Dunlap: Hot And Cold List
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) -- What is hot and what isn't?
People love lists. Oh man, do people love lists. That's why I decided to throw together a nice, tidy little hot and cold list as this week winds to an end. Enjoy …
HOT LIST
Dave Harper –-- On the surface, the Duquesne athletics director might seem like someone who should fall into the "cold list" category because he's fresh off firing Jim Ferry and the Dukes' basketball program is dreadful right now. But, to his credit, Harper came on The Fan Morning Show on Thursday and didn't blow any smoke. What did he say? Well, in so many words that Duquesne was dreadful. That they needed to be tougher and rebound and pass the ball much better. Oh yeah, and that they needed to tougher. Called the program out. I loved it. I don't know who they will hire, but it was great to hear Harper live in the reality the Duquesne is terrible right now, not operate in a fast-talking, fantasy world like their former AD.
Penguins trainers and doctors --- It's incredibly amazing how Penguins players keep getting hurt. It is almost like there is a curse. The latest, Ron Hainsey, joins an already depleted blue line where Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley have all been hit hard with the injury bug. There are also injuries to guys on offense --- notably Carl Hagelin and Bryan Rust. Can the Penguins win another Stanley Cup with all this decimation? Maybe. But a big task is being asked right now of the men who are healthy, as they are playing a ton of minutes. That will factor just as much into everything as the men who are injured.
Bobby Del Greco --- Guy is a maverick in the courtroom and the perfect mixture of sophistication and yinzer outside of it. I love the way he carries himself --- a combination of education and toughness that has a certain appeal. It truly is a refreshing throwback and makes him an intelligent "regular guy." I thought the things he said after helping Darrelle Revis get exonerated for those happenings on the South Side were spot on.
That pregnant giraffe --- People are totally enamored by this thing, huh? I mean, I don't know squat about it, but must have heard about 5,000,000 people talking about this thing. It proves that just about anyone can have their 15 minutes … all you need is a webcam.
COLD LIST
Tyler Glasnow --- It doesn't appear, as things stand right now, he will grab that fifth spot in the rotation for the Pirates out of Spring Training. Who knows what it is with this guy. In Class AAA, he is dominant; the hitters are no match for him. But when he makes the jump to the bigs --- whether in the regular season or Spring --- he loses the ability to get people out. And when he loses the ability to get people out, they get on base and he doesn't have the ability to hold them on. This is all so puzzling. I'm starting to wonder if it's a mental, not a physical or mechanical thing, when he makes that jump up.
Those guys who Darrelle Revis' friend knocked out --- If there's anything to be learned from the whole Carson Street ordeal with these guys who ended up getting a nap they never anticipated, it's this: Just leave people alone. Or, at the very least, once someone asks you to leave them alone, take heed the first time. Should it have come to violence? Probably not. But, again, had they simply left Revis alone after he asked them, everyone would have avoided an embarrassing situation. Out in front of the White Eagle is no place for a snooze --- and those guys found out the hard way that sidewalk isn't very comfortable.
Martavis Bryant --- He hasn't been reinstated by the NFL yet, although it feels like that's just a formality and it will come any day now. But why he's on the cold list is his inability to stay away from petulant matters. You see, when the Steelers signed receiver Justin Hunter on Wednesday, a few fans took to Twitter and made comparisons to Hunter and Bryant. They are of like size and body type. Bryant just couldn't help himself, firing back on Twitter to "go check my film out of compare it." If there's anyone who should keep it shut and show some humility right now, it's Bryant. He has absolutely zero to gain by such interactions.
Local meteorologists --- Man, did they ever get the early part of the week wrong. It was forecasted to snow 12,362,305,174,140,909,111 inches and we got exactly seven flakes at my house. Win some, lose some or something like that.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
