Sportswatch Team

Around the Horn

The Penguins series win over the Rangers was a lot closer than it looked. Although the Pens won the series 4 games to 1, they won one game when the Rangers blew a 3-goal lead and another game in overtime. A few more bounces in the Rangers favor and it would have been a completely different story. So, don't give the Penguins the series over the Flyers just yet, It might be a real good one that goes six or seven games.
I can't tell just yet how good or bad the Erie Seawolves are going to be in 2008. Some nights they look real good, other nights not so good. One thing for sure, from a media standpoint, they don't compare to the Otters in terms of player availability or general cooperation. Not even close. In fact, sometimes the Seawolves organization is just downright aloof. I guess some in the organization feel they can live without media coverage and do just fine. Truth is, without some gimmick or giveaway, the Seawolves do not draw fans very well.
It's been a good spring for baseball and softball teams in terms of the weather. More games being played in April and early May in good weather as opposed to playing in 40-degree temperatures. Some say that is one reason there has only been one baseball team from our area to reach the state finals and no one has ever won a state title in baseball from this area. Maybe the good start to the spring weather will help them this season.
Kobe Bryant won the MVP and deserved it but how about LeBron James finishing fourth in the voting and he got only one first place vote. He carried the Cavs at some points during the season when they were injured or just after the big trade that changed half the roster. Kobe deserved the award, but LeBron deserved a little more respect.

On the Lookout

For some reason, this past weekend seemed to draw some well known sports names to the area. For example, I got word last Friday night that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was in Edinboro enjoying himself along with a few others at a local watering hole. I understand Ben had a good time and was quite friendly to those who recognized him. Also last Friday night, McDowell grad Kyle Mitchum, now an offensive lineman with Ohio State, had a few of his fellow O-lineman in town and at the Sports Page to eat some wings and pizza and to watch the NFL draft on Saturday. If memory serves me correct, Mitchum suffered a broken foot either last spring or during the summer and did not play much in 2007 but is expected to be a mainstay on the Buckeyes offensive line in 2008. We hope to catch up with him sometime between the end of spring and the start of summer camp in Columbus. Add Paul Spadafora fighting in Erie on Friday night, and "Lord of the Rings" star Viggo at Presque Isle and it rounds into a pretty good weekend. We'll keep our eyes out for more especially this summer.

"Master"ful Thoughts

It is Masters week, and for many, the real start of spring. It's not exactly going out on a limb to pick Tiger Woods to win this tournament, but then again, logic makes sense. A recent study done by an Ivy League school showed that when Tiger Woods is in a tournament, other golfers shoot, on the average, a shot worse than when he is not in a tournament. Proof of the Tiger-intimidation factor that many talk about but few golfers are willing to admit. Tiger knows it, the other golfers know it and Tiger knows the other golfers know it. Tiger said earlier this year that he can win the Grand Slam, all four majors in one calender year. He's already done it over the course of two calender years. His logic is simple. Generally, he wins five or six tournaments in a year, it's just a question of winning the right ones. The key for Woods this week, watch how he drives the golf ball. If there is a slight weakness to his game, it's that he can be a bit inconsistent off the tee. If he is driving the ball well, look out. He knows the greens, he knows where to put the ball on the greens, he knows how to win at Augusta. As we begin the tournament, it appears that the 2008 Masters is Tiger's to win or lose. You never know, it seems the Masters has a way of bringing out the best is many of the players, like Zach Johnson last year. But as said in an earlier post, we could see one of the greatest years by a golfer in history if Tiger continues to play as he has over the first three months of the year.
Even if I'm wrong, I'll enjoy watching the ride. Until next time, get the golf clubs out and hit it straight this spring.

Erie ????? River Rats

Is it just me or does anyone else think the current set up by the Erie River Rats indoor football league team isn't quite right. ????? Yes, they play their home games at the Tullio Arena, but other than that, are no where to be found in the community. No office in Erie, no practices in Erie. In fact, I've talked to a few of the Erie players who do not like to make the trip near Butler to practice every week especially with the cost of gasoline. That's about a three hour round trip from Erie. It certainly seems like the River Rats franchise is just "using" Erie fans and business' to buy tickets and sponsorship. Perhaps they have plans to actually re-locate to Erie as announced last year by the league, but I've not heard of any move planned. From the media perspective, it is near impossible to get in touch with anyone from the team or front office to set up interviews since there has been absolutely no communication other than an occassional phone call with a final score, and that's not a sure thing either !!! Based on their performance as a franchise so far, this is not the "Erie" River Rats but rather, the Pittsburgh River Rats playing in Erie. It just doesn't seem right.

March Mayhem

It certainly has been a great start to March Madness hasn't it ???? Going into this weekend's Sweet Sixteen, you have all top four region seeds still alive and then a great combination of cinderella stories and others who could get a break or two and win it all as well.
I'm too caught up in the local college basketball scene to really watch the Division I hoops closely during the regular season since we are busy covering Gannon, Edinboro and Mercyhurst for starters. Now that their seasons are over, getting into March Madness is a great way to make it through the last part of winter. Think about it, March Madness in full swing. the baseball season ready to start next week and then the Masters on CBS in two weeks. It is more than just college hoops that keeps the sports fan occupied.
Gotta give a big thanks to all those who help out with the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the play "We Watched HIm Die" that I'm involved in. Those are two other reasons I like this time of year with spring right around the corner. I get a chance to get away from the ussual sports world and business and use by talents in another way. I play Pilate in the play and it's almost like I'm a frustrated sports bookie. I bet you never heard that analogy before. Anyway, Happy Easter and we have to start tee-ing up soon !!!

Winter Sports Leftovers

It all ends so suddenly for those of us who cover local sports. One week you're running around to different parts of the state covering high school basketball and hockey playoffs and then the next week, it's over, no one left. So, in this week Sporstwatch blog, a few leftover thoughts. How about the football-basketball championship schools. Until General McLane claimed the feat in the same school year last year, NO ONE HAD EVER DONE IT !!! One year later, two schools do it !!! Jeannette in Double-A and Steelton-Highspire in Triple-A and ironically, it was Steelton-Highspire that knocked out the Lancers in the state semi-finals. Oh well, at least McLane can always claim to be the first one to do it.
I don't think the new NBA D-League team announced in Erie this week is going to be some fly-by-night organization. This is legit folks. Back by the NBA, a close affiliation with the Cleveland Cavs and quality players involved should make for a good product. For the Cavs to send their General Manager, Danny Ferry, to the press conference shows how important it is.
Ron Sertz, who will be the President of the team, told me that unless you're a high draft pick and almost assured of making the roster, you can't get to the NBA unless you go through the NBA D-League. Something else to cover next winter, but I think this is going to be great. How it fits into the Tullio Arena schedule with the Otters should be interesting as well. Now that the winter sports seasons are over, let's bring on baseball and springtime.

A Good Decision

One thing we have to deal with this time of the year in covering the high school basketball playoffs is the weather. It would seem to most people that last Friday, March 7th, it would be a no-brainer to postpone and re-schedule the PIAA playoff games in this part of the state with the forecast of 2-feet of snow on the way. But I know from dealing with this type of situation in the past, it's not always a given. Many times I was sure they would postpone PIAA playoff games, only to have them played in miserable and at times, dangerous weather. Like what happened to Saint Joseph's High School near Pittsburgh a week before. According to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it was snowing all day in Pittsburgh on Friday February 29th. St Joe's was scheduled to play a game in Ebensburg, in the mountains of central Pa. near Johnstown. Apparently they called the PIAA to try and get the game re-scheduled, only to be told to either make the trip and play or forfeit the game. The athletic director made the decision to not go. St. Joe's ended their season in the playoffs with a forfeit. You see, still fresh in the minds of the St. Joe's students, teachers and parents was the fact that one of their seniors was killed in an auto accident a week before Christmas.They made the decision to not risk any more lives, No one disagreed with the decision. It's too bad the PIAA did not see it that way. That's why, last Friday it was still a surprise to me that the games were postponed. So I applaud the PIAA for a resonable and sound decision about not playing games in bad weather. It's not always the case.. Just ask St. Joe's.

Coach in the Corner

Perhaps a bit overshadowed this time of year because of the high school basketball playoffs, the great sucess that local college have had this season. Gannon and Edinboro are both ranked in the top 15 of the nation and Behrend had another 20-win season and earned a berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Brian Flanagan's resignation at Prep says a lot about the kind of intensity and time you need to be a winner at the high school level these days, especially for a school like Cathedral Prep that uses it's athletics as a prime recruiting tool to attract student-athletes. Realize that most coaches do it for love of the game and the kids. It's not for the money. Some coaches, who don't work for the school district, have 40-hour a week full time jobs elsewhere. And it's not just showing up for the games and practices. You have to watch film, scout other teams, deal with player problems, parent problems, etc. Imagine working your job, then getting on a bus and travelling that night, coaching a game, back on the bus to go home and having to get up to go to the work the next morning. I think that's why, more and more, you don't see coaches stick around for years and years like they used to. The demands are tougher and it's not an easy job. You really have to love it.

Pursuit of a Title

I've had the pleasure of being involved in sports all my life, played three sports in high school, played some baseball in college for a couple of years and now play a lot of golf and have done some running now and then. I always wanted to be a sportscaster, either radio or tv doing reports, anchoring, play by play, etc. So I've been lucky to do about the only thing I've always wanted to do in life so far. Sports. That's why it is a bit ironic that the Good Lord blessed me with three wonderful daughters who have absolutely NO interest in sports whatsoever. I tell you this because at this time of the year, when you step back and think about it, we give high school athletes such publicity, maybe too much. Highlights on every show, headlines in every newspaper all for the pursuit of winning a state title in football, basketball or wrestling.
What I've come to realize with my daughters is that their pursuit of sucess at the high school level requires just as much hard work, just as many long hours, just as much travelling and just as much talent. My oldest daughter Katie has made the state band competition for two years in a row, last year getting first chair playing the piccalo (I hope I spelled that correctly) more or less being the state champ with that instrument. My other daughters, Kara and Kym are involved in music, plays and singing (Kara made District Chorus as an eighth grader) But for these types of accomplishments, there are no highlights or headlines, just a lot of proud parents and siblings to share the success. It puts the sports accomplishments into perspective. To be honest, I would not want it any other way.

Who's to Blame ????

This week, I officially became tired of the winter weather. You know, cleaning off your car two or three times a day, trying to travel through ice and blowing snow to cover the basketball playoffs. Yes, it's officially old. So let's talk baseball. My first question for 2008......how will the fans react to the entire steriod mess this season??? And really, who's to blame ????? While players like Bonds and Clemens, Pettite and Tejada share a great deal of the blame and responsibility, don't you think baseball brass should shoulder the blame too ??? Afterall, if they knew Barry Bonds flunked a drug test a month after hitting his 73rd homer, why didn't they do anything about it. When McGuire and Sosa were capturing the attention of the nation, not just the baseball world, chasing Roger Maris' single-season home run record, fans talked about the baseball being juiced or the bats being corked when it may have been the players themselves juiced up as well. It's a shame that some of the greatest players in the last ten to fifteen years from Bonds to Clemens to McGuire may forever be rememberd for steriods and not what they did on the baseball field. Baseball turned it's head away during that time period because the home run chase was filling stadiums around the league. Now baseball may have to pay the ultimate price, their greatest stars put to shame forever. And it's not just the players who share it.

Playoff Primer for Parents

It is playoff time in high school basketball. A time for the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat to quote the old "Wide World of Sports" program. Afterall, only one team can win a state title in each bracket, everyone else finishes behind them. Going in, three area teams are ranked number one in their respective brackets. The Villa girls are tops in AA, Mercyhurst Prep girls number one in AAA and the General McLane Boys top the charts in AAA. Plus, other area teams, like the North East Boys at 21-1, the McDowell boys at 21-2 and the Girard girls are state ranked with high expectations in the post-season. I'm pretty sure we'll at least get one or two teams to State College in mid-March for the PIAA Finals. It should be a lotta fun over the next few weeks following these teams try to finish things off with a championship.

Now,one other post-season thought, off the court. Let the players play and the coaches coach. I've seen a few fans (probably parents) in past years, take things a little too seriously at this time of the year. Yelling at the officials or the coach or even your own son or daughter, making a fool of yourself before thousands. Remember why your son or daughter got into sports in the first place. Keep it in perspective. Sometimes the kids keep it in perspective better than the adults this time of year. Don't blame the media if your favorite team loses. We don't make up the hilites or final score, we just report on who wins and who loses. (I had one phone call telling me we were unfair to their team when they lost by 23 points) It's pretty simple, keep it that way and you'll have a lotta fun in the next month.

Super Shock

Some Super Bowl afterthoughts on the blog this week, especially with the stunning upset of the Patriots by the Giants. I ran into a lot of people, who wanted the Giants to win but picked the Patriots anyway. That's what makes the Giants win so special, they beat the unbeaten Patriots, the dynasty of the decade. Many were already to crown them the best dynasty in the history of the NFL. Considering the history that was to be made if the Pats won, from unbeaten season to four-time Super Bowl champ in 7 years, it was, in my opinion, the second biggest win in the history of the Super Bowl. I think only the Jets win over the Colts in Super Bowl III was bigger because of the culture of the times, AFL vs NFL. I hoped you watched it, since it was one Super Bowl that lived up to it's hype.

The high school basketball playoffs begin next week and if it seems it's a bit early, you are right. Easter is early this year, Sunday March 23rd, and the PIAA did not want to play it's basketball championship games Easter weekend, so everything is moved up one week.
Speaking of the playoffs, this could be a very special season in high school hoops. Going into the playoffs, you have two girls teams ranked number one in the state, Villa in AA, Mercyhurst Prep in AAA. General McLane's boys are number 2 in the state and, of course, the defending state champs. North East has lost just once all season, they are on quite a run and Cathedral Prep has looked very good lately, making one believe they could go a long way in the post-season. It is one of the best times of the year for local sports, enjoy it. We'll see where we stand in mid-March.

Hope for Spring

Sunday afternoon, January 27, 2008 at 3:30 pm. It hit me. Golf was back on CBS and all was right in the world. Tiger Woods was destroying the rest of the field in the final round of the Buick Classic and for the first time since probably late October-early November, I had the urge to get out the clubs and hit some golf balls. Of course, I couldn't at that exact moment but the reality that we are nearly past the grind-it-out part of winter with spring just around the corner was nice to consider, if only for a moment.
Speaking of Tiger, the way he played at the end of last year and how he started out this year, well, we could see his best year ever. Nick Faldo, 5-time Majors winner and current CBS golf analyst, even stated that Tiger has a "good chance" of winning the Grand Slam in 2008, quite a statement. He based his opinion on two things....how Tiger is playing (very well) and the courses hosting the four majors. (perfectly suited for Tiger's game)
Leave it up to Tiger to give us a little light at the end of winter's long tunnel. We still have six or seven weeks of a miserable Otters season to endure, but the local basketball playoffs, March Madness and the start of spring training should help us get through February and March. No matter how much more cold and snow we have to put up with.
Sunday afternoon, February 3rd at 3pm. I think I'll skip most of the pre-Super Bowl hype and watch more golf.

You Ott-er Win Now

Let's be honest, there has not been a lot to cheer about when it comes to the Erie Otters season in '07-'08. The chances are slim to none that they will make the playoffs. Perhaps this very young team, with no overage players on the roster, was a bit overrated to start the season with high expectations, and next year, the core of this team returns with some good and experienced talent. So, is next season the season they turn it around ???? I like their chances next season IF...and it's a big IF...they can learn how to win in the last two months of this season.
If you follow sports, you know the key for any great team, was when they learned how to win games, learned how to overcome adversity, learned how to find a way to come out on top. This group of Otters have yet to find that niche and if they don't to some degree before the end of this season, they could be in the same position next season. Talent can only take you so far in sports, you have to learn how to win as a group, whether it comes from the coach, the captains or whoever, there is a point where it has to start to click. It has clicked a few times this season, like when they beat Kitchener at home in early January, but they promptly turned around and lost the next three games. The true test of any team that is "over the hump" is when you learn to win road games and the Otters haven't come close to accomplishing that.
I think in one of these remaining games, before this season is over, the Otters will win a significant game with a great comeback or total domination, and we'll look back next season and say...Yes, that was the game that turned things around. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Steelers Eulogy

Most Steelers fans were pretty happy with the 2007 season under first year head coach Mike Tomlin. Afterall, ten wins, an AFC North Division Title, Ben Roethlisberger set the single season TD Pass record and the defense was rated number one in the entire NFL. Seems like the makings of a good start for Tomlin as the Steelers head coach. Think again. What happened to this team late in the season showed some serious cracks in the Steelers future, including Tomlin's.
Not much was made about the fact that the Steelers had a "rookie coach" in their playoff loss to the Jaguars. His decision to go for two from the 12-yard line with still 10-minutes left in the game was awful and the decision to run Roethlisberger on a key third down play late in the game in which a first down could have sealed it was stupid too. It seems that most people let Tomlin get away with those calls. Plus, losses on the road to such NFL lightweights like the Cardinals and Jets told me this team was not prepared properly on th road. The defense wore down late in the season too, perhaps overworked from training camp on. Yes, there were key injuries but one glaring weakness, the Steelers had no depth at certain positions. All NFL teams have injuries, the best ones overcome them with depth and other players stepping up. You have to hold Tomlin responsible for the most part for the road losses and late season breakdown.
Bottom line, this was not a great football team at the end of the season and with age creeping into certain positions, Tomlin's talent will be tested starting next season. It may get worse before it gets better. The Steelers have done a great job of hiring coaches that last a long time (Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher) but I would not put Tomlin in this line just yet. Maybe, this choice won't work out.