You Had To Be There To Believe It - Pens Beat Flyers

Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Wow. Thats all I can really say concerning Game 6 against the Flyers. I was a mess the entire day, since I had to work real late the night before. I opted to listen to Mike Lange and the Ol' Two-Niner, but the warm April sun was putting me to sleep, so I watched the game on NBC instead. From the time I left my radio to the time I got the TV warmed up, it was 2-0 Flyers. Ouch. Next thing I know it's 3-0 Flyers and as much as it pains me to say this, I thought the game and possibly the series was over. I couldn't believe it. But I should have kept telling myself that momentum changes in the blink of an eye. And it did. Max Talbot sucks Daniel Carcillo into a fight, which wasn't the time for the Flyers to be dropping the gloves. It recharges the Pens. Malkin drives to the net and all of a sudden you realize that hope is not lost. Fedotenko picks up the trash and it's a 3-1 game. I honestly think that the Flyers thought they had it won at that point however. Braydon Coburn knocks down Fedotenko for no reason at all right after the goal. Typical Flyers being dumb and tyring to be tough guys. All of a sudden the momentum changes. Momentum is what the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about. Mark Eaton knocks one out of the air to make it 3-2. Then Crosby does the same thing after Biron juggles the puck. 3-3 hockey game. You just knew that all the Pens had to do was play mistake free hockey the rest of the way. Fleury was AMAZING in the 3rd period. Gonchar rips a slapper from downtown. 4-3 Pens. At that point you knew the Flyers were toast. Crosby gets the empty netter and seals a 5-3 win for the Pens and the series. What a comeback. Now we will await the next opponent for round 2. It should be pretty exciting from here on out.


Some real quick tidbits.....

• How nice was it to not have to listen to Pierre Mcguire during the broadcast yesterday. Darren Pang was a blast from the past to the days of ESPN. Mcguire is a joke and I've lost all respect for him.


• Fluery was MVP of the series without a doubt. He played out of his mind when he needed to and thats all you can ask.


• Not sure what happened to Scuderi, but hopefully he can return to play the next round.

What a way to beat the Flyers. They had a 3-0 lead and then watched it fall apart faster than Donovan McNabb in the final two minutes of a super bowl. This could be a momentum changer for the Pens. Lets hope so. GO PENS!

Some Hockey Thoughts

Well....can I first say how much I love this time of year? Hockey has now moved into it's second season and it's getting warm outside. I LOVE THIS! This is the time of year when moments are made. Hockey fans will become so consumed with the game and their team, it will be like nothing else matters. Every shot will make you jump from your seat. Every save makes you breath a sigh of relief. Every win makes you more and more excited, while every loss makes you feel deflated. You will lose your voice cheering every goal. It truely is the most wonderful time of the year for a hockey fan. With that being said, I'd like to share some thoughts on the opening week of this playoff year.

Flying Into Philadelphia

The Penguins have a 2-0 series lead heading into the game tomorrow with the Flyers in Philly. Although last nights OT was the first playoff hockey I have gotten to see all season, I have listened when I can to Mike Lange and it really sounds like the Pens are simply out playing the Flyers. The OT last night also showed how undiciplined and stupid the Flyers can be. Here is my prediction: If Pittsburgh wins game 3 tomorrow and takes a 3-0 series lead, look for this series to get ugly. Philly will try and beat the snot out of the Pens and take as many cheap shots as possible. Keep you fingers crossed the Pens can get out without any major injuries. If Philly wins game 3, it's going to be a whole new ballgame. No series lead is safe until it is won. Even some of the best teams have blown 2-0 and even 3-0 series leads. I doubt that happens to the Pens, but momentum in hockey can change with one big goal, a huge save or a devastating body check.

Chicago Revival

How great is it to see the Blackhawks back in the playoffs. I think it was great to see them play so well this season and to have the city behind them again. Let's not forget that home games used to be blacked out in Chicago. It's nice to see an origional six team doing well again.

Big Screen Gone?

By now most know that the big screen will not show games broadcast by NBC. I will let you read what the Tribune-Review (here) and Pittsburgh Post Gazette (here) reported and what Channel 11 (here) had to say in response. Basically what it boils down to, is that NBC has poor ratings and doesn't want it to suffer anymore than it already has. It's too bad. I always wanted to go to a game and watch it outside. It's funny that this is all happening now. If it was such a big deal why didn't it happen before this playoff season? I guess thats the way the cookie crumbles. It just shows however that the hockey has a poor TV package and NBC has a shitty broadcast team. Mike Emerick is the only person I can stand to listen to during their games to begin with.

Comments On The Super Genius

I was listening to Mark Madden before the Pens game on my way to work the other night before game 2. Madden does offer solid insight to hockey and the Penguins, but i admit some nights I love him and some nights I don't. Madden was pretty good last night. One caller specific was asking about an update on Jaromir Jagr possibly coming back to the Pens (won't happen for future reference). Madden simply responded by saying "what? Didn't you hear? He's playing tonight!" First of all, Jagr is the farthest person from anyones mind right now, so why bring him up? Second, don't worry about it, cuz he ain't comin back to Pittsburgh. If he does return to the NHL it will be to the team that will pay him the most.

Funny Political Ads

Broadcasters Sometimes More Popular Than Players

More sad news coming from the baseball world today. Longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas passed away today. He was 73. You can read more about his sudden passing at the bottom of the page. While I sit here and watch the Pirates home opener, it makes me think about all of the great broadcasters in Pittsburgh and how lucky we are to have so many good ones.

With the Pirates, broadcasting legend Lanny Frattare just retired at the end of last season. I loved listening to Lanny. He had such a great voice for baseball. On nights that Lanny was doing radio, I almost always listened to him instead of watching the game. He was the face of the franchise for the last 15 seasons, which was no picnic with the continuous losing. He may have been more popular than some of the players as the losing continued. Lanny recently got a job as a professor at Waynesburg University and also did an interview with Channel 11 talking about his abuse of alcohol, which you can read about at the bottom of the page too. There is Noooo doubt about the fact that Lanny was loved by many Pirates fans and will be for a long time to come. Today Tim Nettinger is doing the game and he sounds great. It almost sounds like he should be doing a national broadcast for TBS or somthing like that, but I like him thus far.

The Penguins have had Mike Lange behind the microphone for the past 30 plus years and there is nothing that I love more than listening to him. Once Lange's voice comes over the airwaves saying "It's a hockey night in Pittsburgh" that alone is enough to get me ready for a game. The one thing I love about Lange though is that he pulls for the Pens, but he calls the game fairly. He isn't so much of a homer that he tries defending the Penguins when they mess up or somthing like that. I respect Lange so much for staying in Pittsburgh when he could have left after being fired. I recently found out that he had recieved offers prior to the lockout from ESPN and the Chicago Blackhawks to be their play-by-play person. The day Lange retires is the day a good thing comes to an end.

We have also had some other great broadcasters in Pittsburgh. Bob Prince broadcasted Pirates games for 28 years and was probably the most popular broadcaster in Pittsburgh history when he passed away in 1985. He had many different sayings, but he always ended a Bucco win with "we had em alllll the way." Myron Cope was also a legend broadcasting Steeler games. We really don't need to say much more about Myron other than he was very unique.

Below are some links that add to the article.....

ESPN.com reports on the death of Harry Kalas
Lanny Frattare talks about his life after broadcasting
Gunnerisms from Bob Prince

Some Thoughts On A Crazy Week

It's been a crazy week. Not just for me, but in the sports world too. I can't blog like I want to, since I work 60 hours a week, but this is a chance I can mention some stuff, so here it goes....

• How about the Buccos? A pretty solid start for a team that isn't supposed to do much this year. I hope they continue to play this way for the entire season. Could this be the year? Maholm looks like the ace the Pirates need him to be. The Buccos are hitting well too. Home opener is on Monday against the Astros at 1:30pm. They finish up the weekend against the Reds tomorrow.


• Penguins won tonight meaning they will play the Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! If Philly loses on Sunday, then the Pens will have home ice in the series. Malkin also won the Art Ross trophy (scoring title). He now joins Mario Lemieux (6), Jaromir Jagr (5), and Sidney Crosby (1) as the only Penguins to win the Art Ross trophy. Some early keys to the Flyers/Penguins playoff series will be the Penguins ability to score on the Power Play and Fleury's ability to shut down the Flyers. Also the physical factor always is important with the Flyers, but I think the Pens can give it right back if they need to. I think they can win the series. I say Pens in 6.


• Tiger Woods is four under par at the Masters. We never talk golf on here, but everyone wants to know about Tiger. It doesn't look good since the leaders are at 11 under par, but ya never know with old Tiger in the hunt going into the final day. I'd watch but I have to work.


• On a sad note, Nick Adenhart, a pitcher with the Los Angeles Angels was killed by a drunk driver on April 9 (my birthday for those that care). But needless to say I felt so horrible when I found out about this. Its really sad to hear about such a great young player with such talent being taken away by someone so careless. It really makes me realize how important it is to enjoy life and take advantage of every opportunity. Adenhart was only 22 and had his entire career and life ahead of him. Just a very sad incident that should have never happened. R.I.P, Nick

BUCCO NOTES

• Has anyone notice how the Pirates have been getting quality start after quality start from their pitchers early on this season. Maholm seems to maybe be turning into that pitcher our bullpen can rely on giving them rest. I can atleast say I am shocked that so early in the season that our pitching is looking good. The pitch counts and walks (9 walks all season)have been pretty low espically when you look how deep some of the pitchers are going into the game (Maholm & Ohlendorf).Espically since they were suppose to be the weakest link for this team.


• Pirate batters are also working the count and being aggressively smart at the plate. I know it is early in the season, but if you have all watched Pirate baseball in the past, you know that their at bats were far from smart and aggressive. I see them working the pitchers into deep counts forcing the other team to use their bullpen in the 6 and 7 th innnings rather then in the middle of the 7 and 8 th innings.


• Some things I see the Buccos need to cut down on is their multi -error games and strike outs. To start the season in thier in the first five games the Pirates have struck out 43 times. Andy LaRoche seems to be the easiest one to point the finger at when it comes to both of these stats. However, the rest of the team has accounted for their fair share.


• NOTE*** HOLY CRAP - RYAN DOUMIT JUST HIT A GRANDSLAM, JUST AS I AM BLOGGING THIS. WOW, TRIVIA WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME A PIRATE HIT A GRANDSLAM, BETTER YET WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WITNESSED A PIRATE GRANDSLAM.


• NOTE***ADAM LAROCHE JUST HIT A HOMERUN BACK TO BACK HOMERUNS FOR THE BUCCOS.


• The other stat I have notice the Buccos have cut down on is leaving runners stranded on the basepads. This has always been are achilles heel. Espically being that we are a small ball team, we need all the base runners we can get to generate runs


• It seems that nothing much has changed much, other then an addition with the same last name. Adam Laroche is off to another poor and slow start, other then that HR he just hit. He and his Brother Andy LaRoche up to the point where Adam just hit that HR were 0 - 19. Andy is 0-12 to start the season. I understand the kid had a good spring, but what has that ever proved in the past. Nothing is the answer, spring ball means nothing. There comes a time where you change rolls and give someone else a chance to hit and play. If your the Pirates you want to put the best bats you have on the field. Lets face it Andy's fielding has been terrible as well. So if you give someone else a shot early on your not losing out on much. It doesn't seem that the name LaRoche will be receiving a warm welcome to PNC Park this Monday for the home opener. If anything it will be receive more boo's then ever now that we have added another. lol. Atleast we know they can be consistant.


• The last note on the bad side is our bullpen, who I think is more of a question mark then our startes. They have looked bad. Guys like Grabow and Yates, who you think you could count on as veterans to come in and make the pitches you need to make to get out of an inning or to secure a a 9th inning save for Capps. They just aren't doing it.Bullpen definitly needs to pick up their play if we stand a chance to have more wins this season.

Well thats all for me, I am out and hope you have enjoyable EASTER HOLIDAY WEEKEND. Now that I have ended this blog the Buccos have closed out the Reds in their game and now are 3-2. Let's go Bucs!!

DECLARING FOR THE NBA DRAFT

Now that the NCAA has crowned a 2009 champion, it is time to see who is leaving to go to the NBA draft and who is staying. I think when you have peaked out your game or if you have made such an impact of college basketball to the point where your getting more media coverage then you would normally get, GO PRO! Go and get your money, I am sorry, but I do not believe in the saying," It will be there waiting for you next season." Not True, if you are not a favorite in the eyes of the media or you have a bad season the following year, trust me it will not be there.(atleast in the amount it was $$)

Now that we have came to an understanding on declaring for the draft. I move to a guy named Dejaun Blair. He is a sophomore out of the University of Pittsburgh, who is a beast in his own right , but a tweener in the next level. He is the prime example of my arguement, "Get it while you can." Here we have a player who could and can handle any big man in all of college basketball, but when it comes to playing at the next level...not so much. Blair is what we would all consider a tweener in the NBA. He has the ability, length , and strength to play with the bigs in the NBA, but lacks the height. He also has the size in all aspects to play with the small forwards in the NBA, but lacks the consistant 15 footer and speed. However, forunately for Blair his stock is high. We all know you sell, sell, sell. That is just what Dejuan Blair is doing. We all know he could come back and be great for Pitt and the NCAA for another yr and maybe get Pitt back in the hunt for a national championship. Why would you ever come back for a bunch of maybe's when you can go with the next step in your career that is certain, which is a late 1st round pick and gurantee of millions of dollars. Hey , I know you all remember a guy by the name of Aaron Gray, who wasn't the most touted center coming out of the college basketball. Guess what, he has a million dollar roster spot on the Chicago Bulls and rarely plays. Now you tell me what you would do if you were Dejaun Blair.

This whole tweener theory also applies to one the best most decreative college basketball players of my time Mr. Tyler Hansbrough. The only thing different with him is, he stayed all fours of college due to the fact that he comes from blessed family with money and wasn't in the situation of having to support his family. I am just being honest here , I am a Hansbrough guy. I think its guys like him, that make college basketball so much fun to watch. Espically when guys like Tyler take on the one and dones year after year.

Finally, I would invite all if any to blog your opinons on this topic and maybe even expand. This is more or less one of the main reasons that the NCAA doesn't carry a great relationship with the NBA.

**Prediction - Blake Griffin was the best in college basketball this year and could have been one of the greatest college players, but why waste your time when you have conquered big man after big man. There is nothing more to prove, we all know this kid can out ball the boys. Now it's time to see him ball with the men and get his money. He will be a successful pro that is the most obvious number one pick in the last couple of years.

NEW START - LETS GO BUCS!!

• Hello live from Pittsburgh, Pa. I know the weather is terrible in St.Louis, it s not any better here or where Bice is at. I know Bice will be blogging live all day and doing updatesand has the lineups set up for our viewers. One thing I can say I like about the Pirates this yr. is thier new look in uniforms. Looks like they are as desperate as us for a winning season by wearing the uniforms from when Barry Bonds once played for us. Very nice call by Management!!

• 1st Inning - Buccos up first to bat, Morgan leads off with a single and looks aggressive on the base pads with a steal. Looks like the Pirate hitters are learning how to work the counts and pitchers early on. Buccos loaded the bases and leave them that way with a strike out. That was a pretty good start for the top half of the 1st inning espically considering the weather conditions.Well same old story as Puljos starts his season with a double for the Pirates, seems to me that still haven't found way to slow him down. Lucky for us LaRoche has a good glove at first base to save the inning from being a mess. Maholm weathers the storm and gets out of the inning.SCORE 0-0

• 2nd Inning -Buccos come up in the top of the 2nd inning and continue to look strong at the plate. Maholm drove a base hit to left center and Morgan singles for his second single of the day. No runs came out of this, but the bats are looking strong and aggresive in a smart way. Another double let up by Maholm this inning but, so far so good for ole Pat Maholm he is throwing strikes early on and getting ahead of the count. He has his curve ball working and is getting batters to do what he needs them to do. Fly out and ground out. The defense is looking good making some routine and out of routine plays.Score 0 - 0

• 3rd Inning - Uneventful inning for the Pirates going 3 up and 3 down, but they are still taking solid at bats. The Cards got their first two batters on base and loaded the bases up on one out and scored 2 runs. Maholm seem to have some control issues could be the weather or it could be Maholm being Maholm.Pirates worked out of the jam doing what they do best in all of the National league last yr and end it in a double play. Score 0-2 Cardinals.

• 4th Inning- 3 up and 3 down again for the Buccos, seems to me that they are slacking off at the plate and starting to lose the aggressive smart at bats that they had early on. Not really much action on the bottom half of the inning. Although another extra base hit was let up to the pitcher of the Cards. How many times can we get away with giving up extra base hits until they hurt us. More on the in the coming innings. LOL....Score 0-2

• Sorry for the intermission... had to take a nap, but i woke up in time to watch the Pirates show me that old habits never die..errors, strike outs, and control problems. However, that wasn't the only old habit on the field that didn't die out. The Cardinals problems from last year contintued to haunt them as they took their 4 to 2 lead into the top of the 9 th inning with 2 outs. Thats when the St. Louis Cardinals problems at the closer position continued into their 2009 season. I was referring to it all day long, the aggressive at bats and working the counts came into play. Jack flash, flashed his bat on a 2 out base clearing double to give the Battling Buccos a 6 to 4 lead. They never looked back as the MAD CAPPER came in to close the game. He did a very good job as usual, as he went in and just threw strikes. Buccos came away with a resilant win. Buccos record 1- 0 winning record in 2009.
• BAD NOTES - NEED TO CUT DOWN ON STRIKE OUTS, NEED TO CUT DOWN ON ERRORS, AND NEED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL ON THE MOUND
• GOOD NOTES - VERY AGGRESSIVE AND SMART AT BATS, STAYED CONFIDENT AND RESILANT, KEY PLAYERS HAD KEY AT BATS WHEN NEEDED.

That will wrapped it up for the Buccos opening day game for the 2009 season. I hope you enjoyed all the blogs that were created during this time as well as hope you visit the Classic Gang Only blogsite again.

Opening Day: Live Blog- Bucs VS. Cards

Greetings from Boston! The weather is shitty and the Sox Opener has been Postponed leaving thousands of Band-wagoners crying across the nation. But we here at CGO could not care less. The Pirates are in St. Louis, they are playing, and with a new season brings new hope. At least for a week or so.

According to the PBC, the weather isn't much better in St. Louis either. It's not raining though, and a game will be played!

Let's check out the line-ups

Bucs

1. Nyjer Morgan, LF

2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B

3. Nate McLouth, CF

4. Ryan Doumit, C

5. Adam LaRoche, 1B

6. Andy LaRoche, 3B

7. Brandon Moss, RF

8. Jack Wilson, SS

9. Maholm, P

Pretty Predictable line-up for the Pirates. Nyjer's got to get a good start to the season after a pretty sub-par spring and Brandon Moss better watch his back with Craig Monroe waiting in the wings showing he's still got some pop in that bat of his.

Cardinals

1. Brendan Ryan, 2B

2. Rick Ankiel, CF

3. Albert Pujols, 1B

4. Khalil Greene, SS

5. Ryan Ludwick, RF

6. Yadier Molina, C

7. Chris Duncan, LF

8. Brian Barden, 3B

9. Wainwright, P

Aside from Pujols the Pirate Killer, this line-up doesn't look to strike fear into anyone (not even the Pirates.) Why is Khalil Greene hitting 4th? He sucks. Let's hope Paul Maholm can improve on last years great pitching performances.

UPDATE: 2 minutes till game time and mlb.tv is already having issues. F my life.

UPDATE: OK, the fsn broadcast is soundless so I'm on the Cardinals Broadcast.

Nice start for Morgan. Base hit sliced to left field.

Morgan Steals. Sanchez strikes out. and McLouth walks.

Doumit flies out to center. 2 Outs

Base Hit Adam Laroches. For the first time in history he's batting 1.000 in April! Bases Juiced.

And Andy strikes out. The Pirates miss a good opportunity but i liked what I saw from Nyjer coming out getting a hit and a steal right off the bat is big. Also, I'm liking the new Unis!

One Pitch One out. Like it.

3 Pitches 2 Outs. Love it.

And there's no I want some more of it as I was going for. Pujols doubles inside the 3rd baseline.

LaRoche makes the catch but had he missed it would have nailed Moss right in the face. 3 Outs and Paul is looking good. Onto the 2nd.

Pirates 0 Cardinals 0

Moss hits to shallow center but a diving catch by Ankiel makes for out number 1.

Jack strikes out looking. 2 outs.

Paul is helping his cause. Base hit into left center.

Nyjer is my new favorite player. 2-2. man on first and second.

Slow Freddy ends the inning with a liner to 2nd onto first for the out.

And Ludwick hits it to third. Laroche picks it up and throws onto Laroche. 1 out.

Molina hits it into center field. McLouth makes the catch. 2 outs.

Double for Duncan as Nyjer lost his footing and doesn't make a play he should have.

But Nate makes a catch in center to end the inning. 3 outs.

Pirates 0 Cardinals 0

UPDATE: The stream for the FSN Pirates game is completely gone now. I don't know if this is MLBTV's fault or FSN's but we all know about Fox's shitty production.

Nate hits a liner to Greene who throws onto first. 1 out.

Pujols ranges to his right to scoop up the ball and throws on to Wainwright. Doumit gone. 2 outs.

LaRoche lines it into right for the 3rd out. Bucs go down in order for the first time.

Wainwright puts the ball in play and reaches first on a stupid misplay by the younger Laroche. One man on.

Brendan Ryan hits a base-hit. 2 men on. no outs.

Ankiel lines it to second. 1 out. But guess who's up.

Pujols loads the bases with a hit up the middle. Let's see how Paul handles Greene.

Of course I talk bad about the guy and Greene gets a base hit. 1-0 Cardinals.

And Ludwick gets a base-hit. 2-0 Cardinals.

Double Play ends the inning.

Cards 2 Pirates 0

Ludwick almost misplays Andy LaRoches fly ball to right. Keyword: Almost. 1 out.

Moss strikes out. 2 Outs.

And Wainwright has sent Seven straight down as Jack gets out.

Ball hit to first. One Out. It seems like the Cards have been swinging at Paul's first pitches recently.

Paul rings up his first K of the day. 2 Outs.

Wainwright with his second hit of the game. Classic Pirates giving up hits to the Pitcher.

Adam L makes the catch in foul territory for the 3rd out.

Onto the 5th

Cards 2 Pirates 0

Paul walks. 1 on.

Nyjer Strikes out. No longer my favorite player. 1 out. 1 on.

Freddy lines out to right. 2 outs.

Nate walks again. 2 on 2 outs for Ryan Doumit.

And Doumit strikes out. Buccos leaving a lot of men on base today.

Ankiel pops it up in the infield and Adam LaRoche makes the catch. 1 away.

And Pujols is human after all. Moss catches a pop up in right field. 2 outs.

Greene hits it softly to Jack, who throws onto first. 3 outs.

Cards 2 Pirates 0

Something cool about MLBTV is that u can add your fantasy baseball players to be tracked during the games. Then whenever your player comes up, it alerts you and allows you to go right to the game your player is playing in.

Classic Adam LaRoche. He strikes out. 1 out.

Wow, that was a gift. Andy LaRoche walks on a 3-2 count.

LaRoche moves to second on a passed ball.

And Wainwright just can't seem to find the zone now. Time for a boring mound visit.

Moss walks. Men on first and second with one out.

LaRussa pulls Wainwright for Josh Kinney.

Wilson flies out to Khalil Greene. 2 outs.

Maholm walks! Bases Loaded for Nyjer.

Trevor Miller comes in to try and retire Morgan.

BASE HIT MORGAN. 2-2 tie game. Guess who's my favorite player again!

Blooper base hit by Sanchez but Maholm gets caught between 3rd and home. Still the Pirates tie it up and we have a whole new ball game.

Bouncer back to Maholm, the throw onto first and Paul has one out in the 6th.

Wilson scoops up a ball hit to short. Throws onto 1st for the 2nd out.

Another error for Andy LaRoche. Let's hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass again.

And it doesn't. Infield pop up to Sanchez. Into the 7th we go all tied up at 2.

Nasty Nate Strikes out. One out.

Greene commits an error as Doumit's ball skips right under him. One on One out.

LaRoche strikes out for the second consecutive time. 2 outs.

Larussa is bringing in Kyle McClellan and David Freese for a double switch. Let's hope Andy LaRoche makes up for his earlier miscues.

Nope. One Pitch one Out and that makes 3.

Freese hits the ball softly to third. 1 out.

Ball popped up, caught by LaRoche. 2 outs.

Maholm goes too far inside and hits Ankiel. Something you don't want to do with Pujols on deck.

Ankiel moves to second on a wild pitch. Intentionally walking Pujols. Smart Move.

Maholm's day is done. Double Switch bringing in Yates and Vasquez.

McClouth catches Greene's fly ball to end the inning.

Into the 8th still 2-2.

Moss hits a ball to the warning track but its caught by Ankiel. 1 out.

Wilson strikes out. 2 outs.

Vasquez gets a base-hit. 1 man on. 2 outs.

Morgan bounces into a fielders choice. 3 outs.

Ludwick hits one out. 3-2 Cardinals.

Molina pops out to Sanchez. One out.

Chris Duncan walks.

Shumaker comes in to hit for McClellan.

Shumaker lines a two strike base hit into center. Runners at 1st and 3rd.

Fly ball to Moss for the out but Pinch-Runner Thurston comes home. 4-2 Cards.

Things That Make Me Laugh

I suppose I could write a post about the Pens or the Buccos or Jay Cutler or Tiger Woods or my sex life. But since my life is now occupied by two jobs, I decided that I would write about what makes me laugh. Just some things this past week that forced a chuckle out of me. Here it goes...

Have you ever worked at a fast food place like me? Of course you have. Well I am sure that you have had the same experiences I've had too. The other day I wasn't very busy, working the front counter when a gentleman walked into McDonalds. I approached my register, but he walked past me into the rest room. So I waited for him....and waited. He then left the store. My biggest suprise was yet to come. I suppose you think I am going to tell you that I walked into the rest room a few minutes later and found playboy and hustler on the ground with the pages all sticky or the walls covered in shit. Well, sorry to dissapoint you. I did see him in the drive thru though. Think about it, who walks inside to use the restroom and then goes through drive thru to order food? I don't know, but it made me laugh.

I was able to catch some TV the other day between jobs (actually just some commercials) and guess who I saw? Billy Mays! He was advertising some goofy glue that fixes anything. At one point he was trying to prove how strong it was by standing in a wind tunnel with the flag blowing at storm strength winds. His hair was blowing in the wind. It made me laugh.

Something else that would make me laugh would be Bice in a wheelchair. But thats not very nice.

I hope you found my stories to be funny too. See ya next time!

Opening Day: Live Blog Coming Monday

These Girls are ready for Opening Day!

Hey Gang! Haven't updated the blog in a while. It seems like either we're all blogging or no one is which doesn't give you much incentive to visit us too often. Anyway, I'll be live blogging the Bucco's opener Monday as well as reviewing MLB.TV's new features. So if you don't have a TV and nothing better to do, Be sure to stop by Classic Gang Only as we watch our beloved Pirates try to avoid another losing season.

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.

Down to 16: NCAA Tournament Musings

Arguably the most exciting four days in all of sports has just passed, the two opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. There were a couple of surprises along the way, however none of the top three seeds have been taken out.

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.

Gorzo-GONE-y

Well, it looks like the old weight loss during the off season doesn't make a damn bit of difference for old Gorzo. He was sent down to Triple-A earlier today by Neal Huntington in an apparent effort to send a message. That message being: You Suck.

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.

A Formal letter to Jay Cutler

Dear Mr. 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.

Wah Wah, I'm a baby.

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