Kenny Rogers’ cheating not good for anybody

1. The “clump of dirt” on Kenny Rogers’ pitching hand is deservedly overshadowing his… 1. The “clump of dirt” on Kenny Rogers’ pitching hand is deservedly overshadowing his impressive postseason scoreless innings streak.

Jeff Greer: Fiction. This is just a ploy to create a story in an otherwise bland World Series. The brown stain was gone after one inning, and whatever it was didn’t make much of a difference, as Rogers walked one and gave up a hit in that first inning. It helps that Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are both Cardinals fans and used to work with the club, so they are more than willing to go along with it in the booth. Rogers deserves credit for being nasty. His playoff performance this year is one for the ages, and yet again, it’ll go into the record books tarnished.

Dave Thomas: Fact. While I don’t think that whatever was on Rogers’ hand played a factor in his performance, it could still be considered cheating. And in this day and age in baseball, cheating is something that the game needs no more of. I don’t know if you remember, but just last year and even earlier this season, you couldn’t even say the word baseball without someone saying steroids. While this has nothing to do with syringes and needles, it is still based upon breaking the rules, and it is not something that should be taken lightly. Sure, Rogers has pitched out of his mind this postseason, but it will all be for nothing if he was cheating all along.

2. The Flyers made the right decision by firing their head coach Ken Hitchcock and their general manager Bobby Clarke this past week.

JG: Fiction. NHL teams are notorious for firing their coaches early in the season, and this is no different. The Flyers had played eight games. Whatever happened to patience? Ken Hitchcock is probably one of the better coaches you’re going to find in the NHL, and someone else will snap him up soon after they unjustifiably fire another coach. Look, I say this about every sport – the players need to get it done. This is the NHL, not peewee hockey. The coach shouldn’t have to get his players excited to play. This is just another case of a guilty verdict before the culprit is even found.

DT: Fact. I think it sends a positive message to the fans and the team about what this franchise is trying to be all about. While the team has been a contender for a long time, it has not found that elusive Cup for quite some time (a decade longer than the Pens, I might add). These firings, while they may have been a little quick, show that the Flyers expect more from their team. And we all know you can’t fire all the players, so the head coach and GM become easy scapegoats. I think it will jumpstart this very talented team and get them going in the right direction. If that’s the case, the earlier the better.

3. The Steelers, now 2-4, will not make the playoffs.

JG: Fiction. The Steelers are down, but not out. They still have plenty of chances to win down the stretch, and they’ve only played six games. With the Bengals struggling and the Ravens’ offense starving for points, the Steelers are still in the hunt. But they are entering a dangerous spot with Roethlisberger banged up again. They need to get on a roll, and fast.

DT: Fact. As much as this kills me to say it, the Steelers keep beating themselves and it’s going to lead to the demise of their season. In three of their four losses, they have had leads and should have won the game. Turnovers have put their defense with a short field and absolutely no chance. As much as I would like to see the Steelers sneak into the playoffs, I just don’t see it. The offense has looked great at times, but other times, they’re getting pushed all over the field, and the same can be said for the D. The special teams are putrid and don’t appear to be getting better any time soon. Unless the Steelers can take care of the ball, they will be in for a long season.

4. After another loss at Heinz Field and only No. 6 Louisville and No. 4 WVU coming into Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers, Pitt won’t win another home game this year.

JG: Fact. Pitt will win at least one of its next two games against South Florida and Connecticut, but Louisville and West Virginia are leaps and bounds ahead of Pitt in both talent and confidence. West Virginia is clearly one of the best teams in the country, and Louisville isn’t far behind. After Rutgers torched Pitt at Heinz Field, the Panthers showed for the second time this year that they can’t handle bigger, tougher opponents. Call it 8-4 on the year – a vast improvement from last year, but Pitt football isn’t quite there yet.

DT: Fiction. While this may be the call of a homer and seem a little optimistic, I think the Panthers will be able to steal a victory in at least one of these games. After what Rutgers’ running game did to Pitt on Saturday, it’s likely that WVU and all-world tailback Steve Slaton will cause just as many problems for Pitt. But, I like Pitt over an injury-plagued Louisville squad coming off an emotional lift from Tyler Palko in his last game at Heinz Field as a Panther.