Pirates/Steelers
*First, the good news. As of Sunday, your Pittsburgh Pirates were one game out of first place with a 47 – 43 record after taking two out of three games from the Cubs. That’s right, after 18 years of futility, we have a baseball team in Pittsburgh again! As a friend of mine whom I work with during the summer told me, Pittsburgh has always been a baseball town, they just had to put a product on the field that the city and the region could be proud of. Well, now we have a young, talented team that is exciting to watch.
To make matters even better, Andrew McCutchen and Kevin Correia were added along with Joel Hanrahan to the All Star Game in Phoenix that was played on Tuesday. For the first time since 1990, three Pirates made the All Star team and, for the first time since 1992, the Buccos are over .500 at the All Star break. Now, who would have imagined that? I made the prediction that the Pirates would escape the cellar this year and finish fourth. Looks like they might make a liar out of me and finish second, or even first! I’ll take that, believe me!
It takes talent and it takes a manager who knows out to get the best out of that talent. While Clint Hurdle is quick to deflect praise to his team, as any manager or coach worth his salt would do, he is very deserving of creating an atmosphere for these players to compete and be successful. That is saying something. Like he said after the game on Sunday, they still have a long way to go. No time to rest on any laurels. Savor the time off and get ready to get back at it on Friday in Houston. The Pirates have a chance to put a lot of distance between themselves and the .500 mark over the next couple of weeks. The view from here looks good so far!
Who would have thought we’d still be talking baseball this far into July when the talk normally turns to training camp in Latrobe and the Steelers? The lockout is still in effect and the clock is ticking as to whether anything will get done on time. Again, the perfect storm. Baseball is relevant and football remains in limbo. The timing could not have been better!
*Speaking of the Steelers. Well, there always was the Steeler Way, but that seems to be falling by the wayside. James Harrison had his domestic case taken care of a couple of years ago. Ben Roethlisberger had his second accusation of sexual assault last year, resulting in a four week suspension under the league’s personal conduct policy. We thought we had heard enough.
Enter Hines Ward. Ward has cultivated a cult following in Pittsburgh with his tough, hard nosed play on the field and his smile on and off it. He is one of the last remaining players on the team, if not the last, from the 1990s, having been drafted in 1998. He is probably a linebacker playing wide receiver, which endears him to the fan based. Almost everybody loves Hines. He even went onto to win the Mirror Ball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars, further endearing him to Pittsburgh, especially the female fans.
He then goes and gets arrested, briefly, after being pulled over as a passenger in what was thought to be a stolen passenger car. That turned out to be a misunderstanding and he was free to move on. This past Saturday, Ward was arrested for DUI and released after posting $1300.00 in bail money. This occurred just after 3:00 a.m. in Georgia, which just so happens to be where Roethlisberger’s wrong doing took place. Word of advice, stay out of Georgia!
Okay, maybe that’s taking it to the extreme. As I always like to say, and many others, too, nothing good happens after midnight. When I was running with my cousin, we stayed out until about 1:00 a.m or so, but we were very careful on our ride home. But after 2:00, 3:00, or later, it just isn’t good to be out because you are asking for trouble. Ward found that out last weekend.
Okay, DUI is not sexual assault. It is more embarrassment than anything. However, had Hines taken a life, even his own, this would have been a far different story. Will he be forgiven? Well, this is Pittsburgh and our heroes, if you want to call professional athletes such a word, he will be forgiven if he is cleared. He has already stated his apologies, but he will likely have to do that again in front of his fans, the media, and even his teammates.
Hines has always been quick to chastise Ben for being a drama queen, less than perfect teammate, and other transgressions. There is always one problem with all of that. It can come back to bite you if you screw up, which he did. Now comes the prospect of apologizing to team management and ownership, after the lockout since there can be no contact between management and players during this time.
A ton of goodwill can be damaged in a heartbeat. Ward had already established himself as one of the greatest in Pittsburgh Steelers history, then this happens. The feedback will likely be that if Ben can be forgiven, to a degree, then so can Hines. There are still those who have no use for Ben the person, but love Ben the quarterback. To each their own. But if this DUI sticks, then Ward will have suffered some damage to his persona, and it might be permanent.
No, no one is perfect. We’re all human and we all make mistakes. The idea is to learn from those mistakes. What is different is when you are a public figure and almost everyone knows you, and who you are. Ward plays for one of the high profile franchises in the league, and all of sports for that matter. He is a two time Super Bowl winner and a Super Bowl MVP. He is one of the faces of the franchise and so many look up to him. Now what do they do?
Advertisers want to be tied to people who have a clean image and reflective of their product or service. Look how many companies dropped Tiger Woods after his affairs were exposed. It doesn’t take much. People will refuse to buy from those companies if they have a spokesman/woman, or pitchman, that has skeletons in the closet. Call it guilt by association. Ward is a spokesman for C. Harper in Belle Vernon. Where does that endorsement go now?
Whether they like it of not, especially in this day and age of technology, the Internet, and instant exposure, entertainers and athletes just have to be careful. Really, we all do. This lockout may have given these guys way too much time on their hands and they are looking to fill it. This would have been off time before training camp for these players anyway. But a 35 year old man needs to exercise better judgment. Hines knows better, and he knows it.
Here is hoping this was all a misunderstanding and fades away. The investigation, as of press time, continues. If it turns out this is a DUI, then there are things that will likely take place after the lockout ends that will affect Hines and the team. He just might be going into his last year with the team and this would not be the way to get it started. Let the justice system take its course. Here is hoping you learned from your mistake, Hines.
To make matters even better, Andrew McCutchen and Kevin Correia were added along with Joel Hanrahan to the All Star Game in Phoenix that was played on Tuesday. For the first time since 1990, three Pirates made the All Star team and, for the first time since 1992, the Buccos are over .500 at the All Star break. Now, who would have imagined that? I made the prediction that the Pirates would escape the cellar this year and finish fourth. Looks like they might make a liar out of me and finish second, or even first! I’ll take that, believe me!
It takes talent and it takes a manager who knows out to get the best out of that talent. While Clint Hurdle is quick to deflect praise to his team, as any manager or coach worth his salt would do, he is very deserving of creating an atmosphere for these players to compete and be successful. That is saying something. Like he said after the game on Sunday, they still have a long way to go. No time to rest on any laurels. Savor the time off and get ready to get back at it on Friday in Houston. The Pirates have a chance to put a lot of distance between themselves and the .500 mark over the next couple of weeks. The view from here looks good so far!
Who would have thought we’d still be talking baseball this far into July when the talk normally turns to training camp in Latrobe and the Steelers? The lockout is still in effect and the clock is ticking as to whether anything will get done on time. Again, the perfect storm. Baseball is relevant and football remains in limbo. The timing could not have been better!
*Speaking of the Steelers. Well, there always was the Steeler Way, but that seems to be falling by the wayside. James Harrison had his domestic case taken care of a couple of years ago. Ben Roethlisberger had his second accusation of sexual assault last year, resulting in a four week suspension under the league’s personal conduct policy. We thought we had heard enough.
Enter Hines Ward. Ward has cultivated a cult following in Pittsburgh with his tough, hard nosed play on the field and his smile on and off it. He is one of the last remaining players on the team, if not the last, from the 1990s, having been drafted in 1998. He is probably a linebacker playing wide receiver, which endears him to the fan based. Almost everybody loves Hines. He even went onto to win the Mirror Ball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars, further endearing him to Pittsburgh, especially the female fans.
He then goes and gets arrested, briefly, after being pulled over as a passenger in what was thought to be a stolen passenger car. That turned out to be a misunderstanding and he was free to move on. This past Saturday, Ward was arrested for DUI and released after posting $1300.00 in bail money. This occurred just after 3:00 a.m. in Georgia, which just so happens to be where Roethlisberger’s wrong doing took place. Word of advice, stay out of Georgia!
Okay, maybe that’s taking it to the extreme. As I always like to say, and many others, too, nothing good happens after midnight. When I was running with my cousin, we stayed out until about 1:00 a.m or so, but we were very careful on our ride home. But after 2:00, 3:00, or later, it just isn’t good to be out because you are asking for trouble. Ward found that out last weekend.
Okay, DUI is not sexual assault. It is more embarrassment than anything. However, had Hines taken a life, even his own, this would have been a far different story. Will he be forgiven? Well, this is Pittsburgh and our heroes, if you want to call professional athletes such a word, he will be forgiven if he is cleared. He has already stated his apologies, but he will likely have to do that again in front of his fans, the media, and even his teammates.
Hines has always been quick to chastise Ben for being a drama queen, less than perfect teammate, and other transgressions. There is always one problem with all of that. It can come back to bite you if you screw up, which he did. Now comes the prospect of apologizing to team management and ownership, after the lockout since there can be no contact between management and players during this time.
A ton of goodwill can be damaged in a heartbeat. Ward had already established himself as one of the greatest in Pittsburgh Steelers history, then this happens. The feedback will likely be that if Ben can be forgiven, to a degree, then so can Hines. There are still those who have no use for Ben the person, but love Ben the quarterback. To each their own. But if this DUI sticks, then Ward will have suffered some damage to his persona, and it might be permanent.
No, no one is perfect. We’re all human and we all make mistakes. The idea is to learn from those mistakes. What is different is when you are a public figure and almost everyone knows you, and who you are. Ward plays for one of the high profile franchises in the league, and all of sports for that matter. He is a two time Super Bowl winner and a Super Bowl MVP. He is one of the faces of the franchise and so many look up to him. Now what do they do?
Advertisers want to be tied to people who have a clean image and reflective of their product or service. Look how many companies dropped Tiger Woods after his affairs were exposed. It doesn’t take much. People will refuse to buy from those companies if they have a spokesman/woman, or pitchman, that has skeletons in the closet. Call it guilt by association. Ward is a spokesman for C. Harper in Belle Vernon. Where does that endorsement go now?
Whether they like it of not, especially in this day and age of technology, the Internet, and instant exposure, entertainers and athletes just have to be careful. Really, we all do. This lockout may have given these guys way too much time on their hands and they are looking to fill it. This would have been off time before training camp for these players anyway. But a 35 year old man needs to exercise better judgment. Hines knows better, and he knows it.
Here is hoping this was all a misunderstanding and fades away. The investigation, as of press time, continues. If it turns out this is a DUI, then there are things that will likely take place after the lockout ends that will affect Hines and the team. He just might be going into his last year with the team and this would not be the way to get it started. Let the justice system take its course. Here is hoping you learned from your mistake, Hines.
Comments