The News

A recap of your favorite links, named in honor of Mike Tomlin
"I'm not telling a story. I'm reporting the news."

--Nice work by the Buccos, who lose on a walk-off wild pitch on Wednesday night. And extra nice work by Jack Wilson mishandling an easy DP in the 5th, opening the door for three runs. Glad we keep the .248 hitter around for his D.

--The Ducks win the Stanley Cup, meaning that the countdown has already started to next season, when the Penguins win it.

--Dave Damashek and Sportscontraption.com have started a petition to get statues of the Steel Curtain erected at Heinz Field. You can e-sign it here.

--Gene Collier says it's time to send Zach Duke to the minors. Did you know...Zach has given up 100 hits in 67 innings and gave up a league-leading 255 last year?

--Today is the MLB Draft, broadcast for the first time on ESPN. The Pirates are picking fourth. Most teams are looking for a blue-chipper. The Pirates are looking for a signable pitcher that will blow out his arm in a few months.

And here's a story about who the Pirates won't draft in the first round. Has Scott Boras ever even met Dave Littlefield?

--Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday was the lowest-rated TV program in the HISTORY of NBC. Yikes.

--Here's a team-by-team look at the 2008 NFL free agents. Wait, Alan Faneca's a free agent? Why wasn't I told?

--The Pirates come in at #25 in SI.com's Power Rankings. The Yankees are #20. So a team with A-Rod, Jeter, Matsui, Giambi, Posada, Damon, and Abreu is only five spots better than a lineup featuring the likes of Jack Wilson, Ronny Paulino, Adam LaRoche, and Chris Duffy. This weekend series is going to be interesting.

--Mark Madden says the time has come to modernize the Steeler offense.

--Meet Homer Bailey, mulleted season-savior of the Cincinnati Reds

--This is a few days old, mostly because I forgot to link to it, but here's a picture of the Michael Vick compound. Note the series of buildings painted jet black behind the house, allegedly to mesh in with the darkness of nightfall:

Kathy Strouse, an animal control officer, was standing in front of those outbuildings as night fell on April 25 when a simple question came to her: Why the black paint? A moment passed before Strouse had an answer. At night, when most dogfights are held, no one would know these buildings were here.

--Time to start the police investigation of that Akon fan-tossing incident

--SI gives us the Fortunate 50, the top-earning US athletes among all sports.

--Cracked.com lists 12 ridiculous video-game premises

--Meet Taryne Mowatt, aka Jenny Finch 2.0

--You're never going to believe who's dating: JonBenet Ramsey's dad and Natalee Holloway's mom

--Five-star link: side-by-side comparisons of fast food items in pictures and what you actually get

Come on, Arby's...you're better than that.

--Finally, the next time you're at Blockbuster, rent the new release The Breed, directed by my cousin, Nick Mastandrea, formerly of Pittsburgh. It's about some vacationers trapped on an island with some genetically-engineered dogs gone wild. It's produced by horror mastermind Wes Craven and stars Taryn Manning, Oliver Hudson, and Michelle Rodriguez.

"Nicky" has worked in the film industry for a long time, as first assistant director on such movies as Walk the Line, the Scream trilogy, Monster In Law, and Blow. So you're probably familiar with some stuff he's worked on. His next projects are 3:10 to Yuma, with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, and Crossing Over, featuring an all-star cast of Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd. We're all very proud of him back in the Burgh!