This is for all those uninformed, casual baseball fans who are livid that the Pirates would do such an awful thing as "Rebuild" or "Blow up the Nucleus".

You sir, are the same, dead beat, typical yinzer, who complains, whines, and moans, and says you'll never root for (Penguins, Steelers, Pirates) again because they insult you and steal your hard earned cash.  You call the talk shows when you should be working on I-79, to cry your gator tears to Guy Junker about what an awful deal the Pirates just made.

You probably threw a fit when Kasperitis, Jagr, Straka, Lang, etc., packed their bags because the Pens were unwilling to keep them over money.  You probably weren't even there in the Arena Sids rookie year when only 8000 people showed up for the games, and the crowds were filled mostly with HS and college kids trying to get out of the cold.  Heck, you were probably ticked that the team was being led by Crosby and a bunch of "prospects" like Ryan Malone and Max Talbot.

But, I bet you have your blue Crosby jersey hanging above your TV set now. Its signed,and sits next to your MAF flag.  You waited for 5 hours at the Mall at Robinson for the autograph, but it makes your latest girlfriend think you're hot, and thats EXACTLY the kind of thing a REAL Pittsburgher should base a relationship on. You tell everyone you see what a die hard you are, and you hate Marian Hossa with a passion.  You've got 1000 novelty Pens T-shirts to go with your army of "Stiller" ones.

And guess what?  You're an insult to Pittsburgh sports.  Your ignorance exceeds only your short-sightedness, and your lack of loyalty probably reflects your personality in everyday life.

When the Bucs DO succeed, and are in a pennant race, and guys like Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris are leading us through it, don't dare set foot in PNC Park if you have any sense of decency.  Leave the tickets to the people who have lived and died with this team through the winning AND the 15 emotionally crippling years of losing.

But who am I kidding.  You'll probably be right there, clutching your Iron City, wearing your shirt that says "Super LaRoche Bros.", which has Andy and Adam dressed like Mario and Luigi.  You got it for 5 bucks on the Clemente Bridge from the SAME VENDOR you got your green protest shirt from 5 years earlier. 

Just know that today was truly the beginning of a "New Pirate Generation" and if you're not on board now, don't pretend to be years down the road...

"Take me out to where the Pirates play

Catch the sights, cheer the plays, feel the glory of yesterday

Centerfield, grand slams, fans and Cracker Jack

Crowd cheers, I don't care if I ever get back

I listen to the game with my radio on

Clap along to the rhythm of a Bucco song

Two aboard, full count with nobody out

Stomp your feet, line drive everybody shout

Root, root, root for our home team

A new Pirate generation everybody shout, "Let's Go Bucs!"

With every slide there'll be Pittsburgh pride

At the ol' ball game everybody shout, Let's Go Bucs!

Cross the bridge, through the gate to the field of green

Young and old stories told from your childhood dream

Pops, Wagner, Traynor, Maz, and heroes yet to be named

Great catch, clutch hits like Clemente played

I listen to the game with my radio on

Clap along to the rhythm of a Bucco song

Two aboard, full count with nobody out

Stomp your feet, line drive everybody shout

Root, root, root for our home team

A new Pirate generation everybody shout, "Let's Go Bucs!"

Let it ring baby.  Get in, or get out.

Good Day

P.S. You'll burn Jason Bay in effigy when we play the Sox in the Series, because a REAL Pittsburgh athlete wouldn't have gotten traded.  They didn't trade Bradshaw did they?

I said good day.

The source of reluctance to change the current college football postseason system is that the major conferences want to keep the bowl system intact.  What if they could have their bowls, and STILL have a playoff as well?  Its this simple.

Split the BCS Conferences into Regions-There are currently 3 conferences that hold conference title games; the Big 12, ACC, and SEC.  There are also three who do not; the Big 10, Pac-10, and Big East.  Split the conferences on those lines.  At the conclusion of the regular season and conference title games, the final BCS rankings are released as they normally are.  However, instead of using those standings to directly determine who plays for the National Championship, they're instead used to determine who plays in two regional championship games.  The highest two ranked teams from the ACC, Big 12, and SEC play each other, and the highest two ranked teams in the Big 10, Big East, and Pac-10 play each other.  The winners of those two games play for the national championship.  This would solve a couple of problems:

#1. Teams forced to play in a confrence title game are no longer at a disadvantage.  Under this system, they would not have to compete against teams that do not have to play a confrence title game for a spot in the BCS title game.

#2 Teams that don't earn they're way into a regional title game have no logical arguement to be in the BCS title game.  If they aren't even one of the best 2 teams in their region, then they can't be one of the best 2 teams in the country.  The losers of the regional title games would also not have a reasonable arguement for themselves either, seeing as they lost their title game.  The arguements for who is #1 and #2 become arguements for who is #3 and #4.

After the regional title games, the bowl season is carried out as it always has been.  Conference champs not in the title game receive bids to the BCS bowls, and then at-large teams are invited, etc.  These BCS games lose none of their luster because the losers of the regional title games would have been there anyway.  Everything, with the exception of two games, stays exactly the same.

This also makes an incredible amount of sense for the conferences financially as well.  Since nothing in the grand structure of the college football season changes, the money still trickles to where it would have gone anyway.  However, in addition to this, the 3 conferences in each region could split the money from a regional title game 3 ways.  After a TV deal, sponsorship, and ticket sales, this could add up to quite a bit of money.

So, no one loses.  The fans get their playoff.  The conferences get their bowls and money.  All the system needs is a small tweek to make everyone happy.

Bumped from the Fanposts. Thanks, Fugimaster.

Here at BSD, where most of us follow PSU football on a daily basis, we're generally in our respective camps when it comes to what we think should happen with Joe at the end of the year..  There are the "Let him coach till he wants to quit or we tank" people, and there are the "Nudge him out so he doesn't hurt recruiting/Get a fresh start" people.  I happen to fall in the "keep him" crowd, however, both sides make valid points, and this post is not to argue about what SHOULD happen, but what might happen.

Now, as I said, we're all mostly decided on what we think, but I feel the vast majority of the PSU fan base is not.  A large segment of the PSU population goes with the flow, and gets caught up in the moment.   If you polled all Nittany Lion fans after the 2005 season and asked what they thought should happen to Joe, I bet you'd have found very different response than you would today.  Right now, the bandwagon is back at the "Hes just to old "stage, but I'm wondering if a 11-2 or 12-1 season would change things back to "the older the better!" yet again.

Never underestimate the bandwagon folks.  There are far more casual PSU fans than diehards (You know, the people who root for Pitt basketball?).  How much do you think the public opinion will affect the decision making at Old Main if Joe refuses to go out on his own, either after a Rose Bowl win, or after another 9-4 season?  Can Joe give himself another 2-3 if he wants them after a successful season?

In my opinion, I think the chances of Joe "going out on top" are slim to none, especially if Bobby Bowden keeps on coaching.  The more he sees himself outcoaching guys half his age, the more, I think, he'll want to stay around and go for the wins record.  And if he does give us a great season, I think administration will have no choice but to bring him back. Paterno will have the support of the fans, and he'll be holding all of the cards.

Thoughts?

Hi there Pinstripe Ally,

I'm a Pirate fan, dropping my head in to see your comments on the game tonight (Raise the Jolly Roger! 2 of 3!).  I was interested to see one commenter inquire about the Bucs dealing Jason Bay for starting pitching, so I figured I'd put in my opinions and knowledge out the, not only on that notion, but other possibilities of trades between our two clubs.

The Pirates have the most productive outfield in the National League, with Bay in left, All-Star Nate McLouth in center, and Xavier Nady in right.  Nate is under contract, and won't be going anywhere anytime soon.  However, the other two are tradeable pieces, and a good offer with SP at the deadline could really help both of us.  Our outfielders have time left on their deals, and would not simply be rent-a-players that could end up being a waste of prospects if the Yanks miss the playoffs.  It would be a deal that doesn't risk the long term for the short term, yet could help significantly in the short term anyway, which is what I assume the Yanks will be looking for.  Of the two, I'd expect Nady to be the one more likely to move.  Bay has been the established star in Pittsburgh for years, and if we decide to keep one of them, it will probably be Bay.  That said, no one is untouchable, and if the Yankees give us a good offer for Bay, he could move. 

The Bucs can also offer bullpen help, which the Bombers could use as well.  Damaso Marte is a left handed specialist, currently serving as the Bucco closer as Matt Capps sits on the shelf.  After a rough start in the first two games in Atlanta, where he gave up 2 ER and 4 ER respectively, Marte has given up only 9 since in 41 appearances, and only 6 since April 22.  Last year, he dominated lefties, yielding only a .094 batting average against.  He, along with John Grabow, have been the anchors of our otherwise erratic middle relief corps.  Both will also be available at the deadline.

So.  The Bucs and Yanks matchup well as trading partners.  We can offer the outfielders, and the bullpen help to get to Rivera.  A possible package deal could be huge for both teams.  The Yanks could receive A) An outfielder to replace Abreu next season, and help with the injury riddle OF this season B) A middle relief guy, or C) both.  My questions are, what can the Yankees offer the Pirates?  How many major league ready SPs can we hope to get in a deal like this?  Would the Yankees even make a deal at the deadline without the CC contract set in stone?

I hope my information helps you guys get to know us a little better as we move closer to July 31st, and I hope I can gather some information from you as well.  Good luck with the rest of your season, and hopefully we'll see your team again without having to wait 48 more years.

*The Rays have been rumored to be in the Nady sweepstakes.  The Yanks might be interested in keeping him out of the competitions hands

In some non-football news, apparantly the chances of Yankee Stadium hosting the Winter Classic this year are going down. 

So, of intrest to us Penn State fans was this paragraph lower in the story.  It has been rumored for a while, but apparantly the intrest in having it at Beaver Stadium has been confirmed.

"The New York Rangers and Boston Bruins were rumored to have been the choices for Winter Classic II, which would have offered all kinds of Yankees/Red Sox angsty goodness. The Chicago Blackhawks are on record as wanting a Classic at either Wrigley or Soldier Field. But Bettman said he recently received a letter from  Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Clinton), who is lobbying for a Pittsburgh Penguins/Philadelphia Flyers game at Penn State's football stadium. "

As a Penguin fan, I would consider this the fusion of everything good in the world.  Take my favorite hockey team, put it in Beaver Stadium against its bitter rivals, who just happen to be PSU fans as well, and I think this is as good as it gets. 

Anyway, it seems to be down to State College and Chicago.  Beaver Stadium is the biggest venue in the country.  It highlights both teams equally, and comes on the heels of a war in the Eastern Conference Finals.  There might be some complaining about the over-exposure of Crosby and Malkin, but frankly, it doesn't bother me.  The league NEEDs to highlight its stars if it is going to get the exposure it needs to be relevent again.  A New Year's Day game at Beaver Stadium, possibly following or preceeding a PSU Bowl game would be absolutely huge.  Consider, the Lions play in one of the early New Year's Day bowls (Outback/Capital One).  At 3:00, the Pens and Flyers take the ice in Beaver Stadium, and at 6:30, when the fans emerge, the Rose Bowl comes on.  PSU being in the Rose Bowl would be even better.  It would be a helluva day in State College if you ask me.

Keep your fingers crossed folks, and consider this little gem in the comments section of the article:

"Hockey in Beaver Stadium would be amazing. However, I can only imagine that State College would cease to exist after a cross-state war finally came to a head in this small town. Imagine 110K ticketed fans, hundreds of thousands of tailgaters in cold weather (drinking copious amounts of booze to keep warm), and a relatively equal split among the fans, creating a very "pleasant" atmosphere. Unfortunately, State College can only really handle a one-sided fan dispersement (all PSU football fans). The riots of the early part of this century would pale in comparison, and Happy Valley would be reduced to rubble amidst a stone-age, might is right environment. It would be classic hockey at its best."

I read an article in the Post-Gazette today that I can unfortunately not link to.  I couldn't find it anywhere on their sports page.

Anyhow, this article talked about how coaches like Nick Saban, Phil Fulmer, and Les Miles are now using web cams to get in touch with recruits during the no visit period in the spring.  I found it pretty intresting, and began imagining litte JayPa getting one under the tree this Christmas.  Also of intrest is the fact that not a single Big 10 coach was mentioned among those who are using the new strategy.

Discuss.

I know we've had a lot of discussion in the past month or so about whether or not we should play Pitt.  Theres a pretty good split between people who think we should, and those who think we shouldn't.

Fortunately, we can all unite behind our dislike for Pitt, and their pea-brained fans.  This evening, a Pitt fan shot the following article at me to prove that Pitt was better than Penn State.  I laughed, and I thought many of you would, too.

So instead of talking about Joe's contract situation, and the thugs that currently run rampant on our team, lets talk about what an idiot this fella is!

http://www.thefootballexpert.com/bill3.html

Have at it.

First of all, we're beating a dead horse with this.

Second of all, this whole write-up is an insult to people who think (thank you Bill Walton).  Its an insult to people who can actually make a reasonable case against playing Pitt (Jesse).  It is flagrantly ignorant of where the Pitt program stands in reality, and is hopelessly misinformed.

Aside from the fact that you repeated the first section of this piece of garbage twice (as if once wasn't bad enough), I will now go through this piece by piece, because its so full of holes, it could be the Pirate infield.

"Yes, the sad truth is that while the alumnus from yesteryear would relive tales of epic Nittany Lion - Panther games, the new generation of Penn State fans have moved on and Pittsburgh excites them as much as Syracuse. A more prestigious opponent when compared to Temple, Akron and Central Michigan, but offers as much value to the Penn State football program as a box of tampons."

---Ok.  Over the last week, I've heard the point made that beating Pitt simply doesn't matter because eveyone has moved on from the rivalry, as you've stated here.  However, when I argue that beating Pitt would help recruiting in the WPIAL a ton, these SAME PEOPLE tell me that in Pittsburgh, you're either going to play for Pitt, or you're going to play for Penn State, regardless of how a particular player is recruited.  This implies that most kids around here are either/or when it comes to Pitt or Penn State.  I'm pretty sure that would constitute a rivalry, or at least a perceived rivalry in the minds of the various kids being recruited to play by either school.  If someone has their mind made up not to got to Pitt simply because they're Pitt or vice versa, theres a rivalry, and its among the people whose opinions matter more than any of ours: the players'.

"Why would we lock ourselves into a long term contract with Pittsburgh when we could have rotating opponents like South Florida, USC, Alabama, Syracuse, and Virginia. You are not only talking about fresh new BCS opponents descending upon Happy Valley every two years, but the chance for Nittany Lion fans to visit new venues, towns and states in the process. A long term series with Pittsburgh would generate what? A chance to look forward to the city of Pittsburgh every two years? I'd take a raucous college atmosphere over an empty stadium, bridges and tunnels any day of the year."

---Ahhhhh, yes, nothing like a roadtrip to exciting Syracuse, New York to get the juices flowing!  In all seriousness, give me one reason to believe South Florida or Syracuse, both members of the SAME CONFERENCE AS PITT are any more legitimate than the Panthers?  South Florida had one decent season, and now they're the flavor of the month.  However, Pitt won the Big East only a few seasons ago, and they play in much the same situation as South Florida.  Both schools play in pro stadiums.  Both are located in prospect rich areas.  Both are fighting for recruits with bigger programs in their state.  So tell me, what is the difference between Pitt and South Florida other than South Florida's record last season?  I see none.  Additionally, going to Tampa isn't really opening a new land to Lion fans.  We went to the Outback bowl there only 2 years ago.  If you're trying to build an arguement against playing Pitt, including South Florida and Syracuse in it is one of the dumbest things you could do.

Furthurmore, playing Pitt would generate FAR more buzz than playing Syracuse or South Florida.  Look at 2005, when we brought South Florida in as a cupcake.  How much buzz did that game generate genius?  On the national richter scale, effectively none.  Reviving the Pitt series, almost by default, would be a bigger deal than routing South Florida.  It would be a game with national appeal, if only for history's sake.  Also, Pitt beat WVU on the road to keep them out of the National Title game.  THats as pressure packed as it gets, and Pitt delivered sending shock waves throught the college football world.  They're a program on the way up, and to argue against that is based in ignorance.  O, and by the way, if Penn State played in Pittsburgh, the stadium would be packed.  Believe it or not, there are a few PSU fans in Pittsburgh.

"Its a sorry revelation, but Pittsburgh has become less of a quality opponent than fellow Big East member Rutgers or even Louisville, once considered a basketball power."

---If you think that, then you're basing it on two football seasons.  Thats pure bullshit, and theres no other way to describe it.  It would be like me saying Obama is going to win the election because he got 80% of the vote out of 10 people polled.  Seriously.  Get a grip on reality.  Football programs don't completely rise and fall in two years.  If that were true, PSU would have been incredibly screwed at the beginning of this decade.

"A simple look at the Sagarin ratings for the last 5 years tell the tale. Only during the dark ages of the Zack Mills era, Penn State would have benefited from playing Pitt and even then we would have been extremely competitive.
    Penn State     Pittsburgh
2007     26     66
2006     18     45
2005     4     59
2004     63     55
2003     71     39"

---They win 2 years, we win 3 years.  That only hurts your point.  Its like saying a team that wins 3 outta 5 in a baseball series is infinitely better because they won one more game than their opponent.  I don't know what reasonable person would think this helps an arguement against Pitt.

"Playing Pittsburgh would simply be unnecessary dead weight. True, they are a much better opponent than Temple, East Carolina or Central Michigan, but those teams serve a much greater purpose than simply showing up for the game. Those games are almost a tune-up, an extra fall scrimmage to prepare the Lions for the real meat of the schedule when conference play begins. Unlike the NFL where preseason games serve the same purpose, the Lions schedule these patsies so we can prepare ourselves for the Big Ten matchups against another team not dressed in a Lion's uniform."

---Huh?  In the last paragraph, you couln't knock Pitt down enough, but now they're too good to play?  Explain this.  I'm dumbfounded.  Whcih is it?  Do they suck, or are they good competition?  If their neither, do they not fall in between an Alabama and a Temple?  Don't we have 2 other non-conf. games in which we could schedule a "tweener" like Pitt?  THaving a few of those on the schedule rather than some intramural teams help us develop some testing under fire, even if that fire isn't as hot as it could be.

"If Penn State were to schedule Pittsburgh, it would mean replacing Alabama, Syracuse, Oregon State, Virginia and Notre Dame from our schedule, not Temple, East Carolina and Western Michigan as oblivious critics of Joe Paterno claim. We simply can't afford to pad our non conference schedule with opponents that actually registers a pulse on offense and defense. We already have enough of that during Big Ten play, it would be overkill to do so in our non-conference portion. Get the big picture here?"

---No, frankly I don't.  This paragraph makes so little sense, I can't begin to understand what you were thinking when you wrote it so I'm not even trying on this one.  We can't pad our schedule with teams that have a pulse, but we can have Alabama?  I think what you might have been trying to sqeeze out is that we should play one good team and the rest cupcakes.  Thats silliness.  You can't do that.  You can play one or two pastys, but you also need a team that has a pulse.  You can't just walk into Ann Arbor like we did this past season after having played a bunch or crappy teams an expect to be sharp.  Pitt would offer a mild challege, which you need in developing a team.

"We CAN schedule Pittsburgh, but are we willing to sacrifice possible rotating matchups with the likes of Alabama, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Virginia to do so? Bring on the legions of Alabama crimson, Irish green and gold, Syracuse orange and Virginia shirts and ties. At least playing those programs will guarantee that we will see at least 20 of them which is more than Pittsburgh can say for their empty stadium on game day."

---Who says we have to "sacrifice" them?  There are 4 non conf. games.  Theres plenty of room at the table for everyone.  Also, if you think that only 20 Pitt fans would show up for a Pitt-Penn State game, YOU are the oblivious one.

The rest of this arguement goes on to cut Pitt off at the knees to make yourself feel taller, which is pure ignorance on your part.  There was a time not long ago that we sucked, and they were playing in BCS bowls.  Were we too good for them then too?  Were they just a marginal team then?  I think not.

Pitt has had a rough couple of years, but the cupboard was left bare when  Walt Harris was fired.  THe Stache took down the #2 ranked team in America on the road, in a rivalry game with the whole world watching..  If you suck THAT BAD, you don't pull things like that off.  Pitt is a far better program than a clear ignoramus like yourself will ever give them credit for, so please, do all of us self-respecting college football fans  a favor, a stop brining misinformed arguements like this to the table.  They really take away from what was, for the most part, and intelligent and well informed debate.

Remember that rumor we talked about last week that showed up on the message boards?  Well, I guess its getting some steam behind it after this article by Rivals.com.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=786954

Now, I really hae no problem if he chooses Ohio St.  It seems like the consensus around here that the kid would only represent a moral victory, and really wouldn't help out the team to the point that he has been hyped.  Add to that the fact that we generally agree hes a primadona, and I don't think it irks us too much to see him go elsewhere.  

What I do have a problem with is guys like this Farrell clown calling him up after every public comment he makes, and trying to get the sccop.  Does he not realize that he has created the monster that has become Terrelle Pryor?  This is EXACTLY what is going wrong with college football.  How much hype have sites like Rivals and Scout put on this kid?  Can he live up to it?  What about the arrogance and entitlement he seems to now feel after this process?  At one point, Terrelle Pryor may have been a great fit at Penn State, but the furthur into this we get, the more it seems like the hype has turned him into something I don't think Penn State is supposed to represent.  People gave Morelli hell around here for yelling at UM fans and not being a leader.  How do those people feel about Pryor?  Do leaders punch kids that they're clearly better than in hallways?  Do they stand on scoring tables and insult their opponents?  Do they string millions of people along just to keep the attention on them?  

No.

Good riddence Terrell Pryor, and I mean that.  You've managed to turn a lot of people against you before you've even picked a school, and even if you do pick Penn State, I'm not sure many people will be pulling for you to be named the starter as a freshman or sophmore, or even a junior.  You've turned a lot of Penn State fans against you not by picking Ohio St. but by having one of the biggest egoes I've ever seen out of a high school kid.  

Just thought I'd post this to give everyone a shot to vent about, mull over, and debate the NCAA Tournament Field.  Who got lucky, who got screwed, etc.

Personally, I'm pretty pissed off that Wisconsin got a 3 seed, after being regular season and conference tournament champ in the Big 10, while Georgetown didn't even show up against Pitt, and got a 2.