Lots of Thoughts Today....

Alone in the house, it's raining outside, the Beatles playing on the iPod. Sounds like it's time to clean out the Mental In-Box.....

• Since a lousy performance in an exhibition game (Steelers v. Redskins last week), can be brushed off with the line "it's just a meaningless exhibition game", should the same standard apply to a great performance (Steelers v. Eagles last night)? I'm just askin'.


• That said, Rooney U's first teamers looked pretty strong last night.


• How 'bout that "Dream Team" that the Eagles have put together? Of course, it was just a meaningless exhibition game.


• Page 1 of the Post-Gazette sports section headlined with the latest in the Terrelle Pryor saga. Page 7 of that same sports section highlighted the latest "Blue Chip Profile" of a local high school football player. This kind of pandering, build up, and ass-kissing of high school athletes is what creates people like Terrelle Pryor.


• Who can forget "Terrelle Pryor's Recruiting Diary" that the PG ran during Pryor's senior year at Jeannette?


• Oh, the sports section also gave us the news that two WPIAL football games will be televised on ESPN this season. Four more opportunities for high school football coaches to talk about their "programs."


• The Pirates now sit at 58-64, fourth place, 13.5 games behind the first place Brewers, and 1 game behind the third place Reds. Forty games remain. How about the following goals to motivate the team - and its fans - over these final forty? I propose the following:


• Number 1: Go 20-20. That would mean a 78-84 record. Still below .500, but a 21 game improvement over last year, and that would be nothing short of remarkable.


• Number 2: Finish ahead of the Reds. They can start with the three game series that begins tonight.


• Number 3: Go 4-3, or better, in the seven games that remain with the Brewers, and win at least one game in Miller Park in the last series of the season.


• Is all that too much to ask?


• Again, I called for 70 wins at the outset of the season. They can achieve that by going 12-26. I think that will happen. To finish over .500, they need to go 24-16. Possible, but not probable.


• Since 2001, I have been keeping a record of every time I play golf - date, course, score. During a round with my actuary buddy and stats freak Fred Shugars last night, I was prompted to see how many holes I had played in that time. In case you are wondering, including the nine at North Park last night, I have played 2,992 holes of golf since 2001.


• Wish I had the records from the late '80s and '90s when I was in the Blue Cross Men's Golf League, not to mention all the work related golf outings during that time period. I'd no doubt be well over 5,000 holes if I had those figures.


• Anyway you cut it, I am NOT playing enough!!


• In case you missed it, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" was on TCM last Saturday night. Great movie with one of the all-time great lines: "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."


• In discussing that movie, the performances of John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin are always praised, and rightly so, but how about Strother Martin as Marvin's sadistic henchman? Pure psycho evil.


• Just when you think it couldn't get worse in big time college sports, along come the University of Miami to raise (lower?) the bar.


• Speaking of old movies, in light of my goal to revisit the Billy Wilder catalog, I dug out the DVD and watched "Some Like It Hot" last week. Hard to say who was better in that movie, Tony Curtis or Jack Lemon. Great, great movie.


• As I mentioned at the beginning, I am listening the The Beatles play list as I type this. Everyone knows on my regard for The Beatles, but some of the George Harrison sitar stuff could be done without.


• That said, I think Harrison's work as a solo artist is way underrated.


• Had the good fortune to be at the Pirates-Cardinals game on Monday and sit in the Lexus Club. Row C of Section 19. In effect, we were watching the game from the Pirates on deck circle. Fantastic. These seats also gave you a great view of the pitcher. How great it would have been to have those very same seats and watch Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson pitch.


• Will be in Murrysville tomorrow to watch the Pittsburgh Franklins play a Vintage Base Ball game. Yes, the two words Base Ball are (is?) correct here, as the Franklins will be playing according to mid-19th century rules and wearing appropriate uniforms as well. You can learn more by going to www.pittsburghfranklins.com

Best wishes for a great weekend to all Loyal Readers out there.