Crosby Sitting 2 Games for Caution

Sidney Crosby apparently took a shot to the head in the Bruins game the other night, as he is going to sit out two games for precautionary reasons. He was skating today and looked good at practice according to reports, so everybody can take a collective breathe. This was expected for Crosby, that if he were to take a shot, they sit him 2 games and make sure he is okay. They are easing him back into the grind. Get well soon, Sid.

Steelers Dominate Bengals

The Steelers dominated division rival Cincinatti on Sunday, 35-7. It was a complete game from the Steelers, as the offense, defense and special teams all were clicking. Antonio Brown returned a punt for a touchdown, Rashard Mendenhall ran it in twice, and Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes.The Steelers have been playing to their competitions level as of late, such as when they destroyed the Patriots yet played awful against Kansas City. This was a refreshing and welcoming sight.

Coaching Shuffle in NHL

This week, heads rolled in the NHL. The Capitals fired their bench boss, who replaced the Ducks head coach, who was fired after the Hurricanes fired their coach, who was replaced by an AHL coach...Lets slow down for a second. After underachieving and losing his locker room, the Capitals fired former coach of the year Bruce Boudreau. On that same day, the Hurricanes fired (again) Paul Maurice. Boudreau was replaced by former NHL-er Dale Hunter, Maurice was replaced by Kirk Mueller and Boudreau ended up taking the Ducks job in Anaheim two days later after they fired long time coach Randy Carlysle. Theres a shelf life for NHL head coaches, so its a good thing Pittsburgh's coach wont be expiring anytime soon.

Pitt Basketball Looking Good

When a ten point win last night over Robert Morris University, Pitt basketball is now 5-1 overall, and 11th in the country. WIth tough games coming up against Duquense, Tennessee and Oklahoma State, we will find out how for real Pitt is. Ashton Gibbs has been on fire this year and big man Dante Taylor has improved dramatically. Granted, we are only 6 games in, but Pitt has passed the eye test. They start a ridiculously tough conference schedule in December (as always with the Big East), so hopefully Pitt can keep this roll going and carry it into conference play when they face teams like Notre Dame and Cincy in late December.

Winter Meetings Huge for Pirates

In a few weeks, the MLB will hold its annual winter GM meetings for teams to talk trades, free agency, etc...The Pirates need to make the right moves and sign the right players. Starting pitching and first base are glaring needs. There are numerous options such as Chris Capuano and Jeff Francis at pitching, but the first base market seems bleak. The Pirates will offer Derek Lee arbitration, so its going to be interesting whether or not he signs. All signs are pointing to him saying no, however, so the Pirates will still be in the mix for a first basement that they have lacked for a long time.

Mike Yeo Changing Minnesota Wild

Former Penguins assistant coach Mike Yeo is currently the head coach of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Minnesota has been stagnant for the last 5 years, not making the playoffs and playing a boring style of hockey with no superstars. In the 37 year olds first season as bench boss, his team is currently 1st in the western conference with 28 points. It is amazing what a change of philosophy can do for a hockey team, as nobody expected the Wild to be this successful this early, not even Yeo. Mike Yeo is a good guy, and a great hockey mind (both of which i can confirm from meeting him a few years back). It is good to see him reap the benefits of his team trusting in his system and working hard for him. Go Wild.

Baltimore Already Won it's Super Bowl

The Baltimore Ravens are the Steelers biggest rivals. They have been since the early 2000s. However, the Steelers have owned them in big games, especially when they meet in the playoffs. So when the Ravens do beat the Steelers, not once but twice, it should be a big deal for them. However, celebrating like they won the Super Bowl and showering their coach with gatorade is over the top. By doing this, they showed they already won their most important game. They came out the next week and lost to the less-than-mediocre Seattle Seahawks. This is the second time they lost to a poor team after beating the Steelers, as they lost to the Tennessee Titans in week 2. The Ravens are a good team, but clearly they do not have their priorities straight. They sent a message by beating the Steelers twice. They would have sent a bigger message to the league if they beat the scrub teams they played in the weeks after the Steeler games. The Steelers, by beating Cincinnatti, are currently and already back in first place in the AFC North. The Ravens reign lasted 7 days. They can either take this as a wake up call, or continue the celebration.

Joe Pa Exit Just a Shame

I'm not going to comment on the legality of this situation or even get into the details of the terrible things going on at Penn State these days. I'm not going to comment whether or not i think that Joe Paterno should or should not have been fired. All I am going to say is that this situation can be summed up in three words: what a shame. Joe Paterno gave his life, time and even money to the university, the football program and everything else that is State College, PA. The man spent more time working for one University than my parents have been on this earth. He is not only Penn State football, but I would go as far as to say he is the face of the Unviersity as well. It is very disheartening to see a man who did so much for a university go out on terms like this, no matter if its his fault or somebody elses. This is something that I will be shaking my head at for the rest of my life.

NBA Opening Door for NHL with Lockout

With the NBA being locked out, as last night was opening night, they are opening the door for the NHL to take the NBA's spot as the #2 professional sport in fall and winter behind the NFL, and especially for the spring when it will be only the NHL. The NBA will not only lose tons of money, but also, fans who are looking for other things to watch may turn their attention to the fast-paced and physical NHL. These fans will be hungry for sports during the week and on weekends (not including sunday) and if they are fans of physicality and skill, the NHL will snatch them right up.

Penguins in First without Superstar (s)

The pittsburgh Penguins currently sit atop the NHL standings with 18 points. When a fan sees this stat, they probably assume that they would also see Sidney Crosby's name in the top 3 in scoring, with Evgeni Malkin close behind. However, this is not the case. This couldn't be further than the truth. Crosby still has not returned from his concussion suffered on January 5th of last year. Malkin has only played half of the games due to knee soreness. The Penguins are an extremely deep team, as any other team losing their 2 best players would probably put a nail in the coffin. However, due to goalie Marc-Andre Fluery playing extremely well, and scoring coming from numerous players to go along with solid defense, the Pens are leading the way. The scariest part about this whole thing is that they will only get better. They have to be everybody's favorite to win the Cup.

Crosby Cleared for Contact (in practice)

Last week, Penguins Captain and center Sidney Crosby was cleared for full contact in practice for the first time since early January of 2011. This is a huge step in the right direction for Crosby who has been battling setbacks for months. The Penguins need Crosby to win the Cup, but the NHL as a league also needs Sid the Kid, as he is a superstar and the face of the league. As headshots and concussions become a bigger problem for the NHL, it is a positive note that Crosby is returning, as maybe this can quiet those problems and worries now that the golden boy of the league is back and healthy. I expect Crosby to return within the month, as he is seen flying at practices and morning skates. With a healthy Crosby, and a healthy Evgeni Malkin who is coming back from a torn ACL, the Penguins will be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Fans will not only be holding their breathe for that first hit Crosby takes, but the whole league will.

Pirates Season Glass Half Full

 The Pittsburgh Pirates were atop the National League Central in late July. It was the latest they had earned a winning record in a season since 1997. The Pirates set the city on fire with baseball fever. Every weekend game was a sell out for weeks. Even the national media covered this story relentlessly, as the perennial cellar dwelling Pirates were on the way to completing a miracle. Then the blown call incident happened, followed by the pitching blewing a tire (more like blowing the engine). The Pirates collapsed epically and historically. They are now fighting to stay in 4th place in the division. There is reason for optimism for next season. Jeff Karstens and Charlie Morton showed great leaps in terms of their developments as shut down starting pitchers. Alex Pressley, Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutcheon showed just how dangerous and fast they can be whether its in the outfield or the batters box. McCutcheon's name was even swirling around MVP talks all the way until the All-Star break. Neil Walker has proved he is not just a flash in the pan and can be a consistent every day hitter, finishing in the top 3 in RBIs for a second baseman in the National League. Yes, the Pirates are still the Pirates, and the absolute studs they drafted are still all young, varying from ages 17-23 and not close to the majors. However, being in first place for half the year beats being in last for the whole year.

NFL Week One Overreactions

In week 1 of the NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were destroyed by the Baltimore Ravnes 35-7. Sports writers all across the country jumped at the chance to criticize the Steelers, mainly their "old" defense. Many "analysts" proclaimed the Steelers were done, and the division officially belonged to the Ravens. This is all too common in the world of sports, as many of these analysts love to jump on bandwagons and jump off others. The Steelers were said to be too slow. But in week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers only gave up 164 total yards. Say what you will about the Seahawks offense and their quarterback, but those guys get paid to win games too. They are also professional football players, and Pittsburgh dominated them. The Ravens on the otherhand, were handled quite easily against the Tennessee Titans, a team probably in the same tier as Seattle and in the rebuilding stage as well. The Ravens not only lost, but lost bad. Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for 358 yards against the same defense that people were handing the Super Bowl to a week again. The Ravens are a great team, and this will be a great battle all season long for the AFC North crown, but neither the division nor the Super Bowl can be won after week 1. Even I know that and I do not get paid to sit behind a desk in a suit and talk about football all week long.

Russian Hockey Tragedy is Just That

Wednesday, a team plane carrying the Russian hockey club Lokomotiv of the Kontinental Hockey League crashed in Central Russia near the city of Yaroslavl. Sources say that at least 43 people were killed, most of them being members of the team. The cause is not yet known, but the plane that the team was on was notably old and aging, as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that the government has been trying to put these old Soviet planes out of commision for a while now. Numerous players had National Hockey League ties, and I can easily identify some of the names as i have watched them plenty of times. As a hockey player and a fan, this is an extremely sad day. Tragedy is the only word that fits. These were professional athletes and personnel who their fans loved to watch play, bought their jerseys and cheered them on. They played the game they love and brought joy to others. Anybody who loves sports should be remorseful today. This should be the number one headline on all sports networks, especially ESPN. Sadly, it will not get the coverage that it should, just for the fact that it is not American athletes. If ESPN is the real worldwide leader in sports, then they will do their due dilligence and pay respect to these athletes as much as possible. This is not only a tragedy in Russia, but also in the sports world as a whole.

Problem Tweets

My name is Brian Zagorac. I am a junior at Slippery Rock University and a Sport Management major. I play for the Slippery Rock Ice Hockey team, and have played hockey and baseball my whole life. I have scouted for junior hockey, taught summer hockey camps, wrote for sports websites and helped coach former teams. I have a major problem with twitter and the sporting world. Athletes seem to always cause a stir with controversial tweets, such as Houstan Texans running back Arians Foster posting a picture of his injured hamstring, showing that more damage was done than initially disclosed to the media. Not only did this worry fans, but it also had opposing team doctors noting how severe the injury actually was. Foster put himself before his team. Although he probably had good intentions, he needed to keep this quiet. Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall also caused a stir when he posted about Osama bin Laden's death, implying bin Laden could have been innocent. I have no problem with Mendenhall's personal opinion, but when he represents a high-class franchise such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, and works for an owner who also happens be the U.S. ambassador to Ireland and then posts such a tweet, it becomes a problem. It is a free country and players should be allowed to use twitter, as long as they use their brain before using their mouse.