Rich's Sports Beat

It's been a whirlwind year at the University of Pittsburgh. Former head coach Todd Graham up and left for the Arizona State football job, leaving Pitt hanging. After conducting their latest head coaching search, the Panthers selected University of Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst to be their latest head guy. I have no doubt that Pitt got it right THIS TIME. However, the proof is in the pudding. But this business at Pitt goes back a lot longer than what has tranpired over the last year. This goes back to the middle 1980s. I have written about this before, but it bears repeating. Pitt has an institutional problem when it comes to football. Pitt stunk in the early 1970s before the program hired Johnny Majors to be their head coach. Majors recruited Tony Dorsett and built around him before leading the program to the national championship in 1976 and Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy. Majors left for Tennessee and Jackie Sherrill took over the program, leading the team t...

So, James Harrison has been suspended one game for his hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy and will miss Monday Night's game with the San Franciso 49ers. An important game, I might add. This is for the whiners and cryers out there. First, yes, perhaps the punishment being meted out by commissioner Roger Goodell is not consistent. You will not get an argument from me there. But, let's look at the bigger picture. I have made this argument for years. I have watched a ton of football in my day and the product has gotten worse, not better. Offensively, records are being set that boggle the mind. Defensively, it seems everyone wants to get on ESPN and SportsCenter. Whatever happened to form tackling? Yes, you know what I'm talking about. Leading and hitting with the shoulder, wrapping your arms around the chest, midsection, or legs, and holding on tight. That type of tackling. I do not see this anynmore. Now, it's launching your body for the "big hit" ...

Much has been said about the latest setback regarding Penguins center and superstar Sidney Crosby. Some out there are saying he is soft and should be playing through his injury. These are the same people, I might add, who likely do not have a brain of their own, and I say that with conviction. We are talking about the brain. This is not a limb nor is it a ligament that can be repaired by doctors and then rehabbed. This is the brain, that which controls the rest of the body. Two examples that I like to cite are that of former Steelers center, and Hall of Famer, the late Mike Webster. Webster died at the age of 50 after many trials and tribulations after his football career. Much of what he dealt with came about due to all of the shots to the head he took while playing center during his career. The other example is that of former Chicago Bear, the late Dave Duerson. Duerson, also 50, shot himself in the chest, taking his own life, and asked that his brain be donated to science to...

Seems strange to be talking about baseball in December, what with the Steelers battling for first place in the AFC North and the Penguins trying to hold onto first place in the Eastern Conference. However, a colleague of mine and I were discussing the Pirates today at work and what they might doing at first base and who might be plugged into the spot vacated by Paul Maholm since the club decided not to pick up his option in 2012 for $9 million. Here is my bigger concern. While the fan base wants to see the Pirates make a splash in free agency, that is not likely to happen. The organization still has not shown the willingness to "write the check" as Michael Keaton said some years back. The face of the franchise is Andrew McCutcheon. His skill set is something this franchise has not seen in some time and he is still a young man and growing. As long as he stays healthy, the sky is the limit. His speed cannot be touched on the base paths, which makes him a lethal weapon (wi...

Finally, after 12 weeks of the regular season, the Steelers put together a complete game. It sure took along enough, but better late than never. If they play like this the rest of the season, then playoffs should bode well. But, they have to come to play every week. Play like they did against the Chiefs and it will be one and done in the playoffs. All three phases of the game have to be clicking to have a long playoff run. They also have to win out. The Ravens are keeping pace and own the tiebreaker with their two wins in the head to head meetings earlier in the year. They have to hope the Ravens lose at least once before the season concludes to have any shot at winning the AFC North and securing at least one home playoff game. No rest for the weary. The Steelers host Cleveland Thursday evening, which also happens to be the same evening the Penguins travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers in their first game in the City of Brotherly love since Sidney Crosby came back. Loo...

To all of my faithful readers from the The Weekly Recorder, Sports Beat is back after a summer hiatus. This column, now solely a blog, was shelved after our former owner/editor decided to sell the aforementioned publication. I left along with him because we were in it together and we left together. However, a writer never stops working and I needed some time to recollect my competitive juices. This is the last month of the calendar year. NFL playoff races are heating up, the college bowl season has just been announced, hockey is in full swing, and we all know what has been going on at Penn State and Syracuse. So, if you have been missing your weekly dose of sports news and thoughts, fret not. Sports Beat is back with regular and semi-regular posts throughout the remainder of the year and the beginning of 2012. To those of you who read Sports Beat in the previous publication, welcome back! To those of you new to my prose, welcome aboard!