Still crazy after all these years

… and now he goes for his 12th national title Life for the Auriemmas in Montella, Avellino in Italy in the 1950s was challenging. On his website, Geno recounts the difficult part and the most important part of his early years in Italy. "Growing up in Montella with parents Donato and Marsiella and siblings Ferruccio and Anna wasn’t paradise in the traditional sense—running water, heat and electricity were considered luxuries, and the family had no phone, car or television. What they did have, and what has continued to be the foundation of his life and career, was love, honor and loyalty." The family eventually moved to the United States when Geno was seven-years-old back in 1961 and eventually settled in Norristown, Pa., which had a large Italian-Catholic neighborhood. However, Geno took charge once in his new country even though his family could speak little English. From his website, "[I]t wasn’t uncommon for 7-year-old Auriemma to help his parents make th...

… owners understand one thing: $$$  Without doubt, Roger Goodell is the most unpopular head of any professional sport at any point in history. Prove me wrong, but I cannot find the name of anyone nearly as unpopular. According to a poll about a year ago by Public Policy Polling, Goddell's job approval rating was just 28 percent. That is in range with some of the most unpopular presidents in history. As a result, last fall the NFL public relations office made an attempt to improve that rating. It was probably unsuccessful. He is still despised by the fans and particularly by the players. Hated may be a more accurate word for how the players feel about him. Scandals Then the scandals of the past few years have really taken a toll on the league. Deflategate and the Ray Rice domestic abuse case have done tremendous amounts of damage to its reputation -- and to his. Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman explains why that is the case. "Despite some of the mistakes G...

… NCAA referee inundated by Kentucky fans  Many in Pennsylvania lament the fact that no one wants to become a sports official today. But, there are good reasons. For instance, they read about the story of John Higgins, who has had to ask for police protection because of threats made to him, his family, and his business … all because of a call that he made in a basketball game. Actually, this was a big basketball game, and the call was one that basketball fans at the University of Kentucky dispute. North Carolina defeated the Wildcats, 75-73, on a last-second shot by Luke Maye. That gives the Tar Heels a chance to play for the national championship instead of Kentucky. So, it was a heated game. Background Part of that animus from Kentucky fans started with comments made by Kentucky Coach John Calipari, who blamed personal foul calls on his players for the loss. He has a right to express that opinion, and the official knows that he must be willing to accept the ...

… this may not be a conventional finish  This year's Final Four may be the most interesting in recent history … or perhaps not. Only one of the four has been a traditional favorite, the North Carolina Tar Heels. Because of their background and success, you would think that conventional wisdom would have them as the favorites this year. And you would be right, though I think that Vegas may be shaking a little at the thought of this Four. Vegas has established the Tar Heels as the favorites, according to Odds Shark. In addition, remember that the Tar Heels were in the title game last year only to be nailed by Villanova, 77-74, on a buzzer-beater trey. Here is the list that they have established as favorites: North Carolina +140 Gonzaga +180 Oregon +550 South Carolina +750 So, according to this, the championship game should pit the the Tar Heels against the Zags. According to Sporting News, Gonzaga entered the tournament with a +1000 rating, so they have moved up...

… not something Pirates' fans want to hear  The word "visa" is one that fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates have heard often this spring. It is the reason that their third baseman is still in South Korea. However, the Pirates have now said that outfielder Gregory Polanco, one of their upcoming stars, would not be able to play in the exhibition games in Montreal against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday and Saturday because of a problem with his passport. What? According to the Tribune-Review, "For most of the players, applying for visas to enter Canada was a routine process. However, those who played in the World Baseball Classic are hampered by a compressed timeframe to finish the process." I am not really following this line. Perhaps the general manager of the organization can clear it up for us. “It's more challenging because of timing, because of paperwork and because of all of their passports being with them,” Neal Huntington said. “Gregory's visa is f...

… no concept of fundamental fairness  The NFL competition committee rectified some of the horrible wrongs in their league this week. They made some changes that were long overdue. According to Joe Rutter of the Tribune-Review, these were the changes that were made: -- Players no longer can leap over the line of scrimmage to block field-goal and extra-point tries. [Wow!] -- Receivers running a pass route will be given “defenseless” receiver protection. [duh] -- Crackback blocks will be prohibited by a player in motion, even if he is no more than 2 yards outside of the tackle when the ball is snapped. [so?] Now, tell me NFL fans, when was the last time that you saw a game decided because of one of those terrible oversights? The receivers should have been given defenseless protection years ago were it not for the geniuses on that committee, like Mike Tomlin. However, the big rule that they tabled had nothing to do with the horrible injustice that occurred in this yea...

… not really a playoff team  Sports Illustrated talked to many pro baseball scouts about the chances of each team. The good news is that they do not expect the Cubs to win 103 games again. The bad news is that they do not expect the Bucs to make the playoffs, though they have an outside chance. In a division with the Cubs and Cards, they will probably not make it. My dream I had this dream a few years ago that the Pirates would make the World Series again in my lifetime. After all, it has been 38 years since 1979. It is time. If the Cubs can do it after much longer, so can the Bucs. I am resigned to the reality that is not going to happen. Small-market teams need a billionaire owner who is willing to spend big bucks. The Cubs, certainly not small market, bought their team that way after disposing of the penny-pinching Wrigleys. Pittsburgh does not have that, but they do have enough to make things interesting, at least according to these scouts. The SI analy...

... and take crybaby John Madden with you  Great news out of the NFL today. The whiniest, nastiest, meanest, lowliest and most worthless franchise in the NFL is moving to the sleaziest city in the U.S. -- although I truly feel for the Raiders' fans. Yes, tne NFL approved the move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas, Sin City, with that name very appropriate for the franchise. My bias Okay, I am biased. This goes back to the 1970s when the Steelers battled a nasty Oakland team that cried and cried and cried when they lost. Their coach, John Madden, is still whining that the Immaculate Reception that gave the Steelers a last second victory over his despicable team was illegal. This is 45 years later, and he is still moaning that Jack Tatum never touched the pass that somehow mysteriously flew backwards 12 yards into the hands of Franco Harris, who promptly sprinted into the end zone with it. Give it up, man! My advice to the Raiders: Take that whiny 80-year-old to Sin City with y...

… big bat or a backbone?  After the story last week that indicated that Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang had been denied a work visa to re-enter the United State after his DUI conviction in South Korea, Tribune-Review columnist Kevin Gorman made a case that the best-case scenario for the Pirates may be cutting him. In short, Gorman explained the dilemma for the Pirates as they consider the fate of their talented, but troubled, athlete from a foreign culture: "At best, Kang is a South Korean star with power potential who fulfills the Pirates needs at third base and the cleanup spot in the batting order. At worst, he's a repeat offender as a drunken driver who also has been accused of sexual assault." It is not a pretty picture for the Bucs. The reality is that the Pittsburgh Pirates organization signed a work visa for Kang in 2015 after the player had been twice convicted of driving under the influence in Korea early in his baseball career. That is a violation of the Un...

… and forget about the fourth spot  The great part of the 2017 Final Four field is that three of the teams -- and I am writing before knowing the fourth -- have spent little or no time in that hallowed location. Gonzaga and South Carolina have never been there, and Oregon was there only once, in the first Final Four when the founder of basketball, James Naismith, attended. That was way back in 1939. That makes it enticing, and it means that I will never root for the winner of the last game -- North Carolina and Kentucky, two programs who have been there many times but have rather sleazy reputations. Zags Enough of that. Let's talk about who we can root for. Coach Mark Few has finally led the Gonzaga Zags to the Final Four, and they are my hope to win it all. Gonzaga has just over 5,000 students, and is a good academic institution, a Jesuit school. The Zags have lost only one game this year, and they were the number one seed in the West. The are big and strong, and they play with...

... great opportunity for young coach  Another Western Pa. product has earned a spot at a top basketball institution. Blackhawk High School's Archie Miller was named today as head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, replacing Tom Crean. Miller, who played for his legendary dad, John, at Blackhawk, has coached at Dayton for the past six years. He has compiled a 139-63 (69 percent) in that time. His Flyers reached the 2014 Elite Eight and made the NCAA tournament in each of his six seasons. They won the Atlantic 10 regular season championship this season and tied for first last year. His team finished with a 24-8 record this year, but were eliminated in the first round of the tournament by Wichita State. Indiana Hoosiers Some reports out of Bloomington indicated that former Hoosier Steve Alford was the first choice of A.D. Fred Glass. However, Alford now the coach at UCLA, indicated that he was not interested in the job. Miller is excited about the opportunity. ...

… I may have to retract the nice things about Alexandria  Earlier this week, I posted a piece about how great it was that the Lady Green Hornets from tiny Alexandria, Pa. made it to the state championship game. While they lost on Friday to Lebanon Catholic, it was an incredible performance for a small school coming in second in the state. Were they legit? However, yesterday I read a post online in which a person alleged that three of the Lady Hornets' players were not from the JV school district. Instead, they played on an AAU team coached by the Juniata Valley coach, Rachelle Hopsicker. According to this story, three of the girls on the team live with local families in the JV school district during the week and then go home to their families on the weekends. Now, I do not believe everything that I read online, and I have not been able to confirm that story, but am working on it. Violation of PIAA rules? However, if that is true, it would appear to violate P...

... no comment yet from Pirates  According to Korean media, the application of Pirate infielder Jung Ho Kang for a work visa to return to the United States has been denied. Kang was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in a South Korean court for an offense that took place in Sept. He was sentenced to eight months in jail, but that was suspended. Still, that is his third DUI, and according to US immigration regulations, which have been made stricter by Donald Trump, he would not qualify for a visa. That would be a serious blow to the Pirates, who were hoping to see him return at some point this year. According to the Tribune-Review, Naver Sports reported that the Visa had not been approved. Kang has appealed his sentence, but even if he would win that, it is unlikely to change the fact that he was convicted of a DUI for the third time. Prior to today's announcement, Manager Clint Hurdle was asked about Kang's status, and he was ...

… those small towns are special  The television report called the followers a "sea of green." A newspaper article about the girls basketball team referred to their "massive gathering of fans" that attended the game -- and celebrated with joy after the victory. In fact, in that Altoona Mirror story, one of the Juniata Valley High School players directly thanked members of the community who journeyed from Alexandria, Pa. to Altoona for the game. “I want to thank the community for coming out,” freshman Halee Smith said. “It gives us motivation to play even better. I know we were the underdogs, and having those fans behind us was amazing.” Their coach went even a step further, talking about how the young ladies had swept up the community by storm and electrified them with their performance. “Businesses shut down today. We had people greeting us as we went over the bridge in town. My phone has been going off non-stop, and this entire community has supported ...

… sons transferred after Gildon was fired  The board of directors of the Western Pa. Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is questioning the transfers of the sons of Steelers coaches Mike Tomlin and Joey Porter from North Catholic High School. The WPIAL has set a hearing for May 3 when the coaches and others must testify about why their sons -- or relatives --  transferred. The answer is simple. The only reason that the two players were playing at North Catholic in the first place was because former Steeler Jason Gildon was the coach. Now that Gildon has been fired and a new coach hired, and that coach just happens to be white, the athletes -- who are not Catholic -- transferred to North Allegheny and Shady Side Academy. In short, if the transfers were for athletic intent, they will not be eligible to play in the league this fall. "The board's No. 1 concern was the timing of the transfers and the new football coach. (The board members) just have some questions ...

… ending the Thompson era  If any other coach had accomplished what John Thompson III has at Georgetown in recent years, he would have been gone long ago. However, JT III is the son of the legendary Coach John Thompson Jr., who built G-town into a national power in the 1980s. This was a case of where nepotism was not the right move. JT III did well early, taking the Hoyas to the 2007 Final Four in his third session a the helm, but they have not even made the tournament three of the past four seasons. They have not competed in the Big East, as diminished as it is compared to the glory years, finishing next to last, 5-13, 14-18 overall. That is ninth out of ten-team league. What a fall for the mighty Hoyas. Administration has waffled on this Still, the administration has dawdled over the past month trying to determine his fate. Really? Were he not the plantation owner's son, he would never have been there. It is time for Georgetown to develop a basketball program in the pos...

… does not mince words about his FB action  He is the most revered Steeler in history, arguably the greatest defensive lineman to ever play the game. And he is revered by Steeler fans because he was the foundation of that Super Bowl run of the 1970s when they won four Super Bowls in six years. So, when Joe Greene expresses his opinion about the Steelers, fans, players, and management take notice. That is what happened on Wednesday when he went on The Fan radio show in Pittsburgh to promote his new book, "Mean Joe Greene: Built by Football.” In the course of the interview, he was asked about how the actions of Antonio Brown at the end of last season affected him. To refresh your memories, Brown put Coach Mike Tomlin's post-game talk to his team after defeating Kansas City on Facebook Live. It outraged everyone from Tomlin to fellow players to fans to casual observers of the game. It also embarrassed Tomlin because of the language that he used. And it gave the...

… numbers are interesting  [I have updated this story and stats based on some misses that I made on the original list.] As the PIAA state basketball championships loom on the horizon, a major question about District 6 has never been answered. Why are girls teams successful but boys are not? The numbers are definitive. Girls teams from District 6 have won 15 state championships in basketball while boys teams have won just six. What makes that even more interesting is that while the boys have had competition for state champs since 1920, the girls did not start until 1973. Even then, girls basketball in District 6 did not start moving until the 1980s. These numbers are from the PIAA website. It lists all of the winners and runners-up in history. Speaking of runners-up, the boys do much better in this category. Both girls and boys have 20. Boys winners The five boys teams that have won state titles include Williamsburg twice [1958 and 1966], and Rothrock [1963]...

… I really root for this guy  With everything that James Conner has been through, from his Hodgkin's Lymphona to his recovery from his knee surgery, you have to root for him to make it in the NFL. At least, that is the way I look at it. He has been a tough, hard-nosed runner who has given it everything he has had to recover from some unbelievable challenges. So, how will the NFL look at the cancer? Will that prevent him from being drafted? CBS analysis According to CBS, the most important concern for Conner is his mediocre performance in the NFL Combine earlier this month. The network noted that Conner ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds while also jumping 29 inches in the vertical and 113 inches in the broad jump. "Even for a 233-pound back, the numbers are less than good. It leaves Conner with a mixed prospect profile after otherwise producing at a very high level at Pittsburgh." Conner was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year after his sophomore season wit...

… and no baggage [In the first draft, I was writing Central instead of Estnern Michigan. I apologize for the mistake. Need a proofreader or editor at almost the age of 70.] The search for a new athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh has ended, and the school hired the first female A.D. in its history. And, she is a very well-qualified person with excellent credentials. Heather Lyke is currently Vice President and Athletic Director at Eastern Michigan University, where she has served since 2013. She had previously served as an assistant and associate A.D. at Ohio State for 18 years, and even worked in the media as a softball analyst for the Big Ten Network, according to her bio on the Central Michigan website. In addition, Lyke is a lawyer, graduating from the University of Akron. She still maintains her law license in Ohio. Excellence at CMU Lyke has presided over EMU athletics during a period in which she pursued capital improvements and some accomplishm...

… tough time for the ACC I do not like to say "I told you so,' but this is what I wrote Saturday morning before the start of the second round of the NCAA tournament, men's side. "Possible upsets? Wisconsin will have to play well, but they could give the Wildcats a real battle. South Carolina may also give Duke a real battle in a 2-7 matchup. Those are both potential upsets." Now, I did not definitively call those upsets, but those were the two games that I called upset potential. And indeed, they happened. I actually like those of those teams. Not a huge fan, but they are two of my favorites. In fact, in my final four, I had Nova. In fact, I had Nova winning it all. There goes my prediction, though the other three -- Arizona, Kansas, and North Carolina -- are still alive. I guess that I can root for the only Pennsylvania tie left in the field: Arizona, coached by Pittsburgh area native Sean Miller, a former Pitt Panther. I do have reservation...

… now has eight national titles  The news was electric. A Penn State team had just won its sixth national championship in the past seven years. Never has a Nittany Lion team dominated the sport like this one. And yet, on PennLive.com, where football recruiting stories can routinely draw a 100 comments or more, or where a Penn State football story can draw as many as 1,000 comments, there were only 17 on Sunday, a day after taking that national title. The Nittany Lions captured five individual national titles on their way to their sixth title in recent years. Those five individual titles tied the NCAA record that was set in 2005 by Oklahoma State. This year, no team was even close to them. After the championship had ended, Penn State Coach Cael Sanderson said this, "It was incredible. I don't have words to describe it. It was unbelievable and so amazing that they did it.'' Perhaps the most unbelievable part of this story was how Penn State ended up with Sanderso...

… an SI writer analyzes  Was the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship really that boring? As Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel wrote this morning, "This tournament has been as riveting as a CSPAN marathon of Congressional energy hearings." That bad? Well, first, whenever you have a 16th seed playing a 1, a 15th a two, a 14th a 3, a 13th a 4 … you cannot expect anything exciting. However, there are also 8's playing 9's and 7's playing 10's, so there is some hope. The SI writer goes further, talking about the boredom of this year's event. "Watching the NCAA tournament this year has been like rooting for the 1985 Bears, investing in Apple or betting on Tom Brady. There’s been no buzzer beaters and little drama. When the biggest story revolves around a Vanderbilt player's unfortunate brain cramp, you know we’re searching for shorelines." Thamel attributes this to the selection process. He...

After two days of play in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, the second-round games are set. And there are some very nice matchups, and some very dangerous ones that could result in upsets. Here are the match-ups that I find intriguing: 1. All four in the East: 1. Villanova-8. Wisconsin, 5. Virginia-4. Florida, 11. USC-3. Baylor, and 7. South Carolina-2. Duke. Possible upsets? Wisconsin will have to play well, but they could give the Wildcats a real battle. South Carolina may also give Duke a real battle in a 2-7 matchup. Those are both potential upsets. In the West, pesky Northwestern (8) could give top-seeded Gonzaga a battle, but with the Zags' size, I doubt that it will be an upset. Notre Dame (5) and the WVU Mountaineers (4) could go either way, and from a sentimental point, I would love to see 11th seeded Xavier knock off third-seeded Florida State. I doubt it, though. In the South, I would not be surprised to see sixth-seeded Cincinnati give No. 3 UCLA a battle, but...

… placed on restricted list  Pirates' fans who hope to see Jung Ho Kang's name on the 2017 roster may be disappointed, at least in the short run. As I wrote earlier this month, Kang's chances of securing a VISA to re-enter the United States after receiving a sentence for a felony DUI conviction are not very good. The new immigration rules are stricter, and since this is his third DUI -- something the Pirates did not acknowledge when they originally signed for his VISA two years ago -- his chances are slim. Last Friday, the Pirates placed him on the major league "restricted list," which means that he will not count toward the 25 or 40-man roster. He will not be paid once the season starts as long as he is on that list. He has already missed more than a month of spring training, meaning that even if he does eventually reach the states, he would have to spend time with one of the Pirates affiliates before making the roster. Pirates President Frank Coonelly told t...

... one of the best players ever  Legend has it that he practiced his soft jump shot in a family barn located in the Martindale / Puritan area of Portage Township. That is the reason that it had a somewhat flat trajectory to it. However he practiced it, Len Chappell became one of the greatest players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and one of its most prolific scorers, eventually winning the ACC Player of the Year Award twice as well as becoming a two-time All-American at Wake Forest University. It was a long trek from Martindale to Winston-Salem, N.C., but the 6-8, 240-pound center attracted the attention of a coach by the name of Horace (Bones) McKinney. A smooth communicator, McKinney sweet-talked Chappell with his lore about the ACC being the greatest conference in the country -- and why he should experience it with the Demon Deacons. After playing for Coach Jim Hess and scoring 2,240 points in his career with the Portage Mustangs, finishing i...

… should they pursue him?  The charges filed by two young men who stalked NFL defensive back Darrelle Revis on the South Side in Pittsburgh earlier this year were dismissed by a district magistrate on Wednesday, but the damage was done. The New York Jets had already cut him, putting him on the free market. The criminal charges were not the major factor -- a huge contract was more instrumental. Love to play in Pittsburgh When the NFL Network asked Revis after the hearing if he would be interested in playing for the Steelers, the cornerback said this, "That would be great,” the former Alliquippa and Pitt Panther star said. “As a child I watched the Steelers play, went to a few games as a young child, I played here in high school and college, so to play here professionally would be awesome too. So, we’ll see. Hopefully we’ll have a conversation with the Steelers.” Revis had a tough season with the Jets last year, both individually and as a team. He was a first-round pick...