
Friday, April 3, 2009
Things That Make Me Laugh

Thursday, April 2, 2009
Opening Day: Live Blog Coming Monday

Thursday, March 26, 2009
So what changed?

A few weeks ago on the verge of an epic collapse, I wrote a blog about our favorite Pittsburgh Penguins. In the blog I was questioning if they would make the playoffs and wondering just what the hell was wrong with them. I gave a few suggestions on what they needed to do to get back on track. If you don't remember the blog you can read it here. It turns out I am more of a super genius than Mark Madden because my suggestions were spot on. Lets go over them shall we?
Step one was to get an identity as a team and a coach who is a motivator who is likable and will get down to the basics and not switch up lines all the time.
Step one, Check.
The pens have done just that. They dropped the attempts to play a defensive game. They are aggressive and it is paying off with an offence like the pens have and defencemen like Letang and Gonchar who can score both the offence and defence have gotten better. Fluery is not facing as many shots because the pens are controlling the zone. Dan Blysma has been just what the Lemieux Group LP ordered. He is a young guy who can relate to the players but has been around the game a long time and has a style of play that really fits this club. He seems to be doing nothing wrong and the team has rallied around him and really played a better more fitting style of hockey. Blysma said it best on inside penguins hockey the other day. Hockey is a game of mistakes. If you are playing the majority of the game in the opposing teams zone when you make a mistake the negative outcome from that mistake won't lead to much other than a possession change or something small. If your opponent makes a mistake in their own zone, you can generate great opportunities to put the puck in the net. The pens have bought into that philosophy and it is showing with only one game in the month of march without bringing home at least a point.
Step two was to get rid of Ryan Whitney and Satan and bring in a winger for Crosby.
Step Two, Check.
They got rid of that bum Ryan Shitney and picked up my man, Chris Kunitz. Now not only is his name very similar to another Pittsburgh legend Rusty Kuntz, he has been a perfect fit for this team. We have him for a few more years which is also a plus. He is the winger Crosby needed, a guy with good skill and hockey sense who is tough and will park his ass right in front of the net and put home the trash. Alongside that we dropped Satan down to Wilkes-Barre so we didn't take that cap hit and we brought in another veteran leader in Bill Guerin. Now our first line is playing like the first line, our second line is playing like a first line and hell our third line is playing like a first line alternate. Jordan Staal has really emerged as the player I knew he was from the start for a while people were hating on Staal but you can't argue with his production over the past few weeks. But the biggest plus for this time was ditching Shitney.
It has been exciting to watch this team return back to premier form over the past month. As it stands now it looks like they will storm into the playoffs on a high note and lets see if they can keep it up and make it back to the Cup Finals. Maybe this time Malkin won't shit all over himself in the playoffs.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Down to 16: NCAA Tournament Musings
The first day of the tournament lacked excitement, with the UCLA/VCU game probably being the best of the day. Western Kentucky "upsetting" Illinois being the biggest seed upset of the day. I don't buy that it was really an upset in the first place because the Big 10 is relatively crappy. Illinois lost a 39-32 game against Penn State earlier in the year. How in the blue hell as a major Division I program do you only put up 32 points? The top seeds rolled on with UConn, Carolina, Oklahoma and Duke all advanced. Memphis, Kansas, Villanova pulled away late with Marquette hanging on against Utah State. Clemson shit the bed and on my bracket with its loss to Michigan. I had Clemson beating Oklahoma....whoops.
Day 2 provided a little bit more intrigue. Pitt played like absolute ass and escaped the clutches of mighty East Tennessee State, who strikes me more as a non-conference football opponent for Penn State (I can't resist taking digs at Penn State/Big 10 whenever possible). Arizona pulled a "upset" over Utah. Everyone was bitching about Arizona getting in but I had a feeling that they would make some noise. They were always flaky in years past, for example losing to Steve Nash and Santa Clara as a two seed in the early 90s and winning it all as a four seed with Mike Bibby and company. However, with Jordan Hill, Nic Wise and Chase Budinger, probably three NBA level players they are all of a sudden very dangerous now that their heads are removed from their asses. There aren't too many teams who have three NBA level players in the field, let alone a 12 seed.
The night games provided us with some upsets. Cleveland State taking down a Wake Forest team that in my opinion was very flaky. The Vikings raced to an early lead and never looked back. Wake has struggled mightly on offense at times this season and it bit them in the ass against Cleveland State. I had Wake losing to Louisville in my bracket. In a game that made my blood boil was Florida State losing to Wisconsin. The Seminoles shit the bed in the second half and proceeded to lose in overtime to a middle of the road Big 10 team (Yeah, I had FSU beating Pitt...another whoops). Goodbye to Toney Douglas who was a good player that I liked. Siena beat Ohio State in double-overtime but I don't really make mention of the 8-9 games because they are always coin-flips and they usually get whipped by the one seed.
The second round started out with little intrigue. Villanova rolled over UCLA, UConn trounced A&M, Carolina beat LSU and put the SEC out of its misery. Memphis and Oklahoma had little trouble with dispatching Maryland and Michigan, respectively. Purdue helped carry the tattered flag of the Big 10 with its 76-74 win over Washington. I must bid adieu to another one of my favorite players in Washington forward, Jon Brockman. A very tough, hard-nosed player who doesn't act like a total douchenozzle, looking at you Mr. Hansbrough.
Duke survived a second half run by Texas thanks to Gerald Henderson and some awesome referreeing. Western Kentucky and Gonzaga gave the viewers the best ending of the tournament thus far. Steffphon Pettigrew (what the hell is with the two f's and the ph?) tipped in a shot to give the Hilltoppers a one-point lead with 7 seconds to play. Gonzaga's Demetri Goodson drove the length of the floor and hit a runner to give the Zags the win. Good call by Gonzaga coach Mark Few, in not calling a timeout. The WKU defense wasn't organized and Gonzaga has guards who can get to the hoop, which proved to be the difference in the contest.
Part two of the second-round saw Syracuse advance thanks to some good perimeter shooting in its win over Arizona State. ASU star guard, James Harden, decided not to show up again and big man Jeff Pendergraph fouled out with about 10 minutes left in the game. Pitt won a narrow 84-76 victory over an average Oklahoma State team. The Cowboys were shooting well to start but had no answer for Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. Xavier and Kansas rolled into the Sweet 16 while Arizona advanced over Cleveland State.
The game between Marquette and Missouri gave us a shitty way to lose the game 101. The game was tied coming down the stretch and Missouri guard J.T. Tiller got a wide open layup attempt on a screen and roll. The Marquette defenders ran into each other and Tiller was fouled. Hell you probably defend a pick and roll a thousand times a year between games and practice but that got bumbled. However, Tiller was unable to shoot the free throws so the Tigers brought in Kim English and he hit both free throws. Winding up, Tiller checked back in right after the free throws. I looked it up and Tiller was a 74% shooter to English's 68%. Who knows though, Tiller could be a choke artist. On the imbounds, Lazar Hayward, stepped on the line and turned it over, in a Chris Webberesque moment. Missouri hit both free throws and took a four point lead. Maurice Acker's halfcourt heave missed, but it looked like he was mugged to me and Missouri won.
Louisville did nothing to inspire confidence as the number one overall seed in its 79-72 win over Siena. Michigan State hung on because USC can't shoot worth a shit, going 1-10 from 3-point range. That about wraps everything up in the first weekend of the tournament. I have 11 of 16 and seven out of the Elite 8 remaining in my bracket.
Now on to the winners and losers.
WINNERS
1. The Big East. Five out of the 16 remaining, could've been six had Marquette not brain-farted its way home. It proved once again that the Big East was the top conference.
2. The Big 12. Three Sweet 16 teams and the conference went 5-0 in the opening round.
3. The top 3 seeds. Every single one, two and three seeds advanced. Even though Louisville and Pitt looked shaky, as long as your playing another day, that's all that really matters. UConn and UNC had very little trouble as well.
LOSERS
1. The ACC. In the running with the Big East for top conference billing. Didn't quite happen that way. Boston College looked listless in its pounding against USC. Clemson couldn't figure out how to beat a zone, so it relied on bombing away to a tune of 5 for 22. Terrance Oglesby and K.C. Rivers couldn't hit the water if they fell out of the damn boat and Oglesby got tossed for throwing an elbow. Good work Clemson. Florida State's inexplicable bed-shitting against Wisconsin. Maryland won one but got thumped by Memphis. Topped off by Wake Forest getting mauled by Cleveland State, the ACC has done horribly. UNC and Duke are all that's left and that's just as many teams as the crap-ass Big 10 (Mich. State, Purdue).
2. The Pac-10/SEC. Arizona is the only team left out of the Pac-10 and the SEC only got three teams in and they were all sent packing.
3. CBS. Jesus Christ, does CBS stand for Commercial Broadcasting Station. If not, it should. The amount of commercials was complete and total overkill. Every time out = commercial. Hell, it was more unbearable than its football broadcasts.
4. The "Cinderellas." Not one of them made it to the Sweet 16. Don't call Arizona one for reasons I've previously stated.
That about does it for the first weekend of March Madness. The fun starts back up again on Thursday.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Gorzo-GONE-y

It's sad, really. I mean just two years ago, Gorzo was the ace of the staff. A future New York Yankee, if you will. In fact, he even got his own bobblehead the following year. (Other notable Pirates Players who received Bobbleheads: Chris Duffy, Ronny Paulino, Mike Williams and his 13.55 ERA. )
Personally, it seems a little pre-mature to send Gorzo down. It's still spring training and we all know Spring Training stats aren't supposed to mean anything. You have a guy who's been successful for you in the past and no one else is really setting themselves apart from the other candidates. I.E. Virgil Vasquez had a terrible outing last night. Why not at least give him a few more spring starts to redeem himself?
On the other hand, maybe this will motivate Tom. If the end result means getting Gorzo back to his 2007 form, I'm all for it.
For Bob Smiziks take on the Gorzo demotion Click Here.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A Formal letter to Jay Cutler
You have got to be the biggest cry baby I have ever seen in my life. When you're on a team that hasn't made the playoffs in years, anyone, even you, is expendable. In case you haven't heard, the NFL is first and foremost a business, and if the Broncos could have traded you for a few pieces that would have made the team better then that's what they've got to do. I mean you've lost more games than you've won in your career and you're a douchebag.
In the end, YOU DIDN'T EVEN GET TRADED. But now, you're feelings are so hurt that you'll show the Broncos! You'll put your Denver area home up on the market. That'll teach them a lesson for sure. Maybe you can refuse to go to team meetings as well. Oh wait, you did that too.
There's actually been rumors that you may get traded to the Browns for Brady Quinn, which will give me another reason to hate you. I'm not really a fan of over-rated Brady Quinn either but when he is confronted with questions about him being traded, he responds by saying he's just going to continue to work hard and whatever happens, happens. That sounds like a very professional answer. Maybe you should take a page out of Brady's Book. That is if you can read.
It is my hope that you do get your wish and get traded. Hopefully to Detroit. That way you will be terrible next year in Fantasy Football and Carroll will curse the day he ever drafted you.
Sincerely,
Jason Bice
Sunday, March 15, 2009
UFC 96: A First Person Recap

Let me start out by saying that UFC 96 was my first MMA event I've ever attended. Being from Pennsylvania (the law-makers finally did something right and sanctioned it recently) and not making a lot of money, the four hour drive to Columbus would be the closest I would get. Unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy the full experience of the weekend (the Arnolds/Weigh-ins) because my job prevented me from leaving until Saturday.
My friend and I arrived in Columbus around 4:30 p.m. and the arena was easy to find, parking wasn't a problem or outrageously expensive ($10).
After the four-hour trek, we figured we would get a bite to eat and a couple drinks before the fight. We found an establishment called Brothers just up the way from where we parked. The food didn't look bad, the service was good considering how busy the place was and the drinks were reasonably priced. The funny thing about Brothers was I've never been in a bar in which 95% of the patrons could probably kick my ass. Usually, the ratio is a little closer to 50%.
Around 6:45 we made our way to the Nationwide Arena. The line to get in was fairly long but from when the gates opened, getting in wasn't a problem. We took a walk around the arena and it was really nice. I saw why other arenas built afterward were modeled after Nationwide. Since I was still hungry, I sampled a hot sausage and fry basket for $8.75. The food was good and the staff at the arena were friendly and courteous. The beers they had on sale were predominately Anheuser Busch products (go figure). A 24 ounce can of Budweiser/Bud Light were going for $10. I'm not sure where that price compares to others but at PNC Park I can get a 16 oz draft for $6.75. If you stay past the 7th inning to watch the Pirates, they should be free.
The evening kicked off with a lightweight bout between Aaron Riley and Shane Nelson. We took our seats just as the fight was brought to a controversial early stoppage by referee Rick Fike. Check that, horrible early stoppage as Riley pulled guard after taking two rights from Nelson. So the event got off to a dubious start. The next match that Fike referreed, which one escapes me at the moment, he received a heavy dose of boos from the Columbus crowd.
Up next was Brandon Vera vs. Mike Patt, with Vera likely needing to win to stay in the UFC. What amazed me about this fight was the volume of Vera's leg kicks. Hearing them crack like a whip from the upper bowl is a lot different than hearing them on television. Patt was very clearly over matched in this contest.
Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brillz was next on the card. Boetsch got the better of Brillz in the the first round. Rounds two and three, Brillz took him down and wore him out for the unanimous decision.
The last two fights of the undercard saw Kendall Grove keep his job in the UFC with a straight right hand, followed up by elbows against Jason Day. Tamden McCrory beat an over matched Ryan Madigan with a first round TKO.
There is a little lull in the action but before the main card starts the UFC plays a highlight reel to the tune of "Teenage Wasteland" that got the crowd fired up. The highlight still gives me chills.
Off we go to the main card. During the opening crowd shots, there was a very attractive girl who was well-endowed jumping up and down shown on the big screens. This got one of the biggest crowd reactions of the evening.
Gray Maynard and Jim Miller open up the televised portion of the card. Basically, Miller couldn't take him down and Maynard outpointed him on the feet.
However, during the second round, a guy two rows in front of me fires up a joint. Hell, I went to a fight and a Tom Petty concert broke out. He was not too shy about the doobie either. He blew the smoke everywhere and our whole section reeked of pot. Some people laughed, some wanted more of the smoke, others looked disgusted. But, no one said anything and Cheech stayed there the whole fight. Ballsy or stupid, you be the judge.
After the Maynard fight, Brock Lesnar who was sitting in a box about 100-200 feet or so to my right. He stepped out and gave a wave to the crowd but only a few people in my section saw him. Good lord was he huge.
Anyways, the Matt Hamill/Mark Munoz fight was next. Hamill came out to "Snoopy Hang on" or whatever it's called. Everyone was chanting O-H-I-O. Being a Steeler fan and a Pennsylvanian, I would rather lose a finger than take part in this chant. I take solace in that the Steelers always slap around the Browns and Bengals.
So the fight starts out as a feeling out process but once Hamill figured him out he landed a massive head kick that knocked Munoz cold. Two meaningless Hamill punches later the ref steps in.
What they didn't show you on the pay-per-view broadcast, was Munoz was down for about 10 minutes. The EMT's were in the ring with the stretcher and everything else. Thankfully, Munoz left the Octagon under his own power with a neck brace.
The next fight beween Pete Sell and Matt Brown also drew the ire of everyone in the arena. Brown starts out quickly and has Sell in big trouble. Yves Lavigne looked like he was going to put a stop to it. Nope, so Sell just catches more of a beating. Brown had his hands raised in disbelief as Sell was out on his feet. Brown just pushed and punched him two more times before Lavigne finally stepped in. Most of the crowd around me basically said, "WTF?" The fight should've been stopped way earlier than that.
Shane Carwin proved one thing in his fight with Gabe Gonzaga; he has extrodinary power. Even though Gonzaga's hand were down after the clinch (bad idea), Carwin knocked him cold with a straight right without stepping into it.
The main event was a closer than expected fight with Rampage Jackson picking up the decision. The crowd, at least in my section, was split between the two. Cheech, from earlier, stood up in his messed mind state and screamed "Dean of Fucking Mean" then almost fell over.
The heat that the crowd gave Rashad after the fight was astounding. By far, the loudest crowd heat. Rick Fike's awesome refereeing also drew the ire of the Columbus crowd. Rampage was a big favorite with the crowd as well as Hamill. The girl jumping up and down in the beginning was also a favorite.
Getting out of the arena wasn't too bad, all things considering. From the end of the fight till we were out of Columbus took about 45 minutes or so.
Now on to what I didn't like:
1. The soundsystem. At least where we were at the bass was absolutely overpowering. I thought I was at a concert as opposed to an evening at the fights. On top of that, we couldn't hear the post-fight interviews.
2. Merchandising. I was looking for some stuff to buy of my favorite fighters and such in the arena and I could not find any. The only things I saw were shirts that just said UFC or UFC 96 shirts. I don't understand why they aren't promoting the individual fighters a lot more. This would be like shopping at your favorite pro team's arena and not being able to get jerseys of your favorite players.
All in all it was a good trip and a good show. I was unable to enjoy the whole weekend's festivities but it was a good experience. Now that MMA is finally sanctioned in Pennsylvania, I'll be able to check out some smaller shows.WTF IS HAPPENING!!!!

Friday, March 13, 2009
How High Can They Go?

On NHL.com last week John Buccigross recieved an email from a reader asking what he thought that these three players would reach in terms of their peak (Goals, Assists and Points) in t

John Buccigross wrote a solid article about play-by-play announcers and their relationships with local fans this week on ESPN.com
Read more about the 50 in 50 feat on wikipedia.org
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
I Got Laid Off So WPXI Could Host A Stupid Party
Monday, March 2, 2009
Another Reason to Hate Jay Cutler
So poor Jay Cutler is crying about a trade that didn't even happen. Maybe he should be crying about how he's never won anything or about how he can't play a full season of decent football. It seems that every season the Broncos get off to a good start and everyone is ready to herald them a great team. I can rip on Cutler all day but Gene Wojciechowski does it better.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Pirates Indian Pitchers on MSNBC!
I'm sure you've probably all heard this story by now. I like the comment about the new guys pitching beside "the leagues best." Wah Wah Wah
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Jason Calls His Mom: The Dishes
Thursday, February 26, 2009
There is a God. Shitney is OUT!

This Will be short and sweet. Ryan Whitney is gone (cue applause and fanfare)! If you have been a loyal follower of our blog here, you are well aware of my long standing hatred for Ryan Whitney. I hated him before it was the cool thing to do. It seems over the last few weeks people have been joining in thinking they were the first to be anti-Whitney. I Assure you they were not. I have hated him for quite some time. People called me crazy when I would say he is the worst defensive player on the team and makes more mistakes than a bum like Eric Godard (editorial note: if you are reading this Mr. Godard you are not really a bum please don't punch me in the face). One of my best friends and fan of the blog Sam has been a long hater of Whitney and I have to give him props for propelling my extreme dislike for him into the realm of pure hatred. Thanks Sam. So even if we didn't get much in return for him, anything is better than that ass clown. Hell, I would have taken Michele Oullet back for Whitney. I think it was a move to get a cheap decent player and some cap room to possibly bring in a big name with an even bigger trade. I'm interested to see how it goes before the trade deadline. We will keep you all posted. Until next time kids.