Hello, all. 2016 is almost put to bed, and recently, I went over what I thought were the best things about our cities sporting scene this year. Now, let's talk about the worst. Let's get into it.
#8: Paul Spadafora goes nuts (again)
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| It's a sad life for "The Pittsburgh Kid" (photo creds to www.thepghkid.com) |
Talk about a fall from grace. For those who don't know, Paul Spadafora of McKees Rocks was once the IBF lightweight champion of the world. That's a pretty big deal. Unfourtanly, he was never able to escape his demons in the steel city, and his criminal history hopefully reached its climax last week, when he stabbed his brother, assaulted his mother, and threatened to kill police officers. The story of Spadafora is a tragic one, and we do not yet know how it will end. Paul Spadafora might not be well known to a younger generation, as his flame burned out fairly quick. Nonetheless, his epic fall deserves to be on any "worst of" list.
#7: Heartbreak at Mile High
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| Poor Fitzgerald Toussiant wrongly took the fall for the Steelers playoff loss (Photo creds to totalprosports.com) |
The reason the Steelers playoff loss to the Denver Broncos is "only" at 7 is that although Pittsburgh certainly had a chance to knock off the eventual Super Bowl champs in the AFC Divisional round, at the end of the day, the Steelers were not supposed to win that game. Pittsburgh came into Denver missing the best wide receiver in the world and with their quarterback not at full strength, and ended up within seven points of knocking off a great Denver team. Although losing in the playoffs is always brutal, I think the underdog factor softened the blow a tad.
#6: Martavis Bryant can't stop rolling
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| Photo creds to The Weed Sreet Journal |
"Stay off the Weeeeddddddddahhhh" -Stephen A. Smith
That is some wise advice that the receiver from Clemson could not learn to follow. After getting busted for drug violations by the league in 2015, Bryant failed to learn from his mistakes, and as a result, the NFL suspended him for the entire 2016 season. Fortunately, the Steelers won the AFC North without him. However, it's hard to argue that Pittsburgh wouldn't be a better football team if not for #10 loving him some grass.
#5 Jamie Dixon leaves Pitt
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| And so ended the most sucessful coaching run in Pitt history. (Photo creds to spokesman.com) |
Sometimes, you don't know what you have until it's gone. For years, Pitt fans would complain about their head coach not being able to get them over the hump. Well, Dixon finally left town, taking the head job at his alma mater, TCU. His replacement, Kevin Stallings, was less than well received by the Panther faithful, and no matter what Coach Stallings goes on to accomplish at Pitt (losing to Duquesne is not a good start), I will always remember the negativity surrounding his arrival. Dixon did a lot of great things in Oakland, and even as a non-Pitt fan, it was sad to see it come to an end.
#4: Andrew McCutchen's struggles
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| Photo creds to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
For most of 2016, it was painful to watch Andrew McCutchen look like a shell of his former self. Sure, he came on towards the end of the year, and his final offensive stat line did not turn out terrible. However, anybody who watched Cutch on offense; and especially in centerfield, felt sad for the guy at times. Hopefully, 2017 will be much better for #22.
#3: Fawning over Neil "Ouch, my back!" Walker
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| There goes my hero! (Photo creds to Pittsburgh Post-Gazzete |
As bad as the Pirates trading "The Pittsburgh Kid" turned out, the reaction of the Bucco faithful to the trade was 100xxxxxxxxx worse. While it is understandable that giving up an above average second baseman for a bum like Jon Niese would garner some negativity, Pirate fans took it to a new level, and the bitching has not stopped in the year since. Walker did a lot for the Pirates, but if you ask most fans, you'd reckon the kid from Pine Richland was a perennial MVP candidate who averaged 60 homeruns a season and managed to cure cancer all while finding a different cat to rescue out of a tree on a daily basis. It was a bad trade, but it was not the worst in team history. Not close to it, and anybody who puts it in that category either does not know what they are talking about or does not have much respect for the history of Bucco baseball.
It was a bad trade. Teams make bad trades sometimes. It happens in sports, and the idea that the Pirates should have treated Walker differently based on geography (He played football at Three Rivers Stadium n'at!) is absurd. Niese was suspossed to be a reclamation project, and it didn't work out. Bad trades happen. The Pirates are a well-run organization, no matter what the sometimes whiny and entitled Pittsburgh narrative tells you. If Walker turns into Joe Morgan in the next five years, I'll eat my hat. But if he stays where he is; which is a solid, but not spactacular second baseman, then Pirates fans overreacted big time.
#2: The Pittsburgh Pirates
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| How Bucco fans felt for most of 2016 |
Of the three pro sports teams in our great city, I am sad to say that my pride and joy was by far the most underwhelming in 2016. After three consecutive playoff appearances, which a lot of goofy yinzers forget ever happened, the Pirates took a step back in 2016, winning just 79 games and missing out on the postseason. Injuries to players like Jung-Ho Kang and Gerritt Cole, combined with disappointing seasons from Andrew McCutchen and Francisco Liriano, were some factors that contributed to the Pirates downward spiral. All we can hope for is that the Bucco swagger returns, starting on April 3rd at Fenway Park.
#1: The Death of Arnold Palmer
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| Long live "The King." (Photo creds to Breaking Christian News) |
Yes, Arnie lived a life that was full and did it his way. Nonetheless, when word got out on the evening of September 25th, 2016, that "The King" was no longer with us, it was shocking. Very few people from this area have had as great an impact on the sporting world than Arnold Palmer, and his death signified the end of an era. Here is a write-up that I did on Palmer, along with Miami Marlins hurler Jose Fernandez, who passed away on the same day. Golf's first superstar will live in the hearts of sports fans and anybody who was lucky enough to know the man. Long live "The King," and may his legacy live forever, as we continue to bask in his great drink.
So, that concludes the worst of Pittsburgh Sports in 2016. Agree? Disagree? Let me know. God bless.
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