Open Forum Tuesday And The Pens

Let’s start the day with a poll and a few news items.  Then it’s off to the forum:   ########################################################## Here on this blog we have often compared the Pirates to the Kansas City Royals given the makeup of the clubs, the size of the markets, the low revenues and the way they have both…

Thoughts From The Weekend On Cole, Pitt And The Pens

Just a few loose ends from the weekend for follow up discussion….. — I was surprised, though I shouldn’t have been, at how much flak the Pirates took yesterday over the Gerrit Cole salary fiasco. In case you missed it, Cole was unhappy at having to settle for a 2016 salary that was not necessarily…

Proposed Lineup(s) For The Pirates; Pens Win And Make A Trade

There was discussion yesterday surrounding our poll question of who should bat in the leadoff spot for the Pirates going into 2016. My choice, though not the majority, was to have John Jaso lead off because he has done so before with success and he also has one of the higher OBPs of anyone on…

A FOB Sports Poll

  So, the polling is a functionality of the site that I have not yet utilized.  It’s something that we can certainly use throughout the season for some real-time feedback. Go ahead and vote and then use the comment section to offer your opinions on your choice or anything else related to the poll topic.…

The Guy Next To Me……

The weekly musings of Patrick Connell….. The Guy next to me with his stop watch, sharpened pencils and spiral notebook getting ready to watch the NFL Scouting combine on TV actually did ask me: –Could this be the season Starling Marte wins an MVP? If he can find the power stroke he had in the…

Nobody Asked Me But……

It’s been a week and a half since we last did one of these so here are some morsels  for discussion.  Otherwise know as our “ode to Bob”, Nobody Asked Me.… — I think if Jose Bautista really expects to get five years and $150MM from his next contract, he’s going to be disappointed.  That said,…

McCutchen And An Extension

Well, I made the comment not long ago that I was already weary of the Andrew McCutchen contract extension talk.  After all, he had three years remaining on his current deal assuming the Pirates choose to pick up their option in 2018. Well, here I am having my hand forced due to the conversation gaining…

The Greatest Sports Moment Of My Lifetime

The date snuck up on me or else I would have had this ready to go yesterday. February 22, 1980.  Ring a bell? How about this?  “Do you believe in miracles?!?!” It was the call of a lifetime for a young play-by-play guy named Al Michaels as he and his color analyst, Ken Dryden, watched…

Follow The Money To The Pirates 2016 Game Plan

Once the Pirates were eliminated from the postseason by the Chicago Cubs last October, the discussion almost immediately turned to 2016 and what the Pirates would do to remain competitive in the toughest division in baseball, the NL Central. They were about to lose AJ Burnett to retirement.  JA Happ, who performed like a Cy…

A Sunday Sampling

Okay, it’s sunny and in the 50s in Pittsburgh today according to weather.com.  What are you doing sitting inside reading this?  Go out and enjoy the day. It’s sunny and 81 here so that is my game plan. Alas, if you can’t get out, here are a few items to discuss.  Enjoy! ########################################################## Pitt won…

The Five, Actually Ten, Greatest All-Time Steelers

With the announcement yesterday of Heath Miller’s retirement, there was subsequent talk of where Miller ranks in the Steelers’ hierarchy of greatness and his Hall Of Fame worthiness, Well, along those lines it got me thinking about who were actually the greatest Steelers of all time.  Or at least who would be on my list.…

The Guy Next To Me….

It’s Friday and that means the random samplings of Mr. Patrick Connell…..   They Guy next to me who’s all caught up in spring training fever actually did ask me: –Assuming Matt Adams is healthy for the Cards, the Pirates look to have the weakest 1b combo in the division, both in the field and…

The Pirates, Bettman, Polamalu and Rock And Roll Coming to a Ballpark Near You

Tim Dierkes at MLBTR.com listed his five favorite free agent signings thus far in the offseason.   The Pirates had one of them and could possibly have had a second. As you’ll see, Dierkes liked the Jaso signing a lot.  While not terribly excited at the time it happened, it has grown on me. His…

A Few Notes And An Open Forum Wednesday

Just a few topics to stimulate some conversation then we can morph into another Open Forum Day, which everyone seemed to enjoy last week.   Consider Open Forum the digital equivalent of the old Open Line nights of great talk shows past….. ########################################################## A huge and necessary double OT win for Pitt last night at the PEC.…

Nobody Asked Me But……

Here are some things I think I think as we count down the days (3) until pitchers and catchers report. — I think this University of Tennessee sexual harassment case is beyond disturbing.   I’m also troubled with the Peyton Manning involvement if the accusations prove to be true. — I think it’s extremely disturbing that none…

Pick A Pitcher For The Pirates And Is Bryce Harper Poised To Be Baseball’s First $50MM Player?

Quiz time…. Which pitcher would you rather have based on their cumulative stats of the past three seasons to round out the back end of the Pirates rotation? From my perspective, Pitcher C is the better option given the workload and durability. Identities are at the bottom of the column. Pitcher A:  69 GS   23-22 …

The Five Greatest All-Time Penguins

The Penguins don’t hit the ice again until tomorrow night when they take on a pretty good Florida Panthers team at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL. The Panthers are led by none other than former Penguins star, Jaromir Jagr, who has put up 17 goals and 40 points in 52 games.  Those numbers belie…

Memories Of Three Rivers Stadium

It didn’t get a lot of fanfare but this past Thursday marked the fifteenth anniversary of the imploding of Three Rivers Stadium. Here’s what it looked like. It has been replaced by the gem that is PNC Park, a ballpark in the truest sense that has become the measuring stick by which all other parks are…

The Guy Next To Me…….

The weekly musings of Mr. Connell. The guy next to me who can’t understand why the worst manager in Red Sox history has a holiday named after him actually did ask me: –Could the fate of the Pirates rest on the back of a player who wasn’t even in the country this time last year,…

Pens Lose And It’s An Open Forum Thursday

The Penguins were beaten at home by the Rangers last night, 3-0. Here’s the coverage from the PG and Trib-Review. http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2016/02/10/New-York-Rangers-shut-down-Penguins-3-0/stories/201602100199 http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/9932154-74/rangers-game-penguins ###################################################### On the heels of Tuesday’s request that we try to stay on topic with that day’s subject matter, in an effort to give everyone an opportunity to share their views and opinions…