Captain Compete

For Halloween 2008, Will Ferrell brought to life a super-hero named Captain Compete in order to motivate the USC Trojan football team. I'm not a USC fan, nor does this have anything to do with Pittsburgh sports. However, I thought it was funny and oddly inspiring.

Now, onto some Pittsburgh sports news.

Penguins
How well are these guys playing? I have NEVER seen any team in any sport dominate like the Pens have in this series. Malkin. That's all I have to say. He has stepped up his game and is finally performing on the level everyone knew he was capable of. Looks like this will be a sweep, but never count your chickens before the eggs hatch. Go Pens!

In Response To Yesterday's Blog

Yesterday, I went off on a rant aimed at James Harrison. http://mypittsburghsportsblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/is-james-harrison-really-that-dumb.htmldumb.htmldumb.html. I questioned his intelligence, and deservedly so. The winner of the Super Bowl is granted the right to meet the President. We won. So, we get to go. Had the Cardinals won, they would be making the trip. I really don't think James Harrison is that ignorant. However, his comments made him sound classless and egotistical. Harrison said,

"If you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don’t win the Super Bowl. So, as far as I’m concerned, he would have invited Arizona if they had won. I don’t feel the need to actually go. I don’t feel like it’s that big a deal to me.’’

If it's not a big deal to him, that's fine, but don't phrase it like that. The only reason any team goes to the White House is because they won the championship or accomplished some other spectacular feat in their sport. What makes the Steelers any different? I love the Steelers as much as anyone else. I am a Western PA guy. I grew up with the Steelers, as well as the other college and pro teams in the area. I have a passion for and follow all of the teams. But, if we put things into perspective, the Steelers are just a football team. Now, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is putting out an article stating that Harrison's fear of flying may be the reason he does not want to go, but judging by Harrison's comments, flying has nothing to do with it. http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/09140/971339-66.stm It sounds like the Post-Gazette is trying to dissolve the story because it has become national news. It wasn't a big deal last time because Harrison was just a special teams player, not the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Also, Harrison didn't make such foolish and absurd comments after Super Bowl XL. Listen, it is an honor to be granted a chance to meet the leader of our country, especially when the President is close with the owner of your football team. If he doesn't think so, then I guess he is doing the right thing by staying home. Many people don't see this as a big deal. So, I will leave you with one final question. If you had the chance to go to the White House and meet our President, would you go?

Is James Harrison Really That Dumb?

Well...it's been a long time since my last blog and quite a bit has happened. The Pirates have put on quite an offensive clinic as of late. However, the pitching still can't hold its own. And, apparently, the Buccos have the inside track on a 16 year-old Dominican phenom named Miguel Angel Sano. The Pens took it to the Capitals in game seven and Sid showed why he is better than Ovechkin. They also won game one of the Eastern Conference finals yesterday against the Carolina Hurricanes. While all of this is well and good, this post has nothing to do with any of that. I am dedicating this post to James Harrison.


Steelers
Well, I'm sure that you have heard the comments by now. I mean, is he really that dumb? He can't be, right? Doesn't he know that it is tradition for the winning team to visit the White House? Of course he would have invited the Cardinals if they won! That's what is supposed to happen! It has nothing to do with the President being a fan of the team. Every year, the winner of the Super Bowl, as well as the champion of most professional sports, goes to the White House. That has been happening FOREVER! What, this guy goes from undrafted to NFL Defensive Player of the Year and thinks he is bigger than Obama?! HE IS OUR NATION'S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT! James Harrison has a chance to meet a man who has made history over the past couple of months. He is the leader of our country. He is one of the most inspiring people in the United Sates. Who is James Harrison? He is THE example that as soon as you get the fame, you lose touch with reality. Obama appointed Irish Ambassador Dan Rooney should talk some sense into him. Go to the White House James or give me your ticket because I would love to go. What an egotistical jackass!

Quality vs. Quantity

Penguins
As I was watching the game last night, something seemed to be happening. It seemed the the Pens were getting more opportunities to score, but the Caps were getting better opportunities. One thing is for certain, the Caps took full advantage of the opportunities they had. Ovechkin definitely carries that team, as made evident by the hat trick he had last night. When he's on the ice, his team steps up. It's like his team is trying to play up to his level. Sydney Crosby also had a hat trick last night. But, it seems no matter how well he plays, he doesn't make his teammates any better. He is leaps and bounds ahead of his teammates. All, except for Malkin, who seems to be taking a break this series. There is no way Ovechkin should be able to out-duel Sid and Geno, but he does time and time again. It looks like this will be a short series for the Pens...not because of the lack of talent, though. It is because the Caps just want it more. It is sad to say this and I hope I am wrong, but I can't see this series going more than five games. Please prove me wrong!

Steelers

The Steelers officially released Larry Foote yesterday. I wrote about this a week ago. But, the Steelers attempted to test the trade waters one more time before making it official. I liked what Foote was able to do in his time here and enjoyed watching his development. I do believe he will be missed from a leadership standpoint. However, he was stuck in a role and even stated that it would only be a matter of time before Lawrence Timmons takes his spot. Timmons' time is now. He is a great athlete that has size, strength, and speed. He will be able to play all three downs, where Foote came off the field in passing situations. It will be interesting to see if there is any drop off at the position this year. Larry Foote would like to be an every down player and has stated that he has interest in going home to Detroit. The Lions could sure use all the help they can get and would get a leader, veteran, and talented player if they are willing to spend the money on Foote. Judging by their record last year, I don't think they would mind writing that check. Good luck to Larry Foote! I hope he gets to go back home.

Madden NFL 10

I am very excited for the new Madden game to come out. I will be pre-ordering it in the near future. I, however, have a Wii. I hope that they will be doing quite a bit to change the game from the past couple of years. I was thinking about selling my Wii on eBay and using the money to buy an Xbox 360. Nevertheless, Jon Robinson of ESPN wrote an article about some of the new features for the game called, 'Madden NFL 10': Five Things to Know. These features probably do not apply to the Wii version, but sound pretty cool for the Xbox 360 and, possibly, PS3. Check out the link if you would like to start getting into "Madden Mode":
http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4105808


Pirates
It looks like the Pirates are up to their old tricks. I you think about it, this is the time of the season where the downfall usually begins. I watched the end of the game last night. Man, do pictures say a thousand words. The camera panned over to Paul Maholm as he watched his lead and win get thrown away by the bullpen. And, why was Moss in right field? The Buccos went into last night's game with an 0-15 losing streak against the Brewers. Brandon moss is not hitting! Craig Monroe is the only chance of real power coming out of right field. PUT HIM IN! It is becoming clear that the Pirates are not willing to play the hot bats. Monroe is the best chance they have at some offense right now. It looks like we're aiming for .500 again. With all of the success that the Steelers and Penguins, and even the Passion, have had recently, the Pirates don't deserve to carry the city name anymore. I'm calling them to "Hope Pirates" because they steal what little hope fans still have left. Here's to mediocrity.