Rest in Peace, Doubt About It

I'm gonna take the mic for a second and tell you about the death of a certain blog.

The guys at Doubt About It have closed up shop and took the blog out back. Gunshots were heard, and all we have left is the final post.

The end of a blog has a weird feeling. It happens so often, because most "bloggers" start a site and burn out within a month. Some of us can't let go, so we keep going because you keep reading. Assholes. DAI went strong for a year and a half. That's longer than you've ever blogged, so shut up.

I always had a closeness with DAI. When I started blogging, there was, perhaps, one major Pittsburgh sportsblog. Sure, there were a few good ones that only talked Pitt, Pirates, etc, but only one really that covered all Pittsburgh sports. So I used my knowledge and fandom to start PSaMP. Shortly after, DAI sprung up.

Since DAI started only a few short months after I started PSaMP, we sorta grew together. I watched what they were doing and they (hopefully) got a kick out of my work. I was more than honored when they imitated me in a faux conversation between Mondesi's House, The Pensblog and PSaMP.

When I hit my 6 month anniversary, I invited DAI to take part in an over-the-top 6 month celebration. They contributed a post as well as a MPotD.

But now, DAI is gone. In that final post, you'll find some truly interesting nuggets about blogging and the state of the Pittsburgh sports blogosphere. I urge you to read it. A lot of people don't have the balls to call out certain "big time" sports blogs, but DAI made sure you won't go away without a bit of dropped knowledge.

Did I always agree with everything DAI posted? Hell no, because I don't don't live in a buddy-buddy, everything is rosy type of world. But I respected that they continually put out quality material, and didn't bow to advertising dollars, recaps and glorified link dumps. Remember the Big Ben video game? Clutch.

So I salute DAI as they ride off into the sunset. The Pittsburgh sports blogosphere was a better place with them, and hopefully their words will make it an even better place in the future.

Rest in Peace, Dock Ellis

Famed Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis died yesterday. He was 63.

Ellis is said to have passed due to liver problems.

Dock is famous in Pittsburgh because of his quiet, unassuming demeanor. He never did anything to ruffle any feathers, and never pitched under the influence of drugs.

And if you believe any of that nonsense, then you need to read about the man.

Ellis famously pitched a no-hitter under the influence of LSD, and spoke out on many social topics. He spoke out on race during his career, and was a supporter of the Pirates fans walkout in the summer of '07. My favorite Ellis story, other than the LSD no-hitter, is when he tried to hit every batter in the Reds lineup in order to motivate his team. He beaned 1-2-3 hitters Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Dan Driessen, before failing to hit Tony Perez (he walked him). He threw a few pitches at 5-spot hitter Johnny Bench's head before Pirates manager Dany Murtaugh pulled Ellis.

Without recording an out, Ellis' line looked like this: 0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. Fantastic.

Ellis will never be forgotten in Pittsburgh, and his legend will live on no matter how much the Pirates suck nowadays.

Rest in Peace, Dock!

This Is Awesome

Pittsburgh has been blessed with two beautiful souls that inspired many over the past year or so. Unfortunately, both souls recently passed away, leaving legacies that most of us can only hope to imitate.

John Challis showed us that cancer couldn't keep him from reaching people, and his death saddened people in all corners of the world. Randy Pausch, terminally ill and given a life expectancy that would destroy the strongest of us, used his Last Lecture to motivate all generations. Both had ties to local sports in their final days, so sports fiends like yours truly were able to watch and admire from a certain closeness.

Tragedy sucks, but the good that comes from tragedy is positively overwhelming. Pausch not only leaves behind his emotion-rattling lecture at Carnegie Mellon, he now has his name draped over a flag football tournament (h/t to TECHburgher, IheartPGH and The Burgh Blog). The Inaugural Randy Pausch Memorial Flag Football Tournament has been started by his friends and family, seeing as how Pausch loved football. Proceeds will benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Here's some deets:


Sunday October 12, 2008
South Park Fairgrounds
9 AM to 6 PM

Men's Rec League (5x5)
Roster limit: 10
Fee: $200 before Sept. 30 ($250 after)

Men's Competitive League (5x5)
Roster limit: 10
Fee: $200 before Sept. 30 ($250 after)

Women's League (8x8)
Roster limit: 16
Fee: $300 before Sept. 30 ($350 after)


Sign up, if flag football is your thing and you'll be in the area. There's really no losers in this deal.

Rest In Peace, John Challis

Rest in peace, John Challis. I will never reach the levels of strength and coolness that you displayed to the world. We were lucky to have you for 18 years.

You and your family will remain in my prayers.

R.I.P. Estelle Getty

That sucks.

Foreshadowing, Brought To You By Roberto Clemente

Spooky, huh?

I know its easy to make a claim that you never know when your time may be up in this world, but it sounds odd coming from a professional athlete. Nowadays, with so many players worried about contracts, injuries, playing well in contract years for bigger paydays down the road, endorsements, etc., its peculiar to think any of 'em might actually contemplate their own demise. Maybe this video shows how much the modern athlete has changed from his predecessor.

Or maybe Clemente was just that special of a guy.

We always hear of Clemente's skill and his incredible sense of compassion for disaster victims. However, his time was before that of Youtube (damn you, Al Gore), so actually seeing him talk of his own mortality is entirely spooky.

Clemente's head was in the right spot. He was a season away from his 3,000th hit, and knew it was still a distant possibility. He was injured throughout the '72 season, and his hit came in September, well after the All-Star break. Still, with such a historic achievement within grasp, Clemente knew that the plateau was still out of his hands. His untimely death is foreshadowed in this video, a thought that sends chills up my spine.

Roberto Clemente. Baseball player, humanitarian, hero, All-Star...clairvoyant?

Rest In Peace, Dwight White

Sad news in Steelers Nation, as Dwight White has passed away. He was only 58.

We don't have 4 Super Bowl wins in the '70s without White. The Defensive End anchored the most fearsome defensive line in NFL history, the Steel Curtain.

The cause of death was unknown.

Rest in Peace, Mad Dog.

RIP "Mad Dog"

Condolences To The Staal Family

Condolences from a heavy-hearted blogger must go to Jordan Staal and his family. Staal's grandfather passed away on Sunday, and Jordan's immediate schedule after getting the news included playing Game 2, attending a funeral in Canada, then playing in Game 3.

That ENer at the end of Game 2 must've been emotional.

Death is a hard thing to deal with. When we see athletes take the field/ice/court/etc., we assume that they're focused on one thing, executing to the highest level their skill allows so that the fans can enjoy a win. Knowing the darkness that must have clouded Jordan's thoughts before playoff hockey games during this difficult time is unbelievable.

I don't mean to liken Staal's ENer or his play in Game 3 to, say, Brett Favre playing well after his father's passing, but the strength and mental toughness needed to contribute to a playoff hockey game is something that you and I cannot fully understand. I know how your energy is sapped away when you are given fatal news, and being able to compartmentalize that pain enough to produce on the ice is a feat worth applauding.

Staal had a free pass to miss some games, or even had a legitimate excuse for poor play.

He didn't need any of that. Hockey might have been the help he needed.

As I pass along my condolences, I also give Jordan Staal a higher level of respect than the level at which he's already earned through his accomplishments in his first two years in the NHL.

Your youth is offset by your strength. As a Penguins fan, I am truly appreciative.

Rest In Peace, Myron Cope

Yoi.

There are no other words to describe the passing of Myron Cope.

He was family, even if you never met him. We invited him in for so many weekend get-togethers, enjoyed his off-beat antics, and loved him like a father or grandfather.

He will be missed on so many different levels.

This is for you, Myron:

Rest in Peace, Ernie Holmes

I was away from the Internet yesterday, so I had no chance to pay my respects to Ernie Holmes, who passed away in a car accident.

If you don't get the reference in the picture above, I must ask you to leave PSaMP, because we cannot be friends.

I was going to replace the bowling ball with a gun being fired at a helicopter, but that would've been in poor taste. And that bowling ball is too classic.

Rest in peace, Fats.