STEELERS
In Sunday night's win over Indy, return man Jacoby Jones fumbled away his job. It wasn't the first time Jones has fumbled a return in his brief tenure with our Steelers but it looks like it's his last. Although he hasn't yet been released, Coach Mike Tomlin said that Jones "is done" on returns. Who will replace the butterfingered one? It looks like emerging WR Markus Wheaton will return kicks and All-World WR Antonio Brown will be the return man on punts. AB returned (pun always intended) to this role in style, taking one to the house late in the Indy game.
But is this really the best move for the Black-N-Gold? No, Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't want to see Jones back there. Ever. At this point she's almost willing to welcome Dri Archer back to the fold. Almost. Why not put WR Darrius Heyward-Bey back there? Or how about RB Jordan Todman? Mrs. Black-N-Gold heard on the radio the other day that Todman was a return man at UConn.
Yes, AB won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his 71-yard return Sunday night. Congrats on that. But do the Steelers really need to lose their best receiver if he gets hurt on a return? Sure he can light a fire with a big return late in a game but is it worth the risk? And Wheaton seems to be catching (again, punny) on, of late. Does Tomlin really want to roll the dice and gamble with both men's health?
PENGUINS
In the midst of a 2-game losing streak on a road trip out west, our Pens received some news that might not have been shocking but was sad nonetheless. F Pascal Dupuis announced that he is stepping away from the game due to the blood clot condition that cut his season short last year. Recent health scares related to this issue led Duper to make this announcement.
He may not have been a superstar, not like a Sidney Crosby or an Evgeni Malkin. But he was to everyone in the Pens locker room, the Pens organization and the fans. He didn't wear a letter on his sweater but he didn't need to. He always commanded the respect of the entire roster and he'll be greatly missed. The Pens stated that they would like Duper to remain with the club in some capacity.
From the time he came to the Pens from Atlanta in the Marion Hossa-deal, Duper was one of us. He was a blue-collar, hard-working kind of grinder who wore his heart on his sleeve. We'll miss you, Duper. Here's to your health.
PIRATES
Yesterday, our Pirates, finally, made move at MLB's winter meetings. Only, it wasn't the move that the fans wanted, even if everyone did expect it. As the Buccos have threatened to do for quite some time now, they ran the Homeboy, 2B Neil Walker, out of town. The Pirates never made much of an attempt to keep the Real Deal, no matter how well he played. What did the Bucs get back? The Mets sent them LH Jon Niese, a career .500 pitcher. They're trying to spin him as this year's JA Happ. Hopefully he will be. But it won't be the same.
We all loved Neil Walker. It was the classic story of hometown boy does good. Drafted the in 1st round of the 2004 draft as a catcher from Pine-Richland, Neil worked his way up the ladder in the Pirates organization. They moved him to 3B. He busted his butt. They, finally, promoted him to the Show in 2009, moving him to 2B. He busted his butt. He broke records, won awards and always gave his all.
For some reason, the Pirates were never that interested in retaining his services. They screwed him to the wall every chance they got. Yes, it's a business but it seemed like Neal Huntington and his minions made this one personal.
We'll miss you, Neil. Thank you for all that you've done for the Pittsburgh Baseball Club and the City of Pittsburgh. You did right by us fans. Enjoy your stay in New York. Best to you in your endeavors as long as your business doesn't conflict with our business.
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