#DubasWatch
If you’re a Penguins fan over the age of 25, you undoubtedly remember the summer of 2011.
We called it #JagrWatch. Despite over a decade of social media since and enough memes, GIFs, and trends to choke Elon Musk, it is still the nadir of most Penguins fans’ social media experience. We heard that Jaromir Jagr may be interested in coming back to Pittsburgh after a decade-long absence, including a three year stint in the KHL. We heard from his eccentric agent, Petr Svoboda, that it may get done at a reasonable cost. We let visions of a power play with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jagr on it dance in our heads.
And then it all vaporized. And not only did Jagr not sign somewhere on the cheap – as Svoboda had claimed was possible in Pittsburgh – but in, of all places, Philaf&%kin’delphia. For more than three times as much as the Penguins were willing to offer.
It was a slap in the face to everybody who’d ever wildly cheered for the Mile High salute and flowing mullet that tickled at the top of the ‘JAGR’ nameplate on that 68 jersey.
Most of all, many of us believed it was a slap in the face to Jagr’s former teammate and mentor, Mario Lemieux. While no one has ever confirmed nor denied it, it’s believed they had a bit of a handshake deal in place and that Jagr may have used his old friend’s team as leverage to get a better deal elsewhere.
Maybe #DubasWatch doesn’t carry the same level of emotional baggage as #JagrWatch once did. But it’s starting to feel like the recently dispatched General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs may be using the tried and true tactic of letting a suitor drive his price up to get more out of a more favorable destination, just as Jagr did a dozen years ago.
It’s no secret that the Penguins are not the same marquee destination they once were. Especially for a young GM, the tall task of taking one more good run at a Cup with Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang, while simultaneously overhauling a depth-starved roster without championship goaltending, and also attempting to build out a farm system shallower than the kiddie pool at Sandcastle, could be akin to career suicide.
Perhaps Dubas knows that and the last thing he’s interested in is becoming a scapegoat – fairly or unfairly – for what would be a sixth consecutive disappointing spring for hockey fans in Western Pennsylvania, and he believes in the inevitably of age and it’s direct correlation to the law of diminishing returns.
Perhaps Dubas also knows that incoming ownership in Ottawa would love to make room for a young, bright hockey mind who grew up a Senators fan, and he’d like to negotiate a larger role with a team actually stacked with young talent and on the brink of contending again.
Perhaps Dubas, a former player agent with negotiating tactics baked into his DNA at this point, may be done in Toronto because of those hardball negotiating tactics. Or perhaps, more likely, simply because Brendan Shanahan didn’t want Dubas eclipsing him as the most powerful voice in the front office.
Perhaps all of this is true, and Dubas is just doing what Jagr did: Leveraging the best possible situation for himself.
Perhaps this feels just a little too much like #JagrWatch all over again.
Return of the Renegade
The Pirates won 2-1 in San Francisco, their sixth one-run victory of the season, but their first since April 22nd against the Reds. It was keyed by 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief by Dauri Moreta, Jose Hernandez, Colin Holderman – in his first four-out appearance of the year – and David Bednar. It was also Bednar’s first time save situation since the first half of an April 29th doubleheader in Washington, D.C. The man they call “The Renegade” notched his 10th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning that lowers his ERA to 1.29, third best among all National League relievers.
The Bucs will look to salvage the month of May – which has been historically bad, as detailed in yesterday’s Eye Opener – with their first series victory in their last nine, with the first pitch Wednesday at 3:45pmET in San Francisco.
Depth Charges
The Steelers newest linebacker, Markus Golden, spoke to the media at OTAs on Tuesday, and sounds more excited at the opportunity presented to him than perhaps Melvin Ingram was a few years ago, or James Harrison a few years before that.
Let’s hope for the Steelers’ sake, Golden, as well as some of the other depth signings this offseason, are ok with “knowing their role,” as The Rock used to say. Nate Herbig, Elandon Roberts, and even Keanu Neal may not have the same roles by mid-season as they expected to have when they signed.
The positive flip side to that possible problem is, Omar Khan sure did do a hell of a job filling out his depth chart with insurance policies so he wouldn’t be forced to reach for specific positions of need in the draft. And now, the “good problem” to have is a possible glut at one or two positions or even just more competition at positions than was originally expected.
And when is that ever a bad thing?
Blunt Boyd
Former Clairton Bear and Pitt Panther Tyler Boyd made his first appearance at Cincinnati Bengals’ OTAs and discussed his desire to stay in Cincinnati and growing in to a veteran leadership role in what will be his eighth NFL season.
He also made a fairly bold claim to ESPN.com that if he’d remained healthy in the AFC Championship Game against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, he believes the Bengals would’ve won.
“Still to this day, I feel like if I would have played the whole game, I was the key factor,” Boyd said. “We would’ve won the game.”
Boyd is entering the final year of a four year, $43 million contract, and due to the jammed Cincy receivers’ room, has been the subject of trade rumors alongside fellow free agent-to-be Tee Higgins.
Blake’s Coming Back
Jeff Capel and the Pitt basketball program got good news Tuesday, as senior Blake Hinson announced his intention to return the team after exploring the idea of entering the 2023 NBA Draft.
While Hinson is one of just two returning starters (alongside Federiko Federiko), he did lead Pitt in scoring (including three pointers) and rebounds. Coupled with a Top 25 recruiting class topped by four star forward Papa Kante and the returns of the Diaz-Graham twins, forward William Jeffress, and guard Dior Johnson, and Pitt’s got good reason to feel optimistic about a return visit to the NCAA Tournament.
Send It In!
Courtesy of TMZ Sports, Harlem Globetrotter Angelo Sharpless went all Jerome Lane on a backboard in what looked like a pick-up game over the weekend.