A week after a tough overtime loss to Philadelphia, the Power returned to action and dominated the Iowa Barnstormers in front of just over 9,000 fans. The lower attendance, I have no doubt, was probably due to Pitt playing Butler in the NCAA tournament at the same time. However, those that decided to watch Pitt lose to Butler in the last seconds were no doubt wishing that they had gone to the Consol Energy Center instead last night.

Despite losing starting quarterback Bernard Morris to a shoulder injury, the Power kept their foot on the accelerator in the second half. Backup QB Kevin McCabe through for three touchdowns in a 58-28 stomping of Iowa. The big man, Joshua Rue had three touchdowns. Despite only rushing six times for six yards, Rue found the end zone twice with the power game. He added a third when he stretched out to haul in a pass over his head.

Mathis, and “Joystick” Washington each added offensive touchdown catches on the night as well.

The defense came up big all night too. It wasn’t just the offense. Smith, Herbert and Dewalt all added interceptions. DeWalt’s was retuned for a touchdown.

Before leaving the game at halftime, starting QB Bernard Morris had two touchdown passes and 114 yards passing to post a 28-14 lead heading into the locker room.

The Power’s next game is Monday, March 28th versus the Milwaukee Mustangs (in Milwaukee) who are 0-2 on the season. They lost to the 2-0 Arizona Rattlers on Saturday.

So I just got done today watching the Steelers versus the Raiders. The Steelers got the raw end of two calls in particular which I want to discuss. One was a hit by James Harrison where he leveled the Raiders’ QB a split second after he released the ball. It wasn’t a late hit but he went through him and to the ground. Out came the most idiotic flag for unnecessary roughness I have seen in a while. The ref called it because he claimed Harrison landed on the quarterback with all his weight. If it wasn’t a late hit what is wrong here?

Harrison’s hit was not only legal due to the timing but honestly, how else is he supposed to tackle a quarterback? Is he supposed to tap him gently and hope and pray that the QB goes down? People say that the league is targeting the Steelers after it got egg on its face over the Big Ben flap where no charges were filed and the league essentially banned a player for not breaking the law. Meanwhile Brett Favre was never suspended for his off the field antics with a female reporter. Instead they have decided to pick on James Harrison it seems? I guess it is just easier than dealing with other issues with other players that the league doesn’t want to deal with.

Earlier in the game however there was another bogus call. Ryan Clark tackled a receiver, landing a helmet square in the opposing player’s back. There was a flag and he was tagged for 15 yard for a “helmet to helmet” hit that never happened. Flash back a few weeks. Hines Ward was reaching for a ball in the end zone and the opposing player’s helmet clearly hit the back of his helmet. No call, and no fine that I am aware of for that one.

It seem to me the league has a big problem with helmet to helmet hits. That big problem is consistency in calling them. And often when they are called it seems that they are being called when a defensive player already in the act of tackling winds up making contact with the helmet of another player who is falling down and whose helmet crosses his helmet’s path.

In the NHL, high sticking is called when a player brings his stick up and clips an opposing player in the face. However, if the player is falling down and contacts a stick there is no penalty. To me it seems like the answer to helmet to helmet hit in the NFL could be well dealt with in the same way.

If you want to clarify the rule for everyone and start making offensive players taking at least some responsibility for their own safety then you can simply define the penalty of helmet to helmet hit as when a player raises his helmet to above the level of another player’s helmet where the player being contacted is upright. In this case you have a penalty. However, if the defensive player is in the process of tackling and the offensive player by his own volition lowers his helmet below what would be normal shoulder level, for any reason, then he takes the risk of getting hit helmet to helmet. In this instance there is no penalty.

“Volition” is to make a conscious choice to do something. We hear complaints about defenseless receivers, for example, and they get hit helmet to helmet often times when falling after attempting to make an acrobatic catch and are unable to fully control themselves. The league wants to protect these players. But they are putting themselves in that helpless position. Instead of telling the defensive players that they must be the one’s responsible for the safety of all players who choose to put themselves into a vulnerable position, perhaps we need to tell all players that they are responsible for their own actions? Hey, you want to stretch out for a grab, you take your chances. That’s football.

Let’s take the skirts off the offensive players and realize that football is a full contact sport. Punish the blatant intents to injure such as where a blitzing backer launches his helmet into the helmet of a standing quarterback. But let’s at least make all players accountable for their own decisions and that means applying equal scrutiny to the actions of offensive players that might result in helmet to helmet hits.

I doubt this will happen though. Seems to me we have a man in charge of the league that doesn’t have two functioning neurons in his brain. And when that is the case, all you can expect is lunacy.

Well, now we know what the 2010-11 season ticket prices for the Penguins are going to be.  It sure took the Penguins long enough to tell us since asking us for a deposit months BEFORE releasing this data.  Today I finally received information on my new seats in the Consol Energy Center and we are looking at a reasonable 5% increase in ticket prices.  I say reasonable considering we are getting a nice new arena although I think that it is time for the Penguins to hold the line on prices after this year for a couple years considering they have been increasing the past couple of years.

Anyway, this year I paid $44.75 per ticket for two seats in D7 (Row F seats 3 & 4).  Next year, and I hope that I am reading this right, my new seats in Section 201, Row H (seats 3 & 4) are going to be $47 a piece.  $47/$44.75 = 5% increase.

Although I did have a shock at first because I misread the pricing chart.  The Penguins have added some new pricing tiers to what would be D section in the new arena and section 202, just to our right, will be paying $59 a seat.  I saw that and am glad I am where I am although we appear to be pushed further down towards the goal line where as right now we are closer to the blue line which I like because I can see the ice very well.

According to the 3D seating chart provided by the Penguins this is what our view will look like:

First impressions are that we seem a bit further from the ice than before but I will have to check that out with actual photos from the actual locations.

All in all, tickets that last year ran me $3,848.50 will be be $4,042 this year.

Here is some more pricing info for other areas:

Club Seats  FS – $152    HS – $158

First Row Glass  FS – $110    HS – N/A

Lower Bowl Double Attack End Coners Plus (Sec 104, 110) FS – $92    HS – $98

Lower BowlDouble Attack End Coners  (Sec 105, 109) FS – $87    HS – $93

Lower Bowl Double Attack End End Zone (Sec 106-108) FS – $82    HS – $88

Lower Bowl Single Attack End Coners Plus (Sec 114-115, 121-122) FS – $92    HS – $98

Lower Bowl Single Attack End Coners  (Sec 116, 120) FS – $87    HS – $93

Lower Bowl Single Attack End End Zone Rows B-R (Sec 117-119) FS – $75    HS – $81

Lower Bowl Single Attack End End Zone (Sec 117-119) FS – $64    HS – $70

Upper Bowl Center (Sec 202-203, 219-220) FS – $59    HS – $65

Upper Bowl Sides Rows A-E (Sec 201, 204, 218, 221) FS – $59    HS – $65

Upper Bowl Sides (Sec 201, 204, 218, 221) FS – $47    HS – $53

Upper Bowl Center (Sec 202-203, 219-220) FS – $59    HS – $65

Upper Bowl Double Attack End Corners Plus Rows A-E (Sec 205-206, 216-217) FS – $59    HS – $65

Upper Bowl Double Attack End Corners Plus (Sec 205-206, 216-217) FS – $42    HS – $48

Upper Bowl Double Attack End End Zone (Sec 207-215) FS – $39    HS – $45

Upper Bowl Single Attack End Corners Plus Rows A-E (Sec 222-223, 233-234) FS – $59    HS – $65

Upper Bowl Single Attack End Corners Plus (Sec 222-223, 233-234) FS – $39    HS – $45

Upper Bowl Single Attack End End Zone (Sec 224-232) FS – $29    HS – $35

Forgive me if some of this info is a little off, I have been transcribing in from the brochure.  And if you are confused but all this variation in pricing from end to end you are probably not the only one.  Several other season ticket holders I have talked to were likewise a little taken back until they figured it all out as well.