FanNation - The Republic of Sport

As a Pittsburgh guy, I don't feel at all for Malone. He made his own bed, and like Hossa, must come to terms with their decisions. Do we win the cup with either or even both of them still wearing Pens jerseys? There is no way to tell that. We keep both of them on the payroll, and we have absolutely no cap space to restructure Staal's deal, or bring in Satan and Fedetenko. I know, I don't need to hear how much of a waste Satan was this season, but let's be honest, a pure shooting forward coming to the team in the off-season? We were all a little bit excited to see them coming to town. Fedetenko was HUGE in the playoffs, he saved our butts more than once in the Washington series by himself. He's a crafty veteran that knows how to get in the right spots to get his shot off. I am looking forward to next season with us hopefully re-signing him and keeping him on that line with Malkin. As far as the Crosby "snub" goes, I personally think that the media is becoming too overwhelming a factor in professional sports. If the media does not storm the ice as the final whistle blows, there is no way that Crosby isn't in the front of the line to shake hands with Lidstrom. My media gripe goes back to this past football season, where after an emotional season and even moreso Super Bowl, Coach Tomlin of my Steelers, because of a league mandate to the media, did not even get back to the locker room for over three hours. Can you imagine being a part in such a monumental victory, and then not getting to enjoy it with your players? The celebration was over before Coach Tomlin could get to his players, talk to them, congratulate them, etc...The Crosby deal is the same thing, before the layers that have worked so hard can even enjoy it themselves, the media is stealing their spotlight. I am embarassed to see so many camera people and newscasters whoring themselves out to get that first interview. When that sportscasters wife had their first child, was he mobbed and tied up for hours, not allowed to see his child? I don't think so, so why are they cheapening the victories by swooping in like vultures? It reminds me of the college national championship game a few years ago, where a young lady's only job after the game was to try to get the winning coach to hold a bag of Tostidos tortilla chips, because it was the Tostidos Fiesta Bowl. The coach was trying to pay her no attention, but she kept thrusting them in his face. I believe that it was Bob Stoops from Oklahoma, but I could be wrong. Any thoughts?

What the hell are they doing in practice that this is even physically possible? Yet again, not a UT hater, just not fond of the coaching selection. Too many jerks are making way too much money these days, passing bad traits onto young and impressionable men. Be an obnoxious jerk, burn bridges, and start feuding with whomever possible. Absolutely solid template for the 95% of his players that will have to make it in the real world as something other than football players.

As a Pittsburgh born guy, and a diehard Pittsburgh fan, he was always a pleasure to have on the Pirates. Always a humble player, never a problem off of the field, and was always a very good hitter in a lineup that offered absolutely no protection before or after him in the batting order. I was actually happy that he was traded to the Sox last year, not that I like the Sox, but that I wish he can live the fulfillment of being on a good team with a legitimate chance to win the World Series. He has earned that right, and this season, when I go to watch the Pirates from the 35 dollar all-you-can-eat-seats, with fireworks following, I will still wear my Bay jersey with pride. I have other jerseys I could wear of current Pirates, but he and Andy Van Slyke are still my two favorite of all time. (Keep in mind I'm only 25 so I didn't get to watch the 70s teams.) The Sox have a chane to lock him up for the remainder of his career, and they should. He will oddly enough continue to get better, despite his being in the league for so long, based on the fact that he now has lineup protection. His numbers will get better and trust me when I say that Boston will have a strong community figure for years to come. I, on behalf of Pittsburgh fans, wish Jason a good deal, so that he will finally get the big payday that we could never off him here, and that he truly deserves, as well as the best of luck in the future.

One of the dumbest disasters of the year was promptly avoided by Stokley. That's all there is to it. There is a time and a place for everything, and just after scoring the go-ahead touchdown with a minute to go and having to kick to arguably the most dangerous return man in the game on the ensuing kickoff is most certainly not the time for it. We now have our first black president. I am white, and I take pride in that statement. It shows the development and progress that our country has made over the last half century. No statements or gestures need to be made by individuals, we need to progress through this landmark unified. Marshall needs to clear these types of things with an informed and mature adult superviser, because his history as a decision maker has been slightly off, to say the least. Darren Woodson described it best on NFL COuntdown (Woodson is black, to re-iterate), saying that if it were an individual sport, such as tennis, or boxing, and the only person he could penalize would have been himself, then by all means, go ahead with it. But with it being a team sport, and he could have totally let down 52 other guys with one "statement" like this. There is a time and a place for everything, and this was neither. Great call by Stokley, and I agree with the comment by notorius saying that it's too bad that he can't be on a team with T.O. or Chad Johnson.

He's a class act and deserves to coach in utah for as long as he likes. For as much as he has contributed to the organization and the progression of young players, he has proven to be the model for not only success, but a high level of success, for a long time and deserves nothing but to call the shots on when he's ready to step down.

What a terrible study. Any group of random college students that completed Psychology 101 can find racism in every facet of American culture. In the military there is a quota for minorities to get promoted. When you put numbers on race, or any other alleged "discrimination," the lesser qualififed make the cut. College coaches are just as bad as pro players now, leaving teams mid-season if they feel so. That is how cut-throat the college game has become. If you are an African-American homosexual female amputee but can coach a hell of a game, you'll have a job. If you can't win, you can't win. This group should do a net study of the number of white coaches fired to black coaches over the past ten years. Then their headline would read something like "75000% more white coaches than black fired over the past ten years" Any statistic can be twisted to meet the author's intent. Don't read into dumb statistics like this America.

This speaks volumes of the mentality level that Marbury is at right now. One of the worst wastes of talent in NBA history. Nothing more to say there.

Yeah, there's no way in the world that I could feel comfortable getting paid $20 million a year to play a game. what a joke. more agents making excuses for their clients. they need to remember that they are not in fact players. they are doing nothing but making sports the hired gun showdown it has become, full of disloyalty and whimsical players. players make millions more than policemen, firemen, teachers, military personnel, doctors, nurses, and pretty much everyone else because the agents convince them that they are entitled to it. what a joke.

50 year fan, I think it might be time to hang up the fantasy cleats, the Alzheimer's is setting in

I AM FROM PITTSBURGH! CUBAN IS FROM PITTSBURGH! HE TRIED TO BUY THE PIRATES YEARS AGO BUT WAS TOO "YOUNG AND MODERN" TO SELL THE TEAM TO. LOOK WHERE WE ARE NOW! The Cubs are an excellent franchise, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a passionate owner. I ran into Cuban in a bar in Oakland (Part of Pittsburgh where the University of Pitt is) and I had a beer and a nice 15 minute convo with him. Genuine guy, down to Earth, despite the riches. Is a fan of all sports and living the dream being a major player in it. He's a savvy enough businessman to get the job done, and has the money to start himself on his ideas. Sports are a changing facet of American life, and the only way to evolve with the game is through people immersed in it all as Cuban. Chicago, you need to urge his support.

Trash talking between the Pens and Caps is going to happen. Any time you play a team as often, and are as geographically close as we are, this is bound to happen. This really is a non-story to me. Players should play, coaches should coach, and envious fans like us should be the ones allotted the talking.

He is a player at the turning point of his career. He can continue to be the egotisctical thug wherever he goes, or he can grow up and play. I think the mentality of players often directly correlates to what team that they play for. If you play for a classy organization with little tolerance for nonsense, I think it raises the bar for all players across the bar. I think that the "mercenery" type signings by owners like Snyder are only bringing the class of the organization down, and this is another example. A completely lost cause? I don't think so, but a sing of which direction the Redskins are going:desperation.

Totally classless act...totally classless...a young man lost his life, and someone is trying to parlay that grim misfortune into a draft pick? black and white, that is the whole situation, and it is nothing shy of sickening. Utterly disgusting. I honestly hope that this is just a rumor.

Have to agree. I go to Pitt, and Bostick is not the answer to be a BACKUP D-I QB, but there is no reason to risk the potential long term health of a young guy like this. Hard injury to watch. Best of luck to him.

He'd mesh well with Crosby, but I don't think we have anything left to trade for him. We put it all out there last season for Hossa. I agree with broadway blueshirts, it's like a fire sale in Atlanta, I'd be ticked if I were there. How long are they going to have to wait to be considered a legitimate team now, 6-8 years? OUCH!

I smell this year's Hossa in the mix. I'm still bummed he didn't stick in Pittsburgh with us. For that matter, same with Malone, Roberts, Ruutuu, LaRoque, Conklin, etc...

I go to Pitt, and would like to see Pitt-PSU clashes again. The Big Ten is a tough conference usually, but I have to agree, their competition has been a bit soft this year. Being undefeated is quite a feat, and I can respect that, but if you are going to lump the "undefeated" term into being a contender, you have to lump Ball State and their victories over teams like The Helen Keller Institute into that mix as well. The only way that they can get into the national championship game is to win out and hope for a loss, which I do feel for, it's like being punished for how bad the other teams of your conference have been. I do wish them the best because JoPa is a living legend, despite my Pitt enrollment.

It was the right call. He's young, with a skill set that could see him playing on sundays in the next few years. He may not like it now, but with them winning regardless, he'll look back on this one happy with the outcome.

What a waste. This shows the Steelers to stick to the high road with draft picks. Going after big talents with major character flaws only leads to situations like this. I was leary when we picked him, thinking it was only a matter of time before his true colors would come out. Professional athletes these days are spoiled brats, and have no concept of the value of a dollar. They are on cloud nine through high school, not having to worry about 5 and 6 figure student loans to go to college for a few years, then step right out and their first job, probably EVER, pays millions a year. There is no time to mature, and this is another prime example. I read this crap and it makes me sick to think about how much its costing so many young people to go to school to be genuine professionals, working through school the entire time to pay the bills, and punks like this get a free pass through life. We should cut his sorry butt and let someone else take a chance.

I'm not sure he's got enough left in the tank to be a major contributor down the stretch, even if he starts halfway through the year. His contract demands are pricey, and with the abundance of speedy youngsters taking over the game, an old-time plugger might just slow them down. I'm not buying this one.

I'm from Pittsburgh, go to Pitt, and hate what people like Rich Rodriguez do to the college game. I wish more recruits would shy away from Michigan. Keep in mind, I go to Pitt, so I wouldn't care if they went to Penn State, just not Michigan.