SITE NEWS: PSAMP Has Moved

Guess what, guys? I've moved the site.

If you came here, then you still haven't taken advantage of the updated domain name of psamp.com. This page will remain up as a loving tribute to a simpler time. All the archives will also be moved to my new home at Bloguin.

I've been in contact with Derek at Bloguin since before Christmas, and it was a difficult decision to make the leap. I love the simplicity of the old digs, but I'd been looking for an updated design and software for some time. I had offers to join startup networks in the past, but none had the same good vibes as Bloguin. Plus, I have allies like my buds at The Pensblog and WHYGAVS?. As of my writing this, we have Pittsburgh representing a high percentage of the blogs at the network.

So please join me. Make fun of me for "selling out," and please insult any advertisement that should pop up. I"LL HAVE MY OWN "FIVE DOLLAR FOOTLONG," "THIS IS OUR COUNTRY," SAVED BY ZERO" repetitious ads for you to hate. I'd rather you do.

Leave comments to let me know you made the journey unscathed. And understand that we're making this jump together. PSAMP has always been about the readers and sports fans, and I trust you'll land at the other place safely. We're kinda like the baby ducks in this clip, learning to fly together:



Ahh, thanks BBC's Planet Earth. You summed it up perfectly.

I'll see you over here! http://psamp.com

And thanks to Dug E. Fresh (and his shop) for making the awesome MOVING Photoshop.

Oh, and all the rest of the posts in the archives here will have these notifications at the top and bottom.

I Love You, Becky And Ashley

If you need a place for a wide range of Pittsburgh Internet links, TAE's Links N'@ is always a good place to start. I only say this now because they picked up on one of my stories today.

I'm always up front with you when I'm shamelessly self-promoting. This is no different. Look, I've gotten links from sweet places like Deadspin, The Big Lead, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Mag, Yahoo!, ESPN's Jim Rome is Burning, the Post Gazette and so on...but a local news station might tickle me moreso. It might not bring in the same level of traffic, but come on, I definitely watched TAE, KDKA and those guys long before I knew what sports were. And yes, I'm talking about my infancy.

TAE scratched my back, so I give 'em a link in return. Don't hate. You'd do the same.

/ends shameless self promotion

This Dude's Hair Is The Key To The Penguins' Season

I don't want to get ahead of myself and start making claims that "THE SEASON IS TURNED AROUND," but in this instance, it's acceptable.

We have huuuge games coming up this weekend against Philly and Washington, and if we can scrape a few points out of these contests, then hopefully the Pens can pull back into the playoff picture. The Pensblog pulled out Hacksaw to re-ignite the team...I'll point to someone that was at the game last night.

This dude watched the Pens beat the Canadiens first hand, and his hair will be the spark that helps the Pens make the playoffs. Or it'll be the the reason we crash and burn epically. I still haven't decided.

But if you thought I'd go a day at PSAMP without mentioning a dude with a coif this sweet, then you really don't understand what PSAMP is all about. Good for Bylsma for getting the guys to play well, good for Sergei for getting on the board, good for Geno for flying around like a madman last night. But good for this guy for bringing that hair to the arena.

We all appreciate it.

I'm an idiot.

h/t to Nate for the screengrab

Mini Pony of the Day 2-20-09

For whatever reason, I love it when I can't make a picture larger. Makes 'em seem that much more exclusive, or something. Or I'm just dumb. These guys love hanging out in the meadow. Nothing wrong with that.

Nothing wrong with any of these links, either:

Me and Cotter talk 'saurs. [OFTOT]

PENS WIN! Wow, we needed that. [The Pensblog]

The NFL Scouting Combine is overrated. [The World According to Moondog]

Charles Barkley is still 110% Charles Barkley. [NESW Sports]

Return of the ancient Mariners. [Josh Q. Public]

It's hard out here for Travis Henry. [Zoner Sports]

ESPN's Mount Rushmore Of Sports For Pennsylvania Includes 3 Guys That Weren't Born In The State

ESPN just announced their Mount Rushmore of Sports for Pennsylvania. And it's just another weird way to get weird Rick Reilly to justify his weirdly huge contract.

The legends are Joe Paterno, Wilt Chamberlain, Mario Lemieux and Roberto Clemente.

I have no idea what criteria was used to determine these "faces," but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't confused. Here we have guys born in Brooklyn (Paterno), Philly (Chamberlain), Montreal (Lemieux) and Puerto Rico (Clemente).

All of 'em are guys that represented the places where they coached/played, so I guess that was the basis for their inclusion? I'm kinda lost at this point and haven't seen any of the other Rushmores...would Joe Montana be a nominee in California? 'Cos we lay claim to him in SW PA.

Whatever, I'm over it.

Rick Reilly is weird.

Vote For Me. Or For Igloo Dreams

As I said in the MPotD, I'm a #1 seed in Sean's Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog tourney. I'm matched up against the fantastic Penguins blog, Igloo Dreams.

Go vote for me here.

That is all.

Mini Pony of the Day 2-19-09

THE FUZZIEST! And by fuzziest, I, of course, mean cutest. Also...

...Hey, baby (x2).

These links are incredibly cute:

I'm a #1 seed in Sean's Pittsburgh Sports Blog tourney. More on this later. [Sean's Ramblings]

If you're good at Photoshop, find Mike Therrien a job. [The Pensblog]

The Padres. [Sharapova's Thigh]

Derek Jeter hates A-Rod. [Josh Q. Public]

Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel interviews Shaq and Paul Pierce. [NESW Sports]

SMU is no match for Memphis. [The World According to Moondog]

HOLYCRAPTHAT'SALOTOFLEGOS!

Props to Jason Burik, who created a to-scale model of PNC Park...with Legos.

I was a huge Lego fan back in the day. I'm also a huge Pirates fan, so right now, I'm drifting back to a time when the Pirates were still good, and Lego-building consumed most of my day. We visited the Lego phenomenon back during the toy's 50th birthday. My thoughts:


I grew outta Legos when they started making those massive sets where you could build like a castle or interactive building of some sort. I was used to the simple sets where your imagination dictated what you built. I could build a ridiculous stick/tower.


Yeah, I think it would be safe to say that I wouldn't have the energy to build a scale model of PNC Park, even though the stadium is superbly badass.

You can check out more of Jason's Lego creations, including Heinz Field (!) here.

Mini Pony of the Day 2-18-09

It's a maniac, maaaaniac on the floor. And it's eating sugar cubes like it's never eaten them before.

Sorry, the leg warmers threw me off. Read the following instead:

The term One For The Other Thumb belongs to Cotter. Deal. [OFTOT]

Bartolo Colon is not a model, nor a jockey. [Midwest Sports Fan]

Sick GP2 Asia crash. Yikes. [Sports Rubbish]

Sam Cassell is still ballin'? [The World of Isaac]

Oh yeah, Moondog has a new layout. [The World According to Moondog]

MSR, too. [My Sports Rumors]

Do It

The Steelers need O-Line help, and a bunch of mock drafts have a guy like Cal C Alex Mack still available at pick 32. Apparently, winning the Super Bowl totally screws with your draft position.

Look, I don't put a whole bunch of stock into mock drafts 2 months before the ACTUAL draft, but Mack's name keeps popping up as a potential Black and Gold prospect. Its no secret that the team will look for depth on both the O and D Lines, and this was pretty much confrimed when Tomlin used his first two picks on highest-talent-available skill guys like Mendenhall and Sweed last year. We made do with our terrible O-Line this past year enough to win the damn Super Bowl, but I'd have to believe that circumstance was the exception, and not the rule.

So in order for the team to continue to be successful and vie for Lombardi Trophies, its clear that we need some linemen. The D-Line needs depth, but with staples like Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel and Casey Hampton along with venerable backup vets like Chris Hoke, we can afford to put off high draft picks on this side of the line til maybe next year.

Which is why a guy like Mack could make an immediate impact.

It seems like the team is going to keep Kemoeatu as the LG, which is a move I fully support so long as we rid ourselves of Willie Colon. Drafting Mack could expedite this process. By drafting Mack, you have one of two scenarios. The Steelers could hold onto Hartwig for another year, and let Mack play RG in place of Colon. This would let Mack get valuable playing time, all while he readies himself to be the C of the future. Or, should the Steelers like Mack over Hartwig, you have your C of the future already in place. I like option number 1 better, although Mack would be game-ready from the get-go.

PS...totally forgot that Jessica Alba was on The Secret World of Alex Mack. What's Alex been up to?

Mini Pony of the Day 2-17-09

Cool tapestry. I guess ancient people loved mini horses, too!

I feel the same way about these links:

Weird moves/releases. [OFTOT]

Pens lost. In the shootout. With a coach that was hired less than 24 hours prior. Whatev. [The Pensblog]

Big win by Pitt last night, including an epic takedown of Thabeet by Blair. [Pitt Blather]

The Suns have set. [Cuzoogle]

Penguins poems. [Hockey, Football and Stiletto Shoes]

Jason Richardson, one of my favorite NBAers, drives really fast. [Larry Brown Sports]

Why Is Rip Taylor Swearing And Trying To Be Jeff Reed?

Videos are a shifty deal for sportsbloggers. Most of the vids out there in Youtubeland are straight dirt, and not nearly as funny as the uploader thinks. As a Pittsburgh sportsblogger, I like to focus on the fans as the fourth (of 4!) main aspects of the local teams (team/staff, players, media, fans). You can't get an accurate view of the teams if you choose to ignore any of these avenues.

So Youtubes are important to the product I put out. Usually, I try and find stuff that is unique enough, and not just any crap on film.

This video sorta straddles a fine line. It portrays Jeff Reed's recent brush with the law at a Sheetz, but it's also incredibly cliche. I mean, the idea of it is great, but you can't just put on a blonde wig and fake facial hair and expect to be Jeff Reed by letting out a few loud F-bombs. And it doesn't help when your get-up makes you look more like Rip Taylor. Or Von Kaiser.

Maybe some confetti would've helped the production value? Or at least get a Shmuffin involved.

People should pay me for my ideas. And I haven't even suggested the Jeff Reed manscaping or senseless drinking, yet!

Mini Pony of the Day 2-16-09

MPotD reacts to Mike Therrien getting the boot.

These'll fill you in:

Penguins

The Pensblog

Faceoff Factor

Empty Netters

Puck Daddy

Mirtle

Penguins Experience

OFTOT

Eddy Spaghetti

Staal Tactics

Puck Huffers

Suburban Rob Rossis

Pensburgh

Fanhouse

Igloo Dreams

Smizik

Get Me The Brandy

Mini H.O.R.S.E. Trophies Rule

I see you, Noah.

Kevin Durant won the NBA's H.O.R.S.E. tourney yesterday, something I totally missed. For his troubles, he won a trophy (plaque?) with a mini pony on it. I need to get one of these made for the person who submits the best future MPotD.

Picture ripped directly from Deadspin this morning. Not even ashamed about it.