Insight from the Inside: Pittsburgh Sports Report former editor Tony Defazio

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The next episode of the Steel Study Nation podcast, we speak with Tony DeFazio.
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DeFazio is the former editor of the Pittsburgh Sports Report, Pittsburgh's longest published sports newspaper.
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The Sports Report was a monthly newspaper and online publication from 1996 through 2016.
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In addition to his duties as editor, DeFaze was the Pitt football and basketball beat writer from 2010 through 2016 and was a frequent guest on several Pennsylvania radio and TV shows.
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He continues to appear on PA SportsNow Radio every Saturday morning at 9.
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We will discuss his career highlights as a multi-sport reporter and editor and his current connection to the world of sports.
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We will talk about how he feels in regards to the return of collegiate and professional sports now that we are reintroducing sports in this current phase of COVID-19 pandemic.
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He will share some of his favorite players and just exactly what drove Tony into wanting to be a sports writer.
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Tony will also share with us what he is currently doing today and if he has any intentions of fully submerging back into the world of sports reporting.
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Tony's Decade Definers will center on the five best games he has covered in any Pittsburgh sport.
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Hey, it's my guest, Tony DeFasio.
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I want to thank you for coming on the show today, Tony.
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How are you doing?
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Doing well, Mark.
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Happy to be here.
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Thank you.
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We're going to get right into it.
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Talk a little bit about your journey to become a sports writer.
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Yeah, well, I um, you know, like a lot of us, uh, sports kind of dictated to me when that was going to be done, when that was no longer going to be a career option.
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Um, you know, so uh, you know, played sports my whole life.
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Once I realized, okay, and accepted the idea that that wasn't gonna happen at a professional level, at a college level, um, wanted to stay around it.
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So I decided I wasn't gonna try to become a sports writer.
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Um, that's what I intended to do all through college.
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I went to the University of Pittsburgh with a uh as an English writing major, which was basically their version of a journalism degree.
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Um, and then I kind of took a turn after that and got into uh I was actually working in corporate public relations for a number of years, um, but still had the, you know, still had the itch of uh trying to write sports and uh did some freelancing a little bit here and there with some small publications and then hooked up with a uh a group of guys who started their own publication in Pittsburgh and was writing for them and still doing PR and then did more and more writing.
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And as they had more and more success, an opportunity came up to to make that jump.
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And um I used to tell people I uh I I made that jump and I only ever wore a jacket and tie at a funeral or a wedding after that, after that point.
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Good stuff.
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Hey, did you have an aha moment or was there something that inspired you to want to be a sports writer?
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You know, I just um got to the point where I I I realized I I didn't enjoy corporate the corporate world.
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I realized that wasn't the place that I wanted to spend, you know, 40 years working in.
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Um and I was watching these, you know, this group of guys uh put together a publication called the Pittsburgh Sports Report.
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This was in the late 90s, and um they started to get some traction.
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I was writing for them a little bit and they started to have more and more success.
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And we sort of had the conversation, like, you know, what what would it take for me to join you guys?
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Um, you know, what would that look like?
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Uh the answer wasn't pretty financially.
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Um, but you know, kind of realized if I if I don't do this now, I'm um I'm probably never gonna be able to do it.
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It was a situation where um I was part of the whole team, and you know, I wasn't coming in as like an entry-level writer being told to go cover uh, you know, uh, you know, smaller stuff all over the place.
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I was right in there.
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We were covering the major Pittsburgh stuff from the get-go.
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And um again, the chance I would never have it if I passed it off, I would have never had that chance again.
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Uh, it did come to an end after about 15, 16 years, but but I don't regret any of it.
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It was uh a remarkable opportunity and a unique opportunity that I'm thrilled I was able to you know to be part of.
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Kind of like high risk, high reward there when they when they gave you the opportunity.
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Was there any any particular writer you admired or you know, anybody you read a lot that inspired your style of reporting?
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Yeah, I mean, I I I guess a little bit.
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I always liked uh the late Dick Schapp, was always the guy that I liked.
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I got to know him from watching him on television, on ESPN and stuff, and and then I started to read some of his stuff.
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Um, probably some of the writers who who inspired me the most weren't really sports guys, like um Cameron Crow was a guy who he he he he writes movies now and has for a long time, but he was writing for Rolling Stone and all those like rock and roll magazines back in the 70s when he was in junior high school.
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Um I always thought that was extremely cool.
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Um contemporary guy who's not really a sports guy is uh Chuck Klosterman.
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He does some sports writing, writes novels and stuff.
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Those are the kind of guys who I probably was inspired by the most.
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Um, but if I to pick a sports writer right now, active, Mike DeCoursey uh was a Pittsburgh guy, wrote for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette back in the day, um, writes for the sporting news now.
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He's a Hall of Fame basketball writer, real talented guy, uh very generous.
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I got to meet him several times and got to know him after I entered the business.
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And I was a guy who, you know, was a 31-year-old rookie in the you know, rookie in the sports writing world, and he was a famous guy already and sort of welcomed me with open arms and very generous and just gave me great advice and stuff.
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So I I I always have a soft spot for Mike.
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I follow him on Twitter.
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He has very he makes very calculated and insightful tweets when he does respond to stuff.
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So I really admire that instead of shooting from the hip like a lot of guys like to do it.
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Well, that exactly.
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And that's that's you know what?
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It's hard, it's it's easy to shoot from the hip now because everybody does it.
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And that's just not the kind, it's just not who Mike is.
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Um, you've covered college, you covered pro.
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Which one have you enjoyed more and what why?
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I have a soft spot for college sports, even high school sports as well.
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Um, I love, I love uh the community, uh, you know, the the the community feel, being on a college campus, the day of a football game or a basketball game, um, you know, the student sections, the cheerleaders, the band, all that stuff.
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I love that pageantry on the Saturdays.
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Um uh and again, even you know, Friday nights, the same thing.
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Um I love I love high school and college sports.
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Um, you know, you're not gonna see the same level uh of uh of efficiency that you see, you know, you know, by the pros.
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But um and I love college too, because I love seeing kids use sports as a means to improve their life, improve their livelihood.
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Um, I love that about college sports.
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And um, you know, uh the media and I think fans sometimes tend to look at those high-level college athletes as uh spoiled, you know, thugs, maybe, and nothing could be further from the truth.
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The vast, vast majority of those kids would would are gonna work their butts off and will run through a brick wall.
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Um, they appreciate what they have, most of them.
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You always see this, you know, the the there's always the bad apples and everything, but but I just love the fact that those kids, for the most part, uh appreciate what they have and appreciate, you know, where it could lead them.
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I I think that's a pretty neat thing.
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That's why I love sports so much, too.
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What do you think social media has done in terms of uh reporting and and things like you're saying there, you know, people perception of universities and the perception of kids.
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I mean, I I know that wasn't a question I necessarily was going to come at you with, but I heard you say something there that sparked that in me.
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Yeah, I mean, I think that's a great example.
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It's certainly different now.
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I mean, I can tell you this, I am uh thrilled that there was no social media when I was that age, uh, because it wouldn't it would have not been good.
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There's too many, um, you know, we talked about you know shooting from the hip.
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Um when you're younger, you do that, you tend to do that more.
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So I think you do see younger athletes, um, maybe athletes who who haven't had money and all of a sudden now who do have money.
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Um, you know, I think that that that that was uh that's it's an avenue that we didn't have, thankfully.
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And that you know, people our age didn't have, otherwise, there would have been trouble.
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You know, Jack Lambert could have tweeted something that would have gotten him in trouble back in the day.
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Who knows?
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He had a temper, right?
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Joe Green did.
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I mean, uh, you know, Lynn Swan liked the limelight, those guys social media, but those guys, we probably would think of them differently.
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So um, you know, if without social media, Antonio Brown might still be a productive member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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You know, so I just think it's a danger, it's a dangerous thing.
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I I um I've seen a lot of kids get in trouble with it, and and that's now, you know, colleges, I guess pro teams do it too.
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Man, they are teaching you classes on how to handle social media.
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Um, and I know a lot of you know, a lot of kids, a couple of Pittsburgh basketball players last year said they needed to just get off of social media for a while because you there's too much there.
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Not only is the opportunity to say what's on your mind, but you're reading everybody else shooting from the hip as well.
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And when you're I I gotta think that would affect you at any age, but when you're 18, 19, and you have people telling you how lousy you are or the opposite, how great you are, uh it's it's it's easy to believe those things, I guess.
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Yeah, you know, you mentioned you mentioned pit basketball, so let's talk a little bit about that.
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They've had their struggles and they flourished under Coach Capel.
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Um, they also struggled mightily under Kevin Stallings, but you know, under Jamie Dixon, they were a consistent winner on the floor, but didn't do as well when they got to the dance.
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So what do you think's going on?
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Is Capel the right guy for that program?
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You know, if we had no COVID this year affecting, you know, possibly affecting this, you know, the the the the sports landscape, I think this would be a a huge year to answer that kind of question for Capel.
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They took some great steps last year, uh, and then things sort of started to fall apart at the end of the season.
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They went back into a slide, and you look at the numbers, numbers weren't much better than they were the year before.
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Um, they have a great recruiting class coming in on paper.
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Um, you know, you you you know as well as anybody that things on paper don't always translate to the to the hardwood, but um it looks like that that was a great hire.
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It really does.
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I I don't know that they deserve to get a hire as good as Capel, quite honestly.
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I think that Capel was in a unique position where he was on the bench with Coach K for a number of years after the success he had and the and and the struggles he had as a um head coach.
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And I think he was waiting for what he thought was a prime opportunity.
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Um, I think it speaks to to the potential of Pitt basketball that Capel took the job.
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Um, you know, he wasn't desperate for a job.
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Uh so I think all those things point to the potential of success.
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Um, you know, I I you know you talked about Dixon.
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I I think that Pitt fans sometimes need to be careful what they wish for.
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They were saying things got a little stale under Jamie Dixon.
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Well, you know, he didn't win enough big games.
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Well, they solved that.
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They don't play in big games anymore, you know, without them.
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So um the Kevin Stallings hire was maybe one of the worst decisions that that Pitt has made, and that's saying a lot.
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They've made a lot of bad decisions.
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Um Jamie Dixon, his last team, even though the his ACC years weren't great, he left them with the team that made the AC uh that made the NCAA tournament.
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They did lose in the first round.
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They won two games in the ACC tournament that year.
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Yeah.
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Uh five starters returned, and they had two players coming off the bench in Cameron Johnson uh and Ryan Luther, who ended up transferring and becoming major, major stars.
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Uh Cam Johnson's playing in the NBA right now.
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So that was the seven players that he gave, you know, that that team under Kevin Stallings had.
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He won four ACC games that year.
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I mean, Cam Johnson was just remarkable.
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Cam Johnson was a local talent up in Pittsburgh, right?
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Yeah, both both Luther and Johnson.
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Cam Johnson uh came out of uh of the moon area, um, our Lady of Sacred Heart, a real small little uh class A school.
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And Ryan Luther um played up north um Hampton, maybe it was from the Hampton area.
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Okay.
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Um so yeah, I mean they they they had uh they had some local talent.
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They had five starters returning from that team, plus those two off the bench.
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And I don't know how that collapse happened, but boy, it was quick and it was it was ugly to watch, and then they don't win a game the next year, and practically the whole team transfers.
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So Capel took over a very, very difficult job.
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Um again, I think Pitt was lucky to get him, and I think this year, provided they play a full schedule and everything goes the way uh you know you would want it to, even if they start late, um, I think this will be a very, very telling year.
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Uh they have talent, they're getting better, but it's real tough to play in the ACC uh, you know, when you're rebuilding a program from scratch.
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He didn't seem to be shaken.
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He had um what, two, three kids transfer out after this season.
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Yep.
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Doesn't seem to shake him.
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And I I love that about him because, you know, for a coach like that, he just wants guys who want to be there for him.
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And quite frankly, uh what two of the three guys that transferred out were contributors.
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So I was again, no question.
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I mean, uh, you know, they ended up at Tulane Um and Nebraska.
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So um, you know, yeah, these are uh these are these are kids that can play.
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And uh, you know, these were guys who, like you said, were major contributors.
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So um I think that's what I you know, you mentioned him not being shaken.
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I think the the the experience he had, not only at Duke, but being a head coach and seeing he took an Oklahoma team to the Elite Eight, he had some recruiting issues there, uh got fired from a job.
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I think again, that kind of stuff um, you know, uh has helped him sort of steal him as a head coach.
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And I think uh if if if you're trying to do the job he's doing, that's an important, uh, important character trait he has to not be shaken.
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And yeah, some of those teams are gonna get blown out sometimes, you know, when you put the teams uh that he's putting on the floor against some of those ACC top-tier teams.
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Um, and again, it's just you know, forget about it, go back and play the next game.
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His teams never stopped coming, which I think was the most important thing.
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Kevin Stalling's teams were quitting a lot, and I don't remember a cable team.
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Um a blowout here or there, yeah, but a cable team that quit.
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You didn't see that very often.
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I love listening to him talk.
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Um so let's say cable starts stringing together some wins and he starts doing some good things.
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Um, a big-time basketball program comes calling.
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Let's say Coach K decides to call quits.
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Uh does he go back there if they come uh come knocking at his door?
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Are those two biggest shoes to fill?
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I mean, that could be a setup going back to Duke.
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You know, I I I I interviewed Johnny Majors uh before he passed away, um, 2012, 13 maybe.
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And um, you know, he won a national championship in four years at Pitt and in 1976 in the offseason, his his alma mater came calling.
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And, you know, he was very, very open, talking about it, you know, decades later, saying that, you know, that was a mistake.
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I should not have gone back to Tennessee.
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But if I had to do it all over again, I don't know how I could have said no.
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You know, you know, he said your ego gets to the point where you had some success, and now all these fans and all these people are telling you how much they want you to come home.
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It's hard not to.
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So um, you know, I maybe cable has gotten to the point where um, you know, he's had enough experience, and maybe, like you said, that's you know, following Coach K is going to be a real tough job.
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Following uh following Dean Smith at UNC was really, really difficult.
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Um Roy Williams has done a great job.
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Yeah, no doubt.
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I, you know, you look at Penn State, Bill O'Brien did a phenomenal job following Joe Paterno, um, but that talk about a hard job.
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Now the circumstances were obviously very, very different.
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Right.
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Um but it's tough to replace a legend.
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Uh but I just don't see how Capel could say no to that.
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And I will say this: if Duke decides that they want Jeff Capel, in my opinion, that means pit basketball will have reached some unprecedented heights.
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So uh if if Duke is the program that pulls Capel away, Pitt fans will probably have had some uh some fun nights watching their team on a pretty big maybe Brandon Knight will get his shot finally, huh?
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Timing now would be perfect for Brandon Knight.
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Yeah, let's suppose another three or four years go by and Capel does get pit to that level.
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Yeah, now, you know, I think Brandon Knight was probably a little bit too young to take the job when they gave it to Stallings, although hard to imagine it could have turned out worse.
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Yeah.
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But yeah, I mean, Brandon Knight is really cutting his teeth now.
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Rutgers are starting to have some success as well, so uh that would almost be a perfect scenario.
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I um I want to flip over to pit football a little bit.
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I live in Maryland, and Coach Norduzzi's been recruiting hard here for pit football.
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Um, you know, they pulled two kids from my high school uh two years ago, A.J.
00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:42.720
Wood, a defensive back, and DeAndre Jules, a defensive lineman.
00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:51.519
Um they also grabbed the kid from the town I live in, Frederick, Maryland, uh, very sought-after receiver and Jordan Addison, whom I'm I'm familiar with the kid.
00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:58.240
Um they went out and got themselves a four or five-star transfer quarterback to replace Pickett when Pickett's done after this year.
00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:03.519
Um the defense returning this year is I'll tell you what, I just saw a thing last night I was reading.
00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:10.079
They're ranked the number one defense in the AC ACC going into going into the preseason.
00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:14.240
Um could be a special year for them if they can get that offense rolling.
00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:23.599
Um, talk a little bit about pit football, your impressions of the direction you think they're headed, and if you think Coach Narduzzi is actually the guy to get them to where they need to be again.
00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:28.880
You know, boy, pit football is such a such a difficult monster to get your hands on.
00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:32.960
Um, you know, they they they haven't been able to get out of their own way for so so long.
00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:37.680
Um finally started to have some success under Dave Wansted, you know, one bad season.
00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:43.680
Uh and and admittedly, Wansted didn't he he underachieved big time his final year.
00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:52.240
Um, but you know, again, be careful what you wish for because they did not replace him, they did not do a very good job replacing him, and it's been a battle since then.
00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:54.319
I think they've been patient with Narduzzi.
00:17:54.559 --> 00:18:04.240
I think if you look at what Narduzzi um was able to accomplish along with Mark D'Antonio at Michigan State, and you look at that side by side with what's going on at Pitt, it looks awfully similar.
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:07.440
Um, things are starting to trend in that direction.
00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:10.960
Uh, if they are able to have a full season this year, I really agree with you.
00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:17.200
I think that this is the first time in a long time that there are high expectations and they're legitimate expectations.
00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:20.960
Um, that defense, like you said, it was a really good defense last year.
00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:26.319
Uh, and they're returning a couple of guys who who who missed two defensive tackles, who missed all of that.
00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:26.960
Right.
00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:29.759
Um, so yeah, it's very exciting.
00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:35.200
I think that defense is finally, it's it's really on paper exactly what Narduzzi envisioned.
00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:39.920
Uh, it looks like the Michigan State defense athletically, really level by level by level.
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:43.519
It looks the same as the great defenses he had at Michigan State.
00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:52.079
Um, you know, they've got a couple of players who could be, could be on NFL rosters right now who decided to come back for those, you know, for those senior uh for their senior seasons.
00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:56.079
Paris Ford, um you know, just a remarkable player.
00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:05.200
Uh kind of reminds you, I'm not going to compare him to the kind of pro Troy Palomalu was, but he's all over the field just like number 43 was for the Steelers.
00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:07.759
Um a hard hitter, uh, an athletic kid.
00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:12.960
So yeah, that defense, again, saying they're the best in the ACC, though, that's a big statement.
00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:14.880
Um, you know, Virginia Tech has a good defense.
00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:17.279
North Carolina, I haven't even mentioned Clemson.
00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.279
Uh, Miami is loaded with talent.
00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:30.240
So uh, you know, I think Kenny Pickett was a little bit, quite frankly, got got a little bit um, I don't want to say he's underrated, but I think he got some unfair criticism last year.
00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:33.200
He didn't have much of an offensive line or much of a running game.
00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:35.680
Uh obviously those things go hand in hand.
00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.839
Um, and they had a lot of drops too.
00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:40.000
So, and you know, he was still able to put up those numbers.
00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:42.160
He's got a coordinator coming back again.
00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:45.359
Uh, so he's working with the same coordinator for the second year in a row.
00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:49.039
Defensively, the same thing, just a lot of positives going on for Pitt.
00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:55.680
Now, Mark, the the problem is Pitt's been in this situation before, and that's when they go seven and six, and a coach gets fired.
00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:59.599
And, you know, we're talking it's five years before we talk about that again.
00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:02.799
So um Narduzzi's defense, he's not been that coach.
00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:05.119
This is the first time he he has it where he has it.
00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:07.359
Recruiting has been very, very good, as you mentioned.
00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:09.279
Not only the Maryland area, but Virginia.
00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:13.599
That whole area, they're doing a, you know, that whole that whole region, they're doing a great job.
00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:16.960
Um, Narduzie has a challenge that most pit coaches hasn't had.
00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:19.359
The WPIAL is not what it once was.
00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:21.440
All of Western PA is not what it once was.
00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:25.200
Um, even 15 years ago, you had a lot more players to choose from.
00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:30.160
So that's a challenge that that that Narduzi has to deal with that other coaches haven't.
00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:35.200
Um again, I mentioned that this was gonna be a big year for uh for Jeff Capel.
00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:37.920
I think an even bigger year for Narduzzi.
00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:46.240
Um because if they don't succeed, if they have you know slip-ups, if they lose games to teams that they're better than, that Pitt fan base is not very patient.
00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:47.519
They're gonna be calling for his head.
00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:48.640
They were early last year.
00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:49.359
Yeah, they were.
00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:54.160
You know, he loses to Clemson in the AFC in the ACC title game, and people want him fired.
00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:57.440
So um, but I think he has them in a great direction.
00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:03.200
Uh and um I guess we have to wait and see if we even can get a full, you know, a full season.
00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:09.759
One thing I think he has, and it's because he's returning a lot of um veteran players, is he's got some leadership there.
00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:14.319
I you know, just a lot of things I read, see, you know, I follow a lot of those guys on Twitter.
00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:20.799
They're veteran leaders and they don't make poor choices about what they put out there, where some guys do.
00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:26.720
And I love that he somebody's in their ear, or he is uh definitely recruiting kids with high character.
00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:33.279
I know the two kids he grabbed from my high school, and he was going after a big time recruit from my high school, but he he chose a different school.
00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:36.319
But uh the kids he's recruiting are character kids.
00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:39.119
Like the AJ Wood kid, I know very, very well.
00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:40.880
DeAndre Jules, I know very well.
00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:42.720
Pretty high character kids.
00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:47.839
I think I think those are the kind of kids that get your program to that next level, to be honest.
00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:50.160
Mark, I think that's a phenomenal point.
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:53.440
That's those are the kind of kids he won with at uh Michigan State.
00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:55.920
Um and I think you started to see that last year.
00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:59.839
Pitt won some games last year that previous Pitt teams would have lost.
00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:02.079
Sometimes it wasn't always pretty.
00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:11.359
Sometimes they let teams come back in the fourth quarter, but several times, four or five times, they found a way to win games that a year before, two years before, three years before, they would have lost.
00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:14.799
I think he lets kids develop that leadership on their own.
00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:20.319
He does close ranks a lot, um, and he tries to keep the media and and and everybody out.
00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:22.720
But I don't think he dominates those kids.
00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:24.799
I think he lets the kids find their footing.
00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:32.960
Um, I only really covered them for Narduzi's first year, uh a little bit his second year as well, so I can't comment on him as much as I could the coaches before him.
00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:34.880
And I was a big fan of Paul Christmas.
00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:39.920
Um, but uh yeah, I just you know, I I think you exactly what you're talking about.
00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:43.599
I think you saw that uh take place on the field last year.
00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:47.920
They just won games, even and they didn't have those mental meltdowns, right?
00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:53.039
Um when everything was going poorly, they found a way to withstand it and somehow eke out a win.
00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:55.519
I took my son to the North Carolina game.
00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:57.599
Um perfect example.
00:22:58.000 --> 00:22:59.839
It was a great, yeah, right there.
00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:00.880
And you know what?
00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:10.160
We sat in a family section because one of the kids um who I had in class hooked me up with some tickets, and uh Trey Tipton, who was out for the season.
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:11.920
Um, he saw my son sitting there.
00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:13.279
My son moved down to the front row.
00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:14.480
We were five rows back.
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:18.799
He wanted to sit front rows, his first Division I uh college football game.
00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:19.839
He's 10 years old.
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:36.000
And Trey saw him sitting there and he came over and he starts talking to him up in the crowd in between stuff, and he he brings him over a towel and he says to my son, he says, Every time we're on defense and it's third down, I want you to stand up and wave this towel and scream as loud as you can.
00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:42.400
And I thought, wow, that that right there tells me a lot about who's in this program as well.
00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:47.599
He's from he's from the Apollo, he went to Apollo Ridge and I went to Kiski area growing up.
00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:53.599
So uh I know a lot of his extended family and people like that, and they speak very highly of him.
00:23:53.680 --> 00:24:01.279
But that right there was my first experience of seeing that kid in person, and um, it really showed me what that program was all about.
00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:02.799
I that's a great example.
00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:12.559
And again, talk about a kid who is extremely high character, Tipton, you know, clearly is is is is one of those kind of kids, and that was the word on him coming out of high school, and that's an experience your son's never gonna forget.
00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:14.640
You know, that's a that's a that's a really cool thing.
00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:17.200
So, does Pitt need a football stadium?
00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:19.759
That's such a tough question.
00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:26.799
I mean, you know, one thing I think is one of the biggest fallacies in Pittsburgh sports is pit pit does not draw.
00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:29.759
Playing playing off of campus hurts.
00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:31.359
There's no question about that.
00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:40.720
Um, but Pitt didn't draw fair, they they didn't sell out Pitt Stadium when they were going 11 and 1 every year under Jackie Sherrill in 1976.
00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:42.240
They didn't average a sellout that year.
00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:45.599
They sold out West Virginia, Penn State, Notre Dame.
00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:51.279
Um, when they would go 9-3, they would have 20,000 empty seats in that stadium.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:25:01.440
So Pitt, for whatever reason, be it um the fact that it's it's it's it's an urban campus, uh, it's not a sprawling campus like a Penn State or an Ohio State or a Michigan.
00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:08.720
Um couple that with their shocking lack of success, quite frankly, their shocking mediocrity over the past you know 40-something years.
00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:09.440
Yeah.
00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:16.720
You know, if they win, they're gonna get fans, whether it's at Pitt Stadium or whether it's at Heinz Field.
00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:25.039
When Dave Wansett played Cincinnati the last game of the season in December for the de facto Biggies Championship back in 2008, that place was sold out.
00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:28.000
That was as loud a game as I've seen in that stadium.
00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:30.319
It was as exciting a pit game as I've ever seen.
00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:32.880
Of course, Pitt being Pitt, they lose in the last minute.
00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:35.039
Um, but it was a phenomenal football game.
00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:37.759
Uh, you go back about five years before that.
00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:40.960
Uh, not Penn State, not Notre Dame, not West Virginia.
00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:46.079
Pitt filled that place up uh under Walt Harris to play Virginia Tech on a Saturday afternoon.
00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:47.680
ESPN game day was there.
00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:52.880
Lusaka Polite scores a touchdown in the last minute of the of the of the game to win the game.
00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:56.559
Um fans will come if Pitt if Pitt wins.
00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:59.920
Uh if Dave wants to, I'm sorry, I'm living in the past here.
00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:06.640
If Pat and Arduzi puts together a winner, uh you know, are they gonna get 55, 60 every single game?
00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:07.200
No.
00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:11.119
But when the big games come, it's gonna be loud, it's gonna be close to being full.
00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:15.279
I just don't know where you put a stadium in Oakland at this point.
00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:21.599
Um, you know, uh losing Pitt Stadium, gosh, it's so many great memories, such a great tradition.
00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:27.279
I think it's in the past, and I think Pitt's gonna have to play, you know, on the north side from here on out.
00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:29.599
I just don't see a stadium being built there.
00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:32.480
What kind of job do you think Heather likes doing as AD?
00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:34.000
She's been there a few years now.
00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:37.279
Um I feel like she's put her stamp on some things.
00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:39.759
I think there's some things she needs to do yet.
00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:40.960
What do you think?
00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:43.599
I think I I I think I agree with you.
00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:45.599
Um I think the jury's still out a little bit.
00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:49.279
You know, I think that she made a very good decision with the basketball program.
00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:53.039
Um, I think the patience that she showed Pat Narduzzi is gonna pay off.
00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:56.160
Um, you know, sometimes the best move is not making a move.
00:26:56.319 --> 00:27:00.160
Um, Steve Peterson maybe wishes that he he had he had done that.
00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:00.559
Yeah.
00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:03.200
Um, you know, sometimes patience is good.
00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:06.400
Um she made some decisions with the wrestling program that I don't agree with.
00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:09.119
I think she alienated some some some alumni.
00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:16.640
Um, you know, they they hired, uh I don't think you had to hire a pit guy, but there was a lot of interest from former pit wrestlers.
00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:33.279
A lot of Pittsburgh people were interested in that job, and um the decision to not interview some of those people uh I think I think uh made some people um you know react in such a way that maybe they weren't sure if she was trying to make a statement or or what, but I think she did alienate some people there.
00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:36.400
Um the Olympic sports are probably gonna be a good measuring stick.
00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:40.160
Can she get girls basketball back uh to a respectable you know spot?
00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:41.759
The volleyball team has been very good.
00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:48.480
Can they get baseball and softball uh playing up to a up you know up to the kind of a level that that they can be successful in the ACC?
00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:50.480
Those are all questions that are still out.
00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:54.640
Um, I think they're making the right moves on campus to try to give those teams the resources they need.
00:27:54.720 --> 00:28:01.119
But at the end of the day, Mark, it's you know, it comes down, you know, it comes comes down to whether Jeff Capel has success and whether Pat Narduzzi has success.
00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:02.319
There's no doubt about it.
00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:05.039
If you do, you're gonna forgive a lot of other things.
00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:11.279
I'll tell you, they they recruit my high school for not only uh uh football, but they come down, they recruited for track.
00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:12.480
Uh Shayem Wright.
00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:14.160
I don't know if you're familiar with Shaeem.
00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:23.359
He's another one of my kids, uh Adida Passima, um, you know, outstanding track athletes, and and um it didn't take much to sell them on Pitt.
00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:31.759
I am just amazed how many kids come from from Germantown, Maryland, and go out and go to school with Pitt, either for athletics or or just the education.
00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:37.440
And I know Pitt's a great school, uh, but it just uh it's a good thing, in my opinion.
00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:43.839
Um, even though I've been here 20-some years, um I always say you can take the man out of the bird, but you can't take the berg out of the man.
00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:45.279
I'm right there with you.
00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:48.400
You you've had experience covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.
00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:54.319
Is the problem the owner, philosophy, drafting, the GM?
00:28:54.480 --> 00:28:55.920
What is it in your opinion?
00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:59.359
And um, can they turn this thing around without a salary cap?
00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:01.039
Uh the problem, I think.
00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:02.559
I'll I'll answer yes to all those.
00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:05.200
I'll take and uh I'll give you an easy answer and just say yes.
00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:19.599
I you know, they're not gonna win in Pittsburgh, in my opinion, with the current owner, unless they they catch lightning in a bottle like they did those those those those you know three seasons a couple of years ago.
00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:24.160
Um and you know, it's everything like the perfect storm had to happen.
00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:32.880
You know, they had to avoid injuries, they had to have a lot of those uh you know veteran pitchers work out, and they did um, you know, Liriano, AJ Burnett, you can go on and on.
00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:41.519
They got, you know, I mean, finding Jason Grilly and turning him into an all-star closer, um, you know, those kind of moves, it's very unusual for all those moves to work out.
00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:47.039
You know, typically you end up getting a guy hurt, you end up with a suspension like Marte had a couple of years back.
00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:48.880
I mean, you know, those things happen.
00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:56.160
Um, every catcher they signed, you know, for a couple, you know, a couple of uh uh uh you know contract uh you know lengths in a row worked out perfectly.
00:29:56.319 --> 00:30:01.119
Russell Martin turning into a great player, um, you know, those things just worked out.
00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:13.359
Uh everything worked out, but unless they catch lightning in a bottle under the current owner they have, and unless baseball gives ownership a reason to change, nothing isn't gonna change.
00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:14.000
Why would he?
00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:16.880
He's making money, baseball allows him to do what he's doing.
00:30:17.119 --> 00:30:20.960
Um and you know, I think Neil Huntington didn't get enough credit.
00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:25.680
I think he did a heck of a job with one hand tied behind his back uh trying to win games.
00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:27.680
I I think it just wasn't gonna last.
00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:33.440
There's no way Huntington could have lasted uh given the resources that he had or quite frankly didn't have.
00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:36.079
They did a heck of a job in the draft.
00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:39.359
And then, you know, they spent money in the draft that other people weren't spending.
00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:39.599
Right.
00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:43.680
And then baseball comes along and says, no, you can't spend that much money in the in the draft.
00:30:43.839 --> 00:30:50.799
Um, to me, spending money in the draft is like gambling on yourself, you know, and and and so you know they even they even took that away from them.
00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:56.319
So um to paraphrase Rick Petino, I don't think Mark Cuban's walking through that door anytime soon.
00:30:56.480 --> 00:30:56.799
Right.
00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:03.920
Um that's what they would need, a guy who doesn't care about uh you know the bottom line, the bottom line for the owner has to be winning.
00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:08.400
And it baseball doesn't make ownership do that.
00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:13.440
Um so I just think it's gonna be a long without a ceiling, not exactly.
00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:14.559
Yeah, exactly.
00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:32.880
You know, uh right, right, right, without a ceiling, um, you know, without without without a floor, even uh I just think it's gonna be real, real difficult for for them to have any kind of sustained success, the way the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have, the way the Indians have, the way some of those smaller market teams have, um the A's, you know, for a period of time there as well.
00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:33.359
The twins.
00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:35.200
Twins, Marlins, you know, can't be.
00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:36.000
Even the Marlins.
00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:36.559
Yeah.
00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:37.839
You know, absolutely.
00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:39.440
I just think it's gonna be very, very difficult.
00:31:39.680 --> 00:31:46.480
So I hate to say that, but uh baseball in Pittsburgh, I think baseball in general is not on great footing right now.
00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:50.640
That's interesting you mentioned that because I was gonna ask you what you think's gonna happen here.
00:31:50.799 --> 00:31:54.079
The owners and players just can't seem to find common ground.
00:31:54.319 --> 00:31:57.119
Um, I mean, are we gonna have a season?
00:31:57.200 --> 00:32:01.359
Uh are they willing to let let the other sports get started and jump over them?
00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:09.920
And you know, if if they don't have baseball this year, I think I said this last week in my news and noteworthy because I read it several times.
00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:14.160
If they don't have a season this year, it's feasible next year's in jeopardy too.
00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:17.680
And then you're coming into a CBA after the 21 season.
00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:19.359
So what do you think?
00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:26.240
I mean, in your opinion, Mark, what if you have a season that what if you don't have a season and no one misses it?
00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:51.440
You know, I mean, uh, and and and the way things are lining up right now, assuming everybody comes back, you're gonna have NBA playoffs, you're gonna have, and think about it from a Pittsburgh point of view, you're gonna have a championship caliber team that has been playing at a championship caliber level for over a decade now in the Penguins, come back and start a sprint to another possible Stanley Cup, and you're gonna have the Steelers, who are obviously king, the NFL's king everywhere anyway.
00:32:51.599 --> 00:33:04.960
Um, so you're gonna have NFL on track as usual, you're gonna have NBA playoffs, and you're gonna have hockey playoffs, and you know, the potential of um college football as well.
00:33:05.200 --> 00:33:10.480
So if you have all those things and baseball doesn't happen, no one's gonna miss it.
00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:13.279
Um there's less fans than there ever have been.
00:33:13.440 --> 00:33:14.880
What if no one misses baseball?
00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:17.359
What does baseball have to stand on at that point?
00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:23.680
I I you know I think baseball has let athletes um from the inner city get away from the game.
00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:29.200
You know, there's there's basketball courts, there's NBA, you know, the NBA spends money in the cities.
00:33:29.359 --> 00:33:31.440
The NFL spends money in their inner cities.
00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:33.359
Major League Baseball doesn't.
00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:40.559
Um, you know, they don't spend much here and there they do, but they don't spend a ton of money in the inner cities, so they're losing that population.
00:33:40.880 --> 00:33:45.519
Um, they're losing, you know, I think they're losing, I just think they're losing fans everywhere.
00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:54.799
Uh, you know, the game is too long, the game is too boring, the pitching changes, and then you come down to this millionaire versus billionaire battle that we have going on right now.
00:33:54.960 --> 00:33:55.599
Who needs it?
00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:58.559
I think that's what so many fans are thinking about right now.
00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:05.759
And I just think they are, like you said, if there's no season this year, um it puts next year in jeopardy as well.
00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:09.199
And then we're talking about, you know, they need to overhaul the game somehow.
00:34:09.360 --> 00:34:11.360
Um, I don't think they realize that.
00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:16.159
Cutting 42 teams out of their minor league system, though, is I think that's ridiculous.
00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:20.239
I think you need to find a better way to not cut those teams out.
00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:23.760
I mean, my son and I last summer went to nine different ballparks.
00:34:23.920 --> 00:34:28.000
We have a minor league team in our town, and we go to those games all the time.
00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:33.760
And now they're talking about getting rid of them because their facilities don't meet the needs of today's players.
00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:36.159
You're high-level A baseball players.
00:34:36.239 --> 00:34:37.760
What exactly do you need?
00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:43.599
You know, I I mean, it's kind of incredible to me that that they had that mentality, almost like a holier than now.
00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:51.519
And I don't see how they can actually have that mentality when you're getting the opportunity to play a child's game and earn money doing it.
00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:52.480
It's incredible.
00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:58.400
And minor league baseball has existed uh for so, so long, and it's been such a fabric of the game for so, so long.
00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:00.079
Um, it's a beautiful experience.
00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:05.679
I mean, you you're talking, you know, I mean, again, that's that's one of the things I love about North Carolina, which is where I am now.
00:35:05.760 --> 00:35:13.599
There's so many minor league teams all over the place, and you can travel, you know, 40 minutes in any direction and catch a game at any level almost.
00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:22.079
And uh, you know, to lose that, I think again, there's still a folksy part of baseball, and that's where it comes from is the minor leagues.
00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:24.159
Um, players pay their dues.
00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:27.679
Uh, you have such a respect for the major leagues once you get there.
00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:33.199
Um, I don't think the players in single A ball are the ones complaining, especially the ones who are now out of a job.
00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:33.679
Right.
00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:42.159
Um, you know, uh again, it's just such a beautiful part of the game, such a fabric of I hate to get too dramatic, but it's kind of a fabric of the American summer, I think, you know.
00:35:42.320 --> 00:35:48.639
And um, yeah, that's that that that isn't that's not the way to fix it, is to cut out that part of the game.
00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:50.800
There's there's parts of the game that we could do without.
00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:51.760
That's not one of them.
00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:55.360
Our city's really holding out hope that they don't get rid of the keys that they come back.
00:35:55.519 --> 00:36:11.920
Um, you think the owners could be using this to, or baseball in general could be using this as a uh uh a way of getting that salary cap or or having the DH implemented, um, at least posturing themselves more significantly for the CBA after the 2021 season?
00:36:12.239 --> 00:36:13.119
I think that makes sense.
00:36:13.199 --> 00:36:14.880
I think that's pretty good observation, really.
00:36:14.960 --> 00:36:25.760
I mean, I think if you look at, you know, Cameron Hayward, as Steelers uh defensive lineman, said the other day on a conference call that that um you know COVID is not going to bend for the NFL.
00:36:25.840 --> 00:36:28.400
The NFL has to bend for COVID.
00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:38.639
And um, if you look at baseball, the bends that baseball is making, the changes that they're making, are changes that are that are right inside the game.
00:36:38.719 --> 00:36:43.440
You know, football's not talking about you know changing the 60 minutes that you're playing on Sunday.
00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:46.480
They're talking about scheduling and training and that kind of stuff.
00:36:46.559 --> 00:36:47.840
Those are the changes that they're making.
00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:49.840
Same with hockey, same with basketball.
00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:54.320
Baseball's talking about changing the rules of the game.
00:36:54.480 --> 00:36:59.679
Um, so yeah, I think if you look at it, maybe from the top, they're finally starting to realize we do have some issues.
00:36:59.840 --> 00:37:08.400
You know, they're talking about um, you know, allowing re-entry this season, you know, going DH uh, you know, league wide, um, expanding the rosters.
00:37:08.559 --> 00:37:13.199
I think all of those sorts of things, like they're talking about starting extra innings with guys on second base now.
00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:23.760
Um I think all of those things could be uh, you know, permanent parts of the change if if they play and see how these things go this year.
00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:27.440
Um I wouldn't, I would never believe that, oh, that's only for this year only.
00:37:27.519 --> 00:37:30.800
Those things could become permanent parts of uh of the game.
00:37:31.039 --> 00:37:32.800
But again, you never know with baseball.
00:37:32.960 --> 00:37:40.400
One of the great places to try those out is on your minor leagues, and now they're getting rid of, you know, talking about getting rid of a huge portion of the minor leagues.
00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:41.760
That's one fourth of it.
00:37:42.159 --> 00:37:44.800
One fourth of the minor leagues are talking about cutting out.
00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:48.400
Let's jump to the NFL a little, uh, talk some Steeler football.
00:37:48.639 --> 00:37:53.119
Um, why do you think many people uh value Ben coming back?
00:37:53.280 --> 00:37:55.599
Is he the difference uh in the team?
00:37:55.679 --> 00:37:57.599
And what do you think about Mason Rudolph?
00:37:57.679 --> 00:38:02.079
Is he gonna be the air parent to Ben or are they gonna have to go out and find somebody else?
00:38:02.400 --> 00:38:11.679
Man, you know, I think one of the big mistakes that the Steelers made this year, and I know you're limited with your with your cap, but um I would have loved to have seen a veteran quarterback come in as a potential backup.
00:38:11.760 --> 00:38:12.559
That may still happen.
00:38:12.639 --> 00:38:14.159
There's still time, certainly.
00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:21.360
Um, but boy, was it ever so obvious last year um how much of a drop-off the Steelers had.
00:38:21.440 --> 00:38:26.880
And Mason Rudolph, I think, did a pretty decent job of managing the game for a while until in until his injury.
00:38:27.039 --> 00:38:35.199
And and um it was fun watching Duck for a little bit, but let's face it, we're talking about a guy who probably shouldn't be in the league, let alone starting on Sundays.
00:38:35.360 --> 00:38:37.920
Um that team went eight and eight.
00:38:38.159 --> 00:38:39.360
That team went eight and eight.
00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:40.880
Which is amazing.
00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:47.360
It's yeah, that that that I mean, with no, you know, with Duck Hodges um in and out of the line.
00:38:47.760 --> 00:38:54.400
Yeah, right, with Mason and Duck back and forth at the end of the season, um, defense carried that team, obviously.
00:38:54.559 --> 00:38:58.480
But, you know, yeah, I mean I think Ben does make a that big a difference.
00:38:58.559 --> 00:39:02.639
I think even a subpar Ben gives them a much, much better offense.
00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:04.320
I think you can do things offensively.
00:39:04.400 --> 00:39:06.639
I think you can game plan a little bit differently.
00:39:06.880 --> 00:39:15.760
Um, but I guess my first thought was man, were we spoiled with Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich coming off the bench.
00:39:15.920 --> 00:39:18.239
Um, those guys were veteran quarterbacks.
00:39:18.400 --> 00:39:25.039
When Ben was injured, when Ben was suspended, when Ben missed time, they, you know, we talked about Jeff Capel not flinching.
00:39:25.199 --> 00:39:26.559
Those guys didn't flinch.
00:39:26.639 --> 00:39:30.559
They knew exactly what their role was, they knew what the offense looked like with them in it.
00:39:30.719 --> 00:39:35.519
Um, and I think I don't think you had to do too much different when you had those kind of guys coming off the bench.
00:39:35.599 --> 00:39:42.400
They heck when they had when those were their two backups, Mark, they probably had three of the best 50 or 45 quarterbacks in the league.
00:39:42.480 --> 00:39:45.280
Um, those guys were better than most backup quarterbacks.
00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:48.159
And um, you know, it's just a huge, huge drop-off.
00:39:48.239 --> 00:39:54.400
I think Landry Jones was a was a a solid, maybe a typical NFL backup quarterback.
00:39:54.559 --> 00:39:57.840
I think the jury's out on whether Mason Rudolph can even be that.
00:39:57.920 --> 00:40:01.280
Um, I don't know how they could possibly view him as the air apparent.
00:40:01.599 --> 00:40:11.760
And, you know, I understand them not going after a quarterback this year because to me they got to be all in trying to win right now, but they're gonna have to make some real hard decisions real soon.
00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:20.960
I I kind of Andrew Filipponi from uh the fan, 937 The Fan, um I I loved his campaign to get Jameis Winston.
00:40:21.280 --> 00:40:23.280
Initially I was kind of like, really, Winston?
00:40:23.599 --> 00:40:30.639
And then I start looking at facts about Winston, and I think I talked about him in one of my uh earlier episodes of my podcast.
00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:35.519
And man, he's everything that would fit the Steelers system.
00:40:35.760 --> 00:40:39.360
I I'm not exactly sure why they wouldn't go out and at least dangle something out there.
00:40:39.440 --> 00:40:45.679
I mean, he went to he went to New Orleans on what, a million bucks as a backup quarterback, and they they signed the other guy.
00:40:45.760 --> 00:40:46.480
What's his name?
00:40:46.719 --> 00:40:50.719
Um uh the 30-year-old backup that they have now for Drew Brees.
00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:51.920
I keep drawing a brand.
00:40:52.559 --> 00:41:03.199
Um you know who I'm talking about, but you mean uh yeah, yeah, no, uh the kid who's at uh um uh New Orleans.
00:41:03.679 --> 00:41:11.599
Anyway, you know, they already had a guy that they liked that was that it comes in and gets some reps multiple sets for New Orleans.
00:41:11.760 --> 00:41:14.079
So they bring in uh Winston for what?
00:41:14.239 --> 00:41:16.320
Is Winston going to be their starter after this year?
00:41:16.480 --> 00:41:19.840
Is that what they're um is that what the the plan is?
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:30.559
I mean, I I thought he could have easily came into Pittsburgh, got some guidance, uh, been put in a good position, learn under Ben, and he's only 25, 26 years old.
00:41:30.800 --> 00:41:31.440
That's what's amazing.
00:41:31.519 --> 00:41:32.639
I think he's 25 still.
00:41:32.960 --> 00:41:35.679
And he has five years of starting experience.
00:41:35.920 --> 00:41:46.000
You know, you can't let what he did last year under Bruce Arians and Brian Leftwich just chucking the ball all over the place be an indicator of his whole entire career.
00:41:46.159 --> 00:41:49.920
I mean, I thought that was just asinine, to be quite honest with you.
00:41:50.159 --> 00:41:56.000
I really would have liked to have seen them gone out and and you know, dangle something in front of him.
00:41:56.239 --> 00:42:04.719
I think it would have been a perfect fit because again, I mean, you know, he's willing to be a backup, and and and you're willing to be a backup to a guy who's a you know probable Hall of Famer.
00:42:04.800 --> 00:42:09.840
It isn't like you're being asked to sit behind uh, you know, you know, some uh you know Joe Six Pack somewhere.
00:42:09.920 --> 00:42:11.199
So Taysom Hill.
00:42:11.760 --> 00:42:19.920
And right and you know, chances of of him playing as a backup to Rothensburger are are pretty good.
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:25.840
Yeah, you know, um, you know, guys that are 38 years old typically don't take every snap over a 16-game season.
00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:35.440
So um the chances of getting in there and playing a little bit, and then yeah, I think there's a real good chance that uh, you know, next year in Pittsburgh, if things could have led toward him, you know, taking over.
00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:43.199
And um, I think there's enough leadership in the Steeler locker room as well that that that that wouldn't have been an issue.
00:42:43.360 --> 00:42:48.639
And there weren't, you know, I think people maybe some sometimes tend to misunderstand um Winston.
00:42:48.880 --> 00:42:53.599
Yeah, he did have some issues, he's had some issues in the NFL, none of it was locker room related.
00:42:53.679 --> 00:42:58.320
Um, never heard anybody say this guy was a cancer or this guy caused any kind of internal strife.
00:42:58.400 --> 00:43:02.960
Um, I think, again, I think he needs to mature, and I don't know that there would have been a better way.
00:43:03.039 --> 00:43:07.199
I think Tomlin um is very good at that kind of a thing.
00:43:07.280 --> 00:43:10.239
Uh, and and and I think that would have been a great, a great fit.
00:43:10.400 --> 00:43:12.000
That's obviously not going to happen.
00:43:12.159 --> 00:43:16.480
Um and again, I think that's to Pittsburgh's detriment that they don't have a veteran backup.
00:43:16.800 --> 00:43:20.000
I've read and heard many of the beat writers and especially the athletics.
00:43:20.079 --> 00:43:27.280
Ed Bouchette uh say the Juju will not be a Steeler after this year, and quite possibly James James Connor as well.
00:43:27.440 --> 00:43:32.480
Um, what do you think about the future of those two guys and quite frankly, the the future of the Steeler organization?
00:43:32.559 --> 00:43:39.519
I mean, Ben's 38, he's commanding$34 million a year, he's the second highest paid quarterback starting the season.
00:43:39.599 --> 00:43:48.159
You've got these two guys who just two years ago were the more key players essentially, because Juju won the uh team MVP.
00:43:48.400 --> 00:43:50.400
Uh, you know, what where are they headed?
00:43:50.480 --> 00:43:51.760
What what do you think about those two guys?
00:43:51.920 --> 00:43:52.960
You think they'll be back?
00:43:53.199 --> 00:43:56.480
You know, um, you mentioned Ed Bouchette, he's he's as good as anybody, by the way.
00:43:56.559 --> 00:43:59.119
I think he's as good an NFL writer as there is in the country.
00:43:59.280 --> 00:44:06.239
Um But I don't think that their situation is unique to the Steelers.
00:44:06.320 --> 00:44:15.760
I think that the way the contracts are structured now, everybody who's in the position of a juju or a Connor, you know, the media starts starts to hyper focus on that stuff.
00:44:15.920 --> 00:44:18.639
Okay, let's take a look at that rookie, you know, fifth-year option.
00:44:18.719 --> 00:44:19.519
What are they gonna do?
00:44:19.599 --> 00:44:20.639
Are they gonna pull the trigger there?
00:44:20.719 --> 00:44:23.119
They've got to decide now, they've got to decide before the season.
00:44:23.280 --> 00:44:25.039
And they almost make it like an either or.
00:44:25.280 --> 00:44:26.559
And that's not always the case.
00:44:26.719 --> 00:44:35.519
Either the player is gonna play his way out of that contract, or he's gonna do well and he's gonna be, you know, too, you know, he's gonna be too expensive for the team to resign.
00:44:35.679 --> 00:44:38.960
Um, I think that is legitimately the case sometimes.
00:44:39.119 --> 00:44:45.119
I don't know if that's always the case every time, and I think we kind of jumped the gun on that looking at those two guys' situations.
00:44:45.360 --> 00:44:48.800
Um, their situations were impacted by the offense last year.
00:44:48.960 --> 00:44:56.320
Certainly, um, you know, I think it's fair to say had Ben been there for 16 games, Juju's numbers would have been different.
00:44:56.559 --> 00:45:04.880
Um, James Connor, man, you have to just wonder if all the physical issues he went through at Pitt have taken a toll on his body.
00:45:05.039 --> 00:45:10.960
Um when he's healthy, and even last year, he when he was healthy, his yards per carry were pretty darn good.
00:45:11.039 --> 00:45:12.559
Um, he just wasn't healthy.
00:45:12.639 --> 00:45:20.639
And quite frankly, you can't you can't have a guy like that be your um you know, be your uh your main man if you can't stay healthy.
00:45:20.800 --> 00:45:22.880
So it's a big year for both of those guys.
00:45:23.039 --> 00:45:32.079
Um I loved, I don't know that I've ever enjoyed covering a player as much as Connor when he played at Pitt, even coming out of high school in Erie, talk about high character guys, man.
00:45:32.159 --> 00:45:36.800
There just aren't many guys with uh, you know, that's just a high character person, whether he's playing football or not.
00:45:37.039 --> 00:45:41.440
Um Juju did stumble without A B being there.
00:45:41.599 --> 00:45:42.800
I think that's clear.
00:45:42.960 --> 00:45:45.920
So, you know, can those guys step up and have big seasons?
00:45:46.079 --> 00:45:51.920
Um, I think you're gonna see one of those guys there, you know, for a longer term, um, if they're both successful.
00:45:52.000 --> 00:45:55.519
I it may become the kind of a situation where they got to decide either or.
00:45:55.760 --> 00:45:59.840
Um, but you're right, the future of this team, man, they gotta win now.
00:45:59.920 --> 00:46:06.800
I got I I have no issue with them deciding we're putting all our eggs in 2020 because we have to win now.
00:46:07.039 --> 00:46:11.199
Um, man, a franchise quarterback is so essential.
00:46:11.280 --> 00:46:12.480
It's just so essential.
00:46:12.559 --> 00:46:16.239
It's gonna be really hard to find another another guy at that level.
00:46:16.480 --> 00:46:19.519
Um, you know, think about between Bradshaw and Ben, man.
00:46:19.599 --> 00:46:21.280
There were some guys that had some decent years.
00:46:21.440 --> 00:46:25.280
We forget, you know, Neil O'Donnell and Cordell Stewart take a lot of flack.
00:46:25.440 --> 00:46:31.039
Those guys were in championship games, those were the best of the litter between Terry and Ben.
00:46:31.199 --> 00:46:33.440
So I have those conversations all the time.
00:46:35.599 --> 00:46:39.199
Um, what do you think is gonna be their strength on the field this year, then?
00:46:39.840 --> 00:46:41.360
Man, I love that defense.
00:46:41.440 --> 00:46:49.760
And and and I was just thinking, you know, before we before we started the talk, I was trying to decide, okay, what level of that defense is is their strength?
00:46:49.920 --> 00:46:50.880
Is it the secondary?
00:46:51.039 --> 00:46:54.480
And I said, well, what if Bub Dupree has another year like he had last year?
00:46:54.559 --> 00:46:59.840
Are is there gonna be anybody with two better outside rushers than Dupree and and Watt?
00:46:59.920 --> 00:47:02.239
Um, what if Stefan Tuett's healthy all season?
00:47:02.320 --> 00:47:06.079
And what if what if Cam Hayward continues to play at the level he played at last year?
00:47:06.320 --> 00:47:09.280
They could have as good a defensive line as anybody in the league.
00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:22.079
Um, you know, yeah, they're gonna lose Mark Um Mark Barron, who played quite a bit, but you know, Vince Williams can play, and Devin Bush seems to still be on the rise.
00:47:22.320 --> 00:47:27.760
They might have as four, you know, as good a um a unit of linebackers as anybody.
00:47:27.840 --> 00:47:30.159
Uh Watt is a player of the year candidate.
00:47:30.320 --> 00:47:35.920
Minka Fitzpatrick might be the best secondary player the Steelers have had since Troy Palomalu.
00:47:36.400 --> 00:47:39.599
Um, those guys are both defensive players of the year candidates.
00:47:39.760 --> 00:47:45.199
It would have been really cool somehow to hang on to Sean Davis and have him be a safety coming off the bench as well.
00:47:45.280 --> 00:47:48.320
Um I don't know that they'd have had a better set of safeties had that been the case.
00:47:48.480 --> 00:47:56.639
But I guess I'm gonna end up settling on the secondary and maybe even corner, because I think they've got the depth at cornerback that they might not have at safety.
00:47:56.719 --> 00:48:01.280
So um, boy, just saying all those names gets me excited about what we could see defensively.
00:48:01.360 --> 00:48:03.760
Uh can they do what they did again last year?
00:48:03.920 --> 00:48:09.760
I loved hearing Cam Hayward say, hey, we led the league in sacks, we led the league in turnovers, we got to get better against the run.
00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:11.519
Got to get better against the run.
00:48:11.679 --> 00:48:13.119
Um, talk about leadership.
00:48:13.199 --> 00:48:22.719
You know, I think they've got they've got so much in place defensively that it would be a shame not to not to have some type of a match on the offensive side because that defense.
00:48:23.039 --> 00:48:26.880
You've got to sign Cam and you've got to sign uh Joe Hayden, too.
00:48:27.039 --> 00:48:30.480
You know, so you you got some you got some big decisions out there.
00:48:30.880 --> 00:48:42.239
Well, you know, and again, those guys are at the age where, okay, do we sign them and gamble that that that they're gonna be able to play at a high level still, or do we cut, you know, do we get rid of them before they start that decline?
00:48:42.400 --> 00:48:46.000
The Steelers have been so good usually in making those decisions.
00:48:46.079 --> 00:48:48.960
They usually make the correct call on when to let a guy go.
00:48:49.039 --> 00:48:52.880
Uh Lawrence Timmons, another pretty good example of letting a guy go at the right time.
00:48:53.039 --> 00:48:53.440
Yep.
00:48:53.599 --> 00:48:54.159
Yep.
00:48:54.400 --> 00:48:57.039
Um, where do you see the Stewart's finishing the season?
00:48:57.199 --> 00:49:01.920
Uh they're if they're three straight years out of the playoffs, though, is this it for Mike Tomlin?
00:49:02.159 --> 00:49:03.599
Is this tenure done in Pittsburgh?
00:49:03.920 --> 00:49:06.480
Man, you know, two great questions.
00:49:06.719 --> 00:49:10.960
Um this has got to be a playoff team if they stay healthy offensively, I think.
00:49:11.039 --> 00:49:13.760
I just think I think they've got to be a playoff team.
00:49:14.000 --> 00:49:15.760
You know, can Connor stay healthy?
00:49:15.840 --> 00:49:17.599
Can Juju return to form?
00:49:17.760 --> 00:49:21.840
If those two things happen and Ben's healthy, I don't know why they couldn't make a run.
00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:23.119
Um, honestly.
00:49:23.199 --> 00:49:27.280
Uh those are a lot of ifs, you know, and how many times do all the ifs happen?
00:49:27.360 --> 00:49:29.039
So a lot of ifs there.
00:49:29.280 --> 00:49:33.920
Looking at Tomlin, you know, I think Mike Tomlin is a heck of a football coach.
00:49:34.079 --> 00:49:37.199
Uh, the success he's had has been almost unprecedented.
00:49:37.599 --> 00:49:42.159
You know, um, the only guy with a better record during his tenure has been Bill Belichick.
00:49:42.639 --> 00:49:47.519
But three straight missed opportunities, especially with the defense they have this year.
00:49:47.760 --> 00:49:51.599
Um, I hate to see the Steelers firing a coach with that much success.
00:49:51.760 --> 00:49:54.960
They they haven't done that in my lifetime, you know.
00:49:55.119 --> 00:50:01.199
Um, so I I would hate to see them have to do that, and I hate to see Tomlin's era end that way.
00:50:01.360 --> 00:50:05.440
Um, but boy, I gotta think the seat's pretty hot.
00:50:05.519 --> 00:50:09.519
Um, it would have been unfair to make a move last year with everything they faced.
00:50:09.599 --> 00:50:14.400
Um I think he really did do a pretty darn good job last year, even in spite of the final three games.
00:50:14.559 --> 00:50:17.599
Um But I think you have to acknowledge the seat's gotta be hot.
00:50:17.840 --> 00:50:21.920
It's unfortunate those final three games because that's what people were that's what people are gonna remember.
00:50:22.000 --> 00:50:24.559
They're not gonna remember that they were eight and five going into that.
00:50:24.719 --> 00:50:29.760
They're gonna remember that they finished with three straight losses and really they didn't play very good football.
00:50:29.920 --> 00:50:41.519
But I I, you know, I'm I'm not the biggest Tomlin fan because I watch and I pay attention, and as a football coach myself, I see him making the same mistakes instead of correcting those mistakes.
00:50:41.679 --> 00:50:54.000
However, he seems to have such great rapport with those players, and his coaches seem to respect him so much that he gets what he needs out of everybody from every aspect.
00:50:54.480 --> 00:50:56.320
And I think that's what makes it such a tough call.
00:50:56.480 --> 00:51:01.760
I mean, I think there's no question that um, you know, Hector's throwing up clock management.
00:51:01.920 --> 00:51:06.400
That is and and remains an issue that they don't seem to have corrected.
00:51:06.639 --> 00:51:11.599
Um, you know, uh, you know, and so that's just one of many issues.
00:51:11.679 --> 00:51:20.400
You know, how how his teams consistently lose one or two games a year to teams they are clearly so much better than, um, those are problematic.
00:51:20.480 --> 00:51:24.400
But again, you're right, the rapport he has, the respect he has from the players.
00:51:24.639 --> 00:51:31.679
Anytime you make a coaching change, to me, you've gotta, you know, making a change just for the sake of making a change is almost always a mistake.
00:51:31.920 --> 00:51:33.119
Can we get better?
00:51:33.280 --> 00:51:36.320
Is there someone that's gonna give us something better than what we've had?
00:51:36.480 --> 00:51:40.880
If you can definitely answer that with a you know with an affirmative, then go ahead and make your move.
00:51:41.039 --> 00:51:45.679
The Steelers are also a great position where they are still so respected league-wide.
00:51:45.840 --> 00:51:52.239
Um, anybody knows that if you work for the Roonies, you are gonna get treated with you know the utmost respect, you're gonna have job security.
00:51:52.480 --> 00:51:58.079
Um, again, I think it's so remarkable when you look back since 1969.
00:51:58.239 --> 00:52:17.760
I don't know that that's possible in any industry, let alone the NFL or professional sports, to have three, you know, head coaches, but you go industry-wide to have three, you know, three CEOs, you know, to have three, to have three uh, you know, superintendents, to have three athletic directors, anything like that is just uh it's astounding.
00:52:17.920 --> 00:52:22.800
Um, and I would hate to see that change um if it didn't have to.
00:52:23.840 --> 00:52:26.559
All right, let's change gears one last time.
00:52:26.800 --> 00:52:31.280
You can't end this conversation without talking a little bit about the penguins.
00:52:31.519 --> 00:52:35.599
So potentially restarting, getting Jay Gensel back.
00:52:35.840 --> 00:52:41.760
How do you think they'll fare in the 2014 playoff setting or format that they have manifested?
00:52:42.079 --> 00:52:44.880
Man, I I think that format is so great for the Penguins.
00:52:44.960 --> 00:52:49.760
I just think there's so many reasons why that's such a such a great format, such a reason to get excited.
00:52:49.920 --> 00:52:52.639
Um, yes, everybody has the same amount of rest.
00:52:52.800 --> 00:52:54.239
You know, nobody has any momentum.
00:52:54.400 --> 00:52:58.559
All that stuff is true for every team, all the 24 teams that are going to be back in the playoffs.
00:52:58.719 --> 00:53:12.400
Um, but when you've got guys who can, you know, when you when your core of guys, and if you want to say that core is uh you have to at least include Malcolm Letang and Sidney Crosby, all over 30, um, guys that can really use that rest.
00:53:12.719 --> 00:53:20.639
Uh, and and then, you know, you're the young guy who you put into that core as well is a guy coming off of an injury who otherwise wouldn't be ready to play.
00:53:20.800 --> 00:53:26.639
Um, and you know, maybe Matt Murray needed uh a nice long respite as well to get his head together.
00:53:26.800 --> 00:53:37.039
I just think that the way that whole thing lines up, uh uh when you have a sprint to the finish, um, I think that the penguins are in a really unique position to make another run.
00:53:37.199 --> 00:53:38.320
You know, why not this year?
00:53:38.480 --> 00:53:44.880
I hate that they're that they would play the Canadians in a goalie as good as Kerry Price in a potentially short series.
00:53:45.039 --> 00:53:51.119
Um, you know, price goes out and shuts you down three times and you're you're you're done, you're you're home again, you're golfing already.
00:53:51.280 --> 00:54:03.599
But um other than that, and I don't mean to minimize the opponent, um it's you know, Price is the kind of guy that can steal a uh steal a series, but I think they are really well suited for a for a run this year.
00:54:03.679 --> 00:54:07.280
And I think it would be great if they can get back and play because it could be a lot of fun.
00:54:07.519 --> 00:54:18.719
Well, traditionally, and you talk about that core of of Crosby, Malkin, and Latang, guys like that usually don't normally in the NHL they don't win a cup over the age of 30, especially as the marquee players.
00:54:18.880 --> 00:54:23.280
I mean, you you definitely see that group getting another cup.
00:54:23.840 --> 00:54:25.519
You know, I think they have a great chance of this year.
00:54:25.599 --> 00:54:26.159
I really do.
00:54:26.239 --> 00:54:32.480
And and if Murray, if Matt Murray can be what he was a couple of years ago, and I think that window stays open.
00:54:32.559 --> 00:54:35.039
I don't think it's ready to come crashing down yet.
00:54:35.199 --> 00:54:38.320
Um, you know, they've got some good young players in Gensel.
00:54:38.480 --> 00:54:42.480
It looks like John Marino has been a great find on the on the blue line.
00:54:42.880 --> 00:54:44.239
Um that kid's spectacular.
00:54:45.360 --> 00:54:48.559
It really is astounding that that was an incredible trade.
00:54:48.800 --> 00:54:56.960
Um, a guy I neglected to mention who I think is gonna be helped by the rest as well as Patrick Hornquist, who's gonna come out and be ready to throw his body all over the ice.
00:54:57.440 --> 00:55:01.360
Um, so you know, I think even beyond this year, the window does stay open a little bit.
00:55:01.519 --> 00:55:04.880
You're right, it's really, really hard to keep winning into your 30s.
00:55:04.960 --> 00:55:08.159
Uh, and maybe, maybe those two back-to-back cups were it.
00:55:08.320 --> 00:55:11.119
Um, I don't think there's any reason to be upset if that was the case.
00:55:11.280 --> 00:55:15.440
Uh, it's gonna be hard to turn the page again, but um, it's coming.
00:55:15.519 --> 00:55:18.400
But you know, Sydney stays in such great shape all the time.
00:55:18.559 --> 00:55:21.920
I mean, I I I I think Crosby has several years left.
00:55:22.079 --> 00:55:24.239
Um keep the concussion problems away.
00:55:24.880 --> 00:55:27.280
I can see Malkin sticking around for another eight years.
00:55:27.360 --> 00:55:27.840
Uh honestly.
00:55:28.320 --> 00:55:29.280
Those guys are physically fit.
00:55:29.360 --> 00:55:36.320
Heck, I talked about two guys being physically fit, and I didn't mention Letang, who might be the most physically fit guy ever to put a penguin's uniform on.
00:55:36.480 --> 00:55:42.079
Um, you know, yeah, but but your your game does decline at some point, that is inevitable.
00:55:42.239 --> 00:55:49.280
But if they can continue to find those other pieces, you know, I mean, I think the window does stay open a little bit, and I don't know that there's anybody.
00:55:49.360 --> 00:55:52.000
I thought the Islanders were gonna be a team that was gonna come on.
00:55:52.159 --> 00:55:54.000
Um, that really hasn't happened.
00:55:54.079 --> 00:55:56.159
Uh, you know, they've taken some steps back.
00:55:56.320 --> 00:56:01.519
Uh same with Toronto, a team that I thought was gonna be, you know, a team of the future by now.
00:56:01.679 --> 00:56:02.719
That hasn't happened either.
00:56:02.880 --> 00:56:07.599
So that leaves the you know, the penguins in the Capitol still saying, hey, we still got these Hall of Famers.
00:56:07.679 --> 00:56:08.800
We'll you know, we're still here.
00:56:08.880 --> 00:56:10.639
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
00:56:10.800 --> 00:56:11.760
Um, all right.
00:56:11.920 --> 00:56:14.400
I'm gonna put the GM's hat on you.
00:56:14.480 --> 00:56:18.159
You're you're Jim Rutherford, and you got a difficult choice to make.
00:56:18.400 --> 00:56:24.000
Um, but it's the point where you got to choose between Matt Murray and Tristan Jari.
00:56:24.639 --> 00:56:25.599
Who are you taking?
00:56:27.920 --> 00:56:33.039
You know, I I think that the struggles Murray had this year were real.
00:56:33.199 --> 00:56:38.480
I mean, his numbers were just just I don't want to say awful, but they certainly weren't good.
00:56:38.639 --> 00:56:43.199
You hate to play as much as he did and have a save percentage under, you know, under 900.
00:56:43.440 --> 00:56:45.039
Um, his numbers were bad.
00:56:45.199 --> 00:56:49.519
The defense wasn't always great, but it was certainly good enough, and we've seen him perform better.
00:56:49.679 --> 00:56:52.159
I don't know what his issue is, whether it's mental or not.
00:56:52.239 --> 00:56:54.159
He's still very, very young.
00:56:54.559 --> 00:56:59.280
Umri finally sort of stepped into the spotlight and did what we thought he was going to do.
00:56:59.360 --> 00:57:03.599
I mean, you know, years ago, we thought Jari was even a better prospect than Murray.
00:57:03.679 --> 00:57:05.920
Um, and they sort of flip-flopped there.
00:57:06.719 --> 00:57:09.599
I feel like you have to go with Murray.
00:57:09.760 --> 00:57:22.880
Um, I I the idea of letting one guy who's won a couple of Stanley Cup uh cups go and then follow that up by letting another guy who's got a couple of Stanley cups on his on his shelf go uh would just be really, really difficult to do.
00:57:23.039 --> 00:57:25.440
Rutherford's not afraid to make the tough decisions, though.
00:57:25.519 --> 00:57:32.639
You know, I mean I think if he looks at those guys and says, Jari's got a higher ceiling, he's the he's he's got to be the guy.
00:57:32.719 --> 00:57:34.880
He'll he won't be afraid to make that decision.
00:57:34.960 --> 00:57:37.920
Uh and he's earned that by putting some more cups on the shelf.
00:57:38.079 --> 00:57:42.880
So um problem is Murray is definitely Sully's guy, you know, in a in a big way.
00:57:44.559 --> 00:57:46.239
It's a really hard decision, man.
00:57:46.400 --> 00:57:49.679
I I I just think you have to go with the guy who's got the hardware.
00:57:49.920 --> 00:57:52.159
Is Jason Botteroo gonna come back to Pittsburgh?
00:57:52.239 --> 00:57:53.440
You know, he got cut loose by Butler.
00:57:53.760 --> 00:57:54.480
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:57:54.639 --> 00:57:57.280
Yeah, I think that's uh I mean, why you know why not?
00:57:57.519 --> 00:57:59.440
Everybody's familiar with working with him.
00:57:59.599 --> 00:58:05.360
Um it would be almost again, if Rutherford's ready to step down, could be kind of a seamless transition.
00:58:05.679 --> 00:58:07.440
Um he gets it too.
00:58:07.599 --> 00:58:10.159
Like he's he definitely gets it.
00:58:10.239 --> 00:58:11.760
He's he's comfortable with the organization.
00:58:11.840 --> 00:58:13.920
The organization is comfortable with him.
00:58:14.000 --> 00:58:15.760
I think the players are comfortable with him.
00:58:15.920 --> 00:58:21.039
Yeah, um, you know, there are still some guys who do know him and and and who did work with him in that organization.
00:58:21.199 --> 00:58:24.480
So, you know, he's also a very, very smart guy financially.
00:58:24.559 --> 00:58:32.960
Um, you know, you're not gonna see them strapped uh like what was it, a couple seasons ago, they couldn't field a full roster the last week of the season because it was such a mess.
00:58:34.400 --> 00:58:34.880
Thank you.
00:58:35.119 --> 00:58:36.960
Yeah, right, unbelievable.
00:58:37.119 --> 00:58:46.400
Uh so yeah, I think that would again, that that would, you know, like it's not a coincidence, Mark, right, that the pirates have so many issues and the things kind of work out like this for the penguins.
00:58:46.480 --> 00:58:49.840
That's not they're not lucky, it's a championship caliber organization.
00:58:49.920 --> 00:58:54.079
They just are they they their goal every year is to win a Stanley Cup.
00:58:54.159 --> 00:59:02.480
They know it's not gonna happen every year, but boy, they have been in that conversation just about every year for the past decade plus, and that's that's not a coincidence.
00:59:02.559 --> 00:59:04.079
They make the they make the right decisions.
00:59:04.320 --> 00:59:31.119
It baffles me how uh you've got three owners there of three different major sports in a city that is completely enthralled with its sports teams, and you've got two owners that are willing to spend as much as they can to keep a great product on the field or on the ice and also make their money, and then you've got another owner who's like, I don't care if we win or not, I just want to make my money, and then he's not making money now because his attendance is dropping.
00:59:31.360 --> 00:59:32.880
Like it just crazy.
00:59:33.119 --> 00:59:34.559
I I don't know.
00:59:35.599 --> 00:59:37.360
That's the difference in business, I guess.
00:59:37.440 --> 00:59:38.000
I don't know.
00:59:38.239 --> 00:59:40.400
It doesn't make sense, and it's sad, I think.
00:59:40.480 --> 00:59:41.840
I mean, I really think it is sad.
00:59:41.920 --> 00:59:45.599
I mean, you know, the Pirates fans, and just go back to the to the Quato game, right?
00:59:45.679 --> 00:59:51.599
When they finally make the playoffs, they're dying, dying to support that team.
00:59:51.760 --> 00:59:55.920
Um, you know, heck, uh even just talking about that game right now, I just got chills.
00:59:56.079 --> 01:00:01.119
Um, it can be such an incredibly dramatic and such a special atmosphere.
01:00:01.199 --> 01:00:04.000
Uh, and you talked about Jason Botterow getting it.
01:00:04.400 --> 01:00:07.039
Pirates are stuck with someone who just doesn't get it.
01:00:07.840 --> 01:00:11.360
All right, so we've run the gamut of sports questions.
01:00:11.519 --> 01:00:17.119
Let me take you down the road for one more final question here before we get into decade definers.
01:00:17.760 --> 01:00:24.320
Sports don't exist, and your option of being a teacher is not out there because you're currently a teacher.
01:00:25.119 --> 01:00:27.599
What would be your ultimate dream job?
01:00:28.480 --> 01:00:31.679
Let me go on the road with the black crows as their roadie.
01:00:31.760 --> 01:00:32.880
That's what I'll do.
01:00:33.599 --> 01:00:35.599
You probably got to rewind in a couple of years.
01:00:35.679 --> 01:00:41.280
They're getting old too, but like the 90s, late 90s, early 2000s, I'll be a roadie for the black crows.
01:00:41.360 --> 01:00:43.760
Again, remember, I talked about I don't want to wear a tie or a jacket.
01:00:43.840 --> 01:00:48.239
Yeah, I'm not gonna wear a tie or a jacket or a collar or socks for that matter, or shoes.
01:00:48.880 --> 01:00:49.440
I get you.
01:00:49.920 --> 01:00:53.280
Hey, I wear a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and some shorts every day.
01:00:53.360 --> 01:00:57.440
I teach P health and first aid, so I I truly understand.
01:00:57.840 --> 01:00:58.480
All right.
01:00:58.880 --> 01:01:08.559
So I do this thing called decade definers where I choose five of the most prolific performers or teams starting with the 70s, and then I go through each decade up through the 2010s.
01:01:08.719 --> 01:01:15.280
Um, today you're gonna take part in by giving us yours based on the following decade definers.
01:01:15.360 --> 01:01:19.840
What are the five most memorable games that you covered throughout your career?
01:01:20.320 --> 01:01:21.199
This is awesome.
01:01:21.360 --> 01:01:26.960
I had a ton of fun uh trying to come up with five for this, uh, you know, reliving some great memories.
01:01:27.119 --> 01:01:37.760
Um, so I'm gonna go back all the way to 1992, uh, mid-October 1992, and it's the first uh hockey, what's the first sporting event I ever covered?
01:01:37.920 --> 01:01:43.519
I was working for the Pitt Radio Station at the time, and I covered a Penguins Montreal Canadians game.
01:01:43.599 --> 01:01:45.119
Uh, it was October '92.
01:01:45.199 --> 01:01:51.360
So we're talking about some Hall of Famers just, you know, everywhere you look, you see a Hall of Famer, Joe Mullen, Yager.
01:01:51.920 --> 01:01:58.719
Um Tradier was, I think Tradtier was gone by that point, but obviously Mario and Kevin Stevens, Tom Barrasso.
01:01:59.119 --> 01:02:00.639
My gosh, just incredible.
01:02:00.800 --> 01:02:06.480
Um, so yeah, I got to uh I got to the the the the the pack I got to interview Mario after the game.
01:02:06.639 --> 01:02:10.800
I asked him a question about his back, which was probably not a great question, but I was just a college kid.
01:02:10.960 --> 01:02:14.239
Um Mario had a goal and a couple of assists, Kevin Stevens had a big game.
01:02:14.400 --> 01:02:16.320
Barrasso outplayed Patrick Waugh.
01:02:16.559 --> 01:02:18.159
Penguins won, I think, five to two.
01:02:18.320 --> 01:02:19.760
I went back and found the box score.
01:02:19.840 --> 01:02:27.440
Uh so that would be that would definitely be one, not because of anything memorable about the game, but it's the first time I was ever in that kind of an atmosphere.
01:02:27.679 --> 01:02:29.519
So that was that was number one.
01:02:29.760 --> 01:02:38.960
Um number two, I'm gonna give you a regular season game, December 2008 at Heinz Field, on on the Steelers' magical march to the Super Bowl that year.
01:02:39.039 --> 01:02:40.480
Um, a defensive battle.
01:02:40.559 --> 01:02:42.159
They're playing the Cowboys.
01:02:42.320 --> 01:02:46.320
Uh just a game that was very frustrating most of the game.
01:02:46.480 --> 01:02:50.960
Um, then the Steelers uh were losing 13-3 going into the fourth quarter.
01:02:51.119 --> 01:02:53.519
Jeff Reid kicks a field goal, it's 13-6.
01:02:53.920 --> 01:02:55.199
Um, then the magic starts.
01:02:55.280 --> 01:03:00.239
Rothellus Burger leads a long drive, hits Heath Miller for a touchdown right before the two-minute warning.
01:03:00.559 --> 01:03:02.079
Dallas gets the ball back.
01:03:02.400 --> 01:03:03.679
Sticks are playing.
01:03:03.760 --> 01:03:06.480
You know, they've got uh Renegade blaring through the stadium.
01:03:06.880 --> 01:03:13.519
And I think it was I think it was second down, and DeShea Townsend intercepts Romo, takes it to the house.
01:03:13.840 --> 01:03:16.239
Steelers had no business winning that game.
01:03:16.320 --> 01:03:17.760
They win 20-13.
01:03:17.920 --> 01:03:19.840
The place absolutely exploded.
01:03:20.000 --> 01:03:21.760
Uh, it was a Sunday night game as well.
01:03:21.840 --> 01:03:27.440
It was just an incredible, um, incredible thing to witness, to be in the locker room after that game.
01:03:27.519 --> 01:03:30.480
Um, so that was a regular season game that was just insane.
01:03:30.960 --> 01:03:34.320
Uh most dramatic regular season game I'd ever been to.
01:03:34.400 --> 01:03:37.760
And again, the Hall of Famer is just, you know, left and right all over the place.
01:03:38.000 --> 01:03:41.519
Um, I'm gonna go to Pitt Basketball for one, for this one.
01:03:41.760 --> 01:03:50.079
Another regular season game, February of 2000, um 2008, 2009, February 2009.
01:03:50.400 --> 01:03:57.280
Um, this was the Jamie Dixon team that went to the Elite Eight that lost in that Scotty Reynolds game, losing to Villanova.
01:03:57.519 --> 01:04:02.559
Um, but Yukon's coming into to uh the Peterson Event Center on a Saturday afternoon.
01:04:02.800 --> 01:04:05.920
Yukon's number one in the country, Pitts number four.
01:04:06.159 --> 01:04:12.480
Um and the the legendary matchup that day was going to be DeWan Blair versus Hasheen Fabi.
01:04:13.599 --> 01:04:16.880
Blair held Fabit to five points and four rebounds.
01:04:17.039 --> 01:04:23.440
Blair had 22 rebounds and 22 points, but it might have been 23 rebounds, just a dominant performance.
01:04:23.519 --> 01:04:26.079
Um that's when that pit program was electric.
01:04:26.159 --> 01:04:29.519
You could just feel it in the air, uh just such a buzz.
01:04:29.679 --> 01:04:36.559
Um, so it was a regular season game, but maybe the the the certainly one of the coolest games I ever covered.
01:04:36.639 --> 01:04:41.039
And because it was a number one team, the Big East was incredible at that time.
01:04:41.119 --> 01:04:43.280
Um I have that as number three.
01:04:43.519 --> 01:04:45.440
Uh I'm gonna throw a wrench into this.
01:04:45.519 --> 01:04:47.119
I hope you're gonna let this one go.
01:04:47.280 --> 01:04:51.760
This was not a game, this was a uh uh an interest squad scrimmage.
01:04:52.000 --> 01:04:52.320
Okay.
01:04:52.559 --> 01:04:56.639
It was um a year before what I just mentioned, August of 2007.
01:04:56.880 --> 01:04:58.320
Dave Wansted's there.
01:04:58.400 --> 01:04:59.280
Uh he's struggling.
01:04:59.360 --> 01:05:01.360
It's I think his second or third year there.
01:05:01.440 --> 01:05:05.119
Um Pitt's incumbent starting running back was Larod Stevens Howell.
01:05:05.199 --> 01:05:12.079
Had a couple of good years in the NFL, you know, had a pretty decent NFL career for a five foot seven guy from Johnstown.
01:05:12.320 --> 01:05:13.920
So he's the starting running back.
01:05:14.159 --> 01:05:20.400
At this time, too, Mark Wonstedt would let the media see every single play of every single scrimmage.
01:05:20.480 --> 01:05:22.000
It was an open scrimmage.
01:05:22.079 --> 01:05:27.760
And on Saturday afternoons, this was their first scrimmage of the year, he would invite a ton of former players and coaches back.
01:05:27.920 --> 01:05:29.440
So it was a really big event.
01:05:29.920 --> 01:05:32.079
You know, they it wasn't a game, but these were big events.
01:05:32.159 --> 01:05:34.880
It was a you know um a pretty special day.
01:05:35.119 --> 01:05:37.599
So howling is the starter.
01:05:37.840 --> 01:05:44.960
Um after two or three series, they take Howlings out and they put in a freshman running back, and everyone starts to talk a little bit.
01:05:45.039 --> 01:05:46.880
The players, the coaches are looking at each other.
01:05:47.039 --> 01:05:50.559
This freshman running back's first carry goes for about four or five yards.
01:05:50.880 --> 01:05:59.840
His second carry, he breaks a tackle, um, goes off tackle, sort of breaks the tackle of a defensive lineman, doesn't really break a tackle.
01:06:14.719 --> 01:06:22.559
The thing I remember the most is the former players and coaches or John is truly hitting the floor saying what did what did Monty do?
01:06:24.719 --> 01:06:33.679
Mike really be living up to the hype and uh you know the NFL is leading Russia and the archival over the past decade.
01:06:33.760 --> 01:06:40.159
So uh that was a really, really neat moment it was electricity something that happened here.
01:06:40.400 --> 01:06:45.760
And uh as a game, the number one one sums up my career.
01:06:46.400 --> 01:06:59.599
The most the most horrible moment of my career that was the AFC championship game, like six weeks after that Cowboys game, uh Steelers Ravens again heck of a battle, heck of a game was a four o'clock like it's a three thirty star.
01:07:00.159 --> 01:07:06.079
Um day by the time the game ended, it was in the low twenties, probably.
01:07:06.239 --> 01:07:08.239
Um charge of the whole game.
01:07:08.639 --> 01:07:24.719
Well it's the game was a touchdown in the fourth quarter to bring the ravens within two, and then maybe the single most impressive individual play I've ever seen in person destroyed all the malls interception return, um, where he just dances all the way across the field, he flippers into the end zone.
01:07:24.880 --> 01:07:30.000
Um, and the plays I talked about the players getting loud when they play the cowboys and they beat the cowboys.
01:07:31.280 --> 01:07:43.360
The last two minutes of the game you're allowed to the media's allowed to go onto the field just standing there hearing that play because you couldn't even hear yourself thinking trying to have a conversation with the guy next to you, and you couldn't even you couldn't even hear yourself talking.
01:07:43.679 --> 01:07:45.679
It was so loud, so impressive.
01:07:46.000 --> 01:07:57.760
Um and again, that that that's one of those moments that you know, even though it was a kind of a roller coaster career as a sports writer, just being there and looking around and sitting in that stadium the way it was was something I'll never forget.
01:07:58.320 --> 01:07:59.679
Far and away that was my number one.
01:08:01.760 --> 01:08:07.519
He was a special player anytime you got to watch him play whether it was on TV or in person, you know, and I've seen him play both.
01:08:08.000 --> 01:08:16.159
I mean, I just I just relish that there were certain players that you control the dance out when you talk about it in the Hall of Famer.
01:08:16.560 --> 01:08:21.359
All you had to do was watch all of them play for I mean it was it was something else.
01:08:22.079 --> 01:08:27.439
And again, you know, the ravens, I know he was gonna hate the ravens for a long time there.
01:08:28.079 --> 01:08:30.560
Talk about the big boys of that of that division.
01:08:31.279 --> 01:08:32.079
He was in the raven.
01:08:32.720 --> 01:08:36.479
I mean nobody else forget the cover for the bags you're there.
01:09:26.399 --> 01:09:28.239
They got a polomolo on their side as well.
01:09:33.600 --> 01:09:35.600
You gotta you gotta mention both of those guys, right?
01:09:36.000 --> 01:09:38.239
I I love every show play too.
01:09:38.479 --> 01:09:49.840
Hey, I want to thank my my guest uh Tony DePeggio, he's the former editor of Pittsburgh Sports Report, and you can catch Tony on uh PA Sports Now Radio every Saturday morning at nine o'clock.
01:09:49.920 --> 01:09:52.319
Tony, thanks so much for coming on the show.
01:09:52.640 --> 01:09:54.560
Uh enjoy your summer.
01:09:55.359 --> 01:09:56.880
Before you know it, you'll be back to teaching.
01:09:57.359 --> 01:09:58.239
Yes, yes, sir, yes, sir.
01:09:58.319 --> 01:09:59.199
Yeah, Mark, you too.
01:09:59.279 --> 01:09:59.840
This was a blast.
01:10:00.000 --> 01:10:00.960
Uh, really enjoyed it.
01:10:01.199 --> 01:10:06.000
Good luck, uh, you know, good luck with the podcast, and uh hope to enjoy and listen to uh a lot more great shows.
01:10:06.720 --> 01:10:07.279
Take care now.
01:10:09.680 --> 01:10:13.279
I decided that news and noteworthy just sounded blah.
01:10:13.600 --> 01:10:16.399
So we're gonna call this segment Just the Facts.
01:10:16.560 --> 01:10:24.079
And we're gonna start just the facts off this week talking about former Miami Dolphin great Jim Kick, who passed away uh last Saturday.
01:10:24.319 --> 01:10:25.920
He was 73 years old.
01:10:26.159 --> 01:10:38.560
He was a vital member of that 72 Dolphin team that won 17-0 and won the uh Super Bowl, Super Bowl 7 to be honest, and the group that repeated as champions the following year by winning the Super Bowl.
01:10:38.880 --> 01:10:43.760
Um, he'll go down as being known for his versatility as a runner and a receiver.
01:10:44.079 --> 01:10:57.760
Uh, he was a part of that three-headed backfield that included Hall of Famer Larry Zonka and Marcury Morris, and they were spectacular during their peak years of the late 60s and 70s.
01:10:57.920 --> 01:11:07.279
He played seven seasons for Miami, and his contributions and versatility as a football player will forever be remembered by that Dolphin faithful.
01:11:08.560 --> 01:11:14.079
The next part of this, I want to talk about the Bubba Wallace uh situation that happened in the noose.
01:11:14.560 --> 01:11:20.319
Um, you know, the FBI determined that uh he wasn't a victim of a hate crime.
01:11:20.560 --> 01:11:29.600
They said the the pool roop, uh the pool rope looked like a noose and had been on a garage door at Teledega Super Speedway since early October.
01:11:29.760 --> 01:11:36.800
Um they did their investigation, they concluded it by looking at photos, and the evidence proved this.
01:11:37.039 --> 01:11:41.680
Okay, so nobody really fashioned a noose and and put it in there.
01:11:42.079 --> 01:11:52.239
Um NASCAR and the FBI, though, uh they made it pretty clear that um, you know, there will be ongoing, but it'll be conducted more so by NASCAR.
01:11:52.640 --> 01:12:03.119
Um, they feel really strongly that the initial evidence that was presented was was good, but NASCAR wants to make sure that no stern is left unturned.
01:12:03.359 --> 01:12:05.760
Okay, I I agree with NASCAR.
01:12:06.079 --> 01:12:06.479
All right.
01:12:06.880 --> 01:12:11.039
The people there who go to the NASCAR races are are fun-loving fans.
01:12:11.119 --> 01:12:19.920
They're very dedicated to the sport, but they also are very um oh, let's just say, strong about their beliefs.
01:12:20.000 --> 01:12:26.319
And Wallace was a very vocal guy a few weeks ago when he encouraged NASCAR to ban that the Confederate flag.
01:12:26.800 --> 01:12:32.319
And and yet, you know, the detailed repercussions from this about it, I I don't know.
01:12:32.399 --> 01:12:33.439
I I'm not so sure.
01:12:33.520 --> 01:12:38.479
I I think that it should have been just thrown away that quickly.
01:12:38.560 --> 01:12:54.319
You know, Wallace is a 26-year-old Alabama native uh who wore he wore a t-shirt recently over his fire suit that read, I can't breathe, and then in a race down in Virginia, he he wore a uh uh he had Black Lives Matter painted on his car.
01:12:54.479 --> 01:13:00.079
I mean, the guy's being um an advocate for the cause, and I support that.
01:13:00.239 --> 01:13:09.439
Um one of the things that just baffles me is how the people that stand behind that flag now are so upset with NASCAR and they want to have NASCAR defunded.
01:13:09.680 --> 01:13:14.159
I mean, guys, I I keep hearing this word defund all the time.
01:13:14.319 --> 01:13:19.760
Um, I don't want to get into the politics of race or anything like that, as I said in previous shows.
01:13:20.000 --> 01:13:23.119
But what are you really thinking about here when you're defunding?
01:13:23.199 --> 01:13:26.079
You're you're showing your stance on one side or the other.
01:13:26.239 --> 01:13:29.359
Let's be realistic, be more open-minded.
01:13:29.439 --> 01:13:40.079
Um, on Monday, Wallace was joined by the other 39 drivers and their crews, and they marched down the pit road and and they pushed his 43 car over the finish line.
01:13:40.239 --> 01:13:44.960
Uh you know, the the group was very uh supportive of Wallace.
01:13:45.039 --> 01:13:48.800
And when Wallace got out of that car, he he showed his emotions.
01:13:48.880 --> 01:13:50.079
He he was tearing up.
01:13:50.239 --> 01:13:52.399
You know, let's stop with the hate people.
01:13:52.479 --> 01:14:01.600
You know, with so much else going on in this world for people to put this much energy into a sport by displaying a negative symbol that has been deemed so through the years is beyond me.
01:14:01.840 --> 01:14:05.279
Hey, look, if that's your thing, you've got two choices.
01:14:05.520 --> 01:14:10.640
Follow the rules of the race when you attend, and don't display the Confederate flag, or just don't go.
01:14:10.800 --> 01:14:16.399
Just like wearing a mask into a place that you're requested to do so, sometimes it's not about you.
01:14:16.479 --> 01:14:20.239
And let me be clear, I respect everybody's stance and opinions.
01:14:20.479 --> 01:14:28.159
But much like we teach our children, we need to listen, respect, and oftentimes do things that we are asked for the common good.
01:14:29.520 --> 01:14:32.720
Um Major League Baseball's back officially.
01:14:32.800 --> 01:14:40.960
Uh, Major League Baseball Players Association and the league ironed out the fine details on Tuesday, and camps will open up on July 1st.
01:14:41.119 --> 01:14:43.920
They're projecting playing 60 games.
01:14:44.319 --> 01:14:50.000
Um they should start somewhere around July 23rd or 24th.
01:14:50.159 --> 01:14:58.479
Um, majority of the teams are expected to have their second round of spring training in their home cities.
01:14:58.640 --> 01:15:07.920
Um, a little interesting tidbit here: the Yankees and Dodgers are seven to two favorites to win, win the World Series this year, and that's based on Caesar's Sportsbook.
01:15:08.000 --> 01:15:11.199
And the third favorite is the Astros.
01:15:11.439 --> 01:15:11.760
Hmm.
01:15:11.840 --> 01:15:15.520
I wonder if we'll start talking about the cheating again once this thing gets going.
01:15:15.760 --> 01:15:25.920
Um, baseball chose to give it give into uh uh the March 26th agreement to impose the schedule of its dire length, and you the owners could have gone 48 games.
01:15:26.079 --> 01:15:29.439
It made the players really unhappy, but they did meet them at that point.
01:15:29.680 --> 01:15:38.079
So with a 60-game season, the leg will pack in about as many games as they can before September 27th so that they can start the playoffs.
01:15:38.319 --> 01:15:47.600
Um with that 60-game season, it could serve as a buffer against the grievance that the MLBPA uh uh uh wanted to serve against them.
01:15:47.760 --> 01:15:53.920
Okay, so if they'd have done a 48-game season, they were looking at a grievance being served to them.
01:15:54.079 --> 01:16:04.720
So under the imposed season, players will receive a full prorated share of their salaries, about 30-37% of their full season salary, around$1.5 million.
01:16:05.760 --> 01:16:07.840
All right, all right.
01:16:08.880 --> 01:16:09.680
Football.
01:16:10.000 --> 01:16:10.960
Tom Brady.
01:16:11.039 --> 01:16:14.399
I call this the Brady Way because this is what Tom Brady does.
01:16:14.560 --> 01:16:18.159
Okay, so for those of you who are big fans of Tom Brady, I respect that.
01:16:18.319 --> 01:16:19.119
I have to.
01:16:19.199 --> 01:16:22.319
He's won six Super Bowls, he's done some amazing things.
01:16:22.560 --> 01:16:34.880
But even though two players were diagnosed with the coronavirus and an assistant coach tested positive last week, uh, who were part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, uh, the players continue to hold group workouts at a local high school.
01:16:35.119 --> 01:16:49.359
Um Tom Brady was uh with some other guys, including Rob Gronkowski, Chris Goodwin, Blaine Gabbard at Berkeley Prep on Tuesday morning, even though the Players Association told them, you know, you really shouldn't be doing this.
01:16:49.600 --> 01:16:52.640
Um, this is after their doctor, Dr.
01:16:52.720 --> 01:16:59.920
Tom Tom Mayer, said, hey, listen, and he said this last Saturday, hey, listen, be engaged in practicing together in private workouts.
01:17:00.079 --> 01:17:02.239
All right, they don't want a lot of guys together.
01:17:02.319 --> 01:17:02.880
It's spreading.
01:17:03.039 --> 01:17:08.079
The San Francisco, San Francisco 49ers had a player who was working out with teammates in Nashville.
01:17:08.319 --> 01:17:09.840
He tested positive for the virus.
01:17:10.079 --> 01:17:15.119
Ezekiel Elliott, uh Kareem Jackson, they both tested from Denver Broncos.
01:17:15.279 --> 01:17:16.960
They both tested positive.
01:17:17.199 --> 01:17:21.760
Um, you know, even Sean Payton tested positive for the for the virus.
01:17:22.000 --> 01:17:23.039
And Von Miller.
01:17:23.359 --> 01:17:29.600
And this week, Mike Tomlin said two of his players had contacted the virus, but they're, you know, they're completely recovered now.
01:17:29.840 --> 01:17:32.640
So, you know, I mean, that's a good thing.
01:17:32.880 --> 01:17:36.399
Uh, the NHL, the restart is inching closer.
01:17:36.720 --> 01:17:37.520
Or is it?
01:17:37.680 --> 01:17:44.159
Um, you know, it's narrowed down uh two possible hubs, um, and this is what they want to do.
01:17:44.319 --> 01:17:51.680
Uh they've they've ruled out Pittsburgh and Dallas, so it's down to Vegas, Chicago, LA, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver.
01:17:51.840 --> 01:17:59.920
Uh, the reason Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver have been thrown into the mix is because uh the Canadian government has approved it.
01:18:00.079 --> 01:18:02.159
Okay, Vegas is considered the U.S.
01:18:02.319 --> 01:18:05.119
favorite to host the NHL playoff games.
01:18:05.359 --> 01:18:07.760
Um and we'll see how that goes.
01:18:07.840 --> 01:18:14.319
But I do, honestly, I expect maybe one of those Canadian teams to be the other hub.
01:18:14.560 --> 01:18:26.560
Um in the end, uh the two hub cities will be from each one from each conference, and the Stanley Cup final or the Final Four will be housed at one of those two cities.
01:18:26.640 --> 01:18:28.159
It won't go back and forth.
01:18:28.319 --> 01:18:39.840
Uh also with the NHL, um, you know, 11 of the 200 guys who were in training facilities voluntarily working out since June 8th, contacted COVID-19.
01:18:40.079 --> 01:18:43.760
The league said the players who weren't name are self-isolating.
01:18:43.920 --> 01:18:44.239
Okay.
01:18:44.560 --> 01:18:49.199
Uh the Lightning said Friday three of their players and a couple of staffers had tasted positive.
01:18:49.359 --> 01:18:54.800
And the Lightning temporarily shut down their training facilities uh just a few weeks ago.
01:18:54.960 --> 01:19:00.159
Um, this after the players were allowed to skating groups of up to six voluntarily at the training facilities.
01:19:00.319 --> 01:19:05.359
It's a risk you're taking, guys, and they know it, and they sign off on it, and it's okay.
01:19:05.520 --> 01:19:16.239
Uh right now the NHL is still targeting a July 10th uh opening training camps date uh with games being played without fans present, starting in late July and in August.
01:19:16.479 --> 01:19:20.640
So, you know, we're gonna find out more coming real soon.
01:19:20.800 --> 01:19:34.479
My guest next week is Angie Carducci, uh Penn's beat writer, who will give us some insight on her thoughts, uh, being the chiefs inside and hearing what's going on a little bit more in depth than I could possibly know.
01:19:34.800 --> 01:19:37.039
Um, a little bit of trouble in Mountain Earland.
01:19:37.119 --> 01:19:47.359
Uh, West Virginia placed defensive coordinator Vicen on uh administrative leave as it looks into allegations of uh mistreatment that uh safety Kerry Martin Jr.
01:19:47.520 --> 01:19:48.319
made on Tuesday.
01:19:48.399 --> 01:19:55.840
He he posted on Twitter that a change was needed and then later met with head coach Neil Brown and explained the allegations.
01:19:56.159 --> 01:19:59.520
Um, you know, that this is kind of alarming.
01:19:59.680 --> 01:20:07.760
Um, you know, hard I mean Koening's a 60-year-old guy who just joined that staff last year in 2019.
01:20:07.920 --> 01:20:18.960
Um his alleged actions were attempted to be justified by a graduate assistant who claims because of his age in the time he grew up that his views differ from today's culture.
01:20:19.199 --> 01:20:20.079
Come on, man.
01:20:20.239 --> 01:20:38.880
Honestly, Coach Koening, you probably shouldn't be coaching or think about pursuing another career opportunity if that's what you want to do, if you don't learn to accept tolerance and be more open-minded to correct the direct uh to correct yourself in the direction our society's headed, which is in a which is in a good direction.
01:20:39.279 --> 01:20:43.760
And finally, this week, need a lacrosse fix.
01:20:44.159 --> 01:20:50.880
Uh the Premier Lacrosse League is back for year two, and it's sure to build on what they laid for its foundation last season.
01:20:50.960 --> 01:20:53.680
Uh, this year has been tweaked uh ever so slightly.
01:20:53.760 --> 01:20:54.640
So here it goes.
01:20:54.800 --> 01:21:03.039
The league's seven teams will compete in a 14-game group play format to determine seeding for the following week's single elimination tournament.
01:21:03.199 --> 01:21:07.760
There's only a couple weeks of the PLL, but they're gonna get it off the ground and they're gonna do it right.
01:21:08.000 --> 01:21:11.760
Uh the group play will be July 25th to August 2nd.
01:21:11.920 --> 01:21:16.800
All seven teams are gonna play four games in uh into an elimination round.
01:21:16.880 --> 01:21:21.359
And then August 4th to the August 9th, seeding will be determined.
01:21:21.520 --> 01:21:26.319
Uh, it'll be determined by win-loss record and aggregate point differential.
01:21:26.560 --> 01:21:30.479
So if you're not a lacrosse fan, maybe you should stop and give it a look.
01:21:30.640 --> 01:21:38.960
Uh, the product and brand the Rabel Brothers are building is growing in leaps and bounds, and I'm very, very excited to watch season two.
01:21:40.239 --> 01:21:43.279
I want to thank our special guest again, Tony DeFasio.
01:21:43.680 --> 01:21:53.840
You can catch up with some of Tony's material on social media, on Twitter at PGH SportsNow, on Facebook and Instagram, Pittsburgh SportsNow.
01:21:54.319 --> 01:22:00.640
They also have a YouTube channel where you can look at their live interviews and hear what's going on with Pittsburgh Sports Now.
01:22:00.960 --> 01:22:04.479
You can also listen to Tony every Saturday morning at 9 a.m.
01:22:04.640 --> 01:22:06.880
on PA Sports Now Radio.
01:22:07.119 --> 01:22:14.079
Connect with us here on the Still City Nation podcast, on our website at Still City Nation2020.com.
01:22:14.319 --> 01:22:27.760
On our Facebook page, Facebook.com forward slash Iron City Built, on our Twitter page, twitter.com forward slash Vander V-A-N-D-E-R underscore guy.
01:22:27.920 --> 01:22:34.399
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01:22:34.560 --> 01:22:40.239
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01:22:40.399 --> 01:22:48.239
Feel free to let us know if you have any questions or comments by emailing us at Still City Nation 2020 at gmail.com.
01:22:48.479 --> 01:23:01.199
Again, thanks to our musical intro and outro written by Ryan Benton, our artwork for Still City Nation, Joel Fogorski and Nick Stewart, our webpage designer, Terry Meriday.
01:23:01.359 --> 01:23:07.760
Join us next time where we are Sir and City built on the Still City Nation podcast.