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.