Steelers Pounce, Penguins Don't, Pirates Pounded.

As I forecasted here and on my radio show (Saturday 3-5 pm this week, 1-3 pm going forward) the Steelers drafted Maurkice Pouncey a 6' 5", 305 lbs. interior lineman from the University of Florida in the first round of the NFL draft last night.  You don't need me to tell you much more about this because it appears people have come to follow this parsing and packaging of young, athletic men with the same enthusiasm that the Holy Roman Empire pursued the Crusades.  Listen, there are few people on the planet who want to talk about this stuff more than me, but if I think we might be approaching overkill then we are probably getting close.  Let's suffice it to say that I like the pick.


Since I am one-for-one in the forecasting business and have more on record here, let me channel my inner-Nostradamus and tell you what is going to happen with Pouncey.  He is going to be the Steelers starting right guard this season, no later than game 5 (which will interface nicely with Roethlisberger's return) displacing incumbent Trai Essex.  Next season he moves to center even though current center Justin Hartwig will be in the final year of his contract.  Keith Urbik or Ramon Foster will then slide into his vacated right guard position.  There, now you know.

UPDATE: PFT follows my lead.
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While the Steelers were on the clock the Penguins were working their way back from a 2-0 deficit incurred because they chose to sleepwalk through the first fifteen minutes of their Game 5 with the Ottawa Senators at the local ice rink.  They managed to come back and tie the game and then appeared to seal the deal when the Captain scored another highlight reel goal to put the Pens up 3-2 with 11 minutes left.  Two minutes later it was tied and 52 more minutes of tense playoff hockey ensued.  A slapshot deflected off Matt Cooke's knee and now the Penguins have to go through customs again.


Kris Letang was excellent, Jay McKie wasn't.  Dan Bylsma probably isn't ready to turn to Ben Lovejoy, but I would.  Fleury was fine, but the boys really squandered a chance to put a beaten Senators team away.  The first goal probably would have done it (see Flyers-Devils), but not only didn't the Pens get it, they didn't get the second either.  It's worth noting that the Senators changed goalies and Pascal Leclaire was largely responsible for keeping the team's Gone Fishin' sign in the drawer at least until Saturday.

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I spent my afternoon at PNC Park yesterday.

(Nice touch with the photo, huh.  I won't tell you how long it took me to sort it out.  And no, there certainly weren't that many people there.)


It was a beautiful sunny day.  And I was part of history.  The Pirates lost 20-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers.  It was their worst loss in 124 years and a shutout no less.  Fortunately I was also in attendance the night before and was lucky enough to watch the Bucs go toe-to-toe with the Brew Crew, only to come out on the short end of an 8-0 cliffhanger.  So yesterday it was easier to just sit back and take it all in.  The Brewers pitchers got three hits.


I'll have more about this in a Pirates post later, but suffice it to say that when you get outscored 36-1 in a three game series at home, it's time to take inventory even if you are only 15 games into the season.


Also, on a personal note I went to four local sporting events in the past week.  The Penguins lost twice and the Pirates lost twice.  Anybody want to pay me to stay home?