MEDIA POPULARITY CONTEST RECAP

Finally, it's time to end the 2008 Mondesi's House Pittsburgh Sports Media Popularity Contest. A total of 56,853 votes were cast for 67 different Pittsburgh sports media members. Surprisingly, 43 of the 67 candidates received approval ratings of 50% or more, so maybe you don't hate the local media as much as you think.

The highest rating went to the Penguins' Mike Lange in a runaway. Lange finished with an incredible 97.6 rating on 1,019 votes. The lowest rating was FSN's "Chat Pack" of Ted Arnault and Rob Pratt, approved by just 8.2% of you. Mark Madden, currently writing for the Beaver County Times, generated the most votes at 1,326. Even during his absence from radio, Madden continues to stir strong opinions, with a photo finish of 50.9-49.1 on the approval side.

This wrap-up took over four hours to compile and crunch, and probably more than 10 hours from beginning to end (hence the numerous link columns over the last week), so let's not waste any more time...

Approval Ratings:

1. Mike Lange, Penguins, 97.6% approval rating (1019 votes)
2. Bill Hillgrove, Steelers, Pitt, WTAE TV, 87.7 (889)
3. Bob Walk, Pirates, 87.0 (907)
4. Stan Savran, FSN & ESPN 1250, 85.6 (1215)
5. Steve Blass, Pirates, 85.4 (889)

6. Phil Bourque, Penguins, 85.4 (843)
7. Tunch Ilkin, Steelers, 84.3 (889)
8. Bob Grove, Penguins, 80.9 (603)
9. Dejan Kovacevic, Post Gazette, 80.5 (1003)
10.Bob Errey, Penguins, 80.3 (888)

11.Guy Junker, ESPN 1250 & WTAE TV, 79.1 (937)
12. Ed Bouchette, Post Gazette, 78.1 (1087)
13. Rob King, FSN, 76.3 (1040)
14. Jim Colony, ESPN 1250, 76.1 (837)
15. Bob Pompeani, KDKA, 75.3 (1098)

16. Joe Starkey, Tribune Review & ESPN 1250, 73.7 (845)
17. Jim Krenn, WDVE 102.5 & WTAE Action Sports Sunday, 72.9 (822)
18. Beano Cook, ESPN, 72.2 (820)
19. Dan Potash, FSN, 71.4 (1070)
20. Lanny Frattare, Pirates, 70.8 (829)

21. Gerry Dulac, Post Gazette, 70.7 (871)
22. Mike Prisuta, Tribune Review and 102.5 WDVE, 69.2 (968)
23. Dave Molinari, Post Gazette, 67.1 (868)
24. Jon Burton, WTAE TV, 66.8 (1007)
25. Dick Groat, Pitt, 66.2 (717)

26. Bob Labriola, Steelers.com, 66.0 (574)
27. John Steigerwald, KDKA 65.2 (1136)
28. Gene Collier, Post Gazette, 65.2 (1071)
29. Alby Oxenreiter, WPXI TV, 63.9 (1020)
30. Randy Baumann, 102.5 WDVE, 62.5 (807)

31. Ellis Cannon, 104.7 & Pittsburgh Sports Report, 58.8 (872)
32. John Perrotto, Beaver County Times, 57.4 (733)
33. Paul Steigerwald, Penguins, 57.3 (953)
34. Paul Alexander, FSN, 56.3 (1028)
35. Eartha Jackson, ESPN 1250, 56.0 (630)

36. Jim Wexell, Scout.com/Steel City Insider, 55.1 (574)
37. Greg Brown, Pirates TV, 53.2 (832)
38. Joe Destio, ESPN 1250, 52.8 (527)
39. Tim Benz, 105.9 The X, 52.4 (882)
40. Joe Bendel, Fox 970, 52.1 (384)

41. Rocco Demaro, 104.7, 51.4 (609)
43. Mark Madden, Beaver County Times, 50.9 (1326)
43. Paul Zeise, Post Gazette, 50.9 (591)
44. Eddy Crow, ESPN 1250, 49.1 (851)
45. John Wehner, Pirates, 48.4 (794)

46. Rob Rossi, Tribune Review, 47.5 (826)
47. Sally Wiggin, WTAE Steelers Monday Night Pregame, 46.6 (816)
48. Mike White, Post Gazette, 44.2 (516)
49. Kevin Gorman, Tribune Review, 43.2 (600)
50. Ken Laird, ESPN 1250, 42.2 (763)

51. Jerry Dipaola, Tribune Review, 41.5 (525)
52. Chris Mack, ESPN 1250, 36.7 (701)
53. Shelly Anderson, Post Gazette, 35.5 (889)
54. Ron Cook, Post Gazette, 34.8 (1109)
55. Jennifer Langosch, Pirates & MLB.com, 32.4 (524)

56. Bill Phillips, WPXI, 31.6 (890)
57. Dale Lolley, Scout.com & Observer-Reporter, 29.1 (437)
58. Jory Rand, KDKA, 28.8 (904)
59. Rob Biertempfel, Tribune Review, 28.2 (603)
60. John Harris, Tribune Review, 26.3 (715)

61. John Fedko, WPXI TV, 24.4 (1165)
62. Jeff Hathhorn, KDKA AM 1020, 23.5 (762)
63. Bob Smizik, Post Gazette, 22.2 (1218)
64. Rich Walsh, WPXI TV, 21.0 (910)
65. Scott Brown, Tribune Review, 20.4 (510)

66. John Shumway, KDKA, 18.3 (600)
67. Ted Arnault & Rob Pratt, The Chat Pack (FSN), 8.2 (644)


Diapproval Ratings:
1. Ted Arnault & Rob Pratt, The Chat Pack (FSN), 91.8% disapproval rating
2. John Shumay, KDKA, 81.7
3. Scott Brown, Tribune Review, 79.6
4. Rich Walsh, WPXI TV, 79.0
5. Bob Smizik, Post Gazette, 77.8

6. Jeff Hathhorn, KDKA AM 1020, 76.5
7. John Fedko, WPXI TV, 75.6
8. John Harris, Tribune Review, 73.7
9. Rob Biertempfel, Tribune Review, 71.8
10. Jory Rand, KDKA, 71.2

11. Dale Lolley, Scout.com & Observer-Reporter, 70.9
12. Bill Phillips, WPXI TV, 68.4
13. Jennifer Langosch, Pirates & MLB.com, 67.6
14. Ron Cook, Post Gazette, 65.2
15. Shelly Anderson, Post Gazette, 64.5

16. Chris Mack, ESPN 1250, 63.3
17. Jerry Dipaola, Tribune Review, 58.5
18. Ken Laird, ESPN 1250, 57.8
19. Kevin Gorman, Tribune Review, 56.8
20. Mike White, Post Gazette, 55.8

21. Sally Wiggin, WTAE Monday Night Steelers Pregrame, 53.4
22. Rob Rossi, Tribune Review, 52.5
23. John Wehner, Pirates, 51.6
24. Eddy Crow, ESPN 1250, 50.9
25. Paul Zeise, Post Gazette, 49.1

26. Mark Madden, Beaver County Times, 49.1
27. Rocco Demaro, 104.7, 48.6
28. Joe Bendel, Fox 970, 47.9
29. Tim Benz, 105.9 The X, 47.6
30. Joe Destio, ESPN 1250, 47.2

31. Greg Brown, Pirates, 46.8
32. Jim Wexell, Scout.com/Steel City Insider, 44.9
33. Eartha Jackson, ESPN 1250, 44.0
34. Paul Alexander, FSN 43.7
35. Paul Steigerwald, Penguins, 42.7

36. John Perrotto, Beaver County Times, 42.6
37. Ellis Cannon, 104.7 & Pittsburgh Sports Report, 41.2
38. Randy Baumann, 102.5 WDVE, 37.5
39. Alby Oxenreiter, WPXI TV, 36.1
40. John Steigerwald, KDKA, 34.8

41. Gene Collier, Post Gazette, 34.8
42. Bob Labriola, Steelers.com, 34.0
43. Dick Groat, Pitt, 33.8
44. Jon Burton, WTAE TV, 33.2
45. Dave Molinari, Post Gazette, 32.9

46. Mike Prisuta, Tribune Review & 102.5 WDVE, 30.8
47. Gerry Dulac, Post Gazette, 29.3
48. Lanny Frattare, Pirates, 29.2
49. Dan Potash, FSN, 28.6
50. Beano Cook, ESPN, 27.8

51. Jim Krenn, WDVE 102.5 & WTAE Action Sports Sunday, 27.1
52. Joe Starkey, Tribune Review & ESPN 1250, 26.3
53. Bob Pompeani, KDKA, 24.7
54. Jim Colony, ESPN 1250, 23.9
55. Rob King, FSN, 23.8

56. Ed Bouchette, Post Gazette, 21.9
57. Guy Junker, ESPN 1250 & WTAE TV, 20.9
58. Bob Errey, Penguins, 19.7
59. Dejan Kovacevic, Post Gazette. 19.5
60. Bob Grove, Penguins, 19.1

61. Tunch Ilkin, Steelers, 15.7
62. Steve Blass, Pirates, 14.6
63. Phil Bourque, Penguins, 14.6
64. Stan Savran, FSN & ESPN 1250, 14.4
65. Bob Walk, Pirates, 13.0

66. Bill Hillgrove, Steelers, Pitt, WTAE TV, 12.3
67. Mike Lange, Penguins, 2.4

APPROVAL RATINGS - TEAM BROADCASTS

Calculated by the average scores of the media members for each outlet

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 86% Approval
Hillgrove 87.7, Ilkin 84.3

2. Pittsburgh Penguins 80.3% Approval
Lange 97.6, Bourque 85.4, Grove 80.9, Errey 80.3, P. Steigerwald 57.3

3. Pitt Panthers 77.0% Approval
Hillgrove 87.7, Groat 66.2

4. Pittsburgh Pirates 69.0% Approval
Walk 87.0, Blass 85.4, Frattare 70.8, Brown 53.2, Wehner 48.4

APPROVAL RATINGS - RADIO STATIONS

1. 102.5 WDVE 68.2% Approval
Krenn 72.9, Prisuta 69.2, Baumann 62.5

2. 1250 ESPN 61.3% Approval
Savran 85.6, Junker 79.1, Colony 76.1, Starkey 73.7, E. Jackson 56.0, Destio 52.8, Crow 49.1, Laird 42.2, Mack 36.7

3. 104.7 FM 55.1% Approval
Cannon 58, Demaro 51.4

4. 1020 KDKA 35.7% Approval
J. Steigerwald 65.2, Hathhorn 23.5, Shumway 18.3

APPROVAL RATINGS - TELEVISION STATIONS

1. FSN TV 72.4% Approval
Savran 85.6, King 76.3, Potash 71.4, Alexander 56.3

2. WTAE TV 64.2% Approval
Junker 79.1, Burton 66.8, Wiggin 46.6

3. KDKA TV 52.1% Approval
Pompeani 75.3, Rand 28.8

4. WPXI TV 35.2% Approval
Oxenreiter 63.9, Phillips 31.6, Fedko 24.4, Walsh 21.0

APPROVAL RATINGS - NEWSPAPERS

1. Post Gazette 54.9% Approval
Kovacevic 80.5, Bouchette 78.1, Dulac 70.7, Molinari 67.1, Collier 65.2, Zeise 50.9, M. White 44.2, S. Anderson 35.5, R. Cook 34.8, Smizik 22.2

2. Beaver County Times 54.2% Approval
Perrotto 57.4, Madden 50.9

3. Tribune Review 43.8% Approval
Starkey 73.7, Prisuta 69.2, Rossi 47.5, Gorman 43.2, Dipaola 41.5, Biertempfel 28.2, Harris 26.3, S. Brown 20.4

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES - TOP 5 APPROVAL RATINGS, PLUS "LOW SCORE"

Game Broadcasts
1. M. Lange 97.6
2. B. Hillgrove 87.7
3. B. Walk 87.0
4. S. Blass 85.4
5. P. Bourque 85.4
LOW J. Wehner 48.4

Television
1. S. Savran 85.6
2. G. Junker 79.1
3. R. King 76.3
4. B. Pompeani 75.3
5. B. Cook 72.2
LOW R. Walsh 21.0

Newspaper
1. D. Kovacevic 80.5
2. E. Bouchette 78.1
3. J. Starkey 73.7
4. G. Dulac 70.7
5. M. Prisuta 69.2
LOW S. Brown 20.4

Radio Hosts
1. G. Junker 79.1
2. J. Krenn 72.9
3. R. Baumann 62.5
4. E. Cannon 58.8
5. T. Benz 52.4
LOW C. Mack 36.7

News Anchors - General
1. R. King 76.3
2. J. Colony, 76.1
3. B. Pompeani 75.3
4. J. Burton 66.8
5. A. Oxenreiter, 63.9
LOW R. Walsh 21.0

MOST CONTROVERSIAL

Difference (+) or (-) from 50%

1. E. Crow, 0.9

1. P. Zeise, 0.9

1. M. Madden, 0.9

4. R. Demaro, 1.4

5. J. Wehner, 1.6

INTERESTING COMPARISONS:

Mike Lange 97.6, Paul Steigerwald 57.3

Guy Junker 79.1, Eddy Crow 49.1

Stan Savran 85.6, Guy Junker 79.1

Tim Benz 52.4, Joe Bendel 52.1

John Steigerwald 65.2, Paul Steigerwald 57.3

Jim Krenn 72.9, Randy Baumann 62.5

Jim Colony 76.1, Mark Madden 50.9

Ron Cook 34.8, Bob Smizik 22.2

Bob Pompeani 75.3, Jon Burton 66.8, John Fedko 24.4

Lanny Frattare 70.8, Greg Brown 53.2

Final observations

All in all, this project was an absolute ton of work but incredibly interesting to compile. Although this is by no means a scientific poll, I think we can draw a few conclusions:

--You're incredibly happy with game coverage, especially from the Steelers and Penguins, who had overwhelming positive feedback. I think the Mike Lange results were a "message" to FSN from Penguin fans. The man is simply beloved.

--The top approvals were dominated by big-name, longtime media members, including Lange, Bill Hillgrove, Stan Savran, and Steve Blass. Bob Walk's inclusion reflects his rising profile among Pittsburgh fans.

--FSN knocked it out of the park with their 72.4 rating. This is a station that's serious about sports, and people are noticing. Their lowest rated personality had 56% approval (Paul Alexander).

--The local papers were not so lucky, especially the Trib, who had six of their eight writers fail to reach a 50% approval.

--A few big names really took it on the chin from voters, most notably Bob Smizik (22%), John Fedko (24%), and Ron Cook, who had a slightly better 34.8% approval rating.

--I was also surprised by the ratings for the cartoonish but always colorful Beano Cook (72%) and Pitt basketball's Dick Groat (66%), proving that this crowd knows no age boundaries.

--The first batch of names got many more votes than the second batch. That's most likely due to the smaller size (25 vs. 42), which meant faster load times for the pages.

--I know that there will probably be some debate over how a certain person may be categorized, given the fact that many of these personalities collect multiple paychecks. But as I've stated, this was not a scientific poll, this was just for fun and curiosity purposes.

So there you have it. Pittsburgh has a love affair with Mike Lange, Penguins coverage is fantastic and newspapers seem to have hit a dry spell. Did we really need to do all this work to find out what we already knew?

NEWS AND NOTES

Been out of town for a few days, so I'm majorly backed up on reader emails and links. Plus, there are a few articles ready to go up, as well as the full recap and breakdown of the Pittsburgh Sports Media Popularity Contest. So help me at least partially clear out my inbox with a few of the better reader-submitted links:

--Former Lions RB Kevin Jones worked out, and the Steelers were one of four teams in attendance. I thought they were overloaded at running back?

--CBS's Pete Prisco decided to stir the pot and rank the Top 50 NFL players. Ben Roethlisberger was the only Steeler to crack the list, at #17. Of course, he would have to be below Carson Palmer (#8). The biggest story may be that FOUR Vikings made the top 20: #10, Kevin Williams; #12, Jared Allen; 15, Adrian Peterson; and 19, Steve Hutchinson.

--Kiss 96.1 found video of Georges Laraque singing "Ice, Ice Baby". Not sure if this will help or hurt him in free agency.

--The DVE morning show mentioned www.rottenneighbor.com, a website to "locate, rate, and share good and bad neighbors before and after you move."

--Cecil from Cecil sent over the 2008 video of the Stephen A. Smith sock-puppet hecklers at the NBA Draft.

--Vote for Pierogis N'at's Big Snack, a.k.a. Contestant 9, in an ESPN Radio 1250 search for on-air talent.

--Bob Smizik makes the case that Tampa Bay's turaround gives the Pirates hope. I think of the Rays kind of like the Penguins: a team blessed with so many high draft picks that they are just overloaded with young talent. Sorry, but the Pirates aren't in that boat yet.

--Any thoughts on the respective Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts jackpots from the Lightning?

Much more to follow later today

PLEASE STAY HOSSA

He's turned down $49 million despite claims that he's willing to play for a good team for less money. Will a fan petition help change his mind? Let's hope.

www.pleasestayhossa.com

FUN WHILE IT LASTED

--The Pirates were brought back to reality last night by Joba Chamberlain and the Yankees in a 10-0 thumping in front of 38,952 at PNC Park.

The Bombers were led by Bob Abreu's productive, three-hit, 4-RBI evening, which included his 10th home run of the campaign. The Yanks also got a 3-3 performance from overrated Derek Jeter, and 6 2/3 shutout innings from Chamberlain.

On the Bucco side of the ledger, Jack Wilson balanced his perfect night at the plate with two errors; only two other Pirate starters managed a hit. Zach Duke was touched for seven hits and four runs in five innings of work.

The 37-41 Pirates and 42-36 Yankees meet at PNC in a rubber match tonight at 7:05. Mike Mussina (10-5, 3.93) and Paul Maholm (5-5, 4.41) are your hurlers.

A few other Pirate-related news bits:

--Greatest jersey ever? From the Maximum Grilled Pirates message board user "Jeff King":

--John Challis, the Freedom teenager whose battle with cancer has been widely publicized, was at the game last night. Besides meeting Derek Jeter, he gave a speech to the Pirates' players and staff (which got a standing ovation), talked hunting with Adam LaRoche, and sat in John Russell's chair.

--Former Bucco Shawn Chacon made headlines for his Latrell Sprewell-style choking of Astros GM Ed Wade last night. It's the most fight he's shown in years.

--Pirates GM Neal Huntington swung a deal with the Tigers, landing hard-throwing reliever Denny Bautista in exchange for Class-A reliever Kyle Pearson. Bautista will join the team immediately, which means either Sean Burnett, Francisco Osoria or T.J. Beam will be packing their bags.

Bautista has been clocked as high as 99 MPH; he also has a career ERA of 6.42 and is coming off of a month missed due to tendonitis.

--Ryan Doumit's dad Peter Doumit wrote a book (What I Know about Baseball Is What I Know about Life ...) which they will both be signing tomorrow (the 27th) at the Barnes and Noble at South Hills Village.

--Fresno State won the College World Series last night, and they did it behind Pirate 5th-round draft pick Justin Wilson, who threw eight innings, walking one and striking out nine in the longest effort by any pitcher in the 2008 College World Series. By the way...he did it on three days' rest.

NEWS AND NOTES

--The Pirates shut up their critics for at least one night with a 12-5 triumph over the streaking New York Yankees. The major storylines included a crowd actually involved in the game; a 19-hit, 12-run outburst; an adequate six innings from Tom Gorzelanny (overlooking the five walks); and an 0-for-5 from A-Rod. From all accounts, it was a great night at the ballpark. We'll have more discussion on the Yankee series a little later.

--Our emailer attached this link and asked: Joe Girardi?

--Here's the Bob Smizik article on last night's game that Cecil from Cecil recommended.

--ESPN's DJ Gallo sent this one over:

"Ten years of Double-A baseball on a team that has been rebuilding the whole time and therefore SHOULD have been stocked with prospects and look at the voting options..."

--Our own A.J. had a complaint letter to American Airlines posted on The Consumerist.

--So Terry Bradshaw took steroids during the '70s. As we all know, he was not the only Steeler, nor the only NFL player, to do so. Does that change your view on his accomplishments at all?

--PacMan Jones changed his name...to Dig Dug Jones.

--Anyone else out there read Moneyball? If you did, you'll enjoy this "Where are they now" article on the prospects mentioned.

--Here's a great article on MLB beer prices. Boston is the highest, Philly is the lowest.

--Shaq's losing his sheriff's badge after that anti-Kobe rap.

--You think you have it bad filling up your Range Rover? NASA has to pay $2,197,000 each time to fill up the space shuttle.

--WTAE scored a Peabody Award for their story on loafing PennDOT employees.

--As emailer Steve points out, we lost the Stanley Cup, but we can boast the national marble champs in both the boys and girls divisions. In fact, since 2004, youngsters from Allegheny County have won SIX national championships. Penn State has their linebackers, Allegheny County has their mibsters.

--An Alabama linebacker was charged with selling cocaine and possessing Ecstasy. His name? Jimmy Johns. And no, to answer your next question, he does not make gourmet sandwiches in his spare time.

--Joe Sports Fan has the 7 most identifiable swings of the modern era. And if it's got the JSF name on it, you know it's good stuff.

Send your interesting links to mondesishouse@gmail.com for these fun little buffers between "real" posts.

MONDESI ENTERS THE TERRIBLE TWOS

Just a minor footnote that I'd like to acknowledge: Mondesi's House officially turns two years old today. I'll take any excuse I can to use my stock "birthday cake nearly on fire" photo. Cecil from Cecil will be cutting the cake and scooping ice cream for each of you.

I'm not going to get all sappy at this milestone, and I pretty much spilled my guts on the re-focusing of this site last week. So what should I say? Honestly, I want to just make a brief mention, because I'm quite fascinated with the discussion the past few days and didn't want to take any attention away from that.

In the lifespan of a blog, I'm pretty proud to have made it two years. It hasn't been easy, and there's times when I wonder why I still try to do it, given my schedule. But "at the end of the day", it's still a lot of fun, especially when I focus on the things that I (and you) enjoy. Since the little "re-launch" last week, the posts have been fewer but they've been longer and they've been original. I think that's the formula that works best for everyone.

The good news is that the idea generator in my head has plenty of new material lined up, and combined with your commentary, emails, and tips, that should make for a lot of fun reading. Which reminds me, if any of you are attending the Pirate-Yankee games tonight or tomorrow, feel free to email mondesishouse@gmail.com with any first-person accounts or photos. We have Ramon Mondesi on the job for Thursday, so if nothing else, we have at least one on-the-scene recap on the way.

Thanks to all of you who read the site, to those of you who've recommended it to friends, to those of you who've contributed, and to those of you who comment. It's been quite a ride, and as I always say, the best is yet to come.

WHAT'S A REAL FAN?

I've been taking it on the chin from several readers in the comments section of Sunday's All You Can Eat article, mostly along the lines of "fair weather fan" and "too tough on the Pirates". I was also accused of never criticizing the Steelers or Penguins: "If the Pens and Steelers fall on hard times, the site would never get updated."

There were lots of accusations thrown around. So let's address them.

#1- I'm not a Pirate fan.

I guess those people missed the article in March of 2007 that led off with this line: "I love the Pittsburgh Pirates. They were my boyhood team, they were my inspiration for playing 14 years of baseball, and they’re still my favorite team to this day."

That article was entitled, "79 Reasons Why It's Hard to be a Pirate Fan". The point of the article was to show how hard the team has made it to hang in there after all these years of losing. And that was written BEFORE they went 68-94 in '07.

Let me reiterate this for those who missed the message: The Pirates are my favorite team. There is no other team I would like to win more than the Pirates. To see an entire generation of kids grow up without knowing what a winning season of Pittsburgh baseball looks like is a true injustice. In my eyes, a person who's not a fan is apathetic, a much more serious offense against fandom. Criticism shows that you do care about the team, because you want them to get better. Do you ever see anyone calling talk shows discussing the struggles of the Pittsburgh XPlosion? Of course not, because few people care.

#2- "If the Pens and Steelers fall on hard times, the site would never get updated."

That's a comment obviously made by someone unfamiliar with the site. I guessed you missed the painful weekly recaps of the 2006 team that started off 2-6 after winning the championship and looked like they were in a fog. Check the archives.

If anything, a case can be made that REAL fans want to discuss the team more when the team is struggling. Mark Madden would always say that a struggling Steelers team was great for ratings. Why? Because they have passionate fans who want to figure out what's wrong.

As for the Penguins, it's hard to be critical of a team that made what looked to me like all the right moves for an entire season, on the ice and off. From delivering season tickets in-person to the Marian Hossa trade to letting fans watch playoff games outside the arena, this organization has had the Midas Touch. Sure, there were a few times where I disagreed with Michael Therrien's decisions, but it's hard to argue with the results. There was very little to be critical of.

So with that as the background, I wanted to ask: What do you think is a real fan? Is it someone who rubber-stamps their approval on every move, or is it someone who actually voices their opinion when a team makes a move you disagree with?

If you want blind cheerleading, this is probably not the site for you. To use the cliche, "It is what it is."

I have my style and my opinions. There's no one forcing you to keep coming back if you don't agree with what I say. If I bother you so much, why are you still reading? Do you also sit through movies that you dislike?

With the Pirates, we're talking about a team that's on the verge of setting a Major League record for ineptitude next year. Tell me all the positive storylines I should be covering. Tell me the crowd on Sunday was not near-comatose.

Of course, according to some of you, I'm out to get the Pirates. I criticize everything they do. You know, like how I bashed them for taking Pedro Alvarez. Oh, wait...I didn't.:

For as many shots as we all take at the Pirates, it's time to pat them on the back when they do the right thing. And from most perspectives, this looks like the right thing. Although much of this season has played out like the previous 15, right down to the last-place standing that we see today, hats off to the Pirates on a good pick. Now sign the guy!

I love the Pirates, I love the Steelers, I love the Penguins, and I love Pitt. My methods may not be the same as yours, but we all have the same championship aspirations. I talk about their ups and their downs, not just their ups. If anything, all losing does is make winning that much sweeter. Ask the many Penguin fans who were around during the couple of years preceding Sidney Crosby. Pirate fans' expectations have dissolved down to a .500 season. A championship? I think the city's collective heads would explode. And win or lose, I'll be talking about it.

MONDESI FIELD TRIP: THE PIRATES ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SECTION

The glorious PNC Park fare

I don't get to many Pirate games anymore, for a variety of reasons. In fact, I hadn't been to PNC Park since last July (which was beautifully recapped here). But at a recent charity auction, I had a few tickets to the new all-you-can-eat (AYCE) section fall into my lap, so I figured I might as well go and get a good story out of it. I hadn't seen a really comprehensive review of this new stadium feature and thought I would do a service to everyone else who was as slow to try this out as I was.

The walk up to the stadium was congested, as usual. We finally settled on a $12 parking spot a few blocks away in a garage. How this team still manages to get fannies in the seats after all of this losing is beyond me.

The Sunday games are always advertised as a great family outing. Today's selling point was the Freddy Sanchez banner, for all the kids 12 and under who will be inspired to grow up and bat .231. As you can see, that strategy was playing out pretty well, as the Bucaroos stand was packing them in:

While walking to our seats, I noticed this contest sponsored by the Trib. Sorry, but that's not going to sell many newspaper subscriptions:

Our tickets were in section 146. Upon arrival, you have to check-in at a booth where a Pirate staffer gives you an AYCE wristband for the day. We got to the game pretty close to the 1:35 first pitch, so we figured we'd breeze through the line, grab a few sandwiches, and head back later for more. And then we were greeted with this:

It turns out that there's only one line for the AYCE crowd. I've seen shorter waits at Disneyland. We were in line for a solid half-hour on our initial trip through the line.

The menu includes AYCE hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream sandwiches, nachos, peanuts, popcorn, salad, and pop. As you get closer to the front, the line splits into a left side and a right side, which in a perfect world would offer the same items. As you can see, our side had a grand total of one hot dog at the time, so that means a stadium employee runs back and forth shouting things like, "Who wants a hot dog?" when the mood strikes her.

As we crawl closer to the front of the line, we try to figure out exactly what we can get. One sign says you're limited to a total of four items per trip:

However, the sign behind the counter completely contradicts that. Am I nuts, or would you not read the sign below as saying you could get a maximum of four of each item?

As usual, some good old-fashioned people watching helped cure my short attention span through the line. Like this guy, who resembled a thinner Big John Studd, with a predictable raunchy, beer-related t-shirt that I saw plenty of on Sunday.There was also a great shot of some hot dog chefs grilling weiners behind a grease-stained pane of glass. Sadly, the hot dogs were below expectations on this day.And then there was this guy, who got a ticket only to walk around for most of the game with an enormous Italian flag (if you didn't know, it was Italian Day at PNC; more on that later).Finally, I claimed my rightful food in the AYCE line: two hot dogs, a very small order of nachos, and a really small Diet Pepsi.

Rather than drag our food back to the seats, we took a few minutes and inhaled it at a nearby table. By the time we finally sat down, we'd missed two innings and the Pirates were already behind. Distract us from the on-field product, Pirate management? Mission accomplished.

For some unknown reason, a number of vendors continued to work a section with access to as much food as they wanted. It appears that Jack Black is in character study for a future film as a beerman.

Here's our usher, who greeted us with "I already wiped your seats", before not showing us to our seats, which already had people sitting in them. Thanks for the effort.

We're through three innings, which means it's time for flying meat, also known as the Sugardale Hot Dog Toss. Being that I held a golden ticket to an unlimited supply of processed tube steaks, I had little motivation to participate.

The Pirates usually have a theme to their scoreboard displays. This year, it's the players as actual "Yarrgh, matey"-style pirates. Somehow, Adam LaRoche as a pirate fails to inspire memories of Johnny Depp. Or Willie Stargell, for that matter.

A few innings passed, so it was time to check on the AYCE line. Besides, I was dying of thirst after using one of my four item choices on that child-sized serving of pop. So I lined up for some additional Diet Pepsi and an ice cream sandwich from the roving, yelling employee. As you can see, the sandwich left a little to be desired. I guess storing them in the freezer is out of the question.

Back to the seats for more exciting Sunday Lineup action. By looking at the Kennametal K Club, you could probably guess that Ian Snell was pitching today. They had quite the easy workload. Ian's line: 4 IP, 8 hits, 4 runs, 2 Ks. After a promising start, he's fast on his way to becoming a "True Pirate".

A Pirate rally ties the score at four. As the 8-5 final would indicate, that would be short-lived. Time for another silly Adam LaRoche intro, this time heavily hyping "Buck Commander".

It's time for in-game distraction #8,952, the Great Pittsburgh Pierogi Race N'at, a.k.a. "Something That Would Be Much More Beloved If It Weren't Introduced During Such A Down Time in Pirate History".

And we have a winner! This somehow seemed less rigged than the NBA playoffs.

A few inspired Italians donned Mario and Luigi outfits for the day. Unless they were actually Mario and Luigi, which was totally possible.

As the scoreboard would indicate, 22,983 tickets were sold for today's game. Say what you want about the Pirates, but they have an incredible marketing team.

The intimidating troika of Morgan-Chavez-Gomez went 1-2-3 to close the 8th. I know, I'm as shocked as you are. The PNC Park faithful, sensing a three-run deficit was too great to overcome, heads for zee hills. That would prove to be a wise, get-a-jump-on-traffic move, as the Pirates would meticulously recreate their 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the 9th. Blue Jays 8, Pirates 5. Put the brooms back in the closet. And yes, I actually saw a guy carrying one today.

So the $40 question: was it worth it? Well, it's kind of like getting .50 off per gallon of gas at GetGo and thinking you're getting a deal by paying $3.50 a gallon. You're so used to getting ripped off, you've talked yourself into believing you're getting a good deal.

I think the tickets in this area are about $17, which would mean you're paying $23 for the privilege of missing half the game while waiting for mini-orders of nachos in 85-degree heat. A deal? I suppose. It was nice to get free refills on soft drinks, which could easily bankrupt a person on a normal game day. The alternative of beer (now priced at a low $7 per bottle) makes the all-you-can-drink pop even more attractive.

My final tally: a burger, two hot dogs, an order of nachos, and three Diet Pepsis. It's not much more than I'd eat at a family cookout, especially spread over three hours.

Actually, I didn't see much "abuse" from the AYCE customers. It's not as if there was some enormous guy walking back and forth the entire game with four burgers in his hand at all times. The speed of the line clearly discourages a lot of people. Some employees looked like they were trying to keep up with the crush; others looked like they were moving in suuuuper---slooooow----motion.

The way I saw it, most people loaded up on burgers and dogs in the early innings, then supplemented that with nachos and ice cream down the stretch, with ample drink refills throughout. A decent number of paying customers would use their entire four-item allocation on their own personal tray of drinks.

But as I looked around the stadium, I noticed something that was really sad: the complete and total apathy of the crowd. The Pirate "fans" have to rank among the worst in the league, and it's not entirely their fault. As I said earlier, the fact that anyone is still showing up for these games is a minor miracle.

They come for the atmosphere, for the day out of the house and under the sun, for the Italian Day, for the hot dog toss, for the all-you-can-eat burgers, and for the Freddy Sanchez banner for their kid. If the Pirates win, it's a nice bonus, but win or lose, the end result really doesn't matter to the majority of those in attendance. They're totally numb to the on-field action. And while the Pirates could only muster an eclectic collection of 10 singles today, it wasn't as if they were ever out of the game at any point.

If you'll notice, I rarely use the phrase "Pirate fans". It's a breed that has mostly gone by the wayside, for 15 1/2 reasons I can think of off the top of my head. I prefer "Pirate customers", and credit must go to whatever local analyst came up with it (it's escaping me).

Just look at my experience today. I missed a great portion of the game standing in line. I just think of dropping that phrase into an in-person account of a Steeler or Penguin game and not dreaming I would ever let it happen. What can I say? The apathy and non-urgency of the PNC Park crowd is contagious.

Would I recommend one of you buying an AYCE ticket? Yes, but only if you are fully aware of the downside of this program ahead of time. If you're interested in seeing as much game action as possible, you might want to wait a few innings to avoid the early-game rush, if you do it at all. If you're in it mostly for the food and atmosphere, it's a pretty good deal considering your options.

A few more notes:

--Lots of Toronto fans in attendance today. There was a loud cheer after each Blue Jay home run.

--Quite a collection of jerseys worn in the crowd today. An old-school Barry Bonds Pirate jersey, loads of Blue Jays gear, a Mats Sundin jersey t-shirt, and a Jeff King jersey stand out.

--As I saw Jack Wilson saunter to the plate, I thought to myself how amazing it was that he's still here. Honestly, how many guys make it to their eighth year with the Pirates anymore? But he's gotta ditch that at-bat intro music. Time for something new, Jack-O.

--Why are the Pirates still struggling with sub-.500 ball? I present Adam LaRoche (.217), Freddy Sanchez (.231), Ian Snell (5.99), and Tom Gorzelanny (6.59). You can't have that many guys you're counting on completely disappear once the bell rings. Plus, the injuries to Phil Dumatrait, Xavier Nady, and Ryan Doumit haven't helped.

--Up next: the New York Yankees, visiting Pittsburgh for the first time since Bill Mazeroski sent them home as runners-up in the 1960 World Series. We'll get an up-close look at Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and the much-hyped Joba Chamberlain for the first time ever in a regular season game. Maybe that can inspire some ticket buyers to watch the action on the field for a change.

UPDATE:

I'll be on the 102.5 WDVE morning show on Tuesday morning at 9:20 AM to talk about this in greater depth with hosts Jim Krenn and Randy Baumann.

You can listen online at www.dve.com

PITTSBURGH SPORTS MEDIA POPULARITY CONTEST, ACT II

As promised, here is the second (and final) installment of The Mondesi's House 2008 Pittsburgh Sports Media Popularity Contest [click here for part one]. Below, you will find 41 more personalities to vote on, including everyone from Lanny Frattare to Eartha Jackson. We ended at a total of 66 entries (which is probably too high), but I wanted to include as many contestants as possible. With each poll taking about five minutes to put together, you can see that this was a major time-consuming production. But the great thing is that this might be the most fun I've ever had on a Mondesi's House creation.

The voting will end on June 26, and after that, we'll announce the winner and analyze the numbers to see what all of this means. I plan on ample number-crunching with the final results, such as approval ratings for entire sports media outlets (WTAE, ESPN 1250, Post Gazette, etc) based on the combined numbers of their respective personalities.

So without further delay, here are the rest of the participants, submitted for your approval:

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