Pittsnogling Pittsburgh as an escape from poetry

When I am overworked I get the blahs. Stress blahs, where I do stuff like turn off the microphone in the middle of a recording session and go search the web to find out where Kevin Pittsnogle is now playing.

Really.

I was going to call this post "Looking for Mr. Pittsnogle" or perhaps "Where in the World is Kevin Pittsnogle?" or even...well, you get the point.

But instead, it turned into a chance to learn something new, so I am going to decide after I wrote this piece as to what to call it.

Last I had heard, the illustrious and well-meme'd West Virginia University Mountaineer Basketball star had gone undrafted, gotten a few pro tryouts and was with the Celtics.

I was behind the news curve. Turns out the Celtics, worried about ever developing personality as a team, released the tattoo'd wonder and he signed with the Pittsburgh Xplosion.

Who?

They're the Pittsburgh franschise of the Continental Basketball Association, in competition with teams like:

In the American Division:

Albany Patroons
Indiana Alley Cats
Minot SkyRockets

and in the National Division:

Butte Daredevils
Great Falls Explorers
Utah Eagles
Yakama Sun Kings

Expansion is coming next year (2007-2008) with the addition of:

Atlanta Krunk Wolverines
Bend, Oregon
Hawaii Volcanoes
Lethbridge Canadians
Los Angeles Aftershock
Miami Majesty
SoCal Legends
Spokane, Washington
Vancouver Dragons
Seattle, Washington

The league is actually the heir to the ABA, lists itself as the "Oldest Professional Basketball League in the World" and they view themselves as sort of an unaffiliated farm team system for the NBA, where players can hone their talents and show what they've got.

They have some interesting rules that vary from the NBA, including the fact that you cannot foul out of a CBA game, after your 6th personal, every time you foul, the other team gets a free-throw. This could be interesting, in practice.

The CBA was the first league to use the three-point shot (starting in 1964) and thus seems a great home for the so inclined Kevin Pittsnogle, who I hope at least makes a mark on the CBA as WVU quarterback Major Harris managed to do on the Arena Football League.

But I still want to see Kevin make it to the big show. I think he has the talent, the drive and the personality to be a star. Add to that the fact that he is a genuinely nice person, and in this era of arrogant, spoiled, self-indulgent sports clowns, that would be a nice relief.

Now, where'd I throw that microphone?