Checking In

Wow. I knew it had been one hell of a long time since I updated the ol' blog, but I hadn't realized the last update was on March 4th. That's pretty intense.

At any rate, there have been some interesting goings on, so I thought I'd way in on a few things. So, one personal note and we'll get down to the heart of the matter.

Personal Note:

This is actually a big item. I just flew back from Seattle (and, yes, my arms are tired). Seahawks fans still aren't over Super Bowl XL (which, by the way, we won). Still. All these years later. I've purchased a house, been to 12 weddings, and the Steelers won another Super Bowl since Super Bowl XL (yep, still won that one). They're still not over it.

I met the most miserable, ignorant, dumb ass, whiny, stupid, incoherent, motherfucker of a useless Seahawks fan and our argument about the game was so intense that I considered for a few hours never returning to the city of Seattle.

However, Seattle is an awesome city with great culture and even better food and my parents live a six hour drive from there, so never returning to the Emerald City is not feasible. But, the following rules came out of that conversation.

1. I am never, ever, ever, ever, ever discussing Super Bowl XL (which the Steelers won) with a Seahawks fan again. Never. Ever. As in never.
2. I officially forgive Barry Bonds for choking in the 1990 NLCS. I held onto that for too long and, really, the rest of the team struggled against a stellar pitching staff, so it's not all his fault that the Pirates didn't score more runs. The conversations I've had with Seahawks fans have made me realize that it's never one or two little things that make you lose, it's a collection of your effort as a team throughout the game that decides it.
3. I forgave Neil O'Donnell some time ago, but I just want to mention that I'm not even upset that the Steelers lost Super Bowl XXX at this point. We were lucky to keep the game that close against a loaded Cowboys team that should've won by at least 14. It just doesn't make sense to hold onto those bitter feelings for years on end. It makes you into a miserable, whiny bastard that doesn't listen. And I don't want to turn into that (or, at the very least, I'm interested in turning away from it).
4. I am no longer going to complain about officiating, the officials, or any specific challenge or penalty during the course of a game. What I discovered is that, while bad officiating can have a hand in it, the players decide the course of the game. You can play "what if" and try to revise history all you like, but the fact of the matter is that whether or not a call is correct is a subjective art... and the only person whose opinion actually matters is the referree that's on the field when the call is made. The Seahawks fans I've spoken with have focused solely on the officiating and nothing else, as though Seattle played a perfect game and barely lost. In actuality, they played a very flawed game in which they were not focused and choked in several big moments... and lost by 11. To pin that game solely on the officials is idiotic, plain and simple, and it exposes anyone who complains about the officiating and feels as though it determines the course of the game as a poor, ignorant, petulant person that must follow football because it makes them feel good that they think they're right. To focus on one aspect of the game that is grounded in rules, but is also highly subjective shows poor sportsmanship and an inability to see the game as a complete entity. I don't want to risk that, so I'm not going to complain/talk about officiating ever again. Or, at least I'm going to try. And, if nothing else, I'm going to put the disclaimer, "I don't think it decided the game, but..." Because, really, the refs are fodder for good conversation, just not cogent discussions about football.

That was very cathartic. I'm glad I did that.

Other thoughts:

1. I think the Cardinals should just officially change their name to Steelers West. After signing Bryant McFadden and Dan Kreider, they're quickly getting to the point where they might have more former Steelers on the roster/staff than players they originally drafted/staffers they originally hired.
2. The Bears were awfully busy yesterday, trading a bunch of draft picks and Kyle Orton for Jay Culter and signing Orlando Pace. I personally think they gave up too much for Cutler, but he's supposed to be exceptionally talented and has apparently only scratched the surface of what he can achieve as a quarterback. ESPN had an article that tried to identify the best young quarterback in the NFL last season and Cutler consistently beat out Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers, so there's gotta be something to him. I've never been overly impressed with Cutler, but he's really only had a couple of years in the league, so it's too early to judge. In that situation, you judge on potential and Cutler has no shortage of that whatsoever. If Pace can stay healthy (HUGE if), then it's a great signing. It's not often that a team can acquire a franchise left tackle and a franchise quarterback on the same day, though, so this is a big win for the Bears. Cutler and Pace could end up being crappy for them, but right now they represent big upgrades at both positions. Plus which, my buddy Keith called me three minutes after the news broke. He had a couple of really good points. The first was that the Bears have a lot of the same pieces in place that they had when they went to the Super Bowl two years ago, so they're still just missing a quarterback. The second is that Chicago hasn't done much with the first round draft picks they've had the past few years, so it's not like they really lost anything.
   
3. The Penguins are playing out of their minds right now. They just destroyed the Devils and, while I'm not a big believer in the theory that a team just needs to "get hot at the right time," I will say that they Pens are current playing their best hockey of the season.
4. One other thing to remember: The hockey playoffs last about four years, so it doesn't matter if you're hot when you start. You might be cold again (or really, really tired, like Evgeni Malkin) by the end of it.
5. I'm proud of Pitt for finally making it to the Elite Eight. I was stuck on a plane to Seattle during the Villanova game, so I can't comment on it for the most part, but it looked like it was a good, hard fought game. The refs probably fucked us. That's why we lost. Yeah. That's it.
   
6. Penn State won the NIT. Way to go! I had a conversation with my friend Dan when WVU (his team) won the NIT a couple years back and I thought he had a good point. Which would you take: A Sweet 16 appearance or an NIT Championship? I'd take the NIT myself, even if it's less glamorous. I'd take Elite Eight and definitely Final Four or getting to the NCAA Championship game over an NIT Championship, but there's something to be said about fighting through any tournament and being able to win six games and call yourself champion. (Maybe it's five games.)
7. The Pirates are going to suck again this year. Here's a good article that explains why: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09093/960243-63.stm