Go Bucs

Ok guys, I just wanted to throw a quick state of the Bucs address out there...hope you enjoy!

My basic thoughts so far are how well the pitching staff has played and how the offense is shaping up. First, for the pitching...

So far, the pitching has held up exceptionally well. Except for one poor start by Ian Snell, the Bucs have been one of the better starting staffs in the majors. Zach Duke has pitched two gems, including a complete game shutout today, and our bullpen hasn't really shown the dysfunction of last year yet.

If we plan on being close to .500, this staff has to keep pitching this way.

The other thing I noticed was about our hitting. I think the early games of this season have been pretty telling as to what kind of hitting to expect from the Buccos. We've had a couple games where we've exploded for alot of runs, and with Doumit and McLouth gaining a year of experience and Adam LaRoche hopefully not doing his usual April sucking, I think we can see this team has a little pop.

The problem, however, are those games where the bats aren't working, which I suppose is a problem in all MLB Clubhouses, but with our lineup, that could come more often then usual, as seen by our losses this year. I have a strange feeling that if we plan on winning games, we're going to have to win 3-1 or 4-2, or we're gonna get blown outta the water.

So the basic assessment is so far, so good. It's too early to tell how the season will end up, but so far, I like what I see.

Until lata...

Weekend Wind-Down

Here's another new entry from our newest contributor, Fat Daddio...he'll be posting about once a week or so, and I'll be posting something on Wednesday...

Enjoy!

-- Pitt's big three of DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Levance Fields held up their end of the bargain at the dance. But every game was a struggle, in large part because Tyrell Biggs, Juan Dixon, and Brad Wannamaker didn't show up. If we have one bit of advice for Jamie Dixon next season, it would be to trust Ashton Gibbs a little more and Wannamaker a lot less.

And give Agnus Berenato lots of love. Her team is risen with a bullet, and unlike Dixon, she took over a program with no tradition and fewer players. Her girls may be in over their heads in the NCAAs now, but she's put them on the map.

-- And some props should go to Duquesne's Ron Everhart and Suzie McConnell-Serio. They're single-handedly dragging basketball back to prominence on the Bluff. We can't wait to see the City Game regain the edge it had when the Mike Rice and Tim Grgurich teams got it on.

-- The Pens are amazin'. Sooner or later, all that penalty time is gonna catch up to them, but right now their guys are playing pond hockey as well as it can be played. Our only question is whether or not their legs can stand up to the pace, especially in the every-other-day Stanley Cup format. But what a difference Sergei Gonchar, Chris Kunitz, and Billy Guerin make on the ice. Ray Shero has reinvented the team.

-- Pitt is getting ready to step out in football this year, but they still have a lot of question marks. Can the linebacking come together? Will a running back step up? And most importantly, can Tito Sunseri wrest the QB job from Billy Stull? Wanny has some players now, but he still doesn't have the depth that a Top-Ten team needs.

-- The Pirates start on April 6th against the Cards. Does anybody care? Hey, they should be better this year, but they'll go as far as the rotation takes them. Paul Maholm looks like a hoss, but will Ian Snell rediscover his nasty stuff and can Phil Dumatrait rejoin the staff before it's too late? The answer best be yes if the Buccos want to avoid their historic 17th straight losing season.

The cavalry is on the way, with Pedro Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen, and Jose Tabata all looking ready to join the show in the next season or two. But the minor league pitching hopes hinge on Altoona starter Brad Lincoln and Lynchburg's Bryan Morris, and that's not exactly what you call depth.

But as long as you've got bobbleheads and the Zambelli Brothers...

Quickie for yinz...

So how bout them Steelers? Scoring 14 points in a 24 second span is a good way to begin a playoff push, is it not? Thankfully Deshea Townsend CAUGHT the ball when Tony Romo threw it his way, or else this could be a completely different conversation...

So down to the specifics...

The offense once again struggled until it mattered by throwing up three-and-a-half quarters of abismal football - luckily, Nate Washington figured out how to catch the ball and Santonio figured out how to get open at just the right time. That last seven minutes is how the Steelers have to win games; ridiculously good defense and timely playmaking. Let's face it, we're not the Steelers of Jerome Bettis anymore. Hell, with the way Fast Willie has been running, we're not even his team anymore.

So that's about all their is to say about the offense - they may not be very good, but at least they score when they have to...

(Pic from knbr.com)

Ben can score alright...

Now the defense, that's a completely different story. Those crazy bastards are all over the place, and if James Harrison doesn't win Defensive MVP I may have to smack somebody. He reeks havoc with every snap, and I have yet to see an offensive tackle who can stop him without holding (really NFL, if you're going to fine everybody for everything you really need to tell the refs to watch the holding on him. It's crazy how often it happens.).

And even the secondary played well, with Troy grabbing his league leading seventh interception, Ike "ooopps I dropped the ball" Taylor snagging one and Deshea coming thru with the game winner. All in all, a pretty damn good day for the defense...

Oh, and did I mention they STILL haven't allowed 300 yards of total offense against them this year - just something to ponder...

Of course Sunday's game with the "men who wear purple" will be a huge one - I personally want to see Ray Ray Lewis leaving on a cart for all the hits he's dropped o n us, but I'll settle for a win...

(Pic from sportsillustrated.com)

Yeah, he's a thug alright...

And in other sports, the Pens have lost 2 in a row, and they kinda look like crap right now. But it's still early, we're still in the playoffs and we have the 2 best players in the game...We'll be fine.

And finally, Pitt is still undefeated and ranked number three in the country, and the Pirates still stink and haven't added a damn thing to the roster that's even worth mentioning.

Until lata...

Why Hello There

Hello boys and girls, it's been a long, long while, I know, but Snack is back and I'm hoping to post a few times a week from here on out. Sorry for the leave of absence, I've been trying to find a job and we all know how that goes (FYI I'm still looking so if any of you guys have a job offer email me)...

So without further ado, here's a couple things that have been going on recently that I feel should be addressed...

First off, how about them Pitt Panthers? They killed Louisville today, moving to 7-2 and locking up a bowl bid for the Stache'. Just imagine if those clowns would have beat those pesky powerhouses Rutgers and Bowling Green - we could be complaining about how Pitt should be playing for a national title. And to think, we're doing all this with a QB who throws worse then me. Not too bad boys, not too bad...

(Pic from fansonly.com)

Speaking of not too bad, the Steelers are doing suprisingly well considering Ben's been getting killed and Willie Parker and Rashard Mendehall have been pretty much useless all season. That defense though, is tough as nails. Even with starters such as Big Snack Hampton and Bryant McFadden out, the Steel Curtain has been the most dominant defense in the league.

Tomorrow's game against Indy isn't nearly as intimidating as it was at the beginning of the season, and my guess is, if we win 4 of our remaining 8 games, we should make the playoffs. But that's still a long ways off, so for now I'd say just sit back and watch the coolest mofo in Steelers history (Coach Tomlin) unleash the hounds (or Silverbacks in James Harrison's case) on Peyton Manning...with an injured Indy O-Lline it should be like shooting very slow fish in a barrel..

(Pic from bleacherreport.com)

Is Silverback the next Gregg Lloyd?

The Pens are off to a quick start, but it seems like they're missing Sarge Gonchar and Ryan Whitney more then we all thought. PNA used to be a big fan of the USS Gill, however it's becoming more and more apparent that Big Snack can skate faster then him, and judging by the way he got his teeth kicked in during his only fight this year, I'm willing to bet I can throw a meaner right hook too...

(Pic from foxchapelhockey.com)

I think this bird could beat up Hal Gill

And of course, losing Hossa hurts, but he obviously feels playing with those tools in Detroit was better for him, so I say screw him, I hope we see him in the Finals again this year, and maybe my boy Goddard can bring a little "small town justice" to Hossa's face (I know it won't happen but a guy can dream eh?).

And finally, I guess I should mention our minor league baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. My God, could they suck any more? Once they traded away Nady and Bay, which let's face it, they had to do, they couldn't score (sound familiar guys?...hahaha). And then Pedro Alvarez/Scott Boras held us hostage for about $500 k or some other crappy little amount because Boras has daddy issues or something (I'm sorry but I personally think he's just about the worst human being on Earth - he makes GM's lives miserable over the huge amounts of cash he asks for mediocre players like Barry Zito).

It's gonna be a long time until we're competitive again, but hey, at least these jagoffs in the front office realize Joe Randa and Derek Bell aren't the keys to us winning, which is more then can be said for previous management.

So there ya go, that's Snack's take on all things Pittsburgh sports right now. Look for another update after the game, prolly on Monday...

Until lata...

And PS - Snacks would like to thank his old man for telling him to start writing again...good look old timer, and make sure you guys check out his blog, The Green Weenie.

Hi Everybody

OK boys and girls, here's some quickies for ya...(there really isn't anything but baseball goin on right now, so seeing as we're Pirate fans, we obviously don't have much to talk about...)

Here's the most recent rumors involving the Pirates. It names the usual suspects; Bay, Nady, Marte, Wilson and Grabow, but it also makes mention that alot of GM's are mad because we're not giving up our players for next to nothing like we have in the past.

And on that note, here's Frank Coonelly discussing his opinion on the subject. Personally, I think it's nice that for once we actually have good players who want to stay in Pittsburgh. If we don't get what we want for them, screw it, we'll keep them. Although that does make getting starting pitching that much more difficult...

Will he stay or will he go?

And speaking of pitching, thank you Paul Maholm for being the only real starting pitcher on this team - if it weren't for you, we certainly would have been on the other end of last night's 8-2 victory over the Astros. Hey now, watch out, we're only 8 games below .500, who said the Bucs were dead? (Oh that's right, everybody)

Now something we can all agree on - THANK GOD Steelers training camp is almost here. Check this out before headin to camp so you don't look like a fool in the middle of Latrobe.

Go Steelers

The Pens resigned Jeff Taffe to a one year deal, and also inked forward Jonathan Filewich and Paul Bissonnette to deals. They may not be big names, but Taffe will be a nice role player and those other two bums are nice back up plans to have in the minors - but certainly don't look for any of them besides Taffe to be with our beloved Pens come the season opener...

And finally, since I know you all care so much, I'd like to thank lovely Crystal's on the Strip for hostin my lil birthday bash Friday night - it was great times, better people, and the best cheery bombs around. So make sure you go down there and tell them Snack sent ya; it prolly won't get ya anything but who knows, maybe I'll get a free shot out of it.

Until lata, when we'll have a pre-training camp post that will knock your socks off...

Some stuff for ya

Hey guys, sorry bout the lack of posts - I know we've been struggling in recent months, but there's actually a legitimate excuse this time; not only have I been busting my hump for some job interviews, but we also had an illness in the fmaily (my grandfather) which was weighing pretty heavily on the old Snack. Luckily, Pap is ok and is chillin at home, so now I can get back to writing and boozing as usual.

I'm gonna start off slow, but here's a couple links to keep ya busy until I put up a Big Snizzle Happy 26th Birthday (it's this Sunday, whoo hooo) post tonight or tomorrow (we're headin out Friday/Saturday night to celebrate if anyone feels like taggin along, you know how to get a hold of me)

Here's a blog devoted to failures (like ur boy here...hahaha) and pictures of failures. Trust me when I say this, that this is probably the funniest link Diego ever sent my way.

I think half of them are in the minors, and all of them are failures...well, most of them anyway.

We also want you to check out our newest advertisers, Avete Osservato, a local t-shirt company who specializes in Pittsburgh gear. And don't worry ladies and gents - the will be PNA t-shirts made by them too. So if anyone is the creative type and has any ideas of what would be good on a shirt feel free to hollar at us or them, and make sure you chek out all their gear; there's stuff for every Pittsburgh occasion and even includes some stuff for the ladies. We'll have their ad up as soon as my largess figures out to get it posted.

Here's a little homage to the grand old dame of Pittsburgh Sports, the Civic/Mellon Arena. God am I gonna miss that ugly POS. But the new arena is gonna be gangsta, so who am I to complain...

I say we open her up one last time...Who's with me?

And finally, here's a couple quick hits from Diego, apparently he's bustin' his hump at work today so excuse me if the pics suck, it'll be Snack himself finding them...

Both Xavier Nady and other Pirates players don’t want the X-Man to be traded. Guess he enjoys not having the pressure of being on a winning team(or he just likes to lose).

Shout out goes to Green Bay Packer coach and Greenfield native Mike McCarthy for donating 100 grand to his old neighborhood of Greenfield. Being from GF, it's nice to see someone who came from here and got famous giving back to the community.

It takes a real Greenfielder to shut up Brett Favre...

A roundtable discussion on whether or not Jack Wilson should be traded this year. Didn’t we have this conversation last year?

I’ll bet it was a woman who pitched the idea to turn the Igloo into a shopping mall...

Sidney Crosby is Canada's #2 favorite sports star, and surprisingly enough Gretzky isn't #1.

Who does #2 work for? Oh that's right, the Pens.

The Pens signed some people this week.

Until lata...

Diego's Burgh Randomness

I was at the Pirates game last night against the Yankees and I will admit it was fun to watch a baseball game that actually felt like it meant something (even though it didn’t).

Highlights included hearing the “over-rated” chant every time Derek Jeter took bat (yes we are haters here in Pgh), hearing the “home-wrecker” chant when A Rod was up (also seeing people dressed as Madonna in blonde wigs), and seeing all the Yankees jerseys, hats, and shirts. I also noticed a lot of Red Sox jerseys throughout the crowd (3rd largest crowd in PNC Park history) I am assuming people did this to mess with the Yank’s fans? Who knows?

We were in his head

Manny Sanguillen is arguably the greatest all-time catcher in Buc’s history, and he also makes some pretty mean BBQ at PNC Park. I have been to many Pirates games, but last night was the first time I hit up Manny’s BBQ. I was impressed; it was a pretty good burger. Also, Manny was even posted up right there in line signing autographs and kissing babys (all while looking drunk as ever)

On to today's links...

Well two days ago nobody in New York knew who in the hell Nate McLouth even was. Thanks to his game winning two run jack against the Yankees last night McLovin is almost certain to be booed at the All Star game at Yankee Stadium next week.

See yinz in NYC

Aided by 8 innings of well-pitched baseball by starter Paul Maholm the Pirates managed to snap the Yankee’s 4 game win streak last night and also win the three game series against the Evil Empire.

The Bucs "newest" ace...

Tampa Bay Ray rookie Evan Longoria and Brewers sophomore outfielder Corey Hart are the last two players in the All Star game, as voted on by the fans.

Mild mannered, low-key billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller has been all over the news recently because of his reported interest in purchasing part of the Steelers.

All I keep hearing is good things about this guy. (Painting his face at the Steelers games, saving the US Open at Oakmont, etc) This led me to a comparison of another billionaire industrialist none other then Bruce Wayne! Someone find out what Stanley is doing at night.

Is Batman trying to buy the Steelers?

Last night in Arkansas soon-to-be former Jaguars wider receiver Matt Jones was arrested at 1:00 Thursday for felony drug possession when officers “observed him cutting up cocaine with a credit card inside of his Toyota 4 Runner”. Toyota 4 Runner you say, Matt Jones? BALLIN!

Mr Jones, we’ve got the Cincinnati Bengals on line one… and the Dallas Cowboys on line two.

Until lata...

Snack's Tuesday Thunder

First off, kudos go to Diego for his post on the All Star game yesterday, however I think he needed to take it a step further - instead of complaining about Ichiro and Fukudome, what needs to be done is to enact a US vs the World format as they've had in other sports.

In hockey, it's North America vs. the World, which wouldn't work in MLB but the principle would. And golf always has the US vs. England. I just think that since it is OUR national pasttime, it would be good for the game to bring a little nationalistic pride into it.

Sorry for the rant, but it had to be said...can you imagine, the US (and Jason Bay's Canadian ass I guess) versus all the players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela and Cuba and Japan? It'd be a game I'd watch, I know that much...

USA! USA! USA!

And speaking of ARod, our boys at ETrueSports made a lil list about him that yinz may find funny...I know I sure as hell did...

Also in the news, our buddies the Rooneys are in bit of a pickle with the NFL and with each other; apparently, the NFL doesn't like that the Rooneys also own gambling establishments and wants them to reorganize the team so no one affiliated with the wagering is an owner. The only problem is some of the Rooney brothers think ole Danny Boy was lowballing them on his offer, so now they're discussing SELLING THE STEELERS!

They sure as hell woon't leave the Burgh, but it just wouldn't be the same without a Rooney in charge...stay tuned for more as this one develops...

Now onto the Pens...

We signed a Finn by the name of Janne Pesonen, who apparently is the man over in the Finnish league...It's a nice signing, but I'm not too impressed because I've seen many people come from different leagues with numbers similar to his who have done absolutely nothing in the league. So until he proves it, he's just a jagoff foreigner trying to take an American job...

Also check out where the Recchin Ball signed...

I know, I can't forget our Buccos and the ever present revolving door that every one of them is worried about going through around this time of year, so here goes...Rumor has it that Jumpin' Jack may be on the block, but that may not be the case; apparently everyone saw how badly Bixler sucks and all of a sudden Jack's $7 million plus contract doesn't seem so bad...

There's also rumors he's goig to LA, so who the hell knows. All I know is, if you want info on the Buccos and their history, check out the Green Weenie...He reports on all things Bucco, including minor league reports and trade rumors. It's a great site, and one of the few I check all the time - trust me, with the trade deadline less then a month away, this is the place to go for all your trade needs.

Here's a lil something from Diego discussing what went wrong with the Pirates' great young pitching. My first guess would be a lot...

And finally, Snack himself will be heading to Finnegan's Wake before the Buccos game to give it another go for the ESPN Top Fan Contest. Remember to email those guys at ESPN and tell em' you read about them on Pierogi's N'At and that Contestant 9 (Big Snack) is the shiz daddy snap and he should be on the radio (maybe not in those words but you get the drift..)

So until lata...

Diego's Screw the All-Star Game Report

Let me start off by saying this - I hate all-star game; not just the MLB one, but all the rest of them as well. Since the MLB all-star game is about a week away I will focus my hatred towards that one.

The main thing about the MLB all-star game that grinds me gears is the fact that the fans have the right to vote the starters to both teams. Lord knows Americans love to vote (EX American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, etc), but fans' stupidity, loyalty, or whatever you wanna call it leads to some pretty sketchy starters each year.

Surprisingly enough, for the most part, the fans actually got the infield right this year (yes I was shocked, and yes, Jeter starting for the AL is a bit iffy I will admit), but the outfield was a different story.

I thought this was America people? You really voted both Ichiro and Fukudome in as starters? Are you serious? To make this announcement so close to the 4th makes it hurt even worse!

The fact that Fukudome got in with such crappy stats (a whopping 7 HRs and 35 RBIs) amazes me. The Buccos Jason Bay has 10 more jacks and 10 more rbi’s, and also more runs scored then the Cubs outfielder. If I were Matt Holiday, Adam Dunn, or Ryan Ludwick I would be pissed about not getting the start. If I were Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrel, or Carlos Lee I would be even more pissed about getting snubbed when scrubs like Fukudome are starting in the game.

Am I finished complaining yet? Not even close…

Of course I am not surprised that teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, and Cubs make up a majority of the starters in the game. I understand these are popular teams with the fans, so they will vote them in. However, it is inexcusable to not include Jermaine Dye and Carl Crawford on the AL team this season. Both these guys are having awesome first halfs, not to mention both players teams are in first place (Rays ahead of both the Red Sox and the Yanks in the AL East). This type of misrepresentation and bias against certain teams when it comes to “all-star” voting is BS.

Final Vote? You gotta be kiddin’ me

Lastly what the F is Brandon Webb doing starting this game for the NL? Sure he may have started out as the best pitcher in baseball, but now he’s not even the best pitcher on his team (Dan Haren), let alone in the national league.

The true ace of the National League is none other then “The Freak” lil Timmy Lincecum, and I will tell you why:

1. The dude is 5’7” 170 lbs and looks like he is about 15 years old, but his stuff is nasty; he has fastball in the upper 90’s and his 12-6 curve will freeze a batter in his tracks.

2. He plays for the San Francisco Giants (they suck), but yet he is 10-1 this year.

3. He leads the majors with 122 K’s in 115 innings pitched with only 44 walks and 100 hits given up.

(Note from Snack - Diego's just pissed cause he has "lil" Timmy, and I have Webb on my team in fantasy baseball...all I hear is an oversized Italian WAAAAAAAA!!!!)

If you want to know more about Tim Lincecum then get familiar with him by reading Tom Verducci’s article which was the feature story from Sports Illustrated last week.

Little guy with a big fastball

In closing, it would be one thing if this game meant nothing (as it did for many, many years), but now the winner gets home field advantage in the World Series; that’s a pretty big deal. Wouldn’t it make sense that you would want to have the best players representing your league? It does to me. On the other hand, who really gives a crap about the all-star game anyway?

Monday Links

The Buccos are bringin' Phil Dumatrait off the DL to fill the slot left open from Gorzelanny’s demotion to AAA earlier this week. Ian Snell is also expected to come off the DL this week.

A Rod is due to take a hefty shot in the pocketbook after his wife of 5 years filed for divorce today, lucky for him Madonna can probably pay for her own dates. (this guys life is like a soup opera, gotta love the NY media)

In Pens news, the team signed Matt Cooke as a replacement for Rutuu over this weekend. Apparently this guy is similar to Rutuu, but likes to hit more.

Shero sure does now how to pick up those role players doesn’t he? Here is a rundown of his off-season moves thus far. Gotta love talking about the Pens in July.

Lastly I was surprised to find out that Plaxico Burress has come out with a book titled Giant:A Road to the Super Bowl. The DVE morning show interviewed Plax this morning and I was shocked to learn A) that Plax could read, let alone write B) That he was good friends with Cowher and old Coach Chin was one of the first to call him to congratulate him after Giants won the NFC title C) that he couldn’t believe how many white homeless people lived in Pittsburgh!

And finally, this pic basically sums up the Littlefield Era in Pirate baseball...Thanks to reader Joe for sending it it...

Until lata...

Buccos Suck, other stuff

Ok, so we were planning a large scale review of being at the Pirates - Yankees game last night, but since they sucked and decided to lose 10 to 0, we decided to skip the recap and talk about more important things...mainly, Big Snack.

Why are we so bad?

ESPN is currently running a contest called the Top Fan contest, where you get 2 minutes to discuss one of the given topics into a microphone, with the winner getting a job at ESPN Radio.

Well, since your boy Snack is currently unemployed, he decided to give it a shot, and apparently did soomewhat OK. On the link above, make sure you check out "contestant 9", as it is none other then I. I sound like a bit of a tool but I think I did a good job, and they must feel the same way.

I'll be heading back out to the Rivertowne Pour House in Monroeville on Tuesday for the next contest, so come on out and support your boy - and in the meantime, feel free to email ESPN and tell them you want to hear more of contestant number 9, or as I'm so elegeantly referred to "Rocco Teraci" (some aretard couldn't see the bottom of the I I guess).

With you guys helping out, I know they'll have to hire me - especially when I get our great Pittsburgh blogosphere all whipped up in a frenzy at the chance of getting one of their own on the air. It could be a new beginning for PNA and Snack and Diego, so let's get after it guys, and thanks for helping Snizzle get his ass a job.

We'll have some actual links or a top 10 up later today or tomorrow, but for now, I'm off to spread the word and see what kinda deal we can get goin...

Until lata...

A few things...

First and foremost, PNA would like to thank our favorite local comedian, Billy Gardell, for taking time out to write us a little thank ya. BG is a first class dude who is funny as hell, so we wanted to thank him for showin' us a little love.

Yinz need to get your asses down to the Improv next time he comes round, which I'm hoping will be round the new year (give or take a few months)...It's a great time and is sure to sell out, so we'll be sure to post his next shows in PGH on here, so yinz hear it first.

With that in mind, we got a very select group of links today, and we'll have a new top 10 sometime this weekend (Not to spoil it, but get your thinking caps on, your gonna have to do some rememberin' to get some of these)

Our buddies over at eTrue sports made a Top 11 Reasons the Lakers Blew a 24 point lead list...it's very entertaining, and seeing as I hate the Lakers, that by itself makes it a 10 in my book (go Mavs - at least their owner is from da Burgh)

MFF?

The late, great Myron Cope now has an asteroid named after him. Diego sent me this link, which is sweet, but I don't necessarily like the fact that KSK is rippin'on us in the piece. Anyway, it's kinda funny, so check it out and post angry comments...

And finally, trade rumors are heating up in da Burgh, with Nady and Bay apparently on the block...could Matt Kemp be in our future? You better take a look and find out for yourself.

Until lata...

Links and such...

Here’s some links from Diego and Big Snack, we realize we’ve been slacking on the top 10’s and we’re currently working on a new one, look out for it soon…

Well Penguins fans, we didn’t win the Cup but at least we are the NHL’s official Pennsyvania State Champions.

Take that Philly!

If you haven’t heard by now, Jerome Bettis is the proud owner of one of the top 10 best public restrooms in USA. I guess that makes it the classiest place I’ve ever pee’d at.

Ole #36 likes to go #2 in style

Steeler Nation said goodbye to Dwight White yesterday in Shady Side.

Santonio Holmes would like his role increased this season. I agree, why shouldn’t they give him a shot at returning punts seeing as how our punt/kick return game has been terrible since the departure of Randle El.

A nice story about the progress of the Pirates so far this season.

If you wanna check out the Buccos against the Yankees in two weeks now you've got a chance. Tickets were all sold out, but today the Pirates put on sale a few thousand $8 standing room only seats.

I guess the cool thing to do is to put the city of Pittsburgh on a list. Here’s a list of all of the lists our fair city has benn included on recently.

Home sweet home...

Until lata...

State of the Buccos

Ok, we know it's been a while since we posted - the Pens loss proved to be a hard hit for Diego and I, and we've been trying to keep our thoughts clear of those jagoffs and their f-ing octopi...

So with that being said, we figured we'd bring you a little summary of where the Pirates are at, who they drafted in the first couple rounds this season (players that will make a difference I might add) and where we go from here. So sit back, crack open an Iron and raise the Jolly Roger, it's PNA's State of the Buccos Address...

So at the beginning of the season, if I told you the Pirates would be 30-33 at this point in the season, you'd be pretty happy, wouldn't you? The only problem is the 30-33 we find ourselves at A) has us at or near the bottom of the NL Central and B) could very easily be 36-27 or some like number.

Our pitching staff, namely our starting pitchers, which were supposed to be a strength, have been a disappointment. Matt Morris and his $10 million contract are gone after a horrendous start, and youngsters Ian Snell and Tom Gorzo aren't showing the promise they did a year ago. It looks like Gorzo might be injured, and Snell has lost his confidence. Not too good for your number 1 and 2 pitchers.

Luckily, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and Phil Dumatrait have picked up the slack recently, and have been our rocks in the rotation (recently - they all stunk at the beginning of the year). If Snell and Gorzo get healthy and sane, this could be a ddangerous bunch in the future.

The Ambiguously Gay Duo of Zach Duke and John Grabow

The bullpen has been holding there own, especially the backend. Fat Matt Capps is perfect in save opportunities, and John Grabow, Damaso Marte and Tyler Yates all sport sub-4.00 ERA's, and have combined for ten wins and fourteen saves. Our long relievers leave a little to be desired, but they're young and don't get to pitch nearly as often as the regular relievers, so it's kind of inappropriate to say they can't pitch; we'll just say long relief doesn't seem to be their strongest point.

Now onto the hitters...

The biggest disappointment of the year has got to be Ronnie Paulino. Slated as the starter when camp began, he's done so poorly and shown such a lack of hustle and heart that he's been demoted to AAA Indianapolis. Luckily, when healthy, Ryan Doumit has played well beyond expectations, as has other backstop Raul Chavez.

Our outfield has been tearing the cover off the ball, with Nate McLouth leading the way with a .303 average and 14 homeruns, to go along with Jason Bay's .289 and 14 and Xavier Nady's .320 and 9. They've also combined to knock in 124 runs so far this season.

Finally, our infield has been OK at best. Jose Bautista has been his usual crappy self, Jack Wilson's been hurt, and LaRoche is doing his usual .221 in June. Fast Freddy Sanchez has been playing OK, but is only hitting .240 and needs to take more walks at the top of the order.

So where do we go from here?

Well first off, our draft this year was great, with us getting the equivalent of two top-10 picks in 3B Pedro Alvarez and hard throwing (though injured) starter Tanner Scheppers. Both of these players were college phenoms, with Avarez being ranked as the best college players in many national surveys, and Scheppers being ranked as high as 10th and the 3rd best pitcher.

We may have trouble signing both of these players, as Scheppers is much more talented then his second round selection would indicate, and Alvarez is being "advised" by super agent Scott Boras. I'm glad we took them though - it seems to say we're not scared to draft the best player because of monetary concerns any longer.

So where does that leave us?

Well for the year, unfortunately, I think we're SOL. The Cubs are playing well ,and even though we may break through that .500 barrier this season (if we go through our usual post All-Star game run), I just don't think we have enough to make it to the post season.

But with the older (and almost unrestricted) talents like Nady, Bay, Wilson and LaRoche, it may be time for them to hit the dusty road and head on to greener pastures. What really matters is what we get in return for them. Next year will probably be another rebuilding season, but 2010 seems to be the year we may be poised to make a run.

Take a look at this lineup, mostly compiled by rotoworld and rearranged by Big Snack - CF Andrew McCutcheon

2B Freddy Sanchez

LF Nate McLouth

3B Pedro Alvarez

1B Steve Pearce

C Ryan Doumit

RF Neil Walker (if they change his position again)

SS Brian Bixler (if we don't upgrade in a trade)

It seems to me that the Buccos are finally on the upswing, and actually look like a real baseball team.

So the State of the Buccos is strong, and only going to get stronger.

Until lata...

Some Links for ya...

Well that’s a 10-1 record thus far for the Penguins in the 2008 playoffs. With each win they rack up, the number of haters keeps growing.

Some local sports figures (and some sports figures in general) are jumping on the Pens' bandwagon. In the house were several Pirates, Big Ben, and former NHL draft pick Tom Glavine (drafted the same year as Scary Gary - now that's scary!), among other Braves and such (Chipper, Smoltz, and LaRoche to name a few). I guess Mario has about 20 tix to give to his celeb buddies every playoff game...

(Pic from post-gazette.com)

Have you ever wondered what famous people would look like if they were from our horrible, horrible city to the east? The X did, and here's the results.

Remember last year when we weren’t even sure if the Penguins were staying in town? What a difference a year makes?

(Pic from mondesishouse.blogspot.com)

Yep, the refs cheat for the Pens alright...

The Pirates actually have a shot at hitting .500 today if they can win both games of a double header against the Braves. Bleacher Report boldly gives you 5 reasons why the Bucco’s losing can end in 2008.

ESPN released it's May NFL Power Rankings, which take into account the draft. They must think pretty highly of our picks because we're seventh, even after losing Faneca and not adding a damn thing through free agency (except Hartwig, which was a decent pickup - I think).

And finally, the new trend in the NFL is having a pair of RB's, who share the workload and both produce. Mendenhall and Fast Willie have become a new dynamic duo in the Steelers backfield. Could be quite a 1-2 punch...

Until lata...

Snack Attack

Today I feel the urge to go after two of my favorite topics - the Buccos and the F-ing Flyers. I'll start with our Buccos...

What the hell are you guys doing? All you're doing is giving us all hope that you can do something with the season, which we obviously all know you won't. Nasty Nnate McLouth is tearing the cover off the ball, which is a surprise to everybody but the Buccos apparently. Nady has played pretty well, and Bay isn't the complete jackass he was last year (still not up to par though) and even Doumit is hittin the ball well.

So where lies the problem? Where it always does, with our pitching. We had to swallow $11 million to get rid of Morris, Snell is playing like a pansy (he even says so), Duke will never be the hoss we thought he was, and Gorzo and Maholm have been up and down to say the least.

Hell, we only have three pitchers with ERAs under 4.00 - that's piss poor, and I would hope they'd be the first to admit that.

What I'm trying to get at, all you jagoffs I hear saying "Oh, the Buccos are hitting OK and they have a shot and..." should go and jump off the Bobby Clemente Bridge because it ain't gonna happen. Until there's a way for us to have the same amount of cash at our disposal as the Yankees or Sox, we'll always be a little back water team trying our best to play with the big boys.

Long story short, we still stink, so don't get all excited...(that being said Diego, Snack and lil' Snack are going to the ballgame tonite as long as we don't get rained upon)

My other topic for the day will be the hatred of this city for Philly and why this playoff series should be ALL we talk about in the sports world until the it's over. Anyone who wants to talk Steeler mini-camp or whatever else may be running through your heads can stop reading now, because odds are you won't see it here.

Anyway, back to Philly. We all know why we hate them. And it's a fact that we hate them. Therefore, I want to be the first to propose an "I hate Philly week", where we will make bets with our counterparts on the bad side of the state (I'm lookin at you Mayor Luke) and talk trash to them as they go drown their sorrows in NYC - you know, the city Philly wishes it was.

I think all of us faithful bloggers should make it our duty to talk trash on the city known for a cracked bell and a movie about AIDS. We should tell them, thru words (or fists - we all know Snack likes a brew ha ha), that they are no good, Santa booing bastards who will get a championship when they pry it out of our cold, dead hands.

You may be able to scare Washington and Montreal, but my boy SS Gill and Scary Gary will be waiting...Oh so, almost forgot about Big Georges...He'll be waiting too...

Until tomorrow, when we'll have some links and hopefully a recap of tonite's game for yinz (well, what we can remember anyway)

Monday Morning Hangover...

Its been a few weeks off, but Diego is back this week with another MMH. This weekend was filled with sports action and I’ve got plenty of things to get off my chest, so lets go…

Let me start out with everyone in Pittsburgh’s least favorite team the Pirates. They stink again, but the only difference is that this year people are finally starting to get fed up. As of last week the Pirates attendance dipped to last in the majors. This is right where it should be if you ask me. Sure we’ve got the nicest ball park in the game, but its frustrating having to hear about how “hard they’re trying” year in and year out, for 15 years.

I know what your saying, and yes it is early in the year, but the straw that broke the camels back was the release of Matt Morris today. I don’t blame Morris, I actually pat this guy on back he managed to pitch 4 games this year, going 0-4 with a 9.67 ERA and now he’s gonna be able to kick up his feet and collect his 10 million.

This is simply asinine move on the Bucco’s managements part. (old management not new) The Bucco’s and old GM (and jagoff of the year) David Littlefield acquired Morris to “stabilize the young pitching staff” whatever the f that means. We’re talking about the same GM who was too stingy to draft prospect catch Matt Weiters BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT TO PAY HIM THE 10 MILLION DOLLAR SIGNING BONUS, opting instead for another left hander pitcher (I’m shocked). I don’t understand this, and maybe if you do you can explain it to me cuz now the Buc’s are not only on the hook for the 10 million this year, but Morris will cost them another cool million next year because of buy out cost!

I have had enough. I enjoy going to Buc’s game as much as the next guy, and I still may go down to toss back some IC lights with my friends, but I refuse to give these scumbags another dollar of my money. They do not deserve it because 5 years down the road (or less) we will fire our whole staff and start the whole “rebuilding” process all over again. Screw you Littlefield and I hope the Nutting’s jumps off one of the many bridges in this fine city.

(Pic from pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com)

I'd like to wipe that smirk off his face...

Now back to the good teams in this city, the Steelers and Penguins. Steelers drafted this weekend (hope you enjoyed the live blog), and in a surprising move, they actually took a pair of guys on the first day that may be able to bring something to the table this season. (as long as we can get them signed and in camp)

In the first round the Lers selected Rashard Mendenhall, running back out Illinois. Certainly not a choice that Najeh “Dookie” Davenport wanted to hear, as it could spell the end for the “Dump Truck” here in the Burgh, but who knows? I like Mendenhall as he is big, fast, and most of all give’s FWP (Fast Willie Parker) a bit of break, as he won’t be forced to carry 30+ times a game anymore.

The only problem is he may be blind.

Second round Steelers drafted Limas Sweed, a tall WR from Texas, and of course, he is the answer to Big Ben’s prayers. I can’t believe we got this guy second round, as many speculated he would be the first or second receiver to go this year.

(Pic from images.burntorangenation.com)

He doesn't look like a Sweed...

Best first day the Steelers have had in awhile as far as I am concerned, lets hope it pans out. Either way though, you’ve gotta believe the Steelers took a look around the rest of the AFC and realized in order to be a top notch team they had to make their offense more explosive. That is just what they did on day one of the NFL draft this year.

On day two of the draft Steelers took Bruce Davis II in the third round, he was a defensive end at UCLA but Steelers plan on moving him to outside LB. He excels at rushing the QB, but might have some trouble with mobility. Coulda been a bit of a reach but we will see.

Next picked was Tony Hill a tackle from Texas. Finally, Steelers address the need of picking up another hoss for that O-line of theirs. Maybe this means we can send Sean Turd-han packing.

Fifth round we took Heisman candidate Dennis Dixon, quarterback out of Oregon. If he pans out this could be brilliant, unfortunately he reminds me of Kordell Jr (he even wears #10). Please no one show him the way to Schenley Park (just incase). Apparently this dude can also play some baseball, so the Bucs may wanna take a look if we cut him loose eventually.

(Pic from cnn.com)

Shake and Bake...

In the 6th round we had two picks - one was Mike Humpal, a white boy linebacker out of Iowa. Can anyone say special teams specialist? Hopefully he can tackle cuz our special teams was pretty bootylicious again last year.

Our last pick was Ryan Mundy, safety formally of Michigan and WV fame, but he also played high school ball right here in at Woody high. (Note from Snack - little known fact, he also played at Central Catholic for a year)

Links for your viewing pleasure...

Yinz guys might think Mayor Luke is bad, but borrowing the home land security SUV doesn’t seem like a big deal when you read this story about another young mayor from outside DC.

This musta been one hell of an open bar. Over the weekend a couple from Shaler was arrested for starting a brawl after their own wedding. Apparently the groom ninja kicked the bride. Was he watching too much WWE or UFC fighting, or is he just a fan of Chuck Norris?

Looks like good ole’ Roger Clemens may have some bigger issues then steroid allegations… Good to know Roger enjoys him some underage ass.

Until lata...

Snack Attack

Last night's Pens game was one of the best I've seen in a long time - it prolly didn't hurt that we were at lovely Crystal's in the Strip, but the way the game was played and our explosive third period really made it a game to remember. We won 4-1 and took a stranglehold on the first round series, which we now lead 3 games to none.

The Flower was his (I can't believe I'm saying this by the way) usual amazing self, letting in only one goal during a Senator flurry that seemed to last about the first half of the game. Sid the Kid got his first playoff of the season yesterday, as did Marian "it's about f-ing time" Hossa.

The Talbot even had himself one heckuva game, including the tying goal that went five hole on Gerber. Everyone played well, with the exception of Whitney, who I continue to hate on for his poor defensive play. I think that contract may have been jumpin the gun a little bit, but hey, I'm not in charge of the team - I just write about them.

The Steelers schedule was announced today, and we got the short end of the stick again. Not only do we have the "toughest" schedule in all of football, but we also have to play 11 games at times other then 1PM Sunday. Why the hell we'd be playing so many night/late afternoon games is beyond me, but I guess the NFL in their infinite wisdom decided we shouldn't play on Sundays...

And finally, how about our Pittsburgh Pirates, who are now a game above .500 and looking good, despite our horrible, horrible defense. If we keep hitting and pitching like this, and our defense works itself out, who knows, maybe we could be a darkhorse contender in the NL Central...

Until tomorrow, when you will all learn why Mike Lange is a true pimp and playa...

Diego's Links and a Snack Attack

We're going to give yinz the rare double dipper today of a links section compiled by Diego himself and a verbal beatdown compliments of Snack. Also, this week's kind of a light one for Snack at the butcher shop, so it should be a busy week for us here at PNA...

And we got a new top 10 that'll either be posted today or Wednesday...so keep your eyes peeled...

Diego's Links -

After returning from an out of town trip I was shocked to find out that the Buccos actually swept the series against the Reds. (This is not a late April fools joke) Only April and already we’ve swept a series?? Lets go Bucs and John Russell for mayor!

Here's an article about possible Steelers first round selection, Boston College offensive tackle, Gosder Cherilus. If that isn’t an offensive lineman name, then I dunno what is.

The Bleacher Report believes the Penguins are the team to beat this year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, PNA agrees.

There is no doubt the Pens' defense is a lot tougher this year then last. One of the main reason’s for that was the the addition of youngin’ Kris Letang to the Pens roster.

Former Pittsburgher and QB legend Dan Marino will speak at the Pitt commencement on April 27th.

Top 10 most miserable sports cities

Snack Attack -

Well first things first; the Pens looked great from our view up in section E32 of the Igloo. And other then me falling all over the poor bastards in the row below us and my piss poor attempts to hit on Diego's girlfriend's roomie (Diego, I , his gf and her roomie all sat together and, consequently, got hammered together beforehand), it was one helluva experience.

Hopefully we get some of the pics we took beforehand so we can show yinz - you won't be dissappointed in them, trust me...

Now onto tonite...

I think this is the game we COULD, and I mean COULD lose. I have complete faith in our boys, but let's face it, if those Canadian jagoffs are gonna make a stand tonight would have to be the night. But it's not gonna be easy for them, unless we make it so, which is something I really hope doesn't happen.

We got a little lazy once we got our 3-0 lead in game two, but I personally think it'll motivate us to not take any plays off at all tonight. But we'll see, it'll be a hard-fought game no matter what, and hopefully we can put a stranglehold on this matchup and end it in four...

As for the rest of the sporting world, I have one question - who the hell is Trevor Immelman and why is he winning the Masters? I was under the impression that this was Tiger's year to win everything, or maybe that chubby bastard (and Big Snack favorite) Phil Mickelson would upend him, but certainly not some South African I've never heard of...

And PS - what is it with South African's being so damn good at golf? Ernie Els, Goosen and now this guy. Do they even have a PGA Tour over there (or the equivalent)? I know Gary Player started the whole trend of South Africans being good at golf, but these three are taking it to a new level.

Next up is the Buccos...6-6 really isn't as bad as I thought we'd be, especially with no Jack Wilson, LaRoche playing like crap and Freddy playing sparingly. Gorzo finally pitched well, Snell has looked good all year and what can be said about Nate McLouth that hasn't already been said abotu topless ladies serving you beer in a tropical paradise - he's fantastic!

McLouth and Nady have been carrying us all year, along with Doumit and Brian Bixler...psyche, Bixler sucks, and has already cost us a win, so either we need to trade and get Brent Lillibridge back from Atlanta (peace out Duffman) or Jumpin' Jack needs to return ASAP.

Alrighty, hope you enjoyed my rant and Diego's links...Look for us during the first period down at lovely Crystal's in the strip, where our boy the Swineburna will be bartending. Who knows, maybe we'll even stay for two periods - all I know is with this lovely new Comcast HD Cable at my crib, I will definitely be watchin some of it here...

Until lata, GO PENS!!!

A few things...

First off, thanks to all the people who have been jumping over here from Mondesi's House to read our top 10's. We appreciate yinz reading, and we also love your hate mail/comments...Keep em' comin boys and girls...

Secondly, and unfortunately, our Buccos rallied from a 7-0 beating only to lose our home opener today in the 12th, 10-8. I, of course, didn't get to watch the game as I was out workin' for the man, but from our sources at PNC (our drunken friends), Gorzo looked like crap (except when he struck out Fukudome...USA bitches), our relievers did OK again (until the 12th), and Bixler crapped his pants...

Apparently Bautista tried an uncalled squeeze playin the ninth, which is encouraged if the third baseman plays deep or if there's another opening, and Bixler froze. It's one of those plays that an everyday major-leaguer would have made, but because of Bixler's inexperience (or lack of an f-ing brain), he didn't break, and we didn't score, and we lost.

Jagoff of the Day = Brian Bixler...It's not too often I throw a rookie under the bus like that, but that was a play we even had in Pony and Colt Leagues. It's embarassing really, and I hope good ole Johnny Russell kicks his ass into shape real quick or send him back down to Trent Jewitt in AAA.

(Pic from pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com)

Jagoff of the Day

And finally, some good news - your Pittsburgh Pens get to face the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the NHL playoffs starting Wednesday. Look in the stands for your boys Diego and Snack (with 2 lovely ladies I might add) at Game 2 on Friday - we'll be the drunk ones tackling some damn Canadian down a flight of stairs in Section E. Snack's the big one, Diego's the goofy lookin' one; we'll be hard to miss...

Until lata...

Link's N'at

The Pens game last night was pretty sweet; blood, sweat, sucker punches, cheap shots, 2 goals by Sid the kid, a win, and an Atlantic Division Championship.

(Pic from pittsburghlive.com)

How sweet it is...

The Pens have set a franchise record by selling out all 41 home games this season. Translation… good luck getting playoff tickets, unless of course you’re Diego and Snack (we got the hook up).

A Pens- Flyers playoff series would be freakin’ awesome because it is probably the most heated rivalry in the NHL, we hate them and they hate us. Too bad if we beat them on Sunday in Philly they may not even make it to the playoffs. In this article from a Philly newspaper Daniel Briere calls Jarrko Ruutu “one of the dirtiest players in hockey”.

The Buccos bullpen let up 7 runs in the 8th as we went down 10-2. There goes that undefeated season…

Even though we lost last night, cheer up Buc’s fans, here’s a list of 10 Positive Things about being a Pirate Fan.

In a story filed under the too little too late category; the NFL officials have once again apologized to our Steelers for screwing us over with another shitty call (or lack there of) in the playoffs. In related news, Seahawks fans are still waiting for a an apology from the refs for all the calls they were crying about after Super Bowl 40. (crybabies)

(Pic from webdelsol.com)

WE should have won the Super Bowl. WAAHHHHH!!!

I woke up to one of the stranger interviews I have seen in awhile between Chad “Ocho Stinko” Johnson and ESPN’s Brian Kenny. They shoulda changed the title of this segment to the awkward show, because it was plenty uncomfortable. Judge for yourself.

James Harrison had the charges against him dropped by his baby's mama...Apparently he's already done anger management and psychological counseling, which is impressive considering he's all finished with his "therapy" and the incident happened like 2 weeks ago...If I pimp handed one of my many lady friends, you can bet your sweet ass I'd still be rotting down at ACJ...

And finally, a lil more Cinci Criminals news - former WVU player Chris Henry was cut from the team (ala Cedrick Wilson) for allegedly hitting someone with a beer bottle or hanging some dogs or beating up his lady or something liek that...Hell, that crazy hoopie could be slangin crach rocks for all we know. But at least we don't gotta worry about him torchin the Steelers or his family staring down Big Snack at the 2006 Bengals - Steelers game...I won't get into it but let's just say the ushers were replaced by security...

Until lata...