Big Lead Sports Bar

12/19/2009

WEEKEND UPDATE



Pirates sign Lopez: The Pirates signed lefty reliever Javier Lopez yesterday (no, not that Javier Lopez), giving them a grand total of one left-handed relief pitcher. The 32-year-old got a very Pirate-friendly one-year deal worth $775,000.

Making his MLB debut in 2003 with Colorado, Lopez has also pitched for the Diamondbacks and Red Sox, winning a championship in Boston in 2007. He has a career ERA of 4.62 and has topped 60 appearances in a season four times. [PG]

Dumatrait a Tiger, Hacker a Giant
: Pitcher Phil Dumatrait, a Mondesi's House favorite if only for his uncanny resemblance to American Idol's David Cook, has signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers. He will earn $425K if he makes the team.

Another former Pirate, pitcher Eric Hacker, was picked up by the San Francisco Giants. His lasting mark on the franchise was famously inspiring a lone clapper during a late-season Bucco game last season. [PBC Blog]

Pens fans are the best
: We all knew this already, but now Forbes has made it official: the Penguins have the best fans in the NHL. Toronto was second, and Philadelphia finished third.

Said the magazine:

“For the 2008-09 season, we ranked teams based on average regular-season home game attendance as a percentage of arena capacity, regular-season local television ratings as a percentage of the team’s metro area population and team merchandise sales. Pens fans emerged the most fanatical.

“They consumed the most team merchandise last season, led by jersey sales of NHL poster boy Sidney Crosby and Art Ross Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin. Televised games drew an average 72,644 households each on FSN Pittsburgh. On top of that, the Igloo, as Mellon Arena is affectionately, known, sold out every game in the 2008-09 season – the second year in a row.”

Sweed out: WR Limas Sweed will miss Sunday's Packer game because of illness. The Steeler offense will somehow try to get by without him.

Also out on Sunday: S Troy Polamalu (knee) and G Chris Kemoeatu (wrist), who will be replaced by Tyrone Carter and Ramon Foster, respectively. [Trib]

Lalime to start vs. Pens: Former Penguin goalie Patrick Lalime will start for Buffalo in Saturday's game against his former team. Lalime entered the league in 1996-97 with the Pens and had a league-best 14-0-2 start to his NHL career. [Empty Netters]

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11 comments:

Real McCoy said...

They scored 6 points against the Browns. Not sure that losing Sweed can set them back much farther.

Adam said...

Let's not forget PSU women's volleyball playing for it's second consecutive undefeated national title and 102nd straight win.

Cue ignorant Pitt fan jokes.

johnny said...

Whatevs,

Just because it's a sport that I don't follow, it's certainly an accomplishment. At very least it's a big enough event to get on the ESPN family this evening and looks more entertaining than the St. Pete's Bowl.

Chip said...

Some of those volleyball chicks are kinda hot. I'm not much of a Penn State or volleyball fan but I'd much rather see Mondesi headline with one of their pictures than the Pirates latest BLUELIGHT SPECIAL LEMON OF THE MONTH.

BURGH08 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Mad Bubbler said...

I don't know what's more boring: talking about the Succos or women's volleyball

Real McCoy said...

I am not a follower of women's volleyball, but I had seen that Penn State had a 100 something game winning streak. I saw Adam's post last night and turned to the Penn State - Texas game just at the start of the fifth set.

I found it very entertaining. Penn State was down 2 sets to none and came back to win the final 3 sets for the 2nd consecutive undefeated national championship (and I think I heard 3rd championship in a row).

Unlike football they determine their champion by actually playing and not waiting for a poll to come out, and there is a lot to be said for using a playoff. That made me think about how much interest there is in filling out the pools for NCAA men's basketball in March and I don't think I've ever seen anything like that for the college bowls. I am sure there is plenty of betting on the bowls, but there does not seem to be nearly as much activity from the casual fan.

Anonymous said...

They'll need 1 more undefeated regular season to beat the record for straight wins set by the Miami Tennis team.

Also, I can't believe Adam posted about Penn State and it didn't result in an argument, first time ever?

BURGH08 said...

With all due respect to the kids playing it, it's volleyball. Not really going to register on a blog like this either way.

On top of that, Adam wants more attention, and with the holidays and all, he may have to wait until after his upteenth 'winter break' to get more of it.

Adam said...

BURGH you're amazingly ignorant. It's the best college sports team in history, and just about everyone on here, including Pitt fans, has agreed it's a big deal.

Just keep talking.

BURGH08 said...

"...and just about everyone on here, including Pitt fans, has agreed it's a big deal."

Less than five posts on the topic, and brought up by you on a blog that doesn't mention the topic at all, but it's a 'big deal'.

Right. I'm the ignorant one.

Again, nothing against their accomplishment, but nobody cares about women's volleyball. I bet despite it's success, they don't even average 3,000 fans to their games (which for someone that likes to bring up attendance with others schools, tells the tale in itself).

It has nothing to do with Penn State, but obviously doesn't take much to rattle your cage, or pick your opinions apart.

Your welcome.