My Hall of Fame Picks

I realized Saturday morning that, despite the fact I advertise myself as being a blog about all Pittsburgh sports, its been 19 days since I lasted posted anything about the Pirates or about baseball (not counting my 2008 Pittsburgh athlete of the year column, which mentioned Nate McLouth in passing). Well, I decided I needed to post something at least sorta connected to the Pirates, but there was no way I was going to spend a few hundred words talking about Rocco Baldelli or Derrick Turnbow or Chris Gomez or anyone else the Pirates didn't sign, so had to think up something else. And while I love the baseball hot stove and the offseason and what not, I just wasn't feeling that, either, because you aren't going to come to this website for info on the baseball hot stove when you could go to one of 10,000 different baseball guys at ESPN.com.

So, instead of that, I surfed around a few baseball websites and decided to put together my own Hall of Fame ballot. As irrelevant as this is, I love baseball history, so figured this would be fun for me.

One precursor to all this: I am a big-time stat head who relies heavily on things like OBP and SLG and OPS and other statistical measures to make my decisions. Maybe someday I will even go through and decide who I want to throw out of the Hall of Fame, but that's a mighty big project, so for now, let's just break down the Hall candidates.

So let's break this puppy down:
Yes
Rickey Henderson- The greatest leadoff hitter of all-time is a no-doubt-about-it selection to Cooperstown. Any test for a Hall of Famer you can think up, he passes. Not even worth my time to dissect this one it's so obvious.

Tim Raines- Probably the greatest Montreal Expo ever, Raines made 7 straight All-Star teams in the 80's, and is in the discussion as one of the few best leadoff hitters ever, though he's not in Rickey Henderson's class. His candidacy is hurt by the fact that he missed an awful lot of games over the years and spent the last 5 years of his career as a part-timer. Still, how he only got 24.3% of the vote last year is beyond me. He'll get in eventually, but probably won't get enough votes this year.

Bert Blyleven- Bert's been waiting over a decade to hear his name called since his initial candidacy, and he has inched closer over the past few years to the cusp. He is the ultimate argument over whether being consistently good and never great is Hall of Fame worthy. In this case, being THIS consistently good I think should get you in. The guy made just 2 All-Star teams and only had 4 top 10 appearances in the Cy Young voting despite playing 23 seasons. Still, he had ten 15 win seasons, sixteen 200 inning seasons (including 10 in a row!), twice led in innings, was top 10 in WHIP 11 times, top 10 in K/9 IP 14 times, top 10 in total strikeouts 15 times, and three times led the league in K/BB ratio. And for the statistically inclined of us, was in the top 10 in Adjust ERA+ 12 times (leading the league once). Lastly, of the 10 most similar pitchers in history, 8 are in the Hall of Fame, with Jim Kaat and Tommy John (see below) being the only two not in. And, his HOF Standard Rating is 50 which is basically the equivalent of the Hall of Fame standard. So, he's definitely a bubble guy, but I think its incredible how far up he is in many of these career measures, so he gets my vote. And also, I didn't really realize just how bad some of the teams he played for were in his career. If he had a little better luck he would have blown past 300 wins and been in the Hall a decade ago.

Mark McGwire- This one is quite obviously a very special circumstance. Really, it's the first of very many special circumstances that are on the way. McGwire gets docked heavily for his steroid use, but I just can't keep him out because of that. I mean, yeah he cheated, and he was one of the few that got caught, but there's going to be no way to know just who cheated, and to only go on the info that leaked out seems foolish to me. Big Mac's numbers are too great to ignore, and he should be in the Hall, no question about it.

Alan Trammell- When I opened up Trammell's Baseball Reference page, I went in honestly expecting to vote No for him, as I knew the hitting numbers weren't anything special. But I was swayed by the overall impression of what I saw there. He was a better hitter than I thought, with a .352 OBP for his career, 2,365 hits, a .767 OPS, and 185 home runs. For a shortstop who played mostly in the 1980's, those numbers are quite good. He was also a 6-time All-Star, showing that he was pretty highly thought of back in the day. And this is all without mentioning his best attribute, his glove. Trammell won 4 Gold Gloves and probably should have had a couple more. Only 5 players have won more Gold Gloves at shorstop. Before the likes of Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken and other heavy-hitting shorstops came along, Trammell was really the first dual-threat hitter/fielder shorstop, and unfortunately because of the incredible numbers that are now put up by today's shortstops, his numbers pale, but he was absolutely a trend-setter.

Jim Rice- I held my breath when I went to Rice's page and went through his stats. Few players have ever been as hotly debated as Jim Rice as far as the Hall of Fame credentials go. If you were to look at his numbers up until the age of 33 and then assume he finishes his career out at a reasonable pace, or if he had say a career-ending injury at 33, then he's probably a Hall of Famer. He finished in the Top 5 of MVP voting six different times, was an 8-time all-star, was in the top 10 in slugging 8 different times, led in homers 3 times, and was in the top 6 in adjusted OPS+ 5 different times. All very impressive. However, his final 3 seasons, he fell off a cliff, and thus missed out on a number of the accomplishments older hitters accumulate over time after a long career. The final tallies were 382 home runs, 1451 RBI, 2,452 hits, a .352 OBP (better than I expected), and a .502 SLG. But you have to keep in mind that, in the 80's, very few players were able to hit with anything approaching the power we would see beginning in the mid-90s and continuing to today. On the flip side, he wasn't much of a contributor defensively, playing a mediocre left field as well as spending 530 games as a DH, which doesn't add the value to his candidacy that a guy like Allan Trammell gets. He also struck out quite a bit, twice led the AL in Outs, led the AL in GIDP 4 straight years and is 6th all-time in this dreadful stat. And of course, there's the Boston thing. As Keith Law (I think) pointed out in a chat the other day, if Rice had played in Minnesota or Kansas City or even our Pirates, he probably would've dropped off the ballot a decade ago. But, the Boston fans are insufferable and have some of the most high-profile (read: self-serving) sportswriters in the country beating the drum for the old BoSox players. In fact, this actually penalizes Rice in my mind and certainly doesn't help him. Also not helping is Rice's constant griping about belonging in the Hall. Hey, Jimmy, you are, at best, a fringe candidate. Just shut up already, will ya? Anyway, this one was really, really tough to decide upon, but despite the insistence of the statheads whom I greatly respect, when its a fringe case like this one (and I really think this is an absolute fringe case) I go to the tape, as they say, and there have been an unreal amount of stories from highly respected writers about Rice in his prime being among the very best hitters in baseball. For me, that's enough and he gets in.

Andre Dawson- This was also a tough one for me. Dawson had some very, very good seasons, winning an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, 8 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers, and making 8 all-star teams. However, he had a .323 OBP, which is absolutely dreadful and would greatly diminish his value in present-day. His OPS was obviously significantly lower, and thus looks quite pedestrian as well. What finally swayed me to a yes vote, though, was that fielding. By just about any measure, he's one of the better fielding outfielders in major league history, and when you combine that with good (not great) hitting numbers, that's good enough to get in on my ballot.

Maybe Next Year
Jack Morris- I've gotta be honest, I was leaning toward Morris when I first clicked on his page, partially because of the postseason heroics, which I think are a deciding factor in close cases. However, I was disappointed by the numbers I found in Morris. I think with Rice getting in, Morris may become the next case of a guy getting the media hype in the future, but he won't have my vote.

Tommy John- I debated this one quite a bit. I considered the historical importance of his impressive comeback from ligament injury (hence Tommy John surgery), but in the end, he was a slightly above average pitcher who pitched for about a million years and compiled impressive numbers.

Lee Smith As much as I appreciate Smith's great ability at the end of games, I can't give him my vote. The numbers, other than the saves, just really aren't there.

Dave Parker- As a Pirate fan, of course I would love to see Dave Parker in the Hall of Fame. At least part of me would. And the numbers, in all honesty, are probably there to at least make an OK case for his enshrinement. 2,712 hits, 339 home runs, 1,493 RBI are all good numbers, he was a very good fielder, and from his breakout 1975 season to 1979, his numbers are probably among the best couple in all of baseball. Unfortunately, the drug issues derailed his career and caused a PR nightmare that helped badly damage baseball in Pittsburgh, and that's hard to get past.

Mark Grace- This guy basically defined the old "professional hitter" mantra. He had one of the best eyes in all of baseball, was a very, very good fielder (4 gold gloves), and had 2,445 hits. However, the power numbers just aren't there for a first baseman, the total hits aren't really there, and while the impressive .825 career OPS certainly wouldn't be the lowest one to ever get into the Hall, he was a consistently good guy, but just wasn't consistently good long enough, not breaking in until age 24, and losing his starting job at 37. That's a nice stretch, and if he was a second baseman the hitting would be enough, but not in this case.

Dale Murphy- I was surprised by the numbers here, and even though he's quickly running out of time, I think he may get some more consideration as time goes along thanks in part to his 2 MVPs. I won't vote for him, though, but do recognize he was quite the player in his time.

Nope
Mo Vaughn- For an 8 year stretch, from 1993-2000, Mo Vaughn was probably one of the 10 or 15 best hitters in the bigs. Believe me, I was surprised too, but look it up. He went over 30 home runs and 100 RBI 6 times, had two 200 hit seasons, had an OBP above .400 four times, and slugged over .500 ever year except for the last (which was at .498). Unfortunately, that about sums up his career as a whole, as he fell off the face of the earth after 2000 due to injury. His, ahem, personal appearance certainly didn't help matters either, as he was viewed (rightfully) as a fat slob during his Anaheim and New York Met days.

Harold Baines- As a DH, your numbers have to be very, very good to get into the Hall, and while Baines had over 2800 hits and 384 home runs, that's just not enough to overcome that he spent the majority of his career adding nothing of fielding value.

David Cone- Coney was a very good pitcher at the height of his powers, as evidenced by his 1994 Cy Young Award, but all in all, Cone was a good pitcher, but his numbers were never great, and will likely be a one-and-done on the HoF ballot.

Don Mattingly- Donny Baseball's candidacy is badly derailed by only playing to age 34, with only playing more than 140 games in a season 8 times. Had he managed to stick around a few more years, collect some more hits, and win a championship, he'd probably be there, but 2,153 hits and 222 home runs just don't do it.

Jesse Orosco- Yeah this guy pitched until he was about a billion years old, but that alone won't get you a Hall vote, and although he was a very good reliever, there is no way his numbers even remotely justify a selection.

Matt Williams- Williams was certainly a very feared hitter in his time, and did collect some lofty MVP finishes as well, but as a stathead, I can't take him seriously. A .317 OBP with a HOF Standard of 29.4? No thanks.

Are You F-Ing Kidding Me? Hell No!
Jay Bell- Listen, we all watched this guy as a Pirate, and while he was certainly a nice enough starting shortstop, it seems silly to me he's even getting consideration here. Plus there's that oh-so-shady 1999 year when he cracked 38 home runs at age 34 despite never having hit more than 21 in a season before or after.

Greg Vaughn- Funny how so many guys went off in the home run department in that 1998-99 time span isn't it? From 1996-1999, Vaughn hit 154 home runs in exactly 2,000 at-bats, or one home run every 12.98 at-bats. In the remainder of his career, he hit 201 home runs in 4,103 at-bats, or one home run every 20.4 at-bats. No, that's not at all fishy. Sorry, Greggers, if you hadn't dipped into the juice you would have been a slightly above average player. Nothing wrong with that, but I can't vote for you in good conscience.

Ron Gant- Sorry Ron, you had a nice stretch in the early 90's where it looked like you might be a future superstar, but never recovered from that broken leg enough to reach that level. A nice enough player for many years, he doesn't sniff the Hall.

Dan Plesac- All I can say to this is, "What?"

Steelers-Chargers Preview

YOU'RE GOING DOWN SAN DIEGO!

The playoffs officially kick off for our beloved Steelers tomorrow at 4:45 at Heinz Field against the late-charging San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are among the hottest teams in football these days, and though I didn't believe in the Chargers for much of the season, I officially became worried about them last week when they knocked off the Colts. What follows is a breakdown of the key matchups in the rematch of the first 11-10 game in NFL history (even though it wasn't really 11-10):The Chargers Offensive Line vs. Dick LeBeau's blitz schemes
The Chargers offensive line put together a nice season this year against blitzing defenses, giving up just 25 sacks all year while guarding the mostly stationary Phillip Rivers. To his credit, Rivers has become quite good at quickly getting rid of the ball while under pressure and not doing the Ben Roethlisberger thing where he puts himself in more danger. In the game earlier this game, the Chargers gave up just 2 sacks to the Steelers line, but Rivers was under consistent pressure. Also, one of those sacks went for a safety for the Steelers. Expect Dick LeBeau to turn up the heat very early on with James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley coming consistently from the outside, and using speed demons like Troy Polamalu and Lawrence Timmons to try to bring pressure from different angles. If the Steelers are able to get after Rivers, it will go a long way toward knocking the Chargers QB out of a rhythm.
Phillip Rivers vs. Troy Polamalu
Expect Troy to be in all his shifting, pre-snap movement glory in this one, doing his best to confuse and confound Phil Rivers and the Chargers offense. Few players in the NFL can wreak as much havoc or getting in someone's head as much as Polamalu. To Rivers' credit, though, he was very, very good this season, and became a better QB than I ever thought he could really be. How Rivers makes adjustments to Polamalu and how he runs the Chargers offense with Troy quarterbacking the D will be of the utmost importance to this game.

Darren Sproles vs. The Steelers Tacklers
Expect Sproles to get the ball in a variety of ways, returning kicks, catching passes in the flat, screen passes, shovel passes, and of course just good old fashioned handoffs. How the Steelers contain this guy will be worth watching. He is your typical scat back type player, and no matter what kind of defense you are, these guys can hurt you at any time. I expect Sproles to be held mostly in check, especially when he's running the ball, but I'm also worried about the possibility of him springing 1 or 2 big plays that could end up sinking the Steelers. The Steelers typically do a spectacular job of containing dangerous players like Sproles, but after watching him last week against the Colts, I think he might be one of the most dangerous players the Steelers have faced all season, and given LT's struggles against the Steelers, his groin injury may be the best thing to ever happen to the Chargers.

Ben Roethlisberger vs. His Concussion
There's no question that one of the ultimate X factors in this game is the status of Ben Roethlisberger after suffering a concussion in Week 17. The history of QB's coming back from concussions after just a couple weeks is...well let's just say it's none too encouraging. Especially when this is the third concussion of their career, as it is with Large Benjamin. Keep a close eye on Roethlisberger's play early on to get an idea of how he is responding to the after effects of the concussion.Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers O-Line vs. The Chargers pass rush
Ben is legendary for his insistence on not throwing the pass away and keeping plays alive. Unfortunately, this often leads to too many sacks, some nasty hits on Ben, and the occassional interception. For the Steelers to win this game, we can't have any big mistakes by Roethlisberger, and given the severity of his concussion, let's hope he's also quick to throw the ball away if he is under pressure to avoid any unnecessary hits. As for the O-Line, they have come under serious fire this season, and will need to really step it up in this game and in any other playoff games the Steelers are in this year if this team is going to have any chance to make a Super Bowl run. The team's best offensive lineman this year has been far and away Max Starks, which speaks for just how weird and disappointing a season it has been considering Starks wasn't even a starter at the season's beginining.

Willie Parker vs. The Chargers Front 7
In their game earlier this season, Parker had one of his best games of the season. With Ben likely to not be operating at 100%, the Steelers would be much better off if Parker can put together another productive day.

The Kickers vs. Heinz Field
The toughest place to kick in the entire NFL figures to be at the height of its power Sunday afternoon in the frigid January weather with the howling Ohio River wind. Jeff Reed has been solid this season, and has just about mastered the ability to kick in these sorts of nasty conditions. This could be a tremendous advantage for Pittsburgh as Reed, with Adam Vinatieri now kicking indoors most weeks, has become probably the best cold-weather kicker in the NFL. San Diego has a very good kicker of their own in Nate Kaeding, but he did miss a field goal at Heinz earlier this season.

Mike Scifres vs. Mitch Berger
Probably the matchup that terrifies me the most. After one of the greatest days you will ever see a punter have last week against Indy, Scifres gives the Chargers defense a tremendous weapon that could just about level the playing field between the two defensive squads. Let's hope the Heinz Field wind somehow neutralizes Scifres and that Berger can at least be competent for the Steelers.The Pick: I can't imagine this one being a high-scoring affair. Both defenses figure to keep the opposing offenses in check for much of the game. And this is only helped by game-time conditions that are expected to be at 25 degrees with winds of 10+ MPH. I think the two squads keep it close for much of the game, and in a season full of them already, I think Ben Roethlisberger, concussion and all, leads the Steelers on a late drive for the win. Steelers 17-14.

My College Football Playoff

So as you may remember, a few weeks back I put together my own version of a college football playoff. Also, here are the rules for this playoff. And so, with last night concluding the 2008 college football bowl season, I figured I'd go back and take a stab at how these playoffs would play out.

First Round
Texas vs. Ohio State at Tampa Bay December 20 Noon
This game actually happened, so we have something to base it on, and it was no real surprise to see what happened on the field in the Fiesta Bowl. With Texas having even more to play for than they did in real life, I think they more than take care of business against the Buckeyes and advance onward to the second round. Texas 34 Ohio State 17

Penn State vs. Boise State at Houston December 20 6:00
Yeah Penn State didn't show up at all in the Rose Bowl, but that was against the mighty USC Trojans. This game is against a Boise State squad that dropped the Poinsettia Bowl to TCU. Don't get me wrong, I commend the Broncos for their excellent season, but this team can't quite play with the big boys. Penn State 34 Boise State 17

Cincinnati vs. Texas Tech at Orlando December 20 3:00
Both these squads kind of laid an egg in their bowl games. However, as much as I would love to see Cincinnati get a W to represent the Big East, I think Texas Tech lacked some serious motivation in that loss to Ole Miss and was probably disappointed by the Cotton Bowl berth when they felt they deserved a shot at the championship. There's no question that this game would probably be similarly high-scoring because of the way Tech plays. Texas Tech 45 Cincinnati 31

Virginia Tech vs. Alabama at San Diego December 20 9:00
After watching Tech's bowl game I think this one would be a much better game than I originally would have thought. VT was at its finest playing good-old-fashioned Beamer Ball, and Alabama's "offense" would have ensured that this one remained pretty close. Still, despite the results in their respective bowl games, I think Alabama is too much for Virginia Tech. Alabama 17 Virginia Tech 14

Second Round
Oklahoma vs. Alabama at New Orleans December 27 3:00
Although Oklahoma had issues with the SEC Champ Gators in the Natty, the near-SEC-champs aren't nearly the same matchup nightmare for the Sooners. Sam Bradford proves he is Heisman-worthy, and does to the Tide what Utah did in the Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma 48 Alabama 17

Florida vs. Texas Tech at Atlanta December 27 Noon
Tim Tebow finally gets into action and does not disappoint. Tech had quite the disaster trying to defend the Ole Miss offense, and is unbelievably impotent in trying to stop the Heisman trophy winning legend. Florida's D is able to hold up reasonably well to the Tech offense. Florida 48 Texas Tech 21

USC vs. Penn State at Dallas December 27 6:00
We've already seen how this matchup plays out, and with the mighty Trojans hungry for a national championship. Southern Cal blows the doors off of Penn State in our third straight blowout of the day. USC 45 Penn State 21

Utah vs. Texas at San Francisco December 27 9:00
Utah is a much, much better team than I would have ever imagined. They absolutely took Alabama apart. I think this would be a spectacular game, and if Utah can play like they did in that Bama game, we'd finally have ourselves a good quarterfinal matchup. Despite Colt McCoy's big season and the Longhorns' belief that they deserve a shot at the title, I'm a believer in the Utes getting at least one playoff win. Utah 34 Texas 31

Semi-finals
Oklahoma vs. Utah at Pasadena
Much like the Texas-Utah game, this game suddenly got a lot more interesting once we saw just how good Utah really is. While the Sooners weren't able to come away with a W against Florida in the title game, playing against Utah would be a very different story. I think Utah played the game of their season in the win over Alabama and would do similarly against Texas. After that win, though, I'm hard-pressed to imagine them putting together a second straight dominant performance like that. Oklahoma 37 Utah 28

Florida vs. USC at Phoenix
Now this is the game that everyone is clamoring to see this morning. The speedy, mighty Trojans of the west taking on the dominant, hard-hitting, fast, talented Gators of the east. This one would be an epic game. The Trojans have more speed across the board at the skill positions I think, but the one thing they don't have: Tim Tebow. Florida 35 USC 28

National Championship Game
Oklahoma vs. Florida
So after all this work, after eliminating 10 teams in 10 games and going through the pains of playing at all these different locations and including anyone with a reasonable shot at the title...it turns out that the title game is the same thing that the BCS gave us. So maybe there is something to this BCS thing. Still, don't we all feel a little bit better knowing that everyone was included? I thought so. Florida 24 Oklahoma 14

NFL Divisional Round Picks

After a 3-1 performance in the Divisional Round, I thought I'd take another go at the second round of the NFL Playoffs that commence tomorrow. So here are my three picks for today, with the fourth one (The Steeler game) coming in much greater detail at some point tomorrow.

So here we go...
Baltimore at Tennessee
This one has the feel of the type of game that's so physical that, after its over, you're sore just from watching it. The Ravens and Titans both do their best to impose their physical will on the opposition. The early setting of the game will go a long way toward determining the outcome. If either squad is successful in this regard, it will be the deciding factor, mark my words. Both squads have a stable of talented running backs, but I don't think any of these guys will really be successful. Chris Johnson's speed may allow him to break a run or two, but for the most part, I envision him struggling to get any separation against the Ravens D. As for LenDale White, every Pittsburgh fans knows all too well how Baltimore handles overweight, slow running backs who rely on physicality and wearing down the opposition.
The Ravens defense will do its best to force the hand of Kerry Collins and try to get a costly turnover or three. But Kerry's done this once or twice in his career, and I think he does an effective job of moving the ball and playing smart football. A potential key I see for the Titans O is Chris Johnson getting the ball in the passing game. Screen passes and shovel passes could be deadly to Baltimore.
As for the Ravens offense, Joe Flacco surprised absolutely no one by laying an egg against a decent Miami defense, and I wouldn't expect much out of him this week against the ferocious Titans squad. The Ravens three-headed rushing attack needs to step up against that nasty Titans D-Line or the Ravens only chance to get on the board will be in the hands of their defense.
The Pick The Ravens have become something of a trendy pick this week, but consider me unimpressed. Unless they can force Kerry Collins into making a bad mistake or two (a definite possibility) I can't imagine the Ravens getting on the board. The Titans' ultimate weapon, Chris Johnson, finds a way to get in the end zone despite being a bit ineffective for most of the game and the Titans win 17-7 because of it.

Arizona at CarolinaThe Cardinals, to me, seem like the typical just-happy-to-be-here team. I mean I love the Cardinals, and would probably rank them as my second favorite NFL team behind the Steelers because of all the Pittsburgh connections (Larry Fitz, Steve Breaston, Ken Whisenhunt, Russ Grimm), but this squad just isn't ready for primetime yet, as they say. A playoff win is a terrific step in the right direction for the long-struggling Arizona franchise, but they have a lot of building still to do before they can be taken seriously in this kind of game. With Anquan Boldin out, the Cards entire offense is going to be based around the Kurt Warner-to-Larry Fitzgerald connection.
DeAngelo Williams has been nothing short of spectacular late in the season, and Jake Delhomme has one of the most deadly weapons in the NFL at his disposal in Steve "don't you dare trash talk me" Smith. The Cards D still needs a fair amount of work and will have their hands full with this squad.
The Pick Unless Larry Fitzgerald has the absolute game of his lifetime and Anquan Boldin somehow plays, I just don't like this matchup for them. So give me the Panthers 31-17 with Steve Smith and Larry Fitzgerald both going off for big yards and DeAngelo Williams going off for a big day.

Philadelphia at New York Giants
The Giants couldn't have been too thrilled with this matchup, all that work to get a number 1 seed and now they get a game against their long-time bitter division rivals. Yikes. This one should be an excellent game I think. Donovan McNabb has been simply spectacular the past several weeks, and as long as he avoids getting another case of the dry heaves, I think we should expect similarly excellent play from him in this one. And of course, the Giants have their own big-game big-play stud at quarterback in Eli Manning.
While the Eagles have the highly regarded Brian Westbrook playing running back, one of the top dual-threat players in football, but the Giants have not one but two backs who ran for more yards than Westbrook this season, so I think you can safely expect the Giants to establish a better ground game.
The Giants got a nice boost to their D when Justin Tuck all but declared he would do just about anything to play in this game, even if it means amputating something like Ronnie Lott.
The Pick I expect this one to be a pretty close because of just how well the Eagles are playing these days. The Giants will have some rust issues to overcome after the bye week against the hot Eagles. However, that won't be enough for Philly. Give me the Giants 24-20. Eli plays very well yet again and Donovan just can't do enough to get a W for the Eagles against a much better G-men squad.

I'll be back tomorrow with an in-depth Steelers preview.

Bye Bye Shady?

No more than a couple days after we heard yet again that the beloved star tailback for our Pitt Panthers LeSean McCoy would be back for his junior season, it is now looking like Shady may in fact, be turning pro after all, the Post-Gazette is reporting.

The second most productive running back to ever don the Pitt uniform, McCoy will be following in the footsteps of recent NFL studs Larry Fitzgerald and Darrelle Revis and NFL dud Greg Lee in turning pro early from Pitt in the last few years. Obviously McCoy falls nicely in line with the latter two and not with Lee.

In that story, it is even reported that McCoy apparently talked to Larry Fitz about the decision, which makes sense considering Fitz was in an almost identical spot when he was here. An unbelievably talented third-year sophomore who had done nothing but dominate in his time at Pitt, but really couldn't have reached much greater heights on the field, and its questionable as to whether or not the team they'd be returning to would be worth it to them.

Of course, assuming this is true and that McCoy is turning pro, it's a tough pill to swallow for Pitt fans everywhere. We are losing out on a fantastic running back and a very rare talent. We've been lucky to have two superstars like Larry Fitz and Shady in this decade. And while it definitely dims the outlook for our 2009 Panthers season, I don't think any true Pitt fan can fault this kid for coming out early. He figures to be a first round pick, and at absolute worst an early second rounder, which means serious cash. And to be honest, I don't know if he's going to be able to get any better in a Pitt uniform. He may take a year or two to develop into the star back at the NFL level I think he can be, but there is little doubt in my mind that he can be a 1000 yard rusher and a home run threat for an NFL team. So good luck Shady and if you've played your last game at Pitt, thanks for the memories, and if not, then I'm looking forward to next season's Pitt squad more than any team since I've been following the school.

Pens Ink Jordan Staal For 4 years

In a move that appeared to come out of nowhere, the Penguins have signed young center Jordan Staal to a 4 year 16 million dollar contract. Staal has as much upside as just about any young player in the league, but has yet to really fulfill much of the promise in his game.

The price is also about what I expected per year for a Staal contract, and is actually probably less than what Staal would have gotten this coming summer on the open market from some foolish, free-wheeling team in a move of desperation. So regardless of your feelings on Staal as a player, you've got to at least appreciate the value in this contract.

This also quashes any and all trade rumors regarding young Mr. Staal, which likely also quashes any mega-trade fantasies that anybody out there has regarding bringing in the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk or whoever else. Surely the Pens didn't sign Staal to increase his trade value (though that actually makes sense), as no one does such a thing. Jordan is here for the long-term people.

It remains to be seen at what position Staal's future lies with this team. There has been much clamoring for him to play on a wing with Sid and Geno, but Staal, Mikey Therrien, and Ray Shero all seem to prefer him centering the 3rd line, at least for now. I still am skeptical as to whether or not that is really the position he ends up at, but time will tell. One thing that is certain, though, is that he can get plenty of playing time on the 3rd line as a center line as well as being on the top PK unit and being on the ice for the powerplay as well.

I see Staal morphing into a more physical player given his very large stature as his career progresses. He could certainly be a force in front of the net with that unteachable attribute if he is able to pick up the nuances of it and get some time there.

For now, I expect we will see the same things out of Staal that we have of late. Inconsistencies on offense, excellent skill, great defense especially on the PK, and occasional flahses of brilliance. The value of this contract is in the assumption that he will mature and evolve, and that is the reason I am very much in favor of this extension. No matter what they say, I give Ray Shero another thumbs-up for this deal.

Penguins Mid-Season Report Card

The Pens now have 41 games in the books, which is exactly half a season, so I figured what better time to issue a report card on the Pens season. Anybody who played even 1 game for the Pens this season qualifies as getting some sort of a grade.
A
Evgeni Malkin
I'm only issuing one A for this team and that absolutely has to go to Geno Malkin. He's far and away the league points leader, so despite the wishes of many that he shoot more and score more and go to the net more, it's hard to view him as anything other than the best player on the team
A-
Alex Goligoski, Sidney Crosby
I know there are also people who aren't as pleased with Sid's play either, but I mean c'mon, the guy is simply spectacular. As for Goligoski, he's been the biggest surprise of the season in my book.
B+
Ruslan Fedotenko, Petr Sykora, Tyler Kennedy, Dany Sabourin, Brooks Orpik
I debated giving Petr Gun an A-, as he has been a steadying and solid presence for the Pens on the wing, and has been consistent. The stats just aren't there to justify an A- though, so I stuck him with a B+. Russie Fedotenko has quietly been a nice addition, and I am definitely a bit concerned about his potential hand injury, as that would be a definite negative impact. TK continues to be a spark plug and give more effort than anyone on the team not named Sidney Crosby. He's like the Penguin version of Rudy. Sabo gets a B+ because he finally proved he can be a good long-term fill-in if Marc-Andre Fleury were to go down with an injury. As for Brooksy, he continues as a dominant and physical blue-liner and his play hasn't tailed off after signing that huge deal in the offseason.
B
Kris Letang, Jordan Staal, John Curry, Dustin Jeffrey
Letang has continued to develop into a top offensive defenseman, and if the productivity continues to increase, he will eventually make Ryan Whitney expendable (read: this offseason). J-Staal has come under some fire by certain fans, but he has once again remembered how to score goals, and though I still hate his inconsistencies on offense, he's been terrific yet again defensively. I give John Curry a B for his surprisingly competent performance in the few games he saw, and the same goes for Dustin Jeffrey, who looks like he might have enough to stick.
B-
Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis, Mike Zigomanis, Marc-Andre Fleury, Rob Scuderi, Darryl Sydor, Tim Wallace
Matt Cooke has been basically exactly what we wanted him to be, but hasn't been anything more than that either, so he gets slotted in here. Pascal has figured out how to score some goals, but the total points still aren't really there. I'd feel much better about him if he'd been playing the entire season on the third line, but that's not his fault. Zigomanis was also exactly what we thought he'd be- an absolute force of nature on faceoffs and... that's about it. Flower's injury derailed his season- again- and now I'm not sure he's 100% yet and has been only okay since his return. The Scud missile has been a solid presence for the D. Sydor played very well in the few games Therrien let him on the ice before he got dealt. And Tim Wallace is a frisky player and has been better than what we could have expected.
C+
Miroslav Satan, Max Talbot, Jeff Taffe, Paul Bissonette
Miro has been one of the players who has been a popular target of the recent venom spewed forth by the Pens fans. The numbers are solid for Satan, and let's be honest: we knew what we were getting when the Pens signed the guy. Mad Max has been a disappointment this year in my book. He's a staggering -15 and has put up just 7 points this season. Not quite what we wanted to see out of our favorite superstar. If this keeps up, he may lose his sponsorship deals. Jeff Taffe consistently makes me feel "mehhhhh" and I don't expect that to ever change. Paul Bissonnette has been shuttled back and forth to Wilkes-Barre, and I would prefer to see him stay there permanently now that the D is getting healthier.
C
Phillippe Boucher, Ben Lovejoy, Eric Godard, Ryan Stone, Connor James
I was no fan of the Phillippe Boucher trade, and his play this year has done nothing to alter my mind. I barely remember Ben Lovejoy and Ryan Stone's 2 games here and Connor James' 1 game, so it's hard to do anything but slap them with a C. Eric Godard does what we want him to do (fight and instigate and play 4 minutes a game) and nothing else.
C-
Mark Eaton, Hal Gill
I'm not sure Eaton's really recovered from the serious injuries of the last 2 seasons. He isn't the same player he once was, and if he isn't suicidally blocking shots, he isn't worth keeping around any longer, as his other skills don't justify a spot for him. As for Halbert Gill, I've been disappointed by his play. He is still pretty physical, but I cringe when he handles the puck.
D
Chris Minard
When Minard touches the puck, he might as well just pass it to the other team immediately because he's basically useless with it in hand. I can't fail him though because the guy had pretty much zero expectations attached to him at season's start.
F
Bill Thomas, Janne Pesonen
These two signings were touted in the offseason as being smart-shopping bargains, yet neither one has done anything but hurt the Pens so far this season. Billy Thomas had the local appeal but did nothing in his very brief stint. As for Pesonen, he was looked upon as a possible winger for Sid or Geno, but he's not even been fit for the wing on Jeff Taffe or Dustin Jeffrey's line.
I
Ryan Whitney
I can't really give Whitters a truly fair grade because he's clearly still having some trouble in his recovery, and isn't at the full height of his powers just yet.

Pens Finally Get a W

After a 5 game losing streak, the Pens, at long last, somehow managed to pull off a win tonight over the Thrashers, 3-1. Needless to say, this one was met with more relief than excitement on the part of the Pens fans, and in all likelihood, the Pens themselves.

While watching the game at the bar, most people celebrated the win with sighs of reliefs, "Thank God"s and "Whew"s. Not exactly what we want to feel as fans after beating a team that was 11 points behind us coming into tonight's game.

Tonight's heroes were Geno, Petr Gun, Sid, and Flower. And frankly if the Pens were going to get a W, you just knew it was probably going to have to be these 4 that would do it for them. The three stars and the one veteran who is actually producing. Let's hope that these 4 can keep up the good work and get this team on a nice little win streak. Don't forget, despite the win tonight, the Pens' little slump has put them in 9th in the Eastern Conference at the midway point in their season.

The power play for the Pens started clicking again tonight thank god, with a pair of goals after an 0-for-about-1000 effort of late. This was encouraging to see, and while I didn't notice a ton different in terms of strategy (Geno was still playing far away from the net, which I hate), I do like having Sid planted in front of the net. He may not be your typical in-front-of-the-net guy shoving guys out of there and causing all kinds of hell, but he is crazy talented and is probably the best one on the team at deflecting shots in front of the goalie. Let's just hope he doesn't catch an errant puck like poor (not in a monetary sense) Bugsy Malone.

Luckily, the Atlantic Division has been very tough and very parity-stricken this season, as the Pens find themselves just 7 points out of 1st in the division. Ifthe Pens are able to start up a win streak that rivals their recent losing streak (I know this is a definite stretch after just one win, but stay with me here) they will be fighting it out with the Rangers, Flyers, and Devils for that top spot.

For now, let's not look that far ahead, let's just be glad that (hopefully) our Pens hit their lowest point and are now on the way back up. We'll learn more Thursday night when they visit Nashville. Another solid performance and a W and there is definite reason to be encouraged.

Check back tomorrow for a full-team report card for the mid-season grades.

Ranking Dave Wannstedt's Games as a Pitt Coach

1. 12/1/07 at West Virginia W 13-9- Is there any question that this is number one? Of course not. Just a masterful performance in a sign of things to come in 08 by the Wannstache. And don't forget, the Panthers weren't just playing against the Mountaineers, they were playing against all the referees and Mike Tranghese in one of the most crooked and shady games I've ever seen.
2. 11/28/08 vs. West Virginia W 19-15- Beating your rival is never easy, especially when they are at least as talented as you are (I'd argue probably more talented, at least at the skill positions), and it's especially difficult when they are desperate for revenge after the aforementioned 07 monumental upset.
3. 9/20/08 vs. Iowa W 21-20- This was one of the most underrated and underappreciated games of Wanny's career. It took me most of the season to realize just how good this Iowa team was. While Shonn Greene had a nice day, he was at least somewhat contained, and certainly didn't kill Pitt.
4. 10/2/08 at South Florida W 26-21- The Bulls were highly rated at the time, but this win gets downgraded because of how badly the Bulls collapsed at the end of the season. Still, it was a hell of a win and got fans legitimately fired up.
5. 10/20/07 vs. Cincinnati W 24-17- People forget about this game. Cincy came into Pitt as a ranked squad, and after Wanny's career started off about 0-for-10 against ranked teams, the Panthers pulled off a monster win behind terrible quarterback play and just riding Shady until he couldn't do it anymore. This win gave us a preview of how Wanny visualized his program winning games.
6. 11/1/08 at Notre Dame W 36-33- Few games caused as much celebration, but let's be honest, Notre Dame was a crappy football team this season. Still, without Billy Stull to at least stabilize the offense, this was a surprising win.
7. 9/2/06 vs. Virginia W 38-13- This game gave a lot of us hope at the time. It doesn't matter that a little later on in the season the Panthers absolutely collapsed. A dominating win over an ACC team is a good win.
8. 11/8/08 vs. Louisville W 41-7- This was one of the most surprising games of the year. Not surprising because Pitt romped over Louisville, but surprising because Pitt romped over Louisville despite Shady being smothered.
9. 10/18/08 at Navy W 42-21- This wasn't exactly a sexy win, but with every Pitt fan holding their breath after the 07 debacle agains Navy, it was encouraging to see Pitt control the Navy offensive scheme.
10. 9/1/07 vs. Eastern Michigan W 27-3- In Bill Stull's lone start of the 07 season, Pitt dominated Eastern Michigan to get the season off to a great start until...well you know.
11. 12/6/08 at Connecticut W 34-10- They more than dominated UConn in the second half, but in all honesty, this was a pretty lousy game because of the terrible first half. If UConn didn't trot out a couple of corposes to play quarterback, this might have been a game.
12. 9/8/06 at Cincinnati W 33-15- With the Panthers looking like they turned a corner, Pitt dominated the Bearcats to keep the River City Trophy or whatever the hell that thing is called. A win over a bowl team was a big one for Pitt, regardless of what bowl they went to.
13. 10/15/05 vs. South Florida W 31-17- This game was a nice win for Pitt because the type of speed USF always boasts had long been a problem for Pitt teams. It also continued something of a second half comeback for Pitt.
14. 11/16/06 vs. West Virginia L 45-27- The best loss of Wanny's career. It's pretty sad this comes in as high as 14. Sure they lost by 18, but the talent on that field wasn't even comparable. Wanny gets the bonus points for having a halftime lead thanks to the magic of Darrelle Revis. Pitt losing was next to inevitable, but I think this set the tone for Pitt knowing they could hang with WVU in 2007.
15. 11/12/05 vs. Connecticut W 24-0- Granted this was a bad UConn team, but still, a shutout is a shutout is a shutout.
16. 10/22/05 vs. Syracuse W 34-17- This Syracuse team was god awful, but in 05, we'd take a win any way we could get it. Still, it's hard to get too excited over this one.
17. 9/30/06 vs. Toledo W 45-3- A ho-hum, blowout win over a MAC squad. Hard to get too excited.
18. 9/6/08 vs. Buffalo W 27-16- After the Week 1 debacle against Bowling Green (see below), it was just nice to get any sort of a win. Buffalo turned out to be a half-decent squad, but the problems Pitt had in this game were very concerning.
19. 10/13/06 at UCF W 52-7- Blowing the doors off of an undermanned UCF squad, even if it is in Orlando, can only get me so excited.
20. 11/22/08 at Cincinnati L 28-21- As frustrating as this game was, Pitt made pretty decent adjustments to Cincy, and Wanny kept the troops focused and they mounted something of a comeback. Not a bad loss considering Cincy's nice season.
21. 12/31/08 Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State L 3-0- Yeah this game furthered my already serious alcoholism problem, but losing by 3 points to Oregon State is no shame. I mean on one hand the D was a work of art out there. Wanny's decision not to overrule Cavanaugh on some of those terrible play calls definitely docks him big time.
22. 10/7/06 vs. Syracuse W 21-11- Another terrible Syracuse team, another game that was closer than it should have been. This seems to be a theme for Wanny against the Orange for some reason.
23. 9/23/06 vs. Citadel W 51-6- As you'll see, romps over lowly I-AA squads don't inspire me too much.
24. 9/24/05 vs. Youngstown State W 41-0- Ditto.
25. 9/8/07 vs. Grambling State W 34-10- Ditto, except this score was too close for my taste, hence why it goes last. I'm no fan of playing these schools.
26. 11/3/07 vs. Syracuse W 20-17- Yet another close Cuse game. This Pitt team wasn't very good with Bostick at the helm, but LaRod went off yet again against the Orange.
27. 10/21/06 vs. Rutgers L 20-10- Hard to fault Wanny too much for this one, as this was a special, team-of-destiny type of Rutgers team. This was the beginning of the end for the 06 Pitt team, as they came in on the cusp of the Top 25, and never recovered from this close loss.
28. 10/8/05 vs. Cincinnati W 38-20- This Bearcat squad was pretty lousy, and Pitt had every reason to beat them. I can't reward Wanny too much for that.
29. 9/15/07 at Michigan State L 17-13- Not a terrible coaching job because the quarterbacks were unbelievably terrible after the loss of Billy Stull in the EMU game. This will forever go down as the Kevan Smith game.
30. 9/27/08 at Syracuse W 34-24- This talented Pitt team should have blown the doors off of Syracuse, and instead struggled to beat the Orange, needing a 4th quarter comeback to do the job.
31. 11/17/07 at Rutgers L 20-16- Again, with Greg Schiano pulling the strings on a decent, if not spectacular, Rutgers squad against a badly struggling Pitt team, it's hard to be too upset with Wanny.
32. 9/17/05 at Nebraska L 7-6- The game where I became convinced Greg Lee was never going to be an NFL receiver. He caught a pass downfield and was wide open for a score, and all of a sudden started running a 4.9 40-yard dash and was caught from behind before he could score, costing Pitt the game. Not really a huge blemish on Wanny's record, but this was an incredibly frustrating game to watch.
33. 11/24/07 vs. South Florida L 48-37- I was just impressed Pitt put 37 points on the board against the quick USF defense.
34. 11/25/06 vs. Louisville L 48-24- This was an excellent Louisville squad, so it's hard to fault the coaching, as Bill Cowher couldn't have got the Panthers to a win in this game. However, I remember this game and remember thinking that the Panthers didn't even bother to show up, despite the 24 point output.
35. 9/16/06 vs. Michigan State L 38-23- The Spartans were just too much team for our Panthers in this game. No shame in that, but it was another example of a Panthers squad that had talent but just couldn't really put it together against good squads like MSU.
36. 10/27/07 at Louisville L 24-17- Another frustrating game in a season full of them for the 07 Panthers. With even mediocre QB play, the Panthers take this game.
37. 11/4/06 at South Florida L 22-12- The Panthers were obliterated by the USF D in this game (just 214 yards total). Completely unimaginative playcalling (imagine that) sank the Panthers as they just couldn't match up with the speed the Bulls brought to the table.
38. 9/30/05 at Rutgers L 37-29- A coming-out party for Rutgers. With Pitt's season on life support, the Panthers didn't even bother showing up for the first half, falling behind 27-0 before making a furious, but fruitless comeback. This is something that continues to happen under Wanny even to this day, and is definitely an alarming trend.
39. 9/3/05 vs. Notre Dame L 42-21- Remember all the hype for this ball game? Wanny's first game as coach, College Game Day was in the house, Tyler Palko and the Panthers were coming off a Big East Championship and a Fiesta Bowl bid...and they get just obliterated by Notre Dame. Complete and total buzz kill.
40. 11/3/05 at Louisville L 42-20- Pitt's defense got debacled in this one, giving up well over 400 yards of total offense in this one. Michael Bush had just 16 carries but went for 115 yards in a game that the Panthers managed to keep it close, trailing just 22-20 at the half, before getting obliterated the rest of the way.
41. 9/22/07 vs. Connecticut L 34-14- Now we're starting to get to the ugly games. This game wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates, an indicator of just how much of a mess the 07 team became immediately after losing Stull.
42. 9/29/07 at Virginia L 44-14- Virginia got up 30-0 on the Panthers in the first half and coasted to an embarassingly easy win over our Panthers. Wanny's crew didn't show up yet again, an alarming trend that sunk the 07 Panthers.
43. 11/24/05 at West Virginia L 45-13- To not show up at all against your rival is just embarassing and completely inexcusable. Yes, we all knew that WVU was going to win this one 99 times out of 100 given just how toxic the chemistry on this Panthers team was. I think the statisticians from this game are STILL trying to tabulate the rushing yards for Pat White and Steve Slaton.
44. 10/25/08 vs. Rutgers L 54-34- The 08 Panthers were starting to chug along, things were looking good, we were hoping we could make a run at the Big East, we had a game against a Rutgers team that was falling apart and... BOOM! Mike Teel turns into Peyton Manning and absolutely toasts Aaron Berry and Jovanni Chappel all day long. Just absurd.
45. 8/30/08 vs. Bowling Green L 27-17- There was a fair amount of excitement for the start of the 2008 Pitt season in mid-August. People were fired up for Shady McCoy, fired up to have (we thought) a competent quarterback, and fired up after the 07 Brawl upset. And they lay an egg against a MAC team they should have run circles around. A very disappointing showing for Pitt and for the Wannstache.
46. 10/10/07 vs. Navy L 48-45- We're officially in the dregs now. This game made me want to pull out a rifle and take aim at Paul Rhoads (by the way Iowa State, congrats on your new head coach...no seriously I look forward to Rhoads putting great game plans together for Oklahoma and Texas Tech and keeping things close and then giving up 50 points to Baylor). Anyway, every half decent team eventually slows down the Navy triple option, yet Pitt could just run over. And this is without mentioning that in OT Matt Cavanaugh, with Pitt almost at the goal line, called a Pat Bostick lob into the end zone on fourth and goal when Navy had spent all day running scared from Shady McCoy.
47. 11/11/06 vs. Connecticut L 46-45- Another game that made me want to throw up all over the place. DJ F-Ing Hernandez turned into Tim Tebow in this game. Hernandez threw for 4 touchdowns and ran for 130 of the Huskies 317 rushing yards. You know how many TD's Hernandez would throw for in his career? 6! You know how many rushing yards he has in his career? 306! They turned him into a receiver this season for god's sake! I'm about to black out...(deep breaths)... okay I'm good.
48. 9/9/05 at Ohio L 16-10- The official worst game in the Dave Wannstedt era! This was not a good MAC team, yet they took Pitt to overtime somehow then Tyler Palko, who clearly had wagered heavily on the Bobcats, tossed a lollipop int that was housed for an OU win. And even better, the only TD of the game for Pitt was LaRod's kick return for a TD! I mean how does something like this happen?

Another day, another terrible Pens game

Surprise surprise the Penguins crapped the bed yet again. I know that the common spiel in town of late has been to absolve Mikey Therrien of wrongdoing, and while I was agreeing with that for a while, my feelings are starting to sway after watching this team tonight.

I came home a little late, but figured that since I was only about 10 minutes late I wouldn't have missed anything. OF COURSE NOT! The Rangers were up 1-zip already and I promptly changed the channel. I just couldn't deal with it. I kept an eye on the box score on ESPN.com and decided to flip back at the start of the 2nd period, thinking maybe a fresh start to a period would help me. Well, I didn't change the channel this time but it certainly wasn't any prettier.

The Pens were playing sloppy, taking penalties (Sid had 4 PIM in the second period!) and just generally looked like they were ready to call it a game already. They managed to survive for a while, but the Rangers inevitably got up 2-0 late in the second.

I strongly considered switching after the second, because I could just tell there was no way the Pens were coming back. But I was curious to see how they would respond against a frequent opponent/rival in a desperate situation, so I stayed tuned in, and was treated to 20 more minutes of revolting hockey.

The third period saw the Rangers mostly just play conservative and go into a shell, and the Pens were quite obviously not at all interested in taking advantage of this in any way, shape, or form. They mustered just 7 shots in the third period and were shut out by King Henrik.

But back to Therrien. I'm not saying its time to string up the noose that, if it isn't tightening, is at least placed gently around his neck at this point. What I am saying is that, if the Pens continue in this free-fall, people in this town need to stop giving him a hall pass. The coach of a team with this much talent at the top should be held to a much higher standard.

The Pens have shown very little passion or fire of late. Sure they have shown signs of frustration (the fighting), but this has not been the spark that it should be. Instead, someone just fights and the rest of the team stands around watching for a few seconds and goes back to playing crappy hockey. This is just unacceptable.

And its not like its just that the team isn't responding to Therrien, some of these moves he's making in the lineup are headscratchers. I've long hated the lets-put-a-defender-in-as-a-forward idea that Therrien has used in the past and has used of late. Just because we have too many defensemen that all feel they should be playing does not mean they HAVE to be playing. To be honest, I don't think anyone on this squad has the right to demand anything right now. And certainly, on a team that can barely score a goal right now, I don't think adding more defenders to the lineup helps at all.

And while we're on the subject of the defenders, after an embarassing offensive performance, why does Therrien go and scratch Alex Goligoski tonight? Uhmm... Mikey, Go-go has been by far our best offensive defenseman so far this season (it really isn't even close in my opinion), and for a team that is badly missing Sergei Gonchar's offensive presence, it is the ultimate stupidity to scratch your best offensive defenseman. Just an indefensible move by a coach obviously grasping at straws.

Speaking of grasping at straws...how does the pull-the-goalie-with-4-minutes-left strategy make any sense? Has it ever worked. I know they were down 3-zip and out of the game at that point, but I can't see how that 6th skater was really worth it. Again, just a move that is reeking of desperation from a coach that clearly thinks his head is on the chopping block.

Look, I'm not saying this tailspin is Therrien's fault. No, it goes much, much deeper than that. But it seems to me that Therrien is coaching like a desperate man and is making a bad situation much worse with moves that just don't make a whole lot of sense. If this keeps up, I don't see the Penguins have many options except to make their own move of desperation: a head coaching change.