Sunday, March 17, 2024

Way To Go Duquesne, and Other Sports Tidbits


Hearty CONGRATULATIONS go out to day to the Duquesne Dukes, the college basketball team of my youth, and the Alma Mater of my parents, Class of '35, and my older brother Jim, Class of '66, and their head coach of seven years, Keith Dambrot for winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament and earning an automatic bid into this year's NCAA Tournament.  As we were constantly reminded by the announcers over the course of the A-10 tourney, this is the Dukes first trip to the Big Dance since 1977, the first year of the Carter Administration to put it perspective.

I'm not going to lie, I hadn't followed the Dukes much at all this season, but I was thrilled to watch them in this tournament as they beat top seed Dayton and then St. Bonaventure and Virginia Commonwealth in the semis and the finals.  When I was just a tyke being indoctrinated into the world of sports by my grandfather, father, and older brothers, there were the Pirates in baseball, the Steelers in football, and Duquesne in basketball.  That's was it.  That was the list.  So, yes, I'm thrilled for Duquesne today.

One could write a book - and my pal Dave Finoli probably already has - about what has happened to the once storied program on The Bluff, but let's forget about it for now and celebrate today.  Who knows what kind of run the Dukes may have once the NCAA extravaganza tips off, but it sure is nice to see them relevant once again.

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Well, the figurative ink was barely dry on my Grandstander post of yesterday, wherein I detailed the the amazing news from the Steelers this week, first Wilson, then Pickett (see what I did there), when another bombshell was donated from South Water Street:  the news that the Steelers had made a trade with the Chicago Bears and obtained quarterback Justin Fields (as speculated upon in yesterday's Grandstander).  To get this former first round pick and three year starter, the Steelers sent to Chicago a bag of practice footballs, a tackling sled, and a few kicking tees.   

Fields is set to be Russell Wilson's back up.  He is 25 years old, and he could become the team's QB for the next decade.  Of course, that might not happen either, but regardless of how it plays out, the Steelers and GM Omar Kahn have certainly not sat still during this off season.  An interesting note in the paper this morning stated that since Kahn took over as GM two years ago, only 17 players from the Kevin Colbert era remain on the current 90 man roster.  In addition, Kahn has let go of a bunch of scouts and personnel people and replaced them with new ones.   Omar is definitely putting his stamp on Rooney U.

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Of course, when the Steelers are making one blockbuster deal after another, other sports news in The Burgh gets pretty well lost in the shuffle.  Such was the case with the signing by the Pirates of outfielder Michael A. Taylor (former Twins, Nationals).   It was pretty much stated that Taylor would become the starting centerfielder for the Bucs heading into the '24 season.

To be sure, Taylor is no Andy Van Slyke, but I think that he could become a significant contributor to the Pirates as the season unfolds.

 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

A Bombshell from the Steelers


The Steelers held their formal press conference yesterday to make official the signing of Russell Wilson as a free agent and to make official the Russell Wilson Era, as described in this piece four days ago.  That wasn't the bombshell, however.  That exploded a few hours later with this news:


No one new that the beginning of the Wilson Era would mean the end of the Kenny Pickett Era.  It has been hinted in the media that Pickett's reaction to the Wilson signing was not at all positive.  Not unexpected, of course, but it apparently went even beyond competitive issues, and it makes one believe that keeping Pickett would not have been a good thing for the chemistry in the locker room.  So, the team made this move and sent the Number One draft choice of just two years ago to the Eagles for a couple of draft picks.  

Coupled wth the release earlier in the off season of Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph's signing as a free agent with the Titans this week, the Steelers now have one QB on the roster.  It seems critical now that the team draft a QB in this year's draft, someone who could be groomed as the 36 year old Wilson's heir apparant and probably sign a mid-level experienced QB (Ryan Tannehill?) to back up Wilson.  They will also no doubt bring in a Duck Hodges-type as an extra arm for training camp.   Speculation also hangs over the whole thing that the Bears may still be shopping Justin Fields, and might he be the Steelers long range answer for the QB spot?

In other Steelers news, former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen was signed as free agent, and he too was introduced at that Steelers presser yesterday.   The Steelers have yet to adequately fill the spot left open due to Ryan Shazier's injury of a few years back, and this signing can only be a positive for the team.

The team also made a trade with Miami, and received defensive back DeShon Elliott in exchange for WR Dionte Johnson.  One report stated that the team wanted to shed themselves of Johnson so that his diva tendencies would not rub off on George Pickens.  Sort of Branch Rickey's old "addition by subtraction" adage.

I have written extensively of Pickett over the years, dating back to  his Pitt years.  How great a story it would have been had it worked out the way that everyone hoped.  I wish him well in Philly where he will be behind Jalen Hurts on the Eagles depth chart, and Hurts, we know, is no Mitch Trubisky, so we can't expect to see Pickett play a lot in Philly.

Oh, and here is a picture from today holding my birthday present from two years ago.  It was gift that Linda was excited to give me, and I was a most enthusiastic recipient.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust....





Wednesday, March 13, 2024

To Absent Friends - Departed Pirates


Regular readers know that I always post whenever a member of Pittsburgh's most iconic sports team, the 1960 World Series Champion Pirates, passes away.  It is because THOSE GUYS deserve to be remembered.  Always.  For the record the five remaining members of that team still with us are Roy Face, Vernon Law, Bill Mazeroski, Bob Oldis, and Bob Skinner.  Maz is the youngest among them, and he will turn 88 in September.

While eulogizing the '60 Buccos, we sometimes tend to forget the two other World Series champs that we have seen in our lifetimes, the 1971 and 1979 Pirates teams.  The death of 1979 Pirates catcher Ed Ott earlier in the month brought this close to home, and it prompted me to do some research.  Before showing the results of that research, how about some photos to jog your memories?

Manny Sanguillen and Steve Blass 
celebrate in 1971

1979 - "We Are Family"

The MVP's of the '71 and '79 Series
I don't really need to identify them, do I?

Okay.   The Internet makes it really easy to pull off such a project, but let me make one stipulation.  The names that you see below are the guys who were on the 25 man World Series roster.  Nobody who got traded in mid-season or was on the team for a September call-up qualifies.  Whenever I make a post about the 1960 team, somebody always chimes in and tells me that "Hey, Bennie Daniels is still alive."  Daniels spent time at Forbes Field in 1960, but he watched the World Series on television that year.

So, here are the World Series roster of the 1971 and 1979 Champions.  I have also included Managers Murtaugh and Tanner on the lists. Those who are no longer with us have a black box beside their name.


1971



1979


Pitchers

Steve Blass


Pitchers

Jim Bibby



Nelson Briles



Bert Blyleven



Dock Ellis



John Candelaria



Dave Guisti



Grant Jackson



Bob Johnson



Bruce Kison



Bruce Kison



Dave Roberts



Bob Miller



Don Robinson



Bob Moose



Enrique Romo



Bob Veale



Jim Rooker



Luke Walker



Kent Tekulve


Catchers

Manny Sanguillen


Catchers

Steve Nicosia



Milt May



Ed Ott



Charlie Sands



Manny Sanguillen


Infielders

Gene Alley


Infielders

Tim Foli



Dave Cash



Phil Garner



Jackie Hernandez



Bill Madlock



Bill Mazeroski



Willie Stargell



Jose Pagan



Rennie Stennett



Richie Hebner


Outfielders

Matt Alexander



Bob Robertson



Omar Moreno


Outfielders

Roberto Clemente



Mike Easler



Gene Clines



Lee Lacy



Vic Davalillo



John Milner



Al Oliver



Dave Parker



Willie Stargell



Bill Robinson


Manager

Danny Murtaugh


Manager

Chuck Tanner









Deceased 

13


Deceased

11


A lot of names that stir up a lot of great memories.

Twenty-four of those 52 names are no longer with us.  These teams played 53 and 45 years ago, and as we have witnessed the Pirates performances over the years on the 21st century, one wonders if we will ever see a Pirates team in the World Series again.

All the more reason to remember these guys.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Oscars Post Mortem, or A Night at the Oppie-ra

As you all can see, I liked the title of my Oscar Predictions post so much, that I am using it again.

Big Winners
"Oppenheimer"
Cillian Murphy, Christopher Nolen

Hollywood's biggest night, the Academy Awards came off smoothly on Sunday night.  A smartly produced telecast that went off without any apparent glitches.  Jimmy Kimmel was a smart and funny host, and the big winner of the night was, as expected, "Oppenheimer", winning seven Awards including Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Supporting Actor.   "Poor Things" was next with four Awards, including the big surprise of the night, Emma Stone winning for Best Actress.

Some random thoughts and observations from The Grandstander on the show and the Awards themselves.

  • As noted above, Jimmy Kimmel was great as the host.  Funny monologue and he kept the traffic moving.  Couldn't ask for more.
  • The show started at 7:00 this year (or actually about six or seven minutes after 7:00) which meant it was all over by 10:30 in the East.  What took them so long to come up with that idea?
  • Loved the idea of the four acting awards being presented  by five previous winners of the Award in question, although some of the dialog written for those actors was a bit cheesy. 
  • I thought that the best speeches of the night were given by Cord Jefferson (Adapted Screenplay, American Fiction), Jonathon Glazer (Best International Film, Zone of Interest), Mstyslav Chernov (Best Documentary, 20 Days in Mariupol), and Cillian Murphy (Actor, Oppenheimer).
  • I can't remember what award they were presenting, but the presentation of the night went to the team of Emily Blount and Ryan Gosling.
  • The In Memoriam portion was awful.  Why couldn't they show those being honored on a full screen?  For at least half of the honorees, you couldn't see who they were.
  • Did you catch the pissed off look on Annette Bening's face when Stone was called for Best Leading Actress?  It was delicious.  And why wasn't Warren Beatty with her in the audience.
  • Fashion Statements:  (1) Best look of the night: Men not wearing ties.  I love that look. (2) Lots of pretty dresses on the ladies, but none stand out as being "the best of the night" for me. (3) A clearcut winner for Worst Dress of the Night - the one worn by Ariana Grande, and there wasn't even a close second to it.
  • Again, don't remember what he was presenting, but John Mullaney's summary of Field of Dreams was a classic.
  • I thought that the award for Best Costume Design should have gone to Oppenheimer, solely because of the hat that Cillian Murphy wore.  I want one.
  • As usual, there is always one big movie that comes away empty handed.  This year it was Killers of the Flower Moon, 10 nominations, 0 wins, followed by Barbie with 1 win for 7 nominations.
  • The tweet read by Kimmel from Orange Julius Caesar that Kimmel read near the end of the show.  I know that will drive the MAGA-lydites nuts, but as I heard someone on the air say today: Don't ever get into a pissing contest with a professional comedian; you'll lose every time.
As for my predictions....

Best……

Predicted Winner

Actual winner

For Whom I Would Vote

Picture

Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer

Lead Actor

Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy

Cillian Murphy

Lead Actress

Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Emma Stone, Poor Things

Emma Stone, Poor Things

Supporting Actor

Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer

Robert Downey Jr

Robert Downey Jr

Supporting  Actress

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Director

Christopher Nolen, Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolen

Christopher Nolen

Original Screenplay

Maestro

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Adapted Screenplay

American Fiction

American Fiction

Oppenheimer


The record will show that I went 6-2, but I like to give myself a 6.5-1.5 record since I had listed that "I would have voted for" Emma Stone.   Let us hope that Pirates pitchers can do so well throughout the upcoming season.

As I do every year, I close with a picture of the four winning actors.

Downy, Randolph, Stone, Murphy

See you all at the movies!!

Say Hello to the Russell Wilson Era


The shocking news broke yesterday - it will become official tomorrow - that the Steelers will be signing free agent Russell Wilson to "compete" for the quarterback job with incumbent Kenny Pickett is 2024.

I say "shocking" because if you are a long time fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers you know that a move like this has definitely NOT been the Steelers Way in the past.  Wilson's credentials are well known: a multiple All-Pro in Seattle, where he twice took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, winning it once.  His last two years in Denver have been rocky, some of the blame for which can be placed on Denver's coaches, but despite being benched last year, he produced 26 TD passes and only 8 interceptions, and his stats in the Red Zone have been great (you can look them up).  I can also remember a game at Heinz Field a few years ago where the Seahawks beat the Steelers solely on the skills of Russell Wilson.  Because of contractual complexities, almost all of Wilson's salary will be paid by the Broncos, so the financial risk to the Steelers is minimal, so maybe this isn't so shocking after all.

What I was not aware of is that Wilson has the reputation of being a diva and not a "good guy to have in the locker room."  Mike Tomlin, it should be noted, got more out of guys like Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell than any other NFL coach ever did, so I'm thinking that Russell Wilson won't be too much for him to handle.

The Steelers and Tomlin have stressed that there will be a "competition" for the #1 QB job with Pickett being the incumbent, but you have to believe that Wilson will be the first among equals when they all report to St. Vincent's in July.

As for Pickett, I wrote THIS PIECE about him back in November, wherein I stated that I felt that there was rush to judgement among fans, columnists, talk radio gas bags, and ESPN talking heads that said Pickett was done, that he would never be a great, or even a very good, NFL quarterback, and that I thought it was way too soon to assign him to the "scrapheap of mediocrity."   Apparently, the Steelers brain trust have also had some doubts, hence the move to sign Wilson.  As someone who followed Pickett in his years at Pitt, I really want him to make it and make it with the Steelers.   2024, though, is shaping up to be a make it or break it year for Pickett as a Steeler.

Russell is 35 years old, so who knows how much he has left in the tank.   The Steelers obviously feel that he is worth the risk.  Can he help produce  10-12 wins and a run in the Playoffs next year?  We can sure hope.  

By the way, Wilson announced his intentions on his social media platforms by showing Steelers highlights with "Renegade" playing over top of them.  If nothing else, he is savvy to his new audience.

One wag on Facebook posted that if it doesn't work with the Steelers, Wilson, once a highly touted baseball prospect, could take his talents to the Pirates, where he probably wouldn't be any worse than the 5th or 6th best player on the team.   I'd laugh if that wasn't so close to being true.

Finally, some shots of two Wisconsin Badgers who will now be teammates.