I never expected the IUP men’s basketball season to end the way it did. IUP was completely off its game in Sunday night’s Atlantic Regional semifinal against Mercyhurst. Simply put, the Crimson Hawks were awful, and they’d be the first ones to tell you that. It’s a shame that a tremendous 30-2 season had to end this way, but that’s basketball and that’s March Madness. Still, it was a heck of a year for IUP and coach Joe Lombardi. This one will hurt for a while, but it doesn’t take away from what was a very special season for IUP Basketball.
• Hopefully the third time is the charm for the IUP women’s team in their Atlantic Regional Final. They have been beaten by California twice this season. Now they need to beat Cal when it counts to get back to the Elite Eight. IUP has to be quite confident after its two wins thus far in the tournament. I think the key for IUP is to get off a fast start. The Hawks have had to come from behind in their two tournament wins. They can’t get down early against Cal. We’ll see Monday night.
• What a tough weekend for the Pens. They got blown out at home against St. Louis and then gave one away to the Flyers. The Pens were seconds away from victory over their rivals from the East when Philly scored to send it to overtime. And the Pens were three seconds away from a shootout when Philly won it in OT. Talk about bad timing. The Pens should have had two points and only got one. With every point being magnified this time of the year it’s a big point to lose. Not a good way to end the weekend.
• I was among the sold-out crowd at PPG Paints Arena last week to see the Pens beat the hated Washington Capitals. It was a game I picked out before the season began, and it was a great choice to say the least. The game had the feel of playoff hockey, and the crowd was into it from the start. Factor in the Pens’ win, after trailing by two goals, and it was well worth the price of admission.
• It was great to witness Evgeni Malkin record his 1000th career point. Malkin is a future Hall of Famer, but has often been overshadowed by playing alongside Sidney Crosby. He’s a fierce competitor and has the hardware to show for it. Still, he’s underappreciated outside of Pittsburgh. I still think it’s a crime that he wasn’t selected as one of the NHL’s All Time Best 100 Players, and so does Geno. That said, I’m glad he’s a Pittsburgh Penguin, where he is very much appreciated and admired by Pens’ fans. I hope someday the Pens will honor Crosby and Malkin with a dual statue of the two holding up the Stanley Cup outside PPG Paints Arena.
• The Steelers were never going to go crazy during the first few days of NFL free agency. That’s not their style and they don’t have the salary cap room to do it anyway. The signings of cornerback Steven Nelson and Donte Moncrief look good on paper, and they both fill needs the Steelers have. Now, the Steelers need to focus on getting a young playmaking inside linebacker. That will surely be their top priority in the upcoming draft.
• Le’Veon Bell gambled on himself and lost. Steelers’ fans call that karma. Bell thought he was going to break the bank when he became a free agent. It didn’t happen. According to most reports, Bell actually made less in his deal with the Jets than he had been offered by the Steelers two years in a row. Plus, he lost over fourteen million dollars by sitting out the 2018 season. Bell is a great player, but I still think he’s a total idiot. His actions over the past few seasons when it comes to contract negotiations proves it.
• Of course Antonio Brown was late for his opening press conference as an Oakland Raider. The Silver and Black had to delay introducing their new star because he had yet to arrive in their building. Who saw that coming? I had to laugh when I read Brown’s quotes that said he would “bring accountability” to the Raiders. We’ll see how far that goes when he doesn’t catch his 100 balls and the Raiders win four or five games a year. Yes, the Steelers gave him away and will miss his on-field production. No, they won’t miss AB the cancer. He’s gone, and is now the Raiders’ problem.
• I hate to say this, but the Cleveland Browns might be the favorite in the AFC North. Their acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr. was a game changer. Beckham is a tremendous talent, but he’s also a me-first guy who rubs a lot of people the wrong way. He’ll get a fresh start in Cleveland. He has a chance to do great things, both on and off the field. The Browns have a ton of young talent. Beckham makes them a possible Super Bowl contender. And that’s pretty amazing considering the Browns have never even made it to the big game.
