DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Welcome to Tuesday Twelve Qs, our chat that takes place each week at 1 p.m. live from the Steelers’ headquarters on the South Side.
The format is simple: Use the comment section below to submit an entry, no more than one per person. Submit it anytime you want. I’ll pick from those to get the thing rolling. I’ll then monitor new entries.
UPDATE 1 p.m.: OK, Mike Tomlin just spoke with us here in his press conference room, and I was able to get downstairs to the locker room for about 15 minutes of material from the athletes.
And off we go …
Kevin: It’s only two games, but the Steelers looked quite different than the past two years. The speed from Ryan Shazier along with Stephon Tuitt, Sean Spence and Mike Mitchell really makes the defense look stronger. If the O-line is improved, as well, then what are realistic expectations for the 2014 Steelers?
DK: Perfect timing, Kevin, since Tomlin just brought up — not without some prodding — that Shazier didn’t necessarily have a perfect performance Saturday, even in the context of some clearly outstanding plays. Tomlin felt obligated to preface that he wasn’t saying this just to ‘beat up’ Shazier — though that’s a common Tomlin tactic — but rather to stress that there’s room for improvement. On one 3rd-and-27 by the Bills, they gained 24 and that, according to Tomlin, was on Shazier. Stuff like that.
They’re faster, no question. They’re more exciting, no question, possibly on both sides of the ball. But all four of those guys you listed up there have a long way to go, not least of whom is the veteran Mitchell after doing some seriously boneheaded things Saturday.
It’ll be fascinating to watch unfold, though.
Hunter G: Just subscribed to your site yesterday, and absolutely love it! In your opinion, which team is the closest to bringing home a championship? Pens, Pirates or Steelers?
DK: First off, thanks, man!
Second, I’ll take the Penguins almost entirely because they’re set up to have the most cracks at it. When you’ve got two of the world’s best players manning the most important position, a decent supporting cast, superb fan support and ownership spending to the cap, that’s one whale of a formula for being able to contend perennially.
None of that’s a shot at the other two teams. The Pirates were within a win of playing in the National League Championship Series last fall and are still mostly a younger team. The Steelers have contended for longer than either of the other two teams and still have the most important ingredient in a franchise QB. But question asked, question answered.
Wild Bill: Did you see the recently released research indicating an average age of TV baseball watchers being 54 — up five years from five years ago — as alarming for baseball? What changes should be made?
DK: I did, but I’ll first add here that you might well add 20 years to that figure for Pittsburgh. I don’t think people here realize exactly how old the Pirates’ demographic remains, even after last year’s success. I’m not going to spill beans here, but let’s just say I’ve heard the numbers to prove it.
It should be terrifying, not just to the Pirates but to the sport and to the new commissioner, Rob Manfred, and everyone involved.
I’ve been writing this for years, but the national baseball media has for decades lived in this New York/Boston cocoon where everything looks just swell to them. What they haven’t seen is the immense damage done by not having a salary cap and stripping away hope in a third or even half their markets. Yes, low-revenue teams occasionally pop their heads above water. And when they do, the national scribes sing about the joys of true parity. What they never mention is — to go back to what I just mentioned about the Penguins up there — how it’s close to impossible to sustain anything. You get one crack, maybe two, and that’s it.
What would change this?
1. Salary cap. Duh.
2. Shorter games.
Really, man, enough is enough. Four-hour baseball is the norm. My 10-year-old went to a Pirates game the other night with his friend and told me he was bored out of his skull. They both asked the friend’s dad to take them home early. And on NFL Network last night, I heard the commentators fussing over how football games are getting so long “it’ll soon be like baseball.”
Ouch.
Enough already. Someone buy these national baseball guys a passport to get out of New York and Boston and see what’s really happening to the game.
Foxers25: What do the Pirates do to make their bench not so…er…um…Stupid, stupid, stupid? Our weaknesses have been exposed in the past 7 plus games, and another important player could go down at any time. Is Triple-A the answer once they can expand the roster? What about the waiver wire?
DK: They can first prioritize the pinch-hit over defensive versatility. That’s a point I made emphatically in today’s column. Take a look at last night’s game, even with Vance Worley’s early blowup, and picture a real bat having a chance to take a hack with all those men aboard. I dare say that would have made a bigger difference than the number of positions Michael Martinez can play (poorly).
Waivers and waiver trades are an option, too, but you’re at the mercy of the other teams, not just the one waiving the guy but the one blocking him from getting to you. Happens all the time. It takes three parties, essentially, which is why it doesn’t happen much.
And you know what the Pirates can do about all that?
Pitch better.
Mitch Thomas: Have you heard anything about Kevin Hayes possibly choosing the Penguins? Also, you had voiced that Paul Martin is the most likely piece of trade bait, if he starts the season with the Pens, is it safe to say hes staying? Or could go at the deadline?
DK: When the Penguins are getting linked to overpriced college kids hitting the open market, I’m fairly confident we’re all desperate for actual pucks to drop. No, I don’t see that as likely at all. There’s no cap room. Even though Hayes would be a project, by all accounts, his money will still be green, still count against the cap. And almost all of what was left was just handed to Brandon Sutter.
The Penguins need Martin at season’s outset. Remember, Olli Maatta will miss a month or two with that shoulder surgery. Trading him right away doesn’t help the Penguins immediately, and it probably wouldn’t do much to keep his value up, either.
Camp’s not far off, everyone. We’ll have real stuff to discuss before long!
jac101: With so many question marks in the rotation, bullpen, and infield help. Is it even legitimate to expect a strong post-season push from the Buccos? As your article explained yesterday, having Brett Morel, Jayson Nix and Martinez as components of the roster won’t exactly scare the competition.
DK: You know, the only hesitation I had in writing today’s column about the mismanagement of the bench is that this has become something of a scapegoat issue. Its importance has been immensely exaggerated. That’s why, in the piece, I listed a whole lot of other factors in what’s gone wrong for the Pirates of late. As with the Pedro Alvarez column, it was aimed it identifying a problem, not the problem.
It’s so much easier to get mad at scrubs like these or, in what I’m sure is actually happening here, finding the easiest possible link between failure and the payroll. But that’s just not in play here. Certainly not as it relates to payroll, since bench help is the cheapest thing in the sport to acquire.
This team isn’t in a position to contend because of — repeat after me for the billionth time, if you’d like — bullpen, bullpen, bullpen. Huntington needed to add depth, and he’s needed to do that for a while.
David Wingenroth: Is Huntington capable of being the GM of a contender? It seems he is still stuck in rebuild/stockpile mode and not focused enough on the major-league club and winning now.
DK: He has to get past a lot of the rebuilding mindset, no doubt. So do his closest lieutenants. These guys are still, to an extent, stuck in scrap-heap mode when no such thing is needed at this point.
They say in history lessons that the leader of a revolution is rarely the best choice to govern, and I’ve wondered at times if that’s the case. Huntington is definitely smart enough to adjust, but he isn’t always willing.
Aaron: There’s been a lot of posturing among college ADs lately trying to position their schools well for the future with strong scheduling. That being said, do you think WVU & Pitt will EVER renew the one I’d the truly great rivalries in college football?
DK: Well, basketball, too, right?
But no, the answer at least for the foreseeable future is no. I’ve raised the topic often with both Steve Pederson and Jamie Dixon — Paul Chryst really doesn’t get into stuff like this — and their steady answer has been that they’re open to it but that it isn’t easy. Which, of course, is a dodge. There’s nothing easier than finding room on an out-of-conference basketball schedule, especially Pitt’s. And even with football, any sacrifice is worth making that would guarantee a sellout both in Morgantown and at Heinz Field.
This is stubbornness. That’s all it is. And it’s too bad because, unlike the Pitt-Penn State flap that lasted forever in part because of Joe Paterno, this matchup is desired by pretty much everyone involved except for the men in charge.
mkozak25: Still think Johnny Manziel opens against the Steelers? As of right now, I would love that to happen.
DK: Oh, man, you’re not alone. And I say that entirely from the column-writing standpoint. The material this kid could provide for the next, oh, year or two is just staggering.
I’ll say this: Dick LeBeau doesn’t just think Manziel will start. I can guarantee you he’s hoping he’ll start, given his record of crushing rookie QBs.
And be very sure every player in the Steelers’ locker room has by now seen Manziel losing his cool last night and giving the finger to the Redskins’ bench.
Pitt Critic: Clint Hurdle was quoted that Andrew Lambo is not an option for first base. He said Lambo is a natural outfielder. Also, Chase d’Arnaud is playing OF in minors and can’t switch to infield. What say you of the Pirates’ infield depth between the 40-man roster and four minor-league teams?
DK: The first thing I say is bunk on the first two counts. Lambo isn’t a great first baseman, but he’d be better at the position right now than a stone-cold Pedro Alvarez. And d’Arnaud spent his entire life as an infielder until this season. What a strange statement to make.
The second thing I say is that people were biting my head off about a year ago when I’d dare point out that, for all the accolades being heaped on the Pirates’ system, it was woefully thin at position players, especially at the upper levels. They’ve drafted tons and tons of pitchers over the years.
Ray Caliendo: Am just seeing that a settlement has been reached on the Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore incident. I think that Bertuzzi should have been banned for life instead of making millions more while Moore can’t make a living selling burgers. Any opinion?
DK: There’s nothing about that incident, its follow-up and everything else that doesn’t turn the stomach to this day. And you’d like to think that, if nothing else, the NHL would have learned a lesson, but it didn’t.
Bertuzzi should never have played another game in the NHL, and he should have done jail time.
Milo Hamilton: Any updates on Adam Podlesh? Are the Steelers in contact with him? Are they expecting him back ? If so, when, and if not, are they actively seeking punting help?
DK: This kind of surprises me, Milo, but Tomlin sounds completely satisfied with Brad Wing. He even bluntly stated that, while the Steelers aren’t slamming doors, they aren’t actively looking for competition.
Wing’s been OK but inconsistent. Strikes me as a needless risk.
August 19, 2014
Tuesday 12 Qs: Shazier, Manfred, Hayes, Wing
by Dejan Kovacevic • Live Qs at 5 • Penguins, Pirates, Pitt, Steelers
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
Welcome to Tuesday Twelve Qs, our chat that takes place each week at 1 p.m. live from the Steelers’ headquarters on the South Side.
UPDATE 1 p.m.: OK, Mike Tomlin just spoke with us here in his press conference room, and I was able to get downstairs to the locker room for about 15 minutes of material from the athletes.
And off we go …
Kevin: It’s only two games, but the Steelers looked quite different than the past two years. The speed from Ryan Shazier along with Stephon Tuitt, Sean Spence and Mike Mitchell really makes the defense look stronger. If the O-line is improved, as well, then what are realistic expectations for the 2014 Steelers?
DK: Perfect timing, Kevin, since Tomlin just brought up — not without some prodding — that Shazier didn’t necessarily have a perfect performance Saturday, even in the context of some clearly outstanding plays. Tomlin felt obligated to preface that he wasn’t saying this just to ‘beat up’ Shazier — though that’s a common Tomlin tactic — but rather to stress that there’s room for improvement. On one 3rd-and-27 by the Bills, they gained 24 and that, according to Tomlin, was on Shazier. Stuff like that.
They’re faster, no question. They’re more exciting, no question, possibly on both sides of the ball. But all four of those guys you listed up there have a long way to go, not least of whom is the veteran Mitchell after doing some seriously boneheaded things Saturday.
It’ll be fascinating to watch unfold, though.
Hunter G: Just subscribed to your site yesterday, and absolutely love it! In your opinion, which team is the closest to bringing home a championship? Pens, Pirates or Steelers?
DK: First off, thanks, man!
Second, I’ll take the Penguins almost entirely because they’re set up to have the most cracks at it. When you’ve got two of the world’s best players manning the most important position, a decent supporting cast, superb fan support and ownership spending to the cap, that’s one whale of a formula for being able to contend perennially.
None of that’s a shot at the other two teams. The Pirates were within a win of playing in the National League Championship Series last fall and are still mostly a younger team. The Steelers have contended for longer than either of the other two teams and still have the most important ingredient in a franchise QB. But question asked, question answered.
Wild Bill: Did you see the recently released research indicating an average age of TV baseball watchers being 54 — up five years from five years ago — as alarming for baseball? What changes should be made?
DK: I did, but I’ll first add here that you might well add 20 years to that figure for Pittsburgh. I don’t think people here realize exactly how old the Pirates’ demographic remains, even after last year’s success. I’m not going to spill beans here, but let’s just say I’ve heard the numbers to prove it.
It should be terrifying, not just to the Pirates but to the sport and to the new commissioner, Rob Manfred, and everyone involved.
I’ve been writing this for years, but the national baseball media has for decades lived in this New York/Boston cocoon where everything looks just swell to them. What they haven’t seen is the immense damage done by not having a salary cap and stripping away hope in a third or even half their markets. Yes, low-revenue teams occasionally pop their heads above water. And when they do, the national scribes sing about the joys of true parity. What they never mention is — to go back to what I just mentioned about the Penguins up there — how it’s close to impossible to sustain anything. You get one crack, maybe two, and that’s it.
What would change this?
1. Salary cap. Duh.
2. Shorter games.
Really, man, enough is enough. Four-hour baseball is the norm. My 10-year-old went to a Pirates game the other night with his friend and told me he was bored out of his skull. They both asked the friend’s dad to take them home early. And on NFL Network last night, I heard the commentators fussing over how football games are getting so long “it’ll soon be like baseball.”
Ouch.
Enough already. Someone buy these national baseball guys a passport to get out of New York and Boston and see what’s really happening to the game.
Foxers25: What do the Pirates do to make their bench not so…er…um…Stupid, stupid, stupid? Our weaknesses have been exposed in the past 7 plus games, and another important player could go down at any time. Is Triple-A the answer once they can expand the roster? What about the waiver wire?
DK: They can first prioritize the pinch-hit over defensive versatility. That’s a point I made emphatically in today’s column. Take a look at last night’s game, even with Vance Worley’s early blowup, and picture a real bat having a chance to take a hack with all those men aboard. I dare say that would have made a bigger difference than the number of positions Michael Martinez can play (poorly).
Waivers and waiver trades are an option, too, but you’re at the mercy of the other teams, not just the one waiving the guy but the one blocking him from getting to you. Happens all the time. It takes three parties, essentially, which is why it doesn’t happen much.
And you know what the Pirates can do about all that?
Pitch better.
Mitch Thomas: Have you heard anything about Kevin Hayes possibly choosing the Penguins? Also, you had voiced that Paul Martin is the most likely piece of trade bait, if he starts the season with the Pens, is it safe to say hes staying? Or could go at the deadline?
DK: When the Penguins are getting linked to overpriced college kids hitting the open market, I’m fairly confident we’re all desperate for actual pucks to drop. No, I don’t see that as likely at all. There’s no cap room. Even though Hayes would be a project, by all accounts, his money will still be green, still count against the cap. And almost all of what was left was just handed to Brandon Sutter.
The Penguins need Martin at season’s outset. Remember, Olli Maatta will miss a month or two with that shoulder surgery. Trading him right away doesn’t help the Penguins immediately, and it probably wouldn’t do much to keep his value up, either.
Camp’s not far off, everyone. We’ll have real stuff to discuss before long!
jac101: With so many question marks in the rotation, bullpen, and infield help. Is it even legitimate to expect a strong post-season push from the Buccos? As your article explained yesterday, having Brett Morel, Jayson Nix and Martinez as components of the roster won’t exactly scare the competition.
DK: You know, the only hesitation I had in writing today’s column about the mismanagement of the bench is that this has become something of a scapegoat issue. Its importance has been immensely exaggerated. That’s why, in the piece, I listed a whole lot of other factors in what’s gone wrong for the Pirates of late. As with the Pedro Alvarez column, it was aimed it identifying a problem, not the problem.
It’s so much easier to get mad at scrubs like these or, in what I’m sure is actually happening here, finding the easiest possible link between failure and the payroll. But that’s just not in play here. Certainly not as it relates to payroll, since bench help is the cheapest thing in the sport to acquire.
This team isn’t in a position to contend because of — repeat after me for the billionth time, if you’d like — bullpen, bullpen, bullpen. Huntington needed to add depth, and he’s needed to do that for a while.
David Wingenroth: Is Huntington capable of being the GM of a contender? It seems he is still stuck in rebuild/stockpile mode and not focused enough on the major-league club and winning now.
DK: He has to get past a lot of the rebuilding mindset, no doubt. So do his closest lieutenants. These guys are still, to an extent, stuck in scrap-heap mode when no such thing is needed at this point.
They say in history lessons that the leader of a revolution is rarely the best choice to govern, and I’ve wondered at times if that’s the case. Huntington is definitely smart enough to adjust, but he isn’t always willing.
Aaron: There’s been a lot of posturing among college ADs lately trying to position their schools well for the future with strong scheduling. That being said, do you think WVU & Pitt will EVER renew the one I’d the truly great rivalries in college football?
DK: Well, basketball, too, right?
But no, the answer at least for the foreseeable future is no. I’ve raised the topic often with both Steve Pederson and Jamie Dixon — Paul Chryst really doesn’t get into stuff like this — and their steady answer has been that they’re open to it but that it isn’t easy. Which, of course, is a dodge. There’s nothing easier than finding room on an out-of-conference basketball schedule, especially Pitt’s. And even with football, any sacrifice is worth making that would guarantee a sellout both in Morgantown and at Heinz Field.
This is stubbornness. That’s all it is. And it’s too bad because, unlike the Pitt-Penn State flap that lasted forever in part because of Joe Paterno, this matchup is desired by pretty much everyone involved except for the men in charge.
mkozak25: Still think Johnny Manziel opens against the Steelers? As of right now, I would love that to happen.
DK: Oh, man, you’re not alone. And I say that entirely from the column-writing standpoint. The material this kid could provide for the next, oh, year or two is just staggering.
I’ll say this: Dick LeBeau doesn’t just think Manziel will start. I can guarantee you he’s hoping he’ll start, given his record of crushing rookie QBs.
And be very sure every player in the Steelers’ locker room has by now seen Manziel losing his cool last night and giving the finger to the Redskins’ bench.
Pitt Critic: Clint Hurdle was quoted that Andrew Lambo is not an option for first base. He said Lambo is a natural outfielder. Also, Chase d’Arnaud is playing OF in minors and can’t switch to infield. What say you of the Pirates’ infield depth between the 40-man roster and four minor-league teams?
DK: The first thing I say is bunk on the first two counts. Lambo isn’t a great first baseman, but he’d be better at the position right now than a stone-cold Pedro Alvarez. And d’Arnaud spent his entire life as an infielder until this season. What a strange statement to make.
The second thing I say is that people were biting my head off about a year ago when I’d dare point out that, for all the accolades being heaped on the Pirates’ system, it was woefully thin at position players, especially at the upper levels. They’ve drafted tons and tons of pitchers over the years.
Ray Caliendo: Am just seeing that a settlement has been reached on the Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore incident. I think that Bertuzzi should have been banned for life instead of making millions more while Moore can’t make a living selling burgers. Any opinion?
DK: There’s nothing about that incident, its follow-up and everything else that doesn’t turn the stomach to this day. And you’d like to think that, if nothing else, the NHL would have learned a lesson, but it didn’t.
Bertuzzi should never have played another game in the NHL, and he should have done jail time.
Milo Hamilton: Any updates on Adam Podlesh? Are the Steelers in contact with him? Are they expecting him back ? If so, when, and if not, are they actively seeking punting help?
DK: This kind of surprises me, Milo, but Tomlin sounds completely satisfied with Brad Wing. He even bluntly stated that, while the Steelers aren’t slamming doors, they aren’t actively looking for competition.
Wing’s been OK but inconsistent. Strikes me as a needless risk.