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Penguins-66

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Everything posted by Penguins-66

  1. I hate to beat a dead horse, but he needs to use his frame, something he should have been doing since day one. Get in front of the net and battle. Get some dirty goals from time to time. Battle in the corners. I'm not expecting 20+ goals, but the guy has to use what he has to his advantage and he hasn't up to this point in time. I do think this is a make or break year for Tangradi. I'm assuming he's going to get a very good look with an excellent athlete centering his line this season. If that ends up being the case and if he doesn't take advantage of the opportunity handed to him, I don't see Tangradi lasting much longer with this organization. It's time for him to step up.
  2. I'm surprised. I thought I was the only person in the Tri-State area who felt it was the right move. I think my opinion is a hanging offense in some areas of Allegheny county. In Alexander's defense, it's always hard following a legend. While Milo Hamilton was horrible, I think he could relate to Alexander's situation. For me personally, even if Steigerwald didn't follow a legend, he would still be pretty bad in my book. To clarify a few of my last points - If we're losing by a score of 8-1, I by no means expect Steigerwald to rip the team a new one on the air, but a little constructive criticism wouldn't hurt his cause. The same goes for the Tyler Kennedy situation. I don't expect him to tear into Kennedy when he goes on one of his MIA streaks, but let's not make him out to be something he's not when he actually does decide to show up - a consistent hockey player like a Jean Pronovost. Again, constructive criticism wouldn't hurt. Cope had no problem calling out a player or the team in general when they didn't show up on Sunday afternoons. Going back to Mike Lange, I think a good bit of the fan outcry since the move was made stems from pure nostalgia. Some people simply hate change and I get it. I'm one of those people when it comes to certain situations. I also think a large number were either small children or not yet born when Lange was at his very best. They listened to the early/mid 2000's Mike Lange and automatically assumed it was the same Lange who called games in the 80's and 90's. Unless my ears deceived me, the 80's-90's Lange was very different than the guy I was listening to in the early/mid 2000's. Again though, he's excellent on the radio and fits perfectly in that game-calling format. Bourque keeps the blatant homerism in check to some degree and Lange is forced to actually do what he's paid to do - call the game.
  3. Dave Molinari just put Kevin Stevens and Eric Tangradi in the same sentence.
  4. I'm by no means a fan of Steigerwald, but I wasn't completely against Root Sports making a change. When Lange was at the top of his game, there were very few who were on the same level. In my opinion, he was the best in the league when he was on top of his game. I think he deserves to be put in the same company as Cope and Prince - he was that good. My problem with Lange was during his final few years on television. He wouldn't follow the game. He would miss calls, confuse numbers, confuse players and tell endless stories that had absolutely nothing to do with the game of hockey. For radio, he's perfect. Radio forces him to pay attention and actually call the game rather than telling me what he did with his grandchildren over the weekend or how to make the perfect risotto. As for Steigerwald and Errey, I can stomach Errey and he actually gives me a chuckle from time to time, but I'm not a fan of Steigerwald. For starters, we could be losing a game by the score of 8-1 and he would somehow find a positive. Tyler Kennedy can go 20-straight games without a goal and he doesn't make a peep. When he finally scores a goal, he makes him out to be the second coming of Jean Pronovost. Having the Center Ice package, I've heard worse, but Steigerwald definately ranks up there in my book. Still, I would rather listen to Steigerwald over Eddie Olczyk and his sour grapes toward the Penguins organization. The mute button is a blessing every time we're on CBS.
  5. Same here. You can never have enough defensive depth. Like I said, I would like to see Strait get the nod this season. Although, it will be interesting to see which defensemen Shero decides to eventually ship out. I wouldn't be shocked to see Lovejoy traded/packaged at some point throughout the year. That's the truth. He's running low on chances. It was good to hear he has leaned down some and worked on his skating. While I still question his skating abilities and if he's able to hang on a line with Crosby, at least he worked on his weaknesses during the offseason. We shall see if it pays off.
  6. Right. From the very beginning I wasn't talking about your convenience store clerk hitting a tree or a "simple" DUI charge. I'm talking about Paul Alexander and what he did. I don't think it really matters who you are, hitting a tree at 2:00 AM while drunk is a little different than what Alexander did. Either way, it looks like he's keeping his job on KDKA and 93.7. At least PITT had the good sense. Taking into consideration that he was toasted at 5:00 in the afternoon on a Tuesday and had no problem fleeing the scene after hitting another vehicle, hopefully he receives some type of treatment before he actually kills someone. I have zero sympathy for the man, but he obviously has some serious issues that he needs to straighten out.
  7. If you can get by the painfully exotic suits, he's a stand-up guy. He doesn't take himself too seriously nor does he come off as a pompous and egotistical mook. He has to be the most beloved Clevelander in Pittsburgh history. That is an accomplishment in it's own right. I catch him from time to time on ESPN radio, but his time slot doesn't coincide with my schedule (10-11 AM).
  8. Speaking of cheesesteaks, who has taken over Geno's since his passing? His wife is a spark plug. Her response to "You didn't build that" was epic. They seem like good people.
  9. If it's his first offense and that's what our judicial system calls for, I'm all for it even though losing your license for only one month for a hit and run while drunk seems very lax in my opinion. Still, if that's the consequence, I respect it. Either way and once again, I never stated the guy should receive a needle or a trip to Old Sparky for his crimes. I just wouldn't keep the dunce on my staff. Apparently, some companies would. Good for them, I guess? The man obviously has a serious problem, aside from being a complete and total jagoff of course.
  10. Consider yourself fortunate. Pensblog summed it up pretty well... http://www.thepensbl...ted-of-dui.html
  11. Yep, and that's the only place I saw it reported. I guess this is where you and I will respectfully agree to disagree. Like I said, I've sat on my couch on numerous occasions and have witnessed stories on the 6:00 news pertaining to hit and run accidents involving drunk drivers. Some resulted in death, some did not. Some were "known" people, others were just regular people. Again, if your average Joe is plastered at 5:00 in the afternoon, strikes a vehicle outside the Squirrel Hill Tunnels, flees the scene and then lies to the police, chances are I'm going to hear about it and I'm going to fire him. Personally, I don't want that type of person working for me. It's a small city. Word gets around quicker than some may think. We are talking about local stations that are quick to report on such earth-shattering news stories such as a kid getting his bike stolen or a cat stuck in a drainage pipe. Yep. Sadly enough, that is the truth. Far too many parents bank on people who can shoot a puck or catch a ball to raise their children. I'm not saying these guys should get the electric chair or exiled to St. Helena for a DUI . I'm just simply stating that if I were to find out that one of my employees did what Paul Alexander did, they would be fired immediately. I guess I have different standards than the classy folks at "The Fan" and KDKA. Oh well.
  12. I can't imagine being put in his situation at such a young age. While the payoff is huge, that's a ton of pressure to have on the shoulders of an 18-year old. Much like every other athlete, there's still pressure on him to perform, but I don't think the overall pressure is anything like it was when he first stepped into the league. He has proven himself and has the hardware to prove it. He's not solely carrying a franchise on his back. He's settled in the Pittsburgh area with a new contract and mansion in Sewickly. Like I said in a previous post, he just looks more comfortable on and off the ice. It doesn't seem like much really bothers him these days. Of course, if he's given a shot to the skull or a hack to the ankle and it goes uncalled, he's going to say something to the officials just like any other player in the league. But it seems like he is more capable of allowing the opinions of opposing fans and windbags in the national media to simply slide off his back. He has learned to not let the diminutive and petty garbage get to him. More power to him.
  13. I don't mean to harp on the topic, but it's amazing to me - For as good as a sports city as Pittsburgh is, our local sports talk is easily some of the worst I have ever heard or watched. Doing business in plenty of east coast cities, I've heard my fair share and I will freely admit this city is absolutely abysmal when it comes to sports talk entertainment. Personally, I miss "Sportsbeat" with Stan Savran. The show format was great. The host was very likable and knowledgable. The interviews conducted were excellent. While fans were able to call into the show and ask questions and voice an opinion, they didn't run the show. They weren't the show. It's a shame Stan no longer has a show on television. Root Sports would rather put on excellent programming such as poker tournaments broadcasted directly from my neighbors basement, women's softball and college football games that have absolutely nothing to do with the Pittsburgh area and normally involve two community colleges located on the other side of the country.
  14. I have found the total opposite to be true with this particular case. I have constantly seen intoxicated hit and run accidents reported on the 6:00 news when the crime is committed by your regular ol' Joe. I don't even remember the local news reporting on Alexander's arrest. To be sure, I did a quick search on all three news sites and I couldn't find one piece pertaining to the story. I wasn't expecting KDKA to report on the story considering "The Fan" is associated with CBS. I'm sure they would like this to go away as soon as possible. As for WTAE and WPXI, again, I couldn't find one story. Really? Coming from a business owner, I know if one of my employees were plastered at 5:00 in the afternoon and smacked into a car and then decided to flee the scene, they wouldn't be coming into work the next morning or any day after that. Again, a DUI is one thing. Being involved in a hit and run while drunk and then lying to police puts a whole new face on the incident. (Also, prior to being arrested, Alexander was scheduled to be the PITT sideline reporter for the game against Youngstown State. He was mysteriously missing on Saturday. The athletic department confirmed the replacement.) In my personal opinion, I don't think anyone should be "held to a higher standard", including athletes, Paul Alexander or your regular ol' Joe. All should be held to the same standards.
  15. It's looking like it's going to be pushed under the rug and forgotten. Maybe the top honchos at Root Sports and 93.7 are waiting until he t-bones a minivan and wipes out a family of four while driving plastered at 5:00 in the afternoon? That's the way it's looking from my perspective. Anyone else would have been fired by the time they were handcuffed and placed inside a squad car. I guess if you're able to hawk hair loss products, conduct player interviews and blow hot air into a microphone, you deserve a free pass from your employer for these type of incidents? Nice standards.
  16. I'm glad you used the term "defending" rather than "successfully protecting" when describing Jay Caufield's role. Don't get me wrong, I respect any man who is willing to throw off the gloves and take a beating for a fellow teammate, but I never confused Jay Caufield with Rocky Marciano. Aside from having McSorley for 47 games in 93-94, Lemieux may as well had a human punching bag as his "enforcer". I'm not sure there were many throughout the league who legitimately feared Caufield.
  17. And before McSorley, he had Semenko. When he left Edmonton, he helped bring McSorley along with him in that trade. By no means am I saying there's anything wrong with it, but Gretzky always made sure he had an enforcer on his roster. In St. Louis, he had Esa Tikkanen and Ian Laperriere. During his time in New York, he had numerous enforcers to watch his back, Jeff Beukeboom comes to mind as just one example.
  18. I think that point is overlooked. One of the major differences between the Lemieux-era and today's game is our society in general. If some self-proclaimed hockey "expert" wants to start up a blog and vent about a particular player until he's blue in the face, he can. Fans have a gigantic soapbox known as the internet, where they can voice their opinions to the world. Unfortunately, providing an IQ level is not required in order to access the internet. Sports talk radio has evolved since the mid-80's. Radio stations are completely committed to callers and their opinions (The Fan). Lemieux heard his fair share of boo's and heckles during his tenure, but I have to wonder how his career would have been followed/documented if he began his career in the mid-2000's and not the mid-80's? I'm sure much like Crosby's career, it would be magnified and dissected at every turn and on a much larger scale.
  19. These days, I strongly doubt Sid looks at it as "a curse". At age 25, he's playing a game he loves for a living, makes millions playing it, has a cup win and a decent amount of personal hardware on his resume. If that's a curse, I would gladly take it. I think over time, players like Lemieux and Crosby simply shrug it off and simply play the game. When you're 19 or 20-years old, I'm sure it does get to you to some degree, especially when much is expected from you, but then you realize a small but vocal amount of fans are complete simpletons who could never hack it in the NHL and there's really nothing you can do or say about it. In short, life could definately be worse for Sidney Crosby...lol.
  20. Also, the Steelers were ranked 14th and the Pirates 23rd....
  21. I think it's hilarious, Crosby looks in the wrong direction and he's blasted to no end. Claudia cries and complains and it's a completely different story. Let me guess, she's just "being a leader" or she's "not crying, she's just getting over a brutal yeast infection after the New Jersey series". Hell, at least I'm willing to admit Crosby was immature in his younger years and was out of line with the officials at times. It seems like every time I click on a clip of Claudia, she's either complaining about something or running off at the mouth.
  22. Oh, I thought you said winning history. I was about to say, I agree completely. Nevermind.
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