Thoughts of a Dying Steelers Fan

Starting this coming autumn, I'm going to find more productive ways to spend my Sundays.

Recently, the brothers Pouncey - those titanic offensive linemen from the Steelers and Miami Dolphins - were photographed wearing hats inscribed with the words "FREE HERNANDEZ". Lapse in sound judgement aside, in sporting these ball caps they are sending a very clear message - they are in support of an accused murderer. What's more, both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins now appear to be "Hernandez Sympathizers" by mere association with these two. The New England Patriots and even the NFL have attempted to distance themselves from due process by having a "jersey return/exchange" and photograph removed from the hall of fame, respectively. So, if Hernandez's former team and the very league he in which he was playing is trying to make a clean separation, why would anyone think it would be a good idea to embrace Hernandez or the crimes he's accused of? Do the Pouncey brothers believe he didn't do it? Or, do they believe the act of killing Odin Lloyd wasn't wrong and shouldn't be punished? I tend to lean toward the latter...

Part of the answer here goes back to a previous column I wrote about giving too much money to people who are too immature and ignorant to own it. But perhaps more importantly though is the media glamorization of senseless and often criminal acts. Steelers DT Alameda Ta'amu went on a bender that ended with him plowing through several vehicles on Carson Street on the South Side last year. His tirade earned him exactly zero punishment, legal or organizationally. James Harrison beat his wife and was tossed a sympathetic ear by the Steelers. The only character left in the Steelers locker room (and largely the rest of the league) is that of the "gangsta". And until some outrage is heard and actually dealt with FINANCIALLY, this kind of behavior will continue.

Society is teaching teenagers that if you grow up as a drug dealer, you'll be rewarded with a highly successful rap career, a radio show and various TV and movie appearances. I suppose you can only expect that the "gangsta" mentality of "snitches get stitches" is embraced by the network of criminals that make up the majority of the league. The vast majority of fans will cast this incident aside like they so often do when it comes to poor choices, bad behavior or arrests. And as long as it doesn't interfere with your God given right to watch Steelers football on Sunday, you're perfectly happy. But that is the very definition of "gangsta" mentality...

Pirates Tailspin Knee-jerk

And with last night's performance, our hometown Buccos have dropped the fourth game in a row. What's more, they've lost Neil Walker for at least the minimum stay on the 15-Day DL. Will an infield made up of some combination of Barmes/Mercer/Inge and very possibly Josh Harrison be a palatable buoy as the Pirates attempt to remain atop the NL Central? I highly doubt it.

Three-fourths of the above combination have been nothing short of disappointing, save for Mercer's ascension to the "starting" SS. So what's the solution here? Unfortunately, the Pirates will remain in a holding pattern. What should be done? There's no time like the present to address a need. I don't mean to suggest that Neal Huntington go out there in a panic and scoop up (Phillies' second-baseman) Chase Utley in a panic. No. There are far more clever ways to replace production in more useful ways.

Take right field, for instance. Here's a position where Travis Snider and Jose Tabata are providing very middling (at best) offensive support. I'm confident that when the time comes, Huntington will eventually deal for a right fielder. But why wait? Plodding along with the Snider/Tabata combination isn't working well when the lineup is clicking, and that lineup just took a huge hit by reinserting Barmes back into it. This region rarely sees a knee-jerk reaction when it comes to hometown baseball, and if ever the Pirates lineup could stand to benefit from one, now's the time. Avoid the tailspin and what's become the traditional, yearly collapse. Put a tourniquet on the Walker loss while addressing what you were going to address anyway. Trade for a RF while we still have winnable games remaining on the schedule. And more importantly - stay atop the NL central.

Post-Mortem on the Scuderi Signing

Welcome back, Rob Scuderi. So long, $3.8M annually for the next four years. Here's the pros and cons you need to know...

Why this is a good signing for the Pens:
For the lack of a better term, the Pens' defense collectively stunk last season. God bless Deryk Engelland, but he just isn't going to cut it as a #5/#6 defenseman. That was apparent during the conference finals when he appeared to be skating through cement. I'm confident that we've seen the last of him in a Pens uniform. While Scuderi wasn't signed to technically "replace" Engelland, somebody on the roster has to go. Scuds will fill that vacancy and play somewhere in the top two pairings. Something like Letang/Orpik, Martin/Scuderi, Niskanen/Despres sounds about right. Scuderi will play the PK and perhaps more importantly, be encouraged to step in front of shots on the regular. His positional defense is above average and come playoff time, his shot blocking ability will be PRICELESS. You need a guy like this to win a cup. And at less than $4 million per season, he has the potential to be a slight bargain as soon as next season.

Why this is a bad signing for the Pens:
How about that wealth of defenseman prospects hanging out in Wilkes-Barre? Well, it seems like they're going to be banished there at least for another season. With prospects like Pulliot and Matta nearly ready for big league action, they'll likely be subject to another season of AHL duty, while enduring callups for injuries only. Another season in the AHL won't hurt but you've got to wonder how much longer their arrival will be delayed. Then there's the Robert Bortuzzo; the 24-year old who was just resigned and played admirably during his brief stints with the big club. I'd argue that he's ready to be a steadying force on the blueline. He's spent three seasons in the AHL. He won't benefit from another. It's now or never for this guy. If the Pens want to transition their defense into a more responsible group, why not give Bortuzzo a look? We've got useful, home-grown components which could help our blue line, but they're toiling on the farm.

What this means:
It's likely that Ray Shero looks at these defense prospects as assets and nothing more. Everyone's aware of our distinct lack of talent when it comes to forward prospects. Beau Bennett was our last one in the pipeline, and he's (rightly) destined for a top-six role this Fall. Could we have used the almost $4 million per year to attract some forward talent on the open market? Absolutely. But that would have meant trusting at least the #5 and #6 defensive pairing to unproven NHL talent. Around here, we love to recycle veterans. Most of the time, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't. Scuderi will be another successful signing, for sure. But what about Bortuzzo? What about the other defenseman who were first-round selections? Unfortunately, they're a story for next season. Only time will tell if their story will come in the form of a lineup promotion or a trade.

Stagnating Penguins

The Penguins pulled off another "Shero Shocker" by signing both Pascale Dupuis and Kris Letang to new contracts. In stark contrast to my previous prediction, it seems we may see many similar faces in Pens uniforms this winter.

With so much effort being exerted to keep the team together even after an embarrassing loss in the conference finals, one might find themselves wondering how the Pens are getting better. Much criticism has been heaped upon Ray Shero for allowing the status quo to prevail. He's gone as far as to anoint Mark-Andre Fleury as the #1 goaltender moving forward, even after his second consecutive collapse in the first round of the playoffs. Now, it seems the Pens' biggest off season losses may be in the form of Matt Cooke and Craig Adams, two important but highly replaceable players.

So what does Shero see that we don't? I believe at this point he is chalking anything that happened in the lockout shortened season as an anomaly. The 2012-13 schedule was condensed. It favoured the young and well conditioned. Knowingly or not, the Blackhawks were the perfect mix of just that - and they've got a cup to show for it. The sprint is over. The marathon begins again this fall. It's easy to bet that an increased workload in a shorter period of time likely had something to do with not just the Penguins' failure, but the failure of most teams in the league. Perhaps Shero believes that with a regular schedule, a better result might be forthcoming.

I could yammer on and on about how philosophy needs to change, coaching needs to change, goaltending needs addressed or increasing defensive accountability. But the truth is, this team isn't going to change (much). Bylsma will stilll be Bylsma. Letang will take risks. Play will remain fast paced and up tempo. And in 2013-14, Shero will trot out a lineup which will be very similar to last season's. Let's hope the schedule - the one thing that will change - provides the Pens with the shot in the arm that's needed

Penguins & Free Agency

Lost in what seems likely to be a lengthy stalemate on the Letang front is how our Pittsburgh Penguins might tweak the lineup when it comes to forwards. There's little doubt that several forwards from the top-six down will be adjusted, if not overhauled.

Late last season we became enamored with Beau Bennett's play and the general consensus seems to believe that he'll play top-six minutes starting this Fall. Good. That's the right move, but its also a move that coach Joe Nobody would get right.

What do the Pens need to do then? Let's ignore my previous discussion about how the Pens should trade Letang for a couple of forward prospects (plus picks). Here's what's going to happen and how Shero should react.

Reading the tea leaves, we are going to lose Pascale Dupuis. The window for retaining his services closed late last week, when Shero focused his efforts on Letang's potential new deal. He's going to cash in on his last chance to get a big money contract (as he should). We're also going to lose Matt Cooke. Credit him with completely retooling his game and becoming a more whole player, but he's expendable. Yes, there's a bit of tenacity and flexibility lost here. There's scuttlebutt about him coming back for pennies on the dollar (I hear somewhere in excess of a $500k pay cut) but rest assured - he'll be cut loose. He may be a changed player, but he still carries the "Matt Cooke Bias" with him, and it might be time to put some separation between our penalty kill and his, sometimes-unfair-but-consistent penalties. Craig Adams while useful, will probably be a casualty of change if not age.

So, if this holds true, we'll be losing a top line forward, a middle-ground forward and a bottom line forward at the very least. What should Shero do to replace them? If I were Shero, I'd start at the top and work my way down. As I mentioned before, Beau Bennett alleviates the loss of at least one of Matt Cooke / Pascale Dupuis. Let's place Bennett on the Neal/Malkin line. That leaves the hole at the top vacated by Dupuis. Filling that position may be tough but there are potential bargains to be had. Dustin Penner just came off his second disappointing season with the LA Kings. His pedigree suggests that the last two years are flukes. He's 30, and Shero loves to hand out the 2-year deals when it comes to veteran talent. This could be a very reasonable and realistic marriage. Heck, even perennial underachiever Mason Raymond, recently of the Canucks, might not be that bad a fit. He does have a recent productive season, and he's only 27.

And what about last offseason's big steal in the Islander's Brad Boyes. Before this blog existed, I made quite the stink in my former workplace about why it would be a veritable steal to sign this guy to a "prove it" deal. New York did just that and it worked. He made $1M and is set to score a decent deal when free agency opens (and priced himself out of the Pens plans). The Pens can't afford to let something like that slip by again. Shero has precious few free agent talents from which to pluck. He needs make one grab early, and address the lingering question about the bottom lines only thereafter.

Letang Tumbling

Like it or not, this past weekend has brought nothing more than tumultuous conjecture with regards to the Penguins and Kris Letang. There have been a multitude of reports stating that Letang has signed an 8-year deal, worth approximately $7.25 million per. We enjoyed the better portion of our Sunday doing one of two things: 1. Basking in Ray Shero's ability to lock up yet another young star player -or- 2. Speculating with regard to Shero's manipulation of Letang under the current CBA.

So, what's REALLY going on with Letang? Well, obviously Letang's negotiations have taken on (at least in his camp) the importance of Crosby or Malkin. I'm hearing that in addition to the slight bump in salary, a big stumbling block is the lack of a "no-movement" clause. Further, it's being reported by at least one Pittsburgh radio station that Letang is asking for a verbal "We won't trade you as soon as we sign this new deal" gentleman's agreement.

Truthfully, I find it remarkable that Shero has given Letang a revised offer to the tune of the salary increase. Based on what we saw with Jordan Staal, I'd admittedly considered Shero a "one and done" type of contract wrangler. We are ALL aware of the cap implications which come with a two-superstar nucleus. The majority of Pittsburgh sports media is speculating that they'll use whatever contract they sign Letang to as a "perk" for their potential trade partner. (Think cost certainty - if Pittsburgh signs him to a contract, it has to be one that will be very reasonable or "hometown discount-esque". Then he becomes more attractive as a trade target since the cost associated with Letang becomes less than the market price.)

My gut is still telling me that Letang will be traded. Since the draft has come and gone, I'm expecting this decision closer to August. When push comes to shove, Shero won't tie up THAT much money for THAT long. We aren't the Philadelphia Flyers. Logic trumps desperation. And in that same light, Shero and the Pens will make every effort to ensure that wherever Letang goes, he'll be happy playing there. While the Pens may not technically "owe" Letang anything, I fully expect the sentiment of the Jordan Staal trade to be echoed in the inevitable Letang trade. Shero will place him somewhere he wants to play, and will net a good haul in return. The part will be disappointing, but mutual. Like I said before, we aren't the Philadelphia Flyers...