Hating big cities...

...but not Pittsburgh. That is definitely the only city I can say I would deal with living there, and not only because my sports teams are supreme. Although I'm continually amazed with how much Pittsburghers love the Steelers, Penguins, and yes, even the Pirates.

After checking out the Buccos game (which they oh-so-lovingly won for me), I saw all the Pittsburgh natives strolling the streets and the stadium, all sporting shirts from one of our majors teams, I just realized how much people can come together. I think Pittsburgh quite literally is a small town masquerading as a big city.

The cultures merging, Italian, Polish, Croatian, Irish and just about any country you can imagine -- all can be found in the Strip District. Bargaining with shoppers, hawking food and shouting about $5 t-shirts, it shows the diversity of a farmer's market and the friendliness of a southern small town -- you just feel at home, and maybe a little overwhelmed.

Driving through the Fort Pitt tunnel reveals the beautiful skyline and Heinz and PNC stadiums along the waterfront, where the historic and beloved Three Rivers Stadium once stood. The old bridges and buildings welcome you, and the city is far from trendy, yet perfectly okay with that.

So many aspects make me love that city, but it's the little things that truly steal my heart. A simple nod of understanding while walking around in a Roberto Clemente shirt -- the city knows his greatness, as acknowledged by his large statue. A smile when someone notices a shirt denouncing Cleveland -- what a healthy and lovable rivalry. The discussions over food orders in restaurants and purchases in stores -- reminiscing about one of the best years in sports for a single city, the inspiration of Sidney Crosby, the unlikely touchdown from James Harrison, the disappointment in the Pirates, but the promise that is seen in Nyger Morgan and the stability in Jack Wilson.

I tried to enjoy my latest trip like it was my last, because I very well might not make the trip to the city again, but I certainly hope I'm wrong. Columbus has never been that type of city, and neither has Cleveland or Cincinnati. With three major sports and a troubling economic history, the city has become a cultural maven with grandmotherly women talking about the good ol' days and young children crooning over their hockey autograph. I couldn't think of a better city in which to spend a summer weekend enjoying life.

Not going to think about it

Purposefully not talking about the Pens. Because I can't think about it. It's too scary. I will say that if we play all game every game like we played the third period last night, we'd win this series easily. So that sounds like a plan.

The need to play dirty...

...because the Red Wings are doing it right. 

I think the Pens forgot that in the playoffs, refs don't call anything. And the Wings know exactly what they can get away with. We need to learn that, and go for it, even if it's against our moral beings as hockey players, because otherwise, there's no way we win this series.

Screen the goalie, because there's no other way to get past Osgood. Especially not when they miss a million blatant penalties that could have resulted in fantastic scoring opportunities for the Pens. Lay in front of the goal. The Wings do it all the time! Why not us? As soon as the puck gets near the goal, lay down, make sure there's no possible way the puck can get through the wall of players. Isn't your goalie fat enough to do this on his own?

We need to test the waters. Throw some elbows. Toss some sticks. Push the envelope with penalties, just to see what we can get away with, because until we figure that out and start playing with a little toughness and urgency, the Wings are going to win this one, because they already figured this out a long time ago, and we all see where that led them last season.

Superstitions

Do you see what's different in this picture from last year? All three of them are quite exuberantly touching the Prince of Wales trophy. If I remember correctly, Sid never came close to the trophy last year, out of superstition.

See where that got us?

Seems like we've matured. We have confidence. In fact, we ooze it from our pores. We relied on luck last year to get us to the finals, where we lost to a clearly superior team. This year, there's no need for it.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Why hello again, Prince of Wales. No time to bask -- next stop Lord Stanley! Sid the Kid and Geno, the modern-day Mario Lemieux/Jaromir Jagr. They deserve their names on the Cup many times over.

Thank you

For your wonderful son, and letting him unite with Sid the Kid in a thoroughly epic combination that will surely hoist the cup. If not this year, then some year in the future.

Hats off to Evgeni Malkin

Game two of the Eastern Conference Finals definitely didn't disappoint. Well, for the Penguins fans, at least. What started out as a close game of back-and-forth goals turned into a scoring contest, with my Boys of Winter coming out on top. Winning 7-4 and going up 2-0 in the series before they head south -- now that's sweet.

What's truly awesome, though, is the accomplishments of the boys. Chris Kunitz finally found the back of the net for the first time during the playoffs, and looked so happy I thought he was going to cry.

Adorable. Man deserved it.

Another great accomplishment was Evgeni Malkin's lovely hat trick. Relatively quiet during most of the series with the Capitals, Geno finally burst back onto the scene with a strong game tonight. Expect him to continue this for the rest of the series, now that he's found his groove. I wish I had a screen cap of how cute his parents were after he scored that third goal, with his dad planting a big old kiss on his mom. Such supportive parents -- they must be so proud.

One thing I noticed glancing into the crowd (aside from one of the Hanson brothers! Oh my gosh!) were many Geno for MVP signs. I love Geno, and I campaigned for him to win the Hart Trophy all season, but frankly, I'm over it. Not like I think he doesn't deserve it, but I've forgotten about it, in lieu of the playoffs. 

Ovechkin will more than likely win the trophy, and good riddance. He may be a complete tool and inadequate at playing defense, but he scored the most goals, and that's what counts to the people watching hockey and voting on it. Frankly, I value assists over goals in a Most Valuable Player because someone who wills others to score is fulfilling the namesake of the honor.

But I don't care if Geno gets it. I'd give up 956 Hart Trophies for a chance at the Stanley Cup. And the fact of the matter is, Geno still has a chance at that, while Ovie is probably golfing.