Blast from the past: Winter of 2006 press release as a candidate

Press Release: Immediate
From Daniel Repovz, Media Coordinator, Elect.Rauterkus.com Media@Rauterkus.com, 412-904-2976

Mark Rauterkus, candidate for Pittsburgh's City Council, district 3, special election slated now for March 14, 2006, released a four point plan to those in attendance at the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce meeting today after the Craig Patrick of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins presentation.

The Rauterkus campaign stresses freedom, future, fitness and flow to benefit our entire region. Rauterkus said, "The plan is simple and as we think again on these opportunities, everyone I talk to is in agreement with me. 1) Own what you build. 2) Return what you lease. 3) Grow where you can flourish and contribute to flow. 4) Fix what you broke."

1. Should the Penguins get a new arena from the windfall of the gambling casino, then others must keep it. The city should not own the new building. Mario could own, operate, insure and program the new building. Do not build a new building and expect to hand its ownership over to the city nor an authority.

2. Should the Penguins move out of the historic Civic Arena, then they should not be the ones to tear it down. The Mellon Arena can return as a civic arena and stay as a place for other events such as Disney on Ice, Circus, Carrick High School Graduations, and scholastic basketball tournaments, such as the WPIAL and PIAA championships. Those events don't require luxury-corporate boxes with leather seats and catering services.

3. The Penguins and other civic and regional leaders should build the new hockey arena at the old airport or some other area in suburban Pittsburgh. The arena does NOT need to be built in downtown.

4. We should re-open the now closed, indoor ice rink on the South Side located behind UPMC's South Side Hospital. Rebuilding that venue and grounds should provides quality recreational opportunities to the city residents and the region. The Penguins had a big hand in getting that rink covered. Private operators had the contract to operate the facility at no cost to the city. Much more can be done to build there for many benefits of fitness and the future.

For further information or quotes, call Mark Rauterkus, 412-298-3432 or Mark@Rauterkus.com

Call from Detroit

From Larry:

My son Ducky called me from that detroit game last nite after witnessing that blown call! .....he was steamin and I told him I'd get back after consulting with some of my fellow officiato wizards...like you guys.

I assured Duck that the umpire has to feel like dogcrap - the pressure obviously got to him and he probably made the classic mistake of envisioning the outcome because the play was unfolding too slow (the double pump from the firstbaseman probably threw him off). The Ump jumped to the conclusion that he thought would happen rather than what he saw...lesson one for all umpires - never think - thinking allows you to confuse your imagination with your information - it is not your job to even know the score much less care about the outcome.

Unfortunately we probably won't ever get umpire judgment calls reviewable via instant replay mainly because there is no whistle to end that kind of play like in football. What if that Tiger pitcher had tossed the ball up in the air thinking he had the out and the runner sped home in the confusion? Although, as a former youth leagues umpire, I will argue that a pitcher should be able to go to the rubber, step off and appeal just like they do when a runner leaves a base too soon on a tag-up. The other umpire/s should also have a chance to pipe in - esp the plate ump or umpire-crew-chief...and review footage and GET IT RIGHT!

Maybe there should be a third call an umpire could make in this kind of situation...instead of only the "safe" or "out" - how about just a shoulder shrug meaning "don't know?" That should wreak some interesting havoc...

A parting tale: I was once umpiring a championship game in the steel community of Sparrows Point in balto full of roudy, tailgating fans (this was way back in the day when drinking at kids games was not at all taboo) and the last play of the day was my worst nightmare - a winning run collision at home where a runner dove horizontally over a lunging catcher with the ball. Being a former catcher myself, I figured no way that runner's prone body never was at least grazed by that catchers outstretched mit's rawhide strings, so I righteously throw my thumb up in the air...but then to my horror, no-one noticed my call from all the noise and the judas catcher bounced up and tried to tag the runner as both kicked up a dust storm scrambling to the plate. The runner won that race and everybody was celebrating and then all eyes were suddenly on me and my premature thumb still stuck up in the air instead of where the sun don't shine....A cop had to escort me (on my motorcycle getting pelted) outta town...kinda like that ump last nite...

what say you brilliant and murky minds?

I think the guy who was called safe on first base should just walk to the dugout. Take himself off the field and out of the game.

Winter Classic -- Outdoor Hockey -- Let's see if we can think again.

The Penguins of the NHL could be playing outdoor hockey all winter long if they only kept the Civic Arena and opened the roof. Duhh.

So, we'll build a new arena and still not use it -- instead -- play a game at the football field.

I'd much rather see the Pittsburgh City League Championship game played at Heinz Field rather than the NHL's Penguins. The City League Title is played at South Side's Cupples Stadium.

I'd much rather see the city league team of Perry play its HOME football games on a gridiron set up at PNC Park too.

So, if the Steelers play a home game after January 1, 2011 -- then what????

Pirates fans do not show up to PNC Park. We should bring back Three Rivers Stadium

During the 1990 through 1993 seasons at Three Rivers Stadium Pirates’ attendance averaged 1.9 million. And, during the last four years of play at Three Rivers Stadium, 1997 through 2000, attendance averaged 1.6 million. So it is safe to say that after ten years, PNC Park has not proved to be the answer to Pirates poor attendance. Maybe an apology to taxpayers who opposed using tax dollars to fund the park is in order.

We miss you, man.

While we were out, the Pens lost! OMG.

Is it over? Pinch me. We've had a bad dream. The playoff beards are but a fleeting memory too?

This is how they move on post Penguins in Liverpool.

BP and its sponsorship of the Oil Olympics to keep flowing

From: SI com Alerts

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The leader of the U.S. Olympic Committee sees no immediate change in the federation's multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with BP PLC in the aftermath of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read the full story at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/05/03/USOC.BP.sponsorship.ap/index.html

Pirates disable Jakubauskas, make roster changes

Talk about getting blasted.

Pirates disable Jakubauskas, make roster changes: "Pirates pitcher Chris Jakubauskas, who was struck behind his right ear and fell face down on the mound by a line drive, is being released from Methodist Hospital after being diagnosed with a head contusion and a concussion.
If Jakubauskas experiences no further trouble with the dizziness that affected him Saturday night, he may even get released by doctors to join the Pirates on their flight tonight to Milwaukee.

Get well soon.

PA Senate Bill 890

The Pa Senate has a new Title IX bill sitting in committee.

Changes are needed and ll post about them later.

Christina Kim details LPGA tour life in new book Swinging From My Heels - Tours & News - Golf.com

Christina Kim details LPGA tour life in new book Swinging From My Heels - Tours & News - Golf.com: "In her new book Swinging From My Heels, Christina Kim dishes on life, love and the L-word on the LPGA tour"

quote:


When I was 11, my dad turned up with a funny-looking metal stick with a bulbous end. Marching me to the backyard he threw down a strip of Astroturf and grunted, "Here, swing hard as you can." I did, and it was kind of fun. Then he told me to do it 499 more times. This was my introduction to a golf club, and the golf swing. Being a dutiful Korean daughter I never thought to question my dad, and every day after school I would spend two hours making the required 500 swings, as would my older brother Mel and older sister Gloria. After a month of this tedium Dad finally took us to a driving range so we could hit actual golf balls and watch them fly. It was like the clouds parted and the angels were singing and I finally understood there was a point to all of this.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1982913,00.html#ixzz0lZZVv7Fo

Sports in a Concept Map

Click image for a larger view.

The map is not 'complete' in that it isn't perfect. Some sports are missing. What needs to change? Log in and click to insert your comments.

Biz leader of Brazil want Government there to monitor spending for Rio 2016, a future Olympic Host

Here in the USA, we'd be most happy if the Biz leaders would monitor the government, not the other way around. We know that the gov people can spend more than they have.

BRASILIA, Brazil -- A top business leader in Brazil is urging the government to make sure building projects for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics are completed on time.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/04/14/rio.2016.ap/index.html

Woops. I had it wrong. The biz leaders don't care about the amount of the spending, they care that the luxery boxes are built on time. They must be members of the Allegheny Conference.

When asked how much the World Cup and Olympics are going to cost them, the clever business leader said, "A Brazilion Dollars."

I am NOT in favor of tearing down the Civic Arena. I don't want to tear down much, except politicians that only want to churn our landscape.

From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events

I don't want to tear down the Civic Arena. There is very little that should be torn down from our landscape. To build, add value. To destroy, subtract. I am on the side of building by increasing, by addition, by expansion.

Any third grader knowns that 1 + 1 = 2 and that 2 is larger than 1.

Luke's math: 1 + 1 - 1 = 1. That's not growth.

From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events

We used to have a Civic Arena that could host concerts, basketball games, tracktor pulls and high school graduations. With the new Consol Energy Arena we'll be able to host the Penguin hockey games and the next day open for the Circus.

There is any demand for luxery box seats to go to a high school grduation, or college graduation as some of them have been held there too. There is no demand for luxery boxes for a circus or a monster truck jam or even Disney On Ice.

With the Civic Arena here, re-tooled for sure, we'd be able to host a mega block party when the Pens play a HOME playoff game, with the overflow spectators going to the Civic Arena.

Pirates to put pitcher in batting line-up in 8th position. Traditions shatter all around town.

From Grant

Sports Briefing - Baseball - Pirates to Bat Pitcher Eighth - NYTimes.com Pittsburgh Pirates Manager John Russell plans to begin the season with his pitcher hitting eighth and shortstop Ronny Cedeno batting ninth, a move that will shift Andrew McCutchen from leadoff to second in the batting order. Russell said second baseman Akinori Iwamura would now bat leadoff. The Pirates had a 13-20 record in 2008 and a 2-4 mark last season when Russell batted his pitcher eighth.

In other news of change, the Libertarian Party Candidate is the front runner for the special election for the PA House seat that covers the North Side and other parts of Pittsburgh -- a spot once held by Don Walko.

Yes we can!

What other cow jump over the moon instances are now in full view?

How about, Pittsburgh Public Schools sees enrollment increases at Brashear High School.

Comments welcome.

Hockey Players and Hips

New Study Finds 70 Percent of Able-bodied Hockey Players Have Abnormal Hip
and Pelvis MRIs

http://www.sportsmed.org/tabs/newsroom/AOSSMPressReleaseDetails.aspx?DID=687

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Seventy percent of healthy professional and collegiate hockey players had abnormal hip and pelvis MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging), even though they had no symptoms of injury, according to a study presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in New Orleans, (March 13). The study's surprising findings could serve as a warning for surgeons to not depend excessively on imaging when diagnosing patients.

"This study was done to see if abnormal MRI results are found incidentally in active roster hockey players," said Matthew Silvis, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Orthopedics at Hershey Medical Center at Penn State University College of Medicine. "Unexpectedly, the majority of players had some abnormality in their MRI, but it didn't limit their playing ability. The study raises many questions, but its value to surgeons is to recognize that imaging doesn't replace good clinical judgment, which includes a detailed history and complete physical exam. This study might make you hesitate to read too much into an MRI."

In the study, high-resolution MRIs were taken of the pelvis and hips of 21 professional and 18 collegiate hockey players, aged 18 - 35. Of the 39 players, only two reported slight pain, which they identified as a 3 on a 10 point scale, with minimal to no disability in relation to their pain.
Twenty-one out of the 39 (54 percent) had labral tears (tears in the structure that keeps the hip in place). Twelve of the 39 (31 percent) had muscle strain injuries of the hips and 2 of 39 (5 percent) had tendinosis (inflammation) of the hips. Overall, 70 percent of the players had irregular findings on their MRIs, but no clinical symptoms.

MRIs are noninvasive tests that help doctors diagnose and treat medical conditions. MRIs use a powerful magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and a computer to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and many other internal body structures.

"This study raises all sorts of questions that should be examined in further studies. For example, will these abnormalities cause problems and symptoms later for these athletes?" said Silvis. "But this study shows the limitations of depending too heavily on an MRI. A surgeon may see something
in the image, but it isn't causing a problem."

3-pointers in 3-D may be coming to theater near you

From Chatham-Polo

I saw the 2008 Olympics in Bejing in 3-D.

3-pointers in 3-D may be coming to theater near youThe NCAA announced that it would show the semifinal and national championship games in 3-D in movie theaters nationwide.

This isn't that new. If you want to see a basketball game in 3-D, just go to the games.

From Mark Rauterkus

Another fun way to watch TV at a sports event -- at a CURLING CENTER!

2010 U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN TO OFFER NEW UPGRADED DAILY TICKET OPTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oakmont, Pa. (March 12, 2010) – The 65th U.S. Women’s Open, to be held July 5-11, 2010 at Oakmont Country Club, will offer a new ticket option beginning this weekend. The new upgraded daily ticket option will be released at the Greater Pittsburgh Golf Show, which runs this weekend, Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14 at the Monroeville Convention Center.

The new ticket option, individual daily Trophy Club tickets, will be priced at $30 per day for Practice Rounds and $65 per day for the Championship Rounds Trophy Club tickets.

The Trophy Club ticket is an upgraded ticket that provides spectators with grounds access to the championship as well as access into the exclusive and upgraded Trophy Club located on the golf course. This climate-controlled venue includes amenities such as television monitors, computer scoring terminals and telephone access for Trophy Club guests to use. Guests may purchase upscale food and beverages within the Trophy Club.

A variety of other ticket options are also still available, including $20 practice-round tickets, $45 championship-round tickets and group ticket packages.

Tickets to the championship are available online at www.2010uswomensopen.com or by calling (877) 281-OPEN. Kids 17 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult. Each ticketed adult can bring up to nine (9) kids.

Visit the U.S. Women’s Open booth (#203) at the Greater Pittsburgh Golf Show this weekend. Golf Show visitors can enter a drawing for a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The contest winner will receive two (2) weeklong Trophy Club tickets, week-long VIP parking, a $50 gift card to the merchandise tent and a round of golf in the Championship Invitational. The Championship Invitational will be played at historic Oakmont Country Club on Monday, July 12, 2010 and will be played from the final-round tees and hole locations.

Also at the Greater Pittsburgh Golf Show, World Golf Hall of Fame Member and Women’s Open General Chairman, Carol Semple Thompson, will be live on air at 10:20 a.m. on Fox Sports Radio 970AM– The Golf Show With Gerry Dulac on Saturday, March 13. She will also be at the Women’s Open booth from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. WTAE-TV Anchor Sally Wiggin will be at the Women’s Open booth on Saturday, March 13, from noon until 1 p.m.

About the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open
The 2010 U.S. Women’s Open will bring a field of 156 of the world’s best professional and amateur women golfers to Oakmont Country Club. It will be the second time the Women’s Open will be contested at Oakmont. Patty Sheehan won the 1992 championship in a playoff over Juli Inkster after finishing at 4 under par for 72 holes of regulation play.

About the USGA
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico. The Association’s most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open. Ten additional USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $65 million over 13 years to successful programs that bring the game’s values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.

Contact:
Lindsay Weber – 2010 U.S. Women’s Open – lweber@2010uswomensopen.com - (412) 828-2010

Pittsburgh Obama High School -- and Jr. High. We tried. We lost. We live to fight another day.

Shout it out Tim!

I absolutely support Tim Tebow's right to state his political beliefs loudly and proudly. We should soundly reject the concept that jocks should just "shut up and play."

More from David Z.

Silver Lining for Vikings Fans (Politically)

by Dave Zirin

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/521374/silver_lining_for_vikings_fans_politically

This is a day to empathize with the agony amongst the long-suffering fans of the Minnesota Vikings. With a trip to the Super Bowl in their buttery grasp, they fumbled it all away. In a game they largely dominated from start-to-finish, the Vikes lost in overtime to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game, 31-28. Miscues, interceptions, and some questionable calls will have Vikings Nation asking "what if" for the next nine months.

Yes, there is misery in Minnesota. But there is also a silver lining, and I'm not talking about the joy in Green Bay at the spectacular fall of Minnesota QB Brett Favre. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf was locked and loaded to arrive at the Minnesota State Legislature on February 4 - three days before the Super Bowl - to press for a new $1 billion stadium with $700 million to be paid by the taxpayers. The Vikings, like many teams, is holding up the specter of moving the franchise to Los Angeles if they don't get a nine-figure welfare check. With the state's phony populist absentee governor Tim "Glass Jaw" Pawlenty saying little more than, "We have to keep the Vikings no matter what," Wilf was ready to roll the state's taxpayers. But now that the team has failed to reach the Big Game, the wind is out of Wilf's sails and Zygi is no longer coated with stardust. This isn't to say that Wilf won't emerge triumphant, but without the team in the Super Bowl, it's much more apparent that he will have a fight on his hands.

As Minnesota resident and dogged stadium opponent Willard Shapira wrote, "Most communities around the U.S. have caved in to such outrageous demands but socially concerned Minnesotans are fighting the Vikings tooth and nail. Others around the U.S. battling big-money and establishment power politics would take heart from a public victory over the Vikings and their gang of arrogant, plutocratic conspirators in business, politics and the media."

Remember that Minnesotans repeatedly rejected the Twins billionaire owner Carl Pohlad's efforts to get a new baseball stadium on the public dime. Despite their votes, Pawlenty rammed the $500 million facility through the legislature and it opens for business this spring. Now the owner called "the Big Bad Wilf" wants his piece of the public pie, recession be damned. The Vikings failure to make the Super Bowl makes his effort far more perilous.

On the flip side, and ever so ironically, New Orleans first trip to the Super Bowl makes it a near impossibility for the Saints owners, the Benson family, to fulfill their pre-Katrina dreams of moving their franchise to the City of Angels. If they made that move, I'm convinced that the Crescent City would implode with grief. Now, as a Super Bowl team, that move becomes a political impossibility.

Therefore in one tense contest to see who would ascend to the Super Bowl, two sets of owners saw their most treasured dreams to burn tax payers and break hearts go up in smoke. That's something all fans should cheer. Even in Minnesota.


[Dave Zirin is the author of the forthcoming “Bad Sports: How Owners are Ruining the Games we Love” (Scribner) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.]

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Former Pitt star DeJuan Blair stands tall as an NBA rookie

Former Pitt star DeJuan Blair stands tall as an NBA rookie: "Just one week after Pitt was eliminated from the NCAA tournament in March, Mr. Blair decided to leave school two years early to begin his professional basketball career. After he plummeted to the second round of the NBA draft in June, there was much debate as to whether he made a mistake, but he has zero doubt that he made the correct choice to pursue his dream.
'I just sit back in the house. I just think, man, I made the right decision,' said Mr. Blair, who earned All-American honors at Pitt last season after a celebrated high school career at Schenley. 'It's just wonderful. I feel so blessed"

I went to the Schenley basketball game on Friday night at home against Perry. The home team lost, but it was a fun game to watch. If you want to go to a Schenley game, get there early. The gym is small. Seating is only on one side. The place fills and then no others are permitted into the gym for good reason. Show up when the JV games are played.