Bleacher Report - Articles by Paul Sievers

Panther Preview: Pitt Vs. Buffalo

Paul Sievers — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:15:06 -0400

Note: Nobody outside of the SUNY Buffalo administration calls it The University at Buffalo. As a self-respecting New Yorker I will refer to them only as SUNY Buffalo.

Nickname: Bulls

Colors: Blue and White

Enrolment: 28,054

Location: Amhurst, NY

Famous Alumni: Wolf Blitzer

Attractive Cheerleader Percentage: A sad 20 percent

Vegas Line: Pitt -10.5

Reasons to be Pessimistic:

Pitt has lost their last two games on the road at MAC schools. Toledo in 2003 and Ohio in 2005. SUNY Buffalo has sold out their entire 30,000 seat stadium, so they will undoubtedly come out energized.
The Bulls have an NFL caliber receiver in Naaman Roosevelt. The Panthers had some leaks in their secondary last week that Youngstown State was simply too inept to exploit. SUNY Buffalo might have better luck.
The Dave Wannstedt-Bill Stull combo still isn't exactly inspiring confidence in the Panther faithful. The Panthers do not come into the game with the more competent coach.

Reasons to be Optimistic:

That line seems awfully high against a likable underdog like SUNY Buffalo. That to me seems like Vegas is urging everyone to take the points as they make money on a Panther blowout.
Drew Willy is no longer the Bulls QB. That honor now belongs to Zach Maynard who is more of a duel threat guy than the dropback gunslinger that Willy was. Pitt has become much more adept as stopping scramblers like Maynard ever since Pat Bennett took over the defense.
The Bulls lost three offensive lineman off of last years squad. That sounds like a recipe for disaster against our defensive line.
With the loss of running back James Starks for the season, it seems as if Roosevelt is really the only legitimate weapon Buffalo has on either side of the ball. Most of the questions around Pitt's offense this week seem to be "Will the offense stop themselves?" as opposed to "How are they going to move the ball on the Bulls?". Pitt just has a lot more talent everywhere other than the sidelines.

Every prediction I've read has Pitt winning a close one. I don't think that's happening.

Either this team really can win on the road in the MAC or they're going to win this one big.

Call me crazy but I feel good about this one. Hail to Pitt!

Pitt 31 SUNY Buffalo 13

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

The Mid-Week Panther Report: A Plea and a Commitment

Paul Sievers — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:45:50 -0400

First, the story that just won't die gets new legs as Senior MLB Adam Gunn made a public plea for the Pitt fans to stop booing Bill Stull. This a few days after Jason Pinkston echoed similar sentiments in his post game interviews.

Can somebody please tell this team that all you need to do to quiet the boo birds is shut up and perform. My god, it's not rocket science. Just win and this will all go away. If Bill Stull really needs a hug that badly then maybe Tino should be the starter.

Also, the last time we saw Billy before Saturday was out in El Paso where he was doing his best Ryan Leaf impression. Hasn't it dawned on anyone that maybe he was owed a boo?

Anyway, moving on (thankfully).

Pitt got verbal commitment number 19 yesterday as Eric Williams, an athlete out of Philadelphia, committed to Pitt.

Eric Williams is a 6 foot 3 inch, 210-pound three star recruit who runs a sub 4.5 40. While rivals.com currently has him as a receiver, he could move to safety or potentially linebacker. Everything I have read about him reads almost exactly like Dom DeCicco's scouting report a few years ago. I think most Pitt fans would sign up for that out of Mr. Williams.

Pitt now has the 27th best recruiting class according to Rivals and the 17th best recruiting class, according to scout.com. Both services rank Pitt as the top Big East team. I would tend to lean more toward Rival's assessment as scout.com tends to overate the Northeast.

With top in-state prospects like Corey Brown and Cullen Christian still showing interest, the class of 2010 has the potential to have the same kind of ballyhooed class that Dave Wannstedt has been able to put together in past seasons.

Of course, college football is a game where the rich get richer and wins would certainly help persuade Brown and Christian. Just part of the reason this current group of Panthers needs to take care of business. Lets just hope they can shake off the boos.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

In a League Without a Favorite, the Cincinnati Bearcats Made an Early Statement

Paul Sievers — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:23:20 -0400

If you're normal and were at a barbecue or a pool party on Labor Day instead of cooped up inside watching college football, you missed a dominant performance by the Cincinnati Bearcats, who routed Rutgers 47-15 in Piscataway, N.J.

Tony Pike was Tony Pike, going 27-of-34 for 362 yards and three TDs to go along with a sweet handlebar mustache for Cincinnati. Bearcats' coach Brian Kelly's game plan was Brian Kelly-esque and this team was prepared the way Brian Kelly teams are usually prepared. They were able to neutralize a pretty intimidating crowd in a newly expanded stadium as they executed flawlessly for 60 minutes.

After an off-season spent wondering a) how did Cincy won the Big East and b) how to replace 10 defensive starters, we all missed the big picture. The big picture is that teams that are well-coached and well-quarterbacked can get away with other deficiencies.

Am I ready to hand Cincy their tickets back to a BCS bowl game? Of course not. There's still a lot of football to be played and Rutgers' offensive game plan today could best be described as uninventive.

What I am ready to do is call Cincy the early favorite to get back to a BCS game. None of the other six teams could have gone into Jersey and done what the Bearcats did today.

As of right now, they are the best team in the Big East and if the national pollsters don't think they're one of the 25 best teams in America, we need new people voting on these things.

As a Pitt fan, I am circling Dec. 5, the date the Bearcats come to Heinz Field. Every other Big East fan should be circling the day their team plays Brian Kelly's boys as well.

It's probably too early to judge, but based on this small sample it appears as if the road to the Big East title is going to go through Cincinnati.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Big East Roundtable Preview

Paul Sievers — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:01:58 -0400

Every article written about Big East football this summer has seemingly taken one of two tones.

1) The conference is in deep trouble
2) The conference is unpredictable

While both are valid points, they have been beaten into the ground unmercifully. Part of the reason for this is because nobody wants to even attempt to make predictions on such an unpredictable league, it's much easier to just spit out stock analysis.

Since none of the big boys want to take a crack at picking this league, I figured I would enlist some of the finest amateur Big East writers the internet has to offer. Syracuse writer Dan Kelley and UConn writer George Peterson from BleacherReport.com were generous enough to help me out.

Together, the three of us took our best shot at trying to sort through the mess of mediocrity that is the Big East. As you can see by how varied our predictions are, what happens this season is anyone's guess.

Lets not waste any time gents, who wins this thing and why?

Dan: Well after taking a look at each team, I settled on Pitt as my favorite awhile ago, knowing that they’ll probably need a good year from Bill Stull for that to happen. I’ve heard he’s struggled a bit in camp, but while he’s never been an all-Big East type of quarterback, he is a veteran so I think he’ll be fine this year. Having Jonathan Baldwin around should really help him out too, so I’m sticking with the Panthers.

George: With everyone's strengths, weaknesses and schedule under consideration I think Rutgers will take it home.They've got a solid D, the best O-Line in the conference which will only help whoever's taking the snaps and most of their toughest tests are at home. The stars just seem to be in alignment for them this year.

Paul: In my opinion, when the conference is this wide open pick the team with the best athletes. I would say Pitt and USF are the most athletic teams in the league, both teams are filled with freaks of nature on defense and weapons on offense. Yes I know WVU has maybe the most explosive athlete in Noel Divine but I don't think they're as deep with speed as those other teams. At the end of the day I trust Jim Levitt and Matt Grothe more than I trust Wanny and Stull. I'm going with the Bulls.

Now that we've thrown our conference champs out there, who else makes bowl games?

Dan: Picking the bowl teams is probably the only thing about this league that will be even close to easy to predict. There are only eight teams and two of them probably don’t have a very good chance (Louisville and Syracuse, as sad as I am to say). I’m going with Pitt, WVU, USF, Cincinnati and Rutgers, in that order.

George: Rutgers, USF, WVU, Pitt, Cincy, UConn

Paul: I think ND is going to end up somewhere outside of the Gator Bowl, perhaps the Cotton. USF (Fiesta), WVU (Gator), Pitt (Car Care), Cincy (Papa Johns), Rutgers (International). I don't think UConn, Louisville or 'Cuse will qualify and the St. Pete bowl will go outside the conference.

It's hard to have a sleeper in a league where anyone can win but lets all try to pick a sleeper anyway...

Dan: I think it’s got to be Connecticut. They rarely get the respect they deserve, but they exceed expectations every year. I really like their defense, and if they can get a passing game going they could definitely be a contender again. The only thing that kept me from picking them as a bowl team is their tough schedule with out of conference dates with UNC, at Baylor and at Notre Dame.

George: If UConn can pull out wins against UNC, ND, and two of the five Big East leaders, they could move up and out of the stinkin' Int. Bowl. The only other possibility is Louisville, but I'm not a believer in their coach Steve Kragthorpe putting it together this year.

Paul: I don't think Cincy is getting enough credit. Yes I know they lost 10 starters on defense but the Brian Kelly/Tony Pike combo should make them really good. Add in the fact that their freshman class is the best in school history and you have the makings for another really good year. I know I only picked them to go to the Papajohns.com bowl but that pick was based more on the fact that someone has to be the odd man out as opposed to them being only as good as that game.

If we can have a sleeper than we can have a disappointment too. Let's name names...

Dan: I’m going to say Rutgers. They’ve been kind of a trendy pick this year, in part thanks to their schedule, but I just don’t see it. They do have a good looking defense and on paper at least, the best offensive line in the Big East. They lost Mike Teel, Kenny Britt, and Tiquan Underwood though and I just can’t see those guys being replaced overnight. Rutgers also finished near the bottom of the league in rushing last year, so where is the offense going to come from?

George: I'd like to think USF can get past their late season funk of the last few year's. Until they do, with the talent they have at key spots they will be the favorites to rip out the hearts of their fans. If they don't, Pitt could be a close second.

Paul: I know not a whole lot is expected from them but UConn really doesn't scare me. With losses like Daruis Butler, D.J. Hernandez, William Beatty and Donald Brown off a team that wasn't outstandingly talented to begin with, I could see this year going very badly for the Huskies. Like 4-8 bad. UConn has had success by not beating themselves these past few seasons, that's all well and good but eventually your opponents are going to play mistake free football. UConn doesn't have the talent to beat good teams without getting breaks.

Let's shift to individual awards. Who is the Offensive Player of the Year?

Dan: I think its Noel Devine’s year in Morgantown. With no Pat White to steal the show, Devine is going to put up some huge numbers.

George: It's hard not to pick Tony Pike or Matt Grothe, but I like what Noel Devine brings to the table. I think he will be the backbone and catalyst for the Mountaineers offense and put up some gawdy rushing numbers to boot.

Paul: If I'm going to pick USF to win the league then I'm going to pick Grothe to win POY. With the departure of Pat White, Grothe is now the top duel-threat QB in a league short on defensive speed. He's too much of a match up nightmare for me not to pick him.

Defensive Player of the Year...

Dan: I’m going to say Greg Romeus. Pitt’s got a lot of talent on their defensive line with Romeus, Jabaal Sheard and Mick Williams all back. That means opposing offensive lines are going to have trouble double-teaming Romeus and he could improve on his 7.5 sacks from a year ago.

George: I'm going to go with the obvious choice of George Selvie. No other defensive player makes Big East offensive coordinators cringe and gameplan against than the stud DE.

Paul: I think Pitt's defense is going to be dominant this year, the question is who gets the glory. I think Pitt's front four is going to force a lot of poor decisions from QBs leaving CB Aaron Berry will be there to make those QBs pay. Berry drew a lot of ire from the Panther faithful last year and still made the All-Conference team. He was also probably the best player on the field in the Sun Bowl last year. Watch for Berry to build on that Sun Bowl performance and have a monster year.

Special Teams Player of the Year...

Dan: Who else can I even pick? It’s got to be Mardy Gilyard. He’ll be the most dangerous kick returner in the league again this year.

George: Much the like the effect Selvie has on OC's, Mardy Gilyard probably has opposing special teams coaches running to the store at 2 AM for some Ambien CR. The reigning ST POY can take it to the house at any time and may do more for his team, than anyone in the Big East.

Paul: I think teams will kick away from Gilliard to the point of hilarity this season. His presence will give Cincy great field position but it wont be enough for him to win the award. I'm going to go with Rutgers Kicker San San Te just for the sake of typing that name.

Coach of the Year...

Dan: The only scenario I can see where the coach whose team wins the Big East doesn’t win Coach of the Year would be if Syracuse or Louisville came out of nowhere and finished just short of winning it. Assuming that doesn’t happen though, it will go to the conference champ. It could be Dave Wannstedt’s year.

George: To the victor goes the spoils. If Rutgers takes the BE title, Schiano should be a shoo-in.

Paul: I'm going to go with Jim Levitt. He's a charismatic figure and if his team wins he'll get the award.

And finally, Rookie of the Year

Dan: I don’t know all that much about the various freshmen entering the Big East this season. On that note, I’m going to put my homer cap on for a minute and say Greg Paulus. I know a lot of people are skeptical about the move to start him, but Paulus does have some things going for him. He’s already won the starting job, so he’s definitely going to get a chance to put up some numbers, unlike many freshman. He’s got the pedigree as a National Player of the Year in high school and from what they’re saying it sounds like the coaches have been very impressed with how he’s handled himself in camp. He’s also got a big time receiver to bail him out in Mike Williams.

George: I know this is a homer pick, but the buzz in these parts is all about Randy Edsall's prized four star recruit at wideout, Dwayne Difton. The tight-lipped Edsall has been gushing about his disciplined work ethic and route-running, not to mention his speed and hands. UConn Country is probably going to get their wish with Difton being named a starter when the season kicks off at Ohio U. If he doesn't he will still make a big impact in the Huskies new offensive plans.

Paul: Lets make it three for three on homer picks. Dion Lewis averaged 14 yards per carry during his senior year in New Jersey. He is slated as the starting tailback on a Pitt offense that loves to run, this pick makes too much sense.

Finally, if you had to pick one Big East game to attend this season which game would you pick?

Dan: Well being a Syracuse fan, I’d love to take a trip down to Happy Valley to see my Orange take on Penn State. Knowing the odds of victory are roughly the same as a snow cone’s chances in the desert though, I’ll go with the Backyard Brawl. Pitt and West Virginia are my top two teams this year, so this one could be for all the marbles. Besides, you can’t top the excitement of being in the stands for the Big East’s best rivalry. West Virginia and Pitt fans seem to absolutely despise each other, and that always makes for a fun game.

George: As a Husky and college football fan in general, it would have to be UConn's trip to Notre Dame to be able to take in all of the atmosphere. The Backyard Brawl is a close second, though.

Paul: There's only one true rivalry in Big East football, the Backyard Brawl. I've had the pleasure to attend this game and the energy is unlike any other. When Pitt and WVU fans mingle, nothing is off-limits. The stadium is a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. It's a must on any football fans bucket list.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Breaking Down Pitt's Depth Chart Part IV: The Defense

Paul Sievers — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:43:17 -0400

I kind of ran out of time with this depth chart project. I'm going to tackle the defense (sadly, the pun was intended) today and the special teams tomorrow.

DE 97 Jabaal Sheard 6-4, 260, Jr.,
46 Shayne Hale 6-4, 250, Fr., RS

DE 91 Greg Romeus 6-6, 270, Jr., RS
35 Brandon Lindsey 6-2, 240, So., RS

DT 93 Gus Mustakas 6-3, 285, Sr., RS
94 Myles Caragein 6-2, 275, So., RS
57 Craig Bokor 6-3, 285, Sr., RS

DT 95 Mick Williams 6-1, 280, Sr., RS
98 Chas Alecxih 6-5, 275, So., RS

OLB 55 Max Gruder 6-2, 230, So., RS
41 Manny Williams 6-1, 225, Fr., RS

OLB 38 Greg Williams 6-3, 240, So., RS
15 Shane Murray 6-2, 230, Sr., RS

MLB 8 Adam Gunn 6-2, 230, Sr., RS
40 Dan Mason 6-0, 225, Fr.,

CB 17 Aaron Berry 5-11, 180, Sr.,
22 Antwuan Reed 5-10, 190, So.,

CB 7 Jovani Chappel 5-9, 185, Sr.,
26 Ricky Gary 5-9, 175, Jr., RS

S 31 Dom DeCicco 6-3, 230, Jr.,
39 Jarred Holley 5-10, 175, Fr., RS
20 Irvan Brown 6-0, 205, Sr., RS

S 41 A. Taglianetti 5-11, 190, So.,
4 Elijah Fields 6-2, 225, Jr., RS

A few things stand out when I look at the depth chart.

There really aren't many weak spots in that starting eleven. While I have my questions about Gruder and Gunn, I think both players are better than our weak links in past years.
The D-line looks great. That's a really good starting four with Shayne Hale and Myles Caragein there as capable backups. Pitt is transforming from Wide Receiver U to Defensive Lineman U.
While I'd rather not start a freshman at MLB, I could see Dan Mason taking over the starting job by the end of the month. The guy just looks like a linebacker.
The secondary will be the most improved group on this team. There is a ton of talent back there. Berry, Gary, and Chappel are all good corners (it remains to be seen if Berry decides to become a great one), DeCicco, Fields and Taglianetti are all serviceable safeties (it remains to be seen if Fields decides to become more than just serviceable). The secondary and the D-line are very deep.
I love Greg Williams and the thought of him and Dan Mason teaming up for the next few seasons makes me giddy. That said, the linebackers are a bit underwhelming. Last season Scott McKillop's sure tackling allowed the safeties to play deep. Hopefully the linebackers will be able to give at least a B- effort. They'll have the benefit of playing behind a great defensive line.

I know I come off like a tremendous homer on these but its hard not to be excited about the defense. It's going to be very difficult for any offense to face a defense that can get pressure without blitzing and that's exactly what this defense can do.

The front four is going to cover up a lot of flaws on this team. If Pitt is successful this year it will be largely because of Sheard, Romeus, Mick Willaims, Gus Mustakus and the rest of the defensive lineman.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Breaking Down Pitt's Depth Chart Part III: The Offensive Line

Paul Sievers — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:03:23 -0400

This year's O-Line reminds me of the the 2008 basketball team. Right now its pretty good despite the lack of depth. As soon as the unit suffers a key injury (just about any injury to any starter would constitute a key injury) the o-line is suddenly very mediocre.

Let's work left to right...

Left Tackle

1. Jason Pinkston
2. Jordan Gibbs

Pinkston is a rock at left tackle with NFL potential. Jordan Gibbs at 6'7", 295 pounds has an intriguing build for the position but is still very green.

We learned just how important Pinkston was when he missed the Sun Bowl last year. Let's hope we don't lose him this year.

Left Guard

1. Joe Thomas
2. Chris Jacobson

This is the one position on the line where we have any semblance of depth. I'm not sure either of these guys are the caliber of Pinkston or Malecki but they seem to both be serviceable.

Joe Thomas has been a four-year starter. Last year he made great strides and while there might be an adjustment switching from tackle to guard, Thomas is past the point of making mental errors.

Jacobson has never started but was a former All-American, so the physical gifts are there. Whether he knows what he's doing yet remains to be seen. He might need another year until he's ready to shine.

Center

1. Rob Houser
2. ????

Alex Karabin is currently slated as the backup center, but there is talk that John Malecki would slide over to center should Houser get hurt again this season.

In addition to the fact that there doesn't really seem to be a clear-cut injury replacement for Houser, there doesn't seem to be a long term plan at center, either. Houser is a senior this year, nobody is sure who will play the position next year.

Right Guard

1. John Malecki
2. Ryan Turnley

Malecki is an absolute stud at guard. Turnley is unproven. This team cannot afford to lose Malecki, he is perhaps the least replaceable player on the team.

Right Tackle

1. Lucas Nix
2. Greg Gaskins

Gaskins was projected as a center out of high school but for whatever reason hasn't been able to master the position at the college level. He has been moved to tackle where he will back up former High School All-American Lucas Nix.

Nix is unproven but undoubtedly talented. If he can live up to his potential, then he and Pinkston will be a pair of tackles that will frustrate defensive ends all year long.

Pitt needs the starting front to stay healthy in order to give their unproven backs as much margin for error as possible.

The offense is not built to withstand any injuries or inconsistent play from their five starting linemen. If something goes wrong with the line, we could be heading straight for 6-6 and a trip to Toronto.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Breaking Down Pitt's Depth Chart Part II: Receivers

Paul Sievers — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:59:41 -0400

It's a shame that the celling for Pitt QBs is so low this year because there are a lot of good pass catchers on this squad.

Wide Receivers

1. Jonathan Baldwin (18 catches, 404 yards, 3TDs)
2. Oderick Turner (21 catches, 298 yards, 1 TD)
3. CedrickMcGee (23 catches, 201 yards, 0 TDs)
4. Aaron Smith
5. Andre Wright (34 yards rushing, 1 rushing TD)

Behind Jonathan Baldwin and Turner it appears to be a real fluid situation at WR. Even a guy like Mike Shanahan or Cam Saddler could work their way into the lineup if things go well.

The thing I like most about this group is that they compliment each other well. Jonathan Baldwin is a great deep threat. A big body with phenomenal leaping ability, Baldwin should be able to give Billy Stull a large margin for error on the deep ball.

Oderick Turner had a lot of drops last year but by all accounts he had a good camp. He's very good at getting open on the short and intermediate routes, if he can eliminate the drops he should be solid.

While McGee is slated at No. 3 right now, I like the idea of Smith or Wright in the slot a lot better. Both players are explosive athletes who can make people miss after the catch. Having guys who can turn a five yard slant into a 50 yard TD gives the safeties that much more to think about. The less the safeties can focus on Jonathan Baldwin the better.

Tight Ends

1. Nate Byham (20 catches, 260 yards, 1 TD)
2. DorinDickerson (13 catches, 174 yards, 2 TDs)
3. Mike Cruz

If this group is healthy then they are the best unit on the offensive side of the ball, maybe on either side of the ball.

Unfortunately, all three players have missed time in camp. Byham has missed time with a concussion, Dickerson had a hamstring injury, and Cruz took a leave of absence.

All three players should contribute this season. Byham is an all-conference selection at TE and Dickerson is probably the best pure athlete on the team. Look for Pitt to use a lot of two TE sets to emphasize this duo's play making ability.

Cruz probably wont factor much on offense but he has a chance to be the long snapper on special teams.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Breaking Down the Pitt Depth Chart Part One: The Backfield

Paul Sievers — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:24:42 -0400

After four days of talking about fake quotes, women's basketball practice and ticket sales, I figured I would take a shot at talking about football. I mean this isn't a sports blog and kickoff isn't nine days away or anything like that but whatever.

With the loss of our top two tailbacks and our starting fullback, there were a lot of spots on the two-deep up in the air. Add in the fact that incumbent starting QB Bill Stull did very little last season to gain the confidence of the Panther faithful and you had all of our backs operating under a microscope all through training camp.

Quarterbacks

1. Bill Stull
2. Tino Sunseri
3. Pat Bostick

Bostick is listed above Sunseri on the pantherlair.com depth chart but should Stull not be under center it remains to be seen who would get the nod. Sunseri proved himself to be more than capable in camp and Bostick still has a redshirt to burn. If Stull is to leave a game its anyone's guess who will get the nod.

Whether or not Stull should be getting the nod in the first place. By all accounts, Sunseri and Bostick both outperformed Stull for a good chunk of camp. Dave Wannstedt's decision to go with Stull kind of seems like the decision to go with the devil he knows. The whole think reeks of Rex Groseman though I would certainly take the kind of success the Bears had with him under center in 2007.

If Stull doesn't perform early, it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff reacts. Nobody is quite sure how long of a leash Stull is on here.

Fullback

1. Henry Hynoski
2. Kevin Collier
3. Joe Capp

The only reason I'm even including Joe Capp is because I know a Joe Capp and if Pitt's Joe Capp is anything like my Joe Capp then I pity that locker room.

Both Collier and Hynoski were highly touted recruits out of high school. Collier was projected as a tailback but an ACL injury altered the course of his development. He's one of the many "could have beans" from the hyped class of 2006.

Hynoski has a lot of fan-favorite potential. He's from a small, rural high school, he weighs 260 pounds and he likes to hit people in the mouth. Who can't get excited for a guy like that every time he gets to carry the rock?

Hyno will have big shoes to fill with the loss of Conridge Collins who was a fantastic college fullback. With new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, the fullbacks should have less of a role in the offense. This will help ease the development of both players who have a combined 38 carries between them.

Tailbacks

1. Dion Lewis
2. Ray Graham
3. Chris Burns

This is where it gets interesting. Wannstedt would prefer to have one featured back instead of a running back by committee but his hand might be forced here as no one runner is head and shoulder above the rest.

Burns has spent the most time in the system, Graham has the most big play potential, Lewis is the most reliable. All three are small and shifty with speed in spades. None of the three has ever had a carry in the Blue and Gold, something that will change this year as all three look to get touches.

There are a lot of unknowns with this group but also a lot of potential. The two biggest question marks on the roster are QB and RB which are two awful places to have questions.

If Pitt can get anything out of those two spots, a good bowl is in the cards. If not, it will be a very long season.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Pitt Athletic Department Reports High Season Ticket Sales

Paul Sievers — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:37:04 -0400

Okay, maybe there was a reason I only lasted seven weeks as a salesman.

Two weeks ago I killed the Pitt athletic department for its family tailgate idea. I still believe that Pitt tries to sanitize football Saturdays a little too much.

If football environments had movie ratings, Pitt home games are rated PG. I think that its athletic department would want to see that rating down to a G, while I would argue that college football is at its best when the crowd is at a PG-13.

I digress.

In my blog post two weeks ago, I argued that the Pitt athletic department was too busy focusing their attention on inane things like the family tailgate, and not focusing enough on trying to bring fresh blood into the stadium.

Yesterday, Dale Grdnic (my God, six letters, one vowel) of scout.com interviewed associate athletic director Chris Ferris.

According to Ferris, Pitt is on pace for the second highest total of season-ticket sales in school history. This is after the team lost standouts Shady McCoy and Chris Mckillop.

Ferris went on to say that the team could sell out their entire allotment of season tickets like they did in 2003.

So, it looks like there will actually be butts in the seats this season. It remains to be seen how many of these people will show up to any game other than the Notre Dame game. It also remains to be seen how many fans are in to the game and how many sit on their hands for three hours. Student turnout is also a big unknown.

Until we know the answers to these questions though, we have to tip our hat to the athletic department. They sold the tickets. They're right, and I'm wrong and because I'm wrong, there won't be another marketing post until the start of the season.

Because tickets are being sold, the on-field product becomes that much more important. If Pitt can win a conference title in front of a relatively full stadium, it will build a ton of momentum for future seasons.

The pieces are starting to come together for what could be a pretty special fall. I'm cautiously optimistic.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Champs Sports Bowl Speaks Loudly Of Big East's Problems

Paul Sievers — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:57:02 -0400

Starting in 2010, the Big East will end their arrangement with the Gator and Sun bowls and begin sending their second best team to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. This change comes with a lot of mixed feelings for Big East fans.

Pros:

Orlando is a far more desirable destination than Jacksonville or El Paso. It's easier to get to than either city and very family-friendly. For 20-somethings like myself who are looking to party, Tampa is a short enough drive.
The game will pay about as much as the Gator Bowl and more than the Sun Bowl. The Big East is not losing any money in bowl payouts from this deal.
While the game isn't a New Years Day game, it comes with an exclusive time slot and a National broadcast. The entire nation will be watching. The Champs Sports Bowl received a higher rating than the Gator Bowl last year.
Notre Dame can only take a Big East team's spot once every four years.

Cons:

It's the Champs Sports Bowl, it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue like Gator or Sun. It doesn't have the history of those two bowls, either. This is a PR hit to a league that doesn't need any more shots taken at its pride.
Notre Dame is unfortunately still involved.

All in all, I think the Big East powers that be did a decent enough job at securing the Champs Sports Bowl. Let's be honest Big East fans, we're a tough sell right now. We don't have a team in the preseason top 25, and aside from WVU, none of our schools travel all that well.

The most important thing the Big East can do with their bowl contracts is make sure we're playing as many other BCS teams as possible. Right now, we are awaiting an opponent in the Champs Sports Bowl, an opponent rumored to be an ACC team.

Assuming our opponent in Orlando is an ACC team, our 2010 Bowl Tie-Ins would look like this.

Big East #1 - BCS

Great, let's hold on to this one for dear life.

Big East #2 - Champs Sports vs. ACC

I'd rather play the Big 10 or SEC, but it's a BCS opponent.

Big East #3 - Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. ACC

It seems redundant to play all these games against the ACC, especially when you consider their problems are similar to ours. But it could be worse...

Big East #4 - International Bowl vs. MAC

I'm sure Toronto is a great city, but this game is just an awful idea. Two conferences that don't have rabid fanbases going to a cold weather city. Throw in the lower drinking age and the increased chances for both fan and player hooliganism, and I give this game about another three years of existence.

Big East #5 - Papajohns.com Bowl vs. SEC

Don't get too excited, it's the ninth team from the SEC. Assuming there is no ninth team eligible, we play a Sun Belt opponent.

Big East #6 - St. Petersburg Bowl vs. C-USA

Great, another mid-major opponent. With this setup, it is extremely possible that half of our bowl games will be played against non-BCS opponents. There's no winning when you play against inferior opposition, especially when the league is trying to prove its legitimacy.

If we want to claim our conference is a legitimate power, then we have to prove it. The Big East needs to find us big time opposition for our bowl games, then the fans have to travel and our teams have to win.

Once all three of these things are happening, everything else will fall into place.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

A statistical analysis of the Pitt Panthers scrimmage.

Paul Sievers — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:00:34 -0400

It's hard for me to have strong opinions on an inner-squad scrimmage that I didn't watch. Especially when you consider that seven guys on the two deep depth chart sat out. Plus, so much can change in the 16 days until opening kickoff right?

By all accounts, Bill Stull struggled again, Tino Sunseri looked good again (all though he was sacked the most of the three QBs), and the defense was ahead of the offense.

But just how far ahead was the defense?

The scrimmage featured 2.2 rushing yards per carry, 4.4 yards per pass attempt, and 3.1 yards per play. Those numbers were far above what the offense was gaining last season (3.7/6.9/5.1), and far below what the defense gave up last year (3.6/6.3/4.9).

The frequency of sacks and interceptions did not deviate greatly from either units 2008 stats.

So what does this mean? Is the defense that much improved or has the offense regressed that much without Shady McCoy? Or was it neither or both?

The answer is probably both, and neither at the same time.

First of all, the offense was a far more injury depleted unit during this scrimmage. The offense was missing their top two tight ends and a starting tackle.

Considering the basic play calling at this point in training camp, the defense had a huge advantage, since the offense had fewer able bodies to battle in the trenches. This probably skewed the numbers in favor of the defense.

That advantage for the defense aside, its hard to look at those numbers without being optimistic about one unit and pessimistic about the other.

Even with the losses of Scott McKillop and Rashaad Duncan, Pitt's defense should be better than last years; which is a good thing, because it may have to carry the offense through the first few weeks of the season until they can finally find a rhythm.

For all things Pitt athletics check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Pitt QB Controversy Appears To Be a Cripple Fight

Paul Sievers — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:01:35 -0400

Unless my blog is your sole source of Pitt info (I'm flattered) or you're coming off a four day bender that included both cougars and cougars, you are probably well aware that Bill Stull and Pat Bostick have been less than stellar since practice with pads has started.

To make things interesting, redshirt frosh Tino Sunseri has been impressive. This leaves the Panthers with three quarterbacks, one starting job and a whole lot of questions.

Do we really need a quarterback?

As much as I'd love to line up our band of 4'8" track stars and run triple reverses all day long, I have a sneaking suspicion that opposing defenses are going to find a way to stop us.

Not only do we obviously need a QB, this team needs good play from the QB. Without Shady, the offense can expect to see fewer eight man fronts and less aggressive play from opposing safeties. Our quarterbacks are going to have to make difficult throws a lot more often this season.

Will Bill Stull start on opening day?

At this point it would be a huge upset of Stull didn't get the nod against Youngstown State. He's the lone senior of the three quarterbacks, he had his moments last season and most importantly, Pitt should beat Youngstown State no matter whose lined up under center.

Unless the rest of Bill Stull's camp is an absolute tragedy, he will get the benefit of the doubt going into the YSU game. That's just how it is. I've always been a "talent over experience" kind of guy, but unless either Bostick or Sunseri is head and shoulders better than Stull, it should be the senior's job to lose.

Will Pat Bostick the next Joe Flacco?

As Tino Sunseri appears to be at the very least putting himself in the drivers seat for the starting job in 2010, its becoming more and more apparent that Pat Bostick probably isn't in Wannstedt's future plans.

Coming out of high school, Bostick was by far the highest touted recruit of the three Panther QBs. If the potential for greatness is there and he's not going to see the field at Pitt, there's no reason that he can't go elsewhere and become the next Joe Flacco.

I feel bad for Bostick, he showed a lot of guts his freshman year when he got thrown into the fire. I don't quite know what "it" is but Bostick just seems to lack it. Maybe he needs a change of scenery.

Side note: It seems like a little bit of shine has been taken off of the whole "great Pennsylvania QB" mantra this decade. Take a look at Rivals sometime and look at the top ranked QBs from the commonwealth and then see where they are now. Its not pretty.

What are the odds Bill Stull starts every game for the Panthers this year?

I'm going to say about 40 percent. I'll say there's a 40-percent chance his play warrants a benching and a 20-percent chance he gets hurt.

I wish I could have more confidence in Stull but I can't shake that Sun Bowl performance out of my mind. Add to that the fact that his camp has resembled that disaster of a game more than his solid performance against Louisville and it seems like there is a solid chance Stull will get benched at some point.

Is there any reason to be optimistic?

Jonathan Baldwin. He's your reason to be optimistic because the safeties have to respect him.

If the safeties try to crowd the line then he'll be open on deep play action passes. If the safeties respect Baldwin and play deep then Dickerson and Byham will be free on the underneath routes.

Whether or not we execute those passes is a whole different issue but at the very least, Pitt has weapons in the passing game that can get open and do some damage with the ball.

There are still 18 days until we kick the season off. A lot can change between now and then and quite honestly, its damn near impossible to figure out what kind of team you have from intersquad scrimmages.

Lets just hope that either Stull, Bostick or Sunseri win the job and the other two don't lose it because QB play is going to be more important this year than it has been for any Pitt team in the post Palko era.

Check out The First Church of Fitzgerald for all things Pitt sports

Marketing The Panthers, How To Handle Tailgating

Paul Sievers — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:16:17 -0400

This will be the first instalment of an ongoing series where I discuss what the athletic department should and shouldn't be doing in order to get fans into Heinz Field on Saturdays. Your comments are more than welcome as it will take more than one voice for our athletic department to take notice.

Today I was on the athletic department website when I came across this.

Apparently, before every home game, the Heinz Field parking lot will transform itself into "The Worlds Largest Family Tailgate." The tailgate includes a band, a jumbotron showing ESPN, food (no alcohol) and a bunch of inflatable games to distract the kids.

There's an inherent problem here. The Pitt athletic department is trying to domesticate tailgating which is something that really can't be domesticated.

Who wakes up on an Autumn Saturday and says "Man today is going to be great. I can't wait to eat stadium food, so what if it costs a bunch of money. After that I'm going to cheer on the Panthers."

People say that on their way to baseball games, not football.

When we wake up on gameday, we say "I got my cooler and grill all packed. I'm going to meet up with the boys, crack open a cold one and warm up the grill. Our wives will stand around and talk about god knows what while kids will chase a football around, hopefully they don't get hurt. Once that's out of the way its time to watch Pitt. God bless America because my life is awesome."

I love tailgating, part of the reason I love it is because its a do-it-yourself activity. It's about bonding with friends and family over beers and burgers. Its about the cars to each side of you doing the same. Its about creating a pre-game energy that can be felt as soon as you get out of your car.

It's not about buying overpriced, greasy chicken fingers and watching some no-name band while your kids wait in line 10 minutes to throw a football through an inflatable tire.

I understand part of the reason Pitt does this is to discourage drinking. Fine, why not have something similar to the designated driver kiosks at NFL games. Sign up to be a designated driver and get a Pitt blanket or something like that.

Trust me, drunk people will be too busy laughing at the kiosk to fake being sober for the sake of a free blanket.

I feel that the amount of time, money and energy directed into this little mini-theme park could be used more effectively. The great family tailgate isn't going to increase ticket sales, lets put our effort into something that will.

For all things Pitt, check out The First Church of Fitzgerald.

Pitt's New Uniforms Are...Awful

Paul Sievers — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:08:12 -0400

When the Pitt Panthers take the field against Youngstown State on September 5th, they will be wearing this Nike design that looks like they were stolen from the Georgia Tech locker room.

I personally hate them. Some Pitt fans like the fact that the new unis don't say Pitt on the front, I like jerseys that have the team name on the front.

Before we get into a debate over the aesthetics, let's not kid ourselves here. The point of a new uniform isn't for our players to wear them, it's for fans to buy them. Fans like myself.

I'm 24 years old which gives me about three more years before I'm officially too old to buy a jersey. I have a little bit of disposable income and I'm a die-hard Pitt fan. Nike and the Pitt athletic department should be brainstorming over how to get the Pablo's of the world to buy a Pitt football jersey.

Now if I want Pablo to buy a Pitt jersey, why make it look strikingly similar to something Notre Dame, Georgia Tech or Navy might wear? Do you think Pablo wants to be hanging out with his friends in his Jonathan Baldwin jersey only to have five different people ask him "what team is that?", is that a question Pablo is going to enjoy answering over and over again?

No! Pablo wants people to know that he's wearing a Pitt jersey.

Also, does the athletic department not realize that this will now be Pitt's fourth different uniform in five seasons? Is Pablo really supposed to rush out to Dicks and drop $70 on this generic piece of garbage knowing full well that his team could be wearing something completely different in two seasons?

Sorry, it's not happening. Pablo is going to continue to rock this bad boy instead.

The uniform is a minor detail but if Pitt football wants to be taken seriously the way Penn State and Ohio State are then it's time to start establishing tradition. This means establishing an identity and sticking with it.

Just show us you can go five years with out changing the uniform or the logo or the song at the end of the 3rd quarter. Just give us an identity to grasp on to then go out there and win some football games, everything else will take care of itself.

For all things Pitt, check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Big Day For Pitt Hoops

Paul Sievers — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:06:23 -0400

Here's a news flash, Jamie Dixon is running a tight ship. The machine that is Pitt basketball keeps on rolling.

This morning, Cameron Wright, a 6'5" wing player from Cleveland became Jamie Dixon's second commitment for the class of 2010. Wright is considered a three star prospect by rivals and scout. He chose Pitt over notable offers from Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Indiana.

In 2007 Wright was committed to The Ohio State University but the assistant primarily responsible for recruiting Wright left for Ohio U. Wright reopened his recruitment shortly after.

His commitment was met with the usual stiff quotes.

“The people, the coaching staff, they all seemed very real, and that’s what I enjoyed the most. I’m looking for a good relationship and a staff that’s going to be honest, and that’s the vibe I got.”

At least he didn't lie about factoring in academics.

Wright is the first Pitt commit from Ohio since Antonio Graves pledged to the Panthers in 2003. For what it's worth, I would argue that Graves was the most underrated Panther of the decade. If Wright turns out like his in-state predecessor then Pitt fans have reason to celebrate.

Wright joins point guard Isiah Epps in the class of 2010. Although it does not appear that Pitt has another open scholarship, rumor has it that Pitt will look to add a big man.

A few hours after the Wright verbal, Centenary point guard Chase Adams confirmed that he will suit up for Pitt next season.

Adams averaged around 15 points and five assists for the Gents last season. More importantly he was the Summit League defensive player of the year. He will be immediately eligible because Centenary is on probation.

Adams will be a senior this upcoming basketball season. He will take Pitt's open scholarship this season. His transfer has no impact on Pitt's 2010 recruiting class.

The way I see it, there is no downside to this transfer. Adams looks to split time with Trey Woodall at the point while pushing Ashton Gibbs to the off guard. Adams will bring some much needed experience to the one spot, allowing Woodall to make a much smoother transition into the rotation.

This move will pay immediate dividends for Pitt as Adams will help add to Pitt's depth at guard while bringing extra defensive intensity to a squad that had a few defensive lapses last year. If he is as good as advertised on the defensive end he and Dixon can give some opposing backcourts fits.

It also slows the learning curve for Woodall and will help him ease into the position. Woodall's easier transition will help Epps ease into the position. Adams could end up serving as a fantastic bridge from Knight, Krauser and Fields to Woodall and Epps.

For all things Pitt, check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

A Look at Pitt's Local Basketball Recruiting

Paul Sievers — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:14:10 -0400

A few weeks back, Swickley Academy hoops star Tom Droney verbally committed to Davidson over offers from Pitt, WVU, Notre Dame and Wake Forest, among others.

Droney is a three-star recruit. He's a 6'5" guard who can play either guard position or small forward.

While I don't know what Davidson's roster looks like, our roster on Midnight Madness 2010 will have three other capable point guards in Woodall, Epps, and Gibbs and three other capable guard/forward types in Brown, Wanamaker, Patterson.

Every player I just listed was (in Epps' case is) a higher-rated player out of high school. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big loss. But because Droney is a local kid, his not choosing Pitt becomes a story.

Some Pittsburghers will make a reference to "one for eight" (some say one for nine and include Terrelle Pryor but I won't count him since he chose to play football). Of the eight big time basketball recruits out of Western PA this decade, DeJuan Blair was the only player to play for Pitt.

We all know how DeJuan's career has ended up. He was a star on the best Pitt team ever and is now making millions in the NBA.

Now lets examine the other seven...

Local Recruit: Ben McCauley - Class 0f 2005

Local AAU coach JO Straight still holds a grudge against Jamie Dixon for never offering Ben McCauley a scholarship.

McCauley chose NC State over offers from Ohio State, Xavier and Cinci. McCauley had a solid career, averaging 9 and 5 over his career on a team that only made the NCAA tournament during his freshman year.

Pitt passed on McCauley in favor of an undersized power forward out of prep school named Sam Young. Enough said.

Advantage: Pitt

Local Recruit: Herb Pope - Class of 2007

Pope was committed to the Panthers as a Sophomore. A commitment that Straight promptly talked him out of.

Pope's senior year began with just about every team backing off on their recruitment due to character concerns. It included a loss in the State Title game where he refused to shake his opponents hands and ended with him getting shot.

He signed with New Mexico State and missed the first half of the year because he didn't qualify academically. When he did play, he played well. He has since transferred to Seton Hall where he will look to play key minutes for the Pirates.

Who knows whose odd man out in the class if Pope signs with Pitt. It might have been Darnell Dodson who like Pope, didn't qualify. Regardless, Pitt missing on Pope was a blessing in disguise. Pope would have made Chris Taft look like John Stockton.

Advantage: Pitt

Local Recruit: D.J. Kennedy - Class of 2007

Pitt never really had a chance at Kennedy who had a rough upbringing in the Hill District and wanted nothing more than to get out. Kennedy has been the best player on this list averaging 10 points, six boards, and two assists on some awful St. John's teams.

I think its safe to say he wouldn't be playing big minutes at Pitt as he has at SJU. He would have presumably have taken Brad Wanamaker's spot on the team who is a very similar player to Kennedy.

Advantage: Even

Local Recruit: Brian Walsh - Class of 2008

Walsh committed to Xavier where he redshirted last year. He did have an offer from Pitt but was being recruited by Orlando Antigua who left Pitt for Memphis. It's also debatable how badly Pitt wanted Walsh.

If Pitt ended up with Walsh, there would not have been room for Jermaine Dixon to play the two guard. Dixon was Pitt's best perimeter defender last year and will be depended on to score this year.

While Dixon is important he's not a star and who knows how Walsh will turn out. I'm going to tentatively rule this one in favor of Pitt, because I doubt Walsh will ever contributed to a top five team more than Dixon did last year but I can't say for sure.

Advantage: Pitt

Three other local recruits, Zeke Marshall (Akron), DeAndre Kane (Marshall), and Droney will all step foot on college campuses either this year or next year. It is too early to make a call on those three.

As for the other six, at no point did Pitt hurt themselves be missing out on the local player.

Unlike football, local recruiting is not the life blood of college hoops. Think about it, do you really think there's that much talent in the state of North Carolina to support UNC, Duke, and Wake?

I couldn't care less if Pitt misses out on the best local recruits. As long as they don't miss out on the best recruits that fit Jamie Dixon's system, regardless of their hometown.

I will be much more upset if we start missing recruits from New York, D.C. and Philly, I can live with missing the Pittsburgh kids.

Read more about Pitt at The First Church of Fitzgerald

Pittsburgh Football Picked To Win Big East, but Left Out of Top 40 Nationally

Paul Sievers — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:34:12 -0400

As Pitt Blather, Cat Basket, and just about any other Big East blogger fortunate enough not to be stuck in entry-level purgatory posted earlier today, Pitt is the media's pick to win the Big East this season.

The 24 media members who cast ballots voted as follows.

1. Pittsburgh (8) 161
2. West Virginia (5) 151
3. Cincinnati (8) 144
4. USF (3) 130
5. Rutgers 126
6. UConn 74
7. Louisville 51
8. Syracuse 27

No ballot had Pitt outside of the top three. I personally, would have gone USF, WVU, Pitt, Cincinnati, Rutgers, UConn, Syracuse, and Louisville. But it's way too close to call.

Any of the top five teams can win this thing or miss a bowl game—there is not a single team without a fatal flaw in this league.

Before Pitt fans get too excited—and by the looks of it, they aren't—it should be noted that the preseason pick to win the conference has only made the BCS once since the ACC invasion (WVU in 2007).

After a morning of unsubstantiated respect, it was an afternoon of absurd disrespect, as espn.com's Ivan Maisel, Pate Forde, and Mark Schlabach decided to pick a 40-team college football "premier league."

Pitt was not one of the 40 teams chosen, as WVU was the only team picked out of the Big East.

I can't state strongly enough that none of this stuff matters, but it does make you wonder just what kind of program Pitt is.

Is it realistic for Pitt fans to expect to be ranked every year and occasionally contend for a national title if their program is left out of the top 40 in America? Is it realistic for Pitt fans to accept mediocrity if the team is being picked to win the conference?

I think a lot of questions about the program will be answered this year. Even though the team is in a bit of transition, I think this season will tell us just what kind of program we have.

Read more about Pitt at The First Church of Fitzgerald.

Pitt Tight Ends Have a Big Week

Paul Sievers — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:47:33 -0400

First on Wednesday, Nate Byham was named to the Mackey Award Watch List.

According to Pitt's press release:

Pitt's All-Big East tight end Nate Byham has been named to the watch list for the 2009 John Mackey Award, annually presented to the nation's top tight end by the Nassau County Sports Commission.

30 players were named to the watch list for the John Mackey Award, named after the Pro Football Hall-of-Famer who starred for the Baltimore Colts. The 2009 Mackey Award recipient will be announced on December 10.

Former Pitt tight end Kris Wilson, now a member of the San Diego Chargers, was a finalist for the John Mackey Award in 2003.

This is the second national award watch list to recognize Byham (Franklin, Pa./Franklin), who previously was named a preseason candidate for the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award. Byham was one of only two tight ends on the Rotary Lombardi list.

Byham was a 2008 first-team All-Big East selection, an unprecedented achievement for a Pitt tight end. The 6'4", 265-pounder had 20 catches for 260 yards (13.0 avg.) and one touchdown last year. He was also a major asset in the run game, helping Pitt produce a 1,000-yard rusher for the second consecutive year.

As a resident of Nassau County and former All-County High School golfer, do I get a vote?

More importantly how does Nassau County even have an award like this, I guarantee that you will be hard pressed to find another area with less of a passion for football than Long Island. We don't even send our high school champions to the state playoffs, it ends with the Long Island championships.

Amateur football is taken less seriously on Long Island than literacy is in Morgantown. This award should be given by a commission with a track record of football excellence.

I digress.

Three days after Byham was announced on the award list, Ohio TE prospect Dan Schneider became the 17th player in the class of 2010 to verbally commit to the Panthers.

Schneider was personally recruited by none other than Byham himself.

''It helped a lot to sit down with Nate and get the perspective of someone who's been through this and get his honest opinion of his experience at Pitt...It was invaluable.''

Schneider is the second TE to commit to Pitt in the class of 2010 as his verbal came almost a month after fellow Ohio product Brandon Carozzoni committed. Schneider and Carozzoni are familiar with one another and look forward to playing together.

''At the beginning of the process, before we had any scholarship offers, Brendan and I were talking about how it would be sweet to be on the field at the same time in a double-tight formation...It's favorable, the way Pitt uses its tight ends. I feel like I'll fit in and have a chance to contribute real quick.''

Schneider is considered a three-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout. He chose Pitt from a decent group of schools. Cinci (makes Pittsburgh look like Paris), WVU (sorry, not a criminal), Florida State (see WVU), Colorado (not a tree hugger), Syracuse (having an awful decade), Indiana (having an awful life), and Louisville (Kragthorpe).

That would be my logic for picking Pitt, Schneider of course gave the company lines.

''Pitt's an unbelievable school...The academic support staff does a great job. The tradition and name Pitt means a lot.''

With so many teams going to the spread, tight ends are going to flock to Pitt (feel free to take that sentence out of context and run with it). Because Pitt is a run first offense, the play action is very effective and which is where both Byham and Dickerson should do a lot of damage on short and intermediate routes this season.

While it remains to be seen how Coach Cignetti will use the tight ends, on the surface it would seem like Pitt would make sense as an attractive offense for a tight end prospect. Once Byham and Dickerson leave, there is no reason guys like Mike Cruz, Brock DeCcico, Schneider and Carozzoni can't thrive.

To read more on Pitt athletics, please visit The First Church of Fitzgerald.

The Origins of the Jamie Dixon Lovefest

Paul Sievers — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:53:08 -0400

The transformation Pitt basketball has made this decade from afterthought to national power is utterly remarkable (Pitt is good, that's hard hitting analysis you wont find anywhere else).

However, there has been another interesting transformation in the Pitt hoops program over the past few years. The program now has a face.

While Pitt's run of success dates back to the 2001 Big East Tournament, the program's trademarks until recently were its defense and its student section.

Now, Jamie Dixon is the face of that program.

Last week, Chas Rich wrote a blog post for Pitt Blather about Jamie Dixon's success at the helm of the U-19 USA Basketball team.

The post was met with a bevy comments such as, "So cool to have him as our coach," and, "Pitt is very fortunate to have such a fantastic coach who is clearly building an elite, top-tier program"

I'm not disputing that Jamie Dixon doesn't deserve all the praise in the world. I wrote my own glowing review of his work for the U-19 team (shameless self-promotion!). I'm just a little surprised how suddenly it happened.

I had to wonder when Dixon went from just a coach to a beloved figure in Oakland. I came up with the following timeline.

2003, WTF: Dixon is hired after what might have been the worst executed coaching search in the history of major college athletics. After Ben Howland left for UCLA and Skip Prosser decided to stay at Wake Forest the athletic department basically said "screw it, we're out of ideas, lets go with Dixon."

Dixon who has been turned down by lowly Wright State a year earlier was now the head coach of a pre-season top 25 team.

2004, The Honeymoon: Dixon takes a team that was barely in the pre-season top 25 into the top 10. At one point in the season they were ranked as high as No. 3. Freshman Center Chris Taft and Sophomore Point Guard Carl Krauser come out of nowhere to propel the Panthers to the league regular season title. They eventually run into a white hot Oklahoma State team in the Sweet 16 where they are eliminated.

A younger Dixon with a fuller head of hair captures the hearts of any co-ed who might be into older men but doesn't yet capture the imagination of the fan base. Pitt fans are certainly thrilled with what he did with the team but acknowledge that he's succeeding with someone elses recruits.

2005, The Turmoil: The least likeable team of the decade starts the Dixon balding process. Chris Taft makes his mind up before the season that he's going pro, Chevy Troutman realizes he's best chance to get paid is the NFL so he goes as far as working out for NFL teams before games. Yuri Demitris is arrested for breaking into his girlfriend's house and gets thrown off the team.

Everybody is out for themselves and the blame gets lumped on Carl Krauser, the flashiest and cockiest player on the team.In addition to the chemistry issues, any team with an athletic wing is able to destroy the vaunted Pitt defense off the dribble. Pitt's lack of athleticism is exposed as they limped into a NCAA tournament as a nine seed and lose to mid-major Pacific in the first round.

After the season, a miserable Dixon's mind turned to his next job. Some Pitt fans question whether or not Dixon is the man for the job as Jamie spent the season clashing with his players.

2006, The Turning Point: With Taft and Troutman gone, Krauser and Dixon lead a relatively young Pitt squad to a 25 win season that ended with a disappointing upset in the second round of the NCAAs. Pitt fans now realize that Krauser was not the problem and actually is a team player.
More importantly, we are all introduced to Sam Young. A 6'6" forward who can run like a puma and jump out of the gym. The exact player Pitt had been missing. Dixon's approval is almost as high has his fading hairline ad the future is once again bright.

I don't want to make light of a tragedy but when Maggie Dixon, his sister, passed at age 28, he became ours. We never knew Dixon the person, his press conferences and interviews were usually monotone and full of coach speak. Jamie was now suddenly very human and he needed the Panther community to pick him up.

Sadly, tragedy has a way of bringing people closer together and that's exactly what Maggie's death did. The Maggie Dixon Foundation is generously funded by Pitt students and alumni.

After the season Jamie Dixon listened to ovitures from Arizona State before agreeing to a contract with Pitt. Both sides grew much closer in 2006.

2007, Validation: Dixon now trusts the Panther community and emerges as a charismatic figure for the first time in his career. When 4,000 fans came out for College Gameday before the Pitt-Georgetown game, the look on Dixon's face was priceless. We had embraced him, now he was embracing us. He was genuinely touched that so many people showed up to blow the roof off the building. This is also when Pitt officially switched from a two-sport school to a basketball school.

The team had high pre-season expectations that they more or less matched. They got a three seed and made the Sweet 16 as they did in 2004. A few people doubt Coach Dixon's ability to win the big one but nobody wants him to leave anymore.

2008, The Momentum Builder: Athletic Director Jeff Long is fired before the basketball season and is replaced by former Pitt AD Steve Peterson, a long-time friend of Dixon's. Now Jamie has harmony in the athletic department with Peterson and Chancellor Nordenberg. Pitt is now a place that Dixon wants to stay for a long time. If only his hair wanted to stay as well.

But how would he fair with a team that lost three starters? How would he adjust to a team that saw its other two returning starters miss significant time with injuries? This is now a team with his players as Levon Kendall, the last holdover from the Ben Howland era graduated, how would Dixon's system work with his players?

The answer, beautifully.

Pitt came out of nowhere to win the Big East tournament and get a four seed in the NCAAs. While it wasn't a smooth ride, Dixon got the job done again. This time proving that he can make adjustments to his personnel. Pitt fans now trust Dixon as a program builder and a basketball mind.

2009 New Heights: Pitt's preseason expectations are unprecedented and so are the results. Pitt reaches No. 1 in the polls for the first time in school history and gets its first ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament (I'm still not ready to talk about the tournament).

More impressive, is that Dixon lets this team run far more than any of his past teams. Dixon is now willing to coach outside of his comfort zone for the good of the team. His versatility as a coach can not be underestimated.

A few rumors of Dixon leaving for Arizona or USC surface. We know Coach isn't leaving but we still sweat them out because Jamie Dixon is now that important to us. He might not be a household name like Pitino, Boeheim or Calhoun but he's in that next echelon with Rick Barnes, Bill Self, Mark Few, and other coaches that most programs would give anything to have.

We now realize just how good Dixon is and are confident he can lead Pitt to a National Title. Dixon realizes he has our trust and is happy to stay as long as it takes to win that title. The Dixon love fest is in full swing, may the good times never end.

For all things Pitt Panthers, check out The First Church of Fitzgerald

Three Former Pittsburgh Panthers Sign Pro Deals

Paul Sievers — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:10:46 -0400

Last month I wrote an article for Bleacher Report bemoaning how DeJuan Blair and Sam Young fell out of the first round in the draft. I openly wondered how this would affect Pittsburgh, a program that measures up to the big boys from November through February. However, it doesn't have the resume in March or June that all of the other big-time programs have.

This is the reason why it's nice to see Blair and Young sign deals.

Blair was the first to sign when he inked a three-year deal with the Spurs last week. His $4 million deal guarantees three years and $3 million, which is the same kind of contract given to late first-round picks. It's great to see the Spurs making Blair a priority.

According to his Agent Happy Walters:

"He ended up with a great team and they really wanted to develop him. They wanted to show a commitment to him. He's just happy to be playing basketball and now he's able to take care of his family."

Blair's journey from Hill District poverty to college stardom has been well documented. It's so great to see such a good kid who has done so much for the Panthers and the city of Pittsburgh get rewarded for his hard work.

A week later, it was Sam's turn to get paid.

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Pitt Football Gets Commitment No. 16 for Class Of 2010

Paul Sievers — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 11:47:11 -0400

OK, so maybe my concern over the recruiting two days ago was a little overblown.

Pitt got their 16th football commitment for the class of 2010 yesterday when Andre Givens of Hubbard, OH committed to Pitt. Givens is a 5'10", 185 lb. running back who could potentially make the move to CB or WR. Givens biggest asset is his speed, his 4.46 in the 40 is very impressive for a rising high school senior.

Here's a scouting video that confirms he's fast.

While Givens could change positions down the line, it would seem he is focused on trying to be a running back at the next level.

"I'm shifty. I can cut on a dime at top speed...I'm getting bigger and stronger and trying to be an all-around back."

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What We Learned from the Pittsburgh Summer League

Paul Sievers — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 10:44:07 -0400

There has been some debate over the importance of the summer league and how much the players actually benefit from it. The fact that nobody from WVU played this year certainly hurts the credibility and probably means we should take the success of the Panthers with even more of a grain of salt this year.

However, the league has done wonders for the local basketball scene. The more Pittsburgh develops into a city that cares about basketball 12 months out of the year, the more attractive the program will to recruits.

Also, there is definitely something to be said for having these guys playing together and developing chemistry in a formalized setting. Who knows how beneficial the summer league is, but it certainly isn't a detriment.

Mark Steinbrink at pantherlair.com did a phenomenal job recapping the performance of all the Panthers in the league. Here were the most interesting reviews from Steinbrink's article.

Jermaine Dixon

When healthy, Dixon was the best player in the league. He knocked down shots, but didn't rely on it; he was great at attacking the basket; and he also displayed above average passing ability.

Dixon is essentially third in line at the point guard spot, although he will be working from the two guard spot where he will be forced to hold off a surging Brad Wanamaker.

Brad Wanamaker

Whether he starts or not, Wanamaker will get starter's minutes. He is more than capable of starting, and the majority of his minutes will be at shooting guard but he will also see some time at small forward.

Wanamaker is the best player on the roster at the dribble drive; he stays low and utilizes a low dribble until he gets by his defender when he can finish at the rim or draw contact. That is still his strength, and he can get into the paint on just about anybody.

Wanamaker's outside shot has improved, but he was hesitant to use it this summer. He will need to use it this season, and that will be the key to setting up the other parts of his game. He is a quality perimeter defender with quick hands, although he also has a bad habit of reaching.

If he can become more solid on defense and still improve his long range jumper, he is poised to have a breakout year. He is adept at attacking the rim, and big, physical guards usually fare well in the Big East. This really could be Wanamaker's year, and he could contend for the sixth man of the year award, assuming he stays in that role all season.

Pittsburgh Football Gets a Big Verbal

Paul Sievers — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:31:23 -0400

Dave Wannstedt's 15^thverbal for the class of 2010 was quite literally a big one.

Arthur Doakes, a 6'6" 350 lbs. lineman from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, committed to the Panthers on Tuesday. Doakes is a three-star recruit according to scout.com. Rivals.com has not rated him at this point.

Doaks chose Pitt over offers from Rutgers, Syracuse, Buffalo, Middle Tennessee, Temple, and Troy. He was receiving interest from a number of other BCS schools. UConn, BC, Michigan State, UVA, Notre Dame, and WVU were all showing interest, but none of these teams had extended an offer to Doakes.

According to his coach, "We are primarily a pass-oriented team—we run a no-huddle 'air raid' and throw the ball almost every down—and he's an excellent pass protector."

Did he say a no-huddle, air-it-out offense? At least he'll be as poorly prepared as possible for our Stone Age offense.

Now, it's obviously way too early to project the young man's career, but while the recruiting services project Doakes as a guard, I can't help think that he might be a perfect 3-4 nose tackle.

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A Look At Pitt's Recruiting Class

Paul Sievers — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:29:03 -0400

I promise, I'm not that guy who does nothing but hype recruits that I've never seen play. It just so happens that its July and there's only so much I can write about until football camp opens.

Recently Joe Starkey from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (from here on out the church will only recognize this paper as "the Trib") wrote a piece on Wannstedt's recruiting. He quoted Wannstedt as stating:

"This will be the best recruiting class we've had, I believe, since I've been
here...It is the most talented class, the best group overall."

I would love to believe it. Who knows, three years from now it may be the case. From the outside looking in however, it appears as if Wanny is the guy telling us to remain calm in the middle of a riot.

Right now Pitt has four commitments from Western Pennsylvania kids (the same number as Penn State). That isn't too alarming since lets face it, Penn State packs 100,000 fans in the stands each home game and is coming off of a Rose Bowl appearance. It has been a long long time since Pitt has been able to consistently out-recruit Penn State.

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The Best Basketball Story That Everybody Is Ignoring

Paul Sievers — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:43:01 -0400

While most of America's basketball conscious was focused on a dunk in Ohio that may (or may not) still be documented on videotape, the best hoops story of the summer was unfolding in New Zealand.

Amercia's 19 and Under (known as U-19) Men's Basketball team won the U-19 World Championships for the first time since 1991. On the surface, this doesn't sound like that great an accomplishment. We expect our national teams to win every basketball tournament they enter.

But consider the following...

1) Team USA was made up entirely of college players while the teams they opposed were composed almost entirely of young professional players.

2) For most of the world, this in the premier youth basketball tournament. Most countries' basketball federations spend close to two years planning for this tournament. Their players are used to playing together. Team USA assembled their roster last month.

3) Of the six players who won "Freshman of the Year" in a BCS conference last year, only Terrico White of Ole' Miss was on the roster. Talented players like Georgetown's Greg Monroe, UConn's Kemba Walker and Wake Forest's El-Farouk Aminu were among the group of 22 players who declined invitations to try out for the team.

4) Despite everything working against them, Team USA went 9-0 in New Zealand, winning by an average of 22.2 points per game.

Still think this championship was no big deal?

This is far more than just a feel good story. This championship has impacted the basketball community both domestically and globally. We have learned three things from the U-19 World Championship.

1) USA Basketball is once again the greatest organization in the world

The days of Team USA being able to get by on sheer talent officially ended when the senior team limped to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Luckily, Jerry Colangelo and the rest of USA Basketball's brain trust caught on.

The team we sent to the 2008 Olympics was built in stark contrast to the 2004 squad. The 2008 team was built with players who not only were well suited for playing under international rules, they were guys who embraced the opportunity to represent the United States.

Much like the 2008 Olympic team, the 2009 U-19 team was filled with high-character kids who were built to excel under the FIBA rules. Legendary Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was in charge of selecting the roster and he built a team predicated on perimeter quickness, with less of an emphasis on size, and it worked brilliantly.

2) Jamie Dixon is a hell of a basketball coach.

Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon was selected as a last minute replacement for Davidson coach Bob Mckilliop and, boy, was that a good move. Dixon, who was assisted by Purdue's Matt Painter and Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery, played to his team's strengths.

Team USA played this tournament at a breakneck pace. The 78 possessions per game averaged by the Red, White, and Blue would have made them the second quickest team in college basketball last season.

Jamie Dixon's Pitt teams have never played anything close to that style. Neither have any of Painter's Purdue teams nor Lowery's SIU teams. For the coaching staff to make this kind of adjustment outside of their comfort zone to fit their personnel is remarkable.

It was an adjustment that wasn't lost on the players, who, to a man, repeatedly praised the coaching staff throughout the tournament.

The way Jamie Dixon handled this team hs to be very encouraging to Pitt fans whose entire rotation is in flux heading into next season. The U-19 World Basketball Championships proved that Jamie Dixon can find a way to win with any hand he's been dealt.

This time of year is always interesting as college coaches are able to watch high school prospects without directly contacting them. Because of the no-contact rule, coaches attend AAU tournaments and other showcases trying to find a way to silently make their presences known.

Dixon, Painter and Lowery are now able to stand out by showing up at these events with gold medals around their necks. Good luck recruiting against that.

3) A lot of young players grew up this summer.

Fans from Kansas and Pitt have to be ecstatic about how this tournament unfolded.

Rising Kansas sophomore Tyshawn Taylor averaged 10.8 PPG en route to the tournament's most outstanding player award. While Sherron Collins will be the first scoring option for the Jayhawks, Taylor has proved he is more than capable of handling the load if Collins is having an off night. This is a huge development for a team with national title aspirations.

Pitt's guard Ashton Gibbs, also a rising sophomore, will have the unenviable task of replacing Levance Fields at point guard next season. The same Levance Fields who holds the school records in assists and wins.

If the better than 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio Gibbs had during the tournament is any indication of things to come, Pitt fans will have one less hole to worry about next year.

For Gibbs to run the show as reliably as he did given the up and down nature of Team USA's play was very impressive. If he can further develop his point guard skills to go along with his already deadly jumper, then Ashton Gibbs will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big East for years to come.

Whether it be the fact that this tournament took place on the other side of the world or the fact that we still have yet to fully embrace Team USA in our current basketball climate, this story ended up taking a backseat to Lebron getting dunked on and the ongoing Rickey Rubio saga.

What Team USA accomplished was remarkable. The fact that nobody really noticed is sad. Hopefully, over time, everyone involved with the U-19 team will get the respect they deserve.

DeJuan Blair and Sam Young Slip in NBA Draft! Will Pitt Follow?

Paul Sievers — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:20:45 -0400

“There are no negatives when your players are going to the NBA. It doesn’t matter if they go as seniors or juniors or sophomores.”

- Jamie Dixon

Since Jamie Dixon took over for Ben Howland in 2003, the former child actor has presided over an unprecedented level of success. Since then, Jamie Dixon has won 163 games which is an all-time record for most wins by a coach in his first six seasons.

This past year Pitt topped the AP rankings for the first time in school history and earned a one seed in the NCAA tournament, also a first for the Panthers.

What makes the Jamie Dixon era truly remarkable is that most of the success has come without the help of top-flight recruits. Not a single member of Pitt's record setting squad of 2009 was rated by rivals.com as a top 50 player in his high school graduating class.

While Pitt has been getting it done without the big time recruits to this point, the program has not been intentionally avoiding the big name prospects and, in the past year, recruits are starting to pay more attention to Pitt.

Next season, McDonald's All-American Dante Taylor will suit up for the Pitt Panthers. He is the first All-American to sign with the Panthers in 20 years. Pitt also has a commitment from highly touted point guard Isiah Epps for the class of 2010.

Aside from Maryland in 2002, no team has ever won a national title without a former All-American on the roster. Elite high school stars flock to programs where they can win national titles and go on to the NBA.

And that brings us to Thursday nights draft...

Pitt has yet to have a player drafted in the first round of the NBA draft under Jamie Dixon. This was supposed to change this year with DeJuan Blair and Sam Young projected to go early by most draft experts.

Neither player did.

Despite the fact that DeJuan Blair proved to be the best college rebounder of the decade who also doubled as the toughest SOB in the toughest conference in America, teams balked at his size and his knees. Neither his size nor his knees had caused Blair any problems until draft night.

Despite the fact that Sam Young is an NBA-ready scorer who always found a way to elevate his game when the stakes were the highest, teams could not get past the fact that at age 24 he may have already reached his potential. For some reason, being a sure thing worked against Young.

While Pitt has done a great job winning basketball games without top flight high school players, one could be reasonably skeptical that there is only so long Jamie Dixon can maintain that success without raising the standard of recruiting.

In order for Pitt to raise that standard, they need to put players in the NBA. If DeJuan Blair and Sam Young can make their respective NBA rosters out of camp and stick for a few seasons than its a win for Pitt.

If Dante Taylor can live up to the hype and end up as the first Panther to go in the first round of the draft under Dixon, then there will finally be proof that a player can go to Pitt and be a highly touted draft pick.

But until one of those things happens, Jamie Dixon still has to prove to recruits that Pitt is on par with the other elite programs. If he doesn't turn out that proof quickly, Pitt's current run of success could end sooner than anyone would like to see.

Bethpage Black: A Personal History

Paul Sievers — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:27:14 -0400

When the U.S. Open was played at Bethpage Black in 2002, much was made of how it was the first major ever played at a municipal golf course. When the Open returns to Bethpage this week, that same storyline will be beaten into the ground.

While having the Open at Bethpage is a victory for the common man, it takes a common Long Islander to really appreciate it.

Sure, the New York area has hosted the Open at Shinnecock Hills and Winged Foot this decade, but those courses are as foreign to us as Oakmont Hills and Pinehurst No. 2. Sure, the private courses are near our houses, but they don't belong to us.

Bethpage is ours.

Bethpage State Park's golf facilities were renovated in the late '90s with the promise of the 2002 U.S. Open. When the Black Course reopened in 1998, along with its sparkling new clubhouse, it had a profound impact on the life of a then 13-year-old Paul Sievers who was teased by his friends for gravitating towards golf instead of football or basketball.

This was at a time when many of the local professional teams were having trouble securing funding for new stadiums. It was also the second full year of Tigermania.

When Bethpage reopened, I had New York's most spectacular sports facility at my disposal and the biggest sports superstar in the world to look up to. I also had my dream, to qualify and win the 2002 Open at my home course. Sure I was as delusional as Carl Spackler, swinging at the Bushwood C.C. flowers, pretending it was Augusta, but nobody had the heart to tell me I couldn't do it.

Sure, my Dad probably had more to do with me picking up golf than any of these three factors, but I'm not sure if I'm ever an All-County high school golfer if these factors weren't in play.

Through high school, my father and I probably played the Black Course somewhere between 50-100 times. Rarely did we play the full round; my Dad and I often were unable to reserve a time before 4 pm. With the $15 twilight rate, we figured an incomplete round on the Black course was better than a full round anywhere else.

We would usually be able to finish 14 holes before calling it quits due to darkness. If one of us was playing particularly well, we would try to play in the dark, taking educated guesses as to where the ball ended up and a free drop if the educated guess was wrong.

Some of those rounds we talk about to this day. There was the day I birdied all three par-fives and still didn't break 100. There was the day my Dad holed out back-to-back shots from the fairway on holes nine and 10, and still didn't break 90. There was the round we played four days after the 2002 U.S. Open where the rough was so thick, it was impossible to advance the ball 100 yards. This after they cut it!

I still remember how proud he was when I had the audacity to beat him on Father's Day when I was 15 and how amazed I was when he was able to return the favor when I returned home from my freshman year of college.

My stories are not unique to this area and that's exactly what makes this venue so special. It's personal.

There will be 40,000 people in the gallery and at least 10,000 of them have stories similar to mine. When a player can't get a tee shot to reach the 10th fairway or get his ball to bite on the 17th green, we all know exactly what he's going through.

I don't play much golf anymore these days. At age 24, I lack the money and time to play the game. The rare opportunities I do have to play, my game no longer resembles the 18-year-old, single-digit handicapper that Bethpage Black molded. But come Father's Day, I will be with my Dad as we watch the greatest players in the world try to tame our old stomping grounds.

We will cheer when the players hit good shots but we will also take perverse joy in their struggles.

We will nod our heads in sympathy when the players struggle with the bunkers and shake our heads in disbelief when they make it look easy.

We will talk about how our drives always seem to find the right fairway bunkers on 10 and 11 or how my decision to trade my seven-wood for a two-iron meant the end of my success on the 17th. Our stories will be special but we will not be alone.

And that is why as a venue, Bethpage Black stands apart.

Derek Jeter Tests Positive for Intangibles (Satire)

Paul Sievers — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:16:50 -0400

Multiple sources have reported today that Yankees' shortstop Derek Jeter has tested positive and will serve a 50-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs.

Our sources have confirmed that the positive test was for a designer steroid known simply as "the glue."

"The glue" does not help develop a player's speed or strength, nor does it help players recover from injury. In fact, "the glue" does not increase physical performance at all.

"The glue" is specifically designed to enhance an athlete's intangible ability to do all the "little things."

While numerous steroid admissions have already done irrefutable harm to Major League Baseball, this has easily been the most shocking and most damaging news the sport has seen since the Pete Rose gambling saga.

Yankees' President Hank Steinbrenner has issued a temporary gag order for all Yankee employees. The club issued the following statement on the matter.

"We, like the rest of America, are shocked by Derek Jeter's positive test. Today is a dark day for baseball and a dark day for the Yankees organization. Derek is sincerely embarrassed by the positive test, there is no doubt in our mind that he understands the gravity of the situation. The club will not discipline Derek even further. We stand by our captain and will welcome him back with open arms when he is finished serving his suspension."

While the Yankees aren't talking, the rest of baseball is.

At age 34, it appeared as if Jeter's intangibles had been in decline. Last year was the first year in Jeter's career that the Yankees missed the playoffs. His ability to be in the right place in the right time was not enough to overcome sub par seasons from many of the Yankee veterans.

When Jeter returned to spring training this season, suspicions were raised.

"When he showed up to spring training I knew something was up," an anonymous scout told us. "I mean, he was leading this team so damn hard that it was unnatural, he hadn't led a team like that since the late '90s. I knew something had to be up, so when I heard that he had tested positive for the glue, I wasn't surprised."

Baseball insiders are not the only ones talking about Jeter's positive test. In New York, the news has been met with a bevy of emotional reactions.

"When Derek Jeter was doing all the little things for those World Series winners in the late '90s, we all assumed he was doing them naturally. Now, I have to question everything." said Joey Vitale, a 45-year-old deli owner from Massapequa Park, N.Y. "I don't know how to explain this to my son, I mean how can I praise Jeter for being such a professional when he was cheating."

Other Yankee fans refuse to believe that Jeter is guilty.

"This changes nothing, he's still hot!" shouted Lisa Del Piero, a 32-year-old secretary from Montclair, N.J. "He was probably framed by David Ortiz. Derek would never do something like this. It was A-Rod's fault, he should have been watching the door."

One would think that Mets fans would be reveling in the misfortune of their crosstown rivals. However, the Mets fans we interviewed had more measured reactions.

"As much as I hate the Yankees, I'm not celebrating too hard," said Paul Sievers, an insurance underwriter from Rockville Centre, N.Y. "I mean, anybody can tell that none of the current Mets are using the glue, but in my mind most of these guys are guilty until proven innocent. For all we know half of these guys were on the glue. I want to think guys like Cal Ripkin Jr. and Craig Biggio weren't on it, but I can't say for sure. All I know is I want [Jimmy] Rollins to have to piss in a cup now!"

Jeter is not expected to appeal the suspension and he will be eligible to return August 12 versus the Blue Jays. He is also expected to address the media sometime later this week.

Be a Brick: New York Mets Fans Call to Arms

Paul Sievers — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:36:02 -0400

The most striking feature of Citi Field isn't the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. It isn't the Pepsi Porch or the Center Field food court either (though the black and white shake at Shake Shack is almost worth the 20-minute wait).

The most striking feature of Citi Field is the brick walkway outside of the Rotunda.

If you have 15 minutes to kill outside of the ballpark, do yourself a favor and take a look at those bricks. Every little 10-word inscription on every little brick has a story to tell.

A story about the time they saw what Paul Wilson could have been or what Tom Seaver was. A story about how loudly they cheered when Mike Piazza hit that home run after 9/11 or how loudly they booed John Rocker after he said what he said.

Those bricks share stories about the good times and the bad times. Perhaps acknowledging the fact that there have been more bad times than good.

Most importantly, those bricks talk about how some of the most special relationships in their lives revolve around 25 grown men who are paid to dress up in a blue and orange uniform and play a child's game. The Mets are important to so many people for reasons that go far beyond winning and losing.

There is something fitting about all of those bricks packed together.

You probably won't find a more tightly knit fan base in the entire league. Sports finds a way to take people that otherwise would have nothing to do with one another and bring them together.

I find this especially true with Mets fans, there might not be another writer in this community that can relate to my life.

But if I want to complain about Mike Francessa or the obnoxious Phillies fan I almost fought on the subway platform, you all know exactly where I'm coming from.

My favorite scene in Hoosiers is the preseason pep-rally when the crowd starts to chant for Jimmy Chitwood—the team star who decided he didn't want to play basketball that season. Coach Dale quiets the crowd by saying: "I hope that you will support us for who we are, not who we aren't. This is your team."

Right now, Mets fans, your squad is depleted beyond belief. Blame Omar Minaya if you want.

Though if you are going to do so, please get your facts straight. The team's lack of depth can be attributed directly to the Johan Santana trade. Would you rather have depth or the best pitcher of this generation? Also, did you really think Ollie would be THIS bad?.

Blame Jerry Manuel, blame the trainers (please fire Ray Ramirez), blame whoever. But, please, support this squad for who they are—an out-manned group that is still in the pennant chase.

It's a team of has-beens, never-weres, stupid players and choke artists that people can't wait to see fail.

It's a team that is routinely torn to shreds by every member of the local media. It's a team that is laughed at by most of their home town and is universally loathed by the rest of the National League.

Yet nobody has asked out. Not one player has asked to be traded or looked to void his contract. How can these guys enjoy their current no-win/must-win situation?

The reason is the fans.

The fans that pay their salaries, the fans who feel like they are all qualified to run the organization, the fans to whom baseball means maybe a little too much.

These guys know that without the loyal support of the team's many die-hard fans, the Mets are not in a position to win every year.

The Mets are about to embark on a 30-game stretch. Twenty-six of those games are against opponents with winning records. This could very easily get ugly.

If we want the players to live up to their potential then we have to live up to ours as well.

This means not doing the wave in the eighth inning of a one run game, not letting any visiting fans have too good a time in our park, not getting on a player unless its absolutely warranted.

We can't outwardly predict doom if the Mets have something good going or wrongly act entitled if they meet our lofty expectations.

Consider this a call to arms Mets fans. If you want to call yourselves the best fans in the National League, now is the time to prove it!

Like I said, this could get ugly and if your not up to it, then the rest of us will be happy to park the bandwagon and wait for you to get off. Your absence is only going to bring us closer together.

Anybody who has ever been to a big game at Shea knows the power the Shea faithful can have on this team. Let's be the rock for this team to lean on.

Better yet, a brick.

October Or No October, Don't Break Up The Mets' Core

Paul Sievers — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:12:21 -0400

Wow, I am so tired of writing about this topic. We are 111 games away from the end of the regular season and all anybody wants to talk about on WFAN and ESPN 1050 is what happens if the Mets miss the playoffs.

A small but growing faction of talking heads on radio are already calling for a shakeup to the core of the Mets' roster. If the Mets fail to make the postseason yet again, those cries will grow louder. It won't become a matter as to whether or not a big name player should go, it will become a matter of which big name player should go.

I'm OK with trading anybody in the right deal. Heck, I would be happy to trade Johan Santana in the right deal. That deal would probably have to bring half a dozen all-stars to Queens, but there is a deal I would be willing to make for any player on the roster.

But there is a difference between willing to trade and looking to sell. Win, lose or draw the Mets should not be looking to deal their best players.

Really, it's that simple. If you have a bunch of really good baseball players why would you want to get rid of them if you are trying to win a championship?

People make one of two arguments in favor of shaking up the core of this team.

1. Making a change for the sake of change

This one makes absolutely zero sense to me. If I take the highway to work everyday and I'm late to work more often than I should be, should I start taking the back roads that take longer because it would be a change or should I start leaving my house earlier?

I'm all for change to make it better, but not change for the sake of change. If Omar Minaya can trade Reyes or Beltran for better players, fine. But if they are going to make a lateral move for the sake of making a move, you are going to have a lateral result.

2. The team has been losing because of poor chemistry

I see where people are coming from on this one, I just happen to disagree. Chemistry is important in team sports like football and basketball where the players must work as one cohesive unit.

Baseball is an individual sport that masquerades as a team sport.

Sure, the players have to work together at some points, but in general there is little Carlos Beltran can do when Brian Schneider is at the plate. Johan Santana really can't do anything to help JJ Putz get through his current struggles. All 25 players are solely responsible for their results.

As I have written ad nauseam on this site, there is no one mental makeup that guarantees success. Both Manny Ramirez and Carl Everett have won more rings in the past five years than Derek Jeter yet Jeter is considered the consummate winner. Just because Jose Reyes tends to pout does not disqualify him from winning a title. Sure, it can be hard to watch, but if its effective then who am I to judge.

Win or lose, I don't think the Mets should look to be sellers this winter. According to Bill James' win share formula, a team of Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Santana, K-Rod and 20 average AAA players would win 88 games. If Jose Reyes can't stay healthy in 2009, he should have 2010 to prove he's not an injury risk.

Not only do the Mets have a good thing in place, they have $32 million coming off the books at the end of the year. That's over 20 percent of the team's salary!

That amount of money could reasonably bring Bengie Molina, Rick Ankiel and Brandon Webb to Flushing. Think about that team.

SS Reyes

2B Castillo

CF Beltran

3B Wright

C Molina

LF Ankiel

1B Murphy

RF Church/F-Mart

SP: Santana, Webb, Pelfrey, Maine and hopefully Ollie

Are you telling me that team isn't special? Hopefully the core debate is a non-issue this winter, but if it is, hopefully Mets' management can see just what this team can become with the right supporting cast.