rap your head around. They blew out an excellent Utah team, but followed that up by only beating San Diego St. by 5 points at home. They are a tough team, but it is tough to decide if their schedule is good or not.

My prediction: Boise, TCU, and Oregon finish undefeated. Auburn loses to Alabama. So Boise St. and Oregon will be in the National Championship game. TCU gets screwed.

My Hope: Oregon and Auburn lose, Boise and TCU finish undefeated. I would just love to hear the description of why TCU and Boise St. cannot play each other, because you know they won't allow it.

What will probably happen: They all finish undefeated. Oregon would play Auburn in the National Championship. TCU and Boise get screwed.

If that is the case and they all go undefeated the NCAA's eyes should light up and their pockets should get heavier. They should realize that in that case Oregon should play Auburn for the official National Title. While Boise plays TCU in another bowl game. The winners of those games should be offered a chance to play one another just to rest any disputes. It could be considered an exhibition game that no official record is kept. Sponsors would come out of the woodwork. All the major networks would die for the rights to broadcast the game. There is no doubt both teams would accept the invitation and that single game would bring in almost as much money as the other bowl games combined. More importantly all the college football fans would know who the best team in the country is.

Sadly we know this won't happen.

Absolutely absurd!

Kyle Singler is a freak. I have always loved Duke's strategy - get white kids that can pass and shoot. Singler is exactly that.

Good Riddance.

Jeff Reed is gone, its about time. Skippy was a drag on Steeler nation over the last two years. He has been an embarrassment, from beating up a Sheetz towel dispenser to constantly having pictures of himself drunk with half naked girls on the internet. He had no respect for his teammates and didn't care for the reputation of the Steelers.

The best kickers are the ones you never see or hear about, except Vinatieri. A kicker is suppose to be an invisible member of the team. That is just the nature of the position.

That being said the Steelers are now in a horrible position. Shaun Suisham is the next guy to get booed and probably cut. It is never a good thing when you cut a kicker in mid-season. Usually when a team cuts a kicker it starts a merry-go-round for scrub kickers. There are about 20 good kickers in the NFL and 30 teams, you do the math.

Rank... Top 10 All Time NHL Players

I recently picked up the collector's edition of The Hockey News. This edition covered the top 100 players of all time, the top 20 at each position. A lot of surprises in the list, but there always are in things like that.

The 3 biggest surprises came from the wings. Jarome Iginla is ranked the 17th best right wing ever, I have never thought of him as a great player. Ilya Kovalchuk is the 19th ranked left wing. Yeah, he is a great player right now, but he has never won a playoff series. We will see at the end of his career if he stays on the list.  Right behind Kovalchuk at #20 is Henrik Zetterberg. Really? I mean he is a good player and helped Detroit win some cups, but I don't see it. He was never even the best player on his team. The one player that really doesn't belong on this list is the 10th ranked defenseman, Chris Chelios. He was a really good tough d-man in the early and mid 90's, but he is far from an all time great. I am sure that him staying in the league for 26 seasons got him on this list more so than his offensive production. A few notable players: Alex Ovechkin #8 LW, Sidney Crosby #18 C, Jaromir Jagr #4 RW, Mario Lemieux #2 C.

So this list has inspired me to start what I hope to be a bi-weekly special on the blog, called "Rank". The first Rank will be the top 10 NHL players of all time.

10. Mark Messier - LW/C - 1979-2004

6 time Stanley Cup winner, 2nd all time in points and games played, 2 MVP awards, and 15 All-Star games.He was the quintessential power forward of the 80's. He is an undeniable all time great, with or without Gretzky. The reason he is not higher on this list is mainly because he was never really the best player in the league at any specific time. He always had to deal with Gretzky and Lemieux. Messier's eye-popping statistics are also more a by-product of his longevity than skill. He only scored 50 goals in a season once, and never had more than 129 points in a season. Keep in mind he played in the 80's and early 90's when the true greats were scoring near 200 points a year.

9. Doug Harvey - D - 1947-1969

No his point totals are not outstanding with 88 goals and 540 points in his career, but Harvey is the basis for which every great defenseman is judged today. He won 6 Stanley Cups with Montreal, 7 Norris Trophies, and was an 11 time All-Star. He didn't score goals like Orr and Coffey or lay guys out like Stevens, but he did exactly what a d-man is suppose to do. Keep the winger from scoring. Harvey was a brilliant player even though he was not a scorer he controlled the pace of the game.

8. Maurice "The Rocket" Richard - RW - 1942 - 1960

You have to be a pretty special player to have an NHL award named after you and Maurice Richard was. In 1944 The Rocket scored 50 goals in just 50 games. He led the league in goals 5 times, won 1 MVP, and played in 14 All-Star games. He won 8 Stanley Cups and was the reason the Canadiens became the greatest NHL franchise. Surprisingly Richard only had one 50 goal season in his career.

7. Bobby Hull - LW - 1957-1980

The original superstar was Bobby Hull. He had all the skill and charisma to light up any arena, and he did it almost nightly. Even if you forget about Hull's outstanding numbers he would still be on this list. He was the first player to have a curved blade and was a key figure in fighting owners to improve player's salaries. He played 16 NHL seasons, with a 9 year gap in the middle. Hull scored 610 goals, 1,170 points, won 3 Art Ross Awards, 2 MVP's, and played in 12 All-Star games. It is believed that if Hull did not take a 9 year break from the NHL he would have been the leagues first 800 goal scorer.

6. Ray Bourque - D - 1979-2000

Bourque could literally do it all. He is the all time leader in points for defensmen, 1,579, and goals, 410. When people hear about great scoring defesnmen they immediately think of lacking in the defensive zone, but Bourque was equally great. He finished his career as a +528. He also won 5 Norris Trophies, played in 19 All-Star games, and won 1 Stanley Cup while in Colorado. He could play in every situation and that is why he is great.

5. Gordie Howe - RW - 1946-1980

He is Mr. Hockey for a reason. He was the first player to score 800 goals, first grandfather playing in the NHL, first player to play after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and first player over 50. Who knows how high his records would have been if didn't play nine seasons in the WHA. Howe is one of the most feared players in NHL history. He was just as physical as he was skilled. He led the league in scoring 6 times and won 6 MVP's. The only reason I don't put Hull higher is his statistics are based on longevity. Like Messier he scored 50 goals only once and only eclipsed 100 points once. Howe changed the game and is maybe the most celebrated player of all time.

4. Patrick Roy - G - 1984 - 2003

The greatest goalie of all-time. He won 4 Stanley Cups and 3 Conn Smythe Trophies. He was the ultimate big moment goaltender. When Roy retired he had more wins and games played than any goalie before him. Not only did he win, but he revolutionized the position. He made the butterfly style famous, and now nearly every elite goalie uses it. When his teams won it was because of him, not his teammates.

3. Mario Lemieux - C - 1984 - 2006

If you were trying to build the perfect hockey player it would be Mario Lemieux. A 6'4" 230 lbs superstar. He had more size than almost any defensmen with skill equal to Gretzky. He led the league in scoring 6 times, won 2 Stanley Cups, 3 MVP's, and played in 9 All-Star games. Mario could score in any situation. Not only could he score five-on-five, but he holds the record for shorthanded goals in a season. Mario's accomplishments are even more shocking because he was always injured. He never played a full season in his career. Actually he averaged only 54 games a year in his 17 seasons. If Lemieux was able to stay healthy he undoubtedly would have broken all of Gretzky's records.

2. Wayne Gretzky - C - 1979-1999

4 Stanley Cups, 10 Art Ross Trophies, 9 MVP's (8 in a row), 2 Conn Smythes. All time leader in goals (894), assists (1,963), and points (2,857). The most amazing statistic I have ever heard is that even if Gretzky had never scored a goal in his career, he would still have more points than anyone in history. He truly was "The Great One". It is easy to say that Gretzky always had superstars to play with, he did, but he was the best player on his team no matter what team it was. Watching old Oiler games is like watching Barry Sanders playing against a high school football team. Gretzky's greatest impact on the game came when he went to LA. He made hockey exciting in Los Angeles and it is likely he single-handedly created 4 NHL franchises in the sun belt. There was never before a player like Gretzky, now every player attempts to emulate him.

1. Bobby Orr - D - 1966-1979

Simply the best player ever. Bobby Orr played the game like no one before him ever has or will. His career was short and breathtaking. He scored 100 points in six consecutive seasons, as a defenseman. He is the only d-man to lead the league in scoring and he did it twice. His awards are numerous 2 Stanley Cups, 9 All-Star games, 8 consecutive Norris Trophies, 2 Conn Smythes, 3 MVP's. He still holds the record for the most points in a season by a defenseman. He was the first player to have 100 assists in a season. Bobby Orr used his skating ability to control every game. He is the reason the term "end to end" was created. It did not matter who he was on the ice against they weren't going to catch him. Orr was the best at every aspect of the game and every situation.


Bonus Picture (Too good not to share):

Pacquiao For Progress

Apologies for my extended absence and I hope to do better in the future but I couldn’t let this one go by without a word.

Anyone who has ever read my work will know where my sympathies extend regarding Pacquaio and Margarito. The two are basically the avatars – polarities – of my boxing worldview so I won’t pretend to offer much nuance or reasoned insight.

I want Pacquiao to give Marg’s a royal beating. Not in some moralistic sense, “the jolly Filipino damaging the cheating and surly Mexican,” though I won’t pretend there’s not some of that here.

No, Pacquiao to me has always represented physical inspiration – man as body-electric, that thin-wild-mercury.

I’ve perhaps been a little eager to overlook his obvious intelligence and refinement of craft; partially due to language issues and his outsized friendliness and good-nature but I make no apologies for that. He’s compelling to me because he’s so physical, joyous, and righteous in his movements. The loveliness and freedom and excitement that comes from seeing a human body so perfectly suited to its task.

In the same way it’s transfixing to watch a nature show featuring a bird of prey in descent, a leopard giving chase, or more apt in this context, a regal steed at the races – Secratariat powering down the tracks while onlookers weep in the stands; that’s what Pacquiao is to me. A human body honed and suited to its purpose. I can’t remark enough on what a rare and perfect thing that is, a true joy for us muddlers and tumblers lurching about in the muck; those of us for whom moments of completeness are so rare and profound in our own lives they are often only spoken of in a religious or drug-filtered context.

Pacquiao represents a fullness of being that is rare and special, which I call inspiration. A gift from the void that only the select have and is a blessing and joy to watch.

And Margarito? Well, he’s something of the opposite. I’ve always found him unwatchable and unsympathetic, a rebuke to the way I try to justify and enjoy and filter the callous blood lust of this sport. For people like me it’s important to build narrative filters and deeper subtexts to the sport so that it goes beyond blood and bone and moves into history and manhood and craft and the unstoppable forward march of progress.

And Margarito brings all of that into question. A crude slugger, slow, impenetrable. He lacks class not in the sense that he’s a poor kid from Mexico, (Erik Morales, another poor kid from the same streets Margarito emerged from is also one of my talisman of regal overcoming,) but in the sense that he is a move away from boxing as sweet science and towards the crudity of sheer force and muscle. He’s a step away from progress and refinement.

I’ve used the quote many times before, but A.J. Liebling’s take always seems apt to me when speaking of Margarito, “If the animal could beat even a fair fighter, it meant that two hundred and fifty years of painfully acquired experience had been lost to the human race; science was a washout and art a vanity.”

Science a washout and art a vanity. That’s what’s on the line here. Some see it as a moral contest between the loathsome Margarito and the virtuous Pacquiao, but something far deeper is at stake; the narrative history of the sport and progress. The sanctity of class and worth.

True, Margarito will be a full 15-20 lbs larger, but Pacquiao has now taken over the mantle of genius, the surpassing quality of incandescent ability over and above the utility of force. Margarito is trying to queer the game, to turn it around and backwards; Pacquiao is the clever defender of the library facing the torch-wielders.

Of course the moral overlay is heavy and I won’t ignore it. Margarito is a cheater and just generally unlikable and slimy. The vicious pleasure of his loss will be undeniable.

But it’s secondary. Though I greatly admire Evander Holyfield, his worldview wherein the right-cross of the righteous is superior to that of the wicked is deeply flawed.

My own – deeply flawed – worldview can perhaps be framed by the Obama/King Jr/ Parker quote that, “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.” (The disappointing midterm elections being – of course – a reminder of the cutbacks in the bend)

Only in my world, and in boxing, it bends towards class and beauty. Do you get it? Do you see what’s on the line. It’s much the same thing I felt when Manny fought Ricky Hatton, only with Margarito’s deeper textures of degradation and Pacquiao’s now inflated importance.

So, with the stakes being defined, am I nervous? Yes, a little. The customary pre-fight antics with a supposedly inferior Pacquiao training camp are unmoving to me, but the size difference is daunting. I can envision Pacquiao trapped against the ropes and damaged by a body shot, unable to appropriately respond and it fills me with dismay.

But I just can’t move beyond my respect for speed and skill. I mean, we’re talking about no less than the co-equal fastest fighter of his day against the slowest elite-level fighter in recent memory. That’s got to tell doesn’t it?

And more importantly I just keep feeling that bend towards justice, that bend towards the big happening. It doesn’t work the way it should, but Pacquiao is clearly meant for bigger things than to fall to a crude villain. Isn’t he? We need more answers than this will provide. Its important to boxing’s ragged march.

Of course that’s a construct, but it’s how I’m taking this one. I won’t hide that my lack of writing on boxing of late has been partially due to the fact that we’ve had a few dour months here. I haven’t liked it a bit and in lieu of real analysis sometimes I just think it’s important to filter ones hopes and pleasures as they come.

And so it is that I see my little Filipino muse standing victorious tonight, arms raised in joy at the surpassing pleasure of being a triumphant body, a genetic and evolutionary gift unsurpassed in his time and a step towards the inevitable victory of grace and science and art in the face of an otherwise directionless universe.

Pacquiao fighting!

All Star Change

A very interesting improvement to the NHL All Star game was recently announced. I, for one, am very excited about it.

Apparently there will be two captains (Crosby and Ovechkin) that will pick their entire teams. The whole thing will be broadcast live. I won't lie and say it will be great live drama, it will not. It will be interesting to watch though. All the Penguins will end up on one team and the Capitals will be on the other. So it will be some more bragging rights for Crosby. I hate most "throwback" ideas in sports, but this one is cool. This really makes it like the frozen ponds in Canada. The only way it could get any better is if they threw all their sticks in the middle and tossed them on each side.

I am not saying this is any miracle or ratings will be bigger than the Super Bowl, but it is what I like about the NHL. They are always open to change and adding to the sport. The All Star game in all the pro sports is struggling, this is the only attempt to improve it that is good.

Is that all you got?

The Pittsburgh Penguins unveiled their Winter Classic jerseys and I have heard nothing but positives from the fans. What? Why? Have you seen these things? Honestly they look like something a 1950's European minor league team would wear. I am actually offended by them.

These are the worst Winter Classic jerseys, by any team, yet. I don't know if you have seen the Capitals jerseys, but they are atrocious too. Then again the Capitals Winter Classic jerseys are just like their 1980's jerseys with different names. So at least there is some precedent there.

 

I am sick of the whole throwback jersey thing. The 70's are over and there is a reason I don't wear bell bottoms. If you want to make special jerseys for the event then put some effort into it and design something that looks good. The NHL gets all the media attention in the country on one day each year and this is what you want to look like? I didn't mind the Pens last Winter Classic jerseys but this is just garbage. OUR TEAM COLORS ARE GOLD AND BLACK! Mario never wore blue, and the team was never relevant before him. So, why do you want to throw reminders at us of when the team was horrible? Nobody brings up the year Dick Tarnstrom led the team points, cause its a bad thing. Highlight good, omit bad that is how normal people and organizations operate.

"Ryp" Off

The NHL should be embarrassed! If you have not seen it Rick Rypien, of the Vancouver Canucks, went after a fan in the stands during Tuesday’s game in Minnesota. Rypien was given a game misconduct and on his way back to the locker room attempted to fight a Minnesota fan that appeared to be doing little more than clapping. I am sure the fan had some choice words for Rypien, but there is no excuse for any athlete to attack a fan.



The reason the NHL should be embarrassed is because they chose to only suspend Rypien for 6 games and fined the Vancouver Canucks $25,000. What a joke. Rypien should have suspended Rypien at least 15 games, I would argue for 20 games. I love hockey but hate the NHL. They are by far the worst run of the four major sports and this slap on the wrist just goes to show it. Rypien should have been made an example of. If he were suspended for 30 games the Canucks season would have been barely effected. He is not one of the Sedin twins. I understand the league not wanting a suspension to affect the outcome of a team’s season. That is why Ovechkin doesn’t get suspended for his cheap shots. However this incident was a disgrace to the game and should have been harshly dealt with.

As much as Sean Avery is a disgrace to the NHL this makes Rypien even worse. There is no excuse for what Rypien did, N-O-N-E.   If every athlete pulled a stunt like that each time a fan harassed him or her, the games would never be played. I am disgusted by what happened, as should the NHL and Rypien.

Pay Me My Money

One of the biggest discussions in the collegiate athletics world is to pay or not to pay student athletes. Many colleges are already paying high profile athletes behind the curtain. Which is sad, despicable, and ruined USC.

The argument for paying these students is that they work so hard for the university. People say that the football and basketball players are the ones that make the money for the university. They say that all the work these “kids” put in is making the universities rich. This is nonsense.

First off these kids are not making the universities the money. Tradition and cheap tickets bring fans to college games. Beaver Stadium would still sell out no matter who was playing quarterback for Penn State. People think there are millions of dollars just sitting around in the athletic departments, there isn’t. The goal of every athletic department is to break even, not make money. That is a fact.

Anyone that knows anything about college athletics should know the universities with division 1 sports are a separate entity from their athletic department. This means the athletic department does not get any money from the school and vice-versa. All the money the football, basketball, soccer, hockey, and lacrosse teams bring in goes to paying coaches, athletic directors, and the numerous other people that work in the athletic department. Don’t forget how much stadiums cost and that you must pay all the people you see working in the stadium.

Another major problem is they already get paid! Top-level athletes get full scholarships. Even the players that sit on the bench for 4 years get some type of scholarship. Please don’t tell me that a free education is not worth anything, people that say that are just plain dumb. I myself pay around $20,000/year in just tuition. Not to mention that they get a free place to live and free meals for 4 years of their lives. Yes that is a lot of money. So they already do get paid.

The biggest issue with potentially paying student athletes is where do you draw the line? You cannot say just the top 25 or 50 teams have to pay because rankings change every week. You cannot just make the division 1 schools pay because a lot of those school’s athletic departments don’t turn a profit already so where is that money coming from. Also what sports athletes get paid? Remember Title 9 exists so for every male sport you must also pay a female sport. No one is saying women’s soccer should be paid but if pay football you must also pay a female sport. So how do you decide who to pay? Not to mention how much they should be paid?

The bottom line is you simply cannot pay student athletes. They already get a ton of money. Athletic departments would become bankrupt and you would see sports disappear. There are way too many potential issues with paying these student athletes. The NCAA has far bigger issues to focus on such as fixing the BCS.

Don't hate on winners

Week 1 of the college football season is in the books, and everyone is already confused. There were a lot of great games to talk about. Upsets like Jacksonville State beating Ole Miss, by the way teams that think their city is a state should never win. I could complain about schools like Alabama, Penn State, and Miami playing chumps to start the season, which is the reason I like college football and don't love it. The thing that stuck out most to me this past week was the non-BCS schools playing great.

I hear a ton of people trashing non-BCS powers TCU, Utah, and Boise State because they don't play in an "elite" conference. People saying things like "If you put them in the SEC they would get destroyed." Yeah that is fine if its your opinion but that same thing is true of teams like Oregon, Penn State, West Virginia, and Clemson. I know the argument about there are bad teams in the Mountain West and WAC. I know there are no bad teams in the Big Ten, Big East, Pac-10, ACC, SEC, or Big 12. Oh wait, I forgot about schools like Indiana, Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Syracuse, Kentucky, Iowa State, and Washington State just to name a few. The truth is every conference has more weak teams than good teams.

Utah, TCU, and Boise State do everything they can to get respect from the BCS. They know that their conferences are looked down upon so they make tough out of conference schedules. Very few of the "elite" teams play any tough teams out of conference. Boise State, TCU, and Utah all played ranked opponents to open their seasons, and they all won. TCU beat #24 Oregon State, Utah beat #15 Pittsburgh, and Boise State beat #10 Virginia Tech. All high quality wins. The sad part is come seasons end, when bowl bids are being handed out, their tough early schedule will be forgotten. Everyone says that if these non-BCS teams had to play the top teams they would be blown out. The thing is when they do play the non-BCS teams win. Everyone has seemed to forget the 2006 Fiesta Bowl when Boise State beat Oklahoma. There is no reason to hate these great teams just because the BCS is a bad system.

Hockey at Heinz Field

As I am sure everyone knows The 2011 Winter Classic is being played at Heinz Field between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, does it get any better? Easily the most exciting event to come to this city ever. Anyone who is not excited for this is not alive. However all the talk I have heard since the official announcement is "What's going on with the tickets?"

Tom McMillan was on the fan Thursday to breakdown exactly how the tickets are being distributed.  According to McMillan the NHL has control over all 65,000 tickets, initially, then they give them out as they see fit. So the Penguins and Capitals front offices have to beg for all the tickets they get. Which seems kind of dumb. It seems to me the Penguins should get 80% of the tickets the Caps should get 15% and the Steelers should get 5% for their trouble. In Gary Bettman's infinite wisdom(sarcasm) he has given 30,000 to the Pens, about 19,000 of which are going to season ticket holders. The Capitals are going to be given between 15,000 and 20,000 tickets, yes a team that can't sellout its 18,000 seat arena is going to be given maybe 20,000 seats to an "away" game. The Steelers are getting about 1,000, that seems about fair. The NHL is keeping the rest to give to sponsors, about 14,000 tickets. This is all according to Tom McMillan the Penguins VP of communications.

I think it will be interesting what the NHL does when the Capitals have to give back about 8,000 unused tickets, cause they couldn't sell them. Also the Penguins might win more games at Heinz Field than the Steelers this year.

No matter what your thoughts are of the ticket situation, it will be one of the most entertaining hockey games ever. The atmosphere at Heinz Field that day will be amazing. I am most looking forward to walking down the rotunda after the game, with a mixture of 30,000 Pens fans and 20,000 Caps fans. It will be a great day for hockey.

^

Fail

The Pittsburgh Power

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, Pittsburgh has an Arena Football Team. Officially announced today the team will be named the Pittsburgh Power, i guess it has a ring to it. The most interesting thing about the team, so far, is that Lynn Swann is a minority owner. So yeah he does not have much of a role however it is an interesting face for the franchise. The front office is all in place and they will be playing games at The Consol Energy Center (The house that Sid built). Supposedly a head coach will be named in the next few weeks and tryouts for the team will begin soon. I am hoping the team will consist of Steeler "cuts" and Pitt alumni. Charlie Batch will need a new team in about 8 weeks, why not stay close to home.

Most people don't believe there is any chance of this team lasting very long, given Pittsburgh's history with leagues like the USFL and ABA. However most people also did not think the Arena Football League would survive long and guess what they have been around 20 years and are expanding. No one seems to care about this team or have any excitement for it. I do. Pittsburgh is the perfect city for an AFL team. The arena season starts in April, perfect timing. There is no Steeler news so the city is starving for football, hockey season is winding down so that void will need filled, the only other sports team happens to be the worst in all of professional sports. Anything to distract us from the Pirates gets a gold star from me.

One of the best things about the Power is they provide a cheap option to get to be in the Consol Energy Center. Tickets start at $15/game and only $119 for season tickets. Any college student can afford that. While most people shrug off this new team, I am excited.

Pirates sign a future Yankee!

Please excuse the cynicism if you are one of the few people that does not realize the Pittsburgh Pirates are a joke. At this point though I am sure everyone laughs at the Pirates. With that being said they have done 3 things right this summer. They signed their top 2 picks Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie. They actually paid them its a miracle. Now they have made an enormous move, by Pirates standards, signing 16 year old Mexican pitching sensation Luis Heredia. At least he says thats his name. He apparently throws a 93 mph fastball and has more pitches than I can make up. He is 6'6" 185 pounds. Yes his birth certificate is probably fudged and he is actually 20 years old, but who cares the Pirates got a guy that the Yankees wanted.

So yes every Pirates fan can be excited for the next year or two. However I do hope everyone remembers the Pirates past with guys like Bay, Mcclouth, Schmidt and so on. Do not get to attached Heredia will be a Yankee and Taillon will be in Boston or vice versa. The only faith I have in the Pirates is they will do everything in their power to fail.

Dawson Sleeps

“I fought my fight.” It’s an interesting phrase, isn’t it? Often it means controlling space and the speed of the action. It’s what a fighter wants. Mastery.

It seemed somehow different on Saturday when Chad Dawson used the phrase after he “fought his fight,” to his first career loss. Jean Pascal is a good fighter and it’s normally an unhelpful modern boxing phenomenon to overeact to one loss, but wasn’t there something fundamentally revealing about Chad Dawson – pound-for-pound contender – on Saturday night?

I joked earlier about Dawson’s non-personality, and I sometimes call him the first comatose titlist in boxing history, but didn’t it feel like that? That’s your title, Chad, don’t give it away.

I had the fight 106-103 Pascal when it was stopped on that gruesome cut. Pascal is a good fighter, though a bit of a spazz. He's not particularly fun to watch and I don't think he'll hang on to that championship long. Bernard Hopkins uses a similar move and lunge technique and it has gotten him far, but I don't think Pascal has the same type of evil intellect to keep it going too long.

Dawson had Pascal dinged at the end, but did you really feel he was going to stop him? I’m thinking here of Chavez chasing down Taylor, Israel Vazquez hammering at Rafael Marquez, or hell, even Librado Andrade flattening Lucian Bute…

Dawson doesn’t have that, or at least didn’t on Saturday night. Which is not to say that he can’t one day become everything he’s capable of, a tremendous champion with a long string of defenses. But it’s hard to imagine he’ll ever be a moving champion, it’s hard to imagine he’ll ever inspire passion. It's entirely explicable that he has zero fans.

Because he only wants to “fight his fight,” and sometimes you have to do more. You have to go where it’s uncomfortable and push. You think the other guy is head butting you? Fine, hit him low. You think the crowd is against you? Send a straight left right through the guys mandible and shut them up.

I say this not as a judgment of his character – because I know I have more Dawson in me than I do Erik Morales – I just think it’s the truth. It’s some of the same frustration I feel when watching Joshua Clottey fight. I feel a little frustrated, but more than that I just feel tired and uninspired.

Boxing is about pushing beyond the possible, Dawson hasn’t even pushed up against it.

My trip to the Consol Energy Center

Yesterday was the season ticket/premium seat holders tour of the brand new Consol Energy Center, boy was I blown away. Initial reaction: the best sports venue I have ever been to by far, and I have been to a lot. There is not a single bad seat in the place. Even the standing room only sections are unbelievable. No more standing behind a six foot wall looking through people's heads. There are multiple ledges that hang out into the second bowl of seats. Standing room only might be better than sitting in the second bowl.

The clubs are spectacular whether your in the Captain Morgan Club or the Lexus Club. Each club has a Bistro, Grille, and a full bar. You can get almost any food you can imagine. Kielbasa Grinder, Chicken Nachos, Lo Mein, even cuts of Brisket. Do not worry all your typical Pens food is there like nachos and hot dogs.

There is so much to keep you entertained and distract you from the games. Interactive screens and rooms for little kids full of Nintendo Wiis. I half-jokingly said while we were there that it is kind of sad I will never see any of this "fun" stuff again. I'll just go in, go straight to my seat and leave.