The Sports Monitor

My wife was going through her Facebook timeline the other day, when a cousin was detailing the events of a youth hockey tournament. They were on their way back home from the tournament when they received a phone call explaining the team still had another game. It turns out another team in their bracket used an older player and was disqualified. Was it a big tournament? Nope. A bunch of 10-year-old girls. Coaches are out of control. Don't believe me? Check out this story from ESPN.com . A pee wee hockey coach in Canada was sentenced to 15 days in jail for tripping a player during a post-game handshake. Disgusting.

Will it be another season of disappointment for Pitt basketball? It's been an up-and-down season for the Panthers, with more ups than downs. After two disappointing losses last week against ranked teams, the Panthers rebounded Sunday against an outmanned St. John's team. Pitt (21-7) will close out the season with South Florida, Villanova and DePaul. If they go 3-0 and pick up a win in the Big East tourney, that should give them plenty of momentum for March Madness and a good seed for the NCAA tournament. If the 23rd-ranked Panthers stumble, they still should get a spot, but questions will remain. The Panthers need Tray Woodall, who scored 25 against St. John's, to be the go-to guy. One thing I've always thought the Panthers lacked in the tournament has been a legit scorer who can take over a game. Maybe Woodall can be that guy. If he is, then it could be a really good season for the Panthers.

College football recruiting can be cutthroat. I get it. I also think it's a bit absurd for Alabama -- or any school -- to be offering an eighth-grader a scholarship. Dylan Moses got the offer from the Crimson Tide. But 'Bama wasn't the first. LSU offered the kid a scholarship last summer. This is just out of control.

I hope Joe Flacco gets everything he wants from the Baltimore Ravens. His agent thinks he deserves Drew Brees money. Flacco isn't in the same class as the Saints quarterback. So go ahead, pay the man. It'll only weaken the Ravens.

What a difference a year makes. And a new league. The Pitt football schedule was released and the Panthers will open the season in prime time, facing Florida State on Labor Day at Heinz Field. It's a great way to start off play in the ACC. The game will receive plenty of hype and attention between now and then, and it's likely the Panthers will get routed much like they did in Dave Wannstedt's highly touted debut against Notre Dame. But that's not the point. This schedule looks much better than the Big East days. After Florida State, Pitt gets New Mexico, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion, Navy, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Syracuse and Miami. Can't wait for the season to start.

People ask me who I'm rooting for in the Super Bowl. As a Steelers fan, it's supposed to be a tough question. I guess. It's not that difficult. I'm rooting for the Ravens. Yep, the Ray Lewis-led Ravens. If the 49ers win, they'll have six Super Bowls, putting them alongside the Steelers. Plus, the 49ers will be 6-0 in Super Bowls, I say it's time for them to get a loss. And, there's a part of me that doesn't mind seeing the Super Bowl champion coming from the same division as the Steelers -- even if it's Baltimore. Simple question. Easy answer.