Sports Beat

SPORTS BEAT

By Rich Briggs
The Weekly Recorder
May 16, 2008

*An interesting piece appeared in one of the Pittsburgh newspapers over the weekend regarding whether the Penguins had overtaken the Steelers as the favorite team in this region.

This debate has been going on for a while, ever since the Penguins started winning Stanley Cups in the early 1990s. The Steelers won their fifth Super Bowl nearly three years ago, so the competition for attention seems like a moot point, or does it?

In this sports crazed region, I believe there is plenty of room for all three of our professional sports franchises to garner support from the fan base. This has been, and always will be, a hot football market. All you have to do is attend a local high school football game in the fall to see what I am talking about. People in this region live for football, and the long waiting list for Steelers season tickets is a testament to that.

This is the second time that the Penguins have attracted a major portion of the attention from the local fan base, what with the young talent currently on the roster. Mario Lemieux led the first revolution when he was drafted in 1984. He turned hockey into more than a niche in this region; he made it cool to play hockey. All you have to do is look at all of the ice rinks that have sprouted up since his arrival and those teams that have formed to play this sport. Now that Sidney Crosby is wearing the Black and Gold, that evolution is experiencing a rebirth.

It’s no secret that the local populace supports a winner. All one has to do is look over in Oakland where the Pitt Panthers men’s basketball team plays and you will notice what I am talking about. It is consistently a top 10, 15, or 25 team. If you win, the fans will show up. However, the fans show up at football games no matter what, and they have shown their support while the Penguins were rebuilding during the middle part of the decade.

I am a big believer that all three teams can share in the attention. It was stated in this piece that perhaps the 30 and under crowd may be bigger hockey fans than they are football fans. While that may be true, I still see several people in this age category wearing football gear as well as hockey gear. If the team is winning, they will support them. When I was in this age category, I was able to split my allegiances between the Steelers and the Penguins. I don’t think it matters if you are a bigger hockey fan football fan, or vice versa. Everyone is entitled to their preference.

The Penguins are playing unbelievable hockey right now, as evidenced by their back to back 4 – 2 wins over the weekend over their cross state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. While this series heads to City of Brotherly Love for the next two games, it would take a monumental collapse for this team to lose this series, and I do not see that happening. Coach Michel Therrien will not allow it. He has been able to push all of the right buttons and get his team to this point. As of press time, the Pens had a commanding 3 – 0 lead, going into Thursday night’s game looking to sweep the Flyers

Football fans are entitled to be hockey fans at this time of year because they are allowed to support a winner. When a team is winning, it affects the entire region. Witness the local athletes whose sport is not in season right now – the Steelers. They have been in attendance at these games, and rightfully so. When the Steelers were on the verge of their Super Bowl win three years ago, Sidney Crosby, as a rookie, waved a Terrible Towel in support of the Steelers championship run, just before the big game. That is what athletes in differing sports do in this region. They support each other.

Fans can always pick and choose whom they wish to support. That is their prerogative. Some may be bandwagon fans, and I guess that is okay, too. I have always supported all three teams in Pittsburgh, but the Pirates current season losing streak has worn me down. I see they have been winning, and that’s a good thing. Let’s hope they can keep it up while the Pens march to a possible Stanley Cup championship.

In another piece over the weekend, John Steigerwald of KDKA Radio and a columnist for the Big Daily on Sundays evoked how he prefers the hockey playoffs over the NFL playoffs. Steigerwald has never been bashful about his preference for hockey over football. That’s fine. I can appreciate that. Here is the biggest difference between the two sports’ playoffs.

In football, it is one and done. You make a mistake and you pay for it. There is no seven game series. That’s why each weekend’s game means so much because it will determine their seeding in the playoffs. You get a better matchup and your chances of winning are increased. But, you make a critical error and it will cost you. There is no tomorrow. If that mistake causes the team to lose a game, they have all off season to think about it.

In hockey, all series are best of seven. You can lose up to three games and still win a series. That’s fine, too. Make a mistake and you can make up for it. Game sevens are always exciting because that is the final game, win or lose. The electricity is increased and the atmosphere is at an all time high. Some may complain that hockey and basketball playoffs go too long, and there may some validity to that. But, it is what it is and people enjoy a lengthy series to support their favorite teams.

To me, it doesn’t matter one way or another. I enjoy both sports and I enjoy both playoff settings. I do not have a preference. Everyone is indeed different. My feelings on this are that there is enough to go around for everyone and that each team should be able to enjoy the support of its fans regardless of any allegiances. Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, I don’t think it matters. As long as each organization builds a winner, the people will come and it does not matter which sport, and which team, they really like.

*Ken, I think it’s safe to say we can agree to disagree, which I stated weeks back in another column. You have your views on recruiting and these kids who are still in school, and I have mine. Are nightclubs flea bags? Yes, most of them are. I used to go to these with my cousin to listen to the music and to bands. People have eyes, two of them the last time I checked, and they use them. That is why anyone who attends a night spot is subject to observation. People use their eyes.

Why is it that wherever a young person attends college, especially those who are attending on athletic scholarships, has any kind of a bearing on us? I personally did not care where Terrelle Pryor decided to go to school. My life doesn’t change. Will I enjoy watching him play? Sure. I wouldn’t care if he went to Columbus, Ann Arbor, Happy Valley, or Eugene OR. But some people dissect this stuff as if their lives depended on where a kid decides to go to school. I say to those people that it’s time to get a life. When these kids start getting paid (professionally) for playing a sport, then we can dissect them. Until then, I don’t care where any of these kids go to school. I just wish them well in their endeavors.

*While no one, or almost no one, was watching, the Pirates have been busy putting together a nice little winning streak and trying to climb to .500 and beyond. Again, it bears repeating. As long at the Penguins stay alive in the playoffs, they are the best friend the Pirates have. If they can be playing competitive baseball after the Penguins’ run is done, then they should be in good shape when the spotlight officially falls on them. My comments about Frank Coonelly last week still stand, but at least it appears as if John Russell has his team playing decent baseball. Let’s hope they keep it up and they will be ready to receive full attention when the Penguins are done playing.