THE NHL TODAY: CONCUSSION ANYONE?

With the spate of concussions occurring in the NHL this year (and those carrying over from last season) you have to think, 'What the hell is going on?" Let's enumerate:

1. Sydney Crosby

2. Chris Letang

3. Zbynek Michalek 

And that's just for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

4. Chris Pronger - Philadelphia
5. Claude Giroux - Philadelphia

6. Miland Michalek (Zbynek's bother) - Ottawa

On top of that you have the deaths of three former NHL enforcers Derke Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Balek within four months of each other earlier this year.

The New York Times reported that at the time of Boogaard's death there was evidence of severe CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) that causes emotional liability and cognitive deficits similar to Alzheimer's.

OK. That's for those guys which may also explain Crosby and Pronger but what about the new injuries this year? I thought the NHL was starting over on this issue? There have been a few nasty hits this season, the one on Letang in particular, but from what I've seen it appears that the game has become a bit more civilized. So what's up? Unfortunately all of the active players named have been playing hockey since they were five. So I can understand "cumulative" effects.

I have yet to see Alex Ovechkin play so I don't know if he's toned-down his "pinball" STYLEof play or not. I guess I could look at his PIMs and figure out if that may be the case, but then again, he wasn't called much for trying to put people through the boards after skating across the entire ice surface.

Former player Jermey Roenick has stated that hits with shoulders and elbows and hits from behind along the boards as well as hits involving players who have just jumped onto the ice for most of the problems.

NHL Commissioner and famous know-nothing Gary Bettman has indicated it's to early to be make changes based on limited information such as that regarding Boogaard's. While the NHLPA's Donald Fehr has said, "The findings released by Boston University to the New York Times regarding CTE found in Derek Boogaard's brain, and the forthcoming medical journal article, should be seriously considered by everyone associated with the game. It is certainly important information that we will be discussing with the Players."

Reigning-in repeat offenders as the NHL did with Matt Cooke should be a start and it should apply to ALL players, not just the third and fourth liners. By the way, with his game altered, Cooke is having one of the best scoring starts of his career.

I would add a caveat here that my comments do not contradict my defense of NFL players such as James Harrison. In football the object IS to hit people hard and take them to the ground. That's what determines the end of each play. Not so in hockey.

CARNEGIE MELLON RETURNS TO THE PAC (FROM LINKEDIN)

Why did they ever leave? This was the conference CMU was in when I played there (1969-1972 seasons). I thought it was an idiotic move from Day One to join that cockamamie conference they've been in for the past 20 years. I agree, "This is a landmark day" but shouldn't have been necessary if they had simply remained in the conference. 

Carnegie Mellon University Football to Join Presidents’ Athletic Conference in 2014

Dec. 13 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football program will join the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) as an affiliate member for the start of the 2014 season.  The Tartans will maintain their three-game University Athletic Association (UAA) schedule with Case Western Reserve University, the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis. Case Western will join Carnegie Mellon as an affiliate member of the PAC.

“This is a landmark day for Carnegie Mellon athletics and our football program,” said Carnegie Mellon Director of Athletics Susan Bassett. “Joining the PAC is an excellent opportunity for our football student-athletes and coaches. The PAC has a tradition of excellence on and off the football field. We are looking forward to competing at a high level with institutions that share similar academic and athletic philosophies with Carnegie Mellon.”  

Prior to the inception of UAA football in 1990, Carnegie Mellon was a member of the PAC. The football program won seven conference titles during its time in the conference, the last coming in 1989 under the direction of current head coach Rich Lackner. As a player and assistant coach, Lackner was a part of the other six PAC champion teams.

“I have always had tremendous respect for the PAC and look forward to renewing many of our historic rivalries. Our players will have a chance to compete for two conference championships and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship,” Lackner said. “This is an outstanding day for Carnegie Mellon football.”

Carnegie Mellon and Case Western will join the other nine schools that sponsor football in the PAC: Bethany College, Geneva College, Grove City College, Saint Vincent College, Thiel College, Thomas More College, Washington & Jefferson College, Waynesburg University and Westminster College.  The Tartans have faced each of these institutions throughout the program’s 102-year history. Over the course of this timeframe, the Tartans have played two of these opponents more than any other, Washington & Jefferson (63 times) and Grove City (53 times). The Tartans and Grove City have met on the gridiron for the past 12 seasons. Against the nine PAC teams, Carnegie Mellon has an all-time record of 165-93-13.

With Case Western’s move to the PAC alongside the Tartans, the annual matchup between the two teams will count towards both league standings.  Carnegie Mellon holds an all-time record of 26-15 against the Spartans with a 15-11 edge in the Academic Bowl, a game between two of the nation’s top academic institutions. 

Beginning with the 2014 season, both Carnegie Mellon and Case Western will have an opportunity to compete for both UAA and PAC championships. Both programs will be eligible for the automatic bid to the NCAA Championship through the affiliation with the PAC.

Chicago and Washington will join the newly-formed Southern Athletic Association (SAA) as football affiliate members, also beginning in 2014. All four schools will remain full members of the UAA in all other varsity sports.

Founded in 1955, the PAC continues its mission of promoting intercollegiate athletics and the pursuit of academic excellence. Consisting of 12 select private institutions (10 full members, two football affiliate members) in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, the PAC remains a unique organization in this day of high pressure intercollegiate athletics. With academics at the center of each member’s philosophy, the PAC is built on the principle that an athletic program is a part of college life, but not an entity in itself. The PAC annually crowns champions in 19 sports (10 men, nine women).

BONDS ELIMINATED FROM HOF CONSIDERATION (HOPEFULLY)?

Now that Barry Bonds has been convicted and sentenced for obstruction of justice can we assume he will now be ineligible for the baseball Hall of Fame? A guy who was so enamored with hitting baseballs into SF Bay that he went from a 185 pounds in 1992 to 240 pounds only a couple of seasons later.  An All-Star left fielder who couldn't even throw out slow-motion runner Sid Bream at the plate trying to score from second based on a single to left field in the last playoff game he played with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Which also happens to be the last playoff game the Pirates played. 

This produces an interesting irony. The all-time MLB hits and home run leaders will never make the HOF. 

Will Roger "I'll Decide When I Play" Clemens join them on this list? 

Good luck in prison, Barry.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY -- 1938

The Bees trade catcher Ray Mueller to the Pirates for Al Todd and JOHNNY DICKSHOT. 

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? (THE SHORT VERSION)

Mike Holmgren, President of the Cleveland Browns, was reported as saying that Colt McCoy was not checked out on the sidelines for concussion symptoms after being hit by James Harrison because Cleveland's medical staff was not aware of the severity of the blow he received. Yes, he said that. I'm not sure who is supposed to be watching the game, in which this type of event would be noticed, but usually when your QB is lying prostrate on the ground out in the open and a guy from the Steelers wearing jersey number 92 is walking away from him, that probably means something "severe" has just occurred. And what about the two schmucks out on the field with him in the photo above? Who are they, street sweepers out to clean up the mess? 

This is probably the most idiotic response to the consequences of a play that involved just two players, out in the open field, I have ever heard. Apparently, Colt McCoy's father knew it was serious just watching from the stands as he should have since his son had probably not before in his football career been hit in this way by a guy wearing Steelers' number 92. And what did the two "street sweepers" report when they got to the sidelines with McCoy? Apparently the QB had no memory of the hit but what then precipitated these two gentlemen going out on the field? Did THEY see it? If I'm the Commissioner, which I will never be because 1) I have common sense and 2) I played football beyond high school, I would want a better explanation than that concerning the apres-hit sideline activities. And what about the team's player's rep or the NFLPA? Shouldn't THEY be interested in the welfare of an individual they represent?

AGREE TO DISAGREE – 49ers

IF BEN CAN’T GO IT SHOULD BE BATCH. AGREE—Batch is a veteran who knows, better than Ben Roethlisberger, when to get rid of the ball to avoid a sack or an interception. He won’t try to play above his ability and he CAN move when necessary. He knows the offense and is less likely to commit turnovers against a good 49ers defense which are what would most assuredly lose the game for the Steelers. He can produce enough points with this offense that the defense could protect for the win. 

SAN DIEGO IS THE TEAM WITH THE BEST CHANCE TO BEAT THE RAVENS. DISAGREE—I have to include the caveat that if the Bengals are still the hunt for the final playoff position THEY are the team with the best chance to beat the Ravens. The Chargers are WAY too inconsistent to have to depend on them for a win. And remember, the Ravens have toplay the Bengals in Cincinnati this time on Week 17. 

IF POUNCEY CAN’T GO, TRAI ESSEX PLAYS LEFT GUARD (NOT KEMOATU). AGREE—Chris Kemoatu may have played himself out of a roster spot with the Steelers (pending a disaster scenario). He has just totally forgotten how to play without committing penalties and was called out this week by Mike Tomlin; one of the few times he has ever called out an individual player for poor performance, saying "he's playing illegally."

20 POINTS WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO BEAT THE 49ers. AGREE—This also comes with a caveat that the Steelers’ defense continues to play to the level of the past four weeks. The loss of James Harrison hurts. It will particularly hurt if Lamar Woodley can’t play or is limited in his participation. Key—Put pressure on Alex Smith and force INTs.

- PREDICTION -

STEELERS 23 - 49ers 13

STEELERS' CLARK FRUSTRATED FOR HARRISON

From the Steelers' web site--

Clark frustrated for Harrison

By Teresa Varley - Steelers.com

Posted 19 hours ago

Linebacker James Harrison wasn’t at the Steelers practice facility on Wednesday because of his one-game NFL suspension, but he definitely was at the forefront of his teammates thoughts.

“I am frustrated for James,” said safety Ryan Clark. “I feel bad for James. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with what he has had to deal with the past two years. I know he has worked extremely hard to stay within the guidelines. This is his first offense this year. That part frustrates me. You hate to see a teammate, a friend, be ostracized or ridiculed when he has been working to do better.”

Clark has been fined twice by the NFL this season, including once for $40,000, and what bothers him is there is no set guideline as to what classifies a player to be worthy of a suspension.

“There is no set rules, no clarification on what will get you suspended or fined a certain amount,” said Clark. “It’s really all left up to judgment. We just have to continue to try to play within the rules, try to do the right thing. It’s a battle we can’t win. You can’t fight it through the media. You can’t fight it doing anything. The NFL is going to make the decision of who plays and who doesn’t. For us we have to find a way to play within the rules and still be able to maintain a physical presence out there.

“It’s tough. It’s really tough because nothing is in black and white. It’s hard to truly understand what to do, how to do it correctly. On the other side of that when it is perceived that you have done it incorrectly what are the consequences and repercussions of that? For us right now, you know that going in and you have to try and do your best to play within the guidelines that you do know, the guidelines that are set for you. They’re having a tough time officiating it and judging it right now. At the same time we are having a hard time understanding what they want.”

Clark said he doesn’t know if things are going to get worse as far as fines and suspensions, but just wants to make sure they are able to play their style of football within the guidelines.

“I can’t tell you what is going to happen in the future,” said Clark. “We just want to play now. We want to try to figure out a way to be as physical as possible and as legal as possible. Right now that is the challenge placed before us.

“On the other (side) of that when things don’t go our way we need to shut up because obviously being who we are isn’t working. Being outspoken about things and expressing our frustration in different manners than other people that’s not working for us. We’re not going to call the commissioner; we’re not going to set up meetings. That’s just not the players that we are. But I think as a team we just need to stop talking about it. Just do our best to go out here and play football because that’s what our jobs are and leave the rest of the politicking to other people.”

HARRISON AND THE HEAD SHOT: REDUX

I watched THE hit again last night and from the side angle view there was a little over one second from the time McCoy pulled the ball up into the passing position and got rid of it and when James Harrison hit him. I really don't think there was any time at all for Harrison to "correct" his trajectory to hit McCoy in any way other than where he obviously intended to hit him when he was, by rule, a runner. Watch it.

I had a discussion with my son-in-law about it last night over my birthday dinner and he feels Harrison is plain "stupid." I don't believe this. I think he's tremendously mean and stubborn. Even some of his teammates are afraid of him. In preseason practices Tomlin puts him on punt coverage to test the metal of rookie returners. Most of them "flinch" if Harrison even gets near them.


However, it is intensely selfish of him to continue to the point of being suspended which, as Mike Prisuta said, "suspends the whole team." The Steelers have a very important game this weekend and with Roethlisberger hurt they will need their entire defense. If Lamar Woodley is unable to play hen Harrison's move with have doubly hurt his team's chances. To this I say, "Bad form."

HARRISON AND THE HEAD SHOT

I'm not sure I talked about this before but now that James Harrison has been suspended I think it's indicated.

1. This hit was in a very unusual situation. Colt McCoy ran out of the pocket, tucked the ball as if to run, realized he was still behind the line of scrimmage then floated a pass to an open receiver: A. He was quite close to the line of scrimmage when all of this went on with the ball tucked away as if running and B. James Harrison committed to stopping this "run" when he was hoodwinked by a subsequent pass when he was already committed in the tackling position. Lots of decisions being made in a very short period of time.


2. Harrison DID show some discretion as his arms were in FRONT of him, not out at the sides to clear his helmet for a big hit. His hands in fact "broke" part of the impact. I'm curious what would have happened if Harrison had decided he'd better not go for the head and had "mercifully" hit McCoy in the knees? My point is, he could have hit him as hard as some bunyaks do Ben Roethlisberger IN THE POCKET who get away with it but he DIDN'T.


Question: When was the last time a defensive player was penalized for a hit on Roethlisberger DURING THE PLAY? Yeah, Richard Seymour hit him AFTER the play in the game against the Raiders last year and was penalized. 


Seymour Punches Roethlisberger


The LAST time the offense occurred during the course of a play was last year against the Ravens when Ben's nose was rearranged. 


Ben's nose re-arranged


But when was the time before THAT. I'll bet you have a hard time coming up with the answer. This crap about the Steelers NOT being singled out is just that CRAP! As the joke goes Harrision gets fined even when someone on another team get as a helmet-to-helmet penalty.


Further on helmet-to-helmet. Why does this only apply to defensive players? Ever see a 350 pound tackle pull and give a H-to-H on a corner back? Yeah, many times. Now THAT'S gotta hurt. How about when a linebacker comes free through the line and puts a H-to-H on a running back who hasn't really built up any steam yet. Yeah, a lot! So, Mr. NFL Comissioner, do something smart for a change, consider ALL H-to-H contact as penalize-able or fine-able or suspend-able. Those other guys can hit, too. Idea: How about protecting EVERYONE?

And while we're at it. A player who is suspected of being concussed has to go through a series of checks on the sideline before he can be sent back in. I would think at a minimum this should take two or three minutes. In this case McCoy missed TWO PLAYS! And in the shots of him on the sideline it didn't really appear he was being "checked out" by ANYONE except perhaps the head coach and offensive coordinator. I believe the NFL rules call for someone with MEDICAL TRAINING to do this. So, should the Browns' head coach be fined or suspended? Just asking but, Roger, ya might wanna check into that re the CBA, too! OK?

STEELERS REGULAR SEASON ANALYSIS AS OF WEEK 14

The Steelers have run off four wins since their last loss (to the Ravens). Will the 49ers end the Steelers' present streak and all but end their hopes for a Division title? I both streaks they had three close games and one blow-out win. Thee Steelers' defense has given up only one touchdown in the last three games but two of those games were against what could kindly be referred to as inferior opponents. With two inferior opponents after the game with the 49ers can the Steelers come up with a big game similar to that against the Bengals two weeks ago. Unfortunately, they haven't had a glow-out win on the road yet this year as the first win against the Bengals was close.

With a win this week the Steelers could have a seven game win streak going into the playoffs. But if it only gets them a wild card spot, probably at Denver, will it have been worth it? They could lose two of the next three and STILL make that final playoff spot and expend MUCH less energy (both physical and emotional). But as my wife says, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." We'll see.

WEEK	OPPONENT	OUTCOME	STYLE	QUALITY OF OPPONENT	HOME/ROAD
1	Ravens	LOSS	Blow-out	Playoff Contender/ Division Rival	Road
2	Seattle	WIN	Blow-out	Inferior Opponent	Home
3	Indianapolis	WIN	Close	Inferior Opponent	Road
4	Houston	LOSS	Close	Playoff Contender	Road
5	Tennessee	WIN	Blow-out	Schizophrenic Opponent	Home
6	Jacksonville	WIN	Close	Inferior Opponent	Home
7	Arizona	WIN	Close	Inferior Opponent	Road
8	New England	WIN	Close	Playoff Contender	Home
9	Ravens	LOSS	Close	Playoff Contender/ Division Rival	Home
10	Bengals	WIN	Close	Playoff Contender/ Division Rival	Road
11	Chiefs	WIN	Close	Inferior Opponent	Road
12	Bengals	WIN	Blow-out	Playoff Contender/ Division Rival	Home
13	Browns	WIN	Close	Inferior Opponent / Division Rival	Home
14	San Francisco			Playoff Contender	Road
15	St. Louis			Inferior Opponent	Home
16	Browns			Inferior Opponent/ Division Rival	Road

HOME: 6-1

ROAD: 4-2

7 close WINS, 5 against inferior opponents

2 blow-out WINS against a division rival and an inferior opponent

1 blow-out WIN against a schizophrenic opponent

1 BLOW-OUT loss against division rival

2 CLOSE losses to playoff contenders/division rivals

One COMEBACK win

One COMEBACK loss