11/30/2006
The Mondesi Show
Mondesishouse.com Arrives
Marvin Harrison's Walkoff, Pujols=Jerk, Don West Swims in Cards, College Hoops Power Rankings, Flying Wii Remotes, Playstation 3 for Baby?
Strahan Hatin on Plex, Gatlin to Texans, Bobby Bo=HOF?, Frank Beamer's Ballot, Danny Devito Drunk Video
11/29/2006
Your 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers Roster
S: The big question facing the Steelers next is the long-term contract status of one Troy Polamalu. Persistent rumors have our favorite safety going to the west coast, but I'm hoping they find a way to get the job done. I think Ryan Clark and Anthony Smith are pretty safe bets to pencil in, but beyond that, there's not much else left at safety. Tyrone Carter and Mike Logan are both UFAs, so there is a chance one or both will not be back. They may go for a safety in a mid-to-late round, but don't expect any top picks invested in this spot.
P: Please, I beg of you, rid us of Chris Gardocki. That's all I ask.
K: Skippy Reed has not had a good year by anyone's account, but I don't anticipate a change here.
Coach: I think Kenny Wiz gets the job and Bill Cowher retires to watch girls' basketball for a year or two. By then, Joe Gibbs and/or Bill Parcells should be out of their respective situations and they will be at the top of the list to sign Mr. Bill.
Cowher will probably command $8-10 million a year upon his return, and if that's what Mike Holmgren gets, I don't know how Cowher could only be making $4 million. If you were making half of what you thought you were worth, I doubt you'd be enthused about your job either. Money gets brushed to the side when discussing Cowher's status, but trust me, money always talks. If the Rooneys pony up with the bucks I referenced above, I can guarantee Cowher would sign an extension tomorrow. And Kaye and the kiddos would have to made do on their own for a while longer.
11/28/2006
Dallas Clark is Mad, Vick Fined $20K, Shula Fired, Manny Trade?, 2007 NBA and NFL Mock Draft, Kid Rock Dumps Pam Over Borat,
Jeff Suppan back to the Pirates? Doesn't seem like a tremendously great idea.
The latest 2007 NFL Mock Draft is out, and we now see the Steelers drafting 6'4", 329 pound Texas OG Justin Blalock at #13. We're getting on the right track.
Aaron Gray is up to #17 in the latest NBA 2007 Mock Draft.
Manny being Manny may find a new home. I mean, who wouldn't want J.D. Drew instead?
Cost of Michael Vick giving his home fans the middle finger? $20,000. Cost of giving millions of football fans yet another reason to take a shot at Vick? Priceless.
That Madden 2007 commercial where Dallas Clark gets blown up again and again? Turns out, no, he's not too happy about it.
Mike Shula is fired at Alabama, and the once-proud Crimson Tide are looking for a new coach for the fourth time since 2000. Call them the Anti-Rooneys.
For all you video gamers, here's the Top 10 Cheat Code searches in one convenient article.
Sit down for this one: Kid Rock broke up with Pam Anderson over her appearance in Borat. As this article points out, "The star of Joe Dirt and Biker Boyz is looking down on Pam because of her movie choices?"
Bill Cowher's Worst 2006 Decisions

Cowher Statue on ESPN, FredEx a Substitute Teacher, Dolphins #12, Bowl Projections, Paris, Britney and Lindsay Together

The resemblance? Uncanny.
Peter King Miami Dolphins Fine Fifteen Watch: This week, the Fightin' Sabans are up to #12. And that 1-6 start is just a faint memory. Don't forget to read all seven pages of this week's drivel disguised as a football column. By the end, you're reading stuff like "I can't get past the Wednesday New York Times crossword. Usually I can't finish that one either. Shameful admission." and "Witnessed the most insane Starbucks order I'd ever heard the other day. "Grande white mocha with five Equals,'' a woman in front of me said." My head hurts.
ESPN tries their hand at projecting the college bowl games. And unlike SI's picks, they've omitted one Wannstached Big East squad.
Stop me if you've heard this one before...Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears are in a car together...No I'm not joking, this actually just happened. And yes, I realize the irony after I just mentioned Peter King's non-sport rantings. The minor difference is that I'm 99.9% sure this audience would rather hear about Ms. Lohan, Ms. Hilton, and the former Mrs. Federline than hear about Peter King being perplexed by a crossword puzzle.
11/27/2006
The Relevance of Pitt vs. Penn State


Namath to Sign Books; No "I Just Want to Kiss You" Inscriptions Allowed
I was discussing Namath's career recently with my brother, and since he played before we were both born, we delved into the world of internet stats to quantify Namath's greatness. According to pro-football-reference.com, Namath had a career TD to INT ratio of 173 to 220 (1:1.27). On the all-time lists, he is stunningly mediocre: Pass attempts, 44th; Passing yards, 42nd; Passing TDs, 43rd.
In terms of career passing yards, Namath ranks behind Kerry Collins, Jake Plummer, Mark Brunell, and Rich Gannon, none of whom should expect to be immortalized in Canton. Yes, I realize that the seasons were only 14 games long when Namath played; but I also noticed that he played in six or less games as a starter four times in his 13-year career. He didn't have Manning's stats or Favre's durability; those attributes did not get him a bronze bust in Ohio. Namath's greatness was his moxie, his bravado, and most importantly, his win in Super Bowl III. Namath's Super Bowl win is probably the closest tied to a Hall of Fame career than any other player's. The guarantee and subsequent win defined who he was and legitimized the AFL to a legion of non-believers.
He was the first true off-the-field media machine. He is the epitome of the phrase "Women loved him, men wanted to be him." He is almost equally famous for his Fu-manchu, nightclub ownership, panty hose, and fur coat as his on-field exploits. He was a personality that would thrive in the modern-day NFL.
To people like myself who never saw Namath play, I encourage you to check out his Wikipedia page. "Fascinating" would be an understatement when describing his life. I would love to see the scene when Namath descends on the South Side tonight, but I doubt he'll hit the bars post-signing. He's been clean and sober for over 1,000 days. But turn back the clock 30 years, and I can assure you we'd have a gallery of pictures that would make Big Ben, Kyle Orton, and Matt Leinart look like amateurs by comparison. Here's to you, Joe.
Monday Morning Wrapup

Chiefs 19, Broncos 10- And Jake Plummer is finally put out of his misery by "The Punisher", a.k.a. Mike Shanahan. Unfortunately, I missed this game, as ours was one of millions of households who did not have access to the NFL Network. I can only hope that the network will air ads every commercial break urging us to bother our local cable operator and tell them to pay the already-rich NFL even more money.
Vikings 31, Cardinals 26- Did I read these stats right? The Cardinals attempted 51 passes and 6 runs? At 2-9, I guess you could say that angle didn't work either, Denny.
Rams 20, 49ers 17- Antonio Bryant: 2 catches, 53 yards, no speeding tickets for going 100 in his Lamborghini.
Jets 26, Texans 11- The leading rushers in this one: Wali Lundy with 11 yards for Houston, and Leon "Middle Finger" Washington with 17 for the Jets. Who were the offensive coordinators, Dennis Green and Dennis Green? Those aren't middle fingers. He's just predicting Wali Lundy's 11 yards on Sunday.
Bills 27, Jaguars 24- Remember when the Steelers played Jacksonville on Monday Night Football? And all that talk about how the national media doesn't respect the Jaguars? Seems like eons ago. Oh well, at least Matt Jones scored a touchdown for Tony Kornheiser's fantasy team.
Bengals 30, Browns 0- Continuing my theme of teams who can't run the ball, Cleveland was led by Jerome Harrison with 18 yards. Meanwhile, Charlie Frye is becoming the Browns QB we all hoped he would become, with 4 interceptions and 1 jersey-grabbing altercation courtesy of Braylon Edwards.
Chargers 21, Raiders 14- Before we induct Phil Rivers into the 2006 NFL Hall of Fame class alongside Tony Romo and Rex Grossman (but only the Rex Grossman from weeks 1-5), note Rivers' 133 yard/0 TD/1 INT performance against the 2-9 Raiders. But once again, the Chargers are bailed out by Ladainian Tomlinson, who ran for two touchdowns, threw for their third, blanketed Randy Moss all day, and delivered a baby panda at the San Diego Zoo.
Patriots 17, Bears 13- The Bears just killed fantasy players in this one. Rex Grossman throws not one, not two, but three interceptions. And Thomas Jones finishes with the dreaded 99 yards rushing.
Giants 21, Titans 0- What's that? The Giants lost???? 24-21? They were winning 21-0 with 10 minutes to go! What's that? They allowed 24 points in the 4th quarter? Vince Young accounted for all of the touchdowns? The same Vince Young who missed the game flight last week? And Eli Manning threw a back-breaking interception with 44 seconds to go? The same Eli Manning who "grew up" in week two? The same Eli Manning who has the worst passer rating of any QB since 2004? OK, you got me. What are you going to tell me next...the defending Super Bowl champs are 4-7 and have been shut out twice?
Colts 45, Eagles 21- Well, Philly's lost 5 of 6 and Donovan McNabb, so we can officially write off a second consecutive season. And how about those Colts? Look at Sunday's stats: Joseph Addai, Edgerrin James' replacement, runs for 171 yards and 4 TDs. The man he replaced had 4 carries for 15 yards. I can emphatically say that this is definitely the year for the Colts. Not like in 2005, or 2004, or 2003, or even 2002. This team is different. It's special.
Another Vick Flips Off the Fans




11/26/2006
A City Embarrassed


Why do we even bother talking about this team? From today's effort, as well as six others this year, it doesn't appear they care very much. So why do we care? Why do we watch, we write, we comment, we discuss?
I realize that we're about 9 months removed from the first Super Bowl victory this town had seen in 26 years, so it's hard to feel sorry for the Steeler fan base. But honestly, shouldn't we at least get a few games to enjoy and relish in the glory of NFL superiority? The team and their followers had exactly 11 days to enjoy a winning record this season, and that was a mere1-0.
A fan base always reacts based on preseason expectations. Look around town at the other teams...the Penguins bought a bevy of veteran free agents last year, had Crosby coming in and Lemieux coming back. Visions of Stanley Cups danced in fans' heads. But the team stumbled out of the gate and never recovered. The fans were greatly disappointed. This season, expectations were lowered, since it is a much younger team built around a promising nucleus. And to this point, the team has surpassed expectations. Thus, a happy fan base.
Look at Pitt football. They finished 5-6 last year, had a great season of recruiting, and hyped a core of Palko, Blades, and Revis. No one expected anything less than 7-8 wins. And yet the Panthers managed just a 6-6 record, improving upon last year's 5-6 mark by adding a matchup with the Citadel. Combine that with a 5-game losing streak to close the season, career high days allowed left and right, and a defense that is better comedy than Family Guy, and now Wanny is getting some heat.
The Steelers were picked either first or second by every football expert from coast-to-coast. They endured some roster changes, but returned the vast majority of their team, including the entire offensive line, quarterback, and linebacking core. They added two young, exciting wide receivers and a safety who nearly decapitated a Philadelphia Eagle in the preseason (video link, for those who've forgotten). They had every chance in the world to at least contend.
The cruel reality is that the year is 2006, and complaceny will slap you in the face in the NFL. Want to get fat looking at your Super Bowl rings in the mirror? By all means, proceed. But don't be surprised when teams refuse to roll over and die at the mere sight of you as an opponent. This is a league that gets turned upside down every few weeks. Rex Grossman and Eli Manning were the quarterbacks du jour after two weeks; now, the discussion in Chicago is shifting to "should we start Brian Griese", while New Yorkers are talking about the long-term health of the franchise if Eli continues to struggle. The league was Michael Vick's a few weeks ago...now it is owned by Tony Romo and Joey Harrington. Go ahead, make sense of it...I dare you.
Yes, 2006 was a rather grim sports holiday for most of the readers of this site, but there are some bright spots for the near future: the continued development of the Penguins, a Pitt basketball team that will be ranked top-three, and that always-exciting Pirates Hot Stove League season. Hey, two outta three ain't bad.
11/22/2006
Happy Thanksgiving from "The House"
First and foremost, I would like to thank our readers. There is a very solid base of people who read the site on a daily basis, comment on my musings, and email posts to their friends & family. Without the readers, Mondesi's House does not exist. I thank each and every one of you.
I would like to thank all of the blogs and sites that link to Mondesi's House. There are a number of truly great websites devoted to Pittsburgh sports, and they all send a fair share of their readers in my direction. I greatly appreciate the continued support.
The media has been a great friend to Mondesi's House, especially WDVE (Randy Baumann and Jim Krenn), ESPN Radio (Mark Madden), The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Dan Gigler and Chuck Finder), and Deadspin (Will Leitch). Each one is responsible for exposing Mondesi's House to the masses, and I know we've picked up a number of our regulars from these outlets. I am eternally grateful for your mentions, appearances, and plugs.
I must thank my family for the inspiration to start this site. My parents, both journalism majors, gave me the writing background that flows in my blood. My father and brother (who I now call Felipe and Ramon) argue with me back and forth on the very topics we discuss here on a regular basis. I would also like to thank the future Mrs. Mondesi, who is very supportive even though she is not exactly a sports nut, and my Grandma, who actually reads the site on a regular basis. Now that is one cool Grandma: computer-savvy and reading a sports blog to boot!
I also thank the readers who support my business, steelcityauctions.com, through their purchases of memorabilia or consignments of their collections. To each and every one of you, I give my sincerest thanks. If anyone else out there wants a Pittsburgh-related gift for Christmas or wants to sell their prized collectibles, I'll take care of you!
I can't leave out the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and Panthers. Without the Cowhers, Roethlisbergers, Crosbys, Wannstedts and Littlefields, this site just wouldn't be the same!
I wish each and every one of you a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, we have to endure another Lions game, but try to make the best of it! And as I say, as long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing!
- Don
Michael Irvin's Tony Romo Comments, Revisited
Dan Patrick, sensing disaster, jumps in and says, ‘that’s the only way to be a great athlete?’
Irvin comes back with, “No, that’s not the only way … but it’s certainly one way … [maybe his] great, great, great, great Grandma pulled one of them studs up outta the barn [and said] ‘come here for a second’ … back in the day …(more sinister laughter)”
11/20/2006
Eli Manning Adopted, Donovan McNabb Done?, Yao Ming Stuffed, Bowl Projections, Playstation 3 Grill, Michael Richards Video
A big thank you goes out to the Post Gazette's Blog and Gold Steeler column, who has thrown many a kind link Mondesi's way. If you've never checked it out, it's a really cool wrapup of the odds and ends of the internet in relation to your favorite team.
Eli Manning is having a hard time telling the Giants he was adopted.
A San Antonio newspaper takes a variety of shots as ESPN. See, we're not the only ones who have a bone to pick with the Worldwide Leader. (via Deadspin)
Is Donovan McNabb on the downside of his career? I have to admit, Don Banks makes some good points.
A great video of 7'5" Yao Ming being stuffed by 5'9" Nate Robinson. This is the #4 video on YouTube today, passing this week's trifecta of trainwrecks, the original Michael Richards video, the awkward followup interview on Letterman., and the Kelly Ripa vs. Rosie O'Donnell video.
Stuart Mandel once again revises his NCAA Bowl Projections. This time, he has Pitt against Tulsa in the Birmingham Bowl on December 23. If there's one team that deserves to play in the post-season, it's Pitt.
Now presenting the Playstation 3...Grill?
55 Things That Annoy Me About Sports

I've become an angst-filled sports fan lately. So today I'm going to unleash some rage and vent with all of my faithful readers. 55 things that annoy me about sports. Why 55? Because I couldn't stop at 50. Feel free to air your own grievances in the comments section, and we'll take the best and add them on in a future post, making it the uber-list of beefs from annoyed fans.
1. Bill Belichick dressing like a hobo. At least wear a hoodie with sleeves! While I'm at it, kudos to Mike Nolan and Jack Del Rio for their suits this weekend. And since the NFL is a copycat league, expect to see all 32 coaches in suits, since the 49ers and Jags both won.
2. "...this is ouuuuuur country..."
3. The Lions on Thanksgiving every year. Is this not the worst tradition in the history of mankind?
4. Celebrities in the Monday Night Football booth. Especially when they aren't even football fans. Christian Slater, I'm looking in your direction.
5. Stuart Scott. Your act is so played out. Boo-ya.
6. "Thrown under the bus". When Donna Shalala uses it, it's time to move on.
7. "Drinking the kool aid". Find a new cliche.
8. The 1972 Miami Dolphins. You're embarrassing yourselves at this point.
9. Red Sox vs. Yankees. You're both full of overpaid underachievers. The rest of the country doesn't care.
10. The BCS. Let's devise as many ways as possible to decide a champion other than a playoff system.
11. The Oakland Raiders' apathy. Nice work naming Randy Moss captain.
12. OJ Simpson's now-cancelled confession, I mean book.
13. Pitt football's "defense".
14. Fans wishing each other luck on message boards. As my brother Ramon Mondesi, a frequent visitor of Pitt message boards, often wonders, "Why would WVU fans wish us luck against Louisville? The guys on the message boards aren't playing!"
15. Websites/blogs offering messages to deceased athletes' families. As admirable as it is to post messages like, "To the Schembechler family, our thoughts and prayers are with you...", I doubt they're reading a blog the next day.
16. Notre Dame. Play a real schedule or join a conference. Three service academies, North Carolina (2-9), Stanford (1-10)...what a murderer's row.
17. Ogden Nutting. Although I admire his being able to dodge the arrows for so long through McClatchy, who many fans still think is the majority owner.
18. D-Fence Signs. At least try the "Off-fense" in the Man Law commercials.
19. Pete Rose, Terrell Owens, Barry Bonds, and Bobby Knight. Please go away, and take your "I'm Sorry I Bet on Baseball" autographs, Little T children's books, Cream, Clear, and choking with you.
20. Diminishing the accomplishments of teams who just won the championship. First we heard about how the Steelers stole the Lombardi Trophy. Then we endured how the Cardinals were such a crappy champion. How about criticizing the teams that finished in the bottom of the league?
21. The Red Sox crying poor (not re-signing Pedro or Damon, calling the Yankees "the Evil Empire") and bidding $51 million to negotiate with a Japanese pitcher. Hypocrites.
22. Spoiled Yankee fans. They boo their best/most fragile player, driving him into a further funk. They really are the smartest fans in baseball. Want to see real fans? Check out the brave souls who pay to watch Jeromy Burnitz trot out to right field.
23. Big East bashing. How about bashing the ACC, the real worst conference among the big six?
24. Roger Clemens/Brett Favre's annual retirement dances. Go away.
25. Corruption in amateur basketball. When there is a list of top 6th graders, I can safely say our priorities are out of order in this country.
26. Chris Berman. Tha Rayyyydahsss...The Seeeeeehawks...The Geeeeee Men...The frozen tundra of Lambeauuuu Field...and my favorite...You're With Me, Leather.
27. Ranking Peyton Manning as the best QB in the NFL every year, only to have him disappoint everyone in the playoffs. I know, this year it will be different. And next year the Pirates will have a winning record.
28. Jon Gruden as an elite coach. Keep working those 20-hour days. They've resulted in losing seasons in three of the last four years.
29. Larry Brown.
30. Teams who hire Larry Brown.
31. Players who celebrate individual plays when their team is behind. Also known as "The Joey Porter Special".
32. The NHL on Versus. Most YouTube videos have better production values.
33. Kobe vs. Shaq on Christmas. This was cool 2 years ago. How about Lebron vs. Wade?
34. Bud Selig. Need I say more?
35. Tiki Barber as a first-ballot HOFer. On the all-time rushing list, he's behind players like OJ Anderson, Ricky Watters, and even Edgerrin James, who started two years after him and lost a year to a torn ACL. Don't think so.
36. Koren Robinson. He's the Steve Howe of the NFL. He just can't help himself.
37. Michelle Wie, and to a lesser degree, Danica Patrick.
38. Overprotection of NFL quarterbacks. 2006 has taken this to ridiculous heights.
39. The myth that Michael Vick will someday be a polished quarterback. Marcus Vick has a better chance, and he's a wide receiver.
40. The NHL schedule. 8 games against some teams, 0 against others. Did they have one too many Labatt's when they wrote this up?
41. Matt Millen still having a job. The Lions are now 23-67 (.255) on his watch.
42. Tear-jerking Sunday morning SportsCenter pieces. I'm looking for the scores and insight. If I wanted to cry I'd watch Brian's Song.
43. Trey Wingo imitating Chris Berman. So if Berman wasn't bad enough, now he has a clone.
44. CBS's Gus Johnson. Strictly upon the Steelers-Browns game on Sunday.
45. Athletes stealing nicknames. First there was the Anthony Thomas/Mike Alstott "A-Train" controversy. Now we have Ladainian Tomlinson stealing "L.T.". Unless he gains some bulk and starts snorting coke by the bushel, he is not L.T.
46. Tony Kornheiser talking about his fantasy team on Monday Night Football. Congratulations on drafting Matt Jones. It really does prove you know nothing about football.
47. The Broncos' cut-blocking. Hard to believe a team that once employed Bill Romanowski would resort to such dirty tactics.
48. Lee Corso. Try not pandering to the home crowd. That would be really interesting.
49. Joe Theismann. Let's recap: the Sunday night football crew gets blown up. Paul Maguire gets shuffled off to college football. Mike Patrick gets shuffled off to college football. Joe Theismann gets promoted to Monday Night Football. Didn't make sense to me, either.
50. Selected ESPN programming. I know there's a lot of time to fill, especially with 19 channels, but in addition to poker, we now have paintball, dominoes, the Hot Dog eating competition, and worst of all, Cold Pizza.
51. The NFL Network. It's the ultimate leverage for the league, but until some of these cable operators blink, a lot of fans will miss out on some good football.
52. Power Rankings. The ultimate space-filler for websites. Absolutely meaningless, yet fans get whipped up about perceived disrespect. Just remember, John Clayton's vote doesn't have any influence on your team making the Super Bowl.
53. AC/DC's Hell's Bells played on 3rd and or 4th down in 98% of stadiums across the country.
54. Footballs players putting up four fingers to signify the fourth quarter.
55. Nerdy bloggers who write lists. Oooh, some guy in Pittsburgh hates the Yankees...I'm sure George Steinbrenner is losing sleep.

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