Devils clinch Atlantic Title

It was unexpected by many,but the New Jersey Devils won the Atlantic Division with their 7-1 splattering over the Islanders combined with the Penguins losing in Atlanta.
The Devils host Buffalo today in a game that will determine the second seed in the East,winner takes the spot.
Devils goals to Ilya Kovalchuk (41),Zach Parise (38),Brian Rolston (20,power play),Patrik Elias (18 power play and 19),Dainius Zubrus (10) and Dean McAmmond (8).

Hell Raisers

1) I wonder if today's game against Buffalo is important enough to Jacques Lemaire to start Martin Brodeur.
Home ice for an extra round of playoffs seems worth it to me and an potential extra home game helps the teams cash as well....

2) Travis Zajac finished with three assists on the night and all were quality.
Zajac played on different lines as Lemaire tinkers with things entering the playoffs.

3) Goal of the night was Zach Parise's swat from his knees.
A real beauty!

4) The Lowell Devils won over Portland and clinched a playoff spot.
The AHL Devils have not appeared there since the 99-00 season in Albany as the River Rats...

5) The Devils could play any of these three teams in the playoffs-Boston,Montreal or Philadelphia.
Philadelphia plays the Rangers in a one game winner is in,loser out in Philly today,but the Devils cannot play the Rangers no matter how the numbers work out....

Sorry so short,have to get a little sleep before the Suns this afternoon,but look for posts tomorrow on the Pirates in AZ and more talk about the Suns...

Photo Credit-Jim McIssac-Getty

Watching the Wahoos

Before I begin,thanks to everyone that made yesterday our second highest day in hits ever and the highest day ever for referrals to the blog.
Thanks again!

With the Pirates in Arizona (take off your rainbow shades) and me at work,we went with a day with the Cleveland Indians,who traveled to Detroit for the Tigers home opener.
The Indians looked strong early with a Travis Hafner homer and a really nice performance from David Huff until the fifth when what looked like a routine inning ending grounder to Johnny Peralta turned into a three run throwing error that cost the Indians the game 5-2.
Huff was the hard luck loser with three of the four runs he allowed being unearned.

War Chants

1) I prefer the NL game,but it is nice to take in the Tribe when I can.
I love both the Wahoos and the Bucs,but the differences in the game is why the Pirates get more attention here..

2) With Cleveland in cost cutting mode,why have they not moved Johnny Peralta?
Perhaps the Tribe was hoping he would bounce back a bit from a bad 2009 and not deal him at low tide,but his defensive deficiencies at two positions continue to hinder the team.

3) I did like what I saw from David Huff though.
Huff was attacking the Tiger batters and not backing down by nibbling at the plate.
Sometimes,pitchers with less than elite stuff get themselves into trouble by trying the the perfect pitch,get behind in the count and then make themselves vulnerable.
Huff didn't do that yesterday and showed plenty of maturity doing it.

4) I saw Huff's first game in pro ball when he started the only time that I have ever visited Mahoning Valley.
Huff started and pitched the first inning as the Indians wanted to limit him after a year of college pitching.

5) Grady Sizemore looked back in form though after an injury riddled 2009.
Sizemore showed speed on the bases and no ill effects from his injury.
A healthy Sizemore is one of the games most exciting players and maybe even one of its best...

Bullpen Notes

The Pirates were pounded in Arizona 9-1.
Charlie Morton fanned five of the first six batters that he faced and then allowed eight runs in three and a third.

The Devils return home for a weekend finish to the season with the Islanders tonight and Sabres tomorrow.
The Devils are tied with the Penguins for first in the division,but win all tie breakers with Pittsburgh.
The Penguins are at Atlanta tonight and are in Long Island against the Islanders tomorrow....

Fight of the evening on HBO with Andre Berto defending his WBC Welterweight belt against Carlos Quintana.
Quintana holds the only win over Paul Williams.
Could be a good one.

Photo Credit-Duane Burleson-AP Photo

Suns disappoint,Pirates and Devils bow

Normally,we would go directly to the Pirates or Devils losses yesterday.
If they interest you,the Pirates loss can be found here and the Devils here.

Last night's home opener for the Hagerstown Suns was frankly the most disappointing night that I have ever spent at a baseball stadium.
For the first time in my life,I felt like a sucker for handing over my money to attend a game.
I have tried to be as fair as possible to the Suns over the last year or two and attempted to be as positive as possible to the team management,but the time for telling the truth has arrived.

The Suns meet the team party was a nice start,but it seems that the team has made several blunders over the off season.
First,the fiasco that was the opening of the gates can be laid at the feet of several people.
After a large rainstorm that caused the game to be delayed a half hour,astonishingly the Suns refused to open the gates at the scheduled 6;05 since the game was being delayed.
What this accomplished was making two sets of customers angry.
The hard core baseball fan and the thirsty Thursday fan that was coming for the cheap beer.
Potential sales waved goodbye as the patrons were forced to wait unnecessarily for the gates.
Even better was the fact that there was no official announcement about the switch,leaving fans to wonder what the hell was going on.
Nothing from anyone from the Suns front office or anything over the public address system.
The only acknowledgement from anyone associated with the team was Woolie B waving its arms (?) around.
Poor judgment on the Suns part and simply put-bad business.

Once entering the stadium,I realized the next poor decision-Hagerstown general admission had always been any seat other than the box seats and I had been told that the team was going to charge extra to set under the roofed grandstand,but the impression was given that only the center area was the higher charge.
Instead,the team had taken the entire grandstand and added an extra dollar for the right to sit under the roof instead of the rickety open aired versions.
In addition all seats are assigned there and I would guess there would be some difficulties in sitting where you wish,although I cannot say that is definite.
So now for General Admission (and what SHOULD be General Admission),the Hagerstown Suns are charging more and for the bad seats equal than the Frederick Keys for a higher class of baseball and a far nicer stadium.
Give me a break.

The ticket servers were still slow,but that is easily excusable as employees still aren't smooth with a new system,which often comes with issues,but the lack of a line for entering the Muni caused what appeared to be the equivalent of a dam breaking and water rushing through as the Suns had no organization,two turnstiles (the other was for the special season ticket holder entrance) open and not much else.
Had this crowd been either really angry or in a hurry,someone could have easily been injured...

The Hagerstown Suns are a passion of mine,I enjoy the games and the friends that both go with me and that I meet there,but from what I saw last night,I have extreme doubts about how things are going for the team.
It seems to me that this has become a quick buck organization that has not thought things through before implementing ideas and I would offer one small bit of advice to the Suns-It is never too late to correct a bad decision.

I feel that the Suns look at fans like me as a junkie and have taken me for granted.
Well,this junkie felt abused last night,but there is one positive thing-I could have renewed my season tickets......

Check Battlin' Bob's thoughts on the evening here.
The Battler is far more profane than I,but he sure isn't wrong...

Pirates win in 10,Suns team party

The Pittsburgh Pirates choked a 3-0 lead,but then rallied on a Ronny Cedeno single in the tenth inning to lift the Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Dodgers.
Garrett Jones slammed a three run homer in the first inning (3) for the Pirates remaining runs.
Brendan Donnelly picked up the win (1-0) with a scoreless tenth.
The Pirates conclude their series with the Dodgers today at 12:35 before leaving for a weekend series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks.
Paul Maholm takes the ball for the Bucs in an attempt for the sweep while Los Angeles sends Chad Billingsley to the hill.

Pirate Hooks

1) It is way early,but Garrett Jones looks to be entrenching himself in the outfield.
After an impressive opposite field shot in the opener,he impresses again with a homer off lefty Clayton Kershaw.
That really gives me hope after watching Jones struggle against southpaws in 2009.

2) Despite not allowing the lead run in the ninth,Octavio Dotel's control issues worried me.
Dotel walked one,tosses a wild pitch that moved a runner to third and another askew pitch could have resulted in a play at the plate as it was bad enough that the runner could have went.
Keep an eye on this issue.....

3) The Pirates have to be preaching plate patience,which would be a great idea,as the team worked the Dodgers for nine walks on the evening,six of them from Clayton Kershaw.
Three of the nine were gathered by Andy LaRoche.

4) However,that doesn't apply to Delwyn Young,who pinch hit for Ross Ohlendorf in the fifth.
With the bases loaded,two away and Kershaw having walked two of the last three batters,it would appear that patience is in order.
Young's response?Swing at the first pitch,which looked to be a ball to me and popped up to the shortstop.
If Delwyn Young cannot be a productive pinch hitter,he shouldn't last long with the Bucs...

5) My lord,this was a long game for a ten inning outing.
Four hours on the dot.
Had I had to work,I would have been long gone before its ending.
Baseball has issues on game length that need to be addressed and the sooner the better...

I missed the first inning of the game to attend the Meet the Suns team party over at the Muni and with one small exception,along with one piece of bad news,everything was very well done.
The team charged two dollars to get in,all the players (except two on the roster) were available for autographs and you could then watch a team workout.

The Suns staff set things up down the third base line with players being three to a table and the tables being spread out a bit.
The alignment was very similar to their autograph day last season for signing the 2009 team set.
This was a super job of planning by the Suns as this enabled you to move from table to table to see players that you had things for and skip players that you had nothing for.
I always feel bad skipping guys,but not much one can do when you don't have cards for them.
All of the players were very personable and I talked a bit with a few that had been Suns in the past.
Only two of the roster players were not there as second baseman Jeff Kobernus was sick and pitcher Kyle Morrison was missing,but I didn't hear a reason for his absence.
Great job by the team in planning things out and refining the idea from last season.

The Suns now have automated tickets and as when any system is new there are always bugs to be worked out.
It was a bit slow getting tickets,so if you are planning to attend any of the Suns first handful of games,you might want to keep this in mind....

The bad news that the gates will open at 6:00 all season.
That is 35 minutes before games in April and May and an hour over the final three months of the season.
Previously,the gates opened an hour before all games.
I think that this is a mistake as I would think that I would rather be selling a water,hot dog etc to my customers than watching them stand in line outside the stadium,but that's just my opinion.
The main issue for myself is that that really reduces the time for signatures,making things a bit tougher.
Here is hoping that after a period of time that the Suns will reconsider their policy...

Back tomorrow with a two fisted combination of the Pirates finale' against the Dodgers and the Devils last regular season road game against the Florida Panthers...

Photo Credit-Gene Puskar-AP Photo

Pirates in the system

With the minor league season about to kick off tomorrow,here is a quick look at the Pirates farm system and where players of interest will be starting.
This is not to be confused with our top 15 series that will start soon....

The AAA Indianapolis Indians look interesting for the first time in a while as they have some prospects for a change.
Often times,AAA teams are sprinkled with prospects on a roster filled with 4A players or players that are ready to be the 25th man on the parent roster in case of injury.
However,the I-Tribe has the Pirates top two hitting prospects in third baseman Pedro Alvarez and outfielder Jose Tabata along with their closest to major league ready pitching prospect in Brad Lincoln.
Alvarez and Lincoln could be Pirates as soon as late June,while the Pirates would prefer to see Tabata put more time in at Indianapolis before a possible September (or earlier) callup.
Indianapolis also has Donald Veal in their rotation after a dominating season in the Arizona Fall League and Craig Hansen is in the bullpen in an attempt to save his career from Parsonage-Turner Syndrome,a rare nerve disorder.
Other Indians of note include Argenis Diaz,who will be the starting shortstop in his first full year in the organization,while Brandon Moss,Steve Pearce and Neil Walker get what seems to be their last chance to show that they have a future with the Pirates.

The double A Altoona Curve looks to be the team that might be the weakest team as far as prospects go,most certainly as far as position players go.
The two that stand out are shortstop Chase D'Arnaud and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez,who was acquired in the Nate McLouth deal last year and didn't exactly set the Eastern League ablaze.
D'Arnaud had a solid year last season splitting time between low A West Virginia and high A Lynchburg and moved ahead of fellow draftee Jordy Mercer in the shortstop prospect pecking order.Mercer will be the third baseman for the Curve this season.
The Curve website has D'Arnaud at 2nd,Mercer at short and Josh Harrison,a mid season pickup from the Cubs at third,but I wouldn't think that it is how it will play out.
The website also has Shelby Ford returning to the team as a backup outfielder.
Two pitchers stand out in Tim Alderson and Rudy Owens.
Alderson was obtained from the Giants for Freddy Sanchez and despite solid numbers,some have soured on him after a drop in velocity.
Alderson thinks that some mechanical changes forced upon him by the Giants caused the drop and a return to his mechanics will enable his return to form.
Altoona was an aggressive move for Owens,who was dominant in West Virginia,but had only a few starts in High A and will be interesting to watch.
Other pitchers to watch are Justin Wilson,who finished the season strong at Lynchburg and Daniel Moskos,who is being sent to the bullpen in an attempt to salvage his career.

The Bradenton Marauders are the new home for the High A Pirates (Sniffle),but they do feature a cool hat that I am likely to buy.
Bradenton's top position prospect is first round catcher Tony Sanchez,who exceeded my expectations last season at West Virginia after signing.
Look for Sanchez to be in Altoona by mid season as long he hits reasonably well.
The infield looks a little weaker as far as prospects go although shortstop Brock Holt will be skipping West Virginia after a season at State College,so keep an eye on him.
The outfield is a different story with prospects around the grass ranging from very good to good to keep an eye on in Starling Marte,Robbie Grossman and Quincy Latimore.
Marte played very well in 50+ games in West Virginia and could be this season's breakout star.
Marte has five tool potential,although the power is projected for him.
Grossman struck out a lot in the SAL,but draws a lot of walks and shows speed as well.
With better contact,Grossman could move up the prospect lists quickly.
Latimore is a toolsy athlete that shows a ton of raw ability,his numbers were decent enough at West Virginia,but I would not have complained about a return there.
The Marauder staff is filled with arms from the various trades that Neil Huntington has made.Bryan Morris returns after a less than stellar season at the level,but was reported to have had a new attitude in spring training and his performance was improved as well.
The Pirates would love to see a strong six to eight weeks from Morris and move him to Altoona.
Jeff Locke was acquired from the Braves in the McLouth trade and continued his High A struggles.
The power armed lefty could see AA with a strong start in Florida,but might need more time in the FSL.
Former Mariner pitchers Nathan Adcock and Aaron Pribanic are both in Bradenton with the other pitcher in the Jack Wilson trade scheduled to be assigned there after he is off the DL (Brett Lorin)and are worth looking in on.

The West Virginia Power round out the full season teams with quite a few interesting players to watch.
The top player is shortstop Jarek Cunningham,who killed the ball in the GCL in 2008 following his draft day,but tore an ACL and missed all of the 2009 season.
Cunningham was reported to be headed to Bradenton,but a last minute decision apparently flipped Cunningham with Brock Holt.
If the Pirates were even thinking about that type of move with a player that never played in Low A and missed a season,that shows how highly Cunningham is thought of by the Pirate brass.
The Power comes to Hagerstown in mid May,Cunningham may not be there with them,if he hits well early.
Third baseman Jesus Brito arrived from Cleveland after being traded for Brian Bixler.
Some Indians fans were quite upset about losing Brito,whos numbers in the Arizona and NY/Penn leagues were excellent.
The outfielders are intriguing with 2008 draftee Wesley Freeman,who was signed for well over his slot,2009 third rounder Evan Chambers and Rogelios Noris,who seems to be a little behind in his development from Mexico,but looks to have good power.
Chambers and Freeman were looked at as center field prospects,but one will have to move,Wilbur Miller says it will be Freeman going to right.
Quinton Miller returns among the arms,after an encouraging two months with the Power last season.Miller made two starts at State College and moved to West Virginia and I thought looked strong in his start here in Hagerstown.
2009 draftee Jeff Inman was paid over slot to leave Stanford and has just four State College innings to his pro stats.
Inman was thought to be a first rounder before a struggle in his final season in college,but Wilbur reports that he was throwing in the mid-90's in spring training,so he looks to be fine physically.
Other than 2009 5th round lefty Nate Baker from Ole Miss and Hunter Strickland,who returns to low A after arriving in the Adam LaRoche deal, nothing else really excites me here.

The system continues to grow and improve and looking at this group is enough to give Pirates fans some hesitant hope for the future,even if that future is down the road a stretch.

Number 600

Martin Brodeur won his 600th career game and added another shutout to his resume' as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Atlanta Thrashers 3-0 in Atlanta.
The Devils received a goal in each period in the win as Dean McAmmond (7) scored in the first,Zach Parise (37) in the second and Travis Zajac (24) finished the scoring in the third period.
The Devils finish their final road trip of the season on Thursday in Miami against the Panthers...

Hell Raisers

1) Martin Brodeur was flawless with 19 saves and seems to be truly rounding into form at the right time.
I may be looking at this with Red and Black colored glasses,but for the first time in a few seasons, the Devils seem to be rising going into the playoffs instead of plateauing.
That is due to Brodeur's play.

2) The backbreaker was Travis Zajac's goal seconds into the third period,moving the game to 3-0.
Atlanta had been playing with energy until then and thereafter seemed to be listless...

3) Their fans weren't listless as they booed Ilya Kovalchuk,although there were some cheers mixed in.Kovalchuk finished the game without a point,but has to be glad that the boos weren't worse and that his first visit back to Atlanta is over....

4) Before the game,Atlanta GM Don Waddell stated that he thought that Kovalchuk would re-sign with the Devils.
I hope that he is right,but Waddell's opinion worries me as he hasn't been right in the past very often.

5) Mike Mottau was tonight's rested player,but I think he needs more rest than one night to make me feel better about him!

6) The Devils move two points ahead of Pittsburgh for the Atlantic title as the Penguins lost to Washington.
The loss eliminated Atlanta for the race for the final spot in the East,which looks to belong to Boston,although the Rangers can catch them,if the Rangers win their final two games and Boston loses their final two in regulation.....

Photo Credit:Scott Cunningham-Getty Images

Teams that called Mellon Arena home

Today,we welcome a guest writer to our home as Big Don makes his debut with a piece on teams that called Mellon Arena home.
Thanks to Big Don for the work and we hope to have him back soon with another post on his personal experiences at the Igloo...

The Teams That Have Called Mellon Arena Home

The first event at Mellon Arena was an Ice Capades show on September 19,1961. Besides being a home for the Civic Light Opera, the following teams have called

Mellon Arena home.

Pittsburgh Renaissance (Rens) (ABL basketball) 1961-1962 The Rens were led by Connie Hawkins. Hawkins was named MVP for the 1961-1962 season. Hawkins is also the ABL all-time leading scorer, and a basketball hall of famer. The Rens were one of the four remaining teams when the ABL folded on

December 31,1962

Pittsburgh Hornets (AHL hockey) 1961-1967 The Hornets started in Detroit in 1927 as the Detroit Olympics. The Olympics were moved to Pittsburgh in 1936, and were renamed the Hornets. The Hornets played in Duquesne Gardens until it was demolished in 1956. The Hornets were dormant for five years, and were reactivated when the Mellon Arena opened. The Hornets first season in Mellon Arena resulted in a last place finish. The Hornets last season in Mellon Arena resulted in a Calder Cup championship.

Pittsburgh Pipers (ABA basketball) 1967-1968, 1969-1970 The Pipers were also led by Connie Hawkins. The Pipers won the ABA championship in 1968. The Pipers moved to Minnesota for one season, and then the Pipers were moved back to Pittsburgh, and were renamed the Condors in 1970.

Pittsburgh Condors (ABA basketball) 1970-1972 The Condors were never successful on the court, or at the box office. The Condors were led by John Brisker. Brisker was a talented basketball player with a hostile personality. John was known as "the heavyweight champion of the ABA" because he would often start fights with opponents. Sometimes, he would start fights with his own teammates at practice. Brisker was known to carry a gun, and one day even brought one to practice, causing the team to be dismissed from practice. In the spring of 1972, the Condors started playing "home games" everywhere except Mellon Arena. After the Condors folded, the remaining uniforms were sent to Attica prison in New York state, and were used by the Attica Prison basketball league.

Pittsburgh Triangles (WTT tennis) 1974-1976 The Triangles won the WTT Championship in 1975. The Triangles were renamed the Pennsylvania Keystones after the 1976 season. The intention was to play home games for 1977 in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but instead the Triangles folded.

Pittsburgh Spirit (MISL soccer) 1978-1980, 1981-1986 The Spirit were led by 1981-1982 co-MVP Stan Telecki, the Spirit were usually a winning team, but the Spirit never won a championship.

Pittsburgh Gladiators (Arena Football League) 1987-1990 The Gladiators were a reasonably successful team. The Gladiators made it to the Arena Bowl in 1987, in a game in which I attended, and in 1989, and lost to Denver and Detroit respectively. I attended about half of the home Gladiators games in their history. In 1988, The Gladiators became the first team of any sport that I had a full season ticket for.

Pittsburgh Bulls (MILL lacrosse) 1990-1993 (The Bulls were a terrible team during their four years. The Bulls main problem was offense. The Bulls would not score a lot of goals, but they surely beat the hell out of their opponents. I attended about half of the Bulls home games, and I still have a Pittsburgh Bulls jersey somewhere.

Pittsburgh Phantoms (RHI roller hockey) 1994 The Phantoms had NHL Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier, as well as Erin Whitten. On October 30,1993 while playing for the Toledo Storm of the ECHL, Erin Whitten became the first female to win a professional hockey game. The Phamtoms also had a bunch of players that could score a lot of goals. The Phamtoms started out the only season 12-0, but ended the season 13-9. The Phantoms lost to Minnesota Arctic Blast in the playoffs, but they won the home playoff game against Minnesota that I attended.

Pittsburgh Stingers (CISL soccer) 1994-1995 The Stingers had players such as Kia, who had won championships with the Canton Invaders of the AISA. The Stingers also had some aging former MISL players, and some local players that were not very good. The Stingers made the playoffs in 1994, and lost two straight playoff games, including one that I attended, against the Dallas Sidekicks.

Pittsburgh Crossfire (NLL lacrosse) 2000 The Crossfire featured Paul Gait and Gary Gait- two of the greatest lacrosse players ever, but due to weak defense and goaltending, this team finished with a 6-6 record. Two of my friends and I were not season ticket holders, but we attended all six Crossfire home games. We always sat close because the attendance was always around 1000. Pittsburgh had an unseasonably warm winter, so no one could blame the weather for not attending the games.

Pittsburgh Xplosion (ABA 2000, CBA) 2005-2008 This team was doomed from the start. In 2004, Freddie Lewis, a former ABA player and McKeesport,PA native that put a basketball team (The Pennsylvania Pit Bulls) on the campus of Penn State Greater Allegheny in Mckeesport,PA. I thought he was nuts, but the Pit Bulls played about one mile from my house, so I attended a few games anyway. My friend Mike and I attended the first Pit Bulls game, and saw another former ABA player and coach Tom "Trooper" Washington, have a heart attack and die right before our eyes. At the end of 2004-2005 season, Freddie Lewis announced that he was moving his team to Mellon Arena, and that they would hold a contest to rename the team. When I read this I thought "How in the hell is he going to make money in a building that it costs $20,000 just to turn the lights on, when the average attendance is about 500 a game"? I used to refer to this team as the Pittsburgh Implosion, because I knew that it was just a matter of time before Pittsburgh would see another basketball team come and go.

Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL hockey) 1967 -2010 The Penguins have experienced many things. On October 21,1967, the Penguins defeated the Chicago

Blackhawks, to become the first expansion team to defeat an original six team. In 1970, Penguin Michel Briere was 70 miles from his home, and was involved in a one car accident, in which Briere had severe brain trauma. Briere spent almost one year in the hospital and then he died. In 1975, after having the team offices padlocked, the Penguins declared bankruptcy for the first time. For the 1982-1983 and 1983-1984 seasons, the Penguins had the worst record in the NHL. The 1982-1983 record appears to be legitimate, but the 1983-1984 is not. Towards the end of the 1983-1984 season, the New Jersey Devils had the worst record in the NHL. According to former Penguins coach Lou Angotti, the Penguins lost 18 of the last 21 games of the season. Many of these games were lost on purpose, so that the Penguins could finish with the worst record, and draft Mario Lemieux in 1984. In 1991 and 1992, the Penguins defeated the Minnesota North Stars and Chicago Blackhawks respectively, to win the Stanley Cup. In 1992, former head coach "Badger" Bob Johnson dies from cancer. Johnson coached the Penguins 1992 Stanley Cup team, and was known for saying "It's a great day for hockey". When Johnson died, many Pittsburghers thought and said "It's a sad day for hockey". In 1998, the Penguins declared bankruptcy for the second time. This cause of this bankruptcy was former owner Howard Baldwin signing players to large contracts and deferring most of the money. In 2009, the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.

Photo Credit-Pittsburgh Post Gazette