Still crazy after all these years

... Pirates could win 99 games and not make the playoffs  In August, a man named William Sieg from Colorado wrote a letter to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette complaining about the post-season playoffs in Major League Baseball. He is a Pirates fan, so he was concerned with how the teams in the playoffs would not be fairly placed. This focused on the rationale that the champion of each division will automatically make the playoffs. The next two teams based on record will play in a "one-and-done" game to determine the fourth team in each league. How prophetic Mr. Sieg has been. Here is what he put forth to reach a fairer system: "I propose that regular season division standings be thrown out for the playoffs and overall record be used to match teams." That is step one, the rest is somewhat irrelevant right now. Why? Going into the final two games of the season, the top three teams in terms of percentage are all in the same division. NL-Central St. Louis Cardina...

remember the players and families of coaches Believe me, I know about having successful seasons with an undefeated record and championship trophies, but I know about the pain of having a winless season. On the positive side, I prefer to remember those undefeated or championship seasons, the bad seasons not as often. I have had four undefeated seasons, and three championship seasons that had at least one loss. However, what is really challenging is remembering that winless season. Which brings me to the Penn State saga in 2015. Every person who buys a ticket has the right to express himself or herself. The way the Penn State team has played the last two games is somewhat pathetic. As a result, people begin booing as a way to express their anger. The coaches who are making six and seven figure salaries this year are fair game for criticism as I mentioned last week about Franklin's salary. However, keep in mind that when you boo the coaches, the players also take it t...

Steelers 2015 Thursday, Sept. 3  at New England L (12-4) Sunday, Sept. 20  49ers  W  (8-8) Sunday, Sept. 27  at Rams  L  (6-10) Thursday, Oct. 1  Ravens  L  (10-6) Monday, Oct. 12  at SD Chargers  W  (9-7) Sunday, Oct. 18  Arizona  W  (11-5) Sunday, Oct. 25  at Chiefs  L  (9-7) Sunday, Nov. 1  Cin, Bengals  W  (10-5-1) Sunday, Nov. 8  Oakland Raiders  W  (3-13) Sunday, Nov. 15  Cleveland Browns  W  (7-9) Sunday, Nov. 22  Bye Sunday, Nov. 29  at Seattle Sea 425  L  (12-4) Sunday, Dec. 6  Ind.  Colts 830  L  (11-5) Sunday, Dce. 13  at Bengals  L  (10-5-1) Sunday, Dec. 20  Denver 425  L  (12-4) Sunday, Dec. 27  at Balt. Ravens 830  L  (10-6) Sunday, Jan. 3  at Cleve. Browns  W  (7-9) Final Record: 7-9

...Church upset with plan (Onion)  By G.M. Auto Pseudo Onion Seeing one of its major programs under fire, the Catholic Church has indicated its outrage at Mount Lebanon, a suburban Pittsburgh community that has been trying to reduce its deer population. The community has a problem with deer running into automobiles, driving up the cost of insurance along with major repair bills. So, they are also trying a program that they saw on "Bonanza" back in the day. Here is how it works. A bow shooter like Little Joe sees a buck and immediately shoots an arrow that will first hurt the male, but only for a few seconds.The packet will then fall off and he can select a number of selection of condoms. The bucks can then inform his family and friends about the great deal. The Hoss will leave some nice gifts for the Buck like a large salt lick that is flavored with chocolate. The public relations guru from the Pittsburgh Diocese was not happy with this plan. "The Cath...

Richard Cory By Edwin Arlington Robinson  Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim. And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, "Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked. And he was rich — yes, richer than a king — And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head. Evaluation First, provide your overall thoughts about this poem, such as what you like or dislike about the poem or poet.  Second, write what you think the author is trying to say in the poem. Try to give your own ideas...

... a dream -- or nightmare of LWHS Like everyone else, I dream at night, but most of the time, I cannot remember the details in the morning. However, a short time ago I dreamed about something that happened almost a half century ago. To my compatriots in the class of '66, here are some of those recollections about the dream. You may add some of your own. The saga of the evergreen trees -- and Idlewild The school wanted to plant evergreens around the entrance roads to the school, and at the end of the school year, they approached us as seniors to see if we would help with the project. We agreed. Mr. Paul Tickerhoof was our biology teacher, and he was always working on environmental projects. This may have been his idea -- not sure about that. He and Art Martynuska asked us to do the work with this, and since they were popular -- and because we liked the idea -- we said yes. In fact, we agreed to buy the trees, too. We had some extra money (more on that later). So, when our class ...

but they are not the most despised team -- yet (Poll Results from Public Policy Polling) Bill Bellichick's favorability is in G. W. Bush range:  Belichick has a 28/41 favorability rating among NFL fans, compared to 37/16 for Pete Carroll. (Gallup: George W. Bush's Low Point: 25% [three times; most recent: Oct 31-Nov 2, 2008] ) Patriots are not popular either The Patriots as a team overall have a 36/43 favorability rating with fans, making them one of only two teams we tested (the Cowboys at 40/42 being the other) with a net negative rating. Seahawks picked to win Seahawks (despite disconcerting antics by Lynch and Sherman) are picked to win on Sunday Americans say they're rooting for the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl by a 7 point margin, 36/29. Bottom line: Americans don't care much for the Patriots, but that was already true. The Pack are way ahead of everyone else The Packers remain the most popular team in the country. They have a +36 net favorability rating with...

Rolling Stone interview with Ava DuVernay Rolling Stone: Let's talk about reducing LBJ's role in the events you depict in the film. Every filmmaker imbues a movie with their own point of view. The script was the LBJ/King thing, but originally, it was much more slanted to Johnson. I wasn't interested in making a white-savior movie; I was interested in making a movie centered on the people of Selma. You have to bring in some context for what it was like to live in the racial terrorism that was going on in the deep south at that time. The four little girls have to be there, and then you have to bring in the women. So I started adding women. This is a dramatization of the events. But what's important for me as a student of this time in history is to not deify what the president did. Johnson has been hailed as a hero of that time, and he was, but we're talking about a reluctant hero. He was cajoled and pushed, he was protective of a legacy — he was not doing th...

This is a scary number from the Journal of Pediatrics: Approximately 20 children and teenagers are shot daily in the United States. We need to have a dialogue on guns in the U.S. Instead, we attempt to talk to only one side of the argument. That dialogue will not happen today, and our cherished young people suffer from it.