67.5

Is 67 1/2 the average temperature for the month of May in the Western Pennsylvania region? Is 67 1/2 the number of cups of coffee that Starbucks in Virginia Manor Shops sells between the hours of 8 AM and 9 AM? Is 67 1/2 the number of You Pick Two's that Paneras Bread sells on an average weekday during the lunch hour? It is none of the above. 67.5 or 67 1/2 is the over and under for the Win total for the Pittsburgh Pirates this upcoming baseball season listed by Vegas Insider. The boys in Vegas think the Pirates are going to win 67 or 68 games(even with Manager Clint Hurdle at the helm). If they win 68, then the Pirates will lose 94 games as the boys in Vegas see it. Wow and the season has not even started yet. Unfortunately for the baseball fans in this region, it has been a uphill battle for the last 18 non-winning seasons. But the Pittsburgh region fans continue to support the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am not even concerned about a winning season at this point for I would just like the Buccos to play .500 baseball and win a total of 81 games. You have to play one game at a time and the fans in this Western PA. region have been unbelievably patient. I firmly believe that the fans patience is running out. The Pirates need to start winning!

Tinkering

It is all over the internet and a continuation of the coverage of stupidity, but Pro Football Talk is discussing Eagles QB Michael Vick not attending a Southeastern Virginia Association Art Gala which he supposedly committed to attend. Who Cares? But it somehow makes news. More focus should be put on the fact that many of the top professional golfers do not play in the St. Jude Classic held in Memphis Tenn. which benefits young children stricken with cancer. I know this tournament follows a Major but the St. Jude Classic is for a great cause.........Hard to believe that a Number 1 nor a Number 2 seed did not make the Final 4 and hats off go to Moon Township and Clarion University grad Coach John Calipari from Kentucky. Talking about coaches, the Butler University coach Brad Stevens is a hot commodity. At only 35 years of age, Stevens teams play smart, with great intensity, and can shoot the basketball. Tennessee probably looked at Stevens for their opening but signed upstart Cuonzo Martin from Missouri State. Cuonzo Martin , from East St. Louis HS and was a stalwart at Purdue, is a coach on the rise in NCAA circles......Get out the papers and the trash and blow the dust off your Golf Clubs because Golf Season is upon us. Nothing like playing a round of golf with your friends(men and women alike) and going out after and having a couple hottie totties(as Myron Cope would say) and talking about all the putts you should have made and all of the stocks you should have bought.

Is 35 better than 30?

The kickoff return is an integral part of a football game as is a punt return. The league is now going to move the kickoff forward from the 30 yard line to the 35 and a touchback will remain the same with the ball staying at the 20 yard line. The rational is to make an effort to somewhat curtail the potential of injuries in the league. Makes sense to me. BUT, a kickoff return is a very exciting part of the football game. Also, the non kickers(10 players)can only have a 5 yard head start running down the field to pursue the kickoff returner. What you are going to see is a multitude of touchbacks in the end zone because of the power in the legs of NFL kickers. How about another rule change while it still can be accomplished. Instead of a 5 yard head start, how about no head start for the kicking team. All 10 special teams guys should just stand on their own 34 yard line and cannot move forward until the ball is thumped by the kicker. Now kickoffs driven into the end zone may be returned more because of the lack of a running start. We all know that shortening the kickoff distance may eliminate some injuries, but it also may induce boredom into the kicking game. When a football player puts on his pads and helmet, and laces up his football shoes, he knows there is a chance for injury. It is the same for a race car driver. Once you are traveling 180+ MPH with bumpers almost touching, a driver knows there is an unreal chance for injury or death. Instead of worrying about shortening the kickoff to the 35 yard line, maybe the NFL hierarchy should openly discuss why there are so many penalties on punts and kickoff returns. If you watch an entire NFL game, it seems that one out of two kicking plays results in a holding call or a block in the back call. There should be more focus on the penalties than on the length of the kickoff.

One Game At A Time

Everywhere I went after work today I heard about Pitt's lose to UConn in the Big East Tournament. I received multiple phone calls from friends about Pitt losing in the Big East Tournament. Numerous Pitt fans are saying this is going to hurt Pitt. I say No Way. I am looking at the flip side of this lose. Now the Pitt Panthers, after a long season, can rest their legs and get ready for the NCAA Tournament. If a team makes it to final game of the Big East, then you are playing a minimum of 3 intense basketball games. My philosophy is just get into the field of 68. Then win 4 games, and you are in the Final Four. Easier said than done. Pitt has a shot at a number 1 seed for the mere reason they were the winners of the Big East regular season. The Big East is one of the toughest leagues, if not the toughest, in NCAA Division 1 basketball. Teams will score points once you get to the field of 68. What winning teams need to do in play really solid defense and rebound the basketball. Pitt does that. The Pitt team runs the floor well, they distribute the ball well, and the Pitt team boxes out well and crashes the offensive glass. It will be interesting to see what happens in the NCAA Tournament, but Pitt has a shot of going a long way. A dangerous team coming down the stretch is the North Carolina Tar Heels. Keep an eye on the Roy Williams' Heels to make noise in the field of 68.

Mock Draft

Now that the NFL Scouting Combine is completed and there is a 7 day extension trying to solve the NFL Labor Dispute, the NFL Draft looms big every year during the last weekend in April. Every football guru from Mel Kiper to Rob Rang(NFL Draft Scout)to Todd McShay(ESPN) has a Mock Draft. Football draftniks love to read this stuff but all the Mock Drafts are basically evolved around the same players with different variations. All of this can be classified as speculation because who knows if there is going to be multitudes of trades just before the draft begins. Most experts know the top 50 players but I am more concerned about the Under The Radar guys that go later in the draft that no one talks about and subsequently some of these Under The Radar players become really good NFL Players. Take for example Browns RB Peyton Hillis, a 7th round selection out of Arkansas. The way Hillis is playing dictates he should have been a 1st round pick. Same with Steelers undrafted free agent James Harrison out of Kent State and Vikings/Ravens veteran Center Matt Birk(6th rounder of of Harvard). How about undrafted free agent undersized DE from U of Maine Jovan Belcher, who was grabbed by the KC Chiefs after the 2009 NFL Draft and now starts at inside Linebacker for the Chiefs and sacked Joe Flacco twice in a playoff game 2 months ago. Mock Drafts are redundant, just tell me about the under the radar guys coming into this 2011 draft, the Tom Bradys of the world who do not get much hype entering the draft but finish their careers as Hall of Fame guys.