The Scoop
The Real Story About The World of Sports

Sid the Kid

When Sidney Crosby slid awkwardly into the boards in a 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay last month, Pens' fans held their collective breath. A few days later, we learned that his high-ankle sprain would keep him on the shelf for six to eight weeks, meaning a return sometime between early and mid-March. For an athlete as competitive as Crosby, sitting and watching his teammates play without him - win or lose - has got to be maddening.

Given what we know of Crosby, he'll be back on the ice just as soon as that pesky sprain allows him. The injury will heal, Sid will go back to being Sid, and the Pens will get him back before the regular season is over. The main concern at this point, however, is that Crosby not rush the process. A return before he's ready and he'll most assuredly go down for the count. The Pens can't afford that.

Levance Fields

While Fields isn't the elite athlete the Crosby is, he's just as valuable to his Panthers as Sid is to his Panthers. One day, Fields is draining a last-second, step-back three to beat Duke at Madison Square Garden; the next he's landing on a cheerleader's megaphone in Dayton and breaking his foot, lost for two months. Fields has already started to work out in the pool and on the bike, and he's shooting as often as he can get into the gym. He'll likely be on the court again in a few short weeks, but don't expect his game to the be the same. He won't be in the same shape he was in, his shot will likely be off, and so will his timing. But a Pitt team with Fields, even if it takes several games to get his rhythm back, is a team that can make a deep run.