I always wondered what a world without sports would look like. Now I know, and I don’t like it. Sports are a way of life for so many of us. I love sports. This time of year I’m glued to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, NCAA Wrestling championships, golf and am looking forward to the start of the baseball season. Who knows if and when the NBA and NHL will come back, and when baseball will start its season. The Kentucky Derby will now take place in September. Speculation is that the Masters golf tournament will also be in the fall, but nothing is set in stone. We’ve never experienced anything like this in our lifetime. And hopefully we never will again.
· I was glad to see the NFL Players Association vote in favor of the new collective bargaining agreement. The vote was close, and that was a little of a surprise to me. It means we’ll have labor peace for at least the next decade. We’ll also see a 17 game season and expanded playoffs. I was pleased to see that guys making the minimum salary will make a lot more money under this new deal. And that former players are getting a lot more money plus better health benefits.
· The start of the new NFL league year was anything but dull. I wasn’t the least bit surprise to see the Steelers put the franchise tag on Bud Dupree. I think they had to make that move. Now, will they be able to sign him to a long-term deal?
· I think the Steelers had no choice but release Anthony Chickillo, Mark Barron and Johnny Holton to create salary cap space. Each is easily replaceable. Unfortunately, the Steelers have a lot of holes to fill and not enough draft choices to fill all the slots. That means the Steelers will have to go pick up some lesser coveted free agents. Don’t look for them to go after any big names. They simply don’t have the cap space.
· Speaking of free agency, the Steelers haven’t exactly done well with their signings the past two years. Morgan Burnett, Jon Bostic, Donte Moncrief and Mark Barron were signed to multi-year deals but only played one season with the Steelers. Kevin Colbert has done a lot of good things as GM of the Steelers, but hasn’t exactly hit on free agency signings. Just saying.
· It was no surprise that Ramon Foster won’t be back with the Steelers. He decided to retire before the Steelers would have cut him. Foster is a heck of a story. He was an undrafted player who ended up having an eleven year career. Foster was also one of the really good guys to wear the Black and Gold and was a media favorite. He even had his own radio show. I fully expect Foster to transition into a media career. He’s that good, and that well liked.
· I was always of the belief that Tom Brady would finish his career with the New England Patriots. That’s not going to happen. He’s off to sunny Tampa to play for former Steeler offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. I really thought that Brady would explore his options in free agency and then be welcomed back with open arms by Bob Kraft, Bill Belichick and the Patriots, but that didn’t happen. It’s a gamble on Brady’s part, for sure. He will surely get paid market value, which wasn’t the case in New England. Brady has nothing to prove, but he sure doesn’t want to end up looking like Joe Namath and Johnny Unitas did when they ended their careers with the Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers. Both Hall of Famers had little left in the tank and showed it. I believe Brady can still play, but I’m not sure he’ll ever get anywhere near a Super Bowl again.
· The Penguins have made a habit of trading away draft picks. It started with Ray Shero and has continued with Jim Rutherford. I’ve written many times that I don’t like this approach and think it will hurt the Penguins big-time at some point. I do like the way they are securing new talent by going after college free agents. It’s low-risk and potentially high reward. And with so little picks come draft-time, it’s also smart.
· The season’s pro golf tour is on hold, and it’s anyone’s guess if and when the tournaments will be played. The Masters and PGA have already been postponed with fall dates most likely. Now comes word that the US Open, scheduled for Winged Foot outside of New York City, might also be moved. That’s very likely to happen.
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