Take Some Time

Today is Memorial Day. The day where we honor the men and women in uniform, past and present who died for us. Service members who died so we could do everything from worship who, when, and where we want to giving us the freedom to call those same Service Members "baby killers".

Take some time. Honor those people. I've got news for you: If you are either barbecuing, or loading up the gas guzzler with a "Support the Troops" magnet on it and taking a weekend trip you aren't observing Memorial Day. In fact you're celebrating a day off from work, and that's about it.

Go to a parade, go to a cemetery, or go to a ceremony. Show the people that are important on this day, the Veterans, both living and dead that you do care. Our living Veterans, who have also sacrificed for us, should not be the only one paying homage to those who sacrificed the most.

They don't ask for much. Take a few hours out of one single day of your oh so important life to show that you care. That's all they want. That's all they ask for.

Equilibrium is Restored

I hate the very existence of the Philadelphia Flyers. However, tonight they served up a nice piping hot plate of tasty justice.

You knew this video would either go down in Montreal lore for eternity or bite them in the ass for eternity.

The Hockey Gods have spoken. They do not take lightly to such hubris from young, brash, and unproven defensemen.

I hate you Flyers; I hope you lose to the Blackhawks in four games, but I thank you for setting things straight within the hockey universe.



Montreal's gonna burn tonight.

Save The Civic Arena!

A new website has sprung up to help preserve the Igloo. Found it by way of an interesting Op-Ed piece in the PG.

If you don't want the Igloo saved, then whatevs. If you do, then go to the website. It's at the top of the links on my page. There are TONS of ways to get involved. There is an online petition in addition to tons of links to get in touch with local leaders to let them know how you feel.

If you want the Igloo to stay but don't say speak up, no one of consequence will know.

Wow, where has my head been??!!

I wrote the blog today that may get me investigated by the CBI (Corbett Bureau of Investigation), and I was so worried about that, I forgot about the bigger issue at hand!

I am going to have to choose between Tom Corbett and Dan Onorato for our next Governor.

Shit...

Surreal

No other words to describe it. Should be sad, but I'm just so shocked to see it, even though I knew it would come. Right now, just more in awe than sad. Plenty of time for sadness this summer...

The Ice melting for the final time

I'll miss you more than I realized Lady Mellon.

Save us from the Thought Police

Not sure what to make of this, or this. The reasonable side of me says that the subpoenas of twitter accounts were just part of the latest bonusgate scandal. However, now that I am beginning to see more of Tom Corbett’s political personality I can’t be sure.

From his actions in joining probably the biggest bullshit lawsuit in the history of our country, to characterizing anyone who wanted him to step down WHILE CAMPAIGNING FOR GOVERNOR as a “criminal defendant”; his attitude seems to be one of “my way or the highway”. If I have in fact pegged him correctly, then it’s not a big mental leap to see him subpoena his biggest anonymous critics to find out who they are under the guise of a “criminal investigation”.

Am I accusing him of this?

No (After all, I don’t want the Corbett police to subpoena me for my dissident ramblings. Come to think of it, I hope I didn’t just ping on his Anti-Corbett dissension prevention computer.)

Still, suffice to say; who needs to fear the Federal Government, when you’ve got your own big brother right down the road in Harrisburg?

I don't know much

I don't know much about baseball, but I do know this...

Todd Coffey has some bitch tits!

Check 'em aaaahhht

Let's Go Bucs!

Dear Yinzer Fans:

Let me start by saying you have to take the good with the bad and everything has two sides. Pittsburgh sports fans are passionate, and that is a GREAT thing. While that passion is sometimes bad (i.e. screaming for a Malkin trade or Crosby trade*); it is that same passion that causes 5000+ to stand outside the arena in crazy weather to watch the Pens, or causes 250,000+ to attend victory parades. It’s the same passion that led to the birth of Steeler Nation, and the passion that makes Steelers and Penguins paraphernalia the most well traveled team symbols in the world. Most importantly it’s that passion that makes me proud to say that I am a Pittsburgh sports fan.

Now…Having said that: Hey stupid yinzer fans who don’t know their asshole from a hole in the ground when it comes to hockey: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!

So let me get this straight, Malkin didn’t get the Art Ross this season and you now want to get rid of him???? Got it. You want to trade him eventhough he played in 18 LESS games this year due to injury, still managed 77 points, and still averaged over a point per game.

EDIT: I got my stat of 18 less games from the Evgeni Malkin unofficial fan page. After checking NHL.com (should have checked there to start), he played 15 less games, not 18. He played a total of 67 games. Regardless of this, he still averaged over a point a game, and had he kept on that pace would have scored about 90 points.

Ohhh, I see, you want Staal to be the second line center and you think that if given the same number of minutes that Geno has, Staal will match or surpass Malkin’s point totals.

First I would be willing to bet that you were one of the “trade Staal’s” from last year. You remember; before he was a Selke finalist this year, he had a sophomore slump and he was very popular trade bait among the fans.

You remember that don’t you?

One of the reasons Staal is so effective is that he is a solid 2nd line center ON THE THIRD LINE. That is a match-up most teams do not have the defensive depth to match. Geno is a #1 Center in about 28 of the other 29 franchises in the NHL. He is playing on the second line here.

Just one more time so I have it right in my head; you want to take away that depth and that mismatch because Geno “only” scored 77 points this year and was in the top 20 scorers in the league.

Interesting logic.

I love Jordan Staal, and this is not meant to take anything away from him, but how do you know he is going to match Geno in points? You don’t know if Staal has the talent, even if given the minutes to match Malkin. Do you know if Staal will ever be able to put up 113 points in a season? I don’t, but I do know this; Geno can, because he did it last year.

Remember last year; when he won the Art Ross followed by the Conn Smythe?????

There’s a reason that Ray Shero is GM and you are not. That would be that Ray Shero is smarter and knows more about hockey than you do. That’s the reason that he gets paid to make this franchise competitive, and you pay to go watch this competitive franchise.

If you people had your way Staal would have been gone last year (no Selke nomination this year), and Geno would be gone this year (no more scoring titles for him in Pittsburgh). I get the feeling you would run Fluery out of town too.

Do us all a favor and go back to drooling over the Steelers and spank it while thinking about training camp. Let the people who have half a brain and understand the game root for the Pens.




*Lest we forget everyone that during Crosby's scoring slump during the 2008-2009, there was actual a yinzer fringe that was willing to "trade Crosby to add depth". Hmmmmm, where else would I have heard that...

No Title Required

Great moments are born from great opportunity.
And that's what you have here tonight, boys.
That's what you've earned here, tonight.

One game.

If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine.
But not this game. Not tonight.
Tonight, we skate with 'em.

Tonight, we stay with 'em, and we shut them down because we can!
Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world.
You were born to be hockey players -- every one of ya.
And you were meant to be here tonight.

This is your time.

Their time -- is done. It's over.

I'm sick and tired of hearin' about what a great hockey team the Soviets have.

Screw 'em!

This is your time!!

Now go out there and take it!



Fuckin Goosebump City!

A Word to the Wise

I saw a political ad yesterday that piqued my curiosity. The Dem candidate for Governor from Philly, Tony Williams launched a negative attack ad against our own homegrown Dan OOOOOOnorato. The add was whatevs, but one particular “statistic” struck me. Tony Williams claimed that unemployment in Allegheny County had grown 30% in the last year; outpacing the rest of the state and country!

That would be about the most depressing statistic in the world, if it were true. (Before I go there, this isn’t a pro-Dan post or even really a pro-Allegheny County post, this ad is more of a vehicle to aid me in arguing a point)

Problem is it takes about 2 seconds of “research” to disprove this point. Type “Allegheny County Unemployment” into Google and this is what you get. In a nutshell, our unemployment grew 2%, not 30%. As a matter of fact, if you notice on the graph, unemployment in his district is slightly higher (for Philadelphia County, Delaware County almost mirrors Allegheny).

Whatever, I’m not going to get into the Philly vs. Pittsburgh thing, or say that I think Dan Onorato is awesomer than Tony Williams. My point is that the ethical standards for political commercials are ZERO!!!! It’s not about presenting facts about the opposition, it’s slanting the information to get you votes. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this, when you look at the way most politicians operate, and Mr. Williams is far from the only culprit.

What’s worse and probably scarier than lack of integrity from these commercials and their creators is that people may base their voting decision off of these commercials.

If you base your voting off of these commercials, then do me a favor, don’t vote. It took yours truly 30 seconds on the internet to fact check a commercial and find out what was wrong and what wasn’t. Do me, and everyone else a favor, if you plan on voting, do your homework; do more than watch commercials; find out which candidate really will represent you best.

It's Time to Buckle Down

When you are traveling through the pits of hell, the worst thing can do is stop. Remember that.

Right now, this is hell for Pens fans. We all watched the Pens blow a 2-1 lead and watched a team lifted by an insane crowd. We also watched that insane crowd help grind the Penguins into the ground. What we have feared most short of elimination has occurred. A dreaded game 7.

Before you begin heading for the bridges, stop. Forget about the history up until now. It's all meaningless. 1996 was 1996, 1993 was 1993. None of those players for either side will be on the ice tomorrow night. It's all about the 2009-2010 Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2009-2010 Montreal Canadiens.

There's a game to be played. Don't think about what could be, think about the game. If you are attending the game, make it the loudest game in Igloo history. If not, scream like you're there! The players will hear you.

We can't play the game, but we can help our team to victory. Don't wallow in your own depression at the game 6 loss. Focus your energy. Help propel your team to the next round.

Wednesday night has the chance to be a special moment in Penguins history. Do your part and say you were a part of that amazing Game 7 back in 2010; the turning point for the Penguins playoffs.


Fucking Do IT!

Hilarity, Tina Fey and the Amazing Brain Journey

If this post was gonna turn into a movie, I think the title alone would be Oscar worthy.

Anyway, I just saw the video from the Tina Fey Saturday Night Live, where she does her masterful impression of everybody’s favorite mildly retarded MILF, Sarah Palin. It is f’in hilarious!!! (I would link to it on youtube, but I think NBC would find me, rape me, and then burn my house down; so if you want to see it and haven’t, it’s on their website).

It was stellar and dead on (meaning it captures Palin’s stupidity perfectly). If you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t ruin it but the “Are you smarter than a half term governor” and “30 Main Street” parts may be my favorites.

I know it’s a parody so there is hyperbole involved, but it just started to make me wonder why the hell anyone likes her or is even remotely interested in anything she has to say! I guess she “connects” with people. Even though she spews out pure worthless drivel, she is “charismatic”.

Look at her criticism of the President and the new START treaty. I bet $100.00 that when she made those criticisms, she didn’t even understand what START stood for. Even if she did, she’s about as qualified as I am (not very) to make any sort of determination on the treaty. Yet, somehow she was in a position to make speeches and influence people’s thoughts on this treaty. Ridiculous! Worse yet, I am sure there were ignorant rednecks sitting in their trailers who probably believed that shit!

Everyone talks so much about charisma and connecting with people. I think it’s over-rated. When I think of what I want in a political leader, I am much less concerned with “connecting with someone” than I am with characteristics like intelligence, critical thinking skills, and leadership. Those are criteria we should be picking our political leaders on, not being hot and or likable. However, I guess for most of the fat complacent sheep in this country (you know, like the teabaggers that are so fat that they have to protest from folding chairs), people would rather like someone than trust in their abilities to actually lead and make sound decisions.

A Post Game 3 Riddle

If you take two goalies from two different teams over two games; in one game the first goalie plays behind a trapping team that allows them clear views of the shooter and clears out rebounds, and that goalie gives up one goal; in the second game the second goalie plays behind a trapping team that allows them clear views of the shooter and clears out rebounds, and that goalie gives up NO goals; which goalie is better?

The answer is: Suck it Fluery haters! Go Pens!

Dear Silvertop

It must be a rite of passage for oldsters. Buy a car that is too big for you so you can drive it too slow and too clumsily. Be it a Buick Park Avenue, the popular Ford Crown Vic, or the old standby Caddy; the big car with old people in it is a ubiquitous sight in Pittsburgh.

I had my own run in with one last night. It’s the same old story, two little old people in a big ass car attempt to parallel park using the brail parking method and they bang into your bumper several times in order to squeeze into a spot that should be large enough to fit an 18 wheeler.

If it’s not ok for a 16 year old to hit the cone on the parallel parking test, what then, makes it ok for a 70 year old to do it on the street? I understand that your reflexes are slower, and you just aren’t as sharp as you used to be. Well here’s a whacky idea ol’ timer: Get a goddamn Smart Car, or a Mini, or any other LITTLE car. Just not this behemoth that you don’t have the slightest idea of how to park or drive. Eventhough. You. Live. In. The. City.

So please dear old person, you still live in the city, and god bless you for that, but get a new car, a smaller car, it’s amazing how much room a smaller European car has in it. What is the point of all that luxurious room if you can’t drive or park the damn thing?

Can I Borrow Your Tinfoil Hat?

We, as a nation dodged a bullet over the weekend. As everyone knows, somebody almost blew up a car in Times Square.

Luckily the device malfunctioned and the thousands of theater goers and tourists were unharmed. Apparently the thing had at least 3 propane tanks fused together. That’s some Iraq shit right there (I know). Kind of worrisome to say the least.

I’m sure everyone wants to go off and blame the crazy Muslims extremists for this one. Hell, I can’t be totally convinced that they aren’t responsible. I say TOTALLY convinced.
That’s where my new tinfoil hat comes in. I figure the tinfoil hat is what gives the crazy teabaggers and other conspiracy theorists their power, so I figured I would try it out and see what theories this creates in my brain. Hold on, let me put it on.

There we go.

As much as I think the crazy Muslim extremists were responsible for this, I could very easily see the crazy wacko teabagger militia types being responsible for this. Ok, now I’m going to take off the tinfoil hat.

Now that I’ve taken it off, I still think the same damn thing. Seriously, I trust a “militiaman” about as much as I trust a Muslim who is completely shaven and all dressed in white (Not a whole lot).

Some good this tinfoil hat is...

Both groups of people are religious and political extremists who apparently will not shy away from violence to further their goals. Think I’m wrong? Think about those crazy Jesus freaks in Michigan who were going kill a police officer, then attack the funeral procession with IED’s. These nut jobs were all residents of crazy town! What makes the story even scarier is that their tactic comes right out of the Al-Qaeda in Iraq handbook. You attack an enemy force, then you attack their response force. In this case, you kill a police officer, you know their will be a funeral procession, so you attack that to create further casualties.

Don’t tell me these right wing wackos are any less crazy or any more righteous than the Muslim wackos who also want to do us harm. Both are capable of extreme violence to further their goals, and until I hear confirmation otherwise, I would not be surprised if it was in fact a right wing, white, religious militia responsible for this unsuccessful attack and NOT Muslim extremists.