Mario and the Media

The Penguins 2008 Stanley Cup playoff run has been fun to watch, and the level of national media coverage is encouraging as a hockey fan. The one thing that blows my mind though is what seems like a vendetta against the team by Scott Burnside of ESPN.com. He has consistently gone out of his way to either criticize some perceived shortcomings or downplay their accomplishments by pointing out the injury problems of their competition. Apparently teams cannot win without their injured stars, just look at the Pens when Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury were out...wait, strike that. Anyway, the guy has stolen Bob Smizik's Debbie Downer role for weeks, yet this week he managed to top himself. He wrote a column blasting Pens owner, greatest all-time greatest player, 2 time Cup hoister, 3 time franchise savior, etc, Mario Lemieux for what Burnside perceived to be a lack of visibility during the playoffs. Burnside contends that Lemieux only cooperates with the media when it convenient to him, citing his previous efforts to secure a new arena and his involvement in the 2002 Winter Olympics as examples.

I'm not sure what audience Burnside intends to appease, but I just don't see the purpose of ripping an icon during the team's return to glory. And to suggest that Lemieux is some self-serving manipulator of the media is absurd in this instance. He has clearly stated that he does not want to take attention and focus off of the team's success, and he's smart enough to realize his stepping into spotlight would steal attention from Crosby and the rest of this series' young stars. He understands the significance to the city, team, and league of continuing the national drumbeat for the new NHL, and he knows that Crosby is the face of that movement.

Of course, not to be outdone, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's ever cheery Ron Cook concurred with Burnside in his column today. The funny part is, Cook managed to squeeze in his praise for Burnside in a column about Crosby's superstar effort in Game 3. Good to see Cook knows how to stay on point. Again, I just can't understand taking pot shots at a guy that has saved the franchise on THREE separate occasions. Has he historically been surly with the media? Sure. Was his interest in ownership of the team largely based on his vested financial stake? Without a doubt. Did he use the media (and some other cities) as an instrument for gaining a new arena deal? Thank goodness yes. Is any of this relevant during what should be a fun, entertaining, and galvanizing playoff run that the city and region can rally around? Absolutely not.

It's good to see that petty media grudges never die...

Late to the blog game...

Welcome to "Thank You Kevin McClatchy!" and thank you, the reader, for taking some time out to explore our new endeavor. As natives of Western Pennsylvania transplanted in the Boston, Atlanta, and Los Angeles areas during the past eight years, we wanted a forum to express our views on the goings-on of our favorite sports teams back in Pittsburgh. Frankly, it can be lonely following the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates (ugh) without fellow fans around, and we hope this blog will give us an outlet to connect with others in the same boat. It also gives us a chance to comment on the constantly changing (and often negative) opinions of Pittsburgh's local sports reporters and commentators. Long entrenched newspaper writers such Ed Bouchette, Joe Starkey, Bob Smizik, Ron Cook, and Mike Prisuta shape a lot of the coverage we are able to read via the internet in our distant locations, so it is only right that we keep them honest. We only hope our day jobs do not keep us from regularly contributing new and insightful commentary.