Well, I had planned on doing a similar entry last night, but a power outage put the kibosh on that. So, I ended up at Angelia's Pizza over in Kennedy (best pizza in town by far) watching the first period of the Pens game while having a few adult beverages.
So, without further ado...
- It was amazingly cool to see all of the players who came back for the last regular season game at Mellon Arena. It's hard to imagine that once upon a time, the Pens couldn't draw files, and now they sell out every game. Pittsburgh has truly become a hockey town, and I really think the Pens have surpassed the Pirates to become the number two team in town in terms of popularity. The Steelers are clearly number one, but a large portion of the 30 and under crowd all but worship the Pens.
Though the Pens pretty much romped over the Islanders last night, there were still way too many defensive breakdowns for my liking. Crap like that has got to stop once the playoffs get underway next week. It just kills me that if the Pens had been able to beat the Devils twice (or even once), they'd be in the driver's seat for the number two seed in the East. As it is, if the Pens and Devils tie, the Devils will win the tiebreaker based on head-to-head games. So, the Pens need the Devils to lose one or both of their next two games while the Pens win both. It can happen, but losing is not really an option if the Pens want to finish second and avoid the Caps until the conference finals. Oh yeah, they also have to make sure Sid gets his 50th goal, too.
- As many of you probably know by now, the D.A. in the Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault case will be having a press conference on Monday to announce what's going to happen. What's going to happen is one of three things: 1) Ben will be charged with sexual assault or something similar; 2) Ben will be cleared of any wrongdoing or 3) the case will go before a grand jury. If Ben gets charged, then I think he'll surely be suspended by the NFL for probably 2-4 games depending on how severe the charges are. And you know what? Ben's got no one to blame but himself.
I mean, come on! You're Ben Freakin' Roethisberger. You can have any woman you want (despite the fact that you're not the least bit good looking). Why in god's name do you have to go to some night club in Hickville, Georgia, and invite a bunch of underage girls to party with you in the VIP area, (allegedly) getting one of them drunk and then (allegedly) taking her into the girls' bathroom so she can (allegedly) give you a hummer? Seriously, Ben, WTF? Would it have been so hard to not do that or have a private party somewhere or just not leave your house at all?
There are hundreds and hundreds of pro athletes who manage to enjoy their lives without getting in a lick of trouble. Sidney Crosby is one of the two biggest names in hockey, and I'd be flabbergasted if he ever got in an ounce of trouble. Of course, that's probably because Mario would crosscheck him upside the head if he did, but that's beside the point.
Ben already had a lawsuit hanging over him, so common sense should have told him that what he was (or was not) doing with that girl (that underage girl) was stupid. Raise your hand if you wanted to smack him when you heard about all of this when it broke. Yeah, that's what I thought.
And then recently, Santonio Holmes goes and gets himself in an (alleged) altercation with some (allegedly) crazy chick in a bar. Tone may or may not have thrown a glass at this woman. Y'know what? Even if he didn't do it, he still put himself in a situation like it, and that's just dumb. Of course, this is the same guy who got pulled over for smoking a joint in his car during the season and the same guy who recently Tweeted it was "time to wake n bake."
Confession time: I have never smoked a joint in my life, and I never plan to if I can help it. Yet, even I know what it means when Tone says it's time to wake and bake. I don't care if he was kidding. You just don't put stuff like that on your Twitter page. God! How stupid are these athletes, anyway? Oh, just you wait... I plan on doing a big blog on this subject soon, but for now, I'm just gonna shake my head and roll my eyes at Ben and Tone for being colossal idiots.
- Well, the Buccos came back to earth yesterday after being routed by the Dodgers 10-2. These are the Pirates I expected - lousy pitching, no hitting, bad defense. Yeah, I know 2 out of 3 ain't bad (as Meatloaf so eloquently put it), but the starting pitching has to be better, otherwise the bullpen is going to be completely wiped out by May. Memo to Andy Laroche - you are not your brother, so it's okay to get a hit in the first month of the season. Memo to John Russell - please stop hitting the pitcher 8th.
- Not much to say about this past Monday's RAW. It was pretty much a filler show with the biggest development being the setting up of the main event for the next PPV - Cena vs. Batista - Last Man Standing. Since Big Dave is supposed to be taking some time off soon, I'd have to guess Cena will win.
- One other piece of wrestling news to share - the last Monday Night RAW at Mellon Arena will be held on May 10th. Now, the Arena has had more than its fair share of great wrestling moments. Probably the best known moment is the Mankind/Undertaker Hell in a Cell match during King of the Ring back in 1998 when Mankind got tossed off the top of the cell by Taker and then later fell through the roof of the cage to the mat below. Pittsburgh native Bruno Sammartino (who still looks like a million bucks) wrestled in front of packed houses at the Arena many, many times. I attended my first ever wrestling event at the Arena, back when I still thought it was real.
So, that all said, I hope WWE does something to pay tribute to one of its best venues in one of its best cities on that night. Of course, if I were running WWE, I would have moved heaven and earth to get Bruno to be guest host that night, but since he and Vince don't really see eye to eye, we're stuck with... Flavor Flav. Yes, you read that right - Flavor Flav. I'll have to make sure I have my closed captioning on that night because I can't understand a word Flav says.
Anyway, that's all for tonight. Have a good weekend, folks. See yinz Sunday!
JD
Friday, April 9, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
I Am, I Said
I'm not sure why I titled today's blog after a Neil Diamond song, but I think it'll make sense by the end of this thing.
Apropos of Neil Diamond... did anyone see him sing (and I use that term loosely) "Sweet Caroline" during the Yankees/Red Sox game Sunday night on ESPN? It was horrible, and I think that's being kind. If you don't believe me, see for yourself.
I wonder how much the Sox had to pay him for that, and I wonder if Pitt would pay him to sing "Sweet Caroline" after the third quarter during a home football game this fall. If anyone out there has pull with the Pitt athletic department, say something to Steve Pedersen and make sure you tell him it was my idea.
Anyway, a comment from a follower (shout out to Bigg) about yesterday's blog got me thinking. I addressed a lot of issues in yesterday's blog, but there were some things I either didn't get to or flat out forgot about. I really hadn't planned to do a sequel of sorts to yesterday's blog, so think of this more as a further explanation of why I am the way I am.
I'm going to be turning 38 in a little over three weeks, and as such, it's really easy to not only get set in your ways but also to not want to change said ways. Now, I will admit to having changed quite a bit over the past 2 years or so. I'm much more accepting of who I am, much more open-minded and not as hard as I used to be on myself, among other things.
Bigg had wondered if maybe I was putting conditions on love, and I thought about that. I thought about it a lot. As it turns out, I don't think I am, but the thing is, I'm not sure I've ever been put in a position to do so.
Let me explain - I don't date much. Never have. Most of my relationships never make it past date two for some reason or another. This is the second time I've tried eharmony. The first time, I met someone I really liked, and she totally blew me off. We went out once, and after that, she would never even return my phone calls or emails. And so began the pattern of my eharmony relationships: get to the open communication stage, find out about one another, exchange emails and phone calls, decide to go out, have a pleasant to really good time and then... Well, I'm not sure what happens, but something always does because my track record is godawful.
Here's a recent example: around the time of the big blizzard we had in Pittsburgh back in February, I met a woman on eharmony that I really liked. We had a ton in common - we liked sci-fi, cult TV shows, books, and lots of other things. The week after the blizzard, we met at a Starbucks and talked for two hours. It was a great first date, so I suggested we meet up again for dinner. She agreed. I thought there was chemistry, and I got the impression she did, too. So, fast forward to date number two, a scant four days later. Not ten minutes into the date, she tells me that she didn't want me to get the wrong impression, but she really didn't feel any chemistry. Needless to say, I was pretty pissed off, but I kept it to myself. What I wanted to say was, "Well, thanks for wasting my night when I could have been somewhere else watching the Pens game. Why the hell didn't you say something before?" The rest of the night was just awkward as hell. We exchanged one more email afterward, and she hasn't written to me since which is fine considering what happened that night.
After awhile, you start to wonder if something's wrong with you. Was it my breath? Did I forget to put on deodorant? Did I have a piece of lettuce in my teeth? And from there, it can spiral into worse things than that. I used to let it really depress me. Now it just pisses me off. A lot.
I try not to get discouraged - really I do. But it's hard. You see all of those eharmony commercials that all but promise you'll meet someone special, and when you don't, you really start to think that maybe it's just not in the cards for you. And it's not like I've been uber-picky when choosing to communicate with my matches. I haven't, but the vast majority of the women I'm matched with don't even go past the first step with me.
Am I picky? Yes, I am, but I really don't want to settle. I have lots of deal breakers - non-smoker, intelligent, kind, sense of humor, and a tangible amount of physical attraction, to name several. Yes, I do realize that the physical aspect can be overrated, but it's something that's important to me. Always has been, probably always will be.
What I have a problem with is that the things I think I bring to a relationship aren't necessarily valued, despite protests to the contrary. I'm quiet, a bit shy, intelligent, a bit geeky, polite, respectful, a purveyor of common sense, a romantic and above all, not a douche bag. I have always considered myself a nice guy, and I have a major problem with douche bags because I think they always seem to get the girls and then treat them like crap. Story of my life, but you'll have that. It is what it is as Coach Cowher always used to say.
Please don't take this as me complaining about not having a girlfriend and so on. I'm not. I don't feel like I'm entitled to one or anything like that. I just... I just hoped it would have happened for me by now, and every now and then, it bums me out that it hasn't. I'll probably be slightly bummed for the rest of the night, but by the time tomorrow rolls around, I won't be.
So, what does this all mean? I'll be honest... I'm not sure, but I did want to get it out there. This is therapeutic for me, and I think that by getting my feelings into the open, I'll be better able to deal with them going forward.
But rest assured, I'm not giving up on meeting women, but there are times, when I do feel like just chucking it in and consigning myself to a bachelor's life.
Anyway, that's all for tonight. Tomorrow I'll be back with something much less serious, I hope, because this blog is supposed to be a lot of things and fun is one of them.
Thanks again for letting me share, and thanks for reading everyone.
See yinz tomorrow!
JD
Apropos of Neil Diamond... did anyone see him sing (and I use that term loosely) "Sweet Caroline" during the Yankees/Red Sox game Sunday night on ESPN? It was horrible, and I think that's being kind. If you don't believe me, see for yourself.
I wonder how much the Sox had to pay him for that, and I wonder if Pitt would pay him to sing "Sweet Caroline" after the third quarter during a home football game this fall. If anyone out there has pull with the Pitt athletic department, say something to Steve Pedersen and make sure you tell him it was my idea.
Anyway, a comment from a follower (shout out to Bigg) about yesterday's blog got me thinking. I addressed a lot of issues in yesterday's blog, but there were some things I either didn't get to or flat out forgot about. I really hadn't planned to do a sequel of sorts to yesterday's blog, so think of this more as a further explanation of why I am the way I am.
I'm going to be turning 38 in a little over three weeks, and as such, it's really easy to not only get set in your ways but also to not want to change said ways. Now, I will admit to having changed quite a bit over the past 2 years or so. I'm much more accepting of who I am, much more open-minded and not as hard as I used to be on myself, among other things.
Bigg had wondered if maybe I was putting conditions on love, and I thought about that. I thought about it a lot. As it turns out, I don't think I am, but the thing is, I'm not sure I've ever been put in a position to do so.
Let me explain - I don't date much. Never have. Most of my relationships never make it past date two for some reason or another. This is the second time I've tried eharmony. The first time, I met someone I really liked, and she totally blew me off. We went out once, and after that, she would never even return my phone calls or emails. And so began the pattern of my eharmony relationships: get to the open communication stage, find out about one another, exchange emails and phone calls, decide to go out, have a pleasant to really good time and then... Well, I'm not sure what happens, but something always does because my track record is godawful.
Here's a recent example: around the time of the big blizzard we had in Pittsburgh back in February, I met a woman on eharmony that I really liked. We had a ton in common - we liked sci-fi, cult TV shows, books, and lots of other things. The week after the blizzard, we met at a Starbucks and talked for two hours. It was a great first date, so I suggested we meet up again for dinner. She agreed. I thought there was chemistry, and I got the impression she did, too. So, fast forward to date number two, a scant four days later. Not ten minutes into the date, she tells me that she didn't want me to get the wrong impression, but she really didn't feel any chemistry. Needless to say, I was pretty pissed off, but I kept it to myself. What I wanted to say was, "Well, thanks for wasting my night when I could have been somewhere else watching the Pens game. Why the hell didn't you say something before?" The rest of the night was just awkward as hell. We exchanged one more email afterward, and she hasn't written to me since which is fine considering what happened that night.
After awhile, you start to wonder if something's wrong with you. Was it my breath? Did I forget to put on deodorant? Did I have a piece of lettuce in my teeth? And from there, it can spiral into worse things than that. I used to let it really depress me. Now it just pisses me off. A lot.
I try not to get discouraged - really I do. But it's hard. You see all of those eharmony commercials that all but promise you'll meet someone special, and when you don't, you really start to think that maybe it's just not in the cards for you. And it's not like I've been uber-picky when choosing to communicate with my matches. I haven't, but the vast majority of the women I'm matched with don't even go past the first step with me.
Am I picky? Yes, I am, but I really don't want to settle. I have lots of deal breakers - non-smoker, intelligent, kind, sense of humor, and a tangible amount of physical attraction, to name several. Yes, I do realize that the physical aspect can be overrated, but it's something that's important to me. Always has been, probably always will be.
What I have a problem with is that the things I think I bring to a relationship aren't necessarily valued, despite protests to the contrary. I'm quiet, a bit shy, intelligent, a bit geeky, polite, respectful, a purveyor of common sense, a romantic and above all, not a douche bag. I have always considered myself a nice guy, and I have a major problem with douche bags because I think they always seem to get the girls and then treat them like crap. Story of my life, but you'll have that. It is what it is as Coach Cowher always used to say.
Please don't take this as me complaining about not having a girlfriend and so on. I'm not. I don't feel like I'm entitled to one or anything like that. I just... I just hoped it would have happened for me by now, and every now and then, it bums me out that it hasn't. I'll probably be slightly bummed for the rest of the night, but by the time tomorrow rolls around, I won't be.
So, what does this all mean? I'll be honest... I'm not sure, but I did want to get it out there. This is therapeutic for me, and I think that by getting my feelings into the open, I'll be better able to deal with them going forward.
But rest assured, I'm not giving up on meeting women, but there are times, when I do feel like just chucking it in and consigning myself to a bachelor's life.
Anyway, that's all for tonight. Tomorrow I'll be back with something much less serious, I hope, because this blog is supposed to be a lot of things and fun is one of them.
Thanks again for letting me share, and thanks for reading everyone.
See yinz tomorrow!
JD
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Happiness is...
Lately, I've been devoting my blog to less thought provoking subjects like pro wrestling and the Pirates. Today, however, I want to do an entry that hearkens back to the main reason I wanted to do this blog.
I've not only needed an outlet for my writing, but I've also needed a place to express some of the thoughts going through my mind at a given time, good or bad. As topics have come and gone, one has remained at the forefront - my current mental state.
Those who know me now or in the past have known that I can be rather... morose at times or even downright miserable. In short, I just wasn't a very happy person for some reason or another. But lately... lately something has happened. I don't know if there's any one specific reason I can point to, but I just seem to be much happier lately.
I've always taken great pleasure from the simple things in life that I enjoy the most - a cold beer and a piece of pizza, my Sunday afternoon nap, cooking out, watching one of my obscure DVDs and other things that I won't go into. But it seemed like life in general wasn't bringing much joy to my life. Sure, I could enjoy the things that I enjoyed, but the basics of life just left me rather unhappy.
For a long time, it was my financial situation or lack thereof. Other times, it was my love life or lack thereof. And there was also my mom and dad's respective sicknesses which both contributed to me being pretty darned miserable at times.
I didn't like myself when I was this way, but I often felt that the fates of the world had conspired against me again and again (I think I stole that line from an episode of Pinky and the Brain). In short, I was blaming everyone and everything else but myself, and I was also unwilling (or as I thought, unable) to do anything about it.
So what's changed? What's made me wake up not dreading the day so much, even when it was 20 degrees with 2 feet of snow on the ground? What's made me not get so frustrated so much with my lot in life? What's made me appreciate the hand I was dealt in life?
The answer? No, it's not God or Jesus Christ. Sorry, if you were expecting that, then you don't me very well at all.
So what is the answer then? It's pretty simple - I just decided that my life is pretty good, and I shouldn't waste my time or energy on being so miserable when I could actually be enjoying my life.
Now, does that mean I think my life is perfect? Of course not. I'm still about 25 pounds overweight. I like my job, but it's not my dream job by any stretch of the imagination. I still don't have a girlfriend and the prospects (despite daily visits to eharmony.com) aren't very encouraging. But that's okay. No, really... it is.
I know I can get back into shape if I get off my lazy ass and actually, y'know, try. My job? Well, one of these days, I'm going to get serious about opening my own sports bar & restaurant and leaving the world of title insurance behind. As for my lack of a love life... well, I know that I don't do enough to "get out there" as a former friend used to tell me ad nauseum, but I've also come to the conclusion that not every person out there is going to find the love of his/her life. It's kinda sad, but it's true. I sure as hell hope I'm not one of those people, but I've prepared myself for the possibility that I might be. I've also decided that it's just not worth getting all worked up about like I used to when I would lie awake at night wondering what was wrong with me and why I couldn't meet someone special. I'm not the most patient of people, but I've learned that these things take time, even if I wonder what taking so damned long from time to time.
And there are other, more tangible reasons why I'm a lot happier these days. When my mom passed away at the end of last November, it was like a huge burden was lifted from my life. Gone were the thrice weekly trips to the nursing home. Gone were the dreaded phone calls from the nursing home asking for money. And gone was having to worry about her continued suffering. My mother is at peace now, and I feel a lot better because of it.
Now, as for money... well, money may or may not be able to buy happiness, but not having to worry about it so much is very good for one's frame of mind. I don't have a mortgage. My car payment isn't ridiculous. Yeah, I have bills (like a school loan that won't be paid off until I'm 60 at this rate), but I also have money to buy things I want (like Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on DVD, for instance) and not have to worry about every nickel I spend.
I also have been a regular user of the anti-depressant Lexapro which has been a great help to keeping me on more of an even keel.
And one more thing, something rather strange has added to my current happy state - the end of a relationship. Now, this will be addressed at length in a future blog, but before the end of last year, a long time friendship finally ended, and that was a good thing because we were driving each other up the wall every time we spoke. Any common ground or interests we had was constantly usurped by arguments or apologies or other crap. So, when my friend and I finally said goodbye, I did a little Dance of Joy because I didn't have to put up with dealing with them anymore. It needed to end, and I'm glad it did. And while this wasn't the first time it had ended, it will be the last. I'll never go down that road again.
So, what is happiness to me? Happiness is my life, a life which, upon further reflection, is pretty darned good.
Thanks for letting me share. Be back tomorrow. Go Pens!
JD
I've not only needed an outlet for my writing, but I've also needed a place to express some of the thoughts going through my mind at a given time, good or bad. As topics have come and gone, one has remained at the forefront - my current mental state.
Those who know me now or in the past have known that I can be rather... morose at times or even downright miserable. In short, I just wasn't a very happy person for some reason or another. But lately... lately something has happened. I don't know if there's any one specific reason I can point to, but I just seem to be much happier lately.
I've always taken great pleasure from the simple things in life that I enjoy the most - a cold beer and a piece of pizza, my Sunday afternoon nap, cooking out, watching one of my obscure DVDs and other things that I won't go into. But it seemed like life in general wasn't bringing much joy to my life. Sure, I could enjoy the things that I enjoyed, but the basics of life just left me rather unhappy.
For a long time, it was my financial situation or lack thereof. Other times, it was my love life or lack thereof. And there was also my mom and dad's respective sicknesses which both contributed to me being pretty darned miserable at times.
I didn't like myself when I was this way, but I often felt that the fates of the world had conspired against me again and again (I think I stole that line from an episode of Pinky and the Brain). In short, I was blaming everyone and everything else but myself, and I was also unwilling (or as I thought, unable) to do anything about it.
So what's changed? What's made me wake up not dreading the day so much, even when it was 20 degrees with 2 feet of snow on the ground? What's made me not get so frustrated so much with my lot in life? What's made me appreciate the hand I was dealt in life?
The answer? No, it's not God or Jesus Christ. Sorry, if you were expecting that, then you don't me very well at all.
So what is the answer then? It's pretty simple - I just decided that my life is pretty good, and I shouldn't waste my time or energy on being so miserable when I could actually be enjoying my life.
Now, does that mean I think my life is perfect? Of course not. I'm still about 25 pounds overweight. I like my job, but it's not my dream job by any stretch of the imagination. I still don't have a girlfriend and the prospects (despite daily visits to eharmony.com) aren't very encouraging. But that's okay. No, really... it is.
I know I can get back into shape if I get off my lazy ass and actually, y'know, try. My job? Well, one of these days, I'm going to get serious about opening my own sports bar & restaurant and leaving the world of title insurance behind. As for my lack of a love life... well, I know that I don't do enough to "get out there" as a former friend used to tell me ad nauseum, but I've also come to the conclusion that not every person out there is going to find the love of his/her life. It's kinda sad, but it's true. I sure as hell hope I'm not one of those people, but I've prepared myself for the possibility that I might be. I've also decided that it's just not worth getting all worked up about like I used to when I would lie awake at night wondering what was wrong with me and why I couldn't meet someone special. I'm not the most patient of people, but I've learned that these things take time, even if I wonder what taking so damned long from time to time.
And there are other, more tangible reasons why I'm a lot happier these days. When my mom passed away at the end of last November, it was like a huge burden was lifted from my life. Gone were the thrice weekly trips to the nursing home. Gone were the dreaded phone calls from the nursing home asking for money. And gone was having to worry about her continued suffering. My mother is at peace now, and I feel a lot better because of it.
Now, as for money... well, money may or may not be able to buy happiness, but not having to worry about it so much is very good for one's frame of mind. I don't have a mortgage. My car payment isn't ridiculous. Yeah, I have bills (like a school loan that won't be paid off until I'm 60 at this rate), but I also have money to buy things I want (like Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on DVD, for instance) and not have to worry about every nickel I spend.
I also have been a regular user of the anti-depressant Lexapro which has been a great help to keeping me on more of an even keel.
And one more thing, something rather strange has added to my current happy state - the end of a relationship. Now, this will be addressed at length in a future blog, but before the end of last year, a long time friendship finally ended, and that was a good thing because we were driving each other up the wall every time we spoke. Any common ground or interests we had was constantly usurped by arguments or apologies or other crap. So, when my friend and I finally said goodbye, I did a little Dance of Joy because I didn't have to put up with dealing with them anymore. It needed to end, and I'm glad it did. And while this wasn't the first time it had ended, it will be the last. I'll never go down that road again.
So, what is happiness to me? Happiness is my life, a life which, upon further reflection, is pretty darned good.
Thanks for letting me share. Be back tomorrow. Go Pens!
JD
Monday, April 5, 2010
1 down, 161 to go...
Well, despite my prediction of gloom and doom and not-so-subtle suggestion that the Pirates not even bother playing this season, the Buccos went out and thumped the Dodgers in front of the 5th largest crowd in PNC Park history by the score of 11-5.
"The Legend" Garrett Jones spanked a two run homer into the Allegheny River on one bounce and one inning later hit a postage stamp homer down the left field line. Ryan Doumit (favorite whipping boy of mine) also hit a three run shot in the eighth to put a bow on the win. Ryan Church also came up big with a pinch hit, bases clearing double. The pitching was okay. Zach Duke got the win, going 5 innings and giving up 2 first inning runs. The bullpen did its job for the most part, despite a shaky showing by DJ Carrasco and Evan Meek.
The atmosphere at PNC Park was tremendous, as was the weather - easily the nicest weather for a home opener that I can remember. Of course, yours truly didn't put on any sunscreen and got singed pretty badly because of it. Oh well... I'd much rather have gotten a little sunburn as opposed to freezing my ass off.
Anyway, despite the Pirates resounding victory today, I'm still convinced that this is going to be a long season for our Buccos. That said, a game like today shows you what can happen when things actually go right for the Pirates. There is some potential there, that much is evident, but can potential carry the Pirates to .500 or better? That remains to be seen. I guess we'll find out over the course of the next 161 games.
Anyway, time for RAW. See yinz tomorrow.
JD
"The Legend" Garrett Jones spanked a two run homer into the Allegheny River on one bounce and one inning later hit a postage stamp homer down the left field line. Ryan Doumit (favorite whipping boy of mine) also hit a three run shot in the eighth to put a bow on the win. Ryan Church also came up big with a pinch hit, bases clearing double. The pitching was okay. Zach Duke got the win, going 5 innings and giving up 2 first inning runs. The bullpen did its job for the most part, despite a shaky showing by DJ Carrasco and Evan Meek.
The atmosphere at PNC Park was tremendous, as was the weather - easily the nicest weather for a home opener that I can remember. Of course, yours truly didn't put on any sunscreen and got singed pretty badly because of it. Oh well... I'd much rather have gotten a little sunburn as opposed to freezing my ass off.
Anyway, despite the Pirates resounding victory today, I'm still convinced that this is going to be a long season for our Buccos. That said, a game like today shows you what can happen when things actually go right for the Pirates. There is some potential there, that much is evident, but can potential carry the Pirates to .500 or better? That remains to be seen. I guess we'll find out over the course of the next 161 games.
Anyway, time for RAW. See yinz tomorrow.
JD
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Pirates Preview 2010
Well, I've been promising (or threatening, as the case may be) to do this for the past few days, so what better to do with a Saturday night at home then preview what is sure to be another stellar season for your Pittsburgh Pirates. Okay, maybe there's like, several dozens other things I'd rather be doing, but it's better than watching the Final Four.
If you've come here looking for optimism, you've come to the wrong place. I'll save my official win-loss prediction for the end, but suffice to say, it ain't gonna be pretty. So, let's get it on!
Disclaimer: If you're expecting to see lots of regurgitated stats and such, then you're in the wrong place. This is strictly my opinion and that comes from what I've seen with my own two eyes. Stats are useful, but if you want them, I suggest MLB.com or some other sports site.
First Base
The cornerstone of the Jack Wilson trade to Seattle last year was a AAA catcher named Jeff Clement. If you haven't heard of him, you're not alone. He supposedly has a good bat and is ready for the majors in that regard (or so the Pirates' brass claims). The problem? He hasn't ever played first base in the majors and barely in the minors. So, instead of just sticking with Garrett Jones at first and putting Ryan Church in right field, the Buccos are throwing Clement to the wolves by just giving him the first base job with no seasoning in AAA. Say what you will about ex-Pirate Adam Laroche, but he was a Gold Glove caliber first baseman. Clement? Well, there was a foul pop in last night's game against the Phillies that I've seen little leaguers play better. Translation? The errant throws that Laroche saved from going into the stands last year will more than likely end up as throwing errors because Clement can't scoop them. I sure hope he can hit because he's going to be a serious liability on defense.
Second Base
The Pirates acquired Aki Iwamura from the Tampa Rays in the offseason for reliever Jesse Chavez. Iwamura was part of the Rays' improbable run to the World Series two seasons ago and is, by all accounts, a solid Major League player. For some reason, Pirates manager John Russell (aka Ambien JR - h/t Mike Pavlik) has him leading off, even though he's probably better suited to the two spot and strikes out a lot. I'm sure he'll be adequate defensively, with a similar range to Freddy Sanchez (which is to say, not much range at all). I expect Aki will be dealt to a contended at the trade deadline with Andy Laroche moving to second (more on that in a bit).
Shortstop
Ronny Cedeno (also part of the Jack Wilson trade) and Bobby Crosby (former A.L. Rookie of the Year with Oakland) will probably split time, with whoever sucks less getting the bulk of the playing time. If (and it's a big if) Crosby can magically regain his former Rookie of the Year form, then with his power, he could be a serious upgrade at shortstop. Not really sure about his defense, but it can't be as good as Jack Wilson's was. As for Cedeno, his bat has a bit of a pop, and he'll make some spectacular plays in the field. The problem? He'll occasionally boot a groundball right at him. Needless to say, the Pirates' defense will be no where near as good as it was last year, when it was near the top in the N.L. Honestly, I think the Pirates would be better off if they could get Sidney Crosby at short. At least he's been known to score now and then.
Third Base
Andy Laroche is the incumbent at the hot corner but is only keeping it warm until 2008 first round pick Pedro Alvarez is ready to take over. Laroche came on slightly at the end of last season and has had a decent spring. Honestly, he's the least of the Pirates' myriad problems. I expect he'll hit about .260 with 12-15 homers and play average (if unspectacular) defense. He'll be much better suited to second base once Alvarez arrives.
Catcher
The oft-injured Ryan Doumit returns for another season, one of the few players not traded last season. Last season, Doumit broke the scaphoid bone in his wrist and missed more than 2 months. It's a very important bone and, per Wikipedia "it is relatively difficult to break." Unless you're Ryan Doumit, that is. After he came back from injury, he was a big time malcontent and was just awful, both offensively and defensively. I expect Doumit and his burdensome contract will be traded some time this year, opening the door for... Oh wait, the Pirates don't have anybody waiting in the wings.
Well, there is 2009 first round draft pick Tony Sanchez who, by all accounts, had a great first year in pro ball, but Sanchez (who played college ball, so it's not like he was drafted right out of high school) is starting the year in Single A Bradenton and probably won't get a sniff of the majors until 2012... at the earliest. Y'see, the Pirates love to baby their big time prospects to the point of hilarity. If Pens winger Jordan Staal were playing for the Pirates, he'd be stuck in ECHL Wheeling. At the very least, Sanchez should be the starting catcher for Double A Altoona.
Left Field
Lastings Milledge, another former first round pick who washed out with the Mets and Nats is your started. He did okay after being acquired by the Pirates last year, but I was a big fan of the man he was traded for, Nyjer Morgan. I never really got the trade, but I will agree that Milledge does have a ton of potential. He's good friends with Andrew McCutchen, so maybe that'll be a help. Milledge had better show a bit more power than he did last year and a bit more speed. Otherwise, the lack of power and speed in left is going to be a glaring weakness for a team that's going to struggle to score runs.
Center Field
Andrew McCutchen is entering his first full season in the big leagues and is already the Pirates' best player. He had a great rookie season, and I expect big things from him this year. He has slightly above average power, plays a great centerfield and can legitimately steal 30 bases (if Ambien JR lets him, that is). Cutch also doesn't come off like a primadonna, so I expect him to develop into a leader before long, too. Keep an eye on Cutch - I suspect he'll have his fair share of Web Gems on Baseball Tonight this year.
Right Field
Rookie phenom Garrett Jones (aka The Legend) will get the bulk of the playing time in right with Ryan Church and Delwyn Young spelling him. Jones hit 20 homers in half a season last year, but most of them were solo homers. On the one hand, you can blame the team for not getting on base before he came up. On the other hand, you can blame Jones for not hitting well with runners on base. Whatever the case, if Jones hits 20 homers for the entire season, I'll be shocked. I also don't expect much of him defensively, but right field is the easiest outfield position to play at PNC Park, so hopefully he won't be exposed too much. I think he'd be better off at first, but what do I know?
The Bench
Delwyn Young provides a good stick off the bench and can play second or right field. He's a good pinch hitter, but when he had to play every day last season, he really broke down. Jason Jaramillo figures to be the back-up catcher and will probably play lots on Sundays. Ryan Church provides a veteran bat off the bench and will undoubtedly end up as a starter if the Jeff Clement experiment fails (as I expect it to). As of this writing, Steve Pearce and Rule 5 pick John Raynor were battling it out for the final bench spot and for the right to pinch hit twice a week. The bench doesn't stink, but there's really no one I think is all that reliable except maybe Young.
Starting Pitching
Your five starters: Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton and Daniel McCutchen. Not exactly the 1971 Baltimore Orioles, is it?
When Duke is on, he's a very good pitcher, but the Pirates gave him some of the worst run support in the majors last year and Duke's record suffered because of it. Maholm has proven to be a very solid Major League pitcher. He battled through injuries last year and had a down season because of it. A bounce-back season would be nice. Ohlendorf had a great second half last year, with an ERA in the top 10 after the All-Star Break. He was pitching coach Joe Kerrigan's pet project last year and has a ton of upside. The problem? Almost every year after a Pirates pitcher shows some promise, he takes a step or two back the next year. So, don't be shocked if Ohlendorf does the same this year. Morton has great stuff (one of the best curveballs I've seen in years). His problem is between the ears. If he can get the mental part of his game down, he could win 12-15 games. If not, look for an ERA in the 5s. McCutchen won the fifth starters job by default after the favorite to win the job, Kevin Hart, had quite possibly the worst spring imaginable. He couldn't find the plate with a GPS and will start the season in Triple A.
I've seen worse rotations, but outside of career years from every starters, I can't see double digit wins from any more than 2/5 of the rotation. The potential is there, but I reserve the right to remain skeptical.
The Bullpen
The key word for the bullpen is "journeyman." There is not one homegrown reliever in the pen. Octavio Dotel was signed to be the closer and should be better than Matt Capps who gave many Pirates fans ulcers with his "closing" last season. Brendan Donnelly and Joel Hanrahan (insert Slapshot joke here) will be the primary setup men with DJ Carrasco, Evan Meek and Hayden Penn as your righties and Javier Lopez and Jack Taschner as your lefties.
It's not a great bullpen, but it's not a terrible one, either. Expect to see a lot of them this year if the starters struggle as I expect they will.
The Bottom Line
I look up and down this lineup and wonder where the runs are going to come from. This team will struggle to score 4 runs a game, and for a team that is often losing before it even comes to bat, that's a problem. The pitchers have to be better. The starters have to keep the team within striking distance, and the bullpen has to hold leads when given them.
The Pirates are going to have to play small ball and manufacture some runs (tm Joe Morgan). They will not hit a lot of home runs, even if The Legend has a season like he did last year. They're going to have to do the little things - get runners over with productive outs, be smart on the bases and not get thrown out so much (I'm looking at you third base coach Tony Beasley), and most of all, not strike out so damned much.
If they do those things, then maybe 70-72 wins isn't out of the question, but as I said at the beginning, if you came here looking for optimism, you've come to the wrong place.
John Russell is just not a good manager and barely shows he has a pulse most of the time. GM Neal Huntington has made so very questionable trades over the past two seasons. I expect one if not both to be fired if the Pirates stink up America's Best Ballpark like pretty much everyone thinks they will.
Until the Pirates actually start to spend some money and stop whining about being a small market team, they're going to suck - period. Bob Nutting will continue to make money even before the Pirates set foot on the field and ignore any and all attempts entreaties to sell the team to someone who might actually, y'know, spend some money and not just throw it all into the minor leagues and facilities in the Dominican Republic. And until that happens (if it ever does), the Pirates will continue to be the laughingstock of the Major Leagues.
Prediction: 61-101 - last in the National League Central.
Well, there you have it. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I somehow doubt I am. Anyway, Opening Day is Monday. For all of you baseball fans out there, hope springs eternal, unless you live in Pittsburgh, that is.
JD
If you've come here looking for optimism, you've come to the wrong place. I'll save my official win-loss prediction for the end, but suffice to say, it ain't gonna be pretty. So, let's get it on!
Disclaimer: If you're expecting to see lots of regurgitated stats and such, then you're in the wrong place. This is strictly my opinion and that comes from what I've seen with my own two eyes. Stats are useful, but if you want them, I suggest MLB.com or some other sports site.
First Base
The cornerstone of the Jack Wilson trade to Seattle last year was a AAA catcher named Jeff Clement. If you haven't heard of him, you're not alone. He supposedly has a good bat and is ready for the majors in that regard (or so the Pirates' brass claims). The problem? He hasn't ever played first base in the majors and barely in the minors. So, instead of just sticking with Garrett Jones at first and putting Ryan Church in right field, the Buccos are throwing Clement to the wolves by just giving him the first base job with no seasoning in AAA. Say what you will about ex-Pirate Adam Laroche, but he was a Gold Glove caliber first baseman. Clement? Well, there was a foul pop in last night's game against the Phillies that I've seen little leaguers play better. Translation? The errant throws that Laroche saved from going into the stands last year will more than likely end up as throwing errors because Clement can't scoop them. I sure hope he can hit because he's going to be a serious liability on defense.
Second Base
The Pirates acquired Aki Iwamura from the Tampa Rays in the offseason for reliever Jesse Chavez. Iwamura was part of the Rays' improbable run to the World Series two seasons ago and is, by all accounts, a solid Major League player. For some reason, Pirates manager John Russell (aka Ambien JR - h/t Mike Pavlik) has him leading off, even though he's probably better suited to the two spot and strikes out a lot. I'm sure he'll be adequate defensively, with a similar range to Freddy Sanchez (which is to say, not much range at all). I expect Aki will be dealt to a contended at the trade deadline with Andy Laroche moving to second (more on that in a bit).
Shortstop
Ronny Cedeno (also part of the Jack Wilson trade) and Bobby Crosby (former A.L. Rookie of the Year with Oakland) will probably split time, with whoever sucks less getting the bulk of the playing time. If (and it's a big if) Crosby can magically regain his former Rookie of the Year form, then with his power, he could be a serious upgrade at shortstop. Not really sure about his defense, but it can't be as good as Jack Wilson's was. As for Cedeno, his bat has a bit of a pop, and he'll make some spectacular plays in the field. The problem? He'll occasionally boot a groundball right at him. Needless to say, the Pirates' defense will be no where near as good as it was last year, when it was near the top in the N.L. Honestly, I think the Pirates would be better off if they could get Sidney Crosby at short. At least he's been known to score now and then.
Third Base
Andy Laroche is the incumbent at the hot corner but is only keeping it warm until 2008 first round pick Pedro Alvarez is ready to take over. Laroche came on slightly at the end of last season and has had a decent spring. Honestly, he's the least of the Pirates' myriad problems. I expect he'll hit about .260 with 12-15 homers and play average (if unspectacular) defense. He'll be much better suited to second base once Alvarez arrives.
Catcher
The oft-injured Ryan Doumit returns for another season, one of the few players not traded last season. Last season, Doumit broke the scaphoid bone in his wrist and missed more than 2 months. It's a very important bone and, per Wikipedia "it is relatively difficult to break." Unless you're Ryan Doumit, that is. After he came back from injury, he was a big time malcontent and was just awful, both offensively and defensively. I expect Doumit and his burdensome contract will be traded some time this year, opening the door for... Oh wait, the Pirates don't have anybody waiting in the wings.
Well, there is 2009 first round draft pick Tony Sanchez who, by all accounts, had a great first year in pro ball, but Sanchez (who played college ball, so it's not like he was drafted right out of high school) is starting the year in Single A Bradenton and probably won't get a sniff of the majors until 2012... at the earliest. Y'see, the Pirates love to baby their big time prospects to the point of hilarity. If Pens winger Jordan Staal were playing for the Pirates, he'd be stuck in ECHL Wheeling. At the very least, Sanchez should be the starting catcher for Double A Altoona.
Left Field
Lastings Milledge, another former first round pick who washed out with the Mets and Nats is your started. He did okay after being acquired by the Pirates last year, but I was a big fan of the man he was traded for, Nyjer Morgan. I never really got the trade, but I will agree that Milledge does have a ton of potential. He's good friends with Andrew McCutchen, so maybe that'll be a help. Milledge had better show a bit more power than he did last year and a bit more speed. Otherwise, the lack of power and speed in left is going to be a glaring weakness for a team that's going to struggle to score runs.
Center Field
Andrew McCutchen is entering his first full season in the big leagues and is already the Pirates' best player. He had a great rookie season, and I expect big things from him this year. He has slightly above average power, plays a great centerfield and can legitimately steal 30 bases (if Ambien JR lets him, that is). Cutch also doesn't come off like a primadonna, so I expect him to develop into a leader before long, too. Keep an eye on Cutch - I suspect he'll have his fair share of Web Gems on Baseball Tonight this year.
Right Field
Rookie phenom Garrett Jones (aka The Legend) will get the bulk of the playing time in right with Ryan Church and Delwyn Young spelling him. Jones hit 20 homers in half a season last year, but most of them were solo homers. On the one hand, you can blame the team for not getting on base before he came up. On the other hand, you can blame Jones for not hitting well with runners on base. Whatever the case, if Jones hits 20 homers for the entire season, I'll be shocked. I also don't expect much of him defensively, but right field is the easiest outfield position to play at PNC Park, so hopefully he won't be exposed too much. I think he'd be better off at first, but what do I know?
The Bench
Delwyn Young provides a good stick off the bench and can play second or right field. He's a good pinch hitter, but when he had to play every day last season, he really broke down. Jason Jaramillo figures to be the back-up catcher and will probably play lots on Sundays. Ryan Church provides a veteran bat off the bench and will undoubtedly end up as a starter if the Jeff Clement experiment fails (as I expect it to). As of this writing, Steve Pearce and Rule 5 pick John Raynor were battling it out for the final bench spot and for the right to pinch hit twice a week. The bench doesn't stink, but there's really no one I think is all that reliable except maybe Young.
Starting Pitching
Your five starters: Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton and Daniel McCutchen. Not exactly the 1971 Baltimore Orioles, is it?
When Duke is on, he's a very good pitcher, but the Pirates gave him some of the worst run support in the majors last year and Duke's record suffered because of it. Maholm has proven to be a very solid Major League pitcher. He battled through injuries last year and had a down season because of it. A bounce-back season would be nice. Ohlendorf had a great second half last year, with an ERA in the top 10 after the All-Star Break. He was pitching coach Joe Kerrigan's pet project last year and has a ton of upside. The problem? Almost every year after a Pirates pitcher shows some promise, he takes a step or two back the next year. So, don't be shocked if Ohlendorf does the same this year. Morton has great stuff (one of the best curveballs I've seen in years). His problem is between the ears. If he can get the mental part of his game down, he could win 12-15 games. If not, look for an ERA in the 5s. McCutchen won the fifth starters job by default after the favorite to win the job, Kevin Hart, had quite possibly the worst spring imaginable. He couldn't find the plate with a GPS and will start the season in Triple A.
I've seen worse rotations, but outside of career years from every starters, I can't see double digit wins from any more than 2/5 of the rotation. The potential is there, but I reserve the right to remain skeptical.
The Bullpen
The key word for the bullpen is "journeyman." There is not one homegrown reliever in the pen. Octavio Dotel was signed to be the closer and should be better than Matt Capps who gave many Pirates fans ulcers with his "closing" last season. Brendan Donnelly and Joel Hanrahan (insert Slapshot joke here) will be the primary setup men with DJ Carrasco, Evan Meek and Hayden Penn as your righties and Javier Lopez and Jack Taschner as your lefties.
It's not a great bullpen, but it's not a terrible one, either. Expect to see a lot of them this year if the starters struggle as I expect they will.
The Bottom Line
I look up and down this lineup and wonder where the runs are going to come from. This team will struggle to score 4 runs a game, and for a team that is often losing before it even comes to bat, that's a problem. The pitchers have to be better. The starters have to keep the team within striking distance, and the bullpen has to hold leads when given them.
The Pirates are going to have to play small ball and manufacture some runs (tm Joe Morgan). They will not hit a lot of home runs, even if The Legend has a season like he did last year. They're going to have to do the little things - get runners over with productive outs, be smart on the bases and not get thrown out so much (I'm looking at you third base coach Tony Beasley), and most of all, not strike out so damned much.
If they do those things, then maybe 70-72 wins isn't out of the question, but as I said at the beginning, if you came here looking for optimism, you've come to the wrong place.
John Russell is just not a good manager and barely shows he has a pulse most of the time. GM Neal Huntington has made so very questionable trades over the past two seasons. I expect one if not both to be fired if the Pirates stink up America's Best Ballpark like pretty much everyone thinks they will.
Until the Pirates actually start to spend some money and stop whining about being a small market team, they're going to suck - period. Bob Nutting will continue to make money even before the Pirates set foot on the field and ignore any and all attempts entreaties to sell the team to someone who might actually, y'know, spend some money and not just throw it all into the minor leagues and facilities in the Dominican Republic. And until that happens (if it ever does), the Pirates will continue to be the laughingstock of the Major Leagues.
Prediction: 61-101 - last in the National League Central.
Well, there you have it. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I somehow doubt I am. Anyway, Opening Day is Monday. For all of you baseball fans out there, hope springs eternal, unless you live in Pittsburgh, that is.
JD
Friday, April 2, 2010
Happy Friday!
Not much to say tonight. I'm too busy enjoying this beautiful Friday evening. I'm going to grab a cold Yuengling, head out to my back porch and enjoy the rest of the night. I hope you and yours do the same. I'll be back tomorrow with my 2010 Pirates Preview... god help us all.
JD
JD
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Weather, NXT and other ramblings
Welcome to the Thursday edition of Blogs the Walls Down. In today's blog, we'll discuss the weather (always a fun topic), WWE NXT (Vince McMahon's latest attempt at being "different") and any other nonsense that occurs to me. So, think of this as a notes column... sort of.
- Those of you who know me well know that I absolutely hate the cold weather. I hate snow. I hate ice. I hate having to have the heat turned on in my house constantly because it's so frickin' cold outside. And when you live in Western PA as I do, the number of really nice days prior to May can usually be counted on one hand.
I remember Easter a few years ago when my mom was in the hospital. It was Masters weekend, and not only was it cold and snowy here, it was also frigid in Augusta. This was April, kids. April should not be frigid. The day after the Masters was the Pirates opener (also known as the day the Buccos are officially eliminate from the playoffs). Temps, I think, were in the 30s, and I was dressed like I was going to a Steelers game, not Opening Day. Sorry, but that's just not baseball weather to me.
This year, however, the weather gods are finally smiling on my part of the country. After what was probably one of the worst winters I can ever remember (and certainly the snowiest), the past few weeks have been, dare I say it, nice. Take today for example - I can't remember the last April Fool's Day when the temps went into the 80s. I'll be cooking out at least twice over the next three days, and I usually don't fire up my grill until well into May. If this is God's way of paying us back for the craptacular winter he put us through, then kudos to the big guy upstairs. And in case you were wondering, the early forecast for Monday's Pirates home opener against the Dodgers is partly cloudy with a high of 70. Now that's Opening Day weather... even if it's for the Pirates. Tune in tomorrow or Saturday for my fearless 2010 Pirates Preview. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll wanna read it again and again...
- Is anyone out there watching WWE NXT (Thursdays at 10 on Syfy)? Judging by the paltry ratings, probably not, but I have been, if only to see some of the potential new blood waiting in the wings to be brought up from Florida Championship Wrestling to the big leagues.
Here's the basic premise: 8 NXT "rookies" are paired up with 8 WWE "pros" who are supposed to take the rookies under their wings, show them the ropes, be mentors, etc. It was pitched as being more of a reality show and less of a wrestling show, but it's really not.
While I like seeing some of the newer guys I'd been reading about on the net, the whole show sort of feels flat to me, and here's why: of the 8 rookies, only 3-4 actually have the look of a WWE Superstar. The rest should move on with their life's work (to quote the great Chuck Noll).
The Bad
- Michael Tarver (paired with Carlito) - This was doomed from the start as Carlito is always in and out of the doghouse. Tarver calls himself Mr. 1.9, boasting he can knock someone out in 1.9 seconds. Well, if this was The Ultimate Fighter, that'd be fine, but it doesn't work in pro wrestling. The fact that he has zero in-ring ability and zero charisma doesn't help. After NXT is over, I expect he'll be released as he's been exposed badly.
- Darren Young (paired with CM Punk) - While Young actually has a bit of a personality, his ring skills are just godawful. No wonder Punk always looks bored when they go to reaction shots of him while Young is wrestling. Yeah, I know it's part of the storyline, but I can't help but think that's exactly what Punk thinks of Young. I have a better chance of being a WWE Superstar than this guy.
- Skip Sheffield (paired with William Regal) - I actually had high hopes for this guy based on his size and because he's actually been a wrestler for several years now, but his "Cornfed Meathead" gimmick is terrible. That might've worked 15 years ago, but not today. He's not a very good wrestler, either, and even though I know Vince loves his big men, I can't see Sheffield ever being anything more than a low to mid-card jobber, at least until he's repackaged. Then we'll talk.
The Mediocre
- David Otunga (paired with R-Truth) - This dude is Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson's fiancee and baby daddy. He does have the look, I'll grant him that, but he just leaves me flat for some reason. I think he's too busy already living his gimmick as being an A-lister, even though he hasn't done a thing. He also has little actual wrestling experience, so that's not helping. He'll probably stick around because Vince will wanna have some sort of connection to Hudson, for all the good that does.
- Heath Slater (paired with Christian) - Stater is a decent wrestler, has good enough size, and isn't too bad in the ring. The problem? Guys like him are a dime-a-dozen on the WWE roster, and there's nothing about him that screams "star." He's about the same size as Christian but only has about 25% of Captain Charisma's charisma. He'll probably make it eventually as a mid-carder, but I can't ever see him holding a big belt.
The Good
- Wade Barrett (paired with Chris Jericho) - First of all, he's getting the rub from one of the top 5 guys in all of WWE. That's a big help. Second, he's got the size that McMahon just loves. Third, he's British. Fourth, he already looks like he belongs with the big boys. Win or lose, he's going to get a huge push eventually. I already like him better than Sheamus.
- Justin Gabriel (paired with Matt Hardy) - He can actually wrestle. He's good looking. He has charisma in and out of the ring. He's foreign (from South Africa). And he's not a midget like, say, Evan Bourne. Trust me on this one - he's going to be a huge star down the line. His 450 Splash is awesome. You could put him in a regular tag team with Hardy, and they'd already be the best team in WWE.
- Daniel Bryan (paired with The Miz) - I'll admit to being biased on this one, because Bryan (a/k/a indy wrestling god Bryan Danielson) is already one of the five best wrestlers in the whole WWE. If you don't believe me, head over to YouTube and watch some of his matches. No, he doesn't have the size, but neither did Chris Benoit. This guy is the new Benoit, with much more charisma (more than I ever thought he had). Pairing him with The Miz was genius because compared to Bryan (who's been wrestling professionally for over a decade and was trained by Shawn Michaels), the Miz is a jabronie. The Miz has been putting him down at every opportunity, and it's only going to lead to a big time feud down the line (I hope). Bryan is the real deal, and I'm glad to see he's getting the rub already as he was ranked first in the Pro's Poll on this past Tuesday's show.
The worst part of the show is the announcing duo of Josh Matthews and Michael Cole (who just sucks... oh, it's true, it's damned true). Cole is playing a heel announcer of sorts on NXT, especially when it comes to Bryan, who he belittles by saying his indy background means nothing and so on and so on. Hey Cole... CM Punk is Daniel Bryan. They've had the same career path to WWE. Of course, you'll never hear that, so I guess Cole will keep right on being even more annoying than usual.
- Tomorrow is Good Friday, which is a very solemn day for Catholics and Christians. I'm very much a lapsed Catholic, but I still respect those of you out there who worship this very holy day. It seems to me that religion is not as valued as it used to be in our country. Perhaps that's just my perspective or perhaps it is that way. I'm not judging one way or the other. As a certain ex-Steelers coach used to say, "It is what it is."
- Someone wake up the Penguins. Please?
- Someone tell Santonio Holmes (and Big Ben, for that matter) to avoid any and all crazy chicks.
- Someone please tell me why suddenly Fidel Castro and socialism are viewed as good things. When I was a kid, Castro and socialism were (gasp!) evil. Ronald Reagan is spinning in his grave, folks...
- Someone please tell Sean Penn, Barbra Streisand, Bill Maher, Danny Glover, and Rosie O'Donnell (among others) to shut the hell up. It doesn't matter what you think!
And with that mini-rant, I'm outta here. Later, kids.
JD
- Those of you who know me well know that I absolutely hate the cold weather. I hate snow. I hate ice. I hate having to have the heat turned on in my house constantly because it's so frickin' cold outside. And when you live in Western PA as I do, the number of really nice days prior to May can usually be counted on one hand.
I remember Easter a few years ago when my mom was in the hospital. It was Masters weekend, and not only was it cold and snowy here, it was also frigid in Augusta. This was April, kids. April should not be frigid. The day after the Masters was the Pirates opener (also known as the day the Buccos are officially eliminate from the playoffs). Temps, I think, were in the 30s, and I was dressed like I was going to a Steelers game, not Opening Day. Sorry, but that's just not baseball weather to me.
This year, however, the weather gods are finally smiling on my part of the country. After what was probably one of the worst winters I can ever remember (and certainly the snowiest), the past few weeks have been, dare I say it, nice. Take today for example - I can't remember the last April Fool's Day when the temps went into the 80s. I'll be cooking out at least twice over the next three days, and I usually don't fire up my grill until well into May. If this is God's way of paying us back for the craptacular winter he put us through, then kudos to the big guy upstairs. And in case you were wondering, the early forecast for Monday's Pirates home opener against the Dodgers is partly cloudy with a high of 70. Now that's Opening Day weather... even if it's for the Pirates. Tune in tomorrow or Saturday for my fearless 2010 Pirates Preview. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll wanna read it again and again...
- Is anyone out there watching WWE NXT (Thursdays at 10 on Syfy)? Judging by the paltry ratings, probably not, but I have been, if only to see some of the potential new blood waiting in the wings to be brought up from Florida Championship Wrestling to the big leagues.
Here's the basic premise: 8 NXT "rookies" are paired up with 8 WWE "pros" who are supposed to take the rookies under their wings, show them the ropes, be mentors, etc. It was pitched as being more of a reality show and less of a wrestling show, but it's really not.
While I like seeing some of the newer guys I'd been reading about on the net, the whole show sort of feels flat to me, and here's why: of the 8 rookies, only 3-4 actually have the look of a WWE Superstar. The rest should move on with their life's work (to quote the great Chuck Noll).
The Bad
- Michael Tarver (paired with Carlito) - This was doomed from the start as Carlito is always in and out of the doghouse. Tarver calls himself Mr. 1.9, boasting he can knock someone out in 1.9 seconds. Well, if this was The Ultimate Fighter, that'd be fine, but it doesn't work in pro wrestling. The fact that he has zero in-ring ability and zero charisma doesn't help. After NXT is over, I expect he'll be released as he's been exposed badly.
- Darren Young (paired with CM Punk) - While Young actually has a bit of a personality, his ring skills are just godawful. No wonder Punk always looks bored when they go to reaction shots of him while Young is wrestling. Yeah, I know it's part of the storyline, but I can't help but think that's exactly what Punk thinks of Young. I have a better chance of being a WWE Superstar than this guy.
- Skip Sheffield (paired with William Regal) - I actually had high hopes for this guy based on his size and because he's actually been a wrestler for several years now, but his "Cornfed Meathead" gimmick is terrible. That might've worked 15 years ago, but not today. He's not a very good wrestler, either, and even though I know Vince loves his big men, I can't see Sheffield ever being anything more than a low to mid-card jobber, at least until he's repackaged. Then we'll talk.
The Mediocre
- David Otunga (paired with R-Truth) - This dude is Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson's fiancee and baby daddy. He does have the look, I'll grant him that, but he just leaves me flat for some reason. I think he's too busy already living his gimmick as being an A-lister, even though he hasn't done a thing. He also has little actual wrestling experience, so that's not helping. He'll probably stick around because Vince will wanna have some sort of connection to Hudson, for all the good that does.
- Heath Slater (paired with Christian) - Stater is a decent wrestler, has good enough size, and isn't too bad in the ring. The problem? Guys like him are a dime-a-dozen on the WWE roster, and there's nothing about him that screams "star." He's about the same size as Christian but only has about 25% of Captain Charisma's charisma. He'll probably make it eventually as a mid-carder, but I can't ever see him holding a big belt.
The Good
- Wade Barrett (paired with Chris Jericho) - First of all, he's getting the rub from one of the top 5 guys in all of WWE. That's a big help. Second, he's got the size that McMahon just loves. Third, he's British. Fourth, he already looks like he belongs with the big boys. Win or lose, he's going to get a huge push eventually. I already like him better than Sheamus.
- Justin Gabriel (paired with Matt Hardy) - He can actually wrestle. He's good looking. He has charisma in and out of the ring. He's foreign (from South Africa). And he's not a midget like, say, Evan Bourne. Trust me on this one - he's going to be a huge star down the line. His 450 Splash is awesome. You could put him in a regular tag team with Hardy, and they'd already be the best team in WWE.
- Daniel Bryan (paired with The Miz) - I'll admit to being biased on this one, because Bryan (a/k/a indy wrestling god Bryan Danielson) is already one of the five best wrestlers in the whole WWE. If you don't believe me, head over to YouTube and watch some of his matches. No, he doesn't have the size, but neither did Chris Benoit. This guy is the new Benoit, with much more charisma (more than I ever thought he had). Pairing him with The Miz was genius because compared to Bryan (who's been wrestling professionally for over a decade and was trained by Shawn Michaels), the Miz is a jabronie. The Miz has been putting him down at every opportunity, and it's only going to lead to a big time feud down the line (I hope). Bryan is the real deal, and I'm glad to see he's getting the rub already as he was ranked first in the Pro's Poll on this past Tuesday's show.
The worst part of the show is the announcing duo of Josh Matthews and Michael Cole (who just sucks... oh, it's true, it's damned true). Cole is playing a heel announcer of sorts on NXT, especially when it comes to Bryan, who he belittles by saying his indy background means nothing and so on and so on. Hey Cole... CM Punk is Daniel Bryan. They've had the same career path to WWE. Of course, you'll never hear that, so I guess Cole will keep right on being even more annoying than usual.
- Tomorrow is Good Friday, which is a very solemn day for Catholics and Christians. I'm very much a lapsed Catholic, but I still respect those of you out there who worship this very holy day. It seems to me that religion is not as valued as it used to be in our country. Perhaps that's just my perspective or perhaps it is that way. I'm not judging one way or the other. As a certain ex-Steelers coach used to say, "It is what it is."
- Someone wake up the Penguins. Please?
- Someone tell Santonio Holmes (and Big Ben, for that matter) to avoid any and all crazy chicks.
- Someone please tell me why suddenly Fidel Castro and socialism are viewed as good things. When I was a kid, Castro and socialism were (gasp!) evil. Ronald Reagan is spinning in his grave, folks...
- Someone please tell Sean Penn, Barbra Streisand, Bill Maher, Danny Glover, and Rosie O'Donnell (among others) to shut the hell up. It doesn't matter what you think!
And with that mini-rant, I'm outta here. Later, kids.
JD
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
