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| PNC Park Could Be a Lonely Place Down the Stretch for the Buccos |
You might read the title of this post and think something horrible has happened. Did Ben Roethlisberger shatter his thumb on a lineman's helmet in practice? No. Did Sidney Crosby have a setback of his concussion symptoms? No. Did the Pirates break out of their slump and win a baseball game?! NO! Which leads me to my next point - I'm sick of writing about the Pirates. They do nothing but disappoint me on a consistent basis. Losers of 9 of their last 13 and no real end in sight for this current losing trend they are on. They are a team that must enjoy banging their head against a wall. Their inability to perform routine baseball plays and throw quality pitches still baffles me. At least they have a manager that is willing to shake things up...wait a second, he isn't. Clint Hurdle declares that this team will work its way out of its slump. It won't with Rob Barajas in the lineup, and it certainly won't with Pedro Alvarez wearing a uniform. Sure this team will probably win enough games to break the losing streak, but does anyone care about that anymore? This team had aspirations of contending, not just having a winning record! Again, I'm sick of writing about the Pirates.
With that being said, I wanted to start drumming up support for the Penguins. After all their training camp should be opening up soon in September. However, anyone who follows the NHL will tell you that there is no REAL end in site for the CBA fight between the players and owners. With that happening there is no date for training camp, no news on players getting back on the ice, and nothing really to write about as the hockey world remains at a stand still until the players and owners both realize the same thing the NFL and NBA did during their lockouts: "We need each other to be successful, and NO ONE will benefit from anything if we decide to stop playing." Most NHL fans would say that the quicker both sides realize this, the quicker the players get back on the ice worrying about playing hockey and not about revenue sharing or anything else.
I realize that the Steelers can provide plenty of fodder for me to write posts about, but the other two sports teams in the Pittsburgh 'Big 3' are nothing short of depressing. Something that started off as such a promising season at PNC Park is slowly turning into a nightmare. Lets hope that the "hope" that lies within the Steelers and (hopefully) the Penguins pans out for all of us Pittsburgh Sports Fans!
You almost have to wonder if some of the Bucs started gripping the bat a little tighter once they realized they were in contention. I hope they can grab one of the two wild card spots, but it isn't looking too promising at this point.
ReplyDeleteI think the NHL will start camp on time. The NHL has already had a completely locked out season ('04-'05) and a partially locked out season ('94-'95). I don't think they will let it happen again...at least I hope not.
Long time no see, JOBU. I do think the Pirates' batters did start to feel the pressure of a contending team. I've often compared this Pirates team to the Pens team who was close, but just not there. Add a few pieces like when the Pens added Gary Roberts and Billy Guerin and you can see a contender in the next few seasons. The Pirates have the young players to be contenders for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI pray the NHL doesn't commit suicide by heading into a lockout...time will tell.