What a night it was for the IUP basketball teams on Saturday. A record crowd at the KCAC and a couple of blowout wins over rival Slippery Rock. The women have now won nineteen games in a row and have lost just once. The men, who were humiliated on the road last week, are now 19-2. I wouldn’t want to have to play either of these great teams come March.
· The Pens have to be feeling good, and not just because they spent a few days in the Florida sunshine. They managed to win two out of three on the road over the last week. Now, they return home for four straight games at PPG Arena. It’s a chance for them to pile up the points as they head down the stretch.
· Where there’s smoke, there’s fire when it comes to Jim Rutherford and the upcoming trade deadline. I fully expect GMJR to make a deal or two. The question is just how much is he willing to give up to try to put the Pens in position to win another Stanley Cup? I have never been big on rental players. Those kinds of deals rarely work out. I never like it when a team gives up a player or high draft picks for a guy that will only be there for a few months. I’ve also been on record of saying that I don’t like how the Penguins keep dealing away their number one picks. They are too valuable to just give away. Rutherford actually held on to his first-round pick last year. I sure hope he does it again this year, even if he decides to make a deal or deals.
· I seriously doubt Rutherford will deal away one of his goaltenders, but if some team blows him away with an offer, I think he has to consider it. That type of deal would bring him the top six winger he covets. It would also take away a tough decision he might face when Seattle picks in the next expansion draft in 2021. If both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry are on the roster when the expansion draft comes around, it stands to reason that the Pens will lose the goaltender that is not protected. That’s what happened when the Pens kept Matt Murray and left Marc-Andre Fleury unprotected when Vegas entered the league. If Rutherford trades one of them prior to the draft, he will get a nice return and not have to worry about losing one of these great players in the draft. It’s a tough decision, and that’s why Rutherford is paid to make decisions like this.
· I always felt that Pat Narduzzi could be the guy to replace Mark Dantonio as Michigan State’s next head football coach. So when Dantonio abruptly resigned this past week, I knew the Pitt head coach would have his name thrown around as Dantonio’s replacement. Michigan State has yet to replace Dantonio, and Narduzzi was quick to point out he wants to stay at Pitt. I get the feeling that most Pitt fans wouldn’t really be upset if Narduzzi were to leave. His record is mediocre at best, and his recruiting classes haven’t exactly blown anyone away. I wouldn’t be surprised if Narduzzi actually gets a better contract and more money out of Pitt when all is said and done. Given what he’s accomplished at Pitt, I find that comical, to say the least.
· I was not at all surprised to see that Kevin Colbert will return for another year as GM of the Steelers. I didn’t see Colbert walking away after two non-playoff seasons. And I never believed he would leave the Steelers for the Carolina Panthers. Colbert wants to see the Steelers become a contender again, and he’s just the guy to help get them there. He has a big draft coming up and goes into it without a first-round pick. It’s time to start rebuilding the offense and Colbert knows it.
· Former Steeler Antonio Brown is doing his best to apologize to anyone and everyone in sight. His interview on The Fan in Pittsburgh last week was bizarre, and that’s being kind. One minute he was saying how sorry he was for his past actions. The next minute he still found time to rip some of his former teammates. Brown is not helping himself, even if he thinks he’s repairing his image. Even if he’s reinstated by the NFL, and I don’t see that coming anytime soon, I think NFL teams would be wise to pass on his services. He’s just too unpredictable and not worth taking a chance on.
· It’s always a treat to watch golf from Pebble Beach. I think it’s one of the greatest settings in all of golf. I have to get there at least once, and hope to do so when the US Open returns to Pebble in 2027.
· I did not watch a single minute of the new XFL. I couldn’t care less about spring football. I remember the days of the USFL, and even interviewed the late Dave Dixon in his antique gallery in New Orleans prior to the start of the league. The league later came to the Crescent City in the former of the Breakers. They lasted a single season. I don’t look for this league to last either.
· Pete Rose will never get in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Charlie Hustle has the stats and was one of the greatest players ever. But betting on baseball ended his chances to get to Cooperstown. His recent letter to Commissioner Rob Manfred won’t change anything. His plaque won’t hang in Cooperstown. Rose blew it, and that’s a darn shame.
