The Sports Monitor

Sometimes, we break habits. That happened with me with posting here. I drifted away from it. It started slowly and turned into a habit -- one that I want to break. So, if you've checked here and hadn't seen much new, I apologize. I'll get to some fresh comments soon enough. Thanks for reading.

No Tiger Woods? No problem. There might be a lot of talk about how awful golf will be without Tiger while he recovers from his back surgery, but I won't be one of them. I certainly won't be worried about the Masters. The first major kicks off later today and I'll tune in. And I'll watch Friday. And Saturday. And Sunday, too. It's the Masters. Green jacket. Amen Corner. A tradition unlike any other. Next to Opening Day in baseball, it's the surest sign of spring. I'm a golf fan and I'll watch. The Tiger fans can stay home. That's fine with me.

So, now where do Pirates fans stand when it comes to A.J. Burnett? Burnett reportedly will get $16 million for one season with the Phillies. Who's happy for him? Who still thinks the Pirates made the right choice? I disagreed with the Pirates not making a $14 million qualifying offer to Burnett after they passed on him. Now, after seeing him sign for $16 million, nothing has changed. The Pirates could have had Burnett for a discount, if you call $14 million a discount. If Burnett passed, the Pirates wouldn't have been on the hook. Now, they're out a first-round pick because of the Burnett Blunder. Yeah, go ahead and rave about the Pirates and their management team. They're still cheap. Nothing has changed my mind  that their decisions are primarily based on finances, not winning.

How does Steelers nose tackle Steve McLendon improve his grace on the field? Ballet, of course. Check out the video of McLendon at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre:

Best defense of all time? There talking about those Seahawks from last night. They were impressive, but I'd pass on them. I'd take the 1974 Steelers, 1975 Steelers or 1976 Steelers over them. Give me the 1985 Bears too. In fact, I'd take those '76 Steelers over them all. That team gave up 9.9 points per game and pitched five shutouts. They would have capped a three-peat in Super Bowls had Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, a pair of 1,000-yard backs, not missed the AFC championship game against the Raiders.

Why are so many people defending the Pirates with their decision to pass on making a qualifying offer to A.J. Burnett in the offseason? I don't get it. And maybe it's not 'so many.' Maybe it just seems that way with members of the media defending the cheap regime of the Buccos. But, again, I don't get it. The Pirates could have offered Burnett $14.1 million. Burnett could have passed. Nothing lost there. In fact, the Pirates could have looked much better by saying we're trying to spend money. On top of that, the Pirates could have received draft-pick compensation if Burnett signed with another team. Another plus for the team. And, these days, $14.1 million for Burnett is the going price, or even a discount for pitchers with a low ERA (3.30 for Burnett) and a high strikeout total (more than 1 per inning). And don't tell me the rotation is strong without him. I don't see how you can be comfortable with Charlie Morton, Wandy Rodriguez and Ed...

There's been plenty of talk about the Seahawks' defense entering Super Bowl Week. In all the raving about their D, I haven't heard much talk about their light schedule. Of course the defense should have impressive numbers if they don't face teams with much of an offense. How did they stack up? You be the judge: Team, record, points scored rank Panthers, 12-4, 18th 49ers, 12-4, 11th Jaguars, 4-12, 32nd Texans, 2-14, 31st Colts, 11-5,14th (Loss) Titans, 7-9, 19th Cardinals, 10-6, 16th Rams, 7-9, 21st Bucs, 4-12, 30th Falcons, 4-12, 20th Vikings, 5-10-1, 14th Saints, 11-5, 10th 49ers, 12-4, 11th (Loss) Giants, 7-9, 28th Cardinals, 10-6, 16th (Loss) Rams, 7-9, 21st The Seahawks faced 11 teams ranked in the bottom half of NFL scoring, including the three worst scoring offenses in the NFL.  The highest offense, the Saints, ranked 10th. I generally take a top defense over a top offense in big games, but this Seahawks' defense isn't elite. ...