Zach Parise or Ryan Suter?

By: Kevin Antosz

With all the talk swirling around over who the Penguins might pick up with their newly freed cap space, I had to get into the debate over who the Penguins could/should sign. Obviously its possible they might not sign any big names, but there’s no doubt they will make a strong attempt to sign at least one.

In 2012, Penguins fans watched their defense collapse at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. Most will argue this was a fluke, but was it really? They finished 15th in the NHL in total goals allowed in the regular season; nowhere near strong enough for a team of this caliber. In the playoffs their struggles continued, except their normally elite back stop, Marc-Andre Fleury was not himself and whose poor play finally exposed the Penguins mediocre defense.

This was actually a valuable lesson for the Penguins as it showed management where the problems laid.

However, because the Penguins have a surplus of young defenseman in their system, many people are shying away from Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators, as a possible target. The problem with this logic is that the majority of those prospects still need a few years before they will be NHL ready. Whereas Suter would be an immediate upgrade as a top line defenseman, pairing with fellow All Star, Kris Letang.

Let's take a look at the Penguins defensive pairings this year compared to the 2009 season when they won the Stanley Cup:

2012 Playoff Pairing                                                     2009 Playoff Pairing (Cup winning team)

Letang-Martin                                                                  Orpik-Letang

Orpik-Michalek                        compared to                 Eaton-Gonchar

Niskanen-Engelland                                                       Scuderi-Gill

The disparity in depth between the Penguins this season versus their Stanley Cup winning one, is considerable.

Hall Gill and Rob Scuderi - once regarded as a top shutdown pairing in the NHL - made for their third line! A shutdown pairing life that might have turned the tide against Claude Giroux in 2012, when he torched the Penguins.

In addition to the clear need for viable depth, Zybnek Michalek was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes so the Penguins are already down a starting defenseman. Ryan Suter would make an immediate impact defensively for the Penguins and help a group whose confidence has appeared shaken as of late.

Even without Sidney Crosby, the Penguins scored 282 goals this season, tops in the NHL. Now with the entire team healthy it seems only logical that that number should increase. So why bring in another star forward like Zach Parise? At this point it seems somewhat unnecessary.

Already the Penguins have expressed interest in adding the former New Jersey Devil, and for good measure. In addition to his hard working locker room mentality, Parise would give Sid a winger he would work well with. In Crosby’s highschool days at Shattuck St. Mary's, he would occasionally live with the Parise family.

As much as I'd love to see the Penguins add yet another superstar to an already stellar offense, I realize the need for a great defenseman outweighs the excitement of adding a player like Parise.

Which is why I hope to see Ryan Suter in the black and gold next season. Obviously, I would be happy with either player but Suter is a better fit. Look at the Los Angeles Kings: they won the cup this year with phenomenal defense. Ray Shero is looking to build a winning team, not just an exciting one, and Suter would help the Penguins return to the pinnacle more so, than another forward.

This is, of course, purely speculation and in a dream scenario, the Penguins land both, but for the time being I'll try not to get too far ahead of myself.

Agree/Disagree feel free to comment

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Pittsburgh Penguins Trades and Draft Picks

You would think that hosting the NHL Draft would be the biggest news for Penguins fans but last night's blockbuster trade with Carolina seems to have stolen the show.  Ray Shero and the Penguins front office shipped star center Jordan Staal to the Hurricanes for center Brandon Sutter, defenseman Brian Dumoulin and the eighth overall pick.

It was no secret the Penguins were looking to deal Staal at some point this offseason, especially after he turned down a ten year deal the day before and what better place to send him than Carolina, where he will play alongside his brother, Eric. Its never fun to see a great player leave Pittsburgh, but the NHL is a business and the move had to be made. Shero left him a message to explain the news but Staal didnt pick up, and for good reason: he was getting married. Hopefully Staal was able to enjoy his wedding regardless, as we wish him nothing but the best on both fronts.

Staal, known for his ability as a shutdown center, improved this season, setting a career high with 50 points (25 goals and 25 assists) in just 62 games. In return the Penguins received 23 year old center Brandon Sutter. He was drafted 11th overall by the Hurricanes in 2007 and spent time in the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels and with the Hurricanes AHL team, the Albany River Rats. Sutter played 50 games for the Hurricanes during his rookie campaign but only scored 6 points. One interesting tidbit on Sutter is that his first NHL goal came against his new teammate, Marc-Andre Fleury.

In the 2009-10 season Sutter spent his entire time playing for the Hurricanes in the NHL while setting a career high in points, with 40 (21 goals 19 assists). In both the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons he played all 82 games with the Carolina, putting up 29 points and then 32.  Sutter won 50.5% of his faceoffs last season (654 won, 641 lost) and averaged 17:23 of ice time a game. He is a very strong penalty killer and will have big shoes to fill in replacing Jordan Staal as the Penguins top penalty killer. Though Sutter isn't a highly skilled player, he can play both ends of the ice and still score some goals. He should fit nicely into the Penguins line up as their new third line center. Sutter is currently signed through the 2013-14 season with a cap hit of $2,066,666.

In addition, the Penguins also received Boston College product Brian Dumoulin. Dumoulin is a defenseman who was drafted 51st overall in the 2009 NHL draft. On April 10th Dumoulin was signed to an entry-level contract. He was named Hockey East First-Team All-Star in 2010-11 with Boston College. At 6’3” and 220 pounds, the Penguins have added yet another big blue liner. Obviously with their immense depth on defense, he likely will not crack their NHL lineup this year and will likely play in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Dumoulin is signed through 2014-15 with a cap hit of $900,000. 

It was after 11:00 pm when Ray Shero announced the Penguins second trade of the night, this time with the Phoenix Coyotes. The deal was done primarily to free up some well needed cap space for Pittsburgh, as they traded away defenseman, Zybnek Michalek, who was taking up $4,000,000 worth. In return, Phoenix sent a defenseman of their own in Harrison Ruopp, Marc Cheverie, a goalie and a third round pick (81st overall).

Harrison Ruopp is a 19 year old Canadian, who was drafted 84th overall in the 2011 NHL draft. This season Ruopp played for his WHL team Prince Albert, appearing in 62 games, recording 2 goals and 7 assists. Though not very skilled, he is a hard-nosed defenseman, who is not shy about dropping the gloves. He is comparable to Deryk Engellend and will certainly protect our stars when needed.

Marc Cheverie, who was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in seventh round of the 2006 NHL draft, was traded prior to 2011-12 season to the Hurricanes. He is a University of Denver product, and is currently playing for the Gwinnett Gladiators in the ECHL. Marc still needs to progress and could make for a solid goaltender in the AHL for the Penguins.

Zybnek Michalek is a great defensive defenseman, who the Coyotes were certainly happy to have back. Michalek, who played two seasons with the Penguins, had a rough outing this year, playing in 62 games and recording just two goals and seven assists.

With all the new cap space the Penguins will be able to make a strong push for Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils and perhaps even defenseman Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators.

Here's a video of Harrison Ruopp getting hit then dropping the gloves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2ZZKa1xWc8

With the eighth overall pick the Penguins drafted Canadian defenseman Derrick Pouliot. Pouliot is undersized for most defenseman in the NHL but with such a tremendous offensive game he will make up for it. Pouliot had been Pittsburgh's radar for a long time and were excited about the opportunity to draft him. Some have compared Pouliot to Kris Letang. Yes, his potential is that great and if he can bulk up and add some physicallity to his game, he could be a top prospect in the future. My lone concern is how he will do mathcing up against bigger NHL forwards and winning puck battles with them. At only 18 years old, he is not NHL ready and will likely play for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL.

Derrick Pouliot highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC522VhI1H8

The Penguins then drafted Finnish defenseman Olli Maatta who was listed as the 10th best prospect in the draft but fell into the Penguins lap at 22nd. He played with the London Knights in the OHL last season while racking up 32 points in 58 games and was a +25. Maatta's season was cut short after receiving a concussion in the World Junior Championships causing him to later miss the prospects game.  At 6’2” 220 pounds he has been compared to the Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter, which is fairly high praise. At just 18 years old, Maatta will most likely continue to play in the OHL with the Knights.

Olli Maatta highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVNRYvUcusY

Rounds 2-6:
C Teddy Blueger (52nd overall)  Shattuck St. Mary's (HIGH-MN)
C Oscar Sundqvist (81st overall)  Skelleftea (SWE-JR)
G Matthew Murray (83rd overall)  Sault St. Marie (OHL)
F Matia Marcantuoni (92nd overall)  Kitchener (OHL)
G Sean Maguire (113th overall)  Powell River (BCHL)
D Clark Seymour (143rd overall)  Peterborough (OHL)
RW Anton Zlobin (173rd overall)  Shawinigan (QMJHL)
*The Penguins did not have a 7th round pick becuase they used it to aquire G Tomas Vokoun.

By: Kevin Antosz

The 'Burgh Report Podcast (Episode 1)

In today's episode, we discuss tonight's game 2 of the NBA Finals, the LeBron vs. Durant argument, as well as update you on the Penguins offseason news and review the Mike Wallace contract situation.

Sorry about the clicking, I'm not sure what that is...

Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap

        Last night was an evening hockey fans in Los Angeles won’t soon forget. Though it took 45 years to accomplish, their Kings finally managed to bring home their first Stanley Cup.  In a city whose attention span is often dominated by their talented basketball and baseball teams, it was a pleasant change of pace to see those same fans swept up in the race for the cup. As a hockey fan, I can only hope this helps raise the popularity of the NHL out west.

        Darryl Sutter joined the Kings as head coach December 17, 2011 and was instrumental in their run. After briefly coaching/managing the Calgary Flames, he took over in Los Angeles and helped guide them to a 25-13-11 record while securing a playoff appearance as the 8th seed. He altered their philosophy into a more aggressive team as shown by their tremendous forecheck throughout the playoffs, and it may well have made the difference between a championship, and a 46 year drought.  The Kings became the first 8th seed to ever win a Stanley Cup after most predicted them to lose in the first round against the President Trophy winning, Vancouver Canucks. I was among them, as I actually predicted a sweep. After barely sneaking into the playoffs and with little offense all season (they were the second lowest scoring team in the regular season) I thought a star powered team like Vancouver's would make short work of the Kings. But in keeping with the backwardness of this years playoffs, the tables were turned and Los angeles took four out five from the Canucks, and had hockey fans worldwide worried that Vancouver might be in store for more riots.

        With Jonathon Quick at the helm, the upsets kept coming. They swept the second seeded Blues and made it to the Western Conference Finals, where they again won easily, beating the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1. Riding Quick's superb goaltending and their leader Dustin Brown, they were headed to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they hoped to end their 45 year championship drought. There they faced an upstart New Jersey team with strong goaltending of their own. Their run was a true team effort, from the veterans like Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, to the young guns in Dwight King, Trevor Lewis or Kyle Clifford. Willie Mitchell (35), their eldest member, and Rob Scuderi (33) helped to provide a strong resistance against their opposition's star players. Scuderi was one of the few Kings who had won a Stanley Cup before, his last one coming in 2009 with the Penguins. Offensively, Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar led the NHL playoffs in scoring with 20 points apiece; both players had identical numbers with 8 goals, 12 assists, and were each +16. These numbers show how low scoring the playoffs were this year as in recent years the highest scorer has had 30+ points.

        For the Devils, Marty Brodeur, despite his age (40), was his usual self. His impressive numbers (2.12 GAA, Sv% of .917, 1 shut out, and 14 wins) had him just two wins shy of another Cup. Brodeur truly is the inspiration to the cliche that "age is just a number." If this was indeed the end for the future hall of fame goaltender, its been one hell of a career. Iyla Kovalchuk lead New Jersey in scoring with 19 points, but appeared to be battling a severe injury all playoffs long. The Devils forecheck, like the Kings, was excellent and helped create offense, but it wasn't enough to overcome Los Angeles' phenomenal goaltending. The biggest story for the Devils this offseason will be trying to re-sign their captain and star player, Zach Parise.

        Ultimately their can be no question as to who the centerpiece was in the Kings success. Jonathon Quick, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, played so well and with such consistency, that it was almost unfair to their competition. He had a GAA of 1.41, a Sv% of .946, 3 shut outs, and 16 wins. Los Angeles beat the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd seeds en-route to their championship which is truly an amazing accomplishment.

        On the other end of glory are the Devils, who fought their way past expectations to give the Kings a run for their money. They beat the Panthers, Flyers, and Rangers in what was a very impressive run. Much like with Los Angeles, they were a team few had moving past the second round, which just goes to show that we can never count a team out. It seems as though we're reminded of that idea every year by some lesser seeded contender, yet if their is one certainty in all of this, its that we will forget it again next year and the year after that. Recently it seems as though we've been talking about underdogs more than usual. Be it Dallas' run to an NBA Championship last season, the Giants stealing yet another Lombardi from the heavily favored Patriots, or St. Louis, battling their way just to get into the playoffs, only to make for one of the most memorable World Series runs I've ever seen. I guess thats the just the beauty of sports.

NBA Finals Preview

            Oklahoma City's path through the Western Conference was relatively easy through the first two rounds. They swept the defending champion Mavericks, then defeated the Lakers with relative ease in the semi-finals. Their real test began in the conference finals when they faced a San Antonio squad that was 8-0 in the playoffs, and riding an 18 game winning streak, dating back to the regular season. The Spurs quickly improved on that mark, going up 2-0 in the series; a lead many, including myself, deemed insurmountable. Sure enough though, the Thunder snapped San Antonio's then 20 game winning streak, and took the next four for their own, stunning NBA fans nationwide.

Miami on the other hand, faced a more difficult journey to the NBA finals. After handling the New York Knicks easily, they faced an upstart Indianapolis team that turned heads when they took a 2-1 series lead in the semi finals. The Heat were in a hole and facing an early exit, just two losses away from going home, again without a trophy. Fortunately, they fought hard against a physical Pacer team and were able to take the next three games, earning a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. Prior to the series, few thought that Boston would make for much of a challenge, given their age and lack of talent in the face of Miami's big three. At first, this notion seemed deathly accurate, as the Heat were up 2-0, LeBron was taunting the Celtics, while fans called for the sweep. But in keeping with the theme of the conference finals, that gritty Boston team did what they'd done all year: fought through the adversity, and won the next three games. Those same fans and analysts began to turn on Miami and said Boston would win the series. For LeBron, it seemed to much to handle to head home without a ring for the umpteenth time in his career, and in game 6, he played with a fire in his eye, few thought he was capable of producing. In his 45 point outing, the Heat buried the Celtics, and with the series tied, they were headed back to Miami for a game seven, few had expected. In it, the Celtics were competitive until the 4th quarter, but ultimately, between LeBron's 31 and the return of Chris Bosh, it proved to much for a veteran Boston team that will head into the offseason with personnel questions across the board. Though not how I had originally suspected, I correctly predicted that the Heat would win in seven. LeBron James was huge all series, whereas Dwayne Wade struggled throughout, but in game seven, Miami's big three really came alive at the perfect time and Wade helped to seal off both victories. The Heat had a more challenging road to the Finals, but what matters is that they got there.

Now into the details of who wins and why. First of all the Thunder made their journey to the Finals with ease going 12-3 while the Heat went 12-6, which may seem like a small difference but every game contributes to a team’s fatigue. Wade has had no time to rest and focus on his ailing knee while Bosh was already forced to return early from his abdominal strain. They'll be coming into the Finals on just two days rest while the Thunder will have had six days to recover. Small details, I know, but everything counts when we're talking about the Finals.

The reason why the Heat and Celtics series went to seven games was because LeBron couldn't do it all by himself. He put up at least 25 points in every game that series, yet they were on the brink of elimination, twice. As a unit they lacked secondary scoring in their loses, and Wade was a borderline non-factor. Though I hate to ask it, have the Heat’s bench players ever been much of a factor? The answer is no. LeBron was forced to try to do it all himself, and that’s why the series was so difficult. He was without his two main counterparts and its an accepted truth that when Wade and LeBron play off each other, they're at their best. So what happens if the same problems reoccur against the Thunder? I have to imagine it could make for a short series as the Thunder are a much deeper team. Be it James Harden off the bench, 5-time NBA champion Derek Fisher, or Nick Collison, a solid role player who can play forward or center. Compared to Miami, who has who? Norris Cole? Mike Miller? The former is an average point guard who rarely puts points on the board, while the latter's lone job is to hit threes, yet seems to consistently do the opposite.

As far as the starters go, at point guard, its Russell Westbrook vs. Mario Chalmers. When Westbrook takes good shots and plays more the role of a pure point guard, he dominates games, not to mention he is the most athletic man at his position, in the game. At shooting guard, its Thabo Sefolosha vs. Dwayne Wade, where obviously the latter is the better player, but with his bad knee he'll likely not be his usual self. At small forward, Kevin Durant against LeBron James, pure scorer against the best player in the world. What a matchup this will be for NBA fans everywhere! I expect them both to dominate, and though Durant may put up more points, I expect James will have the better all-around series. For now, we'll call that matchup a tie. However, I can't say the same thing for the remainder of Miami's starting lineup. Bosh may play center or power forward, or Joel Anthony could start, with Udonis Haslem coming off the bench while Oklahoma City will have Serge Ibaka down low, who is one of the better defenders in the paint. Kendrik Perkins will start at center and though not much of an offensive threat, he is a capable defender and rebounder. The Thunder have a better starting five than the Heat, and more depth on the bench, but most people acknowledge that, so let's get down to who will win and why.

The key for the Thunder defensively is to hold the Heat to mostly jump shots. When the Heat are attacking the rim and getting to the foul line they're hard to beat, but with Serge Ibaka down low - the best shot blocker in league, averaging 3.3 blocks in the post season - he may take the paint away from Miami. The Heat need to attack him early and get him in foul trouble, because when he is sitting, they'll have a better chance of success, attacking the hoop. Its the same concept as the one used in their previous series against Boston, with Kevin Garnett off the floor, they played far better. The Heat are not a great jump shooting team and if you force them to take shots from outside the paint their offense will be inconsistent and far less productive. Don’t get me wrong, they'll still make their fair share of jumpers, especially with Chris Bosh back, but this is the best strategy for Oklahoma City, defensively. Offensively the speed of the Thunder will get to the Heat. Miami just beat an injured, slow and aging Celtics team and may at first, have trouble adjusting to a faster paced game. If the Thunder come up big defensively and force turnovers, their transition game will work to perfection.

You know what you’re going to get out of Durant each game, as he’s averaging 27.8 points per contest. The big question mark for Oklahoma City is Russell Westbrook. They need him to play more of a "pure" point guard role and distribute. Obviously he should still attack the rim, and take his fair share of shots, but when he starts taking more than Durant, problems occur. Westbrook has been averaging 21.1 points per game and is certainly an offensive threat but if he can put up those numbers without turning the ball over as often, the Thunder will be hard to stop. Durant is the best scorer on the court for Oklahoma City, and it has to stay that way if they intend to win. Luckily, if Westbrook is struggling they can use their sixth man James Harden at point, or even Fisher if needed. I mentioned Serge Ibaka's talent defensively, but he’s been consistently shooting over 50% and can impact the offensive game in a pinch. He had a huge 26 point night against the Spurs in Game 4 and though he'll likely never go 11-11 again, even 8-11 would be a tremendous contribution. Miami can't match up against the Thunder’s array of offensive talent, and if the majority of the Heat's offense continues to come from one source, in Lebron, Oklahoma City will be able to handle their offense without much difficulty. If LeBron is the only player on the court putting up strong offensive numbers for Miami, this series may not last long. Their lone hope is that the momentum they created in the last two games of the Boston series carries over in a big way. Unfortunately, thats easier said than done, and my guess is that LeBron will go ring-less for at least another year as the Heat lose in back-to-back finals appearances.

Final Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder in 6.
By Kevin Antosz

Agree or Disagree feel free to comment or tweet us at @TheBurghReport

LeBron and the Spectrum of Bandwagoning

By: Eric Brill 


        If ever the NFL were to disband I'd lose my mind, as would a lot of people if they lost their favorite sport. Its because they're entertaining, yes, but their true value stems from the emotions they stir, while distracting us from the harsh realities of everyday life. They're truly a microcosm of what embodies America; the love of competition, and the belief that with hard work, anything is possible. Its why the majority of us rooted for the Giants to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, or when the Saints reached the same pinnacle just 4 years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their city. Its because we love an underdog. We love those inspirational stories that give us hope that we can overcome hardship in our own lives as well. Similarly, we can find something to love in our own teams. I'm a diehard Steelers fan, I've lived in Pittsburgh all my life and since I watched my first game, I haven't missed one since.  I've grown up with the mentality that you play football with top notch defense and unmatched toughness; characteristics the steel city has come to embody.  Every team seemingly has a profound effect on the culture of it's city and the people who live there. Its part of what makes sports so amazing. The Seahawks have the 12th man, the Eagles booed Santa Claus and I'll never see a crazier group of nut jobs than the ones I see on a weekly basis at the Coliseum in Oakland. As ridiculous as some of it is, its why I love the NFL.  How we can support homage and patriotism, pride and discipline, rivalry and respect, all simultaneously, is amazing to me each time I watch a game. For these reasons, we allow our obsessions to get the best of us and impact our everyday lives.


        You'll notice that the teams I'm mentioning are all football teams. Thats because I'm a football fan. I love the Penguins and each year, pray that the Pirates might finally turn the ship around.  What I've noticed though, is that unless you really love the sport, it's hard to be much more than a bandwagon fan of that respective team.  It would be impractical to expect everyone to follow sports with the same enthusiasm that I do with the Steelers.  There are always going to be casual fans, which is fine, because if not for these people there might not be enough to fill a stadium.  The problem is that the same way you get people who don't take politics or religion very seriously, you get people who are completely fair weather in regard to who they support, and how they support them. Bandwagon fans can be a nuisance when they get involved where they shouldn't, because some fail to acknowledge what they are.  These people demean true fans, and the time they put into their love of that team. 


        I admit that when the Penguins were bad, I didn't watch them. I didn't care. I never bothered to watch a game, couldn't name a player and quite frankly, wasn't bothered by those realities. Since then, they've won a Stanley Cup, and become a perennial contender.  Now, I watch them.  Many Pittsburgh fans are like this. We've seen it when the Penguins nearly left Pittsburgh, and we continue to see it, as long as the Pirates are a farm team in the MLB. I watch when times are good, but if they're losing, I just don't care. That makes me a bandwagon fan. I acknowledge that; because to call myself a true fan would only discredit real fans. The ones who watch every game, not just in the playoffs or when they're winning, but when they're down by 3 in the bottom of the 9th, having never given up on the hope that they might do the improbable. It could be because the Steelers are seemingly always good, or because this is just a football town, but I haven't seen it with them yet in my life. Some cities are like that. Certain teams inspire bandwagon fans, and bandwagon "haters". Certain sports even, but what it simmers down to, is that some teams stir the emotions of both sides more easily than others. The Miami Heat, are a prime example.


        "The Decision," was of course, a foolish move on the part of LeBron James, who decided to announce he would be "taking his talents to South Beach," in front of a national audience during a one hour program shown live on ESPN.  Howard Beck of The New York Times described the national fan reaction at the time: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries." Greatness and arrogance are perhaps the most significant of them.  Fair weather fans were split down the middle, half jumping on the bandwagon in the name of greatness; the other half considering the whole ordeal glorified arrogance. Those deciding to vilify the entire organization without a second thought, now portray their star player in as negative a light, as is possible, while the other side defends him regardless of guilt. So we are not only going to establish a middle ground but discuss the issues associated with both bandwagons.


        I consider LeBron the best player in basketball. Not the most consistent, or the most clutch, but certainly the one with the greatest potential in terms of talent. I'm not a Heat fan, nor in reality am I even much of a basketball fan. I have no home town team in the NBA, and to be perfectly honest, I've never been real big on the sport itself. What I do know, comes from the little bit I see in games, and the highlights I watch on SportsCenter. I'm not a bandwagon fan though, because I'm not really a fan at all. I don't root for one team in particular nor do I own any jerseys or much memorabilia. The thing I look forward to most is the dunk contest and even that pales in comparison to my enjoyment of the Home Run Derby at the MLB All Star break. I enjoy playing pick up games with my friends, I understand how basketball works, I observe certain facets of the pro game even, but that's about it. I've made some assumptions based on commonly accepted truths, and try my best to wade through the bullshit that comes from an overly reactionary media. I can watch a game, but basketball is certainly behind the other three major sports as far as my own interest is concerned.  I neither "hate on", nor love the Heat. I'll pick on them every now and then but I like to think that its more in good fun than out of spite. I'll say that I want them to get to the finals every year, only to lose each time, for the next decade, but I don't really mean that. I say it because one of my closest friends is a real Heat fan. He has supported them for years, long before he ever heard about anyone "taking their talents to South Beach," which is why I'll never question his fandom. I acknowledge that he cares about his team passionately because he watches more than just the playoffs and could never be accused of jumping on the bandwagon. 


        I would have no problem if the Heat won the championship, because they are undoubtedly a great team. Does it annoy me that LeBron James never won a championship in Cleveland before leaving? Yes. Do I understand why he left? Yes. Am I always happy about it? No. What he did merits much of the criticism he receives, but he should have known it was coming the second he agreed to announce his decision in front a national audience. Are the insults and attacks on his character that he garners, entirely justified? Certainly not, but is it that hard to understand why he is so disliked? Great players are always a source of criticism; LeBron just seems to be a lightning rod for both unjustified hatred, as well as blind support. If ever he wants to truly silence his critics, he'll need a ring, not just sporadically timed, big games.


        So let's talk about both sides of the argument. Not just his greatness as a player, but whether the attacks on his character are at all justified. First, there are some quotes that I'd like to discuss because they come up rather often in arguments over LeBron's character: 

“I’m only one guy,” James said. “I took Hedo in the first game and Rashard made the shot. I took Rashard in the second game and Hedo made the shot.

“If I could clone myself, we’d be all right. But I can’t.”

-I know LeBron doesn't mean to sound like an asshole but quotes like this make it hard to think of him as much else. Is he probably right? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean he should say it. You'll never hear Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant or Dwight Howard announce a need to clone themselves because their teammates are incapable of playing at a high enough level.

“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been the best player. I love being a leader, and I love being the best. I just want to get better. It’s not about being cocky or selfish or anything like that. It’s just how I am.”   

“I’ve always been a leader. I’ve always kind of been the tallest person on the team when I was younger but always kind of the smartest. I was ahead of my time. I wasn’t always the oldest, I kind of was the youngest on the team, but, I kind of knew what to do at times.”

-Again, he's probably being completely honest, but he comes across as an arrogant prick, and then wonders why he garners so much hatred.

“It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”  

-This was his attempt at justification for failing to congratulate Dwight Howard and the Magic, after the Cavaliers were eliminated in game 6 of the conference finals back in 2009. Running directly to the locker room at the buzzer, without shaking your opponents' hands, is absolutely "being a poor sport," and to pretend it is anything else is a sign of cowardice, immaturity and blatant disrespect.

“A LeBron James team is never desperate.”

“A lot of players know how to play the game, but they really don’t know how to play the game, if you know what I mean. They can put the ball in the hoop, but I see things before they even happen. You know how a guy can make his team so much better? That’s one thing I learned from watching Jordan.” 

“I love sharing the ball with my teammates. I see a lot of things before my teammates see them.” 

-These three quotes just perpetuate his conceit. You don't hear other pro athletes say these kinds of things because they know better. I mean, come on! Referring to yourself in the third person, and implying your almost entirely responsible for your teams successes but none of their failures is a quick way to gain "haters."

“I hope I can help guys coming out of high school, if they need advice. I know the ins and outs of everything.” 

-More pompousness. He most certainly does not know the ins and outs of everything because he had about as abnormal a high school career, as is possible. Maybe if ever there were another kid of his caliber coming out of high school who were going pro, he could help, but until then, there isn't much he could help the average kid with. LeBron seems to forget that most kids don't make millions from Nike before ever playing a game.

“In the next 15 or 20 years, I hope I’ll be the richest man in the world. That’s one of my goals. I want to be a billionaire. I want to get to a position where generation on generation don’t have to worry about nothing. I don’t want family members from my kids to my son’s kids to never have to worry. And I can’t do that now just playing basketball.” 

-I don't know who his PR guy is, but saying your goal is to be the richest person on Earth is not going to go well for someone who is widely hated and doesn't understand why. It seems as if his bloated ego gets in the way of his rational brain sometimes. I know he meant that he just wanted to take care of his loved ones, but there are better ways of saying that, without using the words "richest man in the world".

“All the people that were rooting for me to fail… at the end of the day, tomorrow they have to wake up and have the same life that (they had) before they woke up today,” James said. “They got the same personal problems they had today. And I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things I want to do.”

-Finally we have the doozy. This one pissed people off more than any other quote I can remember coming out of player's mouth, especially one of his caliber. Similarly to the other quotes, it's meaning has been taken out of context by the media, and exaggerated by fans. Was he probably just defending himself by saying that those "haters" can vent their frustration on him all they want, but their real problems aren't going away? Probably, but phrasing it the way he did, allows it to be interpreted 50 different ways, and 47 of them don't help his image.

 “Sometimes in the past when I played something might make me lose focus, or I would go home after a game where I thought I could have played better and I would let it hang over my head for a long time when it shouldn’t. But now, being a parent, I go home and see my son and I forget about any mistake I ever made or the reason I’m upset. I get home and my son is smiling or he comes running to me. It has just made me grow as an individual and grow as a man.”  

-This is the common defense. One minute LeBron comes across as a complete dick, the next he sounds like  a genuine human being. The reality is that he is probably somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, I'm sure he thinks he's the best player on Earth (which he is), and let's that get to his head sometimes. He's gotten slightly out of touch with reality and doesn't handle criticism well because hes weak minded. Hes undoubtedly arrogant, but so was Michael Jordan, so is Peyton Manning, so is Sidney Crosby. Why then, does Lebron garner such hatred? Why are guys like he and Tim Tebow sources of such ridicule? Because they're easy targets. LeBron doesn't know how to handle it, and responds with quotes that portray him as being disparaging and utterly conceited.

        To you Heat "haters" out there: You can dislike LeBron and the Heat, but you better be able to back it up. Criticizing him for joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, to form the best big three in basketball could be seen as a weak move given that he was never able to win on his own, but ultimately, he'd been in Cleveland for seven years and never had enough help to seal the deal. He left because he wanted to win, now. Since joining the Heat they've done everything, but.  They will win a championship eventually and you can bet it will be because their best player played a significant role. The thing that annoys me is when people attack him for playing mediocre in the 4th quarter. Certain guys are clutch, most aren't. Even Kobe has been relatively average in this regard in recent years, and with further experience, LeBron will improve. So "haters," though I can sympathize with your opinions more so than your counterparts, you have your faults as well.  It seems everyone involved either despises him and wishes for him to fail in all facets of his life, or they're on the other end of the spectrum and defend every little thing he does.


        What I want you to do now, is raise your hand if you consider yourself a Miami Heat fan. Good. Now, if your hand is raised and your name is anything other than Chris Majesky, in all likelihood, your full of shit. If you weren't a fan of theirs before LeBron got there, your a bandwagon fan.


        Its not that I have a problem with bandwagon fans, just the ones who don't acknowledge what they are. I understand that they're necessary to the success of sports in America. What I want, is simply for people to admit what they are. I don't expect people to be as obsessive as I am about the Steelers, or as my colleague Kevin is about the Penguins, but if your going to claim to be a true fan, you have to stick by them through thick and thin. Otherwise you're a fair weather fan, like I am with the Penguins and the Pirates. I know true fans, and Im not one of them with sports not called football. I want to be fair to those people because I deal with lesser fans in my favorite sport as well, and know how much it annoys me to hear the ignorance of those, who don't actually care. If you deny it, your lying to yourself, to that team, and worst of all, your insulting those who are true fans. So at the end of the day, all I ask is that you admit it, and show a little more respect to those who love their teams in sickness and in health, not just when its convenient.


        Believe me, though Heat fans are more common as of late, my criticism is targeted at any bandwagon fan who denies it. It doesn't always have to be sports, it could be religion, music, politics etc. If your a Derrick Rose fan, a Christian and a Lil Wayne listener one week, and a Heat fan, an atheist and a listener of Deadmau5 the next, you're a weak-minded human being who clearly follows whatever is cool at the time. You're conviction-less and that tells me all too much about your character. I'll give you an example that hits close to home. If, after the Steelers have a bad game, you go straight to a social media outlet to bag on them while still acting like a fan, you will find that there is a special place in hell, reserved for scum like you. You clearly hold no loyalty and stand by your teams only when it is popular or convenient. Anything less, and that team is nothing more than a tool for your own entertainment. You drag down the quality of fandom while diminishing overall dedication, and that is an injustice that disgusts me more than most. I understand that certain people are just like this, but that doesn't mean I have to accept it wholeheartedly.


        Furthermore, if you claimed to be a huge Cavaliers fan when they had LeBron, and a Heat fan when he left, you can call yourself a fan of the player, but your just following talent. Justify your lack of true fandom all you want, but the truth is, your no better than someone riding the "hater bandwagon." Unless you were a fan of the Heat before the big three arrived, your not a true fan. If your a fan of the player, you can never root for his team, you must always say, "Go LeBron," rather than "Go Heat." If you think that's ridiculous, then stop lying to the rest of us, show a little respect, and admit that you're a bandwagon fan of the team while being a true fan of one of their players. It's understandable to do so. When guys like Joey Porter, Alan Faneca and Plaxico Burress left the Steelers, I still rooted for them. I wanted to see them succeed because I was still a fan of them as players. I didn't support their teams though, and if ever they were playing the Steelers, believe you, me, I rooted like hell for the Steelers first and foremost.


        What I wish is simply that if you're not a real fan, just admit it. There isn't any shame in that, so why pretend to be something your not? By lying, your embarrassing yourself, while demeaning those who take it seriously. My hope is that with continued growth in maturity, certain people are able to move past this time in their lives when they can never seem to stand by any of "their" opinions for long. Your ideology, beliefs and fandom, are who you are. To treat those characteristics with disrespect by never standing by what you say you believe, diminishes the opinions others will have of you, and fail to treat your ideas with any respect. If it doesn't seem as though you respect your own beliefs, how can you expect others to respect anything you have to say? More importantly, how can you ever respect yourself? Everyone starts that way but you that doesn't mean you should accept it. I admit I'm not a diehard Penguin fan, but I try to improve. You don't have to be obsessive, my real concern is that if you let that sort of thinking spread to your ideologic beliefs and opinions, no one in your life is ever going to show an ounce of respect for what you have to say. I don't mean to make mountains out of molehills here (which I probably did with this one), but this is an issue that bothers me every time I argue sports, especially football. I can see how a person's views on sports correlate to how they value their own ideology. If you don't take your supposed beliefs seriously, you make it difficult for your peers to view your ideas with any deference.

Shut The Hell Up, Warren Sapp

During his weekly show yesterday, Ike Taylor responded to NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp's claims that the Steelers would be lucky to finish above .500 in 2012, after the losses of some key veterans this off-season. Taylor reluctantly responded by saying that "he has other issues. I don’t even want to talk about his other issues, man, he is worrying about the wrong thing right now. People are coming knocking at his door." This was of course a reference to Sapp recently filing for bankruptcy. Larry Foote, who was on the show as a guest, later theorized that Sapp has a long time beef with the Steelers that stems from a Monday night game in 2002, during which, Foote's fellow linebackers at the time, Joey Porter and Jason Gildon, grabbed Sapp and his teammate Nate Webster (who was recently sentenced to 12 years in prison for sleeping with a 15 year old girl) by the throats, after the two attempted to dance through and interrupt the Steelers stretching lines. Foote said, "He came out there hopping like a little girl." Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot asked Sapp for a rebuttal today on Twitter and he got one:

Warren Sapp @WarrenSapp

@Steelersdepot Ike Taylor Played the worst# game in NFL History as a DB #BiggerIssues Who's The Other Guy!? #NeedPhoto&Bio 

Sapp was taking a shot at Taylor's awful performance against Denver in the AFC Wild Card, but I seriously doubt that it was the worst performance ever and Taylor has admitted that he played terribly. As far as the "other guy" comment, he's implying that he doesn't even know who Foote is, which he does. On the outside shot that he actually doesn't know who he is, what kind of analyst does that make him? It would sort of prove that the NFL Network made the right call not to renew his contract. 

For those of you who have forgotten or who haven't read the Wikipedia page on Sapp recently, he played nine years in Tampa, before signing with Oakland in 2004. His last Pro Bowl appearance was in 2003, his final year with the Bucs. After that, his production took a drop, his dominance along the interior line was lost and he stopped putting fear in opposing offenses the way he did in his prime.  So my message to Sapp is: Just because you couldn't play into your thirties doesn't mean no one can. 

Honestly, of the starters remaining on the Steelers defense who are over 30, I would say that Taylor, Ryan Clark and Brett Keisel had their best seasons as pros in 2011. Troy didn't have a phenomenal season, but it was solid.  The only reason James Harrison had a bad season was because he was recovering from back surgery, then ended up breaking his orbital bone against the Titans. The only starter still over 30 who I worry about is Casey Hampton. He has shown wear and tear, and I have concerns about the lack of experience behind him. Outside of that though, the defense isn't all that different from last year when they were #1 statistically. Obviously they need to force more turnovers but I hardly think they'll go from first to worst because they lost James Farrior who was splitting time anyway.

Because I'm obviously not happy with the recently bankrupt Sapp, I'm going to reference some other incidents that have little to do with his views on the Steelers, that instead demean his character while invalidating his opinions. I acknowledge that the Steelers are an old defense, but to call them "done," because they lost some veterans who were splitting time anyway, is ridiculous and has me using a word I don't like to use: "Hating". Warren Sapp is a hater, and is hating on the Steelers. He did it last year and was wrong in most regards. He stopped talking when they started winning, but after the loss in the playoffs, which was mostly the fault of the defense, he was right back at it. For an analyst to think that two games, (Baltimore in week one, Denver in the post season) four months apart, should reflect the future of an entire organization is unbelievably ignorant and affirms the NFL Network's decision, not to renew his contract. His tenure is ending for a reason, and I have to wonder if it occurs to him that statements like these, don't help.

Anyway, I'm going to do a little "hating" of my own, so here are some things to give you a laugh, so the next time you hear him say something ridiculous, you can realize his opinions hardly matter, and shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone. Normally I'm thoroughly opposed to this because it strays from the issue, but I think I've established that Sapp is coherently wrong on the issue at hand. I admit I got most of the following information off of Wikipedia. Some of it I knew, some I didn't.

In 1998, Sapp married Jamiko Vaughn and they had two children. The couple divorced in 2003, and he pays his former spouse $60,000 a month in alimony and child support. Sapp also has four other children with four other women, all but one of whom was born between 1997 and 2002, while he was married. He pays a total of $15,495 per month to the other mothers of the children he fathered.

I referenced Foote mentioning the incidence on Monday Night Football in 2002 when Sapp came dancing over while the Steelers were stretching. In addition to what Joey Porter and Jason Gildon did, apparently Jerome Bettis shoved Sapp, and a heated argument ensued between the two teams. The Steelers went on to win the game 17-7. He pulled the same shit against Tony Dungy and the Colts in 2003, again on Monday Night Football, and again, lost the game.

In 2007, he got into an argument with officials over a mix up on a holding penalty, which resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He continued to jaw at the refs, and had to be separated by coaches and other officials, before sitting out the second half of the game and receiving a $75,000 fine. Class act, right?

On February 7, (my birthday if you were interested) 2010 Sapp was arrested in South Florida and charged with domestic battery. He was there to appear as an analyst for the NFL Network's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, but following the arrest an NFL Network spokesman said Sapp would not appear. The charges were later dropped, but still.

As far as his recent filing for bankruptcy, He owed the IRS $853,003 from income in 2006 and $89,775 for 2010. He was $876,000 behind in alimony and child support to his former spouse and owed $68,738 for unpaid property taxes in Windemere. He also owes money to attorneys, friends and a speech therapist.

In the Chapter 7 filings, Sapp claimed to have lost the championship rings he'd won at the University of Miami and his Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers. The balance in his checking and savings accounts was less than $1,000. He owed Natonal Car Rental $90,685 through his business, Nine-Nine LLC. Court filings indicated Sapp's assets totaled $6.45 million against debt of $6.7 million.

It turns out that Ike Taylor is absolutely right. Warren Sapp should focus on his own issues, and stop being wrong about the Steelers, because he clearly has a plethora of problems that all stem from his own stupidity. Ultimately he needs to stop "hating" and start shutting the hell up.