How do the Steelers not take a step forward?
It’s that time of the year again. Football is back baby. Rooting for the Steelers the last 10 years has to be a top 5 most stressful job in America. I’m talking right there with air traffic control, school bus driver, and wedding planner. Do we finish under .500? Nope… Do we get to enjoy fun offensive football? Nope… Do we find ways to win games? YEP.
Here’s what I’m getting at. Last year we finished bottom 8 in yards per game and bottom 5 in points per game. We made the playoffs and had an offense that didn’t know what day of the week it was. I don’t see a world where the Steelers are not better this year than they were in 2023.
Can you imagine if we just get average QB play from Russ or Justin Fields ? The defense is made up of some absolute dogs. Watt, Highsmith, Heyward, Minkah, Queen, JPJ, Herbig. We snuck into the playoffs last year with little to none offensive production. With an upgraded QB situation we can almost take a small step back on defense (which I don’t think we will) and still be okay. I’m locking us in as a 5 seed in the playoffs this year. Give me the boys in black and gold at 11-6 and a playoff run.
Charleston, South Carolina. What a Place.
Good morning and happy Labor Day to you. You’re probably thinking I’m going to go on and on about the Pittsburgh Pirates, not this week! I’m going to hit on something a lot happier.
Yesterday, we just returned from what was an incredible trip to Charleston, South Carolina for Pine Room Soup and Pine Cellar Girls’ Sami’s wedding. It was a beautiful event for two of the best people that I know, so congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Campbell! I can’t thank them enough for not only letting me be a part of it, but also introducing me to this town.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to many places so far in my life, but I have never been anywhere quite like this place. I went on a walk this morning in what is a somewhat busy area of Pittsburgh, PA, and I couldn’t help but think that the only person that I passed on my half an hour stroll, was a large man sitting on a bench with a Big Gulp in his hand. Whereas three days ago, on my 5 minute walk to brunch down King St. in Charleston, I passed 27 girls that I probably would have proposed to right then and there, if you know what I mean. And this was at noon on a Friday, so you can imagine what it looks like at 10pm on a Saturday night.
Is there something in the water there? Is it that these creatures (in a good way) all across the country just flock to Charleston once they are old enough? I wish that an expert on this topic would read this and answer my questions because I am convinced that there is not one ugly person in that town. I even met a girl that was TikTok “famous” at a bar. Not that I was getting recruited to play baseball there, or that I was even good enough to play there but why did I not just go to the College of Charleston? Hell, I should’ve just quit baseball and went there for school and been broke.
Anyway, you get the point. Charleston, South Carolina is a ridiculous town and if you a male in your 20s you probably should visit at least once in your life. If you don’t see any blogs from me or I’m not on any podcasts or radio shows in the coming months, you could probably guess why. I’ve left my life behind and moved to Charleston.
Jarrett
I am a realist and understand that we don’t live in a rainbow and butterfly society…
With school set to begin at all levels, and having a 19-year-old that will be a sophomore in college, I would like to focus on the so-called higher education learning system.
It truly does not matter what your personal stance is on COVID-19, but the crisis and isolation completely derailed our educational system in the US.
Online and self-paced classes were not conceived with theidea of allowing undergraduate students to carry a 12-credit schedule.
Currently, students can take a full curriculum and never step foot into a classroom. It saddens me that administrations allow this to occur.
These years are intended to help an individual grow in so many ways, most imporatantly from a social standpoint.
This means attending a classroom, interacting, learning to be timely, having group discussions about specific subject matter, fuck…. just being normal college kids.
Kids in todays world can’t have normal 1-on-1 conversations, and this topic is one of many reasons where we could place blame.
Screw a report card; even though it has importance, life is about people,. Knowing how to interact and handle different personalities, is over the utmost imporatance and online classes are not conducive to honing those skills.
I do understand and respect the convenience factor with online schooling, but college is not meant to be convenient. College is meant to help grow our youth and develop them into productive members of society.
College’s should revisit this practice before it is too late to save the next generation.
LOCK of the century!
Hello everyone! I have major news for you in today’s blog. I am here to present to you the LOCK of the century… yes that noise you heard was Coach Del and Nick SPRINTING into the attic to grab their bags of money to place this bet.
Without further ado, let’s get rolling. The LOCK of the Century is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers OVER 7.5 wins. Now I know what you’re saying, “oh Cooley you’re a Bucs fan of course you’re saying that!”. But let me explain. I’m a very realistic fan of my sports teams and I stand by that. However, I have a few reasons why I believe this bet is a lock and I plan to explain it.
First, this is an upgraded team that won NINE games last year. They were 9-8. Now I know every year is different but you’d be dumb not to use some kind of information from previous years. We added new pieces along the Offensive line via draft & free agency. First round pick Graham Barton looks like a stud already and should help improve the run game tremendously along with Bucky Irving as the new back up RB. This is also an offense that already has Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rachad White, and newly drafted Jalen McMillian! They also hired a new OC in Liam Coen who I believe is an upgrade as well. Everyone on defense has returned, except Devin white (good riddance), we also added Jordan Whitehead at Safety! Yaya is expected to take another leap after bursting onto the scene his rookie season. Along with Calijah Kancey.
Up next, the schedule. Although they do have a few tough games on the schedule (49ers, Ravens, chiefs, Lions, Falcons), we also have lots of winnable games. For example, they play the Panthers 2x, Saints 2x, Giants, Raiders, Chargers, Broncos, & the Commanders. That’s NINE games I believe the Bucs will be the favorites in. Remember we only need 8 wins to win the bet! That means this team can finish 8-9 and we go home millionaires.
Finally, legendary Mike Florio also agreed with me on our radio show WKKX The Watchdog that the Buccaneers are being slept on this year! Find me a smarter person than Mike Florio in the NFL. You can’t! That is a solid ringing endorsement that backs up my claims for this LOCK.
So there you have it folks, the secret to making your first Millions of dollars!! (Please bet responsibly)
Tyler Cooley
Get Ready For It…
Football is upon us. You can feel it in the air. Each season brings hope, optimism, and plenty of disappointments.
Fantasy – Noooooo!!!!!!
It’s that time of year once again….
The chill is in the air, leaves will be changing, daylight is shrinking, kids are back in school, the bands are marching, the Pineroom will be up and running….
But wait, most importantly, it’s time for Fantasy Football!!!!!!! The earth quits spinning, work production is down 75%, and everyone is now an NFL GM. The magazines, computer rankings, tv shows, phone services! What will be the punishment for the last place team? Who do I keep? How many leagues will I get in?
So many decisions!!! I cant sleep! Is Tim Manoa’s elbow healed????? To be continued
Rock Bottom
If you would have told me I would be typing this when I released my previous blog back on July 31st, I would have thought that you were playing some sick, twisted joke on me. But, no, no, this is very real. Since then, the Pittsburgh Pirates have played 17 games. They have lost 14 of them. 7 of the losses by 1 run. Before this past Friday, they had lost 10 straight. Today, on August 19, they are officially in last place in the NL Central and 7.5 games out of the NL Wild Card race.
Angry, sad, shocked, confused, are some of the words to describe the way that I have felt over the past couple weeks, but at this point I really have no more words to say. I feel like I’m almost going through a breakup. Not to mention the fashion that they are losing the games. Gut punch after gut punch, then the eventual KO. I could go through every managerial mistake, bullpen blowups, pitching disasters, defensive miscues, offensive disappearances, but this blog would be 15 pages long. I also think I may throw my computer monitor out of the window in front of me.
Whoever you want to point fingers at whether it is Derek Shelton, Ben Cherington, Bob Nutting, the players, I think we can all agree that SOMETHING has to change. MLB.com just released their farm system rankings for this year and the Pirates landed at 20th. Granted Paul Skenes and Jared Jones are not included in that, but we are in year 5 of the rebuild. YEAR 5. Their highest ranked prospect is RHP Bubba Chandler who is at #41 of MLB’s top 100 prospects. Their highest ranked position player prospect is a kid who they drafted just last month out of high school, Konnor Griffin, who lands at #55. Another note, Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports wrote in an article the other day, “…while the Pirates rank fourth in the majors in hitter strikeouts, Class AA Altoona leads its league in Ks, Class A Greensboro’s second, and Class A Bradenton’s first.” (Here is the link if you would like to read the whole thing: https://www.
I could go on and on about this team, but then I might have to start going on blood pressure medication and I don’t want to do that.
Let’s Go Bucs. I guess.
Jarrett
Why are so many people afraid to talk about politics?
As the country becomes more divided, it’s less likely that people will discuss
politics with their friends and family out of fear that someone may become
upset.
Could this be causing the exact problem we are trying to avoid? Could not talking
about it be even more harmful?
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, it wasn’t uncommon to have political discussions at
family gatherings or in an open forum at school.
In today’s increasingly wretched society, people are afraid to discuss their own
thoughts and theories with others out of fear that they will be labeled as
bigots or racists, or perhaps even have their careers ruined by erroneous
accusations.
What is worse than someone who is afraid to give their opinion are those who have no
opinion at all and lack the knowledge and awareness to have an enlightening
exchange.
In contemporary times, it’s easier for those who disagree or have a different view
to denigrate others and characterize them as unconventional thinkers who are
harming humanity.
The very concept of America was based on liberty, and all citizens are equipped
with freedom of expression, which is being suppressed more and more. The right
to a free press is no longer appreciated or revered, and the majority of the
media choose to control the narrative for one side when that was never its
purpose.
Aiding in the problem are many of our schools, which are not teaching children to be
accepting of all viewpoints or even teaching multiple views. Healthy
deliberation and debate are the principal requirements for contributing to the
republic. Those practical measures have been replaced by absolutism and a
scarcity of logic. The indoctrination of America’s youth from elementary school
through college is something that has poisoned the minds of the electorate
quite substantially in the past few decades.
The fact of the matter is that avoiding political discussions makes you complicit
in eluding life….It’s impossible not to be affected by at least something on
the political spectrum. Ironically, the less than 5% who are so wealthy and
connected that politics and elections do not affect them are some of the
loudest voices and self-appointed representatives of the oppressed.
It’s time that we face the stark reality that if we continue to not discuss or
educate ourselves and others about how important politics are, the country will
continue in a state of advanced decay. Additionally, God and religion are not
as prevalent in our nation and home’s in present times, aiding in a
civilization of ill-repute.
So whether it is basic politics, religion, COVID vaccines, guns, immigration,
abortion, or extraterrestrials, all those born or naturalized legally in this
once great nation should educate themselves enough to have a true opinion… If
we continue to demean critical thinking, we run the risk of having the
government and the media make all the decisions for us. Just ask China, Russia,
North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and most of the Middle East, etc.
In 1775, colonials led by South Carolina’s Christopher Gadsden developed the
unifying rallying cry “Don’t Tread on Me,” which warned the British that the
colonists would resist any attempt to take away their rights and freedoms….Not
since the American Revolution has this mindset ever been more important!
“If we all think alike, no one is thinking.” (Benjamin Franklin)
I am a realist and understand that we don’t live in a rainbow and butterfly society…
I am a realist and understand that we don’t live in a rainbows and butterfly society.
As a young buck, I attended Corpus Christi grade school. Back in the day most catholic schools hosted Friday Fish Fry’s and being a student during lent, we had the role of delivering paid meals to the Warwood high rise. These buildings then were filled with the elderly, who were good, decent people, who maybe didn’t have a lot of money or just chose to live somewhere, that daily upkeep was not such a daunting task.
Well, the times have changed tremendously, where now these establishments are filled with every Tom, Dick, Mary and Harry, ranging from 21 to individuals who are longer in the tooth. I am not here to place judgement on people but I do not think it is fair that our elderly, 65 or older do not have a place to reside that would be considered more of a retirement community with more like minded individuals in the same age range.
Unfortunately, currently they are used for the lazy, who do not want to be productive members of society and take advantage of the building requirement on being income based, that most do not have and living off the working class, with government assistance.
These places are a very unique dynamic of age ranges inside a living community, with zero similarities. We need to go back to the day were the elderly had a safe place to reside, later in there lives and quit catering to the individuals that have zero drive and live off assistance there whole lives.
As a society we have lost the ideology of taking care of the elderly and giving them places to live, to not have to deal with Jackoffs of the world!!