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The Post Gazette's Ron Cook Thinks Penguins Fans Are Hypocrites E-mail
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Written by tecmo   
Wednesday, 20 May 2009 10:39

Day 2 of MATT COOKE WATCH...obviously.

The Post-Gazette's Ron Cook decided to channel his inner Bob Smizik to express his hate of pretty much everyone. Doesn't matter if you're a Carolina player/coach/supporter or a Penguins player/coach/supporter...Cook wants you to know that YOU are a hypocrite.

Smizik called every Pens fan who wanted to boo Marian Hossa a knucklehead. Because, you know, fans aren't supposed to get worked up about a player ditching the Pens for the team that beat them in the Stanley Cup Finals. Cook now wants you to know that defending Matt Cooke's hit on Erik Cole is way hypocritical, so you should stop doing that right now.

Some of his logic is FLAWLESS. There was one time back in the early 90s that Ulf Samuelsson hit someone in the leg. So God help you if you're calling for no punishment for Cooke. From Ronny:

"In the early 1990s when the Penguins were winning Stanley Cups, defenseman Ulf Samuelsson was a cult hero here. He also was an openly filthy player. "The referees have their line," he once said of hockey rules. "I try to go right up to it, but, occasionally, I step over it."

One of those times was during the '91 playoffs when Samuelsson put a highly questionable leg-on-leg lick on Boston forward Cam Neely, prompting Neely to say he had no respect for Samuelsson.

A good, clean, hard hockey play, Penguins fans called it.

Jack Lambert on skates, they called Samuelsson with great respect and admiration.

But if Neely had hit Ron Francis, Jaromir Jagr or -- heaven forbid -- Mario Lemieux like that ...

It is worth saying one more time:

Hypocrites, all."

NEELY NEVER HIT JAGR OR MARIO, SO QUIT IT WITH THE HYPOTHETICALS! I can't stand when people throw out hypotheticals to justify a point. Cook just drew up an imaginary scenario and told us exactly how we as fans would've reacted to it. Never mind that there'd have been some context as to how this fake hit would've taken place, but Ron just KNOWS the nature of Pittsburgh hockey fans.

Now, remember my logic from yesterday regarding Ovie/Gonchar as it relates to Cooke/Cole:

"And now it's up to the league. They set a shaky standard by not suspending a star player like Ovechkin during arguably the league's biggest playoff series in years. Now, they're left with either upholding their decision on Ovechkin by giving Cooke a pass, or suspending Matt and showing the fans that they have a gross double standard when it comes to protecting their superstars."

We're not absolving Cooke's hit on Cole. Noone is saying that Cooke has a clean record. But if the league (the real hypocrites) lets a star player off the hook and lowers the boom on some small-bit agitator in the very next series, then why don't the fans have the right to call foul?

I have no problem with Cook criticizing Carolina coach Paul Maurice, the NHL and even some of the players. But to rip on the hometown fans in the spirit of Smizik's "booing Hossa" article from last year is just despicable. What do these idiot writers want the fans to do...sit at the games with our hands under our butts while we politely golf clap and whisper compliments about the opposition? The fans are the ones packing the arena night in and night out, the fans are the ones buying up all the merch they can get their hands on...but none of that gives us the right to voice our opinions.

Until Ron Cook mans up and realizes that there's more hypocrisy in his circle of old, out-of-touch sportswriters berating fans for acting like, well, fans, then he has no room to criticize those of us that actually show passion towards the team.

There's a guy that wears an Ulf jersey to our Penguins bar up here in NYC...I guess I'll punch him in the face for you next time I see him, Ron. The nerve of that fan...

Comments (12)Add Comment
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written by PintofStout, May 20, 2009
From the article, "The Penguins' Matt Cooke knocked the Carolina Hurricanes' Erik Cole out of Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoff series Monday night with a knee-on-knee hit..."

but didn't Cole come back in on Monday? Is that "out of the game?" Is exiting the ice for a skate malfunction or even to end your shift being "out of the game?" The two most dangerous things to do is call someone a hypocrite and to job someone's grammar/spelling because you are almost immediately corrected and look like a hypocrite.

Real tomato ketchup, Ron Cook?
yes
written by tecmo, May 20, 2009
You are correct. Cole did come back, but only for 1 shift, I believe. I get what Cook was going for with that statement, but factually, he was wrong.

I just don't get how these out-of-touch sportswriters feel the need to berate the local fans as if we're just as bad as some asshole going knee-to-knee. Hell yes we're going to complain if Cooke gets suspended, because the league set the standard last series with Ovie/Gonch. Simple as that...not sure why Cook can't see it.
Hockey portrayal
written by PintofStout, May 20, 2009
I found his portrayal of hockey akin to something like Thunderdome. He must imagine the guys skating around with a bloodlust only barely contained by the rules and referees. I wonder if he finds the violence of football and Hines Ward's blindside blocks just as abhorrent.

Your counter points are spot on, though. it isn't about the legality of the acts themselves, but the consistency of the responses.
...
written by Staalsy, May 20, 2009
I'm guessing with the extra off day Ron didn't have much to write about and all he could come up with is a piece bashing the fan base.

Seriously, what fanbase doesn't love their blue-collar, on the edge, third liner? We love it when the Ruutus and Kaspers of the world take someone on, even if it is dirty. And we hate it when these guys take a run at one of our own.

It's not hypocrisy, it's called being a fan.
TPb was right...
written by Steel51_Guins29, May 20, 2009
The Pensblog was right, you guys appropriately nailed this clown and I don't feel the need to email him about his ridiculousness any longer. Thanks, P.S.A.M.P.!
...
written by Grant H, May 21, 2009
People wonder why newspapers are going out of business and nobody is reading them. They are full of outdated windbags so out of touch with today's world. It should be no surprise that blogs and such that voice opinions of more youthful writers are gaining so much traction and surpassing newspapers.
...
written by HansMoleman, May 21, 2009
"What do these idiot writers want the fans to do...sit at the games with our hands under our butts while we politely golf clap and whisper compliments about the opposition?"

Yeah probably, that way they can rip on us for not caring about the team.

Smizik would probably prefer if we stopped going to pens games entirely and watched the pirates lose
...
written by Greg M, May 21, 2009
The Ovechkin hit set precedent. That is why Pittsburgh fans are protesting the Matt Cooke suspension. I personally don't think Cooke's was as vicious because both players were skating at each other, unlike Ovechkin's run on Gonchar. Did Cooke deserve a suspension? Maybe. But not after Ovechkin got out of his knee on knee hit.
...
written by stokes, May 21, 2009
i hope ron cook rots in hell while his stupid beard is eternally on fire.
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written by LowBeast, May 21, 2009
It's one thing to be a hypocrite. Most of us are. I embrace my hypocrisy. It's another thing entirely to have some ass clown with a pulpit tell me I'm a hypocrite. You know, I really like Molinari. When someone writes a completely asinine question or statement to his Q&A he sarcastically torpedoes them, and I frankly like it. Cook, though...he isn't even entertaining. I'm ashamed for even validating his article by discussing it.
...
written by genomachino17, May 22, 2009
I don't think you guys understand it. He is saying that Penguins fans (and other fans alike) tend to take a subjective view on sports.

He is basically just telling everyone to be consistent, open-minded, and fair in their assessment. It's easy to become a "homer" at times, if you will excuse the term.

Obviously no fan's opinion really matters when it comes to suspensions, league action, and the like, but assessing situations objectively would go a long way toward representing yourself as a REAL fan who actually has knowledge of the game.

In that respect, you wouldn't have Cook calling you out like that. It's rather obvious that the Pens have gained an extraordinary following as of late due to their success; many of these fans are not familiar with the technicalities and the ins-and-outs of the game. This is fine, but speaking out and attempting to justify your opinion when you have no knowledge on which to base it is really not conducive to gaining respect.

If you aren't looking for respect as a fan, then disregard my post. I like my opinion to be valued, however. Take a step back and look at the situation like an outsider instead of a hometown fan.
we ARE homers
written by tecmo, May 22, 2009
You know who else takes subjective views?...EVERY FAN OF EVERY TEAM. It's part of being a fan.

And this is a Pittsburgh-centric sportsblog, where we embrace the homers and Yinzers and all that stuff.

Writers like Smizik and Cook have a track record of these wet-blanket articles chastising the fans. If we're subjective, then we're douches. If we don't show enough emotion, we get lectured.

There are plenty of topics to write about in this town rather than resorting to the "criticize the fans" angle.

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