No Pens Game, No Pirates Game... Link Dump

Pirates play tomorrow. Penguins play Saturday. Baby Pens start Friday at Hershey. You all knew that already. Enjoy...

Tabata, Alvarez Hit Speed Bumps [Bucs Dugout]

Evgeni Malkin's parents, Vladimir and Natalia visit Pittsburgh [Malkin-71]

Another Look At The Nady/Marte Trade [Pinstripes, Pa]

Lions and Tigers and Swine Flu... Oh My? [One For The Other Thumb]

The Original Curt Warner is now Famous - College Football Hall of Fame 2009 [2 The Loin]

Lori's shirt [Hockey, Football, and Stiletto Shoes]

THE PensBlog's Keys to the series [THE PensBlog] ...Oh, and Fuck the impostor!

Get Out Of Milwaukee Now!

The Pirates got swept by the Brewers losing the series finale today 1-0. Milwaukee starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo struck out 11 and also homered in the 7th. The Pirates as a team struck out 12 times. It was the Brewers 15th straight win over the Pirates and the 18th in a row at Miller Park. Ouch. Ian Snell had another good performance allowing just 5 hits in 7 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 4. One other note, Chris Duffy had his first hit of the season for the Brewers, doubling in the 5th, which made me remember the worst bobblehead in Pirates history. The Bucs are off tomorrow then return home to play the Reds on Friday.

My New Favorite Song This Week

This weeks favorite song is by Hill Country Revue. HCR is made up of members of The North Mississippi Allstars as well as many friends including Garry Burnside, the youngest son of legendary Mississippi bluesman R.L. Burnside. Their new album Make A Move comes out on May 12th. This is an acoustic version of You Can Make It. Here's hoping they do.

Pirates Bullpen...

The Babe's Final Victory Lap...

In spring 1935, Pirates right-handed hurler Guy Bush was happy to see aging, broken-down Babe Ruth lurching through the National League with the Boston Braves. "I had been with the Chicago Cubs for a dozen years and had pitched to Babe only once before in the World Series," said Bush. "I was still so strong I didn't believe anyone could hit anything off me." One May afternoon in the sixth inning at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Bush was summoned to relieve and pitch to Ruth. He surrendered a home run. "I got tagged on a high inside fastball," said Bush. "He just pulled it down the right-field line. No further than one of our .200 hitters would have popped it." Over the next two innings, the Babe's cheap homer nagged at Bush. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. "Coming out of the dugout in the ninth, I told our catcher, Tommy Padden,'Tommy, this great Babe Ruth is coming up again and I'm going to throw a fastball right by that jackass'" Bush said. "I meant to throw three fastballs by him and watch the crowd laugh as he swung." Bush's first fastball was slightly outside. "He looked it over like it was a softball," said Bush. "He looked me right in the eye. And I nodded to him and threw another in the same spot." Ruth smacked it over the third deck. "I never saw a ball hit so far," said Bush. The Babe slowly circled the bases for the 714th and last time. "He just smiled nicely to me as he rounded third," said Bush. "I tipped my hat."

Nittany Lions To The NFL

Here is a list of Penn State players drafted this year.


Aaron Maybin (DE), Round 1, 11th overall to the Bills.

Great pick by the Bills. Maybin is an outstanding pass-rusher and he's quick. Maybin had 12 sacks last year in Happy Valley.











Derrick Williams (WR), Round 3, 82nd overall to the Lions

Williams remains a Lion. Too bad for him. Detroit gets a quality kick returner and a 3rd or 4th receiver











Deon Butler (WR), Round 3, 91st overall to the Seahawks

Butler may be a work in progress but don't tell him that. His work ethic will have him in the starting line-up sooner than people think.











Rich Ohrnberger (OG), Round 4, 123rd overall to the Patriots.

New England gets a great run blocker. Look for Ohrnberger to challenge for a starting job in a few years.










A.Q. Shipley (C), Round 7, 226th overall to the Steelers

Shipley is a little small but that will make this pick fun to watch develop. A hometown boy playing in Pittsburgh is always a fan favorite.

It's Only April But Man Does This Look Sweet!

2009 NL Wildcard Standings

Practical Joke On Pittsburgh Bumpkin

Among the illiterate bumpkins who joined the Pirates in the spring of 1904 was an outfielder with a huge appetite. Not knowing how to read a menu, he sat next to Honus Wagner at every meal, pretended to read the card after Wagner ordered, threw it aside, and said casually, "Give me the same as him." One evening, Wagner didn't feel much like eating and ordered just two boiled eggs for dinner. The bumpkin glared at Wagner in disgust, then hurried over to a table where Pirates catcher Harry Smith was reading a menu. Smith ordered a porterhouse steak, and the bumpkin ordered the same. After that, the bumpkin stuck close by Smith for every meal. Smith then ordered just a glass of milk for dinner two nights in a row, getting his real dinners via room service. The bumpkin was off again in search of a hearty eater. However, Smith wasn't finished with him. After a close game in Boston, Smith handed him a telegram, saying it had just arrived at the clubhouse door. The bumpkin found Wagner and took him aside. "My eyes are bad from the sun," he told Honus. "Read this wire, will yer?" The telegram was not addressed to the bumpkin: it was for another player, informing him his suit was ready at the tailor's shop in New York. "Sure," said Wagner. "The wire says they've got a warrant for you down in Tennessee." The bumpkin turned pale. When he got to the shower room, the other Pirates asked him what the telegram was all about. "It was an offer from Frank Chance for me to go to the Cubs,"said the bumpkin.

Wooooooooo

I'm drunk and I want Boston! (back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow)

New FSN Pittsburgh Logo

Let's Go Pens!

DO IT!

SWEEP! Pirates 7 Marlins 4

The Pirates are hot. For once. This is fun. Too bad FSN doesn't show weekday games. Whatev. That's why we have the interwebs. If you are looking for a recap then this must be your first time here. Instead I was thinking about the Pirates slogans from the past couple years. Remember this one? Joke


Here is this years. Better


And here is their newest one.


Our Buccos have the day off tomorrow. Probably not a good thing when you are on a roll. They play at San Diego on Friday for a three game series. Go Bucs!

Ryan Doumit Out 8-10 Weeks

We knew it was just a matter of time before Doumit landed on the DL. To take his spot on the roster, the Pirates recalled catcher Robinzon Diaz from Triple-A Indianapolis. The 25-year-old was hitting .350 with three RBI in six games this season for the Indians.

Link Dump

It's April 21st and everybody knows TODAY is Earth Day. Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday to whoever's being born... The Pirates had another shutout last night. I am officially excited... Do you know how couples make a list of celebrities that you are allowed to sleep with if you get the chance? Here is my list: #1, #2, #3... And my girlfriends list: #1, #2, #3... My girlfriend watches America's Next Top Model like I watch sports. This is who I want to win... This is my favorite sports blog. This is my favorite non-sports blog. This blog just sucks... I can't stop listening to this song... The funniest movie ever... Does anyone else remember this TV show?... Of all the teams I follow, this was the last championship. Hey, it counts... For some strange reason I want to watch this... This is the car, I mean truck I just bought... Let's Go Pens... I have never ate here... Funniest show on TV... I can eat tacos everyday...

Happy 420

WBRE TV 28 Drops The Puck

WBRE, the NBC affiliate in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, has dropped the puck on this one. Today they aired an Autism Telethon from 7am until 3pm. A great thing to do but at a terrible time. They did not air the first two periods of the New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals game and that angered many fans throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. Here's the kicker. WBRE is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting which also owns WYOU, the CBS affiliate in Scranton. What did WYOU have on during the time the hockey game was being played? 2 hours of paid programming! Nexstar recently dropped news broadcasts on WYOU but before they did that, news anchors and reporters were on BOTH channels. It's not like we would have been all confused if we saw a WBRE guy holding a WYOU microphone. They did it for years. Autism is a very serious disorder and money needs to be raised. I just think a lot more money could have been raised if thousands of hockey fans weren't so pissed off. To donate call the number above or follow this link.

My New Favorite Song This Week

This weeks favorite song is from Cage the Elephant. This is Ain't No Rest For The Wicked. Think White Stripes mixed with a little bit of Everlast.

Do You Want To Know What A Douchebag Looks Like?

Thank you Scotty. We can't wait until Game 2. Go Pens!

Let's Go Pens!

photo property of The Pensblog

PNC Bank Can SUCK IT

PNC Bank has a new policy. Customers can no longer wear hats, caps, sunglasses or hoods inside their banks. This coming from a bank that has it's name on not one, but two professional ballparks where people wear caps. They may have a point. Anyone who wears a ball cap and/or sunglasses is a robber and we all know people who wear hoods are rapists. That's just common sense. Give me a break. Whoever came up with this idea should be taken outside and bitch slapped. Preferably by someone wearing a cap and sunglasses. What's next, hat wearers can no longer go into a CVS? Pharmacy's get robbed so that will make sense. Convenience stores might be next. Take the hat off kid and put your shirt and shoes on. At least make them put their hats on straight. I hate that shit. If that was the new policy then I'd be all for it. The next time you are in a bank and see this man...... he is probably going to kill you! Jokes.


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I won the game thing we were playing. Wooo! [Sean's Ramblings]

Rinkotology = Awesome [The Pensblog]

Another cat runs on the Met's field [Bob's Blitz]

Phillies players smoking cigarettes as pre-game tribute to Harry Kalas [High Cheese]

Phils Announcer Harry Kalas Dies

In shocking news today, Harry Kalas has passed away at the age of 73. Kalas passed out in the broadcast booth before today's game in Washington. Kalas, in my opinion, was the best Play-By-Play announcer in all of sports. Another sad day in the baseball world. For one last time...

Pirates Home Opener

Pirates(3-3) vs Astros(1-5) today at 1:30. Zach Duke(1-0, 1.42 ERA) goes for our Buccos against Brian Moehler(0-1, 37.80 ERA). Let's Go Bucs! Both teams will be wearing Pittsburgh Police ball caps. Nice touch! Check back during the game to participate in our live blog.

A Q&A With... Me?

I was asked to answer a few questions about the 2009 Pirates over at the Fantasy Baseball Hot Stove blog. We really must be running out of Pirates fans. I hope I didn't sound like too much of an idiot. So click over there and read my answers about our Buccos. I'm not an expert, but I do play one on the Internet.

Build-A-Beard

One Of The Best Albums Of All Time- Now Even Better!

Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love Pearl Jam. Ten is in my top 5 albums of all time. People my age got spoiled in the early 1990's. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, I can keep going. Back in 1992 I was an 18 year old in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Yeah, not much going on there. Then Lollapalooza '92 comes to town. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ministry, Ice Cube, Soundgarden, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Pearl Jam, Lush and Cypress Hill all in my backyard. What a great time from what I can remember. With the exception of Lush, I still listen to all these bands. Well 17 years later, Pearl Jam's Ten got even better. It was just reissued and remixed. Being the hard core fan that I am, I bought the collector's edition for like $120 bucks. No regrets. Well, I probably won't pay the electric bill this month but screw them. 2 Cd's, a cassette, 4 record albums and a DVD from Mtv Unplugged. Hell Yeah! Today I put Ten Redux on and Pearl Jam has never sounded better. Everything is crystal clear, including Vedder. Sounds I have never heard on the original Ten going through my headphones. Even if you already own Ten, go buy Ten Redux and reintroduce yourself to one of the best albums of our time. And if you don't own Ten, then I don't think we can be friends anymore.

Penguins Fans, A Round Of Applause

Penguins fans donated $67,000 to the families of the three Pittsburgh cops who were murdered. Well done my friends.

My New Favorite Song This Week

This weeks favorite song is from Band Of Skulls. This is I Know What I Am. Head over to itunes because this is the free single of the week. Well worth the money.

Are New Yorkers Better Than The Rest Of Us?

I went grocery shopping the other day a bought a small chocolate milk. When I got home I put it in the fridge. Today I went to drink it. That's probably not a good thing because I think I may be Lacoste intolerant. I think I'm a lot of things. I may even be a hypercondreact. Hell, I may even be dead right now. Anyway, after I finished it and then complained that my stomach hurt, I noticed the expiration date.



Ummm... why does this expire in New York City 3 days earlier then the rest of the world? I mean c'mon, are New Yorkers that more important than the rest of us? They must be. After just visiting their lovely city, I paid $7.00 for a bottle of beer. Not the fancy import beer, but Coors Light. If you are that special to pay 7 bucks a beer, then your milk must expire before the rest of us. So by drinking this on April 7th in Pennsylvania it's still good. And paying $2.50 a beer in Pa is even better.

Pirates 6 Cardinals 4

Jack Wilson hit a 3 run double and the Pirates scored 4 times in the top of the 9th off rookie Jason Motte to shock the Cards. John Grabow got the win and Matt Capps the save. Both starting pitchers pitched well. Paul Maholm went 6.2 innings, giving up 1 earned run on 7 hits while striking out one. Adam Wainwright only went 5.1 innings on 94 pitches. He struck out 7 and gave up 2 runs. Nyjer Morgan was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI's. Wilson had the big blow to the Cards with a bases loaded double on a 2 strike pitch. Here's looking at 162-0! Go Bucs!

Opening Day 2009

The best day in all of sports. Yes, better than the Super Bowl, better than March Madness, just better than any other day. Our Pirates take on the Cards today at 4:15. I'm not an optimistic person so I don't think the Pirates will be any good this year. Here's to 17 years of sucking. If we weren't so lazy around here we would do a Pirates season preview. But we are. Other bloggers who are nowhere near as lazy as us have done it. We will just copy theirs. Check back later for a live blog of the game.



Click On This, Pirates season preview edition

SteelKeg's Crystal Ball [Everything Pittsburgh]

Ten Reasons to Get Excited About the Pirates in 2009 [Bucs Dugout]

The RTJR Pirates Preview–Any shot of winning in ‘09? [Raise The Jolly Roger]

Pittsburgh Pirates 2009 Preview [North Side Notch]

An Optimistic View Of The 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates [Bucs Trade Winds]

2009 Pirates Baseball-Pride, Passion, Pray for the Pyromaniacs [Rum Bunter]

Pirates 2009 [The Green Weenie]

Lost In Translation- Neil Huntington [We Should Be GM's]

Welcome To My Room, It's Good To See A Friend

For no reason whatsoever, here is a video from the band VietNam. The song is called Welcome To My Room. Hopefully there will be a new VietNam record soon. Bands like this need to stay around. Turn this one up!

Two Huge Games Tonight

The Pittsburgh Penguins play the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at 7. The game is on FSN. This is probably the Pens most important game of the season. Then tomorrows game will be the most important. They are all important. Go Pens!





The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins host the Hershey Bears tonight. The game will be on TV in the Scranton area on the CW38. The Pens trail the Bears by 4 points in the East. Go Pens!




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There's also two other important games tonight. Check out a blog from each final four school.

Villanova- I Bleed Blue And White

Connecticut- The UConn Blog

Michigan State- Spartans Weblog

North Carolina- Tar Heel Nation North

NIT CHAMPS!

The haters will say that PSU is the 66th best team in the country. I say it's a huge stepping stone for the program. Go Lions!

NIT Championship- Baylor Bears vs Penn State NITtany Lions

Penn State(26-11) plays Baylor(24-14) tonight at 7 for the NIT championship. The game is on ESPN. Baylor is a 3.5 point favorite, according to our friends at Stock Lemon.



Just who are the Baylor Bears? Let's go back a few years.




In 2003, Carlton Dotson was arrested for killing teammate Patrick Dennehy. Dotson was declared incompetent to stand trial and sent to a mental hospital. About 8 months later, Dotson pleaded guilty and is currently serving a 35 year prison sentence.






More problems continued for the Baylor basketball program under former head coach Dave Bliss. Players using drugs, numerous recruiting violations, booster payments and Bliss paying some student-athletes tuition. Bliss, along with Athletic director Tom Stanton both resigned on the same day, August 8th, 2003.






So what does this have to do with tonight's game? Absolutely nothing. It just goes to show how far this program has come along. Led by seniors Curtis Jerrells, LaceDarius Dunn and Kevin Rogers, Baylor will try to improve on their school record 64 wins by a senior class. Scott Drew should be looked at for coach of the year. Well done.


We are...





The Garden felt like a home game for the Lions on Tuesday and expect an even bigger Penn State crowd tonight. Seniors Jamelle Cornley, Danny Morrissey, Stanley Pringle and Will Leiner will be playing their last game as a Nittany Lion and also will be trying to bring PSU their first Men's basketball championship. A win tonight may finally put Penn State on the map as a major college basketball force. Fingers crossed. Let's hope it doesn't come down to free throw shooting.




Talor Battle will decide this game tonight. Go Lions!




...Penn State!