This Is The Reason That Text Messaging Was Invented

If you aren't excited about the upcoming Pens season, you should check your pulse.

Mad love goes to Michael Holovak at the Duquesne Duke for digging up this scoop.

Have trouble finding student rush tickets last season? You probably weren't alone. The quick success of Sid and Co. caused many a sellout at the 'Gloo, and ice-popped kids struggled to get their hands on the $20 Student Rush tix.

Because of this problem, the Pens have created a new lottery-style Student Rush program. Holovak, via Penguins.com, says:

...games on pace to sell out will have a lottery for 200 Student Rush tickets via text message within 48 hours of the game and 100 lottery winners will then be given a password to purchase up to two student rush tickets on ticketmaster.com.

Texting “RUSH” to 32623 will sign you up for the alerts.

So why are tickets being distributed this way? To borrow a tagline from the Penguins, it’s an evolution.

"We had to adjust for the times,” said Tom McMillan, Vice President of Communications for the Penguins. “Last year we just alerted students if we had a high, medium or low inventory of Student Rush tickets. As attendance grew it became difficult to slot tickets for students.”

Word.

I know most of you probably thought text messaging was only good for goofy one-liners sent to friends, scam ringtone subscriptions or making your voice heard on the flavor of the month reality show.

Turns out, the Penguins have turned text messaging into a necessity for all hopeful young Pens-watchers.

If games aren't going to sell out (doubtful), standard student rush procedures stay in place. Go to the 'Gloo with your student I.D. and your Andrew Jackson.



UPDATE: One final notice, Sid's Alternative Captains were named. Sergei Gonchar, Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts will all don the A. Perfect trio.

Its a Good Day to be a Pens Fan!

Finally!

It seems like its been forever since talks began with the two veterans, but Ray Shero and the Pens signed Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi. Both are signed to 1 year deals.

Roberts' deal is said to be for $2.5 mil, while Recchs can earn up to $2 mil through bonuses.

The Pens should be a clear Stanley Cup favorite going into the season. Seeing what Gary Roberts did for the team down the stretch to the playoffs last season, PSaMP is giddy with excitement over what he can bring for an entire year!

Well played, Ray Shero. Now somebody go buy his tie!

Penguins Sign Winger Wallace

The Penguins signed a deal with a winger, but not a high profile, 40 goal guy. Instead, the team agreed to terms on an entry-level contract with Tim Wallace, who played collegiate hockey at Notre Dame.

Wallace might be recognized by the hardcore Pens fan, having participated in rookie camp before being cut by Pittsburgh during regular training camp last season. He spent 32 games in Wilkes-Barre, scoring 14 points, as well as 19 games with the Wheeling team of the East Coast Hockey League, scoring 17 points.

After acquiring defenseman Jonathan D'Aversa earlier in the week, the Pens seem intent on continuing the youth movement that was ushered in by Crosby/Malkin/Stall/Fleury. Ray Shero is adamant about not signing a big-name winger for a one-year fix. If the Pens are going to win, they're going to win with the young guys on the team.

The Pens still could use a veteran winger, and PSaMP is hoping a deal will happen with Gary Roberts. Re-signing Mark Recchi would also be a bonus. However, Wallace may be a good fit as a backup to Roberts or Recchs, seeing as how both will enter next season (if they re-sign) as the silvertops of the group. Gary turned 41 a few days ago, while Recchs will hit the big 4-0 in February. Having a young guy like Wallace in Wilkes-Barre again will only provide an insurance plan for the old, decrepit vets (I'm kidding).

The Tribune-Review Is All Over the Steelers This Morning

Don't read too much into it. Just because I occasionally read the Trib, that doesn't mean that I'm some right-wing sports aficionado. I just like to get the full spectrum of sporting news, so I read the Trib just like I would read the Post-Gazette. And the Trib just happened to have more Steelers stories this morning. Here's a few updates on the black and gold.

Mike Prisuta sat down for a one-on-one with Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. The interview centered mainly around the coaching change, and how bright Pittsburgh's immediate future looks. I wanted Prisuta to ask Troy about the contract situation, and if Troy was confident that the Rooneys wouldn't pull a Faneca/Porter on him. But alas, no "business" questions, and Troy stuck to "football-only" answers.

Marvel Smith loves "playing" next to Alan Faneca, according to John Harris. Smith said the two leftside linemen have their own communication system on the field, and having Faneca close by makes it easier on him. He's one of the first Steelers to openly support Faneca, who will must assuredly miss all 14 workouts before reporting for training camp. Harris calls Smith one of the elite left tackles in the game. If by elite, Harris means "easily gives away when a play is going to be a pass by starting in a pass-protection stance," then yes, Smith is elite.

Deisel Keisel is about to be put to work, says Scott Brown. Brett's versatility and quickness will help Dick LeBeau and Mike Tomlin develop 4-3 plans in which Keisel (above, with the cool gold helmet) can play DE or Linebacker. His teammates call him one of the best basketball players on the team, and admit that the 28 year old still has a lot of football left in him. Brown even likens Keisel's '07-'08 position to that of Adalius Thomas' position last year with the Ravens. The versatility part is right on, but Keisel is not the first person that I would compare to Thomas, who is a freak. I supported the decision to go with Keisel over Kimo last season, and I think Keisel can have a big impact on Tomlin's new defense. The Thomas reference was a little bit of a stretch, though.

Oh, and this isn't Steeler news, but the Pens have made offers to both Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts, writes Rob Rossi. Terms haven't been discussed, but Ray Shero obviously liked the positive influence that Roberts had in such a short time with the Pens. Popular consensus around Pittsburgh states that the Pens need a goal-scoring winger next year. Shero has been adamant, however, that the Penguins aren't going for a one-year "rent-a-player," and Pittsburgh already has the core to compete for the Cup next season. We have goal-scoring wingers in Colby Armstrong and Ryan Malone, but those two need to produce after having down years in '06-'07. The Pens can keep two proven vets for a reasonable price, while only expecting a moderate rise in points from Armstrong and Malone, in order to continue last season's success.

The Post-Gazette so far today? The Nuttings are finally seeing the importance of Dominican players. Little late, there. And Dave Littlefield is confident in Zach Duke (1-5) and Paul Maholm (2-6). That last story made my head hurt, seeing as how the two pitchers combine for a record of 3-11. And we're at the 1/3 point in the season. Anyone want to guess why we're going to push the losing streak to 15 years? Anyone?

Pens Win, Even Series Up At 1

What a game! After scoring on their first shot of the game, the Penguins lost the lead on 2 separate occasions, and won it on a thrilling goal by Sid the Kid. The 4-3 win knots the series up at 1-1, with game 3 starting today at 6 P.M., a mere 24 hours after game 2 concluded. Gary "Senators-Killer" Roberts exerted his influence on the game, much like Ottawa did in game 1. With a goal and an assist, Roberts kept up his stellar success in Ottawa. Crosby's goal midway through the 3rd period put the Pens up for good, and the passing was much crisper than game 1. Recchi took a great pass from Malkin (I don't think Recchi took one pass cleanly in game 1), and fed Crosby a midair pass, which the Kid redirected off of the shaft of his stick and past Emery.

Yeah, my predicted score of 3-1 Pens was wrong, but the ultimate outcome was right. Fleury seemed sharper than he was in game 1, and the team was able to get the crowd out of the flow early on with a power play goal by Ryan Whitney (After a -2 rating in game 1, he needed a big game). I was trying to take a picture of the tv while the Pens were on the PP, and Whitney scored right as I took the picture. Perfect timing!

This is a short analysis of the game, because its always easier to overanalyze a bad loss rather than comment on a well-played game. Also, with game 3 starting in a mere 4 hours (less, actually), I'm preparing myself for the first playoff game at the Igloo since 2001, when the Pens lost to the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The win was a huge confidence booster. After the debacle that was game 1, there was a cloud of despair over Pittsburgh regarding the rest of Sid and Company's playoff-opening round. The win, coupled with a charged up Igloo crowd only 24 hours later, can lead to good things. If the Pens can ride this momentum swing in Pittsburgh, then there is no way the Pens go to sleep tonight down 2-1 in the series. I'm not big on predictions, because anything can happen in a game to change the outcome (see Daniel Alfredsson's breaking stick leading to Crosby's go-ahead goal). However, I gave a half-assed prediction before the game yesterday, so I'll pick the Pens to win 4-2 today (in honor of Jack Robinson Day in the MLB. Honestly, its going to be weird to hear "playing infield for the Dodgers, wearing number 42, its...Jeff Kent!).

The crowd's involvement was huge in games 1 and 2, so if the Pens score early, I'll be looking for the Igloo crowd to play a significant role as well. Here we go Pens, and despite the shoddy weather (its currently cold and raining...again), "It's a great day for hockey! (Hope you're proud, Badger Bob!)