What A Sorry State Of Affairs...

Hello again readers, I hope everyone is doing well.
The title of today's post refers to the current state of football in Pittsburgh.
As anyone who has read this blog knows, I am a huge fan of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and an even bigger fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. To say that I am a bit unhappy about the direction these two teams are taking this season is a large understatement.
I kind of figured that Pitt probably wouldn't do much this season since they had lost a large number of starters from last years team. The loss of those starters coupled with the fact that Dave Wannstadt is still the head coach didn't give me much hope at the start of the season. However, the Panthers surprised me with two quick wins over Virginia and Cincinnati. I began to feel hopeful about the rest of the season. Then they lost to Michigan State. The Panthers then rattled off 4 more wins and by mid October they were 6-1. I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, Wannstadt and crew had finally gotten their shit together. I was also beginning to think that maybe, if Pitt beats Rutgers, they will finally get ranked and possibly go to a decent bowl game. But, alas, it was not to be. Apparently Wannstadt finally remembered who he was and Pitt collapsed, losing their last five games. So much for a decent bowl game (or any bowl game for that matter). The final record for Pitt this season stands at 6-6 (2-5 in conf.). What makes the 6-6 record especially repugnant is the fact that the six wins all came against unranked opponents. Pitt failed to beat a single ranked team this season. What's worse is that the six teams that Pitt defeated have a combined record of 30-41. Only one of the teams Pitt defeated actually has a winning record (Cincinnati, 7-5). Hey Dave, you don't get ranked and go to decent bowl games if all you do is beat "weak sisters"! You need to beat ranked teams if you are going to impress the pollsters. Dave, you had three opportunities to beat a top 25 team (Rutgers, West Virginia, and Louisville) and you blew all three. I will give you credit though, Wannstadt, you sure showed that you could out coach those football powerhouses like the Citadel and Toledo. Keep doing that and I am sure that you will impress people on the Tidy Bowl committee. So, since Dave Wannstadt has proven that he can neither beat a quality NFL team nor a ranked college team, I think it is time for him to go. Both Wannstadt and the AD who hired him should be fired forthwith. Should Pitt decide to keep Wannstadt, mark my words, next season will be no better (and will probably be worse) than this season.
Now on to the Steelers...
Oh how the mighty hath fallen. Just a mere 8 months ago, the Steelers were at the pinnacle of professional football, having won their fifth Super Bowl title. Now, less than a year later, they are struggling to get to .500. Currently the Steelers are a lousy 4-7. They are coming off of a beating by the hated Baltimore Ravens that would have made the Marquis de Sade proud. My question is "What the hell's the problem?" What I mean is, the Steelers lost very few people from last years Super Bowl team, so, at least in theory, they should be as good as they were last year. But they aren't. I think that the problems with this team rest squarely on an offensive line that has been shaky at best. At their worst (like last week against the Ravens), the current line couldn't have blocked the Girl Scouts from sacking Big Ben. The line just plain looked confused against the Ravens stunts and blitzes. I don't know whether the Ravens defensive coordinator called that good of a game, or if the Steelers line was that ill prepared. Either way, if the Steelers are going to start winning games (and keep Ben from getting killed), it has to start with the line. If the O-line doesn't start picking up the blitzes and stunts, and if they don't start sustaining their blocks, Roethlisberger will continue to have to run for his life, the running game will be a non-starter, and the Steelers will continue to lose games. Since the Steelers are now 4-7, and since a 9-7 record probably won't get them into the playoffs, perhaps the Steelers should start working on some of the basics. What I mean is, they should start working on establishing good line play, from there they should start working on re-establishing their run game, and finally, they should work on getting Ben to make good, solid decisions when throwing the ball (he has 19 INTs with only 12 TDs).
Finally, I would like to offer my condolences to former Steeler Jerome Bettis whose father, Johnnie Bettis, died of a heart attack on Tuesday.
I am Chuck, and anyway you look at it, it has been a sad year for football and football players in Pittsburgh.

What I've Been Up To.

Hello again readers, I hope everyone is well.
Well, as promised, I thought that I would fill you in on what I did during my absence from the blog.
To start with, on 28 August I changed residences. I moved from my home to a house owned by the company I work for. Along with the change of residence, I also got a new roommate.
As I am a family living provider, my roommate is also the person that I am paid to care for. I won't reveal his name, but I can tell you that the person is a mildly retarded sexual offender. The last several months with him have not only been a bit of an adventure, but also a learning experience. I have learned more about sexual offenders than I ever cared to know. While I can't reveal specifics due to the various confidentiality rules and laws, I can tell you that the two months of hands on work has taught me more than I would have learned with a year of university classes. The only drawback is that, when it comes to his target population, I have to be on my "A game" everyday as one slip by me could lead to him re-offending. To give you an example of what I am talking about, I have to monitor his tv viewing to make sure he doesn't look at or seek out programs containing his target population, I have to make sure that he doesn't look at or seek contact with his target pop. when we are out in public, I have to monitor and censor his mail to prevent pictures of his target pop. from getting through to him, I have to monitor his mood, thoughts, and fantasies (he reports these things to me) to determine whether he is into, out of, or entering the "offender cycle", and I can never, ever leave him alone. To say the least it can be extremely stressful. In fact, he drives my absolutely nuts from time to time. However, most of the time he is extremely cooperative, and, generally, a nice guy. I'm glad he isn't a jerk, but his being a nice guy can lead to problems too. Generally, when someone is nice you will let your guard down when you are dealing with them. I have the same tendency as most people, and it is something I must guard against as one slip up by me could lead to his re-offending, and his re-offending is something that I have vowed will not happen on my watch!
As for other things that have been going on, I finally decided to join the 21st century (6 years late) and got myself a cell phone. Until October, I got along rather well without a cell, now I don't know what I ever did without it! It isn't so much the ability to make phone calls from nearly everywhere, it is the accessories like the datebook, the built in alarm clock, and the automatic reminders. I must admit to being completely converted from a cell phone skeptic into a cell phone lover. I guess I should tell you what I got. I went to the Cingular store at the local mall and picked up a lovely Motorola Razr. I actually got two Razrs, one for myself and one for my girlfriend. Mine is the traditional, and basic, black, hers is pink. I also managed to get myself a Motorola H500 Bluetooth device. I really like the Bluetooth as I can talk on the phone and keep both hands on the wheel while driving. If you don't have a Bluetooth and you do a lot of driving, I highly recommend that you get one, it really seems to be a much safer way of talking on the phone while driving.
About the only other thing that's new is the fact that I got a DSL connection (finally). Unfortunately, the only company to offer DSL in my area was Verizon (so now the NSA can read my words directly instead of waiting for them to be posted to the blog). I finally got my connection on the 9th of November after being promised a hookup on the 8th. I guess one day late isn't too bad, but being an internet junkie and a geek, the delay about half killed me. Oh well, the connection is fairly speedy (for DSL)(3Mbps) and it works. Now I just have to go buy a new computer so I can truly take advantage of all that speed. I figure the computer will probably be purchased in January.
On a political note, I did vote and I am exceedingly happy that the Republicans got the crap kicked out of them. I am happy that the corrupt-criminal-pervert Republicans are gone, now we will get to see if the corrupt-criminal-pervert Democrats can (or will) do any better.
Well, it is late and I need to sleep (big day tomorrow).
So, as always, I am Chuck and this has been my post.

I'm Back...Again

Hello again readers, I hope everyone is doing well.
I just wanted to post a brief blurb to let everyone know that my hiatus is over. I am now established at my new residence, and I have a brand spanking new DSL connection. I am planning on posting an update on what I have been doing during my absence. Until then, I have to attend to my job (and it is 1:45 am!!)
As always, I am Chuck and, like MacArthur, I have returned.