It’s sad that this even needs to be talked about — it really is.

But since the newspaper industry is a dying business, there’s only one sure-fire way to sell papers in Titletahn and that’s stir up unneeded controversy in a locker room. That’s exactly what the PG’s Ron Cook and the Trib’s Rob Rossi have done recently.

If you haven’t read their pieces on Evgeni Malkin’s slump, I direct you here —> Cook, Rossi.

It would be pointless for me to go into great detail as to why these two columns are completely unnecessary, because … well, others have already done that. In the case of The Pensblog, they responded to each writer. Other notables include Pensburgh and Pens Universe. Give them all a read. Totally worth it.

There’s no doubt where we stand on all this (or where I stand, Cory can enlighten us in the comments), but I’m behind Malkin 100 percent.

Is he in a slump? Yeah, I guess so. Has the entire team not been playing up to par for the last couple months (and that includes Sidney)? Yes. Does Malkin need a winger? Yes (as does Sidney, which is why we can’t afford to pay a 3rd line center $4 million, but that’s another post). But for real, have we already forgotten that Malkin was the MVP of the playoffs last year when the Penguins brought home the Stanley Cup? Have forgotten how he placed the team and its playoff hopes, on his back two years ago when Crosby was hurt?

I guess these writers have. In Cook’s case, I completely understand his nonsensical rant on our Russian phenom. It’s what he’s paid to do, and since Bob Smizik no longer graces the pages of the PG, Cook has become the old man’s point of view. All we can do is read his crap and laugh. On Rossi’s, however, I’m completely amazed — simply because he is the Trib’s beat writer for the Penguins. He’s not a columnist. And forgive my journalistic ethics, but there’s something I learned in school about not offering full-fledged opinions such as that when you are indeed the beat writer.

Had he simply stated facts, with decent quotes and stats it would be one thing, but to blatantly call out his handling of the media (and everything else) makes Rossi look like a whiner. I don’t care if Malkin ever does another interview for the rest of his career. His interviews (although they are entertaining) aren’t what I pay to see.

Before I get way off topic, let me drive my last point home. I know Cory used to have many discussions with Dejan at the PG through e-mail about his blogging back before he started posting on the PBC Blog. Dejan’s concerns, at the time, were that he didn’t want to come off as an opinionated columnist. If he were to blog, it would be to simply provide more facts and stories as a great beat reporter (which he is). Rossi may push himself further away from the team if he keeps taking shots like that — he should leave it up to Joe Starkey or Kevin Gorman to write the columns.

Evgeni Malkin will be fine. And I surely hope that these fools don’t ever run him out of Pittsburgh. Although I’d bet Malkin will be scoring goals in the Consol Energy Center long after the PG and Trib close their respective doors.

That being said, let’s go Pens.