U mad, bro?: Readers pop off about Penguins trades, Pirates’ Ray Searage, NFL replay
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In this week’s “U mad, bro?” readers pop off about Pirates pitching, defend Jim Rutherford, and attack instant replay.
Greg wasn’t a fan of my thoughts on Jim Rutherford’s mixed messages about any more potential trades.
A GM isnt being honest with the media and fans..this is a stunning event….in all your years of covering, you must be floored…who cares what he says publicly.he had a great 2 years.hes had a crappy 2 years..public comments meaningless.What would you like him to say?
— Greg R (@grrib0404) June 17, 2019
OK, Greg. So I guess when he promised change at the end of the season and ripped the players for lacking chemistry and a willingness to be coached, that was meaningless, too?
Will it also be meaningless to you if that same stubborn, uncoachable team comes back unchanged next year?
Also, your assumption that I’m ripping Rutherford as a general manager after winning two Stanley Cup titles here in Pittsburgh is off. I’m discussing this year’s team. Not his full resume.
That shouldn’t be hard to understand.
Thanks for your critique. From now on, no more firsthand quotes. Just blanket assumptions and scattered hot takes from me.
Nick responded to my column about the NFL’s latest botched attempt at writing rules to replay pass-interference calls (and non-calls).
“What is DUMB, is REPLAY ITSELF. I don’t care if there are errors. *Stuff* happens. Sports were better before replay ruined them. I don’t even care if lack of replay screws my team. It’s nothing but a TV show anyways and replay RUINS the experience totally.”
I wonder what it would’ve been like to watch that 2012 Penguins-Flyers playoff game with Nick.
I’m sure he would’ve had that exact, reasoned, calm, fair reaction after Danny Briere was offsides, right?
Jim appears to think I took the wrong path while writing about Devin Bush’s attempt to play above his size in the NFL and some of the injury bad luck Steelers inside linebackers have endured over the years.
“Ryan Shazier isn’t playing today because of the way he tackled. If he tackled like Jack Ham he would still be playing. One year Ham played at 218 pounds and didn’t miss many games. And oh by the way, Earl Campbell ran like a deer and weighed 235 and Ham handled him OK. Enjoyed your article but it’s not totally accurate.”
Jim, first off, thank you for extending the streak of “back in Ham and Lambert’s day” emails to 62 consecutive weeks and counting.
Second, Earl Campbell is a convenient example. Let’s not act like every running back was as big and bad as he was. Tony Dorsett played at 190.
I’m not going to debate your point about technique. Shazier’s angles and form were a point of concern for him long before his spine was damaged. Not just in terms of injury, but effectiveness.
As he got better in those areas, so did his overall game.
But not every one of his injuries over the years was the result of technique. Nor was that the case with Sean Spence, whom I also mentioned.
Remember, even the sainted Ham missed Super Bowl XIV with an ankle injury. Those things come with the territory playing this position.
The point of the piece was, as inside linebackers get smaller because they need to run faster, sometimes durability can be a concern.
Hopefully Bush can avoid such problems.
John wants to vent about Pirates pitching.
“Ray Searage is the most overrated pitching coach in baseball. Year after year we hear about the great young arm talent the Bucs have, and year after year they go greatly underdeveloped.
We can now add Joe Musgrove and Mitch Keller to a list that already includes Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow. Thanks a lot, Ray!”
John, I’d agree that it is a great mystery as to how Searage can be so good fixing reclamation projects from other teams — Francisco Liriano, Jason Grilli, A. J. Burnett, Edison Volquez, etc. — yet can never quite get young pitchers completely to the level the Pirates perceive them to be.
You might be a little harsh about Taillon, Cole and even Morton (at times) while they were here in Pittsburgh. But, true, at various points in their careers here, they have all left us wanting more.
Maybe you and Ray can have a few “Bucco Blonde” ales and talk it out.
Wally emailed with a question about the Olli Maatta trade.
“Why do you think the Blackhawks wanted Maatta?
Hmm. Probably so their fans could have someone to blame for every single thing that went wrong in every game.
The Blackhawks must not have a guy like that.
That seemed to be the job this fanbase gave Maatta. And few handled it better than Olli.