Pitt has its coach in Narduzzi
Pitt has a football coach.
I know Pat Narduzzi has only been here for most of one season and I know Pitt has lost three games to Iowa, Notre Dame and North Carolina – all of which are ranked – but there’s something different about this team.
Maybe the same feeling would have materialized if Dave Wannstedt had been allowed to stay, but even though it’s indescribable, there is a night-and-day difference between this team and the one Paul Chryst walked away from after last season.
Most of Narduzzi’s players were recruited by Chryst. Chryst should get some credit for that, but there was a noticeable difference in the enthusiasm and confidence level with this team beginning with the first game.
One big difference is at quarterback.
Nate Peterman may not be Dan Marino but he looks like a pro prospect. He’s a graduate student and a red-shirt junior, which means he can play for Pitt next season.
The last three or four Pitt coaches (I’ve lost count.) have lost several games they could have won if only because the opposing team’s quarterback was better than theirs.
That will happen less often with Peterman.
Pitt’s not going to win a mythical National Championship any time soon but it looks more and more like the program is about to emerge from mediocrity and turmoil.
Assuming, of course, Narduzzzi sticks around
• The NHL has a scoring problem and the Idiots Who Run Hockey (IWRH) are trying to figure out what to do. The most obvious solution, of course, is too enforce the existing rules the way they were enforced after the lockout in 2005 and 2006. But that would require common sense and a league that thinks putting a team in Las Vegas is a good idea, shouldn’t be counted on for that.
This season there have been an average of 3.20 power plays per game. That’s the third lowest in history, even though it’s more than the 3.06 last season.
The most likely penalty to go uncalled is interference, because it happens to the person not carrying the puck and it’s the easiest one to go unnoticed because there’s no way of knowing if the player prevented from getting to the puck would have played a part in creating a scoring chance.
And, by the way, it’s as much about scoring chances as it is about actual scoring. Low scoring games with lots of great saves can be exciting.
The IWRH also will consider reducing the size of the goalies’ equipment. That also would seem to be a no-brainer if you were dealing with a league that actually knew how to market itself.
The players’ union might have something to say about that, but even an idiot could look at a picture of Canucks goalie Ryan Miller in his equipment and know that with the ultra-light modern equipment available, his goal-front presence could be reduced by 20 percent without affecting his safety.
The ridiculous size of the equipment is compounded by the fact that the goalies are bigger.
As cbssports.com pointed out, 25 years ago there were three goalies in the league who were 6-2, 220 pounds or bigger. Now just about every team has a goalie that big.
Mario Lemieux in his prime would still lead the league in scoring but he wouldn’t have 160 points playing against the current group of Michelin Men.
Penguins’ TV analyst Bob Errey said on NHL Radio this week that the net is disappearing and it’s become almost impossible to get the puck past the hulks in front of the net.
Which brings us to the solution that seems to be gaining the most traction – bigger nets.
The only reason not to make the nets bigger is the effect it would have on the sacred records. The NFL has seen sacred passing records disappear every 15 minutes since all but outlawing pass defense in the interest of safety a few years ago.
Major League Baseball didn’t put asterisks next to record breaking hitters who came after the mound was lowered in 1968.
And Michael Jordan’s records seem to be considered legitimate even though he was allowed to travel and palm the ball and Oscar Robertson and Bob Cousy weren’t.
It says here that calling penalties the way they were called after the lockout would make the other changes unnecessary, but doing all three would make all the sense in the world.
That’s why you shouldn’t expect any changes.
With the possible exception of moving a team to Las Vegas.
• The problems at the University of Missouri go way beyond the football team threatening to boycott its game this week, but the argument made by many in the media – including many in the sports media – that the potential loss of millions of dollars gave the university no choice but to cave, is ridiculous.
How many major college football and basketball coaches are fired every year with guaranteed millions left on their contracts? The Missouri players should have been told that the game would be played with or without them or it would be forfeited if there weren’t enough players to field a team. If they didn’t show up on game day, their scholarships should have been revoked.
The precedent has been set.
John Steigerwald writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.