Let's Kick a Guy While He's Down!

Lord knows, I thought that I would never have to do another post on ex-Bucco Skipper John Russell again, but did you catch the tidbit buried in the back of the sports pages over the weekend?

It seems that Orioles Manager Buck Showalter changed some assignments on his coaching staff. Bench coach Willie Randolph moved in the third base coach's box, and JR went from the 3B assignment to become Showalter's bench coach. It seems that earlier that week, the Orioles had their pitcher on first base (interleague play, you know), and JR waived him home from first on a ball hit to the outfield, and it seems that the catcher was waiting at the plate with the ball by the time the baserunner was about halfway down the third base line.

Something tells me that this was NOT a promotion for John Russell!

And in an ironical footnote, the pitcher/baserunner in question was ex-Pirate Chris Jakaubaskus, who has to be wondering what he did to deserve being saddled with John Russell on two different teams.

Some Quick Hit Thoughts....

• Different school, different conference, but Mike Rice gets jobbed by the officials for the second year in a row in post-season play.
• Two tough OT defeats by local schools within 14 hours: Robert Morris loses by 3 in OT to LIU, and Pitt gets nailed by a Kemba Walker buzzer-beater in the Garden.
• Up to Duquesne to salvage some local post-season glory in the A-10.
• First round Big East loss could cost Pitt a #1 seed in the NCAA. This will be agonized over by the pundits, but could anything be more meaningless?
• How about The Ohio State University suspending Jim Tressel for two games next year over his out-and-out violation of NCAA rules. Now, if the NCAA decides to not add any further punishment, then this will set all time records for hypocrisy by the NCAA. If some mid-level D-I school or coach did the same thing, the coach would be fired and the school would be put on two years probation. Let's see what happens to Coach SweaterVest.
• Pirates-Orioles on TV tonight. A chance to see John Russell in the coaches box for the O's. How great is that?