D-Day

I have posted this same item almost every year that I ave done this Blog, and I see no reason to change it (except for the anniversary number), so here you go....

Tomorrow marks the 72nd anniversary of one of the greatest undertakings in all of history.  To mark the occasion, allow me to reprint the post that I have posted on this date for each of the last three years.

******

Every year on this day, I always go back and re-read a section from Andy Rooney's 1995 book, "My War."

There have been only a handful of days since the beginning of time on which the direction the world was taking has been changed for the better in only one twenty-four hour period by an act of man. June 6, 1944, was one of them.

What the Americans, the British, and the Canadians were trying to do was get back an entire continent that had been taken from its rightful owners and whose citizens had been taken captive by Adolf Hitler's German army. It was one of the most monumentally unselfish things one group of people ever did for another.

******

Take moment or two tomorrow to remember what happened on the beaches of Normandy 72 years ago.

To Absent Friends - Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

b. Cassius Clay

1942-2016

When the news arrived of the death of Muhammad Ali yesterday at the age of 74, I knew that I would be sitting down to write about the death of this Absent Friend, but I was overwhelmed by the thought of it.  How does one summarize the life of one of the most impactful and transformative persons of the late twentieth century, and what could one possibly say?

How about the lead paragraph of the front page story in today's Post-Gazette by Rick Bozich:

He called himself The Greatest, and if you followed the entire show, you understood that it was the most understated thing that Muhammad Ali ever said.

Or this from President Obama:

That’s the Ali I came to know as I came of age—not just as skilled a poet on the mic as he was a fighter in the ring, but a man who fought for what was right. A man who fought for us. He stood with King and Mandela; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn’t. His fight outside the ring would cost him his title and his public standing. It would earn him enemies on the left and the right, make him reviled, and nearly send him to jail. But Ali stood his ground. And his victory helped us get used to the America we recognize today.

Or this memory posted on Facebook today by my friend Fred Egler:

So many of our attitudes toward sports, media, minority rights and, yes, even foreign policy are rooted in what Ali did or said. There will never be another Muhammed Ali - and we are all a little bit poorer today for his passing.

Without doubt, Ali was one of, if not THE, most recognizable persons in all of the world, yet, as Bozich's column in the PG states today, if you are 40 years old or younger, you never knew the Ali that so many of us know.  You never saw him fight, never saw him dance, may never have even heard him speak.  If you fall among that group, make it a point to watch all of what will surely be all over the news in the days ahead.  His was a life that is and will continue to be worth knowing.

And how can you write about Muhammad Ali without including this photo, perhaps one of the most iconic sports photos of all time:

Ali defeats Liston

And some other photos of The Champ to show just what a world figure he was:

RIP Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it. We are all better for it....and we pray that the greatest fighter of them all finally rests in peace." —President Obama

NBA Finals Prediction

A quick-and-dirty Grandstander Preview of the NBA Finals, which begin tonight.

Leading up to these Finals, the following occurred:

• The Golden State Warriors, 73-9 in the regular season, had to overcome injuries to to NBA MVP Steph Curry, and then had to overcome a 1-3 deficit against Oklahoma City to reach the Finals.

This could mean that the Warriors were tough and gritty and resilient enough to overcome such adversity, which means that they are a cinch to Win It All, OR it could mean that that spent all their powder in reaching that record setting 73 wins, and are now pretty much spent going into the Finals.

• The Cleveland Cavaliers breezed throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs, withe two series sweeps and an overall record of 12-2.

This could mean that while the whole world was watching the Warriors all season in their quest to break the season wins record, the Cavaliers were quietly just doing their thing on their way to a return trip to the Finals, OR it could mean that the entire NBA Eastern Conference stinks, that the Cavs were the one-eyed man in the land of the blind, and are going to be mere cannon fodder for the Warriors in the Finals.

So, what DOES it mean?  Remember, that last year the Cavaliers, due to two key injuries to star players, were essentially a one man team - LeBron -  in the Finals, and it took the Warriors six games to beat them.  Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are healthy and ready to play, and LeBron James is still the best player in basketball.  The Warriors are still that team that won 73 games, and did win three straight over the Thunder, no small task, to get to the Finals.  

Will the Warriors be spent from doing what it took to beat OKC?  Probably not in the long run, but it could be the case in the opener tonight.

Will LeBron James, perhaps a bit miffed over the everyone's season-long love affair with Curry play like a man possessed to let everyone know that he is STILL King James?  I think that you can count on that.  

Me? I can't wait to watch the James-Irving-Love going up against Curry-Thompson-Green.  I think that we are in store for a terrific series, one that will go the distance, and one that will end the 52 year sports championship drought in Cleveland.

THE CAVS TO WIN IN SEVEN GAMES.

There you have it.  As always, watch but don't bet.

Pens Win!!

(Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Way back in April, when the Stanley Cup Playoffs began, I made a prediction on Facebook that the Penguins would win the Stanley Cup by completing four consecutive four game sweeps of their Playoffs series.  As a part of this prediction, I made no secret of the fact that I only really become interested in the NHL when the Playoffs begin, and only as long as the Penguins are still competing in them, and attached the hashtag of #bandwagonjumper.

Obviously, my prediction of four straight sweeps was tongue-in-cheek, and my prediction of a Cup win was at best a semi-informed one, but, hey, it's looking pretty good right now, isn't it?

I have been watching these Pens' playoff series, and I am once again impressed with what an unbelievably grueling grind it is to win the Stanley Cup.  Any team that does it, regardless of whatever their regular season record may have been, truly DESERVES that Championship.

A couple of observations from a #bandwagonjumper who has been watching now for a couple of weeks....

• Doc Emerick is simply the best play-by-play announcer alive right now....any sport, any network.
• Hockey can be a wonderful game to watch, but, frankly, the goonery that pervades the NHL turns me off of it.  Several times during these Playoffs - particularly in the Pens-Caps series - I have heard coaches (including Mike Sullivan) and announcers (Barry Melrose) say, when referring to dirty hits and cheap shots, words to the effect "these are the kinds of plays that we don't want in hockey".  Sorry, but I am not buying it. If the NHL really wanted to get rid of that kind of play in hockey, they could and they would, but they don't, so goonery and thuggery continues to rule the day in the NHL.  It's too bad, because you see how free flowing and skillful the game can be every four years in the Olympics

Okay, I will leave the discussion of the X's and O's of the game to the truly knowledgeable fans out there.  As for this #bandwagonjumper, I shall be watching a cheering for a return of the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh.

And the H.A. Citation Goes To.....

It has been awhile since The Grandstander has awarded an H.A. Citation, so it is time to dust off this coveted award.

For his recent act of busting into the Pirates broadcast booth to confront Bucco announcer Greg Brown over a perceived slight, this H.A. Citation goes to Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball Operations Punjab Tony LaRussa. That was sure a class act for a Baseball Hall of Famer to perform.

So, Tony, please hang this important award on your wall, right next to your HOF Plaque.

(Photo Courtesy of Dan Bonk Enterprises)

Actually, when you come to think of LaRussa over the years - his unbelievable pompousness, his strategic contributions that have contributed strongly to the elimination of games lasting less than three hours, the DUI incident on which both the Cardinals and MLB allowed him to skate, and many other reasons, including always wearing sunglasses at night, this H.A. Citation could be considered a Lifetime Achievement Award for old Tony.

Pirates Short Stops

At the monthly breakfast of the Gang of Four yesterday, the following questions came up:

Who is the best Pirates short stop in our lifetimes, and does Jordy Mercer belong in the discussion?

We all know that any discussion of Pirates short stops starts and stops with Honus Wagner, hence the "in our lifetime" imitation.  Since the personal knowledge of the Pirates among our group goes back to the late 1950's, we narrowed down which guys played the most at the Number 6 position, so it was time to open up a spreadsheet:

	Seasons with Pirates	BA	Hits	Runs	Home Runs	Runs Batted In	OPS
Dick Groat	9	0.290	1,435	554	39	707	0.696
Gene Alley	11	0.254	999	442	55	342	0.665
Jay Bell	8	0.269	1,124	623	78	423	0.741
Frank Taveras	8	0.253	626	310	1	310	0.615
Jack Wilson	9	0.269	1,158	508	60	389	0.687
Jordy Mercer	5	0.262	377	146	25	146	0.694
Per Season:
Groat			159	62	4	79
Alley			91	40	5	31
Bell			141	78	10	53
Taveras			78	39	< 1	39
Wilson			129	56	7	43
Mercer			75	29	5	29
	Mercer’s stats are through May 21, 2016

A couple of limitations to my research:

• This takes into account only offensive numbers.  I don't have the smarts to ranks modern day defensive metrics for these guys.
• The "average per season" figures could tend to short change guys.  For example, Mercer played only 42 games in his first season, 2012, and has played only 41 games so far this season.  There are similar patterns for some of the other guys.
• Only the players' seasons with the Pirates are considered.
• Overall career numbers may flatten out a guy's performance.  I am thinking mainly of Gene Alley, injuries curtailed what could have been a bright career, but from 1966-68, he was arguable the best SS in the game.
• I never would have guessed that Frank Taveras was with the Pirates for eight seasons!

Okay, all that said, here is what jumps out at me:

1. I was surprised at Groat's run production.  His 707 RBI (79 per season) is far above anyone else on the list.
2. Similarly, I didn't recall what a run producer Jay Bell was, and his OPS was significantly higher that any of the others.
3. Jack Wilson was a much better player that we may have given him credit. Would you have guessed that until two nights ago, he held he record for most hits in PNC Park?  I wouldn't have.  Nor would I have guessed that he hit 60 HRs as a Pirate. The fact that Wilson played almost exclusively for lousy Pirates teams no doubt diminishes him in our memories. 
4. And while this is completely subjective, it seems to me that every time I went to a Pirate game when Wilson was playing, he always seemed to make a play in the field that made you where you said "I can't believe he made that play."

So, my Top three Pirates Short Stops In My Lifetime are:

#3 - Jack Wilson

#2 - Jay Bell

#1 - Dick Groat

(NOTE: On any given day, I could reverse the positions of Bell and Wilson on my list.)

As to the second part of the question, "Does Jordy Mercer belong in the discussion?", I would say that no, he does not, but only because it is too soon to say. He seems to be getting better each season, so perhaps the question should be revisited in a couple of years.  Of course, in recent years, the Pirates have invested Number One draft picks in short stops Cole Tucker and Kevin Newman, so who knows how long Mercer's tenure will be with the Pirates.

Agree, disagree, or any other thoughts?

Eyesores

Thought I post about two eyesores that populate the North Hills of Pittsburgh.

The first sits off to the side of the highway on north bound I-279 right before the Bellevue/West View exit.   Large slabs of busted up concrete stacked up like poker chips sit in the tall grass alongside the road. Where did they come from, why are they sitting there, for what are these slabs intended, and when, if ever, will they be removed?  It is ugly and the very definition of the word "eyesore".

Perhaps it is not fair to call what is obviously a thriving small business an eyesore, but this one truly is a mystery to me.  I am referring to the Adultmart store which sits on the right side of  McKnight Road when yo are traveling north.  It is between the Chili's / Ross Park Mall traffic light and the McDonald's.  What amazes me is not the fact that this store exists, but that you can never, and I mean never, drive on McKnight past that store and not see at least six - and usually more -  cars parked there.  Early in the morning on the way to work, out on you lunch hour, driving home from work, or late at night after a Pirate game or a show in the Cultural District, that parking lot will be full.  Who are these people that seem to populate that store ALL THE TIME?

As I said, it's a mystery to me.

Even more amazing, sharing the parking lot with the Adultmart, is a video rental store.  Who actually goes to a bricks-and-mortar video rental store any more?  

As my old Highmark friend of mine, and he knows who he is, might put it, I wonder about these things.