Better late than never - news - the-press | Stuff.co.nz

In sports news elsewhere, a promise is made -- broken -- and fixed. Sounds like the NFL and those 400 tickets to the Super Bowl -- but it isn't.

Better late than never - news - the-press | Stuff.co.nz

Penguins, city discuss redevelopment

This is what lies look like.
Penguins, city discuss redevelopment

"We understand and respect [the historic review] process," he said. "We think that waiting until that is done doesn't make a whole lot of sense in terms of" being ready to start development once a decision has been made.

Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/11039/1123834-53.stm#ixzz1DOSdUIHf

TV dictates USA Sevens: Sport: Rugby: Sevens

Start to tune into Rugby Sevens now -- because the NFL season next year is NOT going to happen without a labor agreement. Rugby -- as the nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

The pools and match schedule have been announced for the 2011 USA Sevens, the fourth event in this year’s HSBC Sevens World Series, to be played in Las Vegas on February 12-13.

As current World Series leaders, England head Pool A as top seeds. All four Cup quarter-finals will be played at the end of day one, February 12, allowing the Cup final to be broadcast live throughout the US on February 13.

USA Sevens Tournament Director Dan Lyle added: “Four years ago, USA Sevens set out to attain mainstream legitimacy and exposure in the context of American sport, and this exciting new partnership with NBC reflects the hard work achieved to realise this opportunity.

“Working with our event partners NBC Sports, the IRB, USA Rugby and some fantastic new sponsors, we look forward to presenting the 2011 tournament to the largest US audience ever to have watched our great sport.”

In addition to the four Cup quarter final ties being played at the end of a lengthened day one, the four trophy finals are also rearranged at the end of day two. In order for the Cup final to coincide with prime time across the east coast of America, the showpiece match will be played before the three other finals at 14:15 local time.

Top seeds England won the first event of the season in Dubai. On day one in Las Vegas they face Argentina, France and Caribbean qualifiers Guyana in Pool A.

Eight-time World Series winners New Zealand won the second event in George line up as second seeds in Pool B with opening matches against Wales, Kenya and South American qualifiers, Uruguay.

Samoa and Fiji currently lie in third and fourth position respectively in the World Series standings. Fiji face Australia, Scotland and Canada in Pool C, while defending USA Sevens champions Samoa face a mouth-watering tie against hosts US as well as South Africa and Japan in Pool D.

After the first two events in Dubai and South Africa, England lead the HSBC Sevens World Series with 44 points. New Zealand are second (40), Samoa third (36), Fiji fourth (32) and South Africa fifth (24).

The third leg of the World Series will be played in Wellington, New Zealand on February 4-5, after which the teams will travel on to Las Vegas for the USA Sevens.

Would you buy a jersey from this salesman?

Could wrong BCS data go unchecked?

Could wrong BCS data go unchecked?

With the accuracy of BCS rankings data so critical to so many millions of people, it goes without saying that the complex computations should be part of an open, accountable and verifiable system that can be checked by virtually anyone.

The BCS formula should be open source.

Football or Swimming

The water will always win. The water is undefeated. It has not lost a game yet. And, I don't think it ever will. So, I better get used to working with it.

Collier: As we evolve, our sports must evolve, too

Collier: As we evolve, our sports must evolve, too: "This is where we are: With an epidemic of concussions blazing through schoolboy football (22,000 a year in Pennsylvania alone), and a leap forward in the clinical understanding of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (the likely scientific answer to questions like 'What killed Mike Webster, Terry Long, Andre Waters, et al.?'), we are now viewing football through a new prism of risk. Which is why I wanted to talk this week with Dr. Micky Collins, who walks on both sides of that prism."

Rugby!

Folks, enjoy this year's NFL while you can as the league is going to take a year-long vacation next year. There will be a labor and ownership problem. The games will not be played. That's a dark outlook, but it has been brewing and may come to pass.

With this in mind, it is a great time to get into world rugby action.

On Saturday there is a game on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. This is called a 'Test Match.' South Africa visits Scottland. Who is going to win? Place your vote in the poll on the left side of the blog.

Vote today.

Next year the rugby will be better understood if you get into it this year. And next year is a world championship rugby tournament.

Folks will fall in love with international rugby, if you give it a chance.

Trouble before the Commonwealth Games in India

NEW DELHI (AP) -- A footbridge being built near the main stadium for the Commonwealth Games collapsed Tuesday, injuring 23 construction workers and putting the event in further jeopardy less than two weeks before the opening ceremony.
Read the full story at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/09/21/commonwealth.games.in.doubt.ap/index.html  

Penn State gets $88 million gift, will build ice arena

The Civic Arena is going to go to Happy Valley! Get a few of the cargo blimps and air-freight the dome there.

Penn State gets $88 million gift, will build ice arena: "Penn State today received the largest private gift in its history -- $88 million.
Penn State alumnus Terry Pegula and his wife Kim donated the funds to build a new multi-purpose hockey arena near the Bryce Jordan Center and to help establish Division I men's and women's hockey programs."

Civic Arena's future could be known by Thursday

Civic Arena's future could be known by Thursday: "Civic Arena's future"

Bike Polo.

Penguins open training camp to public

This article was from years ago. The Pens wanted a practice ice and it was NOT yet built. But, we already have the Civic Arena. And, we used to have the indoor rink on the South Side that crashed due to lack of proper management.

Penguins open training camp to public: "The Penguins are opening their first two days of training camp practices, Sept. 18 and 19, to the public as the team skates together at Consol Energy Center for the first time.
There will be open seating and no charge for admission. Vendors and features will be available at the new arena.
The three main gates will open at 8:45 each morning, with practice beginning at 9 and running until 1:30 p.m. There will be a scrimmage each day at 10 a.m."

Speakers debate future of Civic Arena

I got my photo in the paper, standing in the background of this shot.

Speakers debate future of Civic Arena: "Nearly 50 people had their say over the future of the Civic Arena today, but in the end no clear consensus emerged as to whether the silver-domed landmark should stay or go."

Churn, baby, churn. That's all they offer.

Progress is 1 + 1 = 2.

Non progress is +1 - 1 = same.

Where is the promised "practice ice" that the Penguins want? Hey, let's use the Civic Arena as a practice ice.

Penguins, real penguins, are great parents. They treat their offspring with great care and loads of attention. Pittsburgh should be known as a great place to parent. And the Civic Arena, as a new civic center, can be a proud parenting place. We can go there to celebrate high school graduations. We can go there to watch high school scholastic sports, from basketball to ice hockey. We can go there with our kids and see "The Wiggles" -- so that there is a low-overhead venue, unlike the Peterson Event Center where the tickets are $77 each. I'm not that into The Wiggles at $77 per ticket.

Tractor pulls, monster truck events, circus acts, dirt-bike shows, and staging areas for G-20 whatnot can happen at the Civic Arena -- where we don't need to worry much about the leather seats and there is no demand for luxery box seating.

There are plenty of different uses for the 3 acres that presently occupy the civic arena footprint that are beyond what David Moorhouse can imagine.

The SEA board is like the hired real estate broker that the property owners employ to supervise the assets. The owner is the people, the public. The asset is much like an apartment in that a tennant can't move out of the rented space and tell the owner that the former space rented and occupied by the old tennant must be torn down. That's crazy. That's what Moorehouse thinks should be done. If the real estate broker, something that Wayne Fontana knows about, does not do a good job, -- then the owners are going to fire them. Senator Fontana knows a pinch about being a landlord as he hung out in office were business was done in the past. Perhaps he can make history by being such a poor stewart so as to give the ex-tennant the deed to the property after moving out.

The Penguins are done with the Civic Arena. They've moved on. Fine. But we have not said it is time to destroy the arena, the Penguins said it. We want to keep the Civic Arena. We want to put the asset to good use in the future. We want to take our kids and their kids there.

The Penguins don't want the Civic Arena around because it detracts from the value of the Consol Energy Park -- as they think a victory comes from subtraction. That's more crazy thought.

The Civic Arena can be a practice ice for the Pens.

The Civic Arena can be a place for over-flow crowds as the Pens hold community celebrations that expand beyond the walls of the Concol Energy Center.

The Civic Arena can be a place to go to watch Pens AWAY GAMES.

The Civic Arena can be a place to go to high school graduations, and other less important but still necessary community events. The Pens can collect money from parking, meals and entertainment for the patrons not directly associated with season tickets.

There are many hockey nights in Pittsburgh, but every night isn't a hockey night. And, some of those nights, days, mornings and even while hockey nights are in progress can be civic times at other places.

With Arena Football -- Pittsburgh is going to be out of balance with Title IX

The sky is going to fall!

Football head injuries

Of course there are parents who won't let their kids play football. I won't let my two boys play.

I got to play at Catholic school in grades 5, 6, 7 and 8. I had neck injuries. Nothing too bad where I ever missed school. But my neck wasn't right and it would go in spurts. There were classmates of mine who were NOT allowed to play football too. I'm 51 and live in Pittsburgh.

My other big worry is soccer. I think that the use of the head in soccer is just as bad if not worse for one's health, long term. My kids won't play soccer either. We should outlaw the use of headers in soccer for all under the age of 14.

Sports should be a way to make for better fitness, wellness and humanity. Not worse. A September without football would be fine. We'd play water polo. We'd bike race. We'd play touch rugby. We'd do cross
country running and cyclocross (bike). We'd kayak.

Podcast of Edge of Sports show with Dave Zirin, http://www.edgeofsports.com/radio/rss.xml

Tackling a tough issue head on - Brain injuries and football

So, play football. Hurt brain. The one can't think the rest of your life, if it gets bad enough.

Tackling a tough issue head on: "'You don't think about it. You can't think about it,' Clark said."

Or, don't think about it before playing and while playing.

Humm... Think again.

NCAA probe into WVU football - so let's get this straight

The P-G has an article about the NCAA looking into rule problems with WVU's football program.

NCAA probe into WVU football alleges improprieties
• Exceeding the permissible number of coaches from 2005-09, when non-coaching staff members engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities.
• Graduate assistants, a student assistant, student managers and non-coaching staff members, in the summers between 2005-09, monitored voluntary summer workouts.
• Rodriguez 'failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.'
• Stewart 'failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.'
• The first two violations indicate the West Virginia athletic department failed to sufficiently monitor the football program to assure full compliance.

So, let me get this straight. The players had optional practices in the summers and supervisors were present because the coaches are not permitted. These voluntary practices had supervisors who were a student assistant, grad students, student managers and non-coaches. So, the problem is that the Athletic Department failed to sufficiently monitor the football program. Yet the rules do NOT allow the real experts, the coaches, to be there to help with the students athletes. So, the kids practice on their own. But, getting some helpers for the players from the ranks of the students is not permitted.

How many water boys are they allowed?

The NCAA is punishing WVU for failure to monitor because WVU had too many peers monitoring.

Think again.

Nice kisser

"Congratulations Paula Creamer"

How to improve your golf game after watching the US Open at Oakmont

With the US Women's Open at Oakmont, near Pittsburgh, my boys (12 and 15) have been watching the play and working at the course selling programs a bit.

Erik's observation: He is now convinced that he'll make solid improvements to his game once he changes his golf wardrobe to include a sports bra and skirt.

If I was at Oakmont, I'd tail the women from Norway, Suzann Pettersen. I know how to swear in her native language as I've coached nearly ten swimmers from Norway. Then if she has a bad time of things, I'd know what she was saying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzann_Pettersen

The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : U.S. Soccer: Technically Czar-Free, and Winning

The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : U.S. Soccer: Technically Czar-Free, and Winning: "Here's something I didn't realize in '06: some countries really do have soccer czars. Not just the Chinas of the world, either, but free and soccer-crazed countries. For instance, while reading this New York Times article about France's World Cup experience devolving into nation-wide racial discord (really), I was surprised to learn that France has a 'Sports Minister' and a 'junior sports minister,' both of whom Sarkozy called on the carpet and ordered 'to rapidly learn the lessons of this disaster' after France's ignominious World Cup exit."

This is very funny to me. Just look back at the success with Team USA in the recent winter Olympics in Canada. The USA leadership has been in storm after storm in the past years. There has been a merry-go-round with USA's top leadership -- and -- the team thrived in terms of medals and overall victories.

We don't need any czars in America. They don't work, generally.