Brash and Bold has moved!

WVUTimmy now writes for The Pittsburgh Sports Forum. Please click the link and go there to continue to follow Brash and Bold. 

The Pittsburgh Sports Forum

Can WVU Redeem Themselves Against Maryland?

WVU's match up with Maryland last year was embarrassing, to say the least. WVU had a 7 game win streak against Maryland going into that game, and got clobbered 37-0. The only thing more embarrassing than that loss, WVU's overall season last year.

The WVU/Maryland rivalry has been around for decades. I have to admit, I've never been a big fan. I often made the argument that WVU needed to strengthen it's schedule, and that Maryland held us back. I have since backed off on that stance. My new position has nothing to do with Maryland, although it does help that they joined the Big 10. It is mainly because  WVU now plays in the Big 12, and now has a much tougher schedule.

The WVU/Maryland Rivalry is a one sided rivalry. Here is an excerpt from a blog post I wrote entitled Rivalries in 2010:

One Sided Rivalries: These are rivalries that are only honored by teams and fans on the losing side. This is what we had with Penn St. until 1984. You get fired up to finally beat the team that pounds you 90% of the time. Or 100% of the time in the case of Penn St. at that time. The perception of a rivalry is viewed solely by the losing side. The winning side usually views the losing side as target practice. There are thousands of these rivalries in sports. WVU currently has this sort of rivalry with Maryland and Rutgers. They will pull an upset on us every once in a while. But most of the time, we dominate them. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the current Cleveland Browns are in this situation in the NFL

I stand by those words. The rivalry with Maryland is one sided. The Terps hate the Mountaineers, and the Mountaineers mostly roll their eyes at the Terps. The two teams that will meet on Saturday are the same two who met last year, not much has changed. Maryland has a strong QB in C.J. Brown. He is mobile and has a strong arm. They also have a good receiving corps with Diggs and Long, and a strong defense. WVU is also the same team, except for one aspect, attitude. WVU is confident and strong this year. The great game they played against Alabama lit a fire in them. And I think that fire is going to burn Maryland. The defining factor will be WVU QB Clint Trickett, who did not play in the Maryland game last year. WVU is 10th in the FBS in passing yards per game at 360 yards. The offense is clicking and the defense is 100% stronger. It will all be too much for Maryland this year.

WVU is hungry and wants to be ranked again. My prediction, they send Maryland down in flames!!

WVU Didn't Get a "W" Against Alabama on Saturday, But They Got an "R"; Respect.

It had been along time since I had seen WVU get such little respect. Saturday morning was driving me nuts. From ESPN to CBS Sports to NBC Sports, it was all the same. WVU would get killed, the game would be over by half time, blah, blah, blah.  All the so called "Pundits" talked about was how great Alabama was, not an ounce of respect for WVU. One mediocre and one bad season seemed to have destroyed 25 years of growth and earned respect. It was as if the 80's had returned. Yes, the 80's, back when ESPN would repeatedly call WVU the University of West Virginia, UWV.

I sent out a tweet right at halftime of the game.

18 Retweets, 21 Favorites. It had struck a chord. WVU had shown that they could hang in there with Alabama. And the Mountaineer alumni and fans wanted what was due to them, respect. As I stated in my previous blog, I didn't expect WVU to win. But I hoped they would come to play, and come to play they did. Coach Holgorsen took a huge step forward with this team on Saturday. The Defense looked 100% better And with the exception of some dropped passes, the Offense was clicking. This game could have easily gone the other way. The rest of the Big 12 stood up and took notice on Saturday. WVU is back, and will be a contender in the Big 12 this year. I am really looking forward to seeing what this team will do this season. 

WVU 2014 Football: What Going To happen?

WVU struggled last year. With a rotating QB situation, and arguably the worst defense in the NCAA, the Mountaineers were routed to a 4 -8 record and no bowl appearance. Needless to say, it was an embarrassment for all WVU alumni and fans. However, 2015 looks to be different. And actually, needs to be different, or heads will roll.

Mountaineer Head Coach Dana Holgorsen is in a do or die situation. He replaced the late Bill Stewart, WVU Head coach from 2007 to 2010. Bill led the Mountaineers to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Big 12 Champion Oklahoma in his first game as coach in 2007. Bill then went 9-4 in each of his 3 full seasons as head coach. But 9-4 was no longer acceptable, and Bill was let go. WVU has grown over the decades to be a force within the NCAA. The expectations have drastically changed over the years. The Mountaineers are without a National Championship. The fans and alumni are aching for one, this blog writer included. So the message was sent, 9-4 would no longer do. WVU AD Oliver Luck went with an up and coming new coach from the very conference they were joining, the Big 12. Dana Holgorsen was the talk of the town when WVU signed him. He was going to led us down the road to glory. But so far that road has been a rough one. Dana is 21-17 in his first three seasons, Bill was 28-12. With the Mountaineer's abysmal record last year, 4-8, Dana should realize that he is in the hot seat. And I am sure he does. So where are his mountaineers? And what needs to happen for him to stay as head coach?

The Mountaineers look a lot better than they did last year. Coach Holgorsen has a vibrant, young team. That fact combined with QB Clint Trickett having a year under his belt with this offense, puts the Mountaineers in a much better position than they were a year ago. Even with a surgically repaired shoulder, Trickett should have a good year. He also has a strong back up in Paul Millard. Highly touted freshman QB William Crest Jr. will be a return man this year. The Mountaineers are also deep at the running back position and the receiving corps looks good, The O-Line is young, but should be healthy and much improved. The Offense is not the big question this year, the Defense is the enigma of this team. Tony Gibson comes in as their 4th Defensive Coordinator in as many years. His Defense is healthier than last year, and many of his younger players have experience due to last years injuries. After being dead last in 3rd downs in the NCAA last year, the defense can go no where but up. And Gibson looks to be able to take them there. He needs to get more heat on the QB, and is focusing the defense in that direction. With edge rushers Shaquille Riddick and Noble Nwachukwu on the D-Line, third downs should be very different this year. 

As for Holgorsen's job, this blogger sees four things that need to happen:

1. WVU must have a winning record.

2. WVU must go to a bowl.

3. WVU must win their Bowl game.

4. WVU must have one major upset this year. And their schedule offers plenty of opportunity to do so. Starting with Alabama in the first game. (I doubt very seriously that it will happen, but wouldn't it be nice?)

In all honesty, if Coach Holgorsen does the first two, he should retain his job. Although numbers 3 and 4 would lock him into the job. I think AD Oliver Luck needs to give him ample opportunity to build a team. The transition from Stewart to Holgorsen was handled poorly. And I think it has had some long term effects. I'm not blaming the horrible 2013 season on it, but I believe the entire situation at WVU right now is still affected by it,  If there is ample progress in the program this year, Coach Holgosen should keep his job.

So my prediction?  WVU goes 7-5, 8-4 if they're lucky. They will go to a minor bowl, and win it. As for the first game against Alabama? Alabama is also an enigma this year. But they should be a Top 10 team. WVU will begin it's season with a loss, hopefully not a bad one. As for Coach Holgosen: He'll keep his job and hopefully lead us to great seasons in the future.

Bye Bye Bud! And Advice For The New Commish?

It's Thursday August 14, 2014. A huge day for MLB. Today the owners will pick a new Commissioner of Baseball, and the reign of Bud Selig will be over in January.  So Yinzers, what do you think? Any advice for the new guy? 

I was never a Selig fan myself. In my opinion, he was to easy going when it came to discipline (Anyone remember the Roberto Alomar spitting incident?) and he turned a blind eye to performance enhancing drugs until the media and the public made him take action. He always seemed to want to make everyone happy if he could, not the trait of a good leader. The current war between the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles over television fees is a perfect example. Selig has been useless throughout the entire mess. 

On the other side of the coin, people argue that Selig was a huge asset to baseball. He instituted inter-league play, revenue sharing, the Division Series, Wild Card play, and drug testing. He also led the league out of a devastating strike. 

But was he a friend of the small market team even though he owned one? I'm not sure. The Yankees and Red Sox always seems to get what they wanted. While teams like Pittsburgh had to struggle. 

This is part of the reason why I don't want Tom Werner, Chairman of the Red Sox, to be the new Commish. And Bud never came close to even trying to institute a salary cap program similar to the one that benefited the NFL and NHL. 

So what's your opinion? Any advice? How will this affect our Buccos? And who should be the new commish? 

Let's Put the Wretched Rangers Away early

If anyone didn't see Dejan Kovacevis's article yesterday, it's worth a read. The Pens could use s short series in these playoffs to help insure a Stanley Cup Victory. All three of our Stanley Cup Championship Teams have had one. The Pens need to put the wretched Rangers away tomorrow night. It's time to move on. And the way our defense is playing, and their offense isn't, it could happen.
 
Let's Go Pens!!!!

Kovacevic: Finish off wretched Rangers

The Numbers Are Tight, But History Tells the Tale.

The Penguins have a huge match up in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, their dangerous rivals, the New York Rangers. The boys in blue from New York have played our boys well this year. The record is tied in 4 games. Not bad. Looking at Fleury's and Lundqvist;s playoff records for this year, also pretty even. It's looking to be a very good series. Personally, I am glad the Rangers beat the Flyers. A series against them would have been brutal. Possibly doing damage to a point that could prevent the Penguins from advancing further in the playoffs. And history says that our Penguins will vanquish the Rangers. 

Here is what Josh Yohe from the TribLive Sports had to say yesterday: 

"Statistics, though, suggest the Penguins are the favorite in this series.

Since taking over as Penguins coach in 2009, Dan Bylsma's record against the Rangers is 17-7-3. His record against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden is 9-4-0.

With Sidney Crosby in the lineup — Crosby has missed nine games against the Rangers in the Bylsma era because of injuries — the Penguins record against New York is 13-4-1. When Bylsma has Crosby at his disposal, the Penguins are 7-2-0 at Madison Square Garden."

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/6030892-74/penguins-rangers-crosby#ixzz30aLkKKlp 

Pretty good statistics, especially with a healthy Crosby. And speaking of Crosby, my prediction is he gets his first goal tonight. He is way overdue. 

My other prediction, Fleury will have a great series. I say this in advance of dealing with all his detractors on Twitter every time he makes a mistake. He's a great goalie, and I think his head is back in the game. 

So, Let's Go Pens!! Let's start this thing off right tonight!!

P.S. I know I fell off the face of the earth for a while. I just recently got married, so I'll blame that. But WVUTimmy is back baby!!! ; )

Once again, West Virginia University is the #1 Party school in the country! Which is great, because we aren't going to be #1 in any other major sports this year. The Quarterback Carousel continues this week, with Clint Trickett replacing injured freshman quarterback Ford Childress. Childress injured his chest in the shameful 37-0 loss to the pathetic Maryland Terrapins. After 7 victories in a row against this so-called rivalry, WVU fell flat on it's face. Right now, I don't see even a low level bowl game in WVU's future. And basketball wont be much better. The 2011 recruiting class is almost completely gone. Coach Huggins finds himself once again building from scratch with a young team. 

So take joy in our #1 Party school ranking mountaineers, It's all we have right now. Go WVU!!!

To see the Huffington Post story on the rankings, click the link below: 

WVU #1 Party School

Is Barry Bonds now the definition of a bad guy?

Ryan Braun apologized for the damage his PED use has done to the game of baseball. I personally don't care. The damage is done. And most of the damage didn't come from his PED use. It came from his deny-till-you-die attitude. It came from him attacking his accusers, proclaiming his innocence despite the evidence, and demonstrating the characteristics of a horrible human being. It came from his Bondsian attitude toward the whole thing. That's right, Bondsian. Barry Bonds, with the help of Roger Clemens, has set the standard for being an a**hole in the game of baseball. To me, Barry is not the Homerun Champion. He will always be the jerk player who could not throw out Sid Bream in the 1992 NLCS. Sid Bream, who was waddling toward homeplate, actually out waddled the arm of the great Barry Bonds. 

This year was the first time in almost 50 years that all of the inductees of the Baseball Hall of Fame were dead. The two best known living eligible players, Bonds and Clemens, are considered disgraced drug cheats and who will probably never see HOF induction, as it should be. And as it should be for Braun. I love the game of baseball, and it kills me when players disgrace it. Barry could have overcome his scandal by taking a different path. The path of a man with character. He could have stood up to the facts and admitted his guilt right from the start and apologized. He could then have begun work to rebuild his reputation. He would have eventually been forgiven. People hate cheaters, but they hate hypocrites even more. Now he lives a life of shame. Too bad Braun didn't learn from Bonds' example, now his will share the same fate. Sad, just sad. 

Is Barry now the poster boy for PED use? Was Braun's apology too little too late? What do you think?

Please Stop Playing "Find the Hillbilly" at West Virginia Games!! (Reprise)

The West Virginia University Mountaineers will open against the William and Mary Tribe, next Saturday, August 31st at noon EST on Fox Sports 1. The next nationally televised game is an away game on Fox on Saturday Sept. 7th at 7pm against the #16 Oklahoma Sooners.  Oddly, right now, the home game against William and Mary is the one I am more interested in watching. I want to see if something has changed. On August 31st, the television crews will descend on Morgantown. They will show our wonderful stadium, beautiful campus, and great team to the nation. They will do a pre-game show and talk about the upcoming battle with Oklahoma, and our chances this year in the Big 12. It will be a typical college pre-game right up to the kick off. But while all that is going on, I suspect that they will be doing something else, something devious. The Television Director, whomever he may be, will instruct his crew to play "Find the Hillbilly". It happens every year. And it doesn't matter which network is televising the game. It has become a certainty. Sometime during the game, they will zoom the cameras in on a hillbilly. They will settle for a redneck if need be, but they really want a hillbilly. He will have a scruffy beard and semi-toothless grin. He'll be wearing a flannel shirt, hunting jacket and pants. And an Elmer Fudd hat. And with our luck, he'll be screaming and cursing at his wife because Andrew Buie just fumbled the ball. Actually, the hillbilly will probably be standing next to his friend Jethro. Jethro will be wearing old faded jeans, boots, a WVU T-shirt with his gut hanging out of it, and a baseball cap that says " Naked Twister, where everyone is a winner." Once the camera hits them, the color commentator will say something like: "Boy the West Virginia faithful really come out in droves to support their team". That statement is true. The West Virginia faithful do come out in droves to support the Mountaineers. And it is wonderful that the citizens of West Virginia support our team the way that they do.

However, I was born in West Virginia. I am a proud WVU alumnus. And I have attended hundreds of WVU home games. And I can never seem to find these hillbillies that the television cameras find. OK, not true, I have found them. I am not going to pretend that they don't exist. But when I do find them, they stand out from the crowd. And that's the point.

My friends here in DC will read this and say "Oh come on Tim, there are hundreds of hillbillies at your games. It's West Virginia!" The fact is, WVU has fans and alumni from all over the country that attend those games. And the vast majority of the fans that are from West Virginia do not dress or act any differently than the rest of the fan base. Most are wearing WVU apparel, or at least blue and gold clothing. But the television director always finds the guy who drove his family up from the holler to attend the game. They look for the Elmer Fudd hat.

Actually, you can find hillbillies at a lot of college games, All you need to do is watch the ACC. And I know you can find them at games in the SEC; Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina. Especially South Carolina. Do you think a hillbilly is going to pass on the chance to yell "You can't beat our Cocks!!" in public? I am also sure they attend games in Conference USA, and the MAC Conference. But I watch those games, and never see them. They are there, but I never see them. I see cheerleaders, fans, marching bands, kids, player's parents, students, but not hillbillies. Because in the eyes of the television director, hillbillies only attend WVU games. And they don't even know if Jethro and his friend are from West Virginia. OK, they probably are. But they could be from Southern Pennsylvania, or Western Maryland, both of which have plenty of hillbillies, and aren't far from Morgantown. If I had to pick one, it would be Western Maryland. I know, I am doing a little wishful thinking here. Ninety nine percent chance they are both from West Virginia.

Our Mascot was originally a hillbilly. Seventy years ago this year our mascot, the beloved Mountaineer, was created. The Mountaineer was originally a moonshine carrying, bib overall wearing, weed chewing hillbilly. Now the Mountaineer is a buck skin wearing, coonskin capped, musket wielding, Daniel Boone type character. Our Mountaineer was named number 8 in a list of the 12 Coolest Mascots in College Football by the Associated Press in 2010. The Mountaineer changed over the years, because we changed over the years. 

The Mountaineer

represents how the West Virginians view themselves. The Mountaineer represents the years of progress this university's sports programs have gone through. And because of that progress, and the increased television exposure, the Mountaineer is now one of the coolest mascots in college sports. It took WVU decades to earn the respect it now has in football and basketball.

Our flying WV is recognized throughout college sports. Fans my age remember when that wasn't the case. We remember when we were rarely on national television. Now we are televised nationally almost every Saturday. So please, Mr. Television Director, don't play find the hillbilly at our games this year. Don't tarnish our image by searching for stereotypes, just to get a laugh. The West Virginians are a large part of our loyal fan base. They are good people, and don't deserve to be misrepresented. I am just asking for a little respect, that's all.

The Pirates Take On My Red Capped Step Children

If you go to a Little League game, and your kids are on one team, and your step kids are on another, you secretly root for your kids. You are nice and root for your step kids as well, but you want your kids to win. I find myself  in a similar situation this week, as the Pirates and Nationals square off for a 4 game series here in DC. The Nationals are my step kids, but the Pirates are my kids. 

We went for a longtime without baseball here in Washington, over 30 years. The main reason for the ridiculous amount of time, Peter Angelos, majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles. Angelos did not want another team so close to his market. Many DC residents were, and many still are, Orioles fans. For years, the only way to go to a live game was to drive to Baltimore. Now I am not sure how familiar you are with driving in the DC area. Trust me, it's rarely a pleasure. A trek to Baltimore on a game day was a 2 hour haul,  if you got lucky. 

Then Major League Baseball wised up. They saw the huge potential for baseball in the heavily populated DC area. Between the two cities, there are plenty of fans to support two teams. MLB negotiated a deal with Angelos, grabbed the Montreal Expos out of their dying market, and brought them to Washington. It was great!! Baseball was finally back in the nations capital!! We all embraced the Nats.  I love going to the games. And I do root for the Nats, unless they are playing my Bucs. When it comes to professional sports, I bleed back and gold. 

This series will be a pitching based. The Nats are slumping and not hitting very well right now. And both the Nats and the Pirates have low team batting averages, .240 and .243 respectively. The clincher will be the Pirates league leading team ERA and strong bullpen. The Pirates strong pitching staff should make the difference and be enough to take 3 of these 4 games. I'll be tweeting (@wvutimmy) live from 2 of the games. First on Tuesday night as our rookie Garrett Cole takes apart the Nats. And then on Thursday afternoon, while A.J. Burnett goes up against Gio Gonzalez, a great pitching match up. If you are going to either game, look for me on the Big Red Porch. I'll be the guy in the free Hernandez hat! Just kidding. ; )  Let's Go Bucs!!!

I want to be excited, I really do.

I so want to be excited. As of the writing of this blog, the Pirates are tied for first place, not only in the National League, but in all of MLB. They are 48-30 and 18 games over .500 for the first time since 1992. I want to be excited, I really do. However, 20 years of empirical evidence tells me not to be. Every time there has been even a glimmer of hope, the Bucs have come crashing down. And I hate that feeling. That feeling that comes from watching a team that you love end their season with an epic fail. Did anyone catch the Eastern Conference Finals of the NHL Playoffs this year? Of course you did. You know what feeling I am talking about.

When it comes to sports, the Pirates were my first love. As a young boy growing up in the late 60s in Weirton, WV, just 30 minutes west of Pittsburgh, my love of sports was honed during the Pirates heyday. My father took us to games on a regular basis. He loved baseball, and he loved the Pirates. The sports scene was different then. There was no Steeler Nation, the Immaculate Reception had not yet occurred. The Penguins were a brand new team just starting to make their way in the NHL. The Pirates were the love of the city. My first team was the Pirates, and my hero was Roberto Clemente. So it's hard to keep from getting excited, even after 20 years of let down. I have seldom blogged about the Pirates because of their abysmal record. As I stated in a blog post two years ago: My mother told me that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. 

These Pirates are fun to watch. It's great to see them on a winning streak this close to the All Star Game. So I have to admit, I am excited. I know the Pirates history tells me not to believe. But I find myself believing anyway. I am enjoying every minute of this. I hope it lasts, I hope things have changed. I only have one goal for our Bucs this year, just compete. Don't let baseball season end in Pittsburgh when Steelers training camp begins, like it has for so many of the last 20 years. Just give me something to watch in September. I am not going to ask for October, not yet, not at this point in time. But man, that would be nice too.

It's Time for Leadership!!

To quote Friedrich Nietzsche "...if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." That, my friends, is exactly where our Penguins find themselves, gazing into the abyss. I am not going to go into details as to why or how, that is all said and done. Plus I don't tend to do that in this blog. The Pens need to look forward, and to face their future. For them to avoid the abyss, it will take leadership. Great leadership. We can all call out Bylsma, that's fine. A head coach should take a lashing when a team of this caliber falls apart, as the Penguins have. But it isn't Bylsma who needs to take the reigns here, it's Crosby and Malkin. 

The test is upon them. Can our two superstars motivate this team to begin to once again play like the great team that they are? Motivation comes from within. It's the energizer that makes people take action. Can Crosby and Malkin get the Penguins motivated? It wont be easy, down two games and headed into a lions den to play the third. But if anyone can, it's Sidney Crosby; Calder Memorial Trophy Winner, Hart Memorial Trophy Winner, Olympic Gold Medalist, and of course, Stanley Cup Champion. Sid understands leadership, and combined with the example that Malkin is able to set on the ice, should be able to get this team back on their feet. Hopefully the Penguin's morale isn't damaged to a point of no return. I actually doubt that it is. Players of this high a talent level do not give up so easily. 

The leadership will have to come from within, from the leaders on the ice themselves. The coach can make adjustments, but only Crosby and Malkin can lead this team away from the abyss. I am constantly reminded on both Twitter and Facebook to remember '91. Yeah, I do. And the man who lead the Penguins out of that abyss is still with us today. I hope he was in the locker room today. I hope he and Sid have talked. I hope he has and will talk to the team. Crosby and Malkin can lead, but what an asset to have the great Mario Lemieux as the owner of your team. 

I will end this blog post with another quote from Friedrich Nietzsche: "Whatever does not kill you, makes you stronger." Let's all hope our boys are thinking that way. 

 

Do the Pens Chances in the Playoffs Rest on One Man's Shoulders?

The answer is obviously no. Hockey is the ultimate team sport. Unlike other sports fans, hockey fans are lucky if they see their heroes play for 1/3 of the game. Except for the goalie, whom we usually see the entire time. And if we don't see him for the entire time, it is commonly for a bad reason. We are quick to give accolades to our heroes when the our teams win. Standing ovations for Crosby, Malkin, Neal, and Kunitz are not uncommon in Pittsburgh. But if the Pens lose, one man usually carries the blame, Marc-Andre Fleury. As is the case for every goaltender in hockey, the loss rests on his shoulders, justified or not. He becomes the scapegoat, the center of criticism, and the subject for critique. Fans seldom see the lack of defensive play that leads to goals, only that the goaltender didn't stop the puck.

All that being said, one fact is true. To win the Stanley Cup, a team needs a certain amount of luck, and a hot goalie. The puck has to bounce your way a few times to become champion, and your goaltender has to make a few impossible stops. And I thank God that the Penguins have one who can.

We are all trying to forget the horrific 4 -2 first round playoff loss to the Flyers last year. And I am sure the Pens are as well. Fleury allowed 26 goals in that six game series. It's hard to bounce back from such a poor series. But if the regular season is any indication, then the Pens have bounced back, and so has Fluery. He has 23 wins and a 2.39 GAA in this lockout shortened season. And in the Eastern Conference, only Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers has better stats. Fleury won a Stanley Cup with the Pens in 2009, and was with them when they lost in the finals the year before. He has a great disposition, he accepts the blame in a heartbeat when the team loses. And coincidentally, he can also shake off a loss better than any goaltender in the league. He is great, and one of the Penguin's best draft picks ever. Let's make sure we all remember these facts during these playoffs if the Pens lose, and especially when they win. He deserves a standing ovation as well.

Oh, and as for the question above, if you ask Marc-Andre Fleury, the answer is obviously yes.

What Should Be An Easy Road, But Wont Be.

Believe it or not, the Steelers can actually still go to the playoffs. After two inexcusable losses in a row, the first time in three years for Big Ben, our boys are still in it. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. All they have to do is win out. If they can beat the Bengals and the Browns in the last two games, at home mind you, they will be in the playoffs. I can't believe I actually started that last sentence with an "If". That's how sad the situation has gotten. You know, with the Penguins not playing, you would think the Steelers would give us more to cheer about. But after the last two weeks, I think they should change their name back to what it originally was, The Pittsburgh Pirates.

In my humble opinion, the entire problem boils down to leadership. It's a coaching problem, nothing more, nothing less. If Big Ben has a problem with Todd Haley, then Tomlin needs to step in and fix it. Maybe Ben needs to grow up, maybe Haley doesn't have the best people skills. I am not sure which it is, and I really don't care. Tomlin needs to fix it, that's his job. And I also think that is where the problem lies. Tomlin can not get his team up for the lesser opponents. I am not sure he has their heads in the right place. Look at some of the Steelers losses; Oakland, Tennessee, Cleveland, San Diego. I wont throw Dallas in there. They have actually stepped up as a team, they were at home, our secondary was banged up, and Ben threw a stupid, worthless pass for an interception in overtime. But the other four are inexcusable. It's just like any other business, if you can't get your people to take the little things seriously, you will not succeed. The Steelers should be 11-3 right now, not 7-7. They should be sitting on top of the AFC, not struggling for a 6th seed Wild Card spot. And it all falls on one man, Tomlin. He's not coaching Cowher's team anymore, this is his team, and he needs to step up and get these guys on the same page. A game against San Diego is just as important and just as dangerous as a game against Baltimore. And while he is doing it, he needs to fire Special Teams Coach Amos Jones. The fumbles and poor play are killing the Steelers.

So let's hope for two more wins folks. But to be honest, they way things have gone, I would be more optimistic if we were playing Denver and New England, instead of Cincinnati and Cleveland. Man, that's a weird, sad statement.

5 Things I Never Thought I Would Say This Year

It all started on Sunday afternoon with the 1pm NFL games, I found myself saying things I never thought I would say.

1.The Washington Redskins made a great move trading picks to get RGIII.   That's right, I am giving the Redskins, who I usually refer to as the Foreskins, some credit. I originally thought  that trading top picks for a rookie quarterback when the team obviously needed some top notch offensive linemen was ridiculous. I was wrong. This kid is great and the Skins may actually be able to build a team around him. I guess that is shy Brice Allen is running the team and I am a Sunday afternoon barstool expert. Now what should the Skins do with Kyle Shanahan? Discuss among yourselves.

2. The Cleveland Browns got robbed.  The Browns had the Dallas Cowboys beat, but then in usual form, gave up their lead in the last minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime. The Cowboys then won when an obvious fumble by Miles Austin was ruled an incomplete pass. The play was ruled not reviewable because a whistle had blown the play dead. Poor Cleveland. And now they get to look forward to next week and the beating that the Steelers will put on them, probably with QB Charlie Batch at the helm.

3. WVU will squeak into a bowl this year. The Mountaineers looked great on offense in a heartbreaking 50-49 loss to #12 Oklahoma on Saturday night. But they have no defense. The Mountaineers will only need to win one of it's last two games to bowl eligible this year with a 6-6 record. This is the destiny of a team that was supposed to contend for a major BCS Bowl and win the Heisman Trophy with it's star quarterback Geno Smith. But the bowl pickings are light this year. It will be a struggle to find 70, that's right 70, teams with a .500 record, especially with teams like Ohio State, Penn State, and North Carolina not being allowed to participate. The Mountaineer fan base is known for traveling well, and the team generates very good national televison ratings. These two factors will launch WVU into post season play, probably in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Yea.

4. WVU should do whatever it can to keep the University of Maryland on it's football schedule. That's right, I have totally flip flopped on this issue. And I will be as unapologetic as Mitt Romney about it. The University of Maryland announced today that it will join the Big 10 conference. This move by the Big 10 is completely financial. Maryland obviously is not of high enough caliber to compete in the Big 10 in football. However, the Big 10 wants to be in the lucrative DC and New York markets, and Maryland is part of that solution. Rutgers, who is also joining the Big 20, is the other. I never liked the idea of Maryland being on the WVU schedule. I always felt they weakened WVU's BCS position and the idea that it is some kind of rivalry is just a joke. However, with Maryland joining the Big 10, the television contract and added exposure of this game could be lucrative for the Mountaineers both financially and recruiting wise. So let's keep the Twerps on our schedule if we can. It will also keep the local DC Mountaineer Alumni happy.

5. Notre Dame will play in the BCS National Championship Game. The Irish are #1 in the BCS rankings today for the first time ever, thanks to losses by Kansas State and Oregon. I have said for years that Notre Dame's championship football days were over. I agreed with the logic that the schools small size, awful location, and high academic standards would keep it out of competition in modern day college football. Well Head Coach Brian Kelly has proven me wrong. In just two years, he has placed the program back into the collegiate elite. Notre Dame will beat USC on Saturday, and then head into the National Championship Game to probably face Alabama. Unless Georgia can put a whooping on Bama in the SEC Championship game.

What a weird weekend it was.

Geno Smith and WVU head to Texas

The #8 WVU Mountaineers and Geno Smith are headed to Texas to face the #11 Longhorns this Saturday night. Here is what they are saying in Texas.

WVU Football Preview

It's Game Week in Morgantown!! And it's almost Game Day! Man, do I remember those. The parties at the Pike House the night before, getting up in the morning to giant pots of Bloody Mary's and Screw Drivers, the wild and extravagant WVU tailgating, and of course, the game. Ahhh, those were the days.  I am even excited about it sitting here in Washington, DC decades later. Our Mountaineers are about to kick off their first season in the Big 12, which is exciting in and of itself. At noon on Saturday they take on Marshall, who they should destroy. Marshall always plays WVU hard. But I see our Mountaineers maintaining their undefeated status against the Thundering Herd.

Here is a Mountaineer Football Preview courtesy of beyondusports.com. It's a good and fair assessment. Enjoy.

Will We Have Hockey This Season?

That is the $64,000,000 Question right now.  A loyal fan base awaits the answer. The current CBA ends on September 15th, and training camps are supposed to start around Sept. 21st. If you are thinking that we don't have much time, you are right. Bob Rossi  opines on the subject in his Pens Blog, Chippe dIce on Triblive.com. He makes some great points. Enjoy.

Call Me Maybe

Our Steelers had some fun with this one. If you haven't seen their video of "Call Me Maybe", you are missing something. Check it out by clicking below:

Call Me Maybe!!

Enjoy!!!