Still crazy after all these years

Steelers (11-5) @ Washington (Win) Cincinnati (Win) @Philadelphia (Loss) Kansas City (Loss) New York Jt (Win) @Miami (Win) New England (Loss) Bye @ Baltimore (Loss) Dallas (Win) @Cleveland (Win) @Indianapolis (Win) New York Gt   (Win) @Buffalo (Win) @Cincinnati (Loss) Baltimore (Win) Cleveland (Win) Penn State (8-4) Kent State (Win) @Pitt (Loss) Temple (Win) @Michigan (Loss) Minnesota (Win) Maryland (Win) Off Ohio State (Loss) @Purdue (Win) Iowa (Win) @Indiana (Win) @Rutgers (Win) Michigan St. (Loss) Pitt (8-4) Villanova (Win) Penn State (Win) @Okla St  (Loss) @NC Tar. (Loss) Marshall (Win) Georgia Tech  (Win) @Virginia (Win) Off Virginia Tech (Win) @Miami         (Loss) @Clemson (Loss) Duke (Win) Syracuse (Win)

... may surprise people It has been difficult to think of the 2016 version of the Pittsburgh Pirates as being a team that is playoff-worthy. According to the wild-card standings, they are just a half game behind the Cardinals for the second spot. Fans are likely to say, "Well, they are not going anywhere anyway." Okay, last year, the Bucs won 98 games and still did not get into the playoffs. With Cole gone to the West Coast, the pitching staff is not the best. The disappointing Andrew McCutcheon's BA is now over 250 [.252], but the player who has been coming along this year is Gregory Polanco. He has 19 HRs and 75 RBI, both career highs. Starling Marte is solid, .303 BA now for his high if he finishes there. Who knows what may happen if you get a good game for the play-in and get a few more games. Could be good for next year. Wild Card National League Nationals 75-55 Cubs 82-47 Dodgers 73-57 Wild Card Teams Giants 71-59 Cards 68-61 Pir...

... health of players major concern  For Pitt or Penn State to win a national championship in college football this year, each team would play a maximum of 15 games. For a high school football team in Pennsylvania to win the state championship, it would have to play 16 games, more than a college player. That makes no sense. Zeise argument  Post-Gazette reporter Paul Zeise wrote earlier this week that playing 16 games is hard on the players from a health standpoint. From that perspective, Zeise makes a number of salient points about how the PIAA should prevent that from occurring, especially since they have increased the number of classifications from four to six. I agree with his argument, though I am not sure what this would mean logistically to try to change the system. Argument for 13 -- instead of 16 -- games Here is the gist of his argument: 'It is ridiculous that high school football players are asked to play 16 games to win a championship, though. There is no go...

... shuts down after backlash from "Joe Knew"shirts  Earlier this week, a Pitt blog called ThePoint412 devised an idea of taking advantage of the restart of the Pitt-Penn State football series as a way to criticize the man who ended the series 16 years ago. The blog offered t-shirts that were very simple: "Joe Knew" on the front, chastising the late coach for denying his knowledge of the Jerry Sandusky pedophile cases. They were selling for $20, so they were popular. The point of this is that with much of the evidence that came out over the summer, it is obvious that Joe Paterno knew about the pedophile tendencies of his defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky much earlier than he had admitted prior to his death [2001]. The first shirts sold out so quickly that another order was being sold until Thursday. Tweets Today The first tweet that indicated that they were canceling the shirts said this: The Point 412 @The_Point_412 Let it be known that t...

… his program need to show progression I am saying this as a former college football coach: Everyone should give a coach four years in which to develop his team. That is the case for James Franklin, who came into Happy Valley on a cloud but has never quote caught the fancy of the Penn State faithful. Attitude was arrogant Franklin's we're going "to dominate the state" was something that excited the Nittany Lion fans, particularly as he put together an outstanding recruiting class in his first venture in Pa. That honeymoon ended very quickly, because of some of the reasons below. Pitt fans, on the other hand, sensing vengeance, want to send Franklin's Nittany Lion team back down Route 22 toward Centre County with the Nittany Lions' proverbial tail between its legs. Game coach vs. recruiting The problem that Franklin has with Penn State fans has more to do with game coaching than anything else. He has not demonstrated the ability to adap...

... Justin Wheeler sets high bar for Nick Felus  When you come from a small town, everyone is proud when one of your former players becomes successful. That is the case of the Lilly Raiders program that started in 1961 and lasted into the 21st Century. Justin Wheeler The Raiders are very proud that Justin Wheeler has led his Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders to two straight PIAA Class A championships. One was nice, but two straight is almost unprecedented in the state -- unless you are someone like the late George Curry of Berwick, who passed away earlier this year. Curry directed Berwick to six PIAA titles and four straight from 1994-95-96-97. From what the early predictions are saying, BG could again make a run at the third straight. Last year, the Marauders ended the season with an 16-0 record and defeated Farrell for the state title. In 2014, BG defeated WPIAL perennial power Clairton. Very impressive. Justin played for the Raiders until 1986 and was on the ...

... four dump him in one day  As I said last week, this concocted story by Ryan Lochte about being robbed by phony police cost him seven figures in endorsements since he lost four of them on Monday. The first to go was Speedo, which said this, according to CBS News: "While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for. We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience." Lochte also lost endorsement contracts with Ralph Lauren, Gentle Hair Remover, and Airweave, which is a mattress company, again according to CBS News. ESPN reporter Darren Rovell tweeted this late yesterday afternoon. Darren Rovell @darrenrovell Industry sources tell me Lochte lost about $1 million in current endorsement deals today. 4:35 PM - 22 Aug 2016 The apology was...