Politics and Growling

I hate politics. All right, let me be fair. I don't hate all politics. I hate arena politics. I hate the fact that the arena financing isn't yet completely secure. I hate the fact that the arena might be delayed. I hate politics being played in the media; I hate that both political parties in Pennsylvania seem more keen on playing political football and scoring points than actually governing. I hate the media's hype and overhype that makes it difficult to distinguish what's serious and what's not. The only thing, apparently, that I don't hate is ranting.

Because that above paragraph was a rant, which should basically be encapsulated as saying, "Get it done! Just get it done! Pass the bill! Yes, of course, pass your budget, and pass what's necessary to be passed! But stop adding stuff or subtracting stuff and using the Pens as a way to your own way (whatever way it might be). Just, please, pretty, pretty, pretty, please, get that financing in place so that arena can get built. Like, seriously. Just do it. Yesterday. But if not yesterday, you know. Now. Right now. And hurry. There isn't time to waste."

Fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins are currently the envy of many fans of other NHL teams. The Penguins' incredible and young talent screams that great things should happen, and soon--and that youthful talent also yells that it is going to be a fun, entertaining ride to climb, once again, to the top of the mountain.

You have Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world, who's only 19. You have an all-world talent in Malkin who is the first-line center for most other teams in the NHL, and he's only 20. You have a six foot four monster man-child in a teenager who scored goals and played shut down defense as though he'd already played 10 NHL seasons. You have a young goaltender who just completed his first 40 win NHL season. You have a defenseman in his early twenties who's already finished among the offensive scoring leaders at his position. You have "role" players with character and heart, who make players laugh, hit hard, and compete every shift (Colby Armstrong and Max Talbot spring to mind the most here). If that's not enough, you have a kid who captained the Canadian World Junior team to a gold medal who looks like he's ready to start using his right-handed shot on the Pittsburgh power play next season. And, in years ahead, you've somehow just managed to draft a player, 20th overall, who has definite star potential (even if that potential may not be immediately realized) to complement your other young stars. You have a really, really, good thing, a thing so good that it caused the team's front office to start a waiting list for season ticket sales. You have something really, really special.

And you're going to screw it up over petty politics? Please. No pretty please anymore. Just don't. Just don't. Because hockey fans know, and Penguins fans surely know, what a special thing this team could become. One of the best hockey players of all time, Mario Lemieux, surely has an inkling of what all this youthful talent could become. And it's good. Really good. So good it's best not to imagine it right now and just enjoy the ride.

But how about letting us actually enjoy the ride? The players did their jobs fabulously this past season and have given no indication they plan to slack off and stop.

So to the governor, the politicians, everyone involved in getting the bill passed: Do your jobs. Do the deal. Pass the bill.

And if you want a clue about how to achieve something, perhaps you ought to pop in a tape of one of the many comeback victories of the 2006-07 Pittsburgh Penguins. Though some of those kids couldn't even legally drink, they sure knew how to take action to do the jobs they were being paid a salary to do.

How about, if it's too much of a stretch to work as hard as the kids did, at least imitate the kids and pass the bill? And how about learning from the kids who finished with 105 points, the fourth best turnaround in league history, before anybody really expected them to do it?

C'mon. I'm not asking the politicians to meet unreasonable, outlandish, otherworldly, and premature expectations. I'm asking the ostensibly adult politicians to grow up, act their ages, and do their jobs--and governing should mean action, not petty squabbling.

Enough ranting. But the Penguins need funding for a new arena, and the kids need to stay here. Otherwise from whom will the politicians learn about how it is possible to excel at one's job?