Up Close With Neal Pilson
Neal Pilson spent 19 years with CBS Sports, including two terms
as president, and now runs Pilson Communications, Inc., a television
consulting firm. You can hardly read a media report dealing with
sports television today without seeing a quote from Pilson, also
a lifelong hockey fan.
Pilson shared his thoughts about hockey
and television, quite different from mainstream beliefs these days,
with PSR senior writer Bob Grove . . . more.....
Men Of Vision "He sees everything
differently than everybody else, particularly at such a young age.
That's his biggest asset. What he sees out there is different than
what most guys see. He has the vision of a passer, the vision of
a shooter and the vision of a defensive player, all in one. He's
sees life from a different angle than everybody else. That's why
he's so exciting. He's a brand model for the other stars to copy."
[Austin Carr, Ex-Cleveland Cavalier, #1 Selection, 1971 NBA Draft]
Austin Carr spent nine seasons with the
Cavs, so it shouldn't shock you he was quoted by CBS.Sportsline.com
talking about LeBron James . . . more.....
Butler Wants To Be A Player
Joe DiMaggio played there. So did George Selkirk. Whitey Ford pitched
there. So did Joe Page.
I'm not talking about Yankee Stadium
in the Bronx but Pullman Park in Butler. It drips of baseball history,
from the time it served as the minor league home for teams from
several major league organizations, including the Yankees. That
was from 1935 to 1951. Perhaps those days aren't gone forever.
Instead of nostalgia, Pullman will be
dripping with fresh paint as the Butler community hopes to attract
a minor league team by summer 2005 . . . more.....
Call Someone Who Cares Webster's
dictionary defines the word "recruiting" as follows: to look for
someone as for a service or employment.
My definition of recruiting for athletic
purposes is the following: much ado about nothing: and everything.
'Tis the season for recruiting: Actually,
to speak the full and unabridged truth, recruiting knows no season.
It goes 24/7/365.
It's only near letter of intent day that
so much attention is paid to . . . more.....
Backroom Buzz Cutting Board
The Steelers must decide what to do with
several highly paid veterans, including CBs Chad Scott and Dewayne
Washington, OLB Jason Gildon, TE Mark Bruener, TBs Jerome Bettis
and Amos Zereoue, and DBs Mike Logan and Brent Alexander.
Some cuts are possible, and even probable,
but you can't cut everyone.
Cutting both Scott and . . .
more.....
PSR Showdown: Is Walt Harris Getting It Done? Yes,
And He'll Get Better
Be careful what you wish for, it might
come true. That is the cautionary advice I offer to those Pitt fans
who want to get rid of Walt Harris because his Panthers underachieved
this season.
You can't give Harris a pass on Pitt's
inability to develop offensive lineman or some of the game day wackiness
that makes you scratch your head, but the positives are many . .
. more.....
No, But He Needs To
Before this past football season, I wrote
a column urging Pitt to extend Coach Walt Harris' contract.
That was before Harris let quarterback
Rod Rutherford play the opener instead of suspending him for a late-night
incident.
That was before the loss to Toledo .
. . more.....
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Penguins' Franchise Can't Escape Funk
Hockey is in trouble in Pittsburgh. Again.
People who jumped on the bandwagon in
the late 1980s don't understand that the current predicament used
to be a way of life for the Penguins. The goals were always the
same: Just squeeze into the playoffs and hope that would let them
make the next payroll.
That was a million years ago, days when
department stores and movie theaters thrived . . . more.....
McClendon Garnering Experience And Respect
New England Patriots
Lloyd McClendon is on record saying being
the Pirates' manager will not be his last job in baseball.
Others concur.
"He'd have no trouble finding a job in
baseball within 20 minutes," ESPN baseball writer Jayson Stark said.
The confidence McClendon has in himself
and the respect he has garnered nationally . . . more.....
Panthers' Big Men Causing Problems For Opponents
Steve Newman is not a little man by anybody's
standards. He is 6-foot-8, 230 pounds with well-defined muscles
in his arms and shoulders.
If you saw Newman on the street, you'd
take notice. But if you saw him on the court next to the interior
players at Pitt, you'd think he was a member of the Billy Barty
basketball team.
"I'm big, but those guys: wow," said
Newman, a center-forward for Georgia who was bruised and battered
. . . more.....
Western PA Remains Recruiting Hot Spot
High school football has long been a source of pride in Western
Pennsylvania, with good reason. The proof has been well documented
for over 50 years. From Unitas and Lujack to Marino and Law, Ditka
and Dorsett to Arrington and Martin; high schools in Western PA
have produced an astounding array of football talent.
Locals will tell you the region has no
equals. Perhaps California, Florida and Texas produce a greater
quantity, but those are entire states with larger populations. Pittsburgh
certainly dominates the region, right?
Not so fast . . . more.....
University of Pittsburgh
What promised to be a prominent recruiting year for Pitt has instead
proved to be most challenging.
The Panthers got off to a great start
with commitments from nationally ranked RB Andrew Johnson of North
Hills and QB Anthony Morelli of Penn Hills this summer.
The Panthers continued to have a strong
presence in South Florida, where they received verbals from WRs
John Peyton, Kelvin Chandler and Marcel Pestano, TE Darrell Strong,
LB Nick Williams and . . . more.....
Penn State Despite the
potential impact of "negative recruiting" with regard to Joe Paterno's
age or the team's recent performance, Penn State's recruiting class
is among the best in the nation.
"We don't have any problem with that,"
Paterno said of negative recruiting. "We had a kid that came up
to visit that I felt we were wasting time on from the south and
the dad got me in the kitchen and said, 'My father always dreamed
about having me play for you. If you want my kid, this is where
I want him . . . more.....
West Virginia University
West Virginia is not usually known for recruiting the top football
classes in the country, but year-after-year, the Mountaineers are
probably amongst the best in the country for recruiting solid players
who progress to be solid contributors. This year's class has the
potential to follow the same mold.
What did the Mountaineers accomplish
with this class? . . . more.....
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